Savory 10 grain, Quinoa and Herb French Onion Muffins

My friend Stephanie F. made some quinoa muffins for me to taste recently and I loved the idea of making a whole grain muffin using cooked quinoa in the batter so much! The little chewy pieces in the muffins add a great chewy texture as well as a great amount of complete protein and fiber. So. Thank you darling Stephanie's for the idea!  I decided to use some cooked quinoa (How to Cook Quinoa Tutorial) and some of my homemade French Onion Soup Mix to prepare some rather righteous muffins (If I do say so myself). They're lightly sweet but have just the right balance of hearty grain and onion. You get just a hint of French herbs when you make the soup mix with Herbs de Provence instead of parsley. I always make it that way. 

Serve them hot with crisp cool salad or a bowl of soup and you'll be happy. I promise. I can also promise that Ace ate 5 muffins in one sitting and had so much fiber that he...um...never-mind. 

Chef Tess 
Savory 10 Grain, Quinoa and Herb French Onion Muffins
3 cup Chef Tess 9 Grain All Purpose Baking Mix
1/2 cup granulated erythritol (zero calorie natural sweetener)
2 cup cooked quinoa (measure one cup after cooking)
1/4 cup homemade  French Onion Soup Mix 
1 1/3 cup water
2T garlic or lemon infused olive oil
1/2 tsp  Chef Tess Romantic Italian Seasoning

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine baking mix, erythritol, cooked quinoa and onion soup mix in a quart size bowl.  Add water and mix just until combined. Scoop into oiled muffin tins, each muffin 3/4 way. Bake in a hot even 20-25 minutes until golden brown and muffins spring back when touched gently. In a small bowl, combine olive oil and Chef Tess seasoning. Brush the tops of the muffins with the olive oil combination. Serve warm. Keep any left overs in the freezer for later use. 

There you go. Make some warm divine muffins of love and glory. Try not to pass out. 

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Polynesian Sweet and Sour Chicken Baked Beans (52 Method Continues)

 Today I'm sharing my newest recipe for Polynesian Sweet and Sour Chicken baked beans.  The original recipe on my blog is here ( using the solar oven to bake them).   The jar recipe is different. It cooks on the stove in 20-25 minutes and looks and tastes um...(what's the word?)...pretty! Colorful! Delightful! It has a sweet, sour, tangy, luscious, slightly peppery sauce. I love the sweet chunks of pineapple with the fresh taste of the peppers, garlic and onions. The chicken is chunky and firm. The beans are perfectly tender. Serve it over rice and it's a "topper" or serve it with a chunk of sweet homemade Maori Bread. 

My 52 jar method Meals in a jar will be new all week! So, if you like what you  see, plan on visiting all week. I'll try to have at least 4 new posts up this week with new recipes and some that I've revised to be more natural and user-friendly. If you are new to the meals in a jar, go here and get some details on how the meals are done as well as the basic safety guidelines. If your scroll through the rest of the 52 jar method posts, there are a lot more recipes, ideas, and helpful tips when making the meals. I answer a lot of questions in the comment sections as well. If I had to re-cap each detail in each new post, it would take a lot of time and space. So. That being said there are a few things I will always re-cap in each post.

1. You will be using a method some have called "dry pack canning" but it's actually called Vacuum packing. No liquid or pressure canning is necessary. If you opt to use the freeze dried meat in the recipes  NOTE: The repacking of Freeze Dried Meat must be done within 24-48 hours of opening the can and must be done in a dry environment. Once repacked you must use an oxygen absorber to make sure there is a vacuum oxygen free environment. I recommend using a 300 cc oxygen absorber for each jar. This will make the vacuum packing effective. You can use a food Saver with a jar attachment for this in place of the oxygen absorber, but will need to make sure your machine is designed to be used with the jar attachment. Some of the food Savers are called "meal savers" and are actually not designed to use with the attachment. I called the FoodSaver company myself to be sure that the attachment I had was right for the machine I was using. Thanks Mom (yes my mother bought me one!) for the big FoodSaver! I love it!! It's shiny and silver and fun, fun, fun! Yes. I'm planning on doing a tutorial on making the jars with one! 

