chickensense

Today I found 2 pints of blueberries that had apparently gotten lost in the refrigerator for more than 2 weeks. They looked a little shriveled but they tasted ok so I thought I’d try them in a new muffin recipe and see what happens.

The muffins are delicious! I love blueberry muffins and this is the first recipe I’ve found that I’d say is good. Yum!

                  Blueberry Muffins (Betty Crocker)

-= Ingredients =-

1 3/4 cups Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tablespoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg; beaten
3/4 cup Milk
1/3 cup Cooking oil
3/4 cup Fresh or frozen blueberries

-= Instructions =-

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   

In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and  salt. Make a well in the center.

Combine egg, milk, and oil. Add egg  mixture all at once to flour mixture.

Add blueberries and stir just till  moistened; batter should be lumpy.

Grease muffin cups or line with paper  bake cups; fill 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or till golden. Remove  from pans; serve warm.

Makes 10-12 muffins

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It’s been a very long time since I’ve made meatloaf. I’m not sure why, since we all love my recipe. I guess because it is so messy to make, and I usually freeze my hands while mashing it all together.

Tonight, though, I made meatloaf. I’ve learned some things to watch for: get the pan out and prepared, and all the ingredients out before you start, otherwise you’ll smear hamburger all over you cabinet handles.

I thought I’d get clever today and try to save washing a large bowl. I added all the ingredients right inside the plastic tray the hamburger comes in. It seemed like a good idea, but in reality it was a bit small so hamburger kept spilling out as I mixed. Still it was nice to be able to just dump the tray in the garbage when I was done.

(These meat trays are actually very handy. I run them through the dishwasher, then reuse them for all sorts of things. They are just the right size to hold 9 jiffy pellets for planting seeds. I also sometimes punch some holes in the bottom and use them as seed starting trays. I’ve even used them for storing messy leftovers. Once the food is gone there is no bowl to wash.)

                      -= Exported from BigOven =-

                              Meat Loaf

Based on Recipe from Betty Crocker Cookbook c1986
Serving Size: 6

-= Ingredients =-
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup ketchup

-= Instructions =-
Mix all the ingredients except the ketchup. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Spread the meat mixture in the loaf pan. Spoon the ketchup over the top. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping.     **
** Easy recipe software.  Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com    **

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I have had lots of trouble over the years getting loaves that aren’t “gummy” inside when using my bread-machine. I’ve written before of my joy when I found I had over-looked the “super rapid” setting on my machine while accidentally using recipes intended for “super rapid.”  Pressing that magic button at the right time helped immensely, but all loaves were still at least a little gummy in the middle (usually more than a little).

I finally found, from several sites online, that bread that is undercooked and gummy inside is bread that didn’t rise sufficiently. After some experimenting, I found a couple of things I had been doing wrong:

1. I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour, which doesn’t rise as well because it has less gluten and because of some chemicals they add to the bread flour (see note).
   

   fix: compensate by using 1 tablespoon vital gluten per cup of flour

2. I keep my whole wheat flour in the freezer so it is very cold when I add it to the ingredients, which I’ve realized hinders the action of the yeast.
   

   fix: set the timer to begin the bread in 1 hour to give the wheat time to get room temperature

3. For recipes that have any whole wheat flour at all, I wasn’t using the “whole wheat” setting, which allows extra rising time. (I thought they meant to use that only for 100% whole wheat bread. Oops.)
   

   fix: always use the whole wheat setting if there is any whole wheat flour in the recipe

I am now always careful to use vital gluten (available in the flour section of your super-market), especially with wheat flour; I always set the delay-timer to allow whole wheat flour to come to room temperature before mixing begins; and I am more careful to use the proper buttons on my machine: whole wheat if there is any whole wheat flour in the recipe, and super-rapid if I have used a super-rapid recipe.

(If you don’t have any vital gluten but want to use all-purpose flour in a recipe for white bread, you can compensate for the poor rising attributes of the flour by setting the machine to the whole wheat setting. This setting allows extra rising time, which is what all-purpose flour needs.)

Hopefully now my bread will continue to come out as nice as the last few loaves have. No more anticipating and salivating only to have to loaf come out as an inedible gummy mess.

(The photo is of the honey wheat bread I made tonight.)

My Honey Whole Wheat Bread (2 Lb Loaf)

(Based on a recipe from my Gold Medal flour bread machine recipe booklet)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 4 or 5 tablespoons vital gluten
• 2 tablespoons butter (or shortening), chopped
• 2 tablespoons dry milk
• 1 teaspoon yeast

Instructions:

Place all the ingredients in the order above into the bread machine pan. I put half the vital gluten after the all-purpose flour, and half after the whole wheat flour, which I hope helps it to incorporate better.

Use the 2 lb Whole Wheat setting on your bread machine. If your flour is frozen or refrigerated set the timer to start in an hour to allow the ingredients time to reach room temperature before they come in contact with the yeast.

When finished remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. To more easily slice bread, use a serrated knife and a gentle back and forth sawing motion.

NOTE: Bread flour is a high-gluten flour that has very small amounts of malted barley flour and vitamin C or potassium bromate added. The barley flour helps the yeast work, and the other additive increases the elasticity of the gluten and its ability to retain gas as the dough rises and bakes.

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Storing eggs for 6 to 12 months or more is actually very simple.

In The Freezer

To freeze whole eggs, beat them just until blended. Pour them into a freezer container, seal tightly, label with the number of eggs and the date, and freeze. To use, substitute 3 tablespoons thawed whole eggs for 1 large fresh egg. Or, beat one egg at a time and pour each into a cup in an ice tray. Freeze, then pop out the egg cubes and store in freezer Ziploc bags. One cube=1 egg.

Egg whites can be frozen “as is.” Pour them into a freezer container, seal tightly, label with the number of egg whites and the date, and freeze. To use, substitute 2 tablespoons (30 mL) thawed egg whites for 1 large egg.

