Veggie Beer Cheese Soup

This soup is SO GOOD that after downloading this sad photo, I handed the digital camera to Goose and am letting her go to town taking random pictures so I can type the post - I don't want to forget what I put in it! Original recipe can be found here at Allrecipes.com.

Veggie Beer Cheese Soup

2 cups frozen carrots
1-16 oz pkg frozen broccoli & cauliflower
about 2 medium onions
about 1/4 cup butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
12 oz beer
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
4 cups of milk (or half & half)
6 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon Seasoned salt
Bacon for garnish

Thaw carrots, broccoli and cauliflower in colander under warm running water. Chop in a food processor in two batches until the pieces are as small as you'd like - mine were pretty teeny. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large-ish soup pot, I think mine is six quarts, over medium heat and add vegetables. Chop onion in food processor and add to veggie mixture. Add more butter if needed.

Cook several minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are getting reasonably soft. Add garlic towards the end of the cooking time. Add broth and beer, simmer ten minutes or so.

Meanwhile, melt 1/3 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Stir in flour [I use a spoon instead of a whisk, but my soup wasn't as smooth as it could have been...] and cook and stir until mixture is light brown, 3-4 minutes. Add milk a bit at a time, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened. [I'm admittedly not patient when it comes to this.] Add cheese a handful or two at a time, stirring well after each addition.

Add cheese mixture to vegetable mixture. Stir in spices and sauces. Simmer about ten minutes, then adjust seasoning as necessary. Garnish bowls of soup with bacon.

This yielded about 12 cups, I'd guess. I froze two quart bags and there were another three "grownup" servings plus one for the Goose. Just the thing on a chilly night!

I'm linking up to Made By You Monday - go check out what everybody else is making at Skip to My Lou!

Freezing Potatoes

Happy Kitchen Tip Tuesday! Tammy's Recipes took a couple of well-deserved weeks off and I kind of got out of the groove. I've been meaning to post for a while on what I do with questionable potatoes from the garden, as well as providing tips on freezing potatoes. The caveat here is that I only am going to show you my method - it's the only one I use because we like it so well!

After my hubs digs potatoes, I sort them. All the good ones get set out to harden off per Laura at Heavenly Homemaker's directions. The ones that have some green on them and the ones that got cut by the spade are turned into mashed potatoes and frozen.

In the picture at left, you can see a lot of green on some of the potatoes. I make sure to cut all the green off as it is toxic, but the rest of the potato seems fine to eat. I also trim the cut edges, mostly because they got dirty and have sat for a few days by the time I get to them, so they're pretty icky. I also use any potatoes that have bad spots that I can cut away. Similar to tomatoes, I cut and sniff until I don't smell any "ick" - just potato and kind of a fresh dirt smell. :>)

I then slice up the potatoes and use my chop wizard to dice them. (I am not all that good with a knife, and this makes it go SO MUCH faster!) It is a bit noisy - it THUNKS as it cuts - so I sometimes take it in the laundry room to use while Goose is napping. I set up my ironing board at about pelvis high for the best leverage.

After dicing, I put the potatoes in a big pot with a couple of inches of water, cover it and bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Most people cover the potatoes with water, and that's fine, but I tend to boil them over when I do that. This way, the potatoes kind of steam. Make sure you stir, though - they'll stick on the bottom.

After that, I pretty well follow the guidelines for the Pioneer Woman's twice baked potatoes. I use some butter, sour cream, buttermilk, cheese, and bacon bits. One time I stirred in a packet of ranch dressing mix and it was really, really good! So this time, I did a search for homemade ranch dressing, and my favorite one was this one from Recipe Source. I don't do exact measurements, and I don't put in the other stuff, just parsley flakes, dried onion, dill, onion and garlic powder, and instead of the onion and garlic salt, I up the powders and add some seasoned salt. I then stir and have my hubs give it a taste. Remember that you can't take spices out, so start out on the low side.

I then divide the potatoes out into freezer bags and mark them with the amount and what all I put in. Last year, half my potatoes had the yummy ranch and half did not, so sometimes I would thaw one bag of each and mix them together.

These freezer bags are especially handy for thawing since they are reasonably flat and not too thick. If I don't plan ahead well enough, I put them in hot water in the sink and it doesn't take too long for them to thaw. To cook, I like to put them in a casserole dish and bake them, especially if I'm baking the main dish and am already running the oven. I prefer to bake them uncovered so the top can get browned and kind of crusty. Yum!


I'll leave you with a picture of some of the big funky potatoes we managed to grow this year. They look like one big potato with several smaller potatoes attached. After I wash them, I cut off the small potato offshoots and slice them separately, then proceed as noted above.

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes!

Chili With Things You Never Thought To Include

Fall is officially here in Nebraska, and that means chili! I love to make a big batch and freeze the extra. You can simmer it on the stove or in the crock pot . . . I haven't yet tried it on the grill but I bet it would work in the proper container!

One of the things I love so much about this recipe is how forgiving it is. The batch you see pictured was prepared mostly one day, but I stopped before adding the carrots and just after adding the spices. The next day, I put it in the crock pot on high so the carrots could cook through and it was just fine. "Carrots?!?" you say? Yup. Read on. There are a TON of notes on this, sometimes I just can't help myself . . .

