The Best Uses For Baking Soda

 "Thrifty Thursday"... this past week as I have been at my Mom's going through some of her stuff since she passed-away, I came acrossed some booklets called "The Old Farmer's Almanac" Who remember's them?… I loved reading them when I was younger. Anyway in one of them was a great article that I felt made a fantastic thrifty post for today titled "The Best Uses For Baking Soda”

                    

Thrifty Thursday… “Tijuana Toss”

 Thrifty Thursday.... I have lots of leftovers and I have been craving a Mexican style casserole that my mom use to make called "Tijuana Toss", this is what I came up with... 

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1/2 medium yellow onion diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 cloves

1/4 cup taco seasoning

1/2 cup water

1 bottle of Avocado salsa

1 can corn (I used leftover roasted)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

3-5 cups crushed tortilla chips 

3 cups shredded cheese jack and cheddar

2 medium tomato diced, save 1 for garnish

1 bunch green onions sliced for garnish

1 cup shredded lettuce for garnish

sour cream for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium heat until the meat is browned and the onions softens.

Add minced garlic to the skillet and saute for 1-2 minutes longer.

Add taco seasoning and water and stir over medium heat until well combined.

Stir the tomatoes (juices included), corn and black beans into the meat mixture and heat through.

Line the prepared baking dish with 1/3 bottle of salsa and 1 cup of tortilla chips overlapping slightly to cover the bottom of the casserole dish.

Spread 1⁄3 of the meat mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese over the meat mixture.

Continue layering salsa, tortilla chips, meat mixture, and cheese to form three layers total.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes until casserole is bubbly and the cheese is fully melted.

Garnish with diced tomatoes and green onion. Let the casserole sit for 10 minutes for easy slicing and serving.

Serve with sour cream, tomatoes lettuce and extra cheese. We added diced cucumbers too.

Let’s Talk Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin 
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed 
• 1 quart bottle whole peeled tomatoes in their juice 
• 2 large fresh whole tomatoes (diced)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you like your food spicier) 
• 1/4 teaspoon dried celery top
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper  

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, melt one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon of olive oil
2. Add the sliced onion and smashed garlic to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes until softened and semi-translucent. Stir occasionally, it’s okay if the edges on the onion start to brown.
3. Add crushed red pepper, dried celery tops, dried parsley and oregano to a blender or food processor and pulse for 5 times, I like to use my mortar & pestal, I blend my spices while my onions are sautéing. 
4. Next blend jar of tomatoes and fresh diced tomatoes together in blender until smooth, strain out the seeds. Pour Tomato mixture back into blender, add onion mixture and spices, blend again until well mixed. Pour mixture back into the large sauce pan that you used to cook the onion mixture.
5. Bring the soup mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Next add chicken stock and heavy cream, pouring and stirring slowly as to not curdle the cream.
6. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with buttery croutons or serve with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich. 
   
   

 

Organizing - Mason Jar Storage

Thrifty Thursday... More Organizing!
Our pantry is always full of bags of goodies, tossed in and stacked on top of each other. Sad to admit, I often find that stuff has expired or lost its freshness because things were not resealed or buried in the back of the stack. So today, everything found a home and a label!

Pasta Fagioli

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion small yellow chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 carrot peeled & chopped
2 small stalks celery chopped
1 lb ground beef or small meatballs
1-2 teaspoon Italian seasoning to taste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes to taste
1 quart bottled or crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Tomato soup
2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 can cannelloni beans
1 can red kidney beans
2 cups small pasta
Parmesan cheese and chives for serving


Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it just begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots; cook, stirring frequently, for another 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the hamburger or meatballs to the pot, if you use hamburger, crumbling it as it cooks. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in Italian seasoning and red pepper. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato soup and stock.
Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
Stir in the beans and pasta. (Add an extra cup of stock or water at this point if it's boiled down too much.) Simmer for 6- 8 minutes or until pasta is tender.
Serve piping hot with Parmesan cheese and chives.

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

Using Homemade peanut butter make them so good. 

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:

In a large bowl, cream together butter and peanut butter. Add sugars and eggs; cream again. Next, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to peanut butter mixture; Roll into balls; place on cookie sheet and press with a fork to flatten. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes.

