My cousin had a science project due next week. It involves creating a model of plate tectonics where the plates all have to interact with each other (not just a model of each type of fault). Unfortunately, she also has the annoying habit of keeping all of her models for several years in the bottom of her closet. It's a bit of a mess to clean up. So I pointed her towards parfait.
That's right, that cookie and jello layered dessert that is better than cake (according to Donkey). It's also easy to clean up after it's been graded. (Just remember to take a picture! You may need a record if your teacher's gradebook splorts the week before end of term.)
How to make Plate Tectonic Parfait
*9x13 glass pan with lid (for safe transport to school)
*Red jello (we used 2 cups for a very thin magma layer. If you want more definition in your mantle, you can use more, or layer it with whipped topping or orange for a fiery look).
*Sugar cookies (we used snickerdoodles because I like the taste better).
*Cinnamon sugar (for the land)
*Blue colored sugar (for the oceans)
*Two colors of frosting (one for marking the edges of the plates, the other for marking the direction of travel)
*Toothpicks and labels
*5 red gummi candies - the smaller, the better.
1) Mix up the red jello for your mantle/magma layer. There is room for up to 6 cups of jello plus the cookies, but we used only 2 cups of strawberry jello for ours. This is a parfait!
2) Plan how you want your world to look. Plan subduction, divergent, and convergent boundaries and where you need your hotspots.
3) Make cookies. We just used a regular snickerdoodle recipe. Wait until the cookies are cool but not set hard and put them on top of the red jello. Cover the whole surface (you may have to break cookies in half to fill in the gaps.
4) To make the hot spots:
Volcanoes: Take a red gummi and wrap it in cookie dough. Then bake those cookies inside a small mold (to keep them from spreading). The gummi will melt and look like lava. While the cookie is still warm, mold it to the shape you desire.
Make an extra large cookie and bake it for the plate. Punch out holes for any hotspots and press the cookie down to squeeze jello to the surface. Put a volcano on the top.
5) Make the land cookies. Roll these in cinnamon sugar (you want it heavy on the cinnamon) or green colored sugar before you bake. Put the land cookies over the first layer of cookies. To make folded mountains, squish the cookie against the side of the pan while it is still hot and let it cool all squished up.
6) Decorate. We started with the frosting, but it's actually easier to start with the colored sugars. Fill in the ocean with blue colored sugar. Draw your plate boundaries with frosting. Then draw arrows to show the direction of movement.
7) Label. Use labels and toothpicks to create little flags.
We learned some things along the way.
* Let your jello set up most of the way before you put the cookies in the oven. We had to speed set our jello to the gooey stage by putting it in the freezer.
* Cookies do not behave the way you want them to. It never fails. So plan on making more cookies than you need and eating the rest.
You could try adding fruits, nuts, or whipped topping layers. All I know is that it's one sweet science model.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Sweet and Sour Chicken Soup
Recently, I bought myself a meat thermometer. I've never been very good at knowing when meat is done, and this little tool has helped me a lot.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Soup
1 large frying pan with a lid
stirring spatula
cutting board and serrated knife
can opener
***
2 chicken breasts (1 lb. of meat)
4 Tbsp. butter
thickener
1 pound frozen stir fry mix (or leftover noodles/rice and regular frozen veggies)
1 can pineapple chunks
1/4 cup lemon juice
2-4 Tbsp soy sauce
rosemary
pinch of garlic salt
***
1. Melt the butter in the frying pan on medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts and brown them on one side. Flip them over and add the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple and the rosemary and garlic salt. Turn down the heat to medium low and cook for 5-6 minutes. I used my new meat thermometer to see when they were done.
2. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan. Add 2 Tbsp. flour or a cornstarch slurry to thicken the pineapple juice to a sauce. Add the lemon juice and soy sauce. If you want a runny soup, add some water. If not, you'll have a very thick soup or a meal with a runny sauce.
3. When the sauce is made, add the frozen veggies and pineapple and mix to cover with the sauce. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the veggies are no longer covered in ice.
4. While the veggies cook, slice the chicken. Add it back into the pan with the noodles (if you used leftovers). Mix the sauce around all the chunks, and add water if it is too thick. Once the chicken is hot again, it's ready to serve.
