Daffodil Lane

March 27, 2008

I Haven't Shown This To Alexis Yet, But...

Cheese and the Statue of Liberty? She's going to be in heaven! ;o)

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November 27, 2007

The End of an Era

NEW YORK - Food Network is kicking Emeril Lagasse down a notch.

The celebrity chef's "Emeril Live," which has been on the air for 10 years, will cease production Dec. 11, Food Network publicist Carrie Welch told The Associated Press.

"However, Emeril is under contract with Food Network," Welch said Tuesday. "We love him, we support him and look forward to a long partnership with him."

Welch wouldn't comment on Lagasse's contract.

Asked why the show was canceled, she told the AP: "The only reason would be that it hit a ton of television milestones and, you know, all good things come to an end."

I must admit I haven't watched Emeril in the past few years, though I used to quite a bit. It's sad to think that his "Bam!" won't be out there except in reruns.

Found via Yahoo! News.

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May 16, 2007

5 Places To Eat in Maryland

I've been tagged by Alice for a food meme!

The rules:

1. Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you. Include the city/state and country you’re in.

Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, USA)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, United States)
Todd (Louisville, Kentucky, United States)
miss kendra (los angeles, california, u.s.a)
Jiggs Casey (Berkeley, CA, USA! USA! USA!)
Tits McGee (New England, USA)
Joe (NE Tennessee, USA)
10K Monkeys (Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA)

Daffodil Lane (Maryland, USA)

2. List out your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location.

1. Phillip's Seafood - With several locations throughout Maryland you can't go wrong with Phillips! They also have locations in Atlantic City, Philadelphia, DC and Myrtle Beach, SC, as well as several airport locations. I've been to the one in Annapolis and the buffet in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. Both are delicious! If you live in Maryland (or the other places too!) or are visiting and have never tried them I HIGHLY recommend them!

2. Sarah & Desmond's Vegetarian Cafe - This place is located on Main Street in historic Ellicott City and is extremely charming (all of Main Street is actually!) and they have wonderful vegetarian sandwiches and such that are extremely scrumptious! A must stop if you're strolling the quaint shops of Main Street!

3. Bill Bateman's Bistro - The food at Bill's is wonderful! I've eaten in the Severna Park location and the one in Glen Burnie. Go early if you want to go to the one in Severna Park, especially if cigarette smoke bothers you (I'm allergic and am getting more so as I get older) because it has an open floor plan (both of the ones I have been to actually have that open feel, though the one in Glen Burnie seems to filter the issue better) and though smoking is only allowed in the bar it tends to drift. This doesn't seem to be as much of an issue at lunch time as it does at dinner. But regardless the food is great! Try their spinach artichoke dip and/or their shrimp wraps!

4. Sushi King of Columbia Maryland - If you like sushi then Sushi King is a good place to get your fix! They have a full service sushi menu that is delicious and always tastes crisp and fresh! Check them out!

5. Solana Pizza & Subs - When we used to live in Ellicott City we ordered from this place several time a month! The pizza is truly delicious, their salads are great and everything else is exceptional as well. Give them a try...They even deliver!

I'm not sure who to tag....Monica or Cheri maybe? Sonya are you up for telling us about some Nashville food joints or Darlene want to give it a spin for Athens on LTW? If you feel like jumping in, then please do! :o)

Thanks Alice...That was fun! :O)

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February 16, 2007

Now I've Seen Everything

Chocolate covered cars? Alrighty then!

Posted by Dianne at 3:26 PM

February 6, 2007

Is She Or Isn't She?

I love Giada De Laurentiis. I didn't always, but she's grown on me. The first time I saw her show I was noncommittal, but as time has passed she's wormed her way into my heart and now I'm a huge Giada De Laurentiis fan! I was the same way with Ina Garten at first too, but she grew on me and is now one of my favorites as well. Right now however let's get back to Giada...We'll talk about Ina another day.

The other day I was watching an episode of Everday Italian and Giada was in an outside market scene where she had her hand protectively over her belly wearing a large shawl type over garment. Anyone that has ever been pregnant or even has known someone that is/was knows that hand gesture! So I called Jamison in and had him take a look. He too was convinced. Then when she was in her kitchen her face and boobs look fuller (yes I said that...it happens!) and so does her middle section. She also has a stunning glow so we were even more convinced.

