Cinnamon + Raisin + Bread = Awesome

I was browsing TasteSpotting in my Google Reader today and happened across this amazing recipe for Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread.  With my several week craving for cinnamon rolls, I figured this bread would do the trick.  (For some reason, I didn’t want to actually make cinnamon rolls.  I’m not exactly sure why…)

It not only looks cool, but it tastes amazing!  I made three very slight modifications to the recipe because of ingredients on hand.  I used half & half instead of milk (we’d just run out), used half wheat flour, and raw sugar instead of white sugar.  Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written.

Don’t let the length of the recipe instructions scare you.  It’s really written out for someone who is newer to bread baking.  For the most part, it’s a very basic bread recipe with a twist at the end where you roll it out and put the filling in.  I hate rolling dough out and even for me this was easy.

It’s worth the effort.  Trust me.

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Simple Spring Rolls

I’ve been watching a lot of Good Eats lately.  Having finally gotten rid of the first trimester nausea, I am once again able to cook.  And have been doing so with a vengeance.  The super-sensitive pregnancy nose makes complex flavors a must these days.  Inspired by Use Your Noodle 5, I attempted spring rolls.  Mine were much less complex than Alton’s version (mainly because I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand), but tasty none the less.

Here, I’ll show you.

Tasty looking, eh?  Want to make some?  Here’s what I did.

Ingredients:

• 1 carrot
• 2 – 3 large cabbage leaves
• bean threads
• shrimp
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (separated)
• 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek
• 3 tablespoons lime juice (fresh squeezed)
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Directions:

Start by soaking the bean threads in hot water (out of the tap) for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile…

In a pot, boil 1 tablespoon soy sauce and enough water to hold about 2 handfuls of the bean threads (mine came in a bag of 8 little packages, I used 2).

While the water is coming to boil, use a peeler to peel your carrot into ribbons (munch on the core while you keep cooking).

Chop the cabbage leaves into small pieces.  Cook in hot water until they turn bright green and just start to soften.  Drain

When the water has come to a boil, cook your shrimp.  (I used pre-cooked, frozen, tail off shrimp, so I just used it to reheat mine.)  DO NOT DRAIN THE WATER!  Just fish your shrimp out and let cool.

Drain the bean threads from the plain water and add them to water the shrimp came out of.  Let that boil for 3 – 5 minutes.  Drain.

Mix the rest of the soy sauce with the Sambal Oelek, sugar, and lime juice.  Add the bean threads to the sauce mixture and let it soak it up.

Chop up the shrimp into little pieces.

Assemble your spring rolls one at a time.  Don’t over soak your rice papers or they will be hard to work with.  I soaked mine about 10 seconds in hot tap water and then assembled like a burrito (ingredients on one end, roll over, fold over both ends, and continue to roll).

A Few Notes:

If you are unsure how to assemble spring rolls (or burritos for that matter), do a search on youtube and you’ll get the basic idea.

These are just as tasty hot or cold, just give the rice paper about 2 minutes to set up in roll form before consuming.  Assemble just before eating of they will not be good eats.

I used these rice papers, these bean threads, and this Sambal Oelek, but do yourself a favor and buy them locally.  If your favorite Asian section doesn’t have them, find a local Asian market.  All told, my bean threads and rice papers cost under $5 and came from my normal grocery store.  The Sambal Oelek I got at an Asian market for around $3.

Sambal Oelek can be a little hot if you’re not used to spicy.  You can totally cut it down if you’re worried.  Start with a teaspoon and work your way up.

I didn’t make dipping sauce for mine, but if you feel it necessary, Alton has a good recipe here.

These are fantastic when served with Jasmine Oolong tea.  Just sayin’…

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First Signs

Of Spring, that is!  Yes, I know it is still dreary and dismal January.  But I was able to confirm that my garlic has indeed sprouted.

See?

