Link Love: Recipes

Even though this isn't a food blog, I still love to cook and whip something up most days of the week.  Meal planning has been tough with this pregnancy since for a long time nothing sounded good to me, so I've been relying on some of my favorite standbys.  Even when they don't sound good, I know they are good, so I just pick a few and plan to make them for our family in spite of myself :)  Many of my go-to recipes came from several of my favorite magazines, which are all online, so here are a few links to some of the repeat favorites at the Poe house:

Double Chocolate Brownies

First thing's first: a girl's got to have some chocolate!  After a long search for a great, basic brownie recipe that kicks a boxed mix's bootie, I have found my one true love.  This recipe is super-simple and can be made in one Pyrex bowl from start to finish.  I always have the ingredients on hand, and can whip up a batch in minutes.  They have the fudgy texture of a boxed mix brownie and a rich chocolate flavor with none of that underlying chemical taste of a mix.  (Confession: I just took a batch out of the oven.  My nap time craving got the best of me so I decided to take action!!!)  

Vegetable Enchiladas

Easy on the budget and the waistline, this recipe freezes well and has great flavor if you're into Mexican food.  I serve it with rice, and corn mixed with a can of green chilis and some sour cream or cream cheese.  These freeze very well, so I often split the recipe into two square pans: one for dinner that night and one for the freezer!

Pinto Beans

Last week was one of those weeks when I really needed my grocery budget to stretch.  Enter a budget's best friend: dried beans.  I like The Pioneer Woman's recipe for pinto beans.  We ate them one night with cornbread, and then a few nights later I mashed them, seasoned them with Mexican spices (cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic) and used them as the base for bean burritos.  Line your counter with Mexican rice, the beans, shredded cheese, salsa, guacamole, chopped cilantro, and jalepenos, and let everyone build their own burritos!  

Rosemary White Bean Soup

Are you sensing a theme here?  This student's wife gets creative with the beans!  :)  I've been whipping up this yummy soup ever since I first had it at Jonathan's Aunt Susan's house in Australia.  It won't win any beauty contests, but I will say that it was the first to go at last year's MOPS soup swap!  The flavor is amazing, it is cheap and easy, and it freezes beautifully!  Grilled cheese or crusty bread are perfect sides.  

Pot Roast

My hubby grew up eating pot roast for lunch almost every Sunday after church, especially in the fall and winter.  I can hardly remember eating a pot roast growing up, but that Poe family tradition won me over and now it is one of my favorite cold weather meals!  I tried The Pioneer Woman's method for the first time last year, and the process of browning the vegetables before the meat really does add some great flavor.  

Pizza 

We probably have homemade pizza about every other week.  Lately I've been enjoying PW's pizza crust recipe, although I often swap in some whole wheat flour.  Pizza night is usually Friday at our house, so I use it as a way to get rid of any leftovers: grilled chicken, cheese that I bought for another recipe, veggies, etc.  Last week, I combined leftover BBQ chicken (see below) with caramelized onions, bacon, colby jack, and cilantro for a pie that could have passed at California Pizza Kitchen!  

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

This recipe was shared by a speaker at my MOPS group last year.  A mom of four, she shared about the importance of meal planning for your family's budget.  She was generous enough to bring print-outs of some of her go-to recipes that feed a crowd for less.  Several of the other moms in my group tried this one and loved it, so I finally got around to making it this week...we had it the first night as sandwiches with roasted sweet potatoes, sweet slaw, and corn, and then it made a second appearance a couple nights later as BBQ chicken pizza!  I am really learning that I can save a lot on groceries if I get creative with using the same ingredients in multiple meals.  

So here's the recipe: put a bag of frozen chicken breasts in your crock pot (about 6).  Stir together one 12-oz bottle of BBQ sauce, 1/2 c. of Italian salad dressing, 1/4 c. of brown sugar, and 2 T. of Worcestershire sauce.  Pour over chicken and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Shred the meat, return it to the sauce, and serve on buns.  

Yes I CAN!

Y'all, I have learned a new skill, and I am here to proclaim to the world that YOU TOO CAN CAN!  That's right...call me Pioneer Woman, because this summer I tackled canning, something that I had always feared.  For some reason I just assumed that canning was extremely complicated and that if I messed it up I would be permanently deformed by exploding hot glass jars.  

But really, it is super simple!  A little time consuming, yes, but when you consider the output you get for the input, it is well worth an evening of your time.  

My first attempt was apple butter.  A big, beautiful apple tree resides in the back yard of my parents' home in Arkansas, and I had always scolded them for not using the abundance of apples.  Granted, the are small, tart cooking apples, not great for eating out of hand, but still totally useful.  So when my parents visited this summer, Dad toted along a HUGE box of apples.  After checking out a few books from the library, honing in on a recipe, and stocking up on jars and supplies, I went to work.  

