Food Friday (On Saturday) - Herbs and Spices and Veggies, Oh My!

from Tracey G.

It's been a rough week around here, lol. Once again some cold bug found me (Harry had it first), and knocked me down. I am slowly finding my way back up, but it's been rough going. I thought for the first two days of this cold that it was my allergies acting up - but when it got worse by the third day, I knew it was more than allergies, lol. And it's only gotten worse, which is really annoying. Or maybe it only feels like it's gotten worse because it keeps changing and adding things to it, lol. Whatever it is, I knew this week's recipe had to be simple and something that sounded good, lol. After talking with Kris, she's had a busy-as-all-get-out week with lots going on around her house, only in the form of still unpacking things and dealing with household plumbing issues that I do not wish on my worst enemy. Well, maybe I would wish it on my worst enemy, lol. 

I've had lots of time to peruse my foodie magazines this week, since the trying to be on the computer hasn't really worked for me at all, (I'm so behind in everything!) so I've spent time reading my magazines and looking for new recipes to try. I ran across this spiced roasted carrot recipe in one of my Taste Of Home magazines and it caught my eye. I like this kind of spice combination, I've been known to cube up my sweet potatoes, toss with brown sugar, cumin and chili powder before I roast them and I usually can't stop eating them, lol. So, yes, this one definitely caught my attention as it uses one of my very favorite vegetables! I love carrots in just about any way I can get them, but I have to say roasted is my all-time favorite way to prepare them. :-) 

It looks like a hefty list of spices, but for me it's stuff I always have around anyway - salt, ground coriander, cumin, pepper, chili powder, paprika, ground ginger, cinnamon, cayenne and ground clove.

Toss the carrots that you've cut into about 2-inch pieces with olive oil and the spices/seasonings in a large bowl. 

Spread them evenly on a baking sheet (I lined mine in foil) and roast in a 400° F oven for about 25-30 minutes. I think I let mine go about 35 minutes until they looked the way I wanted them to look.

 I did cut the recipe in half this time around, but next time I will make the full 8 servings as it's one I could eat quite a bit of! Really couldn't be simpler and it was a really yummy recipe in my opinion - next time I may try doing the recipe in foil packets on the grill to keep the house cool for summer! :-D It's also a seasoning mix I'd like to try adding a bit of brown sugar to, to add a bit of sweetness to it. I think it's also something I'll try on my roasted sweet potatoes sometime as well!

Oven Roasted Spiced Carrots

found in Taste Of Home Magazine

2 lbs. medium carrots, cut into 2-in. pieces

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Dash ground cloves

Dash cayenne pepper

1) Preheat oven to 400° F. In a large bowl, toss carrots with oil. Mix seasonigs; sprinkle over carrots and toss to coat. 

2) Arrange carrots evenly in a single layer in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Roast 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. 

from Kris B.

How is it that when you think things are going to settle down and you"ll have more time, life is busier than ever and there seems to be less time to get everything done?  During the school year, I had it on my calendar to work on these posts on Thursday evening and Friday afternoons.  That's the time I had and that's when it got done, almost without fail.  Once school was over, I told myself that I would get ahead of the game.  Obviously, since this is Food Friday on Saturday, that hasn't happened.  The problem is that I didn't literally block out on my calendar the time to get my post done and the other things that I neglected between August and May, and then some, are now rearing their ugly heads and I am still as behind as ever.  

As Tracey mentioned, there is a lot going on around here, some things that were planned and some that were unplanned.  We are having major plumbing work done.  That was planned.  The unplanned has been in the form of the weather.  Flooding and power outages have wreaked havoc in our area.  I would say that I am learning to go with the flow, but that saying takes on a whole new meaning right now here in flood-ridden Texas.  It is hard for me to accept missing deadlines, even when they are self-imposed.  In this case, since Tracey has been sick and we were without power in the middle of the week, it seems in our best interest to accept what is and move on.

All that said, here is this week's recipe, Yellow Squash and Rosemary Quiche.

