Happy Thanksgiving

 Well I am hanging by a thread here not knowing what is working and what isn’t, but I am going to wing it an at least try and hope this update reaches you.  I just felt obligated to produce something for the holiday as I have for the last 20 years-eleven years for the paper and this will be my ninth year for my web site. 

 

This is going to be very brief, but I wanted to share some of my recipes from those past years, all which have been very popular and also very helpful in getting that Thanksgiving feast on the table.  All the recipes are made the day before, refrigerated and popped in the oven on Thanksgiving Day.  All are very easy to make and are all very delicious.  All the recipes take approximately 45 to 30 minutes in the oven.  After your turkey is ready, simple place all the dishes in the oven and while the turkey is resting and you make the gravy, every thing will be ready. 

 

Also make your desserts the day before too, most of the desserts that contain pumpkin are usually chilled anyway.  Most of you probably know how to make pumpkin pie and if not just follow that old standby Libby’s pumpkin pie recipe. I am still on that one-hour break routine because of my neck injury, so I will see you in a bit.  I’m back, and I just removed my mini sweet potato recipe from the oven and when it cools I will photograph it for this update.  I enjoyed the squash recipe for dinner as I prepared it yesterday and placed it in the refrigerator over night and baked it for 30 minutes.  Yum!  It is a good thing that the most enjoyable task for me is being in the kitchen cooking and because I didn’t have a photo-didn’t have digital at the time-and I had to eat, I made two mini recipes.  I will be doubling the recipes for Thanksgiving. Hopefully, you will be able to try 1 or 2 of them.  If not file them away for next year or use them for your vegetable dish during the year or at least in the winter.  Remember that healthy hint “Eat in season” and sweet potatoes and butternut squash are root vegetables and keep in a cool environment for a very long period. In earlier times vegetables for kept in a cold cellar or pickled and would sustain people through the cold winter.  It sure makes sense to me and as always “Mother Nature knows best.

 

Well, I am not going to waste any more time chatting and get right to sharing my recipes and from all the feed back I received when I introduced them I can guarantee that you guest will enjoy them.  Oh, I just received a call from my daughter asking me a question pertaining to the easy and never fail piecrust recipe that I shared some time ago.  She asked if she could make it today and refrigerate it overnight-of course, but let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes before you attempt to roll it and for you who are piecrust making challenged you can omit the roiling step and just pat it in your pie plate. 

 

 Never Fail Pie Crust 

This recipe makes enough pastry for two one crust pies or one double crust pie or wrap unused pastry in foil and place in a freezer bag and store in the freezer for later use.

1-½ cups flour

1-teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons sugar-optional-omit the sugar when you make a savory pie like a quiche.

½ cup canola oil

2 tablespoons milk

 

In a measuring cup, stir together oil and milk.  In a medium bowl stir together flour, salt and sugar if using.  Add canola oil mixture and stir with fork until blended. With hand roll into a ball, separate and flatten into rounds.  Roll between wax paper into a 12-inch circle.  Peel off top paper and turn into pie plate and fit loosely.

 For a one crust pie like the pumpkin pie that I made last night pictured below-actually I have been eating my Thanksgiving dinner piece by piece making items for my food photo shoot for this update-of course it is. I did get a little carried away and cut leaf designs with a cookie cutter to decorate the pie. Follow the directions on the Libby’s can for the pumpkin pie.  For a one-crust pie that is baked without a filling you have to weigh it down.  This can be accomplished by lining the shell with foil and placing some dry beans on top or by purchasing clay pie weights.  Bake at 450 degrees F. or until golden brown.  For a double crust pie repeat directions for rolling and placing in pie plate, fill and repeat rolling and simpler place on top of filling. Cut four short slits spaced evenly on top and follow instructions in your recipe for oven temperature and baking time.

  

 

 

Sweet Potatoes In Orange Cups

3 large oranges-makes six

2 pounds sweet potatoes

1/3-cup light brown sugar

¼ cup butter of Smart Balance Margarine

Coconut, pecans or what ever else you can come up with

 

Cut oranges in half and squeeze out juice reserving ½ cup of juice.  Carefully remove pulp from shell-I use a grapefruit knife.  You can cut a scallop design on the edge with kitchen shears.

 

Cook potatoes in the microwave following manufactures directions. When cool enough to handle, scoop out inside of potato into a medium bowl.  Mash and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth; add orange juice, brown sugar and three tablespoons of butter or Smart Balance Margarine.  Spoon mixture in shells and swirl with a knife. Brush edges with and remaining butter or Smart Balance.  As an added treat you can decorate the tops with pecans or your choice of nuts or coconut. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate over night. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for approximately 30 minutes.

 

 

Butternut Apple Crisp

1 small butternut squash, pared, quartered, seeded, and sliced. To facilitate the slicing of the squash, I place it in the microwave for a few minutes until soft enough to slice into ¼ to ½ inch slices, if using fresh apples or into chunks if using pie filling.

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1-teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 20-ounce can pie-sliced apples

 

Topping

½ cup all purpose flour

½ cup quick cooking rolled oats

¼ cup packed brown sugar

6 tablespoons butter or Smart Balance Margarine

 

In a mixing bowl combine ½ cup of the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt.  Add sliced squash and undrained apple and toss to coat.  Turn apple mixture into a 10x6x2 inch-baking dish.  Combine flour, oats and ¼ cups of brown sugar; cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle over squash apple mixture.   Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.  Bake covered in a 375 degrees oven for 30 minutes, un cover and reduce temperature to 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes until squash is tender and top is brown. Don’t forget to place the sweet potatoes in the oven with the squash and apple casserole after ten minutes.

  

 

  

I am making my pies tomorrow and putting them in the refrigerator as well as well as this overnight Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle that everyone loves.  When I set it on the dessert table, it was gone in minutes.

 Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle

1 ginger bread, homemade, purchased, or a gingerbread mix, baked as directed.

2 boxes instant pudding

2 cups skim milk

1 cup pumpkin pie filling

1 large container of whipping cream-I suppose you could use Cool Whip-hey, it’s a holiday

¼ to ½ cup of confectioner’s sugar

 

Make or purchase gingerbread.  Make pudding per directions on box and fold in the 1cup of pumpkin. Whip cream and add ¼ to ½ cup of confectioners sugar, depending how sweet you want the cream to be and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.  Crumble ginger bread and sprinkle a layer in a clear glass bowl-I do have a trifle bowl, but I have to make a very large bowl and use one of my punch bowls.  Add a layer of pudding/pumpkin mix and a layer of whipped cream. Continue until you reach the top of the bowl. Sprinkle with a powdered sugar. Cover and place in the refrigerator over night and until serving.  Very easy, but very elegant.

 I also make the Overnight Creamy Potato Casserole and for me that is best time saver because you put the casserole in the oven for thirty minutes just before serving dinner and the potatoes are piping hot.  When I first introduced the recipe, it was a novelty, but today there are so many variations that I am confident that you will have no problem finding a recipe.

 One more little hint-set your table the night before because there is never enough time in the morning to do a good job and you just know some guest always will arrive early.  Don’t go crazy, but put a little more effort then your every day setting.

 I always had to set a festive dining room table and several other tables scattered all over the house to accommodate all the grandkids. The food was set up all over the kitchen on my six-food work counter and on every empty space available, but the dining table had a Thanksgiving themed centerpiece and candles, the works. Each year I would try to make something different, the centerpiece is from Thanksgiving 2009.

 

It was a large wooden tray chocked with fresh fruit and nuts with a pineapple turkey made with pom poms wigglely eyes and large pipe cleaners.

 I feel good that I was able post an update for the holiday.  Sorry if it is too late for you to use for Thanksgiving.

Surprise

SURPRISE, yes, I am trying to be more consistent just like the article that I recently read entitled “How to create a successful website”-hey no guarantees, but I hope to bundle all the components needed to produce my website, which includes compiling all the research needed to actually report my findings, recipe development, cooking, writing my draft, proof reading, computer work, selecting my photos from my photo gallery-the photos are taken continuously though out the month and uploaded to my computer and finally publishing and sending out my e-mail blast to my members to notify them of a new update an announcing my update on Face Book.   I am setting aside 2 days a week and to treat these 2 days as a 9-5 job an just learn to say NO and SORRY I AM BUSY! 

 Well summer is finally here without a warming spring to ease us into the hot humid heat of summer.  Although last week we have had 3 days of on and off rain which was welcomed after the hot dry days of the previous week. Today it is 90 degrees and we are having a heat wave until Wednesday an the possibility of a brief shower or thunderstorm. Nix the thunderstorm, but I will welcome the shower so that I can skip watering the grass and gardens. Not complaining after viewing on television the terrible hardships people in other parts of the country are enduring. Hopefully all the nasty and dangerous storms throughout the country will finally subside.

 Both of my sons and I have been working very hard to bring back my front lawn. Ordered a load of top soil and the boys spread it and seeded and covered the seeds with hay and I was told to water it every day.  I watered and watered and nothing happened for weeks with the exception of my water bill being off the charts.  But finally I am happy to report that the grass is growing along with the weeds. Although as everyone knows summer is not the perfect time to grow grass and we will do better in the fall.  As of now, my allotment for home maintenance is just about depleted.

 We spruced up the grounds with some flowers and some simple landscaping and my son spread some fertilizer and it is looking A-OK, at least it is green.  So much so, that a neighbor driving by complimented me on it last week.  Isn’t that what the realtors call curb appeal.  Hey I’m trying!

 My sons steaming my porch and planting sod along my driveway.  I always said “Invest as much time and love in your kids and you will receive dividends for the rest of your life.” By the way that is without even asking.  I am blessed.

 

 Son dug out around the tree on the front lawn and utilized all the large rocks that he could find and circled the tree.  I purchased 6 hostas at the super market on sale for under $25.00 dollars, planted them and filled the mound with mulch on sale at Home Depot for 4 for $10.00.  It looks great and so much easier cutting the grass around the tree without hitting all the perturbing roots.

 In the back ground you can see the flag pole flower garden and my birdhouse, which by the way both floors are occupied and both have nests.  It is fascinating to watch how the birds guard their nest and how they supply food for their babies.  Nature is so wonderful-take a look around you some day and marvel in it.

 

 This is the stump from the tree that I had to have removed.  I use it as stage for seasonal displays.  I just love how it brighten up the yard.

To my surprise my perennial garden has perked up this year-readers will recall that I thought that it was completely destroyed when the one of the trees on the double trunk tree at the edge of the garden had to be removed and it landed smack on my garden that I have been tending for many years.  Last year it was very sparse, but this year it has flourished, although it is still a work in progress.  My herb garden is doing OK, although my basil doesn’t look that healthy.  I am going to pinch the tops today and make some pesto and as the saying goes, “The more you pinch it the better it will grow” The tomato plants which I planted in containers are coming along slowly.  Last year I was picking tomatoes until the last week in October.  Here’s hoping!

 

 

This is just the early stage of the garden and just in the last few days it seems like the garden just popped over night.

 I always broadcast hands full of seeds-actually I just throw them in the air and where they land is always a wonderful surprise. If you look closely you can see some zinnias coming through.  Also to my utmost amazement an Easter lily gift that I planted a few years back made its debut this year.

 

  That is the lily behind the pot.  Actually I wasn’t aware that is was there and I almost set the pot on top of it.  I enjoy my garden so much and now that the plants are mature, it is great.  NO WEEDING!  Unfortunately the herb garden takes up a good deal of time and has to be weeded continually or you can’t find the herbs.  However, I use every one of them and after all these years I just can’t give it up.

 

Most of the more difficult work has been accomplished, with most of it being done by the boys.  My job now is to try to maintain it and that isn’t as easy as it sounds.  Although my son comes every week to cut the grass, trim and edge and does a Yeoman job, I find that I still spend a good part of each day working in the yard.  I am longing to just sit on my bench and read a book and enjoy it and have some friends and family over for a yard party.

 July has always been known as the Grilling Month and I am anxious to start experimenting with some healthy recipes to compliment or to replace our old standby grilled hot dogs and hamburger.  Although many expect those delicious grilled hot dogs and hamburgers-and yes they are fine to eat in moderation and some times it is not a cookout without them. As a friend told me recently how she was invited to a yard party and she was excited to be having her first grilled hot dog of the year.  Unfortunately her host was serving catered food.  Bummer!

 Another old standby at summer parties is potato salad and over the years I am sure you have tasted many versions of potato salad.  It seems that every nationality has their take on potato salad.  Last week I perused my recipe collection and discovered so many different potato salad recipes that I have tried over the years and I thought that it would be fun to share them with you and perhaps someone would like to share their special recipe by e-mailing it to my contact number.

