Chowder

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Rachel

While winter kinda hangs on, I feel like I’ve gotta eat as much soup as I can, before it gets too warm. I love Minestrone, Chili, Chicken Noodle, Borscht, Taco Soup, Vegetable, Spicy Black Bean, Thanksgiving Soup, Mashed Potato Soup, Ham and Bean, Creamy Chicken and Rice (I also love lists, can you tell?), and Chowder. Today is a chowder day. So I’ll share a chowder recipe with you. It may not be as good as Splash Cafe, but, we like it. Ooh, and I’m planning to make it with some Llano Seco bacon (obviously, that’s the only bacon I eat), and ALSO Llano Seco HAM!!!!!!! Yes, I am excited about meat. I’m excited about soup! I’m excited about food! Hope you like this recipe. We sure do!

Ham, Corn and Potato Chowder
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Recipe type: Soup, Main
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 30 mins
Serves: 4-6
Ham, Potatoes, Corn, Bacon… Winter’s last hurrah!
Ingredients
  • 2 slices bacon
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 onion (or leek), chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1-2 parsnips, chopped
  • 1 C misc veggies (look in your produce drawer and chop up whatever needs to be used – things like: radish, turnip, celery, mushrooms…)
  • 2 C cubed potatoes (1/2″ cubes) (if you’re using leftover mashed/cubed/diced/fried potatoes, you could use these, just add them at the same time as the stock)
  • 1 T paprika
  • 1 T chili powder
  • pinch all spice
  • 1/2 – 1 t salt (opt.)
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 C white wine (or red wine or apple cider vinegar)
  • 2 T flour
  • 2-3 C milk
  • 6 C stock (chicken or vegetable)
  • 2-4 C water
  • 1 1/2 C corn (frozen is fine)
  • 1 C cooked ham, shredded
  • 2 T spicy brown mustard
  • 1 C fresh spinach, chopped
  • 1 C cheese (Pepperjack would be yummy!), grated (opt.)
  • drizzle honey
  • 2 T red wine vinegar
Directions
  1. Cook bacon in soup pot. Drain fat. Heat olive oil in pan over med heat. Add onion – salt, cook 5-10 minutes. Add garlic, cook 3 minutes.
  2. Add wine and scrape off any bits of goodness off the bottom of the pot (deglazing it). Move veggies over to one side, oil to the other* (adding a little more if necessary) and whisk flour into oil. Cook 30 seconds (creating a rou). Slowly whisk in stock, milk, and water.
  3. Add corn, ham, and mustard; cook 2 min. Add milk, water, seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cook 1-2 hours. About 5 minutes before serving, add spinach and cook 2 min. Add cheese, stirring in figure-eight, until cheese is melted. Add vinegar, honey, taste and re-season if necessary. Top with crumbled bacon and serve.
Notes

*The rou step can be done in a separate pan if there are too many veggies in the soup pot to move over. Just whisk in the stock, let it get thick (like gravy, which is what you’ve made) and add it and the rest of the liquids to the soup pot.

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Indulge us while we pretend that it’s still winter in L.A. :)

P.S. There’s a photo of our dog because I don’t have a photo of the chowder, and well, he’s cute when he sleeps. :)

Posted in Dinner, Main Dishes, Soups | Leave a comment

Food Safety

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Rachel

I’d like to introduce you to my brother. One of my two brothers, to be exact. He is the littlest of the three of us. He’s not really little anymore, although I still have photos of him with his white blonde bowl cut from kindergarten to remind me of those days. All 3 of us kids inherited the cooking gene, I think. Josh and I have cooked quite a bit together, when we’re visiting, or when he’s visiting us. We cook well together. It may get a bit silly, but it usually turns out pretty tasty. I asked Josh to talk a bit about food safety, because it’s something that I think is important. He knows a lot about it, as he’s going to school to be a Health Inspector. I’ll let him tell you more…

Hey there, my name is Josh. I am Rachel’s little brother.

For the longest time I have been interested in cooking. I believe that Rach already talked about how our Mom inspired her love of cooking. For me it is the same thing. Though deep down, I think it may also have had something to do with the fact that if we cooked dinner when growing up, we did not have to help with the dreaded “after meal activities”.

My interest in cooking led me to Culinary School, where I found my true passion – food hygiene and the control of communicable diseases. This is what I am studying right now in school (Public Health). I learn how to recognize, assess, control, prevent and evaluate hazards in the Public sector. A major part of that is dealing with food hygiene, which is what I will talk a little bit about today.

Food hygiene is a broad topic, so I will touch on a few things today that I think are important for maintaining hygiene in a home kitchen. I will talk about proper cooking temperatures, food thermometers, and a few common misconceptions.

Different foods require different temperatures to achieve proper “done-ness”. Doneness in meats especially is essential in keeping food prepared at home safe. Public Health Inspectors (Canada) and Environmental Health Officers (USA) ensure proper hygiene in restaurants, but they really have no say in how things are done in the home. The majority of food-borne illnesses in North America are attributed to meals cooked at home.

When determining the “done-ness” of a food, the following temperatures are a good guideline to follow. These are the regulated temperatures for Ontario, Canada, so the regulated temperatures in your area may be different.

Whole Poultry (a whole chicken, turkey, duck, squab, etc) – 82C (180F)
Poultry (pieces, ground poultry, anything other than whole) – 74C (165F)
Beef, Pork (ground, whole, parts) – 71C (160F)
Fish – 70C (158F)
Mixtures (adding meat or egg to foods, for example, a casserole) – 74C (165F)
Egg – this one is tricky. My suggestion is at least 65C (150F)

Note: Some products that require raw eggs can be safe by using a process called pasteurization, which, when properly done, won’t make the egg curdle, but will make it safe. If you are cooking something that requires raw egg (egg nog, dressings) I would suggest using a commercially available pre-pasteurized egg product.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this, and I really hope that you will consider the safety of the food that you prepare more often. If nothing else, these could be fun facts to impress people at a cocktail party or something.

Take care, and thanks for reading,

Joshua (Onks)

Stay tuned for the next Friday’s Guest Post. Josh will follow up and talk about Food Thermometers.

Posted in Guest Posts | Leave a comment

Lemon Glazed Chicken

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Rachel

Lemon Glazed Chicken
Print
Recipe type: Main, Chicken
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
It’s like take out that you can make yourself!
Ingredients
  • Chicken: 1 whole chicken, giblets removed (you can use them to make stock)
  • 2 T olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 C water
  • Glaze: 1 T cornstarch
  • 1/2 C water
  • 3/4 C lemon juice (juice of about med-large lemons)
  • 2 T honey
  • Pinch salt
Directions
  1. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper in bottom of Crock Pot. Add chicken. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour water into bottom of Crock Pot. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or on low for 4-5 hours, (or until temperature inserted into thickest part of meat comes to 170F).
  2. Whisk together cornstarch, water, and balsamic vinegar. Pour into a small saucepan over medium heat. As it gets warm, it will start to thicken. Whisk, and be careful that it doesn’t burn. It should only take a few minutes.
  3. Halfway through cooking time, brush chicken with glaze (or if you’re not going to be home, brush with glaze when you put chicken in at the beginning).
  4. Right before serving, brush a little more glaze on the chicken.
Notes

If you’d rather use Chicken Breasts:

1. Whisk together cornstarch, water, honey, and lemon juice. Pour into a small saucepan over medium heat. As it gets warm, it will start to thicken. Whisk, and be careful that it doesn’t burn. It should only take a few minutes.

2. Pour 1 C water into Crock Pot. Add chicken. Olive oil, salt and pepper the chicken. Spoon 1 T glaze over each chicken breast. Cover and cook on high 2-4 hours, or low 3-5 hours.

3. Right before serving, brush a little more glaze on the chicken.

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I’m going to try this for dinner tonight. It’s in the Crock Pot right now. I hope it turns out! I’ll update if necessary!

Posted in Crock Pot, Dinner, Main Dishes, Meat, Poultry | Leave a comment

Sharing the Blog Love

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Rachel

My lovely friend Alexandra Joy, of Pink & Honey, nominated me for this award. What a wonderful surprise! Thanks, AJ!

In German, “liebster” is translated as “beloved, dearest, favorite.”

This award is passed between bloggers and is designed for blogs with less than 200 followers. A fun way to pass on encouragement and spread the blog love.

Here are the guidelines:

1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you.

2. Copy and paste the award to your blog.

3. List at least 3 blogs (with less than 200 followers) that you would like to award.

My Nominees Are

Marie Z of The French Market Maven

Marie lives in Paris. I wish to go there. She blogs about the wonderful treats she finds in the markets there. I wish to shop at these markets someday. She also blogs about food. She posted a Pie Crust recipe that is now my go-to. I trust her with my baking recipe needs.

Joanna Waterfall of Waterfall Creative

Joanna is such a talented Graphic Designer. I just want everyone to have her design something for them! And, she’s a great friend of mine.

Rachel of Elephantine

She blogs about things she loves. She has awesome photos and cute cooking videos. And, we’re both named Rachel!

I hope you will check out these wonderful blogs!

(P.S. I really don’t know if these blogs have 200 followers or less. I hope I haven’t offended any of you by saying they only have 200 followers. :) I just like your blog, so I nominated you.)

Posted in Thoughts | 1 Comment

Chicken Pot Pie – This Week’s Feast

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Rachel

Today I celebrate 10 episodes of A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast! For this episode I made Chicken Pot Pie (complete with Homemade Pie Crust)!! It was delicious. And, it’s pretty easy, even the crust. Really! It features chicken (obviously), potatoes, carrots, parsnips, broccoli, cauliflower, green garlic, onion, and peas. Most of these things were in my Abundant Harvest Organics box this week (not the chicken or potatoes, I froze the leftovers from last week’s episode, and the potatoes were from another meal).  

For the pie crust, which was pretty easy to make (yes, I’ve said that already, but I want you to know that YOU could make this), I used a recipe from a blogger that I follow named, Marie, whose blog is The French Market Maven. I’ve made this crust once before, and after making it this second time, it is now my go-to recipe for pie crust.

This is a special episode, being the 10th. And, it’s the perfect time to introduce you to a special something new from my musician friend Molly Jenson. It’s in the episode. I hope you enjoy it… I sure do! (Thanks, Molly J!!)

Chicken Pot Pie
Print
Recipe type: Pot Pie, Dinner, Main
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
Comforting and delicious.
Ingredients
  • 1 pie crust
  • 1/2 C onion, rough chop
  • 1 C broccoli, rough chop
  • 1/2 C cauliflower, rough chop
  • 1 carrot, rough chop
  • 1 parsnip, rough chop
  • 1 green garlic (or regular garlic), rough chop
  • 1 C potatoes (I used leftovers), 1″ cubes
  • 1 C peas (frozen)
  • 1 t dried parsley
  • 1 t dried basil
  • 1 t sweet paprika
  • 1/2 t rosemary
  • 1/2 to 1 t salt
  • 1/2 t pepper
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 1 T spicy brown mustard
  • 1 1/2 C chicken stock
  • 1/2 C milk
  • 1 t lemon juice
  • 4 T olive oil
  • 2 T flour
  • 1 1/2 – 2 C chicken, cooked and shredded (I used leftovers from a chicken I made in the Crock Pot)
Directions
  1. Heat pan (I used a cast iron so I could put it into the oven) and add 2 T olive oil. Add all veggies except garlic, peas, potatoes (unless you’re using raw potatoes, then add them now). Cook 5-10 minutes over medium heat, or until veggies are tender. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.
  2. Move veggies to one side, add remaining olive oil, and whisk flour into it. Cook about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in milk and stock. Bring to a boil and let thicken.
  3. Remove from heat. Add seasonings, mustard, peas, chicken, potatoes, and lemon juice. Top with crust (be careful – pan will be hot!!) (if you didn’t cook in an oven-proof pan, no problem, transfer filling to a greased pie plate) and crimp around edges.
  4. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes, until crust is done.
Notes

Veggies can be swapped out depending on what’s in season (or in your fridge). Some other things that would be good: butternut squash, pumpkin, turnip, rutabaga, spinach, sweet potatoes…

I served this with a Warm Arugula and Orange Salad
1 bunch arugula
1/4 C red onion
1 orange, cut in pieces
2 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 T honey
salt
pepper
1. Heat olive oil in pan. Add onion and cook 2-3 min. Add honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes.
Arugula on plate, top with orange. Pour dressing over.

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Hope you enjoy this dinner as much as we did!

Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Baking, Dinner, Leftovers, Meat, Potatoes, Poultry, This Week's Feast, Vegetables | 2 Comments

Roast Beef in the Crock Pot!

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Rachel

It’s chilly and rainy this morning. Not a complaint, but a contented observation. Perfect for sleeping in after staying up too late watching Downton Abby. :)

Today’s recipe is on this week’s menu for Tuesday (the menu will be live later today). It’s from the “archives”, a.k.a. my recipe journal. It’s for a beef roast done in the Crock Pot. I’ve made this more times than I can remember, and it’s always turned out great. It’s really really easy, and it seems much harder than it actually is (but if you have guests, or someone you want to impress for Valentine’s Day tomorrow, you don’t have to tell them that part). It’s what I taught our friend, Nathan to make when he had a cooking lesson. I hope you enjoy it!

Roast Beef in the Crock Pot!
Print
Recipe type: Beef, Roast, Main Beef, Roast, Main
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
So easy, so delicious! Roasted to perfection in the Crock Pot while you ignore it!
Ingredients
  • 1 roast (Tri Tip, Chuck… whatever your favorite roast is)
  • 1 1/2 C water
  • salt
  • pepper
  • olive oil
  • *Above is a simple roast. If you want to, you could add: red wine, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar in addition to, or in place of the water. You could also add herbs/spices like: red pepper flakes, chili powder, rosemary.
Directions
  1. Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the Crock Pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add roast.
  2. Pour water around roast. Drizzle roast with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. Cook on low for 5-6 hours, on high for 3-4, or until internal temperature reaches 160F).
Notes

With the pan drippings you can make gravy: Heat 2 T oil, whisk in 2 T AP flour. Let bubble 30 seconds or so. Slowly whisk in pan drippings. Bring to a bubble and let thicken. Add and salt, pepper or seasonings to taste. Voila, gravy. :)

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I’ve got some good things in store for you this week. Like… a menu, A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast‘s 10th episode (which has a few new things in the intro and the set), and my youngest brother will be Friday’s guest… and maybe a few more thoughts and recipes.

Happy Monday (and I mean it!)!

Posted in Beef, Crock Pot, Dinner, Main Dishes, Meat | 1 Comment

This Week’s Recap

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Rachel

Happy the weekend!

I hope your week has been marvelous.

In case you missed any of it, here’s what’s been going on this week:

A Legacy Talking about the importance of family. Sharing one of my family’s recipes: Oma’s Lemon Buns.

Legacy Recipes page is introduced. Recipes from my family.

Abundant Harvest Organics Weekly Menu is available.

Be My Guest page is introduced. Talking about my wonderful guest bloggers.

Recipe Index To make it easier for you to find things, I’ve got a recipe index now.

Caramelized Leeks and Brussels Sprouts A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast airs the 9th episode. Brussels Sprouts are featured, and I sing a lot (or whatever that should be called) and get grossed out by the giblets in the chicken. Whatev. I have fun, even if I look like a dork. :)

Substitution = Delicious! I share ideas for things to substitute when you don’t have, say Cheddar Cheese.

Ask Rachel is introduced. If you have a culinary question, I’m here to (do my best to) help!

Alexandra Joy’s Red Velvet Brownies A Valentine’s Day inspired treat that I think you should make. I think I should make it too.

I’d kinda forgotten all that I did this week. :) It was busy, and wonderful, and I can’t wait to do it all over again next week (seriously)! Enjoy your weekend! I hope it’s full of good food, great people, laughter, and appreciating the little moments that make up life.

Posted in Main Dishes | Leave a comment

Alexandra Joy’s Red Velvet Brownies

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Rachel

I’ve known my dear friend AJ for almost 9 years. We met in Texas, and have stayed friends over the many miles, as she’s now in Calgary, AB, and I’m in California. She is a talented, creative, beautiful, wonderful gal. I’m so thankful for her. She has a sweet treat to share with you – perfect for Valentine’s Day, or just a regular weeknight, if you feel so inclined.

Happy Valentine’s Day sweet De Ma Cuisine readers! My name is Alexandra Joy, and I love love. As the owner of Pink & Honey event styling and writer of Alexandra’s Joys, I am passionate about pretty details, DIY celebrations and warm hospitality. And a thoughtful, homemade treat is always the perfect way to show your love for others.

{Adapted from How Sweet It Is}

Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Print
Recipe type: Dessert, Brownie
Author: Alexandra Joy
No one can deny the charm of red velvet cake, so here’s a fun version as a chewy brownie with white chocolate buttercream frosting. It’s easy and irresistible.
Ingredients
  • For the brownies: 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 oz red food coloring
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract, divided
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • For the white chocolate buttercream frosting: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 4 oz good-quality white chocolate (not chips), melted
  • 1 – 2 tbsp heavy cream
Directions
  1. To make the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8″x8″ baking pan.
  2. In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1 tsp vanilla into a thick paste until no lumps of cocoa remain. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the remaining 1 tsp of vanilla. With the mixer off, add in the cocoa mixture, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color. Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed, just until combined. Do not overmix.
  4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl. You’ll want one uniformly colored (red) batter.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies. Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes. Frost brownies in the pan, cut into 12 bars, and serve, or remove the entire batch from the pan to a cutting board, cut into 12 bars, frost, and serve.
  6. To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until soft and fluffy then beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time; allow the sugar to mix in before adding the next 1/2 cup. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on medium speed for 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the melted white chocolate and beat on medium speed until incorporated. With the mixer on low, add in heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time and beat at medium speed until the frosting has reached your desired consistency.
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Enjoy the gooey goodness with someone you love!

 xoxo 

Alexandra Joy

Posted in Dessert, Guest Posts, Holiday | Leave a comment

Substitution = Delicious!

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Rachel

Ever have a recipe that you’re so excited to make, only to discover that you’re missing some of the ingredients? What do you do? Run to the store? make something else altogether? How about substituting for something else that you might already have?!

I realize this takes some thinking, and it’s a bit of an art, sometimes a science (especially when it comes to baking – make sure you know what you’re doing here – do some research, since baking is about reactions and sciency things). But, one thing I am good at is substituting and paring foods. So I’ll share a few things I’ve discovered.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE TRY (and vice versa)
Cheddar Cheese Gruyère, Monterey Jack
Bacon Grease Smoked Paprika + Olive Oil
Chili Powder Smoked Paprika
Ground Beef Ground chicken/turkey
Pinto Beans Cannellini Beans
Lemon Orange
Onion Leek
Broccoli Cauliflower
Bacon Ham
Pork Chicken
Kidney Beans Black Beans
Bread Crumbs Pulse heel of bread in food processor
Sour Cream Yogurt
Pepperoni Salami
Truffles (not chocolate) Mushrooms
Blackberries Raspberries
Apple Pear
Radicchio Cabbage
Honey Maple Syrup
Kale Spinach
Carrot Parsnip
Butternut Squash Sweet Potato/Yam
Buttermilk 1 T White Vinegar or Lemon Juice and fill to 1 C with Milk
Greek Yogurt Regular Plain Yogurt
Potato Turnip
Pumpkin Sweet Potato/Yam

The point is to learn that you don’t have to be restricted by a recipe. It’s great to be able to run to the store. But it’s fun (and practical) to make use of the things we already have and to be creative with them. The recipe will not be exactly the same. But, you will have made it uniquely yours, with your twists!

On a slightly different note, I really enjoy doing this – figuring things out when it comes to  food. If you have a substitution question, or a food related question, I’ve introduced a new page to the blog called, “Ask Rachel” where I’ll do what I can to help with food-related quandaries. So, ask away! Happy Cooking!

Posted in Ask Rachel, Thoughts | Leave a comment

Caramelized Leeks and Brussels Sprouts – This Week’s Feast

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Rachel

Hellooooo! I’m back and have another episode of This Week’s Feast for you! Hooray!! This meal features brussels sprouts (please don’t run away… try them… they’re really good!), leeks, bacon, chicken, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and honey. Most of these ingredients can be found either in this week’s Abundant Harvest Organics box, or as an add-on to your box.