I am a huge fan of the summer squashes, both zucchini and yellow squash.  I think it is because my dad always had tons of it in his garden so we ate it a lot and in many different ways.  This quiche recipe is one that I stumbled upon a few summers ago.  I know, yellow squash is not the first ingredient that comes to mind when you think of quiche, but works well!

INGREDIENTS

Pie crust
1 TBS butter
1 1/2 - 2 yellow squash (approximately 12 ozs.)
2 TBS fresh coarsely chopped rosemary
6 eggs
1 Cup Whipping cream
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Confession: I usually make my own pie crust, but I did not do that this time.  I used a good quality store-bought pie shell and that makes this recipe super easy and super quick!

Prepare pie shell as directed on package.

For the quiche, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the squash into 1/4 inch slices.

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Saute the squash and rosemary until the squash becomes slightly browned.  

Remove from heat.  

Lightly beat the eggs and then add the whipping cream, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Whisk together.  What is it about eggs and their containers that makes them so photogenic?

Place the prepare pie shell on a baking sheet to prevent bubbling over on your clean oven.  Place the squash and rosemary mixture in the bottom of the pie shell.  Add the cheese.  

Top with the egg mixture.  You may not need it all.

Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown and set in the middle.

Variations: I have also added bacon to this.  Cook four slices of quality bacon. Omit the butter for sautéing and cook the squash and rosemary in a little of the bacon drippings.

I have also used thyme instead of rosemary.  Experiment with your favorite herbs.

Have a happy and healthy (and dry) week!

A Note from the Winner

Thank you to all of you who left comments for chances to win our gift basket giveaway.   I wish that we could have given something to everyone.  Before I sent the winner her gift, I did take some photos  so that I could post what was actually in the basket, but Sherri Stone did a much better job of photographing the contents than I did, so here is a link to her blog post where she posted all the goodies that were in the basket.

Erin included a note with her rationale for including the things that she did.  

1. Mocha Marble Crunch - this is one of my mama's favorite snacks (and mine, too!). We both share a LOVE of chocolate and this one satisfies my sweet & salty tooth all in one bite! 

2. Memory Card Holder - if your desk is anything like my mama's, you've got memory cards for your camera sitting all over. Now you can keep them all in one place :)

3. Lens Cap Camera Strap Clip - "Where did I put my lens cap?" is a question I've heard one too many times...supposedly, you can attach this thing to your camera strap and keep track of your lens cap.

4. Grocery list notepad - so you can remember all the ingredients you need for Mom and Tracey's yummy recipes!

5. Screen Doors and Sweet Tea - an ode to my Southern roots. I actually received this cookbook for Christmas one year and I love it. My favorites are the three day slaw (pg 65) and sweet potato biscuits (pg 176).

6. Large Sketchpad - Mom is always looking for blank page notebooks for journaling. This one with a happy cover made me smile. Whether you use it as a journal, a sketchbook, or scrap paper for lists and ideas, I hope it at least makes you smile!

7. Photobook America Gift Card - The past two years, I have started what I hope will be a tradition (sorry to spoil the surprise, Mom) of making a photobook for my mom each year with her CY365 photos. I love when she posts them on her blog, but I think that sometimes they look totally different (even more beautiful!) on the printed page. It's fun to kind of "curate" the book and figure out themes among her photos to try and group them on the pages. I hope that you will make a photobook for yourself and enjoy those printed versions of your photos.

8. A lunch box! Because you've gotta have somewhere to put all those yummy recipes from Pixels, Plates, and Lols when you go to work or play! And also lunch boxes make me happy :) my mama always packed my lunch for me (though I had to use a brown bag then because I kept losing my lunch boxes. Now I wouldn't dare leave my beloved lunchboxes at work!) 

Make sure that you check out Sherri's blog.  And, I hope you all will keep visiting us here.  You never know when we might have something else to give away!  

Food Friday - Rice Is Nice

from Kris B.