 It has always been said that there is no such thing as a bad potato salad.  Unfortunately, some cooks do not follow the 3 simple rules for a great potato salad.

Rule #1-choose the right potato-I like using red potatoes because they keep their shape and texture when cubed and a added bonus when the red skin is left on they add color to your salad and because many healthy nutrients are in the skin of the potato your body is getting nourished.  Also by using the mini red potatoes, which only need to be halved, it saves time in the preparation of the salad. Rule #2-do not over cook or undercook the potatoes and test often with a toothpick for doneness-cook potatoes in a saucepan covered with cold water.  Bring to a boil, than simmer until tender but firm. Rule #3-the potato is the star of this dish, so please do not drown it in dressing.  My hint is to pour a small potion of dressing at a time and gently combine with the potatoes; you will know when you have enough. 

 When my mom would make potato salad and after the potatoes were cooked, she would pour 2 or 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar over the potatoes and let them marinate for approximate 10 t0 15 minutes in the refrigerator while making the dressing.  Yes, and because mom did it that way, so do I.  I have substituted light Italian dressing as well for the vinegar and the results were very tasty.  Although the recipes that I am sharing are being copied exactly from the cards from my file, you can use the above method suggested for using the vinegar.  Also you can eliminate or add what ever you desire.

 

 Slovac Sour Cream Potato Salad

5 cups cooked and cubed potatoes

½- cup cucumber, sliced

1 small onion, minced or grated

4 ribs celery, diced

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 slices crisp bacon, diced

3 hard cooked eggs

 

¾ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons vinegar

Paprika to garnish

 

Combine potatoes, cucumber, onion, celery, salt and pepper to taste.  Remove yolks from eggs and dice whites.  Add crisp bacon.  Mash yolks and combine with sour cream, mayonnaise and vinegar.  Mix well and pour over potato mixture.  Toss lightly.  Chill.  Sprinkle with paprika before serving.

 

Spicy Potato Salad with Ham

Dressing

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

¼ cup Dijon Mustard

½ -cup mayonnaise

1-teaspoon chili powder

1-teaspoon lime zest, grated

1-teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and black pepper to taste

 

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

8 ounces baked ham, cut into chunks

½ cup diced red onion, or to taste

Snipped fresh chives for garnish

 

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, and stir until smooth.  Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain and rinse under cold water and drain again. 

 In a large bowl, toss the potatoes, ham and red onion with the dressing and season with salt and pepper and sprinkle on chives, if using.

 Red Skinned Potato Salad

 6 medium red skinned potatoes, boiled in their skins and cubed

2 hard cooked eggs, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1-     Red or green pepper, chopped

2 scallions, minced

1 cucumber, chopped

Fresh parsley, chopped

½-cup toasted cashews, chopped

¼- cup toasted sunflower seeds

½-cup mayonnaise

½-cup Greek yogurt

`     ½ cup cider vinegar

1-teaspoon horseradish

½-teaspoon dry mustard

½-teaspoon dry tarragon

Dash of tamari

Reserve cooked potatoes in large bowl.  In a medium bowl combine remaining ingredients and gently add to potatoes.

 To toast the cashews and the sunflower seeds add them to a non-stick skillet on low to medium heat and toast, shaking pan so the nuts do not burn.

 

 Creamy Potato Salad

6 medium red potatoes

1/2 –cup light mayonnaise

¼- cup plain Greek yogurt

¼ cup low fat sour cream

1-Tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1-tablespoon white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon celery seeds

½ teaspoon onion powder

1/8- teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

 Prepare potatoes by peeling or leaving skin on and cutting into cubes. Place in saucepan. Combine remaining ingredients and toss gently to coat.  Cover and chill until serving.

 DRUM ROLL PLEASE-Now for the finale of my Potato Salad Extravaganza Recipes a special one for all those low carb-no carb people-actually I am not appeasing you and it actually upsets me when I think of all the nutrients that your body is being deprived of as many of you are not distinguishing the good carbs from the bad for you carbs.  Remember any diet that eliminates any food group is not beneficial to your health.

 Mock Cauliflower Potato Salad

 

 Actually you can use anyone of the above recipes for the dressing in this salad.  I made this last weekend an I must say, it was delicious, and so I will print it with the ingredients that I used.  The next time that I make it I will try a different dressing recipe.  Also, you can try a salad with ½ potatoes and ½ cauliflower.

 1 large head of cauliflower

1-tablespoon cider vinegar or Light Italian Dressing

1/3 cup of light mayonnaise

1/3-cup Greek yogurt-I used Fage

2-tablespoons hot dog sweet pickle relish

1-tablespoon Dijon mustard

¾ teaspoon celery salt-the lonely piece of celery that I had looked very sad!

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1/3- cup scallions

Cut cauliflower head into bite-size florets.  I cooked mine in the microwave oven with about 2   tablespoon of water covered and micro waved approximately 12 minutes.  Check for tenderness-as time to cook will depend on he size and the age of the cauliflower. Stir once or twice for even cooking Rinse cooked cauliflower under cold water; and drain well.  Toss with the cider vinegar. Marinate  while you prepare trhe dressing.  Add to the cauliflower mixture and stir gently.               

 I do hope that you enjoyed this elongated Home Page as much as I enjoyed creating it. I am excited planning my new format for my site.  I ask you to be patient as it is more complicated then I imagined and I am not the only person who is busy. Also being a member is free and only means that you will get an e-mail Blast announcing when the site is updated and occasional ideas, food tips and recipes. Simply sign up at the bottom of the page.

 

Just a reminder, the members only and the regular blog have not been updated and I am eliminating both in the new format.

Here I Go Again

 

NO EXCUSES-Referring to why there was not a scheduled update posted. Actually I cannot think of any legitimate reason why, other than I finally said yes to every invitation I received and threw my To Do List in the trash-of course I am doing double time now trying to catch up. But I have to admit the change of pace was certainly enjoyable-although I do feel just a little bit guilty, but I will get over it!

It all began with a two-week plus stay with my son and his wife at their beautiful log cabin home in up state New York doing all the things that I love to do. Just hanging with the kids-son/wife. Checking out new foods at local restaurants, meeting some great people at their church and although it snowed all day on Easter Sunday-did I mention that we were kind of in the woods-but we made Easter Sunday service and had a wonderful Easter dinner with my Daughter-In-Laws sister and her family.

Had a great time antiquing and found some antique rolling pins for my collection and a few old cookbooks. It was also fun traveling around in my son’s new truck checking out the beautiful old fashion country barns built by the Amish that my son is interested in and by the end of my stay I was a pro at shimming up to my seat in the truck and slowly sliding out of it and I didn’t feel the pain in my back until I arrived home and to make matters worse, I fell asleep on a heating pad and burned my back.

A sample model of the type of barn that my son is interested in, however his will be a three bay with a lean to for his boat. I was amazed at the beautiful construction and the fact that the frames are delivered on a flat bed and the Amish builders travel with it and construct it on your property. Like I said my visit was very interesting and I loved it.

My daughter and my granddaughter had an appointment at Ithaca College on Monday. The college is not to far from the cabin, so they planned to stay the night. On Monday afternoon I would join them on the trip home. My daughter-in-laws sister and her family joined us for Sunday evening dinner that I was delighted to prepare.

Pork Tenderloin is one of my favorite go-to meats because there are so many ways to prepare it and it takes 30 to 45 minutes to cook. It is a great dinner to prepare for guest and every one seems to enjoy it. I prepared the following menu for Sunday’s dinner.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin-with Apple, Raisin, Pecan Bread stuffing.

Apple Gravy

Green Bean Amandine 

Homemade Apple Sauce

Lemon Meringue Pie

A pork tenderloin serves 3-4-I usually cook 3 or 4 tenderloins when I am having a dinner party.

Stuffing

1 ½ to 2 cups of dried bread cubes

Season to taste with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and parsley

This amount is to be used for each tenderloin, how ever if using prepared stuffing mix such as Pepperidge Farms, which is already prepared with some seasoning I suggest that you do a taste test first before adding additional seasonings.

Sauté diced celery, onions, mushrooms and shredded carrots in a skillet that a small amount of butter or Smart Balance has been melted-the amount of ingredients to be determined by the number of tenderloins used an to your particular taste.

Add mixture to bread cubes with cubed apples and raisins and pecans (optional) and add 1 slightly beaten egg.   Add 2 tablespoons of butter or Smart Balance to 1-1 ½ cups of apple juice and heat in a saucepan until butter is melted. Cool to the touch and add to bread cube mixture and blend well.

Butterfly tenderloin by slicing down the center, but not cutting all the way through-I use my electric knife. Stuff tenderloin mounding on top and tie with cooking cord in three places or use metal pins-the type used at Thanksgiving for a turkey-to hold the stuffing.

Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray and place tenderloins side by side in pan.   Sprinkle left over stuffing in pan. Cover stuffing on tenderloins with a piece of foil and cook in a 350 degrees oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue cooking for 20 more minutes or until a meat thermometer registers the meat at 170 Degrees F. Slice and serve with gravy and the following sides.

Apple Gravy-heat the desired amount of apple juice. Add 3 tablespoons cornstarch in ½ cup of additional apple juice and bring to a slow boil. To thicken, add more cornstarchs to cold apple juice to thin add more apple juice. For a darker color you can add a few drops of Gravy Master usually displayed in the spice section of your super market.

 

Green Beans Amandine-cook the amount needed-1/2 cup per person of fresh green beans that have been trimmed-remove end stems-with a small amount of water in the microwave until crisp-do not over cook as this is to prepare the beans for the next step.

 

Heat equal amounts of olive oil and Smart Balance or butter in a skillet until blended. Add 1-2 teaspoons of chopped garlic and green beans and sauté turning often. Add a small amount of salt to retain color and pepper to taste. Add almonds. If desired you can toast almonds in a dry skillet before adding.

 

Homemade Applesauce-Put 6 to 8 apples and 1/3 cup of water or apple juice into a saucepan, cover and cook over moderate heat without stirring until apples are mushy.

Shake pan from time to time to prevent sticking. Add 1/3 cup of sugar-exact amount will depend on the taste and tartness of apples. Add a pinch of salt, stir just to blend and cook for a minute or two longer.   Remove from heat and whip with a spoon to a stiff sauce. A small amount of ground cinnamon may be added for a darker and spicy flavor.

Slow cooker/ Crock Pot method-add 6 to 8 apples quartered, pared, cored and coarsely chopped, ¾ to 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and 1 cup or less of water or apple juice to Slow Cooker/Crock Pot, stir to combine all ingredients and cook on low 5-6 hours.

Note: It is a little tricky to write a recipe for applesauce, because the type of apple used makes a difference as does the age-older apples need more moisture. As always with all recipes, let your taste be the guide.

 

Lemon Meringue Pie 

¼ – cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons flour

1 ¼ cups sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1-½ cups boiling water

3 eggs separated

1/3 cup strained lemon juice

2 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon grated lemon rind

Baked 9-inch shell

1/3- cup sugar

Blend cornstarch and sugar, and salt into saucepan; add boiling water gradually and blend thoroughly. Cook over direct heat, stirring constantly, boiling until thick and clear, about 3 minutes. Beat egg yolks and stir in a little of the hot mixture; pour back into saucepan, stir to blend and cook 2 minutes longer with constant stirring. Remove from heat; add lemon juice slowly in small portions. Mixing well between each addition. Add butter and lemon rind, mixing well. Pour into cooled pie shell. Cool. Beat egg whites until stiff, add the 1/3-cup sugar gradually, and continue beating until thick and smooth.

Pile lightly and quickly over pie filling so as to touch edges of crust all around. Bake in 350 degrees F. oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on cake rack before cutting.

I hear you-yes it is easier to buy a Jell-O Lemon Meringue Pie Mix and sip up a pie in no time, but it will not taste like this pie.

 

 

Next a Mother’s day treat from my daughters a week-end at a great Bed and Breakfast in Newport Rhode Island. We had a wonderful time visiting all the beautiful shops and having dinner at some of the best restaurants.

The highlight was our stay at the Almondy Inn Bed and Breakfast, simply relaxing and enjoying the Victorian décor and delighting in the beautifully presented healthy breakfast each morning and the meet and greet wine and cheese at 5:00 P.M.

The Innkeepers Evelyne and Herber Valkenberg go above and beyond to make your stay comfortable and memorable. If you are planning a summer get-a-way I would certainly recommend the Almondy Inn in Newport Rhode Island. Another plus, the Inn is located a hop, skip and a jump-a short block from Thames Street and the harbor the hub of Newport attractions and the trolley tours to the famous Newport Mansions.

