My Favorite Kitchen Appliance: The Slow Cooker

 "I Get by With a Little Help From My Friends."  One of my favorite Beatles songs!  Wow, 50 years ago they started a revolution with their music.  In 1970, the slow cooker was invented and this began a revolutionary new way of cooking in the home.  It allowed working women to put together a meal in this gadget before going off to work and come home to a healthy, home cooked meal.  With a few tips, this can be one of your favorite kitchen helpers.

You will want to be sure that all of the ingredients are thawed before putting your dish together in the slow cooker.  for easy clean up, lightly spray the slow cooker with non stick spray.  Be sure to follow food safety guidelines from the USDA at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/a181017c-cc51-4261-bfeb-f78cfc24c022/Slow_Cookers_and_Food_Safety.pdf?MOD=AJPERES.  Once you have your dish put together, do not be tempted to lift the lid.  each time you do, you will loose valuable cooking time.  

There are a lot of great slow cook recipes available on line and you can also adapt your favorite recipe for use in the slow cooker.  Check out this reference from All Recipes.com. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/a181017c-cc51-4261-bfeb-f78cfc24c022/Slow_Cookers_and_Food_Safety.pdf?MOD=AJPERES.  When deciding on what to put in your slow cooker, also keep in mind the time factor.  There are times that the slow cooker is not a good option,  I sometimes am away from home for close to 10 hours and on these days, that would be too much cook time.  I like to use the slow cooker on days I am home and doing house cleaning at the end of the day, the last task I want to do is to cook.   Here are two of my recent favorite recipes.

Swiss Steak

1 1/2 lb steak, fat trimmed off

1/4 c. Flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 medium onion sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 celery stocks, diced very thin

1 small can diced tomatoes, un drained

1 1/2 c beef broth ( can use water and beef base or bullion cubes)

1.  Cut steak into small pieces.  Dust with flour, salt, pepper and garlic mixture.

2.  Lightly  spray slow cooker with non-stick spray.  Arrange onion slices on bottom of slow cooker.          Place meat over top of onion.

3.  Pour diced celery and then tomatoes over meat.  Pour beef broth over top

4.  Cover with lid.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 2-4 hours.

Cut steak in small pieces, trim any fat from edges.

Lightly coat meat with flour and spices.

Lightly spray slow cooker with non-stick spray, arrange onion slices in bottom of cooker.

Arrange meat on top of onions.

Next, celery and tomatoes on top of prepared meat.  Pour beef broth over top.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve with Mashed Potatoes

Apple Crisp

1 c. flour

1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/2c butter, sliced

1 c. walnuts (optional)

1/3 c. white sugar

1 tbs corn starch

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

6 c. sliced apples

Directions

1. Mix flour, brown sugar, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/2teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl. Combine butter with the flour mixture using fingers or a fork until coarse crumbs form. Stir in walnuts and set aside.
2. Whisk together 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Place the apples in a slow cooker, stir in the cornstarch mixture; toss with lemon juice. Sprinkle the walnut crumb topping on top. Cover and cook on High for 2 hours or Low for 4 hours, until apples are tender. Partially uncover the slow cooker to allow the topping to harden, about 1 hour.

There are no Mistakes in The Kitchen, Just Learning Moments!

On the way home from work with teens in tow, we made a stop at the market.  "Mom, what's for dinner, can you make it something good?"  Of course my knee jerk reaction is something to the effect of, "don't I always make something good?"  We put the Tuesday sale bananas in the cart and discussed "something good".  We decided on Chicken Stir Fry and Baked Egg Rolls.....baked?  Now that is a first!  With the help of google on my Smart phone, I saw a recipe for Baked Egg Rolls.  For the record, I tend to use the basics of a recipe and then add my creative flare....ok sometimes my creative turns into a "learning" moment.  We gathered the few items we needed and set out on a kitchen adventure!

The recipe called for a lot of interesting ingredients, so we changed this up to be basic and incorporate things we already had on hand.  Next, we followed the direction part of the recipe.  Here is where the true learning lesson came into play.  The end direction stated to bake the egg rolls at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 minutes.  What it failed to mention is that you should turn the Egg Rolls over half way through the baking time to avoid the bottoms becoming too overdone.  The Egg Rolls were edible, but would have been a lot better with that small added instruction.  After our meal, I noted this and will not give up.  The whole meal was overall tasty, we kept it within our budget and for the most part, it was healthy and we added a lot of vegetables to the end result.  Here is the recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb ground pork ( our store only had pork sausage and the spice was a nice addition.)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cup shredded cabbag

1 1/2 cup shredded carrots.

4 to 5 large mushrooms chopped

1 tbs. white vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper ( if you use pork sausage, you may want to add it by taste at end of browning.)

