Marinade for Steak

Recipe deleted for inclusion in ...

Kindle Book "Survival Cooking: Eating From Your Pantry and Backyard", publish date: March or April 2013, Amazon.com

Hard Copy available on www.rosemary-ridge.blogspot.com, also March or April 2013

Crockpot sausage and cabbage

I'm cleaning out the freezer. My kid's birthday is next week (omg... a teenager!) and need to make room for lots of gluten-free items I've ordered at a special bakery. So... found some breakfast sausage without casing. Did this in the crockpot:

Ingredients:
1 pound breakfast sausage, no casing
1 1/2 cup water
3 baking potatoes, scrubbed and chunked
1 onion, diced
1/3 head green cabbage, sliced
1 cup baby carrots

Directions:
Turned on the crockpot, high. Crumbled the breakfast sausage into the bottom and cooked on high for about 2 1/2 hours (until cooked through). Added the rest of the ingredients, cooked on high for about 3 more hours, or until the potatoes were fork-tender. Stirred before serving.

As you can tell, I don't use spices very often. Feel free to season to taste.

Hubby said he loved it (the garlic and other spices from the sausage added more flavor to the dish), and even took some for lunch today. (I don't like cooked cabbage or sausage, and Picky-Eater Kid wanted gluten-free mac-and-cheese for dinner, so ... yep, I made 3 different dinners last night! That's ok... I'm used to it.)

Native American Goulash

I met a very old man yesterday who was from the Native American tribes of Pima and Punca. He told me one of the dishes he grew up on was goulash. Here's how he explained it to me:

Ingredients:
ground beef (LEAN) or beans
small unripe pumpkins
canned corn
canned green chilies

Directions:
Brown ground beef and drain of fat (or soak and cook beans). Harvest pumpkins while still small and green, peel, de-seed, and cut into small chunks. Add to beef/beans. Add drained corn and chilies. Cook and serve.

I'm thinking he probably missed a step or ingredient, but I'm going to try this when I have unripe pumpkins! Comments?

Crockpot Pot Roast

While I was at Wally World yesterday, found a pot roast for $4.50 - 2 pound roast for $2.25 a pound. Came home, and made this dish in the crockpot:

2 pound roast
3 tbls garlic powder
1 cup water

Cooked on high for 3 hours. Then added:

1 cup water
1 onion, cut in chunks
2 cups baby carrots
1 large potato, sliced
6 small tomatoes (from our indoor container garden)
3 tbls dried diced red bell pepper
2 tbls garlic powder

Cooked for another 2 hours. Hubby ate 2 big bowls. Then, to stretch it for more meals, I added:

2 small potatoes, sliced
1 cup baby carrots
1 onion, cut in chunks
1 cup water
1 cup penne pasta (on top, not mixed in)

Set to very low and let it go all night. Pasta was cooked but not mushy since I'd left it on top. Dished up a big bowl for Hubby's lunch, and put 2 more large servings in the freezer.

So... 5 good-sized servings (probably 6 or 7 regular sized) all for about $5.75. Not bad!

A quick meal when can't find kitchen stuff!

We've finally sold the horrible house and moved into our temporary place. I've been down with the flu (not THAT flu!) so I haven't really unpacked yet. No idea where the dishes are, and still can't find my clothes!!!

I did just find my small crockpot and a bag of white northern beans so I put 1 cup of beans in the crockpot with 4 cups of water. On high. I'm going back to bed for a while.

Then... an hour before dinner, I'll add another cup or 2 of water, 2 tablespoons of dried carrot dices, half a small can of tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of dehydrated onion flakes, and 2 tablespoons garlic powder (can't find the garlic flakes!!). IF I can find some bacon in our chest freezer, I'll add a couple of slices too. Or maybe 2 tablespoons of jarred bacon pieces.

Now... where's my bread machine?

Hot Enough To Fry An Egg

Don't you love that expression? It's so hot I could fry an egg on my sidewalk! Well, it's not exactly sanitary, but that phrase got me thinking. Can we cook without any fuel, other than the sun?


Yes!


According to my research, eggs need a temp of 185 degrees or higher to cook. Sidewalks don't get that hot. But thinking outside the box... here are a few suggestions:

• Find a large rock with a slight indention. Clean a little OR place a piece of aluminum foil over the rock. Allow to heat in the hottest sun. Make a ring with biscuit dough, and in the middle crack an egg or two. Loosely "tent" another piece of aluminum foil over the food and cook.


• Use a cast-iron or regular skillet in this one. Place a pane of glass on the sidewalk or rock. Place your skillet on it. Add food to be cooked to the skillet. Place another pane of glass (or a glass top) on top of the skillet.

I'm sure you couldn't do a pot-roast like this, but on a hot sunny day, I know for a fact you could do an egg-and-biscuit meal.

