Steak & Eggs

Steak with scrambled eggs is one of my favorite dishes.  The ingredients are mainly leftovers.  It's good for a brunch or dinner. 

The finished product -- too bad I didn't have some parsley to spread around for a more attractive presentation.  But, what the heck.  I did not think to take a photo until the eggs went in. 

Recipe

4 eggs
Two or three dashes each of Worcestershire, Tabasco, and dry mustard
1-2 Tablespoons of water -- makes eggs lighter
grated cheddar cheese or cheese of your choice, a handful or two
Salt and pepper
1/4-1/2 onion, chopped
Red, green peppers or both, chopped - leftover from another recipe and frozen
Steak, diced - leftover
1/2-3/4 cup of leftover cooked rice; brown, white or wild - it doesn't matter.

*Fresh tomato -- always good to add a small,  fresh, diced tomato about a minute before the eggs are done.
** Fresh, sliced mushrooms are a tasty addition. I generally saute the mushrooms when the peppers go in.

Put the eggs in a bowl; add salt, pepper, Worcestershire, Tabasco, dry mustard, and water.  Beat well, add the cheese and gently mix.  Spray a pan with Pam, add a little butter; saute the onions until clear; add the peppers and cook for a minute or two; add the steak and leftover rice, cook for a couple of minutes; and lastly add the egg mixture. Scramble until just right. 

Serve with toast or biscuits, salsa and/or flour tortillas for a breakfast taco.

I always feel so thrifty when I use leftovers because thrift is not one of my strong points.  :D

Until next time, God bless.  

A New Recipe of Sorts

As mentioned in previous posts, my tomato plants are producing like crazy.  I've dried some in the dehydrator, made salsa, given some away, and a friend told me Friday what she did with some of hers which I tried today.  The dish was fabulous.

No measurements, however, you just have to go with it.  Take a bunch of vine-ripen tomatoes, boil some water, drop the tomatoes in the water for about one minute, remove and dump into a bowl filled with ice water -- mainly ice, little water.  Remove after a minute or so, the skins slip right off, cut out the core and slice away into chunks, drop in a pot.  Chop up onions, green pepper, celery, a few garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and add just a little water.  Simmer on the stove for about an hour, give or take 15-20-30 minutes to reduce the liquid.  You are on the fly here and just have to do a little guess work.

While the tomatoes are stewing, saute chopped onions in a little olive oil and brown crumbled, extra-lean, ground sirloin (hamburger), drain off the fat.  When the stewed tomatoes look about right to you, dump in the browned meat, simmer some more for a while then serve over brown rice, or not; whatever suits your fancy.  The dish was totally delicious.  I can hardly wait until tomorrow for the leftovers.  :D 

I think I'll try canning tomatoes next or do more salsa since I learned from a "salsa queen" that tomatoes need not be seeded.  If you will recall in the last blog entry or so, I spent hours and hours preparing the tomatoes for salsa with the result being two pint jars plus one 8 ounce jar.  My enthusiasm for making salsa waned when I thought the tomatoes needed seeding.  Now, I'm enthused again. 

Until next time, God bless.

Fruits of My Labor

Today was my first attempt at making salsa with tomatoes from my garden.

I started with these plus some more stashed in various places.

Popped the tomatoes in some boiling water for about 45 seconds and transferred to a bowl of ice water.  The skins slipped right off. 

I've got to tell you that slipping the skins off was easy; it's the seeding and coring that is a pain.  It took about two

hours to get five cups.  YIKES!  Of course, the tomatoes were fairly small; I have two Big Boy bushes, two cherry tomato, one grape tomato, and two Roma.  Don't attempt to do the cherry tomatoes. 

But, I did drain the leftovers into a pan for some very, very good fresh tomato juice.

The juice was extra delicious since I knew where it came from.  A few seeds slipped through the colander.

I needed 7 cups of tomatoes to follow the recipe I found.  There was a choice.  Either do some more tomatoes or open a can of diced tomatoes.  Hmmmm......another hour?  Hmmmmm, 5 seconds to open a can?  Which would you choose?  :D 

The canned tomatoes gave me almost 7 cups for the recipe.  I chopped some green onions, part of an onion from my garden, 2 jalapenos, a green pepper, 4 cloves of garlic, some cilantro, salt, added about 1/2 cup of vinegar and about 3 tablespoons of lime juice.  Cooked on the stove for about an hour and 15 minutes to reduce the liquid, poured into sterilized jars, topped with sterilized lids, and water bathed in boiling water for 15 minutes in the pressure cooker. 

Are you ready to see the fruits of my labor?  Here it is.

Yep, you are looking a two pint jars and one 8 oz. jar.   Needs more jalapeno.  If I decide to do another batch, I may just go with canned diced tomatoes.  I will not eat eggs without salsa.   I am thinking of canning some garden tomatoes but you do not need to seed them; just remove the skins and core.  Thinking....thinking...thinking.  :D

Until next time, God bless.

