Randomosity and the Girl

Umm...Did I forget about this place?

2011-10-04T21:26:00.001-05:00

Well...not really. Ok maybe a little bit. But over the last six months or so I have been pretty busy. I bought a house (finally!). And I've also inched closer to finishing my master's. One more class this year and one in the spring and I will be done! Woo too! I've almost been promoted somewhat at work (taking advantage of that degree in training!). I also reached my goal weight on Weight Watchers back in late spring. I'm in maintenance now and doing pretty well. I've slacked off a little on my exercise since I moved into my new house in July so I really need to get back on track. I'll do it. I promise! ;)

I hope to get back into food blogging soon. My budget is much, much smaller since the home purchase so it will be interesting to see what I can do! I've discovered my love of Indian food so that may be a frequent dish in the future. My buddy Christine has also expressed an interest in bringing back our Two Hot Chicks Baking/Cooking. That will definitely be fun!

See you all (well all two of you! lol) soon!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

2011-03-07T00:00:00.009-06:00

Recently, I was shopping at Costco and they had two pound containers of pre-cut butternut squash. Butternut squash is one of my favorite vegetables but it can be a real pain to cut up sometimes so I was very happy to find it already peeled and diced. Oddly enough (or not really!) when I have butternut squash, normally I make risotto. It's one of my favorite meals to make but this time I wanted something a little different. So I made soup!

Wait. What? Soup? Really Heather? Yep. I made soup. The biggest reason really had nothing to do with the type of recipe I wanted to do. I had been rather bad at lunch that day (a hamburger was involved) and I needed a low point dinner, preferably with a focus on veggies. As soon as I got home, I did a quick search and found a butternut squash soup that sounded just perfect.

I did make some changes to it starting with the butternut squash. I love how slightly caramelized butternut squash gets when it's roasted. It brings a great depth of flavor that I thought would be wonderful in soup. The original recipe called for an onion but not being a fan of onions, I usually don't have any in the pantry. I used onion powder instead but you could very easily substitute with chopped onion. The last thing that I changed was just pureeing the soup instead of how it was originally written since I roasted the squash ahead of time. I then left out the final amount of water since it would have made the soup thinner than I wanted.

This was a delicious and surprisingly filling soup. It was worth 4 P+ making it a great bargain as well! Great for light dinner and even better the next day for lunch after the flavors have had a chance to develop more. I served it simply with just some whole wheat saltines on the side (though one day with leftovers I served it with roasted cauliflower).

This recipe is definitely going to be made again and again!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe

Serves 4

2 tsp olive oil
2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
32 oz chicken broth, reduced sodium and fat free
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried sage
2 tsp onion powder
4 Tbsp light sour cream
salt to taste

Heat oven to 425℉. Toss olive oil, squash, sage, and rosemary. Bake for 30 minutes or until slightly carmelized. Add the roasted squash, onion powder, and broth to a pot; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer about 20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, puree until the soup has a fluid but creamy consistency.

Garnish each serving with a tablespoon of the sour cream and a sprinkle of the additional sage, if using.

Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

Turkey Chili Taco Soup

2011-02-25T20:08:00.001-06:00

I love me some taco soup. My mom used to make it often when I was a kid (probably still does actually) and it was always one of my favorites. I'm pretty sure, however, that the recipe she made was totally not Weight Watchers friendly but I've wanted to make it many times in the last year...just a healthier version. I had not found a recipe that sounded as good or at least nearly as good as the one I grew up eating.

Then in steps Gina at Gina's Skinny Recipes with her delicious and healthy recipes. She recently posted a turkey chili taco soup that sounded divine and right up my alley. Thankfully most of the ingredients are pantry staples for me so I was able to pull this soup together fairly quickly for dinner tonight after work.

I topped mine with my standard chili fixins' of shredded cheese and sour cream. Let me tell you...this was one delicious and filling soup! Because it was slighter cooler today than the 70℉ days we've been having lately, it was perfect to make for dinner. It wasn't terribly heavy though so it would probably be just as tasty on a warmer day (I'm sure I'll find out soon!). One of the best things about it is the 5 P+ per serving. I love that the low P+ allowed me to splurge a little on the toppings and use a higher fat cheese than I normally would use.

A great, healthy soup that I will make again and again. Thanks Gina!

Turkey Chili Taco Soup
Adapted very slightly from Gina's Skinny Recipes
Makes about 9 - 1 cup servings.

1 1/4 lbs 97% lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
10 oz can rotel tomatoes with green chilies
15 oz canned or frozen corn, drained
15 oz kidney beans, drained (I used black beans)
8 oz tomato sauce (I used a mix of tomato paste and water. No sauce in the house!)
16 oz fat free refried beans
1 packet taco seasoning (I used some homemade I prepared recently)
2 1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth

In a large pot, brown turkey on medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. When cooked through, add onions and pepper and cook 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, corn, beans, tomato sauce, refried beans, taco seasoning and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer about 10-15 minutes.

Serve with your favorite toppings!

FFwD: Basque Potato Tortilla

2011-02-04T12:02:00.002-06:00

During my semester abroad in London a few years ago, we took a weekend trip to Madrid. Our first day there we went to a restaurant for a light lunch before we started sight seeing. Before we even looked at the menu, our professor told us that we might see something familiar that really wasn't. Obviously, we were a little confused. Then we saw it...the tortilla. The tortilla that most of us had grown up with was the flat round bread that you wrap around a tasty filling. This tortilla, on the other hand, was eggy with a potato filling. To me that was a frittata or even an omelet. Regardless of what we thought it was, it was delicious. I've never made one at home (at least what was called a tortilla anyway) however so when I saw that this weeks French Fridays with Dorie was the basque potato tortilla, I knew it was time to give it a try.

I decided to (kinda sorta) mix two of the options for the tortilla. I went as written but added in a cup or so of finely chopped shiitake mushrooms that needed to be used up. For my potatoes, I used some baby red potatoes that I had and diced them. I've found that it's easier to use the baby potatoes when you need them diced. You get more evenly diced pieces and when you are as bad as me about getting even pieces, you want to use the easiest option.

I reduced the amount of oil by half so it would lower the points per slice. Other than that, it was the only change I made. If dividing it into four pieces as a lunch main course, it came to 7 PointsPlus a piece. If you divide it into 8 pieces as an hors d'oeuvre serving, it was 4 Points Plus.

I served it as a lunch main course and while it was delicious, it was too much. Next time I would serve it in the smaller portion size so it would not be so heavy. I'd also add more rosemary to the mix. While I don't like a lot of rosemary, it was a little too light for me. It would also be delicious with ham added as Dorie mentions in the bonne idée section.

This was a tasty light lunch that I can see making many times in the future. It was a nice, easy meal to make during the snow/ice craziness that we've been dealing with in DFW this week. Next time I might play around with the filling and see what other low PointsPlus options I can find.