Makes about 36 cookies

Country Bacon & Cheese Quiche

We couldn't decide what dinner was going to be so we made it up as we went. We love the country, applewood, thick sliced bacon that we ordered for Christmas. That crunchy goodness along with four different savory cheese made for the perfect toss-tegether dinner Quiche.

We made our in our deep dish pizza pan...

Ingredients:

• 12 slices cooked country bacon
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 
• 1 cup shredded smoked Gouda
• 1 cup shredded baby Swiss
• 1 cup shredded Coby/Jack blend
• 4 green onion diced 
• 10 eggs
• 3 cups half-and-half 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Roll pastry dough into circle large enough to fit your pan or 4 (9-inch) pie dishes. Places in dishes and flute edges
• Mix together bacon, all the cheeses and onions, place into the bottom of large pan or decide equally between pie dishes between shells. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, cream, salt and pepper until blended. Pour into pan or pie dishes, remember to fill only about 3/4 full to allow 
• for expansion during cooking. 
• Bake 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Pie dishes will only need to bake for about 15-20 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
• Yield: 1 deep dish quiche or 4 regular quiches (8 - 16 servings each). 

White Bean & Cabbage Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• 12 ounces of cubed salami 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 half red onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into circles
• 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into circles
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4- 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

--- Place butter, saLami, garlic, onion, carrots, parsnips, celery, beans and OREGANO INTO a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in chicken broth and 2 cups water until Ingredients are covered. 

Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours. Stir in Cabbage about 20 minutes before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

• 
  

Award Winning Chili....

The Tradition Continues....

Our oldest son / chef Brady's chili took 1st place in the Grand Canyon "Annual Chili Cook Off". Cash and prizes were duly awarded. It was really good, but if we shared the secret recipe, then would be winners.

He even made the papers... 

GRAND CANYON NEWS

Wild Rice and Cheddar Dumplings

Thrifty Thursday....

Fall is in the air here in the Canyon and with that comes our need for thick, rich, saucy, comfort style foods. So, we would like to kick-off September with a hearty, yummy soup. We really like this soup because it is made with leftovers and can be put together a couple of days ahead and added too as you gain the leftovers. The dumplings can either be added to the soup or baked as biscuits.

Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 cups diced potatoes
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cups Beef Stock
• 3 cups cubed cooked roast beef
• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups half & half
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh chopped basil
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• DUMPLINGS:
• 2 cups biscuit/baking mix
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup half & half

Directions

• 1. Place the first seven ingredients in a stockpot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add beef and rice.
• 2. In a small bowl, combine flour and milk until smooth. Stir into the soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the butter and seasonings.
• 3. Combine the baking mix, cheese and milk. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto simmering soup. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean (do not lift the cover while simmering). Yield: 14 servings (about 5 quarts). 

Sparkling Mango Lemonade

This is a party style punch... it makes a lot!

For 5 quarts...

1 cup Country Time Pink Lemonade dissolved in 1 Quart of water
1/2 gallon of Mango Tampico punch
2 (2 liters) of Sprite

Mix all together and add ice, chill and serve.

Southern Corn Pudding

Ingredients

1/2 all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 clove garlic, diced fine

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cup whole kernel corn, drained

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 eggs

1/2 cup  Bisquick or corn bread mix

Directions

•  In a large saute' pan combine first 7 ingredients, add 1 cup whole kernel corn and heat until hot and slightly thick. Remove from heat and let cool about 20 minutes and then purée in blender to make creamed corn. In large bowl, combine Bisquick, eggs, cream corn, chicken stock and mix well.  Next fold in add last cup of whole corn and
• Pour into a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 10 servings.

Wild Berry Trifle (deconstructed)

Foregoing our "Throwback Thursday" to currently say Happy Birthday to two more of my kids for the year. We celebrated tonight with family dinner, serving yummy, creamy chicken enchiladas and deconstructed wild berry trifle. My son is not a big dessert eater and he requested Strawberry Trifle for is birthday cake this year. 

This a Thrify Thursday style recipe because we used everything from our pantry...

