Front Line Cooking

Antibacterial Wipes

2012-01-30T11:25:00.000-06:00

I am all for convenience. I love convenience. Convenience loves me. We have a friendship, a bond. It's sort of inseparable. Well, it used to be. I am having issues with ingredients and prices of "convenience". Therefore, I have taken a pledge this year to do less convenience and more preparation. One of my first endeavors is homemade antibacterial wipes.

I love antibacterial wipes. I use them in the bathroom to wipe the toilet seat, handles, doorknobs, etc. Cool and I recently had the stomach flu and I credit my use of antibacterial wipes to the picklets not getting sick. And thank goodness they didn't. Oh yeah, thank goodness.

A big problem with antibacterial wipes is the added junk you just don't need. According to Clorox.com the ingredients in their wipes is: water, substrate, isopropyl alcohol, alkul dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, Alkyl polyglucoside, Fragrance, Preservative and Propylene glycol propyl ether. I had to look at the definitions for 5 of the 9 ingredients. And even though I know what fragrance and preservatives are, I don't know what are contained in those. I had to find an alternative.

I have done some research on how to make "natural", low cost, effective cleaners. This one is simple, low cost and effective. Win-win-win!

You need:

1 roll of paper towels. Any brand of paper towel will do BUT the thicker, more quality, brands hold up better to rubbing the surfaces. I use the cheapest ones I can find because my children use wipes as their main cleaning supply.
rubbing alcohol. Rubbing or isopropyl alcohol is a natural disinfectant. . Hospitals and doctors offices use it. If it is good enough for them, it is good enough for me. Rubbing alcohol is also one of the main ingredients in Clorox wipes

Your method:

Cut the roll of paper towels in half. This is a messy job as pieces of paper towel lint fall from the roll, but a serrated knife does the job. I have heard using an electric knife works too, but I have no need to invest in something like that just to cut paper towels.
Put one half of the paper towels into an air tight container. I use the Cottonelle toilet paper holder they sent me free. It matches my bathroom, is decorative and was FREE after all. If the roll seems too big, I put the roll in Ziploc bag, pour the liquid over it and it and put it in the container. I have not had a problem getting it to fit after they are wet. Of course it depends on your brand.
Pour rubbing alcohol over paper towels until wet. The amount you need depends on the thickness of your paper towels. I usually put too much in but I can squeeze out the excess if I need to.
Take the paper tubing out of the center, discard and pull towels out from the center.

That's it! Easy peasy, right?

Now, the smell of straight rubbing alcohol ~~can be~~ is very strong and overwhelming. I did some looking around and found that you can mix rubbing alcohol with essential oils. So, I drip essential oil drops into my rubbing alcohol bottle, recap, gently tilt to each side and then pour over the towels.   :) I picked orange and peppermint. It was a nice improvement.

My cost for homemade antibacterial wipes:

paper towel roll      33¢             1/2 roll      16.5¢
rubbing alcohol      55¢             1/3 bottle   18.3¢
essential oil             $4.15         15 drops     51¢
container                 free            container    free

**Grand total: It costs me less than a dollar to make a container of wipes (1/2 roll of towels, 65 wipes) for wiping down the bathroom. And that could be even less if I didn't put the essential oil in.   For me, it is cost effective, easy to make and uses natural ingredients. I love being frugal. :)

I know this solution isn't for everyone but it is definitely one way for me to make a financial difference in our house!

**The costs in your area, the brand of towels you use and the kind of essential oils will vary the cost. And be sure to add in the container if you need to buy one.**

Menu: January 3-January 9, 2011

2011-01-03T14:42:00.003-06:00

Trying it again this year. So far so good. It is Monday and I am right on track! Yay me! I will post pictures and recipes each day if they turn out. If not, I won't.

Monday:
Breakfast casserole, fruit, milk
Ham and potatoes, green beans, fruit, corn bread, milk
Peanut butter sandwich, carrots/dip, clementine, water

Tuesday:
omelets, fresh fruit, toast, milk
BBQ chicken sandwich, veggies/dip, pretzels, fruit, milk
cheese, crackers, veggies/dip, raisins, water

Wednesday:
pancakes, ham, dunkin' egg, juice or milk
grilled cheese, soup, fruit, milk
pork chops and stuffing, corn bread/butter, milk

Thursday:
shipwreck, fruit, milk
chili dog casserole, veggies, dip, fruit milk
roast, carrots, potatoes, bread, salad, milk

Friday:
cereal, toast, juice
lunch meat sandwiches, veggies, pretzels, fruit
boys choice/cook

