Cream Of Wheat: A Real Treat Or A Kitchen Nightmare

I cooked Cream of Wheat this morning. I really love this breakfast food because it’s filling and inexpensive. Plus, I’ve discovered that a box of the stuff lasts a few months, even when eaten daily. Okay, I admit that I ate it all the time in college and practically lived on the gruel in grad school. It was my version of Raman noodles. Still, it’s a great start to a long day, especially since I began adding in blueberries and cinnamon. Both ingredients really zip up the familiar flavor.

But Cream of Wheat is easy to blunder. When it cooks too long in the microwave, it boils over. I can’t count the number of times I wasn’t watching the time carefully and found my bowl nearly empty, with Cream of Wheat sticking all over the sides of the bowl and the bottom of the microwave like glue. Afterward, I had to give the microwave a good scrubbing. So I began to put a paper plate underneath the bowl to minimize a mess. The real trick, though, is stirring the mixture in the microwave every 30 seconds after the first minute of heating.

Then, after eating, wash the bowl out immediately.  Loosening leftover mix from the bowl later is a real workout. If it gets to that point, soak in hot water and scrub with a Dobie cleaning pad.

What you’ll need for 1 serving:

3 tablespoons Cream of Wheat mix  

¾ cup milk or ¾ cup of water

A fistful of blueberries

A pinch of cinnamon

1 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute

Directions:

Mix Cream of Wheat and milk (or water) in a bowl.

Add blueberries.

Microwave for 1 minute. Stir the mixture. Then microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture again. It's best when the blueberries have popped. Depending on your microwave, it may need another 30 seconds. (And maybe another 30 seconds after that. Always stir before and after heating.) 

Stir before eating. It should not be too lumpy.

Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.

Enjoy!

Soup Spectacular

So my culinary adventures this week have been somewhat uninspired. I just wanted to default to oldies but goodies to keep things easy in the kitchen and my stomach and pocketbook full. I've posted about soups before and they have been on the menu at my house since Sunday. I love soups because they are relatively simple, taste great and they can serve as multiple meals or as the first course at lunch and/or dinner.

Tonight I whipped up my adapted version of the classic Vegetable Beef Barley (that is really a Turkey Veggie Barley) in 45 minutes.

I prefer to use ground turkey instead of the usual ground beef. I browned the ground meat with a little onion and minced garlic.

I absolutely hate soup recipes that only have frozen or canned vegetables, the Beef Barley Recipe that I use calls for both sliced carrots and celery along with canned diced tomatoes (look for no salt added) and  a bag of the frozen mixed vegetables. I usually decrease the barley from 1/2 cup to 1/4 of a cup and use low-sodium chicken broth instead of bouillon cubes or beef stock.

Instead of the standard dried basil and bay leaf, I used 1/2 tsp of herbs de Provence and 1/2 tsp of pepper to keep my taste buds happy!

Ok, so this soup is a slight stretch from the original, but it is still delicious!

Chili Days of January!

Today we were hit with another flurry of flakes that covered the streets making the commute to work an adventure and taking the dog outside miserable. When the weather is wicked outside I really just want to enjoy something hot, satisfying and filling. A big bowl of chili and warm slice of cornbread often does the trick for satisfying my taste buds and hunger on these cold winter evenings .

There are many chili recipes out there but I found one of my favorites in Anne Quinn Corr’s cookbook the Seasons of Central Pennsylvania. Don Plott’s Make Your Own Chili recipe provides the guidelines for creating your own fabulous dish. You can select your base (liquid) of choice, water, beer or red wine along with your preference for meat and beans. It’s quick, hearty, easy and seriously delicious. It does make enough for a crowd, so I oftentimes freeze leftovers in individual containers for days when I want to heat up something for a quick, healthy meal.

A Dish That's an Old Friend

There's one dish I never tire of eating: spaghetti and meat with tomato sauce. Not a tomato meat sauce. In my meal, the meat is cooked separately, poured over a bed of pasta and sauce, and then mixed in with them. For me, this dish is like coming home to an old friend probably because I’ve been eating it since I was old enough to say spaghetti. It was the first meal I could cook myself, though I definitely scorched the meat and onions a little as I was learning. Growing up, it was a Monday night tradition in my house. Now, I often cook a week’s worth, and that’s what I did last night. I find it to be a great comfort food in the snowy season, when I had a lot of studying in grad school or when I’m exhausted from a long day of work.  Plus, it is so easy to make!

What you’ll need:

1/2 box angel hair or spaghetti
Tomato sauce

1 Pkg. of 85 percent or 93 percent lean ground turkey (85 percent is tastier; 93 percent is healthier)

1 large onion

Directions:

Dice onions.

Cook turkey in a frying pan for about 20 minutes. Watch and flip frequently to avoid burning the meat. (There’s no need to put oil or butter in the pan. The juices of the turkey will suffice. )

When meat is no longer pink, add in onions.

When onions are translucent, remove from fire.

Boil water for the pasta and add a drop of olive oil.

Cook pasta: 6 minutes for angel hair, 8 minutes for spaghetti.

Cook a bowl of tomato sauce for 1 ½ minutes or until hot in the microwave.
Drain pasta.

Pour meat and sauce over a bed of pasta.

Mix together.

Season with oregano, basil and bread crumbs.

Serve with a salad for a healthier meal. (Helps you eat less pasta!)

