2-Ingredient Lentil Soup

Here's another "real food" soup that only has two ingredients (not counting water), but packs LOTS of flavor.

I used some ham stock that I had previously cooked and canned, but you could start from scratch with a meaty ham bone or some ham hocks, along with some water, to make your stock.   If you do that, you'll also have bits of ham to add to your soup.

If the ham was flavorful, the stock will be, too, and you may not even have to add additional seasoning.

2-Ingredient Lentil Soup

2 cups ham stock, preferably homemade
1 cup water
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed

Combine all in a medium pot.  Heat to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer or slow boil.

Cook for 1 hour or until lentils are tender.

If desired, mash lentils lightly to thicken soup, then serve.

Makes 4 side dish servings, or 2 generous main dish servings.

Ham and Potato Soup: Quick and Simple Real Food

Get ready for this.  A flavorful soup with just two ingredients (okay, three if you count the water), that's good for you (mmm...that bone broth), and can be done in just less than an hour (really). 

If you like, add a little cream, sour cream, or cream cheese to finish.  Sprinkle the top with green onions, shredded cheddar, croutons or freshly ground black pepper.  Make it your own.  Or stop right here with just the two ingredients.  That's what I'm doing today.  Keeping it real.

If you don't have a pressure cooker, feel free to cook this for several hours in a slow cooker or a covered pot in a low oven.  You'll get great results, just not quick ones.  Keep this recipe in mind for the leftovers of your after-Easter ham.

Quick and Easy Pressure-Cooked Ham and Potato Soup

1 pound ham hocks (or a large, meaty leftover ham bone)
2 pounds (more or less) potatoes

Place rack in bottom of pressure cooker per manufacturer's instructions.  Place ham hocks or ham bone on rack.

Add about 2 cups of water to cooker, place lid on and heat over high heat until steady stream pours out of valve.

Place weight on valve.   Once weight begins hissing or rattling (will depend on your particular cooker) reduce heat just enough to keep weight hissing or rattling.  Begin timer and cook for 45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut in to cubes of approximately 1 inch.  Keep potatoes covered with water until ham has finished cooking.

Remove cooker to sink and reduce pressure by running cold water over cooker.  Carefully remove lid and set aside.  Spoon out ham hocks with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Drain potatoes and add to liquid in pot.  Add about 1/2 cup additional water.  Replace lid and return to high heat on the stove.

When a steady stream of steam is coming from valve, replace weight.  When hissing or rocking begins, adjust heat as before and begin timer to cook for 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, pick ham from bones and set aside.  Discard bones or save to make more stock.

After potatoes have cooked for 6 minutes, remove from heat and reduce pressure using cold water method.  Carefully remove lid.

Using tongs, carefully remove rack from pot.  Add ham pieces to pot and stir vigorously to break up some of the potatoes to thicken the soup.  Transfer soup to serving bowl or tureen and serve.

Makes about 4 servings.

12 Treats of Christmas - Day 11 - Bubbly Cranberry Punch

Bubbly Cranberry Punch

2 (15-oz.) cans jelled cranberry sauce
1 cup orange juice
1 cup lemonade
2 liters ginger ale
ice cubes

In a large pitcher or punch bowl, whisk cranberry sauce until smooth. Stir in orange juice and lemonade until well combined. Chill this mixture until just before you are ready to serve the punch.

At serving time, slowly pour in ginger ale. Stir gently, then add ice cubes as desired.

Makes about 3 quarts of punch.

Apple Cider with Ginger Lemonade - Hot or Cold

 
Here is a delicious drink that can be served as a refreshing cold drink or a cozy hot drink.  If you can't find ginger syrup, try your hand at making your own.  If you're in a hurry, use lemonade reconstituted from frozen concentrate or a drink mix powder.


Apple Cider with Ginger Lemonade

1 quart lemonade, sweetened to taste (see recipe below)
1 quart apple cider (can use apple juice if you prefer)
1/4 cup ginger syrup or to taste
cinnamon sticks for garnish

Combine all ingredients.  Serve chilled or over ice for a cold drink.  For a hot drink,warm gently in a slow cooker or in a pot on the stove; serve in mugs with cinnamon sticks for garnish. 



Homemade Lemonade

1-1/2 to 2 cups granulated sugar  (to taste)
2 cups water
1 cup fresh lemon juice
additional water

Make a simple syrup by combining sugar with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan.  Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil.  Remove from heat.

