Tomato, Feta and Barley Salad

Monday's Rockin' Recipe Share

My in-laws are here and I planned BBQ ribs for our first night's dinner. (Ribs were half-price at Safeway, so I picked up three packs and used one and a half for tonight.)

I knew I wanted to accompany it with a good whole grain, something with a nice, low-glycemic index for the diabetics in my life -- and I LOVE the chewiness of barley -- so I found this amazing recipe at buffchickpea.com.

It's so good I only ate one rib and filled up with this salad. Go ahead, try it!

Cheeseburger Soup

Monday's Rockin' Recipe Share

You don't need your own trailer to cash in on this one. All you need is a crockpot and a willingness to cook with some Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup. Not a staple in my house, but I tossed one in the cart on Sunday and had me some super soup fun.

Well, I actually tripled the recipe, so I tossed three of those babies in the cart.

Here's what I made:

Cheeseburger Soup
Prep: 25 minutes / Cook: 10-11 hrs (low) or 5-5.5 hours (high) / Makes 6 servings

1 lb ground beef
1/2 c chopped onion (1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 c sliced carrot (1 medium)
1/4 c ketchup
2 T yellow mustard
1 fresh serrano chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped (I skipped that one)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper
2 14-oz cans beef broth
1 10-3/4 oz can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese (2 oz)
Dill pickle spears (optional)

1. In a large skillet, cook meat, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is tender, stirring to break up meat as it cooks. Drain off fat.

2. In a 4- to 5- qart slow cooker, combine meat mixture, potatoes, carrot, ketchup, mustard, chile pepper, salt, and black pepper. Stir in broth and soup.

3. Cover and cook on low-heat 10-11 hours or on high-heat 5-5.5 hours. Top each serving with cheese. If desired, serve with pickles. (Oh, we desired.)

Note: I just remembered that I tripled it, but it didn't all fit in the crockpot. You might just want to double it.

'Nother Note: Yes, I'll be posting recipes until I take the time to post other stuff.

'Nother 'Nother Note: Most kids like this, especially if you emphasize the "Cheeseburger Soup" part and that they get to eat it with a dill pickle.

MONDAY'S ROCKIN' RECIPE SHARE

I kid you not, you need to make this. It's scrumptious and fast-tious. It came from the Diabetic Cooking: Meals in Minutes cookbook that I bought in the checkout line at RiteAid.

I doubled it and added shrimp, but if you make it just like this, you'll still need to hold on to your hat.


QUICK CHICKEN SAUSAGE JAMBALAYA

2 c cooked brown rice
2 t canola oil
1 chopped onion
1 small green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T all-purpose flour
1 can (14-1/2 oz) diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
1 c reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 package (9 oz) fully cooked andouille or spicy chicken sausage, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 t dried thyme
1/4 t hot pepper sauce or smoked pepper sauce (optional)

1. Cook rice according to package directions

2. Heat oil in large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour; cook and stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes and other juices, broth, sausage, thyme and hot pepper sauce, if desired. (I did not desire.) Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sauce thickens. Stir in rice or serve over rice. Garnish with red chiles, if desired. (I did not desire.)

Makes 4 servings (1/2 c rice and 1 c jambalaya per serving)

Calories 291, total Fat 7g, Saturated Fat 1g, Protein 19g, Carbohydrate 38g, Cholesterol 54mg, Dietary Fiber 4g, Socium 511mg

SATURDAY'S ROCKIN'
RECIPE SHARE


I first made these Stained Glass Cookies in 4th grade 4-H. Not only do they catch light beautifully, but it's really fun to hammer the Life Savers and Jolly Ranchers. I recognize the satisfying glimmer in my kids' eyes as they whack those things.

Here's the recipe we're using tonight. It's probably not what Audrey Raymond set us 4-H'ers up with back in 1980, but it'll have to do. It's from elise.com's Simply Recipes.

I'm practicing with Dane and Aubrey tonight because I'm teaching Dane's 3rd grade class to make them on Tuesday.

We're going to our neighbor Paul and Beth's Soup and Sing-along tomorrow afternoon -- maybe we'll show up with some of these pretties.