It also tastes better the next day because the sweet and sour flavors have spread through the whole dish.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Soup
1 large frying pan with a lid
stirring spatula
cutting board and serrated knife
can opener
***
2 chicken breasts (1 lb. of meat)
4 Tbsp. butter
thickener
1 pound frozen stir fry mix (or leftover noodles/rice and regular frozen veggies)
1 can pineapple chunks
1/4 cup lemon juice
2-4 Tbsp soy sauce
rosemary
pinch of garlic salt
***
1. Melt the butter in the frying pan on medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts and brown them on one side. Flip them over and add the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple and the rosemary and garlic salt. Turn down the heat to medium low and cook for 5-6 minutes. I used my new meat thermometer to see when they were done.
2. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan. Add 2 Tbsp. flour or a cornstarch slurry to thicken the pineapple juice to a sauce. Add the lemon juice and soy sauce. If you want a runny soup, add some water. If not, you'll have a very thick soup or a meal with a runny sauce.
3. When the sauce is made, add the frozen veggies and pineapple and mix to cover with the sauce. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the veggies are no longer covered in ice.
4. While the veggies cook, slice the chicken. Add it back into the pan with the noodles (if you used leftovers). Mix the sauce around all the chunks, and add water if it is too thick. Once the chicken is hot again, it's ready to serve.
It also tastes better the next day because the sweet and sour flavors have spread through the whole dish.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Recipe: Desserts
It has been a couple of crazy weeks- but the deadline has passed and life is calming down beautifully.
We had a family BBQ last weekend, and we were assigned to bring a dessert and help my dad bring all my siblings (my mom and sister were out of town). Since my youngest sister can't have wheat, I choose to do the family classic: Monster cookies!
The name comes from the original recipe, which made a huge amount of cookies. 12 cups of oatmeal makes a lot of cookies. I don't know how old the recipe is, but my mom's side of the family has had these at every family reunion I remember, including the ones with distant cousins. So I cut down the recipe and tweaked it to fit the random bits of sugar I had in the house.
Monster Kisses
1 mixing bowl
1 stirring spoon (you can use a mixer if you'd like)
measuring cups and spoons
cookie sheet (sprayed or very lightly greased)
cookie disher (those awesome spring loaded scoops!)
***
1/4 c. butter (that's half a stick), melted
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. peanut butter (don't skimp, it's better to have too much than not enough)
--
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 & 1/4 tsp. baking soda
--
3 to 3 & 1/2 cups oatmeal (quick cooking or rolled)
About 24 Hershey's kisses and/or a smaller bag of M&Ms
***
1. Mix the melted butter, and brown sugar together until it becomes crumbly. Then add the peanut butter and mix well.
2. Add the eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Beat the mixture until it becomes smooth and looks like just a lot of peanut butter. This is the glue of the cookie, and you don't want it to be grainy or not well mixed.
3. Add the oatmeal and mix it in until all of the little flakes of oatmeal are covered in the peanut buttery batter. If you put too much oatmeal in, you end up with peanut butter granola, not cookies.
4. Scoop the cookies onto the cookie sheet. Unwrap your Hershey's kisses and put one in the middle of each cookie. You'll probably need to help the dough form around the cookie, so make sure your hands are clean. If you don't have Kisses, shape each ball of cookie dough into a nest and put 3-6 M&Ms inside.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes and let them finish baking on the cookie sheet. They're supposed to look gooey and bubbly. Let them cool on the cookie sheet or they'll fall apart.
If the cookies are golden brown when you pull them out of the oven, they'll be burnt by the time you can get them off the cookie sheet without falling apart. When the cookie sheet is cooled completely, pull the cookies off and put in an airtight container.
They'll keep for up to a week. My family takes them backpacking and camping.
BONUS~
This weekend was my anniversary, so I made my husband some baby cobblers. Cobbler is my husband's favorite dessert.
Baby Strawberry Cobbler
1 cup chopped strawberries (we just used the fresh ones in the fridge)
1/4 cup or so of sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
---
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. oatmeal
1 tsp. spreadable butter
In one bowl mix the chopped strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice. Let it sit while you mix the graham cracker topping in a small ziploc bag.
