2012 July

Seasoned Snack Crackers (Amish Recipe) and a Giveaway | Make Ahead Mondays

July 30, 2012 by Rebecca 123 Comments

When we moved into Amish country a few years ago, one of the things that surprised me the most was how, well, normal the Amish folks were that I met. I’m not sure what exactly I expected, but I think I fancied there’d be a little olde English* thrown around here and there; maybe thees and thous? I certainly didn’t expect to go to the farmer’s market and see a middle-aged Amish woman laughing raucously at her bake stand while holding a slice of pizza in one hand and a 20 ounce Pepsi in the other.

*Just in case any of you out there think the same thing I did, I assure you they don’t speak with thees and thous and thys and whatnot. In fact, it’s kind of ironic that I thought that since they refer to anyone who is not Amish as English.

Another big surprise for me -because apparently I build up images of various groups of people in my head- was the fact that they used store bought ingredients or items in cooking. I had visions of everything being from scratch. Granted, they do make more from scratch than your average “English” person, but they’re not opposed to taking something from the store and transforming it into something wonderful.

My friends, Ada and Anna, have been telling me for months about the seasoned snack crackers they make all the time. They promised that they were good for snacking, yes, but they also loved to break them up over salads and serve with soups or chilis. Every time they told me about it, though, they had just finished eating a batch and didn’t even have crumbs left in a bowl for me to sample. (They whip up those dishes quickly, people.) Each time they’d tell me about the crackers, I’d slink home sans sample. It finally occurred to all of us that they could just jot down the recipe. It only took a moment for them to write it down and as they handed me the card they assured me it was a simple process with four ingredients.

I had everything in the pantry that was needed -saltines, cheddar cheese powder (hence, the bright orange colour), sour cream and onion powder, and canola or vegetable oil- so I set straight to work. Twenty minutes later, I pulled two half-sheet pans from the oven full of appealing snack crackers. The crackers were crispy and fragrant and it took little to no time before the kids smelled something that pulled them into the kitchen. My kids have nearly perfected the art of the quick grab from a hot pan and little hands were grabbing hot crackers and tossing them to and fro in an attempt to cool them more quickly.

There was chattering, there was giggling, there were the first tentative nibbles and then? Then there was only the sound of crunching. When there was a part in the wave of children attacking the pans, my husband and I dove in for a try. Those crackers were like giant Goldfish crackers or Cheese-Its/Cheese Nips. They were GOOD. My kids soon branched into putting paper thin slices of ham on the crackers. In very short order, they were el gone-o and many little voices were asking for more.

Since that day, we’ve made these on average of once a week, leaving a small bowl out for snacking and tucking the rest away for using the way Ada and Anna recommended; as croutons, snacks or accompaniments to soup or chili. There’s nothing quite like these for dunking in tomato soup or five-alarm chili.

Now, let’s get to the giveaway, shall we? I know that the cheddar cheese powder and sour cream powder may be hard for folks to find locally, so I’m giving away a generously sized bag of each (from my friend Ada’s store) to two different readers. Two winners! YAY! Unfortunately, this can only be open to my readers in the continental United States due to issues regarding shipping food across borders and such. What do you do to qualify for the giveaway? Here are the different ways to enter. Be sure to leave a comment for each one you do!

Leave a comment about your favourite quick snack food or a way you’ve been surprised by someone (or a group of someones) before. (1 entry)
Like Foodie With Family on facebook. (1 entry)
Follow Foodie With Family on Twitter (1 entry)
Kiss someone you love and tell me about it here. What can I say? I’m feeling romantic. My baby brother is getting married Sunday. (1 entry)

I’ll tally all of the entries and have one of my visiting family members pick a number at random to choose the winner by this Friday, August 3rd. Winners will be announced here! Good luck folks! The cheddar powder and the sour cream and onion powder are both spec-tac-u-lar on popcorn, just in case you needed another reason to want it.

One final thing before we get to the recipe. If you, like me, are not the patient type and you want to make these right away, I have two links below so you can purchase the powders through my BFF, Amazon.com. (These are affiliate links, and should you choose to purchase after clicking them, I do receive a small commission from Amazon. I just thought you should know.)
Sour Cream & Onion, 1 lb. package

Cheddar Cheese Powder, 1 lb.

Seasoned Snack Crackers (Amish Recipe) and a Simple Giveaway | Make Ahead Mondays

Simple saltines get a 10 minute makeover turning them into giant cheese crackers reminiscent of Goldfish, Cheese Nips and Cheez-Its turning the boring soda cracker into the perfect snack or accompaniment to chili and soup. Use as a salad topper, too!

