Hamburger Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

Sorry I did not take a photo! Tonight I made hamburgers for the family but I ate mine sans bun. I made a big salad for everyone to enjoy with their hamburger, but I broke my patty up and incorporated it into the salad. It was actually really good and I didn't miss the bun. The salad was romaine lettuce (I wanted bib lettuce but they didn't have it at the store), boiled eggs, avocado, cucumber, bacon, colby jack cheese and the hamburger for me. Topped with homemade ranch dressing, it was very satisfying!
-Amanda

Homemade Ranch Dressing

There are lots of versions of ranch dressing on the internet. You can get really complicated or keep it simple. I take the time to make my own mayo as the base because I think that is important. This way you get healthy oils instead of rancid factory oils like canola, soy or vegetable oils. I actually made this batch of mayo with a bacon grease/sesame seed oil base! Make sure your bacon is nitrate free, of course. For the ranch, I like about equal parts mayo and sour cream, but you can play around with how tart you like it with what ratio you add.

1 part mayo
1 part sour cream
sprinkle of dried garlic, or fresh grated garlic
pinch of dill, fresh or dried
salt and pepper

Mix and serve!

Parmesan and Almond Crusted Chicken with Tomato Cream Sauce

This was a relatively easy dinner to throw together in under thirty minutes and it was very tasty. I also served some broccoli with it, I meant to pull out a salad but forgot. Just as the dinner was finishing the girls got a bit cranky and I lost my train of thought. It's how it goes sometimes! With the title I gave it you almost don't need a recipe!
-Amanda

Parmesan and Almond Crusted Chicken with Tomato Cream Sauce

2 large chicken breasts
1/2 cup lard
1 cup of "crispy*" almonds, processed into flour with a food processor
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Italian Season blend of spices
sea salt and pepper

Sauce:
1/2 can of tomato paste
3/4 cup of cream
sea salt
3 ice cubes worth of homemade chicken stock (or about 1/2 cup)
basil to taste

Slice chicken into very thin scallapini and pound with a meat hammer. In a shallow dish, mix the almond "flour" which is just almonds processed in a food processor, parmesan cheese, sea salt, pepper and italian seasonings.

In a cast iron skillet, melt the lard until it is very hot. Dredge chicken into almond, parmesan mixture and shake off excess. Place in skillet and pan fry until golden. Flip and cook the other side. Work in small batches to not crowd the pan.

For tomaoto cream sauce, in a small pot, whisk the cream, tomato paste, chicken stock (I just threw the cubes in frozen) and season with salt and basil. I have frozen pesto in ice cubes and one cube of that would have been really good too. Bring to a boil and serve over chicken.



Crispy Nuts- a recipe by Sally Fallon. Soaking your nuts in salt water gets rid of the phytic acid in the nuts, an anti-nutrient that is very hard to digest and isn't good for your body. Use about 1 tsp of salt per cup of nuts. Cover the nuts with filtered water and stir in salt. Let them soak for 24 hours. Drain, and spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 150 (or as low as your oven goes) for 12 hours. Or use a dehydrator until they are completely dry and crispy.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Another day, another soup it seems. I just love the warm comfort of a bowl of soup. Broccoli Cheese Soup is one of my husbands favorites (besides Campells Creamy Parmesan Tomato Bisque, much to my chagrin.) I can't make Campbells from scratch, since I don't use the preservatives that are in a canned soup. Although, to his credit he did say he'd try my tomato soup again, if I could just make it smoother and less chunky. But I digress... I made this soup for him because he wasn't feeling well yesterday and with the drizzly rain outside of course it was just calling to be a soup day!

-Amanda

Broccoli Cheese Soup

4 pieces of bacon, cut into bits
1 small onion, diced
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1 pint of heavy cream
4 cups of chicken stock (homemade is best!)
8 oz cheddar cheese, grated
2 head of broccoli, chopped into small bits. The stem works well in this recipe too!
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp thyme
pinch of hot pepper flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric (adds color, naturally)

In your favorite soup pot, brown the bacon. When bacon is almost crispy add onions. Saute until onions are translucent. Add butter and melt. Add seasonings: salt, pepper, tumeric, thyme & hot pepper flakes. Sprinkle flour across bacon, onions & butter; stirring quickly to wet it with the butter. Stir the flour for a few minutes to let it cook for a bit. Pour in heavy cream and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Melt in grated cheese. Add broccoli and let simmer until broccoli is tender.

