Grandma Stahle's Turkey Dressing

With Thanksgiving this week, I thought I'd share my family's beloved recipe for dressing/stuffing. Growing up, this dish was present at every single Thanksgiving dinner that I can remember. And horribly, I have to admit that I "didn't like" stuffing when I was young! Can you believe that? I flat out didn't eat it until I was in Jr. High and finally decided to actually try it - mmm. There's been no turning back since. And it wasn't until I was away from my family for a couple of Thanksgiving holidays, where this stuffing wasn't present, that I realized that not all stuffings taste the same. There are so many different kinds out there, but this one is the one that makes my heart sing. It brings back so many memories of home, my grandma, my family, and years of wonderful holidays.

GRANDMA STAHLE'S TURKEY DRESSING:
3 cubes butter
5 to 6 cups liquid (chicken broth & milk)
Lipton chicken soup flavoring (not noodles) or 3 to 4 Tbsp. chicken base
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
salt & pepper, to taste
LOTS of sage (most of a 0.5-oz. bottle)
2 loaves white and 1 loaf whole wheat bread, crumbed (or 2 (10-oz.) boxes bread crumbs + 1 loaf wheat bread)

Melt butter with water and Lipton soup stock or chicken base; add celery and onion. Pour seasonings over bread crumbs, then pour liquid over top and mix in (can add milk if not moist enough--crumbs should be soft, not too crunchy). Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

This really is the best pumpkin chocolate chip bread. It is so moist and has great flavor. It can also be made into muffins. The cinnamon sugar sprinkled in the pan and on top of the batter prior to baking makes a delicious crust.

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs, beaten

1 (16oz) can pumpkin puree

3 ½ cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cloves

2/3 cup of water

1 cup chocolate chips, optional (toss with 1 Tbsp. flour to prevent chips from sinking to the bottom of the loaf while baking.)

Cream sugar and oil together. Add eggs and pumpkin; mix well. Sift together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients alternately with water. Mix well. If adding chocolate chips, gently fold them into the batter at this point. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Sprinkle pans with cinnamon sugar. Pour batter into the two pans and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top of the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once bread has cooled (at least 30-40 minutes), remove from the pans. Waiting for the bread to cool prior to removing it from the pans will ensure that your bread won't split with half of it coming out onto the cooling rack and half staying in the pan.

Vermont Maple Walnut Bars

These bars are so easy and so yummy. They really make your home smell like the holidays. It calls for a cup of pure maple syrup, which seems like a lot but it makes them so moist and tasty. I buy my maple syrup at Costco. I think this is one of those staple items you need to have on hand.

Bars:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup salted butter, softened (or use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt)
1 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Maple Frosting:
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 Tlbs light brn sugar, packed
3 Tlbs pure maple syrup
1/4 cup + 2 Tlbs confectioners' sugar
Walnut halves

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and 8-by-8 inch baking pan.
To make bars: In a med bowl combine flour and soda. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer blend sugar and butter to form a grainy paste. Scrape down sides of bowl, then add syrup, egg and vanilla. Beat at med speed until smooth.
Add the flour mixture and walnuts, and blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
Pour batter into pan and smooth the top with a spatula. bake 40-45 min. Cool in pan 15 min, then invern onto cooling rack. cool completely before icing.
To make frosting:
In a med bowl cream butter and cream cheese with electric mixer at high speed. Add brown sugar and maple syrup, and beat until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to medium and slowly add confectioners' sugar. Once sugar is incorporated, increase speed to high, and mix until smooth. If frosting appears thin, add sugar until thickened.
Frost the bars and top with a walnut.

Little Owls

I bought this magazine last fall because I thought these cupcakes were adorable. There are lots of other fun and festive recipe ideas in the magazine, too. If you are interested, you can purchase it here. I made these cupcakes a couple weeks ago. The cupcakes themselves weren't great, but I do love these little owls. The cupcake recipe included for these was a white cake with shredded coconut (this says spring to me...not fall) and cream cheese frosting. When I make them again, I'll probably use a spice cake or carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Anyway, here's what you need for the decorations if you want to try them.

Eyes: place two butterscotch candies for the eyes. Dip chocolate chips in a little frosting and place in the center of the butterscotch candies.

