Holiday Past

Just a couple posts from holidays past....

Gearing Up for the Holiday Baking
After the Party
Tips for Staying on Budget

All About Winter Squash

Some Popular Types of Winter Squash

• Acorn Squash
• Autumn Cup Squash
• Butternut Squash
• Banana Squash
• Carnival Squash
• Delicata Squash
• Hubbard Squash
• Kabocha Squash
• Spaghetti Squash
• Sugar Pie Pumpkins

 

The Basics

Winter squash comes in a variety of shapes round, elongated, scalloped, and pear-shaped and have bright colors such as golden-yellow and brilliant orange. The inside flesh has a sweet, nutty flavor.  Winter squash can be stored for months in a cool basement and often available year-round, but the natural season goes from late summer to mid-winter.  They are rich in antioxidants as well as a variety of vitamins and nutrients such as vitamin A and C, fiber, and potassium.

Choosing/Buying a Winter Squash and Storage

Winter squash should have a firm skin/rind and feel heavy. Make sure to choose one without mold, sunken spots, cuts or punctures in the skin.  The stem should be undamaged as well. Don't store in the refrigerator, but just in a cool dry place for about a month. After cutting the squash, it can wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for about 4 or 5 days. Once a winter squash is cooked, the inside flesh can be frozen.

Cooking

The exterior of the squash should be washed just before using. To cut from What's America Cooking: "To cut winter squash in half, grasp the squash firmly and use a sharp knife to slice through to the center. Then flip and cut the other side until the squash falls open. Remove and discard the seeds. Hint: Place the whole winter squash in the microwave for 3 minutes; then cut it easily, remove seeds, add butter, etc, and put into hot oven to bake. (Perforate with knife before putting in microwave so it won't explode.)" The seeds can be scooped out before cooking or after, but I usually do it before cooking. Most of the winter squash varieties are great for puréeing, roasting and baking.  Pureed squash can be mashed and used in soups, entrees, side dishes, even sweets and breads such as muffins or pies.

Resources

What's Cooking America - has a list of squash and a variety of facts about each such as what they look like and when available. This link also has prepping and cooking information. 

Cooking Light Winter Squash Recipes - a list of recipes for Winter Squash

Smitten Kitchen Pumpkin and Squash Recipes - a list of recipes

 

Traveling Food

I have mentioned that we have been traveling a lot.  I had been losing some weight, but with all our traveling and eating out, I stalled. I haven't gained any thankfully, but I haven't lost any either.  

Here are some things I am doing to help with food while traveling as eating out every meal costs quite a bit as well as not being very healthy.  When we travel, I always pack a cooler. We almost always stay in a hotel that has a mini-fridge too which always is a great asset when traveling. But even if we don't get one we have the cooler. I have those ice bricks and love them as they keep the food colder longer than ice cubes. I like that I can put those bricks into the mini-fridge - freezer section to have frozen and ready for our return trip.

So this is what I pack when traveling....

I pack small snack size ziplocks with grapes, sliced/cubed cheese or string cheese, pickles, baby carrots, baby peppers, or sliced peppers. I then take those little bags and put in a bigger ziplock, so that I just don't have lots of little bags floating around the ice. I put little containers of ranch dressing or bean dip to dunk veggies.  I bring other fruit with us - bananas and apples with us too.  Make sure you wash all fruits and veggies before you go so you can eat in the car easily.

Other traveling snacks I pack at times are trail mix or crackers that I put in snack size ziplocks for portion control as welly as just easier to have a little bag then a box or bigger bag. For something sweet, I will make cookies or bars so that we aren't picking up candy bar or other sweet treats.  Sometimes of course we indulge as our area doesn't have Dunkin Donuts so when in a town that has one we usually do part take in the puffy pillows of goodness. 

For breakfasts, I add some containers of yogurt to the cooler and bake some muffins. I also try to make at least the first day of travel meals - lunch and dinner - if not a couple of lunches. Such as packing sandwich/wrap makings - bread/tortilla shells and lunch meat, slices of tomato, spinach or lettuce.  If  I am just planning for one lunch/dinner then I will make up sandwiches for us knowing they will be ate that day.  I sometimes make a pasta salad or garden salad with some shredded chicken to top it as alternative.  (Extra little tip - if I bring wrap ingredients a quick easy lunch or snack is also using some bean dip/hummus, sliced peppers, tomatoes and spinach on a tortillas. Yums!)

When packing, I also remember to pack silverware including a knife that will cut apples or bread if needed, paper plates, paper towels, baby wipes for sticky fingers, and condiments. I try to keep it down to one salad dressing we both like and one condiment such as Dijon so that I am not having the cooler overloaded with things we will use so little of on the trip.   (Extra tip: We have a Sprouts here, but I am pretty sure Whole Foods has them too, but they sell the little almond and healthy Nutella spread in little condiment size packages like you get ketchup in when eating fast food - really nice for apples or crackers on the road.)

