I realized I have not talked about any food I have made lately and with the tomato avalanche that is going on at our place I figured I would share the latest tomato soup recipe.  This actually stemmed from my mother’s arrival the weekend of July 4th with a pile of veggies from her North GA garden.  We ate what we (or, I should say I ate, since The Mister shuns most veggies) could before it was time to start coming up with ways to put up the rest before it spoiled.  The freezer is full of bags of shredded zucchini and jalapeño peppers, and we just finished up the onions.  Everything was delicious and much appreciated, but I had one dilemma regarding all the tomatoes.  As many of you know, when you grow tomatoes, unless you can them or gift them to others sooner or later you are going to have way more than you can eat in a timely manner.  This happened with roughly a large Ziplock bag full of tomatoes.  In desperation to keep them for a later use I threw the bag in the freezer and hoped for the best.  I figured I would come up with a way to use them before they took on a funny “came from the freezer” taste.  Well this is the recipe was just the trick.

8 Large or 10 Medium sized tomatoes frozen and then thawed

1.5-2 cups of Chicken Broth

1/4 to 1/2 cup of fresh, chopped Basil

1/2 to 1 cup of Milk (or you could use cream)

1 can of tomato paste

Salt and Pepper (and any other spices you like) to taste

Parmesan Cheese

Squeeze the tomatoes right out of their skins into a large saucepan.  Add the spices, broth and tomato paste and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Once it comes to a boil turn it down to simmer for about 15 minutes.  Let cool and then run through a blender or food processor until smooth.  Poor back into the pan, add the milk and adjust the spices until you get exactly the consistency and flavor you are looking for.  Simmer on low, stirring occasionally, for another 15 to 20 minutes.  Serve it up with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

My homegrown and homemade soup along with a veggie pita, bursting with more homegrown tomatoes and homemade hummus.  All of this displayed on my new IKEA dinnerware in white.

This recipe was enough for three large bowls of soup, but it could easily have fed 4 to maybe even 6 if the portions were brought down a bit.  Either way it was very good, quite thick and rich, but relatively healthy.  The Mister did not realize it was homemade at first and when I let him in on the secret he said he thought it tasted to good to be from a can.  Awe, he always knows just the right thing to say.  ;o)

Hope you all are enjoying as much homegrown veggies as possible this summer!

Kitsch Krafts

I had a craving for doughnuts and this is what transpired.

I pulled some things together that I though might work.  Dough, of course, and some toppings.  Powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar and a little OJ mixed with powdered sugar to make a citrus glaze.

Holes were cut in the Pillsbury Grands Biscuits.  (Yes, they were whole wheat!  Because these were healthy doughnuts!….right, right…)

Some frying happened too.  It was so fast, the picture came out blurry.  ;o)

And, at last the eating commenced.  YUM!

I am beginning to think that all Pillsbury refrigerator dough has been sent from heaven for us to use in any and all crazy concoctions.  (Check out my chicken empanadas post here for another idea.)  It never fails to come out tasting wonderful, no matter what you make with it.

Have you guys ever used any of the Pillsbury products to make something completely different from what they originally intended?  Do share, I am always up for a new kitchen project.

Kitsch Krafts

Yep, I have been slow cooking again.  I love that I can say that now.  Santa brought us a large oval slow cooker this past Christmas and we have been going to town trying to perfect our pot roast recipe.  But, you can only eat so many big hunks of meat with potatoes before you start to get a little bored and want to try something new.  Thank goodness my mom, er, Santa, also brought us a new slow cooker recipe book.  It’s called “Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook”.

(By Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufman and published by Harvard Common Press.)

If you only pull your slow cooker out for your basic pot roast recipe than I highly recommend this book.  It has 350 recipes, like the one below, and they all seem pretty incredible.

Yesterday I decided I needed something sweet, but I did not want to pack up the 6 month old just to run to the grocery for a sweet tooth fix.  Instead I decided to try the Carrot Cake recipe in this book.  Yes, you read that correctly – CAKE!

Slow Cooker Carrot Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup light olive oil

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups shredded carrot (2-3 medium)

3 TB drained canned crushed pineapple or finely chopped nuts

(Note: I used regular olive oil because that is all I had and I did not have quite enough.  So, I used canola oil to make up the difference which was a little less than half the required amount.  I also used the chopped nuts rather than the pineapple and I had a bit more shredded carrot than required, but the cake came out just right.)

The first thing you do is line the bottom of the cooker with a piece of parchment cut to fit and then coat with cooking spray up the sides about one third of the way.  You can also use butter for this step.  Then you whisk together all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  In a smaller bowl, combine the water, olive oil and eggs, beating until smooth.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry all at once and then beat again until smooth.  At this point you will stir in the carrot and the nuts or pineapple.  Spread it evenly in the bottom of the slow cooker, cover and cook on High until puffed and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean (2 1/4- 2 1/2 hours).  (Note #2: I have a brand new slow cooker and I have learned that it tends to run a little hot, so I checked my cake at the 2 hour mark and it was completely done.  Be sure to keep an eye on yours as it cooks since it will end up a dried out brick if it goes to long.)

