My Pasty Recipe

I first learned to make pasties in Arizona from a lady who grew up in the U.P. of Michigan.  I've since tweaked it several times to the way we like them.  There are many different variations out there, but here's what we do.  I often make and roll out the pastry on one day and then make the filling, put them together and bake them the next.  Tired mamas got to do what they gotta do!

Pasty Pies (as our kids call them) 

This recipe makes about 12-1 cup pasties, so I generally double or triple it.  You can use whichever pastry recipe you like, but this is the one I use.

Pastry:

1 lb. lard/butter/shortening/beef tallow or a mixture of them

5 c. flour (white/brown/spelt/mixture)

1 t. baking powder

1/2-1 t. salt

Beat in a mixing bowl with whips until it looks like the size of peas.

Put into a 1 c. measure:

1 egg

1 T. vinegar

Fill to the the 1 c. line with water and mix until egg is blended in (with fork or whisk).  Add egg/vinegar/water mixture to the flour mixture in your mixing bowl and switch to the dough hook to blend until clumpy.  Chill and roll out as desired.

For the pasties, I roll it out into about 8" rounds and then place them between pieces of wax paper and rechill until you're ready to use them.

For the filling:

2-3 lb. thawed ground beef

6 carrots, grated with small grate

1 onion, chopped finely

8 potatoes, grated with large grate

1 rutabaga (optional, but is the key to good pasty flavor), grated large grate

2 T. pepper

1 T. salt

1 T. garlic salt (or just 2 T. total salt)

I grate all the vegetables as they seem to keep their moisture better than cubing them.  I also don't bother peeling them, as you can't tell in the end anyhow (buy organic if you can).  It's also less work if you have a food processor.  I have a hand cranking grater that works really fast, so the boys take care of them for me.  Often if I make these for new mamas, I leave out the onion and garlic salt in case their nursing baby won't care for it.  The pepper amount is also a bit higher, so you can lower it if you don't like things as peppery.  We love our pepper!

To put together:

Mix all the filling ingredients in a big, huge mixing bowl or two (with your hands works the best).  Squish the meat and veggies all together so they're mixed in well.  Then use a 1 c. measure and put a cup of filling onto one side of a round of pastry.  Fold the top over and either crimp or roll the edges up so that the filling is enclosed.  Bake on a cookie sheet for 45 min.-1 hour at 350*F or until a meat thermometer reads 172*F.  Let cool and then wrap individually and freeze.

You can also put a dab of butter or gravy in them before sealing to make them more delicious! The picture above also shows a glaze on top of them (butter or egg or milk wash), but I don't bother with that.

Kefir, kefir, wonderful kefir!

We've been drinking kefir for a few years now, trying to increase everyone's health and well-being around here (a constant job for this mama!)  I have to say that we are much healthier overall than we were 5 years ago, although with having 5+1 kids, there's always something or someone to tend to.

One of the best benefits of kefir is it's probiotic effects on the digestive tract.  If you suffer from any sorts of digestive ailments, kefir can help.  If you are lactose intolerant, don't worry.  In the process of culturing the kefir, the lactose is eaten up and it can be tolerated by most lactose intolerance people.  If your milk sensitivity is to the casein (milk protein), the pasteurization or the homogenization, then you likely will have to find a milk that works for you and then culture it.  Goats milk and raw cows milk are alternate milk sources that many people can tolerate.  If none of these milks work for you, look into water kefir which has many of the same attributes as milk kefir.  We drink both varieties around here and they're super easy (and cheap) to make yourself.  The main jobs of probiotics are to keep bad bacteria in check (salmonella, e. coli anyone, H. pylori?), to break down foods and to keep your immune system strong.  80% of your immune system is in the gut, so keeping it healthy will keep you healthy. (source)

Kefir also makes all the vitamins and minerals in milk more absorb-able by the body, thus increasing your body's overall health.  Even if kefir is heated (as in pancakes or baked goods), the probiotic effects are lost but the bioavailability of the nutrients is still increased greatly.  I use kefir in most places where you would normally use milk or buttermilk such as pancakes, cornbread, biscuits, etc.  Kefir is also great for reducing carbs in your diet.  Because it is cultured, the carbohydrates are eaten up and you're left with just the nutrients (proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, and probiotics).  Because too many carbs can spike and fluctuate blood sugar, kefir is an excellent alternative to straight milk because it keeps blood sugar stable (unless you're drinking the kinds that are full of sugar!)

Kefir can also reduce allergy symptoms due to the fact that it increased good bacteria and helps to heal the gut.  An overactive immune system is often a sign of a leaky gut, and kefir can not only help stamp out the bad guys that are causing the trouble, but also help to heal the gut lining to prevent future allergy problems.

I have tried making kefir from grains two different times and they didn't work very well for me. When I bought the dehydrated grains, they need to rehydrate and somehow I pushed them right through my fine strainer and lost them down the drain while trying to rinse them (they crumbled).  I then tried real grains (much larger) from a friend, but they ended up just as thick in my kefir and it was very hard to strain them out when the kefir was thickened.  

