Beautiful Nebraska in the Fall!

Fall and Winter, It's In the Air!

 

My favorite time of the year is fall, the colors, crisp mornings that fill you with life when you go outside.  Best of all, time for soup!  There are so many things you can do with soup and they are healthy and of course, left overs galore!  One thing I had never had before I married my husband was Chicken and Dumplings.  I have mastered this through the years and it is truly a comfort food.  I love to add a lot of vegetables to it and we double the amount of dumplings because they are just the best ever.  Add a fall dessert like apple crisp and you have a meal.  Here is my favorite recipe:

 

Chicken and Dumplings

 

Ingredients:

Soup

2 tbs. butter

1 medium onion chopped

1 stalk celery chopped

2 small potatoes chopped

1 16 ounce frozen mixed vegetables

2 medium chicken breasts chopped (un-cooked)

4 cups water

4 cups chicken broth ( chicken base works well, read directions for amount)

1 tsp. sea salt or regular table salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Dumplings

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbs. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried oregano

3 tbs. canola oil

3/4 cup milk

 

 

Directions:  Soup

In large stock pot, sauté onion and celery in butter until vegetables are translucent in color.  Add frozen vegetables and chicken breast, water and chicken broth.  Cover pot, stir occasionally until vegetables tender and chicken is no longer pink.  While the chicken and vegetable mixture is cooking, you can then put together the dumplings. 

 

Dumplings:

 

Whisk milk and oil together in a small bowl.  In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and herbs together.  Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour the milk and oil mixture into the flour.  It will be crumbly.  Shape the dough into tablespoon sizes and place on top of the soup mixture ( you will want the soup mixture to be almost to boiling, small bubbles rising to the top).  When all of the dumplings are placed on top, cover and simmer ( keep it at a gentle boil) for 10 to 12 minutes.  Do not lift the lid.  To check for doneness, place toothpick in center of dumpling and if it comes out clean, the dumplings are ready.

 

At this point, take a cooking sheet and place a cooling rack on the sheet.  Carefully take the dumplings out and place on cookie sheet with a slotted spoon.  Mix 1/4 cup flour with 1/2 cup milk until no lumps, bring the soup mixture to a light boil and add the flour and milk mixture, cook until desired thickness (If you like more of a soup consistency you may skip this part of the recipe).  When the soup is thickened, serve up in bowls and add the dumplings on top. 

 

**I always double the dumpling recipe as we like a lot of dumplings. 

 

Sauté celery and onions 

Add Potato

Cook to release the flavors of the vegetables

Add frozen vegetables and chopped chicken breast

Add water and chicken broth

Flour, Parsley, Baking Powder, Salt and Oregeno

Milk and Oil

Flour Mixture Combined

Well in middle of flour mixture and milk and oil poured into the well.

Mix dumplings, will look crumbly

Form into tablespoon, slotted spoon works well to put into broth

After you place on top of broth, put lid on top and cook.

Checking for doneness

Dumplings are done.

Place dumplings on cooling rack while you thicken soup



Soup

 

 



Chicken and Dumplings Ready to eat!

 

Soup is a great way to add lots of vegetables to your diet and just the right portion of protein.  I enjoy using the vegetables that have been leftover and are waiting to be used before they get to old and I have to toss them out.  If you are like me, the name of the game is nothing goes to waste!  As I was thinking about soup, I found this great YouTube that brings all of this together.  Happy fall and winter and try some soup!

 











White Sauce:  The Golden Sauce that Will Add Wow to Your Table!

If you have not learned to make a white sauce, you are missing out!  No more creamed soups to buy and you can turn the sauce into a mushroom sauce, cheese sauce and it can make a lot of different dishes.  Did I mention you only need butter, salt, pepper and milk?  So in-expensive and you will turn into a culinary chef!

Basic White Sauce:  Yield 2 Cups

Ingredients:

2 tbs. butter

1 1/2 c. milk

3 tbs. flour

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium size sauce pan.  Stir in flour to make a paste and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Stir continuously, do not allow mixture to brown.  Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk.  Return pan to medium heat and continue to whisk sauce together to avoid lumps from forming.  Simmer sauce until desired thickness, add salt and pepper to your desired taste.

*for cheese sauce, prepare as stated above and add cheese at end, 1/4 c. to 1/2 cup.  Depending on the dish will determine the type of cheese.  For an example, if you are making an Alfredo style sauce, you can add Italian blend cheese, if you are making an Au gratin Potato dish, you would add cheddar cheese to your sauce. 

