Rhubarb Barbeque Sauce

A super short entry with a super simple but scrumptious thing!   A couple nights ago I cooked some boneless pork chops on the grill.  I discovered that I didn't have any bbq sauce.  So I made some.

1 cup chopped rhubarb (in enough water just to cover)

I simmered that until it was soft (about 10 minutes).

Then I added:
1/4 ketchup (Trader Joe's organic)
1/4 cup brown sugar
a palm of black pepper
5-6 splashes of Frank's hot sauce

I brought it to a boil and then hit it with an immersion blender.

I think I might not be buying bbq sauce anymore!   

Quinoa and Vegetable Stuffed Peppers

Today was one of those non-stop Saturdays.  Early this morning I cooked up a batch of quinoa in my rice cooker and set it to cool in the fridge for this evening's culinary experiment.  (Now I know that not everyone likes quinoa and often it's because they think it looks weird.  Well, it does.  But it tastes yummy and is a good healthy thing to put in your belly.  So...close your eyes!)

Then I headed off to one of my churches.  (Have I mentioned that I am a minister to two small churches as well as a music teacher?)  I spent the morning painting the dining room ceiling...pink.  No, not really pink.  It was this really fabulous ceiling paint that goes on pink and turns white when it dries.  Fabulous invention!  Then it was a race home at noon to run errands like buying the hubby a new gas grill for Father's Day, a new ceiling fan for my bedroom, and all the seeds and seedlings for this summer's garden.  Oh, and groceries. Home again, home again and the garden got almost completely planted.  Will have to finish tomorrow.  

Now this is a cooking blog, so...here's what I made for dinner in Mamma Church's kitchen.  

I had bought two really lovely green peppers at my favorite vegetable stand called The Green Spot on KMD between Oakland and Waterville.  And when I say lovely, I mean lovely!   I cut the tops off and cleaned out the insides.

I diced up:
1 white onion
1/2 red pepper
the tops from the green peppers
a few mushrooms
some garlic

All that was sauteed for a few minutes in some olive oil.  Then I stirred in about half of the quinoa that I had cooked.  It was probably about a cup.  (The rest is in a baggie in the fridge for another adventure.)  To that I added some chopped fresh basil and a bit of Italian seasoning.  This mixture got stuffed into the lovely green peppers, topped with a small can of tomato sauce and a good handful of shredded mozzarella on each one.  The baking dish (yes, it was a vintage piece of Pyrex) was covered with foil and then baked at 350 for about an hour and 10 minutes...about how long it took to finish putting the seedlings into the ground.  

I had also purchased a few bunches of teeny weeny baby beet greens and steamed them for a side dish. 

Dinner was served in my favorite room of the house in the summer...the porch!  A lovely way to dine and a pretty darn tasty (and healthy) meal! 

A cold rainy day and a leftover rotisserie chicken....

It's a cold, rainy, nasty, dreary day today.  (Seriously?  It's June!)  I knew I wanted to make something hearty and warm and delicious for dinner.  An inventory of the fridge left me less than enthused.  But I did find the last of a rotisserie chicken that we'd bought on Sunday.  My husband had been eating off it all week for his lunches...chicken and raw veggies.  (Who is this man and what has he done with my husband?)  So there wasn't a lot left.  Fortunately, I have a pretty well-stocked pantry.  So here's what I did.  I guess you'd call it a chicken and white bean chili.

I put the chicken (bones and all) into a pot and boiled it for about 30 minutes.  This loosened the chicken from the bones for picking and made a light stock.  Probably there was about a cup and a half of chicken.  

I heated a bit of olive oil in my cast iron Dutch oven and added:
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 heavy TBLS of chopped garlic

I let that cook for about ten minutes and then added the chicken and two cans of Trader Joe's white beans (drained).  I probably added about 2 1/2 cups of of the stock.  I seasoned it with 1 TBLS chili powder, 1 TBLS dried cilantro and 1 tsp cumin.  Then it just simmered, deliciously, on the stove on low for about an hour.  (And it really smelled fabulous.)

Might I say that it tasted fabulous too!  Very filling and satisfying.  I topped each bowl with a spoonful of low fat sour cream.  And there is some left for lunch tomorrow. 

Needing to get back on track....but needing it to taste really good, too!