The foyer and the entrance to the living room is so unbelievable elegant and so welcoming.

The elegant dining room where guest meet in the morning to start their day enjoying a beautifully served healthy breakfast.

I am sure that I have enticed many of you with the wonderful photos of the Inn and I think it is worth sharing the following information:

Almondy Inn
25 Pelham Street
Newport, Rhode Island 02840
Toll Free 1-800 478-6155

I was like the Energizer Bunny because my activities didn’t end. I continued with a sleepover for my grandson’s 13^th birthday. We always have fun playing all the Wii games that he brings. We have a long-standing tally sheet where we list the winner for each game and at the end of the year the loser has to do something extravagant for the winner. I am saving my pennies, because it is a no brainier who the winner will be.

Then it was show time and although my granddaughter attends a girl’s private school, she performed in a musical at a local boy’s private school. The musical was wonderful and so professional. Honestly, I am kind of a musical nut, which probably stems from my teenage years when in high school I belonged to the Drama Club and was a wannabe actress. It rubbed off on my daughter who was very active in high school and now my granddaughter who is actually very talented in that field and has appeared in many musicals and I bet you can guess who her biggest fan is.

It is amazing how talented kids are and how hard they work to produce these wonderful shows. Actually, this performance was much more entertaining than some of the professional productions that I have seen over the years, and I have seen many. I urge you to support your local schools’ productions. I guarantee you that you will be amazed.

 Fairfield College Preparatory School’s Presentation of

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE

To round out the remainder of my lackadaisical but busy schedule I celebrated a belated Easter celebration with all the fixings, including an Easter egg hunt at my daughters, attended two family birthday parties and enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Schubert Theater in New Haven enjoying the Broadway show Matilda with my Theater Arts enthusiastic grand daughter.

 

CREATIVE CORNER-In the Creative Corner this update is Tracy from New York who shared a photo of her Chocolate Dipped Ritz Cracker and Peanut Butter Cookies.

Simply sandwich peanut butter between 2 Ritz crackers and dip into melted chocolate-I use Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Chips because it contains 60% of Bittersweet Chocolate, the heart healthy kind. I heat chips in the microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds. The chips will retain their shape until stirred. Repeat process until all chips are melted. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening for every 2 cups of chips.   Microwave an additional 30 seconds on 50% power. Stir until completely smooth. My go-to chocolate, I use it for every thing. I go through a few 3-pound bags every month that I purchase at BJ’s.

I have been over indulging on these cookies because dark chocolate seems to be very healthy and to make them a more healthier I use whole grain Ritz. Did you know that research shows that people that eat chocolate 3-times a week live a full year longer than people whom don’t. Also eating chocolate is like eating broccoli because they both have flavonoids, the most effective antioxidants in fighting heart disease. The most recent studies have shown that people who eat chocolate daily are happier than those who don’t eat chocolate, because chocolate contains theobromine a chemical that produces feelings of euphoria. OK Tracy from New York, I will take 2 tonight and call you in the morning!

If you have a creative recipe, craft or idea and would like to share it with our readers you can send a photo with or without a recipe to my E-mail contact listed on the left of the home page.

 

Notice: I am in the process of updating and redesigning my web site with a new and user friendly Home Page, which will include more recipes with, photos and hopefully more input from readers. I will continue to post personal photos pertaining to my home and garden and interesting subjects and the gallery will also feature my Creative Corner photos, many which have appeared on Google and Bing.

Seems like yesterday that I introduced my food column Cooking For Today to the local newspaper as a weekly in 1988 and after a short hiatus I continued with the column until 2008 when I introduced my web-site HealthyCookingForToday.com. Producing the site has been a very rewarding experience and the research that I do motivates me and makes me accountable for my own health. I do as the nutritional researchers say-“Eat an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, eat poultry and fish and eat red meat in moderation, choose whole grains for fiber, keep hydrated by drinking at least the equivalent of 8 glasses of water a day, exercise at least 30 minutes a day, get 6-8 hours of sleep and have at least 2-3 glasses of red wine a week. Also have a hobby, read to keep you mind active and be social. Sounds like a good plan, doesn’t it?

Snow, Snow, Beautiful Snow!

I’m Back, an unfortunately so was the SNOW! Yes, a few weeks ago we had an every other day snow event here in New England and although I always said I loved the snow, now I am afraid that my age has finally caught up with me and I have to take that statement back.

More snow, which meant that there would be no mail again and as you can see, my neighbors mailbox is once again buried in the snow. The next day it warmed up during the day, but the temperature dipped below freezing during the night and then came the ice.

I guess now it is a love/hate situation-I love the memories of coming home from midnight mass on Christmas Eve and seeing all the Christmas lights and the snow falling softly and arriving home an immediately putting the Christmas tree lights on, lighting a fire in the fireplace and of course putting the Yule log station on the television to listen to the Christmas carols. The view outside always put us in a festive mood and my husband and I would have a glass of wine and a midnight snack-traditionally my special holiday nut and poppy seed rolls- and then we would be up all night completing the finishing touches on the Christmas family celebration.

Yes, our Christmas family get-together was not just dinner, but an all day affair, which began with the unwrapping of gifts, all sizes and shapes. I usually missed this part, because I took time to oversee the food set-up and preparation. The dinner was set up buffet style in the kitchen consuming every space that was available and to accommodate our guest we used the dining room with tables set up in the living room. Always trying to satisfy every ones taste buds there were many dishes to choose from. With all the eating, talking joking and laughing the dinner lasted for many hours.

After dinner we would have our family grab bag, with everyone bringing a gift worth a set price. We use the usual rules-everyone receives a number that indicates their turn in selecting a wrapped gift that is displayed on a table. Others can take the gift three times only, and then the person holding it keeps it. Honestly it is so much fun and it can get a little violent (only kidding, just a lot of shouting.)

The dessert buffet is an array of goodies including special holiday treats from our guest-there is no calorie counting. After we finish dessert we are ready for the big event CHRISTMAS BINGO. I would purchase gift items during the year and make special food gift baskets for prizes. All kinds of winning bingo combinations were played and this would go on for a while, until all the prizes were won.

One year we had a special grab bag and to participate you had to make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. We told the family that we would match whatever amount was donated. We were shocked when we saw what was in the basket and although it was much more than expected we kept our promise.

Some of my readers are probably saying, “Now what does all this have to do with cooking?” Actually nothing, but it does have to do with cooking up ideas and food for thought and that has always been the premise of all my columns and this web site. Also, I can’t tell you how therapeutic it is to have such comforting memories.

I want you to know that I just didn’t go on an extended vacation and forget all about you. Actually, I took a short hiatus from producing my website due to a string of pulled muscles on my right side-neck-shoulder-arm-which made it almost impossible to work on my computer. In the future I will heed the advice from everyone and choose to do tasks that are more age appropriate and leave the ladder climbing and heavy lifting to someone else.

The good news is that with a little help, I was able to put a few decorations outside to make the house look somewhat festive. The bad news is that because of all the snow, ice and freezing temperatures the decorations are still outside. Gosh you just feel like wrapping yourself up in your snuggle wrap and hold on to a hot cup of soup.

My Christmas decorations just began to thaw out last week!

Actually the best that we can do is to think spring, so I stopped to pick up some spring flowers and put up some spring decorations and to my amazement I feel as if I have a little bit of spring to my step. Or is it my new pair of Merrell Air Cushion shoes that I am wearing?

THINK SPRING

Actually, I love a hot cup of soup and did you know that a cup or a bowl of soup is a healthy way to get all the nutrients that you need without all the calories. The best thing is that you can make a healthy meal for pennies by using ingredients that you have in you refrigerator, pantry or freezer. No recipe needed as long as you have a few Basic ingredients on hand such as a source of protein, vegetables, seasonings, and water and if needed flavored salt free stock or broth. My pantry always has a variety of spices and purchased and homegrown dried herbs and chicken, beef, vegetable and seafood no sodium stock to supplement my slow simmered (bone) stock, except when I am making a vegetarian soup. My go too commercial stock is Kitchen Basics No Sodium Stock.

Last week I was having a conversation with a friend about making soup and when asked how I made soup, I was quickly to suggest that for a non-vegetarian soup, it is a must to use bones from the protein source you are using, because that is where most of the nutrients are derived from. For instance when making chicken soup I prefer using a chicken carcass-do not ever dispose of a store bought rotisserie chicken carcass, because they make wonderful stock and always have enough meat on them to add to the soup. As a matter of fact, my daughters always give me the left over chicken parts and ham bones and I will be sharing two great soup ideas them today.

Actually, I didn’t learn this from a cookbook, but remembered it from my youth when it was obvious that I was in my comfort zone when I was in the kitchen watching my mom cook. On the subject of soup, mom always said to always use a fowl when making soup because it was the bones that made the soup healthy. I remember going to the market for mom, which was a little mom and pop store about a block away and asking the owner for a fowl and he knew exactly what I wanted and he would say “Mommy must be making soup today.” Not to long ago I went to the butcher department in my super market and asked the butcher if he had a fowl. I think he thought I was being nasty and said with a strange look “I never heard of it.” REALLY! They probably just call it plain old chicken today, but I think the fowl mom referred to was a domestic raised hen bigger boned and had more fat. I could be wrong.

Anyway this is so strange, because yesterday I was reading a magazine and I came across an article about a eatery in New York that is very popular with health conscience New Yorkers that sells soup like mom and grandma made and they call it Bone Soup and it cost $4.00 a cup. Today having my lunch, I was watching “The Chew” and this same restaurant was mentioned and it is called Brodo and it is a big hit. By the way, I think that I discovered another comfort zone, writing HealthyCookingForToday and I realized just how much I missed writing it. Also, I apologize for getting a little bit carried away.

DUMP SOUP

(A silly take on the “What is Old is New craze “Dump Cakes and Dinners)

I am not using a traditional format for this Dump Soup, I am just going to walk, no talk you through it.

On snowy Monday, I made a Chicken Vegetable, Rice Dump Soup. I began by using the carcass from a roasted crock-pot chicken that I made a few days ago. I first picked the carcass of excess chicken to add later to the broth. I placed the carcass in my soup pot, an covered it with cool water and brought the contents to a boil, then lowered the heat to simmer for a least an hour or until your taste buds indicate that the broth has taken on a distinctive flavor. This next step may seem tedious, but it is essential to remove any bone particles. Remove the carcass and drain the broth into a large bowl and return it to the pot. Add flavored broth if needed.

Now this is when you become creative-check out your refrigerator for left over vegetables and your freezer for any frozen vegetables you would like to add and your pantry for chicken stock, rice or noodles or my favorite bow tie pasta and perhaps some canned tomatoes-or if you prefer some fresh grape or cherry tomatoes, halved.

Add some diced celery and carrot and a whole onion that has been slashed criss crossed on top so has to release the juices. Season to suit your taste with salt and pepper. Slice or dice the remaining ingredients and add to pot. Simmer until all vegetables are barely tender. Add chicken, rice or noodles or pasta-my favorite-bow tie pasta-and simmer until tender. Enjoy!

This next soup recipe is adapted from one that my friend shared that was her mom’s favorite. The base of the soup is a ham bone, and with Easter only a few weeks away that ham bone and the left over ham pieces will come in handy.

FLASH-I just heard on the noon weather report that there is a snowstorm predicted for Friday-the first day of spring-that may produce as much as four inches of snow. WHAT!

Mary’s Barley Soup

1 ham bone with meat on it

1-cup pearl barley

1-cup carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small can tomatoes

1-cup potatoes, diced

1 onion

Season to taste with the following: Ketchup, salt, pepper, paprika, caraway seeds and 1 bay leaf or seasonings of choice.

Cut the meat from the ham bone into small pieces and set aside. Wash ham bone and put in pot with enough water to cover. Add one cup barley and bring to boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Fill pot with water and add carrots, celery, onion-which has been slashed cress cross on top to release juices-tomatoes and seasonings. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.

Add the reserved meat and potatoes and simmer for another hour or until potatoes are tender. Delicious!

CREATIVE CORNER

My creative corner features recipes and photos of reader’s creative ideas for food, crafts, decorating ideas or for any creative endeavor you would like to share. Simply e-mail to my contact e-mail CookingForToday@aol.com.

Guess who is featured in the Creative Corner today? Me! I am sharing a photo of the diaper center piece I made for my grandsons wives baby shower. Our new baby was a beautiful baby girl.

Well if you are still hankering-hey where did that come from-for more soup recipes, you will find a great and easy recipe, which is especially great for the working mom who wants to serve a healthy hearty soup to her family without much effort, check out my blog. Also you will find a wonderful Crock-pot Creamy Potato Soup on my Members Only Blog.

