have old bread crusts?

tip of the day: DON"T THROW THOSE OLD BREAD CRUSTS AWAY!!

we all have them. the crusts of bread that no one wants to eat, or the buns that are just a bit too stale to eat, but not moldy yet. we all feel bad just putting them in the compost, so what do you do with them? 

I come from a lifestyle of "Waste not, want not", so here's my solution.

MAKE CROUTONS!

it's so simple! just save up all your crusts and old bread and buns in a bag in your freezer. when the bag is full, take them out, thaw them, cut them into crouton sized pieces, place them on a cookie sheet, drizzle with oil of your choice, and sprinkle with seasoning. i favour onion powder, garlic powder, salt and parsley. no measurements, just go for it!! it's all personal preference, and it's all yum! 

once everything is on them, use your hands to blend them all up, and put them in a 250-300 degree oven for 30-45 minutes until totally dried up, crisp, and snackably yummy!! you will NEVER want to eat store bought, rock hard, croutons ever again!!

ok, ok...i never said i was perfect. lol!

so, since november 25th, i haven't posted squat. not that i haven't been cooking up a storm. hey, it's been christmas hasn't it? i just haven't had the time to post lately. *sigh* i'm sorry. i'll try harder.

in an attempt to have at least ONE thing to post every or every other day, i'm going to give little tips and tricks to try in your own kitchen. things to help you in your everyday cooking, or kitchening.

tip of the day:

when waiting for a yeast dough to rise, put the bowl in the oven (not turned on) with the light on. it makes the perfect warm and cozy place for your yeast to expand.

ok, now i don't feel so guilty

happy cooking!

cheers.

Mom Veenendaal's Old Fashioned Sunday Soup

Hey all! ok, so this one is a special request. I recently made a pan of soup for friends of ours who were blessed with a newborn, and who probably have better things to do than to worry about dinner. They requested the recipe of this soup, and I am more than happy to share our families secret sunday soup recipe! (just don't tell my mom...) :)

PLEASE NOTE: the photos are of a DOUBLE batch that i made...so, it's not going to be that huge of a pot with the recipe i have down. just thought you should know. :)

Since this recipe was put together by my mom, my original recipe was based around the ingredients that she had on hand...and those consisted of things from Ramaakers Dutch Imports in St. Catharines. Since I don't get down there as often as I should, I had to adapt this to things you could find in regular grocery stores...so although my recipe looks like this...

 I will give you the alternate "normal" version of this recipe. :)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef made into meatballs

(to do this, i add salt, pepper, 1-2 eggs, and enough bread crumbs to absorb excess moisture. you can also add any spices and herbs you may like in your meatballs)

 ok, so i made a DOUBLE batch, remember...this is over 100 meatballs. :) i found using a melon baller worked amazing for shaping these little guys.

• 4 large beef boullion cubes

(I get my boullion at bulk barn, and they look like this:

   so add the equivalent in whatever beef boullion you may use)

• pepper and all spice to taste.

(I have added photos of what i added to my double batch of soup...it is not an exact science, just add whatever you think you would like)

 allspice

pepper

•2 packages dried/dehydrated vegetables (NOT SOUP MIX...that comes later)

(i, again, use bulk, so i measure each "package" as a handfull as shown below)

•1 package of vegetable soup mix

(I have used many...with this batch, i used Knorr)

•1.5 cups Vermicelli noodles (or whatever other small noodles you may like in your soup)

HOW TO:

•fill a 5 quart pan 3/4 full with water

• Bring to a boil and add meatballs 1 at a time, so they don't stick together. stir occasionaly while adding meatballs

• Add boullion, pepper and allspice

• Add dried vegetables and bring back to a boil

• Put back on simmer (lowest setting)

• Cook 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally

• Add vegetable soup mix and return to boil

• Add noodles and return to boil, stirring

• simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly, and serve, or put in fridge and reheat as needed. 

