Refridgerator Pickles

I am excited!!

I am so excited to FINALLY be posting to Bonnie's wonderful blog!! I was a little (well, a lot) unsure of how to post, but not any more!!! That is because Bonnie gave me a lesson that began with photography and ended up here!!! Yippee!! So....without further ado...

These are my favorite refrigerator pickles. I make them every summer when cucumber season is heavily upon us. I love, love them. They keep for a month in the 'fridge and if you eat 'em up you can add a cucumber or two to the leftover brine before throwing it away. A replenishing of sorts. You can make them spicy or not, it is up to you. If you are in the 'not' category, just leave the red pepper flake out.

Refrigerator Pickles
Makes 1 quart and keeps one month in the 'fridge.

1 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
7 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dill seed
5 or 6 small cucumbers, taking off strips of the peel, and sliced into 1/8 thick rounds. (the best kind to use are Kirby, or pickling cucumbers, because their skins are not bitter or tough, and they have less seeds. However, I have used other kinds of cucumber with success)
1 white onion, cut into half moons, and thinly sliced.

Place the vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, cloves, bay leaves, red pepper flakes (if using), and dill seed in a quart jar (or other container of the same size). Put on the lid and give it a good shake until sugar and salt is dissolved. Add the cucumber and onion in layers, pressing with a spoon to compact and press into the brine. Put the lid back on and give it another good shake. Place in the 'fridge for 4 hours to marinate. Yum!

menu plan monday // Khrista 06.27.11

This week's menu is brought to you almost entirely by the Martha Stewart Everyday Food App for iPhone! I love this app! I have many favorite MS recipes and now they are all in one place! yay! I highly recommend it! I also have another app that has been incredibly useful to me that I love and hope to do a post about soon!

..::MONDAY::..

Spinach Lentil Soup with Hillbilly Bread

..::TUESDAY::..

Penne alla Norma (Martha Stewart Everyday Food App Rocks! :)

..::WEDNESDAY::..

Mexican-Style Lasagna

..::THURSDAY::..

Eggplant Mozzarella Melt

..::FRIDAY::..

Homemade Pizza Night - We may have guests so I might make both Funky Lime (I make this a little differently than Bonnie. I should post my tweaks.)  AND Taco Pizza! (My new FAVORITE pizza!)

..::SATURDAY::..

Early 4th of July feast - undetermined as of yet...

..::SUNDAY::..

Eat Out


Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie

My Menu - Bonnie - 15 June 2011

i'm nothing if not a serious multi tasker
it's rare that i'm only doing one thing ... i'm not sure if this is
good or bad, but it is the way i am ...

my menu planning this week happened in the bath tub ! with bubbles !
and a top up once the water got cold ...

if you've been following along on facebook you will know that i've
been on a bit of a 'cook out of the freezer/pantry' kick.
here's a few of the meals i made last week ...

anyway ... this week, i decided to plan for the 16 days we have left before our trip using as much as i could out of the fridge and pantry. i started by taking an inventory of all the core ingredients (whose been watching masterchef?!) we had in our freezer/fridge/pantry and trying to plan meals around those so that i will only have to do minimal shopping. i then took that, and my iPhone (with the beans blog mobile friendly page !) to the tub with a pen and paper and planned away ! i'm pretty excited with what i've come up with !!

wed june 15
pizza (had dough in the freezer)
funky lime X2
pepperoni (had pepperoni in the freezer)
tapenade with mushroom (making this one up)

thurs june 16
sloppy lentil pie (using the sloppy lentil leftovers that i froze)
i'll add peas and corn and make a pie with puff pastry
serving with roasted cauliflower and broccoli


fri june 17
lumpia (but i'm going to use been mince because i have it in the freezer)
black bean spaghetti with calamari (i bought the spaghetti ages ago to try ....)

