Stretching your dollars

Conditioner Only Washing (No Shampoo) | Crunchy Beauty Tips

February 15, 2013 by Rebecca 116 Comments

Facebook fans: You spoke and I listened! Here is the first in a possible series of crunchy (read: natural or low-effort) beauty tips. I don’t pretend to be a beauty expert, but I know what makes me feel good. And if it makes ME feel good, maybe it’ll make some of you feel good, too! If you don’t like this series you should probably become a Facebook fan so you can shout me down when I float these hair-brained (HAIR BRAINED, GET IT?) schemes of mine. xo Rebecca

What’s blogging without a giant confession, right? I have one. But first, I have to say, I can’t even believe I’m doing a Beauty Tips post. I’m no Audrey Hepburn or Audrey Tatou or any other Audrey for that matter. I’m a stay-at-home mom of five boys. BOYS. I ask them to brush their hair and they run screaming from me like I’m brandishing a hot poker at them instead of a hairbrush. I grab for a warm washcloth to fix a pudding smeared face and the screams might make you think I’m wiping them down with acid. I suggest that perhaps they might want to change the shirt they’ve been wearing for a week solid and it’s greeted with a befuddled look, shrugged shoulders and a “NothankyoumomI’mcomfy.”

In short? I’m pretty much on my own here. I don’t even have a frame of reference for what is trendy or hip or even socially acceptable any more, so honestly, I don’t know how many people are going to get squeamish over what I’m about to say.

…Which is this…

I haven’t used shampoo in two and a half years. Yes. That is my beauty tip. No shampoo. (I can hear you now, “…And you’re surprised your boys are gross?”) Obviously there’s a bit more to it or everybody would be doin’ it, right?

Here’s a little history. After I had my youngest son a little over seven years ago, I felt perpetually rumpled. I had just given birth to my fifth child in eight years. Translation: I was lumpy and hormonal. Translation of the translation: out of shape, shedding hair like mad and had spotty skin. The hair that remained attached to my head was scarcely behaving better than the stuff that fell out in handfuls in the shower/on my pillow/standing still. It was cottony looking, dry and my scalp itched like mad. (Boy, do I sound like I was a looker or WHAT?!?)

I embarked on a path that seemed like a good idea to clear up my lumpybumpy body, skin and hair problems. I started buying expensive creams and shampoos from the salon. And that? Well, it didn’t work and it left me with bottles and pots and jars and squeeze tubes of things that were disgustingly expensive and useless. Then I tried all-natural shampoos/conditioners/beauty products. That didn’t work at all either. And the blue aloe mud bug organic herbal tinctures and shampoos and salves and whatnot were even more expensive than the professional products.

About three years ago, my bathroom closet was overflowing with what amounted to more than a car payment’s worth of things I’d never use again. As a last ditch effort, I turned to the internet and googled a string of keywords that sounded like the punchline in a fairy tale:

“Straw, Hair, Pimples, Balding, Magic Shampoo, Smooth, HELP”

Rumpelstiltskin didn’t show up, but I got a list of websites that said, “No Poo”. “But I’m not constipated, my hair just looks like cotton balls!” thought I, until I read a little further. These blogs were all talking about giving up shampoo and solving their hair problems. “Er, okay. Whatever.” But I was desperate enough at that point to keep reading.

Over the next couple of weeks, I tried the baking soda/vinegar solution that many no-poo-ers recommended. That worked for a while, but left my hair feeling sticky. My husband had sniffed my hair when I got out of the shower and told me I smelled like a pickle. (From him, that’s a compliment. Hubby loves pickles.) I, on the other hand, missed the pretty smells of shampoo.

I tried Wen by Chaz Dean because I saw the commercial on television and any guy who can toss his hair like the Breck girl seems like a pretty solid authority on silky hair. The problem there was that it was insanely expensive and I had long hair. I knew it wasn’t a tenable long term solution and I was only feeling so-so about the results so it was tough to justify the cost.

I turned back to the omniscient interwebs for help and discovered yet another no-shampoo group who was less intestinally know as the co-only (short for conditioner only) crowd. The long and short of co-only is that you only wash your hair with conditioner. Again, there’s a little more to it. You can’t just pick any old conditioner; it must be a silicone-free conditioner to keep from weighing your hair down. There’s good news, though. ANYTHING in the Suave Naturals line is silicone free. In other words, one of the cheapest conditioners out there is perfect for the job, and it’s a good thing, too, because co-only washing consists of massaging palms-ful of conditioner in your hair and scalp and letting it stay there (preferably under a shower cap) while you complete the rest of your shower then rinsing it out.

In October of 2010, I tried it. I didn’t really have any great expectations. I figured I’d get out of the shower and find my hair lank and greasy and my scalp itchy. “This is it,” I told myself, “If this doesn’t work, I’ll just cut my hair short and go back to using shampoo.” I was shocked to find it was the opposite. My hair felt as smooth as silk and not weighed down in the least bit. For the first time in almost a decade, my scalp didn’t itch to the point where I felt like clawing it off. And ladies? When I tell you my hair looked good, I mean it looked goooooooooooood. As in it behaved and did what I wanted it to when I wanted it to do it with little effort and almost no product and smelled pretty to boot.

The next time I went to my hairdresser, I screwed my courage to the sticking point and confessed what I was doing. She said, “Wow! Are you kidding? Your hair looks great. I’ll have to tell some of my other clients about this.” I haven’t looked back from that point on and I’ve been conditioner only washing for two and a half years now.