We always buy a case of bottled water - to keep hydrated during this hot hot summer and to discourage us from stopping from soda as much. When you pack your silverware, you might throw in a corkscrew also. Sometimes picking up a bottle of wine on the road especially an area that has local wineries is always a nice treat while in a hotel room after a long day of being on the road. 

Really, I know that has to be other stuff that could be easily packed and used for trips....please feel free to share your tips!

Tuesday Tip: Sticky Baking Ingredients

When measuring out sticky substances while baking or cooking, spray the measuring spoon or cup with cooking spray. So next time when you measure out corn syrup, honey, peanut butter or maple syrup, spray the measuring cup or spoon - it will empty into the bowl easier and clean up easier too. 

Tuesday Tips: Vegetable Storage

I thought I would revive Tuesday Tips.  I will be posting some tips once or twice a month on Tuesdays. Today's tips are all about Vegetable Storage.  

General Tips

*  Don't wash any vegetable until ready to use. I do break this rule at times though because if I am going to have a busy week - prepping veggies ahead makes things easier. Just make sure you store in the best way possible after cutting to keep them fresh still.

*  Any vegetable that has cuts and bruises will start to spoil and pass that on to others stored with it. So if you find one that has cuts or bruises, use them first and put aside away from the others.  

* Do not store fruits and vegetables together as the gases from fruits can make your vegetables go bad quickly.

Tomatoes - Don't refrigerate tomatoes.  It ruins the texture and taste. Keep out of sunlight on a cool counter top. 

Asparagus - Cut an inch off the bottom of asparagus spears and submerge ends in water and refrigerate until cooking.

Onions -  Place whole uncut/unpeeled onions in a cool, dry dark place - away from potatoes.  After cutting, store in sealed container in refrigerator. 

Garlic - Place whole heads of garlic in a cool, dark place. Don't refrigerate until you have peeled or cut.  

Potatoes - Place in a cool, dry, dark place - a box  or paper bag works well in dark corner of a pantry.

Green Beans -  In a perforated plastic bag or in an open container that is covered with a damp cloth. Green beans like humidity, but not overly wet environment. 

Zucchini‐ Leave out on a counter out of sunlight.  Wrap in a cloth and refrigerate for longer storage.

Broccoli -  Broccoli doesn't like to be crowded so store in a loose fitting plastic bag or an open container in the refrigerator. 

Letttuce/Leafy Greens - Wash and then lay out to dry on a thick towel. After dry, place in a plastic bag lined with paper towels to absorb moisture. (Just as an extra - this method by The Kitchn looks interesting) 

Mushrooms -  Keep mushrooms out of the crisper as moister makes them slimy.  Store them one of 2 ways - 1) in a brown paper bag in the refrigerator   2) In the plastic container they are bought in. Keep them sealed until ready to use and after opening place a piece of paper towel over them and then seal with plastic wrap.  I use the second method mostly and ever since I started putting a paper towel in the container - it has helped them last longer. 

10 Tips for Cooks

1. Keep knives sharp - trying to cut through caramels or meat with a dull knife isn't easy and wastes your time when especially in time such as the holidays when people get so busy. 

2. Cleaning up as you cook always saves time and keeps things more organized.

3. Always read through recipe before cooking.  It is better to know ahead of time that a recipe has to chill for 24 hours before baking so that you don't waste time.

4. Put the oldest first in the pantry and fridge.  Making sure you use the oldest items first so you aren't throwing things out because they were buried in the back of the fridge saves you money.

5. Don't try a new recipe or use a new ingredient for important people like a boss, a date or fiances parents. Try a tried and true recipe for those kind of occasions. 

6. A recipe is just a guideline. If you don't like thyme, but like another herb make some substitutions for things you like.

7. Taste before you serve so you know if it needs something else - like salt or pepper.

8. Do prep - the night or day before.

9. Make extras so that you can freeze it for a later time.

10.  Music on, shoes off,  glass of wine in hand, singing and dancing as you cook - enjoy your time in the kitchen.

After the Party

The party has ended and now you have lot of leftover food, wine and decorations.  Here are some ideas to help you use them in other ways....

