CRANBERRIES??

IDEAS:

Orange Blosson Cranberry Muffins

*From Audrey & "The Muffin Book"

2 t sugar

3 t orange zest

1 1/2 C flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/8 t salt

1/2 C sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/2 C milk

1/4 C butter, melted

2 T frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 1/2 C cranberries - food processed with orange juice

1) preheat 400 F, lightly grease muffin cups/line cups

2)For topping combine 2 t sugar, 1 t orange zest, set aside

3) In large bowl stir together: flour, baking powder, salt, 2 t orange zest. Stir through the 1/2C sugar. Make a well ni the center.

4) In a small mixing bowl, combine egg, milk, melted butter, & orange juice concentrate/cranberry blend. Add all at once to the flour mixture & stif until just mointenet (lumpy is good).

5) Spoon batter into cups, fill 2/3rds full. Sprinkle tops of muffins w/Sugar-Orange Peel mixture. Bake till golden brown: 12-15 min. Let cool 5 min.

Cranberry Sauce

Only 3 ingredients for cranberry sauce...Allrecipes are GREAT:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cranberry-Sauce/Detail.aspx

What do you do with Your Cranberries?

Banana Bread

POSTED BY ANGIE:

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees
6 bananas mashed

4 eggs

1c butter

2c sugar
2 tsp baking soda

1tsp Salt

4c Flour

*Chocolate chips (Optional)

Mix together first 4 ingredients. Add last 3 ingredients*.
Pour into 2 loaf pans (I like to line it with Parchment paper) Bake for 40 minutes (or until a fork or skewer comes out clean.)
I like to put it in a ziplock bag while it is still warm (not hot) to keep it nice and moist.

POSTED BY MOLLY:

I use this one from all recipes. I'm a sucker for brown sugar...
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Banana-Banana-Bread/Detail.aspx

Spinach Recipes

POSTED BY: Paige

Here is our favorite Spinach Lasagne (it was a recipe contest winner). It's different than any other that you've probably had and sooo good!

10 oz. frozen spinach (or 1 bunch cooked fresh)

6 oz. lasagne noodles

1 lb. ground beef (can also add 1/8 lb. pork sausage if you like)

3/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp. oregano

3/4 tsp. worcestershire sauce parmesan cheese sprinkled on top

Brown meat in skillet. Add salt, pepper, oregano & worchestershire. Stir in cooked & well-drained spinach. In oil dripped pan arrange 1/2 cooked noodles, 1/2 meat mixture and 1/2 cheese. Repeat layers. Heat soup & milk together. Stir until well blended and pour over top of casserole, separating noodles a bit to let seep down in. Pour tomato sauce over top and sprinkle generously with parmesan chees. Bake at 350 for 30 min.

POSTED BY MARIKO:

It's very easy, also, to throw a handful of spinach into your smoothie. You can't taste it at all. We also sautee a HUGE bunch of spinach, blend it up, and mix it into the egg before cooking scrambled eggs. Again, you can't taste it, and Amaya doesn't seem to mind that they're green at all.

FOOD INC.

Hey Guys,

Have you seen this?

I was chatting with a fellow co-oper & we discussed Food INC. SO interesting. I have NOT seen it, but I WANT to. can't wait till Ohana Video gets it! (hee hee)

what are your thoughts?

What We Do With Our Veggies

photo from chidiet.com

Zucchini: We like to saute our zucchini the same as the green beans and mushrooms, olive oil, salt, pepper.
Mushrooms: We also like to saute our mushrooms with a little bit of butter or olive oil, onions and worstershire sauce, SO GOOD. (tastes like the ones that come on top of steak at the restaurant. You can add steak seasoning too.)
Cherries: we pitted them and dipped em in chocolate. Not good for ya, but YUM.
Tomatoes: We like to make salsa. If you want that recipe, let me know. Another mom in my group has and great one.
Bell Peppers:

Steak and Peppers on Rice

1 1/2 lb. steak, cut into strips
2 bell peppers, sliced into strips
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 T butter
1 clove garlic (or 1/2 t garlic powder)
1 C beef boullion
2 T corn starch
2 T soy sauce
4 C rice