Egg yolks will thicken or gel when frozen and therefore cannot be used in a recipe unless they receive special treatment. To prevent thickening, beat in either 1/8 teaspoon (0.5 mL) salt, or 1-1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) sugar or corn syrup per 1/4 cup (50 mL) egg yolks (about 4 yolks). Label freezer container with the number of yolks, the date and whether you added salt (for main dishes) or sugar (for desserts and baking) and freeze. Substitute 1 tablespoon (15 mL) thawed yolks for 1 large fresh yolk.

It is best to thaw eggs in the refrigerator and use them as soon as they are thawed. Use them only in dishes that will be thoroughly cooked. Eggs should not be frozen in the shell.

Without Electricity

There are a couple of ways to store eggs without refrigeration. They require cool temperatures, however. A cellar, cool basement, or cool room in the house will suffice. The cooler the better the chance that your eggs will last longer.

One method is to coat the eggs with a non-toxic substance, sealing the pores in the shell and thereby sealing out oxygen and moisture. When no oxygen is present, bacteria can’t grow, thus eggs don’t spoil.

To use lard or shortening to coat the eggs, first melt the grease and cool it til it begins to solidify again. Dip each egg in the melted grease individually and set them on a paper towel to dry. When the shortening or lard is dry on the eggs, rub the eggs with a clean towel, removing excess solid grease. Rub gently and buff each egg. Now repeat the process, before the shortening solidifies. Work fast, allowing the shortening to get almost solid before re-heating it.

Line the bottom of a flat box with a clean soft towel. Place the eggs in the box in a single layer. Cover the box with either a lid or another towel. Place the box of eggs in a cool, dry environment. Eggs prepared this way will last up to 6 months, although I have heard people say that they have kept eggs this way for 1 year if they are kept very cool.

A product that can be used to coat eggs in the same way, but that is supposed to keep the eggs fresh longer, is K-Peg. The eggs are coated with this product much the same way they would be coated with the shortening, and prepared for storage the same way.

A second method to store eggs works on the same principle: cover the pores and keep the eggs cool. However, in this method the eggs are kept immersed in a solution of Liquid Sodium Silicate, also known as liquid glass.

This non-toxic substance will cover the pores of the egg shell so well that you will probably be able to keep fresh eggs for up to 2 years! You can buy it as Sodium Silicate Solution at any pharmacy, however they may not have it on hand and have to order it for you.

Sodium Silicate, is a pale yellow, odorless, syrupy liquid. It is diluted in the proportion of one part of silicate to nine parts of distilled water or sterile water. In any case, the water should be first boiled, and then allowed to cool.

Place clean, fresh eggs in a ceramic crock. Pour liquid sodium silicate over the eggs until the eggs are covered and completely immersed in the solution. Have at least 2 inches of the solution over the top of the eggs. Do not add too many eggs as the ones on the bottom may get crushed and crack, which will spoil all the eggs.

Place a towel over the crock and tie it into place. Place the crock of eggs in a cool, dry place and don’t disturb them until you are ready to use them. To use, just take out as many eggs as you need, wash them off in plain water and use as you normally would.

Liquid Sodium Silicate Storage Tips

Only store eggs with clean shells. Washing an egg with a soiled shell lessens it keeping quality. The protective, gelatinous covering over the shell is removed by water, and when this is gone the egg spoils more rapidly.

The shells also must be free from even the tiniest crack. One cracked egg will spoil a large number of sound eggs when packed in liquid sodium silicate.

Earthenware crocks are good containers. The crocks must be clean and sound. Scald them and let them cool completely before use. A crock holding six gallons will accommodate eighteen dozens of eggs and about twenty-two pints of liquid sodium silicate.

Eggs preserved in this manner can safely be used for soft boiling or poaching for several weeks. Before boiling such eggs prick a tiny hole in the large end of the shell with a needle to keep them from cracking. After the first couple of months, stored eggs should be used only in dishes where they will be thoroughly cooked, for example, omelets, scrambled eggs, custards, cakes and general cookery.

As the eggs age, the white becomes thinner and is harder to beat. The yolk membrane becomes more delicate and it is correspondingly difficult to separate the whites from the yolks. Sometimes the white of the egg becomes tinged pink after very long keeping in liquid sodium silicate. This is due, probably, to a little iron which is in the sodium silicate, but which apparently does not injure the egg for food purposes.

In Cooked Foods

Another way to store eggs is to use them in recipes that can be frozen. These two recipes below use the whites and the yolks from about a dozen eggs. They both freeze wonderfully so you can make plenty during the egg laying season, and save extras for when eggs are less plentiful.

Angel Food Cake

Preheat oven to 375°

1 1/2 cups of egg whites brought to room temperature
1 1/2 cups sifted powered sugar
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. almond extract

-Sift powdered sugar and flour seperately once. Measure correct amounts as stated in ingredients and sift together 4 times.
-Place egg whites in large bowl. add salt, cream of tarter, vanilla and almond extracts.
-Beat on medium speed till soft peaks form
-Continue beating and gradually add sugar 2 tablespoons at a time.
-Beat at #8 till stiff peaks form but not dry peaks
-On lowest speed. Add powdered sugar/flour mix, a small amount at a time.
-Remove from mixer and finish mixing by hand with a spatula by folding over carefully.
-Pour(spoon) into ungreased 10″ tube pan.
-With a knife or spatula, carefully cut through batter in circular motion six times to release large bubbles.
-Bake on lowest rack of oven, for 3-5 to 40 min. or till golden brown.
-Invert pan until cool. Loosen with knife or spatula to remove.

