NEDRA's APPLE BUTTER

Thank you, Nedra!  Was just thinking about making apple butter this fall.  Perfect timing, my friend!

  

Time-Saving Hints, Freezer version

Things to keep in the freezer 

(besides precooked chicken and ground beef):

• Parmesan cheese - fine grate or coarse shred - just keep it in a ziploc bag.  Take out what you need when you need it.
• leftover pancakes or waffles - pop into the toaster for a quick breakfast or snack
• a bag of fruit for smoothies
• cooked rice - cook it, spread it out on a cookie sheet, freeze for 30 minutes, then plop into a ziploc.  Use in casseroles and soup or Mexican dishes
• tomatoes: before they go bad, roast them in a barely-on oven (225°) with a spritz of EVOO for 4 hrs.  Cool, then freeze.  Use in sauce and chili.
• pasta
• grains (especially from the barrels where you scoop the quantity you want.)  Double wrap and freeze for 3 days - any little critters riding along will perish.  
• pesto - freeze pesto in ice trays in 2T portions.  
• herbs - wash and then immerse 1 t portions of herbs in water or broth in ice trays.
• cookie dough - scoop portions onto cookie sheet and flash-freeze, then store in ziplocs so you can bake 1, 2, or more at a time.  If you're going to bake in large quantities, consider slice and bake rolls of cookie dough.
• homemade broth or stock - freeze in 1/2 c portions
• milk - freeze in 1 c portions - thaw and shake before using
• buttermilk - freeze in 1/2 c portions - thaw and shake before using
• juice - if you're freezing large containers of juice, remember to take some out as liquid expands when frozen
• bread, baked goods (as a single, I can still take advantage of those BOGO offers.  Hurray for my freezer!)
• tomato paste - open a 6 oz can and only use 2 T?  Freeze the rest!
• dough - I buy real pizza dough from my favorite pizza place, then make my own pizzas
• eggs - crack into ice cube trays.  Freeze 3 hours, then pop them out and wrap well in those ziplocs. (A little oil rubbed around the ice tray helps the eggs pop out easily)
• fresh lemon/line/orange juice and zest - when a recipe calls for "half a lemon, juiced" - first ZEST, then juice the lemon.  Use what you need and freeze the rest.  Throw the rest of the peels and lemon into your disposal to clean and freshen the blades

Monterrey Chicken

I'm never good about getting enough vegetables in my diet.  To cook several veggies along with a meat and starch is a lot of pans for ONE person!!  So any meal that INCLUDES the veggies means I'm at least getting some of my nutrients from a direct source.  This dish is pretty with all the different colors and the flavor is really fresh.  It's a great way to use some of that zucchini that takes over your life, if you garden.  It's also a nice recipe to brighten up a dreary winter day if you can get your hands on a zuke from your grocer in the off-season.  (And it reheats well for lunches the next couple of days if you are "one" and have four servings to contend with...)

Monterrey Chicken

serves 4

5 T olive oil

4 half chicken breasts (I use boneless thighs)

S/P

1 cup onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced fine

1 c chicken broth

1/2 c orange juice

1/2 can crushed tomatoes

1 T rosemary

1 red pepper, julienned

1/2 lg. zucchini, sliced diagonally

1/3 c flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 orange, zested

Procedure:

Heat half the oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken, sprinkled with S/P for five minutes. 

Turn the pieces, season again and cook another 5 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Add the onions, garlic, and carrots and cook, covered, on medium low heat until tender - about 10-15 minutes. 

Add the stock, juice, tomatoes and rosemary and some S/P and simmer 10-15 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan and simmer 20-25 minutes until the chicken is done and the sauce has reduced somewhat.

(Up to this point can be done ahead if your time to prepared dinner is limited.  

Just reheat this mixture and do the peppers and zucchini below right before serving,)

---------

In another pan, heat the remaining oil and saute the red pepper strips for 5 minutes.  Add the squash, some S/P and stir-fry until the vegetables are tender (but still firm - zucchini is better this way then all mushed out!!)

