Summer Garden Veggie Medley

Summer Garden Veggie Medley

INGREDIENTS:

(No amounts given, just use amount needed for your family)

Yellow summer squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

Roma tomatoes, cored and cut in chunks

Red, yellow or green pepper, (or some of each), cut in chunks

Yellow or white onion, cut in chunks

Shredded fresh Parmesan cheese, (not the kind that comes in those plastic shakers)

Olive oil cooking spray, (or small amount of any oil)

Seasoned salt, oregano, black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Grease or spray bottom of baking pan, (I used a 9x9 metal cake pan).  Put a layer of squash in the bottom and season lightly with spices.  Sprinkle with cheese. Top with a layer of each of the other vegetables, again season with spices and top with more cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees until veggies are heated through, cheese is melted and vegetables are done to your preference. 

I baked mine for 45 minutes and they were very tender, which is what I was aiming for.

You could easily substitute other kinds of squash.

Hutspot

I know, you are asking "what on earth is Hutspot"?  It is a very simple Dutch dish, inexpensive, easy to make, tasty and filling.  Simply put, it's Dutch comfort food.  It doesn't look like much, but it is tasty.

I am of Dutch ancestry, and this was a meal that my mother sometimes served if her day had been unusually busy.  Her version was all cooked together in one pan, preparation was easy and  clean up was minimal.  The ingredients were simple and usually in her pantry.  There are many versions of this dish, this one is my mom's.

Ingredients:
Potatoes, carrots and onions, enough for your family
Salt and pepper to taste
Chicken broth or water, enough to cover prepared vegetables
Smoked sausage, enough for your family ( it's best to use the thick smoked sausage, which comes in rings or long links, rather than the ones sized for eating on buns)
Milk and butter to taste

Method:
Peel and quarter potatoes, peel and slice carrots, peel and coarsely chop onions.  Put the vegetables in a sauce pan, and cover them with water or broth.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes I add a bay leaf.  Bring this to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until vegetables are not quite tender. Add  the smoked sausage ring or links on top of the simmering vegetables, and simmer for 10 more minutes or until vegetables are very tender. Remove sausage and drain the vegetables. Add butter and milk to the pan, just as you would for mashed potatoes and mash everything together. (Remember to remove the bay leaf if you added one.).  Cut sausage into serving size pieces and serve with the mashed vegetable mixture.

We often got homemade applesauce on the side.


Variations:
Some serve this with pot roast and gravy, or meatballs and gravy, rather than smoked sausage.
Bacon is a popular addition.
Dutch mustard is sometimes served with hutspot.
It is said that it tastes better if the onions are sautéed in a little oil or butter, rather than being cooked with the potatoes.  I've been too lazy to try this, but I suspect that this is probably true.
There are those who cook the carrots, potatoes and onions each separately and then mash them together. (See lazy comment above!)
Some recipes call for adding the smoked sausage at the beginning of the cooking time. I think this makes the sausage tasteless, but I will admit that it imparts a bit of a smoky flavor to the potato mixture.

Using up fresh tomatoes....

I have a good recipe for pasta sauce, but it relies on canned ingredients.  This past Friday, we visited with DH's brother and sister in law, and they shared bags full of garden bounty with us.  Hubby will not eat fresh tomatoes and I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat all of them before they went bad, so I went on a hunt for ways to use them up in something that we would both enjoy.  I combined a bunch of ideas and this is what I came up with.  It smelled amazing while it was cooking. We ate it over spaghetti, and found it really tasty.

Crockpot Tomato Pasta Sauce, (using fresh tomatoes)

1 to 2 tsp of olive oil
Minced garlic to taste, fresh or dried, (I used 2 tsp dried minced garlic)
2 or 3 small white onions, finely diced (any sort of onion would work),
5 to 6 cups of chopped tomatoes, (I seeded mine, but it isn't necessary)
1 medium zucchini, diced into small pieces
1 large carrot, shredded
1/4 cup of red wine (I think you could probably leave this out)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp each dried fennel seed, thyme, and rosemary
1 tsp salt (more if desired)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, more if you like spicy sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste


I used a 5 quart crockpot, which would have been able to handle double of this recipe.  Turn it on high, and add enough olive oil to just barely cover the bottom.  Toss in the chopped onions and garlic, give it a good stir to coat everything with oil, and put the lid on the pot.  Let this cook while you prepare the tomatoes.   After a while, this will start to sizzle and the onions will brown a bit.  (This step isn't necessary, but it brings out the taste of the onions and garlic.)

