Sweet Cucumber Relish - Canning

I tried this sweet pickle relish recipe made by a friend at a picnic. Since I had a plethora of cucumbers this year, I made four pints of this relish for the pantry.

Sweet Cucumber Relish

1/3 cup pickling salt

12 cups coarsely shredded cucumber (or zucchini)

2 green peppers, coarsely grated

2 sweet red peppers chopped

4 cups coarsely grated onion

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. celery seed

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 cups vinegar

4 1/2 cups sugar

In a large enamel or stainless pan, mix pickling salt into vegetables. Let stand overnight. Drain, rinse with cold water, and return to the pan. Mix together rest of the ingredients and add to the vegetables. Boil 20 minutes. Pour into sterilized jars. Process in water bath canner for 10 minutes. Makes 12 pints.

Rosemary Garlic Pork Tenderloin

I haven't posted many recipes in the past few years. The main reason is because I make the same thing every week - it's a mom survival tool. Seriously we have had the same meal every Sunday for about two years. Here's my menu: 

Sunday: Rosemary Garlic Pork Tenderloin, Indian Rice Pilaf, Italian salad, and green beans 

Monday: pizza 

Tuesday: bean tacos 

Wednesday: soup (the kind varies) 

Thursday: chicken (something like this) 

Friday: spaghetti 

Saturday: scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, and waffles 

This saves me so much mental energy around meal planning and the actual cooking time. When I already know how to make the meal, I can be distracted by children and still finish the cooking. Today I wanted to share the pork tenderloin that features every Sunday.

Rosemary Garlic Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb 

1 Tbsp. olive oil 

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. dried rosemary

coarse salt 

freshly ground pepper 

Line a baking sheet with foil. Preheat oven to 475 or 500 degrees.  Put pork tenderloin on top of foil in pan.  Drizzle or sprinkle half of remaining ingredients on top of the pork. Then flip the pork over and add the other half of the ingredients. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes, or until an instant thermometer registers 160 degrees.  Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes, and slice to serve.

Snow Ice Cream

We have plenty of snow here in Vermont. We discovered how easy and fun snow ice cream is to make. This is the fastest ice cream recipe in existence. 

Snow Ice Cream 

8–10 c. fresh snow, lightly packed 

1 c. heavy cream 

1/2 c. sugar 

2 tsp. vanilla extract 

pinch of salt 

Gather snow, but leave it outside or in the freezer until needed. Whip cream, sugar, vanilla and salt until soft peaks form. Add the cream mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of snow to cream mixture. Gently fold the snow into the cream. Add 4 more cups of snow and mix until correct texture is obtained. Add more snow if needed. Serve immediately.

Lebkuchen (German Spice Cookies)

My mother-in-law spent some of her growing up years in Germany. She has fond memories of German baked goods and introduced me to these amazing cookies, lebkuchen. They are a Christmas treat and available in stores if you look hard enough (Trader Joe's sells them at Christmas), but you know I like to make things myself. 

Maybe there are recipes for lebkuchen online in German, but the ones I found in English do not use the traditional method for making lebkucken, which involves fermenting the dough for a few months. I found a loose recipe here. This recipe calls for rye flour, honey, and treacle for the fermented dough. I did not have treacle and did not look around to see if it was available to buy. Instead I replaced the treacle with more honey. 

Lebkuchen are more cakey in texture, and so to help hold them together, they are baked on top of an edible wafer, called Back Oblaten. I bought these online at Amazon. There are different sizes, but try to get 70mm or something close to that size. They last at least a few years (opened, even) from my experience. 

So here's what I did for my lebkuchen, and I would say they were a success and pretty close to the cookies I've eaten (including some from a local German baker). I am confident you can have success too, if you're willing to start the process in September or October!

