Monday, November 26, 2007
Holiday quick breads
Quick breads use baking soda or baking powder to make them rise, making them not only quicker than yeast breads but easier as well. While you won’t get a sandwich out of quick breads, you will get a nice accompaniment to your morning coffee or afternoon tea. Quick breads also make nice gifts. Give one alone, with a collection of teas, or with a mixing bowl.
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Cranberry Orange Loaf
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup orange juice
Preheat the oven to 350 degree. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in orange zest, cranberries, and pecans. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in orange juice. Beat in flour mixture until just moistened. Pour into prepared pan. Bake until the bread springs back when lightly touched, about 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes; turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Wrap in plastic when completely cool. Makes 12 servings.
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Eggnog Quick Bread
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup eggnog
2 teaspoons rum-flavored extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of one 9x5-inch loaf pan or three 3x5-inch loaf pans.
Blend together the eggs, eggnog, rum extract, sugar, vanilla, and butter. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add to eggnog mixture and stir just enough to moisten; pour into prepared pan.
Bake bread in large pan until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 to 60 minutes. Breads baked in the smaller pans require only about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, and remove from pan. Cool completely, wrap tightly and store in refrigerator. Makes 12 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
If you’re not sure whether or not your baking powder is good, mix 1 teaspoon with 1/3 cup hot water. It still is good if it bubbles vigorously.
Glass loaf pans retain more heat than metal loaf pans, so when using glass you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees.
The Practical Pantry ©2007 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com
Monday, November 19, 2007
Bake your holiday leftovers
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without a refrigerator overflowing with leftovers. Think of all that ready-to-use turkey as your reward for all your hard work on Thanksgiving. For lunch on Friday, turkey sandwiches usually hit the spot. After that, some creativity is needed to keep everyone excited about turkey. Try putting a few classic ingredients together into a tasty one-dish meal.
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Turkey Pot Pie
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 10.75-ounce can condensed golden mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup frozen cut green beans, cooked and drained
Pastry for 9-inch double-crust pie
1 tablespoon milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté carrots, onion, celery, thyme, and pepper in butter until vegetables are crisp-tender. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine turkey and flour; shake to coat. Add turkey, soup, and green beans to the vegetable mixture; mix well. Line a 9-inch pie plate with bottom crust. Add turkey mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. Brush with milk. Cover edges loosely with foil. Bake until golden brown, about 55 to 65 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 6 servings.
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Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup finely crushed herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix
1 cup cooked, diced turkey meat
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in the flour. Slowly stir in evaporated milk and water; season with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Stir sauce over low heat for 5 minutes.
In a separate saucepan over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Blend in the dry stuffing mix. Place the turkey in the prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce over turkey; sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Spread mashed potatoes over cheese. Top mashed potatoes with the stuffing mixture. Bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Makes 8 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
Use turkey in your favorite recipes calling for cooked chicken. When you run out of turkey, substitute cooked chicken in your favorite turkey recipes.
The Practical Pantry ©2007 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com
Monday, November 12, 2007
End Thanksgiving with pie
No matter how much turkey, stuffing, and vegetables everyone consumes on Thanksgiving Day, there always seems to be room for dessert. Pies offer a sweet taste of tradition to end a delicious meal.
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Sweet Potato Pie
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, separated
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, butter, egg yolks, brown sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and evaporated milk. Mix together well.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; add 1/4 cup sugar and fold into sweet potato mixture. Pour into pie shell and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until firm, about 30 additional minutes. Makes 8 servings.
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Pecan Pie
3 eggs
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 9-inch deep dish pie crust
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar and flour until flour is blended in. Stir in the eggs, corn syrup and vanilla. Mix in the pecans and pour the filling into the pie crust. Bake until a knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes. Cool before serving. Makes 8 servings.
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Frozen Pumpkin Pie
1-1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl mix together the crushed gingersnaps and 1 tablespoon sugar. Stir in melted butter. Press mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes; cool.
In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, 1 cup sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Fold in whipped topping. Spread ice cream in an even layer in bottom of cooled gingersnap crust. Pour pumpkin mixture over ice cream. Freeze at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped topping and additional crushed gingersnaps if desired. Makes 8 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
Glass and dull-metal pie pans work best for baking pies.
The Practical Pantry ©2007 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com
Monday, November 05, 2007
Some things are better from scratch
Whether you are making a family dinner at home or a potluck dinner to go, lasagna is sure to please. And while it takes a while to assemble lasagna, it’s not as difficult to prepare as it may seem. If you don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you off, you’ll be in for a wonderful meal.
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Lasagna
3/4 to 1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
2 8-ounce cans canned tomato sauce
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
In a Dutch oven or large pot, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Simmer, covered, for about 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.
In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To assemble, spread 1-1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Spoon 1-1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil. To prevent sticking, spray foil with cooking spray before putting it on the lasagna.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
To reduce the fat in lasagna, use ground turkey meat and low-fat cheeses.
When cooking pasta, boil plenty of water. This reduces the chances that the pasta will stick together and it helps the pasta cook more evenly.
When a recipe calls for “al dente” pasta, cook it until it is tender but still has a bite to it. If the pasta is mushy, it’s overcooked.
The Practical Pantry ©2007 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com