1. Food
* Omelets, Quiche or Frittata - leftover veggie trays, sandwich meats, sausage, and cheese
* Chips or Bread - leftover chips or left over bread can be ground into crumbs and frozen to use on the tops of casseroles
* Dips - use in a casserole or as a sandwich spread 

2. Wine
* Freeze left over wine in an ice cube tray to use in recipes later. Such as stew in the slow cooker.
* Pour wine into a smaller bottle and recork.
* Make a mulled wine syrup to serve on top of pancakes, ice cream or fruit 

3. Decorations 
* Use ornaments and garland for wrapping gifts 
* Christmas lights - are great fairy lights to use all year around the house 
* Wreaths can be converted to holiday wreaths for other holidays or celebrations 
* Greens - evergreen tree, wreaths, garland can be used to decorate packages or pine needs used to protect flowerbeds or garden during the cold months.

Making the Most of Citrus Peels

Master enjoys oranges and lots of 'em when they're in season.  Several years ago, I started looking for ways to use those peels and get the biggest bang for His buck.  That citrus peel really is some versatile stuff.  Being as citrus season is in full swing, I thought I'd share some of my favorite ways to put all that zest to use:

• Candied Citrus Peel - I've used every type of citrus for this and they've all been wonderful - lemons, oranges, and clementines are favorites around here.
• Cut the pith from the zest, so you just have the colored part not the white part and cover with vodka.  Allow the zest to infuse with the vodka for two weeks to a month, strain and add a sugar syrup to taste to the strained liquid.  The resulting citrus liqueur is yummy in hot drinks and cold alike.
• Dry the zest and make a scouring powder.  Again, any old citrus peel would work, here.
• Put the peels in a jar and cover with vinegar.  Allow the zest to infuse in the vinegar for 2 weeks and strain.  Use the vinegar to clean as you would normally but it'll have a more pleasant citrus scent instead of regular vinegar.
• Combine the zest with sugar or salt to make a body scrub.
• Mix the zest with some sugar and let it sit for about a month.  The sugar will take on the flavor of the zest and is perfect for dusting cookies, adding to tea, etc.

Do tell us, please, what are your favorite ways to use up those citrus peels? 

Gearing Up for Holiday Baking

Right before I start my holiday baking, I pull all the recipes together. If they are in a cookbook, I scan the page in and print it off so that I can clip them all together and get through each recipe without having to search for them. I keep them from year to year so that I am not reprinting anything but new recipes I am trying that year.

After pulling all the recipes together, I go through and write down the ingredients. Making note of how many sticks of butter, how much milk/cream or how many eggs so I can keep a general count of it when making my shopping list.  

Here is a general list of baking supplies (ingredients and gear) that I keep handy around the holidays. There are of course some other things that I end up needing for a few recipes such as: wheat flour, peppermint extract, cream cheese and so on.  This is just a list of the basic list of ingredients and gear to help you get started in gathering your supplies.

INGREDIENTS

* all purpose flour

* baking  powder

* baking soda

* butter

* brown sugar, confectioners’ sugar, and granulated sugar.

* pure vanilla extract

* eggs

* milk or half-n-half

* sweetened condensed milk

* chocolate – bittersweet as well as semi sweet and milk chips, baking squares, cocoa powder

* nuts – pecans and walnuts

* spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger

BAKING GEAR

* mixer – hand or stand mixer

* mixing bowls

* measuring cups and spoons – more than one set during the holidays is always nice when baking

* rubber spatulas  - to scrap bowls

*plastic or metal turners – to lift cookies off baking sheets and on to cooling racks

* pastry bush

* rolling pin

* cutting board – to roll out cookies

* cookie cutters

* pans – muffin pans for cupcakes, baking sheets – both rimmed and rimless sheets, cake and loaf pans – regular size and mini

* cooling racks

* parchment and wax paper

* cupcake liners and candy wrappers

* tins and containers to store baked goods

Printable PDF of Baking Supply List

Remember during the holiday some gift-recipients or guests might have food allergies or are just trying not indulge in all the sweet treats being offered.  Substituting healthier ingredients and trying to do some recipes that fit a special diet are always a nice idea. When I am sending a goodie tray to someone for the holidays, I like to list each sweet treat and their ingredients so that people know exactly what they are eating.   

Tips for Slow Cooking

* Sautéing or just throwing it in -  If you pick up a cookbook on slow cooking, most of the time they will say “sauté the meat” before adding into the slow cooker.  That always takes more time and often the use of the slow cooker is to save time so people don't want to do that step. Honestly 98% of the time I don’t feel that sautéing the meat adds anything to the flavor or to the process. But I know that some people might disagree with that.  Really it is a preference thing – if you want to sauté the meat before adding to the slow cooker, go for it and if you don't, don't. There are things I do saute because I just like the look of it better such as whole chicken pieces - such as thighs or drumsticks with skin on them. I also always saute and brown ground meats such as ground pork, beef or turkey.

