Forkable

Freezing Food For When Baby Comes; Part 2

Forkable — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:41:08 +0000

Well, its that time again. My due date for our second baby is only two weeks away and this little nipper could arrive at any time!

Photo via Flickr User Corgidusty

I’ve been cracking away daily at getting organized, house clean and food prepared so we’ll be as ready as we can be for our new family member. I thought having a second baby would be easier since I’ve done it before. But that’s not true! IT’S SCARIER! Because I know what I’m in for this time. AH! And we’ll have a 19 month old Thora to take care of as well. I’m not really worried though, as we have a wonderful community of friends to help us along.

To ease our transition along, I’m trying to make sure my freezers are stocked with ready to eat food, as I did before Thora was born. Here’s a list of what you’ll find in my freezer for when baby arrives.

1. Stuffed Cabbages I find the best kind of food for when your tired and not feeling well is comfort food. Stuffed cabbages are definitely that. This dish is easy to prepare ahead, just stuff some cabbage leaves with your rice/meat filling, roll up and freeze in ziplock bags. Then when you’re ready to eat, just take as many out of the bag as you need, place in a baking dish, cover in the tomato sauce of your choice and bake for 3o minutes (defrosted) to an hour if frozen.

2. Lasagna Speaking of comfort food, nothing is more satisfying on a cold night then a nice warm melty piece of lasagna. It was one of the dishes I made and froze for when Thora was born and it was the first thing to be totally eaten up. So I’m making agian. Its easy to prepared ahead, slice into single servings and freeze in small containers. Individual slices can be reheated in the microwave in 5 minutes and then eaten with relish (I’m refering to enjoyment, not a pickle sauce, but hey, to each his own).

3. Caldo Verde: This Portuguese soup with spicy sausage, kale and potatoes is probably one of my top favorites. Its also healthy in that it encourages me to eat kale. I never eat enough greens! Although potatoes are not the ideal food to freeze as they can get a bit mealy, it doesn’t bother me in this soup. A few weeks ago, I made a few gallons and froze in single serving containers which will reheat in the microwave in 5 minutes. Yes!

Photo via the Kitchn.com

4. Pasties: Yum! I’m letting my Yooper out with this one. Pronounced Paa-stee. Be careful with this one. If mispronounced it means something quite different! This is a dish the Cornish miners brought to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where it has become their official food. A pasty is traditionally made with ground beef and a mixture of diced carrots, potatoes and rutabagas. However, there are some fancier recipes out there including vegetarian ones (oh, the sacralidge!) My Mom filled up my freezer with a dozen traditional ones, with a cooked filling but raw dough. All I need to do is bake for 30 minutes and I’ve got a meal. I’ll let you guys fight it out whether you top yours with ketchup or gravy!

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Ok, that’s all from here. It may be a bit spotty posting over the next few weeks with the new baby, but I’ll check in as often as I can. Be patient and I’ll get back to regular posting as soon as I’m able.

Party Pleaser: Pomegranate Punch

Forkable — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:36:46 +0000

Want to turn your regular old hum drum party into the most sophisticated soiree of the day? Well, its easy. Here’s our top 1 ways to get your party popping!

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Brooklyn Farmhouse

1. MAKE POMEGRANATE PUNCH!

There, that was easy. Almost as easy as making this delicious punch which pairs delicious and healthy pomegrante juice with a fresh and tasty infusion of simple syrup steeped in mint and fresh ginger. Delish! Here’s the how-to.

Pomegranate Punch
Serves about 12

1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. water
12 slices peeled fresh ginger (about 1/8 inch thick)
2 1/4 c. fresh mint
6 c. pomegranate juice
3/4 c. apricot nectar
2 1/2 c. seltzer
Garnish: fresh mint
Optional: Alcohol- vodka or champagne

Make simple syrup: Bring sugar, water, and ginger to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add mint. Let stand for 30 minutes. Strain. Let cool.

Assemble punch: Stir together mint syrup, juice, and nectar in an ice-filled punch bowl. Add seltzer. Garnish with mint and ice.

