So heat all these on the grill and voila! Easy peasy dinner :) Happy eating!
Showing posts with label What's Cookin'?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What's Cookin'?. Show all posts
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Tiny chickens...yum...
So heat all these on the grill and voila! Easy peasy dinner :) Happy eating!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Award** Winning Chili
And when I say "award" I mean it would win an award because it is sooooo good (and so easy!). I made this for our last tailgate, as well as Frito Pie Friday at work, and I've had some people ask for the recipe, so here it goes.
And I only took a pic of the ingredients, more so I didn't forget anything!
Stuff you need:
2 lbs of ground meat. I used 2 lbs of bison, but you could use beef, or I have used turkey as well.
1 cup of diced onions
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of Rotel
1 can of cheap beer (the only reason to have cheap beer)
2 cans of red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1/4-1/2 cup chili powder
1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar
2-4 bouillion cubes
Pepper and garlic powder to taste
Step 1 - buy already cut onions. Nothing is worse than cutting onions.
Sweat these out with some olive oil in a skillet until clear. Throw these in the crockpot when you are done.
Next, brown your meat. I throw some pepper and garlic on just to flavor the meat.
In your crockpot that the onions are already in, combine all of the ingredients listed above. I throw the beer in last since it is pretty foamy. For the ingredients that don't have exact measurements, I do these to taste. You can also throw in some hot sauce, peppers, or whatev to make it spicier.
Throw in your meat, and let simmer for at least an afternoon. I normally let it go overnight. Since most of these ingredients are already in your pantry, this recipe costs like $15, and feeds at least 10. And you can freeze it. Or cut in half for a smaller batch.
And I only took a pic of the ingredients, more so I didn't forget anything!
Stuff you need:
2 lbs of ground meat. I used 2 lbs of bison, but you could use beef, or I have used turkey as well.
1 cup of diced onions
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of Rotel
1 can of cheap beer (the only reason to have cheap beer)
2 cans of red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1/4-1/2 cup chili powder
1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar
2-4 bouillion cubes
Pepper and garlic powder to taste
Step 1 - buy already cut onions. Nothing is worse than cutting onions.
Sweat these out with some olive oil in a skillet until clear. Throw these in the crockpot when you are done.
Next, brown your meat. I throw some pepper and garlic on just to flavor the meat.
In your crockpot that the onions are already in, combine all of the ingredients listed above. I throw the beer in last since it is pretty foamy. For the ingredients that don't have exact measurements, I do these to taste. You can also throw in some hot sauce, peppers, or whatev to make it spicier.
Throw in your meat, and let simmer for at least an afternoon. I normally let it go overnight. Since most of these ingredients are already in your pantry, this recipe costs like $15, and feeds at least 10. And you can freeze it. Or cut in half for a smaller batch.
Homemade Pita Chips and Hummus ... And Overstuffed Peppers
On Saturday, I was really bored, so I decided to make lots of homemade goodies while Matt was at clinicals.
Homemade Pita Chips
Ok - I love pita chips from Sam's, but these were pretty easy to make and I felt so Suzie Homemaker...and they don't have massive amounts of salt on them.
Buy any kind of pita - a pack usually has like 5-6 pitas in it.
Cut the pita in half with scissors, then cut each half into quarters (so cut it like you would a pizza).
Tear the 2 layers apart (they'll be attached at the top).
Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray or olive oil spray
Line up your little triangles, and spray with olive oil spray (or spray butter, or douse with olive oil), then sprinkle with your favorite spice mix. I used adobo and then some lemon pepper mix.
Throw in a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes (you'll know when they are done when they turn brown and crispy).
And then you get these crunchy homemade pita chips!
Mmm Mmm Hummus
So I think my first foray into making hummus was a bit of a fail, but I know why. I go to the store to get sour cream after this crazy snow storm, and there was none. What a random thing to not have. The sour cream was a substitute for greek yogurt, which I just couldn't even handle using (ick - yogurt!). So, I used ranch veggie dip. Sour cream and ranch. Well, I tried it anyway. Check it out.
Ps. this is an adaptation of a Hungry Girl recipe that can be found here.
1 can of artichoke hearts (drained)
1 can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans (drained and smashed)
1/4 cup of broth (the recipe calls for vegetable, but I had beef, oh well)
Splash of lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon of the following:
Pepper
Cumin
Paprika
Parsley
Garlic powder
Onion power
Put all of this stuff in your blender/large food processor and blend it until really smooth. Chill for a few hours.
