Comfort Food

Today, we are experiencing a blizzard! You girls are enjoying watching the snow fall and pile up outside our doors.

I wanted to make some comfort food for a day such as this, so daddy made some ham & potato soup, and I made some cookies.

Here is daddy's potato soup recipe:
chop up about 5 red potatoes and an equal amount of ham and some carrots or green onions if you want. Throw all that in a pot and fill it with water till it just covers the ingredients. Cover that and put it on to boil. When it starts boiling, remove the lid and set your timer for 15 minutes.

In a separate pot, melt 5 tablespoons of butter. When melted, mix in 5 tablespoons of flour. Gradually whisk in 2 cups of milk - this all makes a rue. This should be done around or before the other pot is done.

When the pot of water is done, mix in a couple of tablespoons or cubes of chicken bullion, and salt and pepper to taste. Then add the rue to the first pot. Stir in a couple of handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese and that's it!

*You girls LOVE this soup and eat it right up!

Now, onto the cookies. I like my cookies big and fat, but it is hard to bake them this way-they often come out flat. In order to get them fluffier, your cookie dough has to be quite thick-thick enough, sometimes, that you have to use your hands to push in the chocolate chips! If my recipe does not create a thick enough dough, I will sometimes just add a little extra flour. Many people have told me that it is all dependent on the type of butter you use. I have personally not found this to be true, but perhaps you will find a certain great recipe for cookies that is largely dependent on butter! You never know.

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (I sometimes use half wheat flour to make them a little healthier.)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Here's another recipe for you. I made some granola bars this morning. I'm personally not really into granola, unless you talking about a granola bar with a s'mores flavor or with some chocolate chips. :) But I'm trying to eat a little (but only a little little) healthier these days, and granola is full of filling oats, so I thought I'd give it a go. I used Nana's recipe. Nana is a hard cook to follow, because her recipe is always "just however much you want, whatever you like." For a type A person like me, I need specifics. ;) But, here it is:

4 - 5 cups of oats
1 - 2 c wheatgerm
1/2 c - 1 c sunflower seeds
1/2 c - 1 c peanuts/cashews/almonds
1 c coconut
1/2 c - 1 c dried cranberries/raisins/blueberries/cherries (any or all work well)
1/4 - 1/2 c brown sugar
Mix dry ingredients.On stove top, mix together and heat:
1/2 - 3/4 c honey
1/2 c vegetable oil
shake of salt, cinnamon and vanilla
Slowly incorporate this heated mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring thoroughly. It takes very little to "coat" the cereal with this mixture, but if you feel it's not "wet" enough, you can make a little more of the liquid mixture to coat the cereal with. Spread onto a cookie sheet (may need a couple) and bake at 350 degrees for around 15 - 20 minutes. Let cool,breaking up any large lumps, then bag up or place in a lidded container. Makes a nice gift in a bag with a bow on it.

(I pressed all mine down into a 9x13 baking dish and cut later into bars.)

I ran out of honey, and did not even get 1/2 C out of the jar. By the way, I used Nana and Papa's honey.
So, at first, it appeared that I hadn't made the granola thick enough, but seeing as how I was in a blizzard, and couldn't run to the store for honey, I just went ahead with the recipe anyway. It actually turned out pretty well. The key is to wait awhile and let the granola set before you cut it up into bars. I was pleasantly surprised. I found this to be much tastier than anything I'd eaten from the stores.

Happy cooking, darlings!

Girls' Favorites

Dear Lara, your favorite:

Pasta Salad

One box of whole wheat spiral noodles, cooked (obviously) and rinsed.
Add one chopped cucumber (though you do not like cucumbers, so probably want to skip this part)
Add lots of sliced cherry tomatoes-about 15
Add half a bundle of green onions
Add 1/2 container of crumbled Feta cheese
Add 1/2 container of Italian salad dressing

(Advice: Do whole wheat any time you want pasta. Because then pasta IS good for you!!)

