Organizing Recipes

This has been a VERY long time coming.

I am a SCRAP RECIPE hoarder. Definition?...  I collect scraps of paper (recipe cards on a good day, newspaper clippings, envelope scribblings) containing my favorite recipes. It's always been an organizational nightmare, but the more I cook (family of 7), the worse it gets. I'm finally turning over a new leaf...of paper, that is.

I put plastic sheet protectors in a binder. Printed out all the favorite recipes I've been posting on my blog. I sorted the recipes into categories that I find most helpful. (For me, that's things like: breakfast, bread, eggs, vegetarian, chicken, beef, etc...  I put soups in the beginning of each section that they fall under. So "chicken rice soup" would go under "chicken" with other main dish chicken recipes.) I'm now cutting/pasting all my frequently used recipes into the binder...ALL the scraps of paper.

I bought a "cast iron" cookbook holder from Target. It's pretty, very sturdy, and holds the binder quite nicely.

What can I say? I'm proud. :)

And relieved that I will never again have to search for a favorite recipe.

Assuming, of course, that I don't lose the binder. ;)

Incredible Gluten Free Cherry Brownie Delight!!!

Pie cherries are ripe, so it's time to post a recipe we invented this winter. (A "sugar fix" moment!) It's super easy and absolutely delish... And now is the time to put away the pie cherries!!

Gluten Free Cherry Brownie Delight
by US! :)

Make the cherry pie filling:

Combine the following in saucepan and heat to boiling:

2-3 c. pie cherries, undrained
1/3 - 1/2 c. sugar (depends on how sour cherries are)
1/4 t. salt

Mix together til dissolved:

1/2 c. water
3 T. cornstarch

Pour the cornstarch mixture into the pie mixture. Cook just til thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

At this point you can either freeze the cherry pie filling for later -OR- go ahead with making the brownie dessert.

Mix up a double batch** of Bob's Red Mill GF Brownie Mix, following package directions. [You can buy this in bulk if you live near the Bob's RMill store.] We prefer to substitute coconut oil for the margarine/butter; and the coconut oil flavor is superb with cherries!

**We've tried this using one batch and two batches. Either works. Depends on how much chocolate you want in proportion to the cherries.

Spread the cherry pie filling in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Pour/spread the brownie mix over the top. Bake at recommended temperature until the brownies are done to your preferred level of gooeyness. (Start with the recommended baking time for brownies and go from there. We prefer them slightly gooey rather than completely cakey. It's not a fine science!)

ENJOY!!!! ;)

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! ;)

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!

Cranberry Pear Salad

Favorite recipe from my sister-in-law. She often brings it to family gatherings...and gives me the leftovers. ;) We had it tonight with baked potatoes/toppings. It's similar to the Green Salad with Autumn Fruit I mentioned a few days ago.

Cranberry Pear Salad

lettuce
dried cranberries
pinenuts or sliced almonds
pear, cut into small chunks
feta cheese, optional

Toss together, amounts to taste.

**Dressing:

1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. oil
4 T. sugar
4 T. cider vinegar

Mix well and pour over salad when ready to serve.

(**I usually use less oil and sugar and more vinegar. But this is good, too.)

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!

Depression Cooking

Clara, a grandmother in her nineties, introduces a whole series of recipes on YouTube on "Great Depression Cooking." Here's "Poorman's Meal." Clara is a hoot. And the "Depression Cooking" info is fabulous. The only hilarious thing is that a lot of what she does looks very, very familiar. LOL. I guess I'm closer to Depression cooking (but not depressing cooking) than I would have thought. :)

Thanks to Owlhaven for alerting me to these fun videos!

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.

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.

Lemon Velvet Yogurt Drink

Tasty beverage for those 107 degree* days!!!!!! (*On the evening news they said it's hotter here than in Las Vegas or Phoenix. Yikes.)

Lemon Velvet

8oz lemon yogurt
6oz orange juice concentrate
2 1/2 c. milk
1 t. vanilla

Blend until frothy. 6 servings.

If you'd like, freeze into lemonsicles.

Compost Pile Eatin' (Mustard Greens)

Imagine my surprise to return from China and find gorgeous mustard greens growing on top of my compost pile. I'm not sure how it happened. I recently composted some mustard that had gone to seed, but I'm shocked and slightly doubtful that it would grow this quickly.

We ate it for dinner in a family favorite recipe. The original recipe (which I found on the internet, and now seems to have disappeared) calls for kale. I love kale in it, but we seem to be able to grow mustard a lot easier!

Kale or Mustard Green Salad

Barely cook the greens (approx. 3-5 mins.) by boiling a small amount of water in a pot filled with greens. (This basically wilts them.) Drain/squeeze out the water. Cut greens into bite sized pieces. Add about 1 1/2 T. soy sauce and 1 T. sesame oil for 12 oz greens. Garnish with sesame seeds.

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.

Pumpkin or Butternut Squash Muffins (gluten/casein free)

During the past WEEK of illness, I've made several batches of these muffins for the sickies. They've been very appreciative! I found the original recipe in Dr. Sears' Parenting Newsletter, but I can't locate the recipe on-line and I've changed it a LOT. So blame my experimentation if you hate it! ;)

Pumpkin Muffins*

(*gluten & casein free...assumes you will buy ingredients that contain no gluten or milk products)

Makes: 24 regular or 48 mini muffins (they freeze well for snacks/breakfast)

Mix together dry ingredients:

3 c. brown rice flour
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
2 t. sea salt (or regular)
4 t. baking soda
1/4 c. brown sugar


Mix together wet ingredients:

4 beaten eggs
3/4 c. thawed orange juice concentrate
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. 100% maple syrup
2 T. agave nectar or honey
4 t. vanilla
2 c. cooked, mashed butternut squash or pumpkin

Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Add 1-2 cups of chocolate chips (gf/cf) or raisins.

Put batter into greased muffin tins and bake at 350. About 15 minutes for mini muffins, about 20 minutes for regular...but watch them so they don't overbake.

P.S. I would never, ever guess these were gluten free muffins. They taste like the real thing! :)

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.

Holiday Pretzel Treats

Lizzi found this easy recipe for Holiday Pretzel Treats. They're pretty, yummy, and easy for kids to make. Now I just need to find fair trade chocolate in these shapes!

Day 48, Curried Sweet Potato Chowder (93...Free!)

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, sweet potatoes are usually a pretty good deal. I just picked up 4 for $1.75 (3lbs @ .58/lb) at our local grocery. Not a bad time to stock up. Since sweet potatoes rank #1 among veggies, you really get a lot of nutritional bang for your buck.

The following recipe for Curried Sweet Potato Chowder comes from our church camp. I liked it so much I asked for the recipe. The odd amounts are no doubt the result of reducing a camp recipe to a serving size of 8.

Curried Sweet Potato Chowder

2/3 onion, chopped
1 1/2 T. oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. curry powder
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/8 lbs chicken broth
5/8 lb coconut milk, unsweetened (I used about 2/3rd of a can)
dash ginger, to taste
dash pepper, to taste
dash salt, to taste

In soup pot, cook onion in hot oil over medium heat. Add curry and garlic and cook until onion is tender. Add sweet potatoes, chicken broth, coconut milk and ginger. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10-15 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. Cool slightly.

Remove half the mixture from pot and in small batches, place mixture in blender and blend until smooth. Return to soup mixture in pot. Add pepper and salt; heat through.

Serve with peanuts and raisins for toppings, optional.