52 for 52 Week 30

 Hello friends! Wow time is going by super fast as I get ready for school.  There are a lot more things to learn and do this year.  However yesterday I took time to create a lunch for me that I can have for 4 days.  Vegan Bean Burgers.   This is a super simple recipe that makes 4 patties. I'd share the link but my daughter printed the recipe and I don't see a URL.  I know they may not look super cute, but they taste delicious.  

Here's the recipe:

1 can beans of your choice

1/3 cup flax seed

1/2 cup cooked vegetables

1-2 T sauce of your choice

Mix everything in a food processor.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-22 minutes.  Flip the burgers at 10 minutes. 

For these burgers I used black beans, roasted cabbage and BBQ sauce, Stubbs original is my favorite.

I dressed them up with tomatoes from our garden, avocado, feta and a little sauerkraut for some crunch. They were delicious.

So the sky is the limit with possibilties of bean and veg choices, maybe you can add more spices if you want something a little spicier too.  Have fun and prep a few lunches while you're at it.

Bon Appétit!

And as always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Green Smoothie

Green smoothie! I'm not on a super foods/fruits and veggie/vegetarian January cleanse kick, but I do like to consume my fruits and veggies.  We recently did a staff challenge at the school I work at; it was as simple as putting down how many servings of fruits and veggies you consume a day.  There was also a category for water, sleep and exercise.  I must say this made me more mindful.  We all know that we need to eat a diet rich in fruits and veggies, and I also think a variety is good as well.  It was nice to see in numbers everyday.

So I turned to my Vitamix.  I have a juicer, but I thought I'd see if the Vitamix worked as well, and it did.  The only change from the original juice recipe to the smoothie was the addition of ice cubes and water.

I started with celery and apple.

Next I added spinach, cucumber, ginger and lemon juice.  I blended it all up and came up with this green smoothie.

Originally I added a bit too much spinach; the taste was a bit earthy so I added a bit more lemon juice and water.  It worked out very well, and I had a great juice to start my day.

Here are measurements I used. Please change them up for your taste.

3 celery stalks

1 apple chopped

1 1/2 cup spinach

1/2 cucumber

1/2 lemon - juiced

2 tsp ginger

1 cup water

4 ice cubes.

As I said if you make a juice with a juicer just omit the water and ice cubes.

Bon Appétit,

And as always with love from the Midwest,

Beth

Dinner for a busy week

Well since spring break ended our house has been a revolving door.  All three of my children are involved in spring sports, 2 in soccer and one in lacrosse.  We really make family meals a priority in our house, and it does help that in general we don't sit down until 7:30-8 pm nightly.  However there are some nights when we don't sit down together at all or maybe it's just two of us at a meal.  That's when I have to think of meals that can be reheated easily in one pot.  One of the easiest meals I make for this is  ground beef tacos. I make the taco meat a head and it can be warmed up by whoever is ready to eat either in the microwave or on the stove. They of course can add what ever toppings we have to the taco. Sometimes I pre-make a salad dressing too.  As I did in this case.  It's just a simple olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper mix. It can sit on the counter and be added to salad for anyone who wants it.  Tonight I also pulled out a jar of my corn salad that I made during last summer's corn season.  My daughter is preparing dinner for herself, in this picture. 

Here's my taco recipe that I've been using for years from Cook's Illustrated. 

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt
• 1 pound extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar

Brown the ground beef and onion.  Drain, return back to the skillet and add seasonings.  Cook for a few minutes and then add the tomato sauce, broth, vinegar and brown sugar. Let the mixture simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve.

I really like mine with crisp lettuce, avocado and cilantro if we have it.

Bon Appétit,

and as always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

A week of French Food

This week I've been given the gift of time during my spring break.  My children and I are on different schedules for school so I've been alone much of the week.  It's been a great time to hit the pause button, go to yoga, read books, watch my TV and of course cook.  I received Mimi Thorisson's 2 books for my birthday in February and I thought it was time to start delving in.  The pictures are beautiful and what I have tried so far is delicious.  Of course I also did a nod to Julia and Dorrie Greenspan's Around my French Table.  What follows are pictures of my various French dishes throughout the week.

For lunch Dorrie's celery-celery soup.  This is a combination of apples, celery root and celery. It's sweet and light.  I served it with cheese and bread for a wonderful lunch.

To keep warm in late winter early spring, thanks to Julia, I made a potato gratin with kielbasa sausage layered inside.  This is one of her variations in Mastering Vol. 1.

