Poached Eggs, Excellence

My family loves poached eggs with Krazy Salt!!

Very simple to make. Spray your saucepan with Pam (makes for easier clean up) and fill half way with water. Let water come to a complete boil. Gently crack open your eggs and let them gently fall into the boiling water. Turn down the heat and cover your pan. Cook for 5 min for a runny yoked egg or 8 min for a firmer yoke. Carefully take out of your pan with a slotted spoon to let all the water drip off. Place on top of your best toasted bread (cheap bread just won't do). Sprinkle with Krazy Salt and you'll be in heaven. You can also put a tiny slice of cheese on the toast before you put the eggs on it and that tastes really good. I like my poached eggs with cinnamon raison english muffins, toasted of course!

Natures Bounty makes Ratatoule

These are some of the vegies I got at our local farmers market. The little purples are small eggplants, very good.

To make the easiest Ratatoule, you simple use olive oil to stir fry and add the vegies. I like to add garlic and basil. Cook in a stir fry pan until the vegies are tender.

This can be served with rice, pasta, coucous, or other side dishes. To jazz it up, put a big scoop of cooked ratatoule in the middle of a crepe, roll up and place in a 9X13. Fill pan with rolled crepes and cover with grated cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. It's a beautiful and delicious dish!! The top photo is the finished product with couscous and topped with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Au Jour Sandwiches

Au jour Sandwiches

This is a wonderful new recipe I just got from my super Aunt Mel. My kids really loved it and that means we will be making it again.

In a crock pot combine:

1 roast

5 cups water

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Cook on high for at least 6-8 hours

Take the meat out of juice and shred. Keep the juice in crock pot on low and save for later. Cut a long loaf of french bread and butter each side. Cook in the oven until crispy and warm. Take out of oven. Cover both sides with a thin layer of shredded meat and provolone cheese. Put back in the oven until the cheese is melted. I put it under the broiler at the end for just a couple minutes to get the cheese all bubbly. Put sandwich back together and then serve with the warm au jour sauce for dipping. It was delicious.

Dutch Apple Pie

I love fall and anything you can make with apples. This is a great apple recipe. It is pretty sweet so a scoop of ice cream really tops it off nice.

Dutch Apple Pie

Combine for Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil

2 Tbls milk

Blend well and pat on bottom and sides of pie pan.

Filling:

4 cups of sliced apples (I think the granny smith are the best)

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbls flour

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

toss lightly with the apples

Topping:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup Brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 c chopped nuts (I left these out because the kids wouldn't like them)

crumble on top then sprinkle another 1/4 cup of flour over the pie

cook on a cookie sheet to avoid spills in your oven

350 degrees for one hour

Mom's Pancakes

My kids love pancakes and I fell better when they are little healthier. This is the best recipe and a great way to use your fresh ground wheat.

Mix all of this in a blender:
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
Blend
2 Tbls Oil
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
Blend
4 Tbls Baking Powder
Blend
little milk
little flour until you get the consistency you like.

Mom's Bread

Mom's Homemade Bread



My mom has been making bread since she got married. She is really good at it and I knew that I needed to learn her secrets. For Christmas this year Jarren bought me a Kiten-aid so I could make bread. I had my mom come over for a couple weeks and walk me through the process. It is not hard but it takes some getting used to. My family loves homemade bread and I now have to cook about two batches a week.

5 cups of wheat flour (I grind this at my mom's house and then keep it in my freezer until I use it)
5 cups of warm water (border line hot)
Blend for 1 minute
2 Tbls. salt
1 egg
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup sugar
Blend well
1 cup flour (I use white flour here)
Blend
2 Tbls Yeast
Blend
2 cups of white or light wheat flour
Blend
Keep adding cups of flour until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It usually ends up being another 2 cups for me depending on how much humidity we have.
Put a little flour on the counter
Pour dough out, cover lightly with flour and break into four loaves
spray pans with pam
Let the dough rise in a warm oven for 25 minutes or until it has risen slightly above the pan.
Bake for 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Vegetarian Cassoulet

I recently made this dish for dinner the other night. I have a small obsession with the Smitten Kitchen, where I found this recipe. Perhaps it is because she lives in my town, but most likely it is because every recipe I have made from this site has been amazing and worth repeating. As fall approaches, this dish will become a regular favorite on chilly days.

As in SK's recipe, I added turkey kielbasa, which made it all the more amazing. I also only made half the amount of breadcrumbs, which is more than enough.

Vegetarian Cassoulet
Adapted from Gourmet, March 2008

For cassoulet
3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only)
4 medium carrots, halved
lengthwise and cut into 1-inch-wide pieces
3 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch-wide pieces
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
4 thyme sprigs
2 parsley sprigs
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
3 (19-ounce) cans cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained or 4 1/2 cups cooked dried beans (dried beans cooking instructions here)
1 19-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 quart stock

For garlic crumbs
4 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs from a baguette
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Make cassoulet:
Halve leeks lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces, then wash well and pat dry.

Cook leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil with herb sprigs, bay leaf, cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, then stock, and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender but not falling apart, about 30 minutes.

Make garlic crumbs while cassoulet simmers:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Toss bread crumbs with oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl until well coated. Spread in a baking pan and toast in oven, stirring once halfway through, until crisp and golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool crumbs in pan, then return to bowl and stir in parsley.

Finish cassoulet:
Discard herb sprigs and bay leaf. Mash some of beans in pot with a potato masher or back of a spoon to thicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, sprinkle with garlic crumbs.

How about some sausage with that! Slice one pound of cooked sausage into discs and mix with the bean and vegetable stew before adding the breadcrumbs. From here, you can either heat them through for another 15 minutes on the stove, then finish with the breadcrumbs, or add an additional cup of water/broth, scatter that breadcrumbs on top and bake it in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes until the sausage is heated through.