Cooking Goddess in Training

Cinnamon Explosion

2011-12-02T03:15:00.000-08:00

We found the basic cake recipe on the GardenFork.tv video podcast. The basic recipe starts with 1 stick of butter to melt in the bottom of the pan as it bakes and 1 can of drained fruit of any kind. In a bowl, stir together 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup sugar and then mix in 1 cup of milk. Pour the batter over the butter and fruit. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Mel added about 1 teaspoon of all spice, cinnamon, and vanilla to the recipe the first time. It was delicious. We found out that the spices work better added to the flour mixture, instead of the fruit. Adding it to the fruit weakened the spice flavors.

Also we used a can of lite apricots and it was better the second day.

Fresh fruit can also be used. Mel prepared it with apples that we needed to use up.

Recently I decided to try my hand at this very basic recipe. What could go wrong? Well, let me tell you that there is a reason why I titled this Cinnamon Explosion.

I decided to added a couple of splashes of vanilla. It went pretty smoothly. I only put in about 3 teaspoons of it. No problem so far. Then I decided to sprinkle in the cinnamon. Well, I accidently opened up the side with the big hole, instead of the little holes. I ended up with several tablespoons to 1/4 cup of cinnamon in the batter. Well, it ended looking like a shade lighter than chocolate after I stirred it all together. Not knowing what else to do, I baked it anyway, hoping it would turn out.

Thankfully it did. Instead of tasting bitter, it had a wonderful cinnamon flavor.

Next time I want to try to make it with brown sugar, instead of the white sugar. I wonder how that will change the flavor.

Your Cooking Goddess,
Ellen Tevault

Chicken Noodle Casserole

2011-12-02T02:59:00.000-08:00

This is based on the basic tuna noodle casserole. I found canned chicken on sale cheaper than tuna, so I used that instead. You could use leftover chicken or turkey (especially at Thanksgiving). I didn't have enough egg noodles, so I used whole wheat rotini instead. I didn't have peas, carrots, or mixed vegetables in a can or frozen, so I used some frozen stir fry vegetables. I tossed them in with the pasta to cook. When they were finished, I strained the veggies and pasta, before assembling the casserole.

I preheated the oven at 350.

I mixed the chicken, pasta, and vegetables in my stone casserole dish, before I poured the cream of mushroom soup over them. I baked it for 20-30 minutes.

Mel loved the stir fry vegetables in the casserole. This recipe was deemed a keeper.

Your Cooking Goddess,
Ellen Tevault

Thanksgiving Manhattan

2011-12-02T02:40:00.000-08:00

This is a turkey manhattan with a Thanksgiving twist. Manhattans are comfort food for me from my childhood. School lunch served beef manhattan or turkey manhattan about once a month. It consisted of 1-2 slices of white bread, deli meat of either roast beef or turkey, mash potatoes, and gravy. Chicken gravy for turkey and beef gravy for the beef. It was either made as an open faced sandwich with only a slice of bread on the bottom, the meat on top of it, then a scoop of mash potatoes before the gravy or make a sandwich, then cover it with mash potatoes and gravy. That's a basic manhattan.

Here's my Thanksgiving manhattan.
1) place one slice of bread on the plate.
2) place shredded or cubed turkey from Thanksgiving on the bread.
3) add a scoop of stuffing on top of the turkey.
4) pour some chicken or turkey gravy over the stuffing.

Some of you may have already had this before, but called it a different name, such as leftovers. :-D

This is another way to use those leftovers. Happy Cooking.

Your Cooking Goddess,
Ellen Tevault

How to Use Thanksgiving Turkey Leftovers

2011-11-25T07:22:00.000-08:00

Are you looking forward to a week of cold turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving? I didn't think so. That's why I have come up with several alternative uses for those turkey leftovers.

Things You'll Need
• Turkey
• Imagination

1) Turkey Salad - Cut up turkey, onion, celery. Mix with mayonnaise. Serve on crackers or bread.

2) BBQ - Cut up turkey. Mix with your favorite BBQ sauce. Serve on hamburger bun.

3) Casserole - Replace the meat in your favorite recipe with turkey chucks, such as Tuna Noodle Casserole made with turkey instead.

4) Tacos - Mix turkey with taco seasoning. In a taco shell, layer turkey, cheese, salsa, and lettuce.

5) Turkey Noodle Soup - In a sauce pan, mix turkey, celery, onion, and seasoning in broth. Add egg noodles about 10 minutes before the vegetables are tender.