In a 2 quart pitcher, combine syrup with lemon juice.  Stir until well-blended.  Add cold water to make 2 quarts.  Chill before serving or serve over ice.

(Flavor improves after sitting a few hours.)

Ginger-Peppercorn Drink Syrup

I bought some ginger syrup one time at World Market.  I loved it, but not it's price, so I decided to make it at home.  This is a versatile simple syrup that's great in mixed drinks, as an ingredient in a warm fall drink, and even drizzled over pumpkin pancakes or waffles.

You may leave the peppercorns out, if desired, but I think they really make the ginger flavor pop.  As a bonus, remove the slices of ginger from the syrup and let cool on some parchment paper, then eat plain, use to flavor homemade fermented drinks (kombucha or kefir), or use as candied ginger in recipes.

Ginger-Peppercorn Drink Syrup (Simple Syrup)

2 ounces fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup white sugar
1-1/2 cups water
1 to 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns.

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Continue simmering for 30 to 40 minutes or until the syrup has a strong gingery aroma. Remove from heat; cool completely. Transfer to a glass bottle and store in the refrigerate.

Makes 2 to 2-1/2 cups.

Easy Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

This isn't the only recipe for a flavorful coffee creamer with the fall flavor of pumpkin, but the only one I know of that starts with sweetened condensed milk.  While not the best choice, maybe, I'm OK with sweetened condensed milk because it contains no high fructose corn syrup.  I use whole milk, but feel free to use the milk of your choice.  This recipe goes together and is ready to serve in a flash.

Easy Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1-1/4 cups milk (use the milk can as a measure if you like)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree, canned or fresh (use more if you want a more intense flavor)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice blend

Whisk all ingredients together until very well blended.  Add to coffee or tea as desired.  Store covered in the refrigerator, preferably in a glass container.  Shake well to blend before using.

Kat's Favorite Smoothie

After going to Cafe Gratitude a couple of weekends ago, I decided to whip up a smoothie for Kat that was inspired by the one she had there.  Theirs includes dates for the sweetener and vanilla bean.  Ours includes banana and honey for the sweeteners and vanilla extract.  It was also a lot more budget-friendly to make at home.

Kat asked me to put this smoothie on the list.  When I asked her what list, she said the list of good smoothies!  What further recommendation is needed?

Kat's Favorite Smoothie

1 cup coconut milk
1 very ripe banana
1/4 cup almond butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
honey to taste

Add all to a blender or food processor and mix well.  Serve immediately.  Makes about 2 cups.

Use A Rice Steamer For Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs

I tend to overcook hard-boiled eggs.  They're perfectly edible, but they get that green sulfur ring around the yolks.  I tried the baked/boiled egg method, but that didn't work for me, either. 

But here's another kitchen trick I read about in a few different places recently.   A rice steamer makes perfect hard cooked eggs that are a lot less likely to have green rings.  And the best thing is that you can just put them in, set the timer and walk away for a while. 

Just place eggs in your rice steamer.  This is what mine looks like, but I would guess it will work in any kind of rice steamer.  Mine will hold up to 14, depending on size, if I stand them on end.

Add 1 cup of cool water to the reservoir, place the lid on, and set the timer for 20 minutes.

When the time is up, transfer the eggs to a bowl or basin of ice water for a few minutes to cool them quickly, then remove the shells, or refrigerate with shells on for later use.

Make Your Own Garlic Powder (Granulated Garlic)

If stored properly, heads of garlic can last a good, long time, possibly from one season to the next.  This is the situation we found ourselves in this year.  We still had several heads of garlic in the basement, with  fresh garlic ready to bring in.  I decided it was time to turn the older garlic into garlic powder, sometimes also known as granulated garlic.

The first thing I did was peel the papery film off the garlic and separate the cloves.  Because this was last years harvest, some of the cloves were too dry and crumbly to work with, so I composted those.  Some were a little dry, but still flexible (like a raisin) and good-smelling, so I saved those.  The rest seemed fresh, considering their age, and I used those as well.

I peeled the skins off each clove and, except for the very smallest of cloves, I sliced them about 1/16 inch thick.  I spread them out on the "fruit leather" tray of our dehydrator and set it on the high setting.  Oddly enough, it was the pieces that were already leathery that took the longest to dry; the fresher pieces dried right away.  I suspect it had something to do with a change in the sugar content, but I'm not sure.  It took 2-1/2 days for all of it to dry to a brittle stage.