2. You can also pack in mylar bags (the ones that are silver-colored), but again need to use the oxygen absorber. This size I use is designed to absorb a gallon size amount of air, but I'd rather err on the side of over-vacuum than not enough. No. You can't use the foodSaver clear plastic bags for long term storage. They are not designed for that purpose. When I say "long term" I'm talking 3-5 years. 

3. Enjoy. Share these recipes with your friend! Get the word out that they are here!  PLEASE...make sure my name stays with the recipes.  Try to think how it would feel if you had worked on the recipes yourself. You'd want not only the credit, but also a way for people to contact you if they had questions. I ask you to please be mindful of that. Plus, they are my copy-written work and that is just the law. Thanks. 

Preparing Wisely in Mesa, AZ had these quick cook Whole navy beans in the store. I was so excited to see them and use them! I bought two cans of them a week ago and have enjoyed playing with them in my recipes. I'm totally impressed with how firm and perfect the little beans turn out when cooked. Yes, they also only take 20 minutes to cook so they're perfect for the meal-in-a-jar scenario. 

 When I  the white beans to make the Polynesian sweet and sour chicken baked beans...they looked awesome. They tasted awesome. I'm a fan. 

 I got a few new things to play with for my meals in a jar too.  dehydrated Jalapeno, dehydrated minced garlic,   Golden Balsamic Vinegar Powder and   NOH terriyaki powder in a bulk bag. I also use ultra gel and dehydrated honey in this recipe. Honeyville  carries the ultra gel and dehydrated honey in their retail stores but not their online store. 

Polynesian Sweet and Sour Chicken Baked Beans in a Jar 

2 cups Quick Cook Red Beans or Quick cook Navy Beans

1 cup Freeze Dried Chicken OR Freeze Dried Turkey 

1/4 cup Dehydrated onion 

1/2 Cup freeze dried  bell peppers Freeze Dried Bell Peppers

1/2 cup Freeze Dried Pineapple

1/4 cup  NOH terriyaki powder ( get packets here OR 1/4 cup seasoning from the bulk bag)

2T  Golden Balsamic Vinegar Powder

1/4 cup dehydrated honey 

1 tsp dehydrated Jalapeno (optional)

1T  dehydrated minced garlic

2T Ultra gel OR cornstarch

Jar Directions: Put ingredients in a WIDE mouth quart jar, shaking the powdered ingredients in before adding the bell pepper and pineapple. Top with a 300 cc oxygen absorber and a new canning lid.  

The re-use of canning lids from wet packed goods like jams and fruit is not recommended by the jar companies, as a vacuum seal can't be guaranteed. I actually asked the experts at our local extension office about that! They said that anywhere we wanted to ensure a good seal, to NEVER re-use the lids from wet canned items. Again, if you use a FoodSaver with the jar attachment, make sure it is for the jar you are using and that the machine is not a "mealsaver" but the actual FoodSaver machine with the attachment port.  This meal will be shelf stable 5-7 years. 

To prepare the meal: 

Add 5 cups of water and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Solar cooker, same amount of time in direct sunlight.

There you go! 
Make sure my name stays with the picture if you do decide to share it or  

Come back soon for more! I'll be here all week. 

Always My Very Best, 

Your Friend Chef Tess

If you share, be sure you have my name in the description when you .

Here's are the winning recipes for Our Thanksgiving Side Dish Contest!

As I'm preparing for my class this Saturday teaching how to use food storage for side dishes for Thanksgiving, I decided to have a cool recipe contest/giveaway. As anyone can see from Monday's Post...however, I was  planning on actually testing all the recipes that came in. That's a crazy idea. There were too many to test them all!  It's been outstandingly amazing seeing what people have in their arsenals as far as the "go to" recipe for Thanksgiving side dishes. In fact, it's been so amazing that I've had a seriously hard time deciding who to give the goodies too. Ya know...the 5 winners! Yikes. Why do I do this? So...I decided.  I'll share the ones that stuck out as super great. A few of these use cream of mushroom soup in the recipes. I've shared my recipe in the past for how to make the cream soup replacement from scratch using food storage at a fraction of the cost.  But...I'll share it again. Updated.

