Archive for January, 2009
Is Just Plain, Plain Out of Date? – A Rant
I pride myself in cooking most of my meals from scratch. I do however use some canned goods from time to time. It seems that we, as a society, are not happy with the current offering in our groceries. Manufactures are always offering “new”, “improved”, with flavors added to our selections. What used to be the norm, the products we were use to are now labeled “original” if available at all. When I reach for a can of diced tomatoes on the grocery shelf I expect to have a can of diced tomatoes in my hand. Plain old diced tomatoes; not tomatoes with roasted garlic, or tomatoes with Italian spices.
Are we so addicted to having more choices that we have to look, I mean really look for the “just diced tomatoes”? If I want spices or roasted garlic in my tomatoes I am perfectly capable of adding them myself. Don’t give me re-fried beans with sausage, or hot peppers or anything, just plain old re-fried beans. Don’t marinate my meat in the spices the manufacturer chooses for me and how about a plain, cheese pizza.
My wife is shaking her head now and saying I sound more like my father each day; sometimes that is not a bad thing.
P.S. I drink my coffee black.
2 comments January 29, 2009
Recipe of the Week – Flourless Chocolate Cake
I have been remiss in my posting lately, combination of having the flu and then a family trip to NJ, but I am back now and writing. For those of you who frequent this blog you may remember my previous posts about travel to NJ. This typically means large family dinners, good conversations and even better food. This time was no exception to either.
We started with Ravioli with Vodka Sauce and after a Stuffed Pork Roast we finished with grilled 2″ thick t-bones, but that is not the story. The story is the desserts. I decided to take about 6 desserts with me on the trip. This way everyone could chose their favorite or as it turned out, favorites. With so many to choose from the four nights provided an opportunity to give a few a try. The list of “suspects” included: Carrot Cake, Profiteroles with Hot Fudge Sauce, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Croissant Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce and Cheesecake. Needless to say: many diets will begin today.
Here is the recipe for the Flourless Chocolate Cake from the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Dana's Flourless Chocolate Cake
Dana’s Flourless Chocolate Cake
| Complexity: | Medium |
| Serves: | 10 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Happy Birthday (Celebration Meal Plans) |
| 8 | Tb | butter, salted |
| 16 | oz | chocolate, semi-sweet bits |
| 9 | large | egg, separated |
| 1 | cup | sugar, white |
| 3 | Tb | cocoa |
| 1 | recipe | chocolate ganache |
Preheat oven to 350. butter a 9” springform pan; line the bottom with buttered wax paper, dust with cocoa powder. Melt chocolate and butter together, allow to cool slightly. Separate eggs; beat yolks on medium for 1 minute, add sugar and beat until light yellow. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until just peaking. Blend cooled chocolate with egg yolks, add cocoa; fold in egg whites. Pour into pan, bake for 40-45 minutes. This is a very moist cake and an inserted knife should come out barely wet. Allow to cool for ½ hour prior too removing from pan. Pour chocolate ganache over top, leave on counter until ready to serve.
If you refrigerate this cake the ganache will lose its shine.
·Note: This is almost a soufflé; it will rise and drop, if the center caves in don’t panic. Fill with berries and pretend it was on purpose. It happens to all of us.
Add comment January 26, 2009
Time for that Summer Picnic – Really
(From the Dessert Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Country Apple Crisp
Country Apple Crisp
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 12 |
| Category: | Dessert |
| Meal: | Dinners for New Parents ( leave behind food to feed the viewing public) (Share-a-Meal Plans) |
| 3 | cup | flour |
| 3 | cup | sugar, white |
| 3 | lb | apples, peeled and sliced |
| 1 | Tb | cinnamon. ground |
| 0.5 | cup | walnuts, chopped |
| 3 | Tb | raisins, golden |
| 2 | cup | apple juice |
| 8 | Tb | butter, salted |
Spray bottom of 10 X 14 baking pan with PAM; mix 1/2 of the flour and 1/3 of the sugar together.
Sprinkle enough in pan to cover bottom about 1/2 “ thick. Peel apples and cut into slices, arrange evenly around pan.
Add nuts and raisins, sprinkle on cinnamon.
Mix remaining flour and 3/4 of the remaining sugar together, cover top with remaining flour/sugar mixture, add apple juice. Sprinkle top with remaining sugar. Cut butter into small pieces and dot top of crisp. Bake @ 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until the top is golden brown and crunchy.