I did a little search online to see if I could find some information and all I find are questions. So is she or isn't she? Any viewers out there care to wager a guess? Time will tell, but as of right now if I had to guess I'd firmly say yes!

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January 30, 2007

My New Food Blog

After some thought I decided to start my own food blog and move the recipes away from here at Daffodil Lane. So stop by and check out Dianne's Dishes! I'll be posting all my recipes there from now on. I'm still in the process of tweaking a few things, but it's up and running! Stop by and say hello! :o)

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Posted by: Moni at January 30, 2007 3:14 PM

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January 24, 2007

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad Take Two

I made this pasta salad tonight with a little tweaking. It's such a versatile recipe! Tonight I served it with tomatoes and avocadoes. I also used a different type of whole wheat pasta. You can make it with any veggies or pasta you like really and it's delicious no matter what!

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January 23, 2007

Stir Fried Veggies With Quorn "Chicken" Tenders and Brown Rice

I've been experimenting with meat substitutes lately since I'm going completely meat free for the month of January and tonight I made Stir Fried Veggies With Quorn "Chicken" Tenders and Brown Rice. I was QUITE impressed with the Quorn "chicken" tenders! I think I will try and make some sort of "chicken" casserole with them next. Quorn is meat free, soy free and wheat free and it tastes very authentic! It's vegetarian, but it's not vegan since it has egg whites in them so keep that in mind.

I stir fried bell pepper, red onion, mushrooms, carrots, snow peas, broccoli and the Quorn tenders in a little avocado oil with some pepper and topped it when it was finished with some low sodium soy sauce and put it on a bed of brown rice. Delicious!

I switched to Boca burgers a few years ago and never looked back, so now if I could just find a veggie "bacon" that didn't look like a Twizler and taste like barbeque sauce and a veggie "sausage" that tastes like sausage and I'll be a happy meat free camper! ;o)

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Lentil Soup

1 large carrot, chopped
1 large celery rib, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
2 large button mushrooms, chopped
2 small leeks, chopped
2 cups lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch black pepper

Sauté veggies in olive oil over medium heat until tender. Add lentils, water, sea salt and pepper and cook covered for about one hour or until lentils are tender.

Cross posted at Lose This Weight!

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January 21, 2007

Bread Machine Oatmeal Rosemary Bread

This is another attempt at bread with whole grains. It's really good!

1 1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup of warm water and 1/4 cup warm water, separated
1 tablespoon of honey
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups of white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon of sea salt
4 teaspoons of yeast
1 tablespoon of wheat germ
1 tablespoon of wheat bran
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
1/2 cup of raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons of wheatberries
1/2 cup of rolled oats
2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, chopped

Add liquid ingredients to the bottom of the bread maker pan minus 1/4 cup warm water that needs to be set aside. Add flour and the rest the ingredients on top of wet ingredients. Add remaining 1/4 cup of warm water to top and set bread maker to 2 pound whole wheat setting.

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Lunch

Veggie Pizza...What's not to like?

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January 19, 2007

Peach Ice Cream

Alexis wanted some ice cream the other day so we whipped this up. It's simple, easy and delicious! Again this recipe is designed to fill this ice cream maker, but you could easily double or triple it to fill a larger model.

2 large peaches, chopped
1/2 cup of sugar
1 pint of half and half
8 ounces of heavy cream

Chop two peaches in a food processor with 1/2 cup of sugar. Process until the bits are the size you like. I like bigger bits of fruit in my ice cream, but you can puree the fruit if you want it to be completely smooth. During the summer, when peaches are tree ripe I don't even add and sugar! Stir half and half and heavy cream to peach mixture and freeze according to your model's directions.

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Peach Ice Cream

Alexis wanted some ice cream the other day so we whipped this up. It's simple, easy and delicious! Again this recipe is designed to fill this ice cream maker, but you could easily double or triple it to fill a larger model.

