Fridge Food Boxes

I’m quite excited about these Pyrex dishes https://www.target.com/p/pyrex-10pc-glass-meal-prep-set/-/A-79764899 that fit so perfectly in my side-by-side fridge. (Not gonna lie that I’m totally inspired by the fridges filled with neatly-packed side dishes in Korean dramas.) These Pyrex containers don’t have a tight seal so they’re just for at-home use or for foods that aren’t runny. I've found that fresh produce takes up a lot less space in your fridge if you chop and store it in these containers, and even more significant, I'm much more likely to use it if it's already chopped and ready to eat. I’m working hard at counting calories and I have a big week coming up, so my gift to myself was to spend a chunk of the day preparing foods for this shelf. Some are just for me and some can also be eaten by my son who’s on a special diet. Here's this week's inventory:

-Takeout chicken parmesan

-Takeout lemon chicken

-Seasoned taco meat

-Shredded lettuce

-Roasted cauliflower

-Roasted zucchini

-Roasted bok choy

-Cantaloupe chunks

-Broccoli salad

-Marinated cucumbers

-Spinach artichoke dip

-Chap Chae

Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip

With extra emotional stressors this Christmas season, about a week ago my friend and I gave each other a Christmas challenge to do something festive for ourselves each day and also to make a note of the tender mercies from God. It was a pretty amazing week considering seven days ago we both wanted to boycott Christmas. Each day we reported to each other with photos of what we had done. She put decorations on the mantel and front door of her unfinished house, and fed grateful guests there while sitting around a propane heater. I collected roadside red berries and greens and hung lights. I sent a wooden nativity to my grandkids and FaceTimed them while they opened it and we sang Silent Night together. I bought a second wooden nativity for myself and set it up with greens and lights in my kitchen. I’ve also been making festive party foods for myself. These are childhood comfort foods that I’m the only one in the house who likes. Yesterday I made smoked salmon dip and today I’m making spinach artichoke dip. There are lots of recipes for this in my church cookbook collection but I developed my own that has a lot more vegetables in it.

1 lb. chopped frozen spinach

15 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained

4 oz. cream cheese

4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese

Fresh black pepper

Salt

Garlic powder

Onion powder

1/2 cup Vegenaise or mayonnaise

1/4 cup Pamela’s gf flour (to absorb any excess liquid)

Chop the artichoke hearts and smoosh everything together with a gloved hand. Bake uncovered in a small casserole dish at 350 for about 30 minutes. I ate it on top of toasted buttered French bread. If I do say so myself, this turned out absolutely fantastic on the very first try!! There was plenty of flavor and cheesiness and it wasn't watery even though I used frozen spinach that I didn't defrost or drain.

Tea Time Tassies

This Recipe is from Jason’s fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Brown, in Lori’s handwriting. I made these for the first time ever this weekend, December 9, 2023, and used pepitas instead of pecans and they were so good. The internet says a tassie is a Scottish tartlet filled with whatever you want. My daughter, son-in-law, and baby grandson visited Lori with me at Christmastime in 2017 and she served us Tea Time Tassies and other yummy Christmas cookies.

GF Apple Pie Squares

These were soooo good! I'm also posting at dinnermentor and samsbrainfood.

Crust:
1 c Pamela's GF flour
1/2 c filtered coconut oil
1 tbsp sugar
1-2 tbsp water

Topping:
5 or more Granny Smith apples
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 c white sugar
2 tbsp Pamela's GF flour
2 tbsp water
Dash of sea salt
Dash of nutmeg
1/2-1-2 tsp cinnamon (I didn't measure)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine crust ingredients until mixture looks like coarse crumbs (work the dough as little as possible) and press into parchment-lined 9x13 pan. Bake for ten minutes and remove from oven.

Peel, core, and thinly slice apples. 5 apples will make a pretty thin layer when cooked so feel free to use more, increasing other ingredients proportionately if desired. Combine with all other topping ingredients and spread evenly over crust. Bake 25-35 minutes or until apples are tender.

Dad's Stir Fry With Rice Sticks

Fabulous Two-Ingredient GFCF Chocolate Pie Filling

This seems too good to be true but it was a Thanksgiving miracle yesterday. Melt 12 oz. chocolate chips in a sauce pan with 1 can chilled full-fat coconut milk, stirring until all melted and combined. Pour into prepared crust and chill for at least two hours. The texture and flavor were perfect and there was no coconut flavor.