When I was a kid we did not eat out very often.  My mom fixed dinner every night - usually meat, potatoes or rice, and a vegetable or two.  I know exactly what is meant by the restaurants who advertise that they serve homestyle cooking.  The side affect to my culinary upbringing is that we never ate ethnic food.  The  phrase “Let’s get Chinese take-out” was never uttered a our house.  The only Chinese food I knew was La Choy chow mein that came in the double stacked cans that were taped together.  How many of you remember those?  The only Mexican food I knew was Taco Bell and  I think I was in high school before I even knew about that.  Then I moved to Texas and the world of ethnic food opened up for me.   Tacos, and nachos, and burritos..oh my!

I quickly discovered that I really love Tex-Mex.  Well, what I really love are tortillas and rice.  Going back to my childhood, the only rice I knew was Minute rice.  I’ll admit it.  I loved that too.  When I realized that every Tex-Mex meal is served with rice, and usually tortillas, I became a very happy “Texan.”  The bad thing about Tex-Mex though is that it does not rate well when it comes to daily recommended servings of vegetables.  One can only eat so much salsa and call it a serving of vegetables.  

Over the thirty years that I have now lived in Texas, I have progressed beyond Taco Bell in my choice of Mexican restaurants and have learned to make many of my favorite Tex-Mex dishes.  (The one that I will never master is tamales.  The best tamales can only be  made by an abuela.  Rice, however, can be made by just about anyone.  LOL!

Unlike traditional Spanish rice, which is not hot at all, the Green Chile Rice recipe that I am sharing with you this week has a nice kick to it thanks to the jalapeño and two poblano chile peppers that it uses.  (This recipe is based on the recipe by the same name in The Homesick Texan by Lisa Fain.)

As my age has increased, so has my tolerance and fondness for spicy hot food.

INGREDIENTS

2 poblano peppers

1 jalapeño

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup cilantro

2 TBS lime juice

1 1/2 TBS vegetable oil

2 cups uncooked white rice

2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

1/2 cup water

The first step is to roast the poblano peppers.  Place them in a shallow baking dish.  Broil them for approximately five minutes on each side.  The skins will turn black.  

Remove them from the oven a place them in either a paper back or a plastic zipper bag for twenty minutes. Take them from the bag and “rub” the skin off.  It should slide or peel off easily.  Admittedly, the poor peppers are rather sad looking at this point in the process. 

They sort of resemble a troll whose feet are in serious need of a spa treatment.  Don’t let that be a deterrent to trying this recipe:-)

Remove the stems and seeds and rough chop both the poblano and jalapeño peppers.  It is the seeds that pack the most heat, so if you are not a fan of super hot food, makes sure to remove all of the seeds!

Place the peppers, garlic, cumin, cilantro, lime juice and a tablespoon of water in a food processor or blender.  Process until you have a thick green paste.

Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy pot on medium low heat.  Add the rice and sauté for thirty seconds. Add the chile puree. Cook for another minute while continuously stirring.  Then add the broth and 1/2 of water.  (The original recipe calls for chicken stock.  To accommodate our resident vegetarian, I use vegetable stock.)  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Cover.  Turn the heat to low and cook for twenty minutes more.  Remove from heat and let the rice sit covered for ten more minutes.  Add salt to taste.  Stir.

This rice is tasty as a side with almost anything.  

If you really don’t like the heat from the peppers, you can omit them and still have a tasty cilantro-lime rice.  If you do this, increase the amount of cilantro to a cup and add a little more lime juice.

Enjoy!

from Tracey G.

I have been through so many rice pudding recipes, all pretty good too - but for some reason I settled on this one as my go-to recipe. I think it's because it's super easy, and takes so little time to make - the longest part of it is the 30 minute wait after it comes off the stove. I came to making rice pudding kind of late, maybe just started about 10 years ago. Just always seemed like it would be something really difficult to do - it's not, but I guess I just had that stuck in head that it would be, lol. Once I tried making it, I began the search for one that was both easy and yummy, it took awhile - and few recipes later, I stumbled upon this one - it was from Minute Rice of all places, lol. Now, I've had rice pudding recipes with both instant rice and regular rice (even arborio for one recipe) and I can say I like both. I was unsure about the instant rice for texture purposes, but it's fine when it's all said and done. ;-)

The ingredients couldn't be simpler, instant rice, vanilla, sugar, salt, milk and eggs. I usually have all the stuff around all the time anyway, so it's a snap when I want to make something quick and last-minute for dessert. 

