1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
1 cup mashed sweet potato
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/3 cup water
1 t vanilla sugar
Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well mixed. Separately combine eggs, sweet potato, oil and water. Mix into dry until just moist. Spoon into greased and floured 9x5 bread pan and sprinkle with vanilla sugar. Bake 350 degrees 50-60 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then depan.
This was sweet enough to be a dessert bread. If you are baking sweet potatoes whole, throw an extra one (or two) and mash it up for this. I used one that was pretty large. Since I was only making this, I cubed and steamed it.
If you don't have vanilla sugar, you can buy some at spice stores such as penzeys.com or you can make your own. I buy Penzey's vanilla extract and it comes with a vanilla bean in it. When it's empty I dry the bean and place it in a pint of sugar. If you let it sit quietly in your cupboard for a while it will become nice and vanilla-y. It's good for sprinkling on strawberries too, and is excellent for making your own cinnamon sugar. Of course you can always use regular sugar.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Spoonbread
1 cup white cornmeal
2 cup water
1 t salt
1 cup cold milk
2 eggs, well beaten
2 T butter, melted
Combine cornmeal, water, and salt in a large saucepand and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. It will become very thick; do not add more liquid at this stage. After 5 minutes, remove from heat and gradually stir in milk, then egg, then butter. When mixed pour into hot greased baking dish and bake 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until center is firm and top is browned.
This is something that I usually make for breakfast. I like having a made breakfast (as opposed to cereal) without actually having to make breakfast in the morning. I usually divvy this up into servings and put in the fridge, and heat one each morning in the microwave for about 30 seconds and pour on syrup. Lately I've been using some freezer jam that never set.
Why white cornmeal? I dunno, it's what the original recipie said. Go ahead, use yellow. White is usually the only kind I have in the house anyway - I may have originally been searching for recipies that used white cornmeal. The milk was labeled as "sweet" milk, leading me to believe this was written up in a place they use a lot of buttermilk.
A side note on the eggs: I use fake eggs. Commonly known as Egg Beaters. I use them in just about everything that calls for eggs, unless I'm actually eating eggs (or soufle's or custards). You get a consistant amount because they are measured, they don't break, and if you are breading things, you don't have to use a whole egg when a half would have done. Also useful for when you are cutting down a recipie that would require a partial egg.
2 cup water
1 t salt
1 cup cold milk
2 eggs, well beaten
2 T butter, melted
Combine cornmeal, water, and salt in a large saucepand and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. It will become very thick; do not add more liquid at this stage. After 5 minutes, remove from heat and gradually stir in milk, then egg, then butter. When mixed pour into hot greased baking dish and bake 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until center is firm and top is browned.
This is something that I usually make for breakfast. I like having a made breakfast (as opposed to cereal) without actually having to make breakfast in the morning. I usually divvy this up into servings and put in the fridge, and heat one each morning in the microwave for about 30 seconds and pour on syrup. Lately I've been using some freezer jam that never set.
Why white cornmeal? I dunno, it's what the original recipie said. Go ahead, use yellow. White is usually the only kind I have in the house anyway - I may have originally been searching for recipies that used white cornmeal. The milk was labeled as "sweet" milk, leading me to believe this was written up in a place they use a lot of buttermilk.
A side note on the eggs: I use fake eggs. Commonly known as Egg Beaters. I use them in just about everything that calls for eggs, unless I'm actually eating eggs (or soufle's or custards). You get a consistant amount because they are measured, they don't break, and if you are breading things, you don't have to use a whole egg when a half would have done. Also useful for when you are cutting down a recipie that would require a partial egg.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Summer Fun
It's been a bit since I've posted. Mostly this is due to not wanting to try cooking new recipes over the summer because most of July was over 90 degrees and we don't have AC. It's really a shame because I started planting in our expanded garden this year and I wanted to do more cooking. Maybe we'll get AC next spring and I can keep up.
The thing I regret most is not keeping up with the green beans I planted. I have two rows, which is way more than I need for hubby and myself, so I was going to can them. Got myself a giant pressure canner. Then it was just too hot to go out and pick them. I was able to keep the garden watered even through the heat; sprinklers are a wonderful thing.
I was talking to my dad about my beans-gone-by and I knew that green beans, left to grow bigger, become a bean that gets dried and called a Great Northern. I was talking about letting them dry and my dad suggested that I saute them fresh. It worked nicely, but I think they might require some blanching first.
Handful shelled overgrown beans
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
1/2 a tomato, chopped
Olive oil
3 basil leaves, torn.
Saute beans and garlic in heated olive oil. Before garlic turns brown add tomato and any juice that oozed out while chopping and stir in basil leaves. Simmer stirring occasionally until tomatoes and basil have softened.
