Salina's Little Kitchen

New Blog - Moon Flower

2010-12-11T18:30:00.001-08:00

Hello,
I have started a new blog called Moon Flower. This is were I will be at mostly. You are welcome to have a look and possibly even follow.:)
~Salina

How to make brown sugar

2009-01-31T09:38:00.000-08:00

The other day, the kids were begging me to make some chocolate chip cookies but I didn't have any brown sugar. So I told them I would look through my recipes for a cookie that didn't require brown sugar. While looking, I came across the description of what brown sugar itself is.

It says that brown sugar is either produced after refined white sugar is removed from beets or cane or is the result of mixing refined molasses syrup with white sugar crystals.

As I read this I thought, "Wow! I can make that!" After all, I had the molasses syrup and the white sugar. So, I got those ingredients out and set about making my own by used my best judgment on the amounts that I needed and mixed them together with a fork in a glass bowl.

I was amazed at how fast it started turning into brown sugar. I had used a bit too much molasses so I added a bit more sugar to lighten it. It looked beautiful when it was finished and I was very pleased with myself for having tried it.:)

More info. on brown sugar:

1.Dark brown sugar has a more intense flavor.

2.If brown sugar hardens, store in a closed container with a slice of apple or a moist slice of bread. ( I use the bread)

3.When measuring, firmly pack it into the measuring cup.

Raspberry Bars

2008-10-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

I't been about a year since i've posted on here but soon you'll see why maybe.

Mmm...now doesn't that look yummy?

Got myself a little helper too.

My son Gabe absolutely loves to help me in the kitchen.

As a matter of fact, he's the one that gets me in there to bake most of the time now.

Alas though, this was not done from scratch. Did it the easy way i'm afraid. Not too bad tasting though.

So...basically, I rarely bake from scratch anymore. We really don't eat many deserts even. I don't seem to have any desire for baking it seems. Actually any kind of cooking to me seems very non-fun to me. I'm hoping that I'll get back whatever it is I've lost because I do remember a time when I loved to experiment with things in the kitchen and trying something new from time to time. Same thing happened with me with my gardening too. I think that I know the cause of it all but will not embellish on it all here. My son Gabe who helped me with this desert is a big reason why I hope to get back in the kitchen again. He tells me all the time that when he grows up that he is going to be a chef and is going to have his own shop. He has always loved watching cooking shows and such and I think that I really believe that he will become a chef because he sounds so convincing. To be not even 5 years old and to be saying a thing like that tells ya somethin', I think. Heck, I didn't know or even think I had an idea of what I was going to be when I grew up when I was that age. Man, I still don't know.:)

Take care all.

~Salina

Zucchini Bread

2007-10-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
2 c. grated zucchini
1 tsp vanilla
¾ c. raisins or chopped nuts
3 c. sifted flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon

Beat eggs with fork till light.
Add sugar, beat well.
Stir in oil, vanilla, and zucchini.
Stir in dry ingredients. Add raisins or nuts.
Pour mixture in 2 – 9x5 greased bread pans.
Bake at 325* for one hour or until it tests done.
Let stand about 10 minutes before removing from pans.
Good stuff!

Buttermilk Biscuits

2007-10-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup buttermilk

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in buttermilk, then knead dough gently.
Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness.
Cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter and place on a lightly greased bakng sheet. ( I just use a spray)
Bake at 450* for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes about 10 biscuits.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

2007-10-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

Makes 8 servings

Pastry for Two-Crust Pie
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp grated orange peel, if desired
3 cups cut-up rhubarb (1/2 inch pieces) I used frozen rhubarb I froze this summer from my neighbor
3 cups sliced strawberries(I used frozen)
1 Tbls stick margarine or butter

1.Heat oven to 425*. Prepare pastry.