 Chef Tess Cream of Condensed Soup Replacement

1/4 c flour (or gluten free: 2 T cornstarch or Ultra Gel)      1T chicken bullion granules (also available in low sodium and MSG free variety)      1T dry onion flakes      1 bay leaf      1 tsp Chef Tess All purpose seasoning  1/3 cup instant dry milk (optional)    For cream of mushroom, add 2T crushed.freeze dried mushroom

To prepare: Combine mix with 2 c milk OR sodium free broth whisking over medium heat. Heat until thick, about 10-15 minutes. For an extra rich creamy base, add 1/4 c cream cheese at the end of cooking. Use one mix to replace one can of soup.  You may cook several batches at once and then freeze them in 2 c measurements to replace a can of soup in most recipes. Cool well. If you use pint size freezer bags, they are perfect. Lay them flat when you freeze them and then they can stack very nicely. They will "curdle" a little when defrosted, but once boiled will return to that creamy texture (so it's fine to use them in recipes for casseroles and so forth.) 

Here are the winners. In random order. All were awesome!

Carrie and Brandon Heitz shared this original recipe! Carrie said, "This takes the cake over green bean casserole for my family!" 


I was intrigued but tried it! Crazy! How can so many onions taste so good?! We were shocked in a pleasant way as well! Ace ate a ton...until I told him what was in it. It threw him for a loop big time! Thank you! This was an amazing recipe! Shockingly amazing! I love that it's also so low cost, lower carbohydrate and a great melting of flavors.

Onion Casserole

4-5 small onions peeled and sliced thinly (Plain yellow onions work well, but you could use any variety)

1 can of cream of mushroom, celery, or chicken soup (1/2 amount called for of the milk or water added) (*)

1 cup of ritz (or similar) crackers crushed

1 cup of grated cheese, what ever you have on hand, I use cheddar or swiss

mix the onion soup and cheese (reserving a hand full for the top) together in a bowl season with pepper and 

add 1/3 of the onion mix then sprinkle a layer of crackers

add another layer of onion, then cracker, ending with a layer of crackers.

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, and then top with reserved cheese and bake until cheese is bubbly and golden.

I used Havarti Cheese...and merciful heavens. I'm in love with this casserole!

* Chef Tess note: I used my cream of mushroom soup replacement in this recipe.

Next from Renee Burton. I loved how simple this one was to make and how it used such basic ingredients...yet tasted so beautiful! The taste of the fresh carrots really shined. Thank you Renee!

She wrote, "This is a family favorite no matter when and I’m not sure where the recipe came from..."

Carrots Lyonnais

1 lb carrots cut in julienne strips

1 chicken bouillon cube (* I used 1 tsp no msg bullion powder)

½ cup boiling water

¼ cup butter

1 med. Onion sliced

1 Tablespoon flour

¼ tsp salt

¾ c water

Pinch of sugar

Pare and cut into julienne strips the 1 lb of carrots.  Cook carrots covered 10 minutes in the 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in ½ cup boiling water.Melt in a sauce pan ¼ c butter.  Add 1 med onion and cook covered 15 minutes.  Stir into the butter mixture 1 T flour ¼ tsp salt and ¾ c water.

Add carrots and stock and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.  Add pinch of sugar. 

Next A Mushroom Strata from Carol N. Of Kanasas, who appealed to my need to have a vegetarian entree on hand for Ace:  "Steph, this is one marvelous vegetarian dish made especially for my four veg-family members .  The response to having most all dishes but the turkey, of course, being vegetarian friendly was "Now this is more like it!"