Chili, Cornbread & Roasted Okra

The weather dipped into a bit cooler temperatures, so what do Texans do? They make chili of course! This was just a quick throw together chili that only took 30 minutes or so to throw together, but that was because I had my beans pre-prepared. I'm limiting canned foods, so I made a huge batch of brown beans a couple of weeks ago and put them in freezer bags to pull out when needed. As for my side, that's ROASTED okra! Mostly the only ways I like okra are either fried or in gumbo. Then the thought occurred to me to try roasting it. Sure enough, tossed in a bit of olive oil with salt and pepper and these were delicious! Not slimey at all.
-Amanda

Easy Chili

1 small onion finely diced
2 tsp olive oil

1 lb hamburger meat
2 cups of brown beans, previously cooked and thawed or canned
1 can of tomato sauce, or about 1.5-2 cups home prepared tomato sauce

2 tsp oregano
3 tbsp of chili powder
1-2 chilies (jalapenos, for example)
3-4 cloves garlic


Dice onion and saute them in olive oil in a large pot. Add minced garlic and diced chilies. Add ground beef, and break it up with the edge of a spoon. Before the beef is cooked all the way add seasonings of oregano, salt, and chili powder. Add beans and tomato sauce. Stir and adjust seasonings as needed. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve with cornbread.


I've made cornbread before on this blog, and yet, I'm always looking for a better recipe. Last nights cornbread came out great! Too bad I didn't measure... here are the approximates..

Cornbread

2 cups of cornmeal
1/2 cup white-wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3-4 tbsp honey
2 eggs
1.5 cups milk

1.5 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp coconut oil


Preheat oven to 400. In a large mixing bowl, mix the cornmeal, white-wheat flour and whole wheat flour. Add the baking powder and salt and whisk to incorporate. In a small bowl, beat eggs, milk and honey. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place a cast iron skillet on the stove and pre-heat it, medium-high heat. Add the butter and coconut oil. When it is melted swirl it around to grease the sides of the skillet and the pour it into the batter. Turn off the stove. Mix the melted butter/coconut oil into the batter and immediately pour it back into the hot skillet. Put the skillet in the middle rack and bake at 400 for about 20minutes or until golden brown on top.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

Last Thursday, I had a playdate at my friend Angela's house. She served some delicious vegetable soup for lunch. I've been wanting more ever since I left her house! I somehow forgot to get the recipe from her, but I did remember she said two things. One: the soup was made with homemade chicken stock from the Nourishing Traditions Cookbook. And Two: the only seasonings were salt and pepper. So I recreated my version or her soup. But as it sometimes goes, mine wasn't as good as hers, because sometimes being served a warm bowl of soup made with love tastes better than what can come out of your own kitchen! Nevertheless, it was still yummy and I'm glad I made an entire pot of it!
-Amanda

Vegetable Soup

1 potato, skin on, scrubbed clean
2 large carrots
small head of broccoli
1 small onion, I used a yellow one
2 tbsp olive oil
Greens- I used about 1.5 cups frozen turnip greens, I'm pretty sure Angela's soup had kale. If you use fresh, you need a lot more since it will cook down. spinach, collard greens or chard are all good choices for this type of soup.
5 cups of homemade chicken stock

Dice onion into small pieces.Put olive oil in a medium size pot and heat medium-high. Add onion. Scrub potato and dice it into small cubes, add to pot. Scrub the carrots, I rarely peel them either. Cut lengthwise and cut into small semi-circles. Add them to the pot. Stir occasionally so potatoes don't stick. Add broccoli, greens and broth. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with a bit of grated Parmesan and serve with bread & butter.

