We're having a planning meeting after church tomorrow for a garage sale. We usually have pizza, but I'm tired of pizza and thought I could make some spaghetti that taste better and would be cheaper. So here's one from the new Phifer cookbook I'll make someday.
I took about a 1 & 1/2 lb of ground chuck and 1 lb of ground Italian sausage and browned it. Then I melted 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat in a large pot. Two onions were diced up and along with 8 oz of mushrooms were put into the pot and sauteed. Then 2 bell peppers and 2 cloves of garlic were diced up and put in the pot for about 2 minutes. The meat was combined with 2 tbsp of garlic powder, oregano, and basil. Salt and pepper to taste. Then I added some left over chicken broth, probably about 4 oz, along with 4 cans of 8 oz tomato sauce and 1 15 oz can because that was all I had. I had planned on using 4 cans of tomato paste but I didn't have time to go to store. I put in 1 tbsp of Splenda Sugar Blend and 1 pinch of cinnamon and I mean 1 pinch. You gotta be really careful with the cinnamon and the sugar.
The whole sauce was stirred constantly and brought to a boil and then simmered on low for about 4 hours. My daughter and her friend Joy cooked up some pasta and used the sauce and loved it.
When I got home from a men's event at the church I tasted it and was very pleased. I had some left over sauce I had made yesterday and mixed it with the new. It had pretty much everything but the garlic powder and the Italian sausage and the chicken broth. Oh yes it also had some left over Marinara sauce I had opened last week to make a sauce. It was good but needed the green peppers, garlic and other ingredients to be really good. I did this because I wasn't sure we had enough sauce for 18 or more people tomorrow. We probably do, but since I'm in a learning mode, I'd rather have to much than not enough. I also think letting it set over night will increase the flavor. I'll let you know how people like it tomorrow.
Hey this is sure a whole lot more fun than opening a jar of spaghetti sauce and browning some meat. And as far as I can tell my family likes the taste a lot better and I guarantee I do.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Cooking Chicken: Brining
Last week my brother and sister in law were over and we cooked 2 wonderful chickens. One thing we did was to brine the chicken first. This is something they reminded us that my mom used to do. I've been captivated by the benefits it has in cooking, keeping the meat juicy, firm and seasoned. I looked up how it works and I wanted to share what I found.
Brining is submerging a turkey or chicken in a solution of salt (sometimes sugar) and water. I'll get to the details next time. But let me get a little technical here because I find it interesting.
Brining works with diffusion and osmosis. When you soak the chicken there is a greater concentration of salt outside of the chicken than in the cells of the chicken. Diffusion means the salt will naturally flow from the area of greater concentration (the brine) to lesser concentration (the cells). There's also more water outside the chicken than inside, obviously, and the water will naturally flow from greater concentration to lesser too. This is called osmosis. Once inside the proteins begin to breakdown and interact and they capture and hold the moisture. Then when you begin cooking, the heat, forms a gel and a barrier that keeps much of the water form leaking out. Voila, you have a chicken that's better seasoned and more juicy.
Brining is submerging a turkey or chicken in a solution of salt (sometimes sugar) and water. I'll get to the details next time. But let me get a little technical here because I find it interesting.
Brining works with diffusion and osmosis. When you soak the chicken there is a greater concentration of salt outside of the chicken than in the cells of the chicken. Diffusion means the salt will naturally flow from the area of greater concentration (the brine) to lesser concentration (the cells). There's also more water outside the chicken than inside, obviously, and the water will naturally flow from greater concentration to lesser too. This is called osmosis. Once inside the proteins begin to breakdown and interact and they capture and hold the moisture. Then when you begin cooking, the heat, forms a gel and a barrier that keeps much of the water form leaking out. Voila, you have a chicken that's better seasoned and more juicy.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Monday Monday
Monday, Monday, so good to me. I love Monday, it's my day off and I have more time for cooking. But this is always a special day for me, as it's the day after Resurrection Sunday or Easter as most call the day. I jokingly told my son who had some friends coming to Sunday service but couldn't make it, "if Jesus could rise from the dead surely we can get out of bed."
I'm still basking or basting, too use a cooking term, in the afterglow of the resurrection. Without the resurrection the cross is just a tragic defeat. But the resurrection vindicated the cross and the cross provided for our forgiveness. Well I'm getting a little preachy so forgive me; afterall I am a preacher.
Back to cooking. I'm using the leftover ham to make ham hash or ham and scalloped potatoes. I cut up a small onion and the left over ham, about 1 1/2 lbs. Then I melted 3 tbsp of butter on low heat and put 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and 3 tbsp of flower in with butter stirring continuously. After about a minute I put 2 & 1/2 cups of milk in with the mixture and kept stirring until it boiled for about a minute and removed it from the heat.
Next I took a 2 quart baking dish and greased it. Then I lined it with a layer of potatoes, onions, sauce and ham. I followed with 2 more layers of each item. The oven was preheated to 350 and I baked it covered for 30 minutes. I took it out and uncovered it and baked for another 50 minutes or until the potatoes were soft. It was great!
This may sound like a lot but in between I was doing other things. Mainly I was cleaning our pool. The house we bought came with a pool and I don't recommend one. They are a hassle but we have enjoyed it. Thank goodness we didn't pay for it to be installed although we pay for it in upkeep and electricity. Oh well, enough of the griping, at least I got outside on a beautiful day in Spring, Spring. No I didn't stutter, I live in Spring Texas and it's Spring, Ha!
