Guest post: Breakfast cookies

(hi, this is jennyalice with a sneaky little guest post.)

My son eats a lot of food. No really, a lot of food, and since he has a physical disability, he needs quite a bit of help at meal time. Breakfast is always a blur at our house, and in an effort to be most efficient, get out of the house on time, and offer Jack more opportunity for independence, we have tried every cereal on the market. They all end up in little pieces at the bottom of the box, or scattered all over the floor. So we want him to be able to feed himself, and it has to be fast, and his sister has to like it. Frustrated by the $4.00 price tag on 5 ounces of granola nuggets, I decided to try to make cereal cookies. This is my first try. It is basically a takeoff on any oatmeal cookie recipe, with cereal instead of the oatmeal.

I use a professional grade KitchenAid stand mixer and aluminum jelly roll (cookie) pans in a non-convection electric oven.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs (I used large, not extra large)
• 2 sticks of softened butter (I do not ever bake with margarine)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2T vanilla extract
• 1 cup white flour
• 2/3 cup wheat flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 15 oz box muesli cereal (I used Safeway brand)
• 1/4-1/2 cup oatmeal (as much as needed to make the batter more on the stiff side.)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F
   
2. Cream butter and sugars
3. Add vanilla
4. Add eggs one at a time, beat until smooth
5. If you are a good person you will sift your flours, baking soda and baking powder. But since you are not a superhuman, just try not to have any hard nuggets of baking soda or baking powder, then with the mixer on a low to medium speed, slowly add the flours, baking soda, and baking powder.
6. Mix in the box of muesli. You could hand mix at this point, but I have a heavy duty stand mixer, so I make it do the work.
7. Add in the oatmeal a little at a time until the cookie dough is more on the stiff side.

I use cookie sheets with parchment paper to cook most all of my baked goods. It allows me to place all of the batter onto the sheets, then I can slip baked goods onto the counter and a new sheet with raw dough onto the pan and pop it back into the oven faster. No lag time between baking and I don't need to get my hands dirty very 13 minutes.

I tested three different sizes for the cookies. A 1 tablespoon dough ball makes a normal-size cookie, and was more on the soft side. A 1/2 tablespoon dough ball, made a small cookie, and would probably work just fine for most people, but I really wanted them to be "one bite" cookies so there would be less of a chance of my kid taking a bite then dropping the rest. I settled on a fat 1 1/2 tsp. So I just scooped up batter 1 tablespoon at a time and divided it into four little dabs. This made cookies slightly larger than a quarter, which was perfect for my family.

Bake cookies for 13 minutes at 350F, slightly less time if you want them softer; we wanted crisp. This recipe makes, um, a lot of little cookies; it filled a 10 cup container.

I do not know how long these keep, they were finished within 3 days. Even my husband ate them (note to self: do not tell husband that muesli has dates or he will never eat them again). I have several other types of cereal in the cupboard, so I'm going to keep making different kinds until I can find the tastiest, highest protein, lowest cost, batch of breakfast cookies that my family will still eat. Once I figure out a few that work, my goal is to get a ton of cereal on super sale, then spend a day and make batch after batch of breakfast cookies, and freeze them in 1 gallon zip-top bags. I'm sure they will freeze well, since oatmeal cookies do. Of course the way my family mowed through them, it's possible I won't need to freeze any at all.

Oven roasted rosemary potatoes

I wish I had some interesting story to tell you about how I first tried these at so-and-so's restaurant (I did not) or how my mother used to make these every Sunday (she did not).  Alas, I've got nothing for you.  Just some yummy potatoes which are so easy to make (no matter how you do them) and are so versatile that you can substitute just about any seasoning you want to complement any meal or to satisfy any taste.

Here's how I made them (this week):

Ingredients:
6 medium red potatoes
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
olive oil
sea salt

The 18-minute version:

Preheat oven to 400F.  Wash potatoes and cut into chunks approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches large.

Using a mortar and pestle or a small burr grinder, grind up the rosemary just enough to release the oils and flavor.

Place potatoes into a microwaveable bowl or casserole.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Add rosemary and sea salt, to taste, and stir the potatoes to spread the mixture evenly.