Next for dinner I made poulet chasseur, from Mimi Thorisson's French Country Cooking.  A delightful combination of braised chicken legs, mushrooms, onions and sage.  I served it with polenta and asparagus for Sunday dinner. I also made chestnut bread.  Not having used chestnuts, I find the bread to have a very different interesting flavor. 

Finally this week from A Kitchen in France I made Chocolate Meringues.  The recipe called to serve them with chocolate sauce and whip cream.  I like sweet, but this was a bit too sweet.  I think next time I serve the meringues I'll serve them with fresh strawberries or raspberries and whip cream.  

Bon Appétit!

 and as always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Favorite Bran Muffins

I love breakfast and I can't imagine not starting my day with something delicious.  Many times we hear bran muffins and think of boring or tasteless muffins, or if they are really good they are not quiet as healthy as we want them to be.  I found a very tasty muffin recipe years ago yet it wasn't quiet up to what I wanted for a "healthy muffin."   So after some changes I came up with a recipe that I feel is true to me.  I love starting my day with 2 muffins and fruit and of course coffee; it so easy to just quickly warm them up in the microwave for a short time.  

The method is a traditional muffin method of mixing the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in two separate bowls.

I have standard muffins so it makes about 18.  I'm also a fan of the paper liners so there is less cleanup at the end.

Play around with the fruit you put in the muffins or add some nuts for protein.  There are no raisins in this recipe because that is one of the few foods I really don't like.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line muffin tins if using muffin/cupcake liners.

In one bowl mix:

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (a small travel pack)

1/4 cup veggie oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 cups All-Bran Cereal

Let this sit for about 5 minutes to soften the cereal stirring occasionally.

In another bowl combine and whisk:

1/2 cup AP flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup bran flakes

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine.  At this point add fresh or frozen fruit if you are using, about 1-1 1/2 cups.  I used a combination of the last of the summer blueberries and raspberries for this batch. 

Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Go into your kitchen and play and bon appétit!

As always with love from the midwest,

Beth 

Weekend Lunch and More

I really enjoy good and healthful food. Over the years I've come up with a plan for delightful lunches all week long when I go to work.  It actually makes my day better knowing that I have something good to eat. So on the weekends, at least one day, I like to make a large batch of something that will be good cold or reheat well throughout the week.  Sometimes I make quiche, and soup is definitely a favorite as the weather grows colder.  But this weekend I made a quinoa vegetable sauté. This is a harvest time favorite since all of the veggies came from my garden or our local farmer's market.  As I said I used what was available, but feel free to swap out for what you have in the fridge or in your garden.  I hope you enjoy.

Today's choice of veggies. I also added corn off the cobb.

The quinoa and vegetables mixed together.  

Here is the recipe -My apologies for not citing my source except for I can't remember where I found this.  

·         scant 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

·         1/2 cup quinoa

·         2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

·         1 large shallot, chopped

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         pinch red pepper flakes

·         2 cups chopped kale (about 1/2 bunch – I used lacinto kale)

·         1 small zucchini, chopped

·         salt & pepper

·         2 ears sweet corn kernels (about 2 cups)

·         1/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil, cut into strips

·         1/4 cup white wine

·         1/2 cup peas

·         1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth

·         1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

·         shaved or fresh grated parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions

·         Bring scant cup chicken (or vegetable) broth to a boil in a small saucepan. Rinse quinoa very well in a fine mesh sieve under running water (quinoa is coated in a natural, bitter coating that needs to be rinsed off) then add to saucepan, place a lid on top, turn heat down to medium-low, then cook until quinoa is tender and broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

·         Heat olive oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots then saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and red chili pepper flakes then saute for 30 more seconds, stirring constantly. Turn heat up to medium-high then add kale and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper then saute for 2 minutes. Add corn and sundried tomatoes then saute for 2 more minutes.

·         Add white wine then scrape up brown bits from bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon. When wine is nearly gone, add peas then stir to combine. Add chicken broth and cooked quinoa then cook until broth is absorbed. Remove skillet from heat then add basil and stir to combine. Taste then add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve topped with freshly shaved or grated parmesan cheese.

