Homestyle Cooking Around The World

How To Perk Up Jarred Salsa

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 23:00:00 +0000

While I have written before about how I love fresh salsa and there is nothing that can beat its flavor, I also know that fresh salsa is quite expensive to buy and even make any time of year, especially in the winter when so many of the items are not in season. So I LOVE shopping at Aldi's for fresh produce because it is so much cheaper. I can find grape tomatoes and avocados, among other things, at about half the sale price at other stores. Jarred salsa makes a great snack and is much cheaper but really needs a little something more to enhance it. I love avocados, but not alone, and they are a great super-food. So one of our favorite ways to eat them is chopped in salsa. Also, I am a great fan of cilantro and it is affordable any time of the year. Lately, we have been hooked on this recipe and I thought I would share it with everyone here. Here's to spring and getting a salsa garden going!

Ingredients:

2 cups of salsa
1 15 oz. can of corn, drained or 2 cups of fresh/frozen cooked corn, drained
1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained or 2 cups of cooked black beans
2 avocados, cut into small chunks
cilantro, chopped (according to taste)
lime juice (according to taste), may substitute lemon in a pinch
1 small- medium chopped red onion, or whatever type you have on hand
Handful or more of grape tomatoes, quartered

Directions:

Combine all ingredients together and allow flavors to combine for a couple hours- although I found this quite addicting when I was tasting during preparation!

Succotash

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:35:00 +0000

Succotash is a dish that immediately takes me back to my grandmother's house. She seemed to regularly make this and would offer us some when we came to visit. I came to enjoy this dish very much and eventually joined her in a mission to find the beans when local growers stopped growing them for the markets around us.

This dish was especially popular years ago with farm and country folks. The dish is based on beans (often lima beans) and corn. However, the version my grandmother always made is quite different- she always used a shell bean.

The shell beans that my grandmother and great grandmother used seem to resemble closely the cranberry bean- the shells were a red and cream/white variegated pod and the beans also had a similar creamy background with reddish swirls around the bean. When dried, they are often anywhere from a tannish/red flecked color to a darker reddish/brown color. These beans can be difficult to find- I was not able to find them for many years after I married and moved away from the area where I grew up near my grandmother.

For this reason, my grandmother tried to find farm markets that would sell the shell beans so she could make her succotash the "right way"- she actually canned the beans together with fresh sweet corn, cut from the cob. The two would cook together during the canning and the flavors would be so concentrated. After I married, she gave me some beans to plant in our garden, with the idea that we would share some of the harvest with her. So I decided to can the beans and corn together- when I finished canning, I thought I was doing something wrong because almost all of the juices came out of the jar and everything cooked into a solid mass. When I was talking lately with one of my aunts about this recipe, she told me that this is how the jars of beans/corn come out. Anyhow, I do know that the flavor was different than just cooking the beans and then adding in the corn.

My grandmother grew up in a poor family where most of the children spent their teenage years working on nearby farms because the family needed the money and could not really afford to feed and clothe everyone. This is one of the family dishes that was passed down from her mother and could be made with things from the garden that were inexpensive and yet filling.

If I do not have the home-canned beans and corn, I found that you can get a pretty close flavor by pressure cooking the beans (saves a lot of time and there is no need to soak the beans first) and then simmering the beans and corn together for a few hours. If you do not have a pressure cooker, try cooking the beans in a crockpot on high for about 6 hours. This is a very simple dish- my grandmother only used the beans, corn, salt and pepper, and some canned milk at the end. Now, on the other hand, I have never been one to leave a simple recipe alone! So I have almost always sauteéd some onions and celery to put in the succotash, added chunked potatoes to make it more of a main course soup and added some other seasonings.

These beans were quite red (usually the beans are more of a brown color when cooked) and colored the succotash. They still taste the same. The corn was farm-fresh grown and frozen white corn that is very sweet.

Servings: about 8-10

Ingredients:

1 pound bag of cranberry beans or similar shell beans
1 quart bag (or 4 cups) of frozen or fresh sweet corn with juice
3 medium-large potatoes, cut into chunks (optional)
chicken soup base or broth
water
1-2 large onions
2-3 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
seasoned salt/pepper
1-2 Tbsp dried parsley
evaporated milk or cream

Directions:

Cook the beans as instructed on the package, or cover beans in a slow cooker with about 2-3 inches of water and cook on high in a slow cooker for 6 hours, or in a pressure cooker for about 30 minutes. Drain beans from liquid.
In a dutch oven style soup pot, sauté onions with a couple Tbsp of olive oil until they become translucent.
Add in the garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the beans, sweet corn, chunked potatoes and enough water/broth to cover all the ingredients. If using water, add in a few bouillon cubes or a few Tbsp of soup base.
Season with salt/pepper and dried parsley.
Simmer together until beans and potatoes are soft.
When finished cooking, add in milk/cream gradually until broth is milky-- if you use a whole can of evaporated milk, it will be quite thick. If you desire a thinner succotash, you may need to add a little more water to thin it out. Season to taste, adding more salt as needed.

*We recently ate succotash (made for this picture without the potatoes added) over top of mashed potatoes and it was delicious.

If you are only cooking for a couple people, cook up the entire recipe and then freeze half of the succotash for another time- although it is best frozen if you do not add in the potatoes.

Plain Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:27:00 +0000

This is another one of the nice little foods we had at our cooking club tea party recently. One of the members shared her family's old recipe that she remembers being served at her aunt's home many times when she was young. This is a simple muffin (I was struck by the idea of a plain muffin when she shared them with us at first!) but is wonderful with jam or lemon curd as we had them at the tea party. They are not very sweet- just a hint of sweetness. Since they are easy to make, they are great to make for something different for a snack or tea-time.

Makes 1 dozen regular sized or 36-48 mini muffins (depending on amount used)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp melted butter, shortening or oil
optional: 1 tsp vanilla
optional: confectioner's sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, beat egg slightly and add milk and fat, as well as vanilla if using.
Sift together dry ingredients and then add into the liquids.
Beat about 1/2 minute just until all the flour is mixed throughout the batter.
Prepare greased muffin tins and fill half full. Bake at 375 degrees about 15-20 minutes for regular sized muffins or 8-12 minutes for mini muffins (start checking about 3-5 minutes before time ends in case your oven temperature varies.) They should be light golden brown.
Cool in pan for about 5 minutes and then remove to wire racks to cool longer.
May be served warm or cool with jam or other toppings. Dust the tops with confectioner's sugar, if desired.

Blueberry Scones... a tea party... and reminiscing about Victoria magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 23:20:00 +0000

Our cooking club had a wonderful tea party at my house the other evening. This was our first one together, and the table was overflowing with the massive array of treats. Since having this tea, I read If Teacups Could Talk by Emilie Barnes and was so inspired to take moments with my family and friends to celebrate life and relationships in this way.