sat june 18
falafel (why do i have so many cans of chickpeas in my pantry !?!)
with salad and tsatsiki

sun june 19
spanikopita meatballs but not serving with rice
serving with spicy potatoes and leftover greens/tsatsitki from saturday

mon june 20
buttered egg noodles with parsley
cajun flavor (?? maybe ?? we'll see how it develops) chicken pieces
with lemony rosemary carrots

tues june 21
chicken rogan josh (leftovers frozen a while back)
with jasmine rice and corn (yeah ... i have a HUGE bag of corn in the freezer!)

wed june 22
chicken chimichangas (using leftovers frozen tortillas)
with guacamole and sour cream

thurs june 23
burrito bowl
basmati, lime, coriander
black beans, olives, tomatoes, cheese
sauteed onions ? salsa and sour cream if any is left from wednesday.

fri june 24
mexican cous cous
will use tinned tomatoes and a can of green chilies if there is no salsa left

sat june 25
nothing planned ... gotta leave some nights open for weekend spontaneity !

sun june 26
crock pot baked potato soup (use frozen avocado on top)
(have you tried frozen avo? - i love having it in the freezer !!)

mon june 27
garlic and coriander chicken
with bok choy and rice

tues june 28
we have an individual serve of ham bone soup in the freezer
also some leftover frozen spinach and pumpkin dahl
going to also try Jill's Channa dal (curried chickpeas)
and i will make naan

wed june 29

thurs june 30

i'm leaving the final two days unplanned because i am sure that these meals will not all get eaten on the exact days as our lives need a bit of flexibility and you know ...stuff happens. so ... we will either eat leftovers or meals that got missed during the weeks due to plan changes. if none of those are an option, we'll do eggs on toast or something like that ...

all of that ... and i only have 30 things on my shopping list ! for over two weeks ! amazing.

and that is all i will plan until i am PLANNING MEALS WITH MY MOM !! and my Dad. and my cousin Pam. and my brother Jimmy. and my cousin Jill when she arrives from Nicaragua. And then with my sister Ellie & Ryan (my bro b/c he married my sis) And Shay and Shawn when we spend some days with them ... and Rory of course ... I am soooooooooooooooo excited !! soooo soooo excited !!

How To Make Buñelos (Nicaraguan Doughtnuts)

Step 1: Peel the yucca with a large sharp knife

Step 2: Wash the peeled yucca

Step 3: Chop into cubes, rinse again to remove excess starch

Step 4: Add cinnamon and the crazy salty local cheese

Step 5: Steep cinnamon and cloves in honey for the sauce

Step 6: Throw the yucca mixture into a bucket, walk it down to the molina for grinding into a paste

And we're grinding...and we're grinding...

Step 7: Add sugar to the yucca paste

Step 8: Heat oil in a frying pan. While you're waiting for the oil to heat, try to amuse a baby.

Step 9: Add spoonfuls of the dough to the hot oil. Fry until buñelos resemble chicken wings

Step 10: Add honey sauce. Devour as fast as you can without burning your mouth.

Caution, do not get distracted whilst frying, lest your doughnuts end up thusly.

Ta da! This is how we make Buñelos

menu plan monday // Khrista 06.13.11

Has it really been since APRIL since I posted a weekly menu?! Whoa! I have been planning, just not posting! Here's our plan for this week:

..::MONDAY::..

Baked Ziti with Zucchini, Chickpeas, & Olives

(this is a new one for us and is delicious! I made so much of it the first time I made it that we were able to put away a pan in the freezer. We took it out tonight and it was just as good! Will share soon!)

..::TUESDAY::..

Okra & Tomatoes (our Okra in the garden is ready to harvest!)

..::WEDNESDAY::..

Caponata Linguine (a new recipe for us, using some of the BEAUTIFUL eggplant from our garden!)

..::THURSDAY::..

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes, Fresh Green Beans & Salad

..::FRIDAY::..

Homemade Pizza - Funky Lime

..::SATURDAY::..

Eat Out

..::SUNDAY::..

Father's Day - Eating Out & I'm making DR PEPPER CAKE

Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup

I saw this recipe over at the flour sack and just HAD TO TRY IT ! I am so glad I did ! This is one delicious soup. I made a few adjustments though. I LOOOOOVE roasted garlic and decided that it would be amazing in this soup ... it was.