Dear Claire, your favorite:

Homemade Mac and Cheese

• 1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 (12 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook until done; drain.
2. In 9x13 inch baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded Cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs and melted butter. Sprinkle topping over macaroni mixture.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden.

(Advice: Always add a little more cheese than the recipe calls for!)

The essential ingredients

I was talking with a friend recently about meal plans and grocery lists. We started joking around about how there are certainly days that we do not do so well writing and sticking to our lists. We laughingly discussed what our essential items are when we are paying a lazy visit to the food store. So here are mine.

A) Unsweetened cocoa powder. For those homemade brownies.

B) Any kind of baking mix. For cheesy garlic biscuits.

Homemade Brownies:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
4. To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

Cheesy Garlic Bisffins:

(This recipe is from my cousin Candace, a wonderful cook!)

2 Cups baking mix

1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar

1 tsp garlic salt

enough milk to moisten into a dough form.

Mix ingredients and place in a greased muffin tin. I usually make about 10 out of this recipe. Cook at 350 degrees until golden (15-20 min).

So as long as I've got my chocolate, and my salt, I am a happy woman!!

On wine and waffles...

So we are credit-card-free, thanks to a blessing that came our way. It's not like we had that much credit card debt (or, at least, not in comparison to so many I know), but it was enough for us; and debt is debt. We cut up our cards, and toasted to our new lives over a bottle of moscato, and aged gouda cheese. Moscato is our favorite wine (in fact, the only wine I will drink at all) because it is sweet and bubbly.

Moscato is a good dessert wine. And on that note, a new dessert I like is...waffles. Big, fluffy waffles with syrup, and maybe some various chopped fruit on top, and definitely, positively, some whipped cream. You see, before closing one of the credit card accounts, we redeemed some reward points, and chose to get a waffle iron.

Up until recently, my interest in waffles was less than mediocre, until I visited Aunt Amber, who made really nice, fluffy, golden brown waffles one morning for breakfast-the sort you can really eat with appreciation, unlike the really thin, frozen ones at the grocery store (please don't do that to yourself). So, sad to say but it's true, upon this inspiration, I made my first homemade waffles just the other day. I thought they were so good, I had another after lunch, for my dessert.

Now, I've only tried one recipe. My readers are welcome to comment and include their recipes if they'd like.

Beat 2 eggs until foamy. Beat in, using a hand beater: 2 c flour, 1 3/4 C milk, 1/2 C Veggie oil, 1 TBS sugar, 4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla. Pour just a little less than 1 cup of batter on waffle iron, and cook for 3 1/2 minutes.

Chicken Noodles, just the way mommy makes them.

I think the best chicken & noodles are usually your mommy's, even if they aren't so spectacular. It's just one of those comfort foods that most of us have grown up with and love. My mom would make delicious chicken and noodles, with a big side of mashed potatoes. It was one of my favorite meals. I have a memory of sitting in the dining room, eating a big helping of chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes, reading a book from the Babysitters' Club series, and listening to a thunderstorm roll its way in. It is like the harsh food critic tasting Remy's ratatouille: it doesn't have to be the best food on the planet; it just has to remind you of the comfort of home.

So I boil a small chicken in a big pot of water. Boil it until the meat starts to fall off the bones. Once that happens, I call my big manly husband, and ask him (like a baby) to take the chicken out of the pot, because it's too hot for me. My mom probably never had to do that. Keep the liquid (broth) in the pan. If your husband one day throws the broth out because he "is just trying to help," and clean up your dishes, go easy on him, he has no clue. Let the chicken cool for a bit, then begin to shred it. The key here is to use your fingers. Throw the chicken meat right back in the pot of broth. Throw in a bag of wide, egg noodles (don't get extra-wide, I think they are too thin and flimsy). I think I usually use an Amish-style noodle. Go heavy on the salt and pepper. Next up, you can add some store-bought chicken broth or stock to the pot. I add a few cups. If you just put in water, or use a low-sodium chicken broth, talk about bland. Simmer it until the noodles are tender. Boil and mash some yukon gold potatoes, then there you go. Mommy's chicken and noodles.

