Simple On The Side

There haven't been many recipes posted here for a while. The kitchen is still open and we are still eating, but I've been cooking "non-recipe" things like baked sweet potatoes and cooked cabbage and an assortment of peas and beans. Just plain cooking. Very plain.

But I did try one new recipe this week that was on the back of the lima bean package. It was an easy way to get another vegetable into the meal. Would I serve this if Martha Stewart was coming to dinner? No. Would I make it again for us? Yes. Daddy-O liked it. I might even take it to a covered dish dinner.

It's certainly not fancy. But it's a step above plain lima beans (which we like.) Just a fun way to dress up a basic side dish. I might add a little more garlic next time.

ITALIAN LIMA BEANS

1 (12-oz) pkg. frozen baby limas
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 can (14.5-oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt

Put frozen limas and bouillon cube in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 3 minutes, then reduce heat and cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain.

Add tomatoes (with juice), garlic and salt. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

'Tis What Season?

Finished Daddy-O's socks last night for a "Sock-tober" knitting challenge.

And woke up this morning in "Snow-vember."

We live in the deep South. Where it can be years between snows. Snow on November 1 is unheard of! Wonder what the rest of winter will bring? The good thing about southern snow is usually, like today, it was all gone in a couple of hours. Good photo op, but no fuss or muss with bad driving.

We might be debating if the current season is fall or winter. But without a doubt, it's still football season. Daddy-O's team plays on TV tonight and I thought hot dogs with homemade chili (from the freezer) and fries sounded like football food. 

Both recipes have been on the blog before—but years ago. It's time to revisit them. (I don't always have to come up with new recipes, do I?)

OVEN FRIES

4 baking potatoes

1 teaspoon cooking oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spray baking sheet with PAM. Scrub potatoes, pat dry and slice each potato lengthwise into 8 wedges.

Put potatoes in mixing bowl and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of oil. Toss to coat.

Bake on sheet for 15 minutes. Turn and bake 15 minutes more, or until they begin to brown.

(This time I cut my wedges thinner and they cooked much quicker.  Just go by the color.)

HOT DOG CHILI

1 lb. lean ground beef (I don't like extra-lean for this)

1/2 of a 24-oz. bottle of ketchup

1 teaspoon chili powder

salt & pepper to taste

Place everything in a saucepan and mix together. (No, I don't brown it first.) Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently as the meat on the bottom browns.  The meat will release it's juices as it cooks making it easier to stir. When it's all brown, cover and simmer on low heat for an hour. Or, 30 minutes. Or, somewhere in between. Stir every now and then.

Morning Glorious

This morning...

...the sun rises quickly...

...and gives me quite a show.

Now, it is up to me to do something useful with this day I've been given.

Sit Still And Knit

"My get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went" is something I used to hear people say. Last week I knew how they felt when they said it. I skipped everything on my calendar (and there was a lot of good stuff happening last week) for days and stayed home, rested and took my medicines. The only productive thing I did all week was to work on some half-finished knitting that had been in time-out. Nice to get a cap and a sock finished. Even this way.

Pattern: Kid's Fruit Hat

Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton

Needles: Size 5

Pattern:  Sock Recipe: A Good Plain Sock

Yarn: Regia World Ball (Italy)

Needles: Size 2

Fingers crossed there will be recipes to share later this week. Yes—it's Daddy-O who has his fingers crossed.

"There Is A Kind Of Beauty In Imperfection"

A Knitted Hug

Remember this blanket? I posted about it a few weeks ago. I took it to Baby Girl when we drove out for her christening. It was soft. Just right for keeping her warm this winter. Mommy said Baby Girl liked napping with it. She sent me a photo (the one at the top) so that I'd know it was being used right from the start. Until Mommy used it in the car soon after we left. Threw it over the baby in her car seat on a cold morning. 

When Mommy arrived at her destination, she pulled the blanket off. And SNAGGED IT on the base of the car seat. I got a panicked text message that she was afraid the blanket was ruined. Not only had a long strand of yarn pulled out from the blanket, that yarn had broken. What to do???

"Mail the blanket back to me--unwashed, untouched. Leave the damage alone." Until I could see what had happened. Thankfully, the blanket injury was near the edge. The repair isn't perfect but it won't likely be noticed by anyone who hasn't read about it here. And even then, you might have a hard time finding the spot. We KNOW Baby Girl won't notice. Or care. 

So as soon as I get that final frayed short end of yarn secured, I'll launder it. Then I'll mail it back to Baby Girl so that she can snuggle under this blanket for her naps again. 

