Vegie Calzones

I have used up my quick and easy meals over the past week: egg burritos, chili, and a a few salad dinners. So I had to think about dinner tonight.

We are having vegetarian calzones with spinach, portobello mushrooms and onion. I will chop all of those ingredients together and then lightly sauté them. You can stuff them with anything you like.

Sometimes you will convey your feelings about dinner to your family. So if you are not happy about what you are serving, you could say "pizza pockets." Everyone will probably reply. "Oh."

However, you can put them on a pretty plate and say, "Tonight we have homemade calzones with sautéed baby spinach, portobello mushrooms and sweet Spanish onion." Then the response will be more like "ooooh." It is possible to improve mealtime just by delighting in serving your family.

Here is a simple dough recipe for 12 calzones:
Combine:
2 cups warm water
1 Tbl yeast
1 tsp sugar
Let sit a few minutes until bubbly. Add 1 Tbl olive oil, 5 cups of flour and 1 tsp salt. Knead or mix in your kitchen aid adding up to another 1/2 cup of flour if needed. Rise until double, or about 1-1/2 hrs.

Quick tip for french bread or pizza dough- I have found that a little longer kneading and a little longer rising time (than regular bread recipes) makes better dough.

Punch down dough and roll into a 6 inch circle. Fill the circles, careful not to touch the edge. Fold over, press edge with a fork. Brush with and egg wash. Rise 30 minutes. (I will put mine in the fridge to lengthen rising time because we return late tonight.) Bake. 375 degrees.
A few tips on the stuffing:

• Portion your dough before you start. Also portion your filling, you want about 1/4 to 1/3 c. filling for each.
• Sundried tomatoes, fresh or drained/stewed tomatoes are a little easier than sauce because if any of your filling touches the outer rim it doesn't seal properly. If you use sauce, don't let it be too thin.
  
• Roll out the circle on a well floured surface so you don't tear the bottom when you transfer it to a baking sheet.
• Don't leave cheese or vegies too large, they can poke through when you fold over the dough.
• I like to mix all the ingredients together before I stuff them.

I have had some success freezing the stuffed calzones (don't rise them) and rising/baking it another day.

Kung Pao Tofu

Tonight our family has a class together and we do not return for dinner until late.

We are still not eating meat, although we did this weekend while visiting family. I was surprised how filling it was after not eating it for just one week.

I have already cubed one package of firm tofu, it is wrapped in plastic , waiting in the fridge.

Also waiting is:
Chopped red and orange sweet peppers
Sugar snap peas, halved
white onion
about 2 Tbl each of minced garlic and ginger

We love this dish, but I guess I say that about everything. I will have the rice and water waiting so I can start that right when I walk in the door. Then I will heat a little sesame oil in the skillet with the ginger, garlic and a 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper.

Before or after that is heating I will mix the sauce in a cup:
1/4 cup of water or broth
1 Tbl of Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbl soy sauce
2 tsp honey
2 tsp of corn starch

After the oil and spice smells nice, throw in the onion, a moment later add the peas and sweet peppers and stir. About two minutes later add the tofu and stir lightly so the tofu doesn't break up. Add the sauce and simmer a moment until it boils and looks, well, saucy.

Sprinkle a half cup of roasted peanuts over the top and serve with rice. We prefer jasmine. I don't see why you couldn't try this with cubed chicken breast. Let me know if you do.

Potatoes with Peas

Tonight I am anxious to try out my new Indian cookbook. We will eat potatoes and peas with cumin, and Naan. There are lots of recipes for Naan, and I will probably make it tonight but it is never as good as what you get from a restaurant--or even the store because you just can't simulate a tandoori oven.

That sounds a little starchy so I will also serve a cucumber with a little lemon juice and cilantro sprinkled over it and plain yogurt.

First, I will wash and cube about one potato per person. This cannot be done too far in advance, because the potatoes discolor. You can keep them in a bowl of cold water about an hour before you plan too cook them.

Finely chop 2 Tbl garlic and 2 Tbl fresh ginger together.

For 4-5 potatoes, Add 2 tsp cumin seeds into a large skillet with 2 Tbl of oil. Roast until darkened. Add the garlic and ginger, a sliced chili, 2 tsp turmeric, 1/4 cup of tomato paste and the potatoes. Then cover with 2 and 1/2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover and cook. Add the peas when the potatoes are almost done. The recipe calls for shelled peas, I am going to use sugar snap. It also cooks them longer but we like crisp vegies. The peas to potato portion is almost equal. Decide what you prefer. Stir occasionally, you may need to add more water. Sprinkle with cilantro. This would also be nice if you substituted spinach for the peas, adding it just at the end to soften.

