How to Perfectly Pick and Peel a Pineapple

Most pineapples in the store are 2-4 days away from being ready to eat. Have you ever cut into one that had a white flesh? Then, upon a tasteless bite, you were mentally transported to a crowded smorgasbord (buffet) of the 1980's instead of going on that mental vacation to a beach in Hawaii. Hopefully you won't experience such disappointment again. Today is Christmas Eve. Mele Kalikimaka!

Not sure where I learned to properly choose a pineapple, but I think it may have been during my time in West Africa. I do know that I ate 1 pineapple a day for the first month that I lived in Cote d'Ivoire. After 1 month, I didn't grow tired of them, but some very painful ulcers in my mouth prevented me from continuing my regimen of a pineapple a day. In the city where I lived, the pineapple vendors would push a wheel barrow-like contraption around filled with ripe pineapples. For a small fee, maybe 10 cents, they would peel a pineapple in 10 seconds with a dull machete and managed to keep their extremities intact. It was quite entertaining to someone that didn't have a TV or regular access to the Internet.

My method doesn't involve a machete and your own hand/eye/knife coordination will determine if you keep your extremities attached, but I hope it helps you perfectly pick and peel a pineapple.

The pineapple should have some brownish and yellow tones between the diamonds. If it is dark green between the diamond pattern, it is not ready. Also try this: Put one hand under the base of the pineapple. With the other hand, gently tug the innermost leaf from the top (spikey part). If it releases easily, it is ripe and ready to eat. Now the fun begins.

Cut the top part off and keep as a garnish or discard. Pick a place at the top and cut from top to bottom. Rotate and repeat 7-9 times.

Go back and do any necessary touchup work.

It's looking nice.


Turn on the side and cut slices 3/4-1" thick.


Cut the slices in half.

Change the knife from a large carving knife to a pairing knife. With the knife at 180 degrees, gently cut out the core. You may need to flip the 1/2 slice over and cut again.


Core is removed and you have a nice rounded shape.

Slices are stacked and ready to be arranged or eaten.


If you don't use all of your pineapple, put it on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and freeze it for 12 hours. Remove and put in a Ziploc. Pull out only as much as needed.

I've used frozen pineapple pieces in smoothies and on homemade pizza-Hawaiian Style of course.

You say tomato, I say tohmahtow

You say tomato, I say tohmahtow. Some say Snowballs, but me, I grew up calling them Mexican Wedding Cookies. It was a tradition to have these around Christmastime. I like to think of them as little bites of buttery goodness. The recipe requires ONLY 2 sticks.

These cookies were made yesterday and today they are almost gone. It was nice to share these with my child's teachers and then some were taken to a women's Bible study.

That's how I feel about cooking. It's only as much fun as seeing those around me enjoy it. So share your cookies and be kind to your friends. If you have to, tell them what no one else is willing the say, "Go look in the mirror, you have powdered sugar on your lips."



Mexican Wedding Cookies
1 c. butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting
1 c finely chopped pecans
Cream butter, 1/2 sugar, vanilla and salt until fluffy. Stir in flour until well blended. If using pecans, add with flour at this point. Put in wax paper and chill 30 minutes or until firm enough to handle. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 375 oven until light golden brown about 12-15 minutes. Place on a cooling rack. While cookies are still warm, dust heavily with powdered sugar. Store in a cool dry place. Before serving, dust with more powdered sugar. Makes 35-45 cookies.

MacGuyver or MacGoober

It's great when you find one gadget that serves many purposes. When you stop and think about it, guys have their pocket knives that they use for different tasks. With their pocket knife, they can gut and scale a fish, they can pick their teeth, and be the quickest draw at a child's birthday party to cut those annoying plastic ties and release the much wanted toy from it's bondage.

As for girls, we have our purses and our kitchen gadgets. Take a wood spoon for example. It can be a stirring utensil, a spanking utensil, or a means of entertainment for a toddler when paired with a metal pan to bang upon while sitting in the kitchen floor. I've also found that an ice cream scoop can be used to scoop out more that frozen flavored cream.

What more could an ice cream scoop possibly do? Leave a woman in the kitchen long enough and she will discover a plethora of possibilities. Here are my latest findings: forming turkey meatballs (see meatball recipe is a previous post), making uniform-sized cookies (including coconut macaroons), and of course scooping sorbet into fancy glasses.

Today I used the mini ice cream scoop to make coconut macaroons. They looked great and to my delight, they cooked evenly and didn't spread. My husband paid me the nicest compliment about my macaroons. He said that the macaroons were my best yet and that they had a crunchy exterior, while maintaining a gooey interior. I'll definitely be using it at all times from this day forward when making macaroons.

The only problem that I have found with the ice cream scoop is that kids are intrigued by it. If you allow your little one to use it to shape cookies, monitor them. You wouldn't want their precious little fingers to get caught in the spring/handle part. The kids will monitor you and remind you that if you eat raw cookie dough, it will make you sick. At least mine does...

Although my physical appearance may resemble MacGruber (from SNL), I feel like MacGuyver as I wield my my kitchen gadgets and think of my simple culinary accomplishments. I've managed to make a meal/dessert AND entertain 1 more child while not using anything I learned in college. It's all in a day's work. Just call me Mrs. MacGoober.



