Ja cię kocham…

I’ve been letting my kitchen become sparse.  I haven’t gone grocery shopping in a while, and it’s honestly because I want to use all of the stuff that has been sitting in the cabinets for a long time.  Don’t worry, I do go through the cabinets every once in a while to make sure there isn’t anything that has been hiding in a dark corner for years.  Nothing is expired in my kitchen – at least not yet, and I am determined to use all of it.

It’s hard when I go on grocery strike.  I have to become very creative about meals.  Either that or just settle for a mix of food that makes absolutely no sense.  The other night I had canned carrots and meatballs for dinner… no not mixed together just heated up carrots and heated up meatballs.  It did its job.  I was full.

Seriously, I’m trying to consume a lot of my food before I go shopping again.   So carrots and meatballs it is!

And I am officially out of milk and bread.

So what do I do?  I make my own bread.  As for the milk… we’ll see how long my husband will last without it.

Now that I have made my own sandwich bread, I’m going to have a difficult time going back to prepackaged bread.  This was so soft and fluffy and probably cost all of 15 cents to make.  No need to buy Ezekiel bread for $3 or $4 dollars anymore.  Not when I can just make my own.

This recipe comes from my awesome sister.  She is getting married soon, and like me, she is a self-proclaimed NON-baker.  We don’t bake, at least not as well as we would like.  And if BOTH of us can successfully make this bread on the first try, anyone can.  Trust me.

Light Whole Wheat Bread

Source: Slightly adapted from my sister of Cleanliness is Next to Godliness and Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Makes 4, 1-pound loaves.
Ingredients:

3 cups lukewarm water
1 ½ TBS granulated yeast (1 ½ packets)
1 ½ TBS salt
1 cup Whole Wheat flour
5 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
Whole Wheat Flour for pizza peel

Directions:

Mixing & Storing the Dough:

Mix the yeast and salt with the water in a five quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

Mix the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14 cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with a dough hook). If you’re not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.

Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately two hours.

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when it’s cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days.

When ready to use:

Remove the dough from the bowl and press it by hand into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick, 6 inches wide, and 8 to 10 inches long. Form it into a loaf by working from the short side of the dough, rolling up the length of the dough one section at a time, pinching the crease with each rotation to strengthen the surface tension. It will spread wider as you roll it. Pinch the final seam closed with the back edge of your hand or with your thumbs. Place the loaf in a lightly oiled 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch bread pan; the ends of the loaf should touch the ends of the pan to ensure an even rise. Mist the top with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap.  Let it sit for 40 minutes.

20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won’t interfere with the rising bread.

Sprinkle the loaf liberally with flour and slash across, “scallop”, or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top using a serrated bread knife. Leave the flour in place for baking; tap some of it off before eating.

Put the bread in the oven and pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.

Allow to cool before eating.

Soooo…. my camera doesn’t work!!  I turn it on, and the stinkin’ lens won’t open.  I guess it’s a sign that we need to get a new camera.  Perhaps a REALLY good camera.  But for now, my iPhone will have to do…

ANYWAY… In the NE portion of the United States, we have been battling the ups and downs of indecisive weather.  One moment it’s 50 degrees, the next minute we have 2 feet of snow on the ground and then it’s rainy and 35 degrees… all within a week or so!  Insane.  Needless to say all of this yo-yo-ing of the temperature has caused some coughing and sneezing making it absolutely essential to have some warm soup on the stove.

I randomly came across wonton wrappers at the grocery store that were on sale so I picked them up and decided to give them a go.  I have never made anything with wontons before but I felt as if all the stars were aligning just as they should in order for me to make this incredibly flavorful and comforting soup: The wontons were on sale, the meat was buy one, get one free, and I got a newsletter from Hungry-Girl including a wonton soup recipe… all in the same day.   It’s as if this was meant to be.  And it was.

