Way back when I was looking for new post ideas the topic of freezer cooking came up. I think there was quite a bit of interest in that and yet I’ve never posted about it since, until now. I’ll try to post some recipes from time to time under the heading and label “Freezer Cooking: ________”. I thought I had already posted this recipe as a single loaf version but couldn’t find it. This recipe comes from Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook. I got my copy from my Grandma’s basement and I love it. It really is appropriate for the way we are trying to live and generally avoids “add in seasoning packet” or “3 cups Bisquick”. Twin Meat Loaves 2 eggs, beaten3/4 c. milk1 1/2 c. bread crumbs2 tsp. salt1/4 tsp. pepper1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce1/2 c. chopped onion1 c. chopped carrot2 lbs. ground beef Break two eggs in a bowl and until well broken. Add rest of ingredients and mix well. You’ll have to use your hands to get this done in a reasonable amount of time, or I guess maybe a hand mixer would work. Pack into two greased 7 1/2x4x2″ pans – I used my narrow bread pans
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The Trouble With A Menu Plan…
The trouble with a menu plan is that: A) You have to make one before it works and B) When you have one you really come to rely on it and when you don’t it makes for a miserable week!! I thought about it on Monday but never quite made time since I had to work this Monday (my normal day off). I thought about it yesterday but made dinner and dessert and then it was 10 o’clock! Today is the day I guess. I know you’re wondering if it is even worth it now? Yes, it is. Now that I know what it is like to plan ahead I HATE coming home and trying to figure out what to cook. Here it is: Monday: Tacos for Brian, I never really ate dinner. Tuesday: Spaghetti (with herbs and butter for me, meat sauce for Brian) with Quick Cheese Bread (this recipe is a winner! We’ve had it twice now) Wednesday: Parmesan Crusted Walleye with Roasted Herb Potatoes Thurday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Soup & Peas Friday: Breakfast for Supper – French Toast, Hashbrowns, Bacon, and Eggs Breakfasts this week consist of those blueberry waffles I made for me, I’m not
Continue readingTraditional 4th of July Pie
I’ve been making this pie almost every 4th of July now for several years. I think I missed last year so it better be extra good this year to make up for it. Start with enough dough for a two crust pie. Roll out half of the dough and place it in a 9 inch pie pan. Roll the other half out in to a circle around 10 inches across. Cut 6 strips from that, about 3/4″ wide each. You’ll also need to cut out 6 stars from the dough that is left. I used a paring knife to cut my stars but you could use a small cookie cutter if you want them to be perfect. Next, go ahead and get the filling ready. I normally use cherry and blueberry but this year I used strawberries instead of cherries. The strawberries are some that I froze last weekend, the blueberries I picked and Foodsavered a long time ago. If you’re using frozen berries be sure to drain them well. Large berries should be sliced or cut in chunks. Here’s what you’ll need. Red Portion:2 – 3 cups red berries (cherries or strawberries)2 tablespoons lemon juice3/4 cup sugar1/4 cup cornstarch
Continue readingCut Off From the World
Okay, I don’t consider myself to be very high tech. I haven’t used my ipod in 6 months and I refuse to text message. However, today I felt so cut off from the world it was scary, and I was having major withdrawals. Our internet is only working off and on so if I’m missing for awhile that will be why. We can no longer pick up a good signal and there is nothing the company can do to fix it so we’re looking for a new service provider. Every time I turned around today I couldn’t continue with my plans because I couldn’t get online. Here’s what I mean: I wanted to preserve my garlic scapes but I didn’t remember how they said to do it on that website I looked at the other day. Since my Mom, Brian, and I picked a bunch of strawberries on Saturday I was dying to try Abbie’s Strawberry Shortcake recipe but couldn’t get the page to load. I was planning to browse recipes for this weeks’ menu plan and knew I wanted to make Quick Cheese Bread with dinner tonight. Luckily this thing started working. The bread is in the oven so
Continue readingMenu Plan Monday – New for Me!
