Let's Do The Can Can

Vegetable Chili

We watched the weather news this week as the path of Hurricane Laura aimed towards the Texas/Lousiana coast. I have been thinking about those who will be impacted. One of the widespread problems likely will be power outages. When it covers a huge area, it can last for days.

Which brings me to today's recipe. It's a vegetable chili made from canned ingredients. Now I am totally in favor of fresh foods. And most of us use frozen vegetables to some extent. But canned vegetables have lowly status for many of us. But take a minute and think about it. If you are buying fresh produce, out of season, it may have been shipped thousands of miles to get to your grocery shelf. (Grapes from Chile? Peppers from Mexico? Blueberries from Canada? These foods have traveled more than I have.) So it may not be as fresh as you think. Frozen fruits and vegetables are a good choice as these items are prepped and frozen soon after picking. They will keep in your freezer for months. But our lowly canned vegetables can last for years in your pantry.

Canned foods are good for an emergency stash even if you are not a fan in general. Most canned vegetables will last beyond the date on the can. Google for specific information. The big exception is canned tomatoes. Because of their high acidity. you need to be mindful of the date and use them up accordingly. In fact, good management is good for all groceries. Unpack your groceries and put them away like the stock boy at the market. Put the new items toward the back of the shelf, pulling the older items forward. That's a good habit to acquire. 

If this truly is for your emergency stash, make sure you have a manual can opener. That electric can opener is not going to help you if the power is out. 

Are canned vegetables healthy? Canned vegetable count toward your daily servings of vegetables. They go from field to can while the vegetables are still fresh and full of nutrients. Do they have as many nutrients as you'd get from grocery store fresh vegetables? It depends. The "fresh" tomatoes may have been picked a long time before you buy and use them, losing nutrients as they travel across the country. One big concern is that canned foods are high in sodium. Look for salt free or low sodium items. READ YOUR LABELS. Some cans of beans contain nothing but beans and water and maybe salt. Others have additives to maintain color, etc. But canned vegetables/fruits still can be a better choice than those highly processed "food like substances" or bought fast food. But let's not get crazy from thinking about this. 

We are all suffering from decision fatigue right now. All I'm saying is it's not a bad idea to have a recipe or two or three that can be prepared with ingredients from your pantry shelf. This can be your backup plan if something happens to keep you from going to the store. (Like a pandemic quarantine?) And there are some tasty options. I like to keep an assortment of beans, peas, tomatoes and tomato sauce on hand. And there is almost always 100% juice packed pineapple—chunks, tidbits, and crushed—in the pantry. Canned pumpkin puree is another staple. 

I have been following one of the new WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) plans since the quarantine started. I am not new to WW. This is yet one more time for me. It's one good option to keep track of what and how much you are eating. Makes me pay attention to what I put in my mouth. This recipe started with a WW recipe I found online. A couple of adjustments made it mine. Years ago I often did a much simpler version of this—three cans (corn, kidney beans, diced tomatoes) and a teaspoon of chili powder. This one has a little more flavor to it. And it's still as easy.

VEGETABLE CHILI

2 teaspoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced (I used 1 teaspoon from a jar)

1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes (mine had green peppers, celery & onions)

1 (15-oz) can light kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-oz) can whole kernel corn, yellow or white, drained

1 (15-oz) can no-salt tomato sauce 

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to your desired level of hot)

1/4 teaspoon dried minced onion flakes

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, about 1 minute being careful not to burn. Stir in remaining ingredients. (It's helpful to measure the spices before you start.) Bring chili to a boil and let simmer 5-10 minutes to let flavors blend. 

Can serve topped with cheese, or over brown rice or a baked potato. 

I made this to have my lunches decided for the next several days. (Did I mention decision fatigue?) This was so much better the next day. So making it ahead would be a good thing. 

Here are some other "mostly made from cans" recipes that my friends and I have made over the years. Carol's Taco Soup even adds canned chicken. And it's yummy! And Missy's Santa Fe Soup has ground beef and onion, but then it's canned vegetables. You will notice the flavor profile of all of these are similar. It's a good things these are flavors I like. This marinated vegetable salad call for celery, onion and green pepper, but it's still mostly canned vegetables. And the recipe for Spiced Fruit Compote has been in our family for so long that I've forgotten where it started. These canned fruits are spiced up and make a tasty side dish. It's good for the novice cook who needs to take a dish to add to the table.  

Up And Down The Highway

Just popping in here for a couple of minutes during this very busy week while I'm home for a bit. We spent Easter with Mommy and her family. Jessica was there, too. It is the rare occasion when we are all together, so those are special times.

It was a big celebration. Baby Girl turns two this week, so she had a slightly early birthday cake.

And Jessica turned....well, more than two, just a few days before Easter. So there were two birthday cakes in addition to an Easter dinner.