I'm still basking or basting, too use a cooking term, in the afterglow of the resurrection. Without the resurrection the cross is just a tragic defeat. But the resurrection vindicated the cross and the cross provided for our forgiveness. Well I'm getting a little preachy so forgive me; afterall I am a preacher.
Back to cooking. I'm using the leftover ham to make ham hash or ham and scalloped potatoes. I cut up a small onion and the left over ham, about 1 1/2 lbs. Then I melted 3 tbsp of butter on low heat and put 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper and 3 tbsp of flower in with butter stirring continuously. After about a minute I put 2 & 1/2 cups of milk in with the mixture and kept stirring until it boiled for about a minute and removed it from the heat.
Next I took a 2 quart baking dish and greased it. Then I lined it with a layer of potatoes, onions, sauce and ham. I followed with 2 more layers of each item. The oven was preheated to 350 and I baked it covered for 30 minutes. I took it out and uncovered it and baked for another 50 minutes or until the potatoes were soft. It was great!
This may sound like a lot but in between I was doing other things. Mainly I was cleaning our pool. The house we bought came with a pool and I don't recommend one. They are a hassle but we have enjoyed it. Thank goodness we didn't pay for it to be installed although we pay for it in upkeep and electricity. Oh well, enough of the griping, at least I got outside on a beautiful day in Spring, Spring. No I didn't stutter, I live in Spring Texas and it's Spring, Ha!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Cook Is Out
Well my cooking plan seems to be working, not perfectly but sufficiently. The ham is made and we had ham omelets this morning. We'll have it for sandwiches and other meal ideas next week.
Easter is a really busy time for pastors and it often doesn't let up the next week.
Cooking the spiral ham was really easy but it can take some time. However, if you do it while other things are going on, or you're reading, blogging or watching TV it's not time consuming.
One thing that I read to shorten the cooking time for the ham was to put it in warm water for 45 minutes and then again for 45 minutes. This raises the internal temperature and prevents the ham from drying out. Leave it in the plastic packaging it comes in to warm and then remove the plastic. After this I wrapped it in foil real tightly, preheated the oven to 250 and baked it for 60 minutes. The ham was a little over 5 lbs, so about 12 minutes per pound. It came with a glaze so I used about 1/3 of it to brush over the ham and left the ham opened, raised the oven temperature to 350 and heated it for 10 minutes. Then I let it rest tented 10 minutes and put 1/3 more of the glaze on it and mixed the remaining glaze with 2 tbsp of drippings from the ham to serve as a sauce. It was real easy to remove from the bone. Wow was it great.
I left some of the meat on the bone and froze it to make ham bone soup in the near future. Time is short so I'll get back to you next week; the cook is out. Happy Resurrection Day!
Easter is a really busy time for pastors and it often doesn't let up the next week.
Cooking the spiral ham was really easy but it can take some time. However, if you do it while other things are going on, or you're reading, blogging or watching TV it's not time consuming.
One thing that I read to shorten the cooking time for the ham was to put it in warm water for 45 minutes and then again for 45 minutes. This raises the internal temperature and prevents the ham from drying out. Leave it in the plastic packaging it comes in to warm and then remove the plastic. After this I wrapped it in foil real tightly, preheated the oven to 250 and baked it for 60 minutes. The ham was a little over 5 lbs, so about 12 minutes per pound. It came with a glaze so I used about 1/3 of it to brush over the ham and left the ham opened, raised the oven temperature to 350 and heated it for 10 minutes. Then I let it rest tented 10 minutes and put 1/3 more of the glaze on it and mixed the remaining glaze with 2 tbsp of drippings from the ham to serve as a sauce. It was real easy to remove from the bone. Wow was it great.
I left some of the meat on the bone and froze it to make ham bone soup in the near future. Time is short so I'll get back to you next week; the cook is out. Happy Resurrection Day!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
You Gotta Be Flexible
So far very little has gone according to plan this week when it comes to cooking, and I love it. My idea to keep meals simple though, has really worked out. But you gotta be flexible. When things change you gotta go with the flow. I'm still on schedule for the ham this weekend, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. By the way I hope you got the Irish outdoor furniture out for St. Pat's Day; you know 'pat-tee-oh furniture.'
Yesterday my brother and sister-in-law, Gin, came over and we cooked the 2 chickens as planned. They were wonderful. First, my brother and I cut the back out of the chickens and then brinded them for about 1 & 1/2 hours (you need at least 30 minutes but more is better). Then we put olive oil and a little of Emeril's Essence, that Gin had made up, all over the chicken. We had preheated the gas grill to 450 and we were using it like an oven because we were roasting red potatoes with olive oil and cooking a squash casserole in the oven.
We put the 2 chickens into 2 iron skillets with some olive oil and put them in the grill, trying hard to keep the temperature at 450. I'd say we generally succeeded. Oh I forgot to tell you we had heated the iron skillets in the oven at 450 for about thirty minutes before we put the chickens in them. After we cooked the chickens in the grill about 35 minutes we tented the breasts and cooked then another 10 minutes. We were trying to get the internal temperature to around 180 degrees I believe Gin said. She had brought a special little thermometer and we were successful. The chickens were cooked to perfection and everything else was ready. We were able to feed 9 adults and still had 2 chicken breasts left.
This was absolutely a wonderful meal. The chicken was so good you'll have to make it to believe it. Then on top of all that Gin cooked a low fat, almost sugar free cheesecake that was wonderful.
But what about tonight? Here's where being flexible comes in. I'll report back to you tomorrow.
