Mega Meal Day(s) New Dietary Challenges

I got the urge to make Chicken Pot Pie for dinner a week or so ago.  The recipe I have makes a huge batch, big enough that I always made two and froze one for another day.  Now that it is just the Gourmet Guy and I at home I usually cut it in half and still make two and freeze one for another day.  I decided that I would make the full recipe and freeze a couple for us and some small ones for my Mother-in-law.  Simply doing that put me in the mood to make some meals ahead and freeze them for my daughter in Idaho who is having a baby at the end of the month.  Since they don't live half way across the country anymore I can take them to her frozen and not have to do all of the work while I am there. Instead I and can play with the Grand kids and snuggle the newborn and not be in the kitchen all of the time, except for that days meals.  She will have eight meals for days when she just needs to pull one out of the freezer, and as mom of three small children and a newborn she will need them.

 

NEW DIETARY CHALLENGES

Over the years we have had favorite meals as a family. Recently we have had new challenges that have caused us to rethink some of our recipes.  We have a  dairy allergy, gluten intolerance, and most recently a severe nut allergy that gave us quite a scare, as well as diabetes!!!! Actually the nut allergy was one we were aware of but it was hidden in with another ingredient and caused a life threatening experience.  We have to read labels much better than we have ever before and she will have to stay away from bakeries in general from now on. Preparing meals for all twenty three, with the newest addition is going to be more and more of a challenge! As I had these mega cooking and days I had to alter some of the ingredients and my taste buds were put to the test.

 

 Using:

10 lbs of potatoes

1 med bag of carrots

4 stalks of celery

5 onions, diced

1 medium bag of frozen mixed vegetables

6 14.5 cans of beef broth

4 14.5 cans of chicken broth

3 4 oz. mushrooms

6 4 oz. cans tomato sauce (what I keep in my storage)

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

2 10 3/4 cans tomato soup

4 10 3/4 cans cream of chicken soup

1 quart tomatoes, home canned

1 pint tomatoes, home canned

3 sleeves of Ritz crackers

4 c. sour cream

1 lb. butter

 

After two days of cooking (I kind of went crazy)  I ended up with 20 meals, 7 mini meals and 

3 1/2 dozen cinnamon rolls. Part of the meals were non dairy. My Mother-in-law took home 9 mini meals this morning when she left our home.

 

After loading my freezer I realized I was able to share with some others in my neighborhood and took some of the warm cinnamon rolls to five families and three meals as well.  It was great fun!  Now to finish putting away Christmas decorations.  I would rather be cooking!!!!!!

Canning-Peach Pit Jelly

I love fresh peaches and only wish they would stay in season and fresh a little bit longer! I love to make fresh peach pies, they are simply the best of the fresh fruit pies in my opinion. The pie was one of my very first blogs. There are other ways to preserve peaches and I love the peach pit jelly because the flavor is so good.

After bottling peaches for storage the first time my husband suggested that we use the pits to make jelly. I am sure that my mouth dropped to the floor after all aren’t peach pits full of arsenic? He said this was done by the pioneers in an effort to make use of everything they had. I was curious so we made it and I fell in love with it. You simply keep the WHOLE pits of the peaches as you bottle them in a separate bowl and cover with water, the pits will have remnants of the fruit on them. In a large saucepan cover the pits with water and bring just to a boil, let cool. Measure out enough water to equal 1 qt. discard the pits and save the juice.

Peach Pit Jelly

1 box powdered pectin
3 c. sugar
3-4 c. peach pit liquid

Dissolve the sugar and pectin into the liquid. Bring to a boil and it starts to thicken. Pour into clean jars and seal.

The pits or "stones" leave a little bit of the fruit on them. The more color the fruit has the more vibrant the color of the jelly is.

Pecan Pie

I am married to the most wonderful man. I can never begin to express how much I love him and everything he does and stands for. The only request he had for Thanksgiving is Pecan Pie and believe me it was one of the first things on my list that I wanted to make.

Pecan Pie

3 eggs, beaten

1/3 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt

1/3 c. butter, melted,

1 c. corn syrup

1 c. pecan halves, or if you want them mixed in broken pieces

Preheat oven to 375. Mix sugar, eggs, salt, butter, and corn syrup together. Add broken pecans if we want them mixed into the custard. Pour into a prepared pie crust, if you want the pecans on top place them around the top of the mixture in a circular pattern. Bake for 40-50 minutes until set. Serve warm.

(pie can be frozen for up to three months.)

Pork Pot Pie/ Yummy left overs

Our Sunday Pork Roast dinner left us with plenty of meat to make several different meals. I made extra gravy to use in the pie but got carried away making the mashed potatoes and forgot to leave some for the pie. So I peeled 3 large potatoes and cubed them in 1/2 inch cube sizes and cooked them.