Meanwhile, wash and chop the tomatoes and zucchini.  I seeded the tomatoes, (hubby's request), but did not peel them.(I would add some chopped fresh green pepper, and maybe some mushrooms, if I were the only one eating this.). By this time the onions in the pot should be sizzling nicely.  Add all the rest of the ingredients to the pot, except for the fresh basil.  Stir well.  Cook on high for an hour or two.  Once it is boiling, turn the pot to low and let it simmer for 3 to 4 hours.  It will likely be somewhat thin, so at this point, I turn it back up to high, add the basil, and uncover it about halfway so that some of the liquid evaporates.  I have an oval shaped crockpot and I just turned the lid sideways.  When it has reached the desired consistency stir in the tomato paste.  It took a couple of hours for the sauce to get nice and thick. This would probably vary, depending on the type of tomato used, and the consistency desired.

I think that this would freeze well, although I haven't tried it.

It was my plan to let the sauce cool and then run it through the blender, (a food mill would work too), as hubby does not like lumps in his food.  Surprisingly, he told me not to bother.  He even had two helpings.

Easy Mexican Lasagna

The chicken filling for this recipe is made in a crockpot, but the dish is finished in the oven.

Ingredients for chicken filling:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, (frozen is okay)
1 cup salsa
I can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1/4 cup water
I medium onion, chopped
1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed
1 tsp dried minced garlic
2-4 tsp chilli powder, or even more, depending on how much heat you like)
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Black pepper to taste

Other ingredients:
flour tortillas ( any size will work, you will just need more if you choose a small size)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or substitute cheese if your choice)

Combine all filling ingredients in crockpot.  For frozen breasts, cook 5 to 6 hours on high, or until you can easily shred the chicken.  (It will require less time for thawed chicken.). If the mixture seems too wet, keep heating on high for another 30 minutes or so.  Reduce crockpot to low and keep filling warm until ready to assemble casserole.

To complete dish:
Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Line with a layer of flower tortillas, ripping them as needed, to fit. It's not neccesary to have every single inch of the bottom covered.  Cover tortillas with half of the chicken mixture and sprinkle with one cup of cheese.  Repeat tortilla and chicken layers once more.    Cover with another layer of tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Let sit for a minute or two and cut into squares to serve.  Garnish with sour cream, lettuce and diced tomatoes.  Serves 6 to 8.

Easy 5 Can Soup

I really, really, really need to work on eating better.  Two years ago, I lost 26 pounds on Weight Watchers.  After a while I decided that I knew how it worked, so why pay for it.  I'm sure you can guess what happened. I managed to gain back all the weight, plus 5 more pounds.  I lost the extra 5 pounds over the past couple of months and now I'm back where I was when I first tried WW.  So, today I'm starting again.  This is what I had for lunch.

I found a number of versions of this recipe online, and tweaked it a bit to my taste.

Ingredients:
1 14.5 oz can corn, drained
1 14.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (could probably substitute other types of beans)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth (or 2 cups water plus 2 chicken bouillon cubes)
1/2 cup refried beans (freeze leftovers)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 tsp dried minced garlic

Combine all ingredients in saucepan.  Bring to barely boiling over high heat, then turn heat to low and simmer for 15 or 20 minutes, stirring once in a while.  A little chili powder and cumin would probably be good in this, if you like those flavors.

Nutrition info. per serving:
236 calories
47 grams carbohydrates
11 grams fiber
13 grams protein
2 grams fat

4 servings, 6 points plus each, (if my calculations are correct.)

This tasted good, was quite filling and helped me towards my 5 or more fruit and vegetable servings for the day.  I also like the fact that I can easily keep the basic ingredients in my pantry.