Instead of buying the premade packets of kefir starter, I just make my own from a bottle of store bought kefir (thanks to my sister-in-law R for the idea).  Apparently the starter packets only have about 7 strains of probiotics, the Lifeway brand I buy at the store has 10-12, and the grains have 30+ strains.  So, take your pick of which way you'd like to make them, as they all will benefit you. We make smoothies out of it a couple times each week (that's the only form my older kids will tolerate) and the two little kids will drink it plain & straight since I've had them drinking it ever since they started drinking milk from a cup.  For the toddlers, I usually mix half kefir/half milk in their sippy cups so that it's thin enough to drink through the spout.  Use a little jam or honey or flavored stevia to sweeten if you like.

Here's a basic overview of what I do for milk kefir:

• Put 1-4 tablespoons of kefir grains (or your store bought kefir) into a quart jar. The more you use, the faster it will culture.
• Add around 4 cups of milk, preferably organic or even raw. Milk from grass-fed cows is healthiest. Leave one inch of room at the top of the jar. (no need to scald milk as you would for yogurt)
• You can add some full-fat cream if you want the kefir to be thicker.
• Put the lid on and leave it for 12-36 hours, at room temperature. That’s it.

Once it starts to look clumpy/thickened, it is ready. Then gently shake the jar before using and refrigerate to keep.

Delicious, nutritious and highly sustainable.

Now on to Water Kefir~

The benefits are pretty much the same and the process is easy too.  You just have to remember to do it.  I bought my grains from Cultures for Health and have been using the same ones for a few years now.  Mine don't seem to grow as some peoples do, but I think it's more to do with our water than the process.  I got my grains dehydrated, so had to re-hydrate them as per instructions first.  Then they're ready to go.

-Take water kefir grains (I use about 1/4 c. for a 1/2 gallon jar) and add to jar.

-Add 1/2 c. natural sugar (organic cane sugar, Rapadura, raw sugar) Do not use white sugar or honey or sugar substitutes.

-Fill jar with water and stir to dissolve sugar (don't use hot water or you'll kill your cultures, lukewarm is best). Put on a lid loosely or cover with fabric (I use a coffee filter with an elastic band)  It needs to be able to release gases, so don't cap it tightly (yet!)

-Set in a corner or cupboard for 24-48 hours.  Strain out grains with a fine plastic strainer and repeat.

-Flavor as desired with juices or fruit and drink up.

Or drink it straight with nothing added.  Or you can rebottle it in bail-top bottles and make soda out of it. You can also add molasses, raisins or other dried fruit to it to increase nutrient content.  The grains will love you too.  The longer you leave it, the more sugars will be eaten up, but don't go more than 48 hours or you can kill off your grains.  It becomes bitter if you leave it longer than that as well  (not that I'd ever forget about it, haha!)

Here's videos on how to make it.

Here's a great list of questions and answers you may have as well.

Good luck!

Peanut Butter Fudge

This is one of those yummy snacks that is good for either a dessert or a post-exercise snack.  Not that I exercise, but if I did...  I got it from my neighbor Paula.  Our boys just started their wrestling season, so I made some for them after practice.  And of course, Mama needs some too.

Peanut Butter Fudge

2 c. Almond meal (or 2 c. Ground nuts/flour)

1 c. Flax seed meal

1/2 c. Xylitol or equivalent sweetener

3 scoops (Tbsp.) protein powder

1 T. Vanilla

3/4 c. Melted butter

1 c. Peanut butter

Mix all above together (in food processor or by hand) and pat into 8x8 pan.  Chill in fridge.  Cut into 1-2" squares and enjoy.

Topping

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

1/4 c. Xylitol

1/4 c. Melted butter

Mix all and pour over fudge.  I also make a batch of Skinny Chocolate instead and pour it over the fudge as I usually don't have unsweetened chocolate on hand.

Skinny Chocolate

1/2 c. coconut oil

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

3 1/2 Tbsp Xylitol or Truvia, powdered fine (in coffee grinder)

Melt together, mix well and pour over fudge.

Somehow the almond flour I was supposed to buy the other day didn't get bought.  It must have gotten left on the bulk bins at the store or fell out of the cart somewhere, so I made it with ground up cashews and hemp seeds and it turned out fine.  So good!

Breakfast and Lunch Ideas around here

Lately I was asked to write about what we do for lunches.  We definitely don't do anything special, and try to make it as quick yet nutritious as possible.  For right now we are still gluten-free due to one child needing to be, but hopefully that'll only be for another couple of months as she is almost healed (thanks to our Naturopath).  I decided to add breakfasts in here too, as I do get bored with what we do and hope some of you will add some of your ideas to both categories (hint, hint!)

Breakfast (weekdays)

-Scrambled eggs with grated zucchini (fry it for a bit by itself first to lose some moisture or your eggs will be soggy), green onions, peppers, cheese, ham or whatever else I can find, add toast if necessary.

