Changes... and 2 Brussel Sprouts Recipes

About 3 years ago, in late 2017, I had a wake up call in the form of an AFib event.  At the time, I weighed well in excess of 200 lbs on a 5'7" frame. I love to cook & I love to eat - especially refined carbs. While in the hospital for the AFib, I learned I was also pre-diabetic. When the internist told me that, I thanked her. I told her then, "Thank you for telling me. I may not be able to fix my heart, but, by golly, I can fix the pre-diabetes. That was when I changed the way I eat.

I started doing research on how to eat. I investigated Paleo, Keto, and other diet modification methods. I became friends with an Army guy, Salil, and talked to him. He had lost a lot of weight for health reasons. He convinced me to try eating Paleo. 

The Paleo or Paleolithic diet is based on foods thought to be similar to those eaten by cavemen. It includes meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts, and seeds. It limits the amount of dairy, beans, and grains that one consumes. I'm not a big consumer of dairy, except for cheese, or beans, so that part is fairly easy. Oh, but grains! I love bread. I'm addicted to bread... and corn... and rice...  Anyway, you get the picture. So, I've modified my diet and how I cook. As a result, I've lost 60 lbs of weight. My pre-diabetes is also under control.

Why am I sharing this? So whoever reads this learns and, hopefully, understands that we are what we eat. 

Here's one quick recipe and this is now my favorite way to cook sprouts, a veggie I never really cared for before. These are good.

Roasted Sprouts

1 lb brussel sprouts, remove outer leaves, rinse & cut in half:
2 tbs olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Toss the halved sprouts in oil, salt & pepper. Place in a roasting pan and bake at 400 F for 20 minutes or until done. 

Sorry...  I don't have a photo. 

Another good way to eat sprouts is with bacon. 

Sprouts with Bacon

1 lb brussel sprouts, remove outer leaves, rinse & cut in half
2 strips of bacon, browned but not crisp
1 - 2 tbs reserved bacon grease
3 tbs minced onion
salt & pepper to taste

Prepare the sprouts & set aside.
Fry the bacon until almost crisp. Remove from pan to a plate with a paper towel to drain.
Cook the minced onion in the bacon grease until the onions are translucent.
Toss the sprouts in the pan with the onion. Season with salt & pepper. Remove to a roasting pan.
Break the bacon into pieces and add to the roasting pan.
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until the sprouts are done.

Anyway... I hope you enjoy these recipes. 

Festive Holiday Fruit & Nut Cake

I love old recipes, family recipes, and old cookbooks. As a result, I have many, many, many - most of which I plan to make at some point in time.

Some of my favorite recipe books were those published by Lever Brothers in the 40's & 50's using their shortening, Spry, developed to compete with Crisco. Sadly, Spry is no longer made & sold here in the USA. I understand it is still available in Cyprus. Go figure...

Spry books featured "Aunt Jenny", a slightly plump, white haired lady with spectacles and an apron. She put a pleasant, grandmotherly face to an otherwise boring product.

This recipe is out of one of those old Spry cookbooks by Lever. This one was published by Lever Brothers in 1949. It's a great recipe and, if I ever lose the cookbook or it gets destroyed, I suspect it would be gone forever.

Anyway, here's "Aunt Jenny's" cake recipe...

2 cups sifted cake flour*	½ cup shortening
1 ½ cups sugar	1 ½ cups unsweetened applesauce
1 ½ tsp baking soda	2 eggs, unbeaten
1 ½ tsp salt	1/3 cup citron, diced
2 Tbs cocoa	½ cup each: raisins, currents & dates – cut in small pieces
½ tsp each: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice
¾ cup chopped & toasted walnuts or filberts

Sift flour, sugar, soda, salt, cocoa and spices into mixing bowl.

Drop in shortening.

Add applesauce and beat 2 minutes by hand or mixer on slow speed. Scrape bowl & spoon / beaters.

Add eggs and beat 2 additional minutes.

Add fruits and nuts. Mix thoroughly.

