Something Out of Nothing

Exhibit A: The nearly empty refrigerator

Exhibit B: A light dinner, created from the ingredients in the nearly empty refrigerator

So, I haven't posted in a while. Mostly because Shane and I got engaged last month and I have been working on things for the wedding. Besides that fact, the other day my mom and I both worked all day and were both really hungry. The only problem was that we had not been to the store in a while and didn't want to go out. Our fridge was pretty bare and at first I thought there was no way I could create a meal out of anything in there, but then I looked closer. I found three small bell peppers, spring mix lettuce, home made garlic dill salad dressing, pumpernickel bread, a soft french cheese, cottage cheese, peaches, and a liver pate (can't make the correct symbol for that lol,). For the salad I chopped up the peppers, shredded the cheese, dressed it and had a unique entree. Then I cut slices of the pumpernickel, buttered them and placed the liver pate on top. I finished the dish with the cottage cheese and peach side dish. While eating it I realized that I had nearly every food group accounted for on my plate. I had a meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, and grains. It may not have been the most extravagant meal but I take pride in creating something out of nothing. So next time your fridge is bare, take a closer look and see if you can create something new:).

Homegrown Tomato Basil Soup

For the last 3 years Shane and I have helped plant the garden but had to leave for school before anything was ready for harvest, in other words, we never got to reap the benefits from our hard work. However, all of that has changed now that we are done with school:). About a week ago my mom picked about 10-15 tomatoes and left them on the window sill to continue to ripen. Once they were ready we washed them, placed them in bowl and then poured boiling water over them. This process helps remove the skins. Leave the tomatoes in their bath until you can see the skins splitting. Once that happens, you can easily peel it off and remove the stems. Then place the tomatoes in a pot. When this is done slice up an onion and and put it into the pot with the tomatoes. For the next ingredient I went out to the garden and picked about 6 or 7 leaves of basil, washed them and added them to the pot. Then add salt and pepper to taste and equal parts chicken broth and water. (The amount depends on how much soup you are making, but be sure to cover the tomatoes and onions.) Leave this on medium heat until they are soft. When the tomatoes and onions have cooked, let them cool a bit and transfer it into a blender. In the empty pot make a roux, which is about a half cup of butter and flour mixed together, then add about a half cup of milk to soften the mixture. This acts as a thickening agent. Once everything is blended slowly add the soup mixture in with the roux, making sure all of the clumps are gone, then add a tablespoon of sugar to sweeten it. Once the soup and roux are mixed let the soup warm back up and taste test it to see if it needs any more salt, pepper or sugar. Then top with more basil leaves or oyster crackers and serve.

Shane's Birthday Dinner

This year I wanted to make Shane dinner for his birthday, he chose lamb for the meat and wanted to be surprised for the rest. I wanted it to be a special dinner so I made Leg of Lamb, roasted carrots, garlic mashed potatoes, salad, and homemade bread. For the lamb, I had a big frozen leg of lamb that my mom got from her physical therapist and let it thaw for about 12 hours. Then I made slits in the lamb and sliced garlic into small pieces to put inside those slits. After that I sprinkled it with kosher salt and pepper. Then it went into the oven at 350 degrees and stayed in there for about an hour and a half. It was pretty pink, so if you like your meat well done, it should probably stay in for another 10-15 minutes. Once the meat was done I boiled the potatoes and cut up the carrots into thin sticks. When all of that preparation was done I added sour cream, milk and garlic (quantities as desired for consistency) to the mashed potatoes. Then I placed the carrot sticks on a cookie sheet, drizzled olive oil and sprinkled rosemary on top. Once this was complete I put the carrots in a 425 degree oven until they became crisp. Every couple of minutes I would turn the carrots to roast them evenly. I then prepared the salad and once that was complete The next step was to make the bread and my sister and Shane graciously helped, since I had a lot going on. We use my mom's simple recipe to make amazing bread.

Bread Recipe:

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 1/2 T yeast

1 T sugar

1 t (heaped) salt

add as much flour as it will take

Combine the warm water and yeast in a mixer and then add the rest of the ingredients. Once the dough reaches your desired consistency let it mix for about 10 minutes. Then knead it and place in a bread pan. Let the dough rise for about 15 minutes before putting it into a 350 degree oven and baking until it is done and lightly browned.