* Flavor – A complaint of the slow cooker is that all the flavors become muddled together so that it really doesn’t taste like anything or have a distinct flavor.  I do agree that this can happen with some dishes. One way is kick up the flavor is to add extra flavor in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Add some more seasonings – herbs, a squeeze of citrus fruit, a splash of  balsamic, or whatever your recipe used for seasonings.

Using whole herbs and spice - such as grating nutmeg or cinnamon, adding fresh basil leaves will give more flavor to the recipe.

Know that cayenne, chili pepper or other types of hot pepper will intensify during slow cooking and they are really the only spices that do this in slow cooking.

Substitute water in recipes for more flavorful liquids such  stock or wine and it gives an extra boost to the flavor.

* Lifting the Lid - Almost every cookbook, website or instruction manual out there will tell you to not lift the lid on slow cookers.  I understand the concept is that it loses some heat. But I am sorry there is no way I am not going to stir or baste or move things around in the pot while it cooks.  I can't imagine, not lifting the lid once or twice during cooking.  So I do lift the lid, I mean how can't I let some of the yummy aroma escape and waft through the house even stronger.  It is part of the cooking process that I enjoy - so I lift the lid. Also a tip if you have too much liquid in your slow cooker while cooking a dish - turn the lid and set it off turned so that steam - liquid can escape and evaporate.  Only do this if you have too much liquid and only do for a short time - 20 to 30 minutes.

* Safety - For safe slow cooking, make sure your low setting reaches 140 to 165 degrees fahrenheit. The low setting on most slow cookers reach about 200 degrees F and 300 degrees F for high.  Often I will put my slow cooker on high for the first hour and then turn it down so that I can get to that safe temperature as quick as possible to ensure the food is safe.

Don't overfill your slow cooker - it should be half to 2/3 full. Use the size of slow cooker recommended in each recipe - if stated.  You don't want it overflowing or under-filled as it make the food cook improperly.

If doing any prep the night before, such as cutting meat or chopping vegetables, do not store in the same container over night.  Also don't store in the crock in the refrigerator with the raw foods layered in it. The raw meat mixed together with vegetables can create food safety issues and also the cold crock put into a heating element can cause the crock to break.

* General Info -  Layer foods into slow cooker - keeping in mind that the food on the bottom will cook faster and be moister because it is simmering in the liquid.

Dairy products break down in the slow cooker.  Add any sour cream, yogurt,  milk, cream or half-n-half  in the last 15 to 30 minutes of slow cooking.  Many recipes with cream cheese don't advise this, but sometimes I do end up adding it in the last 30 minutes of cooking because it tends to break down too. Especially the lower fat cream cheese.

One hour on high is the same as two hours on low. 

I have never cooked with seafood in the slow cooker, but have read many time that they shouldn't be added until the last hour or they will become overcooked.

I hope these tips help you when using your slow cooker. As I said at the beginning of this series, I use my slow cooker about once a week - sometimes more.  I can't imagine my domestic life without. 

6 Reasons to Use a Crock-pot or Slowcooker

Ham and Bean Soup made in the Crock-pot

As I said in yesterday's post, I use the crock-pot all year around, but traditionally this is the time of the year that people seem to use it more. The days are shorter and it is dark by the time you get home from work so making dinner usually is the last thing we might want to do.  A crock-pot can give you inexpensive, healthy, hot meals.  I can tell you that it is the one appliance in my kitchen I know I can't live without and use it at least once a week.

If you haven't used one, please take a look at all these great reasons you should start.....

1. Saves Time - Place food in the crock and then walk away.  You don't have to watch the pot - monitoring or stirring.

2. Easy to use - You just layer the foods in the crock, turn it on and walk away until dinner.  Using a crock-pot doesn't require culinary skills.

3.  Inexpensive - It is an inexpensive kitchen appliance that gives you so much. You can use less expensive cuts of meat because the process of slow cooking makes them tender. It also uses less power than the oven.  So you save money using it several ways.

4. Healthy - Many recipes or foods you cook in the crock-pot don't need butter, oil or fat added.  You can make so many wonderfully healthy dishes full of flavor.

5.  Easy Clean-up with Removable Crocks - After the meal, just take that crock out and soak it in the sink and wash clean.  Some removable crocks are dishwasher safe so cuts your cleaning down even more. It ends up being the dish you use to prepare, cook and serve so less dishes to clean.

6. Good Meals - It creates good meals that taste good and usually gives you extra meals. You can cook a piece of meat that can serve not only dinner for tonight, but freeze left overs and reheat later for a quick meal, or use extra meal to create a totally different meal later. Such as making a pot roast and then using left over roast into beef stroganoff or stew.