My favorite addition to my white sauce is onions.  This would be done while melting the butter for the white sauce.  I chop onion and sauté it with the butter and then begin the rest of the process for making the sauce.  You would also add mushrooms to the sauce at this point as well.  The sauté process releases the flavors of the onion and the mushrooms. 

I love to prepare my sauce the old fashioned, on the stove method.  I actually find cooking to be a stress reliever after a long day, so the action of whisking, sort of "whisks away" those stressors of the day!  If you prefer, you can do a white sauce in the microwave, the time is reduced and you don't have to worry about scorching the milk or about lumps forming in the sauce.  Here is a recipe that works well in the microwave.

Easy White Sauce for the Microwave

1 tbs. butter or margarine

2 tbs. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. milk

Melt butter in microwave, approximately 10 to 15 seconds on medium high.  Be sure to cover the dish when melting the butter.  Stir in the flour and gradually add the milk to this mixture.  Cook stirring occasionally on medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes until sauce is thickened.  At this stage, if you are making a cheese sauce, you may add the cheese and cook on high for 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese is melted.

White sauces are very easy to make and step out of your box and be creative with them!  I love to add things like onions, mushrooms and even chopped celery to my white sauce.  Cheeses are a lovely mix with white sauce.  The possibilities are endless!  Something I learned while watching Rachel Ray is that a small amount of chicken broth really adds a great flavor to your macaroni and cheese.  I  keep chicken base on hand and just 1 tsp. of chicken base is a great addition to my cheese sauce.  Check out this video for Ham and Macaroni and Cheese and you will see what I mean!  Challenge yourself to make home made macaroni and cheese for your family and you will never again make a box of macaroni and cheese ever again. 

A couple of notes after you have watched the video.  1.  If you do use the chicken base, simply add 1 cup of water to 2 tsp. of the chicken base, very simple!  2.  Rachel tends to go with fatty choices on milk and cream, I use my good old 1 % milk.  Less on fat and less on my pocket book!  3.  You could add a bag of frozen broccoli to the pasta as you are boiling it and drain when it is cooked.  Throw it together and you have everything in one dish, just add a fruit to your menu and you have all of the food groups in a very simple meal!

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

2 tbs. butter

2 med. chicken breast, cut into chunks ( flash frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts works well!)

1/4 c. chopped onion

4 tbs. flour

2 tsp. chicken base

1 c. water
1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. Italian blend shredded cheese

1 pkg. thick spaghetti or fettuccini noodles and 1( 16 ounce) pkg. of frozen chopped broccoli , cooked and drained. 

1.  Melt butter in large sauce pan, add onion and chunks of chicken, sauté until chicken is done and onion is translucent.

2.  Whisk in flour and chicken base.  Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, do not let flour brown, keep whisking the mixture around.

3.  Pull pan off of heat,  gradually stir in the water and the milk.  Keep stirring and cooking over medium heat until sauce is thickened.  Stir in cheese. 

* You may toss sauce into the pasta and broccoli mixture or you may top pasta and broccoli with sauce for each plate.   Our family likes to mix it all together.  Serve this with whole grain slice of toasted garlic bread and add a fruit salad to this and you have a complete meal.

Pasta and Broccoli

Alfredo Sauce

Dinner is Served!

~Cooking is a lot like love.  It should be entered into with abandon, or not at all.~  Julia Child













 

 



Are You Ready for Some Football?

If you are like our family, fall means football and football means serious snack food!  I marvel at the amount of money that is spent on football, all the way from barbecue to just over the top dips and chips that can be costly as well as high on calories and fat and low in nutrition.  Through the years, I have learned to keep it simple, add a little flare and with a little creativity, football season does not have to mean stressing out over the food part of it.

The first thing I am mindful of is to fit the football food into Choose MyPlate.  This helps maintain weight, increase nutrition and can even lend itself to staying within your food budget.  Here are a few favorites at our house!  I hope your favorite team does well this season!  Go Huskers!

Humus

Have you ever tried humus?  If you have not, it truly is a treat and so easy to make in your kitchen.  Humus is Middle Eastern food.  It is a spread/dip made from Chic Peas, also called Garbanzo Beans.  It is lovely and I enjoy using it as a dip for fresh vegetables and believe it or not, I enjoy a creative grilled humus and cheese sandwich that I put together in my kitchen.  The recipe I use is very simple, a traditional Humus has tahini in it.  Tahini is a a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds and has a bit of a nutty flavor.  It is not an overpowering flavor, so not using it is not going to truly alter the flavor of the Humus.  The main reason I do not add it to my humus is that it is a bit expensive and I would not use it enough to justify the cost of it.  I have a recipe that I use that did not include Tahini in the ingredient list, and it is amazing!

