De Ma Cuisine - Page 158 of 165 -De Ma Cuisine

Friday

30

September 2011

Christy’s Crock Pot Yogurt

Written by Rachel, Posted in Breakfast, Condiments, Crock Pot

My friend Christy and I have been talking a lot about cooking. We share the same love for most things food. I asked her to do a guest post about something to do with breakfast. I can’t wait to try her recipe!

Here’s Christy…

My name is Christy. I am a wife, a mom to four kids, and I love to cook. Since our oldest child was born almost twelve years ago, I have discovered that cooking is like therapy for me. When I put the time and energy into planning and preparing healthy meals for my family, it truly feeds my soul. I credit much of this love to my mom, who inspired me to bake apple pies and stew whole chickens when I was in high school, and to this day remains one of the best cooks I know! When we were together at her house this summer, my mom made homemade yogurt in her crock-pot, and I was sold! Though I had dabbled with yogurt-making a couple of years ago, I found it to be too labor intensive for the amount it yielded and the clean-up required. However, the crock-pot method is easy, you can make a half-gallon at a time and the clean-up is a breeze! Plus, I am sold on how economical it is and the creamy, rich texture – you can’t buy yogurt like this. We use plain yogurt at our house in many different ways – for breakfast with fruit, honey, and granola; to make hearty oatmeal pancakes; as a substitute for mayonnaise or sour cream in some cases; and as a snack sweetened with maple syrup and vanilla.

Christy Durrance’s Crock Pot Yogurt

Ingredients

1/2 gallon milk (I use whole, but have heard it works with 2% and skim as well)
2 T plain yogurt*

Instructions

Pour milk into crock-pot and turn on high. Heat milk until it reaches 180-190 degrees, about 2-3 hours. Once you do this two or three times, you should be able to determine how long this takes in your crock-pot and you won't have to check the temperature every time.
Allow milk to cool with the lid off until it reaches 110 degrees, between 1-1 ½ hours. Again, use a thermometer the first few times, and it will give you a good idea for future batches.
Remove about 2 c. of milk and whisk in the 2 T of plain yogurt until well incorporated. Add this back into the crock-pot and whisk gently.
Place lid back on crock-pot. Wrap crock-pot (or just the insert, if yours has a removable crock) with a thick towel and place in oven with the oven light on.
Allow crock-pot to sit, undisturbed for 8-12 hours. The longer you allow the yogurt to incubate, the thicker it will be. Ideally, you can time this to be overnight.
Scoop yogurt out of crock-pot, refrigerate and enjoy!

Notes

*You can save the yogurt you make as the starter for the next batch for a few times. Every so often, it pays to buy some fresh starter. I like to use Fage Plain Greek Yogurt.

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/crock-pot-yogurt/

Wednesday

28

September 2011

0

COMMENTS

Tater-Not Casserole

Written by Rachel, Posted in Dinner, Meat, Pork, Potatoes, Potlucks, Sides, Vegetables

We went to a wonderful potluck dinner Sunday night. I was introduced to our host’s daughter as “Rachel. She’s a food blogger.” Can I just say how cool that made me feel?!

I wonder, is it just me, or does food taste better at a potluck (especially if there’s fried or BBQ’s chicken)? At our meal, there was: BBQ’d chicken, 2 kinds of sausage, green bean casserole, my newly invented Tater-Not Casserole, and for dessert one of the best fruit crisps I’ve ever had (my husband agreed – he said he hoped I didn’t mind, but he liked it better than mine. I didn’t, because I did too.)

I don’t know if this was wise, but I decided to not try out a new recipe for this event, but to come up with a new dish and serve it to people we hardly knew (and hoped would be invited to hang out with again). I’d written down a few ideas, I’d researched what was in Tater-Tot Casserole, so knew in general the elements I needed (potato, creamy, vegetable, maybe meat), but I hadn’t really planned it out. Dinner was at 5, and at 3:40 I figured I should get started (um, 30 minutes ago, but it was a nice day, so we went for a walk with the dog). Fast forward through all 5 burners on at once, potato on every kitchen surface, piles of cheese, all pans dirty, husband taking photos, husband doing dishes (heart), bechamel not thickening, forgetting about the balsamic, not burning the bacon… to a completed dish, with zero minutes to spare before we had to be out the door.

