Julie's no roll crust

My friend Julie handed this recipe down to me. It's my quiche/ casserole crust. I like it because it's so dang easy. You just throw all your ingredient's in the dish, mix and form crust, and that is the total instruction, mix with a fork or hands then form it in your 9" dish. This is another not much in the fridge, and what do I need to use up type of dish. Very tasty too, mine usually stays together and makes a nice nutty crust. You can add lots of different things of course to suit what your making, I like adding Parmesan if I have it.    Molly.

1 cup flour

1/4 cup oil

2 TBLS milk, yogurt, or sour cream

1/2 cup chopped nuts

everyday granola

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup coarsly chopped pecans
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (at specialty or natural food stores)
3 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground or fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup dried friut

Preheat oven to 300. Line or spray a rimmed baking sheet w/ parchment, (I spray w/ oil). Mix first 7 ingedients in a large bowl. Stir honey and oil in a saucepan over med-low heat until smooth. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture, mix. Spread on baking sheet. Bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes, about 40 minutes. Cool, mix in fuit. Store airtight, stays fresh about a week.

pizza dough

As requested, here is my pizza dough recipe. It is so simple and I think a fine crust indeed. You can use any type of flour you want, I like whole wheat pastry flour because of its fineness and of course better for you than white. I buy it from bulk bins in the health food section of stores.

3/4 c water, warmed to 110 or so, the pinky test says the water should feel the same as the air on the pinky finger

                                                                                                                                              

 1 packet of yeast. 

                                                                                                                                     

1 teaspoon sugar 

                                                                                                                                        

1 3/4 c flour

                                                                                                                                                

1/2  to 1 tablespoon salt depending on how salty you like it. I think a whole tablespoon is too salty.              

Mix the yeast ,warm water, and sugar together and wait for the yeast to foam up, about ten minutes. Then mix in flour and salt. Mix. Turn the dough onto a floured surface knead a few times and roll out, using flour as needed. Oil a baking sheet, I use a 12" x 17" baking sheet, which fits the dough perfectly Put your dough on the oiled pan, you can fold the dough in half to make the transfer easier, and lightly oil the dough. Now this is your time to shine and be yourself, put whatever you can dream up on, there's a world of ingredients out there, I love meatlovers, now get crazy and follow your heart, and always be true to yourself and your heart, and the children of the world.  

Molly                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

colcannon mashed potatoes with ginger honey glazed carrots

Another way to get your greens in! I love greens and am always trying to incorporate them into meals, here is one way,  colcannon mashed potatoes; mashed potatoes with greens mixed in, a nice simple Irish dish that makes greens extra tasty.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

You make mashed potatoes the way you like them and greens the way you like them and mix together. I served it with ginger/honey glazed carrots and left-over Easter chicken and gravy, so it was pretty decadent around my house, but Id forgotten how good colcannon mashed potatoes are, they are so good.

And you can load up the greens in them. I use one whole bunch of kale to about 4 servings of mashed potatoes. Wash well and take the ribs off, no splashing!

...molly

The three bears 

Basic Bruschetta

*You will need the basics and go from there. The options are endless...

Ciabatta Bread

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Fresh Basil

Tomatoes with salt and pepper

Cheese

*Brush bread with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar and place face down on baking sheet. Top with tomato slices, cheese(just a sprinkle or it will be to oily), basil. Place in a 400 degree oven and bake until toasty brown. Squeeze a little lemon or lime to finish....jaime

Varying Tofu

As many tofu saute's that I've made, oddly I've never posted. Mostly because there is never a recipe but just concocting as I go. Primarily I make either Indian or Asian variations. This particular tofu saute was Indian.

In a food processer blend to a slightly chunky puree:

One small bunch of fresh cilantro, including stems

a few garlic cloves

large shallot

1 small onion

3 tbsp canola, grape seed, sunflower, or any plain oil

2 tbsp water

Tofu-

I like extra firm tofu, but whichever is your favorite.

Pat dry and slice into whatever size you like.

Put the tofu in a large baggie with some Turmeric and a little soy sauce

Dry fry some Indian spices:

Green Cardomon(you only need about 5 seeds)
Mustard Seeds
Red Chili or Red Pepper Chili flakesyour heat level( grind them up with a morter or coffee grinder)
Fenugreek or Methi Seeds

 Add the puree mixture to the dry fry pan of spices and simmer for about 10 minutes on  lowish until  the flavors have all fused together. Add some Methi powder now, its kinda salty so adjust any salt needs after adding this.