So, it was OK. I'll probably try another recipe later and get all of the right ingredients
Chicken and Veggie Stuffed Peppers
Now - these are BOMB! And so easy!
OK - I just threw a bunch of stuff in, so bear with me that these measurements are not exact.
Combine half of a can of each of the following and mix well:
Black beans (drained)
Corn (drained)
Spinach (drained) - you can use fresh or frozen as well, just whatever you have handy.
I seasoned with pepper and mixed well by shaking in a tupperware.
Cube and cook some chicken (or used canned if you want to cheat). I seasoned with garlic, onion, and adobo, then dumped a can of Rotel on top (again, I know this is really random). I used 1-2 cups of cubed chicken and had lots of the mixture left over.
Combine chicken and Rotel with veggie mixture. Throw in handful of cheese to hold it all together.
Take 3 peppers (red, yellow and orange is what I used) and halve (half?) them and take out the ribs.
Stuff peppers with the mixture, and pop in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
This is a totally random recipe, but it was soooooo good. And the leftovers keep really well.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Black Bean Chili - YUMMMM!
Matt got this from one of his teachers, and I'll try to remember all of the stuff I threw in the pot :)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow onion
2 peppers (I used orange and red because that is what I had)
2 cans of black beans (do not drain)
2 cans of tomatoes or rotel (I used one of each)
2 cans of chicken (or real chicken if you've got it - make sure to cook it and then tear it apart)
Chicken broth (1 can - ish)
Olive oil
Chili powder (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Garlic powder (if you LOVE garlic)
Adobo seasoning (if your recipe turns out a bit bland)
Garnish - lime juice and cilantro
Rice - I prefer brown, but you can do whatever.
OK - olive oil, garlic - in to a large pot - saute for a minute or until you get your onions chopped.
Next - saute onions with oil and garlic, then add peppers.
When it starts to smell YUM - add all other ingredients. I used probably 2-4 tablespoons of chili powder, and another tablespoon each of pepper, adobo, and garlic powder. I also improvised with the chicken broth because...
Once this is all back to a boil, simmer for one hour (hence why I added the broth).
Cook your rice according to package directions. My brown rice took about an hour to cook, so that is why I simmered the chili for an hour.
Add 1/2 cup of lime juice and stir.
Serve chili over rice and garnish with cilantro (or, if you are like me, banish cilantro in your house because of how GROSS it is). It is really good (and calling it chili is kind of a loose term), and it will feed us for the entire week since no one wants to go grocery shopping this week! Happy Eating and Merry Christmas!!!
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow onion
2 peppers (I used orange and red because that is what I had)
2 cans of black beans (do not drain)
2 cans of tomatoes or rotel (I used one of each)
2 cans of chicken (or real chicken if you've got it - make sure to cook it and then tear it apart)
Chicken broth (1 can - ish)
Olive oil
Chili powder (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Garlic powder (if you LOVE garlic)
Adobo seasoning (if your recipe turns out a bit bland)
Garnish - lime juice and cilantro
Rice - I prefer brown, but you can do whatever.
OK - olive oil, garlic - in to a large pot - saute for a minute or until you get your onions chopped.
Next - saute onions with oil and garlic, then add peppers.
When it starts to smell YUM - add all other ingredients. I used probably 2-4 tablespoons of chili powder, and another tablespoon each of pepper, adobo, and garlic powder. I also improvised with the chicken broth because...
Once this is all back to a boil, simmer for one hour (hence why I added the broth).
Cook your rice according to package directions. My brown rice took about an hour to cook, so that is why I simmered the chili for an hour.
Add 1/2 cup of lime juice and stir.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Bobbie Does Barbecue
We had friends over for the Bedlam game yesterday and I needed to cook something easy that wasn't a hamburger...
The following ingredients are not what is pictured, but what I would have done instead...
1 large bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
2 cans of beer
1/2 cup brown suger
1/2 tablespoon chili paste
2 buillon cubes
1 roast/brisket/loin of pork/cow/bison
I used a buffalo arm roast as it was the only roast in my freezer (and it's grass fed and hormone-free)...
