Saturday Supper: Updated with Method

Inspired by this post, I made beans for Saturday supper.  Before we went to a fancy event that morning, I put beans in the crockpot on low with a few garlic cloves, a bit of sage, and some olive oil.  I was betting that we wouldn't be very hungry or energetic at suppertime, but still need something.

I was totally surprised at the success of the supper!  I think it's going to be our standard Saturday supper! Cheap, easy, customizable, delicious.

We had the beans in soup plates with more olive oil and salt.  Then there was good sourdough bread (from the market), thin slices of Parmesan, and sliced tomato.  It was so perfectly, elementally balanced.

On other Saturdays, I could swap out the fresh tomato for a home-canned tomato in the soup plate, or a wedge of fresh crunchy cabbage or even a dish of dried figs.  Something pickled would be delicious here, or even a bit of prosciutto or salami.

The fancy lady even put down her Bible and joined us.

More Details on How I Cooked the Beans:

I do not buy commercially canned beans.  I put 2 cups dry beans in my slow cooker, add 5-6 cups water, and turn it on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours (this varies depending on the time I have and the age of the beans - I don't know how old the dry beans are, but I've read that older ones take longer).  Then I let the whole cooker cool until I have time to portion the beans/liquid into jars and freeze them. This is a habitual task in my kitchen, but I see that I have barely blogged about it!  I will try to remedy that.  (Here are simple black beans, starting with dry beans also).

These supper beans were a variation on the basic method I just described.  I started with the 2 cups dry pinto beans and water, but also added 3 whole garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp. dried sage, and 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil.  A few hours later, I stirred the beans and added some salt.  At the table, we added more salt, pepper, and more olive oil.  The simplicity of the beans meant that they were a great base for whatever accompaniments I had on hand.  It's lovely to mop up the salty bean juices and olive oil with bread.

Rice & Beans Bowl

The "bowl" concept is an ingenious way to reframe dinner.  Start with a rather plain, starchy base (rice and beans or noodles), and each person adds toppings to customize, whatever you have on hand.  Kind of like a taco salad concept. Or sometimes, I pour hot stock over the top and we go in an Asian direction, like that always-delicious pho.

Our latest version of rice and beans is very popular.  Our current favorite toppings are garden spinach, guacamole with lemon and scallions, spicy homemade salsa, cilantro, and grated smoked cheese. I thought I'd tell you how I make the tasty beans.

Thrift at Home Black Beans

Cook some dry black beans in twice as much water in slow cooker on low or high until soft.  Depending on the age of the beans, this could take 2-5 hours.  You can soak them ahead of time if you remember.  The average amount of dry beans I use is 2 cups.  Once they're soft, they can sit in their liquid for hours until you need them.  May divide into containers with the liquid and freeze.

In a heavy pan (I use my cast iron Dutch oven), saute an onion in at least a tablespoon or more bacon grease or another fat. Add these seasonings as it's sauteeing (I guessed on the measurements, but at least it gives you some idea of ratio):  1 1/2  tsp. dried oregano, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. sugar, some ground black pepper.  Turn down the heat and pour in the beans WITH their liquid.  Use a potato masher to mash roughly - I guess I aim to crush about half the beans. Now let the whole business simmer uncovered until the liquid is reduced.  Taste occasionally and add more oregano, cumin, or chili powder, but do not add more salt until the very end because the beans are getting concentrated and it's easy to oversalt at this point. We like to add hot sauce to our individual taste at the table. Cook the beans down as soupy or dry as you like them or as much time as you have.  Can be made ahead and set aside at room temperature for hours.  Serve hot or room temperature over hot rice. Leftovers freeze beautifully.

And Violets on the Cake

We don't usually do much for Mother's Day, but my sister and I thought perhaps we could get all the family together for a dinner. We discussed going to a restaurant, but I suddenly felt that I wanted a home-based celebration and thought of a simple menu to keep me easygoing.  I also wanted to use my new cake stand and dome. (Oh! I suddenly realized I never wrote up the post about Ben's birthday which included a layer cake and accompanying "discoveries").

