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Chewin'the NewsDecember 2000 |
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By Tara Wohlenhaus Edited By Nanci Slagle
Here in the United
States we have just completed our Thanksgiving celebration– a special
time to take a good look around us and realize how much we have to be
grateful for. Family,
friends, life, religious liberty, democracy, material wealth – the
blessings go on and on. I
hope that all who are reading this issue will take a few minutes to
consider how blessed you are and be truly thankful.
For those who are joining with me in these festivities, remember to make the truly important things your number one priority. Over time, people may forget the gift you give, so make sure they know about the love that is behind it. As children grow up, they may not remember specific events that happen, but they will remember the general impression and the atmosphere in your home. Was the time spent with you at the holiday joyous, peaceful, magical, worshipful? Or are things rushed, tense, too busy to enjoy? Are your decorations so perfect that no one is allowed to touch? Children will remember the fact that Mom or Grandma let them cut the cookies out all by themselves – they won’t remember that the cookies were misshapen, or that the gingerbread men had a missing arm or leg. They will remember that you praised their efforts. They will cherish the memory that you actually hung on the tree the gaudy ornaments they constructed of toothpicks, pipe cleaners, glitter and glue. This season, make sure you leave the right impression on the hearts and minds of those you love! In
this month’s issue:
(sung to the tune of Jingle Bells)
Dashing through the stores, Ingredients to find. I only need one more. I’m ‘bout to lose my mind. The dinner guests will come, Arriving right at five. The Checkout line’s a mile long, Hope I get home alive! Oh, Freezer food, freezer food, By 30 Day Gourmet, Could help the holiday run smooth And leave more time to play-ay Freezer food, freezer food By 30 Day Gourmet Put dinner in the freezer now And stresses go away – Hey!
Holiday
Cooking
Don’t forget…there
is still time to order The Freezer Cooking Manual or Holiday Freezer
Cooking for holiday gifts! We
offer next day shipping – and priority mail only takes 2-3 days.
For $1.00 we will also gift wrap.
To order, click here: Click Here for Ordering Information!
Yes, amazing but true, Thanksgiving is done and December is upon us! If you are entertaining this season, here is a wonderful, savory treat. Since the bread is baked while wrapped in foil, it also travels very well and will retain its warmth. Bloomin’ Bread1 one pound round loaf of unsliced bread (sour dough, rye, whole wheat, etc.) 12 ounces of cheese (Monterey Jack or sharp cheddar) ½ cup of butter or margarine, melted 3 teaspoons of poppy seeds ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce ½ cup of green onions,
sliced crosswise, very thin (on hand) Place a two-foot long sheet of foil on a cutting board or other flat surface. Place another two-foot long sheet of foil cross-wise over the first sheet. Place the unsliced bread loaf in the center of the foil, where the two sheets intersect. With a serrated knife, slice the bread into one-inch thick sections crosswise and lengthwise without cutting through the bottom crust. The bread will fan out. Slice the cheese into thin one-inch wide pieces. Insert the cheese slices between the bread layers. Stir the poppy seeds and Worcestershire sauce into the butter. Drizzle half of the butter mixture over the bread, trying to get it between the layers. Stir the butter mixture again and continue drizzling it over the bread. If you are going to freeze the bread, wrap it well in the foil and place it in the freezer. To serve the frozen bread, thaw it out thoroughly (about an hour), unwrap the top and sprinkle with sliced green onions, and proceed as below. To serve the bread immediately, sprinkle the green onions into the crevices in the bread. Wrap it well with the foil and place it on a baking sheet. Bake it at 350 degrees F. for about 15 minutes. Uncover the bread so that the top and sides are exposed to the heat of the oven and bake it an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is well melted. With oven mitts or two large spatulas, lift the bread onto a serving plate or platter. To serve, use a large fork to break off pieces of the bread. This will serve 8-10 people as an appetizer. Bonus
Recipes
Here is another great
December recipe. The colors
red, green and white are all visible in this festive entree dish!