Bread Machine Recipe

This is my favorite bread machine recipe. My bread machine only makes a one pound loaf, so if your machine is bigger, and you want to make a bigger loaf, you would have to increase the ingredients.  (Most larger machines can make loaves in smaller sizes though). However, I think that you should consult your bread machine manual to get some idea of how much salt and yeast to use in a larger loaf.  Same with other seasonings added to the dough.  I'm not sure that those ingredients would need to be increased in proportion to the others. This is a very basic recipe and as written it makes a nice light loaf of white bread. I think this recipe should work, even if you don't use a machine.

I don't bake bread in the machine, I always make dough and then bake it in the oven. I've never baked this bread in the machine.  If I tried it, I would use the light crust, and white bread settings.

7 ounces lukewarm water
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp white sugar
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast

Place all ingredients in bread machine in order suggested by manufacturer.  Set machine to white bread and dough setting.  Check dough when it's a few minutes into the cycle and add either a small amount of flour or water if needed, to form a smooth dough that isn't sticky to the touch.  (Check your manual for more details and when to check.). Once dough cycle is complete, form dough into loaf and place in greased bread pan.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 to 45 minutes.  Bake bread in preheated 400 degree oven for 17 to 20 minutes or until nicely browned.  Cool on a rack, covered with a clean towel.  Slice when cool.  Makes a one pound loaf, approximately 16 slices.

Variations:
This is not my favorite variation, but you could substitute whole wheat flour for up to half of the bread flour.  Add 1 tbsp of vital wheat gluten for each cup of  whole wheat flour.  It might need a bit longer to rise.  Mix and bake as directed.

This can be rolled out into a pizza crust.  Just spread rolled out dough with tomato sauce, sprinkle with cheese and add whatever toppings you like. Let stand for 10 minutes or so.  Bake at 400 until crust is browned and cheese is melted. Length of time to bake will depend on how thin you rolled the crust, and how much you put on it, but around 12 minutes is a good time to start checking.  I make two 12 inch crusts out of this. We eat one, and I bake the other until it's done, but not yet browned and then freeze it.  Sometimes I make 4 individual pizza crusts.  That way I can have mushrooms and peppers and hubby can have meat and onions.

I also use this recipe to make raisin bread.  I haven't had any luck with adding raisins to the bread machine.  They either end up all chopped up, or stuck to the outside of the dough, or rolling around loose in the pan.  Instead, I do the following:
1.  Roll out the dough into a large rectangle on a lightly floured surface
2.  Very lightly brush the dough with a small amount of melted butter.
3. Sprinkle very lightly with cinnamon and generously with raisins.  Press raisins into dough.   (If you omit the raisins, increase the cinnamon a bit and sprinkle with sugar, you will end up with cinnamon bread.)
4:   Roll up dough from short side, tuck ends under to form a loaf shape and place into greased bread pan.  Allow to rise and bake as directed above.

Cinnamon rolls are made similarly.  Spread dough rectangle with softened butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up from long side of rectangle and cut into slices about an inch thick. Arrange in a greased 9x13  pan, allow to rise, and bake at 350 for approximately 15 minutes.  Glaze with a powdered sugar glaze or frost when the come out of the oven.  I sometimes let these rise overnight in the fridge and bake them the next morning.

Herb Bread
Add to dough with other ingredients:
1/4 tsp each of:  dried basil, dried minced garlic, dried thyme, dried oregano, coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp each of dried rosemary,  and dried minced onion


10 Grain Cereal Bread
Add 1/2 cup 7 or 10 grain cereal to the pan, (the kind of cereal that you cook on the stove), before mixing the dough.  I buy 10 grain cereal from an Amish bulk food store, and it doesn't absorb much water, so I leave all the other ingredients the same.  I don't know about other brands of cereal.  You may need to decrease the flour or ad a bit if water.
This is our go-to variation.  We like the slight crunch of the cereal in our sandwiches and toast, and this is also a great bread to serve with soup.

Honey Oatmeal Bread
Add 2 tsp honey instead of the sugar and 3/4 cup quick oats to the bread.  Decrease bread flour to 2 cups.  You may need to add either additional flour or a bit of water to this one, depending on how much water the oatmeal absorbs.  Instant oats will absorb more water than quick oats, which in turn will absorb more water than regular oats or stoneground oats.

