Signs of Fall

Recipes included in this post:  Lentil Soup and Maple Oat Bread

Overnight, fall arrived.  In a mere 12 hours the weather went from hot and humid to cool, windy and rainy - a predicted high of 52 for the day.  In addition to the scramble to find sweatshirts, fall is announced in our house by the appearance of a red dutch oven filled with simmering soup on the stove and the smell of fresh baked bread.  I can't lie, I am not thrilled with fall's arrival this year.  Summer has been on the cool side and I was hoping for more sunny days of 70s before it was over.  On the other hand, I have been itching to make soup and fall signals that soup is now back on the table as a dinner option!  While soup can be time consuming with all the chopping usually required, in many respects soup is an amazingly family friendly food, especially for busy families.  Instead of having to think through an entire meal and all its different components (main, side, vegetable, and fruit), soup is almost an entire meal in and of itself.  Add fresh bread and some type of fresh fruit (cut up apples and peeled clementines often suffice at our house) and dinner is on the table.  Soup can also sit on the stove and be eaten in shifts if needed, or it can be ladled out all at once to be blessed and enjoyed together.  Either way it is a one-dish wonder of tastiness and nourishment that warms on a cool day and makes fall weather tolerable if not all together welcomed.  Today I made an old family recipe for lentil soup passed down by my mother-in-law.  This simple soup has been enjoyed countless times by our family.  It is a fairly fool-proof recipe in that if you can chop, you can make this soup.  We eat this soup all fall and winter… in fact my family is probably sick of it by the time spring comes, but by then soup season is over.  

And of course, nothing goes better with soup than homemade bread.  Baking bread requires an oven, and like most people, I try not to frivolously use my oven in the summer, but come fall, it just seems natural to want to bake bread.  To be completely honest, I use to find baking bread intimidating.  I still do find most bread baking intimidating, but this recipe needs no special equipment, does not require a lot of expert kneading, and turns out great every time!  It goes especially well slathered with butter and a steaming bowl of the above mentioned lentil soup.  It is also great toasted the next morning with butter, that is, if there is any left.  

Lentil Soup

1 onion, chopped (honestly, I usually skip the onion)

1 large ham hock

1 package washed and picked through lentils

5-8 carrots, chopped

5-8 stalks celery, chopped 

2 bay leaves

a few cups chicken broth 

pepper

salt to taste as needed

Combine all the ingredients in a large soup pot.  Add water to cover.  Bring to a boil, turn down and simmer, partially covered, for two hours or more, checking the liquid level and adding water as needed.  When ready to serve you can add the juice of a lemon to give it a flavor boost and a nice golden color.  (This step is often missed in our house because we are usually in such a rush to get dinner on the table that we forget this step… that is even if we had fresh lemons. The lemon adds a nice depth to the flavor, but is unnecessary for the soup to be yummy anyway.)

Maple Oat Bread

I found this recipe in the Made with Love cookbook benefitting Meals on Wheels.  This brings up my obsession with cookbooks, my husband might say addiction to cookbooks (a topic for another post).  I am most thrilled with cookbooks that offer great recipes while supporting a good cause.  If you like this recipe and you think Meals on Wheels is a good program, I recommend checking out this cookbook. 

1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats, divided

1 cup boiling water

1 (1/4 oz) package active dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water (110 -115 degrees Fahrenheit)

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon cream or milk**

Put 1 cup oats in a food processor and whirl until coarsely chopped.  Transfer to a small, heat-proof bowl and add boiling water.  Let the mixture stand until it cools down to between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit.  

In a separate large mixing bowl, add warm water and sprinkle yeast over it, whisking until the yeast dissolves.  Add the maple syrup, oil, salt, cooled oat mixture, and 2 cups flour.  Beat until smooth (I use my standing mixer).  Keep stirring, adding enough the remaining flour until mixture forms a soft dough. 

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.  

Lightly grease a large bowl and add dough, turning once to coat.  Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size - about an hour.  Punch down the dough.  Grease a 9-inch round baking dish (I use a pie plate).  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a 9-inch round loaf.  Add dough to the baking dish.  Cover with the dishtowel and let rise until again doubled, 45 minutes or so.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Gently brush the top of the dough with the cream or milk and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oats.  Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes.  Remove bread from pan into wire rack and cook.  

** Note - the original recipe called for a beaten egg white, but I don't like to waste an egg, so I substitute half-and-half for this step.  