By the way, this was not my first time trying the bacon from Llano Seco Organic Pork. I love this stuff! So much so that they’re now a sponsor (yesssssss!!!!!!). This was my first time trying a whole chicken from Pitman Family Farms - Oh wow! Yum! That was a delicious bird!

This was a simple dinner, made even more so by the Crock Pot. I hope you enjoy it!

Don’t forget to have a look at this week’s menu for some great meal ideas! Happy cooking, happy eating!

Caramelized Leeks and Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glazed Chicken
Print
Recipe type: Side, Main, Veggie, Chicken
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 4 mins
Total time: 19 mins
Serves: 2-4
Bacon meets caramelized brussels sprouts. They live happily ever after.
Ingredients
  • Chicken: 1 whole chicken, giblets removed (you can use them to make stock)
  • 2 T olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 C water
  • Glaze: 1 T cornstarch
  • 1/2 C water
  • 3/4 C balsamic vinegar
  • Caramelized Veggies: 15-20 brussels sprouts, quartered
  • 1 leek, cut into rounds, washed
  • 1-2 T honey
  • 3 slices bacon
Directions
  1. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper in bottom of Crock Pot. Add chicken. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour water into bottom of Crock Pot. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours (or until temperature inserted into thickest part of meat comes to 170F).
  2. Cook bacon. Drain fat, but leave any crumbled bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
  3. Whisk together cornstarch, water, and balsamic vinegar. Pour into a small saucepan over medium heat. As it gets warm, it will start to thicken. Whisk, and be careful that it doesn’t burn. It should only take a few minutes.
  4. Halfway through cooking time, brush chicken with glaze (or if you’re not going to be home, brush with glaze when you put chicken in at the beginning).
  5. Add brussels sprouts and leeks to bacon pan. Drizzle with honey. Cook over medium heat. When they begin to caramelize, turn the heat down a little if necessary. Cook until slightly browned and caramelized, about 5-10 minutes.
  6. Right before serving, brush a little more glaze on the chicken. Crumble the bacon into the brussels sprouts and combine.
  7. Serve and enjoy!
Notes

Would be yummy with polenta, potatoes, or a simple pasta.

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P.S. Did you see the note in the newsletter the other week about the show?! How cool is that! Since we were out of town, I didn’t get a physical copy, but it sure was fun to read online!

Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Crock Pot, Meat, Poultry, This Week's Feast, Vegetables | 1 Comment

A Legacy

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Rachel

Family is so important. Something I’m realizing more as I get older. I have wonderful friends, many of whom are like family (especially since we live so far away from any relative), but they could never replace our parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and memories of our grandparents.

Some of my fondest memories have to do with food and family. I’ve been blessed with a family that loves to eat well. From my Oma on my Dad’s side, to my Mom, there was no shortage of good cooking growing up. I didn’t really discover my passion for food until I got married and had someone to cook for. But now that I’ve discovered it, I cherish it, and use it as a way to connect to my family. I’ve learned how to make my Oma’s Zwieback in person, talked with Mom on the phone while trying to make her Cinnamon Buns, and have taken photos of the process as I’ve made Oma’s Paska, so I could show her, and have her tell me what I did wrong (and she amazed me – she told me, from a photograph, that the dough was too sticky). I love that cooking connects me to my family.

This heritage, this legacy is so precious to me. So I want to begin to share some of those recipes on here in my new Legacy Recipes section.

This first one is Oma’s Lemon Buns. Oma was an exceptional cook. I can’t tell you if she was a better baker or a better cook. She was simply wonderful at both. I don’t remember a visit where there weren’t at least cookies and Zwieback (and by cookies, I mean at least 5 different kinds), and maybe even Lemon Buns. Oma said that when she turned 90 last October, she would be done baking. That didn’t happen. At the family gatherings before and after her funeral two weeks ago, there were Lemon Buns, cookies, Platz, Fleisch Perishky… her baking outlived her. I think the Lemon Buns were my favorite dessert (other than the Paska, which we only ate at Easter). So I’ll share that recipe with you today. It’s in Oma’s handwriting, but I’ll also type it out, so you can print it if you’d like. If you have any questions, I can’t help you, I’ve never made them. But I intend to, soon. :)

Oma’s Lemon Buns
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Anna Pries (Oma)
A sweet little bun filled with lemon, topped with icing. Yum!
Ingredients
  • 1 C milk
  • 1 C sugar
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 3/4 C butter or shortening
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 pkg yeast
  • zest from 1 lemon
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • 9-10 C flour
  • 1 C warm water
  • 1 t sugar
  • Filling: 2 pkg lemon pie filling.
Instructions
  1. Cook 2 pkg lemon pie filling. Let cool.
  2. Dissolve 1 t sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand 10 min.
  3. Cream together butter, sugar, eggs and salt, add lemon peel, juice and the yeast mixture, then alternate the flour with the milk.
  4. Knead to a soft smooth dough. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk.
  5. Roll out fairly thin, cut into 2 1/2″x4″ pieces. Cut a 1″ slit, 1 ” from each end. Put a tsp lemon filling in the center and pull on end through the slit off the other end. Spread the dough to each side and pinch together. Let the buns rise for about an hour.
  6. Brush with milk beaten egg. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 325F. Put the icing on before you serve.
Posted in Baking, Dessert, Legacy | 1 Comment

Jo’s Tomato and Mozzarella Pizza

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Rachel

I’ve known Joanna for just a few months. But, in that short time, she’s become a really dear friend. We have lots of things in common, one of them being food. We both love to eat, and enjoy cooking. Joanna is also a talented graphic designer, and she’s responsible for my awesome logo and business cards! I’m so thankful for her, and am happy to have her as a guest today!

Hello there De Ma Cuisine readers! My name is Joanna Waterfall. I’m a graphic designer, and wanna be chef. When Rachel asked me to do a guest post for her amazing cooking blog, I must admit, I was a little intimidated. I’ve always been the kind of girl who was fine with eating cereal for dinner… until I got married 6 months ago. Then I had to learn how to cook. It’s been a rocky road, but hanging out with Rachel, reading her blog and seeing how easy cooking can be has really helped me along.

So I’m going to share with you a recipe that I’ve grown to love – and so has my husband, which is always good! It’s easy, versatile, and good for any night of the week! We’re gonna cook up some Tomato and Mozzarella Pizza! Super yums.

Having a great pizza dough recipe is so great, because once you have that, you can modify it and put whatever you like on top! I’ve made bar-b-que chicken pizza, veggie pizza, even an egg breakfast pizza! All have been hits, but this one is my favorite, probably because it calls for basil and I’m really proud to say I’ve successfully kept a basil plant alive for a few months now (I’ve been known to kill plants) and I LOVE the taste of the fresh basil. There’s something refreshing about using an ingredient you grew yourself. Its very rewarding – I highly recommend it. :) So here is my recipe, concocted from numerous other recipes and put into one!

So yummy!!

Add in your own toppings, and get creative with what kind of pizza you make! This is my favorite, experiment until you find yours!

(Recipe adapted by Joanna from Joy the Baker.)

Tomato and Mozzarella Pizza
Print
Recipe type: Pizza
Author: Joanna Waterfall adapted from Joy the Baker
I’ve made bar-b-que chicken pizza, veggie pizza, even an egg breakfast pizza! All have been hits, but this one is my favorite, probably because it calls for basil!
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Toppings:
  • 8 oz Fresh Mozzerella (change amount to how much cheese you desire!)
  • 2 med size tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil
  • 1 large garlic clove (I’m a huge fan of garlic, so feel free to add more!)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Any other spices/toppings you desire!
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and yeast. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the warm water and olive oil. Using a fork, bring together the dough so that all of the dry mixture is moistened by the water and olive oil.
  2. Dump shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about two minutes until the dough comes together into a ball. The dough may be slightly sticky, that’s fine!
  3. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the large bowl that the dough was mixed in. Use your fingers to spread the oil around the bowl. Place the dough into the bowl, sprinkle with a bit of flour and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in a warm place and let the dough rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
  4. When dough has doubled, remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a 1/4-inch thickness. The dough can be rolled perfectly round, but a rectangle, or totally odd shape is fine as well.
  5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  6. Flip a cookie sheet upside down and sprinkle with flour. Place pizza dough on baking sheet.
  7. Sprinkle with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Then place on the tomatoes and cheese evenly across your dough. Throw on half your basil now, and keep half for after it comes out of the oven.
  8. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese is perfectly melty.
  9. Remove from oven. Throw on the rest of your basil, allow to cool for a few minutes. Then slice and serve!
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Posted in Guest Posts, Pizza | Leave a comment

Magic Soup

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Rachel

Husband and I were sick. I think food poisoning was the culprit, but who really knows. Whatever the reason, on Tuesday, we started slowly introducing food back into Monday’s diet of tea and water. I’d woken up starving, which I took as a good sign. Husband didn’t. In fact he wasn’t hungry all day. For dinner, I said I’d make us some soup. He thought that the things I told him I was planning to put into the soup sounded gross (carrots, peas, and potatoes) and just wanted broth. Fine. He got broth. And, a few hours later, he said he was feeling a lot better. Because of that, I called it, Magic Soup, since it seemed nothing would help him to feel better.

It’s nothing special, but it’s something everyone should know how to make, for when the sniffles hit. 

Magic Soup
Print
Recipe type: Soup
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 2-3
We call this Magic Soup, because of how it makes us feel so much better when we’re sick.
Ingredients
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 medium potatoes, small cubes
  • 1/2 C peas
  • 1 C chicken or vegetable stock*
  • 2 C water
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/2 t chili powder
  • 1/2 t ginger
  • 1/2 t smoked paprika
  • 1 T apple cider vinegar
Directions
  1. Add all ingredients except peas and vinegar to a pot. Bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 30 minutes, adjusting seasoning if needed. Add peas, cook 3 minutes. Add vinegar. Serve with crackers or toast, and feel better!
Notes

*To make simple stock: boil one chicken carcass with 6 C water for 2-3 hours. Strain and discard bones and meat. Place cooled stock in fridge and when completely cooled, skim fat off the top. (For more complicated stock, add: 2 carrots, chopped; 2 celery stalks, chopped; 1 onion, chopped; 1 t whole peppercorns, 1 bunch herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, basil…). Add 6-8 C water and cook for 2-3hours.)

You could add cooked, shredded chicken, other veggies, and pasta if you want Chicken Noodle Soup.

Best after being cooked for an hour or so, so the favors can really combine, since there’s not a lot in it.

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This is not the most flavorful, or any sort of award winning soup. But, it might just do the trick.

Posted in Main Dishes, Soups | Leave a comment

Still Here!

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Rachel

Hi friends! Just a quick note to let you know that I’m still around. We had a really nice time with my family celebrating my Oma’s life. It was terribly sad, but still good.

I’m laying low this week, because the husband and I got food poisoning last night and are still weak and poor and recovering. I’ll still be blogging this week, but will be waiting until next week for a new episode of This Week’s Feast. I have a yummy idea for next week’s show, that includes bacon. I can’t wait to share it with you.

Better get back to my laying down, watching of the Gilmore Girls, eating of the toast and drinking of the tea.

Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, This Week's Feast, Thoughts | Leave a comment

Bean and Green Soup – Episode 8

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Rachel

It’s chilly here. It isn’t always in the winter, so I’ll take what I can get! It feels like a soup day. And, since I’ve gotten to try some of the add-ons from Abundant Harvest Organics recently, I thought it was the perfect time for soup on A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast!

It’s an 8 bean soup, that also has greens. It’s made in a Crock Pot. It’s so super easy that you won’t even believe it! It features: winter squash, carrots, 8 bean soup mix, spinach, and rainbow chard.

Seriously… try this: Tonight, put some of the 8 bean soup mix in the crock pot. Add water or stock – make sure there’s enough so they don’t absorb all the water and burn! In the morning, before work or whatever you do during the day, add the remaining ingredients. Leave it all day on low. An hour before dinner time, add the greens. You can make some cheddar biscuits, and fry up some bacon to go on top, if you want. Or just eat it with a slice of hearty bread smothered with some homemade jam. Easy, delicious, comforting, hearty. Then grab a book, get the fireplace going, and enjoy a cozy winter evening.

If you want to add meat, go for it. But, beans are full of protein, so if you’re concerned for that reason, no need to be.

Bean and Green Soup
Print
Recipe type: Soup, Main, Dinner
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 18 hours
Total time: 18 hours 10 mins
Serves: 4-6
Greens meet Beans in the soup pot for a hearty winter meal.
Ingredients
  • 1 C winter squash, peeled and chopped
  • 6 small or 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1-2 t smoked sea salt
  • 1/2 to 1 t thyme, lemon and bay sea salt (or use a bay leaf – take it out before serving)
  • pepper, to taste
  • 1-2 T paprika
  • 1-2 T chili powder
  • 1-2 T honey
  • 4-6 C stock
  • 6-8 C water (I used 8)
  • 2 C 8 bean soup mix
  • 2 C spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 C rainbow chard, stems removed, roughly chopped
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
Directions
  1. Add beans and water to Crock Pot. Cook overnight on low (about 8-10 hours).
  2. Add all remaining ingredients except spinach, chard and balsamic vinegar. Cook on low for 8-10 hours (or on high for 4-6).
  3. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
  4. An hour before serving, add chard and spinach.
  5. Right before serving, add balsamic vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Notes

Would be great with ham, chicken or beef, and with bacon crumbled on top. I will serve with Herbes de Provence and Parmesan Buttermilk Biscuits.

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Don’t forget to use this week’s menu!

Please note: If you read my post from earlier today, you’ll know about the loss of my Oma. I’ll be taking the next week or so off to be with our family, to celebrate her life.

Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Beans, Crock Pot, Main Dishes, Soups, This Week's Feast, Vegetables | Leave a comment

My Oma

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Rachel

I may not post a recipe today. I hope you don’t mind. My heart is elsewhere right now.

Making Zwieback with Oma, Jill and Abby.

My Oma was an amazing woman. I don’t have a single bad memory of her. We saw her often, growing up. She woke early every morning to prepare breakfast, and would be waiting when we came upstairs, so she could give us a hug. She was always so happy to see us. I will never forget her voice as she said, “Oh! Hi Rachel. Did you sleep well?” (If you knew her, you might hear her sweet voice in your mind.) She made the best oatmeal… she made the best everything. She was the best Oma I could have ever asked for.

Oma was beautiful, loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, full of goodness, faithful, gentle, controlled, strong, courageous, compassionate. She was a woman of faith and love. Oh and when she laughed! What a sound. She was the kind of woman I hope to be.

She died this morning. I miss her terribly.

Today, I will cherish the memories. They are many, they are all wonderful.

Oma and Opa. A few months before he passed away.

Life will never be the same without her.

Posted in Thoughts | 1 Comment

It’s So Granola

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Rachel

Happy Monday to you! Hope you’ve had a great weekend! I know it’s still continuing for some who have today off. For those who don’t, I’m sorry to rub it in… It’s not intentional. Since I work for myself, I don’t have the day off really, so don’t feel too bad. :)

One of the things on my to do list for today is to cook. I want to make granola, French bread and chicken stock… Things that I like to have on hand, that I like to make from scratch. I’ve shared one of my versions of granola on here before. Today I’ll share my most recent version, and what I’m making right now (it’s in the oven, and smells wonderful).

Granola
Recipe Type: Granola, Breakfast
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 120 mins
Total time: 2 hours 10 mins
Homemade doesn’t get much easier than this granola.
Ingredients
  • 8 C oats
  • 1/4 C honey
  • 1/4 C agave
  • 1/4 C maple syrup
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 3/4 C hot water
  • 1/2 C canola oil
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 C whole wheat flour
  • pinch salt
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 200F.
  2. Mix oats, flour, cinnamon and salt.
  3. Mix honey, agave, maple syrup, vanilla, water and oil.
  4. Mix wet into dry. Combine.
  5. Spread on 2 baking sheets.
  6. Bake for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
  7. Cool completely on a clean tea towel. Store in an airtight container.

Hope you enjoy!

P.S. Have you made my Leeky Pizza yet? If not, you should. It’s awesome! I had a slice just now, cold. Still good. Although it is best hot out of the oven. And, I didn’t put bacon on it, and it’s just fine.

Posted in Baking, Breakfast | Leave a comment

Inspired by Leeks

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Rachel

Do you like leeks? I love them! I use them like I would an onion. I use them instead of onions, when I have leeks and when I don’t have onions, like right now. Or I use them if I just feel like something a little different. They can be used in things like Stir Fry, in soups and Borscht, in chili and stew, in Shepherd’s Pie, added to this pizza or this one… You get the picture. Right?

Here are some recipes I’m just dying to try from Mireilee Guiliano, who is the author of, the French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook. I was given this cookbook for Christmas, and have very much enjoyed what I’ve read so far. The recipes all sound delicious! For example, Potage d’Hiver sounds divine (plus I have all of the ingredients), her Leek and Spinach Quiche would be awesome, and her Mimosa Soup sounds healthy and hearty, just to name a few.

To start, with leeks, it is essential to make sure they’re clean… no one wants to eat grit (I didn’t say grits… those are different). It’s not all that difficult. You should give it a try! I usually chop the leeks, stopping where the dark green part is about to start, and place them in a bowl. Cover them with water, swish around with your hands. The leeks will float and the dirt will fall to the bottom. Scoop leeks out and use.

Our Pizza Friday is going to be on Sunday this week, since we’re going to see a movie and eat some Thai food with some friends tonight. My plan is to make a caramelized leek pizza. I’ll try a stronger cheese to contrast the sweetness of the leeks, maybe add a few walnuts… it would be good with bacon too, but I won’t have any until Tuesday. Sad, but I’ll survive. I haven’t made a pizza exactly like this before, so I’ll make any changes if necessary. :) Enjoy!

Leeky Pizza
Print
Recipe type: Pizza
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 2-4
Leeks get caramelized in honey and added to pizza topped with Gruyere cheese.
Ingredients
  • 1 pizza crust (I use my pizza crust recipe)
  • 1 C Gruyere cheese, grated
  • 1/4 C Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 C leeks, chopped in rounds
  • 1-2 T honey
  • 1/4 C walnuts, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1-2 T olive oil
  • smoked sea salt
  • 1 C chicken, cooked and shredded (optional)
  • Dipping Sauce:
  • 1 T spicy brown mustard
  • 1/4 C plain yogurt (Greek or regular)
  • 1/4 C reduced balsamic vinegar
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 475F. Cook leeks in a dry pan with honey until caramelized and golden in color. In last 2-3 minutes of cooking, add garlic. While leeks cook, bring 1/2 C balsamic vinegar to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t burn, until it’s thickened and syrupy.
  2. Roll out and bake crust for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top with: olive oil, smoked sea salt (opt.), half the cheese, chicken (opt.), leeks, walnuts and remaining cheese. Bake an additional 6-8 minutes.
  3. Whisk together mustard, yogurt and balsamic vinegar.
  4. Serve pizza with sauce for dipping.
Notes

Would also be good as an appetizer, perhaps without the chicken.
Would be good (with or without the chicken) alongside a pureed soup.

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Rachel’s Pizza Crust

Posted in Baking, Inspired By, Main Dishes, Meat, Pizza, Poultry, Vegetables | 1 Comment

Stuffed French Toast – This Week’s Feast

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Rachel

When planning this week’s menu, I was thinking about the wonderful pears that are in season right now, that we’ve been getting in our Abundant Harvest Organics boxes. We’ve had a lot. They’re great raw, as a snack, or alongside a sandwich. But, I was thinking that it would be fun to try something special with them. I was featured a few months ago on my friend Joanna’s blog. I posted a version of my recipe for Stuffed French Toast. She has told me how much she loved it (I made for her before posting on her blog) and that she has made it at home too. In the first version, I used peaches and blueberries (because that’s what was in season at the time). This week, I thought that since we have so many pears, I could put them not on, but in this French Toast. They’re cooked with a little bit of honey, and, well, you can watch the video to see the rest.