STAINED GLASS COOKIES

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 30-40 hard candies (such as Life Savers), preferably in several flavors/colors

Method

1 Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.

2 In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add molasses and vanilla extract, mixing until incorporated. Add egg and mix until light and smooth, about 1 minute on medium speed.

3 Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture. Use electric mixer to blend just until flour is incorporated. Divide dough in half and flatten into two disks. Wrap disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour and up to 2 days.

4 Remove any wrappers on candies and separate them by color into plastic bags. Using a mallet to crush candies.

5 Place one disk between two large sheets of waxed paper and roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into desired shapes. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Using a smaller cookie cutter or a knife, cut shapes into centers of cookies, reserving these center bits to add into extra dough.

6 Use a spoon to sprinkle the crushed candy into the hollowed-out centers of the cookies, filling to the edges. Try to keep the candy within the centers. Any candy specks that fall on the cookie will color the cookie.

7 If cookies will be hung as ornaments or decorations, poke a small hole in the top of each cookie before baking.

8 Bake 9 to 10 minutes. The candy should be melted and bubbling and the cookies just barely beginning to brown. Remove baking sheets from oven and place on wire racks to cool. Allow cookies to cool on pans at least 10 minutes; otherwise, the candy centers may separate from the dough. When cookies are completely cooled, remove and store in an airtight container. String with ribbon if you want to hang as an ornament.

Makes 2 to 4 dozen cookies, depending on how large you make them.

BAKIN' BACON

Monday's Rockin' Recipe Share

He can bring home the bacon,
fry it up...

...in some chocolate chip dough.*

That's right. Bacon with anything is all the rage these days, so Mick threw together some Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies yesterday.

They were delicious.

It's a little bit weird to understand it, but imagine sweet/salty with chocolate chips and alternately the chewiness and crispiness of bacon pieces.

Mmmm...

And so I bring you Monday's Rockin' Recipe Share, courtesy of Pete Bakes:

bacon chocolate chip cookies and candied bacon

candied bacon
1 pckg thick cut bacon (about 10 strips)
brown sugar for sprinkling

chocolate chip cookies
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
12 oz toll house semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1. make the candied bacon: preheat the oven to 350 F. lay bacon on a parchment covered baking sheet so they are not overlapping. sprinkle about 2 tsp brown sugar evenly on each strip of bacon. bake for 12 minutes, remove from oven, flip bacon and drag it through the syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet. put the bacon back in the oven for another 12-15 minutes, until it is fully cooked and very dark (mahogany). remove the strips from the sheet and cool on a wire rack. after they have cooked, chop them or quickly food process into tiny pieces.

2. make the cookies: combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. beat butter, both sugars and vanilla in a large bowl. add eggs, one at a time, beating well. gradually beat in flour mixture. stir in morsels and bacon pieces.

3. spoon dough (about a Tbsp per cookie) onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 375 F for 9-11 minutes. i tend to go a little under 9 minutes so they come out just underdone. remove to cooling racks or eat immediately with a tall glass of cold milk.

*Re: photo - Again, ladies, I married for love.

Monday's Rockin' Recipe Share

This one was originally published in The Oregonian, but I didn't see it there years ago -- so my best pal Karen took it upon herself to send it to me this weekend. I doubled it and gave half of it to Dane's buddy's family, who has a new baby in the house as of two days before Halloween. It was EASY and DELICIOUS, two things which, of course, go great together.

TACO SOUP

1 lb ground beef, chorizo or turkey
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 envelope ranch dressing mix (there's one with chipotle powder if you like spicy)
1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained
1 15-oz can pinto beans, drained
1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (any style, seasoned or not)
1-1/2 c frozen corn kernels
4 c water

Garnish with any or all of the following (I recommend ALL!):
crumbled tortilla chips
cubed avocado
shredded cheese
sour cream
cilantro

1) Brown the meat in a soup pot over medium heat, breaking up chunks with a spoon.
2) Drain the fat. Add the taco and ranch seasoning mixes, and stir to incorporate.
3) Add the beans, tomatoes, corn and water.
4) Bring to a boil and then heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

You're done!