Recipe for Ham & Bean Soup in the Crock-pot

Slow Cooking November

I love to use my crock-pot all year round. I like that in the summer it doesn't  heat up the kitchen like the oven does and that  in the cooler seasons of fall and winter the wonderful smells coming from it just makes the house seem warmer. I have 4 crock-pots in the house - 2 aren't even used for food, but wax. (Yes one of the crock-pots is used for kinky use of wax, but the other is for art.)

For the rest of the month here at Domestic Servitude we will having all sorts of helpful posts on crock-pots from what kind to buy, tips and tricks, book reviews and LOTS of recipes. We hope you will come by and read the posts and pass them on to your friends.

So starting this month of slow cooking with a recipe...

Pork and Black Beans for Tacos

2 cans of black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 pound boneless pork loin roast
1 can Rotel (with liquid - 10 ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chiles)
1 can diced tomatoes (with liquid - 14.5 ounce can)
1 can green chiles (4 ounce can)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2  teaspoon ground cumin

Trim all the fat off the pork roast, cut in half. Season with the chili powder, oregano and ground cumin. Place in the pork in the bottom of the crock-pot and then pour the other ingredients in over it.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Shred pork and stir in with other ingredients. Eat immediately or continue to cook on low adding water if liquids begin to evaporate. If there is too much liquid, cook without lid for a bit.

Serve on top of tortillas with your favorite toppings.

Friday Favorites

Feta, Cheddar and Spinach Muffins - They look pretty and sound tasty
Plywood Painted Floor - seems like a way that would be inexpensive but able to cover up some ugly flooring 
Guide to Knives that you Actually need - getting my knives up to what I think I need has been a task I have been working for several years. 
Blank Printable Calendar - to help get more organized - would be great if you do a household binder. 
Adding a New Tree to your Landscape - video has tips for planting trees

Friday Favorites

Pinterest - If you aren't on Pinterest, well you are missing out on a great place to find tips, tricks, recipes, DIY projects, crafts, fashion, art, and inspiration throughout.  It is where I am finding most of my Friday Favorites now. On the sidebar there is a link to Domestic Servitude's Pinterest boards, please feel free to follow us.

DIY Garden Markers - This is an easy but project that would look nice in any garden or make a nice gift

27 Tips for Simple Entertaining - some good tips. I especially enjoyed the tip about getting people out of the house before the party because I tell you that is when I am the most frenzied and I don't want to take my stress out on others.

Blackberry Sage Cooler -  This is a non-alcoholic drink and it sounds like a heavenly drink to have in the summer.

How to Store Produce - a nice list about which fruits or veggies to refrigerate or keep at room temp





 

Easy Peasy Corn Squeezy

I'm probably the last person on the internet to learn this little magic trick, but in case I'm not, I'm sharing. And if you all already knew it, why didn't you SHARE IT WITH ME?!

It's magically easy. So easy and so magical I called my MOTHER(*) to share it with her.

It's all about corn on the cob and the horrors of cleaning those millions of silky little threads that are never, ever completely removed and get stuck in between your teeth like corn-flavored floss.

Okay, maybe for most people cleaning corn it isn't a "horror". But here's a little back story that puts my personal horror into perspective.

So, I grew up in a house in the country surrounded by cornfields. I mean that literally. Our driveway was (is, as my parents still live there) a quarter mile long, single car wide dirt lane cut right down the middle of a corn field, that leads to the house sitting on about a half acre of cleared land that is completely circled by corn fields.

Here; I drew a picture to help you visualize:



Walking down to catch the school bus in the early morning darkness became an "experience" after Children of the Corn came out, let me tell you.

The guy who owns the farmland is a personal friend of my parents who also happens to be the guy who sold them the house. Like, they went to grade school together or some such thing. So when Farmer Bob was out working the corn fields, my dad was usually helping or my mom was running out lemonade and other such 1950's stuff.

Because Farmer Bob is a nice guy, and because my parents had more kids than they knew what to do with (nine. NINE.), he always invited my parents to help themselves to as much corn as they wanted, provided they weren't selling it or anything.

So they did help themselves. And we had to help them. Bushels full of corn, folks. Corn every night when it was in season. Corn picked to be canned. Corn picked to be frozen. Corn, corn, corn.

I remember many a hot summer day sitting on the porch shucking corn, with a bucket between my knees to catch the corn husks.

And the threads. The stubborn, stuck on, millions of tiny threads. Pick, pick, pick.

I had blisters. That's not even hyperbole, I swear. I had blisters from shucking corn. (Farmer Bob alternated his corn crop with green beans. Ask me how much I like snapping beans. >:-| )

Anyway! Even though I like the taste of corn, when I moved out on my own, I bet it was years before I touched a corn cob. Hate shucking corn. Hate picking threads off. Hate eating the threads. Hate. Hate. HATE.

