Egg Foo Yung Yum

We're nearing the end of winter eatin'. I'm pretty tired of it and supplies are running low. As a family that tries to eat in season, I'm rarin' for garden goodies and something different.

On that note, I tried to find a new recipe to try tonight, using what we had on the shelves. Eggs are especially plentiful at the moment. This recipe for Egg Foo Yung was a hit with everyone except my child who was born in China. Apparently it wasn't part of his China. The comments with the recipe indicate that testers think it tastes like what you'd buy at a Chinese restaurant. I've never had Egg Foo Yung before so have no comparison, but I thought it was tasty. Quite.

Bierrock Potato Pie

Bierrocks used to be a favorite food in our household. But with the gluten issues around here, I quit making them. This gluten-free substitute was a hit...

Bierrock Potato Pie


4 small potatoes, peeled, sliced
2 T. oil

Slice potatoes thin. (I use a food processor.) Toss with oil and arrange in bottom of 9x13 dish as crust. I also spray the dish with olive oil. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

1 lb ground beef
onion, to taste
3/4 cabbage head, chopped
1 t. g/f Worcestershire sauce
1 t. pizza seasoning (I buy this in bulk)
1/4 t. pepper
3/4 t. salt
garlic powder, dash
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. grated Jack cheese (pepperjack is great!)

Brown ground beef with onion. Add cabbage and cook until cabbage is limp, about 5 minutes. Add Worcestershire, pizza seasoning, pepper, salt, garlic powder. Cook 3-5 minutes, turn off heat, add cheddar cheese, toss.

Place meat mixture in potato crust; top with jack cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes at 350.


Everyone in the family had seconds. LilDude had fourths. I think I did, too! ;)

Honey Baked Chicken

It's a miracle! I found another food that GG will eat. Actually, inhale!

Honey-Baked Chicken is a longtime family favorite from the More With Less Cookbook. I haven't made it in ages. Why? Well, in my less-frugal days, I'd buy chicken breasts and just plop 'em in the baking dish. These days I actually have to CUT UP a chicken. Horrors. I got out my trusty Betty Crocker and tried to follow the photos. It worked. Sorta. Tasted good, despite how the rib bones de-connected from the leg bones. [Hum along if you know the song. And, yes, I realize that rib bones aren't actually connected to leg bones. Um, I don't think.]

Anywhoo...this recipe is awesome and GG loved it. What more could one ask?? (Today at lunch we ate it for leftovers and he kept nabbing chunks of chicken from MY plate.)

Honey-Baked Chicken
from More With Less Cookbook

Preheat oven, 350.

Arrange in baking pan:

1, 3lb fryer, cut up
(If you cheat and use chicken breasts, that'll work, too...but it might make me jealous. And forget that idea if you have a newly-arrived 3yo from China; he only wants dark meat and/or skin.)

Combine and pour over:

1/3 c. margarine, melted (I use less and sub in some butter)
1/3 c. honey
2 T. prepared mustard
1 t. salt
1 t. curry powder

Bake 1 1/4 hours, basting every 15 minutes, til chicken is tender and nicely browned. (I just turn chicken pieces over. And over. And over. When I remember.) Serve with rice; my family loves to pour the juicy stuff over the rice.

Pakistani Kima (or easy hamburger curry)

This recipe from the More With Less Cookbook is a staple at our house. And although our garden is long gone (cover crop is already growing!), I'm still using up tomatoes that continue to ripen. In this recipe, I substituted chopped garden tomatoes for cooked.

Pakistani Kima
from More With Less Cookbook

Saute in skillet:
3 T. oil (I use olive or coconut)
1 c. chopped onion (or less)
1 clove garlic, minced

Add
1 lb hamburger

Brown well. Stir in:
1 T. curry powder
1 1/2 t. salt
dash: pepper, cinnamon, ginger, tumeric (this combination is awesome!)
2 c. cooked tomatoes (I use garden, frozen, or canned)
2 potatoes, diced (I usually add more potatoes and a little extra liquid)
2 c. frozen peas or green beans

Cover and simmer 25 minutes. Serve over rice.

Easy Corn Chowder

Favorite recipe from my "college family"...

Corn Chowder

3 medium potatoes, diced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (I use 1/2 onion)

Add water to almost cover and cook til tender, about 15 minutes.