It’s a fun meal, that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Yes, dinner. Breakfast for dinner is a great way to change things up (and a great substitute for whatever your go-to meal is when you forgot to take the chicken out to thaw, or plan something for dinner at all). It’s quick, easy and you probably have all the ingredients you need at home already!

You could serve this meal with a fruit salad, bacon, fried potatoes/hash browns… Any or all of those would be just fine with me! AHO sells bacon (as if I could go a whole post without talking about bacon!), eggs, honey, milk, and nuts as add-ons (I’ve tried almost all of them, and have LOVED what I’ve tried). We got potatoes in this week’s box, and maybe you have some oranges and apples left from a the past two weeks to make a quick fruit salad. (No? Me neither. We ate them all. They’re just too good to last long!) Enjoy!

Stuffed French Toast – This Week’s Feast – Episode 7
Recipe Type: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Main
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 2
French Toast gets Stuffed… and extra delicious!
Ingredients
  • 4 slices whole wheat bread
  • 2 pears (or whatever fruit you have that you enjoy), thinly sliced
  • 2-3 T peanut butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 T milk
  • a good sprinkle of cinnamon
  • dash nutmeg
  • pinch salt
  • drizzle of honey
  • maple syrup
  • Greek yogurt
  • walnuts
Instructions
  1. Cook pears with honey, until softened.
  2. Whisk eggs, milk, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together.
  3. Spread peanut butter on 2 slices of bread. Top with fruit and another piece of bread. Dip both sides of the sandwich in the egg mixture, soaking well.
  4. Cook, flipping once, until it’s hot, a bit crispy and the egg is fully cooked.
  5. Serve topped with yogurt, walnuts and maple syrup.

This week’s menu can be found on the menus page. There are lots of ideas that use all the contents of this week’s box. Enjoy! (And, for those of you who don’t have access to Abundant Harvest Organics, please feel free to make use of the menu too! There are lots of ideas and if you can’t find the ingredients, substitutions can always be made. Ask if you need suggestions, please!!)

Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Breakfast, Dinner, Eggs, Fruit, Lunch, Main Dishes, Sandwiches, This Week's Feast | 4 Comments

Resolution Idea

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Rachel

It seems like the main resolution I hear people talk about year after year is to be healthier. Am I right? Is that yours? Whether that’s eating better, exercising, eating more or less of something, doing more or less of something… I think that’s a great thing to do, any time of the year. Four years ago, we made this leap by joining Abundant Harvest Organics. Hundreds of pounds of organic produce later, we feel good about what we’re eating. It’s healthier, yet still tastes great!

If this is something that’s been on your mind lately, Abundant Harvest Organics is a great place to start being a healthier you. You can begin with a small box, and work your way up to a large one. You can set your vacation weeks so that you get a box every other week, if you think you won’t be able to use it all in 7 days. Or, you can jump right in and get a large box every week! To help you out with dinner ideas, I post a menu that features the contents from the current AHO box here on my blog. It’s free, and can be used by anyone, not just AHO subscribers. Have a look, try some of the recipes, or peruse through the contents of the blog, I’m sure you will find many ways to healthy up your eating habits. And of course, you can cook along with me as you watch This Week’s Feast!

Whether you’re a long-time subscriber like me, or you’re new to AHO, I’d love to hear how it’s going, what you’re enjoying, what recipes you’d like to see, if you’re using the menus, watching the episodes, what your favorite add-ons are…etc. If you’re not an AHO subscriber, I hope you’re still enjoying the menus and episodes! Is there anything that you would like to see on here?

I’ve got some fun ideas in store for the new year. I look forward to sharing them with you!

Posted in Abundant Harvest Organics, Thoughts | Leave a comment

Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara – This Week’s Feast

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Rachel

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I sure did. I had some much needed time off, and now I’m ready to cook and plan and eat!! Not that we didn’t eat a lot over the holidays. We love good food, no matter what the season.

Today’s dish is inspired by a dish I found in a cookbook that I got for Christmas called The Silver Spoon, which has over 2,000 Italian recipes for me to try. Oh boy, oh boy, oh yum!! I took the idea of mixing egg and cheese and using it to coat the pasta, and added my own twists. Like adding ground beef, bacon, butternut squash, lemon and olive oil. I got some Llano Seco Organic Pork bacon for the first time from Abundant Harvest Organics this week. Oh wow is it ever amazing! I’ve been hearing for a long time from other subscribers about how great it is. Not one word of that was a lie! As you know, bacon is one of my favorite foods. I’m quite picky about the bacon I eat, and have pretty high standards. This stuff is just too good to not gush over. I’m also trying the organic eggs (from Burroughs Family Farms), organic ground beef (from Panorama Grass-Fed Beef) (which I’ve tried before – it’s just as good as I remembered!), and organic cheese (oh how I love cheese!) (from Alexandre Family EcoDairy Farms). There are a few other things too, but I’m saving them for another week… I can’t use them all today… or can I… no, I’ll wait. Since we’re still unpacking, kinda recovering from all the delicious food we ate, and getting back into the swing of things with work, I wanted to share a quick, easy, tasty meal. I hope you enjoy it!

Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara
Print
Recipe type: Pasta, Main
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 2
A creamy pasta dish topped with bacon. What could be better?! It’s like a grownup, fancy version of Chili Mac.
Ingredients
  • 1 C parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 6 oz. (about 5 slices) thick cut bacon
  • 1 C roasted butternut squash
  • 1 t lemon
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 C white wine
  • 2 T olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 C dried pasta
Directions
  1. Heat salted water for pasta. Cook the bacon. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and discard fat. Add wine to pan and deglaze, scraping the crispy bits off the bottom. Add ground beef. Add pasta to water.
  2. Once beef is cooked, remove from pan and set aside. Remove pan from heat. Mix egg, squash and half the cheese with a fork. Add to pan and mix with cooked pasta, coating the pasta. Cook over very low heat. Add lemon juice, olive oil and remaining cheese.
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There’s still a menu, it will be on the menu page. (That’s where they’ll be from now on, in an effort to keep these show posts a little shorter! :) ) Have a look, click on some recipes, cook up some dinner! The planning is all done for you, all you have to do is buy the groceries and make it. And, even if you don’t subscribe to Abundant Harvest Organics, the produce is something that can be bought at your local farmers’ market or grocery store (unless you’re in California and want to subscribe to AHO… it’s a great way to start off your new year’s resolution of eating better and being healthier).

Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Beef, Eggs, Main Dishes, Meat, Pasta, Pork, This Week's Feast, Vegetables | 2 Comments

With Family – Cooking with Josh

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Rachel

My brother was visiting from Ontario, Canada last week. We had so much fun together. We showed him the sights, relaxed, watched movies, and cooked together. We made a delicious dinner the other night. He really wanted to take part in Pizza Friday. We decided to make Pizza Friday happen on Husband’s last day of work before vacation. The pizza was inspired by bacon, and was gobbled up by us three hungry movie watchers, while the dog looked on longingly… I don’t think he got a taste, sorry Brando.

Here’s the recipe. It’s not really healthy, but we had it with a salad, so it seemed healthier. :)

BACON Pizza
Print
Recipe type: Pizza
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine, Josh Pries
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 40 mins
Serves: 3
Bacony goodness!
Ingredients
  • 1 pizza crust
  • 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 package small mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 T (heaping) honey
  • olive oil
  • 1 1/2 C monterey jack cheese
Directions
  1. Cook bacon. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Remove all but 1 T fat from pan. Cook mushrooms and onions in bacon pan with honey. Cook until caramelized.
  2. On a floured pan, roll/stretch out pizza dough. Bake at 475F for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top with olive oil, some of the cheese, bacon, mushrooms and onions, and the rest of the cheese. Bake an additional 6-8 minutes more.
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I’m going to take the rest of the month off, to spend time with family and friends and just enjoy Christmas. I’ll be back in January with a new episode of A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast, more recipes, ideas, thoughts, guest posts… and more. I have some fun things planned! Until then, look around the blog. There are lots of recipes to try that I brought over from my original blog, and some newer ones too (if you’re new to the blog). Some that I’d recommend:

Poor Man’s Roosevelt

Thanksgiving Soup (you could make this Christmas soup, and use your Christmas leftovers)

Mashed Potato Soup (another great leftovers soup)

Spicy Turkey Chili

Burgers and Fries (something different, or you could make sliders for your New Year’s party)

Hearty, Spicy Lentil Stew

Hope you had a joyous and merry Christmas and wishing you a happy and blessed New Year!

Posted in Pizza | 2 Comments

Happy Birthday Husband

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Rachel

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. But in our house, it is also Husband’s birthday! I learned when we first met that combining Christmas and birthday gifts was strictly forbidden. And not to even think about wrapping his birthday gift in Christmas paper. This may seem silly if you don’t have a birthday on or around Christmas. But for us, it’s just a way to make Husband feel extra special. I’ve been fairly successful over the years. I’ve even thrown a couple surprise parties for him on June 24th. This hear may be low key, but we’ll make it special. If you would like to help make this an extra special birthday, you can wish Husband a happy birthday by leaving a comment on here (or if you’re friends with him on FB or twitter).

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Husband!!

Posted in Thoughts | Leave a comment

Healthy Mac and Cheese

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Rachel

Mac and Cheese is a favorite of mine. Not from a box, but homemade, with veggies (especially roasted broccoli), grated cheese and even sometimes puréed beans… I love it! It’s quick and easy and even, dare I say healthy.

I’m not a diet person. I’m not one who thinks carbs are evil and fat is bad. I’m just not. I won’t do low-carb, high-protein, low-fat, high-fat etc. I’m also not judging you if you do. My preference is to eat healthy meals that are full of good things that my body needs. I don’t understand all of the whats and why of that yet, but I’m learning. One thing I know is that our bodies need protein, they need carbs, and they need fat*.

*Please note that I don’t mean they need these things in the form of highly processed, hydrogenated, MSG-laden foods. As much as we (myself included) may think we need it… I think cravings are often mistaken for a real need for good for you foods that have the same base idea, but done in a healthy way. Ie. craving french fries: maybe what you really need are good fats.

I eat bacon and I love it! But I don’t eat it every day. I eat French Fries, sometimes fast food ones (the ones from Chick-fil-A are my favorites), but not for every meal. I mentioned in a recent post that I’d eaten at Fudruckers, because I want you to know that I think it’s OK to do that. The key for me is that it’s a treat, not the norm. My diet is full of fruits, veggies, protein, carbs, legumes, fats, greens, dairy and occasional treats. I eat well, and I enjoy it. Food is not just a necessity for life, it’s part of the joy of living. This is me. I hope you’re OK with that. And, again, I’ll stress that these are my views. We don’t have to share them to be friends. :)

So why all this (ranting and raving) about my non-diet? Simply to begin to explain why I consider Mac and Cheese to be healthy. Here are three more reasons: One, I’m making as much as I can from scratch (although I haven’t yet ventured to making my own pasta, but it’s on my list of things to try), so I know what’s going into our food. Two, I’m adding veggies to our dishes to bump up the nutritional value. Three, I occasionally add puréed beans to Mac and Cheese, giving it more protein.

Beans are high in protein, and are an excellent source of complex carbohydrate and fiber (which can help lower cholesterol, and helps prevent blood sugar levels from rising too quickly after a meal). They’re also a good source of folic acid. Beans are heart healthy and provide significant amounts of antioxidants, folic acid, vitamin B6, and magnesium. (1)

One cup of raw cauliflower has 476.2 percent of the RDA of vitamin K. It’s also an excellent source of vitamin C, and a very good source of fiber, potassium, phosphorus, and B vitamins. Cauliflower (along with other cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cabbage and kale) have compounds that may help prevent cancer. (1)

If you don’t have cauliflower, you could purée butternut squash, pumpkin, carrots, broccoli, spinach, kale, peas, turnip… you get the picture. (If you have picky kids or other family members, you may want to opt for something cheese colored, if hiding the goodness is necessary… you could save the butternut squash, carrots, or pumpkin for when you’re using orange cheddar cheese. :) )

You could just have this dish as is, or you could top it with toasted bread crumbs, roasted broccoli, cracker crumbs, croutons… bacon :) ).

Healthy Mac and Cheese
Print
Recipe type: Pasta, Main, Dinner
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 2
Healthy meets Mac and Cheese. Yum.
Ingredients
  • 1/3 pkg rotini rice pasta (or whatever kind of pasta you prefer)
  • 1 C cheese (I like a combination of Gruyere, Cheddar and Parmesan)
  • 1 C milk
  • 1-2 T olive oil
  • 1-2 T flour
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, diced
  • 1 T spicy brown or dijon mustard
  • 3-5 T greek yogurt (or plain yogurt)
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 to 1 C puréed Great Northern, or any type of white beans
  • 1/2 to 1 C puréed cauliflower (steam cauliflower, about 1/2 head raw; then puree)
Directions
  1. Cook pasta, reserving 1/4 C to 1/2 C of the pasta water.
  2. Make sauce: Heat pan, add oil, add onions, salt and pepper, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1-2 minutes.
  3. Move veggies over to one side, and whisk flour in with oil on the other (adding more oil if needed). Cook 30-60 seconds. Add milk, slowly, whisking and letting it thicken a bit as you do. Add mustard, beans, cauliflower and pasta water (as much or as little water as you need). Slowly heat, bringing almost to a boil (stop when you start to see steam rising).
  4. Turn off heat and whisk in cheese.
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Sources: (1) Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, 2005, Murray, Michael N.D., Pizzorno, Joseph N.D., and Pizzorno, Lara.
Posted in Beans, Main Dishes, Pasta, Vegetables | 4 Comments

Aunt Sue’s Chocolate Fudge Sauce

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Rachel

chocolatesauce My Aunt Sue makes the best chocolate fudge sauce! It’s soooo good. We had some for the first time when we visited a couple of months ago. I had to have the recipe. And, now I’ll share it with you. It would be a great homemade Christmas gift, or a nice treat for you and yours with some peppermint ice cream, or for guests at a Christmas dinner or party… It’s just plain good, so you should make it. I know I’m going to.

Hi everyone – I am Rachel O’s Aunt Sue – and I love to cook and I love to try new recipes – even whole meals. The only thing is I try them out on my friends and family and when guests come for dinner?? I know – they say thats not a good thing to cook something new you’ve never done before when company comes but I figure by reading the ingredients you get a pretty good idea if you will like a recipe or not and its an adventure for everyone. How fun is that!!!

Anyway here is a recipe I hope you will enjoy this Christmas Season – guaranteed to please both young and old.

Aunt Sue’s Chocolate Fudge Sauce
5.0 from 1 reviews
Print
Recipe type: Sauce, Dessert
Author: Aunt Susan Pries
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 25 mins
This is a recipe you will be reaching for your spatula to scrape every last sticky gooey bit from the jar – or someone else in your family will if they are so lucky!!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
  1. Combine butter, cocoa, sugar, evaporated milk in a sauce pan, over medium heat. Stir often. Bring to a boil and boil stirring constantly for 7 minutes. Put your timer on.
  2. Remove from heat. This next step if VERY IMPORTANT you may think you can omit but it truly will change the sauce. Pour the hot sauce into a blender (remove middle plug, cover with a towel and hold down your lid) and blend for 2 to 4 minutes.
  3. I pour it in a 1 quart canning jar and store it in the fridge.
  4. Enjoy!
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If you want to give it as a homemade Christmas gilt – using pinking sheers cut a large circle and secure it over the lid of the canning jar with a decorative ribbon and ‘wa -la’ you are done

Merry Christmas everyone.

Posted in Dessert, Guest Posts, Holiday, Legacy | 2 Comments

Mashed Potato Soup – This Week’s Feast

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Rachel

On this episode* of A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast I’m cooking “Mashed Potato Soup”.  mashedpotatosoup2 I made this soup for the first time 3 years ago when my friend Clara was born. I brought some soup over to her happy, yet tired parents, so they wouldn’t have to make dinner. Clara turned three last week. So I’ve made the soup in honor of her birthday and the memory of meeting this very special Bugaboo for the first time.

It’s a great way to use so much of this week (or any week)’s Abundant Harvest Organics box contents. It features Carrot, Turnip, Radish, Mashed Potatoes (of course), Spinach, Sweet Potato, Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, and Bari Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I served it with a Pear and Gruyère crostini, drizzled with Olive Oil. Almost all of these ingredients can be found either in this week’s box, or from AHO as an add-on (even chicken can be bought as an add-on and the bones can be used to make stock).  mashedpotatosoup1  

Mashed Potato Soup
Recipe Type: Soup
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 18 mins
Total time: 33 mins
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1/2 turnip, chopped
  • 1 radish (about 1/4 C), chopped
  • 4 C mashed potatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic, , chopped
  • 3 tiny onions, or 1 med, chopped
  • 1-2 C spinach, chopped
  • 1 sweet potato, chopped
  • 2-4 C stock
  • 2 C milk
  • 1/4 t nutmeg
  • 1/4 t ginger
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 1 sprig oregano
  • 2 t chili powder
  • 2 t smoked paprika
  • 1/2 C apple cider vinegar, divided (or 1/4 wine, 1/4 C vinegar)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 C cheese (cheddar and parmesan)
  • 4 T olive oil
Instructions
  1. Heat soup pot, and add oil. Add veggies (all but garlic), salt and pepper. Stir. Cover (so veggies steam a bit) and cook over med heat about 10 minutes (or until veggies are mostly soft), stirring occasionally.
  2. Add garlic and seasonings. Cook 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add wine or vinegar, scraping off any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. 2 minutes.
  4. Add potatoes, milk and stock. Bring to a boil. Add spinach and herbs, cook 3 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat. Carefully puree using an immersion blender (or regular blender, working in batches, with the center part of the lid removed – hold a towel over the opening).
  6. Stir in cheese and remaining vinegar. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.
  7. Serve with crostinis or a crusty bread.
Notes

If you don’t have any leftover mashed potatoes, chop up 3-4 potatoes and add with the rest of the veggies!

Of course this would be great with bacon on top too! :)

This week’s menu can be found on the menu page - have a look!

*This episode sponsored by Bari Olive Oil Company!
Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Main Dishes, Menu Planning, Potatoes, Soups, This Week's Feast, Vegetables | 3 Comments

Travis’ Sourdough Bread

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Rachel

bakedbread

My brother-in-law, Travis, is a great baker (in addition to being a talented musician!). He makes awesome sourdough bread. Over Thanksgiving, I asked him to teach me, and together we made a starter (which we named, “Olga’s Starter”) and of course he made some of his bread from the La Habra Starter.  I asked if he would be willing to share his knowledge with you. I hope you enjoy! (And if you’d like to make your own starter, he will be doing a follow-up post in the new year!) I took Olga’s starter home with me to care for. It’s almost ready to bake with… I can’t wait to try it!

Hello, my name is Travis and Rachel married my brother, so now we’re family. She asked me if I would be into sharing what I’ve learned about bread here and I couldn’t have been more excited to share. I have an interest in bread. I love it. I love it with jam. I love it plain, with a spread of butter or peanut butter, I love it with sandwich things between it. And the smell of baking bread is definitely a favorite of mine. There is nothing better than fresh bread. Except maybe bacon.

So, about ten years ago I started looking into baking my own bread, and being kind of a science nerd I started learning about the way bread starters are used and made. I like sourdough bread and found that essentially a bread starter is a sourdough starter, so I dug a little deeper and found out that with a little patience and time it’s simple to make your own. And with a stable healthy starter you can make so many types of bread it’s crazy. You may also buy many good sourdough starters and each has a different story, which in itself is interesting especially if you like history. Check out the story of San Francisco sourdough.

Like many essential things, when you dig you find a lot of really sweet and interesting things.

Anyway so, here is an easy recipe for a simple sourdough bread, named after a starter I began in La Habra, CA. All good starters should have a good name.