You can find the recipe on pages 142-143 of Around My French Table. Check out the post here for more tortilla from FFwd members!

Snow Day!

2011-02-01T22:25:00.001-06:00

I know this is not a food related post but this is called Randomosity and the Girl so I thought we could use a little more...random around here. I'm going to try to post more non-food posts in the future. Especially weight loss related since I'm almost 40 lbs (woo hoo!) down on Weight Watchers. Of course, it all depends on school. I'm half way through my master's so we will see.

We had ourselves a little 'snow' day here in Dallas today. Those in the Northeast see much, much more than we have so far but for Dallas...this was a lot. The parking lot in my apartment complex was pretty much a sheet of ice. DISD closed for the day so my office shut down as well. And it looks like I'll have tomorrow off too because DISD has already posted their closure notice. Woo hoo! I think that's more snow days than I got when I was in school as a kid. This is Texas after all. We can get pretty chilly in the winter but snow/ice isn't all that normal. At least not when it comes to sticking to the ground.

Aww...doesn't my baby look so cute in his little sweater? He only gets to wear one about once a year since I'm a little forgetful. I know. I'm a bad mom.

Charlie loves the snow. He prances through it, sniffing every little section he can. My mom's dog, Sugar, on the other hand refuses to go outside.

It was quite funny to listen to people try and leave the parking lot this morning. And scrape ice of their windows. Oh the joys of having an attached garage! And not having to go to work!

Apparently, we aren't going to warm up for a few days so it's going to be interesting for a few days. Dallas drivers freak out at the little hint of precipitation so continued ice on the ground is no doubt going to through most people for a loop. Hopefully, I'll be able to avoid all that and stay nice and warm inside!

P.S. If Charlie has been outside, watch out for yellow snow! ;)

TWD: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

2011-01-18T00:00:00.069-06:00

This weeks Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins chosen by Betsy of A Cup of Sweetness. I have never been a poppy seed muffin eater in the past. Not because I didn't like them, however. I'm a blueberry muffin gal through and through. But I wanted to give these muffins a try as well as poppy seeds because I honestly can't remember what they taste like.

These muffins were a breeze to make. I was able to put them together and have them in the oven in about 15 minutes. I only made a few changes to get them a little more Weight Watcher friendly. I substituted 1/2 of the white flour with whole wheat and used splenda in place of the sugar along with using light butter (Brummel and Brown. love it!). At this point in the process, I was very impressed with the color and smell of the muffins. Even if they weren't good post baking, I was quite happy at that moment.

I decided to leave the glaze off of the muffins. I'm sure it would have been delicious but I was only making a small batch and planning to freeze most of them. Dorie mentions that they don't freeze well with the glaze so it was better for me to not do it.

The muffins looked and smelled just as good out of the oven as they did before. It was very difficult not to eat one right away. But I held strong and waited until they cooled sufficiently. The lemon was the predominant flavor obviously and I loved it. Lemon in baked goods is always a favorite of mine and I use it whenever I can. I could not taste the poppy seeds (are we even really supposed too?). They did give the muffin a nice texture and slight crunch that I really liked. They also gave the muffin a beautiful appearance. The muffins were also less sweet than most muffins I've made and eaten in the past but I found that it was perfect for this muffin. If they had been sweeter, they would have been too dessert like and I see these more as a breakfast treat.

I would definitely make these muffins again. They were a nice snack (I made these right after dinner one night) but also an even better breakfast the next day. Another plus for them was how full they kept me. Most muffins leave me hungry about an hour or so later but these seemed to keep me fuller longer. I'm not sure why exactly though I think it helped that they weren't super sweet. I always seem to get hungrier faster with sweet things for some reason. It may just be in my head though!

Thank you to Betsy for the great pick! I was excited to find a new muffin to love!

You can find the recipe at A Cup of Sweetness or on page 10 of Baking From My Home to Yours. You can see more lemon poppy seed muffins from the TWD bakers here. See you next time!

TWD: Apple-Coconut Family Cake(s)

2010-12-14T00:00:00.023-06:00

Grad school is out for the next 5 weeks so I've got some more time on my hands. Time to bake hopefully! I was very happy to see that Amber of Cobbler du Monde chose Apple-Coconut Family cake for this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. This time of the year I love apple desserts and I'm a coconut fan so this recipe was a double plus for me.

I decided to make mini cakes instead of one big cake. Much easier to control myself portion wise when I do that as well as making it easy to freeze the leftovers. I also made a few changes to make it a little more WW friendly. I used whole wheat flour for half of the white and used applesauce for the oil as well as splenda for the sugar. This made each mini cake (I got 12) only 3 PP each.

I loved this cake. It was a little sweet but not too sweet, a little nutty from the coconut, and fruity from the apple. Topped with a little light cool whip (yes...I like cool whip on occasion) and it was a perfect little dessert. I'm sure it would be absolutely delicious with none of the changes but I was quite happy with the somewhat healthier version I made. I can see making this cake many times in the future.

Thanks for the yummy pick Amber!

You can find the recipe at Amber's blog, Cobbler du Monde, or on page 214 of Baking From My Home to Yours. You can see more tasty cakes from the TWD bakers here.

Broiled Tilapia Oreganata and an Update

2010-12-12T19:54:00.000-06:00

Today I met my original goal that I set when I joined Weight Watchers in April! I've lost 32 pounds and honestly...I was pretty excited when I stepped on the scale this morning. It's been a lot of hard work and sacrifice (like cookies, cakes, and pie. oh my!) but it is so very worth it. While on the old plan, I learned how to eat and cook better foods. Now that they've introduced PointsPlus, I've found it even easier to make healthier choices. Of course, fruit and most veggies being free has really helped me make those healthier choices. I've decided to reset my goal for another 10 pounds to get me in the middle of my healthy weight range for my height (I'm at the top right now...weight...not height ;) ). I know that I'll have no problem getting there eventually with everything I've learned and the support I've gotten from friends and family.

One of the healthier ways I've been eating is to include more fish in my diet. Previously, fish was not something I ate very often unless it was battered and fried as well as dipped in ketchup. Not very weight friendly is it? I shunned 'naked' fish because it always tasted too fishy for me unless it was either tuna or salmon. But when I started on my weight loss journey, I knew I need to get over my dislike and learn to enjoy more sources of lean protein.

Not long after I joined WW, I found Gina's Skinny Recipes and quickly fell in love. She has a treasure trove of WW friendly recipes...that actually look, sound, AND taste delicious. I've tried many of the last year and I've never felt like I was eating diet food. Her recipes have been what as helped me learn to like fish. One that I really love is her Broiled Tilapia Oregnata. What really drew me to this recipe was the breadcrumb topping. It would still give me that crunchy outside that I like about fried fish but without all of the calories and grease that come with it.