Written September 2014, posted October 10, 2014.  

Held Hostage by the Freezer Repair Tech

Featured recipes:  Maple Pancakes, Homemade Chicken Fingers

Our fridge/freezer is icing up... not a good thing to have happen when the warranty expires in three days.  So, between the hours of one and five this afternoon I will be waiting for a call from the service company saying that a senior technician is on his way.  This is a problem because between the hours of one and five I am usually doing something in the kitchen, and with five o-clock being close to when something might need to get started for dinner AND the fact that I need to prepare/cook for an upcoming long weekend at the lake, I feel held hostage by the fact that I need to stay out of the kitchen.  However, the need for a working fridge/freezer trumps all and I have to accept the afternoon "repair window."  

Not being able to be in my kitchen makes me anxious.  If the repair company could give me an exact time, I could plan around that time and actually get something accomplished - even if it is just mixing up the dry ingredients for pancake mix to take to the lake.  But without a specific time, this is not possible.  Having been through the repair process (unsuccessfully I might add) before, I know the counters need to be cleaned off and I need to be out of their way.  If I want to mix up pancake mix, it will need to be done before one o-clock.  

It also makes me anxious thinking about how I am going to get dinner on the table - quickly.  Chicken fingers come to mind.  No, not the frozen store bought kind.  The pre-packaged ones are fast and I am not opposed to using them under duress (summer home lunches is a good example), but nothing beats my recipe for homemade chicken fingers when it comes to a kid-friendly fast-to-the-table meal.  Now I have to admit that sometimes, as a grown-up, chicken fingers are not an ideal meal.  But the great thing about chicken fingers is that, while the kids can dip them in ketchup or BBQ sauce, parents can layer them over a bed of greens with fresh halved cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, and whatever else is on hand that makes for a great salad.  Paired with a steamed vegetable and fruit, you have a healthy and quick meal that both kids and parents will enjoy and one that allows the freezer service tech guy free range in my kitchen all afternoon and early evening.  

 

HOMEMADE CHICKEN FINGERS*

1/4 cup butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce

crushed crackers of your choice or (see note)

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into one-inch strips

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.  In a glass pie plate (or other shallow dish) melt the butter.  Stir in the soy sauce.  Put the crushed crackers in another pie plate or shallow dish.  Dip the chicken strips into the butter mixture, then roll in the cracker crumbs.  Place chicken strips in a single layer on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until chicken is done and juices run clear (I usually cut into the thickest strip to check for doneness).  

Note:  If using Ritz, I usually crush a whole sleeve.  If using Breton, I usually crush 1/2 a box.  

* This recipe can easily be made gluten free using either gluten free crackers or gluten free bread/cornflake crumbs and gluten free soy sauce.  

MAPLE PANCAKES

2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 eggs

2 cups milk

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

2 generous tablespoons maple syrup

splash of vanilla (or to taste)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  (I usually mix up the dry ingredients to take to the lake for an easy "pancake" mix to use for breakfast.  It is cheaper and better than the packaged stuff and we usually have the other needed ingredients at the lake anyway.)  In another bowl combine the egg, milk, oil, syrup, and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients just until combined.  Cook pancakes on a lightly greased hot griddle, turning when bubbles break on the top.  Cook until other side is golden brown.  

To be honest, at the lake my husband is the one making the pancakes while I sleep in.  Thank you hubby.  He usually adds more maple syrup and lots of vanilla.  We serve these with butter, maple syrup, sugar, whipped cream and some sort of fresh berries.  

Written August 27, Posted August 28

How Can You Cook In The Car?

If I had a dollar for every mile I drive carting kids to their various activities, I could probably retire.  If I had a dollar for every mile I drive carting kids to activities on Tuesdays, I would be wealthy.  Our Tuesdays during the school year are usually jam packed with activities - if I am not driving somewhere, I am waiting somewhere.  If we are lucky we get to eat a quick dinner as a family squished somewhere between activities, if not, we split up so that each child dines with a parent.  Cooking on these crazy days is always a challenge - how do you cook a meal, when you are in the car and not the kitchen?  Admittedly I am not always up for the Tuesday Taxi challenge and there are some Tuesdays when Noodles or Chipotle are the easy answer, if not the best answer.  

