Sometimes things change.

Little changes that change your whole diet. Diabetes can be one of those changes.

With changes like that A WHOLE LOT will change in the way I cook.

I made a great cookie yesterday that is legal to eat.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie

Prep time 10 minutes( adapted from Diabetesselfmanagement.com)

1/4 C shortening (I cannot give up my butter-I changed it to butter)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Large egg
1/2 (give or take) tsp of mexican vanilla
1 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c old fashioned oats
3/4 c brown sugar splenda
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c semi sweet chips(nestle's)

Combine first 4 ingredients. Add the rest. Spoon out on cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake 10-11 minutes- made 2 dozen.

They are very tasty and hit that sweet spot for my tastebuds.

FYI: serving size is 2 cookies
carb : 24-30 g about
protein: 4 g before chips
cal: 175 about

Who needs chocolate? I did!

Quint-tessimal chocolate chip cookies!

Directions : Cream crisco and butter, add the next three and cream together. Everything else is added after that except the chips! Add the chips last...how many you add is totally up to you, these are just suggested amounts!

3/4 c butter crisco
1 1/4 c brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsps(generous) Mexican vanilla
2 Tblsn of Hershey's special dark ice cream sauce- not hot fudge
1 3/4 c flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp of baking soda
2 Tblsn non sweet ghiradelli cocoa baking powder
2 Tblsn of Hershey's special dark unsweeted cocoa powder
1/2 c nestle's milk chocolate dhips
1/2 c nestle's semi sweet chips

Bake at 375
Drop on parchment paper lined cookie sheets.

Bake for about 11-12 minutes

Now do not think I ate this whole batch by myself...I took most of them to my neighbor who has been my bakers helper for years. She went to tryout for volleyball yesterday and sprained her ankle! She needed cookies!

I cooked! Chili verde my way

Made a chili verde using thin cut pork tenderloins.

8 thinly cut pork tenderloins-cut into strips or bite sized pieces
1/4 of a white onion chopped
1 cup chopped baby carrots
2 Anaheim or hatch peppers- thinly sliced(I used one of each)
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
2 tsp homemade spice combo(pretty sure that has been posted)
1 can of green enchilada sauce
1 can drained dark red kidney beans


Glace the carrots, onion,peppers in about 1/4 cup butter. Add the pork and seasonings. After the meat has browned add enchilada sauce and kidney beans.
Let simmer for about 20 minutes

Serve garnished with grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Can be served over rice or for twist add pre-cooked rice noodles to the chili before serving. Good reviews from my main man! He said I could start my own restaurant with this recipe!

I have been a little busy with a Family Reunion and all..

It is funny how a family reunion is a lot like eggs...some are eggheads, some are a little cracked, some a little hard boiled with a soft center, some are like a soft boiled egg that can be a little runny(especially around the eyes) but all in all, my family is eggsactly what it should be and I couldn't be happier. Now my hard boiled eggs are another story...I got back to cooking today.

I have always hated the way my boiled eggs turn out. You know the kind I mean, where the yolk turns a yucky green on the outside rim. I have always wanted to have perfect yellow yolks. My daughter, Chloe, was down for the family reunion and made the most interesting japanese concoction that started off with her cooking perfect hard boiled eggs. I was stunned! She did not get my gene for cooking yucky looking hard boiled eggs.

This morning I called her and she talked me through the process. I think she laughed a little when I told her what I wanted to do.

Step 1: put the eggs in cold water( I did 14 this morning)

Step 2: get them to a rolling boil and then cover them and pull them off the heat

Step 3: wait patiently for about 18-20 minutes without lifting the cover

Step 4: immerse the eggs in an ice water till completely cooled

Step 5: Perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs!

Now I did not take pictures of this process...who wants to watch water boil? I did take pictures of the Japanese concoction process.



Step 1: peel the eggs




Step 2: Immerse in Soy Sauce that is heating on the stove

Step 3: roll around so the entire egg is covered




Step 4: remove from the Soy Sauce




Step 5: PERFECTLY COOKED Beautiful eggs with a little brown edging...