This feeds a small army and is great for picnics.
Note: This recipe serves at least 12, if you scale the servings of this recipe you will have to use a smaller pan
1 comment January 13, 2009
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Add comment January 11, 2009
Recipe Contest Winner – Julie’s Spaghetti Carbonara
This is the last of the recipes from our recipe contest with three of our favorite blogs: funcraftsandrecipes.com, momcooks.net, lisacooking.com. Their readers were asked to submit one of their favorite recipes and Elizabeth, Lisa, Valerie and myself chose the best three from each blog. Besides appearing in our blog here each recipe will be published on the emealsforyou.com website.
Here is Julie’s winner – Julie’s Spaghetti Carbonara.
Julie’s Spaghetti Carbonara
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 4 |
| Category: | Easy Recipes I Can Cook |
| Meal: | other (General) |
| 1 | lb | pasta, cooked |
| 3 | oz | pancetta |
| 4 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 2 | large | egg |
| 0.5 | cup | cream, heavy |
| 0.5 | cup | cheese, grated parmesan |
| 1 | Tb | parsley, flat leaf |
| 0.5 | tsp | pepper, fresh cracked |
Cook the pasta (spaghetti) according to directions on the box; do not rinse. Chop pancetta into small pieces. Sauté in a pan until cooked, add garlic and cook until lightly browned. Mix cream and eggs in a cup; pour over hot pasta and immediately stir in pancetta and garlic. Stir until egg thickens into a sauce. Add grated cheese and parsley. Sprinkle with pepper and serve.
1 comment January 10, 2009
Recipe Contest Winner – Cindy’s Cauliflower Salad
We just finished a recipe contest with three of our favorite blogs: funcraftsandrecipes.com, momcooks.net, lisacooking.com. Their readers were asked to submit one of their favorite recipes and Elizabeth, Lisa, Valerie and myself chose the best three from each blog. Besides appearing in our blog here each recipe will be published on the emealsforyou.com website.
Here is Cindy’s winning salad – Cindy’s Cauliflower Salad. Check out the blogs above for more recipes.
Cindy’s Cauliflower Salad
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Salad |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 1 | head | cauliflower, florets |
| 3 | oz | cheese, parmesan, grated |
| 1 | envelope | Good Seasons Dressing |
| 6 | oz | mayonnaise |
| 8 | oz | peas, frozen |
| 1 | head | lettuce, Romaine |
Place the cauliflower in a bowl (large enough to mix
later). Mix the mayo, cheese and dressing mix and pour over
cauliflower. Spread the frozen peas over the mix. Cut lettuce into
bite-size pieces; place the lettuce over the peas. Let stand overnight.
Just before serving mix all together.
Add comment January 9, 2009
New Year’s Resolutions – We Can Help
Here we are at the beginning of another year and somewhere around here is my list of resolutions. Sometimes I think it would be easier to have the list printed and sealed under plastic so all I had to do was pull it out each January and then park it back in the drawer in February. Look, we all set out with the best of intentions but something always comes up and we are yet again waylaid from our goals.
This year we at emealsforyou will try to offer a helping hand in keeping some of those resolutions.
1. I resolve to lose weight - With proper Meal Planning and eating foods cooked from scratch; rather then out of a can or bag you may actually succeed. We will help you get organized, give you food options and even print a shopping list for you.
2. I resolve to feed my family better food – Again, we are here to help you decide what to cook. Stop those impulse driven Micky D’s meals and snacks and plan a well rounded and delicious meal for your family. Really, you probably spend 15 minutes in the take-out line, spend that 15 minutes and an additional 15 and you will be surprised at what you can make.
3. I resolve to spend more family time – Gather the kids around the table, put good food in front of them, you will be amazed at how easy it will be to get them there again.
4. I resolve to get my budget under control -Again, plan your meals, work with a shopping list, don’t impulse buy; sounds hard but come on, let’s get real, a few minutes here and there and you are home free.
Sorry, we can’t help you with the one about being a better person or how to treat your pesky mother-in-law with a smile insteat of a frown. Resolutions come and go; it’s once they become a routine that they last.