Optional: Add alcohol. As much as you want. Be warned though! This punch is sooo damn tasty, it hides the taste of alcohol very well. I mean VERY WELL. You can get very bedrunken. Just warning you. Ok, on to the hints.

Hint: Make a decorative ice ring! The night before your party, take a decorative bunt or coffee cake pan and fill with water. Allow to freeze until a bit slushy, 1 hour or so depending on the amount of your water. Put a few mint leaves or pomegranate seeds into the slush to suspend in ice.

Christmas Pomegranate Bars

Forkable — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:44:47 +0000

Every year I try to make a few new kinds of Christmas cookies to add to my tried and true. Sometimes I find amazing new cookies to add to my repertoire, and sometimes they’re a stink out. This year, I decided to try my hand at Martha Stewart’s Apricot Windows recipe. I put my own twist on them by using my homemade Pomegranate jelly.

While I wouldn’t describe these as a stink-out, as they are easy and very tasty, I learned through trial and error that if you don’t cut them while hot (not listed in the directions) you end up with a broken mess. So here’s the recipe with a few of my own additions.

Christmas Pomegranate Bars

4 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
3 1/2 c. flour
1 1/3 c. cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 c. jam or jelly of your choice, I used Pomegranate
pastry bag with large round or star shaped tip

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and generously grease sides; set aside.

Using a hand or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients and set aside. Add eggs one at a time to creamed butter mixture, beating until smooth after each addition. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and beat until thoroughly combined.

Remove 1 3/4 cups of the dough; use it to fill a prepared pastry bag. Fold the end over to keep dough from drying out; set aside.

Spread the remaining dough into the prepared pan as evenly and smoothly as possible. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Remove pan from oven, and transfer to a heat-proof surface. In a small bowl, whisk jam until smooth. Spread jam on top of baked crust in an even layer. Using the prepared pastry bag, pipe parallel lines of dough spaced approx. 1 inch apart over the jam. Pipe perpendicular lines of dough at 1-inch intervals over first lines. Place in oven, and bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack. Allow to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly, but while still warm, cut into bars. Store in an air tight container for two weeks or so.

Enjoy!

A New Take On Gingersnaps: Chewy Choco Gingersnappers

Forkable — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:48:02 +0000

I love gingersnaps and of course nothing is more christmasy then a good ginger cookie. But if you find yourself getting bored with the same old gingersnap, why not try this delicious chocolatey take on the original. I guarantee you’ll love it!

Chewy Choco Gingersnappers
makes 4 dozen

1 c. butter (2 sticks)
2 Tbs fresh grated ginger
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. molasses
3 c. flour
1 Tbs ground ginger
2 tsp cininamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbs cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbs boiling water
16 0z. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4- 1/2 c. granulated sugar

Directions:

Make Dough: In a mixing bowl or using a stand mixer, cream butter and fresh ginger together until whipped, 2-4 minutes. Add brown sugar and beat until mixed. Add Molasses, beat until mixed. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients and spices up until boiling water. In a small bowl, mix together boiling water and baking soda. Add half of flour mixture into sugar and butter; mix. Add boiling water with baking soda and mix. Add remainder of dry ingredients; mix. Add chocolate chips and mix.

Chill Dough: Separate dough into four balls and wrap each dough ball in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator until firm: for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Assemble Cookies: Remove one dough ball, leaving the others to chill in the refrigerator. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheets lined in parchment paper about 2 inches apart. Chill completed trays while rolling out other dough balls; about 20 mintues. Roll chilled balls in sugar.

Bake cookies: 8-10 minutes until surfaces begin to crack. Remove and chill on wire wracks.

Store in air tight container for 2 weeks. Best served warm!

Our New Christmas Favorite: Lemon Cranberry Sandwiches

Forkable — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 03:41:15 +0000

These delicate cookies are my absolute new favorite holiday treats! The light sugary wafers with a bold dash of cranberry are topped off with a very lemony cream center. What could be better! Lets get baking!

