Big-time blogger Sissy Willis sent me a link to a post on "mindful eating" in connection with this post. A surprise for me.
Her post is packed with great ideas. Time for me to get serious about them. Less can be more. And the photos make her advice and experiences seem appealing. There's a link to the index for her "Cold Turkey Cookbook" in the sidebar.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Quick Lemon Cookies
These cookies are made from cake mix, so I can't eat them. They contain corn products. But you can make them start to finish in under half an hour - less if you have two cookie sheets and room in the oven for both.
They went over well at a little party I went to. Nice to have a box of cake mix around to make an emergency dessert from time to time. The recipe is pretty much the one on the cake mix box. They're supposed to be "crisps", but mine were kind of chewy with crispy edges. In summer, you can bake them early in the morning for an event later in the day. But I think one reason people liked the ones I made is that they were made the same day. Fresh counts for a lot sometimes.
Cookies
1 box Pillsbury Moist Supreme lemon cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
Sugar for dipping
Heat oven to 375ยบ. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs. Stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Place sugar in a shallow bowl. Lightly oil the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass and dip into the sugar. Flatten the first ball to about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with other balls of dough. No need to re-coat with oil. Bake cookies for 5 to 7 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool one minute, remove from cookie sheet to a rack. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Big Cookies: I made the balls of dough about 1 1/2 inches and baked for more than 9 minutes. Made 24 big cookies. I thought the smaller cookies might be nice as sandwich cookies. Mark said he would eat the big ones as sandwich cookies, too. Maybe with lemon curd, lemon curd and whipped cream cheese, quick butter/lemon frosting or cream cheese frosting. Someone suggested ice cream. That would take some work. I think I would prefer any of these as a filling or topping (added just before serving) to the icing recipe on the cake mix box (but I just don't like hard icing glazes). Since I can't eat them anyway, choose the one you like, or leave them "bare" like I did.
Half-recipe You can make half a batch of the big cookies on one cookie sheet. If you cover it with foil (shiny side up), mess will be minimal. Use half a box of cake mix, 1 egg and 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons oil. Don't go over level when measuring the oil.
To divide a cake mix in half, open the top of the inner bag and alternately measure 1/4 cup at a time into two bowls. Pack and level the mix into your 1/4 cup measure against your flat fingers (outside the bag). Switch to measuring spoons to evenly divide mix when you have less than 1/2 cup left. Return second half of mix to inner bag, roll up top and fasten with a clothes pin. Return to box for later. Probably best to use the second half of the mix within a few weeks.
Icing
This is the icing from the recipe on the box. I didn't ice mine. But the icing would add a little fresh lemon zing.
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 to 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Drizzle over cookies. Sprinkle with yellow-colored decorative sugar before the icing sets.
They went over well at a little party I went to. Nice to have a box of cake mix around to make an emergency dessert from time to time. The recipe is pretty much the one on the cake mix box. They're supposed to be "crisps", but mine were kind of chewy with crispy edges. In summer, you can bake them early in the morning for an event later in the day. But I think one reason people liked the ones I made is that they were made the same day. Fresh counts for a lot sometimes.
Cookies
1 box Pillsbury Moist Supreme lemon cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
Sugar for dipping
Heat oven to 375ยบ. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs. Stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Place sugar in a shallow bowl. Lightly oil the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass and dip into the sugar. Flatten the first ball to about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with other balls of dough. No need to re-coat with oil. Bake cookies for 5 to 7 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool one minute, remove from cookie sheet to a rack. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Big Cookies: I made the balls of dough about 1 1/2 inches and baked for more than 9 minutes. Made 24 big cookies. I thought the smaller cookies might be nice as sandwich cookies. Mark said he would eat the big ones as sandwich cookies, too. Maybe with lemon curd, lemon curd and whipped cream cheese, quick butter/lemon frosting or cream cheese frosting. Someone suggested ice cream. That would take some work. I think I would prefer any of these as a filling or topping (added just before serving) to the icing recipe on the cake mix box (but I just don't like hard icing glazes). Since I can't eat them anyway, choose the one you like, or leave them "bare" like I did.
