Come On Up To The House

May 5, 2017
by Ashley
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Fast English Muffins

I decided to try out Alton Browns English Muffin recipe in comparison to my English Muffin recipe that I use from the Kitchn blog. I made my normal muffin recipe the night before and the new recipe in the morning and compared. The Fast English Muffins came out with lots of nooks and crannies and were great for a quick breakfast but were more like a crumpet since the dough was so soft. My normal muffins were more dense, less nooks and crannies but with more complex flavor. Depending on the time that I have, I will come back to both recipes.

Fast English Muffins

2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast

In a bowl, mix the powdered milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, oil, and hot water. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool. In a separate bowl, combine the yeast, 1/8 teaspoon of sugar and 1/3 cup of warm water and let rest until yeast has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add to the dry milk mixture. Add the flour and beat thoroughly with wooden spoon. I didn’t use my kitchen aid and decided to do this by hand, using the wooden spoon as suggested. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes (which happened to be in my oven).

Preheat the griddle to 325°F. Place 8 english muffin rings on griddle. The recipe asked to add a remaining salt to mixture and beat. I happened to forget to do that, but will do it next time. I also don;t think that the griddle should be coated with vegetable spray, as it toasted the bottom rather than browned it. I would sprinkle the griddle with cornmeal instead. Scoop about 1/3 cup batter into each ring (it is really sticky) and split the remaining batter between the rings. It was hard to judge exactly how much should be used. Cover with a cookie sheet (greased so the batter doesn’t stick to the top) and cook for 5 minutes. Flip rings with a spatula and cook covered for another 5 minutes.

All together, they turned out pretty well and were much faster to make than my original recipe. I will try this recipe with a few modifications next time and report back on what happened. I am thinking of skipping the powdered milk and just using milk.

April 30, 2017
by Ashley
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Pressure Cooker Kale & White Bean Soup

My love for soup is unending. I have been experimenting with my pressure cooker recently and switched my normal recipe into a quick version.

Pressure Cooker Kale & White Bean Soup

1 leek
2 celery stalks
5 carrots
3 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
8 garlic cloves
8 chicken tenders or 4 chicken breasts, frozen (optional)
1 lb dry white beans
1/2 tsp salt

Bring to pressure and let stay there for 30 minutes. Set a timer. Release pressure. I pulled the chicken out so I could shred it, but it could be left in the soup as well.

Add in –

1 bunch chopped kale
1 inch chunk parmesan or 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
3 cups water
1 tbsp chicken stock base

Stir and let simmer for another 10 minutes.  Serve.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If the soup gets too thick, add a little more water.

 

April 27, 2017
by Ashley
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Pressure Cooked Pork Country Ribs

My pressure cooker really speeds things up. Instead of letting these braise for 2 hours in the oven, I popped them into my pressure cooker and they were done in a flash!

Pressure Cooked Pork Country Ribs

4 1/2 lbs Pork Country Ribs
Kosher Salt
Garlic
Pepper
2 1/2 cups water

BBQ Sauce or other basting sauce

Bring up to pressure and cook for 20 minutes. Let cool down on their own (15 minutes). Take meat out of the pot and put onto a foil lined pan. Baste with desired sauce. BBQ would be great. I decided to reduce the sauce from the pressure cooker and added in some brown sugar, mustard seeds, chili powder and paprika to create my sauce. Baste meat.

Broil meat for 10 minutes per side. Once browned enough, transfer to a serving plate and enjoy.

Served with smashed red potatoes, cooked carrots, mushroom carpaccio and bread. It was a hit.

April 25, 2017
by Ashley
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Focaccia

I have been using the Christmas gift that Paul gave me to create new types of breads we usually don’t make. Tonight, I decided to make Focaccia from the Italian Bread Flour. It is really quick, and doesn’t take much time to rise. Perfect for a quick dinner.

You can serve this as a side to a salad or pasta, or create it into more of a pizza. I will try this out with my normal bread flour to see how it compares soon.

Focaccia

3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 tbsp malt powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cup warm water

Mix together all ingredients. If you need a little more water, use sparingly. Knead briefly for 5 minutes in a mixer. I use my dough hook on my kitchenaid mixer.

Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a large baking sheet covered with a silpat or parchment paper. Knead again a few times, and then roll out to 10 inches by 15 inches. Spread a little olive oil over the top and cover with plastic wrap to rise for another 30 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 425°F. After 30 minutes rising in a warm place, cover the focaccia with your desired toppings. Typically focaccia has coarse salt and rosemary. I opted to do pepperoni, garden tomatoes and parmesan. Also, dimple the dough a little just before baking (meaning dot your finger into the dough) every 2 inches or so.  Let bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and cool slightly before cutting into squares.

April 20, 2017
by Ashley
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Sweet & Spicy Cauliflower

 

1 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tsp Sriracha hot sauce, plus more if you like it hotter
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup uncooked carrots
1 ½ cups cauliflower florets, fresh
1 cup sliced cabbage

Roast veggies in oven at about 400°F for 20 minutes. (I used my convection to roast them a little quicker). In a bowl, mix honey, soy sauce, minced garlic and sriracha together. Microwave for one minute and stir. Let sit until veggies are done. Pour sauce over veggies and enjoy.

You can add more honey if you would like to make the sauce sweeter, but it will up the points on the vegetables. I was going for a lighter lunch.

4pts for all.