Ingredients

1 pound box of saltines (I recommend using low- or no-salt ones as the powders are generally salty enough.)
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup sour cream and onion powder
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250°F. Lay out two rimmed half-sheet pans.

Open all of the sleeves of saltines and put them into a large mixing bowl. In a measuring cup, whisk together the oil, sour cream and onion powder, and cheddar cheese powder until smooth. Drizzle over the crackers and toss with your hands to coat evenly.

Divide the crackers between the two sheet pans and use your hands to gently spread them out into as thin a layer as possible. Put the two pans in the oven and bake, stirring two or three times, for 20 minutes, or until the crackers feel mostly dry to the touch.

Remove the trays from the oven and let the crackers cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. These are good for about two weeks after being made when stored correctly. If they start to lose their crunch, return them to a 250°F oven for about 5 minutes.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/30/seasoned-snack-crackers-amish-recipe-and-a-giveaway-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Comfort Food, Component Foods, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks Tagged With: Amish, budget friendly, family-friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, Snacks

Strawberry Wineade

July 25, 2012 by Rebecca 20 Comments

I should begin by saying that serious wine snobs should probably look away. Quickly.

I’ll give you a second or two.

Are they gone now?

Okay, it’s about to get all kinds of classy in here. And by classy, I mean serving wine in jars mixed with juice. Yeah, baby. That kind of classy.

I have had a couple of very crazy weeks here with various groupings of kids going to various camps, preparing for my brother’s wedding, getting the house ready for company, and then there was some very fun travel for yours truly.

How fun was that travel? Let me show you a picture or two…

So yeah. That’s me. Do you recognize the digs? Yes? No? How about now?

Maybe you recognize the lady behind my right shoulder? (Stage right. Not your left. Oh dear. Did I just make it worse?)

Last weekend, I had the incredible joy and privilege of visiting my friend and food blogger extraordinaire, Ree Drummond, a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman. For a little over a year, Ree and I have been planning a weekend workshop extravaganza of cheesemaking, bread baking, and canning. I couldn’t wait to get out there and show folks how to make some of my favourite foods. What I didn’t know was that Ree, in the way she does, was planning a surprise! She brought in a group of women and fellow food bloggers I’ve become friends with on Twitter to take part in the fun. We drank wine, we whined, we ate, we cracked adolescent jokes about cutting cheese, we made cheese, we ate cheese, we made bread, we ate bread, we ate massive steaks and barbecue chicken. We canned, we cried, and in short, had a seriously grand time.

My word. There just aren’t enough words to explain how fun it was. I was delighted to find out that Bridget, Robyn, Wendy, Sandy, Amy, and Georgia are not only every bit as nice as they seem on their blogs, they’re *gasp* EVEN NICER. And pretty. Holy wah, folks. Have you ever seen such a pretty group of women?

But there is a reason I’m bringing all of this up. Two nights before I left, I made a batch of strawberry lemonade for my kids. It was hot out that night, and I poured some into a glass (okay, a jar) that I’d been drinking out of moments earlier. The catch is that I forgot I’d been drinking white wine out of that jar. Like I said, classy.

The result was something so refreshing I ended up having another glass. Geez. Yes, it was still a jar.

It was delicious, it was light, it chilled me when I needed it most. As good as it was, I resolved to never, ever tell anyone about the fact that I was mixing strawberry lemonade and white wine. I guess I’m a prideful creature.

Then that weekend, at Ree’s, I was offered a glass of white wine mixed with French tangerine soda. It was good. No. It was guuuuuuuuud. After sipping with the ladies, I blurted out my strawberry lemonade/white wine transgression. When no one laughed me out of the Lodge doors and into the 115°F heat (Hey, Oklahoma… 115°F? Woah. I’m relieved to know the natives don’t even like that!) I figured I’d take the leap and share it here. So there you go, friends… My super classy, super chic, super refreshing wine thingy. If you’ve stuck with me this long, you’re either an oenophile who is absolutely horrified right now or you’re with me.

Either way, I’m glad you’re here. I love you people. MWAH. (And that’s not the strawberry wineade talking…)

Strawberry Wineade

Super refreshing Strawberry Wineade is the result of a happy accident in hot weather. Fresh strawberry lemonade mixed with chilled semi-dry white wine over ice. There is NOTHING fancy about this other than the beautiful pink colour but it sure takes the edge off of the hot weather!

