Time Saver

In our efforts to both eat healthier and save money we are trying to be more consistent with packing lunches and not eating out. I am not a morning person at all, so if I waited til morning to make lunches they wouldn't get made most mornings. I cook dinner every night and often make extras for our lunch and "everyone for themselves" dinner night. I find that if I go ahead and assemble meals as I am cleaning up for dinner, it makes my life much easier. All we do is grab one and stick it in the lunch box along with a piece of fruit.

In addition to being a huge time saver, it also saves us money in a couple of ways--they are quick to grab so on those crazy mornings, lunch still gets packed and we don't have to rely on fast food, and on nights that one of us is not here, we have a ready meal that can just be reheated--no calling for pizza delivery! Another benefit is that I don't have a bunch of containers of leftovers in the fridge that get overlooked and just end up getting tossed. I hate throwing away food!

For most meals, I like these Easy Lunch Boxes. The have three sections, so I can make sure lunch also included veggies. I also like that they have different colored lids so that I can tell which lunches need to be eaten first or who I packed it for! I also have a thing for Bento boxes so I have lots of great containers for lunch.

Pimento Cheese

I used to think that I did not like pimento cheese. Not sure why, but it might have had something to do with the fact that my Dad liked pimento cheese stuffed celery. The addition of celery to anything pretty much ruins it for me! One day a friend offered me some that she made at home. That was pretty tasty! She used this recipe, and gave it to me. I have made it several times and have come up with a version that we really like at my house.

Gathering all the ingredients:

All mixed up:

Pimento Cheese 

1 block of cream cheese, softened at room temperature

1 block of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 block of Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (pepper jack is also great)

1 cup mayo

1 jar of pimentos, drained

1/4 cup onion grated (including the juice)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs lemon juice

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

****I have found that grating my own cheese for this recipe results in a much smoother and creamier spread and Kip and I both prefer it if I grate it vs. using already shredded cheeses.

Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Dumplings happen to be one of my favorite foods and top the list as far as comfort foods go. Growing up in the south, I think almost every one has their own version of them too. My version is the way that my Grandmother always made them. She really didn't make them all that often, just at holidays, but they were really something to look forward too. No holiday meal was complete without her dumplings. That is one of the traditions I have brought to my in-laws' get togethers too.

Now Granny always made hers with the turkey that  would be baked on a holiday. I have adapted my recipe for chicken, everything else is still the way that she taught me.

The ingredients are simple; flour, Crisco, broth, milk, butter and cook shredded chicken.

This is one of those recipes that I just by feel, I don't really have exact measurements, but I start with about 2 cups of all purpose flour and roughly 1/2 cup of the Crisco.

Before I start the dumplings, I prepare my pot by adding a couple of quarts of chicken broth, a cup or so of milk and a stick of butter. 

Using a fork, you are going to work the Crisco into the flour until the flour is crumbly. At this point you will add cold water to the flour mixture, about 6-8 tablespoons. You will mix in the water until a dough forms. You can add a little more water,a tablespoon at a time if needed or if it gets too sticky, you can add a little more flour.

Once your dough is formed, you will put the dough onto a floured work surface. I usually divide the dough in half because that is what fits on my mat. You only want to knead the dough a  few times, if you overwork it, you will have tough dumplings.

Now here is where dumpling enthusiasts part ways...some prefer the thick dumplings, but we like them really thin. I will roll out the dough as thin as I can get it and then cut it into strips. 

Making sure that your broth mixture is at a soft boil and then gently drop in the strips of dumplings. Cook for several minutes until dumplings are done. Add in the chicken and stir gently.

And then you end up with a bowl of absolute deliciousness. As a kid nothing beat the day after Thanksgiving when we had dumplings to eat for breakfast. I have to divide the leftovers here at home, to make sure the other person doesn't eat them all! 

Egg Rolls

This week I received cabbage in my Bountiful Basket. The first thing I though of was making egg rolls. I started with one package of egg roll wrappers, cabbage, carrots and a seasoned meat mixture. In these rolls, the meat is ground turkey, but I often make them without meat. You can also used chopped shrimp, crumbled tofu, or ground pork.

Mix the cabbage, carrots and the meat mixture, if using, until well combined.

You care going to start by laying the egg roll wrapper with one point toward you. Scoop some of the cabbage mixture onto the wrapper.

Roll the point facing you to the center of the egg roll.

Tuck in the corners, making sure that no filling is poking out.

Rolling away from you, keeping the roll fairly tight. If they aren't tight, then they will come apart when you are cooking them.

You will have this small point left. Using a small pastry brush or your finger, apply a small amount of water to the entire point, then finish rolling. The water will help it adhere to the rest of the egg roll, forming a seal.

At this point you are ready to cook them in a pan of hot oil. Drop them in, cooking until golden brown on both sides.

When I make egg rolls, I make the entire package or even two so that I can freeze the rest of them for later. Egg rolls aren't that hard to make, but can take a few extra minutes to get everything chopped up and ready to go. Having them in the freezer means that I can pull out what I need for dinner that night.

Dinner was lettuce wraps and egg rolls.

Egg Rolls

1 package of egg roll wrappers

2-3 cups of shredded cabbage

1-1 1/2 cups of shredded carrots

Optional: meat mixture

(ground turkey, ground pork, tofu crumbles, or chopped shrimp cooked with equal parts hoisin sauce and soy sauce and 1 tbs of ginger)

Combine all ingredients and scoop onto the center of an egg roll wrapper. Only pull out one wrapper at a time so they don't dry out.

