Banana Pudding

If you have read any of my blog posts, you will know that I was raised in the South.  Different places in the South, but still the South.  Having lived in the South during my formative years, I am very picky passionate about certain things.  I don't like dishes left in the sink at night - I lived in Texas and Louisiana where the cockroaches could carry off a 6 pound roast.  I love - but am very particular about - biscuits, soup beans, collard greens and banana pudding.

PoppaH and 2 of my kiddos don't like bananas.  I know.  It is wrong. So, so wrong.  But, what can I do?  Because of this, I have made this pudding without bananas.  It was still good.

I made the first batch in 1/2 pint mason jars, pretty cool if you want it pre-proportioned.  That batch was actually too sweet.  Of course, I had to try it again, adjusting the sugar.  The second batch was just right.

It was all for you.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Banana Pudding

Pudding:

1/4 cup cornstarch

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, separated (you'll need to whites for the meringue)

4 cups milk, whole if you have it

1 Tablespoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons butter

1 box vanilla wafers (you probably won't use them all)

4-5 bananas

Meringue:

4 egg whites (reserved from above)

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 Tablespoons (about 1/3 cup) granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Combine the corn starch, sugar and salt in a heavy sauce pan.

Lightly beat the egg yolks and combine with milk in a large bowl or measuring cup.

Whisk the egg mixture into the dry ingredients in the saucepan.  Cook, over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the ingredients are thickened and smooth.  

Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Let cool slightly while you make the meringue.

Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer set at high spoof.

When the egg whites are foamy, add cream of tartar.

Keep whipping (whip - nae nae)

While whipping, gradually add sugar.

Keep whipping until stiff peaks have formed.  Whip in vanilla.

To assemble the pudding:

Place vanilla wafers on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish.

Slice bananas and place on top of wafers.

Pour pudding over bananas.

Spread meringue over pudding, making peaks with your spreader.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the meringue is lightly browned.

If you are using jars, start with the wafers and layer as above twice - you know, like a parfait.  

Top with meringue.  

Place jars in a baking dish and bake as above.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

Yes, vegetarian enchiladas.  Don't roll your eyes at me!  I made these last week and my family and a friend loved them.  They are not the typical all bean or all cheese variety.  They do have some beans, but I used butternut squash in them and - oh my - they were good.  I suppose they could even be vegan, I'm not sure they even needed the cheese and you could always use vegan cheese.
I used Trader Joe's half corn-half wheat tortillas.  You can use any kind you want, but, please, don't use those extra soft white things that are in the grocery store now.  What are they thinking?  They are nasty.  If you bake them, they will make your tortillas a gelatinous mess.

Trust me.

I don't know how they do it.

Use corn or half and half (corn/wheat).

But you don't want GMO corn.

You really don't.

Whole Foods or Trader Joe's is your best bet.

I'll get off my soap box now.

By the way, we got 4 new chicks.  I am weak.  They were at our local Agway just waiting for me to take them home.  They are 3 weeks old now.  They grow up so fast.  They are almost at the stage where they will be rolling their eyes and asking for the car keys.

They will have to wait in line.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon olive oil (again, not a typo)
1 4.5 ounce can of chopped chilies, don't drain
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoons cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric (I used fresh, it's lovely if you can find it)
2 cups rice, cooked
1 cup salsa
4 ounces (about 1 cup) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 cups enchilada sauce (I just used a large can)
16-24 small tortillas, corn or corn/wheat
More shredded cheese, if you want
sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the squash with the olive oil and seasoned salt.
Spread the squash mixture in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Roast 25 minutes, flipping the squash once, until it is firm/tender.  Set the squash aside and turn oven down to 350 degrees.

 Meanwhile, add the 1 teaspoon olive oil to a large frying pan or a large sauce pan.  Heat the oil and add the bell pepper, and garlic.  Sauté for a few minutes then add the beans, chili powder, cumin, turmeric and salsa.  Sauté for a few minutes, until the spices "bloom" and make your kitchen smell like all that is good in the world.

Add the rice, salsa, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce and the squash.
Remove from heat.

Okay, I didn't have any black beans, so I used kidney.  It still worked.

In a large glass baking dish (I used a 9x13 and a 9x9), spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce.

Lay out tortillas, add 2 large spoonfuls of the squash mixture to the center of each tortilla.  Sprinkle with a layer of cheese, then roll up.  Place seam side down in the baking dish, lining them up like very tasty little soldiers.  

I made 16 because I ran out of tortillas.  However, I had a bunch of filling left.  It was lovely later in taco salad and nachos.

Spread the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake these tasty tubes of happiness for 25-35 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 3-5 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, if you want.

Growing wheat grass

It is winter.

In Connecticut.

There is not much greenery for my chickens.  I do buy them the occasional bag of kale or spinach, which they love.  They also get all of the table scraps.  They will eat anything - except avocado and chocolate.  They don't especially like onion or citrus or (interestingly enough) strawberries - unless they are organic.  I don't know how they can tell, but they won't touch them.

When there is an abundance of growing things, their eggs are lovely - the yolks almost orange, the whites very clear.  Even with out growing things, their eggs are better than those in the store.

I thought I would try to supplement their food with wheat grass.  It's cheap and I can put it in my smoothies.  Win-win.

I got the wheat from Whole Foods.  Enough wheat for two pans cost around $2. That's it.

Start by soaking the wheat (about 1 1/2 cups for one disposable aluminum pan) in water overnight.  Drain the wheat.  You will see that some of the wheat has already begun to sprout!

Day one, after soaking all night

Take one aluminum pan and put something in it to keep the other pan above the water.  I used canning rings because I have plenty.

