Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle

November 12, 2012October 31, 2012 by KTgreen

I received the latest Veranda magazine in the mail yesterday and there was that armoire that Michelle was recreating in Tuesday’s post! Great job Michelle! And while Michelle was working on that lovely piece, she was also in the kitchen making dinner. Ultimate multi-tasker!

I’m a busy girl. Now, I’ll tell you that I’m just putzing doing nothing but keeping Jon out of trouble – or getting him into some. (hee hee) I lie. This week, because I’ve been losing my mind over a real estate short sale nightmare, I’ve decided to do something BIG to keep my mind someplace else. Jon’s happy that it just involves paint and not a sledgehammer or a sawz-all. So, he’s letting me run wild, smiling and nodding as I go along.

But I digress, all this remodeling leaves me little time in the kitchen. So soon I forget what it was like when I worked 8 hours in an office came home to a fussy baby, help make other building decisions and deal with family issues. And you know my family, they’ve got a lot of issues. Geez, I’m like semi-retired now – NOT!

The other day I received my newest Coastal Living Magazine and it reminded me of a southern favorite I’d let slip from my main soup-group. See, I’m no Crock Star – I’m more the Soup Nazi! And I love Frogmore Stew, ewwww what an awful name. Now we call it a Lowcountry Boil. Yes, Mr.SpellCheck, it’s ONE word – welcome to Florida. On busy remodeling days, I know I’ll forget all about dinner and panic at about 4:30 with no plan (and I have to have a plan). But there’s always the ingredient list available in my pantry and freezer for this one. I make mine more healthy and lower fat than normal, and it’s just as tasty . So, ya’ll git you yer crock pot out and let’s us do up a Lowcountry Boil. (yes, I know – I hear the sirens from the grammar police from here)

Lowcountry Boil – The Busy-Girls-Short-Cut Version

Step 1: It’s still morning so, gather the goodies – see, the pot already has frozen chicken broth thawing. Set it to low for however long you’ll be busy.

1/3 Cup Bacon pieces (I keep some in the freezer, because I need bacon grease without the bacon sometimes. The guys can sprinkle them in eggs and I only have to stink up the kitchen every couple of months)

1 small Onion, chopped fine

1/2 Pepper – Yellow, Red or Orange, chopped

3 cloves, Garlic, minced

1 tsp Seafood Seasoning (aka Old Bay)

4 Cups Chicken or Veggie Broth

2 Cups Water *(to cook the shrimp tails in for a seafood broth)

4 Potatoes, cut up or little creamers (about 1 lb. or 1 1/2 lb)

1 cube Chipotle Seasoning (or 1 canned chipotle pepper diced..not a pantry staple here)

1 1/2 Cup Corn, frozen

Salt & Pepper to taste (add later)

1 1/2 Lb. Shrimp, frozen jumbos, peeled and deveined – thawed

1 Cup of another seafood if you like (I happen to have imitation crab that need to go)

1/2 Cup Frozen Peas

Step 2: Toss it all in the pot, except the shrimp and peas. When shrimp cooks too long it gets tough and rubbery. Pull the tails off (and shells if there are any) and put the shrimp back in the fridge. Cover them – they stink!

Step 3: Put the tails in a pot (if you have time) with the water and cook up for 5 or 10 min. Then strain broth into the crock and toss the tails. Or just use 2 more cups broth.

Step 4: While those tails cook, lets look at this little number. I keep these Knorr blocks on hand for all kinds of dishes that need heat, but not take-your-head-off heat. And they don’t spoil so add them to your pantry – they don’t take up much space.

Step 5: I’ve been buzzing around all day with that crock pot on low. Add salt & pepper now. Many of the ingredients have a salty taste after stewing all day. Garlic, OldBay, Knorr blocks are all salty. And maybe you’ve got full salt broth…or maybe not. Now I’m ready to serve. Pull the shrimp and toss in along with the frozen peas (for color mainly). When the shrimp are pink, they’re cooked.