Ingredients

To Make the Strawberry Lemonade

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 quart cold water
1 cup frozen, hulled, unsweetened strawberries

To Make the Strawberry Wineade

1/2 cup strawberry lemonade
1/2 cup chilled semi-dry white wine

Instructions

Gently heat 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water together, stirring, just until the sugar is completely dissolved.Pour it into the work carafe of a blender and add the lemon juice, quart of cold water and frozen strawberries. Put the lid firmly in place and blend on HIGH until smooth. Pour into a pitcher or a jar with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To Make a Strawberry Wineade:

Fill a pint jar with ice cubes, pour the 1/2 cup of white wine over the ice and follow that with the 1/2 cup of strawberry lemonade. Use a chopstick or straw to stir gently.

Put your feet up in a classy way and enjoy!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/25/strawberry-wineade/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

I’d like to thank Ree for the use of the pictures of me making cheese above. The picture of people taking photos of me making cheese is by Sandy Coughlin, The Reluctant Entertainer. For more of our cheesemaking shenanigans, read Ree’s fantastic post here.

Filed Under: Beverages, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: Beverages, budget friendly, dessert, party food, quick and easy, seasonal, Vegetarian

Cheddar and Chive Crash Hot Potatoes

July 20, 2012 by Rebecca 4 Comments

There are things that are worth leaving alone because they’re so good and then there are things that are so good that they demand you mess with them. Take, for example, crash hot potatoes. In their original form, they are boiled potatoes that are squashed, drizzled with olive oil and hit with a handful of herbs, then baked and then broiled to crispy perfection.

Based on that theory, I went and did this.

And it was great.

Potatoes plus cheese plus high temperatures plus herbs equals maddeningly wonderful, mouth watering goodness. Good begets good, so I went and did what you see above. Those are nothing less than crash hot potatoes with a sinful amount of extra sharp Cheddar cheese and a fistful of chopped chives. Hello, Gorgeous.

…or should I say, “Hello, Delicious.” Yes. That’s much more like it.

As I said before, I prefer to use leftover salt potatoes to shorten the already quick process of making these lovely, addictive little crispy morsels of potatoey heaven. (I’d fail English for that sentence if I were being graded. But I’m not. Ha ha! Fragments. Double ha!) If you’ve had salt potatoes before, you may be scratching your head in bewilderment. “Leftover salt potaotes? LEFTOVER salt potatoes? Que? How is this?” It’s true. This is an anomaly, but it is one for which I plan. I make a triple or quadruple batch, let everyone eat a goodly amount, then I stand by the salt potato bowl with a fly swatter and thwack the hand of any child or husband who dares stand between me and my plans for crash hot potatoes.

Hyperbole alert.

The truth is, when I tell them that I made that many not so that they could gorge themselves into gluttony, but so that I could make crash hot potatoes the next night, they back off voluntarily. Such is the power of the crash hot potato.

With what would you serve this? I think the question is what WOULDN’T go well with these? Steak, chicken, fish, or pork off of the grill or roasted are a natch. I’ll tell you this, though. The last time I made these, I served them with a steak. Half of my steak was left and the potatoes were looooooooong gone.

Behold, my kryptonite.

Cheddar and Chive Crash Hot Potatoes

Leftover salt potatoes are turned into something heavenly when smashed, drizzled with olive oil and roasted until dead crisp. Then they become stratospheric when you top them with massive quantities of extra sharp Cheddar cheese, broiled 'til bubbly and hit with a shower of chopped chives right before serving.

Inspired by Ree Drummond, Krysta Guerrero, and Jill Dupleix.

Ingredients

1 batch leftover salt potatoes, warmed slightly, about 20 potatoes (*See here if you don't have leftover salt potatoes )
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups grated extra sharp Cheddar cheese (or more if you're especially fond of cheese. I am.)
a large handful of chopped fresh chives

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Drizzle 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil evenly over a rimmed baking sheet. Scatter potatoes on the olive oil and use a potato masher or heavy mug to gently smash the potato until it is about two times as large in diameter as it was when you began. Drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil evenly over the potatoes. Grind black pepper over the potatoes to taste.