Cover dish with plastic wrap and microwave on high for approximately 8 minutes until almost completely cooked. Potatoes are cooked when they can be pierced with a fork.

Transfer potatoes to a shallow baking dish or cookie sheet.  Brown in oven for 10 minutes or until golden crust begins to form on the potatoes.

Serve piping hot and enjoy!

The 45-minute version

Preheat oven to 400F. Wash potatoes and cut into chunks approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches large.


Using a mortar and pestle or a small burr grinder, grind up the rosemary just enough to release the oils and flavor. Add rosemary and sea salt, to taste, and stir the potatoes to spread the mixture evenly.


Put the potatoes, oilve oil, rosemary and sea salt (to taste) in a plastic food storage bag.  Seal it and shake to coat evenly.

Transfer potatoes to a shallow baking dish or cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until golden crust begins to form on the potatoes.  They are done when the potatoes can be pierced with a fork.

Serve piping hot and enjoy!
 
Footnote:
Now, you may be asking yourself why I would go to the trouble of microwaving the potatoes when I can just roast them in the oven.  Two reasons, actually.  First, I don't always have the time to get the oven ready with enough lead time for preheating and cooking for 45 minutes.  I can set the oven to preheat while I'm mixing and microwaving and then toss it all into the oven to brown away while I am giving Nik his dinner.  Second, I like my potatoes a bit moister than I think they come out when cooked in the oven for so long.
 
Another plus to the shorter method is that they can be cooked ahead of time —say the night before I want to serve them— and baked/browned in the oven the next day.  If I cook them completely and then have to store them in the fridge, they get kind of mushy and I end up having to re-brown them anyway.

Eating locally

Rather than share a recipe today (Kristen and I were obviously on the same wavelength this week), I wanted to talk to you about something that I have become somewhat passionate about.

Eating locally. That is, choosing to eat food from my local foodshed. A term has been coined, even, to identify people that are striving to eat locally: locavore. Isn't that a great word?

Local eating isn't entirely a new concept to me. I've heard about it from time to time in the past but, if I'm being completely honest, the people that were talking about it weren't anything like me. These were people who lived more rurally, or who were already into all things organic. In some ways, they struck me as modern-day hippies.

I'm a typical suburban housewife with a minivan and two kids, one of whom will probably eventually play soccer. Eating locally, and how I could be part of this movement, just didn't hit me.

That all changed when I began reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I was inspired to read the book after watching the documentary Food, Inc., and deciding that I wanted to switch to completely organic produce as well as avoid foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The documentary as well as the book were very eye-opening to me. I have no farming roots, my parents never planted a vegetable garden, I know next-to-nothing about growing my own food. It was shocking to learn how large corporations have taken over farming, rendering small family farms nearly obsolete.

And, as is all too often the case, when large corporations take over anything - profit becomes the driving force. Squeezing as many rows of corn as possible onto every acre. Breeding the so-called "perfect" tomato that can withstand long-distance transportation and also fit neatly into a case pack, and can be available year-round (devoid of all taste in my opinion).

Eating local food has many benefits - not just to us, the consumer, but also the local economy. Here are just a few:

Eating locally is the best way to know the source of your food. A quick review of the frozen food section at your local grocer will reveal broccoli and peas (just to name a few) that are grown outside of our borders. Broccoli flown to my supercenter on a jet plane from China? No thanks.

When you eat locally, whether by joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or shopping local farmers market, you can get to know the person who is growing and caring for the food you are putting your body.

Local food is fresher and also tastes better. Commercially produced vegetables and fruits have to be able to withstand a long, oil-fueled commute to the supermarket in your area. It has been in transit or cold-stored for weeks. At your local farmers market, the produce you are buying was likely picked during the previous 24 hours.

Additionally, because the foods are purchased in season, they are at their peak taste, available in abundance and are the least expensive.

Eating local supports your local economy. Yes, there is chance you will spend a little bit more than at your local mega supercenter, but the dollars go directly in the hands of local farmers who are not only supporting families, but they are keeping pasture land open and undeveloped.

The benefits don't stop there, though. Shopping locally allows for greater variety for consumers, healthier and fresher food, and unique products.