Finale: Look at that healthy Soup Nazi creation – yes, there is soup for you! Pretty as the magazine shoot, with less calories. No extra butter or bacon fat needed here. But you may need some sweet tea and a side of crusty bread. Aaahh, the South comes to you wherever you are. Y’all enjoy.

Michelle

Another yummy recipe from Michelle! If I had all those ingredients in my cupboards, freezer and fridge, Terry would think someone else was living here!
KT

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle

November 12, 2012October 24, 2012 by KTgreen

Michelle brings us “Michelle’s Lazy-Healthy-Girl Mashers” this week:

Last week I ‘did potatoes’, by that I mean I made my semi-annual batch of mashed potatoes. My guys love mashed potatoes, as most men do,…ok I love them as well. What I don’t love is making them. What a pain – and for one meal, really!? Sometime ago I ran out of my Masher stash and had to resort to the frozen Red Bag from the store for a recipe. I was very disappointed. Not only were they pricey, they were cut pieces of potatoes that I had to mash and flavor myself anyway. The alternative was the dried nastiness from a box. In my world there’s just something wrong with potatoes from a box,….right up there with powdered milk, (I shudder – eeww – only for recipes and the hurricane box ). I had always been told that “You can’t freeze potatoes, they get weird”‘. Well, another thing I’m used to dealing with in my world, and that’s the word weird. The way food companies deal with weirdness, is chemicals. Specifically disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate. Now, I thought that it might be a benign additive that just sounds scary. Not really. After a Google search, I discovered that it’s linked to all sorts of ‘weird’ ailments and reactions. Wow – that’s some awful stuff! Hmmm, all to keep potatoes from turning ugly during processing. With all that fancy industrial equipment at their disposal, they still rely on chemicals (cheap bastards). Well, I’ve got my own arsenal of culinary weapons, and I’m not afraid to use ’em. Let me show you what I’m talking about.

Michelle’s Lazy-Healthy-Girl Mashers:

The Cast: I buy a 10 pound bag of the Klondike Rose potatoes at Sams Club when they’re in season. These potatoes are like Yukon Golds. They have a buttery flavor and smooth texture on their own. Reduced Fat Sour Cream. NOT fat-free (yuck). A little real butter. Why? Because it’s real and a little goes a long way. Garlic, again a little makes the whole batch awesome!

The real stars for this show are my massive stand mixer, but ANY mixer will do, just mash in batches. As well as my Food Saver (seal-o-meal), or you can use zip-loc bags or any other airtight freezer packaging.

Step 1: Boil up all those potatoes. I cut them into a big bowl of water first and drain off some of the starch. That helps keep the ‘foam’ from forming and boiling over in a big mess. Also, potatoes don’t have to cook at a rolling boil. Just bring them up to a roll and back it down to a strong simmer for about 20 min.

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle — Step 1

Step 2: Gather your staff, and drain off the potatoes in 2 batches. Mainly because 10 lbs is just too much to deal with all at once.

Step 3: Get them, peel and all into the Mixer, while hot. S l o w l y, break them down.

Step 4: Now add in what you like. I only use 1 TBL butter, per half. Yea, that’s it! Then I add, 1/2 of the container (about 8oz.-per half) Red.Fat Sour Cream. I’ve used greek yogurt in the past which is ok for dieters, but I erroneously served them to guests and even I was like “What’s IN these potatoes?” (bitter) Add kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper to taste. Then I press about 1 clove raw garlic per half. NOT the jarred minced stuff. Thin it with FF milk. The Boys can add calories later with their butter and gravy! But these mashers, even I can eat.

Step 5: Look at that yumminess! Now, I like my mashers lumpy with peels to eat with a fork – I don’t even own a ricer! That’s just me. I take the two batches from the mixer back into the big boiling pot and give it a turn by hand so the flavors are even.

Step 6: Here’s the techno part of the deal – bagging. Seal up 10 bags, and fold the tops down.

Step 7: I use a scale, you don’t have to. I put them into 1 lb bags. That’s one meal, or use 2 for Shepards Pie topping, 3 if there are guests for dinner.