Melt butter, saute garlic, Brown steak, add bell peppers, and green onions, and saute till just wilted. Add boullion and tomatoes, cook 5 minutes. Add cornstarch (mixed previously with a little water). Simmer until sauce has thickened. Serve on top of white or brown rice.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

2 large bell peppers, halved
(dash of salt optional)
3/4 lb. ground beef, pork, lamb, sausage, or turkey (whatever you like)
1/3 C chopped onion
1-7.5 oz. can tomatoes cut up (just cut up tomatoes from your veggie box!)
1/2 C water
1/3 C long grain rice, UNCOOKED
1 T worstershire sauce
1/2 t dried oregano (or basil)
1/2 C shredded american cheese, separated in to two 1/4 C amounts.

Halve the peppers, remove the stems, ends, and seeds. Immerse in boiling water for 3 minutes. Sprinke with salt, if you want, and invert on paper towel to drain.
In a large skillet cook meat nd onion til meat is brown and onions are tender. Drain off fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes (if you are using fresh you may have to cook them for a few minutes to get the right consistency), water, UNCOOKED rice, worstershire sauce, and dried oregano or basil, 1/4 t salt, 1/4 t pepper. Bring to boiling, and reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or till rice is tender. Stir in 1/4 C cheese.
Fill peppers with meat mixture. Place in a square baking dish along with any remaining meat mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through. Sprinke with remaining 1/4 C cheese. Let stand for about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 4 servings.

I'm pretty sure (though I haven't tried it yet) that you could add just about any other veggies to the meat mixture (mushrooms, zucchini, etc) and it would turn out yummy. My hubby really likes this one.

confession

sometimes i open up my fridge just to look at all the beautiful green bell peppers, the juicy red tomatoes, and the savory varieties of fruit. it makes me happy.

it makes my husband laugh.

Veggie Ideas

Hey Guys what did you do with your Fruits & Veggies this week?

I need some recipe ideas

Kale!

If you're like me, you're obssessed with Kale.

Really.

When I get a bunch of kale, I usually cut it into thin thin strips and then let it marinated in olive oil, a little salt, and lemon juice, so I can eat it in a salad. But sometimes I don't want to wait!

I found out you can roast kale in the oven in about 10 minutes (minus the heating time).

Chop up the washed kale into 1-2 inch pieces, rub them with olive oil and place on a cookie sheet. Then sprinkle sea salt over it and roast at 375 for about 10-12 minutes (until it's crisp like nori).

These just crunch in your mouth like little chips. A good way to trick your kids into eating greens! (if you don't eat them all yourself, like I did.)

Just for the record, cauliflower (a vegetable I used to hate) is also delicious this way. Thinly sliced, rubbed with olive oil and salt, set in a pan and roasted for about 20 minutes, until it turns golden brown on the edges and carmelizes. And it looks pretty.

Freezing Food

Did you know that you can freeze red peppers? I didn't, but I was
hoping. I {HEART} red peppers, however I'm the only one in my house
who does and there's no way I can eat all those peppers in one week.
So, if you want to freeze some, too, here's a website to help:

http://inmykitchengarden.blogspot.com/2006/08/whats-growin-on-81706.html

Freezing zucchini:

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf676463.tip.html


Freezing asparagus (I needed this last time as I already had some
asparagus in my fridge):

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf61961359.tip.html

But my greatest find was that you can cook corn on the cob right in
the husk! Seriously and it was SOOOO much easier to get all those
nasty strings off after it was cooked. No really, they just feel
right off. And the best part is that its done in the microwave in
like 5 minutes. Though I do have to warn you that if my corn was any
indication, Foodland chops the tops off the corn before selling it for
a reason - a little wormy reason. So you might was to chop the tops
before you cook - it shouldn't make a difference. I plan to do that
next go round.

FRESH CORN ON THE COB (MICROWAVE)
Cook fresh corn on the cob in microwave with husks and silk intact.
They will cook in their own natural moisture.

Place on paper towel. Turn ears over and rearrange after 1/2 cooking
time.
Cooking Timetable:
1 ear - 1 1/2 minutes
2 ears - 3 to 4 minutes
3 ears - 5 to 6 minutes
4 ears - 7 to 8 minutes
6 ears - 8 to 9 minutes.