I was surprised how easy it was to make it!  Typically you will find recipes that highly suggest filling and wrapping one wonton at a time because the pasta will dry out otherwise, but I honestly didn’t have that problem.  I had a system and it worked for me.  Maybe I’m too fast for the pasta, like a ninja or something…

Wonton Soup

Slightly Adapted from Hungry-Girl

Serves 8

Ingredients:
For Wontons:
9 oz. raw lean ground beef
2 tsp. reduced-sodium/lite soy sauce
2 tsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. black pepper
16 small square wonton wrappers (often stocked near the tofu in the fridge section of the market)

For Soup:
1 Tbs. canola or grapeseed oil
1-2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 cup mushrooms, stems removed, cleaned and sliced
6 cups fat-free beef broth
1 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp. hot sauce (or if you are like my husband and I make it 1 Tbs or more!)
1/2 cup chopped scallions

Directions:

To make the wonton filling, combine all wonton ingredients except the wrappers in a medium bowl. Mix by hand until evenly combined. Set aside.

In a large pot on medium high heat, add canola/grapeseed oil.  Add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until tender.  Add garlic.  Let cook for another minute.  Then combine the remainder of the soup ingredients except scallions into large pot. Bring to a boil on the stove. Reduce heat to low and allow soup to simmer for 10 minutes.

Lay wonton wrappers flat on a clean, dry surface. Scoop a spoonful (about 2 tsp.) of filling into the center of each wrapper. Moisten all wrapper edges by dabbing with water.

You have two options here:

1 – Fold the bottom left corner of each wrapper to meet the top right corner, forming a triangle and enclosing the filling. Press firmly on the edges to seal. Set aside, and repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

OR

2 – Fold All wontons into triangles, then fold all edges.  See pictures above for this.

Stir scallions into the simmering soup. One at a time, carefully add wontons. Make sure they’re submerged, but don’t stir. Simmer for 5 minutes, adjusting temperature if soup begins to boil, until wonton centers are firm.

YUM.

On a related side note, I went to Chinatown with a friend and ate at a Noodlehouse.  For $4 I got an ENORMOUS bowl of egg and vegetable soup.  Had to take a picture of the impressive meal… maybe I’ll make this one next!

Image Courtesy of PhotoBucket.com

We are blessed.

We are blessed to have food in our fridge, we are blessed to have a fridge, and blessed to have a home to store a fridge and its food.

Many people are not as fortunate.

As you probably know, the country of Haiti endured a devastating earthquake on January 12 displacing tens of thousands of people from their homes.

In case you did not know this about me, I have my Master’s degree in Global and International Education.   I have studied the trials, tribulations, and successes of developing and developed nations around the world.  Through my studies I have developed a passion for the well-being of children in developing nations.   The minute I heard about the travesty in Haiti, I instantly thought of all of the children that cannot find their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters.

They need our help.

Each and every one of us has unique gifts to help people in need whether it’s within our own country’s borders or internationally.  In case you are sitting at your computer wanting to help Haitians but aren’t sure how, I am here to help you.

Be mindful of the sad fact that there are a lot of scams online asking you to donate money to Haiti when there is absolutely no intention of giving that money to those in desperate need.  Through my years of study, I have come across genuine, reputable and effective organizations that thrive on saving lives of those in need.

If you feel the urge to help the people in Haiti or even elsewhere, here are some of my recommendations:

UNICEF
Save the Children
World Food Programme
Global Grassroots
Oxfam International

There are MANY other organizations from which you can choose, but these are organizations that I personally recommend due to knowing employees/volunteers or working with them through my internship with Darfur Alert Coalition.

Take the time to research an organization that best promotes your desire to help.  What you may consider a little bit of money or food goes a LONG way to those who have nothing.

Image Courtesy of BettyCrocker.com

Wednesday was my adorable husband’s birthday, and we always like to cook for one another for our birthdays.  Anything the birthday boy or girl wants will be made.  I’m pretty easy because I ALWAYS want fettuccine alfredo on my birthday.  It is my all-time favorite food, and I only allow myself to have it on my birthday or very special occasions to keep it from getting old or boring.  This year Jay surprised me with Maggiano’s fettuccine alfredo the day I defended my thesis and official finished graduate school.  THAT was certainly a special occasion!