This was a delicious meal. I served it was garlic rosemary mashed potatoes (a revised WW recipe) and roasted butternut squash. It was super filling and not at all fishy tasting. The panko topping I used was wonderful and gave me just the right amount of crunch that I wanted without the guilt. Definitely a make again recipe for me!

Broiled Tilapia Oreganata

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried (I used dried)
4 (5 oz) tilapia fillets (mine were only 4 oz each)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh pepper
4 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced (I used about 1/4 tsp garlic powder per fillet)
2 tbsp whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat panko)

Preheat broiler. Line broiling pan with aluminum foil.

Rinse tilapia. Pat fillets dry with paper towels. Season with salt, pepper and oregano. Add garlic, drizzle with oil and sprinkle bread crumbs on top.

Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil about 8 inches from the heat until the topping is browned. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Serve with steamed or roasted vegetables.

TWD: Mini All American, All Delicious Apple Pie

2010-10-26T00:00:00.003-05:00

I did it! I actually managed to get two Tuesdays with Dorie recipes in a row done! Of course, the light school work load definitely helped. And the fact that the recipe this week was a very nice looking apple pie...something that I have not had in FOREVER...had nothing to do with it. Nope. Nothing at all.

Dorie suggests using different kinds of apples for the pie so I used a tart golden delicious and a sweet-tart empire apple. I thought about using some of the honeycrisps that I had in the fridge but I love eating those for snacks since they are so sweet and juicy so I left those out. I'm sure they would have been delicious though. I used the same crust as last weeks Caramel Pumpkin Pie but because I realized at the last minute that I had only a tiny bit of white flour, I made it a mostly whole wheat crust since I had plenty of that.

I decided to quarter the recipe so I would not end up with a ton of pie that would take me forever to eat on my own. My Memaw had given me some sets of mini cake, pie, and tart pans last year that I love to use when I can. The pie plates are deep enough to work with an apple pie and also make two servings (for me anyway). Even though I quartered the filling recipe, I still had enough to make two of the mini pies.

The little pie was so cute! It was small but it held a lot of juicy filling. I was worried that the whole wheat crust wouldn't work with the apple filling but it was delicious. It didn't taste overly 'whole wheaty' at all. Now that I know that it works with the whole wheat flour, I will have to try it in other dishes as well. I really liked the taste and textures that I got using two different kinds of apples. It gives you a real oomph in the flavor department.

Emily of Sandmuffin chose All-American, All-Delicious Apple Pie. Great choice Emily! You can get the recipe on Emily's blog or on pages 300-302 of Baking From My Home to Yours. To see more from the TWD bakers, check out the blogroll here!

TWD: Caramel Pumpkin Pie

2010-10-19T00:00:00.006-05:00

The caramel pumpkin pie is one that has intrigued me from the moment I first purchased Baking. I love my pumpkin pie, however, it can get a bit boring eating the same recipe year after year (you know the one on the Libby's jar). But I'm also hesitant to try something new especially when I only seem to make pumpkin around the holidays and I really don't want to screw it up. I really like pumpkin pie you see. And well...pumpkin period. Which is not doubt why I have a ton of pumpkin stocked in my pantry after last year's shortage.

Even though I was tempted to make the recipe as written, I made one change so I wouldn't have to eat a pie that would take a huge dent out of my points for the week. I decided to go with a lightened crust from Cooking Light. Despite not being the full fat version, I was very happy with the crust. It was still flaky and buttery. I will use this one again for sure!

I'm glad that we were able to try the caramel pumpkin pie well in advance. It sounded delicious but I worried that the caramel would overpower the pumpkin. Unfortunately, it did. I followed Dorie's directions to the letter and thankfully didn't burn the caramel (it has happened a time or two). At first bite the pie tasted pretty good though the pumpkin flavor was hard to get. The caramel was the first and only taste that I got. Which I am sure is the point obviously. That would be fine if it didn't leave such a bitter taste in my mouth. No doubt many people like that flavor but to me it just ruins the pie.

Even though I was not a fan of the recipe, I am glad I tried it. As I think I've mentioned just a time or two...I love pumpkin. So I try it in anyway I can. I don't always like the outcome but you can't like everything can you?

The Tuesdays with Dorie recipe for this week was chosen by Janell of Mortensen Family Memoirs. For more caramel pumpkin pie, check out the TWD blog roll. Be sure to check out Baking From My Home to Yours for more Dorie goodies (see page 322-3 for the pie recipe)!

FFwD: Gerard's Mustard Tart

2010-10-08T18:44:00.000-05:00

I missed last week's first French Fridays with Dorie unfortunately so I made sure I was able to participate this week. I'm so glad that one of the rules is participate as you can because I seem to be doing less and less cooking lately and this poor blog as suffered. Between working on my master's and Weight Watchers, I haven't really cooked anything good enough to be blog worthy.

This weeks FFwD recipe was Gerard's Mustard Tart. Now, I love mustard but I was a little thrown by this one. It is not an ingredient that I would have picked as the star of much, let alone a quiche like tart. But I wanted to give it a go anyway because I missed last week and I'm always eager to try out new savory dishes since all I seem to do is bake!

The only change I made to the recipe was the crust. I didn't plan ahead and make the crust in advance like I should have so I decided to go with a healthier and quicker option. I went with this whole wheat olive oil crust that I found on Chocolate & Zucchini. Let me tell you...this crust is awesome. Not only does it smell divine while baking but the taste lives up to the smell as well. I'll definitely be using it again in my savory pies.

For the filling, I went with the tomato option that Dorie mentions. Not that I don't like the veggies that she lists in the recipe. I just prefer the taste of tomatoes and use them whenever I can. Oh...I guess I did make another change to the recipe. Instead of the grainy mustard listed I used regular plain 'ol yellow mustard. I only had that one and the Dijon. Since there was no way I was going to the store just for a bottle of mustard, I went with what I had. Next time I'll make it right.

Despite having the wrong kind of mustard, I was pleasantly surprised by the tart. It was quite delicious. The filling was mustardy but it wasn't overwhelming. I'm sure it would have been even better with the grainy mustard but I think the plain mustard did just fine. The crust was even more amazing than I expected and worked wonderfully with the filling. Oddly enough, I was moved to eat the dill pickles that I had made a few weeks ago along with the tart. A weird combination but it just seemed to work.

To see more from the participants of FFwD, check out this post here. You can find the recipe on pages 154-5 of Around My French Table. Buy the book if you can, so many of the recipes sound delicious!

Greek Yogurt with Honey, Almonds, and Banana

2010-09-17T00:00:00.002-05:00

Greek yogurt has long been my favorite over the regular yogurt that you find in stores. I prefer the thickness and the tang of greek yogurt. It also is more filling and doesn't leave me feeling still hungry like a thinner yogurt inevitably does. And as it has become more popular, it is so easy to find in most grocery stores now.