Chili - adapted from a fun cookbook called Quickies for Couples

* 1 lb hamburger, browned (I brown several pounds at a time and freeze it)
* 1 large yellow onion, diced (I use my chop wizard or the food processor with an onion from our garden)
* 3 garlic cloves, minced (I use bottled, you can get away with 1 Tbs garlic powder if it's all you have) * 1 - 15 oz can chili beans (I've not yet tried to recreate the spice mixture in these)
* 1 - 15 oz can great northern beans (I sub homemade cooked black beans from dried - I make a big batch and freeze extras)
* 1 - 46 oz jug of Spicy V-8 (this was the first year I tried using home-canned spicy tomato juice and it was awesome!)
* 4 large carrots (I used ones from our garden)
* 2 c corn (I am blessed that my parents freeze a bunch for us using a process similar to Amy's Sweet Corn Harvest post, though they microwave the corn to cook it)
* 2 green peppers, diced (I used four or so green pepper pucks and just tossed them in frozen)
* 1 Tbs chili powder
* 1 Tbs cumin (adds GREAT flavor - if you've never used it, you really should try it!)
* 1 Tbs oregano (did you know this really is used in Mexican cooking as much as Italian?)
* 1 tsp thyme
* 2 tsp salt
* 2 Tbs sugar (very important - it helps balance the acidity from the tomatoes)
* salt and pepper to taste - you'll need more salt if you use homemade beans from dried

I know that ingredient list seems long, but it's worth it!

Brown the hamburger over medium heat (or thaw/warm it, if frozen) along with the onion. Add garlic, and cook a few minutes, then reduce heat to low. We like the taste of beans but not so much the texture in chili, so I either run them through the food processor or mash them with a potato masher. Add them and the V-8 or tomato juice to the hamburger mixture, cover and simmer.

Peel carrots if necessary (if you're using garden carrots, you can sometimes just give them a good wash) and shred on a box grater - or I just chop them up a bit and put them in the food processor with the same steel blade I used to chop up the onions and puree the beans. Add to the pot along with the corn and green pepper. Stir in the spices. Simmer, covered, over low heat for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Personally, I think the long simmer is to meld the spices, which can also be done while the chili is cooled and refrigerated or frozen - so feel free to skip that step if you'd like . . . it just won't taste quite as good as it will the next day. (I know Katie has a post that touches on this but I just can't find it right now!) Since I've tinkered with the recipe so much, it yields more than the six servings noted in the book; I'd guess closer to 8, maybe 10 servings, depending on size. We love a big sprinkle of cheese on top!

For a ton more bean and legume recipes, visit Katie at Kitchen Stewardship's carnival of super foods this week. Yum!

Sniffing the Mail

OK, I admit it - I sniffed my mail this morning. My dear blog friend Sarah told me a while back that she was going to send me a package . . . and I had a guess as to what it might be, but heck - getting a package is a finer thing no matter what it contains! She's a busy mama what with having baby #2 a while back, and moving after being in limbo for months. So the suspense built! :>)

This morning, there was a card in our mailbox that we had a package and I could hardly stand it when I recognized Sarah's writing. (Even the postmistress commented on how lovely her penmanship is! :>)) I gave the box a sniff right there in our tiny post office and just about did the dance of joy when I recognized the delicious aroma of *sourdough starter*! (I knew I could make my own sourdough starter using Sarah's instructions, but I just hadn't gotten around to it yet.) (Laura also has a sourdough starter tutorial on her site.)

Sarah also included a sweet card, some tea, and most importantly, directions on the care and use of sourdough starter. (Those aren't shown because I was too busy reading them already as I was taking the picture!) I fed the starter right away and am treating it like the newest treasured member of the family that it is. I have to admit that I can't stop sniffing it. :>) [Edit - I realized that this may have something to do with my offer to "adopt" Sarah's sourdough starter when she announced her family was going mostly grain-free. They've kept some grain in their diet, and sourdough is among the best way to go! I'm pretty tickled that she more or less took me up on it though!]

So. I have a few days of feeding before it's ready to put in something, and it'll take me that long to decide what to make! I've been drooling over Sarah's blog for a while . . . anybody want to help me narrow it down?

Apple Cinnamon Sourdough Pancakes
Sourdough Cheese Crackers
Sourdough Boule (am thinking I'll build a bit more confidence - and experience - before jumping into that one!)
Sourdough Focaccia
Sourdough Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Whole Wheat Cranberry Pecan Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Sourdough Pizza
Whole Wheat Sourdough Crackers
Sourdough Potato Bread

(and here are some sourdough recipes from Laura. Oh, and her whole wheat sourdough biscuits.)

Where to start??? I tell you, friends, this is a very good problem to have. For more finer things, go visit Amy, though her Mr. Linky won't be up until Friday. I just couldn't wait to share my excitement!

(PS - anybody want to commiserate on toddlers with colds who prefer open-mouthed, wet kisses for comfort? Now I'm snuffly and sneezy and with a scratchy throat. I'm thinking the tea in that box will get utilized sooner rather than later! I'm also laughing because Goose just woke up as I was finishing this post. I sneezed a minute ago and, over the monitor, heard "bless you, Mama!" Maybe I won't list her on ebay just yet . . .)