Breakfast

Menolikebreakfasttime.

My ideal breakfast starts at 10am, and includes pop tarts, pepsi, and doughnut holes. Brought to me on a tray. In bed. The kids are at Grandma's and Nana's.

But breakfast is supposedly the most important meal of the day (prove it), so I usually (grudgingly) make up some french toast, eggs & bacon, etc. with a few days of oatmeal or cereal thrown in.

A co-worker of mine long ago said to me, "I have never eaten a poptart," upon watching our class of preschoolers eat poptarts for snacks. I stared at her quite speechless until she explained that her mother always made her family very big, home-cooked meals in the morning. "Still, a poptart, "says I, "is, like, a food group for college students." Crazy mothers sheltering their kids. ;)

Make up breakfast the day before (ie breakfast casserole), or make a big batch of things one morning and freeze a lot. Freeze french toast (scroll down for a recipe), waffles, etc. I don't like cooking in the mornings, so this frees up a lot of time for me.

We really like frittatas here! I have no idea how I learned how to make these, but here's my own recipe:

1. Beat several eggs in a bowl and let them sit out in room temperature until you are ready to use them. Season them.

2. Dice 2 potatoes, and cook them in a little olive oil in a cast-iron skillet, over medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.

3. Fry 4 slices of bacon. When the bacon is cooked, chop into small pieces.

4. Turn your broiler on to the low setting.

5. When potatoes are done, add in the bacon, some cheese of your choice, and pour the eggs over all. You want enough eggs that the other items are submerged in the eggs. Add in some garlic salt!!

6. Let the frittata cook for a few minutes on the burner, until you see small bubbles begin to appear.

7. When that happens, place it under the broiler for a few minutes, add a little more cheese to the top, and cook a few more minutes. It won't take long.

8. When it browns a little on top, take it out, cut it like pie, and enjoy! You can also add any vegetables (I would just add them to the same skillet at the potatoes while they are cooking). Like broccoli or peppers.

My breakfast this morning: Fennel tea w/ orange rind, poppyseed muffin (or 4), and egg whites.

Beef Stew

When I was little, one of my favorite meals was beef stew. I would smell the aromas all through the house, and say, "Mmm, I LOVE beef stew!" Then my sister Jill would say, "Then why don't you go marry it? Haha!" And for some reason, that would make me upset. :D

I use about 1.5-2lbs of beef stew meat from the store. I chop the pieces up smaller than they are in the package because this is SOUP. So you need bite size pieces, obviously.

I went to my mom and asked her how to make beef stew, and she shrugged and said, "I just do what it says on the back of the seasoning packet!" SO, following the instructions on the back of beef stew seasoning packet, coat the meat, then cook it til brown on all sides, add the water and seasoning, and let it simmer for an hour. Then you can add whatever chopped veggies you like, but for me, I only do potatoes, carrots, and celery. If you decide to add other gross things, I simply cannot vouch for the taste of your beef stew. :D

But once I add the veggies, I throw away the instructions. I always add more water. If the vegetables are submerged, you've added too much. For each cup of water I put in, I add a beef bouillon cube. And lots of salt, if you like flavor. If you don't like flavor in your food, then I suppose you could skip the salt. I simmer the stew for awhile, about 1 1/2 hours. So, altogether, after you've simmered just the meat, and cut up your vegetables during that time, the stew will take about 2 hours and 45 minutes to cook.

I made this last night, along with some honey wheat bread. Us girls went outside to play in the evening, and when we came back in, our noses red and runny, and our fingers numb, it was so nice to come into a warm house with delicious smells of food around.

Lara: Sniff. Sniff. Mmm, mommy, I smell something really yummy. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff.

Mommy: I LOVE beef stew!