We decided to make the weekend a little get away for us and we stayed at a lovely lake resort that is close to Mommy's house. Easter came early this year, and it was cool and rainy. We surely didn't expect a fire on Easter weekend, but it was a welcome sight when we walked into the hotel.

Maybe there will be another trip here one day when the weather is warm and sunny. I won't be heading back to the resort, but I will be zipping up and down the highway a couple more times this week, doing grandmother things. This is one of those weeks when I'm glad I've done my homework and filled the freezer with things to keep Daddy-O fed until I fed until I get home.

What's in the freezer? Things I know freeze well. One of Daddy-O's favorites is the Teriyaki Pineapple Beef. I freeze that in small portions, suitable for one generous serving. He can quickly cook rice and that's homemade dinner and one less fast-food meal for him. There is a new recipe that we loved, Unstuffed Cabbage Soup. It's so hardy that Daddy-O says he thinks it should be called something besides "soup."

There are a couple of bags of Pulled Pork. Easy to make a sandwich or to serve with a baked potato. I know there is a small baking dish of Baked Ziti and Chicken Pie, both ready to pop into the oven to finish baking.

I also put some small loaves of Banana Bread in the freezer a couple of weeks ago. Not exactly dessert, but it can either be a sweet treat or breakfast for him.

Now, one word of caution if you decide to fill up your freezer with cooked/almost cooked foods. Don't forget to use them! About three weeks ago, we had nearly emptied the freezer and I made a point of cooking things so that I could restock it.

This is NOT like money in the bank that you should leave untouched for as long as possible. Cooked foods that are frozen DO have a "best by" shelf life. I try to use the cooked things within a few months. I think the official recommendation is 1 month, but I know that the food is still okay a month or two past that date. But that container I found in the back of the freezer from last year? Not gonna eat that one.

So, wrap foods for the freezer properly. Label and date the packages. And then make a plan to use them within a reasonable time. I knew my schedule was going to be crazy for the next couple of weeks, so by the time things settle down, I think my freezer will be nearly empty and ready for another round of cooking.

Teriyaki Beef With Pineapple

 Teriyaki Beef with Pineapple

This week has been filled with evening meetings and lots of trips up and down the road from farm to town. It was a week that called for the easiest cooking I could think of. This slow cooker recipe has been here on the blog before, but if you a newer reader, you may not have seen it. Or, maybe you saw it and haven't tried it.

Three ingredients. Slow cooker. It can't get much simpler than this. And it's delicious. We cooked boil-in-the-bag brown rice and had leftover broccoli on the side. Man, it was nice to walk in the door at 7:30 and have supper on the plate within minutes. Daddy-O stirred in the pineapple tidbits shortly before I got home. Teamwork.

In my original post, I stated that I really liked the Archer Farms brand (from Target) of teriyaki sauce. Well, what do you know? My Target no longer stocks this. I think you might find it at another Target. I used a different brand this time--Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste & Glaze. It was just as good. So don't be a teriyaki snob. I think any kind will be fine.

TERYIYAK BEEF with PINEAPPLE

2 lbs. stew beef (my packages had 2-1/2 lb)
15-20 oz. jar Teriyaki sauce (I think this time, my bottle was 12 oz)
20-oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained

Put beef in slow cooker. (I used a 3-1/2 qt. size cooker)
Pour sauce over beef and stir.
Cook on LOW for 7-8 (or 10) hours or HIGH for 5-6 hours.
Add pineapple during last 20-30 minutes of cooking.


I know the recipe says to cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. Mine cooked for 10 hours because that's when I got home. You cannot cook chicken or pork tenderloin in the slow cook forever, but this beef recipe was fine.

Leftovers went into the freezer for a couple of easy single serve meals for Daddy-O during one of those weeks when I am away on grandmother duty. I have frozen this before and it works well.

January Is For Catching Up

 Teriyaki Beef with Pineapple

 

January is such a good month. The holiday madness is behind us. Not too many things on the calendar right now. For me, January is almost a month of hibernation. A chance to unclutter, to tidy up, to catch up on things left undone. I got to finish a couple of books I started ages ago. Delivered my sister's birhtday present—only three weeks late!

These knitting projects have haunted me by hanging around a long time. The watermelon socks sat unfinished for several months. And the baby socks? They were started over two years ago! It feels so good to have them done now.

Not sure when I will have this much time to stay home most days and knit, cook, read, or just do nothing in particular. Pure pleasure.

 Pattern:  8-Stitches Per Inch Sock by Ann Budd

Yarn: Abi Grasso Watermelon Self-Striping Sock Yarn with Seeds

Needles: size 2

 

 Pattern: Jeannee Baby/Toddler Socks

Yarn: Katia Mississippi 3-Print

Needles: size 3

I feel better now about starting some new projects. And I'm doing my best to use yarn that I already have here. It's what knitters call "stash." My stash isn't nearly as large as some have. But there is enough here to keep me knitting for quite a while. And while I'm at it, I'm also trying to use up things from the pantry.