I wouldn’t yank your leg on this, folks. It truly has been the holy grail for me. When I gave up shampoo, it didn’t just clear up my hair problems, it eliminated my skin problems completely. The pimples and acne that I had been blaming on my poor choice in beauty products and/or hormones went away almost overnight.

What I learned AFTER finding what worked for me was that shampoo was stripping the natural, protective oils from my hair and scalp and face (by virtue of its proximity to my hair- thank heavens). In order to make my skin and hair behave after doing that, I had to replace what I could with conditioner in my hair and lotions on my face. For whatever reasons, my fish-belly pale skin was too sensitive for this routine. Eliminating the shampoo/conditioner cycle did the job for me.

Is this a solution for everyone? Maybe, maybe not. Some people have reported an adjustment period where their hair and skin acted like a petulant, oily child for a week or a month or so before becoming bouncin’ and behavin’. I had zero funky down time with my hair when I switched to conditioner only. In the interest of full disclosure, I have never in life been a wash-my-hair-every-day kind of girl. The only time I’ve washed my hair two days in a row is after exceptionally sweaty gardening excursions or after a child threw up in it or used my hair as a napkin or -worse- a hanky. Oh, come on… you KNOW it’s bound to happen with five kids, right?

Here’s my point. It’s worth a try if you’re frustrated with how your hair is treating you or horrified by the amount of money you have to spend to make your hair do what you want it to do. Let me break down the specifics on how I conditioner only wash my hair.

How to Conditioner-Only Wash Hair:

Wet your hair thoroughly in the shower, massaging your scalp.

Squirt a palmful of silicone-free conditioner into your hand and massage it into your scalp and the hair near it.

Squirt another palmful of silicone-free conditioner into your hand and massage it into the rest of your hair. Repeat this until all of your hair is saturated with the conditioner. If your hair is thick and lower-mid back length like mine, you’ll need about 4 palms-ful to coat your hair and scalp.

Pile your hair on your head to keep it out of the shower stream. If you have one, put a cheap-o shower cap on to keep the conditioner from rinsing away.

Complete whatever else you need to in the shower; wash your bod, shave, whatever.

Add a splash of water to your hair and scrub your scalp again, then rinse your hair fully.

Dry/Style/Whatever your hair as usual. For me, most often this means blow-drying my bangs so they don’t lay funny and letting the rest of my hair do whatever it wants. This is what works best for me!

Do this two to three times a week. Unless you’re working out HARD daily or having someone wipe boogers in your hair, this should be sufficient.

I’m feeling a little sheepish about even bringing this up here, so help a gal out. What do you think? Am I nuts? Would you ever try it? Do you want to sniff my hair to verify I don’t smell like a fryolator before giving it a shot or is this just completely off the table for you? Talk to me!

Filed Under: Crunchy Beauty Tips, Rebecca, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: DIY Beauty, health and beauty

Midwestern Tacos | Taco Topped Baked Potatoes

January 30, 2013 by Rebecca 13 Comments

This is the final ‘taco’ in my three taco series to prepare us for Super Bowl but the fun doesn’t end here! Come on back tomorrow AND Friday for two wonderful done-in-a-flash appetizers. There will be a giveaway you won’t want to miss on Friday. It’s a BIG one. Bigger even than my potatoes. Believe me!

You know those questions that go something: “Which three foods would you take with you to a deserted island to eat for the rest of your life?” My rote answer to that is always “Potatoes, Onions and Cheese” If they let me choose four, I add “bacon”. If they let me choose five, I add “chocolate”. I am a woman of priorities, you see… And potatoes, well, they’re high on that priority list. Blame it on ancestry, carb-addiction, frugality, or whatever, the fact remains that this gal needs potatoes to survive.

When I was a kid, one of my favourite meals that my mom made was a baked potato bar. My little heart skipped with joy every time I came home to the earthy smell of potatoes baking in the oven. Mom always pulled out all the goodies for topping the baked spuds. Little did I know at the time what a genius move that was to clean out the refrigerator. Odds and ends of leftover cooked meats, small amounts of four different kinds of cheese and cooked vegetables, sour cream, ranch dressing, sliced pepperoni, and whatever else we had on hand. To me, it was -quite simply- the best thing I could possibly imagine.

These Midwestern Tacos (in actuality baked potatoes with taco toppings) are in the grand tradition of my mom’s baked potato bars. I lay out all of our leftover taco toppings (around here that’s usually refried beans, chorizo/carnitas/shredded beef or chicken, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and grated cheese) and let everyone customize their spuds to their hearts’ content.

The key here, and it really is key, is to get some good potatoes and bake them right. Thank you, Queen Obvious. What I mean is this; while almost any not-rotten potato is a good potato, there is a better potato than other potatoes to use for baked potatoes. Ahem. In a word, RUSSET. Use the biggest, prettiest, least blemished Russet potatoes that you can find. Then scrub them, let them air dry, jab them with a fork a few times, rub them with olive oil and sprinkle them with coarse salt. The reason you go to all this trouble is because it makes a crispy, crunchy, irresistible skin and fluffy, dry, perfect insides. Minus the olive oil and salt will still yield a pretty yummy potato because as we’ve mentioned potatoes= joy, but it’ll be blandish. And a blandish potato skin is a sad potato skin. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still butter, salt and pepper it then eat the heck out of it, but I’d prefer it my way. To this day, my dad says that the biggest parenting mistake he ever made was teaching us to eat the potato skins because then he didn’t get to eat as many.

I like mega, mondo, gigantic Russets for my baked potatoes, because I feel a flutter of happiness looking at massive potatoes on my plate, but if you’re the more delicate type, or you can only find bonnie wee Russet potatoes, by all means… bake them! Again? THEY’RE POTATOES.