The tomato was from my garden too. It wasn't all the way ripe, but it had some bruising on its shoulders and was going to take over the whole tomato if allowed to ripen.
I hope to pick back up and post more, now that it has cooled off (although yesterday was 97 and today is 95) and I can get back into the kitchen more comfortably.
The thing I regret most is not keeping up with the green beans I planted. I have two rows, which is way more than I need for hubby and myself, so I was going to can them. Got myself a giant pressure canner. Then it was just too hot to go out and pick them. I was able to keep the garden watered even through the heat; sprinklers are a wonderful thing.
I was talking to my dad about my beans-gone-by and I knew that green beans, left to grow bigger, become a bean that gets dried and called a Great Northern. I was talking about letting them dry and my dad suggested that I saute them fresh. It worked nicely, but I think they might require some blanching first.
Handful shelled overgrown beans
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
1/2 a tomato, chopped
Olive oil
3 basil leaves, torn.
Saute beans and garlic in heated olive oil. Before garlic turns brown add tomato and any juice that oozed out while chopping and stir in basil leaves. Simmer stirring occasionally until tomatoes and basil have softened.
The tomato was from my garden too. It wasn't all the way ripe, but it had some bruising on its shoulders and was going to take over the whole tomato if allowed to ripen.
I hope to pick back up and post more, now that it has cooled off (although yesterday was 97 and today is 95) and I can get back into the kitchen more comfortably.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Barley-Vegetable Medley
1 cup whole corn
1/2 cup quick-cook barley
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 small)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup coarsely shredded carrot
2 t instant beef bouillon
1/2 t dried basil
1/4 t dried thyme
1/4 t dried oregano
1/8 t fresh ground pepper
1 large tomato, chopped
Bring 1 1/2 cup water to boil. Add all ingredients except tomato. Return to boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered 10 minutes, until barley is tender. Drain. Stir in tomato over same heat until tomatoes heated through.
This was pretty simple to make. I was skeptical that it didn't have any salt and I find that usually starches (like barley) cooked without salt are pretty bland. The bouillon, plus the additional herbs make it well seasoned, and the bouillon I use is actually Penzey's beef soup base, which is less salty than regular bouillon. AND I'm a salt junkie, so it must have been the additional spices that really bring this up to tasty.
This probably would be considered four large side-dish servings. I would serve it the same way as a rice-pilaf.
1/2 cup quick-cook barley
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 small)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup coarsely shredded carrot
2 t instant beef bouillon
1/2 t dried basil
1/4 t dried thyme
1/4 t dried oregano
1/8 t fresh ground pepper
1 large tomato, chopped
Bring 1 1/2 cup water to boil. Add all ingredients except tomato. Return to boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered 10 minutes, until barley is tender. Drain. Stir in tomato over same heat until tomatoes heated through.
This was pretty simple to make. I was skeptical that it didn't have any salt and I find that usually starches (like barley) cooked without salt are pretty bland. The bouillon, plus the additional herbs make it well seasoned, and the bouillon I use is actually Penzey's beef soup base, which is less salty than regular bouillon. AND I'm a salt junkie, so it must have been the additional spices that really bring this up to tasty.
This probably would be considered four large side-dish servings. I would serve it the same way as a rice-pilaf.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Red Pepper and Onion Relish
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 T crushed red pepper flakes
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, and reduce to simmer. Cook 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir occasionally. Chill at least 4 hours before using.
I went in search of this recipe after buying something similar in a jar at a schmanzty cooking store. I was reading the ingredients on the jar ($5 for 6 ounces!) and thought it must be simple and cheaper to just make. This makes a smidge over a pint for probably the same or a little less money.
This is good on top of chicken. Usually I pan fry chicken with salt and pepper, then remove it from the pan and deglaze it with the relish - just long enough to heat through - and spoon over each piece of chicken. Lately we've been using with mayo or italian dressing with chicken and cucumber in sandwich wraps. It also goes nice on a Triscuit with some mozzerella and heated under the broiler until the cheese just melts.
This freezes nicely, although I've yet to see it go bad in the fridge - possibly due to the high acidity from the vinegar.
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 T crushed red pepper flakes
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, and reduce to simmer. Cook 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir occasionally. Chill at least 4 hours before using.
I went in search of this recipe after buying something similar in a jar at a schmanzty cooking store. I was reading the ingredients on the jar ($5 for 6 ounces!) and thought it must be simple and cheaper to just make. This makes a smidge over a pint for probably the same or a little less money.
This is good on top of chicken. Usually I pan fry chicken with salt and pepper, then remove it from the pan and deglaze it with the relish - just long enough to heat through - and spoon over each piece of chicken. Lately we've been using with mayo or italian dressing with chicken and cucumber in sandwich wraps. It also goes nice on a Triscuit with some mozzerella and heated under the broiler until the cheese just melts.