Half-recipe You can make half a batch of the big cookies on one cookie sheet. If you cover it with foil (shiny side up), mess will be minimal. Use half a box of cake mix, 1 egg and 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons oil. Don't go over level when measuring the oil.
To divide a cake mix in half, open the top of the inner bag and alternately measure 1/4 cup at a time into two bowls. Pack and level the mix into your 1/4 cup measure against your flat fingers (outside the bag). Switch to measuring spoons to evenly divide mix when you have less than 1/2 cup left. Return second half of mix to inner bag, roll up top and fasten with a clothes pin. Return to box for later. Probably best to use the second half of the mix within a few weeks.
Icing
This is the icing from the recipe on the box. I didn't ice mine. But the icing would add a little fresh lemon zing.
In a small bowl, combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 to 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Drizzle over cookies. Sprinkle with yellow-colored decorative sugar before the icing sets.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Okie Squash and Tomatoes
Family Memories
David's Grandma used to fix this dish a lot in the summer, when they ate mostly out of the garden. It is a good way to use bigger summer squashes which are beyond the tender, baby stage which we prize (especially in the case of crooknecks or straightnecks) for more delicate recipes. But if the seeds have started to harden or the skin is tough, you'll have to seed and/or pare the squashes first.
While I was staying with Yvonne's family in Switzerland, her mother prepared sliced kohlrabi with tomato, onion and bacon and froze it for winter. It tasted something like "Okie squash and tomatoes" with a little cabbage flavor. I haven't tried freezing the squash, onion and tomato dish (no cheese until serving time), but I bet it would work.
David's Mom currently prefers to make this dish with bacon - no cheese - using fresh tomatoes. Jana recently did a layered variation using spaghetti sauce and roast beef. Vary at will.
Basic Ingredients
Squash to fill a 10 to 12 inch covered skillet (or a big electric skillet for a larger batch)
One medium onion (10-inch skillet), more for a larger skillet
Salt to taste
Fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce or diced or stewed canned tomatoes
Ground red or black pepper to taste
Optional Ingredients
• Bacon, fried until crisp, or diced ham
• Diced Ancho, Pasilla or other mild, fresh chiles, to taste.
• Roasted Jalapeno or other hot chiles to taste
• Italian or other seasoning to taste
• Cheese - cheddar, pepper jack, cheddar plus mozzarella, parmesan plus mozzarella, Swiss. Pair the type of cheese you use with the ingredients you add (pepper jack with fresh chiles, cheddar or Swiss with bacon, Italian cheeses with Italian spices, etc.)
Directions
Heat a large covered skillet over medium heat. Add some vegetable or olive oil (or bacon grease for authenticity) to lightly coat the skillet. If you plan to add bacon, fry the bacon first, drain away most of the fat and cook the onions in the same pan. Quarter and slice an onion into the oil or bacon fat and sautee until it starts to become translucent. You can continue to sautee gently until the onion caramelizes if you like.
Cut washed and trimmed summer squash into slices, about 1/2 inch, and cut into quarters if squashes are large. I like to use at least part zucchini for this dish - green or yellow. Pattypans and straightnecks or crooknecks also work. Start with the largest, firmest squash. Place in the skillet with the onion and sprinkle with a little salt to draw out some liquid. Cover while preparing additional squashes. Continue adding squash with salt and pepper to taste until you have a skilletful, or as much as you want. Cover, stir occasionally until the flesh of the squash starts to lose its white color, If you add tomatoes too soon, the squash may squeak on your teeth when you eat it.
Add a few peeled, diced tomatoes and/or a small can (about 8 oz.) of tomato sauce. For a big electric skillet full of squash, you can use a can (about 15 ounces) of stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes or tomatoes with Mexican or Italian seasonings. Add a little tomato sauce if you want the liquid to be thicker. Or use two cans of tomato sauce. Stir and simmer until raw tomatoes are done or until canned tomatoes are heated through.
Adjust seasoning. If you like, add some crumbled bacon or diced ham. You can also top it with cheddar cheese, a little Parmesan or other cheese of your choice. Cover skillet until cheese melts.
