Plate Or Palette

When I was growing up I wanted to be an artist. Then my junior year in high school I took a hard look at the art work I was doing. And I decided I wanted to eat more than I wanted to be an artist. I realized my talent wasn't going to pay the bills. But a tiny bit of that artist still resides in me. Today it is more likely that I enjoy the colors of vegetables as I slice and dice. Really. I enjoy combining colors in the pan or on a plate just as much as I used to enjoy mixing colors on a palette. There are many ways to be an artist.

Tonight's supper was quick and easy. And colorful. And delicious. Thank you, Martha Stewart. And thank you, Jessica for trying this before I did and declaring it yummy.

I made half the recipe tonight. Plenty for the two of us. It's slightly adapted from the original recipe. It was crispy on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside, with the mushrooms giving it an "meaty" bite. If you are looking to add a meatless meal every now and then, this is a good one to try.

SPINACH-AND-MUSHROOM QUESADILLAS

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 medium red onions, thinly sliced

8 oz. button or cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced (I used baby bellas)

6 oz. prewashed spinach, shredded

salt and pepper (I used House Seasoning*)

8 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas

8 oz. Mexican blend shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Warm 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch skillet. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook stirring occasionally, until they are tender, about 6-8 minutes.

Add spinach in two batches, letting the first batch wilt slightly before adding the rest. Cook until spinach is completely wilted and mixture is dry, 2-3 minutes total. Season with salt & pepper.

Brush one side of tortillas with remaining oil. Place 4 tortillas, oiled side down, on two baking sheets. Layer each tortilla with cheese, spinach mixture and more cheese, dividing evenly. Top with remaining tortillas, oiled side up. Press lightly to seal.

Bake about 10 minutes, until cheese has melted and tortillas are golden brown, turning them once. To serve, cut into quarters. 

*House seasoning:  Mix 1/4 cup salt, 1 tbsp. black pepper & 1 tbsp. garlic powder. Store in an air-tight container, such as an empty spice bottle.

Crazy Weather

What a weather roller coaster we've been on! Phone calls from west of here kept us updated on the mid-week weather in Mommy's part of the country. Warm temps, bad storms and snow—all within 24 hours. Yesterday a powerful tornado hit the ground 60 miles north of Jessica. Our temperature yesterday was 70 degrees. 70 degrees. In January. And today I'm going to need my warm jacket and a scarf. Crazy.

For the first time in ages I planned my menus for the whole week. Found a free menu planner page online that I liked and printed it out. On Sunday afternoon I jotted down a plan. It has made the grocery shopping and the cooking easier this week. Last night's recipe was chosen because I could make it earlier in the day and it would be ready when I walked in from handbell practice about 7:30. But because of the stormy weather yesterday, most Wednesday church activities in the entire upstate were cancelled. So from mid-afternoon on, I was free. Supper was already done and I had no where to go. Finished reading a book last night, thanks to unexpected time at home.

Here is the recipe for the stew I made yesterday. Just a good basic recipe that was easy to make. It made  enough for supper with extra for the freezer (2 quarts). From only three chicken breasts.

CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE STEW

1 (32 oz.) box fat-free chicken broth

3 or 4 skinned, bone-in chicken breasts (about 2-1/4 lb)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 (14-oz) package frozen white corn

1 (16-oz) package frozen baby lima beans

1 (14.5-oz) can crushed tomatoes (I used half a 28-oz can and froze the other half)

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup chopped country ham

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

Bring broth to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add chicken, onion and celery and return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from Dutch oven and let cool slightly.

Take chicken off the bones; discard the bones and shred the chicken.

Add the shredded chicken and remaining ingredients to the broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes or until beans are tender.

My only quibble with this recipe was the "1/4 cup of country ham." I had to buy a package just to use that small amount. I'm not sure it was enough to taste. I know they only used a little to keep this recipe healthy, but I think another time I would either use more (since I had a whole package of ham) or just leave it out. Daddy-O will probably get ham biscuits soon since there is a lot of ham left. He'll like that.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Unless you were born and raised here, I doubt you would ever understand what happens in a Southerner's mind when any kind of frozen precipitation is a possibility. It doesn't actually even have to snow. Just hearing the weatherman talk about it is enough. There is the natural reaction we have to rush out and buy milk and bread. But that's not all.