For Fermented Dough

1 kg rye flour (or spelt flour), about 9 3/4 cups

1 kg honey, about 3 cups

To Add to Dough on Baking Day 

1 c. candied lemon and orange peel, finely chopped (see recipe to make your own)  

gingerbread spice (see recipe below) 

2 T. baking powder 

2 tsp. soda 

a few tablespoons milk 

pinch of salt

1 c. finely chopped nuts, like almonds 

more water or rye flour, as needed 

dark chocolate

Gingerbread Spice (Lubkuchengewuerz) 

2 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon 

2 tsp. cloves 

1 tsp. ginger 

1/2 tsp. allspice 

1/2 tsp. ground star anise 

1/4 tsp. mace 

1/4 tsp. nutmeg 

1/2 tsp. coriander 

1/2 tsp. cardamom 

For December baking, in September or October make the dough. In a medium or large stainless steel pot, add the honey and heat slowly to 99 degrees Farenheit. Remove from heat, and add rye flour. Mix well. Put the lid on the pot and store in a dark, cool place until December. If you check on the dough, you may see small air bubbles, which means it is fermenting. 

 
When ready to bake in December, the day before, prepare the candied lemon and orange peel, if making your own. Mix up the spice mix. If you don't have all the spices, just use the ones you have.

Warm a small amount of milk (a few tablespoons) to lukewarm, and stir in 2 T. baking powder and 2 tsp. baking soda. Stir until dissolved. 

 
In a large bowl, add fermented dough, milk with baking soda and powder, a pinch of salt, gingerbread spice, and chopped nuts. Mix well. You may need to use your hands to combine it well. If needed, you may need to add more rye flour if the dough is too wet, or more water to loosen up thick dough. The dough consistency to aim for is thick. Here's what mine looked like, though I think it could have been a tad stiffer:

Once the dough is the right consistency, mix in the candied orange and lemon peel. On cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, lay out the wafers spaced a few inches apart. Scoop dough onto the middle of the wafer. They will flatten and spread in the oven. I did a test bake with just a few cookies to try and figure out the best amout of dough for the wafer. Here is the bottom of my cookies, with the baked cookie just a tad bigger than the wafer. Bake the cookies on a low rack in the oven at 350 degrees Farenheit for 15-18 minutes.

Let the cookies cool for a few minutes, and use a spatula to remove them to a cooling rack. Once completely cool, melt chocolate and cover the tops of the cookies with the chocolate. Let cool and harden completely. The cookies will keep for several weeks.

No Sugar Apple Pie

My husband has been eating no cane sugar for over a year now. He has so much self-control!! I made this pie last Thanksgiving as well as this one, and it's definitely a winner.

No Cane Sugar Apple Pie

10 c. sliced, peeled, cored apples
6 oz. frozen apple concentrate
5 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
dash cloves
pie crust, for top and bottom 1 egg, beaten

In a large saucepan, heat apple concentrate to boiling. Dissolve cornstarch in 1/3 c. water. Add to saucepan and stir. Add apples, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Cook for 5 minutes.
Set aside.
Roll out bottom pie crust and lay in pie tin. Add apple filling. Roll out top pie crust and lay on top of filling. Crimp the edges. Brush the crust with the beaten egg.

Bake pie at 400 for 60 minutes.

Italian Salad, Dressing, and Pickled Banana Peppers

I am not usually satisfied when I just throw a salad together. I need a recipe, people! This salad and dressing has been my go-to for several years. Of course it tastes best in summer time with ripe ingredients, but it's not too bad in winter either. It tastes best with my homemade pickled banana peppers. I discovered that one of my kids loves these, so this year I am growing two banana pepper plants.

Also, I buy feta cheese from Costco. I divide into fairly small chunks, wrap each chunk in saran wrap, put in a freezer bag, and store in the freezer. That way I can take one chunk out at a time as needed for salad or pizza.

Italian Salad

romaine lettuce, chopped
cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
cucumbers, cubed
green onions, sliced
sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, salted (but raw work too)
feta cheese, crumbled
sliced pickled banana peppers (see recipe below)
Italian dressing (see recipe below)

Toss all ingredients together and serve!


Italian Dressing

2 tbsp. grated Parmesan
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 spoonful honey
freshly cracked black pepper

In a blender, add all ingredients. Blend for 20 seconds.