My mini ice cream scoop was probably purchased at BB&B and looks to me like it is an OXO brand. By the way, Pier One has these adorable mini-martini glasses. I don't do mixed drinks (unless you consider ginger ale and cranberry juice a mixed drink), but I think the glasses are a fun way to serve 3-4 scoops of raspberry and coffee sorbet.

Coconut Macaroons
1/2 c flour
scant less than 1/4 tsp salt
4 1/2 c sweetened and shredded coconut---this is a little more than 1 package.
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Sift the salt and flour into a bowl. Toss the coconut into the flour bowl and stir, coating the coconut. Pour the milk into the mixture. Add the vanilla, and mix well to make a very thick batter. Using an mini-ice cream scoop, form the macaroons into balls, scraping on the edge of the bowl and release the shape onto the pan.
Bake for 15 minutes. Evaluate if they are slightly golden. If not, allow to bake for another 1-3 minutes. Remove from the oven. Place on a cooling rack.

Yield:52 macaroons

Leek and Potato Soup with a Grown Up Grilled Cheese

If you haven't noticed by now, I tend to go into too much detail when it comes to describing things...so that's why a picture of my fingers and some dirt between the layers of the leek ended up on the blog. It is to show someone working with a leek for the first time how to cut and clean it properly. Don't worry, in the future I won't show any pictures about field dressing a dear, mainly because I don't know how to do it. =)
To clean a leek:
Cut the bottom off of the leek. Cut the green top portion that you won't be using off and discard. Take your knife and slit the leek down the side from top to bottom, penetrating all layers of the leek to the center. Fan the layers out a little. Turn it upside down and rinse under cold water. All of the dirt and sand should rinse off. Remove the outer layer of the leek and discard. It will not blend like the outer layer of an onion.

Not so long ago, I discovered Sweet Cooked Ham in the deli case. Since then, I've used it in omelets, muffuletta sandwiches and for this meal, it found its way into what I call a Grown Up Grilled Cheese.

Grown Up Grilled Cheese
2 slices of sourdough bread
2 slices of Sweet Cooked Ham (thin, but not see-through)
1 thick slice of swiss or cheddar cheese
butter

Place a non-stick skillet on a burner turned to medium/ med-low heat. Allow skillet to warm up. Smear butter on all sides (4) of the bread. Assemble the sandwich with the cheese and ham. Cook in the skillet 3 minutes on the 1st side, maybe 2 minutes on the 2nd side. Remove from heat when a golden brown crust forms. Serve and eat immediately.

Leek and Potato Soup

3 leeks washed and sliced (mostly white, but some green)
½ of a medium onion – diced
3 or 4 carrots – diced
1TBSP olive oil
1 tsp butter
3-4 medium potatoes – cut into small pieces (or 5 red potatoes)
1-2 qts chicken broth
1 bay leaf
dash of freshly ground pepper
¼ tsp of salt
Pinch of herbes de Provence

Heat up a lined soup pot for 1 minute. Add olive oil and butter. Add leeks, carrots, and onions; stir thoroughly. Reduce heat to med-low and allow veggies to sweat in their own juices for 3-4 min. (sometimes I add a little broth ¼ cup at this point). Add 1 qt broth, bay leaf and freshly ground pepper. Bring just to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes, or until potatoes are done (soft when pressed against the side of the pan with a fork).

Remove the bay leaf and put veggies with broth into a blender (or use a hand emersion blender) and puree the mixture. Return to the pan. Taste for seasoning. Add salt, maybe additional broth (if mixture is too thick for your liking) and a little Herbes de Provence. Serve warm.

***This freezes well in a large portion or in lunch-size portions.

Post Thanksgiving Tex Mex Soup and an Avocado

After a long Thanksgiving weekend away, I was ready to be home and eat something from my own kitchen. Tired, but hungry, and hearing the usual chorus of "What's for dinner tonight?" led me to the freezer. I found some leftover smoked BBQ pork that I had frozen in chicken broth. I've tried to save smoked BBQ in a Ziploc, but it doesn't freeze well-too dry. However, if the meat is frozen in a liquid, it obviously retains both its moisture and flavor. This recipe could work well with leftover turkey, too.
So, after some mixing and tasting, this is what I came up with for our dinner... My husband made some cornbread to accompany the soup. It was just the right addition to the meal!
And after the recipe, I've shared my solution for removing the pit from an avocado without sustaining a knife wound.

Post Thanksgiving Tex Mex Soup

1 1/2 qts of Chicken broth
1 can of black beans (drained)
1 can of corn
1 package of Turkey Kielbasa
2-3 cups of leftover meat (chicken, turkey, or pork BBQ)
1 1/2 cups V8 juice
1 can mild Rotel
2/3 can regular Rotel
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp or more of Cumin
pinch of oregano

Place chicken broth, cooked meat, and V8 juice in in a large dutch oven. Slice Kielbasa down the middle longways and then into quarter-inch slices. Add slices to the broth mixture bring to a gentle boil. Add spices and corn. Cook for 20 minutes. Add black beans. Cook another 10 minutes, taste and adjust spices according to desired level of heat. If too spicy, dilute it with another cup of chicken broth. Garnish with avocado and fresh cilantro.