Since starting Weight Watchers a few months ago, I am always looking for easy breakfasts to take to work that are also low in points and taste great. Frequently I make a quick strawberry smoothie with milk and greek yogurt that is delicious. I serve it with a tasty muffin (like the Oatmeal Breakfast Bread muffins) and some fruit and I am satisfied until lunch time. Sometimes when a smoothie gets a little old and I need a change, I like to make greek yogurt with honey, almonds, and banana.

Traditionally, it may be served with just honey and walnuts but I rarely have walnuts around and almost always have sliced almonds in the freezer. I like to through in some chopped banana because it goes with the greek yogurt wonderfully. It adds a nice sweetness that tones down the tang of the greek yogurt (but not too much!) along with the honey. And I just love bananas. Plus it helps me towards getting all of the servings of fruit and veggies I need everyday! I love adding the almonds because they add a satisfying crunch to the yogurt which also helps in filling me up and keeping me that way for a while.

What is really great about this 'recipe' is you can essentially customize it any way you like with whatever you love to eat. Pecans would be delicious as well and they are another nut I usually have in the freezer. Sliced strawberries or peaches would be amazing with the honey and greek yogurt. Endless possibilities of yum!

Not the prettiest thing ever but it's pretty tasty!

Greek Yogurt with Honey, Almonds, and Banana

1/2 cup greek yogurt (I prefer Fage 0%)
1 T honey
1 T sliced almonds
1 small banana, diced

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

Daring Cooks: Food Preservation

2010-09-14T00:00:00.096-05:00

The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John’s source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Even though the challenge for this month wasn't new to me, I was still very excited when it was announced. I've been canning food for a long time and love doing so. So this month I decided to do a variety of things in addition to one of the items from the challenge.

I chose to do the bruschetta in a jar. I love bruschetta but rarely have everything to make it so I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to have some in the pantry. It was very easy to make. And very delicious! Definitely worth all the time it took to chop up the tomatoes!

Bruschetta in a Jar

Recipe Source: Bernardin Canning Website - http://www.bernardin.ca/pages/recipe_page/51.php?pid=435

Recipe: Bruschetta in a Jar
Ingredient	U.S.	Metric	Count	Special Instructions
Plum/Roma Tomatoes *	3 1/2 lbs	1.6 Kg	20 Medium	Wash, seed and chop
Fresh Garlic			5 Cloves	Minced
Dry White Wine	1 Cup	250 ml
White Wine Vinegar	1 Cup	250 ml
Balsamic Vinegar	2 Tbl	30 ml
Sugar, Granulated	2 Tbl	30 ml
Dried Basil	2 Tbl	30 ml
Dried Oregano	2 Tbl	30 ml

* Note: Although other tomato varieties may be used, firm plum tomatoes yield the best results. If using round garden-variety tomatoes, seed tomatoes and drain in colander for 30 minutes then chop.

Headspace: 1/2 “ (1.27 cm)

Processing Time:

20 minutes for altitude of 0 ft (0 m) to 1,000 ft (305 m)

25 minutes for altitude of 1,001 ft (305.1 m) to 3,000 ft (915 m)

30 minutes for altitude of 3,001 ft (916 m) to 6,000 ft (1,830 m)

35 minutes altitudes above 6,000 ft (1,831 m) to 8,000 ft (2,440 m)

1) Place 7 clean half-pint (250 ml) mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Heat lids in hot water, not boiling (180°F/82°C). Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.

2) Wash, seed and chop tomatoes into 1/2 inch (1cm) pieces; measure 9 cups (2250 ml), set aside.

3) Combine garlic, white wine, wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, water, sugar, basil and oregano in a deep stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a full boil; reduce heat. Stirring occasionally, boil gently, covered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

4) Pack tomatoes into a hot jar to within 3/4 inch (2 cm) of top rim. Add hot liquid to cover tomatoes to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top rim (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more tomatoes and hot liquid. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining tomatoes and hot liquid.

5) When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process –boil filled jars – 20 minutes.

6) When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.

7) After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.

Serving Suggestions:

With boiling water canning, very little oil is used since the oils can weaken the seals on the jar.

For the Bruschetta, olive oil and fresh herbs can be added before serving on top of toasted bread or as a condiment to a dish.

While visiting my grandparents over Labor Day weekend, my Memaw (hi Memaw!) and I made some of our family barbecue sauce. Sorry! No recipe for this one...it's a family secret!

I did the jams and jellies below not long before the challenge was announced (with my Memaw during the July 4th holiday) but I thought I'd go ahead and post these with the rest. They are delicious!

This is the most delicious smelling strawberry jam I have ever smelled. I could have eaten the whole pot before we put it in jars. And it's just as good later too!

This is a low sugar strawberry jam that we tried as an experiment. While not as tasty as the regular strawberry above, it was still quite good.

This one involved my Popaw spending many hours in the rain picking wild plums. These little babies are hard to get at times (watch out for the rattlesnakes!) but the resulting jelly is worth it. The thickets don't always make well or at all so it's always a good idea to pick as much as you can and freeze the juice for later jelly making. Memaw has tons waiting for next year!

This blueberry jam rivaled the strawberry in terms of delicious aroma while cooking. While it was still warm, it would have also made an excellent topping for pancakes. Also excellent on biscuits too!

Also over Labor Day, my Popaw picked a lot of okra from their garden for me to bring home. Because I had also brought home already frozen okra, I decided to pickle what I had left. Pickled okra is one of my favorite foods and I usually go through ton of it so it's always nice to pickle it when I have the chance. I went with a recipe from The Joy of Pickling.

The last item I preserved was regular dill pickle slices. I picked up about 4 pounds of pickling cucumbers from Central Market last weekend and within a few hours had a few pints of pickles. I used a recipe from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving this time.

I forgot to pick up fresh dill so I used dill seed instead. The recipe listed it as an acceptable substitution so we'll see how they taste in a few weeks!

Thank you to our host this month, John for inspiring us this month! To see more from the Daring Cooks, check out the blogroll here. You won't be disappointed! There are loads of delicious goodies to see!

TWD: Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins

2010-08-17T00:00:00.003-05:00

It has been so long since I've posted along with Tuesdays with Dorie that I'm quite ashamed of myself. I've been a very bad member. Between Weight Watchers and school, I haven't been motivated to cook many of the yummy treats that they've been baking. But with a week break in between classes, I decided to see what was on the schedule this week and thank goodness it was something fairly healthy like oatmeal breakfast bread!

I did do some substitutions to make it a little more Weight Watchers friendly i.e. splenda instead of sugar and egg beaters for the eggs. For the dried fruit, I used dried apricots because I am in love with them. They are absolutely delicious and so much more tasty than dried cranberries. Plus you get a tangy, slightly chewy piece of apricot in every bite. On the topping I used sliced almonds because that's just what I had in the freezer at the time. I also made them into muffins because it is so much easier to portion control than with a loaf.