Enjoy- Carol

Sort-of Mushroom Sandwich

Source: Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book, 2005

Preheat oven: 350 degrees F   Baking time 55 min total

Preparation time: Allow 30 min soaking time for dried mushrooms prior to preparing dish; 10 minutes total bread absorption time during prep

1/2 oz dried porchini mushrooms

4 slices white or whole-wheat sourdough bread

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 lg leek, root end trimmed, dark-green section cut off and discarded

4 oz shiitake mushrooms, fresh, wiped clean, stems removed & discarded

8 oz Cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, stems removed and discarded

1/4 c Extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Black pepper, freshly cracked, to taste

2 sprigs Thyme, fresh, 3 inch

5 bay leaves

1 1/2 c vegetable stock, low-sodium

1 1/2 c heavy cream

4 lg eggs

1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter

In bowl, combine the dried porcini mushrooms with 1/2 c warm water and allow them to sit for 30 min

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until lightly browned about 10-15 min.  Rub one side of each piece of bread with one of the garlic cloves and finely chop the remaining 2 cloves

Cut the leek in half lengthwise and slice it crosswise in to 1/2 inch thick pieces.  Rinse them under cold water, drain and pat dry with a towel.

Cut off the tips of the stems of the shiitake and the Cremini mushrooms, and discard  Slice mushrooms into 1/8 inch thick slices.  Set aside 

In a large skillet over med heat, warm 2 Tbsp of olive oil.  Add leeks, chopped garlic, salt and pepper and cook until the leeks are softened, about 8-10 minutes, being careful not to brown the garlic or leeks.  

Strain the porcini mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid.  Add all the mushrooms, thyme and one bay leaf and the remaining oil and cook for another 5-7 minutes til the mushrooms are soft, stirring occasionally.

Add stock and the reserved porcini liquid, taking care not to pour any of the grit that may have collected on the bottom.  Add the cream and simmer for about 5 minutes to develop the flavor.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Strain the mixture reserving the liquid.  Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and discard them.

Crack the eggs into a lg mixing bow and beat lightly.  Gradually- pour the stock/mushroom liquid into the eggs and combine.

Butter the sides and bottom of a 9x9 inch baking dish.  Place 2 of the slices of bread in the baking dish. ( **It is important that the slices of bread fit snugly in the dish in order to cook properly.) Pour half of the liquid over the bread and allow to sit about 5 minutes, so the bread absorbs the liquid.  Spoon the mushroom-leek mixture over the bread and place the remaining bread slices over.

Pour the remaining liquid over the bread and place the bay leaves on the four corners.  cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and then foil, and lit sit for about 5 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the liquid.

Place the baking dish in a large roasting pan, and fill the roasting pan with 1 inch of water.  Transfer to the oven and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove the foil, puncture the plastic  to allow the steam to escape, then remove the plastic  Return the dish to the oven for about 10 minutes til the top of the bread is lightly browned.
 

I just have to say...I was really pretty. I adored the flavors and the way it just melted in my mouth. Thank you Carol!

Next Laurie Hill. She sent over this Green Rice recipe. Here's what she said, "I have really enjoyed this recipe and you got me thinking I need to make this.  I would love to see if this could be made from food storage items (milk, cheese, soup, broccoli) and still taste really good. Laurie Hill"  Well Laurie...I did convert it to food storage...and my kids horked it down!

Green Rice

1/2 small box of minute rice (instant rice) about 2 cups

2 cups of milk

1 (16 oz) bottle cheese whiz

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 small bag frozen broccoli

Combine the cheese, soup, and milk.  Place rice in a 9 x 13 pan, top with the cheese mixture and then stir in the broccoli.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until lightly browned on top.

Here's my Food Storage version. It used less broccoli and was more of a cheesy rice with broccoli, but here's my recipe (pictured above)

Chef Tess' Instant Cheesy Broccoli Rice

2 Cups instant rice

1 cup Honeyville Broccoli Cheese Soup Mix

1/2 cup Honeyville cheese sauce mix

2 tsp onion powder

Combine dry ingredients. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a half gallon pan with a tightly fitting lid. Add The dry ingredients and whisk well. Stir about 2 minutes, returning to a boil. Cover. Turn off heat. Allow to sit 10 minutes. 

