Hearty Southern Salad

Instead of our traditional meeting, my cookbook club hosted a Friendsgiving party in November.  In addition to cornbread stuffing, I took a satisfying salad. Y'all, this salad was so good we ate it without dressing. If you want dressing, I'd suggest Buttermilk Ranch, Italian or a honey balsamic.

Mix equal portions torn or chopped spinach and arugula. Toss with halved cherry tomatoes, chopped bell pepper, diced Vidalia onion and quarter sized slices of (soaked, cooked and cooled)  country ham. Add about 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar, if desired. 

For croutons, make Bigger Isn't Better Buttermilk Biscuits with the smallest biscuit cutter. Cool biscuits and then toast under broiler until desired crispiness. Toss into salad. Be sure to add the croutons last as they will eventually soften once mixed with the rest of the salad

ATM Favorite Cookbook: Victuals by Ronni Lundy

I was thrilled the moment I unearthed this book from its packaging. The cover is beautiful. The recipes are delicious. The research is well done and the stories beautifully told. It wonderfully explains the food of the past and present NC mountains. Can we just say that I am in love with this book?

This is one beauty that will not be leaving my shelf. Victuals is what you get when a well written history books and a delightful cookbook come together as one.

I made a huge list of recipes that I wanted to try from this book but thus far I have made:

Remembrances of Jerry's Past Chili- This chili was fabulously meaty. I can see why it inspires memories. My husband would have preferred more heat but I think it can go either way.

Doorbell Pork with Hominy and Greens. I subbed spinach for this but it turned out just as I imagined. My pork chops looked pretty much like the picture. This recipe is a prime example of how well written the recipes are and how simple they are to follow.

Cornbread- My cornbread turned out gritty. This is most likely user error. It smelled heavenly, thanks to the bacon grease.

Cornbread Soup- I thought this soup was a brilliant idea but I didn't really care for it. I thought the combination of buttermilk, leeks and celery was just too tangy for my liking.

Chipped Ham with Bigger Isn't Better Buttermilk Biscuits- The gravy is delicious. The biscuits are superb and simple and I will definitely be adding them to my repertoire.

Chicken and Dumplings-These are all the way from scratch y'all. And they are banging. Good flavor and the chicken was so juicy. I didn't have a lemon so I used an orange. Perfection. I'd make the roasted chicken again as a standalone main. It was so easy! I still can't get over how tender and juicy the chicken was.


I think I loved this book so much because, I, too, am from the porch sitting people that Lundy shares stories about and I dream of being a porch sitter in the hills of North Carolina. Victuals has inspired me to check out Mr. Lundy's other books.

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a review. Opinions are 100% mine and 100% honest.

Korea Eats

I may have mentioned that the hubster and I spent a little  time in South Korea. One of the things we miss is the food...especially the Korean barbecue.

So, when I was offered the chance* to check out Koreatown by Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard I jumped at the chance. The hubster was pretty excited too as he liked Korean food a lot more than me because a lot of it was spicy!

I tried quite a few recipes out of this book. One the first night I made bulgogi, bok choy kimchi, sigeumchi muchim (soy and seasame spinach) and Kongnamul muchim (crunchy seasame bean sprouts).

The bulgogi was the best part of the meal that night. Although it didn't taste quite like bulgogi it was still very flavorful and delicious.

 I asked my husband what he thought and he gave me his verdict with his thumb-o-meter:

The bulgogi:

The bok choy kimchi:

The kimchi looked so good and he was sooo excited for it but it tasted like a long dead fish. I used less fish sauce than the recipe called for because I knew we both aren't fans of it and it still came out too fishy. He said the spiciness was dead on but he couldn't get past the fish flavor. Neither could I, so the whole jar went straight into the trash!

