My life will never be the same...

After nearly 21 years of marriage, I was finally talked into buying an electric griddle.  Granted, it was seriously on sale at Kroger or I never would have even considered it.

 

Do you see what I see?   There are SEVEN grilled cheeses being made at the same time.  Dinner for all of us in ONE batch rather than seven.  This is seriously life altering!  I made pancakes for four this morning in only three batches instead of nine.

I'm so hooked I used the griddle for all three meals yesterday. The grilled cheese was dinner.

PANCAKES ala Nourishing Traditions

Soak overnight 2 cups of fresh ground whole wheat flour in enough buttermilk to make a loose paste

In the morning, add 3 small (2 large or xlarge) eggs, 2-3 Tbs sugar or honey, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Mix together and add a water to make the batter pancake consistency.

Cook on the griddle set at 350F.

PORK QUESADILLAS

Everyday Food: Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart Living Magazine p. 138

Layer the following on half of a 10" tortilla:

• Swiss or provolone cheese
• Thinly sliced deli ham
• Thinkly sliced dill pickles (or dill pickle relish)
• Onions (sauteed in butter until translucent)
• More swiss or provolone cheese
• Sliced pork roast (I used leftovers from the day before)
• Spicy brown mustard

Toast on the griddle set at 375F until tortilla starts to turn brown.  Flip and toast the other side.


As Julia would say - Bon appetite!

Roasted Pork with Black-Eyed-Pea Salad

Roasted Pork with Black-Eyed-Pea Salad
Everyday Food: Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart Living Magazine p. 137

I actually followed these recipes exactly. Amazing, I know. :p Both the pork and the salad were AWESOME! I didn't think the teens would like the black-eyed pea salad, but both girls loved it. Flower Child even had it for lunch today.

I tossed the asparagus in olive oil and sprinkled it with parmesan cheese, then roasted it under the broiler for about 12 minutes.  This is also from the Martha Stewart cookbook, but I don't know the page number.  We've been roasting our asparagus for years, but the parmesan made it oh-so-much more yummy!

This one is definitely a keeper!

New cookbook!

Everyday Food:  Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart Living Magazine

I really wanted a new Rachael Ray, but when faced with the rack of her books I couldn't remember which ones I already own.  I'm all about FAST so I decided to pick this one up and flip through it while I was killing time.  I swear I did not intend to leave that store with a cookbook!

Now I'm supercharged excited to start cooking again.  LOVE this cookbook.  Not your everyday food, really, but every recipe is so simple to make and most don't require odd ingredients I don't keep in my pantry.  I liked it in the store, I love it now that I've had time at home to sit and page through it.  And I'm only through spring and summer!

Oh yea!   The book is divided into sections by season rather than type of dish.  In each section are soup, main dish, sides, and desserts that are perfect for that season, taking into account the type of cooking we do in that season and the produce that's available seasonally.  For example, many of the summer recipes are for grilling and are lighter fare than the fall and winter dishes.

I've decided to cook my way through this cookbook.  This is something I've never done before and have been thinking about for the last couple of weeks.  I would have started sooner but I couldn't decide which cookbook to use.  This one dropped into my lap (right off the shelf ;)) just in the nick of time!

Greek-Style Garlic Shrimp over Rice

I modified this from the Greek-Style Garlic Shrimp and Orzo in Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats -- A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners; It is #149 on page 133. I didn't have orzo or enough cherry tomatoes to make the recipe as written, so I improvised with GREAT success.


1 lb shrimp, deveined and peeled, tails removed.
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 Tbs dried oregano or 2 Tbs fresh, chopped
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
Cooked rice

Add the 1/4 cup EVOO, onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes to your skillet.  Turn on the heat to medium high and cook until the onions are translucent. 
And the shrimp to the skillet and cook for a minute or so - make sure you stir and coat the shrimp with the mixture.
Add the can of diced tomatoes, olives, and oregano to the skillet.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until the shrimp are firm and pink, then turn off the heat.

Serve over cooked rice (I started with about 2 cups of dry rice) and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese.

This was INCREDIBLE!  And so easy.  I think it's good enough to make without the shrimp.  I think I would let it cook longer, though, to give the juices some time to reduce.

Bento obsession...

Today's lame attempt at bento for dinner.  I see progress, though.  Notice the star-shaped peanut butter sandwich?

