This is my first movie for Knead the Dough! You may or may not remember a post I did last month regarding the different peelers in my kitchen drawer. This video is a demonstration of each peeler peeling an eggplant. Considering the fact it is a movie about peelers, I tried to make it as entertaining as possible.
“It ain’t easy being Cheesy.”
~ Chester Cheetah
cake from the vault - circa 2004
lemon cake filled with blueberry mousse & frosted with whipped cream
garnished with fresh mint, blueberries, candied lemon peel & white chocolate decos
- Choose lean cuts of meat and trim as much fat as humanly possible
- Poach proteins in H2O, reserve cooking liquid for pureeing process
- Use twice as many grains as meat i.e. - 2 cups rice, cooked & 1 cup chicken, diced and poached
- To puree, start with only solids, turn on and add cooking liquid very slowly till its at a suitable consistency
- Introduce secondary vegetables like mushrooms, garlic, onions, celery & peppers via baby entrees.
- If your baby food is too loose, you can easily thicken w/rice cereal. Too thick, just add a few drops of water.
When I use the term baby entree, I am talking about protein rich foods to be introduced to your baby at around 6 months or when your doctor gives you the thumbs up. Here are a few tips to get you started on making your kids second foods. Once you understand the basics, you’ll have endless combinations for your little ones tummy.
Here are some of the combinations I have made and my son devoured.
Turkey Sausage & Barley
2.5 lbs turkey breast, diced & poached - reserve cooking liquid (remove any foam or solids)
12 oz. turkey sausage, removed from casings & poached then rinsed thoroughly
2 cups cooked barley
Add cooked turkey, sausage & barley to food processor. Attach lid and pulse 3 or 4 times - until all pieces are about the size of an uncooked grain of barley. Slowly add turkey cooking liquid while processor is in motion. You must go slow, at a drizzle, to make sure everything is smooth. This may take up to 2 cups of cooking liquid. If you run out of cooking liquid, use H2O. Portion, label & freeze. Serve this with sweet potatoes and red cabbage.
Black beans w/Cilantro & Lime
1.5 cups black beans, dry
1 small onion, diced
1 bay leaf
2 tbl. Cilantro, leaves only
1 small lime, juiced & zested
After you’ve checked for small rocks, rinse the black beans, add to large sauce pot w/plenty of H2O & bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn off heat and let sit at room temperature for one hour. Drain beans and return to sauce pot with plenty of H2O plus the diced onion & bay leaf. Cook over medium heat, adding H2O as necessary, until beans are tender & almost mushy. Remove from heat, drain the beans, remove bay leaf & transfer beans to food processor. Add cilantro & lime zest/juice. Puree till smooth. Add H2O if you need to thin the beans but it should be fine. Portion, label & freeze. This mixes well with apple sauce.
Chicken Mushroom & Rice
1 chicken, roasted, skin/bones removed then picked & torn in to 2 -3 inch pieces
1 large or 2 small packages of white button mushrooms, washed & sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 cups, dry baby rice cereal
In large skillet w/a lid, heat a scant teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat till oil is wavy & viscous. Add diced onion, stir well. In about 2 - 3 min. add chopped garlic. Continue to cook over medium heat until onions turn clear, add sliced mushrooms, stir & place lid on pot for 7 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In that time the mushrooms will have released their juices, cook until mushrooms have shrunk about 50%. Transfer chicken to food processor & pulse till chicken is in small bits. Add mushrooms & juice, puree till smooth adding more H2O if needed. Transfer to large mixing bowl and add dry cereal. Mix together with a spatula adding H2O till entree is a good consistency (about 3 cups H2O). Portion, label & freeze. Serve with peas & carrots.
Beef Stew
1 lb beef stew meat, trimmed of excess fat and cut in to small pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 bay leaf
2 small carrots, peeled & sliced 1/4” thick
1 rib celery, sliced 1/4” thick
2 small or 1 large potato, peeled and diced small
1/4 cup peas, frozen or fresh
Add stew meat, onion, bay leaf, carrots, celery & potatoes to large sauce pot. Cover with water and bring to boil. Cook until meat is no longer pink and potatoes are soft, add peas & remove from heat. Drain & reserve liquid. Remove bay leaf and place meat & veggies in to food processor. Pulse until smooth adding cooking liquid as needed. Portion, label & freeze.
That should be enough to get you started.