La Habra Sourdough Bread

  • 1 cup “fed” sourdough starter
  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 5 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
  1. Combine the starter, water, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat vigorously.
  2. Cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours. Refrigerate overnight, for about 12 hours.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.
  4. Allow the dough to rise in a covered bowl until it’s relaxed, smoothed out, and risen. Depending on the vigor of your starter, it may become REALLY puffy, as pictured; or it may just rise a bit. This can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. Understand this: sourdough bread (especially sourdough without added commercial yeast) is as much art as science; everyone’s timetable will be different. So please allow yourself to go with the flow, and not treat this as an exact, to-the-minute process.
  5. Gently divide the dough in half.
  6. Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 2 to 4 hours. Don’t worry if the loaves spread more than they rise; they’ll pick up once they hit the oven’s heat. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.
  7. Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.
  8. Make two fairly deep horizontal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here.
  9. Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it’s a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Notes

Hands-on time: 15 mins. to 20 mins.
Total time OVERNIGHT, about 23 hrs

mixingdough risingdough risingbread

In keeping a usable starter you use a lot of flour, and are discarding about a cup of starter every three days or so. I started to think about ways to use the removed cup of starter and made up this sweet pancake or waffle recipe.

Banana Sourdough Pancakes
Print
Recipe type: Breakfast, Pancakes, Waffles
Author: Travis Oberg
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sourdough starter (this can be the cup of removed sourdough starter, as you refresh your starter pot)
  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1 cup AP flour
  • 2 T oil
  • 2 T brown sugar
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1 T cinnamon (heaping)
  • 1 banana (mashed)
  • 1 pinch of baking powder (optional)
Directions
  1. In a large bowl measure starter, water, flour, oil, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Mix gently and cover at room temp. overnight.
  2. In the morning, heat a skillet or waffle iron, and while it’s heating, mash up a banana. Stir banana in to mix. Baking powder can be added to adjust the sour flavor. If you like a strong sour flavor, leave it out. Adding a small amount will balance the sour-ness. I wouldn’t add more than a quarter tsp.
Notes

Makes about 15 4-inch round pancakes or 10 waffles.

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Posted in Baking, Guest Posts, Legacy | 1 Comment

Fancy Pizza – This Week’s Feast

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Rachel

A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast is ready for your viewing pleasure! I’ve made up a “Fancy Pizza” using some of the contents of this week’s box.

fancypizza It features Roasted Butternut Squash, Bacon, Onion, Parmesan Cheese, and My Pizza Crust. I served it with a simple salad of Lettuce, Pears, and Nuts (walnuts or almonds), with a homemade Olive Oil (I use Bari’s Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil), Balsamic Vinegar and Honey dressing. Almost all of these ingredients can be found either in this week’s Abundant Harvest Organics box, or from AHO as an add-on.  fancypizzabrando  This week’s menu can be found on the menu page – have a look!

Fancy Pizza
Print
Recipe type: Pizza
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 23 mins
Total time: 38 mins
Serves: 2-4
Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon on a pizza? Yes, please!
Ingredients
  • 1 pizza crust
  • 1 C thinly sliced roasted butternut squash
  • 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 small onion, halved and sliced
  • 1 t red pepper flakes (opt.)
  • Bari Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 C parmesan cheese, thin slices (would also be good with mozarella or gruyere cheese)
  • salt (opt.)
  • flour, for rolling out dough
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 475F. Cook bacon and drain on a plate with a paper towel.
  2. Slice squash and onion. Roast squash with a little olive oil and salt, for 10 minutes (until slightly browned and soft inside, crispy outside).
  3. Roll out pizza dough on lightly floured pizza stone or pan. Top with a tiny bit of olive oil, salt (opt.) and red pepper flakes (can also bake plain, which is great too). Bake for 5 minutes.
  4. Top crust with a tiny bit more olive oil, parmesan cheese, squash, onion and parmesan cheese. Bake for 6-8 minutes.
  5. Serve and enjoy!!
Notes

Prep time doesn’t include making the pizza dough (which can be made ahead of time and frozen).
Third time I made this, I omitted the red pepper flakes and onions, and added mozarella. It was best this way!
Great green salad: lettuce, sliced pear (or apple), nuts (walnuts or almonds). Dressing: whisk together some balsamic vinegar with olive oil and honey.

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Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Baking, Dinner, Main Dishes, Meat, Menu Planning, Pizza, Pork, This Week's Feast, Vegetables | 7 Comments

Inspired by Butternut Squash

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Rachel

butternutsquash If you’re like me, you may be wondering what on earth to do with all this amazing Butternut Squash that has been in the past two weeks Abundant Harvest Organics boxes. They’ve been enormous! I’m having fun figuring out the different things I can do with this type of squash.

Some of the great things about Butternut Squash

Excellent source of carotenes, good source of vitamines C and B1. It is effective is helping to protect agains many types of cancer (especially lung cancer). (1)

Culinary Possibilities

Roast

pureé

then…

freeze for later

add to soups and stews (Beef Stew, Chicken and Rice Soup, Spicy Turkey Chili)

add to sauces (Spaghetti, Mac and Cheese)

add to Shepherd’s Pie or Chicken Pot Pie

spread on Grilled Cheese (Buttered bread, squash pureé, cheese, buttered bread, cook.)

Halve it, roast it with some olive oil, salt and pepper (Pierce the skin in a few places, 375F 45-60 minutes, in last 10 minutes, drizzle with honey.)

Slice it and roast it (Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and seasonings of your choice, 400F for 10-15 minutes, or until crispy and browned, flipping once if desired.)

Roast it along with beef or chicken (in the crock pot or oven)

Pumpkin Squash Pasta

Roasted Chicken and Veggies (just use squash in place of the sweet potatoes)

Squash Fries (Cut into sticks, about 1/2″ x 1/2″, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and seasonings of your choice… I might use chili powder, smoked paprika and cumin. Bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes, or until crispy and browned and inside is soft, turning once, if desired.)

Cube and add to soups and stews

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup (I did this last night, it was delicious!)

Vegetable Soup

Minestrone

Chili

Beef Stew

Cube and add to Chicken Pot Pie

Ginger Squash Cake with White Chocolate Frosting (I really want to try this, but haven’t had time… if you make it, will you let me know how it turns out?)

Fake Pumpkin Pie (um, just use the squash instead of pumpkin… why not?!)

Pumpkin Squashy Cookies (Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, or any other pumpkin cookie, made with squash)

Tonight for dinner I’m going to invent something I’m calling Double Butter Soup. doublebuttersoup (Update: I made the soup, it was a beautiful, delicious success!!! I’ve updated the recipe.) 

It will go something like this:

Double Butter Soup
Recipe Type: Soup
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
Butternut Squash meets Burned Butter in a cozy winter soup.
Ingredients
  • 3 C butternut squash, cubed
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 turnip, chopped
  • 1 watermelon radish, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 4-6 T butter
  • 2-4 T olive oil
  • 1/4 C white wine or apple cider vinegar
  • 2 T apple cider vinegar
  • 2 C milk
  • 1 1/2 C chicken or vegetable stock, or water (I used water)
  • pinch nutmeg
  • pinch cayenne
  • pinch smoked paprika
  • pinch chili powder
  • salt
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • bacon
  • croutons
Instructions
  1. Heat a soup pot, add butter and cook until it’s really brown and bubbly (it will smell really good). Add olive oil, veggies and seasonings. Cook 10 minutes, or until veggies are getting tender.
  2. Add wine/vinegar and cook until veggies are tender and mushy.
  3. Add water/stock and milk. Bring to a boil, cook 2 minutes or so.
  4. Remove from heat. Using immersion blender, blend soup (careful, it splatters a lot!). (Or use a blender, working in batches, making sure to remove the center plug thingie and cover the hole with a towel – this lets the steam out, and makes it so the plug doesn’t fall in and get blended up with the soup… yes, I’ve learned this from experience.)
  5. Return to stove. Add apple cider vinegar and cook 2 minutes.
  6. Top with bacon and croutons.
Notes

I might top it with bacon (I did, it was great!)… because I love bacon. You could also top with crunchy pan-fried onions, oven baked croutons (slice a baguette, homemade bread, or even use sandwich bread; cube, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, chili powder, broil or bake for 5 – 10 minutes – I do this in the toaster oven, a conventional oven might take less time – keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn!)

(If you have any persimmons leftover from weeks ago, they could be added to this too: peeled and cubed, just like the squash.)

Leftovers could be turned into a pasta sauce for tomorrow’s dinner.

And, last but not least, watch tomorrow’s episode of A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast to see one more way to use Butternut Squash!!

(P.S. Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE MY JOB!?! It’s a lot of work, sure, but it’s so much fun!!! Thanks for reading, friends!!!)

Sources: (1) Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, 2005, Murray, Michael N.D., Pizzorno, Joseph N.D., and Pizzorno, Lara.
Posted in Abundant Harvest Organics, Inspired By, Main Dishes, Vegetables | 2 Comments

Rachel’s Pizza Crust

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Rachel

pizzadough I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We had a fairly quiet one, filled with a few fun things. We got our Christmas tree (from Oliver Holt & Sons & Daughters a local family business, located at 4201 Magnolia in Toluca Lake – great people, great experience, always great to support a family business), finished our decorations, watched many Christmas movies, ate Grilled Cheese and (Trader Joe’s) Tomato and  Roasted Red Pepper Soup (made by husband, so delicious), had lunch at Fudruckers with friends… just to name a few things.

We also had our traditional Pizza Friday! The tradition started when I was searching for the best pizza crust recipe. I found one that I loved right away, but continued the tradition, since it was fun to have a different kind of pizza every week. It’s forced me to be creative, and has been so fun (and yummy!!). I had to be especially creative when our oven was broken for 3 weeks. Thankfully we have a toaster oven. I came up with a Layered Pizza (in baking dish that fit in the toaster), Strombolis, and Stovetop Pizza. They all turned out surprisingly well! Ooh, just had a good idea for another creative pizza. Not telling what it is… will share if it turns out. ;)

Over time I have been tweaking and changing the recipe to my own specifications. So, today, I’m going to share it with you; my version of Pizza Crust. It still might need a bit of tweaking, but, since it’s being featured on this week’s upcoming A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast, I’ll share it now, and post updates if necessary.

Rachel’s Pizza Crust
Print
Recipe type: Pizza Dough
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 75 mins
Cook time: 11 mins
Total time: 1 hour 26 mins
Serves: 4-6
My version of pizza crust!
Ingredients
  • 1 to 1 1/2 t salt
  • 1 t plus 1 1/2 T honey
  • 1 1/2 T olive oil
  • 3/4 C whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/4 to 3 C all purpose flour
  • 1 C water (between 100-110 degrees F)
  • 1 T yeast
  • rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil or other fresh herbs (optional)
Directions
  1. Mix yeast, 1 t honey and hot water together with a whisk. Set aside and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.*
  2. Mix all the whole wheat and 2 1/4 C all purpose flour and salt together. Add honey and oil. Add yeast mixture and mix with a spoon. (You can also mix all wet ingredients together first, then add to flours and salt. I’ve tried it both ways, and both work.)
  3. As the dough starts to come together, it will be sticky. Add more flour as needed. When you can no longer mix with a spoon, flour the counter (or other favorite kneading spot) and begin to knead dough, adding more flour as needed. Knead for about 5 minutes.
  4. Oil a bowl (doesn’t have to be a new bowl). Place dough in bowl, turning to coat. Place in a warm spot, and cover with a clean, damp tea towel and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour). If you’re not going to use the dough that day, leave in the fridge for a day or so, or freeze** it.
  5. When you’re ready to bake, divide the dough in half, flour a pizza stone (or pan). Roll out, or stretch out dough (or you can toss it if you know how). Either roll out over the edge of the pan and fold back up to make crust, or just make an indent all the way around the edge with your finger, to make crust.
  6. Bake 5 minutes at 475F.
  7. Remove from oven. Top with desired toppings. Bake 6-8 minutes at 475F.
Notes

*Yeast should be foamy on top when you use it. If nothing has happened, after 10-15 minutes, you should start over. The water could have been too hot or too cold (I use a meat thermometer to check), or the yeast could be old.
** To defrost pizza dough: remove from freezer and leave in the fridge the day before you want to use it. Or, if you forget to take it out of the freezer, place sealed bag in a bowl of hot water. Let it sit until it’s soft (maybe 30 minutes or so). To speed it up, you could add more hot water once or twice.
You could try this without kneading or letting it rise – I’ve made other recipes this way and they’ve worked… let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
Recipe makes 2 crusts.

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Happy Pizza eating!!

Posted in Baking, Pizza | 5 Comments

Crêpes, by Katy – Guest Post!

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Rachel

My friend Katy loves to cook. She is twelve, and is already a master at Crêpes and Omeletes (among other dishes). I asked her to share her recipe for Crêpes with us. I hope you enjoy it!

Hello, my name is Katy and I’m a friend of Rachel’s. Today I’m going to show you how to make my favorite and very easy crêpes!

I was introduced to crêpes a couple of years ago by my uncle, Andrew. He absolutely loves France and made them one summer for a small family get-together. I didn’t stop loving them since. In fact, for the past couple of years I’ve helped my uncle cook the crêpes for the annual crêpe family night in the summer. These crêpes are really good, but in the recipe, you have to let the batter sit for an hour, sigh. It already takes a long time to cook for 10 people, why add more time? Well I found a recipe that doesn’t have to sit for an hour, and it tastes exactly like my uncle’s! img_6350smaller

Crêpes
Print
Recipe type: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Crêpes
Author: Katy Durrance
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 40 mins
Serves: 8-9
Pretend like you’re in France and make Crêpes!
Ingredients
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1 1/2 cups of milk
  • 1 TB of cooking oil
  • a teaspoon of salt (if you are making dessert crêpes use 2 tablespoons of sugar instead of salt!)
  • butter (for the pan)
Directions
  1. In a bowl, combine eggs, flour, milk, cooking oil, and salt (or sugar if dessert crêpes).
  2. Heat a pan on the stove on medium-high heat until pan is fairly hot, then turn it down to medium heat.
  3. Take a little bit of butter and set it in the middle of the pan. Then, using your hands, lift up the pan and twist it in a circular motion until most of the pan is coated. Then put 1/4 of a cup of the batter on the middle of the pan, and using the same circular motion, coat all of the pan with batter. If there are holes use a spoon and put some of the batter in the holes. Remember, you want this to be as THIN as possible!
  4. After a minute or so you can flip it over with a spatula.
  5. After another minute you can just slide it on a plate!
Notes

It takes around 30 minutes to cook all of the crepes, while one take about 1 minute and 30 seconds. This batch makes about 18 crepes and serves 8-9 people.

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You can eat this by itself but……… With toppings it tastes much better!
Topping Ideas

  • Ham and cheese
  • Turkey and cheese
  • Cheese
  • Spicy cheese spread (My favorite savory filling!)
  • Nutella with strawberries topped with powdered sugar
  • Cinnamon apples topped with whipped cream
  • And my personal favorite, lemon and sugar topped with sugar!

Our family (Me) even makes crêpes without my uncle, and our favorite time to have them is Christmas time! Here’s a couple of our favorite meals with crêpes.

If you want to feel cozy….
This is a good combination if you want to curl up by the fire or watch a movie while eating! Make sure you fold the end of the crepes on each side so you can use your fingers instead of utensils.
Turkey and cheese crêpes with sliced apples, and for dessert Nutella and strawberry crêpes with hot chocolate.

A good lunch on a cold day
The sun might be shining but it’s really cold outside! This meal keeps you happy and warm.
Spicy cheese spread crêpes with caesar salad, and lemon sugar crêpes with good ol’ non alcoholic (Since I’m 12!) egg nog!

Bon Appetite!    

Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, Guest Posts, Lunch | 1 Comment

Wilted Spinach and Radicchio Salad – This Week’s Feast

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Rachel

It’s time for another episode of A Cooking Show With Rachel O – This Week’s Feast!

This week I’m making a Wilted Spinach and Radicchio Salad with some of the contents of my Abundant Harvest Organics box. Don’t worry, this isn’t a summertime feeling salad. It’s rich and hearty and full of fall goodness… It features spinach, radicchio, and apples from this week’s box. Plus onions from the box from two weeks ago, Bari Extra-Virgin Organic Olive Oil (which can be purchased as an add-on from Abundant Harvest Organics), bacon (can be purchased from AHO as an add-on… small side-note, when picking up my box on Tuesday, I was told by a fellow subscriber that the bacon is amazing… try it!!), and honey (can be purchased from AHO as an add-on).

wilted-spinach-salad This recipe can be found on Monday of this week’s menu. I’ve planned it to go along with roast beef, but you could have it for lunch too (what we did). It’s great just the way I made it (and plenty filling too), but you could also add some hard boiled eggs or chicken (which can also be purchased from AHO) or serve it with some potatoes (roasted in the oven, pan-fried). If you have any leftovers, you could mix them into some eggs and make a quiche. Oh yum, I’m getting hungry! I hope you enjoy it!

Wilted Spinach and Radicchio Salad
Print
Recipe type: Main, Salad
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 2
A rich and hearty fall or winter salad!
Ingredients
  • 3 slices bacon
  • 2-3 handfuls spinach,
  • 1 C radicchio, chopped
  • 3 T Bari Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tiny, or 1 medium onion, quartered then sliced
  • splash red wine vinegar
  • 1 T honey
  • 6 whole walnuts, chopped
  • 1 Fuji apple, cut in 1/2″x1/2″ sticks (they don’t have to be too precise)
  • 1/4 t salt
  • pepper
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 1-2 T Havarti cheese, cubed (or use cheddar)
  • 1/8 C parmesan cheese, grated
Directions
  1. Cook bacon. While bacon cooks: wash spinach and radicchio. Remove stems from spinach and chop radicchio. Chop apple, onion, cheese and walnuts.
  2. Remove bacon from pan and lay on paper towel to drain. Remove most of the grease from the pan, reserving about 2 T. Add olive oil to pan. Add onions and apples, cook 3 minutes over med-heat. Add honey, radicchio, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Turn heat down a bit, and let radicchio wilt down. Add a little more olive oil if needed (to make enough dressing).
  3. To serve, place half spinach on a plate, top with apple and onion mixture. Mix slightly, then add cheese, bacon (crumble once it’s cooled), walnuts and parmesan. Drizzle with a tiny bit more olive oil if desired.
Notes

Serves 2 for a main dish, could serve 4 as a side salad.
Would be good topped with/alongside chicken, beef, or pork chops.
Serve with toasted whole grain bread, for a nice lunch or light dinner.
Apple could be substituted for pears (using less-ripe pears would be best so they don’t get too mushy). Apple could also be raw, instead of cooked. Or, you could do both cooked and raw apples!

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Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Menu Planning, Pork, Salads, This Week's Feast, Vegetables | 8 Comments

Spicy Turkey Chili

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Rachel

Did you have a good Thanksgiving? Are you getting ready for Christmas? Is it cold and snowy where you live, or cool and sunny? Have you been eating lots of soups and stews and chilis and warm comfort foods? We have. Soup, in any form (stew, chili) is one of my favorite foods to make and to eat. I just love soup!! I had Spicy Chicken Chili on the menu this week. I haven’t made it in ages, but it’s so good, and I’ve been craving it. We brought home some leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, and I’ve found another way to re-purpose it: Spicy Turkey Chili! I also used a sweet potato (of the yam variety). It wasn’t cooked, but you could use leftovers, if you still have some.

Happy eating!!

Spicy Turkey Chili
Print
Recipe type: Soup, Chili
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 40 mins
Serves: 2
Hearty and delicious. A great way to use Thanksgiving leftovers!
Ingredients
  • 1 C leftover turkey (or chicken)
  • 1 1/2 C cannellini beans
  • 1 sweet potato (yam), cut in 1/2″ cubes
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 T flour
  • 2-3 T olive oil, divided
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1/2 t ginger
  • 1/2 to 1 t red pepper flakes
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1/2 t cumin
  • 1 t smoked paprika
  • 1 t sweet paprika
  • 1 T honey
  • 1/4 C red wine
  • 2-4 C water (or stock, it would make the soup even more flavorful)
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar, divided
Directions
  1. Heat soup pot. Add 2 T olive oil. Add onion when oil is hot (it will look like it’s rippling), cook 3 minutes. Add sweet potato, cook 5 minutes. Add honey, cook 2 minutes.
  2. Add garlic, turkey, cook 2 minutes.
  3. Move all ingredients over to one side of the pan, leaving a small space on the other side and add remaining 1 T oil, add flour. Whisk, about 30 seconds. Add wine slowly, whisking (it should start to thicken). Slowly add water (start with 2 C, add more if you need to), whisking. Add seasonings and beans.
  4. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cook 30-60 minutes (it takes some time for the flavors to meld together, especially if you’re using water not stock). Add more liquid if necessary. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add remaining balsamic vinegar.
Notes

Husband enjoyed it so much that he had 3 helpings!

