Tag: cooking

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GABBY COOKS – mac & cheese

Clean & serene living means learning healthy habits and good eating.  And I love recipes that are quick and simple.  Here’s one of my new favorites.

What’s more comforting than home-made macaroni and cheese?  And even better is this stove-top recipe which eliminates a baking dish and a 45 minute wait while it bakes in the oven.  This dish is table ready in 12 minutes.

These are the ingredients

 

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  1. (2) cups dry elbow macaroni
  2. (4) quarts water salted like the sea and brought to a rapid boil
  3. (4) tbsp. unsalted butter
  4. (2) tbsp. flour
  5. up to 3 cups milk
  6. (2) cups sharp cheddar cheese shreds
  7. salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large pot bring the 4 quarts salted water to a boil
  2. Cook the macaroni as directed on the package
  3. In a saucepan melt the butter over a low heat
  4. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and stir for several minutes
  5. When it turns golden, add about 1 cup milk and stir again
  6. Stir until the sauce turns creamy and increase the heat to a medium low
  7. Add more milk until it is creamy and smooth
  8. Add the cheese and stir again until it is thoroughly blended
  9. Salt and pepper as desired
  10. When macaroni is done ladle it out into the cheese sauce with a slotted spoon
  11. Blend until the pasta is evenly coated.
  12. If the macaroni and cheese is too thick and gooey add a spoonful at a time of the pasta water until it is deliciously creamy and smooth
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GABBY COOKS – 3 can quickie

Clean & serene living means learning healthy habits and good eating.  And I love recipes that are quick and simple.  Here’s one of my new favorites.  It serves 2.

Dangit!!  I need a meeting tonight and I’ve got just 1/2 hour to fix supper and eat.  I have only $2 in my wallet so I can’t do Mickey D’s.  Let me see what’s in the pantry.

These are the ingredients

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  1. (1) 15 oz can seasoned mixed greens
  2. (1) 15 oz can seasoned black-eyed peas
  3. (1) 8 3/4 oz can yellow sweet corn
  4. (4)  5″ corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS

  1. Empty the cans into a sauce pot and heat
  2. While that’s heating, quarter the tortillas and fry in a fry pan in about 1/4 cup of oil
  3. Serve the corn chips atop or with the soup
  4. Eat and get to that meeting!
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GABBY COOKS – squash soup

Clean & serene living means learning healthy habits and good eating.  And I love recipes that are quick and simple.  Here’s one of my new favorites.  It serves 2.

C’mon now, don’t wrinkle your nose until you’ve tried it.  It is velvety smooth and delicious.  I use the acorn squash, scientific name is Cucurbita pepo – turbinate.  Originating in North and Central America. historically this squash was used by the Native Americans.  It is a fruit of which the seeds were taken by European explorers and spread throughout the world.

Acorn squash is rich in dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamin, pantothenic acid, and other B-family vitamins.  It has  a wealth of minerals including potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, phosphorous, and calcium.  The raw fruit is difficult to peel and I find it easiest to slice it and then steam the slices until tender, cool, and then peel.

The other nutrient-laden ingredient in this soup is the sweet potato.  This tuber is rich  in flavonoid phenolic compounds, powerful natural antioxidants, such as beta-carotene and vitamin A.  Also in sweet potatoes are vitamin B-5, B-6, B-1, niacin, and riboflavin in addition to iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium.

Not only is this soup good eating, it is a powerhouse of nutrients.

Here are the ingredients

 

  1. 1/2 medium size acorn squash, deep green in color, sliced and steamed until tender.
  2. 1/2 medium size sweet potato peeled and diced
  3. 1 clove garlic smashed
  4. 1/2 tsp chopped jalapeno
  5. 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
  6. 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth or combination of both
  7. 4 TBSP butter
  8. salt to taste
  9. grated fresh nutmeg
directions
  1. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat
  2. Add the diced sweet potato
  3. Peel the cooled acorn squash and add to the saucepan
  4. Stir, then add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno
  5. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes
  6. Add 2 cups of the broth
  7. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the ingredients are fork tender
  8. Carefully pour the hot soup into a blender and puree
  9. Return the mixture to the cook pot, add the rest of the broth
  10. Blend well and again simmer to a smooth, velvety texture
  11. Serve in soup bowls and grate fresh nutmeg atop each serving.

If the soup cooks down too much to an overly thick consistency, just add more broth or water.