Even with my healthier subs, these muffins were amazing! If I had not known that there were some WW changes, I would have thought they were made as the recipe was written. They were super moist and with just the right amount of sweetness. The topping really made the muffins seem more decadent and not as healthy as they really were. And when you are on a diet, anything that gives you a hint of decadence without all of the fat and calories, is so worth it. It helps keep me on track because I know I can still treat myself without going overboard.

Natalie of Oven Love selected Oatmeal Breakfast Bread for us this week. You can find the recipe on page 44 of Baking or at Oven Love. Thanks Natalie for the delicious pick this week!

Daring Cooks: Pierogi!

2010-08-14T20:45:00.002-05:00

The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.

The 14th really sneaks up on you sometimes doesn't it? I had planned on making the Daring Cooks challenge but as usual, time got away from me and suddenly it was the 14th. Thank goodness I had all of the ingredients so I was able to whip (ha...well not exactly whip) them up today with a few hours to spare.

I decided to go with the cottage cheese pierogi option because it seemed the simplest and quite tasty (plus WW friendlier too!). It also had great possibilities of being either sweet or savory depending on the sauce you chose. They were fairly easy to make. They just took a little time and lots of rolling and re-rolling. But that was okay by me since the filling wasn't complicated.

I managed to get just over 25 pierogi using a 3.5 inch round cut out. I had an "asian" dumpling maker that I bought a long time ago and never used but that was a big 'ol pain in the rear. The dumpling dough kept getting stuck and after about 3 of those I said screw it and did them by hand. After that everything went much faster. That dumpling maker may be on it's way to the dump before long.

I froze most of them unboiled for later. For the serving I made for myself, I decided to go savory and made a tomato dill sauce. I love dill and use it anytime I can. I found this sauce on a pierogi post and couldn't resist making it. It sounded too good not to make it.

Just over an hour after I started, I sat down to a delicious pierogi and tomato dill sauce meal. After I boiled the pierogi, I lightly pan-fried them to get a slightly crunchy outside. In a word, they were amazing! Simple but so full of flavor. The sauce was a nice compliment. It was tasty but it didn't overwhelm the pierogi. As cliche as it might sound, the sauce really allowed the pierogi to shine.

Thanks to our hosts for the great challenge this month! I'll definitely make these again. To see more wonderful pierogies, check out the Daring Cooks blogroll here!

Cottage Cheese Wareneki (pierogi)

Adapted from The Mennonite Cookbook

Dough:
½ cup (125 ml) milk (can be whole milk, 2% or skim milk)
½ cup (125 ml) whipping cream
3 large egg whites
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
3 cups (450 gm) all-purpose flour

1. Mix flour and salt, add other ingredients, and knead dough until you have a smooth dough. (I kneaded this dough quite a bit, and it yielded a nice, pliable dough).

2. On a floured surface roll out fairly thin (1/8” or about 3 millimeters), cut into 2” (5 cm) squares, and fill with 1 tsp (5ml) cottage cheese filling (see below).

Filling:

Traditional

1 lb (455 g) dry cottage cheese (this is usually found beside the “wet” cottage cheese in the supermarket’s dairy aisle. If you can’t find it, please see below for how to proceed with the “wet” cottage cheese.)
3 large egg yolks
Salt to taste

1. Mix well all the ingredients for the filling.

2. Put 1 rounded teaspoon (5 ml) of the filling in each square, fold corners to form a triangle, seal edges well using your fingers or a fork.

3. Cook in salted, boiling water for 5 minutes.

Boiled pierogi can also be fried after boiling for a nice crunchy dumpling.

If you can’t find dry cottage cheese, simply drain normal cottage cheese by nesting the cottage in a few layers of cheese cloth or a fine sieve over a bowl.

Tomato Dill Sauce
Inspired by The Kitchen Illiterate

1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 T tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup fat free half and half
1 tsp dried dill
salt and pepper

Combine all of the ingredients except for the half and half and simmer until thickened a little, about 10 minutes. If you like puree for a smoother sauce. Allow to cool slightly and then stir in the half and half. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Daring Cooks

2010-07-14T00:00:00.006-05:00

Man, it has been awhile since I posted hasn't it? Between work, school, and just about everything else, I haven't had a lot of time to even think about blogging. I'm still cooking and baking (even making jam!) but not as much as I used to. On the plus side, I've done really well eating and cooking healthier (I caved and started Weight Watcher's a few months ago) and I hope I can start showcasing some of what I've been making lately soon.

The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

Anyhoo, when I saw the challenge this month for Daring Cooks, I knew I had to make time to participate this month. I wanted to go a little bit different in my choice of 'nut' and decided to go with the sesame seed option. Though it's not technically a nut, our hosts gave us the option of using it if we wanted. It is also a lot better for me than an actual nut butter and being on WW at the moment, I'm all for something being healthier.

I picked up a few packages of sesame seeds from Penzey's at an insanely wonderful price. The actual making of the sesame seed butter or tahini was fairly simple and quick. Just a quick whirl in the food processor with a little oil and your done!

The second part of the challenge was using the butter in a savory recipe. I debated making hummus with it but eventually decided to go with the Tahini Lemon Sauce by Mollie Katzen. It sounded delicious and a perfect fit with my veggie-ized diet. Just like making the sesame seed butter, the sauce was just as simple and quick.

I served the sauce over steamed yellow summer squash (from my mom's garden) and some plain spaghetti. It was a delicious combination of flavors. The sauce was lemony and nutty from the sesame seed butter. It paired wonderfully with the fresh squash. I have plenty of sauce left and am considering trying it on steamed broccoli as well. The sauce would also be tasty as a spread on a sandwich if it was thickened up a bit. I also have a little of the sesame seed butter left and would love to try it in a hummus.

This month was a great (and tasty!) challenge. Thanks to our hosts! I would love to give an actual nut butter a try soon. Not too soon though because I'm pretty sure I'd eat all of it!

To get all of the recipes for this month's challenge, please check out our hosts for this month. There were many delicious sounding recipes this month. To see more from the Daring Cooks, check out the blogroll here.

Sorry if this is short and messy! I almost forgot to type my post up in time!

Chickpea and Brown Rice Veggie Burgers with Tomato Corn Salad

2010-05-24T00:00:00.001-05:00

I love burgers. Thick and juicy beef patty with a nice big slice of melted cheese on a toasted buttered bun. It sure looks and sounds delicious but it's not very good for you is it? Since I started eating better and trying to lose weight, I've stayed away from the delicious beefy burgers and while I've been happy with my progress so far, I've missed the burgers. I know I could make a burger with lean ground beef but those are always so dry and not very tasty. So I started looking for a veggie burger.

Because of previous love of the beef burger (I still love them to be honest, I'm just being g-o-o-d) I never paid much attention to veggie burgers. I like vegetables just fine but when you are a meat eating gal, you go for the beef burger not the veggie one (well most people I know anyway). I've found many veggie burgers that sounded good and some that were a little out there for my taste. But when I came across this burger on the Weight Watchers website, I knew I had to give it a try.