I planted it last October or November (I don’t really remember exactly) and most of the little bulbs now have beautiful green shoots.  Even the one I planted upside down managed to find it’s way to the sun (I righted it today so it has a fighting chance).  Combine that with the beautiful blue sky that is out today, and things are looking up.  

(Watch, there will be a huge storm this week just to remind me that it’s still winter…)

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A Plan of (Edible) Attack

Being inspired yesterday with the gardening thoughts, I decided to take advantage of that state of mind and develop a plan of attack.  My gardens are generally late or don’t happen because I forget what I was going to plant/when to plant it/etc.  This year, I want to at least grow my favorites, so in the spirit of success, I’m forming a battle plan.  First, a list of the items I want to grow, when they should be planted, light requirements, and anything else I should know.  Armed with my local Garden Guide and a copy of Grow Great Grub, I set to work on a spreadsheet.

(Yes, I’m a big nerd.  But at least I’m trying to be an organized one!)

Ready for this?

Tada!

(click to embiggen)

Sure, it doesn’t look like much, but it tells me a lot.  First of all, the planting will all be done before the baby arrives (yay!) and secondly, I learned a few things from Grow Great Grub that I didn’t know.  For example, carrots like to be planted with tomatoes, onions, peas, and lettuce, but not dill or parsnips.  That means I can sow carrots in nearly every planter and raised bed I have.  Pretty awesome, eh?

The next step is to figure out where everything goes.  Armed with the extra knowledge of what plants don’t like to play together, I can start planning it out.  Both of my raised beds are partial shade due to the buildings they are up against.  The shed bed gets morning sun/afternoon shade and the house bed gets morning/afternoon sun with evening shade.  The potato planters are getting shifted and placed closer to the other beds in a place they will get morning sun.  The tomatoes will be trying this year out in the house bed with green beans and edamame behind, lettuce and carrots in front.  The shed bed will continue to have garlic and onions with snap peas behind, lettuce and carrots in front.  Cucumber and zucchinis will be placed in pots and trellised upwards.  (I have 4 large ones from Costco that will do nicely)  Those pots will be spread about in places that get the appropriate lighting and where I don’t have to mow around them.  The herbs will be put in pots small enough that I can bring indoors when it gets too warm.

(click to embiggen)

That’s the plan for now.  I’d love feedback or advice from more seasoned gardeners.  It’s a fairly small garden, but I want it to be manageable and filled with the foods we like to eat.  After all, what’s the point of a garden if you don’t eat what comes out of it?

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Pining for Spring

Today was a dreary day, but we spent most of it inside, enjoying a nice Saturday together.  Now that the sun has set and I’m left to my own brain, I find myself feeling restless.  I’m ready to be outside.  To be going and doing and seeing.  I’ve already planned a road trip in my mind.  But this post isn’t about road trips.  It’s about looking forward to spring.

It’s about gardening.

(Don’t faint.)

Seeing as we are now one week into the new year, I thought it prudent to pull out my trusty (but not nearly used enough) garden guide.

This month it says to plan the garden.  Well, alrighty then.

I’ve already got garlic and onions planted and possibly sprouting.  (Is it too early?  Are those weeds?) But now I need to plan the rest of our food for the year.  As always there will be tomatoes and cucumbers.  I’m also planning to try for potatoes again.  Shelling peas are generally successful, but snap peas and green beans are yummier.  Lettuce always does well, but I forget to harvest it.  (I have been eating a lot more salad lately, so I think I’ll plant it anyway.)  Carrots are definitely in and I think I’ll try for some zucchini as well. Basil will happen indoors as well as maybe some dill and cilantro.

I think that will be the extent of my small garden.  I lost two beds last year and gained one, so my garden size is a bit diminished.  I think if I go any crazier, we’ll have to plant the garden in the lawn.

Things I wont be growing this year:

• Corn – It requires too much room and I can get it from a local farm on the cheap.
• Melons – When they’re in season are buy one, get one at the local farm stand.
• Strawberries – The stand down the road picks them out back and sells them up front.
• Peppers – I give up.  I’ll buy them from the farmers market.