2 large peaches, chopped
1/2 cup of sugar
1 pint of half and half
8 ounces of heavy cream

Chop two peaches in a food processor with 1/2 cup of sugar. Process until the bits are the size you like. I like bigger bits of fruit in my ice cream, but you can puree the fruit if you want it to be completely smooth. During the summer, when peaches are tree ripe I don't even add and sugar! Stir half and half and heavy cream to peach mixture and freeze according to your model's directions.

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January 18, 2007

Lasagna Soup Dianne Style

When I saw the recipe from fellow Marylanders for Lasagna Soup on Culinary in the Country I knew I'd have to make a version of it with my own twist using the ingredients I use when I make actual lasagna. Tonight I finally got around to trying it tonight! My version is below. Alexis and I loved it!

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
8 large button mushrooms, chopped
A pinch of sea salt
A pinch of black pepper
A pinch of dried oregano
A pinch of dried basil
1 - 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 - 16 ounce can of tomato sauce
1/2 a carton of vegetable broth
8 ounces of fusilli pasta
Mozzarella, cubed
Parmesan cheese, shredded

In a large stockpot sauté onion, green pepper, mushrooms and garlic until tender with sea salt, black pepper, oregano and basil. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and broth and stir. Cook for at least 1 hour. (I like soup that cooks for a while. It makes the flavors come together.) Add pasta and cook until tender.

To serve soup:

Put several cubes of mozzarella on the bottom of your bowl and top with soup. Then add Parmesan to the top of the soup and enjoy!

Posted by Dianne at 6:30 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

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Posted by: Dianne at January 19, 2007 9:37 AM

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

2 sticks of butter, softened
2 cups of dark brown muscovado sugar
2 eggs
1 cup of peanut butter (or other nut butter of your choice)
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
3 cups of flour
1 cup of rolled oats (I like Bob's Red Mill Extra Thick Rolled Oats)

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and peanut butter. Stir in salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add flour and mix until incorporated. Stir in oats and drop by rounded tablespoon full onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Bake for 10 minutes and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Makes 4 1/2-5 dozen cookies.

Posted by Dianne at 3:45 PM

January 17, 2007

More Food Blogs You Should Be Reading

Brownie Points

celineyum - a vegan food blog!

Coconut & Lime

FamilyFood - A food blog by the same person who bring you City Mama!

Stone Soup

Sugar and Spices

VeganYumYum

As always if there is a food blog you love drop a comment below! :o)

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Cucumber Avocado Sandwich

Take some fresh Whole Wheat Sunflower Seed Herb Bread from yesterday, toss in some avocado, cucumber, sprouts, radicchio, cheddar cheese, a little mayo and throw in some pumpernickel onion pretzels and you've got a wonderful lunch!

Quick, easy and delicious!

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Posted by: Moni at January 18, 2007 8:26 PM

January 16, 2007

Tortilla Soup

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 large button mushrooms, chopped
1 pinch of sea salt
1 pinch of black pepper
1 teaspoon of cumin
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 quart of stewed tomatoes (I used some I canned this summer)
1 container of vegetable broth
1 cup of frozen corn
10 corn tortillas, cut into small strips
1/2 cup of parsley, chopped
The juice of 1/2 a lemon

Sauté onion, garlic and mushrooms until tender. Add seasonings and stir in tomatoes, broth and corn. Bring to a boil and cook about 30 minutes. Stir in tortillas and parsley and cook for 20 minutes more. Add lemon juice and stir. Serve with chips, guacamole and/or cheese.

Cross posted at Lose This Weight!

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Whole Wheat Sunflower Seed Herb Bread

1 1/4 cup evaporated skim milk
1/3 cup of warm water
1 1/2 cups of white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of honey
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried basil (optional)
1 teaspoon of dried thyme (optional)
4 teaspoons of yeast
1 tablespoon of wheat germ
1 tablespoon of wheat bran
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
1/2 cup of raw, unsalted sunflower seeds

Dump ingredients into a bread maker and set to the 2 pound whole wheat cycle.

You could also mix the dough up and kneed for a few minutes then put in a greased bread pan and let rise for 1-2 hours. Then preheat you oven to 375 F and bake until golden brown. (I would guess it would take about 30-40 minutes, but I've never made it that way before.)