Drop egg rolls into hot oil and cook until golden brown on both sides.

Weekly Menu and Bountiful Basket

I have missed the last two Bountiful Baskets because I was out of town. I was so happy to get one this week. The above picture contains my regular basket plus the lunch box add-on pack. I also got a 8 lbs of strawberries as an add-on and most of them are in the dehydrator.

I sit down and make my meal plan as soon as I get home with my basket to make sure that nothing goes to waste. Here is my menu plan for this week using my produce:

***Lettuce Wraps and Egg Rolls (using the butter lettuce and one head of the cabbage).

***Baked chicken with a Lemon Caper sauce and Roasted Fennel (using the fennel)

Taco Salad (using the rest of the lettuce and tomatoes) topped with a Cilantro Lime dressing (using a couple of limes)

***Hot Ham and Cheese sandwiches with homemade potato chips (using 1 or 2 potatoes) and cole slaw (the other cabbage)

Spinach Artichoke Pizza

Cheese Burgers on the grill with potato salad (using the rest of the potatoes) and corn on the cob

Beef Stroganoff

I plan the main dishes and then add more veggies and side dishes when I am actually cooking based on my mood for the day!

Apples, plums, melon, grapes, oranges peaches and pears will be eaten with breakfasts or lunches.

Carrots, small tomatoes and snap peas will be eaten with lunches.

The rest of the limes will be zested and dried and then the juice used to make limeade.

The celery will be chopped and frozen to make soup stock.

Bees and Honey

Isn't that beautiful? The golden color lets you know that this is going to be good, and the flavor does explode on your tongue. A feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. I love honey, always have, but this is extra special honey. This honey was made by my Dad's bees and harvested by my Dad. And this jar is all mine!

Dad has been a bee keeper for a couple of years now and I hope to follow in his footsteps in the next year or so. I have always been fascinated by these little creatures and can't wait to get started with my own hive. I have to say that my Dad is a pretty cool guy, we have lots of the same interests and he is pretty much a walking encyclopedia on all of his hobbies.

Here is a picture I took of one of his hives with his girls coming and going.

This was a container of beeswax that still had some honey in it and Dad set it out for the bees to work and  get the  rest of the honey out. And work they did! It stayed full of bees and I was surprised to see the different varieties of bees in the mix. In addition to all of his honey bees, I also saw bumble bees, a yellow jacket or two and a couple of different wasp looking ones.

I have not planted a lot of flowers in the past, but this year, I added a lot of flowers in pots and built a new flower bed. I did this with the hopes of attracting bees and butterflies to my garden area.  It seems to be working, every time I go out to take a look at everything I always see lots of bees. the past few days have brought a large number of butterflies too. I caught this picture of a bumblebee working a flower.

 I love that they will let me get so close to them to let me observe them at work.

Canning Season

 Canning season is under way! I have a couple of canning projects going on several days each week to prepare for winter. I love being able to preserve some flavors of summer to be eaten on t he cold days of winter.

Corn was on the list a couple of days ago. I can almost all of my corn, but I also freeze a couple of dozen ears for corn on the cob. I like having more of my food in jars rather than the freezer because I don't have to worry about the power going off. 

You will probably be seeing a lot of canning projects over the next few weeks, they kind of take over the kitchen this time of year!

Spicy Honey Chicken

This is one of those recipes I stumbled on a while back that we absolutely love. It has just enough heat that you can taste it, but the heat is not overwhelming at all. I usually make this dish on a Sunday afternoon, or anytime that I am going to be home for a while. It bakes in the oven for a while and does need to be basted frequently, but it is worth the time!

A few simple ingredients:

This chicken is always juicy and tender and full of flavor.

It looks burnt in the picture, but it wasn't. I cannot get a good picture of anything when their is foil involved!

Spicy Honey Chicken

6 pound) whole roasting chicken
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Rinse and pat dry the chicken; place in roasting pan.

In a bowl, mix together the honey, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Using your hands, rub the honey mixture all over the chicken. Baste chicken with the melted butter.

Roast the chicken in the preheated oven until the skin begins to brown, 30 to 45 minutes. Baste the chicken with juices in the roasting pan.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and roast until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Baste occasionally during roasting. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (80 degrees C). Remove the chicken from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

Blueberry Smoothie Pops

We really fo eat a lot of these popsicles, especially in the summer. This week we are having Blueberry Smoothie Pops. They are super easy and quick to make and only have a few basic ingredients. For these, I used 1 cup of blueberries, 1 cup of vanilla yogurt and 1/4-1/3 cup of milk. I toss all that in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into molds and freeze!

Skillet Corn

I love fresh corn on the cob. One of our favorite ways to eat it is to just shuck it, season it,wrap in foil and toss it on the grill. Kip isn't as crazy about corn on the cob as I am so when I have fresh corn, I try to look for other ways of using it. Skillet corn is one of those things I will make when he has had his fill of corn cobs.

You will need 4-6 ears of corn, some butter, milk, flour, coarse ground pepper and onion. Shuck and clean the corn; cut it off the cob. 

Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Dice the onions and add to the melted butter.

Cook until the onions are softening and just starting to brown.

Add the corn to the onions in the pan and cook for about 10 minutes.

After the corn has cooked for a bit, add about 1/2 cup of milk and a couple of tablespoons of flour. Cook until the milk thickens. 

Season with coarse ground pepper and salt if desired.