Surviving the Storehouse: Italian Chicken Soup

Soup sounds SO good to my tired, sick, stuffy-runny, coughing body right now!  I started running out of broth and needed to find more flavor options, so I came up with this recipe.  You can make it more Italian by adding the optional ingredients (and make it more nourishing!), but it's good without, too.

May it warm you body and soul!

Italian Chicken Soup

1 onion, diced small or sliced thin (diner's choice)
Butter
2-3 Chicken breasts
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomato juice -or- 3 1/2 cups broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional:
Cooked rice or pasta or diced potatoes (about 1 cup)
Oregano, basil, dried kale (1-2 Tbsp)
1 head garlic, peeled and pressed

In large soup or stock pot, saute onions in butter until transluscent.  Add chicken, tomatoes, and juice or broth (even water would work).  Also add potatoes if using and not cooked yet.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken and chop or shred.  Return chicken to pot.  Stir in rice or pasta, spices, and seasonings to taste.

A note on the garlic:  Fresh garlic is NOT expensive, and when you're sick, TOTALLY worth the small amount of money.  Garlic has fantastic immune boosting and sickness-fighting powers.  The closer you eat it to raw, the better.  However, I realize that might be too intense for some of my readers, and that's okay.  So if you are really sensitive to flavor, add the garlic with the onion.  Or you can add with chicken and tomatoes for a little more flavor.  Personally, I like to stir it in at the end, though that is not for the faint of heart.  Oh, and make sure your significant other has a little too, or they might not enjoy your company afterward. ;)

Bon appetit!

Surviving the Storehouse: Cream of Vegetable Soup

It's getting colder, or at least it's supposed to be.  Sunlight goes away, kids bring home every virus and bacteria they can find.  Winter is on the way!  And there's nothing more comforting, warming, and nourishing than soup!  This is one of my favorite ways to use the vegetables from the storehouse, because you can use practically anything, which helps for those mysterious in season vegetables you never know you're going to get until you get there (though there are some standards).  You can serve soup with rolls or crackers if you have them, but it's not necessary at all to have a delicious, filling meal.

Here's my number one go-to soup recipe:

Cream of Vegetable Soup

3 cups vegetables of your choice (Good options in any combination: potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, onions, green beans, corn, and sweet potatoes/yams and canned pumpkin for the holiday season specials)
1-2 chicken breasts (optional, but helps with the flavor if you don't have broth)
4-6 cups water or turkey broth (see, it's going to come in handy!)
2 cups milk or evaporated milk (if not using, use more water)
1/4 cup butter (optional, but SO yummy)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, add vegetables, chicken and 2 cups water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through.  Remove from heat. 

Add some vegetables, 1/2 cup to 1 cup at a time, with enough cooking liquid to help the blender do its job.  Continue to add more vegetables as the blender blends until all vegetables have been added (or your blender gets to full to do the job properly, then transfer to a bowl and start again with the rest of the veggies).  Return puree to pot over medium heat.  Add butter (if using) and enough water, broth, or milk to make it the consistency you desire.  Heat through, but do not boil if you used milk.  Season to taste. Serve hot.

If you happen to have leftovers, or you can tell this will make too much soup for your family to eat all at once, or you just want to store some extra for another rainy (or snowy) day, this freezes will prior to adding the milk.  Freeze it without and add the milk when you reheat it.

More soup recipes to come! (We've had a run of colds this week, thank goodness we have the turkey broth!)

Bon appetit!

Survivng the Storehouse: Thanksgiving Part 3: Leftovers

Sorry this is so late! We were having too much fun giving thanks! Ha ha ha.  If this doesn't help you for this year, I hope it helps for Christmas or whenever you cook a big bird again.

The first thing to do is use that turkey's dead bones to their utmost capacity!  This is your only chance to make broth to have on hand, and it is TOTALLY freezeable, or even can-able! (Not too be confused with cannibal... Hehehe...)

Turkey Broth

1 turkey
Water
Carrot, onion, celery, and/or garlic ends and trimmings and peels

Congratulations, you made it through dinner!  When you've recovered from your food coma, pick that bird clean of all meat.  Save it for later.

