Oven Roasted New Potatoes with Rosemary

Posted on August 2, 2011 by okieranchwife

I make this dish in a cast iron skillet but don’t worry if you don’t own one. Just brown the potatoes in a skillet and transfer to an oven safe baking dish for the roasting.  The best choice for this recipe is fresh rosemary. Unfortunately, the dried stuff doesn’t come close in taste. I have several plants scattered around my garden and have been able to winter over a couple of my older plants.  Yeah, me!!!  I’m sorry,  rosemary can be finicky. I am happy for small victories.  If you don’t have access to the fresh herb, you can easily substitute dried dill weed.  It will have a very different taste but it will still be very good.

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
  • 2 pounds small Red New Potatoes, halved
  • 3  three inch long sprigs of fresh Rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried Dill Weed)
  • 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt, optional
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper or mild red cayenne pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375.

On medium to medium high temp heat the EVOO in a 10 inch cast iron skillet.  Add potatoes and cook until brown stirring frequently for approximately 8 to 10 minutes.  Be sure that the oil does not smoke. If it does, it is too hot and is burning.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add rosemary/dill, salt and pepper. Stir to coat potatoes with seasonings.  Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Stir every 30 minutes and check to make certain the potatoes do not burn. Every oven is different and some bake hotter than others.

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Creamed String Bean Soup

Posted on August 1, 2011 by okieranchwife

I have to say that my mom was an excellent cook. Growing up I especially loved her soups.  And today I would rather make a great soup rather than almost anything else. Our ethnic background is Eastern European, so many of the dishes I ate while growing were sour cabbage and vegetable soups. This is a sour cream soup that I really like to make when the weather turns cold.  The one drawback is that it doesn’t freeze well being a cream soup.

  • 1 quart fresh String Beans, yellow wax or green, cleaned and snapped into 2 inch pieces
  • 2 quarts Water
  • Sea Salt to taste
  • 5 tablespoons All Purpose Flour or Wondra Flour
  • 1 cup Sour Cream (regular or low fat)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons White Vinegar (For a silghtly different taste try some White Wine Vinegar)
  • 2 tablespoons Butter (Or try some ghee. It is clarified butter without milk fats) 
  • Fresh or dried Dill weed as a garnish    

Bring the salted water to boil, add the string beans and reduce heat to simmer. Cook the string beans for 30 minutes.  Just before the beans are finished cooking, mix the flour, sour cream and 1 cup of hot water from the beans together until smooth. The hot water from the bean pot will allow the flour and sour cream mix to fold into the hot bean water without breaking or curdling. Add the vinegar and simmer until smooth and slightly thick.

Just before laddling into soup bowls, add the butter. Garnish with the dill and serve.

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Cold English Pea Salad

Posted on August 1, 2011 by okieranchwife

My cowboy husband introduced this dish to me. It is something that his mother made in the 1950’s and 1960’s. It is easy peasy and very yummy.

  • 1 can (15 oz) Peas, drained
  • 2 hard boiled Eggs, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Onion, finely diced
  • 2 ribs Celery, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons Sweet Pickle relish
  • 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise (I use Olive Oil mayo)
  • 1 teaspoon Spicy Brown Mustard

Mix all the ingredients together and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.

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Black Eyed Peas

Posted on August 1, 2011 by okieranchwife

My husband and I usually have this at home as lunch with a serving of cornbread on the side.  This dish is a good candidate for emergency cooking because you just add all of the ingredients in a crock pot or cast iron Dutch oven and let them cook. At Toby Keith’s I love the Bar and Grill in Oklahoma City, they call them  Cowboy Caviar. Now that’s good eatin’!

  • 1 pound dried Black Eyed Peas, rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon Fuzz’s No Salt Cajun Blend
  • 1 tablespoon Onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon Garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin
  • 1 Smoked Ham Hock about 6 ozs. (You can use beef short ribs or beef neck bones if your family doesn’t eat pork.)
  • 6 to 8 cups  Water (Use enough to cover the beans with at least 2 inches of water.)