There are many GFCF crusts out there. I just combined uncooked oatmeal, a couple tbsp. sugar, a couple handfuls of shredded coconut, dash of salt, a couple tbsp. Pamela's, and 1/2 cup coconut oil in the food processer. Then I pressed it into a pie dish and baked at 350 for 10-15 minutes . (Cool before adding filling.)

Lentil Soup

I adapted this recipe from the New York Times Cookbook. This is pretty plain-looking but delicious and easy and even
better the next day.

1 lb. package dried lentils
2 ½ quarts water (I just eyeball it. You might need to add more later.)
2 tbsp. oil
About 2 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
5 gluten-free organic hot dogs, sliced (optional)
2 chicken bouillon cubes (optional)
Fresh ground black pepper
Salt to taste (but I don't use if I'm using bouillon & hot dogs)

In a soup pot, saute carrots, celery, onion, garlic & hot dogs in oil until onions are limp (and until hot dogs are a little browned). Add water, bouillon, lentils, & black pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently about 2 hours. (The lentil package says it only takes 45 minutes, though.)

The New York Times book suggests you puree the soup through a food mill(if you're not using hot dogs) but I usually don't.    

Lisa's Tri-Tip

Tri-tip

2 tsp. rosemary

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Lisa served this at her son's wedding reception and it was absolutely delicious! Marinate, then bake at 350 (covered) until internal temperature reaches 160.

Gluten-Free Molasses Spice Crinkle Cookies

This is from simplyrecipes.com. Sub Pamela's gluten-free flour for GF version. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/molasses_spice_cookies/

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Lori sent this to me from a chef she used to work with. Thanks, Lori! Spicy Sweet Potato Soup Mineral rich Grade B Maple syrup is cheaper than Grade A because it is not as refined; thus there is more flavor. Canned coconut milk works well in this soup because it is richer, however any dairy or non-dairy milk can be substituted with equally great results. If you don't care for spice but want to retain the smoky flavor of the chipotle chili, remove the stem and all the seeds and add only the skin of the chili. Preparation Time: 30 minutes Difficulty: Easy Yield: 5 Cups 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (large chunks), about 4 cups 1/2 Medium Spanish (yellow) Onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (large chunks) 2 Cloves Garlic, peeled 1 ½ cups of water plus more to adjust consistency if necessary 1/4 Cup plus 1 Tbsp of Grade B Maple Syrup or ¼ Cup Agave Nectar (I used less and it was still sweet) ½ Chipotle Chili in Adobo (found in Hispanic section of Grocery Store) (I used dried chipotle chili powder) 2 Tbsp Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice or Apple Cider Vinegar 1 Cup Canned Coconut Milk 1 tsp Sea Salt and 1 tsp Black Pepper to taste plus more if desired Green Onions, thinly sliced, to garnish Place Sweet Potatoes, onion and garlic in 4-quart plus-size tightly lidded pot and add the water. Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook until Potatoes are tender–about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly to make handling easier. Transfer to blender and add maple syrup, chipotle chili and coconut milk  and puree until smooth. Return mixture to heat and bring up to almost a boiling point. Turn off heat and add lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with sliced green onions. NOTE: Using 1/2 of a chili (as directed) is perfect if you don't like spicy food (gives it a 'kick' but not too much).

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Take 2

This is my new favorite chocolate chip cookie. I haven't been able to try the pistachios yet although the friend who sent me this says they are amazing, and I haven't sprinkled them with smoked sea salt. But the chewy texture of this cookie is just wonderful. http://joythebaker.com/2012/08/dark-chocolate-pistachio-smoked-sea-salt-cookies/ I used 1 tbsp. ground flax + 3 tbsp. water instead of egg, kosher salt in the actual dough, and I baked these at 375 for 8-10 minutes, although the 300 degree technique works well, too. (But I can't wait 18 minutes for cookies....) I also had GREAT success making these gluten-free! I substituted the wheat flour for the same amount of Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix and they were perfect! Today's mission is to substitute coconut oil for the butter, for my gluten-free dairy-free friends.

Easy Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Cream Puffs

I found this recipe for easy cream puffs in my Our Best Bites cookbook and substituted coconut oil for butter and tapioca flour for wheat flour, but they were too flat, so I added in some almond flour which perked them up and made them delicious. And they look exactly like regular cream puffs. I think they were still a little on the greasy side so next time I will use a little less coconut oil and a little more flour. http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/04/tutorial-cream-puffs/ The cream filling is coconut cream from the top of a can of Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk, chilled, and whipped with a fork with a little organic honey and some Trader Joe's Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract. I got the idea from this blog: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/01/16/chocolate-frosting-shots/ The ganache is organic honey (not much) and equal parts cocoa powder and coconut oil, microwaved to melt everything together, then chilled to harden it.

