Do you need a quick pizza crust?  This one doesn't require any rising time, which means you could have a fresh-baked pizza in less time than it takes to order out!

You may like this even if you don't have to avoid wheat or gluten.  If you don't these flours and gluten's OK for you,  the recipe can be modified back to a wheat-based crust; just use a total of 2 cups flour.

Gluten-free pizza crust

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour/starch (or adjust these 3 ingredients to total 2 cups)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 to 1 cup water or milk, just off boiling (very hot!)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, grease a pizza pan or baking sheet.
Stir together flours/starches, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Stir in the hot water or milk and stir until it forms a dough. Pat about 1/4" thick onto the pan you're using.  Bake until just set, about 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness. Add your sauce and toppings and return the pizza to the oven until cheese is melted. (I like to put it under the broiler for 2 minutes instead, to get browned & bubbling bits on the cheese.)

Years ago a college friend gave me a cookbook her family had put together.  Though I haven't tried all the recipes in it, I'm inclined to say there's not a bad one in the bunch- everything I've tried has been fabulous.  Even the strange-sounding recipe for "Vinegar Dumplings" was amazing.  I may need to post that one later for you!

This recipe is from that cookbook.  Apparently 'Chalupa' is a misnomer, to be authentic you'd use thin, small, fried corn tortilla 'boats'.  But this tastes really similar and is simpler.
This batch is big; feel free to cut it in half.  The bean/meat mixture freezes well, though, so maybe make the whole batch and have some on hand in the freezer for a quick meal! 

Chalupas

2 lb. boneless pork roast *
1 lb. pinto beans, sorted and rinsed *
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 small can green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 tsp. salt
* I used beef roast and black beans

Toppings:
corn chips
shredded cheese
chopped onion
diced tomatoes
sliced avocado
salsa

(Start making this about 6-7 hours before you want to eat. Or see 'Faster Chalupas' below.)   Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put all ingredients in a Dutch oven or roaster; add enough water to cover.  Bake, covered, for one hour, then reduce to 275 degrees.  Cook another 4-5 hours.  Add more water if the beans aren't all the way covered by it. 

Remove pork, cool and shred.  Meanwhile, cook the bean mixture with the lid off for 30-60 minutes or until thick.  Put shredded meat back into bean mixture and heat.

Serve on a bed of crisp corn chips and top with shredded cheese, lettuce,  onion, tomatoes,  avocadoes, and salsa. 

FASTER CHALUPAS:
 
#1:  use a pressure cooker.  Mine took about 30  minutes under high pressure in a Kuhn Rikon.   Plan on 1 hour instead if you have a regular pressure cooker.

OR #2: use leftover roast and 3 (15 oz.) cans of beans, undrained.  Add all seasonings except for the salt, combine and simmer for at least 15 minutes to blend the flavors.

Did you add a little too much chili?  or maybe the lid fell off the salt shaker and now it's salty enough to kill a cat? 

When we're cooking from scratch, sometimes we get carried away with spices.  Are you stuck eating the whole batch because now your children refuse to touch it?  Or are you tempted to throw it out?

My sister-in-law asked my sisters and I what we would do.  Apparently her favorite way is to rinse the meat in a colander under running water, then return the meat to the skillet and add spices more cautiously.  Someone on Facebook said that was disgusting and would result in soggy meat. 
I'd be cautious about how much grease could go down the drain that way, potentially clogging it, but that's actually a good solution.  The meat won't be soggy if you reheat it to drive off an excess water.

Another solution is to mix something else in with it to dilute the spice:
-plain cooked oatmeal or cooked cracked wheat (a really cheap meat extender!)
-plain refried beans
-a can of drained beans (black, kidney, or pinto)
-a half can of tomato sauce (cook more if this is too soupy)

The whole point is- if the food didn't turn out the way you intended, instead of chucking it, come up with a way to fix it or repurpose it.  If that doesn't work, you're no worse off than before!