Take all those bones (even the ones from the legs and thighs that other people eat off of... You'll boil away the cooties) and put them in either a large stock pot or your handy dandy slow cooker.  Add any vegetables and/or trimmings you have on hand.  Cover with cold water and just a pinch of salt.  You'll flavor it more later, but a little helps pull out all the goodness from the bones.  Cover and bring to a boil in your stockpot, then turn it down to a simmer. If you're using a slow cooker (my favorite way), cover and set on low.  You can speed it up by putting it on high to start, but you must remember to check on it and turn it down! If you can't handle that, just use the low.

Check every hour or so.  When the liquid level starts to get lower, remove from heat and let cool a bit.  If you can fit it in the fridge, that's nice, or set in a cool room or the basement, covered.  When it's cool enough to go in a plastic freezer bag, do it!  Strain through a fine mesh strainer or think flour sack towel.  Use quart size bags for smaller recipes and gallon size for larger recipes and/or families.  Now return those bones and veggies to the pot, cover with more water, and do it again! Yes, you can use the bones more than once!  Sometimes, even TWICE.  You know you're done when the thickest bone falls apart when you squeeze it.

Use this wonderful, wholesome, healthy bone broth in soups, stews, gravies, or even just in a cup, seasoned with salt to taste.  Great for those colds and flus that go around this time of the year.


Turkey Tostadas/Haystacks
This is what we did this year.  Our leftovers only lasted one day.  Don't worry, I'll include other options!

Leftover cooked turkey
Leftover gravy
Hot cooked rice
Tostadas or corn tortillas (optional for haystacks)

Optional:
stuffing
cranberry sauce
cheese
sour cream

Chop up as much turkey as you need for your family.  Mix with the gravy.  Top each tostada with rice, then turkey mixture, then the other toppings as you desire (probably not all at once, but hey, to each their own).  If you like, you can broil them for a few minutes to heat them up or melt cheese or whatever.

Turkey Salad and Fried Mashed Potato Cakes

Leftover turkey, chopped
Sour cream or mayo
Chopped celery
Chopped onion
Spices on hand

Leftover mashed potatoes, chilled
Fat of choice (I prefer butter or sausage/bacon grease)

Mix it all together and turn yourself around... Oops, wrong directions! Ha ha ha. I like to add curry, but chili powder works well too, or just plain is fine.  I've also added chopped nuts and dried cranberries to this mixture with great success in past years.  Chill.

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium high heat.  Form mashed potatoes into flat circles about the size of your hand/palm/preferred spatula-flipper.  Place on greased, heated skillet.  Let cook about 3-5 minutes or until browned on one side, then flip and do the hokey pokey again.  Just kidding.  Remove when browned, keep warm.  Top with turkey salad. Enjoy!


Leftovers Shepherd's Pie (also good for leftover pot roasts)

Leftover turkey
Leftover mashed potatoes
Leftover gravy
Cheese
Leftover stuffing and vegetables (optional)

Combine turkey and gravy, and vegetables if you're using them.  Add more liquid if necessary (where's that broth? make more gravy!).  Pour into baking pan, top with stuffing then mashed potatoes, then sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, covered. 


 Still have some turkey? Try this last recipe:

Turkey Enchiladas

Leftover cooked turkey
Corn tortillas
Tomato sauce (2-3 14 oz cans)
Chili powder (if you have it)
Black olives, chopped (if you have some leftover, I don't!)
Cheese (about 1 cup, more if you REALLY like cheese)

Sides and toppings:
Hot cooked rice
Pinto beans
Chopped lettuce
Sour cream
Salsa

Chop turkey.  Soften tortillas in micro, a stack of 10 takes about 1 minute.  Put a couple tablespoons turkey into each tortilla, roll and place seam side down in a baking dish.  Mix chili powder with tomato sauce if you're using it.  When dish is full, pour tomato sauce over the top, sprinkle with olives and cheese, cover and bake in a 325 F oven for 30-45 minutes.  Serve hot with rice and beans (topped with more cheese!) and sour cream, salsa, and lettuce on the side.  It's just like the restaurants, I promise!

Hopefully this gives you some ideas of what to do with all that food!  And I hope you had a wonderful holiday!

Bon appetit!

Surviving the Storehouse: Thanksgiving Part 2 Sides

What is a turkey without sides? A flat turkey.

Ha ha ha. Just kidding. But it IS pretty boring.

