It's been one of those weeks, and last night, we decided we were going to make comfort food for supper. For us, food can be a fun family activity, which in itself is comforting. One of my favorite comfort foods (aside from chocolate, of course ;) are home made rolls.
The recipe is my Aunt Dorothy Bennett's for buns, and the dough is just so wonderful and versatile. My Grandma Ericksen uses this dough to make sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, nissua and dinner rolls, and my kids love them as pepperoni rolls.
3 2/3 cup milk, scalded (reserve part of the milk cold to cool the mixture so it won't be too hot for your yeast)
1/4 cup butter or shortening (I always use butter, so don't know what shortening does to the dough - I melt the butter while I'm scalding the milk)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg
2 Tbsp dry yeast or one cake of yeast
I scald the milk and melt the butter, then add in the reserved milk. If the mix is still to warm, add an ice cube (what can I say, I'm impatient:). Add the yeast and allow to bloom. Add the sugar, salt and egg and mix well.
Now for the flour. The recipe never says how much flour to add, just to add until you achieve a soft, elastic dough. It takes probably 5-8 cups (this is a big batch of rolls). Use the dough hook on your mixer, and keep adding until its 'right.'
My Gram tests the 'rightness' by poking her finger into the dough - if too much sticks, you need to add more flour (a little sticking is ok, this dough does tend to be a little sticky). I know the dough is done in my mixer when it starts to climb over the top of the dough hook, and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl too much. When you are done, the dough should be light and very elastic.
Remove the dough from the mixer, cover with a towel, and place somewhere warm to double in size. Punch down. You'll want to grease your hands (butter or shortening work well for this - if the dough starts to stick to your hands, rub on a little more grease). Now form your rolls (1"-1.5" balls make a nice size roll, larger if you want buns); or you can roll out, add sweet roll fixings, and roll and cut; or you can roll out, fill with apricot filling and bake for nissua (with powdered sugar frosting). Like I said, it's a very versatile dough. For pepperoni rolls, I cube cheese (mozz is the kids' favorite), and slice the pepperoni - one of each wrapped in the center of each roll.
Place your formed goody on a pan, cover and set in a warm spot to rise for a bit (again, I'm impatient, so this rising usually doesn't last too long). When risen, bake at 400F until done -- time depends greatly on the form. Rolls take 10-15 minutes in the oven at 400F. If they are getting dark too quickly, turn the temperature down slightly. When you take them hot from the oven, brush the tops with butter. Honestly, they don't need anything after that!
Home made rolls - definitely my comfort food! What's yours?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Family Fun Snack
I know it's been a few weeks ... sorry for the lengthy break. I don't think anyone can deny that fall is upon us. The Market lot is full of the colors of fall, which are starting to bloom on all of the trees. I know, it's rainy, and there is definitely a chill in the air, but look on the bright side - it give you an excuse to light the home fires, crank up the stove and do some baking!
My kids are already bugging me about picking out their pumpkins. I can't wait myself. Sometimes I think we enjoy gutting the pumpkins more than carving them. And the kids absolutely LOVE the roasted pumpkin seeds. They are very easy to do, they just take time. First, seperate the seeds from the stringy stuff in the pumpkins - this is something we all work on as we are cleaning out the pumpkins for carving. I keep a bowl for the pumpkin seeds next to the bucket for the fleshy stuff.
Next, rinse the seeds in the sink to remove any adhereing goo (you can never get it all off - don't be too picky about it). I like my seeds salty, so I put them back in the bowl and soak them in heavily salted water, at least overnight.
The next day, lay out a bath towel. Drain the water from the seeds and dry them some on the towel - I usually spread them on half the towel, fold it over, and rub for a few minutes. Again, no need to be too picky, any remaining moisture will evaporate in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350F. I like my air cusion baking sheets for the roasting, because nothing burns on them. Coat the sheets with a little bit of olive oil, then spread the seeds out in a thin layer, and drizzle a little bit of olive oil over top. I also like to sprindle a little bit of additional salt over the seeds, as it helps to draw out the moisture.
Place in the oven, and set the timer for 10-15 minutes. When the timer goes off, use a spatuala to turn/stir the seeds. Repeat this process until the seeds are golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then store in an air-tight bag or container.
Pumpkin seeds are a great source of fiber. If you can't have the salt, then skip the soaking step and roast after rinsing them. You can season with your favorite salt substitute, or try something different, like chayenne pepper or rubbed sage.