Makes 6 servings.

UTTERLY DEADLY SOUTHERN PECAN PIE

an unfortunate description, but only so called
likely due to its sugary tasty goodness
Pecan pie is Dr. MLK's favorite

I made this pie for the MLK potluck. It turned out fabulous, probably because if you add enough sugar and syrup to anything, it's bound to be great. (Look at the ingredients, you'll catch my drift.)

I used my mom's no-fail crust recipe, but you'll have to email me personally if you want that one.

Here's the freebie pecan pie recipe if you want it. It's pretty straightforward. Use it next year with pride.

4 eggs

1 1/4 c. southern cane syrup (or dark Karo)

1 1/2 c. broken or whole pecans

1 c. sugar

4 tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla


Boil sugar and syrup together 2 or 3 minutes. Beat eggs, not too stiff. Pour hot syrup in slowly, stirring. Add butter and vanilla. Put pecans in pie shell, pour syrup over top. Bake in moderate oven about 45 minutes or until set.

What to do with all this zucchini?!?


This one's for Natalie Wermus (welcome to the blog, Nat!). She's got cucumbers coming out of her ears and I'm hooking her up with a soup recipe to die for.

Curried Zucchini & Cilantro Soup

1 medium-size onion
2 T olive oil
About 2 lbs zucchini, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 t to 1-1/2 T curry powder
1 qt buttermilk
2 c fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 c minced cilantro
Plain nonfat yogurt (optional)
Lime wedges or slices
Cilantro sprigs
Salt
Pepper

Cut onion into quarters; then thinly slice quarters crosswise. Set aside.

Preheat a 4- or 5-qt pan over medium-high heat until rim of pan is hot-to-the-touch. Add oil and wait for about 1 more minute. Add onion, zucchini, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft (about 20 minutes).

Stir curry powder into vegetable mixture (the more curry you use, the hotter the soup's flavor will be). Cook, stirring until curry powder begins to stick to pan bottom (about 5 minutes). Add buttermilk, broth, and minced cilantro; stir to scrape any browned bits free from pan bottom.

Bring soup almost to a boil; remove from heat. Ladle soup into bowls; top with yogurt (if desired), lime, and cilantro sprigs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 6 servings
Prep: About 25 minutes
Cook: About 30 minutes

I MIGHT NOT BE MUCH OF A COOK...
but I like to eat. So, here's something the kids and I cooked up the other day in our attempt to add vegetarian selections to our lives.

THE RECIPE
Sweet Potato and Fruit Medley
8 servings, egg-free

5 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
2 1/2 Tbs. butter
2 bananas, sliced
1 apple or pear, cored, peeled and chopped
1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
1 cup chopped dried apricots (6 1/2 oz.)
6 Tbs. thawed frozen apple juice
concentrate
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 475 [degrees] F. Pierce each sweet potato in several places. Place on sheet of foil and bake until tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add bananas, apple and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl; set aside.

3. Remove sweet potatoes from oven. When cool enough to handle, peel and slice. Add to banana mixture along with apricots, apple juice concentrate and lemon juice and toss gently to mix.

4. Spoon mixture into 11 x 7-inch glass casserole, cover with foil and bake until hot, about 35 minutes. Serve right away for best results.

PER SERVING: 177 CAL.; 2G PROT.; 4G TOTAL FAT (2G SAT. FAT) 35G CARB.; 10MG CHOL.; 49MG SOD.; 4G FIBER
COPYRIGHT 2000 Vegetarian Times, Inc. All rights reserved.

THE REVIEW
I LOVED it -- it was like eating pie it was so sweet. It had great texture to it, too, between the sweet potato rounds and the dried apricot bits. Aubrey DIDN'T like it. For probably the same reasons I loved it. This kid doesn't even like jam. Mick LIKED it. And Dane gave it a thumbs SORT-OF up.

THE FINE PRINT
Don't eat too much at a time. It'll make you gassy -- at least that's what I, um, heard. And don't snack on the dried apricots while you make it. That only offers predictable repercussions as well.