Pressure cooking/Freezer Cooking

Another "not really a recipe, more of an idea of what I do" post.

I'm a freezer queen from way back. I love being able to pull things out of the freezer and have a great meal on hand at any time.

I use my pressure cooker to make large batches of things in short amounts of time. I use it for rice, steel cut oatmeal, chicken (whole), and potatoes.  I'm sure I will find more uses for it in the future.

Anyway - I have a digital cooker, so it's a little more idiot-proof and requires slightly less respect than the regular stove top one.

When I have  a bag of potatoes about to go bad, I peel them all, cut them - and throw them in the cooker with a small amount of water in the bottom (about a cup).

Mashed potatoes
I put the timer on for 10 minutes (once pressure is reached) and let it go.

Release the pressure, and drain the potatoes.

Mash as usual, and freeze in freezer-grade bags (I use a food saver).

These freeze great, and reheat like you made them that day. Major timesaver. (Just thaw then pierce the package and microwave about 5 mins, stir and serve)

You can, of course, use a regular pot on your stovetop - but it does take longer.

Rice
Freeze in ziplocks. Don't bother to thaw, just throw in the microwave and heat until steaming hot. 

Steel Cut Oatmeal

1 cup of steel cut oats
4 cups of water
a pinch of salt


Optional:
peeled, chopped apple pieces
cinnamon
brown sugar

Combine ingredients in pressure cooker pot, select high pressure and set 15 minutes cook time. (It took my pressure cooker 10 minutes to come up to pressure).
I then portion it out for breakfasts that I can grab and reheat at work. A bit of milk, and we're good!

Jalapeno Popper Chicken

No photo – the ones I took weren’t good, and I didn’t have time to spend on getting a great shot (aka – a chorus of CAN WE EAT NOW PLEAAAAASE from my family)

Ever had a jalapeno popper? They are a delicious, cheesy, spicy, gooey treat very popular in my household.  There are a lot of recipes for this around the web, but I took my inspiration*  from Mary Ellen, of Mary Ellen’s Cooking Creations who got it from The Cookaholic Wife

I double dip/crumb, because I think the thick, crunchy crumb is more reminiscent of a real jalapeno popper.

*ie, I saw the recipe – but then totally butchered it, so it’s really not much like the original .

INGREDIENTS:

·         Two large chicken breasts

·         Salt and Pepper

·         One (or two) jalapenos, minced finely (if you like a little heat – leave the seeds in)

·         3 oz cream cheese, softened

·         ½ Cup of grated cheese (cheddar, jack, colby – whichever is your favourite – pepper jack would be awesome too)

·         A pinch or two of red pepper flakes to taste (red chili flakes for the Aussies/Kiwis) (leave this out if you are a bit of a wimp)

·         2 Tablespoons cilantro, minced(fresh coriander leaves for the Aussies/Kiwis)

·         2 eggs, lightly beaten with a splash of water

·         1 Cup Panko breadcrumbs

·         1 Cup regular breadcrumbs

·         Vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2.       Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper

3.       Mix the jalapenos, cream cheese, cheese, red pepper flakes and cilantro in a bowl until it is well combined. Throw a dash of salt and pepper in there too

4.       Using a super sharp knife, make a pocket in the chicken breasts

5.       Divide your cream cheese mixture between the chicken breasts and close as best you can. (I used to use toothpicks, but found if I was gentle enough in cooking them, I didn’t need them.)

6.       In shallow plates – put panko in one, regular breadcrumbs in another, and the beaten eggs in another

7.       Dip the chicken breasts in egg, then regular breadcrumbs, then dip in egg again, and then the panko

8.       Heat vegetable oil in a fry pan, and lightly brown the chicken

9.       Place the browned chicken into a baking dish – and cook for around 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 170 (take them out to rest – they will reach 180 while resting)

10.   Yell at your husband to set the table, and then dig in. We ate this with some veges and a baked potato, but you can serve it with whatever you want!

The Cheesecake Factory's Cajun Jambalaya Pasta

My husband and I love the Cheesecake Factory. He loves the Cajun Jambalaya Pasta, so I have recreated it at home a couple of times, using a blend of different recipes around the web.