One reason why this book appealed to me, besides the fact that Kevin and I had one of our first dates at an Indian restaurant, is that all the recipes are quick and easy. Six ingredients. Perfect for busy families.

Lentil Tacos

I always seem to have spring blahs. I know many people do and I am not sure if it is the anticipation of summer and the disappointment of lingering cold, or if there is something else.

We plan to try out for a play tonight, it will be just the kids and me this time. But I assume hubby will get roped into it at some point--he did last year.

Hence, we enter our busiest season, where meal planning is crucial. So thinking ahead is mandatory. I guess I assume everyone thinks about the morrow's dinner while they are cleaning up the current dinner, but after a discussion with my sister last night, not everyone obsesses about food like me. Or rather, meal planning is not natural function for every woman.

So the plan for tonight is lentil tacos, we are taking a hiatus from meat for a few weeks and this will be more challenging for me than usual. But as my mom always said, "the less options you have, the more creative you are."

I soaked 2 cups of lentils in cold water for a few hours in a pot on the stove. Next, I sliced onion, bell pepper and a Serrano chili. That combination is waiting in a sealed bowl. Also waiting is a bowl of lettuce, a bowl of shredded cheese and a portion of corn tortillas for everyone.

When I return, I will put a little chopped onion (already waiting) in a skillet with olive oil and spices: cumin, chili powder, garlic and cayenne. Then add the rinsed, drained lentils and a cup of water. Add water as needed until the lentils soften and they have a "ground beef" consistency." It takes about 20 minutes.

While that is going, lightly saute the peppers and onions. Everyone makes their own tacos at the table.

We all love this. A couple of things you can do for the meatless-hesitant: serve with sour cream and use beef broth instead of water.

They way we have grown to love corn tortillas is to spread a scant dab of butter or use a pastry brush with butter/olive oil on one side of each tortilla. Then stack them on a small plate and wrap with plastic wrap. Microwave 2-3 minutes, they will be pliable and not break.

Quiche

Quiche is a simple dish, great for any meal.

Our favorite is green chilies and cheddar.

Growing up, my mom usually made broccoli and jack cheese quiche. But there are so many combinations possible.

This quiche here, is the first one I made with meat. I used breakfast sausage and jalapenos.

Preheat the oven 425 degrees.

First make a pie crust:

1- 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 cup of shortening (or butter)
2-4 Tbl water.

Cut the flour and butter together. Be careful not to over work it with your fingers. If it is a hot day, freeze the flour and butter a little while at this point to chill it. Add 2 Tbl of cold water and stir to pull the mixture together. Add more water if it doesn't form a powdery ball.

Roll out the crust between two pieces of wax paper until it is a large circle. (I use a silicone baking mat in the image) Remove the top piece, slide your hand under the bottom and invert onto a pie plate. Cut the edge which hangs over. Put it into the freezer while you work on the filling.

First chop about 1/4-1/2 cup of onion and place into the bottom of the pie crust. Then add up to a cup of your favorite cheese or cheese blend. Then your main filling: sausage, canned chillies, asparagus, etc.

In a blender place 5 eggs, a little garlic, paprika, salt and pepper and 2 cups of cream. Since I rarely have heavy cream on hand, I often substitute yogurt or sour cream (or a mixture) for the heavy cream. They both give a unique twist. Yogurt makes a very light quiche. Blend, pour over the filling.

Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce the oven to 300 degrees and bake about 45 minutes longer or until the egg puffs a little and is browned. Watch the last 20 minutes as you may need to cover it with foil to prevent burning.

Holiday Cinnamon Rolls

These take time. Makes about 12.

2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbl. yeast
¼ raw honey
½ cup sunflower oil (or any light flavored oil, butter is great too but for economical reasons I use oil.)
5 cups unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1 cup white sugar mixed with 1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar or raw sugar
1 Tbl. vanilla

Heat 1-1/2 cups buttermilk in a glass dish in the microwave for 2 minutes. It will curdle and separate. Remove and add 1/2 cup cold buttermilk.

Place yeast and honey into a large bowl. Pour a little buttermilk over the mixture and stir. Stir in all the buttermilk, 2 cups of white flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk mixture until smooth. (Don't use an electric beater.)

Let mixture sit 30 minutes. (I have left it longer.) It should rise up the side of the bowl.
Add the oil and 3 remaining cups of flour. Knead until smooth. The dough should be sticky, add a little flour if necessary to make the dough smooth.

Let rise 1-1/2 to 2 hours in a greased bowl.