Golden Sponge Cake

(Uses up the yolks left from the Angel Food Cake)
Preheat oven to 350°

Egg yolks of the dozen or so eggs
3 cups cake flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon extract or orange extract
1 cup cold water

-Sift flour and sugar seperately one time before measuring.
-Measure flour and sugar. Sift 3 times together, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt
-In mixing bowl, beat egg yolks on #8 till fluffy and thick.
-Gradually beat add and beat in sugar.
-Turn to #2 speed(low) and add flavorings, and cold water.
-Gradually but quickly add the flour mixture while beating on low speed. Scrape bowl. Beat only enough to blend, about 2 min.
-Pour batter into an ungreased tube pan.
-Bake 1 hour or till golden brown.
-Invert cake to cool.
-Loosen sides with spatula or knife to remove.

(Recipes from Organic Homesteading Gardening Group at Yahoo.com)

Tips for using stored eggs

When you use eggs that have been in storage without electricity, crack them in a cup, not directly into your food. Otherwise you might get an awful surprise and ruin a dish.

Practice these storage techniques before you think you might really need to store eggs. Practice makes perfect!

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Did You Know?

• Baking powder does not have a long shelf life.
• Baking soda cannot be substituted for baking powder.
• Most commercially-produced baking powder contains aluminum.

Due to its short shelf life, baking powder is not good for storing with emergency food supplies.  However, the main ingredients of home-made baking powder, baking soda and cream of tartar, will remain good almost indefinitely if they are stored separately.

Many people avoid baking powder with aluminum because they believe it gives food a vaguely metallic taste, and because it has been suggested that there may be a link between aluminum consumption and Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have not proven this, however. Home-made baking powder does not contain aluminum.

Home-Made Baking Powder

Ingredients:

• Two parts baking soda
• One part cream of tartar
• One part cornstarch (If you will not be using the baking powder immediately)

Preparation:

Mix the baking soda and cream of tartar together until well combined. Use immediately, or add cornstarch and store in an air-tight container.

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Green beans, also called snap beans, used to be called string beans. These days they are usually stringless, and come in a variety of colors.

Growing Beans

Green beans’ peak season is May to  October. Pods are picked young and tender, before the seeds inside have fully developed. Most popular varieties have been bred to have stringless pods, but some gardeners prefer the flavor of the old-fashioned ‘string’ types.

Beans are generally planted directly in the garden. Seeds will rot in cool, damp soil, so it is critical not to plant them too early. To get an earlier start, you can put down black plastic before-hand, to warm the soil.

There are 2 types of bean plants, bush and pole. Bush beans begin producing before pole beans and usually come in all at once, making them ideal for canning and freezing. You can plant every couple of weeks to stretch out the harvest, if desired. Pole beans need time to grow their vines before they start setting beans, but they will continue producing for a couple of months.

Cooking Beans

For cooking, choose slender beans that are crisp, bright-colored, and free of blemishes. Store green beans in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in a plastic bag, for up to 5 days. Before cooking, wash beans and break off the stem ends.

TIP: The fewer beans in the pan, the quicker they cook and the better they taste. If cooking more than one pound at a time, use separate pans.

Recipes

There are few vegetables I’ve hated worse than green beans—until a friend introduced me to her Southern Fried Green Beans. Now green beans can go from “yuck” to “yum” in a snap.

Southern Fried Green Beans
Recipe by Lindsay Gaut

Fresh or canned green beans
Bacon (uncooked)
Bouillon cubes (chicken or beef)
Salt

Trim and discard tips of beans; set aside. Fry a few pieces of bacon in a sauce pan over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Add green beans and cook on low, but do not stir. Instead shake the pan gently to mix the beans. Add 1 or 2 bouillon cubes, which will slowly dissolve, and salt to taste.

Cook on low about 40 minutes, shaking often, until the beans have shriveled, and look a bit crispy and brown.

What could destroy a healthy vegetable quicker than frying? Frying it with beer, of course.

Beer-Battered Green Beans
Taken from clipping out of the Philadelphia Inquirer

1 lb. fresh green beans
1 cup beer (lager works well)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for deep frying (about 2 cups)
Tomato sauce for dipping (optional)

Trim and discard tips of beans.  In a bowl, whisk the beer, salt and lemon juice into the flour until smooth but still foamy.  Dredge the beans in the batter.

In a large deep skillet, heat oil until it sizzles when a bit of batter is dropped into it.  Fish out the beans from the batter, shaking off excess, and fry about 10 at a time.  Cook until golden brown, flipping the beans over with tongs.  Repeat to cook all of the beans.

Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with additional salt if desired.  If using, heat the tomato sauce and serve on the side with the beans.

(serves 4-6)

(recipe and photo from straightfromthefarm.net)

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Hubby took Jesse fishing yesterday for the first time. Jesse was so excited! He caught 2 fish all by himself. He was so proud.

David showed him how to clean them, then it was up to me to figure out how to cook them. (I love fish, but I’ve never cooked it myself before.)

I ended up cooking them using a recipe I found for Trout. I don’t think I cooked them enough in the oven so we put them in the microwave for a couple of minutes, but I still think they were a bit underdone. Oh, well. As I told Jesse, I’m just learning how to cook fish.

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I popped out and snipped the rosemary fresh from my herb garden, and I used organic butter, garlic and lemon. Delicious!

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Grilled Montana Trout

“Trout is stuffed with lemon, garlic and herbs before being wrapped in aluminum foil and cooked over the coals of the campfire.”

Ingredients:
2 trout, cleaned and head removed
3 tablespoons cold butter, thinly sliced
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, halved and thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Place each trout onto a square of aluminum foil. Open them up so that the flesh is facing upwards. On one side of each fish, season with salt and pepper, half of the garlic, half of the chopped rosemary and half of the parsley. Top each fish with thin slices of butter, 3 rosemary sprigs and a few slices of lemon. Squeeze one of the remaining lemon slices over each fish. Enclose the seasoning inside each fish and wrap securely with the sheet of aluminum foil. Wrap each fish in an additional piece of aluminum foil.