April 18, 2017
by Ashley
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Menu 1

It has been a little over a year since I began losing weight. I have always struggled and find it hard to stick to anything, until recently. After college, I joined weight watchers and had a lot of success. The plan worked as long as I didn’t eat anything extra. An apple even counted as extra. Obviously, this did not work out well for me. I felt starving all of the time but I made my goal. I was excited I had finally made it. Years have gone by now, without me paying much attention and with a lot of life changes.  I got married, built a house, had and quit two jobs, had two kids and 15 year later, I found myself in a similar pickle as before. I tried to eat better, walked, and complained a lot, which wasn’t working. I needed something more, that I could actually stick to. Since I knew Weight Watchers had worked once (and with some motivation from my friend/sister-in-law) I finally took the leap and started it up again. This time with a brand new plan, SmartPoints, I finally could eat what I really wanted (within reason) and stick with it. Oh, and bonus….I was NOT starving this time.

My Aunt asked me what I was doing to keep it up. I felt the easiest way to share my day, would be to blog about it. Here is an example of my day.

MENU – Day 1

  • Breakfast –
    • 2 egg omelette with half ounce creamy goat cheese and topped with alfalfa sprouts (5pts)
    • Coffee with 1 tbsp half and half (1pt)
    • 2 Clementine (0pts)
  • Snack –
    • 1 Carrot (0pts)
    • Weight Watcher Jalapeno String Cheese (1pt)
    • Sparkling Water (0pts)
  • Lunch –
    • 1 slice Boule (1.5 ounce piece) toasted with deli turkey (2 ounces), sprouts, pickled beans and mustard sandwich (3pts)
    • Veggie Straw Chips (.5 ounce) (2pts)
    • 1 1/2 cups 0pt Soup (0pts)
  • Snack –
  • Dinner –
    • Pork Verde with tomatoes and chopped onion (5pts)
    • 1oz (about a 1/4th) Avocado (2pts)
    • Lettuce (0pts)
    • 2 corn tortillas (3pts)  OR 1 serving Tortilla Chips (4pts) OR 1/2 cup basmati rice (4pts)
    • 12oz beer (5pts)
  • Dessert or Snacks (usually I choose one)

Day 1 – 28 points

I also drink hot tea and sparkling water a lot. This is free and you can have a much as you want.

 

 

April 17, 2017
by Ashley
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Apple Cinnamon Snack

Easy snacks are sometimes hard to think of. Here is one that I love, and eat several times a week.

Apple with Cinnamon

1 apple sliced thin. Sprinkle with Cinnamon. DONE!

Pretty easy and delicious.

 

April 13, 2017
by Ashley
Comments Off on Almond Rice Pudding Risotto

Almond Rice Pudding Risotto

I tried this dessert out recently and loved it. I ate it as a dessert, but also as a breakfast with blueberries and bananas.

Almond Rice Pudding Risotto

7 cups unsweetened, vanilla almond milk
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of kosher salt

Rice the rice with water and then add it to a sauce pan. Add in sugar, vanilla and pinch of salt along with 1 cup of milk. Stir well over medium heat. Once the liquid has been absorbed, add in the next cup of milk. Stir until absorbed.  Continue to do this for the rest of the milk in cup increments. This will take about 25 minutes to complete. Let cool.

4 servings for 7 points a serving.

From the Bakedbree blog.

April 11, 2017
by Ashley
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Pickled Eggs

I came up with this recipe by combining many different recipes into one. I didn’t want to use sugar, but I may try it next time to take the edge off a little.

I do like these, however. I use my egg slicer and top little crunchy toasts with these slices and pate. These are great for just a snack or for breakfast.

Pickled Eggs

6 hard boiled eggs (when boiling, sprinkle a little baking soda in the water to help the shells come off easier)

3/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp mustard seed, dark
1 tsp pickling spice
2 tbsp pickling salt
1 garlic clove
1/4 red onion, sliced thin

Boil pickling liquid for 5 minutes and pour over eggs. You may end up with a little more than you will need. I may cut the amount of vinegar and water to 1/2 a cup each next time. I will leave an update here to let you know what happens. Let the eggs sit in the refrigerator over night before you test. The longer they sit, the more pickled tasting they become. Will keep in the refrigerator for at least a month or more.

April 3, 2017
by Ashley
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Chicken Caper Pate

We really enjoy eating pate, yet it never crossed my mind to try to make it until yesterday. I bought a small container of chicken livers and this is the recipe I tried out. This was very good and got two thumbs up from my husband.

Pate just finished.

Chicken Caper Pate

1 lb chicken livers, fat and connective tissue trimmed
6 tbsp butter, divided
1/3 cup red onion, minced
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp capers
1 tsp thyme
2 anchovies
2 tbsp Soul Boxer Brandy
3 tbsp Brandy
1/4 cup half & half

1 stick butter, clarified

In a large saute pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, make sure not to burn. Saute the red onion and prepared livers for 1 minute. Flip the livers and sauted for another 2 minutes. Add in salt, capers, thyme and anchovies. Saute for 2 minutes. Add in brandy carefully and let simmer until brandy reduces to a syrup. Make sure livers are cooked to a pale pink in the middle. Let cool. Add into a food processor and process until smooth. Add in 4 tablepoons of butter and cream and process again. Place in jars (large or small) to chill.

I clarified 1 stick of butter to pour over the tops of the pate in order to keep it longer. This should keep for up to 1 month. If not covered with butter, use within the week.

This makes about 12 servings for 5 points a serving.