What do you think?  Too ambitious?

(Now what did I do with my seeds from last year…?)

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Tortilla Cracker-Chips

The original goal was to make homemade tortilla chips.  But the consistency doesn’t come out quite right for that.  Instead, these warm pieces of floury, salty goodness are not quite crackers, but not quite chips.  

Tortilla Cracker-Chips

Ingredients: 

• 4 soft taco sized flour tortillas
• Kosher salt
• Coconut oil

Directions:

Use a pizza cutter to slice tortillas into fairly uniform pieces.  Spread pieces out on a cookie sheet and brush with oil. (Or, you can place the pieces in a lidded container or zip top bag, pour in the oil, and shake.)  Sprinkle salt to taste.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until desired crispiness is reached.  Remove from pan and consume as soon as they are cool enough to handle.

Notes:

• You could put salt and pepper or cinnamon and sugar or whatever flavor you like on your crackers/chips.  Go crazy and experiment!
• If you sub in corn tortillas, you may need to adjust your cooking time.
• Coconut oil is not essential, but it was what we had on hand and was delicious.
• This is totally cheaper than buying a bag of tortilla chips from the store.  I buy my tortillas in bulk (a large 3 pack) at Costco and then freeze them, thawing as needed.

(Confession: I made these originally on Tuesday night, but didn’t get any photos before they were scarfed down in their entirety.  So I had to make another batch.  The things I do for the blog…)

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Peanut Sauce

I had a craving for peanut sauce today.  It’s the second one I’ve had in the last few days.  I must be lacking whatever nutrient is in peanuts, because I can’t get peanut butter out of my mind.  Being that tomorrow is payday and we’ve already blown the fun money on Thai food last Saturday, I decided to attempt it again myself.  I have attempted peanut sauce in the past, but it never came out right.  I am pleased to report that I finally nailed it.

I served the peanut sauce with diced chicken breast and broccoli over rice noodles (not pictured).  It was phenomenal, if I do say so myself.  (And the rate at which it was eaten by the husband is a good indicator that I’m right.)

Peanut Sauce with Chicken & Broccoli

(Loosely adapted from Williams-Sonoma)

Ingredients:

• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used fresh ground)
• 1 green onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Juice of 1 small lime
• 1 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground cumin (Optional for Liisa)
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
• Red chili flakes to taste
• 4 – 6 chicken tenderloins
• 2 cups chopped broccoli

Place all ingredients in a small sauce pan.  Set to medium low heat.  Whisk to combine.  Cook until desired temperature and consistency is reached, whisking often to keep sauce from burning.

Meanwhile, cook chicken tenderloins in oil until done.  Remove from pan.  Add broccoli and saute until heated thru.  Chop chicken and add back to pan.  Pour peanut sauce over broccoli and chicken and simmer until everything is the same temperature.

Serve over rice or noodles as desired.  Makes approx. 4 servings.

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Zucchini Bake

I had an abundance of zucchini recently and decided to attempt a zucchini bake.  I started with a recipe found in The New Cookbook for Poor Poets (and Others) by Ann Rogers and then modified the heck out of it.

It’s basically a conglomeration of food that was in the fridge that were going to go bad.  And it was amazingly delicious.

Zucchini Bake – A Sort of Recipe

Ingredients:

• 5 or so chicken tenderloins, cooked and chopped
• Sliced zucchini (about 4 cups)
• Most of a red onion, chopped up
• A few cloves of garlic, diced
• A can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
• 2/3 cup almond meal or chopped almonds
• 1 tablespoon of flour

Cook the chicken and then remove from pan.  Saute the zucchini, onion, and garlic with some Italian seasoning until tender.  Mix in the other ingredients (except some cheese for sprinkling on top) and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

It’s even better the next day!

