Plato's Kitchen

A Delicious Train

2009-02-20T22:27:00.003-06:00

My son requested a train cake for his birthday, and since we couldn't find any train cake toppers, my husband and I ended up sculpting our own. We made it a lot more difficult for ourselves due to the frosting we chose. Chocolate peanut butter frosting is very good, but we always have more trouble spreading it than any other frosting. Between the frosting and all the little pieces, the train was harder to put together than the ship from two years ago. We happened to have a box of animal crackers, so I thought a circus car would be fun.

Train Cakes

2009-01-31T23:20:00.003-06:00

My son's birthday is coming up and he has requested a train cake. My husband is the resident cake baker, but I thought I would help him out by Googling "train cakes." I was thinking he would make a sheet cake and cut out a silhouette of an engine, but I didn't see any pictures of something like that.

I found a very cute but time consuming train cake, lots of sheet cakes that required meticulous decorating skills (funny I can't find them now that I am looking for a link), and these little train toppers that I remember my mom using when I was growing up.

I had forgotten about those train toppers until I saw them online. I decided that as far as convenience goes, those probably will be our best bet AND we can use them again in the future. After doing a quick online search I found a couple cake decorating stores in the area, so Monday morning I will see if either of them have the toppers in stock. If not, then we will be reviewing our options of the various train cakes out there.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

2008-11-13T23:39:00.002-06:00

I recently discovered this delicious recipe and have made it several times. My family loves it more than the pumpkin muffins I usually make, however it is more caloric (not always a bad thing, but for me it is) and with the chocolate far messier on children.

I tweaked the muffins a little by reducing the sugar and oil and using whole wheat flour. So I am sure that if you followed the recipe exactly the muffins would be even tastier (but far more caloric if you care about that). When I have made these I ended up with twenty muffins rather than eighteen, but that is okay because they never last more than 24 hours anyway.

The Ice Cream Conspiracy

2008-05-05T21:24:00.003-05:00

It used to be that when we went to the store and bought a carton of ice cream, we came home with half a gallon of ice cream. Then a few years ago some of the big names such as Dreyer's/Edy's and Breyer's reduced the cartons to 1.75 quarts. Once everyone made the adjustment to a smaller quantity for the same price, they raised the price. At some stores now, one of those brands can cost $5.99. Ouch.

Last month as I was trying to decide which flavor to buy for my daughter's birthday, I noticed that some of the cartons were only 1.5 quarts, while some of them were the "old" size of 1.75. Today I read that the big names are almost done phasing out the "larger" cartons in favor of the new size.

This turn of events made me even more pleased that we can make our own ice cream. My husband calculated that one batch of ice cream costs about $2.50 and makes 1.5 quarts. This is a much better price than the store bought stuff.

There are two regional ice cream companies in the area which still advertise that their cartons are "Still A Full Half Gallon!". They are both good ice creams, but the price of them is much more than making our own, so we will just stick with that.

Single Purpose Items?

2008-04-30T22:50:00.005-05:00

Within the last week I have come across three blogs where the writers advocated eschewing single function kitchen items. The examples which were given were an ice cream scoop, garlic press, and popcorn popper.

Although I agree in theory that it is a waste of space and money to have something that doesn't multi-task, when I start thinking about the practical application of this I realized that it's not such a good idea after all.

The two biggest reasons to have those sort of items would be that they are helpful because one uses it a lot based on ones lifestyle, or because by not having it one would have to buy the product already made. Examples of the first would be a coffee maker for most Americans or a rice cooker for most Asians, while examples of the second would be a waffle iron or an ice cream maker.

I love waffles and my husband loves ice cream and so we have a waffle iron and an ice cream maker. Since we try to be careful how often we eat out, going out to breakfast rarely happens. Having a waffle iron gives us the opportunity to have a favorite meal without it being costly. Even if we only use it once a month (we actually use it more), the space it takes up is worth the cost savings it affords us. An ice cream maker is handy because my husband goes through a lot of ice cream. It is much more affordable than buying ice cream and it also gives us the opportunity to make sure that there aren't artificial ingredients in it.

There are also other random reasons why single use items are handy:

My mother hammered into us never to use table spoons to scoop ice cream. Our freezer was very cold and she hated seeing all of her spoons bent. So we used an ice cream scoop because the alternative was having all our spoons look like they were doing the limbo.

Someone else might use a garlic press because she hates the smell of garlic on her hands. (They do make stainless steel "soap" bars to rid oneself of that smell, but those too are single purpose items.)

Another person might use a rice cooker to make sushi because he can't get sushi rice the proper consistency on the stove.

After reflecting on all of this, I realized that I have no problem with the kitchen items I have. The people promoting this are probably trying to avoid the rampant materialism so common in our country. If materialism is the reason they argue this, then it seems to be paradoxical: either one has material items to make or do things at home, or one buys things at the store because one hasn't the means to make them at home.

At least I don't have a coffee pot, microwave* or toaster. Those are items I have no problem doing without.

*It could be argued that this is not a single use item because it can cook, reheat, or thaw. I say, suit yourself. That is what I use the stove and refrigerator for.