PREPARING TO SAY GOODBYE TO SUMMER

Although August will be behind us, summer isn’t officially over until the first day of autumn on the 23 of September. But, I have been harvesting my garden for the last few weeks, it still has a long way to go until complete fruition. I certainly have been delighted with all the wonderful tomatoes and peppers and herbs that it has produced and I have been very busy in my kitchen experimenting with some great tasting recipes using my tomatoes plus a huge basket from my son-in-laws garden-you have not tasted a tomato until you tried one of his-actually my seedlings are grown by him from the previous years tomato seeds.  I also have been creating all kinds of delectable recipes from the zucchini from my friends garden and that is what my update is all about today, using summers bounty to fortify our bodies with all those nutrients to sustain us this winter, which according to the new Farmer’s Almanac is going to be a very cold and snowy one.

 But before I get into sharing my recipes, I want to take a minute to acknowledge the fact that HealthyCookingForToday.com was 6 years old on August 8 and this update begins the first one to kick off year 7.  When I first began writing my cooking column in our local newspaper way back in 1988 my dream was to produce a column that would be interesting reading for cooks and non-cooks alike.  I wanted the column to feature food for the mind, as well as the body with researched information about health, nutrition and food preparation sprinkled with a little bit of humor, personal stories about myself and family and timely topics.  When the newspaper decided to shut down in 2008, my family suggested that I get a website and today although the site doesn’t draw the thousand plus hits as better known sites do, I am very happy with what I am doing.  Unfortunately, like everything else, to get your site out there, it takes money.  My feelings are if someone enjoys it and benefits by it in some way, they will tell someone else and in my book that is the best advertising.

 Back to my garden an all those beautiful tomatoes, which are doing so well this year-I can’t say that about my basil, as it is the saddest looking plant in the garden.  Tonight I am going to make tomato puree in my Vita Mix machine-you will find information about my Vita Mix in my Word Press Archives by clicking Classics on my home page and using the Search Bar enter Vita Mix or tomatoes.  I simply quarter the tomatoes and place them in the machine, skin, seeds and all.  I puree them and strain them to remove the seeds; the skins are incorporated into the puree.  I pour the puree in to freezer safe containers and place them in the refrigerator over night to settle so as to pour off the extra liquid that rises to the top.  I then label them and place them in the freezer or you can make your tomato sauce and freeze it for a quick Italian dinner, which I will be doing tomorrow using the Crock-Pot Tomato Sauce recipe that I am sharing today-as always add or eliminate any ingredient to suit your taste.

 All set to Vita Mix the tomatoes for my tomato sauce.

     Perhaps you would like to try my favorite Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Italian tomato sauce-so easy to prepare, no stirring or watching the pot and dinner can be on the table in no time.  Cooking in a Crock-Pot is like having your own Personal Chef.

  Crock-Pot Italian Tomato Sauce

 ¼ cup olive oil

½ cup onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

(For busy cooks, frozen chopped onion and bottled minced garlic in water is available at your Super Market)

 2 small cans tomato paste

2 tomato paste cans of water

3 teaspoons dry oregano, crushed-or to taste

2 teaspoons dried basil-or to taste

1 bay leaf

1 table spoon (or to taste) Parmesan cheese

1-tablespoon sugar (to neutralize the acid of the tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste 

2 large cans Italian tomatoes with juice

For a chunky sauce use whole tomatoes and for a smoother sauce use chopped or diced

Or

Use 1 can of tomatoes and 1 can tomato puree-I will be using my fresh tomato puree

In a large skillet heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic lightly.  Add two cans of tomato paste and two tomato paste cans of water.  Blend well and add the oregano, basil, bay leaf and sugar.  Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often.

 Place mixture in the Crock-Pot and add remaining ingredients.  Cook on high for 1 hour, turn to low and forget about it for 7 or 8 hours-or if necessary, you set on low until you arrive home and set on high for approximately 15 minutes.  Stir sauce; remove bay leaf and put the water on to boil for the pasta, get out some nice crusty Italian bread, some grated cheese and presto, dinner is served.  For a meat sauce, brown 1-1/2 pounds of ground meat and drain and add to the Crock-Pot with the tomatoes.  Brown Italian sausage and add to the Crock-Pot with the tomatoes.  You can make you favorite meatball recipe and brown them or bake them and add to the Crock-Pot during the last hour of cooking to heat.

 M friend shared some beautiful large zucchini with me and instead of Eggplant Parmesan I made Zucchini Parmesan using my Crock-Pot Tomato Sauce.  I made my tomato puree from the first basket of tomatoes from my garden and a few days latter the bush was over loaded with tomatoes again.  I am delighted because although tomatoes were at first thought to be the forbidden fruits of Eden an were actually called “love apples” and were thought to be inedible. Today, however are herald as being extremely healthy and contain 10 vitamins, the for runner being Vitamin A.  Tomatoes also contain 9 minerals with Potassium with 239 mg. being on top of the list.  Lycopene-the bright red carotene an carotenoid and photochemical- that is found in tomatoes and other red fruit and vegetables has proven to be a powerful antioxidant used to fight many forms of cancer and cardiovascular disease. It has been noted because of the high rates of prostate cancer, men should consume cooked tomatoes (sauce) often because cooking the tomatoes makes the Lycopene easier to absorb.

 Zucchini Parmesan

1 or 2 large zucchini

2 eggs slightly beaten

1-Tablespoon water

1- cup flour (more depending on the amount of zucchini to be breaded)

Panko Italian breadcrumbs

Canola Oil

  Cut zucchini rounds fairly thin and coat with flour; dip in egg and coat with crumbs.  Heat oil in skillet and brown zucchini a few minutes on each side.  Line a tray with paper towels and drain zucchini.  In a baking pan large enough to accommodate the zucchini pour a layer of tomato sauce and add a layer of zucchini, cover with sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a layer of mozzarella cheese.  Continue to layer, ending with the layer of mozzarella cheese.  Bake in a 350 degrees F. oven for approximately 30 minutes. This can be prepared a day before and simply placed in oven to heat and to melt the cheese.  Eggplant is made the same way.

 My zucchini Parmesan ready to be served one evening on my sun porch.

 

Last weekend I had guest for dinner an of course I wanted to make something healthy and in season.  So what else?  Zucchini of course, but not just a side vegetable serving, I wanted it to represent the main course.  I worked up what I thought was a very tasty stuffed zucchini with several diced vegetables from my garden and served it with my version of bruschetta Oh, and for the appetizer I served a Banana Blueberry Creamy Sorbet.  Yep! That is all that it was made of and it was scrumptious.  You can’t get any healthier then that.  I made the sorbet in my Yonanas-love it!  This morning I made a breakfast parfait for my granddaughter and myself-banana, strawberry and peach creamy sorbet with a granola topping.  Soooo Good!  It taste like soft serve ice cream, but it is only fruit. Check it out on Yonanas.com.  Hey, I don’t get compensated for this; I just want to share this healthy suggestion with you.  Also, I buy ripened bananas for pennies and peel them wrap them in foil and freeze them to use in the machine. as any fruit that you use must be frozen.

 My delicious stuffed zucchini 

 

 I made 4 because I had several zucchinis and a few days latter for the second time around I served the zucchini topped with my fresh tomatoes and fresh shredded mozzarella cheese melted under the broiler for a few minutes and instead of bread I served freshly picked corn from the farm up the street. I just felt healthier just looking at the plate.

 

Actually you really do not need a standard recipe to make the stuffed zucchini because there are so many variations, although the steps to make it are similar.  As always, I suggest that you do your own thing and try different ingredients.

 Step 1

Scrap out the seeds and make a shell, not to thin.

 Step 2

Prepare all the ingredients and add to a large bowl-I used sweet Italian sausage with caseins removed and used my processor to finely chop the sausage and sautéed the sausage until lightly browned 

Step 3

I used shredded carrots, diced red peppers, onion, garlic, and zucchini from the scraping and mushrooms.  Added a small amount of olive oil to pan that the sausage was cooked in and sautéed the vegetable lightly and added to the bowl with the sausage.

 Step 4

Mix seasoned dry breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese (optional) and 1 egg slightly beaten to the bowl. Thoroughly combine and stuff the zucchini. 

Step 5

Bake in a 350 degrees oven for approximately 30 minutes.  All the ingredients except for the zucchini are already cooked and the zucchini should be cooked until tender.

 Your can sprinkle the top with shredded Mozzarella cheese and cook until melted.

 My tomato bushes keep producing handfuls of tomatoes, coupled with all the beautiful tomatoes from my daughters and friends-they all know that I will use them before they go bad and yes I did.  I enjoyed the delicious caprese salad ( I love this with a balsamic reduction, but equally as good with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning and a splash of olive oil) with all my Italian dishes and during the month I tried several versions of stuffed tomatoes, which for me are a meal in them self.  Also we all enjoyed the bruschetta that I served with every thing.

 A few days ago I checked my garden and this is what I found.  Today I was shocked to see the number of tomatoes on the bush and how healthy and strong the stems were.  Honestly, I was so busy this summer; I am embarrassed to say that I only fertilized the plants once.

  

Today when I went out to water the garden this is what I found. Both plants are loaded so heavily with fruit that I had to add more stakes to support them.  I am just amazed at the amount of tomatoes that they have produced.  Actually I only have 2 tomato plants that are planted in containers along with 4 pepper plants and 2 containers of parsley and 1 eggplant plant. Included in my garden are my herbs-Egyptian onion, tarragon, rosemary basil, lemon basil, oregano, thyme, lemon thyme, marjoram, variegated sage, purple sage, lovage, chives, garlic chives, spearmint, peppermint, pineapple mint, orange mint, apple mint and a small patch of mesclun. There is nothing quite like watching your garden growing and actually it is quite amazing.

 

CAPRESE SALAD:  fresh large juicy tomatoes sliced in rounds, fresh mozzarella, sliced in rounds, basil and a drizzle of olive oil, balsamic reduction or Italian dressing.

 BRUSCHETTA:  a simple mixture of chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped olives, basil and chopped garlic over olive oiled brushed slices of a baguette or rustic bread.  I like to sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top and broil until melted.  I don’t toast the bread first, but some do.

I have so many wonderful tasty stuffed tomato recipes to share, so it was very difficult for me to decide which to use for today’s update.  However, always one of my favorite no cook easy recipe is tomato cups stuffed with tuna salad.  Simply cut tomato in half and hollow out.  Prepare a tasty tuna salad-I usually add diced pickles or sweet pickle relish, sprinkle of onion powder and ground black pepper.  To bind together I mix light mayonnaise and non-fat sour cream or yogurt. I stuff the tomato and chill until serving.

 For the kids you can stuff he tomato with macaroni and cheese.  You can use your own or simple use boxed varieties like Kraft or Annie’s. Actually they are acceptable food and contain real cheese and let’s face it “The kids love it.”

As long as we are talking tuna, and why not, because tuna can count as one of our two fish a week dinners suggested by health experts, you may want to try this next recipe.

 Tuna Topped Tomatoes

 4 large tomatoes cut horizontally in halves

½ cup Heart Smart Bisquick baking mix

½ cup of shredded cheese-I have used cheddar, Swiss, American

¼ cup light mayonnaise

1 whole egg and 2 egg whites

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 package frozen broccoli, thawed and drained Spray a square pan that will accommodate the tomatoes and place them cup side up in pan.  Mix remaining ingredients and spread evenly on cut side of each tomato half.  Bake in a 350 degrees F. oven uncovered untitopping is puffed and golden brown about 25 minutes.

 Last evening after writing about my garden and some of the tasty dishes that I made during the week using all of the fresh vegetables I actually was craving one of my Mesclun salads. Although we were experiencing a sudden downpour, which we desperately needed, I donned my hooded rain jacket and boots and with a flash light in hand went outside in my garden and picked a hand full of Mesclun (field lettuce) and a few plum tomatoes for the salad I would make.  I added sliced apple, mandarin oranges, walnuts, feta cheese and raisins and dressed it with a raspberry vinaigrette and topped it with a freshly picked Nasturium from my garden-Nasturiums are edible flowers that have a peppery taste. The salad was so delicious and went great with the Manhattan clam chowder that a friend made.

 

 My yummy mesclun salad 

Always check my blog and Members Only Blog for additional healthy recipes. Not a member simply sign up below, it is free and only means that you will receive an e-mail when HealthyCookingForToday.com is updated and you will have access to the Members Only Blog.  IT IS FREE.