However, given that the Tuesday Taxi dinner dilemma has been around in our household for a few years, I have thankfully found some dinner solutions that can be largely made in advance and then quickly brought to the table, in shifts if needed.  Beef Stroganoff is one of these happy solutions and it was what I cooked this afternoon in anticipation of an afternoon of activities that will keep me out of the kitchen until dinner time.  The original variation of this recipe was shared by a family friend of my mother-in-law.  The original calls for cooking the Beef Stroganoff on the stove - not a good idea if you are not going to be home.  However, when my mother-in-law made it for us years ago (and my boys devoured it and licked their bowls) she cooked it low and slow in the oven because she was out for the afternoon.  The oven version has since become a staple in our household on busy nights when someone (or in this case something else) needs to do the cooking while I drive.  

I typically serve this over brown rice if the schedule permits me to get it in the rice cooker so it is cooked and warmed when we return home.  If not, simple (and quick) white rice or egg noodles work too.  Steamed broccoli and cut fresh fruit quickly round out the meal.  

OVEN BEEF STROGANOFF

2 pounds sirloin steak cut into one-inch (or so) cubes, trimmed of excess fat

olive oil 

6 tablespoons flour

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 to 2 cups sliced mushrooms (depending on family taste)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Whisk/mix together the flour, pepper, salt and paprika.  Put in a large tupperware with a lid, add the cubed sirloin.  Put the lid on the tupperware and shake to nicely coat the beef.  Heat the olive oil in an oven-safe skillet or dutch oven.  Add the meat and brown well.  (The original recipe used one pound of meat, but with two boys it was not enough.   With the two pounds of meat you could do this in two batches so as not to crowd the meat which would be more "chefy" but honestly I am usually pressed for time so I crowd it all in and it works fine.)  When the meat is browned well, add the broth, water, what is left of the flour mixture from the tupperware, and the mushrooms.  Bring to a boil.  Turn off the heat, cover, and put in the preheated oven.  Cook for two to two-and-a-half hours (or three) stirring occasionally (if you can).  For the last half-hour remove the lid to thicken (or you can thicken it on the stove if needed). 

Note:  You could add sour cream before serving (1/2 cup to 1 cup), but I never do because I rarely have sour cream on hand.  

Written and posted August 26, 2014

First Day of School Cookies

Today was the first day of school for my two boys - 5th grade and 7th grade.  Our tradition on the first day of school is that the boys come home to fresh baked Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies, a small surprise (usually a book) and a note as a special way to kick off the new academic year.  While I have a couple of chocolate chip cookie recipes that are really good, for some reason I always make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies on the first day of school.  I am sure it is because I equate oatmeal with healthy eating and therefore feel very content (perhaps smug?) with making a "healthy" cookie as a special first day of school treat.  Really though, it is a cookie and it has all the characteristics of a

great oatmeal based chocolate chip cookie - chewy yet crunchy and loaded with chocolate chips so you get crispy, chewy, chocolatey yummy in every bite. 

This recipe came about by accident the year my youngest went to kindergarten and I have been making it on the first day of school ever since (and in between too).  Wanting to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I looked through several recipes and finally settled on a particular recipe.  Midway through the process, I discovered that I was short on oatmeal... what to do?  I searched my cupboards for a substitute and for some reason Rice Krispies cereal caught my eye.  In place of the missing oatmeal, I added the "secret ingredient" and hoped for the best.  

They were a hit!  The Rice Krispies sort of melted into the cookie making them chewy and crunchy at the same time without taking away from the traditional oatmeal taste and texture.  My husband said they were so good I should enter them in the state fair baking contest.  That never happened, but I have made the cookies with the "mistake" Rice Krispies ever since.  They are especially good with a cold glass of milk and even better when shared over stories about first day of school adventures (or misadventures).

Naturally, I made these in the afternoon before the kids came home from their first day of school.  

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup shortening

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon hot water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups oatmeal

1 plus (mounded) cup Rice Krispies cereal

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Cream together shortening and sugars.  Add eggs, water and vanilla.  Whisk together flour, soda, and salt.  Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix well.  Fold in oatmeal, Rice Krispies, and chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded teaspoons on prepared cookie sheets.  Lightly flatten the cookies with a glass dipped in sugar.  Bake for 9-10 minutes until lightly golden brown.  Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets.  Remove to wire racks to cool completely.  

Written and posted August 25, 2014

   

Bumper Crop of Zucchini

This afternoon I found myself with some extra time... My older son was at a day camp and my younger son had a friend over and I was looking ahead to a weekend of fun with having another family to the lake.  To get a jump start on preparations for the weekend, I decided to make zucchini bread.  I have been making this zucchini bread for nearly 20 years, and it is a no-fail recipe that never ceases to delight the eater (myself included!).  