Fall Yumminess

Nothing says fall like a warm drink on a crisp day! My very favorite one is strawberry cider (image from bhg.com). The recipe:

8 cups apple cider or apple juice
1 10-oz package frozen sliced strawberries
4" stick cinnamon
1 teaspoon whole cloves

Combine cider or juice, frozen sliced strawberries, the stick cinnamon, and cloves in a large saucepan. Bring to boiling and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Strain through cheesecloth - I use several clothespins to clip it across the top of the pitcher (make sure it hangs down an inch or so to allow room for it to drain). Depending on the size of your straining device (see comment below about using a funnel!), you may have to rinse it out or discard and get new cheesecloth, paper towel, filter, etc. After it gets to a certain level of gunked up, it doesn't drain very well.


If you'd like, you can garnish cups with apple slices, strawberries, or cinnamon sticks. I can personally attest that this does well in a slow cooker (such as for a party), and if I'm making it just for us, I pour it into the jug the apple cider came in and put it in the refrigerator. (Sometimes I have even used a funnel and strained it right into the jug. When I want a cup, I just pour one and heat it up! It's also pretty tasty at room temperature.

You can also use a colander with a bowl underneath, and you can also use paper towels, a clean tea towel, or even coffee filters (in a colander) but you'll have to pour VERY carefully to keep from dislodging them, and I'd wet them first. The strawberries turn into kind of a sludge, and you don't really want to drink that.

I have tried using plain frozen strawberries and adding sugar, but I didn't do the calculations to see how much sugar was actually in the sweetened strawberries, and I felt like I had to add enough that it just made sense to use the pre-sweetened ones. If you run the numbers and figure it out, let me know. :>)

Cider will go on sale during the fall, and frozen sweetened strawberries go on sale a few times a year. This helps to make this treat more affordable!

Two more recipes that I'd LOVE to try this fall are caramel apple cider and caramel apple cookies. Holy cow, don't they sound GOOD?

For more yummy fall recipes, visit Life As Mom.

Cutting and Freezing Jalapeños

The pepper plants in my garden continue to produce well, and I still have some blooms so it looks like we'll be getting peppers up until it freezes. (Which, based on the buzzing insects - locusts or cicadas, whatever you call them - may not be too far away!) I canned some jalapeños but I like to freeze some, too.

Kitchen tip: ALWAYS wear gloves when cutting jalapeños. Seriously. It is SO NOT worth the burn! You can get plastic or latex gloves similar to what food service workers wear that are pretty cheap, but they can be a bit flimsy. Replace them as soon as you notice them sticking to your hand - that means you likely have a leak somewhere. Wash your hands immediately. DO NOT rub your face, eyes, or anything else. If you wear contacts, I highly recommend removing them before working on the jalapeños just in case. That is the reason Alton Brown always wears glasses now.

If you do find yourself suffering from "jalapeño hands", you can visit this post by Newly Purnell for a number of suggestions for relief. (warning - some comments are a bit crass, and some contain swear words - that pain would drive a saint to drink, though . . .) It sounds like different things work for different people. Some that I noticed included:
* milk - I recommend pouring on a cloth or paper towel and applying that to the burning area
* rubbing alcohol (also pour on cloth and apply) and/or hand sanitizer
* rubbing the affected area on something made of stainless steel if possible
* paste made of baking soda and water
* Calamine lotion
* An anti-oil facial astringent or anti-oil acne cream containing benzoyl peroxide
* honey
and many, many more.

Actually, I'm thinking I might declare a pair of rubber gloves (like those used for washing dishes) for jalapeño use only, because I tend to use my left thumbnail and index fingernail to scrape out seeds and membranes, which eventually weakens the glove and that leads to a very high likelihood of jalapeño hands.

To freeze "whole" jalapeños, I cut the tops off, then run the tip of my knife around the top of the pepper between the flesh and the seed pod in the center, through the ribs, or membranes. I then make one cut down to the bottom tip. I open the pepper up, remove the seed pod, try to remove as much of the ribs as I can, and all the loose seeds. I then put them in a freezer zip top bag and freeze. Today I fit about 32 jalapeños per quart bag, though I could have packed a few more in if needed.

Hubs likes jalapeños but isn't crazy about cream cheese, so the standard jalapeño popper recipes aren't his cup of tea. A few years ago, I came across a recipe for Jalapeño Chicken Wraps in a Taste of Home magazine that Hubs really likes.

I found that in order to get the bacon as crisp as he likes it, I needed to pre-cook the bacon if I used the grill. I have also made them in the oven, and that seems to crisp the bacon better.

Enjoy your hot peppers - but do it safely! And for more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes!

Porcupine Meatballs

One of my favorite meals at my grandma's house when I was little was porcupine meatballs. Of course, it may have been influenced by the macaroni and cheese and homemade bread she served with it - and I'm sure there was some sort of vegetable, but it has certainly faded to the background. If my memory serves correctly, once I grew up I asked for the recipe and she just used tomato sauce. That doesn't quite fit with my grown-up palate (or the memory, but I digress), so I set out to create my own.

I've actually combined two recipes, one that I found somewhere for the meatballs themselves, and another for the sauce. Perhaps I'd better back up - in case you aren't familiar with porcupine meatballs, they contain rice, which kind of sticks out like little quills.

