Hello everyone! Long time, no post-y... I wanted to give you all the link to a new cooking blog. Some of the ladies in our ward put together a cooking group and we meet once a month, just a handful of us. Each night has a theme and we each bring a dish according to the theme and then the recipes are posted on our blog. You may enjoy it! Let me know.
Philly Foodie Friends
ENJOY!!
I love my family!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup
This is such an easy recipe, as well as delicious and hearty! I combined a couple of different recipes to come up with this one. Enjoy!
1 lb ground beef (can use ground turkey)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
6 oz can tomato paste
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 green peppers, chopped
15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup uncooked brown rice
2 T brown sugar, packed
1 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp cinnamon (add more to taste)
Ground black pepper, to taste
In a large skillet, cook ground meat, onion and garlic over medium heat until browned.
Drain any juices and transfer mixture to a slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients and stir gently to mix.
Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Add water to thin if necessary (as rice cooks).
Note: I cooked mine on high for 4 hours and it was great!
Spice it up by adding:
1 tsp Penzey's Northwoods Seasoning, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin. Hold the cinnamon. Top with salsa and sour cream.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding
Sounds good, doesn't it? Well it is! My parents flew into St. Louis for a few days, and we went down for Labor Day weekend to be with them and Eph and Amy and Co. Katie made this delectable dessert for dinner on Sunday. It's from David Lebovitz' Blog and the recipe can be found here. You should make this. You will be happy if you do.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Perfect White Bread
The last bread recipe for now.
Perfect White Bread, Plus! Wheat Variation
By Amy
Makes 4 loaves
Introducing… something different! For even the purest bread snobs sometimes a good white loaf is the perfect way to shake things up.
This recipe is ideal for shaped sandwich loaves. You can also portion it to make rolls, Italian style loaves for things like garlic bread, or even a great, sturdy pizza crust. If using part of the dough for pizza crust or garlic bread you may like to reduce the sugar (to about ¾ c.) and use olive oil instead. For the most manageable pizza crust you’ve ever rolled, refrigerate dough for 1-3 days before using. One time I rolled a sandwich loaf with grated swiss cheese inside- fantastic!
1 c. white sugar
3 ½ Tbsp. yeast
4 tsp. vital wheat gluten or dough enhancer (optional)
4 tsp. salt
¼ c. vegetable oil
4 c. warm water
10-12 c. white bread (or all-purpose) flour (King Arthur brand is an excellent flavor- quality matters with this recipe as the white flour is virtually the only flavoring)
Mix everything but flour well. Add flour gradually and knead dough until smooth and elastic. Allow dough to rise to double in a covered, oiled bowl in a warm place. Punch dough down and divide as desired. Shape loaves and allow to rise again about 30 min. or until they look good to you. If desired, garnish top lightly with water and a dusting of flour. Place in oven and set thermostat to 350F for 30-40 min. or until top is golden brown, doughy sides don’t stick to the pan, and it sounds hollow when knocked on the top. One sure-fire test: if cut through the center immediately after baking, it should not appear gummy or stretched, though steam may make a moist crumb. Allow to sit in pans 10 min. and place on cloth or rack to cool completely before wrapping.
Wheat flour variation:
7 c. white bread flour
4 c. whole wheat flour; may also put through fine mesh colander to sift out larger wheat flakes.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Saag Paneer Without the Paneer
A well-known North Indian curry, which combines chopped spinach and fried cubes of bland, homemade cheese (paneer). Tonight we made this great spinach dish a true hit- basically saag paneer with cubes of marinaded tofu substituted for the cheese.
About a month ago we froze small cubes of firm or extra firm tofu that was about to expire. Freezing tofu makes the texture more chicken-like, or a little tougher and porous, than fresh tofu so theoretically it should be a perfect substitute paneer, and it was! It was faster (in that we didn't have to make bland cheese the day before- you can never find paneer at the store), easier, and infinitely more flavorful. This recipe is a fail-safe, impressive staple for any Indian themed meal. Hazel ate two helpings and everyone loved it.
Something that looks like this better taste good for my kids to eat it.
Saag Pa-tofu a la Amy
Marinade frozen tofu in a covered glass bowl (or bag) before you start on the rest of your meal, shaking it up occasionally. Combine:
About 2/3 can light coconut milk (I add the extra milk to the accompanying curry or make virgin pina coladas)
1 lb. tub firm/extra firm tofu, drained, pressed a little, cut into small cubes, and frozen
1-2 Tbsp. lime juice (mine was from a bottle so I used 2 Tbsp.)
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
generous 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)
In small frying pan, fry the following until onion edges are nicely browned:
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. thinly chopped onion (1 med.)
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Then add:
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. powered ginger
And set aside. Now, in large sauce pan combine the following and heat over medium heat for about 5 min:
1- 28 oz. bag frozen spinach, thawed with some water squeezed out*
1 can diced tomatoes, drained. Should be 1-2 cups total.
1 tsp. salt
Add the onion and tofu (including marinade) to the spinach and heat through another min. or so. Tomatoes and spinach should be soft and well-blended, but it shouldn't be soupy.
Finally add:
1/4-1/2 tsp. Garam Masala seasoning (a 1::1 mixture of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and black pepper)
Stir well and serve!
*For frozen spinach nothing beats the pre-frozen stuff however, sometimes we get a big package of fresh spinach and have a hard time finishing it off. I tried freezing it by just popping the package in the freezer and it worked perfectly. If you ever have this dilemma try freezing it for recipes with cooked spinach.