The storehouse provides cranberry sauce, olives, and pumpkin for the gluten free among us.  Cranberry sauce and olives are self-explanatory (I think... I hope!).  The pumpkin can be used with other storehouse ingredients to make a wonderful pumpkin custard, which is what you would put in a pie shell.  I will admit that my family splurges a little on this holiday and gets some all-purpose gluten-free flour for pie crusts, rolls, and stuffing.  And cornstarch for gravy.  It IS a holiday after all.  But whether you can splurge or not, you can still have a wonderful feast!

Here are a few recipes for my favorite sides on a storehouse budget.

Mashed Potatoes

2-3 medium russet or large red potatoes per person
Salt
Butter (at least 1/2 cup)
Milk
Sour cream (optional)

Cut the potatoes into chunks, quarters or sixths should be fine.  You can peel if you want.  I don't usually, because it is more work (I don't have time for that!) and the peel has nutrition in it. But for special occasions, I often will peel them.  Bring to a boil in an appropriately sized pot with about 1/2-1 tsp salt per person.  Boil for 10-15 minutes, or until the chunks break apart when you poke them with a fork.  Drain.

Put the pot back on the burner on the lowest setting.  Add back the chunks, top with butter. Start mashing.  If it is a particularly large batch (like I have to do ALL the time, ha!), it helps to start mashing half, and then add the rest when you've got the first half mostly mashed. 

One fun way to mash potatoes is with a mixer.  A stand mixer works best, as it has the most power, but I've used electric beaters with success as well.  To do it this way, put the hot potatoes in your mixer bowl or a large mixing bowl and start the machine on low speed.  When they break apart, add the butter.  When that seems well incorporated, add milk to your desired consistency.  This is hard to quantify because it depends on the potatoes and how much butter you use and lots of other things.  But just add a couple tablespoonfuls at a time.  When everything is added, turn up the speed to the highest you can manage without either killing your machine or splattering the taters everywhere.  Voila! Creamy, smooth mashed potatoes.  Salt to taste, or leave the salting to the diner.


Au Jus

Meat drippings
Salt to taste

If you can't get any gluten free thickener, you can make a concentrated juice that is also delicious.

Strain the juice and meat drippings through a fine mesh sieve if you can.  Pour into saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Let boil until the volume is about half of what you had to start.  Season to taste, and serve with your meat and potatoes and anything else you want to put it on. He he he.

Pumpkin Custard

I cheat and use the recipe on the can!  I did, however, lose the label once, so for good measure, I'll type it up here.  All credit goes to the brand on the can. *Non-storehouse ingredient, and quite optional

4 eggs, beaten
1 29 oz can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps ground cinnamon
1 tsp ginger *
1/2 tsp cloves *
2 12 oz cans evaporated milk
2 pie shells *

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Mix ingredients in order given and pour into pie shells (*or any baking dish you desire without a crust).  Bake 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. *Another recipe I've used just has you bake it at 375 degrees F for an hour.  This might be better for the busier crowd.  Do what works for you.

Yummy with ice cream!!!

Bon appetit! And happy Thanksgiving!  Tune in Friday for some great ideas for leftovers.

Surviving the Storehouse: Thanksgiving Part 1 Turkey

Nothing says Thanksgiving more (to me at least) than a delicious, crunchy-skinned, tender and moist meat turkey.  Mmm...

Not sure how to handle a turkey?  No problem! Here's how I cook my bird; it comes out flavorful and juicy EVERY TIME!

Turkey

1 turkey of your size and choice (I'm on the Storehouse brand)
1 cup butter (softened) or oil (not as yummy, but doable)
1 Tbsp salt
Any herbs/spices you might have laying around (I like garlic powder, sage, oregano, and even basil)
Uncooked stuffing (optional)
Carrots, celery, onion, cut in chunks (double if not using stuffing)

Make sure your bird is thaw!  This can take a few days in the fridge, or overnight in a water-in-the-sink kind of deal.  Otherwise your hands are going to be VERY cold... Brrr!

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.  Take half of your vegetables and place in the bottom of your roasting pan.  On a cookie sheet, place your bird, starting with breast up.  Wash your hands!

Mix up your butter, herbs, spices, and salt.  I love using my hands for this; they're going to be messy in a bit anyway!

Go back to your turkey.  You're going to separate the skin from the meat.  Take off all your rings and bracelets.  Wear gloves if you have a sketchy nail polish job, or better, remove it entirely!  Nail polish flecks are not good eats.  Also, take out any timer that might have come with your bird. You can stick it back in later if you like.