Yesterday my brother and sister-in-law, Gin, came over and we cooked the 2 chickens as planned. They were wonderful. First, my brother and I cut the back out of the chickens and then brinded them for about 1 & 1/2 hours (you need at least 30 minutes but more is better). Then we put olive oil and a little of Emeril's Essence, that Gin had made up, all over the chicken. We had preheated the gas grill to 450 and we were using it like an oven because we were roasting red potatoes with olive oil and cooking a squash casserole in the oven.
We put the 2 chickens into 2 iron skillets with some olive oil and put them in the grill, trying hard to keep the temperature at 450. I'd say we generally succeeded. Oh I forgot to tell you we had heated the iron skillets in the oven at 450 for about thirty minutes before we put the chickens in them. After we cooked the chickens in the grill about 35 minutes we tented the breasts and cooked then another 10 minutes. We were trying to get the internal temperature to around 180 degrees I believe Gin said. She had brought a special little thermometer and we were successful. The chickens were cooked to perfection and everything else was ready. We were able to feed 9 adults and still had 2 chicken breasts left.
This was absolutely a wonderful meal. The chicken was so good you'll have to make it to believe it. Then on top of all that Gin cooked a low fat, almost sugar free cheesecake that was wonderful.
But what about tonight? Here's where being flexible comes in. I'll report back to you tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Marinating
The marinade made great cooking. The only thing I might do different in the future would be to use orange juice instead of the lemon juice. You could really taste the lemon flavor and while Abi, Aaron and I liked it, Charlcie was a little less enthusiastic.
Well it's Easter Week and resurrection Sunday is coming and I've been thinking about it allot, or meditating on the resurrection. It struck me how similar meditating and marinating are. I know that sounds silly but here me out here will ya.
When I took the first bite of the sirloin steak I was palatively surprised at the wonderful cooked flavor. I don't even know if palatively is a real word, but my taste buds were delighted with the cooking. The marinade had seeped into the meat, tenderized it and changed its flavor. Isn't this what we want to happen when we meditate. We want the word to seep into our lives, tenderize our hearts and change our lives.
Well it's Easter Week and resurrection Sunday is coming and I've been thinking about it allot, or meditating on the resurrection. It struck me how similar meditating and marinating are. I know that sounds silly but here me out here will ya.
When I took the first bite of the sirloin steak I was palatively surprised at the wonderful cooked flavor. I don't even know if palatively is a real word, but my taste buds were delighted with the cooking. The marinade had seeped into the meat, tenderized it and changed its flavor. Isn't this what we want to happen when we meditate. We want the word to seep into our lives, tenderize our hearts and change our lives.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Marinated Top Sirloin Steak
I have a mistake to correct from Saturday. My brother's family isn't coming until tomorrow so I'm going to make something for tonight with the top sirloin. A week or so back we got it for about half price as a special at the store.
We decided we didn't want Stroganoff so I found a recipe for a marinade. I didn't have everything exactly so I made do with what I had. Here's what I whisked up.
2.4 lbs of top sirloin steaks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sherry wine
1/4 cup white wine Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I had a half of a lemon I needed to use up)
4 garlic cloves,minced
2 teaspoons Splenda mix sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Pierce steaks with a fork a few times and place in a large plastic baggie.
In a small bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients for the marinade. Pour this over steak meat. Seal and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours; turning every few hours if you remember. Grill over med-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness.
I'll let you know next time how it turns out.
We decided we didn't want Stroganoff so I found a recipe for a marinade. I didn't have everything exactly so I made do with what I had. Here's what I whisked up.
2.4 lbs of top sirloin steaks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sherry wine
1/4 cup white wine Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I had a half of a lemon I needed to use up)
4 garlic cloves,minced
2 teaspoons Splenda mix sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Pierce steaks with a fork a few times and place in a large plastic baggie.
In a small bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients for the marinade. Pour this over steak meat. Seal and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours; turning every few hours if you remember. Grill over med-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness.
I'll let you know next time how it turns out.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Keep It Simple Week For Easter
This is Easter week, or as I prefer to call it Resurrection week. It's one of my favorite times of the year, but it's also a busy time. So when it comes to cooking I plan to keep it simple.
It's Saturday and I'm rummaging through the refrigerator to see what we have and what we need for the week. We have ground beef, top sirloin steak, chicken breasts but no fish. We also have a spiral ham I think I'll get out later in the week for the weekend. On yeah, I just remembered my brother and his family are coming over Monday and we're going to cook chicken.
I think I'll cook some kind of a stroganoff for Tuesday with the sirloin steak and get some Talapia for Wednesday. We'll have left overs on Thursday and since we don't have small group this week I thought I'd cook the spiral ham so we'll have it through the weekend.
We have Good Friday service at 6PM and we can have the ham and use it for breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. We'll probably have our Phifer burgers on Saturday night so that should about take care of the week. Now I just need to make a grocery list so we have all the ingredients we need to make this stuff.
First, I better call my brother and see what we need for cooking the chicken on Monday. My brother and sister-in-law are both great cooks so I'll let you know what we come up with.
It's Saturday and I'm rummaging through the refrigerator to see what we have and what we need for the week. We have ground beef, top sirloin steak, chicken breasts but no fish. We also have a spiral ham I think I'll get out later in the week for the weekend. On yeah, I just remembered my brother and his family are coming over Monday and we're going to cook chicken.
