Wild Rice Chowder

This is a chowder that I never really use a recipe for, so keep that in mind with the measurements! None of the measurements are exact - you can make changes as you like.  

If you haven't ever made a white sauce before, you may want to find better instructions somewhere than those I am leaving. Here's one example at about.com

How to Make a White Sauce

 (You don't have to use sharp cheddar cheese, I just like sharp better than mild.) Makes a large batch - depending on how many vegetables, how much broth you decide to use.

RICE:

1 cup wild rice, dry

water to cook rice

VEGGIES IN STOCK:

Chicken stock or bouillon - 6 cups (enough to cover vegetables in pan)

5 carrots, diced

3 onions, diced

5 potatoes, diced

WHITE SAUCE:

butter, 1/2 cup

4 cups milk

3-4 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp water

3 cups cheddar cheese, sharp

salt and pepper

(bacon or ham - optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cook wild rice according to instructions.

While wild rice is cooking, chop vegetables into bite-sized pieces (use any combination and amount of vegetable you want to). Add the vegetables to a stock pan, and put in chicken stock - enough to cover vegetables completely. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes or until veggies are tender.

While veggies are cooking, make a white sauce as follows. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add 2 Tbsp water to flour in a small cup or bowl. Stir or whisk to try to remove all lumps. Add more water as needed. You can use more or less as desired. Like I said, I don't measure. You do want a thick white sauce because you're using quite a bit of water in cooking the veggies.

Usually with a white sauce, you're going to "cook" the flour with the butter for a minute or two. You may need to add a little of the milk to the butter first, before you add the flour. Whisk the flour/water mixture into the butter. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk (either add very slowly or you can actually HEAT the milk before adding). Stir constantly over low heat until thick, 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is completely melted.

When all of the components (wild rice, veggies, white sauce) have completed cooking, combine them.

Makes a very large batch of soup.

IngenuiTea Teapot

Susan introduced me to this amazing teapot - the brand is IngenuiTea. She found them at Gong Fu Tea in Des Moines (very nice tea shop).

You put the looseleaf tea in, put water in, steep. Put the teapot on a cup, which strains the tea. The leaves are then left in the pot. Dishwasher safe (top rack).

Video of How It Works

My personal faves from Gong Fu tea are Kikucha and Genmaimatcha. Both really good green teas.

Rice Cookers

I have recently purchased a new rice cooker.

 If you like brown rice, or WANT to like brown rice...you must purchase one.

I previously had a cheap rice cooker like the one to the left.

I thought it was fine. It cooked Japanese rice well.   I have always wanted a better rice cooker, but have never purchased one since the one I had worked ok.

With this type of cooker (removable lid)...I could never cook brown rice in it. The water would fly out of the lid and all over everything in a five-foot radius of the cooker. Not fun. Very starchy.  So, I would always cook brown rice in a pan.

My new rice cooker is a lot like the one to the right. I saw this one at Tuesday Morning for $30. Went home and googled it and saw it is normally $60. Decided I could not pass this up.

Fabulous discovery. This kind of rice cooker makes AMAZING brown rice. I highly highly highly recommend it. Wow. There is NO comparison. Wow Wow Wow. So good. I just made some very basic organic brown rice from the grocery store. Not Japanese rice. It is so good. I am in shock.

Ok...if you don't own a rice cooker, but you like rice...buying a rice cooker will change your life. It is so simple, and such a no brainer to make rice in a rice cooker. I don't know how to describe it...but...especially this kind of rice cooker - cooks rice sort of like a pressure cooker, I suppose. It's just so good.

Double Corn Spoon Bread with chiles and cheese

taken from The Texas Border Cookbook by W Park Kerr and Norma Kerr

"Serve it as a meal's bread or in place of potatoes or other starch with chili, brisket, fried chicken, etc., or try it at brunch teamed with eggs and bacon. When hot and freshly baked, the bread is soft and spoonable; it firms as it cools and then cuts neatly into squares..."

(true confession: I have never taken the time to roast the green chiles. I'm sure it would be a fabulous addition to this recipe. But, I have substituted a can of diced green chiles.)



