Food from the Co-Op

I recently started participating in a fruit and vegetable co-op. How it works as quoted from the organization: "Use collective purchasing to get high quality food at prices usually reserved for grocery stores and restaurants. Save money while you work together co-operatively within your community." Each Monday I sign up (and pay) for my "contribution." On Saturday I go to a local location and pick up my produce. It is half fruits half vegetables. In addition to the fruits and vegetables there are other offerings. A few weeks ago I purchased extra strawberries and I made freezer jam and froze some chopped strawberries. This week I purchased the additional "Mexican Food Ingredient Pack."

It is never guaranteed what items you will receive so it has been giving me an opportunity to find try new fruits and vegetables and try new recipes. the best part is the cost. It averages out to about $0.50 per pound. There are very few fruits and vegetables you can purchase in the grocery store for that price. I enjoy the challenge of trying to use everything within the week. If we were eating all of our servings of fruits and vegetables we should have no problem accomplishing that. The key to that sentence is IF. While we try and try it just doesn't always happen. With the weather warming up and the opportunity to grill it will get easier and easier.

Anyway. . . all of that to talk about dinner and dessert tonight. Both weeks we have received celery so I have a lot of celery. In looking for ways to use it (besides eating it raw) I found a Cream of Celery Soup recipe. I served the soup with a romaine lettuce and apple (both from the co-op) salad with Ranch Dressing from the mix I made a couple weeks ago and Roasted Garlic Artisan Bread purchased from a local artisan bread bakery. After dinner PE had a sweet tooth so I decided to find a recipe that would use the blackberries we received from the co-op. I settled on Quick Blackberry Cobbler.

The soup was a little bland but the addition of salt and pepper was all it needed to perk it up. The ranch dressing while delicious was runny. I need to figure out a way to make it thicker. The cobbler was very easy to put together and smelled amazing while it was baking--it didn't taste too bad. Actually it was delicious!

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Cream of Celery Soup
from allrecipes
Print Recipe

2 1/4 cups chicken stock
9 oz celery, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 oz carrots, julienned
1 1/2 oz onions, chopped
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground white pepper
2 1/4 cups hot milk
3 Tbsp butter

Pour the chicken stock into a large pot, and bring to a boil. Add the celery, carrots and onion to the pot. Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and milk; add to the pot along with the margarine. Boil for 10 minutes, then strain out the vegetables by pouring through a sieve, or if the vegetables are large enough, a colander may be used. (I just pulverized my celery and carrots in the blender before adding them to the soup - instead of draining them out - and it worked fine).

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Quick Blackberry Cobbler
from Mommy's Kitchen
Print Recipe

1 cup self rising flour or substitute*
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
2 cups blackberries
2 - 3 Tbsp additional sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Add butter to a 9x9 inch baking pan and place in the oven so the butter can melt. While the butter is melting, mix flour, sugar and milk together. Batter will be a bit lumpy. Remove pan from the oven and pour the batter over the melted butter. Top with blackberries and sprinkle with additional sugar if you like about a couple tablespoons. Do not stir. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until brown on top and the cobbler pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let cool a bit and serve with fresh whipping cream or vanilla ice cream.

*Self Rising Flour substitute: For each cup of flour add 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.

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Simple Dinner and Dessert

The other night we had a very simple but delicious dinner. PE barbecued boneless pork chops on the charcoal grill. He rubbed the chops with the Secret Rib Rub from this post. We also had artichokes. I trimmed the artichokes and boiled them for about 15 minutes then PE placed them on the barbecue for another 10 minutes. They were delicious. We had melted butter and Miracle Whip for dipping sauces. Even Bob ate them--I was a little shocked but very pleased.

For dessert I made Mango & Strawberry Cobbler because I had some mangoes and strawberries that were very close to becoming chicken food (once food becomes questionable for us to eat but isn't too over the hill we feed it to the chickens). I served it with sweetened slightly-whipped whipping cream. (Slightly-whipped whipping cream is what you get when you have shelf-stable whipping cream you keep in the pantry then decide you want to make whipped cream for dessert so you put it in the freezer for awhile then you forget about it until it is almost time to serve so you defrost it in the microwave and then it won't whip. There is a slight possibility that I just wasn't having the patience for the whipping too.) PE raved about it. Yes, I consider, "I don't usually like mango but this is really good," raving. I really enjoyed the topping. It was the perfect sweetness paired with the fruit mixture.