I must love him, dealing with shrimp (crustacean allergy) is not my favorite thing to do.

I hear this dish is great!
Adapted from here
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons Cajun spice blend (you can make your own, I got this at the store in the spice aisle)
• 4 (total) ounces red, yellow, green peppers, cut into strips
• 4 ounces red onions, cut into strips
• 6 ounces shrimp (shells, tails and veins removed - blech)
• 2 Tablespoons garlic, crushed/minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 teaspoons Cajun spice blend (not a typo - this does appear twice on purpose)
• 4 (normal sized) Roma tomatoes, diced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth mixed with 1 cup of clam juice
• 1 pound linguini pasta (fresh)
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (go on, get fancy)

DIRECTONS:

1. Heat olive oil in large pan (I use my wok). Put chicken into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle Cajun spice over chicken and into bowl. Gently toss chicken until each piece is evenly coated with the spice.
2. Add chicken into saute pan and cook until it is about half done. Add peppers, onions and shrimp into pan. Cook until shrimp are about half done. Add garlic into pan. Season all of the ingredients with salt, black pepper, and a little (or a lot) more Cajun spice.
3.  Add tomatoes and chicken broth/clam juice into wok. Gently stir ingredients together. Continue to cook until chicken and shrimp are done, and vegetables are tender.
4.  Drop pasta into boiling, salted water, and cook until "al dente."
5. We do this next step separately for each person - because one likes it "brothy" the other likes it a little dryer:  Place pasta into a really big bowl. Mix jambalaya mixture in, with the broth to taste. Transfer to serving bowl.
6. Garnish with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Not really a recipe, more of an idea, and to show you what I do.  I often make these in big batches and freeze them for a quick and yummy side during the week, with zero work.

INGREDIENTS:

• Several large baking potatoes
• Bacon
• Cheese
• Milk
• Butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bake your potatoes using your preferred method. I scrub several of them, prick them with forks and use the baked potato setting on my microwave.
2. When cooked potatoes are cooled, slice them in half.
3. Scoop out the center so you are left with basically the skin and little potato on the edges.  Be careful with it, you don't want to pierce the potato skin if you can help it.
4. Take the scooped out potato and mash with some butter and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Mix in bacon and cheese (I use green onions in mine sometimes too).
6. Scoop the potato mixture back into the skins, and top with cheese.
7. If baking right away - put in a 350 degree oven until cheese melts, and potatoes are heated through.
8. If freezing, wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze. On cooking day, thaw completely, then bake as above.

Brownie Waffles

Saw this in "Parents" magazine and immediately thought it would be a fun thing to try.

It's a brownie, but instead of baking it - you just pour the batter into your waffle iron and cook it until crispy.

The Teenager is a fan. The FutureFoodCritic will probably like it when he's older, and the FoodCritic wasn't home, so his opinion couldn't be sought.

I thought they were good - I'd probably make them again, and make SURE I had some good quality vanilla icecream. 


Here's what you need:
(INGREDIENTS):

• 1/2 C butter
• 3oz chopped unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 C flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 C milk

Here's what you do:
(DIRECTIONS):

1. Melt the butter and chocolate and stir until smooth.  
2. Add in the sugar, and mix well. 
3. Then add the eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt. 
4. Whisk in the milk and mix until smooth
5. Pour 1/2 cup to a cup of batter into a preheated waffle iron and cook until crispy.
6. Serve with vanilla icecream.

This made us 4 big waffles (shown above is 1/4 of a waffle)

Zucchini/Squash/Spinach Pasta Bake

We had an abundance of zucchini and yellow squash, so I modified a recipe that a friends sent me.  An unexpected source, found here, I adjusted it to what we had, what we like and the quantities (we like leftovers, and protein!) and made it as written below.
I'm actually not a huge fan of yellow squash, but it was really good in this dish. I would for sure make this again. I don't know how it will freeze, but have a small portion to test and see!  It was a good throw together on a weeknight. Would be even quicker if I had already cooked chicken, and leftover pasta! Give this one a go!


