Beans, beans, good for your heart

OK, I was born and raised in North Carolina with two very Southern grandmas. I do not leave the house without lipstick and mascara. And as much as I would like too, given my fond affection for jammie pants, I put on real clothes to go to the grocery. But sometimes you just have to be silly and the beans rhyme fits a silly day.

The second easy and healthy recipe is poached eggs over lentils. Yes- I know I started posting the 2 healthy recipes last week but life sometimes gets in the way of blogger land.

We went out on NYE and had a wonderful dinner at Vivace a wonderful restaurant here in Raleigh. The amuse bouche was lentils with speck. It was heavenly. We both wanted more than a little taste and I decided to make this a meal with a Southern twist, country ham of course.

This is what I came up with...

Black Lentils with Country Ham and Shallot served with a poached Egg

Yum! I know it sounds fancy but trust me it was easy.

Ingredients:

The lentils:
1 1/2 cups French caviar, or du Puy, lentils (regular lentils will work if you prefer them)
1 bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

3 eggs (1 for me and 2 for hubby)
1 slice of country ham (I used the biscuit slices you see in the grocery, you may use as much or as little as you like)
1 shallot
1 tsp of olive oil

The lentils:

Place the lentils in a small stainless steel pot and add 3 cups cold water. Add the bay leaf and bring to a simmer over medium heat. When the mixture comes to a light boil, reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for approximately 10 minutes add salt and continue cooking for 10 minutes, stirring a few times to ensure even cooking. The lentils should be firm but not crunchy, and the interior should be smooth. If at 20 minutes cooking time, they have not reached your desired doneness, continue cooking for an additional 5-10 minutes. You will want to check them so that they do not overcook.

In a small frying pan heat the olive oil over med low heat. Add your sliced ham and cook for 5 minutes. Add your shallot and cook for 5 minutes. Watch the shallot and don’t let it burn. We want to cook it low so that we get as much flavor as possible for when we add our lentils. When done, remove shallots and ham from heat.
Once the lentils are done, drain and add to the ham and shallot. Place the pan on a low burner to keep warm.

Poaching your eggs:

Heat 2 inches of water or broth with about 1 Tbsp. of vinegar in a wide, shallow pan to a steady simmer (or until an instant-read thermometer reads 180°). Adjust heat to maintain this temperature.

Crack eggs into into a measuring cups before adding water. This allows you to remove any bits of shell (I am so not a professional cracker), make sure the egg is not a yucky egg, and have more control when guiding the egg into the pan so you don’t break the yellow yummy goodness that will make your lentils extra special good.

Hold the cup right at the liquid's surface and gently pour the egg into the liquid. Repeat with remaining eggs, up to four eggs per batch.

Letting eggs come to room temperature before poaching them helps them cook more evenly. Also, the fresher the egg, the better it will hold its shape while poaching.
I like runny yolks for the poached eggs over lentils. I actually like runny yolks for pretty much any recipe that uses poached eggs, but especially for this recipe. The yolk makes for a delicious “sauce” over the lentils.

Cook room temperature eggs 2 minutes for runny yolks, chilled eggs for 3 minutes. Add an additional 2 minutes if you prefer a set yolk. This is your dinner make like you want it. That is the great thing about cooking you can have it your way, have it your way. (Yes there is music always playing in my head, some good, some- not so good like fast food jingles.) Using a slotted spoon, gently lift each egg out of the pan Set eggs on a paper towel to drain off as much liquid as possible.

Serve the poached egg nestled in the lentils with a green salad or whatever else you feel like doing. As you can see I gave a generous portion of lentils since this was our dinner. You can leave off the poached egg and serve this as a side. This will change the serving size to 4.

If my recipes sound a little wonky please let me know. This is my first attempt at writing them from scratch and I am writing as I cook. I may have written wrong or added wrong (my failure in all math related fields is of epic proportions). Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

As hubby would say, I hope its yummy to the tummy. :) j

Honey, I know what side my bread is buttered on...

...that is why not one single time in this post will you hear me say "I told you so." No siree, not once...

My wonderful hubby has degenerative disc disease. It is a common because, unfortunately, it is a natural part of aging. Basically, the discs between the vertebrae break down over time causing pain. And although wonderful hubby is still young, 15 years of basketball is catching up with him. He was diagnosed last spring after a horrible night of pain with no apparent cause. After a doctor's visit and spine adjustment, he started feeling better. Of course once you start feeling better, you lose the mojo to do what you need to do to "fix" it, a healthy diet, exercise and supplements. After almost a year of no problems, last week was BAD! We now have 6 weeks of therapy, a barrage of supplements, an exercise plan after therapy and the order to lose 15 lbs. Sound familiar? Two sentences up, the wifey's plan for health? Nope, no told ya so here.