Well...I've sort of been on a food vacation the last couple of weeks.  Two weeks ago, it was a vacation vacation with lots of vacation food.  Last week, it was just crazy busy with very little time to cook.  So this week...back on track!
On Sunday I purchased a whole pork loin.  It weighed about 7-1/2 pounds.  I cut it up into two roasts and six chops.  

Tonight's dinner was a variation of a recipe I saw on Facebook called Crock Pot Parmesan Honey Pork Roast.  (Tuesday is often a "crock pot" day since I teach until 6:30.)

The recipe called for a 4-pound roast.  (Seriously?  There are two of us!)  So I suspect the one I had was about a 2-pounder.  And this is what I did...

The roast went into the crock pot at about 1:30 on low.  I mixed up a mushy goo made with:
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup honey
1 TBLS dried basil
1 TBLS chopped garlic
1 TBLS olive oil
and a heavy TBLS of low-sodium soy sauce

That got all mixed together and slathered on the roast.  I put the lid on and cooked it until about 7:15 on low.  (So about 6 hours.)

(My poor students.  The smell was really yummy and probably made it hard to concentrate on piano lessons since my teaching space is off my kitchen!)

When the roast was done, I took it out and let it rest on a board under some foil.  I mixed a heavy tsp of cornstarch with a little water and mixed it into the "juice" in the bottom of the crock pot.  Then after about ten minutes, I shredded the pork and drizzled it it with the sauce and served it with a side of Trader Joe's frozen green beans.   It was YUMMY!

 Note:  Remember, please that I am NOT a nutritionist.  I do look at nutrition information on recipes however.  This one said that a 5-ounce serving with about 3 TBLS of sauce would be about 330 calories.  I used about half the amount of honey and olive oil that it called for.  So perhaps it was less.  Regardless, it was a very satisfying way to get back on track tonight.  

Fiddlehead and Cheddar Quiche

I love the "seasons" of food.  I especially love Spring when things like fiddleheads and rhubarb are abundant!  Cooking with local, seasonal food is a lovely thing.  I suspect there won't be a lot of rhubarb pies coming out of Mamma Church's kitchen this year, but I'll try to find some good, healthy ways to use rhubarb.  Maybe one pie!  

This week we had our first good batch of fiddleheads.  We had them steamed with a wee bit of butter with dinner two nights in a row.  I had about 1 1/2 cups of them (cooked) leftover in the fridge yesterday.  And yesterday was also our big Spring Concert at school.  (Did I mention that I'm a music teacher?)  So time was at a premium.  Early in the day I baked a fiddlehead and cheddar quiche that could easily be warmed up for a quick, late supper.  Here's the result!

The recipe.....first you gotta make a crust.  Ok, you don't have to make a crust.  You can buy one.  Or you could make this crustless too.  Just generously spray your pie plate with cooking spray or brush with a bit of butter or oil.  I confess.  I never used to make pie crust.  I never made pie because I totally failed at crust!  But I finally found a fool-proof recipe and method for rolling it out.  Now...it's a piece of cake!  

The recipe was published in an old Marjorie Standish cookbook that I got as a wedding gift some 32 years ago.  This will make a two-crust pie.  I use it for one-crust too as I like a nice, tall fluted edge for a quiche.  yes, you waste a little, but the measurements are spot on with this recipe and I have it committed to memory!  And it makes transferring it to the oven so much easier before it's baked.

Here is the recipe:
1 3/4 cup flour (I use King Arthur UNBLEACHED All-Purpose.  I have made it with whole wheat pastry flour, but just use a bit more water.)
a pinch of salt 
1/2 cup oil  (I use canola oil for sweet pies and olive oil for savory pies.)
Stir just to mix...don't go crazy.
Add 3 TBLS cold water and stir just to bring everything together.  And you know, a hand is the best tool for this.  The dough should "clean" the sides of the bowl and form a ball.

I roll my crust out between two sheets of waxed paper.  No need to add extra flour which can make a crust tough.  Loosen it from both pieces of paper and roll onto your rolling pin and into your pan.  Trim and flute and it's ready to fill.

You can fill with just about anything.  Generally I use up stuff.  Veggies or meat and about 6 oz. of whatever cheese you have to just fill the pie shell.

For this quiche I used:
About 1 1/2 cups cooked fiddleheads
6 oz. shredded extra sharp cheddar
a bit of black pepper

That all gets dumped into the pie shell.  Then I whisked 6 eggs and 1 cup skim milk.  Yes, skim.  Relax.  It works out just fine.  Pour that over the filling.

