Grandma Compton's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I must confess that when it comes to chocolate chip cookies I am a fan of the recipe on the back of the Nestlé's Toll House Chocolate Chips.  One problem for this family is that it uses butter.  This chocolate chip cookie recipe was requested by my sister's sweet friend who found our her precious little lady is allergic to milk, soy and corn.  This nursing mama told me yesterday that she hasn't had a cookie or anything sweet in over two months!  Ahh!  I told her I would type out a couple of recipes to get her some sweet relief!  The recipe comes from my mother's grandmother.  To make these dairy-soy-corn free I recommend using Palm Shortening and Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips!

Grandma Compton's Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 C palm shortening
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream together the first 4 ingredients.  Mix in the remaining ingredients (make sure the chocolate chips last!) Bake for 8-10 minutes (don't over bake!) on an ungreased cookie sheet.
If I am not feeling particularly ambitious I will put all the dough into a 9x13 pan and just cookie bars!

A bonus cookie bar recipe from Large Family Logistics.  She says to use olive oil if you are dairy free.  I use have liquid oil and half palm shortening. 

Palm Shortening on Amazon

4 Dairy Free Casseroles (3 Gluten Free too!)

We do not eat casseroles around here very often.  Our meals are mostly a separate meat, veggie and carb.  Since many in our family are on a dairy free diet it hardly seems worth it to try to make my own condensed soups to make casseroles healthy.   There are a few dairy free casseroles that have made it into our family’s meal rotation.   If you are formerly a tator tot casserole mom who now finds herself dairy free, these 4 casseroles are my gift to you! (3 of these are gluten free if that applies to you!)

 

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ingredients

·         2 cups cooked brown rice

·         2 cups cooked chicken

·         2 tablespoons healthy oil

·         2 tablespoons water

·         3-4 tablespoons wheat flour

·         1/4 teaspoon each of salt, thyme, garlic powder and onion powder

·         2 cups chicken broth

·         1 ½ cup frozen peas and carrots

·         ¼ seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions:

In a large skillet bring 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp water to a light simmer.  Add flour slowly and blend until smooth.  Add thyme, onion powder, garlic powder and salt.  Slowly add 2 cups of broth and continue blend until it’s a smooth consistency.  Add cooked chicken and stir.  Lightly grease a casserole dish and layer rice in the bottom of a grease baking dish.  Layer peas and carrots onto rice.  Carefully pour chicken mixture over vegetables.  Dust bread crumbs over the casserole.  Bake in a 400°F oven for 25 to 35 minutes.

NOTES:  You can switch out the veggies to suit the tastes of your family.  I am sure that a bag of mixed vegetables would work or broccoli!  We usually have this for supper one night, and the next day I add broth and make it into chicken and rice soup for lunch!  The family doesn’t even think of it as leftovers!  I have doubled the recipe and frozen half with great success.

 

Shipwreck

Ingredients

·         2 lbs ground beef

·         ¼- ½ cup chopped onion

·         6 medium potatoes (sliced)

·         1 large can pork and beans

·         1 can tomato sauce

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Directions 

Layer in order and bake covered at 350 for 3 hours. 

NOTES: This was a recipe that my husband ate often growing up.  When I came into the family I thought that it was very strange.  I was surprised to find that I do like it!  Plus it is a great dish to mix up before church and stick in the oven.  We come home and lunch is ready in minutes of walking in the door!  You can easily cut this recipe in half for a smaller family.  Our family is right in between the 1 and 2 pounds of ground beef mark now, but with our growing boys it won’t be long until we will always need the full two pounds!  I like to make my own baked beans to save the family a little money and a lot of sugar!  Sometimes I will brown the beef and the onion before I cook this casserole.  I like to drain the grease before I bake it, and I like the texture of the beef to be a bit more crumbly!  It shortens the cooking time quite a bit. 

Hearty Bean Bake

Ingredients

·         1 lb ground beef

·         6 strips of bacon (chopped)

·         ¼ cup onion, chopped

·         3 lb can baked beans

·         1 (14oz) can red beans, drained and rinsed

·         1 (14 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

·         1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes

·         1/3 cup honey

·         2 Tbs brown mustard

·         1 tsp vinegar

·         1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

·         ½ tsp each of salt and pepper

Brown the ground beef with the bacon and onion until the beef is crumbly; drain.  Combine the ground beef mixture with all the remaining ingredients and mix well.   Cook in the crock pot on low for 3 hours on in a covered baking pan in the oven at 350 for 1 hour.  Serves 8-10. 

NOTES: I found this recipe in Oakwood Road cook book, but it was A LOT sweeter and spicier.  These ingredients are how I serve it to our family.  They LOVE it.  The leftovers can be frozen in a small baking dish.  For a fun twist the next time you eat it, thaw in the fridge and pour a corn bread mixture over the top.  Bake until the cornbread is ready and eat!  I make my own baked, red and black beans making this meal both packed with protein and cheap, Cheap, CHEAP! 