And what if the blanket was beyond repair? It's just knitting. I would make her another one. Not such a disaster after all.

"There is a kind of beauty in imperfection" ~ Conrad Hall, cinematographer

I Needed Chocolate

Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

I feel a little bad sharing a recipe here that I probably would never serve to you. They taste good, but because of the unique ingredients, they kind of fall apart easily. But there are times when you might need this recipe. As muffins go, these aren't going to win a prize. But they have a place in your recipe box. I promise I'm never sharing a recipe I don't like!

I still haven't been grocery shopping. (I'm going today after my doctor appointment. Maybe.) So the items in my pantry are still limited. I hunkered down yesterday trying to shake this sinus-y thing. But all day I craved chocolate. And there was none here. Then last night I remembered a recipe we used to make often. In fact, it was the very first recipe I posted on this blog. PUMPKIN SPICE MUFFINS.

So I made a chocolate version. Not bad. Not bad at all. Because there is no egg in the recipe, they have a tendency to fall apart. I found they needed to cool completely in the pan before I could get them out intact. That's why I probably wouldn't serve you one. Big Sister used to make the spice variety often and she liked to make mini muffins which hold together better. Yes, the mini-muffins are the best way to do these. But last night I wanted easy. One pan of regular size muffins was all I could manage.

We started using this recipe when Big Sister had some food sensitivities and had to cut egg whites and soy from her diet. (Thankfully, she has outgrown these sensitivities.) And that pretty much eliminated all baked goods. Except this recipe. There is also no oil used in the recipe. So if you need to cut out eggs or if you are avoiding oils/fats, this is good choice.

I still like the spice version with the streusel topping best. But these were last night good with a cup of tea. And with a cup of coffee at breakfast this morning. After all, they're chocolate! How could they be bad?

CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN MUFFINS

1 box chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Devil's Food)
1 (15-oz.) can of pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º.
Mix the cake mix, pumpkin and water thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon into well-greased muffin tins. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Let cool in pan before removing.  (You might need to adjust your baking time if making mini-muffins.)

How easy is that?


Update: One injection and two prescriptions this morning--I should be on the mend quickly. ☺

Impossible Supper

Impossibly Easy Barbecue Beef Pie

The prospects for supper tonight were looking dim. It was looking like a supper at home was not gonna happen. It seemed impossible. I came home from our trip with a raging sinus problem. The kind where your eyeballs hurt. All I have wanted to do is curl up under a blanket and sit still. 

Daddy-O has been good about not asking me to cook anything. We've had supper from local restaurants—both of them—already this week. And I just couldn't ask him to do that again. Since I have not been to the grocery store since we got home, my cooking options, like my energy, were limited. 

But then I remembered the Impossible pies I used to make fairly often. I did have cooked ground beef in the freezer. There were two eggs and shredded cheese in the refrigerator. Bisquick and a bottle of barbecue sauce were waiting in the pantry. And since I was out of milk, I used evaporated milk. (You should always keep a small can or two of that on hand.) 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water = 1 cup milk. Works fine for cooking.

Since the only onion left in the pantry needed to be thrown out, I used a few good shakes of instant minced onion from a bottle that stays on the spice shelf. It was ready for the oven in minutes.

IMPOSSIBLY EASY BARBECUE BEEF PIE

1 lb. lean ground beef.

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup barbecue sauce

1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (divided)

1 cup Original Bisquick mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs

additional barbecue sauce, if desired.

Heat oven to 400°F. Grease bottom and side of 9-inch pie plate with shortening or spray with PAM.

In 10-inch skillet, cook beef, bell pepper and onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in 1/3 cup barbecue sauce. Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of the cheese.

In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk and eggs until blended. Pour over beef mixture.
Bake uncovered 25 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake about 5 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.

According to the online recipe from Betty Crocker:

"Savory Impossibly Easy Pies can be covered and refrigerated up to 24 hours before baking. You may need to bake a bit longer than the recipe directs since you’ll be starting with a cold pie. Watch carefully for doneness."

These pies are fun to make. They taste good. And they use things you usually have on hand. You can make dessert pies, breakfast pies, meat pies and vegetable pies. Just do a Google search for Bisquick Impossible pies. The "impossible" part is the fact that you don't need to make a crust. The milk, eggs and Bisquick make a crust as it bakes. Works for me!

So what did Daddy-O think about the supper? (Other than he was happy to have one.) He declared it, "Really good." "You can make this again." I'm glad, because supper tomorrow night will be leftovers.