Spray two little ramekins (the 7 oz. ones).
Sprinkle just enough graham cracker topping to cover the bottom of the ramekin. Add half of the strawberry mixture to each ramekin. Sprinkle the rest of the topping over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes (just long enough to cook the oatmeal). Cool in the fridge.
Serve with whipped topping!
We had a family BBQ last weekend, and we were assigned to bring a dessert and help my dad bring all my siblings (my mom and sister were out of town). Since my youngest sister can't have wheat, I choose to do the family classic: Monster cookies!
The name comes from the original recipe, which made a huge amount of cookies. 12 cups of oatmeal makes a lot of cookies. I don't know how old the recipe is, but my mom's side of the family has had these at every family reunion I remember, including the ones with distant cousins. So I cut down the recipe and tweaked it to fit the random bits of sugar I had in the house.
Monster Kisses
1 mixing bowl
1 stirring spoon (you can use a mixer if you'd like)
measuring cups and spoons
cookie sheet (sprayed or very lightly greased)
cookie disher (those awesome spring loaded scoops!)
***
1/4 c. butter (that's half a stick), melted
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. peanut butter (don't skimp, it's better to have too much than not enough)
--
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 & 1/4 tsp. baking soda
--
3 to 3 & 1/2 cups oatmeal (quick cooking or rolled)
About 24 Hershey's kisses and/or a smaller bag of M&Ms
***
1. Mix the melted butter, and brown sugar together until it becomes crumbly. Then add the peanut butter and mix well.
2. Add the eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Beat the mixture until it becomes smooth and looks like just a lot of peanut butter. This is the glue of the cookie, and you don't want it to be grainy or not well mixed.
3. Add the oatmeal and mix it in until all of the little flakes of oatmeal are covered in the peanut buttery batter. If you put too much oatmeal in, you end up with peanut butter granola, not cookies.
4. Scoop the cookies onto the cookie sheet. Unwrap your Hershey's kisses and put one in the middle of each cookie. You'll probably need to help the dough form around the cookie, so make sure your hands are clean. If you don't have Kisses, shape each ball of cookie dough into a nest and put 3-6 M&Ms inside.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes and let them finish baking on the cookie sheet. They're supposed to look gooey and bubbly. Let them cool on the cookie sheet or they'll fall apart.
If the cookies are golden brown when you pull them out of the oven, they'll be burnt by the time you can get them off the cookie sheet without falling apart. When the cookie sheet is cooled completely, pull the cookies off and put in an airtight container.
They'll keep for up to a week. My family takes them backpacking and camping.
BONUS~
This weekend was my anniversary, so I made my husband some baby cobblers. Cobbler is my husband's favorite dessert.
Baby Strawberry Cobbler
1 cup chopped strawberries (we just used the fresh ones in the fridge)
1/4 cup or so of sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
---
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. oatmeal
1 tsp. spreadable butter
In one bowl mix the chopped strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice. Let it sit while you mix the graham cracker topping in a small ziploc bag.
Spray two little ramekins (the 7 oz. ones).
Sprinkle just enough graham cracker topping to cover the bottom of the ramekin. Add half of the strawberry mixture to each ramekin. Sprinkle the rest of the topping over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes (just long enough to cook the oatmeal). Cool in the fridge.
Serve with whipped topping!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Confession time
I have a confession. I love to watch the growth of other people.
I realized it a little while ago when my husband asked me why I was so obsessed with analyzing 'The Next Food Network Star.' I loved 'Who Wants to Be A Superhero?' for the same reason.
In each of these shows, and in most of our lives; we have a goal or dream. Each of us has the potential to achieve that dream- otherwise we wouldn't have been chosen to be tested and tried. Trials come in three parts- and as I watch these shows, I see how the reactions of the participants to these three trial elements determines who goes home each week. Oddly enough, for those of a literary mindset, the trials match the types of conflicts in stories.
The first trial each person must overcome is Man versus Situation. At first, when there are lots of different people in the group, it is how each participant responds to the situation/challenge of the week that determines who stays and who goes. On the Food Network, those who cannot cook or cannot capture the camera quickly go home, leaving only those who have discovered how to overcome the situations they are placed in with patience and some degree of focus. The questions to be asked in this trial are "How do you respond under pressure? Do you bend, or do you break? Do you know when and how to ask for help?"