Felicity's Chocolate Chip Cookies

This was a great article about CC cookies. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/apr/25/how-to-cook-perfect-chocolate-chip-cookies 120g salted butter, at room temperature 75g light brown sugar 75g granulated sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 1 egg 240g plain flour ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 170g dark chocolate, roughly chopped Sea salt flakes (optional) 1. Using a wooden spoon, or (even better) a food mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until just combined. Add the vanilla extract, then the egg, and beat in well. 2. Sift together the flour and bicarbonate of soda, then use a spoon to add to the mixture, stirring until it just comes together into a dough. Fold in the chocolate pieces, then chill overnight, or for up to 72 hours. 3. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper, and divide the mixture into golf-ball sized rounds, spacing them well apart. Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden, but not browned. 4. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt if using, and allow to cool on the tray for a couple of minutes, before moving to a wire rack to cool completely – or scoffing immediately.

French Apple Tart

This is delicious, from my friend Maren. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/french-apple-tart-recipe/index.html

14 Carat Cake

From my friend, Lori's, blog. She brought us a large slice to try, to celebrate HER birthday. Gotta love friends like that! http://tblondonlori.blogspot.com/2011/09/14-karat-cake-and-frosting.html

Pizza Dough

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/New-York-Italian-Pizza-Dough/Detail.aspx

I don't know how anyone could possibly use this recipe as written--the dough is far too sticky, not even dough, in my opinion. (But I used all purpose flour--maybe that makes a difference.) Anyway, I added almost twice as much flour as called for, gradually, using the Bosch mixer, until the dough cleared the sides of the bowl but still stuck to the bottom. I kneaded it with the mixer for about ten minutes and it created a very stretchy, sticky dough.

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OK, here is the post-dinner report: This pizza was absolutely amazing. We had Jill and Wendell over for Henry's birthday dinner and everyone got to make their own pizza. It's tricky to stretch out the dough, and you want it the thinner the better, in my opinion. I heated up my pizza stone for half an hour in a preheated 500 degree oven. According to Peter Reinhardt you want to bake your pizza at the highest temperature you can so that the crust bakes in the same amount of time as the cheese melts and caramelizes. Jill is a sushi chef and has worked in the restaurant business for a long time and said this was the best pizza she had had in a very long time. Wendell is also a discriminating eater and just said he was very, very happy. Henry is particular about his pizza and was also extremely impressed, especially with the crust.

I find it very difficult to get the pizza onto the stone so this time I cut circles of parchment paper the same size as the stone and people spread out their dough and made their pizzas right on the paper which was easy to slide onto the stone. I made my dough extremely thin. Here is what I put on my pizza and I want to make it exactly like this every time because it was so good:

--Garlic butter around the edges of the dough.

--Thin layer of pizza sauce (purchased from a local pizzeria).

--Sliced fresh mushrooms.

--Fresh baby spinach.

--Dabs of homemade pesto.

--Marinated artichoke hearts.

--Dabs of feta cheese.

--Mozzarella cheese.

--Hormel turkey pepperoni.

--Slices of red bell pepper.

--Fresh parmesan cheese.

--Greek olives.

Baked at 500 degrees for ten minutes.

Shepherd's Pie

This one's for you, Julia.   http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/30-minute-shepherds-pie-recipe/index.html

Ciabatta Poolish

Here is the recipe I found online. http://theyumblog.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/peter-reinharts-poolish-ciabatta/   My daughter's teacher got it from Peter Rienhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Bakers-Apprentice-Mastering-Extraordinary/dp/1580082688

Italian Bread

I made this Italian bread the other night and it was really good. I baked it at 450 for 25-30 minutes and misted it with water before baking, and two more times at 3 minute intervals, and the crust came out nice and crisp. I'm still planning to try the amazing Ciabatta Poolish that my daughter's cooking teacher makes.   http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mama-Ds-Italian-Bread/Detail.aspx

Meat Loaf for Sam

I skimmed a few recipes for basic information, then created this one. We used to stockpile Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers but Sam doesn't eat them as much any more, so here's a way to use them.

3 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs
1 bag parmesan goldfish crackers
3 tbsp. milk
Ketchup
Spicy brown mustard
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
Mrs. Dash
Garlic powder
Black pepper

I didn't add any salt because of the crackers; hopefully that will be o.k.

Smash the crackers and mix everything together. Pat into a loaf pan (or Pyrex bowl like I used). Spread the top with ketchup. Bake at 350 for an hour. (?)