Encyclopedia of Country Living - 40th Anniversary Edition

When I first started reading blogs about growing my own food, the book that was mentioned most frequently was The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery.

As my interests expanded into raising chickens and sustainablity, people in the know were still pointing the Carla's book as a resource. Living in the 'burbs I thought that this book wasn't for me but boy was I wrong! Anyone from homesteader to apartment dweller can use the great tips and advice from Carla.

Put 'em Up

HuzBen spotted 'Put 'em Up' at the Phoenix Library and picked it up for me. I am so glad he did. The book is a guide to canning, dehrydrating, pickling, and freezing. There are some fabulous tips newbies but the book contains recipes that take you beyond the boring basics that have been around since grandma was canning her garden vegetables. I'll be ordering my own copy the next time we need something from Amazon.

Food storage options and recipes for fruits, veggies, and herbs are all covered, as well as ideas for garlic and onions. The chapter on citrus would be of interest to those of us in the east valley since it's so abundant here. I can't wait to try the recipes for Radish Relish and Asian Pickled Radishes since my radish patch is huge this winter.

Speaking of canning - did you know you can order canning jars and supplies via Ace Hardware's website and have them shipped to your local Ace? I looked everywhere for 4 oz canning jars and came up empty. (Please don't tell me about WaMart - I will not spend my money there) I found what I needed on Ace's website. You can also stop by your local Ace and they can order it for you (doing this keeps a higher percentage of money in your local area). There is no shipping charge and your items are ready for pick up in 2-3 days.

Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy It Live La Bella Vita and Look Great, Too!

Teresa Giudice (pronounced JU-dee-Chay) is the real deal. The table tossing mother of four girls (and one of Bravo’s ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey') has written a fabulous new book Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy It Live La Bella Vita and Look Great, Too! The book is a 'must have' for fans of the show, or anyone who loves Italian food but is looking to eat a little healthier.

I was expecting the usual celebrity fluff, a few personal stories and photos with recipes thrown in. This book is so much more. I was impressed with the attention to detail. A whole chapter is devoted to 'Blessed Virgin Olive Oil' and answers any question you could possibly have about this basic ingredient of the heart healthy Mediterranean diet. The myth busting chapter on pasta blew me away. Who knew it was so healthy? Not me! We are certainly enjoying it more at our home since we read this book.

Teresa dishes up her family favorites and recipes handed down through the years. In the book you’ll find authentic food, made with fresh ingredients. No fat filled Olive Garden knockoffs here, this is the back to basics, healthy, wholesome food that we all ate as children, long before it was reinvented as “Slow Food.”

Most of her recipes are fast and easy but she also includes more complex things like directions on canning your own tomato sauce.

I purchased the book because I am a big fan of the show, and I wasn't disappointed in that respect. Teresa's love for her family and friends and her wicked sense of humor comes through on every page. There are lots of family photos but not nearly enough pictures of her beautiful New Jersey home.

The book has a few tidbits about the other Housewives (her take on Pasta Puttanesca had me cracking up) but it's far from being a cheesy/sleazy "tell all" book to cash in on her celebrity. Skinny Italian is a fabulous book that would be a best seller if it were written by an unknown first time author.

Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations

I was a big fan of Park Avenue Potluck: Recipes from New York's Savviest Hostesses. I ordered the book after reading about it over at May December - a fabulous blog by Melissa Morris. I was so excited to see Mel's blog post that there would be a sequel of sorts that would also benefit the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York's Savviest Hostesses is filled with more great recipes, beautiful photos and helpful hints from New York socialites. I can't wait to try the Pomegranate Mimosas!

Yorkshire Pudding

My favorite Yorkshire Pudding recipe, adapted from the recipe in "Tea and Sympathy" by Anita Naughton.

Yorkshire Pudding
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 cups milk
roast beef pan drippings

*** Things to remember - You may need to reposition your oven rack to accomodate the rising of the popovers. Do not open the oven during while baking - this may cause the popovers to fall.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Whisk in the eggs and milk until the batter has the consistency of pancake batter. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.

Put about 1 tsp of roast beef drippings in each well of a large non-stick popover pan. Place pan in the oven until you can hear the drippings make popping and crackling sounds.
Remove from oven and fill each well with batter about 3/4 full.

Bake about 30 minutes or until well risen.

Serve hot.

The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever

Wow! The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever came yesterday from Amazon.com. This was an early Christmas present from HuzBen.

I took it to work today and skimmed through it in between calls. About 30 purple Post-It notes are now sticking out the top, marking recipes that I can't wait to try. I found lots of recipes that use brown rice and chicken breasts and a few vegetarian recipes that sound good. The book has fast and easy recipes that contain canned cream of "whatever" soups and more involved recipes that have detailed sauces. You'll find the often talked about no knead bread recipe that ran in a New York Times article two winters ago. This book boasts over 500 recipes and is more than worth the price.