(if you put it in the fridge, you will notice a thin layer of fat sitting on the top of the soup when you take it out of the fridge. you can either reheat with this in it, or you can remove before reheating.)

*freezes well too!*

Enjoy! any questions...don't hesitate to ask!

cheers!

Where the magic happens...the Kitchen that is...

so, since i haven't been as loyal as i want to be with this (cut me some slack...i'm busy with christmas orders! lol!) i'll post some photos i've meant to for a while. i'll bring you on the photo tour of my kitchen. my vintage, 70's inspired, wasted space kitchen. yes...i totally designed it that way. lol! No, actually, since moving in to the house, this is the one room we haven't touched, other than replacing the fridge, and a light above the sink. but i digress....

Here we have my art wall. I am such a proud mommy when it comes to my kids artwork, and i HATE the walls, so 2 birds, one stone my friends! wallpaper that is free, and meaningful!

 the chill chest. one of my favourite places to get inspired. sometimes whatever is left in here becomes something new for the table!

it usually looks like this...full to the gills. when it starts looking like a bachelor's fridge, i am concerned. lol!

 this is red. she is my favourite appliance in the world. :) i (we...i mean WE) received her for a wedding gift from my cousins, and i couldn't have asked for a better gift! she looks at me while i'm in the kitchen, just daring me to try a new recipe, or to use her for grating, grinding or making dough. i love this machine...and the fact that she is my favorite colour is just the cherry on the sundae!

my bread machine was a gift from my mother in law...she said she never used it and asked if i would like it. of course i said yes ! i don't use it as often as i think i should, but its there...

 the oven. it's nothing fancy, and it usually has more splatter on it, but you get the idea. it works, and that's all i can ask for. i really should clean the inside, but...

 our convection/toaster oven. this little trooper is the general of my kitchen. he's a tough cookie, and he replaced 2 appliances. we decided to get rid of our microwave about 3 or 4 years ago, and though that this guy would do a great job of not only replacing that, but also our toaster. we love this little guy, and will replace him with a fancy schmantcy new one when he bites it. i've made everything in him from toast to cookies to a chicken...he's awesome! and in the summer when you don't want to heat up the whole kitchen with the oven, this little guy is stellar!!

my spice rack/baking ingredient cupboard. i totally can't take credit for the idea of the spices in the jars...that i ripped off of michael smith. chef extrordinaire from P.E.I (only the best place on earth!) although i don't quite have the walk in pantry that he does in his home (covet!!) i've done my best with my little space i do have, and i think it works amazingly well! i have almost everything in here that bulk barn does, and i love just opening it and wondering what i'll make today...

so there you have it...my kitchen. it may not be much to look at, and it may not have every new fangled gadget in it, but it is exactly what i need to cook and experiment with new ingredients and recipes. my family seems to like what comes out of it, and quite frankly that is what is important. i have a great time in my kitchen, and i'll continue to share what i learn and what i love with all of you. thanks for humoring me. it's appreciated. 

cheers!

White Stripes Pizza

Yes ladies and gentlemen, i'm back...sorry for the lapse. i've been dancing and cooking, but just not posting. i've been making munkys like a mad woman, and haven't found the time to post...but now, as my dinner simmers on the stove, i'll share with you a recipe (or, more of a technique) for the yummiest pizza EVER. i recently made a convert of my friend Shannon, who astonishingly asked me "what is a white pizza?"...i had no choice but to convert her then and there, so here is my White Pizza technique.  (its not a recipe, because i don't have measurements...i simply put however much i like of each ingredient on the pizza. :) )

WHITE PIZZA

• cut up 1 chicken breast into bite size pieces, and pan fry till done.

• cut up mushrooms, onion and marinated artichoke hearts

• take fresh pizza dough (home made or store bought) and stretch it into whatever shape you will want your final pizza to resemble. 

• Place the pizza dough on a pizza stone or a stone baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal

• drizzle pizza dough with olive oil, or whatever oil you have on hand. 