Pickled Banana Peppers

This recipe makes one pint. Scale up if you have more peppers.

8 banana peppers, sliced into rings with most seeds removed
1 small head garlic, peeled
2 c. water
1/4 c. vinegar
1 Tbsp. kosher salt

In a clean pint jar, add the banana peppers and garlic. In a small saucepan, add water, vinegar, and salt. Bring to simmer and stir to dissolve salt. Pour the hot brine over the peppers in the jar, making sure to cover the peppers. Allow jar to cool, add a lid, and let sit on counter for 2-3 days. Then store in the refrigerator up to several months.

Almond Banana Muffins

My kids are getting picky at breakfast. We used to have oatmeal almost every day, but those days are gone. I discovered these muffins recently and recommend them as a pretty healthy option as they are sweetened only by banana and made with almond flour. They are surprisingly moist and tasty.

Almond Banana Muffins

3 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups almond flour

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 12 muffin tins with coconut oil. Set aside.

In a blender or food processor, add bananas, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and process until smooth.

Add almond flour and process just enough to combine. Pause, scrape the walls and process just a bit again to combine.

Using a scoop, divide batter in the muffin tin and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and let cool a few minutes.

Dutch Baby Pancake

I successfully increased the original recipe for a Dutch baby pancake that worked! I have to document it. The usual recipes are just too small to feed my family. With some fruit on the side, this one fed everyone except my husband.

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, chopped into 3 pieces
5 large eggs
1 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
1 c. whole milk
3 tbsp. pure cane sugar
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

topping ideas: freshly squeezed lemon juice and powdered sugar, berries and whipped cream, cooked pears or apples with syrup

Preheat the oven to 425. In a 12-inch cast iron skillet, add the butter. Put the skillet in the oven to heat up and melt the butter.

Meanwhile, add the eggs to a blender. Blend for about 30 seconds, so that the eggs are fluffy and bubbly.

Add the remaining ingredients and blend for another 30 seconds until mixed.

When the butter in the skillet is melted, remove from the oven. Pour the batter on top of the melted butter. Put the skillet back in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and has deep golden brown spots. Slice into wedges and serve immediately with desired toppings.

Indian Rice Pilaf

I've made this delicious rice pilaf too many times to count. The flavor is so good and definitely worth the extra effort. I usually serve it with a roasted pork tenderloin for Sunday dinner.

Indian Rice Pilaf
adapted from Turmeric N Spice

2 cups basmati (or jasmine) rice
3 tbsp ghee or olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
6 whole cloves
2 whole green cardamom pods or 1 black cardamom or 1/2 tsp powdered cardamom
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup cashews, chopped
1/2 cup raisins, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cups water
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Soak the rice for 30-45 min in room temperature water.

Add ghee or olive oil to a non stick pot heated on medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the cloves, cardamom, pepper, bay leaf, cashews, and raisins. Cook, stirring for a minute or two to allow some light browning on the cashews. Add the onions and cook for a few more minutes until translucent. Drain the water from the rice and add to the pot. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add 3 c. water, lemon juice, and salt. Stir and bring to a boil on high heat. Once boiling, cover the pot and reduce the heat. Cook for 20-25 minutes until water is absorbed and rice is fluffy. Add more salt, to taste.

Applesauce Spice Muffins

My children especially enjoyed these simple muffins.

Applesauce Spice Muffins

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (can sub 1/2 c. with wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup pecans or walnuts (3 1/2 ounces), coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Grease muffin pan (standard size - 12 muffins) using some of the melted butter.

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together eggs and
brown sugar in a large bowl until combined well, then add butter, a little at a time, whisking until
mixture is creamy. Stir in applesauce, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened. Stir in
nuts and divide batter among muffin cups.

Sprinkle turbinado sugar equally on top of muffins. Bake until muffins are puffed
and golden, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan and
cool slightly.

Spanish Rice

This Spanish Rice is the first I've liked and it uses pantry staples. This is definitely one we make a lot.