6) Stir Fry - In lightly oiled skillet or wok, stir fry vegetables with turkey chunks with an Oriental sauce packet. Serve over rice or Asian noodles.

7) Hash - Finely chop up turkey, onion, and potatoes. Cook in skillet. (I know, you thought hash only came in a can.)

8) For more ideas, look through a cookbook with the idea that turkey can replace the meat in a lot of recipes, especially chicken. Think of it as an adventure.

Tips & Warnings: Your family may not realize that they are eating leftovers.

Previously published on eHow.com.

New: Since publishing this article a few years ago, I have found out that some people love leftover turkey sandwiches because they combine turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing on a dinner roll or whatever bread is leftover from Thanksgiving dinner. My grandma's idea of a leftover turkey sandwich was white bread with mayonaise and turkey. That was it. Nothing fancy. Mel taught me the pleasure of a Thanksgiving sandwich described previously with all the fixings.

Try it in an omelet. I bet it is delicious.

Have fun experimenting with a new way to have the turkey leftovers.
Your Cooking Goddess,
Ellen Tevault

GardenFork.tv

2011-08-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Mel started me on watching this video podcast. It is wonderful. The guy running it seems to be an average guy, which makes it less threatening. In fact I recently saw him try to melt chocolate in the microwave like I did. I felt like I found a kindred spirit in this journey of learning how to cook. I highly recommend going to his site gardenfork.tv and check it out. Some of his videos are on YouTube, but not all.

Your Cooking Goddess,
Ellen Tevault

Orange Marmalade Salmon

2011-08-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

I tried a new rub for Salmon. It was sweet and delicious.

2-3 Tablespoons Orange Marmalade
few squirts Dijon Mustard
dash of hot sauce

Rub it on Salmon fillets and bake until flakes, about 15 minutes (a little less or little more).

Mel doesn't like Salmon too much, but this recipe was deemed a keeper.

Your Cooking Goddess,
Ellen Tevault

Asparagus: White versus Green

2011-08-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I tried white asparagus because I like to try new produce. I love green asparagus, so I decided to try white when I saw it at the store. My opinion is that it is too much work. You have to break off the wooden end (the same as the green variety), but then you have to peel it before you cook it. This extra step seemed cumbersome. It didn't taste any better or have any more nutrients than the green variety. I decided to stick with the green ones for now on.

Your Cooking Goddess,
Ellen Tevault

Chicken Pot Pie

2010-09-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

I found a recipe for a Tuna Pot Pie, but the idea of tuna mixed with cream of chicken soup didn't sound good to me. Instead I used vegetarian chicken strips. (If you decide to try the tuna, it called for two cans.)

I mixed a package of vegetarian chicken strips with cream of chicken soup and frozen mixed vegetables. I put whole biscuits on top and baked it. The recipe said to cut the biscuits into pieces. I should have done that because the bisquit didn't finish baking. Mel liked it, but I think it would have been better if the biscuits had finished cooking.

This is a simple 4 ingredient recipe. Your kids will love this dish.

Happy Cooking,
Ellen

Pizza Quiche

2010-09-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

I found a recipe for Pizza Quiche in a women's magazine. I couldn't figure out why they wanted to put a can of concentrated potato soup into the pie. Of course, I eliminated it and took the basic idea to create a recipe of my own.

I used vegetarian pepperoni and sausage, but it isn't necessary. The vegetarian pepperoni has only about a couple of fat grams compared to 14 for the meat version, and it had more protein. It tasted so similar that you could probably fool your meat eaters. The only difference is the lack of grease. That may tip them off, but it may be worth a shot if you're wanting to eat healthier. Mel said that the taste was great, but the lack of grease gave away the healthier ingredients.

I used a store bought pie shell. After prebaking the shell, I layered cheese and the pepperoni, sausage, olives and peppers and onions like a lasagna. You can use whatever pizza toppings you like in the pie. On top I poured the egg mixture. Mel liked it that way because it was very flavorful, but not too eggy.

Bake until you can stick a fork into the center and it comes out clean.

This is a keeper in our household. Mel said that the only thing that would make it better was a dollop of pizza sauce on top or on the side to dip bites into.

Happy Cooking,
Ellen

Secret Ingredient Apple Crisp

2010-02-19T23:27:00.000-08:00

Mel couldn't believe what I used to make an apple crisp healthier. Diet soda.

Recipe: I chopped up 4-6 apples, poured 1/2 cup of diet soda over them, and sprinkled 2-3 tablespoons of raisins over them. I tossed on some seasonings, such as cinnamon or pie spice. Mix together homemade cereal in previous post and spread over the fruit. Bake for 30-45 minutes at 325 degrees.