Lemon Cranberry Sandwiches

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 c. flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c. dried cranberries
Filling
2/3 c. butter, softened
2-3/4 c. confectioners’ sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 Tbs lemon zest

Make dough: In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, lemon peel and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in cranberries. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Bake Cookies: Roll dough into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar. Twist glass after flattening to keep cookie from sticking. Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Assmeble Cookies: In a small bowl, combine the filling ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread on the bottoms of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies.

From The Vaults: Lime Glazed Cornmeal Cookies

Forkable — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:13:29 +0000

Recently while digging through my cookie archives, I rediscovered this hidden gem! When I first made and posted this recipe 2008, I claimed I was going to make it every year after. But I didn’t. And then that which should not be forgotten was lost. (Do you like my Lord of the Rings quote?) Anyhow, I’m excited about this find. I AM going to make these again this year, and so should you!

Lime Glazed Cornmeal Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
4 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 6 limes total)
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (2 medium oranges)
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal, plus more for coating glass

Lime Glaze

3 c. confectioners sugar
1/2 c. fresh lime juice (6-8 limes)
2 1/2 tsp. lime zest

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg mixing into creamed butter. Add citrus zests, lime juice, and almond extract. Mix until blended.

Mix together flour and cornmeal and slowly add to your batter while mixing, continue until well blended. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for 1 hour.

Remove dough from the refrigerator. Roll dough into 1″ balls. In a bowl, mix 3 parts cornmeal to 1 part sugar. Roll balls in cornmeal and sugar and lay out on a tray lined with parchment or a silicon mat a couple inches apart.

Using a glass press cookies into thin disks. Dip glass in cornmeal before pressing each cookie. Press and turn cookie to get it to release. Dip glass in milk on first press to get cornmeal to stick. Bake at 350 for 8 to 12 minutes or until cookies are light golden around the edges. Remove cookies from oven and place cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Mix lime glaze: mix conf. sugar with zest and add juice. Stir until a nice smooth glaze forms. Line surface under wire racks with newspaper. Spoon about a teaspoon of glaze on each cookie and place cookie back on wire rack to dry. Before glaze is hard, zest a lime above cookies so zest hardens into glaze. Store in a sealed container.

These cookies have a caramelized crispy texture and the sweet of the glaze contrasting with the tart citrus flavors is so wonderful, I could eat these all day!

Think Outside the Box: DIY Food Gift Wrapping Guide

Forkable — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:50:25 +0000

With the Occupy movement really shifting focus to shopping local and boycotting large corporations this holiday season, I’ve had more requests then ever on good DIY foodie xmas pressies. The number one most important thing when giving homemade gifts is the packaging.

Creative Packaging: Think Outside the Box

An Asian dumpling steamer makes a great cheap (and useful) container for this peppermint cheesecake via BHG.com

Creating little packaged recipes with ingredient mixtures is a great idea but can really flop if you don’t create an appealing appearance. Sometimes the best thing to do is start with a container, and find the right food/recipe to fit inside. Here are six great ideas for packaging.

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1) Re-purpose A Useful Kitchen Item For A Creative wrapping:

Hit the thrift stores, vintage shops, or restaurant supply stores and explore the non-container container. I love the idea of using an Asian steamer as a cake box as pictured above. Vintage scotch glasses on a vintage platter make an excellent presentation for our Scotch Rosemary Biscuits.

Photo via BHG.com

This vintage casserole makes a sweet container for Chocolate Raisin Oatmeal cookie mix.

Via CountryLiving.com

And of course, an antique or thrifted tin is the classic container!

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2) Recycle old condiment jars or cans

Scrub off the paper label on an old mustard, spice or olive jar and replace with a hand made label. Great for custom spice mixes, or marinated goat cheese or olives. Try to find jars with no writing or images on the lid.

Or camouflage jars with old pickle or jam jars with printed lids with cute fabric swatches or paper circles and attached with ribbon or string.

I love Martha’s idea to bake muffins in a washed out tin can and wrap top with decorative paper and string!

Hide the logo on this mixed nut container with decorative paper for these quick and delicious nut clusters.