Add whatever vegetables, in this case I just used Broccoli and the tofu mixture. Don't stir everything together just yet....cover for a few minutes and let steam. Remove lid and stir. If you need more liquid just add a little water, and/or cover a little longer. Cook until the vegetables are done and server over rice topped with a fresh mint and cilantro.

Jaime

Sweet Tooth Fix

When you need a little sweet,  have peanut butter scoop with jam and a cup of milky tea...mmmm soothing

jaime

not so sinful sweet tooth

angel food is actually easy and fun to make....I've made the cupcakes, and deee-lish! In whole cake form it is just as good and easier than foolin' with individual servings. The only mod I made was using almond extract instead of vanilla, but just because I'm out at the moment.....anyway, follow this recipe and you will get and taste what you expect! enjoy sweeeeties, Jaime : )'

Remembering Grammy... Egg Foo Yung

I don't know if you all remember going to the Asian restaurant, Ho Si Gay over in Hyde Park by Larosa's when we were little? But I think about it from time to time and how Grammy always loved the Egg Foo Young, as well as I.  It's basically an egg, bean sprout, fish sauce, soy sauce, etc, patty fried up in a pan and then ladeled with brown sauce and served with rice. You can pretty much google for recipes and get the idea. Very easy to make and if you like Egg Foo Young you should give it a try!....Jaime

Weeknight Easy

Pinto Beans & Rice....This is a really quick night, healthy as you want, meal! The boys went crazy over this, and were improvising using it as dip the next day. I was planning on freezing the leftovers, but the boys demolished it! 

Pulse together  1/2 bunch of cilantro(leaves and stems), 3 cloves garlic, 1 dried chili pepper, 3 fresh jalepeno peppers( I like it hot, so 3 peppers, seeds and all), 1 onion, tsp each dried oregano and basil, and a splash of water. Pour the mixture into a pan with about 2 tbsp oil, let this simmer for about 10 minutes (Sauteing cilantro with other spices in oil and having that as a base to indian, mexican, any spicy dish, is my new favorite way of infusing a dish with spice!!!) Incorporate 1 big tbsp tomatoe paste to the mixture and saute for a minute more. Then add 1 can crushed tomatoes,3 cans pinto, 2 cans kidney (drained & rinsed) into the mixture and stir. Add some chicken broth or water just to get it looking a bit soupy and let this simmer for at least 20minutes, but the longer the better. Add liquid as needed just to keep the consistency as you like it. Server over rice with green onions, and sour cream, baguette and wine.......Jaime

Chicken Curry Pot Pie

Here you have all the goodness of a pot pie, but stuffed with chicken curry! I followed this recipe, including the pie crust pretty much as written. I used a caserole dish, because I had doubled both the filling and pie crust due to lack of  pie tins. We all loved the casserole pot variation and the crust was really outstanding. I would most definately use this pie crust recipe again! The picture from the original recipe shows how the filling looks.(my camera ran out of battery, so this was the only pic I got).

something to mention.... I was concerned how the the consistency of the filling would turn out. And one thing to be aware of is whatever thickness the filling is going into the pot pie before cooking,will not thicken by anything noticeable when it's all done.

I would definately make this again, and again, and again!!!

Jaime

Blueberry Strudely Bundt

I made Shared Sugar's  Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake for Austin's birthday and then again New Year's weekend. Both were indulging and easy to make! The first one I made was with all white flour, and the second I made using 1/4cup + 2tbsp wheat flour and the rest white The wheat flour makes it denser and more stable for the blueberries to sink into. However tastes are definitely not scacraficed, if you use only white flour. Just don't overload with too many blueberries, becuase it will make it harder for the bundt to hold it's shape because the blueberries are so heavy. I guess you could just follow the directions, but I always feel the need to modify something. Other than the flour, I followed the recipe to a "t". I love when recipes are what they say they are, and this one is!

*(Be sure to let it cool completely before knocking it out of the pan)



HAVE BLUEBERRY STRUDELY DAY!!!   jaime

I have made this crisp a few times, it was a tasty use of the surplus of pears and apples I had, and so easy and fairly healthy too. I like to make a big batch with a little less sugar and eat it for a couple days, you know leave a spoon in the pan. I know we all know how to make a crisp but I found this recipe way better than any of my crisps in the past. It's not so much what you put in, apples, pears whatever you fancy, but how you put the topping together, again, cold butter cut up and quickly pressed together. Here is the link,  bonappetit.com,  it is called a pear crisp with crystallized ginger or something of that sort. I did make it exactly to the recipe the first time and the ginger is so good in it. This one is an apple tart with walnuts, the nuts always toast up nicely, I do recommend using nuts.   Molly