All of the ingredients - fail #1 - too much sauce, not enough beer. The end product was super saucy (hence the amended recipe up top).
OK - mix up all of the ingredients (minus the roast) in your crockpot. I whisked them all together so the brown sugar wasn't lumpy. Then add you meat. If you haven't noticed, my meat didn't fit (especially because it was frozen)...
So into the turkey roaster it went for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Now, I only left it in for an hour since I wanted it to cook all day. You could have let this cook in the oven for 2-4 hours and it would have been ready to eat...
Back into the crockpot to simmer for the remainder of the day. I flipped it about once an hour, and it cooked for a total of like 5 or 6 hours.
I didn't take pictures of the end product, but once it is done cooking, put it on a plate and pull apart with two forks. put back in crockpot with sauce and simmer until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Ps. we beat the pokes - WOOHOO!!!
The following ingredients are not what is pictured, but what I would have done instead...
1 large bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
2 cans of beer
1/2 cup brown suger
1/2 tablespoon chili paste
2 buillon cubes
1 roast/brisket/loin of pork/cow/bison
I used a buffalo arm roast as it was the only roast in my freezer (and it's grass fed and hormone-free)...
All of the ingredients - fail #1 - too much sauce, not enough beer. The end product was super saucy (hence the amended recipe up top).
OK - mix up all of the ingredients (minus the roast) in your crockpot. I whisked them all together so the brown sugar wasn't lumpy. Then add you meat. If you haven't noticed, my meat didn't fit (especially because it was frozen)...
So into the turkey roaster it went for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Now, I only left it in for an hour since I wanted it to cook all day. You could have let this cook in the oven for 2-4 hours and it would have been ready to eat...
Back into the crockpot to simmer for the remainder of the day. I flipped it about once an hour, and it cooked for a total of like 5 or 6 hours.
I didn't take pictures of the end product, but once it is done cooking, put it on a plate and pull apart with two forks. put back in crockpot with sauce and simmer until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Ps. we beat the pokes - WOOHOO!!!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
What's cookin' at the Earles' house??
Maybe you've noticed, and when I say you I mean my 2 readers, that I LOVE to cook. A lot of the time (especially during the week) I don't have as much time, so I try to make stuff on Saturday/Sunday that can survive the week and pinch hit as lunch or dinner. Here are this weekends creations - and a disclaimer - if you try to make them and hate them, I'm sorry!!
Shrimp Spaghetti (forgot to take pictures - sorry!!)
Uncooked shrimp, thawed and peeled
Whole wheat spaghetti noodles
Sun-dried tomato pesto
Green onion
Minced garlic
Old Bay seasoning
Adobo seasoning
Pepper
Garlic powder (if you love garlic as much as I do)
Olive oil
Julienned cucumbers (for garnish)
I'm not good at following measurements when making something from scratch or just using random stuff in my pantry, so feel free to modify accordingly.
Bring water to boil (for spaghetti) - cook according to package directions
While that is cooking, combine a couple of cloves worth of minced garlic and a handful of green onions to a skillet, splash in some olive oil (a tablespoon or two will do), and start sauteing. Let sizzle for 5-10 minutes (or until it smells yummy). You can also throw in any kind of peppers, onions, whatever. This is just what we had in the fridge :)
While doing the above, put shrimp in a bag or bowl, and add Old Bay, Adobo, pepper, and garlic as you see fit. Make sure shrimp is coated. Throw in the skillet with the onions/garlic. Cook for about 6-7 minutes or until shrimp is bright pink.
Drain spaghetti and add to a clean bowl. Add pesto (I used about a third of a jar, but my have used a half if I had it) and stir well.
Once the shrimp is finished, add to spaghetti and stir.
Lastly, garnish with sliced cucumber (for some extra veggies in your meal) or throw some spinach in with your spaghetti noodles while they are still hot. Enjoy!
One of my favorite things is using my crock pot (or better said, one of my crock pots because I think we have at least 2, of not 3). I looked up a roast recipe, and of course didn't get the right ingredients because I am the worst grocery shopper ever, but here is the list.
