In talking with my cousins, all of us now adults with kids of our own, I have discovered that we all have fond memories of our Grandmother Nina's Meat 'n Potatoes 'n Carrots recipe. She used to make this for us frequently, probably because we used to ask her to make it rather frequently. There is not much to the recipe. The secret to the flavor of this dish is in the seasoning. Any other seasoning blend does not have the flavor that my cousins and I remember so fondly.
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Grandmother Nina's Meat 'n Potatoes 'n Carrots
1 lb Ground beef
1 lb Baby carrots
4-5 Potatoes, cubed
1 Onion, coarsely chopped
1 tsp Morton Nature's Seasons Seasoning Blend (add more to taste if desired)
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef in enough olive oil to prevent sticking. Add remaining ingredients, cover, and cook over Medium-Low heat until potatoes are cooked. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Should feed 6 easily.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
NWS Swisher Cooperative Station
I grew up in West Texas watching funnel clouds traverse the sky (and occasionally the ground) every spring and summer. Rain was scarce enough to be a big event, especially since it almost only fell as part of awesome and powerful thunderstorms. Everyone sat on the porch to watch to watch the Lord's lightning show. So I grew up with my eyes to the sky, learning to recognize what the different colors and cloud types meant and when to run and hide in the bath tub (we did not have a basement).
Why is this brief slice of my history relevant now? Well, as of today, the Midwest Texan (and family) is proud to be a National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Observer. The NWS uses volunteer observers, collectively known as the Cooperative Observer Program, to gather the majority of the weather data that they use to generate forecasts, to track weather patterns, and even to issue severe weather alerts. The NWS has used coop observers for a very long time. In fact, in 1933, Henry Wallace, then Secretary of Agriculture, told then President Roosevelt that the Cooperative Observer Program was one of the most extraordinary and cost effective services ever developed. Today, it still continues to net the public more per dollar expended than any other government service in the world.
In addition to being trained a weather spotter, I am now tracking, and reporting on a daily basis, 24-hr precipitation rates. Our home's location (now known as the NWS Swisher Cooperative Station) is such that it is considered the official precipitation report for the Eastern Iowa Airport (aka Cedar Rapids Airport). So when you look on-line for weather data in Cedar Rapids and you see "precipitation reported at the Cedar Rapids airport" that is our backyard...errr, station. I am so jazzed about it this. (DH and I have already had a good natured argument over who gets to wear the NWS ball cap that came with our official rain gauge. He covets my hat!)
This isn't rocket science and it isn't hard. I am just going out to check a Standard Rain Gauge (SRG) every morning at 7AM. The SRG, provided and installed by the NWS, is a hollow, 8-inch diameter, metal tube with an open top, which collects precipitation. The opening at the top is mounted about 3 feet from the ground. During the warmer months, a 2-inch diameter clear acrylic tube is placed inside the 8" tube. A funnel fits on top so that the rain falls into the small tube only. I use a NWS provided ruler to measure the depth of the water in the small tube. In the winter, the small tube and funnel are removed, and snow falls directly into the larger metal tube. Then, that snow is melted down and poured into the small tube to be measured. Outside of that, I simply log what kind of weather I see each day. Is it raining and if so at what times? Is it foggy and if so what is the estimated visibility? Most people mentally note this stuff as they go about their day as it is. I simply take a few seconds to write it down. What is so cool is that doing this is helping the community on a larger scale while satisfying my fascination with weather in general. Now all I need to do is talk DH into letting me get a nice home weather station with an anemometer, barometer etc., all with a wireless up link to a computer so I can track the data via spreadsheet.
Why is this brief slice of my history relevant now? Well, as of today, the Midwest Texan (and family) is proud to be a National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Observer. The NWS uses volunteer observers, collectively known as the Cooperative Observer Program, to gather the majority of the weather data that they use to generate forecasts, to track weather patterns, and even to issue severe weather alerts. The NWS has used coop observers for a very long time. In fact, in 1933, Henry Wallace, then Secretary of Agriculture, told then President Roosevelt that the Cooperative Observer Program was one of the most extraordinary and cost effective services ever developed. Today, it still continues to net the public more per dollar expended than any other government service in the world.
