Foodie (Thick As) Pea Soup

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Paula

It’s been a lazy sort of day. Looking out the window, I see big chunks of snow falling from a cloudy sky. There’s no wind so the snow, which has been falling all day, is sticking to the tree branches and trunks.

It’s beautiful. And time for comfort food; like pea soup, maybe.

This is what I’d be conjuring up in the kitchen if my refrigerator wasn’t already full of enough food to keep me going for about a week and a half. (I’ve been on a spree.)

There’s no reason why I can’t share a couple of recipe ideas with you, though.

One is from a blog I follow almost daily when I log my food on MyFitnessPal. They’ve set me up with some great recipes which I add to my database. When I’ve eaten that food for one of my meals, I go in and log from the recipe database. I love how easy that is. Here’s one, Split Pea Soup With Bacon, which came from the blog, HelloHealthy.

I like ham in my split pea soup and most often use a good leftover bone with meat on it. That’s how my mom always made a soup with ham in it. This Canadian Yellow Split Pea Soup includes ham and might be more to your taste.

Whether or not it’s snowing in your neck of the woods, comfort food may be exactly what you’re hungry for. As always, make adjustments to the recipes so they work for you.

And eat hardy.

Foodie, Zucchini and Grace

Posted on November 25, 2016 by Paula

Playing Hostess

Several years ago, when I was a member of our church’s choir, I invited four of my fellow choir members over for dinner. The main dish was Chicken Breasts Diane; I tried my hand at twice-baked potatoes for the first time; the vegetable was steamed zucchini; and the dessert was a sugar-free, fat-free cream-pie-thing I whipped up.

Everything was going well when my friends began to show up. I’d coordinated the cooking so that the food would be ready to set on the table hot from the oven and stove. The last thing I did was to steam the zucchini so it would still be hot when I placed it on the table with everything else.

You know how steamed veggies seem to get cold fast, right? I didn’t want them to be cold.

Backstory

Rewind to a couple years earlier. I’d been in a near-fatal automobile accident and came out of it with numerous injuries. One of those injuries was a fractured sphenoid sinus. (Say THAT three times fast.) The sinus was supposedly healed, but one residual effect was that I couldn’t smell odors unless I was right on top of them.

It’s caused problems more often than I like to admit.

Dinner, continued

As the zucchini steamed away, so did the water in the bottom of the pan. Carol, who had been watching things progress, said, “Paula, your pan is on fire.”

Yep, it sure was.

The pan had boiled dry and, well, it was time to turn the burner off. “Oh, wow,” I said. (Or something like that.) I took the pan off the stove, put the zucchini in a bowl and set it on the table with the rest of the meal. We sat down, said grace, and began to eat.

Everyone took a little of everything, I guess, including the steamed zucchini. Dinner conversation was a little stilted after a few minutes until I took a bite of my green veggie.

“This stuff is burnt!” I said. “Why are you guys eating it?” I scraped it to the side of my plate. I apologized to my friends and, you know what? They were so kind to me. I was so embarrassed. My smeller didn’t catch the scent of burnt zucchini and no one said a word.

Now that’s love in action.

“Foodie Fail”

They sat there eating that scorched zucchini and extended grace to me. Every time I think of this episode in my life––and believe me, with a nose that doesn’t work like it should, there have been many such episodes––I laugh.

In fact, I’ve been laughing out loud the whole time I’ve been writing this blog post.

But I also feel extremely grateful.

We’ve all had our cooking failures. I have some that have nothing to do with not being able to smell.

Since it’s the day after Thanksgiving, I thank Amy, Carol, Brooke and Carol for the gift of grace. You know, of course, grace is unmerited favor. I surely didn’t deserve what they offered, and friends who love like that are worth keeping.

Next time, though, I’m going to nuke the zucchini.

Shake it Up, Foodie

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Paula

As a busy young mother (oh, so many years ago), I took shortcuts in the kitchen if I could. Because it gave baked chicken a flavor my husband liked (and because someone came up with an easy way to add flavor and crispiness to baked chicken), Shake ‘n Bake brand coating mix was a staple in our house.

Not anymore. I prefer to make my own ‘mixes’ when I can from ingredients I have in my cupboards. That way I know what’s in it and avoid additives. The flavors are usually the same and sometimes even better (depending on how I tinker with the concoction) than the so-called original.