Menu:
2 roasted chickens with rosemary, garlic and lemon with potatoes and carrots
roasted asparagus
coleslaw
angel biscuits with homemade beet jelly
olives
poppyseed cake with custard and whipped cream (actual recipes I used on my Recipe Verdicts board)
kiwi, pineapple, and purple grapes

Aunt Mel for the win! (wishbone with Genevieve)

Melanie brought some of the food, the beet jelly was from Mom's cousin, and everyone chipped in to help ferry dishes back and forth and wash up. It was a lovely time and everyone said the food was perfect (I humbly agree - I was so pleased).

The chickens were absolutely succulent. I attribute this mostly to the local Amish farm where I bought them!  I put a sliced lemon and some garlic cloves inside them, sprinkled them well with salt, pepper, and rosemary, and roasted them breast up at 400 F for 1 hour with the lid on, and then another hour with the lid off. I wasn't expecting them to take that long, but I had allowed enough time for a long rest before carving, so they simply had a shorter rest. I made a quick pan gravy thickened with milk and flour, with an extra sprinkle of poultry herbs and pepper. The leftover carcasses and shreds are simmering into stock in my Crockpot down cellar, to be canned tomorrow.

The cake was delicious, but it cost me some swear words.  I made it the day before, and I didn't slice the layers horizontally because they were so fragile, but then the custard blobbed out the edges and the whipped cream frosting was quite soft, so the whole thing looked pudgy at the bottom.  I shut it up in the fridge and resolved to make it into a trifle with frozen raspberries early Sunday morning if I needed to.  Well, it held up, so we decorated it with violets and my husband took photos.

The violets are fading and the dandelions have gone to seed.  I'm so pleased with the ways we enjoyed violets this year. 

A New Way with Pesto

I like to freeze homemade pesto in cubes. It becomes a super-fast supper in the winter when I put a frozen cube in a bowl and pour hot pasta over it.

Then I made an easy stew recipe from Martha Stewart, via Pinterest (and moved over to my Recipe Verdicts board with high praise). It was almost as fast as cooking up a pot of pasta, and very tasty and cheap.  I served it with a green salad on the side and yes, more bread.  What's soup without bread?

My basil seeds are coming up adorable.  Can't wait for a new batch of pesto!

Chickpea Stew with Pesto

Saute in olive oil in soup pot:
1 onion, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
salt & pepper

Stir in:
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
4 c. cooked chickpeas
6 c. stock or broth

Cook for 10-15 minutes, covered.

Add:
3 slices toasted (or stale) bread, diced (about 1 cup)

Cook 10 more minutes.  Serve with a spoonful of pesto on top of each bowl of stew.

Party Chips

At a neighborhood Christmas party, I ate the best chips I ever had in my life.  I could not stop eating them and it was a little embarrassing.  Fortunately, the hostess, who made them, graciously shared the method with me as she carved a ham, found more napkins, and otherwise tried to host a party with me begging at her elbow.

I don't know the name for these chips and I don't know exact amounts.  However, all the elements are delicious, so I eyeballed it when I re-created it at home and it was wonderful.

Spread ruffled chips on a baking sheet.

Mix together room temperature blue cheese, cream cheese (I used slightly more blue cheese) and a splash of cream until it's the texture of yogurt and you can dollop it over the chips.

Here the hostess told me to bake the chips/cheese at 400 until they're hot, but I'm not sure that does much flavor or texture wise.

Then, sprinkle the chips/cheese with chopped fresh rosemary and chopped toasted walnuts. Drizzle with balsamic reduction.  You can buy this (she waved the bottle at me) or you can just boil down some balsamic vinegar until it's syrupy.  But be careful:  mine went a little too far and started to turn into candy.

This deterred none of us.  I am now waiting until I have a big enough grocery list to buy more chips to make it again.  It may be party food to some, but I'm hoping it will count as breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a while.

Should we name these chips?  That would be handy for conversation when my children ask what's for breakfast. . .