The second night I made bibimbap:

I thought the bibimbap was a good way to use up the spinach and bean sprouts that weren't especially good on their own and the bibimbap sauce turned out really well too. Mike enjoyed his but didn't agree with my verdict that it was better than any bibimbap I ate in Korea. I said that mainly because there are a few "veggies" thrown in that I usually didn't like and a lot of times bibimbap is served lukewarm and I really hate eating lukewarm food. Give it to me hot. Give it to me cold. Or don't give it to me! :)

The bibimbap verdict:

The overall Koreatown experience?

I think that this cookbook makes Korean food accessible to the masses. It tells you were to find items that aren't traditionally found in a Western grocery store. There are a lot of pictures, which I liked. I also liked all of the stories and side notes. I feel like I will make more recipes out of this book as I found a good many that I want to try. 

There's also a "fusion" section with recipes like Korean sloppy joes or a shrimp and grits style pajeon.

*I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Smoky Salmon Penne

I love pesto.
I love pasta.
I love bacon.
I love summertime.

How do all these things go together you ask? Well, in this recipe the first three combine to make the perfect summertime pasta. It is delicious eaten hot or cold. I had it hot for lunch one day and then cold a few days later. I ate it as my main dish but, in a smaller portion, I could see it as a side. Maybe for a turkey burger with red onions. Yummy.

It's a little salty from the bacon, smoky from the charred peppers and bacon, cheesy and creamy from the pesto. And the tomatoes and salmon each add a nice pop of flavor.

What are you favorite summertime dishes?

Ingredients: 

1/2 white onion, chopped fine
2 jalapenos, chopped
2 garlic stems, chopped fine
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
15 halved cherry tomatoes
4 strips bacon, crumbled (reserve grease)
1 can salmon, drained
4 servings cooked penne pasta
2 tablespoons pesto
a liberal sprinkling of McCormick's Italian Seasoning

Procedure:

1. Stir pesto into cooked and drained noodles. Set aside.
2. Using the  reserved bacon grease sautee jalapenos, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Sprinkle liberally, or to taste, with Italian Seasoning.  Onion should soften and the peppers should char slightly. Add cherry tomatoes.
3. Drain salmon and add it to the vegetables. Stir until warmed through.
4. Add crumbled bacon and penne to the mixture. Heat through. Serve hot or refrigerate and serve cold.

Tomato Steaks

I've always been a tomato loving girl. My parents and grandparents always grow big gardens and I loved eating whatever they grew! When my husband and I loved in PA I had a few cherry tomato plants and I've missed being able to eat fresh fresh fresh tomatoes.

Well, last week was Teacher's Day and one of my (few) sweet students brought me some tomatoes! Yummy! Time to get cooking:

Tomato Steaks

Tomato steaks pictured with duck and carrots in gravy. 

Ingredients:

one large ripe tomato, sliced

Italian seasoning

black pepper

a few thin slices sharp cheddar cheese

about 1 green onion, chopped

1. Liberally sprinkle both each slice with Italian seasoning and black pepper on both sides. 

2. Place slices in a heated pan over medium heat.

3. Cook until the underside is warm to the touch, about two minutes.

4. Flip the tomatoes. Top with thinly sliced sharp cheddar.

5. Cover with finely chopped green onions. 

6. Remove from the heat when tomato is warm throughout and cheese is melty.

Enjoy!

*I used McCormick's Italian Seasoning Grinder. I was so happy to find it on the discount rack at a Korean grocery. 

7-7-7

This year I decided to forgo resolutions and set 7 goals for myself in 3 different areas of my life. I always make culinary goals because they are fun for me to accomplish and I get the satisfaction from checking an item off my list.

This year I decided to also make faith and writing related goals because they are very important areas of my life.

What about you, did you make any goals or resolutions for the new year?

