Here's my second video tutorial. This is all about chopping! And let me tell you, once you really master chopping (as me and my mom can attest) it's totally therapeutic. I love chopping!
Sorry if the audio doesn't match up. It doesn't when I watch it. Hopefully it'll work alright on your computers!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Leftover Soup
This is a 100% Denney creation. We had a lot of leftover veggies, one hot dog, a bit of chicken, and decided to make a soup. From the picture, it probably looks way scary. Don't be afraid. This isn't so much of a "cook this recipe" but a "look what you can do if you try." We used this recipe for our basis. We used the same seasonings, and proportions. But we used some chicken, one hot dog, and our vegetables were different. We also chose not to use beans. Our veggies included corn, mushrooms, celery, maybe carrots. Honestly, I'm having a hard time remembering. The hot dog taste was a bit weird, because it didn't really feel right. But the taste of the soup was not bad. We were pretty darn impressed with ourselves. So this is just a testament to experimenting with your tools. You slowly build up an arsenal of recipes you are comfortable and familiar with. Use those as tools and get creative. Sometimes because you just want to be creative and other times because you just aren't sure what you can make with the odds and ends in your fridge. Just don't be afraid to try!
Macaroni and Cheese
This is D.D. macaroni and cheese. I've made it tons of times. I think it's a great variation to mac and cheese.
Ingredients
2 cups elbow macaroni
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1/2 cup butternut squash or cauliflower puree (I've used both. This time it was squash.)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz. cream cheese (I'd leave this out for a bit so it's room temperature. It'll melt faster.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add the macaroni, and cook until al dente. Drain.
While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, Cheddar, cream cheese, and seasonings (I'm sure I use more than she calls for.) and stire until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.
Ingredients
2 cups elbow macaroni
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat milk
1/2 cup butternut squash or cauliflower puree (I've used both. This time it was squash.)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz. cream cheese (I'd leave this out for a bit so it's room temperature. It'll melt faster.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add the macaroni, and cook until al dente. Drain.
While the macaroni is cooking, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, Cheddar, cream cheese, and seasonings (I'm sure I use more than she calls for.) and stire until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm.
Yummy.
Sloppy Joes
Another D.D. recipe. I was very pleased with this recipe. The last few I wasn't ecstatic about. This one, I thought, was great. It tasted like sloppy joes, made good leftovers, and was overall a great meal.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/2 cup butternut squash or red pepper puree (I used squash. You can use any variation of the purees listed. Or even 1 cup of one. Just so you still have the called for amount. It doesn't matter which combinations you use.)
raw, finely chopped carrots (optional) (I put these in)
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
8 hamburger or hot dog buns (We had large sandwich type buns. We buttered and toasted them.)
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Add the onion, celery, and garlic, and cook until the onion starts to soften (not brown), 3 to 4 minutes. Add the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the vegetable purees, raw chopped carrot (if using), beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about one-half, 15 to 20 minutes.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/2 cup butternut squash or red pepper puree (I used squash. You can use any variation of the purees listed. Or even 1 cup of one. Just so you still have the called for amount. It doesn't matter which combinations you use.)
raw, finely chopped carrots (optional) (I put these in)
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
8 hamburger or hot dog buns (We had large sandwich type buns. We buttered and toasted them.)
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Add the onion, celery, and garlic, and cook until the onion starts to soften (not brown), 3 to 4 minutes. Add the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the vegetable purees, raw chopped carrot (if using), beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about one-half, 15 to 20 minutes.
My kids don't really get the joy of sloppy joes. I guess they're not old enough yet. I remember loving them as a kid. If yours enjoy the sweet messiness of a sloppy joe, this is a great recipe to use, and it's packed full of good stuff!
Oatmeal
This is D.D. oatmeal. It looks a bit orange in the picture. It was not this orange. It does have peanut butter in it (an option) so it's more of that color. I didn't love this, but Joseph ate it just fine. I'm not big on oatmeal however, so my opinion shouldn't weigh heavily here.
Ingredients
1 cup nonfat milk
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canned pumpkin or sweet potato puree
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional) (We used it)
1/4 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (I used cinnamon)
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 tsp natural peanut butter (optional) (I used this, but I might've used too much. I'm not sure. It just seemed really thick)
Dried fruit and nuts (optional)
Pure maple syrup, for serving (No way did my kid get syrup on his oatmeal. But I imagine it would taste good.)