What's your favorite fall snack? Please, share!!
My kids are already bugging me about picking out their pumpkins. I can't wait myself. Sometimes I think we enjoy gutting the pumpkins more than carving them. And the kids absolutely LOVE the roasted pumpkin seeds. They are very easy to do, they just take time. First, seperate the seeds from the stringy stuff in the pumpkins - this is something we all work on as we are cleaning out the pumpkins for carving. I keep a bowl for the pumpkin seeds next to the bucket for the fleshy stuff.
Next, rinse the seeds in the sink to remove any adhereing goo (you can never get it all off - don't be too picky about it). I like my seeds salty, so I put them back in the bowl and soak them in heavily salted water, at least overnight.
The next day, lay out a bath towel. Drain the water from the seeds and dry them some on the towel - I usually spread them on half the towel, fold it over, and rub for a few minutes. Again, no need to be too picky, any remaining moisture will evaporate in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350F. I like my air cusion baking sheets for the roasting, because nothing burns on them. Coat the sheets with a little bit of olive oil, then spread the seeds out in a thin layer, and drizzle a little bit of olive oil over top. I also like to sprindle a little bit of additional salt over the seeds, as it helps to draw out the moisture.
Place in the oven, and set the timer for 10-15 minutes. When the timer goes off, use a spatuala to turn/stir the seeds. Repeat this process until the seeds are golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then store in an air-tight bag or container.
Pumpkin seeds are a great source of fiber. If you can't have the salt, then skip the soaking step and roast after rinsing them. You can season with your favorite salt substitute, or try something different, like chayenne pepper or rubbed sage.
What's your favorite fall snack? Please, share!!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Leaves are Starting to Turn
Fall is fast approaching, and it puts me in mind of apples, and pumpkins, and all things fall. The changing seasons are my favorite . . . spring, when everything is coming to life and colors are starting to sprout from the ground . . . and fall when everything is going to sleep and colors are falling to the ground.
This is a wonderful time of year. A time to celebrate the harvest, and enjoy the crisp autumn air. A time to gather around bon fires with family and laugh together while roasting marshmallows. It is a time when I find myself waxing philosophical, mourning the loss of the long, lazy days of summer, but looking forward to the cozy evenings of winter in front of a fire, snuggled under a blanket and reading with the kids.
The children, of course, are looking forward to All Hallow's Eve. Right now, they are poring through costume magazines and trying to decide what they want to be. Next comes the traditional jack-o-lantern carving at our house, scooping out the pumpking guts and creating a frightening friend to light up the porch. Oh, and we always, always, always roast our pumpkin seeds. Finally, the big night comes, when they will join the other ghosts, goblins and ghouls to gather treats from the neighbors.
And at the Market the sweet, autumn smell of apples, fresh from the tree, is in the air, tempting the tastebuds and tantalizing the pallete with thoughts of warm apple crisp or apple pie, or apple custard fresh from the oven. This year, Russ has even gotten in large bins of the favorite varieties. Cortlands, Macintosh, Galas, and more, with a new variety coming in just about every week.
Speaking of apples, I can't wait until Octiber 17th when we will be holding our 4th Annual Apple Bake-off at the Market. This year, we are raising money for Camp Quality Ohio, where kids with cancer get to be kids, again. For those wonderful bakers and cooks out there, we invite you to put your best apple dish in the ring and see if yours will reign supreme this year. We will have three judges score all the dishes entered in the contest, and the three highest scoring dishes will receive prizes.
And if you don't bake, you should still plan to come out. We'll have entertainment in the Market, and once judging is complete (around 1pm) the leftover apple dishes will be available for you to try. All we ask is that you consider a donation to Camp Quality Ohio. In addition, we will be donating 5% of all sales on October 17th to Camp Quality Ohio. I hope you'll come out and join us for this wonderful event!
Now, if I could just figure out how to bottle the aroma of the Market that day . . .
Thursday, September 3, 2009
THE Omelette
I'm not sure how many of you watch Russ on Conneaut AM Live with Pat Williams, but if you do, this week you saw the monster omelette he brought on to the show. I thought I would give you a glimpse of the kind of meal stretching that we do at our house.