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3) Purchase cheap bulk jars

Pick up a few of these bulk spice jars ($4) to make this Fish Poaching kit (via CountryLiving.com).

Substitute the tins in this suggestion from CountryLiving.com for homemade tea mixtures with this bulk spice jar ($1.95) from Crate and Barrel.

Of course canning jars make affordable containers at about $12-$15 for a dozen. You can give away preserved food or just use the jar as a container (just make sure to tell the person when you give the gift if it is not preserved). Make a custom label and wrap with a ribbon, or another decorative object.

Check out our list of preserved foods as gift suggestions!

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4) Envelopes Make Great Containers

Purchase bulk plastic candy bags as cheap as 50 bags for $1.39 to wrap your cookies, candies or these cute cheddar herb bread mixture via BHG.com.

Follow this tutorial from Martha to make your own paper envelopes from cardstock.

Fill your own tea filters (100 for $4.99) with a custom tea blend.

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5) Fill Up On Candy Boxes!

Another great tutorial from Martha shows you how to make this great slip out box!

You can also purchase cute pre-made fold-able boxes from Baley’s Boxes or Papersource.

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6) Wax Paper Rolls:

via CountryLiving.com

Wrap rolls of frozen cookie dough in wax paper and tie off at ends. Make your own creative labels to finish off the design.

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Resources:

Gift Idea slideshows:

Recipe ideas:

Gift wrapping:

A Guide To Thanksgiving Planning

Forkable — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:33:37 +0000

Its Thanksgiving time! As you could expect, this is one of our favorite holidays. Its a day of eating until you’re sick and then going to sleep on the living room floor. To share the method to my madness, I thought I would share a sample menu and schedule with you so you can see an example of how to best manage your time. Lets get cooking!

Sample Thanksgiving Menu for 10

Roasted Poultry: 2 chickens and 1 duck
mashed potatoes and gravy
stuffing
sweet potato spoon bread
cheesy onion casserole
green bean casserole
cranberry compote
pecan pie

Monday and Tuesday:

shopping
tidy house

Wednesday:

Put poultry into brine
pumpkin soup
cranberry sauce
pecan pie
roast sweet potatoes for spoon bread
slice onions for casserole
set table

Thursday, Turkey Day:

assemble stuffing
prep poultry to roast
assemble casseroles (bean and onion)
get poultry in oven
bake stuffing
assemble spoon bread
toward end of roasting poultry, bake bean casserole.
prep potatoes to cook
take poultry out of oven
boil and mash potatoes
bake spoon bread and onion casserole while preparing gravy
serve food

Enjoy!

Easy Probiotics: Make Your Own Sauerkraut

Forkable — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:32:38 +0000

Being from a family with an Austrian background, making our own sauerkraut was a natural part of every fall harvest. Now that I am an adult, my interest in making my own sauerkraut is more then just for the traditional cultural heritage.

Fresh (jar on right) and canned (jar on left) sauerkraut

Fresh sauerkraut, being a fermented food, is an excellent source of probiotics which are so helpful in aiding the growth of healthy bacteria in your digestive system and lady parts (if you are a lady, that is). Not all sauerkrat is probiotic though. Most store bought and canned sauerkraut has been pasteurized and is no longer “alive” with the good bacterias. So if you want to be safe, make your own. Its super easy and fun. Plus, fresh sauerkraut tastes sooo much better then canned stuff. Its so easy, even my 1 year old can help. I guarantee!

Thora scooping fermented kraut from the crock.

Easy Homemade Sauerkraut
makes about 1 gallon

5 lbs shredded cabbage (1-2 heads of cabbage)
3 Tbs kosher salt per 5 lbs of cabbage

This is just the basic ratio. You can multiply it as much as you want to make. I usually make it in bulk, using about 20 lbs of cabbage and 3/4 c. kosher salt. I save some for fresh probiotics and can the rest for winter storage. (The canned kraut will not be probiotic).