Now that we do not have a choice, we are trying to avoid dieting and make some lifestyle changes. We are 50/50 on the healthy meter, we just need to crank it up. I have two recipes that may help. One absolutely wonderful and one that, well, let's just say, I tweaked a little too much and wound up with great flavor but a funky color. There are pictures scary purple people eater pictures.


Is That Color Found In Nature? French Onion Soup

Hubby LOVES French Onion Soup but it can be a not so friendly option. I made a few easy and delicious changes; however, one subistitution added bold color... a description better suited for a wall.

The recipe is:

2 lbs medium onions

1 tsp of fresh rosemary

2 bay leaves

3/4 tsp of salt

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp flour

1 1/2 c white wine

Ok- we are pressing pause for one second to explain the funky color. Hubby and I were drinking the white wine. It was delicious and who knew using red instead would cause our soup to look like it belongs at an ECU tailgate party so we kept sipping. In went the red and out came purple, Crayola could not be more purple if I tried purple. SO- stop sipping the white and dump it in instead.

4 c reduced sodium beef broth (chicken will work but it will not have the rich meaty flavor)

1/2 tsp black pepper (I love black pepper so I added more)

Peel the onions, half them down the length and slice them thinly. In a dutch oven, cook the onions, rosemary (thyme can be substituted), bay leaves and salt in the olive oil over med low heat, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently. The onions should be soft and golden brown. Add flower and cook for approximately 1-2 minutes cooking out the raw flour taste but not letting it get too brown. Stir in the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and pepper and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

I did not add the bread and cheese and bake in the oven. I placed a slice of brie over the soup just before serving and it was warm and gooey. And had almost the same effect, almost, but definitely not bad for a "knock-off" version. Oh- mistake number 2- I blended the soup. No, No, No!! It changed the texture too much. I was hoping to give it a creamier feel, don't do it. Bad idea. Step away from the blender and serve as is and you will not be disappointed.

I have lentil recipe that is divine in post number 2. :)

Don't You Make Eyes at Me...

Any young Southerner worth their salt has heard this on occasion but if you had my grandma, you only did it once. Only once because once was when you would have to pick your switch. Making eyes is the equivalent of rolling your eyes and not a good thing. Well I just made eyes and it was over, of all things, biscuits. I have been trying to make biscuits for some time now but to no avail. I have a pan that is currently serving as paper weights, another that is on some super secret military mission and another that, well let's just say 275 years from now there will be an archeological dig and people will be blessing my heart. After questioning several biscuit aficionados, the most common response was "Baby, you have got to use lard if you want a good biscuit." This is where the making eyes comes into play as in I "made" them and thought nope- cannot, am not, will not make biscuits with lard. I am trying to make yummy southern food that will not send me to an early grave or to an early bird sale for bigger clothes. Well, umm, errr, OK- never say never because you will eat your words. You will eat them smothered in honey jelly over a lard filled biscuit with a big cheesy grin on your face as you change in to elastic waist pants.

It all started with a trip to buy short ribs. Dang short ribs! I have started the tradition of Sunday Dinner at our house. We try and eat dinner at the table every night but some times that does not happen. Sundays are a non-negotiable. Butt- chair- 5:00 p.m., or earlier if we decide to have early dinner. I stopped by our local Compare Foods, which is an ethnic grocer here in Raleigh. You can find the bits and parts that not everyone uses but that are essential in Southern cooking. (As in do not be surprised to find the piggie's snout, ears and feet wrapped in plastic in the meat section.) As I was roaming the store picking up a few things, I turned the corner and there it was giving me the stink eye- laughing at me and my paltry biscuits- a lard display. I snorted and kept a'walking down the aisle, around the corner and right back to the lard. It knew my name and was calling me like Krispy Kreme after a workout. Somehow, a tub of Lundy's lard from Clinton, NC jumped in my basket and found its way into my refrigerator. I blame my mother-in-law. She is from Clinton and that lard was just trying to give her a little taste of home.

Now here comes the fun part, oh no not the making of the biscuits although that is fun, but the explaining to Brad how something that I said I would never use was now sitting in the refrigerator conveniently covered by parsley, hidden behind milk and on the bottom shelf so you could not see it through the glass. 5 minutes in and I hear "Hey bobbie, what's this stuff?" Please oh please not the lard, do not ask about THE LARD! "You bought lard? Are you feeling ok? Do I need to call someone?" Yea- Mr. Funny Guy/Smart (Insert PG-13 word here), you are sooooo cute.

Do I even need to tell you that they were the best biscuits I have ever made? And after telling my in-laws that I was making biscuits with lard they would wind up eating dinner with us?

