Thursday, August 30, 2012
Monthly Recipes: August
Frozen Fruit Salad
1 pound frozen pineapple tid bits
1 pound frozen mango chunks
1 pound frozen blackberries (or a mix of frozen berries)
1 pound frozen cherries
segments from mandarin oranges/tangerines/other sweet citrus if you have them
Toss it all together in a bowl and keep in the refrigerator for at least two hours. It will be chilly, but not frozen when you eat it.
Smoked Chicken Salad
1 pound smoked chicken meat, cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, boiled, peeled & quartered
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 ear of roasted corn, kernels cut off
3 hearts of romaine, chopped
8 ounces feta, crumbled
1 pint small tomatoes, cherry type preferred (halved) or small salad tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
Dressing: I do this by eye and taste
lemon pepper
kosher salt
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
Toss salad ingredients together and season with dressing ingredients as you see fit. Toss again and serve for a light dinner.
Cinnamon Rolls with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
These are very easy to put together. The dough can be made by hand, in a stand mixer or even in a bread machine. They can also be made completely, up to the final rise, covered and put in the refrigerator, ready to be baked in the morning for fresh rolls.
Dough:
4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup sugar (I use vanilla sugar)
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon almond extract
Filling:
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup raisins - preferably sultanas (optional)
1 cup sliced almonds (optional)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled, to spread on dough
Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Butter an 9" X 13" baking pan well. Set aside.
Mix ingredients for dough in a food processor or by hand until thoroughly combined and a soft, smooth dough is formed. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for five to 10 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Allow to rise, in a warm place, covered for about an hour, until doubled in bulk. This can be done in a bread machine as well on the dough cycle.
Mix ingredients for filling in a medium bowl. Roll dough out on very lightly floured surface, to create an 18" X 24" rectangle. Brush dough with butter. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over dough. Sprinkle with raisins and almonds. Roll up from long end, seal tightly and cut into 1 1/2 inch slices.
Arrange in pan. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cover rolls and let rise for 45 minutes, or cover with foil or plastic wrap and put in refrigerator over night. If you are preparing these ahead of time, pull them out of the fridge at least 60 minutes prior to baking, bake uncovered. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Cool rolls for 5 minutes.
While rolls are cooling, whip together cream cheese, softened butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla and almond extracts. Spread thickly over top of cinnamon rolls and reserve some to pass with servings. Serve warm.
Funnel Cake
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
oil for frying
Mix everything but the oil with a fork or whisk. Heat about 3/4" oil in a heavy
skillet, we do this on med-high heat. Use a 1/2" spout funnel, close with
your finger and pour in about 1/4 C batter. Over the hot oil, remove your
finger and let batter run out in a spiral about 6" in diameter. Fry until
golden, turning once (they fry very quickly, maybe 2 minutes, tops). Drain
on rack over a pan or on paper towels, keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining batter, stirring before pouring. Sprinkle funnel cakes with powdered sugar. You can also put some strawberry jam in a squeeze bottle and squeeze that over the cakes and top with whipped cream, go nuts!
1 pound frozen pineapple tid bits
1 pound frozen mango chunks
1 pound frozen blackberries (or a mix of frozen berries)
1 pound frozen cherries
segments from mandarin oranges/tangerines/other sweet citrus if you have them
Toss it all together in a bowl and keep in the refrigerator for at least two hours. It will be chilly, but not frozen when you eat it.
Smoked Chicken Salad
1 pound smoked chicken meat, cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, boiled, peeled & quartered
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 ear of roasted corn, kernels cut off
3 hearts of romaine, chopped
8 ounces feta, crumbled
1 pint small tomatoes, cherry type preferred (halved) or small salad tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
Dressing: I do this by eye and taste
lemon pepper
kosher salt
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
Toss salad ingredients together and season with dressing ingredients as you see fit. Toss again and serve for a light dinner.
These are very easy to put together. The dough can be made by hand, in a stand mixer or even in a bread machine. They can also be made completely, up to the final rise, covered and put in the refrigerator, ready to be baked in the morning for fresh rolls.
Dough:
4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup sugar (I use vanilla sugar)
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon almond extract
Filling:
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup raisins - preferably sultanas (optional)
1 cup sliced almonds (optional)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled, to spread on dough
Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Butter an 9" X 13" baking pan well. Set aside.
Mix ingredients for dough in a food processor or by hand until thoroughly combined and a soft, smooth dough is formed. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for five to 10 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Allow to rise, in a warm place, covered for about an hour, until doubled in bulk. This can be done in a bread machine as well on the dough cycle.
Mix ingredients for filling in a medium bowl. Roll dough out on very lightly floured surface, to create an 18" X 24" rectangle. Brush dough with butter. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over dough. Sprinkle with raisins and almonds. Roll up from long end, seal tightly and cut into 1 1/2 inch slices.