In addition to growing up eating this zucchini bread, I also grew up hauling water at my family's community garden plot.  Sadly, I never put two and two together - that the consistent watering would lead to a bumper crop of zucchini which in turn would mean mom's homemade zucchini bread.  This recipe is a wonderful way to use zucchini, and anyone who has ever had a garden knows that while a bumper crop of zucchini is a great thing, it is even better when you have good and simple recipes that use the zucchini.  

This quick bread is deliciously flavored with vanilla and cinnamon (three teaspoons of each), is super moist thanks to the zucchini and comes together in no time at all.  Then while it bakes, your house is filled with the aroma of warm cinnamon.  The original intent was to make a batch and then freeze it for breakfast at the lake.  It makes a great breakfast and if you toast it and slather it with butter, it is especially good, if not altogether healthy.  But it also makes a great snack, and anytime my kids spy this zucchini bread cooling on the counter, they immediately want a slice.  Thankfully the recipe makes two loaves.  So while one will be frozen for the lake, the other would be ready to eat just about the time my oldest arrived home from camp.  Warm zucchini bread after a day-long camp is not such a bad thing.  And, with any luck, there would be enough for breakfast in the morning, or to include as a treat in his camp lunch.  

I was not so happy about having to water the garden as a child, but I now have a garden so I can happily harvest zucchini and make my own bumper crop of zucchini bread that my family will more than happily eat!

ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

2 generous cups grated zucchini (peel included)

3 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325.  Butter and flour two loaf pans.  Beat eggs until foamy.  Add sugar, oil, zucchini and vanilla.  Mix lightly.  Blend dry ingredients with a whisk and add to wet mixture.  Blend together.  Pour evenly into prepared pans.  Bake for 1 hour at 325.  After an hour, test with a wooden toothpick.  If the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done.  If not, bake for another 2 minutes and test again.  When done, slide a thin knife around the edges of the pan to loosen.  Remove from wire rack and cool completely (if you can wait that long).  

Enjoy!  

Written August 13, 2014, Posted August 24, 2014

Afternoon Gourmet

So why would I want to enter the already crowded cacophony of blogs written by home cooks?  It is certainly not because I think I have something more inspired to add to the conversation, nor is it because I feel that any recipes I might write about are better than those already being shared by other home cook bloggers.  It is simply because I have something to say, and while what I have to say has been said (and in many cases said well) by many home cooks turned bloggers and cook book authors, I feel it necessary to say it if for no other reason than there is a notable legacy of why I cook and more importantly, why I cook for my family and friends.  

I cook because it is my hands-on way of telling others, and in particular my family, that they matter to me, that they are important enough to me that I want to invest my time, often free time, in caring for and nourishing them.  And not just nourishing their bodies by providing (mostly) healthy home cooked foods, but nourishing their souls by providing an environment where meals are shared together and those we love gather at the table to eat, converse and laugh.  I am quite certain that my two tween boys do not yet grasp the enormity of purpose that puts home cooked food in front of them on a daily basis, but perhaps by creating a physical record of why it is important to me, they will realize it is because THEY are important to me.  

The same is true of entertaining extended family and friends.  My husband and I have always enjoyed entertaining, but once we started inviting families into our home, it became about creating community and building relationships with families that shared similar values (and often similar aged children too!).  Providing a tasty meal and an enjoyable evening was our way of saying that we value not only the friendships of our children, but also our friendships with the parents.  The act of sharing a meal, of sitting together over home cooked food and sharing stories feeds a basic human need to connect with others.  There is nothing more satisfying than the sound of laughter filling a house from all angles as kids play and parents converse - quiet dinner parties are not for me - I want talking and laughter!

So why the name Afternoon Gourmet?  Quite simply, afternoons are when I find myself doing most of my cooking.  Whether it is planning/prepping a weekday meal for my family, preparing for a dinner party, or cooking for a weekend at the lake, I find myself busy in the kitchen in the afternoon. Of course, I don't do all my cooking in the afternoon, and I realize that most people do not have that window of cooking time.  However, it is in the afternoon that I find myself cooking and oftentimes musing that while I was hard-pressed to boil water when I was married, I now delight in preparing a meal or treat for family and friends.  It is these musings and very carefully vetted recipes that I hope to share with others.