Spinach Salad with Hot Lemon Bacon Dressing

Spinach Salad with Hot Lemon Bacon Dressing

This is a my take on Spinach salad.  It's not the healthiest salad choice you could make, but it is very tasty.  Makes two servings, but can easily be made to serve more.

Salad:

2 eggs

3 slices bacon

1 cup sliced yellow onion

3 cups fresh spinach, cleaned and dried

2 tbsp dried cranberries

Dressing:

1 tbsp bacon fat

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice, fresh is nice, but bottled works fine

3 tsp white sugar (you can increase or decrease this as you like)

Method:

1:   Place eggs in small saucepan and cover with water. Bring water to a boil, cover and remove from heat.  Let sit for 15 minutes.  Then drain, and run cold water over eggs in pan for a few minutes.  Set aside to cool.  Peel eggs and cut into slices or chop when cool.  I prefer them chopped up, but slices look a little nicer.

2:   Fry bacon in skillet, until crispy.  Remove to paper towels to drain and cool enough to handle.  Crumble when cool. Do not drain fat that is left in pan.

3:   Put 1 tbsp of bacon fat into a small saucepan and set aside for the dressing.

4:   There should be just a little bacon fat left in your skillet.  If there's a lot, remove most of it, so the skillet is just barely coated.  Add onions to skillet and cook over low heat, until soft, stirring occasionally.  I do not season the onions, but you could if you want.

6:  Divide spinach between two salad bowls. Top with warm onions, cranberries and crumbled bacon.

7:  For dressing:  add lemon juice and sugar to reserved bacon fat.  Heat over low heat just until sugar is dissolved.  (If you heat it too long, your dressing will solidify like fudge as it cools.)  As soon as dressing is finished, pour over salads and toss to coat.  (This may seem like too small of an  amount of dressing, but a little goes a long way.). Top salads with egg and serve immediately.

Crockpot Pork Tenderloin

Last week, I was lucky enough to get pork tenderloin for $1.99 a pound.  I've always thought that slow-cooking is not really the best way to make pork tenderloin, but I've changed my mind after trying this recipe.  This turned out moist and delicious and not anywhere near as sweet as I was afraid it might be.  I started with this recipe from  All recipes.  I did not have all the ingredients, so I had to make a few minor changes.  Also spicy food does not agree with me, so even if I had the fresh red chile peppers, I would have left them out!

Crockpot Pork Tenderloin
Approximately 8 servings

2 (about 1 pound each) pork tenderloins, Doubt that it really matters how much meat you use.
splash of olive oil (for browning if you choose to do that)
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
1 cup water
1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 large onion, sliced in thick slices (so that Miss Picky could easily fish the onion pieces out)
freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Brown pork tenderloins in oil, in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  (I suspect that you could leave out this step if you wanted.)  I browned mine and then spent 5 minuted cleaning oil spatters up!
Combine teriyaki sauce, water, chicken bouillon cube, brown sugar, garlic and red pepper flakes in crockpot and whisk to combine.  Toss in sliced onion.  Add tenderloins to crockpot and turn to cover with sauce.  Grind a bit of fresh black pepper over top of the meat if you want.  (I did and did not find the meat too peppery.)
Cook on high for 4 hours, spooning sauce over tenderloins a few times during the cooking period. 

Be aware that this meat was so tender that it did not slice cleanly so the presentation was not as nice as you would expect from pork tenderloin.   I spooned the sauce over the meat to serve.

I think this would probably make good pulled pork sandwiches as well.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

 In my on-going effort to use  up some of  those herbs I planted this spring, and to eat a healthier diet, I decided to experiment with a healthier pizza crust.  I ended up trying  this pizza crust recipe.  I wasn't too sure about whole wheat pizza crust, but I was very pleasantly surprised.   Andy liked it a lot too.

I did make a few changes to the recipe.  I substituted 2 tsp. of brown sugar for the 1 tsp. of white sugar, used 3 tsp. yeast instead of 2 1/2, and added 4 tsp. of vital wheat gluten.  I also used bread flour instead of all purpose flour.  I also added a little minced garlic and some fresh oregano and basil to the dough.