While the potatoes cooked I diced a medium onion and minced a clove of garlic and sauteed them in butter until they turned translucent.
Once the potatoes are fork tender drain and mix with the onion and garlic.

I took half of the left over pork roast and cut into bite sized pieces, added 3/4 of a 16 oz. bag of frozen mixed vegetables and a 4 oz. can of mushrooms (drained) and 1 t. salt.

With some of the left over gravy I blended the vegetables and meat together

and turned into a prepared pie crust (use can use frozen ones too!)

topped it with another crust and cut air vents into it.

In a preheated 475 degree oven bake until golden brown about 20-25 minutes

Serve hot!

There was still enough meat to make Pork Enchiladas Verde (already published) and another undetermined meal. This roast was so good and great for the budget.

Pie Crust

When I was growing up I can remember when my Mom would try to make pie crusts and she always got frustrated and threw them away. As a result I thought that they were such a hard thing to do that I never would be able to master it myself. After I got married I made a pie for my sweetie, the worst pie I have ever made or tasted so I was convinced that it was an art I wouldn't learn. My Mother-in-law showed me a few months later how to make a pie crust. Since that time I have never been afraid of making them. Here are a few tips that I have found make it much easier.

After making the dough place on top of wax paper and flatten slightly.

The wax paper should be long enough so that you can fold it over to be on both sides of the dough and give it enough room to expand as you roll it out.

The wax paper allows you to roll it out without making a mess of your counter or rolling pin.
It also allows you to see how big the crust is to fit your pie plate.


When you get it to the size you want gently pull the wax paper away and fold over to put into the pie plate.

Gently unfold into the pie plate.

Trim to fit and create a nice edge.

Pie Crust

1/3 c. plus 1 T. shortening
1 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
2-3 T .cold water
(Double for two crust)

To roll out the top start with a fresh piece of wax paper!

Fresh Peach Pie- revisited

It has been a year since I started this blog and this recipe is one of my first posts but I decided that I wanted to redo it with some better pictures. This is my very favorite pie of all. I just love the sweetness of the peaches and I like the fresh rather than a baked peach pie. Before the glaze is put on.
After the glaze is on and ready to be chilled

Fresh Peach Pie (not baked)

9 inch baked pie shell,

5 c. ripe peaches , peeled and sliced (about 9 medium for pie and 3 for the filling)

1 c. sugar

3 T. cornstarch

1/2 c. water

Bake pie shell. Mash enough peaches to measure 1 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2 quart saucepan. Stir in water and mashed peaches gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute; cool. Fill shell with remaining peaches; pour cooked peach mixture over top. Refrigerate until set, at least three hours. Serve with whipped cream on top.

"Strawberry Fields Forever" we hope!

The colors and flavors of spring are wonderful. I love seeing the fresh strawberries in the grocery stores now.

We love to slice them, add a little sugar to make a juice, and serve with half and half, or milk.

Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Strawberry Vinaigrette

Spinach, washed and cleaned
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Mushrooms, washed and sliced
Strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
Red onion, sliced into thin rounds


Strawberry Vinaigrette

1 c. fresh sliced strawberries
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar, or to taste
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ c. olive oil

In food processor puree strawberries until smooth. Add vinegar and pepper until combined. Gradually add olive oil and mix until well blended. Chill until ready to serve. Refrigerate any leftover dressing.

Serve over spinach salad or vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry Pie

9 inch baked pie shell
6 c. strawberries (about 1 1/2 quarts)
1 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. water

Bake pie shell. Mash enough strawberries to measure 1 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2 quart saucepan. Stir in water and mashed berries gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute; cool.

Fill shell with remaining strawberries;whole (I aways slice the strawberries rather than leave them whole like many restaurants do because the sauce or filling surrounds the strawberries more evenly and it isn't such a mouthful) pour cooked strawberry mixture over top. Refrigerate until set, at least three hours.
Serve with whipped cream on top.

Peach Glace Pie (my favorite fresh pie)
Substitute 5 cups sliced peaches for the strawberries (about 9 medium and 3 for filling)

Raspberry Glace Pie
Substitute raspberries for the strawberries


Pie Crust

1/3 c. plus 1 T. shortening
1 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
2-3 T .cold water
(Double for two crust)



Virgin Strawberry Daiquiris

18 ice cubes
12 strawberries, sliced
6 tsp sugar
3 tsp lime juice

Blend and serve


Strawberry Agua Fresca

4 c. water
1/3 c. sugar
6 c. hulled strawberries
¼ c. fresh lime juice ( about 2 limes)