Add comment January 8, 2009
Back to Basics – Climbing Off the Dessert Bandwagon
(From the Soups Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Old Fashioned Chicken Soup
Over the last couple of weeks I have been able to justify, at least to myself, all the desserts I consumed. Holiday eating behavior; my diet starts after the New Year, all easy excuses to justify pigging out. Well, it’s the First of the Year and the clock is ticking.
My wife has been kicking around a cold for a few days so I decided to make a large pot of old fashioned chicken soup; just like my father made once a month when I was growing up. I’m sorry but I was spoiled in my developing years. Homemade chicken soup, not the kind out of a can, is something special and if you are not feeling right it is the best medicine money can buy.
This recipe makes a lot of soup, so much that you may be tempted to give some away to a neighbor. That’s what I did and still had enough to freeze for a later “health emergency”.
Old Fashioned Chicken Soup
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 10 |
| Category: | Soups |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 3 | Tb | oil, olive |
| 5 | lb | chicken, whole, cut up |
| 2 | tsp | salt, kosher |
| 2 | medium | onions, chopped |
| 1 | cup | carrots, diced |
| 4 | medium | celery ribs |
| 50 | oz | chicken broth |
| 70 | oz | water |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
| 0.5 | recipe | spaetzle |
This recipe makes a lot of soup and you will have extra cooked chicken leftover for another use. Heat a large soup pot, add the olive oil, when it begins to shimmer add the cut up and dried chicken. Brown, don’t burn, the chicken on both sides. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, and stir. Lightly brown the vegetables; add the broth and water and stir. Cook on a low boil for 20 -30 minutes; until the chicken is fork tender. Remove the chicken to a platter and taste the broth. Depending on the chicken, the broth may need to be reduced to concentrate the flavors. Cook on the boil until the broth is tasty. In the meantime, remove the chicken from the bones. Cut half the chicken into small pieces and add back to the soup pot. Once the soup is done adjust the salt and pepper to taste. (It is important to not add the salt prior to reducing; as the soup will become too salty)
Bring the soup back up to the boil. Drop the spaetzle batter into the boiling soup to form small dumplings.
Use the remaining chicken in chicken salad or tacos.
2 comments January 5, 2009
Recipe Contest Winner – Anna’s Crockpot Lasagna
We just finished a recipe contest with three of our favorite blogs: funcraftsandrecipes.com, momcooks.net, lisacooking.com. Their readers were asked to submit one of their favorite recipes and Elizabeth, Lisa, Valerie and myself chose the best three from each blog. Besides appearing in our blog here each recipe will be published on the emealsforyou.com website.
Here is Anna’s crockpot winner -Anna’s Crockpot Lasagna.
Anna’s Crockpot Lasagna
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 4 |
| Category: | Slow Cooker / Crock Pot Cooking |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 12 | oz | lasagna noodles |
| 1 | lb | beef, ground |
| 1 | medium | onions, chopped |
| 1 | cloves | garlic, minced |
| 8 | oz | cheese, mozzarella, shredded |
| 0.25 | cup | cheese, parmesan |
| 1.5 | cup | cottage cheese |
| 1 | 28 oz. can | Ragu, chunky, Gardenstyle Spaghetti Sauce with Tomato , Garlic and Onion |
| 1.5 | Tb | parsley, flat leaf, chopped |
| 1 | tsp | basil, fresh chopped |
| 1 | pinch | salt and pepper to taste |
Break lasagna noodles in pieces and cook according to the label. Brown the ground beed, onion and garlic; drain excess fat. Place all ingredients in a crockpot and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Add comment January 3, 2009
Recipe Contest Winner – Mimi’s Mexican Tilapia
We just finished a recipe contest with three of our favorite blogs: funcraftsandrecipes.com, momcooks.net, lisacooking.com. Their readers were asked to submit one of their favorite recipes and Elizabeth, Lisa, Valerie and myself chose the best three from each blog. Besides appearing in our blog here each recipe will be published on the emealsforyou.com website.
Here is Mimi’s winner – Mimi’s Mexican Tilapia
Mimi’s Mexican Tilapia
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 4 |
| Category: | Easy Recipes I Can Cook |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 2 | lb | tilapia |
| 1 | 10.5 oz can | Rotel, mild |
| 1 | 16 oz can | refried black beans |
| 1 | cup | rice, brown |
Prepare refried beans and rice as directed on the label. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Place tilapia in an oven-proof casserole dish; cover with Rotel and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve with brown rice and refried beans.
1 comment January 3, 2009