Then bake the quiche for about 50 minutes at 375 degrees until the top is golden and it loses it "jiggle-ness."

It reheats well.  Great for any meal!
 

Same day. Healthier dish.

So after an afternoon of dipping marshmallows in dark chocolate and all sorts of delectable toppings and baking a Texas peanut butter cake (all for the "Dessert for Dinner" fundraiser), here's what's for supper in Mamma Church's kitchen.  And trust me, it's much healthier!

I modified a recipe that I found in a new Gooseberry Patch cookbook.  I took two boneless, skinless chicken breast halves and pounded them thin between some layers of plastic wrap.  Using my favorite cast iron skillet, I melted about 2 TBLS of butter.  The chicken was peppered and dusted (and I do mean just dusted) with flour and then cooked for 3 minutes on each side.  The chicken was pulled out of the pan and left to rest on a cutting board.  While the skillet was still hot I added 1 more TBLS of butter and a couple more "dusts" of flour and scraped the pan.  Next I added 1 cup of low-sodium, fat-free chicken stock and 1/3 cup of lemon juice and about heaping tsp of chopped garlic.  That all got stirred and simmered until it was "saucy!"   The chicken was sliced and placed back in the pan and topped with about 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms and an 8 oz. can of artichoke hearts.  Once that was all heated through, I served it with some baby brussel sprouts.  

I will be honest (as I promised I would be).  It was good, but not by favorite new dish so far.  The hubby liked it.  But I thought the lemon was a bit overwhelming and might cut back on it next time.  (It's odd, too, because I love lemon!)  I think I might skip the artichokes as well and simply pile on some baby spinach at the very end of cooking.

But all in all, a fairly quick, tasty and good for the body meal!
 

 

Not so...um...healthy. But for a good cause!

Yes, yes.  I know.  This is a blog about healthy cooking and healthy eating with real food and real expectations.  This post?  Not so much.
Tomorrow my Youth Group kids are hosting a fund-raising event for their mission project "Imagine No Malaria."  The event is called "Dessert for Dinner."  It will feature a buffet of tasting portions of a wide variety of sweet treats.....baklava, red velvet cupcakes, French meringues, decadent brownies, apple pie, peanut butter cake just to name a few!  Mmmmm.....
I have made these little treats.  Simple and oh so sweet.  Just marshmallow lollipops dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in English toffee bits, chopped pecans, or sprinkles.  Easy and fun!

A note:  For dinner tonight, it will be healthy and I'll post later!  Trying a new dish.....a lemon garlic chicken with artichokes and baby spinach. 

Spaghetti squash? Seriously?

Not everyone like spaghetti squash.  Well, I'm not everyone!  I happen to really like it!  It has taken my husband a bit of convincing, however, that this odd vegetable served with a really yummy homemade sauce can be just as good (or better) than plain old white pasta.

Someone told me to quarter the squash, seed it, and then boil it in salted water for about 20 minutes before scraping it into strands.  Yes, that's quick and easy, but I don't like this way of cooking it.  It seems to absorb too much water and then you are left with a soupy mess in the bottom of your pasta boil.

So I have experimented with a few methods.  This is the one I like the best.  I cut the squash in half and seed it.  Then I place it skin side up in my favorite old Pyrex baking dish that my daughter found for me at Goodwill for $4.00.  I put a pat of butter under each half and add a couple tablespoons of water to the dish. Cover it with foil and then bake it for about an hour and 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Just walk away and let it bake!  Take a walk.  Take a nap.  Whatever.  No peeking!    Then just scrape the insides of this weird squash and there you have it!  Spaghetti!  See?

Tonight I served it with some homemade marinara made from last summer's garden tomatoes and with peppers, carrots, and onions and a little bit of Italian chicken sausage.  Topped it off with some grated asiago cheese. 

A note:  This makes really good leftovers lunches too!

Meatloaf. It's what's for supper.

I used to be such a traditionalist when it came to things like meatloaf.  Ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, onions, green peppers, sometimes a little cheese and smothered with ketchup.  That served with lots of mashed potatoes and a veggie...yum!  But over the last couple of years, I've switched to ground turkey for almost everything.  I can't remember the last time I used ground beef.  There was a bit of resistance of the part of my husband, but I think he's come around, too!