Once it’s done, turn the cooker off, remove the lid and let it cool for 30 minutes.  Later you can run a knife or spatula around the edge to loosen it from the cooker and pop it right out and on to a serving platter.

Cream cheese icing was added to make it as authentic as possible for the taste test.  And, boy, was this cake goooooooooooooooooddddd!  It came out with a nice color, and the texture or crumb is just what you would expect from a cake baked in a regular oven.  It also came out perfectly moist.  MMMMMM!!!

On a funny note, the Mister crinkled his nose at me when I told him I made carrot cake for desert since anything with veggies (especially carrots) makes him turn and run.  Later I made us some tea and cut a small slice for him along with a bigger slice for me (I knew he would ask for a bite and end up eating all of my cake if I didn’t go ahead and bring some along for him- see I’m not so dumb after all).  I brought the whole shebang up to our bedroom for some cozy TV viewing and before I knew it he had gobbled up my big slice and was eyeing the little one too.  Ah man, don’t I know my Mister…I just had to laugh!  He even grabbed a couple more slices for his breakfast this morning! 

This recipe really is very tasty with just the right amount of spice and of course the cream cheese icing was the perfect topping.  Also, I was thinking that the oval shape of my cooker means I could create a pretty cute egg shaped cake to decorate for Easter.   HHHmmmmmmm…I am thinking brunch menu planning is in my near future.

So, have you guys made any unorthodox recipes in your slow cooker that you can share?  Send them to me.  I want to try anything that sounds yummy!

Kitsch Krafts

As per usual, I cooked my way through the holidays this past year.  From Thanksgiving through Christmas we had company at our home every weekend lasting about four days at at time.  So, this meant lots of meals, snacks and… well, lots of cooking.  Luckily I enjoy making food for a small crowd and I was also blessed with visits from several family members that are great in the kitchen and willing to jump right in to lend a hand.  In between said visits, I also baked a bunch of treats and sent those across the country to land on the doorsteps of distant relatives reminding them that they were in our hearts and minds all year long.  Let’s face it, no matter what is going on during the rush of the holidays, there is nothing like opening a small package bursting with cookies, brownies, slices of fruited breads, cheesy crackers and a few chocolates.  Unfortunately, by the time Christmas actually rolled around I was pretty burnt out on baking any more sweets.  I had planned to whip up some more cookies, breads and crackers to send off with our visiting family, but then I heard their tales of junk food consumption leading up to the big day and I realized we would just be overdoing it.  I even purchased a couple of boxes of that Pillsbury pie crust that comes rolled up and ready to go.  You know the one, it’s in the canned biscuit section of every grocery store and you could wrap it around mud, bake it and end up with a delicacy.  I am serious…I LOVE this stuff. 

So, after all the turkey and pot roast was gone and my pie apples had been roasted in my new crock pot with the pork loin I decided I needed to do something with this crust before it had to be tossed.  The first thing I made is my old standby, the chicken pot pie.  And, as per the norm, it was delish!  I was getting ready to make a second CPP to freeze when I thought, hhhmmmm…what other yummy meal could I make with these ingredients?  That’s when I remembered briefly watching a cooking show where they made chicken empanadas and I thought I would try to pull it off. 

First, I cooked up the rest of the thawed chicken I had gathered initially for the second chicken pot pie and I did so with a few tablespoons of minced sweet onion.  I coated it with lots of black pepper, chili powder, cumin, salt, some thyme and a little sprinkle of red pepper flakes.  After all six of the chicken tenderloins had cooked through I put them on the cutting board and used two forks to shred them.  This is what the filling meat looked like when it was ready to be stuffed into the crusts:

Next I rolled out the Pillsbury pastry to a very thin layer making sure not to roll back and forth to much.  (For the non-regular bakers out there, rolling vigorously back and forth across pie pastry will compact the ingredients to the point that they do not rise up and puff at all.  Thus creating a dense, hard lifeless pie crust.)  I think the finished roll-out was about 1/8th inch thick.  Then I took the largest circle cookie cutter that I have, which is about 3.5 to 4 inches across, and I cut out the empanada rounds.  I managed to get 13 total rounds from just one of the two Pillsbury pastries.  I did have to re-roll the extra pastry one time to cut out four more rounds and then I used the last little bit to make one round that was just a tiny bit bigger than the others. 

Once the rounds were all cut and ready to be stuffed I gathered up some Monterey Jack cheese that I had shredded and a little bowl of water.  I took a round in one hand and stuffed a little bit (literally about a teaspoon) of cheese in the middle.  Then I scooped up some (about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons) of the seasoned chicken and onion mixture and placed it on top of the cheese.  The next step was the tough one….wedging the filling into the pastry crust without tearing it.  I learned that pressing the filling down a bit to compact it helped to fold the pastry around the filling with ease.  In order to keep the crusts sealed I dabbed a finger into the bowl of water and ran a line of that around the circumference of the pastry round before folding it over onto itself.

Just to be sure that the edges were completely sealed I crimped them by pressing down with the tines of a fork after laying them out on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  The pie crust instructions actually do not say to use any grease, but I have learned in the past that a light coating of cooking spray never hurt anyone! 