On the other aluminum pan, poke holes all over - large enough to drain the water but small enough so the wheat doesn't fall through.

Spread the soaked and drained wheat in the pan with the holes.  It should be about 1/2 inch thick.  It doesn't matter if it is less.

Set the pans in a sunny window.

Day 2 - you can see some green

Twice a day, pour water over the wheat.  You will need to drain the excess water once a day.

Day 3 - sprouting nicely

Watch it grow!

Day 4 - almost there

In five days, it should be 3-5 inches tall!  

Day 5 - ready to go

I just lift the whole thing out for the chickens, or use scissors to mow it for me.

You can then feed it to your chickens or snip off greens to add to your smoothies.  I start one a day, never having more than 5 going, so the chickens get a treat all winter.

Easy peasy!

Stuffing Waffles with Mashed Potatoes and Turkey Gravy

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving!

We have wild turkeys all over.  

We have so much to be thankful for.

My sister and her family celebrated Thanksgiving early this year.  You see, Claire, her daughter (my niece), will be receiving a bone marrow transplant at the end of this month.  Here is her story, if you are interested.http://courageforclaire.blogspot.com/2015/11/day-7-wbc-3.html?spref=fb

Anyway, with her leftovers, she made waffles out of stuffing.

I know!

Why have I never done this before?

I went out and got a box of Stovetop Cornbread stuffing (don't judge - I usually make homemade, but this was an experiment.)  I had a half of a Costco rotisserie chicken.  I had leftover mashed potatoes.  I had cranberry sauce.  I frequently made fast cheater gravy.  I was set.

It was so good!  

If you are vegetarian, substitute the chicken or turkey for mushrooms.  Sauté them first, and make the gravy with them.  It should be lovely.

Here is what I did.

Stuffing Waffles with Mashed Potatoes and Turkey Gravy

4 cups (about) of leftover stuffing - I used cornbread

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

mashed potatoes

leftover chicken or turkey

gravy - leftover or quick gravy (I'll put the recipe at the end)

cranberry sauce 

Get every thing ready.  Warm the potatoes, heat the gravy and add the turkey/chicken/or mushrooms to the gravy.

Heat your waffle iron.

Put the stuffing in a large bowl.  To the stuffing, add the eggs and milk.  Mix it up. It should be moist.  If you need to, add more milk.

To the hot waffle iron, add a dollop (about 1/2 cup) to each section.  Cook until hot and crispy.

Put the waffle on a plate.  Pile on a scoop of potatoes and the hot gravy with cranberries on the side.

Eat it up.

The perfect bite

Quick Gravy

2 cups hot water

1 Tablespoon chicken or beef stock (I like Better than Bouillon)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

*mushrooms (for vegetarian version)

*1/4 cup butter (for vegetarian version)

*2 cups vegetable stock (for vegetarian version)

*If making vegetarian gravy, sauté the mushrooms in an extra 1/4 cup of butter until brown. Remove from pan.  Proceed as for the meat gravy, substituting the vegetable broth and adding the mushrooms at the end.*

Mix the hot water and the chicken or beef stock.  

This is a gravy whisk.

I love my gravy whisk.

In a deep sauté pan, melt the butter.  When the butter is melted, whisk in the flour to make a roux.  Cook the roux for a minute or two, until it turns golden.

Whisking continuously, add the chicken or beef stock.  Keep stirring until the gravy thickens - it won't take very long.

To the thickened gravy, add milk and pepper (it doesn't usually need salt, but I don't like gravy super salty.  Do your own thing.)

To this gravy, you can add chicken, turkey, sausage or hamburger.  It is great over biscuits or mashed potatoes.

There you go. 

Stuffed Shells and sautéed spinach

My life is one big chaos-filled roller coaster on a track of house-induced stress.

PoppaH has been in sunny California since July.  He has his dream job at Google to entertain him. I get to take care of the kiddos, dogs, chickens, lawn, sew a bunch of costumes for the high school play (I already commuted to it), fix up the house, sell it (in a very slow market), pack and drive across country to reunite the fam-damn-ily.

Easy.

Anyone want to buy my house?  Not kidding.

I have not been cooking as much as usual.

Last night, however, I did. I had been seeing a stuffed shells recipe flitting about the Internet.  Cravings ensued.  Here is my version.

Stuffed Shells

*these measurements don't need to be exact*

1 box (1 pound) box of jumbo shells

1 1/2 pound loose sweet Italian sausage

1 quart (4 cups, or close to this amount) marinara sauce

2 cups (or close to it) ricotta cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 egg

2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook shells according to the directions on the box.  If you make your own shells, I bow to you.  Why are you reading my recipe?  You are a superior being.

Drain shells and rinse with cold water.

Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat until it is cooked completely.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, egg and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.  Mix in 1 cup of the marinara sauce and the cooked sausage.  (save the pan without washing if you are going to cook the spinach)

Pour 1 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan (I actually used a larger baking pan and it filled it)

Spoon about 2 Tablespoon of the cheese mixture into each shell to fill them.  Place each shell into your baking pan and repeat until you have filled all the shells and used up all the mixture.

Spoon the remaining marinara sauce over the filled shells. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the shells.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

We like it served with sautéed spinach.  Here is how to make that.

Sautéed Spinach

16 ounce bag of raw spinach

1 Tablespoon of olive oil, bacon fat, or use the pan from the sausage

salt

balsamic vinegar

About 10 minutes before the shells are done, heat a skillet and oil )or fat of choice) over medium high heat.

Add half the spinach.  Sprinkle with salt.  I use Himalayan pink salt in a grater - about 3 grates.

Cook, turning frequently, until wilted.  Add the rest of the spinach, continuing to turn, until it is all wilted.

Add a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Eat your spinach!