Starting at the neck, carefully lift up the skin and break the mucousy stuff that connects the skin to the meat.  Keep your fingers close to the meat so you don't puncture the skin.  Work all the way back to the legs, then do the legs! Don't worry about getting your whole arm in there... Once separated, the skin is VERY stretchy and flexible. It can take it!  When you've separated all the skin from the breast, thighs and legs, flip the bird over and do the back side the same way.  If having your entire forearm under turkey skin freaks you out, you can often come from the tail end for part of the process.

Once you've separated all the skin, it's time to butter up Old Tom!  Take a few fingerfuls of the butter mixture and put it on the meat under the skin.  Get it all over under there.  When you're done with the backside, flip it back over and to the top side.  When that's done, take your greasy hands, and give that bird a massage on top of the skin.  Now take either your stuffing or the rest of your veggies and stuff them inside the old bird.  Not too tight with the stuffing! You want it to cook all the way through. You can put the timer back in if you want.

Now stick that bird in the oven!  Check on it in an hour or so.  When it's browned, you'll want to tent it with foil.  Then leave it in until the time is up, or your timer pops, or the thermometer reads the right temperature (follow the directions on the wrapper, or look it up online!).

When Tom's all cooked, set him out on a platter on a counter to rest a bit. (Being cooked is exhausting!)  Strain the cooking juice through a fine mesh strainer or possibly a flour sack towel, and start making that gravy (recipe to follow).  Toss the veggies, unless they look really appetizing to you.  Pull out the stuffing and keep it warm in the oven.  When the bird has rested 30-45 minutes, you can start carving.  I like to pre-carve as much as possible so I can just concentrate on eating.

Watch how the bird drips with juice as you cut through. Taste the moist white meat, and the tender and extra flavorful dark meat.  Best bird ever!  Give thanks, and enjoy!

Surviving the Storehouse: BBQ Pork

Mmmmm...

Barbecue...

Tender, juicy meat surrounded by sweet, tangy, spicy sauce.

Think you have to go without when living from the Storehouse?

Think again!

I won't pretend this is the BEST EVER barbecue, mostly because that is pure opinion, but it is pretty darn good!

P. S. I had to triple this recipe to feed my family for two meals, but it still worked out deliciously!

Storehouse BBQ Pork

1 pork roast (I'd guess around 3-4 pounds, for you non-storehouse people)
1 cup catsup
1/2 cup honey or brown sugar
3 Tbsp yellow mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook your roasts in a slow cooker or in an oven set at 200 degrees F for at least 12 hours.  When it is fork tender, remove from oven or slow cooker and transfer to large pot.  Add sauce ingredients.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 hours.  Shred pork with forks and cook for 2 hours longer.  Stir well and serve hot.  It's delicious by itself or over rice or on a tortilla. 

Surviving the Storehouse: Sauerkraut

 Cabbage is delicious!  I hope you're starting to feel that way now, at least.  One fabulous way to preserve and eat this under-appreciated veggie is to ferment it. Fermented cabbage is called sauerkraut.

Oh, and don't turn up your nose if the only kind you've ever tried is the canned stuff from the store.  Homemade is a totally different animal!  Also, fermented is good for your gut, you know, helps your digestion processes... Ahem.  And your gut will need the help after you eat all of your kids' Halloween candy.

Sauerkraut

1 head cabbage
2-3 Tbsp salt (your favorite kind)

Optional:
Carrots
Onions
Garlic

You'll also need:
Wide mouth Mason jars with lids and rings (old are fine)

Shred cabbage finely.  In large bowl layer cabbage and salt.  If using other vegetables, layer those in, too.  Using a meat tenderizer, thick handled ice cream scoop, plastic wrapped can, or your husband's hammer, pound away on that sucker for about 10 minutes, until the cabbage is limp and has released most of its juice.  Spoon into jars, pounding down as you go.  You should have enough to fill 2 quart size jars to full, and maybe have some left over, all depending on the size of the cabbage.  Press the cabbage down until it is all under the juice. Add a little extra water if necessary.  Secure lid firmly, and place in a warm spot away from sunlight for 3-7 days.  You'll have to experiment with how fermented you want your sauerkraut.  The uninitiated will probably want to stick with 3 days. 