The basis of that omelette started the night before with dinner. We wanted to have tacos, but due to a lack of hamburger or buffalo burger in the house opted for chicken tacos (don't know why we don't do this more often, I like them better then hamburger tacos anyway;).
The chicken taco 'recipe' is really easy. Here's what I do:
1. Pound the chicken breast out until they are ~1/3-1/2 inch thick all over (this helps them to cook more quickly and evenly, without drying out).
2. Sprinkle your favorite taco seasonings on the breasts (a mix of chili pepper, cilantro, salt, pepper, red pepper flake if you like it hot, is a simple combo that works great, or you can use one of those pre-fab packets).
3. Toss the seasoned chicken into a pre-heated, non-stick pan (add a little olive oil to get a nice sear) over medium-high heat and cook on each side until cooked through (about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on how thawed they are). Note that in the winter when I'm making this dish, I would heat the over to 375F and roast the prepared chicken breasts - but that's just to get some extra heat into our chilly house ;).
4. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes, then take a couple forks and shred it into bite size pieces.
5. Return the chicken to the pan it was cooked in, add some additional taco seasoning, a couple tablespoons of corn meal (or more to taste) and enough water to make some sauce (for 4 breats, I probably added about a cup of water). Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to cook until the cornmeal is cooked and the sauce is thickened.
6. While the chicken filling is cooking, we lay out and prep all the other fixings - I usually get the kids to help with this. For our tacos, we like shredded cheese (your choice, I'm partial to the Buffalo Pepper Jack for tacos, but it is kind of warm), diced tomatoes, candy onions (sometimes I sautee them - yum), fresh salsa (I'll show you another trick when you have leftovers of this tasty stuff from the Market), black olives, shredded lettuce, jalepenos, taco sauce . . . in short, whatever you like on your tacos.
Now for my brood of seven it takes 4 chicken breast halves - two whole chicken breasts - in order to even hope to have any leftovers; and if you want the omelette in the morning, you'll need leftovers!
In the morning, pull out your favorite taco fixings left over from the night before. For the omelette Russ took on AM Live yesterday we heated up some leftover chicken filling and onions, but I've added a couple spoonfuls of salsa before, and that's a nice addition. All you have to do is heat the ingredients up, which won't take long.
Heat your non-stick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add a little butter (I can't help it, I like the little shot of richness the butter adds to the eggs). Crack and scramble 4-6 eggs, adding salt, pepper and cilantro to taste). Once the skillet is heated, pour in the eggs, sprinkle a tablespoon of water around the edges of the pan, and cover the skillet. Let this cook until the egg is just about set on top (it will still be a little runny).
Once the egg is almost done, sprinkle shredded cheese over the egg, then spread the heated taco fixings over than, and cover the skillet. Allow this to cook until the egg is done and the cheese is melted, probably another few minutes is all it takes.
Serve with sour cream and salsa, with a little fresh cilantro as a garnish - yum!!
And as a bonus, for lunch that day, there was just enough chicken and cheese left over to make some chicken quesadillas! Triple yum out of four little chicken breasts. Now that's what I call stretching your food!
Oh, and I promised another tip with the fresh Market salsa - tired of cooking spaghettios for the kids as a snack? Try this healthy and easy alternative:
1. Cook some pasta (spaghetti, linguine, whatever you like) according to package directions, cooking only until al dante (still a little bite to the pasta). Strain the pasta.
2. In the pan you cooked the pasta in, dump some salsa (how much depends on how much pasta you made and how sausy you like it - I'm a dump kind of cook, so I'm not always real good about amounts, sorry;).
3. Add some parmesean cheese to the salsa and heat it over medium heat. Once it's heated through, add the drained pasta and toss to coat. Add salt/pepper to taste.
4. Serve with extra parmesean.
Simple, fresh, and better for you then that sodium-laden, mushy, over-cooked canned stuff.
Yep, it's all about stretching the food in our house. With seven mouths to feed, it's important. But equally important is teaching the kids that it doesn't have to come out of a can to be easy and good!
How do you stretch your food and/or food dollar? Please, share!!
The basis of that omelette started the night before with dinner. We wanted to have tacos, but due to a lack of hamburger or buffalo burger in the house opted for chicken tacos (don't know why we don't do this more often, I like them better then hamburger tacos anyway;).
The chicken taco 'recipe' is really easy. Here's what I do:
1. Pound the chicken breast out until they are ~1/3-1/2 inch thick all over (this helps them to cook more quickly and evenly, without drying out).