Somehow, in the midst of this, I was taken back to my late teens and early adult years when I spent hours poring over the "Victoria" magazines that came every month. This was truly something that shaped my tastes for clothing and decorating, although I would not say that I really decorate or dress in that style today. However, there were timeless and classic qualities about much of the clothing, decor and furniture. There is something pretty and restful about the magazine and the way it encouraged people to have a place of beauty to relax in either alone or with others. I would also dream of traveling someday to many of the beautiful places across the countrysides of England and France, among others, that were featured in those pages. It is funny that in the intervening years, getting married, moving away from my hometown and later stopping the subscription because I was overrun by magazines and needing to save some money, I still could not bring myself to throw or give away the old copies. They were always so wonderful and enjoyable to reread. Right now, they are sitting in boxes in the garage, and all these last 5 years, I kept trying to get up the nerve to de-clutter and get rid of them. Instead, I think I am going to put them on a shelf in my soon-to-be organized office so they will be more easily accessible for relaxation and inspiration.

So, enough with my memories. I want to share my latest scone recipe that I made for our tea party and have been really enjoying. I loved them when they were fresh, but they are also very good days later. Just keep them stored in an air tight container in the fridge and then toast them when you want to have some. The outside becomes just slightly crispy like they just came out of the oven and the inside stays moist, tender and so flavorful. This is my new favorite snack or breakfast with tea or coffee after my youngsters are fed and I have a few minutes to sit and relax.

Serving: 16 mini scones or 8 regular sized
Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
3-4 Tbsp sugar, divided
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp butter, cubed
2/3- 3/4 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon peel
coarse (decorator) sugar for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly grease cookie sheet, or may use a smaller rectangle baking dish
Sprinkle fruit with 1 Tbsp of sugar and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and remaining 3 Tbsp of sugar.
Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or a fork (or just your fingers!) until chunks are very small pea-sized.
Whisk together the cream, 1 egg, vanilla extract and lemon peel and then add into the dry mixture.
Stir until the wet and dry ingredients begin to come together. If there is a lot of flour left in the bottom of the bowl, add a couple Tbsp of cream to the bowl and mix it all together.
Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead the dough a few times just until it holds together and some of the extra flour from the bowl has been incorporated in.
Press or roll out into a rectangle or press into the rectangle pan if using one. Divide into 4 equal sections, pressing straight down with a sharp knife. Then cut diagonally across each section, pressing straight down.
Lightly beat the remaining egg and brush over top of the scones.
Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
Bake 12-15 minutes just until the outside is golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes-- wonderful served warm with lemon curd.

Parts of this recipe was inspired by Lady Behind The Curtain's scones.

This was shared on the following:
I Should Be Mopping The Floor party #55

Tortellini In Vegetable Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 23:10:00 +0000

This was my latest brainstorm recipe that turned out so well that my husband and I could hardly stop eating this. I had a lot of different vegetables that needed to be used up, not enough time to thaw some meat and wanted to do something easy before I had to run off to work in the evening. It turned out that the veggies I had worked wonderful together for this dish, but I really think you could use all different types of vegetables and have a great dish. The cooking time for this is less than 30 minutes and would be a great weeknight meal if you have the veggies already prepped.

Serves about 6 (or 4 adult servings)

Ingredients:

1 large head of cauliflower, cleaned and finely chopped, including the upper stems
1 pint size container of grape tomatoes (or you could substitute 1 15oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice)
1 large onion or 2 small-medium onions
2 medium carrots, medium diced, or may use baby carrots chopped
2 large celery ribs, chopped
2-3 mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
palmful of Italian seasoning/herb blend
salt blend like Goya Adobo with pepper
1 pound pasta of choice
cream or half and half
2-4 large handfuls of spinach, chopped (or may use 1 small package of frozen spinach); may use another type of greens
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup romano cheese, shredded
2-3 low fat string cheese sticks, shredded and then chopped (optional), or may use handful of shredded mozarella cheese
chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

In a large covered skillet, generously drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and season with seasoned salt blend and crushed Italian seasoning. After it has begun to cook and soften a little, cover the pan so the juices do not evaporate out. Stir occasionally and add a little water if needed.
While the veggies are cooking, start the pasta water. Liberally salt the water. Cook pasta about 2 minutes less than the recommended time as it will cook in the sauce at the end.
As the veggies become tender as you desire, add in the cream gradually until the sauce is lightly creamy- I used about 1/4-1/3 cup.
Add in the chopped spinach.
Pull out about 1 - 1 1/2 cup of pasta water as the pasta is finished and set it aside.
Add the cheeses to the vegetable mixture and then add in the drained pasta.
Combine everything together and add in as much pasta water as you need to make enough sauce to cover the pasta. Cover the pan as it cooks together for a couple more minutes.
Garnish with parsley and serve with a garlic bread or other warm rustic bread.

*Note- if using more sturdy greens in place of spinach, add them in with the vegetables at the beginning since they need more time to cook.

Baking Mix (Biscuits, Pancakes, etc)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:59:00 +0000

Here is another one of the mixes I came up with recently through trying different recipes and incorporating ones that I already use and love. As I already wrote previously, I have been looking for more mixes that are homemade because they are great for saving time, but they also save money and allow me to control more what our family eats. It is hard to find mixes that are part wheat flour and do not use partially hydrogenated oils.

This mix can be used in place of any baking mix in recipes, as well as to make biscuits or make into pancakes (although I have a buttermilk pancake mix I previously posted that I prefer). I also used palm shortening since it is naturally solid and does not turn rancid at room temperature. I had to order palm shortening online (I bought from Tropical Traditions) since it is not always readily available in many grocery stores in the U.S.

Makes about 9 batches of biscuits or pancakes
Ingredients:

10 cups flour total (may divide into different types of flour but is best if not using more than 1/2 whole wheat flour)- I used 6 cups white flour, 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour and 2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup baking powder
2 Tbsp cream of tartar
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp sugar
2 cups shortening or butter
2 cups dry milk powder

Directions:

In a very large bowl or clean bucket/dishpan, mix all the dry ingredients together except the dry milk.
Cut in the shortening or butter until it is mixed throughout the dry ingredients and is about pea-sized
Stir in the dry milk and mix together well.
Store in a cool dry place in a 1 gallon sized container. If using butter, you should keep it in the freezer or at least the refrigerator.

ac ac ac ac ac ac

To Make Biscuits:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Mix together 1 1/2 cups of baking mix with 1/2 cup milk in a medium bowl. (Add it gradually and use a little less if you want to make the dough drier so it can be rolled/cut out).
Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or just until the tops are golden brown.
Remove to a cooling rack.

To Make Pancakes:

In a medium bowl, beat together 1 egg, 1 cup of milk and 1 tsp vanilla.
Add in 1 1/2 cup of baking mix and stir just until moistened being careful not to overmix.
Fry on a greased, hot frying pan or griddle.

Adapted from Baking Mix recipe in Simply In Season, 2009

Buttermilk Pancake Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:08:00 +0000

I love buttermilk pancakes but do not always have buttermilk on hand to use. Sometimes I make soured milk to use, but it takes a little time and forethought. On the SACO Buttermilk Powder container, there is a recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes that we use and really enjoy. I have adapted it and made it into a bulk mix that can be made up and save some time when you are making pancakes. I was able to find buttermilk powder in a 10 pound package much cheaper at one of the local country stores, and I store the extra in the freezer. If you have any stores near you that sell bulk foods, they are probably able to order the buttermilk powder for you at a much cheaper price than the name brands available online or in the stores.

