The Challenge- Keeping it Green

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Fresh Green Onions

Fresh Green Onions

Since I am not going to the grocery store these days I am trying to get the most out of what I do have. I had some nice green onions and when I used them rather than tossing the ends into the compost pile I stuck them in a small flowerpot. In less than a week I have lots of new growth and a steady supply of green onions when I need them.

It’s really easy to do. Just get a pot and put some potting soil in it. When you go to use your green onions just cut off the root, leaving about  1/4 inch of the white part. Place in the soil, water and wait. In a week I had some as long as 5 or 6 inches. When you use another onion- just add it to the pot. You can start celery and romaine lettuce pretty much the same way.

Freshly planted green onions

Freshly planted green onions

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Garden Skillet Dinner

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Garden Skillet

Garden Skillet

I love to cook- not so crazy about a lot of dishes to wash so I am always happy with recipes that require fewer pots and pans. I love this Garden Skillet Dinner. It’s a little like mac and cheese but with some added veggies for extra flavor. Always a hit when I make it. This time I used a sharp white cheddar cheese. You can add whatever veggies you have on hand. 

 

 

Garden Skillet

1 large onion, sliced

2 small zucchini, sliced

1 T. oil or butter

1 t. dried basil

1 14 oz. can tomatoes, chopped, undrained- I used my home canned tomatoes

4 c. cooked pasta

1/2 c. milk

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 t. spicy mustard

 In large skillet cook onion and zucchini in oil or butter until tender. Add remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until heated through and cheese has melted. Serves 3-4.

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Simple Spaghetti Squash

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Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan Cheese

Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan Cheese

I was lucky enough to get some beautiful winter squash from a local farmer friend of mine. Thank you Carl from Blue Pike Farm. There are an assortment of acorn, butternut and several spaghetti squash. If you haven’t had spaghetti squash before it is a squash with flesh that shreds into strings once cooked. It looks a little like spaghetti, thus the name. The taste is not as sweet as some other winter squashes. When using it don’t be afraid to add a lot of flavors to it. It is mild and goes with everything. I cooked one up with no real idea of what I wanted to do with it. To cook it I just placed the whole squash in a pot of water and boiled it until fork tender. That took less than an hour. I had to cool it down so I could handle it so I placed it in a big bowl of cold water for a few minutes. I cut it in half and scooped out the seeds. The seeds went out to the bird feeder. Then I took a fork and kind of pulled out the flesh, fluffing with the fork as I went. I ended up sauteing some onion in a skillet and then added the squash to the skillet. I cooked it over high heat, stirring often and adding some salt and fresh ground pepper. I also added a couple of cloves of chopped garlic. It tasted pretty good. I ended up just adding some fresh grated Parmesan cheese. It was wonderful. I had planned on serving the spaghetti squash as a side dish- but just had it for lunch all by itself. Sometimes the best dishes don’t have to have a ton of ingredients. Simple can be good, too.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash

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Corn and Ham Chowder

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Corn and Ham Chowder

Corn and Ham Chowder

I was looking for a quick soup for dinner the other night. Inspiration hit when I came across some corn in the freezer. I had blanched and frozen it during the summer at the peak of  corn season. I had a little ham in the fridge I was wanting to use up and the pairing was a natural. I started by sauteing an onion in a little butter. Once the onion was tender I added a peeled and diced potato, the corn, the diced ham and about 2 or 3  cups of chicken stock. I covered the soup and let it simmer until the potato was tender, about 15 minutes. I then took 4 tablespoons of flour and put it in a jar. I added a cup of milk, put on the lid and shook it until the flour was well mixed in. I poured the flour mixture into the pot and brought the mixture up to a gentle boil. I stirred it as it thickened up. I cooked it for a few minutes and adjusted the seasonings adding salt, fresh ground pepper and a dash of hot sauce. I also added some chopped parsley. The end result was a  wonderful chowder that took almost no time at all. Sometimes the best dishes come from just looking at what we already have. In this case some frozen veggies and a bit of leftover ham.

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Groundhog Day Cookies

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Groundhog Day Cookies

Groundhog Day Cookies

I posted this last year, but thought you might like the recipe again. Even if you don’t have a groundhog cookie cutter- and I would be surprised if you did- these are a really nice cookie recipe.

Well it’s just around the corner. I like to celebrate this holiday by making up a batch of groundhog cookies. Not made from groundhogs, mind you, but shaped like them.  The recipe comes from my dear friend, Cindy Kotula, whose late husband Mike was from Punxsutawney, P.A. She also gave me a groundhog shaped cookie cutter. Even if you don’t have one of those- I’d be surprised if you did- you can still make these wonderful ginger-snap cookies. Cookie cutters are available at some baking supply stores and online. They come out a lovely groundhog brown and are positively yummy. We enjoyed them today with lunch.

Spicy Groundhog Cookies

2 c. flour

2 t. cinnamon

1t. each ground ginger, ground cloves, ground allspice  and baking powder

1/2 t. each baking soda and salt

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. molasses

1 egg yolk

Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. Beat sugar and butter until smooth and stir in molasses and egg yolk. Stir in dry ingredients and chill dough at least an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough 1/8-inch thick on lightly sugared surface. Cut out with cookie cutter and place cookies on greased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from baking sheet. Makes 12-15 large groundhogs or 3-4 dozen small ones.

Note: I have the small groundhog cookie cutter- you can borrow it if you promise to return it promptly.

Happy Groundhog Day!