 Also readers of HealthyCookingForToday.com can share photos of their cooking and baking creation or craft and decorating ideas-along with their recipes or directions if they want to share-  send using my contact information and they will be featured in my Creative Corner and will also be featured on Google for non-readers searches.

CHANGE OF SCENERY

Summer is moving right along and a little too quickly for me. June came and went like a welcomed Summer Breeze. Fortunately, I did attend my grandson’s graduation from High School and his fabulous graduation party at a lovely country inn, and spent 10 days visiting my son and daughter-in-law and their boys-actually one of the boys is interning in California, and I did miss not seeing him. I had a wonderful time and like summer the time went to quickly.

My grandson occupied me home on Amtrak departing from Washington. It was a fun experience and I wouldn’t hesitate for a minute if I had to do it again. The ride was very comfortable with reclining seats. It was very relaxing and an added perk, the train has Wi Fi . The coach was very quiet, no load chatter, because everyone was busy with their various electronic do-dads.

It was great to spend quality time with my son and daughter-in-law. On my son’s day we drove through some beautiful country and visited the historical Civil War Battlefields-this resonated with me because I enjoy reading novels baste around the old south and the Civil War. One of my old time favorites of course was “Gone With The Wind” by Margaret Mitchell, so you can imagine how excited I was when “ Scarlet “ by

Alexandra Ripley, the sequel to Gone With The Wind was published in September 1991                             and several years later “ Brett Butler’s People” the authorized novel based on Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind was published in November 2007. It felt like Scarlet and Brett were people I actually knew and I was anxious to know how their lives turned out. Standing on the grounds where so many died was chilling. We stopped for lunch in a quaint Historical Tavern on our way to West Virginia to spend some time at a casino-a plus, I came back with a few more dollars in my pocket.

What did my daughter-in-law and I do on our “Girls day out?” Shopped of course, and had our favorite salad at the same restaurant that we ate in last year during my visit, and would you believe we had the same waitress and she remembered us. We also spent a day visiting Hidden Brook Winery, one of the beautiful wineries that Virginia has to offer for some wine tasting and absorbing all the great information pertaining to wine. We had lunch, which included a selected wine on the cozy porch that overlooked the beautiful landscaping, and enjoyed the live entertainment and the wine of course.

As the map depicts, the battlefields extend for miles and miles and is untouched land (sacred ground), a living memorial to the men who lost their lives in the Civil War.

Our wonderful afternoon at the Hidden Brook Winery.

During the week when everyone was working Tassy (pet cat) who developed an attachment to me wouldn’t leave my side, so she and I hung out and just enjoyed doing nothing all day. I did make three dinners for the family, he made me feel useful and it was very well appreciated. We did however dine out several times an honestly I was afraid to get on the scale when I got home and too my surprise, I lost three pounds.

I really was amazed; especially after the delightful dinner my daughter-in-law cooked the night before I left. She wanted to try a new recipe for lamb meatballs with yogurt cucumber sauce and shish kebabs. She included a medley of fresh vegetables and a delicious cucumber sauce. The best part was that she cooked every thing on the grill in no time at all. Now if I call her tell her how much that I enjoyed her dinner, I think that she may share the recipe with us.

Daughter-in-law grilling her fabulous dinner

Since I have been home, I am slowly getting back in the swing of things and the first thing that I did was restock my fresh vegetables because I just can’t bring myself to eat anything but fresh vegetables in season. Thank goodness that our Farmers Market has move to what we call Paradise Green, which is just down the street from me-well it is a long street. I bought so much, but I delighted my taste buds and used every thing that I purchased. I FEEL SO HEALTHY!

I do try to eat fish twice a week and what could be more refreshing than a Cod Cob Salad on a hot summer day. Also I used a left over chicken carcass from a rotisserie chicken that I made in my Set It and Forget It Rotisserie, I am sure that you have seen their Infomercial on TV-well I have had mine for years and I love it. I used the carcass to make a wonderful stock for my chicken soup with my carrots, zucchini and yellow squash noodles, which were made with my newest gadget the Veggetti.

My grilled chicken salad contained just about all my left over pieces of this and that in my refrigerator, fruits, vegetables, nuts and Feta cheese. I also served the salad with marinated grilled chicken tenders and a strawberry and raspberry vinaigrette. Delicious!

WHO NEEDS A RECIPE FOR A SALAD? Actually that was a comment on Face Book when someone posted a recipe for a salad. So instead of recipes, I am just going to throw out SOME IDEAS.

For the Cod Cob Salad, I used chopped boiled egg, chopped fresh tomatoes, and oven baked panko breaded Cod cut into one inch pieces, cucumber chopped and crumbled bacon. I served it with a ranch dressing with added sweet pickle relish and crumbled blue cheese.

For the Grilled Chicken Salad, I used chicken tenders marinated in an Italian Dressing-oil, vinegar, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. I grilled the chicken inside on my handy, dandy cast iron grill pan. I tossed my fruit (strawberries, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries) nuts and Feta cheese gently with mesclun (mixed baby greens) and served with a homemade strawberry and raspberry vinaigrette by placing the berries, a tablespoon of Sorrel Raspberry All Fruit Spread, a splash of olive oil and vinegar in a processor and pulsing until of desired consistency.

The chicken vegetable soup was a no-brainer. I picked some of the chicken off the carcass and reserve it.   Placed carcass in a large soup pot and covered the chicken carcass with cold water and let it simmer for at least a half hour. I strained the stock in another pot and removed the carcass and bone remnants and returned it to the original pot. I added a peeled onion, celery and parsley tied in a bunch and seasoned to taste. I simmered the stock on a very low heat for approximately 45 minutes. To add additional flavor I added 1 to 2 cups of unsalted boxed chicken stock (I use unsalted Kitchen Basics) and added the vegetable noodles and any pieces of chicken picked from the carcass. Cooking until vegetables are tender. I served my soup with a Whole Wheat bagel sprinkled with a small amount of shredded mozzarella cheese and topped with a fresh large tomato a splash of Italian dressing, a sprinkle of Italian seasoning and a thin layer of mozzarella cheese and broiled on low until the cheese was melted.

SEE- NO RECIPES, JUST SUGGESTIONS!

I Certainly had a veggie explosion this week eating through my farmer market’s purchases of zucchini, yellow squash, green beans that I prepared in my Ziploc Steaming Bags with a pat of Smart Balance, Herbal Seasoning-I make my own no-salt seasoning, but try Mrs. Dash Salt-Free which is readily available in most Super Markets-you just microwave for a few minutes-directions on the bag. They are great and everyone that I recommended them too just loved them. I also bought corn, blueberries and lettuce and

Cherries.

Cherries are in season and they are so delicious and oh so good for you especially if you suffer from arthritis or gout. Excess uric acid in the blood is what causes pain, swelling, tenderness and inflammation. It seems that uric acid can be considerable reduced by eating cherries. Cherries can also fight cancer because the deep red color of cherries comes from flavonoids, the powerful antioxidants that fight free radicals in the body and helps keep cancer cells from growing out of control and the deeper the color the more beneficial they are. Also drinking a glass of tart cherry juice before bedtime will induce restful sleep.   Cherry juice contains melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy. At one time I would have to go to a health food store to purchase my cherry juice, but to my delight, I have been able to find it in most Super Markets.

Kara from Connecticut is in my CREATIVE CORNER today with her healthy patriotic delectable fruit tray centerpiece for her 4th of July buffet- yummmmm! You can join us in our CREATIVE CORNER by sharing your creative endeavors with our readers-cooking, crafts, decorating ideas or whatever you think would be of interest. It is fun and as one participant shared in an e-mail “ I told all my friends and I felt like a celebrity” well I wouldn’t go that far!

Don’t miss my blog for a great Yogurt Blueberry Muffin recipe and my member’s only blog for a great zucchini bread recipe that makes two loaves. Not a member? Just follow the directions on the bottom of the page. It is free and only means that you receive an e-mail blast when the site is updated and as a member you have access to my members only blog.

It’s Here!

SPRING-Well I thought it was, but today the wind is strong and the air is cold and this daily change in the weather is doing me in.  The pollen count is high and reports indicate that allergy sufferers are going to have a difficult spring and early summer, especially people who are allergic to mold (ME) because the ground was so saturated with all the snow this winter. This misery has been going on for two weeks already and today it feels like day one.

 We were blessed with a few warm sunny days a few weeks ago, but last week when I awoke and pulled up the shades in my bedroom the sun was shining brightly, like a typical spring day, but the roof of my family room was covered with a coating of you guessed it that four letter word SNOW! 

 The day before my grand daughter and I were sitting on my sun porch having lunch and couldn’t help but notice how pretty my perennial garden looked with the early spring ground cover.  My grand daughter was anxious to try out my new camera-a birthday gift from my kids.  Actually she was instructing me how to use all the bells and whistles on my Nikon 3100 and asked if she could take a picture of the flowers. It sure looked like spring that day.

 

    My grown cover in my perennial garden

 I honestly thought that we had the last of winter, but although the sun is shining and it looks like a warm spring day, you can hear the wind howling and it is chilly out side. Honestly, my heart goes out to all the people in various parts of the country who suffered such hardships because of the weather this winter.

 Although I had planned to post this update before Easter, I was unable to because I was coping with my allergies and when I felt well enough I had to prepare some traditional Easter food that I planned to bring to my oldest daughter and her husbands home, who were hosting Easter for the family.

 Easter was always a very special holiday for our family.  After attending Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday evening I would work until wee hours in the morning preparing the food for my holiday brunch buffet.  Awake very early after just a few hours of sleep to prepare the ham for the oven and ready all the other dishes and believe me there were many as to please everyone’s taste buds. Things have changed for me somewhat and this will be the second year that I haven’t celebrated the holiday at my home.  Last year I spent the holiday with my son and his family at their beautiful log cabin home in upstate New York and traveled to their home in Virginia for a two-week stay.  This year I will also bring along the Easter lamb cake center piece that my mother made every Easter when I was a child and that I continued with the tradition for my family to my daughter and her husbands home.

 I was pleased that my planning was good and everything turned out well.  I even had time to visit with my grand daughter and her husband and their adorable 9 month old son, as well as my grandson and his girlfriend who delivered the ham from his mom that I offered to cook because her oven was going to be in use for the many delicious vegetables dishes that she was making.  They always have wonderful healthy whole food dishes, as she and her husband are both excellent cooks.

 The only problem that I could for see was timing the baking of the ham with the timing of the mass that I could attend.  It all worked out, my daughter was having dinner at 3:00, I attended the 10:30 mass and put the ham in at 12:00, the ham was done at 2:30, my grandson picked me up and we were at my daughters at 3:00. The dinner was wonderful, the company was great, except for the fact that my great grand daughter was unable to come because she was sick.  However daddy attended and brought Easter dinner home to her and mommy, along with bags and bags of Easter gifts.  It was a wonderful day and a true walk down memory lane viewing all the Easter crafts my daughter and I made over the years.

 

 My very special lamb cake for Easter

 

Last month I was surprised when my grandson from Virginia called to ask if my Bed and Breakfast room would be available for a few days because he and his girlfriend would be in New York City and wanted to visit-first, let me explain, my Bread and Breakfast is a family thing and is available for my visiting grandchildren or for any family member who wants a special night or weekend.  Included in the package (ha ha) is your Victorian decorated room, a delightful country breakfast, a healthy lunch and a hearty dinner that features your favorite recipe of Nana’s. The cost of their stay is a thank you and a kiss on Nana’s cheek.  Oh and a complimentary massage-not by me, but from the massage chair in the bedroom. This is great for me doing what I love, and seeing my family more. Actually the light bulb went off in my head when I found a plaque that one of the kids gave me a few years ago that read.

 

 MOM’S BED & BREAKFAST

 

 GOOD HOME COOKED FOOD

FRESHLY MADE BEDS

DELIGHTFUL CONVERSATION

HOT COCOA  & HOMEMADE COOKIES 

LOTS OF LOVE & HUGS

 

NO RESERVATIONS NEEDED 

 

 

 So I thought to myself, why not it will be a lot of fun and yes it has been and the kids love it. As matter of fact my daughter-in-law who lives near by said “I want to stay.” 

My grandson’s visit with his beautiful girlfriend was wonderful.  Both are students at Virginia Tech and were on Spring Break.  They are both so interesting and entertaining and an added plus for me, his girlfriend loves to cook and shared some delightful recipes with me.  We had a very enjoyable dinner with a few of their Aunts and Uncles that I invited to join us.  My only regret was that they had to cut their stay short because the only train to Virginia was leaving from New York very late in the evening the next day.  Although I have made a few changes to the room, if you would like to view it, you can find a photo taken a few years ago at Christmas time in my photo gallery. Simply click gallery on the left hand side of this page.