-Kefir smoothies- plain kefir or cottage cheese or yogurt, banana, blueberries, apples or other fruit, hemp seeds, flax seeds, gelatin, green powder, cod liver oil, coconut oil, psyllium husks.  Whatever is in it, it is the whole meal, not just a drink on the side.  I'm too busy/lazy to do a breakfast and a smoothie. My Grandma Kurtti used to always say, "there's a fine line between laziness and efficiency!"

-Soaked oatmeal- this is our quick breakfast when we need to get out the door in a hurry.  I soak old-fashioned oats in their water (with a bit of kefir or ACV to make more digestible) in the slow cooker and then Greg turns it on high when he leaves for work in the morning.  When the rest of us get up, it's ready to go.  You can also do steel-cut oats the same way, but just cook them on low all night long.  Add frozen blueberries to cool it off quickly if you're really in a hurry and put it in a coffee mugs to take in the car.

-Creamy buckwheat hot cereal- our favorite gluten-free cereal from Bob's Red Mill.  Doesn't taste at all like buckwheat pancakes.

-Sausage patties and baked yams- I either bake extra yams the night before for supper, or microwave them quickly or fry them in a frying pan with a bit of water and a lid on them.  Top with butter and cinnamon.

Weekend breakfasts- pannukakku, soaked pancakes, bacon and eggs with home-shredded hash browns, or on the rare occasion biscuits and sausage gravy with eggs.  Hard boiled eggs or oatmeal for a quick Sunday morning breakfast also.

Lunch

-Leftovers from supper heated in my small slow cooker- this is my favorite go-to for lunches, but often I don't cook enough to do this.  I put it in the slow cooker in the fridge the night before when I'm cleaning up from supper so it's ready to go after breakfast.  In a perfect world I'd have this every day, but more often than not it doesn't happen.

-Chicken noodle soup- heat chicken (bone) broth and when it boils then add GF spiral pasta and cook until almost done, then add canned or leftover chicken, frozen mixed vegetables and heat it all you're done.  This is James' favorite.  Leave a few vegetables frozen so the kids can add them at the end to cool their soup back down.

-Refried bean burritos- refried beans heated with butter and shredded cheese and wrapped up in a tortilla

-Egg, tuna, salmon or imitation crab salad on crackers or rice cakes- these we do often. Quick and easy.

-Cheese, deli meat and cracker stacks- the kids love these.  Just set out a tray of these with some veggies too and you're set.

-Ants on a log (celery) or a boat (apple wedge). Fill with peanut butter. Top with raisins of course.

-Beanie weenies- sliced up hot dogs in pork and beans- these are thanks to Calvin and Hobbes.  Calvin's favorite lunch.

-PB&J on rice cakes- we always happen to eat these crumbly things right after we finish vacuuming.  And then the floor is messy again!

-Pasta, feta and veggies- one of our favorites.  I've made this hundreds of times. Pepperoni and ham work well also.  Add extra cheese if you want to make it more like mac and cheese.  Use regular cheese if your kids don't like feta.  Thanks, Megan!

-Beef and pea soup- like my easy hamburger soup but just add frozen peas to the beef broth and leftover ground beef.

-Canned chili- for those super busy days.

-Hummus with veggies/chips- we do this a lot also.

-Beans and Rice- usually cooked beforehand, just heated up with some veggies

On the weekends we usually do Reubens, French Dips, Tuna Melts or grilled cheese and tomato soup as these are some of Greg's favorite sandwiches.

For lunch we stick to raw and fermented vegetables unless we have cooked ones already cooked up.  We pull out the baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, English cucumbers (because I'm Canadian and that's what I grew up with and peeling a cucumber is just too much work), bell peppers, raw sauerkraut, pickles and zucchini relish every day and add some to whatever else we're eating.  Sometimes I add ranch, but most days everyone just gobbles them down by themselves.  We also drink our daily dose of water kefir and kombucha with our lunch, usually flavored with some sort of juice.

Snacks

We don't do many snacks, mostly because we eat breakfast later at 9 am, lunch at 1pm and supper at 5-6 pm.  In the afternoon each day at 4 pm, we have "fruit time" with whatever fruit we have on hand.  The other go-to's are cheese slices/sticks, trail mix (almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried fruit).  If a snack is needed at bedtime, yogurt and kefir are what the kids get.  Occasionally more protein and blood sugar needs raising, so peanut butter on/with a banana or a  milk cup comes to the rescue too!

And that's what we do around here!  What do you like to eat at your house?

Hummin' along with Hummus

We have been learning to enjoy hummus over this past year.  Knowing it is a great source of protein, is cheap and is great for cleaning your liver (as all legumes are), I've had to learn to make it myself lately.  When I first started buying it, the kids stuck up their noses at it, but over time have gotten used to it after repeated exposures.  Their favorite (and mine) store brand/flavor Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and they now can devour a family size container in mere minutes.  That led me to learning how to make it from scratch from purely a practical standpoint.