Variations: Add 2 tablespoons of chopped dry rosemary and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder for Garlic Rosemary bread.

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January 15, 2007

Cinnamon Rolls

Use my recipe for yeast rolls and add 1 cup of sugar instead of 1/3. Roll the dough out and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll the dough into a roll and slice off pieces about an inch thick and let rise on a pan for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F and bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and top with cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing:
1 - 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
2 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla

Blend until smooth and spread on cake or on cinnamon rolls.

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Posted by: Alredhead at January 16, 2007 12:05 AM

Yellow Cake

Jamison loves yellow cake, but cake mixes are nasty things with a bunch of unneeded, not to mention gross ingredients! When his IBS started bothering him last year we had to rethink the way we ate and that included making some things from scratch (which I prefer to do anyway) and I've tried several recipes I've come across, but something was missing. I finally found this one and adapted it recipe from Cooking Light and it's delicious! But as always I altered the recipe a bit, because that's just what I do! But Jamison can vouch...It's good! ;o)

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup of sour cream (I use low-fat)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 heaping teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Melt butter in the microwave in a large bowl. Dump the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix well. Pour into a 13 X 9 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cake sticks clean when poked with a toothpick. Frost or ice as desired.

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Tomato Veggie Soup

I made this for dinner Saturday night. Alexis and I LOVED it! :o)

Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Black Pepper
1 small red onion, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
2 baby leeks, chopped
1 1/2 cups of spinach, julienned
1 cup of grape tomatoes, sliced into circles (You get 3-4 circles per little tomato)
1 cup of frozen lima beans
1 cup of frozen corn
2 large button mushrooms, chopped
A pinch of dried oregano
A pinch of dried basil
2 cups of vegetable broth
3 cups of water
1 small can of tomato paste

Sauté veggie with salt and pepper in a little olive oil. Add a pinch of dried oregano and a pinch of dried basil. Then add vegetable broth and water. Stir in one small can of tomato paste and cook for at least one hour.

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January 12, 2007

Another Wall Possibility

One minute I look at it and love it, the next not so much. This may possibly be picture #3, but I haven't decided yet!

Posted by Dianne at 2:00 PM

Lunch: Strawberry Spinach Salad With Twice Baked Potatoes

Today for lunch Alexis and I had Strawberry Spinach Salad with Twice Baked Potatoes. OK, I had both, she just had Strawberry Spinach Salad (minus dressing)! When I was making the salad today, for some reason I forgot to add the olive oil and just made a dressing with apple cider vinegar and honey, but it was still delicious! I've posted similar recipes to these before, but it never hurts to recap, so here we go!

Strawberry Spinach Salad:

Per person:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons of vinegar (I like apple cider vinegar)
1 tablespoon of honey (I prefer light honey, but you can use whatever type you have/like.)
2 cups of baby spinach leaves
1 cup of sliced strawberries
1/4 cup of almonds (whole, slivered, sliced...Whichever you prefer)

Mix olive oil, vinegar and honey thoroughly and set aside to make the dressing.

Toss spinach strawberries and almonds until mixed and then add dressing. Toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Note: Due to the vinegar this salad does not store well. It just sort of wilts into a mess.

Twice Baked Potatoes:

1 large baking potato, red potato or potato of your choice, baked until fork tender and cooled
1/4 of a red onion chopped
1/2 cup of broccoli chopped
2 large button mushrooms chopped
1 ounce of shredded cheese (I used white cheddar)
Sea salt
Black Pepper

Bake potato and sit aside to cool. Once cool cut in half and scoop out pulp leaving a 1/4 inch rim similar to a potato skin. Place pulp in bowl and set aside. Place potato skins on a baking pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cook onion, broccoli and mushroom in the microwave oven until just tender (about 2-3 minutes) and add to the bowl with the potato pulp. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper until incorporated. Fill each skin with half the veggie potato mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes until potato starts to brown.

Makes 2 servings.