Saturday:
cereal, toast, juice
lunch meant sandwiches, veggies, pretzels, fruit
tacos, refried beans, rice, apple enchiladas, milk

Sunday:
coffee cake, milk, fruit
philly cheese steaks, potato wedges
fend for yourself/left overs

Snacks:
pretzels
apples
clementines
popcorn
cheese
crackers
peanuts
veggies/dip

Weekly Menu

2009-03-23T15:12:00.002-05:00

Monday:
Breakfast:
· Bagles
· Yogurt
· Cantelope
· Milk
Lunch:
· Lunch meat sandwiches
· Pretzels
· Carrots and dip
· Milk
Supper:
· Dominoes baked sandwiches
Tuesday:
Breakfast:
· Biscuits and Gravy
· Roasted potatoes
· Scrambled eggs
· Juice
Lunch:
· Crackers
· Cheese
· Ham
· Milk
Supper:
· Spaghetti
· Garlic bread
· Fried veggies
· Milk
Dessert:
· Zeppole
Wednesday:
Breakfast:
· Cereal
· Toast
· Juice
Lunch:
· Leftover brats and hotdogs
· Leftover beans
· Macaroni salad
· Milk
Supper:
· Pizza Soup
· Garlic bread
· Milk
Thursday:
Breakfast:
· Banana muffins
· Milk
Lunch:
· PBJ
· Pretzels
· Carrots and dip
· Pop
Supper:
· Hamburger helper
· Veggie
· Pears
· Milk
Friday:
Breakfast:
· Breakfast burritos with eggs and potatos
· Milk
Lunch:
· Baked macaroni and Cheese with tuna and broccoli
· Carrots and dip
Supper:
· Hamburgers on grill
· Potato salad
· Scalloped corn
Dessert:
· Apple pie in a jar
· Cinnamon ice cream
Saturday:
Breakfast:
· Egg sandwiches
· Juice
Lunch:
· Junk food
Supper:
· Pork chops
· Apple sauce
· Salad
· Asparagus

Asian Turkey Meatball Wraps

2009-02-17T07:10:00.003-06:00

This recipe was found during a search for Chinese foods. I really looked great, sounded great and probably would have been great had I not dried out the meatballs, substituted tomatoe for the red pepper (they are both red afterall) and actually had big carrots to shred instead of trying to shred baby carrots. I will definitely try this again only cook them in the microwave instead of broiling, using red pepper instead of tomato and buy a bag of shredded carrots.

Asian Turkey Meatball Wraps (my changes in red)

1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root (used powder)

1 cup brown rice (used basmati)
1 cup water (followed directions on rice and adjusted accordingly)
16 large lettuce leaves (used iceberg, won't do that again)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced red bell pepper
1 cup sliced radishes

1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root (used powder)
1 teaspoon sugar

In a medium bowl, mix together ground turkey, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 2 teaspoons ginger. Form into 16 meatballs and roll into ovals. Cover and refrigerate.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine rice with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until rice is tender.

Preheat the grill or broiler. Arrange rice, lettuce leaves, carrots, scallions, radishes and red peppers onto a serving platter or place each into a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, mix together 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup water, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, and sugar. Divide into 4 small dipping bowls.

Thread two meatballs onto each 10 inch skewer. Grill or broil for 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally to brown all sides. If broiling, line the broiler pan with aluminum foil and drain fat after 6 minutes.

To eat, place a leaf of lettuce onto the palm of your hand, spoon on a little rice, then a meat roll, and a few of the vegetables. Roll up and dip in dipping sauce or spoon sauce over.

Recipe-- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com

Picture--© Wicked Pickles-Homefront Lines

Almond Jello

2009-02-17T06:56:00.003-06:00

I found this recipe while searching for different Chinese recipes to try during our unit. I didn't want stir fry and eggrolls all the time. This is definately an interesting twist on jello but is really quite good despite the odd look it has. Next time I will use more natural ingredients including agar-agar and evaporated cane juice following this recipe a bit more closly.

Almond Jello Recipe (my changes in red)

3 cups evaporated milk (not condensed)
1 cup sugar
2 packages unflavored gelatin
4 tsp amond extract, divided
1 (14 oz) fruit cocktail

Take 1 cup evaporated milk, the gelatin and sugar and disolve over low heat.
Add 2 tsp almond extract
Take remaining 2 cups milk and mix with remaining 2 tsp almond extract, stir and add into hot milk. (I let the milk get almost to the boiling point.)
Stir until well blended.
Pour into a bowl and cool in fridge 2-3 hours. (I had to put it in the freezer for about an hour to have it done in time for supper)
When firm, cut into cubes adding the fruit cocktail, including liquid.
Mix lightly and serve.