Punch dough down and roll it out into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. I think about 24 x 12 inches. Spread cinnamon and sugar over the top and roll up. Cut ends off.

Cut into 12 slices and place in a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Melt butter and brown sugar in the microwave till melted and a little bubbly. Add the vanilla and pour over the rolls evenly.

Rise overnight in the fridge or about 1-1/2 hours. Bake 375-degree oven 30-40 minutes. Don't let them get too brown. Invert on a platter and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

These are nice because they rise overnight and all of the work is done the next morning when you pop them in the oven.

I have adapted this recipe from several others, taking what I liked best. They aren't too sweet, as some cinnamon rolls can be. They have a light caramel glaze on top after you invert them and the dough is soft and tasty.

Convenient Food 2, Enchiladas

Another way I use the freezer is to make frozen burritos with leftovers.

Take all of the mixin's from burrito night: cheese, meat, beans, even sour cream and leftover salsa, (hold the lettuce) and fold together.

Wrap the filling into tortillas and fold. Place them flat on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once they have frozen hard, transfer them to a ziplock bag.

Now the kids can use them as a quick microwavable snack or you can use them as a fast food dinner.

I have had luck pulling these out, setting them in a lightly greased dish to defrost awhile, then pouring a can of enchilada sauce over them before I bake them.

If you don't have a can of enchilada sauce here is a recipe:

Boil 2 cups of any broth with 1/2 onion, a clove of garlic, a pinch of oregano, one bay leaf, 1 tsp cayenne and 4 Tbl. Chili powder. Reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf, blend.

Now be careful, I use a hand held kitchenaid mixer. If you put it in your blender hot -- you might decorate the ceiling.

Pour over your burritos, top with cheese and bake till bubbly.

Preserving Herbs

Home grown herbs are so much more flavorful than store bought herbs it makes me wonder just how old some of them are.

My favorite way to dry herbs is to group the herb in three bundles. Make one slightly larger than the other two. Tie the larger one on one end, another one on the opposite end and one slightly offset from the center.

Then hang the herbs. I use my laundry room because the dryer keeps it warm. Just throw the large bundle over a bar. You can also use a closet rack or place the string on a hanger and put it pretty much anywhere.

For something like dill, I prefer to just lay it flat to dry. It is too delicate to handle dry.

Once they are thoroughly dry, snip the string and crush the herbs. Store them in a left over jam or mustard jars. Some jars are so pretty and after you have enjoyed the condiment you bought, it is nice to find a use for the jar.

Another option to save the flavor of summer is to blend the herbs in butter and scrape the mixture into ice cube trays. Freeze and keep them stored in any freezer proof bag or container.

Then when you want to make rye-dill bread: just pop out a cube and use it for the fat in your recipe. You can also use it to bake fish or melt over a steak. It is a quick dress-up for plain noodles as well.

If you want the butter a little more spreadable, you can blend equal parts butter and vegetable or olive oil, a little fresh garlic and your herb. This is economical too, butter can be expensive. It has the same amount of fat but less cholesterol -- whatever that is. It makes a great spread for garlic bread too. Spread it on the bread, sprinkle a little Parmesan and broil.

I once read that basil does not store well, it looses its flavor. But I go through my herbs in one year and I have never found any store bought basil to rival my own dried.

German Pancake

An easy weekend brunch item is German Pancakes. We serve them with real maple syrup or fresh squeezed lemon juice and powdered sugar. Although my boys have been know to put Tabasco or garlic on them. I don't recommend it.

Put 6 TBL of butter in a 9X13 pan and place in a oven set to 400 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, crack eggs in a blender until you have 1-1/2 cups. (from 6-8 usually). Blend. Add a pinch of salt a TBL of sugar (either brown or white), and pour milk until it reaches 3 cups. (Which is adding 1-1/12 cups)

By now the butter should be melted. Pour entire batter into the pan. Set the timer for 22 minutes and when you return it will have puffed beautifully.

I does flatten so have the table set because everyone oohhs and ahhs and calls out claims on the pools of butter.

I know, I need to post something healthy next.

Pesto

I have had an extremely successful basil year. All of my basil was grown from seed. I used left over plastic tree tubs to hold the bagged dirt. The bottom half was filled with mulch to economize. I think the black plastic has helped keep the dirt warm since we've had such a cool summer. Where is global warming when you need it?

I have been able to harvest several times as well as frequently pinch off a little here and there for meals.

Homemade pesto is not a health conscious but we love it!

For years it has been "date food" for my honey and me. We would put the kids to bed and watch a movie with a bowl of pesto and a hunk of crusty sourdough. Now that the kids love it as much as we do we can't get away with that.