Sunday Dinner: Ham with Apples and Cheese

When I made space for our yearly beef order recently, I found several things in my freezer that I didn't know I was missing. One of them was a package of ham scraps left from Easter.  I made this casserole (below) and my husband complimented me over and over, saying this was pure comfort food.  Perhaps you can use your Christmas ham scraps to make it!

waiting for Sunday dinner

Saturday:
thaw ham

Sunday morning:
assemble Ham with Apples and Cheese, put on timed bake
set brussels sprouts out
thaw cornbread

Sunday noon:
set table
saute brussels sprouts
warm up cornbread in oven

The ham dish is quite rich and soft, so I like to serve it with a crunchy green salad or, in this case, brussels sprouts with vinegar and salt.  I also served cranberry applesauce and a few slices of cornbread for mopping up the delicious juices.

caught in the act of eating out of the serving dish

Ham with Apples and Cheese - copied from a cookbook at work, but then I tweaked it a bit
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. thick ham slices, chunked
2-3 tart apples, sliced (I don't peel them)
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
6 slices sharp cheddar cheese, enough to cover the top
1 cup plain yogurt

Make a layer of the ham over the bottom of a greased, deep-dish pie plate.  Lay the apples over them. (I had sweet apples, so I sprinkled them with lemon juice)  Separately, mix flour, sugar, and butter to make crumbs.  Sprinkle these on top of apples.  Cover with cheese slices.  Dollop yogurt over the top.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour, until bubbling and browned on top.

The Turkeys, Afterwards

8:21pm  Thanksgiving evening.

I asked for, and got, the two turkey carcasses from our extended family Thanksgiving today. Thanks, Aunt Elena! After the long drive home, I fixed them up for their long simmer into stock.

Everyone is settling down gratefully- children listening to their daddy read Pooh and Piglet next room room over, me in my pajamas, the cold night outside. I have everything to be thankful for.

How was your Thanksgiving?

Warm French Lentil Salad

I took some photos of supper tonight because it's a delicious recipe and I thought I had not blogged about this recipe before.

Apparently I have now written so many blog posts that I don't remember them.

The original post, with recipe, is here. The current photos are much nicer (and I hope that Santa is paying attention to the new lens I have my eye on for even nicer photos in the future; actually, I just nudged my husband to pay attention).

I see that I add a bay leaf to the lentils now.  I've been enamored with bay leaves for a few months.

I almost always use celery instead of a fennel bulb and red wine vinegar instead of lemon slices.

I highly recommend this recipe for its ease, elegance, and nutrition. Pretty cheap, too, unless you're lavish with the walnuts and cheese.

Sunday Dinner: Crunchy Ham Balls and a Delicious Salad

I was pleased with the textures and flavors of this Sunday dinner.  The ham balls are amazingly good, but I'm not always sure what to serve them with. 

 

 

Here, their richness is complemented by a unique salad that our friend Danene concocted and served us recently.  She took about 2 cups each sliced cucumber and cantaloupe (in the pictures here, I used canary melon, but the cantaloupe is prettier), added a little chopped fresh mint, and dressed it with the juice of half a lime, a splash of rice vinegar, and salt.  I've made it several times since then and we love how light and refreshing it is.  I might experiment with it by adding a little feta cheese or some proscuitto.  I could see this salad served as part of the main course, or served more like a fruit salad at a brunch or with dessert. 

 

Then, for just a little more bulk in my Sunday menu, I added the small patty pan squashes, which take about 10 minutes on a hot grill.  However, you could use any summer squash and simply roast it or saute it in butter if you're not the grilling type.

Saturday:
mix up ham balls

Sunday morning:
roll the ham balls, place in oven on timed bake
make melon salad
set the patty pans out

Sunday noon:
set table
grill patty pans

Crunchy Ham Balls (from Rebecca from somewhere)

2 c. very stiff mashed potatoes (use leftover if you can plan ahead!)
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese or other cheese that you love
2 c. finely diced/shredded ham
1/3 c. finely chopped onion
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1/4-1/3 c. mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. pepper
2-3 c. crushed cornflakes

I use the food processor for the ham and onion. You could probably grate the cheese there, too. In a bowl, combine ingredients except for cornflakes.  Start with the lesser amount of mayo.  You're aiming for stiff, moldable texture.  You can refrigerate the mixture at this point - to stiffen up, to fit your schedule.  Roll the mixture into balls - tennis ball size is usually what mine end up.  Roll each ball in the crushed cornflakes and place on a greased baking sheet.  I usually get 9-12 balls (I think). Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.  Serve hot or hide them in the back of the fridge as the most desirable leftover and sneak them cold when no one's looking - cook's privilege.