Since my food processor is rather underpowered and had very dull blades (that's what you get for $5 at a yard sale), my best attempts at hummus proved chunky and bumpy.  I did acquire a high quality blender for my birthday last year and now I'm in business.  Smooth, creamy and flavorful!  I can now make hummus to my heart's content.  We often use it for an easy snack or lunch with either tortilla chips or raw veggies.  I did bribe my kids by using their favorite chips as the medium to get the hummus down for quite a while as they got used to the flavor.  "You can have a chip if you dip it in hummus" (in a sweet sing-songy voice).  It slowly worked.  The little kids have always had it in their life, so they were a much easier sell.  If we're fighting sickness, I add a few extra garlic cloves as this is a great way to get a bunch of fresh garlic into everyone.

This is the basic recipe I use, add variations as desired.  I now have ventured into soaking dry garbanzo beans, as they are even cheaper than the canned.  The only drawback with them is they don't have any liquid in them, so you have to add a bit more oil to make it smooth.  A bit of water works too.  The Tahini is a bit expensive to buy, but a bottle will last through many, many batches.

Hummus

2 T. olive or avocado oil

2 T. fresh lemon juice

2 T. Tahini (sesame seed paste)

1 clove garlic, quartered

1/2 t. sea salt

15 oz. chickpeas, drained and 1/4 c. liquid reserved

touch of honey or sweetener

Add all ingredients to blender, including reserved liquid.  Blend on low until smooth and creamy.  You may have to scrape down sides if it gets stuck.  Add more liquid if necessary.  Enjoy!

I've also added an avocado (turns it bright green) and yesterday added a roasted beet as recommended in the latest Sunset magazine (it turns it hot pink and makes the kids think you're making frosting) and they were both very good.  In my recipe book it also suggests adding kalamata olives (reduce salt), roasted garlic, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, lime/cilantro, roasted red pepper with cumin and cayenne pepper, and using black beans rather than garbanzos (add cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne).  I'm excited to try them too!

Easy Hamburger Soup

Although the idea of a slow cooker is a good idea, it requires too much forethought for my life most days.  Instead, the Dutch oven has come to my rescue over and over because I can crank the heat and cook supper in the nick of time.  Here's my latest favorite soup that uses up all those extra veggies you don't know what to do with that are sitting in the fridge (or freezer).

It's very forgiving, so use whatever you have in whatever quantities you have.

Easy Hamburger Soup

In your Dutch oven, brown and break up into small pieces:

2-3 lbs. ground beef/meat (mine is usually still in the frozen state when I start)

1 onion, finely chopped

When that is browned, add 6-8 cups of beef broth/bone broth, keeping heat on med/high.

Then add vegetables of choice.  Our kids love it with just a bag of frozen peas added (which I do for a quick lunch, as it's so easy using leftover ground beef).  For supper I usually add many more vegetables to make it into a full meal.  Add the ones that take longest to cook first and the green leafy ones right at the end.

-cut green beans or peas

-fresh chopped tomatoes

-finely chopped cabbage

-bell peppers

-frozen vegetables of any sort

-celery

-carrots

-cauliflower (fresh or frozen)

-beets or potatoes are even good

-chard or spinach sliced finely (I even pulse it up in my blender sometimes so the kids eat it easier and add it right at the very end to retain the most nutrients.

If you're fighting infection, add a few cloves of chopped up garlic right at the end to keep the most infection fighting components intact.  You can also add herbs/spices such as basil, oregano, parsley, thyme for more seasoning.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Homemade Italian or Ranch Dressing

We're ranch dressing lovers in this family, and since titanium dioxide (and others) aren't ingredients that we care to ingest if we don't have to, I embarked on a homemade ranch recipe.  I had quite a few un-successes (since a certain husband is a Hidden Valley type of guy) with flavor and also texture on my homemade versions of ranch.  I knew it could be done, as I have tasted fabulous homemade ranch that different friends have made.  After years of trying, tweaking, dumping and shaking; I'll share our version.

First you make the spice mix.  Store it in a jar and then use it for Italian seasoning, Italian dressing or Ranch.  It works great for any of them.

Italian Spice Mix (like Good Seasons- 2 T. = 1 package)
2 T. (each) garlic powder, onion powder, parsley
4 T. oregano, salt
2 t. pepper, basil
1/2 t. thyme, celery salt
~Mix all together and store in a jar.

This mixture is yummy on chicken, as a meatloaf seasoning, in spaghetti, in pizza crust (with dough or the cauliflower one), on my Greek tacos, and more.

Italian Dressing
1/4 c. white vinegar
2/3 c. oil
2 T. water
2 T. Italian spice mix
~Shake all together in a jar.

Ranch Dressing
1 c. sour cream or yogurt (or mayo if you don't have those)
1 c. buttermilk or plain kefir
a bit of mayo (2-3 T.)
1 heaping teaspoon Italian spice mix
~Add all the ingredients to one of those ranch shakers (like Tupperware sells) or a jar with lid, and thin more if it's too thick.

It's best made the day before so that the flavors spread throughout, although we often make it right when we need it (as life these days goes!)  You can use more mayo than that if you want, but I've found if I don't use any mayo, then it gets all separated and yucky even if it's not gone bad.  You just want 2 c. in the end.  Adjust more or less spice mixture if you want.