2. Sprinkle your favorite taco seasonings on the breasts (a mix of chili pepper, cilantro, salt, pepper, red pepper flake if you like it hot, is a simple combo that works great, or you can use one of those pre-fab packets).
3. Toss the seasoned chicken into a pre-heated, non-stick pan (add a little olive oil to get a nice sear) over medium-high heat and cook on each side until cooked through (about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on how thawed they are). Note that in the winter when I'm making this dish, I would heat the over to 375F and roast the prepared chicken breasts - but that's just to get some extra heat into our chilly house ;).
4. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes, then take a couple forks and shred it into bite size pieces.
5. Return the chicken to the pan it was cooked in, add some additional taco seasoning, a couple tablespoons of corn meal (or more to taste) and enough water to make some sauce (for 4 breats, I probably added about a cup of water). Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to cook until the cornmeal is cooked and the sauce is thickened.
6. While the chicken filling is cooking, we lay out and prep all the other fixings - I usually get the kids to help with this. For our tacos, we like shredded cheese (your choice, I'm partial to the Buffalo Pepper Jack for tacos, but it is kind of warm), diced tomatoes, candy onions (sometimes I sautee them - yum), fresh salsa (I'll show you another trick when you have leftovers of this tasty stuff from the Market), black olives, shredded lettuce, jalepenos, taco sauce . . . in short, whatever you like on your tacos.
Now for my brood of seven it takes 4 chicken breast halves - two whole chicken breasts - in order to even hope to have any leftovers; and if you want the omelette in the morning, you'll need leftovers!
In the morning, pull out your favorite taco fixings left over from the night before. For the omelette Russ took on AM Live yesterday we heated up some leftover chicken filling and onions, but I've added a couple spoonfuls of salsa before, and that's a nice addition. All you have to do is heat the ingredients up, which won't take long.
Heat your non-stick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add a little butter (I can't help it, I like the little shot of richness the butter adds to the eggs). Crack and scramble 4-6 eggs, adding salt, pepper and cilantro to taste). Once the skillet is heated, pour in the eggs, sprinkle a tablespoon of water around the edges of the pan, and cover the skillet. Let this cook until the egg is just about set on top (it will still be a little runny).
Once the egg is almost done, sprinkle shredded cheese over the egg, then spread the heated taco fixings over than, and cover the skillet. Allow this to cook until the egg is done and the cheese is melted, probably another few minutes is all it takes.
Serve with sour cream and salsa, with a little fresh cilantro as a garnish - yum!!
And as a bonus, for lunch that day, there was just enough chicken and cheese left over to make some chicken quesadillas! Triple yum out of four little chicken breasts. Now that's what I call stretching your food!
Oh, and I promised another tip with the fresh Market salsa - tired of cooking spaghettios for the kids as a snack? Try this healthy and easy alternative:
1. Cook some pasta (spaghetti, linguine, whatever you like) according to package directions, cooking only until al dante (still a little bite to the pasta). Strain the pasta.
2. In the pan you cooked the pasta in, dump some salsa (how much depends on how much pasta you made and how sausy you like it - I'm a dump kind of cook, so I'm not always real good about amounts, sorry;).
3. Add some parmesean cheese to the salsa and heat it over medium heat. Once it's heated through, add the drained pasta and toss to coat. Add salt/pepper to taste.
4. Serve with extra parmesean.
Simple, fresh, and better for you then that sodium-laden, mushy, over-cooked canned stuff.
Yep, it's all about stretching the food in our house. With seven mouths to feed, it's important. But equally important is teaching the kids that it doesn't have to come out of a can to be easy and good!
How do you stretch your food and/or food dollar? Please, share!!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Summer Is Winding Down
It is almost Labor Day. The kids are back to school. The days are getting shorter. I hate to say it, but summer is coming to an end. I hope every one is gorging themselves on the bounty of their gardens . . . tomatoes, corn, summer squash, cucumbers . . . these will soon give way to winter squash, pumpkins, and cabbage.
Why am I pointing this out? Well, if you like to can tomatoes or freeze corn - now is the time to do it. The tomato crop has been hit hard by the blight, but they are coming in strong now, and the time is ripe (like the pun?) to do you canning. By the way, if you don't have your own garden, you can buy tomatoes for $14/20lb box at the Market - while they last.