Finally: Kelly McNamara who wrote:" This has been a GREAT addition to our Thanksgiving dinners...not everyone likes brussels sprouts, but this may be the recipe that changes their opinions!

one bag frozen Brussels Sprouts (easiest way, and they are the freshest!)

drizzle with olive oil

Sprinkle with coarse ground sea salt and pepper

Roast at 475 until they are starting to brown and get all yummy and roasted tasting! (30-40 minutes?)  I just roast them till some of the edges are good and browned!

That's it!

My dad loves these.

This is the ONLY way that I make brussels sprouts anymore!"

Thank you Kelly! Yes...this is the only way to eat Brussels sprouts!

Thank you to all the amazing people who wrote in with recipes! It was so hard to decide! If you're a winner, be sure to send me your address  via my email stephanie@cheftessbakeresse.com


Get the printable PDF here

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Black Quinoa Super Grain

It has come to my attention that I haven't done a lot of side dishes here for Freezer Friday and I wanted to make sure that I wasn't leaving out one of my favorite parts of a meal...more of the meal. If that makes simple sense. It is one thing to have the freezer meal rice topper on rice, but another world to have it on a whole grain like quinoa or barley. I'm a huge fan of the Solar Cooked Fire and Rain Barley Pilaf as a base for soup or as a meal on it's own if we're talking grain. I have a long way to go adding a ton more on the subject of whole grain here on the blog. I hope you don't get sick of the new options. Variety is good. Even with grain, as it will nourish your body different ways and add another level of appreciation for good food. More than likely, my kids will at least be able to visit other families around the world someday and not freak out if they are served a meal they don't recognize. That's always good for foreign relations. So is this. Bolivia...I love you. I love your Black Organic Quinoa . Quinoa ( pronounced "keen-wah") is heaven. It has been cultivated in the Andes for more than 5000 years! Locally referred to as the "mother grain", it kept the Incan armies strong and robust. It's a protein powerhouse and considered one of the best sources of protein and amino acids by the United Nations. It's gluten free. Plus... look at it. It's just gorgeous and looks like Fall. Doesn't it? I fell in love the first grain that I ate. It is slightly nutty flavored and mild with amazing texture. Uncooked it looks like this...

The main thing to remember with quinoa cookery is to always rinse the grain. Always. It isn't optional like rice rinsing is. Quinoa will be huge wads of bitter unhappy junk in your mouth if you don't rinse it. I'm just saying...you've been warned. Put the grain in a strainer that is fine enough that the grain won't wash out.

This is how you cook it:

It will look like it has sprouted when cooked. It isn't sprouted. Just cool.

Because herbs freeze beautifully, I add a few from the garden.
This batch ended up like a fusion of Provence France and the Andes mountains. If that's possible--I'm eating brie with it. I'm using herbs that are traditionally combined for a classic French meal. Dill, parsley, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, basil and oregano. This with a subtle hint of lavender petals and some fresh squeezed lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. A drizzle of fruity Lucero

Crushed Mandarin Orange Certified Extra Virgin Olive Oil .

Personal taste will vary and your preference for herbs may be different. As a general rule, I use about 1/4 cup chopped herbs to 2 cups cooked grain.

Put 2 cup portions in pint size freezer bags or containers and remove as much air as possible. Freeze laying flat for maximum freezer space.
Defrost in the fridge or in the microwave out of the bag. Heat 2-3 minutes microwave or add to your favorite soup or casserole in place of rice.

There you go. Explore a new grain this week.