Here's a link for a non-dairy homemade ranch that I've made also.  (You must let it sit 10 minutes as it says...ask me how I know!)  http://silk.com/recipes/ranch-dressing

Seafood Chowder

This is another family favorite.  It's my aunt Becky's recipe and she can be found at many Kurtti family functions in the kitchen stirring a big pot of it.

Seafood Chowder

1 med. onion, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
2 T. oil/butter
4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 large cans evaporated milk
3 cans minced clams with juice
3-4 fillets white fish, cut into bite size pieces
1 lb. precooked shrimp
1 small pkg. smoked salmon
2 t. salt
pepper to taste
2 T. flour
1 t. dill weed or sprigs of fresh dill
water

Sauté onion and celery in oil until transparent.  Add potatoes and clams (including juice), salt and pepper.  Add water just to cover.  Bring to boil and simmer about 10 min. until potatoes are al dente.  Add evaporated milk and white fish.  Simmer 10 min.  Remove some liquid and thicken with the flour.  Return thickened liquid to chowder and simmer 5 more minutes.  Add shrimp and smoked salmon and allow to heat thoroughly.  Add more salt if needed.  Stir in dill.  Serves 10.  This recipe was adapted from Grandma Kurtti's original clam chowder recipe that she made in high school home economics, I've substituted smoked salmon for bacon.
(Kurtti Family cookbook page 32)

This would also be good with scallops and/or crab added to it too/instead of other fish.

Curried Lentil Soup with Dried Cherries and Cilantro

I found this recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine as I was wanting more uses for lentils.  The red lentils have a much different flavor than brown ones, and I really love them.  I use dried cranberries in place of cherries since I usually have them in the house.  I've also used garam masala spice mix rather than the curry powder and that flavor is excellent too.  You can also just buzz the soup with an immersion blender rather than straining it.  It's fine without doing that too.

Curried Lentil Soup with Dried Cherries and Cilantro

INGREDIENTS

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped (4 tablespoons)
• 2 carrots, finely diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• Coarse salt
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1/3 cup chopped dried cherries
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro stems, plus 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, shallot, and carrots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 4 cups water, and the lentils, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils and carrots are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour 2 cups soup through a fine sieve into a bowl, reserving solids. Puree strained liquid with remaining soup in a blender until smooth. Reheat after blending. Stir in reserved solids.
3. Reserving some for garnish, stir cherries and cilantro stems into soup, and ladle into bowls. Swirl in remaining 1/4 cup coconut milk, and garnish with cherries and cilantro leaves.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   http://www.marthastewart.com/1050570/curried-red-lentil-soup-dried-cherries-and-cilantro

Black Bean Chili recipe

I got this recipe from my friend Jocelyn many years ago when times were better.  What I like about it is that it doesn't have a tomato base, as so many soups do.  I do like tomato based soups, it just seems that there are so many of them that it gets rather tedious.  This makes a huge pot, enough for 2-3 meals for our family of 7.

2 1/2 c. dry black beans (or one bag)

1/2 c. dry white/navy beans

2 bay leaves

3 c. brown rice/wild rice mixture

1-2 cans diced green chiles

1 - 8oz. bottle mild red taco sauce

3 c. bell peppers, diced (whichever color you like)

2 onions, diced

1/2 garlic bulb, diced/minced

Cover beans with water in your biggest stockpot (or 10 qt. or so)  and soak overnight.  Drain, rinse and add new water.  Cover beans 2 inches higher of water (can also use bone broth/stock) and add bay leaves.  Simmer 1-2 hours on low or until beans are getting soft.   Fish out bay leaves and toss, adding rice.  Keep simmering (about 1 more hour or until rice is cooked) and add the rest of the ingredients and heat thoroughly.  Add more water if it gets too thick.  Serve with cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.  You can also use canned beans, and would likely use about 4 cans of black and 1 can of white.  It's pretty forgiving so you can add or subtract quite a lot if you want. 

Chicken Butternut Squash Soup

Although I'm fully aware of how healthy squash is, I don't really care for it.  At all.  But, don't tell my kids that!  But, I keep trying to like it.  This soup makes it taste good, even for me who doesn't like it.  It also keeps the squash in chunks rather than pureeing it like as most squash soup recipes do.  

Back about 8 years ago, Greg and I went on a rare date to a fancy restaurant.  Someone was watching our kid and we were going to enjoy a quiet dinner.  It was a very rainy, wet night in Astoria which is quite possibly the rainiest town in North America.  It was quite a fancy place, and a soup appetizer sounded appealing.  Hot soup with bread on a cold night...bliss!  Wrong.  When the waitress brought it out, it turns out they failed to mention that it was chilled squash soup.  Whatever the chef was thinking to serve such an item in the depths of winter, I have no idea.  It was one of those places that would have been highly offended if we had suggested to microwave it for a minute or two.  So, we choked it down.  I liken it to slurping baby food.  Neither of us can handle blended soups of any sort to this day.

But, this soup isn't like that.  It's full of textures and flavors which are just delicious.  I got this one from my friend Donna as well, and she got it from her sister-in-law who got it from who knows...

