Incredibly Easy (and tasty) Risotto in 15 minutes!

Recently I was given the greatest gift! I've never even heard of it before, it's the Electric Multicooker from Amazon.com. This is a great appliance for the kitchen. The browning function actually works to saute garlic & onion for this recipe. I'm still putting the appliance through its paces, but I've used the slow cooker to make BBQ chicken. The rice cooker worked well for this tasty risotto. It's creamy, cheesy and a perfect compliment for chicken and fish dishes.

I'm not sure how well the recipe will work in other cookers. This is the only rice cooker I have ever used, so experiment as instructed by your appliance. The instructions listed below are for the appliance shown here:

Creamy Gruyere and Parmesan Risotto

by 3-in-1 Electric Multicooker Recipe Book, but adapted by me

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 cup minced onion

1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice

3 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup grated Gruyere Cheese (4 oz)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter and oil in the cooker on the brown setting. When the butter has melted, add the garlic and onion. Saute until you can smell the garlic -- about 2 minutes. 

Stir in the rice to make sure it's coated thoroughly. Pour in the stock. Lock the lid in place and set to rice cook. 

Once rice cook cycle is complete release pressure but allow the risotto to rest on the warm cycle with the lid on for about 5 minutes. 

Open the lid, stir in the Gruyere and Parmesan. Let it rest for about 3 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste, serve immediately.

Taco Soup

Here is my favorite recipe for taco soup. I really prefer the Old El Paso mild taco seasoning flavor, I think it's the best tasting of the prepared packets. 


I think of this soup as a dump soup -- you just dump all the ingredients into a pot and let it simmer until you are happy with the taste. This one is incredibly healthy and tasty at the same time.

Big Batch Taco Soup

2	lb	ground beef, browned & drained
3	cups	onion
2	can (15 oz)	kidney beans
2	can (15 oz)	black beans
2	cans	corn
6	can(28 oz)	tomato, diced
3	package	taco seasoning
1	carton	beef broth

Servings: 22

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 1/22 of a recipe (16.9 ounces). Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving Calories 307.88 Calories From Fat (11%) 33.44 % Daily Value Total Fat 3.79g 6% Saturated Fat 1.36g 7% Cholesterol 27.51mg 9% Sodium 1153.49mg 48% Potassium 1263.75mg 36% Total Carbohydrates 50.39g 17% Fiber 13.75g 55% Sugar 2.6g Protein 22.49g 45%

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Wonderful pumpkin cookies

I don't even like pumpkin. Really. I don't. Having said that, these pumpkin spice cookies are amazing! My family loves them! Give them a try, you won't be disappointed!

Sugar Cookie Frosting

You can't have great cookies if you don't have a great frosting! Here's the one I learned from my mom:

Sugar Cookie Frosting

By Jan

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tablespoons  Milk

1 stick              butter

1 Tablespoon    vanilla

1 pound            powdered sugar

Dash                salt

DIRECTIONS:

Combine wet ingredients until smooth.

Slowly add powdered sugar until desired consistency.

Cooking a turkey

I'm surprised how many people are afraid of cooking a turkey. I've done it for about 10 years now, and it's surprisingly easy and a very economical way to add protein to a menu. I will often cook two turkeys in November while the meat is sold at a discount price and freeze one in small vacuumed sealed packages to use through the winter.

This is going to sound like a made-up story, but I swear it's true. My sister had a friend, who had a brother that worked in a restaurant. His job was to make the turkeys during the holidays. He put together instructions, and gave them to my sister, who in turn gave them to me.

Now, there are probably as many ways to cook a turkey as there are turkeys on the planet, but this method has never failed me. In fact, I now use it for roasting chickens as well.