4-6 lb roast - I have no idea how many pounds our piece of meat was, but I will say that it is a bison roast since we just bought 25 pounds of bison from the Wichita Buffalo Company. Seriously, go to the OSU OKC Farmer's Market and buy some meat from them. They are the first booth to the left before you enter the market, and they have meat that is to DIE for. Their beef fillets are 2 for $16 and can be cut with a butter knife. So lean. So good. Go now! Well, don't but go on Wednesday or Saturday, and you can check out their site here: sandyspringsfarms.com. And they are the nicest people! OK - back to my recipe.
French onion soup mix (one packet)
2 cans of french onion soup
1 can of cream of celery soup (it's all I had in the pantry - cream of mushroom would work too)
Organic french onion soup - which is more of a broth and used in place of water
Combine all the liquids in the crock pot and stir (or even whisk) well.
Add slab of beef (ha!). Make sure it is covered.
Cook on high for 3 hours, then on low for 6-8 hours. Or if you are at work all day, cook on medium all day.
Now, I am an idiot and forgot potatoes and carrots, so I am either going to get up and go buy some and throw them in during the low cycle, or I am just going to get a can of new potatoes and have those on the side. We'll see. Happy eating!
And here is my audience during my cooking show this morning...
Shrimp Spaghetti (forgot to take pictures - sorry!!)
Uncooked shrimp, thawed and peeled
Whole wheat spaghetti noodles
Sun-dried tomato pesto
Green onion
Minced garlic
Old Bay seasoning
Adobo seasoning
Pepper
Garlic powder (if you love garlic as much as I do)
Olive oil
Julienned cucumbers (for garnish)
I'm not good at following measurements when making something from scratch or just using random stuff in my pantry, so feel free to modify accordingly.
Bring water to boil (for spaghetti) - cook according to package directions
While that is cooking, combine a couple of cloves worth of minced garlic and a handful of green onions to a skillet, splash in some olive oil (a tablespoon or two will do), and start sauteing. Let sizzle for 5-10 minutes (or until it smells yummy). You can also throw in any kind of peppers, onions, whatever. This is just what we had in the fridge :)
While doing the above, put shrimp in a bag or bowl, and add Old Bay, Adobo, pepper, and garlic as you see fit. Make sure shrimp is coated. Throw in the skillet with the onions/garlic. Cook for about 6-7 minutes or until shrimp is bright pink.
Drain spaghetti and add to a clean bowl. Add pesto (I used about a third of a jar, but my have used a half if I had it) and stir well.
Once the shrimp is finished, add to spaghetti and stir.
Lastly, garnish with sliced cucumber (for some extra veggies in your meal) or throw some spinach in with your spaghetti noodles while they are still hot. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Roast
One of my favorite things is using my crock pot (or better said, one of my crock pots because I think we have at least 2, of not 3). I looked up a roast recipe, and of course didn't get the right ingredients because I am the worst grocery shopper ever, but here is the list.
4-6 lb roast - I have no idea how many pounds our piece of meat was, but I will say that it is a bison roast since we just bought 25 pounds of bison from the Wichita Buffalo Company. Seriously, go to the OSU OKC Farmer's Market and buy some meat from them. They are the first booth to the left before you enter the market, and they have meat that is to DIE for. Their beef fillets are 2 for $16 and can be cut with a butter knife. So lean. So good. Go now! Well, don't but go on Wednesday or Saturday, and you can check out their site here: sandyspringsfarms.com. And they are the nicest people! OK - back to my recipe.
French onion soup mix (one packet)
2 cans of french onion soup
1 can of cream of celery soup (it's all I had in the pantry - cream of mushroom would work too)
Organic french onion soup - which is more of a broth and used in place of water
Combine all the liquids in the crock pot and stir (or even whisk) well.
Add slab of beef (ha!). Make sure it is covered.
Cook on high for 3 hours, then on low for 6-8 hours. Or if you are at work all day, cook on medium all day.
Now, I am an idiot and forgot potatoes and carrots, so I am either going to get up and go buy some and throw them in during the low cycle, or I am just going to get a can of new potatoes and have those on the side. We'll see. Happy eating!
And here is my audience during my cooking show this morning...
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Lately....
A hodge-podge of what we we've been up to lately...
The tailgate before all the friends showed up...
And Abbey promptly passed out on the way home. Poor girl...
Road Trip!
We went to Durant to visit Matt's family (and do some serious shopping at the Allen Outlet and Whole Foods). I didn't snap any pics while we were down there, but here are my two cuties driving out of town...
Tailgating!