Here’s my coating mix recipe for meat––chicken or pork––you can make easily. In fact, if you don’t want to make it up ahead of time and store it, you only need a few minutes to mix it up while you’re preparing dinner. The recipe is easily doubled or tripled.

Crispy Coating Baking Mix

1 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. flour
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. poultry seasoning
1 t. paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients (shake ’em up in a plastic bag, if you want!). The recipe as written coats all the pieces of a whole chicken. Obviously, for more or less chicken, use more or less mix. It’s good on pork chops too, but you may want to substitute a combination of basil, oregano and rosemary for the poultry seasoning.

Store in a tightly sealed container or zipper bag. Depending on the humidity, you can store in the cupboard up to 4 months. DO NOT store any mix which has already been used for coating meat. Toss it!

I make my own bread crumbs too. I just chug 3-4 slices of bread around in the blender until they’re finely ground, stopping to stir the larger pieces toward the blades. When I want an Italian flavor as in the commercially prepared Italian crumbs, I add 1 t. Italian seasoning for every 4 slices of bread. Another variation you can try is adding 1 1/2 t. of ranch dressing mix, but that defeats the purpose of avoiding additives. Folks with gluten intolerances: you know how to adapt ingredients.

When baking chicken, just like when you’re frying, coating mix stays on better when you dip it in a mixture of 1/2 c. buttermilk and one beaten egg. It also gives it a Southern-fried flavor.

So there you go. You can shake it and bake it with your own homemade mix. I’m happy to say, “And I helped!”

Eat Hardy!

Hey Foodie, Say “Cheese”

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Paula

I’ve never met a cheese I didn’t like.

It could be that someday a new taste will not set well with me in that dairy category, but so far, cheese has always made me smile. Like Little Miss Muffet, I even like my curds and whey.**

Here in my area of the planet, it’s autumn and getting chillier outside every day. We naturally begin to add comfort foods to the menu which we might not have eaten during the hot summer days.

Like soup. Chicken soup, chili, bean soup, pea soup. Nothing like a steaming bowl of homemade soup or stew.

I’ll keep my pie hole closed for most of this post and give you a couple recipes using cheese. These come right out of my recipe box (stained 3×5 cards and all). First, the soup, featuring two favorite foods.

Cheddar and Bacon Soup

6 slices bacon cut into ½-inch pieces
2/3 c. chopped onion
2 T. flour
3 c. shredded cheese (I use cheddar)
1 quart milk
¼ t. pepper

In a medium saucepan, fry the bacon over medium heat until browned and crisp. Reduce heat to low. Add onions and sauté about 5 minutes or until onions are tender.

Stir in flour; cook one minute. Stir in milk. Raise heat to medium-high. Add cheese and cook, stirring frequently with a wire whisk until cheese is melted and soup is heated through (about 10 minutes). Do Not Boil! Add the pepper; stir until mixed. Yields about 6 1-cup servings

Now for a quick appetizer for snacking on crackers while you cuddle up in your recliner to watch a good movie. Or “Walking Dead,” if that’s your thing. This spread also tastes good on a sandwich with tomato. Use whole grain bread, an English muffin, croissant, bagel thins or whatever you like. You know me, I throw it together and see what comes out.

Pimiento Cheese Spread

2 7-oz. jars sliced pimientos, drained
3 8 oz. bricks sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1 c. mayonnaise

Place the drained pimientos in a blender or food processor and puree them until almost smooth. In a very large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the cheese and pimiento, beating until partially blended. Beat in the mayonnaise.

The spread can be stored, covered in the refrigerator for up to one week. Allow the spread to reach room temperature before serving. Yields about 32 servings, 2 T. each.

Don’t forget the family favorite: grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. Or homemade macaroni and cheese. Loaded baked potatoes. Big old cheeseburgers, and, well you get the idea. In my world, any time is a great time for a dish made with cheese.

Eat hardy!

*Cottage Cheese

Chocolate Addict Foodie

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Paula

Yeah, I’m addicted to chocolate. But you won’t hear me saying I want to recover from the addiction. Any excuse to eat it is a good one. Several years ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to eat chocolate at least once a week. I figured it was a resolution I could keep.

Today is National Dessert Day so Foodie Friday will feature a couple (or more) chocolate desserts. But first, let’s talk about baking with chocolate.

Helpful Hints

For converting chocolate, these tips should help.

1 oz. (1 square) unsweetened baking chocolate = 3 oz. (1/2 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels. If, in a recipe calling for unsweetened baking chocolate, you use semi-sweet morsels instead, decrease butter, margarine or shortening by 1 T. and sugar by ¼ cup.