For those days that you just don't have time to think what to cook for dinner, have this on hand.  (Thanks, Rebecca!)  You can make up several mixes at once.  Not only are these much less expensive than the boxed version, but you have complete control over what goes in it.  This is especially handy if you have allergies or have to eat gluten-free.

This mix is equivalent to about 2 ½ -3 boxes of Rice-A-Roni.

Homemade Rice & Roni
Serves about 8
(put half as much in the bags to make smaller mixes!)

In a quart size bag, add
2 cups of converted rice
1 cup of broken thin spaghetti  or fideo noodles

Place the following ingredients in snack-sized bags or in an envelope cut in half (cut the short way, fill, fold over, and glue or tape closed)

2 tsp bouillon granules (Optional, you can prepare the mix with stock instead of water.)
2 Tbsp dry onion
1T dry carrots or other dried or freeze-dried vegetable (optional)
1/8th tsp celery seed
1Tbsp. all-purpose seasoning
2 tsp dry parsley
1 tsp garlic powder

*Be sure to write the name of the flavoring mix on the bag along with how much liquid to add to the mix to prepare it. To prepare you will need
2 T butter or oil
5 cups water (or stock if you omit the bullion in your seasoning)
In a 2 quart pan with a tight fitting lid, brown the rice and noodles in the butter or oil until noodles are a nice deep brown, but not burned. Add the water and the contents of the seasoning mix.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low for 20-25 minutes, until tender.

Other flavor ideas:
Mexican: Use onion and carrot but for seasoning, use 1T taco seasoning, Or 1 tsp each: garlic, cumin, oregano and chile powder.
Oriental: Use onion carrot and celery seed, but also 1 tsp curry and 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice, 1/2 tsp ginger and 1T garlic powder.
Curry Chicken: Use chicken bullion, all the original seasoning plus 1tsp saffron 2tsp curry powder.

For more flavor ideas, browse the boxed pasta section at the grocery store.  You'll be sure to see something that sounds good.  Then make your own!


Instruction label for the bags of mix: 

Beans and sausage have probably been around since sausage was first invented.  Take some bland beans, add flavorful ingredients, and -presto- a nearly-one-dish-meal.  We ate ours with homemade bread and a fruit smoothie.

You can use any kind of beans you like, and any kind of sausage or similar meat.  I used kielbasa because that's what was cheap this time.  Sometimes I use hotdogs.  Or link sausage.  Or I shape bulk sausage into meatballs.  Ham Spam, or bacon would also work; the point is to add something savory and meaty. 
You can leave out the kale if you prefer; I only added it because it was calling to me from the fridge (so it wouldn't die lonely in the vegetable crisper).  It also added to the nutritional content; my mom taught me the budget trick of using half as much meat and twice as many vegetables as most recipes call for.  The onions and celery are pretty important for flavor, but if you don't like them, fine, leave them out.  Add something you do like.  Carrots or peppers would be good.
I used onion powder because some of my kids think they don't like onions.  It's really the texture they revolt against; if I use onion powder or puree the onions, nobody notices them.  The tomato and chicken bouillon enhance the meaty flavor.  

This makes a big batch; you can freeze some for later!

Black Beans and Sausage

1 lb. black beans, or 3  14-oz. cans
2 medium onions, diced, or 1/3 c. onion powder or 2/3 c. dried minced onion
1 lb. sausage (or hotdogs), cut in coins
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced, or 1-2 tsp. garlic powder
1 bunch kale, chopped
1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon, or 3 cubes, or one 14-oz. can chicken broth
1 Tbsp. tomato powder, or use 1 Tbsp. tomato paste or 2 Tbsp. tomato sauce
2-4 tiny drops thyme essential oil, or 1 tsp. powdered thyme, or 1-2 Tbsp. fresh leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 8-10

If starting with dry beans, sort through to find any bits of rock or dirt, rinse, then put in a large pot with 2 quarts of water and the onions.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 4 hours.  I used a pressure cooker (a Kuhn Rikon, it's quick!) and needed only 1 ½ quarts water,  cooked on high pressure for 25 minutes.  Drain and reserve water.  If using canned beans, also drain and reserve.