Taco Casserole

Ingredients

·         1 lb ground beef-browned

 

·         1 small bag shredded potatoes (Or make your own!)

 

·         2-3 tablespoons taco seasoning (The homemade shredded potatoes might seem intense but making your own taco seasoning is super easy! Try it.)

 

·         1 can (1 3/4 cup) tomato sauce (Check the fridge or panty and use whatever is there. Pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, regular tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes. Anything will work.)

 

·         1 can red or black beans-rinsed and drained

 

·         1 cup frozen corn

 

Mix beef, seasoning and tomato sauce and spread ½ of the mixture in a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Layer on ½ the corn and beans, followed by half of the potatoes.  Repeat the layers and ending with the potatoes.  (If you are not dairy free top with 1 cup cheddar cheese!)  Bake covered at 350 for 30-40 minutes. 

NOTES: This recipe mirrors my Taco Potatoes recipe.  Same basic ingredients just different presentation!

 

 

 

This post is linked up at http://www.raisingarrows.net/ http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2012/12/homestead-barn-hop-90.html http://www.elsacooks.com/ http://wearethatfamily.com/ http://www.foodrenegade.com/ http://www.spain-in-iowa.com/ http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Peanut Butter Zucchini Brownies

My mom is well known for her recipe substitutions.  I think one of my favorite ingredient switches was Cream Cheese Brownies.  She called me disappointed that her brownies didn’t taste like my brownies.  As I inquired further I discovered that she had substituted the chocolate cake mix for a spice cake mix and the chocolate chips for cinnamon chips. Of course they were not going to taste anything like the brownies that I had made!  There wasn’t any chocolate in them! (I love you Mom!)

Yesterday I was my mother.  I was so excited to try this recipe for Flourless Zucchini Brownies.   I switched out so many ingredients that it is no longer the same recipe.  It is still gluten free and dairy free.  I am very pleased with the results.  My son took a bite and said, “Mom, you gotta put these on the blog!” My husband said they were good, but he would have liked them better if I would have peeled the zucchini before shredding it.  Unfortunately all the zucchini that I froze this year was shredded with the peel on. 

 

I tried to get a picture, but the brownies were disappearing on the kids' plates too quickly.  These brownies are much lighter than Black Bean Brownies.  If you pinned Chocolate Zucchini Bread you must try this one too!  My aunt has said if Reese’s Peanut Butter cups were vegetables, she would be very healthy.  These brownies are as close as I can get! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• ½ cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix everything together.
3. Pour into a greased 9x9 baking pan.
4. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

Omelet Cups

 These bacon wrapped egg muffins have been a hit with the males in my house.  I really wish that I could find the website where I saw this idea, but I just saw a picture on someone's pinterest board.  If I find it I will try to give credit, but I never opened up the site or pinned it myself so I am not sure where to start!

Ingredients
10 eggs
3 TBS water
12 strips of bacon or turkey bacon
chopped tomatoes, pepper, onion, mushrooms-whatever you like in your omelet

Line muffin pan with strips of bacon and cook for 30 minutes at 400.  Mix eggs, water and chopped veggies.  Remove the pan from the oven and turn it down to 350.  Turn bacon ring upside down so that the crispy bacon is on the bottom of the cup.  (I also clean the bacon grease out of the cups!)    Pour egg mixture into the cups and bake for 20 minutes. 

If the egg mixture won't stay inside the bacon everytime, but that is ok.  It will work better with a thicker sliced bacon.  This recipe is great to make ahead of time and reheat for a quick breakfast.  We reheat these in the toaster oven and sprinkle a little shredded cheese on top.  The toaster oven makes the bacon nice and crispy!  Yum yum!

 



 

This post is linked up at http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/ http://www.foodrenegade.com/ http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/

This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef

If you bring up the subject of roasts around my mom she will talk about the wonderful Sunday roasts my dad’s grandmother Cornie made in the oven.  She swears that no one can cook a roast like Cornie.  My mother-in-law makes wonderful roasts as well.  If there is anything I dread to hear at the table it is, “Well, it’s good, but not as good as my moms.”  (Even after 11 years of marriage I still hear that when I attempt to make cookies.  Result:  I rarely make cookies!)  How do I cook a roast so that it is tender and falls apart so that we don’t have to chew and chew until our jaws ache?  Here are a few tips that I have learned from a lot of trial and error.

·         Start with fresh or completely thawed meat.  We often get beef roast from my in-law’s farm or I stock up with a good sale.  I cannot take the roast out of the freezer a few hours before cooking it and expect good results.  Roasts don’t require a lot of work, but they do require thinking ahead at least 24 hours if they are sitting down in my deep freezer.  Never put a frozen roast in the crock pot and expect much from it!

