Tales from the Fast

I know...delicious irony, right?  (Maybe that should be the title....) But it's true!  I was fasting yesterday for religious reasons, and as we are entering Lent soon, there are more fast days ahead.  I made some fasting bread for yesterday from a recipe that is used in Medjugorje by pilgrims and locals, as fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays is common practice. The bread is made completely by hand, and if used for a fast, the tradition is to pray for the grace to fast well as you work the dough.  Just for fun, I used a traditional Challah shape (braided) for the loaves, but you could use any shape that suits your purpose.

Fasting Bread (*adapted)
^In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine 1/2 c. warm water and 1 rounded tbsp. (or 2 pkts) of yeast.  Let dissolve for 5-10 minutes, until foamy.
^In a separate container, combine 2c. hot water, 1 beaten egg, 1tbsp. salt,  2 tbsp.sugar, 2 tbsp olive oil, and 1 tsp. butter, and 1 c. of fruit...raisins, craisins, chopped apple, or some combination.  Set aside. 
**Also, 1 c. chopped walnuts or sliced almonds can be added to the dough.
^In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 c. WW flour and 3c. AP flour.  Form a well in the center, and pour in yeast mixture. Using your hands, bring flour in from the sides of the bowl over the liquid until it has distributed evenly.  Pour the other ingredients over the flour, and continue working the dough with your hands in the bowl until it cleans the sides of the bowl. 
^Let rise until about double, then move the dough to a floured surface and knead briefly, until dough forms a ball that isn't too sticky.
^Divide the dough into 3 equal parts.  Divide each portion into 3 equal sections and roll into ropes about 12 in. long.  Braid the sections, tucking the ends under.  Repeat with other 2 loaves.  Brush the loaves with egg beaten with a tsp. of water.  
^Let rise for 1/2 hour - 45 minutes, then bake at 375 for about 35 minutes.  Let cool before slicing.
*The Medjugorje site that posted this recipe lost something in the translation from European measurements to American, so I needed to improvise a bit.

Fasting brings with it grace and discipline, and breaking the fast brings fresh appreciation for the foods we enjoy.  My son had friend over last night, and so I made them a favorite sweet treat:  Salted Caramel Brownies. Yeah.  AND...there was one waiting for me to go with my coffee this morning. It's gon' be a good day, Tater.  :)

Salted Caramel Brownies
(recipe from allrecipes.com, then doctored up to perfect yumminess)
^Combine:
1 box Devil's food cake
1/3 c. evaporated milk
3/4 c. melted butter
Press half of dough into a greased 9x13 pan. 
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
^Melt 1 14oz pkg. vanilla caramels with 1/3c. evaporated milk.  Set aside.
^When bottom layer comes out of the oven, sprinkle with 1/2c mini chocolate chips and pour caramel over surface.
^Sprinkle the surface of the caramel with a healthy pinch of sea salt, then crumble the remaining dough over all.
^Bake for another 15 minutes.  Cool and cut into squares.  Collapse into blissful sugar-induced coma.

Roots

Ah, January.  Frosty mornings, flannel sheets, and that carbohydrate-induced stupor left over from holiday goodies.  We were discussing the need for some serious veggies, but who wants a light, crisp (cold!) salad in January?  Not I.  I want warm, filling goodness. So what to do?  Get to the root (veggies) of the matter!  We had a wonderful roasted root vegetable stew for dinner tonight, with a bit of beef just for fun, and all served over a bed of smashed potatoes.  Everybody left the table full, but with good dose of summertime nutrition, too.  So here it is!  As always, use what you have and what you like, season to your tastes, and remember that I cook for a small army!