Matt smoking it up at the first home game...we don't mess around :)
Abbey joined us for game number 2 and was the model canine citizen...
The tailgate before all the friends showed up...
And Abbey promptly passed out on the way home. Poor girl...
Road Trip!
We went to Durant to visit Matt's family (and do some serious shopping at the Allen Outlet and Whole Foods). I didn't snap any pics while we were down there, but here are my two cuties driving out of town...
And this last weekend, Matt had clinicals, so I hung out at home all weekend and then did some cooking.
Crockpot Tortilla Soup
I wanted to cook something for lunch this week but didn't want to go to the store, so I amassed the ingredients pictured:
1 beer (this was leftover from the tailgate - thanks!)
Adobo seasoning (or taco seasoning if you have it)
Corn (drained)
Black beans (rinsed and drained - Ps. you should also do this, saves the calories!)
Rotel (or whatever tomatoes and green chiles you have laying around - mine were fire roasted - ps. don't drain)
Tomato paste (the recipe called for tomato sauce, but I worked with what I had)
3 chicken breasts
Not pictured -
Handful of green onions
Garlic powder (to taste)
White onions (if you like 'em)
Any other seasoning you like (chili powder, cumin, peppers, whatever)
So - combine everything except the chicken and stir it up well in the crockpot. Then add the chicken. It can be frozen or thawed, and you can throw it in whole. Cook for 1-2 hours (until the chicken is done).
After the chicken is cooked, take it out and shred it. I had no idea it how to do this, so the easiest explanation is to take out all the chicken and put on the cutting board, then tear apart with two forks.
Put the chicken back in the crockpot, and cook on low for 1-2 more hours (or whenever you remember to turn it off). It makes about 8 cups of YUMM-O soup. Eat over tortilla chips and garnish with sour cream and cheese.
I didn't take a picture of the finished product - I hate the look of something in a crockpot - Yes, I am that OCD.
ENJOY!
B
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Homemade Potato Salad courtesy of Rachel Ray - YUMMO!
Last weekend I found this recipe in Rachel Ray's magazine, and I didn't have all the stuff (as usual), so I adapted it ...
Ingredients -
2 or so pounds of small red potatoes
Handful of green onions
Ingredients to taste/texture -
Mustard
Mayo
Salt/Pepper
Garlic powder
Fennel
Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes - do not over cook!
While those are cooking, combine mustard (feel free to substitute dijon), mayo, green onions, and dashes of salt, pepper, garlic, and fennel and mix well.
Once the potatoes are done, drain and let cool. Once you can pick them up, quarter them, and put in a gallon plastic bag and add the dressing. Shake well.
Chill and serve!
Next time - I'll probably leave out the mustard, garlic and fennel, and replace with ranch dressing mix. Ummm, yes, I am from Oklahoma, and this will probably be fantastic!
Ingredients -
2 or so pounds of small red potatoes
Handful of green onions
Ingredients to taste/texture -
Mustard
Mayo
Salt/Pepper
Garlic powder
Fennel
Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes - do not over cook!
While those are cooking, combine mustard (feel free to substitute dijon), mayo, green onions, and dashes of salt, pepper, garlic, and fennel and mix well.
Once the potatoes are done, drain and let cool. Once you can pick them up, quarter them, and put in a gallon plastic bag and add the dressing. Shake well.
Chill and serve!
Next time - I'll probably leave out the mustard, garlic and fennel, and replace with ranch dressing mix. Ummm, yes, I am from Oklahoma, and this will probably be fantastic!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
It Tastes Better Than it Looks...
This should be my new mantra for ANYTHING that I cook. Maybe this is why I never got into baking - it is impossible for me to make food pretty. IMPOSSIBLE, I tell you! But I love to cook, so what can you do...
This Sunday, I decided to be super industrious and make my own lasagna. Ps. who lets me use the oven when it is 5,000 degrees outside. But anywho, here is where I started:
Organic lasagna noodles - H no, I did not make noodles from scratch...
Cream cheese (nope, wasn't about to go to Wal-Mart to get ricotta)
Basil pesto - which quickly got vetoed in favor of Newman's Sockarooni - which may be my new favorite jarred sauce.
Yellow squash - straight from our garden (put in a bag with a bit of EVOO, green onion, and garlic to marinate while I prepped all the other stuff)
Grass-fed bison from the farmer's market
I'd also suggest cooking this on a rainy or cool day, my house is an inferno now...