This time, I used four pounds of hamburger, and I tried making the meatballs larger than usual . . . the scoop I used was probably about 1/3 cup, though I probably only had about 1/4 cup of mixture in there. I then put the meatballs on cookie sheets and baked them instead of browning them in a skillet. Since I had 44 total meatballs, I divided them 11 to a batch and froze three batches and cooked the other one.

Being me, I was out of white rice so I used brown . . . and during the simmering part, I cooked it and cooked it and cooked it. Still wasn't done. So the next day, I put the meatballs and sauce in the crock pot and THEN the rice finally got done. But the meatballs pretty much fell apart! Can't win for losing, and it tasted great. I've added white rice to the shopping list, though.

So. Recipes!
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Porcupine Balls

2 pounds hamburger
1 cup regular uncooked white rice
1/2 cup water
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon celery salt (optional - I never have it)
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix well, shape into about 20 balls, brown.

Mix 15 oz can tomato sauce, 1 cup water, and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, pour over balls. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes or until rice is tender.
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And here's the meatballs and sauce recipe that *I* like for the sauce (more on that in a bit):
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Barbecued Meatballs - from a former co-worker's mother who is a good cook! And it's an honest-to-goodness freezer cooking recipe.

Meatballs
3 pounds hamburger
12 oz can evaporated milk
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup cracker crumbs (~27 saltines)
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chili powder

Sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (see my riblet post for a link on why it's OK to use - no crazy chemicals!)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped onion

Meatballs: combine all ingredients (will be soft) and shape into walnut-sized balls. Freeze in single layer on wax-lined cookie sheets until firm, remove to air tight container and return to freezer.

Place frozen meatballs in 9x13 pan. Combine all sauce ingredients in bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Pour over meatballs. Bake at 350* for one hour.

Notes: may want to make half again the sauce amount if you like saucy meatballs. Sauce can also be used on meatloaf.
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My problem? Hubs thinks the sauce is too sweet. I can see his point.

So this time I experimented with a mixture of BBQ sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire. I used about 1 cup BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup ketchup, about 3 tablespoons brown sugar, several good shakes of Worcestershire, and some water to thin it, though I'm not sure I needed it. In actuality, I intended to use more ketchup but ran out. I thought the sauce smelled too BBQ sauce-y, but the flavor wasn't quite as strong. Still, I intend to use a higher ratio of ketchup next go-around. And, with three pounds of meatballs in the freezer, there WILL be a next time . . .

Microwave Chex Mix

In the summer, I like to use the oven as little as possible. In preparing for our week-long car trip to Wyoming, I wanted to pack some snacks that would help keep us going without being too unhealthy or expensive. Homemade Chex Mix fits the bill (and is delicious!!) but running my oven for an hour in August is about the last thing I want to do. Kitchen tip: use the microwave to make Chex Mix! My basic recipe is the same:

Chex Mix
3-6 tablespoons butter (less is lower fat, more is yummier; I use about 4.5 T)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon seasoned salt
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3 cups each Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Wheat Chex
1 cup pretzel sticks or mini twists
1 cup bagel chips or melba toast, broken into bite sized pieces if necessary

I measure all the cereal, pretzels, and chips into a gallon ziptop bag. In fact, I will sometimes measure it all out and just store it in the ziptop bags ready to be seasoned and cooked. (You'll need two boxes of wheat Chex to one box each of rice and corn and I think you'll end up with six total batches.)

Melt the butter in a cup or bowl, stir in seasonings. Pour over cereal, zip top closed, and shake well but gently to combine. Pour into a large bowl. Microwave on high for two minutes, stir. Microwave another two minutes on high and stir, then microwave one more minute. Bowl will be HOT! Pour out on newspapers (I cover them with a layer of paper towels) to cool and dry. Flavor improves as mix cools. Store in an airtight container if you have any leftover.

In the winter, I prefer to make the mix in the oven. I just bake it at 250* for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes.

And be sure to visit my give-away post - there's something for everyone!

Amy's Chocolate Pudding Zucchini Muffins

I've been eyeing the recipe Amy posted a while back for chocolate pudding zucchini muffins. As noted, I received a large zucchini this week, and turned it into muffins today.

A couple of quick question, which you veteran zucchini people are going to laugh at, but that's OK: 1) do you peel zucchini before shredding? 2) do you squeeze out the water after shredding? 3) if you use a food processor, what do you do about the end pieces that just won't go through? Today, I peeled, I squeezed, and I minced the leftovers as small as possible and threw them in.

After reading the rave reviews from Amy's house, I decided to do some tweaks from the get-go. I figure if I make them just a bit healthier to begin with, we won't know what we're missing. So here's my version of the recipe:

Lenetta's Tweaks of Amy's
Chocolate Pudding Zucchini Muffins

3 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. cooking oil
1/2 c. applesauce
1 c. sugar (I ran out of white so I used 1/3 c white and 2/3 c brown sugar)
1 package chocolate instant pudding (not sure what the different sizes are - mine was 4 servings)
2 c. grated zucchini
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Beat eggs, oil, sugar, pudding mix, vanilla and zucchini together. Blend dry ingredients and add to zucchini mixture; mix well. Scoop into paper-lined muffin tins. Bake 17-20 minutes at 350°.

