The Times They Are A Changing

Have you ever tried to cook in someone else’s kitchen? Okay, now consider that they weren’t people who cooked more than to stick something in the microwave to heat it up. That’s right, no measuring utensils. You’ve purchased all the ingredients for something really yummy to show your appreciation of their hospitality and you feel lucky to have found a bowl that’s large enough to act as a mixing bowl. Here are some measurements that will help you to cook without the measuring utensils.

DRY INGREDIENTS

* 1 tablespoon - 1 chestnut size
* 2 tablespoons - 1 ping-pong ball
* ¼ cup - 1 large egg
* 1/3 cup - 1 billiard ball
* ½ cup - 1 tennis ball
* ¾ cup - 1 baseball

* 1 tablespoon liquid - 1 ice cube

* 1 teaspoon grated zest - 1 quarter

* 1½ cups chopped tomatoes - 3 medium tomatoes

* 1 teaspoon minced garlic - 2 medium garlic cloves

I’m a big fan of breakfast cookies. You might be thinking getting kids to eat something healthy in the morning, but we adults who generally can’t stomach food too early in the morning need a healthy start as well. Okay, so this cookie recipe isn’t as healthy as say a bowl of oatmeal with fruit and a glass of orange juice, but they are as healthy as can be made for the purpose in mind.

Happy Healthy Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients

1 ripe banana, mashed
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup freshly ground peanut butter
¼ cup water
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour (pastry)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats (quick or regular)
½ cup pecans
¼ cup dark chocolate chips or (raisins - dried cranberries)

Directions

Preheat oven - 350 degrees
In a mixing bowl, mash the banana.
Pour in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, water and egg. Mix until creamy.
Add to the creamed mixture, the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Pour in the oats, pecans and chocolate chips. Mix.
On an ungreased cookie sheet, drop by heaping tablespoon.
Bake for 12 to 16 minutes or until golden brown.

As we get older we our taste buds also age. We don’t taste as much or as well as we used to and go for foods that are spicier and hotter, giving us a bit of the old taste bud action we used to have. As the baby boomers continue to age, it’s predicted that there will be a larger run on those spicy, hot dishes as well as anything that is on the sharper, bolder side of flavor.

Here’s a great recipe from Pepper Fools.

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

2 large red bell peppers, cored, halved, and seeded
1 small yellow onion, quartered, with layers separated
2 to 3 garlic cloves
3 ripe plum tomatoes, or 2 ripe medium tomatoes, cored and peeled, if desired
1 to 2 Tbl. extravirgin olive oil
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. crushed red chile (chile piquin), optional
1/8 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 Tbl. extravirgin olive oil, or unsalted butter, optional
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar, optional
1/4 tsp. salt
8 to 10 ounces dried pasta, preferably spaghetti or linguine, or 12 to 14 ounces fresh pasta
1/4 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the red bell peppers in a dry baking pan, skin side up. Place the onion, garlic, and tomatoes in another dry baking pan. Sprinkle the vegetables with the olive oil. Place the pan with the peppers on a shelf near the top of the oven. Place the other pan in the middle of the oven. Roast the vegetables until the onion and tomatoes are golden and soft and the skins of the peppers begin to blister and blacken, 15 to 25 minutes. The tomatoes, garlic, and onion may be done before the peppers. Remove the pans to wire racks. Immediately transfer the roasted bell peppers to a small glass or stainless steel bowl, cover with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap, and allow to steam for 10 minutes. This will loosen the skins and make peeling them very easy. Peel the bell peppers and place them in a blender container. Add the roasted tomatoes, garlic, and onion. Add all the spices, the 1 tablespoon olive oil, and the vinegar, if desired. Blend until smooth. You may need to add a small amount of water or stock to thin the sauce. Transfer the sauce to a medium saucepan and heat gently. Cover and keep warm. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander. If serving immediately, it is not necessary to rinse the pasta. Transfer the pasta to warmed plates. Top with the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, garnish with the grated cheese, and serve immediately.
Serves 4
From: COOKING AT THE NATURAL CAFE IN SANTA FE by Lynn Walters, © 1992, used with permission of The Crossing Press.
Posted By:CompuCook website

If you’ve never had homemade noodles, you really haven’t had a full appreciation of pasta. You can use any type of sauce you prefer or add them to soup. Make long fat or thin noodles. On the other hand, you can become very creative and make shapes from small cookie cutters which will make a plate full of hearts, moons or pine trees.

Simple Homemade Noodles

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour (or mixed flours)
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix completely.
Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
On a floured surface, roll out a thin dough.
Cut out noodles and let dry for 1½ hours .
Drop into soup or make separately for pasta with sauce.

