Fall is Here

Good Morning!

These wonderful fall days bring to my mind apple pie, soup, and all the wonderful fall foods that come from the earth! Today I am going to be giving you some recipes, and on Friday there will be a post continuing the menu planning topic, so watch for that.

My favorite part of fall is that I can start making soups again! Mmm…potato, beef vegetable, ham and bean, split pea, or maybe a butternut squash? Nothing like sunny day that is cool enough for a sweater and a bowl of steaming soup.

So, I am going to share my favorite beef vegetable soup recipe. It is made with ground beef and can be ready is 1 hour or less. I will include a variety of ways to change it up, as this is a very versatile soup. Yum!

Beef Soup

½ onion, chopped

1 lb. hamburger

4-6 carrots, sliced (depends on size and if you like carrots)

1-2 large potatoes, cut into cubes

1 TLBS beef base (purchase at Costco)

2 cups water

1 28 oz. can tomato sauce, S&W tomatoes,

OR 1 quart jar home canned tomatoes or tomato puree

1 tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. celery salt (you or 4 ribs celery, chopped to the soup, my family doesn’t like celery)

Salt/ pepper to taste

Brown beef and onion, put in 3-6 quart pan, add water and tomatoes. Shake beef base with small amount of water in a jar with a tight fitting lid (2-3 TLBS water). Add remaining ingredients, except for macaroni. Cook for 30 minutes on medium high heat or until soup starts to reduce/thicken.

Variations:

Add:

½ cup or more of mashed acorn or other type of squash

1 cup cauliflower, chopped

1 small or medium size zucchini, sliced

¼ cup beet puree

If you don’t have time to cook the soup down, add ½ cup noodles, quinoa, or barley and cook till veggies and starch are done, 15-20 minutes. Add more water or tomatoes as needed and remember check if seasoning needs to me adjusted as well.

NOTE: You can use any kind of veggies your family likes in this soup. Don’t limit yourself to what I have written here. You can also use veggie purees too! Great way to get your family to eat veggies they wouldn’t normally (squash puree, zucchini or spinach puree, carrots and beets work too!)

Roasted Veggies

In the picture I roasted whole vegetables. Beets, zucchini, carrots, red potatoes, and onions. I rubbed the vegetables with olive oil, sprinkled them with some salt, and put them in the hold, covered with the octagonal Silpat and put them in the oven on 250 degrees F for about 2-3 hours.

They are wonderful to eat right out of the oven or puree and freeze for later use in recipes. This is one of the ways that I sneak veggies into my families food. Roasting seems to make the flavors of the foods easier to hide when I puree them AND it seals all the nutrients inside of them.

You can do this with any type of squash, cut in half, rub outside and inside with olive oil place cut side down on the Deep Flexipat or in the tart mold. Bake at a low temp, 250-300 degrees F till you can pierce the squash skin with a fork.

Apple Pie

Follow your favorite apple pie recipe, but bake it in the tart mold. When cooled you can take it out and put it on a plate for a beautiful presentation. You can also do pumpkin or any other yummy pie in it as well!

Menu planning, can it save you money?

Yes, I believe that if you menu plan it can save you money AND time. This is the first of my 3-part blog on how I feed my family of four on $200-$300 per month. I know that several people have asked me how that is possible?! In the next month I will be sharing my menu, grocery list, and even my actual receipts, ideas and tips on how I accomplish this. Let me say that it requires a lot of self-discipline (something I don’t have much of) and determination. I also think that you have to be a little bit desperate!

I want to warn everyone that this is NOT EASY!! As a family we decided to do this so that we could achieve our goal of being Debt Free! We have been doing this for 1 ½ years so we can get through Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps. If you aren’t familiar with Dave Ramsey be sure to check out his Financial Peace Plan at http://www.daveramsey.com/new/baby-steps/ . Now that we are Debt Free, we have continued so that we can get through Baby Step # 3, which is “3 to 6 Months Expenses in Savings”. For our family the goal is $10,000! Our original goal was to have Baby Step #3 completed by the end of 2010. We may not be able to accomplish that as we have had a couple of set backs. One of them was a $3000.00+ dentist bill for my two root canals and crowns. Yikes! But, we are forging ahead!

How DO you do that?!

When we started budgeting, our food budget was $150.00 per month and that included toilet paper, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. YES, it was HARD! This month I have $280.00 to spend and it feels like a ‘cake walk’. It requires discipline (determination) to do this. Most of our food is made from scratch because that IS the cheapest way to do it. I buy flour, sugar, oil, eggs, bread, and milk in larger quantities, mostly from Costco. 

