CREAMED CORN CASSEROLE 11/28/2009
 1 CAN CREAMED CORN 1/2 CUP CHEDDAR CHEESE 2 EGGS 1/2 CUP EVAPORATED MILK 2 TAB BUTTER MELTED 1/4 CUP CRACKER CRUMBS 3 TAB PIMENTO SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE  BEAT EGGS. ADD CREAMED CORN, CHEESE, EVAPORATED MILK, PIMENTO, SALT AND PEPPER.  STIR TOGETHER AND POUR INTO AN 8"x8" PAN, COATED IN COOKING SPRAY.   NOW IS WHEN I COVERED THIS AND PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE TILL THE NEXT DAY. IF YOU WANT TO COOK RIGHT AWAY, HEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES. TAKE CRACKERS AND BUTTER, MIX AND PUT ON TOP OF CORN MIXTURE. BAKE FOR 35 MINUTES. THIS RECIPE IS EASY TO DOUBLE. I WOULD BAKE IN A REGULAR CAKE PAN SO YOU GET MORE CRISPY EDGES. 1 Comment ZUCCHINI SOUP 11/27/2009
 Here is 2 pounds of zucchini that I washed and cut both the ends off.  Then I whacked them into about 1 inch chunks....  ...and dumped them into a Dutch oven/pot.  Now I add enough homemade broth to almost cover the chopped zucchini.  Then I cook for about 10 minutes...until the zucchini becomes tender.  Once the zucchini is tender I put half of it in a blender with the broth.  Put the lid on and cover with a hot-pot-holder and blend on high till smooth. Return to pot.  Peel and chop up a raw medium onion and put into blender with the rest of the zucchini and broth. Blend till smooth. Return to pot.   That is when you add the cream. This recipe calls for a pint. Add salt and pepper to taste.  See how pale and delicate this looks. Heat till warm. Do not boil. It could make it curdle.  Here is some in a bowl. I think it needs something crunchy.  So I like to put croûtons on top. Now, if you would like to do a fat free soup...take cauliflower and some broth...cook it up like you did the zucchini and add it to the zucchini/broth mixture. It makes it creamy. You can also cook up some bacon crispy and put it on for garnish for added flavor. I think you could also treat it like French onion soup and put some crusty bread and cheese on top and broil it till cheese is melted. Zucchini Soup 2 pounds zucchini 2 cans of chicken broth or equivalent 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in 1/8th's 1 pint of cream salt and pepper to taste Clean zucchini and cut into 1 inch chunks. Put in pot with broth. Cook till tender. Blend till smooth. Return to pot. Add cream and heat slowly. Serve with croutons. BROTH 11/10/2009
 Here is the beginnings of broth. I put this pan of "discards" in the oven for about 3 hours to slow roast. Brown food tastes good is what I hear...so I put these in the oven till it got brown. Then I put it in a pot with water and simmered it for another couple hours. Then I strain out all the chunks so it is just broth. Now would be when to make gravy or to add to soup. You can also put it in ice cube trays...freeze...pop out of the trays and put in zip lock baggies to store. That way when you want a little broth to flavor something you can pull out just what you need. Now this is time consuming...but not hard. I did it when I was making ribs which takes a while in the oven. Two birds...one stone. These scraps are from my freezer.  You can see it has asparagus ends, onion skins, and celery. There were even a few ends of jalapeños. I also put in a whole onion cut in small sections and garlic bulbs cut in half. For added flavor I put in a smoked turkey wing. If you are a vegetarian...leave it out. It is not a specific recipe...but it is way better than other broths and way cheaper. It is made from stuff you might have other wise thrown away. If that grosses you out...take a couple of large onions, chopped, peeled or not, 2 heads of garlic, cut in half, chopped carrots, 2 stalks of celery, and use that instead. You want to chop them up cause the more surface area of the veggies, the more area to brown which gives more flavor, which is what we want. SQUASH 11/09/2009
 This is a contractors wheel barrow. Not a small one either! Also...it is packed with pumpkin and squash.  These are the squash that didn't fit in the cart...the little one weighed 14 pounds. Now these weren't all the squash I grew..it is just what is left over. Since I am still learning and sometimes forgetful, I don't have all the pictures I would like to have to illustrate what I did...but I think we can get the idea anyway.  You can see that I whacked off the ends of this squash...which was no easy feat. The mallet was there to smack the knife.  Once I got it cut in half I scraped out the seeds and strings. First with my hands and then with a big serving spoon. Take your time and do a good job.  As you can see...I cut the squash into slices and put them in a big cake pan. I then put them in a 325 degree oven and baked for 3 hours. You want the squash to be fork tender. That is when you let them cool so you can handle them. I then take that serving spoon and scrape out the flesh. This is easy to do because it is so soft. I put my rinds in my compost heap. Now is where the photos are lacking. I took the flesh and put it in my food processor till it was smooth. THEN I put it in my food mill to make sure there were no strings or bits of rind left in it. That is when I put it into a stock pot with some broth I made to thin it out. I also put a little cream in it to give it that extra smoothness. Tomorrow I will show about the broth cause that is where the seasonings came from (mostly). Hope you like it! Compound Butters 11/04/2009
Today I want to talk about compound butter. What it is is softened butter with other herbs and or spices mixed in. You can use them for special breads or to put on meat like chicken or fish and then bake them. I even put it on my veggies, like asparagus, broccoli, or brussel sprouts. BFF and I went to San Diego recently and had some with our bread basket at dinner. It was so yummy! Especially the basil butter.  Here are the ingredients: 4 Tab. of butter 1 Tab. of Poultry Grill and Broil 3-4 Tab. of Parmesan cheese 2 chicken breasts Cooking spray  Take the seasoning and pour it on top of the butter.  Take the herbs and smash them into the butter with a fork.  I grated up some Peccorino Romano cheese to add in too...just cause I had some. The tool there is a micro plane. It shreds up hard cheese to light and fluffy, easily meltable yumminess. You can also use it on lemons to zest them...which would be good in here too. I just didn't have any at this time.  After you spray the pan with some non-stick spray, put the meat (I did chicken this time) on the rack. I then picked up the skin and put the compound butter under it and replaced the skin. After which, I spread it on the skin too so it would crisp up while I baked it. 350 degree oven for about 1 hour. Use a meat thermometer to check for sure.  Here is the crispy yumminess fresh out of the oven. Like all meat...let it rest for a few minutes to get the juices to redistribute back into the meat. What I want to do is to spark your imaginations to try this with whatever you have. Like...a big handful of fresh basil with a stick butter. Use a food processor or blender to mix it thoroughly. Put the compound butter on a big piece of plastic wrap, fold it in half and roll it back and forth till it looks like a log. Twist both ends of wrap to condense it and put it in the freezer. Then open up the wrap and cut off slices to use on whatever you are cooking. You can keep several types of compound butter to mix and match on meat or veggies. Try it! You'll like it! |
