Let me count the ways I love this recipe.

1. It’s like eating a cookie for breakfast.  Don’t tell Mom.
2. You can prep it the night before and pop it in the oven while the kids are getting dressed.
3. Leftovers are yummy warmed up in the microwave.  In fact, I often double this and have a warm, filling, healthy breakfast in the bag for the whole week!

Ready to rock your breakfast world?

You’ll get 9 servings out of this so don’t freak out about the butter.

Now if you don’t think that looks like a great way to start a fall day, I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve ever really known you.

It’s a bit hard to see. This is bulghur mixed with tomato paste in a red bowl.

Now, we’ll start putting it all together.

• Take kids to pumpkin patch where they lovingly spend 1.2 hours picking out the perfect pumpkin.  Pay $23.75 and bring them home.
• Husband sets up perfect pumpkin carving station complete with newspaper and specialized, intricate carving tools such as the dog food can opener and a bent steak knife.
• Kids lovingly draw faces on the pumpkins that require 1,205 intricate cuts to create.
• Husband cuts tops off pumpkins.  Kids look inside and proclaim that “pumpkin guts are gross!” and refuse to touch them.
• Husband gives them my heirloom silver soup ladle and cajoles them to stop making faces and start digging.
• After 5.7 seconds, children declare pumpkin guts to be “disgusting, cold and icky”.  Children ask to go inside to wash hands and never return.
• Husband retreats to his recliner and picks up remote while muttering something about “every #@%@# year” and “never again.”
• Search for kids unsuccessfully.
• Spend next 3 hours scooping, carving and drilling until sun sets.
• Carry two 23 pound pumpkins to the front porch.
• Dig in junk drawer looking for two stubby candles and box of matches.
• Call kids and husband outside to ooh and ahh and proclaim that these pumpkins are the best they’ve ever done.

Aahhh, memories.  Where would be without family traditions?  I also like to serve a nice warm bowl of soup before they rush to the door and anxiously wait like racehorses chomping at the bit while I take “just one more” photo.  This is one of my faves because it’s super easy and is made with pantry ingredients.

ROASTED PEPPER AND TOMATO SOUP

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 16 oz can of whole tomatoes with Italian seasoning, undrained
• 7 oz. jar of roasted red peppers, drained
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil or 2 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large saucepan.  Stir in flour to make a roux and cook for about 2-3 minutes stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, red peppers, broth, tomato paste, garlic, sugar and salt and pepper. Cook until soup bubbles. Puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a standing blender.

BAT WINGS

4 slices of bread (makes 2 sets of bat wings)
Olive oil, butter or cooking spray
Garlic salt

Tell your kids the garlic in the soup did him in.

P.S. - You can make that glaze by mixing a little milk or maple syrup into powdered sugar to get the consistency you want.

The Amish were green before green was hip. They reuse, recycle and make do.  Simplicity is a way of life.  So with today’s economy, I’m reaching back into the recipes my Amish neighbors taught me.   From Shoofly pie to Soda Cracker Pudding,  Homemade Egg Noodles to Half Moon Pie, Amish recipes are simple, frugal and delish!

Today we’re going to learn how to make the Amish version of Snickerdoodles which are large, soft, puffy cookies dusted with cinnamon and sugar.

Oh, and when my Amish neighbors said they were baking, they were B-A-K-I-N-G! Not one pie, not two, but 5 or 6 pies at a time, 12 loaves of bread and 6-8 dozen cookies.  So if you’re wondering if the measurements in this recipes are correct, the answer is, as my friend Wanda Swartzentruber would say, “Ja!” (yep!). This recipe makes about 5-6 dozen cookies but it can easily be split in half.  I like to bake the whole batch because they freeze well, and my neighbor happens to love them.

AMISH SNICKEROODLES

• 1 cup shortening (traditionally, homemade lard is used but since I haven’t slaughtered a pig this summer, shortening will do)
• 4 eggs
• 3 cups sugar
• 4 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 5 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla (the vanilla isn’t traditional either but I like the taste with the cinnamon)
• Cinnamon and sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350° Farenheit.

In a mixer, cream the shortening and sugar together.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.   Add the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar together.  Add slowly to the mixture until well combined.

Mix about 2-3 Tablespoons each of sugar and ground cinnamon in a shallow bowl.  Roll into walnut sized balls and roll into the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes.