Store bought pesto is expensive and, like everything else, a mere shadow of the homemade stuff.

Making it is simple in a food processor. We use walnuts because we typically have them in abundance from my grandparents. Pine nuts are preferred by many.

Place 1 cup of soft nuts, several cloves of garlic (depending on your taste -- one may be enough), one cup of shredded Parmesan and one cube of melted butter. Process a few seconds and add by the handful, 4 cups of fresh basil leaves and the soft green stems. The exact amounts can vary slightly to suit your taste.

You can remove the leaves from the stems completely but I use the stems if they are not woody. Sometimes I have to add a little olive oil if it is too thick.

You can actually replace the butter with olive oil or a combination of both. Extra virgin olive oil gives it a different flavor and a softer texture. When you refrigerate pesto made with butter, it hardens.

I have made several batches to keep in the freezer this year. The other night we had friends over (waving at DeeAnn) and pulled a ziplock bag from the freezer to make pesto pizza. It was so convenient. The recipe above filled two quart sized bags.

If you want to eat it as a dip, either heat in an oven safe bowl while you heat your bread or microwave it about 30 seconds until the green color deepens and the cheese is bubbly.

Leftovers keep about a week in the fridge and if used as a spread, turn boring sandwiches into gourmet meals.

Avgolemono Soup

This Greek soup is light yet surprisingly satisfying. It is perfect for a summer lunch.

Avgolemono means egg and lemon and is used for all kinds of sauces. This recipe has orzo, a rice shaped pasta. I have also substituted rice but we like the pasta better. You could also subsitute any small pasta, even broken spaghetti.

Boil 8 cups of chicken broth and 1/3 to 2/3 cup of orzo for five minutes. (When I make it for myself I use less pasta because I like broth soups but when I make it for the kids they usually like more pasta)

While the broth is simmering, whisk 3 eggs, the juice of one lemon (about 3 TBL bottled juice) and a Tbl of water. Pour a little broth and pasta into the whisked egg mixture while you continue to whisk. Add it slowly or the egg mixture curdles and the texture is not so nice. Continue to add broth until you have added at least as much broth as there was egg, doubling the egg amount. Add all of the egg mixture to the broth and heat one minute more, taking care not to boil the liquid.

Salt it to taste and add lots of cracked black pepper.

Winter Garden

Sprouts are easy to grow and this is a method my parents figured out.

My dad cut a screen of some sort the size of a wide mouth mason jar.

It is an easy, inexpensive way to grow sprouts without buying a kit. Because it is so tall you will need to rinse it frequently.

First, put a TBL of seeds in the jar, fill it with water and wrap a towel around the jar. This is to prevent the seeds from turning green in case you want to do it for a homeschool lesson)

Fill the jar with tepid water and soak overnight.

Rinse with tepid water each day. You will notice growth in a day or two.

Not every seed will sprout but when the majority are a good size, remove the towel and let them grow for another day unwrapped.

You will need to eat them or refrigerate them at this point.

Dutch Oven Tomatillo Pork Roast

We had our first prepared meal in our new home last night. It was appropriate, after honey's first day. I am not very experienced with cooking pork but with a little over the phone help from my mom we figured out a recipe.
I placed a 3 lb pork loin in a bowl with about 1/2 cup of homemade tomatillo salsa (any salsa verde would do) I marinated the loin approximately 30 minutes.

I heated my dutch oven on the stove top with a little olive oil. Then I seared the meat on both sides. Next I placed one large onion cut into wedges around the roast and scraped the remaining salsa marinade from the bowl into the dutch oven and sprinkled the entire thing with 1 tsp of salt. I covered it with a lid and baked it 2 hours at 350 degrees. Then I drained the juices, into my cast iron skillet and prepared a thin gravy. I added a drained can of black beans to the dutch oven and cooked it about 20 minutes more. I served it with brown jasmine rice.

The house is still littered with the signs of moving but last night it smelled like home.

Simple Fish Patties

This will work with 2 cans of salmon, crab, leftover fish from another meal, or a combination of fish and shrimp that is already cooked.

They are a quick and easy to prepare option when you forget to plan for dinner.

In a bowl place 2 cups of flaked fish
one handful of oats
one small handful of crackers, crush them as you add them to the bowl
2 eggs
1 Tbl lemon juice
garlic powder, salt, black or white pepper, paprika, crushed red pepper to taste
I scoop out about 1/4 cup and fry it in olive oil on a hot cast iron skillet until they are golden brown on each side.

I served these the other night, made with leftover halibut, with rice and some home canned peach salsa given to me by a friend. It was a perfect accompaniment. (Thanks Heather!)