When ears are hot to the touch, remove and wrap in kitchen towel or
foil. Let stand at least 5 minutes. Remove husks and silk (which is
easier than when cold) and serve.

OK, that's it for now. I would love to hear what you guys are doing
with all your fruits and/or veggies.

Lisa P.

Fruits & Veggies Galore

Our fruits & veggies are magnificent, we are excited to be in summer & enjoying so much wonderful produce.

June 17 Fruits & Veggies (V2)

Romaine, Romas, Red Bell Peppers, Zucchini, Jalapeno Peppers,
Peaches, Nectarines, Black Plums, Kiwi & Honeydew.

Fruits Only June 17

Banana, Peaches, Nectarines, Plums & Pineapple



What will you make with your spread?
POST your recipes, so we can enjoy it like you do!

Thai Chicken, Mango & Pineapple Salad

(found this on Familyfun.com)

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
	1 (14-ounce) can regular or light coconut milk
	1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste, or more to taste
	2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
	1/2 cup fresh orange juice
	4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
	1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1-inch chunks
	1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks
	4 cups salad greens

1. In a bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, red curry paste, orange zest, and orange juice and reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture in a separate container. In a ziplock bag, toss together the chicken breast chunks and half of the marinade from the bowl. Toss the fruit and the remaining marinade in another ziplock bag. Let the food marinate at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.

2. Prepare a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium-high, and oil the grates. Thread the chicken and fruit pieces onto separate skewers.

3. Grill the skewered chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once, or until the chicken is cooked through. Grill the fruit skewers for 2 minutes per side, turning once, or until you have visible grill marks. Remove the meat and fruit from the skewers and serve them over salad greens drizzled with the reserved marinade. Serves 4.

Wednesday F & V2 also Fruits Only

What the Fruit Only Group got....

What the F & V 2 Group got...
What did you do with your box?

Daikon the Korean Turnip

Here is my super fast Vietnamese Soup that uses turnips. My kids love it
(but maybe my kids are weird).

Dumplings:
1/2 lb. ground or chopped shrimp, or pork, or chicken, or turkey or any
combination thereof (whatever you have)
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. fish sauce
1 egg
3 Tbl. finely chopped onion

Put this all in a food processor and pulse until it is a lumpy paste, about
15 seconds. Or chop it all up little and mix in a bowl. Set aside.

Soup Broth:
1 Tbl. oil
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 clove garlic chopped fine
1 tsp. chili flakes
3 Tbl. fish sauce
4 ripe tomatoes quartered, (optional)
2 daikon (Korean turnip) peeled and sliced thin
5 c. chicken or beef or pork or vegetable stock (whatever you would like)
2 c. water
1 tsp. shrimp paste
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lime juice

Heat the oil. Fry the onion and garlic and fry just until nice and
fragrant. Add the chilies, fish sauce, and tomatoes. Fry for 1 minute.
Add the daikon, broth, water, shrimp paste, salt and lime juice. Bring to a
boil. Reduce heat to a nice simmer. Scoop heaping spoonfuls of the
dumpling mixture and slip into the broth. Use all the dumpling mixture this
way. Cook until the dumplings rise to the top, about 10 minutes. Serve
over rice or rice noodles.

I hope you enjoy this. Daikon (turnip) also makes Korean pickled radish if
you like that.

Audrey

Lemon Confusion

Still confused on what to do with ALL those lemons?....visit Martha:

She will show you how to make this:

Lemon Poppy-Seed Cookies

Or these:

Lemon Madeleines

Cooking Class

Hey Guys, Its that time again....COOKING CLASS!

March's Theme will be THAI
Molly Tanuvasa's Home
Date to be announced.

Fruits & Veggies Spread

What a great day in March for Veggies:
Pineapple
Kabocha Pumpkin
Romaine Lettuce
Broccoli
Grapes
Pears
Chinese Peas
Oranges
Onions
Bean Sprouts
Apples
Tomatoes

WHAT WILL YOU COOK TODAY?
Please post your fabulous recipes

Kabocha Pumpkin

Here are some GREAT links for ideas on how to cook the pumpkin. I know that you can use it in Thai Recipes too.