Applesauce Muffins

2008-04-22T22:35:00.007-05:00

These are our family's new favorite muffin. I found the recipe somewhere and tweaked it a little by adding raisins and reducing the sugar and salt. The following is the "tweaked" version. The texture of the batter is a little funny, but they taste wonderful.

½ C. Oil

½ C. Applesauce (preferably unsweetened)

½ C. Sugar

1 ½ C. Whole wheat flour

½ t. Allspice

Scant ½ t. Salt

½ t. Baking soda

½ t. Baking powder

½ t. Cinnamon

½ t. Nutmeg

½C. Raisins

Combine all the dry ingredients thoroughly. Combine all the wet ingredients. Mix gently together and then add the raisins. Fill muffin tin. Cook at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Garlic Bread with a Kick

2008-03-05T09:12:00.002-06:00

My family loves garlic bread. I usually mix a couple cloves with some softened butter, split a small loaf of sourdough bread lengthwise, spread the butter and then sprinkle a little bit of paprika. Then I wrap it in foil, and bake it for 15 minutes at 425 or 450.

This time I was in a hurry, but thought I had done everything properly. However, when it came time to eat it, my son refused because he said it was too spicy. After I tasted it, I realized that I added cayenne instead of paprika! I liked it and would do it again, except that I don't want to be the only person to eat it.

This is not the Platonic Form of Shortbread

2007-12-13T20:50:00.000-06:00

When making shortbread one should never use this recipe:

1 Cup butter
2 C + 3T flour
1/2 C. sugar
1 egg

Yes, I know that shortbread does not have egg in it. Nevertheless, due to inattention, it found its way in. I don't think the cookies would have tasted any better without the egg though. They had a general lack of flavor which probably would have been remedied with a little salt and more sugar. Oh, well. Happy Boy loved them and gobbled about five of them down when I was distracted on the phone.

Thai Pesto

2007-12-07T14:49:00.000-06:00

A friend came over for lunch today and we had Thai Pesto. It was very good and very easy with a food processor. I didn't put as much chili sauce in it in case it was too spicy, but I think that next time I will add it all because I think it could have had more kick. This isn't summertime (although it feels like it today) but this would be a great summer meal or side dish.

For those of you who don't like Asian food, here is a tip: fix yourself a grilled cheese sandwich. That is what my husband did and he said his lunch was better than ours. :)

Cranberry Jello

2007-11-27T21:18:00.000-06:00

Here is the recipe my husband uses for his Thanksgiving cranberry dish.

1 lb Cranberries
2 C. Orange juice
1/2 C. honey
2 Tb. plain gelatin
Grated rind of one orange (optional)
1 20 oz. can of crushed pineapple
1/2 Pint Whipping cream
1 C chopped walnuts

Boil cranberries in orange juice until berries pop. Add honey and gelatin; let mixture cool. Add orange rind, pineapple, and nuts. Whip cream and fold it into the jello. Pour mixture into a mold and refrigerate to set.

My comments:

Since cranberries now come in 12 ounce packages instead of 16 ounce ones, my husband sometimes takes extra from a second bag and sometimes he does the math to reduce everything by25%.

In all the times we have made this since we've been married about half the time we have had trouble with the gelatin. If we just dump in the gelatin part of it turns into inedible globs and is hard to remove before eating. Dissolving it in water didn't work very well, either, and if you do that you need to reduce the orange juice by the amount of water that is used. What has worked best is me constantly stirring the pot while he sprinkles the gelatin over the sauce. Also, since the gelatin we have comes in packages it is hard to measure in tablespoons. Last time he used 2.5 packages for 12 ounces of berries* and it worked out well.

When I said something to my mother-in-law about this recipe she said that she didn't like it because it was too greasy with the cream and that she only makes it because her children all like it so much. Neither my husband or I have ever noticed any greasiness, but if that sort of fat bothers you, you probably could use Cool Whip. What I have noticed, however, is that it is very acidic. I didn't notice that this year but, unlike most other Christmases, I am not pregnant and when I am pregnant I am very sensitive to acid.

Finally, we have never used a mold for this. A glass bowl works fine, and if you don't have that then I guess use plastic. For some reason I am under the impression that stainless steel wouldn't work very well.

Enjoy!

* He just told me that this time he used 12 ounces of berries but kept all the other ingredients the same just to see if it would work this way. I guess it did.

Thanksgiving Questions

2007-11-16T17:00:00.000-06:00

In the combox of my other blog, Mrs. Bear asks some questions about Thanksgiving so I thought I would answer them here instead. (This being a food blog and all.)

Hey, do you bake pies?

Yes! I rarely have made a pie that requires two crusts, but I do make pies. The first year I was married I made my own crusts. Then I read a statement by someone who called herself a chef who said that the taste difference between store bought crusts and homemade is barely perceptible. I started buying the crusts and last year realized that they just do not taste good. So if I make a pie this year I will make it 100% and not just the filling.

And what are your views on cranberry sauce?