Source: Kraft Recipes

 INGREDIENTS:

• 8oz.  (1/2 of 16-oz. pkg.) pasta, uncooked (I used shells)
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked, diced
• 1 tsp. oil
• 3 zucchini, sliced
• 3 yellow squash, peeled and sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• ½ tsp. each dried basil leaves, oregano leaves and crushed red pepper
• 2 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 8oz cream cheese cubed
• 4 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (any kind is fine)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

 DIRECTIONS:

1.  Pre heat oven to 375ºF
2. Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package. 
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add zucchini, squash and garlic; cook and stir 3 to 4 min. or until zucchini is crisp-tender (not mushy) 
4. Add flour, basil, oregano and crushed red pepper, and cook and stir 1 min.
5. Stir in broth; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until thickened. Add cream cheese; cook and stir 2 or 3 min. or until melted. 
6. Drain pasta; return to pan. Add chicken, zucchini mixture, spinach, parmesan and 1 cup mozzarella; mix. 
7. Pour into casserole dish; top with remaining mozzarella 
8. Bake 10 min. or until mozzarella is melted, and beginning to brown on top
9. When it is done, let it sit for a few minutes, so you can get some good "slices" out, without it all falling apart.

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

With all the pumpkin recipes around, I wanted to make something NOT baked, and still use up the pumpkin I had in the cupboard.


I threw this together after dinner one night, and put it in the crock-pot.  Woke up to a delicious smell throughout the house.  Of course, I had to have chili for breakfast. Don't judge.


I froze portions of this for eating on a night where cooking dinner was just not going to happen.  There really is nothing better than when dinner time rolls around and you can pull something out of the freezer and have a good home cooked meal available with minimal input from you.  Also good to have around when extra guests show up!


Source: I found the recipe here


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1 pound ground turkey (can use ground chicken too if you want)
• Salt and pepper, to season meat
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced (I used a red one)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 Tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used Lawry's seasoned salt)
• 4 ounce can diced jalapenos
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 (15-oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed
• 1 can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 (14.5-oz) cans petite diced tomatoes with juice
• Toppings for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large heavy frying pan, add ground turkey, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the turkey is cooked throughout. Add cooked turkey to the crockpot.
   
2. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to the frying pan .Add diced onion and greed bell pepper and cook about 3 minutes, until the onion and pepper is just starting to soften. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, seasoned salt, and diced jalapenos. Saute a couple of minutes more. Put the onion mixture into the crockpot, then deglaze the pan with the beef broth and add that to the crockpot.
   
3. While the onions and peppers are cooking, drain the beans into a colander placed in the sink, and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears. Add beans to the crockpot. Add canned pumpkin and diced tomatoes (with juice).
   
4. Stir the mixture to combine ingredients, then cook on high for 4-6 hours (or on low for 8-10 hours), stirring a few times if you're home but the world won't end if you don't.
   
5. Serve hot, topped with your desired toppings.

Mozzarella Meatballs

Ever see Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares?  In one of them, there are twin guys who own a restaurant and stand out the front shouting "HOMEMADE MEATBALLS" to the traffic.  

I keep hearing those guys in my head when I think about this recipe...

In the interest of streamlining my evenings, I spent a few hours making these for the freezer. Most of them even made it in there! These are awesome for a quick meal (throw them in some marinara sauce, cook some pasta and HELLO DINNER!)

This recipe makes 120 meatballs, so you could for sure cut the recipe in thirds. Or in sixes.  But, having a bunch of these on hand is worth making the recipe as is, I swear!

Source: "Fix Freeze Feast"

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 lbs. lean ground beef
• 15 sticks of mozzarella string cheese
• 3 c. dry bread crumbs
• 2/3 c. milk
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 c. minced onion
• 2 T. minced garlic
• 1 T. salt
• 2 tsp. black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Remove string cheese from wrappers and cut each string into 8 equal pieces.  Place in a large bowl or 1 gallon freezer bag and freeze until it is time to form meatballs.
2. Preheat the oven to 500F.
3. Using your hands, thoroughly combine beef, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
   
   
4. Shape into 1- to 1 1/2-inch meatballs, around each piece of frozen mozzarella.  Seal meatballs well to keep cheese from oozing out. (I didn't do so awesome at this)
   
5. Place meatballs close together on lightly greased broiler pans or rimmed baking sheets.
     
6. Bake for 15 minutes.  Cool meatballs. See ... mine oozed!!
   
7. Flash freeze, then add them to a ziplock bag ready for whenever you need 6, 12 or 20 of them!
   

Simple Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Criteria for recipes for me is usually the EXclusion of cream-of-crap cream-of-something soups. So, when I saw this recipe, I was pleased that it was easy, and didn't require a bunch of ingredients I don't like or want.