I went up to the Middle Eastern food market and bought some bulgur, feta, lemons and pitas, then stopped at the Asian food market for some fresh shrimp.  TODAY’S MATH PROBLEM: There are 3 Asian, 2 Italian, 1 Indian, 1 Greek, 1 Slovenian, and 6 Middle Eastern groceries within 5 miles of Francie but 0 Mexican mercados within 50 miles.  What’s up with THAT!?  ANSWER: Because Mexican is Francie’s favorite food so therefore it figures.

Anyhoo, bulgur (cracked wheat) can be cooked sans heat so it’s perfect for dog days like these.  Here’s how.

BULGUR SALAD WITH FETA AND SHRIMP
2 c. bulgur
Just enough water to cover
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3-1/2 c. olive oil
1 Tablespoon honey
1 large bunch fresh parsley
1 c. walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 cucumber, cubed
1 c. crumbled fresh feta
1/2 lb. peeled, deveined and cooked shrimp

Pour bulgur into a bowl and cover with water until about 2″ over.  Salt the water and stir.  Let sit for about 1 hour or until the bulgur is soft.

Mix cumin, cayenne, lemon, olive oil and honey.  Pour over bulgur.  Chop and add the parsley, walnuts and cucumber. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  When ready to serve, top with feta and shrimp.  Pat yourself on the back for eating so healthfully.

I stuffed them with chopped roasted red pepper, the chopped stems of the mushrooms (you saved those, right?), parmesan and mozzarella, garlic and oregano.  I grilled them for about 10 minutes on medium and then browned them a bit under the broiler to give it that nice, golden brown toasty look (totally optional.)

This is one of of those, “what do I have in the fridge” recipes?  Here are a few ideas to get you pumped:

Strictly Vegetarian

• Roasted red peppers, Gruyere and basil
• Chopped onion, celery and garlic (saute in a little oil first)
• Roasted garlic, white wine and breadcrumbs
• Sun dried tomatoes and ricotta
• Sauteed spinach or chard with goat cheese
• Hummus and feta
• Cucumbers, tomato and ricotta
• Pico de Gallo and Queso Fresco
• Apples, walnuts and blue cheese
• Mesculin (add AFTER grilling) and lemon vinaigrette

Carnivores

• Crab, onion and cream cheese
• Sausage, tomato and basil
• Shrimp, parmesan and Alfredo sauce
• Bacon, potato and Cheddar
• Chicken, oregano and Kalamata olives

On the side, a cheap, fresh, cheap, tasty, did I mention CHEAP salad?  Remember that fresh market I visited?

They said it couldn’t be done.  I fed a family of four a healthy meal for under $10.  (OK, THAT’s been done.) But I fed mine and they actually ATE it!  Ha!  Take THAT!  (Shadow boxes around room.)  Who’s your mama now?!

(Please support your mama now by Digging this post!)

You’ve got to feel sorry for these tomatoes. They got teased by the Cheerleader Tomatoes, passed over by the Jock Tomatoes, laughed at by the Stoner Tomatoes and were consigned to lonely weekends at home eating Haagen-Dazs. (Not that I’m the tomatoes are bitter.)

Truth time. Do they taste like vine ripened, still warm from the sun tomatoes? Not really. But they’re definitely better than the artificially-red rocks that usually pass as tomatoes in the produce section this time of year. So they really livened up this easy salad.

CHOPPED UGLY SALAD

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 English cucumber, chopped
1 roasted red pepper, chopped (or about 1/2 cup of chopped roasted red peppers from a jar)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c. pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 c. crumbled feta
1/2 c. light extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbl. chopped oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

(I’m pretty sure you don’t need the instructions, but here they are.) Mix the veggies and olives. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, oregano, garlic and salt and pepper. Pour over. Best if chilled for a couple hours but you can eat it right away if you’re starving.

Take that, Cheerleader Tomatoes.

(Like would you totally, like, StumbleUpon! this post? Thanks! You’re, like, the best! )

Soup beans are not to be confused with bean soup.  Bean soup has veggies in it, is often made with a recipe and can be made with any variety of beans.  Soup beans are down-home, are recipe-less and always, always made with pinto beans.