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Apple Pie Won Tons

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Apple Pie Won Tons

Apple Pie Won Tons

With a Chinese New Year dinner tonight with friends I wanted to bring something for dessert. Since I haven’t been going to the grocery store I had to work with what I have already. I am using won ton wrappers to make appetizers and decided to use some of them for dessert, too. I wrapped a small amount of apple pie filling in each wrapper, sealed them up and pan fried in a little oil. Before serving dust with powdered sugar. They taste like little crispy apple pies. Not a traditional Chinese dessert but a nice finish for dinner. These are tiny bites, allow 4-5 per person.

 

Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of each wrapper

Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of each wrapper

Fold sides in

Fold sides in

Roll up- use a little water to seal

Roll up- use a little water to seal

Ready for frying

Ready for frying

Drain on paper towels, then serve

Drain on paper towels, then serve

 

 

 

 

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Sweet and Sour Chicken

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Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I have to admit to loving all things sweet and sour. Sometimes the color of commercial sweet and sour sauce is off putting to me. I like my own better. It’s not hard to make. With Chinese New Year here I seem to be making more Asian meals lately. I made this chicken for dinner the other day and made extra sauce to take to an Asian dinner last night.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 c. vinegar

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. pineapple juice

3 T. ketchup

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. cornstarch

1 t. dried minced garlic

1-t. fresh grated ginger

Hot pepper flakes to taste

In saucepan combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring as mixture gets hot, until sauce begins to bubble. It will also get much clearer. Boil gently 1 minute, stirring constantly before removing from heat. Makes 1 1/2 c. Keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

                Sweet and Sour Pork or Chicken

1-2 lbs. boneless pork or chicken

1 egg

1 t. cornstarch

1/4 t. salt

1 t. soy sauce

Additional cornstarch for dredging

2 T. oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced thin

1 sweet green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 sweet red or yellow pepper, seeded and chopped

1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained, reserving juice for sauce

1/2 c. almonds, optional

1 recipe sweet and sour sauce (see note)

 Cut meat into cubes and place in bowl. Combine egg, 1-t. cornstarch, salt and soy sauce and pour over the meat, stirring to coat. Allow marinating at least 1 hour in fridge.

When ready to cook, heat 1T. oil in large skillet or wok. Sauté onions on high until tender. Add carrots and stir fry 3 minutes. Add peppers and sauté 3 minutes more. Remove to bowl and stir in pineapple. Dredge the meat in additional cornstarch and sauté in remaining oil until browned and when juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Return vegetables to pan with meat and almonds, if adding, and add sauce to desired amount.  There is usually extra sauce for a later use. Serve over rice, makes 4-6 servings.

Note: If you make the sweet and sour sauce ahead of time it will get runny when reheated if made with regular cornstarch. Either use modified cornstarch (Clear Gel ) or make sauce just before using. You may also want to use only some of the sauce and save the rest for another use.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Sweet and Sour Sauce

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Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

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Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

The cold winter this year has really got me craving comfort foods. Also have a real taste for some childhood favorites. My mother used to make some really good quiches. Always a home made crust. I used what I had on hand the other day to whip up this quiche. Thought of her when I made it.

 

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

1 unbaked pie crust

1 T. oil

1 small onion, chopped

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

salt and pepper to taste

1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

4 oz. diced Swiss Cheese

2 T. flour

1 c. milk or half and half

3 eggs, beaten

In skillet saute onion in oil until tender. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the spinach and set aside. In 9-inch pie pan place the crust. Toss cheese with the flour and place in crust. Add the spinach mixture. Combine milk with the eggs and pour over the spinach mixture. Place pan on a baking sheet to collect any drips and place in a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes then turn down over to 325 and continue baking until quiche is firm near the middle, about 25-30 minutes more. To test for “doneness” insert a butter knife about an inch from the center of the quiche. If it comes out clean the quiche is done. Serves 4-6.

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

 

 

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Lamb Ribs

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Lamb Ribs

Lamb Ribs

If you haven’t tried these before, lamb ribs are a fun and easy dish to make. They are often a lot less expensive than other cuts of lamb. They are frequently labeled as lamb riblets.  A slab of lamb riblets run about 2 pounds and will feed two. You can treat them a lot like other ribs. I marinated these in a little apple cider vinegar for a couple of hours. To cook them I rubbed them all over with Ethiopian seasoning-recipe follows- and I added some pink salt. I started them out at 400 degrees for about an hour and then turned them down to 300 for 30 minutes more. They were juicy and pretty tender.

Ethiopian Seasoning

1 T. paprika

1 t. each cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder and ginger

1/2 t. allspice

1/4 t. cinnamon

You probably won’t need all of the seasoning for 1 rack of ribs. Refrigerate the rest for later use.

Lamb Riblets fresh out of the oven

Lamb Riblets fresh out of the oven

 

 

 

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Peanut Soup

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Peanut Soup

Peanut Soup

I taught a vegetarian cooking class yesterday at the Nature Center for the University of Mount Union. One of the dishes we had was a peanut soup. Rich and flavorful it was a big hit with the students. I think you will like it, too. A different way to eat peanut butter for a lot of us. You could use almond butter or cashew butter instead of the peanut butter, if you like.

Peanut Soup

2 c. chopped onions

1 T. oil

cayenne pepper to taste

1 t. grated fresh ginger

1 c. chopped carrots

1 c. chopped sweet potatoes

1 c. chopped white potatoes

5 c. vegetable stock or water

1 c. tomato sauce

1 c. smooth peanut butter

1 c. chopped green onions

Sauté onions in oil until tender. Add seasonings and carrots and sauté 3 minutes more. Add potatoes and stock and simmer until vegetables are tender. Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth. Return to pot and add tomato sauce and peanut butter. Warm gently and serve with green onions on top. Serves 6-8.

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