Bon Appétit and as always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Weekday Dinner

Well last week started school for me and my children.  It also means that many after school sporting events started as well. Needless to say when I went to plan my meals for the week I needed tried and true recipes that didn't take too long.  Luckily we eat later around 7:30 ish so everyone can for the most part eat together.  This also gives me a little bit more time to get dinner on the table.  So for this week I made pasta with sausage, vegetables and fresh herbs.   You could easily change up the vegetables depending on what you have around the house or in your garden at this time of year.  I hope you add this easy dinner to your repertoire.  Bon appétit and don't forget the wine.

I like to use fettuccine noodles, but really anything will do.  I also pre-prep my herbs from my garden.

The vegetables and sausage finishing up cooking.

The finished dish ready for serving.  

Sausage with pasta, vegetables & herbs.

1 lb sausage -remove the casings

1 package of sliced mushrooms

1 pepper- sliced

1 pack of green onions -diced

1/4 cup fresh parsley -chopped

2 T fresh basil -chopped

1 t dried rosemary

2 cloves of garlic - minced

1 lb pasta -or a bit less - (for 3 teenagers I use a pound)

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Bring water to a boil to prepare the pasta.

Sauté the sausages until no longer pink, transfer to a plate. Drain all but 2 T of drippings.  

Add vegetables, rosemary and garlic.  Sauté over medium-high heat until all are tender.

Return the sausage to the pan, add the fresh herbs, chicken broth.  Cook until sauce is slightly thick. Add the cheese. When pasta is done, drain and add to the sausage mixture.  If it seems to dry add some of the pasta cooking water.  Serve and add more cheese if desired.  

As always with love from the mid-west,

Beth 

August's Sunday Dinner

I realized I haven't posted much on Sunday dinner recently.  It's not that it hasn't happened I just forgot to take pictures.  I truly enjoy this ritual of making a sit down dinner for my family every night, but Sundays just seem to take a special meaning.  Whether you feel its the beginning of crazy for the week or a winding down of a busy week I encourage you to take a bit of time to sit down to dinner together, no matter what it served.  So what was for dinner?  Well one of my favorites. Roast chicken.  This time I did it in the oven, because it was raining and I didn't want to stand in rain and grill.  I always roast 2 chickens. This way I have enough for left overs.  When my children are home they like to warm up the chicken for lunch, but usually I keep it for casseroles later in the week or I freeze it for later in the month.  If I'm feeling up to it I take the carcasses and make chicken stock either that night or in the next day or two.  Hope you enjoy and bon appétit.

With love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Low Cook Summer Dinner

 This week it was very hot, so I was inspired to make a Chicken Caesar Salad and try a new no bake dessert.  We even enjoyed the dinner on our back porch. Under our shady trees it really was quite lovely outside.  Of course I lit the citronella candles in advance to keep any unwanted mosquitoes away.  The dressing for my salad was my mock Cesar salad dressing.  (See my post Mock the Cesar.) I used romaine lettuce for the salad; it really holds up well to the dressing, bacon, croutons and chicken.

After I whipped up the dressing I made the croutons from ends of bread I had in the freezer.  I cut them into 1" cubes and generously drizzled with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  I baked them in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  At the same time I baked some bacon to go along with the salad.  My family really loves their protein.  

As for the chicken I grilled it with olive oil and salt and pepper on my Big Green Egg. It took about 4 minutes per side.  When everything was done at the last moment I assembled the salad.  

My daughter enjoyed the leftovers the next day.  I always keep extra dressing in its container so all you have to do is just pour over the lettuce.  The croutons also kept well for a day.

The salad ready to eat.

For dessert I found this recipe on all recipes of cheesecake in a jar. I'm really not a fan of a baked cheese cake, but this tasted more like a light Italian dessert with marscapone cheese. It called for strawberries, but they are no longer in season in the upper midwest so I used raspberries.  It was delicious and took about 20 minutes to prepare.  I just used graham cracker crumbs to make the crust. I would definitely try this with other fruits, perhaps blueberries or peaches since I have a lot of those around.  

Hope this inspires you to make some cool summer treats in the upcoming week.  Bon appétit.

With Love from the Midwest,

Beth 

A Quick Pickle

Recently I just made a batch of pickled radishes.  I found this recipe on http://foodinjars.com/.  Look under Marisa's old blog of In a Pickle in the recipe index for this very easy recipe.  I was looking for a way to use forgotten radishes in my garden.  They were really big.  This year I remembered my radishes in my garden and decided to make the same recipe.  You may ask what is one to do with these once I've made them?  I found they were very good in egg, tuna and chicken salad.  I also just enjoy them to munch on or in a regular green salad.  I know there are many other recipes for pickled veggies and it makes me want to try them.  As a side note I did ask Marisa if this recipe would can well.   She replied no because it would change the texture of the radishes to be less crispy. The radishes kept well for at least 6 weeks.  

