What do these two images have in common? I see both as a form of artistry.
The paintings are self-explanatory. I think it’s safe to say that everyone views paintings as art. Above are small two-inch paintings that took me approximately an hour each to complete. I can now say I’m much better at blending colors, particularly blues, than I was. My palm fronds and suns are also improved since last week. Not perfect but heading in the right direction.
See the two seascapes above? They are the same painting. I wasn’t happy with it, so the next day I went back and redid it. In the first version, I intended to paint waves, but I couldn’t decide if it looked like mountains or waves. I painted over the bottom half then made a different horizon and new waves. Then I added the palm branches in the foreground to give the illusion of depth. (Thank you, YouTube videos!)
So, how does this all relate to soup? Well, I don’t generally cook with recipes, I just create and make adjustments as I go. I started with homemade broth. I keep a “soup sack” in the freezer that I add to whenever I have anything that I think would make good broth. The first ingredients I added to the soup pot were onions and celery. I decided to also include minced garlic to add another layer of flavor. Always use fresh garlic, never jarred. There is a world of difference. I added white beans, minced red skin potatoes, and spinach-ricotta dried raviolis. Just as in the painting that wasn’t quite right, neither was the soup. In went a can of diced tomatoes. Then it was time to add the details, the spices. Salt, pepper, and thyme. Still not right. I added a mix of marjoram, oregano, basil, and garlic powder. You may think the minced garlic would have been enough. The powdered garlic gives another level of depth. Just like painting where all shades of blue are not the same, neither are forms of garlic.
I think that cooking and baking are art forms. You can cook for subsistence, or you can cook a thing of beauty. The beauty may be in the taste or the presentation or both. In art you can make shapes and figures to get your point across or you can go in for the details. The details can elicit emotion, show beauty, or both. The level of involvement is up to you. There is a place in this world for both things.
Of course, when creating you are never likely to come up with the exact same thing twice. When painting, this is a good thing. When cooking, I’m not sure. When someone asks me for a recipe for a dish I have made, or even what it is called, I am at a loss as to how to respond. This usually results in said person looking at me like I have two heads until I just start reciting a list of ingredients. Oh well, such is life!
Like so many of you, I enjoy cooking, but the real problem is deciding what to make. So, after my trip to the grocery stores yesterday, I decided to come up with a menu for the week. And yes, that is grocery stores, as in multiple. I have three that I frequent to take advantage of the sales and the best products. One store may have a better price on some things, while another store may have a product that I consider to be of better quality. By the time I drive into town, hit all three stores, and drive back home, it usually takes me about two hours. Then add in my others stops that vary by week such as a trip to the library, the dollar store, or a thrift store and I’m looking at three hours. (Don’t tell about the stops I make at Dairy Queen for a Blizzard! The Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie Blizzard is my new weakness.) On to my menu, and these are in no particular order. I pick whichever I am in the mood for or have time to make.
Hamburgers, Sweet Potatoes, and Salad This is one for an evening when I am pressed for time. -I keep a bag of hamburger patties in a bag in the freezer. When I buy a bulk package of beef, I form all of it into decent size patties and freeze. I freeze it all this way, knowing that if I want beef for something else, I can just thaw out as many patties as I need and use it for something else like chili. I never buy ground beef that is less than 80% lean. I feel like, what’s the point because there is so much loss of grease. (I have a veggie patty for myself because I don’t eat meat aside from seafood.) –For the sweet potato, I may just microwave it, or I may peel, dice, and boil, then add butter and brown sugar with a pinch of salt. -I think the salad is self-explanatory. I like to buy bags or tubs of salad mix from the markdown shelf and then extras to them.