Nose: whole cashew

Feathers: slivered almonds placed around the eyes.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

Fall, I embrace you! While we don't have the summer days at the beach anymore, we now have pumpkin picking and brisk morning runs. There is something about fall breezes that makes me excited! We can't wait for school to start (even though it always starts in the hot humid August days...but, isn't it much more fun keep pretending that it starts in the fall?), we can't wait for the harvest time of apples, pears, peaches, squash and the smells of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg that accompany these foods and, admit it--we can't wait for Christmas. All the good times are ahead of us in the autumn season, and I'm totally not thinking about that January/February/March stretch. Just put that right out of my mind.

To get in the mood, I made some butternut squash soup. It was delicious--my husband said "this is perfect." um, wow, I felt like a rock star. I like this recipe, because I only needed to make one cut down the length of the squash prior to roasting. I like this because cutting up butternut squash, to me, is risky business, and I'd like to keep all of my fingers intact, thank you very much. There is quite a bit of handling in this recipe--roasting and stewing and blending. At one point, I was ladling boiling squashy liquid into my blender, half of it dripping all over everything, while Pete was pulling at my pants and yelling "MAMA! Mama, I need that" and everything was spilling all around and life seemed pretty nutso for about 15 minutes. One of these definitely would have come in handy. But, the beauty of this soup is it tastes even better a day or two later, so, today, when the boys were out playing, I sat down by myself to a beautiful bowl of homemade soup and read a magazine and felt really, really happy.

Here's the recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking:

Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large leeks, cleaned thoroughly and chopped

4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup whipping cream

chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

croutons

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash cut side down on oiled baking sheet. Bake until the squash can easily be pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let cool, then scoop the pulp from the squash skin and discard the skin.
2. Melt butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add leeks and ginger and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in 4 cups of stock and the squash pulp. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and breaking up the squash with a spoon, for 20 minutes. Puree until smooth. Return soup to the pot.
4. Stir in cream, and thin with stock, a little at a time, until you reach the desired consistency of soup. Heat soup through and ladle into warmed bowls. Garnish with herbs and/or croutons.

autumn in a dish.....

i know i have posted this recipe before, but i am going to do it again, since it is season appropriate and all. i have made few revisions to this recipe as well.

first let me say...

my fabulous mother always made this and a pot of soup in the fall and took us to our local campground many, many, many fall nights. creating such a flood of warm memories for us kids. we now do the same thing in our family. this is me crowning my childhood friend kellie with the first piece of autumn in a dish for the season, quite an honor!


apple pudding

1 C sugar
1/2 C butter
1 egg
4 lg apples, shredded
2 C flour
2 t soda
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 C pecans (optional)
1/2 t. salt

cream sugar and butter. add egg and apples. add flour and dry ingredients. bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes in a 9 by 13 pan.

caramel sauce

1 C butter
2 C sugar
1 C cream or canned milk
1 1/2 t vanilla (add after removed from heat to ensure the flavor)

bring to a slow rolling boil, about 5-6 minutes.

DRENCH a piece of cake in this and you will be so happy....


*we cooked this in a dutch oven. 8 coals on top, 9 on bottom, 35 - 40 minutes {heaven}

Apple Crumb Pie

OK, I just took another trip out to the apple orchard today to pick some fabulous apples and I am always just inspired by the feeling of fall in the air this time of year. It's amazing! And every time that I have a stock of apples on hand, this delicious dessert comes to mind and I have to make it. I like apple pie. It's a good thing. I really, truly, passionately LOVE crumb topping from apple crisp. The beauty of this recipe is that it combines the goodness of both of those desserts into one, amazing whole.

I got this recipe several years back from another one of our New Haven friends, Jen Brewer. We made it while she so graciously hosted our family for an away rotation at the Mayo Clinic. I learned a lot of great recipes from her on that trip that I adore. Thanks, Jen! BTW, I seem to remember this recipe coming from an ex-girlfriend of Jerry's! Kinda funny :-)
APPLE CRUMB PIE:
Filling:
10-15 apples, peeled & cut into chunks
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup sugar (+)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (+)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Topping:
1 cube butter, chilled, but not too hard
1/3 cup heaping sugar
1/2 cup heaping flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 pie crust

Put pie crust in bottom of pie dish. Load apple mixture on top - should be heaping. Make the topping by cutting the butter into sugar and flour until crumbly, then sprinkle over top of apple pie. Wrap tin foil around edges of crust to keep from burning. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. This tastes fabulous served warm with ice cream.

Don't you just love that this recipe uses "heaping" so many times. That's just my kinda thing :-) Enjoy!