Check these recipe sites:
Kabocha Pumpkin cookies

Braised Kabocha squash and chicken

Kabocha Squash and Spinach Soup

BREADelicious!

Focaccia Bread (italian flat bread)

TIME: Prep: 15 Min + rising

BAKE: 20 min.

Ingredients:

3 C. bread flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. rapid rise yeast

6 tbsp. olive oil

2/3 C. warm water (110 F)

1/4-1/3 C. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

dash cumin

1 thinly sliced tomato (optional)

crumbled feta cheese (optional)

sliced olives (optional)

Directions:

• in a large bowl, sift together flour and salt; stir in yeast. Add olive oil and warm water; mix well. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 min. Cover dough and let relax for 10 min.
• Roll dough into a rectangle approx. 7x11 in. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and make about 20 deep impressions in the dough with your fingers. Cover with greased (cooking spray) plastic and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 min. 
• Preheat oven to 425 F.
• Pour 1/2 of remaining olive oil in small bowl. Stir in salt, basil, garlic salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin and mix. Add tomato slices (and feta and olives) to olive oil and spice mixture and coat well. Brush loaf with remaining olive oil, then top with tomatoes. Drizzle remaining oil and spice mixture over loaf.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Honey Oat Whole Wheat Bread

TIME: Prep: 25 min. + rising 

Bake: 40 min. + cooling

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water, divided
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 packages (1/2 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour (2+ cups white, 2+ cups wheat), divided
• Melted butter, optional

Directions:

• In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup water to boiling. Stir in the oats, butter, honey and salt. Let stand until mixture cools to 110°-115°, stirring occasionally. Heat remaining water to 110°-115°. 
• In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the egg, oat mixture and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. 
• Spread batter evenly into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. Smooth tops of loaves. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 35-40 minutes. 
• Bake at 375° for 40-45 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Brush with melted butter if desired. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

you are what you eat!!

Found this great article from a neighbor's blog...thought it fit right into our group!!!

“We’ve all heard we are what we eat, but did you know that studies show that every whole food we eat has a pattern that resembles a body organ or physiological function and gives us a heads up on what benefits that food might provide us? Here are a few examples:

“A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and science shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

“A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

“Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

“A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

“Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

“Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

“Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? ... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

“Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

“Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.”

(Source attributed to David Bjerklie, of TIME Magazine)

EGGPLANT?????

Here are two recipes I have been waiting to try. I got these from allrecipes.com. If you try it...you gotta tell us WHAT you loved...and WHAT you didn't.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 3 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

  DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
• In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
• Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

EGGPLANT SUPPER SOUP

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 pound eggplant, diced
• 3/4 cup sliced carrots
• 3/4 cup sliced celery
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry macaroni
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1 - Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion, beef, and garlic until beef is evenly brown. Drain grease, and mix in eggplant, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. Pour in beef broth. Mix in sugar, and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through.
2 - Mix macaroni into the soup, and continue cooking 12 minutes, or until macaroni is al dente. Mix in parsley. Top with Parmesan chreese to serve.

Budget-Friendly Cooking

Check out Recipezaar for inexpensive recipes, make ahead freezer meals, and penny-pinching menus!!

Click HERE for all the details

Menu Plan Monday

Hey friends,
Here is a Menu Plan for the rest of the week :

Tuesday: (simple & fresh day)
Tacos
Refried Beans
Fruit Smoothies for dessert

Wednesday: (make double and freeze for later)
Smokey Corn Chowder (click HERE for recipe)
French Bread

Thursday: ( easy meal day)
Cream of Mushroom Chicken (click HERE for recipe)
Rice
Green Beans

Friday
Pizza ( I make a pizza that we adults like & then I cut up lots of veggies and have the kids make a pizza the way they want it. )
Soda
Popcorn & movie night

Saturday (reheat something from freezer/ or..)
BBQ Chicken - throw frozen chicken in a freezer bag with BBQ sauce and put back in the freezer, pull out to cook in crockpot or on BBQ.
Corn on the Cob / frozen corn
Bread Sticks

Sunday
Roast Beef - Crockpot right before lunch and its ready when its dinner time
Garlic Bread
Salad

Monday
Creme Tuna on Rice
Peas
Salad (leftover from Sunday)


*What does your menu plan for the week look like? Post in Comments