recipes

Fermenting Food (Fermentools review)

Posted by Wendy on May 6, 2020 2 Comments

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way.

I don’t have much experience with fermented foods, but I’ve read that they’re very good for you (due to all the probiotics produced during the fermentation process). So I was curious about the idea of using the Starter Kit from Fermentools to give fermenting a try.

The Fermentools Starter Kit was designed to be able to turn any wide-mouth Mason jar into a fermenting vessel. You provide the jar, food, and distilled water; Fermentools provides the rest. The kit includes:

a glass weight specifically designed to fit inside a wide-mouthed jar
a stainless steel lid
an airlock
two rubber stoppers (one with a hole and one solid)
a rubber canning stopper
a 1-lb bag of Himalayan powdered salt
an instruction guide, which includes a recipe for basic saurkraut

When I first opened my kit and read the instruction guide, I didn’t fully understand all the terminology used (“airlock,” for instance), so I found a couple of helpful videos on YouTube to get me started. Then it was time to go to the store, where I bought some wide-mouth jars (I don’t can as much as I wish I did, so I only had a single regular-mouth jar on hand) and asparagus. I’d read that asparagus ferments really well, and I was able to get a fantastic deal on it at the store. I got home and started it right away. From what I’d read, you don’t need to add other stuff to the ferment if you don’t want to, so I opted to try just a very, very basic recipe. I prepared a 2% brine solution using the salt provided with the Fermentools kit and distilled water, poured it over my asparagus, added the glass weight to the top of the jar (this is to keep the food below the level of the brine for proper fermenting), lidded my jar, and waited.

To prepare the brine, all you need is non-chlorinated water (so no tap water) and the salt included in the kit. The salt is super finely ground so that it will dissolve in cold water. On the bag of salt, there’s a table to help you figure out the proper solution you need/want. On one side of the bag, it tells the number of grams you need based on the amount of water you’re using. On the other side, it gives an approximation gram-to-tablespoon ratio, so it’s more user-friendly for an average home cook.

Fast forward one week, and I took my jar out of the cabinet where I’d stashed it. (You’re supposed to keep the fermenting jar somewhere dark.) I was surprised to see that things were a bit bigger than they’d started. In fact, there was a bit of liquid coming up out of the airlock, which surprised me. It probably shouldn’t have, because upon rereading the instruction pamphlet, it says to leave extra space for this in your jar. But that was okay. It didn’t leave a mess in the cupboard or anything. I popped open the jar and gave each of my kids a piece of asparagus. I expected them all to love it because we love pickles in our house. And the teenagers did like it okay. But the younger crowd didn’t like it at all. I liked it okay, but it wasn’t my favorite thing ever.

I didn’t want this review to be a fizzle, so I tried my hand at fermented cucumbers. You know, because my kids like pickles. But because of quarantine, I didn’t have a lot of “off the wall” ingredients on hand (like fresh dill), so I again went with a very basic recipe: thickly sliced cucumbers and brine. I followed the same steps as I had for the asparagus, but this time I used a 3.5% brine solution. A few days later, Grasshopper and I tried the cucumbers. He didn’t like those, either. And frankly, I didn’t love them either.

So, thus far, our fermenting journey hasn’t been super successful. I’m not at a point where I’m considering giving up yet, but I probably will take a break until I can get my hands on some of those more unusual ingredients. I really do want to have a fermenting success story, but that hasn’t happened yet.

I do know, however, that some of my fellow Homeschool Review Crew members have done great things with the Fermentools Starter Kit, so go to the blog there and read some of those reviews. I know I plan to, just to see where I went wrong!

Blessings,

Ground Beef Sausage (method/recipe)

Posted by Wendy on April 16, 2020 Leave a Comment

We don’t eat pork, which means no traditional sausage. Usually I just buy turkey sausage, but with the quarantine and grocery stores being slow to restock, I can’t always find it these days. After looking around online a bit, I hobbled together a few different recipes for making your own sausage out of ground beef. It was based partially on what I had on hand, as well as what I know to be the flavors my family likes.

Ground Beef Sausage

3 pounds ground beef

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons fennel seeds

2 tablespoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon (or more to taste) crushed red pepper

Place all ingredients into a large bowl. Use your hands to mix all the spices through the ground beef as thoroughly and evenly as you can.

Divide the mixture into food storage bags in whatever portions make sense for your family (I do 2 meals out of this recipe, but we have a large family). Put the bags in the fridge to cure for at least 24 hours. After this time, you can either use or freeze your sausage as you would any other bulk sausage (spaghetti, biscuits and gravy, etc).

While this tastes pretty much just like a traditional sausage, it still behaves like and has the texture of ground beef. For that reason, it might take a time or two before your mouth understands what it’s experiencing!

