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November 10, 2023 at 12:58 pm in reply to: What are you Cooking the Week of November 5, 2023? #40979
Friday was a morning for cooking experimentation. I roasted a large butternut squash and pureed it in the food processor. I then added it to about 1 ½ cups of turkey broth from the freezer that I had heated. I tasted it, then decided to add a splash of apple cider, then another, probably about 3-4 Tbs. in total. I added 1 tsp. of Penzey's Now Curry. It is the best butternut squash soup that I have ever made. The apple cider gives it just a hint of sweetness, which plays well with the spice. I set aside some for tomorrow and will freeze one serving for the "What will I have for lunch?" conundrum.
Another experiment involved the 4 oz. jar of mostly liquid, but some vegetables left over from when I made that zucchini relish. This jar I did not process but refrigerated. I found a recipe for pasta salad that uses cider vinegar on the internet at Preppy Kitchen, by John Kanell that I could adapt. I had some pasta in autumn shapes (leaves and pumpkins) and I cooked about 1 1/2 cups of it. I combined the contents of the relish jar with 1/3 cup olive oil, chopped red onion, and a minced clove of garlic. I added 2 tsp. of honey to get a tangy but mellow taste. I also added a small green bell pepper that we picked before the freeze that will not be turning red, and ½ tsp. Penzey's Salad Sprinkle. I mixed that with the pasta, then halved and added some of the cherry tomatoes that have ripened in the house. I will let it rest overnight. I may add feta to it tomorrow.
I made stir-fry on Thursday, using leftover pork from last night, along with soba noodles, de-glazing from last night's pan, carrots, celery, red bell pepper (from our garden), broccoli, mushrooms, and some green onion tops from my husband's pot of green onions on the porch.
I am having to order my soba noodles from Vitacost, as the Kroger in the next town has stopped carrying them.
I roasted some purple potatoes from the farmers' market, cut into chunks and tossed in olive oil, for dinner on Wednesday. My husband pan-cooked pork, and we microwaved fresh broccoli as well. Earlier in the day, I made my first batch of applesauce from a medley of some of the seconds we bought at the orchard yesterday. I froze two cups of it, but we had some with dinner tonight.
My favorite vendor is back, but only every other week, at the Saturday Farmers' Market. Among the items that I bought from her was a large, lovely eggplant. I had recently seen a recipe at The Washington Post for Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches that I thought might be worth trying, so that is what I did today for lunch.
The recipe is rather involved, especially if making it for just one person. I had to substitute for some ingredients, as I did not have chili flakes or a can of crushed tomatoes for the sauce. I used sweet paprika and Tuscan seasoning and diced canned tomatoes. I did not have Italian breadcrumbs to combine with panko, so I used just the panko. I only had pre-grated Mozzarella. I also did not want to put olive oil on the pan; unlike the Post recipe staff, I am my own clean-up person, so I used parchment, with a new piece every time. I was not familiar with my broiler, having never used it, but it was easy, although mine might be more powerful than what the recipe developer used. I burned the Panko on one side of the eggplant, but fortunately, the burned stuff fell off when I turned them over. I assembled the sandwich using half of one of the sub rolls that I baked last night.
The sandwich is ok. Maybe if the eggplant were well breaded, I would like it better, but I think the upshot is that I do not like eggplant in a starring role and prefer it as part of the cast, as in the lasagna I made this summer or in ratatouille, which I have not made in a while because my husband cannot eat it. I will have the leftovers as a sandwich tomorrow, but I will not be making this recipe again.
I sympathize with Violet. I recall having braces and eating after they were tightened always was painful, as there were lots of kids in my family, and my mother could not plan menus around who had currently had her or his braces tightened.
Applesauce was an excellent idea! I'm about to make a batch today.
November 8, 2023 at 8:58 am in reply to: Reduce sugar consumption by eating more of it–at first #40959Congratulations, Joan!
Finding ways to reduce some sugar seems to me to work better than trying to omit it. I cut down on sugar in my tea from 1 tsp. to 1/4 tsp., and these days, I enjoy it without sugar, although I admit to having a cookie with it. Part of cutting it from tea (I never put it in coffee) was drinking a better quality of tea.
I find a lot of recipes are too sweet for me, so I often cut back the sugar and do not miss it.
I roll my eyes when dieticians or nutritionists say that a piece of fruit can be equally satisfying. No. I like fruit, but it does not replace cake, quick breads, cookies, or candy. It is good to see an article such as this one that does not repeat that nonsense.