Spanish Rice

2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 c. long grain rice
1 c. tomato sauce
3 c. water or chicken broth
1 tsp. chicken bouillon (if using water)
1 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, minced
6 stems cilantro (optional)
dash pepper
dash cumin

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and stir. Saute for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato sauce, water, bouillon, salt, garlic, cilantro stems, pepper and cumin. Stir. Bring to a boil and then cover, reducing heat to low. Cook covered for 25 - 35 minutes, depending on rice. See rice instructions to help know how long to cook rice. Remove cilantro stems and serve.

Caramel Chocolate Bars

These bars are divine and super rich. Love them!

Caramel Chocolate Bars
adapted from Averie Cooks

3/4 cup (12 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-rolled old fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
caramel sauce (see below)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

Make caramel sauce (see below) and set aside to cool.

In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 90 seconds.

Add the brown sugar, vanilla, and mix until smooth.

Add the flour, oats, baking soda, pinch salt, and stir until combined. Mixture will be quite thick.

Add half of the mixture to the prepared pan, and smooth it with spatula or the back of a spoon, to create an even, smooth, flat layer; set remainder aside.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and evenly sprinkle with the chocolate.

Slowly and evenly pour caramel sauce over the chocolate.

Evenly crumble reserved oatmeal-brown sugar mixture over the top.

Return pan to oven and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and center is bubbling slightly.

Allow bars to cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving, giving the molten caramel time to firm up. This can take up to 4 hours, or overnight, at room temperature. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.


Caramel Sauce

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. light-colored corn syrup
1/2 cup whipping or heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste

In a medium to large saucepan (use a pan large enough to contain the bubbling at the end), add the sugar, water, corn syrup and bring to a boil over high heat, whisking until sugar has dissolved.

Allow the mixture to boil for 5 to 12 minutes, or as necessary, for it to turn caramel-colored, at which point it will likely be smoking slightly. The final stage where the mixture turns from pale amber to that perfect shade of caramel can go quickly, in less than 30 seconds, so keep a watchful eye and don't let it burn. Throughout the boiling time, you can swirl the pan gently every minute or two if necessary, but the less the sugary mixture gets on the sides of the pan, the better in preventing crystallization in the final sauce.

As soon as the sauce has turned caramel-colored, reduce the heat to low. If using a thick-bottomed pan that retains heat well, remove pan from heat completely for remainder of the recipe.

Very carefully and slowly, add the cream. Be careful as a lot of very hot steam will come up.

Very carefully, add the vanilla and salt, to taste. Stand back because mixture will bubble up again. Whisk until sauce is smooth and combined, and let it boil another 1 minute, which helps thicken it up.

Transfer sauce to glass jar or heat-safe container (easiest to pour into a 2-cup measuring cup and then easily pour into glass jar).

Allow sauce to cool uncovered to room temperature; sauce thickens considerably as it cools. Sauce will keep airtight at room temp for at least 1 month.

Cabbage with Cumin Seeds and Turmeric

Oh my. This cabbage recipe is surprisingly so delicious. The cumin seeds are a perfect match with the cabbage. This recipe calls for 3 lbs. of cabbage, which is quite a large cabbage. So scale down the spices if you make less.

Cabbage with Cumin Seeds and Turmeric
from Food & Wine magazine

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
3 lbs. green cabbage, cored and thinly shredded
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over moderate heat. Stir in the cumin seeds and cook until they are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the shredded cabbage, turmeric, and kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is softened and browned in spots, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Multi-grain Granola

I had several less-common grains hanging out in my pantry and had the idea to add them to granola. This granola is a simple, basic one that can be made with or without the quinoa, millet, buckwheat, or amaranth. I usually do not add dried fruit, as I prefer to eat it with fresh fruit.