2. Place fish in the coals of a campfire or on a grill over a flame and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. If you can easily stick a fork into the fish, it is done. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your fish and the fire. Allow to cool for a few minutes before opening to serve.

Printed from Allrecipes.com 5/18/2009

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Today was much cooler than it has been here in NW Mississippi, highs in the upper 60’s instead of the 80’s, and finally not raining. It is also breezy and sunny– a Beautiful Day!

Rose and Mealy Cup Sage

Roses
First my much neglected roses needed dead-heading (removing the faded blooms). I tried to prune out some of the tangled branches on the floribundas too. It has rained so much the last month, as it always does here in May, that I haven’t gone outside much to enjoy the garden.

You can see in the photo that some mealy-cup sage (salvia) is growing right next to the rose. I planted those seeds 5 years ago and they keep coming back, even though they are supposed to be annuals. Guess they are self-seeding. They’re so pretty.

Queen Elizabeth Hybrid Tea Rose

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My Queen Elizabeth rose (a hybrid tea) is recovering from the very late pruning I did in April. (Hybrid teas need a hard pruning in late winter to look their best.)  She is even blooming already. On the left are Daylilies that I grew from seed (from Park Seed), and some Lemon Balm that is getting almost out of control.

I Hate Onions
I planted onion bulbs I bought a couple of weeks ago. Some have sprouted a bit, some are shriveled and dry. I am curious to see which ones actually grow. I’ve never grown onions before, since I dislike them except as onion rings (go figure). I am trying to eat slow, organic, local, healthy foods now, so I found I actually bought onions to try in some recipes. If I’m going to eat them, I’d rather they be my own pesticide-free, chemical-free onions.

Onions Planted

Zucchini and Squash
I also planted zucchini and yellow squash from some old seeds I had. I hope to get a lot of zucchini to use in zucchini bread, etc. I’ve never had yellow squash, though I have grown it lots, but I’ve got some recipes now so I want to try it. I may even try frying some of the blossoms–they are supposed to be good to eat. I have spaghetti squash and acorn squash seeds to plant also later on. I just have to find a spot. (Hmm. Zucchini is a squash. Why is it called zucchini?)

Fried Bacon, Squash & Potatoes

6 bacon strips, sliced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium yellow summer squash, diced
1 tablespoon fresh minced dill or 1 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to paper towels; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings.

Add potato to drippings, cook and stir until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, zucchini and yellow squash. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Return bacon to skillet; sprinkle with dill, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for about 1 minutes.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

From Taste of Home: The Market Fresh Cookbook

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It was a little embarrassing at Whole Foods Market the other day because it seemed that everyone there spoke a different language. I decided to bone up before I went shopping again. Perhaps you’d like to follow along…

Balsamic Vinegar

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, balsamic means “of, relating to, yielding, or containing balsam.”  Containing balsam?

Again, according to Merriam Webster, balsam means “an aromatic and usually oily and resinous substance flowing from various plants; especially: any of several resinous substances containing benzoic or cinnamic acid and used especially in medicine. Also a preparation containing resinous substances and having a balsamic odor.”  That does not sound too tasty.

Finally, Balsamic vinegar is “an aged Italian vinegar made from the must of white grapes.” Ah ha! Simple–as long as you know that must is “the expressed juice of fruit and especially grapes before and during fermentation; also: the pulp and skins of the crushed grapes.”

Vinegar with oily, aromatic, and resinous grape juice.  If you say so.

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I’m having a few problems as I try to stay away from processed foods with chemicals and additives. The biggest is that I don’t always have time to cook. I haven’t figured out things to have around that are easy to grab and go. On the 3 days that I had to work last week all I had for lunch was pretzels, an apple and a banana. Breakfast was toast with fruit spread and a banana. I’m happy that these were healthy, safe foods, but I got really hungry by late afternoon. (Being short of funds makes this worse since I can’t buy too much food yet.) On the plus side, I magically lost 10 pounds in the week since I changed my food. <Doing the Snoopy happy dance>

I don’t expect to have to leave home to work next week, and Friday will be pay day so things should get easier soon. But I still have to figure out what to buy. It’s a whole new world.

I’ve been advised to purchase fresh fruit and veggies at the farmer’s market instead of Whole Foods Market, it is supposed to be much cheaper. We’ll be going to the farmer’s market at the Ag Center in Memphis for the first time on Saturday, if it doesn’t rain. There is a fairly new farmer’s market in mid-town Memphis on Saturdays too. It is supposed to be very nice, so we’ll try to swing by there on Saturday also.

Tonight for supper, we started with a simple salad with Newman’s Oil & Vinegar dressing. I didn’t like the dressing–it had a bitter aftertaste to me. Then we had organic chicken drumsticks and thighs oven-baked with home-made “shake-n-bake.” (The recipe is below.)  It was incredibly good. I don’t know if it was the organic/free-range chicken, or the “shake-n-bake” recipe, but it was the best chicken I’ve had in a very long time. Along with the chicken, we had organic potatoes with a little butter, wrapped in foil and baked along with the chicken. Even the potatoes were incredibly good, probably from using real butter instead of poison-chemical spread–I mean margarine.

Easy Shake and Bake Chicken

Recipe From http://allrecipes.com/
Serving Size: 6

-= Ingredients =-

• 3 pounds chicken ; cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon sage
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup butter

-= Instructions =-
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

1. Mix flour, salt, paprika, sage and pepper together in a bag. (I used poultry seasoning instead of the salt, paprika, sage, and pepper.)
2. Add chicken parts in a bag and shake until well coated.
3. Melt butter/margarine in a 9×13 inch baking dish in the preheated oven.
4. Place chicken in the baking dish skin side down and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Turn pieces and bake another 30 minutes until tender and juices run clear.

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Sorry all, due to work, and due to major drama yesterday (our babysitter was beat up by her boyfriend in front of my 10-yr-old) we just had grilled cheese again. I also forgot that I skipped buying the swordfish until payday. I did buy a beautiful organic chuck steak which I’m cooking today in a electric skillet, since I don’t have to work.  I make a goood pot roast.   :)    (I did go to the library after work and got several cookbooks that may help.)