Chicken Butternut Squash Soup

3 small cans of chicken broth (or one carton)

4 cups butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes

1 T. minced garlic

1 large can diced tomato w/ diced green chilies

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

Sour cream

Lime juice

Cilantro

Bring chicken broth, squash and garlic to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes.  Reduce heat and add chicken and canned tomatoes.  Cook until squash is tender.  Serve with sour cream, lime juice and cilantro.

I've also added a can of black beans and that is good too.

Nadine's Corny Cluck Soup

It must be the week for chowders.  Here's another favorite from my late Aunt Nadine Kurtti.  It's also in the Kurtti cookbook (my favorite cookbook,  in case you hadn't noticed yet!)  This one uses ingredients you will usually have on hand too.  I like that!

Nadine's Corny Cluck Soup

2 T. butter

6 cremini mushrooms, sliced (I just use white ones), you can even leave out if you're not a mushroom fan

1 med. red or yellow onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

2 T. flour

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

approx. 14 oz. chicken broth

2 c. half & half

2 pkg. frozen white sweet corn

approx. 2 c. cooked chicken, chunked

In saucepan, melt butter (Dutch oven if you have one).  Add onions first, then mushrooms, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic; cook 1 min.  With wire whisk, whisk in flour, salt and pepper, cook, stirring until bubbly.  Stir in broth and 1/2 & 1/2; heat to boiling over high heat.  Reduce heat, add corn and chicken, heat through.  Makes about 8 servings.  For variation, you can also add red potatoes after liquid step, letting them cook before adding corn and chicken.

PS.  If you haven't guessed, I use stock pictures for these soups.  Like I have the time or talent to take good ones myself!

Salmon Cheddar Chowder

This is another easy one.  And it's delicious.  It can also be found in our Kurtti cookbook (from Susie Staudinger, pg. 21) if you have it.  I make this fairly often.

Salmon Cheddar Chowder

2 c. diced onion
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 1/2 c. water
1 c. diced celery
2 c. diced potatoes
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. dill weed
1/4 t. pepper
1 pint canned salmon with juices
2 c. milk
10 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Saute onion in butter.  Blend in flour.  Add water, celery, potatoes, salt, dill, pepper and simmer about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add salmon, milk and cheese and heat through on low so cheese does not curdle.  Serve.

Blender (gluten-free) pancakes...dreams do come true

Since the summer we've been trying to eat more gluten-free after discovering that gluten was the source of Elise's tummy aches and moodiness (she is a new girl...a happy one).  I hope that we can return to eating normal again someday, but for now it's required learning some new eating habits.  Ones that don't break the bank preferably and are still nutritious to boot.  A friend introduced us to blender pancakes/waffles and we now do them at least once each week.  There are dozens of recipes out there for them, but here's what we do (after experimenting with various methods/proportions).  If you can tolerate gluten, adding 1/4 c. rye flour helps the phytates in the oats break down better to make them more digestible.

Blender Pancakes or Waffles

The night before you make them, mix together:

4 c. old-fashioned oatmeal

4 c. buttermilk or kefir or yogurt (thinned with water to pourable consistency)

Put in a bowl and stir until combined.   Let sit out on counter overnight or up to 24 hours.  I've also tried soaking them right in the blender, but often it's a hard workout to blend it up the next morning as it's a very thick consistency.

In the morning, put in blender in this order (you want liquids on the bottom for best blending):

1 c.  milk/kefir/liquid of some sort

4 eggs

2-3 t. salt

the oatmeal/buttermilk mixture

Blend thoroughly.  Pour back into bowl, add:

4 t. baking powder

1/4 c. melted butter or coconut oil

Stir gently and then fry as per usual on your griddle or waffle iron.  You can also add a bit more liquid if it seems too stiff.  Sometimes I have added the baking powder right to the blender and it's caused a huge amount of foaming so that it overflows the blender, so now we add it last.  You can also add the butter right into the blender if you want too.  If doing Trim, Healthy Mama, I believe these would be an E but you likely would want to ensure you use 1% buttermilk or kefir and reduce butter to just a few tablespoons. (I'm not an expert though).

These are very hearty pancakes and this size of batch feeds our whole family of 7 (one being a baby who doesn't eat much, but she still loves them).

Basic Green Soup

This soup was published in Reader's Digest magazine.  It's super healthy and fairly easy too.  Add more rice if you like.  Change up the veggies if you like.

Here's the article: The Soup that Changed my Life
Here's the recipe:  (I tried to copy/paste it, but it wouldn't format properly for me)
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/basic_green_soup.html

Broccoli-Cheddar Chowder

This is one of those fast ones that you can throw together at the last minute.  Super good and our family gobbles it up.  I think it came from a Better Homes magazine years ago, but can't recall.  It's also in the Kurtti Family Cookbook for those of you who have that.  You can use homemade stock instead of the water/bouillon if you like.  Salt as desired.