2.Mix sugar, flour and orange peel in large bowl. Stir in rhubarb and strawberries. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with margarine. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Sprinkle with sugar if desired (will give it a more golden color).Cover edge with 2-to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive brownig (I hadn’t due to running out of foil but luckily it turned out just fine). Remove the foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

3.Bake about 55 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Cool in pie plate on wire rack. This is wonderful served warm.

Pastry For Pies and Tarts

2007-10-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

From my well used Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook-Everything You Need to Know to Cook

For a two-crust pie:

2/3 cup plus 2 Tbls. shortening or 2/3 cup lard
2 cups all purpose or unbleached flour
1 tsp salt
4 to 5 Tbls. Cold water

1.Cut shortening into flour and salt, using pastry blender or crisscrossing two knives (I use a fork and then my fingers), until particles the size of coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time (I put in all 5 Tbls. and then add more water from there usually), tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl.
2.Gather pastry into a ball then divide that into two. Shape balls into flattened rounds on lightly floured cloth-covered board (I just use the table or counter without a cloth).
3. Roll pastry into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down pie plate, 9 X 1 ¼ inches, or 3 inches larger than 10- or 11-inch tart pan, with floured cloth-covered rolling pin(I don’t use the cloth unless my dough is particularly sticky).
Fold pastry into fourths ( I just fold mine in half); place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.

Two-Crust Pie

Turn desired filling into pastry-lined pie plate, 9 X 1 ¼ inches. Trim overhanging edge of pastry ½ inch from rim of plate. Roll other round of pastry. Fold into fourths and cut slits so steam can escape.

If you think there is too much fill in this, you are right. :) Make sure there is a good 1 inch from rim of plate. This particular pie bubbled out as it cooked but it still tasted wonderfully!:)

Place pastry over filling and unfold. Trim overhanging edge of top pastry 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute. Or prepare a lattice top (Those take a bit more time but so pretty when done.).
Ingredients for One-Crust Pie:

1/3 cup plus 1 Tbls. shortening or 1/3 cup lard
1 cup all-purpose or unbleached flour
¼ tsp salt
2 to 3 Tbls cold water

Filled Crust: For Pie, trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute. For tart, trim overhanging edge of pastry even with top of tart pan. Fill and bake as directed in pie or tart recipe.

Baked Crust (unfilled): Heat oven to 475*. For pie, trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute. For tart, trim overhanging edge of pastry even with top of tart pan. Prick bottom and side of pastry thoroughly with fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown: cool on wire rack.

Baked Tart Shells (I have never made these but plan to one day)

Prepare pastry as directed above for One-Crust Pie except roll pastry into 13-inch circle. Cut into eight 4 ½ inch circles.

Heat oven to 475*. Fit circles over backs of medium muffin cups, 2 ½ x 1 ¼ inches, or 6-ounce custard cups, making pleats so pastry will fit closely. (If using individual pie pans or tart pans, cut pastry circles 1 inch larger than upside-down pans; fit into pans.) Prick pastry thoroughly with fork to prevent puffing. Place on cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool before removing from cups. Fill each shell with 1/3 to ½ cup of your favorite filling pudding, fresh fruit, or ice cream.

1 Serving(one crust): Calories 140 (Calories from fat 90); Fat 10g (Saturated 3g); Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 65 mg; Carbohydrate 12g (Dietary Fiber); Protein 1g

Yummy Chicken Quesadillas

2007-10-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is a very easy and tasty meal. Definitely a kid pleaser.

You will need:

1 pkg. flour tortillas

1 pkg. shredded cheese about 2 cups ( I like cheddar)

1 lb. cooked chicken breast cut in thin strips

Olive oil or canola oil

A hot sauce of your choice(opt.)

First, heat about a Tbls of olive oil or canola oil in a pan.

Place about a handful of cheese on one side of a tortilla along with a layer of chicken strips. Put another layer of cheese on top of that.

Place in the pan and fold the tortilla in half as pictured.

I like to sprinkle a little bit of hot sauce on it before I fold it.

Let them cook on each side till golden brown. You may have to add more oil in the pan as you go along preparing more.