I didn't bother to measure or weigh anything before I started, but I didn't think to measure the dehydrated pieces.  A tray of garlic measured to just under a cup of dehydrated bits.

I put all of the pieces in our blender and blended them on high for about three minutes or until they were thoroughly pulverized.  The resulting powder measured right at 1/2 cup.

I stored the powder in an airtight container in my spice cabinet, and will use it just like I would any store-bought garlic powder.

Crockpot Pork and Gravy with Vegetables

This is another recipe inspired by something our friend John made and served to us.  He makes a dish of sauteed chicken breast chunks served over rice, with zucchini and mushrooms (each sauteed separately) spooned over, and then poultry gravy ladled over all of it.  It's a pretty good meal.

Now, I'll tell you this, because I tell John this too...although he's a he, he's also something of a diva in the kitchen.  He does nearly all of the cooking for his family and he doesn't really like it when I take one of his ideas and make it my own.  But I do it all the time and he just has to deal with it.  So, if you were able to ask him, he'd say the recipe that follows is NOTHING like the one he makes, and not as good, either.  To use John's own words, I have only this to say...

Whatever.

I took his meal and adapted it, not only to the foods I already had on hand, but also to the crockpot, so I could let the meat cook at camp while we were out doing other things.  It could still be served over rice, but we voted for pasta instead.  So, John's right, this isn't much like his original dish.  But I have to give him credit for the idea.

None of us thought we were very hungry the day I made this at camp, but we ended up eating every last bite of it.


Crockpot Pork and Gravy with Veggies

1 pork loin roast (about 2 pounds) cut into 1-inch cubes
2 packets of gravy mix (pork or poultry, either will work) or equal amount of bulk gravy mix
1 small to medium zucchini, sliced into half-moon shapes
1 small to medium onion (I used vidalia), cut into large chunks
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
pan spray or a small amount of oil
1 Tablespoon butter
seasoned salt
cooked, drained pasta of your choice

Place pork and a generous amount of water in a smaller crockpot and turn on the HI.  Let meat cook on HI for about 4 hours, or on LO for about 6 hours, or until tender.

When meat is tender, whisk in gravy mix, cover and let thicken.  Ours turned out rather thin, but it still worked just fine.  If you like a thicker gravy, use either less water in the crockpot or more gravy mix.

Meanwhile, saute the chopped veggies in a skillet over medium heat that has been sprayed with pan spray or coated with just a drizzle of oil.  Add a little seasoned salt to taste.  When the veggies start to get a little bit tender, add a Tablespoon of butter to the skillet, increase heat to high, and sautee until veggies begin to brown.

Spoon veggies over cooked pasta and top both the veggies and pasta with some of the pork and gravy mixture.  Serve with fresh fruit and/or bread on the side.

Cowboy Potatoes

I mentioned in my previous post comments that I learned how to make Cowboy Potatoes by watching our friend John make them.  The method is his, but the measurements are mine.  You can adjust the amounts as you see fit.


Cowboy Potatoes

6 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 to 1-1/2 inch chunks
1 medium or large Vidalia or other sweet onion (or any type of onion, really)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 stick butter (yes, 1 whole stick)

Place potato chunks on a piece of foil.  Slice onion into strips and sprinkle those over the potatoes.  Sprinkle potatoes and onions with season salt and then top it all with chunks of butter.

Cover with another sheet of foil and fold the edges over.  You want lots of room in there for steam, thus the two pieces of foil instead of a folded-over packet.

John's charcoal grill method is to like the charcoal, place the packet on the grill while there are still flames, and by the time the coals burn down and are ready for grilling meat, the potatoes can come off the grill.

My gas grill method is to light the grill and set it at a medium flame.  Place the potato packet on the grill and cook for 20 minutes.

Either way, take the packet of potatoes off the grill, but do not open it.  Set it aside while you grill your other meat and/or veggies.  When the rest of your meal is done, open the potato packet.  The potatoes will still be hot, and perfectly done.

Eat them just as they are, or top them with sour cream and shredded cheese.  They are delicious either way.

I haven't made these in the oven yet, but if you want to try them that way, I would suggest 20 minutes at 350F, then let them sit on the counter for 10 minutes before opening the packet.