But it's so yummy, you know? All smothered in hot, melty butter and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Mmmm. So I've relented over the years and I make corn on the cob sometimes. Once or twice a season, maybe. Plus, Babygirl chows it down like in the cartoons, type-writer style, until she's got little corn kernels all over her cheeks and nose. "MOAR CORN, BEEBAW!" Who can deny that? Not this granny!

So when I read this little tip on Pinterest, I figured since I've literally tried cooking corn on the cob every other way EVAR, why not give it one more go?

I'll tell you how it goes. It. were. beautiful. That's how.

Here's what you do. Make sure you're rested; it's exhausting.

Take an ear of corn and do nothing to it. Nothing. Don't shuck it. Don't open it. Don't cut it. Don't pull off a single thread. Put it in your microwave for 4 minutes(**). That's IT.

Put it in, turn it on, walk away.

Until it beeps and then you gotta walk back, but bring oven mitts. That little bugger is HOT.

Put the steamy ear of corn on a cutting board, take a big knife and saw off the root end (is there an official name for the root end? I don't know.)

Here's the magic part. Ready?

Using your oven mitts, hold the ear of corn up, cut end down, and squeeze. Your steamed to tender-crisp perfection, and PERFECTLY SILK FREE piece of corn on the cob will slide right out the cut end. Perfectly.

I forgot to take pictures, so let me draw you another one:


Perfect corn. Perfectly easy.

I made six ears, it took me about 25 minutes. It'd take me that long, or longer, to shuck, de-thread, and boil six ears.

I was amazed. Inappropriately so, perhaps.

Probably because of the memory of those blisters. ~nods~

(*)She was unimpressed by the way. I mean, of course she was. Not because she already knew of this trick-o-the-trade, but because she's convinced the microwaves radiate your brain. Did you know I grew up in a microwave-less house? I was so deprived. You have no idea.

(**)In my microwave, which is fairly powerful, it took 4 minutes per ear. Less powerful microwaves might take a few more minutes.

Friday Favorites

Not Just an Egg Salad - this egg salad has eggs, walnuts, broccolini, grapes, apple, asparagus, and sprouts in it with a curry dressing. The whole blog is really good - vegetarian recipes.

Mango Citrus Body Butter - homemade - it is a review of a book on DIY natural beauty products and then a recipe for the body butter

Still Tasty - a shelf life guide

3 Budget DIY Countertops - shows examples of painting, concrete and butcher block and links to blogs that did these methods

10 Ways to Organize Your Fridge -  has a picture gallery of different ways to organize your fridge

Friday Favorites

Kitchen 101 - Cooking Methods: a chart plus blog entry on all sorts of cooking methods
Chicken Chirizo "No Potato" Hash - looks delicious and a good way to add veggies in and not use carbs
Microfiber Information - a blog post about why to use microfiber and where to use it
18 Things to Get Rid of Now - just as the title says
Freezing Strawberries - tip on why/how to freeze strawberries now when the price is lower

Friday Favorites

10 Habits for a Well Run Home -  and to stay sane
Natural Pantry - from Whole Living - items to stock up and create a natural pantry
Salted Honey Butter Popcorn -  sounds just yummy
Illustrated Knife Skills - just a nice illustration of knife skills
Veggie Cooking Cheat Sheet - for boiled, steamed or microwaved veggies - this lists them and times of how long to cook

30 Minute Meals - March Question Month

Jan asked, "I would like to know what is your go to dishes that you can make in 30 minutes for dinner? I have a full-time job, kids, serving Master and I just need some quick go to dinners."

I think a big part of being able to make wonderful dinners in a short period of time is in the planning. Once per month I try and purchase items in bulk and do as much prep ahead as I can. I always try to keep cooked ground beef in the freezer so that I can add that quickly into sauces, soups, pastas, tacos, or whatever other areas I might use ground beef (or turkey or chicken). I also try to keep diced peppers & onions on hand (both in the refrigerator and freezer). This helps for less prep work during the week. I also clean and cut up all fruits that need prepping when I purchase them, so that they are on hand for whenever I want to add them to a dinner or provide a healthy snack for my kids.

I also am a big believer in utilizing my crockpot and rice cooker. Nothing more wonderful than popping something into the crock pot and then only having to add a salad or side dish to call it a complete meal at the end of the day.

My quick go to meals during the week (when I would need a 30 minute meal the most) are:

1. Chicken Ceasar salad. You can grill up extra chicken ahead of time when making it for another dinner and set it aside for one of those busy week night meals. Then just add it to the salad, toss dressing in, and go. Dinner is ready in about five minutes flat. For those who aren't calorie counters, it's nice to pair this with some fresh bread & honey butter.

2. Cheeseburger Pie. (my kids love this one, as does Himself).
1lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef ( I prefer to use either 93% lean beef, or turkey for this one). I also usually use one of the packets I have already browned and crumbled in the freezer. Just defrost and use.