Busy-Day Macaroni and Cheese

This is my go-to meal for busy summer days when my schedule threatens to swallow me and I need a little dependable comfort; I am immensely soothed by a proper meal eaten at a table with conversation.  It dawned on me that I have never blogged about this recipe because it appears during such busy times.  Like today, and that bushel of tomatoes.

 

 

 

I probably would still prefer oven-baked macaroni and cheese made with a white sauce (hello, Mom!), but any recipe that combines cheese and pasta is pretty darn good and this recipe is so incredibly easy.  The genius of cooking in the slow cooker is that it allows plenty of flex time at the end of the recipe - great for unpredictable schedules or spontaneous people.  This one, for example, can sit in the turned-off slow cooker for at least 30 minutes, probably more, if you're scrambling through your day - and then you get to have a nice, comforting plate of pasta!  I mix this up before we leave for swimming lessons, and it's done when we fall in the door at noon in wet swimming suits. Fabulous. 

Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese

Serves 2-3 if you're my family; I've been doubling this recipe this summer (see note on doubling below)

Generously butter a 3 or 4-quart slow cooker. 

Put in it:
1 2/3 cups uncooked macaroni or other similar small pasta
2 3/4 cups milk (I use 2%)
3 cups shredded sharp cheese, mixture of kinds preferred
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground mustard

Mix.  Cover.  Cook on low for 2-3 hours, taking the lid off for 20-30 minutes at the end if it looks soupier than you want.

 

To double this recipe, use a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker, cook on HIGH, and do not double the milk - make it more like 4 1/4 cups instead of 5 1/2 cups.

Now, there are some variables here, depending on how hot your cooker cooks and how soft or soupy you like your mac and cheese.  You will have to experiment. I like my mac and cheese on the firm, dry side with plenty of pepper and sharp cheese.  The cheese is important and I recommend that you mix several kinds of cheddar or Monterey Jack or the like, including a very sharp cheese.  I sometimes use a bit of smoked cheddar, too.  Some Parmesan would be excellent, I'm sure.

Serve with a plate of sliced tomatoes or cucumbers, purple basil optional, or whatever summer fruit needs to be eaten next.  Complete meal.  Complete comfort food.  Try it on your next busy day and let me know how you like it!

Sunday Dinner: Multitasking Slow Cooker (updated with recipe)

People, it is hot here and my husband is manic on the subject of no cooking heat in the house.  I use my slow cooker pretty often in the summer and I usually set it outside.  That pleases him, as does cooking outside on the new grill.

Sunday, we had a meatless meatloaf which is a lentil loaf which really needs a better name.  It sounds like we are being all 70s alternative or like we miss meat so much we are trying our best to imitate it, but that's just not the case.  At my house, this is just a delicious way to eat lentils and it just begs for traditional meatloaf sides.

The menu:
the loaf
baked potatoes
cucumber salad with basil
espresso granita with whipped cream (I used strong decaf coffee and decreased the sugar by 1 Tbsp.)


I put the oiled potatoes in the bottom of my 6-quart oval slow cooker.  I turned them on high around 7am.  Before we left for church at 9am, I turned the cooker to low and added the lentil loaf (mixed up the day before) in a 9x5 metal loaf pan, sitting directly on top of the single layer of potatoes.  Clapped the lid on. 

It worked so well!  When we got home from church, I put together a cucumber salad. Delicious, easy Sunday dinner and no cooking heat in the house - plenty of other heat, though. . .

Lentil Loaf (originally from a cookbook called The Daily Bean)

Combine and mix well:
1-2 cups tasty cheese such as cheddar with a bit of smoked cheddar if you like
2 cups cooked lentils
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. dried thyme (or triple the amount of fresh thyme)
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 Tbsp. soft butter (optional)

Place in greased loaf pan and smooth top.  Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or covered in a slow cooker on low for 2-3 hours.  You can put the loaf pan in the dry slow cooker and if there are no potatoes beneath, keep it off the bottom with a metal jar lid or small trivet.

If you have to cook your lentils just for this recipe, use a scant cup with a scant 2 cups water.  Cook covered for about an hour, until water is absorbed and lentils are soft.  Or you can cook a big pot and freeze the cooked lentils in 2 cup amounts.