About a month ago we froze small cubes of firm or extra firm tofu that was about to expire. Freezing tofu makes the texture more chicken-like, or a little tougher and porous, than fresh tofu so theoretically it should be a perfect substitute paneer, and it was! It was faster (in that we didn't have to make bland cheese the day before- you can never find paneer at the store), easier, and infinitely more flavorful. This recipe is a fail-safe, impressive staple for any Indian themed meal. Hazel ate two helpings and everyone loved it.
Something that looks like this better taste good for my kids to eat it.
Saag Pa-tofu a la Amy
Marinade frozen tofu in a covered glass bowl (or bag) before you start on the rest of your meal, shaking it up occasionally. Combine:
About 2/3 can light coconut milk (I add the extra milk to the accompanying curry or make virgin pina coladas)
1 lb. tub firm/extra firm tofu, drained, pressed a little, cut into small cubes, and frozen
1-2 Tbsp. lime juice (mine was from a bottle so I used 2 Tbsp.)
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
generous 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)
In small frying pan, fry the following until onion edges are nicely browned:
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. thinly chopped onion (1 med.)
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Then add:
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. powered ginger
And set aside. Now, in large sauce pan combine the following and heat over medium heat for about 5 min:
1- 28 oz. bag frozen spinach, thawed with some water squeezed out*
1 can diced tomatoes, drained. Should be 1-2 cups total.
1 tsp. salt
Add the onion and tofu (including marinade) to the spinach and heat through another min. or so. Tomatoes and spinach should be soft and well-blended, but it shouldn't be soupy.
Finally add:
1/4-1/2 tsp. Garam Masala seasoning (a 1::1 mixture of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and black pepper)
Stir well and serve!
*For frozen spinach nothing beats the pre-frozen stuff however, sometimes we get a big package of fresh spinach and have a hard time finishing it off. I tried freezing it by just popping the package in the freezer and it worked perfectly. If you ever have this dilemma try freezing it for recipes with cooked spinach.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Whole Wheat Skillet Cookies
Been meaning to share this one for a while. I'm not sayin' that these are healthy, but they are better for you than the average cookie. And BOY they are good! Alex and I don't make a lot of things more than once, even if they are good, just because there are so many things to try out there, but I have probably made these at least a dozen times. Adapted from Heidi Swanson's similarly titled cookies (but better for you).
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
1/4 c. ground flax meal
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 1/4 t. salt
1 stick butter, room temp
1/2 cup applesauce
2/3 c. brown sugar
2/3 c. white sugar
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla
~8 oz chopped dark chocolate
~1 c. walnuts
Heat oven to 350. Butter a 10 inch 2 inch deep skillet. Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until well mixed. Add the applesauce, eggs, and vanilla and mix well. Add in the flour mixture and combine. Finally, add the chocolate and nuts. Bake 35-45 minutes. Enjoy!
Cinnamon can also be added. Once I added chocolate animal crackers and that was not bad either.
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
1/4 c. ground flax meal
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 1/4 t. salt
1 stick butter, room temp
1/2 cup applesauce
2/3 c. brown sugar
2/3 c. white sugar
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla
~8 oz chopped dark chocolate
~1 c. walnuts
Heat oven to 350. Butter a 10 inch 2 inch deep skillet. Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until well mixed. Add the applesauce, eggs, and vanilla and mix well. Add in the flour mixture and combine. Finally, add the chocolate and nuts. Bake 35-45 minutes. Enjoy!
Cinnamon can also be added. Once I added chocolate animal crackers and that was not bad either.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Calabrian Onion Soup
I came across this recipe again today and since it's a little chillier this morning than it's been the last few days, soup didn't sound too horrible even for June. Enjoy!
2-3 T Olive oil in thick-bottomed pot. Once oil is heated, lightly cook 2 sliced garlic cloves.
Once garlic is almost browned add 2-3 large onions, sliced not too thinly and halved.
Season w/ salt and a little crushed red pepper.
Once onions have sweated and wilted, add 1 large can whole peeled plum tomatoes squished in your hand, along with all the juice from the can. (You could also probably used canned crushed tomatoes, but the squishing whole ones in your fingers is more authentic).
Add a little more salt to taste.
Bring soup to a boil and add 1-2 C boiling water.
Stir and cover.
Simmer for 45-60 minutes.
When the liquid has decreased by almost half, place a piece of toasted bread in the bottom of each soup bowl. (We used multigrain baguette. Hard bread works best.)
Put a slice of cheese over it, then spoon the onion soup over that. We used fontina cheese which melted SO nicely. Delicious!
Calabrian Onion Soup
Adapted from Lidia Bastianich via Sydney Rombola
2-3 T Olive oil in thick-bottomed pot. Once oil is heated, lightly cook 2 sliced garlic cloves.
Once garlic is almost browned add 2-3 large onions, sliced not too thinly and halved.
Season w/ salt and a little crushed red pepper.
Once onions have sweated and wilted, add 1 large can whole peeled plum tomatoes squished in your hand, along with all the juice from the can. (You could also probably used canned crushed tomatoes, but the squishing whole ones in your fingers is more authentic).
Add a little more salt to taste.
Bring soup to a boil and add 1-2 C boiling water.
Stir and cover.
Simmer for 45-60 minutes.
When the liquid has decreased by almost half, place a piece of toasted bread in the bottom of each soup bowl. (We used multigrain baguette. Hard bread works best.)
Put a slice of cheese over it, then spoon the onion soup over that. We used fontina cheese which melted SO nicely. Delicious!
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