From My Kitchen: June 2022

 

Figuring out what to cook for dinner during summer in the South can be difficult at times. I definitely don't want to be slaving over a hot stove but I don't want to turn my oven on and make the kitchen even hotter than it is, either. This summer I decided to try some recipes that are an alternative to the stove/cooktop. This month I'm relying on my slow-cooker, air fryer, and breadmaker. 

First up: Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers from The Slow Roasted Italian. I started making these in the oven this past winter and we liked them. I mentioned in the From My Kitchen: January 2022 post that if I realized how easy and good they were I would have made them when the boys were growing up. 

These were good; however, the peppers were a bit "soggy". I don't know what you could do to keep them from getting that way. Would I make them again? Yep; I wouldn't change anything unless I could figure out a way to have the peppers keep some crispness. Leave your ideas in the comments!

Air Fryer Roasted Vegetables. I used mushrooms, onions, a red bell pepper, and squash. I sprinkled the veggies with Greek Seasoning. I sprinkled some feta cheese on top and cooked for about 5 more minutes. These got a 👍 from MS so I'll definitely make them again.

Ziti in the slow cooker? Absolutely! The pictures are from the second time I made it. Definitely make sure you add the tomato sauce! The first time I made it I didn't have any in my pantry so I thought, What difference is 15 oz. of tomato sauce going make?  Answer: a TON of difference. It was much better the second time! And it makes quite a bit so I froze half of it and we had it for supper the next week. 

Last slow cooker meal: Spicy Mongolian Beef and Pineapple. CH & I aren't real fond of warm pineapple, but there was just enough to not cause us to turn our noses. This is another recipe that I made the month before as a kind of trial run; this one was better...a little spicier. I'm not a fan of real spicy foods but this was just the right amount of spice.

Now for the breadmaker trials! I didn't make suppers in them but it was great for making breads I usually use the oven for.

I'm trying to perfect Irish Brown Soda Bread. I think I've almost got it. I used a traditional recipe my SIL sent me that she received from a B&B in Northern Ireland so I can't post that recipe. MS said it tasted too "grainy" so I'm going to try 1:3 ratio of Irish flour to all-purpose flour and see if that makes a difference. It definitely needs the wholemeal flour in it. This recipe is very close to the one I received from my SIL. I didn't use the breadmaker to mix the ingredients but I did use it to bake the bread.

I tried making banana bread in the breadmaker before (see From My Kitchen: January 2022 ) but this recipe was better. I made sure to scrape the sides of the pan while the batter was mixing to decrease the amount of flour that didn't get completely mixed in. Putting the settings on the right loaf size helped as well. This recipe was interesting because it used a bit of buttermilk in it. I think I've found a keeper with this recipe from Tasty Oven.

Okay, this is one thing that I never make in the oven! I don't like to chance that the dough isn't going to rise so I use the no-fail breadmaker recipe. I thought the loaf turned out beautifully using King Arthur Flour's Bread Machine Bread- Easy As Can Be.

How do you beat the heat when it's too hot to turn on the oven? This past month was pretty successful; I'll try all of these recipes again.

From My Kitchen: January 2022

 

Winter means comfort food, am I right? We have been doing what we can to eat lighter. In the past I would have made dishes such as Steak & Gravy or something that pairs well with mashed potatoes. Below are a couple of new things I tried this month.

I've had a recipe for Overnight Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats with Banana for a while...actually, for years. CH is trying to eat things that don't have a chance to upset his stomach and I thought this might work. I don't have a picture because who can take a picture of oatmeal so it looks appetizing? Definitely not me. Anyway, the recipe calls for freshly grated nutmeg. I'm not sure if that would have made a difference. I was a bit disappointed with this recipe; I just didn't think there was a lot of taste to it.  I added brown sugar to my bowl before I ate it; it helped but not much. I didn't think it had a lot of banana taste to it even though I added an extra banana to the slow cooker the night before. So, this recipe is going in the trash.

Who else likes soup in the winter? A link to this Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe was in an email I received from Six Sisters Stuff. If you haven't ever visited their site, they have some amazing recipes. I cut the recipe in half which is easy to do before you print it out...just change the number of servings right on the page. Easy peasy!

I've made stuffed peppers a few times. If I had realized how good they are and how easy it is to make, I would have made them when the boys were growing up. When I saw this recipe I was all in. I used mild Italian sausage instead of ground beef and steak seasoning sauce instead of Worcestershire (because there was none in the fridge). The only thing I would do differently next time is add an additional bell pepper. This recipe will stay on my rotation. I had some for lunch the next day and it was still excellent. 

School closures mean baking. Who doesn't love to bake when schools are closed and the snow is falling? I found this recipe for Bread Machine-Banana Bread and decided to give it a try. The recipe was as easy as putting the ingredients in the bread machine. No mixing was involved. The only prep was mashing the bananas and lightly beating the eggs. My kitchen smelled heavenly with the smell of banana bread baking at the end of the cycle. There is a comment in the post about the ingredients not mixing all the way but the tips give a couple of suggestions: 1) to scrape the sides after the first mixing cycle has stopped, and 2) premix the ingredients before putting them in the bread machine. 

Well, I know what to do next time, don't I? Oh, yes...there will be a next time!

I completely missed the end of the first mixing cycle, hence the nuts on the top and not throughout the bread.

The only thing I did differently was to add some cinnamon. I thought it turned out great and the taste was very good. This will be a perfect way to make banana bread in the summer since it doesn't require turning on the oven!

If you read my Wednesday Hodgepodge where I hinted about a recipe for Danish Pancakes, sorry to disappoint. I didn't have a decent picture so I'll have to make them again for next month's From My Kitchen.  

Let me know in the comments if you've tried any new recipes. Were they flops or keepers?

Baking & Slow-Cooking (+ A Couple of Recipes!)

I haven’t written a cooking post lately, so I thought I would take just a minute and share what is becoming a favorite at our house. I found a recipe for Chinese Pork Chops at Six Sisters' Stuff. 

In the crockpot, all ready to go!

The first time I made it, CH said the sauce tasted like Sweet Baby Ray's, so the next time I made it, that's what I used. I tweaked the recipe just a bit: I used 1 cup Sweet Baby Ray's, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 an onion, and 2 minced garlic cloves. Then, I put in the secret ingredient:

If you've never tried Chinese Five Spice, I would highly suggest it. I mentioned it in a post back in 2012 after I made Five-Spiced Steak Strips. I also use it to make Sweet, Sticky, Spicy Chicken; I just substitute the 5 spice blend for the spices in the recipe. Not only does it add a lot of flavor, but it smells pretty good, too. I don't measure it in the recipes; I just add as much as I want. 
For the pork chops, I put the chops in the bottom of the crockpot, spoon the sauce mixture on top, and set on low for 4 hours. CH splurged and bought a crockpot that will switch over to keep the food warm after the food has cooked. Well worth it!
I used to have a breadmaker, but I got rid of it because I didn't use it for many years. I had been thinking about getting another one, and I followed through a couple of weeks ago. I made rolls for Easter, pizza crust (that I left in the machine too long...now I know when the dough cycle is done!), and the other evening I made Dill Bread. I have to say, it was delicious! It doesn't have a strong dill taste, which is probably a good thing.

I can't wait to try Kolaches! I never know if my dough is going to rise like it should; with the breadmaker to make my dough, it should do just fine.

If you try the Chinese 5 Spice, let me know what meat you tried it with, and how you like it!