Plus, my baking sheets are old a funky (from years of cooking spray-ha!) and they need a little lube up in order for the baked goods to come up with ease.

You can see the one in the bottom right corner is the “little bit bigger” empanada, which I made from the last of the pastry.

Once the pastry rounds were stuffed and the edges were sealed, I put them in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.  They puffed, crisped and browned up nicely during that time.  A couple lost some of their cheese filling, but that just made for a nice addition of crunchy oven burned cheese- YUM!  I served these with some black beans that I dressed up with cucumber and onion “salad” (I will have to tell you all about that combo in another post) and a dollop of sour cream. 

They ended up being really, really good and hard to stop eating.  In fact, The Mister had a late meeting that night and I had to put everything away as soon as I was done because I kept hearing them call to me from the counter top.  If it weren’t for the refrigerator door between us The Mister might not have had his chance at a bite!

Give these super easy, Tex-Mex inspired pastry pockets of goodness a try.  I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Happy Eating!

Kitsch Krafts

Yes, you must say that just like Cookie Monster from Sesame Street!  It's just more fun that way.  ;o)  I am a fan of anything sweet.  In fact, it's a bit of a problem and now that the holiday time is rolling around I am finding the call of sweet things almost unbearable.  Recently I was rummaging through the pantry in an attempt to quiet the call of the sugary treats when I came across the tub of oatmeal.  I realized that I have not had any oatmeal cookies in ages.  I don't make cookies very often and I tend to lean toward Nestle Toll House chocolate chip pan cookies for the ease in cooking and the quick chocolate fix.  The last time I came across an oatmeal cookie it was in a box lunch served during a work meeting and the last thing you want to find for desert in your selection is anything other than something laced with chocolate.  Let's face it, work meetings through the lunch hour completely suck!  A little chocolate is the only thing that has kept me awake during those long meeting hours after filling my belly.  Also, those oatmeal cookies that come from different cookie companies like Christie Cookies and Mrs. Fields tend to be two buttery or sugary or something.  They never taste quite right to me and always seem a little over the top in one ingredient or another.  I just always prayed that a chocolate chip cookie would appear in my "long meeting boxed lunch" and then I dealt with whatever arrived....I guess it was better than the "cup of fruit" some places tried to pass off as dessert (Don't push your diet on me PLEASE!).

So, back to the original reason for this post.  I was trying to get something sweet in mah bell-lay and I came across the big tub of Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats that I keep in stock.  Inside the lid they always print a recipe for cookies and I decided this would be the day that I gave that recipe a shot.  Boy oh boy was it worth it!  I added my own flare and cooked them pan style rather than by the drop method (mainly because I don't have time with a 2 month old hanging around the place to drop tablespoonful after tablespoonful).  The basic recipe from the tub lid is below along with my additions. 

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients
• 1/2  cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4  cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2  cup granulated sugar
• 2  eggs
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon salt (optional)
• 3  cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1  cup raisins

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

As I noted above, I cooked them pan style and cut them into bars.  I also used mixed jumbo raisins from SunMaid, chocolate chips and pecan pieces.  They were chewy, crunchy, buttery and perfect with just the right amount of chocolate.  These cookies were a far cry from those crummy versions I have endured during those long work meetings and I would definitely recommend trying out this recipe.

So, what basic recipes have you all added your own crafty style to?

Kitsch Krafts

I hope all of you are having a wonderful day with your loved ones.  The Mister and I had a fabulous Italian dinner last night and have spent the day working our way through these.

mmmmmm.....

Kitsch Krafts

A few years ago, while attending a work meeting out of state, I was introduced to one of the most delicious soups I have ever had.  It seems strange to me that with all the oddball things my mom used to cook for us that I had never had butternut squash soup....just the squash.  Unfortunately, I only got the name of the velvety delight and I left figuring it was way to much work to get that flavor.  So, a few months later when I came across this recipe in Real Simple magazine I jumped at the chance to try it out.  It really is very good and now I try to make up large batches of it when the ingredients are in season and freeze small portions for a hearty, healthy lunch during the dreary winter months.  The best part....it's SO EASY! 

I sprinkled rosemary on top for lunch today and paired the yummy soup with WASA rye crackers and cream cheese.  mmmm....

Butternut Squash Soup

4 leeks, rinsed and chopped (3 cups)
1 3-pound butternut squash, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup shelled raw pumpkin seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons olive oil

Place the leeks, squash, bay leaf, salt, and broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently until the squash is tender, about 12 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Puree the soup in batches and rewarm over medium-low heat.
Meanwhile, place the pumpkin seeds (if using) and rosemary on a cutting board and roughly chop. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the seeds and rosemary and heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with the seeds and rosemary.

Yield: Makes 4 servings (9 cups)
NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 272; FAT 6g ; CALORIES FROM FAT 17.9%; CARBOHYDRATE 52g; POLY FAT 2.2g; CALORIES FROM CARBS 69.4%; PROTEIN 9g; MONO FAT 2.2g; FIBER 10g; SUGAR 10g; CALORIES FROM PROTEIN 12.7%; SAT FAT 1.1g

Enjoy!

Kitsch Krafts