*Note: the label in the picture has been changed since I took the picture and should not be followed for this recipe since I adjusted ingredients in the meantime.

Bulk Recipe Ingredients:

10 cups all purpose flour (or up to 5 cups whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour; may also use 4 cups all purpose flour, 3 cups cake flour and 3 cups whole wheat flour)
1 cup powdered milk
2 1/2 cups powdered buttermilk powder
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 tsp salt

Bulk Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine/sift together the ingredients, being sure to mix everything together very well.
Store in a cool place in a well-sealed gallon container.

Below are the instructions that you can print out on a large label and affix to the side of your container. This way you always have the instructions when you are ready to make pancakes. You may need to copy/paste and adjust according to the size of your labels.

ac ac ac ac ac

Buttermilk Pancake Mix

To Make Pancakes: Makes about 10 pancakes (4 inch)

1 1/2 cups pancake mix
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 - 1 cup water (depending on how thick you like your pancakes)
2-4 Tbsp oil or melted butter

Directions:

Measure 1 1/2 cups of pancake mix into a medium mixing bowl.
In a smaller bowl, mix together egg, vanilla, water and oil.
Add liquids into the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened/combined, being careful to not over-mix.
Heat skillet or griddle on medium high heat.
Drop 2-3 Tbsp of batter into greased skillet/griddle and cook until bubbles appear around the top of the pancakes.
Flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until other side is golden brown.

Optional add-ins: 1/4 cup applesauce or grated apples or other finely chopped fruit, 1/4 cup coconut or chopped nuts. If using chocolate or other flavored baking chips or berries, toss first in a couple Tbsp of flour to keep them from falling to the bottom of the bowl.

Shared with the following:
Mop It Up Monday 51

In Search of the Best Biscuits...and Buttermilk Biscuit variation

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:44:00 +0000

I have been trying different biscuit recipes for a while- always searching for the best taste and the fluffiest texture. So this quest has turned into a 2 day baking challenge trying different versions and techniques. I read numerous cookbooks (old and new) and looked at videos online-- I also tried buttermilk versus using regular milk. There are two different types of recipes, one that uses self-rising flour and ones that keep the flour and other ingredients separate. Some even recommend cake flour for the best rise. I, however, used all-purpose flour for my different biscuit recipes. The first baking powder and buttermilk biscuits I made, I didn't brush the tops with butter prior to baking-- but when I tasted the last butter-brushed batch, I was convinced that it is truly necessary for the best taste.

Also, the last batch I made, I put the biscuits in the pan so they were all touching each other. This seemed to give more uniformity to the rise and they were not as lop-sided. In the future, I will put one batch of biscuits in an 8 or 9 inch pan so they can touch and have side of the pan all around to keep the outer biscuits from spreading out too much. Initially, I indented the centers of the biscuits in the first couple batches because people said that helps them rise straight, but I still had a problem with some of them being a little uneven. Another thing I experimented with was my biscuit dough more wet and sticky versus not-so-sticky. The last batch was a more wet dough and seemed to have the most tender texture inside.

My conclusion? I could not decide which I preferred more- baking powder versus buttermilk biscuits. They were equally good- especially when brushed with butter before baking. The most important things seemed to be working with a more wet dough and not mixing or kneading it very much at all. Do you have a favorite biscuit recipe?

Yields: 16 medium biscuits (if rolling out dough to 1/2 inch thickness), or approximately 8 extra thick (if rolling 1 inch thick)

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour (or cake flour as some recommend)
1/2- 3/4 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp sugar- up to 4 Tbsp if you like a sweeter taste
1/2 cup shortening or butter (I used palm shortening, which is not artificially hydrogenated)
2/3- 3/4 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Sift dry ingredients together into a medium bowl.
Cut in shortening or butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs the size of peas.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour all the milk in at once.
Stir just until dough follows the mixing utensil around the bow, adding milk as necessary to get a moist dough.
Lightly flour your counter/cutting board and sprinkle top of dough with some flour. Roll dough ball around in the flour, giving it a couple gentle kneads until outside is not so sticky. Pat or roll out the dough.
(Optional- fold one third towards the middle and then the other third over the first- like an envelope. Then pat the dough out to the desired thickness.)
Cut with a biscuit cutter or glass, being careful to press straight down and not twist until the cutter is all the way to the bottom. Alternatively, you may just cut them into equal squares with a sharp knife, but make sure your dough is squared up on the corners and sides first.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet with sides touching and brush with melted butter for extra flavor!
Bake for about 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

** For Buttermilk Biscuits:

do not use cream of tartar, increase baking soda to 1/2 tsp, decrease the fat to 1/3 cup and use 1 cup buttermilk instead of milk. Follow the directions otherwise as above.

flour and shortening

first batch of dough- less sticky

first batch cooling

wetter dough sprinkled with flour

Make sure you brush the top with butter!

final biscuit batch

tasting the final batch- YUM!

If you really want a shortcut- make the dough wet enough that you are unable to roll out the dough, then put into a greased glass baking dish in which you have melted 1/4 cup of butter. Lightly press flat in the pan and pour 1/2 stick of melted butter over top and score top of the biscuit dough 3-4 times in each direction. (courtesy of The Country Cook) Bake for about 20 minutes or just until golden brown.

Vegetable Rice Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:10:00 +0000

I love recipes that are all about using up the leftovers in your refrigerator. Well, this is one of those. The inspiration for this recipe came from the Back to School 2012 issue of Penzeys Spice catalog. I changed some of the ingredients and added more dressing, but that is the great thing about this recipe- just chop and throw in whatever veggies you have that need to be used up. This dish makes a great lunch by itself, a light supper, or as a side dish for a meal.

Ingredients:
Salad:

3 1/2 cups cooked rice, white or brown (I had some of both)
2 cups freshly cooked corn (I used our own frozen corn- so much sweeter and richer)
1 red or green bell pepper, diced or a combination of both
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped finely (optional- does not really add any heat)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
6 small green onions, sliced
1-2 avocados, chopped into small chunks
2-3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 medium cucumber, diced
1 can small red beans or black beans, rinsed (whatever type of bean you like)
1/4-1/2 cup black olives, chopped (optional, may also use green olives)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro or parsley (more or less to taste)
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/4-1/2 tsp ground pepper

Dressing:

1/2 cup white vinegar (may substitute red wine vinegar also)
1 Tbsp prepared yellow mustard
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp cumin (adjust to taste- I used more because I really like a stronger cumin flavor)

Directions:

Mix rice, vegetables and salt and pepper in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, mix dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad ingredients.
Mix all ingredients together well. Chill for about 4 hours- the longer, the more flavor.

** The dressing does not have any sweetener but the corn and rice balance it out and it is not too tart.

Feel free to add in some chopped celery, carrots and any other vegetables you need to use up.

Homemade Cornbread Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:57:00 +0000

Sometimes I am a lazy cook. I am not very good at planning ahead meals, although I am trying to work on this. I enjoy cornbread but find that I do not make it very often because it seems like too much work to mix up the batter and get it in the oven while I am making the rest of the supper, which is often being done at the last minute. So, not that I enjoy baring my faults with the world, but this is an area that has been an impetus for me to look for shortcuts without always going to a box (although I do that with cakes and brownies at times). I have come across a lot of bulk mixes on blogs like Chickens in the Road and Country Momma Cooks, which made me decide to get out the recipes I love and make up some of my own bulk mixes. Then when I am running short on time (which is most of the time), I can just pull out the container, add the wet ingredients and it is ready for the oven in a jiffy!