Taco Mini Mufins

I loved the response from my homemade chicken nuggets! Many of my friends told me they were going to try out the recipe. Please let me know how yours turn out if you do!

Today's recipe is another very toddler friendly meal idea. Although I'm going to serve this for dinner for the adults too, paired with a salad. These Taco Mini Muffins can also be made in bulk and frozen. Reheat in the toaster oven or microwave. This isn't an exact science, you can change the recipe to your preferences. Oh and I actually doubled the meat and veggies so I could have easy taco salads later this week.
-Amanda

Taco Mini Muffins

Cornbread Mix
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup applesauce
2 eggs
approx 2 cups of milk, start with slightly less and add until you get a "pancake" batter consistency.

Taco Mix
1/2 lb lean ground beef
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 small onion
1/4 cup frozen or fresh corn
1/4 cup drained black beans
1/2 red bell pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
3 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp tomato paste or ketchup (I used homemade)
salt & pepper to taste

Dice onion into small bits. Place oil in a skillet (I used cast iron.) When it gets hot, add onion. While the onion is cooking, dice red bell pepper. Add it to the onion, stir occasionally. When onion and bell pepper are soft, add corn and beans, heat until the corn is thawed. Remove vegetables from skillet (Or if pressed for time, cook them at the same time as the meat in a separate skillet.)

Once vegetables have been removed from the skillet, add the meat. Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano, tomato paste or ketchup, salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high heat until meat is cooked all the way through.

Add meat to the vegetables and stir.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the cornbread mix, except the milk. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk and stir. Add enough milk until you have a loose "pancake" like batter. Stir in the meat/vegetable mixture. Dish about 2 tbsp in mini muffin tins. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. If you do larger muffins, adjust your cooking time. A toothpick should come out clean and the tops of the muffins should start to brown.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets for your Toddler

I've done versions of this before, but everytime I do something I do it a bit differently. This is what I did this time. I made up a batch and like usual will freeze it on the cookie sheet over night. Then I take the frozen nuggets and place in a freezer bag and just reheat a few at at time for lunches for my girls. They have the texture of "McNuggets" that kids like, but somehow I don't think the McNuggets have carrot grated up in theirs! Serve it with homemade ketchup and your kids are in for a tasty treat!
-Amanda

Place chicken in food processor with grated carrot and oil. Pulse then add egg. Pulse until well ground up.

This is what the chicken/carrot mixture looks like. Scoop into little balls and roll in breadcrumbs.

Makes about 3 dozen nuggets.

Healthy Toddler Chicken Nuggets

3 chicken boneless, skinless thighs, some of the fat removed
1 egg
1 carrot
1-2 tbsp flaxseed oil (healthy omega-3's!)
bread crumbs (I used the ends of my homemade whole wheat bread)
Italian seasoning blend

Cut chicken thighs into 1-2 inch pieces. Put them in a food processor. Grate one carrot and put it in the food processor with the chicken. Add the flaxseed oil. Pulse until the chicken is ground up. Add one egg and pulse until it is incorporated. Dump the chicken mixture into a mixing bowl.

Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish and mix in the italian seasonings.

Using a one tablespoon scoop, scoop out the chicken mixture into little balls. Roll in the breadcrumbs and place on a sprayed cookie sheet (or parchment paper.) Flatten the balls and shape into little ovals. Spray the tops of each nugget. Bake at 375 for 18 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen nuggets.

From Scratch Chicken Nuggets

Instead of relying on high priced, processed chicken tenders, I've been making my own for my kids. I make them in bulk and then freeze them in my deep freeze still on the cookie sheets. After they are frozen I move them to a ziptop freezer storage bag and pull out a few to cook for lunch occasionally. I tend to reheat them in my toaster oven, but however you reheat prepared chicken tenders will work too. The entire batch (family size package of chicken) took me about 45 minutes of prep time (although I was cooking mashed potatoes in that time too.) They take about 25 minutes to make in addition to the prep time.
-Amanda

From Scratch Chicken Nuggets

1 large package of chicken thighs
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2-3 inches of the end of a loaf of homemade loaf of bread (or about 2.5-3 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper

Chicken Thighs. I trimmed the fat from each thigh. I've done this with chicken breasts too, which I prefer (I don't like dark meat!) But the chicken thighs are a bit cheaper, the higher fat is good for the kids and they don't dry out as easily as breast meat.

