9/11

Each year our local Boy Scout troop takes donations for their flag service. For the bargain price of $35.00 they place a flag in front of our house on designated days like Memorial Day, July 4th, Flag Day, etc. The scouts (or usually, a troop dad) will leave the flag in the early morning and then retrieve it just prior to sundown. The troop cares for the flags and stores them in between holidays.

This year the Scouts started putting the flags out to commemorate September 11, 2001. Several homes in our neighborhood (including our house!) have flown our own flags each year on the anniversary but I was especially happy that the big flag was out today.

Whodunnit?

I couldn't figure out why there was such a mess around Chopper's cage everyday - he's really pretty neat and orderly with his toys and things. He likes to eat his hay - not toss it around.

The real culprit was caught red handed today!

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.

Turkey Burgers

Turkey Burgers

1 1/4 lbs lean ground turkey (or a mixture of ground turkey and ground chicken)
2/3 cup fat free ricotta cheese
1/4 cup diced sweet onions
1/2 cup grated granny smith apple
3 cloves grlic, minced
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients until blended. Shape 4 or 5 patties and freeze with 2 layers of waxed paper in between burgers. For best results - cook straight from the freezer. On the George Foreman Grill, grill on medium for 7 minutes. To pan fry, coat pan with 1/2 tsp olive oil and fry 6 mins per side.

Marinades - Chicken

These are my variations of the "Dump Chicken" recipes that have been on the web for years. Each marinade can be "dumped" into a one gallon freezer bag with 4-8 pieces of boneless chicken breast. You can marinade for a few hours or overnight, or you can freeze the chicken in the marinade for later use. I like to cook them on my George Foreman Grill, but you can also make them on a bbq grill outdoors or in the oven. (For oven - Place entire contents of bag in a 9x12 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 mins.)

HONEY BBQ CHICKEN

1 cup bbq sauce of your choice
1/4 cup honey

TERIYAKI CHICKEN

2 garlic cloves, Crushed
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced or grated

RUSSIAN CHICKEN

2/3 cup apricot preserves
1 1/2 cups russian dressing
1 pkg dry onion soup mix

HONEY GLAZED CHICKEN

1/4 cup melted butter
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup honey

HONEY GINGER LIME CHICKEN

1 1/2 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Minced Ginger
juice from 1/2 fresh lime
1/4 cup sliced green onions


GARLIC DIJON LEMON CHICKEN

2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp dijon mustard
juice from 1/2 fresh lemon

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