Here are some examples of food for a typical day:

Breakfast - homemade waffles that are frozen and then put in the toaster, topped with peanut butter and chocolate chips or toast with peanut butter and jam.

Lunch - either a PB& J sandwich or lunch meat, cheese and crackers (homemade version of Lunchables), apple sauce and chips complete the meal.

Dinner – below is a picture of my dinner menu for the month. We sometimes “trade” meals, have tacos tonight and meatloaf on Saturday.

To start, I look at the school lunch menu to determine how many cold lunches I will need to make, then I make my dinner menu (with my family’s help), then I check to see what is in my pantry/freezer already, and lastly I make my grocery list. Don’t get me wrong this took 3-6 months to get down, but it is pretty easy, just takes a little planning in advance.

TIP: Do NOT go to the grocery store without a list and stick as close to it as possible. One “impulse” item is okay, but no more than that, unless you have extra money!!

Use last month’s receipts to estimate how much the items on your list will cost. I already know that I only have $280 to spend, so I adjust my list and menu to fit that $ amount.

TIP: Take cash with you when you shop, it will keep you from overspending.

Next week I will talk more in depth about how to create your dinner menu. Start this week by creating a list of main dishes your family likes or things they would like you to make. That will get you ready to create your menu, put as many dishes on the list as you would like, but make sure there are at least 20.

This may sound like a lot of work, but I found that I didn’t dread the afternoon question of “What’s for dinner?” because I already knew! It also kept me from making unnecessary trips to the grocery store during the month AND it saved me money!

As always, questions are welcome and appreciated. I will do my best to answer them!! Good luck!

I encourage everyone to take Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University!! It will change the way you think about money AND if you choose, it will change your life!!!

http://www.daveramsey.com/

Pancakes - a Comfort Food

Hi everyone,

I apologize for my lateness with the blog. A very dear friend of mine passed away this last Saturday and his funeral was today. With everything going on I must say that I forgot to prepare a post for today! Sorry!

As I looked through my pictures and recipes I tried to come up with something that was a comfort food. Soup is always something that comes to mind on these fall days, but with our un-seasonally warm weather here today it just didn’t seem right. So, I kept on in my search and came up with….pancakes. Not just any pancakes! Light, fluffy, and warm with real maple syrup or maybe some warmed blackberry syrup, and melted butter, mmm….yummy! 

I ran across this recipe and it has become a family favorite. I cook them in my Demarle 11” fry pan, one of my first investments and one I have NEVER regretted. It turns out perfectly browned, beautiful pancakes. You can also bake them in any of the Demalre molds or trays as well. My children’s favorite is the Teddy Bear tray but we may soon try out the Gold Fish tray or maybe the Little Chef tray. Whatever way you decide to cook them, I can assure you they are the BEST pancakes ever!

So…as the saying goes, don’t take my word for it, try it yourself!!

Buttermilk Pancakes

3 cups flour

2 TBLS sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

6 egg yolks

3 1/3 cups buttermilk

6 TBLS butter or margarine, melted

1 tsp vanilla (or any other flavouring)

6 egg whites

Stir first 5 ingredients together. Beat egg yolks, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla together. Add to the dry ingredients. Fold egg whites in separate bowl until stiff BUT not dry. Fold into batter. Heat greased frying pan or griddle to medium-high heat until drops of water dance around on the surface. Spoon ¼ cup pancakes on to griddle or pan. Cook until bubbles appear on surface and edges are slightly brown. Flip over, and cook till lightly browned. Enjoy!!

Yield 4-6 servings (this recipes feeds my family of four and there are some leftover for the next mornings breakfast).

I always make a double batch and freeze what we don’t eat. Then pop them in the toaster (frozen, straight from the freezer) put peanut butter or jam or both, fold in half or use two to make a sandwich and you have a pancake breakfast to go!

Kitchen Tool You REALLY have to have!!!!

Welcome back to my weekly blog! I hope you had a great summer. I have eaten and experimented my way through summer so that I could bring you some exciting tips, yummy treats, and help keep you inspired to cook!

This week I am going to highlight a kitchen tool that gets very little recognition but can save you a lot of time (and help you have a lot of FUN) in the kitchen. The pastry bag!

I was very resistant to purchasing it.  I really didn’t think I would use it enough to justify spending $17.90. Wow, was I wrong! Not only did it save me time, but it also helped to add that little extra “something” to simple recipes. And you don’t need ANY cooking experience to utilize this kitchen tool! (Be sure to scroll down and look at the pictures below).