Combine water and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Place strawberries in a blender, and process until smooth. Combine the sugar mixture, strawberry puree, and juice; stir well. Yield 8 cups

Strawberry Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote

For Panna Cotta
3 c. sliced strawberries
1 ¾ cup buttermilk
6 Tbsp sugar
2 ½ tsp unflavored gelatin (less than two envelopes)
¼ c. whole milk
½ heavy cream

· Blend strawberries, buttermilk, and sugar in blender until smooth. (very smooth) Then pour through a very fine sieve into a medium bowl, pressing hard on the solids. Discard solids.
· Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small bowl, let stand to thicken.
· Bring cream to a boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat and add gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved.
· Whisk cream mixture into strawberry puree and pour into molds.
Chill molds, covered, until firm, at east 8 hours.

To unmold , dip molds into bowl of hot water 2-3 seconds, then invert panna cotta’s onto dessert plates and remove molds.

For compote
2 ½ c. strawberries-trimmed
¼ c. fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp superfine granulated sugar

Halve strawberries lengthwise if small or quarter if larger. Whisk together orange juice and superfine sugar in a bowl until sugar is dissolved and add strawberries tossing to coat. Serve panna cotta’s with compote. (Panna cotta’s can he chilled in molds covered up to 2 days.)

More than one meal from one meal!

Sunday's we love to fix Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots. (A previous post) Because our family is smaller we have meat leftover quite often. After fixing it this last week I decided try several different ways to use it. I took my Chicken Pot Pie recipe and adapted it to a Beef Pot Pie, it was marvelous, a definite keeper. While I am printing the Chicken Pot Pie recipe once again I will add the changes to the side.

Beef Pot Pie

1 1/2 c.-2 c. cubbed left over roast

Make Gravy:
2/3 c. margarine or butter
2/3 c. flour
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
3½ c. chicken broth (subsitute beef broth)
1 1/3 c. milk

Melt butter over low heat, blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly, remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. (reserve about 1/3 of gravy for top when serving.)

Stir in
2-4 boiled potatoes, cut up
1 medium onion, diced and sauted lightly
cooked meat, cubed
1 can mushrooms
or 1 16 oz. bag of frozen vegetables, adding the potatoes

Pie Crust
1/3 c. plus 1 T. shortening (This is the recipe that I use 90%
1 c. flour of the time.)
1/2 t. salt
2-3 T .cold water
(Double for two crust)

From this Chicken to Beef-easy as pie!

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Make Gravy:
2/3 c. margarine or butter
2/3 c. flour
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
3½ c. broth
1 1/3 c. milk

Melt butter over low heat, blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly, remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. (reserve about 1/3 of gravy for top when serving.)

Stir in
2-4 boiled potatoes, cut up

1 medium onion, chopped and sauteed until tender
1 1/2 - 2 c. cooked chicken, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 can peas
1 can carrots
1 can corn
1 can mushrooms
or 1 16 oz. bag of frozen vegetables, adding the potatoes

Pie Crust
1/3 c. plus 1 T. shortening
1 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
2-3 T .cold water

Cut shortening into flour until pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle in water one tablespoon at a time tossing with a fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl
(Double for two crust. This is the recipe that I use 90% of the time)

or this pie crust
1 1/3 c. plus 4 T. shortening
4 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
8-10 T. water


Gather pastry in ball roll 1/2 of dough 1/4 inch thickness. Place in bottoms of pie plates, prick bottoms. Pour in filling and roll remaining dough for tops. Cut slits in center to allow steam out. Or these can be made in smaller pies for and individual serving.Bake at 425 for 30-35 minutes.

(This can be frozen and reheated and served at a later time.)
(During a fun “Harry Potter” party I made this pot pie recipe and added green food coloring to the gravy. I used the second crust recipe and put all of the filling into a large lasagna pan. The crust had to be pieced together to get it all in I called it “Hagrid’s Pot Pie” and it was a great success.)

Fresh Peach Pie (The fresh fruit bounty continues!)

Fresh Peach Pie (not baked)

9 inch baked pie shell, recipe follows
5 c. ripe peaches , peeled and sliced (about 9 medium for pie and 3 for the filling)
1 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. water

Bake pie shell. Mash enough peaches to measure 1 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2 quart saucepan. Stir in water and mashed peaches gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute; cool.

Fill shell with remaining peaches; pour cooked peach mixture over top. Refrigerate until set, at least three hours.
Serve with whipped cream on top.

Fresh Strawberry Pie
Substitute 5 cups sliced peaches for the peaches (about 1 ½ quarts)

Raspberry Glace Pie
Substitute raspberries for the strawberries


Pie Crust

1/3 c. plus 1 T. shortening
1 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
2-3 T .cold water
(Double for two crust)