Category: Cooking hints/how-tos

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Tiffany’s Birthday Creations

Tiffany’s Birthday Creations and Pineapple Upside Down Cake

My daughter-in-law Tiffany does make some beautiful creations for special days! She made the Minion cupcake and the pineapple flower cupcakes. Here is the link to how she made the pineapple flowers.

www.kitchn.com/how-to-make-dried-pineapple-flowers-241754

I made the upside down cake tweaked from a recipe Esther sent me for banana upside down cake. She and I discussed it and decided to add some dried coconut, pineapples, and cherries. I was surprised to find out the bananas remained firm. For the cake, I used a recipe from the old Joy of Cooking cookbook I grew up with. I baked the cake in my iron skillet. This cake definitely took me back to my childhood! It tasted just like it did in the 60’s.

Skillet or Upside-Down Cake

Topping:

20 oz. can pineapple slices

Maraschino Cherries (small jar)

1/2 cup coconut ( I used dried unsweetened)

1 firm banana

1 stick butter +

1 cup brown sugar

Cake:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

1 Tablespoon melted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions:

In a 9 or 10-inch skillet melt 1/2 cup butter, add 1 cup of packed brown sugar and cook gently until dissolved.

Place the slices of pineapple over the butter mixture. Place a cherry in the middle of each pineapple. Around the edge of the cake put a small slice of banana in between the pineapple and in the middle. Sprinkle it all with the coconut.  Set aside and mix the cake in a separate bowl. Beat the eggs, sugar, melted 1 Tablespoon butter, and the vanilla flavoring. Add the flour on top of that and then gently stir the baking powder into the flour and then mixed it gently until smooth. Pour the cake mixture on top and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and reverse the cake onto the serving plate. Let the skillet remain on top briefly for the brown sugar mixture to coat the cake. Remove the pan and serve.

One of the very positive things about Pineapple Upside Down Cake is that it is very quick to make. I made this because Esther requested it and it was good. However, I prefer the regular cake with the pineapples and cherries!

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Onion cubes

We were getting some veggies prepped for the next few days since we eat a lot of veggies. This is just a hint to have chopped onions, recipe ready. I have bought the frozen prechopped onions and peppers when I was in a hurry but they are a bit pricey. I chopped up one onion today and put a little water in the bottom of an ice cube tray and then filled each section with chopped onions. I froze them and then placed them in a storage bag. I can now take out one or two cubes or however many are needed for soups, stir fry, chili, etc.  Let me know what you think!

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Skillet Pizza Crusts

Skillet Pizza Crusts

In the early 1990’s I started making skillet pizza crusts. They became a favorite and a part of my “once a month cooking” recipes. This is a nice thing to do with a group or your family because you can talk and visit as you work together to chop the veggies or just make your own pizza. When I am ready to assemble I preheat the oven, chop some veggies, set out a jar of pizza or pasta sauce, and set out the pepperoni and cheese. You CAN make them all yourself if you wish but it is more fun to let each person make their own. Call the group in a few at a time to assemble their pizza just the way they like it.  If you have a large group you may want to use parchment paper on your baking sheet and write each person’s name on it so that their pizzas do not get mixed up. My baking sheets hold 4 on each one. I can usually bake on both racks. They each take 10-15 minutes to bake. I bake them until the cheese is melted.

Here is my recipe for Skillet Pizza Crusts. I usually get 10 individual crusts from each recipe.

3 packages or Tablespoons of yeast

1 teaspoon of sugar

3/4 cup of water (105°-115°)

3 cups all-purpose flour ( I like to use a mixture of wheat and white)

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of additional water

2 Tablespoons oil

cooking spray

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a 2 cup measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes. Combine the yeast mixture, flour, and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl and turn your dough to grease the top. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down and knead lightly. Divide your dough into small pieces. I usually just pinch off a small blob of dough (my grandma used to “pinch” biscuits as she called it). I roll these out one at a time and use a small saucer as a pattern to cut around. This will make the crusts a bit more uniform. They will still change shape a bit but no problem they taste great. I cook them on the stove in my iron skillet medium heat, 1-2 minutes on each side. When they slightly start to brown I flip them and cook the other side.  Cool on wire racks and then either freeze them or use them.

To assemble pizzas:

Preheat oven 350 °. Put the crusts on a baking sheet. Spread each crust with sauce. Put on toppings and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in the oven until hot and bubbly, usually 10-15 minutes.