After the fermentation period, store in the fridge.  The rumor is it will last in the fridge 3-6 months, unopened, but I wouldn't know because it never lasts that long in my house!  Serve it with any meat dish you prepare, though it seems tastiest with the heavier meats like beef and pork roasts.  Also delightful on hot dogs, baked potatoes, or eggs.

Bon appetit!

Surviving the Storehouse: Beef and Cabbage Stir-fry

Ah, cabbage.  It's cheap, it's filling, it's... bitter.  Can't handle it raw? Try this recipe!

Bonus? It's a great way to stretch that meat a little further.

Beef and Cabbage Stir-fry

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, sliced or chopped
1 head green cabbage, sliced or chopped
Salt and pepper
Optional:
1 Tbsp oregano, basil, or thyme

Cooked rice

Brown ground beef in large skillet.  Add onion, and stir around a bit.  Add cabbage a large handful at a time, waiting for it to wilt before you add more.  Season each layer, and gently turn it over as best you can.  The heat from the bottom layers will help wilt your cabbage.  It's done when your cabbage is wilted to your preference, whether you like it "al dente" or super soft.  Serve over hot rice. Also scrumptious with sour cream.

Bon appetit!

Freezing the Storehouse: Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage is kind of a weird vegetable.  It is sometimes hard to think of what to do with it.  It also has a weird, kind of bitter taste that can be less than palatable to more choosy diners.  I have discovered a few ways to handle this. One of my favorites is Cabbage Rolls.

Cabbage Rolls are great for many reasons.  First, there is just something fun about a little ball of yummy goodness that you get to open like a present before you eat.  Second, they are very filling so you can feed a large family on not very much food.  Third, the prep and cooking processes are flexible so you can choose the way that is best for you.

Without further ado, here is the recipe!

Cabbage Rolls

2 lbs ground beef, thawed
1 cup cooked rice
1 onion, shredded or chopped very fine
Salt and pepper
1 head of green cabbage

For sauce:

2 14 oz cans tomato sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper
Optional:
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

-or-

1 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce

 In medium mixing bowl, combine beef, rice, onion, and seasonings.  Mix until well combined (it's best to use your hands! Squish, squish!).  Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (add 1-2 Tbsp to the water before boiling).  Carefully peel the leaves of the cabbage off the head, doing your best to keep from tearing them, though it's not a hopeless situation.  Put the cabbage leaves in the boiling water 2 or three at a time for 2 minutes.  Remove from water and put in strainer or on dish towel while you do the rest.  Bring water back to boil between each batch, adding more water as necessary.  While you're waiting for the cabbage leaves, mix up the sauce ingredients if you're cooking right away.  If you're freezing these babies, hold off on the sauce.

Basic assembly instructions are as follows.  Take one prepared cabbage leaf.  Put about 2 rounded Tbsp of the beef mixture on the stem end of the leaf.  You're looking to give the roll substance but not overfill it; larger leaves can handle more filling, smaller leaves will need less.  Carefully roll the cabbage around the mixture, tucking in the ends as you go, like a burrito.  When totally rolled, place seam side down in your dish of choice.  Which dish do you choose? Well, pick one of these!

To freeze, place seam side down on foil lined cookie sheet (one that will fit in your freezer).  Try not to let them touch.  Freeze at least 4 hours, then transfer to gallon size freezer bags.  To cook, thaw overnight, or just use them like fresh and cook just a little longer, as described below.

To cook in the oven, mix up your sauce and lightly coat the bottom of your pan with it.  How big a pan? However big a pan you need to fit the number you're cooking!  I find I can usually get enough rolls in one 9x13 pan. Put in the rolls.  Feel free to squish them together, they don't mind.  Cover with the rest of the sauce, cover pan with foil, and cook in a 400 degree F oven for about an hour.

To cook in the slow cooker, mix up your sauce and lightly coat the bottom of your slow-cooker with it.  Put in the rolls, nice and tight, and cover with the rest of the sauce.  Cook on low for up to 8 hours, or on high for 4.  Pay attention the first time!  Every slow cooker is different, and you don't want your sauce to burn.  If you're going to be gone a while and you worry for the sauce, add 1/2 cup water.

To microwave a frozen cabbage roll, heat on high 1-2 minutes until heated through. Top with sauce if you like, or eat plain, or just with sour cream.  It's all good.