So WHAT does it do? It is probably best known for cake or cupcake decorating, but it is much more than that!! A reusable “bag” (see picture) and set of four tips are what make it fun. Each tip is pictured and below are some ideas of what they can be used for.

Small round tip:

Piping

Dots

Filling mini tartlets

Large round tip:

Filling tartlets

Filling manicotti or large shells

Small star tip:

Same uses as above, but decorative

Frosting cupcakes

Whipping Cream on waffles, cakes, etc.

Large star tip:

Same uses as above

If you have never used a pastry bag before, buy yourself a container (or two) of Cool Whip and go for it! Use your Silpat to practice on, it cleans up easily, just rinse with hot water and some dish soap! Cool Whip is great for topping fresh fruit, cobbler, cupcakes, waffles, etc. You can add food coloring too and make different colors!

As we get closer to the holidays you will see me use this tool more to decorate, pies, cookies, casseroles, and more!

This item is on page 47 of the NEW Demarle At Home Catalog, Pastry Bag, item # TA 000111 for $8.95 and Set of Four Pastry Bag Tips, item # TA000111-A. They are both hand wash in hot soapy water and for that price are a GREAT value. I LOVE my pastry bag (and so do my kids) and as the catalog says it “will last for many years to come”!  

I've Lost My 'Groove'

Well, I had this great blog written to post today but…I promised you that I would include the good and bad times in my cooking life. Here it is, drum roll please…..! I DO NOT WANT TO COOK!!!!!

For the past four or five nights, what has been on the menu hasn’t really sounded good to me. Actually nothing sounded good to me, I would almost rather just eat cereal or oatmeal with a piece of toast BUT of course I am not the only one I prepare food for. So…I muddled through and made something! That has not been working out so great and my family has noticed! The meals have not been served with my usual enthusiasm, and frankly they really haven’t been that great. They are dishes I make on a regular basis, but they just don’t taste the same.

So…I am looking for inspiration. Something that reminds me why I love to cook and that will help me to be enthusiastic in my meal preparation, EVEN if it is the same old. My usual method is to browse the internet looking at pictures and reviewing recipes, go through my Rachel Ray magazines that I have in my cookbook cupboard, and find food that visually makes me go “mmmm, yummy”. And, since our local Oktoberfest is fast approaching (starts tomorrow) I will have an extra few days to find my ‘groove’. I am also hoping that the fish tacos, Berliners, baked potatoes, and deep fried Twinkies will also help to inspire me!

As there is always something to learn from every experience I ponder what this one has taught me? Here goes…I believe that the attitude and enthusiasm that I have towards the food I make for my family DOES affect their attitude towards it. My annoying (to them) way of being excited about spaghetti (that we have once a week) is my gift from God to encourage them to be thankful and grateful for the food we have on our table. It is not always what we would like to have but it is what God provides for us. We really can’t ask for more than that.

If you have experienced a time like this please share it with me. I would like to hear how you handle your loss of ‘groove’ in the kitchen. Have a great week and look for something more inspiring next Wednesday!

I will post my recipe for laundry soap. It is a great way to save money and reduce waste and it is so much healthier for the environment. I hope you try it out. I have been using it for 2+ years and it works great!! I have hard water AND lots of greasy clothes AND kids!

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha  bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value
4  Cups hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1  Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax
- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Powdered Laundry Detergent- Top load machine
1   Fels-Naptha soap bar
1   Cup Washing Soda
½  Cup Borax
-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

Welcome Back!!!

I started this blog to offer you ideas of how you can utilize Demarle products, gather new recipes, and in general to INSPIRE you to USE YOUR KITCHEN! BUT...what I have found is that I became inspired to use my Demarle products, cook in my kitchen, and search for recipes to share with you! Who would have thought that my attempt to help you would actually help me!

Who am I?

So, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m Kelly, a homemaker, wife, and mother. In my “spare time” I serve my community as a City Councilor, volunteer at my children’s school and in my community, scrapbook, and in general enjoy being creative. My life is busy, hectic, and sometimes CRAZY!!  Even though I stay at home, I still struggle with figuring out “what’s for dinner” and making it from stove to table in 30-45 minutes. Also, I work with a VERY limited $ amount so… I have to cook food that is inexpensive but healthy. Currently my monthly food budget is $200.00. I find that the only way to stick with this budget is to plan what I will be making for dinner ahead of time. I do this on a monthly basis, but most people find that weekly or bi-weekly works best. I will include ideas and links on meal planning in a blog later this month.