In a 12” skillet, cook sausage and celery over medium-high heat until partly browned.  This really deepens the meat's flavor.  In case you like science-type stuff, this is because of the Maillard Reaction- simplified, it's the combination of amino acids (proteins) reacting under heat with the sugars (carbohydrates) to form completely new flavor compounds.  Anyway, yeah, you want to brown the sausage, even if it IS precooked.

Add garlic and stir 30 seconds, then put the kale on top, cover, and reduce heat to medium.  Check after about 5 minutes to see if you need to add a little liquid.  If so, use the bean water.  Cook until kale is tender, about 10 minutes. 


Add the meat and vegetables to the bean pot.  Stir in chicken bouillon or broth, tomato powder, thyme, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ - ½ tsp. pepper.  Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.  Heat through if it’s not warm enough.  The flavor will be better after sitting covered for 20-30 minutes.  If it's too thick, add more of the bean water. 

I've seen mango salsa before, or peach salsa, but it had never occured to me to try adding fruit to regular salsa. 

Try it, you'll like it!

Pico de Gallo           

16 oz. jar salsa (mild, medium, hot, whatever you prefer)
1 large apple, diced
4 drops lime essential oil OR use the juice and zest of one fresh lime

Stir together, and use as any salsa.
Peach or mango can be used in place of the apple.  Other fruits could be good, too- strawberry, raspberry, pear, ...

The idea came from a recipe for
Tangy Lemon Coconut Salad.  The recipe was a tad too complicated for dinner that night, plus I had no fresh tomatoes.  I pulled out a jar of salsa, added the recipe ingredients that weren't already in the salsa, and put it with the salad.  It was amazing!

Pumpkin-Orange Muffins- made using essential oils!

Recipe is at the bottom of this page.

My friend's sister sells essential oils, and has had a lot of people ask how much to use if they want to cook with them.  She asked if I would play around with the oils if she provided them,  and come up with some guidelines and recipes.  Here's the start of that.  As I add more recipes, I'll add them to an indexed pdf so they're easy to access.   (More on that another time.)

First of all, please make sure that you're using pure oils that don't have any chemical residues or other nasty things.  In other words, use Grade A/Therapeutic Grade oils, or Grade B/Food Grade oils.    The label should tell you what grade it is.  There are four grades, see here for more on this.  Several sources say not to ever ingest essential oils, see more about why I disagree with thathere.

Second of all, realize this is not going to be an exact science.  Several things will affect how much oil to use in a recipe:
-What brand you use- some are better quality than others
-How old the oil is (they lose potency over time; these are strongest when under a year old)
-What the growing season was like that year for the plants
-How big your bottle is- see below for an explanation
-And how strong of a flavor YOU prefer!

I've discovered that your bottle size makes a huge difference on the size of the drops that come out.  The 15mL bottles I have require only 16 drops of oil to equal 1/8 teaspoon.  The dram-sized bottles (the kind with a stopper and a little hole in the middle of it) give out teeny-tiny drops- it takes about 64 of these drops to fill 1/8 teaspoon!  (Yes, I did crazy things like measure all of this....) If you're going to cook with your oils, I actually recommend putting your cooking-herb oils in this smaller size; so little is needed that the smaller drops are perfect.  Oils in this category would include oregano, thyme, coriander, rosemary, lavender, and marjoram.  To get a drop out, tip the bottle over the food you're adding it to, and gently rap the bottom of the bottle once.  Watch closely; it's hard to see when it comes out.  A little goes a LONG way!  The oils I've been using are from doTERRA. 
Below are the general guidelines I've learned.

When your recipe calls for herbs:
1/2 tsp. dried herb leaves =  1 1/2 tsp. (1/2 Tbsp.) fresh herb = 1/4 tsp. powdered herb = 1 tiny drop essential oil
1/2 tsp. powdered herb leaves = 1 tsp. dried herb leaves = 1 Tbsp. fresh herbs= 2 tiny drops essential oil
1 tsp. powdered herb = 2 tsp. dried herb leaves = 2 Tbsp. fresh herbs = 2 tiny drops, or 1 regular-sized drop

Using citrus oils:
1 tsp. lemon extract = 1/8 tsp. lemon essential oil = 16 drops
1 Tbsp. lemon zest = 1/16 tsp. lemon essential oil = 8 drops

So if your favorite spaghetti recipe calls for 2 tsp. powdered oregano, you can use one regular-sized drop of essential oil instead, or 4 tiny drops.