First, you combine the rice, sugar, salt and milk in a medium saucepan. 

Next, you bring it to a boil stirring constantly - once it's boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 6 minutes stirring occasionally. 

While the milk-rice mixture is simmering, whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small to medium sized bowl. I used a small one and my small whisk, usually works pretty well.

When the 6 minute cook time is up, stir a small amount of the hot milk-rice mixture into the eggs and vanilla - thereby tempering the eggs so you don't end up with scrambled eggs when you add them to the hot milk-rice mixture, lol, not a good thing! :-D

Once you temper the egg-vanilla mixture, add that slowly back into the pan with the hot milk-rice mixture. Now you cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute or until thickened. DO NOT BOIL.

Last step is to remove from heat and let stand for 30 min, and then serve warm! I've also noticed that if I let it sit a little longer before serving or eat the next day, it will dry out a bit. So, I just add some milk until I get it back to as creamy as I'd like. :-) You can serve with cinnamon on top - Harry likes it that way, but, I like it without, lol. Just plain for me thanks :-) And I suppose you could add raisins if that's what you'd like, lol, but you won't see me with them in or on mine, lol!

Here's the recipe:

Easy Rice Pudding

3 c milk

1 c instant rice

1/4 c sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla (a lot of times I add one more tsp and make it a tbsp ;-) )

1) Combine milk, rice, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 6 minutes stirring occasionally.

2) Beat eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Stir in a small amount of hot mixture into eggs. Stirring constantly, slowly pour egg mixture back into hot rice mixture. Stirring constantly, cook on low heat 1 minute until thickened. DO NOT BOIL.

Remove from heat and let stand 30 minutes, serve warm.  

Tuesday in Texas - Weather Or Not!

I can remember as a kid wondering why “old” people were always so interested in the weather.  When my parents, who most usually were halfway of more across the country,  would talk to my grandparents in Delaware, the conversation always began with a recitation about the local weather. Why did people in Delaware care about the weather in California?  And why did people in Hawaii care about the weather in Delaware?  For many years, this ritual topic of conversation was a great mystery to me.

Now that I am one of those “old” people whose first words nearly every day are, “What is the weather supposed to be like today?”  and who now sits down in front of the TV when I get home from work to watch “the news,” which really means the weather, I understand.  As children, I don’t think we have any sense of the power of Mother Nature.  Our concept of how destructive the weather, and other natural phenomena, can be is unclear at best and probably more nearly non-existent.  My only interest in the weather was if it rained and kept me from playing outside or if there was lightening and it cancelled a swim meet or a band competition.  We still marched and swan in  the rain, sleet, snow and ice.  It’s a wonder more of us didn’t grow up to become mail carriers! 

In this current stage of my life, having now seen lives lost to hurricanes, tornadoes, lightening strikes, floods and earthquakes, I know these things are to be taken seriously.  A few years ago, I sat in my living room one spring afternoon and watched on TV as a tornado less than twenty five miles away picked up semi trucks and whirled them around as if they were toys.  In that moment, I was torn between watching the devastation unfold on TV and heeding the cries of our local sirens sounding to take cover in an interior closet.  Over the last week, I have watched as people in our neighboring county had to be rescued from their rooftops as flood waters swallowed their homes.  When you see these things happen, particularly so close to home, you learn to take the weather seriously, very seriously.

The funny thing is that I was aware of weather and natural disasters as a kid, I just didn't worry about them.  I lived in Hawaii where volcanoes erupted.  I lived in California where there are earthquakes.  I lived in various places up and down the east coast where hurricanes are prevalent.  In several of those places, my dad had command of Navy ships.  When the hurricanes came through, the ships were all sent out to sea.  Still I didn’t worry.  Why was I not scared by that?

