Strawberries 2011 - Part 2

Well... we managed to go through 15 lbs of strawberries in about 10 days without making a single batch of jam.  The whole reason I'd gone to pick strawberries in the first place! (but those 15 lbs of strawberry shortcake made for some tasty dinners, and snacks... and breakfasts)

When we went back for round 2 I knew I would have to be a more efficient berry picker since I was going to have both girls with me.  Yes, Dani got to go on her very first trip to the strawberry field.  To say she enjoyed herself would be an understatement.

While Michaela once again befriended the girls working the U-Pick trailer Dani managed to eat a steady stream of strawberries as provided by her big sister and momma.

See for yourself why it took an entire package of baby wipes to get Dani clean enough to ride home.

By the way, this time I picked another 14 lbs. of berries myself and almost doubled that with another 8 quart flat that we bought from the barn.  Nearly 25 lbs of berries to eat here this weekend!!!

Yep.  That is Dani underneath all that strawberry pulp and juice.  I still need to hose out the nicely stained stroller.  Just look at her face though, you can see how much she's enjoying herself. :)

"Hmmmmm.... should I eat it? Or should I smash it and then eat it?"

Michaela is super cool with her water bottle.

Seriously.  All the cool kids drink from water bottles.

This is where Dani lost patience with 'cool' and demanded a drink.

"Ehhh, whatever.  I'm going to go make faces at mom."

The best part of this photo was that I had to edit out a booger that she'd wiped onto her cheek while I was picking berries.  Yeah, I didn't notice until later that afternoon that she'd wiped snot onto her face.

Feeding the Mommas

Within the past few weeks we have had a lot of friends and acquaintances welcoming new additions to their family.  Can I just say that I LOVE all these new babies that I can hold and see but give back when they smell or cry? :)

Anyway, two weeks ago I made 3 of these families some food.  The recipe can be found at Meijer MealBox, just search out "White Lasagna" and you'll find the recipe.  Here's some photos from my making a triple plus batch if the recipe to end up with 4 lasagnas.

I've made this delicious White Lasagna so many times now that I alter the recipe and have learned some tips to help as well.

I've started using freeze-dried garlic and just letting the melted butter coat it before adding the mushrooms and spinach. Freeze-dried garlic is my new favorite cooking secret (not so secret anymore though...).  The recipe calls for white mushrooms, but you can see my preferred baby portabellos to the right.  So tasty!

I always add in about 50% more spinach and mushrooms than the recipe calls for.  Hence my ability to make 4 large lasagnas from a tripled recipe.

8 of the 9 empty Alfredo sauce jars from making this triple batch, and all the yummy filling!  The original recipe calls for 1 cup of reserved sauce (1/2 at bottom of pan and 1/2 on top of last noodle layer).  I'd recommend adding an extra 1/2 cup to that amount to make sure the top noodles are thoroughly covered or they will cook up extremely inedible.

I also suggest getting more than the recommended 15 oz of ricotta cheese and making extra filling so you don't have to scrimp on the cheese layers.  Double it and remember the extra egg for binder.  You may have some left over, but I find that's better than not enough.  To the right you can see 3 of my 4 pan assembly line from that night.  What a project!

Ah, the magic of precooked lasagna noodles.  I HIGHLY recommend getting a disposable baking pan like the recipe suggests.  If you decide to use your own pan DON'T use glass.  The rounded edges make cooking uneven and it won't turn out as well.  Keep in mind any other baking pan than an aluminum one may need more time in the oven as well.

One of the lasagnas topped in all it's glory with mozzarella and shaved Parmesan.  Doesn't the finished product look delicious?  That's because I didn't follow the recipe again & cooked my lasagnas covered with aluminum foil that I've sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  I bake it for approximately 40 minutes, remove the foil and then bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the cheese starts to brown.  I found that leaving the top uncovered was another great way to get that top layer of noodles and cheese to completely overcook (it was like chewing leather).

I hope you enjoy, this is a great meal to make and share.  Not only is it hearty and filling, but there are always plenty of leftovers and it's actually better the second day.