I think The Best Casserole Book Ever is going to be my new "go to" book when I can't think of anything to make for dinner.

Food Storage - Where do I start?

Food Storage - Where do I start?

Food Storage has always been a common topic among East Valley women and not only at the local LDS churches. The Y2K scare served as preparation for a post 9/11 world where the Red Cross and the Office of Homeland Security are now preaching preparedness on television commercials.

There are many websites and message boards devoted to food storage and how to prepare for emergencies. One look at any food storage chart is enough to set a budget minded person's head spinning. It's best to just take a deep breath and remember that Rome wasn't built in a day. If you purchase things over time it really won't be the daunting (and expensive) task that it seems.

Have a plan -

Find a food storage plan list on the Internet and edit it to suit the needs of your family. Keep in mind that the best thing you can do is store what you eat and eat what you store.

Set your budget-

Not everyone can afford to pay thousands of dollars for the ready-made food storage kits available at places like Walton Feed and Be Prepared.com. Believe it or not, if you are organized you can end up with a comprehensive food storage supply for only a small weekly cash investment.

One of the more popular strategies for building food storage is the ten dollar per week method. This is a great place to start but I honestly don't think anyone could live off these items for long. How many times a week can you endure tuna casserole? Still, this is a great base for your plan.

Need a bit more variety in your meals?

Luckily for us, Valley residents enjoy the benefit of having a great food storage purveyor on nearly every corner. Yes, that's right - it's Walgreen's!

The Walgreen's supplement in your Sunday newspaper has a wealth of items that no food storage supply should be without. Last week’s sale included several three for a dollar items; Jiffy Mixes, snack size Pringles, canned pineapple and sardines. Canned mushrooms were a bargain at two for a dollar. Always check the date on canned goods and don't get anything that expires in less than 2 years.

Our personal favorite is the one-pound, cooked, boneless, canned hams. They need no refrigeration until you open them and one ham is perfect for two people. We use them for sandwiches (both hot and cold), with cheese and broccoli as a baked potato topping, or diced and mixed into mac and cheese. The possibilities are endless.

The various dollar stores around the East Valley are another great source of non perishable items but you need to check your labels carefully! Stick to good that are from the U.S.A. Watch exparation dates and don't purchase anything dented.

Invest in a few "back to basics" cookbook or cookbook specifically written with food storage in mind. My favorite is Cookin' with Home Storage, available at Amazon. You can find many articles and recipes on the web, but be sure and print them and get them into a folder or binder. You might need them when there is no electricity and internet access is not available. Be sure to include recipes that can be made over an open fire, in a dutch oven, or on a BBQ grill in case of a power failure. Think about alternative cooking vessels as well. Non stick teflon pans and glass casserole dishes will not work in a camp fire or BBQ grill. Invest in some cast iron pans and a cast iron dutch oven. You can get these at most camping supply stores and some military surplus stores like Larada's.

With instability of the economy, rising food costs, and the ever present possibility of another terrorist attack, the important thing is to start building a food storage plan now. You don't need to buy everything in one week but you do need to have a plan and stick to it.

Beat The Heat Summer Cooking - George Foreman Grill

I could kiss George Foreman! We are on our 3rd George Foreman Grill. Not because we had to replace them but because George keeps making them bigger and better. Our current model is the George Foreman Next Grilleration with variable heat settings and 5 removable plates. It includes the grilling plates, waffle plates and a special flat baking plate. It's a great way to make fast and easy healthy meals without using your stove or oven.

The grilling plate is the one we use the most. It's one of the reasons we have been able to change our diet and eat better this year. We make several main dish items on the grill- burgers, chicken, pizza, and fish.

We gave up beef burgers for a lower in fat turkey version (see recipe). The turkey burgers are very mushy in their raw state and need to be cooked from frozen so they stay together. This is no problem on the GF. The burgers have nice grill marks on the outside and are completely cooked on the inside. On the rare occasions we do opt for beef burgers we know we are getting much less fat by making them on the GF.

Boneless chicken breasts are probably my favorite thing to cook in the GF. You can grill them plain with a bit of seasoning, bbq sauce, or go all out with an endless variety of marinades (see recipes). I grill a large batch of chicken breasts when they are on sale then dice and freeze them on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet and store in a Ziploc freezer bag. I use them in chicken soft tacos, casseroles, pasta salads or on BBQ chicken pizzas.

Mini pizzas are a snap with the baking plate. I make my own whole wheat pizza crust but store bought is just fine. Simply roll out a thin piece of the dough to fit the baking plate and grill until it just starts to brown. Add toppings and sauce and close the lid until the cheese is melted and bubbly. If you like grilled veggies - toss your favorite veggies in oil and grill them as well - then use them to top your pizza.