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder = 3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate morsels. When substituting, again, butter (or whatever you use) and sugar should be decreased by the same amounts.

Chocolate may develop a grey film on its surface called a “bloom.” Chocolate bloom is caused by cocoa butter within the chocolate rising to the surface. It’s no big deal; it doesn’t change the taste, even though it dulls the color. Go ahead and use it for melting or baking. The attractive color will reappear.

Keep chocolate in a cool, dry place. It can be refrigerated, but if you choose to do so, wrap it tightly so it doesn’t absorb odors from other foods. Airtight wrapping also prevents the chocolate from acquiring moisture which can condense on it. This is a problem discussed below. Also, chocolate becomes hard and brittle when chilled, so allow it to come to room temperature before using.

About Melting Chocolate

Important Warning: The smallest drop of moisture (even a wet spoon or steam from a double boiler) can cause melted chocolate to become lumpy. If this occurs, stir in 1 T. vegetable oil or shortening for every 3 oz. chocolate. Don’t use butter since it contains water.

Yield: One 12-ounce package (2 cups) of semi-sweet morsels equals 1 cup melted chocolate.

Top-of-stove method: Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Place over hot, not boiling water. Stir occasionally until smooth.

Microwave method: To melt chocolate, place morsels or chunks of baking chocolate in a dry 4 cup microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Microwave on high for 2 minutes; stir. Nuke it again on high 1 more minute and stir until it’s smooth.

These methods also, obviously, work for other morsels such as butterscotch, white chocolate, etc.

I’m doing the happy homemaker thing today. I’ve baked the squash and toasted the seeds from it. Next will come the mending, ironing, and laundry. But I just might get around to making something chocolatey for National Dessert Day. Brownies? Sounds good.

I promised some recipes and here are some I found. My favorite dessert, besides pie, is cheesecake and a well-done cheesecake is worth the effort. Urban Bakes offers her Hazelnut Chocolate Cheesecake. Looks dreamy.

Suburban Soapbox has a recipe for a No Bake Chocolate Mousse Pie. It’s easier to prepare than a cheesecake, but you have to save a bunch of your daily calories for it. It’s reeealy rich.

And these aren’t exactly a dessert––more of treat or snack––but here you’ll find a recipe for my ‘famous’ Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.

We who are addicted to chocolate could have told researchers a long time ago that chocolate is good for you. We didn’t know anything scientific; we just knew we felt better when we ate it. Right? Well, here’s a story by Medical News Today with a list of facts about chocolate and some reasons backed up by research (finally!) for why we should be eating this sweet–or semi-sweet–substance.

Enjoy your chocolate desserts today!

Comfort Foodie

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Paula

An Education

No one educated me as I was growing up about the proper terms used for the various gatherings which occur when someone dies. The only word I was familiar with was “funeral.”

Later, I learned there was also quite often a “visitation.” People went to the facility that was handling the funeral and viewed the body. They spoke in low tones and offered condolences to the bereaved family members. I didn’t know for a long time that this is also called a “wake.”

I became confused the first time I arrived at a funeral and the man at the entrance asked if I was going to the cemetery for graveside services. But I was still learning.

Finally, with graveside services over, we’d gather for the “funeral dinner.”

A Bit of Reality

A little over a month ago, someone who was special to me passed away. And though I’ve been to many funerals during my life, I’m still learning. This wonderful man’s life celebration gave me pause as I sat and watched the people around me.

In the chapel of my church, a buffet luncheon and tables were set up. We filled our plates and sat with friends to share memories or to just have normal conversations. I realized that having a funeral dinner gives a different meaning to “comfort food.” When we lose someone we love, we need to feel, even if for a short time, something resembling normal. We meet over a meal and we’re somehow comforted.

If a funeral dinner happens at a church, the food was most likely prepared by church members in their homes. The food is often simple. Friends and family members help by offering a kind of stability in shaky circumstances. The simpler we keep things, the better. Even silences can be healing.

Last week a long-time friend notified me her husband had died. I didn’t look forward to attending another funeral. But I surely was ready to be there to comfort her. That meant being there in any way she needed.

It turned out that I sat with her and her children, whom I’d watch grow up, at the funeral dinner. We ate some “comfort food” and talked about normal stuff. If I was the betting type, I’d bet that it won’t be long before she and I are sharing more memories over a meal and talking about what’s making life normal again now that she’s grieving.