Today our high was 31 degrees. Cold enough for our birdbath to stay frozen all day. Here at the farm we only had a little drizzle and 87 sleet pellets. The county to our north did have some sleet accumulation. Tomorrow we all go back to the upper 50s. So today might have been my only day this year to wear the hat I knitted a couple of years ago. The only day to wrap up in the soft furry cowl that Jessica gave me a few Christmases ago. The only day to put on the boots that I've had for years. These days are rare for us.

Schools dismissed early. Government offices and banks closed in the afternoon. Meetings and church outings were cancelled. Next week they predict temperatures will be in the 60s and 70s. So we try to cram all our winter into a single day. Then I'll put the winter things back in the closet. Don't get me wrong. I really don't want months of cold weather. But a cold day every now and then is fun. I've stayed in this afternoon, keeping a lookout for a stray snowflake, and worked on a pair of socks for Daddy-O. And I'm making soup for supper. (I might have even popped a little popcorn.)

Mommy has been telling me about a soup she's been making since she moved west. Friends out there introduced her to these noodles. This morning I found the same frozen noodles at our local Publix. I've never heard of this brand but I'm making it tonight. Tonight is a soup-kind-of-night for sure. Mommy says, "Just follow the soup recipe on the bag of the bag. It's sort of a cross between chicken noodle soup and chicken and dumplings." 

I love that my daughters now give me ideas of what to cook. That (among other things) makes me feel like I've done a pretty good job as mother.


PS  The soup was as good as Mommy said it was. Thank you, Mommy!

Going Green

I don't make New Year's resolutions. But maybe this year I should have made one to eat healthier. It might be one I could have kept. My refrigerator has probably been wondering what the heck is going on. I'm not sure I've ever bought so much fresh produce. We've enjoyed all sorts of blended drinks lately, but today I wanted leafy greens. I've had a lot of smoothies in the last few weeks. 

And lo and behold, today I got a magazine that contained a recipe for kale salad. Since I had some kale left, I made the salad to put with the last of yesterday's soup. Tonight it was only dinner for one. Daddy-O had a dinner meeting with the cattlemen. We won't tell them I was home enjoying a meatless meal. I wasn't sure how kale salad would taste. But yeah! I liked it! Pretty sure I can feel the vitamins just rushing all through my body now.

BABY KALE SALAD

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons minced shallots (I used onion & a smidge of garlic)

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 lb. baby kale

1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese 

freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, shallot, salt and oil.

Use your hands and massage the kale in the dressing (which is the easiest way to mix it) to soften the greens a bit and then toss with the Parmesan cheese and season with plenty of black pepper. 

This is better if made hours ahead to let the kale soften and absorb the flavors of the dressing.

Makes 12 cups 

I only mixed up 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons minced onion, 2 teaspoons olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and a generous tablespoon of cheese to go with my partial container of kale. It really was dinner-for-one tonight.

Make Mine Minestrone

It's cold this week. And colder weather is coming! Just the thought makes me crave soup. And this recipe arrived in my email this morning from Weight Watchers. Some of their recipes are very good whether you are counting points or not. This looked like it was worth a try. I made a few minor changes to use what I had on hand (I'm still on a "use it up" kick here) like onion for leek and canned green beans for fresh, but I didn't stray far from the original. At least I didn't stray far in the ingredient list—but I cooked mine on the stove top because today that fit my schedule better.

So before I left the house this morning, I had soup for supper, soup to share and soup to freeze. The small taste I had when the soup was done makes me happy to think it will be waiting on me tonight when I get home from handbell practice!

SLOW COOKER MINESTRONE

1 (32-oz. carton) low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14-1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/basil, garlic & oregano
2 medium potatoes, peeled & diced
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise, sliced 3/4-inch thick
1 (19-oz.) can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
1 (8-oz.) can green beans, drained
1/2 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients except olive oil, salt & cheese in a 4-quart crockpot and cook on LOW for about 6 hours, until vegetables are tender. Stir in oil and salt. Sprinkle with Parmesan just before serving.

OR, YOU CAN COOK IT LIKE I DID—Combine all ingredients except oil, salt & Parmesan cheese in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir in oil and salt. Sprinkle with Parmesan just before serving.

