Cheaterpants Gravy

Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake.  I blame college.  Seriously.  I don't have time for anything else lately.  Hence the big gap in blog posts.  Two papers so far this semester then midterms.  I have been slightly neurotic and overwhelmed.  I was on a quick trip to Branson with my Girl Scouts a few weeks ago and was educated by friends concerning The Pioneer Woman.  I even hear my non-foody friends moan, "I would looovvvee to cook at Ree's house with her!" After spending a huge amount of procrastination time on her site one day last week, I get it.  The sad thing is, if someone from our house got an invite to Ree's house it would probably be my husband.  He was blessed with Memaw's cooking genes. 

One of his specialties is pot roast.  Funny enough it is very similar to Ree's recipe, which we checked out today when we were starting our pot roast.  The only differences are these: he does not like carrots so we skip that step and he also dredges the roast in flour, salt, and pepper.  (My Grandma Vera taught us how to cook pot roast not long after we were married.  It was time well spent.)  He also likes a thicker gravy rather than pan juice and sometimes we make it from scratch, but other times we are total cheaterpants.  If you are not a homemade gravy maker, we have a recipe for you. 

Cheaterpants  Gravy

 After your roast has cooked strain the pan juices.  (This helps to get any pieces of fat out.)  He then puts a packet or two of brown gravy mix in the same pan he braised the roast in.  Then just add the pan juice instead of water.  If you follow Ree's directions on adding beef stock you will have plenty of pan juice.  This. makes. all. the. difference. in. the. world.

If lumps are a problem we break out the potato masher.  A real one.  Not the one with a single squiggly bar.  By the way, those are not lumps in the picture above.  They are little chunks of roast.  Yes, it is as good as it sounds.  No one would ever think it was not homemade gravy.   
 

Grandma Mason's potato masher

 
  Midterms are over but I have a thesis and outline due Tuesday so I may be quiet for a while yet, but I'll be around.  I have so many ideas, so many things I want to share and I feel restricted by school right now, which is unusual for me because even with all the craziness that it adds to my life I have loved going back to school.  It is a dream in progress.  

Pan fried catfish

This is a re-post from 2008.  At some point I thought I would have enough time to dedicate to a completely domestic blog.  Let's just say it didn't happen.   

Catfish is not a dish often served at our house, and when it is, it is usually grilled with Creole seasoning. Today Audrey and I made pan fried catfish. Barry and I agreed that it was the best catfish recipe we have ever tried-even better than restaurant meals. The catfish was accompanied by baby green beans cooked with a fat garlic clove and Creole seasoning and Kettle brand sea salt and cracked black pepper chips (for Barry the non veggie eater). My sister-in-law Sydra's green tomato relish was a wonderful addition to the meal. Previously Audrey has not been a big fish eater but she ate one and a half fillets and would have eaten more if there had been more. She calls herself "Little Chef" and wants to be THE helper in the kitchen now. I find that this helps encourage her to try new things a little easier.

Pan Fried Catfish Recipe

4 (8-ounce) catfish fillets
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 tapioca flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup milk
canola oil

Rinse the fillets and pat them dry with paper towels. Mix the cornmeal, flour, salt, creole seasoning, paprika, and pepper together in a shallow dish. Pour the milk into a second shallow dish. Dip the fillets into the milk and then into the cornmeal mixture, coating them well and shaking of any excess.

Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet (best if you have one) over high heat. Use enough oil to allow the whole bottom side of the fish to be covered, but not up over the top. You want the fish to cook on one side at a time. Fry 2 of the fillets for about 3 minutes on each side, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork and is golden brown.

Transfer the fillets to a serving platter and keep warm. Repeat with remaining fillets. Serve immediately.

You may substitute regular flour for the tapioca flour. Tapioca makes a nicer crust than flour when mixed in a multi-flour or cornmeal mix...in my opinion.