I baked cornbread on Tuesday to go with leftover soup for dinner. I baked it in a 6-well Nordic Ware pan that features 2 leaves, two different pumpkins, and two acorns. I reduced the temperature from 400 to 375F, since Nordic Ware gets hotter than a regular baking pan, and that was the right move. The baking time was only slightly longer, about 23 minutes as opposed to 21 minutes. There was slightly too much batter for the pan, so the muffins had borders around the designs. Probably, I should have used a dish to bake a separate seventh muffin. We do like the crusty exterior around each muffin.
I also baked five sub rolls, using my sub-roll perforated pan and a modified wholegrain version of the recipe that King Arthur sent with it when I bought it some years ago. The dough was not as wet this time, so I think that I should have held back part of the white flour. I also used honey and some buttermilk. I baked it at 425F for 12 minutes, but there was some burning on the bottom of the loaves, and also a lot of smoking in the oven, which happens when I grease the pan with Crisco, which melts through the holes and onto the oven floor. I will need to clean the oven tomorrow.
Next time, I will hold back some flour, check the baking loaves earlier, and possibly lower the temperature to 400F after putting them into the oven.
I made a frittata for lunch on Tuesday to use up some leftover brown and wild rice mix from the freezer. I was pleased with how well my recently purchased ceramic skillet performed. I was able to invert it onto a plate, then slice it back into the skillet. It came out well, although I should have used three rather than two eggs or else less rice. Mushrooms, chocolate and yellow bell pepper, red onion, and a spinach-like green (Tatsumi?) completed the dish. I saved some of it for breakfast the next day.
For dinner, we finished the ground turkey, lentils, and vegetable soup.
I also made yogurt today.
Aaron--if you are seeking a non-fry way of preparing the chicken tenders, you could use a variation on the Crispy Oven Fish and Chips recipe that I have posted. I use the hint of toasting the panko before breading for boneless chicken breasts, and it makes all the difference.
Lovely pie, Mike! We plan to drive to our favorite orchard tomorrow for apples. It's a two-hour round trip, but it is worth it for the Ever Crisps, Winesaps, and whatever seconds they have for applesauce.
To go with leftover roast chicken thighs on Monday, I made a sauce of sauteed mushrooms in avocado oil, then sprinkled about 2 Tbs. flour on top of them. I added 1 cup chicken broth, some dried shallots, dried parsley, and a bit of milk. I added the rest of a bag of frozen peas. I mixed in some cooked spinach noodles at the end.
Aaron--my mother used to fry chicken in bacon grease. We loved it, but the days are long gone when I would eat it. My husband had a colleague who had a car that would run on biofuels that he would get from restaurants. Before we lived here, we would have renters in our garage apt. One guy liked to fry, and when he moved out, he left multiple containers of used cooking oil. We took it back to Texas and gave it to my husband's colleague.
BTW, one reason my husband agreed that we would have the laminate removed in the apt. kitchen is that the oil had discolored it, and it could not be cleaned. We no longer rent the apt., since we live here and need the space, but anyone who visits and wants to cook is told it is a NO FRY zone.
My husband and I chuckled over Mike's quip!
Mike--The base recipe is in the King Arthur wholegrain baking book. I have made some adjustments and will post my version.
We had more of the turkey-vegetable, lentil, pea soup from last week.
I also looked at that Patty Melt recipe. I would have to adjust it, but it might be worth trying.
I celebrated the return to standard time on Sunday morning by making Cornmeal-Pumpernickel Waffles for breakfast. The moment I put the first one on the waffle iron, the dog arrives to stand guard. She loves bits of waffles.
In the afternoon, I baked Lemon Ricotta Cookies. I adapt the recipe from the Olive Tomato blog by using half white whole wheat flour and using just 5 oz. of ricotta (left over from another recipe). Today, I dipped the balls of dough in autumn colored sugar, and they look festively seasonal. I have also shortened the baking time from 15 to 14 minutes, and I turn the baking sheets halfway through the time.
I would happily live on standard time throughout the year.
I plan to make beef stew this week. Usually, I braise the meat for two hours in a mix of beef broth and red wine before proceeding with the vegetables. I bought a bottle of cider yesterday at the farmers' market, and I am thinking of replacing the wine with cider. Does that seem like a crazy idea or a promising one?
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