2 c. corn (I use frozen, thawed)
1, 12 oz can evaporated milk (I use regular)
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Add the above. Heat to boiling again.

2 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. cold water

Dissolve together. Add to soup, stirring til thickened. (I didn't do this yesterday and it was thick enough without it.) Fry/crumble 3 strips bacon and sprinkle over top before serving.

Easy, economical and good!

Taco Soup

Fast food at our house? One pot Taco Soup. I throw in odds and ends, but here's the basic idea:





Taco Soup

1 lb hamburger
some chopped onion, to taste
some chopped jalapenos or green peppers, optional, to taste
2 cans kidney beans, drained
2 cans stewed tomatoes (I use 1 qt, canned)
2 cans corn, undrained (I use about 2 c. frozen, thawed)
1, 16 oz can tomato sauce (I use 1 pt. canned)
1 pkg taco seasoning (I use bulk, Costco)

Fry hamburger in large pot with onion, peppers til hamburger is cooked. Add remaining ingredients and simmer about 15 minutes til flavors are blended. Optional: serve with grated cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream.

Fast, easy and good!

Garden Tomato Soup

After three canner loads of tomatoes, I still had a bowl left so I tried this recipe. I will definitely be making it again. Anakin's initial reaction was that it tasted bland. It probably is when compared to the highly processed, sodium-rich canned stuff from the store. That was my first reaction as well. But then I got seconds. And thirds. And made more today for lunch. If anyone knows a similar recipe that has been tested as safe for canning, I'd love to make some. Most of the on-line recipes I found for tomato soup look suspiciously unsafe and not up to current food safety standards.

GARDEN TOMATO SOUP

8 lg. vine ripened tomatoes
2 slices onion
1/2 bay leaf
2 c. water
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 whole cloves
Salt to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated

Immerse tomatoes in boiling hot water so skins can be easily removed. Cut in half, hold cut side down over strainer and squeeze gently to remove seeds. Chop tomatoes. Melt butter in deep heavy saucepan. Add onion, cook until soft; stir in cornstarch. Cook until it bubbles. Add chopped tomatoes, bay leaf and cloves; simmer until tomato is soft. Add water and salt. Cook 20 minutes. Force through strainer or food mill. Serve topped with cheese.

Stuffed Green Peppers

Green peppers are at a peak in my garden. Here's a yummy recipe from my mom...


Stuffed Green Peppers

5 peppers
Cut off tops and remove seeds & pulp. (My kids gather to eat strips left over from the raw tops.) Cook the pepper "shells" in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. (Recipe says 5 minutes...but I want them barely cooked and thought that was a bit long.)

1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 T. celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb hamburger
Cook these ingredients together.

1 c. cooked rice
1, 8oz can tomato sauce
1 small can mushrooms, drained
1 T. Worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 t. Italian seasoning (I subbed with pizza seasoning & dh LOVED it)
1/4 t. sugar
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
Add this mixture to the hamburger mixture above. Stir til combined.

Fill peppers and place upright in baking dish. Cover only the bottom of the dish with boiling water. Bake 30-40 minutes until heated through.

Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta

At this time of the year, I use Simply in Season almost exclusively. Last year, a friend pointed out a recipe I'd overlooked that has become a family favorite. Tonight they all ate so fast I had to fight my way to the bowl. I made a recipe and a half and it's almost gone.


Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta

4 large cloves garlic, minced (I used garlic powder as my cloves were gone)
2 lbs tomatoes (chopped, seeded, and drained)
1/2 c. fresh basil, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
1 t. salt

Combine and let stand at room temperature, 1-2 hours.


Cook 1 pound pasta according to package directions. Combine hot pasta and sauce. Top with parmesan cheese. We also add cooked, chopped chicken. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Casserole (...or "Ketchup Toast for Lunch??")