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Posted in Beans, Dinner, Holiday, Leftovers, Main Dishes, Meat, Poultry, Soups | 4 Comments

Christmas Memories

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Rachel

twinklinglights

It doesn’t feel like Christmas is less than a month away. It’s starting to feel more like it now that Thanksgiving dinner has been eaten, and we’ve almost finished decorating for Christmas. But tomorrow it’s supposed to be 80 degrees F. The song White Christmas will be playing for sure! :) In any case, no matter what time of year the weather makes me think it is, the holidays are upon us!

I’m reflecting on holidays past, and feeling a bit sentimental. I remember walking into the living room and seeing my Cabbage Patch Kid doll waiting just for me. I remember the day after Christmas (boxing day, in Canada) we’d all drive to Oma and Opa’s for the big family Christmas. As kids, we couldn’t wait to be finished with dinner and the Christmas carols so we could open presents! I remember the smells of Christmas morning – Mom would always make a cinnamon bread wreath that had icing and cranberries on top. Cinnamon always smells like comfort, like Christmas to me. I remember making Pfeffernüsse with my mom every year. She’d make a huge batch of dough and we’d roll them into long skinny lines and then chop them into bite-sized pieces. The windows would get all foggy with condensation. It was cold and snowy outside, warm and cozy inside.

I remember my first Christmas as a newly married couple. Decorating our own place, starting our own traditions, like watching Home Alone as we put up Christmas decorations. I remember two years ago, a friend gave us some reindeer antlers. We put them on our dog and tried to take pictures of him. They stayed on his head for about thirty seconds.  brandoantlers2008-1   brandoantlers2008-2

And this year, we’ll make new memories, explore new traditions, repeat old ones. (Antlers on dog, check. Photo taken, check.)  brandoantlers2011 We’ll drink cider, sing carols, get a Christmas tree, try to get the dog to keep the antlers on for a little longer (success!!), drink peppermint hot chocolate (from Trader Joe’s – have you tried it?! We’re slightly obsessed with it!)…

Of all the Christmas memories, I could never pick a favorite. But one of the best was making Pfeffernüsse. The ones we make are the tiny, sweet, minty cookies (not the brown spicy ones – also good, just not our tradition). This year one of my brothers is coming to visit. Maybe we’ll make some together! (What do you think, Josh?) I forgot to ask my mom for the recipe – I was going to post it, and I guess I’ll need it if Josh and I are going to bake them… whoops! (I wasn’t going to admit that, and was going to post another recipe, but that’s really the one that goes with this post… so I’ll leave it, and you’ll know for sure that I’m far from perfect. I’ll post it when Mom emails it to me, in case you want to start a new tradition with your family. :) )

Pfeffernuesse
Print
Recipe type: Dessert, Christmas
Author: “Melting Pot of Mennonite Cookery”
My Great Grandmother Harder used to make these and my mom taught us to make them. We’ll continue the tradition for a 4th generation.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups shortening/butter or combo
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup cream/milk or combo
  • 1 tsp peppermint extract
  • 6 cups flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • salt
  • 1 cup milk
Directions
  1. Cream together: shortening/butter or combo and sugar.
  2. Add: cream/milk or combo and peppermint extract.
  3. Sift: flour, baking powder and salt.
  4. Combine and add alternately with dry ingredients: milk.
  5. Beat until a medium soft dough is formed.  Chill for several hours or overnight.
  6. Divide into 6 parts; Roll out 1/2″ thick; cut into long strips and roll into long fingers.
  7. Cut across sereral rows at a time, making pieces the size of a small marble.
  8. Place on greased baking sheet.
  9. Bake in preheated 425′ oven for ~ 7 min, until a light golden brown.
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I’d love to hear about your traditions. And, if you’d care to share a recipe, please email it to me along with why it’s special/the memory or tradition involved (and a photo if you have one) and I’ll post it on here. You can send them throughout the holidays (up until December 18th) to: demacuisine@racheloberg.com

ornament

Enjoy the holidays, friends! Happy memory-making!

Merry Christmastime!

Posted in Baking, Holiday, Thoughts | 2 Comments

All That Turkey

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Rachel

rachturkey Thanksgiving 2007 (I made my first turkey, along with rolls and stuffing.)

Did you eat a lot yesterday? I sure did. It’s one of the best meals, in my opinion, and it only happens once a year!! But it’s the day after, and maybe you’ve already had a leftover dinner for lunch, exactly the same way it was last night. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with that. But, if you want to spice up your leftovers, I’ve got a few ideas for you.

Thanksgiving Soup (I’m hoping to make this again this year, if my family will let me! It was really great with my brother-in-law’s sourdough bread!)

Thanksgiving Soup
Recipe Type: Soup, Dinner, Main, Holiday, Leftovers
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 3-4
After Thanksgiving (2010) there are always so many leftovers. I was inspired to make a yummy, rich soup using some of them. It was so good, we ate it all!
Ingredients
  • 1-32 oz. box Turkey Stock
  • 32 oz. Water, plus 1 C or so, if needed
  • 2 T Aged Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/2 C Mashed Yams (used my Roasted Garlic Yams)
  • 1/2 C Turkey gravy
  • 1/4 C Green beans, chopped
  • 1 Onion, diced
  • 3 Cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 sm. Zucchini, chopped
  • 3 T Olive Oil
  • 1 1/2 C Leftover turkey, chopped
  • 1/2 t Ginger (dried)
  • 1 t Poultry Seasoning
  • 1/2 t Thyme (dried)
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 1 t Rosemary Salt (which has rosemary, garlic, sage and pepper)
  • 1 C Rice Spaghetti noodles, broken in pieces
Instructions
  1. Heat soup pot; add olive oil; add onion; cook until translucent. Add garlic, zucchini, beans, seasonings; cook a few minutes (don’t burn the garlic!). 2. Add balsamic vinegar; cook 30 seconds. Add gravy; mix in. Add yams; mix in. Add turkey. 3. Add stock and water; bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer; cook for 30 minutes – 1 hour. 4. Add pasta; cook until noodles are done. 5. Serve with a homemade sourdough bread, or another crusty bread. 6. Enjoy!!
Notes

*Other veggies and leftovers could be added too, it’s up to you!

Crostinis

Slice leftover rolls or bread about 1/2″ thick. Top with whatever you’d like (suggestions below). Bake at 400F for about 10 minutes, or until bread is crispy, and toppings are warmed and bubbly (if cheese).

Cranberry and Parmesan

Turkey, Cranberry and Parmesan

Olive Oil, Rosemary and Cranberry

Caramelized Onion and Cranberry

Caramelized Onion and Turkey

Sweet Potato and Gruyere

French Toast using the extra rolls or bread from dinner, dip in egg mixture (whisk together egg, milk and cinnamon). Cook until egg is set and toast is crispy. Serve with leftover cranberry sauce, or sauteed apples and maple syrup.

Winter Veggie Salad

Turkey Club Pizza 

Flatbread Pizza If you have leftover mushrooms from making the stuffing… here you go! Or, top this pizza with Alfredo sauce, turkey, cranberries, some kale or spinach and some parmesan or gruyere, and voila, Turkey Alfredo Pizza.

Honey Mustard Turkey Sandwiches

Turkey Parmesan Dip leftover turkey in egg whites, then into bread crumb mixture in recipe. Cook until heated through and temperature reaches 165F (and outside is crispy). Serve with rice pilaf, wild rice, fettuccine alfredo, pasta with olive oil… or whatever your favorite pasta or rice dish is.

Shepherd’s Pie with Turkey Use leftover turkey (instead of beef) and mashed potatoes mixed with mashed leftover sweet potatoes.

Turkey Pot Pie Cook up some leftover veggies, and potatoes. Add some flour to the oil (at the side of the pan, so the flour doesn’t get all lumpy) and whisk together (30-60 sec). Add some milk or stock (slowly), whisking. Once it’s thick, pour into a pie plate or individual ramekins. Top with leftover pie crust (if you bought it, I think they normally come with two, so if you didn’t make two pies, now you don’t have to take up space in your freezer for that lonely extra one). Bake at 350F or 375F until the pie crust is done, about 30-35 minutes. (You could also top with sliced leftover rolls or bread drizzled with olive oil. Bake at 375F or 400F until bread is toasty.) (Or, you could top with mashed potatoes. If the potatoes are already warmed up, just bake until slightly browned on top… you could even add cheese to the potatoes!)

Fajitas Saute some green peppers and onions and reheat leftover turkey. Assemble on tortillas with some salsa and sour cream.

A few goodies about some of what you’ve been eating

and why you can feel good about Thanksgiving dinner (ahem, most of it, cough, the first helping… not judging here, I’m sure I had at seconds thirds of something everything on the table).

Cranberries are low in calories, a good source of vitamine C, soluable and insoluable fiber, manganese and copper. They’re high in anti-oxidants. They help prevent urinary-tract infections and kidney stones. (1) They also contain a natural vasodilator which opens up the bronchial tubes (good for the entire breathing apparatus). (2)

Turkey is a good source of protein, selenium, niacin, vitamin B6, zinc and vitamin B12. It’s high in the amino acid tryptophan (which is a building block of the brain compound serotonin, which may help improve sleep quality – after dinner nap anyone?!). (1)

Potatoes are a good source of potassium, vitamines B6 and C, niacin, pantothenic acid and dietary fiber.  Potatoes also have a moderate amount of protein (about 2.5 grams in a medium potato). Unlike corn or rice, which have about the same protein content, potatoes contain lysine, an essential amino acid often lacking in grains. Most nutrients, fiber and protein are found in the skin (so scrub well, eat organic if possible and enjoy those skins!). (1)

Yams (traditionally the orange colored sweet potato) are a good source of dietary fiber,  potassium, vitamines B1, B6, C, manganese and carbohydrates. Yams are known to be a superfood for women because of the amount of B vitamines (among other things) they contain. (1)

Green Beans are known to help with rheumatism, and promote the normal function of the liver and pancreas. (2)

Sources: (1) Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, 2005, Murray, Michael N.D., Pizzorno, Joseph N.D., and Pizzorno, Lara. (2) Eating for Health, 2008 Bauman, Edward M.Ed., Ph.D.
Posted in Dinner, Holiday, Leftovers, Main Dishes, Meat, Poultry, Soups, Vegetables | Leave a comment

Pumpkin Pasta

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Rachel

pumpkin

Do you want to do something with the extra pumpkin filling you didn’t use in your Pumpkin Pie? One option is to make another pie. Or, you could make some pumpkin pasta for dinner on Friday night. If you didn’t have Pumpkin Pie, but have some winter squash that needs a delicious use: roast it, scoop it out, puree it (freeze it, if you’re not ready to use it yet)… then you’re ready to cook!

Ooh, another yummy way to use leftover pumpkin is on grilled cheese. Not kidding. Take a little pureed pumpkin (about 2 T per sandwich) and spread it on a slice of bread. Top with cheese, close the sandwich, and butter (or olive oil) the outside of the slices and grill until cheese is melted and bread is toasty (I’m sure you know how to make grilled cheese, so all that was probably totally unnecessary).

For more ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers, check in on Friday. Until then, enjoy your loved ones, the turkey, potatoes, gravy… I don’t need to list the whole meal, mostly because it’s making me hungry, and you know what it entails. Happy Thanksgiving, Friends! And for those of you in non-Thanksgiving places, happy tomorrow’s Thursday to you!

Here’s the pasta. It’s basically like Mac and Cheese meets Pumpkin.

Pumpkin Pasta
Print
Recipe type: Pasta, Main
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 2-4
Mac and Cheese meets Pumpkin
Ingredients
  • 1 C pumpkin, pureed
  • 1 C sharp cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you like), grated
  • 1/4 C parmesan cheese
  • 1 C (or more) milk
  • 1/2 C chicken (or veggie) stock (or water, or milk)
  • pinch cumin
  • pinch all spice
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1/4 t red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 T balsamic vinegar
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 T flour
  • spaghetti noodles (rice, whole wheat or regular) (or could use rotini or penne pasta)
Directions
  1. Cook pasta (reserve 1/2 C pasta water before draining pasta).
  2. Heat oil in pan, add flour. Whisk together and cook 30-60 seconds. Add milk and stock slowly, whisking as you do. Once it’s getting thick, add pumpkin and seasonings. Bring almost to a boil (try not to let it boil – the sauce may break) and turn heat off. Add cheese, whisking; add pasta water and balsamic vinegar.
  3. Serve topped with any, all or none: homemade croutons (toasted slices of bread seasoned with olive oil, chili powder, salt and pepper), caramelized onions, parmesan, bacon. Great on it’s own, or as a side with chicken or beef or leftover Thanksgiving turkey.
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Posted in Dinner, Holiday, Leftovers, Main Dishes, Pasta, Vegetables | 1 Comment

Menu Giveaway

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Rachel

And the winner is…

Cathy Oberg!!!

(Winner was drawn by the official winner-chooser, Husband, in random drawing of scrunched up paper from bowl.)

Cathy, please contact me and let me know if you have any restrictions or preferences for your menu! :)

It’s that time again… MENU GIVEAWAY TIME!!! 

To win a FREE WEEKLY MOYENNE MENU leave a comment on this post about your favorite Thanksgiving food, what you’ll be doing this week, what you’re thankful for, or, if you’re really lazy, you can just write “hi”. ;)

Giveaway closes Sunday the 27th at 9pm (PST).

I’ll start. I’m thankful for so many things… my wonderful husband, grace that I don’t deserve, good food to eat… I don’t have a favorite Thanksgiving food – I like them all, in the same bite… We’ll be hanging out with my Husband’s family this week. Can’t wait!!!

Your turn!

P.S. Since Abundant Harvest Organics is taking the week off, there won’t be a new A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast this week, but I will still have regular blog posts Wednesday and Friday… stay tuned!

Posted in Contests | 3 Comments

Sheila’s Biscotti

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Rachel

sheilabiscotti

Sheila and I were roommates for 4 years when I lived in Texas. She is a dear friend of mine, and a wonderful cook. I have so many fond memories with her, many involving silliness and laughter. She was one of the people who encouraged me in my learning to cook, and even let me help her in her kitchen cooking for 70 people at the Bible School we worked at (where she still works). She was also the one who gave me my start in the cooking show business… we filmed a small show together during our time as roommates. (We may have mostly laughed and not actually cooked anything.)

Thanks for being a guest on De Ma Cuisine, Sheila! (P.S. I’ve made the Espresso-Chocolate Chip ones… oh my, so good! I want to make them right now… maybe I will.)

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and if you are anything like me, the holidays herald good smells wafting from the kitchen and mouths watering at the thought of the yummy goodness that awaits.  As the chef of a Bible school and conference/retreat center, I have a busy few weeks building up to Thanksgiving, getting ready for conference guests and making things fun and special for our resident staff and students.  I try to have fun and different snacks for our many coffee break times during our big conference, so one of my staples every year is to bake a few different kinds of biscotti. It’s good for busy times because you can make it ahead:  it freezes well. Or, if you don’t have freezer space, it holds well at room temperature in a zip-lock bag or container, because it is supposed to be pretty crispy. Plus, people love it (I love it!). And most people have never tried to bake it, so it seems a little exotic or “coffee-shop-ish”.  Either way, I hope you can enjoy being creative with the mix-ins and come up with your own signature style.  My favorite lately has been rough-chopped almonds with dried cranberries.

Espresso-Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Recipe Type: Baking, Dessert, Snack
Author: Sheila Stachofsky
Ingredients
  • 2 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup choc. Chips
  • 2 t baking powder
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/8 t salt
  • 1/2 cup instant coffee granules
  • 1 T hot water
  • 1 T veg. Oil
  • 2 t vanilla
  • 3 large eggs
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix flour through the salt. In a small bowl, mix the instant coffee with 1 T hot water until the granules are dissolved. Blend the rest of the ingredients, along with dissolved coffee, into the dry ingredients until mixture is blended and seems like a stiff cookie dough.
  2. Divide dough in half. Form 2 logs, 14 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide, 3/4 inches high. Place side by side on parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake 3- minutes. Remove and cut in 3/4 inch slices, diagonally. Use a sharp, serrated bread knife for this, cutting gently in a sawing motion so the biscotti does not crumble. Arrange slices on the pan, and bake an additional 10 minutes to toast and make crunchy. Flip and toast again (you do not have to do this step if you prefer your biscotti chewy).
  3. For an added special touch, you can dip one end of the biscotti in melted chocolate.
  4. Store at room temperature in a sealed container or plastic bag, or in the freezer.

Almond Biscotti

3 1/4 cup flour

1 T baking powder

1/2 t salt

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 t each, almond extract and vanilla

1 1/3 C (5 oz) slivered blanched almonds (toasted first, 10 minutes at 350 degrees, cooled)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line sheet pan with parchment paper or foil that’s been greased.  Sift together first 3 ingredients and set aside.  Beat eggs and sugar for 2 minutes till light and fluffy.  Add oil, vanilla and almond, mix until thick and smooth, 1 minute.  On slow speed, add flour mixture.  Knead in nuts (also you can add chopped dried apricots, cranberries, dried cherries, walnuts, white chocolate or chocolate chips. Be creative!).

Divide dough in half. Form 2 logs, 14 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide, 3/4 inches high.  Place side by side on parchment-lined sheet pan.  Bake 3- minutes. Remove and cut in 3/4 inch slices, diagonally. Use a sharp, serrated bread knife for this, cutting gently in a sawing motion so the biscotti does not crumble.  Arrange slices on the pan, and bake an additional 10 minutes to toast and make crunchy. Flip and toast again (you do not have to do this step if you prefer your biscotti chewy).

Store at room temperature in a sealed container or plastic bag, or in the freezer.

Chai Spice Biscotti

2 3/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 T loose Chai spice tea or orange spice tea (about 3 tea bags)

2 t baking powder

1 1/2 t ground ginger

1 1/2 t ground cinnamon

1 1/2 t ground allspice

1 1/2 t ground cardamom

1 T veg. Oil

1 T orange juice

3 large eggs

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour through cardamom.  Add the wet ingredients and blend well until mixture resembles a stiff cookie dough.

Divide dough in half. Form 2 logs, 14 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide, 3/4 inches high.  Place side by side on parchment-lined sheet pan.  Bake 3- minutes. Remove and cut in 3/4 inch slices, diagonally. Use a sharp, serrated bread knife for this, cutting gently in a sawing motion so the biscotti does not crumble.  Arrange slices on the pan, and bake an additional 10 minutes to toast and make crunchy. Flip and toast again (you do not have to do this step if you prefer your biscotti chewy).

Store at room temperature in a sealed container or plastic bag, or in the freezer.

Posted in Baking, Guest Posts, Holiday | 3 Comments

Roasted Chicken and Veggies – This Week’s Feast, Episode 2

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Rachel

This week on A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast, we’re having Roasted Chicken and Veggies. We’re roasting Watermelon Radishes, Sweet Potatoes, Persimmons, Broccoli, Onions and Chicken. These veggies can all be found in your current Abundant Harvest Organics box. The chicken can be purchased as an add-on to go along with a future box (if you didn’t buy one this week, the grocery store will do). This dinner is simple! Wash, cut, season, roast, eat. Done. That’s it. Oh and if you want to be a little fancy, wash up some of those beet greens and serve them with some pomegranate seeds (from last week’s box, or the week before, if you have any left), a little grated parmesan cheese, some walnuts or almonds, and a thinly sliced apple. Then whisk together some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and spicy brown mustard to drizzle over the greens. Yummy and good for you!

roastedchickenamdveggies roastedchickenandveggieswwords

Here’s the recipe for what’s cookin’ on This Week’s Feast… Enjoy with some friends!

