Sure-Fire Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole

The original recipe called for chicken when I initially thought it was for a tuna casserole. Whoops! Here’s how I got out of it.

Ingredients:
1 Can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 Cup 1% Milk
1 1/2 Cups Frozen Mixed Vegetables
1 Can Tuna in water, drained and flaked
2 1/2 Cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 Cup Italian Breadcrumbs
1/4 Tsp ground black pepper
1/4 Tsp Curry (Optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a 9×9″ Pyrex dish, stir the tuna, noodles, soup, milk, Parmesan cheese, vegetables, curry, and black pepper. Top with cheddar cheese, then sprinkle breadcrumbs.

Bake for 25 minutes, serve hot.

If you want to knock off a few calories or carbs, you can either omit the cheddar cheese, or breadcrumbs. Our family likes to serve smaller portions to get the extra crunch.

Yet another perfect comfort food for winter.

Second Presidential Debate Drinking Game Rules

Kudos to a fellow New Jerseyan for coming up with tonight’s rules for the Second Presidential Debate Drinking Game.

As always, if you are out of the home, have a designated driver and PLEASE drink responsibly.  Soda, french/freedom fries and potato chips are great alternatives to drinking.

Terra Cotta Chicken Pot Pie

I stumbled across this Good Eats video on hulu.com.  I personally have not tried it yet as I am unsure about the terra cotta pan.  Do we just get one of these things from the local garden center??  Anyone?

Fantastic idea, nevertheless…

Vice Presidential Debate Drinking Game

Thank goodness I work from home and do not have to worry about staggering into the office (at least I think I don’t have any video conferences scheduled), my box o’ wine will do just fine.

Here are the best rules I could find for tonight’s VP Debate between Senator Biden and Gov. Palin.

Please drink responsibly or designate a driver.  Some also use a plate of spicy french/freedom fries in lieu of drinking. Potato chips also work well.

Honey Curried Chicken & Root Vegetables

It is the first day of autumn and there is nothing better than to fill the kitchen with warm spices and fresh bounty of fall vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 2 – 2 1/2 pounds of skinned chicken breasts
• 3 large potatoes quartered or 9 – 12 whole baby potatoes
• 2 medium turnips peeled and cut into eighths
• 3 – 6 carrots peeled and cut into large bites
• 6 – 9 shallots cloves separated and cut in half *
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup whole dijon mustard
• 2 – 3 tbsp water
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp crushed dried chiles

Directions:

Place all vegetables in a steamer and steam for about 15 – 20 minutes (you can also boil in a large pot in you prefer).  While vegetables are cooking preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small saucepan, add honey, water, mustard, garlic, butter, chiles, curry, salt & gingers and bring to a slow boil stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.  

Trim any excess fat off the chicken breasts.  Spray a shallow pyrex roasting pan with cooking spray and lay breasts evenly.  Add steamed root vegetables and fill any open gaps.  Pour 1/2 of the curry honey mixture over the chicken and with a basting brush, spread sauce over the chicken and vegetables.  Bake uncovered for 35 – 40 minutes basting the remaining sauce every 10 – 15 minutes until no more mixture remains.

Serve hot.

* If you do not have shallots, you can substitute quarter chipolini onions or even add 2 tbsp dried minced onions to the sauce instead.

Fresh Pico de Gallo Green Salsa With Green Zebra Tomatoes

Green Zebra Tomatoes

Another great thing about some CSA’s is that they are unfraid to try different heirloom variety tomatoes and this week was no exception, though the variety I am talking about is actually not a heirloom but easily misconstrued as one!  We got a ton of a rare variety called Green Zebra Tomatoes.

I was never a huge fan of tomatoes but I do like salsa.  So instead of the traditional red salsa I made a greener variety.

Ingredients:

• 4 Green Zebras seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 jalapeños seeded and finely chopped
• 1 tomatillo chopped
• 2 tbsp of green banana pepper chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp lime juice
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a non-metal bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.  Drain excess juice as desired.  Makes about 2 cups.

Final result:

Pass the totilla chips!