I only have two muffin tins so I made 2 dozen muffins. As I put them in the oven, I worried I was going to pull out a running-over-the-sides mess, but they came out fine. I've had one and it's pretty darn good! I'll see what Goose and Hubs say - they have the most say in what recipes get made again around here.

Chicken Salad in Pita Pockets

Tonight's kitchen experiment was a bit unintended, though it came together well - albeit a bit late. For whatever reason, I decided to marinate and grill two packages of chicken this week, so I had a lot of cooked chicken. A friend of mine makes the most delicious chicken salad, and thinking about it gave me a hankering for it. I've also wanted to try my hand at making pita pockets - and the two certainly go well together! The recipe:

Maxine's Chicken Salad

6-8 cooked and cooled boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 green onions (white and green parts)
3 stalks celery (use the ends too)

In food processor, chop chicken, remove, and then chop onion & celery together. Add to the chicken. Add Miracle Whip until desired consistency. Add salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (sparingly...you want just enough so that you get barely a taste after a bite of salad!) and basil to taste.

May add red grapes and/or chopped nuts if desired. Or, for a change, serve with chopped tomatoes & bacon on top.

Maxine notes that you really do want to chop the chicken and celery separately - or else you end up with green chicken! I don't keep Miracle Whip on hand, so I used mayo and added a bit of sugar and vinegar.

Unfortunately I didn't plan ahead well enough, and Hubs had to head out to mow hay before I finished the pita pockets. Too bad, because they're pretty good! I used a recipe from Tammy's Recipes. There is a whole wheat version as well, but I figured I'd better start easy. My biggest problems were that I can't roll out in a circle, and keeping Goose from doing too much damage as she was standing on the chair, "helping" me. If I'd have given it just a bit more thought, I could have used extra cooling racks to bake more than two at a time and spent just a bit less time in front of a very hot oven.

I think I'll make these again, though I'd double the recipe (now that I'm more or less comfortable with it) and put the extras in the freezer. To keep me humble, I tried giving Goose a bite and all she got was chicken salad, which she'd have spit out if she knew how. Must be a texture thing? Who knows.

We hit a used book sale this morning in one of the nearby "cities" (they're really just pretty big towns) and came out with a lot of books for just under $25. When I went to organize them, I was pleased to discover that I remembered correctly - I had volume one of a set of children's books and found volumes two through five. In fact, it made me wonder if I ought not try to talk Hubs into going back tomorrow to see if I can complete any of my other sets! Something tells me he won't go for it, and rightly so, I suppose . . .

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Using Freezer Paper

Previous posts have noted that I like to brown, divide, and freeze hamburger, make ahead casseroles, make and freeze sloppy joes, freeze chicken in marinade, freeze raw chicken breasts, and now I'll show you how I wrap big hunks of raw meat for longer-term storage.

Many frugal minds agree that you can help your grocery bill by watching for things your family enjoys (and you use a lot of) to go on sale, then stock up as space and usage allows. I like to use my crock pot, and I've discovered that Goose loves to eat shredded pork, which was on sale last week. I bought several packages, and also some freezer paper and tape.

To prepare the pork roasts, I cut off as much fat as I can without wasting too much meat. (It isn't exactly wasted at our house - it goes to the barn cats!) North Dakota State University has a link which shows how to wrap meat for freezing. (Doncha know there, eh? Angela and Annemarie are probably the only people that will get that . . . ) I prefer the butcher wrap, myself. I then labeled with the type of meat, date frozen, and weight, and put four of them in the freezer. The fifth one went in the crockpot for tomorrow's lunch.

The original recipe comes from A Year of Crockpotting. My tweaks are as follows:

Crockpot Pork Sandwiches

3-4 pound pork roast (bone-in is fine)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup beer

Place meat in crock, sprinkle spices and brown sugar over it. Add Worcestershire, mustard, and honey, pour in beer. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (Steph did 12 hours overnight and it was a bit overdone but plenty edible). Serve over rice or pasta, or as we do, as sandwiches.

Since I'm cooking it overnight, I'll shred it in the morning, and refrigerate the drippings/juice so the fat can come to the top and harden, then I'll skim that off and return the meat to the juice.

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes.

More Yumminess

This afternoon, Goose and I "splish-splashed" in her wading pool and she honed her soap bubble-blowing proficiency since we didn't have to worry about dripping bubble solution all over. (I know I have a recipe for homemade bubbles somewhere - I need to look for that!)

As a recovering vegetarian, I'm pleased to announce that I survived grilling chicken for the first time! I used the boneless skinless breasts that I mentioned here that were in Amy's marinade.

In a word, delicious!

I will definitely be using this again! And, in the spirit of freezer cooking, I will freeze uncooked chicken breasts in the marinade and they will marinate as they thaw then be ready to throw on the grill! I do think they'd be quite good in the crockpot, and I will be trying them that way.

I also made a broccoli cauliflower salad, and for dessert, we had banana boats from Frugal Family Fun Blog. Also very delicious!

My broccoli salad recipe comes from a hospital (really!). I used to be on the regional health board and we met in one of the hospital's meeting rooms with a catered supper. This dish was so good, I wrote and requested the recipe. I halve the original recipe, so that is what I'll give you. Feel free to double it!