Blessings,

The Best Chocolate Cookies Ever

Posted by Wendy on February 7, 2019 1 Comment

We like cookies. A lot. One day when I was looking for a new recipe, I found one for chocolate chip cookies, but with a twist: the dough is chocolate and the chips white. I’ve adapted it a tiny bit, and now am sharing our new favorite cookie recipe.

The Best Chocolate Cookies Ever

Makes 72 small cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/3 cup sugar (all white or half white, half brown)

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

~*~*~

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar(s) together. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.

3. Turn the mixer off. Add flour, cocoa, soda, and salt. Turn the mixer back on and let it run until the dry ingredients are just combined. Do not overmix or your cookies will be tough.

4. Roll the dough into small balls about the size of a “shooter” marble. Place on a baking sheet 1-2” apart (they will flatten but not really spread).

5. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a serving plate.

~*~*~

Blessings,

Recipe: Chicken Piccata

Posted by Wendy on July 10, 2018 1 Comment

One of our favorite places to eat is The Old Spaghetti Factory. Will and I were there recently and he decided to try something new: the chicken piccata. It was really good, so I decided to try to recreate it at the house so everyone could taste it without breaking the bank. This is the result, and it’s become one of absolute favorite meals.

Chicken Piccata (serves 6-8)

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into strips
flour, for dredging
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup white wine
1 cup lemon juice
2 jars capers
3-4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 pound spaghetti or angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions

Season the chicken strips with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. Cook them in a bit of oil until cooked through.

Remove the chicken to a plate and keep warm. Add the wine to the pan and cook it for a minute or two until the alcohol cooks off. Add the lemon juice, capers, and tomatoes. Cook until the sauce thickens a bit.

Place the chicken back in the sauce and stir to coat.

Serve over a bed of pasta.

It takes a bit of time to make this recipe because of the frying of the chicken, but it’s not too bad. I can normally get dinner on the table for our entire family in about 45 minutes using this recipe.

Blessings,

Sausage Etouffe (Recipe)

Posted by Wendy on May 29, 2018 Leave a Comment

One of Will’s favorite past times is going to a restaurant and trying something completely new. He’ll do this in “old favorite” restaurants as well as new ones we’ve never visited before. Recently, we went to a Cajun grill, and he ordered the Crawfish Etouffe (ay-too-fay). He described it as a “spicy tomato soup with rice and seafood.” I’m not a huge seafood fan (I like many kinds of fish, but not seafood in general), so I didn’t try any. But he found himself going back again and again for this dish because it was so good. He even took the older boys once, and when they got back they raved about it too. So one night when we were at the store with no idea of what to fix for dinner, he decided to look up an etouffe recipe. It was fairly simple with easy ingredients (except the crayfish), so we decided to give it a go, with one exception: we got a kielbasa for the protein instead. It was really delicious, and I’m so glad we tried it! Today I want to share our version of the recipe.

Sausage Etouffe

Serves 6-8

6 cups water
3 cups long grain rice
1 kielbasa, cut into small pieces
1 stick butter
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
2-3 cups water, or as needed
3-6 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning, more or less to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the rice in the water according to package directions.

While the rice cooks, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Cook the kielbasa and onions until the onions are soft. Add the flour to make a roux. Stir in the tomato sauce and water and cook to make a gravy/soup-like consistency. Add the green onions and seasonings; stir well to combine. Serve in bowls over the rice.

Blessings,

Recipe: Easy Guacamole

Posted by Wendy on February 6, 2018 Leave a Comment

Most of my life, I thought I didn’t like avocados. I grew up in a home where my mom didn’t use them, and they always looked kind of weird, so I never bothered to try them, assuming that I wouldn’t like them. About three years ago, we were at our friends’ house, and they made tacos – with guacamole as an optional topping. I decided to give it a shot, just out of curiosity, and wow! Now avocados and guacamole are one of my favorite things to eat. I’ve tried guacamole from lots of different restaurants, and some of them are okay (Red Robin, any local Mexican place) and some are not (Chipotle, Fuddruckers). The thing the “bad” ones have in common is an overpowering fresh onion flavor – I’m not a fan of raw onion (and that’s not a blind distaste – I actually don’t like it). So I thought I’d share my favorite recipe for making guacamole at home, which is the best I’ve ever had, in a restaurant or otherwise.

Easy Guacamole

1-2 avocados, depending on how much guac you need/want
Approximately 1/4 cup salsa (your favorite)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste

Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Scoop the flesh into a bowl and mash it lightly with a fork.