·         Slow and Low-I make my roasts in the crock pot.  It needs 8 hours, maybe 7 if I am lucky and in a hurry.  The mistake I make is thinking, “It looks done so it must be ready.”  No, it needs time to cook down and fall apart!

·         Acid-Acidity helps tenderize the meat.  Vinegar, wine or a citrus can all be used in small amounts for big results.  Sometimes I am really on the ball and soak the meat in the acid while it is thawing and that makes for a juicy roast!

If I start with the guidelines above I can go anywhere with flavor.  Sometimes I go for a sweeter flavor with fruit, though often onions, garlic, salt and pepper are enough for a flavorful base. Rosemary balsamic marinade is one of our favorites, and Crockpot365 has some wonderful recipes as well. 

Don’t let roasts scare you.  They are a great protein and easy to stretch into several meals making them quite cost effective.   Try it for shredded meat sandwiches, stir fry, burritos, or my husband’s favorite--beef and noodles.

Beans!

Ever know that something should be really simple, but you still can’t figure it out?  That is my story with dried beans.  Beans are healthy, full of protein and fiber.  They are a great addition to a meal without adding a lot of costs.  I knew that dried beans were healthier and cheaper than canned, but I tried boiling them a couple of times, and I didn’t like the texture.  They were still kind of hard, and as the inside of the bean cooked it kind of popped out of the shell.  (Is the outside called a shell…skin?)  I was frustrated.  How difficult can it be to cook a bean?  I have made much more difficult things than a bean.  Sigh…

I borrowed the book Large Family Logistics from a friend, and the author casually explained how she made beans.BLOG-POST SUBJECT HIATUS: I picked up the book because I read that smaller families can learn a few things from the organization and plans of larger families.  We are a family of 4 which by “definition” is a large-small family.  5 kids tips a family over into the small-large family category.  And now you know…back to beans.  I should not have been that excited about the author’s bean making process, but I will shamelessly admit that I was.  I tried black beans last week, and they were perfect!  Hooray!

1.       Soak the beans in water over night.  I used a whole bag of beans and added enough water to cover the beans plus a little extra.  Tip: Add a couple of teaspoons of acid (apple cider vinegar or lemon juice) and your beans should cause less flatulence.  J

2.       The next morning strain the beans and rinse.  Wipe out the crock pot and spay lightly with cooking spray. Return the beans to the pot.

3.       Cover with water and cook on low for 5-7 hours. 

4.       After the beans have reached the desired texture, rinse and use or store.  Tip: Season beans with salt after they have cooked or they will not get soft enough!

If you are not going to use your beans right away they can be frozen for future meals.  I froze some and made protein bars out some.  (See recipe below)  The crock pot was stained from the black beans but scrubbing cleanser easily took care of that!  Happy bean making! 

Protein Bars

*Some call these “Black Bean Brownies”.  I was raised that my great-Aunt Verda’s buttermilk brownies were the definition of the ultimate brownie.  These are very tasty protein bars!

·         1 ¾ cups black beans

·         3 eggs

·         ¼ cocoa

·         1 tsp vanilla

·         3 Tsp oil

·         ¼ tsp salt

·         1/3 honey

·         ¼ sugar or sucanat

·         ½ tsp baking powder

Mix together all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Pour into greased pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the top just starts to crack.

This post is linked up at Tammy's Recipes, Quick Easy Cheap Healthy, Food Renegade, Nourishing Gourmet, Frugally Sustainable

Baked Oatmeal

In light of rethinking breakfast this week I thought that I would post our family's bake oatmeal recipe.  This recipe is easily thrown together the night before and the kitchen stays clean in the morning!

 

1 1/2 cups of rolled oats

1 cup milk (cow, almond or rice...any will work)

1/4 cup of butter or coconut oil

1 egg

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp. brown sugar or sucanat

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt oil/butter and add baking powder, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir in milk and egg. Add oats. Put in greased baking dish and bake or cover and let set in fridge over night.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serve with maple syrup. (Can be doubled and put into a 9x13)

 

This post is linked up at http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/ http://www.foodrenegade.com/ http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/ http://quickeasycheaphealthy.com/ 

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I cut two zucchini out of my garden last night so today was a day for chocolate zucchini bread.  I think that the excessive heat we had the past couple of weeks is paying a price on the amount of produce I am going to get from my garden.  I was anticipating shredding and freezing enough zucchini to last through the winter, but I no longer think that I am going to have the bumper crop I was hoping for. 