The boys ended up rolling a patty into a sheet of nori and had a wasabi contest.

The funny thing is my honey and I did that years ago when we were dating. (He won.)

Frugal Sourdough

The kids and I (mostly me) were wondering just how cost effective making your own bread its. Taste aside, is it worth it?

We drew up a graph, went to the store and found the best price for all ingredients. We came home and after jotting down the recipes discovered generically: Yes, it is worth it.
(Not counting gas to purchase it or electricity/gas to cook it.)

The only variable would be if you hated making bread or you felt that it wasn't worth any effort to save one dollar or if you went through a whole cube of butter every time you pulled a loaf from the oven.

The only exception is that I regularly buy a sliced, hearty whole grain bread for sandwiches. I don't care for my homemade 100% wheat, as I mentioned before, but I everyone eating that for lunches.

For example, 2 loaves of French bread costs $1.03 to make, compared to $3.79 for 2 similar sized loaves. Country white bread (with milk, eggs and butter) was $1.26 and wheat came to $1.12. My most expensive loaf was Northern Maine Oatmeal bread using molasses, honey, oats and egg. It cost $1.40 each loaf. Imagine what you'd pay at a specialty shop. Keep in mind though this was using unbleached flour, real butter or extra virgin olive oil. Good stuff.

By far, the greatest savings was in my quick sourdough. The cost of this loaf was .78 cents. Directions: Place 3 cups of flour into a bowl. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp of sugar. Stir. Make a well in the center of the flour. Add 1/4 tsp of yeast. (yes that's all) (Note the following has been edited because of a mistake) Add enough water to 2 Tablespoons Apple cider vinegar to make 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Pour it on to the yeast. Stir well.
Let it sit covered, but not air tight for 24 hours.

For awhile I would stir up a new batch while the previous day's bread was baking. It became an easy routine because this bread is so simple.

It has a lovely texture. Pull the dough from the bowl and lightly press into a ball on a generously floured surface. You don't knead to need, you don't even need to knead. Pinch the bottom together to form a ball. Place on a lightly greased piece of tin foil and place a dutch oven in your oven, heat both to 450 degrees.

I haven't tried it without my dutch oven based on a podcast I watched from cooksillustratedonline.com.

You then lift the tin foil and transfer the bread to the hot dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Improv Bread

We have decided to be less healthy.

Not the normal declaration, I know. But my 100% whole wheat bread is just so heavy, hard and dull that I decided to buy some white flour. I watched a podcast from COOKS Illustrated online and I mouth began to water over their scones. Last time we had white flour in our house was for Christmas baking.

I handed my husband his sandwich this morning when he was on his way out, it felt like his simple lunch weighed pound! Casually I remarked "I think I'll buy some white flour." The kids cheered.

At our lunch today, the kids reiterated their point (in case I wavered) by pretending that their grilled turkey, peperoncini and mozzarella sandwiches were breaking their teeth. It is OK, I remember complaining to my mom that all she ever bought was birdseed bread.

Since I believe cooking is equal parts art and science I taught my kids that homemade bread only requires a guideline. My Improv Bread directions are:

* Soften 2 tsp of yeast in 1 cup warm liquid (milk, water, soymilk, coffee)
* Add 1 - 4 tablespoons of sweetener or combination of (honey, raw sugar, white or brown sugar, molasses)
* Add 1 - 4 tablespoons of fat (olive oil, butter, vegetable oil, shortening)
* Add half of the total flour (total amount will be approximately 3 1/4 cups) I personally recommend no more than 50% wheat or you will make a loaf similar to my aforementioned 1 lb sandwich.
* Add a few dress-ups:
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ finely chopped onion
½ cup raisins
1 cup shredded cheese
1 Egg
1 Tbl poppy or sesame seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried herbs
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbl wheat or oat germ or bran, etc.
Finely chopped jalapeño
handful of oats
* Beat well and slowly work in the remaining flour

Of course I assume you know all the steps of kneading and rising the dough. Your type of bread depends on your choice of additions.

Try making it with coffee, extra sweetener, egg, cinnamon and cocoa powder. We call this caffeine bread.

I also love it made with milk, butter, less sweetener, garlic, cheese and jalapeños. (milk gives a softer crust, the butter and cheese make it flaky.)

A favorite is with water, less sweetener, onion, poppy seed and dill. Great sandwich!

All you really have to remember is the approximate ratio of 3:1. Three cups of flour and 1 cup liquid. The rest is pretty negotiable. Get improvising!

***
weather cools outside
scents and warmth draw us indoors
enter and enjoy