My friend Donna thinks I should call this Popeye’s
Meatloaf. Italian Beef
Roll
½ cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs 1 teaspoon onion powder ½ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon ground coriander (optional) ½ teaspoon dried thyme (optional) ¼ cup of tomato paste 2 eggs 1 ½ pound of ground beef, turkey, pork, lamb, or a mixture of meats 1 cup of cottage cheese (non-fat is fine) 2 T. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese 2 T. fresh parsley 1 cup of chopped raw spinach 15” long sheet of aluminum foil 1 cup of chunky
spaghetti sauce
In a large bowl, mix
bread crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, coriander, and
thyme. Add the tomato paste
and one egg to the bowl and
mix well. Using clean hands
or a food processor, combine the meat and bread crumb mixture until they
are well mixed. The color
and texture should be even and smooth.
On the foil, spread the meat mixture into a rectangle that is no
less than ½ inch thick, about 10 inches wide and 12-14 inches long. Place the spinach leaves in a measuring cup or bowl.
Use scissors to snip it into small pieces.
Chop the parsley using the same method.
Combine the cottage cheese, remaining egg, Parmesan or Romano
cheese, parsley and spinach. Spread
the cottage cheese mixture over the meat, keeping it one inch from the
long edges and two inches from the short edges.
Gently lift the foil along a short side and carefully roll the
meat up (like cinnamon rolls). Press the meat together with your fingers
to seal the ends of the meat roll.
Pinch the meat together all along the width of the open end of
the meat roll to make a seam.
Grease the rack of a
broiler pan and place the meat roll on it seam side down. Bake it at 350
degrees for 60 minutes. Place
a sheet of foil over the meat, loosely fastening it to the pan.
Bake an additional 10 or 15 minutes.
Allow the meat roll to cool at least 20 minutes.
The longer it cools, the easier it will slice. After the cooling period, slice the roll into one-inch thick
slices. Arrange the slices
in a heatproof serving dish or in layers separated with a sheet of waxed
paper in a freezer bag. If
you are freezing the meat in a serving dish, spoon a little spaghetti
sauce over each slice, seal well with foil or slide the dish into a
freezer bag and freeze. If
you are freezing layers of the meat roll in a bag, either keep the sauce
on hand in the pantry, or pour one cup into a small zipper-style bag and
place it inside the freezer
bag with the meat slices, seal and freeze.
To serve, thaw the meat
roll thoroughly. If it is
in a serving dish, cover it with foil and heat at 350 degrees for 20 to
30 minutes until hot. If it
is in a freezer bag, arrange the meat in a heat-proof
serving dish, and spoon a little of the sauce over each slice of
the meat roll. Cover the
pan with foil and heat as directed above.
Serves 6 – 8. Savory Buffet PieThis colorful spinach
and cheese pie looks great and lasts well on a warming tray.
The pimiento is optional, but looks SO festive! 2 pie crusts, homemade or purchased 5 eggs, well beaten ¼ cup whipping cream (or milk if you prefer) ¼ cup Parmesan cheese ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 16 ounces ricotta cheese ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded ¼ cup onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 8 ounces fresh spinach, well washed and drained 2 tablespoons pimiento,
drained (optional)
Mix eggs, cream,
Parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt until blended.
Stir in ricotta cheese and mix well.
Stir in shredded jack cheese, onion, garlic and spinach and
combine well. Pour egg
mixture into pie shells. Sprinkle
pimiento evenly over the surface of the pie, OR decorate with the
pimientos by arranging them only around the outer rim of the pie, or
cluster them in the center. Gently
press the pimiento into the egg mixture to set them in place. Bake in a
375 degree preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until a knife
inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely; slice each pie into 16 slices for appetizer
servings, or into 8 slices for side dish servings.
Cover the surface of each pie with a sheet of plastic wrap. Slide pies with their pans into one or two-gallon freezer
bags remove excess air, seal and freeze.
This pie is good served thawed and chilled, or at room temperature as appetizers. For heated appetizers or side dish servings thaw, then reheat at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until the slices are heated through.
Treats
4 Kids
With all of the holiday
excitement going on, I thought it would be a nice idea if the kiddos
actually got to help make some of the treats.
Some children could make these completely unsupervised…. but
use your best judgement! Some
of these may be very familiar, and others of you may have tasted these,
but never made them before – give them a try! Instant
Russian Tea Mix
½ cup of instant tea powder 2 cups of orange-flavored breakfast drink mix (like Tang – I use the store brand) 3 ounces of unsweetened lemonade drink mix powder 1 cup of sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground allspice ¼ teaspoon ground
cloves
Combine all of the above
ingredients in a bowl with a lid, or a gallon-size food storage bag.