I like zucchini because preserving it doesn't take much on my part.  I shred it and freeze it in two cup increments (because that seems to the amounts that my recipes call for.)  I leave the peel on because it bakes right into breads and muffins.  (It is a color thing more than a texture thing.  Peeling it just seems like an extra step that only serves to take away nutrients.  I say leave it on; it looks like confetti!) When I shredded the extra zucchini today I put a sheet of waxed paper under my mandolin.  I slipped it right into a plastic storage bag and laid it flat in the freezer.  It thaws more quickly and can be tucked away in the freezer more neatly when frozen flat.  When we want zucchini bread in November I let it thaw in the fridge for a couple of hours, drain away the extra water and get cooking! 

The kids are never sad to have chocolate zucchini bread for breakfast.  I love feeding them chocolate zucchini bread for breakfast because it is one more veggie in their day.  This recipe can be done in two loaf pans or 4 mini loaves.  I have a hard time getting any quick bread to get done in the middle so I always opt for the 4 mini loaves.  They are easy to freeze or share with a neighbor.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbs vanilla
2 cup zucchini, finely shredded
2 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350. In bowl, beat together eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Stir in zucchini. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder. Add zucchini mixture to flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Spoon into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake 1 hour. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack.


This post is linked up at http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/  http://www.foodrenegade.com/  http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/   http://quickeasycheaphealthy.com/  http://www.tammysrecipes.com/ http://www.spain-in-iowa.com/

Husband approved Meatballs!

Meatballs are very all-American, but my  husband was not a meat ball fan until this recipe.  These meatballs are full of flavor and not mushy (a common meatball complaint for him!)  When I make them I freeze half.  (Sadly my boys are now eating so many that freezing half means no leftovers for lunch, but this is a great freezer meal!)  Making croutons is easy!  I save my bread heals and dry buns for our homemade croutons.  It makes me feel less wasteful!  (For a while I had so many bun flops that we had a steady supply!)

2 pounds lean ground meat
1 pound sausage
1 1/2 cups croutons (small)
3 eggs

Mix above ingredients and shape into balls. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (Your favorite marinara sauce works great as a dip!)

This post is linked at http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/ http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/ http://www.foodrenegade.com/

Chocolate Dipped Banana Pops

This is a simple little summer dessert that is good for the diary-free, gluten-free and white sugar-free among us.  I made these for my two little allergy babes this afternoon!  They loved them. 

1.       Cut 3 or 4 bananas into 2”-3” chunks, and freeze.

2.       Puree frozen bananas and fill popsicle molds with puree.

3.       Freeze until sticks hold.

4.       Dip in warm chocolate sauce before serving.

Chocolate sauce: Mix the following ingredients in order

·         2 TBS of coconut oil (melted)

·         ¼ cup cocoa powder

·         3 TBS honey

·         1 TBS water

This post is linked up at:

Penny Pinching Party @ http://www.thethriftyhome.com/

Frugal Days Sustainable Ways @ http://frugallysustainable.com/

Pennywise Platter Thursdays @ http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/

Full Plate Thursdays @ http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Fight Back Friday @ http://www.foodrenegade.com/

Popcorn Chicken

After reading that Popcorn Chicken gets its own day in my meal plan, a few people asked for the recipe.  I do not like to disappoint!  I like this recipe for several reasons. 

• It is a great freezer meal.  I can freeze a few pounds of Popcorn Chicken on a couple cookie sheets.  Once it is frozen I store it in a sealed container for fast meals when I need them. 
• My oldest loves to help coat the chicken because it is one of his favorite meals.  It is fun to work together with him.
• I can adapt it to be dairy-free if I need to. (It could easily be made gluten free with coconut or almond flour too.)
• It is tasty and healthy, and everyone eats it without complaining!

Popcorn Chicken

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• Butter (or coconut oil)

Mix together the flour, salt, garlic powder, pepper, onion powder and paprika.  Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.  (Kitchen shears work best for this job.)  Coat the chicken in the flour mixture.  (Here is where I freeze the pieces to store for later meals.) 

Cooking option 1:  Coat 9x13 pan with butter.  (The more butter the better!)  Place chicken pieces in the pan, trying to spread the chicken out so that they are hardly touching. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes stirring at the half way point.

Cooking option 2:  Heat butter in a skillet and pan fry the chicken until golden brown.  (This is my family's preferred method.)  WARNING:  This option had me cooking on date night!  True story, the first time I cooked the chicken this way was for the kids right before date night.  My husband was so impressed that he said "Let's drop the kids off at the sitters and come back here for Popcorn Chicken salads.  This tastes way better than anything we would buy!"  Maybe he was just being cheap, but I took the complement and made him chicken that night!

This post is linked up at:

Pennywise Platter Thursdays @ http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/

Full Plate Thursdays @ http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Health 2Day Wednesdays @ http://quickeasycheaphealthy.com/

Fight Back Friday @ http://www.foodrenegade.com/