So below is the recipe for the infamous lard biscuits. I made 1 substitution. The original recipe calls for 2 cups All Purpose (a-p) Flour. I used 1 c a-p flour and 1 c cake flour. You do not want to use a flour with a high protein content. That will make for tough biscuits so no bread flour. Cake flour has the lowest protein content making a lighter fluffier biscuit. I also recommend chilling the lard.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

1 c a-p flour

1 c cake flour

1 c buttermilk*

2 oz lard

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

* Regular milk may be used in the place of buttermilk.

In a mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well combined.

Add the lard and butter. Using a pastry cutter, cut the mixture until only pea-sized lumps remain.

Pour the milk into the mixture. Using a spoon, stir until the flour is wet and clumps together.

Dust a silicon baking mat or parchment paper with flour. Form dough into a ball. Do not over work the dough, this will create a tough biscuit. Roll out the dough to the thickness you desire for your biscuits.

Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, cut your biscuits and place on a parchment or silicon mat lined cookie sheet.

Once you have cut the biscuits you can reform the leftover bits and cut those but they will be a little more dense.

Bake at 450 until golden- about 13-16 minutes depending on your oven. Set your timer and keep an eye on them.

Enjoy!!

PS-
I will be posting a healthy and delicious recipe soon that will almost counteract the biscuits. :)

Puttin on the Gritz

Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper (Super Duper)

Sorry- but you know I had to go there. That was one of the silly songs of my 80's youth and I had to share.

No- it is not a typo. I said puttin on the gritz because I have two new easy peasy recipes to share that have made my supper life easier. I love sitting down to supper with one handsome hubby and one begging doodle-bug, paws propped on the edge of the chair with a pitiful look on her face. Unfortunately, getting home at 6:30 or 7:00 means tired which means no thank you to dirty dishes and standing by the stove. So, my goal this year is to create an arsenal of easy and healthy meals that will allow us to do have a nice dinner with as little hassle as possible during the week. I am willing to put in the extra effort one or two Saturday per month to have weeknights be easy.

Crock pot chili was one of our suppers this week. Something we have all probably had hundreds of times but I love this recipe because if you forget to put everything together the night before you can do it in 15 minutes in the morning.

The ingredients are-

1/2 cup of black beans

1/2 cup of kidney beans

1/4 cup of speckled beans (Heck- I don't know what they are called but they look like speckled eggs and I love them.)

1 14 oz can of petite diced tomatoes

1/4 c of salsa (I used the HT brand cilantro. It tastes yummy and has a little kick.)

Now- here is the tricky part, as in I tried to trick my hubby. 1 link of smoked turkey sausage sliced.

I was going to make it sans meat but I decided to not throw him into shock just yet. Let's just say one bite in and he asked did I use real sausage. Dang it man. But he did like it. I promise. No, really he did.

If you prefer ground beef, brown it in the skillet the night before and put in with thother ingredients.

2 chipotle bullion cubes

1 onion- chopped to the size you prefer

Hot sauce to taste

Put all ingredients in the crock pot. Cover the ingredients with water, there should be about 1/2 inch over the ingredients. Turn on low and go to work. You will come home to a yummy smelling house and pretty darn good pot of chili. It tends toward a thinner consistency but hubby likes to put his cornbread in it so that works perfectly for us. If you prefer a thicker chili, you can always add a little cornstarch slurry.

I did find the next day for lunch it had thickened a little and was even better. Yum.

The next great thing was a knock spaghetti and meatball frozen meal like the ones you find in the grocery store $8.

Items needed:

Ice Trays

Zip top bags

Tomato/Spaghetti Sauce

Meatballs

Spaghetti/Penne/Angel Hair whatever pasta you prefer

I made a batch of tomato sauce:

1 pint jar (16 oz) of roasted garlic tomato sauce I canned this summer

1 14 oz can of petite diced tomatoes (I will definitely be canning more those this summer)

And any other ingredients you would like in you sauce. Dice the ingredients. They will need to be in small pieces.

I let that simmer for a while to develop a good flavor. If you really want to save time and effort crack open a jar of your favorite jarred sauce.

I would love to tell you I then made homemade meatballs but that would be a fib the size of Texas. I had pre-made frozen meatballs in the freezer from a great sale a few weeks ago, so in they went. If you do not have pre-frozen, BUY THEM, um I mean please feel free to make your own. Truthfully, they will be less expensive and can be used for lots of other meals.

I recommend doing this in steps, it makes it easier to handle and clean up. Once your sauce has the flavor you like, turn it off and let it cool. Take your ice tray and spray each cup with a quick blast of cooking spray or rub with a paper towel dipped in just a little oil. Fill each cup 1/4 to half way and stick in the freezer until frozen. I find one ice tray per bag works perfectly for Brad and I. Just saucy enough without being to much. However, this is your bag put as many cubes as you would like.