Garnishes:
avocado
cilantro
crushed tortilla chips
shredded cheese
sour cream


How to choose (and safely cut) an avocado
If an avocado is solid green and hard, it will be ready in 2-3 days. If it is solid black, it is probably ready. A perfectly ripe avocado should be black (with maybe a tinge of green) and firm, but barely give when you squeeze it. If the skin mashes in and you feel an air pocket between the skin and avocado's flesh, it is past its moment of usefulness.

To cut it, hold it in one hand, and your knife in the other. Make a circle all the way around. Put the knife down, squeeze and gently pull apart. Cut the half without the pit in half. Here is what I discovered about the side with a pit. Place the pit against the palm of your hand, use the knife to cut through the skin on the outside of the avocado. Gently tug one side from the pit. It is now in fourths. Use your hands to remove the pit from the other side. Previously, every time I tried to remove the pit by whacking it with a knife (As seen on TV), I caused an injury. So instead of giving up avocados, I created a different removal method. Now I have happy fingers and a happy tummy. I hope you do, too!

Green Beans with Almonds (haricots verts avec amandes)

How many people do you know that don't like green beans? Maybe they have never eaten them fresh, or perhaps they thought they were fresh, but were a stringy variety or were old. A good solution would be French Style Green Beans. A little pricier? Yes. But they get devoured around our table and there aren't any of those embarrassing thread-like strings dangling on the edge of your dinner plate.
In Middle Tennessee, I have found that a pre-measured package of French Green Beans works best for this cooking method. Good, quality beans can be found year-round at Publix (8oz bag $3.29) or Harris Teeter (1lb bag $4.99). I use only 1/2 pound at a time for a family of 4. Oh yeah, and they have an expiration date on the package, too.

If you want to sound sophisticated when serving your French Green Beans, tell everyone that in France they are called haricots verts avec amandes. (air-ree Ko Vair uh-vek ah mahnd)

Green Beans with Almonds

1/2 lb French style green beans
1-2TBSP olive oil
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
1/4 c less of sliced almonds
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the ends off of the green beans. Wash and place in a 1 inch of water in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat for 6 minutes. remove from heat and leave the lid off of the pan. (I remove 12 or so beans for my 4 year-old's plate before I add these to the onion/almond mixture.) In a skillet, saute the onions in the olive oil. Transfer the green beans to the already cooked onions. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and almonds. Warm and toss in the pan over med/low heat. Serve immediately.

Carrot Souffle

Carrot Souffle must be the most requested dish made by my four year-old. He enjoys it and I enjoy knowing that he is getting a large serving of vegetables. Most Southerners grew up with Sweet Potato Casserole, but the ones I had growing up were always stringy. Not carrot souffle! Also, when I cook it, I make enough to freeze for 2 more meals. Last night when we ate it, I asked my husband to calculate the calories with one of his apps. It only has about 120 calories per 1/2 cup serving! I like to top it with pecans and of course our little one and Daddy like it topped with marshmallows. Also, I've found that a 1lb bag of organic carrots purchased at Trader Joe's or Wal-Mart is just as cheap as a bag of conventional ones.
The recipe below yields about 10 cups. If you cook the entire amount all at once, it will fit into a 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Or you can fill 1 loaf pan 2/3 full and bake for dinner. With the remaining unbaked amount, fill 2 disposable aluminum pans that are 4 1/2 x 9 inches 2/3 full. Cover with plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Put a label on top with the date. This will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer, I guess. Our extra ones never last long. Hopefully this carrot dish will be one that your family will want to eat and not be forced to eat. You can use it as a baby food or adapt it for someone who is dairy free/soy free by using Earth Balance Butter Flavor Spread.

Carrot Souffle
4lbs of large carrots peeled, cut in half and sliced down the middle at the thicker end.
6 tbsp butter at room temp
pinch of salt
6 eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c sugar

Cook carrots in water with a pinch of salt until they are tender (12-15 minutes). Have the water barely cover the carrots. Set aside 1/2 c of the water they were cooked in and drain the rest. Puree the carrots in a food processor or blender. I use the puree setting on my blender. If it is a little difficult, add the butter and a little of the reserved cooking water. Pour pureed carrots into a large mixing bowl and add the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add the butter if you have not. Mix well. Pour it into a greased baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Remove, add desired topping and return to oven 5 minutes. Stay close to the oven so that those marshmallows don't burn!
If recreating the traditional sweet potato casserole topping, combine 2 parts each of brown sugar, flour and pecans with 1 part butter. Mix and put on top of the carrot mixture at the beginning of the bake time.

Winterize Your Home and Have Happy Feet

It is the most unfashionable time of the year. The time where I remove my house slippers from under the bed, where they have been out of sight. I grew up with parents that wore slippers and always said that I wouldn't do that. Well, I've had to do what I said I would not. Poor blood circulation runs in the family and my feet were numb for a few hours today, so today I broke out the slippers and began to think about winterizing the house.

It is supposed to get down as low as 23 tonight in Middle Tennessee. If you have a crawl space and have not done so, you will want to close the exterior vents. While I was closing mine tonight, I looked down and noticed that one of the garden hoses was still connected to the spigot. Oops, I quickly disconnected that! There is always a little water left inside of a hose and it could freeze the pipes, crawl space OR concrete slab foundation.

Here are a few other recommendations:
-If you go out of town, don't set your thermostat any lower than 55 degrees. This will help your bill remain low and help your pipes not to freeze.
-Change the HVAC air filter now and once a month. The system will work harder during the cold months.
-Check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Your home is most likely your biggest investment-Protect it!