Worked outside the home the past two days. Unusual. And exhausting for everyone. Lizzi and Anakin tackled babysitting duty, reporting on GG's unusual lunch on day 1:

*1/2 piece toast spread with Ranch dressing

*1/2 piece toast spread with peanut sauce

*1/2 piece toast spread with ketchup

...and a few leftover eggs from breakfast. He ate it all up. I can tell...you're drooling all over your computer screen just thinking about how tasty it sounds. ;)

Anyway, if we're going to succeed with our food budget this month, I need to think about cooking. Today we're starting out with:

Breakfast:
baked oatmeal w/ fresh peaches & milk

Lunch:
baked potatoes (from my parents' garden, thanks!)
broccoli (garden)
corn (garden)
chili (blah, out of a can, but I worked yesterday, OK?)
grated cheese

Dinner (made by Lizzi):
zucchini casserole (see below)
peaches
cherry tomatoes
sliced green peppers


Zucchini Casserole

6 c. sliced (and perhaps quartered) zucchini
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (warning: this is not g/f*)
1 c. sour cream
1 c. shredded carrot
1 (8oz) pkg. seasoned stuffing mix (not g/f*)
1-2 c. chopped, cooked chicken

Cook squash and carrots briefly on stovetop or microwave with a little water, enough to lightly soften. Drain. Combine soup, sour cream, chicken and fold in veggie mixture. Place 1/2 stuffing mix on bottom of 12x7 pan. Spoon chicken/veg mix on top, covered by remaining stuffing. Bake at 350 for 30 mins.

G/F* note: LilDude is still largely g/f, but he doesn't seem to be doing badly on a limited amount, so we're sometimes having a meal or two with some gluten. However, you could easily modify this recipe to make it g/f.

Asian Chicken Salad

August is probably our best month of the year for eating "in season." Our dinner tonight? Corn-on-the-cob, Asian Chicken Salad, sliced tomatoes, broccoli, and peaches. The kids love Asian Chicken Salad. If you want to make it gluten-free, leave out the ramen noodles and flavor packet.


Asian Chicken Salad
1-2 c. cooked, chopped chicken
2 T. sesame seeds
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/2 head cabbage
sliced green onions, optional
1 pkg. top ramen (chicken), crush noodles

Toss first five ingredients together.

Dressing
2 T. brown sugar
3 T. vinegar
1/2 c. oil (I use half canola, half olive)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
flavor pkg from top ramen

Blend dressing. Crush noodles and add with dressing to salad just before serving.

Zucchini Garden Chowder-favorite summer soup!

First, the flu. I have no answers. Anakin had a fever between 103-104 for seven days and was sick for nine. He was not tested for flu but eventually was diagnosed with pneumonia, which they later changed to bronchitis. A week later I got "it." I was put on an anti-viral after two days of fever. I had a fever for seven days. But the flu test came back a week later...negative. So I have no idea what we had. But it wasn't fun. We're both still coughing.

But, what was fun? Kids cooking when I was sick. They made this soup twice that week. It is my ALL TIME FAVORITE summer soup. The recipe comes from Simply in Season.

Zucchini Garden Chowder

2 T. butter or margarine (I use coconut oil and my dh says it gives extra flavor)
Melt in soup pot over medium heat.

2 medium zucchini (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 T. fresh parsley (chopped)
1 T. fresh basil (chopped; or 1 t. dried)
Add and saute until tender.

1/3 c. flour (I use rice flour)
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
3 c. water
Stir flour and seasonings into vegetables. Gradually stir in water to make a smooth stock.

3 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes
1 t. lemon juice.
Add and mix well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

2 c. tomatoes (chopped)
1 1/2 c. evaporated milk (I use rice milk; it's less thick, but tasty)
2 c. corn
Add and return to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes until corn is tender.

2 c. cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (grated)
Just before serving add and stir until melted.


We LOVE this soup. It's best when the zucchini is just barely cooked (don't cook it to mush!) and the corn is slightly crunchy.

I have frozen the vegetable ingredients to make it in the winter. It's okay, but can't compare with the summer version...mostly because the zucchini gets mushy upon freezing.

Sausage and Greens Soup

You know it's a winner when EVERYBODY asks for seconds! (Except GG...but he ate "firsts"...which was a first for anything GREEN...so it counts!)

Tonight I tried "Sausage and Greens Soup" from the "Spring" section (pp. 38) of Simply in Season. I doubled the recipe. It was a hit. The only request was for more "bulk" next time with the suggestion that I add more potatoes. That's easy enough. :)


Sausage and Greens Soup (serves 4)

1/2 lb. bulk sausage
Brown in a soup pot and drain all but a spoonful of fat. Remove meat.