Kristie's Tasty Turkey
For an 18 lbs. Turkey

• You will want to use a roasting pan with a rack to raise the turkey and the roasting pan should not be too big. The Turkey should only be 1-2 inches from the sides of the pan. Thaw turkey completely – 3 to 4 days in the fridge
• Soak turkey(in the packaging) in cold water with 2 cups of salt in the kitchen sink for at least 4 hours or up to overnight -- this is called brining
• Once completely thawed & brined, rinse turkey, remove everything from inside and pat dry
• Separate skin from breast and rub a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic pepper and poultry seasoning inside between the skin and the breast meat
• Rub and dump 3-4 handfuls of salt in the internal cavity
• Tie back the wings under the breasts
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Cook turkey upside down, uncovered @ 400 degrees for 1/3 of projected cook time (18 lbs. = 50 minutes, or so)
• Turn Turkey breast side up, drizzle skin with butter and shake salt and pepper on the outside
• Add 1-2 cups of water to bottom of pan to add to the juices and make basting easier
  Drop temperature to 325 degrees and cover with a tight foil tent
• Baste every 30 minutes
• Begin checking the temperature for doneness after a total of 2 hrs of cooking. Reduce temperature if cooking too rapidly.
• When temperature reaches 165 – 185 degrees with a digital instant read thermometer in both the legs and breasts, remove from oven and baste again, immediately wrap completely in a tight foil blanket and then wrap that in a towel.
• Allow to rest for up to an hour before carving.

Pizza Party Night

We recently had a family over for a Friday night pizza party. I made the pizza crusts and did the pre-bake before everyone arrived. The crusts had time to cool before we put all the toppings on -- I think this was one of the key factors to the perfect crust that we enjoyed that night. But, the best part was that I realized as I was assembling all the pizza toppings that they were all salad toppings as well. Everyone was able to make their own salad and their own pizza to fit their personal taste. All the guests were happy, and it was a pretty easy event to make happen! I was very happy! I highly recommend doing this for a family get-together or a dinner party. I think the adults were the most pleased.

The pizza crust I used was from King Arthur, and the toppings I put out were tomatoes, green peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms, pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, pineapple, several different kinds of cheese and lettuce. We had a few salad dressings to choose from and Prego traditional sauce for the pizzas.

Yummo!

Worth the money

In my quest to make wonderful food, I've learned that cleaning up after my cooking tests and trials is getting more and more messy. Since I spend most of my time recently working on the art of bread making, my counter has that yucky flour cement stuck to it. I hate trying to get it off.

My favorite store has been advertising this mat and roller for quite a while. I'm a little behind the times because I hate to spend money on things that I won't use, or that are only good for one or two tasks. It has to be a multi-tasker because I don't have that much cupboard space.


With all of that in mind, I love my new mat and pastry pin. They are fantastic. I was worried that the mat would be too small. Not even close. It's huge! If it were any bigger I wouldn't be able to clean it in my sink. The rolling pin has little rings that you can stick on to make sure your dough comes out even and to the desired depth. Pretty cool!


Wait until you see some of the other gadgets I finally ordered. I've been drooling for so long over these things! It's been like Christmas in July!

Sourdough Starter

I got my stinky sour dough starter in the mail this week. I've never been so excited for something smelly before! I've nurtured it, discarded and nurtured some more. We've tried two different recipes so far -- mild and strong. The family voted for the strong version. I went back to read the recipe again and realized I'd missed a step. Hopefully I'll make it again soon and it'll be even stronger.

At first I was afraid of the idea to have another living entity to take care of in my home. Now, I'm learning to love this little guy. I hope to nurture it for years to come!

Fresh Peach Pie

This recipe comes from my husband's aunt. It's so good! The crust is one of the strangest things I've ever made, but it turns out so sweet and is a perfect companion to the fresh peaches.

I'll post some pictures after I make it tomorrow, but I wanted to link up the recipe to my Sunday Dinner menu plan today.

Fresh Peach Pie

4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
14 soda cracker squares
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans(optional)
6-8 peaches
Whipping cream or ice cream

Smash the soda crackers into small bits and reserve.

Lightly grease the pie pan.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Beat the egg whites until stiff -- about 5 minutes.

Gradually add the sugar, beat in on high, stirring constantly from now on

Add the crushed soda crackers.