In addition to being trained a weather spotter, I am now tracking, and reporting on a daily basis, 24-hr precipitation rates. Our home's location (now known as the NWS Swisher Cooperative Station) is such that it is considered the official precipitation report for the Eastern Iowa Airport (aka Cedar Rapids Airport). So when you look on-line for weather data in Cedar Rapids and you see "precipitation reported at the Cedar Rapids airport" that is our backyard...errr, station. I am so jazzed about it this. (DH and I have already had a good natured argument over who gets to wear the NWS ball cap that came with our official rain gauge. He covets my hat!)
This isn't rocket science and it isn't hard. I am just going out to check a Standard Rain Gauge (SRG) every morning at 7AM. The SRG, provided and installed by the NWS, is a hollow, 8-inch diameter, metal tube with an open top, which collects precipitation. The opening at the top is mounted about 3 feet from the ground. During the warmer months, a 2-inch diameter clear acrylic tube is placed inside the 8" tube. A funnel fits on top so that the rain falls into the small tube only. I use a NWS provided ruler to measure the depth of the water in the small tube. In the winter, the small tube and funnel are removed, and snow falls directly into the larger metal tube. Then, that snow is melted down and poured into the small tube to be measured. Outside of that, I simply log what kind of weather I see each day. Is it raining and if so at what times? Is it foggy and if so what is the estimated visibility? Most people mentally note this stuff as they go about their day as it is. I simply take a few seconds to write it down. What is so cool is that doing this is helping the community on a larger scale while satisfying my fascination with weather in general. Now all I need to do is talk DH into letting me get a nice home weather station with an anemometer, barometer etc., all with a wireless up link to a computer so I can track the data via spreadsheet.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Zucchini Cheese Casserole
I always have a dilemma of what to do with all of the zucchini I harvest from my garden every year. Usually I end up blanching, shredding, and freezing a good portion of it for bread making later in the year. My husband loves zucchini bread but, to be honest, I am getting a little tired of it. So, after perusing my mom's recipe box and reviewing some online recipe sites, I decided to experiment and came up with the recipe below.
There are quite literally hundreds of similar casserole recipes on the internet and I am not making any unique claims to this one. It went over very well with my family the first time I made it. Hopefully, it will go over well with yours.
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Zucchini Cheese Casserole
4 cups Zucchini, grated
1 lb Ground Meat (Venison, Beef, Turkey, Chicken, Buffalo, Duck, or Goose)
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, ground
3 Eggs, beaten
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 cup Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesian Cheese, grated
Brown the meat in a skillet. Combine the zucchini, browned ground meat, onion, eggs, and cheddar cheese in a big bowl an mix well. Put in a well buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle Parmesian Cheese on top. Then sprinkle cracker crumbs on top. Bake for 1 hour at 350 F degrees. Serves 6.
There are quite literally hundreds of similar casserole recipes on the internet and I am not making any unique claims to this one. It went over very well with my family the first time I made it. Hopefully, it will go over well with yours.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zucchini Cheese Casserole
4 cups Zucchini, grated
1 lb Ground Meat (Venison, Beef, Turkey, Chicken, Buffalo, Duck, or Goose)
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, ground
3 Eggs, beaten
1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 cup Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesian Cheese, grated
Brown the meat in a skillet. Combine the zucchini, browned ground meat, onion, eggs, and cheddar cheese in a big bowl an mix well. Put in a well buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle Parmesian Cheese on top. Then sprinkle cracker crumbs on top. Bake for 1 hour at 350 F degrees. Serves 6.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Chocolate Bread
Hi, my name is Jenni and I am a chocoholic. Mentally, I can hear the rest of you saying "Hi, Jenni." I suspect a majority of Americans, perhaps humans world-wide, are also chocoholics whether they admit it or not. I have no intention of ever becoming a 'recovering' chocoholic why the heck would I ever want to recover from chocolaty goodness. Besides, there are plenty of studies out there indicating that chocolate has several beneficial health effects. Oh yeah, I am going to cling to that concept as long as possible.