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January 11, 2007

Veggie Stir Fry And Brown Rice

Avocado Oil
Soy Sauce
Carrots, cut into matchsticks
Red onion, cut into strips
Bell Pepper, cut into strips
Snow pea pods
Broccoli
Mushrooms, sliced
Green Beans

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add some avocado oil. Add veggies and stir in some soy sauce. Place a lid over the veggies and stir intermittently until veggies are tender. Serve with brown rice.

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Apple Fritters With Olive Oil Crust

I took the rest of the olive oil pie crust today and made some Apple Fritters.

I made apples like this and put them into the crust, pinched the sides, used a little oil on top of each fritter and sprinkled them with sugar and then baked them at 400F for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

How easy is that?

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Yeast

My sister pointed out that I forgot to put the amount of yeast in the Yeast Roll Recipe! Oops! You need 4 teaspoons of yeast. I added the amount to the recipe both here and on Flickr.

Thanks sisterpooh! :o)

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January 10, 2007

Yeast Rolls

Jamison loves these!

1 cup of sour cream (At Christmas I ran out of sour cream and used 2 cups of buttermilk instead and it worked great!)
1 cup of water
4 - 4 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, divided
4 teaspoons of yeast
1/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of sea salt
Olive oil or butter to brush the top of the rolls with

In a large bowl mix 2 cups of flour, salt, sugar and yeast until well incorporated. Set aside.

Mix sour cream and water and heat to 110 F and pour into bowl with flour mixture. Continue to add flour until dough forms. Turn out onto a flat surface and roll out and cut as you would biscuits.

Let rise in a warm place for several hours.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Brush the top of each roll with olive oil or melted butter and bake rolls for 8-12 minutes until golden brown.

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Posted by: Dianne at January 12, 2007 2:05 PM

Veggie Quiche With Olive Oil Pie Crust

For a while now I've been thinking that there had to be a way to make a pie crust with olive oil instead of shortening or butter to make it healthier and lighter and today I found this recipe and decided to give it a whirl. As usual I sort of put my own twist on it (OK...I read egg in a pie crust and thought it was weird and then when I wrote down the ingredients I didn't write it down. Call it a mental block or something, but the pie crust turned out great without the egg so my instinct was right! ;oP) So I decided since the crust had olive oil in it (and vinegar) the best thing to try it out on would be something savory instead of sweet, just in case the olive oil was over powering (it wasn't) or the vinegar stood out (it didn't...you couldn't even taste it!) and decided a quiche would be perfect to start with. I have the other half of the dough left in the fridge and am going to try it with some apple fritters tomorrow to see if it works with sweet too. (I think it will!) The olive oil was very faint in the background, but olives are fruity to begin with so it shouldn't be such a stretch. The crust is flaky, tender and delicious!

So without further ado I give you Veggie Quiche With Olive Oil Pie Crust:

2/3 cup of extra virgin Olive Oil
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup ice water
1 tbsp of vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

Place olive oil in the freezer until it solidifies and is of a consistency similar to thick honey. (I check it ever 30 minutes or so. I'm not sure how long it took. Probably 3 or 4 hours.)

Once the olive oil solidifies place flour, salt and baking powder into a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until a dough ball forms. Place ball in an air tight container or plastic wrap and put in the fridge for an hour or so to chill.

Roll ball out until 1/8 inch thick and put into a pie plate. Use as you would a regular pie crust.

For Quiche:

6-8 eggs
Cheese (I used Buttermilk and Parmesan)
2 baby leeks, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 asparagus, chopped
2 large button mushrooms, chopped
A pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Mix ingredients and pour into a pie shell. Bake for 1 hour or until eggs set.

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Posted by: katherine at January 11, 2007 8:53 AM

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Afternoon Snack: Kettle Corn

I came across a recipe on Vegan Yum Yum for Kettle Corn the other day and knew I just had to try it!

Try it...You'll LOVE it!

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Posted by: lolo at January 10, 2007 9:54 PM

Posted by: Dianne at January 11, 2007 9:10 AM

Quesadillas Take Two: Whole Grain Mushroom Spinach Quesadillas

2 whole grain tortillas
1 cup of baby spinach
1/4 cup of red onion, finely chopped
1 large button mushroom, sliced
Cheese

Preheat a large skillet to scorching hot.