Recipe © 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com

Picture © 2009 Wicked Pickles-Homefront Lines

Mary Todd Lincoln's Cake

2009-02-16T21:16:00.002-06:00

For Cool's birthday and President's Day the picklets and I made Mary Todd Lincoln's Cake. Good enough for a President and good enough for us! It was delish! The almonds make all the difference.

The author of the article said it took her 4 hours beginning to end to make the cake but I found it took about half an hour to prepare then half an hour to bake. Of course I used a hand mixer and a stand mixer. But I still don't think it would take 4 hours.

Here is the recipe:

MARY TODD LINCOLN CAKE
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter (Smart Balance)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. cake flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat and 1 1/4 cup white flour)
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 1/3 cups milk
1 cup finely chopped almonds
6 egg whites - stiffly beaten

Cream sugar, butter and vanilla. Sift together cake flour and baking powder three times.
Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in almonds. Gently fold in the egg whites.
Pour into two greased and floured 9 x 11/2-inch round baking pans.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

WHITE FROSTING
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
dash salt
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla

Bring to boiling, sugar, water, cream of tartar and salt.
Boil until sugar dissolves. Put egg whites in mixing bowl.
Start beater and while egg whites are beating, very slowly add hot syrup.
Beat until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.
Beat in vanilla for one more minute.

Peanut Butter and Banana Egg Rolls

2009-02-16T09:46:00.005-06:00

This idea came from The Simple Cajun Life blog. These are really yummy!

What I did was this:

Mashed two bananas in a bowl. Added a couple of glops of peanut butter and mixed. Put the mixture into eggroll wrappers, roll like an eggroll (instructions on wrapper package) and fry up in butter. I kept warm in low oven until we were ready to eat them. Before serving I sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Bacon and Egg Fried Rice

2009-02-16T09:40:00.004-06:00

Simple and yummy!

Bacon and Egg Fried Rice

basmati rice, cooked (I made 4-6 servings which was 1 1/2 cups rice to 3 cups water)
1/4 cup Bac-Uns
6 eggs
3 TBS onion, diced
3 TBS soy sauce, plus extra for the table
sesame oil
butter

Saute onion in a little butter until a little soft. Add eggs and Bac-Uns and scramble until soft set. Move eggs off to one side of the pan, add a little oil and cooked rice. Mix eggs with rice and serve with extra soy sauce if wanted.

Guacamole

2009-02-03T12:10:00.003-06:00

For lunch today we had taco salads. For the dressing I made homemade guacamole with some avocados I had in the fridge. Yum! I know, if I would look, I could probably find a "real" recipe but we have made guacamole this way since we started making it and I guess we must live by the old adage...if it ain't broken, don't fix it.

Guacamole ala Gerky (today's recipe)

5 avocados diced
1/2 carton grape tomatoes diced
1/2 red onion diced
1 capful of lemon juice
1/4 tsp Nature's Seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Mix all together and eat. YUM!
To keep it green, place a couple of avocado pits in it.

Chinese Noodle Soup

2009-02-02T09:30:00.003-06:00

2 boxes chicken broth
1 boxrice noodles(the clear kind)
1 lb snow peas
2 shredded carrots
1 large onion chopped
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 TBs soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
1 tsp sesame oil

Boil broth. Add veggies. Reduce heat, cover and let cook 5-8 minutes. Add nooodles and cook according to package directions. Stir in sesame oil. Serve with toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Muffins and Fruit

2009-01-13T10:17:00.003-06:00

When I used to travel for a living there was a hotel in Rockford, Illinois I would stay at. Next to that hotel was a restraunt. Now the great thing about staying at that particular hotel was receving a coupon for a free breakfast the next morning at the next door restraunt. I would always order the muffin and fruit plate, juice and coffee.

The plate came loaded with grapes, oranges, pineapple and would contain 3 muffins. And they weren't small muffins either. Plus the muffins were always warm and good. (even if I didn't have the coupon I would have paid the $7.00 they charged because it was awesome)

So this morning I decided we were going to have muffins and fruit for breakfast. I wanted oatmeal muffins with apples and cinnamon. I went to my favorite muffins recipe site. Bed and Breakfast Inns. If you want good breakfast and bakery recipes this is the site to go to. (FYI the Pumpkin Crunch cake is to die for!) I decided to base my recipe off the Oatmeal Apple Muffins from Big Locust Farm Bed and Breakfast.

Being as I am trying a new way of eating, I decided to health this up a bit. My changes are in red.