This Sunday, I decided to be super industrious and make my own lasagna. Ps. who lets me use the oven when it is 5,000 degrees outside. But anywho, here is where I started:
Organic lasagna noodles - H no, I did not make noodles from scratch...
Cream cheese (nope, wasn't about to go to Wal-Mart to get ricotta)
Basil pesto - which quickly got vetoed in favor of Newman's Sockarooni - which may be my new favorite jarred sauce.
Yellow squash - straight from our garden (put in a bag with a bit of EVOO, green onion, and garlic to marinate while I prepped all the other stuff)
Grass-fed bison from the farmer's market
So, I browned the meat and prepared the lasagna noodles according to the directions...This is where things started to go wrong...A. my lasagna dish (seen above) was too small. B. It is super hard to fit a pound of lasagna into the biggest stock pot I had inside the house. Moving on...
Once you do the above, spray your dish with a little Pam or spray olive oil, then start layering. I went noodles - meat - noodles - sauce - noodles - cream cheese - noodles - squash - noodles - meat - noodles - sauce - cheese (I just used some shredded cheese that I found in the fridge). My problems continued - dish was too small, so I had to cut the noodles short. I had 6 layers of noodles, which seemed to be a bit much, but then I still had like 1/2 of the cooked pasta left. I needed more cream cheese. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Into the oven it went, 350 degrees, for 40 minutes. At 20 minutes in, Matt and I decided to dump the rest of the sauce on (I had only used about half the jar in the layers), so I smothered some more sauce on, then started to get a little bummed that I had wasted all these ingredients and my lasagna was going to be crappy.
Fast forward 40 minutes, the lasagna is out of the oven and cooling, and I see Matt digging in. I just stare, waiting for the awkward moment where he gets to tell me that it isn't even suitable for the dogs...except...HE LIKED IT! As you can see below, it's not super pretty, but it tastes FANTASTIC! So I will be doing this again, but I will use a ton more sauce, a bigger dish, and will probably break down and buy ricotta cheese.
I'd also suggest cooking this on a rainy or cool day, my house is an inferno now...
Saturday, June 26, 2010
I've turned into quite the Suzy Homemaker...
If you've read any of my previous posts (I know, my faithful 10 followers), you know that Matt and I have a garden, and that I have little do with it except that it is in my backyard...well, that has changed! Over the past 3 weeks, we have picked so many tomatoes! I probably have at least 30 sitting on my kitchen table right now. I come home every day from work and bring in at least 5 more, if not 10. Now - I'm only one person, and Matt doesn't eat tomatoes, so what is a girl to do?
Plan A :: take tomatoes to work. Eh. This didn't work too well, and I came home with tomatoes on Friday.
Plan B :: give them to friends. This works, but you have to remember to get them to your friends or they just stay on the table soaking up sun.
Plan C :: Cook stuff with tomatoes. This has to be the most promising. I Googled a recipe for homemade tomato soup, which, after an hour, gave me about 3 cups of tomato broth. So, I revamped the recipe, and ended up with 8 cups of FANTASTIC tomato soup. Here is what I did ::
Chop up 3 lbs of tomatoes - I think I chopped about 20 medium-ish tomatoes.
Simmer in 1 cup of chicken broth for 45 minutes. Add other flavorful veggies as you like (I added 5 cloves of garlic, 3 stalks of celery **chopped**, and a handful of minced red onion).
The recipe said to strain the juice, add pepper, basil, and flour, then add 1 cup of milk and simmer for 10 minutes. LAME! OK - so I strained the juice and added lemon basil, chives, and thyme (all from the garden), some flour to thicken it up, then I pureed all tomato/celery/garlic/onion gunk to a pulp and mixed it all in. Add a cup of milk, some pepper, and 10 minutes later, we have soup! And it is good! It doesn't taste anything like Campbell's, but it gets the Matt seal of approval, so I'm pretty pumped. Tomorrow, I shall tackle spaghetti sauce.