While the skillet is heating place spinach, onion and mushroom in a dish and microwave until tender. (This took about 3 minutes in my microwave, but it's ancient and it doesn't work intermittently!)

Lay one tortilla flat on a cutting board and spread cheese of your choice. (I used about 1 ounce of Buttermilk cheese.) Layer spinach, mushrooms and onion on top of cheese and top with the other tortilla. Spray hot pan with non-stick spray and place the cheese side of the quesadilla down. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until golden brown and then flip carefully. Cook on the other side until brown and then cut into slices. (I use a pizza cutter.)

Serve with sour cream if desired.

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Breakfast: A Picture For My Wall

As I mentioned a while back I'm in the process of finding pictures that I have taken (or will take as the case may be) or food items to have framed for the wall in my kitchen. (Well not this house...This house doesn't have enough room, but I'm thinking forward! ;o) ) Anyway, I think I've found picture number two!!

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Posted by: cjmr at January 11, 2007 12:13 PM

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Posted by: Dianne at January 15, 2007 3:12 PM

Snowless Snow Cream

There are two problems lately with snow cream....1) There's no snow and 2) Even if there were it's so polluted eating it is not a good idea! This morning I set out to make some ice cream with my handy dandy ice cream maker because last night I wanted a milk shake and had no ice cream. Once I started poking around the kitchen I realized that I didn't have what I needed to make ice cream, but I did have what you might use to make snow cream. So I started thinking about it and wondered what it would taste like to use some of the ingredients for snow cream, minus the snow and plus some sweetened condensed milk which isn't normally used for snow cream, and make a cold treat. It turns out it tastes just like snow cream! Who knew?

2 cans of evaporated milk
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla
Vanilla beans (optional)
3 tablespoons of natural brown sugar

Combine all ingredients in a heavy pot. Heat over medium heat until the sugar and sweetened condensed milk are melted. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Place into your ice cream maker and prepare according to your model's instructions.

My ice cream maker makes small batches...See the link above. You could easily double or triple this recipe or whatever you needed to fill a larger model.

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January 9, 2007

Not Beef Stew In My Brand New Fancy Smancy Crock Pot!

Jamison's mom gave us a big crock pot after we got married and we used it until we broke the thing! I had a smaller crock pot that my mom gave us that we've been using since then, but it just wasn't big enough for some things. My sister gave me this new shiny one for Christmas and I LOVE it!! I hadn't had a chance to use it yet, so today I was in the mood for some stew and I pulled the crock pot out of the cabinet and decided to try and make a veggie stew similar to beef stew, but of course without the meat since I'm trying my little no meat for a month experiment and this is what I came up with. It was great!

It tastes just like beef stew with no meat!

2 carrots, sliced
1 red onion, chopped
1 large potato, cut into cubes
1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup of frozen corn
1 cup of frozen lima beans
1 package of mushrooms, cut into fourths
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
3 cups of water

Place all ingredients in a crock pot and stir to mix. Cook on high for 5-6 hours until veggies are tender.

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Posted by: Qusan at January 9, 2007 11:19 PM

Posted by: Dianne at January 10, 2007 10:50 AM

January 8, 2007

Double Pea Soup And Whole Wheat Biscuits

I'm feeling blah today and I don't know if it's the weather, or if I'm coming down with something, so I decided to make some soup and biscuits for lunch. I ended up using Bob's Red Mill Buttermilk Biscuit mix to make some biscuits and making a pot of Double Pea soup. Alexis, my non soup eater that she is, LOVED this soup and ate several bowls. She also liked the biscuits!

Biscuits:

These were delicious! I made the biscuits according to package directions substituting olive oil for vegetable oil and evaporated milk for water. They were a nice twist on the traditional biscuit!

Here's Bob's description of the mix:

"Buttermilk Biscuit Mix contains freshly milled stone ground whole wheat flour, enriched pastry flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid), sweet dairy whey, buttermilk powder, oat flour, whole grain brown rice flour, baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), baking soda, sea salt."

And now for the soup!