Looking back at the way Dad taught me to cook everything growing up, I’m surprised I’m still alive seeing as how I’m probably 98.9% bacon grease (the other 1.1% lard). Dad kept a coffee can full of old bacon grease on the kitchen counter and it was used to flavor everything….potatoes, poke greens, eggs, cornbread, gravy, pretty much everything that crossed our stovetop.  I’m surprised we didn’t just skip the food and eat the grease with a spoon.

So soup beans were always made with a honkin’ spoonful of bacon grease, a big ol’ ham bone, beans and water.  Then we boiled ‘em til they were done.  But knowing I want to live to see my grandkids drive my kids crazy, I’ve dropped the bacon grease (forgive me, Daddy.)

Here’s my revamped Soup Bean recipe:

The night before, wash 1 bag of pinto beans and check for pebbles or grit.  (I put mine in a colander, run water over and drain the water into a bowl a few times.  When the bowl water is clear, the beans are ready.)   Put the beans in a big bowl and cover with about 2x the water.  The next morning, dump it into a slow cooker and toss in a can of chicken broth (Dad would choke if he knew I added chicken broth).   Toss in a meaty ham bone, a few dashes of hot sauce, salt, pepper and onion.  Cook on low for about 6-8 hours.   Serve with cornbread (you will be arrested if you do not.)

Nutritious, flavorful, cheap and easy.   And you don’t have to dodge any hounds.

Please remember to Digg or StumbleUpon if you enjoy FHC! Thanks so much!
Francie

Related posts:

Kentucky Biscuits are Worth Being Chased by Hounds

Also see:

Soup Beans @ Miranda’s Place

I’ve been visited by the grocery gremlins again.  You know, the ones who devour everything you bring home to cook dinner with so that when you go to make said dinner, the ingredients are now missing, or sometimes the box is still there but it’s now empty and said gremlin put it back without telling you so you wouldn’t know that they ate every last one!? I have three gremlins in this house…I married one and gave birth to the other two.

And yet, despite leaving our cupboards skimpier than a thong, they creep up (like said thong) and begin howling for more food.  What’s a cook to do?

Go on a pantry raid.  With spaghetti, stale bread, olive oil and garlic, I can calm the gremlins.  Here’s how.

SPAGHETTI WITH SPICY BREAD CRUMBS AND GARLIC

2 c. coarse stale bread crumbs (about 3-4 slices chopped up in the food processor or torn into small pieces)
6 Tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
1/4 c. freshly chopped Basil

Start your pasta water.  When it comes to a boil, toss in a pound of whole wheat spaghetti.

In saute pan, heat 2 Tablespoons of the oil over medium-high until shimmering.

Cook and stir until the breadcrumbs are golden and toasty.  Remove the crumbs.

Pour remaining 4 Tablespoons of olive oil into pan.  Add 3 more cloves of garlic.  Cook over medium until garlic is just golden, not burnt.

Drain spaghetti, reserving 1/4 c. of the cooking water and toss the spaghetti in the pan with the olive oil.  Add 1/4 c. cooking water and toss again.  Shred 1/4 c. Parmesan in and the bread crumb mixture and toss it AGAIN!

Put it in to a warm bowl and sprinkle with freshly chopped basil.   If you’re like my fire-eating husband and want it hotter, toss in some hot pepper sauce or more hot pepper flakes.

‘

Fortunately, I’d picked up some romaine lettuce (local and organic, no less!  Aren’t you proud of me?) at the farmer’s market.  As long as you have lettuce, you have dinner.  Because salad dressings can be made so many different ways, you can almost pull one out of thin air.

My reconnaissance mission turned up the following:  garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar and dijon mustard.  Dinner!

CARAMELIZED GARLIC DRESSING

4-5 cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 c. light olive oil
1 Tbsp. dijon
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
Pinch salt and pepper

Pour about 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil into a skillet and saute the garlic until caramelized and light brown.   Don’t let ‘em burn or they’ll turn bitter.  You already know that though.

When they’re browned, drop them into a blender, add the sherry vinegar, brown sugar and the mustard and puree.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil from the pan, then add the remaining olive oil.   Blend until it comes together and thickly coats a spoon.    Toss in a pinch of salt and pepper.  Taste.  If you want it sweeter, add more sugar, more tart, try a bit more vinegar.  You get the idea.   I’ve made this with Splenda too and it’s still good.

Further digging turned up some leftover chicken, a few black olives and a hunk of Asiago.  Not bad.

Ta da! Dinner from thin air (almost.)