I made a few changes based on my taste and what I had available but for the most part left the ingredients the same. Instead of the tomato salad in the recipe, I made a tomato and corn salad (made with my freshly picked tomatoes!) to serve with the burgers.

For my first experience with homemade veggie burgers, I was extremely happy. I love chickpeas and use them when I can so I was pleased that they worked so well in a burger. You could serve these on a bun but they work just fine without one. I topped mine with the tomato and corn salad and served a dill pickle spear alongside. A delicious, healthy, and filling meal that will be made again and again in my house. I think the burgers would also be tasty if you vary the seasonings. Smoked paprika is the first one that I'd like to try!

Chickpea and Brown Rice Veggie Burgers
Adapted from Weight Watchers
Servings: 4
Weight Watchers Points: 2

Ingredients

1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
2 Tbsp panko bread crumbs
3 Tbsp shredded carrots
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp minced dried onion (I'm not an onion fan so I rarely have fresh)
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
3 Tbsp liquid egg whites (I used the Eggbeaters version) or 1 lg egg white

Directions

To make burgers, place chickpeas in bowl of a food processor; pulse for 10 second intervals until a course texture is reached, about 20 to 30 seconds total. Add rice and pulse again to combine, about 10 seconds more.

Spoon mixture into a large bowl. Add panko, carrots, parsley, onion, lemon zest, coriander, 1salt and pepper; mix to combine. Add egg white and mix again to combine; refrigerate for at least 10 minutes and up to overnight.

Spray a grill rack or grill pan with cooking spray; heat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.

Form the mixture into 4 burgers using about 1/3 cup of mixture for each (I used a large ice cream scoop that was about 1/3 cup). Spray tops of burgers with cooking spray.

Grill burgers, without moving them (don't touch them!!), until golden brown and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Carefully flip burgers and cook until golden brown and crispy on other side, about 6 to 8 minutes more. Yields 1 burger per serving.

Tomato and Corn Salad
From: Heather's head and fridge
Servings: 2 (1/2 cup each)
Weight Watchers Points: 2

Ingredients

1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup tomato, seeded and diced
1/2-1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for one hour so flavors can mingle. Serve as a side with any meal. Delicious with burgers!

Note: Weight Watchers points calculated using their online tool. I am not affiliated with Weight Watchers International.

Daring Cooks: Enchiladas

2010-05-14T00:00:00.004-05:00

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

Growing up in Texas, I obviously ate a lot of enchiladas. Cheese, beef, chicken, green chili, sour cream, ...you name it, I've probably had it. Any time you take a tortilla (flour is my favorite) and roll it around a filling of some sort then top it with a sauce, I'm game to eat it. Enchiladas are without a doubt, my favorite Tex-Mex food. My favorite combination is a simple cheese with a red sauce.

Our challenge this month was to make enchiladas with a homemade Mexican style sauce. It had to be a Mexican sauce so I decided to go with a 'chili gravy' from Robb Walsh's Tex-Mex Cookbook that I had been dying to make for a long time. This cookbook is the bible of Tex-Mex cooking. As Robb says, chili gravy the life blood of old-fashioned Tex-Mex cooking. It's a mix between an Anglo brown gravy and a Mexican chile sauce. This was the type of sauce that I grew up eating in my enchiladas, both at home and in restaurants. This is the sauce that I love. But it's one that I've never attempted to make. I've always used the canned version and while that's good, it's not homemade.

For my filling, I decided to go simple and use shredded chicken and cheddar cheese. A lot of times, people get too complex on enchilada fillings and in my opinion, simple is better. Too much 'stuff' in the filling almost always ruins the enchilada for me.

I'm sure my mom would have preferred the given green chili enchiladas and I'm also sure they are very good but I much prefer the enchiladas that I ended up making. The sauce was out of this world amazing. There was no doubt that this was an authentic Tex-Mex chili gravy. It was full of the nice bold chile flavor. It was slightly spicy but not too spicy. The chicken and cheese paired wonderfully with the chili gravy. An absolutely delicious meal all around that I will be making many, many times to come.

If you would like to get the recipe for the chili gravy, see page 74 of The Tex-Mex Cookbook.

Thanks to our hosts for challenging us this month to make enchiladas with a homemade sauce. This recipe had set on my shelf for well over a year and I never got around to making it. Now I'm sorry I wasted so much time!

For more from the Daring Cooks, check out the DC blogroll here.

TWD: Mini Quick Classic Berry Tart

2010-05-11T00:00:00.005-05:00

Cristine of Cooking with Cristine picked Quick Classic Berry Tart on page 377 of Baking from My Home to Yours. I'm a sucker for a nice fruit tart and this one just sounded too good to miss.

I made the tarts mini (single gal on a diet here!). I used strawberries for my berry because it's what I had in the freezer at the time. They are my favorite so it wasn't a hardship!

These were lovely little tarts. I'm always a fan of the sweet tart dough and it paired wonderfully with the strawberries and pastry cream. In the mini size, they are perfect single servings. A make again if there ever was one! They would also be delicious with blueberries or any other berry that you fancy. I'd love to try them with fresh when they are in season and in my grocery store at a decent price. For now frozen does just fine.

To see more from the TWD Bakers and the Quick Classic Berry Tart, check out the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll. You can find the recipe on page 377 of Baking or at Cooking with Cristine.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Crescent Rolls

2010-05-01T21:09:00.000-05:00

I've been bad lately and haven't participated in HBinFive. I recently started my Master's degree (ack! What am I thinking?!) and have cut down some on my food blogging. But I had to make the selections for the May 1st bread braid because they sounded to good to miss. Thankfully we were able to use the Pumpkin Pie Brioche because I had some stashed in the freezer. A 24 hour thaw and I was ready to go!

Since the dough was already made, it was a fairly simple recipe to make. The only problem I had was after the 40 minute rest, a lot of the brown sugar had melted. Not a huge deal but it was a little annoying.

I left of the cream cheese frosting off and just sprinkled a little powdered sugar on top. The roll ups were fabulous. Just like mini pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Most of mine ended up looking like them anyway because I messed up on cutting the strips. Oh well. They still tasted delicious. Maybe next time I'll learn to count how many strips I need correctly!

The other recipe for this bread braid is the Milk and Honey Raisin Bread. I didn't have that made up in advance so I've got that in the fridge resting and will make it tomorrow. Will have a post up as soon as I get it made!

To see more from the HBinFive bakers, check out the latest bread braid here! If you would like more information on the HBinFive group, Michelle at Big Black Dogs has the information here.

R2R: Spinach Strata

2010-05-01T20:33:00.000-05:00

This month's recipe for Recipes to Rival is a spinach and pancetta strata from Giada De Laurentiis. Stratas are a great breakfast option that I love to make. Normally I go with a sausage filling but this time it was nice to go with a veggie filling (especially since I'm trying to eat healthier).