Shake the covered bowl or sealed bag to combine all the
ingredients well. This can
be stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed jar or plastic
container. To serve,
place two to three rounded teaspoons of the mix in a mug.
Add boiling water and stir.
For the microwave, fill a mug with a cup of water.
Heat on full power for 1 ½ minutes.
Add the tea mix and stir. Orange-flavored Hot Cocoa MixI have played around
with different mixtures of this and I think this one is the easiest -
and the best!
1 ¼ cup of hot cocoa mix ½ cup of orange
flavored breakfast drink mix (like Tang)
Mix these ingredients
together and store in a tightly closed container at room temperature.
To serve, fill a mug ¾ full of very hot water.
You can use the microwave as directed in the Russian Tea recipe
above. Add 3 rounded
teaspoons of the mix to the water and stir.
Very good with marshmallows!
If serving to company, add a few tiny marshmallows and stick a
thin half slice of orange to the rim of the mug.
MMMMM…. Crispy Cinnamon Roll-ups1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon 1 ½ cups of sugar (divided) 1 ½ cup of butter or margarine, softened (divided) 16 ounces of cream cheese, softened (low fat is fine) 2 egg yolks 48 slices of good
quality white bread, crusts removed
In a bowl, combine the cinnamon with 1 cup of the sugar. In another bowl, cream together one cup of the butter or margarine, and all of the cream cheese, egg yolks, and remaining ½ cup of sugar. Spread this mixture on the pieces of bread, clear to the edges and roll them up. Melt the remaining ½ cup of butter or margarine. Brush the rolls with the melted butter and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the roll-ups seam side down on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Cover the pan tightly with foil or plastic wrap and freeze. When the roll-ups are firmly frozen, they may be taken from the cookie sheet and stored in freezer bags or containers if you wish.
To serve, preheat the
oven to 400 degrees 30 minutes before you wish to serve them.
Do NOT thaw the roll-ups. Bake
the rolls uncovered on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
Serve hot. Makes 48
rolls. Orangelos (the name for this recipe is in honor of my friend Janie T.)4
cups fine graham cracker crumbs
1
½ cups powdered sugar (divided)
½
cup finely chopped or ground pecans
½ cup white chocolate chips or chunks, chopped into fine pieces 6
ounces frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
¼
cup white or light corn syrup
¼
cup butter or margarine, melted
In a medium bowl, stir
together the graham cracker crumbs, one cup of the powdered sugar and
all of the pecans and white chocolate pieces.
Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the
orange juice concentrate, corn syrup and melted butter.
Stir by hand until well mixed.
Roll into one inch balls and roll the balls in the additional
powdered sugar. Store these at room temperature in a tightly sealed
container, or freeze. These
may stick together unless you use waxed paper between layers! Cinnamon Toasted Almonds1 egg white, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon cold water 4 cups whole almonds ½ cup granulated sugar ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground
cinnamon
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Lightly grease a 15”x10” rimmed baking sheet. In a medium sized bowl, add the water to the egg white and beat together until foamy. Add the nuts and stir to coat them well. Sift together the sugar, salt and cinnamon, or stir until well mixed. Add the sugar mixture to the nuts and toss with a spoon until well coated. Spread coated nuts on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for one hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet. When cool, break apart any nuts that are stuck together. Store in a tightly sealed container. These freeze well, but they may be stored at room temperature for a month.
Contest
Winners
The December Recipe
of the Month Winner is Rachel K. from Claremore, OK.
Her recipe for Spicy Buffalo Wings will be a hit for appetizers
or half-time food this season! Click
the link below for her recipe: Click Here to view Rachel's Winning Recipe!
The December Cook
Of the Month Winner is Roxanne K. from Carson City, NV.
Click the link below to read her winning entry: Click Here to view Roxanne's Story!
Grand Prize Winners
Our year end Grand
Prize Winner for Cook of the Month is Shaleen W. from Round
Rock, TX. She will receive
a stockpot/pasta cooker/steamer combo. Congratulations and thanks for your contribution!
Click the link below to read her winning entry: http://www.30daygourmet.com/ubb/Forum16/HTML/000059.html
The Grand
Prize Recipe Of The Month Winner is Steph’s Sweet and Spicy
Kielbasa, submitted by Lisa R. from El Paso, Texas.