Frog Eye Salad

I mentioned Saturday that I really wanted a recipe for frog eye salad, since we where making frog eye pilaf as a savory side. Wow for the great response everyone! This salad is more of a sweet dessert type salad. Apparently a lot more popular than I realized, by the overwhelming response to my email box. Thank you everyone for the sweet recipes! I got several variations. Tried a few. Loved them all. Auntie Em even sent me one that was a pina colada variation. It was a toss up, but in the end decided to go with my own variation morphing with the one I liked best from Coby S. Thanks for the family recipe. We have very much enjoyed it. Coby wrote,

"Stephanie,
This is out of my grandma's cookbook that she made for us grand kids several years ago. We change up the added fruit sometimes but here is the standard recipe. Have a wonderful day! ~Coby

Frog Eye Salad

1/2 box de pepe pasta cooked and cooled
2 cans mandarin oranges drained, save juice
1 20oz can pineapple tidbits drained, save juice
1 20oz can crushed pineapple drained, save juice
grapes
maraschino cherries
fruit cocktail
1 large cool whip

Dressing:
1 3/4 cup of drained juices
3 beaten eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt

Boil until thick and cool.

Mix dressing with de pepe and refrigerate overnight. Next night add remaining ingredients. Serves 20.

Here's what I did to serve 10 and a few personal changes.

Only 6 ingredients and my family preferred it. However, I loved Coby's variation too.

1/2 cup uncooked acini de pepe, cooked 10 minutes, drained and cooled

2 cups heavy Bavarian Style Whipping cream

1 small package instant vanilla pudding (can use sugar free)

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained and juice squeezed out

1 11 oz can mandarin oranges, drained

1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries

First whip the cream with the pudding until stiff, but don't over whip. About 5 minutes.

Combine remaining ingredients.

Mix with the whip cream mixture.

In this way I was able to avoid having to wait overnight for the pasta and dressing to set up, which was basically a sweet custard anyway. In the end the flavor was similar enough my family didn't notice. Yes. Ten servings. Individually or in one sitting. Refrigerate after mixing, or serve right away. If there are left overs, refrigerate.

Thank you everyone for the great response and wonderful ideas. I had a lot of fun.

Try the frog eye salad. It's all good. Home style and good. There you go.

Fried Frog Eyes

Mmm. Frog Eyes. Okay, these aren't really frog eyes. If you can't tell from the photo, they don't even look like a frog eye. Truth be know, I had a room-mate in college named Tara (ironically not Evil Tara who we have met on several occasion here on the blog) whose family used to make a sweet dessert jello and whip cream salad that hosted this pasta, and they called it "frog eye salad". If you make frog eye salad, I would love the recipe. I've heard it is really something delightful. Y'all know I'm an all American girlie raised in Utah that is known as the Jello Capital of the USA. Yes, more jello per-ca pita than any other state in the union. I don't make it very often. I think we made it every Sunday dinner at my grandma's house. Always orange jello with shredded carrots and covered in Dream Whip. Dang. Who makes Dream Whip? As for the "frog eyes", somehow that name stuck in my head for the pasta. We don't make the salad. Our family favorite is in fact a savory side dish. Tell two boys that you are having frog eyes for dinner and watch them do a full dance of joy. You might not get that reaction from a house full of girls.

Meet my lovely Kermit peepers.

I have discovered I love it as a side dish cooked very similar to rice pilaf with some good broth, herbs and spices.

Kermit Peeper Pilaf

1 lb Acini di pepe pasta, uncooked

2T butter

1T minced garlic

2tsp Chef Tess all purpose seasoning

32 0z (4 cups) beef or vegetable broth

Directions:

In a 2 quart skillet with a tight fitting lid, saute the pasta in the butter until very well browned, about 7 minutes, stir frequently. Add garlic and seasoning the last minute or so. Carefully pour in the broth, cover and simmer 8-10 minutes until pasta is tender and absorbs all the liquid. Serve hot.

I serve it with lovely Sweet and Sour Polynesian style red beans. They make a lovely dish that my family really enjoys. Shhh. Don't tell them how budget friendly it is...they may not want to eat it any more.

Bean recipe coming up later this week. There you go my flying Kermit-peeper eaters.

*No frogs where harmed in the making of this blog post.