6 long green chiles
8 eggs, beaten
two 16-oz cans cream-style corn
8 oz. medium sharp cheddar or monterey jack cheese (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
two 4-oz jars of roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup cultured buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
5 pickled jalapeno chiles, stemmed and minced, about 1/3 cup
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

In the open flame of a gas burner or under a preheated broiler, roast the long green chiles, turning them, until they are lightly but evenly charred. Steam the chiles in a paper bag, or in a bowl, covered with a plate, until cool. Rub away the burned peel. Stem and seed the chiles and coarsely chop them. there should be about 1 cup.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375. Butter a 10-12 cup shallow casserole dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream-style corn, and cheese. Stir in the cornmeal, green chiles, red peppers, and buttermilk. Add the sugar, jalapenos, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and mix well. Transfer the batter to the baking dish.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until puffed and just barely set in the center. Serve hot or warm.

Skier's French Toast

2 Tbsp corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 loaf french bread, sliced into 2 inch slices
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Combine syrup, butter, and brown sugar in a pan and simmer until thick (syrup-like) approximately 5 minutes. Put in a 9x13 pan. Add bread slices. Pour egg mixture over bread. Refrigerate, covered with saran wrap, for at least an hour. Can be refrigerated overnight. Bake for 45 minutes. Invert to serve.  

A loaf of french bread - cut into 2/3 inch slices works really well - makes about 12 "slices" usually...and they will expand when baked to fill the pan.

If you use a different kind of bread, you can overlap them as needed...cut off crusts if you use a different kind of bread. . . .I found another recipe that called for a one pound loaf of unsliced white bread, with crust trimmed.

Breakfast Casserole

When it's done, it looks kind of like this picture from ClosetCooking.com  (I have never taken a picture of mine, sorry, I'll try to next time.)

1 cup bisquick
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (I use sharp)
2 tsp chopped onion (or more, to taste)
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp salt
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1-2 cups diced ham

1/2 cup butter, melted

Mix all ingredients except butter in order given. Pour into a 9x13 glass pan. Pour 1/2 cup of melted butter over mixture. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Corn Cakes

This was one of the winners of the University of Minnesota's Golden Gopher Pancake Cook-off in 1998 or 1999. The recipe came from Jeff Tjosvold, Maple Grove, MN.

1/2 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp cooking oil
honey (opt)

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; set aside.

In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and cooking oil. Add the egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just till moistened and almost smooth.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the pancake batter onto a hot lightly-greased griddle or heavy skillet.  Cook over medium heat about two minutes on each side or till the pancakes are golden brown, turning to second side when the pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry.

Serve warm, drizzled with honey, if desired. Makes 8 pancakes.

Chipotle Black Bean Chili

This is REALLY spicy. 

That being said, as leftovers, it is REALLY yummy served over a baked potato. :) 

I got this from a Midwest Living Magazine, and it's also now on the midwestliving.com website.  Chipotle Black Bean Chili

 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, ground pork or pork sausage, uncooked ground turkey or uncooked bulk turkey sausage

2 14-oz cans of reduced sodium beef broth (or chicken broth if you're using turkey)

1 16 oz jar of salsa

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 of can of golden hominy, rinsed and drained

2 cups of loose-pack frozen diced hash brown potatoes with onions and peppers 

1 or 2 canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped - SEE NOTE

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

Dairy sour cream, chopped avocado, adn/or shredded cheedar cheese, optional

Tortilla chips or corn bread, optional

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef until meat is brown. Drain off fat. Transfer meat to a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker. Stir broth, salsa, beans, hominy, potatoes, chipotle peppers, chili powder, oregano and cumin into meat in cooker.   Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high setting for 3.5-4 hours. 

Top individual servings with sour cream, avocado, and cheddar cheese and serve with tortilla chips, if you like. Makes 6 servings (9.5 cups total)

*Handling hot chili peppers: Because hot chili peppers contain volatile oils that can burn your skin adn eyes, avoid direct contact with chiles as much as possible. When working with chile peppers, wear plastic or rubber gloves. If your bare hands DO touch the chile peppers, wash your hands and fingernails well with soapa dn water when youare done. 