Enchilada Chicken Casserole

I used to make enchiladas all the time, but every time I would inevitably over make the filling.  One day I finally decided to try making a "casserole" with layers so I could use all that extra filling.  The casserole turned out quite delicious and this recipe has now been made more times than I can count.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium green bell pepper
• 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 - 12 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups frozen yellow corn, thawed
• 2 cup salsa
• corn or flour tortillas (depending on your preference)
• 18 oz. enchilada sauce
• 3 cups shredded cheese (I use colby jack or mexican blends)

Boil the chicken until cooked through.  Make sure to not overcook! (I've done that a lot).  Let cool until you are able to handle it and then cube chicken.  Add to large mixing bowl.

Medium to large dice the onion and green bell pepper.  Saute in fry pan with small amount of butter or non-stick cooking spray.  Salt & Pepper to taste.  I usually cook these until they look 'fajita style' (there were NO green bell peppers at the grocery story yesterday - it was pretty amazing).  Add to mixing bowl.

Rinse the black beans with cold water until water runs clear.  Thaw corn by running under warm/hot water (takes only 2 minutes or so).  Add black beans and corn to bowl and mix.

Add 1 cups salsa to bowl and mix thoroughly.  Add 1/2 cup increments and continue to mix thoroughly until mixture is held together by the salsa, but before it becomes too wet.  Add and mix in cilantro.

Spread 1/2 of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Layer tortilla shells on top of enchilada sauce.  Cut the tortillas as needed to get a completely covered bottom.  Add 1/2 chicken mixture on top of the tortillas.  Sprinkle 1 cup cheese on top of this mixture.

Repeat layers of tortillas, remaining chicken mixture and 1 cup cheese.  Add another layer tortillas to top.  Spread rest of enchilada sauce on top and then sprinkle on last cup of cheese.

Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes or until sauce starts bubbling.  Remove tin foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes to brown up cheese.

Remove from oven and let set for 5 min before serving.  Serve with tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream (whatever you usually like on an enchilada).

Christmas 2010

I've been very slow in catching up on all my blogging.  I will blame it on the excessive amount of parties and family gatherings we've had lately (sounds good right?).  Anyway, here are a couple random holiday photos and some from Christmas Eve morning with Chris' dad.

 This is the skirts that I made them! I thought the skirts turned out so cute, Dani's has trim in the fabric that is the reversible side of Michaela's 'twirlly' skirt.  Michaela has to hold Dani so she doesn't decide to make a break for it as soon as I try to take the picture. :)

The tree was fascinating to Dani. Thankfully we didn't have to many problems with her touching it, Michaela was another story...

This is what happened when Dani found the presents from Pop and Grandma Mary.  She never even tried to open the presents under our tree but as soon as Chris' parents brought presents over she TORE into them like a pro.  You would never had guessed that she hadn't ever opened a present before! hehehe

 Michaela had slept with braids in her hair the night before.  Hence her unusual style.

Believe it or not this was the best shot of everyone.  Michaela had run off for the one picture that Mary wasn't talking, but her eyes were closed anyway so this is the winner.  (BTW: Those are the dresses I made the girls for this year)

 Danny (aka Pop) and Dani :)

Oatmeal Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yep, try saying that 5 times fast. ;)  This is a favorite recipe of ours and I end up making double batches multiple times throughout the winter months.  It's very tasty and I convince myself that the oatmeal and cherries makes them healthy (don't even try to burst my bubble on that either).

1/2 cup stick butter (cold from the fridge turns out best)
1/2 cup shortening
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda
1/2  tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup all purpose flour (plus)

3 cups old fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 - 1 cup dried cherries

Heat oven to 375

Mix wet ingredients in order listed.  Sift dry ingredients together and add to wet ingredients.  Add oats and then hand mix in chocolate chips and cherries to personal taste. 

*I always need to add additional flour to thicken up the mixture.  Depending on how the batch looks it's usually an extra cup to cup and a half of flour, but I add this in by hand before the chocolate chips and cherries.

Bake 9-11 minutes or until light golden brown (centers may still look under done but are usually ready).