As for the toppings I specify in the recipe, feel free to swap things in or out for them. The idea is sound and can tolerate creativity based on likes, dislikes, and what is available. Oh, and hey. I bet it goes without saying, but just imagine how popular THIS will be if you serve it at your Super Bowl shindigs. It fits with my ultimate entertaining rule: “Make it customizable and everyone will be happy.” Well, unless they don’t eat potatoes. But if they don’t eat potatoes, shoot. I don’t know. Hand ‘em a fistful of nuts. ‘Cause that’s what they are.

…And I say that out of love.

MWAH!

Midwestern Tacos | Taco Topped Baked Potatoes

Rating: 51

Midwestern Tacos | Taco Topped Baked Potatoes

Hearty, comforting, perfect baked Russet potatoes stand in for the usual taco shell in these fabulous Midwestern Tacos where the crispy, salted potato skin and fluffy potato insides carry spicy chorizo, taco or shredded meat, refried beans, grated cheese, salsa, onions, guacamole and sour cream. Let everyone customize their own. This is perfect for Super Bowl Sunday, game day or any day and is a great way to use up leftovers!

Ingredients

For the Potatoes:

Desired number of large Russet potatoes, scrubbed under running water and air dried. (*See Notes)
olive oil
coarse salt (either sea or kosher)

Optional Toppings:

Fully cooked chorizo, shredded pork, chicken or beef
refried beans
shredded cheese (Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese are both good choices.)
salsa or taco sauce
chopped sweet onions
guacamole
sour cream
fresh cilantro or lettuce

Instructions

To Bake the Potatoes:

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Use a fork to jab the potatoes about 6 to 8 times all over them.

Put the potatoes in a large mixing bowl, drizzle olive oil over them and use your hands to smear the oil over the potatoes to completely coat them. Sprinkle the potato skins with the coarse salt and lay them directly on the wire racks in the oven. Bake for 30-50 minutes, or until they are easily pierced with a fork, butterknife or cake tester. Because everyone has a different idea of what constitutes a large potato, begin testing around the 30 minute mark and go from there. My potatoes usually take closer to an hour.

Wearing oven mitts, transfer the finished potatoes to a baking dish or rack.

To Serve the Potatoes, Midwestern Taco Style:

Using a fork, repeatedly jab the potato about 3/4- to 1-inch deep in a line from end to end, overlapping a little with each poke. Turn the fork perpendicular to that line in the center and jab once at the same depth. If the potatoes are still screaming hot, put the oven mitts back on for the next step.

Hold both ends of the potatoes and squeeze gently while pressing down slightly This will make the potato BURST open at the top and make the fluffy insides craggy so that toppings can settle into the nooks and crannies or butter can melt in or whatever you put on top will soak in. This is a very good thing.

Top with desired taco toppings, starting with meats/beans/cheese and moving up through salsa, onions, ending with guacamole and sour cream, if desired. Serve immediately. Store leftover potatoes in a bowl in the refrigerator, uncovered.

Notes

Make more potatoes than you think you'll need! Leftover potatoes are great for making potato soup, potato salad, potato skins and more. Besides, a leftover potato all on its own makes a nutritious and hearty snack!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/30/midwestern-tacos-taco-topped-baked-potatoes/

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

Filed Under: Main Dish, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, Frugal Food, game day, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, Snacks, Superbowl

Big Batch Crisp Topping and Any Fruit Crisps | Make Ahead Mondays

October 8, 2012 by Rebecca 12 Comments

Desserts are the big to-do. The thing over which you slave for hours or -in some cases- even days and present with a flourish to ooooohs and aaaahs. I’m as guilty of that as the next food-obsessed gal, from time to time.

But really? Desserts are supposed to be a relaxing thing. Grab a spoon or a fork, a plate or a bowl of the good stuff, plop down somewhere comfortable and give a good ahhhhhhhh. They’re supposed to feed your soul without taxing it first. In fact, ‘DESSERTS’ are ‘STRESSED’ spelled backwards. Tell me if this has ever happened to you.

I’m going through my day getting done what needs to be done. I make dinner and think to myself, “Oh, we don’t need dessert tonight. We have a big dinner and that’ll do the job.” Then after dinner, when it’s just me and my honey sitting on the couch, I think, “I wish I’d made dessert. I could go for something a little sweet right now.”

Is anyone with me? I know it can’t be just us with should’ve-made-dessert regrets. ‘No desserts’ backwards is ‘stressed on’. See?

I have a solution.

Make a big batch of crisp topping -essentially, this is sugar, oats, flour, a little spice and a lot of butter- drop it into canning jars or other airtight containers and pop it in the freezer.

When you hit the dessert-regret stage of the evening, fill a little ramekin or two or a big pan with fresh fruit or even canned pie filling. In a pinch, you could put jam in the ramekins.

Kielbasa, Apple and Onion Stir-fry with Mini Puff Pancakes

October 5, 2012 by Rebecca 11 Comments

This is a good time of year to be an apple lover in Western New York. While it wasn’t the best year ever for apples due to a late frost and weird weather, apples are still just about everywhere and I call that a very good thing. Roadside stands, farmers’ markets, and even grocery stores are carrying apples that are just about as good as if they were just pulled from the trees. Apples in October are second to none.