Farmgirl's Savory Cheese & Scallion Scones

from
Farmgirl's blog


I have made these a few times and they are quite good. Click on the farmgirl's blog above for ideas on substitutions (cheddar and chives if you don't like feta, etc.) the person at the following link also made variations on the recipe which I think look good. Spinach and Onion Scones

2 1/2 to 3 cups flour (all purpose)
1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp baking powder*
1 tsp salt
4 ounces feta cheese crumbled (or sheep/goat milk)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened in microwave 15-30 seconds (you want it very soft)
4 scallions, both green and white parts, chopped

1 cup half and half or whole milk
1 egg

Optional egg glaze:
Beat well with fork:
1 egg and 2 Tbsp milk

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add cheese and toss gently with a fork until combined. Add scallions and toss gently with a fork until combined. Beat half and half (or milk) with eggs and gently fold into dry ingredients, mixing lightly until a soft dough forms. Add up to 1/2 cup additional flour if the dough is too sticky.

On a floured surface, gently pat the dough into a circle approximately 1 inch thick. The key to tender scones it to handle the dough with a light touch and as little as possible. With a sharp knife (author of recipe uses a large serrated knife dipped in flour) cut the circle into 8 wedges (for large scones - 12 for smaller scones) and place them on a greased or parchment-lined heavy duty baking sheet.

Brush tops and sides of scones with egg glaze, if desired, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm, or cool completely and refrigerate or freeze in a zipper bag or an airtight container.

*Make sure it's fresh! If your baking powder has been open more than a couple of months, toss it out and buy a new container. I prefer Rumford brand, which is aluminum-free and always gives me excellent results.

Apple Puff Pancake

Just because it's more fun putting recipes on a blog than it is finishing up the cleaning of the spare room, here's what I made for breakfast today. It was pretty good. Kind of a nice way to make pancakes for a crowd without standing over a hot stove forever.

from bbonline.com - The Lamplighter Bed and Breakfast of Ludington


6 apples, cored, thinly sliced
1/3 stick butter
1/3 cup sugar
cinnamon
freshly ground nutmeg
6 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375.
In an 8 inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter and saute the sliced apples; add sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg (to taste) and cook slowly until sugar is melted and apples begin to soften. In the meantime, mix eggs, vanilla, flour, and milk; pour liquid over apples. Bake for 20-30 minutes - until puffed and done in center.

Serve with maple syrup or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes 6 servings.

Chicken Rice Soup

ala Janet

This is my mom's chicken rice soup recipe, which may or may not ever be made by yours truly, due to the fact that involves handling and taking meat off a whole chicken.

3-4 # broiler - that's a whole chicken
6 1/2 cups water
1 medium onion
2 ribs celery (ribs mom?)
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf

Cook and simmer for 1 hour or until that whole darn chicken is cooked. Strain the stock and discard the veggies. Skin and bone chicken (hmmm...this would be where you lose me). Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Skim fat from stock. ohmylord this is a lot of work.

1 cup grated carrots
2/3 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 oz can chopped green chilies (secret ingredient...now you know)
2 chicken bouillioun cubes (how the heck do you spell bouillion?)...and why the heck do you NEED bouillion when you've just cooked a whole bird?
salt
pepper
cumin...to taste I suppose. Probably not much cumin. 1/2 teaspoon I guess.

Combine stock and the rest of the ingredients except for the chicken. Cook for 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Add chicken.

WOW. I have a whole new respect for this chicken soup. And I am 99% certain I will never be making it.

Hot & Sour Soup ... sorta

Every once in a while, my mom or I will want to make this soup. "Remember that crab/noodle soup?" one of us will say to the other. And invariably, neither of us will be able to find the recipe.  Well, after the big purge of my spare bedroom...which unearthed lots of pieces of paper with recipes dashed on them...I have found the recipe. And putting recipes up on a blog inspires me to finally organize these scraps of paper and index cards. Maybe this will become the Auntie B/Grandma recipe page. :) 

8 oz imitation crab, flake style (I know...)

3 1/2 cups water

1-2 tbsp of rice vinegar (or white vinegar)

several dashes of hot pepper sauce (tabasco)

1 can of sliced mushrooms

1 can of sliced water chestnuts

1 carrot, shredded

1 pkg of soy sauce flavored ramen noodles (break noodles into pieces)

In a 2 qt microwaveable dish, combine water, vinegar, and hot pepper sauce. Microwave for 4-6 minutes or until boiling. Stir in noodles, flavor packet, and shredded carrot. Microwave for 3 minutes or until noodles are cooked. Stir halfway through cooking. Stir in fish, mushrooms, water chestnuts and microwave for 1-2 minutes more. 