The one thing that I never encountered weather-wise as a child was tornadoes or even the threat of a tornado.  It didn't take long once I moved to Texas for that to change.  My parents  would call and ask how the weather was in Texas and I then understood why someone living halfway across the country would care about the weather.  In retrospect, I realize that their concern was not really about the weather itself, but about the person, in this case me, who was experiencing the weather.  I guess they wanted to make sure that I was still in Texas and not in Oz.  But the question was never, “How are you handling the weather?” But rather  “How’s the weather?”  Semantics?  Maybe.

I’m sure that to someone who has never lived in tornado alley, the threat of a twister is scary.  I do know that there were times when my parents were worried for good reason.  You just learn how to be prepared for the possibilities as best as you can. When I lived in Hawaii, back in the 70’s, we had air raid drills in school.  Here in Texas, we have regular tornado drills.  And like me when I was their age, our students don’t take them seriously.  I can honestly say that I get that.  Hopefully they won’t have to learn this lesson the hard way.

The Texas weather has been wild, scary, and destructive this spring.  But yesterday was beautiful and sunny, the first such day in awhile.  And we reached ninety degrees here in Dallas, according to the car thermometer.  I was thankful for the beautiful sunshine because we have to have some major plumbing, or should I say re-plumbing, done at our house.  Our pipes are fifty year old cast iron and they have served their time and are now ready to “retire.”.   The primary issue started with a master bathroom  pipe.  The plumber first came out over a month ago and figured out the plan to repair things.  Since then, rain has delayed the work.  Finally, last week, they began digging under the house creating a four foot by four foot tunnel from front to back.  (It feels a little like Stalag 13 around here.)  Then it rained.  Again.  A lot.  

Yesterday, when I got home from a morning appointment, the plumber was in the yard checking on the pump that he was using to pump the six inches of water out of the tunnel.  He didn't seem too concerned about having to do that.  We talked about the next steps in what has become our month long and not anywhere near completion plumbing project.  I wonder if the plumber has checked the weather and knows that it is supposed to rain here on and off for the next week.  Surely he keeps up with the weather.  He is older than I am.  Check the weather…that’s what old grown up people do.  Right?  I guess he’ll be pumping water out of the tunnel again next week, when we have sunshine again.

After the plumber and I talked, I came inside to text Weber and give him the latest update.  In the midst of those messages, the house made a weird noise and I felt weird, kind of like I had vertigo for a second.  I sent a text to Weber that said, “I think we just had an earthquake.”  Weber’s response was, “Are you sure it was not something going on with the plumbing?”  Before I could respond, I received a text from another friend saying that he too thought that we had just experienced an earthquake.  About ten minutes later the official news report was released.  We did indeed have an earthquake, not a big one only 3.3, and it was centered in our city.

This is Texas!  Earthquakes aren’t supposed to happen here…but they are more and more.  There is lots of speculation as to why that is, but that is a topic for another day.  Suffice it to say that in the midst of floods and tornadoes, I don't want to have to worry about earthquakes too!

Okay Mother Nature, lesson learned.  I have grown old up and now know to take you and your natural phenomena seriously and to respect your strength and power.  I get it!  I’ll do it!

Feel free to call me from anywhere and ask me about the weather in Texas.  That let’s me know you care!

*** As I am about to hit "Publish" on this post, the heavens have opened up and it is pouring!

Food Friday - A "KISS"

from Kris B.

This has been a busy week with many things coming to an end.  My semester and school year came to a close and the shipment of “stuff” that I kept from my parents and grandparents home in Delaware arrived here in Texas, really ending my ties to Delaware.  That has been a lot for me to deal with this week, so we decided to send you all a “KISS” - a Keep It Super Simple  recipe.  These flourless peanut butter are one of my all-time favorite cookie recipes, as well as being one that my “I don’t like chocolate in my baked goods” husband will eat.  And obviously since they are flourless, they are also gluten free.  

The simple part is that these cookies require only five ingredients - peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, an egg, and vanilla.