The second trial each person must overcome is Man versus Man. Studies are showing that the ability to get along with and work with other people is a key determining factor to success in life, outranking raw talent and skills. A look at the newer curriculums for schools and business models shows a growing trend towards emphasizing the ability to work with and get along with other people. The days of cubicles are fading fast, replaced by more productive and energetic collaborative models. Social skills, best learned when young and malleable, are finally getting the emphasis they deserve. On the Food Network, especially with this last season, we see that the humble yet confident ability to work with and around others of differing skills and skill levels can be the difference between staying for this week and going home.
The third trial each person must overcome, and in my personal opinion, the hardest, is Man versus Self. At multiple points in our lives, we need to really find out who we are, not just what we are capable of doing. Thankfully, others can help us in our quest to find ourselves. Many people, especially children, can tell when you are being genuine and true to yourself or whether you are playing a role. As this season of The Next Food Network Star draws to a conclusion, this is trial that will send you home.
If you don't know how to cook many things, they can teach you.
If you don't play nicely with others, especially those you don't like or who seem to be working at cross-purposes, this too can be taught (it should be taught as an essential part of school- especially if you are homeschooling).
If you don't know who you are in a specific role- there's not much that can be done. Mentors and others you interact with can tell you when you are close and when you missed, but it's like playing the warmer/colder game. It takes time, and often takes a different amount of time for each person. Find those people who can tell when you are being genuine and use their comments to guide you.
I graduated with my degree in Elementary Education. I had the knowledge base and the methods. I knew the theories of child development and the ability to plan, differentiate, and integrate curriculum to take advantage of the developmental levels of my students. My weakness, and one that my teachers could not help me with, was classroom management. I did not know what was truly important and what was just social niceties. Gimmicks didn't work for me. I could teach a short lesson and do just fine, but extended contact with a group of kids quickly showed that something was lacking in my abilities. I tried mimicking the style of my cooperating teachers, and sometimes I was successful, other times the kids looked at me as though I'd come from a different planet. It wasn't until I started listening to the kids that I realized what I was missing. I needed a vision of what was truly important, and a safe place to escape from the pressures of teaching to focus just on who I was as a teacher.
The kids knew when I got it right, and they let me know. They also knew when I missed, and while they couldn't always tell me how I'd missed, they did tell me quite plainly when it happened. And so I spent two wonderful, life-changing years as an Americorps Literacy Aide at an elementary school. The teachers were patient with me and gave me opportunities to learn from their examples. Having 30+ examples of different styles and an entire year to observe from the sidelines showed me what I connected to, and the small groups I was able to practice with taught me how I teach. My mentors trusted me with responsibilities and approved of my efforts, but never failed to call me in for some sharp correction when it was needed. They helped me to instill the important things in my soul, and taught me to ask for help (a skill which my elementary and high school teachers had failed to teach me). To them I will ever be grateful. They helped me to burn away the dross from my soul and inspired me to focus on what is really important.
Now for my little push: Take a child development class- You'll also be better able to understand other people, especially children when they do weird things. (If you just want to study a little bit, look up Erickson's 8 stages, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, and Piaget's theories- they cover pretty much everything). This really helped me to understand what was really important, and to never expect something contrary to the child's needs.
I realized it a little while ago when my husband asked me why I was so obsessed with analyzing 'The Next Food Network Star.' I loved 'Who Wants to Be A Superhero?' for the same reason.
In each of these shows, and in most of our lives; we have a goal or dream. Each of us has the potential to achieve that dream- otherwise we wouldn't have been chosen to be tested and tried. Trials come in three parts- and as I watch these shows, I see how the reactions of the participants to these three trial elements determines who goes home each week. Oddly enough, for those of a literary mindset, the trials match the types of conflicts in stories.
The first trial each person must overcome is Man versus Situation. At first, when there are lots of different people in the group, it is how each participant responds to the situation/challenge of the week that determines who stays and who goes. On the Food Network, those who cannot cook or cannot capture the camera quickly go home, leaving only those who have discovered how to overcome the situations they are placed in with patience and some degree of focus. The questions to be asked in this trial are "How do you respond under pressure? Do you bend, or do you break? Do you know when and how to ask for help?"