Fish isn't exactly a favorite at our house but we try to eat it once a month for the health benefits. It's so easy - I buy a frozen fillet at Trader Joe's, thaw it and slather it with olive oil mayonaise. Sprinkle it with lemon pepper or your favorite fish seasoning and grill it.

Some people complain about cleaning the George Foreman Grill but I've never had a problem. As soon as I'm done cooking I unplug the grill and wet a few sheets of paper towels. Place the wet paper towels in the (still hot) grill. In about 20 minutes the grill will be cool enough to handle and any stuck on food has been steamed loose. Clean with a sponge or use a dish brush that's safe for non-stick surfaces.

All George Foreman Grills come with a few recipes in the instruction booklet. There are more recipes on Salton's website and in George Foreman's Indoor Grilling Made Easy. I love Steve Reichlen's book The Barbecue! Bible. I just spotted his book Indoor! Grilling at Amazon.com and added it to my Amazon Wish List. Yahoo groups also has a group of GF fans who exchange tips and recipes.

Beat The Heat Summer Cooking - Pressure Cooking

There's no escaping the fact that summer time in the Valley of the Sun is pretty brutal. Cooking is not on my list of fun things to do when it's over 100 degrees. We have a very small house and just one pan on the stove heats up the kitchen and living room and makes things very uncomfortable. I had to look for alternative methods of cooking which could keep the house cool but still be economical and work with my philosophy of getting multiple meals out of each session in the kitchen. Over the next 2 weeks I'm going to let you in on my little secrets to make meal preparation easier in the summer months.

The fastest way to get a meal on the table (after the microwave) is the pressure cooker. Forget the horror stories of the past, today's pressure cookers are safe and easy. While the stovetop variety is still popular, I prefer my electric 8 quart Cook's Essentials PC from QVC. It's a real work horse. We use it for the obvious things like pot roast, stew, and soup, but it also makes fantastic chicken stock. I can boil pasta in my PC a lot faster than I can on my stove top. If you have a stand mixer you can have mashed potatoes from scratch on the table in less than 15 minutes.

Pressure cookers work wonders with less expensive cuts of meat. If there is a good sale, I'll buy the biggest roast I can find and make Cola Pot Roast (see below). We can get one dinner, 2 lunches and a freezer meal out of it. If the roast is really large, I will cut off a portion of the meat and use a different method of seasoning. Usually I'll take the extra portion and coat it with BBQ sauce or even extra Taco Bell mild sauce. Then I'll wrap that portion of meat in foil and add it to the pressure cooker as well. That way I'll have a main dish and and extra portion on the side for a BBQ sandwich or meat for tacos. Another bonus is that you can have very flavorful food without the addition of fats.

Every pressure cooker is different and you should always follow the manufacturer's instructions. For general information, recipes, and opinions on which pressure cooker to purchase, Miss Vickie's is the website to visit. She just celebrated 10 years on the Internet and her book Miss Vickie's Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes is a huge sucess. Of course, you can't mention pressure cooker cookbooks without mentioning Lorna Sass and her latest Pressure Perfect.

Yahoo has a terrific pressure cooker group where you can ask questions, get helpful hints and exchange recipes.

My favorite recipes. . .


Cola Pot Roast

(also works well in the crockpot)

3-4 pounds beef roast
4 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 sweet onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 package dry brown gravy mix
1/4 cup water
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
10 ounces cola

Brown roast in 2 tbs olive oil before cooking. Place all ingredients in pressure cooker and cook on high pressure (15lbs of pressure) for 11 minutes per pound of beef. Use natural release method.



Leanna's Pot Roast

3-4 lb beef roast
4 carrots, chopped
1 large sweet onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 can beef stock
1 cup water
2 tbsp maple syrup

Brown roast in 2 tbs olive oil before cooking. Place all ingredients except maple syrup in pressure cooker. Drizzle beef with maple syrup and cook on high pressure (15lbs of pressure) for 11 minutes per pound of beef. Use quick release method. Make a paste of water and flour and use it to thicken the gravy.



Leanna's Loaded Potatoes

4-5 lbs potatoes, quartered (works with reds, large baking potatoes or yukon gold)
1 1/2 cups water

Cook potatoes on high pressure (15lbs) for 8 minutes. Use quick release method. Place potatoes in a heat proof bowl or use stand mixer to whip. Add the following-

1 cup fat free sour cream
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
2 cups low fat cheddar cheese, grated
3 strips turkey bacon, cooked and cut up with kitchen shears
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Litera-tea

Gracious Hospitality is having a Tea themed Blog-a-Thon!