French Breakfast and Globe Radishes.  I like to grow a combination.

Ready to go into the refrigerator. 

What have you pickled lately?

With Love from the Midwest,

Beth 

May's Pleasures

So I've come to the decision that every month has something to enjoy, maybe it's something that only that month has to offer or the first time in a long while that something is available to do or eat.  So every month it is my intention to remind myself and my readers of those special things.  In Wisconsin May can be a beautiful month (65-70 degrees and sunny) or it can be horrible (40 degrees and rain). Every once in a while I see snow. Yuck!  However it makes our beautiful days that much more special.  

One of my favorite things to do is dry our sheets out on a clothes line.  Actually clothes lines are not allowed in our neighborhood, but I have a rope tied from a tree to our house.  I love the fresh scent  that the sheets have when I change the beds.  I also just love this picture and the branches making a shadow on the sheets.

Another thing May brings is my garden.  I'm always so excited to plant this year's crops.  Just the other day I planted a variety of lettuces and radishes.  After May 15th it is usually okay to plant everything else.  However it doesn't really grow much faster if I plant it in early May vs late.  So I try to pace myself.

The planted part of my garden.  You can also see the compost pile in the corner.

Another plus in May is the food.  My rhubarb plant is starting to pop up.  I love making rhubarb cookies, bread, jelly, crisps and pies.  Also I freeze a lot of it too.   My asparagus crop is starting to produce as well as my herbs. I love local food so ever little bit is a reason to be thankful.  This is the third year with my asparagus so it is really starting to produce quite a bit.  

Even though I love my local food you can't go wrong with Vidalia onions.  If you are not familiar with these sweet onions give them a try.  They are grown in Vidalia, GA and come in only at this time of year.  They are great caramelized, in tarts or baked with beef broth in  individual tinfoil packets. Bake them for about 1 hour at 400 degrees until they are nice and soft.  The result is basically French onion soup without the cheese. Put a bit of butter on the top and chop them up and they an easy side dish. 

What is special about May to you?  A la prochaine,

Beth 

A Normal Morning

I was recently inspired by a post I read on the FauxMartha.  Please check out this blog if you haven't yet.  The post was about what a real morning looks like.  I have 3 children ages 12-16 and they are all responsible for their own breakfasts; its been that way for about 6 years.  

If they are lucky there are leftovers from the weekend ie: waffles and pancakes.  That is my middle child's favorite.  If not it is usually cold cereal and oatmeal.  I wish I could say that they choose low sugar varieties, but I can't. I'm a realist.  I just happy that we all sit down for about 10 minutes together, mostly in silence, eating our breakfast. I usually let them know of anything that is going on later in the day if need be.  I know they are at least starting the day with something in their bellies.  Sometimes I remember to make crockpot steel cut oats so that is much better.  I like that too.

A selection of oatmeal 

As for me.. I really like to have fruit with my breakfast.  Recently I've been using up the canned peaches I made over the summer and eating a baked apple dish.  I usually have this with  homemade bread of some variety and a source of protein and don't forget the coffee.    

Baked apples ready for a quick warm up this morning.

Here is the baked apple recipe - I adapted it from Cooking Light years ago.  It keeps well in the fridge and just microwave it for 30-40 seconds in the morning for a warm treat.  All of the measurements can be messed with to suit your tastes.

In a microwave safe dish add:

5-6 chopped apples -leave the peel on

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/4 craisins or dried cherries

1/4 c brown sugar 

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4-1/2 cup of water

Stir together and microwave for 20 minutes.  The apples will be soft.  I just let it come to room temperature before I put it in the fridge for the next couple days of breakfast.  

Bon Appétit (what ever the meal looks like)

Beth 

Sunday Dinner in April

April in northeast Wisconsin can't make up it's mind.  So Sunday dinner is always a variety of foods; sometimes more hearty winter fare and sometimes springier.  This last Sunday I wanted to use some of my frozen (pie filling) and canned items (applesauce).  

Last Sunday's Dinner

Breaded pork schnitzel and lemon

Spoon Bread 

Roasted mix vegetables

Applesauce that I canned last year

Strawberry Rhubarb pie that I made and froze last spring

Wine: Chardonnay  William Hess

I hope this inspires you to get cooking and enjoy at least one dinner together as a family per week.