Don't know how to can tomatoes? Well I found a great web site that includes pictures and step by step instructions for canning tomatoes here. If, like me, you don't want to can the 'whole' tomato, by can cook your tomatoes down and run them through a food mill. Now, when I'm feeling lazy, I can the resulting juice (follow the instructions on the page for the canning part, I just toss a scant teaspoon of salt on the surface of the juice after filling the jar).
If I'm hankering for some fresh spaghetti sauce, I will go the extra mile and cook it down. Now this takes patience, and your yeild is going to go way down (tomatoes have a lot of water in them), but the result is like nothing you can buy in a grocery store. Juice the tomatoes (BTW: I never use just tomatoes; my 'tomato juice' is more like a V8, with any and all veggies that are ready at the time, including summer squash, onion, peppers, fresh basil, etc.) and put the resulting juice in an oven proof pan (I have a big roaster I've used for this, and also some big pots that work nicely). You can cook it down over LOW heat either on the stove top, or in the oven (~250F), but you have to make sure you stir it periodically. Allow it to simmer away until the sauce reaches the desired consistency (I like mine thick) - up to a couple days (yes I said days). One tip, DO NOT season the sauce until it is cooked down. Then can the sauce just as you do the juice or the whole tomatoes.
The time and labor are well worth the product. I never purchase tomato juice in the store - to me it always tastes like the can. I grew up on home canned tomato juice and sauce, and I'm hoping to pass the tradition on to my own children!
That brings me to corn, which I know I've discussed freezing before. If you want to freeze corn, there's probably only a week or so of full season left, so don't dally. If you want a full bag or two for canning (5 dozen ears in a bag), just give the Market a call and let them know so they can add it to the next order (440-599-2020). Remember, there is nothing like Ohio sweet corn that you'll be able to buy in the grocery store over the winter. This is another labor of love that is well worth the effort. Besides, corn is easy - shuck it, blanch it for 10 minutes, shock it in cold water, cut it off the cob, and put it in a freezer bag and freeze. What could be easier!
Trust me, come January you will be so glad you took the time and trouble to put up tomatoes and corn now!
Why am I pointing this out? Well, if you like to can tomatoes or freeze corn - now is the time to do it. The tomato crop has been hit hard by the blight, but they are coming in strong now, and the time is ripe (like the pun?) to do you canning. By the way, if you don't have your own garden, you can buy tomatoes for $14/20lb box at the Market - while they last.
Don't know how to can tomatoes? Well I found a great web site that includes pictures and step by step instructions for canning tomatoes here. If, like me, you don't want to can the 'whole' tomato, by can cook your tomatoes down and run them through a food mill. Now, when I'm feeling lazy, I can the resulting juice (follow the instructions on the page for the canning part, I just toss a scant teaspoon of salt on the surface of the juice after filling the jar).
If I'm hankering for some fresh spaghetti sauce, I will go the extra mile and cook it down. Now this takes patience, and your yeild is going to go way down (tomatoes have a lot of water in them), but the result is like nothing you can buy in a grocery store. Juice the tomatoes (BTW: I never use just tomatoes; my 'tomato juice' is more like a V8, with any and all veggies that are ready at the time, including summer squash, onion, peppers, fresh basil, etc.) and put the resulting juice in an oven proof pan (I have a big roaster I've used for this, and also some big pots that work nicely). You can cook it down over LOW heat either on the stove top, or in the oven (~250F), but you have to make sure you stir it periodically. Allow it to simmer away until the sauce reaches the desired consistency (I like mine thick) - up to a couple days (yes I said days). One tip, DO NOT season the sauce until it is cooked down. Then can the sauce just as you do the juice or the whole tomatoes.
The time and labor are well worth the product. I never purchase tomato juice in the store - to me it always tastes like the can. I grew up on home canned tomato juice and sauce, and I'm hoping to pass the tradition on to my own children!
That brings me to corn, which I know I've discussed freezing before. If you want to freeze corn, there's probably only a week or so of full season left, so don't dally. If you want a full bag or two for canning (5 dozen ears in a bag), just give the Market a call and let them know so they can add it to the next order (440-599-2020). Remember, there is nothing like Ohio sweet corn that you'll be able to buy in the grocery store over the winter. This is another labor of love that is well worth the effort. Besides, corn is easy - shuck it, blanch it for 10 minutes, shock it in cold water, cut it off the cob, and put it in a freezer bag and freeze. What could be easier!