 My beautiful, smart and talented guest shared the following recipe, which would make a wonderful dessert for any holiday. I really think that you and your family will enjoy it because it is a recipe that you can be very creative with.

 

Cheesecake

 2- 8 ounce packages of cream cheese

2 eggs

1-tablespoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup sugar

Lemon zest-from 1 small lemon

1 homemade or Ready Made Crust-can also use graham cracker crust

 With electric mixer blend cream cheese well.  Add eggs one at a time while mixing and when blended well add remaining ingredients.

 Chocolate Cheesecake

 

Add ½ cup nutella and mix until blended.  Pour mixture into an Oreo crust.  Bake in a 375-degree F. oven for 40 minutes.  Cool to room temperature and refrigerate for 3 hours.  For a double chocolate cheesecake add mini chocolate chips to top.

 Raspberry Cheesecake

 Add ½ cup of raspberries and mix well.  Continue as above.

By adding a different fruit to the cheese mixture and adding a creative topping you can make a variety of delicious cheesecakes to please your family.  For a southern flair try adding peaches with a pecan praline topping. The kids would love a peanut butter cheesecake with a crushed peanut topping.  That is if they are free of a peanut allergy.

I am on a roll an I could go on forever-love to hear about your creations.

 

I always like to make special breads for Easter and the next recipe was always a lifesaver for me because I make it with Egg Beaters-egg substitute-instead of eggs.  With all he cooking and baking and dying the eggs, I always discovered, that I did not have enough eggs, so I always purchased a few cartons of Egg Beaters to have on hand and I still do because I used them often in my recipes.

 This recipe makes two good size loafs and although it looks intimidating, it actually is very easy and very impressive. The next day it makes wonderful toast and French toast.

 

Easter Bread

 1-cup warm water

1-package Active Dry Yeast

2 Tablespoons sugar

½ cup Smart Balance Margarine, melted and cooled

¼ cup Egg Beaters at room temperature

 5 ¼ to 5 ¾ cups King Arthur Bread Flour or King Arthur all-purpose flour*

Additional 2 teaspoons of Egg Beaters

Poppy seed (optional)

 Measure warm water into a large warm bowl-I rinse the bowl with hot water and wipe it dry

Sprinkle in yeast.  Stir until dissolved.  Stir in sugar and Smart Balance. Blend in 1 cup Egg Beaters.  Add 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough flour to form a stiff dough and knead until smooth and elastic, approximately 10 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm-draft free place until double in size.

 

Punch down dough; divide in half.  Divide each half into 2 pieces, one 1/3 of the dough and one 2/3 of dough.  Divide the larger pieces into 3 pieces and roll each piece into a 12- inch rope. Braid the pieces together and pinch ends to seal. Divide smaller pieces into 3 pieces and roll each into a 10-inch rope.  Braid the ropes together; Place on top of large braids.  Seal braids together at ends.  Place on greased or parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush braids with the 2 teaspoons of Egg Beaters.  Sprinkle with poppy seed if using.  Cover and let rise in a warm draft-free place until double in size, about 1 hour.

 Bake at 375 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until done.  Bread will sound hollow when tapped.  All ovens are different so check often.  Remove from baking sheets and cool completely on wire racks.

 

Of course you can use any brand of flour that you like, I just prefer King Arthur above all the others. You can use all-purpose flour if you prefer.   I also suggest that you read through the recipe a few times to completely understand it. You will be amazed at the results.

 

 

 

CAITLIN FROM BOSTON is in the CREATIVE CORNER today and it seems her feelings are the same about all the snow that we had this winter.

  Nice going Caitlin, very creative.  Thank you for sharing and I hope to hear from you again soon.

 

 SUZIE FROM BOSTON is back in the CREATIVE CORNER with her annual boyfriend’s Justin’s birthday cake.  Although Justin is an alumnus of Boston College she honored UConn in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

 

 

My Boston friends are really clever

  A few weeks ago my daughter-in-law hosted a baby shower for her youngest daughter. It was fabulous she did a wonderful job. The color scheme was yellow from the array of beautiful baby outfits strung across the windows around the room to the clever table decorations that included yellow pedestals, each displaying an old retro toy.  It was like going down memory lane and seeing all the wonderful clever decorations that she and my son made.  My contribution was making the cookie trays that included an assortment of various types of cookies. One variety included several kinds of drop cookies, which looked like I must have worked all day making them. Actually about a month ago, while cleaning out my recipes files, I found a recipe that I used years ago when the kids were small and I was involved with so many school functions, that I had written across the top, A LOT OF COOKIES.  I don’t remember where it came from, so I can’t give anyone credit, but it sure came in handy.  So don’t forget to check out my blog for the recipe. It is so easy and it makes a lot of cookies and they freeze well too.

 If you are a member check out the Members Only Blog where I will be sharing some recipes for left over Easter ham.  Not a member?  It is simple just click Members Exclusive on the left side of rhe home page.  It is free and only means that you will receive an e-mail blast announcing when the site has been updated and you have access to the member’s only blog.  Also if you enjoy my site tell your friends and mention it on Twitter and Face Book-I like to say thanks to those that have.  Social networking is the best advertising today. All you creative people out there  how about sending some  photos of your ideas to be featured in the Creative Corner.

 

I DO HOPE THAT YOU ENJOYED EASTER WITH YOUR FAMILY

 

I’m Back

 

“I SHOULD OF, I COULD OF, I WOULD OF” I should of researched and prepared my holiday update before my November vacation to Florida and I suppose that I could of if I wasn’t so concerned with getting some Christmas shopping done before I left and I would of if I didn’t come down with a serious respiratory infection on my return. I have not had a cold for several years, so I opt not to wear my heavy sweater and jacket, and choose a light ¾ sleeve tee and an unlined fleece jacket, which was still uncomfortable in the 87 degrees temperature in Florida.  However exiting the plane at -30 in Hartford did me in and I was chilled to the bone all the way home and when I awoke in the morning I couldn’t talk and had a unbelievable sore throat and for over two weeks I was sick.  Fortunately the day before Christmas Eve I felt well enough to drag out some of my Christmas decorations and make the outside look festive.  My son set up my tree and it took me all night to trim it and I was exhausted but happy because my grandson from Virginia was coming to spend Christmas Eve with me and we were looking forward to  attending my son and daughter in-laws gala Christmas Eve celebration.

 

 

Disney at night!

 

 

 

 Typical Disney Breakfast!

  

 My daughter was hosting Christmas dinner for the family and yes it felt strange not having it at my home with our grab bag and Christmas bingo, which always was such a great time, although my daughter and her husband did a wonderful job. There was so much food, which included my small contribution of Italian stuffed breads and a cookie tray.

It was a wonderful family day and we all enjoyed the antics performed by my daughter and son-in-laws, first grandchild who will be two in May. She sang, she danced and pranced around in her pretty holiday outfit and was such a delight.  Missing from the scene unfortunately was our two grand daughters and their husbands and the newest member of the family, my grand daughter and her husbands baby boy and next year, my son and his wives youngest daughter and her husband’s little girl will join us. Also joining the festivities was our new bride her husband, my grandson and his brother and my son from Virginia, his wife and three sons and my youngest son and his wife, my daughter, her husband and two youngest grandchildren. Missing of course was Santa Clause (Papa) with his famous Dallas Cowboys Santa hat and the joy of seeing Papa distribute the many Christmas gifts with those sparkling eyes an that big grin. Still having fond memories of Disney World, and all I could think of was the significance of the “Tree Of Life.”

 

 

  My tree, which unfortunately kept me up until the wee hours of the morning decorating it.

 

 Looking at the view from my kitchen window-I think that winter is here to stay for a while and they are predicting a another major snowstorm this week. The sun was shining yesterday, so I deciding to attempt to take down my outside decorations, but it was frigid, and I was actually walking on top of the snow that is until I hit a soft spot and fell into it up to my knees. As a result, I lay on a heating pad all night to relieve the pain in my back. 

This month also included “Wear Red for Women’s Heart Disease” to bring awareness to the fact that Heart Disease is the #1 Killer for women and to stress that women’s heart attack symptoms are very different then men’s.

 Women do not get the same heart attack symptoms as men, such as a crushing pain in the chest that may radiate down the arm, but may feel a squeezing or fullness and this sensation can be anywhere. Having pain in the jaw, neck, back and arms may be more common in woman. Women may experience stomach pain, shortness of breath or light headiness, sweating and suddenly feeling very hot.  Unexplained fatigue is another symptom.  Of course, not everyone gets all these symptoms. However, listen to your body and do not hesitate to act if you are experiencing 2 or more of these symptoms.

 Of course diet is a very important factor in warding off or controlling heart disease.  You are what you eat and that adage is ringing true to form, according to the many studies performed today.  We all know or at least we have heard it from many sources the importance of lowering our cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  (Fat)

 Although cholesterol and triglycerides cause fatty deposits in our body, they are not produced by the same sources.  You can reduce your cholesterol intake by reducing saturated fat in your diet by eating lean protein such as chicken, turkey and fish (oily fish) such as herring, salmon, tuna and trout  (although most seafood contain some Omega 3 fatty acid) more often and eating red meat such as beef and  pork. (Please note:  I didn’t say eliminate it.)

 Eat dairy products such as eggs, cheese, whole milk and butter-I use Smart Balance Original for my spread and Smart Balance 50/50-Smart Balance/Butter sticks for my baking-in moderation.

 A moderate consumption of sugary foods such as cakes, cookies, candy, and puddings should be adhered too.

 The animal fat produces cholesterol that we consume and when the fat in food is broken down into HDL’s and LDL’s by digestion and enzymes produced by the liver.  LDL’s  (bad cholesterol) deposit cholesterol in our blood vessels, while HDL’S (good cholesterol) work to remove it.  Therefore when you have a blood test, always check the breakdown of your total cholesterol.  On the other hand, when we consume sugar some of the sugar is converted in the body as triglycerides which is a form of fat and like cholesterol it seems to play a part in heart disease.

 Other fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats do not seem to contribute to heart disease and many researchers believe that these oils can help protect you from the condition. Monounsaturated oils include olive oil, almond oil and avocado oil and it is believed that the consumption of these oils in the Mediterranean countries can account for the low incidence of heart disease present.

 If you recall I suggested that although you should eat meat in moderation, it should not be eliminated from your diet and because just looking at all that snow and hearing reports of more to come for this week, I just wanted a hearty stick to your ribs dinner.  So I decided to make a big crock-pot of beef stew and it was accomplished with out much effort at all.

There is very little preparation needed when making this recipe except for the peeling of the potatoes and carrots and if you are a working mom or dad and are the cook, you can peel the vegetables and place them a bowl of cold water and leave the bowl in the refrigerator over night.  In the morning following the recipe place everything in the crock-pot, put it on high to bring the heat up, set it on low and bing-a-boom a hot delicious meal to feed you family.

 I like to serve mine poured over a large biscuit, that is easily made using Heart Smart Bisquick-this product is one of my guilty pleasures and I always keep it on hand.

  

My Favorite Crock-Pot Stew

2 pounds stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes

¼ cup of flour

1 ½ teaspoons salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon pepper

1-½ cups unsalted beef broth

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic

1 bay leaf

1-teaspoon paprika

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 potatoes, peeled and diced

2 small onions, chopped-I like to grate mine

1 stalk celery, sliced (optional)

 

Place meat in crock-pot.  Mix flour, salt and pepper, and pour over meat: stir to coat meat with flour.  Add remaining ingredients and stir well.  Cover, cook on high until crock-pot becomes heated. Turn to low and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.  MAKE SURE YOU REMEMBER TO TURN  THE HEAT TO LOW BEFORE LEAVING THE HOUSE. HOWEVER IF THIS IS A PROBLEM, COOK ON LOW FOR 10-12 HOURS

 Yes, I couldn’t wait to dig into this and yes it was rib sticking delicious.

 I like to stir in some cooked fresh green beans or peas before serving to make the stew a complete and healthy meal.

A few weeks ago one of my friends on FB posted a photo of a Belgian Waffle that she had at a local restaurant. I love Belgian Waffles, especially when they are smothered in juicy delicious fresh strawberries and topped with a mound of whipped cream.  I was so excited because I had just purchased some strawberries at my BY Super Market and anticipated making the waffles for breakfast the following morning.  I wasn’t concerned about that mound of whip cream that I would be using because all those healthy and nutritious strawberries would just cancel those calories out.