Homemade laundry soap

For the past year or so I have been making laundry detergent. I have friends who have been making it for years, so the idea was not foreign to me. What kept me from doing it before was the fact that some of the recipes I had read were more complicated and did not seem to last long, as well being as expensive to make as the detergent I was using. I have not done the math yet, but I know this is considerably cheaper than my former detergent, Sun.  Okay, to be honest I probably will never do the math, let's face it, I am an English major. The ingredients and my bucket and lid came to just at $11 and all of the ingredients, except the Fels Naptha, make multiple batches. It was really easy, taking less time than I imagined, which had been another deterrent in making it. I mean, come on, if it was going to take three hours I might make it the first time, but I know myself, it would not be something I would do on a consistent basis. Michelle Duggar's book, The Duggars: 20 and Counting changed my mind. Here is her recipe:

1 Fels Naptha soap bar, grated
1 cup WASHING soda
1/2 cup borax

I have adapted her direction:

Grate the soap into a medium saucepan. 


(Grated soap? I don't think so, unless it is in the food processor! I grate mine in the processor, then pulsed it until it was the consistency was as close to powder as it gets.  The soap grates better if it is opened and allowed to harden for a week or two beforehand.  As soon as I buy my soap for the next batch I open the end of it.  I put it on the list as soon as I make soap so I am never left without ingredients.)

Cover with hot water. Cook over medium low heat, stirring continually, until soap completely dissolves.

(Note: I would reserve a pan for this use since metal can retain smell and taste. I opted to put mine in a large Pyrex measuring bowl with a handle and cook it in short bursts of time in the microwave. It has to be watched carefully so it does not overflow Glass does not usually retain smell and taste and I didn't want to ruin one of my pans. I used an oven pan liner in my small crock pot the most recent time I made soap.  It worked great and only took about an hour to melt.  Since this is not the use according to directions, please use your own judgment.)

Put washing soda and borax in a 5-gallon bucket. Pour in the hot, melted soap mixture. Stir well, until all the powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with hot tap water. Stir, cover securely, and let set overnight.The next morning, stir the mixture.

(Note: You can use a five gallon paint stirrer, but we have a paint stirrer that attaches to a drill.  It does a great job.  We had this anyway from DIY projects.)

Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a smaller laundry detergent dispenser or container. Shake before using. 1 cup for top-loading machines and 1/3 cup for front-loading.

(Note: I am going to vary again here. I see no reason to add water at this stage since it will be going into the washer directly. I am just going to use a 1/2 cup in my top loader. That should be the same as using the new ultra concentrates. Shake well before pouring.)

At first I set my old laundry bottle on a tray beside my homemade detergent and using a funnel and soup ladle I filled it. You have to stir the bucket each time you remove detergent from it and shake the bottle each time you dispense from it. It is a very gelatinous mixture, reminiscent of something Nickelodeon would package and sell as a bodily fluid to gross people out. Now I just stir it with the extra long paint stirrer every few days and just get it straight from the bucket.

The detergent smells exactly like the Fels Naptha soap, which is a little medicinal, but I cannot smell it after I wash with it.  Essential oil could be added if scent matters.  I have sensitive skin so that is not an issue for me.

I have been grating Fels Naptha and using it as a laundry additive for several years-even before I made detergent. I also have a reserve bar that I use to spot treat stains. It is incredible. 

Here is the breakdown of what I bought where and how much it cost.

Fels Naptha soap Yeagers on Rogers Ave $1.27
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda Yeagers $2.97
Borax (had it at Yeager-cheaper at Wal-Mart on Rogers) $3.36
5 gallon bucket with lid Lowe's $3.72
5 gallon sized paint stirrer- already had.

I have tried doubling this (then you would only use 1/4 cup unmixed, 1/2 cup mixed with water.) but have had problems with the ingredients not melting as well and coming to a pure liquid mixture.  I am going back to my original to see if I have the same problems.  Perhaps I was just in a hurry and did not let it melt well enough. 