During the holidays I tend to buy extras "just in case." Now, I'm choosing recipes to use up those extras. Like this favorite recipe of ours. It is the very easiest recipe to make. It's also very delicious. And the leftovers freezer beautifully for an easy dinner later. What more could you ask?

 

TERIYAKI BEEF with PINEAPPLE

2—2-1/2 lbs stew beef
15-20 oz. jar Teriyaki sauce (I like Archer Farms Teriyaki grilling sauce)
20-oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained

Put beef in slow cooker. (I used a 3-1/2 qt. size cooker)
Pour sauce over beef and stir.
Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 5-6 hours.
Add pineapple during last 20-30 minutes of cooking.

Serve over rice.

Summer Memories - And A New Recipe

 

When Little Sister and family arrived at the farm the last week of May, the summer stretched out ahead of us. We thought about their visit here in terms of months. Then when Mommy's teaching assignment ended the first part of July, we thought in weeks.

Now there are only days left before they load their car and begin the long drive home. What a summer we've had here. Lots and lots of play. Lots of books. Lots of exploring on the farm. There were good days at the lake. Little Sister's vocabulary now includes words like "baler" and "hay rake." She knows what frogs sound like at night. She's caught lightening bugs. She's watched snakes and rabbits and deer. And I promise there is a hummingbird who flies right up to our window to look when Little Sister waves at him. I think they can communicate.

Little Sister is going home with new boots and overalls. She said she was going to be a farmer. She might be the only child in her preschool who makes a real cow sound instead of saying "moo" when asked what a cow says. 

Big Sister was gone much of the summer visiting other family members, but she got home this week in time for driving lessons in the pasture. We're glad she's back. We missed her. Hard to believe that she's old enough to be getting ready for real driving.

To welcome her sister home, Little Sister baked brownies!

One thing Little Sister has learned here at the farm is to photograph her food for the blog. Last night she asked me to make a picture of her pretend ice cream when I was photographing the pineapple chicken. This is probably not the best thing she's learned this summer!  She has carried a very old Fisher-Price camera (it belonged to Jessica when she was little) around all summer and made many, many "pictures" of everything around the farm.

In the real food category, I'm looking for easy meals this week. There is so much to be squeezed into these last few days that my kitchen time needs to be efficient. But we still want good meals. I re-did a favorite slow cooker recipe yesterday. This Pineapple Chicken was as good as the original Teriyaki Beef with Pineapple. Mommy does not eat meat, so it's good to know this version works, too. 

PINEAPPLE CHICKEN

1 package boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 breasts, about 2 lbs.)

1 red bell pepper, cut in a large dice
15-20 oz. jar teriyaki sauce (I used Archer Farms Teriyaki Grilling Sauce)
20-oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained

Cut chicken into large chunks. (I cut each breast into 3 strips lengthwise, then into large chunks)
Add chicken pieces and peppers to slow cooker. (I used a 3-1/2 qt. size.)
Pour sauce over chicken and stir.
Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours.
Add pineapple tidbits during last 20-30 minutes of cooking time. 

I served it over brown rice and made roasted asparagus to go with it.

We are not sure what Mommy and Daddy will do at home when Little Sister wants to go "drive" the truck. Or the ATV. Or the blue tractor. Or the orange tractor. Or the baby tractor (lawn mower.) Or the Jeep. She's had so much fun sitting in the driver's seat and turning the steering wheel on every vehicle on the farm. 

I told her daddy that he might have to buy a truck just to park in their driveway. When things were not going well here and Little Sister was unhappy, a trip to "drive" the truck always made the tears disappear.  Will Daddy-O ever get everything reset after all of her button pushing and knob turning? I don't know. But he loved every minute. 

Yes, we have made good summer memories.

Super Monday

I spent a good part of my weekend at Knit Inn 2013 in Greenville, taking classes, visiting with old friends and meeting new ones. Several hundred knitters take over a hotel for three days. Every possible spot is filled with knitters—in the lobby, in the dining area, in the ballrooms. I always wonder what the few non-knitting hotel guests think when they first walk in.

I knew I would not get home on Friday until supper time. I was glad to have Pineapple Beef in the freezer. A terrific slow cooker recipe I've posted here before. Now I know it is just as good from the freezer as it was the first time. (I was not the one who brought Krispie Kremes into the house.)

Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday. We had no particular interest in either team—although it turned out to be a great game. Almost as good as the Downton Abby episode I watched mid-game. But it was as good excuse as any to try a new snack recipe. 

