Cheesy Bacon Potato Chowder~ Original Recipe

Not a great picture....but super hearty and very filling! A wonderful Fall Supper!

Came up with this recipe this week. Was such a huge hit with my family I decided to share it with you. This can very easily be turned gluten free (use a gluten free cream soup). I haven't tried, but I think this could also be altered into a lacto-vegetarian recipe using meat substitutes.

Cheesy Bacon Potato Chowder ~ Original Recipe

Serves about 6-8, 1-1/2 cup servings.

Elizabeth Mareno 2011

1/2 lb bacon- cut into bits

1 cup onion- chopped

2 cups carrots- chopped

3 lbs potatoes- chopped (I didn't peel mine. Use your preference)

4 cups chicken or veggie broth

1 can crm of mushroom or crm of chicken

8oz cream cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar

salt, pepper, granulated garlic(use sparingly) for seasoning

Cook bacon in soup pot until fat is rendered and pieces are crispy. Remove some for garnish.

Add onion and cook till translucent.

Add chicken broth (a little at first to deglase the pan, beware of the steam).

Add carrots and cream soup, mix well.

Add potato, cook until tender.

Using a manual potato masher, slightly mash carrots and potatoes to thicken soup.

Add cheeses, stir until completely melted.

Garnish with crispy bacon and chives (optional).

Low Gluten-Dairy Free Waffles- Recipe

Hello all you wonderful people! I figured its time for a recipe. I haven't posted one in just forever! This time it is WAFFLES!! Yum, every Saturday morning should be filled up with waffles! I call these low-gluten because they are made with Spelt, which can usually be consumed by people who have an irritation to traditional wheat products. Not celiac's! They still need to avoid, because Spelt is part of the wheat family and does contain a certain amount of gluten. Go here to read up on Spelt to see if it will work for you. I am not celiac, but I do not tolerate wheat well. You should be able to find it at any well-stocked health food store.
Now to the recipe.
This recipe is adapted from Better Homes New Cook Book copyright dated 1989. It is actually their pancake recipe that ended up working out better as a waffle batter after I made all the substitutions for our dietary needs. I double or triple this recipe for Saturday morning feeds depending on how many of us are home. They are very light, but very filling.

Saturday Morning Waffles (Low-Gluten, Dairy-Free)

1 Cup White Spelt Flour
1 Tblsp Turbinado (aka Raw) Sugar
2 tsps Aluminum Free Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Beaten Egg (use egg substitute if you need)
1 Cup Rice Milk (or any non-dairy milk substitute)
2 Tblsp Oil (we use walnut oil)

In a mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking pwdr and salt. In another mixing bowl combine egg, milk and oil. Add to flour mixture all at once. Stir mixture till blended but still slightly lumpy.

Pour about 1/3 cup batter onto waffle iron. For whatever reason, I find that it doesn't matter if I put just less than 1/3 cup or a full 1/3 cup...so I use the same amount with each waffle. It either doesn't reach the edge of the waffle iron and I have anemic looking waffles or this happens:

The same 1/3 cup that I put on the waffle iron...every time....

Served with Pure Wisconsin Maple Syrup.

I need to buy some from the local farms for this winter.

Some of us like to dunk.

Others of us are less...civilized...and drown our waffles.

Still, yet, some of us are a little more creative and use peach preserves made with honey.
Hubby doesn't eat Maple Syrup.

He did not feel as though his presentation was complete without

showing you the waffles with their

turkey breakfast sausage companions.

Don't you love my 70's Corelle? LOL

HOPE YOU ENJOY!

If At First You Don't Succeed.....

......try, try again! When I signed into Blogger today, I realized that I haven't posted in 10 days! I told myself I wouldn't let the blog go anymore...yet, here I am....

There hasn't been anything terribly exciting to update you on. My arm is doing great. I can't put much for pressure on my hand but I am noticing a lovely lack of pain when I am writing, crocheting, knitting, typing.... I am working my way back into cooking. I can cut veggies and fruits but I still cannot cut chicken. It takes a particular torque and pressure that I just can't achieve in my present level of healing.

I am discovering that not every dish I create for supper is a hit. Take the Chicken and Wild Rice soup I made for supper last night. I had boiled down a deli chicken carcass, removed the bones and peeled the meat off of the bone and threw it back in the broth. Then I chopped some celery, carrots and onion and threw it in. I added about a cup of wild rice, maybe a little more(?). Flavored it with some basil, thyme, pepper, garlic salt and rubbed sage. Thickened it with a little corn starch and milk. Added about a 1/2 cup of milk and 2 tbsp butter to the pot and called it good. Hubby and I loved it. Daughter gagged down a bite and son wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Go figure. I just had a leftover bowl for lunch that was just as good as last night. lol

However, the chicken (or chicken/black bean) enchilada recipe that we have been messing with has been perfected and the kids beg for those! All you do is cube up about a pound or so of chicken breasts and cook, in a decent sized skillet, with about 2 tbsp olive oil, a chopped onion and about 2-3 cloves of minced garlic. Then, you add to the pan 1 little can of diced green chilies, an 8 oz cream cheese cubed or cut into strips for easier melting and 1/2 a can of nacho flavored cheese (this is my one processed food item I just can't give up yet). Mix until smooth. At this point, you can either add a can of drained and rinsed black beans, or leave it as is. Then, spoon a small portion into warmed (wrap in tinfoil, put into 325 degree oven for 15 minutes) 6" corn tortillas, roll and place seam side down in a sprayed or greased 9x13 pan. This should make you two pans. Pour a can of enchilada sauce on EACH pan. So if you have two pans, you'll need two cans of sauce. Sprinkle generously with cheese (we like sharp cheddar). Leave uncovered and cook at 375 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese begins to brown a little at the edges. This has become an absolute favorite food in our house. I don't know why I ever thought enchiladas were hard to make!! lol My hubby has had to make the last few batches, though, cuz of the inability to cut chicken. I'm sure he'll be happy to hand the job back to me. :)