Serve this loaf as you would traditional meatloaf; the wheat in the breadcrumbs in combination with the legumes (lentils) is a complete protein and there is protein from the cheese and egg.  Cold slices of leftover loaf are excellent in sandwiches with ketchup and sprouts.

Lettuce-Tomato with Beef and a Lovely Vintage Dessert

One of my very favorite meals is Lettuce-Tomato with Beef.  It has a short window of time in late June when the summer tomatoes overlap briefly with the lettuce which is starting to bolt in the heat.  I make it every year.  The only reason I can think of that I have not blogged about it before is that I so fully enjoy this meal that I cannot be bothered to get out my camera.  For your sakes, dear readers, I tore myself away.

Lettuce-Tomato with Beef - from More with Less with some serious tweaks by me; it's a dinner salad meal from Vietnam

Stir together and marinate in the fridge, preferably for several hours:
1/4-1/2 lb. chuck or round steak, sliced paper thin
2/3 cup grated or pureed onion (I use my food processor)
2 garlic cloves, grated or pureed (food processor again)
1/2 tsp. fish sauce* (or 1/2 tsp. salt, if you must)
1/2 tsp. sugar
freshly ground pepper, several grinds

In a small jar, combine:
1/3 cup finely minced onion
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
several grinds of pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

Shake together as dressing and set aside. 

Plan when to start your rice; I use jasmine rice or regular long-grain brown rice.  The secret to fluffy rice is to keep the water scant (so don't use the full 2 cups water for 1 cup rice) and let it sit with the lid on for about 10 minutes when the water is gone, to steam.

A short time before the meal, when the rice is planned or cooking, arrange on a beautiful platter with a small, empty bowl in the middle:
1 head lettuce or mixed lettuces, torn
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 cucumbers, diced, peeling optional
handful snipped herbs such as Thai basil, cilantro, or mint (Asian-leaning, you see)

Heat in heavy skillet until very hot:
1 Tbsp. oil

Add marinated beef and onions and stir fry quickly, just until beef loses red color, 1-2 minutes.  Frying it too long will make it tough, trust me (and I like my steaks medium-well, okay?).  Place beef in the bowl in the middle of the salad platter.  Add a Tbsp. water to the hot skillet, swish, and add the collected drippings/water to the salad dressing.

To eat this gorgeous meal, place a mound of hot, fresh rice on your plate.  Add some lettuce/tomato/cuke/herbs mixture, a smidgen of beef (the Vietnamese wisely use the meat sparingly, for flavoring), and drizzly lightly with the dressing. Keeping the dressing and beef separate from the vegetables means that leftovers will still be nice the next day.

*I love fish sauce.  It is an anchovy-based sauce that has the same umami POW that Worcestershire sauce has (which is also traditionally anchovy-based, did you know?).  Add fish sauce to Asian dishes that need a little boot, or add it to vinaigrette, soups, or meatloaf mix.  I'm trying to talk you into getting a bottle by illustrating that it's not a one-trick pony.  I buy mine at an Asian store, but I'm guessing most major grocery stores have it.

Okay, so the lovely vintage dessert was Orange Charlotte.  I adore pudding-y desserts and this one was fabulous and not very hard to make.  I want to make Charlotte Russe next and I have the ladyfingers to prove it.  I was so pleased with its cool, creamy texture and citrus punch after the Vietnamese salad meal.

Orange Charlotte - taken from a book at work which I cannot credit because I photocopied it months and months ago without noting the title (oops - bad editor)

In a mixing bowl, dissolve 1 envelope unflavored gelatin in 1/3 cup cold water.

Add 1/3 cup boiling water.

Add:
scant 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 1/2 oranges)
zest of one orange
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
pinch salt

Place in refrigerator.  When the mixture startes to gel in 20-40 minutes, fold in:

2 egg whites, beaten with a pinch of cream of tartar until stiff
1/2 cup whipping cream, beaten until just beginning to form soft peaks

Pour mixture into lightly greased bowl or pretty vintage jello mold.  Cover.  Refrigerate for several hours until firm.  Unmold if you've used something pretty.  Otherwise, just dish it out.

Whew.  I don't usually publish two recipes in one post.  But you can see why, right?  Deliciousness.