Since Jay’s birthday comes almost immediately after the holiday season, he wanted something light and healthy.  I accepted the challenge of making something healthy and keeping it special.

I googled “birthday dinners” and this recipe completely fell into my lap.  I was sold.  Jay is obsessed with chips and salsa so anything served with salsa is a winner in his book.  I added some extra ingredients to this recipe because it seemed to be a little bland on its own.  The dish was beautifully presented with lush fruit spilling over the chicken and bright green broccoli served on the side.  Broccoli is the birthday boy’s favorite vegetable.  (He’s easy to please.)

Happy Birthday, lovey!

Cornmeal Chicken with Peach Salsa

Source: Betty Crocker

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Salsa:

3 cups frozen peaches, chopped, then thawed
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
juice of half a lime
salt and pepper to taste

Chicken:

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tbs. smoked paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cinnamon
salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbs. olive oil or grapeseed oil (grapeseed oil can be found at Trader Joe’s for $3)

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all of the salsa ingredients, cover, and put in refrigerator until serving time.

In a shallow dish, mix all of the dry ingredients.  Add oil to large skillet set to medium-high heat.  Coat chicken in cornmeal mixture and place in skillet for 15-20 minutes (or when juices run clear in thickest part of the chicken), flipping only once.  Serve with salsa on top.

Serve any leftover salsa with tortilla chips!

Today is my last day of Christmas Break.  After a glorious week and a half filled with family, friends, pajamas, Wii games, and of course FOOD, it’s time to look towards 2010 with determination, spirit, and excitement.

I tell myself that I will get up a little earlier in the morning so I can sit and enjoy my cup of coffee in my jammies.  It always sounds like such a great idea until that morning when the alarm goes off, and I know I have more time to sleep.  Apparently sleep is far higher on the priority list than my morning coffee in the kitchen.

Looks like I have to take my travel mug and sip it while going to work…

Santa was very good to me and brought me an embroidered travel mug, clipboard, and lunchbox. It may seem crazy… but I’m an elementary school teacher.  I’m allowed to get cutesy things like this!  Pink fuzzy pens and cute sparkly stickers and picture frames are also widely accepted in my world filled with five, six, and seven year olds…

Plus, you know you want my travel mug.

This New Year brings me much excitement.  My little sister Emily is getting married in April and Jay and I are taking a long overdue summer vacation to Cape Hatteras, NC with a wonderful group of friends.  This means that I need to get healthy – well, healthier.  I’ve always been really good at eating my fruits and vegetables, but now I need to put those cookies down.  Well not all of the cookies… I can still have a cookie, right?

Let’s start with a healthy and incredibly filling breakfast!   What better way to start your day than with bright, vibrant fruit, and oatmeal.  I always mention that oatmeal needs to be loved.  If you leave it unloved, it can be bland and just flat-out disappointing.  Love your oatmeal and it will love you back.

I really enjoyed this breakfast but my only concern was the time it took to make it.  This is a perfect weekend breakfast, but for those of you that are like me and sleep to the last possible second before getting ready for your day’s events, you won’t have time to make this.  Although you could make it the night before and warm it in the oven while your in the shower in the morning.   That’s a thought.  Maybe I’ll try that tomorrow!

Baked Apple with Oatmeal

Source: Oprah.com

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lemon, cut in half
4 large red apples
3/4 cup agave nectar or honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 teaspoons butter (optional, I omitted this)
1 3/4 cups milk or water for cooking oatmeal
1 cup oatmeal
fruit and nuts of choice to mix into oatmeal – dried fruit, fresh berries, almonds (optional)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar (I omitted this)
Whipped cream, optional

Reserve all cut-away pieces. Place carved apples in lemon water. Chop cut-away apple pieces into small chunks, removing any core or seeds. Toss with 3 tablespoons honey and cinnamon; set aside.