Transfer the veggies to the big skillet and simmer the whole thing another 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with the parsley and orange zest.

Good with rice pilaf (which can also be made ahead and reheated.)

~~~~~~~

If your sauce is too soupy, you can thicken it by stirring in a slurry of water and flour or water and cornstarch and letting it simmer for a few minutes more.

This week's Recipe Detective is TinaS_SoCal !!

BONUS Recipe for Busy Nights: Fast Pasta Bake

Everything in one casserole - perfect for the nights when you have to work late and are starved!  Meat, grain, dairy, several veggies, more veggies if you serve with a salad, and a fruit, if you have wine (that's my story and I'm sticking with it!)

Fast Pasta Bake

Ingredients:
1 pkg spiral pasta - I like the whole wheat or extra-fiber pastas
1 lb Italian turkey sausage (if you bought links, remove the casing)
1 med. onion, chopped (or 1/2 pkg frozen chopped onion)
5 garlic cloves, minced (or 2 T pre-minced garlic in oil
1 28 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 t oregano
1 t basil
1/8 t pepper
1 pgk frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
12 c half and half
2 c mozzarella cheese
1/2 c Parmesan cheese

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350
Cook pasta according to directions
Cook turkey and onion over med heat until the meat is no longer pink.
Add garlic and cook another minute
Stir in tomatoes, spices - bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes
Drain pasta
Stir into meat sauce mixture
Add spinach and cream
Transfer to 13x9 baking dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray
Sprinkle the cheese over
Bake 25-30 minutes (just enough time to dump some premade salad mixture into a bowl, uncork a bottle of wine, grab a quick shower and put your pj's on!!!)

(This one freezes well so you're not eating endless leftovers!)  or it serves 8-10

Bonus! Emergency Microwave Meal - Beef and Rice Espagnole

For some reason, I keep thinking about my dad today.  And how proud I was of him after my mom died.  For a man who had gone from his mother's house to the Army to fight in the Pacific during WW II to his own home with a new wife, he had never HAD to take care of himself in the kitchen.

After we lost Mom, he really made huge attempts to learn how to cook.  He struggled for a bit,  especially getting everything done at the same time (we sometimes ate in "courses" - the corn course, the potatoes course, the coffee course, the beef course, the gravy course...), but he eventually became QUITE adept in the kitchen and even turned into a world-class bread baker!

I used to find easy recipes for him to try out that went beyond grill a steak and bake a potato - he was my cooking "beta tester"!!! This was one of his favorite "I don't feel like cooking" dinners - fast and easy in the MICROWAVE.  I think everyone who visited his house ate this at some point!!  And the leftovers are great for lunch the next day, too.

Beef and Rice Espagnole

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 c chopped onion
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup quick-cook rice
1/2 c water
1/3 sliced, pitted black olives
1 small can green chili pepers, rinsed and chopped
1/2 t garlic salt
1/8 t pepper
1 t hot pepper sauce (or as he liked to put it "one repetitive teaspoon" - I think he used about 1/4 CUP!!! The man's tastebuds were seriously inept!!)
1 cup American cheese (like Velveeta), cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Procedure Microwave:
Brown the meat and the onions together on HIGH 6-8 min.  Stir once or twice to break up the meat. (Cover cooking dish with wax paper or a microwave splatter shield)
Drain off the fat.
Stir in everything else EXCEPT the cheese.
Cook on HIGH 10-12 min, stirring after 4 minutes.
Add the cheese cubes and stir until they are distributed.
Cover and let stand 5 minutes.

note:  Be sure you use MINUTE RICE when preparing in the microwave.

Procedure: Conventional Oven:
Brown the meat and onion.
Drain the fat.
Stir in everything else and turn into 1 1/2 qt casserole
Cover.  Bake at 350° for 46-40 minutes.
Add the cheese cubes and stir until they are distributed.
Cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Mom's Sausage Grinders

My mom used to stretch her meat budget with "fillers" like breads, biscuits, and lots of potatoes. Growing up on a farm during the Depression and being the cook for the family as well as the traveling workers, she learned to make big meals out of few ingredients!  Mom took the country fair classic and turned them into a filling scrumptious dinner for us.  To this day, these sandwiches don't taste right to me unless they have the potatoes in them! 

Be sure to NOT eat these over your lap unless you are wearing a drop cloth.  They are delightfully drippy and messy!!

Mom's Sausage Grinders

Ingredients:
Hoagie/Grinder rolls
2 1/2 lb. Italian-style sausage - either pork or turkey / mild or hot - your choice!
2-3 green peppers - or whatever color pepper you like!
2 med. onions
            (or completely "laze out" and get 2 bags of sliced peppers and onions)
3-4 Yukon gold potatoes, diced
S/P
olive oil
1  t oregano
1  t basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 12 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 c. Parmesan
1/2 T sugar

(opt.: crushed red pepper)


Procedure:
Cook the sausages the Italian way:  Place them in a skillet and cover them halfway with water. Put a lid on the skillet and let them simmer away about 15 min. Flip them over and let them cook away, lid off, at a quick simmer until the water is ALMOST gone - listen for them - they'll start to sizzle.  If you want to finish them on the grill, go for it.  But doing them this way keeps the sausages from drying out, they are thoroughly cooked, and they're not burned!  (I learned THIS trick from Sophia Loren and Anthony Quinn in a movie!!!)

In the meantime, wash the potatoes and cut into small chunks. (Or peel them first, if you must.)

Slice the peppers and onions.

Dump all the veggies in a large skillet with olive oil, S/P and fry away about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until you start to get a little caramelization on the veggies.

Cut the sausages into bite sized pieces.

Put the meat, the veggies and the rest of the ingredients (except the bread) into the skillet and simmer away until the sauce has been reduced to really thick OR place into your slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours (open the lid vent OR place a fork under the edge of the lid so the liquid cooks down).

Place the sausages and veggie mixture into rolls that have been split and brushed with a little butter and fast-grilled to toast.  For those who like them spicier, pass the crushed peppers around.

Best served with an icy-cold beer (and followed with a fresh fruit pie!)

Dumpsterkitty is this week's Recipe Detective!

with an able assist from It'sOnlyPuppyLove(NY)!!!

Cincinnati Chili (5-Way)

I learned about this when I was looking for a job way back when.  I'd never heard of doing spaghetti like this until I came across this in an Ohio restaurant.  Wild!!  So different - I like to do this every now and then, just to mix it up!  The list of ingredients is kind of long - but don't let that intimidate you - they are common spices you should have in your pantry.  You're basically making a southern Mediterranean beef and tomato sauce - the taste reminds me of Greek Pastitsio. Think of this as a raid on the "C" section of the spice cabinet!!  

Cincinnati Chili: 3, 4, or 5-Way

You can measure the spices into a small bowl while your beef browns.
(NOTE:  Speed things up!!! See my "Cooked Beef" comment on the "Hints" page!)

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs ground beef
2 T oil
2 cloves garlic
2 chopped onions
2 T chili powder
2 T sweet paprika
1.5 t cumin
1 t allspice
1/2 t ground coriander
1.5 t cinnamon
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t cloves
S/P
1 6 oz can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
2 T unsweetened chocolate, chopped up a bit
1 T cider vinegar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
12 oz cooked spaghetti
1 19 oz can red kidney beans
1 pound shredded cheddar cheese


Procedure:
Brown the ground beef in one skillet (drain off any fat).  Soften 1 cup of the chopped onions in oil over med heat in oil in another skillet - about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and continue to cook 1 min.

Add the chili powder. paprika, cumin, allspice, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne and cloves. Continue to cook 1 min.  Stir in the browned beef and continue to cook.  Add some S/P.

Add the tomato sauce, the tomatoes, bay leaf, 1.5 c water and simmer 30 min.

Add the chocolate, vinegar, and Worcestershire and cook another 15 min.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to directions.

Heat the beans.

Pull out the bay leaf from the sauce and discard.

Note:  I brown the beef in my pressure cooker, drain, then add everything else except the spaghetti, beans, second cup of chopped onion, and cheese and just pressure cook it for 15 minutes (remember to pull out that bay leaf afterwards.)  The sauce is done by the time the pasta is cooked!

Divide the cooked pasta into serving bowls and top as follows:
3-way:  Spaghetti topped with chili and cheddar cheese
4-way:  Spaghetti topped with chili, then chopped onions, then cheddar cheese OR
             Spaghetti topped with chili, then chopped beans, then cheddar cheese
5-way:  Spaghetti topped with chili, then chopped onions, then beans, then cheddar cheese


If you have kids you're serving, cut back on the cayenne.  Kids' taste buds are much more sensitive than our old over-used ones!!