Shredded cabbage with salt is starting to wilt and soften

Prep the cabbage: Cut cabbage in halves or quarters and remove stem. Remove soiled outer leaves. Shred cabbage: using a mandolin or shredding attachment to your food processor is easiest but you can also just be old school and cut into thin strips using a knife.

Add salt to shredded cabbage and allow to sit 10-15 min. until the cabbage has noticeably wilted and softened.

Ira panking cabbage down with a plate inside our crock.

Pank cabbage: Transfer your cabbage into a suitably sized crock or glass jar. Pank cabbage down, which involves pushing caggabe down to try to remove as much space and air bubbles in cabbage as possible. I usually use a plate to help pank. If you are using a jar with a narrow opening, you can try using a ladle.

Ferment Cabbage: Weight cabbage down with a plate and cover lid of container with a towel to keep out dust. You don’t want to seal the cabbage off from the air because you will get better fermentation with air flow through your container. Allow the cabbage to sit for 3-4 weeks, depending on your taste. The longer you let it sit, the more tart it will become. I like mine tart, so I usually let sit for a month.

Thora helps me scoop fermented kraut from crock. We already put aside our fresh kraut and now are prepping the remaining kraut to be canned for long term storage.

Refrigerate or can sauerkraut: Taste your fermented kraut to make sure its got the flavor you want. At this point it is done. Remove and discard any brown and discolored kraut at the top of the container. For your fresh probiotic cabbage, just place kraut in a container and chill in your refrigerator. It stays good for a long time.

For more long term storage, you can can any extra kraut. Add a bit of water to your pot of kraut and heat until its almost boiling. Pack into clean hot jars and water process for 15 minutes per quart jar. This process kills your probiotics, but the kraut still tastes delicious!

So to sum up, you just shred cabbage, salt it, set it in a cool place to ferment and you’re done. Easy!

Applesauce Is Easy!

Forkable — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:04:21 +0000

Fresh apples are one of the best parts of fall! Applesauce is super easy to make. Fresh apples are always so full of sugar, you doesn’t need any additives so it makes a perfect nutritious food especially for babies. We’re going to have 2 babies to feed this coming year, so I’m planning on canning at least 8 gallons.

You may be thinking, is making your own apple sauce worth it? Even though it is easy, it can be a bit time consuming to core and peel apples enough for a good batch. Bon Appetite’s blog recently posted an article asking this same question. Their answer was, yes, it is worth it for a superior taste. Although they say it costs more to make it for yourself. This may be true if you buy apples in the best quality. However, if you can get them for free, or find discounted bruised ones at your local orchard, you can save a lot of money. Since you’re cooking them down, it doesn’t matter if there are some bad spots you need to cut out.

Since we get our apples for free from my Aunt Shirley’s apple trees, our sauce costs us basically nothing to make gallons and gallons of delicious, nutritious organic apple sauce! Perfect for babies, children and adults alike! Let’s get cooking!

Easy Applesauce

apples, as many as you want. At least a couple pounds

Prep apples: Core and skin apples. Cut out any brown spots.

Cook apples: Place apples in a large enough soup pot. Fill pot with a couple inches of water. If you’re only doing a small amount of apples, just an inch will suffice. The water is just to keep the apples from burning the bottom of the pot before they’ve cooked down enough to make a sauce. Cook apples over medium low heat for 30-90 minutes, again depending on the amount of apples. Just cook them until they’ve cooked down into a sauce. Stir occasionally to keep it from burning at the bottom.

I never add any spices or sugar, but if you prefer, you can season to your taste and add some cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, or sweetener at this time

You can leave your apple sauce chunky or you can puree for a more smooth consistency. For small babies, a smoother consistency is better.

Storage options:

Canning is a great way to store your applesauce. Apples have enough acidity so you can safely can them in a water bath with no additives. Just place your applesauce in a canning jar, seal using the proper sterilized canning lids and process in a boiling water for 20 minutes.
Freezing is also an easy way to store applesauce. You can place in jars or bags and put in the freezer. For quick baby food, you can freeze single serving portions in an ice cube tray. Once they are frozen, remove from tray and transfer to a freezer bag.