Bubble and Squeak

Posted on October 2, 2011 by okieranchwife

This is another recipe that I saved from the 1980’s cooking show “The Frugal Gourmet”.  I think his name was Jeff Smith. I don’t think he was held in high regard by the “foodies” of the time, but I enjoyed it. This recipe is an un-retouched copy of the original. 

If you compare this recipe to my Colcannon recipe you will see it’s very similar. I think this is just an English version of the classic Irish dish. Supposedly the bubble comes from the cabbage being boiled nad blanched and the squeak from the frying in the pan. 

  • 3 potatoes boiled with skins on, rough mashed
  • 4 cups chopped Cabbage, blanched and well-drained
  • 1 medium Onion, chopped
  • a bit grated Zucchini
  • 3 slices Bacon, browned and crumbled. (Reserve some of the fat in the frying pan)
  • 1/2 cup cooked Ham, diced
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Pack down into a cast iron frying pan with the bacon drippings in it.  Cook until toasted brown. Time depends on the burner setting about 15 to 20 minutes.

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Pecan Flat Bread Rounds

Posted on October 2, 2011 by okieranchwife

I found this gluten free recipe in one of those little magazines you get when you buy something at a health food store. Many times I’m not in love the final dish, but this one is good, especially if someone in your house needs gluten free food. The original recipe calls for Herbamare Herb Seasoning Salt, which is difficult to find other than at a Wholefoods Market or online, so I have substituted either my own Fuzz’s No Salt Cajun Blend and sea salt for a nice kick or Mrs. Dash Table Blend and sea salt.  This recipe can be doubled to make about 30 flat bread rounds.

  • 1 1/2 cups Blanched Almond Flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon Herbamare, Mrs. Dash or Fuzz’s No Salt Cajun Blend
  • 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried ground Thyme
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped Pecans, (I use a small coffee grinder or a mortar and a pestle to get the correct size)
  • 1 large whole Egg
  • 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg until frothy. Add oil and whisk again. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until well blended.   Place parchment paper* in a large rimmed cookie sheet. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough on the parchment paper allowing 1 1/2 inches between each mound of dough.  Place wax paper over the mounds of dough and using a rolling-pin, flatten each mound until they are about 1/8 inch thick. Remove the wax paper and discard. Bake the flatbreads for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.  

* Parchment paper, not waxed paper, must be used since the parchment paper is oven safe and wax paper is not. If you have a Silpat, you can use that too. As a last resort, if you don’t have parchment paper, you can lightly spray a nonstick cookie sheet with gluten free EVOO.

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Jalapeno Avocado Sauce

Posted on September 30, 2011 by okieranchwife

The avocados in here cool down the heat of the jalapeno. This is a great dipping sauce or use it on baked potatoes for some heat.

  • 1 ripe Avocado
  • 1 small Onion, chopped
  • 1 medium jalapeno pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh Parsley, chopped
  • 2 cups Sour Cream
  • Sea Salt and White Pepper to taste

Cut avocado in half and take out the pit. scoop out the meat from the 2 halves of the avocado and mash with an immersion blender, food processor or blender. Add onion, jalapeno, parsley, sour cream, salt and pepper. Blend on high speed until smooth for about 3 minutes. Scrap the sides and blend again. Enjoy!

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Black Walnut Chocolate Fudge

Posted on September 30, 2011 by okieranchwife

Another great recipe where I can use our own black walnuts. A candy thermometer is handy for this recipe.

  • 2 cups Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted Butter
  • 5 tablespoons Cocoa
  • 2/3 cup whole Milk
  • pinch of Sea Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 cup Black Walnuts, Chopped

In a heavy saucepan combine sugar, butter cocoa, milk and salt. Cook until boiling point is reached. Boil to a soft ball stage about 234 to 238 degrees F. Add vanilla. Cool to room temperature without stirring. Beat with a mixer until thick and creamy. Add walnuts and stir by hand. Drop by teaspoons onto waxed paper or a silpat. Or you can pour into a buttered pan and cut into squares.

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Scrambled Eggs Florentine

Posted on September 29, 2011 by okieranchwife

I try to get a dark leafy green veg into each meal. This recipe was created by me while staring into the fridge several mornings ago. We believe it has a lot of flavor and is a different dish for breakfast. This will feed the two of us.

  • 4 Whole Eggs
  •  1/4 cup Milk or Half & Half
  • Dash of Sea Salt
  • 1 small Sweet Onion, diced
  • 1 small Tomato, diced
  • 2 handfuls of Baby Spinach
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese

In a mixing bowl, beat 4 eggs and add milk and season with salt. In a non stick skillet, melt a bit of butter or add some bacon drippings. I usually make this dish after I cook our thick cut peppered bacon.

Saute the onions until brown about 4 minutes.  Add tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes. Don’t let the tomatoes get mushy. Add the spinach and stir. Allow the spinach to wilt but still have a little crisp to it.  Fold in the egg mixture and the cheese. Stir to scramble. Don’t overcook the egg mixture because it will get dry and a bit tasteless.  Serve warm.

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Southern Corn Chowder

Posted on September 29, 2011 by okieranchwife

Okay, we’ve been fooled before about cool weather but it is supposed to be in the low 50’s on Friday night. What a better way to celebrate than to make some Corn Chowder and sit by a fire pit!