 

 

Faith

1. Read Bible daily.
2. Read Keep it Shut.
3. Keep a prayer journal.
4. Go to church regularly.
5. Practice being kind.
6. Weigh what I want to say against Scripture before I speak.
7. Share my faith with others

Writing

1. Write the final chapter of my book.
2. Do a weekly Mama Kat prompt.
3. Do a biweekly Daybook post.
4. Do 3+ blog posts a week.
5. Write 104 pages of Patience.
6. Write 24 new Westbound poems.
7. Keep up more with my inspiration journals.

Culinary

1. Make vegetable stock regularly.
2. Learn to make beef gravy.
3. Make a fried dessert.
4. Make a rice cooker cake.
5. Try brownie pancakes (with peanut butter sauce?).
6. Learn to make tortillas.
7. Learn how to make a Korean dish from scratch.

What did you accomplish in 2014?

Ewww...Persimmons.

Okay, I don't think persimmons are eww.


I just think they taste like nothing.

If you know me, then you know I'm a flavor gal. If I'm going to eat something I want it to have lots of flavor. My favorite cake is lemon with chocolate frosting and blueberry filling. Lots of flavor going on in that one. Are you catching a ride on the flavor train?

So, when my sweet neighbor presented me with a bag of 10 persimmons I freaked. And by freaked, I mean I went on a pinterest and googling safari.

And I found many good looking recipes for jams and fruit butter but all of them required the persimmons be pureed, and I don't know if you've seen my kitchen, but that's not happening in here.

Anyway, I finally stumbled upon this delicious sounding recipe from Cook Play Explore.

So, I adapted it to fit my current living situation. Here we go:

8 persimmons, peeled and chopped
8 tablespoons water, divided
4 tablespoons honey
2 capfulls of orange juice
about 2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons flour

Combine  persimmons, 4 tablespoons water, honey, and orange juice in a saucepan and  bring to a boil over medium heat (for 5 minutes). Reduce heat to medium-low, add cinnamon, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining four tablespoons of water. Add to fruit in pan and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and cool before storing.

I let mine sit in the fridge overnight. Then, I mixed it with my plain yogurt. It was scrumdiddlyumptious! 

What do you do with your persimmons?

Taco Tuna Rice

I first made this dish for myself, without the tuna. My husband thought it looked and smelled delicious even though he isn't a rice fan.

I knew he would like it, but as a side not, a meal in itself so I started to think of ways I could beef it up for him while keeping it a relatively cheap meal. I immediately thought of adding some tuna. I'm not a tuna fan. He's not a rice fan. Maybe they would transform each other into something, not only palatable but delicious.

And it worked!

Here's the recipe I cobbled together. It's extremely flexible and can easily be adjusted to suit your tastes. Note, I made just around 3 servings.


Sautee diced onions, spicy peppers, minced garlic and about half a can of corn. Sprinkle with cumin. Add 2 servings cooked rice and half a packet of taco seasoning. Add a large can of drained tuna and stir to combine. Mix in salsa, just enough to cover but not enough that the meal is watery.

Cook until heated through and top with shredded cheese. I used Monterrey Jack.

I think that all of the flavors help to mask the tuna. I could barely taste it and it was really mild.

I'm linking up today at Oh Simple Thoughts. The discussion question today is how do you make your table a safe place for guests.

I think its really important to make people feel comfortable. I remember the first time I invited someone over for dinner on a whim. I invited them a day in advance because we had been scheduled to go out for dinner but I told her I felt like doing something more low key.

I am still amazed to this day that I didn't panic. I'm a planner by nature and I love to plan out dinner menus and decorations. If we're having company over for dinner I like to adjust my work schedule so that I can home earlier and get prepared.

I didn't do any of that that day but we still had an amazing dinner together. I made hot potato salad. I didn't even start cooking until my guest arrived! But we talked and shared wine as I cooked.

I think its really important to connect with your guests and not seclude yourself in the kitchen. They want to interact with you!

Also, I usually like to plan a variety and abundance of food. I would rather have to much and eat leftovers for the rest of the week than not have enough food for everyone to walk away feeling satisfied.