1 c. onion, green onions, or chives, chopped
Saute in reserved fat until soft. Return sausage to soup pot.

4 c. chicken or veg broth
1 c. potatoes, diced
salt/pepper to taste
Add, bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are soft, 10-15 mins.

1 1/2 c. evaporated milk**
1-3 c. fresh, tender greens (I used spinach), chopped
Add and cook until tender (really brief for spinach). Garnish with grated Parmesan.


**This is where I thought I'd get in trouble. I used all kinds of milk odds and ends. A little rice milk, a little leftover (freezer) goat milk, a little leftover (freezer) evaporated milk, a little 2%. I could taste the strange combination of milks, but apparently no one else could. [Grin.]

Kids Cook! #2 (Green Beans/Pasta, Strawberry Yum)-Anakin

My meal included Green Beans and Sausage and for dessert I made a dressing for the strawberries that I cut. Everyone enjoyed the meal and it was a great success.

We made the strawberry dressing by mixing together:
1 cup sour cream
a heaping 1/4 cup of brown sugar
a dash of vanilla
~Anakin

Kids Cook! #1 (Lemon Asparagus Pasta)-Lizzi

Introductory note from Mom:
This summer, both Lizzi and Anakin are cooking one meal/week. Here is Lizzi's first...



I found this recipe in Simply in Season a while back, and always wanted to try it. When Mommy told Anakin and I that we would each be cooking one meal a week this summer, I decided to make it. The whole family declared it a success. The menu consisted of this pasta, Chef Salad (lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, ham, green onions and poppy-seed dressing), and fresh strawberries for dessert. We used a little less dried dill, and still found it fairly strong. Overall, VERY delicious. ~Lizzi



Lemon Asparagus Pasta
from Simply in Season

8 ounces angel hair pasta (**see gluten-free note below)
2 1/2 cups asparagus (cut into 1" pieces)

Cook pasta in boiling water 4 minutes. Add asparagus and cook 2 minutes longer or until tender. Drain.

1 T. butter
1/2 c. green onions, chopped
1 1/2 t. lemon peel, grated
3 T. lemon juice

While pasta cooks, melt butter in large frypan over medium heat. Add green onions and lemon peel and saute 1 minute. Add lemon juice and cook until liquid is almost evaporated.

3/4 c. milk (I used rice milk in the gluten-free portion. Worked great.)
2 eggs

Beat together. Add with pasta and asparagus to pan with green onions. Cook over low heat until milk mixture is slightly thick, about 4 minutes. Do not boil.

1 T. fresh dill (chopped, or 1 t. dried)
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. ground nutmeg.

Stir in. Serve immediately.




** Gluten-Free: We did a double recipe with half being gluten free. We tried a new kind of spaghetti pasta, Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta, Spaghetti Style, Supergrain, containing organic corn flour and organic quinoa flour. This was by FAR the BEST gluten-free pasta we've tried. Not slimy or gummy like many of the rice pastas. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between this and regular wheat pasta. So, so good. And it held up great through all the cooking.

Mom's notes:
This meal was AWESOME! So proud of Lizzi's first attempt in the kitchen. While she cooked, Anakin brought his copy of Simply in Season to the kitchen (they each have their own copies) and started looking for a seasonal recipe that he could make on Thursday. Since they each have their own cookbook, they have ownership in planning & preparation. And since the recipe book is seasonally based, they know where to turn to find recipes with ingredients that we can easily find in the garden or at the farmer's market. I'm having them both make notes in their own cookbooks about the recipes they try.

Swiss Chard YUM!

I don't think I'd ever tasted Swiss chard til a year or so ago when I tried it in a new recipe and failed. I am so, so glad that we tried it again...in a NEW, FAVORITE RECIPE!

Last year I planted a bunch of new stuff "to try." Some didn't come up. Others didn't come up at the time but came up this spring when I wasn't paying much attention. The Swiss chard was so beautiful I almost hesitated to eat it. But I've been wanting to try more recipes from Simply in Season, so I looked up Swiss chard in the index and settled on "Chard Cheese Bake." It was scrumptious! 'LilDude had three or four helpings. Big ones. I lost count at some point. We also had locally grown asparagus and a rhubarb/blueberry crumble made from our new rhubarb and blueberries from the freezer. I'm thrilled that it's finally SPRING! ;)

Have you ever washed anything so gorgeous???