So for all those chocoholics out there trying to feed their addiction on a daily basis, what could be more wonderful than Chocolate Bread. It makes wonderful toast and is divine for making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Your kid can be the envy of everyone in school when he breaks out his brown bag lunch.
I found this recipe in an issue of Cooking Light Magazine roughly 14 years ago. All I did at the time was tear the page out of the magazine so I have no idea which issue, only that it was on page 136 and that the article appears to have been written by Ann Taylor, a Cooking Light copy editor.
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Cooking Light's Chocolate Bread
1 cup Warm Water
1 Large Egg
1 tbs Butter, softened
1 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Sugar
1 tbs Flax Seed Meal (optional - I add this to all my bread recipes)
3 cups Bread Flour
1/4 cup Dutch Process Cocoa
4 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tsp Bread Machine Yeast
Place ingredients in order listed into the bread machine baking pan. Bake using a Sweet Bread baking cycle.
Do not use with timer setting as the egg will not keep well at room temperature.
So for all those chocoholics out there trying to feed their addiction on a daily basis, what could be more wonderful than Chocolate Bread. It makes wonderful toast and is divine for making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Your kid can be the envy of everyone in school when he breaks out his brown bag lunch.
I found this recipe in an issue of Cooking Light Magazine roughly 14 years ago. All I did at the time was tear the page out of the magazine so I have no idea which issue, only that it was on page 136 and that the article appears to have been written by Ann Taylor, a Cooking Light copy editor.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cooking Light's Chocolate Bread
1 cup Warm Water
1 Large Egg
1 tbs Butter, softened
1 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Sugar
1 tbs Flax Seed Meal (optional - I add this to all my bread recipes)
3 cups Bread Flour
1/4 cup Dutch Process Cocoa
4 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tsp Bread Machine Yeast
Place ingredients in order listed into the bread machine baking pan. Bake using a Sweet Bread baking cycle.
Do not use with timer setting as the egg will not keep well at room temperature.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Homemade Meat Broth
Most people these days throw away the turkey carcass and ham bone remains of their Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. I put them in a ziplock bag and stick them in the freezer until I have a chance to turn them into broth. A good meat broth is the key to making any good soup or stew as well as a few other things. It's also a good way to save money by getting the last little bit of goody out of your bones and turkey/chicken/ham remnants. I also never buy bouillon.
This is a very easy process but it is a long process spanning two or three days during which time you will need stove space and refrigerator space. The longer you cook the bones and meat, the better the broth will be and the more nutrients will be released from the bones/marrow and into the broth. I am describe the process that I use below. If you do not wish to cook your stock as long as I do, please cook it for at least 6 hours.
You can keep your meat types segregated, if you wish, and make only chicken broth, or only ham broth, for example. There may be some cases where this is desired for specific taste or religious purposes. You certainly would not want to entertain a Jewish or a Muslim friend with homemade soup that included broth made from ham bones. However, most of the time, I toss all my saved bones and carcasses into a single pot and the flavor tastes just fine for me and my family.
This process works for wild game remnants as well. We eat a lot of venison, goose, pheasant, and duck. These all cook down into broth very nicely.
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The Midwest Texan's Homemade Meat Broth
1. Place left over carcass(es) into a large stock pot. You may need to break large carcass(es) into smaller pieces for a good fit. The number/amount of carcasses depends on the size of stock pot and the amount of space in your freezer for broth storage.
2. Add enough water to cover all of the bones/meat.
3. If you wish you may add any or all of the following optional ingredients to suite your taste:
1 bay leaf
2 celery stalks, with leaves
1 onion, cut up into about 12 chunks
1 tsp thyme
1 tbs parsley
4. Cover and bring a boil stirring occasionally. Then reduce heat, leave covered, and simmer for 24 hours. Do not leave on the stove over night or if you are away from your home. Simply place the stock pot into the refrigerator before you go to bed. The next morning, place it back on the stove, bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and return it to simmering.
5. As it simmers, add water as needed to keep the liquid level above the level of the bones/meat. Stir occasionally.
6. Once simmering is complete, turn off the stove and allow the stock pot to cool at room temperature until you are able to handle the bones inside.