This next tip has nothing to do with recipes or real estate, it goes in the rambling category. For that impossibly dry winter skin...I found a cream by necessity that works wonders on cracked feet. This sounds strange, but it is Palmer's Cocoa Butter Massage Cream for stretch marks. $4 at Wal-Mart. You can't beat that. Rub a dime size portion to your feet after getting out of the shower and try to wear socks for an hour. Laugh now, thank me later!

Enchiladas

If you went to college with me or eat at my house often, chances are that I've made enchiladas for you. This is a recipe that I grew up with. I didn't know that other kids in my town didn't have Mexican food on a regular basis. That's what you get with a momma from California. She exposed me to Mexican food because she cooked it in our home with what was available in Tennessee during the 1980's. Those good ol' Old El Paso brand products still exist!

Recently, I went to a BBQ and came home with a whole smoked chicken and a Boston Butt. While I enjoy BBQ, frozen cooked meat doesn't freeze well on its own. In order not to waste this delicious smoked meat, I put parts of the porker and chicken into enchiladas. They freeze well, and after they cool off, I wrap 2 at a time in plastic wrap. Then I wrap the pair in aluminum foil and label them. Later on, just pull them out, unwrap both layers, throw them in the microwave for a few minutes. There you have a fast and filling lunch in a hurry.

Red Sauce Enchiladas
1 pkg of 10 taco size flour tortillas ( I like Ole brand)
2 cans ( 10 oz each) red enchilada sauce (Old El Paso brand*) Wal-mart carries mild, med and hot varieties. I like medium. Watch what you buy!
1 lb ground beef OR ground turkey OR shredded pork- cooked and drained
1 8 oz brick of Monterey Jack cheese -grated
1 8 oz brick of extra sharp Cheddar - grated

I have found that 1 lb of meat and the above amounts of cheese and sauce are just right when evenly divided by 10. I have begun to decrease my cheese a little and small handful leftover is fine, too.
Make sure you have an ample amount of counter space to use for the assembly process. Spray 1 9x11 baking dish with Pam. Preheat oven to 350. Down the middle of each tortilla, place a strip of 3-4 TBSP of meat, a small handful of each cheese and 1 TBSP of red sauce. Roll it up and place in the greased baking dish. When all 10 are rolled up in the dish, pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Use a spoon or butter knife to run in between each enchilada. You want sauce to go between each enchilada. If not, later on they will be more difficult to remove from the pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes. The closer to 35 minutes, the crispier the enchilada.


Green Enchiladas
1 lb or more shredded chicken
2 cans (10oz each) Green enchilada sauce
1 8 oz brick of Monterey Jack cheese -grated
1 8 oz brick of extra sharp Cheddar - grated

Follow directions from above.

Turkey/ Chicken Meatballs

Meatballs are very versatile, and are a fallback-on-food when they have been made ahead of time. I buy 5lbs ground turkey at Sam's for around9.99. That's 1.99/lb (about half the price per pound at the grocery store). I make about 3 lbs of meatballs at a time and freeze them. During my dairy-free, soy-free days, I omitted the cheese and used soy free crushed pita chips in place of the bread crumbs. The changes were hardly recognizable.
A kitchen gadget that I use often right now is a cookie dough scoop. I use it to make evenly portioned meatballs. It also speeds up the prep time!

Meatballs:
Turkey/ Chicken Meatballs

1 LB ground Turkey or Chicken
¼ cup bread crumbs
10 sprigs of Italian Parsley chopped (optional)
1 TBSP ketchup
1/2 c grated Romano Cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs
pinch of salt (especially if not using Romano cheese)

Mix all ingredients together. Spoon out onto a wax-paper lined cookie sheet. Use a cookie dough scoop for evenly sized meatballs or form by hand to desired size. Freeze on cookie sheet 4 hours- overnight. Remove and place in a large freezer Ziploc bag. Label and use within 3 months.
When cooking, remove from freezer, place in a skillet over medium heat with a little olive oil, cook until browned. Remember to turn the meatballs over often until evenly cooked which is about 15 minutes.
-OR-
Steam them in the oven. Preheat oven 400 degrees. Take a jelly roll pan or other baking sheet with high side and fill with 1/4 inch or less of water. Pull 20-30 meatballs from the freezer and place in a single layer on the watered baking sheet. Cover with foil and tuck side over the pan. Cook/steam meatballs for 30 minutes or until cooked all the way through.



Uses for Meatballs:

Meatball sandwich-cut open a hoagie, toast hoagie to desired crispiness, remove, add marinara sauce and mozzarella or provolone cheese slices, return to oven and toast until bubbles form on top.

Stroganoff-Dice 1 sm-med onion. Brown in a skillet in olive or vegetable oil. Add meatballs, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, ½ tsp of garlic powder, 1 can of drained mushrooms (I leave out mushrooms). Add 2/3 can of water and stir. Simmer uncovered 15 min. Add a large dollop of sour cream (maybe 1/3 c). serve over egg noodles

Make an Asian-inspired Sweet and Sour soup broth. Add browned meatballs in 10 min before serving.