I love a lot of different cornbread recipes, but the one that really caught my taste buds was from Land-O-Lakes, called Honey Moist Cornbread. You can see the original recipe at the link attached to the title. I have not really changed the recipe much- I usually use low fat milk in place of half and half and it still comes out wonderful. If you like a VERY sweet cornbread, you might want to add a little more sugar, but try it first this way since it has a nice balance of sweetness already.

This bulk mix makes 6 recipes. The following is the information I put into a label to put on the outside of the container so I would not have to get out my recipe every time I make some.

bdbd

Cornbread Mix

9 servings

In a large bowl, mix 1 cup milk or half and half, 2 slightly beaten eggs, ¼ cup honey and ¼ cup melted butter. Stir in 2 1/3 cups of cornbread mix just until moistened.

Pour into greased 8 or 9” pan. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

For the bulk mix recipe:

6 cups all purpose flour
6 cups yellow or white cornmeal
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 Tbsp baking powder
3 tsp salt
6 Tbsp dry milk powder (optional)

Stir all ingredients together until well blended in a LARGE bowl or clean bucket. Transfer to a seal-tight storage container.

Cranberry Salad/Relish

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:16:00 +0000

Cranberries are such a traditional part of a Thanksgiving dinner in the United States. However, because they are so tart, many people do not like them. When I was young, my family always had the jellied cranberry in a can with our turkey dinner. While I still enjoy that type of cranberry relish, I really have come to enjoy the whole cranberries. One of the grocery stores in our area sells a couple different cranberry salads that are so yummy- but have a lot of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Since I have been trying to cut back on sugar and avoid HFCS as much as possible, I decided to make up my own version that has been inspired by their recipes. I have been making this for the past couple years, and wherever I serve this dish, it always gets rave reviews.

Don't be put off by the list of ingredients. It is not very hard to make if you have a food processor or chopper and is totally worth the effort. It also freezes well and can be made up in a big batch and then separated into a few containers to freeze. Then remove it later and serve with some chicken, turkey or pork.

Ingredients:

1 bag (12 oz.) of cranberries, fresh or frozen- I prefer frozen so they don't mush up as much when chopping)
1 large apple
2 large celery stalks, outside fibers removed if necessary
1 (15 oz.) can of pineapple, drained (reserve the liquid for jello)
1 large orange, peeled and membranes removed or 1 (11 oz.) can of mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained
2 (3 oz.) boxes of raspberry or cherry jello
1 3/4 cup total of liquids- use reserved liquids and enough water or orange juice to make up the amount needed
3-4 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

Rinse cranberries and chop with quick pulses in a food processor or chopper, being careful to not chop too much or it will turn to paste/liquid
Continue chopping the remainder of the fruit/vegetables and add everything into a large bowl. Oranges need to be broken up somewhat so there are not very large chunks.
In a medium saucepan, heat liquid and sugar together until just boiling, then add in the gelatin. Turn off heat and remove from the burner, stirring well to mix and dissolve the jello.
Add the liquid mixture into the chopped fruit and stir well.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours or until well-chilled and more firm.
Just before serving, stir to loosen it up and break up the chunks.

*Note: if you desire a much softer consistency, try using only 1 box of jello and add in 1/4 -1/3 cup extra sugar into the liquid mixture when boiling. There will be more juices from the cranberries and other fruit.

Patty Pan Squash Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 05:26:00 +0000

This recipe was one that just came together in an attempt to use up a bunch of large patty pan squash and tomatoes that I had from our garden. Somehow, we always seem to end up with overgrown squash- both zucchini and patty pan. My husband grew up eating small patty pan squash that were steamed or boiled and then browned butter was put over it. I never tasted this squash until we married and began our own garden. The first couple I picked were small, but ever since then, we often seem to end up with ones that are so big. I tried peeling them in the beginning- ever try peeling such an irregular piece of vegetable? Well, I quickly decided that this was for the birds. Really, you don't need to peel them because the squash is quite firm and needs a longer cooking time. Anyways, I was not very impressed with my first patty pan cooking attempt and decided I preferred it better mixed in with other foods- much like I prefer zucchini and yellow summer squash.

If you notice from the next picture, I used some pre-made ingredients that I keep on hand to make up something quick when I have not had time to cook ahead. Feel free to substitute your own homemade versions, if desired.

Serves: approximately 4-6

Ingredients:

meat of choice- poultry, beef, sausage or lamb (I used sausage)
1 large patty pan squash, washed and sliced through the center and seeds removed, or may use a few smaller ones (may also use zucchini or other summer squash)
1-2 medium onions, chopped
4-5 medium mushrooms, or to taste
potatoes- mashed (I used some dried potato flakes made up with garlic seasoning and butter)
1 box of stuffing mix (cornbread or savory herb, if available), prepared according to directions
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup- may use own recipe if you prefer, but do not dilute it- you need it thick
1 cup of chopped tomatoes
carrots/celery, chopped- optional
chopped parsley- 1 Tbsp if fresh or 2 tsp if dry (more or less to taste)

Directions:

1. In a large oven-proof pan, brown the meat and vegetables except the tomatoes, adding some oil if the meat is not releasing enough to keep everything from sticking. Season with salt/pepper or seasoned salt and parsley. If there is much grease, may remove most of it when finished browning everything.

2. Cover and allow to cook until the squash is fork-tender. Add in the tomatoes and stir in the mushroom soup (undiluted) and allow to cook, covered, for about 3 more minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften.

3. Spread the prepared stuffing over top of the mixture.

4. Place under preheated broiler at 375 or 400 degrees F. for about 5-10 minutes- watching carefully to make sure it does not burn. You just want it to be lightly browned.

5. Serve over prepared mashed potatoes.

Shared with the following:
Recipes For My Boys- Thursday's Treasures Wk 51

Zucchini Jam

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 02:08:00 +0000

This is a recipe that I have been dying to share for quite some time, but life has been a little too crazy to get it all together until now. My mom (who doesn't remember where this recipe came from) made this jam once or twice many years ago, and I have made it a few times since I married and started doing my own food preserving. I love how it is a great way to use up a pile of zucchini (especially those great big ones that inevitably seem to appear out of nowhere in the garden). I have noticed many cake recipes that hide and disguise zucchini, but I have not met anyone who has tried this before-- and it really has a nice flavor.

For those of you who may wonder how on earth zucchini would taste in a sweet jam? Fear not! The zucchini is really just a subtle texture and is flavor-neutral. Therefore, you get the healthy benefits of eating zucchini but can enjoy it as a sweet topping. Actually, the predominant flavor is the pineapple and whatever flavor of jello you decide to use- I used peach jello flavor. *Note: if you use smaller zucchini, you may have a very solid and firm jam since larger zucchini have more water content. Also, for those people who are pretty picky, peeling the squash allows it to be disguised in the jam much better.

