i_cant_lose's Xanga

Pico de Gallo

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:28:47 GMT

9 roma tomatoes (remove juice, seeds, and guts and dice)

1/4 sweet onion (diced finely)

1 jalapenos (carefully remove seeds and dice finely)

red bell pepper (dice enough to make 3 T)

1/4 tsp seasoned salt

crushed garlic (2 cloves)

14.5 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes

juice from one lime

fresh cilantro (dice enough to make 4 T)

Combine all ingredients and put in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 4 hrs to let flavors marinade.

Tamale Pie

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:39:02 GMT

I have been wanting to try making Tamales but I haven't gotten around to shopping at the Latin Market for banana leaves or corn husks yet. The McCormick corn husks at walmart had black mold spots on them so I said pass on that. So I used Masa Harina as a crust and made a Tamale Pie today. It was good. I think next time I will double the recipe.

1/3 cup Masa Harina
1/2 cup water

Mix flour and water until a ball is formed, add more water a teaspoon at a time if necessary. My flour is old so I may have had to use extra water because of that. The bag said 1/4 cup would be sufficient.

Top with:

Refried beans

Cheese

Next time I will also layer:

browned hamburger with Taco Seasoning

and black olives

I sprayed a square baking pan with cooking spray, pressed the masa harina dough into the bottom to form a thin crust. Then I baked that at 350 for about 5 minutes. I poured the beans over it, covered with cheese, and returned to the oven for 20 minutes.

Good stuff. :)

Buttermilk Applesauce Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:44:54 GMT

Next time I make this I will split it between atleast 2 loafs and still bake it an extra 10 minutes or so. This was my first attempt at using sourdough in one of my favorite non-sourdough recipes. The dough turned out real good. It was just the loaf rose really high while baking and made a huge sticky carmalized cinnamon sugar volcano which errupted in my oven.

2 cups sourdough starter

1/2 cup warm buttermilk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 egg, room temperature

1/4 cup applesauce

4 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons yeast

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup raisins

Directions

Feed your entire starter and leave out 4 hrs in warm place until frothy and bubbly and warmed through. Measure 2 cups starter, put it in bread machine pan or kitchen aid bowl. (Feed your remaining starter and let proof again before returning to refrigerator.)

Add all ingredients up to yeast. If using breadmachine, run through the dough cycle but remove before it rests to rise. If using mixer, mix until dough forms, and knead with hook 5 minutes or until silky. (I have a non-sourdough breadmachine recipe that lets the dough rise so I don't think letting it rise and rest at this point is a problem if you need to.)

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface into a rectangle.

Spread with softened or melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisin mixture.

Roll up tightly, as for cinnamon rolls.

Moisten edge with water and seal.

Place in greased loaf pan (s), cover and let rise until double.

Be patient, as rising time is totally dependent on your starter and how active it is. (2-4 hours depending on room temperature)

Uncover and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Brush top(s) with butter.

Remove from pan and cool on rack.

Note: You can make this into one large loaf, or several mini loaves. Or cinnamon rolls.

If you make rolls then you have to glaze them with this:

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Sourdough Rye Bread

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:48:48 GMT

I am trying this recipe now (from Recipezaar.com). It should be less dense with a similar flavor. I also thought maybe my rye flour being old may have effected the rise I got out of it. So now all my old rye is gone and the next time I make a loaf I will have fresh, so I will update with info on if that made a difference.

Ingredients

1 cup sourdough starter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups rye flour

1 1/4 cups warm water

1 (2 1/4 teaspoon) packet active dry yeast

2 3/4 cups flour (wheat and-or-white)

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons caraway seed

1 T dried onion flakes

Directions

Combine starter, rye flour, and one cup of the water in a large bowl; stir to blend; if you'd like an extra-sour flavor, cover mixture with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place 6-24 hours (I let mine go twelve hours) until bubbly and sour, even boozy, smelling.
Combine yeast and remaining water in small bowl; let stand about 5 minutes until foamy; stir into sourdough mixture; add whole-wheat flour, 1 3/4 cups of the all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, onion and caraway seeds; stir (in KitchenAid stand mixer on low speed) until dough comes together.
Knead 9-10 minutes (in KitchenAid stand mixer on speed #2) until dough is smooth and springy; add cornmeal, a tablespoon or two at a time during the kneading process as necessary to reduce excess stickiness (this particular dough will remain somewhat sticky); cover and let rise about 1 - 1 1/2 hours in a warm place until doubled.
Punch down dough and knead a few strokes to release air; shape into a round loaf and place on a baking stone or a greasing baking sheet; cover loaf lightly and allow to rise about 30 minutes until almost doubled.
Cut a couple small slashes about 3/4" deep on top of loaf; spray loaf with water and bake at 425° for 9 minutes, spraying loaf after 3, 6, and 9 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 400° and bake another 20-25 minutes until loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom; transfer finished loaf to cooling rack.

I am giving this bread a try. It didn't raise after 8 hours. So I added the following:

1/3 cup warm water
2 tsp yeast
pinches of sugar

1/3 cup wheat flour
1/3 cup sourdough starter
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup white flour
1 Tbl dried onion flakes (mmm)

Now I am going to wait another 4 hours to see if it takes or if I have created a really big brick of wasted flour.