Oatmeal Apple Muffins by Big Locust Farm Bed & Breakfast

1 1/2 cup oatmeal
1 1/4 cup flour (used whole wheat)
3/4 tsp cinnamon (omitted because I am out)
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar (used splenda mixed with molasses)
5 Tbsps oil (replaced with 1/2 mashed banana)
1 egg (replaced with 3 TBS warm water and 1 TBS flaxmeal)
2 apples pealed and diced
2/3 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine oatmeal, flour, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Add applesauce, milk, brown sugar, oil and egg. Mix until moistened. Put in muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes. (Just mixed it all together, sprayed muffin cups with olive oil spray and baked at 400º for about 17 minutes)

I served this with fresh pineapple, red grapes and and orange juice slushie. This was a huge hit and very filling. It will go on my monthly menu of muffins for both breakfasts and snacks.

Taco Night

2009-01-08T20:59:00.003-06:00

We had taco night Thursday night. Oh yummy, we love tacos. The "meat" was Tac-O's and topped with taco sauce, avacado chunks, onion, shredded spinach and tomatos. I served this with refried beans, Mexican rice and clementines.

This is by far the best Mexican Rice I have ever made. Of course I didn't follow the directions but then again I never do. My changes are in red.

Mexican Rice Recipe

* 1 teaspoon of salt (omitted but won't next time)

* 1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp which equals about 2 cloves)

* 3 tablespoons cooking oil (omitted)

* 1 cup uncooked rice (brown rice)

* 2 cups chicken broth (veggie)

* 1/2 cup tomato puree or can tomato (fire roasted tomatoes)

* 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

* 1/2 cup chopped onion

Instructions:

Heat oil. Add rice and cook until golden. Add & sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Add Salt, tomato and broth in blender. Add to rice, cook until tender and liquid is absorbed.Cooking time 20 minutes over low heat. (Threw everything in a rice cooker, flipped it on and let it cook.)

"..I'm fed up with cabbage water...

2009-01-08T07:39:00.004-06:00

...It's not enough!"

I totally understand Charlie's frustration. Cabbage water leaves, um, a bit to be desired. Really it does. But, being a Willy Wonka fan and this never ending need to taste the foods that make the movies I love stand out in my head, I tried it. I waited until I found the perfect recipe. A recipe that might, just maybe, provide us with riches. I believe it will.

I honestly cannot remember where I got this recipe. I found it, printed on printer paper, while cleaning out the cookbooks. I had to try it.

Money Soup

1/2 onion diced

small head of cabbage, shredded

1-2 tbs butter

4 cups chicken broth

salt and pepper

garlic powder

1 peice of silver, boiled

Saute the onion in butter. Add cabbage and saute until parcially limp. Add boiled silver peice (I used a silver dollar) and chicked broth (I used 1 box chicken broth and 1 box chicken broth, so used more broth that is called for). Simmer until cabbage is done. Fish out silver and serve. Make and eat whenever a little money is needed.

Sweet and Chip really liked the cabbage water. Dill sort of liked it. Cool, who really doesn't like cabbage, ate it to be polite (but I noticed he didn't eat it out of his lunch box the next day). I really felt like I was being a good behemie girl by making this dish. :-)

I served this with a lettuce salad and BBQ dried beef.

Zucchini Crab Cakes

2009-01-07T08:03:00.002-06:00

For lunch we had Dill's favorite lunch in the entire world. Zucchini crab cakes. I couldn't find the folder that had our usual recipe in it (until after lunch) so made another one found on the internet. It wasn't as good but we ate them any way. Dill asked if we could have crab cakes again on Thursday. ;-)With the crab cakes I served homemade tarter sauce, canned peaches, carrot chips with homemade chunky dip.

Chickpea Tuna Sandwiches

2009-01-06T10:46:00.004-06:00

For lunch yesterday we had tuna sandwiches, roasted potato wedges, leftover hoppin john salad and carrot chips. I admit, I was a little leary at making the "tuna" filling. First of all would I like it and second of all would the picklets like it? Yep and yep. I was happily surprised at the outcome.

Chickpea Tuna Gerky's Way

1 can drained and rinsed chickpea, mashed

onion, minced

1 stalk celery, minced

1 carrot minced

1/2 red pepper

garlic powder, to taste

kosher salt. to taste

red pepper flakes, to taste

big spoonful of zucchini relish

1 dollop of mayo

Put all in a bowl and use the imersion blender until blended. Serve on wheat roll with tomato and lettuce (if you have it which we didn't)

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T07:36:00.001-06:00

Remember....
The people you love...
The places you're a part of...
The memories you hold on to...
And those unforgettable moments when you close your eyes and breathe in life with a smile.