7. Now for the messy part of the process, so roll up your sleeves. Remove and throw away all of the bones, cartilage, and bay leaf. Remove and reserve all of the meat for use in soups or other recipes. Remove and either throw away the vegetables or reserve them for use in soups. You can also puree the vegetables and add the puree back into the finished broth at the end of this process. I use a colander and bowl large enough to capture the liquids to facilitate this step.
8. Optional step: Once the bones and other solids have been removed, you may wish to strain the liquids through several layers of cheese cloth to clarify it. Some chefs believe that stock or broth should be nice and clear. I, however, am not one of them; so I never do this.
9. Cover the strained broth and place in the refrigerator over night. The next morning any fat should be congealed on the top of the broth. Remove and throw away the congealed fat. Add the pureed stock vegetables back into the broth, if desired and mix well.
10. Store your broth in the freezer in any containers/amounts you wish. Or, use it immediately to make soup.
Tip: I like to freeze my excess broth in ice cube trays. Once the cubes are frozen you can pop them out of the tray and keep them in a ziplock in the freezer. Each cube is roughly 2 to 3 tablespoons or equivalent to 1 bouillon cube.
This is a very easy process but it is a long process spanning two or three days during which time you will need stove space and refrigerator space. The longer you cook the bones and meat, the better the broth will be and the more nutrients will be released from the bones/marrow and into the broth. I am describe the process that I use below. If you do not wish to cook your stock as long as I do, please cook it for at least 6 hours.
You can keep your meat types segregated, if you wish, and make only chicken broth, or only ham broth, for example. There may be some cases where this is desired for specific taste or religious purposes. You certainly would not want to entertain a Jewish or a Muslim friend with homemade soup that included broth made from ham bones. However, most of the time, I toss all my saved bones and carcasses into a single pot and the flavor tastes just fine for me and my family.
This process works for wild game remnants as well. We eat a lot of venison, goose, pheasant, and duck. These all cook down into broth very nicely.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Midwest Texan's Homemade Meat Broth
1. Place left over carcass(es) into a large stock pot. You may need to break large carcass(es) into smaller pieces for a good fit. The number/amount of carcasses depends on the size of stock pot and the amount of space in your freezer for broth storage.
2. Add enough water to cover all of the bones/meat.
3. If you wish you may add any or all of the following optional ingredients to suite your taste:
1 bay leaf
2 celery stalks, with leaves
1 onion, cut up into about 12 chunks
1 tsp thyme
1 tbs parsley
4. Cover and bring a boil stirring occasionally. Then reduce heat, leave covered, and simmer for 24 hours. Do not leave on the stove over night or if you are away from your home. Simply place the stock pot into the refrigerator before you go to bed. The next morning, place it back on the stove, bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and return it to simmering.
5. As it simmers, add water as needed to keep the liquid level above the level of the bones/meat. Stir occasionally.
6. Once simmering is complete, turn off the stove and allow the stock pot to cool at room temperature until you are able to handle the bones inside.
7. Now for the messy part of the process, so roll up your sleeves. Remove and throw away all of the bones, cartilage, and bay leaf. Remove and reserve all of the meat for use in soups or other recipes. Remove and either throw away the vegetables or reserve them for use in soups. You can also puree the vegetables and add the puree back into the finished broth at the end of this process. I use a colander and bowl large enough to capture the liquids to facilitate this step.
8. Optional step: Once the bones and other solids have been removed, you may wish to strain the liquids through several layers of cheese cloth to clarify it. Some chefs believe that stock or broth should be nice and clear. I, however, am not one of them; so I never do this.
9. Cover the strained broth and place in the refrigerator over night. The next morning any fat should be congealed on the top of the broth. Remove and throw away the congealed fat. Add the pureed stock vegetables back into the broth, if desired and mix well.
10. Store your broth in the freezer in any containers/amounts you wish. Or, use it immediately to make soup.
Tip: I like to freeze my excess broth in ice cube trays. Once the cubes are frozen you can pop them out of the tray and keep them in a ziplock in the freezer. Each cube is roughly 2 to 3 tablespoons or equivalent to 1 bouillon cube.
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