I cut them into lengths and then into 1" cubes.

1 bowl of chicken thighs. I bowl of 2 eggs and milk whisked. In the last bowl I pulsed my homemade bread in my magic bullet. Then I pulsed the coconut flakes and added them to the bread crumbs. Stir in the seasonings and you are set.

Dip the chicken pieces into the egg wash and then the bread crumbs and lay out on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with oil. I put a handful of chicken in the eggs, then scooped them out, letting the egg drain away between my fingers. Then I tossed them in the bread crumbs to make it go faster. You want to dust off as much as the excess breadcrumb as you can. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Chicken Salad in a Pita

A light and tasty lunch. I didn't used to even like chicken salad until recently, and now it's one of my favorite lunches! I whipped these pita pockets up quickly this afternoon since it is a  bread that doesn't have to have a long rise time.
-Amanda

Chicken Salad in a Pita

1 recipe of Homemade Pita Bread (I used 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white this time)
1 baked chicken breast (I bake up about 8-10 at at time with just olive oil & salt and then freeze them for use in casseroles or dishes like this!)
3/4 cup grapes cut in half
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2-3 tbsp of real mayo (you could also use thick greek yogurt, which is tangier)
dash of salt
some shredded lettuce

Cut pockets in half. You may have to use a serrated knife to gently open the pocket. I used my Magic Bullet to shred the chicken breast, but a mini-food processor of any kind would work. Add the cut grapes, walnuts, mayo and salt. Stir until well incorporated. Stuff pocket with lettuce and top with chicken salad. I served mine with a diced apple and chopped raw carrot.

Homemade Peanut Butter

Sometimes when I make something homemade for the first time, I just have to laugh and wonder why it took me so long to try and make it from scratch! This peanut butter is delicious and tastes nothing like jarred peanut butter. I'm so thrilled I think I'm going to try almond butter next. I bought my peanuts in a bulk bin at the store already roasted (no salt) but they still had the skins on. My twins helped me peel all the skins off the nuts, which was fun since the three of us sat around the table concentrating on slipping the skin off each nut. (For photos, visit my personal blog.) Next time I'll try and buy nuts that don't have the skin, but even so, it was still simple.

I don't have a recipe, I just did it by "feel" and taste. I started with about 3 cups of peanuts in my food processor. I pulsed for about 30 seconds, then I drizzled in some honey (a tablespoon or so.) Then I added a few pinches of salt and about 3-4 tablespoons of peanut oil until I got a consistency and a taste that I liked. I read that homemade peanut butter will be good in an airtight container in the refridgerator for 2 months.

I made my girls grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches on homemade wheat bread for dinner, a childhood favorite of mine.

Another Beef Taco

I have really been enjoying the homemade from scratch cooking I've been doing. Everything tastes so much better. Meals have become simpler because the ingredients are more complicated. Instead of fixing a fancy side dish to go along with these tacos, I cut up a fresh pear, because my focus was on making homemade wheat tortillas. I used to take about 30-45 minutes to cook a meal. I got this one on the table in 30 minutes and everything was fresh. My dough was already prepared ahead of time, but I did roll it out and cook it in the 30 minute time slot.)
-Amanda

Another Beef Taco

8 small tortillas
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 small red bell pepper
1 small onion
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste
favorite cheese as garnish

Saute beef in a large skillet (I prefer cast iron.) When it is about half way cooked, add diced onions. Add seasonings as beef is still cooking (oregano, chili powder, cumin and salt.) Add corn and last bell pepper. Cook just a few minutes, but leave bell pepper a bit crunchy. Put about 1/4 cup of meat mixture on each tortilla and grate fresh cheese on top. Serve with fresh fruit.