~~~~~~~

I usually double the batch on this and freeze portions of it for use on Coney Island hot dogs or later 5-Way meals.   Note:  putting chocolate in sauce like this is very "Mexican" - chocolate and tomatoes are the base for "mole" sauces - very yummy!!

And the winner this week is SaFr - Great detective work!!!

Time-Saving/Healthy Hints

Time-Saving/Healthy Hints 

for Hoomans and Furends, Alike:

If you have a good time-saver hint - add it to the comments!!

BONE BROTH:  I've begun making bone broth for my old kitty:  If I can't talk my butcher out of meat bones, I'll look for shanks or cross cuts of beef when it's on sale.  (Sometimes you just have to prowl the meat case...)  OR I'll pick up chicken thighs when they go on sale for chicken broth.

I load up my biggest crockpot (6 qts), and COVER the meat and bones with water, then toss in 2T Bragg's vinegar (that's the raw, unfiltered stuff - very good for you - try stirring a T in 16 oz of water every morning - you can find it in the health food aisle).  I let that simmer away on low for a full 24 hours.  The vinegar leeches out the minerals from those bones.

Strain the contents (colander and 3 layers of cheesecloth).  If there is any meat, I pick through what was in the strainer.  The meat goes into the food processor for homemade kitteh-foods.  I add a T of it to his commercial stuff to tempt his appetite.

The liquid goes in the fridge overnight.  In the morning, there will be a layer of fat on the top.  I skim that off and chuck it away.  What's left is like semi-set Jello (that's all the collagen and good stuff from those bones).  I scoop that into ice cube trays and freeze.  The munchkin gets a cube of frozen broth (which he usually lets melt before he'll go near it) on a little dish next to his regular food dish on alternate days.

COOKED CHICKEN:  You can come up with all sorts of things in a flash for dinner if the chicken is already cooked!!  Pressure cooker or slow cooker to the rescue!  When chicken breast and/or thighs are on sale, I stock up.  They come home and get tossed into the CP or PC with a couple of carrots, an onion, peeled and sliced in half, 4 stalks of celery, and some parsley.  Occasionally, if I see a single lonely leek, I'll buy that and toss it in, too.  Cover with water  (in the pressure cooker, be very aware of that 'maximum fill' line), some S/P, and let 'er rip.  I do 12 minutes in the pressure cooker on high pressure and at least 6 hours in the crock pot.)  Either cut the chicken into cubes or shred it.  Measure it out in 1 cup portions and freeze.  Save that broth!!!  Strain it, let it sit overnight in the fridge and de-fat it the next day.  Then measure it out in 1/2 c portions (or use an ice cube tray!) and you won't have to purchase chicken broth again.

COOKED GROUND BEEF:  I am having severe sticker shock attacks when I go to purchase ground beef these days.  So when it's on sale, I buy a BIG package (even for little ol' single me) and throw the entire package in my big crockpot.  That's it!! Throw it in, turn the crock on to low and let it cook 3 hours.  Give it a stir to break it up and cook another 3 hours.  Stir it again and drain the fat away (colander and cheesecloth), then divide the beef up into packages and freeze.  Waiting for beef to thaw so you can break it up and cook it takes too much time.  Cook it AHEAD of time and dinners come together much faster!