Chocolate Gravy

I want to share a true Southern Tradition with you. This food tradition was passed down from my grandmothers and Barry's. All of them used to make this on occasion. It was always a special treat. We now make it on Thanksgiving and Christmas morning and for birthday breakfasts if requested.

Okay, we also make it every once and a while when we get a craving! I have non-Southern friends who snub their noses at chocolate gravy, but it is mouth watering goodness.  (They were not quite as appalled when they understood it went on biscuits and not meat and potatoes.)

 (Here is our table set for Christmas morning breakfast with Santa's note and plate of cookies from Audrey at the end.)

I think it is like a delicious warm chocolate bread pudding but my husband, who does not like bread pudding, disagrees.  I guess that means you have to try it for yourself.  We have used the Hershey's Special Dark powder to make our last batch and if you like dark chocolate it is super yum!  The girls didn't like that as much we just used one tablespoon of Special Dark this last time.  Nice compromise.

Grandma's Chocolate Gravy
(Serve with warm biscuits.)

3 Tbsp. cocoa
3 Tbsp. flour (You can sub arrowroot powder or an alternative to wheat.)
dash of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix cocoa, sugar, and flour in medium saucepan. Add milk slowly, stirring constantly. Cook on medium heat until thick. Turn off heat. Add butter and vanilla. Stir until butter is melted. Serve with hot biscuits.

Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday at our house: We always go to church in the evening, then come home and finish watching the game. Barry watches pregame and the beginning of the game, runs to the vehicle as soon as church is over to listen for the score, then it is off to the house. When we first started dating I was shocked that he went to church on Super Bowl Sunday. Even when Dallas plays! I can now see it from a different perspective and say that he expects faithfulness and he models it to his family. He is one of the most faithful people that I know.

Our Super Bowl Snack was yummy. We made homemade pizza. We use a great recipe for dough recommended by Jodie. We also tried a new recipe for Grace that is wheat free. It was okay, but it called for more water than was needed, or there was a misprint in the ingredient list. I had to add more alternative flour, was out of rice flour, and had to use buckwheat. Buckwheat's strong flavor makes it less of a favorite with Grace. I will try it again and add small amounts of water.

A recommendation for any pizza crust recipe: Always precook your homemade pizza dough for about seven to ten minutes before topping it. When we have not done this in the past, we end up with a doughy pizza. Yuck.

Barry opted for a simple meat and two cheese combination. Turkey Italian sausage, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Bitsy shared that with her daddy. They are very alike in their food preferences. Grace, Coley and I were a little more creative. We used Roma tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, black olives, onions, and mushrooms (Only on my end the rest of my family pass on eating fungi. All the more for me.) It was great. It also has to be healthier, even though we do use white flour when we make our dough.

Since we do not have cable television, Barry had to listen to the game on the radio. We get Fox with our antenna, but evidently they broadcast the game on digital because we could watch pregame and postgame, but when the game was on we had a blank screen.  Poor guy!

Gotta close and prepare for tomorrow!
Love,
Shawna

Indian Fry Bread

Here is the recipe I said I would post from Cole's party. For the meat I just added yellow curry powder to taste, along with chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. The fry bread recipe requires a 30 minute rest of the dough, so remember that if you are planning to make it for a meal.

Fry Bread:
6 1/3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
6 tablespoons powdered milk
5 tablespoons shortening
2 cups water
Vegetable oil, for frying

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Add the shortening little by little until small balls form. Add 1 cup of water and mix it well with your hands; then add the rest of the water and knead the dough well. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 balls and then pat out each ball flat, about hand sized. Fill a large heavy saucepan with 2 to 3 inches of cooking oil and heat over medium-high heat; the oil should be at 350 degrees F before you begin frying. Fry the rounds in the oil, in batches, until golden brown. Place the fry bread on paper towels to soak up excess grease.