 

 

CSA Week 3 – Crustless Broccoli Quiche, Hot Radish Salad and A Quick Way To Decorate

Even with only 4 heads of lettuce from last week, we did not finish it.  And we have more!  The high 90’s heat nearly wiped out what was left of the strawberries but we still got some.  Technically you can only pick up your PYO share on your pick-up day; the CSA was so desperate to get the strawberries harvested that there was a call on the website to come on down and get your 6 quarts even though it was not your pick up day. The call was truly answered as we only got three quarts today. 

Distribution:

• 8 heads lettuce (Bibb, Oak Leaf, Leaf) ($15.92)
• 1.5 lbs spinach ($10.48 )
• 1 bunch collards ($1.60)
• 2 bok choy ($8.25)
• 1 bunch radishes ($1.29)
• 2 heads broccoli ($7.98  )
• 3 qt strawberries ($17.97)
• 1 pt snow peas ($4.99)
• 30 sweet william flowers (share called for 100)

 

Previous Week’s Overall Total: $90.05

Total Estimate For This Week: $68.48

Grand Total Value: $158.53

What I Did/Am Doing With This Produce:

I made a Crustless Broccoli Quiche from a recipe that my mother mailed me sometime back.  Even with an added 1/4 tsp of white pepper and a tsp of chopped garlic scapes it was on the bland side.  But hubby said he liked it and thought it a good idea to create other variations of it.  Also the 45 minutes the directions called for did not thoroughly cook the quiche and required more than an hour.  Next time I ante up to 375 degrees instead of the called for 350.

I also made a Hot Radish Salad.  By doing this I washed both the radishes and their leaves thoroughly. Then I separated the leaves and put aside.  The radishes were cut into quarters and steamed for about 15 minutes.  While this was happening, I sauteed the leaves in olive oil and a little sea salt.  When the steaming was finished I combined the two and seasoned with Slap Ya Mama cajun seasoning.

Final Result:

Dessert was a shameless pre-made cookie dough, but with super fast decorations. Here’s what I did:

I set the oven as directed.  And cut into 1/2 inch slices and then into quarter sized pieces.  In a small Pyrex bowl (any small bowl will do) I had mini chocolate chips and sprinkles.

 

I simply lightly pressed the cookie quarter into one of them and placed on my cookie sheet.  

Baked in oven as directed.  Voila!  No fuss, no muss! Pretty cookies as if store bought (so to speak).

 

CSA Week 2 – Chickpea & Kale Soup

I checked out the website and all it called for was only 4 head lettuce, small batch of arugula and 3 quarts of strawberries.  Boy was I in for a surprise and ever thankful to my hubby for getting me those wellies (OK, they are Gemplers) for my birthday. The mud in the PYO fields was near shin deep in some areas

Distribution:

• 4 heads lettuce ($7.96)
• 1 bunch Kale ($2.49)
• 1 bunch Collards ($1.60)
• 1/2 lb Arugula ($7.95)
• 1.5 lbs Spinach ($8.95)
• 1 quart Snap Peas ($4.50)
• 5 quarts Chandler Strawberries ($29.95)
• 1 bunch Anise Hyssop (PYO)
• 1 bunch Catnip (PYO)
• 1 bunch Oregano (PYO) ($1.99)
• 1 sm. bunch sage (got the flowers as I grow my own) (PYO)
• 10 Sweet William Flowers (share called for 40, I don’t have a vase big enough)

 

Previous Week’s Overall Total: $24.66

Total Estimate For This Week: $65.39

Grand Total Value: $90.05

Wondering what it all looks like?

 

Average Size of Lettuce Head:

That’s a quart container BTW.

Yeah, the Chandler Strawberries Are Organic!

 

What I did/am doing with this produce:

We barely finished the strawberries from the previous week and the heavy downpour from the night before and bumpy ride back home dinged a number of berries.  2 quarts were cleaned quartered and stored in the freezer (maybe I’ll make berry xmas pudding this year).  I will be making my strawberry/feta salad again on Friday for the kids’ last day of school picnic, and will probably toss in some spinach. The collards were steam blanched and frozen. Made Chickpea and Kale soup for supper (recipe below). The leftover stems, which are normally discarded I made into a small side dish in cajun style (sans bacon or ham). Enjoyed a handful of snap peas.  Spinach will be frozen tomorrow.

Chickpea & Kale Soup

The original recipe can be found here if you prefer using real chorizo (there is a turkey variety out there, but I have not found it yet) and a food processor.  My version is altered slightly.