I used a homemade white bread from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I really think that added a wonderful sourdough flavor and fresh texture that you just can't get with store bought bread. The only other change I made was substituting bacon for the pancetta. I had bacon already in my freezer and preferred to use that rather than buying pancetta.

I loved this dish. The top was wonderfully crunchy and the bottom was nice and creamy. The spinach was great touch. With a meat strata, it tends to be a little heavy and you feel like you ate way too many calories. The spinach felt lighter, both in taste and in calories. It may not be that much better for you but it sure tasted like it. It is also a great lunch to take into work. Filling but doesn't leave you feeling like you need a snooze!

To see more strata, check out the Recipes to Rival blogroll.

Spinach and Pancetta Strata
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped (I used regular bacon)
1 small onion, chopped
1 (10-ounce) box chopped frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed Italian bread, from a 1-pound loaf (I used a homemade loaf from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
3 cups whole milk
10 large eggs

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a bowl. Add the onion to the pan drippings in the same skillet and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and garlic. Saute over medium-low heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, nutmeg, and the cooked pancetta.

Place half of the bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the bread, then top with half of the spinach mixture. Repeat layering.

Whisk the milk, eggs, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over the strata. Chill the strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake strata uncovered until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Daring Bakers: Traditional British Pudding

2010-04-27T00:00:00.023-05:00

Our Daring Bakers host for the month, Esther of The Lilac Kitchen must have been reading my mind because she choose the one item that I have been dying to make for the last 4 1/2 years, a very British steamed pudding. Specifically, spotted dick. My roommate and I ate numerous servings of spotted dick and custard at a nearby chip shop when we were studying in London. Of course, at first we giggled at the name being the immature college kids we were at the time but we definitely weren't giggling when we chowed down on the delicious spongy puddings. Since then I've wanted to try and recreate the recipe at home but I had no idea where to start. Here are some pictures of that first taste.

Sigh...yummy memories.

A reader sent me a recipe a few months ago and it has been on my to do list since. I did use the recipe provided by Esther for the purposes of this challenge, though it was very similar to the one I was given previously. Now that I've made this version and know how simple it is to make, I will definitely be making the other version as soon as I can.

I didn't have the traditional ingredient of currants handy so I used dried cranberries instead. I also substituted crisco for suet. No matter where I looked, I could not find fresh or boxed suet. My only option was to buy online so I just used criso since I had plenty in the pantry.

Another baker suggested steaming the puddings in the oven versus on the stove top. This was perfect for me because I didn't have the necessary equipment to steam on the stove top but I could use what I had for the oven. I decided to make 3 smaller puddings from the full recipe and cooked them in 3-6oz ramekins. I cooked them at 280° for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

They came out perfectly! I didn't have any major leakage with the oven steaming though one rose to the edge of the ramekin. Taste wise they were almost exactly as I remembered (minus the cranberries of course). Buttery, lemony, rich, and well...just plain amazing. I'm not sure how to describe it adequately. A slightly lemony sponge cake studded with tart cranberries that was so wonderfully delicious. And positively sinful.

I topped the pudding with a homemade custard sauce that I was less than pleased with. This made a great dessert and a wonderful breakfast the next day. For breakfast, I served it slightly heated up and without the custard sauce.

Thanks to our host Esther for the great recipe! I'll have to try the other type of pudding (suet crust) that she offered as well. I had a tasty steak (no kidney pie) in near Windsor Castle that I would love to try again.

To see more variations of traditional British puddings, have a look at the Daring Bakers blogroll!

Type 1 Puddings — suet crusts.

Pudding Crust for both Savoury Pudding or Sweet Pudding (using suet or a suet substitute):

Ingredients

(250 grams/12 ounces) Self-raising flour (Note* If you cannot find self-raising flour, use a combination of all-purpose flour and baking powder.)
(175 grams/6 ounces) Shredded suet or suet substitute (i.e., Vegetable Suet, Crisco, Lard)
(a pinch) Salt and pepper (Note* If making a savory dish, can be replaced with spices for sweet if wished.)
(210 millilitres/a little less than a cup) Water (Note* You can use a milk or a water and milk mix for a richer pastry.)

1. Mix the flour and suet together.
2. Season the flour and suet mixture with salt and pepper if savory and just a bit of salt and/or spices if sweet.
3. Add the water, a tablespoonful at a time, as you mix the ingredients together. Make up the pastry to firm an elastic dough that leaves the bowl clean. The liquid amounts are only an estimate and most recipes just say water to mix.
4. Don’t over handle the pastry or it will be too hard.
5. Reserve a quarter for the lid and roll out the rest and line a well-greased bowl.
6. At this point add your filling.. a couple of options are give below but have fun and go wild!
7. Roll the final piece of pastry out into a circle big enough to cover the top of the basin, dampen the edges and put in position on the pudding, pinching the edges together to seal.
8. Seal well and cover with a double sheet of foil – pleated in the centre to allow room for expansion while cooking. Secure with string, and place it in a steamer over boiling water.
9. Steam for up to 5 hours, you may need to add more boiling water halfway through or possibly more often. There is a lot of leeway in this steaming time and different recipes give different steaming times. Delia Smith says 5 hours for Steak and kidney where as Mrs Beeton says 2.5 for a similar dish! One way to tell that it is cooked is when the pastry changes colour and goes from white to a sort of light golden brown. It is also hard to over steam a pudding so you can leave it bubbling away until you are ready.

Savoury Pudding Filling options: steak and kidney pudding.

1 full amount of suet crust (see recipe above)
(450 grams/about 1 pound) Chuck steak
(225 grams/about 1/2 a pound) Ox kidney
1 medium-sized onion
2 teaspoons well-seasoned flour
splash of Worcestershire sauce

1. Chop the steak and kidney into fairly small cubes, toss them in seasoned flour, then add them to the pastry lined basin.
2. Pop the onion slices in here and there.
3. Add enough cold water to reach almost to the top of the meat and sprinkle in a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper.
4. Follow the rest of the instructions in the crust recipe to finish pudding.
5. Cook for at least 2.5 hours (Mrs Beeton) up to 5 hours (Delia Smith).

Sweet Pudding Options: Sussex Pond Pudding

1 amount of suet pastry (see recipe above)
(120 grams/4.2 ounces) Demerara Sugar
(120 grams/4.2 ounces) unsalted butter
1 large lemon

1. Cut the butter into small pieces and put half in the basin with half the sugar.
2. Prick the whole lemon (preferably one with a thin skin) all over, using a thick skewer.
3. Place on top of the butter and sugar in the basin.
4. Cover with the rest of the butter and sugar.
5. Finish building the pudding as per the pastry recipe.
6. Steam for 3 ½ hours, or longer (for a really tender lemon), adding more water if needed.
7. To serve, turn the pudding into a dish with a deep rim, when you slice into it the rich lemon sauce will gush out.
8. Make sure each person is served some of the suet crust, lemon and tangy luscious sauce.