My views on cranberry sauce are Will Rogers-esque: I have never met a cranberry sauce I didn't like. To my shame, that even includes the canned stuff. The year I celebrated Thanksgiving with Flannery she made a fantastic cranberry relish where the berries didn't even need to be cooked. I asked her for the recipe but am still waiting. . . My mother always made the cranberry sauce recipe on the back of the bag and my husband's family made a cranberry sauce jello with fresh cranberries, whipped cream, and several other yummy ingredients. He has made that each year since we got married, so I haven't bothered to make anything else.

And what kind of bread do you like for Thanksgiving? I am wondering if I should bake biscuits.

When I was a child I loved rolls with my Thanksgiving dinner. However, since I reached adulthood I have realized rolls with my dinner are one more starch in a heavily-starched meal so I have never had any sort of bread product. I think a lot of people serve it as a filler so that their guests won't eat as much of the other stuff. If I were making dinner for lots of people I would serve it (or have someone else bring it), but as long as we are just having small Thanksgivings I will do without bread or rolls. So I guess you need to think of whether the people you are serving will eat the biscuits, will they like them, will they be disappointed not to have them, or will they not even notice if they aren't there. Just my two cents. ;)

This One's for You, Mrs. Bear!

2007-11-08T22:31:00.000-06:00

I recently discovered a wonderful food blog called Organic Kitchen written by an Orthodox homeschooling mother of five. What I find so amazing about her blog is that most of the recipes she posts are things that my family actually eat.

Today's post is on her thoughts regarding the fast before Christmas and is accompanied by her menu for the fast. If you (read "Mrs. Bear") fast during this season it might be a great resource. I am looking forward to referencing it quite a bit when Lent rolls along.

Exploring the Kitchen

2007-10-20T18:28:00.001-05:00

For a while now Happy Boy has been randomly saying "I like sugar." I think it comes from him wanting something sweet and my husband or I telling him, "No I don't want you having sugar." Then he would tell us that he liked it.

Today I found him with a teaspoon eating sugar out of the sugar container. Later I found him doing the same thing with the flour, which sits right next to the sugar in a similar container. He said, "This sugar no taste good." To top it off, just now I found him with a children's knife cutting and eating a stick of butter. Butter, sugar and flour go into lots of good things, I just never thought of eating them on their own.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate

2007-10-17T13:40:00.000-05:00

Why is that combination just so good? My husband loves peanut butter M&Ms and I have mentioned how I like this dessert. Matilda has repeatedly posted links to Puppy Chow and every time I click on it I think, "Yum! I need to try that." Peanut butter and chocolate make such a great couple, someone should right a cookbook devoted to them. Maybe someone already has, but I haven't been able to find it.

Tea Meme

2007-10-16T22:31:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Mrs. Bear, for this meme!

Your first cup, when do you drink it? Either while breakfast is cooking or with breakfast.

How many cups a day do you drink? During warmer months I don't drink any, but during the coldest months I probably have had up to five. Right now in October I drink two.

Teabag or leaf? I like both, but usually buy teabags because they seem to be cheaper.

Milk or sugar? None for herbal teas, milk for a couple black teas and both for most black teas.

Your favourite way of brewing? Pour a boiling kettle of water over the tea and set the timer for four minutes.

With whom do you prefer to enjoy your tea? Family or friends, but normally I am by myself.

Your favourite tea? At home either English Breakfast or Blackberry Sage. At a coffee shop it is chai. I just can't seem to make good chai at home.

Where do you prefer to drink your tea? At the computer or on the couch watching my children.

What does your favourite cup look like? Like this only red instead of green.

English Breakfast or Earl Grey? English Breakfast - I love it!

Favourite occupation while drinking tea? Talking with friends or reading blogs.

Formative tea experience? After my mom started homeschooling us, we would always have a tea break in the late morning in the winter. It was usually chamomile or raspberry. I have loved tea ever since, but didn't discover black tea until I was in college.

Incidentally, I have had to declare a moratorium on buying tea. I have so many different types that it will take a long, long time to use up. My poor husband has been very patient with my vice, but I know he would like to see my tea taking up only one shelf in the kitchen.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

2007-10-09T15:01:00.000-05:00

Every time I used to use a recipe that called for taco seasoning I would grumble. I don't buy that because it almost always has MSG in it. I would just add a little cumin and chili powder and be a little dissatisfied with the recipe. Not anymore. Now I have a taco seasoning recipe that I am very happy with so I thought I would share it.

Taco Seasoning

Place in blender or food processor:

¼ C. Flour
2 T. Chili powder
¼ C. Onion powder (I use onion flakes)
2 t. Garlic powder
2 t. Salt (I use less)
4 t. Paprika
½ t. Cayenne pepper (more if your family likes things HOT)
2 t. Cumin (I use more because I love cumin)
2 t. Oregano

Blend until mixed and powdery.

Store in airtight container. Three tablespoons equals one packet of commercial taco seasoning.