Everyone knows how good an apple tastes fresh or dunked into caramel dip, but so many people are missing out on one of my favourite food combinations; fried apples and onions with kielbasa. I was first introduced to fried apples and onions as a kid when I read ‘Farmer Boy’ by Laura Ingalls Wilder. One of Almanzo Wilder’s mom’s specialties was apples and onions fried in bacon grease. It was, in fact, Almonzo’s favourite dish. I didn’t get past that page in the book before I begged my mom to whip up a pan full for us.

It was every bit as good as it sounded on paper. From that day on, it’s been one of my favourite dishes, too… best served when apples are still explodingly crisp and fresh and hold up well to a little time in a hot pan. In my own home, I started frying cubed, garlicky kielbasa in the pan before adding the apples and onions and found that it turned a well-loved side dish into a better-loved main dish. This is one of those dishes that smells so good while it cooks that people congregate in the kitchen peeking at the contents of the pan, trying to sneak bits of sausage from the top of the pan and drooling like Pavlov’s dogs.

There’s something so special about crisp-about-the-edges kielbasa with tender, sweet apples and meltingly tender onions. I lack the vocabulary to explain just how perfect the dish actually is. It’s salty, sweet, garlicky… it’s wonderful.

You have options on how you want to serve it, provided you can keep folks’ forks out of the bowl long enough to get it to the table. Our preferred method is to whip up a batch of mini puff pancakes… (the basic Pannukakku recipe here, but poured into generously greased muffin tins instead of a big pan.)

The soft, custardy puff pancakes sink a little in the center when fresh from the oven, making them the perfect vehicle to hold all those little deep-brown bits of sausage and tender apples and onions.

They soak up all the good sausage grease that might otherwise make an escape. I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you, though, that the stir-fry is equally delicious piled on top of hot egg noodles or fresh, hot rice. Any way you serve it, you’ll feel warm all over. Happy autumn!

Kielbasa, Apple and Onion Stir-fry with Mini Puff Pancakes

Highly seasoned, garlicky, classic kielbasa pairs perfectly with crisp tender tart apples and sweet onions in this fall stir-fry. Serve over hot egg noodles, cooked rice or as we did on mini puff-pancakes.

Ingredients

For the Mini Puff Pancakes:

4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
a pinch each of salt and sugar
non-stick cooking spray

For the Kielbasa, Apple and Onion Stir-Fry:

14 to 16 ounces of Kielbasa or beef smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 large tart, firm apples (Use a variety good for cooking, such as Cortland, Spy, Gala, or Granny Smith.)
2 large cooking onions, ends trimmed and peeled
2 tablespoons butter
Pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional: 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup

Instructions

To Make the Mini Puff Pancakes:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously spray a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Add the eggs, flour, milk, and pinches of salt and sugar to the carafe of your blender*. Blend on high for about 30 seconds, stopping once to scrape down the sides.

*If you do not have a blender, whisk all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl until completely smooth.

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until they are very puffy, golden brown on top and set to the touch. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let cool for 3 minutes before removing the puff pancakes. If any are stuck, gently run a butterknife around the edge to help loosen them.

To Make the Kielbasa, Apple and Onion Stir-Fry:

Place a skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add the cubes of kielbasa to the pan. Slide the pan back and forth a few times to distribute the sausage cubes. Let the pan rest on the heat without stirring for about 1 minute to help develop a little colour on the sausage cubes. Toss or stir the sausage until some fat has rendered and the sausage has browned evenly, about 3-5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a plate. Drain off all but about 1 tablespoon of the sausage fat.

Cut the onions in half, end-to-end. Cut each half in quarters and then each quarter in half again. Set aside.

Peel, core and halve the apples. Cut each half in quarters and then each quarter in half again.

Return the pan to the burner and lower the heat to medium-high. Add the butter to the pan drippings to melt. When they have melted, add the onions and toss gently to coat. Let them cook alone for about 3 minutes. Add the apples to the pan and toss to coat. Fry the apples and onions, tossing or stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender but still hold together, about 3-5 minutes. Season with black pepper to taste. If desired, drizzle the tablespoon of maple syrup over the mixture and toss to coat.

Serve hot over Mini Puff Pancakes, cooked egg noodles or rice.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/10/05/kielbasa-apple-and-onion-stir-fry-with-mini-puff-pancakes/

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

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Main Dish, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: American food, apples, Little House on the Prairie, quick and easy, seasonal

Three In One Pears: Canning Ginger Pears, Dark Ginger Pear Syrup, and Pear Juice | Make Ahead Mondays

September 24, 2012 by Rebecca 5 Comments

It is officially harvest time and officially fall and I am officially so excited about it that I’m about to explode. This is high gear food preservation season for me. I have an ant-and-grasshopper parable complex and I start flying around stuffing things maniacally into jars. My benchmark -and you may have heard me mention it before- is “Would I love to eat this in the middle of winter?” If the answer is yes, I figure out a way to preserve it. Since freezer space is at a premium (I’m saving room for the venison that I’m hoping will fill it), I rely on canning to hang onto that harvest freshness year ’round.

I’ve had to scale back my canning efforts this year due to a busy summer schedule, but this has been a good thing. I’ve had to focus on what we really want to eat, what we want to give as gifts, and what makes me weepy-happy to have on the shelves. Among those are home canned pears. Not just any pears, mind you, but my favourite ginger pears in dark syrup.

Home canned pears are -on their own- some of the best things on earth: tender, sweet, and full of pear-y goodness. When you add just a smidge of the warming power of ginger to those pears, they absolutely sing. Hang on. I need to channel my best internal infomercial hawker.

But wait… There’s MORE. Not only is this one of my favourite things to eat, it’s one of my favourite kinds of recipes; it’s a three-fer! Three recipes for the price of one!