Type 2 puddings – Steamed Suet Pudding, sponge type.

(100 grams/4 ounces) All-purpose flour
(1/4 teaspoon) salt
(1.5 teaspoons) Baking powder
(100 grams/4 ounces) breadcrumbs
(75 grams/3 ounces) Caster sugar
(75 grams/ 3 ounces) Shredded suet or suet substitute (i.e., Vegetable Suet, Crisco, Lard)
(1) large egg
(6 to 8 tablespoons) Cold milk

1. Sift flour, salt and baking powder into bowl.
2. Add breadcrumbs, sugar and suet.
3. Mix to a soft batter with beaten egg and milk
4. Turn into a buttered 1 litre/ 2pint pudding basin and cover securely with buttered greaseproof paper or aluminum foil.
5. Steam steadily for 2.5 to 3 hours
6. Turn out onto warm plate, Serve with sweet sauce to taste such as custard, caramel or a sweetened fruit sauce.

Variants:
Spotted Dick - Add 75g/ 3oz currants and 25g/1 oz of mixed chopped peel with the sugar.Syrup or Treacle or Marmalade Pudding – put 2 Tablespoons of golden syrup, treacle or marmalade at the bottom of the bowl before adding pudding mix.My Fair Lady Pudding – Add finely grated rind of 1 medium orange or lemon with the sugar.Ginger Pudding – replace the sugar with 100g/4oz of treacle, and add 1/2 tsp ground ginger.

Smoked Paprika Oven Fries

2010-04-17T14:08:00.000-05:00

After a year of living on the bottom floor and not the third like I had for over 2 years, I've gained a bit of weight. You never realize how much exercise you actually get going up and down three flights of stairs many, many, many times a day. I've been working out a few times a week on the treadmill (while watching TV) but that can get a bit boring after a while. I think I've seen nearly every episode of Cash Cab now. Now that spring is here (or that two week period in Texas where it's actually cool and not the scorching heat of summer), Charlie and I have been walking around my apartment complex twice a day (it's .8 miles around in case you were wondering). That has helped in the fitness department but I still wanted to improve the way I ate. In an attempt to not only eat healthier and lose weight, I bought the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook. I didn't want to join Weight Watchers because I'm cheap but I did want to have a book of recipes based on their program that I could use to do it on my own.

The first recipe I made was the Oven "Fries" on page 358. I love french fries, the greasier, cheesier the better. But I know that such a dish is not in anyway good for me. Unless I want to add to the giggle on my thighs. And since that is obviously not something I'm interested in doing, I've been looking for a healthier oven baked fry. Typically, I've lightly coated the potatoes in olive oil with a little salt and a little dried parsley. While these are very tasty, they lacked the crunch that really makes a good fry.

In the Weight Watchers recipe, the potatoes are coated in a mixture of oil and paprika. Right away I new that I wanted to use the smoked paprika that I bought at Penzey's (I love having a location nearby!) a few weeks ago and have been dying to use. I also changed the oil to olive oil because I love the taste of olive oil over vegetable or canola oil. For my potatoes, I used red versus the baking potato because I prefer the flavor and texture.

A really great tip they give at the beginning of the recipe is to soak the potatoes in a cold water with a little with a bit of salt and sugar. This supposedly draws some of the potatoes' own water out so they actually brown and crisp rather than steam in the oven. I've never tried that before but if they say it makes the fries brown better and get crispy, I'm all for trying it.

While these were in the oven, my apartment smelled amazing. The smoked paprika gave off such a warm, smoky scent when they were in the hot oven. And the taste more than lived up to the smell. The fries were slightly smoky but not overwhelmingly so. With a little ketchup to dip, it was a great addition to lunch. And where they crispy? Oh yes. Perfectly crisp and crunchy, just like you had fried them traditionally. Only they were healthier and so much better to eat.

Oven "Fries"
adapted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

makes 4 servings

1 1/4 pounds red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch strips
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Preheat the oven to 450°F, line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine the potato strips, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the sugar with enough cold water to cover the potato strips. Soak for at least 15 minutes then drain and blot dry.

Drying out the same bowl or in a new large bowl, combine the potato strips with the olive oil and smoked paprika (I added a pinch of salt here as well). Toss until all of the potato strips are coated evenly. Spread evenly on the lined baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes or until they are cooked through and crisp. Turn at least once during cooking. Sprinkle with remaining salt after baking if desired.

TWD: Swedish Visiting Cake

2010-04-13T00:00:00.048-05:00

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection is Swedish Visiting Cake chosen by Nancy of The Dogs Eat the Crumbs. This is another one that has been on my want to make list since I picked up the book. It looked delicious and the idea of making it in a cast iron skillet sounded more exciting than a cake pan honestly.

The cake was delicious and so quick to put together. Any cake that takes less than 10 minutes to make (not including letting the butter cool. But that was hands off so...) is on the right track to being something good to me. I was worried that the almond extract would overpower the rest of the cake but it was just the right amount. I'm not sure if this cake was meant for breakfast or not, but I certainly enjoyed it at breakfast and lunch and dessert. It was a great cake for anytime of the day actually.

I thought about sharing this with my coworkers but I didn't. I know...it was selfish of me and probably not in the spirit of a 'visiting' cake but the cake was just too tasty to share. Maybe next time I'll be nice.

Another make again cake to add to the list. Thanks Nancy for the great pick!

To get this week's recipe, check out page 197 of Baking or head over to Nancy's blog. For more swedish visiting cake, see the TWD blogroll here.

TWD: Mocha-Pecan Marbled Bundt Cake

2010-04-06T00:00:00.033-05:00

Erin of When in Doubt…Leave it at 350 chose Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake for our next Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. I actually made this recipe before last week's Coconut Tea Cake but I decided to follow the posting order even though we could do either one because of the Easter holiday this weekend.

I made half of a recipe and got 4 good size mini bundts out of it. I probably could have gotten six out of it but they would have been pretty small. This size was a nice single person portion.

I did the minimal marbling option and was quite happy with the results. I'm not sure if it's in a ginkgo leaf pattern but it looks pretty nice to me. Taste wise it was very nice. I liked the subtle pecan flavor without the crunchy bits (though I'm sure that would be good too). I didn't get a very strong coffee flavor but not being a huge coffee fan, it wasn't a big deal. The chocolate did get a boost from the coffee I think, it seemed chocolatey-er (ummm...yeah...chocolatey-er).

The cake was also incredibly moist. I took it to work for breakfast a few days and it was just as moist the third day as it was the first. This was definitely a make again cake. Thanks Erin for the delicious pick!

You can find the recipe on pages 180 and 181 of Baking or at Erin's blog. For more of either the Coconut Tea Cake or the Mocha-Walnut (or pecan!) Marbled Bundt Cake, check out the TWD blogroll.