Roasted Root Vegetable Stew

1# beef roast (I used an English shoulder...because it was on sale.)
1/2 c. flour for dredging
2 tbsp. olive oil 
6-8 oz. red wine (I used one of those single-serve bottles of merlot)
24 oz.pkg. button mushrooms, sliced
1 shallot, minced
1 head of roasted garlic
1 qt. beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut roast into small pieces. Dredge in flour. Heat oil in a large sauce pot or dutch oven over medium heat, and brown meat (add a bit of salt and pepper here). Add shallot.  When it starts to get fragrant, add mushrooms.  Stir frequently until the mushrooms begin to release their liquid, then add the wine.  Let it bubble for a minute or so, then scrape the yummy, sticky stuff off of the bottom of the pan.  (Real cooks call this "deglazing.")  Squish the roasted garlic out of its skin and stir in.  Let the whole mess simmer for a minute or so, then add beef stock.  Stir, then let simmer uncovered while you move on the the next bit of fun.  Just don't forget to stir occasionally.

2# carrots, roughly chopped
2 turnips, cubed
3 parsnips, roughly chopped
1 rutabega, cubed 

Throw veggies in a roasting pan. Pour about 1/4 c. olive oil over the veggies, then salt and pepper them.  Use your hands to toss them until well coated, then roast in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes (until just tender and golden, not mushy), stirring occasionally.

When the happiness in the pot on the stove has reduced a bit and the meat is nice and tender, add the roasted vegetables and stir.  Check seasoning and adjust if necessary.  Turn off heat and serve.  We had smashed potatoes, but brown rice, white rice, bread, or just an empty bowl can all serve as a lovely base for this warm, hearty stew!

There's Got to be a Morning After

I can't believe it.  After all the food my boys ingested yesterday at our combined celebration of Thanksgiving and my son's 9th birthday, they still expected to be fed today.  Drat.  I have a kitchen full of evidence of my mad food preparation for the holiday, and not a darn thing I feel like fixing for breakfast.  Hmmm.  So with delicious memories of Aunt Pooh's stuffing still lurking in my blood chemistry, I started nosing around in the fridge.  Eggs...a couple of lonely slices of bacon...some spinach...aha.  AHA!!  And bread...yesssss.  A half-loaf of bread I made last weekend.  Just the right amount of dry.  Here goes brunch!

Morning-After Breakfast Casserole


Dry, cubed bread (1/2 a home-made loaf did the trick for us...you might need a whole loaf of storebought to fill a 9x13 baking dish)
12 eggs
1/2 c. milk
4-6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces 
1 small onion, diced
1 c. chopped mushrooms
4 c. fresh spinach, chopped
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese


Cook the bacon in a large skillet, just until it begins to crisp.  Remove the bacon from the pan, then toss the onion and mushrooms into the bacon grease.  Cook over medium heat until they are soft and the onion is translucent.  Add chopped spinach to the pan and toss with onion and bacon, then turn off the heat.  Sprinkle the nutmeg and salt and pepper over the spinach, stir to combine, and leave it to cool.  


In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.  Stir in the cooled vegetable mixture and the bacon, then add the cheese.  Fold the bread in gently.


Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray, and pour the mixture in.  Cover with foil, and bake in a 400 oven for 35 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more.  Remove from oven and let stand for about 5 minutes, then cut into squares and serve. 

No word on how it fares as leftovers....

Still Cookin'

Greetings, world!  I know this blog looks suspiciously like it has been abandoned, but really, it hasn't.  I do things 'in fits,' as my grandmother used to say, and playing in the kitchen is no exception. Some days I'm a gourmet, others I'm making PB&J sandwiches.  This summer, I'm venturing into canning for the first time.   I also made my first batch of zucchini bread last week!  Along with some other fun, I'll try to post a little more faithfully this fall.  School starts next week, so maybe I'll have a moment to write something down!

Happy eating!

Deli Never Had It So Good

The lunchmeat sandwich - homemade fast food.  I have lunchmeat sandwiches filed in my brain under "cheap, easy, fast, not junk."  This isn't really the case, though.  Unless you're talking about the cheapest, most byproduct-and-chemical-laden products available, lunchmeat and cheese aren't cheap.  When you're talking about 6 kids making sandwiches or needing sandwiches made for them, it's neither fast nor easy.  And as for "not junk,"  well, that's only the case if you buy the REALLY good stuff, which STARTS at $9 /lb or so!  Needless to say, this is a meal that needs re-filed in my brain....