How is this even possible? Oh gosh. It’s so easy, it’s almost criminal. You know how light fleshed fruits brown when cut unless they’re treated with lemon juice, fruit fresh, citric acid solution or somesuch? That little lemony bath that prevents your pears from becoming ugly and brown does double duty. After all the pears soak in it, you leave just a couple in the drink and boil it, then strain. Ta da! A delicate, mild pear juice with a bit of body. And the pears you soaked? You warm them and then pack them in a dark ginger syrup (courtesy of raw or brown sugar) that has been steeping some finely sliced ginger. You pack the extra syrup -because there WILL be some- into other jars and Vi-Oh-Lee! You have pear juice, ginger pears in dark syrup, and ginger pear syrup.

Let’s examine the possibilities, because they’re numerous! Aside from eating the pears straight from the jar, you can bake them in a crisp, eat them on vanilla or pumpkin ice cream, serve with roasted pork, toss into smoothies or winter fruit salad. Yes, you can drink the pear juice as is, but it’s wonderful in party punch or hot toddies, and since it is sweet enough without added sugar, it’s wonderful for the kiddies. “Dark ginger pear syrup?” you say. “What do I do with THAT?” Oh people. Oh my. You drizzle that on ice cream, over apple pie, add a tablespoon or two in apple or pear crisp, use it in mixed drinks, or pour a little over ice then top off with seltzer for -wait for it- GINGER PEAR SODA. Holy moly.

Is there work involved? Yes, but it is worth every second of effort. I even have a tip to share with you on how to get through the pears more easily (although it’s playing it a little Thomas Keller)… After hours upon hours of pear processing over the years, I’m happy to say that I have the method. Here’s how it’s done:

Cut the pear in half. Seriously. Start here before you peel it.
Use a vegetable peeler -not a paring knife- to peel the pear. That way you only pull away the skin and don’t lose any precious pear flesh.
Use the small end of a melon baller to remove the tough core at the base of the pear.
Use the larger end of the melon baller to remove the seed area from the pear.
Repeat.

I can’t wait to hear how you use your Three-In-One Pears. I’ll just wait here slurping them right out of a jar.

Three In One Pears: Canning Ginger Pears, Dark Ginger Pear Syrup and Pear Juice | Make Ahead Monday

This recipe requires a little time commitment, but you get three different products for your efforts. You'll find it was more than worth it when you crack open a jar of delicately ginger flavoured tender pears in a dark, caramel-scented ginger syrup, or drizzle some of the extra syrup over a bowl of vanilla ice cream or into a pear crisp, or sip on a glass of chilled pear juice.

Ingredients

For the Dark Ginger Syrup:

4 1/2 cups raw sugar (Can substitute light brown sugar if raw is unavailable.)
6 cups water
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into very thin matchstick like pieces

For the Ginger Pears:

8 to 12 pounds fresh pears, ripe but firm, plus 6 extra pears (for the juice)

For the Pear Juice:

12 cups fresh, cool water
3/4 cup lemon juice

Instructions

To Make the Dark Ginger Syrup and Ginger Pears:

Prepare canner, jars and lids. Follow this link for more detailed instructions on how to do this. You will want 6-8 quart jars and 2-4 pint jars or 4-8 half pint jars and the lids/rings for them.

Combine the raw sugar, sliced ginger and water in a large stainless steel saucepan. Stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar, bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Add a lid to the pot, turn off the heat and leave on the burner to keep warm and infuse with the ginger flavour. This is the dark ginger syrup.

Combine the juice ingredients in a stainless steel, plastic or glass bowl. Set this near a cutting board on the counter top. It is going to do double duty by preventing discoloration of the pears and then becoming juice.

Working with one pear at a time to prevent browning, cut the pear in half, peel with a vegetable peeler and use a melon baller to remove the tough core and seeds from the pear. Ease it into the lemon water. Repeat until all of your pears are peeled and cored and in the water (including the 6 extra pears.)

Remove the lid from the syrup and place it over medium low heat until steam is coming from it. Gently warm all but 12 of the pear halves in a single layer until heated all the way through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears, cored side down in overlapped layers, leaving between 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch of head space (err on the side of more rather than less head space if necessary.) Be sure you've left 12 pear halves in the lemon water.

Use a ladle to pour the hot syrup over the pears (allowing the ginger shreds to pour into the jars, too.) Remove air bubbles from the jars (using a thin, flexible knife or a chopstick and adjust syrup levels if necessary. Wipe rims, center lids on jars, and screw rings into place until fingertip tight.

Pour additional syrup into pint or half pint jars leaving 1/4-inch of head space, wipe the rims, center the lids on the jars, and screw the rings in place until fingertip tight.

Place those jars in the canner, cover with water, bring to a boil and process the jars for 25 minutes. When the time is up, turn the heat off, remove the lid from the canner and let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes. Transfer the jars to a cooling rack and let them cool undisturbed overnight, then remove the rings, wipe down, label and store.

To Make the Pear Juice:

Transfer the liquid and 12 remaining pear halves to a large stainless steel pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and let simmer uncovered until the pears are falling apart.

Line a colander that is positioned over a large stockpot with at least two layers of cheese cloth and and use a large measuring cup or ladle to scoop the pear/water mixture into the colander. Let it slowly filter -without pressing it down- until it stops dripping through the cheese cloth. This may take up to two hours.

Place the stockpot over medium high heat and bring it up just to the point where steam is rising from the top- 190°F. Ladle the hot juice into prepared jars, leaving 1/4-inch of head space in the jar.

Wipe the rims, center the lids, and screw the rings in place until fingertip tight.