A new year is a reminder to celebrate all the things that are good in your world.

Happy New Year from the Pickle Family

Egg Substitutes

2008-12-29T13:07:00.004-06:00

In my quest for better health this coming year I have been trying different lower fat/lower cholesterol egg substitutes.

For making scrambled eggs and omelets I have found that Better-n-Eggs is pretty darned good. Around here they are cheaper than Egg Beaters and they are recommended by "The Best Life Diet", something I have been extremely interested in. One thing I have found though is NOT to mix it with water when making omelets. It does NOT work out.

For baking I have found several things to work. For cookies and pancakes I like half a banana smashed. Or 1 TBS flax meal mixed with 3 TBS H2O for each egg called for. For brownies and cakes I like 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 TBS flour and 3 TBS H2O mixed together for each egg. I have been known to use all three in any given recipe.

Of course if you don't have any of the following but do have eggs on hand try mixing 1 whole egg with 11 egg whites. Use 1/4 cup mixture for each egg called for.

Don't throw that yolk away either. You can use it for custards or you can feed them to you dogs and/or cats for a shinier, thicker coat.

Butter Bean Burgers

2008-12-18T09:19:00.002-06:00

This recipe was also a hit! Chip, the picky pickle, ate it and asked for seconds. I will double the batch next time so we can have seconds.

Butter Bean Burgers

1 (15 ounce) can butter beans, drained
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper (I used red and green pepper)
6 saltine crackers, crushed (I used panko bread crumbs)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (Only used 1/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil (didn't use)

In a medium bowl, mash butter beans. Mix in onion, jalapeno pepper, crushed crackers, egg, cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Divide into 4 equal parts, and shape into patties.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; use more or less oil to reach 1/4 inch in depth. Fry patties until golden, about 5 minutes on each side. (Instead of frying I sprayed each patty and put on a cookie sheet and baked at 350º for about 10 minutes on each side.)

I served this with sweet potato fries, a lettuce salad and soy chocolate shake.

Pumpkin Wontons

2008-12-18T09:09:00.004-06:00

These were pretty good. I am not sure where this recipe came from either.

Pumpkin Wontons

egg roll wrappers
1 cup pumpkin
2 TBS maple syrup
3 TBS brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
cinnamon and sugar
cooking spray

Mix pumpkin, syrup brown sugar and spices. Take wonton wrapper, cut in half using pizza cutter. Put 1 tsp pumpkin filling in wrapper. Seal with water. Place wontons on cookie sheet. Spray with cooking spray (on both sides) and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (on both sides). Cook in preheated 400º oven for 5-7 minutes. Watch carefully.

Turkey Egg Rolls

2008-12-18T08:29:00.003-06:00

For supper last night we had leftover turkey soup and I decided to use some of the leftover turkey to make turkey egg rolls with homemade cranberry dipping sauce. I was begged to make more immediately.

Turkey Egg Rolls (I followed the recipe)

1 pkg egg roll wrappers
water
2 tbs veggie oil, divided
2 1/2 cup diced cooked turkey
3/4 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 large eggs
s and p to taste

Sautee the veggies in 1 tbs oil a few minutes. Add chopped turkey and sautee for a couple minutes more. Put mixture in a bowl. Add garlic powder, sand and pepper. Beat eggs and add to mixture. Slightly cool. Fill eggroll wrapper with a couple TBS filling. Fold according to instructions on package. Seel with water. Heat 1 TBS oil on medium heat and fry seam side down and turn. Serve with craberry sauce. Cranberry Sauce

1/2 lb fresh cranberries
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water

Mix together in microwave safe bowl. Cover and microwave on hgih until craberries pop. (took about 8 minutes) Cool.

Turkey and Wildrice Soup with Chunky Garlic Bread

2008-12-18T08:14:00.002-06:00

Don't know where these recipes came from. Had them printed in my "to-try" notebook and didn't make note of the origin. Rest assured they came from someone, somewhere who knows how to cook.

These two recipes are fantasitic. Oh so good!

Turkey and Wildrice Soup

1 turkey carcass
1 1/2 gallons water
1 large onion
1 carrot, peeled and halved
1 stalk celery, halved
5-6 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Bring the ingredients to a boil. cover and reduce to simmer. Simmer for at least 2 hours. Strain, separate meat. Cool and skim fat.

To cooled broth add 3 large taters chopped, 1 large onion chopped, 2 carrots peeled and diced, 2 ribs celery sliced, 1 cup white rice, 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup wild rice. Bring to a boil. cover and simmer until veggies are tender and rice is done.