Yields: 5-6 half pints

Ingredients:

6 cups of zucchini, seeds removed, grated (may be peeled, although I did not)
4-6 cups sugar
6 oz. box of jello or (2) 3 oz. boxes- apricot, peach, pineapple or orange
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Directions:

In a large pot, cook the zucchini on low-medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring often.
Add sugar and boil for 6 minutes more, stirring often.
Add lemon juice and pineapple and boil 6 minutes more, stirring often.
Reduce heat and add package of jello. Stir well and pour into prepared jars.
Cover with canning lids/rings and immediately invert jars for 20-30 minutes or process in water bath, if desired.

Shared with the following:
Weekend Potluck
Mop It Up Mondays

Apple Oatmeal Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Since my kids are crazy about pancakes and they usually expect me to make them once on the weekend, I have tried to find various ways to incorporate "healthy" foods into them. I love the texture that oats give to pancakes- it is not going to be your typical pancake. Instead, these pancakes tend to be denser and chewier, but they have a lot of flavor, as well as being very filling! I have often either grated apples or just chopped them in smaller chunks and added them to the batter, in addition to some apple pie spice. These are wonderful with some homemade cinnamon-flavored apple sauce and some maple syrup. You might also try making an apple syrup from apple juice/cider and a couple of tablespoons of honey that has been reduced down.

Both oats and apples are full of fiber and antioxidants. You know there is a lot of truth to the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." These additions to your pancakes can take an average breakfast food that is usually not very healthy (especially if made with white flour and regular sugar and pancake syrups) and make it into something that is going to give us more energy, keep us full longer and yet taste yummy! If you really want to pump up the health benefits without really changing the taste, add in a few tablespoons of chia seeds or ground flax seed (both are high in omega-3 fatty acids and chia seeds are very high in antioxidants, yet flavor-neutral).

Makes about 20 larger pancakes.

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats, uncooked (I use quick oats)
1 cup all purpose flour (I use white whole wheat flour, could also substitute coconut flour)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4-1/2 tsp cardamom or 2 tsp apple pie spice blend (optional if adding apples)
1/4 cup wheat germ
3 Tbsp sugar or other sweetener
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup oil
1-2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1 large apple or 2 small-medium apples, chopped very small or grated (I leave the skins on)

Directions:

Pour milk over oats, cover and let stand.
Meanwhile, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices.
Stir eggs, oil, vanilla into the oat/milk mixture.
Add in the dry ingredients and wheat germ. Mix just until moistened.
Fold in apples.
Bake on moderately hot, lightly greased electric griddle (375 degrees) or pan fry until golden brown, turning only once when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.

May serve with the following sauce if not adding in fruit:

Orange Sauce:

1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp corn starch
2 cups orange juice
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil

Mix sugar and corn starch in a saucepan. Stir in juices. Cook until mixture is thick and clear. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Blend in butter/oil. Serve warm over pancakes.

Makes about 3 cups.

Shared with the following:

Rhubarb Custard Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:18:00 +0000

Our rhubarb has not grown very well this year. I kept holding off cutting it to see if the stalks would grow a little bigger. Now that the weather is getting hot, I decided that I needed to cut the largest ones and leave the rest. This is an easy cake that was originally from "Taste of Home" by Evelyn Gebhardt, and I just love the way it turns out. It uses a cake mix, and if you don't like them, just substitute your favorite yellow/butter or white cake recipe. There is such a great balance between the sweet cake, the tartness of the rhubarb and the creaminess at the bottom.

Serves 12-15

Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix (18 1/4 oz)
4 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
whipped cream and fresh mint (optional) for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Pour into greased 13x9 inch baking dish.
Sprinkle with rhubarb and sugar.
Slowly pour cream over top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Garnish with whipped cream and mint if desired.
Refrigerate leftovers.

**Alternatively, you can increase the cream to 1 pint (2 cups) and bake it longer, about 1 1/4 hours. Follow the recipe the same as above otherwise. This gives a thicker custard layer. See picture below:

Shared with the following:

Blueberry Fantasia bars

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:02:00 +0000

This is a quick and yet decadent dessert that I found on the back of a Lucky Leaf Blueberry Pie Filling jar. I made it and brought it to my cooking club meeting recently and it was a big hit. I love any type of dessert that has a type of cheesecake layer. In addition, coconut has been one of my favorite things lately to work into recipes. So I was interested to try this recipe since it has coconut, nuts, pie filling and cheesecake. You can't go wrong with something like this! This recipe could also be switched up a little by using cherry or some other type of berry pie filling and use some other flavors in the cheesecake, like coconut. I added some lemon extract, which really added some brightness to the dessert.

Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 pkg (18 oz.) yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp lemon extract (or vanilla or coconut)
1 1/2 cup blueberry fruit filling (I used a whole can of filling)
3/4 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

In large bowl, blend cake mix, butter and 1 egg.
Pat mixture into greased 9x13 inch baking pan.
Beat cream cheese until fluffy; add in 2 eggs, flavoring and sugar. Pour over cake mixture.
Spoon fruit filling on top evenly. Sprinkle with coconut and nuts.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes until lightly browned. (Cheesecake layer should not be too wet/jiggly when testing it.)
Cool/refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes before cutting.

*Note: the cheesecake layer may be a little soft. You may need to clean the knife after each cut so the cheesecake does not smear all over the other parts. (That's just more for you to taste!)

I also wanted to share that I was one of the bloggers given the Versatile Blogger award by Susie at Earning-My-Cape a few weeks ago (maybe even a little longer- time has been flying by lately). Although I am unable to fulfill all the requirements in accepting that award at this time, I wanted to give her a big THANKYOU!!!! and a tell everyone to check out her blog and show her some blog love. She is just getting started in the blogging world and shares quite a variety of things that she is working on- from various crafts to cooking to information that is useful for our health and families, and basically whatever is happening with her family at that time (like a lot of us do). She is really another sweet person that I have had the privilege to meet since I started blogging.

Shared with the following:

Friday Flair Link Party #19 at Whipperberry

Sugar Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 23:01:00 +0000

mixed lilacs

tulips

azalea

daffodils

helleborus

Valley Valentine Japonica

apple blossoms

Spring is such a beautiful time of year, and I just had to share some of the flowers in bloom at our house. Right now, I picked some lilacs and the scent is perfuming our entire house. Growing up, there were lilacs around our house, and later the house my husband and I bought had a large number of old lilac bushes of various colors throughout the entire property. I must say, they are one of my favorite flowers. We have since removed some of them to open up some areas and clean up the yard some (still very much a work in progress). Our small home orchard was also beautiful this spring in full bloom. I hope this translates into a good fruit crop.

I know that in some parts of the U.S. it is rhubarb season, but ours is not quite ready. We were finally able to harvest a nice supply last spring/early summer. In our area, there is actually a rhubarb festival that features this tart plant in many different ways. I had posted a recipe for rhubarb dessert sauce previously and thought I would share this old fashioned cake recipe that goes so well with the rhubarb sauce.

rhubarb

This is a cake that was made for our family by a good friend when my last baby was born. She made some wonderful soups that we could heat up and eat when we needed quick meals, and she also made this cake for dessert to go with some rhubarb sauce she had made. Her mother-in-law used to make this recipe for many years, and my friend remembers her making it to take with them when they went camping. They often ate it for breakfast with applesauce, but it is also a simple cake that goes well with ice cream and just about any other type of dessert sauces or toppings.