The diet soda softens and seasons the apples as they bake. I worried that the diet soda would make it runny, but the apples soaked it up.

If you want it to be sweeter, you can add 1 tablespoon sugar with the apples and soda. I think brown sugar sounds mouthwatering delicious.

Happy, Healthy Cooking,
Ellen

Homemade Cereal

2010-02-19T23:07:00.000-08:00

Recipe: 1 3/4 cup of whole oats, 3/4 cup pecans, 6 tablespoons of maple syrup, 6 tablespoon of butter/margarine Mix all ingredients together and spread over a baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden. Cool and crumble. It will last for 2 weeks in an airtight container.

I think the maple syrup is too mild according to the above recipe. You could definitely add a couple more tablespoons of syrup if you like sweeter cereal.

I found that if you forget the butter, the cereal will burn. Oops! I had to throw out my first batch because of this. Since I used the last of my nuts on the first batch, I had to go without in the second. In other words, the nuts can be optional if you don't like them. At a later date, I used walnuts instead and loved it just the same. I also added a tablespoon or two of wheat germ to one batch to add more fiber and vitamins. Mel didn't realize. I can't believe I actually fooled Mr. Super Palette.

Mel liked it with milk for breakfast and with yogurt for a snack.

I wanted to make some and give as gifts in small canning jars, but waited too close to Christmas to find jars at short notice. Oh well, maybe next year I will give a small jar of this healthy homemade cereal to my family, friends and Santa. What says "I love you" more than a healthy homemade present. Hey, at least it's not fruitcake.

Healthy cooking and eating,
Ellen

Baked Bean Casserole

2010-02-19T22:29:00.000-08:00

When I tried this recipe I found I eliminated the hot dogs, since Mel and I are trying to eat more vegetarian. We didn't miss the meat because it had a great flavor without it. The fun about casseroles is how easy they are to adjust for different diets.

Instead of using processed potatoes for the topping, you can substitute homemade varities, such as mash potatoes, hash browns or cut potatoes. The original recipe called for Mexicorn, but I substituted frozen corn mixed with peppers and onions. A variety of vegetables could be used instead. Since the beans and potatoes are starchy, you could eliminate the corn and use less starchy vegetables instead for diabetics.

Casseroles like this one are a great way to use up leftovers or canned goods or frozen foods. It's a good thing that casseroles are making a come back.

Recipe: I mixed a can of baked beans, 1 cup salsa in a baking dish. I stirred together frozen corn and pepper strips and copped onion together, before combining with the beans and salsa. Then stir in 1/2 cup of Cheddar cheese. I prefer sharp for a little more kick in flavor. Top with frozen Tater Tots. Bake at 400 degress for 30 minutes. Then sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese onto casserole. Bake until cheese melts and it is bubbly, which I think was about 2-5 minutes.

I bet this will be a crowd pleaser, especially for kids.

Happy cooking,
Ellen

Rub that Bird the Right Way

2010-01-23T23:48:00.000-08:00

This delicious rub only has three ingredients. I made this for the first time around November. People keep asking for it. So many people have asked for it in the last few months, that I have had it once a week for the past three weeks.

Spicy Bird Rub Recipe:
The first time I made it for Mel I used a 3 lb. whole chicken. I stirred 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon chili powder, and 1 tablespoon cumin powder. I basted it on the chicken and slow cooked it covered for three hours on 325 degrees in my favortie stone bowl. I uncovered it and cooked it for a half and hour. The skin looked black. The chicken melted off the bones as Mel carved it.

For Christmas, I doubled the rub for a 6 lb turkey breast. My family loved it. Usually, they ask Mel to cook the turkey. I expected them to be disappointed that I had cook the turkey this year, but they weren't.

In the past three weeks, I have made it three more time. My cousin invited us over for dinner and asked me to bring that recipe, so I made it with a whole chicken again. Due to a snow storm, we couldn't go, so Mel transformed my chicken into tacos. This recipe makes the chicken so tasty that the tacos didn't need any other seasonings. I had to buy another whole chicken for when we rescheduled the cancelled dinner and my cousin and her husband ate almost the whole chicken. Tonight, I made it for the recipe party (mentioned in the previous post). Everyone loved it.

It's so simple that people are shocked when I tell them what goes into the rub.

When I'm ready to eat this again, I think I'm going to change it up and baste it onto fish or tofu.