Add 2 cups milk mixed with cornstarch to thicken. Might need more to thicken up.

Adjust seasons as needed.
Chunky Garlic Bread

1 pkg asiago cheese ciabata rolls
1/2 cup softened butter
4 heaping tsp minced garlic
couple tbs parsley flakes
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Mix butter, garlic, parsley, s and p. Cut bread into slices. Slather butter on bread. Head in 350º over until heated through then broil to turn golden brown. Doesn't get much better than this folks.

Tofu Wraps and Sweet Potato Fries

2008-12-18T07:46:00.004-06:00

Yummy, yummy, yummy! The recipe I used stemmed from this recipe. I don't have a small fortune to spend on baked tofu from the health mart so I made some from another recipe. I believe it couldn't have turned out better. The recipe using the homemade baked tofu makes 6 wraps. Chip, my pickiest tofu eater, had seconds.

Baked Tofu Spinach Wrap (my changes in red)

2 whole wheat tortillas (6)
1 package hickory flavor baked tofu (see recipe below)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar (1/8-1/4 cup for 6)
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 TBS ranch
1 TBS grated parmesan

Place slices of tofu in center of each tortilla. Sprinkle cheddar and warm in microwave. (tofu was already warm because it was baked) Put spinach and ranch on. Sprinkle with parmesan. Roll and eat.

Baked Tofu (my changes in red)

1 pkg extra firm tofu
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 TBS maple syrup (I used homemade)
2 TBS ketchup
1 TBS vinegar
1 dash hot sauce (a dish, a dash, who knows how much, just to taste)
1 TBS sesame seeds (I didn't use this because I was out)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tesapoon liquid smoke

Press and slice tofu. (I sliced it horizontally three times then sliced each third in two) Stir together all ingredients. (brush marinade on each side of tofu) Pour sauce over tofu. Marinate at least 5 minutes. (let sit for 15 or so minutes brushing more on as you want) Put tofu on sprayed cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 375º over 15 minutes on each side. It should turn golden brown.

Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Fries (mainly I followed the recipe but since I don't buy Lawry's because I used my all natural stuff. If you don't have seasoned salt try making your own!) I didn't put changes in red just put the recipe the way I made it.

1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp chili powder
sweet potatos
2 tbs olive oil

Combine spices. Scrub and wedge sweet potatos. I cut in half lengthwise then cut 3-4 lengths. They don't look like wedges but more like fries. Put fries in bowl. Pour olive oil and spices on. Mix with hands and put on cookie sheet. Bake 40-50 minutes in preheated 425º turning once. The fries will no be crispy but will be wonderfully delicious!

Omelets ala Gerky!

2008-12-09T08:28:00.003-06:00

I guess this could be considered a California omelet because of the avocado. It was a last minute addition that I have to say was perfect!

Omelets ala Gerky

1 egg per person
1/8 cup water per person
1/4 cup onion per person
1/4 cup yellow pepper per person
1/2 sliced avocado per person
3 TBS spinach flakes per person
1/8 cup Bac'Uns per person
Nature's Seasoning to taste
3 TBS shredded cheddar cheese per person
butter as needed to stop sticking

To make the omelet beat egg and water together in a small bowl. In skillet melt a 1 tsp butter. Saute onion and pepper until semi soft. Add spinach flakes and Bac'Uns. Saute until combined. Add another teaspoon of butter and stir around. Spread filling out evenly. Pour egg mixture over filling. Sprinkle with Nature's Seasoning to taste. Sprinkle with cheese and put under broiler until set and cheese is oozy goozy. Remove from oven, top 1 side with sliced avocado and flip the other side of the omelet over the avocado. Serve with whole wheat toast topped with homemade strawberry jam.

© 2008 Wicked Pickles-Homefront Lines

Moravske zeli

2008-07-14T10:05:00.003-05:00

or Moravian Cabbage

1 1/2 lb red cabbage
1 cup water
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup flour.
1/2 teaspoon caraway seed
1 tsp salt
4 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup vinegar

Put all ingredients except flour in large pot. Simmer for 2-3 hours. Add flour at the end by sprinkling flour, stirring, flour, stirring until all flour is stirred in. Serve with pork roast, dumplings and gravy. YUM!
copyright 2008 The Homefront Lines

May 20, 2008

2008-05-20T19:58:00.003-05:00

Breakfast:
cold cereal
juice

Dinner:
sub sandwich
Coke

Supper:
stir fry over brown rice (it was a store bought stirfry...my dear husband couldn't believe I was actually feeding him something store bought...LOL)
eggrolls
oranges

Snack:
chocolate muffins

©2008 The Homefront Lines

Tostadas

2008-04-29T13:38:00.004-05:00

DH and I are big fans of tostadas. The kidlets aren't. But, that didn't stop me from making them for lunch. I am just plain mean and cruel

Tostadas

See Tostadas on Key Ingredient.