Italian Wedding soup

Italian Wedding Soup

This recipe was such a fun find during my months on the soy-free dairy-free diet. It was something I could eat and serve to my family for dinner. If you have a gluten-free guest or family member, you can cook their special pasta in another dish, while still enjoying the gluten pasta if you wish to do so. It has served a purpose in many a complicated diet moment.
More recently, a stomach bug has been passed around our house, so I thought this would be filling and delicate on a sensitive tummy. Illness or not, this soup is easy and low cal too.
One helpful hint that I learned this past year is not to add the pasta to a soup until you are serving it in the bowl. In the past, I would enjoy a soup and put the leftovers into 1 dish and returned the next day, only to discover that the soup was generally good, but that the pasta was mushy. The solution: cook the pasta it in a separate pan, drain and set aside until ready to serve AND store it in a different container than the soup/broth. Mix the 2 just before reheating in the microwave. Viola, almost as good as the night before and NOOO mushiness!

Italian Wedding Soup

2-3 TBSP olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
5 large carrots peeled and thinly sliced
2-3 stalks of celery thinly sliced (optional)
2 (32 oz each) cartons of chicken broth, maybe more
1 (6-10 oz) bag of baby spinach washed
pinch of salt
pinch of garlic powder

1 recipe of meatballs steamed

1/3-1/2 lb of Ditalini pasta cooked al dente according to the box. Drain and return to pan.



For meatballs: Preheat oven 400 degrees. Take a jelly roll pan or other baking sheet with high side and fill with 1/4 inch or less of water. Pull 20-30 meatballs from the freezer and place in a single layer on the watered baking sheet. Cover with foil and tuck side over the pan. Cook/steam meatballs for 30 minutes or until cooked al the way through.

For Soup: Heat a large non-stick dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and celery. Cook 7-8 minutes or until translucent. Add carrots, broth, salt and garlic powder. Cook 12 minutes. Taste carrots to see if they have cooked to desired tenderness. Add steamed meatballs and bag of spinach. Stir 1 minute and take it to the table and serve. Add the desired amount of pasta to each person's bowl.

Biscotti

Everyone has their own way of saying it. Around our house, different family members call it scootie bootie, biss cootie or dunkers. You may know it as biscotti. Grandma likes hers without a topping and dunks it in her morning coffee. I like mine topped with a few zig zags of semi-sweet chocolate and a glass of cold milk. My husband prefers his topped with chocolate. Our 4 year-old eats it anyway, anywhere, and at anytime. Tonight some slices received a few zig zags of chocolate and for the first time, were topped with sprinkles!
He was such an enthusiastic helper. We made the dough this afternoon, wrapped it up, chilled it during nap time, and then baked it after dinner. I'm not sure if he was hungry or motivated by the biscotti, but he ate all of his vegetables at the dinner table without complaining. He helped pat the chilled dough into 2 loafs, watched it go into the oven, did a few silly dances and waited for it to be pulled out of the oven so that he could have his fair share.
Now it is 11PM and everyone has gone to sleep. I am left with a messy kitchen. One corner looks like it was dusted with snow (little bit's work area). No matter the mess, it was well worth the memories made and the tasty little cookies we produced.


This is actually a family recipe that I received many years ago from my sassy Sicilian Great Aunt. She passed away in 1999, but I think about her and my Grandma every time I use the recipe. I've looked up biscotti recipes online and my "family recipe" is similar to the other ones found. There are no secret ingredients in my recipe, just a few helpful hints on how long to bake it. Above are pictures of the process.
Buono Appetito!

Biscotti
2 1 /2 c all purpose flour
1 c sugar
1/4 c butter (slightly softened or at room temp)
chopped almonds
2 tsp double acting baking powder
1 tsp almond flavor
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/4 c sliced almonds (optional)

Start at least 2 1/2 hours before you plan to serve it or up to a week ahead of time.

Into a large bowl, measure 1 1/2 c flour and remaining ingredients. With mixer at low sped, beat ingredients until just mixed; increase speed to medium and beat 3 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. With sturdy spoon, stir in remaining flour until mixed. Add sliced almonds at his point if you wish. Wrap dough tightly in waxed paper; refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Divide dough in half. On a well-floured surface, with hands, shape each half into a 12" by 2" loaf; place both on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper spaced 2 inches apart. Bake 15 minutes for not so crumby texture or as long as 20 min.
Remove from oven. Using 2 sturdy metal spatulas, transfer each loaf to a wood cutting board and slice each loaf crosswise into 1 inch bars. Raise oven temp to 390. Turn bars on their sides, making sure they do not touch each other. Return to oven and bake 10 minutes (barely any golden) or up to 15 minutes, but not brown. Remove and place on a cooling rack. Store in tightly covered container or ziploc bag up to 1 week.

***I made this dairy free during the summer by using soy free and dairy free earth balance butter flavor spread. It was almost as good and did not negatively effect the texture. Using a digital scale, I weighed out the amount of the spread according to what 1/4 c of butter weighed. I didn't write it down though.

Dairy Free Soy Free

PHOTO: Thai Rice Paper wraps with leftover pork loin-also a great way to "reuse" leftover pork. All items including the sauce are soy/dairy free.

When my baby was 3 weeks old, she was diagnosed with an allergy to cow’s milk. Apparently, the proteins found in my breast milk (from Cow’s milk) irritated her little tummy. Shocked, but knowing that the health benefits outweighed the sacrifices, I was determined to continue nursing her. It is interesting to learn that there are many babies that have this issue, but grow out of it by their first birthday. My hope is that she will, too.