Eating local isn't just for produce either. In nearly every community you can find pasture-raised, antibiotic-free beef, pork, chicken, dairy and eggs. Click here to learn more about the benefits of eating pasture-raised meat and dairy.

There are a variety of ways one can find local food in your community. In my town, the newspaper lists the farmers markets every weekend. You can also visit Local Harvest to find locally grown products.

For our part, we have decided to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). We pay a fee which buys us a share of the farm. That share entitles us to 18 weeks of fresh produce, approximately enough to feed our family. The CSA uses organic farming standards, and with our membership we are able to buy fresh chicken and eggs.

It's going to be a big challenge, to be honest. I am going to be getting a LOT of vegetables week after week after week that are going to be completely new to me. I didn't grow up loving a variety of vegetables, and have very little experience with fresh vegetables outside of a dinner salad. We're talking a steep learning curve.

Fortunately, there are many great resources out there. And I plan to use this blog to share my trials and hopefully solicit suggestions for what else can I do with another head of cabbage.

I'm curious: do you shop farmers markets or do you belong to a CSA? I would love to hear your experience!

Kitchen style: What would you do?

Most weekends I'm cooking for family, so if I don't have something planned for Monday's post, I make an effort to document an old recipe or try something new on Sunday.

But this week, I just didn't have it in me. I made TC's mom's chicken with crunchy rice on Sunday because it's easy and it's delicious and, honestly, I didn't feel like cooking. It's the kind of meal that's perfect for when you don't feel like cooking. You just load up the pan, toss it in the oven and make a salad.

The truth is, I didn't feel like cooking all weekend. Friday night, in fact, I went to dinner with a friend to celebrate my birthday belatedly and her birthday coming up. We went here. I had the most delicious chicken (I'm partial to chicken, it seems). It was cooked in Yucatan spices and it was moist, tender, true perfection.

Anyway, I don't have a recipe for you today. But I do have some thoughts on kitchens. Mine is small and galley-like, but it's a good layout. I have ample storage and an easy to use workspace. When we bought the house, we assumed we'd eventually extend the kitchen and add a half-bath on the main floor. But this plan, for a huge variety of reasons, never panned out.

Last week, we replaced our back door, the one that leads from the kitchen to the back yard. The old one was rotted, the sill was broken away, and what we found when the contractors got into it was a lot of old termite damaged wood that needed to be replaced. So now we have a new back door and storm door, we've ordered a new window, and suddenly my very workable little kitchen is looking old and tired against so much new.

Since major construction is out of the question, we're leaning toward a simple facelift. Paint and a new floor. I'm a simple girl. I don't need much. There's just the three of us here, after all.

We've updated our appliances little by little and I am in love with my Bosch range and dishwasher. The fridge—eh, I have yet to find the fridge that would make me truly happy. Bottom line: we don't need appliances.

If this were more than a facelift, I'd probably be looking for a farmhouse sink, bronzed fixtures and new lighting. I'd be thinking about a wood or bamboo floor, maybe even radiant heated tile. (I would not be thinking about granite—too shiny and common.)

If it were more than a facelift, I would be interested in seriously upgrading surfaces and inching my way toward my "dream" kitchen.

But, as I said, it's a facelift. And, if we do, in fact, keep this simple, use less costly materials, we can probably manage a decent overhaul without spending too much.

Anyway, here's what it looks like now.

Long, narrow, but good cupboard space, natural light, and plenty of usable countertops.

What you can't see too clearly in the photos is the horrible unmentionable broken linoleum floor tiles and the really tacky (though thankfully dark) faux wood cabinets.

And here's what I'm hoping for.

Yeah. I know.

Seriously, this is what I'm hoping for.

A faux Euro-stone floor, freshly painted walls and cabinets, and a natural concrete countertop, all in shades of olive and gold and plum. A very Arts & Crafts sort of look to go with our 100-year-old Prairie style four-square in the quiet little town of Mayberry.

If you could change one thing about your kitchen (or a lot of things), what would you do?

Lasagna, Trader Joe's style

My family is often a pain in the neck to cook for. I won't even get into Baroy's bizarro food issues. (He hates PASTA, people! Pasta and CHEESE! Pity me!) N? Well he pretty much ONLY eats pasta and cheese. (PITY ME, I said!)