Fresh Basil and Pesto

I searched the Net for some pesto recipes and combined ideas and ingredients from a couple of recipes.

Pick or buy some fresh basil.

Pull the leaves and stems off, wash, and then spin out as much water as possible.

Really pack about two cups of basil.

 

Chop the basil in the food processor along with 3 cloves of garlic, a small handful of raw pine nuts and/or walnuts, drizzle up to 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, add a little salt and pepper if desired.

Add the basil mixture to about 3/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese in a separate bowl.  Cover the container and refrigerate up to one week.  I mixed some Romano in with the Parmesan.  For a variation, mix fresh parsley or spinach in with the basil, not to exceed approximately the initial two cups. 

Pesto can be frozen in ice trays, but cover with a cling wrap to keep the basil from turning too much.  After it is frozen, remove and place in a zip lock freezer bag.  I'm doing the same to fresh basil by running the leaves through the food processor, putting it in ice trays with a little water added, covered with a cling wrap; after frozen, will remove from the ice trays to store in a freezer bag.

You are probably asking yourself why the tomato photo since it has absolutely nothing to do with pesto.  Well, the tomatoes looked so good that I just had to include the picture.  I'm planning to make salsa within the next day or so -- got to make a trip to the market to pick up some green peppers and some jalapenos in order to do the salsa. 

Until next time, God bless.

Artichokes, Tomatoes and Spaghetti

The Pioneer Woman has the most delicious spaghetti recipe that is a favorite with my hubby. This spaghetti dish was on the menu for today.




Get a pot of thin spaghetti going. Add some olive oil to the water in addition to salt, then sprinkle with olive oil after draining.

Saute onions and garlic, add a drained can of artichokes and diced tomatoes with juice, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add a little chicken broth, nutmeg, heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste. I used half & half because it was on hand, but I've also used skim milk.

Drain the spaghetti, put in a container, pour the sauce over it, add some fresh chopped basil and chives, then top with freshly grated Parmesan. Hubby dove in. A bowl of Bluebell Homemade Vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup will be dessert.

Go to the The Pioneer Woman link above for the correct measured amounts.

Until next time, God bless.

Load Up on Phytochemicals

I received good news on my annual and quarterly tests for which I am grateful. However, those tests brought me back to what I need to eat to give my body the necessary antioxidants and nutrients to stay healthy. In a way it is a full time job making sure the ingredients are on hand, particularly if one is not inclined to love cooking or the preparation of such. I am an inspired cook and eater; otherwise, I'll go for whatever is the easiest to fix.

When I had my health bobble in 2007 with breast cancer, I decided that it was my diet that was the major contributing factor in allowing the cancer to develop. I have no family history of cancer, did not take hormone replacements and exercised somewhat regularly. After the diagnosis, surgery, and as I was going through chemo, I started researching how best to change my diet to give my body the best nutrients to not allow those free radicals to go wild if at all possible. One of the things I discovered was phytochemicals and how to incorporated them in your every day diet. I was very diligent in doing so the first year; but as good health reports continued to come in, I started slowly reverting back to eating what is easiest to fix for the most part. However, with another good report, it came to me to get back to concentrating on what my body really needs to stay healthy.

Here is a recipe for a excellent breakfast smoothie incorporating all those foods that are loaded with phytochemicals. I do not measure but if the taste is not just right, something is added or subtracted on the next batch.

Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
1/2 Banana
Orange juice
Skim milk -- can use soy milk
Add a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt, if on hand
Tofu, if on hand
Flax seed, ground
Wheat germ
Wheat bran


Grab a handful of strawberries, fresh or frozen.


And, grab another handful of rasberries, blueberries, or any other kind of berry, fresh or frozen. When the berries are frozen, I let them sit in the orange juice and milk for a few minutes to defrost.


Use a half of a banana or a whole one if it suits your taste buds.

I grind the flax seeds in the coffee grinder.




Use a tablespoon or two of the ground flax seed along with a like amount of wheat bran and wheat germ.

Voile! The blender is ready to go.


Do not wait to develop a nasty medical condition to make sure you load up on phytochemicals. :D Do it now. If you want to know more, google phytochemicals because you'll find them in carrots, leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, pomegranates, rooibos, sage and teas.

Until next time, God bless.

Amish Bread

A friend gave me a starter bag for Amish bread. It is one of those recipes where you mush the bag for five days, add 1 cup each of flour, sugar, and milk. Mush for five more days. Pour the mixture in a non-metallic bowl on the tenth day, add 1-1/3 cup flour, 1-1/2 cup sugar and 1-1/2 cup milk, divide the batter into four separate one-gallon bags, give three away, keep one for yourself, and add the following ingredients to the left over batter in the bowl. Use a wooden or plastic spoon to mix.