Step 8: Mark them and lay out flat. Get them into the fridge to cool before freezing.

Step 9: Lay them flat to freeze hard, then stand up in storage. See, like little yummy books.

OK, now let’s thaw them….

Step 10: This is a package of potatoes nearly 3 months old! After a few minutes in warm water, break it up into a bowl to microwave (do not drain off the water).

Step 11: After about 5 – 7min. Give them a stir, they will be watery, and grainy . Nuke them a little longer until the water is re-absorbed and they’re once again creamy, thick and sticky.

Finale: There they are, in all their glory. An addition to a healthy baked chicken dinner and took less time(to re-heat) and money than the store bought, chemical laced version! This seems like a lengthy process, but it really isn’t. I do up potatoes so infrequently and normally do other things while they’re boiling, etc. Speaking of money, I estimate the cost at about $1.50 per pound. With about 1/2 of the expense in the freezer bag. If you go with re-useable ones the cost is about .84cents per pound. Then you can save your disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate allowance for tater-tots and McD’s fries!

Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle

October 17, 2012 by KTgreen

Continuing the Al-La-Palooza week, here’s Michelle with an alternative to that leftover wedding cake!

So, Al-La-Paloosa is over and my favorite, and very healthy and very thin Auntie has brought me Wedding Cake leftovers. OMG – it’s like Night of the Living Dead Diet. It sit’s in it’s box and moans and growls and calls to me! It’s cut up in pieces, bleeding it’s orange buttercream trimmings…Nooooooo! OK, well maybe just a piece of the white cake…. AGH! Then it leaps from the container, completely unprovoked I might add, and lands on my face! UmmmNummNuuuuum! I can’t take it. I got so many compliments on my new slightly smaller waistline that I’m even more empowered to go further…then there’s that damned cake. Back! Back to the freezer I say! OK, where was I? Oh yea, my diet…that ginormous cake had three flavors, one of which was a dark chocolate with fudge filling. Complete chocolate overload – and I’m Jonsing bad! I need a fix…where’s my mixer? Let’s go.

Chocolate Wedding Cake Zombie Apocalypse Cookie

Step 1: Gather the cast of characters, and light that fire (350 please)

1/2 Cup Truvia Baking Blend

1/2 Tbl Molasses

2 Tbl Butter, melted

1 Egg white

2 Tbl Applesauce

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1/2 Cup Dark Cocoa Powder

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/8 tsp Salt

1 tsp finely chopped walnuts

1/4 tsp Instant Espresso *

Step 2: You know the drill, mix the wet and then mix the dry and add the dry into the wet…but here’s the *optional flavor enhancer.

Step 3: I chose the espresso powder this time. Take the powder in a tiny pinch bowl or shot glass – I know you have one or two! – and add a couple drops of warm water to dissolve. Or you can bring the heat with a pinch of cayenne pepper! Oh yes it plays very well with chocolate! Careful, a little goes a long ways. (but not both together – we’re enhancing the flavor, not masking it)

Step 4: A little dusting of walnuts. If you’re going the hot pepper route, use toasted pecans.

Step 5: You did heat the oven to 350, right. OK, use that small cookie scoop and get them in the oven for about 10 min. There they are…smells like a wounded diet. NOT !

Step 6: Check that out! These are moist and soooo satisfying. A bit more calories than my other healthy numbers at 72 cal, but I’m competing against fudge filled cake! Unfortunately, mounded on a plate they resemble Godzilla’s head! Hmm, let’s fix that…

Step 7: That’s better. Like a soft Oreo…NO, I will not make icing for them!…but I may put one with a tiny bowl of vanilla frozen yogurt. Take That Wedding Cake Zombie!!! (doesn’t taste a thing like brains – please don’t ask me how I know that)

Ohhhhh, sounnds good! Sorry about wedding cake leftovers but it couldn’t stay on my island any longer! Everytime the toddler came through the kitchen she said “caaaaaake” which meant cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Also gave a hunk to my neighbor with four kids and she called me evil as Maggie and I walked by her house yesterday! Just trying to be neighborly!