Monthly Archives: November 2009

Riley’s Mac and Cheese

Posted by suzyhomebaker in kid friendly, savory and tagged with

So I made a very large ham last weekend and I’m trying to find different ways of incorporating it into various recipes. Riley’s been picky when it comes to eating, particularly veggies and meat, so I figured I’d make her a favorite of hers, Mac and Cheese, and jazz it up with some ham and veggies. (Did I just say jazz it up? Yes I did) She liked it too. Dogged half the serving I gave here. Nice.

Ingredients

12 oz. whole wheat pasta, elbows or penne work well
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk, any kind will do fine
pinch of nutmeg
2 cups shredded cheese, cheddar is a classic or add in a mix, Monterey jack or Gruyère
1/2 cup cauliflower mash (see below)
salt and pepper
3/4 cup chopped ham (optional)
1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
corn flakes, special K, or rice crispies for topping

Directions:

Cauliflower mash: Steam 1 cup cauliflower florets till tender. Drain well. Puree in food processor or blender till smooth.

Preheat oven to 350. Boil pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan on medium heat, add flour and mix for 2 minutes. Add milk and nutmeg and mix till thick, about 7 minutes. Pull off heat and add cauliflower mash and cheese. Mix till cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper. When pasta is cooked and drained mix in cheese sauce, ham and peas. Mix well so everything is coated. Grease or butter eight 6 oz. ramekins. Fill each ramekin to the top with mac and cheese mix. Top with cereal. Bake in oven for 15-20 or until heated through. Give her a fork, she’ll love it. Ps: If you want to freeze some for later, don’t cook them in the oven. Cover with plastic, then foil, then pop them in the freezer.

Green Tip of the Week

Posted by suzyhomebaker in Uncategorized

It’s the little things that count……

  • Buy bars of soap instead of soap in a plastic dispenser.
  • Purchase a reusable water bottle instead of cases of water bottles. If you must, get the larger spigot dispenser for your fridge and dispense your water into a reusable bottle.
  • Buy ecofriendly cleaning supplies or make your own. Vinegar, baking soda, and borax do wonders.
  • Compost, compost, compost.
  • If its yellow, let it mellow; if its brown, flush it down.
  • Washcloths instead of those plastic scrubbies in the tub.
  • Visit the library before Barnes and Noble. Yes, they still exist.
  • Same with thrift stores, Goodwill, and yard sales.
  • Steam mops are great. Really. Just hot water baby.
  • Change your bulbs people.
  • Turn it off, pull the plug.
  • Plant a tree or bring a plant inside.
  • Organic food. It can be expensive but try it. It’s better for ya!
  • Donate it or sell it before you toss it.
  • Carpooling
  • Start paying your bills online
  • Before you buy it, think…do I really need this?
  • Buy local.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Posted by suzyhomebaker in savory, soup

I love roasting up butternut squash in the fall and winter months and I’ve come up with two, real simple recipes for a satisfying butternut squash soup. PS: If you wanna skip the soup part, the roasted Butternut Sage is delicious on its own.

Ingredients for Butternut Sage Soup

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks

1 onion, cut into 1″ chunks

2 Tbsp fresh sage

olive oil

kosher salt and pepper

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth or veggie broth

Preheat oven to 400. Place cut squash, onion and fresh sage leaves on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add honey and melted butter. Toss to coat completely. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until squash is tender. Let cool a bit then put all roasted bits into food processor. Process till smooth then slowly add broth while processor is running. Add till it reaches your preferred consistency. You may need to process in two batches to avoid overflow. Puree till smooth then put in large saucepan, heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and eat up.

Ingredients for Butternut Apple Soup

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks

2 apples, I used a granny smith and a macoun but any favs will work, peeled, cored and cut into 1″ chunks

olive oil

kosher salt and pepper

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth or veggie broth

Follow directions above substituting apples for onion.

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Hollah for Apple-Honey Challah Bread

Posted by suzyhomebaker in bread, kid friendly and tagged with

My mouth was watering from the moment I saw this recipe in Martha Stewart Living. When it finally came out of the oven, the house smelled amazing and I was pacing around the kitchen, waiting for it to cool enough to rip a chunk off. So good. It doesn’t need butter or jam, its so good all by itself. I bet it would make amazing french toast this weekend. May be posting that one on Monday. I should mention, mine puffed up quite a bit and got significantly darker than the loaf pictured on Martha’s page. But I promise you, it’s quite delicious. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. If you have a day to make bread, make this please.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

Makes one 9-inch round loaf

* 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter or nondairy margarine, plus more for bowl, pan, and plastic
* 3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more for surface
* 3/4 cup warm water (100 degrees)
* 2/3 cup honey
* 2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
* 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (from one 1/4-ounce envelope)
* 2 teaspoons coarse salt
* 1 1/2 tart green apples, preferably Granny Smith, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 3/4 cups)