That said, I still like a good sandwich every once in a while.  If I take the time for prepping sandwich fillings, the older kids are fairly self-sufficient with making their own and things come together easily for the younger ones.  I can slice veggies early in the day if I need to save time at dinner.  As long as I'm not delusional about throwing it all on the table, eating, and getting out the door in 20 minutes, it's actually a decent option for our busier evenings, and leftovers are a nice bonus for lunch the next day.  Also, since all the veggies are included, I really don't have to think about side dishes if I don't want to, and that makes it a quicker meal, too.

So here's the deli spread for our house:

Whole-grain bread
Avocado spread (recipe follows)
Sliced portobello mushrooms, grilled
Provolone cheese slices
Sliced red onion, green peppers, and tomatoes
Leaf lettuce or spinach
Mayo and mustard (if anyone asks for them)

Avocado Spread
2 avocados, cubed and mashed
1 tsp. dried cilantro 
1 tsp. red pepper flake (opt., more or less to taste)
sea salt and black pepper to taste
**Use in place of mayo on sandwiches

Game Night Goodies

My kiddies are getting older, and (inevitably, I suppose) they've gotten involved in sports.  Weeknight games are the bane of my meal-planning existence.  I've been lucky enough to stumble across some great recipes that save us from bologna sandwiches or drive-thru atrocities.  This is one I found on MomAdvice.com  Amy's recipe is made with ground chuck, but I've been using black beans.  The boys love it, and I can make it early and keep it in the crock pot if I need to.  It's great with pretzels and finger veggies!

Sloppy Joes
6 c. (or 4 cans) cooked black beans**
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 c. ketchup
2 tsp. mustard
2 tbsp. brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste


Cook green pepper and onion in 1 tbsp. oil until soft.  Add all other ingredients, stir well, and let simmer until heated through and sauce is homogeneous...about 30 minutes.  Serve on buns, bread, in pita pockets, or with corn chips.  **If using ground chuck, brown 2lbs., drain, then add veggies and cook until soft.  Proceed as directed.

Condensed? Whatever.

Tomato soup and grilled cheese.  I wasn't even Catholic growing up, and that was a meal that we ate a couple of times a month.  My husband's family had it as often, especially on meatless Fridays.  Tomato soup was a portable lunch option in college.  And it wasn't until after I was married that I found out that there was a way to get tomato soup that was NOT in a gelatinous, salty blob from a red and white can.  I also discovered that grilled cheese was better when the recipe didn't call for store-bought white bread and individually-wrapped processed cheese slices, or worse, Velveeta.  Eeew.  Despite the knowledge that tomato soup had indeed existed before commercially canned soup, I was never quite brave enough to try it any other way.  Until now...

This recipe came from Allrecipes.com.  I couldn't get over it...it was simple, painless, and THEY ALL ATE IT!  Condensed soup?  Not again.  Ever.  This was just WAY too good!  Paired up with some fancy grilled cheese, I'd serve it to company.  Really!

Tomato Soup
2 large cans crushed tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp. sugar
18 leaves fresh basil, chopped (I just bought a 2/3 oz. package from the grocery)
1 c. whipping cream
1/2 c. butter


Bring tomatoes and chicken broth to a boil in a large pot.  Boil 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to low, stir in basil and sugar, and let simmer 2 minutes more.  Add cream and butter.  DON'T LET IT BOIL FROM HERE ON!  Cook  just until butter is melted.  Serve, garnished with shredded parmesan cheese.


Fancy Grilled Cheese
You can make a grilled cheese, right?  Then have fun!  
Rye, whole wheat, sourdough, white, multigrain bread...
Meunster, swiss, farmer's cheese, butter cheese, pepper jack...
Caramelized onions, pickles, sliced green peppers, tomato...


I hereby lay claim to mmmm...mmmm...GOOD!