Place the jars in the canner, cover with water, add the lid to the canner and bring to a boil. Process for 10 minutes, turn off the heat, remove the lid from the canner and let the jars rest in the water for 5 minutes. Transfer the jars to a cooling rack and let cool undisturbed overnight. Remove the rings, wipe down and label and store.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/24/two-in-one-pears-canning-ginger-pears-dark-ginger-pear-syrup-and-ginger-pear-juice-make-ahead-monday/

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

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Canning, Condiments, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, kid food, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian

Chunky Monkey Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

September 21, 2012 by Rebecca 13 Comments

Happy Friday, everyone! I have such a treat for you today!

We are a granola family. I’ve been making homemade granola for years upon years. My second born son has a real thing for it; he doesn’t like breakfast cereal, but he adores granola. I try to keep it on hand for him at all times. This is something of a task since I’m feeding a small regiment who likes to squirrel away fistfuls of granola in their jeans/shorts/shirt/jacket pockets and nibble on the stuff constantly.

I used to buy chewy granola bars to supplement their snacking but stopped when a.) I realized how much money I was spending in granola bars alone to keep up with five boys’ stomachs and b.) I looked at the ingredients list. You know that sound on Popeye? The aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhOOOOOOOOOgah! sound? Yeah. That’s what happened when I read that list and saw three of the ingredients I try very hard to avoid feeding my family in a granola bar -A GRANOLA BAR, PEOPLE! What?!? I put my eyeballs back in my head and the box of granola bars back on the shelf and vowed to learn to make it myself.

A couple years passed (I was busy, what can I say?) and I saw these chewy granola bars from my friends Maria and Josh. “Oooooh, yeah,” said I to myself. I thought I might change it up a bit, amp up the nutritional value and toss a little dried fruit in there. As the mother of the honyaks I have, I knew my choices were limited. One child ONLY likes dried bananas while another just doesn’t like any dried fruit at all unless it’s minced to the point of disappearing in something. Since it was bananas or nuthin’, I decided to go the Chunky Monkey route: banana, toasted walnut and chocolate. You know, because if there are nuts and fruit in it it’s healthy even if you cover it in chocolate, right? It’s dark chocolate. That’s practically health food by itself. Ahem.

I whipped up a batch. As soon as I transferred them to my cutting board there was a SWOOOOOSH and five boys materialized behind me: “What are you doing?” “What are those?” “Can I have one?” “Is dere fwoot in dose?” “Are those GRANOLA bars?” Then came the silence when five hands conveyed five granola bars to five mouths.

Then five hands reached back toward the cutting board for more. I call that a win. A big win. Big bonuses: the granola bars are simple to make AND they end up cheaper than the ones you purchase. Easy, cheaper AND better for you? Sign me up. These will be a regular at our home. Thanks for the inspiration, Maria and Josh!

Chunky Monkey Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

These banana, toasted walnut and chocolate granola bars are fabulous. They're chewy, sweet, crunchy, and satisfying. They're everything a purchased granola bar SHOULD be but isn't. Besides, I dare you to find Chunky Monkey granola bars on the shelf. Can't be done! Not even in Vermont!

Inspired by Maria and Josh from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter or sunflower seed butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup crispy rice cereal
3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
3/4 cup chopped dried banana chips (Store bought or homemade chips can be used.)
3/4 cup cup dark chocolate chunks or chocolate chips

Instructions

Place an 8-inch by 8-inch square of parchment paper into the bottom of a pan of the same size.

Stir together the oats, crispy rice cereal, walnuts, and banana chunks in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter then stir in the brown sugar, honey, and peanut or sunflower seed butter. Bring to a boil. Once it's bubbling hard, let it boil for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Be careful, it will bubble up crazily when you add the vanilla!

Immediately pour over the dry ingredients and gently but quickly stir it in thoroughly. Turn it into the parchment lined pan right away and press into the pan evenly. Sprinkle the chocolate chunks or chocolate chips over the pan and let stand, undisturbed, until the chocolate looks shiny, about 5 minutes. When the chocolate looks very shiny it should all be melted and can be spread evenly with an offset or silicone/rubber spatula. Let stand until the chocolate has firmed back up.

Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen any chocolate that stuck to it, then turn the large block of granola bar onto a cutting board. Flip it chocolate side up and cut into bars of your desired size. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week... not that they'll ever last that long!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/21/chunky-monkey-chewy-no-bake-granola-bars/

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

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Healthy Foods, kid food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, kid friendly, quick and easy, Vegetarian

Corn Stock plus Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder | Make Ahead Mondays

September 10, 2012 by Rebecca 9 Comments

Soup and sweater weather…

There simply isn’t any weather I like better than those first days of fall -REAL FALL- where the skies are gunmetal grey and leaves are just starting to turn. It’s a mighty wind, and it’s brisk, and it wants to blow right through you. It makes you understand why those leaves finally give up and flutter around. We, thankfully, have sweaters and comfy socks.

And soup.

First, you may have been around here long enough to know I’m a huge fan of movies. My most favourite movies are usually absurd comedies. Squarely in that category falls the movie ‘Best In Show’ by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy. It’s a mockumentary where a bizarre group of characters competes to win a national dog show. The entire movie is weird, wonderful and hysterical from start to finish, but there is one exchange that has always stuck with my husband and I.

Jennifer Coolidge’s gold-digging, much younger trophy wife character, Sherri Ann Cabot, is talking about how very in love she is with her MUCH older, senile, immobile, uncommunicative, wealthy husband.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9jxSOxtYHs[/youtube]

“We have so much in common, we both love soup and snow peas, we love the outdoors, and talking and not talking. We could not talk or talk forever and still find things to not talk about.”

