Thursday, October 30, 2008

Cute enough to eat . . . Baby A

I know this is not exactly the site for this post, but it was the easiest way for you all to see how very cute Ann Dee's little guy is. I offered to take some shots of baby A when I first ran into Ann Dee and I was so happy when she called and took me up on the offer! I am a photographer, but I don't shoot babies or children very often (except my own, of course). I offer this to many of my friends who have newborns, but it was especially fun to do it for an old freind. There are more on my blog: http://charolettewinder.typepad.com/
It is a private blog, but the pass and user name are both my last name (see if you can figure it out from the web address).

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Soft Pretzels

This is a great recipe for pretzels, but can also be used to make cinnamon sugar twists, bread sticks, crazy bread, or even great dipping bread. Very quick and easy. Kids love it because they can play with the dough and make shapes, etc. Enjoy!



Igredients:

1 Tsp. dry yeast


1 1/2 C. warm water


1 tsp. salt


1 tsp. sugar


4 C. flour
Directions:
Mix all ingredients (either by hand or in bread mixer). Knead by hand until smooth texture. Divide into 8 pieces. Shape into pretzel shape (or kid's initials, twists, bread sticks, the list goes on). Baste with 1 beaten egg. Sprinkle with course salt (opt.) or after baking coat with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (hhhmmmm). Bake 10-12 min. at 450 or until golden brown. (That's right, no time needed for rising, just make and bake; they puff right up in the oven). Time: 20 min. (baking time included)


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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Pumpkin Soup

Velvet Pumpkin Soup
What could be more seasonal in October than pumpkin? And my father-in-law grew it in his yard. Perfect!!

I went out to my porch and picked a medium sized pumpkin. I split it in half and roasted it cut side down on a cookie sheet in the oven for about an hour at 400". It gave me 5 generous cups of pumpkin which I used to make a double batch of soup.
I cut down the cayenne to only about an 1/8 tsp. for a double batch. With the curry it was the perfect spiciness for my taste.

If your pumpkins aren't moldy after Halloween is over you can cut them up and roast them or boil them (let the pumpkin cool and then scrape the pulp off the skin). You will end up with lots of cooked pumpkin to make cookies, soup, muffins etc. You can even freeze it and use it for pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. It substitutes 1 to 1 for canned pumpkin and tastes so much better!!




Velvet Pumpkin Soup
"The name of this soup refers to its texture, not its taste. Though it's smooth in the mouth, it's fiery on the tongue! Red pepper, garlic, coriander and curry give this soup its heat. "

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
3 garlic cloves, minced or chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
3 cups chicken broth
16-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin (or squash)
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

Melt butter or margarine in a large saucepan, and sauté garlic and onions till golden brown. Add curry powder, salt, coriander, and cayenne pepper; simmer gently for 2 minutes. Stir in broth and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.

Add pumpkin, stirring till smooth. Add evaporated milk. Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes; don't allow soup to boil (but a simmer is OK).

In batches, transfer soup to blender or food processor. Process till very smooth. Serve hot.

The recipe is from King Arthur Flour.

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Monday, October 27, 2008

Easy Schmeasy Punkineasy

Have you ever made these Pumpkin Cookies? They're the easiest things in the world.


3 ingredients. That's it!

Pumpkin Cookies

1 Spice Cake Mix
1 Large can of Pumpkin (29 oz.)
Chocolate Chips
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. on a greased cookie sheet.

That's it people. Easy huh?
Happy Halloween!

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Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Pork and Sauerkraut

Today my house smells like Christmas because I made this for dinner tonight. It is the easiest recipe in the world! My mom usually makes this for Christmas every year. And we always have kraut for Thanksgiving too. It's just so good. (I considered posting the picture I took of our meal but YIKES! it didn't look so good.)

Pork and Sauerkraut

2 ingredients. That's it!

1 Pork Tenderloin or Roast (I get smallish ones since I'm just feeding 4 people)
1 Can or Jar of Sauerkraut

Put in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.
Disclaimer: This dish really smells up your house. I don't recommend making it when you're pregnant.



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Sunday, October 19, 2008

Easy, Yummy, Sloppy Joes


I'm not sure where my mom picked up this recipe for sloppy joes, but they're way easy, and not your traditional joe.

~Brown and drain 1 lb. of hamburger
~Pour in one can of Campbell's Chicken Gumbo soup
~Add 1 cup of ketchup (more or less to taste)
~Add 1/4 cup of mustard (more or less to taste)
~Simmer 5 minutes
~Eat!

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Saturday, October 18, 2008

Super Easy Chicken Enchiladas That I Make All the Time and Freeze So That I Can Be Lazy

This recipe is a family staple because even toddler will eat it. Plus one time we tripled it (maybe? I don't really measure the ingredients because you don't have to) and we ended up with thirty individual enchiladas. It was awesome. I don't know if you'll like it because maybe it's a burrito not an enchilada because I don't know what the difference is and this one doesn't have enchilada sauce so maybe it's a black bean and chicken burrito. I don't know. The end.

1 can black beans (15 oz)
3 C roasted chicken meat (or whatever. Just shredded chicken meat or any other meat)
2 T chopped fresh cilantro (or half the bunch or the whole bunch or whatever you like)
2 C shredded jalapeno Jack or Monterey Jack cheese (or whatever you have)
1 jar (about 10 oz) prepared salsa (this is where you can really go crazy. Use homemade, use Pace Picante, use Smith brand, use peach salsa--Your choice)
8 large flour tortillas (or 10 small ones or tons of little little ones)

In a mixing bowl combine the beans, chicken, cilantro, 1/2 the cheese (or most of it), and 1/2 of the salsa (or more if you feel like it). Then you fill each tortilla with 1/2 C of the chicken mixture. Roll it up and place the seam side down on a foil lined baking pan (if you want to cook (or freeze) a whole pan--I always sprinkle cheese on top of each one and wrap them individually in foil and then put them in freezer bags and voila!) and put the rest of the cheese on top. Cook at 350 for twenty minutes or until heated through (or pop them in the microwave (foil removed, of course) for two minutes or so) and eat with remaining salsa. The end again.

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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Whole Wheat Love

D- this is the wheat bread that I make every week. I have it now so that I can make 5 loaves of bread, bake them and clean up in exactly an hour.

This recipe is a combination of my mother's and my mother in laws recipes. So much of it is just practicing and perfecting it in your own way. The amount of flour you use can be different each time depending on even the humidity in the air. So, you have to learn what consistency of dough performs best and the only way you can do that is trial by error.

5 cups of hot water
1 to 2 Tbs salt
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup honey

Mix these ingredients for thirty seconds in a mixer

Add 5 cups of whole wheat flour, mix
Add 3 more cups of flour, mix
Add 3 TBS of SAF instant yeast (it is the same thing as bread machine yeast)If you do not use INSTANT be sure to soak your yeast in a little bowl of warm water before you put it in.
Add 2-3 cups more of flour (you want to use around 12 cups total of flour)

Knead dough on high for five minutes
Turn dough onto a well greased surface and split dough into four equal parts
Form into well greased pans (I spray with natural pam stuff)
Set oven to WARM
Put loaves into oven and let raise for 15-20 minutes or so then bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

I love to add Irish Oatmeal to my bread, my mother in law also swears that dough enhancer makes a difference, it is too expensive for me but I think it is basically gluten.

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Invites and Wheat Bread

Dear Micah, Ann, and Kathy,
I sent out invites for you three but you have not yet accepted. Did you get the invites? Are they not working? I want it to work. And Charolette, please get me your email address so I can invite you too. And anyone else who feels like it.

Also, wheat bread. I have a recipe that is good. Really good. But the list of ingredients is lengthy (gluten, powdered milk, dough enhancer, etc. etc.). I can post it if any of you are interested but what I'm interested are tried and true recipes for wheat bread with less ingredients. Meg gave me one but I'm collecting. Please? And thank you.

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Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Cooking for One with Katy


My first Video Podcast! Check it out here.

If you subscribe to this podcast and use iTunes to watch the episodes you'll be able to see them in a larger screen.

If you want to be a guest cook on my show... leave a comment and tell me what you want to cook.


This of course was Ann Dee's idea. She knows that if we can find a way for me to get a lot of attention and to play with technology I might just stay motivated to cook. Thanks to Megan for shopping with me and helping me cook dinner last night. Thanks to Milli for inviting me over to make dinner with her on Monday night - I'm looking forward to it.

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Monday, October 6, 2008

Teryiaki Grilled Chicken


Duane's parents make this chicken all of the time. It is delicious and easy. When I started eating meat again after I had Jane, it was this chicken and only this chicken that I liked to eat because the flavors are so strong - it didn't taste like chicken.

6 chicken breasts I like the breasts thin. I fillet them and Duane's parents mash them flat with a meat tenderizer. The thought of owning a "meat tenderizer" is a little gruesome to me but just thin your breasts however you would like.
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup olive oil
1 can 7-up
Tons of fresh garlic minced
Lots of fresh ginger

Marinade the chicken over night and grill.

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Sunday, October 5, 2008

Red Looks-Like-Blood Cookies

I didn't take a picture because they were too scary.

1 Red Velvet Cake Mix
1/3 C oil
2 Eggs
Mix

Add chocolate chips if you feel like it. Or whatever else you want.

Cook at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Hand them out to spook people.

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Whole Wheat Light&Fluffy Pancakes

I realize we already have a pancake recipe on here, but Tod made these this morning and I can't hold back. Try them sometime.


Light&Fluffy Pancakes

1 ½ to 2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 tablespoons oil


4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups whole wheat flour

Mix wet ingredients together well in one bowl. Combine dry ingredients in another. Add together and stir until mixture is even. Blueberries, raspberries, or flaxseed can be delicious in the batter as well.

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Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Join Us

Seriously. If you would like to join, please comment. I promise I will be really good about sending out invites this time. I'm not so savvy and I'm completely flaky at times (although at other times I'm quite on top of things--it goes in cycles) but I want you all to know we want you. We need you. So let me know if you'd like to join and include your email. I'll send along an invite. The End.

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