Chicken Stew with Dumplings

The weather has really cooled off this week and yesterday it was rainy and cold. I was craving some kind of soup and ended up making this. It was really yummy and total comfort food.

STEW:
3 cups cooked and shredded chicken (I used part of a rotisserie chicken)
5 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 pound new potatoes, quartered
3 carrots cut into 2-inch pieces (I just used baby carrots)
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium onion, cut into eighths
1 (10oz) package frozen peas

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Add all the ingredients except the chicken and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Add the cooked chicken.

Dissolve 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch in 1 cup of half and half, cream or milk and stir into soup mixture. This step is optional but helps to thicken the stew a little bit.

DUMPLINGS:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley (I just used a few shakes of dried)

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and parsley. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls into simmering stew. Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes or until the dumplings are tender.

Quick Summertime Dinner: Pesto Pasta Salad

What is the perfect summer recipe? Well, there are several criteria: 1) No oven involved, 2) should take no longer than the amount of time to cook pasta, and 3) should be eaten and enjoyed by all family members. A tall order indeed, but this week, I found a new favorite summer dish: Pesto Pasta Salad.



1/2 lb. penne pasta, cooked as directed and drained
1 15.5 can chickpeas, roughly chopped
1/2 of a jar of roasted red peppers, drained and thinly sliced
12 black olives (I like kalamata), pitted and roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, thickly sliced
1/2 cup steamed green beans
1 6-oz can tuna, drained
4 tablespoons homemade or store-bought pesto
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, red peppers, olives, celery, tuna, pesto, salt, and black pepper. Divide among individual plates. Voila!

And as you read through this recipe, you may be thinking, "Ew! Tuna?!" But, give it a try. You may just fall in love with tuna in a whole new way. My first heavenly encounter with tuna in a salad was eating a Salad Nicoise at a cafe in Orange, France, and I have never looked back. Dude, it's so good.

And here's a picture of Orange. I posted it just to remember myself, there, eating a Salad Nicoise. Sigh.

Peach Pie (my favorite)

I like to make pies quite a bit. I have made many, many pies, but peach still stands alone as my favorite. There's the sweetness of the peaches that only lasts a few weeks a year, the beautiful lattice top (or not!), and the late-summer-sit-around-the-picnic-table quality to eating peach pies, requiring any pie-eating participants to slow down, tell some stories, laugh out loud, and get that old familiar feeling that life is so good....ahhh...


We made a weekend of our late-summer peach pie by going to the orchards and picking our peaches. Some of the peaches were truly bigger than a baby's head. Have you ever heard the pregnancy descriptions of size, like during such-and-such week, your baby is the size of a walnut? Well, I think the 36th-week fetus is the size of an August Peach at Lyman Orchards. These peaches are enormous, and most branches were nearly touching the ground, being heavily burdened by the weight of these incredible peaches.


Ta da! Here it is! I opted out of the lattice crust for this one. Why? Well, one, I was feeling lazy. If I had the neat-o fluted pastry wheel from Williams Sonoma, there would be a much greater likelihood that I'd go for the lattice (hint hint husband).

But, heck, it's summer, which is meant for sipping lemonade and not fiddling in the kitchen with my pizza-cutter and a ruler to create a lattice crust. I'll save the pretty pies for Thanksgiving.

I used my favorite pie dough recipe, which I rarely stray from, it's on page 862 of The Joy of Cooking, Deluxe Butter Flaky Pastry Dough....how could this not be good, right?!

The key element of pie crust is the temperature. I cut up 2 sticks of UNSALTED butter and stick it in the freezer. Martha says to also put the flour in the freezer, which I guess could be helpful on really humid days, but seems to be just a tad much. You know how Martha can be sometimes...


I then get 1/3 cup ice water ready to go.

Next, I put 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon white sugar, 1 teaspoon salt in the food processor and pulse until mixed.


Then I put the butter and 1/4 cup of Crisco in the food processor, and pulse it just a few times until the butter is in pea-sized clumps.


I add the water next. This is the most tricky part of the whole process and can make or break your crust--too much water, and it's totally soggy, too little, and it's like eating flour. I remove the ice from the water, turn on the processor and stream the water in through the top until I hear what I call the crust rumble. It really is a rumbling sound that is the sound of the crust binding together. Here's what it looks like:


I take the dough out of the processor bowl and put it in 2 saran wrapped disks. I stick it in the fridge overnight.


