Labels

October 18, 2011

One pot "lasagna?"

I don't really know what to call what I made tonight but it was pretty quick and tasty. It reminded me of other recipes that I've seen for "skillet lasagna" so I dunno. Here's what I did

Cook 1 package of whole wheat egg noodles - boil water and cook for 6 minutes
Then add about 1/2 cup of frozen spinach to the noodle water to de-thaw (like 3 more minutes)
while that is all cooking throw about 15 to 20 frozen meatballs mixed with 1 can of Italian diced tomatoes into the microwave to heat up (about 5-6 minutes)
Drain the water and mix it all together in the pot; add a handful (or two) of shredded colby-jack cheese and half a can of tomato sauce. add a scoop of cottage cheese on top of each serving.

Peppered squash chutney

Great way to use the last of the summer squash. So good on hot dogs.
This is the real recipe but I only made like a quarter batch.
Ingredients 3 pounds yellow summer squash, finely chopped 3 pounds zucchini, finely chopped 6 large onions, finely chopped 3 medium green peppers, finely chopped 3 medium sweet red peppers, finely chopped 1/4 cup salt 2 cups sugar 2 cups packed brown sugar 2 cups white vinegar 4 teaspoons celery seed 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon ground mustard Directions In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Drain vegetable mixture. Rinse in cold water and drain again. Place vegetables in a Dutch oven. Add the sugars, vinegar, celery seed, turmeric and mustard. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until liquid is clear. Remove from the heat; cool. Spoon into containers. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. Yield: 4 quarts.

October 6, 2011

flour tortillas

This is really flatbread because it puffs up pretty thick. For tortillas use 1/2 to 2/3 t baking powder instead. I make it both ways and it is SO good. Its a major improvement from the store bought stuff. Just put it in a big ziplock bag and it keeps in the refridgerator really well. I loke to add a little garlic to the flatbread dough and use as pizza crust when I dont want to wait for the yeast to do the rising. Texas Flour Tortillas Ingredients:
2 cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)
After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.

Makes eight tortillas.