Pop the pan into the oven and roast until the potatoes are sizzling, brown on the bottom, and golden on top, about 20-25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the broiler to High. Sprinkle the grated Cheddar over the hot potatoes. Return the pan to the oven and broil until the cheese melts and gets just a couple little golden brown toasty bits.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the potatoes rest for 3 minutes before tossing the chopped chives over the top and serving.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/20/cheddar-and-chive-crash-hot-potatoes/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

P.S. Do NOT throw out those crispy little cheese bits on the pan. You’re going to want to eat those. Those are classic cook’s tax items. In fact, you may want to lick them from the pan. I do advise letting it cool a bit before trying that. Not that I’ve ever done that. Ow-th.

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Gluten Free, kid food, Party Food, Potatoes, Rebecca, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, Vegetarian

“Barbecue” Grilled Spare Ribs

July 18, 2012 by Rebecca 5 Comments

There are some things that are meant to be eaten delicately; minute bites, dab the mouth gently, use flatware, and such.

This is -most emphatically- not one of those dishes. Tear into it with your hands and teeth. Get sauce all over your chin and halfway up your cheeks. Ribs demand pride-free commitment to the eating process. I dare you to try to eat ribs with a fork and knife. You’re going to end up looking a-fool. The rib bone will careen off of your plate onto the table (and heaven help you if you’re using a tablecloth.) It’s best just accept the mess is coming, tie your hair back and dive into it with gusto.

Meaty, smoky, full-body-eating-experience ribs are an American summer tradition. If you’re lucky, you live somewhere that people take the process of cooking ribs very seriously. If you’re seriously blessed, you live just up the way from a good rib joint. If you don’t? Well, don’t despair. You can turn out superb quality ribs using nothing more than an oven and a grill. The key is really in patience. You don’t do ribs every day, so do not be in a rush. You can’t hurry ribs just like you can’t hurry love. No. You’ll just have to wait. (Yes, I did just break into song. Don’t tell me you didn’t.)

You have to rub the ribs and let them sit for twenty four hours then cook low and slow and then finally you can slather them with barbecue sauce (if it floats your boat, and it does float mine) at the tail end of cooking. You don’t sauce it at the beginning because the sugars in the barbecue sauce burn when cooked for too long. A little char on a rib is a good thing, but a charcoal rib is not. Next you move those sticky, sweet, spicy, salty, smoky ribs to a cutting board and let them sit for a couple of minutes. I mean it. You let ‘em sit. Don’t rush those ribs. Cut them into one- or two-rib servings, depending on how meaty they are

After all that, you can finally dig in. And dig in you will.While you’re digging in, the dogs will look at you longingly. The cat will circle around the table none-to-discreetly. Neighbors you’ve never met will drift into your yard because the scent of just cooked ribs will have wafted down the street and onto their patio.

You’d better share. It’s the right thing to do. While you’re at it, give them a napkin because they’re going to need one.

“Barbecue” Grilled Spare Ribs

Sticky, smoky barbecue ribs are an All-American summer tradition. You'll want to plan ahead before cooking these as they need to sit in the refrigerator with a dry rub for 24 hours before grilling.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sweet paprika
1/4 cup granulated or raw sugar
1 tablespoon granulated onion (or onion powder)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 rack of pork spare ribs (about 4 pounds)
1 cup peach salsa (or substitute peach juice or nectar plus 1 peeled clove of garlic if salsa is unavailable.)
barbecue sauce for brushing on the ribs at the end of cooking time and for serving

Also Needed:

Heavy Duty Foil
1/2 cup food quality wood chips (apple, cherry, hickory, etc...) soaked in water for 1/2 hour before needed

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to mix together the paprika, sugar, granulated onion, and cayenne pepper.

Remove the membrane from the rack of ribs and lay the ribs on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle half of the spice mixture over the ribs, rub in enthusiastically, flip the rack and rub on the remaining half of the spice mixture. Cover the ribs with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 24 hours before grilling.

Pull off a section of heavy-duty foil that is several inches longer than your rib rack on either end. Be sure the foil is wide enough to come up around the rib rack and close securely. If necessary, lay two pieces together and fold along the long edge three or four times, crimping, to form a wider piece. Remove the plastic wrap and lay the rib rack down on the foil. Spoon the peach salsa (or nectar and garlic) over the ribs. Pull the long sides of the foil up together over the center and fold down . Crimp up both ends of the foil and put in a cold oven on a rimmed baking sheet.

Set the oven to 250°F and let the ribs bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat half of your grill to 275°F. Form a ball of double layer of heavy duty foil up around the soaked wood chips, leaving am open space about the size of a half-dollar for smoke to escape. Place that on the heated side of the grill. Place the partially cooked rib rack over the cooler part of the grill, curl side facing up, using indirect heat to finish cooking the ribs.