In short, since seeing that movie, my husband and I quote that one passage every. single. time. we have soup. Given that we also love soup, that quote gets pretty solid play in our house. And I’ll tell you this, unlike Leslie Ward Cabot, it hasn’t gotten old yet.

Let’s make like Sherri Ann and Leslie and talk about soup for a moment, shall we?

This chowder is not for the low-fat crowd. Not only does it use bacon -and a lot of it!-, not only does it have butter, not only does it have cream cheese, but it has all three in abundance. Glory hallelujah! Don’t spend your days waiting for Guffman, it’s time to bust out the comfort food.

While you can certainly make this chowder with a store-bought chicken or vegetable stock, it really sings up a storm when made with the simplest stock you can ever make; Corn Stock. If you’ve been with me long enough to know I’m a movie nut, you’ll also know that I’m firmly in the waste not/want not camp as well. Corn Stock is what I like to call a three-fer.

You prepare the corn the way you normally would (I vastly prefer roasting it because it’s easier to do large amounts than boiling.) Cut the corn from the cob and freeze it or use it immediately.
Boil the cobs for stock.
Give the boiled cobs to the chickens who will get whatever is left that is edible and use it as energy to make eggs.

If that isn’t a frugal gal’s dream, I don’t know what is. Most importantly, though, the corn stock gives your chowder something that no other stock can. It gives it an essence of summer sweet corn that simply is not available in any other way mid-autumn or winter. If that doesn’t send a shiver of anticipation up your spine (unlike a spinal tap), then you’ve never lived in the snow belt.

Just imagine a bowl of rich chowder resplendent with roasted corn (that which you cut from the cob and froze, you frugal cook you!), cubes of potato with a hint of red skin still on, and hints of orange carrot in a fragrant broth that smells just like fresh sweet corn and is made thicker and velvety with the addition of cream cheese. Does that warm you up yet?

Don’t just talk about it: slurp that soup like Leslie!

Corn Stock plus Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder | Make Ahead Mondays

Make as much of the Corn Stock as you can while corn is still in season. You'll be so glad to have the essence of summery corn available to you in the winter. Use in stews, risottos, and soups.

This luscious, hearty, rich chowder is resplendent with roasted corn (that which you cut from the cob and froze, you frugal cook you!), cubes of potato with a hint of red skin still on, and hints of orange carrot in a fragrant broth that smells just like fresh sweet corn and is made thicker and velvety with the addition of cream cheese.

Ingredients

For the Corn Stock:

2 dozen ears of corn, roasted and shucked (preferably) or shucked and boiled
2 cooking onions
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 handful fresh or frozen parsley stems
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh time or 2 teaspoons of dried thyme leaves
2 gallons fresh cold water

For the Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder:

1 pound of bacon (Omit the bacon and add another 4 tablespoons of butter for a vegetarian version.)
2 tablespoons of butter
2 medium sized cooking onions, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon minced or pressed garlic
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 cups corn stock (or chicken stock)
6 medium sized red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small cubes
1 carrot, peeled and cut into small cubes
4 cups frozen or fresh roasted corn, cut from the cob
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
salt and pepper to taste
sliced green onions and minced fresh parsley, if desired, for serving

Instructions

To Make the Corn Stock:

Stand an ear of corn up on its flat end on a cutting board. Using a gentle sawing motion with a very sharp knife, cut down the ears, removing the kernels from the cobs as you go. Transfer the corn kernels to a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet and stick in the freezer until solid. Transfer those corn kernels to zipper top freezer bags and store for use in soups or salads.

Put the cleaned cobs along with the remaining stock ingredients into a large stockpot or electric countertop roaster oven. Cover the pot and bring up to a boil. Drop the heat and let it cook at a low simmer for 1-4 hours. Use tongs to remove the boiled cobs from the stock. (I give those to my chickens after they've cooled.) Pour the remaining liquid through a fine mesh sieve over a pitcher or other deep pot. You can use the stock immediately,

~or you can pressure can it (leaving 1-inch of headspace) at 15 pounds of pressure for 75 minutes. The jars can be stored on the shelf for up to two years.

~or you can cool the stock and pour it into zipper top freezer bags in single use portions then freeze it for up to 6 months.

~or you can refrigerate it and use it within 2 weeks.

To Make the Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder:

Cut across the slices of bacon to make 1/2-inch strips. In a soup pot over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring frequently, until it is crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crispy bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Set it aside -no snitching!- until the soup is almost done.

Drain all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease. You can eyeball it: you don't need to be precise. Add the butter to the bacon grease and place the pan over medium low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic in and stir, cooking for an additional minute.

Sprinkle the flour over the onion/garlic/butter mixture and whisk it in thoroughly. Raise the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutse, stirring often. It should be bubbly. Add the corn stock, whisking to combine, then the potatoes and carrots. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes and carrots are super tender.

In a heat-proof bowl, lightly smash the softened cream cheese with a fork. Using a ladle, add a little of the hot corn stock to the cream cheese, working it in with a fork or a whisk until smooth. After you've added enough hot stock to it to create a thick but pourable liquid, add it back into the pan of soup, stirring to combine. Add the corn in and stir, cooking only until the corn is heated all the way through. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a handful of sliced green onions and chopped fresh parsley, if desired. Don't forget a big chunk of bread to sop up the irresistible broth!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/10/corn-stock-plus-roasted-corn-and-potato-chowder-make-ahead-mondays/

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

Filed Under: Comfort Food, Component Foods, Main Dish, Make Ahead Mondays, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: budget friendly, Canning, family-friendly, Frugal Food, frugal gifts, home food preservation, kid friendly, quick and easy, seasonal

Fire Roasted Red Peppers Preserved in Olive Oil | Make Ahead Mondays

September 3, 2012 by Rebecca 11 Comments

I hope you’re having a relaxed and happy Labor Day. I’m almost giddy with excitement. I took…

Wait for it…

I took a nap.