Egg Roll Wraps ( You will find these I produce section by sprouts and mushrooms)

Directions

1.  Brown pork, onions, cabbage and carrots.  When the pork is almost browned, add mushrooms.  Drain grease from the mixture.

2.  Turn the egg roll wrap so it is in shape of diamond.  Place a serving spoon full of the mixture in the center.  You do not want to put too much of the mixture on wrap or you will not be able to roll it up without the wrap tearing.  pull the right corner and then the left over,  Start at the bottom of the wrap and roll it up.  Continue this until mixture has been used.  you should have 10 to 12 Egg Rolls when done. 

3.  Place rolls on a sprayed jelly roll pan (17 1/2" x 12 1/2" x 1") or large cookie sheet pan.  Lightly spray tops of egg rolls so that they will brown.  

4.  Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 9 minutes.  Turn Egg Rolls over, lightly spray and bake for 9 more minutes.  Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce.  

**remember, this is a basic recipe! feel free to experiment!  I would like to try some that have only vegetables in them.

You will find Egg Roll Wraps in produce section usually by sprouts and mushrooms.

Meat and Vegetable Mixture

 

1. Place wrap on plate, diamond shaped.  Place a spoon full of meat and vegetable mixture in center.

2.  Fold left corner and then right corner over the left corner, press lightly.

3.  Fold bottom up to meet center.

4. Roll them up, put on greased jelly roll pan, bake 9 minutes, turn them over and bake for 9 more minutes.  Watch them closely so they do not over cook.

"I have not failed.  I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas Edison

Remember, there are no failures in the kitchen, just learning moments.  Find your passion in the kitchen and you will continue learning and at the same time, living healthier and happier!  Until next time, enjoy an adventure in your kitchen!

Water, Without it There is no Life!

I began thinking about the first blog of the year, what great dish could I share with you?  Then it came to me, I often tell people about the importance of water, but it gets lost in all the conversation about nutrition and does not often come up when talking about food preparation. Water struck a chord and is a perfect follow up to the topic of New Year's Resolutions.

Through the help of google, I was given it's chemical compound of 2 parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.  I know that it gives us life, without it we die.  Our body would not function, plants would not grow, we would cease to exist.  So what does this have to do with food already?  Well, in order to be healthy, we must not forget water. 

According to Mayo Clinic, the typical recommendation by the medical community is for us to consume 8 to 12 glasses a day.  So, do you?  If not, have you thought about why you do not?   Let's dive into the subject of water, and hopefully when this blog is finished, you will make a lifestyle change to consume more water.

What reasons do you have for not drinking more water?  That is a good place to start.  My reasons vary.  I forget to drink water because I am busy, I hate tap water because it tastes bad, I forgot my water bottle and the list goes on and on.  This is another one of those things related to behavior and habit.  I am good at getting my 8 to 12 glasses of water if I am at work and in  my routine.  If I am off work for a time, then I do not typically drink my 8 glasses unless I have a plan.

  Let's look at some ideas to increase your daily water intake:

1.  Invest in a water bottle.  I purchased a water bottle at a local department store at the change of the season between summer and fall.  I paid half of what I would have originally and it has features I really like.  It is metal, has a removable cap and the cap has a hook on it so that if I take it with me on a bike ride, I can attach it easily. 
2.  Form a habit.  I never leave without my water bottle!  It is like my purse at this point.  I fill it with my familiar tap water and off I go to meet the day.  I have instilled this habit with my family as well.  Anytime we are off for an adventure in the car or enjoying time outdoors, we all have our water bottles with us.  This prevents those pesky urges to go to a convenience store and spend money on plastic water bottles or those other evil selections like pop that are calling your name.
3.  Taste, ok this is all great but I hate the taste!  Two suggestions to combat this challenge, the first is to put water in a pitcher and place it in the refrigerator.  By doing this, the chlorination of the water dissipates and it tastes better.  The second thing you could try is to cut up fresh fruit ( in season is always the best for the pocket book and also tastes better), place in water pitcher and fill it with water.  Keep this on hand in your refrigerator.
4.  Plastic water bottles:  Personally, this is the very last on my list!  I have an issue with the fact that we are filling up our landfills. Refilling them is not good as it can create toxins and this is not good for your health. 

 

Apple Citrus Flavored Water

 

1 1/2 qt. water

 

1 medium orange, washed and sliced

 

1 medium green granny smith apple, washed and sliced

 

1 small lemon, washed and sliced

 

Slice fruits and place in bottom of 2 quart pitcher, fill with water.  Place in refrigerator.  You will want this to sit for at least two hours for the fruit to flavor the water.