Stir-frywith Shrimp, Jasmine Rice, and Egg Rolls -I start with a bag of Asian medley vegetables from the freezer section and add other veggies of my choice to bulk it up and add more flavor. I prepared this item from the menu for last evening’s dinner. Always I start with a clove (or two!) of garlic and an onion. Yesterday, I also added quartered fresh mushrooms, a container of Napa cabbage, and some sliced peppers of assorted colors. I added in the bag of Asian medley last. Sometimes I’m not so creative and just use a frozen bag of broccoli to bulk it up. I do try to stick with vegetables grown in the United States because we have more regulations regarding the safety of food as it’s grown than some countries. -When I make stir-fry, I use Jasmine rice. It has a more delicate flavor than regular long grain rice. I keep three types of rice on hand that I use with different dishes, because I notice the difference and do not think one rice suits all. These are: long grain rice, Jasmine rice, and brown Basmati. These cover most of my needs. -For the egg rolls I almost always use fresh or frozen pre-made ones. I have made them from scratch before and they are just too much work. We don’t always have egg rolls with our stir-fry but it does make the meal seem fancier. -The shrimp for this meal was frozen, breaded from the supermarket. I could bake it along with the egg rolls which helped with time. If I cook the shrimp from fresh or use chicken, I cook it in the pan and set it aside, before sautéing the veggies. –Usually, I make my own sauce, but this time I cheated and used orange ginger sauce from a jar.
Pasta with Mid’s Spaghetti Sauce, Meatballs, and Cheesy Bread -This is another easy one. Cook pasta of your choice. -Heat jarred sauce. We really like Mid’s. -I keep purchased meatballs in the freezer, ground beef and vegetarian. I just put them on a plate and microwave them. -What really jazzes this meal up is bread from the bakery. They make a cheesy Asiago bread that is amazing! -We also always have a block of Romano cheese in the refrigerator for grating on top.
Chili with Cornbread -Just canned tomatoes and beans (either kidney, pinto, black beans, or a combination), garlic, onions, peppers, and spices. Sometimes I add in corn or hominy, and a square of baking chocolate really adds a depth and richness. At this point I split it in half and add ground beef to half and vegetarian crumbles to half. -I love cornbread! I use a recipe from my mom’s church cookbook. I make it with Bob’s Redmill medium grind cornmeal as I like it to have some texture.
Chicken Breast, Oven Fries, Green Salad with Grapefruit, Avocado, Pecans, and Cheese -I keep a homemade breading mix in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. I coat the chicken and put it on a baking sheet. For myself, I pull vegetarian “chicken” from the freezer. -I make oven fries from whole potatoes that I cut into wedges, brush with olive oil and add to the baking sheet. I salt them when they come out of the oven. I can taste the salt better that way without adding extra. Truth be told, I will be using prepared frozen potatoes from a bag this week, because one of our grocery stores had them on sale for 99 cents a bag. Not as healthy but too good a deal to pass up! -I bought an entire bag of grapefruit recently so I got on Pinterest and looked up grapefruit recipes. I found this one with greens, grapefruit, sliced avocado, pecans, and cheese that looks good. I’m making just one change. My husband is not a big fan of the goat cheese that it calls for so I will substitute mozzarella. And I may toast the pecans, because after splurging on them, I want them to be as tasty as possible.
Pierogies with Peppers, Onions, and Chicken Sausage This is by far my easiest meal of the week. Boxed perogies, with sautéed onions and peppers. The chicken sausage will be cooked with the peppers and onions, then the perogies thrown in for a little browning. Grated cheese on top gives it a little pizazz.
You may notice that this is only six meal choices for the week. That’s ok. There are bound to be enough leftovers from all these meals to have for dinner one evening. I also try to make enough food that we have leftovers for lunch the next day. If we run a little short for lunch and only have enough for a side, I just throw in a quesadilla or a fried egg sandwich. We also have desserts which I usually make, but that’s for another time.
I hope you are able to glean some meal ideas from this list. I don’t always make a menu list, but it is nice to be able to hand it to my husband as dinner time approaches and say, “pick one”. It’s easier for me when I don’t have to think about it as well. Happy cooking. And happy eating!
Banana time at our house is eagerly anticipated each day. Five of our six dogs love bananas. I’m pretty sure my husband hasn’t eaten an entire banana in years. He’s a soft touch that way. The shelties are especially food driven. All the dogs can catch their bite as it is tossed in the air. Zekie’s (the dog on the left) catch makes a nice lip smacking sound since he doesn’t have any canine fangs, having broken them all off in attempts to escape his crate in previous years. Read more about him here. Zekie, My Pit Bull!?
All the dogs know they get one bite and they must take turns. Claire, our newest pack member, still occasionally tries to steal Nikki’s share as Nikki is old and somewhat senile. You can read about Claire joining our family here. Welcome Home! You can’t blame a girl for trying!