 Did you know that a cup of strawberries has 136 percent of the RDA of vitamin C, which is 15 percent more than an orange and recent studies have shown that vitamin C helps the body synthesize carnitine, a compound that speeds fat burn. Also I read a report on another study that suggests that eating strawberries can reduce the occurrence of sun induced age spots.  It seems, according to the article, that the berries ellagic acid suppresses the bodies production of melanin, the pigment produced in responds to ultraviolet light.

 Thank goodness it is almost time for breakfast and with the home made waffle mix that I am sharing today on my blog you can make these delicious waffles along with many variations in a jiffy.  Oh heck, I might as well throw in a homemade pancake mix as well. Now there will be no excuses not to make waffles or pancakes because you are out of store-bought mix that is laden with unhealthy ingredients and chemicals.

 

 

 

 Yes, you can enjoy a delicious breakfast as I did with very little time and effort.

 

Let’s take a few minutes to review some of the guidelines of the Mediterranean diet which we all know by now has been heralded as the most healthiest way to eat.

  1) The Mediterranean Diet concentrates on eating more fruits and vegetables and low fat protein like chicken and fish and eating red meats in moderation.

 2) Cook with olive oil or canola oil and make your salad dressings with Virgin olive oil and vinegar-being creative, an using herbs and balsamic vinegar, with a splash of fruit juice.  I have been experimenting with some of my own designer salad dressings and when I perfect them I will share them with you.

 3) Limit your consumption of white flour products, such as bread and pastries. Instead opt for whole-wheat products or crusty breads dipped in olive oil.  Hey, I am not saying never enjoy a good cookie or pastry, just keep in mind that they are to be eaten sparingly.  My trick is to make a dessert with fruit or a vegetable in it, like my mom’s sauerkraut chocolate cake, that you will find on my members only blog.  Doing this makes me feel like I am reaping the benefits of the fruit or vegetable and still having the benefit of a delicious dessert that not only satisfies my sweet tooth but also delivers some healthy nutrients to my body.

 4) Last but not least enjoy a glass of red wine with your meal. Now that isn’t so hard to take is it?

 Actually this isn’t a diet at all, but a way of life and the only difficult part is watching your portions. Remember, a tennis ball is the size of a ½ cup-the portion size of a fruit and vegetable.  The size of a deck of cards is 4 ounces of meat, chicken or fish and the size of a ping pong ball is the amount of butter or margarine-I prefer to use trans-fat free Original Smart Balance for cooking and as a spread and Smart Balance 50/50 Blend sticks for baking.

 It has also been suggested that you divide your dinner plate into fourths.  On one half place your protein and starch (bread or a starchy vegetable) and on the other side two vegetables or a fruit and a vegetable. I have a friend that uses a small plate that accommodates these portions, which makes the plate appear full.  Like the saying goes “You eat with your eyes first.” 

 Also to make it interesting I follow the 80-20 plan. Stick to the diet 80 percent of the time and eat a little naughty 20 percent of the time.  Sunday has always felt like a special day for me since I was a child, the air even smells fresh to me, so that is my 20 percent day.

 As I am working on this update, we are in the throes of another snow storm and I will be camped out in my house for another week.  But sometimes that is a good thing-I think Martha Stewart would often use that phase, anyway I always liked Martha Stewart and relished her magazine.  I haven’t subscribed to it for a while, but it always was one of my favorites. Just turning the pages made me feel elegant.  But today I am just being me, in my kitchen preparing the recipe for today, my hearty crock-pot stew.  Anyway. It is better to be the best that you can be of  yourself, then to be a poor imitation of someone else.

Christmas 2013 is just another memory now, and hopefully for most it is a happy one.  But it isn’t to late for me to wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year and perhaps by you continuing to log on to my website it may just the tool that you need to achieve it.  I always try to share ample recipes using my easy, healthy, tasty and made with readily available ingredients and also share researched health information, my life stories and lessons, photos, cooking and household hints, my critique of kitchen gadgets and cooking utensils and what even else comes to my mind when creating it and as one recent fans e-mail stated (can I take my bow now?) . “I want you to know how much I enjoy HealthyCookingForToday.  Your writing covers all areas and is a wonderful mix of healthy recipes, practical cooking and health information, great family stories and photos.  I just want to say thank you. Gosh, I’m blushing, but I always wanted my writing to be just that, and I hope that all my readers feel the same. But, I also want my readers to share their creation in the kitchen or your craft or fashion ideas with our readers in the segment “The Creativity Spotlight” and I invite you all to send photos of your work to my contact e-mail CookingForToday@aol.com-I kept my old newspaper e-mail, because I still receive e-mails from my former column readers.  Please Don’t disappoint me-Hey Susie in Boston, what have you been up to lately? 

Check out my Blog and the Members only Blog. Not a member yet? It is free and only means that you will receive an e-mail when the site is updated and that you will have access to the MEMBERS ONLY Blog and don’t forget to click on the  Classics Link to view my archives that you can use as your own personal HeathyCookingForToday cookbook using the search bar at the top of the page locate a desired recipe or select the date for a specific update.  Also if you enjoy my website, tell your friends and mention it on Twitter and Face Book, as networking is the new advertising.

 

 

TIME SURE DOES FLKY

ember 19, 2013 

Time Sure Does Fly

 

The realization of the fact that the month of October just came and went so quickly and that the month of November is now almost over is mind boggling to me.  I worked so hard doing research and taking photos and working out so many different recipes using the remainder of the produce in my garden and now I feel that all that work and energy was in vain because every one is now focused on Thanksgiving.  However I will do a flashback on October and share with you some of the ways that I welcomed fall.

 Honestly there was so much activity taking place in October including birthday celebrations, special dinners with friends, entertaining out of town guest and a very special and meaningful day in our family, the Christening of the newest member of our family, oldest grand daughters and her husbands beautiful baby boy Luciano-see I told you we have a melting pot family.  How beautiful it is to be able to share all the various traditions and foods of our various nationalities.

 I do love October especially all the beautiful colors created by nature, the hues, the mixtures and variations, colors that never could actually be duplicated on any artist’s palate.  Although I have to admit I try very hard to welcome the season with my decorations and this year the focus was the huge happy faced scarecrow that my 17-month-old great-grand daughter helped me with at an event that we went to at a local farm.

 

 

  

 Remember that ugly tree stump that I decorated this summer.  Well I received so much feed back from friends and neighbors and just folks passing by that I now use it as a stage for seasonal decorations. 

 

 

  A few weeks ago I was still harvesting some of my tomatoes, herbs and vegetables. With my vita-mix machine I pureed the tomatoes-skins and all-strained them to remove the seeds and made several containers of tomato sauce for my freezer.  Although the Vita-mix is a pricey machine, I certainly would recommend one if you love to cook and use a lot of fresh produce. This machine is amazing and you can make the most fascinating foods with it.  Like the hot tomato bisque that I made from my fresh tomatoes and herbs and yes no pot on the stove is needed, because it heats right in the machine.

 I have had my Vita-Mix for over twenty five years, however they are still very popular today especially with professional chefs.  Mine is a professional stainless steel model, but now are available using less expensive materials for the home cook. 

 This is how the machines developers describe the Vita-Mix: The Vita-Mix is the only appliance in the world of its kind.  There are no other like it.  Although the Vita-Mix traces its origin to the early blenders, it has been engineered and developed by the Barnard family in Cleveland, Ohio, as far along from the workings of a blender as the Boeing 747 is from the first airplane built at Kitty Hawk.  Keep in mind, I purchased my Vita-Mix well over 25 years ago and it is still going strong an I have used the appliance to make juice out of whole fruit and vegetables, reduce whole kernel grain to cereal or flour, grind coffee beans and nuts and to make fresh peanut butter without using additives and oil, knead bread dough and yes cook gravies and sauces and make all kinds of hot soup and frozen desserts.  Sounds impossible I know, but the powerful motor and the patented reverse blade action makes this all possible.  Knowing that a good percentage of my readers do not have one, I have never offered any of my recipes to share and you can assume that I have several of them.

 Recently I viewed a commercial on television featuring a similar, but less expensive machine that they actually were comparing to the Vita-mix machine.  Sorry I didn’t get the name of that machine, but I sincerely doubt it. 

 Getting ready to use my Vita-Mix machine

   

  I finished using all the basil and created some great pesto, which I believe will make some delicious dishes.  You might what to try the following recipe using the Basil Lemon Walnut Pesto that I offered in my last column.

 

Walnut Lemon Basil Tilapia

 

Tilapia fillets

Panko crumbs (optional)

Butter Flavored Cooking Spray

 

Place Tilapia fillets in a baking dish that has been sprayed with butter flavored cooking spray.  Cover Tilapia with a thin layer of pesto.  If using, sprinkle with Panko breadcrumbs and spray with Butter Flavored Cooking Spray or spray the cooking spray over the pesto.  Bake in a 350 degrees F. oven until fish flakes with a fork or crumbs, if using, are a golden brown.  I try to eat two seafood dishes a week, so I am always experimenting with new recipes that I certainly will share with you in future updates.

 Because Thanksgiving is just around the corner, perhaps you would like to try one of the squash recipes that I think will go so well with you turkey dinner.  Although many people tell me they use the same old, same old recipes every Thanksgiving.  Maybe it is a family tradition or perhaps they are so tried and true that you know that they work for you.  Personally I always serve many of our families traditional recipes, I also like to throw in a new one every year and because the family is constantly growing and we all cannot sit around the dining room table, we have to set up long banquet table in the living room, so I find it easier to set up a buffet on my work counter and whatever space is available in the kitchen where my guest can pick and choose what dishes to try. IT WORKS FOR ME!

 I decided to use squash recipes to highlight for one of your Thanksgiving side dishes because I read a very interesting article recently in First magazine (which by the way is one of my favorites perhaps because I include the magazine in my food budget as it is included in my food shopping list-great little magazine) about the healthy benefits of eating squash especially at your Thanksgiving dinner, it seems that squash can help you to stay calm even in a chaotic situation.  The squash is rich in vitamin C, lauric acid and myristic acid that help calm and nourish the cortisol producing adrenal glands.  The effect is so powerful, says the article that it can cut your stress levels by up to 33 percent.  However the article does not specify what variety of squash, but my guess would be winter squash, especially if you adhere to two theories.  Theory 1-If you believe that God put everything on earth to sustain man through the various seasons and theory 2-follow nature an eat foods in season for optimum heart.

   The first recipe is one of my favorites and for over 25 years, the recipe is still being sent by former readers of my newspaper column to various food publications. I know that your family will enjoy it and as always put your own spin on it to make it your own.

 

Butternut-Apple Crisp

Vitamin-packed squash and apples make this a great vegetable side dish or a wonderful dessert.

 ½ cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1-     teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 small butternut squash, pared, quartered, seeded and sliced (approximately 3 cups)

2 ½ to 3 cups of peeled and sliced apples

You can use 1 20 oz. can of lite sliced apples, undrained if in a hurry

½ cup raisins-optional

Topping

1/2 cup whole wheat or all purpose flour 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

 6 tablespoons Smart Balance Blend or butter

½ cup walnuts

½ cup quick cooking rolled oats

Combine one-half cup of brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt.  Add sliced squash and apple slices or undrained canned apples; tossing gently to coat.  Add raisins if using.

 Turn squash-apple mixture into 10 x 6 x 2-inch baking dish.  Bake covered with foil in 375-degree oven for 30 minutes.  Combine flour, oats, and the remaining ¼ cup brown sugar and nuts if using; cut in margarine until mixture resembles course crumbs.  Sprinkle over squash-apple mixture.  Place back in oven and bake uncovered for 45 minutes longer, until squash and apples are tender.  If using as a dessert serve with frozen yogurt or whipped cream.

 Hint:  Butternut squash is a very hard vegetable.  To facilitate the slicing of the squash, I place it in the microwave for a few minutes to soften.

 An easier and equally delicious way to serve healthy squash is to use small acorn squash.  You will need 1 small squash for 2 people. 

 Half squash horizontally. Scoop out seeds and discard.  Place 1-teaspoon Smart Balance Blend or butter and 1-teaspoon brown sugar in cavity of each half. Place squash-cut side up in microwavable dish; cover with plastic wrap.  Microwave on high for 14-18 minutes until squash are tender.  Serve hot. 

 I would suggest that if you are serving more than 6 guests that this dish be prepared in a conventional oven.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Prepare squash as recipe above directs. Pour ½ cup water in 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.  Bake uncovered until tender approximately 1-¼ hours.  Be creative change the cavity filling, perhaps using maple syrup instead of brown sugar an adding dried cranberries or resins. I like to use a fork to scrape the squash and incorporate the filling.