Lisa will receive a two-burner Munsey buffet range.
Congratulations! Click
the link below for this wonderful and easy recipe: Click Here to view the 2000 Grand Prize Recipe!
New Contest ReminderStart sending your photos! We want to see your filled freezers, shopping trips, Assembly Day, etc. We want to give away a prize for Photo of the Month winners! You can send them digitally to office@30daygourmet.com or send them by ground mail to: 30 Day Gourmet PO Box 272 Brownsburg, IN 46112
Cookin’
Quote
According to American
Demographics in April of 1997, “Few
people report planning their meals more than a half hour ahead of
time.” Wow, some of
you freezer cooks are planning their meals 3 months or more ahead of
time!!! In 1995, The Canadian Grocer predicted, “By the year 2000, the typical U.S. Consumer will spend about 15 minutes daily preparing meals.” I know that for some families this daily prep means making sure that every child has a pair of shoes on its feet, and has a seat belt fastened. The rest of the time is spent driving and deciding which restaurant to visit! Gourmet
Q & A
Wow!!
What a great response there was to the November question that had
this cook stumped! The
question regarded the problem of having glass measuring cups stuck
together and how to get them apart without breaking or chipping them.
I did not have a solution; just the preventive measure of storing
them nested together with paper toweling between them.
Twenty-two nice people took the time to help with this one.
The most common suggestions were: 1) Spray cooking oil like Pam on the stuck points and that might provide enough lubrication to do the job. 2) Fill a sink or bowl with very hot tap water and set the stuck measuring cups in the water. The water should not be deep enough to flow inside the cups, just up to the rim of the lower cup. Fill the inner cup with ice and cold water and let them sit a couple of minutes. The ice water should cause the glass in the inside cup to contract and the hot water should cause the glass of the outside cup to expand – hopefully enough to get them apart. Gently twist or rock the cups to separate them. 3) Use a combination of
both methods. Spray the
connected points of the cups with the cooking oil spray, then use the
hot/cold water method. One person told us they went to a glass factory where the demonstrator told them that if this problem should happen to them, heat the stuck pieces of glass the oven. When they are hot, separate them, and then let them cool in the oven so that they do not shatter. We do not know how HOT to heat them, but it takes a really high temperature to melt glass. Do be safe and use plenty of oven mitts and pot holders to protect yourself from an accidental burn!
This Month’s Question: There has been a
discussion on the bulletin boards recently about purchasing cookware.
What kind should you buy? What
sizes of pans should be purchased?
How many? The answers to these
questions will greatly depend on your cooking style!
For quantity cooking we highly suggest that you purchase a large
covered pot that will hold at least 8 quarts of liquid (two gallons) and
a couple of covered saucepans. A
good general rule to follow is - the heavier/thicker the pot material,
the better the pot is. The
prices for these pots will vary widely depending on the material the pot
is made of. Calphalon
pans are very good, but also fairly expensive.
They are great to cook in, so they may be worth the money to you.
Another good choice is ceramic coated iron.
These pans are best for recipes that will have a lot of liquid.
Other foods like eggs and thick sauces or cheese tend to stick to
the ceramic coating. I
personally have heavy stainless steel pots and pans.
They came with a brushed finish on the interior so that you could
scour them out without worrying about hurting the finish, but they have
a polished exterior. To
keep the outside of the pans from looking crummy, you should use a
non-abrasive cleanser like Soft Scrub or a nylon scrub pad that will not
scratch the surface. My
pans also have a sandwiched bottom made of thick stainless, then a layer
of copper, then another layer of stainless. The stainless steel is heavy duty, and the copper helps
conduct heat efficiently. Stainless
steel pans are also best used for recipes that have liquids in them or
oil for sautéing and frying because dryer foods tend to stick.
They are fine for cooking vegetables, simmering sauces, etc.
I also have a really good quality non-stick skillet that I love
to use. I have put a
smaller version on my want list for Christmas. I have found that you get what you pay for in non-stick
cookware. The less
expensive versions will probably need to be replaced in a fairly short
time because the non-stick coating peels off too easily and quickly.
I also LOVE my old-fashioned cast iron skillets.