And Em, while generally a total foodavore like me, has a few quirks as well. Cheese? No. Well, except for parmesan. And mozzarella, when it's melted on pizza. But NOT when it's melted on (or in) lasagna.

P. I. T. Y.

M. E.

So, as you might imagine, lasagna? Not a household favorite.

At least, not until I found the recipe on the side of Trader Joes' no-boil lasagna noodles.

Now, it's such a household favorite that when N had some (minor) surgery last week, it was what he requested as his special feel-better dinner. Em adores it. And even though it's different from most lasagnas I've had (and made), I'm a total convert, too. (Baroy? Will have nothing to do with it. But in this house, three out of four ain't bad.)

Trader Joe's No-Boil Lasagna (adapted from the noodle package directions)

1 package no-boil lasagna noodles
1 pound ground beef
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1 jar Marinara sauce
grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Brown ground beef in skillet; add to marinara sauce. (The TJ's recipe actually has you browning some kind of Italian sausage instead, and when I made it the first time, I did that and used chicken sausage and it was INCREDIBLE. But...sigh...N doesn't like sausage, and picked it all out of his lasagna, whereas he loves the ground beef in the sauce, so... Did I mention that you should pity me?)

3. Spread a thin layer of Alfredo sauce on the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.

4. Add a layer of lasagna noodles.

5. Add a thin layer of the marinara-and-meat sauce.

6. Pour some Alfredo sauce over the marinara-and-meat sauce. I like to then spread it out with a pastry-type brush, because I like everything spread out evenly. (Yes, I'm a little obsessive. You can pity my family, too, if you want.)

7. Sprinkle a thin layer of parmesan over the Alfredo sauce.

8. Repeat layering one or two more times, until you reach the top of your baking pan, or until you run out of noodles.

9. After your last noodles, top with alfredo sauce layer and parmesan only. (This leaves the top really crusty, crunchy, and brown. It's awesome.)

10. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until bubbly.

11. Let sit for five minutes or so before cutting, so lasagna can settle.

Yum! No, seriously. YUM. This lasagna is not at all pitiful.

Savory ricotta, onion and bacon tart

Weekdays are so busy with caring for Nik that on the weekends, when my husband is home and I get some breathing room, I just want to create.  I'm not sure what prompted me to decide to make a tart this weekend; I've never made a tart in my life.  Yeah, I'm a little crazy like that sometimes, I guess, but the bug had bitten so I was off and running.  Besides, it was the perfect excuse to go out and buy myself a tart pan!

Did I bother to look at any recipes? Nope.  Well, okay, one recipe —my great-grandmother's pie crust recipe; I substituted my gluten free sorghum flour blend and it came out fine.  The color isn't as golden as a traditional wheat-based flour crust would be but it was tasy and had a good texture to it.

I knew I wanted to keep the tart simple, in terms of ingredients, but wanted it layered with complementary flavors.  I decided on a simple ricotta cheese base with a few ingredients and seasonings added on top.  Kind of like a "white pizza" but on a pie crust. (Hey, roll with me here, okay?)

I have to say, I think it turned out well for my first foray into the land of tarts.  My husband loved it!  There were no leftovers remaining after lunch the next day and he's already asked me when I'm making another one.  My answer? Probably soon; it's so darn easy to make!

The ingredients and recipe for the crust:

1/2 cups flour (I used a GF sorghum blend.*)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening (I used palm shortening. You could use Crisco, margarine or butter.)
4 to 6 tablesppons cold water
* 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (ONLY for GF flour) (gives dough elasticity)

Mix dry ingredients together in mixing bowl. Using either a pastry blender or two knives, cut in shortening until the mixture is the consistency of lumpy corn meal.  (NB: you may use your hands for this but it gets pretty messy!)  Add 4 tablespoons cold water until the dough is a soft pasty consistency with which you can clean the sides of the bowl.  If it's too dry add more water a little at a time until you get the right feel.  If it's too wet simply add a bit more flour.

Form dough into a soft ball.  Roll the dough into a medium sized circle. Place the dough in the tart pan, pressing the dough to the edges and creating a slightly raised edge.  You want it high enough to hold the ingredients you will add after you bake the shell. 