Vegetable Pitas

2008-04-28T13:02:00.002-05:00

I had some pitas and left over raw veggies and decided on veggie pitas for lunch. They were a hit with seconds being asked for.

Vegetable Pitas

whole wheat pita pockets
raw spinach leaves
zucchini--sliced
cucumber--sliced
grated carrots
red onion
grape tomatos
broccoli slaw
red pepper strips
ranch dressing

Fill pita pockets with ingredients and drizzle with ranch dressing.

©2008 The Homefront Lines

Baked Zucchini

2008-04-26T10:49:00.000-05:00

While visiting my grandma she gave us a recipe for baked zucchini. it sounded good so I made it for supper. Everyone liked it except that it was cold by the time we came around for seconds. I need to find a way to keep it warm while we eat.

Baked Zucchini

1 cup Italian cracker crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (the grated stuff)
salt and pepper
1 egg
flour

Mix the first three together. Place in a shallow pan. Beat egg in a different shallow pan. Place flour in yet another shallow pan. Wash and slice zucchini to about 1/4" thickness. Dredge in flour, egg and bread crumbs. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake in 400º oven for20 minutes or so. It will be nice and brown and crispy. I served with yellow rice and green salad.

© 2008 The Homefront Lines

Teriyaki Garlic Stirfy

2008-04-22T19:00:00.000-05:00

Stirfry is definitely one of our favorite foods. :) It is good with just veggies or with tofu added. DH insists we could put chicken in it, but then he isn't cooking, is he?? This recipe is a combination of different recipes.

Teriyaki Garlic Stirfry

1 box cubed tofu, drained and pressed
bottled teriyaki sauce
sprinkle ginger
about a teaspoon minced garlic
Mix teriyaki, ginger and garlic together. Marinate tofu in sauce for at least 1 hour up to 3 or 4 days.

Veggies (use as much as your family will eat):
broccoli, trees broken apart
carrots sliced at an angle
onion, chunked or sliced
red and orange peppers, chunked or sliced
celery, sliced at an angle
asparagus cut in thirds
teaspoon minced garlic
any other veggie you like in stir fry

Sauce (can double if wanted):
1 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 Tbs corn starch
Mix together until needed.

Heat sesame oil in large skillet or wok (if you are lucky enough to have one). Fry tofu until kind of crispy. Remove, set aside. Heat more sesame oil, add onions, peppers, carrots, celery and stirfry about 5 minutes. Add asparagus, garlic and tofu. Stir fry until heated through. Stir in sauce mix and stirfry until thickend and veggies are covered.

Serve over brown rice and with eggrolls.
copyright 2008 The Homefront Lines

Mushroom and Spinach Quesadillas

2008-04-22T13:00:00.001-05:00

I bought some mushrooms on clearance at the local grocery store. I got 16 oz for 70 cents. Quite the deal. I decided to make quesadillas for lunch.

Mushroom, Onion and Spinach Quesadillas

1 package of mushrooms sliced
1/2 onion sliced
spinach
cheese
flour tortillas

Saute mushroom and onion until nice and brown and yummy looking. Add a few handfuls of fresh spinach and cook until wilted.

In a skillet large enough, place one flour tortilla. Add about 1/4 cup cheese, 1/2 cup mushroom mixture and another 1/2 cup cheese. Place 2nd flour tortilla on top. When cheese is starting to melt and bottom tortilla is browned, flip. Cook until cheese is completely melted. Cut with pizza cutter. Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole.

Dishpan Cookies

2008-04-16T23:55:00.003-05:00

We are taking a trip this coming weekend and I want to take cookies with us for a snack. I found a recipe for Dishpan Cookies on AllRecipes (click the link to view the original recipe). I used that as a base and moved forward from there. I made changes to suit our family.

The kids made these this afternoon right before daddy got home. What a nice treat after a long day of work!

Dishpan Cookies ala The Homefront

2 cups Smart Balance
1 cup evapoated cane sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 cup white flour
1 cup oat flour
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups Cascadian Farm Granola Cereal
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup organic unsweetened coconut
1 bag Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350º.