Chicken soup for the body

In your largest pot combine the following

3 lbs of frozen chicken parts-hopefully they are not stuck together
1 chopped onion-made at least 1.5 cups of onion
1 chopped bunch of celery-at least two cups of chopped celery
1/2 cup minced garlic
Chicken boullion-I like the big green jar of granules (1/2 cup- or more)
basil
thyme
chicken montreal seasoning
Water to cover it all
1 generous handful of wild rice(uncooked)
1 generous handful of brown rice(uncooked)

Hopefully all of you wash your hands a gazillion times like I do when I am cooking

Bring to a boil- turn down the heat to a simmer

Big D said it was delicious! I would have to agree. And if you are not feeling well, D said it hit the spot for his upper respiratory infection.

Convenience Stir Fry

I discovered at Costco-Bulgogi! Love Bulgogi.

I also love stir fry. I picked up a mammoth bag of stir fry veges at the Costco also.

When you combine the two just right-stir frying-it is just amazing.

We had that this weekend on top of a wild rice + brown rice + japanese abrorio rice + bulgar wheat combination. Added a little chopped green onion sea salt and butter to the rice cooker. It turned out quite nicely.

I have not measured anything. It has been a little of this, a little of that, oh a bit more of this type of weekend.

General Primary Board Chicken Salad

Many years ago, Marlene G and I were in a Stake Primary presidency together. We were lucky enough to be able to host the General Board for multi-stake meetings. I would have one member and she would have another stay at her house. We would also be lucky enough to feed everyone lunch-Weren't we lucky.

We were also very sure that our own Chicken salad should be used. She thought as highly of hers as I thought of mine. We took them to a Presidency meeting to have a taste off with the other members of our presidency. We were shut down by the other members who said that they didn't prefer either one over the other. Instead a mutated version of both was developed and the end result with a mild reprimand and reminder from all of the others to not think so highly of ourselves was the following recipe

2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 - 1 cup cashews
1 lg can crushed pineapple-drained
1/4 c chopped green onion
1 small can sliced water chestnuts
coconut to taste
Equal parts mayo and Sour Cream

Combine all ingredients and chill at least one hour. Serve on a bed of crisp lettuce leaves with ritz crackers, crossaints, or french bread with a side dish of fresh fruit salad.

Broccoli Bacon Chicken Soup-FAST

Frozen Broccoli-I used about 2 cups of frozen chopped Broccoli
1 C cream of Chicken
1 C of milk
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon
1/2 cup of grated irish cheddar cheese
dash of tobasco

Put it all together in a deep glass bowl and nuked it in the microwave.

Stir after about 3 minutes. Nuke again for about 2 minutes. stir. nuke one more time until it is bubbly and heated to the temp you like your soup.

This literally took less than 10 minutes.

Tasted like I had taken all day to make it!

Pasta Fagioli ala Mento - revisited again

It seems no matter what kind of changes I make to this Pasta Fagioli due to necessity or desire, it turns out awesome.

1 lb ground beef CHANGED TO thinly sliced into bite size pieces of beef tenderloin
1 lb italian sausage CHANGED to 1 lb of beef/venison sausage-thinly sliced
1 C bacon cooked-crumbled
14 ounces baby carrots
1 + C onion chopped
1 C bell pepper chopped
1 1/2 C Chopped Celery-Golly didn't have any added 1 and 1/2 cup finely chopped baby spinach and 1 C of sliced okra
1 quart homestock tomato soup or 1 quart tomato juice
48 oz diced canned tomatos with garlic and basil
2 Cans dark red kidney beans
1 Can light red kidney beans
1 quart Chicken Stock-add as needed to the thickness you want it
Italian seasoning to taste
minced garlic to taste
Kosher Salt- to taste
Pepper-to taste
black olives are totally optional...I just love them.
1 lb ounces dry pasta (salads, shells whatevers)
couple dashes of tabasco

cook beef, sausage, bacon till browned. add veges.

