Braised Beef short Ribs

This is one of my favorites i realize it isn't totally a pantry recipe but i couldn't resist...
ingredients:
* 5-6 bone-in short ribs
* Kosher salt & pepper
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 large yellow onion diced
* 2 ribs celery diced
* 2 carrots, peeled, diced
* 2 cloves garlic, diced
* 1-s small cans tomato paste
* 3 to 4 cups hearty chicken or beef stock
* 1 cups water
* 2 bay leaves

Directions:
1. Coat the bottom of a heavy stock pot or dutch oven with extra virgin olive oil. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper on both sides and then place in pot with oil. Sear each side for about 2 minutes each.

2. Remove the short ribs after they have seared and place on a plate. Drain any extra fat in the bottom of the pot but do not scrape the meat drippings. Add fresh oil and then saute the vegetables and garlic until there is a crust that forms on the bottom of the pan. Sometimes I blend the vegetable before i cook them so the final products is not as chucnky.Add the tomato paste and saute longer. Wait until the crust reforms scrape and saute longer. The third the crust forms add the beef or chicken stock and water. Replace the short ribs into the mixture and make sure that the liquid covers the ribs. Add the bay leaves. Simmer unril the short ribs are falling off the bone and tender, about 3 hours.

3. After the short ribs are tender i like to shred the meat and dispose of the bones and bay leaves. I add the meat to the sauce mixture and serve over mashed potatos. So delicious.

I realize this is posted in the wrong season because it is mainly a winter comfort meal...but i love it anytime of the year. It also make great leftovers.

city of ember series

although this is not a church published book...actually it is a young adult novel that i had in my classroom...it covers the topic of food storage nicely. I loved it and found myself wanting to can and can and can. i didn't think a book could ever entice me to want to eat canned parsnips or turnips. There was a movie but it was not good at all compared to the book (isn't that always the case). Here is the link to the author, jeane duprau page.

If you want i have the series you can borrow.

Island Pork Loin

This is fantastic!! I made it once from a recipe off of an exercise video and since have made it many more times.
Ingredients:
pork tenderloin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tblsp garlic finely chopped
1/2 tblsp tabasco sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon. Coat the pork with the spice rub.
3. Heat a skillet over med/high heat and add olive oil to the bottom. Brown the pork loin on all sides, about 4 minutes.
4. Stir together the brown sugar, garlic and tabasco sauce. Pat onto the pork loin place on a roasting pan or cookie sheet.
5. Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the pork loin is done.

I like to serve this with wild rice and fresh cut pineapple. It has a little bit of heat. Eat and enjoy.

Gardner's Granola Bars

Last month we canned oats and I thought i would post some of my favorite oat recipes. Of coarse i am waiting for others to give me their recipes as well...

This is a recipe for granola bars but depending on how you cut of crumble them it makes wickedly good granola.


ingredients:
3 cups of quick oats
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 tblsp butter
1 cup flaked coconut ( i use the sweetened)

Mix all ingredients together.

Now this is where the fun part comes in...yo u pick the rest of the ingredients. I made two batches today that i am posting.

Apricot, Cranberry orange chocolate:
i added about 1/2 cup of the orange flavored dried cranberries, 1/2 cup of diced dried apricots, and 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips.


Cranberry pineapple pistachio:
i added about 1/2 cup of dried cranberries, 1/2 cup dried diced pineapple, 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds and 1/4 cup of chopped pistachios.


Mix all ingredients together and place in a greased 13x9 dish and press flat. For granola do not press flat leave loose or chunk into little crumbles. if you get your hands wet the mixture doesn't stick as much. place in a preheated (350) oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.


Let them cool for 5 minutes then cut into squares or rectangles. Cool completely. Wrap in saran wrap to keep fresh.

The portable canner will be at my house!!!

Members of the Fruita 2nd ward who have supplies that need to be canned. I will have the canner and cans at my house for anyone that needs to use it. You need to bring your food. The cans are $0.96 each and you can pay for them on Saturday.

You can find my address and phone number on the church website...Catherine Gardner. If you know about how much stuff you have that you would like to can just email or call me to let me know, this way i can buy close to the right number of cans to have there.

to can or not to can...

Aleta P. asked what products can be canned, and if I had a list of those that could not be canned. Here is a link to a page on the church's provident living website that explains what should not be canned.click here for list

Lemon Pepper Pasta

This is an easy recipe that can be adapted to any flavor.

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cup of flour (I like to use bread flour)
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 lemons
2 tbsp ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Put the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice to the eggs.
2. Add the eggs to the flour and salt and mix until blended. Mix until it becomes a dough ball.

3. Knead for 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let the pasta dough rest for about 20 minutes.
4. I used a pasta roller for this next step. You can roll it out by hand with the help of a rolling pin too. (I found that using regular flour does not roll out easily if you are rolling it our by hand look for Farina flour) Roll the pasta through the thickest setting first gradually getting thinner and thinner. Cut into the desired shape of noodles.


5. To cook bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the pasta in the pot and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Fresh pasta cooks really fast so keep an eye on it. Salt the pasta while it is cooking.