Old Fashioned Brownies

These are so quick and easy to make - pretty much "2" of everything. Taken from the Land O Lakes Country Heritage Cookbook (1984). Mom has a recipe or two in this cookbook...and it's full of dairy goodness. The brownies not very cake-like, they're pretty dense. I always add a cup of chopped pecans. yum.

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Heat oven to 350. In large mixer bowl, combine all ingredients except nuts. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1-2 minutes). Stir in nuts. Spread into greased 13x9" pan.  Bake for 20-24 minutes or until firm to the touch. Be careful not to overbake. Cut into bars.

Jambalaya

When I'm trying to cook and eat healthy, I gravitate toward brown rice dishes. This dish is very hearty and filling.

The directions say to make this in the microwave. I personally have never made this in the microwave. I usually put the veggies and sausage in the oven til tender...approximately an hour at 350....add boiling water, lentils, etc...and then put it all back into the oven ...for another hour or so til rice is tender.

1 lb kielbasa or smoked sausage
1 tomato, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 1/2 cups water
1 lb lentils, (rinsed and "checked over") :)
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 can tomato sauce (15 ounce)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
Slice sausage 1/4 inch thick; place in a 4-quart round casserole with bell pepper, tomato, onion, celery and garlic. Cover with lid or plastic wrap. Stirring midway through cooking, microwave on high 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile bring water to a boil on a conventional range. To cooked sausage and vegetables, add lentils, rice, and boiling water; re-cover. Microwave on high 4 minutes, or until boiling. Microwave on 50% for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in tomato sauce, sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Re-cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Makes 8 servings. 1 serving - 387 calories and 6 g fat.

Spinach Frittata

One of our favorite weekend brunch meals. I saw it made once on tv, and have just adapted it to our tastes...

2 onions, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped (seeds removed)
1 bag of spinach or baby spinach
6 eggs
1/2 cup mik
2 oz feta cheese
olive oil
parsley, chives, black pepper, to taste
Over medium-high heat and in a large saute pan, caramelize onions in olive oil, covered. (Saute onions in olive oil until brown, and almost burnt. Stir every few minutes, cover with a lid when not stirring)  Add spinach to onions. Cover pan and cook 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, add tomatoes, cotinue cooking, until spinach has cooked down. (Add more olive oil as necessary.)
Lightly beat the eggs. Add the milk to the eggs. Pour over the spinach mixture. Add parsley, chives, pepper  to taste. Stir  eggs into vegetables. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Cover and put the eggs in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes - or until eggs are completely set.

Turkey Chili

1 lb ground turkey
1-2 onions, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 can whole tomatoes (large)
1 can diced tomatoes (large)
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn, drained
1 can diced green chilies, drained

Brown turkey with onion and garlic. Drain. Add chili powder and cumin. (INFUSE the turkey with flavor!) Stir in tomatoes, corn, green chilies. Heat to boiling. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. Serve over brown rice.


I usually make a large batch and double the spices.  I can never decide if the beans should be drained or not. Usually I drain them. 

Cinnamon Praline Scones

You will not believe how delish these scones are! They are kind of a cross between a scone and a cinnamon roll.  Use the unsalted butter and keep ingredients cold. Handle as little as possible for light scones!

The first time I made these was for my going away treats at Diamond Vogel. Nancy referenced high tea all day long. I'm sure some of the recipients wondered why the heck I made such dry treats. :)

found on bbonline.com from Four Mile Creek Bed and Breakfast


2 cups flour
1 tbps baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp granulated sugar
5 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and chopped into pieces
1 xtra large egg, beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream (whipping)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

FILLING:
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 tbsp granulated sugar. Using a pastry blender (or your fingertips) cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles course cornmeal.

In a small bowl, combine the egg and cream and add to the flour mixture.  Mix until just blended together. Turn out the batter onto a lightly floured board and knead for 1 minute. (do not over-knead!) Roll dough into a rectangle, approximately 8x12 inches.

Brush the dough with melted butter. Combine the filling ingredients (pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, sour cream). Spread filling evenly on the dough (It works best if you leave a couple of inches at the end of the "roll" without filling - this will make it easier to seal.)

Roll up, jelly roll fashion (cuz that's how we roll) and seal the  long seam by pinching it together lightly with your fingers.  Roll may be refrigerated overnight. Cut the roll into 12 one-inch thick slices. Lay slices on the baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until scones are golden.