And the final product:


Chard Cheese Bake
from Simply in Season

1 lb Swiss chard or spinach (chopped)
Cook and thoroughly drain. (In the front of the book it has cooking tips for each vegetable. I cut the stems into chunks and then rolled the leaves together and cut the roll crosswise in each direction. I boiled the stem chunks for 8 minutes, adding the leaves for the last 3 minutes of cooking time. They were perfect.)

4 eggs, beaten
1 c. milk (I used rice milk)
1 c. cheese (I used cheddar)
1 c. cubed bread (I used gf rice bread & thought it particularly good in this)
1/2 c. green onions, sliced (I used 2 T. that I'd frozen)
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

Combine all ingredients and pour into greased 2-qt dish. Cover and bake in preheated 375 oven for 25-30 minutes, until set. (It took mine at least 40 minutes.)

Crockpot Bulgogi

My tastebuds had not fully lived until the day I tried bulgogi. If you haven't yet sampled this amazing Korean beef, or if you're looking for an incredibly easy way to prepare it, head to Denise's Famous Bulgogi (crockpot). I've made bulgogi several times before, but no recipe can compete with the ease of this one...not to mention the incredible taste.

My entire family gives it a 10!

Crockpot Chicken and Chicken Corn Soup

Want slow cooked fast food? Nothing like two crockpot recipes in one week! Here are two family favorites from Fix-It and Forget-It. I make the chicken in the crockpot one day and follow up with the soup a couple days later. Both are wonderful comfort foods. The soup is different from any other soup I make...really a unique recipe.

Frances' Roast Chicken
-modified from Fix-It and Forget-It

3-4 lb. whole chicken
half an onion
1 rib celery
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t. poultry seasoning
1/4 t. dried basil

Put half onion and celery rib in chicken cavity with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning. Put chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with basil. Okay to add a little water (to stretch broth), but not necessary.

Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hrs or High 4-6 hours. I basically cook it until the chicken starts to fall apart. After cooking, strain and save broth...it's amazing!



Chicken Corn Soup
-modified from Fix-It and Forget-It

2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
--or--
a couple cups of chopped, cooked chicken from above recipe.

1 onion, chopped (I used less)
1 garlic clove, minced (opt)
2 carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 med potatoes, cubed
1 t. mixed dried herbs (I skip if using above broth...it's flavorful enough)
1/3 c. tomato sauce
12 oz can cream-style corn
14 oz can whole kernel corn (I sub the two cans of corn with several cups of frozen corn)
3 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. chopped Italian parsley (opt)
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Combine all ingredients except parsley, salt, pepper in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on Low 8-9 hours or until chicken is cooked/tender and veggies are cooked. (I sometimes do it on High for about 4 hours, but the chicken is already cooked.) Add parsley and seasonings 30 minutes before serving.

Leftover beef roast dinner

Have leftover beef roast?

Need a gluten, casein, corn, soy free dinner?

Here's an easy and inexpensive hit...

Roast Beef Gravy & Rice

1 1/4 c. broth & water
(Making broth: I cooked the roast beef in the crockpot with 1 c. added water. After cooking, I strained the juices from the bottom and refrigerated. The next day, I removed the layer of fat from the top.)

Heat the broth in saucepan. If you are slightly short of broth, add a little water. Or, if you simply want more broth, add a little water to extend the recipe.

3/4 c. rice milk
1/4 c. brown rice flour
Use batter shaker or lidded jar to shake rice milk and flour til smooth. Add slowly to boiling broth, whisking until thickened.

1/2 t. salt
Add, to taste.

1-2 c. leftover roast, chopped
Add to gravy and heat.

Serve over cooked brown rice.

Bee-bim Bop!

One of our favorite books, Bee-bim Bop!, uses playful rhyme to depict a child and her mother making this Korean dish. It's a cute, cute book with directions for parent and child to make Bee-bim Bop! together. If you need a book idea for the 4-8 crowd, we highly recommend this one! :)

Bee-bim Bop!!!

Mix it! Mix like crazy!
Time for Bee-Bim Bop!

P.S. EVERYONE in our family LOVES this dish. Highly recommended recipe for kids AND husbands. ;) Here's a link with a recipe, but it's better with the story. ;)