  • 1/2 pound Bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 small Onions, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon All Purpose Flour or Wondra
  • 1 cup Water
  • 2 cups potatoes, peeled and finely diced
  • 1/2 cup Celery, fine chopped
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 2 cans (15 ozs each) Cream-style Corn
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon White Pepper
  • Fresh Chives, chopped

Fry bacon pieces until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Reserve 1/4 cup of bacon dripping and place in a cast iron Dutch Oven. Saute onion in bacon dripping about 5 minutes. Blend in the flour and stir to make a smooth paste/roux. Gradually add water and stir til smooth. Add potatoes, celery and bay leaves. Cover and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Watch that it doesn’t burn on the bottom.  Stir occasionally. Blend in corn, milk, seasonings and bacon. Heat for 15 minutes. Serve hot and garnish with chives.

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Toad in a Hole

Posted on September 28, 2011 by okieranchwife

The old saying is that Scottish cooking was based on a dare, (think Haggis , which I love!) I believe English cooking has some translation difficulties when going from Olde Englishe to modern English. Toad in a Hole, I mean, really???  I guess you can call it a cheesy fritatta. It is tasty. It has a long prep time so if you like Breakfast for Dinner on a weekend this is wonderful.

  • 3/4 cup Whole Milk
  • 2 whole Eggs plus 1 Egg White
  • 2 teaspoons Brown Spicy Mustard
  • 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour or Wondra
  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt and more to taste
  • 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
  • 1 pound mild Breakfast Sausages (Pork, Chicken, Turkey or Tofu)
  • 1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and sliced 1/2 inch strips
  •  4 ozs Spinach, can be destemmed but that is where good fiber is
  • Black Pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup grated Gruyere Cheese or any creamy type cheese
  • 2 tablespoons fresh Chives, chopped

In a mixing bowl blend well milk, eggs, egg white, and mustard, about 1 minute. Add flour and 1 tablespoon salt and blend for about 1 minute. Place batter in the fridge for 2 hours to chill.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat 1 teaspoon EVOO add sausages and red peppers. Cook until sausages well browned and peppers are tender about 8 minutes. Remove meat and peppers to a plate. Drain any grease and wipe out the skillet. In same skillet warm 1 tablespoon EVOO and add spinach, salt and black pepper. Saute about 2 minutes. Remove the spinach to the plate with meat and red peppers.  Put 2 tablespoons of EVOO in the same skillet nad put in heated oven for 15 minutes.

Remove batter from fridge and add the grated cheese to the chilled batter. Remove warmed skillet from the oven and place the sausage/red pepper mix along with the spinach in the skillet. Pour the cheese batter into the skillet. Bake for 25 minutes. Garnish with Chives.

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Bratwurst Sausage in Beer

Posted on September 28, 2011 by okieranchwife

Another great dish for tailgating or picnics. You can cook it in the crockpot over night then grill it right before serving! Great with Spicy Brown Mustard.

  • 2 pounds Bratwurst or a sausage of your choice
  • 2 (12 or more ozs each) bottles Beer, I like to use Shiner Bock for brats

Cut the sausage into 4 inch pieces and place in the crockpot. Add the beer. Cover the pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Can cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Remove sausage from crockpot and grill until nicely browned about 5 minutes.

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Zesty Italian Marinade

Posted on September 27, 2011 by okieranchwife

I am really trying to get away from products that have high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient. It is very difficult to marinades or salad dressings that aren’t swimming sugar. This is a highly favored marinade for beef or chicken that we love. If you are just starting out making your own marinades you may want to decrease the amount of herbs and seasonings until you find the right level of flavor for you.

  • 1 cup Canola Oil ( I don’t use EVOO for this because I just don’t want to waste the expensive Olive Oil if I won’t be cooking in it.)
  • 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons dried Italian Seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon Garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced Onion
  • 1 tablespoon dried Parsley
  • 1 tablespoon dried Thai Basil (optional. I have some in my garden that I dry.)
  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground Red Cayenne Pepper

Mix well and use to marinate Chicken breast or steaks. I marinade the chicken in a gallon storage bag for at least 3 hours. Turning the chicken at least once. Remove meat from marinade and discard the marinade.

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Chicken Hot Pot

Posted on September 26, 2011 by okieranchwife

This recipe can also be called cleaning out the fridge for a Sunday Supper. I used whatever I had fresh veggies I had left in the fridge. I believe chicken makes a great base for anything as how could I go wrong?

  • 2 bone-in, skin on Chicken Breasts
  • 1 box (32 0zs) Low Sodium Chicken Stock or Home-made
  • 4 cups Water
  • 1 large Red or Sweet Onion, sliced
  • 8 tender pods of Okra, sliced
  • 1/2 pound fresh Green Beans, trimmed and snapped into 2 inch pieces
  • 2 crowns of Broccoli, divided into bite size florets
  • 2 whole Bay Leaves
  • 2 sprigs fresh Thyme
  • 2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
  • 2 sprigs fresh Sage
  • Handful of Baby Arugula
  • 3 leaves of Green Leaf Lettuce, thin sliced (Oh yes, wilted lettuce is great in soup!)

In a large soup pot, mix the broth and water. Bring to boil. Add 2 chicken breasts and reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes. Remove chicken breasts to a plate and allow to cool. Place the reaming ingredients except the arugula and lettuce. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the meat from the bones, shred and return to the soup pot. Discard the skin or do as I do. I give my dogs a treat for their dinner. I freeze the bones and when I have enough, I make home-made Chicken broth.     

Add the arugula and lettuce and simmer for about 5 minutes to wilt the lettuce. Garnish with parley and serve. This is a surprising filling soup.

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