Food good for body and soul
Let me get this one thing out of the way: In Texas, chili does not have beans. But there are plenty of regions where beans are acceptable, if not mandated. I use beans. Click here for a bit of history: The Great Chili Debate: Beans …
This is from my cookbook Quick and Easy, Comfort From the Kitchen, but with a change – I have found that it has an even better texture if the amounts of milk and breadcrumbs or panko is 3/4 cup each instead of 1/2 cup each. …
Several years ago, I had the pleasure of trying a crazy-delicious, albeit not high on the nutritionally healthy level, jello-based dish that my at-the-time rector’s Mom brought to a church luncheon. If you are from the mid-west, you know the sort of dish I am talking about. I am not, so the fact that this sugar-laden concoction was considered a side dish for the main meal was new to me!
I’ll cut to the chase: I was gifted the recipe and have made it several times for holiday gatherings. It involved Cool Whip. Yeah, not something I (or even my Mom) typically had on hand. But I now I always keep a tub in my freezer, just in case.
Before I go any further: If you make the following recipe, do NOT substitute whipped cream for the Cool Whip. It just won’t hold up.
FYI – I was inspired to create this post because my friend Cathy brought a yummy dessert to a recent gathering that had Cool Whip as one of the ingredients, although, as she pointed out, it contained yogurt as well. I need to get that recipe. The recipe I am sharing has no redeeming ingredients other than frozen raspberries. And those are laced with tons of sugar. So. …
Anyway, I was going to text the recipe with a picture of it to Cathy, but it seems my phone is doing only text and not showing pics I send along with texts to the recipients. So, to ensure the full experience, I will text the link to this post to her, instead.
Here is the recipe copied and pasted from my files. Enjoy! It is good for the soul.
Raspberry Pretzel Salad
Courtesy of the Rev. Dr. Matthew Cadwell’s Mom
Note: In Minnesota, jello “salads” are served as side dishes with the main meal.
Topping ingredients:
Prepare jello as usual with boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved. Add cold water when jello is dissolved. Chill until partially thickened. Fold in raspberries. Pour into glass bowl. Chill until almost set.
Meanwhile, mix softened cream cheese & sugar together. Gently fold in Cool Whip, mixing well. Spread on top of jello.
Prepare topping by placing crushed pretzels in baking pan, pour melted butter over pretzels. Sprinkle sugar on top of pretzels & bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
Spread hot pretzel mixture over cream cheese.
These are SOOOOOOOO good. They almost taste like cheese crackers. And the pack quite a crunch. Along with a gazillion other people, I started playing with sourdough in March of 2020, when no one could get their hands on yeast and we were all trying …
Melt butter in a 3-quart or larger saucepan, add the mushrooms and onions, and cook for about 5 minutes over low heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms have released some of their liquid. Using a whisk or wooden spoon, stir in the flour, add the …
I started making tortillas after finding Gemma’ of ‘s recipe on her Bigger Bolder Baking food blog that used a mix of whole wheat tempered with some white flour. They are, as she says, a bit “rustic,” and I can never get them to be quite as flexible as I would like (but that’s just me) but the flavor….oh my.
You can find her recipe here: Whole Wheat Tortillas Recipe – Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking
After playing around, I came up with my go-to recipe for whole wheat tortillas that are flavorful but also, are less rustic and more forgiving as to cooking time as to maintaining flexibilty. Here it is, but first:
If you are making tortillas for the first time, I recommend viewing Gemma’s video, especially the part about resting the dough and rolling it out. Just go to her recipe, linked above, and “Jump” to the video. The “rest and roll” part starts at around 4:55 into the video.
Mix the flours, baking powder, and salt together with a fork or whisk in a big bowl.
Drizzle the oil into the flour mix and, with your hands, rub to oil into the flour until you have a crumbly mixture that looks like butter cut into flour.
Slowly pour 3/4 cup of the water in and, again with your hands, mix and knead until the water is incorporated in and the dough is smooth. You will most likely need to add some or all of the remaining 1/2 cup of water to acheive a smoot ball of dough. If you add all the water and it makes the dough too wet, add a bit of flour until the dough does not stick to the bowl and has a very slight spring to it when you poke it with your finger.
Cut the dough into six pieces for 10″ tortillas, eight pieces for 8″ tortillas, and ten pieces for 6″ tortillas.
Note: The diameter measurements are approximate, especially if you measure versus weigh the flour.
Form each piece into a ball, cover them all with a dish towel, and let rest for 15-20 minutes.
You can use this time to clean up, prep the rolling/cooking area, and heat the pan.
About 10 minutes into the resting period, put your cast iron, thick-bottomed stainless steel, or nonstick frying pan on medium to medium/high heat so it will be hot once you are ready to roll and cook the tortillas.
Once the pan is hot (drops of water will sizzle) start the process of rolling out a ball of dough one at a time, each as the previous one is cooking.
Roll a ball of dough, moving it around, to the desired diameter and carefully place it into the hot pan. Lete it cook for a minute or more until you see some puffing on the top and the bottom side is turning a golden brown.
Flip the tortilla with tongs or a spatula and continue cooking until the second side is getting browned. Lift it out of the pan and place in a pile on a towel folded to also cover so they all steam a bit after cooking.
Be sure to start rolling the next tortilla once you have one in the pan or you will be there twice as long!
Once all are done, either keep them warm for immediate use, or cool on racks and store in a plastic bag at room temperature for a day or two or just put in a freezer bag and keep frozen until using. 30 seconds in the microwave will be enough to defrost at least two at a time, or place on at a time in a warm pan to defrost and soften.
While I opt to poach boneless skinless chicken breasts on the stove top,* I always use a pressure cooker when I have a whole chicken to work with. Just follow my directions and you will end up with close to two quarts of delicious chicken …
So easy! So delicious! So quick! Use this recipe for a quick meal or as part of a company meal menu. And, while you could leave out the capers in a pinch, or if you don’t like them, I think they put this recipe over …
This is a great one-dish meal – just add some good bread to soak up the juices or serve over rice or pasta. Plus, it offers the perfect way to get nutrient-rich cabbage into your meal routine.
To watch my cooking demo video for this recipe, Click HERE. And, please do consider subscribing. Thank you!
Here is the URL for the original recipe on which my variations are based. It is super as is!
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/229324/ground-beef-and-cabbage/
Here is my latest take:
Sauté onions in butter until starting to get soft. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add cabbage and carrot, mix a bit, add tomatoes with juice, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper in a large pot over low heat. Bring cabbage mixture to a simmer and cook down a bit.
Crumble ground beef into the pot. Cover and cook until cabbage is tender and ground beef is cooked through and the texture is to your liking, stirring occasionally. Start checking after 35 minutes after covering.
Check seasoning and adjust as/if needed. Cook down if still more “liquidy” or crunchy for your taste.
* You can play with the seasonings. For my most recent version, along with Italian seasoning (I used Penzeys brand, but any blend will do) I added some smoked garlic salt, oregano, paprika, and a good dose of grated parmesan cheese. Have fun creating your own special version. E.g. add beets and caraway seeds for an Eastern European take, or corn kernels, jalapeno and cilantro for a Mexican flair. Or just stick to the basics – it’s all good!
Do you sometimes wonder what to do with the produce in your fridge and and all sorts of things in your freezer? While I am presenting this as a recipe as I made it, I encourage you to use the basic technique (saute onion and …