The Loveliness of Comfort Drinks

2007-09-29T13:31:00.000-05:00

The first weekend in autumn it starts to cool down my husband always says, "I'm cold. Let's have some cocoa." Then he gets out the saucepan and makes a scrumptious batch of hot chocolate. The recipe comes from his favorite cookbook. It is a wonderful treat he makes for us during the winter and my cleaning the pan is a small price to pay for it. :)

Hot Chocolate

4 C. Milk
¼ C. Powdered cocoa such as Hershey's (or use 2 squares of unsweetened baking cocoa, chopped)
¼ C. Sugar, or to taste
A pinch of salt
A dash of vanilla

Blend the dry ingredients with about ½ C milk over very low heat in a small saucepan, stirring until smooth. Stir in the rest of the milk, beating with a fork or wire whisk.

Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Add the vanilla, pour into cups and serve.

A Man's Cookbook

2007-09-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

When we got married a friend gave us How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. The friend's mother was a chef and highly recommended the book. Since both my husband and I enjoy cooking, we looked forward to trying the book out.

I like the book but my husband loves this book. It is always the first book he goes to when he is hunting down a new recipe. I have since found a couple other men who really enjoy this cookbook, and yet I have never heard a woman praise it as highly.

The only reason I can think of for this is that because Mark Bittman taught himself to cook, he knows and explains the basics in a way that men find appealing. He doesn't bog the book down in culinary profundity, but tells it like it is with a cut-and-dry-no-frills kind of way. This is pure speculation, so if there are any other theories I would love to hear them.

The Healthiest Cookies in the World

2007-09-22T09:21:00.000-05:00

Or so my husband bills them. He calls them such because they have no sugar, only ¼ cup of honey, and the only fat is from the peanut butter and the oats. Of course, the raisins and concentrate also raise the fructose level of the cookies.

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Mix these ingredients and bring to a boil:
¼ C. Honey
¼ C. Cocoa powder
¼ C. Orange juice concentrate
¾ C. Water
⅓-½ C. Raisins

Turn off stove and mix in:
⅓ -½ C. Peanut butter
½ tsp. Vanilla
2 ¾ C. Oats

Pat the mixture into a large pie pan, slice and enjoy.

Corn on the Cob

2007-09-16T22:05:00.000-05:00

I love corn on the cob, but always felt guilty lathering it with butter and salt. Not something my body needs.

Last summer we were invited over to dinner a some friends' home and they served us corn on the cob. They had recently gotten back from a honeymoon in Mexico where they were served corn on the cob with lime juice and sprinkled with chili powder. They loved that so much they served that to us.

Salt and butter step aside! That combination was so good that I have done it every time we have had corn this summer. In my opinion it tastes far better than the traditional salt and butter, and opinion aside, limes and chilis are far, far better for me than salt and butter.

In full disclosure though, my husband didn't care for it and will stick with the usual.

Rocky Road

2007-09-11T21:53:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe online a long time ago and liked it because it was so quick and easy. It is extremely sweet and rich so don't eat too much at once!

Rocky Road

2 C. chocolate chips
1 C. peanut butter
4 C. marshmallows

Heat chocolate chips and peanut butter in pan over a low heat until melted. Place chocolate chips in 9x9 inch pan and pour chocolate mixture over them. Stir thoroughly and enjoy.

N.B. This will be a very gooey dessert. If you would prefer it firmer, refrigerate for a couple hours before eating.

What's for Dinner: Chicken Ziti Casserole

2007-08-23T22:45:00.000-05:00

I was supposed to make dinner for a friend who recently had a baby, so today I went looking for a chicken casserole recipe that did not include any form of condensed soup. Those types of recipes always taste the same and aren't very healthy. I found this on Recipe Goldmine and we all enjoyed it.

Chicken Ziti Casserole

• 1 Jar spaghetti sauce
• 4 C. Cooked ziti (about 6 oz. uncooked)
• 1 ½ C. Cooked cubed chicken
• 1 C. Shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Stir together spaghetti sauce, cooked ziti, chicken and ½ cup mozzarella. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbling.

Makes 6 servings.

My comments:

Although I don't normally buy canned pasta sauce, this was the step that made the recipe super easy. The chicken and the pasta cooked at the same time and while they were cooking I shredded the cheese. My two-year old even asked for thirds! Definitely a hit.

What's for Dinner: Quick Fiesta Casserole

2007-05-31T21:27:00.000-05:00

This recipe came from one of the sample menus from Saving Dinner. It was the first time I tried it and we all liked it.

Quick Fiesta Casserole

•1 lb prepared black beans
• 1 8oz. jar salsa
• 2 tbs. taco sauce
• 2 tsp. each cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder
• 2 C. baked tortilla chips
• 1 C. low fat sour cream
• ½ C. sliced green onions
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 4 oz. cheddar cheese, low fat
• Shredded lettuce and taco sauce, if desired

Heat oven to 350°. In a skillet, stir in beans, salsa, 2 tbs. taco sauce, cumin, chili powder and garlic powder. Heat to a simmer; stirring occasionally. Place tortilla chips in un-greased 2 quart casserole. Top with bean mixture. Spread with sour cream. Sprinkle with onions, tomatoes and cheese. Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly, 20-30 minutes. Serve on bed of lettuce with extra chips and taco sauce if desired. Serves six.