These ribs are always a huge hit with our family and friends, and I cannot take one ounce of credit.  These are made by my grill master husband, Jay.   If something needs to be grilled, he is always ready to go, beer and cigar in hand.  It’s so funny because on our teeny, tiny patio outside we have a huge Weber grill, a charcoal grill, and a smoker.  Do we have enough??  Apparently not because we’re thinking about getting a tailgate grill for when we go to sports events, too.  Ha.  We love our food in this house.

We pretty much always get our meats from the super wholesale store, Costco.  Their meats are outta this world.  Honestly, a lot of Costco’s stuff is pretty amazing.  (Their birthday cakes are unbelievable!)  If we don’t go to Costco, then we go to our local Amish farmer’s markets for meats.  They, too, have great stuff for great prices.  And I have to just give a shout out to Trader Joe’s because it’s my favorite grocery store.  I can’t talk about good food and prices without mentioning TJ’s.

So…. the superbowl is about a month away and you need a great recipe for a party, don’t you?  I suggest you try these ribs.  They can be cooked in the oven, on a grill, or in a smoker.  Does not matter.  We’ve done it all and they are always a huge hit.  HUGE hit.

My only critique is the price of the food to make this meal, but it is important to know before you get to the grocery store.  Bobby Flay uses 2 different types of chili powder both of which are expensive (and hard to find) in addition to a whole lot of maple syrup, which is also expensive. It’s totally fine to use any chili powder and syrup you have in the house.  Yes, the specific kinds that are chosen do make these ribs particularly yummy, but using any chili powder and syrup still tastes amazing and you will still rock the house in grilling.

For New Years we served these babies with Sauerkraut with Bacon and apples (recipe follows).  Mmmmmmm…..

Spice Rubbed Smoked Ribs with Maple-Horseradish Baste

Source: Bobby Flay

Serves 8

Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min

Ingredients:

Maple-Horseradish Glaze:

2 cups pure maple syrup
1/2 cup prepared horseradish, drained
2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Ribs:

1/3 cup Spanish paprika
3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
3 tablespoons New Mexican chili powder
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
3 cups wood chips (hickory, mesquite, or applewood)
4 racks pork ribs (3 pounds each)

Directions:

Glaze:

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ribs:

Stir spices together in a medium bowl.

About 1/2 hour before cooking time, soak hickory chips in enough water to cover. Drain chips. In a covered grill, place slow burning charcoal in both sides of a drip pan. Sprinkle coals with wood chips.

Rub top side of each rack of ribs with about 3 tablespoons of the rub. Place ribs, bone side down, on grill. Close cover or place cover on the smoker. Grill about 1 1/2 hours, adding chips every 20 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of grilling, brush liberally with the Maple-Horseradish Glaze.

_______________________________________________________

SERVED WITH:

Image courtesy of Simply Recipes

Sauerkraut with Bacon and Apples

Source: Simply recipes

Serves 8-10

Oh. My. Heavens.

This was absolutely to die for.  I totally made this on a whim and had no clue how it would turn out.  I had no clue that I would be making one of my favorite desserts of all-time.  I’ve always liked rice pudding, but this has fallen into the LOVE LOVE LOVE category.  It’s sweet, creamy, and light just as it should be.   Oh dear.  Probably not the best thing to have in my fridge during the New Year.  A New Year filled with promises to eat more wisely… but I did use brown rice (it’s all that I had) so that counts as healthy, right?

I vote yes.

Homemade Rice Pudding

Source: The Dutch Baker’s Daughter

Serves 8

Ingredients:

Bring the water, rice and salt to a boil over medium/high heat in a large, non-stick saucepan.  Cover and let it boil until the water is absorbed, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the milk and the butter and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat to simmer, replace the lid and let the rice cook for 90 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes or so.

Remove the rice from the heat and slowly pour in the beaten eggs, stirring constantly. Put the pan back on the heat and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the sugar, vanilla and the raisins. Serve warm or cold with a sprinkle of cinnamon.