It had broccoli on the bottom, which was covered with cheese sauce (or bechamel, if you want to pretend you know what you’re talking about like I do), topped with a combination of hash browns and mashed potatoes that had been mixed with the rest of the bechamel, which was topped with bacon, caramelized onions and garlic, that was topped with reduced balsamic vinegar (that thankfully didn’t burn in the frenzy). I had tasted most layers individually, but not the finished product. I just figured that almost anything is better with bacon, so if it was bad, maybe no one would know. Judging from the two scoops that were left in the 9×13 dish, it was surprisingly edible.

This recipe is for Kristy W., who requested my version of Tater-Tot Casserole.

Tater-Not Casserole

Recipe Type: Dinner, Side Dish

Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 8-10

Kristy asked for my version of a Tater-Tot Casserole. I’ve never made it before, so I did some research and came up with my own version, sans Tater-Tots.

Ingredients

8 medium red potatoes, grated
1 1/2 C mashed potatoes (I used leftovers that I had in the freezer)
4 C broccoli, cut in chunks
2 C sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 C Greek yogurt
2 C 1% milk
salt, pepper
1 T chili powder
1 t smoked paprika
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 T agave
2 T flour
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 T
2 strips bacon, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 C balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Grate potatoes. Rinse and wring out water (using a clean tea towel – beware, this will leave potato all over the towel, use something else if you don’t want this to happen!). Heat 1/4 C oil in large pan. Add potato and cook covered, stirring occasionally and scraping crispy bits off the bottom, about 15 minutes. Add mashed potatoes and heat through.
While potatoes cook: Cook bacon. When it’s almost done, add onion and agave. Cook 5 min, then add garlic.
Also while potatoes cook: Steam broccoli (1 C water in bottom of pan, broccoli in steamer basket, cover and cook about 5-10 min – until broccoli is tender).
Another thing to do while potatoes cook: heat 2 T oil, add 2 T flour; whisk and cook 30-60 seconds. Slowly add milk, whisking as you do. Add chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Once it’s thickened, add yogurt. Turn off heat and whisk in cheese.
And the last thing to do while the potatoes cook: Bring balsamic vinegar to a boil. Do not let it burn! Just simmer until it’s thickened and syrupy.
Taste the bechamel (cheese sauce) and add salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Assemble: grease a 9×13 pan. Add broccoli and toss with 1 C bechamel, mix the remaining bechamel into potato mixture and spoon over broccoli layer. Top it with onion and bacon mixture and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Notes

To make this simpler, leftovers can be used: broccoli, hashbrowns, mashed potatoes, even the bechamel can be made ahead of time and reheated. Balsamic can be made in large batches and stored in the fridge. Bacon can be cooked and crumbled and frozen. If you use leftovers, assemble like above and heat in the oven until it reaches at least 160F.
Oh, you could also use Tater-Tots if you wanted to make really simple. 🙂

Monday

19

September 2011

3

COMMENTS

Homemade Granola

Written by Rachel, Posted in Breakfast

I love breakfast foods. Bacon = pretty much favorite of most any food, any time of the day. I love pancakes, french toast, cinnamon rolls, quiche, fried or scrambled eggs, fried potatoes… and on and on. But first thing in the morning, everything feels like too much work. Even cutting up fruit to go with some Greek yogurt with honey seems like a chore.

I choose not to buy breakfast bars and pastries (except for the occasional bagels from Western Bagel, which is our favorite place outside of New York’s H&H Bagels, which I just found out you can order online!!!). If we’re having sandwiches for lunch (our monthly menu has breakfast, lunch and dinner planned) I try to avoid bread at breakfast to keep things interesting. Who wants sandwich bread 2 out of 3 meals a day? Not me. This leaves me with but a few options: cereal (usually with raw almonds, to add some protein), toast with peanut butter and honey, oatmeal (getting to be “too much” work because I have to cook it), yogurt and fruit. Ideally, I would always have a few other options too: homemade granola, cheddar biscuits (great with scrambled eggs and if it’s an extra yummy morning: bacon!), bananas (makes fuit and yogurt an easy option), leftover oatmeal (east to re-heat), leftover pancakes (easy to re-heat).