I think I'll cook some kind of a stroganoff for Tuesday with the sirloin steak and get some Talapia for Wednesday. We'll have left overs on Thursday and since we don't have small group this week I thought I'd cook the spiral ham so we'll have it through the weekend.
We have Good Friday service at 6PM and we can have the ham and use it for breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. We'll probably have our Phifer burgers on Saturday night so that should about take care of the week. Now I just need to make a grocery list so we have all the ingredients we need to make this stuff.
First, I better call my brother and see what we need for cooking the chicken on Monday. My brother and sister-in-law are both great cooks so I'll let you know what we come up with.
Friday, March 14, 2008
The 3 P's For Success In Cooking: Perseverance
Perseverance, what; I know, I know that sounds a little out of left field but give me a minute here will ya. Anytime you start something new there's a big learning curve and you gotta stick with it, is all I mean. You can't give up the first time you mess up or forget something. In fact that's part of the fun of it, allowing yourself to mess up, to make a mistake.
Inevitably we won't be perfect at everything we try. Can you imagine someone waking up one day and deciding to run a marathon; they'd kill themselves. Oh by the way that's what happened to the first marathon runner.
No, if you can't give yourself some room to fail then you'll likely be too hard on yourself. You won't have fun and you'll walk around feeling like a failure all the time. You'll also be hard on everyone else and make them feel like a failure all the time. Lighten up, give yourself and everybody else a break.
As I said there's a learning curve every time you start something new. It's been said the road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places. So don't park it, keep going.
Perseverance implies persistence, endurance, hardiness, fortitude, stamina, robustness and tolerance. It's constant persistence in a course of action, purpose, or state, steadfast pursuit of an aim.
Now I know this sounds pretty highfalutin but we can't confuse it with stubbornness. Perseverance comes from a strong will and stubbornness comes from a strong won't to quote someone; or better yet paraphrase someone. Listen the fun, family times and good meals will be worth sticking with it.
Inevitably we won't be perfect at everything we try. Can you imagine someone waking up one day and deciding to run a marathon; they'd kill themselves. Oh by the way that's what happened to the first marathon runner.
No, if you can't give yourself some room to fail then you'll likely be too hard on yourself. You won't have fun and you'll walk around feeling like a failure all the time. You'll also be hard on everyone else and make them feel like a failure all the time. Lighten up, give yourself and everybody else a break.
As I said there's a learning curve every time you start something new. It's been said the road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places. So don't park it, keep going.
Perseverance implies persistence, endurance, hardiness, fortitude, stamina, robustness and tolerance. It's constant persistence in a course of action, purpose, or state, steadfast pursuit of an aim.
Now I know this sounds pretty highfalutin but we can't confuse it with stubbornness. Perseverance comes from a strong will and stubbornness comes from a strong won't to quote someone; or better yet paraphrase someone. Listen the fun, family times and good meals will be worth sticking with it.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
3 P's For Cooking Success: Planning
Planning is one of the ingredients for cooking success. By planning to cook at home you can impact your budget, free time, control or lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle. These are 4 great benefits our family has discovered.
We've not found a magic formula for meal planning. It's just plain and simple self-discipline, a routine habit that saves money, frees time, impacts weight and encourages healthy eating habits. Here's a suggested approach.
Make a menu for all the meals you'll share for the next week. We usually do it on Saturday or Sunday. Don't forget to include a left over time or two. Include all the major entree groups like fish, beef, pork, chicken and vegetables. Make a list of all the items you'll need at the store. The idea is to shop once a week; this increases efficiency and effectiveness. These are 2 great benefits and time savers too,
Shopping with a list that you stick too helps with the budget. It helps control impulse buying. We've been trying to use coupons more and have found this can really add up the savings. Using a list will shorten your shopping time too because you know what you want and where to find it.
I've already mentioned some benefits, but here's a few more. Eating home cooked meals usually results in less fried foods and soft drinks. Hopefully, you'll eat more vegetables and fruits. Cooking meals at home are healthier than restaurant meals. They're higher in fiber, calcium, folate, iron B vitamins, C and E vitamins. Those bad saturated and trans fats are usually quite a bit less. You'll spend more time with your family, feel better about yourself and enjoy meals like you haven't in a long time. Just think all this just from cooking home meals, WOW!
I've heard it said planning is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it's not all mixed up. That's true, but when it comes to cooking, let's mix it up!
We've not found a magic formula for meal planning. It's just plain and simple self-discipline, a routine habit that saves money, frees time, impacts weight and encourages healthy eating habits. Here's a suggested approach.
Make a menu for all the meals you'll share for the next week. We usually do it on Saturday or Sunday. Don't forget to include a left over time or two. Include all the major entree groups like fish, beef, pork, chicken and vegetables. Make a list of all the items you'll need at the store. The idea is to shop once a week; this increases efficiency and effectiveness. These are 2 great benefits and time savers too,
Shopping with a list that you stick too helps with the budget. It helps control impulse buying. We've been trying to use coupons more and have found this can really add up the savings. Using a list will shorten your shopping time too because you know what you want and where to find it.
I've already mentioned some benefits, but here's a few more. Eating home cooked meals usually results in less fried foods and soft drinks. Hopefully, you'll eat more vegetables and fruits. Cooking meals at home are healthier than restaurant meals. They're higher in fiber, calcium, folate, iron B vitamins, C and E vitamins. Those bad saturated and trans fats are usually quite a bit less. You'll spend more time with your family, feel better about yourself and enjoy meals like you haven't in a long time. Just think all this just from cooking home meals, WOW!