Veggie Salad with Cheese and Bacon

5 cups fresh vegetables, chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use fat-free)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon vinegar

Combine vegetables, cheeses, and bacon. Stir together remaining ingredients for dressing, mix well. Pour over vegetables, toss to coat. Cover and chill.

Suggested veggies include: broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, radishes, carrots, onion, green pepper

Personally, I stick to broccoli and cauliflower, and I cook it a bit first, otherwise we seem to get awfully rumbly in the tumbly. :>)

Baking Bacon and Using the Grease

There have been a number of posts on Kitchen Tip Tuesday lately on baking bacon. It is my preferred way of preparing it - I line two jelly roll pans (cookie sheets with sides) with foil and spread out a pound of bacon that has been cut in half. I bake it at 350 for usually around 25 minutes, rotating the pans every 10 minutes or so. I turn them 180 degrees and switch the top and bottom racks both.



Once the bacon is done, I use a fork to move it to two plates lined with paper towels. If you no longer use paper towels, I think I saw a kitchen tip once where they used a cooling rack over newspaper.



TIP: To use the grease, fold either side of one corner up and make a little spout with it. Pour it into a clean, empty jar. You can put a lid on it if you like, I leave mine open. I store it in the refrigerator, although my mother kept hers in a pot in a cupboard for years and never had any difficulty.

To use, my mom left a pastry brush in hers and would use that to grease her pans or for pan frying. I've seen people leave a small plastic bag tucked in the jar; they stick their hand in it, scoop up a bit of grease, and use that to grease pans, then just spoon out a bit for frying. I found I ended up with grease inside the bag more often than not!

My method of use is to tear off a small piece of paper towel and fold it over, swipe that through the grease, and use it to grease my pan - then throw it away.
Note that the if you let your grease sit and cool too long, it will "harden" (it doesn't get very hard) on the pan and you won't get as much to pour off.

Regardless, the bonus is that bacon grease doesn't turn into the nasty, sticky mess that non-stick spray does. Once my jar gets full - like it is now - I pour the grease over hard end slices of bread and feed them to our farm dog and barn cats. They enjoy the treat!

For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes.

And, click here to see how I'm working on organizing my recipes and to tell me how you organize yours!

Organizing Recipes

There have been a few times that I've mentioned I'm working on organizng my recipes. It's a large project because I have a TON of recipes clipped. (And more waiting to be clipped, since a while back I found a large stack of my favorite recipe magazines at a thrift store.) I used to subscribe to the Reiman family of recipe magazines, including Taste of Home, Simple & Delicious, Healthy Cooking (formerly Light & Tasty, I think), and Cooking For 2.

After Goose was born, I gave them up. Not only did I not really have the time to read them, I already had *so many* recipes to try that I'll probably never get to them. In addition, I seem to find a ton of recipes just stumbling around online. I really like Amy's suggestion of just putting them right into your next meal plan, but I don't do a lot of meal planning yet. Hubs's schedule is pretty random, and since our family is so small, we end up with a lot of leftovers, which sometimes last longer than I think they will.

My initial method of sorting recipes was to use index card boxes. I just made dividers for the various categories, and ended up with subcategories within them. I liked that idea well enough, but before Goose was born, I decided I needed to utilize my technology and try to organize them in a searchable fashion on the computer. I used a spreadsheet and then categorized them in alphabetical order in the boxes. I didn't get far before I realized that wasn't going to work very well. What I liked about it was that I could enter more than one category for something - soup, and ham main dish, for example.

And now? I'm going back to my simpler method of dividing by category. I'm toying with the idea of using zip top bags to store them in, but for now I'm using them to sort. (I'm also thinking about clipping together similar recipes within the bag.) Thankfully we have a table in the kitchen where we eat so I can use the bigger dining room table for sorting recipes. I'm taking "one bite of the elephant at a time" - that is, I sort a bit each day. If I need to pick everything up, I just tuck the newly sorted recipes in the bags and pile them in the basin. It's also quite easy to pull them back out when I'm ready to sort again - there isn't a lot of setup time needed.

Most importantly, I am culling recipes that I really don't think we'll like. Over 5+ years of marriage, I've figured out a few more things on what Hubs likes and doesn't like (and what I like and don't like). Since we're trying to eat healthier, I also pull out ones that call for a lot of expensive convenience foods that we don't eat anymore. On the flip side, I'm pulling out ones that sound supper yummy that I would like to try right away. Regardless, I'm getting a better handle on what I have, and thinning out the ones I don't use so I can find things more easily.

Anybody have any tips for me? How do you sort your recipes?

A Good Day To Be Alive

Yesterday was a fantabulous day. It was cool without being cold or rainy, just enough breeze to keep away the bugs that are out already. Goose and I went for a short walk around town in the morning, then after her nap, we walked out to the farm.

On top of that, I weeded much of my gourd patch - it's about 15'x5', with approximately five gourd plants. The rest is solid weeds! I squatted almost the whole time, so combining that with the walk, I didn't think I'd be able to get out of bed this morning. So far, so good.

We started the day off with pancakes - I have been using the recipe on the container of powdered buttermilk, but it's finally used up. Since Kim's recipe for honey maple syrup (scroll down a bit) was so good, I think I'd probably better try her pancakes next, too. (We halved the syrup to make sure we'd like it - and since we're half the size of her family!) It was delicious - thanks, Kim!