This made a nice non-sticky dough that rolled out easily. It made two 14 inch pizzas with a nice tender, slightly chewy crust.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

I decided to grow some herbs this year.  I put one plant each, of oregano, thyme, parsley and basil, into a big pot and set it out on the back deck.  The plants look surprisingly attractive together, and are growing like weeds.  This is a recipe I devised to use up some of that bounty.

Ingredients:
4 or 5 medium sized redskin or Yukon gold potatoes
2 tsp olive oil
seasoned salt to taste
minced garlic to taste
good size bunch of fresh thyme, (strip leaves from the stems and discard the stems)

Method:
Preheat oven to 425.
Wash and cut potatoes into approximately half inch cubes.  Place into a bowl and toss with the olive oil.  Sprinkle with seasoned salt, minced garlic and fresh thyme leaves.  Toss again to distribute seasonings. Dump onto a cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil cooking spray. Spread potatoes in a single layer.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes and turn potatoes.  Bake another  15 minutes or so , until potatoes are tender.
You could  cut larger cubes of potatoes, but baking time may be longer.

You can, of course use other types of potatoes, (although baking time may vary), and substitute dried thyme, for the fresh thyme.

Recipe: Black bean and Corn Chili

Black bean and Corn Chili

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef, browned, and drained
I medium onion, chopped and browned with the beef  ( optional, I omit this, since  I have an onion hater here, but I definitely think that an onion would improve the dish)
I can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
I can (15 oz) corn, drained
1 1/2 cups salsa
2 cups water
2 chicken boullion cubes
(or substitute 2 cups of chicken broth for the water and boullion)
1 package chili seasoning mix
1 Tsp.  brown sugar
1/4 tsp dried minced garlic

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a crockpot.  ( I use a small 2 quart pot for this so I don't know how it would work in a larger pot)  Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.  It won't hurt it to cook longer.
If your crockpot is a newer one,I'd cook it for less time, since the newer ones seem to cook at higher temperatures than my old one.

This makes 5 or 6 servings and could easily be doubled.

The heat of the dish can be adjusted by the type of salsa used, (hot medium, or mild), and can also be kicked up by adding some chili powder.  This is more of a soup-like chili, rather than a thicker chili like a tomato based one would be. 

This dish reheats well, but I've never tried freezing it.

This recipe was improvised from one my sister in law, Laurie, shared with me. The original recipe called for  beef stew cubes, and instead of the chili mix, a variety of spices were used.

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

I've decided to share one of my lazy day recipes today. I don't like to cook much, but I do like to eat well, so over the years I've collected a number of easy but tasty recipes. This is one I made up myself, and its been very well received. This makes quite a lot of sauce and freezes well. It can easily be doubled if your crockpot is big enough. I serve it over whole grain pasta, with a big salad.

Here's what you need:

1 pound Italian sausage
1 medium to large onion, chopped
small amount of olive oil
2 29 oz cans of crushed or diced tomatoes (I prefer crushed or a can of each)
1 29 oz can of tomato sauce
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp dried minced garlic (or 2 to 3 times that much fresh garlic)
1 and 1/2 tsp each of dried basil, oregano and salt
3/4 tsp dried thyme

Brown sausage and onion in hot olive oil until sausage is browned and onion is soft. Drain well and add to crockpot. Stir in all other ingredients. Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 7 hours. Discard bay leaves before serving.

Variations and Notes:

I add a 1/2 tsp of dried fennel seeds if I have them, but not everyone likes the pronounced licorice taste of it, so I only add it if it's just my family.

If you want a blander sauce you could use ground beef or turkey instead of Italian sausage, and maybe cut back a bit ont he herbs and other seasonings. If you like your food quite spicy, add some dried crushed red pepper flakes, (up to one tsp). It's been my experience that a little crushed red pepper goes a long ways!

If you want to use fresh herbs, you will need two to three times the amount of dried herbs. You can use two 15 oz cans of tomato product in place of each 29 oz can.
I've never tried this next one, but I would think that 2 or three tsp of commercial Italian seasoning could substitute for the oregano, basil and thyme.

I sometimes add a shredded carrot or some shredded zucchini to the sauce to give my family a few more veggies in their diets. Mushrooms and green peppers, (I'd cook the green pepper with the onions and sausage), would also be good, but the picky eaters around here won't eat them.