I'm not sure if this is going to be enough for her to eat after practice, but I'm thinking we might eat out afterwards and this will be enough to tide her over until we get there.  Or if we have Mexican, it will be her dinner and she'll have dessert while we eat.

Quesadillas de Camarones

Ingredients
• Flour Tortillas
• 12 whole Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
• 8 ounces, fluid Mexican Red Sauce
• 1 whole Large Onion
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper
• 2 cups Cheese, Grated (Monterey Jack Is Best - I USED QUESO)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt To Taste

Preparation Instructions

1. Pour red sauce over shrimp. Set aside.
2. Chop vegetables into large pieces. Heat skillet over high heat and add olive oil. Cook vegetables over high heat until they start to get brown/black. Remove from skillet and set aside.
3. Return skillet to high heat, dump in the shrimp with the sauce. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until shrimp is opaque. Add in a little water if the sauce gets dry. Remove from skillet and chop into bite-size pieces.
4. In a separate skillet, heat butter. Place a tortilla in the skillet, then layer on ingredients: cheese, vegetables, and shrimp. Top with a little more cheese and a second tortilla. Cook on both sides, adding butter before flipping to the other side so the tortilla isn’t overly dry.
5. Remove from skillet and slice into wedges. Serve with rice, beans, salsa, sour cream, guacamole—whatever you’d like!

I will give credit for this scrumptious recipe as soon as I can remember where I found it online! :p

Easy Baked Oatmeal

I came across this recipe on the Sonlight forums.  At the moment, I can't remember who originally posted it but when I have time I'll come back and give credit where credit's due.  I love this oatmeal because it's easy to fix, doesn't have to sit overnight, and has a texture that my oatmeal haters can tolerate.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar (I use 3/4 cup and it's still good)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cranberries (or to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350F
In a glass, microwave safe mixing bowl melt butter
Add all ingredients, except oatmeal and cranberries, and mix together
Stir in oatmeal and cranberries
Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes

One of these days I'm going to top this with some crushed pecans.  I think that would make it a nearly perfect breakfast.

Peanut Butter Brownies

From Cooking with the Horse & Buggy People II

• 3/4 cup shortening


• 3/4 cup peanut butter


• 2 1/4 cups sugar


• 5 eggs


• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla


• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder


• 3/4 tsp salt


• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips


• 3/4 cup chopped peanuts

Put in a 10x15 pan at 350F for 30 minutes.

Christmas Dinner ~ A First for the Decade

What?  A first?  Yes, this is the first year I have cooked Christmas Dinner all by myself.  I picked the menu, assembled the recipes, bought the ingredients, and managed the workforce.  The end result?  Three buffet dishes for breakfast at the relatives and dinner for my brood and some friends.

BREAKFAST

Cheddar-Sausage Breakfast Quiche
Sweet Ricotta Breakfast Quiche
Baked Brie with Apples & Cranberries

 

DINNER

Baked Ham
Au Gratin Potatoes
Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Beans
Cranberry Orange Salad
Deviled Eggs
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie

Cooking is the area I am best at expressing my creativity.  It was a wonderful gift for me to be able to pour so much of myself into this simple meal.  Why, then, is the the first Christmas Dinner I've cooked this decade?  Simple.  My mother is usually in my kitchen for the holidays and I learned a long time ago to just let her do it her way.  If I want to change my mother's cooking habits all I have to do is tell her how I do it and guaranteed she will do the opposite.  In the interest of family peace, I live with the same, old bland and boring holiday food every year.  (Well, except for the homemade noodles.  My mother makes exceptional noodles!)  This year she and my sisters stayed in Missouri and we stayed in Kentucky.  Really a win-win if you ask me!

Sausage-Cheddar Breakfast Quiche

Ingredients

1 lb bulk breakfast sausage
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 eggs
1 cup milk or half-and-half
1 tsp ground mustard
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 - 8" pie crust

Directions:

• Brown sausage in a skillet and remove with a slotted spoon - you can also let the sausage drain on a paper towel to remove even more fat


• Place crust in pie plate


• Arrange sausage on bottom of crust


• Sprinkle cheese on top of sausage


• Whisk together eggs, milk, ground mustard, and salt & pepper


• Pour egg mixture slowly over cheese and sausage


• Bake uncovered at 350F for 35-40 minutes ~ eggs shouldn't be jiggly when it's finished

This recipe was modified from Paula Deen's Sausage Quiche from the website grandparents.com. I like to add mustard to my sausage quiche and I also wanted more eggs and less milk.

Yummy!