What's a day in the kitchen without some sort of incident? I cooked my bone-in chicken breasts in the crock pot during the evening night before last, and took them out to let them cool a bit. Then I forgot to put them in the fridge - they just sat on a plate all night. Surprisingly, my cats left them alone (my mom just fell out of her chair at that bit of info) so I had Hubs shred them up and I used them to make Chicken and Rice.

As an aside, one of the links I provided on cutting split breasts noted that she got about 2 cups of shredded chicken from two split breasts. After I cut the meaty breast piece off, I noticed there was another meaty piece, like a chicken tender - long, skinny, and narrow. (This is probably actually where chicken tenders come from!) So I cut that off, too, and threw it in with my marinades. I then ended up with about three cups of shredded meat from eight split breasts, just enough for this recipe.

Chicken and Rice

Cook 1 1/2 cups rice in water per package directions. (I have been using brown rice, I'm still not quite used to it in here, though.) Saute one onion, chopped, and 1 cup celery in butter. Combine rice, onion mixture, 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 2 cups chicken broth (I usually use less), 3 cups cooked diced chicken, 1 can water chestnuts (I usually run them through the handy chopper) and one can mushrooms.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then cover with crushed potato chips (I usually don't have any plain ones, so I skip this) and bake another 15-20 minutes until heated through. Yield 8-10 servings.

Tweaks - I have dumped it all in a crockpot and cooked it on low for a few hours, and I have just heated it through on the stove. That's probably why I use less chicken broth. Yesterday, I actually dumped everything in the rice cooker and let it cook that way. It took two cycles, though.

After cooking, I put about half of it in the freezer for another meal and we still had some leftovers after eating it for lunch.

Goose and I are supposed to go to the nearby "city" for a Nebraska Friends of Midwives potluck at the park, and it's raining! We don't really have a backup plan, so I'm thinking we'll just go and get a little wet and have a good time.

Summer Deliciousness

Note - I re-arranged this post a bit and am linking it to the camping recipes over at Life as Mom - head over for more great ideas! I can personally verify these potatoes are delicious added to breakfast burritos like the ones Joy posted!

Another "recipe" we enjoyed this weekend was potatoes on the grill. (I think I mentioned that?) I don't have a particular recipe for it, but I cut up a potato or two per person depending on how small they are and how much else we're eating. I spread the potatoes out on a large piece of heavy duty foil and add some or all of the following: chopped onion, chopped red or green pepper, and/or chopped carrots. I then sprinkle everything with garlic powder and seasoned salt (could add other spices - and some ground black pepper) then top it with some slices of butter cut off a stick. I pull the sides of the foil up and roll them down to seal and then seal the ends similarly.

To cook, I grill over indirect heat, flipping every 10 minutes or so to avoid burning and cook evenly, for about 45 minutes to an hour. You really just want everything to be tender, but I've cooked it to the point of falling apart and it's still delicious. Top with some shredded cheese for a real treat. (Shown here with a veggie burger.) Bonus points if any or all if it is from your garden!


Remember that I made cherry pie filling? It turned out great! The recipe I more or less used is here. I then used the blueberry crisp topping mentioned here. I'm terrible at taking pictures of food (combination of photographic inexperience and terrible lighting when the food is ready), but here's a picture of the cherry crisp being enjoyed by Goose.

Finally, here is a recipe to use up your leftover pineapple juice from the chicken recipe. I actually freeze pineapple juice (extra or not) in 2 cup portions to use here. That way you have a head start on cooling it down! Just break it into pieces to help it melt more quickly.

Paradise Punch

1 pkg Kool-Aid (I use the dye-free cherry)
1 c sugar (or less)
2 c water
1 c pineapple juice (can use orange juice instead, I've never tried it)
1 liter club soda

In 2 quart pitcher, mix Kool-Aid, sugar, water, and juice until dissolved. Refrigerate until ready to serve; add club soda just before serving.

Yum! I've made this for years, although I've tried to cut back on the sugar. Goose just gets a splash in with her water, if any - I've found that with juice or the like, she'll drink it and insist on more, refusing to eat anything. It isn't pretty.

Chipotle BBQ Chicken

The initial recipe for this came from either a Frugal Friday post or a Kitchen Tip Tuesday post (back when you could post recipes there). Can't find it now. Here's how I made it:

Chipotle BBQ Chicken

~2 pounds chicken breasts
1/2 bottle BBQ sauce
1 1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 red pepper, chopped
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (from a can)

Put all ingredients in gallon ziploc bag, freeze until needed. To prepare, thaw in refrigerator, turning and squishing occasionally to marinate meat. You have several options for cooking:

- in crock pot on low for 8 hours
- in Dutch oven on medium low for an hour
- in covered baking dish at 350 for an hour.

Just don't overcook it or let it dry out. You can also add a can of chunk pineapple instead of the juice, but we're not crazy about fruit with meat. When I go to prepare it, I will probably throw in a chopped onion as it was in the initial recipe and I just didn't do it this time. Last time I made this, I actually used the bone-in part of the chicken and put it in the crock pot. Worked great. I'll post another recipe on something for your leftover pineapple juice, too!