To serve, serve hot topped with the sauce and some sour cream if you like, with more rice and some steamed or canned veggies on the side. Carrots go really well with this.

Bon appetit!

Freezing the Storehouse: Marinated Chicken Breasts

There are few things easier than marinating chicken.  Bag/bowl, chicken, flavor. Let sit.

Easy.

The trickiest part of it is deciding which flavor you'll use!  Here are two of my favorite flavors that you can do on a storehouse budget, Honey Mustard and Citrus Chicken.

Honey Mustard Chicken

1 3-lb bag chicken breasts, still frozen
1/3 cup honey
3 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 cup white vinegar

Mix the liquids together until smooth, then add to chicken in a bowl.  Let marinate, covered and refrigerated, 12-24 hours.  Cook as desired, grill/broil/pan fry.

To freeze, transfer frozen chicken to gallon size freezer bag and add liquids.  Put back in freezer until you're ready to cook them up, then proceed as previously instructed.

Also, you can freeze the chicken after it has been cooked.  You can freeze whole breasts, or cut up into strips or cubes to be used for various other recipes.
 
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Citrus Chicken

1 cup vinegar
2/3 cup fruit drink mix
1 3-lb bag chicken breasts, still frozen

Mix the liquids together until smooth, then add to chicken in a bowl.  Let marinate, covered and refrigerated, 12-24 hours.  Cook as desired, grill/broil/pan fry.

To freeze, transfer frozen chicken to gallon size freezer bag and add liquids.  Put back in freezer until you're ready to cook them up, then proceed as previously instructed.

Also, you can freeze the chicken after it has been cooked.  You can freeze whole breasts, or cut up into strips or cubes to be used for various other recipes.

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These are both great by themselves alongside some rice and veggies.  Or you can add a sauce, like my Warm Peach Puree!

Warm Peach Purée

2 28 oz cans peaches
2-4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp butter
Optional: nutmeg, clove, about 1/4 tsp each

Blend peaches in blender until smooth; add cinnamon and other spices, if desired.  Transfer to medium saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Add sugar and butter. Stir until butter melts, then simmer until good and hot.  Spoon over chicken and rice or ice cream! Yum...

Bon appetit!

Freezing the Storehouse: Sausage

Ahh, good morning!

Wait.  What is that smell? It is savory and sweet and strong and... Wonderful.

Oh yes, that's sausage!

Such a classic breakfast food, packed full of the protein and fat I need to start my day. (I get sick if I only eat carbs... No pancake stacks for me. Sigh.)

But sausage is not just for breakfast food anymore!  You can use it any time of day (or night)!

Imagine with me for a moment.  I've convinced you that sausage will be the PERFECT addition to your morning routine, or lunch, or dinner.  You walk over to your fridge, open the freezer and find... a rock solid tube of delicious sausage.  You calculate in your head how long it will take to thaw in various ways, give up, and go back to your usual or worse! don't eat anything at all.

How can we avoid such a catastrophe?

Precooking!

There are two ways to do this.  Patties and crumbles.

Sausage Patties

Take one partially thawed tube of sausage and cut off the plastic wrapper.  On plate or cutting board, with a sharp, serrated knife, cut tube into 1/2" slices.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, and cook until cooked through.  Lay in single layer on foil on a cookie sheet in freezer.  When frozen, place patties in freezer bag.  To reheat, either pop them on a plate in the micro for 30-60 sec or steam them on the stovetop.  To steam, heat that skillet over medium-high heat, add your sausage and 2 Tbsp water, cover, and step away for 5 minutes or so. Flip to brown on the other side, plate, and enjoy.

Sausage Crumbles

I have found that you get more sausage out of the wrapper if it's partially frozen when you take it out than if you wait until it is totally thawed.  So remove from wrapper when partially frozen, then complete thawing in a bowl in the fridge.  Once thawed, add to skillet on medium heat and start choppin'.  Now, you're looking for tiny crumbles, so you really need to stick with it and chop away while it's raw and cooking or you'll get huge chunks that are harder to separate.  I like to use a certain tool from a certain cooking tools company.  Then drain the fat (save it! It's great to cook with instead of oils and margarine), put the meat in a freezer bag, and freeze as flat as possible.  Then, whenever you need some just break some off and heat it up!

And here's a recipe that uses those crumbles!