Trust me, come January you will be so glad you took the time and trouble to put up tomatoes and corn now!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Chicken Parmagiana
We had this for supper tonight, and it was so tasty I had to share. It's a pretty easy recipe. Here's what you'll need:
4 Chicken breast halves
3C Italian bread crumbs
1T Thyme
3 Eggs
2T Milk
1C Flour
Olive oil
jar of Spaghetti sauce (I used the Borelli mushroom sauce)
Parmagiana, grated
Mozarella, sliced
I use the chicken breast from the Market (of course) and pound it out flat in the package before I open it - you want the breasts to be ~1/2 inch thick.
First, put you fry pan on the stove to get it hot while youNow this is messy, get out three big bowls. Eggs and milk wisked together in one, in another put the flour, in the third stir together the bread crumbs and thyme and add salt and pepper to taste. First, dredge each chicken breast in flour, then dip it in the egg wash, then coat it in the bread crumbs. Now is a good time to pre-heat your oven to 400F.
Now it's time to cook the chicken. Don't overload your fry pan - in my favorite pan, I could only fit one breast at a time. Add one or two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, and fry the chicken until it is golden brown (about 5 minutes on each side, maximum). Drain the chicken on a paper towel.
Select a baking dish large enough to put all of the chicken in a single layer (or maybe two), coat the dish lightly with olive oil. Add half the tomato sauce to the bottom of the dish and spread it out. Arrange the chicken in a single layer. Sprinkle parmagiana generously over the chicken, then cover it with a layer of mozzarella.
Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 400F - until the moz is bubbly and lightly browned. I heated the other half of the sauce on the stove top, so those of us who like sauce could add it to our side of pasta (the Kluski noodles make a nice liquine-type side, or if you prefer thinner pasta, the angel hair is a good choice). If you are a sauce lover, you can add the other half of the sauce over the chicken before putting on the cheese, but my family prefers less sauce on the chicken.
Now the recipes I looked at said that this would make 4 servings, but I did the four chicken breasts, and a pound of pasta, and it fed out family, so I'd say this was probably enough for 6 people to have pretty decent sized portions.
Chicken parm that beats a lot of restaurants, I would wager, and it really is quite easy. The kids love to help beat the chicken up, and mix the chicken coating, and sprinkle cheese. It's a very family-friendly recipe, and delicious to boot. Give it a try!!
4 Chicken breast halves
3C Italian bread crumbs
1T Thyme
3 Eggs
2T Milk
1C Flour
Olive oil
jar of Spaghetti sauce (I used the Borelli mushroom sauce)
Parmagiana, grated
Mozarella, sliced
I use the chicken breast from the Market (of course) and pound it out flat in the package before I open it - you want the breasts to be ~1/2 inch thick.
First, put you fry pan on the stove to get it hot while youNow this is messy, get out three big bowls. Eggs and milk wisked together in one, in another put the flour, in the third stir together the bread crumbs and thyme and add salt and pepper to taste. First, dredge each chicken breast in flour, then dip it in the egg wash, then coat it in the bread crumbs. Now is a good time to pre-heat your oven to 400F.
Now it's time to cook the chicken. Don't overload your fry pan - in my favorite pan, I could only fit one breast at a time. Add one or two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, and fry the chicken until it is golden brown (about 5 minutes on each side, maximum). Drain the chicken on a paper towel.
Select a baking dish large enough to put all of the chicken in a single layer (or maybe two), coat the dish lightly with olive oil. Add half the tomato sauce to the bottom of the dish and spread it out. Arrange the chicken in a single layer. Sprinkle parmagiana generously over the chicken, then cover it with a layer of mozzarella.
Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 400F - until the moz is bubbly and lightly browned. I heated the other half of the sauce on the stove top, so those of us who like sauce could add it to our side of pasta (the Kluski noodles make a nice liquine-type side, or if you prefer thinner pasta, the angel hair is a good choice). If you are a sauce lover, you can add the other half of the sauce over the chicken before putting on the cheese, but my family prefers less sauce on the chicken.
Now the recipes I looked at said that this would make 4 servings, but I did the four chicken breasts, and a pound of pasta, and it fed out family, so I'd say this was probably enough for 6 people to have pretty decent sized portions.