Homemade stove cook stuffing

Do you love stove cooking stuffing, but don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money for dried bread cubes? Really...that is all that's in that little bag...and some spices. Here is a pretty good mock recipe I've tweaked a bit. Don't be scared. You can do this!! This makes 12 servings...so if you have a family of 4, enough stove top for 3 meals. Teenage boys in your family. Triple the recipe for one meal. Either way, with the budget needing to be stretched especially this time of year...this is a good one to have around. Plus, it will make it easier to make that holiday turkey or whatever. Use homemade whole grain bread if you make your own. I love it made with the savory variations of Apple sourdough.

Tess' Homemade Stove Top Stuffing
6 cups cubed bread (I use whole wheat,Tess' Oat Bread is amazing! ) make sure the pieces are pretty small, 'cause stove top is...)
1 tablespoon dry parsley flakes
3 tsp chicken bouillon (I like the no MSG or low sodium variety)
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1 1/2 tsp celery seed (or 1/2 cup dehydrated celery, chopped fine--I dehydrate my own)
1 T poultry seasoning (or Chef Tess All Purpose Seasoning)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake bread 8 to 10 minutes on a sheet pan--It may take longer depending on the size of the cubes of bread (it should be dry!). In large bowl toss bread with remaining ingredients till evenly coated.
Store in a air tight container. Will keep for 1 to 4 months or 12 months frozen. Cook just like you would for the prepackaged mix.
To prepare:

for 4, (1/2 cup servings)
Combine 2 cups stuffing mix with 1/2 cup water and 2 tablespoons melted butter.

Full batch for 7 cups stuffing total,
Combine 1 and 1/2 cups water and 1/3 cup butter.
Microwave 3-5 minutes, or stove top added to boiling water/butter.

Those "home-bake" meals with the can of cream of chicken and vegetable soup and the stuffing mix are a cinch, and much cheaper if you use the homemade mix. Soup is usually on sale or I like to give away a pint of Creamy Curry Celery and Chicken Soup. Prepare the stuffing mix for 4 servings, according to directions. Put soup in the bottom of an 8 inch by 8 inch casserole. Wonderful casserole baked at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Green Chile Lime Corn on the Cob with Parmesan and Cilantro

Why don't I live in Kansas? Corn is my friend. If I could walk around with it in my shirt pocket and suck on the kernels everywhere I went, well let's just say I would be happy. I'd be locked up...but I'd be happy. This is why I keep it in my purse. I'm kidding. Or am I? It has come to my gleeful attention that corn is on sale like crazy down here in the Southwest. Do you see the freaky-eye-twitching I'm doing right now. Sure sign that it's time to make some crazy sweet corn. Lend me your ears. No pun intended. Bend over here really close and listen very carefully...hear that? It's the sound of me not liking boring old straight corn. Nope. I like mine with so much flavor oozing off the kernels that it isn't right to eat alone. Case in point...

This is the stuff. Sweet right off the farmer's field, cooked to perfection with an amazing Chile Lime and Parmesan butter on top. I know. I know. It's a happy place. I'm tapping my ruby slippers right now...

You will need:

4 cobs of corn, simmer 5-10minutes in a pot of boiling water. Remove with tongs and place on a serving tray.Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chile Lime and Parmesan butter

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4-1/2 cup cooked, diced green chile (depending on the heat you like...I love Hatch chiles)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 clove fresh pressed garlic

zest of one lime

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Combine well. I like to reserve the cilantro and sprinkle it over the top.

At service, pile the butter on top of the hot corn and spread it out. Season again with black pepper. Then to really make it evil and good...I squeeze the juice of one lime all over the corn.

Yup. I'll be sucking on these corn cobs for quite a long time. SSSShhhhllllkkkk. Ahhh.

There you go. Corn rules!

