Tasty Leftover Broth

Photo by Plush Duck

Dinner this evening consisted of rice boiled in a broth leftover from an interesting recipe that my daughter tried a few days ago, Sally's Chicken with Olives.  As an accompaniment to the grain, Katherine the Great added some chicken tenders and asparagus, along with a variety of dinner rolls --- pumpernickel, whole wheat, flax seed, etc.  The broth had some whole green olives in it as well, giving some contrast to the entire dish.

A Very Orange Supper

Photo by Plush Duck

Tonight, basking in the last throes of unseasonably warm weather, my husband harvested the final crop of carrots from the garden, much later than I ever thought possible.  I roasted them in the oven for a little more than an hour, with some rosemary and thyme, until they were optimally tender.  Katherine the Great paired the carrots with some pumpkin pasta from a local manufacturer, Pasta Vita.  A final garnish of carrot greens and we had a tasty, picturesque dinner...loaded with beta carotene and all manner of yummy goodness.  I hope your dinner was just as delicious and nutritious.

If Christmas Morning Had a Taste

My daughter has turned into quite the cook, taking after her grandmother and her great-grandmother before her.  My sister cooks as well, having an official culinary arts education.  I am the only one who can take cooking or leave it.  It isn't that I don't like to cook;  it's just that I am usually engaged in some other activity that distracts me until dinner, at which time I have to think of something on the fly.  True, I could solve this problem with better menu planning, but I never quite seem to get a grip on that either.

Anyway, on Saturday night, Katherine the Great made a batch of Norwegian Rice Pudding, a recipe that she tweaked from one she found in The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors by Jeff Smith (some readers may recall that Reverend Smith had a PBS show by the same name several years back).  His version of the pudding uses less sugar, less almond extract, and includes ground almonds.  Miss Katherine prefers a bit more sweetness and a smoother consistency to her pudding.  I don't really have an opinion one way or the other on that matter.  All I know is that every spoonful tastes like Christmas morning to me, especially when the dish is served warm.  If you are so inclined, give it a try.  It is normally served as a dessert, but my family routinely eats it for breakfast.

Norwegian Rice Pudding
3/4 cup long-grain rice
6 cups boiling water
1 quart milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
7 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
nutmeg to taste

Place rice in a strainer.  Pour water over rice.  Drain.  Put rice, milk, and salt in double boiler.  Cook (covered) for 60-90 minutes or until the entire mixture is thick and creamy, stirring occasionally.  Stir in butter, sugar, almond extract, and nutmeg.  Serve warm or chilled.  If serving as dessert, top with whipped cream.

Please forgive the lack of photo for this dish.  It disappeared faster than I could snap a picture.

A Quick Dinner Find

Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs
Photo by Plush Duck

Yesterday, my daughter made dinner in the crock pot because our schedule was a bit crazy.  We had to pick up a Koalagirl child, run some errands, attend our homeschool group Together on Tuesdays event, and drive Katherine the Great to meet up with her choir friend so they could commute to a joint rehearsal at a not-quite-so-local college.  The recipe was Crock Pot Swedish Meatballs from About.com Busy Cooks.  Given that the dish used frozen meatballs, it really was quite tasty.  We both thought it still needed something, though, and decided that the next time we make it, we will probably add some white wine and chives.  We ate the meatballs over egg noodles, much like stroganoff.  My husband took the leftovers, added some extra pepper and some leftover cooked cabbage, and tucked the concoction into a storage container for lunch today.  Quick.  Tasty.  Highly recommended.

Two Recipes, One Success

This morning, my daughter tried a magazine recipe for cannoli pancakes at my request.  The batter tasted great, laced as it was with orange zest and ricotta cheese.  Unfortunately, the recipe lacked a leavening agent (e.g., baking powder or baking soda) so when Katherine the Great began to cook the pancakes, they browned up on the outside but remained soggy on the inside, not exactly characteristic of the perfect flapjack.  The batter is now in the refrigerator awaiting the addition of some baking powder to see it if will make a difference.

Fast forward to dinner.  My daughter decided to try Eggs Suzette.  This recipe was MUCH better than the pancakes, albeit a bit more time consuming give that the potatoes had to be baked first.  If you are unfamiliar with these (as I was), they are basically a baked potato (whose filling has been mixed with sour cream, bacon, and chives and added back to the potato skin) with an egg in the middle, topped with cheese, and baked until the egg is cooked and the cheese is melted.  Totally tasty!  Try them!  The recipe is in James Beard's American Cookery.  I, for one, will be serving these again.  Next time, though, I will probably prepare the potatoes the night before and add the egg for a quick breakfast.

Sorry for the lack of pictures with this post.  The pancakes were such a bust that I didn't think them worthy of a photo.  The potatoes, on the other hand, were so yummy they were eaten before I could reach for my camera.

A Tasty Substitute

Photo by King Richard

Yesterday morning, after running an errand to the bank, my daughter and I hit the grocery store to pick up some items for the latest household menu plan.  The supermarket was busy (just like every Saturday), the Scan It shopping tools were either gone or unusable due to low charge, and I was starving, having eaten only a small bowl of bran cereal before leaving the house.  Considering that I shopped hungry, contrary to the cardinal rule of budgeting, the damage wasn't too bad, just a hair over $100, with most of the purchases being on sale.

One non-sale item that  decided to buy in order to conduct a taste test:  Snikiddy Baked Fries.  Made by a mother-daughter team, they are gluten free, wheat free, corn syrup free, peanut free, and tree nut free, with no preservatives, no saturated fats, no hydrogenated oils, and no trans fats.  The ingredients are wholesome as well:  cornmeal, potato flakes, sunflower oil, seasonings, etc.  They are a bit peppery but no so much that I couldn't much my way through half a bag while unloading groceries.  My family enjoyed them too.  The bag was gone within an hour of entering my kitchen.  That generally signifies a hit.

Better yet, the nutritional statistics are quite healthy:

Calories:  130
Calories from Fat:  40
Total Fat:  4.5 g
Saturated Fat:  0 g
Trans Fat:  0 g
Cholesterol:  0 g
Sodium:  190 g
Carbohydrates:  20 g
Dietary Fiber:  1 g
Sugars:  1 g
Protein:  2 g

So, if you are in the mood for some good old-fashioned French fries and, like me, cannot afford the fat and calories (10 g and 209 respectively for a side order of McDonalds fries), try Snikiddy Baked Original Fries.  You won't regret it.

Note:  No compensation was received for reviewing and recommending this product.

DYK? Meet Your Beans

A few days ago, my husband drained the last of the soymilk onto his bran cereal and left the empty container by the sink.  Just as I rinsed out the carton and prepared to drop it into the trash, I noticed this on the back of the box:

Enter the plant code from this product at our website, and you can learn where the soy you're about to enjoy grew up!

The plant code on the container I had was 12 09 11 16:12 CD70 EH3A L2.  I checked the website and learned this about the beans that went into my batch of soymilk:

Yours were grown in Beautiful Bay County, Michigan.  These farms are part of a select group that value responsible, sustainable agriculture as much as we do.  The soybeans planted here are 100% natural:  non-genetically modified and whole-harvested (never chemically extracted).

Bay County, Michigan is located at the base of the "crook" on the east side of the state.  According to the 2010 census, the county has a population of 107,771.  Farming is not a major industry there.  In fact, the 2000 employment breakdown on their county profile lists agriculture as one of the smallest industries.  Instead, education and manufacturing lead the way.

So, where were the beans in your soymilk harvested?