A Recipe For Caring

We don’t like to admit it, but we know that food seems to make things better.

We get up in the morning and our bodies are ready for sustenance. Food makes that bodily craving go away. “Ah, that’s better.”

Someone’s having a baby and we throw a shower. Food–especially chocolate–makes the occasion better. Weddings include a feast following the ceremony. Because food makes it even better. The Saturday football game at our alma mater begs a tailgater. Except for our team winning, what could possibly make it better?

We celebrate the milestones in life with food, join in conversations at the dinner table with our family, grab some of that famous Mackinac Island fudge while we’re on vacation, and roast marshmallows over a campfire. Because food makes getting together so much better.

An Example to Follow

Scour the Bible and you find many instances in which Jesus was eating with people. Indeed, a couple of his most famous miracles included feeding thousands of people. What we in the Church call communion is based on the Lord’s command during his last meal with the disciples to “remember him.”

I doubt very much they realized the bread and wine were “comfort food.”

But I’m still learning and I know. It’s why we say we celebrate communion. In community we celebrate, we remember, and we look to the future.

Loving Father, I pray we always know the way to celebrate life, even when we face life without someone we love. Help us to make each moment precious and to create communion–community–whenever we meet with people. Thank you for the gift of food and the many ways it sustains us. Thank you for the simplicity it can offer in a grave situation. Help us to find our ultimate joy and purpose in you and to realize Christ is the bread of life. Thank you, Jesus, for being the comfort food that will never leave us hungry.

Midwestern Autumn-Lovin’ Foodie

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Paula

I live in one of the Midwestern states so I get to experience four distinct seasons. Autumn is my favorite.

The weather in autumn agrees with my body. Autumn also stirs my soul. I have fond memories of school starting, playing in fallen leaves in the front yard of my childhood home, and cookouts over backyard fires. (Say, “marshmallows,” “hot dogs,” “S’mores.”)

Autumn brings a harvest of some delightful produce as well, and pumpkins are ready about now. Or getting there. Those delightful places where they sell apples, cider, donuts, and pumpkins open up during September in my home state. People flock there.

Pumpkins will grace porches soon–just as they’re picked or carved with a face. They provide a pantry item when we pack them up for the freezer. And in my opinion, eating pumpkin pies just makes more sense during autumn.

This is one of my favorite recipes using pumpkin. The cream cheese frosting makes it really special, but even without it, the bars are exceptionally moist. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs
¾ c. oil
1 ½ c. sugar
1 16 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, cream together eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and blend.
Spread mixture into a 13” x 9” pan and bake for 25 minutes.
While pumpkin bars are baking, make the frosting.

Frosting
1 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese (room temperature)
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ c. butter or margarine, softened
2 c. confectioner’s sugar

Cream together the cheese and butter. Mix in the vanilla. Add the confectioner’s sugar and blend well. When bars are cooled, spread frosting on top.

If you want to use your own fresh or frozen pumpkin from your pantry, you probably can. I suggest using a food processor or blender to “whip” it into shape. Be sure all the stringy fibers are removed for the best texture.

Foodie Converts (Food)

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Paula

Most of the time, I cook for one person (me). For that reason, recipes end up being changed to accommodate. Instead of making a recipe for eight servings, I cut it down to one or two so I’m not eating that main or side dish all week. Sure, there are some dishes for which I cook a whole batch and freeze enough for later. But some foods I’d rather not preserve that way because they’re just not as good thawed and re-heated.

Something that helps me to cut a recipe is having simple conversions I can make while baking or cooking. Today I’m passing on some that you can memorize if you need to decrease like I do. You may even find it handy to know these simple conversions if you’re increasing a recipe.

It’s easy to double; you just multiply by two. But how about making a recipe one-and-a-half times the amount? That’s a little trickier. Foodies make it work, though, don’t we?

Here are some simple conversions I’ve managed to keep in my brain (for the most part) for when I need to “alter” a recipe to suit my needs.

Basic conversions

3 tsp. = 1 Tbsp.
1/3 cup = 5 Tbsp. + 1 tsp.
1 c. = 16 Tbsp.
2 c. = 1 pint
4 c. = 1 quart
1 oz. = 2 Tbsp.
16 oz. = 1 lb.