Happy Cooking,
Ellen

Event Review: Recipe Party

2010-01-23T23:22:00.000-08:00

A recipe party? A simple idea turned into a wonderful party. Everyone made a dish and brought copies of the recipe. A pitch-in with a purpose.

We all lined up to dish out the twenty dishes onto our plates to taste each one. We sat and chatted as we savored each taste. The dishes ranged from soups, salads, casseroles, turkey (my recipe to be discussed in another entry), bbq pork, appetizers and of course, desserts. Chocolate was had by all.

The party is simple to organize.
1) Invite 10 friends to bring a dish, copies of their recipes and a friend.
2) Set up a place for the food and the people.
3) Provide plates, eating utensils, and drinks.
4) Eat and socialize with all the great cooks attending your party.
5) Gather the recipes.

I highly recommmend this type of party. It also can be fun to add a theme to the food. One woman tonight suggested a summer dessert party in her backyard when it gets warmer. Mel suggested a picnic/cookout theme at a park or in someone's yard. Think of the possibilities - vegetarian, international, chili or soup, or more. Since casseroles are making a come back, I think that would be a great recipe party idea.

Food is a great way to bring people together. I enjoyed making new friends over this dinner. The only thing I think could have made it better was shuffling some cards and chatting over a game after dinner.

For the cookbook authors, this would be a great way to promote a cookbook with some adjustments to the way the party is organized.

Cook, Eat and Be Happy,
Ellen

Event Review: Taste of Home Cooking School

2009-12-08T23:36:00.001-08:00

On November 21, I attended with my family the Taste of Home Cooking School at the state fairgrounds. I wanted to post about this event sooner, so I could remember all the wonderful things I learned. I will definitely attend another one. The entrance fee is worth all the freebies alone, the wonderful cooking demo is icing on the cake for these events. The attendees came away with much more than they expected.

There were about 15-20 vendors passing out recipes, having drawings for prizes, and giving away samples. Some booths had lines, but others didn't. They ranged from food manufacturers to local food businesses as well as home improvement companies, beauty supplies, and dishes.

I was shocked to learn that bleached flour is bleached with the same bleach used on clothing. After learning this, Mel and I have researched switching to unbleached flours. Since we make our own bread, we use a lot of flour.

Our presenter, Dana Elliott whipped together 8 recipes from Taste of Home Holiday Recipe Card Collection 2009 with humor and ease. I highly recommend her. I was impressed at how easy she made the recipes. After watching her, I decided that I need to explore recipes beyond my usual 3-5 ingredient adventures. I decided that the amount of ingredients doesn't match the ease of preparation. I'm going to try more recipes with more ingredients as long as the prep steps are within 2-3.

I didn't win any of the give aways, but my mother-in-law won a bag of groceries from Whole Foods. I guessed 289 for how many balls filled a freezer. but someone else won with 299. It held 295. I was so close. Mel and I were disappointed since we've wanted to get one.

Things I took away from this event:
1) Buy unbleached flour. I wouldn't drink straight from the bleach bottle, so I shouldn't buy from companies who use it on flour I'm going to consume.

2) Explore recipes with differing ingredient list. Longer ingredient lists can be easier to make than shorter lists. The prep steps exposes more about the ease of a recipe.

3) Celebrate the fun of trying a new recipe, even if it doesn't work out. It's a chance to learn something for next time.

Happy cooking,
Ellen

Smoking Chocolate

2009-11-06T00:25:00.000-08:00

Smoke billowed from the microwave as I tried to melt semi-sweet chocolate chips. The recipe said to melt them for a minute and then stir. Well, it burned. They suffered so much they sent up smoke signals to warn the chips still in the bag to escape. My spouse rushed in to save them. It was too late. They burnt a hole in the bottom of the bowl trying to escape. We had to throw away the whole mess. The chips and the bowl sank into the trash can like a sinking pirate ship.

Mel decided to have mercy on me and show me the proper way to melt chocolate chips in the microwave. Zap them for 15-20 seconds at a time. Stir. Zap them again. Stir. Continue this for about a minute. Hmm, the recipe I was following didn't tell me that. Good thing I live with a published cook book author.

Once I learned how to have melted chocolate, I added the corn flakes and raisins. I stirred them together being careful not to crush the flakes. I tried to drop teaspoons of the goo onto the aluminum foil, but it ended up being one big clump of hardening chocolate mess. It didn't taste that great either.

In our house we ask if a recipe is a keeper or not when we try a new one. This one obviously is NOT a keeper. I wonder if this popular magazine test drove this recipe before they published it.

My chocolate craving went up in smoke. Not a cooking goddess yet.

Ellen