 

 

 

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GABBY COOKS – porcupines & mushroom sauce

There are no quills in this dish about which to be concerned.  It’s just simple, down-home cooking that combines pork, rice, and mushrooms in a one pot, stove top meal.  For many years pork was the bad boy in the health-conscious diet.  Those ribs, chops, sausages, and bacon were attributed with ailments from cardio-vascular disease to bad skin.  Baby, times have changed.

We don’t eat pork 5 nights a week nor do we have BLTs  at every lunch.  But, in moderation, chops, ribs, cutlets, sausages are a wonderful alternative to beef and chicken.  Remember – pork is the other white meat.

Here are some pork facts:

  • pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)
  • it is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide
  • pig husbandry dates back to 5000 B.C.
  • pork is the most popular meat in Eastern and Southeastern Asia
  • Asia cuisines prize it for its fat content and texture
  • it is forbidden by Jewish, Muslim, and Rastafarian dietary law for religious reasons

A three and one-half ounce serving of lean pork contains the following nutritional value:

  • 13.92 grams fat
  • 27.32 grams protein
  • 36% DV of Vitamin B-6
  • 29% DV of Vitamin B-12
  • 35% DV phosphorous
  • 25% DV zinc

Add this meat to the wholesome goodness of mushrooms and rice – voila – heaven in a Dutch cooker.

here are the ingredients

 

 

  1. 1 cup cooked white rice
  2. 1 LB ground pork
  3. 2 cloves chopped garlic
  4. 1 egg
  5. 1 tsp dried basil or 1 TBS chopped fresh basil
  6. 1 tsp dried parsley or 1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
  7. salt and pepper
  8. 2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
  9. 1 cup chicken broth
  10. 2 TBS flour
  11. 2 TBS butter
  12. 2 TBS oil, olive or canola

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cook the rice according to directions
  2. In a mixing bowl combine the pork, garlic, herbs, salt & pepper, egg and mix well
  3. Reserve a small portion of the herbs to add to the mushroom sauce
  4. Add the cooked rice which has cooled and mix well
  5. Shape in balls just like meatballs, place on plate and chill for an hour
  6. After an hour’s chill, heat the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid
  7. Brown the porcupines in the oil
  8. Remove them from the pot
  9. Add the butter to the pot and another TBS oil
  10. Add the mushrooms and stir to coat evenly with melted butter and oil
  11. After about 3 minutes sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms
  12. Cook the flour to a light brown, don’t burn it, stirring as it cooks
  13. Add the chicken broth and stir to mix with the mushrooms
  14. Stir constantly until the broth thickens into a creamy sauce
  15. Add the reserved pinch of basil and parsley
  16. Return the porcupines, cover and simmer about 1/2 hour

This dish is complete in itself, but sometimes I like to serve it in a bowl over hot noodles.

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GABBY COOKS – Elva’s BBQ

Howdy folks, welcome to GABBY’S PLACE.  Hey, did you hear about the young man standing on the pier watching the dolphins frolic in the water with an older woman standing nearby sporting a gorgeous sun bonnet?  A sudden gust of wind whipped along the shoreline and lifted the woman’s dress above her waist.  Unfazed by her exposed underside, she held on adamantly to her sun bonnet.

“Ma’am, don’t you care that everyone can see everything?”

“Young man,” she snapped, “everything down there is 85 years old.  I bought this hat just yesterday.”

Oh no, I hear groans out there in the blogosphere.  Okay, here’s my BBQ recipe handed down for generations of Pennsylvania Dutch folks in my native community.  On Saturdays during the summertime, the premier social event was an estate sale.  Household belongings, farm equipment and sometimes real estate were sold to the highest bidder in a lively exchange of camaraderie.   Drama was added to this scenario when antique dealers from nearby cities competed for the coveted, centuries-old kitchen utensils and furniture.

Always a local church group, the Boy Scouts or the community Grange would offer a wide variety of food at a make-shift kitchen.  For many of us this was the main event.  Lemon sponge and shoo-fly pies, homemade bread, cakes, chicken and corn soup, hot dogs and BBQ sandwiches.  The menu was not complete without those BBQ sandwiches.

Now, when this Pennsylvania Dutch Yankee moved south and ordered a BBQ sandwich at a local eatery, he was severely disappointed.  What is this mass of shredded beef or pork soaked in a tomato sauce and dripping out the bun?  Too sweet, too runny, too spicy.  Not at all what a good, ole Yankee country boy remembers.  And to beat all, some folks actually topped it with cole slaw.

here are the ingredients


 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
  


 


    

  1. 1 lb ground beef
    2. 