So tonight, what's for supper at casa de Mamma Church?  Meatloaf!  Sort of.  Here's how I make it:

I use a package of ground turkey.  It's a bit more than a pound.  Then I drag my big old food processor out of the pantry (because I am lazy and hate grating things by hand) and grate a small zucchini, a carrot, 1/2 a green pepper and 1/2 an onion.  So yeah, it's "meat"and veggie loaf!  Sometimes ground turkey can be dry, but the zucchini makes it very moist.  

I skip the bread crumbs and use the dregs from the bottom of the rice cake bag.  (My usual breakfast is a brown rice cake with no salt peanut butter and raspberry jam.)   But if you don't have rice cakes, toss in a good handful of oatmeal.  I add one egg to bind it.  Season it anyway you wish.  I used just a bit of salt and pepper and some seasoning from one of the local markets called "Harvest Blend" which is like "Mrs. Dash."  Today I also gave a good squirt of spicy brown mustard too.  Then instead of ketchup (which has lots of sugar in it), I spread the top of the loaf with plain, old tomato sauce.  

Bake it at 375 degrees about an hour.   (As always I recommend a glass baking dish.)

Tonight's meatloaf will be served with some steamed carrots and green beans. 
This isn't anything difficult or flashy or terribly complicated.  It's just dinner.  But it's a good dinner.  Good for the body and for the soul.

Comfort Food!

When my kids were in college, I would get regular phone calls. "Mum, can we have a mac 'n cheese night?"  (We had waffle nights, too.)  And before long they'd show up, sometimes a dozen or so hungry college students.  Mac 'n cheese night involved lots of butter and cheese and pasta...lots of it.  I think they just would get cravings for some homemade comfort food and we were more than happy to have them here!

No college kids around anymore.  (Sad.)  But I still have days when I crave comfort food.  Today is one of those days.  No college days mac 'n cheese though.  This instead.  It's a broccoli mac 'n cheese with half the amount of pasta.  And here's how I make it.

Make a white sauce.  Do it however you wish, but can I recommend using skim milk?  I make mine with 2 TBLS of butter. (Yes, butter. Not margarine.  I really don't like using margarine.)  Melt the butter and whisk in 2 rounded TBLS of flour.  (I prefer unbleached flour for everything.)  Cook it for just a minute and then whisk in 2 cups of skim milk.  Add a bit of black pepper and a healthy pinch of nutmeg.  Once it thickens a little, add 6-8 ounces of cheese, shredded or just cut up into small pieces if you're like me and too lazy to dirty the grater.  I usually use a low-fat Celtic cheddar from Trader Joe's, but today I only had some TJ's cheddar-gruyere.  (Pretty darn good too!)  Let it melt and you have sauce!

Meanwhile, cook 2 cups (dry) of whole wheat pasta.  This is the brand I like, not because I am an organic freak, but because it tastes good!  And I like rotini for a dish with a sauce.   When the pasta is almost done, toss 3 cups of broccoli florets right in with the pasta.  I had frozen, so I used frozen.  But fresh works really well too.  Cook for another minute or two and then drain.  Add the sauce and pour into a casserole dish.  

I used to top my mac 'n cheese with lots of buttery, toasty bread crumbs or crushed Saltine crackers.  But I like this just as well.  I whiz about 1/4 cup of almonds in the food processor and sprinkle on top.  It's crunchy, nutty (obviously) and adds a bit of protein.  And it's good!

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees or until bubbly and lightly browned on top.  Let it set for a few minutes before serving.  And what do we eat with our mac 'n cheese at Mamma Church's?  Beets!  

A note:  I have no idea where I got them but I happen to have a bunch of these small glass pie plates.  They're about 6" across and 1" deep.  You could divide the mac 'n cheese into these and have really lovely individual casseroles.  

 Enjoy!  I know I did! 

Twenty minutes for dinner...

It's Thursday night in Mamma Church's kitchen.  I got home from an arts-based after school program at church and some violin lessons...late.  My husband got home from work...late.  And he had to be out the door in twenty minutes for a meeting of the fire department of which he is the Chief.  His meeting might last until at least 9 p.m. and I really didn't want to be eating dinner after that.  What to do?  The easiest thing to do would be to stop at Flying Pond Variety and grab a couple of sandwiches or some ready-made fried chicken.  NO!
So I went into my pantry and opened the fridge and found some things that I generally have on hand.  