Just FYI: I don’t like most vegetables–never have. This makes finding recipes that I’ll eat much more of a challenge, especially since most people seem to think that if you avoid meat you must love vegetables, and they go out of their way to add vegetables to the dish. Also, I am not even close to being a chef.  I just follow the instructions in a recipe, omitting veggies, or substituting ones that I like, or at least tolerate.

This is going to make our journey to healthful eating even more difficult.

Chickensense Pot Roast

1. Add 2 tablespoons oil to an electric skillet and turn the temperature pretty high (I use 400 degrees).
2. Sear the roast on all sides. Don’t use a fork or pierce the roast as it lets the juices escape, use tongs to turn the meat.
3. Turn the temperature down to 250 or 300 and add 1/2 a cup of water. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cover and let cook for 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of the roast. Add water as needed.
5. Add some sliced carrots, and some potatoes chopped into 1 to 2 inch chunks, about an hour before the roast is done.

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What is your favorite kitchen tool? I have a few that I never knew I needed, but now I could not live without.

My first and absolute favorite tool is my 2 cup silver measuring cup. It is thick metal, and made by Cuisipro. I got it online from a company that sells roses and garden stuff, for less than $15 including shipping. (Amazon has it but it is more expensive.)

$15 may seem like a lot for a measuring cup, but it has made it so much easier to make things I use often, like bread, cornbread, rolls, pizza crust, and pancakes, that I have been more likely to make my own, instead of buying ready-made. So over the last couple of years it has paid for itself. (I’m still searching for a 1.5 cup size, if any of you know where I can get one for under $20…)

Another favorite item is my set of odd-size measuring spoons. They are thick metal, and made by Cuisipro. The set has pinch, 1/8, 2/3, 1-1/2, and 2 teaspoons sizes. The 1-1/2 teaspoon size gets a lot of use! I found this set at Amazon.com for around $15 including shipping.

I also love my combination 1 and 2 tablespoon measure. It is made of black plastic, and I found it at Wal-mart in the coffee isle for less than $2. It is a fairly sturdy plastic, but nothing like the solid-metal quality of the 2-cup and odd-size-spoons set.

My final absolutely-could-not-live-without kitchen tool is my set of plastic measuring cups that includes a 2/3 cup and a 3/4 cup size. Most measuring cups sets have only 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, and 1 cup sizes. Amazon carries a metal set of 7 measuring cups by Cuisipro ($30) that has the 2/3 and 3/4 cup size included, but since I found a plastic set at a yard sale for a quarter, I’m waiting for someone to give me the nice, metal set as a gift. Did I mention that I’ll be 50 years old on May 22?

What’s your favorite kitchen tool?

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Jesse really wanted chocolate chip cookies, but we are out of eggs. It’s as good a time as any to test out some more of the egg substitutes I’ve found and listed on the cooking page at www.chickensense.com.

We dug out the Tollhouse Cookie recipe and got to work. We used 2 tablespoons of cornstarch for each egg called for in the recipe, in this case 2 eggs, so 4 tablespoons of corn starch. We also added a bit of water since the moisture from the eggs isn’t there. We used pecans instead of walnuts, too.

The cookies are scrumptious. You would never know we didn’t use eggs, and the pecans taste so much better than the walnuts. These are the best tasting Tollhouse Cookies we’ve ever had.

Tollhouse Cookies

2 1/4 cups Flour (all purpose)
1 teaspoons Baking soda
1 teaspoons Salt
3/4 cups Sugar
3/4 cups Brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1/2 cup Margarine (melted)
4 tablespoons Corn Starch OR 2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans OR walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In small bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In large bowl combine margarine, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Add 4 tablespoons of corn starch and 1/8 to 1/4 cup water, OR 2 eggs.

Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 11 min. Let cool a bit before removing from cookie sheets.

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Speaking of rice, I found a microwave rice cooker for just a few bucks at Wal-Mart (Amazon.com has it too). It’s basically just a tall bowl with a tight fitting lid. I’m surprised it works so well.

Just add 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, and microwave for 10 minutes. Much faster than making rice on the stove.

Very Cool Tool

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I was scooping the rice left from last night into the garbage when it suddenly dawned on me that I could make fried rice with it. The part in the garbage was lost, but I still had enough to give it a whirl.

Growing up, my family had rice 3 times a day, every single day, without fail. My father made fried rice at least a couple of times a week. I never paid much attention to how he did it, but today I was straining my brain trying to remember…

I got out a frying pan, added a few tablespoons of oil and heated it up. I dumped in the cooked rice, 3 cups or so. I chopped up some slices of ham and added them to the rice. I stirred and let it cook a bit, then cracked an egg into the pan. I kept stirring and mixing it all with rice.

I’m pretty sure Dad never added any seasonings, but mine tasted so bland. I added a bit of salt but it still wasn’t right. Then I remembered: soy sauce, duh! Everything my dad made had soy sauce, how could I forget? (We used to buy rice in 50lb bags, and soy sauce in 5 gallon jugs.)

I added a few tablespoons of soy sauce, stir fried it all a bit more. There Dad, NOW it is fried rice.

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Since we don’t have any laying hens at the moment, I’ve done a bit of research on egg replacements to use for cooking. I was amazed at the amount of information on this subject. Below is a summary of what I found. I hope it will be helpful. (I’ve used the vinegar substitute before and it really does work just fine.)

Egg Alternatives

As a general rule, the fewer eggs a recipe calls for, the easier they will be to substitute. So, if a cookie recipe calls for one egg, using an egg substitute will work much better than in a recipe that requires three or four eggs. Also consider how the substitute will affect the overall taste of the finished dish. Bananas, for example, may add a fruity sweetness to pancakes and cookies, but if you are making a casserole or another savory dish, you will want to use something else.