  2. 1 tsp celery seed
    3. 

  3. 2 tsp prepared mustard
    4. 

  4. 3 tsp chili sauce
    5. 

  5. 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
    6. 

  6. 1/2 cup catsup
    7. 

  7. 1 small onion peeled and chopped
    8. 

  8. salt and pepper to taste
    9. 

  9. 12 burger buns
    10. 



DIRECTIONS


    

  1. In a saucepan brown the ground beef and the onion
    2. 

  2. add the remaining ingredients and mix well
    3. 

  3. simmer about 15 minutes
    4. 

  4. Serve up on plain or sesame buns
    5. 



(Commercial chili sauce is not the same as Grandma’s home-made sauce, but it will work in this recipe.)


 

	


	





		

		
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GABBY COOKS – white bean & kale soup
	


	
	

		
Kale is a member of the cabbage family Brassica oleracea.  Of all the super healthy greens, kale is acclaimed as king.  Some of the beneficial compounds in kale have powerful medicinal properties.


A single cup of raw kale ( 2.4 ounces) contains:


    

  • 206% of DV of vitamin A (daily required value)
    • 

  • 684% of DV of vitamin K
    • 

  • 134% of vitamin C
    • 

  • 9% of vitamin B-6
    • 

  • 26% of manganese
    • 

  • 9% of calcium
    • 

  • 10% of copper
    • 

  • 9% of potassium
    • 

  • 6% of magnesium
    • 



This 2.4 ounces also contains 3% or more of DV for thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, iron, and phosphorous.  This nutrient dense green contains very little fat, but that fat is mostly the healthy omega-3.  And it pumps another 3 grams of protein into your diet.


Red beans, also known as Mexican red beans,  are nutrition dynamos.  They are rich in antioxidants and packed with protein, folate, minerals, and fiber including resistant starch.  Resistant starch boosts the body’s ability to burn fat, aids the full feeling, and controls blood sugar.  A 1/2 cup serving will provide 90 calories and 7 grams of protein.


Great Northern beans per 1/2 cup serving contain 104 calories, and provide 6.2 grams or 25% of fiber DV plus a little over 7 grams of protein.  They are rich in vitamin B-6 and are dense in minerals and amino acids.


I love using dry beans in cooking.  They have a better flavor and are much less expensive.  The process of a soak is easily manageable when planned ahead of time.  My favorite soak method is to place the desired amount of beans in a heavy cookpot, cover with water, bring to a boil for three minutes, turn off the heat, cover with a lid and allow to sit for at least an hour.  When ready to cook, drain and rinse, and cover with plenty of water or broth (at least 2 inches over the beans).  Cook on slow simmer for an hour or until tender.  Then you are ready to add the other soup ingredients.


here are the ingredients


 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
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  • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 

  • 1 cup chopped onion
    • 

  • 1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
    • 

  • 3 tbs olive oil
    • 

  • 8 cups fresh kale center ribs removed
    • 

  • 2 cups fresh carrots sliced
    • 

  • 2 tbs chopped fresh basil
    • 

  • 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
    • 

  • 2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
    • 

  • 1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 

  • 1 cup dry great northern or red beans
    • 

  • 1 quart chicken broth or vegetable broth
    • 

  • parmesan cheese to top soup when serving
    • 

  • corn chips to accompany soup (optional)
    • 

  • additional hot water as needed to keep it soup
    • 



directions


    

  1. in heavy Dutch oven or heavy cook pot heat the olive oil
    2. 

  2. when hot add the garlic, onion, ginger, and saute about 3 minutes
    3. 

  3. add the carrots and stir, saute another 3 minutes
    4. 

  4. add the chopped fresh herbs and kale, cover and allow the kale to wilt about 5 minutes
    5. 

  5. stir well to mix everything and remove from pot
    6. 

  6. add the drained and rinsed dried beans which have soaked for at least an hour
    7. 

  7. add the broth and bring to a boil
    8. 

  8. gently simmer for an hour
    9. 

  9. when nearly tender, add the reserved kale, etc.
    10. 

  10. cook at least 1/2 hour until the beans and vegetables are tender
    11. 

  11. salt and pepper to taste
    12. 

  12. if you like a thicker soup use a potato masher to lightly smash some of the ingredients – don’t overdo it
    13. 



Serve in bowls and top with shredded parmesan and corn chips on the side


 

	


	





		

	

	





		


		
	








	

		

	

	

	

	
	


			
		
		
	
				





	
	

		

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