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Biscuits and Scramble

The blog has been long neglected (save for Friday Flowers) due to a variety of factors (Grandma’s death, Sock Summit, preparing for newsletter, etc.).  July kind of exploded and spiraled out of control.  So I’m calling a do-over in August.  I plan to actually post things (instead of just composing posts in my head), whether or not the picture is grainy.  I love my iPad 2, but the picture quality is not fantastic.  But often that is what I have with me.  So, prepare for grainy pictures and random content.

First up is today’s amazing breakfast.  After being sad and badgering my husband all day yesterday, he agreed to drive all the way home (we were originally going to stop and stay at my sister’s a couple hours from home).  I slept so well in my own bed, that this morning I awoke with biscuits on the brain.  I know, I’m just weird.

Anyway, I made cheddar yogurt biscuits using my homemade yogurt.  They were served with a scramble that contained peppers, green, yellow, and red onions, mushrooms, and bacon.

No, I didn’t spend my morning chopping vegetables.  That was the beauty of this meal.  Even bumbling about in a pre-coffee stupor, it took about 45 minutes total.  How?  The veggies were pre-chopped and frozen by yours truly.  Knowing I was about to leave for nearly a week and having delicious farmer’s market veggies in the fridge, I set about chopping and freezing the day before I left.  Peppers, onions, mushrooms… They all found their way diced and bagged.  It was the perfect way to prevent waste and make life easier on myself.  I highly recommend it.

P.S. The biscuits are amazingly moist and tasty.  It’s probably a very good thing that this recipe only makes 6.

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A Rant About Food

Pay day… It happens not nearly often enough and not nearly enough $.  Since I quit my corporate job, pay days seem fewer and farther in between.  How did we go from two incomes to one and still survive?  I learned to cook.  And I don’t mean boil water.  I mean really *cook*.  And I learned to shop to facilitate that cooking.  And I learned to make do.  Here are a few of the ways we make it to the end of each pay cycle with at least a few pennies in the bank account.

