I'm relieved at the feedback from my last post. Posting something from my journaling is always very difficult, as it is so personal. To put my feelings out there to the world is, well, scary. But wow! I love it that some of you were actually encouraged - that' reason enough for me to keep posting these personal thoughts when I have a few interesting ones.
But the title of today's post is not about my inner secrets, but our cooking secrets! Over the past couple years I've gotten some great recipes that have become regulars on our dinner table. I got a great recipe from Robyn (I'll let her post it if she wants), a wonderful cabbage, chicken, rice soup recipe from Cynthia, and many others.
I'm also working on perfecting my new Turkey Lasagna recipe.
It seems like the best recipes come from others, not cookbooks or online.
In light of that, what awesome recipe do you cook over and over for your loved ones?
Here is one of my favorites:
Amazing pie crust:
Sift together into a 9" pie shell:
1-1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
Mix together with fork:
1/2 C Oil
2 Tblsp. Milk
Pour over flour mixture and stir until blended with fork. Use your hands to complete the blending and pat into the bottom and sides of pie pan as evenly as possible. Flute edges.
To Pre-bake - Prick with fork and back 425 for 10-12 minutes until barely toasted.
Can also be filled and baked as called for in filling recipe.
Also- good to add toasted sesame seeds when used with a cream pie. Just sprinkle on top of crust or press in!
5 comments:
One meal that is special in our house is Cuban Rice. Though if you google it, the recipe it gives has so far been so remotely not the Cuban rice we know and love.
It is not really low fat by any means, though we don't make it that often.
It is 4 ingredients
Rice
Lean Ham
Eggs
Bananas
You fry up the eggs and the bananas and cook up the rice with the ham. Then you put an egg or two, and banana slice or three,lol, on top of a bed of the rice with ham, and cut it all up and mmmm.
It sounds wierd, but it is amazing.
It needs salt...
oh, and you need some oil for the frying, but not tons.
That one is from Dan's family.
From my side is just these awesome mushrooms.
It is just mushrooms, cream sherry, and butter....lots of sherry...lots of butter...and like an hour on the stove. Trust me, the stuff dreams are made of. Great on burgers, chicken, in stuffing or gravy to give it something special, etc., ot just all on its own,lol.
I'll assume you're talking about Stovies? That one's from Aaron's family and is one of my favorites because it's so easy and yummy on those icky gray days!
1-2 medium potatoes per person
1 onion
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
Grated cheese (cheddar is great)
Chop up the potatoes and onion, brown the meat, and toss it all in a big pot. Add enough water to cover, and simmer 1-2 hours or until the potatoes are tender. Or put it in a crockpot. To serve, put cheese in the bottom of your bowl, ladle in the soup, and add more cheese on top. I usually use three potatoes and we have leftovers for a few days.
I forgot to mention that the best cookbooks are when a bunch of people all contribute a few of their favorite recipes and then sell the book as a fundraiser or something. We have one from Mission Aviation Fellowship that I love, and my Mom has a few old neighborhood cookbooks that are also really good.
Robyn, that sounds yummy!
Mel, maybe we should make a cook book...the women of crossroads...HA!
So, my fave recipe of late is actually from my friend Beth, but changed to use portobello mushroom ravioli instead of cheese ravioli. Use the Hill Country Fare frozen ones. $2.50 per bag...very nice and thrifty.
http://elizabethcarroll.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/ravioli-pasta-salad/
Since I went back to FT work outside the home in November, home-cooked meals have really taken a nosedive at our house. Those 90 minutes between getting home & Samson's bathtime seem too short to prep & cook a meal, then clean-up, and still have time to spend actually interacting as a family. I often find myself thinking, "Do all dual-career families eat take out every night? If not, how?" When we're not eating take out, it's usually fast meals like pasta & sauce, frozen casseroles, etc. We're lucky if once per week on Sunday evening I make one of the real meals that was common-place pre-baby, or post-baby/pre-job. I really don't want Samson to grow up thinking food comes out of a box....
My goal is to eventually get into a routine that includes a weekly meal plan drafted/shopped/prepped over the wknd with at least 2-3 home-cooked suppers during the workweek (Friday is "eat-out with friends," another night would be sandwich or leftovers night, and another night could be pizza or fend for yourself).
This is where the Crock Pot Lady http://crockpot365.blogspot.com comes in. I am semi-obsessed with this blog. She cooks anything & everything in a crockpot, from beverages to desserts, and it seems like most recipes can be tweaked to use pantry staples rather some some expensive specialty ingredients. The only thing that bugs me about it is the odors of the food filling up the house; I took care of that by putting the crockpot on my back porch; it bubbles away for 8 hrs and when I get home, a delicious home-made meal awaits.
I thus give you Chicken & Brown Rice Casserole http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/09/crockpot-chicken-and-brown-rice.html. This is pretty low-fat, and can be jazzed up with whatever seasonings & veggies you like for a different flavor everytime. We add celery, bell pepper, and cayenne for a Cajun version, or a can of Rotel for Tex-Mex.
You can even put everything in the pot the night before, store in the fridge, and then just power it up in the morning before leaving for the day.
Oh, another time-saver: use a crockpot liner or oven-roasting bag inside the vessel. After supper is done & the leftovers put away, you just pull out the bag & toss in the trash. No clean-up!
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