Can Number Equivalents

No. 300 = 14-16 oz. = 1 ¾ c.
No. 303 = 16-17 oz. = 2 c.
No. 2 = 1 lb. 4 oz. = 2 ½ c.
No 10 = 6 ½ – 7 ¼ lbs. = 12-13 c. (This is handy to remember when you’re cooking for a crowd)

One-Pound Equivalents

2 c. butter
4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. granulated sugar
3 ½ c. sifted powdered sugar
2 c. milk
9 medium eggs
2 2/3 c. oatmeal or brown sugar
1 1/8 c. rice (uncooked)
2 1/3 c. dry beans
2 c. ground, packed meat

Pan Size Equivalents

2 8-inch layer pans or 1 ½ to 2 dozen cupcakes in muffin tins
3 8-inch layer pans or 2 9-inch square pans
1 9-inch layer pan or 1 8-inch square pan
2 9-inch layer pans or 1 13×9 pan, or 1 9-inch tube pan or 2 8-inch square pans
1 9×5 loaf pan or 2 dozen cupcakes in muffin tins

That last conversion comes in handy when I want to make apple, zucchini or carrot bread to freeze, but I want to freeze individual servings for snacks. It would also work for individual meatloaf servings if you’re trying to maintain portion sizes.

Remember to measure liquids and dry ingredients correctly.

Use dry measuring cups for flour, sugar, shortening (or other solid fat), and various chopped or minced foods. Liquid measuring cups (glass, plastic or other material) for any kind of liquid. Don’t know the difference between a dry measure or liquid measuring cup? Liquid measuring cups have a spout.

Use measuring spoons to measure ingredients such as lemon juice, flavorings, salt, spices, etc.

Certain ingredients like flour and powdered sugar should be spooned into the measuring cup and leveled off, never packed in. Other ingredients, like brown sugar, butter or shortening, should be packed down into the cup and then leveled off.

I’m not the only person who needs to make changes to recipes. As I travel the web and investigate new foods, taste combinations, and options, I see recipes in metric measurements. This Midwest cook doesn’t do metric! That’s when I need more help and I rely on what others who’ve gone before me have created.

Here’s a blog post from “Start Cooking” with a chart to help you convert just about anything during your kitchen adventures.

Happy cooking and eat hardy!

Foodie Sows Some Oats

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Paula

As I read other foodie sites and watch trending recipes, Overnight Oats seem to be right up there with anything healthy and easy to prepare. I’m all for it. Once I tried them, they became a favorite way to start the day. Fiber, protein and some kind of fresh fruit and…wow. Tasty.

But then, I really like my oatmeal. No matter how it’s prepared. One of my most requested recipes every time I share them is for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. Here you go.

Eating oatmeal just plain makes sense. One half cup of dry oats–that’s a single serving–contains 4 grams of fiber. That’s 16 percent of your total fiber needs for the day. The recommended daily intake of fiber is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Oats also contain the minerals manganese, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc. That little package of goodness also provides 5 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of sugar.

Those Overnight Oats are looking better all the time, now aren’t they?

Sara Bonham, an athlete, scientist and product developer, has written a great article listing some of the benefits of eating oatmeal you may not be familiar with. She did the research (so I didn’t have to) so it’s not just her opinion. A couple of pieces of information on that list were news to me.

Since I keep bringing up those Overnight Oats, how about I help you out with a basic recipe and some variations you can try? It’s also sort of trendy to prepare them in those pint mason jars, but you can use whatever works for you. An empty peanut butter or a jelly jar will work. Some people just mix them up in the bowl and put them in the fridge overnight.

I like mine with plain Greek yogurt and a mix of berries, but I’ve seen some combinations that sound pretty tasty. (Almond Joy!) And the combinations are endless when you consider people use such ingredients as nuts or chia seeds, dried fruit, fresh fruit, nut butters, pumpkin, spices, and quinoa. All mixed in with humble oatmeal, a pantry staple that’s inexpensive and healthy.

Hey, is your family like mine was when I was growing up and you sometimes like to have breakfast for dinner? Oatmeal is making its way into pancakes these days too. Try these, maybe.

This foodie is hoping you begin to put oatmeal into your diet if you haven’t already done so. Oatmeal: it’s not just for breakfast anymore.

Eat hardy.

Foodie Tosses a Salad

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Paula

We usually post our recipes and cooking tips on Friday, but this Foodie lost track of her days. I thought it was Saturday. Well, just this once, let’s call it Salad Saturday. Now that we’re harvesting so many vegetables in … Continue reading →

The Fruitful Life

Category Archives: FoodStuffs