Some of our favorite toppings:

Artichokes – canned, chopped

Green onions chopped

Mushrooms fresh or canned

Spinach fresh is best

Bell peppers – we especially like the colored ones

Pepperoni

Mozzarella cheese

You may wish to make your pizza a Hawaiian, veggie, or sausage or whatever your favorite may be.

If you have leftover crusts freeze them. They are great to use for tostadas, or just with melted cheese. Either way, they are economical to make and a lot of fun and they disappear rather quickly!

Let me know if you have any questions! Happy Cooking!

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Making Sourdough Starter, Charlie is his name!

Welcome to the adventure of sourdough baking!

I would like to say from the start that this is not one of my quick fifteen minute recipes but one I enjoy tremendously and puts me in touch with roots.

Several years ago my family spent an amazing weekend in Hacker Valley, West Virginia with an amazing lady we call Nanny Pugh. She is a gracious hostess and I learned so much from spending that weekend with her on her farm way out in the hills of West Virginia. While there she made some wonderful bread for us as well as a lot of fresh food from her garden! She taught me to make “Charlie” and how to feed him and make bread with him. I am going to share that recipe with you today. First I will share the starter recipe and then a scrumptious bread recipe.

Charlie Sourdough Starter

To make your starter…

3 packages of yeast or 3 Tablespoons

1/2 cup warm water 105°-115°

1 cup warm water

2/3 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons of instant potato flakes

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water (105°-115°)  and then “feed” it with 1 cup of warm water, 2/3 cup sugar, and 3 Tablespoons of potato flakes

Let this mixture set out all day then refrigerate it for 2-5 days. Take it out and feed it again with the same ingredients: warm water, 2/3 cup sugar, and 3 Tablespoons of potato flakes. Let it set out all day or all night. Now remove 1 cup of the starter and maker your first Charlie bread or shape it into rolls.

Charlie Bread Recipe

1 cup of Charlie starter

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ½ cups warm water

6 cups flour

So take your starter and mix it with the sugar, oil, salt and warm water and then I add 6 cups of flour ( I usually use 4 cups unbleached and 2 cups whole wheat). Mix well and then pour the mixture into a greased bowl and don’t forget to oil the top of the dough or it will be a bit tough (don’t ask how I know this) and let it set out all night covered with a clean cloth. Divide the dough into two parts and knead it a bit, maybe 10 times at most, on a floured surface. Put each part into a greased pan. I like to shape some of mine into round loaves and some regular loaves. Brush lightly with oil and let rise on the counter top uncovered (or lightly covered with plastic wrap if you must) for 7-8 hours (mine doesn’t always take that long) or until it has risen and ready to bake. Bake 325° for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with butter. Within 10 minutes remove the bread from the pan to prevent sweating. Place on a cooling rack.

Helpful hints:

Let Charlie breathe. Keep him in a plastic bowl with holes punched in the lid or covered with plastic wrap with holes. Do not put anything on top of it or Charlie will die.

Do not stir with a metal spoon. Use wood or plastic.

If your starter gets too full or you want to share, pour out 1 cup of Charlie into another plastic bowl. Feed both Charlies on the same day and pass one on to your friend. At least 1 to 2 cups of Charlie must be kept in order to keep him alive.

Bread can be baked any day as long as 1 cup of Charlie has been allowed to set at room temperature for 8 hours before mixing.

To see my original article I wrote about my visit to Hacker Valley, West Virginia visit my reddingmountain.com blog

April 17, 2017 UPDATE: I cheated and this is the result! On Sunday morning early I wanted to make some rolls. I decided to take “Charlie” from the fridge and feed him.  I then took one cup full of Charlie and mixed up rolls and shaped them. I put them in the pan and let them rise while I was at church. When I came home I could tell they were ready to bake so I baked them and they were great! So if you need to speed up the process this might work for you!

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Tacos for a Crowd

When my kids call and tell me that they are bringing 20 friends over for dinner (or for the weekend) this is what I make! I have two very fast meals I could cook. Today,  I will share one of them.

Tacos, Taco Salad, or Taco Bar is the fasted thing I can make to satisfy a hungry crowd and leave me with energy enough to visit with my company. One of the things I like about making a taco bar is that everyone can make their own plates. If they are vegetarian or meat eaters, if they are dairy or gluten-free they can all eat.

I brown the ground beef at least 5 lbs and/or start chicken breasts baking in the oven to be shredded and seasoned with taco seasoning or some herbs from your cabinet (chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes if you like it hot!) The beef takes me about 15 minutes to get it all browned, drained, and seasoned. The chicken breasts usually take 20 minutes to cook and then I either cut them up or put them through my food processor.