Double Pea Soup:

Olive oil
1 carrot, cubed
1/2 a small red onion, chopped
2 baby leeks, chopped
1 large rib of celery, chopped
2 large button mushrooms, chopped
Sea salt
Black Pepper
1/2 cup of yellow split peas
1/2 cup of green split peas
2 cups of vegetable broth
2 cups of water

Sauté veggies in olive oil with salt and pepper until slightly tender. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes until peas are tender.

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Sunday Morning Breakfast: Buttermilk Waffles

2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 cup of sugar
2 cups of buttermilk
2 eggs

Mix everything in a bowl and stir until your batter is smooth. Cook on a waffle maker according to the maker's directions. Top with fresh fruit, maple syrup or whatever you like on your waffles.

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Saturday Night Dinner: Veggie Pasta

Here's another fresh pasta topping.

Per person:
Olive Oil
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 asparagus spears, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 of a small onion, chopped
2 large button mushrooms, chopped
1 cloves of garlic, minced
Fresh thyme
Fresh oregano, chopped
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Sauté veggies in a little olive oil with thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Serve over cooked pasta with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Posted by Dianne at 9:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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January 5, 2007

Sushi Salad

This is an adaptation of a recipe from Fat Free Vegan. When Susan posted it back in October I knew I wanted to try it and a copy of the recipe sat in my inbox until today. I realized once I started preparing ingredients that I didn't have everything I needed so I improvised and this is what I came up with. It's spicy, but good! It's not exactly what Susan posted, but it's along the same vein and I don't think I put anything into it that would make in unVegan, but if there are any Vegans out there reading this and I'm wrong just let me know.

1 cup of sushi rice, cooked according to package directions
1/4 a small onion, chopped fine
1/4-1/2 cup of rice vinegar
1 small can of mushrooms, drained
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into small cubes
1/2 an English cucumber, peeled and chopped into small cubes
1 - 10 ounce package of endame beans, cooked or steamed
A pinch of sea salt
A pinch of black pepper
1-2 teaspoons of prepared Wasabi (Note: If you've never had Wasabi be warned it is spicy! It definitely has a kick! You might want to add very little or omit it all together if you don't like a little spice.)

Cook one cup of sushi rice according to package directions and pour into a large bowl. Add onions and let sit for a few minutes. Add rice vinegar and mushrooms and stir to mix. Add carrots and cucumbers stirring gently to incorporate. Add endame beans, stirring gently so as not to crush them. Add sea salt, black pepper and Wasbi and stir to mix.

Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

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January 4, 2007

Broccoli and Wild Rice

1 cup of wild rice, uncooked (Cook according to package directions)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup (I used Amy's)
1 pinch of sea salt
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup of evaporated skim milk
1/2 cup of low-fat sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar or Colby cheese
1 - 16 ounce package of frozen broccoli

Cook 1 cup of wild rice and let it cool.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large skillet sauté onion with a little non-stick spray until tender. Stir in milk, sour cream and cheese and stir until cheese is melted.

In a large bowl mix rice, soup, salt and cheese mixture. Stir in broccoli and pour into a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake for 40 minutes covered with aluminum foil and then uncover and bake for 20 more minutes.

Serve hot.

Posted by Dianne at 6:56 PM

Whole Grain Irish Oat Bread

I got this idea from a Cooking Light Recipe "Irish Oatmeal Bread", but I rapidly slid from using their recipe to it becoming my own. I changed ingredients (I took out the butter and sugar and substituted olive oil and honey. I also left out the white flour and substituted white whole wheat flour instead.) and I added some ingredients of my own (wheat bran, wheat germ and wheatberries) and ended up with this!

3/4 cup of very hot water
1 tablespoon of honey
5 teaspoons of yeast

In a small bowl mix water, honey and yeast and let sit until foamy (about 5 minutes).

2 1/4 cups of boiling water
1 3/4 cups of steel cut oats
2 teaspoons of sea salt
3 tablespoons of olive oil
4 tablespoons of honey

In a large bowl (VERY large) mix boiling water, oats, sea salt, olive oil and honey and let sit for about 3 minutes. Then stir in yeast mixture from small bowl.