Humus Dip

                      

Ingredients:

1 can Chic Peas, drained

1 tsp. garlic powder or 1 clove garlic

1 tsp. chopped onion

1 to 2 Tbs. lemon juice

1/8 c. canola oil or olive oil

Directions:

Place all ingredients in food processor or blender.  Add the garlic and lemon juice to fit your families taste.  Start out with 1 tsp. garlic and the 1 Tbs. lemon juice and add to your liking.  The oil is for mixing purposes only.  I have found that 1/8 cup is enough to blend it.  You may need to add slightly more.  Serve on whole grain crackers, pita bread, as a dip for fresh vegetables and you can even use it as a whole grain grilled humus and cheese sandwich

                                           

Another great idea for football season is to make your own tortilla chips.  You will find that they are healthier because you control the salt you add or you could choose to add another seasoning such as chile and cumin and forget the salt.  Also, you will find them to be in-expensive, especially if you made your own flour tortillas (see my previous blog on making your own flour tortillas).  Here is a link to walk you through how to make your own baked flour tortilla chips or baked pita chips:  http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-baked-chips-tortilla-or-pita-124908 

Dips are always a hit at a football party, a favorite for us is a simple dip made with processed cheese ( I do break my rule of natural cheese for dips, it melts better and is a bit less on the pocket book), 1 can refried beans (If I have prepared ahead, I make my own from dried pinto beans), browned hamburger with chile and cumin added to the mix, and finally, salsa ( your favorite heat) and melt this together. This dip works well to keep on low in a slow cooker for easy serving.  This is one of those recipes that the amount of the ingredients depends on the size of the crowd at the football party as well as what your family likes.


Chile is always a great dish to make for a game day, especially on a cold Nebraska game day.  One of our favorites is Taco Soup.   Here is a recipe for Taco Soup in a Slow Cooker http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-taco-soup/  I enjoy soups in the colder months as they make great leftovers and you can freeze them for another game day festivity!

In place of a heavy sugary dessert, try a fresh fruit salad with fruits that are in season.  For fall, I also love a tasty apple crisp prepared in the slow cooker, here is my favorite recipe for this lovely comfort dessert, http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-apple-crisp/

Best of luck to your favorite team this year!  Remember, keep the food simple, add a bit of flare with garnishing and your presentation and you can't go wrong!

Exactly where did the summer go?  I read all of the magazines that give wonderful ideas of preparing your children for school.  You know the ones, get your family back into a routine, bed times and so on.  Well, I would love to tell you I am that mom, the one that eases everyone into the routine, the one that has her act together with everything fine tuned down to the food and getting back into the swing of things.  Nope!  Each summer, it seems I loose track because I am having perhaps more fun than the kids are having!

First things first, to pack lunch or not?  Whatever you decide, don't beat up on yourself! We tried this last year, we got the fancy lunch boxes, experimented with different ideas and this year, we are back to school lunches.  One thing to keep in mind, we seem to be getting on a good track as far as nutrition and our school lunch menus.  The challenge for our children is that due to being careful of portion sizes and the fact that schools still serve processed food (which in turn reduces the amount of the entree on your child's plate) my kids tend to feel they are not getting enough to eat.  I am easing into this and will make plans to add a healthy take along, non-refrigeration needed item to add to the lunch.  When looking at this option, take into account your child's level of activity and their age as well.  My kids are in middle school, and one is participating in football, so it is a good guess that he will be in need of a quick pick me up at the end of the school day.  So this is item number one on my list of things to plan for.  I am going back into my memory to think of some healthy and easily transported things to pack for my kids.  Granola is one that comes to mind.  Here is a recipe that I plan to try:  http://www.chow.com/recipes/30062-basic-granola  This one looks simple, no extra things that are not already on my pantry list and I can be creative to fit the individual tastes my kids have!  The website with this recipe showed the process step by step, that is always a plus for me if I am stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new!