Here is the recipe that came with my starter bag. Go to Cooks.com for variations as well as the recipe to mix your own starter bag.

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Add to the remaining batter in the bowl.

3 eggs
1 cup oil or 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
1 lg. box instant pudding mix
Optional: 1 cup chopped nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips.

Grease two large loaf pans. In separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Dust the pans with half this mixture. Pour batter into the two pans; sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture over the batter. Bake approximately 1 hour. Cool until bread loosens from the pan. You can make 6-8 mini-loaves; bake 45 minutes.



This is truly a wonderful bread and makes a great gift for any occasion.

Until next time, God bless.

What's For Dinner?

I have been breaking the habit of staying up into the wee hours of the night and there is a definite payoff. Take a look at this sunrise.


The clouds have been most unusual the past couple of weeks, don't you think?

Yesterday, I made a pot of cream of broccoli soup with broccoli from my own garden. Even hubby was impressed.

If you haven't grown broccoli, it is the easiest veggie I've found so far. Put it in the ground, water it, and up comes a beautiful head of broccoli. However, the draw back is only one head per plant. It would pay to grow from seed which I plan to do next year.

I combined a couple of recipes from Cooks.com. I like this site because it contains hundreds, perhaps thousands, of recipes and you do not have to register to get a recipe.

Here's the recipe.

Part 1
1 onion, chopped
2T butter
2 heads of broccoli
2 cans of chicken broth

Part 2
3 T butter
3 T flour
2 c milk
Salt, pepper
Cheese to taste

Lightly saute onion in butter, add broth and broccoli, cook until broccoli is soft. Puree the mixture and add to the sauce.

Sauce: Melt butter, mix in flour, add milk, salt, pepper, bring to a slow, slight boil until the mixture thickens. Add the pureed broccoli and cheese to taste.

Serve with crusty French baguette and a salad.

Add a cup of Pomegranate Green Tea for a drink and you are set.


Isn't this a lovely color?

Until next time, God bless.

New Year's Eve 2009

Waiting for the clock to strike 12, and it is goodbye 2009!

I must admit that I'm glad to see this year go. It has been a good year, but also I've been plagued with little nitpicking physical ailments. Ugh. It is patch, patch, patch after 60.

I've done some exciting projects this year from building a Backyard Botanical Garden as a first veggie/herb garden, to making shades for the utility room, to learning to weave on a loom at The Old Oaks Fiber Arts Center, to redoing the front bath and designing the fused glass back splash, which is on hold since I need to get to the glass shop to use the sandblasting machine. I cracked my right ankle bone on December 15 and am very hesitant to drive with the "boot." Hubby is my source of transportation. I have to gauge my trips, grocery list, etc., and going to the glass shop is not on the trip list. :D



I love to do projects/crafts because I avoid doing those things I really dislike, such as filing the mail. I can hide it in the desk drawers. In getting ready for 2010 and since there is no escape, I'm filing the mail. Things are going to be so organized for the New Year! What chore do you put off?


My stomach has not quite settled down from the virus that hit early, early Christmas morning, and I decided to make chicken noodle soup. Saltine crackers are getting old and chicken soup just about cures everything. lol And, since I am somewhat home bound, I asked hubby to get some egg noodles at the grocery. However, I did not totally trust him to get the correct item and found this egg noodle recipe online. The lack of trust panned out; he came home with elbow macaroni.



The soup and homemade egg noodles turned out very good. Here's the soup recipe:

1 whole chicken
1-2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 cup carrots
1 medium red potato, sliced very thin and chopped

Almost cover the chicken with water, add the onions, garlic, and bouillon cubes. When the chicken is done, remove the bones and return the chicken to the broth, add carrots, potatoes and noodles. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Do you have plans for this evening? I hope you have the very best New Year's Eve.

Until next time, God bless.

Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts

I just found this fabulous recipe at The Pioneer Woman Cooks and had to share. In addition, The Pioneer Woman cracks me up; she is a hoot.

Until next time, God bless.

Beef Stir Fry

Here is a recipe for one of our favorite meals, beef stir fry.

1 1/2 pounds lean round, sirloin, or flank, in strips
1 onion, sliced
8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms, or more if you like mushrooms
6 cups fresh broccoli
2 large green peppers, sliced
2 cups zucchini squash, sliced or in bite sized pieces
2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
Optional: carrots


Marinade

5-6 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of water
1 tsp. of ginger, more if freshly grated
3-4 T honey

Pour marinade over the beef and allow to sit 4 hours up to 24 hours.

Coat your pan with olive oil, saute onions, add meat and the marinade. After meat is cooked, add broccoli, then a few minutes later add the squash, and a few minutes later add the mushrooms, and then tomatoes. I try to keep the broccoli a little crunchy by not cooking too long and sometimes add more soy sauce.