We interrupt this recipe for a commercial break. I’m not paid by these people…honest. But you simply must try Maldon Sea Salt. It’s not in in any stores close to home where I live so I got mine at Amazon for like $6.

Sounds like a lot when you can buy this stuff for under $2 but believe me, there’s no comparison. I mean, just look at this salt! It should be illegal for salt to look so pretty.

This stuff is so good my youngest daughter is always trying to dip her finger in it and eat it when I’m cooking. It will make a difference in recipes where there are few ingredients like this one. For baking or soups where it dissolves, I’d use regular Kosher salt. But for seasoning? Sprinkling on eggs, chips, grilled meat, salads or even melon, um, boy! This stuff is fantastic. Click here if you don’t believe me.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming.

**Your kids will devour these if you give them some ketchup to dip ‘em in.

Outside, we just got dumped with about, say, 18″ of snow. Sigh. So I’m dreaming of spring…the season of singing birds, blooming daffodils and butt-whomping allergies. To help with my cabin fever and longing for sun, here is my ode to spring in Lemon Meltaways.

COOKIE PIECE (AKA FROSTING HOLDER):
1 1/2 c. butter, softened
2/3 c. confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 c. flour
1 c. cornstarch

LEMONYISH FROSTING:
1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
3 oz. cream cheese

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and confectioner’s sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in lemon juice. Combine the flour and cornstarch and gradually add to the creamed mixture. Shape dough into 2 logs and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours (just until firm.)

Unwrap and cut into 1/4″ slices. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350º for 8-12 minutes or until firm to touch. Remove to rack to cool. Careful, they’re tender little buggers until they cool off (kind of like my husband.)

Now, the best part. Combine the butter, confectioner’s sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and cream cheese. Beat until smooth, licking beater every two seconds (be sure to turn off mixer first.) Scrape down frosting with a spatula. Keep this on the side for licking as you frost the cookies.

There you have it. Springtime without the sneezing.

Yes, I know, I know. I promised some healthier food and the last few posts were more along the line of “once in a while” foods. I heard you thinking, “How about stuff we can actually eat everyday and not feel guilty about! Is that too much to ask?!” Well, maybe in your mind, you were a lot calmer.

BUT never fear, dear reader. I have hit the Quadfecta (Man, I have always wanted to use that word!) with this meal. It’s 1) easy, 2) kid friendly 3) cheap and 4) delicious! And I bet you’d be proud to serve it to company. Are you ready?

See our adorable little Acini de Pepe in the photo above? Well, as you well know, Acini de Pepe is Italian for “I saw Papa!” and food scholars believe it originated when Mama was cooking dinner and the her children tattled on Papa who was hiding in the basement watching ESPN. Hang on.

I’m back. Apparently it means “little dough” or something boring like that. Whatever.

Anyhoo, the kids loved it because I told them it was frog eggs. I know, I know. Mama high five, right? They wanted seconds and so will you.

Here’s how I cooked it.

Saute some veggies and garlic in olive oil. I used baby portabellas, red pepper and onion, but the “cheap” part of this dish is you use whatever leftovers you have.

Pour in the frog eggs acini de pepe and saute them a little too. I’m sure you could use orzo (which I believe is Greek for “little underpants on a cat”) or rice (English for “rice”.)

Pour in enough chicken broth to cover them and keep them warm, cover the pan and reduce the heat to simmer. You’ll need to simmer ‘em about 15-20 minutes. If the guys start peeking out from the broth, pour more in.

Just before serving, add the juice of half a lemon and a handful of parsley. MMM-mmm!

When it’s done, you’ll get something delicious looking like this.

Yeah, I threw some almonds on top. Who’s gonna stop me? It’s my blog.

If you want the “OFFICIAL” recipe, here it is.

ACINI DE PEPE WITH VEGETABLES

12-14 oz. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. acini de pepe (I used a small box)
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb. baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Chopped fresh parsley
1/2 fresh lemon

Melt butter with olive oil and add onions. Saute vegetables adding the garlic near the end to prevent burning. Pour in the acini de pepe and stir for a minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth to cover. Reduce heat and simmer. Stir in lemon juice and chopped parsley. Sometimes I add chopped feta, almonds or Parmesan. It’s all good.

What? Oh, that chicken in the picture? Well, glad you asked. That, dear ones, is my next post. Stay tuned.