Bake in a well greased, 8 1/2" tube pan in a moderate (350 deg F) oven for 1 hour & 25-35 minutes.

* Cake flour is recommended because it makes the finest cakes. But, if using all purpose flour, reduce by 2 tablespoons.

Chicken and Rice

A quick and easy recipe that I got from my sister-in-law, who was born & raised on Puerto Rico. It is modified a smidgeon, but not much. This is a good way to stretch one's dollars and still have a filling & nutritious meal.

1 pound cubed chicken

2 cups rice

2 stalks of chopped celery

2 sliced carrots

1/2 chopped onion

4 cups of chicken broth

2 packets of Sazon (Tropical flavor)

2 tbs butter or oil

salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large pot and add the chicken. Brown it on all sides.
2. When browned, add the celery, carrots, and onion. Saute lightly until onions are translucent. 
3. Add rice and quickly stir fry for a minute or two, mixing well.
4. Add the broth, deglazing the pan. 
5. Add the Sazon seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and cook about 20 minutes or until the rice is done.
6. Adjust seasonings, adding salt & pepper to taste.

Pierogi... A Gift from Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia...

St Michael's the Archangel Greek Catholic Church

Pierogi...  the word conjures up memories of Baltimore and St Michael The Archangel Greek (Ukrainian) Catholic church. Mom and then myself, also used to get them from Holy Rosary Church. There were many churches in Baltimore which sold pierogi made by the church ladies, but St Michael's is the one I remember best.

Pierogi, while commonly believed to be Polish, is found in all the eastern European cultures. Sometimes, they have a different name, such as perogi, perogy, pirohi, piroghi, pirogi, pirogen, pierogy, pirohy, pyrohy, etc. Funny thing is that the Proto-Slavic root word, "pir" means festivity. In other languages, it became "pie". In my parents & grandparents homes, they were traditionally served on festive religious holidays: Christmas, Easter, Feast of the Three Kings, etc.

So, what are pierogi? They are delicate dumplings that use unleavened dough (a dough made without yeast) and they are stuffed with fillings such as mashed potatoes, farmer’s cheese, sauerkraut, cabbage, mushrooms, spinach, ground beef, sausage, and fruit. You can find varieties from sweet to salty to spicy. The only limitation to pierogi stuffings is your imagination.

pierogi dough

 The hardest part about making these little darlings is the dough. My latest adventure into dough has had mixed results. If I roll the dough thin, it doesn't remain pinched together. If I roll it thicker, then I don't get the results I want. Sigh...







Anyway, the dough I'm trying today is:

2 cups sour cream
3 eggs
4 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 tbs melted butter
2 tbs oil

 I'm mixing all the ingredients together to form a soft dough. After mixing and getting a smooth dough, divide it into a couple of pieces and roll it thin. Cut circles with a glass. If the dough is too thick, roll each circle of dough to the desired thickness.

When you have your dough circles, fill them with the desired filling.


Today, I'm using leftover sauteed sauerkraut & onion. I'm also slightly moistening the edges of the dough to, hopefully, get a better seal.

The finished dumpling needs to be set aside to dry. They can be frozen. Just put them in the freezer, unwrapped, and, when frozen, take out and put into ziploc bags for freezer storage.

To prepare for eating, boil in hot, simmering water until the dough is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. When thoroughly cooked, remove from the water and drain.

While they are draining, melt butter in a skillet and then fry the pierogi in the butter until they get a bit of a crust on them. Plate them hot with or without toppings.

A traditional topping is minced fried onion, bacon bits, and melted butter. Cook the bacon until crisp, remove from the pan. Cook minced onion in the pan drippings with some butter melted in there too. When onion is browned, add the bacon back to the pan to reheat and then top the pierogi with the hot bacon & onion mixture for serving.

Other toppings include sour cream and applesauce.

PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA!

