Homemade Baking Mix

I got this recipe from a friend in college.  I recently tried making it with whole wheat flour, adding a bit of gluton flour, as I would with whole wheat bread.  It worked!  To be candid, I really don’t know what the gluton flour does (besides add gluton, which would be important in yeast breads), however I used it here, just in case.  Whether you use it or not, think of how much $$ you will save making your own version of the packaged baking mix!  

                                                                                        --- Merilou

 

Small Recipe (double for large recipe)

 

4 ½ cups flour (white, whole wheat, or white whole wheat!)

8 teaspoons baking powder (make sure it isn't old!)

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon cream of tarter

½ cup shortening

2 Tablespoons sugar

 

Mix with pastry blender (or 2 knives, or your fingers) and store in sealed storage container in a cool place. 

 

Use this mix in the same way you would use Bisquick (copyright General Mills/Betty Crocker) or other baking mixes.  I just made one of those popular "impossible pies" and it was yummy!  Mix with milk into a somewhat stiff dough and bake drop biscuits on demand.  Use the dough as a biscuit like crust for pizza.

Cabbage Salad with Peanut Sauce

My sister shared the recipe for this salad with me.  Since receiving my diabetes diagnosis I've made a few changes and both Steve and I love this recipe.  It's a great way to get fiber and it tastes so good!  I usually serve some kind of barbecued chicken along side, however it is just as good alone.  Enjoy adding whatever vegetables you enjoy!

Salad:

1/2 small head green cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces, blanched (or microwave about 3 minutes)
2  large red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 large carrots, shredded
6 green onions, sliced (or 1/2 finely minced red onion)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional - I don't use)

Sauce:

1/3 cup peanut, or canola oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 T soy sauce
1/3 cup (5 Tablespoons) peanut butter (I use Skippy Natural Creamy)
1 T brown sugar blend Splenda (or 2T brown sugar)
2 T grated ginger (or process a good chunk of peeled ginger in food processor with all the dressing ingredients)
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced (or process in food processor)
1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce  (or process a jalapeno or two)

Toss all vegetables together in a large bowl.  Process all sauce ingredients in a food processor or small blender.  Pour sauce over veggies, toss together and chill.

Serve along side grilled chicken (marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and a squirt of Sriracha sauce), if desired.

Optional - garnish with dry roasted peanuts

Mulligatawny Soup

We were dining with our good friends, the Sundin's, when Shelley ordered this soup at the Orenco Station Grill in Hillsboro.  She thought it was wonderful and offered me a taste.  It was yummy!  Shelley ventured to ask our waiter if the chef would share the recipe, which he did.  This soup is now added to our favorite soup list.  It smells heavenly while it's cooking on the stove!  Don't leave out the apple.  You'll hardly know it's there, but it adds just a touch of sweetness that really makes the soup special.
 

 

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Cook time:  1 hour

Yield:   6/12/24 servings

 

Ingredients:  (quantities shown for 3 Yields - 6, 12 or 24 servings)

 

1/2 / 1 / 2 cups chopped onion

2/ 4 /8 stalks celery

1/ 2 /4 carrots

1/4 / 1/2 / 1 cup butter

1&1/2 / 3 / 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1&1/2 / 3 / 6 teaspoons curry powder

4/ 8 /16 cups chicken broth

1/2 / 1 / 2 apples, peeled, cored & chopped

1/4 / 1/2 / 1 cup white rice (I use brown rice, and let it cook longer in the soup)

3/4 / 1&1/2 / 3 skinless-boneless chicken breast half - cut into cubes

Ground black pepper to taste

1/16 t/ 1/8 t/ 1/4 t dried thyme

1/2 / 1 / 2 cups heavy cream, heated  (I use 1% milk or evaporated milk)

Instructions:

1. Sauté onions, celery and butter in a large soup pot.  Add flour and curry and cook 5 more minutes.
2. Add chicken stock, mix well and bring to a boil.  Simmer about 1/2 hour.
3. Add apple, rice, chicken, salt, pepper and thyme.  Simmer 15-20 minutes or until rice is done.
4. When serving, add hot cream.

Anglo-Indian Inspired Soup

 

 

Merilou's Favorite Homemade Chili

When my husband and I married, I loved Nalley's Chili, and he loved Stag Chili.  We compromised on not buying canned chili.  I found a Betty Crocker basic chili recipe we found we enjoyed.  Over the years, we've gotten away from eating so much red meat.  I've experimented with substituting 93/7 Ground Turkey for the ground beef in many recipes, using beef boullion or beef base to add that beef flavor. Chili was an easy recipe to revise.  It is one of our favorite meals.  If you like your chili spicier, add more chili power or hot sauce, some diced jalapeno, or even cayenne pepper to taste.
 