I've heard it said planning is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it's not all mixed up. That's true, but when it comes to cooking, let's mix it up!
Monday, March 10, 2008
3 P's For Cooking Success
We all want our cooking experience and taste to be successful. There are 3 things we can do, what I call the 3 P's of cooking success. They are passion, planning and perseverance. Over the next several posts let's discuss these. If you think about it, these 3 matter for life for that matter.
Let me get a little technical for a moment as we talk about passion. Passion is a strong or extravagant enthusiasm or compelling emotion for a subject. It often relates to lively interest and action in a cause, activity or love. For our family cooking is an activity we are passionate about.
For me personally passion means: staying the course, keeping my values and convictions without rancor to others and holding others in true respect even when we differ. I want to communicate persuasively, listen intently, honor others convictions while being free to differ and doing it all with charity. As Augustine said, "In the essentials unity, in the non-essentials liberty, but in all things charity.
Enough of the technical stuff. Passion in cooking means for me preparing and serving food in style and with plenty of love and care. It means taking time and making an effort to find good recipes and ingredients as well as good cookware. This last one is something I've been realizing more and more lately. Finally, it's about family and friends, doing things that express my love for them.
Remember what Jesus said, "love your neighbor as yourself." I find when I put Jesus and others first, I benefit the most. It may sound selfish, but it's not because it only works if you truly put Jesus and others first.
At our church our vision statement is "Passion for Jesus, Compassion for Others is a Compass for You (JOY)." The word compassion encompasses all 3 aspects: passion, compassion and compass. Passion in life, even in something as everyday as cooking brings joy to everyone.
Let me get a little technical for a moment as we talk about passion. Passion is a strong or extravagant enthusiasm or compelling emotion for a subject. It often relates to lively interest and action in a cause, activity or love. For our family cooking is an activity we are passionate about.
For me personally passion means: staying the course, keeping my values and convictions without rancor to others and holding others in true respect even when we differ. I want to communicate persuasively, listen intently, honor others convictions while being free to differ and doing it all with charity. As Augustine said, "In the essentials unity, in the non-essentials liberty, but in all things charity.
Enough of the technical stuff. Passion in cooking means for me preparing and serving food in style and with plenty of love and care. It means taking time and making an effort to find good recipes and ingredients as well as good cookware. This last one is something I've been realizing more and more lately. Finally, it's about family and friends, doing things that express my love for them.
Remember what Jesus said, "love your neighbor as yourself." I find when I put Jesus and others first, I benefit the most. It may sound selfish, but it's not because it only works if you truly put Jesus and others first.
At our church our vision statement is "Passion for Jesus, Compassion for Others is a Compass for You (JOY)." The word compassion encompasses all 3 aspects: passion, compassion and compass. Passion in life, even in something as everyday as cooking brings joy to everyone.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Portobello Pizzaz
It's been pizza night at the Phifer's for the last year or two; because we work so late it makes cooking hard. Since we look forward to pizza now, but we're trying to tighten up our budget, I had to cook something up. I remembered this portobello pizza recipe from my low carb diet and since I'm watching carbs I decided to try it. I'll call it Piz zaz Pizza and it really was, really.
First I took 6 portobello mushrooms and wiped them off with a wet paper towel. Then I chop up half a white onion, cut 4 tomato slices, opened a small can of black olives, and got out some left over basil pesto. Remember I used it to cook Pesto Chicken.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Brush the mushrooms with olive oil on both sides. In a large skillet heat 1 TBSP of olive oil and brown mushrooms on both sides. Place the mushrooms on paper towels. Squeeze some pizza sauce (I used Boboli, but it's pretty high in carbs) on the mushrooms. Cover with pesto, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices (you can get them in the pizza section). Add some onions and black olives and top with a pinch or two of oregano and black pepper depending on your taste. Then sprinkle with fresh shredded Parmesan cheese (none of that cheap stuff).
Now I know you're thinking only 4 tomato slices and you're about to tell me 6 right, right. Well I only sliced 4 because my daughter Abi, only likes cheese pizza. So I put a little sauce, a lot of mozzarella and sprinkled Parmesan on 2 for her. Just thought you got me, ha.
Now spray a baking pan and place the pizzas on it and bake for 10 minutes. Mmm Mmm good, let me tell you. Hey this was quick and easy. I betcha we were eating within 45 minutes of getting home, maybe less. It would have taken us that long to order and run up to the pizza place and back. But oh my goodness was this so much better.
Now if you were really watching you're carbs, leave off the pizza sauce and just use the pesto. There's about 4.5 carbs per mushroom. For a variation use hamburger, ground sausage, Canadian bacon, ham or make it vegetarian. My family loved it and that's the true test.
Listen, I can't tell you how wonderful this meal was. After a hard week and a long day on Friday you'd think the last thing I'd want to do is cook a home meal. But you know, take out pizza gets old and boring after awhile.
As soon as I left work; I left work, if you know what I mean jelly bean. On the drive home I was telling Charlcie about how we were gonna cook the pizza instead of talking about this or that at the office. Since we both work there it's hard not too. But this really helps get our minds off of all of that.
We hit the door at home with expectation. We didn't have a clue if it would turn out good or not, but that wasn't the point. We could always order pizza or get a burger if it wasn't good. The point was the fun and joy of trying something new. Anticipation refreshes your energy and expectation of something new and good elevates your mood. Instead of worrying, or fussing about this or that at the office which only makes you feel more exhausted, you start the weekend on a happy note. And on that note I'll end this blog today.
First I took 6 portobello mushrooms and wiped them off with a wet paper towel. Then I chop up half a white onion, cut 4 tomato slices, opened a small can of black olives, and got out some left over basil pesto. Remember I used it to cook Pesto Chicken.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Brush the mushrooms with olive oil on both sides. In a large skillet heat 1 TBSP of olive oil and brown mushrooms on both sides. Place the mushrooms on paper towels. Squeeze some pizza sauce (I used Boboli, but it's pretty high in carbs) on the mushrooms. Cover with pesto, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices (you can get them in the pizza section). Add some onions and black olives and top with a pinch or two of oregano and black pepper depending on your taste. Then sprinkle with fresh shredded Parmesan cheese (none of that cheap stuff).
Now I know you're thinking only 4 tomato slices and you're about to tell me 6 right, right. Well I only sliced 4 because my daughter Abi, only likes cheese pizza. So I put a little sauce, a lot of mozzarella and sprinkled Parmesan on 2 for her. Just thought you got me, ha.
Now spray a baking pan and place the pizzas on it and bake for 10 minutes. Mmm Mmm good, let me tell you. Hey this was quick and easy. I betcha we were eating within 45 minutes of getting home, maybe less. It would have taken us that long to order and run up to the pizza place and back. But oh my goodness was this so much better.
Now if you were really watching you're carbs, leave off the pizza sauce and just use the pesto. There's about 4.5 carbs per mushroom. For a variation use hamburger, ground sausage, Canadian bacon, ham or make it vegetarian. My family loved it and that's the true test.
Listen, I can't tell you how wonderful this meal was. After a hard week and a long day on Friday you'd think the last thing I'd want to do is cook a home meal. But you know, take out pizza gets old and boring after awhile.
As soon as I left work; I left work, if you know what I mean jelly bean. On the drive home I was telling Charlcie about how we were gonna cook the pizza instead of talking about this or that at the office. Since we both work there it's hard not too. But this really helps get our minds off of all of that.
We hit the door at home with expectation. We didn't have a clue if it would turn out good or not, but that wasn't the point. We could always order pizza or get a burger if it wasn't good. The point was the fun and joy of trying something new. Anticipation refreshes your energy and expectation of something new and good elevates your mood. Instead of worrying, or fussing about this or that at the office which only makes you feel more exhausted, you start the weekend on a happy note. And on that note I'll end this blog today.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Cooking A Great Distraction
Well I'm back on track now. That pot roast was a great distraction though. And speaking of distractions, that is another of the great benefits of cooking for me. We all need regular distractions, things that distract our mind from the stress and strain of everyday living. It helps if you enjoy it too.
A good distraction helps your mind to rest, to take a break. Many times I find that issues or problems I've been trying to work through suddenly become clear or clearer after a good mental rest. Even though I wasn't thinking about it an inspiration, an analogy or illustration would come to me. Most of the time none of this happens but I do find my mind refreshed.
Take, for instance, yesterday and the challenge of cooking a pot roast for the first time. I was so absorbed in cooking when I came home for lunch, that the time passed without notice. Work is only 10 minutes away from my home and I made the trip back savoring the mental relief.
I had been working on my sermon for Sunday and was mentally strained. When I arrived back at my desk, I sat down and the words flowed. I'd needed that mental break more than I knew. It occurred to me that many times a recipe will say to let a piece of cooked beef rest for 10-20 minutes before slicing. This allows the muscle fibres that were tense to relax. As they do the juices reabsorb from the center and the heat from the edges cooks the center slightly. The meat is more tender and succulent because the juices and the flavor haven't been wasted. When you slice the beef all those wonderful juices and mouth watering flavor are released.
Resting the mind I think is a lot like this. It keeps the juices and flavor in, the thoughts and ideas are reabsorbed and not lost and allowed to cook a little more. Some of the tenseness begins to relax as the heat is removed. This allows for some juicy and flavorful ideas to be stored and released at the right time.
A good distraction helps your mind to rest, to take a break. Many times I find that issues or problems I've been trying to work through suddenly become clear or clearer after a good mental rest. Even though I wasn't thinking about it an inspiration, an analogy or illustration would come to me. Most of the time none of this happens but I do find my mind refreshed.
Take, for instance, yesterday and the challenge of cooking a pot roast for the first time. I was so absorbed in cooking when I came home for lunch, that the time passed without notice. Work is only 10 minutes away from my home and I made the trip back savoring the mental relief.
I had been working on my sermon for Sunday and was mentally strained. When I arrived back at my desk, I sat down and the words flowed. I'd needed that mental break more than I knew. It occurred to me that many times a recipe will say to let a piece of cooked beef rest for 10-20 minutes before slicing. This allows the muscle fibres that were tense to relax. As they do the juices reabsorb from the center and the heat from the edges cooks the center slightly. The meat is more tender and succulent because the juices and the flavor haven't been wasted. When you slice the beef all those wonderful juices and mouth watering flavor are released.
Resting the mind I think is a lot like this. It keeps the juices and flavor in, the thoughts and ideas are reabsorbed and not lost and allowed to cook a little more. Some of the tenseness begins to relax as the heat is removed. This allows for some juicy and flavorful ideas to be stored and released at the right time.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Yummy Pot Roast
I've been on a roll talking about the benefits of cooking for me and that many of us need something like cooking as a hobby. But I have to change direction for a day, I'll get back to it.
My good friend Roy Darden and his family invited us for dinner recently. Roy cooked a pot roast that was delicious. It made me want to see what I could come up with. I asked him if he marinaded it and he said he cooked it in mushroom soup. This reminded of when my mom made pot roast for Sunday dinner using onion soup mix. We'd come home from church and my oh my the house was filled with a fragrant aroma.
The challenge was on and I had to give it a try. We were having a pot luck with my Wednesday small group and I thought I'd try it out on them. I googled "pot roast with onion soup" and found a ton of recipes. I printed out several and came up with my own. Here's what I did.
I got a 4.5 pound chuck roast; becasue we were expecting 10 people. The night before I lightly salted and peppered it along with covering it with 1 package of onion soup mix (I used Lipton, only the best); wrapped it in foil and refrigerated overnight. Also, I cut up 3 stalks of celery and 3 large carrots in large chunks, then I quartered 2 onions; bagged it all and refrigerated. The next day I went home at lunch and browned the roast in 1/4 cup canola oil in a large black skillet. Then I removed the roast and browned the vegetables. To finish cooking, use a large baking dish; it needs to be pretty big for such a large roast or you'll have to remove some of the liquid as it cooks.
Anyway, I put 2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup in the bottom of the dish, don't forget to spray the dish first with Pam, I did. Then put the roast in with the vegetables around it; pour over 1 can of beef broth. Then cover it with foil and bake for 2.5 hours at 300 degrees,we did it at 350, but I think 300 would be better. If you don't have a large enough dish, check it in 30 minutes in case you need to remove some liquid, we did and then we had too again. Keep the liquid.
Charlcie was at home so about 3:30 she turned the oven down to around 200 degrees and we let it cook for another 3 hours. By the time I got home at 5:30 Charlcie said I didn't have enough vegetables. So off to Kroger I went for some more carrots and onions. I got back a little before 6, took the liquid we'd saved from the roast and put it in a deep pan along with 1 more quarted onion, 4 more stalks of celery and about 20 or 30 of these mini carrots. I didn't count. I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for 45 minutes.
The small group people were arriving between 6:30 and 6:45, with most arriving closer to 6:45 or after. About 6:45 I took the roast out and let it rest for 10 minutes, then sliceed it and served it with the gravy. And let me tell you that was thick, mouth watering gravy. It was a hit with everyone and was I glad; succese ah how sweet it is.
My good friend Roy Darden and his family invited us for dinner recently. Roy cooked a pot roast that was delicious. It made me want to see what I could come up with. I asked him if he marinaded it and he said he cooked it in mushroom soup. This reminded of when my mom made pot roast for Sunday dinner using onion soup mix. We'd come home from church and my oh my the house was filled with a fragrant aroma.
The challenge was on and I had to give it a try. We were having a pot luck with my Wednesday small group and I thought I'd try it out on them. I googled "pot roast with onion soup" and found a ton of recipes. I printed out several and came up with my own. Here's what I did.
I got a 4.5 pound chuck roast; becasue we were expecting 10 people. The night before I lightly salted and peppered it along with covering it with 1 package of onion soup mix (I used Lipton, only the best); wrapped it in foil and refrigerated overnight. Also, I cut up 3 stalks of celery and 3 large carrots in large chunks, then I quartered 2 onions; bagged it all and refrigerated. The next day I went home at lunch and browned the roast in 1/4 cup canola oil in a large black skillet. Then I removed the roast and browned the vegetables. To finish cooking, use a large baking dish; it needs to be pretty big for such a large roast or you'll have to remove some of the liquid as it cooks.
Anyway, I put 2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup in the bottom of the dish, don't forget to spray the dish first with Pam, I did. Then put the roast in with the vegetables around it; pour over 1 can of beef broth. Then cover it with foil and bake for 2.5 hours at 300 degrees,we did it at 350, but I think 300 would be better. If you don't have a large enough dish, check it in 30 minutes in case you need to remove some liquid, we did and then we had too again. Keep the liquid.
Charlcie was at home so about 3:30 she turned the oven down to around 200 degrees and we let it cook for another 3 hours. By the time I got home at 5:30 Charlcie said I didn't have enough vegetables. So off to Kroger I went for some more carrots and onions. I got back a little before 6, took the liquid we'd saved from the roast and put it in a deep pan along with 1 more quarted onion, 4 more stalks of celery and about 20 or 30 of these mini carrots. I didn't count. I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for 45 minutes.
The small group people were arriving between 6:30 and 6:45, with most arriving closer to 6:45 or after. About 6:45 I took the roast out and let it rest for 10 minutes, then sliceed it and served it with the gravy. And let me tell you that was thick, mouth watering gravy. It was a hit with everyone and was I glad; succese ah how sweet it is.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Variety Is The Spice Of Life
You've heard that old saying "variety is the spice of life," well it's true isn't it. That's another reason why I love cooking home meals. Not only is there a large variety of meals to cook but there's a wide variety of spices, combinations, recipes and methods. I love it!
Cooking can really spice up your life in more ways than one. As I said yesterday, it can really help your mental health as your life is filled with things you love and enjoy. Not only that, it can help physically, giving you a sense of control as make healthy choices; which also helps your outlook. You can find the foods, combinations, recipes and spices you and your family like.
You have the freedom to experiment and what a great feeling that is. One can be as creative or uncreative as one wants to be. What I'm finding is the more different recipes I try, and I'm still doing simple easy ones, the more variety I find. What I mean is doing one thing in a recipe can often translate into other recipes. This helps make them your own.