Pear and Gorgonzola Salad

Hello! What a wonderful holiday time we have had with friends and family! It was just a blessed time for us. I had hoped to type up a "Christmas letter" but did not get around to it so I believe I will write a series of little articles on our favorite picks from 2006. To kick start that theme, I will share my favorite salad from 2006. Inspired by my new love of Gorgonzola, I found a recipe for a salad and tweaked it to make it my own. (To read about the lucious dish that introduced me to this delish cheese click on this link:
http://girl-garden.blogspot.com/2006/07/eureka-springs.html )

Happy Eating!
Love,
Shawna

Pear and Gorgonzola Salad

½ cup of walnuts
1 bag of mixed leaf lettuces (not iceberg)
or two heads of loose leaf lettuce.

1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 teaspoons honey (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 ripe pear (the red skinned pears add nice color)
1 ounce gorgonzola cheese (about 1/4 cup loosely packed crumbles)

Wash your lettuce and allow it to drain in a colander while you prepare the rest. (Quick tip-I used to work at a restaurant and learned this: if you allow your lettuce to drain for 20 minutes you won’t have that water that gathers at the bottom of the bowl. Less moisture makes your lettuce last longer.)

Meanwhile, whisk the vinegar and mustard together in a small bowl. Season with the 1/4 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream, to make a smooth, slightly thick dressing. Add the honey to taste.

Quarter and core the unpeeled pear and thinly slice; add to the salad. Scatter the cheese and nuts over the salad. Toss the salad gently to evenly dress all the greens. Serve immediately.

If you want to buy heads of lettuce get the butter lettuce, red or green leaf, or even romaine hearts.

Panini Sandwiches

We had a wonderful summer dinner last night. We have been searching for cool dinner ideas lately. Cool as in yummy AND not heating up the kitchen. I had heard of panini sandwiches before but had not really thought about making them. In the latest issue of Laine's Letters I read about how she would make them for her family using a George Foreman Grill. Hmmm. I borrowed grandma's and we made some. Paninis are a pressed and grilled sandwich. The directions I read said to brush olive oil on the outside of the bread, but we used Pam olive oil spray for a lighter amount of oil. We heated the little grill and but the bottom slice of bread on then assembling the sandwiches, placing the top piece and pressed the lid down firmly. We didn't hold it down though-just pressed to flatten it out.

We used sandwich pepperoni and Genoa salami with provolone cheese. Nicole put black olives on hers and that was good. These were great with an Olive Garden style salad with tomatoes, pepperocini, black olives, croutons and Kraft Caesar Vinaigrette with Parmesan. Delicious!

I also searched http://www.foodtv.com for panini and came up with a bunch of recipes. They had a lot of good sandwiches of other styles too.

To read the issue of Laine's Letters (the most recent issue) that included the paninis, go to Laine's official website: http://lainesletters.com
To subscribe: Laines_Letters-subscribe@welovegod.org

Love,
Shawna

Orange Sauce

Tonight for dinner we had:

Pork chops with Spicy Orange Sauce

Wild Rice

Purple Hull Peas

Baked Sweet Potatoes

The orange sauce was great on the chops and sweet potatoes. This first version of orange sauce had vinegar and I am leaving it out of the recipe I am giving you as it was a little much. If you would like that tang I would say a tablespoon or so would do. The OJ is already tangy enough for us. Bitsy and I liked it a lot, Barry tasted the sauce but did not put it on his chops~he asked that I leave out the vinegar next time. I will also write it for less spice as it was too hot for Grace.

1 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)

3/4 cup orange juice

1/4 to 1/2 cup honey (add 1/4 then adjust to taste)

1 tablespoon worcestershire or soy sauce

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

You can bake or fry the chops. Remove the chops from the pan. Pour off grease until just the cracklings are left.

Put your arrowroot powder in a bowl and pour in the broth. Whisk. Pour mixture into the pan and whisk. Add other ingredients and turn on heat to a simmer. Whisk constantly until it reaches desired thickness. This will not take long. We served ours on the side but it you are more adventurous you could add your meat, turn to coat and cook for a few more minutes. This would be great with chicken also ~ and possibly beef with rice for an Asian flair.

Love,

Shawna