I had to look around for a while to find the right kind of sugar to use on the top so that it would not dissolve into the cake during the baking process. You should use some type of specialty sugar that is larger granules and may be called gourmet sugar or coating sugar. I noticed this sugar has wax added, which I believe helps keep it more solid. When I made these cakes, my daughter saw I had bought some pink coating sugar and so she wanted "her" cake to have the colored sugar. The other cake was coated with the gourmet sugar that was white and larger granules. It seemed to sink into the top of the cake batter slightly more than the coating sugar, which surprised me, but it made a lovely glittery, crunchy top layer on top of the cake. If you cannot find this type of sugar, you can still use the regular granulated sugar- it will just dissolve somewhat into the top of the cake as it bakes.

I really enjoy this cake because of the moist, tender crumb with the crunchy top. The original recipe called for it to be baked in 3 pie plates, but I decided to use two 9 inch cake pans. I just had to adjust the baking time approximately 10-15 minutes longer. My friend has also made the cakes in a couple smaller oblong cake pans with good results.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening (I used olive oil)
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 tsp vanilla (I used about 1 1/2 or 2 tsp)
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Directions:

Cream shortening or oil with sugar.
Beat eggs and add to sugar and oil.
Add sour milk and vanilla.
Sift dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients in batches while mixing.
Divide into 3 greased pie pans (I used two greased 9 inch round cake pans).
Sprinkle top with additional granulated sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes for pie plates or about 30-35 minutes if using cake pans (check frequently and test with toothpick in the center when it appears golden brown on top).
Cool on rack for about 20 minutes and then may serve with toppings of choice if desired.

One cake could be wrapped in plastic and frozen to be eaten later.

Pasta with Potato and Brussel Sprouts

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:01:00 +0000

In my family growing up, I ate spaghetti but always just with tomato meat sauce. It has only been in the last few years that I have tried making pasta dishes with different types of sauces. When I saw Rachael Ray make a lightened up version of Pizzoccheri, I was very interested to see how the Italians combine potatoes and pasta together- I never would have thought of this before. I have made a number of changes to Rachael's recipe. In Rachael's recipe, she cored the brussel sprouts and opened up the sprouts into individual leaves, as well as used some toasted bread crumbs for garnish. Since I had a lot of brussel sprouts to use and I did not feel like coring them, I simply cut them in half. I collected the extra leaves that came off the sprouts and added to the cooking water about 1 minute before the end of cooking. I also omitted the toasted buttered bread crumbs, but these would also be wonderful as a garnish. This dish was also originally a meatless dish but I recently decided to add in sausage- it is delicious both ways. I also made it one time with sliced cabbage instead of the brussel sprouts- actually would be good with both cabbage and brussel sprouts. This dish is definitely one of my family's favorites lately.

Serves about 6

Ingredients:

3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced into planks
15 brussel sprouts, sliced in half, larger ones quartered
1 large onion
1/2 pound sausage
3 large cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1/2 tsp ground sage or 10-12 fresh sage leaves
1-2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp dried parsley or 3 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
seasoned salt to taste/pepper
1/2 pound pasta (I used thin spaghetti)
reserved pasta cooking water
1/2 - 3/4 cup whole milk, half and half or cream (may also use evaporated milk)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
shredded mozzarella cheese for garnish
toasted bread crumbs mixed with parmesan cheese for garnish
chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

Boil sliced potatoes and brussel sprouts together in a large pot of salted water for about 5-7 minutes or until potatoes are just beginning to become tender. Be careful not to cook too long or they will fall apart and be mushy. Then remove the potatoes and brussel sprouts and drizzle a little olive oil and mix gently. Leave the cooking water in the pot to cook the pasta later.
In a large skillet, brown the sausage and onion until the onion is translucent. Then stir in the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. If there is a lot of fat, remove most of it from the pan.
Stir in the butter, parsley, sage and salt/pepper and simmer for another couple minutes.
Meanwhile, start the potato water boiling in the large pot and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
When finished, drain off the pasta water and reserve it. Mix the pasta in with the meat mixture.
Add in the milk/cream and parmesan cheese and then add enough pasta water to make a sauce- it will thicken gradually. You may need to add some more water later to loosen it up more. Warm through for about 5 more minutes on medium heat, stirring regularly.
Then add in the potato/brussel sprouts and gently mix in the pasta. Garnish with more parmesan or mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs (if desired) and chopped parsley.

This dish was shared with the following:
Weekend Potluck #15

Squash Dal Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:11:00 +0000

One of my favorite cuisines is Indian food because of the rich flavors that are combined into amazing dishes. I don't think I really even ate much Indian food before I was married but tried it while visiting larger cities with my husband, as well as a nearby Indian restaurant that we have grown to love. However, what I have realized in the process of learning how to cook this food is that there are many different types/styles of Indian food, depending on the region you are cooking from, as well as the fact that Indian restaurant food is quite different from what most Indian people eat in their homes everyday. I have bought a couple good Indian cookbooks that I have studied and tried to learn from and now have accumulated quite a few spices/herbs that are often used in their cooking. However, with just a small investment in about 5 spices (some you may already have), you can make some very tasty Indian dishes. I like the fact that, while much of the Indian food is spicy hot, when you make it at home, you can omit or temper down the heat to your liking and yet still enjoy the wonderful flavors. In addition, although Indian restaurant food is quite expensive, you can make many dishes very cheaply at home. Since I have been trying to cook more dishes with beans for my family, I often like using Indian recipes because they take the lowly bean from oh-hum to oh-yum!

this is the masala dabba I bought to hold some of the spices I frequently use- includes tumeric (outer left and continuing clockwise), cardamom, fennel seed, black mustard seed, ground ancho chili powder, cumin seed and black salt (center)

This recipe I share here was inspired by a Green Pumpkin Curry recipe that I have enjoyed making quite a few times. A few years ago, I picked up a small, thick cookbook at a local craft store titled Greatest Ever Indian for about $5. While I have not made many of the recipes in the book, there are a lot of nice pictures illustrating the steps and many of them are simple dishes with a variety of ingredients and ranging from sides to main dishes to breads, appetizers and desserts. When making this recipe, I never saw or found green pumpkin but it said I could substitute ordinary pumpkin. So I also figured that since butternut squash is in the pumpkin family, then that should also work well. This most recent time I made this, I decided to add in some dal I had- I believe it is moong dal, which is very quick cooking and mild in flavor, as well as some extra cooking liquid. You can omit the beans, if desired and reduce the cooking liquid, or substitute some red lentils. This dish comes together pretty quickly- in about 30 minutes, and is very rich in antioxidants from not only the spices but also the squash and beans.

moong dal

Ingredients:

2-3 Tbsp oil
1 large onions, sliced
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (may substitute 1/2 tsp ground cumin if you don't have seeds)
1/2 - 3/4 tsp black mustard seed (optional)
1 1/2 - 2 pounds butternut squash (1 large), peeled, deseeded and cubed
1 tsp amchur/amchoor- dried mango powder (optional, but adds a nice flavor)
1 1/2 tsp mild curry powder
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp black salt (optional- may use adobo seasoned salt or other salt)
1/2 tsp chili powder (not the chili powder blend)- (optional)
1 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger * (may substitute 1 tsp dried ginger- not quite as good)
2 large garlic cloves, crushed/made into paste
3 1/2 cups chicken broth- or may use vegetable broth or salted water
1 cup moong dal (or split lentils), sorted and rinsed
10 dried apricots, chopped
1 Tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, cumin seeds, black mustard seeds and curry powder, stirring occasionally, until a light golden brown color.
Add the cubed squash or pumpkin to the skillet and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes over low heat.
Mix in the amchur powder, tumeric, salt, chili powder, ginger and garlic cloves together in a small bowl.
Add the spice mixture to the squash mixture, stirring well to mix.
Add the broth or water, rinsed moong dal or lentils, apricots and fenugreek, then cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes or until beans are soft and slightly creamy, stirring occasionally.