Here's how I did mine ...

3 blobs of butter (I didn't really measure, just scooped)
1 leek, sliced (I just slice til I get up to the dirty bits)
1 bunch of spring onions (They needed to be used up but they were a good addition)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 whole garlic heads, chop of the top (you know, the part that holds them all together)
6 cups chicken stock
a bay leaf
salt
pepper
700g (1.5lb) potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes
450g (1lb) red potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes
1/2 cup cream (although, I didn't measure and may have used a little more)
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
a hand full of fresh chives, minced
garlic chips ... (thinly sliced garlic, shallow fried in olive oil til golden brown)

Preheat oven to 200C (400F), wrap your two garlic heads in tin foil and let roast in oven til softened. (I think it took about 30/40 minutes) Prepare rest of ingredients.

Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add leaks and spring onions, cook til soft. Stir in garlic and cook another minute or so, til it smells GREAT ! Add broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Partially cover and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and continue to simmer til potatoes are tender. 15 minutes ? 20 ? Pull out the bay leaf. By now, your garlic should be roasted. Squeeze garlic out of the skins into a small bowl. Smush it up with a fork. Put it, along with the cream and thyme into the soup. Check your seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Use your zoop zoop (stick/immersion blender) to process the soup til creamy ... leave a few potato chunks if you like. Sprinkle with garlic chips and fresh chives.

My Menu - Bonnie - 30 May 2011

I'm quite excited about this weeks menu. For the first time, I've planned all three meals of the day. Granted, the lunches are almost all leftovers from the night before but at least there is a plan ! This is always a good thing !! And breakfast, it's cooling off now and I like winter breakfasts that take a bit more preparation than just get up and throw a bowl of cereal together ...

We're trying mostly new stuff this week which is ALWAYS exciting to me !

**

Saturday
B. Leftover Chocolate Marble Banana Muffins

L. Leftovers ... clean out fridge !!

D. Jamie's Oozy Mushroom Risotto, Spinach Salad & Quick Lemon & Raspberry Cheesecake (from his 30 minute meals cookbook) soooooo good !



Sunday

B. Apple Coffee Cake Streusel (my delicious little experiment)

L. Leftovers

D. Chook Roasted w/Garlic & Verjuice (like we saw on Masterchef)
with Roast Veggies and Garlic Knots



Monday

B. Yummo Apple Oats

L. leftover Chook/Veg

D. Crock Pot Sloppy Lentils w/homemade Whole Wheat Buns

Tuesday

B. Yummo Apple Oats

L. Leftover Sloppy Lentils

D. Dinner at a friends place ...

Wednesday

B. Overnight Oatmeal

L. Leftovers or Sandwiches

D. Pizza ... trying some new ones.
Greek, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese, Garlic Cream w/Artichoke



Thursday

B. Warm Apple Cinnamon Maple Oats

L. Leftover Pizza

D. Garlic Potato Soup w/Florentine Rolls

Friday

B. Unplanned ... (just for something different !)

L. Leftover Soup

D. Steakhouse Mushroom Burgers

**

For more menu plans, head over to Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday

Apple Coffee Cake Streusel

I've long been searching for a recipe to make a cake I remember from my childhood. It was a coffee cake. It was cake on the bottom with buttery, brown sugary, crumble stuff on the top. I've never found what I was looking for. This morning, I came pretty close. The one I remember didn't have apple in it, but this filled the craving I have had for many many years to eat this cake again !!

I took elements from a couple of recipes I've tried recently and came up with this. There are three layers ...

For the Cake Layer:
2 tablespoons canola oil (I think you could probably use whatever oil you like)
1 & 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Place rack in center of oven, and heat oven to 160C/325F degrees. Spray a 9-by-12 & 1/2-inch baking pan with oil, lay baking paper on top of that and push it into the corners and up the sides to flatten it. (leave a little excess up the sides to easily remove the cake at the end) Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a second bowl, whisk together egg, milk, canola oil, and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan, and set aside.