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Mango & Strawberry Cobbler
from Food Network Canada
Print Recipe

Filling:
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
2 cups fresh or frozen mango
1/2 cup cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Topping:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1 stick butter, frozen
1/2 cup milk

Filling:
Preheat oven to 375. Place fruit into a large bowl and toss well with the flour, sugar and lemon juice. Pour into a 2-quart ovenproof casserole or other dish. It is best if the fruit fills the dish but doesn't rise above the edges.

Topping:
Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Grate in frozen butter and mix lightly with fingertips. Pour in milk and stir until mixture comes together and forms a rough dough. Place spoonfuls of the dough on top of the fruit evenly covering it. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.

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In the Spirit of Sharing

K2 needs to take a something with her to a baby shower on Friday. She wanted something quick and easy or something she could make ahead of time and reheat. I shared a recipe for Corn Chowder with her. I also shared a recipe for Pumpkin Cobbler with her as an option for something to take to her in-laws for Thanksgiving. Since I had them typed up I figured I would share them here too.

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Corn Chowder
from Cooking W.
Print Recipe

1/4 cup butter
4 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup onion
4 cups milk
1 can great northern beans
1 can corn
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups meat (polska kielbasa, chicken, beef, sausage, hot dogs—whatever you have available)

Sauté onion in butter, add flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk, stir until mixture thickens (about 10 minutes). Add beans, corn, and meat. Heat until everything is warm. Serve with crackers and/or bread of your choice.

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Pumpkin Cobbler
from Sparky
Print Recipe

Crust:
1 pkg. yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup)
1 egg beaten
1/2 cube butter, melted

Filling:
1 (1 lb) can pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice*

Topping:
1 cup cake mix (reserved from crust)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cube butter, softened

Mix crust ingredients together and pat dough into a 9x13 cake pan. Mix filling ingredients and pour over dough. Blend topping and sprinkle evenly over filling, bake at 350 for 1 hour. (Check after 50 minutes. If the center is "jiggley" when you move the pan around a bit, it's not finished. It may take more or less than an hour, just keep an eye on it.) Cool and sprinkle with cinnamon. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

*Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitute
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Mixture equal to 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

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The Recipes and Only the Recipes

Moo baked Chocolate Pudding Bottoms Up Cake and Apple Crisp last week and here are the recipes as promised.

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Chocolate Pudding Bottoms Up Cake
adapted from the New Junior Cookbook (Better Homes & Gardens)
Print Recipe

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water
whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well mixed. Add milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Pour batter into ungreased casserole. Put 1/2 cup sugar and the 2Tbsp cocoa powder in small mixing bowl. Gradually stir in boiling water. Pour evenly over batter in casserole. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Set on cooling rack and cool to 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

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Apple Crisp
from Sparky
Print Recipe

4 cups tart apples (cored, peeled, sliced) OR 1 can apple pie filling*
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup butter

Heat oven to 375. Grease pan. Place apples/apple pie filling in bottom. Mix remaining ingredients sprinkle over apples. Bake 30 minutes till top is golden brown and apples are tender.

*I used the Freezer Apple Pie Filling I made earlier this month.

++I usually double the recipe because it gives me a better topping to cooked apple ratio as I cooked apples are not a favorite of mine.

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Last night I made Sloppy Cornbread. I made my favorite Barbecue Beef (recipe below) poured it in a 9x13 dish, sprinkled some grated cheese over it, and then I topped it with Cornbread batter (recipe below) then baked it at 400 for 30 minutes.

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Barbecue Beef
from Sparky
Print Recipe

2 lbs hamburger
2 cups ketchup
1 cup tomato juice
1 tsp dry mustard
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 onion, diced
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder

Brown hamburger and combine all ingredients in slow cooker on Low for 4 – 5 hours. If you like sweet barbecue add more brown sugar.