Serve warm with rice, warm naan or paratha (chapati) bread.

*ginger is easy to keep on hand ready to use if you peel it/chop into large chunks after bringing it home from the store, place it in a plastic bag in the freezer. Then when you need it, simply remove a piece or two and either grate it or thinly slice/chop it. It is actually easier to work with when it is slightly frozen. This will keep for a long time in the freezer. It is great in chicken soups, with bean dishes, smoothies with coconut milk, etc.

This was shared with the following:

I Should Be Mopping The Floor: Mop It Up Mondays #11
The Sweet Spot: Recipe Party
Simple Lives Thursday, #91- A Little Bit Of Spain In Iowa
Weekend Potluck #13
Financial Friday + Fabulous Features
Country Momma Cooks: Link and Greet #14
Taylor House Thursday #3
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 4-12-12
Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party-Week 40

Cheeseburger Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:22:00 +0000

Even though we are experiencing some lovely spring weather, I still love to make up soups during this time since my husband does not care to have soups during the hot summer months. This recipe is more like a thick chowder with the creamy and cheesy base and is great for adding in any number of vegetables for those little (or big) people in the house who might not like to eat their veggies. I have adapted it somewhat from the original version I found online on the Taste of Home site.

Ingredients:

1/2 - 3/4 pound ground beef
large onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
6 mushroom, finely chopped (optional)
3/4 cup carrots, sliced
3/4 cup celery, diced
1-2 Tbsp sofrito (optional)
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp dried basil flakes
3-4 cups chicken broth (I used 1/2 chicken, 1/2 beef broth)
4 cups potatoes, diced (I left the peels on them) (about 2 pounds of potatoes)
1 3/4 cups canned chopped tomatoes (I used one 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes with Italian herbs)
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
8 oz (2 cups) cheese of choice, cubed (Velveeta or muenster cheese makes it more creamy, but it will still be good with other types of cheese)
1 1/2 cups milk (if using skim milk, may start with a can of evaporated milk and add enough skim milk to equal amount needed)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Directions:

In a stockpot, sauté the ground beef, onion, celery, mushrooms, salt and pepper until the onion is translucent.
Drain off some of the fat and add in the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the sofrito, carrots, herbs, broth, tomatoes with juice and potatoes and bring to a boil.
While that is cooking, melt butter in a saucepan or a large skillet and add in the flour, stirring well and cooking for approximately 2 minutes. Add in the milk gradually while stirring; then pour into the soup, mixing well.
Cook soup over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until vegetables and potatoes are tender.
When finished cooking, add in the cheese, stirring well until melted. May also blend in the sour cream if desired. (I will often omit this since it is already very creamy and rich.)

Serves approximately 4-6

This is wonderful with a salad and/or bread!

This was shared with the following:

Country Momma Cooks: Link and Greet #13

Weekend Potluck #13

Financial Friday + Fabulous Features

Taylor House Thursday #3

Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 4-12-12

Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party-Week 40

Baked Peach Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 01:51:00 +0000

This is another brunch dish that my family loves that came from a Bisquick recipe booklet. I have mentioned in the past that I now try to keep a homemade biscuit mix in my fridge all the time and use that in place of Bisquick. So I made this with my homemade mix that is part white whole wheat and part all-purpose flour and it turned out perfect. Originally, the recipe turns out a little more wet and "eggy"; so I have added about an additional 1/3 cup biscuit mix than what was called for in the original recipe. I also really liked the flavor of the peach syrup over top, but I added the recipe for the Honey-Raisin Syrup that was part of Bisquick's recipe.

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1 1/3 cup biscuit/baking mix
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
2 medium peaches, peeled and thinly sliced (or may use 1 1/2 cups canned, drained and sliced peaches or frozen but thawed ones)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place 2 Tbsp butter in each of 2 pie plates (9x 1 1/4 inches). Heat in oven until melted. May instead melt the butter in the pie plates in the microwave for a minute or two.
Beat baking mix, milk and eggs in a small bowl, using a wire whisk or fork, until smooth. Arrange half of the peach slices in each pie plate. Divide batter evenly between pie plates, pouring over the peaches. Mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter.
Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Serve with Honey-Raisin Syrup (or I used the syrup from my canned peaches over top of the pancakes).

Honey-Raisin Syrup

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat all ingredients over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot.

Shared with the following:
Country Momma Cooks: Link and Greet #12
Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Linky Party #38
The Grant Life: Financial Friday + Fabulous Features
The Country Cook: Weekend Potluck #11
The Taylor House #3
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 4-12-12

Shortcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 21:13:00 +0000

Even though it is a little early in our area for homegrown strawberries, I just had to share this recipe with everyone. My husband came home from the grocery store with another great deal recently- beautiful, ripe and wonderful strawberries for a steal! So we had to make strawberry shortcake with some of them. I have often used the little individual cakes that are sold in the store to eat with strawberries- sweet and yummy. However, we did not have any of these on hand, and I have been trying to make more foods from scratch when possible. So I decided to make biscuits, which are actually the traditional way to eat fruit shortcakes.

Lately, I have been trying different biscuit recipes and found some really good ones that are wonderfully flaky and tasty. I have almost become addicted to them with various sweet and savory spreads and toppings. It is a little funny because I rarely, if ever, made these up until now- thought they were too much work and did not really enjoy them. This time, I found a winner recipe for shortcake that I was so thrilled with and will be THE ONE for shortcakes. This recipe was from an older cookbook I have titled Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School Cookbook, (tenth edition, 1959). Three interesting ingredients that differ from many biscuit recipes were a little spice (nutmeg- or cardamom would also be good), cream of tartar and egg, which gives a richer biscuit.

Here is a picture of the biscuits- I did not make them as thick because I did not want so much biscuit with each serving of fruit.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (I used 1/2 white whole wheat flour)
4 tsp cream of tartar or phosphate baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp nutmeg or cardamom
1/3 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Cut butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, fork or may use fingers until butter is well incorporated (may also use a food processor just until the butter is mixed evenly in the flour). Combine milk and egg together into measuring cup and gradually add to the flour mixture just until the dough begins to hold together. If the dough is too dry and there is much excess flour in the bowl, add more milk one Tbsp at a time but do not mix excessively.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly a few times to get it to stick together. Pat out into a circle about 1 inch thick and either cut into desired pieces or use a biscuit cutter or cup/drinking glass to cut out individual biscuits. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. If using a darker baking sheet, bake at 400 degrees and check them at about 10 minutes or even sooner so they do not become too browned.