Happy Eating!
fridge door poetry
I was lucky to be able to catch up with a long lost friend over lunch last week. I asked her to commemorate the event on my fridge. She did a great job because the pome sums up the afternoon. I had fun playing Scrabble & listening to Elvis. To many more lunches!
This cornbread stuffing gets rave reviews. Contrary to your typical cornbread stuffing, this one is packed full of vegetables and is seasoned with cumin & chili powder. I usually make it for Thanksgiving but it would work as a side any time of the year. I mix the seasonings in to the corn bread to make the flavor consistent and it gives the side a rich orangy glow. I add the sweet potatoes to sneak them in to our Turkey Day dinner because the hubby is not a fan and they are delicious.
BTW - when I make this for Thanksgiving, I add a chopped chipotle to the green bean casserole.
In order for the vegetables to be evenly & perfectly cooked you have to par cook them in batches. I bake the corn bread at least 24 hours prior to preparing the stuffing. I cheat and buy the box that starts with a J and ends with a Y. Also, if you don’t have or can’t find some of the spices, you could get by with a packet of taco seasoning. Bake corn bread (instructions below), slice and layout on a rack to let dry till you are ready to use. You can use cornbread that you have on hand and add the seasoning to the eggs & chicken stock if you prefer.
3 boxes of corn bread prepare as directed with the following changes:
Add the following spices to the batter & bake in a 9X13 @ 400° for 30 to 35 minutes
2 tsp each Garlic Powder, Spanish Paprika, Cumin, Chili Powder, Onion Powder
1 tsp Mexican Oregano
Ingredients:
3 ea. Poblano Peppers
2 tbl. Butter
1 med. Sweet Onion, small diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
4 tsp. Olive Oil (eyeball it)
1 large Sweet Potato, small diced
2 sm. Zucchini, sliced in 1/4 in. rounds
1 med. Sweet Onion, small diced
1 large tomato
7 eggs
2 cans Chicken Broth or equivalent of stock
2 tsp. Kosher Salt
6 oz cheddar, small dice
pepper mill
Step 1: Adjust the oven rack to highest setting and preheat on broil. Spray poblano peppers liberally with pan spray and lay flat in a small pan. Once oven is at 500°, slide peppers under broiler and close the oven. It is going to take 3 to 5 minutes for the skin to bubble and blister. Turn peppers and repeat until evenly blistered. Transfer to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap and the peppers steam themselves at room temperature.
Step 2: Melt butter in large non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the butter is hot, just before it starts to brown, add your diced onions and season with a pinch of salt and 10 turns of the pepper grinder. Stir once you notice the onions are starting to brown add the chopped garlic & stir. Meanwhile, prepare the cornbread by trimming any dark edges and breaking it up in to a large bowl. Once onions are golden brown dump them in to the large bowl on top of the cornbread. Use a heat resistant rubber spatula to get everything out of the pan, then return the pan to medium heat.
Step 3: Add about 2 tsp. of the olive oil to the skillet. Once the oil appears to be wavy and has become viscous, add the diced sweet potatoes - DO NOT STIR - season with a large pinch of salt and 10 cranks of the peppermill. DO NOT STIR for at least 3 min. to create a crispy crust on the sweet potato pieces. Once one side of the largest piece has turned a nice even golden brown, then you can stir. Continue to cook the sweet potatoes until the largest piece is 2/3 the way cooked, stirring minimally - I try to get at least 2 sides of each piece crunchy & brown. Once done dump in to large bowl on top of onions & cornbread. Use your spatula to get it all out and return pan to medium heat. - Note, if your pan is too small, overcrowded or not enough heat, your sweet potatoes will be steaming and won’t caramelize.
Step 4: Add about 2 tsp. of olive oil blend to skillet. Once oil is wavy (just like before) add zucchini and prepare just as you did the sweet potato except the zucchini will cook in half the time.
Step 5: Cut in half the tomato, across the equator, and squeeze out seeds and extra juice. Remove stem, dice and add to the cooked vegetables. Peel and de-seed the roasted and steamed poblanos, dice small and add to vegetables.
Step 5: Crack eggs in to a medium bowl and whisk well with 2 tsp. of kosher salt and 15 turns of the pepper mill. Add half the chicken broth to the eggs and pour the remainder of the chicken stock over the hot vegetables, then pour egg mixture in to the bowl and stir. Fold in the diced cheddar cheese last and transfer in to a 9X13 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick pan spray. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until egg mixture is set and top is golden brown. Internal temperature of 160F is ideal.
Have fun!