Add the salsa and spices and continue to mash and mix until everything is well combined. Taste. If it’s amazing, you’re done. If it’s only almost amazing, adjust the seasonings (salt is the one I always need to add more of) and try again until it’s exactly the way you like it.

Blessings,

Recipe: Artichoke Pasta

Posted by Wendy on December 21, 2017 5 Comments

Will was recently at a restaurant by himself, and he ordered something he normally wouldn’t – a pasta dish from a burger place. But he really liked it and decided to have us try to replicate it on our own. Here’s what we came up; he says it’s pretty close, and even if it wasn’t, it’s totally delicious. And the best part is that it works two ways: as a hot dish on its own (it’s a fantastic lunch), and as chilled leftovers in a pasta-salad type of way. The quantities I give will make a huge batch – enough for lunch one day and a side dish the next.

Artichoke Pasta

2 pounds rotini pasta (or your favorite bite-size)
Approximately 3 cups pesto-Alfredo sauce (we use 2 jars of Classico basil Alfredo)
1 bunch kale
2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped (but not too finely)
3-4 diced Roma tomatoes, or equivalent grape or cherry tomatoes

Bring a large pot of water to boil. While you’re waiting, get the kale ready by removing the leaves from the stems and chopping it roughly.

Add the pasta and kale to the pot together. Cook according to pasta box directions. Drain. (Don’t do what I did on picture day and forget the kale. It’s really much better if you cook it long enough.)

To the same pot, add the sauce, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes to heat the sauce and gently cook the vegetables.

Add the pasta-kale mixture to the sauce mixture and stir well to combine. Serve hot or chill and serve cold later.

Blessings,

Recipe: Angel Chicken Pasta

Posted by Wendy on December 13, 2017 Leave a Comment

One of our favorite things to eat is pasta. It’s easy, cheap, and can feed a lot of people with not too much effort. Finding a good sauce to make is even better. I found this one from AllRecipes a while ago, but I’ve modified it to make it even easier (and quicker!) for my family. The first time I made it for my in-laws, they both raved about how good it was, so I decided I wanted to share my version of the recipe here. I hope you like it too.

These quantities are for my family of 8. Adjust accordingly for your family size.

Angel Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

3-4 chicken breasts, diced

1/2 stick butter

2 packets dry Italian dressing mix

1 cup white wine (I use cooking wine since we don’t drink)

2 cans condensed Golden Mushroom soup (Campbell’s brand)

1 brick cream cheese (8 oz)

1 1/2 pounds angel hair pasta

Instructions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, cook the chicken in a touch of oil until no longer pink. Add the Italian dressing mix and white wine and stir to dissolve the dressing. Cook for a minute or two to evaporate the alcohol in the wine. Stir in the soup and butter; heat through. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted and heated all the way through.

Combine the pasta and sauce. Serve with your choice of sides (salad and bread).

Blessings,

Everyday Cooking (review)

Posted by Wendy on August 23, 2017 5 Comments

I’m always looking for new recipes, especially given our current living situation where there are tons of restrictions. So when the Homeschool Review Crew was given the opportunity to request Everyday Cooking from Everyday Homemaking, I said, “Yes, please!” I received a digital copy of the cookbook, which I printed out, hole punched, and placed in a binder for easy use.

Before I dive too much into the recipes, I want to talk about the introductory portion of the book. The author, Vicki Bentley, goes into a lot of effort to explain how to make everyday cooking as easy and time-budget-friendly as possible. For example, when coming back from the grocery store, make up a huge batch of meatloaf. Turn one portion of it into dinner that night by popping it into a loaf pan in the oven. Turn part of it into “Salisbury steaks” by making patties and placing them between pieces of wax paper in the freezer for another busy night. And use the last portion for a “ready to go” meatloaf, where all you have to do is put it in the oven and make your side dish(es).

Another idea she offers is to run a large pot of water full of vegetables and chicken pieces. Cook it all up, and when the chicken is done, debone and shred it, then package it up into meal-size portions (how much this is will vary from family to family). The cooking water goes in the fridge to let the fat harden, and then you can scrape that off and you’re left with homemade chicken broth. There are also loads of tips for making your meat (and therefore you grocery budget) stretch further.

After this section, there are a few pages of breakfast ideas. These are things that are easy to pull together without being full-blown recipes, including some that can be made the night before or put in the crockpot before bed so you have a delicious, healthy breakfast waiting when you wake up.

