Wednesday, March 30, 2011

AppeSnack!

Meet the treat that inspired Nate to say the word AppeSnack.

 
 
My old roomie John told me about this fresh and light tasting treat. Fresh endive with Boursin cheese. It's the perfect Appetizer/Snack to nosh on while you cook dinner. It's not always easy to catch fresh endives at the grocery, so grab'em while you can! 
 
 

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Excited about Brussells Sprouts


My grandma's old steamer pot jumps for joy! It's because the amazingly healthy and tasty Brussells Sprouts are cooking inside. Did you know that this cruciferous vegetable is rich in fiber, protein, antioxidants and has even been linked to reducing cholesterol and the risk of cancer? Amazing stuff! In fact, there are so many health benefits, you should check out this website to get the complete nutrition facts. You'll jump for joy too! They're so tasty and SO good for you!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

What's For Dinner - Pasta & Steamed Artichokes!

Simple whole wheat pasta with tons of garlic, sauteed with olive oil, spinach from the garden, baby bellas and black olives. I added a touch of salt & pepper but the bold garlic flavor required little addition. Of course, it had to be topped with freshly grated parmiagiano reggiano.


We steamed 3 artichokes for about 30 minutes. It probably could have cooked for longer. It was supposed to be the appetizer, but we didn't realized it took that long! Dipped in freshly melted butter, it tasted dreamy. 


I think the black olives and parm were the only un-organic elements of this meal. We are slowly trying to convert as many of our staples as possible. It takes time, as it is NOT a cheap endeavor. But, the taste makes it sooooooo worth it!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

New feature for my current and future followers!

Thank you to all of my wonderfully supportive readers & "Followers"! I LOVE working on this blog and your support keeps me inspired! I hope to increase my following and to make a difference in your lives in the kitchen.

Staying up to date on my posts just got easier! You can now submit your email address (at the bottom of the page, above the follower's list) and get emailed every time I post something new. Don't worry, you won't be getting emails every day.. I am lucky if I can post more than 2 times per week. I don't want Facebook to be my only outlet for sharing the new posts. Depending on when I share it on Facebook, you could miss my latest post if it gets lost in your new feed.   

I hope that all of my current followers will consider submitting their emails! I would love to know that people are consistently reading my blog. Thank you and I hope you will keep Sharing the Food Love!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Family Treasures

My Great Grandma Bryant's Chocolate Meringue Pie

Sorry folks, I won't be sharing this family recipe. I am the 4th generation to carry on this recipe. There is something so comforting about this pie. It takes some patience to master, but it's so worth the tired arm from the constant stirring!

  This pie won the "Family Recipe" Cook-Off in 2008 when Nate & I hosted our last Cook-Off at Dolphin Head on Hilton Head Island. The photo shown here was my first stab at the recipe. Turned out with perfect peaks! The one I made for the competition had a pathetic, fallen meringue. Apparently, looks aren't everything and the incredible taste took the cup! Made my Momma proud! I wonder if anyone else in the family has won a competition with it. 
 ~
I have a challenge for you, my readers. What is your classic family recipe? The one that must be served at every special family dinner.. or else someone is in trouble! Have you tried making it yourself?  Can you make it just like _____ used to make? Give it a shot & tell me how it turns out. It feels so good to be able to carry on a tradition.... and to enjoy the comfort of that special taste that brings back so many memories.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

What's For Dinner - Miso Soup, My Way

On a whim, I bought some white miso paste at the grocery store and decided I would give the soup a try. (But of course, with my personal touch.) I searched online for some basics on how to make it and took it from there. The most important thing about making miso soup, I learned, was that you can't let the miso boil. No problem.

I already had tofu and baby bella mushrooms in the fidge. I picked some kale from the garden. (Yes, it survived all winter, through a few dumpings of snow.) I had some chopped chives in the freezer that we harvested from the garden at the end of the season. It really helps when you have good stuff in the fridge at all times. You could be really creative with this recipe, I think. It was so easy!

This is how I made it:
I added the kale and green onion to 6 cups of water and brought almost to a simmer before adding a table spoon of Chicken flavored Better Than Bullion paste. (In stead of the bullion paste, you could just replace 1 or 2 cups of water with chicken or veggie stock.) Once dissolved and barely simmering, I added half a block of cubed tofu and a few thinly sliced mushrooms. I let it cook a few minutes on low heat, almost but not quite simmering. Once the mushrooms seemed barely cooked, I removed the pot from the heat. I ladeled out about 1 cup of the broth into a measuring cup and dissolved the miso paste in it. I used about 3 tablespoons of paste total, dissolving  about 1 cup broth to 1 tablespoon at a time then dumping back into the pot of soup. I tasted it once all mixed and added a few shots of liquid aminos to add some soy sauce flavor. No salt or pepper and it turned out delicious and miso-y! YUM!

I think you can really play and come up with many variations of this recipe. Of course, you could make it more traditional, with kelp and bonito. Or, you can just take what you have in the fridge and play with the amounts of water, stock, miso and veggies you use. Have fun!

Miso is very, very good for you. Check out this link to read about it's health benefits and get another (more traditional) recipe. NaturalNews.com on Miso Soup 

Monday, March 7, 2011

Artist & Philosopher.. I like that!

 In my planning of the blog, I found several great quotes about cooking and food. 
Here is one that I can relate to... 

“The true cook is the perfect blend, the only perfect blend, of artist and philosopher. He knows his worth: he holds in his palm the happiness of mankind, 
the welfare of generations yet unborn.”
- Norman Douglas (1868-1952)



Oh yes, in the palm of my hand. :-)

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Homemade Stock. It's easier than you think.

If you have the freezer space, it's a great idea to make your own veggie or chicken stock and have it on hand at all times. It adds the best flavor and nutrition to homemade soups and sauces, without all of the sodium you get in the store bought stuff. 

Making your own stock is pretty simple. It really just comes down to having the space in the freezer; for storing the veggies or bones and then storing your containers of stock after it's made. 

The photos shown here are of our most recent and long over-due stock making session. Unless you have 3 huge pots like us, you will probably want to make your stock once you have about 3 or 4 gallon zipper bags of veggies or bones. You will have less yield, but it will also take up less space in the freezer. We got 8 quarts of veggie stock and 2 quarts of chicken stock from this batch.


1. Start saving all of your unused vegetable stalks and skin and put in gallon sized freezer bags. You can even use onion skins! In separate bags, keep any chicken carcasses, cleaned of meat. Once you have a few bags full, it's time to make the stock.
 
2. Fill your large pot with veggies, pushing them down to fit as much as possible, leaving a couple of inches space from the top.



We put our chicken carcasses in a separate pot and put some old celery from the fridge in with it. We also saved the broth from cooking a chicken in a crock pot and added that to the chicken carcass/ celery mix. 
 
 3. Pour water over the veggies/carcasses until completely covered. 

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, allowing to simmer, uncovered. Stir occasionally. Keep simmering for about 4-5 hours, until more than half of the water has cooked down and liquid is a rich brown color. Your house will smell amazing!

 5. Time to strain! Strain first with a regular colander and dump veggie pieces into a bucket or large bowl for composting.  Strain again, through a cheese cloth lined colander. For chicken stock, dump bones and large pieces into a trash bag and discard. 


Strained and ready to use chicken stock!


Vitamin packed vegetable stock!
6. Allow stock to cool in the pot before transferring to freezer safe containers. We like the quart sized screw top kind.

7. Write the date on the lid and put in the freezer. Try to use within a couple of months. We try to use all of our frozen stock before making a new batch.

It just makes sense for us to make stock. We are taking up less space in our kitchen compost bucket and can dump it less often, since all of our veggie parts are going in the freezer. We are getting all of the health benefits from those inedible or unappealing parts of the vegetable skin and stalks. We are saving money because we are utilizing every part of the vegetable or chicken, creating little to no waste. Once the veggies are all cooked down, they end up in the compost anyway, only most of the work for breaking it down in compost is already done when it gets there. Making the stock requires little hands-on time and we actually save time by having stock on hand, instead of having to get it at the store. And, by not getting it at the store, we are reducing our intake of sodium and other additives that are in the store-bought kind. It's a small commitment of time for such great rewards! Did I mention that it tastes amazing too?

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Healthier And Just As Tasty


I got this adorable card for my birthday from Nate's Mom, Vicki. She really knows me! I don't allow myself to keep all of the cards I get. (I have too much clutter already.) But, I think I will have to hold on to this one! It inspired me to write this post, sharing 3 modifications to a chocolate chip cookie recipe to make them (a little bit) more healthy. These are so soft and delicious that I could eat them all of the time. (I'll try not to.)


If you are going to make cookies, why not try to make them as healthy as possible? Then, you don't have to feel as guilty about how many you eat. Not even the ones you sneak late at night while no one is watching!  After making cookies, I always wake the next day to having far fewer cookies than I had when I went to bed! Nate is more of a cookie monster than I am!




Tip # 1: Always use oats!
They add a more flavor, texture and nutrition! Oats have so many health benefits, from reducing cholesterol, reducing the risk of cancer and helping to regulate blood sugar and blood pressure. (Read more at eatmoreoats.com.) Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies may not be the best (or only) way to get your oats, but every little bit helps! 

Tip #2: Replace butter with apple sauce!
We live in apple country, so we have canned local apples for the past two seasons. Last year, we canned at least a dozen quarts of apple sauce! This stuff is so smooth and sweet and has absolutely no additives (except maybe a dash of citric acid for better canning). For your cookies, any cookies really, replace equal amounts of softened butter with apple sauce. You don't have to can your own, but it sure does taste better! We like having it on hand at all times, as another one of those pantry staples. Keep the oats on hand too and you can make yummy cookies anytime.

Tip #3: Use whole wheat flour!
This tip applies for pretty much any baking. We have started replacing all recipes calling for all-purpose flour with organic whole wheat. The flavor it brings is subtle, yet it makes breads, cakes and cookies have a slightly more complex taste.

The Recipe:
So, I am not so advanced in my cooking that I come up with all kinds of recipes on my own. Maybe one day. For now, I look at recipes I find on the internet, or on the side of the box of oats and I modify them. I also like to combine aspects of several different recipes to get what I want. My cookie recipe came from the Quaker oats box. I have included my modifications here. Hope you enjoy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies 
Ingredients:
-1 cup apple sauce
-1 1/4 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 large eggs
-2 tablespoons vanilla
-1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-2 1/2 cups oats
-2 cups chocolate chips

*Heat oven to 375 degrees
*Beat apple sauce and sugar until creamy.
*Add eggs, milk & vanilla. Beat well.
*Add flour, baking soda & salt. Mix well.
*Fold in chocolate chips 
*Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet.
*Bake 9-10 minutes for chewy cookies. (They may not look totally done when you remove from oven.)
*OR Bake 12-13 minutes for crispier cookies. (You will probably never achieve a fully crispy cookie from this recipe. The apple sauce adds so much moisture, that we have never had dry or crispy cookies when using it.)

*Other modifications: Instead of chocolate chip cookies, try mint chocolate chips, dried cranberries with white chocolate chips or with nuts and pumpkin seeds. There are endless combinations!