Ingredients: 

 

• 1 cup chopped onion (medium)
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 large or 2 small bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 potatoes cut into medium cubes with skins on
• 1/2 – 3/4lb kale, cut into this ribbons *
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth of vegetarian equivalent
• 2 cups water
• 1 14oz can garbanzo/chick peas drained and rinsed
• 1/2 lb hot italian turkey sausage, casings removed

 

In a large soup pot (4 – 6qt.) over medium high heat, combine oil, pepper, bay leaf, onions and garlic and saute for about 6 minutes. Add broth, water, potatoes, and kale and bring to slow boil and cook until potatoes are cooked through, about 15 – 20 minutes partially covered.  While this is cooking, remove the turkey meat from the casings and make into small 1/2 – 1 inch meatballs.  When potatoes are done, reduce heat to low and gradually add the meatballs, then add the garbanzo beans. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes.  Remove bay leaf and serve hot with optional hot sauce, salt and pepper for individual preferences.

Serves 6

* Curly kale (which I used here) can be a bit of a hassle to make ribbons.  I found that if I take each leaf removed from the stem and tightly roll into a ball.  Then I very thinly cut into ribbons.  Not always consistent as when one would roll kale in to a ‘cigar’, but has a nice rugged homemade texture about it.  Be careful when cutting into ribbons as your fingers are very close to the blade.  Make sure you know the proper technique when cutting ‘at close range’ before attempting this!  Otherwise use a food processor or chop coarsely.

Final Result:  

Also with my goal of letting nothing go to waste and finding it’s way to my compost, I steamed  the Kale and Collard stems for about 8 minutes.  I then diced, added about 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar, a little dab of butter and a dash of cajun seasoning, Slap Ya Mama!  Very politically incorrect name for a product, but the seasoning beats Old Bay any day!  

 

Chicken Shepherd’s Pie – A Quick Way & The Slow Way a.k.a Why The Fuss Over A Potato?

You have leftovers taking over your fridge?  Try this fairly quick ‘mash-up’ so to speak:

The Quick Way:

Ingredients:

• 2 – 2.5 lbs leftover mashed potatoes
• 1lb cooked chicken diced
• 8oz. or one cup of cooked leftover veggies
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup or 10oz of left over chicken or mushroom gravy
• Salt/Pepper/Spices to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.  With cooking spray, lightly coat a 9×9 baking dish (or 2qt dish).  Using your hands, use some of the mashed potatoes (about 2/3 of it) and lay a ‘crust’ on the bottom and sides of the dish.

In a large bowl combine the diced chicken, vegetables, and condensed soup (do not add milk), season as necessary.  Pour mixture evenly over crust.  With the remaining mashed potatoes, mold a top crust.

Bake for 30 – 45 minutes, serve hot.

The Slow Way:

The slow way is simply starting from scratch and it is labor intensive.  Here is my recipe for the mashed potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 2 – 2.5 lbs potatoes cut up w/ skins
• 2 – 4 Garlic cloves minced
• 1 – 2 tbsp prepared white horseradish (optional)
• 2 tbsp fresh chives (hint: Chive blossom petals are really good!)
• 3/4 cup lowfat milk (More or less)
• 1/4 cup butter cubed

Directions:

Thoroughly wash the potatoes and cut into the large chunks with leaving the skins on.*  Cook in a large pot of water for about 20 minutes, drain.

Immediately, add about 1/2 of the cubed butter and  begin mashing using a manual potato masher, add a little milk. Continue mashing, sprinkle garlic.  Continue mashing, add horseradish.  Add more milk, mash.  Add remaining butter, mash.  Add chives.  By now, you can hand-whip your fluffy (albeit lumpy) potatoes. 

* I mentioned that in a previous post that it is my intention to let nothing go to waste, this is especially true for potato skins.  In fact there are health benefits in keeping on the skins and sadly, most people people just toss it aside!  My own grandmother would never let me leave the dinner table until my baked potato was eaten entirely.  It stuck with me to this day. She told me it was the best part of the vegetable, and less waste in your garbage can.