Stovetop Dinners

Since our move to South Korea, we haven't had an oven.  That coupled with the high grocery store prices has seriously limited the variety of meals I'm able to make.

One of our new favorite meals is a spin off Tuna Helper. My husband mentioned that he would like a "Helper" style meal. However, we are trying to eat better and boxed meals aren't readily available here.

So, I turned on my thinking cap...err...opened Pintrest. I typed in homemade helper and was greeted with lots of homemade versions of these ready made favorites.

We've tried a bacon cheeseburger version and a tuna. Hands down the tuna has been the best.

I created a recipe that suited our tastes based on the one I found at Iowa Girl Eats.

I'm going to be honest with you. This dish does not photograph well! But it tastes amazing. Promise.  Here's a picture anyway.

The recipe is really simple.

Boil and drain egg noodles or your favorite pasta. We use fusilli.

Sautee onions and spicy peppers in butter until soft. Season with salt and pepper.
Add in 1 1/2 tablespoons flour. Cook another minute.
Whisk in 3/4 C chicken broth and then 1/2 cup milk.

Add drained tuna, salt and pepper to taste and the cooked noodles.
Stir to combine. Turn off the heat. Stir in 1/4 C sharp cheddar (grated) until melted.

Serve it up!

Try this blueberry crisp for dessert.

Note: This dish heavily caters to my husbands preference for spicy food. To me, it's almost too spicy. However, it is so good it doesn't stop me.

PS: This is the dish I was making when I realized just how hot my kitchen was. The cheese was melting faster than I could grate it.

Do you have a favorite stovetop supper? I'm in the market for new recipes!

Once a Month/Week Cooking Review

If you remember, a few weeks ago I tried my hand at freezer cooking. I opted to try just a weeks worth of meals to see how the process worked for my family.

Boy am I glad I let me husband talk me into that! Otherwise we would have wasted a huge amount of food.

I made 7 recipes and only 5 came out edible and only 3 were enjoyable.

The pasta tasted terrible, although it had smelled amazing on cooking day.
The pizza crust refused to bake, but the toppings and sauce were delish.
The chicken cordon bleu, was so-so.
The breakfast burritos were a hit with the hubby.
We both enjoyed the breakfast and bean burritos.
The meatloaf tasted okay but took almost 2 hours to cook.
I like the taste of the frozen fruit cups, but they take a good 20 minutes until they are thawed enough to get a spoon into. Maybe my freezer is too hard core. Because they take so long to thaw I have been eating them as dessert instead of breakfast.


I think I'll try the pizza again, make it, bake it and eat it all in the same day.

Overall, I think I will just strive to do my chopping and prepping in advance but leave everything to be cooked the day of.

How have your once a month cooking experiences gone?

PS: I'm going to be looking for a few guest posters soon. Email me at rrwrites at hotmail dot com if you're interested!

Freezer Cooking

Has anyone ever tried Once A Month cooking? I've been contemplating it for some time. And then I was introduced to Once a Month Mom. Its a subscription based site, but does offer quite a few free menus to try before you buy, including diet and whole foods. 

After discussing this with my husband, he suggested that we try cooking only one week worth of meals, to use during the my 5pm week. I spent about 2.5 hours preparing 5 dinners and about 14 breakfast servings.

I made:

BBQ Pizza
Pasta Primavera
Pizza Stuffed Meatloaf
Beef Burritos
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Frozen Fruit Cups (breakfast)
Chorizo and Egg Burritos (breakfast)

Since I was cooking for a only a week I was able to make a menu pieced together from several of the sites menus. I'll update you later in the week on how the recipes tasted.

Any freezer cooking tips?

Real Food

Do you eat a lot of processed food?

We do.

Do you notice sometimes it makes you feel ick?

I've been a follower of a food blog, 100 Days of Real Food, for sometime now but I am only now trying to change our eating habits.