I also made up a bag of chicken to freeze using Amy's marinade and I can't wait to try it, although I may throw it in the crock pot rather than grilling it.

Making Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

No, I'm not part chicken. Nor do I butcher the lovely ladies that run around the yard at the farm. (I told Hubs long ago that I can't eat anything that has a name. Sorry, dear.)

You know how I mentioned before that I'm a recovering vegetarian? Raw chicken is THE WORST in my mind. (Well, there are actually a lot of things categorized as THE WORST, but that's really up there.) So I use plastic or latex gloves when handling it. Plus it's easier to slip them off (carefully) and go attend to a certain 2-year-old having a fit than to stop and wash up. Ahem.

I didn't invent this method, but I sure do like it. Basically, you pull off the skin and cut the nice, meaty breast off, then cook up the part with bones, pull off the cooked meat, and use it in recipes. And you also have some nice boneless skinless chicken breasts to do whatever you do with them. Amy at Finer Things has a picture tutorial here, and I initially saw the idea here on a Frugal Fridays post.

Previously, I have flash frozen the breasts and boiled the bone in part and then frozen that (or put it in recipes and frozen it). This time, I put the breasts in marinade and tossed them in the freezer and I have the bone-in parts in the crock pot. We'll see how it turns out. I'll put the recipes in the next post.

"It Feels Like Sunday" Weekly Garden Update, Week 4

Wow, I didn't even think to take a picture yesterday. It was a bizarre day, though. Goose fell off the pew twice during Mass - both times I was kneeling, and I broke her fall both times, so it was more of just a bump - then went down for her nap well but woke up screaming all too early - I think it might be nightmares? anyway I spent an hour calming her and trying to get her to lie back down - and finally we went to a barbecue yesterday evening. (I made blueberry crumble - recipe is here, except I recommend doubling the topping.) (Why yes, I do realize I'm in the running for the world's longest sentence.)

The garden sure looks a lot more green; unfortunately, most of it is weeds! I should have been out there today weeding but we've had a few showers over the past couple of days (I don't much like mud) and I managed to forget all about it anyway. I put some more effort into sorting my recipe collection. Another ten years and I'll have that sucker whipped into shape for sure.

After getting a bit more advice, I haven't transplanted anything that needs thinning (peas and beans, mainly). I think we'll put up the fencing for the tomatoes and green beans this week. I did some mulching around the tomatoes and peppers, thanks to Hubs's lawn mowing.

Looks like Goose and I will be traveling a bit this week; we'll head out to my parents' tomorrow for a mini-family reunion with some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I'm never happy going anywhere without Hubs, but he doesn't get away from the farm too much.

Finally, it is with mixed emotions that I tell you Baby Faith went to be with Jesus this weekend. I rejoice for her, and her mother is rejoicing, too; I just can't imagine losing a baby. I've been prayerfully reflecting much of today and kissing my own baby.

Runza Casserole - Freezer Cooking

Tonight's contribution to the freezer was Runza casserole. If you don't live in or near Nebraska, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, and I'm sad for you! Runzas are actually a single serving bread pocket with hamburger, cabbage, and spices inside. There are other versions that include cheese, swiss cheese and mushrooms, and an Italian version. Pure deliciousness! I've also seen recipes for something quite similar called bierocs.

They can be made at home a number of ways, with your own dough, thawed frozen bread dough, all the way down to canned biscuits. They're great for freezing and eating later - in fact, I can remember real frozen Runzas being sold for fundraisers.

I'm still not so good with dough. I'm working on it, but just not there yet. This is an easy way to get a similar deliciousness. I'm still tweaking this, but here's how it's written.

Runza Casserole

2 lbs hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1 small head cabbage, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz shredded cheddar
salt, pepper, garlic powder, celery salt to taste
2 tubes crescent roll dough

Brown hamburger, drain if necessary. Add onion and cabbage, cook 10 minutes. Add soup and spices, mix well.

Lay one tube crescent rolls in bottom of 9x13 pan (ungreased). Press to cover the bottom as needed, pinch perforations to seal if you wish. (It really doesn't matter.) Pour meat mixture over dough and spread out. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with other package of rolls. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or untill dough is golden brown. (Picture is before baking.)

I never can find a small head of cabbage, so I chop it all and freeze the extra. Tonight, I tried chopping it with a knife as usual - I quartered it, cut out the core, and sliced thinly then chopped. It was a huge pain and the pieces were bigger than I wanted. I then got out the food processor and pulsed the remaining. This is what it looked like. I ended up dumping that which I chopped by hand in the processor and chopped it, too. I then split it in thirds, two packages of four cups for the freezer and four cups in with the hamburger.

For seasoning, I used seasoned salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Several months ago, I made a few batches of condensed cream of mushroom soup. Not sure where I found the recipe, offhand. Amy at Finer Things has a post on how she did it here. I used the approximate equivalent of two cans, I think.

Finally, I used one 8x8 pan, one can of crescent roll dough, and half the hamburger mixture. I put the other half in a gallon freezer bag - I may have been able to squeeze it in a quart, but it would have been tight.

I baked the one 8x8 pan, I have one more pan's worth in the freezer ready to go, and two bags of cabbage for two more double batches. Yum!