Directions

1. Butter a large bowl, and melt 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; let cool. Combine 2 tablespoons melted butter, the flour, water, 1/3 cup honey, the eggs and yolks, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Mix until dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.
2. Transfer dough to buttered bowl, and brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Cover with plastic. Let rise in a warm place until dough almost doubles in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Pat into an 8 1/2-by-14-inch rectangle. Top with apples; knead to incorporate. Return to bowl. Brush with remaining tablespoon melted butter; cover. Let rise again in a warm place until dough almost doubles in volume, about 1 hour more.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in lowest position. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. Roll dough into a rope (about 24 inches) on a floured surface. Coil into a circle, and transfer to pan. Butter plastic wrap, and cover dough. Let rise again until dough almost doubles in volume, about 45 minutes more.
5. Heat remaining 4 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup honey in a saucepan over medium-low heat until butter melts. Brush dough with half the honey-butter. Bake until golden brown and firm, about 35 minutes.
6. Brush challah with the remaining honey-butter. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Turn out loaf from pan, and let cool.

Green Tip of the Week

Posted by suzyhomebaker in Green Tip

Spring Cleaning in the Fall……what do I do with all this stuff?

Every few months I freak out about all the stuff we’ve accumulated and I need to get rid of things. Here’s some places that you can donate to and other places that may be able to reuse your items. Before you trash it, donate it.

  • Goodwill and Salvation Army: My first stop is goodwill but I recently found out that they don’t take toys. When we were planning to move a few years ago, we had a big yard sale and whatever didn’t sell, we called the Salvation Army to pick up. Unfortunately they didn’t take much at all. No boxes of household items and they wouldn’t take most of the furniture because needed some work. That was kind of a bummer.
  • Consignment shops: There are several in my area so if you have some nice clothes or kids items, you could make a buck.
  • Shelters and hospitals: I have yet to try these places but I was thinking of donating the toys Goodwill wouldn’t take to a local women’s shelter.
  • Libraries: They take your books, cds, and dvds.
  • Food Pantry: Clean out your pantry, especially at the holidays. Local food pantries usually set up shop at grocery stores. Ours sends the mailman to pick up a couple times a year via his mail route.
  • Animal shelters and SPCA: Your pet toys, beds, leashes, grooming tools, whatever.
  • Daycares and nursery schools: Maybe those toys I can’t get rid of. Actually, the daycare at my gym were happy to take some of Riley’s old toys. The kids were happy too.
  • Non-profits: Based on their mission, you decide what they need. Art non-profits may need art and craft materials, paints, lumber, etc. And don’t forget your receipt for tax purposes.
  • Churches: This weekend alone there were 4 craft fairs in the area. I’m sure they could have used your items to sell. One of them had a book sale so those boxes of books in my basement missed out on that one.

Don’t forget to get a receipt at all the non-profit establishments. Your tax return will thank you. Did I forget anything? Let me know.

I love pigs in a blanket

Posted by suzyhomebaker in savory and tagged with ,

My mom used to make these when we were kids so when we went for a visit last month, she dug up the recipe. Once you make them though, you kinda can’t forget the recipe. And I’m sure you can tweek it and make it your own with different rolls, cheese and meats. But this is the classic version and it tasted just like I remember. Although I do rememeber downing 4 or 5 at a sitting and now I could eat only 1 or 2.

Mom’s Pigs in a Blanket

1 can Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits
1 box Brown and Serve sausages
8 oz. bag of shredded cheddar cheese
ketchup
potato chips, crumbled into small pieces.

Preheat oven to 400. Flatten out each biscuit to a 3 x 4 inch rectangle. Cut sausages in half long ways, trying not to go all the way through. Lay in center of flattened biscuit short ways. Put a squirt of ketchup along the inside of the cut sausage. Top with shredded cheese. Fold each side of biscuit inward to cover and secure the sausage and goodies. Roll in crumbled chips. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Dig in kids. Tastes like home.

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Green Tip of the Week

Posted by suzyhomebaker in Green Tip and tagged with

So I apologize for not getting something up sooner but my computer is on the fritz and I’m looking to replace it this week. So for now, here’s the weekly Green tip.

Reuse it before you toss it….

Here’s a few items I try to reuse before tossing them out for good.

  • Baby wash cloths: They get stained and stinky so I reuse them as dish rags and cleaning rags before tossing them for good.
  • Dry cleaning bags: I reuse these as garbage bags or fill them with clothes and items to donate to goodwill.
  • Socks without mates make great dust and cleaning rags.
  • Those rubber bands and twist ties you get with produce and bread.
  • Tin cans: covered with colorful labels, they make great utensil holders at picnics. Also a pencil holder, grease collection cup, or a scoop for dog food.
  • Use newspaper to clean windows instead of paper towels. With cleaner of course.
  • Save those ribbons, bows, gift bags, wrapping paper, and tissue paper and reuse again.

Okay, if you think of some, please submit it in comments and i’ll post it.