Made hummus for the first time just after I walked in from a church meeting. Super easy to do. The tiny little plastic cup you get at the grocery store is good. But this was so easy to make and cost so much less, I don't think I'll buy it much any more. There are plenty of recipes on the internet but I tried one from Ina Garten. And then I changed it to suit us. You'll find my recipe below.

And this morning I woke up to see this glorious sky, thankful I get another day to do life all over again. Life is good. Thank you, God.

HUMMUS

3 cloves garlic (garlic cloves come in all sizes, so make it suit your taste)
2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt (if you use table salt, you might want less)
1/3 cup Tahini paste
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 2 lemons
3-4 tablespoons liquid from beans (or amount needed to reach desired consistency)
8 dashes hot sauce

Peel garlic cloves. Dip them into boiling water for 30 seconds to mellow the "raw" garlic flavor, unless you like the stronger raw taste.

Using a food processor or blender, turn it on and drop garlic into moving blades to mince it. Turn off blender and add the remaining ingredients and blend until coarsely pureed. Taste and adjust the seasoning to suit you. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

TERIYAKI BEEF with PINEAPPLE

2 lb. stew beef
15-20 oz. jar teriyaki sauce (I used Archer Farms Teriyaki Grilling Sauce)
20-oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained

Add stew beef to slow cooker. (I used a 3-1/2 qt. size.)
Pour sauce over beef and stir.
Cook on LOW for 7-9 hours or HIGH for 5-6 hours.
Add pineapple tidbits during last 20-30 minutes of cooking time.

Freezes well, if you have leftovers. Freeze flat in a freezer ziploc bag and it will thaw quicker than if frozen in a "block" in a plastic container. Be sure to label and date.

Back In The Saddle (Oops, Kitchen) Again

Hello, kitchen. Remember me? It's my first time cooking in over two weeks. Thankfully I remembered a recipe I saw recently on another blog. Three ingredients. Slow cooker. No peeling. No chopping. Sounded exactly right for a cook on the mend.

Turns out it was perfect. Daddy-O's comment: "Great!" And then he had seconds. And thirds.

TERIYAKI BEEF with PINEAPPLE

2 lbs. stew beef
15-20 oz. jar Teriyaki sauce (I used Archer Farms Teriyaki grilling sauce)
20-oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained

Put beef in slow cooker. (I used a 3-1/2 qt. size cooker)
Pour sauce over beef and stir.
Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 5-6 hours.
Add pineapple during last 20-30 minutes of cooking.

I used a Teriyaki grilling sauce from Target (Archer Farms brand.) This is not just the basic teriyaki sauce that I've used for years as a marinade. This is thicker. According to the photo, the recipe on the first blog used a specialty Kikkoman Teriyaki glaze. I was very happy with the Target brand.

Boil-in-the-bag brown rice and steamed broccoli were easy sides to finish this meal. Yeah me! I actually cooked a whole meal. A good one.

Just had to share a photo of this sweet face. Baby Sister went on her first field trip today. To Krispie Kreme, no less! Sweets for the sweet. Can't wait to see her (and the rest of her family) soon.

Back To School

School started today for Big Sister. I can't wait to hear how it went. Or, maybe I can. Starting middle school in a place where you know no one has to be hard. So while I'm wondering how she is today, I decided to cook. Keeping busy.

Here on the farm, our electricity comes from a rural electric co-operative. And the electric co-ops across the state send out a magazine each month. The first page I always look at is in the back. It's the one with recipes from co-op members. (The pineapple cake last week came from an old issue.) I didn't realize that other states do the same thing. Imagine my surprise when I first arrived at Mommy's new house and there was a copy of their new electric co-op magazine, complete with recipes! I copied those two back pages and packed them in my suitcase days before I left so I would be sure not to forget them. Today I'm trying the first of those recipes from that far-away state.

Since in the last couple of weeks, we pretty much cleaned out all of the foods I had stashed in the freezer earlier in the summer, I divided this recipe in two square pans and I put one in the freezer for later. I'll let you know if it survives the freeze-thaw-bake process. There's no way to find out except to try.

Taco Lasagna

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup water
1 envelope taco seasoning
15-oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained
14.5-oz. Mexican diced tomatoes, undrained (I used Del Monte Diced Tomatoes w/Zesty Mild Green Chilies)
6 flour tortillas ((8-inch)
16-oz. can refried beans
3-4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

In a large skillet, cook beef, green peppers and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add water and taco seasoning and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes. Stir in black beans and tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Place two tortillas in a greased 9x13-inch dish. Spread with half of refried beans and half of beef mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining tortillas and cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.


Update: I should really start typing out the recipes before I make them. I baked this uncovered. Not sure it matters. This is really good. At least the first pan--won't know about the one in the freezer until later.