For the Apple Layer :
2 apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced.
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Mix all ingredients in medium sized bowl. I used my fingers to rub the sugar and spices into the apple sliced. Cover cake batter with apples.

For the Streusel Layer :
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, softened

In small bowl combine all ingredients and sprinkle on top of apples.

Transfer pan to oven, and bake, rotating pan every 10 minutes. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 30/40 minutes. (this will depend on your oven ... I tested mine every 5 minutes after the first 20)

Transfer cake to a wire rack to cool. I actually pulled the cake out of the pan, using the excess baking paper ... it took two people to do it.

Let cool for a couple of minutes, then serve it up and enjoy ! Rory and the kids (and our friends who live next door) had creme fraiche with theirs but I just ate it as it was ... mmmmmmmm.

Chocolate Marble Banana Muffins

A friend of mine made these a few weeks ago...then my sister...so Saturday when I had a few bananas that needed to be used up I gave in and finally tried them. Delicious! I found the recipe here.

I only did a couple things differently, which are highlighted in orange.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup buttermilk (I poured 1 Tablespoon white vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup then filled it up with Vitamin D Milk and let is set for 5 minutes. Ta Da! Buttermilk!)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 cup chocolate chips, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12 count muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas, then whisk in the buttermilk, sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, and whisk until just blended.
5. Remove one cup of the batter, and add it to a medium bowl. Whisk in the cocoa powder, just until blended.
6. Mix chocolate chips into the regular, white/yellow batter.
7. Divide the regular, white/yellow batter between muffin cups.
8. Scoop 1 tablespoon of chocolate batter on top of the batter in each muffin cup.
9. Using a toothpick, swirl the chocolate batter into the banana batter.
10. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Honey Sesame Chicken

This recipe looked so yummy to me. I changed it just a little bit ... here's how I did mine :

3 chicken breasts - cut to bite size pieces
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of sherry
1/2 tbsp of sesame oil
1 tsp of sugar
2 tbsp flour & 1 tbsp cornstarch,mixed together
salt & pepper to taste

Marinate chicken with soy sauce, sherry, sugar, sesame oil, salt & pepper. Let marinate at least an hour. Just before frying mix the flours into the chicken.

Heat oil for frying. Fry chicken until golden brown, remove from pan to paper towel. Tip all the oil from the pan.

Mix the following ... and pour into the pan you cooked the chicken in.
3 tbsp of sweet chili sauce
2 tbsp of tomato ketchup
1- 2 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
2 tbsp of soy sauce
1/4 cup of water
some toasted sesame seed

Let the sauce thicken a bit. Add in the chicken & stir, making sure chicken is coated with the sauce. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on the chicken. Serve with warm rice.

My Menu - Bonnie - 23 May 2011

A good mix of old favorites and new stuff this week ....

Friday

Chicken Pot Pie



Saturday
The Ajiaco Soup got pushed back from last week. We had it Saturday. Delicious !
I LOVE THIS SOUP !!

Sunday
Had take away fish and chips with Dad who is staying nearby for a couple of nights.

Monday
Burgers
We're going to try the Isabella
and I'm going to make Khrista's homemade Wheat Buns

Tuesday
With all the talk of this on facebook, I've just got to make
Mom's Penne with Triple Tomato Sauce



with Caesar Salad



Wednesday
Pizza

Thursday
Jamie's 30 minute meals ... Oozy Mushroom Risotto, Spinach Salad,
Quick Lemon & Raspberry Chesecake

Can't wait to try this one !

Friday
Maggie Beer's Chook Roasted with Garlic and Verguice
that we saw on Masterchef a couple of weeks ago
with roast veg


***

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Potato Bake

I'd never had potato bake before coming to Australia. I love it.
But don't make it very often, usually only when other people
come over so we don't eat the whole thing by ourselves !!

Here's what you need :

Potatoes, I have no idea how many, I just cut as I go
Grated Cheese, I use a mixture of Mozzarella and Tasty (Cheddar)
Minced Garlic
Cream
Onion, sliced
French Onion Soup Mix

Ok ... get ready, this is a very technical recipe. With very specific measurements !