In a large bowl cream together smart balance and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs and egg whites one at a time mixing well after each. Add baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in flours until just blended. Add granola, oats, cocout and chips.

Drop by ice cream scoop on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to paper towels and let cool.

Enjoy!

© 2008 The Homefront Lines

Eggplant Parmesan

2008-04-16T23:36:00.001-05:00

I had an eggplant in the fridge that really needed to be used so I thought about a recent episode of Throwdown I saw on the Food Network. The competitors eggplant parmesan looked fantastic. I never thought I would have found the recipe for it on the Food Network, but I did! I actually almost followed the recipe. You will see my changes.

I hope you enjoy this as much as my crew did!

Mike's Deli Famous Eggplant Parmigiana

Oil (I used olive oil)
2 large eggplants (I used 1 larger eggplant)
All-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
4 eggs
Bread crumbs (recommended: Arthur Avenue Italian Deli) (I used what I had in the cupboard but they were Italian...I also added a handful of grated parmesan cheese and some Kosher salt to the crumbs)
1 quart marinara sauce (recommended: Arthur Avenue Italian Deli) (OK, maybe I didn't follow the recipe perfectly...lol...I used 2 cans organic spaghetti sauce)
8 ounces sliced dry mozzarella (recommended: Arthur Avenue Italian Deli) (1 small bag shredded mozzarella)
4 ounces grated Romano (recommended: Arthur Avenue Italian Deli) (half a bag of parmesan)

Preheat oven to 350º and heat oil in a large pan, Dutch oven or deep-fryer.

Peel the eggplant and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Coat each side of the eggplant with the flour.
In a separate bowl beat 4 eggs and dip the eggplant into the egg to coat both sides. Then take your bread crumbs and do the same to coat each side.

Once the oil is hot, put the eggplant in the hot oil and fry until golden brown. You can also use a deep-fryer and leave in for about 2 to 3 minutes. (I used a non-stick skillet and it worked wonderfully)

Once all of the eggplant has been fried, get a rectangular baking pan and start the layering by adding the marinara sauce to the bottom of the pan, then the eggplant, more sauce, fresh mozzarella, Romano cheese, and continue to layer until you have reached the top of the pan. (I layered with sauce on bottom, eggplant, cheese, sauce, eggplant cheese...ending in sauce)

Top off with sauce, mozzarella, and grated Romano (did not top it off with cheese, just left the sauce...I felt there was enough cheese the way it was)

Place the eggplant into the oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.

Served with garlic bread and a bowl of cucumbers, orange peppers, carrot coins and halved grape tomatos tossed with Ranch.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Enchiladas

2008-04-16T23:08:00.001-05:00

The idea/inspiration for this recipe came from one of my best friends. We have known each other since highschool and still chat each day. It is amazing we have know each other for like 20 years. Makes me feel very old.

Anyway during our "what are you having for supper" part of our conversations she told me how she mades chicken enchiladas. It sounded great! I tweaked the directions to fit our family and voila!, Vegetarian Enchiladas were born.

Thanks A!

Vegetarian Enchiladas

2 servings Tac'Os
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 box red beans and rice, prepared
2 cans broccoli cheese soup
1 jar Salpica Mango Peach Salsa
tortillas (flour or whole wheat)
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
sour cream
chopped tomato

Fix Tac'Os and red beans and rice according to package directions. Mix 1 1/2 cans broccoli cheese soup with1 1/2 cups salsa. Add Taco-O's, black beans and red beans and rice. Mix together. Place 1/2 cup bean mixture on one end of tortilla. fold that end over the mixture, fold each end in and roll tortilla over. It will made a nice burrito/enchilada shape and the filling will stay in.

Place in 9x13 pan. Each pan should hold 6. Mix 1/2 can soup with 1/2 cup salsa. Spread over top of each enchilada. Place remaining 6 in 9x13 pan. Spoon salsa over top and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Cover pan with tin foil and bake at 350º about 20-30 minutes.

Serve with shredded lettuce, sour cream and tomatos. A homemade guacamole would be great but J didn't make it for me last night.
Enjoy!

© 2008 The Homefront Lines

No Knead Bread

2008-04-16T10:44:00.000-05:00

Is there really such a simple way of making bread? According to the New York Times and the Sullivan Street Bakery there is. It is a slow process but the final product looks awesome! The recipe is as follows. Also check out the youtube of the process. It really does look simple.

No-Knead Bread

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Welcome...

2008-04-15T21:52:00.000-05:00

to Front Line Cooking. The kitchen is the nerve center of our household. here I plan to share pictures, menus and recipes. Please stop back often and see what is new.

© 2008 Homefront Lines