We've also discovered the OSU-OKC Farmer's Market - which is AMAZING! We went last weekend, and got plums, cucumbers, cheese, chicken, pizza crust, steaks, ground bison and ground beef. All locally grown in Oklahoma, and all grass fed, pesticide free wonderfulness. Needless to say, what we have eaten thus far has been sooooo good. You can tell the difference in the veggies for sure, and the meat passed Matt's day after test (his steak still tasted good after being microwaved for lunch today). We've also demolished the cheese - if you go, get some Christian Cheese and meet John Christian. He and his wife have been milking cows together for 35 years. Be sure to head over to the website to see the produce availability (and certified organic meat availability). We have spent more on produce and chicken than we normally would at the store, but the steaks are a comparable price..the upside is we have yet to make a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up food - which I am 100% OK with.
I'll leave you with a parting shot of my super tired puppy dogs. Poor things are just too hot and they come in and just pass out...until they start wrestling again...
Ps. We planted one yellow tomato bush. Oh, wait, we planted FOUR yellow tomato
bushes without knowing. Luckily, yellow tomatoes my be better than red ones in
my book, so this is OK.
Plan B :: give them to friends. This works, but you have to remember to get them to your friends or they just stay on the table soaking up sun.
Plan C :: Cook stuff with tomatoes. This has to be the most promising. I Googled a recipe for homemade tomato soup, which, after an hour, gave me about 3 cups of tomato broth. So, I revamped the recipe, and ended up with 8 cups of FANTASTIC tomato soup. Here is what I did ::
Chop up 3 lbs of tomatoes - I think I chopped about 20 medium-ish tomatoes.
Simmer in 1 cup of chicken broth for 45 minutes. Add other flavorful veggies as you like (I added 5 cloves of garlic, 3 stalks of celery **chopped**, and a handful of minced red onion).
The recipe said to strain the juice, add pepper, basil, and flour, then add 1 cup of milk and simmer for 10 minutes. LAME! OK - so I strained the juice and added lemon basil, chives, and thyme (all from the garden), some flour to thicken it up, then I pureed all tomato/celery/garlic/onion gunk to a pulp and mixed it all in. Add a cup of milk, some pepper, and 10 minutes later, we have soup! And it is good! It doesn't taste anything like Campbell's, but it gets the Matt seal of approval, so I'm pretty pumped. Tomorrow, I shall tackle spaghetti sauce.
TA DA!!!! And I got these nifty plastic freezer things so I don't have to worry
about learning to can soup and sauce!
I'll leave you with a parting shot of my super tired puppy dogs. Poor things are just too hot and they come in and just pass out...until they start wrestling again...
Saturday, April 10, 2010
A Pretty Nice Little Saturday...
Today Matt and I ran about a million errands, but my favorite thing about Saturdays, especially in the spring and summer, is we get to cookout! We found some trout at Sam's that looked great (and we had never cooked trout before), so I doctored it up and threw it on the grill ::
Before my handywork ::
A lime, a lemon, some garlic and green onion, and salt and pepper (and a bit of spray olive oil...the greatest kitchen invention ever)
Finished product...I know I should have taken it out of the cage, but I was a bit anxious to eat it! It was really good!! Kind of like salmon, but a bit lighter...
Before my handywork ::
A lime, a lemon, some garlic and green onion, and salt and pepper (and a bit of spray olive oil...the greatest kitchen invention ever)
Finished product...I know I should have taken it out of the cage, but I was a bit anxious to eat it! It was really good!! Kind of like salmon, but a bit lighter...
Friday, February 19, 2010
The Earles are going green....
So it all started with a compost pile...no, actually, it started about a year ago when we started recycling. Do you know how much trash you DON'T have when you recycle? It is amazing!
Then we saw this nifty compost thing at Sam's....and now to the garden. A couple of years ago, I grew some seriously good peppers (and one random sunflower). Last year, I tried to grow tomatoes and onions but failed miserably. So this year, Matt is taking over, and he is sooo serious about this. So, we are going to have about 100 square feet of raised garden boxes with tomatoes, watermelon, lettuce, celery, brocolli, cauliflower, onions, peppers, cantelope....the list goes on and on.
And it all started with some dirt last weekend ::
And now it looks like this, ONE WEEK LATER ::
So, we've gone green and are growing our own veggies. Maybe it is all those food documentaries we are watching on NetFlix...