I thought that goat’s milk and goat’s milk cheese might be an alternative, but after doing some research, I discovered that a child may have a negative reaction to that as well, and she had a 50-60% chance of being allergic to soy. The only known alternative is Rice milk or “Almond drink.” Yes, both products are about as appealing as they sound.

My eating habits were turned upside down. For 2 weeks after her diagnosis, my breakfast consisted of oatmeal or cheerios with Rice milk. Lunch and dinner were not much more adventurous. Homemade meatloaf, steamed veggies or a salad (with oil and vinegar) was about all I would allow myself to eat. Nothing went into my mouth without checking the package to make certain the product does not contain a dairy or soy ingredient.

Over the next few days, I did extended grocery store visits to look at packaging. My desire was to make a list of items for my pantry that were dairy and soy free and then incorporate them into my family's nightly meals. I am blessed to live in the suburbs of Nashville, TN, so I have many great options. I feel for the moms who live further out where dairy or soy free alternatives may not be available. I was greatly encouraged by what I found at Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's. They had Canola oil mayo, coconut milk ice cream, coconut yogurt, and a dairy free soy free imitation butter spread. I began thinking that I may make it at this elimination stint.

Probably the most difficult task was eating at other people’s homes, traveling over the weekend, or being away from home all day long. On such occasions, I prepared ahead of time with cold meals for the cooler or grabbed an apple or natural cereal bar. I had to constantly turn down food at friends' houses. On one occasion at a playmate's house, my little 3 year-old said no to a cookie. When I asked why, he said, "I can't have soy." He could, but must have been imitating my usual response to people.

This elimination diet was terribly time-consuming and greatly increased our grocery budget. Each week, I discovered a few new items or how to manipulate a recipe that I could add to the list. In a nutshell, the food I consumed was mostly fresh items with very few processed foods.

Our sweet little girl continued to have tummy troubles and although she never had blood tests to confirm additional allergies, the doctors told us that she may have a wheat, nut, egg or shellfish allergy. After learning this, I decided I would not do further eliminations from my diet, but would put her on formula until age 1. I may need to experiment with more recipes next year after she has been tested.

I lasted 3 months and 10 days on the dairy free, soy free diet. The one instance that I ate out was for my birthday at a Nashville restaurant named Miel. They specialize in organic food and inquired if I had any allergy concerns. It was a little pricey, but a very satisfying meal.

*******My personal product list from below was conducted in the Winter and Spring of 2010. Be sure to check packages before consuming, as some items may have changed.*******

Publix:
Kangaroo Pita chips-sea salt
Wholey Guacamole
Baguette-----Make your own bread crumbs

Kroger Marketplace
Rice milk,
Coconut yogurt
Coconut milk ice cream
Canola mayo
Tropical frozen fruit (for Smoothies)
Organic beans
Delallo Olive Bruschetta
Earth Balance brand soy and dairy free butter flavor spread
Breakfast bars (strawberry was best)

Whole Foods
Organic baguette
Soy free/Dairy free ice cream (Purely Decadent brand)
butternut squash-filled ravioli in freezer area
soy and dairy free buns ($4)


Meal ideas:
Salad with self-made dressing
BLT
Broccoli soup with chicken broth
Crepes made with rice milk topped with fruit or syrup
mac, egg and oil soup
Eggplant with pasta and sauce
Fried rice egg, rice, peas, carrots, few onions, BACON
Frittata (NO Cheese, but sautéed veggies, sausage, ditalini, zucchini)
Jerk Chicken and mango salsa
Meatloaf (grated carrots and pita chips)
Spaghetti / Pasta and red sauce
stuffed peppers
Whole Baked chicken with olive oil
Thai rice paper wraps with leftover pork
grilled veggies
Stuffed tomatoes (with tuna salad
Orzo salad (minus the feta)
Meatballs-open face sandwich w/ pizza sauce
Polenta (Organic @ Trader Joe’s)
Northern white beans
--California rolls (egg, cucumber, carrot, faux crab mixed w/ mayo)

Muffeleta sandwich with Organic baguette and Delallo Olive Bruschetta-Kroger $5.99
& salami
Melissa Barron bean salad
Roast, potatoes and carrots

Fish Tacos
Beef/ turkey tacos
Gumbo and rice
Split pea soup
Pot of 15 bean soup
Homemade egg rolls with Pepper jelly
Homemade Pot stickers
P.F.Chang’s style chicken wraps-made at home
Fajitas (with fautoyah wrap)
Quesadilla (corn, chili beans, salsa, chicken) Fautoyah wrap

Tuna medallions
Beouf bourguignon
Chicken salad
Tuna Salad

Crab legs
Sweet and sour pork chops over rice
Pork loin
Potato salad
Baked beans
Black beans with 2 scoops of fresh salsa (side dish)
Black eyed peas
Salmon cakes


Soups:
Italian wedding soup
Chili
Chicken broth or beef base soup
Leek and potato
Tortilla soup

Snacks:
Guacamole
Hummus with carrots and peppers and pita chips
Fresh fruit-banana, cantaloupe, strawberries, apples, grapes, watermelon