Bake at 350F for approximately 12 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan.  Tart should be cool enough to touch the pan with your bare hand before adding the filling. Do not remove the shell from the pan.

Filling ingredients:
[NB: These measurements are approximate; I did not actually measure as I concocted.]

1 cup ricotta cheese (Use regular fat, not skim. Skim will make the filling very dry.)
1 cup diced tomato
1cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 onion, shaved or very thinly sliced
5 to 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled in large bits
1/4 to 1/2 cup romano or asiago cheese, finely shredded
1 Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb blend (You can sub equal parts oregano and garlic powder)
black pepper to taste

In mixing bowl, blend ricotta, oregano and pepper.  You may add bacon if you want it throughout the tart.  Spoon seasoned ricotta into the cooled tart shell.  Layer tomatoes, onions, bacon and mushrooms on top in any fashion you wish.  Top with shredded romano/asiago.

Bake at 350F for approximately 30 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool approximately 10 minutes before serving.

Makes a nice light main dish which goes perfectly with a spinach or caesar salad.  Or serve it as a side dish with something like Kristen's braised chicken with artichoke hearts.  Either way, you can't go wrong.

The beauty of this non-recipe is that you can really take it and play with it to make it your very own. Don't like mushrooms? Leave them out. Adore bacon? Add as much as you like.  Try it with cottage cheese if you don't have ricotta.  Top it with cheddar.  Mmm, layer sliced potatoes and bacon with cheddar and chives and you've got your very own potato skins tart! Garnish with sour cream for a yummy Super Bowl party snack! 

The possibilities are limited only by your taste and creativity.  Enjoy!

White bean and kale soup with sausage

Last week I decided to try two new things. One was to cook dried beans, and the 2nd was to try kale (a dark, leafy green vegetable like spinach).

I have attempted to cook dried beans once before and it was horrible. I tried a crock-pot method and they turned out really gritty. I never tried again. But dried beans are both a healthier and more frugal choice, so (a mere 10 years later) I tried again.

Whole Foods, where I do the vast majority of my shopping, featured a recipe in their monthly newsletter for white bean and kale soup with chicken sausage. I decided to use Italian sausage instead though. The newsletter also gave a basic recipe for cooking dried beans.

I am thrilled to say that my beans turned out great and the soup was a huge hit. I am pleasantly surprised by how much I liked kale. Much better than I expected.

I am no longer afraid to cook my own beans! And as they are so healthy and a great option for meatless meals, I think I'll be doing it more often!

First, how to cook the dried beans.

You'll need:
1 lb dried white beans (cannellini, navy or great northern - I used cannellini)
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 dried bay leaves
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Spread the beans in a single layer on a large sheet tray; pick through to remove and discard any small stones or debris and then rinse well.

Soak the beans using one of these two methods:

• Traditional soaking method: in a large bowl, cover beans by 3" with cold water, cover and set aside at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.

• Quick soaking method: in a large pot, cover beans by 3" with cold water, cover and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, remove pot from heat and set aside, covered, for one hour.
  

Drain soaked beans and transfer to a large pot. Cover by 2" with cold water, add onion and bay leaves and bring to a boil; skim off and discard any foam on the surface. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, gently stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain beans, if desired, discard onions and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Makes about 7 cups total.

Now, the recipe for White Bean and Kale Soup with Sausage (originally from Whole Foods). This recipe is naturally free of both gluten and casein.

You'll need:
2 32-ounce boxes of chicken broth
1 lb of Italian sausage, sliced
Thinly sliced yellow onion (to taste, I used about 1/2 of one)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
7 cups cooked white beans
1 bunch organic kale, stems and tough ribs removed, leaves roughly chopped

Heat 1/4 cup chicken broth in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and sausage is just browned. (About 10 minutes.)

Add onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened. (About another 10 minutes.)

Meanwhile, puree together 3 cups of beans and 2 cups of chicken broth, and set aside.

Once onions are softened, add remaining broth to sausage mixture in pot and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits.

Add kale, reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until wilted and softened. (About 5 minutes.)

Uncover and add remaining 4 cups of beans, bean puree, more salt and pepper, and simmer until hot throughout.

I served this with a loaf of gluten free French bread.