While bananas or applesauce are both good to use as egg replacers in sweet baked goods such as muffins, pancakes, or yeast-free quick breads, such as pumpkin or banana bread, they won’t help your dishes rise or turn out light and fluffy, so be sure the recipe you are using includes a bit of baking powder or baking soda to help it rise if needed.

In savory recipes such as casseroles and main course dishes, arrowroot starch, potato starch, cornstarch, whole-wheat flour, unbleached, oat, or bean flour, finely crushed breadcrumbs, cracker meal, quick-cooking rolled oats or cooked oatmeal, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, or instant potato flakes are all great egg substitutes. Experiment a little with these ingredients until you find the right balance. Try using 2-3 tablespoons of any of these ingredients to replace 1 whole egg, and try choosing an ingredient that’s already a part of your recipe so you do not alter the original taste a lot.

If you’re looking for an egg replacer that binds, try adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of any of the following for each egg: tomato paste, potato starch, arrowroot powder, whole wheat flour, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, instant potato flakes, or 1/4 cup tofu puréed with 1 Tbsp. flour.

Easy Substitutes for 1 egg:

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice + 1 teaspoon baking soda.
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons potato starch
• 2 tablespoons vinegar + 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup mashed potatoes
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin or squash
• 1/4 cup pureed fruit + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 of a mashed ripe banana + 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 heaping tablespoon soy powder + 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (good for delicate cakes & cookies.)
• 2 tablespoons water + 1 tablespoon oil + 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon soy milk powder + 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water
• Dissolve 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin in 1 tablespoon cold water, then add 2 tablespoons boiling water. Beat vigorously until frothy.
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour. (Sometimes you may want to add a little extra milk or water or oil to make up for the bulk that you would get with a real egg. Good for pancakes and waffles.)
• 1 tablespoon vinegar + 1 teaspoon baking soda. (White distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used.) Works well in cakes, cupcakes and quick breads.

Flax:

For each egg needed, place in blender:
1 heaping tablespoon of whole organic flax seed and blend until it becomes a fine meal (flaxmeal). Add 1/4 cup cold water; blend 2-3 minutes until thickened and has the consistency of eggs. Each 1/4 cup of this Flax seed mixture will replace one egg in baking.

Another method is to use flaxmeal with baking powder. (Make flaxmeal by grinding flaxseed in a blender until it has the consistency of cornmeal.) Use two tablespoons flaxmeal plus 1/8 teaspoon baking powder plus 3 tablespoons water for each egg called for in recipe.

Yet another option is to combine 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds (flaxmeal) with 3 tablespoons boiling water in a small bowl for each egg you wish to replace. Let it stand approximately 10 minutes, until water is absorbed by flax, and then add to the recipe in place of egg.

Tofu:

Tofu is the best way to substitute eggs in dishes such as a quiche, or egg salad. Although tofu doesn’t fluff up like eggs, it does create a texture that is perfect for “eggy” dishes. If desired, add a bit of mustard, turmeric or nutritional yeast to your dish to give it a yellow hue.

Silken tofu is also an appropriate egg substitute in baked goods. To use, blend 1/4 cup silken tofu with liquid ingredients until tofu is smooth and creamy. Using tofu can make baked goods a bit on the heavy and thick side, so it works well in brownies and pancakes, but not in something like an angel food cake that needs to be light and fluffy.

2 oz of soft tofu can be blended with some water and substituted for an egg to add consistency. Or try the same quantity of: mashed beans, mashed potatoes, or nut butters.

When adding tofu to a recipe as an egg replacer, you may want to purée it first to avoid chunks in the finished product. Also, use plain tofu, not seasoned or baked, as a replacer.

Homemade Liquid Egg Substitute:

Homemade egg substitutes are less expensive and just as satisfactory. They also have few calories. Here’s a low cholesterol egg substitute recipe:

• 1 tablespoon of nonfat dry milk powder
• 2 egg whites from large eggs
• 4 drops of yellow food color

Sprinkle powdered milk over egg whites, then beat them with fork until smooth. Add food color, and beat until blended. This makes 1/4 cup, which is equal to 1 large egg. If you use this homemade substitute for scrambled eggs, cook it in vegetable oil or margarine so the eggs won’t be too dry.

You may also be interested in:
How To Break An Egg: 1,453 Kitchen Tips, Food Fixes, Emergency Substitutions and Handy Techniques. It is such an incredibly useful book, especially the “fixes for cooking disasters” section.

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In February, we lost electricity for 4 days. God blessed us, however, in that it was the most gorgeous weather, in the mid- to upper-60s the whole time. We spent the days and evenings outside, a lot of the time sitting around a fire which we kept going all day for fun and cooking.

I decided to try cooking with a dutch oven for the first time. I’ve read a lot about it, even have an entire section on my web site for dutch ovens, but I couldn’t look anything up, of course. I used the cornbread recipe I posted in my last blog entry. Since I didn’t have a pot with legs I propped it up on some bricks and pushed the coals underneath. I then took some hot embers and placed them on top.

The hardest part of the baking was regulating the heat. I had no idea how long to let it bake. I was afraid the middle wouldn’t get cooked; instead the bottom ended up burnt but the rest of the loaf was perfect.

For lighting inside at night all we had were candles. I kept votive candles it in the bathroom until we all went to bed, to make it easier on everyone. I also used some bud vases as candle holders and cut the lid of a tub of butter to serve as protection from the dripping wax. It worked beautifully.

Even with the candles, it was too dark inside at night to do much of anything, so we stayed outside around the fire. I learned that I had to start the preparations for supper in the afternoon before it gets dark or it was too hard to see what I was doing. So we ate fairly early and went to bed, and got up, much earlier than we usually do.

