Food and foodies

Okay - so I guess if it came right down to it, I'd be classified as a foodie.  I have the worst time with cook books, especially ones with great photos!!  I also have a hard time wasting a day away on the internet looking at blogs of cooking.  My favorite site right now is Smitten Kitchen.  She's amazing!!  I think her photos are a little on the dark side - but who am I to complain.  She has published cookbooks!  sigh.
Anyway, going through her site and another one yesterday, Sprouted Kitchen I really had to whip something different up for lunch.  I wanted to make the yummy looking Pea pesto linguini, but ended up doing fingerling potatoes instead.

I guess I'm not a true gourmet, as my daughter figures, because when my future son-in-law asked me what rub I'd used on the steaks I cooked them for Father's Day, I had to answer "smiths".  lol  Since I'd bought them at Smiths and it was how they were packaged.  I did do the hickory smoke chips with it though, and I think that made a little difference.
Anyway - I was making fingerling potatoes with zucchini and fresh peas while my daughters worked out with my niece - our very own personal trainer!!  She was over with her little boy, a sweet little angel that has the cutest smile!

And I got to tend him while they sweated.  sigh.  My turns today...so don't think I got out of anything.

So - to my post.  She (the blogger at smitten kitchen) was waxing poetic about fresh peas, and I realized I had a large bowl of just fresh picked ones from our garden sitting on my counter.  They are really yummy, by the way.

This is what we ended up with...

This is what was left over....  quite a pile.

Now I'm going to make some into the pea pesto, and freeze what's left.  Who knew I'd have this much from our own little garden?  My niece was even impressed.

I was feeling quite the photographer yesterday, can you tell??  lol  I don't know.  Sometimes I get in the mood.  I see all these great blogs with great food and think, I really missed the boat.  But oh well...I still love to cook.  Hubby and I are going away for our anniversary, and I'm contemplating it being a cooking getaway for the two of us...lol  I don't think he'll mind, but I might get tired of it after a while.  I can cook at home!  Of course, I don't always have the appreciative group I'd have in my hubby.  ;)
This was a quick dish that I did in the microwave since I didn't want to heat up the house by turning on the oven.  I'm really trying to figure out how to make decent cookies without the oven...might have to do the ones you cook on the stove.  But that's for another time.
If you want to make this, this is how I did it.  If you're just reading for fun, enjoy.  It was as yummy as it looks!  ;)

Fingerling Potatoes with baby Zucchini

Makes enough for 2...sort of

6 fingerling potatoes (of various sizes) washed and sliced in half and crossways

1 baby zucchini, sliced thin

bacon bits (these were the artificial kind, but real would have been better!) to taste

Mrs Dash Garlic and herb to taste

handful of fresh peas

spray a microwavable dish with pan spray.  lay potatoes in pan, cut side up.  Spray again with pan spray and sprinkle with Mrs. Dash.  Microwave on potato setting.  Add zucchini, kind of toss the potatoes and sprinkle with Mrs. Dash again, toss in the peas.  Microwave on fresh veggie setting.  test potatoes to make sure they're done.  If not, microwave on potato setting again.  I layered a small piece of swiss cheese on top and let melt as well.  It was a yummy smoky potato lunch, and I made myself save a few pieces for my daughter.

hmmm.

strawberry rhubarb slow cooker bread pudding

okay - that's a mouth full!!  I decided that I needed to use some of the strawberries I'd gotten from Bountiful Baskets since I've been buying strawberries like crazy the past two weeks...yum!  and saw a post about strawberry rhubarb bread pudding.  That made it my goal!!  Of course, being as how it's June, I was trying to avoid the oven, so I decided to try it in the crock pot.  It turned out great!  So, you'll have to try it now.  That is, if you're a rhubarb fan...which my hubby isn't, but still liked it enough to have two servings!  ;)

We had it with whipped topping, but I'm sure it would be great with ice cream or frozen yogurt.  sigh.  The possibilities are endless...

Since I'm still not with the swing of things, there isn't a blow by blow of how to make it with glorious photos...lol.  So you'll have to just make it and see if you like it.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Slow Cooker Bread Pudding

Rhubarb, 1.75 cup, diced (which is about 10 - 12 stalks from my plant)
Strawberries, fresh, 4 cup, chopped (large pieces)
*Alpine Valley 9 Grain Bread, 10 slices, cut up (or broken up)

1 TB cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
6 large egg whites 
1 1/2 Cups skim Milk
1/2 C Agave Nectar 
1/4 C brown sugar (unpacked)

Spray slow cooker with pan spray. Place broken/cut up bread in slow cooker. Add chopped rhubarb and strawberries, mixing well.
In a bowl, combine eggs, xagave, vanilla, milk and spices. Pour the mixture over the fruit/bread.  Cook on low for about 3 hours. Take lid off, sprinkle brown sugar on top, put back on and cook another 1/2 hour.  if you think it's too saucy, leave lid off and turn off cooker to let it absorb some of it.