The second trial each person must overcome is Man versus Man. Studies are showing that the ability to get along with and work with other people is a key determining factor to success in life, outranking raw talent and skills. A look at the newer curriculums for schools and business models shows a growing trend towards emphasizing the ability to work with and get along with other people. The days of cubicles are fading fast, replaced by more productive and energetic collaborative models. Social skills, best learned when young and malleable, are finally getting the emphasis they deserve. On the Food Network, especially with this last season, we see that the humble yet confident ability to work with and around others of differing skills and skill levels can be the difference between staying for this week and going home.
The third trial each person must overcome, and in my personal opinion, the hardest, is Man versus Self. At multiple points in our lives, we need to really find out who we are, not just what we are capable of doing. Thankfully, others can help us in our quest to find ourselves. Many people, especially children, can tell when you are being genuine and true to yourself or whether you are playing a role. As this season of The Next Food Network Star draws to a conclusion, this is trial that will send you home.
If you don't know how to cook many things, they can teach you.
If you don't play nicely with others, especially those you don't like or who seem to be working at cross-purposes, this too can be taught (it should be taught as an essential part of school- especially if you are homeschooling).
If you don't know who you are in a specific role- there's not much that can be done. Mentors and others you interact with can tell you when you are close and when you missed, but it's like playing the warmer/colder game. It takes time, and often takes a different amount of time for each person. Find those people who can tell when you are being genuine and use their comments to guide you.
I graduated with my degree in Elementary Education. I had the knowledge base and the methods. I knew the theories of child development and the ability to plan, differentiate, and integrate curriculum to take advantage of the developmental levels of my students. My weakness, and one that my teachers could not help me with, was classroom management. I did not know what was truly important and what was just social niceties. Gimmicks didn't work for me. I could teach a short lesson and do just fine, but extended contact with a group of kids quickly showed that something was lacking in my abilities. I tried mimicking the style of my cooperating teachers, and sometimes I was successful, other times the kids looked at me as though I'd come from a different planet. It wasn't until I started listening to the kids that I realized what I was missing. I needed a vision of what was truly important, and a safe place to escape from the pressures of teaching to focus just on who I was as a teacher.
The kids knew when I got it right, and they let me know. They also knew when I missed, and while they couldn't always tell me how I'd missed, they did tell me quite plainly when it happened. And so I spent two wonderful, life-changing years as an Americorps Literacy Aide at an elementary school. The teachers were patient with me and gave me opportunities to learn from their examples. Having 30+ examples of different styles and an entire year to observe from the sidelines showed me what I connected to, and the small groups I was able to practice with taught me how I teach. My mentors trusted me with responsibilities and approved of my efforts, but never failed to call me in for some sharp correction when it was needed. They helped me to instill the important things in my soul, and taught me to ask for help (a skill which my elementary and high school teachers had failed to teach me). To them I will ever be grateful. They helped me to burn away the dross from my soul and inspired me to focus on what is really important.
Now for my little push: Take a child development class- You'll also be better able to understand other people, especially children when they do weird things. (If you just want to study a little bit, look up Erickson's 8 stages, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, and Piaget's theories- they cover pretty much everything). This really helped me to understand what was really important, and to never expect something contrary to the child's needs.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Meatloaf
Sorry about being late- our basement apartment flooded last night. Thank goodness for good weatherstripping and a drain 3 feet inside the door. Nothing was harmed but my pant legs.
So for those nights when I really don't want to cook much of anything, or when I'm teaching kids to cook, one of my favorite meals to throw together is meatloaf. You really can't do much to ruin it. In fact, it's so easy, I never bother to measure.
Meatloaf
mixing bowl
spoon/really clean hands
casserole dish
***
roughly equal parts hamburger/ground meat and oatmeal
1 egg
4 tsp. Worchestershire sauce (I love this stuff, so I tend to add a lot).
ketchup
BBQ sauce
garlic salt
pepper
any other seasonings/sauces that smell good (I used oregano and sage last night, but I've even put jam in it. Grape or Apricot Jam work best. Dried mushrooms or onions also work well. Experiment! As long as it smells good, it will taste good. Besides, drenching the finished product in ketchup or BBQ sauce will cover any mistakes you made).