Salads
-Brianna’s Home style “the New American” (creamy balsamic)
-Paula Deen’s Peach (Wal-mart)-I didn't like this one
-Brianna’s Home Style Blush Wine Vinaigrette,
-homemade thousand island,
-homemade French (mustard base),
-home made Asian

Salad carrots, boiled eggs, nuts, craisins, raisins, can corn, tomato, pita chip crumbs (instead of crutons)
grilled chicken, deli oven roasted turkey breast, low- sodium ham
Brushetta / tomatoes in olive oil and basil w/ pinch of salt
Sliced cucumbers in red wine vinegar, salt and pepper



Dessert:
biscotti
Popsicle
Sorbet
Smoothie with coconut yogurt
Chocolate purely Decadent Coconut milk ice cream
Lemon icebox cookies
Jello fluff recipe
Rice crispy Treats


Breakfast:
Oatmeal (trader Joe’s instant apple and cin or Kroger brand)
Eggs
Omelet (ham, salsa)
Rice milk pancakes from scratch w/ Scharffen Berger Chocolate
French toast with
Cheerios with Rice milk

French Toast and funny faces

Another item that we made this week was French Toast. But do the French call it by that name? No, they call it Pain Perdu. That means Lost Bread. If you have had a baguette, you know that by the next day or certainly the following one, that it is hard as a baseball bat. Probably, some French Momma was trying to come up with breakfast for her wee ones, and discovered that if the hardened gluten-filled club was sliced, dipped into eggs and fried, it would not be a lost loaf of bread. It must have been the idea of an Italian Momma, too, as my Sicilian grandmother talks about taking "French Toast" in her lunch to school as a little girl.

I've only stayed in a few bed and breakfasts, but on one trip, we had a wonderful version of French Toast with cream cheese and marmalade. The marmalade provides enough sweetness that I don't use syrup. Try it some time, you might be surprised.

So, to the left is a picture of what this French speaking, Momma of Italian decent, who lives in the USA created for her little boy. =) Bon Appetit!

Recipe for Pain Perdu
3 eggs (beaten)
little less than 1/4 c of 2 % milk
1 baguette (next day is better than fresh)
generous sprinkle of cinnamon
3 TBSP of granular sugar
powdered sugar for dusting

Slice baguette into 3/4 inch slices. Set aside. Beat eggs in a shallow glass dish. Add milk, granular sugar, and cinnamon. Beat with a fork. Heat a non-stick skillet at Med heat for 2 minutes, spray with Pam or melt a little butter. Put bread slices in egg mixture 1 at a time. Turn over and allow absorb the mixture for 5 or so seconds. Place onto greased hot skillet. Turn one time and remove from heat. Spread cream cheese and marmalade over the top and dust with powdered sugar.

eau de charcoal

There is nothing like the smell of a man who has the scent of charcoal smoke lingering on his clothing. I think it has such mystical powers over a woman, that I might develop and produce a new cologne for men called "eau de charcoal." Of course, you must say it with a French accent, so the English phonetics make the spelling look like oh duh Shar'cole. It rolls off the tongue more smoothly when said in such a manner.

My man likes to grill on the weekends and I couldn't be happier to let him do so. Tonight he grilled a whole chicken that I rubbed down with salt and a mixture he made and keeps in the cabinet properly labeled "rib rub." My hubby uses an internal-read thermometer and stays close by the grill while the meat is cooking. His hard work paid off as this piece of poultry was moist, delicious, and had an evenly toned skin that was golden brown. It reminded me for a brief moment of George Hamilton. In addition to the whole chicken, we also grilled 4 boneless chicken breasts and 2 packages of bratwursts. The 4 breasts spent 5 hours in a vinegar base marinade. The bratwursts will be used in all of our lunches throughout this week. The chicken breasts will be divided into dishes like tortilla soup, Pampered Chef Ring, and salads. The sides for dinner were grilled corn on the cob, sauteed bell peppers and onions, and fried okra. That 2.97 spent on okra seeds has been a huge payoff.

So that leads me to Jeff's lunch for tomorrow. It is another salad. Inspiration: grilled chicken. I asked if he preferred Caesar or Cobb. He chose Cobb and that is what he shall have.

We used to have a Costco membership, but not at the moment. Last weekend, they had a special where non-members who are real estate agents could go and shop without a fee. I'm so glad I went. A variety of items were purchased, but one of my favorite finds was a package of 6 small heads of lettuce for $3.29. Tomorrow's salad will contain the last leaves. What an accomplished feeling of using 6 heads of lettuce in multiple meals in one week's time!

muffuletta eater in training

Growing up, my mom made me pack my own lunch beginning in the first grade. She would inspect it to make sure it was "healthy." Her instructions were that it needed: 1 meat, 1 grain, 1 fruit, 1 drink and 1 "other." To this day, when I cook dinner or pack a lunch, I still run that little list of a proper meal through my head and mentally check off the boxes as I go.
My little man isn't in the first grade, and my other man is way past his days in first grade, so I haven't made packing their own lunches a requirement, not yet anyway. Most days, their lunches aren't that different. Perhaps it is because early on, I insisted that Phillip eat what was put in front of him at meal time.