Broccoli-Cheddar Chowder

1 cup water

1 medium carrot, diced (I always add a few more)

1 (10oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli/cauliflower mix

3 c. milk (alternate fine)

1/4 c. flour

1/2 t. chicken bouillon

1/4 t. pepper

3 c. shredded cheddar cheese or mixture of kinds

In a pan (Dutch oven), bring water to boiling and add carrots and frozen vegetables.  Cook covered for about 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.  Do not drain.  In a small bowl, stir 1 c. milk into the flour and add to the vegetables in pan.  Add remaining milk, bouillon and pepper (and salt if needed).  Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  Cook 1 more minute.  Add cheese, stirring until melted.  Serve with homemade bread.

Homemade Mushroom Soup

This a super easy, but fabulous soup.  Lots of flavor and even better with some crusty, homemade bread.  I combined a recipe from our Kurtti family cookbook  (Hungarian Mushroom Soup by Rich and Julie Schaaff) and one that I found in the book Almost Amish by Nancy Sleeth.  This soup works really well in a Dutch oven so that you can brown the mushrooms really good, which adds to the flavor.  Dairy free milks and alternate thickeners work fine too.  This is the only mushroom recipe my picky kids will eat because I chop the mushrooms really small.

Homemade Mushroom Soup

2 lbs. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced, or chopped finely in a food processor
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 T. butter
2 T. paprika (the smoked kind is better if you can find it, WinCo has a spicy one in their bulk section that is great too- just use a pinch if using the spicy!)
1 tsp. dill
1 T. balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
2 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 c. milk with 2 T. flour whisked in
sour cream to garnish

Saute mushrooms and onions together with butter in your Dutch oven until browned.  This will take a while to get all the moisture out of the mushrooms.  Add paprika, dill and vinegar and stir on med/high heat.  Add broth and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add milk/flour mixture and simmer just until thickened.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream if you like and your sourdough crusty bread.

Chicken Coconut Curry Soup

This is one of those fabulous recipes that once you have it, you just have to keep making it.  And if you made it for company, they'll be asking for the recipe for sure.  I got it from my friend Donna who got it from her sister-in-law Brenda who got it from....I've passed it on to many people and today am passing it on to you.  Even if you haven't experienced curry before, or haven't liked it in the past, you will love this.

As with all of my soups, I always double the vegetables.  Lots and lots of carrots.  I also grate them rather than chopping into matchsticks just because it's faster.  This one is gluten-free and dairy free and is good with quinoa instead of the rice too.  Use canned chicken if you want.  Use uncooked rice if you want, just simmer a bit longer.  It's all okay.  It'll be good no matter what.  Well, almost no matter what.  Too much curry paste can ruin it.  Or if you buy another brand and it's way spicier than the usual, that can cause a spice dilemma as well.  So, add a dab, stir and taste.  Repeat.

Chicken Coconut Curry Soup

What you need:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped – except for a few matchsticks for garnish

1/2 onion,  chopped finely

1 red bell pepper, chopped finely – except for a few thinly sliced pieces for garnish

1 cup cooked chicken meat, chopped

1 cup cooked rice

2 tablespoons red curry paste (if you like it less spicy, just use 1 tablespoon)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

13.5 oz can Asian coconut milk or cream (unsweetened)

21 oz chicken broth (roughly 1.5 cans of Swansons brand)

Optional:  2 tablespoons fish sauce and a few sprigs of cilantro

Note:  Reserve some of the coconut milk, carrots, and red bell pepper (and cilantro) for optional garnish.

Directions:

In a medium  sauce pan, heat olive oil on medium heat and cook chopped onions, carrots, and red bell pepper for approximately 5 minutes.  Add curry paste, brown sugar, chicken, rice, and fish sauce stirring and sauteing everything until curry paste is completely incorporated (approx. 2-3 minutes).  Pour chicken broth and coconut milk into the pan and give it a good stir for a half minute.  Reduce heat to medium and allow the soup to cook for 15-20 minutes.  Serve with a spoonful of coconut milk added on top with a few matchstick carrots and a slice of red bell pepper for garnish. Enjoy!

Full recipe: http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/01/chicken-coconut-curry-soup/

For the love of sauerkraut

I've known about sauerkraut being a superfood for a couple years now, but haven't gotten around to making it until now.  Well, actually I did attempt it once, but it turned out all soggy so I was rather nervous to try it again.  I do buy the Bubbie's now and then, but the kids have learned to love it so much that they were eating wayyy too much of it.  (Not too much of the benefits, but the cost was too high!)  I figured I'd better buckle down and try it again.  I do have a shredder, so the work wasn't scaring me, but just the fact that *things*can*go*wrong*, if you know what I mean.  What if it molds?  Is soggy? Tastes weird?  I looked into what causes these things and learned a few things that I'll share with you down below.

What's so good about sauerkraut anyways, you ask?  Here's a list to get you started from Probiotics- Love That Bug

"If you still need convincing on the benefits of sauerkraut just take a look at what Lactobacillus plantarum - the biggest group of bacteria in fully fermented cabbage - has been proven to do.