///UPDATE///

This made the most perfect bread you ever tasted in your entire life. I ate it with mustard and a side of sauerkraut. Only next time I will put the yeast in first thing in the morning and also only make one loaf of bread. Putting it in two bread pans made two half sized loaves, but maybe the rise will be better next time when the yeast isn't put in 8 hrs later as a rescue attempt. I'll let you know.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup rye flour
1/2 cup bread flour
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup water
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon caraway seed
1 cup rye flour
1 cup bread flour
1 cup sourdough starter
1/2 cup water (optional)
1 teaspoon salt (optional)

The night before you want to bake the bread, feed the starter with 1 cup rye flour, 1/2 cup bread flour, and 2/3 cup water. Cover, and let stand at room temperature overnight.
In a large bowl, mix together expanded starter, 1/4 cup water, salt, sugar, oil, seeds, and 1 cup each rye and bread flour. Add more or less flour as necessary to get a soft dough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until satiny. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn once to oil the surface. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled.
Punch down dough, and shape into loaves. Place on a greased baking sheet. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom.
Alternate baking method for chewier, salty crust: Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup water and 1 teaspoon salt. Remove loaves from oven and brush crust with salt water. Continue baking for 25 minutes more, brushing at 10 minute intervals.

Perfect Mexican Rice

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:55:39 GMT

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 small to medium chopped onion

1 celery spear, chopped

1 28-oz can whole tomatoes

1 small can green chillies

1 cup water

Fry rice, onions, and celery over medium-high heat in olive oil until rice begins to brown. Meanwhile, stir in seasonings. Once rice is browned nicely, add tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is soft. Allow to sit a few minutes, fluff with fork, serve.

Wheat flour tortillas

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:49:26 GMT

I made these all the time as a teenager, only I've added some wheat flour (it has nutrients, Nacho) to the recipe.

2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
3 Tbl olive oil (healthiest), shortening, or lard (tastiest)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup boiling water
all-purpose flour for rolling

Cut shortening into flour with 2 butter knifes or a whisk or I use the wire whisk fixture on my kitchen aid. Add salt, mix in. Add water and knead together until you get a thick dough, you may need another Tbl or so. Form into 8 golf-ball-sized balls. Let sit at room temperature for 1-8 hours. Roll out to desired thickness, heat a frying pan, and cook dry over medium to medium-high heat. When bubbles form, flip and heat the opposite side. This should take between 30-60 seconds per side. Wrap tortillas seperately between paper towels or brown paper to keep moist and soft. If not serving right away, store in refridgerator in plastic wrap.

Approx 135 calories per tortilla.

Yield: 8 tortillas

TOP SECRET Taco Seasoning

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:40:06 GMT

Use this instead of those high sodium, waste of money Taco Seasoning packets you can get at any grocery store. I have made taco meat without the corn starch or water and it was good too.

1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon teaspoon kosher, sea, or table salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tsp corn starch
2/3 cup water

Mix all dry ingredients together. Brown 1 lb meat of choice. Drain and rinse off fat. Return to frying pan, add mix and stir in water. Bring to a boil, turn down to medium and allow simmer until thickened.

Simple Chickpea Salad

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:50:55 GMT

1 15-ounce can chickpeas (3/4 cup dry, soaked and cooked), drained and rinsed
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 ½ tsp. olive oil
A pinch of salt
¼ cup shredded italian cheeses or dry parmesan

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and stir gently to mix. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve immediately, or chill, covered, until serving.

Mmmm, good stuff, Maynard!

Spinach Mushroom Lasagna

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:28:17 GMT

///UPDATE/// The leftovers tasted pretty good warmed up with marinara sauce poured over them.

I combined a lasagna recipe from theveggietable.com with my favorite alfredo sauce recipe from allrecipes.com to make this dish. I tripled (as updated below) all the ingredients and had 1/16th of the pan as a serving. I was stuffed and couldn't finish it, but alfredo and portobellos is Damon's favorite sauce. It's too much cheese for me to digest and loaded with calories but definately a heavy comfort food for a man's belly! There was a strange sweet taste to the lasagna that I couldn't place. I don't know if it was my choice of noodles or if it was the carrots.

Alfredo Sauce:

1/2 cup butter

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 cups milk

6 ounces grated italian cheese blend (romano, parmesan, mozarella)

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Lasagna:

10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed

1 T olive oil

1-½ c onion, diced

1-½ c carrots, shredded or diced

1-½ c portobella mushrooms, sliced

2 c ricotta cheese

1 c fat free cottage cheese

1 t oregano

salt

1 t pepper

3 c Alfredo sauce (See above recipe)

½ pound oven-ready lasagna noodles

16 oz package mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions

Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

Heat oil, add onion, carrots, and mushrooms, and sauté, stirring frequently, until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the spinach: if using fresh, wash, pat dry, de-stem (optional), and chop. If using frozen, thaw, drain, and squeeze out excess water.

Combine vegetables, spinach, ricotta cheese, oregano, a dash of salt, and pepper in the bowl. Set aside. In a second bowl, combine cottage cheese and half of mozarella cheese, set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

Spread about ½ c of sauce in bottom of the baking dish. Line with lasagna noodles, then spread about half of the spinach mixture on the noodles. Add ½ c sauce, then another layer of noodles, then all of the cottage cheese mixture. Repeat with sauce, noodles, and spinach. Top with the rest of the sauce, then sprinkle with mozzarella.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes. Turn off oven, remove cover, and leave lasagna in warm oven for another 15 minutes, until brown and bubbly. Let stand for a few minutes, and serve.

Brain foods for kids

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 04:48:46 GMT

Eggs
Oatmeal
Strawberries
Whole wheat bread
Milk
Fruit (kids can't concentrate when constipated)
Water (dehydrated kids are lethargic)
Raisin bran & whole grain cereals
LEAN BEEF
*Huge variety in fresh fruits and veggies

http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/brain-foods-your-kids-need/4e5b9c777f803110VgnVCM20000012281eac____/nutrition.recipes/nutrition.basics/kids.nutrition/0/