Jesse, however, complained the entire time because he couldn’t play his video games or watch DVDs. Here we live on 4 acres in the most beautiful country-side, with woods all around, yet he was bored! I’d have given anything when I was his age to have all this to explore.

The whole 4-day experience was really, really wonderful, actually. No computers, no video games, no telephones. (Even the cell phones were dead after the 2nd day since we couldn’t charge them.) My son, Jesse, and I, along with our house guest, Lindsay, and her 1-year old, spent the days together talking, playing, gathering wood, and cooking over the fire. It was so nice…

I didn’t know it, but I had been pretty burned out on computers. Four days with no computer at all refreshed me so much! I felt as if I’d gone on a long, relaxing vacation. I can’t describe the peace I felt by the last day. I honestly did not want the power to ever come back on.

Now I want to return to the peace of those 4 days. I’ve even looked online for intentional communities where folks have chosen to live without electricity (besides the Amish), but probably they wouldn’t be found online–at least, I can’t find any. Perhaps you are thinking that I could just turn off our TV, our phones, and the computers? That might work for me, but even if I could do it, I’m sure I’d be all alone out there by the fire. A lot of the joy was that we all worked together to do what had to be done. I hope we’ll get another chance to enjoy something like this someday.

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I think I have created the most amazing cornbread recipe, if I do say so myself. I’ve been making it for a year now and always receive many compliments. It is a little bit sweet, crusty and absolutely delicious. It is so popular around here that I make a mix of it so I can whip it up any time I need to.

Chickensense Skillet Cornbread Mix

5 cups white flour
5 cups cornmeal
2 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup powdered milk
2 1/2 teaspoons each baking soda, baking power, and salt

Mix it all together and store in a covered container until ready to use. Shake or roll the container to mix the ingredients together well.

To Make Corn Bread (from the mix)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add 1/4 cup margarine to an 8″ cast iron skillet and place in the preheating oven.

Meanwhile, measure 3 cups Skillet Cornbread Mix in a mixing bowl; set aside.

Crack 1 egg in a measuring cup, mix well with a fork. Add enough water to measure 1 cup. Pour the water/egg mixture into the cornbread mix and stir until moistened. If it is too dry, add up to a 1/4 cup more water. The batter should be a bit thick. (Don’t stir too much or the cornbread will be tough.)

Once the oven is hot, very carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven, taking care not to spill the melted margarine. Pour the cornbread batter into the skillet. Use the back of a spoon to spread the batter, and slosh some of the melted margarine from the sides over on top of the batter. Don’t stir the margarine into the batter.

Return skillet to the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

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Looking for something to do with leftover chicken? I found some recipes (see below), that sound so gooood! I spent so much time browsing recipes that it got too late to cook any of them, so I ended up making some grilled cheese sandwiches and soup tonight. (They were really good though, because I used “hoop cheese” instead of plain american cheese. I have no idea where you can get hoop cheese, I get it from the little corner store, call The Little Place.)

I really need to use this leftover chicken tonight so it doesn’t spoil, so I have picked it off the bone, cut it in cubes and put it in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Then in the next couple of days I can try one of these recipes. (I see I have a huge piece of turkey breast in the freezer too. I may mix it with the chicken in one of these recipes…)

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-= Exported from BigOven =-

Chicken, Cheese, and Biscuits

“A melange of Cheddar, chicken, mushrooms and green beans is capped with flaky buttermilk biscuits for a yummy all-in-one meal.”

Recipe By: allrecipes.com by Jill M.
Serving Size: 4

-= Ingredients =-

1 tablespoon margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 pinch ground white pepper
2 ounces Cheddar cheese ; shredded
1 cup Chicken breast ; cooked & diced
1 cup fresh mushrooms ; sliced
1 cup fresh green beans ; chopped
1 can (10 oz) refrigerated biscuit dough

-= Instructions =-

1. In a saucepan, heat margarine until hot and bubbly. Add flour, mustard, and sage; stir quickly to combine. Stirring constantly, add milk. Cook and stir until smooth.

2. Add bouillon and pepper, and mix well. Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the cheese, and cook until melted. Add the chicken, mushrooms, and green beans. Cook until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Pour chicken mixture into a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Separate biscuits into 2 layers, making 10 circles. Arrange biscuits over chicken mixture.

5. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) until biscuits are golden, about 10 to 12 minutes.

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

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-= Exported from BigOven =-

Cornbread Chicken Casserole

Recipe By: http://beprepared.com/recipes.asp_Q_ai_E_248_A_nam
Serving Size: 6

-= Ingredients =-

~~ — Cornbread — ~~
1 Cup Yellow Cornmeal
1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 tablespoon Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
3/4 Cup Dehydrated Buttermilk
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Butter ; melted

~~ — Chicken Filling — ~~

2 tablespoons Butter
1/4 Cup Chopped Yellow Onion
1/2 Cup Celery ; Sliced Thin
1 3/4 Cup Chicken Broth
1 can (12 oz) Cream of Chicken Soup
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
2 1/2 Cup Chicken ; freeze dried

-= Instructions =-

Cornbread:

1. Mix all cornbread ingredients except for butter in mixing bowl until smooth.
2. Pour into greased 8-in. square baking pan and bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes or until done.
3. Remove from oven and let cool. When cool crumble cornbread and place 3 cup of cornbread crumbs into mixing bowl.
4. Add 1/2 cup butter to crumbs; mix well, set aside.

Chicken Filling:

1. In a saucepan on medium low heat, place butter and saute onion and celery until transparent.
2. Add chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, salt, and pepper. Stir until well blended.
3. Add chicken; stir until mixture reaches a low simmer. Cook 5 min. and remove from heat.
4. Place chicken mixture in buttered 2-1/2 qt. casserole dish.
5. Spoon cornbread crumbs on top; Do not stir into chicken mixture.
6. Place baking dish in preheated 350°F for 35-40 minutes.