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz) (we like extra sharp cheddar but any will do)
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix ( I use the reduced fax bisquick)
1 cup milk (I use fat free milk)
2 eggs

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.
2. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.
3. In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients with fork or wire whisk until blended. Pour into pie plate.
4. Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

I serve this with a side of steamed vegetables (such as broccoli or cauliflower) and a side salad. You could also serve it with french fries or another potato type.

Also if you are using the precooked beef, then just sauté the onion in a pan, add beef at the last two minutes, and drain. then add to pie dish.

Pork Roast (crockpot cooking)
Cut up sweet potatoes into quarters (I use one potato per person who will be eating). Place these on the bottom of your crockpot. Place a pork roast on top of the potatoes. Next layer in a bag of mini carrots on top. Add one can of whole berry cranberry sauce on top. Cover and cook in crockpot for 8 to 10 hours on low heat. Before serving, you can either slice up the roast and serve in slices, or you can pull the pork and mix with BBQ sauce for pulled pork sandwiches.

I serve this with a green vegetable and a side salad.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza
For a quick homemade pizza, this one is super easy. I use pizza crust that I usually have on hand in the freezer (but you can also use pillsbury pizza crust in a pinch). Use chicken that you have cooked earlier in the week for another meal such as a roast chicken (I always try to cook once to eat twice to save time). Take the precooked chicken and dice it up (or pull it into pieces). Mix with ranch dressing and hot sauce (Use however much hot sauce you like -- we like it spicy). Spread a thin layer of cream cheese onto pizza crust. Top with chicken mixture, cover with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until chicken is heated through and cheese is melted.

Serve with celery & carrot sticks (my kids love these) or a side salad.
Simple, easy, and filling.

You can make a lighter version of this by using reduced fat cheese, fat free cream cheese, and reduced fat or fat free ranch dressing.

I also love Rachel Ray's 30 minute meal cookbooks. I think I have 3 or 4 of them. She has some great meal ideas and its fun to try new things.

But for me the biggest time saver is always in cooking once and eating twice, or prepping in bulk.

enjoy!

March Question Month: 30 Minute Meals

Jan asked, "I would like to know what is your go to dishes that you can make in 30 minutes for dinner? I have a full-time job, kids, serving Master and I just need some quick go to dinners."


I don't have kids but it seems lately I have so much is on my plate that those quick meals are my mainstay. I would say half of my go-to quick dinners are  prepped-ahead and half is just pulling from the pantry right in he moment.

Prep and Make Ahead

I have been trying to do some more make ahead meals so that I can take them from the freezer the night before so they are thaw and ready to pop in the oven for dinner.  No prep often allows me the luxury of 30 to 40 mins baking.  I usually do cooking for 2 to 3 meals on one day for the make-ahead type meals.  Or try to make a double batch of something so we can eat one and freeze the other.

When I come home from shopping, I also like to try to prep a little so that helps me save time in the long run. Such as if I get big family size package of hamburger - 3 to 5 lbs then I brown some of it right away to use in a casserole or tacos (I often brown burger in the microwave), or bake meatballs, or make hamburger patties. Freeze them so I can pull it out and use without much prep.  Sometimes even defrosting in the microwave to use in minutes.  Boneless skinless chicken breasts are another thing I prep at times - I put what I would need for a meal in ziplock and cover it with a marinade and then freeze. I take them out the night before I plan on using and let them marinade while defrosting. I also bake or grill up a few, chop and add to a labeled ziplock so I can use for chicken tacos , on baked potatoes, in soup, or added to a pasta.

I am going to also share that I have a cheat that makes no matter what I make - look like a real meal.  I can serve a salad or soup from a can but because I often make homemade bread with it - it looks like a nicer meal even though it was quick and easy. I use Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  It is making up a big batch of dough and then using just some of the dough to make a loaf of bread.  It does usually take more then 5 minutes as it doesn't add in the rise time. But it still is fairly quick with little work.

I also use my crockpot a lot so that things can be added in the morning and done for dinner.  I know a lot of time crockpot produces a liquid but I always make sure I add some to begin with too - just so it won't be dry by the end of the day.

Quick and Easy Dinner on the spot

When I need a meal that is going to be quick and easy, I use the microwave and grill.

Such as I want roasted potatoes but normally that would take 40 minutes to an hour to roast in the oven. I chop the potatoes and place in a bowl with some water and microwave so that I am boiling them. I then drain the water, toss with some olive oil and seasonings to add to the oven.

Or I boil sliced potatoes in the microwave to use in a frittata. I do layers of potatoes, veggies and sometimes bacon or ham. I mix up some eggs and pour it over top and bake it.