The herb ratios also seem to hold true for spices like cinnamon and ginger.  I especially love the flavor of cinnamon oil- it's a pure, clean flavor reminiscent of red hots.  I put two tiny drops in a half-pint of cream, along with 2 Tbsp. sugar and a bit of vanilla,  before whipping it-  Cinnamon Whipped Cream- delicious!  We had it on pumpkin pie, for breakfast.   The pumpkin pie itself also used essential oils for its spices.

Pan-Fried Fish

For 1 lb. boneless fish (I used tilapia):
Cut the fish into serving-sized chunks.  if there are any thin ends, tuck them under.  Pat dry with a paper towel, prinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Breading: Combine on a plate:
2/3 c. flour, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, crushed potato chips, potato flakes, or whatever!  (I used 1/3 c. each flour and cornmeal)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Dipping mixture: combine in a wide dish:
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. buttermilk, yogurt, or mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. mustard (either Dijon or regular is great)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder, or 1 tiny drop garlic essential oil
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme, or 2 tiny drops thyme oil- I used rosemary instead
4 regular drops any citrus oil, optional (lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit)

Heat a 12" skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil; at least 2 Tbsp. or up to 1/2 " deep, depending on how "fried" you want this.  While it's heating, drop a piece of fish into the dipping mixture; turn to coat.  Lift out, then put it in the breading.  Flip it over with a fork to coat it, then put it in the hot oil.  Repeat with other pieces until the pan is fairly full, but pieces are not crowded or touching.  Fry 2-4 minutes, until bottom is dark golden brown.  Flip, and cook other side until the thickest piece is opaque inside and starts to flake when poked open.  Serve hot, with tartar sauce or lemon wedges.

I always have leftover breading and dipping mixture.  Instead of throwing it out, I turn it into Hushpuppies:  To however much breading is left, add that much fresh flour (breading is very salty!) If you now have a cup of this dry mixture, add 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder.  If you have less or more flour/breading, use less or more baking powder!  Add whatever dipping mixture is left.  Add water if you need, to be able to get a soft dough that more or less holds its shape.  Drop by spoonfuls into the hot oil.  Fry until golden ( a couple minutes), turning them over once.



Pumpkin-Orange Muffins- makes 12
2 c. flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon, or 1 regular-sized drop cinnamon essential oil
3/4 c. sugar (or 1/2 c. honey)
1 c. buttermilk or sour milk
8-16 drops orange essential oil (1/16 to 1/8 tsp.)- this is distinctly orange-flavored!
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 beaten egg
1/4 c. oil or melted butter
1/2 c. chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 12 muffin cups, or line them with cupcake papers.  Mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar.  Add the wet ingredients all at once: buttermilk, orange oil, pumpkin, egg, and oil.  Stir just until combined.  Spoon into muffin tins, then sprinkle with the nuts.  Bake about 16-18 minutes, or until lightly golden and the top of a muffin springs back when touched. 

Just printed this week, a cookbook that may become your go-to source for  your cooking:

The Chameleon Cook:
Cooking Well With What You Have

140 pages of adaptable core recipes, frugal cooking information, rules-of-thumb, and guidelines for cooking everyday food with what you have on hand, including how to adapt to cooking without eggs, dairy, sugar (honey instead), or wheat.  It also includes an index.

  At 5½“x 8½“ it's intended to be easy to fit in any size kitchen.  Any level of cook will find it useful, from beginners to old-hat.  I recommend it especially for college students, missionaries, newlyweds, or anyone wanting to expand their understanding of how to make a recipe work. 

  It has a laminated cover for durability, full-color cardstock chapter dividers with photos, and your choice of plastic coil binding or plastic comb binding.
 