Chicken parm that beats a lot of restaurants, I would wager, and it really is quite easy. The kids love to help beat the chicken up, and mix the chicken coating, and sprinkle cheese. It's a very family-friendly recipe, and delicious to boot. Give it a try!!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Practical Ideas for Pest Control - Without Chemicals
The other day a customer requested that I stop by and help them identify the perennials they had planted in a raised bed. These raised beds were gorgeous, with Russian sage, meadow sage, lilies, grass pinks, sedum, etc. and though they had lost a few things (the gentleman admitted that he may have pulled some things by mistake), the gardens, by the time we got done pulling the worst of the weeds, were very nice. The one thing I noticed was the smell - not a lovely, damp dirt and flower perfume smell that is heavenly when you're gardening; but this awful cat urine odor that turned my stomach.
I suggested the cat-scat stuff that you can buy at a Lowes or Home Depot, but if you're like me, you prefer not to use chemicals. In my gardens, I always have to consider the animals and children that tend to play in them. Hence, todays topic. A friend sent me an email with the top ten uses for used coffee grounds, and one caught my eye:
"Kitty repellent. To keep kitty from using the garden as her personal powder room, sprinkle grounds mixed with orange peels around your plants."
Well, who would have thunk it - coffee grounds and orange peels - two of my favorite smells - will repel kitties. Chalk one up for beneficial reuse of waste! And it won't screw up my olefactory experience when I garden, either - double-bonus!
Also, I thought I'd post the sucking bug repellent we recommend to our customers for use on veggies, etc. It works quite well, though it does require re-application after a rain. I've actually updated the recipe based on experience with the spray over time:
Soak 3 ounces of finely minced garlic cloves and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for at least 24 hours. Slowly add 1 pint of water that has 1/4 ounce liquid soap or commercial insecticide soap mixed into it (I do this in a quart jar that I can screw shut with a lid). Thoroughly mix by shaking (this is the best way I've found to emulsify the oil) and then strain the concentrate into a glass jar for storage. To make up spray for application, add the concentrate at a rate of 1 to 2 Tablespoons of mixture to a pint of water. If this is effective, try a more dilute solution in order to use as little as possible.
For other natural bug spray recipes, check out the internet. There are tons of resources for the natural gardening - and a lot of them are cheaper than running to the store to buy the latest pesticide. Here's a couple links to get you started.
Canadian Country Woman: Natural Bug Sprays
About.com Natural Mosquito Repellents
Suite 101.com Organic Pest Control
Do you have some tips for organic gardening or a link you'd like to share? Please do!
I suggested the cat-scat stuff that you can buy at a Lowes or Home Depot, but if you're like me, you prefer not to use chemicals. In my gardens, I always have to consider the animals and children that tend to play in them. Hence, todays topic. A friend sent me an email with the top ten uses for used coffee grounds, and one caught my eye:"Kitty repellent. To keep kitty from using the garden as her personal powder room, sprinkle grounds mixed with orange peels around your plants."
Well, who would have thunk it - coffee grounds and orange peels - two of my favorite smells - will repel kitties. Chalk one up for beneficial reuse of waste! And it won't screw up my olefactory experience when I garden, either - double-bonus!
Also, I thought I'd post the sucking bug repellent we recommend to our customers for use on veggies, etc. It works quite well, though it does require re-application after a rain. I've actually updated the recipe based on experience with the spray over time:
Soak 3 ounces of finely minced garlic cloves and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for at least 24 hours. Slowly add 1 pint of water that has 1/4 ounce liquid soap or commercial insecticide soap mixed into it (I do this in a quart jar that I can screw shut with a lid). Thoroughly mix by shaking (this is the best way I've found to emulsify the oil) and then strain the concentrate into a glass jar for storage. To make up spray for application, add the concentrate at a rate of 1 to 2 Tablespoons of mixture to a pint of water. If this is effective, try a more dilute solution in order to use as little as possible.
For other natural bug spray recipes, check out the internet. There are tons of resources for the natural gardening - and a lot of them are cheaper than running to the store to buy the latest pesticide. Here's a couple links to get you started.
Canadian Country Woman: Natural Bug Sprays
About.com Natural Mosquito Repellents
Suite 101.com Organic Pest Control
Do you have some tips for organic gardening or a link you'd like to share? Please do!
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