4 c. old-fashioned oats
2 Tbsp. quinoa
2 Tbsp. millet
2 Tbsp. buckwheat groats
1 Tbsp. amaranth
1 c. unsweetened coconut (flakes or chips)
1 c. pepitas
1 c. chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. coconut oil, melted
dash of cinnamon

1 c. dried fruit, chopped

Add all ingredients (except dried fruit) to a large bowl. Stir to combine, making sure the liquids are evenly distributed. Place on one or two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 250 for 50 minutes. Allow to cool. Stir in dried fruit.

Gingerbread House and Royal Icing

I've used this gingerbread house and royal icing recipe for several years at Christmas. It's always worked out very well - easy to make, cut out, bakes evenly, and the house is sturdy (depending on your construction skills).

Two tips: 1) To make stained glass windows, cut out a window from cut-out dough (one of the sides of the house). Place the piece on the baking sheet. Add crushed, transparent hard candies to the cut-out area. They will melt during baking.
2) Assemble the house in stages at least the day before decorating. This will the icing to harden sufficiently before decorating.

Gingerbread House
from Simply Recipes

6 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup dark molasses
1 Tbsp water

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed the butter and brown sugar until fluffy and well blended. Beat in the eggs, molasses and water until well combined.

Beat half of the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until well blended and smooth. Stir in the remaining flour. Knead (or use your mixer's dough hook) until well blended. If dough is too soft, add a little more flour.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours, preferably overnight. You can make it up to 3 days ahead of time. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before rolling out.

Preheat oven to 350°F, with the oven rack in the middle. Have several flat cookie sheets ready, preferably ones that you know will not warp in the oven heat.

Divide the dough in two. Spread parchment paper or wax paper on a large flat surface for rolling. Dust the paper lightly with flour. Working with one portion of the dough at a time, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to an even thickness of 1/4-inch. Add a little flour to the surface of the dough, and check for sticking as you roll it out. If it sticks to either your rolling pin or the rolling surface, dust with more flour. If the rolled out dough is very soft, you may want to freeze it for an hour before cutting out the patterns.

Rub a little flour over the surface of the dough. Place the pattern pieces on the dough, as many pattern pieces as will fit on the dough. Use a small sharp knife to cut out the pattern pieces from the dough, wiping the knife surface clean frequently. Depending on how soft the dough is, you may need to use scissors to cut the wax paper or parchment paper. You can cut out the patterns through the dough and parchment paper, placing the dough pieces with the paper directly on the cookie sheets. If you are not using parchment paper or wax paper, you may need to use a large metal spatula to transfer the dough pieces to a greased cookie sheet. Space the pieces on the cookie sheet an inch apart from each other. If dough pieces stretch during the transfer process, push them back into shape.

You can cut out a door and window(s) at this point, or you can wait until after baking, soon after the pieces have come out of the oven while the cookies are still warm.

Bake in a 350°F oven until the edges are just beginning to darken, 11-15 minutes for the large pieces, 6-8 minutes for the small pieces. Rotate the cookie sheets half way through the baking for more even browning. Remove the sheets to racks to cool, about 15 minutes.

While the pieces are still slightly warm, lay the pattern pieces over them and use a large straight chef's knife to trim off any parts of the pieces that have through cooking spread beyond the pattern.


Royal Icing

2 large egg whites
2 2/3 cup powdered sugar, divided

Whisk together until smooth the egg whites and 1 1/3 cups of the powdered sugar.

If you are planning to eat your gingerbread house, and are concerned about the safety of raw eggs, you can microwave the egg white powdered sugar mixture for several seconds (30-40) until the mixture reaches a temperature of 160 degrees, but not higher than 175°F. You can also use pasteurized dried or liquid egg whites.

Add the remaining 1 1/3 cup of powdered sugar to the sugar egg mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat on high speed until the icing holds stiff peaks. If it doesn't form stiff peaks, add more powdered sugar.

Place a dampened clean towel over the bowl of royal icing. Keep this towel over the icing to prevent it from drying out while you work with it.