We eat a lot of convenience foods: frozen pizza, frozen perogis, boxed potatoes and mac n cheese from a bag.

It just so easy.

But when I read about all of the crap thats in the food (some ingredients shouldn't even be considered edible) it scares me, makes me question to long term effects and makes me want to change.

But I'm starting slow as to not overwhelm ourselves.

I've switched from flavored yogurt with artifical color, flavor and high fructose corn syrup to plain greek yogurt and fruit and honey that I add.

We've gone back to butter. And butter without any added ingredients.

I've tried switching to peanut butter that contain just nuts and salt, but the texture and taste is just so overwelming.

Are there any brands of nonprocessed PB that you prefer?

What healthy eating changes have you made?

What should be next on our "things to cut out list"?

How do you make eating and cooking real foods, easier for your family?

I'd love any suggestions you'd like to offer!

Cooking Through Christmas

I bought this awesome Christmas themed cookbook from Taste of Home for $10.

They are a ton of great recipes...some new takes on old favorites and others new altogether to me. I've compiled a list of recipes I want to try. I've numbered them and plan on testing as many as I can. I've chosen the first one: Date Swirl Cookies! The recipe follows below. If you'd like to pick the next one I test be the first to comment with a number from 1-329. There are a few other recipes I will post but you can chose the next to be made.

I didn't get a picture because they flew off the table at work.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups pitted dates, chopped
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 cupss all purpouse flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

In a saucepan, combine dates, 1/4 cup sugar, water, nuts and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirr constantly until thick. Let cool.

Beat butter, brown sugar, egg , egg and remaining sugar. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Chil for half hour.

Roll dough on a floured surface into a 1/4 in thick rectangle. Spread with date mixture. Start at the long end and roll up like a jelly roll.

Wrap with waxed paper, chill for at least 4 hours.

Remove paper and slice (1/8-1/4 inch). Place on a greased baking sheet, around 2 inches apart.

Bake 375F for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack

Made 3-4 dozen.

2 Easy Recipes= 1 Great Dinner

I made these awhile back and just haven't gotten around to finishing the post. That actually happens a lot. As many drafts as I have I should have a new post going up every day but that rarely happens.
I'd been craving fried chicken but didn't want to go out to a fast food place for some, and as luck had it I happend to be flipping through channels when I stumbled upon some blonde lady, that I didn't recognize making "easy fried chicken". Sold!
Easy Fried Chicken!
Take your chicken breasts, or thighs or whatever you prefer, and let them soak in buttermilk for 20 minutes or so. Dip the meat in to a 1 part paprika 3 parts flour mixture, back into the buttermilk and then back into the flour mixture, pressing to adhere it to the chicken. Pop into hot oil for three minutes. Promply remove and bake in a 350 degree oven, on a bakng sheet for about 30 minutes. Presto- a crunchy "fried chicken"
And to go with it I made Twice Baked Buttermilk Potatoes. I'd always had twice baked potatoes from the store and thought they tasted like regurgitated cardboard. But Mike likes them (along with instant potatoes that you make from pieces that look like cardboard. I swear that boy must have not had a decent culinary childhood. But I digress), so I thought I would try to make  them at home...and they turned out super yummy!
Twice Baked Buttermilk Potatoes
I put two potatoes in the microwave until tender and then let them cool until room temperture. I scooped out the insides and mixed them with 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1tbsp melted butter, salt and pepper and chunks of cheddar cheese. I popped the mixture in the microwave to insure that the butter and cheese melted and mixed all into everything else. I filled the skins back up, sprinkled with paprika and popped into a 350F oven for 15 minutes. YUMMY!

Completey, Totally Yummy!