Combine everything in a crock pot. If yours has an “Auto Shift” setting use it. It will cook on high then shift down to low.  Expect the peas to cook for at least 8 hours until tender.  Add extra water to the pot if needed. Can be served with different types of cornbread. We use a store bought mix for our cornbread but we are going to experiment with a Mexican style cornbread and a cheddar cheese style.

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Avocado Smoothie

Posted on August 1, 2011 by okieranchwife

My husband was working overseas (in an extremely hot country) and tried this smoothie in a restaurant. At first I wrinkled my nose at but I had to try it. Now it is one of my favs.

  • 1/2 ripe Avocado, skin and seed removed. (You can use a whole one if you really like the taste)
  • 1 cup French Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.
  • 1 cup Milk (whole, reduced fat or skim)

Mix all ingredients in a conventional blender and blitz. Or use an immersion stick blender in a large plastic tumbler. Blend well and serve.

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Grilled Corn on the Cob with “Fuzz’s” No Salt Cajun Blend

Posted on July 31, 2011 by okieranchwife

Until I moved west, I never had grilled corn on the cob.  My first trip to the Canton Flea Market in Texas was an eyeopener.  I could not get enough of this corn. They served it with only melted butter. My cowboy husband and I added the Cajun Blend and it is a big hit with everyone.  Fuzz is our little dog who showed up as a stray 2 years ago.  He always wants to be in the garden with me so we named our Cajun Mix after him. We think it has a great taste without the bad burn that some pepper mixes can have. Try it and let me know what you think.  We are planning to make an extra hot Cajun Blend.

  • 1 Corn Cob still in the husks per person
  • Melted butter
  • Fuzz’s No Salt Cajun Blend
  • Sea Salt (optional) 

Clean off the dark green outer husks on the cobs but keep the inner ones on the cob.  When your BBQ grill is hot, place the cobs on the outer edges of the grill so they are not directly over the flames.  Keep turning the cobs so they don’t burn too much. I personally like the corn kernels a bit burned but some people do not.

The cooking time will vary depending upon the temperature of the grill.    We cook over mesquite charcoal and the corn is usually ready to eat in 20 minutes.

Shuck the husks off the cob.  Coat the corn with butter, Fuzz’s Cajun Blend and sea salt. Serve.  

 Fuzz’s No Salt Cajun Blend

  • 2 tablespoons Pepper Corns (I use a mix of black, red, green and white)
  •  2 tablespoons Garlic, granulated or powder
  • 2 tablespoons Onion powder
  • ½ tablespoons Nutmeg powder  
  • 2 tablespoons Parsley, dried
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  •  1 tablespoon whole Yellow Mustard seeds
  • 1 tablespoon Coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoons Cayenne pepper powder (This our own home grown)
  • 2 tablespoons dried Cayenne flakes (Our home grown with seeds included)
  • 2 tablespoons Red Chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon Cumin
  • 2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning mix
  • 2 tablespoons Paprika powder
  • 1 tablespoon Gumbo Felli` (powdered Sassafras)
  • Add 3 tablespoons Sea Salt if you want a salted blend

 Mix all ingredients in a food processor with a blade or in an electric coffee bean grinder. I use the coffee bean grinder because I have found that it will produce a finer powder than my food processor. Place the powdered blend in a sealable container like a large salt shaker.  This mix will form clumps because there is no anti-clumping chemical in it.  If it clumps use a knife or the end of a spoon to break it up. It will not affect the taste.  Tastes best if used in 6 months.

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Kimchi

Posted on July 31, 2011 by okieranchwife

Okay, don’t be frightened. It’s only fermented cabbage and this recipe really is good.  I heard all of the horror stories about Kimchi so it wasn’t until about 4 months ago that I had the courage to try it.  And now I’m glad I did. I have served this to people who have never tried kimchi and they agree it is good.

  • 2 pounds of Napa, Chinese or Bok Choy Cabbage (Can use a combination of all three)
  • 4 Green onions, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Kosher or Sea Salt
  • 4 Cups Water

Seasoning:

  • 2 teaspoon Cayenne powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh Garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh Ginger, finely grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
  • 1 tablespoon Sugar

Wash cabbage and cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch lengths.  Dissolve salt in water in a large plastic or cermanic bowl. Add cabbage and green onions. Use a plate and weight down the cabbage so it is under the water. Soak the cabbage in the water for 4 hours. The salt will pull the liquid out of the cabbage and soften it. 