6. Drain and serve with your choice of sauce. I have tried this flavor with tomato sauces and Alfredo and both are great. I served it with butter and cheese.


Variations:
Chile noodles-add 1-2 teaspoons of crushed red chiles to the eggs, before you mix the flour in.
Tomato noodles- add 2 tbsp tomato paste to the eggs, before you mix the flour in.
Spinach noodles- add 5 ounces of cooked drained spinach to the eggs before adding the flour. The dough may be sticky if it is add a little more flour.
Herb noodles- Finely chop the herbs (basil, parsley, sage and thyme are good ones) add to the eggs before you add the flour.

Ward Announcements

Each month we will feature items for you to include in your storage. For the month of January the items are rice and/or potato pearls. Both of these items can be dry packed. To find out the recommended quantity use the food storage calculator on the column to the right. The household items are hand soap and dish soap. If you are a member of the Fruita 2nd ward you will have an opportunity to order rice and potato pearls during your auxiliary meetings.

black bean brownies

I got this recipe from my sister, Melissa, and thought she must be crazy. I told Greg about it and he thought I was crazy. I made them with great hesitation and when i was done i licked the bowl.

ingredients:
1 package brownie mix
1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 cup of water


directions:
1. Drain and rinse your black beans and place in a food processor or blender with the water. Mix until smooth.

2. Add the black bean and water mixture to the brownie mix and stir together.

3. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for about 35 minutes. I used an 8X8 pan. To test if the brownies are done place a knife or toothpick in the center if it comes out clean then they are done.

I found that the brownies are a little more fudge like. I will however be making these again. you cannot taste the black beans at all. Thanks Melissa. Enjoy!

zuppa toscana

this is a recipe i found on the internet that is of the olive garden recipe for zuppa toscana. it is super good.

ingredients:
1 lb of ground italian sausage
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 large white onion chopped
4 Tbsp bacon pieces
3-4 cloves garlic chopped
8-9 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb sliced russet potatoes
1/4 bunch of kale

directions:
1. Saute Italian sausage and crushed red pepper flakes in a pot. Drain excess fat and set aside.

2. In the same pan, saute bacon, onions and garlic for about 10-15 minutes or until the onions are tender.
3. Mix together the chicken broth and onion mixture and bring to a boil.
4. Add the potatoes and cook until soft, about 30 minutes.

5. Add the heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sausage.
6. Add the kale just before serving.

This is a soup that has a little bit of heat in it. I am not a big fan of greens but the kale in this is sooo yummy!

spicy bean soup

Here is a recipe that I loved. You can add so much more than I did. It is very filling like a stew. I made a whole pot and the next day it was gone.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
2 carrots chopped
5 cloves of garlic chopped
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1 large can of diced tomatoes (i used the kind with italian seasoning)
6 oz.tomato juice
3 tbsp of tomato paste
1 tsp salt
4-5 cups chicken broth
2 cans cannelini beans drained and rinsed
1/2 cup dried green lentils
for garnish:
grated Parmesan cheese
fresh chopped basil

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic. You can also add green bell pepper here if you want. Saute until the onions are clear or translucent 10-15 minutes.

Add the chili powder, coriander, cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper, cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, tomato juice, tomato paste and salt. Add the broth, cannelini beans and lentils. Bring to a simmer and let it sit for about 25- 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

Ladle into bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil.

You can also add fresh vegetables and other types of beans like broccoli, zuchini and yellow squash and garbanzo beans.

Mushroom and Romano Risotto

This is a recipe that uses many items from your pantry. It can be either a main dish or used as a side dish.



Ingredients.
1/2 cup shallots (finely chopped)
2-3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of mushrooms (any type you have on hand)
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup Romano cheese (shredded)
2 tablespoons basil (chopped)
salt pepper



In a large saucepan pan melt butter and olive oil together. Add the shallots and cook until the they are tender and clear. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 8-10 minutes. If the mushrooms are dried add them to the liquid and let them plump up before you add them in with the shallots. Mix the chicken stock and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. When adding the liquid to the rice you must have similar temperatures.

Add the rice to the mushroom and shallots and and saute the rice. You will begin to small the rice toast and become nutty in its aroma. Add 1/2 cup of the liquid to the rice and mushrooms and cook until the liquid has absorbed. Add the remaining chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time, cooking and stirring until the liquid is absorbed before you add additional liquid.


When the rice in tender and cooked through it will have a creamy sauce from the starch. Add the Romano cheese and mix it in. Sprinkle the basil on top and serve. I used dried basil instead of fresh.



*Arborio rice has a high starch content and should not be substituted with long grain white rice. This is a rich dish.

I like to replace the mushroom and add in seasonal ingredients like butternut squash. The possibilities are endless. Be creative and add in what you think would taste good.

its all about eating

Recipe sharing is great...i hope I just have ideas that are worth sharing. The big questions that we all have is how do I cook with my food storage? Hopefully in this blog you will have ideas to use and maybe trigger some of your own to share with others.

happy eating!