The next day, I roll out the first crust, put it in the pie dish, and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes. There's kind of a tricky way I transfer the crust so it doesn't fall apart on me during the move--I roll it around the rolling pin and unroll it into the dish.


In the meantime, I made the filling. My favorite peach pie filling is also from Joy, Peach Pie on page 876:
2 1/2 pounds peaches (5 cups peeled, pitted, and sliced 1/4 inch thick*)
1/2 to 3/4 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca or cornstarch (use cornstarch for a lattice pie)
3 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon salt.
2 to 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg yolk
1 to 2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour filling into the bottom crust and dot with butter. Roll out top crust and cover filling, sealing the edges by fluting the edges with my knuckles. And here's the big secret to a beautiful-looking crust: I always mix 2 Tb. heavy cream with an egg yolk and brush it on right before I stick it in the oven. I'm telling you, it does wonders.

If the crust seems warm and starts to stick, put it in the fridge for a half hour. If it seems nice and firmed and chilled, go ahead and slip a baking sheet underneath the pie and cook it for 30 minutes at 425. Reduce the temperature to 350 and continue to bake for 30 more minutes.

*I have tried the boiling water technique for peeling peaches, and, to me, it's all too much work, sloshing around boiling and freezing water everywhere. I find that peeling peaches with a vegetable peeler, especially when they are a touch firm is faster and less wet.

And who doesn't love a big dollop of whipped cream?! I just dump a cup of whipping cream with a 1/4 cup of sugar and a little vanilla if I think of it, and whip it in my KitchenAid on the highest setting for a minute or two. Whoop, there it is.

baked beans...

and the beauty of a good baked bean recipe.

please, never open a can of baked beans and leave them naked in a dish somewhere. let us all save the beans and dress them to perfection. you will get mounds of compliments on this recipe my sweet grandma helen found. i think they are the best i've ever had.....well, truthfully, i didn't like any until i found these years ago..


apple sausage baked beans

3 14 oz cans pork n beans ( i used bush's honey)
1/4 bottle BBQ sauce ( i use kraft honey)
1 lb. jimmy dean sausage ( i used sage or maple, make sure either are spicy. if you double the recipe, try both - delicious)
1 lg. onion chopped (save your tears. i used dried, about 3-4 TB.)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 green pepper chopped finely
2-4 TB. Worcestershire (i err on the side of more here, i like the flavors)
2-4 TB. prepared mustard (repeat above, i like the bold flavor 4TB gives it)
1 c. apples (about 2 apples, you can grate them with the grater or chop them real fine)

brown sausage in onion and green pepper. mix all ingredients together and bake at 325 for one hour.

(don't try to crock pot these, they turn to mush, don't over cook, don't under cook. i once made these for 200 people, i multiplied the batch by 6 and baked them in a roaster oven at the above cooking instruction)

Caramel Brownies

With Valentine's Day here and the scent of chocolate everywhere, how can I not post one of my favorite chocolate recipes with caramel? These delicious, chewy brownies are often requested in our house and they definitely don't last very long!

CARAMEL BROWNIES:

1 German chocolate cake mix

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 cup chocolate chips

1 pkg. Kraft caramels (about 10-oz. or so)

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1 cup nuts (optional, for turtle brownies)

Mix first three ingredients into a stiff batter (if you want to make turtle caramel brownies, add the nuts to the mix now). Spread half the batter in a buttered 9 x 13" pan. Bake for 6 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle chocolate chips over first half after baked and while hot. Melt together the caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Spread out the melted chocolate chips. Pour melted caramel over baked portion. Place remaining batter over caramel - don't try to spread, just piece it on. Bake for 18 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool for 1 hour and then cut into squares.

They are so yummy!

Seasonal Meal (kind of): Can stuffing be in season?

I have this thing about Thanksgiving food--I love it so much and have such a variety of recipes, but it's kind of an unspoken rule not to mess with the recipes. When you only get stuffing once a year, you kind of want to get what your expecting. So, I thought about bringing stuffing back to the table. It's such a comforting dish for when you need it--not at the beginning of the cold season, but right smack in the middle of those nasty winter doldrums. It's a great Sunday supper with a roasted chicken. And you never know, if you experiment enough with stuffing, you may find a recipe sooo irresistable, you may just rock everyone's world next Thanksgiving!