The Cake Base - We made yellow tea cakes using a Betty Crocker Yellow Cake mix as directed.
The Cream Pudding - We made two boxes of Vanilla Pudding according to directions on the box.
The Strawberry Sauce - We used a bottle of Strawberry Ice Cream Topping
The Whipped Cream - We whipped our own cream using heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla.
The Wild Berries - Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Blackberries, Frozen or Fresh is the best

Staff of Life 12 Grain Loaves

THROWBACK THURSDAY: I have been baking since I was a young child, both with my family and in the professional world, but over the course of the past couple of years I have learned that as a Baker, it is all about the product. As an Artisan, it is all about the technique and as a Miller, it is all about the grains and how they are ground. When you start to intertwine all three together you get a wonderful stack of loaves known as the "STAFF OF LIFE" bread. After a couple of modern tweaks to a very, very old recipe that was recently given to me by an artisan baker friend...

I give you my Recipe:
In a large bowl add 3 cups hot water ( I used half milk / half water),
next add small hand full of salt and sugar mixture (1 tablespoon of each)
Stir with fingers until desolved.
Next add 2 dips of fresh butter (about a half of stick)
And next add start for leavening. (1 cup sour dough start or 2 tablespoons yeast)
Add 2 handfuls of fresh course ground 10 grain mixture, Mix and let set until just before room temperature.
Now mix in 3 handfuls of whole wheat flour and 3-4 handfuls of white flour. Mix well, add more flour as needed until no longer sticky (this was the tricky part for me, I added flour until it no longer stuck to my fingers, similar to roll dough)
Knead for 5 minutes and place back in greased bowl. Let rise until double in size, punch down and let rise again. Next punch down and shape into loaves, let rise to double in size and bake until loaves are golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped upon. If you like it dark and crusty bake longer. (I baked mine in a regular 350* oven for about 45 minutes)

TWD: "Baking Chez Moi" - Granola Energy Bars

Our challenge today was to make these yummy Granola bars. They were very tasty but I like my recipe better, which is the one I have listed below...

INGREDIENTS 4 ripe bananas,  (peels should be brown with touches of yellow) 1/4 cup real maple syrup 2 Tablespoon honey 2 cups whole rolled oats 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds  (you could used pine nuts) 1/4 cup mixed nuts 1/4 cup dried fruits  (we used cranberries, currents and dates) 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. cinnamon  Dash of nutmeg 1/4 cup chocolate chips (we mixed milk chocolate, white chocolate and peanut butter chips) DIRECTIONS Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Using a potato masher, mash the bananas in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the syrup and honey, and stir to combine. Add all the other ingredients, Mix thoroughly till well incorporated.  Lightly coat a 9 x13 baking pan with shorting, (Lard would have been used back then), Press the banana-oat mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into bars. We make ours about 2x4. Remove from pan, turn over and allow to cool completely on a paper towel or cooling rack to avoid soggy bottoms. Store in an airtight container on the counter or in the refrigerator. Most recipes say you can keep them for about a week, but ours didn't last that long. We got 24 bars from our batch and they cost us about .22 cents a bar to make. They would have been cheaper but we used real maple syrup and dried currents.

Bacon Jam

Makes 1 cup (can be doubled or tripled)

1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into 3/4-inch pieces 

1 small sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large bunch of fresh chopped chives

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons spicy stone ground mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

pinch of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Keep all the bacon fat in the pan; do not discard.

Lower the heat to medium low. Stir in the onions, and cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chives, maple syrup, vinegar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in 1/2 cup of water and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally if necessary. Cook until the the jam has a glossy appearance and syrup-like consistency, about 30 minutes to an  hour, it should be thick and chunky, not a paste. Allow the mixture to cool for 20 to 30 minutes.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls - (using poolish)

 Ingredients:

  

Dough: 

2 tablespoons dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 cup scalded milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soft butter

1 teaspoon salt 

1 egg

7 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup fresh ground  whole wheat flour

Filling:
1 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons ground cinnamon 

1 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional

Glaze:
4 tablespoons butter2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon Almond extract
4 tablespoons half & half

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

For Poolish ~ In a small bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon yeast, sugar and salt in warm water and add 2 cups all-purpose flour, mix well and set aside for a least 4 hours (overnight is best). 