After soaking, rinse and drain the cabbage and green onion mixuture. Combine the seasoning mix with the cabbage and green onions. Mix throughly. Pack into a 1 quart canning jar and cover loosely with the lid. Let stand at room temperature for 2 days. This is when the fermentation will happen.  Chill in the fridge before serving.  It will keep in the fridge for at least 2 months.

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Farmer and Rancher Breakfast

Posted on July 31, 2011 by okieranchwife

I usually make this on a Saturday morning from whatever meat leftovers we have in the fridge. I have used ham slices that I diced, leftover taco meat, hamburger, or even hotdogs.  Just use your imagination to make a great tasting and filling breakfast.   The following recipe can feed 2 to 4 people depending on the serving size. This dish is also a guten-free meal.

  • 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. EVOO.
  • Salt to taste. I use Celtic Sea Salt.
  • 1 small Onion, diced
  • 1 Garlic clove, pressed
  • 1 Pepper, diced. Use sweet banana, jalapeño, or Serrano depending on your heat preference 
  • 2 medium Potatoes, skin on and grated  
  • 1 small Tomato, diced
  • 1 cup of leftover cooked meat
  • 3 Eggs slightly beaten
  • Dash of hot sauce
  • 3 tablespoons of milk or ½ & ½
  • ¼ cup of shredded cheese of your choice

In a skillet sauté onions, garlic, pepper in EVOO on medium heat for about 7 minutes or until tender.  Add the grated potatoes and cook until brown, approximately 10 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, mix the beaten eggs, hot sauce and milk/ ½ & ½.

When the potatoes are browned and cooked add the tomatoes and meat. Cook until heated through.

Add the egg mixture to the skillet and cook until eggs are no longer liquid.

Mix in the shredded cheese and cook until cheese is melted. Remove from stove, serve and enjoy!

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Lime Marinaded Okra

Posted on July 30, 2011 by okieranchwife

This is a great recipe for all of the okra that is coming out of your garden!

1 pound of small tender okra pods with caps still on. (The diner can cut the caps off after skewers are cooked)
2 sweet onions, quartered
1 sweet bell pepper (green, red, yellow or orange) sliced.

Marinade:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of Cajun mix or Mexican mix spices
Juice and plup from 2 limes

Mix the marinade together in a 1 gallon plastic storage bag. Add the whole okra pods. Put in fridge for at least one hour. The longer the better.

After the okra has marinaded, use bamboo or metal skewers and alternate okra, onions and peppers on the skewers. If using bamboo skewer, soak them in water while okra is marinading so they do not burn on grill.

Roast the skewers on the grill until teh okra is skin is crispy. Tastes great even if the skin is slightly burnt.

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Homemade Veggie Broth

Posted on April 9, 2011 by okieranchwife

Today I am cooking vegetable broth for freezing.

I keep a freezer storage bag on the door of my freezer. Whenever I have vegetable scraps I put them in the freezer bag for future use as a broth.

This homemade broth is so easy and so much more healthy than store bought broth that has a whole chemistry laboratory in each can.

I try not to waste anything. The tops and peels from carrots, onion cuttings, stems from kale, asparagus and even broccoli.  Anything can be used for vegetable broth.

My method is very simple. I start with a boiling soup pot of water.  Add some sea salt. I use Celtic Sea Salt. I like the minerals that are in it.

After the water has boiled I plop all of my saved veggies into the water. Bring it back to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for two hours.

After the broth has cooled, strain the large pieces of vegetable out. I always do a second straining through cheese cloth or even a #4 coffee filter.

After the straining I ladle the broth into quart size freezer bags and then double bag in a gallon freezer bag to freeze. Label and date the gallon size bags.

I compost the large pieces of vegetables and the coffee filter.  Like I said, I don’t waste anything.  When I get my chickens, I’ll probably give them some of my veggie peelings but I know I’ll have some good chicken poop for compost!!

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