When the rib bones twist easily in the meat, they are done. Before you pull them off of the grill, brush one side generously with barbecue sauce, flip the rack and brush the other side. Continue cooking until they are as caramelized as you like them. I like mine done with a bit of char on the sauce, so I left mine over the heat for about 5 minutes after they were fully cooked.

Transfer the ribs carefully to a cutting board and let them rest for 5 minutes before cutting between the bones.

Tuck a napkin under your chin and enjoy!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/18/barbecue-grilled-spare-ribs/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

P.S. Yes. I know that real barbecued ribs are done over the grill all the way. This is a great way to get mega barbecue flavour with half the work.

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Holiday Food, kid food, Main Dish, Meat, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes

Slow-Cooker Red Beans and Rice and Creole Seasoning | Make Ahead Mondays

July 16, 2012 by Rebecca 25 Comments

I’m going to go ahead and say right now that I have absolutely zero idea how authentically “Cajun” today’s recipe is, having never actually been to the great state of Louisana. All I know is that it is very possibly one of the tastiest things to come out of my kitchen in recent weeks.

There are few things more satisfying than a big bowl of cooked rice topped with saucy, spicy, tender red beans and smoky sausage rounds then crowned with green onions and sour cream. Whether the weather be cold, or whether the weather be hot, as the saying goes, you can weather it better with a bowl of this under your belt. It is one of the few comfort foods that does hot or cold weather conditions equally well.

On a wild hare, I decided to throw my usual red beans and rice ingredients into my slow-cooker and see what happened. I figured that the worst case scenario would be a flavourful mush and the best case scenario would be the world’s easiest and wickedly economical dinner. I turned my best beloved slow-cooker to high, let ‘er rip, and walked away for six hours.

The next six hours were spent trying fervently not to eat everything in the pantry because it smelled so ever loving good in this house that I thought I might die. I repeatedly broke the cardinal rule of slow-cooking and crockpot-ery by lifting the lid and testing and re-testing beans to see if they were (oh please oh please oh please) done yet. After those agonizing six hours were up, I was rewarded with the easiest -and easily the best- red beans and rice I had ever made.

The facts that it didn’t heat up my kitchen and that the hardest part of the whole procedure was keeping myself from eating it before it was done were just gravy. My word, friends, it was so good.

So good, in fact, that I made a double batch again later that week and plan on making it for company when we receive a houseful of family for my brother’s wedding next month. It’ll be just thing; set it up and let it cook while running around for rehearsals, making the wedding cake, and trying to get five boys who’d rather not see the inside of a shower ready for their uncle’s wedding. Pray for me folks. It’s the getting the boys ready that’s giving me palpitations.

There is one grave danger attendant to making this recipe. It smells so good while cooking that there is a very real possibility that you will gnaw off your own leg of that of someone nearby.

I have just a couple of other thoughts to share about this recipe.The Creole Seasoning is wonderful to have on hand for recipes that call for it, to be sure, but we like to use it on other things, too. For instance, we love it on popcorn or homemade tortilla chips.

I like to make it really spicy and then mellow it out in my own bowl with a big dollop of sour cream. I think a fistful of grated Cheddar would do something similar if you’re so inclined. To do this, I tend to use the higher amount of cayenne pepper I specify in the recipe.

On the other hand, you could just keep the spice to a minimum in the first place. If you’d like to keep it on the milder side, cut back on or omit the additional cayenne pepper (above and beyond the small amount that is already in the Creole Seasoning) from the recipe.

I know andouille is the sausage darling of Cajun/Creole cooking, but it can be hard to find in these parts, so I most often make mine with smoked sausage. I absolutely love it this way, so do not feel like your ability to make this spicy, smoky classic hinges on the availability of andouille.

Slow-Cooker Red Beans and Rice and Creole Seasoning | Make Ahead Mondays

Whip up a batch of this handy Creole seasoning to add a little oomph to your every day dishes or reserve it for the most wonderfully tantalizing and simple red beans and rice you've ever had. The slow-cooker does the work so you can stay out of the kitchen on hot days. Be forewarned: this smells so good while it's cooking that you may feel ravenous by the time dinner rolls around.

Creole Seasoning adapted from Emeril Lagasse's recipe.