Then we saw this nifty compost thing at Sam's....and now to the garden. A couple of years ago, I grew some seriously good peppers (and one random sunflower). Last year, I tried to grow tomatoes and onions but failed miserably. So this year, Matt is taking over, and he is sooo serious about this. So, we are going to have about 100 square feet of raised garden boxes with tomatoes, watermelon, lettuce, celery, brocolli, cauliflower, onions, peppers, cantelope....the list goes on and on.
And it all started with some dirt last weekend ::
And now it looks like this, ONE WEEK LATER ::
So, we've gone green and are growing our own veggies. Maybe it is all those food documentaries we are watching on NetFlix...
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Christmas Goodies Part Deux - Pretzels, Puppy Chow, and No Bake Cookies
Here are a couple more easy recipes that I have done at least twice since Thanksgiving.
Ps. I kick butt at No Bake Cookies. Best cookies I can make (probably because they don't require an oven!!!).
NO BAKE COOKIES
Recipe courtesy of http://allrecipes.com/recipe/no-bake-cookies-i/detail.aspx
Ingredients
* 1 3/4 cups white sugar
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup butter
* 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
* 3 cups quick-cooking oats
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.
CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS :: Super Easy :: sorry for the bad lighting in the picture, our kitchen isn't the best place to take pictures
1 small bag of pretzels (sticks are hard to use, so classic small pretzels are best)
1 package white chocolate almond bark
1. Melt chocolate per package instructions, then lower the heat to low.
2. Dip pretzels until covered, then lay on wax paper to cool.
PUPPY CHOW
Recipe courtesy of http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,puppy_chow,FF.html
9 cup Chex
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Put cereal in large bowl. Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Pour over Chex cereal, put into a large plastic bag with powdered sugar and shake well to coat.
Spread mixture evenly on wax paper and allow to cool.
Note from me :: I would double the powdered sugar. Just in my opinion.
Happy Cooking!
Ps. I kick butt at No Bake Cookies. Best cookies I can make (probably because they don't require an oven!!!).
NO BAKE COOKIES
Recipe courtesy of http://allrecipes.com/recipe/no-bake-cookies-i/detail.aspx
Ingredients
* 1 3/4 cups white sugar
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup butter
* 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
* 3 cups quick-cooking oats
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.
CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS :: Super Easy :: sorry for the bad lighting in the picture, our kitchen isn't the best place to take pictures1 small bag of pretzels (sticks are hard to use, so classic small pretzels are best)
1 package white chocolate almond bark
1. Melt chocolate per package instructions, then lower the heat to low.
2. Dip pretzels until covered, then lay on wax paper to cool.
PUPPY CHOW
Recipe courtesy of http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,puppy_chow,FF.html
9 cup Chex
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Put cereal in large bowl. Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Pour over Chex cereal, put into a large plastic bag with powdered sugar and shake well to coat.
Spread mixture evenly on wax paper and allow to cool.
Note from me :: I would double the powdered sugar. Just in my opinion.
Happy Cooking!
Christmas Goodies!
So...I keep getting this kick to make Christmas goodies, but I am always so frustrated by the time I get halfway done that I want to throw in the towel and go to bed. Friday night was NO exception. It all started with the wonderful cake balls that Julie brought to the Christmas party...red velvet, covered in white chocolate, CAKE BALLS. I think Matt and I ate 30 of them between the two of us (not really, but it could have been like 10). I will not post a picture of what mine looked like, but they are super tasty. WARNING :: these are a MESS to make - a giant mess at that. I had to recruit Matt to come help me as I was almost in tears with frustration. Anywho! You could make these with any kind of cake probably, but red velvet was sooooooo good. Decadent is a better word if you ask me! I put mine in the fridge overnight then coated them with white chocolate later.
Ingredients
* 1 package red velvet cake mix
* 1 container (2 cups) cream cheese frosting
* 1 package chocolate or white chocolate almond bark
Directions
1. Prepare the cake mix according to package direction. Let cool completely.
2. Crumble the cake in a LARGE bowl and mix well with frosting. Roll into small balls (smaller than a ping pong ball), and put in the fridge for several hours (or in the freezer for an hour).
3. Melt chocolate according to package directions. Roll cake balls in chocolate and set on wax paper to dry. Sprinkle with nonpareils or drizzle with chocolate for some extra pizazz.
The picture is courtesy of lovelylittlecakes.blogspot.com, not myself! Mine were hideous (but still yummy). I think the chocolate may need to be thinned to be a bit easier to work with.
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