I love being creative and trying new things. They do not always turn out the way I want them to, but I have learned that taking chances is usually a good thing. I will share with you my good recipes, as well as my ‘disasters’.

Who are my Food Critics?

My husband, although he claims to not be a picky eater, is indeed. He is also a super taster which complicates things even more. He does not like food with multiple ‘layers’ of taste, hates all varieties of squash, most root vegetables, and doesn’t eat salad, cabbage, or anything that even resembles mayonnaise! He loves steak, will eat chicken, salmon, or halibut. Cookies are one of his favorite food groups. Cakes and pies he can take or leave, and don’t get me started on frosting (his favorite)! So far in our 9 years of marriage I have been unsuccessful at making edible frosting. I usually resort to store bought or Cool Whip and sprinkles!

My son is also picky, although not quite as much as his Dad. His palate is still developing, he’s 6 ½ years old. He doesn’t like potatoes, in any form, dislikes most root vegetables, will occasionally eat salad, and thinks that ketchup is a food group of its own!

My daughter, 5 years old will try most anything! She LOVES clams, oysters, shrimp, crab, steak, chicken, pork, salmon, etc. She has her Daddy’s sweet tooth and like cookies, cakes, pies, etc. She is the least picky of my food critics.

I LOVE food! My favorite food is the baked potato, but I also love peaches, and chocolate cake. There aren’t too many things I won’t eat! That being said, I DO NOT like raw meat of any kind or things that are alive when I eat them, and I haven’t tried Sushi yet. I like to try new veggies and may not ‘love’ everyone of them, but there are very few I won’t eat. I am working on incorporating more raw vegetables and fruits into our diet, and work hard to make sure the meat that we eat is hormone free.

So, that’s me, my family and a few things about us. I hope that you find my blog helpful and it inspires you in your kitchen. Please feel free to email or message me with special requests, ideas, or questions that you may have.  Look forward to weekly blog posts on Wednesdays!!!

Disclaimer: “I am not ‘Martha Stewart’, I have no formal training in culinary arts. My training has been ‘on the job’ and I work for the pickiest eaters in town.”

Asparagus Tart

Asparagus Tart in Rectangular Tart Tray or Deep Flexipat®

Puff pastry from the grocery store works well in this savory tart. Thaw pastry according to package directions. Fontina cheese can be substituted for the Gruyere cheese. If you prefer your asparagus more tender, blanch asparagus prior to baking, following the directions in May's Tool Tips.
Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
5 1/2 ounces Gruyere cheese (2 cups) shredded
1 1/2 lbs medium or thick asparagus
Salt and pepper

Tools:
Roul’Pat®
Rolling Pin
Deep Flexipat® or Rectangular Tart Mold
Perforated Baking Sheet

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Lay puff pastry on the Roul’Pat®.
2. Gently and quickly roll out the puff pastry to a
16”x 10” rectangle.
3. Using the back side of the Cake Server
Knife cut straight edges around the outer
edges of the pastry being sure not to cut the
Roul’Pat®.
4. Place pastry in Flexipat®.
5. Using the back side of your cake server knife,
score pastry dough one inch from the edge
making an inner rectangle. With a fork gently
pierce the inner rectangle once or twice per
inch. Again be careful not to pierce the
Roul’Pat®.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove dish from oven.
8. Sprinkle cheese atop the pastry.
9. Trim the asparagus to fit the inner rectangle of the pastry so it will be as
pretty as it is tasty.
10. Place Asparagus in a single layer over the cheese and alternate the tips and
ends.
11. Season with salt and pepper and bake until tender, about 20-25 minutes.
12. You can serve this in pieces the size of square pizza or serve it as a finger
food or appetizer in smaller sections.

If you use the Rectangular Tart Mold you would use the same process except make two layers.

Directions using the Rectangular Tart Mold:

1. Cut puff pastry into two 10”x 5”
rectangles and follow directions
above for each pastry.
2. Place one 10”x 5” pastry sheet in
Rectangular Tart Mold and bake
for 10-12 minutes.
3. Unmold and set aside.
4. Repeat with second pastry sheet.
5. Assemble with two layers: pastry, cheese,
asparagus; repeat
6. Place back into the oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until
golden brown.
Tips for Asparagus Tart Recipe:


Try drizzling our Demarle at Home Apple Pear Balsamic on top of this tart…it is to die for!
You can pre bake the pastry.
When asparagus season has left us, replace asparagus with whatever Mother Nature is currently providing. For example use pears with Demarle at Home Apple Pear Balsamic and follow the recipe directions.