Two Strawberry-Rhubarb Non-Recipes

Here are couple of ideas for using the strawberries and rhubarb that may be in season in your garden right now (they are in ours).  They aren't really recipes, since I didn't bother to measure anything.  Basically, combine the fruit and/or juices, then sweeten to your taste.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Syrup

Wash and chop some fresh rhubarb and fresh strawberries and toss them into a pan.  Add about 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar.  Bring mixture to a boil, then cook over medium heat until the berries and rhubarb start to break down.  Being careful not to burn your tongue, taste the mixture and add sugar as necessary.  It will probably take quite a lot.  You can use white sugar, cane juice crystals, Sucanat -- whatever you like.  Continue to cook until mixture thickens slightly.  Pour into canning jars and screw down lids.  Syrup can be used in smoothies, in lemonade or cocktails, on top of ice cream or other desserts, on pancakes or waffles, as a thin spread on biscuits or toast, or just licked off a spoon.  Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or until gone, which will probably be in about two days.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Lemonade

In a 2-quart pitcher, combine about a cup of fresh lemon juice with about a half-cup of strawberry-rhubarb syrup.  Add about 3 cups of water or as much as needed to dilute the lemon-juice to your liking.  Stir in simple syrup until it is as sweet as you like it.  No simple syrup?  Try this recipe with the sugar of your choice.  IMO, it's the only way to sweeten lemonade easily.  If the syrup is too chunky from the strawberries or stringy from the rhubarb, run it all through the blender for a minute, with or without a shot of something boozy added.  Pour over ice and enjoy!

What To Do With Leftover Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are a favorite here, but I usually make enough to have intentional leftovers.  Here are a few ways to use those leftovers:

• Just reheat them.  I find they reheat pretty well.  Add just a little more milk if necessary.
  
  
• Freeze them.  Potatoes alone don't freeze well, but because of the butter and milk in them, mashed potatoes are great for the freezer.  Just reheat slowly in a pan or in the microwave.  They will appear watery at first, but just stir everything together and they turn out just fine.  I promise.
  
  
• Make pan-fried potato cakes.  My mom did them like this:  Mix a beaten, some salt and pepper and a little flour into leftover mashed potatoes.  Heat bacon grease in a skillet.  With floured hands, scoop up some of the potato mixture, form a patty, fry over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.  Not one to leave well enough alone, I also add things like garlic, chives, chopped bacon, chopped ham, etc.
  
  
• Use them to top a shepherds pie.  Here I've used leftover roast venison and gravy, with some frozen mixed veggies added.  I heated leftover mashed potatoes and blended in cheddar cheese and a little more milk until the mixture was smooth.  I used a pastry bag to pipe the potatoes onto the meat mixture, but a spoon works just fine. I sprinkled it all with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and baked it at 350 degrees until the potatoes were golden.  Obviously, some of them dissolved into the stew below.
  



• I still had some left, so I piped them onto a parchment covered cookie sheet, topped them with Parmesan, and baked them, also at 350 degrees, until golden.  Savory Potato Snacks!  They are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and at least a little better for you to snack on than potato chips.





• Do the same as above, but add an egg to the mixture, and you have Duchess Potatoes to serve as a side dish.

Quick and Easy Indian-Style Chicken

Chicken used to be a frequent "guest" at our table because it was so inexpensive, but since I've started buying only free-range, organic chicken, it's become more of a special treat for us.  Because we only buy one fryer every month or so now, I try to be more selective about the chicken recipes I make.

I knew this would be a dish that Shane and I would enjoy, but I honestly wasn't sure what Kat would think of it.  I was so happy to find out that she loves it. 

It's an easy dish, which is always nice.  Just cut up a whole chicken (or buy it already cut) and pour a simple sauce over it, then bake it.  I think the recipe is better suited to dark meat, but breast pieces work well, too.

Unfortunately, I can't remember where I first saw the recipe I based this on, so I'm not able to give credit where it's due.


Quick and Easy Indian-Style Chicken

1 whole fryer chicken, cut into pieces (or 6-8 pieces pre-cut chicken)
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional, but without it I felt it was lacking)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat oven to 350°F.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish (or lidded oven-proof skillet) with your favorite pan spray.