Luckily, bananas are one of the fruits that are safe for dogs since ours’ love them so much. Some fruits are not, and if you are confused about which ones are safe, a quick internet search will provide you with a list of which are safe to share with your canine friend and which are not. Raisins and grapes are particularly bad news.
The focus that a piece of food can hold for a dog is amazing. That’s why it is so much easier to train a food driven dog. Just look at that laser focus. You can teach most dogs to sit in a matter of minutes if you have a piece of cheese or other appropriately delectable goodie. I suppose it is not that different from me knowing when there is a chocolate cake on the countertop and not being able to stop thinking about it. Or those Oreos, or that chocolate ice cream with Reese’s peanut butter cups in it. Come to think of it, I am having a new understanding of my dogs’ focus and preoccupation with tasty food!
The year 2020 got off to a good culinary start. With our traditional pork and sauerkraut that I made for everyone else, we had raisin walnut cinnamon bread that I made this morning. It was delicious with some butter but I couldn’t help but think what amazing French toast it would make. I love making bread. The dough is so soft and smooth when I knead it. It is therapeutic.
My mother in law spent the afternoon with us and joined us for the New Year’s meal. She brought an amazing coconut cream pie that she made this morning. It was also delicious!
We are fortunate to have a family of good cooks who appreciate cooking and baking for the art they can be!
From time to time I like to make homemade pizzas. They are fun because you can make up your own concoctions with whatever you want. My pizza dough recipe makes enough for two pizzas. You can make both at the same time or save the dough in the refrigerator to make the second pizza on another night.
I just use the standard pizza dough recipe that came with my bread machine. If I’m going to be away, I will make the dough in the bread machine so it is ready when I get home. If I’m around the house anyway, I knead the dough by hand. You could also use pizza dough from the freezer section of your grocery store.
Above is my red pizza before it goes into the oven. This one has fresh mushrooms, black olives, and chicken sausage on half. The cheese is cheddar. I find that the cheese you use doesn’t really matter as long as you don’t mind a non-traditional pizza.
And here is the pizza after baking. My pan has holes to make the pizza crispier and make it cook more evenly. For the sauce I just used jarred spaghetti sauce of your choice. I often use Del Grosso Three Cheese.
This pizza is actually the favorite in our house. It is a white seafood pizza. The crust is brushed with olive oil, then topped with sea stix, shrimp, chopped marinated artichoke hearts, minced fresh garlic, and Old Bay Seasoning. The cheese on this one is a six cheese Italian Blend.
I bake the pizzas at 425 degrees for 15-17 minutes. Let them cool a few minutes, then slice and serve!
Now that the weather is cooler, soup season is here! I love homemade soup. We rarely have canned soup because homemade is so much better in all ways. It is more nutritious, has less salt, is more filling, and tastes better. And you can put whatever you want in it. My daughter says, that I “get” soup.
This morning I took my soup sack out of the freezer, dumped the contents in a pan of water and let it simmer for more than an hour. After it cooled, I scooped out all the chunks from the soup sack and let the broth cool. Everything I scooped out got thrown away. All the flavor was cooked out. I let the liquid cool and used my fat separator to remove the fat. You can also refrigerate the broth until the fat solidifies and scoop it out that way. Then I split the skimmed broth in half. Half went into the freezer and the other half went in today’s (and probably tomorrow’s) lunch.
I cooked some sweet white onion in olive oil until it was soft. Then I added the broth which I spiced with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders, dried garden basil, and oregano. While this simmered lightly, I went out to the garden and cut some Swiss Chard. It is still growing even though we had frost last night. It is a hardy vegetable. I sliced the stems, chopped the leaves, and added both to the pot. From the pantry I added a can of garbanzo beans and some bronze cut penne pasta, along with two links of sliced Italian chicken sausage. All of this simmered together for two hours. Part of the secret to delicious soup is this long, slow simmer. It allows the flavors to to meld and become one.
Personally, I don’t eat the meat because of the whole “dead animal” issue, but my husband does and I only want to make one soup. This however makes me very popular with the dogs if I find any meat in my portion.
I did not bother listing amounts because, it’s soup, it doesn’t really matter. Make it to your preference. If it’s too thick, add water. If it’s too watery, boil it down. That’s the beauty of soup. There is no wrong, make it your’s!