Add the baking powder, vanilla and chopped pecans.

Place the batter into the pie plate and bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven -- it will be a light golden brown. Let it cool completely. The crust will seem gigantic -- about 4-5 inches tall. It will settle when the peaches are added.

Slice peaches into a bowl. Be sure to taste test the peaches -- add sugar if they are too sour.

Add the peaches to the crust. Top with whipping cream if desired, or serve with ice cream. If you're using Whipping cream, put it on top before refrigerating.

Either way, be sure to refrigerate for 4-6 hours before serving.

Sunday Dinner Menu

I'm preparing a big Sunday dinner this week for a friend and her familiy that are coming to town to visit. This is a great menu for guests, mostly because some of the preparation can be done the night before.

Here's what we'll be eating:

• Pot Roast
• Mashed Potatoes
• Gravy
• Garden Salad
• Green Beans from the garden
• Cheese Bread
• Fresh Peach Pie for dessert

Saturday:

Cheese Bread -- once the dough is put together, and kneaded, place it in the fridge overnight. You'll only have to warm it to room temprature, roll it out, put on the cheese and let it rise again. Then bake just before the meal on Sunday

Pot Roast

Place all the items in an oven bag and let it sit overnight in the fridge. Pop it in the oven three hours before dinner and you're set!

French Dip Sandwiches

My mother-in-law makes the best French Dip Sandwiches. We recently had her French Dips for Sunday dinner when visiting in their home. Wow! I really love the flavor of the meat in this recipe!

Sarah's French Dip

1 boneless chuck roast, trimmed(3 to 4 pounds)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube**
1 bay leaf
4 peppercorns
1 teaspoon fresh or dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
12 French sandwich rolls, split horizontally

Place roast in a slow cooker. Combine everything but the rolls and pour over the roast. Add water to slow cooker until roast is almost covered.

Cook, covered on LOW setting for 7 hours or until very tender. Remove roast, reserving the broth. Discard bay leaf.

Shred roast or slice very thinly. Place roast in rolls and serve with broth for dipping.

*** I think the next time I make it, I'll use a package of Au Jus mix instead of bullion to see if it gives a slightly richer flavor.

Clam Chowder

I've been experimenting for a couple of months trying to find the best version of New England clam chowder. I figured since I live in New England, I should be able to make it, right?

Well, we love a restaurant in Salt Lake called Market Street Grill. In my mind, they make some of the best chowder out there. So, this recipe is based on theirs. I added more veggies to make it a bit more filling and removed the alcohol.

This is a big pot of soup -- 20 one cup servings. I make it about once a month and freeze the rest in portion sized bags. If I can actually freeze the soup before we eat most of it, I have ready made lunch for a month! I love cooking, but I love eating tasty food with minimal effort even more.

The Best Clam Chowder

3 cups of potatoes, diced less than1/2 inch
3 cups cup of celery, diced less than1/2 inch
3 cups of onions, diced less than1/2 inch
1 large green pepper, diced less than1/2 inch
5 cans diced clams(with juice)
3/4 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tablespoon whole thyme
6 bay leaves
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white grape juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cups water
1 1/2 cup butter, melted (3 sticks)
1 3/4 cup flour
2 quarts half and half

1. In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except butter, flour, and half and half. Simmer until potatoes are thoroughly cooked.
2. In the meantime, combine melted butter and flour in a baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, (to eliminate raw flour flavor and to stabilize chowder)
3. Stir the butter flour mixture, into the chowder and cook, stirring frequently until thick. The mixture should be nearly the consistency of cookie dough.
4. Remove chowder from heat. Stir in half and half and blend well. Heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally.
5. Serve!

Very Full Freezer

I've been packing my freezer until it can take no more! Now it's time to eat it all before it goes bad. Then, I'll pack it again.