I made this for a "freezer meal" swap with some friends.  I brought three pans of enchiladas, and came home with different dishes to add to my own share of the enchiladas in the freezer. (Our lovely hostess made chicken cordon bleu, twice baked potatoes, molten lava cakes, and a southwestern chicken/corn chowder, and there was also baked ziti and a chicken pot pie from the others). Kickass.

I found the recipe for this on Food.com and modified it as shown in blue.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb chicken breast , diced
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 8-inch flour tortillas , softened
• 1 1/2 cups grated monterey jack cheese or 1 1/2 cups Mexican blend cheese , divided
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies

DIRECTIONS:

1. In frypan, cook onion in oil over medium-high heat until transparent, then add in the garlic, cumin and coriander.  Add the chicken and cooked until, well... cooked.
2. Divide cooked chicken evenly between 8 tortillas; add 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese to each tortilla.
3. Roll enchiladas and place seam-side down in a baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.
4. Melt butter in a medium saucepan; stir in flour to make a roux; stir and cook until bubbly; gradually whisk in chicken broth then bring to boiling, stirring frequently.
5. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and green chiles; pour sauce evenly over enchiladas.
6. Top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese (baking dish may be double-wrapped and frozen at this point) and bake at 400° for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce near edges of baking dish is bubbly.

Thai chicken meatballs

We are a house that loves MEATBALLS. I will be posting another kind of meatball recipe soon, but for now - have a look at this one!


I found this recipe in a magazine (Every Day with Rachael Ray), and it was really good as an appetizer.  The original recipe did include a peanut sauce, but we hated didn't love it, so we used a thai sweet chill sauce (Mae Ploy) for dipping instead.  

Here's what you need:
1 lb. ground chicken
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated onion
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. vegetable oil


Here's what you do:
Mix chicken, cilantro, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, salt and pepper; roll into 1-tbsp. balls.
In medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add meatballs and cook through, 6 to 8 minutes.

Serve with a dipping sauce and enjoy!

Pesto Chicken Pasta

This one was made up as we went along, so it's not exactly... exact.  We also ate it in front of TV, and were starving (Future Food Critic would not go to sleep, so dinner was delayed), and didn't take a photo. I promise to get better at this! This dish was really good, really quick and really easy.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (12oz?) box of pasta - you pick the shape
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• Broccoli - about 2 cups
• 4 oz cream cheese (I used fat free)
• 1 1/2 cups (ish) milk (I used 2%)
• 4 Tbs prepared pesto
• Parmesan cheese
• Oooh toasted pinenuts would have been good in this.  Add those too, if you have them
• Salt, pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook pasta according to box directions. Drain, set aside
2. Steam broccoli until cooked how you like it. Set aside
3. Season chicken and cook in a large frypan until brown and cooked through.
4. Add milk, cream cheese and pesto, and stir to melt the cream cheese and thicken the sauce - cook for 5 minutes or so. Taste and make sure you added enough pesto.  If not, feel free to add more. Go on.
5. Add in the cooked pasta, and steamed broccoli and stir until well combined.
6. Add in some parmesan cheese, some fresh cracked pepper and yell that dinner's ready.

This was even better the next day, and was actually really tasty COLD.  Who knew?

Hot caramelized onion dip

One word: YUM.
More words: Make it for your next gathering. This is something we really enjoy!

Source: Closet Cooking

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
4 large sweet onions (sliced)
1 4 ounce package of cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)
pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS: 

1. Melt the butter and heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onions and slowly caramelize on med-low heat for about 1-3 hours.
3. Mix everything and place it in a baking dish.
4. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the top is nice and browned, about 30-50 minutes.