Cuban Grilled Sweet Potato Salad with Pineapple and Jicama

I love Tara. For Christmas she got me a subscription to a magazine that I love. I don't love her just for that (of course). However...I must confess, it has been one of my favorite gifts. It is called Cuisine at Home. I love it. Love it. Love it. This month's issue had an amazing recipe that I knew I would adore. However, I had to break down and do something rash. True confessions. Ready? I know I vowed a solemn vow that I would not turn on my stove this week...but I broke down and used my grill pan. It was only on for 7 minutes so I don't feel like I deviated too much from my commitment. If anyone wants to kick my pat-oootie, I apologize. I just figured that this salad would merit a solid place on this week's summer salad expo. It is a crazy combination of naturally sweet produce in a tangy spicy lime dressing that completely kicks things in high gear. It's vegan. My heart loves it. So here it is. The Cuban grilled sweet potato salad of joy and happiness. Adapted from: http://www.cuisineathome.com/

For the salad you will need:

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices

1/2 of fresh pineapple (I just grilled the chunks)

1 medium jicama, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds (about 12 ounces)

For the dressing:

2 T honey

juice and zest of one lime

1 tsp red pepper flakes.
pepper and kosher salt, to taste.

I'm a huge fan of jicama. This time we cut it with a crinkle cutter. It just looked really festive and my boys thought they where French fries. Ironically, even though they where not deep fat fried potato bombs, my kids still loved them.

Toss the sweet potatoes on the grill for 5-7 minutes, just until tender.

The grill marks not only add some color, but caramelized the sugars in the potatoes, making them amazing.

While the sweet potatoes where grilling, I sliced the pineapple.

Zesting the lime while the sweet potatoes cooked too...see how efficient I can be when I'm hungry? I also grilled some of the pineapple, but didn't grill it all. If I was outside grilling I may have gone that far...but I just didn't want my house to get much hotter.

Cut the lime in half and add the juice.
I carefully, mathematically and meticulously measured the honey. Okay...I may have just "eyeballed it"...

Add the chile flakes, pepper and salt.

Cool the sweet potatoes slightly, crinkle cut, and toss with the salad.

We had it as a main course, but this would also be a wonderfully flavorful side dish for some spicy kebabs or grilled fish. Totally different. Totally fat free and funky fresh.

There you go.

Zucchini String Salad

In honor of the freaky-death-parching-heat of agony and despair in Arizona, I have decided to devote an entire week to salads...though in all reality is should be about 6 months of utterly unwavering discipleship to anything cold. Why on earth do I live in one of the hottest places on earth? Oh yeah, it's for the winters of love and happiness. Summer saps my memory of winter as well as my desire to do much cooking. Ouch. Is that legal for me to say? As a chef am I allowed to admit I may not really have any desire whatsoever to turn on my stove? Can we pull off a week of it? Maybe. I might break down and cook some pasta in the Solar Oven, but...I'm going to have some time away from the actual stove top. What do you all say to that? Should we do it? I say yes. Starting with this crazy cool salad that I made today with little Face. It was Marry Poppins salad...practically perfect in every way. Yes. Life is always good when I can get my kiddos to suck down zucchini. Even funnier when they suck it down under the false pretense that those long green things are "frog noodles". Little boys are too gullible. Now that I think of it, I could have come up with gross names for all the ingredients...but...I digress.

You will need:

9 ounces of fresh fettuccine, cooked, well seasoned with salt and pepper

2/3 cup Pickled red onions
kernels from one cob of corn (I used some that was cooked last night and cold in the fridge.)

2 zucchini, skins removed with a peeler and sliced thin like noodles (reserve the rest for a later use)

1/2 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled (I cheated and bought it already cooked)*Optional...totally okay to use the soy bacon bits here.

dressing:

2 cloves pressed minced garlic

1/3 cup basil or sun dried tomato infused oil (Use a heart healthy oil if you can.)

2T red wine vinegar

2 tsp all purpose Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the dressing. Add the salad ingredients and coat well. Enjoy cold.

Look at Face's fork. He begged me to take a picture for the blog. Grin. Tee hee...do I tell him it's loaded with veggies? Nah. Frog noodles worked really well. I may call them that forever.

For legal purposes I must specify that no frogs where injured in the making of this salad. Oye!

There you go legal department.