Here's a menu plan for the next few weeks to get rid of all of it. Some of the items will be listed a couple of times because we have multiple of them prepared or because it's a family favorite. I'm going to number it so that I'm not stuck to a certain day of the week:

1. Homemade pizza --
2. Garlic Chicken and fettuccine
3. Hamburgers & hot dogs
4. Chicken tacos & black bean salsa
5. Cheesy Mexican Chicken
6. Chinese Chicken Salad
7. Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches
8. Chicken & Broccoli with corn bread
9. Spaghetti Bake
10. Chicken Garden Salad
11. BBQ Salmon and baked potatoes
12. Zippy Casserole
13. Calzones
14. French Dip Sandwiches
15. Beef Fajitas
16. Beef Shiskabobs
17. Stromboli
18. Breakfast Sandwiches
19. Garlic Chicken Pasta
20. Black Bean & Kielbasa soup and empanadas
21. Chicken Pot Pie
22. Spaghetti with meat sauce
23. Chicken Nuggets & Fries
24. Garlic Chicken & Fettuccine
25. Stuffed Shells
26. Calzones
27. Chili & Corn bread
28. Chicken Rice Salad
29. Won tons and salad
30. Stromboli
31. Citrus Pork Chops
32. Hamburgers & Hot dogs
33. French toast & bacon
34. Italian crock-pot chicken
35. BBQ bacon & cheddar chicken
36. Wild rice soup and whole wheat bread
37. Chicken Kiev
38. Chicken tacos & black bean salsa

I often save leftovers and freeze them in smaller sized portions. I've put these in vacuum sealed bags in the freezer and they're ready to defrost. So, for my lunches:

1. Beef Stroganoff
2. Wild Rice Soup
3. Crustless Quiche
4. Egg Rolls
5. Calzones
6. Black Bean Soup
7. Stromboli

Easy Breezy Cheese Bread

This stuff is the best bread on the planet. Take it to a friend and they'll love you for life. I'm not exaggerating. Really! I should keep it to myself, but it's so good, I guess I'll share it -- you just have to give me credit :)

The original recipe comes from King Arthur flour. I love their products and all of their information. PLEASE use King Arthur bread flour when making this recipe -- you'll notice the difference. It'll raise higher, taste better and it isn't bromated, so it's much safer to use. I buy my flour at Walmart, so you can probably find it no matter where you live.

I have modified the original recipe so that it is now much easier to use. There are two ways to let the dough rise so that you get what you want -- more flavor or speedy results. It's up to you.

Cheese Bread

4 3/4 cups King Arthur bread flour

1 3/4 cups warm water

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoon yeast

4 cups grated cheese -- we use a colby/monterey jack combo

Combine water, yeast and one cup flour. Mix well. Add salt. Slowly add the remaining flour. When the dough cleans the sides of the bowl, you'd added enough. Depending on the humidity, you may or may not need all of the flour called for.

Knead for 6-7 minutes. The dough should be smooth and slightly tough when you finish kneading.

Place in a well oiled bowl and cover. Choose your method for rising:

• Speedy -- place in your oven and turn the light on. Let it rest for about 2 hours or slightly more than doubled in bulk.
  
• Tasty -- If you can wait, put the dough in the fridge. We like it best when it's been in the fridge for 2-3 days before shaping it into loaves. This is called a 'cold rise' and it gives the dough a slightly sour flavor. Don't let it sit for more than a week or you really do get sourdough bread. Pull it out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to shape it into loaves, it's easier to work with that way.

Once your dough is risen, roll it out into a rectangle about 18 inches high by two feet wide.
Spread the cheese evenly over the dough.

Roll the dough as tightly as you can. If you let it flop, you'll get big air bubbles between the layers. Cut the dough in half.
Place it on a greased cookie sheet or in a bread pan. Cover. Let it rise for 65-80 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 425. Spray the bread with water just before you put it in the oven. This will give it a crunchier crust.

Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on how dark you like the crust. We usually pull it out at about 35 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Lynn Valley Lodge Coconut Cookies

When I lived in North Vancouver, we volunteered at a fun little rest home. I just loved the ladies there! My adopted 'Aunt Phil' was such a hoot, telling me about her escapades in her youth. There was a group of women that played Yahtzee every Tuesday and we would eat these cookies. I'm sure they've all long since left Lynn Valley one way or another, but I'll always imagine them dueling over the little tables every time I eat these cookies.

Lynn Valley Lodge Coconut Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter
1 ¼ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/3 cups flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ cup rolled oats
¾ cup coconut

DIRECTIONS:

Beat butter, sugar and egg until smooth and creamy.

Combine remaining ingredients.

Bake at 300 for 10-12 minutes.

Menu plan for next week

Here's my menu plan for next week. I've linked to the recipes if you're interested in any of the items. I'll add pictures as I can so that you can see what it looks like if you're curious.

Sunday -- Roast, Potatoes and salad
Monday -- French Dip and salad
Tuesday -- Calzones
Wednesday -- Chicken Pot Pie, rolls
Thursday -- Chicken Fajitas
Friday -- Pizza and salad
Saturday -- Stromboli and salad

Stromboli My Way

I love Stromboli -- I stink at making it.

The traditional Stromboli is meat and cheese rolled up together inside bread dough, then baked like a log and then finally sliced. When I bake it in a log, it comes out soggy on the inside and the dough is never fully cooked. A long time ago, I went to a Pampered Chef demonstration where they made pepperoni pinwheels. A-ha! No more soggy Stromboli. Slice before baking, that's the ticket!

The recipe below will feed 3 adults, with 3-4 slices each. It is a very filling meal. You can add any meats/cheeses or veggies that you like. I have to say though, the veggies add liquid which again adds to the main problem of soggy Stromboli. I prefer just meat and cheese -- I get my veggies from dipping it in the spaghetti sauce :) Note: This recipe is one of those that the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. In other words, it's much tastier than it first appears by the list of ingredients. It has a wonderful buttery, sweet and spicy tang to it.

Stromboli

1 package Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

3-5 slices honey ham

15 slices pepperoni

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 cup spaghetti sauce

1. Roll crescent rolls out flat. Use a rolling pin to smooth the cracks or perforations until the dough is like one piece. Roll it out a bit so that you have a large rectangle.

2. Place the ham in one layer covering the entire space of the dough.

3. Place the pepperoni in two rows.

4. Cover the entire thing with the shredded mozzarella.

5. Roll tightly.

6. Slice into 1 inch pieces and lay flat on a cookie sheet -- so you can see the swirl.

7. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown.

8. Serve with spaghetti sauce for dipping.

Tenderizing Chicken

I've been interested in the tenderizing of chicken and done some research into the subject. Almost every recipe for fried chicken requires soaking in buttermilk from 30 minutes up to 24 hours. Why???

Well, there are proteins in dairy products that break down the cell walls of the chicken. That is what makes it more tender. Each of the milk products give a slightly different taste to the chicken. You could use milk, buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt for the same effect.

What if you want a tasty tender piece of chicken, or to tenderize an entire chicken and don't want to spend the money on that much buttermilk???

A cold, salted water bath for 20 minutes will do the same thing. This is commonly known as a "brine." You've probably done it to your turkey's each Thanksgiving without having any idea why. Tender and juicy -- that's the reason.

Best Pot Roast EVER!!!!

The best pot roast I've ever had is also one of the easiest. One Sunday, I wanted to make pot roast, but didn't have all the ingredients listed in the recipe I was planning on using. Whittling out what I didn't have, I was happier with the result than I was with the original recipe.

This recipe is really one of those cases where the whole is more than equal to the sum of the parts -- yet again!. It tastes awesome! Be prepared to be underwhelmed by the ingredient list:

Darcy's Pot Roast

3-4 pounds of roast meat -- you pick the cut
1 cup white grape juice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix

Combine juice, soup and onion mix together and stir well.

Pour over the roast.

Bake at 350 for about 2 hours.

Test for your texture preference and color.

Tip: The leftovers work well shredded for French Dip Sandwiches