Arrange in pan. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cover rolls and let rise for 45 minutes, or cover with foil or plastic wrap and put in refrigerator over night. If you are preparing these ahead of time, pull them out of the fridge at least 60 minutes prior to baking, bake uncovered. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Cool rolls for 5 minutes.
While rolls are cooling, whip together cream cheese, softened butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla and almond extracts. Spread thickly over top of cinnamon rolls and reserve some to pass with servings. Serve warm.
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
oil for frying
Mix everything but the oil with a fork or whisk. Heat about 3/4" oil in a heavy
skillet, we do this on med-high heat. Use a 1/2" spout funnel, close with
your finger and pour in about 1/4 C batter. Over the hot oil, remove your
finger and let batter run out in a spiral about 6" in diameter. Fry until
golden, turning once (they fry very quickly, maybe 2 minutes, tops). Drain
on rack over a pan or on paper towels, keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining batter, stirring before pouring. Sprinkle funnel cakes with powdered sugar. You can also put some strawberry jam in a squeeze bottle and squeeze that over the cakes and top with whipped cream, go nuts!
Labels: Frugality, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Menu Plan: August 26 - September 1
Our apricot tree is ripe, ripe, ripe. It has also given up on us, since we have neglected to prune it for so long, and lost three limbs in a thunder/wind storm a couple weeks ago. Rich still has a little to do, but God has taken care of much of the pruning. Now, to save the wood for fires. In any case, you will see us eating lots of apricots this week and next.
We are a week from starting school again, so things are busy here and I am getting last minute planning and orders done. It's a little crazy. We also got three cats about three weeks ago, so our children could have a cuddly pet instead of our invisible cat, and to keep the mice down this fall and winter. We introduced one of the kittens to the turkeys today. He was terrified. That was on purpose. We don't want them hunting the poultry. So far, so good, they want to get the starlings, robins, mice, and we're hoping they will go for the gophers and rabbits, too.
Today is Mariam's birthday. She is two! You may also remember that it is her name day as well. Because it is a Sunday, we are observing that tomorrow. Her birthday party is a little thin tonight, as Rich and Alexander are out of town helping our very good friends pack up a moving van and clean up their home. We'll still be doing cake and presents, but it may end up later than we wish.
Since I have been remiss about posting recipes this summer, I will post several of them this week. I have a smoked chicken salad recipe I promised two weeks ago, my cinnamon roll recipe (which I couldn't enter into the fair because it has a cream cheese frosting), my funnel cake recipe and a frozen fruit salad recipe I promised some weeks ago.
- Sunday Memorial of Mariam Baouardy (to be celebrated Monday)
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Sliced Apples, Gingerbread, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Loaded Steak Salad, Birthday Layered Cheesecake - Monday -
Breakfast: Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Kofta and Rice, Leyali Lubnan (a kind of custard with pistachios) - Tuesday
Breakfast: Spinach Egg Puff, Whole Wheat Toast, Apricots, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Sausage and White Beans with Tomatoes, Rustic Bread - Wednesday
Breakfast: Yogurt & Jam, Apricots, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Grilled Tuna Sandwiches, Veggie Sticks, Pickles, Plums - Thursday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Apricots, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Hot Dogs, Corn, Fruit Plate - Friday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Apples, Cinnamon and Sugar, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Dubai Style Falafel, Khoubz Araby (Pita Bread), Middle Eastern Chopped Salad, Hummus, Yogurt Sauce - Saturday
Breakfast: Lemon Soufflé Pancakes, Bacon, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Spicy Sausage Pasta, Fruit Plate
Labels: Birthday, Church Year, Family, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen
Sunday, August 05, 2012
Menu Plan: August 4 - August 11
We didn't do anything to mark the old date for the Feast of St. Dominic, so we'll be eating orange with our breakfast and a Spanish dish for dinner in his honor on the new date. We prefer to celebrate the older dates on the liturgical calendar, but this year Dominic's name day will be marked on the new.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Potato and Onion Scramble, Sliced Apples, Milk
Dinner: Leftovers, Cantaloupe - Monday - Feast of the Transfiguration
Breakfast: Biscuit Muffins Filled with Scrambled Eggs, Bacon and Cheese, Fruit, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Smoked Chicken Salad*, Chile Cheese Spoon Bread, Apple Fritters, Coconut Brown Sugar Cookies, Vanilla Ice Cream (a dessert for Jesus, Moses and Elijah) - Tuesday
Breakfast: Sausage and Butterhorn Roll Breakfast Egg Casserole, Fruit, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Bifteak Sandwiches, Cucumber Tomato and Onion Salad - Wednesday - Feast of Saint Dominic
Breakfast: Cream Cheese Pancakes with Orange Glaze, Iced Tea
Dinner: Spanish Potato and Onion Tortilla with Tomato Salsa, Canteloupe - Thursday
Breakfast: Pancake Muffins, Fruit, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Breakfast for Dinner, Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, Fried Eggs, Fruit - Friday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Leftover Biscuits, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Family Meal - Saturday
Breakfast: Family Meal
Dinner: Family Meal
Labels: Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen
