Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Veggie Melts





2014 UPDATE:  THIS RECIPE IS HAVING NEW PICTURES OF THE SANDWICH TAKEN TO UPDATE THE BLOG.  THANKS!

Vegetables play a large role in our dinners.  Trying to come up with veggie foods that my kids will eat is challenging at times.  We eat a lot of melons, fruit salads, green salads, and sauteed veggies.  We like to eat these with fresh bread, quinoa, rice or homemade GF noodles.

This treat is something that my Mother-n-law use to make when we first got married.  I never forgot the flavor of the cauliflower mixed with the other veggies.  I have added different things in the past and this alters the original just a bit, but not much.  The other thing I do to try and keep it fresh is to change the dressing that I use.  Tonight I used a Caesar dressing.  In the past, I have used plain mayonnaise or Ranch.

The recipe is great as a normal sandwich too.  Especially if you live in a hot region and don't want to cook.

The bread that you see in the pictures is my recipe that can be found here .


Veggie Melts

1 head of Cauliflower, diced small
3 large carrots, sliced thin
3 stalks of celery, sliced thin
1/2 onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of salad dressing or mayo

Bread of your choice
Cheese of your choice


1. Dice all of the veggies into small pieces. Steam them in the microwave using a microwaveable bowl until they are firm but not crunchy.  Definitely not mushy.


2.  In a bowl add the salt, pepper and dressing or mayo.  Add the veggies when they are steamed to your liking.  Stir to blend.

3.  Slice the bread in half or use regular sliced bread, take some olive oil and brush on one side.  I broil this until lightly brown, add the veggies and broil until bubbling or lightly toasted.  Remove from the oven and add the grated cheese.  It should melt from the heat of the veggies.

The broiling is fast, so keep an eye on your oven and sandwiches.  ENJOY

I have also added zucchini to this.  My thought is the more veggies I get in the kids, the better. LOL

Written by Sherron Watson

Monday, July 4, 2011

Cast Iron Breakfast with Potatoes, Bacon and Cheese




There are so many things I love in my kitchen: rolling pins, whisks, graters, measuring cups and the list goes on and on.  So it is hard for me to pick just a few because they all play such pivotal roles in my kitchen.  My cast iron is treasured.  I love cooking with it.  It reminds me of using a "kitchen tool" that has been used for many, many years.  I feel a connection to all of the cooks from my past...Grandmothers, Great Grandmothers and on and on.



I will buy the worst looking cast iron at garage sales and flea markets and bring it home and restore it to it's natural beauty.  I will give it a beautiful black patina.  I give each of them the egg test.  If I can make an egg in it and not have it stick, then I have done my job.  This dish is the ultimate egg test because it combines eggs, cheese, potatoes and bacon.  

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I read an article that gave the easiest and simplest way to re-season your cast iron.  I used to slather it with Crisco and let it season in the oven for an hour and cool.  This took forever, heated up my house and did not always work the first time.  The new way is much easier.  They have you do it on the stove top.  I heat my skillet up, grab some tongs and a napkin, dip my napkin in the Crisco and melt it all over the inside of the pan, all while on the stove top.  I do this about 4 times and it's done.  My last two pans passed the fried egg test the first time.  



Skillet Breakfast with Potatoes, Bacon, and Cheese
The large skillet would feed 4-5 adults 

4-5 baked potatoes (a great way to use up leftovers)
1/2 sliced onion
1/2 sliced bell pepper (optional)
salt/pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 pound of Bacon..cooked and diced
2 cups of cheddar cheese 
6 eggs for the large skillet 
1/2 cup of cream or milk


1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees and put skillets in the oven.  BEWARE, they will get very hot!

2.  Saute the onion, bell pepper and garlic for 3 minutes in butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add eggs and milk to a small bowl and whisked together.

4.  Using a thick hot pad, remove skillet from oven and coat with butter. Layer your buttered skillet in this order:

Potatoes
Bacon
Onion and bell pepper
cheese
eggs/milk

5.  Bake for 15-20 minutes in a 400-degree oven.  The eggs should be puffy yet firm when touched.  See the picture below.  Serve immediately.  

Before...
...and after.

I think my family liked it!

I love how you can see the individual ingredients that create a wonderful flavor when eaten together.

Written by Sherron Watson

Friday, July 1, 2011

Maryland Blue Crab Cakes



I love crab.  With this said, it makes sense that I would come up with a crab cake recipe having just moved to Maryland.  The Blue Crabs are amazing.  They don't taste like any other crab I have tasted.  The crab comes in a whole slew of sizes.  They range from small to extra large.  The price for a dozen small can be about $40  and this is a lot of money to pay for long hours of cracking and digging...I tried it and, personally, I was fine buying the crab already "picked" fresh the morning of.

Everyone here has their "way" of getting the meat and will happily teach you the "right" way to do it.  At the restaurant we visited, I had two different people instruct me on how to remove the meat.  There was no thought to each of them about touching my food...I laughed about that for days.  They just grabbed a crab, cracked it open, dug the meat out and handed it to me to eat...OKAY then.  I love it here, and the blue crabs and people help make this place wonderful.
I visited a local seafood supplier and we started chatting about a gluten-free recipe for crab cakes. He mentioned they did not have much luck with the cakes staying together when cooking them.  I had a challenge...create a crab cake that stayed together when baked and tasted great.

I chose three different methods: crackers, bread, and almond flour.  I have to say that they each tasted really good, but I did have my favorite: crackers.  I loved the texture and flavor of the almond flour, but they did not look like a crab cake.  So, I used them to make the crab cake sandwich.  The crab cakes made with the bread were very delicate.  They were good, but I wanted something I did not have to worry about and baby sit.  I will share with you all three and then you can choose which one you would like to try.  I used one pound of fresh Maryland Blue Crab and this made about 60 small crab cakes.  I made my small so that they would not fall apart.  I can tell you that the cracker recipe will not fall apart no matter what size you make them.  LOL


You can see the size of the bread cubes I used and the size of the cracker pieces I added to my mixes.
This is how I tested this recipe. I made them all at the same size.  Little did I know that I created enough sauce for  a lot more crab cakes than I made..LOL  We learn as we go sometimes.

All of the crab cakes I tested by baking and frying them both.  I tried them flattened and in balls.  This is a huge debate in Maryland...flat or balls.  I liked them both, other than the fried, flat crab cakes were crispy on the outer edges and soft in the middle.  I like this texture combination.

I used the same sauce for all three recipes.  I will give that once and then you can add the filler of your choice.  ENJOY

Sauce:

This will make enough to be used with 1 pound of crab (3 cups).  If you don't have that much crab, then change measurements accordingly. I would also add the sauce a little bit at a time until all of the crab and filling are covered and able to form into a ball.  I know some people like theirs a little bit drier than others.

1 tsp. lemon
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce   (Lea & Perrins, in the US, its gluten-free)
1 T. prepared mustard.   I used Grey Poupon
1 cup of mayo
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp Bay seasoning. I used this sparingly, it's quite salty and I think develop a taste for this in time.
1 egg
1/4 tsp. onion salt
salt to taste
pepper to taste


Mix all of the above ingredients in a small bowl.  Add this to your selected bread/cracker/almond mix.

Cracker Mix ( My favorite and the easiest to handle)

1 sandwich-size baggie full of crackers.  I used gluten-free crackers from two brands: Glutino and Schar
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup green onion, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
1 cup of crab pieces, I used large lumps because I wanted them to show up in the pictures, you can use smaller lumps too..they are a bit cheaper.  Do not use artificial crab (this is not gluten-free), plus the flavor is not the same.

Break crackers up inside of baggie.  I did not smash my crackers, I wanted pieces.  Chop all of your vegetables.  I did not saute my veggies, I used them raw.  But if you would like to do this it should not make a difference in flavor but it will in texture.  I like a little bit of crunch in my crab cake.

Combine crackers, veggies and 1 cup of sauce (remember sauce above makes enough for 3X the recipe listed above). Using a piece of parchment paper inside a cookie sheet, shape your crab cakes into balls.

This is the bread mix, shaped into balls.
Bake:  preheat oven to 350.  Place cookie sheet in oven.  Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  The larger the crab cake the longer you will need to bake them.  The middle should be warm.

The crab cakes in the back are the almond meal mix and the ones in the front are the cracker mix.

Fry:  using a frying pan with 2 T. of olive oil, fry the balls on one side as a ball, then flip the crab cake and gently flatten the cake.  No need to go crazy and make a pancake, you still want some depth to the cake.  Each side should be golden brown.

Cooking the bread mix.  I fry the bottom first, flip, then flatten lightly.

Bread Mix ( Equally good, but a bit more sensitive to fry)

1.5 cups of cubed bread.  I used my gluten-free bread recipe here.
1/4 cup green onion, diced
1/4 cup of celery, diced
1/4 cup carrots, diced.  You can also shred your carrots, this makes the crab cake easier to handle.
1 cup of crab pieces, I used large lumps because I wanted them to show up in the pictures, you can use smaller lumps too..they are a bit cheaper.  Do not use artificial crab (this is not gluten-free), plus the flavor is not the same.

Combine all the above ingredients, add 1 cup of sauce.  When I formed my balls using the bread mix, I had to get my hands dirty.  I squeezed the mix together quite hard to form the ball, the sauce dripped on to the cutting board.  The balls formed nicely.

I would not bake these.

Fry: using a frying pan with 2 T. of olive oil, fry the balls on one side as a ball, then flip the crab cake and gently flatten the cake.  No need to go crazy and make a pancake, you still want some depth to the cake.  Each side should be golden brown.

Almond Meal Mix ( These taste awesome, but does not look like a traditional crab cake.  This is gluten-free.)

1 cup of almond meal
1/4 cup of green onion, diced
1/4 cup of celery, diced
1 cup of crab pieces, I used large lumps because I wanted them to show up in the pictures, you can use smaller lumps too..they are a bit cheaper.  Do not use artificial crab (this is not gluten-free), plus the flavor is not the same.

Combine all of the ingredients and add 1 cup of sauce.  This will look like a bread or cake batter.  I used a cookie scoop and baked them in the oven on a cookie sheet. Baked at 350 for 15 minutes or until done all the way through.  Watch your oven, they can easily be overcooked.  I also fried a few but they still needed to be baked on the inside...I only wanted one step to cook these.  If you want to fry them and then bake, go ahead.




Written by Sherron Watson

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Gluten Free Flat bread


What is flatbread?   I don't know, I just can't think of another name for it and I don't want to take Silvana's "slab" bread term.  So, you get my Flat Bread..LOL  I have tried so many types of bread...slabs, focaccia, loaf, etc..and always found myself not completely satisfied.  Mostly because the bread is great when right out of the oven and then a few hours later it shrivels up, becomes gummy and some just don't taste right.


I want specks in my bread because it reminds me of the wheat that I used to eat.   This bread has a beautiful crust, soft center (airy and light) and cooks up wonderfully in oblong flat loaves.  It taste like french bread.  No "kneed" to worry about getting the loaf pans out because I use a pizza stone.  I have used this bread for sandwiches (I cut them in half), toast (cut them in half), soups (cut into wedges), fondue (just pull it apart) and it has performed wonderfully for each task.

I make the bread and it does not last more than a day in my house.  The kids love it too.  So, I hope you enjoy the recipe, give it a try, share it and try it (even if you are not GF, because it is that good)..ENJOY!
This is a close-up picture so that you can see the crust and the airy insides.  I love the rustic way the bread looks.

Gluten-Free Flatbread
Makes two flat loaves

1 cup of sweet sorghum
1/2 cup of millet
1/2 cup of white rice flour
1 cup of tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. xantham gum

2 T. sugar
1 1/2 cups of warm water
2 T. yeast

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 whole large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vinegar

butter, herbs, seasonings for toppings

1.  Mix the first 6 ingredients together.  I use a whisk to make sure that it is well blended.

2.  In a small bowl mix sugar, water, and yeast.  Let sit until yeast is frothy on top.  If after 3-5 minutes your yeast has not done anything, you may need to try again or replace your yeast.

3.  Combine the olive oil, eggs, and vinegar in another small bowl.  I do this to make sure that I don't accidentally crack any shells in the flour.

4.  Combine the two liquids into the dry.  You will notice that it takes a few minutes of stirring to become "gooey".  The xantham gum is working but takes a minute.  Using your hand mixer or large mixer, beat for 3 minutes.  The dough does climb.  I use a spatula to help keep it from reaching the top of the beaters.

5.  Start preheating your oven to 400.  Add your pizza stone.  I don't use traditional cookie sheets.  I like the stones because they create a wonderful crust on the bottom.

6.  I get two sheets of parchment paper ready by sprinkling white rice flour first.  The dough will be very, very soft and sticky.  It's okay.  Take a spoon and scoop the dough in two equal amounts on the parchment sheets.  Sprinkle each pile with white rice flour, enough so that you can gently push the dough into rectangles.  I usually try to make my shapes about 8 inches wide and 12 inches long. I try to make it about an inch thick or less. The more you spread it out the thinner the bread will be.  This is okay, it's up to how thick you like your bread for sandwiches and toast.

7.  I let the bread rest for 30 minutes.  It will rise, but not double.  If you want to add olive oil, herbs or seasonings, this can be done now.  Just use a small amount of oil and brush gently over the top and sprinkle your toppings to the desired amount.

This is the flat bread right before I put it into the oven.

This recipe makes these two loaves of flatbread.
8.  Remove your pizza stone. I use a magazine to move the dough onto the stone.  I pull the edges of the parchment paper onto the magazine and it moves the dough beautifully onto the stone.  I don't have a big pizza paddle ( I will have to get one),  or put the dough and parchment paper on something beforehand that you can slide easily onto the hot stone.

9.  Bake the bread for 15 minutes.  It will rise and get a crust on the bread.  When you remove the bread it will fall and create this lovely loaf.  I have cut the bread right out of the oven and it does not squish down but I would recommend letting it cool for a few minutes before serving.

I finally have a bread that holds up for a sandwich, with tons of toppings!  YUM

I store the extra bread in wax paper, wrapped in foil.




Written by Sherron Watson

Monday, June 20, 2011

Easy Jerky Recipe




We don't eat much meat, maybe once or twice a month.  So, for Father's Day I wanted to surprise Cory with something really yummy and special.  He loves jerky and I have always wanted to try to make this.  It is so expensive to buy, I was hoping I could make it cheaper, and I did.  The recipe has a lot of different ingredients, but you can really put anything you want into the base recipe to create the flavor you want.



Basic Recipe:

I used a 2lb piece of London Broil with this recipe.

1 cup of soy sauce..I used GF Tamari and it works great
1/2 can of coke or beer...I used a Heineken Beer
1/4 cup of brown sugar...any sugar will do
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 cup of water or beef broth...I used water because that is what I had

Addt'l ingredients to tailor our taste buds: (You can add anything you want)

2 tsp.  Sriracha Chili Sauce...we like a little bit of spice, you could also use hot pepper sauce
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. pepper...we like a lot of pepper 
1 tsp. of ginger...I used the ginger in a tube...we like the flavor of ginger





The key to your meat "tasting" like anything will be based on how long you let it marinate and how you cut your meat.  I let this marinate for 24 hours, all of the meat was fully submerged in the sauce.  You want to cut across the grain.  If you have a strip and it doubles in size when you stretch it, then you have cut correctly.  This is what makes the jerky easier to chew, bite and marinate.








I bought a London Broil that was about 1 inch thick.  I tried to cut all of my strips into 1/4 by 1/4 squares.  I first cut a strip off of the steak, then cut this strip into three rows.  The London Broil cost me $7.00.  It worked out great.  I would suggest trying to buy the best meat that you can afford.  








The final step, after marinating, is to dehydrate your jerky.  I put a toothpick on the end of each strip and hung it in my oven.  The temperature was 200 degrees.  I tested the meat after 2 hours, and it was so good but not has dry as we wanted it, so I cooked it for another hour and it was perfect.  It will continue to dry a bit when it is removed from the oven as it cools.  






Seriously, this was so good.  Cory loved it and so did the rest of the family.  I will make this again because it was so much cheaper than buying it in a store, it tasted better and I knew exactly what I put into the marinade.

ENJOY!



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