I have a secret. I would love to live a life and diet of “the devil may care” attitude. Unfortunately, with a diet like that, the devil will get you in extra pounds and health issues. So, whenever I really have to have something I shouldn’t, I try to make it as healthy as possible even if it can’t be entirely. Here’s a recipe for blond brownies that’s a bit more healthy than the traditional one.

Healthy Blond Brownies

Ingredients

½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup butter, soft
¾ cup light brown sugar (or ½ cup honey)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup chopped almonds (or preferred nuts)
1 cup extra dark chocolate chips (from health food store)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and 8-inch square baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a separate bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla, mix to a cream stage. Add the flour mixture to the cream mixture and combine. Add the almonds and chocolate chips, mix. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy.

What’s the best winter hot drink. It has to be hot chocolate with melting marshmallows or whipped cream. It’s definitely an all-time favorite with people of any age. But, there are other choices.

Hot Buttered Rum

Mix the following and keep it in the freezer.

1 lb butter
1 lb powdered sugar
1 lb brown sugar
1 qt soft vanilla ice cream
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla

Heat a cup of hot water and add 2 teaspoons of this mix along with 1 oz rum. Add a dollop of whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg to the top, if desired.

Hot Toddy

Ingredients

1 tbsp honey
8 oz brewed tea (your choice)
2 shots brandy
1 slice lemon

Directions

Heat the tea and brandy in a small saucepan (or microwave). Stir in the honey and squeeze the slice of lemon and stir.

If you still have some eggnog in your frig try heating it up and adding an oz of Kahlua liqueur, then sprinkle with cinnamon.

We don’t have a big crowd for Christmas every year, but when we do our tradition is to have a Mexican cuisine Christmas Eve dinner. The main course is always my chicken enchiladas. Everyone seems to like them and you can make a huge batch rather quickly. Depending on the size of the group for dinner, we may include side dishes of black beans and corn, Spanish rice, salsa and chips, hot flour tortillas, and cheesecake (even though it’s not Mexican, it’s a favorite.

Karen’s Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 small can Ortega green chilies, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
10 corn or flour tortillas (your preference)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan, sauté the green chilies and onion in butter until the onion is tender, add chicken, stirring until heated.
Add 1 cup cheddar cheese and 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, mix well.

In a frying pan (large enough to dip the tortillas) combine the sour cream and chicken soup, heat on low until mixed and creamy.

Grease the inside of a 9X13 inch baking dish.

Dip each tortilla into the soup mixture to coat place in the baking dish with a spoon full of the chicken mixture. Roll up the tortilla and place it with the seam down. Continue until all tortillas are done. Pour the remaining soup mixture over the top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. You can add sliced olives to the top while cheese is melting if you like.

This recipe can be doubled or tripled for larger groups.

I suppose, I’ve known somewhere in the back of my head that certain potatoes work best for certain dishes and others work best for other dishes, but I never categorized clearly.

Russet Potatoes
The brown-skinned potatoes that we normally purchase in a 5 or 10 pound bag at the grocery store are grown year round and therefore they are easy accessible. When cooked they come out light and fluffy making them the best potato for baking or mashing. They also work well boiled and used in a potato salad recipe.

Red Potatoes
These potatoes are sometimes called “New Potatoes” as they are harvested before they are mature. They are firm, smooth and moist making them a good choice for potato salad, roasting, steaming or boiling. They are great boiled with just a dab of butter. They also make great breakfast potatoes if you have some left over from dinner the night before. Just toss them in a heated pan with a bit of olive oil and sauté.

Yellow Potatoes
The yellow flesh makes them seem as though butter has already been added and, in fact, they taste a bit buttery. They are now available most of the year and are a dense and creamy potato. Yellow Potatoes taste good roasted, boiled, baked and steamed.

Round White Potatoes
These potatoes have a creamy texture, but hold their shape. White potatoes are a good all-around potato that can be used in almost any dish.

Fingerling Potatoes
Fingerlings come in a lot of different colors, but basically they are mostly yellow under the skin. Their great for steaming, baking, boiling and salads.

Christmas Potato Recipe

Ingredients

2 ½ lbs. red potatoes
8 oz. sour cream
¼ cup melted butter
½ can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheese (your choice)
½ teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
½ cup bread crumbs
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup melted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray oil inside of a 9X13 inch baking dish.

Cut red potatoes into desired size (bite size is good). Place them in a large pot of water and boil until nearly tender.

Place drained potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add sour cream, butter, mushroom soup, shredded cheese, salt and pepper and stir until combined.

Pour potato mixture into the greased baking dish.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and remaining butter and stir. Sprinkle this mixture over the potatoes.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Note: This recipe can doubled for larger crowds.