This freezes nicely, although I've yet to see it go bad in the fridge - possibly due to the high acidity from the vinegar.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Chicken Soup with Lentils and Barley
1 cup sliced leeks
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T butter
2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dry lentils, rinsed
1/2 t basil
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t rosemary
1/4 t black pepper
1 1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 1/2 cup sliced carrots (about 3 medium)
1/2 cup quick-cook barley
1 14.5 oz can tomatoes, cut up
In stockpot cook leeks, bell pepper and garlic in melted butter until tender. Stir in broth, water, lentils, herbs and black pepper. Bring to boil; simmer covered 20 minutes. Stir in chicken, carrots and uncooked barley. Cover and simmer another 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Stir in undrained tomatoes and heat through.
Instead of using water, I had about a cup of home made chicken stock and completed the rest of the water. Also I think that using a can of diced tomatoes instead of cutting up whole canned tomatoes would be better. On the whole this is a hearty soup, not very brothy.
Also, when making anything that requires cooked chicken I buy a rotisserie cooked chicken. It costs the same around here as buying a raw roaster, and it has a better texture than poached chicken.
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T butter
2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dry lentils, rinsed
1/2 t basil
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t rosemary
1/4 t black pepper
1 1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken
1 1/2 cup sliced carrots (about 3 medium)
1/2 cup quick-cook barley
1 14.5 oz can tomatoes, cut up
In stockpot cook leeks, bell pepper and garlic in melted butter until tender. Stir in broth, water, lentils, herbs and black pepper. Bring to boil; simmer covered 20 minutes. Stir in chicken, carrots and uncooked barley. Cover and simmer another 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Stir in undrained tomatoes and heat through.
Instead of using water, I had about a cup of home made chicken stock and completed the rest of the water. Also I think that using a can of diced tomatoes instead of cutting up whole canned tomatoes would be better. On the whole this is a hearty soup, not very brothy.
Also, when making anything that requires cooked chicken I buy a rotisserie cooked chicken. It costs the same around here as buying a raw roaster, and it has a better texture than poached chicken.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Fennel and Celery Salad
2 fennel bulbs
3 celery ribs
1/4 cup olive oil
3 T lemon juice
salt/pepper
Cut fennel in quarters - use mandoline to slice thinly. Slice celery in the same thickness. Chop small handful of fennel fronds. Toss all together. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, then combine with vegetable.
The original recipe called for freshly shaved parmesan cheese. I find shaving parm to be tedious, and I don't think I can taste it in this salad. Also, if you are going to make this salad ahead of time and eat over the course of a week (which I do) I recommend leaving out the salt and just adding some on and tossing it in just before eating. Otherwise it leaches out all the water from the vegetables and the dressing becomes very runny. If serving right away though it's fine.
I tried this the first time with skepticism. I don't generally like fennel; I'm not a big fan of licorice. Even when I make this I can't snack on the fennel shavings. Something about the lemon juice mixes with the slight licorice flavor and somehow makes it acceptable to me. This last time I made this, I used 1 fennel bulb and julienned a jicama for a little variety.
Also regarding the mandoline - use the slicing guard or get a fancy cut-proof glove. I have a nice oval scar on the very tip of my middle finger where I took a slice off while not using one. Thankfully, I was slicing things very thin and my blade was sharp, so the damage wasn't too bad.
3 celery ribs
1/4 cup olive oil
3 T lemon juice
salt/pepper
Cut fennel in quarters - use mandoline to slice thinly. Slice celery in the same thickness. Chop small handful of fennel fronds. Toss all together. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, then combine with vegetable.
The original recipe called for freshly shaved parmesan cheese. I find shaving parm to be tedious, and I don't think I can taste it in this salad. Also, if you are going to make this salad ahead of time and eat over the course of a week (which I do) I recommend leaving out the salt and just adding some on and tossing it in just before eating. Otherwise it leaches out all the water from the vegetables and the dressing becomes very runny. If serving right away though it's fine.
I tried this the first time with skepticism. I don't generally like fennel; I'm not a big fan of licorice. Even when I make this I can't snack on the fennel shavings. Something about the lemon juice mixes with the slight licorice flavor and somehow makes it acceptable to me. This last time I made this, I used 1 fennel bulb and julienned a jicama for a little variety.
Also regarding the mandoline - use the slicing guard or get a fancy cut-proof glove. I have a nice oval scar on the very tip of my middle finger where I took a slice off while not using one. Thankfully, I was slicing things very thin and my blade was sharp, so the damage wasn't too bad.
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