Sausage and Pepper Sauce
Serves 4-5

1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 quart size bag frozen peppers
1 cup frozen sausage crumbles
Cooked rice

Optional: (Choose 1)
Sour cream
Cheese
Cottage cheese

Put sauce, peppers, and sausage in large skillet on medium heat.  Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer 15-20 minutes until everything is thawed. Serve over hot rice with whichever accompaniments you choose. Bon appetit!

Surviving in the Storehouse Gluten-Free

It is a wonderful blessing to be part of a church that provides for its members in times of need.  We are currently participating in the food portion of that program.

Let me tell you, it's not easy being gluten-free on the program, though.

First, a large portion of the foods provided are filled with gluten on purpose. Obviously those need to be avoided.  But there's also an issue with cross-contamination.  Things you wouldn't think would have a problem, do.  As a family, we've reacted to all the canned meats except the tuna, the peanut butter, the new canned beans, and all the canned meats except the tuna.  I'm even starting to question the rice. Yikes.  It's quite limiting.

So how do we do it?  First, there are different levels of poverty associated with this idea.  If you really can't afford a SINGLE thing other than what can be provided at the storehouse, just be careful.  Pay attention to reactions in yourself and family members after consuming certain items.  If there's a reaction, figure out what it is to by elimination ASAP, then stop getting that item.  You'll survive by getting more of other stuff next time.

Second, use what you already have!  Few of us go to the storehouse with completely bare cupboards.  Use the spices you have to "spice" things up (pun intended!).  Use your flours to have a special treat now and then.  Use what you have from your garden to add variety.  Use previously purchased canned and dry goods to add more variety.  It'll help immensely.

Third, if you have a few dollars to spare, I recommend getting yourself some gluten-free corn tortillas.  I'll be posting several recipes that use tortillas, and they really help break the monotony!  If you have the time but not the money for pre-made corn tortillas, buy a GF corn tortilla mix and make your own!  They are SO yummy fresh, and you can make a ton and freeze the extras.  To make the process easier, see if any of your friends own a tortilla press they would let you borrow.  (If it's been used for flour tortillas, proceed with caution!  Either sterilize REALLY well, or just use plastic wrap and a rolling pin like I do.)

There you go! Some tips to help you be gluten-free at the storehouse.

Blessings and good eating!

Adventures in Baking: Episode 1: Sourdough

So, it's been a month of no blogging. Sorry!  I've been very busy getting settled in our new place.  We got a FABULOUS deal, a four bedroom house for $650 a month! It's only through April, and then we renegotiate (or move?), but until then, we're making the most of it.

So, we recently decided we weren't going to take any more help from the government, so we're trying to save money, especially in the food area.  Oh, but we do love those artisan breads!  So I decided to go crazy and make my own sourdough starter, and then bread.  It sure was torture waiting those first couple weeks for the starter to get started! And the first couple of loaves weren't very sour, but it's gotten better and better as we go, so YAY!!!

Several of you, my readers, have asked me for tips, tricks and a recipe!  Well, I just used this one from Better Homes and Gardens, which I actually got from the recipe book that my mother-in-love gave me for my first birthday married to Matt. (Thanks, KathieMom!)  I don't think I've ever had to change anything, except to vary how much flour I use, which changes according to the weather.

I have learned a few things, though, both from experience and research.  One thing that may throw a lot of people off is that sourdough tastes different based on where you live. No matter how hard you try, even if you bought starter from San Francisco, you cannot make San Francisco sourdough unless you live in San Francisco.  Sorry.  Sourdough gets sour from the various bacteria and things in the air, and the air is different in San Francisco than it is in Rexburg, Michigan, Arizona, or Alaska.  So you must first accept this fact.

Also, it takes a while for things to ferment. You don't need to age your starter for a year (like most wines) or longer to get it good and sour, but it does take longer than a few weeks.  My starter actually smells stronger now than it did when I made my first loaf.

Last, I've learned that I need to double my starter, because my family likes this bread, and it is usually gone within a couple of days, and the first loaf is gone the first day. So in order to make it more often, I added more replenishing stuff to my starter last time. I think I may need a bigger container.

My next adventure will be based on the book: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.  I've only read a little, but what I've read is very exciting, and may very well revolutionize my baking life! So stay tuned for the next episode of... Adventures in Baking!!!!