Next morning, in a large bowl mix milk, the other tablespoon of yeast, melted butter, and egg. Mix until will combined, add poolish and stir. Now add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Mix in remaining all purpose flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly whole wheat floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. You may need to keep dusting your dough until it is know longer sticky. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch dough down and divide in half. Roll half out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread 1/2 cup melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle half the mix over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

 Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake on 350* for about 30 -40 minutes or until nicely browned.

While the Cinnamon rolls are cooling, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add half & half 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

Five Dollar Dinner Challenge... #1

A friend introduced us to a new food challenge yesterday at Five Dollar Dinner Challenge. I was really impressed and since I have been creatively feeding my large family on a budget now for many years I felt right at home. So I decided to take her challenge and tonight WE give you...

SOUPY PIGS IN A BLANKET
(serves 4 people)
Ingredients:
1 Large Can (26 oz) Cream of Tomato Soup ($1.57)
1 package Hot Dogs ($.88)
8 Slices of American Cheese ($.75)
1 Can Biscuits ($.45)
26 oz 2% Milk ($.60)

Directions:

Make the pigs in the blanket by individually wrapping each hot dog with a slice of cheese and a flattened biscuit. Bake at 350* for 30 mins or until golden brown and not doughy inside.

Mix and heat soup as directed on the can. You can save even more here, by mixing the soup with water instead of milk. Our family just prefers a creamier soup...

Cost: $4.29 for entire meal

Note: For a fun and completely balanced meal you can serve with a side of Fruit Cocktail infused Jell-o for dessert at a total cost of $5.75.

"Sinful Sticky Buns" - July Artisan BOM

 YUMMY!!!!!! It feels good to be home and back in the kitchen. Our Bread of the month Challenge for July was Sticky Buns. I used the Sinful Sticky Buns recipe posted by Karen and they turned out amazing. The large pan is just regular carmel buns and the small pan of buns are filled with cranberry sauce. They came out very tasty.... 


Here is the recipe

For the Buns
2 packages active dry yeast
½ cup warm water
2 cups warm butter milk
½ cup unsalted butter
6 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
6 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

CARMEL GLAZE
1 cup unsalted butter
3 cups brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
3 cups broken pecan or walnut pieces

The seductive flavor of caramel and sweet butter and the crunch of nuts make these buns the highlight of any breakfast or brunch

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water
In a large bowl, mix buttermilk, butter, and eggs until well blended. Add the yeast and 4 cups of the flour; mix vigorously. Add the rest of the flour to make a soft dough. Knead again until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover it and let rise until it doubles in bulk.

Make the caramel glaze: Put butter, brown sugar and corn syrup (I also add a teaspoon cinnamon) in a saucepan.

Heat and stir until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and pour 1 cup of glaze into a small bowl and set aside. Sprinkle the remaining glaze over the bottom of a 12-inch Dutch oven or 9 x 12 baking dish and sprinkle nuts over the glaze. Roll out the dough into a rectangle and spread with the glaze and nuts. Roll up like a jellyroll from the wide side into a long tube. Cut into 1-½ pieces. Place each piece in the Dutch oven flat side down. Cover and let rise until puffy.

Bake in the Dutch oven for 25 – 30 minutes or in and oven at 350’ for 30 – 35 minutes. Invert the pan onto plate lined with wax paper. Serve warm

Yield: 12 large buns

Green Goddess Goodness

Several years ago, the Restaurant "Ruby Tuesday's" served an "Avocado Ranch" salad dressing on their salad bar. It was so yummmmmy! Anyway, I have been craving it and after describing it to my mom, she said it sounded very similar to the old salad dressing known as "Green Goddess". So after searching and sampling several very tasty, but not quit right dressing recipes, we have finally came up with our own that we love...

Recipe:
1 avocado (peeled and pitted)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon minced dried garlic
1 teaspoon minced dried onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce instead of anchovies
(we don't care for anchovies flavor in this recipe)
salt & pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until totally liquified. Chill for a least two hours before serving. Also this recipe works for our "Thrifty Thursday" because all the items should be in your pantry... :)