When you are ready to mortar or decorate, fill a pastry bag with the icing. If you don't have a pastry bag, you can make your own with a re-sealable plastic freezer bag, just cut off the tip (a small cut) of one of the corners of the bag. Plastic or metal piping tips are available in supermarkets which you can also use with a freezer bag, for more controlled piping.

Caesar Salad Dressing and Homemade Croutons

When I have some leftover crusty bread, making croutons is so easy. Good croutons and salad dressing are essential to a Caesar salad, since there are so few ingredients. Caesar salad is such an easy way to get anyone to eat lots of leafy greens.

To assemble Caesar Salad, chop romaine lettuce, add croutons (below), salad dressing (below), and grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Toss to combine.


Caesar Salad Dressing
from Eating Well
makes enough for one medium to large salad

1/2 small clove garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Place garlic and salt in a medium bowl and mash with the back of a spoon to form a paste. Add lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, and pepper; whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in oil, whisking constantly. Add cheese and whisk to combine.


Homemade Croutons

Make sure the bread has lots of air holes for crunchiest croutons.

small chunk of day-old (or longer) crusty bread, cut into bite-sized cubes
olive oil
salt and pepper
garlic powder

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a generous amount of olive oil. Add the bread cubes to the skillet, and stir to coat. Add more olive oil, if necessary, to ensure each cube is coated with olive oil. Add a generous sprinkling of salt, some pepper, and garlic powder. Taste for seasoning. Stir frequently until the croutons are light brown and toasted, lowering heat if needed to allow even browning. Remove from heat and allow to cool before using.

Beef Stew and Polenta

A couple of things:
- I love parsnips! If you haven't tried them, I recommend it.
- I have been stuck on my mom's beef stew for a long time, but wanted to try something new. This recipe blew me away with deliciousness.
- Since this recipe does not have potatoes, I had the idea to serve it with starch. Polenta is sooo good, and it's great with this stew. When serving the polenta with stew, I don't think the Parmesan in the polenta is necessary as the stew has plenty of flavor.
- From a show about Italian food, "Polenta is the pasta of Northern Italy."

Beef Stew
from A Whole New Twist

1 Tbs butter or olive oil
2 lbs stew beef
4 carrots peeled and sliced on the bias
3 parsnips peeled and sliced on the bias
4 celery stalks sliced
1 large yellow onion diced
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried sage
2 dried bay leaves
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp honey
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 quarts of beef stock or chicken stock
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 cup of frozen peas

Wash and pat dry the stew beef. Cut into bite-size pieces and season with salt and pepper.

On medium, heat a Dutch oven, or ovenproof stockpot with a cover. Add butter to pot and melt to coat. Add seasoned beef to the pot to brown, then remove to another plate.

Add the carrots and parsnips to the pan and sauté for about three minutes.

Add the celery and diced onion to the pan and sauté for three more minutes.

Add the garlic and sauté until it just begins to be fragrant, be careful not to burn it.

Return the browned beef to the pot, as well as the remaining ingredients, except for the peas. Stir and raise the heat to high.

When stew just comes to a boil, cover and move pot to a 350 degree oven. Bake in the oven for an hour.

Transfer pot to the stove, stir and simmer for at least another hour. Stir the stew frequently, the liquid will reduce and thicken naturally.

When the beef is fork tender, add the frozen peas and cook for a few more minutes until the peas are heated through.


Polenta
from Alton Brown

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for grilling or sauteing if desired
3/4 cup finely onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 quart chicken stock or broth
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces Parmesan, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large, oven-safe saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and sweat until the onions begin to turn translucent, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, making sure the garlic does not burn.

Turn the heat up to high, add the chicken stock, bring to a boil. Gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once you have added all of the cornmeal, cover the pot and place it in the oven. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent lumps. Once the mixture is creamy, remove from the oven and add the butter, salt, and pepper. Once they are incorporated, gradually add the Parmesan.

Serve as is, or pour the polenta into 9 by 13-inch cake pan lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely.

Once set, turn the polenta out onto a cutting board and cut into squares, rounds, or triangles. Brush each side with olive oil and saute in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, or grill.