Okay, here’s a new thing for me. I’m going to try being a part of Menu Plan Monday, a weekly menu plan share hosted by Laura over at I’m An Organizing Junkie. The banner above is linked to her awesome site. I’m not sure exactly what our week will be like since we’ve got hay to bale. Here’s my plan: Monday Snack Peaches and yogurt Supper Ham Steaks Red Skinned Garlic Mashed Potatoes Chicken Gravy Tuesday Breakfast Rhubarb Muffins Milk Lunch Leftover Mashed Potatoes Hot Dogs Peaches and yogurt Snack Homemade Granola Bar Supper Homemade Chicken Nuggets Boxed Mac N’ Cheese Wednesday Breakfast Rhubarb Muffins Milk Lunch PBJ Pretzels Canned corn Snack Homemade Granola Bar Supper Parmesan Crusted Tilapia Roasted Potatoes Thursday Breakfast Rhubarb Muffins Milk Lunch PBJ or Leftover Tilapia Pretzels Canned corn Snack Homemade Granola Bar Supper Spaghetti New Cheese bread recipe Friday Breakfast Rhubarb Muffins Milk Lunch PBJ Pretzels Canned corn Snack Homemade Granola Bar Supper Homemade Pizza Homemade Breadsticks
Continue readingCanning Rhubarb, and more planting
I’m trying a new theory. Instead of eating within the seasons, how about preserving each season so I can have it all year long. Case in point: last year I made the heck out of rhubarb muffins for a couple months. I’ve been craving them for about 10 months now. I like to can as much as possible to save freezer space for meat so I thought I’d try canning rhubarb. It was the easiest canning experience ever!! I had a bag of rhubarb that must have weighed 10 pounds. I could have run it through the food processor like I sometimes do but cut it up by hand instead. It is easier to work with and looks nicer. Plus, I didn’t feel good and sitting in front of the TV with the cutting board for 2 hours made me feel like I accomplished something. Anyway, I chopped it in small 1/2-1 inch pieces. Add 2-4 cups of sugar to each 16 cups of rhubarb. I used only 2 cups because I prefer a very light syrup. Toss together in a big bowl and let sit for at least a few hours. The natural juices will seep out and create
Continue readingPistachio Fluff Minus the Cool Whip
I love the taste a pistachio fluff. Cool Whip, not so much. It isn’t the taste that I mind so much as the ingredients. The first four are: water, corn syrup, vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup, followed by a bunch of gum and unpronounceable things. My version calls for real cream instead. If you wanted to take things a step further you could make your own marshmallows as well. Homemade marshmallows still contain corn syrup but not as much. Plus, you can then select a brand of syrup that you prefer. I’ve included a couple of links at the bottom for those interested in the marshmallows. Anyway, back to the fluff. I use the following ingredients: 1 cup heavy whipping cream10oz. crushed pineapple (do not drain the juice)1 cup miniature marshmallows1 1oz. package instant pistachio pudding First, whip the cream with a mixer until it forms stiff peaks or doesn’t fall from a spoon turned upside down. I stopped mixing when mine was a little lumpy rather than smooth and that’s fine. In a separate bowl, combine the pudding mix and crushed pineapple. Be sure to include the pineapple juice. Next, stir in the marshmallows. Now is the time
Continue readingAlmost Local Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza
This is a quick and relatively easy dinner option for us. I personally don’t like pizza so I make a separate pan of breadsticks for myself. I like the following recipe which can be found at http://www.wheatfoods.org/Quick-Whole-Wheat-Pizza-Crust.217.1.htm Ingredients:2 cups whole wheat flour1 package active dry yeast/instant yeast3/4 teaspoon salt1 cup hot tap water (120 – 125°F)1 tablespoon vegetable oil1 tablespoon honey or granulated sugar I mix the ingredients together in a bowl and then dump it out on to a floured countertop. I add parsley, oregano, and a little garlic salt to the dough to taste. Knead for a couple minutes adding extra flour as needed. Then roll out with a rolling pin into a circle big enough for your pizza pan. You can make 2 thin crust pizzas or 1 regular crust with this recipe. Carefully transfer the dough to a greased pizza pan. Last time I bought cheese sticks Kraft brand was on sale so I bought that kind. We think they are gross: plastic like with no flavor. I thought I’d use them up by making this pizza with a stuffed crust. Just push some extra dough up over the lip of the pan. Place strips of
Continue readingMy New Favorite Cookbook
I borrowed a lot of cookbooks from the library a few weeks back. One of the best ones I tried and ended up buying is Make A Mix. I had never heard of it and stumbled upon it while browsing the freezer cooking manuals. Basically the first half contains recipes for mixes. The section includes dry baking mixes and other mixes that need to be frozen or used right away. Then you turn to the back half and find recipes for all the different meals you can make with each mix. My favorite so far is the Hot Roll Mix. I mix a large batch of the dry mix and then use it make some delicious things like Big Soft Pretzels, dinner rolls, and even Pizza Crust! I did find some good freezer cooking recipes in other books (more about that later) but Make A Mix is a great way to supplement those meals. Like I said, I found it through my library first. I liked it so much that I bought a used copy through Amazon.com pretty inexpensively. By the way, those soft pretzels were a life saver when we decided to go to the church pot luck at
Continue readingBrian’s Tater Tot Surprise
Here’s a great, and quick invention that Brian made up for dinner the other night. He was really craving nachos and we didn’t have any chips. So instead… First, he browned some hamburger with seasonings to taste. Then he spread out a layer of tater tot hashbrowns on a cookie sheet. He sprinkled the whole pound of burger over those and then sprinkled a generous amount of shredded cheese on top. Then he baked it in the oven I’m not sure that the picture does it justice. It really looked quite appetizing even though I’m too picky to try it. He topped it with ketchup and had two helpings so it must have been good. I love it because it is so easy and quick! Plus, it was really fun to watch him make up something that he liked. I’ll have to experiment with fresh shredded potatoes and see how that goes so I don’t have to make a habit of buying the tater tots. Any quick meals you want to share? Or substitutes to calm your cravings?
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