***
1. WASH YOUR HANDS! Especially if you're planning on mixing it with your fingers (fun, but I personally hate the feel of it on my bare hands). Then set the oven to 350 degrees to preheat.
2. Put the meat and the oatmeal in the bowl. Mix together until it forms one gloopy mess. (Eventually, you won't be able to tell the difference between the oatmeal and the meat).
3. Add the egg and sauces to the meat mixture and mix it in thoroughly. You don't want any spice hotspots.
4. WASH YOUR HANDS if you were mixing with your fingers. Then spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and dump in the meatloaf. Spread it out evenly across the bottom of the dish. If you want, use the ketchup to write your initials on the meatloaf before you put it in the oven.
5. Put the meatloaf in the oven and bake for 25-45 minutes. Thicker meatloafs take more time than thin ones.
Make sure to cook up some vegetables and add some fruits to make it a complete meal. It tastes meaty, but fills you up like oatmeal. And it's made from things you normally have in your house, so it's an easy meal anytime. It's also really easy to swap out ingredients- no hamburger? Just use other ground meat. Turkey works well with rosemary, oregano, and thyme. No oatmeal, use breadcrumbs (although why you would have breadcrumbs but no oatmeal- let's just say it never happened at my house). Mix and match the spices to find the blends your family enjoys. Enjoy!
So for those nights when I really don't want to cook much of anything, or when I'm teaching kids to cook, one of my favorite meals to throw together is meatloaf. You really can't do much to ruin it. In fact, it's so easy, I never bother to measure.
Meatloaf
mixing bowl
spoon/really clean hands
casserole dish
***
roughly equal parts hamburger/ground meat and oatmeal
1 egg
4 tsp. Worchestershire sauce (I love this stuff, so I tend to add a lot).
ketchup
BBQ sauce
garlic salt
pepper
any other seasonings/sauces that smell good (I used oregano and sage last night, but I've even put jam in it. Grape or Apricot Jam work best. Dried mushrooms or onions also work well. Experiment! As long as it smells good, it will taste good. Besides, drenching the finished product in ketchup or BBQ sauce will cover any mistakes you made).
***
1. WASH YOUR HANDS! Especially if you're planning on mixing it with your fingers (fun, but I personally hate the feel of it on my bare hands). Then set the oven to 350 degrees to preheat.
2. Put the meat and the oatmeal in the bowl. Mix together until it forms one gloopy mess. (Eventually, you won't be able to tell the difference between the oatmeal and the meat).
3. Add the egg and sauces to the meat mixture and mix it in thoroughly. You don't want any spice hotspots.
4. WASH YOUR HANDS if you were mixing with your fingers. Then spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and dump in the meatloaf. Spread it out evenly across the bottom of the dish. If you want, use the ketchup to write your initials on the meatloaf before you put it in the oven.
5. Put the meatloaf in the oven and bake for 25-45 minutes. Thicker meatloafs take more time than thin ones.
Make sure to cook up some vegetables and add some fruits to make it a complete meal. It tastes meaty, but fills you up like oatmeal. And it's made from things you normally have in your house, so it's an easy meal anytime. It's also really easy to swap out ingredients- no hamburger? Just use other ground meat. Turkey works well with rosemary, oregano, and thyme. No oatmeal, use breadcrumbs (although why you would have breadcrumbs but no oatmeal- let's just say it never happened at my house). Mix and match the spices to find the blends your family enjoys. Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Vegetable Potato Chowder
My husband wanted something filling last night, but he didn't want any more protein. So I looked through the fridge, freezer, and cupboards and came up with this tasty dish.
Vegetable Potato Chowder
1 large soup pot
stirring spoon
knife and cutting board
***
1/2 onion, chopped up into little pieces
4 Tbsp. butter
1 cup chicken broth/stock
1-2 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. thyme or poultry seasoning
1-2 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
water
4 large potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces (with peels or not, the peels are where most of the fiber is)
4 large carrots, in little round slices
1 can green beans
1 cup corn (creamed, canned, or frozen)
1/4 cup instant mashed potatoes.