Immediately remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.  You can also make cookie bars with them in a 8x8x2 pan that is ungreased (bake approx 25 min).

Makes approx 3 dozen cookies

How I Make Applesauce

As far back as I remember my cousins, sisters, and I were helping my grandma and mom make applesauce every year (not too surprising considering I'm from a family of apple farmers). Now that I am a mom, I too have started making applesauce every fall and when I do I inevitably get at least one person asking me how I make my applesauce or what my recipe is.  I finally decided I would just post about it and tell anyone who wants to know.

Disclaimer: I don't use a recipe.  Never have, never will.  Apples are so varied in size, taste, etc. that I would find it harder to make an applesauce that I liked the taste of if I was working within the confines of a recipe.  Instead I will tell you how I make my applesauce and some tips to help you make some for yourself.

Tip #1: get yourself an apple peeler/corer/slicer like the one pictured below if you're going to make a big batch of applesauce.  It's quick, easy to use, and the clean up is a breeze.  With this handy little tool I was able to prep 10 pounds of apples in about 1 hour. 

Tip #2: I like to use Gala apples for my sauce right now.  Galas are so naturally sweet that I don't have to use any sugar in my applesauce for the girls.  I also recommend using a 2-3 different varieties of apples to make sauce with if you want a more complex flavor.  If you're unsure of what varieties to use for making applesauce check out the Michigan Apples website to see what uses are good for any specific variety you enjoy.  For example, Honeycrisp apples are great fresh, but when cooked or baked they don't work as well.

Here's how the apple/peeler/corer works...

You just stick the apple on the prongs...

and start turning the handle to peel, slice and core the apple all at once.

Here you can see where all the slices are.  It resembles an apple 'slinky' once you are done.

Just pull off the apple slices and you're left with the core...

which you then remove from the prongs to start the process all over again.

  There is a giant suction cup on the base to hold the peeler/corer/slicer in place so you don't have to worry about slicing yourself. 

After I remove the peeled apples I cut them in half and check for any remaining pieces of core, pits, or peel.  I then cut out or off any of these remaining unwanted pieces with a paring knife before putting the sliced apples in a pot to cook.

This is an 8 quart pan.  I left about 3 inches of space at the top to keep from spilling over the edges when cooking.  Depending on how many apples you're making up you can use a much smaller pan. When I was in college and didn't have room to store any applesauce long term so I would make up half a dozen apples as sauce at once in a very small pan... you get the idea.

To cook you just add 1-2 inches of water to the pan and start cooking the apples on medium to medium high heat.  As they start to cook you will want to use a potato masher to break the apple slices down and mix the apples around in the pot for even cooking.  If you want very smooth applesauce, I would suggest using a hand blender or food processor on the applesauce once it's done cooking and cooled a bit.

If your water boils away before the apples break down enough to supply the natural apple juices for cooking just add another cup or so of water.  Remember, the more water you add the more you have to boil away before you're finished.  Continue regular mashing and stirring of the apples until they are thoroughly cooked and are to your desired 'chunkiness'. 

 Once it's all done cooking, remove from heat and add any spices (I like cinnamon and ground cloves) to your desired taste.  You can also add any desired sugar at this time to make the applesauce as sweet as you may want it.

My 10 pound bag of apples made up about 1 gallon of cooked applesauce, which I put into plastic containers, labeled and froze.  They'll keep in the freezer for about a year and we will have homemade applesauce until next fall when I start the whole process all over again. :)

If you have any questions, just leave me a comment and I'll do my best to answer you or point you in the right direction.

Storing Away for Winter...

So  Chris got really excited about the thought of me canning and freezing this year.  It is a lot of work and not my favorite task to do, but I'm sure I will enjoy the results this winter.  Here's a look at the canning I did.  There are also about 12 cups of frozen corn and 6 cups of frozen summer squash in our little freezer.  If only we had more room in our apartment...

salsa - there were 3 1/2 jars from the whole batch... 

dill pickles

raspberry jam and peach jam

blueberry jam and strawberry jam