I microwave baked potatoes too - to help speed up baking time.  I wash them, pierce several times with a fork, wrap in a paper towel and  microwave for 4 to 7 minutes - depending on size of potatoes. After I have microwaved then I bake them for just a bit. I coat them with some olive oil and sea salt, wrap in tinfoil and bake for 15 to 20 mins in the oven.

I steam most veggies in the microwave.  I use frozen veggies often - easy to keep in the freezer and use for meals.

My easiest meals:
* Grilled chicken breasts, baked potatoes, steamed veggies.  Frozen chicken breasts can be thawed in the microwave in minutes.  While thawing those, I prep my potatoes.  After they are thawed, I might marinade for 10 mins while my potatoes or in the microwave. I get the grill warming up.  Then after the potatoes are in the oven, I put the chicken breasts on the grill and add veggies to steam in the microwave.

* Really meat, potato and veggie is my go to easiest meal - I grill burgers, steak,  porkchops or chicken breasts and add a potato and veggies and we have a meal.

* Burritos, nachos or tacos - I either use some ground beef or turkey already browned and ready to go in the freezer or I brown some in a pan or in the microwave.  I drain the meat after browned and then add a can of tomatoes with chili (such as Rotel), heat a can of refried beans up, get cheese and sour cream out and any other fixings .

* Pasta -

• Spaghetti and Meatballs - I usually bake up meatballs ahead of time so I can pull from the freezer to use.  But even making meatballs and baking them in the moment doesn't take too long.  Boil pasta, add meatballs and toss it all with sauce - heat through. If you want some veggies do a side of steamed veggies or add a side salad. 
• Pasta, chicken and pesto - Chicken even if it is not cooked ahead - grill it, chop it up and mix with cooked pasta and then toss it all with pesto. Heat it all through in minutes on the stovetop.   Add in some steamed veggies in with it or as a side.  
• Pasta, white beans, seasoned diced tomatoes - Cook the pasta, drain and then tossed with a can of white beans that are drained and rinsed, a can of seasoned diced tomatoes (such as the Italian or basil and garlic) - heat through and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. It has good flavor and is quick. Add in some steamed veggies in with it or as a side.  
• Italian sausages, pasta and sauce  - I microwave Italian sausage to get them cooked through and then toss on the grill for a few minutes or pan fry so the outside browned,  keep whole or slice them and toss with some pasta and sauce or just a can of diced tomatoes. Add in some steamed veggies in with it or as a side.  

* Salads - making a big thing of salad up and using it for lunches and as a side dish for dinner but I also do them for dinner as the main entree. I add some grilled chicken to salad and serve with some bread - it is dinner.

* Variations of Grilled Cheese - I do grilled cheese with sloppy joe mixture, taco mixture, sliced turkey breast from the deli, apples or pears,  or sauteed veggies - adding in any cheese I have on hand - basically taking what I have available in my fridge and making it into a grilled cheese.  On the same note - sloppy joes or taco joes - ground meat on a burger with any topping you desire.

* Breakfast for dinner - eggs, sausage and toast, scrambled eggs with veggies and/or ham, or pancakes and sausage. I add some fruit and that is dinner. We like breakfast for dinner.

*  I do a variation of Martha Stewart's Cheesy Hash Brown Bake. Instead of making chili - I just take 2 cans of chili beans. Those are the kind of beans that have chili sauce in them so they are seasoned and ready to add to chili.  I add browned ground beef to it and mix up so incorporated well pour into a 9 x 13 pan. I don't do the individual pans. I sprinkle cheese on top of the chili mixture and then add the hash browns. I have used frozen hash browns before and they just don't brown up as well but still are cooked and taste good with the chili that is cheesy and bubbling underneath.

* Sloppy Joe Skillet -  Empty contents of one box of cornbread stuffing in a bowl and add 1 2/3 cups hot water. Mix until just moistened and set aside. Brown 1 lb. ground beef, add 1 to 1 1/2 cups veggies (such as chopped mixed bell peppers, sliced mushroom and chopped onions)  and when they are getting soft and the onions translucent.  Add a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a small can of tomato paste, 3/4 cup water, 1 can of  diced tomatoes (don't drain add the liquid in the skillet too) - simmer for about 5 mins until mixture is well incorporated and thick. Then add the stuffing on the top of the mixture and simmer for 3 more minutes covered.  Serve.  I serve with a side salad or steamed broccoli or cauliflower.  This a variation of Kraft's Sloppy Joe Skillet.

I am stopping there but those are on my list of go-to quick dinners. I need them when are so busy with work and I also a chronic illness that makes it at times impossible for me to think about what am I going to make for dinner so going to this list of things - is the best option for me.