If you decide to pack lunches, there are a lot of websites out there with helpful ideas, here is one from NBC that actually had a menu:http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8913826/ns/health-childrens_health/t/home-packed-lunches-your-kids-will-eat/#.UhPRTH_hdPc

Ok, I have solved that dilemma.  What about dinner?  So far, we have not had dinner before 8pm, so, I better get things in gear.  The first item on the agenda, go back through my huge notebook of easy items and look at things to try.  I am getting used to the fact that we are now on a schedule, so I no longer will be able to be home before 6pm,  I am the designated pick up person for the football player.  This means, I need quick, easy and healthy meals to prepare when I get home.  One skillet dishes have always been a favorite.  Sunday evening, I looked at our schedule for the week.  I noticed that Tuesday was going to be quite a challenge.  I work a bit later on Tuesdays and then I will be picking up the foot ball player.  Then, we are in route for home, we need a quick meal and then it is time for the middle school open house, back to school by 6:30pm.  I found a new recipe that called for a prepared sauce, of course, I altered things a bit, I used whole grain rotini.  Also, instead of the rotisserie chicken, I sauteed flash frozen chicken breasts seasoned with a bit of chile and cumin.  I mixed all of this together while on my lunch break,  sprayed my slow cooker with non-stick spray and put everything in the slow cooker on low.  As soon as I get home, I will add the taco seasoned cheddar cheese, and wha la, dinner will be served! http://progresso.com/recipes/cheesy-southwest-chicken-skillet/dcde5d91-7ffa-4dc1-a53a-90c94407d92a  Next on my to do list is that when preparing my shopping list the next time I do a major shopping trip, I will add to it things that will assist me in making quick and easy meals.  Sometimes I need to be reminded that when you are going to have a day that it will be difficult at best to cook, a convenience item is acceptable.

Last on my list of things I want to include in my kitchen is to have some of my own prepared seasoning mixes such as ranch dressing mix.  here is a recipe for making your own ranch dressing mix:

Ranch Style Dressing Mix

 Makes 1¼ cups of mix (Enough for 5 batches)

1   c. non-fat dry milk                                            2   tsp. dry mustard

4   tsp. dried basil, crushed                                    1   tsp. garlic powder                             

½  tsp. salt                                                                2   T. dried minced onion

1.  In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.  Stir well.

2.  Store at room temperature in a dry, closed container for up to 6 months. 1/4 Cup mix is equal to one packet of dried prepared ranch mix.

   Recently, I found this online and I plan to use the above mix in place of the packet of ranch dressing mix :

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 packet hidden valley ranch mix
1/2 cup 1% milk.

Making things from scratch is not only economical, but you can control the salt, fat and sugar as well as you are not adding additional preservatives.  Anytime a recipe calls for sour cream, you can use low-fat plain yogurt, to prevent others from whining, this is your little secret!  It is healthier and I would have to say more economical than a tub of sour cream.


By having the mix on your shelf, there are endless dishes you can use it for, here is a spinach dip recipe:

Spinach Dip

1   (1 ounce) packet dry ranch salad dressing mix

1   (16 ounces) container sour cream

1   (10 ounces) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained

1   (8 ounces) can water chestnuts, rinsed, drained and chopped

1   round loaf French bread

Fresh vegetable sticks

1.    Stir together dressing mix, sour cream, spinach, and water chestnuts. Chill 30 minutes or until just before serving.

2.    Cut top off the bread and remove center (using firm bread pieces as dippers). Fill bread bowl with dip. Serve with cubed bread and vegetables.

And one last one for Cucumber Dip:

Ranch Cucumber Dip

½    cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

½    tsp. dried dill weed

¼    c. Ranch Style Dressing Mix

2     c. sour cream

       chips or sliced vegetables

1.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Mix well.  Best if chilled overnight.  Serve with chips or sliced vegetables. 
Are you catching a theme here?  I need organization and planning!  First up is to be creative, find some new recipes on-line, in blogs, those that have been tucked away in my large three ring binder and taken out and dusted off.  I work on finding recipes that are easy, ingredients that are those found typically in my pantry and above all, dishes that are healthy.  If you try a recipe, be sure to make notes if you have altered it.  If you try a recipe and you do not like it, throw it out!  Give yourself permission to do this, it lessons the amount of recipes and can help you in making a good sound decision.

I hope you and your family are easing into the back-to-school routine and working your busy schedule into a habit of it including healthy meals.   Remember, the basic habit of sitting at the table, conversing with one another, and working hard on including food from each one of the food groups is what is necessary.  Do not expect yourself to be a gourmet chef all the time.  Do the best you can with the time you have and your family will have great memories of the food on the table and the great conversation! 

Cooking is like this!  You can make a great dinner out of very simple easy to fix food, if you make it into an occasion that include your family and great conversation, you have succeeded!