• Eat at home.  I know this sounds simple, but it really isn’t.  When you work full time or are out running around all the time, making it home to eat or remembering to bring a meal is tough.  I eat breakfast at home in the mornings;often hubby and I eat together.  He likes oatmeal (less than $1 of oats will feed him breakfast for a month) and I like bacon, eggs, and toast (not as cheap, but still cheaper than going out to eat).  For lunches, he takes the fixings for quesadillas because sandwiches are not his thing.  A pack of tortillas, some shredded cheese and a few chicken breasts cooked with an onion will make lunch for about a week at a time.  I generally make a fruit protein smoothie at work since lunchbreaks are just a pipe dream.  Leftovers also make good lunches.  Dinners are where we live it up.  I am learning how much fun it is to experiment with different recipes.  If you don’t have much knowledge of cooking, see the end of this post for a never-fail, super-easy dinner recipe.
• Cut down on the lattes.  I have been limiting myself to one coffee out a week and it has made a huge difference in my weekly spending.  When you think about it, the typical coffee is $3.  Multiply that by 5 days a week and that’s $15 a week or $60 a month.  Your wallet (and your waistline) will thank you.
• Buy food as close to it’s original state as possible.  I don’t mean go out and purchase a cow.  I mean buy things that haven’t been prepped or pre-cooked.  You will save lots of $ just in that alone.  Pre-shredded cheese comes with a premium price over a plain block of cheese that you shred yourself.  Why buy packs of instant oatmeal when you can buy a can of it for $3 that will feed you for at least 4 times as long.  Think of those things that have the most packaging and those are probably the ones you could find in the bulk section.  Which brings me to…
• Buy in bulk.  No, you don’t have to stock up on 10 years worth of deodorant.  In fact, I rarely buy non food items in bulk.  But find a grocery store with a good bulk section.  Just because you are buying from the bulk section doesn’t mean you have to buy a ton of it.  I have containers for certain things that we buy from the bulk section and that is as much as I buy at a time.  Things like flour, popcorn, oatmeal, etc. can be much cheaper when you purchase by the pound rather than by the container.
• Make it yourself.  Convenience foods are the downfall of our society.  (Ok, there are lots of other downfalls too, but this is the one that irritates me the most.)  I know that you can’t make *everything* yourself.  But you can make a few key things to cut your grocery bill.  Here are my top five.
1. Bread.  Find a good recipe that works for you.  My new favorite is the No Knead Whole Wheat Honey Sandwich Bread recipe from Baking Bites.  If you want white bread, the Homemade Sandwich Bread recipe from The Hungry Mouse is awesome too.
2. Coffee.  (See the rant about lattes above.) Buy a good coffee maker or an AeroPress and figure out your perfect cup o’ joe.  And yes, I grind my beans at home.  They taste fresher that way.
3. Yogurt.  This one is new to me, but I don’t think I can go back to store bought.  A half gallon of milk + a packet of stater (or a 6oz cup of plain yogurt) + 1/3 cup powdered milk = 8 cups of yogurt.  Rough price estimate is $3.50 total for the entire batch.  Last time I checked, even a 4 cup container of plain yogurt was around $5.
4. Granola.  This is another one of those convenience foods that’s soooo simple to make it’s crazy.  You can see my adventure with granola here.
5. Popcorn.  Homemade popcorn couldn’t be simpler.  And all the crap they put into microwave popcorn is awful.  Kernels + oil + heat = popcorn.  It’s that simple.  Throw some oil in the bottom of a tall pot, add the kernels and shake to coat.  Turn the temp to medium high and put a lid on slightly ajar.  Wait for the popping to begin and remove from heat when the popping stops.  Yes, it really is that simple.
• Shop local and seasonally.  If you have a farmer’s market, go to it.  If you have a co-op, go to it and (if you can) become a member.  If you know of a farm that sells fresh produce and/or meat products, visit it.  The closer food is, the less expensive it is (usually).  If you don’t have any of those things, shop the sales, especially for what’s in season.  Right now strawberries are in season, so I split 3 flats with a friend.  I am processing and freezing them to use later in the season when strawberries cost $5 for a pint.  The 1 1/2 flats cost me $22.50 and I’m going to have more strawberries than my freezer can hold.
• Keep a good stock of seasonings on hand.  You’d be amazed how many times you can eat the same key ingredients by just changing up the seasonings.  I splurge on seasonings from Pampered Chef, but also make some mixes of my own and buy many seasonings in the bulk aisle (Curry, anyone?).  Seasonings last a while and really brighten up a dish.
• If you love something expensive, learn to make it yourself.  For us, it’s almond milk.  My hubby is crazy about the stuff, but at $3.50/half gallon, it gets pricey fast.  I found an easy recipe online and learned to make it.  A big bag of almonds at Costco is around $10 and a cup of almonds makes a quart of almond milk.

That’s all the advice I can give you today.  No, I’m not perfect and yes, we still eat out.  But our grocery bill continues to shrink as I learn to make more things and make do more often.  And now, without further ado… The recipe that we use several times a week.

Chicken + Veggies + Carbs (Optional) = Dinner

What you need:

A large pan or skillet.

A splash of oil in said pan or skillet.

Enough chicken breasts or tenderloins to fill said pan or skillet.

Some frozen or canned vegetables that you like to eat.

Seasonings you have on hand.

About 20 minutes.

Carbs if you want ‘em (pasta, rice, potatoes, etc.)

What you do:

Heat oil up in the pan for a few minutes while you dig the chicken out of the fridge or freezer.  Set the heat to medium and toss the chicken in the pan, sprinkle with seasonings, put the lid on, and ignore for a few minutes.  Dump the vegetables into a microwave safe container.  If you’re cooking frozen veggies, add a splash of water.  If you’re using canned veggies, don’t drain them.  Microwave until hot (usually around 3 – 5 minutes, depending on whether your veggies are frozen or not).  Once the veggies are in the microwave, flip the chicken over and season again.  Once the chicken is cooked through, you can cut it up and mix it with the veggies or leave it whole and serve beside the veggies.  Serve with carbs of your choice if desired.

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