Ingredients

For the Creole Seasoning:

3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
2 teaspoons black pepper

For the Slow-Cooker Red Beans and Rice:

10 cups water
3 cups small red chili beans (about 1 1/2 pounds), rinsed and picked over
1 pound smoked sausage or andouille, sliced into 1/4 to 1/2-inch rounds
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium cooking onion (yellow or white), peeled, trimmed of root and blossom ends, and diced
1 rib celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8-1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (according to heat preference)
For Serving: Hot cooked rice and green onions

Optional: Sour Cream

Instructions

To Make the Creole Seasoning:

Add all of the ingredients to a small mixing bowl bowl and toss together with a fork or a whisk. Store, tightly covered, in a jar or other airtight container in a cool, dry place. This is good for about a year after mixing.

To Make the Slow-Cooker Red Beans and Rice:

Add the water, beans, sausage, red bell pepper, celery, Creole seasoning, thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf to the bowl of a slow-cooker. Add the lid and turn the heat to "HIGH'. Let it cook for 6 hours, stirring once or twice. After 6 hours, use a spoon to fish out a bean to test. If it is tender, turn off the heat. If it is still underdone, replace the lid and cook for another hour or until the beans are tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Gently stir the contents of the slow-cooker before ladling over bowls of hot, cooked rice. Garnish with chopped green onions and -if desired- sour cream.

Store leftover beans tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze in individual portions for longer storage: up to 6 months.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/16/slow-cooker-red-beans-and-rice-and-creole-seasoning-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Comfort Food, kid food, Make Ahead Mondays, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, slow-cooker, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, slow-cooker, traditional food

Whole Cherry Clafoutis (Cherry Custard Tart) | Classic French Dessert

July 13, 2012 by Rebecca 12 Comments

Plrb.

That’s the genteel version of ptooey. Which is what you’re inevitably going to have to do if you eat a clafoutis whilst in France. This brings me, rather quickly, to two very important points.

Clafoutis -for the benefit of those who haven’t yet had it- is seriously good stuff. It’s a warm or room temperature custardy dessert that is usually studded with fresh fruit, usually cherries. It’s kind of a big deal in France.*
In the aforementioned Belle France, cherry clafoutis are usually made with whole fruits. Translation: they leave les pits in les fruits.

*As in a really big deal. Clafoutis is to France as apple pie is to the U.S.A.

And this is why the spitting. As an American, born and raised, I was unaccustomed to cherry desserts avec pits. I was used to having the pits removed before they reached my plate and ploughing through cherry pies at lightning speed. Thankfully, a kind soul was aware that most Americans didn’t eat pit-intact cherry desserts and warned me, otherwise, I could’ve become intimately acquainted with the dental system in France. While I’m sure it’s a wonderful system, I’m really okay with not knowing it from the inside.

Why would you want to leave the pits in when you could remove them and be done with the whole thing? There are actually two very good reasons. (Today’s post brought to you by the number Two!)

Leaving the pit in the cherries preserves the beautiful round shape of the cherries as they bake. It’s visually appealing.
The cherry pit -believe it or not- brings a lot of flavour to the party. It contributes a subtle hint of almond. This is where the bells and chimes ring out. Yes. Cherry and almond. The pairing is not an accident! If you leave the pits in place, you don’t have to add almond for that classic flavour combination.

Negotiating the pits while eating dessert is not as disconcerting as you might think, speaking from personal experience. When the cherries cook in the custard-like batter, the pits free themselves from the fruit. As you bite down, the pits tend to slip right out of the cherries and you can tuck them into your cheek to be discreetly plrb-ed or ptooeyed (depending on the company) into a napkin or into the spoon and then deposited in a small bowl next to the dessert plate.

While cherries are still at their peak of availability, try a whole cherry clafoutis. Put a little Edith Piaf on the stereo. Throw in a Gallic laugh for good measure. And do summer like the French do: with style and great taste.

P.S. These are, like most custard-based tarts, at their very best when served fresh and at room temperature. They are quite good, though, cut into wedges when cold.

Whole Cherry Clafoutis (Cherry Custard Tart)

A simple, creamy, custard-based classic French dessert made with fresh cherries. Enjoy with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.

Ingredients

1 pound of fresh, sweet cherries
3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole milk (DO NOT SKIMP ON THE FAT. You will regret it bitterly.)
1/4 cup heavy cream
soft butter
powdered sugar, for serving

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Remove the stems from your cherries, but leave the pits intact. Generously butter the sides and bottom of a deep pie plate. Scatter the cherries as evenly as possible over the bottom of the pie plate. Set aside.

Vigorously whisk the eggs until they are frothy.