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

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-= Exported from BigOven =-

Egg Chicken Casserole

“Eggs and bread add a particular smoothness to this chicken and soup casserole.”

Recipe By: allrecipes.com Laurie Dombrosky
Serving Size: 8

-= Ingredients =-

6 slices white bread ; torn into small pieces
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter ; melted
20 saltine crackers ; crushed
2 cups chicken broth
3 pound Chicken ; boiled & deboned
1 can (10.5 oz) Condensed chicken & rice soup
1 can (10.75 oz) Condensed cream of mushroom soup

-= Instructions =-

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl combine the chicken meat, chicken and rice soup, cream of mushroom soup, bread and eggs. Mix all together and pour mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish.

3. In a small bowl combine butter/margarine and crackers and stir together. Spread on top of chicken mixture. Pour chicken broth over all and bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until cracker crumbs on top are golden brown.

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. **
** Easy recipe software. Try it free at: http://www.bigoven.com **

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Jesse and I just rolled, cut, baked, and frosted sugar cookies from the dough I made last night. (I posted the cookie recipe in yesterday’s entry.) I apparently didn’t cover the dough very well in the fridge, so it was dry and crumbly. I added about 1/8 cup milk and worked it into the dough with additional flour, and was able to get it to a nice consistency.

We made 3 dozen cookies: sleighs, reindeer (8, of course), wreaths, Christmas trees, crosses, snowmen, stockings, and gingerbread men.

I used to have an angel cookie cutter but it seems to have flown away. [Pun intended ]

The finished cookies are delicious. They taste great plain, and also frosted. We happened to have leftover cake frosting in the fridge so we used vanilla buttercream frosting. Yum!

(For the story of Jesse’s burns go to Jesse’s web page.)

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I’m trying a new recipe for Banana Bread tonight because I’ve got some over-ripe bananas that really need to be used. Banana bread has always been a favorite of mine, but this is the first I’ve made with all whole-wheat flour. (It certainly smelled luscious while it is baking!)

My whole wheat flour was ground for me by a friend when we went in on a group buy of 5 gallon buckets of wheat this summer. It has been excellent in the honey wheat bread recipe I often use, so I know it will be good in this recipe too. (I keep it in the freezer since whole wheat flour doesn’t keep as well as white flour at room temperature.)

11p.m.- update: The banana bread was delicious! This is a fantastic recipe!

Tip: Freeze ripe bananas until there is enough for a recipe or two. Just peel, break in half, and freeze in a plastic bag. To use, just thaw and add to mixing bowl.

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I’ve kept a super-market price book since 2003. I use it to record the prices of groceries, so I could know if a “sale price” is really lower or not. I don’t record every receipt, but at least every few weeks I try to record the prices from my receipts.

I keep the “book” as an Excel spreadsheet, but you could do it with a notebook and pencil just as well. (Click on the image at left to enlarge it.) I record the name/description of the item, the price, the month and year, and the name of the store. To keep it more manageable and easier to find things, I have put meat on its own tab, fresh produce on its own tab, and then everything else on the “grocery” tab in the spreadsheet.

Now, when grocery store fliers come in the mail, I can tell if the “10 for $10″ is really a lower price or not. And when I can see that something is offered at a really lower price, I can stock up on that item, and know that it really was a good deal. I have a printed version that I take with me to the store to compare prices.

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I started late this evening making some dough to make pizza, when I found we were out of milk. I almost got mad but suddenly laughed, grabbed a lantern and a bowl and headed to the goat shed. It was 9:00 p.m. and the poor goats were already asleep but I really, really wanted to make the pizza so I woke Goldie up and quickly milked a cup of milk from her. I gave her a little grain, patted her my thanks, and let her go back to sleep.

Now the pizza crust is rising and soon there will be delicious home-made pizza cooking in the oven. I love being a farm girl!

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When I was growing up we had white rice 3 times a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year… year after year after year. Let me tell you, every one of us children was pretty good at making rice. By the time I got married and left home, though, I never wanted to see rice again, and for these last 30 years I’ve only made rice maybe a dozen times.

Lately however, I’ve revived a family recipe for Adobo, a simple but excellent, tangy Filipino dish made from chicken, soy sauce, and vinegar, that is really superb served over white rice. The funny thing is I couldn’t get my rice to come out properly. Seems I’d forgotten some important things:

#1 Rinse the rice before you start. Add several cups of water, swish your fingers through the rice and water, and then drain the now milky-looking water. Repeat until the water remains clear. This removes starch and keeps the rice from becoming sticky.

#2 Don’t peek. Rice cooks by steam over very low heat. If you open the lid even once, you let out the precious steam and heat so your rice will be hard and under-done.

#3 Proper proportions. One part rice to two parts water. Actually this was something I had never known, we used to add water until it came up to a certain point on our knuckle. (We had to keep adjusting it as we grew…)

So now I’ve got my groove back and rice may be appearing more often on our dinner table.

How to make Perfectly Steamed White Rice

In a pan with a fairly thick, flat bottom, add 1 cup rice. Add some water and swish with your fingers. Drain by pouring the water slowly through your cupped hand (so you can catch any rice kernels that try to escape). Repeat at least a couple of times until the water remains fairly clear.

Add 2 cups fresh water to the pan and bring to a boil, uncovered. Once boiling, cover tightly and turn heat as low as possible. Let cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Don’t peek!

Remove pan from the heat and let sit for another 10 minutes, still no peeking! After 10 minutes or so uncover, fluff the rice with a fork and enjoy.

Chicken Adobo ala Karen

1 Chicken, cut up
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vinegar
Garlic Powder, if desired

Spray a baking pan with cooking spray or grease lightly. Add chicken parts, don’t crowd too much. Pour soy sauce and vinegar over chicken. Sprinkle with a little garlic powder if desired.

Cook at 375 degrees until chicken is well done, and the liquid is reduced, about 1 and 1/2 hours. Turn chicken partway through cooking time if desired.

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