Years ago, I started making pizza. It's so easy and much better than anything you can buy. It takes, maybe, an hour to do a homemade pizza and the greatest portion of that time is making the crust. But, at least, it's fresh crust and not something made days before & refrigerated. It's also not a piece of cardboard commonly sold in grocery stores as 'crust'. I make my crust with a KitchenAid mixer & dough hook.

There's a lot of sayings about pizza, which is by far a food favored by many. This is another dish that is easily altered by the addition or deletion of ingredients. There's "white pizza", which has no tomato sauce. There's pepperoni pizza.  Hawaiian pizza has ham & pineapple. And the variations go on & on & on!  Here's my recipe for a basic, sausage pizza.

CRUST

2 3/4 cups of unbleached flour
1 tbs yeast
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup warm water
2 tsp rosemary

Put all ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix until smooth. Add flour or water as needed to make a soft, smooth dough. Cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and put aside to rise.  I usually coat the bowl with a bit of oil to prevent sticking.

While the dough is rising, prepare the ingredients you're going to use as toppings. Some of the toppings I use include: thinly sliced onions, 1/4" chunks of bell pepper (red or yellow), sliced pepperoni, sliced sausage, sliced salami, sliced or chopped black olives, green chilies, sliced mushrooms, and more!  

By now, your dough should be risen.

Break out your pizza pan and spread the dough to the edges. It makes a thin to medium thickness crust on a 16" pan without breaking.

Next, add your sauce. For convenience, I use a good marinara sauce from the grocer, such as Orti d'Italia.

Put your non-meat toppings on. By putting them on under the cheese, they do not get burnt or dried out by the high heat (425 F) of the oven.

Add a layer of cheese such as an Italian cheese blend by Kraft, Tillamook, Sargento...  Get the idea?

Finally, put on the meat! This particular photo is using leftover Italian sausage from the previous night's dinner. I sliced it thin to add to the pizza. Waste not; want not!

Stick it in the preheated, 425 degree oven and bake until your desired level of crispiness!  Usually, a minimum of 12-15 minutes.

Your family will be wowed!

Buon appetito!

Taco Salad

Taco salads are a favorite in the summer months. These are some of the toppings I use, all on a solid base of chopped romaine lettuce. A little bit of this; a little bit of that. Add or delete ingredients as needed or desired. Love this with a glass of Sangria on the side. These salads are so substantial, they are meals by themselves!

Chopped Romaine lettuce or some other leaf lettuce
Slivered green onions
Black Beans
Corn Kernels
Taco Meat
Guacamole
Lettuce
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream
Hot Salsa
Corn Chips on the side

Beef Barley & Mushroom Soup

Short ribs 2 tbs Olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 small onion, chopped 2 celery ribs, chopped 2 carrots, sliced 1 medium potato, 1/2” cube 4-6 oz mushrooms, sliced 1 cup barley 1 tsp thyme 1 bay leaf 2 Knorr beef bullion cubes (or beef stock) salt & pepper to taste (if using bullion, delete salt) 12 cups water

Heat oil in a large pot (I use a 6L pressure cooker) & brown the ribs on all sides. When browned, remove & set aside. Add to pan drippings: garlic, onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms. Cook lightly until garlic is golden & onions somewhat translucent. Add the 12 cups of water & deglaze the pot. Put the ribs back in the pot after deglazing. Add the barley & seasonings. Cook until meat falls off the bones. When meat is done, remove & let cool. When cool, strip the meat from the bones & fat, adding just the meat back to the pot. Adjust seasonings according to taste. Simmer until you serve or turn off & reheat just before serving.

If using a pressure cooker, you do things a little differently. After the meat is browned, add in the water, deglaze the bottom of the pot and cook under pressure until the meat falls off the bones. Remove the ribs & let cool. While cooling, add the rest of the ingredients to the liquid in the pot. Strip the meat from the bones & fat, adding back to the pot. Cook until the soup is done. Adjust seasonings to taste & serve hot. Notes: If you’re out of thyme, try Herbes du Province or marjoram or oregano. This makes a very thick & hearty soup. It can be thinned by adding additional water.