My comments:

I started by cutting the recipe in half, but somewhere along the line forgot to halve the ingredients so ended up with more than I intended. I used canned beans instead of dried because I can never cook dried beans long enough for some reason. Instead of taco sauce I put in two tablespoons of my homemade taco seasoning along with a little water. I didn't have much hope of finding baked tortilla chips, but discovered a company that is advertising "New! Baked tortilla chips!" so I was able to used baked after all. I also broke the chips up slightly so that they wouldn't take up as much room in the pan. Finally, I only put sour cream on half because not all of us like it. Despite all these changes, my husband and I both agreed that it is something that we should try again sometime.

Easter Food

2007-04-03T21:43:00.000-05:00

Traditionally during Lent people gave up meat, sugar, dairy, eggs, and fat. When Easter rolled around people were able to use those ingredients for tasty, rich dishes.

Pascha is one of those dishes. It is a traditional Easter dish has everything "forbidden" in it (except meat), which is probably why it is called "Pascha" in the first place. It is a food that my husband's family has always had on the Easter table and wouldn't dream of omitting from the Paschal feast. They normally have it as a spread on Russian Kulich bread.

Pascha

1 whole egg
4 egg yolks
2 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 pounds ricotta cheese
1/2 pound sweet butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
1 cup blanched almonds, chopped
2 tablespoons grated orange rind

Beat the egg and the yolks until thick and lemon-colored.
Gradually add the sugar, and beat until the mixture is thick and
creamy.

Pour into a saucepan and add 1/2 cup of the cream.
Heat over medium-low heat, beating constantly, until the mixture begins
to thicken. Do not boil. Remove the pan from the heat and continue
beating until the mixture has cooled to lukewarm.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, butter, the other 1/2 cup of
cream and the vanilla. Cream until the mixture is smooth.

Add the egg mixture, then the fruits, almonds, and orange rind. Blend
thoroughly.

Chill overnight.

What Kind of Cake are You?

2007-03-18T22:12:00.000-05:00

You Are a Chocolate Cake

Fun, comforting, and friendly.
You are a true classic, and while you're not super cutting edge, you're high quality.
People love your company - and have even been known to get addicted to you.

What Kind of Cake Are You?

Yum!

More Grocery Bargains

2007-03-16T19:25:00.000-05:00

I was at Kroger this evening to pick up some pita bread. (I haven't been able to find pitas anywhere else, and I am just not up to trying to make them from scratch.) Since the pitas were near the produce I decided to see if there were any good deals to be had.

Were there ever. I was able to get more than seven pounds of organic bananas for 0.99 total. They were on the ripe side, but definitely not over ripe. That was a much better price than the non-organic bananas which were lime green.

Next, I noticed that all the berries were marked $2 a carton. (This may not be a good price where you live, but it is here.) When I inspected them, fully expecting them to be over ripe and slightly slimy, I saw some of the most beautiful berries outside of Whole Foods I have ever seen. I was able to get fresh blueberries, raspberries and blackberries for a great price. Normally I only look at the berries with longing, but today I was able to bring home a healthy treat for my family.

Just Checking In

2007-03-08T19:05:00.000-06:00

I don't have anything in particular to post, but I wanted to let you know that I haven't totally forgotten about this blog.

In other news, since it was a pretty warm day today, I decided to make this recipe which I posted a while ago. My husband still liked it and I was even able to get my son to eat it. Also, I recently found this muffin recipe which looks both healthy and delicious. The only thing keeping me from making it is that it makes 18 muffins instead of 12. I don't know what I could do with the extra batter.

Happy Birthday!

2007-02-13T19:19:00.000-06:00

On Sunday we celebrated my son's birthday. About a year ago I had seen on the Internet a ship cake and I thought I would try my hand at it. If you want to see it better you can click on the picture.

My husband made the cake and frosting and I "sculpted" and frosted it. All the guests were quite impressed. I thought it best not to mention that it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. Next time I will probably do better just because I will have more experience.

The ship was a chocolate cake with chocolate peanut butter frosting. Since we were having so many guests I also made a spice cake with cream cheese frosting. (I'll give the recipe in a future post. It was excellent!) It ended up being one of the situations where one cake wasn't enough but two cakes were way too much. We don't mind that!

Grocery Bargains

2007-01-30T20:24:00.000-06:00

I had such an exciting time at the grocery store this evening that I just had to relate my experience. :) Yes, I am a nerd to get excited about saving money on groceries.

I hate what our grocery bill often looks like and usually check out all the grocery circulars each week to see if there are any deals that work for my family. Oftentimes there are not, since we don't buy processed foods very much.

This week however, Kroger is having some sort of pre-Super Bowl sale where if one buys eight select Kraft or Nabisco products there is a seven dollar discount at checkout. Normally, the names Kraft and Nabisco scream processed foods, and sure enough, most of the select items are highly processed. However, one of the select items was Philadelphia Cream Cheese. They also had in on sale for one dollar a package.

For one dollar I was able to buy eight (8!) packages of cream cheese. One may ask, what does one do with that much cream cheese? Well, I wondered that myself for a brief instant, but then I had an answer. I have a very yummy cheesecake recipe that I want to make before Lent begins which calls for five bars of it. I will still have three left, and I know I will use one of them for something or other. Even if I never end up using the other two before they go bad, I will still have saved more than if I had bought the five bars on their own.