Cost is $14 if purchased through me, $14.95 if bought retail.  Copies may be purchased at John and Jennie's Bosch Kitchen Center, Not Just Copies, and the Sandy Bosch Store.  You can order by calling (801) 541-6999, leaving a comment on this page, or emailing me at [email protected]

Chapters include:
-Introduction and Tips
-Appetizers (Snacks!) and Beverages,
-Soups and Salads
-Vegetables and Side Dishes
-Main Dishes
-Breads
-Desserts
-Cookies and Candy
-This & That

Categories in Main Dishes include
-Beans (including cooking them from scratch, and how much is in a can)
-Eggs
-super-adaptable Red Sauce and White Sauce
(make your own Cream of Mushroom Soup and more)
-Meat, including how to make a cheap cut tender

Sections in This & That:
-Cooking Grains
-Miscellaneous
-Dairy Foods
-Dehydrated Foods (both making and using them in your regular recipes)
-Home Remedies
-Homemade Cleaners
-Seasonings, Jam, and Syrups


Some recipes in the sections include:
-Croutons
-Edible Playdough
-Fruit and Nut Energy Bars
-Granola, Granola Bars
-Homemade "Honey Bunches and Oats"
-Brown Bag Popcorn
-Cream Cheese Spreads
-Making simple fresh cheese and cottage cheese
-Snow Ice Cream
-Sweetened Condensed Milk (two versions- one using powdered milk, one using evaporated milk, cream, or half-and-half)
-Culturing Yogurt
-Apple Cider Syrup (Lower Sugar Syrup)
-Five-Minute Marmalade and a dozen ways to use it
-Honey Mustard
-Honeybutter
-Quick Strawberry Jam
-Seasoned Flour
-Seasoned Salt
-Simple Syrup and variations
-Home Remedies- Coughs, Insect Stings, Lowering Fever, Natural Deodorant
-Homemade Cleaners- Floor Cleaner, Furniture Polish, Laundry Soap, Liquid Soap, Carpet Spot Cleaner, Stain Remover, using vinegar, Window Cleaner.

If you need one (or more) shipped, I charge only the actual shipping cost plus the price of a padded envelope.

Call or e-mail today!

-Rhonda

This potato salad is just right for a nice main dish.  It has bits of bright flavors and crunchy sweetness; one of my favorite salads. 

It uses those fabulous, creamy "new potatoes" that are a hallmark of  hot summer days.  This is tossed with a basic vinaigrette instead of the usual mayonnaise, then fresh vegetables are mixed in.

1 1/4 pounds small red potatoes, cut in 3/4" cubes
Vinaigrette, below
1/2 pound green beans, sliced into 3/4" pieces
3 c. sliced mushrooms, optional*
6-8 oz. smoked turkey, sliced into 1x 1/4"x 1/4" strips
1 sweet red bell pepper, sliced into 1/2" pieces
2 stalks celery, sliced diagonally
1/4 -1/2 c. diced purple onion
1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced

Vinaigrette:
1/2  c. water (use the cooking water from potatoes)
1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon (or cook potatoes in chicken broth)
2 Tbsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon or other mustard
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Cook potatoes in boiling water; they should take just about 15 minutes to become tender.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients for Vinaigrette except for the water.  When potatoes are tender, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and add to the bowl.  Toss to coat.  Add green beans to the still-hot cooking water; bring to a boil.  Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the beans are crisp-tender.  Scoop them out and add to the potatoes, then measure out 1/2 c. of the cooking water and add to the mixture.  If you want the salad served chilled, refrigerate it at this point.

Add mushrooms, turkey, bell pepper, celery, onion, and parsley.  Stir to coat, and serve. 

*If using mushrooms, double the ingredients for Vinaigrette; mushrooms are very absorbent.

The original recipe called for 1/4 lb. less potatoes and 1/4 lb. more meat.  If you love meat, you'll probably prefer it  with more.  I tend to use meat more as a flavoring than as a main ingredient; it's cheaper, and makes a lighter salad.

