Tomatoes!

It is a lousy, lousy picture, but all 33 of my jar of tomatoes are there. Many are homegrown. Some have onions and peppers for a nice chili base, some have onions and my own homegrown basil and oregano for spaghetti. Many are just ripe, beautiful, local tomatoes with the steams removes juiced in the food processor and put in jars. No matter which way, the base for 33 different meals are tucked away in my cupboard until needed. There are more canning adventures to share, but I think one product at a time is easier to write about.

The big news, I finally got a job for this year! I will be back in Griffith working in their alternative program while the regular teacher goes on maternity leave. I am so happy to be in one school district for the year, and I am thrilled to be back at Griffith.

Happy Knitting!

Dinner tonight

Tonight, we are having eggplant for dinner. Not just any eggplant either. I picked the eggplant, tomatoes, and fresh herbs just a few moments ago. I bought beautiful, fresh cheeses yesterday for tonight's dinner. I can not wait to start cooking and eating!

Added later


I just had to share a pic of the final meal made with my produce. It was the freshest, most delicious meal I have ever had. I got a lot of satisfaction from knowing that the produce was all organic and the result of my own effort.

The meal preparation was labor intensive; however, the simple steps were a good reason to take this meal slow and easy. I enjoyed the process almost as much as the meal.

Happy Knitting!

Crock Pot Ham and Beans

I took a photo, but I can't find the darn camera now. Look for an update as soon as I find the camera.

This post is dedicated to my friend Mandy who is new to crock pot cooking. I know she will love this recipe. I learned to make this when I was about 10 years old. I used to make this from time to time for my family growing up.

A few facts about this meal

1. Depending on how you source the meat, it is possible to feed your family for less than $2. That is for the whole meal, not per-person. I often make this with a couple of large pieces of left over ham, especially the fatty parts. I freeze the left over bits every time I make a ham to use for this soup. Even when buying the meat for this soup, it is super cheap to feed the whole family.

2. You do not have to soak the beans overnight when using a crock pot to cook beans.

3. Crock pots use way less energy than the stove.

4. The meat is not the center piece of this soup, the beans are. Since the meat is flavoring, you can feed your whole family with a very small amount. You can also leave the meat out.

1 lb. bag of dried beans -- cook's choice. I prefer great northern or black beans, but any dried bean is fine. Lentils and split peas are nice too.

Small amount meat of choice (a few oz of left over ham (esp. fatty parts), 5 or 6 strips of bacon, or a ham hock are all good choices)

2 - 3 carrots diced

1 stalk celery with leaves diced

1 small onion diced

1 bay leaf

water to cover beans in pot, about 2 quarts.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Put all ingredients into slow cooker except salt and pepper (the pork cuts used can be salty, so it is best to wait until soup is nearly done and taste test seasonings). Set cooker on HIGH for 4 - 6 hours or LOW for 8 - 10.

Serve in bowls with Molly's Country Corn Bread.

Simple, cheap, and totally yummy!

Enjoy.

Yummy fruit and nut breakfast bread

I love hearty breads with fruit, nuts, and whole grains. This is a bread machine recipe, but it would make a very nice loaf using traditional bread baking methods.

1/3 cup hot tap water
1 teaspoon white flour
2 teaspoons yeast
couple drops of honey

Place these ingredients in the bottom of your bread machine. This is my bread machine version of proofing the yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

1 cup milk, room temp
1 egg
1 tablespoon oil (I use canola)
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups unbleached white flour (I use King Aurthur)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 rolled oats
1/2 coriander
1/4 nutmeg
1 teaspoon sea salt

put these ingredients in your machine in this order. I use the basic setting on my machine. My machine as a delay buzzer for adding nuts and fruits. I wait for that before I add:

zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup dried mixed berries (I get these on the snake aisle at Walmart. Look for something that has no added sugar)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 crushed pecans

Let the machine do its magic.

This is a very hearty, comforting bread that is great as morning toast. Enjoy!

If you make any of my recipes, please leave a comment and let me know how it turned out.

Stale Bread Crumb Cookies

This is a very versatile recipe for a basic coco cookie using stale bread crumbs. It has been a while since I have made it (my kids are grown), but thinking about it now, I think I will make some tonight to use the lefter ends of the bread I have. BTW, I only eat whole wheat bread, so I know that works really well. I am sure white is fine, but I have never used it. I did sneak a few stale cake doughnuts in these once. That was really good.

1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1 1/4 cups sugar (these are really nice with a combination of white and brown sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk (you can use water or another liquid)
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup melted shortening (for a lower fat version that is tasty, try apple sauce. Peanut butter works too and is YUM OH)
2 cup bread crumbs (I use the food processor to make these really fine)

1. Sift together dry ingredients
2. Combine wet ingredients and add to the dry mixture
3. Add melted shortening (or apple sauce or melted peanut butter) and bread crumbs
3. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with paper or silicon liner.
4. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until done.

Don't tell the kids about the lefter ends from the loaf of bread.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Bread

This is a bread machine recipe, but it would also make a yummy single loaf bread using traditional bread baking methods.