While I was at the store I also looked for the apples that were on sale. Though I couldn't find them, I did notice a sale on grapefruits for 33¢ each. I bought six of them. They brought the total for my grocery bill to $3. Three dollars for fourteen items. Even my husband was happy. He said, "Boy, they must have lost money on us." I guess that is why they call them "Loss leaders".

200 Calories

2007-01-27T17:11:00.000-06:00

A website that aptly labels itself the "Wise-geek" has put together a page of different foods and how much of each equals 200 calories. If the portion sizes in the pictures are accurate, it pains me to see that only 2/3 of a bagel qualifies, and yet two full glasses of Coca-cola meet that criteria. Give me a bagel any day over Coke. Blech!

I'm Back (for now)

2007-01-25T19:44:00.000-06:00

Well, after a six month hiatus, I have returned. Although the main reason I haven't posted has been due to laziness, the other reason is that I just haven't made any meals lately that are both particularly good and interesting.

I have been thinking about changing the theme of the blog to something more general so I can blog about family life, but as I write this, I think I will just create a new blog which will allow me to do that.

What's for Dinner: Super Salad

2006-07-15T22:23:00.000-05:00

I have a friend who calls a green salad with lots of toppings a "super salad." I thought I would take a page from her book and give that name to the dinner we had the other night.

As I said before, it is just too hot to cook. It is not unusual for the temperature in our home to rise 10 degrees if I am using both the stove and the oven. Given that our A/C is already working overtime and that I don't want heat radiating up at me as I stand over the stove, I prefer the no-cook, no-unnecessary-heat meals.

So here's what I put in this salad:

• Several leaves of green leaf lettuce (if one was measuring probably about six cups of shredded)
• Half a large cucumber, diced
• One large tomato, diced
• One stalk of celery, chopped
• One bell pepper, diced
• Two carrots, julienned
• Two hard boiled eggs, sliced
• Some dried basil sprinkled over it (fresh would work better)

Other potential toppings could be green onion, red onion, olives, croutons, artichoke, asparagus, avocado, tuna, shrimp, beans, cheese, some sort of fruit, or anything else that strikes one's fancy.

Each person put their salad dressing of choice on after they had dished up. I just used balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

My overall opinion on this was that it was worth all the chopping not to make the house any warmer. My husband said that it was "good but would have been better with cheddar cheese shredded on top."

Romaine Salad with Lime-Garlic Dressing

2006-07-09T22:35:00.000-05:00

I found this salad recipe at Orangette. She always has excellent recipes there. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks so yummy! Romaine lettuce is my favorite for salads (although I do like a combination of lettuces, too) and the dressing sounds wonderful.

Summer Romaine Salad with Lime-Garlic Dressing

For dressing:
3 Tbs plus 1 tsp fresh lime juice
5 Tbs good-tasting olive oil
¼ tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp fine sea salt

For salad:
Romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and cut with a chef’s knife into rough ½-inch strips
Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
Slivered red onion
Greek feta

First, make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, combine the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Whisk until emulsified, and set aside.

In a salad bowl, combine romaine, cherry tomatoes, and red onion in whatever proportions you like. Toss with dressing to taste, and top with plenty of feta. Serve.

Note: Dressing keeps, covered and chilled, for up to a week.

Beverage Update

2006-07-02T20:11:00.000-05:00

Well, we tried the strawberry margaritas with gin instead of tequila and they were quite refreshing. We didn't have any fresh mint so we had to make do with dried. My only quibble with the recipe is that it says it makes 5 cups. That is only if one wrongly assumes that one cup of frozen watermelon is the same as one cup of blended watermelon.

We also tried this frappuccino recipe because it was the only one for which we had all the ingredients on hand. (We had to make chocolate sauce.) It was excellent! We made it a second time and it wasn't as good, probably because we added too much ice.

Watermelon-Mint Margaritas

2006-06-24T14:51:00.000-05:00

Someone pointed me to this recipe on Southern Living. Although I haven't tried it yet, one of the things that makes it looks appealing is that it specifies that it can be made without alcohol. My husband doesn't care for tequila, but he will still be able to try this recipe. Another thing that looks great about it is that with the watermelon and fresh mint it has such wonderful summertime ingredients.

Watermelon-Mint Margarita Recipe

Prep: 10 min., Freeze: 4 hrs. Use leftover watermelon to make this slushy summer drink.

4 cups seeded and chopped watermelon
Fresh lime juice
Sugar
1/2 cup tequila*
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lime rind
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
Garnish: fresh mint sprig

1. Place watermelon in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze 4 hours or until firm.

2. Coat rims of cocktail glasses with lime juice; dip in sugar.

3. Process frozen watermelon, tequila, and next 4 ingredients in a blender until slushy. Pour into glasses. Garnish, if desired.

*1/2 cup orange or apple juice may be substituted for tequila.