• sprinkle pizza with parsley, thyme, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic powder and parmesan cheese

• put grated mozzarella cheese on pizza

• sprinkle pizza with chicken, mushrooms, onion and artichoke

• give another healthy sprinkle of grated parmesan to the assembled pizza

• give a shake of salt over the pizza

•put the pizza into a preheated 425º oven for around 20 minutes, or till slightly browning, and bubbly. (you know what a pizza looks like when it's done right? well, get it to that point and take it out. :)

•let it sit for a few minutes out of the oven before cutting. transfer on to a wooden cutting board (don't cut on your stone) and slice with a pizza slicer. 

YOU MAY NEED TO EAT THIS WITH A FORK AND A KNIFE...it's a meal...not an app!!

it's quite possibly the best thing ever. yum!! giving an extra little shake of salt before eating really brings out the flavour of everything on your slice. 

enjoy!!

cheers.

so...where has the dancing gone?

 ok...it's starting again. it appears that i have not been posting as often as i would like. work has gotten the better of me, and i think i'll need to get in my kitchen again soon. and i will...i promise!! november is just going to be one of those months for work that is unrelenting. so, i apologize in advance for not posting...i swear, i have at least 3 posts ready to be made up...photos taken and all that, it's just a matter of finding time between munkys to post. maybe i'll start getting up early and doing it...maaahahahahaha!!

talk soon. i swear...

cheers

Killer Apple Strudel

i was making this special treat, while listening to the Killers "Hot Fuss" album.

Great album, great music. David walked in, and promptly (after hugging me and thanking me profusely for making apple strudel) told me that i should name it Killer Apple Strudel. After staring at him blankly for a while, he explained..."because you are listening to the Killers while you make it!" Duh!! i felt more than a bit silly. and, with the size of this sucker, i don't doubt that you could club someone with it, and cause some serious damage!! Owen asked if i was making a loaf of bread! lol! so, here is.

"Killer" Apple Strudel

Recipe From: The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook

2 lbs tart cooking apples, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)

1/2 cup dark seedless raisins

1/2 cup chopped california walnuts or pecans

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

about 1 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/2 lb phyllo (about 1/2 a pack from grocery store)

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Method:

•grease a 15.5" x 10.5" jelly roll pan

• in large bowl, mix first 7 ingredients and 1/2 cup bread crumbs. 

• set apple mixture aside

•cut 2 25" lengths of waxed paper, overlap two long sides about 1/2", fasten with tape

•on waxed paper, place 1 sheet of phyllo, brush with some butter and sprinkle with scant tbsp of remaining bread crumbs

•preheat oven to 375ºF. Layer remaining sheets of phyllo to make an 18" square, brushing each sheet with butter and sprinkling with crumbs

• about 3" from one edge of phyllo, evenly spoon apple mixture in a 12" x 1" row, leaving 3 inches of phyllo at each end.

• fold ends over apples. starting with edge by apples, roll phyllo jelly-roll fashion, lifting waxed paper as you roll. 

• place roll in jelly-roll pan, seam side down

•brush with melted butter

•bake 40 minutes

•remove cooked strudel from oven and allow to cool in pan on wire rack about 30 minutes

•with a sharp knife, cut strudel crosswise into individual serving pieces. serve warm or cold

______________________________

SO what did i think? it was...ok. it wasn't quite sweet enough for my taste, and because of all the breadcrumbs, it kept it's shape, but there was no sauce or liquid, so i found it kind of dry. what i did like was our idea to add a little somthing to the strudel before eating it. we drizzled honey on it. quite a bit of honey...it made it taste like Bakalava-Apple Strudel. it was fabulous after that. i would maybe try to make it again, but i would make the phyllo in bakalava fashion...with the honey already in it, and see how that would work.

Stars:  3 Stars as-is, but 4 stars after the honey was added. it is full of apple, and has a nice texture. it is a great starter recipe. lots of fun to play with and make your own. i mean, how can you go wrong with apples, spices and phyllo??

cheers, and enjoy!