I've been working on knitting some coffee cup cozies. I started with this pattern. Mine does not turn out as cute and tight as hers. Mine is all loopy on the bind off. So I sort of redid it to suit me. Here's what I came up with:

Knitted cup cozy
material: less than 2 oz of yarn, 7dpns

CO 40st, join to make circle
row 1: k1, p1
row 2: inc, continue in established pattern around.
row3-16: repeat rows 1 and 2 ending with 48 stitches
row 17-18: purl each st around
BO in purl. Cut, leave long end for winding.

I will try to post a picture of it soon. It's sort of cute. :)

Ok, I think that's all I have to blather on about for today. Let me know if you try any of the recipes. :)

Tah!

Homemade Granola

Home Made Granola
by Elizabeth Mareno 2010

Ingredients:

6 Cups Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Canola Oil. (I'm sure you could use less, this is my preference)
1/2 Cup Rough Chopped Raw Walnuts
1/2 Cup Rough Chopped Almonds (blanched or peel on...your preference)
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tsp Almond Extract
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Raisins or other dried fruit of choice


Place your oats and nuts in a large mixer bowl.

Put the honey, oil, cinnamon and extracts into a small pot. Warm until honey is loose and runny and the flavors are well incorporated. Then slowly pour the liquid into the mixer bowl while using the large paddle. I find that it sticks less. :)

Once you have all of the wet and dry ingredients incorporated, spread a portion of the mix very thin on a large, greased cookie sheet. You will have to do this several times to make it through all of the oat mix.

This picture is just a freebie. lol. It has no purpose, I just wanted to show you an example of the size I leave my walnuts. I take a portion of the mix before I add the nuts and cook it separate for my daughter...she's not a nut-lover.

Then put the pan in the oven for 20 minutes set @ 300 degrees. You can cook it longer to get a crisper granola. At 20 minutes, there is a bit of a "chew" to the oats. Don't get me wrong, they are crisp after cooking (It crisps as it cools)...but, once you start adding any moisture to it...it is chewy. If you find you don't like this texture, double bake it. I have done that and it has enjoyable results. OR just avoid the double-baking and bake it about 25-30 minutes watching to make sure you don't burn it or get it darker than you like.

After your granola is cooled completely. Add your dried fruits of choice and store in an air-tight container. Our house is not hot, so I leave it on our counter. I've heard some others say to store it in the fridge....you may have to see what works for you.

This granola makes a lovely cereal, yogurt topping, fruit topping, snack.....you name it. I leave the fruit out and use it in any recipe calling for a "granola cereal"....like cookies. :)

Enjoy!

Oatmeal-Fruit Preserve Bars

This is my family's current favorite dessert. Wonderful for Fall parties. We've used raspberry preserves and apple butter....wonderful any way you slice them!

Oatmeal-Fruit Preserve Bars

1-1/2 sticks of butter/margarine (3/4cup)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 cups of rolled oats
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
10 oz jar of preserves, any flavor

Cream together butter and sugar till fluffy. Mix flour, salt and soda together to incorporate. Add oats and flour mixture to butter mixture till crumbly.

Take 2/3 of oat mixture and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread preserves over the oat mixture. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top of preserves.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until browned. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting. Also serves great right out of the oven as a 'crisp' with ice cream.

Fruit Pizza

OK. Talk about being a "Pokey Jones"! I promised you this recipe back in March!! So sorry.


Pictures first, then recipe.





Fruit Pizza


1-1/2 cup butter
3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar

Mix, put in a jelly roll pan. Bake @ 350 degrees until brown. Let cool.

2-8 oz cream cheese (softened)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar

Blend and spread on cooled crust.

Arrange any combination of fruits: apples, strawberries, grapes, mandarin oranges, bananas, etc. on top of cream cheese mixture.

4 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 cups pineapple juice
2 tsp lemon juice

Cook until thickened. Pour over fruit. Cover all fruit.


I. Heart. Fruit. Pizza. Passionately.

Corn Tortilla Recipe

Here's the corn tortilla recipe I promised awhile ago. It and I are finally in the same place at the same time.

Corn Tortilla's

1-1/2 C AP Flour
3/4 C Cornmeal (Fine or Coarse depending on the 'grit' you want)
1/2 tsp Salt
1 egg
2-1/4 C Very Cold Water

Beat till smooth.
Heat griddle @ 350 degrees
Ladle out 3 Tbsp of batter onto griddle and quickly spread out to about 6".
Turn when the edges are dry, not brown.
Place on a paper towel to cool.

**My experience with these was the the middle looked too gooey to turn, but the edges were dry. Don't pay attention to the middles, they will cook after you flip them. Some of them I overcooked, some of them were just right. They will feel a little stiff coming off of the griddle, but they will soften up and become pliable while cooling.

I made vegetarian refried beans mixed with black beans on the stovetop. I mashed the black beans down a little so that they weren't whole. Then I served with cheese, lettuce, black olives, and sour cream. Hubby likes onions and nobody likes tomatoes in our house...but you can serve with regular taco meat too. This is what we ate for tacos when I was a kid. It's super cheap to make and goes a looooong way!