Serve with whipped topping or ice cream.

makes 12 servings

• Calories: 142.8

• Total Fat: 1.5 g
• Cholesterol: 31.4 mg
• Sodium: 120.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 27.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.5 g
• Protein: 8.7 g

Doughnuts!!

Okay - I was shopping and actually stopped and looked at the doughnut counter.  I really wanted one of those chocolate cake ones...but I was good.  I thought, NO!  I can make them at home.  I will make them.  I will make them better.  I will make them with protein in them!!  So I did.  I came home and we had lunch and then I made doughnuts.  sigh.  It was worth the wait.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Protein Doughnuts

Milk, nonfat, 0.75 cup  Vanilla Extract, 1 tsp  Baking Powder, 2 tsp  Kroger Whey Protein, 7 scoops *Whole Wheat Flour, 1.5 cup  Applesauce, unsweetened, .5 cup  Egg substitute, liquid (Egg Beaters), .5 cup  Kroger semi sweet chocolate chips mini, 2 tbsp

Mix all the dry ingredients together, stir well. Mix eggs, milk, vanilla and applesauce. Add to dry ingredients, mix till well blended, but not too smooth, might need to add more milk if too thick. stir in chocolate chips. Be sure to spray the doughnut pan so they don't stick. spoon out the batter into doughnut pan, not filling more than half way.
Preheat oven to 350 and bake for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 21
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 82.5

• Total Fat: 1.1 g
• Cholesterol: 16.9 mg
• Sodium: 87.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 9.8 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g
• Protein: 8.8 g

I did IT!!!

I finally made sourdough bread!!  I won't say it's perfection, but it's round, it smells heavenly and it tastes wonderful!!  wow...I tell you, this has been a LONG time coming!  I've been trying to make starter now for over a year.  I've tried three different kinds before finally coming up with a starter that lives and continues to grow.  I was beginning to think it would never happen.  It was kind of my challenge in life, I WILL make a sourdough starter...lol
I found it on this site.  It was so simple after trying everything to get it to work!!
Here's a photo of my loaves and after slicing.  I couldn't wait for it to cool, I had to try it right away.  Ohhhh, it was almost like sitting in San Francisco and eating at the warf!  ;)

They are dark for two reasons...I think I might have over cooked them a bit, and they have whole wheat in them.  I did follow the recipe EXACTLY - I know, don't faint, it does happen sometimes.  And it called for 1 cup whole wheat.  I used more in rolling and kneading, so it might have close to 2 cups whole wheat.

So it's a little darker than regular sourdough, but it still rose well and tastes great.  I'm in such heaven!! Now if I can keep from eating the rest of the loaf, I'll be doing good!!
wow.  A day in history... lol

Maple Jubilee Jumbles

Okay...these cookies are simply addictive.  I know I've said chocolate is the bomb, but these are better than chocolate...really.  My sister makes them all the time and I begged her for the recipe.  She finally found it and gave it to me, and as is my moto, adjusted them to fit my lifestyle.  I lightened the sugar, used egg whites and pureed beans instead of butter.  They turned out really good!!  So, give it a try...you'll be wanting to eat the whole batch...

Maple Jubilee Jumbles
(adapted from Cooky Primer)

Pureed Great Northern Beans, .75 cup  Brown Sugar, .75 cup, packed  Applesauce, unsweetened, 1 cup  Egg white, 3 servings Kroger Fat Free Sour Cream, 4 Tb Kroger plain greek yogurt, 1 serving  (I didn't have any more fat free sour cream - you could probably eliminate one or the other as long as you had a full cup) *mapleine, 6 tsp  *Flour, white, 2.5 cup  Baking Soda, .5 tsp  Walnuts, .25 cup, chopped

Mix the beans, sugar, applesauce and eggs in a mixing bowl thoroughly. Add the sour cream, yogurt and mapeline. Combine the flour with the soda and blend in. Add the nuts. The original recipe says to chill dough if soft...this stuff is way soft, chilling won't make any difference.
Drop teaspoonfuls onto a sprayed cookie sheet and bake about 8 to 10 minutes. Do not let them brown! Will be slightly golden on the bottom. top with frosting of choice, enjoy!

makes almost 8 dozen cookies...

I used Spif y Whip to make the frosting for these, adding 1/4 C powdered sugar and 1 tsp mapleine.  It's divine.  You could also make a glaze and drizzle the cookies with a maple flavored glaze.  The calories do not include the frosting...  ;)  

• 
  
• Servings Per Recipe: 70
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 34.8

• Total Fat: 0.3 g
• Cholesterol: 0.1 mg
• Sodium: 19.7 mg
• Total Carbs: 7.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.3 g
• Protein: 1.2 g

Okay - She was Right - Sort of

I think I mentioned how bored I was at work Friday.  I was so bored that I was surfing recipes.  Well, I guess that doesn't take much boredom, it's one of my favorite pass times..lol  Anyway, that continued into Saturday, and I discovered a recipe that is really just different, but VERY good - at least initially.  I don't think it's the best frosting to ever cross the tongue, but it's pretty darn close.  Especially with the different ingredient.
Flour.