Herb crusted prime rib

When I was newly pregnant, my doctor told me to cut back on the carbs, and bump up the protein.


My excellent friend, Courtney, took this to heart - and as a "woohoo, you're all kinds of knocked up" gift, she brought me beef.  Yep, beef.  The girl knows her stuff.  She also recommended a good way to cook it, using this recipe.  And brought the ingredients to go with the beef, so I didn't even have to shop for them.  Such a thoughtful gift, particularly in the fatigue filled first trimester.  I have some awesome mates. 


Mouthwateringly delicious, I served this with roasted veges, and some brussels sprouts. Heaven.


She also gave me the link to the recipe she uses, and it was phenomenal.From Epicurious

INGREDIENTS:

1 9- to 9 1/2-pound standing beef rib roast (about 4 ribs), all but thin layer of fat trimmed

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

3 1/2 cups beef stock


DIRECTIONS:
Place beef, fat side up, in large shallow roasting pan or on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle beef all over with salt and pepper. Spread mustard all over beef. Mix rosemary and thyme in small bowl; sprinkle over beef and press lightly to adhere. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Position rack just below center of oven and preheat to 450°F. Roast beef uncovered 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Roast beef 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons drippings. Roast beef  until thermometer inserted into center of beef registers 125°F for medium-rare, about 55 minutes longer. Transfer beef to platter; tent loosely with foil to keep warm.

Discard drippings from roasting pan. Place pan over 2 burners on stove top over medium heat. Add butter to pan and melt. Add flour; whisk until smooth and just beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Whisk in stock. Boil until sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. 

Earl Grey Peach Preserves

A friend drew my attention to this recipe, and said "If there was one recipe that would describe me I think this would be it"


I never really thought of what recipe would sum ME up, but I'm happy to report that in my pantry I have "Sabrina in a Jar" (2 of them, actually)


I happened to have enough of a pile of peaches (that I was canning/making jam/baking pies from) to make a double recipe of this.  SO glad I doubled it. 


If you are a fan of Earl Grey tea (I am), the smell of this in your kitchen will cause all kinds of joy to you.  The fragrance of the tea, perfectly mixed with the sweet peaches and a ton of sugar is fabulous.


SOURCE: http://www.eatliverun.com/earl-gray-peach-preserves/
Enjoy!


What you need:

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 earl gray teabags
• 2 1/2 lbs fresh peaches - peeled and sliced.  (Either use a blanching/ice bath method, or peel with a potato peeler)

What to do:
Place peach slices in heavy bottomed pot and cover with sugar and lemon juice. Open up one bag of tea and sprinkle in the leaves. Add the other two tea bags whole. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes until very thick.


Remove teabags and either can preserves according to proper canning procedures (click here see my post explaining about that) or just ladle into tupperware and let cool.

Preserves will last in sterilized cans for a year…or in tupperware for about two weeks.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Oh look! I finally decided to post a recipe!  Good thing I don't rely on my blogging skills for income, huh?

I’m so thankful that my stepdaughter likes to cook.  And likes to cook with ME! (Besides, having someone to help with dishes kind of rocks).  Her butt shaking technique (v.important) while doing the garlic chopper thing is coming along nicely. EVERYONE knows that you can’t have chopped garlic without a little wiggle while you do it, right? (Also applies to smoothie making, but that is another post)

After looking through some cookbooks, and getting a few suggestions from blogs (and friends), we decided to make this recipe.  It has been around the blogs for months, and I indeed I did make them probably back in May or June... but... now is when it's being posted.  Mmmkay?

We didn’t exactly have the right sized tortillas, so these were giant taquitos (and I could eat only one). 

They froze wonderfully, and were great straight from the freezer (but with a few extra minutes in the oven)

Source: http://annies-eats.net/2011/04/27/creamy-chicken-taquitos/ , who got it from someone else – I’m not entirely sure who to credit the original to!