1 to 2 heads of Romaine lettuce ( I like it best, probably because it is greener) or bagged Romaine

A large jug of salsa, if we don’t have homemade in the fridge or two regular jars

Sour Cream at least 24 oz.

2 cans of black olives sliced if not presliced or diced

2 cans of pinto beans or black beans, drained if you do not have homemade beans on hand

One or two bunches of  green onions or any onions chopped in the food processor or chopper

A few tomatoes chopped, 2-4

A large bag of shredded cheese 2-4 lbs.

A couple of bags of tortilla chips, taco shells, or soft tortillas or a combination

If I am in a hurry the only thing I really have to cook is the meat. While the meat is cooking I open the other items and set up the bar. Giant bowls of chips, cheese, lettuce, and smaller bowls of sour cream, tomatoes, onions, and olives.

You may not need tacos for a crowd but hopefully, some of these suggestions will help you get dinner on the table fast whether you are feeding a crowd or just your family.

Now for my tips and shortcuts:

Buy bulk ground beef when it is on sale. Brown and season your ground beef and put it in freezer baggies in 3-4 cup packages. Then it is ready for making quick dinners during the week or for surprises.

Buy large bags of shredded cheese (at great prices of course) and divide it into freezer bags. I do bags with 2 cups each and freeze them.

Make your own taco seasonings. You have more control over what is in your food as well as saving money.

 

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Cooking Beans

I grew up cooking beans. They were a regular part of our diet. A pot of beans and a few green onions with a tomato make a wonderful meal. These would be picked from our garden right out the back door.

When asked how to cook beans or asked for a recipe to cook beans I am often surprised. Beans have always been a part of my diet. I never knew there was a recipe for cooking beans.

So here are a few ways I have tried cooking beans:

Take a package of beans from your favorite grocery store or buy your dried beans in bulk. There are many kinds of beans and they can be used in so many wonderful ways. My family’s favorite is what West Virginians call brown beans. What are brown beans? Pinto beans. I also cook white beans and occasionally butter beans.

1. First, look the beans.
What are you looking for? Many times you will find small rocks or clumps of dirt or debris in the beans. Once you have looked your beans then rinse them.

2. Soak the Beans.
To soak the beans place them in a pan of water. The water should be at least 2-3 inches over the beans. Why? Beans increase in volume as they absorb the water. There are a few ways you can soak these.

  • place the beans in a covered pot of water overnight (at least 2-3 inches above the level of the beans). In the morning either drain the water and add fresh or use the same water and begin to simmer on the stove-top until done.
  •  or you may place the beans in a covered pot of water and do a quick soak by cooking until they are boiling for 2-3 minutes and then turning off and covering for one hour. There are two thoughts about what to do next. Drain the water and add fresh or keep the water and simmer on your stove until done. You can tell they are tender by taste or you may want to put one or two on a spoon and blow on it and the skin will split when done.
  • Slow cooking. You may place the clean rinsed beans in your Crock-pot or you may do this step after either of the previous steps. Or you may look, rinse, and then place them in the Crock-pot on low. I usually do this the night before and they are ready by morning to be seasoned and eaten or used in a recipe. You might want to start them on low in the morning if they are to be eaten for your evening meal.
  • Instant Pots are really popular right now. I am still experimenting with cooking beans in the Instant Pot. I have washed the beans and added them to the InstaPot without soaking them. I added my liquid and chopped ham and used the manual setting and cooked for 50 minutes and let it slowly release. I finished seasoning the beans. They were delicious and ready to eat in 1 hour.
  • SEE Donna King’s comment below on salt brine soaking for beans. She shares the how-tos and the science of softer skins.

 

Most of my life I used one of the first two ways of soaking the beans and cooking beans. In recent years I discovered how easy it is to cook beans with the use of the Crock-pot.

Now after your beans are done you may season them. (With the exception of using a ham bone or ham to season your beans,  I would add this as it cooks) For me, this is not an exact science. I tend to add a small amount of cumin, chili powder, onions, or onion flakes, sometimes small pieces of chopped green bell pepper and/or cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper. Start with small amounts and season to taste.

WARNING: Make sure if you are going to use tomatoes in your beans or bean recipes, that you do not add them until the beans are completely done or your beans will not get tender!

There. Now you know how I cook beans. Brown beans are one of our favorite meals with cornbread and a slice of onion or tomato. They are also a great addition to many recipes like taco salad, taco meat mixture, bean burritos, chili, etc. So add some beans to your diet for nutritional and financial benefits!
If you have any more questions about how to cook beans please let me know.