I could eat this stuff for days- it is that good. It's a recipe for Cowboy Beans and Sausage that I found in my Woman's Day cookbook. I followed the recipe and then topped it with grated cheese and crumbled cornbread. But you have to use Aldi's Baker's Corner cornbread mix. I've never had any mix other than Jiffy until the other  night and this stuff knocked my socks off. It was very light and had a slight honey taste to it. Mmmm!
Here's the recipe for the Cowboy Beans and Sausage
1 can pintos1 can kidney beans1 can black beans8-16 oz Kielbasa or smoked sausage1.5 cups chopped onions3/4 C bbq sauce2 tbs pancake syrup or sugar1 tbsp cider vinegar
1. Brown the sausage and remove from skillet.2. Add onions and cook until tender3.Add bbq sauce, syrup and vinegar and bring to a boil.4. Cook 15 minutes, covered over medium heat. 5. Sprinkle with cheese and serve with Aldi's cornbread- I loved my cornbread  crumbled into it! Mmmmm!

Easy Pineapple "Gumbo"

I discovered thsi tasty concoction last night while throwing together a bunch of leftovers. I used:

1. 1 box of rice a roni (rice pilaf) and followed the directions
2. leftover smoked sausage or kielbasa, chopped
3. leftover pineapple chutney (pineapple and onions tossed with salt pepper and 1 tsp of hot sauce and heated in the skillet)
4. raw mushrooms
5. shredded pepperjack

I made  the rice according to the directions. While that cooked I reheated the sausage and chutney and mushrooms in a skillet. When they were both done I combined them and topped with cheese.

What a perfect way to sneak in five food groups grains, fruit, dairy, veggies and meat!

Raw Vegetable Amish Casserole

I loved this! But Mike only thought it was "so-so", but he's not as into his vegetable as I am. I can't get enough of them. This meal reminded me of when my Girl Scout troop would go camping. For dinner we would wrap Veggall (sp?), potatoes and hamburger meat in aluminium foil and throw them in the fire to cook. MMMMM!

In a caserole dish, layer cabbage, slice potatoes, onions, zucchini, carrots and more onions. Do that in any order, but start with the cabbage. Salt and pepper between the layers. Optionally, butter the potatoes. On top sprinkle approx. a pound of raw hamburger meat. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 1.5 hours. Top with lots of cheese before serving!

The only picture I remembered to take was during the layering process

Have you made anything like this?

Friday Favday

Here's what I've been craving over the past week!
Caramel Apple Cake....this sounds llike heaven on a plate
Chocolate Churros...I discovered churros in Ireland and have been wanting to bake them since
Chocoalte Chip PB Biscotti
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce....I love teriyaki flavoring, so it'd be great to be able to whip it up
Baked Potato Pizza...Mandy is brilliant, what else is there to say?
I'm linking up with Finding Joy in My Kitchen

What I've Been Eyeing!

Here's a list of posts that caught my attention this week!

Cannoli Pound Cake.....mmmmmm I love cannolis

Gorgeous Handmade Poinsetta Pillows...I want to make these by Christmas

Strawberry Jalepeno Cupcakes....Mike isn't big on sweets but I think he might like these

Parmesan Crackers....these look simple and tasty

Baked Skinny Fries....I think we'll have these for dinner tonight

Fruity Breakfast Burrito....I had my version of these for breakfast this morning...more later

Magic Refrigerator Bread.....is rising as we speak!

I'm linking up with Friday Favorites!

Valentine's Dinner

I'd planned on having cheddar chicken for dinner last night, but since it was valentine's I wanted to make it a little more special.

Thankfully, Rachel Ray stepped in and on her talk show last week showed me how to butterfly and stuff a chicken breast. Basically, you gently cut the chicken breast open like a book.

I did that and then sauteed onions in butter and then stuffed them into the chicken and then followed the rest of the recipe as usual. I served it with field peas (one of my favorites). Mike had, to my suprise, never had them, but loved them! And I made extra breasts so that we both can have valentine leftovers for lunch today!  As for dessert? Well, Mike's not much of a sweets eater so I sent cookies with him to work!

What did  you do for dinner last night?