Share tea from the perspective of literature. Post a tea quote, a verse or poem, or story. Tell about a favorite tea book. This would be a good time to share how you use tea to encourage others. Do you minister to others by sending them tea themed cards to friends and shut-ins? Or another way you use 'tea' to share joy with others? I know some of you do --- so tell your story!



My favorite tea related reading and recipes books. . .

Special Teas by M. Dalton King is indispensable if you plan to have a simple or ambitious tea themed get together. Filled with sumptuous recipes and gorgeous photographs, this book has menus and party suggestions challenging enough for the most experienced hostess but plenty for the beginner as well. Special Teas is on my list of top 10 cookbooks to own.

Eating Royally: Recipes And Remembrances From A Palace Kitchen was a Christmas gift from my husband. He ran across the book in the library one day and being well acquainted with my fascination with the royal family, he checked it out and brought it home. I wasn't one chapter into the book when I was putting it on my Amazon wish list. Chef Darren Mc Grady's account of his years in service to the royal family is heart warming and insightful without being gossipy. The focus of the book is on the time the author spent as Princess Diana's personal chef, but the book contains traditional British recipes along with favorites of the royals. One of the surprising things I learned from this book is the relationship between the royal family and the food they eat. All menus and food are prepared according to what is in season and grown locally. There is as little waste as possible. The majority of the fresh items are grown at the estates and game and fish are obtained on Her Majesty's land as well. The strawberries grown at Balmoral are made into enough jam to last the family an entire year (the recipe is included). You'll come away with an enlightened view of the British monarch and her family. Chef McGrath's antecdote about the Queen and her scones is worth the price of the book.

Park Avenue Potluck: Recipes From New York's Savviest Hostesses was a birthday gift from my husband. Proceeds from this book are donated to charity. Although the title sounds intimidating, the recipes are actually quite simple and yet delicious. While this should not be considered a book about tea parties, many of the desserts would be perfect for afternoon tea nibbles. Even the Creamed Artichoke-Spinach Casserole is wonderful the next day, chilled and served on crackers or sourdough. Anne Grauso's recipe for Paris Iced Tea is a sweet, fruity beverage that is just perfect for hot Arizona summers.

Tea and Sympathy: The Life Of An English Teashop In New York is simply hilarious reading for any anglophile. The book consists of wickedly funny tales of this New York teashop, but chock full of traditional British recipes too. Forget the hat and white gloves, this ain't your Grandma's afternoon tea party. If you've ever watched "Friends" and wondered what went on in the back room at Central Perk, this is the book for you!


Click here for more Teacup Stories at Gracious Hospital-I-tie's Blog-a-Thon!

Sunday Dinner

Big Sunday dinners are the norm in our house. Since we go to church for Vigil Mass on Saturday night, I have all day Sunday to cook. If the weather is cool or rainy I'll usually make baguettes, a loaf of bread or rolls from scratch. The following recipe came about after trying Roast Beef Roll Ups with Horseradish Cream from Desperation Dinners! We loved the sauce (although I cut some of the calories) but we wanted a more filling meal. In place of the proscuitto, we have also used capicola or pancetta.


Chicken Leanna

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to equal thickness
garlic salt
pakrika

Topping-
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 cups cooked spinach, cooled and drained well
5 or 6 strips of proscuitto, chopped (use kitchen shears)


In a small bowl- toss together cheddar cheese, cooked spinach and proscuitto. Set aside.
Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt and paprika to taste.
Cook chicken in non-stick oven safe pan until almost done. Top evenly with cheddar/spinach/proscuitto mixture. Bake for 7-10 minutes @ 350 degrees or until done. (OR Cook chicken until done - top chicken with spincach/cheddar/proscuitto mixture and place under the broiler until cheese is melted)

Sauce can be used to top chicken or served on the side.


Sauce- (can be halfed-we like a lot of sauce!)

8 tbsp (1 stick) butter
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk (orig recipe calls for half and half - I use 2% milk)
2 tsp (or to taste) creamy horseradish sauce
dash of hot sauce (or to taste)
garlic salt to taste

In a glass bowl or large glass measuring cup, microwave butter until almost melted. In another bowl, separate eggs, beat well then mix with the milk. With a balloon whisk, temper these mixtures until combined. Microwave on high in 20 to 30 second increments, whisking mixture *violently* for a few seconds in between each cooking time. You've got to use a large whisk for this- a fork will not do the trick. The mixture will thicken in 3-6 minutes, depending on your microwave wattage. When the sauce thickens, add horseradish, hot sauce and garlic salt to taste. Serve hot- can be refrigerated and reheated.

*This sauce is tricky and tends to break until you get the hang of it. If it does break - keep beating it and it should come back together. Pampered Chef has a 2 qt glass measuring pitcher that is hands down *the best* cooking vessel for this sauce. The pitcher has a rounded bottom that matches perfectly with the whisk.