The Challenges of Replicating a Family Recipe

There’s nothing like a homemade family meal to make you feel warm and special. In my family, my mother and my grandmother are known for their sweet and sour meatballs – a recipe my mom first picked up from my dad’s cousin, also known for her cooking skills. When I was growing up, we looked forward to these mouthwatering meatballs at large family dinners with my uncle, aunt, and cousins.  I was always so proud when I had the chance to help my mom and grandmom make them from scratch.  The thing about these storied family dishes is that they never disappoint – maybe because they’re made with so much love by people I love dearly.  So would my family’s famed sweet and sour meatballs be as tasty if I made them myself? I decided to see if I could replicate all their brilliance in the kitchen.  I didn’t want to mess up so I made my mom write down every single item and instruction before I got started. Line by line I followed her recipe, tasting the mixture as I went. The result: the meatballs were tender; the sweet-and -sour tomato sauce sublime.  I only wish my grandmother were here. She would have been proud!

What you’ll need:

2 ½ pounds of 93 percent lean ground turkey

2 very large onions

2 eggs

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

¾ cup sugar

2 lemons

1 can tomato paste

1 can crushed tomatoes

Directions:

Chop 1 large onion and cover bottom of pot.

Mix eggs with turkey.

Chop 1 large onion and mix with turkey.

Mix in 1 cup Italian bread crumbs.

Roll into meatballs. Place meatballs over chopped onions in the bottom of the pot.

Pour hot boiling water over and cover to top of meatballs.

Let cool for 1 hour.

Then add 1 can of crushed tomatoes and 1 can of tomato paste.

Cook 45 minutes, and then turn off the fire.

Add sugar and lemon.

Mix and let sit for ½ hour to 1 hour.

Serve with or pour over rice.

Souper Suppers!

As much as I love cooking sometimes I'm just too exhausted to prepare a meal. Soup is my solution to a healthy meal when I'd rather be sitting on the couch instead of washing dishes in the kitchen. I usually make a large pot of homemade soup and than freeze it in individual containers for the perfect portion to use when I'm in a mealtime crunch. I just warm up my soup on the stove and add a small salad and slice of whole grain bread and my meal is ready in under 20 minutes.

Although my freezer soups are usually for just my own enjoyment I love Souperstars idea of making soup night an easy entertaining night with friends. An economical and easy way to entertain, not to mention the fact that even your friend with no culinary prowness will probably be able to whip up a decent soup. I'm contemplating starting my own soup night. What are your favorite homemade soup recipes?

Cooking A Dish I Used to Hate: Eggplant Parmesan

I hated the taste of eggplant when I was a child, and dreaded when my mom said we were having eggplant parmesan for dinner. But I didn’t mind helping her make it. Dipping the eggplant circles she had cut into the egg and the bread crumbs was fun. When it came to eating it, I took a few bites and slugged down a lot of Fruit Punch to obliterate the taste of the stuff. Then, I cut up the rest, pretending to eat it before hiding it under my potato or spreading it around my plate.

My brother felt the same way.  No. Scratch that. He was worse, refusing the eggplant altogether. In fact, my mom once wrote a check for $5,000 just so he would eat it. I’m very serious. And it seriously worked. My brother wolfed down the eggplant, and excitedly grabbed the check from my mom. He was reveling in his new riches, when my mom pointed out that the check was paid to the order of “Mickey Mouse.”  Then, he got mad. Seeing the effect the food had on her otherwise well-behaved children, my mom decided to stop making eggplant. 

Fast forward about 18 years to when I was living in Boston, and roomed with a woman who co-owns an Italian restaurant in the North End, otherwise known as the city’s Italian section.  She was always urging me to try new things on the menu and was always asking for honest feedback. One night she wanted me to try the eggplant parmesan and tell her how it was. I practically shuttered as I explained my distaste for eggplant and emphasized to my friend that it was nothing personal.  She was insistent and comped my meal.  And much to my surprise, it was delicious. Yes, I know that tastes change, but I was truly stunned that my taste buds had changed that much.

After enjoying prepared eggplant parmesan from the grocery store a few times, I decided to make it myself. I experimented a little, but copied some steps from when I was young.  It came out so well that I wanted to post the recipe here.

What you’ll need:

1 eggplant

2 eggs

Italian bread crumbs

1 jar tomato sauce

Sliced mozzarella cheese

Canola oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Pour bread crumbs in a plate.

Crack two eggs in another plate and whip the mixture with a fork.

Cut up the eggplant julienne style.

Dip a piece of eggplant in egg, then cover on both sides with bread crumbs.

Repeat this two-step process until all slices of eggplant are covered with egg and bread crumbs.

Pour a little bit of oil into a frying pan.

Once pan is hot, put two slices of eggplant in at a time.

When the bottoms are crusted, turn over and do the same with the other side.

Put finished slices on paper towels.

Continue this process until all slices are crusted over.

Place a slice of eggplant in baking pan and cover the top of it with a layer of tomato sauce. Then, cover tomato sauce with another slice. Pour another layer of tomato sauce on top, spreading the sauce over the surface with a spoon if needed. Cover with about one-and-a-half slices of mozzarella cheese.

Repeat the process above for all eggplant slices. (Tip: Match up slices according to their lengths.)

It looks like this because I used a roll of mozzarella cheese (instead of mozzarella slices) and broke the roll up into smaller pieces. I tried it again with slices, which taste great and are easier to work with.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Take out and serve.

For big parties or plenty of leftovers, use two eggplants.