 

*The best part about flavored water is that you can be creative and add whatever kind of fruit you like to water.  Enjoy!

Now, you have to ask yourself, what are you willing to do to make 8 to 12 glasses of water a must in your daily routine?  Until next time, remember all the vital reasons to increase your water intake.  I leave you with Handel, Water Music.  Relaxing is also a must for your health! Cheers!

 

2014: How to Make Your New Year's Resolution Happen!

Sitting by the fire on this chilly Nebraska day, I am taking stock of my resolution I made last year.  The goal at our house was to eat out less and cook more at home.  I can say, this has been a year that we can say, we did it!  We reduced our weekly trip to a restaurant and went to once or twice a month.  I have to say, it took the whole family to commit to this new habit.  It's important to look back, asses and then determine what you and your family would like to improve on.  The number one subject we American's typically set goals for New Year's Resolutions is related to loosing weight, eating healthy and in general, improving our health.  So, how did we begin this concept of New Year's Resolutions?  The following video will give you  a glimpse of how this tradition of New Year's Resolutions
came to be.

 Take a look at my previous blog on New Years Resolutions dated 12/27/12.  One of the best things suggested was to select one behavior if you are looking at nutrition, exercise or another health related goal.  It has been our experience that the best success is when we are all on board with the selected New Year's Resolution.  A great example was taking pop out of our diet.  It was not successful until everyone decided to take pop off of our menu.  

It's interesting to keep track of resolutions and if they are successful.  Last year our resolution was less eating out, the year before was getting rid of pop.  Both have been successful.  Now if we do go out, our bill is less because we pick water and overall, our health is improving.  Building on change is a great way to improve your families lifestyle and create a lifetime of healthy living.

So, do you have an idea for a New Year's Resolution?  Keeping it simple is the best idea.  Set your goals by using S.M.A.R.T : S=Specific area for improvement.  M=Measurable success A=assignable, who will do what.  R=Realistic, can it be achieved?  Time=When will it be accomplished?  Let's break this down with my last years resolution, the "s" was eating out only twice a month, the "m" yes, we only ate out twice a month and sometimes, we only ate out once, "a" we all did it.  We worked together and planned meals and on the weekends all of us helped in the kitchen, "r" it was realistic, we did it! "t" time related, we got on track and stuck with it all year long.  

New Years Resolutions need not be fleeting bursts of "we have to do this, so here goes" but rather they can be those goals that in ancient times were set by the people to improve the lives of citizens.  Take time before January 1 and make plans with your family for a happier and healthier 2014!

Check out this Flash Mob, exercise can happen even at the mall!

I don't know about you, but I have a knee jerk reaction and maybe even a look that says, "seriously?" when the messages of how much time we have till Christmas appear online or in a store window.  If I could shout from the roof top a message of, please remember the reason for the season, I would!  There is even an on-line clock to take you to the time in seconds that you have before Christmas, you can find it at http://www.xmasclock.com/   Now, don't get me wrong, I am all about the holidays, the food, the shopping, family and oh yes, the food!  I have standards I make, my pinterest board is full of ideas and I am ready to begin the preparation.  The important elements for me are to prepare ahead so that I can enjoy the festivities with my family.  One of my favorite holiday classics, is the Snoopy Thanksgiving.  They didn't have turkey, they had toast and popcorn and everyone was having a great time!

Preparation is the key to success with the holidays.  Did you know that typically food prices drop in November before Thanksgiving and they will increase between Thanksgiving and Christmas?  This is a good time to begin to make your menu plans and make a list of non-perishable foods that you can watch for sales and purchase them ahead of time.  You may even want to add an extra turkey that you could have at a later time.  Turkeys are at their cheapest price before Thanksgiving.  Turkey can be cooked and then frozen for other meals in the future.  There is nothing better than left over turkey and the dishes that you can come up with are endless!  Don't be afraid if you are the hostess to ask your guests to bring side dishes, this will help your stress level as well as your pocket book when preparing for the holidays.

A note about food safety and your turkey.  Be sure to follow the rules of thawing out your bird.  You want to thaw it in your refrigerator.  You may have to put it in your sink, but do be sure that you keep the temperature below 40 degrees, anything between 40 degrees and 140 can be a breeder of bacteria and you certainly don't want your guests to be sick after a nice family dinner.  Here is a great resource for making a safe turkey http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/poultry-preparation/lets-talk-turkey/ct_index .  Also, be sure to have a thermometer to test the doneness of your turkey, the pop up timer is not reliable.  Turkey is pretty simple to prepare as long as you follow these simple guidelines.

I leave you with a favorite leftover recipe for turkey.