 We are not finished yet, check out my blog and the member’s only blog for a few more squash recipes.  For these recipes we will be using pumpkin another winter squash to create some festive pumpkin desserts. NOT A MEMBER YET?  Sign up using the directions below.  It is free and means that you will receive an e-mail blast when the site is updated and have access to the members exclusive blog.  Logging on for the first time you may want to check out my archives. Simply click Classics on the left of this page.  This will take you to Word Press HealthyCookingForToday Archives.  To find a special recipe go to the search bar on the right.  Example- if you are looking for cookie recipes for Christmas enter the word cookies and all the updates that feature cookies will upload.  Or you can simply click on the date. Unfortunately my last update has not been uploaded to Word Press as yet, because of some changes being made.

 LAST BUT NOT LEAST, IF YOU ENJOY MY SITE PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT SOCIAL NETWORKING IS GREAT ADVERTISING. 

P. S.  I will be updating my photo gallery in a few days and as a former Photo Journalist at the paper I love to take pictures (actually I was a Jack of all trades-Editorial Assistant, Columnist, Police Reporter and Photo Journalist and I loved every minute of it.) So much for that I would often say “ I should be paying them for the enjoyment that I received from my job.

 

 HAVE A HAPPY AND BLESSED THANKSGIVING

 

Summer and the Living is Easy

 

30 days has September, April, June and November. Oh well, I should have paid more attention to that little jingle and I would have been on time to meet my deadline for June and the substance of this update would probably be more timely.  However, I called Farmer Jones at our pick your own farm and was told the late berries are ready for picking and that although smaller compared to the first crop in early June, the berries are sweeter and that is to our advantage because we can use less sugar in our recipes. Oops! I let the cat out of the bag.  You guessed it; I am sharing some of my favorite fresh strawberry recipes.

 

Time just whizzes by for me and most of that time was spent getting my yard together after the mess I had to contend with after all that tree work.  I probably will not see any grass on the many large patches of bare spots caused by the heavy equipment that was needed by the State of the Art Tree Service.  Having some knowledge about tree service business and the equipment needed, as my dad owned a lucrative tree business with contracts with both the utility companies in the area and having what was then state of the art equipment, it could not compare with this companies.  Unfortunately because of the tree work, I don’t think that I will see any grass in patches this summer. But like Scarlet O’Hara in Gone With the Wind who said “Twiddle Dee Dee, I Will Worry About It Tomorrow” or better yet I will worry about it in the fall. I just want to sit back and enjoy the fruit of my labor admiring my perennial garden and my herb garden that are slowly getting back to normal. 

 

One of the trees that had to be removed actually was part of a tri-trunk tree and because of that the stump had to be left about 5 feet high.  Not a pretty site in my front yard.  I pondered for days trying to create something that could distract from the pathetic looking stump.  With my brilliant sons idea, he created a platform for a bucket without disturbing the two remaining trees and I was able to plant a colorful display with cascading vines. Where there is a will, there is a way, I always say.  The stump from the tree in my perennial garden was from a double trunk tree, so that too was cut high.  I decided to put a sundial on that stump.  I have a small sundial on it now, but I am waiting for prices to go down before I purchase a larger one.

 

You know what they say about genes is so true.  Not only do we inherit heart problems and diabetes and many other health problems from our parents and ancestors, but we also inherit traits and habits.  I love working outside and digging in the dirt and I love trees, I like looking at them and studying them.  I also like painting trees, even dreaming about painting all the different trees in town and having an art exhibit in the library.  Like many of my other dreams that also have fallen by the wayside.  If only we could put time in a bottle and take it out when we needed it.

 

My grand daughter was visiting yesterday and she took some photos of my yard, but because it as been so very hot and dry the flowers are not as plush as they were a few weeks ago, but it will give you some insight into what I have been up to and why my updates have been so radical.

My attempt at camouflaging that unsightly stump in my front yard.

 

 

 I am pleased at the way that it panned out and I have to admit the flowers were much prettier a few weeks ago before the unbelievable heat wave that we have had for well over two weeks.  The weather reports for the coming two weeks indicates that we are in for at least ten more days of extremely hot weather and very high humidity.  But we have to count our blessings when I see on television all the extreme weather and devastating life threatening conditions all over the country

 

The next few photos are of my perennial garden and my little garden patio that my husband put in as an anniversary gift a few years ago because I love going out there in the morning to read the paper and to have my coffee and yes to be in nature when I say my morning prayers because you can see God’s work all around you.

 

My perennial garden is slowly getting back together except for the Burning Bush that is in dire need of some serious pruning.  It is so beautiful in the fall when it turns a fiery red.  Unfortunately I hurt my back doing all the yard work, so I am going to take it easy for a while.  I am with Scarlet O’hara on this one too.

 
   

  This is where they dropped most of the large branches and most of the tree and honestly I thought most of my plants had succumbed, so I am so delighted to see them popping up again.  That is the beauty of a perennial garden.  You never know what you will see in the spring. Last year beautiful Hydrangea came out of nowhere with beautiful blue huge flowers.  I had never planted one, but I noticed that my neighbor has one in their front yard.  My thoughts are that during a windy thunderstorm last year some flowers may have blown in the garden and went to seed,then again I thought that this plant propagated by root division-I really didn’t do my homework on this, sorry.  Unfortunately, the falling tree flattened it, but in the last few weeks it is starting to perk up. 

 

 Within the last two weeks most of my Lilies have popped up.  

This little girl has been watering my garden for over 25 years.

 

This was taken after a rainstorm and I didn’t have the time to sweep off the patio.  I also forgot to put back the cushions  after the rain.  My herb garden is in the background and I just love it.  I will be experimenting making all kinds of pesto next week because my basil is ready.  I will devout an update with recipes using my various pesto.

 In the background  you can see my flagpole and the birdhouse that my son made me last year for mothers day that is a replica of my house.  Last week while watering the plants around the pole I heard some very faint tweeting and sure enough we have tenants on the second floor.  I haven’t seen the mother bird for days and I do hope that she hasn’t abandoned her babies.  I have been told by a friend not to feed them because the mother bird will abandon them.  Oh well, once a mother hen (me) always a mother hen.

    My Grand daughter informed me that Sunday was National Chocolate Day and she wondered if I was doing an update on chocolate.  I had already prepared my material on strawberry season, but I thought that you would enjoy this treat sent in by our creative friend Susie from Boston.  Actually this was a gift for her boyfriend Justin for Valentines Day.  That Justin is a pretty lucky guy.

 

 Suzie’s chocolate covered bacon roses and I been told that they were delicious.

 

 

         OK, now I am ready to talk about strawberries and I have some great recipes for you an all of the recipes are so simple and so delicious.  First, some quick and easy ideas for using strawberries.  I am certain that you all have seen some of the decorated chocolate dipped strawberries.  Suzie from Boston had sent me some adorable bride and groom strawberries she had made for a shower that I used a few years ago.  I tried in vain to find them in my computer but like many things they disappeared.  But the idea that follows is very apropos for the quickly approaching football season.  Besides they are healthier than beer and chips and pretzels.  This idea came from face book.

If you have a few girlfriends that you would like to invite to lunch the following recipe would be perfect for them.  I know for a fact that most men would scoff at it as my husband did, but it is so refreshing and so delicious and great for a luncheon that includes a quiche-you have heard the saying about that-“Real men, don’t eat quiche.”  Well that statement turned out to be false. This recipe is so pretty and so refreshing and so delicious.

 

Chilled Strawberry Soup

 

1 cup cherry juice

You can substitute any 100% fruit juice-I purchase my cherry juice in the local health food store, as I can never find it in the supermarket.

1-cup water, divided

2/3-cup sugar or Agave Nectar

½-teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch ground cloves

2 cups fresh strawberries

2- 8-ounce cartons of low or non-fat strawberry yogurt

You man garnish with additional sliced strawberries

 

Combine juice, ¾ cup water, sugar or Argave Nectare, cinnamon and cloves.  Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat.  Removed from heat and cool.  Place strawberries and ¼ cup of water in a food processor or blender, cover and process until smooth.  Pour into large bowl.  Add juice mixture and yogurt.  Blend well, cover and refrigerate until mixture is chilled.  Before serving, garnish with sliced strawberries.  I like to serve the chilled strawberry soup in clear glass bowls.  Oh so pretty!

 I anxiously wait for strawberry season every year, so that I can make my fresh off the vine strawberry pie.  It is so delicious and so easy and always is received with such fanfare because it just looks so beautiful.  I served this dessert recently to a friend and she said. “Oh, I love that pie, but I can’t make pie crust.”  So, today I am going to share two simple piecrust recipes.  The first will be my mom’s vegetable oil piecrust, which always-received great raves (her apple crumb pie made with this crust was heavenly-we will do that another time.)  The second crust will be made in a processor, so if you can push a button, you can make this with ease.

 Mom’s Easy Vegetable Oil Pie Crust

 

1/3 cup Canola oil (Mom’s recipe called for Corn oil-which was the go to oil back then)

2 tablespoons skim milk

1-¼ cups unsifted flour

¼ teaspoon salt (optional)

And

For a dessert pie I like to add about 1 teaspoon sugar

 

 

In a measuring cup stir together corn oil and milk.  In medium bowl stir together flour and salt. Add canola mixture, stirring constantly with fork.  With hands, form into a ball and roll out between wax paper into a 12-inch circle.  Peel of top paper and place pie plate on top of dough.  Flip crust into pie plate and remove remaining paper and fit crust loosely into pie plate.  If shell is to be baked before filling, prick with fork and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Watch closely.  If shell and filling are to be baked together do not prick shell, but add filling and bake pie according to filling used.  To make the crust even healthier use King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour.

 

Double recipe for a double crust pie or use ½ for single crust and pat remainder of dough in a disk and place into a large freezer storage bag and freeze to use at a later date.

 

Processor Pie Crust

 

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour or pastry flour

1-teaspoon salt

1-teaspoon- or to taste –sugar for fruit or dessert pies only

¾ cup cold butter, cut into chunks

¼-cup Crisco

¼-cup water

Mix 2 cups of flour salt and sugar if using in bowl of processor and mix lightly using a quick pulse.  Add the butter and the Crisco and pulse until mixture looks like large chunks.  Add remaining flour and pulse 2 or 3 times.  Pour water through tube of processor and pulse with 1 or 2 quick pulses. Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper or waxed paper-I prefer waxed paper because it is transparent-large enough to roll the piecrust on.  Place one piece on board and turn out pastry.  Pat in a large cylinder and cut in half. Prepare one half for freezer to use at a later date and place the other half on waxed paper and cover with second sheet.  Roll to 1 inch larger than diameter of pie dish.  Remove top paper and place pie plate on rolled pastry.  Gently lift bottom piece of waxed paper and flip pastry into pie plate.  Gently ease into dish centering the pastry and pressing lightly to conform to the dish to press out any air.  Crimp pastry around edge of dish and using a fork prick crust.  Bake in a 450 degrees oven for 10 minutes or until lightly brown.  Watch closely as all ovens are calibrated differently.

 

Fresh Strawberry Pie

 

1        9-inch baked pie crust

3- 4 cups sliced strawberries-actually I never measure filling the pie crust as high as possible

6-ounce package of sugar free or regular Jell-O

2        Tablespoons cornstarch

2-cups cold water

 

Place sliced strawberries in pie shell.  Make glaze by mixing Jell-O and cornstarch in saucepan.  Add water slowly until combined.  Place over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened.  Remove from heat when mixture begins to boil.  Pour over strawberries in shell, making sure that all strawberries are covered.  Chill until set for several hours.  Serve with whipped cream.  I prefer real whipped cream, simply place a pint of heavy or whipping cream in a bowl of a standing mixer or use a hand mixer and whip until light peaks form.  Add 1-2 tablespoons of confectioners sugar and whip just until well-defined peaks form-do not over beat or you will have butter.  Don’t worry about those extra calories and fat from the pie crust and cream-because they are wiped out by all those fresh strawberries  (ha ha) and did you know that strawberries have a higher concentration of vitamin C than oranges and contain calcium and iron and are a good source of potassium and folic acid.  Their high concentration of vitamin C in strawberries has been effective in controlling LDL, the bad component of cholesterol and strawberries are also an effective cancer fighter.

 Hey, don’t forget to sign up for membership on my web site.  It is free and means that you will get an e-mail blast announcing a new update and view my Members Exclusive Blog.  Always check in what they call junk mail, because I understand that some carriers sent  the last update there. In 5 years that has never happened.  If you are experiencing this please let me know by e-mailing me or leaving a message on one of my blogs.  CookingForToday@aol.com   Thanks!