I started with these pitas.  I like them a lot!  They are very yummy. Made by Joseph's, they are an oat bran and whole wheat pita. 

I had a can of my favorite pizza sauce (see pic below) in the pantry and some part-skim shredded mozzarella in the fridge.   Topped with some thinly-sliced white onions, lots of mushrooms, basil and garlic and stuck under the broiler for a few minutes and tada!  Dinner in under twenty minutes from prep to table!  (Yes, a set table even though it was a gobble-and-go meal!)  A little spinach salad with almonds and feta on the side made for a great, quick dinner.  Who needs fast food?

This is a brand of pizza sauce that I like to keep on hand.  I'm not an organic freak.  I just like this sauce.  It's thick and rich and flavorful.  And it's low in sodium.  

And yes, a disclaimer here...I like to make my own pizza dough.  (Remember?  I love to bake!)  But on a night like tonight, this was a great alternative,  And if you like thin-crust pizza, give it a try!

A hot, hearty and healthy lunch

So here goes!  My first meal post!  It's Sunday evening here in Mamma Church's kitchen and I am getting ready for a very busy week.  My husband packs a lunch for work every day.  And I take lunch with me a few days during the week.  It's so easy to grab a sandwich at the local sandwich shop or a burger at a drive-though.  Easy, but not so good.  Given the fact that we have had THE WORST, COLDEST winter in a long time, a hot, hearty and healthy lunch is a very good thing.  And this is it!

I

I found this recipe posted on Facebook a while ago...and then lost it!  But I tried it from memory.  The first batch was delicious.  And this, the second batch looks to be the same.

It's called "Un-stuffed Stuffed Cabbage." 

Brown a package for lean ground turkey (the one I had was about a pound and a half) with a chopped white onion and some chopped garlic in a Dutch oven.  (I just use my 4 1/2-quart old Revereware pan.)  Add a 28-ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes (diced if you like chunks of tomatoes, and crushed if you don't) and a small can of tomato sauce. Add one small cabbage chopped into bite-sized pieces.   Add seasonings of your choice.  I used an Italian seasoning blend (no salt) and black pepper.  Cover and simmer on low for about 30-40 minutes until the cabbage is tender.  You might need to add a wee bit of water or vegetable stock.   Serve with a little parmesan or asiago cheese on top.  It's scrumptious! 

This makes a big batch!  We can have it for dinner one night and then lunches for a couple of days.  It keeps well and reheats well for a nice hot lunch!

A note:  Maybe I am being over-cautious, but I don't ever take a lunch that needs reheating in the microwave in a plastic dish.  I only use glass.  (Plastic lids are okay because they don't come in contact with the food.)
 

Something new...

Actually, the only thing new about this is that I am a brand new blogger!  (So please be patient with me as I learn.)

What's not so new is that I love to cook and bake.  Ever since I was a little girl, the kitchen was a favorite place.  Perhaps I should have become a professional baker or chef.  Instead I am a minister and music teacher!  

About eighteen months ago, I was quickly approaching my 50th birthday.  In addition, my eldest child was about to be married.  I decided I did not want all those pictures of this mother-of-the-bride to be ones I'd want to hide.  So I did it.  I lost a total of 55 pounds by walking (a lot) and eating healthy.  The walking part was easy.  The eating healthy part...not so much.

The difficult piece was that I LOVE to cook and bake and I LOVE food!  So does my family.  Then a few months ago, my husband of 32 years was diagnosed with an illness for which the only real remedy is healthy eating and losing weight.  And as much as I enjoy food, he enjoys it even more.  I knew this would be tough.  But in the last three months, it's gone well!  He has lost about 18 pounds and after the first couple of weeks, he stopped complaining.  I knew we'd achieved a real victory when one evening a week or so ago, he looked up from his healthy dinner and said, "I think I have gotten used to eating this way."  

So I am going to use this blog in response to a number of friends who have asked me to post some of my meal ideas, recipes, etc.  (It's not a Facebook kind of thing, I think.)  It's not meant to be everyone's cup of tea.  (Pun intended.)  I am not a nutritionist or a trained chef.  I don't always get it right and will be honest when I get it wrong!   I don't follow any particular diet trends.  I try to use plain, old common sense.  You won't find calorie counts and nutritional information.  You will find real food, reasonably-priced food, just good, healthy food.

Let me end this first post with this thought:  "Everything tastes better on a pretty plate and a set table."