I’m serious.

Maybe that doesn’t sound like a big deal to you, but I have to tell you that between one thing and another, I didn’t nap (excluding illnesses) for almost fourteen years. If you’ve been around here for a while, and you’re the astute type, you may have noticed that is quite nearly the age of my eldest son. This is not a coincidence.

I was a napper before children, and my specialty was the power nap. Fifteen or twenty minutes on a couch with a comfortable blanket was all it took to pick me up when I started wilting.

When my eldest was almost a year old, we became pregnant for our second son. That little pink line on the pregnancy test spelled doom for my naps for many years. One kid you can make to take a nap. Two kids? Well, all I can say is good luck if you’re bent on getting your little ones to nap without medication. And I was.

The point is this… My baby is now six years old and will be turning seven this fall. I’m bringing back the power nap. The now twenty to thirty minute power nap (I’m older and tired-er with five kids) is what’s getting me through canning season and the buckets and bushels and boxes of produce I’m putting up like a little old ant for the winter while my grasshopper kids get in their last day of summer vacation.

The nap gets a little assist from recipes like the one I’m sharing today that require almost no special equipment, no canning whatsoever, and so little effort that it almost makes itself. My farmers’ market compatriot and friend, Halle Reed, of Vandermark Farms in Scio, New York provided me with almost a bushel of various bell peppers that couldn’t make it to another market. Almost as valuably, she also told me how she preserved the peppers (and that she already had more than plenty up for the winter.) She said to cut the good pieces away from the core and toss ‘em on the grill. She went on to instruct me to stuff them into canning jars, heat olive oil and pour the olive oil over the peppers, then lid and refrigerate them.

Wow.

And to think all this time all I did was sautee and freeze them. Thank you, Halle!

The beauty of this recipe is multi-faceted:

It takes very little hands on time to prepare this recipe and you don’ t need a canner to do it. (Yes, I have a canner, but it’s nice to let the thing rest for a few hours this time of year.)
You have roasted peppers in the refrigerator to use on a whim. Say hello to roasted red pepper, smoked bleu cheese and garlic stuffed kalamata pizzas, or roasted red pepper pasta, or grilled chicken and roasted bell pepper sandwiches. Hubba hubba.
Yes you have peppers, but look at the medium in which those peppers are swimming. See all that beautiful olive oil? That is a pantry staple in itself. Brush the flavoured oil on pizza crusts, on bread for some pretty spectacular garlic bread, use it to sautee vegetables or drizzle a little over a salad. The possibilities are almost limitless.

I’m not going to give you exact quantities of peppers and olive oil, because honestly? It all depends. I started with almost a bushel of multi-colour peppers. Some of them had parts that needed to be trimmed away, and my final yield was exactly one half-gallon, jar, one quart jar and one pint jar. It took about four cups of olive oil to submerge the roasted peppers. This will vary, though, so be prepared to have more or less.

There are loads of peppers still out there at markets, folks. Go on! Lay your hands on a big old box of them and get a jar of this in your refrigerator. You’ll be so glad you did!

Roasted Red Peppers Preserved in Olive Oil | Make Ahead Mondays

Use the bounty of bell peppers available at local farmers' markets -or from your own garden- to prepare a jar or two of delectable fire roasted peppers to add to everything from pizza to pasta to salad to pimiento cheese to sandwiches through the cold months. It's like a jar full of summer.

Store in the refrigerator for up to three months or in the freezer for up to a year.

Ingredients

Red or multi-colour bell peppers
1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
pure olive oil (not extra virgin)

Instructions

Preheat your grill to medium high.

Stand a bell pepper on its bottom on your cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut slabs of pepper away from the seedy stem and core. Discard the cores and set the pepper pieces in a bowl. Repeat until you've prepared all of your peppers this way.

Lay the pepper pieces, skin side down, on the heated grill. Grill until the skin is blistered and black, flip the pieces and cook for just 1 minute. Transfer the cooked pieces to a 9-inch x 13-inch rimmed baking dish. Cover gently with plastic wrap or foil and let them cool until they are easy to handle, about 20 minutes.

Put a wide-mouthed canning funnel into a large jar, drop the slices of garlic into the jar and set it near your work station on the counter. Slough the blistered, blackened skin off of each pepper slice, then slide the slice into the jar via the funnel. Repeat until you've done all of the pepper slices. Don't cram the peppers in, they will compact themselves sufficiently and you want to leave room for the oil to circulate.

Heat some olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until it registers 200°F on an instant read thermometer. Ladle the olive oil into the canning funnel until the peppers are completely submerged. Use a long chopstick or skewer to slide down the sides of the jar to release air bubbles. Add more oil to keep the peppers covered if necessary. Add a new two-piece lid to the jar and let cool for about an hour before sticking into the refrigerator.

These peppers will keep for 3 months as long as they are properly refrigerated. For longer storage, transfer the peppers and their oil to a zipper top bag and freeze for up to a year.

Note: Close to a bushel of red peppers yielded about 3 quarts of fire roasted peppers.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/03/roasted-red-peppers-preserved-in-olive-oil-make-ahead-mondays/

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