Add the sugar, salt and vanilla and beat well again with a whisk until the sugar is incorporated. Whisk in the milk and cream. Sprinkle the flour over the surface and -once again- beat enthusiastically with the whisk until you have a perfectly smooth batter. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes at room temperature then pour over the cherries in the prepared pie plate.

Bake the clafoutis for 40-50 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown in the center (but still jiggly) and darker brown at the edges. A knife, when inserted in the center of the clafoutis, should come out clean. It may be damp, but it should not have uncooked egg clinging to it.

Let the clafoutis cool in the pan on a cooling rack until it is barely warm to the touch or room temperature. Dust the clafoutis generously with powdered sugar and serve in wedges with a small bowl or napkin for the pits.

Store tightly wrapped leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/13/whole-cherry-clafoutis-cherry-custard-tart-classic-french-dessert/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Cakes, Comfort Food, Desserts, Eggs, Happy Healthy and Wise, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars, Uncategorized, Vegetarian

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

July 12, 2012 by Rebecca 8 Comments

I’m a Fritos kind of gal. It’s hard to go wrong with a salty, deep-fried corn chip, but there’s just something special about Fritos. I’ve loved them as long as I can remember. When I was younger, there was more than one time I polished off a whole bag of Fritos in one sitting. These days, though, aging dictates that I can no longer sit and plough through an entire bag unaccompanied. Something about heartburn, calories, moderation, setting a good example for my children, blah blah blah.

Now I use Fritos not as a stand-alone food group but rather a tasty, salty, crunchy eating implement. They hold up well to my favourite kind of dips; those full of vegetables, garlic, herbs and beans. This time of year, a vegetable/bean salsa is just about the perfect way to round out a meal. Heck, when it’s hot enough, a bowl of this IS a meal at our house. You don’t have to fire up the oven. It’s cool, flavourful, substantial but not heavy, and packed with nutrition. Don’t EVEN tell me the Fritos cancel that out because I will stick both fingers in my ears and ‘LAH-LAH-LAH’ until you get tired of trying to get past my incredible display of loyalty and stubborness regarding snack food.

I did tell you. I’m a Fritos girl.

But the dip -the salsa, if you will- is where it’s really at today. Sweet corn, black beans, crunchy red bell peppers, onions, garlic, lime, jalapeños and beaucoup cilantro are tossed together in a eye-catching salsa that can even stand alone as a salad. That’s right. I’m saying you can eat it *GASP* without the Fritos. It is that good. I still dip it up with chips, but I also serve with ribs (hint, hint… not so distant post), in tacos, over baked potatoes, or tossed in cooked and cooled grains for a nutritionally complete meal. Mix up a big batch of it on the weekend and eat from it over the next several days. Fritos are optional.

Maybe.

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

I love this Southwestern inspired, flavour-packed sweet corn and black bean salsa for dipping, certainly, but I also tuck it into tacos, on top of baked potatoes, use it as a stand alone salad with grilled meats, or toss it together with cooked and cooked quinoa or millet for a nutritionally complete summer meal.

Ingredients

1 pound frozen sweet corn, thawed
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed and drained again (or 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed and drained again.)
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
1 half of a sweet onion, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and minced
1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced or pressed, according to preference
the juice of two limes
a large fistful of fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Toss all of the ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/12/corn-and-black-bean-salsa/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Condiments, Gluten Free, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, seasonal, Vegetarian

Tocino (Filipino Cured Pork) | Make Ahead Mondays

July 9, 2012 by Rebecca 46 Comments

UPDATE: The National Pork Board has generously extended the deadline for The Foodbank donation partnership with you all because you’ve been asking such great questions! In other words, every question you leave for pork producers in the comments on this post, the Foodie With Family facebook page, or on Twitter with the hashtag #sustainablepork will translate to 1 pound of pork being donated to The Foodbank of Ohio. No strings attached!

Pork.

It’s what’s for dinner in one form or another in our house most nights of the week. We are a porkcentric household. That has probably been pretty obvious here with all my use of bacon, chops, roasts, Cuban Pork, Cola Pulled Pork, Hot Tex Mess, and more (scroll down for porky goodness.) So when the National Pork Board contacted me to see if I wanted to take a tour of a sustainable pork farm, I replied with a pretty quick ‘yes’. Then they contacted me again and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

They are going to donate one pound of pork to The Foodbank in Ohio for every question you all leave here for me to ask them when I go on the tour up to 1,000 pounds. Holy cow. Or should I say holy pig?

Just think of how many people we can feed if you all are curious enough!