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Cornbread
from Sparky
Print Recipe

1 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400. Place muffin papers in muffin pan(s) makes 15 or so. Combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, oil, and egg in small bowl; mix well. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stir just until blended. Add hot dogs and stir until combined. Scoop mixture into muffin papers; filling 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

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There you have it. The recipes and only the recipes.

Peach Cobbler Part Deux and Rainy Day Dinner

I made a different peach cobbler last night. I thought it was better than the previous cobbler; however, it was still a little sweet. (PE thought it was good but didn't have a preference of one over the other.)

Peach Cobbler II
from How to Cook Like Your Grandmother
Print Recipe

six peaches, pealed and pitted
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Melt the butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish while the oven pre-heats it to 350°. Slice the peaches into bite-sized pieces into a bowl. Add 3/4 cup of sugar and mix. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and milk and stir it all together. Remove the baking dish with melted butter from the oven. Distribute the peaches evenly over the butter. Pour the batter over the fruit but don't stir it. Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes, until the batter is golden brown and developing cracks in the surface. Serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

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For dinner we had frozen Cheesy Cream of Broccoli Soup (frozen in March or so), salad, and Beer Bread. Delicious! It was the perfect meal for this rainy day.

Cheesy Cream of Broccoli Soup
from Sparky
Print Recipe

2 – 3 broccoli heads, coarsely chop off the florets OR
frozen broccoli OR frozen broccoli & cauliflower mix
9 cups water
5 – 6 Tbsp bouillon granules
1 cube butter
1 onion, finely chopped in food processor
1 cup flour
2 cups whipping cream
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 (16 oz) pkg. Velveeta

In a large pot over medium heat, bring water to a boil and add bouillon granules and broccoli, reduce heat and simmer broccoli for about 10 minutes. In a separate skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the flour to the onions and stir well, forming a thick paste. Gradually add the cream and stir until thick. Add this mixture to the broccoli mixture in the pot and stir well. Add salt and pepper. Then add the cheese, stirring until melted. (Do NOT let it boil! This will break down the cheese and it will become grainy. Just keep it on a low heat until the cheese is melted.) Serve.

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Salad

lettuce (Romaine, spinach, spring mix, whatever) - 2-3 cups per person
1 clementine per person
roasted sunflower seeds (no salt)
honey roasted peanuts
dressing of choice

I know you can make your own salad, but I always find it helpful to get topping ideas.

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Moo baked the bread by herself. It turned out wonderfully. I find it better for all involved if I have her cook/bake when I am not here or at least not present in the room. On my more patient days I will

Beer Bread
from Sparky
Print Recipe

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1 bottle of honey-wheat beer*
3 Tbsp butter, melted (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 5 bread pan. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar in medium bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour beer in the well. Stir until just combined. Spread dough in bread pan. Pour melted butter over dough. Bake for 45-50 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

*Any type of beer can be used. We prefer honey-wheat. Also, for those who may not know. . . the alcohol will bake out.

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There you have it a delicious and easy dinner.

Gimp or Hobble Whatever You Call It I'm an Expert

Even with the gimping I was able to do some cooking/baking yesterday and today. Last night I made dinner since Hunting W. was not home and then I made the cobbler I had been craving since I received the peaches on Wednesday. Today, I made breakfast because my ankle was feeling pretty good and then I made some things using the Amish Friendship Bread Starter which made my ankle feel pretty NOT good. So, while I have more plans for the day, I don't know how far I will get with them because I am not sure how much I want to pay for it.

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Stroganoff Melts
from Cooking During Stolen Moments
Print Recipe

1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced (optional)
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup beef stock
1 tsp thyme
4 oz cream cheese
french bread, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, brown ground beef , onion and optional mushrooms. Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in beef broth. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Place sliced french bread on a baking sheet. Cover each with some of the stroganoff mixture and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 until french bread is toasty and cheese is melted, about 8-10 minutes.