I like this recipe, because it leaves a lot of room for your own preferences:

Here are the basic ingredients
1 one-pound loaf bread set out overnight (or 1 1/2 pounds cornbread)
4 cups chopped vegetables (I liked my combination of celery, sweet onion, and fennel)
1 cup fresh herbs, predominantly parsley, sage, and thyme
2 cups or less liquid (I used chicken stock, but you can use a combo of stock, butter, or eggs)
1 pound meat (sausage, beef, or ham....I like sausage)
Butter and/or olive oil
4 cups or less fruit/nuts (I put in a granny apple and some pecans and called it good. No need to get weird!)
3 tablespoons seasoning (S&P)

1. Cut bread into slices or cubes the night before, and set out overnight to dry.
2. Chop a variety of veggies and fresh herbs and set out liquid.
3. Saute the meat until cooked through and remove from skillet with a slotted spoon.
4. Saute chopped vegetables in the rendered fat from the meat (or butter/olive oil) until they are softened.
5. Combine cooked meat, all vegetables, fruit, nuts, and bread. Toss just until combined--overdoing this will cause texture issues.
6. Add liquid; taste and adjust seasoning.
7. If you are stuffing the bird, do it now, otherwise bake at 375 degrees until golden, about 30-40 minutes.

veggie facts and spaghetti pie

~sneaking in veggies deceptively is easier than you think!~

for instance~

::a cauliflower puree goes great in mashed potatoes and pasta sauces::
by adding a cup here and there you are giving your kids these awesome benefits:

{cauliflower is a member of the important cruciferous family of veggies that may help our bodies fight off certain types of cancers

{cauliflower may help kids resist infections -it is a great source of VIT c
i know annie loves mashed cauliflower with chicken broth, and i love a couple of cups in my potatoes. -so do the kids ;)

::. what do red peppers do for our kids::.

{red peppers are the single best way to get vitamin c into your kids. vit C helps fight off infections and heal cuts and scrapes

{because of their vibrant color, the offer tons of antioxidants that help protect healthy cells thru the bod



::. eat carrots and your eyes will OPEN::.

carrots provide short ones with much beta carotene and give them that lovely skin

also, insoluble fiber folks~ while that will keep you busy if they aren't potty trained, it is the best way to keep the red faces at bay. soluble fiber does nothing for that system the way insoluble fiber does.


{this is a recipe for spaghetti pie}
great with kids because it is brain dead cooking folks, so easy and there are ways to sneak veggies in

::1/2 lb spaghetti - cooked according to directions
2 lg. eggs
::15 oz part skim ricotta cheese ~ 1 container
3/4 c plus 2 TB parmesan or romano
::1 cup marinara
1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
~preheat oven to 350.
grease a 9 inch pie plate. in a large bowl beat eggs {fork}, stir in ricotta and 3/4 c parmesan. add spaghetti and stir until well coated. transfer spaghetti mixture to pie plate, top with marinara and sprinkle with parmesan.
bake for 25 minutes
:: my alterations~
{you could simmer a can of tomatoes, a red pepper puree (1/4-1/2 c) with some olive oil, basil, oregano and garlic for an hour on low if you want to make your own sauce or just add red pepper puree to already made sauce.

~or you could use spaghetti squash instead of pasta. i.heart.spaghetti.squash.
i always have one on hand. i cut it in half, cook it on 300 for a couple of hours face down with garlic, chicken broth and a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon.

any way you do it, you get this pretty dish::.

more deception

::so, as i have been adding veggies in purees and adding in
plain sight i have been shocked that my kids have actually taken to them. i have found that easton LOVES mushrooms, and grayce loves carrots and the miracle of this all is that they will actually try more and ask for their favorites.
::i saw this recipe on everyday food the other day and knew there were lots of angles i could work with on this one. the original was incredibly plain, pasta, broccoli and peanuts with the sauce. so i added favorites to please the family. it was awesome and i would recommend that it is eaten hot, and honestly the leftovers were horrible, sorry but that is the truth.