What are your solutions for breakfast? Are you a cereal junkie? Do you love french toast? Do you eat oatmeal every morning? Do you have any tips to share?

I know breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day. It’s relatively quick to prepare. But I still dislike making it the most, especially when I haven’t planned ahead.

Here are a few recipes I enjoy: Granola, Buttermilk Pancakes, Greek Yogurt with Granola, Fruit and Honey (mix 1/2 to 1 C Greek yogurt with 1 t to 1T honey with a whisk, then add chopped fruit and homemade granola); Cheddar Biscuits (they’re called Green Onion Drop Biscuits, but I usually add cheddar and occasionally add bacon add the onions if I feel like it), Shutterbean’s Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls (oh my gosh amazing!!!).

Some that I want to try: Joy The Baker’s Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits, The Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Baked French Toast, Joy The Baker’s Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins, Cranberry Orange Bagels.

Here’s my variation on granola.

Homemade Granola

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 3 hours

Total time: 3 hours 5 mins

This is my version of Sheila’s His Hill granola.

Ingredients

5 1/2 C oats
1 T honey
1/2 C raw or granulated sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C maple syrup
1/2 C hot water
1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 t salt
3/4 C canola oil

Instructions

Dissolve sugars in water. Whisk in oil.
Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients. Stir.
Spread over 2 cookie sheets*.
Bake at 200 F for 2-3 hours, stirring every 30 – 60 minutes.
Cool then store.
*Sometimes I grease the cookie sheets, sometimes I don’t. Do what works best for you. 🙂

I love granola. I especially love it when it’s homemade. The above recipe is my version of Sheila‘s granola. Enjoy!

Wednesday

14

September 2011

2

COMMENTS

Hello Meatloaf?!

Written by Rachel, Posted in Beef, Dinner, Leftovers, Main Dishes, Meat, Sandwiches, Sauces, Vegetables

Do you turn your nose at meatloaf? This dish has a stigma attached to it that it’s, I dunno, too simple?? My husband has been asking for meatloaf for years. Not like every day, but every once in a while will mention that he likes it and wouldn’t mind eating it. But I thought I didn’t like it, and didn’t want to make it.

My mom is a good cook. I remember her making meatloaf and I think I might have liked it. So it’s not like I had a terrible meatloaf eating experience as a child. I just had an opinion based on nothing.

Until I made it. It’s basically a burger sans bun, with amazing sides like mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, and green beans. And you get to make leftover meatloaf sandwiches with it the next day. Winning.

Since our oven is on week two of being broken, I’ve been creative with the toaster oven. I’ve made pizza in there, roasted broccoli, and last night it was meatloaf.

The dog is licking his lips in the pic. He thinks the plates are for him. He always thinks this.

Want the recipes? OK, sure, I’ll share.

Meatloaf

Recipe Type: Dinner

Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 4

Because we have two bottles of ketchup in the fridge I was inspired to make meatloaf.

Ingredients

1 small zucchini, grated
1/4 C onion, grated
1 clove garlic, grated
1/4 C ketchup
splash A1 sauce
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 slices bread, torn in small chunks
2 T spicy brown mustard
1 t chili powder
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 egg
3/4 to 1 lb. ground beef
I’ve made this before, slightly differently, by adding homemade BBQ sauce instead of ketchup and 1 grated carrot in addition, not instead of anything)

Instructions

Put it all in a bowl and mix it with your hands.
Grease a 9×9 glass dish (what I used, because it would fit in the toaster, if you want to use a loaf pan, do it, and adjust the baking time accordingly – might take an extra 20 minutes or so). Put the meatloaf in the pan.
Bake at 350F for about an hour or until internal temperature reaches 160F. (I baked it in the toaster oven, so cooking time could vary with a conventional oven.)