Serves 8 (about 1-1/2 cup each)  WW PointsPlus per serving: 4

The recipe says that it freezes well and suggests doubling the recipe, using a 6-quart cooker to make extra. I always wonder about freezing a soup with potatoes in it but I'm going to freeze a single-serving bowl to see how it tastes when I thaw it. I'll let you know how it goes.  NOTE: THIS DID NOT FREEZE WELL—at least by my standards—mushy vegetables.

On the grandmother front, I got to chat with Baby Sister today while having lunch with other family. Can you imagine? Sitting at Chick Fil A and being able to see and talk to Baby Sister halfway across the country! Amazing. Love my gadgets.

UPDATE:  After making this soup and dividing it into portions to share, I found that I only had 6 servings instead of 8. I measured out 1-1/2 cup portions and I did measure every ingredient, so I'm not sure how they got 8 (1-1/2 cup) servings. And, yes, it was yummy. If you are counting points six portions will mean 5 points per 1-1/2 cup serving.

I feel like the person who measured the footlong subs last week and discovered they were only 11 inches.

So Easy So Good

I've been working on clearing out cabinets, drawers, closets and such for a while now. This morning I found a box of cake mix on the shelf with the "better if used by" date of a few weeks ago. And a can of pineapple that was not the size I meant to buy. I needed to use the cake mix. And then I remembered a recipe I made a few years back.

Three ingredients. You don't need a mixer. You don't even have to grease a pan. So if you decide Tuesday is as good a day to bake as any, you might give this a try. I made it years ago for a family Christmas gathering (wanted to have a healthier choice for me) and set it on the buffet along with the other desserts. When the meal was over, my macaroon cake was pretty much untouched. It's really good, but as Jessica explained, "When it's sitting beside a homemade ten-layer chocolate cake, a cheesecake and pecan pie, the macaroon cake is not going to be my first choice." 

So make this on a Tuesday. Make this for a snack. Make this because you've cleaned out the pantry. Make this for no particular reason except that it's easy and good.

MOCK MACAROON CAKE

1 (16-oz.) box  fat free angel food cake mix

1 (20-oz.)  can crushed pineapple in unsweetened juice

½ cup shredded sweetened coconut

½ teaspoon ground ginger (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º.

Mix all ingredients.  Pour into an ungreased 9x13-inch baking dish.

Bake about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Serves 20  (4 rows x 5 rows)  

The original recipe said to bake 35-40 minutes. Mine was done in just under 30 minutes. Go more by the golden brown color and the toothpick test than the minutes. And remember that angel food cake slices better with a serrated knife. 

If you are counting Weight Watchers PointsPlus, this is 2 points per serving. If you make the servings slightly larger (3 rows x 6 rows) it will be 3 points per slice. Still a good deal.

Oh yeah. This is good. I had forgotten how good. I had to eat a piece so I could make a photograph. Glad there was still coffee in the pot. Nice morning treat. 

Fresh Food For Thought

I treated myself to a new kitchen appliance a few weeks before Christmas. It was an impulse purchase I haven't regreted. (Can't say that about some other ones.) One friend commented, "So. You've got a new toy. Right?" It's been as much fun as a toy! Might be one reason you've seen fewer recipes here lately. I've been experimenting with all sorts of fruit & vegetable combinations as I learn to use my "super blender." 

When I ordered my Vitamix, I didn't realize that there are several other brands out there that do similar things--like blending whole fruits and leafy vegetables (including seeds and stems.) Each brand has its own passionate fans, but I'm happy with the one I bought. I did no homework before buying which is not my usual style. But this time it's all good. We have tried all sorts of mixtures for breakfast most mornings. There can't be anything wrong with getting more fresh foods into our diet. It's been colorful, to say the least!

I did spend a morning last week at Whole Foods watching a Vitamix demonstration. Well worth my hour to watch how he used the blender and to taste all sorts of crazy combinations that I would have never tried if I had only read the recipe–like the collards sorbet. You can find his recipes here if you're inclined to try any of them. If you have a regular blender at home, I'm not sure what adjustments you'd have to make, but I think some of them could be adapted. (Maybe by cutting the fruits up in smaller pieces and removing seed and stems?)

The biggest surprise? Mr. Meat-&-Potatoes—better known around here as Daddy-O—has liked the smoothies. Even the green ones. He even surprised himself, drinking blends of kale or spinach for breakfast. Baby Sister begged for more when she was here over Christmas. Why didn't I try this sooner?