Yield: Makes 5 cups

Starbucks Frappuccinos

2006-06-22T10:42:00.000-05:00

Although neither my husband or I are coffee drinkers, we both like an occasional frappuccino from Starbucks. Between the milk, sugar, and chocolate or caramel syrup, the coffee flavor is diminished enough to enjoy it.

Given, however, that these cost more than three dollars each it is a rare treat for us. The blogger at It's Just Money was also lamenting the cost. He linked to this nifty site where they have a basic frap recipe as well as several Starbucks recipes which can be downloaded as an ebook. Similar recipes can be found here.

The best imitation frap site looks like it can be found at GourmetSleuth.com. It has a large collection of imitation Starbucks recipes which include other drinks and sweets that either are or have been sold there. I am sure that with all these options, my husband will be happy running the blender to taste test some of them.

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

2006-06-17T15:57:00.000-05:00

As I have mentioned before, my husband and I don't eat meat every day. This is for two reasons: 1) Meat is expensive but for the most part vegetables, beans, and pasta are not, and 2) I have a very strong family history of heart disease and my husband has also had some heart problems in his family, so we want to do what we can to counteract this.

Because our meals are often meatless, I am always on the lookout for good (and usable, which is hard in this household) vegetarian recipes. One great resource I have found is Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. It was created by chefs at the famous vegetarian Moosewood Restaurant specifically for people cooking at home who don't have the time or the access to ingredients that a full-time chef would have.

I haven't used it as much as I would like because it is a library book. Every time I go to check it out again someone else has it. That is a good indication of how popular that book is.

Snobby Yet Ubiquitous

2006-06-14T14:16:00.000-05:00

I guess a love for cheese and chocolate makes me a snob. Oh, well, that is the price I have to pay for enjoying the finer things of life. It's too bad the quiz didn't mention anything about wine, because that is something that goes well with all French food.

You Are French Food

Snobby yet ubiquitous.
People act like they understand you more than they actually do.

What Kind of Food Are You?

HT: Julie D.

What's For Dinner: Greek Wraps

2006-06-13T14:43:00.000-05:00

When it is 99º for a week straight one really doesn't feel like cooking or eating a lot of hot, heavy food. It has always astounded me to have dinner at someone's house when it is over ninety and they serve something like soup or chicken pot pie. (One time the family didn't even have A/C!) Don't they realize that foods like that are perfect for winter because they warm us (and the house) up, and horrible for summer for precisely the same reason?

What makes this dish so perfect is that there is no cooking involved! All that is required is lots of chopping. And since it is vegetarian, that also makes it a lighter meal.

Greek Wraps

1 large cucumber, peeled and diced (between 1½ and 2 cups)
2 large tomatoes, diced (about 1½ cups)
1 bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup red onion
½ cup sliced or diced olives (any color)
1 can garbanzo or black beans, rinsed and drained
½ - 2/3 cup feta cheese (optional)
2 tablespoons balsalmic vinegar
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
6-8 tortillas or wraps, depending on size
6-8 leaves of lettuce

Mix all ingredients except tortillas and lettuce. Add mixture and lettuce to wrap. Fold up and enjoy.

My comments:

The original recipe called for garbanzo beans, but my husband doesn't care for them so I used black beans instead. Also, one could use pitas instead of wraps. I haven't tried this, but I bet that the mixture would be good with corn added as well.

The mixture would make a good salad as a side dish to some sort of grilled meat. In fact, when we ate the leftovers we were out of tortillas, so we just had the mixture as salad for lunch.

Nifty Crockpot Blog

2006-06-07T22:25:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon a site called Slow Cooker Recipes. Unfortunately, it looks like they don't update their blog very often, but hopefully when they do it will be good.

I love the idea of crockpots, but I have a couple objections to the majority of recipes available.

First, almost all the recipes I have seen call for large portions of meat, such as a roast, or a whole chicken. Both for financial and for health reasons, when we eat meat it normally is mixed with other food, such as a pasta dish, casserole or stir-fry. Rarely do we ever have large portions of meat, but that seems to be the norm if one uses the crock pot.

Secondly, many recipes call for convenience ingredients which are expensive and/or unhealthy, such as canned cream of mushroom soup or some sort of soup mix. Sometimes I can substitute a homemade version, but the point of having a crockpot is not to have to do a lot of cooking. Having to take the time to make one of the ingredients defeats the purpose of having a crockpot in the first place.

What's for Dinner: Kebabs

2006-06-04T08:28:00.000-05:00

Last night we had kebabs for dinner. No, I have no idea what the difference between that and a shish kebab is.

The wonderful thing about kebabs is that they are so versatile. They can be all meat, all vegetables, all fruit, or a combination of these. Fruit kebabs, though, are usually a dessert food and not for dinner. I have heard of kebabs with shrimp, lamb, pork, even hot dogs. There are so many vegetables that can go on them, and even though I normally like veggies, they seem to taste even better grilled on a stick. The possibilities are endless: bell peppers; mushrooms; tomatoes; white, yellow or red onion; zucchini, potato; pineapple; garlic; mango; etc.