Then she dives into the “official” recipes. They are split up into several categories (you could call them chapters):

Appetizers, Dressings, and Drinks
Breads and Grains
Main Dishes, Soups, and Sides
Desserts and Snacks
Low Carb/Gluten Free Pantry Helpers

Then at the end, she wraps the cookbook up with several sections of general kitchen guidelines:

Basic measurements and helps
Meal planning and shopping hints
Basic cooking skills
For Students: food and nutrition mini unit
Basic kitchen accessories
Kitchen equipment
Slow cookers vs. Pressure cookers
Pressure cooker tips and favorites (including recipes)
Index

Porcupine Meatballs recipes from Everyday Cooking

Once I got my cookbook printed and bound, I started going through it to get ideas for dinners for the next few weeks. The first one I made was Porcupine Meatballs. This is a recipe that my husband grew up with, so I thought it would be interesting to try out a new version of it. Even though Vicki’s recipe was less sweet (it’s made with tomato sauce instead of tomato soup), it was a huge hit with my family – including my very picky step-mother-in-law and my father-in-law who has severe dietary restrictions (he’s recovering from cancer and chemo). We liked these meatballs so much that I’ve already made them twice. The second time, I was working on the fly and didn’t have the exact right ingredients (I had to puree up some canned tomatoes because I was out of sauce, for example), but it didn’t matter. They were still delicious.

Beef Pot Pie using the leftover “Mom’s Roast.”

A day or two after the success of the meatballs, I pulled out the two roasts I’d bought from the freezer (yes, two – I’m feeding eight people!). I popped them into the slow cooker with the ingredients for the Mom’s Roast recipe, and later that evening, I just had to heat up some frozen vegetables and we had a delicious, nutritious dinner ready to go. There was even enough leftovers from the meat (another reason I’d bought two roasts – I wanted leftovers) to make a beef pot pie for dinner later in the week.

Chicken Broccoli Braid

The last recipe we’ve tried (so far) was the Chicken Broccoli Braid. Following the recipe, I made what turned out to be a chicken salad type stuff, then placed it inside a crescent roll crust and baked it all up together. This was definitely the most beautiful of all the recipes I tried. Beauty aside, though, we didn’t like it as well as the others. I’d tasted the filling before cooking it in the crust, and it was delicious. But once it was cooked in the shell and heated through, it was less impressive tasting. That said, I would definitely make the filling again and use it as a sandwich filler. That would be amazing!

Most of the recipes in this book don’t work for our current situation, unfortunately. My father-in-law can’t eat poultry; that eliminates all of the chicken recipes for dinners. (We had the Chicken Broccoli Braid one of the days when my in-laws were on vacation and it was just my nucleus family.) Beef is crazy expensive, so we don’t use it too often. And Everyday Cooking only has 3 pork recipes (our meat of choice for feeding 8 people on a budget). But… the recipes that I have tried have been slam dunks. I’m sure the rest of them (at least a large majority of them) will be, too. I can’t wait to find out!

Through September 5, use coupon code TOS10books to get 10% off Everyday Cooking or The Everyday Family Chore System. There are no limits with the code, so it’s a great time to stock up for holiday gifts.

Blessings,

Members of the Homeschool Review Crew are reviewing two books from Everyday Homemaking this week: Everyday Cooking and The Everyday Family Chore System. Click the banner below for links to reviews of both books.

Everyday Cooking and Chores Systems for your Family {Everyday Homemaking Reviews}

Recipe: Taco Rice

Posted by Wendy on July 20, 2017 Leave a Comment

One of the things I’ve struggled with the past few weeks is meal planning for people who have severe dietary limitations – no poultry, limited dairy, allergies to several fruits and vegetables, and a distinct hatred for most others (no, none of these issues are my kids – it’s the other grownups we live with right now causing the “problems”). Most of what we’ve been eating is pork chops and salad or tacos. I was looking for something different the other day to use up some ground beef I had on hand when I remembered one of my favorite simple meals – something I made up a while ago that I call “Taco Rice.” It fit the dietary guidelines, and is really yummy. Plus, it’s a one pot meal! Today, I’m sharing the recipe here. Enjoy!

Taco Rice (serves 6-8)

1.5 pounds ground beef (or turkey)
2 packets (or equivalent homemade) taco seasoning
4 cups water (instead of the amount listed on the seasoning packets)
1 jar nacho cheese
2 cups uncooked long grain rice (or 4 cups instant rice)

Cook and crumble the ground beef until no pink remains; drain fat. Return to pan and add seasoning, water, and nacho cheese. Stir to dissolve the seasoning and melt the cheese. Bring to a boil. Add the rice. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 20 minutes. If you’re using instant rice, follow the directions on the box for timing once you add the rice to the pan. Gently fluff the rice and serve.

I like to eat this either plain or scooped up with tortilla chips. It’s also good with a super simple salad, and would make a wonderful tortilla filling.

Blessings,

recipes

Fermenting Food (Fermentools review)

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Ground Beef Sausage (method/recipe)

Ground Beef Sausage

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