1/3 cup warm tap water
1 T honey
1 T white flour
2 t yeast

Place these ingredients into the bottom of bread machine and let them sit for about 5 minutes. This is my bread machine adaptation of "proofing" the yeast to get it ready to make bread. Basically, this process wakes the yeast up (warm water), feeds it (honey), and gives it something to do (flour).

1 cup buttermilk (room temp)
1 T oil (I use either canola or olive)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup white flour
1 additional T honey
1 t salt
1 egg

In the order listed, add remaining ingredients to the bread machine. I use the basic bread setting for my machine. Let the machine do its magic.

Molly's Country Corn Bread

I love corn bread. I could eat it everyday. You all may remember that I bought a bag of stone ground corn when at Spring Mill State Park, and you may also remember that I purchased some homemade butter in Amish country not to long ago. I decided to mix my two old-fashion purchases together into a wonderful treat. Oh my, so very yum oh.



Recipe

1 C stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 C unbleached white flour
1/2 C sugar (I just used white, but brown or a mix of brown and white would be nice too)
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 T shortening
1 egg
3/4 C milk

Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in shortening until the mixture looks like tiny peas. Make a well in the mixture and add the egg and milk to the well. Slowly fold together and mix until all the dry bits are wet (no longer). Back in a large cast iron skillet in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.

Happy knitting (and eating)!

Pronto Pantry Chili

I make this all the time. It is very flexible to suit individual taste, and it is designed to be made from things I keep in the pantry.

2lbs ground meat (I prefer ground chuck, but ground beef, turkey, chicken, pork, or a combo all work fine. I have also used TVP crumbles)

1 large onion chopped

1 large green bell pepper chopped

4 to 8 cloves garlic (depending on taste) chopped

1 4 oz can of diced green chilies or jalapenos (depending on taste. You can also do one can of each)

1 jar roasted red peppers (I chop about half the peppers in the jar and add a bit of the oil to the pot)

1 can chipotle peppers in adobo chopped (I use about half and save the rest)

1 or 2 cans of "chili beans" the "hot" kind (these beans have lots of seasoning and flavor in them and are much nicer than just "plan" kidney beans. I only use one can because Sly doesn't like beans, but I think 2 cans are better)

1 can tomato juice PLUS any leftover bits of salsa, spaghetti/pizza sauce

3 tablespoons of chili sauce

1 10 oz bag of frozen corn

2 to 3 tablespoons of chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

EXTRAS

I serve chili over Frito's corn chips with cheddar cheese and sour cream, but corn bread, rice, or tortilla chips are nice too.

Brown the meat in a large soup pot. I use lean ground chuck, so I don't drain the meat, if you are using hamburger, you may want to drain up to half the juice and fat. If you are using ground chicken or turkey, you will need to add some olive oil. If you are using TVP, skip this step. Add the TVP after you add the tomato juice.

After the meat is browned, add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute 5 to 10 minuets.

Add the canned chilies, chopped jar peppers, and chipole peppers. Mix well. Add can beans, extra salsa or sauce and chili sauce. Add juice and season to taste. Reduce heat and simmer for about a half hour. The hard part is over.

Add the frozen corn, and turn off the heat. Serve with your favorite extras and enjoy!

Happy knitting and eating!

MMMMmmmm GOOD!

So, I am starting to write out my recipes. I wanted to start with soup because I love soup, and one of my favorites is Corn Chowder. It is warm and comforting; the perfect dinner on a winter evening. Best part, it doesn't take long to cook, and it is made with ingredients we all have on hand. While this soup has meat, you can make it vegetarian and it is still warm and comforting.

Ingredients

4 slices thick cut bacon (totally optional. The butter can stand as the fat, or you can substitute olive oil for a healthier vegetarian version)
2 pats butter (optional, but why wouldn't you want butter with potatoes and corn?)
1 medium onion diced
2 stalks celery diced
2 carrots diced
3 good sized potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons flour or corn starch
1 or 2 cans of cream corn (2 cans corn is best, but I can't fit two cans in my smaller pot, so I often use one can when the big pot is dirty)
2 quarts milk (to help with the cost of milk, I use powdered milk. You can also use soy milk)
1 package of kielbasa type sausage cut into bite sized chunks (lite and turkey sausage is fine. The sausage is optional, but it does make a nice one pot meal when added)
1 half pint of cream (again, optional, but oh so yummy, and you won't be the least bit sorry)
1 pound package of frozen whole kernel corn (thanks Kayt)
2 teaspoons dill weed
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in soup pot until crisp. Remove bacon and save for garnish. Sautee onion in rendered bacon fat and butter. Add celery and continue to sautee. Add carrots and dill. At this point, you will want to add salt and pepper. The salt will help the veggies release moisture, but you don't want to add more then a good pinch at this point. The bacon and the sausage have lots of salt.

Sprinkle the veggies with the flour to cook out the raw flour taste. Add potatoes and cream corn and mix everything well. Slowly add the milk, stirring to deglaze the soup pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for about 20 minuets.

Add the sausage and turn up the heat to bring soup up to a boil. Add the cream.

You will want to taste the soup at this point to check for salt. Add frozen corn, and remove from heat.

Serve in bowls and garnish with left over bacon. A nice crusty, chewy bread is the perfect side for this soup.

Please let me know if you try this soup and what you think!

Happy Knitting and eating!