In a small saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, and spice. Bring to a gentle boil and stir in the oatmeal. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the oatmeal is soft and creamy. Stir in the peanut butter, if using. Spoon the oatmeal into bowls, sprinkle with dried fruit and nuts, if you like, and serve with warm maple syrup.
Ingredients
1 cup nonfat milk
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canned pumpkin or sweet potato puree
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional) (We used it)
1/4 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (I used cinnamon)
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 tsp natural peanut butter (optional) (I used this, but I might've used too much. I'm not sure. It just seemed really thick)
Dried fruit and nuts (optional)
Pure maple syrup, for serving (No way did my kid get syrup on his oatmeal. But I imagine it would taste good.)
In a small saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, and spice. Bring to a gentle boil and stir in the oatmeal. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the oatmeal is soft and creamy. Stir in the peanut butter, if using. Spoon the oatmeal into bowls, sprinkle with dried fruit and nuts, if you like, and serve with warm maple syrup.
I might've cooked ours too long, because it was extremely thick. But I think the overall idea is great, and if you eat oatmeal somewhat regularly, it gives you some nice ideas for variations. Especially if you use old fashioned oats. They're pretty boring, so you have to find fun ways to spice them up.
Marble Cheesecake
So apparently BHG doesn't know how to say "This recipe makes 2 cheesecakes. No seriously, it will completely fill two cheesecake crusts." I bought one of those premade crusts. Luckily, I already had two, because I was planning on making two cheesecakes. So I had the crusts enough to fill. Now I just have a ton of cream cheese in my fridge. But anyhow, really yummy cheesecake.
Ingredients
3 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
3 slightly beaten eggs
4 oz. semisweet chocolate
For filling, in a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla with an electric mixer until combined. Beat in milk until smooth. Stir in eggs. Melt 4 oz. semisweet chocolate. Stir the melted chocolate into half of the filling. Pour plain filling into the crust; pour chocolate mixed filling on top. Use a narrow metal spatula, or butter knife to gently swirl the fillings.
Place pan in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 375 for 40 to 45 minutes for an 8-inch pan, about 35 minutes for a 9-inch pan, or until 2 1/2 inch area around the outside edge appears set when gently shaken. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.
Ingredients
3 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
3 slightly beaten eggs
4 oz. semisweet chocolate
For filling, in a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla with an electric mixer until combined. Beat in milk until smooth. Stir in eggs. Melt 4 oz. semisweet chocolate. Stir the melted chocolate into half of the filling. Pour plain filling into the crust; pour chocolate mixed filling on top. Use a narrow metal spatula, or butter knife to gently swirl the fillings.
Place pan in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 375 for 40 to 45 minutes for an 8-inch pan, about 35 minutes for a 9-inch pan, or until 2 1/2 inch area around the outside edge appears set when gently shaken. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.
I realize now as I read the directions over again that I did my marbling not quite right. Which explains why the inside wasn't as pretty (which you can't tell from the picture. It got a bit dark on top as well.) This was the second of the two cheesecakes. I had to literally scoop 3 cups of filling off the first one because it was overflowing the crust. This one had a little less than a normal cheesecake. The other was a bit voluptuous for a normal cheesecake. All in all though, a really yummy cheesecake. We loved it.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Sugar Cookies
This is my mom's recipe. Well, from her cookbook. It's actually from an old friend of hers from High School. Anyhow, it's a really simple, no fail sugar cookie recipe. They taste great, and are very easy to make.
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
Mix butter and sugar thoroughly. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and baking powder and mix well. Stir in flour. Chill for 10 minutes. (Makes it much easier to handle while rolling out and cutting) Roll to about 1/4" to 1/8" and cut into desired shape. Bake at 400 until very light brown 5 to 8 minutes. If you like a soft cookies, do not roll too think or bake too long. You can sugar these before baking or frost them after.
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
Mix butter and sugar thoroughly. Add eggs, milk, vanilla and baking powder and mix well. Stir in flour. Chill for 10 minutes. (Makes it much easier to handle while rolling out and cutting) Roll to about 1/4" to 1/8" and cut into desired shape. Bake at 400 until very light brown 5 to 8 minutes. If you like a soft cookies, do not roll too think or bake too long. You can sugar these before baking or frost them after.
Super yummy, super easy.
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