Alright, perfection is in the eye (or mouth!) of the beholder.  My perfect egg may not be yours, but here goes...

The goal was to get tender whites and moist yolks, with the least amount of energy possible.  I put a dozen eggs in a pan, added water just to cover, put a lid on, and turned the stove on high heat.  Eight minutes later, when they came to a boil, I turned the heat OFF, left the lid on, and started timing. 

These are the experimental eggs:

Front row, starting left: cooked for 5 minutes after the water boiled; middle front egg was cooked 6 minutes; front right got 8 minutes.
Back left was pulled out at 10 minutes; back middle at 12; back right at 15 minutes.   All eggs were put into cold water as soon as they came out of the pan, to make them stop cooking. 

The five-minute egg was very tender, very moist, but would mash densely if you wanted deviled eggs.  For eating, though, I thought it was great.  Same with the 6-minute egg.  My kids preferred them at the 8-15 min marks. 

The left egg was left in for 15 minutes.  You can see it was too long because of the grey-green layer on the yolk's exterior. The one on the right was the 5-minute egg.

So for my idea of perfect hard-boiled eggs,  do this:

1- put eggs in a pan, cover with cold water.
2- Put a lid on; heat on high until the water reaches a full rolling boil.
3-Turn heat off; leave pan on the burner, with lid on.
4- 5-6 (or up to 12) minutes later, dump hot water and cover eggs with cold water.  Cool and eat.

Your timing may be different, but this will give you a good starting point. 

For instance, your elevation will make a difference.   I live at about 3500 feet in elevation.  The boiling point of water at sea level is 212 degrees F, but is only 205 degrees at my elevation.  That means that if you're cooking these at sea level, they'll be done a little bit sooner, since the water was hotter.  For every 500 feet in altitude, the boiling point goes down about one degree.

If you have a gas stove, you might need an extra minute.  (I don't know, just guessing!)  My stove is electric, and the burners stay hot for a couple minutes.  Gas burners don't, so they, and the pan on them, would cool faster.

Leftover hardboiled eggs?

Here's a family favorite recipe:

Tuna Burgers,  serves 4              

3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

1 (5-oz) can tuna, drained and flaked

½  c. (2 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar

¼ c. chopped green pepper or celery

¼  c. chopped onion

1/8  tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. salt

¼  tsp. pepper

¼ c. mayonnaise

4 buns or Kaiser rolls, split

 

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix everything together and spoon onto rolls.  Wrap in foil, then bake 15 minutes or until warm through.  Also good cold on lettuce as a salad.

Need more ideas?

• Slice them into green salads (Chef Salad, if you also add your leftover ham!) Or maybe Wilted Spinach Salad with warm Bacon dressing?
  
• chop them and add to white sauce; serve over buttered toast (My family calls this Creamed Eggs and eats it for breakfast.) For Goldenrod Eggs, only add the whites to the white sauce.  Push the hardboiled yolks through a sieve over top of the sauce on toast. 
  
• make deviled eggs
  
• sliced or chop and add to casseroles
  
• make egg salad/sandwiches
  
• egg-olive sandwich: chop 4 eggs with 8 stuffed olives and 2 T mayo.  Spread on bread.
  
• add to potato salad
  
• stir into macaroni salad
  
• add to chicken salad, especially with curry powder added
  
• mix with cooked hamburger and Mexican spices for empanada filling
  

If you need actual recipes, there's a great collection at Sparkpeople.com

Rice and more...

Barbecue Sauce.  Make it quickly using tomato sauce as the main ingredient.

White Sauce- simple to make, and the base for several recipes.

Main Dishes card 3  Recipes for pureed (any)vegetable soup, simple pasta sauce (starting with a can of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce, rice- basics, fried rice, Spanish rice, and rice pudding (which is breakfast food around here).

Main Dishes card 4 covers how to roast meat, methods of tenderizing it, simple soup, and white sauce with instructions to make it thin, medium, and thick.  Includes options for making it gluten-free.

Card 1 includes chili, cooking beans, white sauce/gravy, and omelets.