Here’s what you need:

·         3 oz. cream cheese, softened
·         ¼ cup salsa
·         1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (if you have it, or that stuff in a bottle works too)
·         1 tsp. chili powder
·         ½ tsp. cumin (Look Mum! Cumin, AGAIN!)
·         ½ tsp. onion powder
·         2 cloves garlic, minced
·         3 tbsp. chopped cilantro (Coriander, Mum!!)
·         1-2 green onions, chopped
·         2 cups shredded cooked chicken
·         1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc. would also be good)
·         10-12 6-inch flour tortillas
·         Cooking spray
·         Kosher salt

Here’s how you do it:

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  (see my conversion page for … well, conversion to ˚C)

Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, spices, cilantro, green onions, chicken and shredded cheese.  Mix thoroughly until well combined.

Briefly heat the tortillas in the microwave to make them soft enough to roll easily, about 20-30 seconds.

Place a tortilla on a work surface.  Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling mixture down the middle of the tortilla.  Roll the tortilla up tightly around the filling.  Place seam-side down on a baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling, spacing the assembled taquitos evenly on the baking sheet.  Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt.  (You may be tempted to skip the sprinkle of salt, but it really adds a nice touch.)

(To freeze before baking, transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and chill the assembled taquitos 30-60 minutes.  Transfer to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag.  To bake from the freezer, simply add a few additional minutes to the original baking time, until the filling is warmed through.)

Bake 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.   Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

*tap tap tap* Is this thing on?

I have not been cooking lately, my appetite has not been what it should be.
I put it down to stress and a new job, and the weather and a bunch of other stuff.


Turns out - I was wrong, and  our little boy will be here in December!

Hot cross buns for Good Friday!

Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One ha' penny, two ha' penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons
One ha' penny,
Two ha' penny,
Hot Cross Buns!

Hot Cross Buns Recipe Link

You should make these, they're fabulous. I made them last year and the year before, (so won't reblog).  

You should make these.  I kind of insist.

And if you do, you should bring me some.

Basic Mustard Vinaigrette

With salad season just around the corner (okay, I live in Arizona, it's kind of ALWAYS salad season), here's how to make a quick vinaigrette to dress up a handful of leafy greens on your plate.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed 
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
• 5-6 tablespoons olive oil  
• pinch of dried parsley 
• pinch of dried thyme 
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 

DIRECTIONS:
In a clean jar or small bowl, add the vinegar, garlic, mustard and mix well.

Slowly add the olive oil while either whisking or stirring rapidly with your fork.

Add the parsley and thyme, salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasonings.

Not particularly pretty - but, it works!

Stovetop Oatmeal with Whipped Banana

A really basic concept, but also, pretty fabulous. This is a cold-weather favourite (and so, for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere - this is for you!)

I really like this recipe, because it doesn't require any added sugar, and is good with or without pouring milk over it.

Source: Adapted from www.katheats.com
Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup skim milk 
• 1 cup water 
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt  
• 1 banana, sliced thin 

DIRECTIONS:
In a saucepan, stir together the oats, milk, water, salt, begin cooking on medium heat.

Add the banana and continue to cook, stirring often, until oatmeal is fully cooked and banana has been absorbed into the oatmeal, about 7 - 10 minutes.

(Pay attention between stirs, the banana’s sweetness encourages burning.)

Serve immediately. Can be made ahead (and refrigerated) and reheated in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Apple dumplings

I made this recipe last summer, but just found it in my posts that I didn't publish yet.  Can't remember why, but it's good - so here it is.

This recipe is a spin off of a few I have seen around - I took what I liked, and left out what I didn't - and this is the result!

As you can see, I have a lovely assistant helping me (meet M - my beautiful step-daughter).

This was a big favourite while she was with us last summer (and so easy!)

• 1 can refrigerated flaky biscuit dough
• 2 apples - peeled, cored and cut into 8ths (I use a handy-dandy tool for that)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon mixed with 1/4 cup of sugar

1. Preheat the oven to around 350 degrees.
   
2. Separate the biscuits in the can, and then cut them lengthwise so you have 16 circles of dough.
   
3. Wrap each apple slice in one circle of dough
   
4. Put them into a buttered dish.
   
5. Put sugar, water, butter and vanilla into a saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved.
   
6. Pour over the apple dumplings, and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
   
7. Bake for around 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Enjoy!