Walla! There you have it! These are good without the chicken too. Kids really dig that.

We have quite a few different types of hot sauce. My husband loves the stuff. :)

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

2007-09-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Now as usual, this recipe was altered a bit by me to suit what I had in my cupboard. :)

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

15 or 16 oz. can pumpkin

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsps pumpkin pie seasoning or a tsp or so of each of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Lightly coat two loaf pans with cooking spray then dust with flour.

In a large bowl combine the sugar and oil and beat to blend.

Add eggs and pumpkin and mix well. Set aside.

In a second large bowl, sift together the flour, pumpkin seasoning, baking soday, salt and baking powder.

Add to pumpkin mixture.

Divide batter equally between the prepared pans.

Bake for about 1 hour 10 mins.

Let cool for about 10 minutes before you take out of pans to transfer to racks to cool completely.

Yum! :)

Salina's Quick and Easy Tomato Alfredo and Macaroni

2007-09-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

I was at the grocery store a couple of days ago and saw this beautiful pasta. I was wondering what I could do with them. Farther down the isle I spotted a pretty colored sauce made by Classico called Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo. I was planning on making a quick and tasty new meal.

So first I cooked up about 10 oz. of this spinach and tomato macaroni in a medium sized pot while at the same time I browned 1/4 lb. lean hamburger. I added a bit of salt and pepper to the hamburger as it browned.

When the macaroni was done cooking I then drained it and threw the hamburger in the pot and stirred it up a bit.

I then added this lovely sauce to it and gave it a good stir.

This is what I got. Simple I know. It made over a quart.For sides I thought lowfat cottage cheese and tomatoes would compliment this dish nicely.

I think that adding some sun-dried tomatoes to this would be delicious. I would then probobly not even add the hamburger. I added that mostly for my husband. He's gotta have his meat!

Salina's Cool Weather Soup

2007-09-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

This is just one of the many soups that I simply throw together and see what I get. It's a good one.

1 lb. ground beef, browned (use as lean as possible)

1 cup lentils

1 cup pearled barley

1 small sweet onion

2 large carrots sliced

2 cups shredded cabbage

24 oz. can vegetable juice(I don't use this much due to hubby not liking this either, but I love it.)

about 2 tsp. of a good garlic salt seasoning blend

3 or 4 beef boullion cubes(opt.)

Place everything in a large pot and bring to a boil. Then put a lid on it and let it simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours.

I love this without the meat but my husband prefers it. If you don't use it you might want to add a pototo or two to make it more hearty.

Feel free to try all kinds of vegetables and experiment a little with soup. You may be pleasantly surprised with what you get.

Simple Snack

2007-01-20T10:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here's an easy one.

One of my favorite snacks since about not very long ago because for the longest time I was too afraid to try it, is a simple mix of crushed pineapple and lowfat cottage cheese. I remember as a kid trying something like that with cottage cheese and thought it was discusting. So never tried it again. I absolutely love the stuff. I'm having some right now (picture above).

I usually mix almost equal parts of the crushed pineapple and cottage cheese with a bit more pineapple. What's interesting is that I really don't like to eat cottage cheese alone much but it is devine served this way. :)

So give this little snack a try if you haven't already. My husband and kids think I'm weird because I eat this, but they just don't know what they are missing. ;)

2007-01-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

Man! Have I been neglecting this blog or what? I can't believe that the last time I posted here was November 12th! Wow.
I will try harder to make sure that I post some good recipes on here really soon.

Got nothing now except to say happy new year!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2006-11-12T22:58:00.000-08:00

This is a very yummy dish that my husbands Aunt Charlotte gave to me in April of 2004. I've made it alot. Good comfort food.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (whole roasted from the deli is great for this.)
2 cans cream of chicken soup(undiluted)
1 16 oz. sour cream
1 7 oz. or 2 -4oz. diced chillies
1 lb. grated cheese (I've used cheddar, colby, pre-shredded mexican cheese and it's all good)
1 dozen corn tortillas
Diced green onions for garnish(I never use that)

Mix soup, sour cream, chillies and chicken in a bowl.
Tear tortillas into pieces and cover bottom with one layer in bottom of baking dish.
Then a layer of soup mixture, then a layer of cheese.
Continue layering ending with cheese.
Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.
Garnish if you choose.