Bon Appétit,

Beth 

Thank you Julia

I really love Julia Child.  I love watching the old French Chef series and reading her cookbooks. She's delightfully witty and practical as well.   Over the Easter season I thought I'd share one of my recipes for ham filled crepes.  I was inspired by Julia on this one.  

Why the ham?  Well we order a 1/2 hog along with our 1/2 cow every year and one of the things that comes with a hog is a whole ham, cut in 1/2.  So I've had to be creative with leftover ham over the past years.  My original recipe called for chicken so its an easy switch.

But first you must make the crepes. If you haven't attempted this you must.  Really the batter is very easy and takes less than 5 min to prepare.  It must sit for at least 1 hour if not more.  I use Alton Brown's recipe from  Good Eats. It's never failed me and works for both savory and sweet crepes.  In the true fashion of Julia if you mess up a few crepes, which you will, just save them for ice cream sundaes or no one will notice if they are under a bechamel sauce either.  So don't worry.

There are a few ugly crepes on the side.

The next step is to make a bechamel sauce.  I like to use 4 T butter, 4 T flour to 3 cups milk.  Again if you don't have this multi-purpose sauce in your repertoire just look it up.  You can use it with anything.

Now make the filling. I like to add mushrooms and red pepper.  Really you are just sautéing ham and the vegetables and a few spices incuding a few tablespoons of sherry.   I like to add 1/2 of the bechamel sauce to the ham and warm though.

Next fill the crepes with the ham filling and roll up the crepe and put in a lightly greased 13X 9 " pyrex pan, or something similar.  I pour the rest of the sauce over the crepes and top with a handful of cheese. (Now you see why if you crepe are not beautiful it doesn't matter.)  I like to bake it for about 20 minutes at 350-375 degrees.

As for the wine? My house white will do, but a white burgundy to keep all things French would also be lovely.

A filled crepe

ready to go in the oven.

Bon Appétit,

Beth 

Desserts for Charity

Sometimes I just like to cook, but I know I don't always want or need to eat the desserts or quick breads I just made.  A few years ago my daughter discovered that our local community meal provider needed desserts cooked for them.  So we started making a batch of cookies here and there and delivering them the next day for the community meal.  I really like this idea; I/we are taking care of God's people in an anonymous way.  Also who doesn't like a home made dessert.  This weekend my son needed to do a service project for school so I suggested that we make cookies for Loaves and Fishes. It allowed the two of us to enjoy some time together and got my son into the kitchen.  All of these are good things.   We made the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies, probably my favorite recipe of chocolate chip cookies.  So nothing fancy just off the back of the bag.   I encourage you to find a shelter or community meal that would like some homemade delights. 

As a side note our local organization also takes excess vegetables from my garden and meat donations from our 1/2 cow.  This way I know food is not going to waste and continues to feed members in need in our community.  

Cookies for Loaves and Fishes

Bon Apétit!
Beth 

Sunday Dinner Again

I can't over emphasize the importance of sitting down to a meal together.  Everyone gets a chance to talk at the table and just be in each other's company.  There are no electronics to distract us.  The tradition of the Sunday dinner doesn't have to happen on Sunday, but for us this week it did.

Here's the menu.  I varied it slightly from one I found in one of my many cookbooks.  Really all of this took about 45 minutes from start to finish; except for the polenta which I made ahead of time. I served a Beaujolais Villages as evening's wine.  (I know it isn't Italian, but it was delightful with the dinner.)

My polenta cooling in a pie plate.  Just slice and bake for 20 min in a 350 degree oven

Romano and honey drizzle

Sausage and mushroom gravy

Red wine walnut cake

Enjoy your family and your kitchen.

Bon Appétit et Santé!

Beth 

Mock the Cesar

My family really enjoys Cesar Salad.  However I really don't want to deal  with the raw egg issue or always make a dressing at the last minute. I don't know where I found this recipe but I've been using it for years and the salad is always gone. My middle child likes to  eat it right out of the bowl.

The ingredients - most of  which are pantry items

Shaking the dressing in a plastic container

Cesar salad, shepherd's pie and of course my French bread.

Enjoy this recipe and stop buying the bottled version.  Mix everything in a container that you can shake.

1/4 c olive oil
2 T lemon juice
2 T red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 t dry mustard
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t soy sauce

Bon Appétit!

Beth