For dessert I used my Aunt Leanne's recipe for Peanut butter Ice Cream Pie. and it completed the meal. It was a lot of work but Shane had a great time and enjoyed the food, so it made it all worth it.

Free Dishes!

A few weeks ago I had to attend a mandatory work meeting, which sounds boring and dreary but actually turned out to be a decathlon of games relating to the information we needed to know for the next quarter. There was a prize for each person and this is what I scored. A 16 piece set of these dishes (4 place settings total). I am stoked to be able to use these in my own kitchen someday for future dinner dates and parties. Until then, they will stay brand new in the box they came in. Until next time, keep reading:)

NW Garden Pizza

Leftover & from the garden pizza with a beer crust

A few days after returning from our camping trip my mom and I wanted to make a lunch that incorporated the left overs we had from the weekend. And what better way to do that than to make a pizza? So on this pizza we included fresh tomatoes, basil and zucchini from our garden, summer sausage, onions, garlic, feta, sea salt and pepper. For the sauce we reduced a can of tomato sauce on the stove to thicken it and create a tomato paste. Then we needed to find a recipe for pizza dough. The first place I look is on foodnetwork.com, on this website I found a recipe for beer crust. The yeast in the beer rises the dough so it makes a really simple and delicious crust.

The beer dough:

• 3 cups unbleached flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (12ounce) can or bottle beer (beer such as Budweiser is fine)
• Oil for greasing

To make the crust, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour in the beer and mix well. The dough will be sticky. Spread a handful of flour on your work surface and dump the dough onto it. Toss the dough around to coat it with the flour and prevent it from sticking. Knead it 2 or 3 times to make it pliable. Shape the dough into a ball, then divide it in two.

spread the toppings and cook for 12-15 minutes

Garden Fresh Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with tomato, basil and onion with a side of toast covered in blackberry jam

Fresh tomato and basil from our garden

It's my day off, so I woke up without an alarm at about 9:30am, watered the garden, did a 20 minute workout and then showered and got ready for the day. I realized after all of this that I was hungry, but it was already nearly lunch time. I remembered seeing a ripe tomato and fresh basil in the garden and wanted to use it. So I made an egg dish with these two garden fresh ingredients, plus some chopped onion, sea salt and pepper. It was delicious. The basil was incredibly fragrant, I can still taste it so keep in mind that a little goes a long way. While the eggs were cooking on medium heat, I put a slice of Dave's Killer bread in the toaster and topped it with butter and homemade blackberry jelly. I wish the whole meal could have been farm fresh, with eggs from the Sibold's chickens, and cheese and butter from a cow, but I did what I could in my "suburb-ian" lifestyle. Until next time, keep eating :)

Dinner & Dessert for Two

I was craving spaghetti the other day and what better way to satisfy a craving, than make it yourself. So I surprised my mom with dinner when she got home from work. I made her famous spaghetti sauce using garlic, ground beef, canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and salt & pepper. This sauce is simple and delicious. The side salad is just a spring mix, cut up carrots, parmesan and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Before I made the sauce I made homemade rosemary bread from a recipe I got from my friend Sara (Busch) Dalton. I got the idea to braid the loaf from my mom.

Sara's Easy Yeast Bread Recipe

2 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup olive oil

optional seasonings (I use a few TB rosemary)

3 cups flour

Directions:

combine flour, yeast and salt and seasonings in a bowl or food processor. Then add water stirring with a spoon or the machine. Add olive oil and continue to mix for 1 minute or so, then add water by the TB if needed until a ball forms. If using a mixer, keep it on for 10 minutes. Then split the dough into three sections and roll them out. Attach them at the top and braid the pieces together securing them at the end. Let the bread rise for another 10-15 minutes on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F. I have done this recipe with and without a food processor and found that the texture of the bread is much better using the mixer.

For dessert I made homemade strawberry shortcake, using a recipe from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

2 cups flour

2 TB sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup light cream

1 beaten egg

3-4 cups sugared strawberries

1 cup whipping cream or vanilla ice cream

Directions:

Sift together dry ingredients and cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Then combine egg and cream adding all at once. Stir only until moistened and separate into medium sized cakes and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 450 degrees F. Remove from pan and cool. Break open each cake and place ice cream or whipped cream and the sugared strawberries in between the two sides.

Overall it turned out to be a wonderfully classic dinner for two.