Cabbage and Potatoes with Bacon

My favorite local pork farmer sells bacon in slices and in a package called bits and pieces. The bits and pieces are cheaper, and are just the ends leftover from uniform bacon slices. They're perfect for a recipe like this, where they end up in pieces anyway.

Cabbage is not something I eat regularly, but would like to. This recipe is delicious. It reminds of another from one of Heidi Swanson's cookbooks, but she uses white beans instead of bacon.

Cabbage and Potatoes with Bacon
adapted from I'm Bored

1/2 head green cabbage, cut into bite sized pieces
5 slices thick cut bacon
1.5 lbs. red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 lg. onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. caraway seeds
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spread potatoes on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Season liberally with salt & pepper, garlic powder. Roast potatoes about 15 minutes, stirring half way through, until tender and crispy. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a high sided skillet, big enough to add your cabbage to later. Either cook the bacon in strips and break it up later or dice the bacon first, then cook. Remove bacon, set aside. Drain grease from pan but leave about 2 tablespoons in the skillet to cook the vegetables in.

To the skillet with the bacon grease, add onions and cook over medium heat, until they start to soften. Add cabbage, garlic, a little salt & pepper and caraway seeds. Stir and continue to cook a few minutes until the cabbage starts to soften and everything is combined well. Add a splash of water, stir, cover and cook about 5 more minutes until cabbage is tender. Stir the cabbage a few times while it's cooking.

When cabbage is done, remove lid, add the roasted potatoes and bacon. Toss well to combine and serve.

Lentil Soup

I've made too many basic lentil soups before finding one that's worth repeating. This one is good.

Lentil Soup
adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion
2 large carrots, peeled
1 medium sweet potato, peeled
2 stalks of celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. Italian herbs
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 cup green or dePuy Lentils
1/2 cup split red lentils
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter or olive oil
3 cups roughly chopped kale
squeeze of lemon

1/2 cup chopped parsley, for garnish
1/2-3/4 cup grated Parmesan

In a large dutch oven over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Chop the onion, carrot, sweet potato and celery into roughly 1/4" pieces. Put all of the vegetables, including garlic, into the warm pot with the sea salt and saute until just softened, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in the pepper, Italian herbs, red pepper and both lentils. Add the broth and stir. Turn the heat to low and cover. Cook for 30-40 minutes until everything is tender but not mushy. Using an immersion or regular blender, blend up about half of the soup just so it gets thicker, leaving some chunks. You still want the texture of the vegetables to come through. Turn off the heat. Stir in the turmeric, butter/oil and kale and stir for the greens to just soften and marry into the soup. Add lemon juice and taste for seasoning.

Serve each bowl with parsley, Parmesan, and toasty bread.

Strawberry Cake

I'm back! Is anyone there?

My father-in-law requested strawberry cake for his birthday. An internet search brought up so many recipes that included strawberry jello. Using jello probably results in a pinker color and more pronounced strawberry flavor than this cake, but I prefer not to use jello. This cake was delicious, so I wanted to keep it for later by posting it here.

Strawberry Cake

12 medium strawberries, hulled
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup whole milk, room temperature
½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Prepare three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick baking spray or prepare with butter and flour. Remove any excess flour.

Blend the strawberries in a blender on medium speed until pureed, about 3 minutes. This should result in three-fourths cup strawberry puree. Set aside.

Cream the butter until light and fluffy with an electric mixer. Slowly add the sugar one cup at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each cup before adding another. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding another.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Pour milks, vanilla, and the strawberry puree into a measuring cup and whisk together with a fork. Add to the butter mixture, alternately with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Gently stir all ingredients until well combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, making sure to have all ingredients mixed well.

Evenly distribute the cake batter between the cake pans and place the pans into the preheated oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cake releases from the edges of the pan and springs back to a light touch. Remove the pans from the oven and allow them to cool slightly in the cake pans for about 5 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto wire racks and let them cool completely.

Frost cake with desired frosting, like cream cheese frosting.