1/2 cup frozen peas
***
1. Wash(rinse and scrub until all the dirt comes off) and chop up the potatoes, carrots, and half an onion.
2. In the soup pot, on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until the onion turns see-through. This is called 'sweating.'
3. Add the chicken stock and the spices. Smell it, does it smell good to you?
4. Add the chopped potatoes and carrots and add just enough water to cover them. Turn up the heat until the pot starts to boil. Then turn down the heat to low. The soup should stay just barely bubbling, or simmering. Simmer the soup for about an hour, or until the potatoes are falling apart. Stir every 15 minutes.
5. When the potatoes are soft, add the green beans and corn. Slowly stir in the instant mashed potatoes- the soup will start to stick to the bottom.
6. When the soup thickens up, add the peas and turn off the heat. Keep stirring until the peas thaw. The soup is ready to eat!
This soup makes enough for 4-6 people. If you want to, you could add some ham with the potatoes and carrots, or garnish the soup bowls with bacon bits. Enjoy!
PS> It tastes even better when it's reheated. Perfect leftover. Make it on Sunday, freeze some and eat the rest a couple of days during the week.
Vegetable Potato Chowder
1 large soup pot
stirring spoon
knife and cutting board
***
1/2 onion, chopped up into little pieces
4 Tbsp. butter
1 cup chicken broth/stock
1-2 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. thyme or poultry seasoning
1-2 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf
water
4 large potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces (with peels or not, the peels are where most of the fiber is)
4 large carrots, in little round slices
1 can green beans
1 cup corn (creamed, canned, or frozen)
1/4 cup instant mashed potatoes.
1/2 cup frozen peas
***
1. Wash(rinse and scrub until all the dirt comes off) and chop up the potatoes, carrots, and half an onion.
2. In the soup pot, on medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until the onion turns see-through. This is called 'sweating.'
3. Add the chicken stock and the spices. Smell it, does it smell good to you?
4. Add the chopped potatoes and carrots and add just enough water to cover them. Turn up the heat until the pot starts to boil. Then turn down the heat to low. The soup should stay just barely bubbling, or simmering. Simmer the soup for about an hour, or until the potatoes are falling apart. Stir every 15 minutes.
5. When the potatoes are soft, add the green beans and corn. Slowly stir in the instant mashed potatoes- the soup will start to stick to the bottom.
6. When the soup thickens up, add the peas and turn off the heat. Keep stirring until the peas thaw. The soup is ready to eat!
This soup makes enough for 4-6 people. If you want to, you could add some ham with the potatoes and carrots, or garnish the soup bowls with bacon bits. Enjoy!
PS> It tastes even better when it's reheated. Perfect leftover. Make it on Sunday, freeze some and eat the rest a couple of days during the week.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Chicken Stir-Fry
I think I'll try posting a recipe on Tuesdays and everything else whenever I feel like it. That should help me be more regular with this blog and also help those who read it to be able to follow along.
***Quick note: While I was studying spices, I learned that this dish also closely resembles a buryani (rice dish native to the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia). I'm going to have to experiment some more...***
I must have been only 13 or so when I learned how to make this dish. My youngest brothers had food allergies (corn, soy, wheat, and milk) and most days it was easier to cook one meal that everybody could eat than to try to get two toddlers to only eat what wouldn't make them sick. In order to help my mom, I started making dinner. There's only so many meals you can make that use either rice or potatoes - and this quickly became a favorite because it was fast, relatively cheap, and didn't make very many dishes.
Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry
frying pan
wooden spoon or heavy duty spatula
pot to cook rice or noodles in
***
2 cups chicken (2 breasts or 5-6 tenderloins)
1 bag frozen vegetables or fresh vegetables cut into bite-size pieces
butter or oil
***
2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2-3 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup chicken broth or water or orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. vinegar or vinaigrette salad dressing
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
***
1. Choose either rice or noodles as your grain and start them cooking. If you're doing noodles, it will help to have someone else around to stir the stir-fry while you drain the noodles. Follow the package directions or
1. Pour 1 Tbsp of oil into the frying pan and tilt the pan around until it completely covers the bottom. Or, you could melt 2 Tbsp. butter in the pan (but it tends to burn, unlike the oil, so you have to watch the stir-fry more carefully if you use butter). 2. On medium heat, cook the chicken until it is white on the outside (you will have to flip it), but still pink in the middle. Move it to a cutting board and cut it into bite-size pieces and then wash your hands.