Let’s talk for a moment about what I’ll be looking at when I head out to Dayton. According to the information sent to me by the National Pork Board, within a 50 year time frame, pig farmers have reduced their carbon footprint by 35%, reduced water usage by 41% and decreased the amount of land needed to grow feed by 78%. Additionally, we are getting more meat from fewer pigs – which helps reduce the use of natural resources to raise pigs.

The Pork Checkoff has been honoring the sustainability efforts of pig farmers for 18 years with the Pork Industry Environmental Steward Award. The farm I will be visiting on July 24 was recently honored with this award.

So where do you come in on all of this? Just leave me a question in the comment area below (or on Twitter using the hashtag #SustainablePork ) between now and July 13th. All comments and tweets that have questions for me to ask the farmers and the National Pork Board representatives will count and one pound of pork will be donated per question or tweet.

Now I figure you all know me well enough to realize that I couldn’t talk this much about pork without giving you a great recipe for it. That would just be unkind. Without further ado, I present to you one of my favourite freezer pleasers; Tocino. (Pronounced toe-see-no.)

Tocino is a Filipino dish that I have loved longer than I can remember. Starting with a humble and inexpensive pork shoulder (about $1.29/lb where I shop), a little slicing and a quick cure in some sugar and spice in a resealable zipper top bag, you end with a salty but sweet, crisped pork that tastes like super meaty bacon. It doesn’t take much work, and once you’ve tossed the pork with your sugar and spices, you can stash the bag in the freezer for up to six months before frying or grilling. Low investment, mega-payoff.

The sugary salty cure that enrobes the thin slices of pork keeps the mixture from freezing totally solid, so you can scoop out what you’d like to serve for dinner and leave the rest frozen for future meals. The traditional accompaniment for tocino is garlic fried rice and a fried egg for the classic Filipino breakfast called Tosilog. Doesn’t that sound like just about the best possible way to start a day? I speak from experience when I say it makes one heckuva lunch, dinner or snack, too.

Tocino is traditionally cured with red food colouring or other agents (like the pink salt, or saltpeter, used in curing other meats). I’m not super keen on food colouring, so I use beet powder as recommended by Jun-Belen. That man is a genius. The beet powder adds an appetizing red colour without adding any funky insect or chemical colouring. Lest you fear the beet, let me assure you it does not impart any beet-y flavour to the finished product.

Tocino (Filipino Cured Pork) | Make Ahead Mondays

Do you love meaty bacon? Give this traditional Filipino, quick-cured, pork a try. An inexpensive pork should gets a boost from the fast-curing sugar, salt and spice combination and yields salty, sweet perfection that is reminiscent of thick cut bacon. It stores beautifully in the freezer for whenever cravings strike.

Ingredients

3 pounds pork shoulder, sliced into 1/8-inch thick pieces
3/4 cup raw or granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons beet powder (you can substitute about 15 drops of red food colouring if you prefer.)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce

For Cooking:

Vegetable, peanut or canola oil for pan frying

Instructions

Combine both sugars, the garlic, salt, beet powder (or food colouring), and soy sauce in a very large resealable zipper top bag (2 gallons) or a stain-proof container with a tight fitting lid. Close the bag or container tightly and shake to combine ingredients evenly. Open the bag or container, drop the pork slices in and reseal. If using a bag, squeeze the bag to thoroughly coat all of the pork with the sugar and salt mixture. If using a container, use your hands to move the pork around to be sure it is thoroughly coated in the mixture then close the container tightly.

Put the bag or container in the refrigerator and let it cure for at least 2 days before using, but up to 4. Alternatively, you can put the container or bag directly into the freezer (letting it sit for at least a week before using) for up to 6 months.

To Cook the Tocino:

Whether using fresh from the refrigerator or directly from the freezer, remove the amount of tocino you want to cook and let it sit in a colander for several minutes to drain any excess liquid.

You may either grill the tocino over high, direct heat, or pan fry in batches. To pan fry, heat about 2 teaspoons of oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pieces until cooked through and browned with little charred bits, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve, if desired, with garlic fried rice and a fried egg for a traditional Filipino breakfast.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/09/tocino-filipino-cured-pork-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Don’t forget to leave your question for the pork farmers and National Pork Board below. Every question you leave will provide a hungry family with a pound of pork!

From July 23-24, I will be attending a tour of an Ohio family’s pig farm with the National Pork Board (NPB) focused on sustainability efforts in the pork industry. NPB will cover the costs of my trip, but all opinions expressed are my own.