Roasted Chicken and Veggies
Print
Recipe type: Dinner
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 75 mins
Total time: 1 hour 30 mins
Serves: 4
We’re roasting up some sweet potatoes, watermelon radishes, persimmons, broccoli and onion, and serving them alongside a roasted chicken. Prepare to be amazed at how easy this dinner is!
Ingredients
  • Baking Sheet 1: 2 sweet potatoes (yams), cut in 1″ cubes
  • 1 persimmon, cut in 1″ cubes
  • 1 watermelon radish, cut in 1″ cubes
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 t to 1 T chili powder
  • Baking Sheet 2: 2 small or 1 large onion, cut into large chunks
  • 2 heads broccoli, cut in med-large pieces
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • Chicken: 1 whole chicken (giblets removed)
  • 1 t to 1 T paprika
  • salt
  • pepper
  • olive oil
  • 1 C water
  • 1 T honey
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Chop veggies and season (tossing in a bowl) according to their baking sheet #. Place on baking sheet in an even layer.
  3. Line a roasting dish with foil (optional – just makes cleanup a little easier). Drizzle foil with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and a bit of paprika. Place chicken in dish. Pour water around chicken. Drizzle chicken with oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika.
  4. Bake chicken for 1 hour 15 minutes (or until it reaches 180F), uncovered, basting every 30 minutes. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, drizzle honey over the chicken. Return to oven and finish cooking.
  5. Bake baking sheet #1 for 30-60 minutes. Put in the oven when you baste chicken for the first time.
  6. Bake baking sheet #2 for 20 minutes, or until broccoli is slightly crispy.
  7. If you only have 2 racks in the oven, put the broccoli in when the chicken is done (chicken can rest, tented with foil, for a bit before serving anyways), use a smaller tray that can fit beside the chicken for one baking sheet, or bake all but broccoli in a large roasting pan (this will have a very different result – the cubed veggies might not be crispy on the outside, but would be equally good)
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This week’s menu can be found on the menus page. Have a look!

Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Meat, Menu Planning, Poultry, Roasting, Salads, This Week's Feast, Vegetables | 7 Comments

Preparing for Thanksgiving

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Rachel

I can’t believe it’s almost Thanksgiving. I think I say that every year. This is one meal that I really don’t want to vary – I like the basics, nothing fancy. Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and yams/sweet potatoes (I can never remember which is which – I think the orange one is a yam??) and green bean casserole. I think the only one that could change is the green bean casserole. I mean I love it, but it’s not as essential as some of the others. And, the yams/SP don’t have to be the marshmallow covered ones, it’s the taste of the squash family that I like.

In case you want to do something squashy, but don’t want to do the traditional sugary (and yes, tasty, let’s be honest) marshmallow topped ones, here’s a dish I made up when a friend came over for lunch the other week. You could use any winter squash (except maybe not a spaghetti squash), pumpkin, yam, sweet potato. I used Butternut squash, because it’s what was in last week’s Abundant Harvest Organics box. From this week’s box you could use the Sweet Potatoes (and apples, onions and spinach) and maybe even add some persimmons (I haven’t tried this, but I might… if you do, let me know how it turns out).

Winter Vegetable Salad
Print
Recipe type: Side
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Total time: 1 hour 15 mins
Serves: 3
It tastes like fall!
Ingredients
  • 1-2 T olive oil
  • 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 apple, cut in medium chunks
  • 1 onion, cut in medium chunks
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1/8 to 1/4 t cayenne
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1/2 t smoked paprika
  • 1/2 t sweet paprika
  • Reduced balsamic vinegar (top with)
  • Greek yogurt (for serving)
  • Caramelized onion cheddar cheese (opt.)
  • 1 C spinach
  • pinch nutmeg (for spinach)
Directions
  1. Toss squash with olive oil and seasonings. Bake at 350F for 30-60 minutes (test at 30 minutes by piercing with a fork to see if it’s done). At 30 minutes in, add apple and onion. Roast until all are soft inside and slightly crispy on the outside.
  2. While squash cooks, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened and syrupy.
  3. Cook bacon. Place cooked bacon on paper towel to drain. Crumble when cooled. Remove some or all grease from hot pan, and wilt spinach. Add nutmeg.
  4. Mix all above ingredients. Top with reduced balsamic vinegar and yogurt.
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Posted in Abundant Harvest Organics, Holiday, Vegetables | 3 Comments

Our Weekend’s Food

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Rachel

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We did. It was busy, but fun. One thing we did, many times, was enjoy lots of good food. Here’s some of what we had:

We had Pizza Friday, as per usual, with lots of Abundant Harvest Organics veggies as our toppings: summer squash, onion, kale, eggplant (I’ll admit that this wasn’t my favorite on pizza, but I might not have done it correctly… I ate all but one tiny piece), and a few non-AHO veggies that I had on hand before I got our most recent box: olives and red pepper. I used my favorite crust recipe and rolled it out thin, but not too thin (this wasn’t a flatbread kinda evening). I baked the crust for about 5 minutes before topping it with tomato sauce, veggies and Sharp Cheddar Cheese, then baked again for 8 minutes and it was delicious!

Our friend, Nathan had his 2nd cooking lesson. He learned how to make Homemade Burgers and Shoestring Fries with caramelized onions and mushrooms. They were delicious!

With some of the leftover mushrooms and onions from the lesson, some lamb that our friend Will brought, and some Apple Butter that my friend Joanna gave me, I made some crostinis (not all on one crostini, silly!) for an easy Sunday Supper. Oh so yummy! crostinis-before-baking_0   crostinis-after-baking   crostinis-named

We enjoyed a Curried Pasta salad with our new friends John and Ann. Ann also made a Thai Peanut Dip for some raw veggies. I will be making this in the future. It was so good!

The weekend’s over, but we’re still gonna have some good food this week. I have a Tri Tip roast cooking in the Crock Pot right now. It might not make it ’till dinner. We may have it for lunch as Roast Beef Sandwiches (maybe with some sauteed onions and red peppers, horseradish and mayo).

This week’s A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast, will feature an Everything Roasted dinner. We’ll have Abundant Harvest Organics Sweet Potatoes, and Broccoli (plus a few other goodies) and then roast a chicken to go along with them (which you can purchase as an add-on with your AHO order). The meal will be featured as Thursday’s dinner on this week’s menu, and recipes will be linked to the next episode of the show (found on here and on youtube). Hope you’ll join me and cook along! (Psst – It’s super easy!! Look below at the chicken recipe. Really, not so difficult!)

Roasted Chicken
Print
Recipe type: Main Dish
Author: De Ma Cuisine – Rachel Oberg
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins
Total time: 1 hour 35 mins
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
  • 1 whole chicken
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
Directions
  1. Line a pan with foil, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  2. Place chicken in pan. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. Bake at 375F for 1 hour 15 min (until it gets to 180F), basting every 30 minutes.
  4. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Notes

We gave this **** (“Amazing”)

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Posted in Main Dishes, Meat, Poultry | 1 Comment

My Friend Gen

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Rachel

gen-cookies

My good friend, Genevieve is attending culinary school right now. I asked if she would share some of what she’s learning on this little blog. It’s so fun to chat about food and nutrition with her. She knows a lot, and is learning even more. Thanks, Gen!!

As a fellow organic, seasonal, nutrition-oriented food lover and cook, I am excited to share a recent creation. Like my good friend Rach, I love to cook and share food, nutrition info, technique tips and more…inspiring YOU to get in the kitchen! Creating is one of my passions and my favorite place to express creativity is in the kitchen. This seasonally inspired cookie recipe is adapted from Rachael Ray, and the basic frosting recipe is based off a recipe of one of my instructors at culinary school.

Having made the Rachael Ray version of these cookies with a classic cream cheese icing several times, I was ready to give these delicious fall treats a healthy makeover! Here are a few highlights of this guilt-free dessert:

-Spelt flour is high in protein and fiber compared to white flour.
-Sucanat is made from evaporated cane juice and is still full of minerals. If possible, for optimal flavor AND fall fun- steam a small pumpkin and puree in the food processor.
-Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, zinc, fiber and Vitamin A and C, boosting the immune system at this critical time of year. Side note- save the pumpkin seeds! We could not stop eating the seeds I roasted last week- so simple: 325° for 25 minutes, tossed with a little olive oil and sea salt. Particularly good for men and their prostate.
-No refined sugar in the frosting- only natural sugars found in dates. Much easier on the body in regards to blood sugar balance.
-Brazil nuts are the highest natural source of selenium, important for women in supporting thyroid health. Eat one brazil nut a day!

I hope you enjoy testing out my recent culinary experimentation…and a word of advice: don’t be scared to adapt your favorite recipe to make it nutritionally beneficial. Oh, and the leftover frosting was delicious served on my steaming bowl of oat groats this morning. Frosting on breakfast cereal…you heard me right. The joys of healthy food!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brazil Nut Cream Frosting
Print
Recipe type: Cookies, Dessert
Author: Genevieve Gladysz
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 10 mins
Ingredients
  • Cookies: 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup sucanat
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
  • 1tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 2/3 cup spelt flour
  • Frosting: 1/2-3/4 cup water, divided
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 coconut butter
  • 6 dates
  • 1 1/2 cups brazil nuts
  • Optional: 3 Tbs chai tea latte concentrate
  • 1 Tbs grated ginger
Directions
  1. Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk melted butter with sucanat, followed by eggs, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  2. Using a spatula, gently fold in flour.
  3. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, scoop a generous tablespoon size amount of batter on a stone baking sheet or a parchment lined metal baking pan.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes or until springy to touch. Cool.
  5. Top each cookie with a dollop of frosting or use two cookies to create a whoopie pie. Enjoy!
  6. Frosting: The frosting will be creamiest if you have a good blender that can handle a brazil nut (VitaMix is the absolute best- expensive but worthy investment!). The food processor will be your next best option, creating a texture slightly more coarse. I chose to spice up the basic frosting, adding a chai flavor using an organic concentrate and grated fresh ginger. The same affect could be achieved with the addition of the traditional chai spices of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, ginger and black peppercorns instead of the concentrate. The water amount will have to be adjusted, depending on other liquids used.
  7. Using a blender, add 1/2 cup of water, followed by all remaining ingredients in order listed above in blender. Blend on high until frosting is similar to the consistency of whipped cream. Add additional water as needed.
  8. If using a food processor, add all ingredients expect water. Pulse, gradually pouring in water until desired consistency is reached.
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Posted in Baking, Cookies, Dessert, Guest Posts | Leave a comment

A Little Cooking Show

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Rachel

A Cooking Show with Rachel O – Thursday’s Dinner is now live! Have a look!

On this week’s episode, I’ll also show you what’s in the Abundant Harvest Organics box that I just received. Then I’ll make Minestrone Soup with many of those ingredients. The recipe was posted previously (so you’d have time to gather any other ingredients you need), in case you want to follow along and cook with me!

Enjoy!

The recipe is over on a previous post. Here’s a link!

Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, This Week's Feast | 11 Comments

A Fall Makeover

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Rachel

I’ve been working diligently at this little business of mine. And I’m enjoying the process. Even though I’ve been at it for almost a year, I feel like I’m just starting out. I’m figuring out the direction I want to head, my concept, my goals… and many more things, but you don’t need all of my “to dos” listed out here. We’d be here for a long time (not a complaint – I LOVE my job!).

One thing that I’m happy to have checked off my list is my logo. Eeeek – I’m so excited to show you what Joanna from Waterfall Creative has designed for me.  She asked a few questions about my taste and style, and took the little that I gave her and combined it with her creative genius and made it into five amazing logos. Five! And I had to choose just one. I figured it would have been confusing to have all of them for my one business. Right? Ya. Thought so. Anyways, while they were all wonderful, I chose the one that I think best represents who I am. I love it. Thanks, Joanna!!

I happily present to you, the New Look (I almost typed New Year, hee hee)!

Print

Posted in Thoughts | 3 Comments

A Little Like Julia

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Rachel

julia_child_restore I’m so excited to share this post with you. I can hardly contain myself. Is this real?! No idea what I’m freaking out about? Read on, my friend. Read on.

If you’ve read the You Inspire Me page of this blog, you’ll likely have noticed that Julia Child is on my list. Husband has kindly compared me to her on occasion, and said maybe someday I’d be like her, and have my own little show. Very sweet and encouraging of him to say, but a little unrealistic.

Tomorrow I will take one step towards being a little bit like this wonderful, inspirational woman. A little cooking show will commence filming and soon after make its appearance on the internet.

I’m thrilled to be partnering with Abundant Harvest Organics on this culinary adventure. It really is a dream come true! What we’re cooking up (pun intended) is a little show called A Cooking Show with Rachel O - This Week’s Feast, that will highlight a recipe from Thursday on the weekly Abundant Harvest Organics menu. In a nutshell, I’ll show you what’s in the current week’s AHO box and then cook with some of it. The “pilot” will air this week (hopefully Thursday). Currently we’re slated for 4 shows, but we’ll see if it gets “picked up” after that. ;) It will be posted on youtube, but I’ll likely post it on here too.

Can you tell that I’m excited?! Of course I’m also super nervous, but it’s like 25% nervous, 75% excited. That may change as soon as the camera starts recording…

Anyhoo, in the first episode, I’ll be cooking Minestrone Soup. Here’s the recipe, in case you want to follow along and cook with me.

Minestrone Soup
5.0 from 1 reviews
Print
Recipe type: Soup
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
A cozy comforting fall meal. Or, swap out the veggies depending on what’s in season, and have it any time of year!
Ingredients
  • 1 lg. onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 to 1 C green beans, chopped
  • 1/2 to 1 C daikon radishes, chopped
  • 1/2 to 1 C squash, chopped
  • 2 C kale/spinach, chopped
  • 1/2 C crushed or diced tomatoes
  • 3-4 C chicken or vegetable stock
  • 5-6 C water
  • 4 T olive oil
  • 1/2 t cumin
  • 1/4 t all spice
  • pepper
  • 1 1/2 T dried basil
  • 2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed, stems discarded
  • 1 T fresh oregano, chopped (opt.)
  • 1 T fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary, removed from stem (opt.)
  • 1 t fresh sage, chopped (opt.)
  • 1 1/2 C garbonzo or canelini beans
  • 1/4 C balsamic vinegar
  • 1 t honey
  • 1/4 C red wine (or red wine vinegar)
  • 1-2 C rotini rice pasta, uncooked
Directions
  1. Add oil to hot soup pot (I use a cast iron pot), add onions and cook 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add remaining veggies (except kale or spinach) and cook until softened, about 10 minutes over medium heat.
  2. Add wine and stir around to deglaze the pan. Add tomatoes, herbs and spices (except parsley).
  3. Add stock and water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Add balsamic vinegar, honey and beans. Cook 30 minutes.
  4. Add pasta, parsley and kale/spinach. Cook 10 – 15 minutes more, or until pasta is cooked to your liking.
  5. Serve topped with parmesan cheese, alongside your favorite crostinis or crusty bread.
Notes

I’m going to serve this with homemade French Bread.

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Posted in Abundant Harvest Organics, Inspired By, Soups, Thoughts | 9 Comments

A Family Thing

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Rachel

dsc_1470rachandmom My mom is a great cook. Even though I wasn’t super interested in cooking as a child, I’m sure a lot of my love for all things food is inherited from her. I’m so thankful for her. I think of her all the time and laugh to myself as I find myself doing or enjoying things she and Dad did (and probably still do) that I might have thought weird as a kid. I see it in so many ways, especially as I get older… I am my mother’s daughter.

I asked my Mom if she would do a guest post with an Apple Bavarian Torte she made when we were in town for Oma’s birthday. She kindly obliged. So, without further ado, here’s my Mom:

Let me introduce myself: I’m Rachel’s mom, up in the cold, soon-to-be-white, north – Canada.  I think I always enjoyed helping in the kitchen (the cooking part – definitely not the clean-up) while growing up in California.  Education-wise, I took a class in cake decorating at the local community college.  This was the only course outside of my major of music that I had room for in my 2 years at Reedley College.  Our children sometimes think it ridiculous that I got college credits for a class like that.  But, they did think it was neat that they had specially decorated cakes for their birthdays.  I’m sure that this was one of the steps to my becoming a creative cook.  I don’t decorate many cakes anymore, all that icing is just too sweet for me and most of my guests, but sometimes I use silk flowers to top off a special cake.

I’ve been cooking more officially since my first real job here in Canada almost 35 years ago, where I worked part-time as a house-parent at a group home for delinquent teenage boys.  There were many things I was supposed to do while working there, but by far my favourite (that’s the correct Canadian spelling) was cooking for the group of about 10 big eaters.

Now, husband, John and I own RiverSong Banquet Hall just outside St. Jacobs Ontario, where I do most of the cooking for the guests at our banquet hall.  

We have apples readily available in our area, so I always have lots on hand.  My favourite fall dessert this year is APPLE BAVARIAN TORTE.  The original recipe came from allrecipes.com, and I have adapted it to suit my tastes.   You can omit the apples and top with thickened fruit, such as raspberries or cherries. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.   Susan Pries at RiverSong Banquet Hall

APPLE  BAVARIAN  TORTE

pie or torte pan 9’ round 2  9” rounds 6  9” rounds
64 sq “ 128 sq “ 384 sq “
servings 10 – 12servings 20 – 24servings 60 – 72servings
Cream:
Butter ½ cup 1 cup 3 cups
Sugar 1/3 cup 2/3 cup 2 cups
Vanilla ¼ tsp ½ tsp 1 ½ tsp
Flour 1 cup 2 cups 6 cups
Press mixture into pan
Combine in blender:
Eggs 2 large 4 lg 12 lg
Cottage or Cream Cheese 8 oz 16 oz 48 oz
White Sugar or Honey 1/3 cup 2/3 cup 2 cups
Dry Milk Solids ¼ cup ½ cup 1 ½ cups
Lemon Juice 1 – 2  Tbl 2 – 4 Tbl 6 – 12 Tbl
Vanilla 2 tsp 4 tsp 4 Tbl
Pour over crust
Peel, core, slice & arrange in a circle over filling:
Apples 5 med 10 med 30 med
Mix and sprinkle over apples:
White sugar 1/3 cup 2/3 cup 2 cups
Cinnamon ½ tsp 1 tsp 1 Tbl
Bake at 375‘ 25-35 minutes
Serve warm or at room temperature
Posted in Baking, Fruit, Guest Posts, Legacy | 1 Comment

Guest Post on Joanna’s Blog

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Rachel

Today I’m guest posting over here, on Joanna’s blog!

Don’t forget to enter to win a FREE box of Abundant Harvest Organics produce. (You need to be able to pick the free box up at one of the AHO delivery sites, don’t forget.)

My mom will be guest posting on my blog tomorrow.

Happy Thursday!!

Posted in Thoughts | 3 Comments

Friends, Burgers and Shoestring Fries

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Rachel

img_2722_2 (I love this photo because it’s New York in the fall. It has nothing to do with this post. It’s just a nice memory and the best time of year.)

This weekend I will attend my second Creative Connection USA event. I’m excited to have an opportunity to connect with some of the wonderfully creative women I met at the first event I attended a few weeks ago. I also hope to meet some new friends, as I’m sure I didn’t even chat with half of the women gathered at the Tea Exchange.

That event was pretty monumental for me. I’ve been planning menus and blogging for a while now, but I still feel like I’m just starting out. I love what I do, but I’ve been struggling with the direction to take it in. There’s so much I want to do and learn, and so many different things that I love to do. So it can be difficult to focus when I’m wearing so many hats. I’m working on narrowing down my focus (and it’s so much fun!!!).

This is kind of a lot of information, and it’s getting a little more personal than I’d intended the blog to be… I hope you’ll indulge me and keep reading. I still have a lot to tell you.

I want to introduce you to a few of my new friends, who have been so influential, inspiring, and who have encouraged me more than they may ever realize.

Joanna Waterfall of Waterfall Creative is a new friend. She is creative, artistic, sweet and fun (and she looks a little like Audrey Hepburn, which I think is super cool!). She’s encouraging, supportive and excited about my work. She has designed a new logo for me, which I’m restraining myself from showing you right now, because it deserves its own post. I’ll show you in a few days. I can hardly wait! If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have known about CCLA. If it weren’t for the contest on her blog, I may not have attended the event. I’m so thankful for this new friend!