Two things should be noted here.  If you plan on making the change from going skinless to skinned, buy organic.  Non-organic will have pesticides that remain and it can actually be detremental to consume the skins.  Better to peel here. Also if the skin is green, DO NOT EAT the potato.  It will have developed solanine and is considered to be toxic.  Potatoes go green from exposure to light, so make sure your potatoes are stored in a dark, cool place.  If you buy a bag of potatoes, and find that the skins are green upon washing, demand an exchange or refund from the store.  This is especially true of organic potatoes as not as many people buy them and they sit out in bright light much longer.  Ok, enough with the ramblings…onward to the chicken.

Quick Chicken:

Ingredients:

• 1lb chicken breasts defatted
• Sea Salt (Optional)
• Coarse black pepper
• Lemon juice or white wine
• Olive oil

Instructions:

In a large skillet, coat lightly with olive oil (about 2 tbsp) over medium high heat.  Rub salt and pepper on both sides and put in skillet. Cook about 10 minutes on each side adding lemon juice or white wine to prevent from drying.  You can also use just plain water as well, especially if the lemon juice will make your chicken too tart.  When dicing, if it appears pink on the inside, it is still considered raw and needs to be put back in the skillet to cook longer.

Now read the quick recipe and finish your pie!  Enjoy!

Rising Cost of Food & How To Go Local

My day job has been on major slow-down for the past few weeks and we are paying dearly for the big birthday bash that my hubby was so gracious in letting me put on for myself (he is off the hook for the next 35 years). After gas prices hit $3.35 for regular and one of us has to commute two hours a day we are really starting to feel the pinch. My nerves really started to go on edge when I read this blog post and this article to know that I am not alone.

What does this have to do with food? A lot, really. Food that is imported from other states and countries need fuel for transportation. At the time of this writing, oil is at $117 per barrel!

We are now more determined than ever to make sure the NOTHING will go to waste regarding our CSA produce, and gradually start converting as much as possible to a regional/seasonal diet. I found a very good web page that gives tips this very subject. Mind you, the web page is mainly directed at Northeasterners, such as myself. I also know that going to a more vegan-based vegetarian diet (and we are what is commonly called a semi-vegetarian, meaning we eat fish & fowl) might help with food bill, albeit a very small portion. Good thing we are not allergic to soy and nuts.

Over the next few months I will do my best in posting tips and sites that I find to help stretch your hard-earned dollar bill and ways that will avoid as much food as possible to going to the compost. Here’s a couple of tips off the top of my head that I do or should do.

Tip #1: Start A Veggie Garden
Your veggie garden does not require acres of land. In fact you might be surprised to know that my garden is only 4×4 feet using a method called Square Foot Gardening. I am not as active with the gardening as much as I’m used to since I have been using the CSA, but this can be geared to most people, even those who have no experience in gardening! Before joining the CSA I would have veggies (with the help of a 73 green house over the garden) from April going into November. If you live in an apartment with a balcony, use large pots, plant a tomato plant and add stagger over a week or two a couple of lettuce seeds around the tomato plant and it will love the shade! Instant salad. If you have absolutely no space, find a community garden. You meet some great people and exchange gardening tips and if you must, share your bounty with others.

Tip #2: Buy In Bulk
I do not do this often enough, but right off the top of my head, I would buy my poultry when it goes on sale in minimum batches of 3lb trays and divide them up into 1lb sections and freeze. It is also suggested to also buy flour, sugar, nuts, dried fruits, chocolate chips, and coffee in bulk as well and keep in air tight containers (not zip lock bags as they do not keep fresh and possibly subject to critters).

Tip #3: Save the skin & bones
Want to make some amazing broth and stock? Get out your slow cooker, add your left over skin/bones/meat from your chicken or turkey (never tried beef but can’t hurt, I’m sure) and fill with water. Using a cheese cloth, wrap some fresh thyme, rosemary, 1/4 of an onion, and parsley. Tie together and add to pot. Cook overnight on low. Next morning remove carcass, bones, and spice wrap and strain through a sieve. If you want to remove a goodly portion of fat, no kidding use a non-bleached #4 coffee filter in the sieve. When liquid cannot go through, it is too full of fat and replace with a new one until all the liquid is strained. Freeze in batches of 1 cup, pop out of container and freeze in zip lock bags. Pull out what you need in single cups.

Let’s hear from you regarding your best tips and sites!