If you made homemade meatballs, cook them thoroughly in what ever manner works best for you, skillet or oven. You want to make sure they are completely done. The frozen dish is only reheated so the meatballs need to be thoroughly cooked. Take a cookie sheet or whatever size pan will fit in your freezer, line with parchment and place your meatballs on it. Place it in the freezer until your meatballs are frozen.

Cook your pasta. The key to this dish being successful is freezing each component separately and that you do not over cook your pasta. It needs to be al dente. Due to additional cooking time from the freezer to heat your meal, if you cook it too much it will be a soft mushy mess when you heat your dinner. Once your pasta is ready, drain, cool and spread on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze.

The reason I said steps worked best is I did not have room in my freezer for 2 cookie sheets and lots of ice trays. When my sauce froze, I pulled it out and put in my freezer bag along with my meatballs. If you have homemade meatballs, just put your sauce in the bag and put in the freezer. Add your meatballs once they are frozen. Once your pasta is frozen, add it to your bag and you now have a complete meal. I double bag mine in one gallon bags to prevent freezer burn, which is silly since I do not think they are going to last that long. :)

You may be tempted to throw all of the ingredients in at once and not freeze in separate steps. DO NOT do this. You will have one big clump in your bag that will take forever to heat. Your pasta will be over cooked and it will be eehhh. Eehhh meals are not a good thing.

I plan on trying different varieties of the dinner over the next few weeks. I will let you know what works and what does not and hopefully have pictures.

If you try it, let me know how it works for you. I would love to hear how you tweak things to match your tastes or to make the recipes better.

Thanks and Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!

I have just awaken from a long winter's nap well, actually a Sunday afternoon nap on a 67 degree day in North Carolina. Happy New Year from our unusually warm weather. I think Sunday afternoon naps are good for the soul. We so rarely get to indulge in them and when we do it feels luxurious. I know that sounds like a silly statement, a nap, luxurious but try to "sneak" one in next Sunday and see if you don't agree. Not a 10 minute power nap, a fall asleep and sleep until you naturally wake up nap- it truly is a luxury.
Well it is THAT time of year... Time for New Year's Resolutions. Get healthy, lose weight, be nicer, yeah yeah yeah. I had already broken half of those before 8:15 this morning. Actually, I did not make resolutions in that vein this year. Our pastor, Pastor Chuck, preached a series on spending time with God. AND wait for it... zipping it Pippi long enough to hear what God has to say. OH!!! You mean I was suppose to shut up long enough to listen? Well Hello, who knew, such a novel idea. For the past month that is what I have been trying to do. Listen. And frankly, I suck at it. I am like the dog in Up!, yes Lord I hear you, you want me too, Eww! Squirrel, Chocolate, Phone, Sparkly. In the past, my conversations with God have been more like, well imagine God as a therapist. He is sitting in his chair, in a sports coat with elbow patches, looking at me over his reading glasses and I am laid all out on the couch dumping my woes in his lap and when I am done taking my lollipop and hitting the streets feeling ever so much better but starting the drive around the same mountain once again. However, I have noticed that God is taking advantage of those 3 seconds of attention and laying a few things on my heart- 16 pages and counting. :) Hey carrot cake...
Now I have had a few "Come to Jesus" moments with my Mama. NEVER EVER EVER GOOD! I think I may still be grounded from one of them. But when God has a "Come to Jesus" moment with you (should they be called a "Come to ME" moment?) it is not quite the same in my experience. I have not been grounded until I am 40 and I get to keep the keys to my car. It was more throwing the spotlight on a few things that made me cringe and then helping me realize that they need to change and can only change through and by him. The heavens did not part and I did not hear the voice of James Earl Jones (yes indeed- in my world God sounds like James Earl Jones) telling me what a bad child I have been. I felt conviction, conviction that there were some things that needed realignment. I read something recently that stated conviction is something about which we are convinced. A convinced conscience. My conscience has been convinced that I need to be more disciplined, a better steward and a better wife. Um, excusez moi? Me, a better wife? But Lord, I am the perfect wife, gracious, loving, never a negative thought or word..... And that ladies and gentlemen was the sound of heaven and Brad laughing their hineys off. Well maybe the good folks of heaven cannot laugh their hineys off but they sure thought that was HI-larious. Even I cannot type, write or say that with a straight face. And I am finding that those three things are interwoven. I want to be a better steward of the many blessings God has given me; my husband, family, home, finances and job. Using what God has given me to His glory, appreciating it and sharing it. And this blog is going to hold me accountable. It is still going to follow the craziness of canning, freezing and saving the dollars but now with a different purpose or shall I say with a purpose. Fasten your seatbelts, its going to be a bumpy, funny, fall on my face, honest, amazing ever so wonderful year. (The Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise. thanks Deddy)