*If you want higher rising biscuits, do not pat the dough out as thin- make it 1 1/2 inches-2 inches thick and cut out the biscuits.

Option: the original recipe calls for using a 9 inch buttered cake pan and dividing the biscuit dough into 2 parts. Each part is rolled out to 9 inch rounds, the first round placed in the cake pan and a little melted butter is brushed on it. Then the 2nd round is placed in the cake pan and more butter is brushed on top. It is then baked for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

The original recipe also called for using unsweetened, unwhipped heavy cream over the berries and shortcake, but I prefer a lighter sweetened whipped cream.

*The leftover biscuits are wonderful with cream cheese (strawberry flavored or other fruit flavored) or butter after being warmed a few seconds in the microwave or a couple minutes in the toaster oven.

This recipe was shared with the following:
Sweets For A Saturday #62
Weekend Potluck #10
Crumbs and Chaos: Seasonal Inspiration: 3-24-12
Country Momma Cooks- Link and Greet Party #11
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday #13
Delightfully Dowling: Mangia Mondays 55
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 3-29-12
Something Swanky: Sweet Treats Thursday
Simple Lives Thursday #89- A Bit of Spain In Iowa
The Taylor House #3

Thai Shrimp Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 05:01:00 +0000

In the past, I never thought I wanted to eat Thai food because my perception has always been that it is spicy hot. However, I occasionally watch Chef Tommy Tang on PBS making easy Thai food, and I absolutely salivate over his dishes. In addition, last year I was looking for other ways to use coconut milk and came across this recipe online. The thing I love about this dish is that it is pretty fast and you can adjust the level of heat- making it mild or spicy. Every time I make it, we all spend the meal exclaiming how good it is. I have also made this dish and served it over angel hair pasta. In addition, this dish would also be good with fish or chicken. The recipe I am posting is an adaptation of one I found on Epicurious.com- I followed the basic recipe but added in some other vegetables and seasonings.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp oil

1 cup thinly sliced onion

1 cup chopped green onion

1-2 Tbsp Thai green curry paste

1 14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk

2-3 cups chicken broth (or enough to cover vegetables)

3 Tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp sugar

1 cup diced plum tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes)

2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

chopped cilantro

lime wedges

*optional (I also added these items)-

2 stalks of celery, bias cut
1 small yellow summer squash, quartered and thinly sliced
1/2 sweet green or red pepper, chopped (may use any combination of sweet or hot peppers)
1/2 cup carrots, julienned
3 cloves garlic, pressed/finely minced or 1-2 Tbsp of garlic paste
1-2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger or may use ginger paste (this really adds wonderful flavor), may substitute 1-2 tsp dry ginger powder
1-2 shrimp flavor bouillon cubes

Directions:

Heat oil in bottom of a large soup pot and add sliced onion (not the green), celery, peppers, squash and carrots. Cook for approximately 2-4 minutes until the onion is just becoming translucent. Season with some seasoned salt. Add in the garlic, ginger and green curry paste and stir around for about 1 minute. Then add in coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce and sugar. Boil for 2 minutes. Add in green onions, shrimp and tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes if using medium shrimp or a couple minutes longer if using larger shrimp- just until they begin to turn pink. Serve over prepared rice or noodles and garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

Serves approximately 4-6 people

Shared with the following:

Weekend Potluck #13

The Taylor House #3

Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 4-12-12

Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party-Week 40

Moroccan Beet Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Beets are such a lovely vegetable- great color and have such a wonderful flavor, and they are another one of those superfoods that is rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that our bodies crave. I have always loved them and this dish is just another big reason why! Last summer, my family went to a mission open-house at a local church and had a great time talking to people from all around the world and sampling some wonderful food. While there, I found this beet salad and could not believe how good the flavors were. Near the end of the day, I asked someone about what was in it- she didn't know for sure because it was made by a local man from Morocco. She then offered me an entire large pan of it since there were a lot of leftovers, which I readily accepted. My husband and I were in heaven for the next few days eating the leftovers. After eating this and trying to figure out what this was made out of, I decided to try making it myself. I think the key to the great flavor is the cilantro, which I have never had with beets before. Somehow, the onion and cilantro give such a brightness with the sweetness of the beets and the marinade (dressing) imparts a subtle flavor that results in such wonderful combination! This is a great summer salad, but it is also great anytime of the year when you want a little different beet dish.

Ingredients:
3 15 oz. canned beets, (drained, chopped into strips or cubes if not already done for you)
or you may use approximately 5-6 cups cooked and chopped beets
1 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (may use more or less or substitute chopped fresh flat leaf parsley)
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup vinegar (or may use 1/2 cup vinegar and 3 Tbsp lime juice)
3/4 tsp salt (may adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2/3 cup sugar

Directions:
Mix together olive oil, vinegar/lime juice, salt, pepper and sugar in a large bowl. Add in the prepared beets, onion and cilantro. Stir well. Refrigerate in a covered dish for at least 4 hours, mixing ingredients every couple hours. Mix again before serving.

Yields approximately 8-10 1/2 - 2/3 cup servings

Portuguese Soup (Caldo Verde)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah/Homestyle Cooking Around The World) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 05:01:00 +0000

Here is another soup that I made for the first time a few months ago and really enjoyed. In fact, the entire family liked it. This is one of the many variations of Portuguese soup- which is reportedly their national soup. The main elements, I have learned, are kale- lots of it and thus called "Green Soup", potatoes and some type of a broth. Many other people add in any or all of the following: cabbage, beans, tomatoes and andouille or another type of sausage. Of course, I have a hard time making a dish with just a couple ingredients for some reason. Maybe it is because I feel the need to always try to pack as much nutrition in one dish, and I am a big one for one-dish meals! So this is why my Portuguese soup is full of ingredients and not just a simple dish. Feel free, though, to make it with any or all of the ingredients- you might substitute the kale for some other type of greens if you do not care as much for the kale.

Ingredients:

1-2 large onions, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil or butter

3-4 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed

2-3 cups of chopped starchy vegetable- white and/or sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, etc

1/4 medium head of cabbage, coarsely chopped (optional)

2 15 oz. cans of kidney beans or cannelini or whatever other combination desired, drained

1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes, or 1 24 oz. (large) can diced tomatoes with the juice

1-2 Tbsp dried parsley

12-16 oz. sausage of choice

8-10 cups chicken broth or water with chicken flavor bouillon (may need to add more)

1 pound kale, center rib removed, finely chopped

Adobo seasoned salt to taste

Instructions:

In a large stockpot, sauté the onion and celery with oil or butter until the onion is translucent. Add in the minced garlic and sauté a couple minutes longer, stirring constantly. You may brown the sausage in a separate pan or in the same pot with the vegetables. Then add in the remainder of the ingredients except the kale and cook over medium heat until the vegetables have cooked and the potatoes are soft. Add in the kale and cook about 10-15 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with a hearty bread.

Serves approximately 8-10 as a main dish

Pin It
Shared on :
Simple Lives Thursday #87