We usually skip the meat and top the squash with cheese. You may want to serve this dish in bowls if you make it with tomatoes rather than tomato sauce, because it will have considerable liquid. If you make it with tomato sauce, it's less invasive on a plate with other foods.
Nice for dinner, maybe with some Pinto beans for a real Okie experience. Also great for breakfast with buttered toast. Reminds me of my Grandma's stewed tomato, toast and cheese breakfasts on the farm. For a fancier presentation, spoon into individual oven-proof ramekins or casseroles, top with cheese and buttered bread or cracker crumbs and run under the broiler. If the weather's not too hot to turn on the oven.
For a Potluck
With a big electric skillet, you can feed a lot of people. Just increase the amounts of ingredients and use a bigger onion, or two onions. This recipe and Spanish Green Beans (below) are very popular at potlucks. You can make the bean dish in winter, when fresh squash is hard to come by.
Other Recommendations
You could also use Lagenaria gourds in this recipe - pared and seeded if large. These Italian gourds have some advantages over squash in the garden - they have no spines on their stems, have velvety leaves and are less susceptible to common squash diseases and pests. They are vining, and would be dramatic on an overhead trellis with the long fruits hanging down. One year I planted them with Trombocino summer squashes (also useful in the recipe above). These vining summer squashes are related to butternuts (C. moschata) and the plants are also free from spines. They tend to continue producing fruits after common summer squashes have given up. Their flavor and texture is different from the more common C. pepo summer squashes.
If you like this recipe, you might like another Okie dish, okra with onions and stewed tomatoes, or this recipe for "Spanish" Green Beans.
David's Grandma used to fix this dish a lot in the summer, when they ate mostly out of the garden. It is a good way to use bigger summer squashes which are beyond the tender, baby stage which we prize (especially in the case of crooknecks or straightnecks) for more delicate recipes. But if the seeds have started to harden or the skin is tough, you'll have to seed and/or pare the squashes first.
While I was staying with Yvonne's family in Switzerland, her mother prepared sliced kohlrabi with tomato, onion and bacon and froze it for winter. It tasted something like "Okie squash and tomatoes" with a little cabbage flavor. I haven't tried freezing the squash, onion and tomato dish (no cheese until serving time), but I bet it would work.
David's Mom currently prefers to make this dish with bacon - no cheese - using fresh tomatoes. Jana recently did a layered variation using spaghetti sauce and roast beef. Vary at will.
Basic Ingredients
Squash to fill a 10 to 12 inch covered skillet (or a big electric skillet for a larger batch)
One medium onion (10-inch skillet), more for a larger skillet
Salt to taste
Fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce or diced or stewed canned tomatoes
Ground red or black pepper to taste
Optional Ingredients
• Bacon, fried until crisp, or diced ham
• Diced Ancho, Pasilla or other mild, fresh chiles, to taste.
• Roasted Jalapeno or other hot chiles to taste
• Italian or other seasoning to taste
• Cheese - cheddar, pepper jack, cheddar plus mozzarella, parmesan plus mozzarella, Swiss. Pair the type of cheese you use with the ingredients you add (pepper jack with fresh chiles, cheddar or Swiss with bacon, Italian cheeses with Italian spices, etc.)
Directions
Heat a large covered skillet over medium heat. Add some vegetable or olive oil (or bacon grease for authenticity) to lightly coat the skillet. If you plan to add bacon, fry the bacon first, drain away most of the fat and cook the onions in the same pan. Quarter and slice an onion into the oil or bacon fat and sautee until it starts to become translucent. You can continue to sautee gently until the onion caramelizes if you like.
Cut washed and trimmed summer squash into slices, about 1/2 inch, and cut into quarters if squashes are large. I like to use at least part zucchini for this dish - green or yellow. Pattypans and straightnecks or crooknecks also work. Start with the largest, firmest squash. Place in the skillet with the onion and sprinkle with a little salt to draw out some liquid. Cover while preparing additional squashes. Continue adding squash with salt and pepper to taste until you have a skilletful, or as much as you want. Cover, stir occasionally until the flesh of the squash starts to lose its white color, If you add tomatoes too soon, the squash may squeak on your teeth when you eat it.