Serves:  4-6

Ingredients:

10 oz Foster Farms 93/7 Ground Turkey (half of a 20 oz package)
1 large onion, diced
1 Tablespoon minced garlic (from a jar is fine)
1/2 cup diced green pepper
2 cups pre-cooked or canned small red beans (or your choice of bean)
1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes
1 6-oz can tomato sauce
2-3 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons beef base

Saute ground turkey and onion together until turkey is fully cooked.  Break up turkey fairly finely.  Add garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasonings and beef base.  Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, uncovered.

Serve with optional diced onion and grated cheese.

Note:  I cook my dried beans in a pressure cooker without salt, so I use some additional salt.  I often double this recipe so we have leftovers for lunches.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

We love soups - lots of different kinds.  When selling our Hillsboro house, our realtor, Barbara Nelson, made this soup for a realtor open house, and was lovely enough to share the leftovers with us.  It's been a favorite ever since.  I've made only a few minor adjustments to suit our tastes.

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion (chopped)

1 (8 ounce) package mushrooms, button or cremini (quartered) [I half cremini mushrooms, then slice them in about 1/8" slices - Cremini's have a bit more texture than the button mushrooms.]

2 teaspoons dill

1 tablespoon paprika  [I love using smoked paprika]
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable broth)  [I use chicken broth.]
1 cup milk [fat free or 1% works fine!]
3 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice [or more!]
1/2 cup sour cream [light sour cream works great]
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)  [I just add dried parsley to the soup when making it, if I don't have fresh on hand]

 

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a pot.

2. Add onions and saute until tender.

3. Add mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are cooked.

4. Add dill, paprika, soy sauce and chicken broth.
5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Mix the milk and flour in a bowl.
7. Add the milk mixture to the pot, cover and simmer for another 15 minutes.
8. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
9. Remove from heat.
10. Add the sour cream and parsley and stir.

Garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley, if desired.

 

Mexican Style Meat

I found this recipe online, revised it for my own preferences, and was very pleased with the results! The flavorful meat can be used for tacos, enchiladas, or whatever you can imagine. I like having quart ziplock bags of the leftover meat in the freezer - ready for a quick meal for the two of us!

 

Ingredients:

4 pounds of beef, pork, or chicken (cheap cuts of meat work well for this)  

good amount of salt & pepper to season meat 

1 large onion, chopped 

3 (7 oz) diced green chile peppers, undrained 

2 tablespoons chili powder  

2 tablespoons ground cumin 

2 tablespoons garlic powder 

Chipotle Flavored Tabasco (to taste) 

1/4 cup of water 

Instructions:

Trim the meat of any excess fat, and season well with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the meat in the hot skillet, and sear it quickly on all sides. Transfer the meat to a slow cooker and top it with the chopped onion. Season with chopped green chiles, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, & hot pepper sauce. Cover, and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat is tender & falling apart, checking to make sure there is always at least a small amount of liquid in the bottom of the cooker (add more liquid if need be). 

 

Transfer the meat to a bowl and shred it using two forks. 

Note:  There will be some juice along with the meat.  If you don't like it, you could thicken it up, or drain the meat.  For freezing purposes, freeze the meat with the juice.

 

 

Mashed Cauliflower

I'm a type 2 Diabetic.  This was a recipe I just wanted to try, even though it sounded a little strange to me.  I love cauliflower, and most vegetables, but mashed?  I like to say I'll try anything once.  I'm so glad I tried this one, as both my husband (who didn't really love cauliflower) and I really enjoy it.  It's surprisingly filling, and the leftovers reheat nicely! 

Mashed Cauliflower

Serves 8

1 large head of cauliflower, broken into florets
1-2 cups of water
salt/pepper
1-2 Tablespoons butter, or lite butter
1-2 Tablespoons sour cream, or lite sour cream

Put water in the bottom of a large saucepan and add all of the cauliflower florets.  Cover and bring water to boil over high, then reduce heat to medium and cook until cauliflower is very tender.

Drain off water, and let the cauliflower sit in the uncovered pot to let as much water be released through the steam as possible.

Mash cauliflower with a hand potato masher (a power tool will puree it too much!).  Add 1-2T butter and 1-2 T of sour cream.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir well with a fork and enjoy!

**Note:  I find that having this on my plate creates the same kind of happiness as seeing mashed potatoes on my plate, though it really doesn't taste like potatoes.  I've also read of some people combining mashed potatoes and cauliflower together to lower the carbohydrate count in a serving of potatoes.  I might just try in one day.  For now, I'm enjoying my mashed cauliflower too much!