Mix the french onion soup and cream with a blop of minced garlic.



Slice your onion and potatoes. Like I said, I just slice the potatoes as I go. (I use a mandolin slicer to get them thin and uniform) And as you can see, I don't bother peeling the potatoes.



Do layers of cream, potato, onion, cheese, cream, potato, onion, cheese, etc .... til you get to the top of your baking dish.



Make your last layer cheese.

Cover and bake in a 180C/360F oven for about an hour. (or until potato is tender) Remove cover and bake another 10 minutes or so to brown the cheese on top.

Cream of Chicken and Barley Soup

• 

I had the most amazing soup at a luncheon at Glen Echo Country Club. This is my attempt to replicate it. I added chicken to make it a meal rather than a first course, and I omitted the almonds in deference to my husband. I recommend adding them, as they add a delightful crunch. I'm not sure at what point to add them though. You can also use cream, or yogurt mixed with a little flour to thicken the soup and make it creamy. I chose this low-fat option, and it was delicious!

• 2 chicken breasts, diced
  
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• ½-2/3 c pearl barley
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 3 c chicken broth
• dried thyme
• 1 c nonfat dried milk
• 2 T cornstarch
• garlic powder
• optional: salt, pepper, sliced almonds

(may use other chicken pieces, removing meat from bone after first hour of cooking and returning meat to soup)

Put chicken, onions, carrots, and barley in soup pot. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer one hour. After an hour, add mushrooms and continue simmering until barley is tender (approximately 30 minutes). Add water as needed at any point to maintain soup consistency.

In separate container, combine powdered milk, cornstarch, and garlic powder. Add enough water to dissolve milk and cornstarch and stir. Add this mixture into soup and stir to incorporate. Continue to simmer until soup thickens and becomes creamy. Season to taste. Add almonds if desired. Serve with crusty bread.

My Menu - Bonnie - 16 May 2011

I am so thrilled that it is FINALLY soup weather. I love soup. I didn't used to. But then I discovered soups with toppings and my soup hatin' days were over. And now ... I even like soups without toppings. Crazy.

Anyway ... I planned my menu from Friday this week ... here's how it went ..........

Friday
Potato and Leek Soup

Saturday
Homemade Sushi



Sunday
Slow Cooker Tikka Masala
Homemade Naan



Monday
Crock Pot Steak Fajitas



Tuesday
Burrito Bowl



Wednesday
Ajiaco Soup

Thursday
Leftovers

***

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Bonnie Salad

One of my go to, throw together salads that I love ...

iceburg lettuce, i love it's crunch !
chopped tomato
chopped cucumber
chopped avocado
crumbled feta cheese
pine nuts
usually there would be sliced red onion but i don't see any in the photo

topped with a vinaigrette or italian dressing
or like this one ... just a sprinkling of your favorite vinegar, olive oil and rock salt

easy peasy
yummy yummy

Baked Potato Bowls

So ... I saw this recipe and wanted to try it. I didn't make it quite the same way, mainly because I forgot the bacon. How I did THAT, I don't know ! I cooked them anyway, and they were good but they will be so much better next time when I add the bacon. I changed a little bit about mine ... here's how I did them.

1 large potato per person, (and I of course did extra's for lunches the next day)
1 egg per potato
bacon, cooked and diced (probably one piece per 2 potatoes)
shredded cheese
fresh herbs, optional
salt and pepper

Bake the potatoes. Lay the baked potato on its side, and cut off the top of the potato. Scoop out the insides to make a “bowl", (I didn't know what to do with these innards last time but next time I'll be planning gnocchi for the following evening !) Break and egg into each bowl. Top with bacon, cheese, fresh herbs, and season with salt and pepper.

Bake at 350F/180C for 20-25 minutes, or until the egg whites are set. Serve immediately.

I topped the 'potato tops' with cheese and made potato skins. Yum !

And

I served these with sauteed mushrooms and onions, corn on the cob and a green salad.
Just realized that since I forgot the bacon, this was a totally vegetarian meal.