3. I like to mix my sauce while the chicken is cooking. In a small liquid measuring cup, mix the spices. It really doesn't matter what spices you use, this was my favorite dish for experimenting with different mixtures of spices. So long as you have something sweet (sugar or honey or juice), something acid (lemon juice, vinegar), and soy sauce- your meal will resemble a stir fry. Use your nose to tell you what goes together (although you might want to add the vinegar last as it tends to cover up all the other flavors until after the food is cooked). You could also just add the spices to the stir-fry, although then you usually end up with pockets of just one kind of spice. I like to mix all the dry spices together and then add the liquid spices.
4. Pour the sauce into the pan and stir it around with the oil already in the pan. Then add the chicken, stir it to coat and cook the chicken for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so to make sure the sauce doesn't burn.
5. Turn the heat up to high and add the vegetables. Stir it around, there will be lots of steam as the ice melts. If you used fresh vegetables, add up to 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every 30-60 seconds.
6. Cover the stir fry and turn off the heat. Finish setting the table, invite everyone to dinner, and say prayer. After that, dish up a pile of noodles or rice and top it with the stir-fry.
So forget the mac and cheese or the ramen and make your family some tasty, vegetabley goodness. Their tastebuds and their waistlines will smile.
***Quick note: While I was studying spices, I learned that this dish also closely resembles a buryani (rice dish native to the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia). I'm going to have to experiment some more...***
I must have been only 13 or so when I learned how to make this dish. My youngest brothers had food allergies (corn, soy, wheat, and milk) and most days it was easier to cook one meal that everybody could eat than to try to get two toddlers to only eat what wouldn't make them sick. In order to help my mom, I started making dinner. There's only so many meals you can make that use either rice or potatoes - and this quickly became a favorite because it was fast, relatively cheap, and didn't make very many dishes.
Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry
frying pan
wooden spoon or heavy duty spatula
pot to cook rice or noodles in
***
2 cups chicken (2 breasts or 5-6 tenderloins)
1 bag frozen vegetables or fresh vegetables cut into bite-size pieces
butter or oil
***
2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2-3 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup chicken broth or water or orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. vinegar or vinaigrette salad dressing
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
***
1. Choose either rice or noodles as your grain and start them cooking. If you're doing noodles, it will help to have someone else around to stir the stir-fry while you drain the noodles. Follow the package directions or
1. Pour 1 Tbsp of oil into the frying pan and tilt the pan around until it completely covers the bottom. Or, you could melt 2 Tbsp. butter in the pan (but it tends to burn, unlike the oil, so you have to watch the stir-fry more carefully if you use butter). 2. On medium heat, cook the chicken until it is white on the outside (you will have to flip it), but still pink in the middle. Move it to a cutting board and cut it into bite-size pieces and then wash your hands.
3. I like to mix my sauce while the chicken is cooking. In a small liquid measuring cup, mix the spices. It really doesn't matter what spices you use, this was my favorite dish for experimenting with different mixtures of spices. So long as you have something sweet (sugar or honey or juice), something acid (lemon juice, vinegar), and soy sauce- your meal will resemble a stir fry. Use your nose to tell you what goes together (although you might want to add the vinegar last as it tends to cover up all the other flavors until after the food is cooked). You could also just add the spices to the stir-fry, although then you usually end up with pockets of just one kind of spice. I like to mix all the dry spices together and then add the liquid spices.
4. Pour the sauce into the pan and stir it around with the oil already in the pan. Then add the chicken, stir it to coat and cook the chicken for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so to make sure the sauce doesn't burn.
5. Turn the heat up to high and add the vegetables. Stir it around, there will be lots of steam as the ice melts. If you used fresh vegetables, add up to 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every 30-60 seconds.
6. Cover the stir fry and turn off the heat. Finish setting the table, invite everyone to dinner, and say prayer. After that, dish up a pile of noodles or rice and top it with the stir-fry.
So forget the mac and cheese or the ramen and make your family some tasty, vegetabley goodness. Their tastebuds and their waistlines will smile.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)