Just start throwing in everything---EXCEPT the pasta. That is last if you are cooking for a long time.

Serve with grated parmesan on top.

If making the soup a day ahead- wait to put in cooked pasta until 1 hour before serving.

Killing the fatted calf before my kids leave for Germany

I decided to remember what I served.

Brisket-homemade bbq sauce-don't even ask we won't remember, except-vinegar, molasses, ketchup, mesquite seasoning, ancho chile relish, worcestershire sauce...and a few others

Chicken Pasta Salad with garam masala, cashews, grapes, manderins, green onions, celery. Homemade mayo with orange marmalade....mmmm.

Green Salad-basics-tomatos, black olives spring salad mix-multiple choices for dressings

Fruit bar- strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, apples, bananas and strawberry flavored-heart shaped marshmallows. Dips, dark chocolate, nutella and caramel cinnamon.

Starters- Chips Salsa-a couple of DL Jardines

4 mini cheese balls-1) chutney,2) apricot, 3) bacon, and 4) jalepeno and HamSpread ala Chloe R.-Thanks Aunt Chloe. served with baskets of crackers and french bread

Desserts...well the fruit bar counts, but razzleberry pie and chocolate french silk pie. Chocolates out the wazooh!

Yep...that is about it.

Potato Leek Soup....my way

Ingredients

1/4 C butter
3 Leeks-sliced finely-and cleaned well
2 tablespoons snipped chives/onions
1/2 C minced mushrooms
1/2 C finely sliced carrots
1/2 C cooked crumbled bacon
3-4 larger red potatoes, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine(totally optional)
5 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream

Once all your veges are sliced/chopped/diced/minced...put the butter in the stock pot to melt. Add in the order listed in the ingredients. STOP after the potatoes add1/2 C stock or the optional liquid. Let simmer until the fluid is about gone. Add seasonings and fluid after about 10 minutes. LOWER THE Heat. Don't let it burn stir quite often. Let simmer till the carrots and potatoes are tender.

Perfect dinner for a chilly night.

Flat enchilas Over the top!

Flat enchiladas kicked up a notch or two.

I wanted flat enchiladas tonight. Didn't have eggs to fry and put on top.

Sooo...

The sauce was Hatch Green enchilada sauce,
added 2 TBLs of Sour Cream
1/2 c of Artichoke Pesto(HEB)
sauteed shrimp(peeled and deveined)
sharp cheddar/mexican blend cheese

Heat up the corn tortillas as normal. Dip in the Green Sour Cream Artichoke sauce-generously
put a 5 or 6 cooked shrimp on top, add the cheese generously.

Continue the layers till happy with the levels you want. After the last cheese layer add a couple of Spoonfuls of the green sauce over the top.

Heat in the Microwave to get the cheese to melting...and eat enchiladas that are absolutely over the top!

Portuguese Seafood Stewp

It was cold. I wanted something warm. We had huge scallops that needed to be used. Last night we had Scallops wrapped in bacon and baked. Tonight we wanted something different.

6 huge scallops
2 link sausage
2 frozen cod filets
1 lb of brown wild gulf shrimp(frozen, peeled and deveined)
1 lb green mussels
1 lb clams
Couple of dashes of Tobasco
Couple of dashes cajun seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 (3 cups) frozen okra
1 c chopped onion
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped bell pepper
3/4 c chopped carrot
1/4 c butter
1 qt chicken stock.
1 can Red kidney beans

Start with melting the butter and then add the holy trinity of cajun food(onion, celery, bell pepper-I also added the carrots) saute.

everything starts getting crazy and mixed in fast here. You want the broth to have the seafood flavors so adding all of these at the right time is most important. the fish, the shrimp, sausage, broth, tomatoes, okra should be combined pretty much one at a time, making sure the stew pot keeps hot for cooking the different ingredients cook quickly and thoroughly. Add the seasonings and tobasco to taste. Add the mussels and clams and drained red kidney beans at the last.

Great over rice or as a stoup. Perfect on a cold night.