That's right, it has flour in it!!
I discovered it on the Pioneer Woman site, (which is amazing, if you like food).  She was making Devil Dogs (which to you and me are probably more like Susie Q pies), and mentioned this frosting that she'd found on another site (which goes to show how much we surf each other's sites! lol).  I thought, sure - the best frosting I've ever had?  I've had some pretty amazing frostings.  The last one that really stands out in my mind is what was on my nieces wedding cupcakes - oh man, that was bliss!  (I'm still trying to find out where she got them)  So, I decided to try the recipe and see how it made up.
It's really simple!  I made up a low fat chocolate cake (okay - I just can't make a normal cake anymore) and used sour cream because I had some fat free stuff that had gotten frozen in the back of my fridge and went lumpy, and topped it with semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Wa, lah, the cake.
Then I made the frosting.  She has step by step photos on her web site (she's really good at that) so I won't bother here.  Just click on the link and go wild.
Anyway, I slathered it over the cake, and it's pretty too.  I really can't believe how light and fluffy the frosting texture is.  My son said it tasted like whipped topping.  How does flour, milk, sugar and butter taste like whipped  cream?  Kind of interesting.  Anyway, it is good, but after sitting on the cake I wasn't as impressed.  It's still light, I just thought it had a strange taste.  You try it and see what you think.  I'm thinking I want to experiment with it and see what I can come up with.  The cake turned out awesome, at least, so the frosting was just - lol - icing on the cake...

Low Fat Chocolate Cake:
1 Devils food cake mix
3/4 C egg substitute
1 container fat free sour cream
1 pkg fat free sugar free chocolate pudding mix (8 serving size)
1 1/4 C water
prehead oven to 350.
Mix and pour into sprayed cake pan.  Could make a layer cake or do a 9x13 like I did.  Bake for 35 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.  Cool.

Frosting (The best frosting you've ever had):
1 C skim milk
5 Tb flour
1 tsp Vanilla
1 C sugar
1 C butter

It's kind of ironic to put this on a low fat cake, but oh well.  In a small sauce pan, whisk flour into the milk and heat up, stirring until thickened.  It will be like a thick cake batter.  Cool.  You want it to be completely cooled  off before adding it to the other stuff.  Stir in the vanilla.
Then, in a mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Try to get rid of all the grainy feel of the sugar.  When flour mixture is totally cool, add to the butter stuff and whip on high forever - until it's really light and fluffy and not separated.
Her site says it makes 12 servings.  Those are mightly thick and heavy servings...I spread it over my 9x13 cake and used all of it, but could have done two cakes or 24 cupcakes, I'm sure.

chicken Sausage and Red poatoes

Yum!  If you're looking for something a little different, try this combination.  I was at Sam's Club the other day and discovered they had chicken sausages that are kind of like those you find in the grocery stores with apples and stuff??  anyway, they had two kinds that were interesting to me.  Chicken, Spinach and Asiago cheese, and chicken with Mozzarella and basil.  I was intrigued because they actually were low in fat, (only 5 grams per sausage) high in protein (like 17 grams) and low calorie, (120) all the things I look for in a good protein.
We tried the chicken and mozzarella ones first, with the Ronzoni Garden Delights fettuccini, mushrooms, sweet onion and parmesan.  They were okay, but nothing to write home about.  So then yesterday for lunch I made up some sweet potatoes, red potoates, carrots and sweet onions roasted and added one of the chicken spinach sausages.  It was sooo good!  The chicken spinach is definitely one you'll want to try.  So, here's kind of the recipe for you:

Chicken Spinach Sausage with Roasted Veggies (serves 1 or 2 small portions)

2 small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into large bite size
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite sizes
1/4 of large sweet onion, chopped into large pieces
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut on diagonal into medium slices
1 Chicken sausage

Preheat oven to 400.  Spray a small 8 x 8 cake pan or roasting dish.  put all the veggies in it and spray them, then sprinkle with favorite seasoning or Italian seasoning.  I use Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil.  Put them in the oven for about 10 minutes, take it out and turn them all over, spray again, and put back for another 10 minutes.  Test to make sure they are cooked through.

While they are roasting, in a small fry pan, put a small layer of water and the sausage.  Cover and simmer 5 minutes, turn over and simmer another 5.  Removed from heat and slice into thick diagonal slices.  When veggies are finished, add sausage to veggies and toss.  Serve warm!

total calories is less than 400, fat about 6 and carbs less than 60.