Cooking can really spice up your life in more ways than one. As I said yesterday, it can really help your mental health as your life is filled with things you love and enjoy. Not only that, it can help physically, giving you a sense of control as make healthy choices; which also helps your outlook. You can find the foods, combinations, recipes and spices you and your family like.
You have the freedom to experiment and what a great feeling that is. One can be as creative or uncreative as one wants to be. What I'm finding is the more different recipes I try, and I'm still doing simple easy ones, the more variety I find. What I mean is doing one thing in a recipe can often translate into other recipes. This helps make them your own.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Successful Cooking Can Make You Happy
Everyone wants to be happy don't we? Happiness is based on 'happenings,' on circumstances that make us feel happy. There's nothing like a little success or a lot of small successes to make one happy. That's where cooking comes in for me. Since I'm such a novice, each little step is a success for me. By the time I'm finished cooking a simple recipe, my happiness quotient is way up there. Then when my family really enjoys it, it makes me even happier.
For me, cooking is a series of small successes I can accomplish, that I can make happen and have quite a bit of control over. And it's something I choose to do and people can succeed at things they want to do. Cooking allows me to focus on the small successes, make them happen one step at a time, and celebrate as often as I can.
Cooking may not do it for you. It does for me because of the personal satisfaction I gain. Then there's the side benefit of enjoying good tasting food. Finally, the benefit of enjoying cooking home meals with my family and eating to together.
This is a healthy recipe for life. Find something personally satisfying, easy to do and start seeing those little successes mount up. Cook up a hobby you enjoy personally and you can enjoy with your family. See if your happiness quotient doesn't go up.
Here's a little example of what I'm talking about. The past 2 days I've been making 3 egg omelets. I started by sauteing some onions and mushrooms. Then I added some chopped up deli ham we had left over. After I stirred it a minute I added the 3 scrambled eggs.
While this was cooking my wife and daughter were asking what smelled so good. With my spatula I gently pulled the egg mixture to one side so more of the egg liquid could cook. I learned this from watching breakfast cooks at hotel restaurants making omelets. Before, I'd put the egg mixture in first then add the onions, mushrooms, ham and cheese. This was always good, but I want you to know, sauteing first is far better.
When most of the egg mixture is done I turn the eggs. Then I add some cheese and fold the egg mixture over. After a moment I slide it onto a plate. The heat from the eggs melts the cheese. Give it a try.
For me, cooking is a series of small successes I can accomplish, that I can make happen and have quite a bit of control over. And it's something I choose to do and people can succeed at things they want to do. Cooking allows me to focus on the small successes, make them happen one step at a time, and celebrate as often as I can.
Cooking may not do it for you. It does for me because of the personal satisfaction I gain. Then there's the side benefit of enjoying good tasting food. Finally, the benefit of enjoying cooking home meals with my family and eating to together.
This is a healthy recipe for life. Find something personally satisfying, easy to do and start seeing those little successes mount up. Cook up a hobby you enjoy personally and you can enjoy with your family. See if your happiness quotient doesn't go up.
Here's a little example of what I'm talking about. The past 2 days I've been making 3 egg omelets. I started by sauteing some onions and mushrooms. Then I added some chopped up deli ham we had left over. After I stirred it a minute I added the 3 scrambled eggs.
While this was cooking my wife and daughter were asking what smelled so good. With my spatula I gently pulled the egg mixture to one side so more of the egg liquid could cook. I learned this from watching breakfast cooks at hotel restaurants making omelets. Before, I'd put the egg mixture in first then add the onions, mushrooms, ham and cheese. This was always good, but I want you to know, sauteing first is far better.
When most of the egg mixture is done I turn the eggs. Then I add some cheese and fold the egg mixture over. After a moment I slide it onto a plate. The heat from the eggs melts the cheese. Give it a try.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Cooking Up A Hobby
Recently I've noticed that many of the things I used to do to get away from it all weren't working for me. Things like fishing, travel, bowling, golf, gardening, sports and the like are hobbies I couldn't find the time for much. I still do a lot of reading but that's work related most of the time because I love reading theology. I still do the other things occassionally, but not enough for a good break for emotional health and I haven't been watching my emotional health lately. So by default, I've found myself watching more and more TV, which I'm not happy about.
That's where cooking comes in for me; it's like a hobby. A hobby is something you get a lot of pleasure and satisfaction from. You do it on a regular basis outside of your job. It's also a way to spend time off productively. Since I love to eat, have always enjoyed cooking, was bored with eating out and I realized a personal need; cooking seemed a natural for me.
I love the planning, preparation, the cooking and especially the eating. But I also enjoy learning new things, finding good recipes, rubs for grilling and finding out about all the new gadgets. I've learned to google things which is fairly new for me. I find this far more fun and productive than watching TV. This gives me a sense of being more productive with my time which is a great way to improve mental health.
That's where cooking comes in for me; it's like a hobby. A hobby is something you get a lot of pleasure and satisfaction from. You do it on a regular basis outside of your job. It's also a way to spend time off productively. Since I love to eat, have always enjoyed cooking, was bored with eating out and I realized a personal need; cooking seemed a natural for me.
I love the planning, preparation, the cooking and especially the eating. But I also enjoy learning new things, finding good recipes, rubs for grilling and finding out about all the new gadgets. I've learned to google things which is fairly new for me. I find this far more fun and productive than watching TV. This gives me a sense of being more productive with my time which is a great way to improve mental health.
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