++This was very tasty. I happened across it two times as I was reading the recipes in my blog reader and thought I would try it. The original recipe called for English muffins but I thought french bread sounded so much better.

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Peach Cobbler I
from eHow.com
Print Recipe

5 peaches, pealed, pitted, diced
1 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar dissolved
1 box of yellow or vanilla cake mix
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Combine butter, sugar, cake mix, and nutmeg. Mix with fingers or fork until mixture becomes crumbly. Grease bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Spread half of cake mixture on the bottom of the pan--don't pack. Spread peaches and pour juice over the cake mixture. Sprinkle remaining mixture over peaches and bake for 35 minutes or until browned. Serve warm with ice cream.

++ This was too sweet. It was delicious for the first couple bites then became too much. The additional sugar I am sure added to this--cake mix is sweet enough straight out of the box. Too bad I didn't think of that before everything was all said and done. I also didn't see where the cinnamon came into play in the recipe so I didn't add it, that may have decreased a bit of the sweetness had it been added, I am not sure though. I will not make this again but someone out there might like it. I think I will try another one tonight.

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Sour Cream Waffles
from The Sisters' Cafe
Print Recipe

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (1 cube) butter, melted
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 cup sour cream (can use light)
3 large eggs

Heat waffle iron. Lightly oil grids. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to combine and make a well in the center. Whisk the melted butter, milk and sour cream, and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined and pour into well. Whisk until smooth, do not over mix. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the batter into the center of each quadrant of the waffle iron and close the iron. Cook until the waffle is golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Serve the waffles hot, with the homemade syrup passed on the side.

++I served diced peaches on the side and they were a delicious addition. PE even liked these waffles which I consider a plus because waffles aren't his favorite and I have a difficult time finding any from scratch recipes he likes.

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Amish Friendship Bread
from Allrecipes
Print Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
3 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2 apples - peeled, cored and finely chopped**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt, set aside In a large mixing bowl, stir together the Amish Friendship Starter, eggs, oil and vanilla. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Finally stir in the chopped nuts and apples. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.

**I made two batches of this. One with the apples and one with grated zucchini. For both batches I divided the dough into two pans (four total) and stirred the walnuts into one pan of each type.

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Amish Cornbread
from Armchair World
Print Recipe

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups cornmeal

Combine in large bowl. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.

Add:
1/4 cup oil
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

Mix well. Pour in well-greased 9" pan. Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes.

++This came out a bit darker than other cornbread I have made but had an okay taste to it. The consistency is not as smooth as the cornbread I posted previously but still pretty good.

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From August until February Hunting W. hunts. It starts in August with elk and deer archery then moves onto various birds and small game until February. We do not eat everything he shoots. Thankfully he is pickier about the game he eats than some other hunters I know. In addition he knows pretty tasty ways to cook the game we do eat and he totally understands when I don't like something. Oft times it is a texture thing with me. A lot of game is too slimy or grainy. One of my favorites is pheasant. It tastes a lot like chicken. I will share our favorite recipe for pheasant when we make it later in the season. Yesterday Hunting W. shot three blue grouse--one of the grouse he will eat (he will also eat ruffed grouse but he will not eat sharp-tailed or sage grouse). I just follow his lead with most of the game because I haven't eaten it before. So, below I give you a recipe concocted in Hunting W.'s head.

Blue Grouse a la Hunting W.
6 Blue Grouse breasts
6 slices of bacon
1 can diced green chiles
8 oz cream cheese
6 slices of swiss or provolone cheese

Soak breasts in salt water* overnight (this helps get rid of the blood). Combine green chiles and cream cheese. Slit breasts. Place some of the cream cheese mixture in the breast with a piece of cheese. Wrap with bacon and secure with toothpicks. Grill until cooked through.

*1 tsp to 6 cups water

++These were better than anticipated. They were a little tougher than chicken because the birds use their breasts when flying unlike chickens who just walk around and don't do much flying. I bet this would be a delicious way to cook any bird--I am going to have him try it with some chicken breasts.

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That is all for now but one way or another I will be making another peach cobbler tonight . . . I have to fulfill the craving.