(Olives are great in this dish. I add them to the soup mixture.)

I don't have a picture of this yet but as soon as I make the dish again I'll be sure to get a picture of it and post it on here. I really like having a picture of things that I haven't made before myself.
Happy Cooking! :)

Shredded Pork Tacos

2006-11-03T15:32:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since i've posted on here I know. This next recipe I will be posting is one of the best.

I started making it in November of 2004 and have made it quite often since. It lasts for a good two days or more depending on how big your roast was and your family.

Shredded Pork Tacos

1 pork roast
1 pack white corn tortilla
1 can green mexican salso (we use the mild or medium)
1 bunch of fresh cilantro (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)

Cook the roast in crock pot or oven over night on low. In the oven I usually have the temperature at 275 degrees. Remove and let cool. Shred pork, rmoving all fat and bone if any.

Add green salsa.

Lightly fry or microwave tortillas. We prefer to fry them. If frying be sure to blot oil from tortillas.

Mix cilantro and onion together.

Warm the pork. Drain off excess liquid. Serve on tortillas with cilantro I onion.

We also like to sprinkle a little hotsauce on them as well.

( We usually eat them how I described but you can add lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream or salsa, etc.)

You are gonna love these!

Salmon with Green Beans & Almonds

2006-10-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

This was dinner this evening. It turned out really good.
Basically I put the salmon in a casserole dish with a cover. I put some bits of butter on the salmon, sprinkled it with Cajun's Choice Blackened Seasoning and then topped that with slices of lemon.
I put it in a preheated 375 degree oven, put the lid on and cooked it for about 45 mins. or so.
I simply bought a frozen bag of green beans that already had the seasonings and almonds in it. I don't usually get stuff like that but I'm glad I did because it wasn't too bad. Actually almonds go very well with green beans I discovered.
Once again, everyone was pleased. My hubby didn't try it so don't know what he thought. He had to go off to work this evening. Anyway, I'm always happy when everyone is pleased with their meal.

Tip for silky-smooth egg soups

2006-10-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

For silky-smooth egg soups (instead of scrambled-egg soups); warm the eggs slowly by adding a bit of hot liquid as is done in the Avgolomono soup recipe. (found in Soups and Stews catagory) Pouring the eggs directly into hot broth would create egg-drop soup- a delicious variation, but not the goal here.

Avgolemono Soup

2006-10-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

Today I made my favorite soup of all time. It was a rainy and cold day today so this soup was perfect.

I started making this soup in 2003. The first time I had it was at a local Greek restaurant. I absolutely loved it. I intended on asking the person at the restaurant who made the soup for the recipe but didn't have to because strangely enough not long after that I found this recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine called Avgolemono soup (Greek lemon-egg soup). I wasn't for sure that it was it until I tried it. I was happy to discover that it was.

If you love lemony foods you will for sure love this recipe.

Avgolemono soup

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup long-grain rice
2 cooked chicken breast halves, skin discarded & meat shredded ( I use the meat from this wonderful Greek Herbed roasted chicken that I get from a nearby grocery store)
2 large eggs at room temp.
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice ( I use more-usually the amount of juice you can get from 3 lemons)

Heat the broth and rice in a large pot to boiling.

Reduce heat to simmering; cover and cook 15 mins. or until the rice is cooked.

Add the chicken.

Remove the soup from heat and cover.

Wisk the eggs and lemon juice in a medium bowl until frothy.

Remove about 1 cup hot broth from the soup and slowly add it to the eggs, whisking continually.

Slowly stir the warmed eggs into the soup. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately .

2006-10-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a hearty desert that I made a couple of days ago. I changed it from a stawberry cumb cake recipe to a rhubarb crumb cake recipe. I also added ground flax to it which makes it a bit heavier but I really liked it alot.

Here is the recipe:

Rhubarb Crumb Cake

1 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/4 cp (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut in pieces

1/3 cup walnuts (opt.)

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 8 x 2-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In small bowl mix egg. milk, oil and vanilla.

3. Make well in center of flour mixture. Add egg mixture to well. Beat with wooden spoon 1 minute until evenly moistened. Spoon into prepared pan. Top with rhubarb.

4. Crumb Topping: In small bowl, mix flour and sugar. Cut in butter with pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle topping over rhubarb.

5. Bake at 350 dgrees for 40 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into 9 squares. dust with confectioners' sugar. (I didn't do that, only because I forgot.)

To make the strawberry version do this:

Instead of 3/4 cup sugar use only 1/2. Instead of rhubarb use strawberries. :)

Eating Organically and Feeling Good

2006-10-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

As most people would agree, it is important to eat healthy. It can be hard to do that sometimes with all the hightly processed and fast foods. Another thing to think about is where your food comes from. We may think that we are eating healthy but alot of the foods we eat are made with lots of additives and grown with icky chemicals. Here is a little something from a wonderful read called MaryJane's Ideabook-Cookbook-Lifebook For the Farmgirl in All of Us by MaryJane Butters:

Not so very long ago, every morsel of food we humans ate was organic. And most kitchens were farm kitchens with a garden out back. More and more people are bringing good, organic food back into their diets for one reason only - the pleasure of good health. Modern food conglomerates more interested in profits than good health serve us dangerous chemicals as a side dish. Not only that, when farmers handle the chemicals, it has a kind of double- barreled effect.With a little ingenuity and determination, you can come up with a recipe for good health that keeps chemicals off your plate...

Feeling Good
One important reason to eat organically grown foods is the positive effects it has on your immune system. Disease and allergies can be the result of a weakend immune system struggling to cope with nasty additives and chemical residues. With every organic bite you eat your lymphatic system emphatically thanks you.

Keeping tabs on your own pantry is one thing, but eating out can be a challenge. Since organic restaurants are hard to find, choose a restaurant that has a good selection of vegetable and fruit dishes. Ask the host if they can leave out the MSG. Go with good friends, relax and enjoy it. Throw your head back and laugh. Laughter and feeling good also bolster your immune system. Author Norman Cousins claims he cured himself of a life-threatening disease by laughing for several hours every day. (hmm...interesting)

Anyway, if you would like to see a little more on MaryJane Butters you can visit MaryJane Butter's Farm on the web at http://www.maryjanesfarm.org or write there at: http://maryjane@maryjanesfarm.org

Yummy Broccoli Soup

2006-10-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

This is a very delicious soup and I simply love the color. I got it from this site: http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/2006/10/straightforward-broccoli-soup.html but I'll put a copy of it right here. I tried it for the first time this evening and the most wonderful thing happened, everyone loved it! It is oh so simple and easy to make. It's basically like potato soup with broccoli.

Here is the recipe:

Straightforward Broccoli Soup
In a large pot, saute:

1 chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

in 3 T. olive oil til onion is transparent.

Add:

6-8 cups chicken broth

2 large bunches of broccoli, broken into large pieces

2-4 potatoes, scrubbed and coarsely chopped.

Cover and simmer until all vegetables are very tender, about 40 minutes.

In batches, whirl in blender or food processor until smooth.

Return to pot and season with salt and lots of pepper. If desired, stir in:

1 c. heavy cream (I didn't have that on hand so used some soy milk)

and heat but do not boil.

I also added a bit of butter at the end.

Try it for yourself and enjoy! Don't forget to check out the above site. She has other great recipes there as well that I have yet to try out. So basically I am assuming they are great but I have a feeling they will be. :)