Serve over rice -- brown, white or wild -- your choice.

Many times I divide the recipe in half for freezing after cooking the meat and onions.

Until next time, God bless.

Pizza Tonight, Veggie that is

If you like veggie pizza, give this one a try because I get compliments all the time when I bring it to pot luck gatherings. Hubby loves it too.

1 pizza crust,thick or thin, your preference

Pizza sauce

Shredded cheese, combo cheddar and mozzarella

I use the following order when adding ingredients. I do not measure the toppings but spread it around until the crust can hold no more. The toppings will cook down some.

chopped red onion
chopped green pepper
sliced zucchini squash
broccoli floret pieces
artichokes

Spanish olives
ripe olives
sliced grape tomatoes
8 oz package of mushrooms, sliced
Top again with cheese

Just before adding the last cheese topping.

Place in the oven at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted; veggies stay a little crunchy. When the pizza comes out of the oven, run a pizza cutter over it.

Additional toppings:

red pepper flakes
grated Parmesan cheese
parsley sprigs- full of antioxidants and settles the stomach

Voila! Hot out of the oven, sliced and ready to eat! Enjoy.

Until next time, God bless.

Cholesterol Overload

Every once in a while on a Saturday morning you have to make a breakfast, or brunch, that sends your cholesterol through the roof, at least that is the case at my house. This Saturday was one of those days; it has been no less than four or five months since we made such a brunch. I used what was on hand, but there are suggestions for additional ingredients.

Steak & Eggs

Eggs:
4-5 eggs
1-2 T water
Hot Sauce, 1 or 2 dashes
Worcestershire sauce, 1 or 2 dashes
Dash of dry mustard
Cheese, shredded, sharp cheddar is best
Salt and pepper

Beat eggs with all above ingredients including water, except cheese. It is said that a little water keeps eggs fluffy. Add and stir cheese into the egg mixture as the final step.

To the side:
Sliced and cubed left-over steak
Mushrooms, sliced
Onions, chopped, to taste
2 T butter

Optional ingredients:
Green pepper, chopped
Fresh tomato, chopped
Jalapeno pepper, about 2 crosswise slices, chopped or to taste
Left over, cooked rice

Directions

Saute' steak, onions, mushrooms, and jalapeno in butter. If adding rice, add it after the saute' ingredients are well heated. Add the egg mixture and scramble. Add the green pepper and fresh tomatoes a minute or so before the eggs are done, leaving the green pepper a little crunchy.
I did not have green pepper or a fresh tomato in the fridge, but those truly add to the scrambled egg dish.

Serve with pan fried potatoes - baked potatoes sliced then fried in butter, biscuits or tortillas for a breakfast taco, salsa, orange juice or fruit on the side.

This was our big meal for the day. After a breakfast like the one above, there is not much room for anything else. :D

As an aside, I had no time to dress up the presentation because hubby was so hungry that I barely had time to take a picture. And, I've also discovered that cooked eggs don't photograph very well, or I need to learn how to take better pictures. Methinks it is the latter. :D

Until next time, God bless.

Not Just Yet . . .

I was sure I would be on my way with working on the ring after church. Last night I decided to fire up the torch to do a couple of silver elements to be soldered on the ring. I turned on the propane tank and what did I feel and smell? A swishing of gas blew across my hand then the smell of propane filled the air! I disconnected the propane, put it in the car to do a refill swap which as I found out is not available at Tractor Supply. Our little town now boasts of a Home Depot but it was back to where I came from and decided to forget until later. I did call Home Depot and they do carry propane refills. Since I discipline myself to combine errands when leaving the house, I cannot go tomorrow, Monday, but have three specific errands on Tuesday. So Tuesday is the day to begin work on the ring, I hope.

In the interim, here's a recipe for Stir Fry Chicken, or any meat in the leftover category, or fresh category for that matter. Nothing is measured; if it it looks like the right quantity, that's it. If it isn't, I try to readjust the next time it's on the menu.

Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients

Two-three cloves garlic, minced
Sliced onions, we prefer purple
Sliced carrots
Sliced green peppers
Chicken (it can be leftovers or raw -- sirloin or flank steak, pork loin)
Broccoli florets
Sliced zucchini
Sliced mushrooms
Chopped fresh tomato(s)

Seasonings

Sea salt and pepper to taste
Mrs. Dash

Garlic powder if garlic cloves are not on hand

Soy sauce, low sodium if possible

Directions

Saute garlic and onions in olive oil, add meat, then each of the above ingredients as listed to allow enough cooking time for each vegetable. It doesn't take much time for mushrooms or the tomatoes so they are always added last. Also, I start seasoning after the meat is added.

Serve over cooked rice, white or brown.

Until next time, God bless you.