• Provides (lots of) Vitamin C - Captain Cook prevented his crew from catching scurvy by taking barrels of sauerkraut with them
• Reduced incidence of diarrhea in daycare centres⁴
• Especially effective in reducing inflammation in inflammatory bowel; e.g., enterocolitis in rats, small bowel bacterial overgrowth in children, pouchitis⁴
• Reduced pain and constipation of irritable bowel syndrome⁴
• Reduced bloating, flatulence, and pain in irritable bowel syndrome⁵
• Positive effect on immunity in HIV+ children⁶
• Drastically reduces the phytic acid, polyphenols and trypsin inhibitor activity in grains and soy which significantly increases the digestibility of starch and protein⁷
• Contains the antioxidants glutathione and superoxide dismustase which can help fight off free radicals.
• Turns hard to digest lactose into easily to digest lactic acid.
• Helps generate omega-3 fatty acid and GTF chromium a trace mineral that help with digestion"
• Reduces cancer too (link)

"Nature provides the most effective stomach acid regulator, which is unpasteurized sauerkraut. Sauerkraut is unique because it raises stomach acid "if" it is too low, and it lowers stomach acid "if" it is too high. Eating 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sauerkraut with meals is one of the best ways to improve digestion." (source)

Here's what I've learned about making it-

#1. Use an airlock.  These are a one-way valve that have water in them to let the oxygen out and ensure that your kraut stays anaerobic (this is the reaction that takes place that turns plain old cabbage into probiotic heaven).  You can buy them online or at a homebrew store.  I bought a couple and Greg fitted them into a plastic wide mouth mason lid with a bung (rubber stopper with a hole in the middle), that you can also buy at the same place.  Mold likes air, so keeping air out of the jar will keep it out of your kraut. (huge peace of mind for me)

#2. Make sure your cabbage is under liquid.  If needed, add a bit more water.  This is your best bet at reducing mold.

#3.  Don't get bogged down by a million different recipes.  There are MANY ways to do it, so pick one and go for it (from a reputable source, of course).  Mother Earth News, Cultures for Health have good information.

I've only made it a few times, so am no expert, but here's what I do.  I found this recipe in a book I have, and the woman said to just make sure you have at least 1 T. of salt per quart jar of kraut (that tastes right to us, but you can use up to 3 T).  Don't use more than 3 T. because you can inhibit the probiotic effect if you do.  I use a 2 qt. jar, so use 2 T. of salt.  The reason for the salt is to keep bacteria at bay until the lactic acid takes over and converts the cabbage into sauerkraut.  Non-iodized salt is necessary as iodine can change the condition of cabbage and inhibit good bacteria growth.  Sea salt or pickling salt is fine.

The whey is optional.  Yogurt and kefir (and anything with liquid whey) can be used to give your sauerkraut a jump start.  It is filled with the exact good bacteria you're looking for, so adding it speeds up the process.  I haven't used it, but you sure can.

Sauerkraut Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 medium head of cabbage
• One of the following:
  • 1 to 3 tablespoons non iodized salt or
  • 1 to 3 tablespoons salt and ¼ cup whey or
  • (A starter culture such as Caldwell’s Cultured Vegetable Starter or Body Ecology Starter Culture and salt as indicated by the instructions for the specific culture you are working with)

Instructions

Our shredder (hire your kids to do this part), a food processor would work good too

Jamming it down into the 2 qt. jar (1 medium head)

1. Chop or shred the cabbage depending on the desired consistency of the final product. Sprinkle with salt. (the salt pulls the liquid out of the cabbage, so add salt, leave it and then move onto #2)
2. Work the cabbage with clean hands or potato masher until there is plenty of liquid and the cabbage is a bit mushy. This portion of the process usually takes about 10 minutes.
3. If using whey, add the whey and mix well. If using a starter culture, add the culture as specified by the instructions that came with the culture.
4. Stuff the cabbage into the fermenting container, pressing the cabbage underneath the liquid. If necessary, add a bit of water to completely cover cabbage. (don't fill the jar more than 2/3-3/4 full as it expands over time)  I found 1 medium-large head filled a 2 qt. jar just about right. 
5. Culture for 3 to 10 days at room temperature. A longer fermentation period can be used if desired. (I did just 3 days each time, the warmer the temperature, the faster it will ferment)
6. Once the sauerkraut is finished, move to a storage container, if desired. Store the sauerkraut in the refrigerator or in a root cellar after the culturing process. Many people find that aging the sauerkraut in the refrigerator or root cellar for 4 to 6 weeks improves the flavor (it also increases probiotic activity the longer you leave it, but we end up eating it too fast!)
7.  Eat as desired.  Try to eat some with each meal (we usually forget, but try to get some in at lunch and supper if we can).  Use a clean utensil each time to keep bad bacteria out and the good stuff in.
   
   
   

   

   These gadgets are from my applesauce maker, but they work great to put it into the jar.

   

   2 quart jar with airlock

   
   

Makes approximately 1-2 quart.

 (PS.  My photos are no Pioneer Woman's, as I'm a mom of 5 little ones.  Lucky to even get them here!)