They have super heat holding ability and they heat fairly evenly
if allowed to pre-heat properly before using them.
One drawback to these is they must be cured, hand-washed (no
soap) and immediately dried so that they do not rust.
Another drawback is that iron will react adversely with acids in
many foods like tomatoes or citrus, causing a bitter flavor. As far as sizes go, I
personally suggest that you do NOT buy a boxed set of pans.
I realize that the sets are often priced cheaper, especially
around the holidays, but you will probably get stuck with a pan or two
that you will never use. The
size, shape, etc. will not be convenient for you and you will have
wasted money and cabinet space for storing those pans.
I suggest that you watch the sales and buy good quality pans one
piece at a time. After you purchase one, and decide you like it, think what
other size pan you would like to have next - would you use one that is a
little smaller, larger, shallower, or deeper? I think of my cookware
as an investment. If I
purchase poor quality and have to replace it quickly, it has not saved
me any money. If I buy really good quality from the very beginning, it will
probably retain that quality for many, many years and quite possibly the
rest of my life! Let us hear if there is a specific brand or type of cookware that you have found helpful or in the kitchen. We’d also like to know if there is cookware that you think others should avoid!
Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Headed
November 10 We hope those of you in the Indianapolis area were able to catch us on WGNR radio in the Indianapolis area. It is always fun for us to chat with the guys up there!
November 18First United Methodist Church in Anderson, IndianaIt
was nice to stick around home a little with the holidays approaching and
we met some very nice folks there – thanks for having us! April
25 June
1 & 2
Tip
of the Month
Okay, now what are you
doing with all the holiday leftovers besides eating cold meat sandwiches
or casseroles for the rest of the year?
Here are some ideas!
If you have served a
beef roast and there is plenty to spare, try cubing the meat and serving
it in a beef potpie. How
about an open-faced sandwich? Toast
some thick slices of bread, layer on some meat, and pour hot beef gravy
over it – yummmm! You can also cube the meat, heat it with some gravy and
pour it over mashed potatoes, biscuits, rice, or pasta. Add sour cream to the gravy and make a stroganoff sauce!
Yikes – I’m getting hungry.
Leftover turkey can be used in almost any recipe that calls for cooked chicken. For example, here are some recipes from The Freezer Cooking Manual that you can use:
Also, make up a couple
batches of the Dijon Turkey Spread found in our Holiday
Freezer Cooking. Besides
these ideas, many of the ideas for beef leftovers will also work for
turkey. You can also
make a delicious turkey salad sandwich filling by combining 2 cups of
diced cooked turkey with ¼ cup mayonnaise, ½ teaspoon prepared
mustard, a diced hard boiled egg, 2 tablespoons of minced fresh onion or
sliced green onion, a dash or two each of black pepper and garlic
powder, and salt to taste. Some
folks like to add chopped dill pickles or sweet pickle relish.
Add more mayonnaise to make it creamier if you wish.
I also love halved seedless grapes in my turkey salad and on
occasion have added chopped pecans or walnuts or sliced almonds.
This salad is doubly good served on a halved croissant with a big
leaf of lettuce.
Did you serve a big ham? Leftover ham is a wonderful thing. Make some small biscuits, split them open with a fork, spread them with a little mustard or BBQ sauce and insert a small slice of cheese. Slice the ham thinly, then heat it in a skillet with a little butter or oil. Cook it over medium heat until the ham is a little browned. Heap it inside the biscuits, and serve for a quick lunch or dinner. Scramble the ham with your eggs; have grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. I like ham in my macaroni and cheese too! Make potato or bean soup with ham in it. If you like, you can try ham in your French toast. Make your egg batter as you usually do. Dip a slice of bread in the egg mixture and place it on a griddle that is heated to medium/low temperature. Top it with thinly sliced ham. Dip a second slice of bread in the egg mixture and place it on top of the ham. Cook until the bottom slice of bread is well browned, then flip it over and cook on the other side until it too is well browned. Serve with maple syrup. The leftover ham can also be used in Ham Loaf or Ham balls or Ham and Potato Casserole. These recipes are found in The Freezer Cooking Manual. You can also use the ham in breakfast egg casseroles like the one found in our book, Holiday Freezer Cooking. See you next month,
P.O. Box 272
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Copyright 2008 - 30 Day Gourmet. All rights reserved.
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