I love the many faces of the grilled cheese sandwich. It is such a versatile food that can be prepared in so many ways. Above, you see it on Italian bread made with Muenster cheese and freshly sliced avocado. It was the most delightful thing I had tasted in a long time. And it was only a lowly grilled cheese. But it had been elevated to new heights.
The first consideration in making one of these sandwiches is the bread. Which one to pick? Oh, so many choices. I tend to prefer the “white” breads for this use. Not just your squishy store brand white bread though. I prefer something like a crusty Italian, French, sourdough, olive oil, ciabatta, or some other bread with a nice texture. Wheat bread is not my favorite for grilled cheese but it will do. The texture of the wheat interferes with the overall sandwich for me.
The next decision is what cheese to use. There is always good old American cheese. This is my last choice. One of my favorites is Muenster. It is mild but with good flavor and oh, so creamy. The various cheddars are also good bets. New York White, extra sharp, medium, or mild, excellent choices all. Brick, farmer’s cheese, provolone, mozzarella, these are all good to use. Although I like the taste of smoked cheeses, in my experience, they don’t melt well. If you want to use a smoked cheese, I would add a little of it with another type of cheese. You get the smoked flavor but still have the “meltiness” of the other cheese.
At this point you may have everything that you want in your sandwich. Not me. I like to put in extras. Thinly sliced onion is the most basic choice. Other add-ins that I might use are the afore mentioned avocado, alfalfa sprouts, sliced tomato, or fresh spinach. I also enjoy grilled cheese with jam, a nice raspberry or strawberry is good. I thought this sounded odd the first time I heard of it but it is delicious.
When getting ready to grill the sandwich, melt some butter in a non-stick pan and coat one side of each slice of bread with it. I like to then sprinkle the buttered bread with some garlic powder (except for the jam version) and grill on a medium heat until it turns that beautiful golden brown color.
There are so many ways to make them. I always use Bisquick for my pancakes. I find that it produces the best results. The other similar mixes just don’t measure up. I alter the basic recipe on the box to whatever suits my taste.
I always add extra liquid so the batter is a little thinner and I can get a bigger, flatter pancake. Not too much liquid though or you will have trouble flipping the pancakes. The liquid can be varied. The recipe calls for milk. I rarely use regular cow’s milk because of lactose issues in our household. Generally I use vanilla almond milk. You can also substitute chocolate almond milk or orange juice. Don’t forget the eggs and oil as per the box recipe. Next the standard recipe calls for vanilla extract. I often use almond extract instead. Any other flavor would work just as well depending on the final product you are going for. I whisk all of the wet ingredients together before adding them to the dry. Sometimes I add in canned pumpkin or mashed bananas. You may have to adjust the liquid depending on the consistency of these. No big deal. If the batter gets too runny, just add a little more of the Bisquick to thicken it up. I like to add cinnamon and nutmeg to the pumpkin and maybe a little molasses to make it like pumpkin pie.
And then you are ready for what I call the “add-ins”. Nearly all of my pancakes include chocolate chips. Other things you could add include: almonds, pecans, walnuts, chopped cranberries, coconut, sliced strawberries, blueberries, orange zest, lemon zest, raspberries or blackberries, chopped dates. The possibilities are many. I mix these items into the dry Bisquick before adding the liquid. I find that having them coated and dispersed reduces the needed mixing and makes a better quality pancake.
I always use a silver stone, non-stick pan to cook the pancakes in. I add a little cooking spray before the first pancake. Make sure the pan is well heated on medium heat. Then pour in the batter and spread it around a little with a spoon to get the pancake thin enough and as large as you want it. Small bubbles or holes will surface starting at the outside and then toward the center as cooking takes place. Flip the pancake when the bubbles are coming up near the center. I often have trouble flipping the first pancake. It is usually the “sacrificial pancake”. After this I never have any trouble. If there is no chocolate, this is the pancake the dogs get.
I hope you have fun making these pancakes and coming up with different combinations. I always do. My particular favorites that I make over and over are:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip (All time favorite!)
Banana Chocolate Chip
Orange Chocolate Chip
Other tasty combinations are:
Orange Almond Chocolate Chip
Banana Pecan
Coconut Pecan Chocolate Chip made with Chocolate Almond Milk (like German Chocolate Cake!)
Raspberry White Chocolate Chip
So, have fun with this. You are only limited by your imagination!
Sanctuary Acres 