CACHE POT:  My brilliant mother kept a large container in the freezer to catch leftover vegetables. Butter for veggies was put on top of the vegetables on your plate, so the veggies in the serving dish were just veggies (and maybe some cooking liquid) - no butter, no sauce.  The liquid in the pan and the leftover veggies got tossed in that cache pot each night.  When it was finally full, she made vegetable soup.  A beef bone, 1 large tin of tomatoes, some beef broth, and contents of the cache pot were put on to simmer all day.  A half hour before serving, she tossed in a can or two of red kidney beans that had been drained and rinsed, and some pasta - whatever was on hand - as an additional "filler" to keep hungry kids quiet. If the grocery budget was a little flush that week, we got a loaf of Italian bread.  And some nights - she turned that into garlic bread.  We thought we ate like kings!!!  Now when I think of the nutritional value of that soup, I know we DID eat like kings!!

COOKED PASTA:  The next time you cook pasta, even if you're just cooking for one, cook the entire box!!  Drain the pasta and toss it with 1-2 teaspoon of olive oil, depending on how much you have.  After you're through with your meal, measure the plain cooked pasta into freezer bags (I do individual servings) and freeze.  Microwave the frozen cooked pasta to reheat it. The pasta keeps in the freezer at least one month.  This saves water, energy, and most importantly, your time while waiting for another pot of pasta to cook!!!!

"Dump Chicken"

I'm going to keep adding to this list as I find my recipes!!!  I love my crock pots almost as much as I love my pressure cooker.  Time-saving in the kitchen and money-saving in the wallet!

I have a small bag holder I use to make filling the bags easier.  You can also just stand the bags up in an oblong juice pitcher (or repurpose your Brita water pitcher!)

It's easiest to make several meals at a time.  Just measure out the ingredients into small dishes so all you have to do is dump the ingredients in, zip, mix, flatten.  Try each meal as a single first to see if you like it.  Then you can make multiples of the ones you like.  They keep well in the freezer for a few months.  

Dump Chicken Crock Pot Meals

freeze in freezer ZipLoc Bags - flatten them out after filling. Freeze them in singles, flat, then file them like books in the freezer.

Hurry Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c water
1/4 c brown sugar, packed
3 T dry onion soup mix

zip, mix, get the air out of the bag.

6 hours crock pot low temp

I like this one with rice pilaf.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

4 chicken breasts

3 cloves garlic, sliced

4 T olive oil

2 T fresh parsley

3 T lemon juice

1/4 t pepper

zip, mix, get the air out of the bag.

6 hours crock pot low temp

Pasta and a salad

Canton Chicken

4 chicken breasts

1/2 c ketchup

1/4 c honey

1/4 c soy

2 T lemon juice

zip, mix, get the air out of the bag.

6 hours crock pot low temp

Sticky rice and pea pads and broccoli

Stickin' Chicken

4 chicken breasts

1 T soy sauce

3 T peanut butter

3 T ketchup

zip, mix, get the air out of the bag.

6 hours crock pot low temp

splurge and get some oriental noodles to go along with this one, team up with steamed veggies

Honey Sesame Chicken
1 lb chicken cut into chunks
3T olive oil
1 cup honey
1/2 c soy sauce
!T sesame seed oil
1 t salt
1 t pepper

zip, mix, get the air out of the bag.
Shred chicken after cooking 6-8 hrs low in crock pot
Serve in lettuce wraps and some steamed broccoli

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Corn and Black Beans
3-4 chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves
1 can drained black beans
1/2 chopped red onion
1 cup fresh cilantro
2 T olive oil
1 t cumin
3 T lime juice or 1 medium lime, juiced
S/P
1/2 bag frozen corn