It turned out beautifully!  The apple butter was delicious (I used a crock-pot recipe that called for leaving the skins on the apples, so it could not have been easier!), every jar sealed correctly, and I now have a stash of apple butter in the pantry ready for Christmas gifts.  (If we don't polish it off ourselves before then!  FYI: cinnamon raisin bagel, cream cheese, and apple butter are a stellar combo).  

With a little more confidence, I was ready for my second project.  Our neighborhood has a greenline walking trail, and on it are two huge fig trees.  I've kept my eye on those trees all summer, just waiting for those little jewels to ripen.  And I knew just what to do with them.  Mama Dot and her sister Francille always made this amazing fig preserves.  They canned them whole in a heavy syrup studded with lemon rind.  Francille was kind enough to supply me with two jars on my last visit, but I'm down to the last bit of my last jar, and Francille is scheduled to move to a retirement home this fall.  Soon, there would be no more fig preserves.  The tradition was mine to figure out.  

I had Mama Dot's recipe, but in typical Southern girl style, it read a little something like this: 

To large bowl of figs, add soda.  Boil in sugar syrup slow and long with one sliced lemon.  

Not quite enough to go on.  But after a bit of Googling, I found a few similar methods with more exact instructions.  Now it was just time to wait on those figs!  

I checked them one afternoon as we drove home, and they were ready!  As soon as Riggins woke from his nap, I grabbed my biggest mixing bowls, drove to the tree, plopped the boy in the shade beneath, and went to picking!  Then, when I had gotten all I could at my height level, I put Riggs in the car, pulled up underneath the tree, and then stood on the car to get more.  I'm sure the neighbors thought I was INSANE, but I left with a load of figs for free!  (Well, I paid in lots of sweat and a grumpy kid, but FREE!)  

It was game time....I soaked the figs... (the Riggins girls always left the stems on their figs, which I never minded, but these ended up being a little tougher even after cooking down.  Next time, I'll remove them).

Threw them in my biggest pot with the sugar syrup and sliced lemon (Appropriately, this vintage LeCruset Dutch oven belonged to Jonathan's great-grandmother.  Not a direct relation to Mama Dot and Francille, but still another fine Southern Arkansan lady who I would imagine would be very proud to see her great-grandson's woman mixin' up some fig preserves in her pot!  Isn't that turquoise color divine?)  

They simmered for about 30 minutes, nice and long and slow, just like Mama Dot said to do.  

Eventually that syrup gets nice and thick and jammy, and the figs get soft and plump.  Perfect for drizzling over plain yogurt (my modern enjoyment) or smearing onto a hot biscuit (the traditional enjoyment).   

Then, it's time to can.  I boiled my jars and lids, and then filled each hot jar with the hot preserves to 1/4 inch from the rim.  Wipe the rim of the jar, place a hot lid on top, and screw on a ring.  Then pop the jars into a big pot of boiling water and allow to process for 10 minutes.  

Remove from the pot onto a towel and allow to cool overnight.  Unless you have a big canning pot, this all has to be done in stages, so that it what gets time consuming.  I just did it one night after Riggs had gone to bed.  I didn't want a toddler tugging on my leg as I boiled glass jars, you know? :)  

The next morning, test the seals: push on the lid to see if it gives at all.  It shouldn't budge.  Another method is to remove the ring and pick up the jar by just the thin lid.  It should hold tight.  I used both methods just to be sure! :)  

I ended up with these 3 large jars of figs and about four smaller jars.  And I am pleased to report that they taste just like the real deal!  I was so relieved and proud to know that I can carry on this little treat that our family has long enjoyed (although Jonathan isn't crazy about them, so more for me!).  

I think I'll probably reserve canning for those times when I can get an abundance of some food for free or super cheap.  I don't think I'll be going out and buying bushels of strawberries to make jam when I can buy a good jar of Bon Maman for $4 and just eat my fresh strawberries.  But for keeping up a family tradition or taking advantage of a bushel of free apples, canning is a fun, simple little hobby that reaps major rewards!  You "can" do it!  (heehee)

Frozen Relief

In honor today's soaring temps (105 was the last register on our trusty car thermometer), I thought I'd share a recipe for a little tasty treat I whipped up over the weekend.  I love it when the Pantry Gods smile down on me and provide the tools for a yummy new recipe invention.  Jonathan captured a shot of me enjoying my concoction, a photo that I would like to title, "Hot, Tired, and Wrinkled."  (Note to self: stop raising eyebrows or start saving for Botox).  

P.S. Guess whose child hates popsicles?  Yep...mine.  Something about the icy goodness leaves my little man cold, and sometimes brings him to tears!  Strange, since he loves ice cream.  Maybe next summer he'll come around to this childhood summer essential?  Between that and my hubby's hatred of coconut, these beauties were all mine!  

Pina Colada Pops

In a blender or food processor, combine:

1 can lite coconut milk

1 can fat free sweetened condensed milk

1 can crushed pineapple

A handful of shredded coconut

Juice and zest of one lime

Buzz it all up, pour into popsicle molds, freeze, and enjoy!