From Scratch Chicken Pot Pie

I have a potluck dinner to go to tonight so I decided that a Chicken Pot Pie would be a great dish to bring.
-Amanda

From Scratch Chicken Pot Pie

Pastry recipe from: Betty Crocker's Cookbook, bridal edition.
Two-Crust Pie
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp shortening (cold)
4-5 tbsp ice cold water

Place shortening, flour and salt in food processor. Cover and process, using quick on and off motions, until mixture is crumbly. With food processor running pour cold water all at once through feed tube just until dough leaves side of bowl. Dough should not form a  ball.

Gather the crumbs into a ball on your counter. Divide into two. Shape into a flattened circle on a lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll pastry out on lightly floured surface using floured rolling pin, into circles 2 in larger than the upside down pie plate. Line pie dish with crust. Fill with the chicken filling (see below.) Top with a second pie crust rolled out the same way.

Chicken Filling:
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint mushrooms
1/2 cup frozen carrots
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
salt, pepper, thyme, oregano

Dice one small onion into small pieces and saute in a large skillet with olive oil. Add garlic. Cut chicken into small pieces. Add the chicken to the onions. Saute until chicken is half way cooked. Add chopped mushrooms, frozen carrots and peas. Season with salt, pepper, oregano and thyme. Make a slurry of milk and flour. When chicken is cooked through, add flour slurry and stir. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, continuing to stir. Add chicken to pie filling and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Homemade Ketchup

I made homemade ketchup today! I didn't realize how many spices go into ketchup. They aren't all pictured here because I used up the anaheim chili and the last of my chili flakes. I also somehow misplaced my allspice and celery seed. I wonder if I absentmindedly stuck it in the freezer?? More than likely the girls carted them off when I wasn't looking. We went to the store this morning and I let them hold the spices while we shopped. I think they thought they were theirs to play with.

I got the ketchup recipe from www.kissmyspatula.com. You start with 2 lbs of tomatoes and end up with about two cups of ketchup. It's sweet, tangy and a bit spicy!
-Amanda

Homemade Ketchup
4 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon
1/4 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp whole allspice
2 pounds tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup white vinegar
5 tbsp brown sugar (since I used my homemade brown sugar, it was extra sweet, next time I'll use less!)
1 onion, chopped
1 anaheim chile, chopped
1 clove garlic

   1. Wrap cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, celery seeds, red pepper flakes, and allspice in a layer of cheesecloth; tie into a bundle and put into a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat along with tomatoes, salt, vinegar, sugar, onion, and chile; smash and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until onions and chiles are very soft, 40 minutes.
   2. Remove spice bundle; purée sauce in a blender until smooth. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer into a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 30 minutes. Add more salt, sugar, or vinegar, if you like.
   3. Transfer ketchup to a glass jar. Set aside; let cool. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

UPDATE I need to rewrite this recipe and one day I will. Changes... instead of brown sugar I used backstrap molasses and instead of white vinegar I used Braggs Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. This last time, I blended really well with the stick blender and then I didn't strain the ketchup. It was a bit thicker but no one seemed to mind. Plus that keeps all the fiber of the vegetables in the ketchup, making it that much healthier!

After bottling, I added about 1/4 cup of whey and let sit on the counter for 1-2 days to lacto-ferment. Then refrigerate. Fermenting the ketchup will keep it safe to eat in the refrigerator for 6-8 months instead of a few weeks and it adds probiotics (like yogurt!) If you don't want to ferment it, freezing half or more of the recipe in ice cube trays and pulling out what you  need in smaller batches keeps it longer. After they freeze put them in a freezer zip bag. That way you can pull out as little or as much as you need.

Brown Sugar

Did you know that brown sugar is super easy to make? And apparently it's cheaper too. I ran out of brown sugar the other day trying to make some homemade oatmeal raisin cookies so I looked it up and found out that brown sugar is basically 1 cup of white sugar mixed thoroughly with 2 tbsp of molasses. I went ahead and made a big batch of it. Also worth mentioning, if you want to keep your brown sugar soft, place a piece of terracotta in the jar. Any clean, unglazed will do. They sell decorative ones, but if you have a clean terracotta pot that broke into shards, a piece of that will do nicely!
-Amanda