Emilee Hegg of Tasteful Tatters is the host of the CCLA events. She has encouraged me with her excitement for my menu planning venture. I’m humbled by and so thankful for her kind words and the way she makes me feel like I’m doing something special. She has an Etsy shop where she sells super cute accessories. She also has awesome vintage furniture and accessories you can rent for weddings, photo sessions, birthday parties and more!

Lizzie Metcalf of S’Wonderful Photography was the featured photographer at last month’s CCLA event. She’s sweet and talented and I’m so glad to have her as a new friend!

Laura Pedrino of Yours and Mine Photography was one of the women I spent the most time with at CCLA. We were in line together for something to drink, and ended up sitting together. She’s a newlywed, who has started a photography business with her husband. I’m looking forward to connecting with her at future events and watching their business grow!

Christy LeMire of Waterside Wellness is passionate about food and nutrition. She’s a health coach who provides personal nutrition, wellness and lifestyle counseling. It’s been fun to connect with her about food!

A few other friends that I’m excited to get to know better:

Becca Rillo of Becca Rillo Photography 

Christy Schnurle of One Handspun Day

Kathy Le Backes of The Vintage Table Co. 

Molly Reynolds Makeup Artist

Carson Saldivar of Itty Bitty Party Committee

If you’re still reading, I thank you. I hope I haven’t kept you from anything important. :) And, I hope you’ll continue to read. I have a few exciting thing coming up. I’ve kept the lid on things (mostly) and haven’t just haphazardly included them in this long post. However, I will not be able to keep them to myself for long. So, stay tuned for a new logo, something exciting to do with Abundant Harvest Organics (even more exiting than then contest for a free box of produce – have you entered yet?!), and an idea that Husband and I are working on – another facet to the menu planning art.

Wow, I wrote a lot… I’m getting to the end. I feel as though I should share a recipe. This is, after all, a food blog. So, in celebration of these new friends, of CCLA, of an AHO venture, of ideas with Husband… two recipes that are favorites of ours. My Homemade Burgers and my Shoestring Fries. I do hope you’ll enjoy them.

Rach’s Burgers and Shoestring Fries
Print
Recipe type: Burgers, Fries
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 2
YUMYUMYUM!
Ingredients
  • Burgers: 1/2 to 3/4 lb. lean ground beef (turkey or chicken would work as well)
  • 1/4 oats, ground (I used the coffee grinder, cleaned out a bit first)
  • 1/8 C flax seeds, ground
  • 1-2 T apple cider vinegar
  • pinch ginger
  • 1-2 T honey
  • pinch cumin
  • 1 T chili powder
  • 1 t paprika
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 t parsley
  • 1/2 t red pepper flakes
  • Sometimes I’ll add an egg (helps hold it together), some BBQ sauce, and a grated clove of garlic. Last time I added some grated zucchini, because I had it. We couldn’t taste it, but knew it was adding a bit more goodness to the burgers.
  • Fries: 2 potatoes, cut into cubed strips (is that how to say it? you know, cut into french fry shapes) about 1 cm x 1 cm (or about 3/8″x3/8″)… this isn’t an exact science… if they’re larger, they’ll take longer to cook, that’s all
  • 1-2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 t salt
  • pepper
  • 1 t paprika
  • 1 t chili powder
  • pinch cumin (opt.)
  • pinch ginger (opt.)
  • pinch red pepper flakes
Directions
  1. Burgers: Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands. Don’t overmix (I don’t know why, I’ve just heard this said).
  2. Shape into burger shapes, pressing in slightly in the center of the burger with your thumb.
  3. Cook in a cast iron skillet (flipping once) about 10 minutes, or until they reach 160F, or on a BBQ (10-15 minutes). Top with Gruyere, if you like it, and caramelized onions and mushrooms (dry pan, sliced onions and mushrooms, add a few drizzles of honey, cook until caramelized).
  4. Fries: Cut potatoes. Rinse and dry (if you want – this will help them to get a bit crispier). Toss in a bowl with olive oil and seasonings. Bake at 450F for about 10 minutes (or until browned and crispy).
Notes

Really good with a vanilla milkshake too! (We did, more or less: 1 C Trader Joe’s vanilla bean ice cream, 1/2 C greek yogurt, 1/2 C milk – use more or less depending on how thick you want them). Blend.

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Posted in Beef, Dinner, Main Dishes, Meat, Potatoes, Thoughts | 9 Comments

Pasta Rouge

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Rachel

I love pasta. It’s easy and can be quick, or, like this recipe, take its time. It’s versatile too. You can do a tomato sauce, or a cream sauce, or a bechamel (cheese) sauce, or burned butter, or just a bit of olive oil. Usually something can be made out of what we have on hand in the veggie drawer and the pantry. This one took a bit of time (mostly hands off cooking time though), but in a pinch, like if you need something to make right now, just don’t cook it as long. Simple. Done. Dinner’s ready. Here’s to pasta after a long day…

Pasta Rouge
Print
Recipe type: Main, Pasta
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 90 mins
Total time: 1 hour 45 mins
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
  • 1 t to 1 T bacon grease
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 squash, chopped
  • 1 plum tomato, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 T red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 t reduced balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 3 T dried basil, crushed
  • 2 T dried parsley, crushed
  • 1 C mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 to 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • drizzle honey
  • 2 C chicken stock
  • 2 C crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 C red wine
  • 1/4 C pasta water
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 package penne pasta (I used rice pasta)
Directions
  1. Saute onion and squash in bacon grease and olive oil. Add diced tomato and garlic after a few minutes and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 T balsamic, all red wine vinegar, wine, crushed tomatoes and seasonings when the veggies are tender. Cook 15-30 minutes. Remove from heat and use immersion blender to puree.
  2. Meanwhile, cook beef in 1 T oil. When it’s cooked, add mushrooms. Drizzle with honey and remaining balsamic. Add stock and tomato puree. Simmer 1 hour.
  3. Cook pasta. Add 1/4 C pasta water to tomato sauce.
  4. Serve topped with parmesan cheese, fresh basil, with garlic bread and a salad.
Notes

Our rating ****

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Posted in Beef, Dinner, Main Dishes, Meat, Pasta, Sauces, Vegetables | Leave a comment

A Giveaway Because I Love Abundant Harvest Organics

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Rachel


And the winner is… img_5442ahowinner  

Thank you to all who entered!! Congratulations, Randy! Please let me know by Thursday November 10th which delivery site you’d like to collect your winning box from!

If you didn’t win, but still want to get started with Abundant Harvest Organics, you can visit their website for more details. And, don’t forget to stay tuned for the new cooking show Thursday’s Dinner. Featuring Abundant Harvest Organics produce being cooked by me. Should be fun!

img_4902 I have not always been passionate about food, or healthy eating, or eating fresh, local, in season produce. I am now. If you and I have had a conversation about menus and food, I’ve probably told you about Abundant Harvest Organics. It has become something that is really important to me. We heard about Abundant Harvest Organics from the Shinns, our good friends. They offered us a carrot, and we were hooked. We’ve been subscribers ever since we ate that carrot in 2007. We’re now eating better, healthier, more well balanced meals and are supporting local farmers who are providing us with amazing, fresh, ripe, affordable produce. 

In this pre-made, preservative-happy food society that we live in, I think we’re losing a lot by not eating enough fresh fruits and veggies. I would like to challenge you to think outside the box a little, and get into a different kind of box.

About Abundant Harvest Organics and Who They Are

A few excerpts from their website, “Just like many of you, we have been on a journey to live and eat more healthfully. Our desire for affordable, chemically unaltered food led us to develop Abundant Harvest Organics. We have discovered an approach to natural food distribution that will deliver seasonal organic produce at conventional prices fresh from the field.”

“Abundant Harvest Organics is an alliance of small family farmers in Central California dedicated to growing superior organic produce and getting it to you in the simplest manner possible—and without the use of chemicals or packaging materials.”

“Here is what we do best:

Organic produce only—we don′t substitute!

Unparalleled taste: varieties are chosen and harvested for taste and nutritional value rather than shelf-life and aesthetics

Superior quality and value, fairly priced significantly below retail value of the same product from your grocer

In Season—our produce is always fresh from the field

Locally grown: investing in our community’s people, its resources, and its physical, as well as economic health

Fresh, fresh, fresh—from the soil to your dinner table!”

The Giveaway!!

You could win a FREE BOX of ABUNDANT HARVEST PRODUCE!!

Before I tell you how you can enter, I must also note: The point of this isn’t just to give you something for free. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for free things and love to enter contests. But, my purpose in this is to introduce you to Abundant Harvest Organics and all that they have to offer. I want you to try it! In my opinion, once you taste it, you’ll be sold. Yesterday, my friend Joanna from Waterfall Creative came over for lunch. We had Stuffed French Toast (in preparation for a guest post I’ll be doing over on her blog) and Honeydew Melon. She tasted the melon, looked up at me almost in shock, and said, “Is this from Abundant Harvest?” It was. She said she’d never had melon so good.

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To enter*: Leave a comment on this post.

To enter* a second time: Post about this giveaway on Facebook/Twitter/Google+ or Pin it on Pinterest. Then comment that you’ve done this (and provide a link to it, if possible).

*Please note, you must be able to pick up from one of AHO’s delivery sites (in California) to be eligible to win (sorry to any who will miss out).  

Giveaway closes Monday November 7th at noon (PST). Gift box will be available for you to pick up the week of November 14th.

In case you’re like me and don’t know what to do with Rutabagas (well, I do now), here’s a recipe that I made up!

Scalloped Rutabagas
Print
Recipe type: Side, Veggie
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 80 mins
Total time: 1 hour 35 mins
Serves: 2
I didn’t know what to do with the Rutabagas we’d gotten in our AHO box. So I made something up.
Ingredients
  • 1 rutabaga, sliced about 1/4″ thick
  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 C cheese (or more, if you like things cheesy) (cheddar and parmesan), divided
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, diced
  • 1/4 to 1/3 C milk
  • 1-2 T flour
  • pinch cayenne
  • 1 t fresh thyme
  • 1 t fresh parsley
  • 1 t spicy brown mustard
  • 1 t olive oil
Directions
  1. Whisk yogurt, milk, cheese (reserving a bit for topping later), garlic, onion, spices and mustard in a bowl.
  2. Grease a smallish baking dish (I think I used an 8×8 Pyrex) with oil. Place a layer of rutabaga, sprinkle with flour, top with cheese sauce. Repeat until all ingredients are gone (except set aside cheese).
  3. Bake covered at 350F for 60 minutes (or until rutabagas are no longer crisp). Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese, bake for 20 minutes more.
  4. Serve and enjoy! (I served them with Roast Beef and Wilted Greens.)
Notes

Our rating: *** and a half.

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If you’re an AHO subscriber, don’t forget to use the Menu Featuring Abundant Harvest Organics Ingredients!

If you’re not in an area of California where there’s an AHO delivery site, I would encourage you to get out and find a CSA or local Farmers’ Market where you can support your farmers!

This giveaway was sponsored by Abundant Harvest Organics. Thank you, AHO for being willing to donate this box of produce!
Please note, I do not work for Abundant Harvest, but have occasionally received complimentary produce for my help with various things. They have not asked me to post menus or promote them on my blog. If I post about them, it’s because I love their produce and the organization and want as many people as possible to know about them and use their produce with ease.
Posted in Abundant Harvest Organics, Contests | 12 Comments

Hearty, Spicy Lentil Stew

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Rachel

img_5333lentilstew It’s starting to feel like fall here in LA. The temperature has been consistently in the 70′s to mid 80′s (with the occasional 90+ days). The leaves are starting to change. It’s still dark when I get up in the morning. I really do enjoy and appreciate a lot about where we live. But, probably for as long as we continue to not live there, I will miss the fall weather in Ontario, Canada. I miss the cool crisp air, frost on the ground, being able to see my breath. The red, gold and burnt orange leaves. Raking them into a pile, then jumping in them. And the smell of those leaves. Maybe it’s just the air that smells that way, like, fall. Oh how I miss it. (P.S. Wherever you live, have you ever jumped into a pile of freshly raked leaves? Isn’t it fun?!) Although fall in LA may not be all that I wish it would be, it’s not too bad at all. And it will always be my favorite season.

One of my favorite things about fall is fall foods. Soups, stews, roasts; hearty, comforting meals. Last week, on a cool day, I made some Hearty, Spicy Lentil Stew. The recipe was inspired by one I saw in a recent issue of Food Network Magazine that had pasta, lentils, tomato sauce and I’m not sure what else. Those three ingredients led me to come up with a recipe based on what we had in our kitchen.

Here it is. I hope you make it, and feel cozy and fall-y and full. Enjoy!

img_5332lentilstew
Hearty, Spicy Lentil Stew
Print
Recipe type: Stew, Main, Dinner
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Total time: 1 hour 15 mins
Serves: 4
A hearty fall dish.
Ingredients
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 T bacon grease (or olive oil, if you want to make it a bit healthier – it will lose a bit of flavor though)
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 3 small turnips, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 t salt
  • 1 t smoked paprika (or 2 if you’re not using bacon grease)
  • pinch ground ginger
  • 1/2 t chili powder
  • 1/2 t pepper
  • 1/2 t red pepper flakes
  • pinch all spice
  • 2 C pan drippings (from a roast chicken)
  • 4-6 C water (only if not using 8 C stock, below)
  • OR 6-8 C chicken (or vegetable) stock
  • 1 C lentils
  • 1 C pureed pumpkin
  • 1 C crushed tomatoes
  • 1 C rotini pasta
  • 1 T red wine vinegar
Directions
  1. Heat soup pot. Add oil and bacon grease. Add carrot, turnip and onion, cook 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 2 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except pasta and vinegar.
  2. Bring to a boil, cook 30-60 minutes (or until lentils are soft).
  3. Add pasta. Cook until al dente.
  4. Add vinegar.
  5. Taste and add more seasonings if desired.
Notes

Yummy served with Cream Cheesed Garlic Bread.
1/2 baguette, sliced lengthwise in 3 pieces.
Rub each piece with garlic. Spread with cream cheese and sliced parmesan.
Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes (or until cheese is bubbly and melty).

Lentils are high in iron and are a good source of protein. This recipe can be vegetarian using vegetable stock, and/or gluten-free using rice pasta (that’s the kind that I used, just because we like it). If you don’t like veggies, they can be pureed and added in (and additional ones can be added too, like spinach, chard, kale, cauliflower, zucchini etc).

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Posted in Bread, Dinner, Main Dishes, Soups, Vegetables | 3 Comments

One of “Those” Weekends

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Rachel

It was one of “those” weekends. “Those” referring to fun. I think that’s what it should be, rather than the negative that it usually implies. Anyways, it was fun because we had awesome pizza on Friday, I went to a Creative Connection USA event on Sat, and we finished our Halloween costumes for the HP Themed party we’re going to next weekend, and of course watched lots of World Series baseball.

For Pizza Friday, I was a little worried about what I’d top it with, because our options were quite limited. There was no pepperoni, ham or leftover roast beef. We’d just had a BBQ Chicken Pizza the week before. (Oh my gosh, have I posted about this yet? I don’t think so. For now: It was amazing. The end.) I didn’t have many options. Vegetable drawer to the rescue! I always wonder, when I’m considering a vegetable pizza, if Husband will be OK with it. He always is, but I forget every time. I topped my favorite pizza crust (which I made a quadruple batch of about 5 seconds before rolling it out) with:  img_5338vegpizza Topped, ready to go in the oven. img_5345vegpizza Second bake. (I baked the crust for 5 minutes first, since I didn’t want the tomato sauce to make it soggy. 2nd bake was about 10 minutes.) img_5353vegpizza Ready to eat! img_5365vegpizza

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t eat more than half the pizza. Whatev. It was good. It’s good as leftovers too, but better the first time around. I don’t normally overindulge (except if you give me a bag of Salt and Vinegar Kettle chips – don’t expect me to share – don’t believe me, ask my husband). The full recipe is below. Make it, you’ll be happy you did. (Oh and if you’re someone who doesn’t love veggies, this is a good way to eat them. It doesn’t taste like you’re eating a plate full of goodness. It tastes like you’re eating pizza, which you are, so ignore the rest.)

The Creative Connection Los Angeles Meetup that I went to: amazing! I met so many creative talented women that I’m excited to connect with again in the future. Before the event, to be honest, I wanted to go, and I also didn’t. Once I get to know you, I’m outgoing, a little weird, and am comfortable being myself. But, at first, I’m shy, nervous and awkward. My new friend Joanna from Waterfall Creative had a contest to win a ticket on her blog. I won. (Small side note: Can I just exclaim how talented this girl is! She’s designing a logo for me, that I can’t wait to show to you!) Since I won, I kinda had to go. I didn’t really have an excuse not to. No business cards: make my own (I mean, I was going to a creative event, if anyone was going to appreciate homemade business cards, these people would, I hoped). Nothing to wear? Find something to wear. Too early on a Saturday (we had to leave at 8am)? If I sleep until 7:30, it’s sleeping in… and so on. I’m good at excuses, unfortunately. This time, it was time to just go and see what happened. I’m so glad I did! So, so glad. What a blessing that event was. Here’s a silly, jazz hands photo, courtesy of the talented and super sweet Lizzie at S’Wonderful Photography. creative-connection-photo

Pizza with (whispered) Veggies and (shouted) Cheese
Print
Recipe type: Pizza
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 2
A great way to eat your veggies! You might not even know they’re on there!
Ingredients
  • 1 pizza crust
  • 1/4 C zucchini, sliced really thin
  • 1/4 lg. tomato, sliced thin
  • 1 sm. bok choy (I just used the leafy greens, if you want to use the white part, go ahead, make my day)
  • 8 black olives, sliced
  • 1/2 green pepper, chunks
  • 1 C (or more) white cheddar (or mozzarella), grated
  • 1/4 C parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 C (or more) tomato sauce
  • 1 T flour
  • 1 t rosemary infused olive oil (olive oil with some rosemary in it)
  • 1/4 t dried oregano
  • 1/2 t dried basil
  • salt
  • pepper
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 475F. Roll out dough on floured pizza stone. Not too thin (it’s not a flatbread crust this time). Brush dough (specifically rolled up edge of crust) with olive oil. Bake for 3-5 minutes (this bake time is so the crust doesn’t get soggy from the tomato sauce – I did 5).
  2. Top with tomato sauce, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Then add cheese, veggies (with the Bok Choy on top, so it gets crispy) and a little more cheese (save the parmesan for after it’s baked).
  3. Bake for 8-10 minutes (depending on how crispy you want the crust – I did 10). Top with parmesan and eat it all up!
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Posted in Dinner, Main Dishes, Pizza, Vegetables | 1 Comment

For Oma and Her Borscht

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Rachel

img_0696

This post is for my Oma, who will probably never read it, as I’m quite certain that she’s not online.

My Oma is a wonderful cook. She’s one of the best, in my opinion. When we were little and we’d go to visit, she would have Chicken Noodle Soup for those of us who hadn’t yet discovered the wonders of Borscht. I didn’t know what I was missing! Her Borscht is amazing! She has two different kinds: Beef Borscht (I don’t know if that’s the real title, it might also be called Winter Borscht) and Sommer Borscht (pronounced like Zumma). I had the Sommer Borscht recently for the first time and it’s oh so good. She also makes Zwieback (the buns being made by me in the above photo), which I have memories of making with her as a small girl. I’ve made them since, as a grownup, and while they’re not quite the same, they’re pretty good (I have her Zwieback recipe, in her handwriting, so they’re as close as they can get!).

Oma’s Borscht is made differently than mine, but they’re the same idea. A meat and potatoes soup that has a dollop of sour cream on top. I make mine with beets (which I’m told she doesn’t) and she makes hers with dill (which I don’t). There may be other variances too, but those are the main ones.

I think Borscht came from a time where people used what they had out of necessity. I used what I had (beets) because I wanted to (and because it’s the only way we like beets in our house). This is how I normally cook, and why most of my recipes are uniquely my own. Some are inspired by a magazine, a blog, a cookbook. Others are concocted by standing in front of the pantry cupboards, or the fridge with the door open (I used to get in trouble for this as a kid) summoning my creative culinary skills to create something delicious. Either way, I’m often inspired to use things that we already have, often that have come in our Abundant Harvest Organics produce box, in a fresh, creative way.