::
2 chicken breasts, thawed and diced
i cooked this in -
2 TB peanut butter (i used crunchy)
3 TB soy sauce
2 TB rice wine vinegar
i used sesame seed oil to cook with trying to add to the asian taste, you can use whatever.
get water boiling for pasta - i used curly pasta, it grabbed the sauce really great.
so, i got this cooking while i did the following:
3 bunches of broccoli florets
8oz of sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
1/3 c water
1 TB oil - again i used sesame seed oil
put all of this in a pan and cook for about 8-10 minutes.

start the pasta.
with 3 kids full of interruptions, i had this done in 30 minutes, now that is awesome!

so while all of that is cooking, get the sauce for the pasta stirring~
4 TB peanut butter
6 TB soy sauce
4 TB rice wine vinegar
1 TB oil - i used you guessed it, sesame
mix this all together.
when everything is done cooking, about 8-10 minutes, add it all together.
i added a handful of cashews to this and it was so good. a really earthy salty nutty sweet flavor.
i toasted up some store bought croissants and served it with this.



it didn't make eating broccoli taste so bad. ENJOY!

chili stew w/ dumplings

growing up we always had this on halloween, so it classifies as a very comfy dish.



it is a flowing recipe, meaning, it just goes smoothly, there is no waiting or temperament issues.

plus, it is super different.



i am not a chili fan. didn't grow up with it and i feel like it is slop to be honest. i made it for the first time a couple of months ago and was gravely disappointed with the bland taste. i do however adore a turkey chili that is actually white at a place called Sweet Harmony in Middletown, Ct. it is chock full of garlic and so creamy thick, whew, anyway.

this is a creamy soup chili and i love it!

1 can (1 lb 4 oz) red kidney beans
2 1/2 c cubed raw potatoes
4 c water 1 TB shortening
1 lb. ground turkey, sirloin or beef {your choice}
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 TB salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 c chopped onions {i love dried, saves you some emotion - about 4 TB dried}
2 t chili powder {um yeah, i use mounds - maybe 5TB}
1 c. sour cream

Combine kidney beans with potatoes, 2 t. salt, pepper and 4 c. water in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil.

while mixture boils, heat shortening in a skillet. saute onions and beef, chili powder and 1 t. salt. cook until meat is browned. add meat, tomato soup to beans, simmer, covered 1 hour.

return to a boil, drop dumplings onto stew, cover tightly and cook until done. about 10-15 minutes. remove dumplings to a plate. add sour cream to stew. stir well and serve immediately.

egg dumplings.

sift together 2 c flour, 4 t baking powder and 1/2 t salt. mix together 1 beaten egg, 3/4 c milk and stir into flour mixture. drop from spoon into boiling stew.

i love this most because this is the meal. we eat the dumplings in our bowl of soup with a bite of soup and a little piece of dumpling with each bite. these make great freeze aheads or leftovers because that chili powder expands its power with time, mmmm. also, kids will think these are great "volcanoes" cooking when you drop them into cook!

seasonal tuesday.......

so this month i am on seasonal tuesdays......
what can be seasonal about january?
resolutions kept coming to mind and now i am so pumped for my assigned theme, because - this is going to have to be about feeding my kids healthier. my new years resolution is to help my kids love healthy food, even if i have to sneak it in.
i found "deceptively delicious" by jessica seinfeld. the concept is sneaking veggie purees into your kids food and still making it taste fab. so without further delay -

applesauce muffins with carrot puree

topping:
2/3 c old-fashioned oats
1/4 c firm packed brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
2 TB of margarine or butter, melted

Batter:

1 1/2 c flour
1 c old fashioned oats
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c nonfat milk
1/2 c puree carrot or butternut squash

1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg

preheat oven to 400. spray 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray
make topping by combining oats, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
stir in melted butter.

to make batter, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl or a plastic bag, shaking it all about...
in a second bowl, mix the applesauce with the milk, vegetable puree, sugar, oil and egg with a wooden spoon. add the flour mixture slowly, stirring just until moistened. do not over mix, the batter will be lumpy.

divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle with the topping. bake until topping is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. turn muffins onto a cooling rack and serve warm or cool.

if you are looking for a great kid friendly cook book and an overall great mothering approach to feeding your kids, this fun, retro looking pink book will not disappoint.
i used some christmas money to buy it and spent a night just reading it and soaking it all in. it is a GREAT read.....

Sausage-pumpkin Corn-bread Stuffing

This has become one of our favorites through out the years. I have not made it this year yet, but have been having pregnancy cravings for it. We found this recipe in a Real Simple Magazine, so I guess it is supposed to be easy to make.