Turkey Shepard Pie

2 cups leftover turkey meat

1 medium chopped onion

2 cups leftover vegetables

2 cups chicken broth or leftover turkey gravy

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes or make 1 1/2 cups instant potatoes

Saute onion in 1/2 tbs. canola oil or olive oil until tender, if you do not have left over gravy, at this point, make a roux.  To do this, add 1/4 cup flour to the oil and onion, brown the flour, add salt and pepper.  Pour in 1 cup milk, stir until thickened, add the chicken broth( depending on the thickness of the sauce, you can add more water or milk if necessary).  Add the rest of the vegetables and cook until the vegetables are heated through.  Spray a 9X13 pan,  pour mixture in bottom.  Cover top evenly with the potatoes.  Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until top is brown.  

The best part about Thanksgiving leftovers is that you can get creative.  I also enjoy making turkey soup when the leftovers are almost to the end.  Remember the 4 day rule, after 4 days, throw your leftovers out.  A better plan is to be creative and avoid left overs, you can freeze the leftovers and pull them out in a few weeks.  You can also send left overs home with guests, this is always nice to do as well. 

I wish you and yours a very Happy Holiday season!  Remember, create memories with food but also be mindful to incorporate healthy eating into your season as well.  Brisk walks and being active are also helpful to avoid un-necssesary weight gain.  

With all of the holidays and hectic schedules, remember the true meaning of the seasons!  Happy Holidays to you and to your family!

Another Saturday Night.......

I have come to enjoy Saturday nights in my kitchen!  Wow how times have changes!  When we are young, we want to be out on the town.  As for me, I cherish time at home.  It allows time to create dishes and master some of my standards in the kitchen.  As the today began to come to an end, I  wondered what to have for dinner.  Whenever I begin a plan, I think about leftovers and how to use them.

It is amazing to think about how much food goes to waste in our world, it begins with each of us in our own homes to reduce this from happening.  According to the NRDC, Americans put 40% of their food into landfills. (http://www.nrdc.org/food/files/wasted-food-ip.pdf). This is a staggering figure!  There is good news though, with planning, you can do your part to reduce this in your home. Tonight's menu was to use food in my refrigerator so it does not go to waste.  I used a basic recipe for vegetable beef soup and let my creativity kick in!  As you work through my recipe, add and subtract the kind of vegetables to assist you in your endeavors to use your leftovers.

Do keep in mind the four day throw away rule, for more information visit http://www.4daythrowaway.org.  Remember, when in doubt, throw it out!

Vegetable beef soup Aspen Style

1 lb beef steak cut in cubes
1/8 c flour
1/2c wine to deglaze pan
2 tbs. butter
1 medium onion chopped
4 medium carrots, sliced
3 small potatoes scrubbed and chopped
3cups beef broth
3 cups water
1 qt tomato sauce
1/2 c barley
2 cups Kale


Directions:
1.  Melt butter in stock pot, sauté onions, carrots and potatoes.
2.  In a medium skillet, heat 2tbs.  Canola oil.  Toss cubed beef in 1/8 flour, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.  Put floured meat in skillet.  Cook until meat has just a little pink.  
3.  Remove meat from pan, add to the vegetables.  Pour in beef broth ( I like to use beef base, it is less expensive and goes a long way) and water to this mixture.
4.  Deglaze the meat pan with wine.  Stir in wine just as you would for gravy.  You could use water for this process.  The wine enhances the beef flavor so it is not required to use wine.  Add this to the soup mixture.
5.  Add the tomato sauce and barley. Bring soup to complete boil stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium and cook for at least a half hour.  For more tender meat, cook longer.

*This would be a good slow cook soup.  

1.  Toss meat in flour, salt and pepper

2.  Chop onions, cut in half, and then in threes

3.  Cook floured meat in canola oil.

4.  Slice Carrots, I do not peel my carrots, I just scrub them so they are very clean.

5.  This is what pan looks like after I deglazed it, most of the meat drippings are gone and add lovely flavor to the soup.

Kale adds lots of vitamins and minerals along with color!

Everything stirred in the stock pot together, the aroma fills the air with a beautiful smell that says soups on!

Add your favorite sandwich and perhaps a nice glass of wine and you are ready to indulge!

Fall is the beginning of crisp cold weather and in a way, it is sad as summer is gone, but there is so much to love about fall!  The whole landscape is colorful and it beckons the cry for comfort food.  Soup is such a creative way to be healthy while staying on a budget.  It adds to family gatherings or quiet evenings at home.

I am mindful that Nebraska gives us lovely seasons and I am reminded of one of my favorite bible verses, Ecclesiastes 3:1 to everything there is a season.  Enjoy yourself right where you are and add delightful foods to the experience and you will have memories for a lifetime to share with your family and for generations to come.

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!