Jeff's lunch usually consists of a sandwich or salad, or on occasion, a dish of leftovers from what I cooked the night before. After seeing these photos, it reaffirms my desire to get a better camera. Oh well, our little snapshot must do for now.
For tomorrow, Jeff's lunch consists of a salad, a banana, cherry yogurt and leftover schnitzel. For the most part, I don't have a plan when it comes to salads. I just scan the pantry or fridge for an "inspiration item" and build it from there. This evening, my inspiration item was feta. So, the salad began with feta crumbles, then Craisins, walnuts, and crutons. The dressing is Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette.

My little man's lunch for tomorrow is a salami and pepperoni sandwich with pickles. I like to think of it as a kid's version of a muffuletta sandwich, one of my favorite kinds! He hasn't acquired a taste for olives, so he eats pickles instead. Also, he will have watermelon and a mixed berry yogurt. No "other" in his lunch tomorrow. That mental box didn't get checked.

In the summer, he was sent to school with a slice of blackberry pie and whipping cream. Jeff went with a whole pie to share with co-workers. Phillip has recently requested pie again in his lunch. We have raspberries at the moment in the backyard, so the next pie must be raspberry pie. Since this request, I bought individual pie plates at the Viking store. Now that I have written about it, I need to make it happen, maybe next week for lunch. =)

Fried Rice with Bacon mmmmmmm

Fried Rice


1 lb of thick-sliced bacon, cut into chunks-reserve 2-3 pieces for just frying to eat.
1 1/4 white rice before water (cooked and laid aside)
3-4 carrots-peeled and quartered and sliced
3/4 c of frozen green peas
1/2 white onion finely diced
3-4 eggs beaten in a bowl
4 or so green onions sliced
Season with garlic powder
Touch of salt and pepper
 
Brown the bacon pieces in a lined skillet. Cook until golden brown/crunchy or desired crispiness. Remove bacon pieces from skillet and put on plate. Leave 1/3 of bacon grease in the pan, put remaining bacon grease in a coffee cup or glass jar. Sautee onions and carrots in skillet of grease. Cook 5-7 min? or until desired tenderness. Add frozen green peas to onions and carrots. Toss 2 min. Add majority of cooked rice to the skillet, add beaten eggs, gr onions, season with garlic powder, Black pepper, maybe a little salt and a little more bacon grease. Continuously and gently stir over med or med low heat until egg has cooked in the rice (4 min?) and taste to check saltiness level.
Hope it turns out well.
 
I use the sticky Asian rice that comes in 5 lb bag from Kroger (Calrose brand) in a non stick pot on the stove. I cook 1 1/2 cups of dry rice with water according to the package directions-20 min. The 1 1/2 c is a little too much to put in the fried rice/skillet, so I only put around 1 1/4 c of what I really cook or maybe only 1 cup. I eat the plain white rice later in the week or make extra white rice for a casserole/another meal. BASICALLY, my recipe above works in my 9-inch non-stick skillet and is PLENTY for dinner and leftovers. Happy eating!

Ginger Ale Can Baked Chicken Recipe

After I have tried a recipe, I usually make some modifications by adding some hints that the original author didn’t include thinking that all self-taught cooks would know…but we don’t. So, hopefully, this will contribute to your success in the kitchen!

Ginger Ale Can Baked Chicken

1 3-4 ½ lb chicken
2-3 TBSP butter at room temperature
½ tsp salt, pepper, garlic powder each, mixed and put into a small bowl r empty spice shaker
Dash of Cajun seasoning
1 can of Ginger Ale (1/3 of liquid poured out or set aside to drink)
Utensils:
Can/Chicken holding device.
Roasting Pan Hint: (line it with aluminum foil)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Move the rack to its lowest position. Wash chicken in the sink. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Set the chicken’s hiney/booty over the partially-emptied can of Ginger Ale. Much like applying sun tan lotion, take the butter and rub it over the entire chicken. Next, sprinkle the entire chicken with the salt, pepper, garlic, Cajun spice mixture. If any extra spice remains, pour it down the neck and into the can’s opening if possible.
Total baking time is about 1 ½ -1 ¾ hours. Check it after 30 minutes as the neck and shoulder skin will probably brown faster as it is closer to the heating element. Take a small strip of foil and cover the already-browned area. Continue baking for another hour or so, and it will have an even, golden, crispy skin. Carefully remove from oven. Let it rest for a few minutes. Remove chicken from the can and place on carving board or platter. Allow it to rest another 5 minutes, and then serve. Throw out the can and its contents.

**Don’t forget to clean your sink with an anti-bacterial scrub or bleach. You don’t want raw chicken germs in your food tomorrow night!

**Leftovers-before going to bed, pull all the remaining chicken off of the bone and store it in the fridge. Tomorrow make a mayo based chicken salad, quick quesadillas, or enchiladas.

**Don’t waste those drippings! After your confidence in baking a whole chicken has elevated, why not try a Julia Child recipe (Mastering the Art of French Cooking Poulet au Porto)? It is a delicious way to clog your arteries with chicken drippings and 1 cup + of cream. I suggest looking at the ingredient list and be certain that you have port (or a sweet red wine) and some Cognac in the cabinet, especially If you are making this dish for friends on a Sunday evening and the liquor store is not open for a last-minute purchase, I’m not speaking from experience or anything. Well…yes I am…it happened to me last month.
**For clean up-Use a brillo pad on your roasting pan and rinse thoroughly. It will make that pan look brand spanking new!