Serve with Mexican rice and some sliced avocado

zip, mix, get the air out of the bag.
cook6-8 hrs low in crock pot

Maple-Mustard Chicken
3-4 lbs chicken thighs
mix together, then pour over chicken:
1 T red wine vinegar
1/4 c maple syrup
1/2 c dijon mustard
S/P

good with rice or quinoa and steamed veggies

zip, mix, get the air out of the bag.
cook 6-8 hrs low in crock pot

Balsamic Glazed Drumsticks
3 T coconut oil or olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3T soy sauce
1 T honey
8 drumsticks - or use boneless chicken thighs

zip, mix, get the air out of the bag.
cook 6-8 hrs low in crock pot

Good with rice and steamed vegetables

Cafe Rio Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts
1/2 c water
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small bottle Italian dressing
1 packet of Ranch seasoning
1/2 T chili powder
1/2 T cumin

zip, mix, get the air out of the bag.
cook 4-6 hrs low in crock pot

Shred the chicken after cooking.
Serve with Mexican rice, refried beans and flour tortillas

Sweet Barbecue Chicken
8-9 boneless chicken thighs
1/2 bottle barbecue sauce
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c vinegar
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 t garlic powder

zip, mix, get the air out of the bag.
cook 4-6 hrs low in crock pot

Pick up some potato salad and cole slaw at the deli to round out your meal.


Honey Garlic Chicken
1 1/4 lbs chicken breast
1/2 c steak sauce
1/4 c honey
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t tabasco

Mix the wet ingredients and pour over the chicken.  Cook on low 8 hours.  Shred the chicken and let it cook in the sauce the last 1/2 hour.

Chicken Soft Tacos
1 packet taco seasoning
1 c chicken broth
1 lb boneless chicken
1/2 c salsa

Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Serve in soft tortillas with guac, chopped tomato, lettuce and cheese, sour cream

"Loose" Cheeseburgers
1 1/2 lb browned, ground beef (fat drained)  *see tips page for keeping browned beef in the freezer
3 cloves garlic minced
1/3 t salt
1/2 t pepper
8 oz Velveeta, cubed
2 T milk
1 finely chopped onion

Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low 5-6 hours
Serve on pretel buns or regular hamburger buns

Chinese Orange Chicken
4-5 chicken breast
3/4 c orange marmalade
3/4 c Sweet Baby Ray's Original BarBQ sauce
2T soy soauce

Cook chicken on high 3 hours.
Drain, then dice the chicken.
Add the rest of the ingredients - cook on high 30 minutes

Serve over rice and with steamed broccoli.

Pulled Pork
2 lbs prok shoulder or tenderloin
1 can root beer
1 bottle barbecue sauce

Cook pork and root beer on low 6-8 hours
Drain and shred
add barbecue sauce and cook another 30 min- 1 hour

Serve on toasted rolls with mac and cheese and cole slaw

Breakfast Risotto - great for cool fall mornings!
4 granny smith apples peeled and sliced
2 c apple juice
2 c water
2 1/2 c Arborio Rice (important - use arborio only)
1/4 c brown sugar
1 1/2 t cinnamon
13 t salt
1 t vanilla
1/8 t cloves
18 t nutmeg
14 c butter, sliced

Spray the inside of your crock with cooking spray.  Dump in all ingredients and stir.  Cook on low 8-10 hours (perfect overnight timing!!)  Give it another stir before serving.  Nice served with a cup of plain or vanilla yogurt on top, too.

Corn, Corn, and More Corn!!

This is too funny!  I'm surfing around the web because I can't get motivated to go get something to eat (I have to stop doing those late lunches...) and I find this:

16 Amazing Recipes for Grilled Corn:

1. Mexican:  smothered in sour cream, mayo, Parmesan and chili powder
2. Grilled corn fritters
3. Grilled corn salad
4. Grilled cheddar-bacon corn on the cob
5. Grilled corn mango salsa
6. Manchego grilled cheese sandwiches with corn, jalapenos and chili butter
7. Grilled corn and potato chowder
8. Black bean lettuce wraps with grilled corn
9. Corn on the cob - 3 ways: Mexican, curried, and honey butter
10. Grilled corn and poblano chili queso (dip)
11. Grilled corn with Sriracha scallion butter
12. Bean burgers with grilled corn and pesto
13. Cheesy roasyed corn on the cob
14. Grilled corn and avocado salad
15. Grilled corn on the cob with cilantro pesto
16. Spicy Asian grilled corn on the cob

Here's the link to all the recipes!!  Get shuckin'!!!!