(In the name of simplicity, you also get to see my "fancy" pantry storgae system.  :-))

Cookies just make me happy from start to finish.  (Well, maybe not all the way to finish if finish is getting on the scale. LOL!)  I do enjoy making them almost as much as eating them especially when the kitchen “tools” brighten up a dreary, gray, rainy day.

I love brown sugar so I will always find a way to adjust a recipe so that I can substitute some or all of the white sugar with some brown sugar.  I know that I did that with this recipe way back.  Brown sugar adds a little more moisture and a hint of molasses flavor.  Using brown sugar in this recipe yields a softer, more chewy cookie.  If you like crisp cookies, you may want to use a cup of  white sugar and omit the brown sugar.

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup Peanut Butter  (I often make my own peanut butter, but in this recipe, I use commercially prepared peanut butter works better because it contains more oil.)

1/2 Cup white sugar

1/2 Cup brown sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl until completely mixed.  The dough is a little wetter and sticker than cookies made with flour.  

Use a small cookie scoop to drop cookies onto an engrossed cookie sheet, leaving two inches between them. 

Use a fork to flatten the cookies slightly.  

What is it about that criss-cross from the fork that makes peanut butter cookies “authentic”? 

Bake for 10 minutes or until the bottoms become slightly golden colored.

It doesn't get much simpler than that!  And only one bowl, one spoon and a measuring cup to wash!  (Use a half cup measure to add the sugars first and then the peanut butter and you'll only have one measuring cup to wash.  Another confession: I never measure vanilla, so no measuring spoons to wask either.  I have a pretty good sense of what a teaspoon "splash" of vanilla looks like.  And if in doubt, I err on the side of too much rather than too little.

If you want a little chocolate with your peanut butter, you can add a half a cup of chocolate chips to the dough, or remove the cookies about a minute before they are done a place a chocolate “kiss” on the top and return the cookies to the oven for the final minute.  I usually do the latter; that way everyone at my house is happy.  LOL!

from Tracey G.

This past week has been just utterly upside down for me, and Kris has had her hands full beyond belief with the end-of-the-school-year tasks and her items from Delaware arriving to her home. In our conversations on what to do for this week, we decided whatever it was, it was going to be easy-peasy to help us both out. So, since Kris was going to do a flourless recipe, thereby it being a gluten-free food, I decided I wanted to follow along those lines somehow. The idea of trying out a gluten-free baked good mix invaded my brain. Every time I'm in the grocery store, I see various gluten-free products and mixes. I've always wondered if they make the cut as far as taste etc. So, I decided to try one this week and let you know how it went and if it made the cut as decided by a 6 year old ;-) 

Kris and I had discussed brownies at one point and then that sounded good to me, lol, so I went with a gluten-free brownie mix. There were a couple to choose from, but since I pretty much exclusively use King Arthur flour, I decided their mix was the one I was going to try. 

The additional ingredients were the usual suspects, eggs, water (not pictured) and a fat - you could go dairy free and use oil in place of the butter. I wanted to use butter because I thought it would add a little extra flavor of some sort, lol. Following the package directions, I whisked together the eggs, butter and water, then stirred in the mix until well combined. 

You then spread the batter evenly into a well-greased 8x8 square baking dish - it's also stated you can use a 9"-round pan as well. 

Following the directions on the package, I baked them for 45 minutes in a 350° F oven. The toothpick test came out just as it said it would on the package, with some moist crumbs clinging, so I deemed them done and I pulled them out of the oven. 

The directions said to let cool at least 15 minutes before cutting them - so that's what I did, lol. I have to be honest, I didn't care for them at first - not that there was anything wrong texturally, that was fabulous, but they tasted a bit bitter to me. Harry however, LOVED them, lol. But, after I let them sit even a bit longer, a few hours, I felt it fair to try them again - since Harry still loved them, lol. This time around I discovered I too loved them, lol. I would most certainly make them again! If you didn't know they were gluten-free, you'd never guess. The texture was what I was curious about as to how they'd turn out, and in my opinion the texture was just right!

So, in conclusion of this experiment, lol, I would not hesitate to make these again nor would I hesitate to recommend them! :-D Happy taste-testing! 

Have a happy week, everyone!