Add a few peeled, diced tomatoes and/or a small can (about 8 oz.) of tomato sauce. For a big electric skillet full of squash, you can use a can (about 15 ounces) of stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes or tomatoes with Mexican or Italian seasonings. Add a little tomato sauce if you want the liquid to be thicker. Or use two cans of tomato sauce. Stir and simmer until raw tomatoes are done or until canned tomatoes are heated through.
Adjust seasoning. If you like, add some crumbled bacon or diced ham. You can also top it with cheddar cheese, a little Parmesan or other cheese of your choice. Cover skillet until cheese melts.
We usually skip the meat and top the squash with cheese. You may want to serve this dish in bowls if you make it with tomatoes rather than tomato sauce, because it will have considerable liquid. If you make it with tomato sauce, it's less invasive on a plate with other foods.
Nice for dinner, maybe with some Pinto beans for a real Okie experience. Also great for breakfast with buttered toast. Reminds me of my Grandma's stewed tomato, toast and cheese breakfasts on the farm. For a fancier presentation, spoon into individual oven-proof ramekins or casseroles, top with cheese and buttered bread or cracker crumbs and run under the broiler. If the weather's not too hot to turn on the oven.
For a Potluck
With a big electric skillet, you can feed a lot of people. Just increase the amounts of ingredients and use a bigger onion, or two onions. This recipe and Spanish Green Beans (below) are very popular at potlucks. You can make the bean dish in winter, when fresh squash is hard to come by.
Other Recommendations
You could also use Lagenaria gourds in this recipe - pared and seeded if large. These Italian gourds have some advantages over squash in the garden - they have no spines on their stems, have velvety leaves and are less susceptible to common squash diseases and pests. They are vining, and would be dramatic on an overhead trellis with the long fruits hanging down. One year I planted them with Trombocino summer squashes (also useful in the recipe above). These vining summer squashes are related to butternuts (C. moschata) and the plants are also free from spines. They tend to continue producing fruits after common summer squashes have given up. Their flavor and texture is different from the more common C. pepo summer squashes.
If you like this recipe, you might like another Okie dish, okra with onions and stewed tomatoes, or this recipe for "Spanish" Green Beans.
First Tomato, Apricots, Apriums
We have had some triple-digit temperatures already this year followed this week by dramatic cooling. The Royal Rosa apricots are gone. The first ones were very bland. After withholding water for a few days (and with temperatures lower than the 100s), the rest of them tasted like real apricots. Texture was better, too. Royalty has been bearing big, mushy, sweet-tart apricots "on wind-resistant spurs" which the stray puppy likes. They remind David of the apricots from his Grandfather's tree. They splat when they fall. The fruits are so heavy that they fall as soon as they are ripe.
Flavor Delight Aprium started a couple of days after Royalty. Fruits are smaller and firmer than Royalty. They are not as sweet as normal. We may have to avoid watering for a while. I got one really intriguing, sweet, soft, perfumed Plumcot (LE Cooke) and several sort of bland ones
We got our first ripe tomato on the First of June. We were a little late getting plants in the ground. It was from a Bush Early Girl. Quality was pretty good. The skin was a little tough.
We're still getting squashes from the volunteers under the fruit trees. Quality is variable. I don't think planting F2 hybrid squash is the best idea in the world. The best squashes have looked like the progeny of Zephyr and Magda. We have some new plants started. Time for a recipe for Okie Squash and Tomatoes .
Flavor Delight Aprium started a couple of days after Royalty. Fruits are smaller and firmer than Royalty. They are not as sweet as normal. We may have to avoid watering for a while. I got one really intriguing, sweet, soft, perfumed Plumcot (LE Cooke) and several sort of bland ones
We got our first ripe tomato on the First of June. We were a little late getting plants in the ground. It was from a Bush Early Girl. Quality was pretty good. The skin was a little tough.
We're still getting squashes from the volunteers under the fruit trees. Quality is variable. I don't think planting F2 hybrid squash is the best idea in the world. The best squashes have looked like the progeny of Zephyr and Magda. We have some new plants started. Time for a recipe for Okie Squash and Tomatoes .
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