Card 2 is all about potatoes: potato pancakes, mashed, roasted, oven-fried, and baked.

Mmm...meatballs!

This quote was recently brought to my attention; it’s from some training that our General Relief Society President recently gave.  It is motivating and assuring at the same time.  I am grateful for wise and loving leaders, as well as the Spirit, to guide us.  I know they teach truth.

Below it  is a very adaptable recipe for meatballs/meatloaf.      

-Rhonda

 

“I have a sense and a feeling as we have watched some of these disasters in the world, that this is a time for us to learn and prepare from these experiences.   The preparation happens in our own homes. There are not enough tents in the world to furnish every person with a tent unless the members of the church have a tent in their own homes...a simple thing like that. And then the storehouse is pressed down, heaped over and running over in our own homes. Some of you have student apartments, how prepared are you? If an earthquake or an economic disaster happened, would you have enough water to drink for 24 hours? Would you be able to get by until help could come to you? Those are the kind of the things we need to be thinking about in our day and time, the Lord expects us to do our little part and then He can bring on the miracles and then we don't need to fear.  I bear you my testimony that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and that these principles will strengthen us individually, and as a family, and as a people, and as a church.  As we listen to prophets of God we will be okay.  We don’t need to worry about being alive in this scary time.  The world has had scary times before and the Lord has always taken care of His people who have been faithful. “

 –  Julie B. Beck  

see herefor her whole video clip, then click on Training Video: Self-Reliance


Meatballs and meatloaf are essentially the same food; only the size differs.  Burgers or patties can be the same recipe, too.  In the simplest version, you simply salt and season meat, then form and cook it.  To end up with tender, juicy results, you either use higher-fat meat, or use something to help hold the moisture in.  Many recipes call for crushed crackers or dry breadcrumbs, but the most tender results come from making a panade, which is a bread-and-milk paste.  You can also use, in the same amount as the panade,  mashed or grated potato, cooked rice, leftover cooked oatmeal (unsweetened!) or other hot cereal for this. This would make the meatballs be gluten-free.  Dry crumbs soak up more moisture, leaving you with a drier result.  Egg is usually used as a binder, to hold the meat together. And try to not squeeze the meat very much when you’re mixing it; compressed meat is tough.  Other than that, use whatever flavor additions you prefer –

Onion, garlic, ground pepper, Worchestershire sauce, soy sauce, raw pork sausage, Parmesan or other cheese, parsley, rosemary, thyme, nutmeg, Liquid Smoke, bacon pieces, diced chili peppers, shredded zucchini or carrot, chopped mushrooms, bits of sundried tomatoes, chopped spinach.  

 
 For quick, simple meals later on, make a BIG batch of meatloaf, and shape it into

* a couple meatloaves

*rolled meatloaf- pat into a rectangle on some waxed paper, spread on some filling (cheese and spinach, or whatever sounds good), roll it up with the help of the waxed paper.  (Don’t leave the paper inside it!)

*some meatballs

*mini meat loaves (portions to bake in muffin tins or custard cups)
*patties

 Freeze on cookie sheets so they won’t stick together, either before or after cooking them, then pop into freezer bags, squeeze the air out, label and freeze.

For several flavor variations, click on   Tender and Moist Meatloaf and Meatballs .

Tender and Moist Meatballs or Meatloaf

2 slices good-quality white bread, cut in ¼” cubes (1 ½ c.)
3 Tbsp. buttermilk, thinned yogurt or sour cream- milk works but is less creamy
1 egg
1 ½ lbs. lean burger (may use pork sausage as part of this)
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼- ½ c. Parmesan cheese
¼ c. minced fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine the bread, buttermilk, and egg, or use 1/2 c. other wet starch (i.e. cooked rice, oatmeal, mashed potato), with the egg, omitting buttermilk.  Mash together until it forms a paste. Add everything else and mix gently.  Form into meatballs, 1- 2” in diameter.  If you’re cooking them right away, they’ll hold together better if you first refrigerate them for an hour. To cook, pan-fry over medium heat in 1-2 Tbsp. oil, shaking the pan often to turn the meatballs.  1 ½” meatballs should be done in about 10 minutes.  Add to sauce, or cool and freeze.