Place chicken pieces in prepared dish.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.  Pour over chicken pieces.  Turn chicken pieces a couple of times to coat them well with the sauce mixture.

Cover with foil (or lid) and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove foil or lid, spoon drippings over chicken pieces, and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes to brown.

Serve with regular, brown, or coconut rice.  Spoon pan drippings over rice and chicken as desired.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.


This post is being shared at the Hearth and Soul Hop with Premeditated Leftovers and Delicious Dish Tuesdays with Full Time Mama.

My Homemade Fajita Seasoning

This recipe is based on some others I found online, but I made a few changes.


Annie's Homemade Fajita Seasoning

3 Tbsp. cornstarch (or other thickener of choice, see below)
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. sugar
2-1/2 tsp. chicken base (similar to bouillon)
1-1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 packets of True Lime flavoring
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Pour into small glass or plastic container, seal tightly and store in a cool, dry place. Makes the equivalent of 3 packets of commercial or purchased Fajita Seasoning Mix.

To Use:

The easiest way to use this is to add a small amount of oil to a large skillet and saute thin strips of meat (chicken, beef, turkey, venison, pork, etc.).  When meat is mostly cooked through, add 3 Tablespoons of the fajita seasoning mix, 1/3 cup water and some sliced bell peppers and onions, then continue to cook until all ingredients are coated and peppers become slightly tender.

For another way to make fajitas, you can mix 3 Tablespoons of seasoning mix with 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup oil and use this mixture to marinate the slices of meat for several hours before cooking.  Saute the onions and peppers separately in just a bit of oil.

It can also be used to season ground beef for tacos or sprinkled onto steaks, chops or chicken before grilling.

Optional changes:

Use beef base or bouillon instead of chicken for beef or venison fajitas.  (I think the chicken-based version works fine for red meat, though).

If you don't have or don't want to use True Lime powder, add a few spoonfuls of lime juice or the juice of half a fresh lime to the meat and vegetables when you cook them.

If you don't like using cornstarch, try using Mochiko (sweet rice flour), potato starch or all-purpose flour as thickeners.

Heat things up by adding more cayenne pepper (original recipe called for 1/4 teaspoon) and/or 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

I've tried a few different ranch dressing recipes and finally fiddled with them enough to call this one our family favorite.  Hope you like it.


Homemade Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise -- can use Miracle Whip, but dressing will be much sweeter if you do
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar -- or white (clear) balsamic vinegar if you can find it
1 teaspoon dry parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dry dill weed
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Combine all until smooth. Let chill for several hours for best flavor.


This recipe is being shared at the Delicious Dish Tuesdays Hop with Full Time Mama.

Carrot-Craisin Salad

I'm not much of a fan of raisins as an ingredient in other dishes, so I decided to rework the typical carrot salad with raisins.  Here is my (IMO, yummier) version using dried cranberries and carrots.  I like this recipe because I almost always have all the ingredients on hand.

Carrot-Craisin Salad

1-1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup Craisins (dried cranberries), coarsely chopped
1 clementine, peeled and chopped or equivalent of canned mandarin oranges, drained
1/3 cup mayonnaise (or to taste)
1 - 2 T. honey

Combine all ingredients in medium-sized bowl.  Stir to coat carrots and fruit well.  Chill.  Top with additional cranberries if desired.

Makes four 1/2-cup servings.

Fruit Salad. Yummy, Yummy!

Yeah, I watched The Wiggles too many times when Kat was little.  Anyway, here is a really quick fruit salad that's totally adaptable to what you like and what you have on hand.  You could also top this with toasted coconut or chopped nuts.  BTW, it's loosely based on a recipe in the book Healthy Snacks for Kids that I reviewed yesterday.


Yogurt Fruit Salad
(based on a recipe in Healthy Snacks for Kids)


Dressing:
1/2 cup Greek-style plain yogurt
2 T. honey (preferably raw and local)
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Fruit:
1 banana, sliced
about a dozen red seedless grapes, halved
1 clementine, peeled and sectioned

--OR--

about 2 cups of whatever fresh, canned or thawed-from-frozen fruit you have on hand


Combine the dressing ingredients until well blended.  Combine fruit, then pour dressing over.  Toss to coat.  Chill before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

This post was submitted to the Hearth and Soul Hop for 2/14 at Premeditated Leftovers.

And the Delicious Dish Tuesday Hop with Full Time Mama.