A great thing about these is that you can tailor make them for picky eaters. For example, last night someone didn't like mushrooms and someone else didn't care for red onion. All I had to do was leave those things off some of them and substitute another vegetable instead.

We could have marinated the beef a little longer, but it still turned out very well. The marinade was simply crushed garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.

Mocha Brownies

2006-06-02T22:56:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe on Recipe*zaar and decided to try it because it is something that I have done before (brownies) and something new (mocha flavored). It was rated extremely well, which was added incentive since sometimes one has to be cautious about unrated or low rated recipes.

These turned out to be very moist and while the mocha flavor was definitely there, it wasn't too strong either. Most people who tried them thought them to be very good.

Mocha Brownies with Coffee Frosting

½ cup shortening
½ cup butter
1 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon hot water
4 teaspoons instant coffee
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt

Frosting
½ cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 ½ tablespoons milk
2-3 teaspoons instant coffee

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Grease a 13x9 inch pan.
2. Melt shortening and butter over low heat or in the microwave.
3. Remove from heat and add cocoa, blend well.
4. Add sugar and mix well.
5. Dissolve instant coffee in hot water and mix into creamed mixture.
6. Add eggs one at a time, beat well, by hand, after each addition.
7. Stir in vanilla, flour, and salt.
8. DO NOT OVER BEAT!
9. Bake 25-30 minutes.
10. Cool completely before frosting.
11. For frosting, cream butter and vanilla.
12. Add powdered sugar and mix in well on medium speed.
13. Dissolve instant coffee in milk and add to mixture.
14. Beat on high until light and fluffy.

Potluck Dessert

2006-06-01T21:23:00.000-05:00

Tonight is the last night of classes before my husband gets his M.A. Tomorrow his professor is throwing a party at his place and has requested that we bring a dessert. Now, I love opportunities like this to try new and exciting recipes. My husband, on the other hand, hates me trying new things because he is afraid it might not turn out well, or worse, he might not like it.

So here I am, trying to comb the Internet and my cookbooks, trying to find something that is a) something he will like, b) something that has a good chance of turning out well and c) has chocolate in it, because, in case you haven't guessed, we have a propensity for it. I will post what I have decided on when I am done sleuthing.

Joy of Cooking

2006-05-27T15:03:00.000-05:00

This cookbook is one of the most comprehensive cookbooks available. Often it is called the "Bible" of cooking. Although it includes an extremely wide variety of recipes, what makes this book so good is its explanation of cooking techniques. It also explains the background of the recipes and the proper way to follow it. For example, rather than listing all the ingredients and then telling the reader the instructions, it says first to bring all ingredients to room temperature, then beat two eggs, cream with a cup of butter, etc. For some recipes this can be pedantic, but for more difficult ones it makes the difference between a mediocre and a fantastic dish.

Wikipedia also has a brief, but interesting article on Joy of Cooking. You can get the classic Joy or the new version at Amazon.

What's For Dinner: Tamale Pie

2006-05-25T18:14:00.000-05:00

This is one of my husband's favorite meals. It combines all his favorite ingredients except pasta. The only problem I have with it is the prep time. Today it took me an hour to get everything done before it went in the oven, and that's not counting clean-up. I did use frozen hamburger, though, so that added a little bit of cooking time.

Tamale Pie

½ pound ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
1 and ½ cups whole kernel corn
½ cup pitted ripe olives, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder
Dash of pepper

***

6 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1½ cups)
¾ cup yellow cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups cold water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Cook meat, onion, and green pepper in a large skillet till meat is lightly browned and vegetables are tender. Stir in tomato sauce, corn, olives, garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer 20 to 25 minutes, or until thick. Add cheese; stir till melted. Turn into greased 9x9x2-inch baking dish.

Cornmeal Topper: Stir cornmeal and ½ teaspoon salt into cold water. Cook and stir till thick. Add olive oil; mix well. Spoon over hot meat mixture.

Bake casserole in moderate oven (375°) about 40 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

My comments:

I made the filling in a cast iron pan, so instead of using a casserole dish, I just poured the corn batter on top and put the whole pan in the oven. The presentation isn't as nice, but it makes clean-up easier.

I used only about 1/3 pound ground beef because I don't think that small difference matters very much.

I used frozen corn, but drained canned corn would work as well.

You can substitute butter for the olive oil.

Depending on your tastes, you should be able to use less salt.

The original recipe called for American cheese instead of cheddar, but both my husband and I don't care for it.

Plato's Kitchen

2006-05-25T17:44:00.000-05:00

For several months now I have been wanting to begin a food and cooking blog. The Internet has been a great resource for broadening my recipe collection and sometimes they are so good that I want to share them with others. Also, there are times when I find an article or blog post to be interesting or helpful and think others will benefit from them as well.

As for the title, I debated on whether I should name it after Plato. On one hand, the Platonic recipe is the best recipe, but on the other, Plato criticized "cookery" in the Gorgias because he considered it a skill harmful to one's health. I opted for the former because I hope that most of my recipes will be nourishing rather than harmful, as well as tasty enough to be a worthy contender for the Platonic forms. (Don't worry: that doesn't mean that I won't include a dessert every now and then!)