Notes

Our rating ****

Mushroom Gravy

Recipe Type: Sauce, Gravy

Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine

Prep time: 2 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 7 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 C mushrooms, quartered
2 C beef stock or pan drippings (you could also use vegetable or chicken, but for a beef dinner, beef is best)
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 C water (or more, if you want, or just use all stock)
4 T olive oil, divided
2 T flour
salt (opt.)

Instructions

Heat 2 T oil in a skillet. Add mushrooms. Cook 3-4 minutes.
Move mushrooms over to the side of the pan. Add remaining oil. Heat. Add flour and whisk in. Cook about 30-60 seconds. Add beef stock, water and balsamic vinegar. Whisk.
As it continues to thicken, whisk. Add more water if it’s too thick. It’s good if the mushrooms are incorporated at this point.
Add salt to taste, if necessary.
Serve over mashed potatoes, meatloaf, or any other dish that deserves a little something extra.

Notes

Our rating ****

Tuesday

13

September 2011

1

COMMENTS

Honey-Mustard Chicken Sandwiches

Written by Rachel, Posted in Condiments, Lunch, Meat, Poultry, Sandwiches, Sauces

Some good friends of ours moved to Minnesota last week. Sad for us, happy for them. I helped them pack their worldly possessions into two shipping crates, and before leaving, she emptied most of the contents of her fridge into 3 grocery bags. I brought them home, and our fridge is now overflowing with condiments.

We have 2 or 3 of a few things, but I didn’t want to throw the extras out, because we have a hard time throwing out food. As I was standing and staring at the sea of ketchup and mayo, ideas started popping into my head about how to use things, in creative ways, to give myself a little more fridge space!

Here are some of my ideas:

Ketchup: Meatloaf, BBQ sauce, burgers.

A1 Steak Sauce and Mayo: Mix them together to make a mayo for roast beef sandwiches (a great way to use leftover roast beef) or burgers. Meatloaf.

Mayo: Ranch dressing, Blue cheese dressing.

Sun Dried Tomatoes: On pizza, in pasta, with chicken, on a crostini.

Pickles: I read in my latest issue of Food Network Magazine that pickle juice is becoming trendy. I usually just eat pickles with a sandwich, but, I wonder if they would be good with some parmesan and olive oil on a crostini. I’ve seen a recipe for chicken with pickles (haven’t tried it, but am curious about it). What about a pickle coleslaw (pickles, cabbage, shredded carrots, creamy or vinegar dressing)? I love pickles or pickle relish in tuna, but that’s kinda standard, at least in our house.

Chili Sauce: Thai Chicken with Peanuts and Chives, Stir fry.

Mustard (one of mine, I started getting inspired by everything in the fridge): Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwiches.

Soy Sauce (also mine): Soy Ginger Chicken with Sesame Seeds.

These are just a few ideas, off the top of my head.

Happy Eating!

Honey-Mustard Glazed Chicken Sandwiches

Recipe Type: Sandwich

Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine

Prep time: 3 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 18 mins

Serves: 2

Inspired by the contents of a friend’s fridge when she moved to Minnesota, I made this sandwich with common condiments found in most kitchens: mustard and honey.

Ingredients

2 Chicken breasts
1 T Olive oil
2 T Spicy brown mustard
1 T Honey
4-6 tomato slices
2 pieces of lettuce (or a few, if small)
2 Hamburger buns, or a baguette (sliced), or 4 slices french bread
Mayo (opt.)
Salt
1/4 C Water
1 T Cornstarch

Instructions

Heat oil in pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and add to pan. Cook, flipping once, about 7 minutes/side, or until internal temperature reaches 170 F.
Whisk water, cornstarch, mustard and honey.
Remove chicken from pan. Pour honey-mustard mixture into pan and whisk. Add chicken. Pull chicken apart with forks (if you want to) and mix around in sauce.
Assemble sandwich with mayo, chicken, lettuce and tomato.
Great with potato chips (I made homemade, but store bought would be great too!).

Notes

Our rating: ***

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Christy’s Crock Pot Yogurt

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Homemade Granola

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Hello Meatloaf?!

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Honey-Mustard Chicken Sandwiches

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