2 tablespoons of wheat bran
2 tablespoons of wheat germ
2 tablespoons of wheatberries

Stir in wheat bran, germ and wheatberries and mix.

3 cups of white whole wheat flour
3 cups of whole wheat flour

Mix flours together and stir into liquid mixture slowly. If all of the flour will not incorporate add more water a few tablespoons at a time. (Flour sometimes incorporates water better than other times.)

Knead for 3-6 minutes until elastic (I kneaded the dough in the mixing bowl) and shape into a loaf.

Place in a loaf pan sprayed with non-stick spray. I used olive oil non-stick spray. Let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours.

Pre-rising

After Rising

Brush the top of the loaf with olive oil and let sit while preheating the oven to 350 F.

Bake loaf for 45-50 minutes at 350 F or until golden brown.

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Update To Lentil Taco Soup

When I posted the recipe last night for Taco Lentil Soup I left out one of the ingredients I used! I realized it last night after I went to bed. So I updated it, but for anyone that already copied it down to make add 1 heaping teaspoon of paprika to your spices!

That is all! :o)

Posted by Dianne at 10:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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January 3, 2007

Lentil Taco Soup and Corn Bread

I'm doing a little experiment for the month of January by not eating meat and it goes well I probably will not go back! (Note: It's not a resolution because I don't see the point in resolutions...They are easily made and just as easily broken!) So when I got a craving for tacos I thought I'd do a twist on them and make a lentil soup version with some textured soy protein (since I was out of mushrooms, which I usually substitute for beef) and let me tell you it was great! It had the taco taste I was craving and along with a slice of fresh cornbread it was a very warm, hearty meal!

Lentil Taco Soup:

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 tablespoon of chili powder
1 pinch of sea salt
1 pinch of black pepper
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 heaping teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 cup of miso broth (You can use vegetable broth instead if you like. I used 365 Miso broth from Whole Foods.)
3 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of lentils soaked overnight
1 cup of textured vegetable protein (TVP)

Sauté onion, tomato and bell pepper until tender in olive oil. Add seasonings and mix well. Stir in broth and water. Add lentils and TVP. Cook for 30 minutes to an hour or until lentils and TVP plump.

Serve plain or top with taco fixings.

Cornbread:

2 cups of corn meal
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 cup of skim milk (or you can cut the sour cream and use 1 1/2 cups of butter milk)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of honey

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour into a cast iron skillet or baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Posted by Dianne at 8:45 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

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Posted by: Moni at January 4, 2007 7:44 PM

Posted by: Dianne at January 4, 2007 8:07 PM

January 2, 2007

Sweet Potato Oven "Fries"

This is a healthy alternative to fries that you'll love!

4 medium sweet potato, washed and cut in 1/4 inch strips
4 teaspoons olive oil or non-stick spray
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Wash sweet potatoes and cut into 1/4 inch strips. Toss in olive oil or spray with non-stick spray and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

Makes 4 servings.

Posted by Dianne at 7:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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January 1, 2007

"Ice Cream" Alexis Style

While I was making Tomato Mozzarella Salad Alexis made "ice cream". That's yellow play dough, parsley, mozzarella, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Looks yummy doesn't it? ;o)

Posted by Dianne at 11:41 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

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Posted by: Alredhead at January 1, 2007 12:44 PM

Posted by: Dianne at January 3, 2007 12:42 PM

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

Per person:
2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut or torn into pieces
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, leaves
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

Toss all ingredients together and serve immediately.

Posted by Dianne at 11:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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December 30, 2006

Tomato Onion Rosemary Pasta (Semi-Recipe)

Eight times out of ten when I make pasta I like to make a fresh topping. This is one of my favorites! Sometimes I also add in zucchini or mushrooms. The possibilities are endless and it's always delicious!

Olive oil
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Onion, chopped
Garlic cloves, minced
Rosemary, chopped
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly cooked pasta
Parmesan Cheese

Sauté ingredients minus pasta and Parmesan a little olive oil until tender. Place on top of freshly cooked pasta of your choice and top with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.

Posted by Dianne at 6:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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