Another way to cook them is:

Put meatballs on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 450 degrees F for 12-15 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet back-to-front halfway through.  Partially cool, then freeze.


Meatloaf:

Mix, form into a loaf, and bake for 1 hour @ 350 F. Before the last 15 minutes, brush with
Meatloaf glaze:
1/4 c. ketchup
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. cider vinegar

This is the panade mixed with the seasonings; eggs are mixed in before adding the meat.  There are so many eggs because this is for a ten-pound batch of meatballs/loaf.

Fully mixed.  A small icecream scoop (this is a #10) makes quick work of meatballs.   Another way to make evenly-sized ones is to pat the meat in a square or rectangle, then cut them into evenly-sized small squares.  Roll each one.  One pound of meatball mixture will give you about 30 1-inch balls.

Put the meatballs on a lightly greased or sprayed cookie sheet.  For the roundest meatballs, roll them between your hands.  You can bake them now, and freeze them already cooked, or freeze them raw.  Put the whole tray in the freezer.  When they're solid, remove and put the meatballs in a freezer-safe bag or container.  Squeeze out the extra air, label, and put back in the freezer. 

The individually-frozen meatballs packaged and ready to go in the freezer. They're best if used within a few months, but they'll be safe to eat for much longer.  (I've used 2-year-old meatballs before.)

(originally from 6/11/10)
This last week I moved my bookcases around (thanks to a great organizing suggestion from a neighbor) and found a treasure:

In 1987, to celebrate the Bicentennial of the signing of the Constitution, the Church published a 14-page booklet with Family Home Evening lessons on the Constitution and the Founding Fathers.  I had a copy hiding amongst our books.  It's also available online.  The lessons are great for teaching simply and powerfully what is at the heart of our country's existence.  At the following website, halfway down the page you can click to download this in pdf format. http://www.latterdayconservative.com/articles/family-home-evening-lessons-for-the-bicentennial-of-the-constitution    

Use it, teach it, spread it around!  We've been told often (especially the last couple LDS General Conferences)  to teach our children truth; this is a great way to see that they are being taught the truth about our nation's birth.

Here’s what lds.org had to say about the booklet (Ensign, Nov. 1987, 102–3)

Booklet Published

The Church has published for its members in the United States a special booklet explaining the divine significance of the U. S. Constitution and its principles.

The First Presidency has asked that the booklet be used as the subject of family home evening lessons by all member families in the United States.

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 were inspired men the First Presidency said—men who produced a document that the Prophet Joseph Smith called “a glorious standard” and “a heavenly banner.”

In a preface to the new booklet, the First Presidency stated the purpose of the publication:

“In commemoration of this important event, we are providing this booklet, which contains three family home evening lessons, activity ideas, and a copy of the Constitution. We encourage you to prepare and teach each lesson prayerfully so that family members may feel the divine significance of the Constitution in their minds and hearts.”

Some 1.3 million copies of the booklet have been printed and are available to congregations throughout the United States. Local leaders may order copies through the Salt Lake Distribution Center.

TV Special

“America, the Dream Goes On,” was the title of a one-hour variety special spotlighting the U. S. Constitution. The show was produced by Church-owned Bonneville Media Communications.

The television special featured singing by the Tabernacle Choir and Marie Osmond. LDS actor Gordon Jump portrayed Benjamin Franklin. Another prominent actor, Harry Morgan, was host and narrator. The show was televised nationally in September (1987)."

* * * * * * *
Chicken Nachos     6 servings

1 can cheddar cheese soup (or make 1 cup of white sauce and stir in ½ c. cheese)   
1/2  c. salsa   
1   c. cooked chicken,  diced  (I use my frozen or canned chicken)
1   10 oz bag   tortilla chips    
        chopped tomato, optional    
        sliced olives   
On low, heat together soup, salsa, and chicken.   Serve over chips; top with tomato and olives.