SAUSAGE-PUMPKIN CORN-BREAD STUFFING

To Make it.....
Hands-on time: 35 minutes/total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Serves 8

3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 jalapenos, minced (with seeds)
12 corn muffins or two 8 1/2-ounce corn-bread mixes, prepared and crumbled (10 cups)
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 14 ounce can chicken or vegetable broth
l cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage or 1 heaping tablespoon dried sage

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage and jalapenos, breaking up the meat and cooking until it is no longer pink. Drain the fat. Add the corn bread,. Fold in the pumpkin, broth, cranberries, and sage (Can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) For drier stuffing, omit the broth.

This is not your traditional stuffing, but you wont be disappointed.

holiday salad

i am a salad lover. when i find a good salad, i eat it to death. i came up with this one a year ago. i had to do the salad for thanksgiving, and i wanted it to be different and feel holidayish. it was a take on one i had at my in laws at a church social. this can be used as the main dish with a warm crusty bread, or as the star of a beautiful traditional holiday meal. it has a rich flavor to it, enjoy!
the dressing is a key star here. you use this (good seasons - italian) and use balsalmic vinegar instead of regular, (the instructions are on the box) and 5-6 raspberries. it is best if left overnight.

there are a lot of ingredients here, so be patient - it is so worth it.
-greens of your choice, i like to mix an organic spring mix with some romaine.
-avacado - diced with some lemon juice over top to keep from browning (tip- cut avacado in half(remove pit by securing a knife in the pit and pulling out) and cube while inside the peel - cut crosswise and then lengthwise, squirt lemon juice over top and then spoon out. this is a super fast easy way to handle an avacado
-grapefruit - in small bite size sections
-gorgonzola cheese
-shrimp, cooked and cut into tiny bite size pieces (if you want to marinate them in some of the salad dressing before, it adds more flavor)
-sugared pecans - i like to fill a cooking pan with white sugar, cover the pan, and wait until the sugar turns to caramel, a beautiful golden color. then add your pecans and coat with the caramel. lay them out on a plastic surface or a nonstick surface - i usually use a large lid to one of my plastic bowls. let this cool for a bit and then break the pieces into small bits. you can also use store bought sweetened nuts to save on time.
-red onions diced ever so small so there is only a subtle hint of onion in any given bite.
-raspberries


you can garnish this salad with whole shrimp on the edges of the salad, also avacado slices would be great too. let guests spoon salad dressing to their liking, it is a rich dressing. ENJOY!

Festive Food Tuesday: mmmm....smells good!

Cooking legend Julia Child put it best: "There is hardly a man alive who does not adore soup, particularly when it is homemade. Hot soup on a cold day, cold soup on a hot day, and the smell of soup simmering in the kitchen are fundamental, undoubtedly even atavistic, pleasures and solaces that give a special kind of satisfaction."

Yes, filling my family's bellies with warm soup on a winter's night is about as good as it gets. I don't love living in the cold, but I absolutely love cooking in the winter, just because of the endless possibilities of soup! My husband, Shane, gave me Julia Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and I thought I'd break it in with one of my favorite dishes, Leek and Potato Soup:

Just a couple of notes: Leeks are a little hard to find, but bring fantastic flavor! I add leeks to any veggie soup I can. To prepare the leeks, I cut off the ends and the dark green stems, keeping only the very light green and white ends. I slice these sections crosswise and clean the leeks by dumping them in a big bowl of cold water.
Another thought: dinnertime is always a little chaotic, so I really try to take some pressure off by chopping up the veggies the night before. I stick them in the fridge, submerged with water, so the potatoes stay fresh. Ooh, I love pulling out the veggies all ready to go the next day.

So, here's the recipe!
3 to 4 cups potatoes, sliced or diced
3 cups thinly sliced leeks
2 quarts of water
1 tablespoon salt (I use coarse salt)
4 to 6 tablespoons whipping cream
2 to 3 tablespoons minced parsley or chives

Simmer the vegetables, water, and salt together, partially covered for 40 to 50 minutes.
Mash the vegetables in the soup with a fork, or pass the soup through a food mill (how I wish that I had a food mill...maybe next Christmas!). Correct seasoning. Set aside uncovered until just before serving, then reheat to a simmer. (I had to add a bit more water, so the consistency was more soup and less mashed potatoes)
Off heat and just before serving, stir in the cream by spoonfuls. Pour into bowls and decorate with herbs.

Just add a toasty baguette, some nice cheese, and some fresh fruit, and you have a beautiful French supper, perfect for a blustery winter's night!