I’ve made Borscht many times before, but until recently, had never written it down. So, here’s my most recent version, probably slightly different from any other, but good none-the-less.

Rachel’s Version of Borscht
Print
Recipe type: Soup
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 15 mins
Serves: 4
My version of a classic.
Ingredients
  • 4 carrots, chopped
  • 4 celery stalks, chopped
  • 4 lg. or 8 sm. radishes, chopped (opt.)
  • 3 med. – lg. potatoes, chopped
  • 8 sm. beets, peeled and chopped
  • 1 C crushed tomatoes
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, diced
  • 1 sm. – med. zucchini, chopped (opt.)
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 C beef (or chicken, or vegetable) stock*
  • 2 – 4 C water
  • 1 T (or more) red wine vinegar
  • yogurt/sour cream (for topping)
  • 1/2 – 1 lb. (stewing) beef*
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 C cabbage, chopped (I didn’t have any this time, but I normally add cabbage)
Directions
  1. Heat soup pot. Add olive oil, then beef. Cook beef 3 – 5 minutes.
  2. Add veggies and potatoes, cook for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the vinegar, to deglaze the pan.
  3. Add tomatoes, water and stock and bring to a boil. Cook 2-3 hours.
  4. Serve topped with yogurt or sour cream.
Notes

Great with biscuits or bread.
Borscht is even better the second day!
*If you want it to be vegetarian, omit the beef, and use vegetable stock.

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Posted in Beef, Dinner, Legacy, Main Dishes, Meat, Soups, Vegetables | 1 Comment

Do You Want to Win a Free Menu?

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Rachel

The winner, by random-eyes-closed-drawing-of-cut-up-strips-of-paper-with-entrants-names-on-them-in-bowl is… Shannon Estrada!!

Congratulations, Shannon!! Please let me know if you have any restrictions or preferences, or if you want to just let me plan! Thanks to all who entered! And, never fear, if you didn’t win, I do this each month, there are lots of chances! Stay tuned to the blog, and to De Ma Cuisine’s facebook page. (Have you “liked” De Ma Cuisine yet? If your answer is no, you should head on over in a hurry – it’s where I post updates, what we’re eating for dinner, and when a new post is available.) You can also subscribe with Google reader. Just click on the link to the left of this post! Oh, and if you need a menu NOW, they are available for a very reasonable price. 

Because it’s Thursday, because it finally feels like fall (it may just be for today, but whatev., I’ll take it), and because I’m inspired to plan our November menu, and next week’s Abundant Harvest Organics menu (no, they didn’t ask me to, I just want to)… I might as well do my monthly menu contest and give one away to YOU! 

You could win a free week of the Moyenne Menu…

To enter once: comment on this post 

To be entered a second time: post about my contest on your facebook/blog/twitter/google+ and link to it in a comment

To be entered a third time: comment with your favorite recipe of mine

Contest closes Monday October 24th at 9am (PST)

Bonne chance!

 

Posted in Contests, Thoughts | 6 Comments

Getting to Know Your Chef

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Rachel

I’m not really a chef, but I pretend to be. I guess you could also title this post “Getting to Know the Person Who Writes This Blog That You’re Reading Right Now”, but that doesn’t really flow, so I’ll keep it the way it is.

Sometimes I think that it would be fun to share interesting things about myself. I don’t know if anyone else will find them interesting. Maybe my mom and dad will. I hope they’re reading this. Anyhoo, here are some things I thought you might get a kick out of knowing. If you don’t, skip to the bottom. There’s a recipe there for you.

I like to think of myself as a professional blogger. Is that a job?

I started blogging about food after I saw the movie “Julie and Julia” Anyone else? No? Just me? I’m OK with that.

I use the stem of the broccoli too (peeled to remove the tough skin). No wasting food in this house.

I like to drink “chef’s juice” while I cook dinner.

I love vegetables (sorry younger self).

I like things now that I used to hate: mushrooms (cooked only, preferably), olives, wine, soda (not often drunk, but enjoyed when it is).

I use a computer for my work, and I’m pretty good at it (sorry high school self – when you thought you weren’t going to need the internet or to know how to make spreadsheets in Excel, you were wrong).

Salty over sweet any day of the week. A bite of dessert can satisfy, but I can down a bag of Salt and Vinegar chips in a sitting. Easy.

In my opinion, the best smell in the world is garlic, right after it hits the pan.

I love cheese. I don’t care if it’s bad for me. This is one food where I don’t read the label (except to see things like what kind it is, where it’s made and how much it costs).

I love basil. It’s the thing that grows best in my apartment garden. That’s not why I love it. I just do.

I hate it when my food gets cold. It’s so sad.

I’m not the best baker, because the way I cook is more of an art than a science. I don’t at all mean that baking is not an art, friends. I just mean that I use a little bit of this, and a dash of that, I change this for that and that for this. And when I’m done, it’s different than it was gonna be originally. Sometimes this makes baking not turn out for me. For example, I’ve had banana breads that have baked for hours and were still liquid in the middle (you can’t do a straight substitution for sugar with honey, lesson learned). The following was not a disaster in the cooking sense. It was almost a disaster because, well, read and see… (Again, if you’re bored, feel free to skip to the recipe at the waaaay bottom of this post.) The cupcake saga. I made some delicious cupcakes. I used a recipe from Joy the Baker (she’s pretty much my blogger idol). I did a slightly different version of this recipe (by substituting blackberry jam for the cherries). Try it. You will not be sorry.  cupcake1 A delicious looking cupcake, being held by a slightly scary looking cupcake monster. The dog is cleaning up the kitchen. cupcake2 Dog decided to wander over and I got distracted. cupcake3 In my distraction, the plate that I was trying to photograph started tilting towards the keyboard. I didn’t notice until the cupcake flopped over with a splat, thankfully landing on the plate, not even spilling a single morsel of delicious whipped cream on the keyboard. Dog wonders if he’s cleaned up enough to get a small taste of cupcake. cupcake4 Small laugh attack at myself, while dog looks at me like I’m weird or something. cupcake5 Photographing myself eating it, regardless of what it looks like. Dog continues to clean the kitchen. Good dog. You still don’t get a cupcake. (Just in case you’re feeling sorry for the dog, the cupcakes were chocolate, which obviously he can’t have. Plus, he’s gotten many many other treats, including what he was “cleaning” up in the kitchen. :) )

Divine Ham and Bean Soup
Print
Recipe type: Soup
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 6 hours
Total time: 6 hours 15 mins
Serves: 2
A cozy fall or winter meal. A great way to use leftover ham.
Ingredients
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 parsnip, diced
  • 1 C ham, diced (small cubes)
  • 1 potato, diced (small cubes)
  • 1/4 C onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, diced
  • 6 C water (give or take)
  • 1/2 to 1 C chicken stock
  • 1 C pan drippings from chicken (or could use gravy, or just more stock)
  • 1/2 lb (about 1 – 2 C) canelini (or other favorite) beans
  • salt (only if necessary – ham is salty) and pepper
  • 1/8 t ginger
  • 1/4 t red pepper flakes (or more, if you like it spicier)
Directions
  1. Combine beans and water in soup pot. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat off. Cover. Leave 5 hours. [OR put all ingredients except potatoes in Crock Pot, cook on high until beans are tender (6-10 hours). Add potatoes in the last hour. (I didn't do mine this way, so I don't know for sure on the time. Let me know if you do!)]
  2. Add water, pan drippings and stock to soup pot. Bring to a boil.
  3. In a small pan, saute onion, carrot, parsnip; 3 minutes; add garlic. When water/stock boils, add potatoes. When veggies are tender, add them to the soup. Add ham.
  4. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are cooked and beans are tender.
  5. Great served with Gruyere and Apple Toasts.
Notes

Our rating: **** and a half!
It might serve more than 2, I didn’t write it down and I can’t remember. :)
Gruyere and Apple Toasts: 4 slices bread (like Sourdough or French), 1/2 apple, thinly sliced; 4 slices Gruyere, cut into thin sticks; 4 slices caramelized onion cheddar cheese, 1 clove garlic, 4 garlic chives, chopped; cream cheese (opt.). 1. Rub garlic on bread (if bread is frozen, it works best). Top with cream cheese (opt.), garlic chives, apple, gruyere and cheddar. 2. Broil 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbly (I used the toaster oven – in the oven broiler watch it carefully as it may need less time).

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The following recipe has nothing to do with the above words. I guess it’s just going with the flow of the post which is totally random. But a little bit of background for it: Husband loves ham. At the grocery store once he asked if I could make a ham and bean soup. There’s nothing that I love more than cooking for him (really!), so of course I had to try. Here’s what I came up with.

Posted in Appetizers, Baking, Beans, Crock Pot, Dinner, Meat, Pork, Potatoes, Soups, Thoughts | Leave a comment

Sheila’s Chicken Parmesan

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Rachel

Sheila’s Chicken Parmesan
Print
Recipe type: Main
Author: Sheila Stachofsky
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 70 mins
Total time: 1 hour 20 mins
Serves: 4-8
Ingredients
  • 4-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/4 t pepper
  • 1/4 t garlic salt
  • 1/4 t paprika
  • 1/8 t thyme
  • 1/4 C parmesan cheese
  • 1 T parsley
  • 1/3 C bread crumbs
  • 1/3 C water
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/4 C melted margarine (or butter or olive oil – my substitutions)
  • 1/3 C white wine or balsamic vinegar
Directions
  1. In a bag, place all through bread crumbs. Shake chicken in it until thoroughly coated. Spray a shallow roasting pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour in the water, then place chicken in the pan. Sprinkle with oil and margarine.
  2. Bake uncovered 45 minutes at 350F.
  3. Pour wine or vinegar over the chicken; lower heat to 325F. Cover with foil, for 15 minutes.
  4. Uncover, 10 more minutes.
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This is Sheila’s Chicken Parmesan recipe that I wrote about in my post about my anniversary. It was confusing to some that it was below the menu for that evening, and was not a part of the menu. Now it has its own page and the recipes from the anniversary menu will be on the anniversary post. :)

Posted in Dinner, Meat, Poultry | 1 Comment

On Love, Marriage, and Special Dates

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Rachel

dsc_1337weddingcar Today is my 5th wedding anniversary. So, I’m going to talk about things to do with love and marriage. I hope you will indulge me. I will talk about food too. :)

I didn’t know how much I loved to cook until I got married. I wasn’t forced to be the one to cook, I did it by choice and I grew to really love it. Now it’s one of my favorite things to do. I find it relaxing and at the same time invigorating. It’s a fun, rewarding challenge. One of the first things that I remember making for my new husband was Sheila’s Chicken Parmesan. It looks and sounds fancy, but can I tell you a secret? It’s actually pretty easy to make. I’ve made it many times since, and have it on the menu for this month.

Another thing that I have always loved is photography. Our wedding photos were taken by Shinn Photography, a husband and wife team based in the Central Valley of California. We became good friends with them after our wedding, and have been so blessed by their friendship. Can you find us in their slideshow?

I don’t wish I could change anything about our wedding. I loved it, the whole thing. I loved my dress, I loved the pink roses everywhere, we had family and friends from all over in attendance, Darth Vader brought in my ring, the garden where we had our reception was beautiful… It was awesome! All in all, it was the perfect day for us… However, a friend of mine recently started a wedding business. She’s so talented that I wish she could have worked on ours, just because I love what she can do. She is Alexandra, of Alexandra’s Joys. She has a wonderful, creative, inspiring wedding business, in case you want to check it out.

Our wedding cake was an amazing carrot cake. It was made by a friend of the family, and is the best carrot cake either of us have ever had. Pat Dahlgren, if you’re reading this, I’d love to have your recipe, if you’re willing to share! :)

My in-laws gave us a bottle of wine a few years ago. It’s a 2006 from Francis Coppola’s winery. We don’t know a lot about wine, as we usually stick to 2 Buck Chuck. But, since we love movies, we thought it was a great fit for us. They said we should save it for our 5th or 10th anniversary. 5th it is. Today’s the day. It will go with dinner. Here’s what I have planned (unless we go out to eat, then it’s for tomorrow):

anniversary menu

Mindy’s Gorgonzola and Honey Crostinis

Top Sirloin Braised in Balsamic Vinegar and Red Wine, topped with Mushrooms in a Reduced Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

Green Salad with Gorgonzola, Tomato and Cranberries with a Creamy Dressing

Roasted Honey-Glazed Carrots

Burned Butter Pasta

Baguette with Rosemary Infused Olive Oil

Cabernet Sauvignon

Bruleed Pears topped with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

I realize it’s a lot of food. I’m sure there will be leftovers. (There were.) I intend to make some sort of Beef Pot Pie with the Sirloin and Honey Carrots (while attempting Marie’s piecrust!), and my Philly Cheesesteak Pizza, or French Dip Sandwiches, or Beef Fajitas, and maybe a French Onion Pasta Soup with the Burned Butter Pasta. (I didn’t. It was so good I did something I don’t normally do: we had leftovers as they were the first time.)

(Here are a few photos of what the anniversary dinner looked like. Sorry you couldn’t taste it with us… you’ll have to make it for yourself!)

img_5311annivtable   img_5319annivtable   img_5304beef Beef before cooking. img_5307beef Beef after searing. img_5325beef Beef after braising – ready to eat!! img_5327annivtablewfood   img_5330annivtable img_5302pancakes Pancakes (anniversary lunch).

Top Sirloin Braised in Balsamic Vinegar and Red Wine, topped with Mushrooms in a Reduced Balsamic Vinegar Sauce, with Honey Roasted Carrots and Burned Butter Pasta
Print
Recipe type: Main, Beef, Pasta, Carrots, Dessert, Appetizer
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 30 mins
Serves: 2
To celebrate 5 years of marriage, beef is always a good idea!
Ingredients
  • Braised Top Sirloin: 1 Top Sirloin (about 2 pounds)
  • 1 C red wine (I used a Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon)
  • 1/2 C balsamic vinegar, divided
  • salt
  • pepper
  • olive oil
  • 1 C mushrooms, quartered (I used button mushrooms, but use whatever kind you have)
  • Burned Butter Pasta: 1/3 lb pasta (I used Rotini)
  • 4-6 T salted butter
  • 4-6 sage leaves, chopped (opt.)
  • Honey Roasted Carrots: 2 carrots, sliced on an angle
  • 2 T (or more) honey
  • olive oil
  • salt
Directions
  1. Sear all sides of beef in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper in the cast iron pan you’re going to braise it in, then add red wine and balsamic vinegar.
  2. Braise/bake at 375F for 1 hour.
  3. Meanwhile, cook mushrooms in balsamic vinegar, until mushrooms are cooked and vinegar is thick and syrupy.
  4. Cook pasta. Brown some butter, add sage leaves.
  5. Place carrots on a baking sheet and drizzle with honey, olive oil and a bit of salt. In last 20 minutes of cooking, add carrots to oven. Bake for 10-20 minutes until soft and slightly browned.
  6. Mix pasta and burned butter together.
Notes

The beef serves more than 2, but the rest is for 2 people. Save the leftovers for another meal: Philly Cheesesteak Pizza, Beef Stew, Beef Pot Pie… Or, double the other recipes to serve 4! Hope you enjoy!!
Serve with a green salad. Ours had lettuce, Gorgonzola cheese, dried cranberries, tomato, and creamy (homemade) dressing. We also had Mindy’s Gorgonzola and Honey Crostinis as an appetizer: Take 1 baguette, slice and top with gorgonzola. Bake for about 10 minutes (until cheese is melted and bread is slightly crispy). Drizzle with honey.
For dessert we had Bruleed Pears with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream: Halve and core 1 pear. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. When all of the dinner items are out of the oven, turn oven off and put pears in while you eat dinner. After dinner, take pears out (they should be warm and softened). Sprinkle with sugar and torch (like you would a creme brulee). Top with ice cream. Oh yum!

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Posted in Appetizers, Beef, Dinner, Fruit, Main Dishes, Meat, Menu Planning, Pasta, Pizza, Salads, Thoughts, Vegetables | 4 Comments

What Was For Dinner

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Rachel

Let’s talk about Leftovers. I love to use leftovers to invent new things. Sometimes they are even better than the original. I usually plan our menu intending to use an ingredient at least twice, sometimes more. Here are a few examples of how to use some ingredients commonly found in menus:

Roast Beef: Juices – Beef Stock, Gravy, French Onion Soup, French Onion Soup Pasta. Meat – Beef Stew, Philly Cheesesteak Pizza, Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches, Roast Beef Au Jus Sandwiches, Fajitas, Tacos, Taco Soup, Borsch, Stirfry, Flatbread Pizza with Arugula and Gruyere, Chili (roast instead or along with ground beef).

Roast Chicken (Crock Pot Chicken): Juices – Chicken Stock, Gravy. Meat – Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken and Rice Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Enchiladas, Tacos, Chicken Sandwiches, Chicken Alfredo Pizza, Spicy Chicken Chili, Stirfry, Stuffed Peppers, Chicken Club Pizza, Thanksgiving Soup (use chicken instead of Turkey), Honey-Mustard Chicken Sandwiches.

Rice: Lemon Spinach Risotto, Rice Pudding, Chicken and Rice Soup, Fried Rice, Spanish Rice.

Mashed Potatoes: Shepherd’s Pie, Mashed Potato Soup, Corn Chowder, Potato Pancakes, to thicken soups.

Leftover Veggies: Puree and add to sauces, soups and stews, Roasted Broccoli and Garlic Pizza.

Do you have any ideas or inventions that you’ve come up with using leftovers? Please share!

Posted in Discussions, Leftovers, Thoughts | Leave a comment

Shepherd’s Pie

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Rachel

img_5240castiron1

(Cast Iron pans that this meal was made in.)

Fall is a time for hot meals, comfort foods, hearty dishes… it’s an excuse to not just have salad for dinner (although let’s be real here, if we have salad for dinner, it’s a hearty salad, and it’s gonna be good). And to not have to turn on the AC if we want to eat soup (of course we’ve never done that, really). I promised a link to Shepherd’s Pie, not because anyone asked for it, but because we love it, and I want to share it.

Add it to your fall menu!

Shepherd’s Pie
Print
Recipe type: Main
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 40 mins
Serves: 2-4
A hearty comfort food, perfect for fall and winter.
Ingredients
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 lb. ground beef (or chicken, turkey, or pork)
  • 1 C leeks (or onion, I had leeks when I made this the first time), chopped
  • 1 C spinach (or kale), chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped or grated
  • 1 C broccoli, chopped
  • 1/2 C frozen peas
  • 1-2 C mashed potatoes (can use leftovers)
  • 1 C cooked polenta (opt. or use an extra cup mashed potatoes – I had leftover polenta I wanted to use up)
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1 t cumin
  • 1/2 t all spice
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1 T cornstarch
  • 1/4 C water
  • 1-2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 C sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. (If potatoes aren’t cooked yet, wash, cube and cook. Then mash with some milk, salt and olive oil.) Cook beef. Drain and set aside. Add olive oil, leeks/onions, garlic, broccoli and carrots; cook until tender. Add peas, cook 3 minutes or so. Add beef and spinach, cook 3 min, or until spinach is wilted.
  2. Mix cornstarch with water and balsamic vinegar. Pour over beef and veggies.
  3. If using a cast iron skillet, leave meat and veggies in there, spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. If not, transfer to an ovenproof dish. Cover meat and veggies with potatoes. Top with cheese.
  4. Bake until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned, 15 minutes or so.
Notes

This is a great way to use up leftover potatoes, polenta, even extra ground beef and veggies from a previous meal.
Leftovers can be frozen and are great re-heated in the toaster oven (or microwave, if you want).
If you don’t have broccoli, use more peas, and vice versa. If you don’t like carrots, or any of the veggies listed, use some that you do like. You could also substitute mashed cauliflower for the mashed potatoes.
Our rating: * * * It was so good we both had seconds!

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Posted in Main Dishes | 2 Comments

Baseball Time!

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Rachel

October, as I’ve said, is just about my favorite of all the months. One of the reasons is it’s the baseball postseason. The ALCS starts today! We only get the free TV channels, so we watch whatever games are on FOX. But we’ll