Are you going to experiment with this? Let us know how it goes, how you did it, what you prepared, how quickly it cooked, etc.

Recipe: Radish and Goat-Cheese Sandwich

Radishes can be quite spicy. What better way to have them for lunch than as an open-faced sandwich? The smoothness of the goat cheese tempers the spicy radishes.

Ingredients:

1 slice whole grain bread

3-4 radishes (different colors, if preferred)

2-3 leaves lettuce/greens

3 tablespoons herbed goat cheese

mayonnaise, if desired

parsley or alfalfa sprouts, for garnish

Directions:

Wash and thinly slice the radishes. Spread a little mayonnaise on the slice of bread if desired. Place the lettuce leaves on the bread. Spread the radishes, and top with the goat cheese. Garnish with parsley or sprouts. Enjoy!

Copyright (c) 2009 V P Lawrence-Williams

Recipe: Sweet Beans

We're working on eliminating ALL processed foods from our diet to help us figure out Tween's food triggers, so chances are, some of the recipes I experiment with will end up here. We have beans almost every night (no meat protein except eggs every once in a while), and lots of grains.

This is what I fixed tonight, in an effort to avoid hearing "not beans again" from said Tween!

Ingredients:

1 cup great northern white beans

1 cup water

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon onion powder

Directions:

Soak the beans overnight. Drain in when ready to cook. Add beans, bayleaf and water to a small to medium saucepan and cook for 1 hour, covered. Check and stir periodically, adding more water as necessary. When tender, add the garlic, onion and honey, and cook for another 30 minutes (adding water as necessary).

Served with organic raw broccoli and carrots, and brown rice.

Surprisingly, Tween liked these beans!

Copyright (c) 2009 V P Lawrence-Williams

Recipe: Easy Taco Meat

We have about 30 pounds of ground beef from last week's $1.00 per pound sale. Here's another recipe that I've already cooked twice since the sale!

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

1 16-ounce jar picante sauce or salsa (I prefer mild or medium)

1/2 cup dried onion dices

Directions:

Brown ground beef and drain. Add jar of salsa and dried onion dices. Heat through.

I like to serve this on shredded lettuce, crushed tortilla chips and cheddar cheese, then top with sour cream and diced tomatoes fresh from my garden.

Copyright (c) 2009 V P Lawrence-Williams

Recipe: Beef-N-Noodle Cassarole

When ground beef went on sale last week for $1.00 a pound, we stocked up! Here's a recipe that uses some of it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 small chopped onion
32 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
8 ounce package egg noodles

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brown ground beef and drain. Add onion and cook till translucent. Add jar of spaghetti sauce. Cook noodles as directed, then drain. In a 13 x 9 inch sprayed dish, layer the noodles, spaghetti sauce mixture with meat, and top with the cheese. Bake until bubbly or about 45 minutes.

Note: I like adding extra dried garlic granules and/or a small can of mushrooms too.

Copyright (c) 2009 V P Lawrence-Williams

Recipe: Kentucky Hot Brown Open-Faced Sandwich

There's a hotel in Louisville, Kentucky where it is said this open-faced sandwich was created on the spur-of-the-moment. Here's the tale:

Chef Fred K. Schmidt at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, created The Hot Brown sandwich in 1926. In the 1920s, the Brown Hotel drew over 1,200 guests each evening for its dinner dance. The band would play until late, and when the band took bread, around midnight; people would retire to the restaurant for a bite to eat. Bored with the traditional ham and eggs, Chef Schmidt, delighted his guests by creating the Hot Brown.

I've only been in the Brown Hotel once, and tasted their original, and no duplication comes exact, but this is pretty close! This is a great way to use Thanksgiving leftovers, but is almost a requirement at a Kentucky Derby party!

Ingredients:

8 slices of bacon

4 slices of turkey breast

4 slices of toast

4 slices of ripe red beefsteak or slicer tomato

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Cook the bacon until crisp but not burnt at all. Make the sauce in a medium saucepan: melt the butter and add flour to make a paste, and cook until the raw flour taste is gone. Add milk and stir constantly over medium high heat until sauce thickens. Add cheese and stir until well blended.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the top rack at it's highest setting. Place the 4 pieces of toast on a sprayed cookie baking sheet. Add the turkey to each piece of toast. Pour the cheese sauce over turkey and place a tomato slice in the center of each. Place under the broiler until the cheese starts to bubble and turns slightly brown. Add two pieces of bacon on each, making an "X". Serve hot. Makes 4.

Note: I've seen recipes with parmesan, parsley, pepper, onion, and other things thrown in. Personally, I prefer this plain and delicious delight!

Copyright (c) 2009 V P Lawrence-Williams

Recipe: Sweet and Sour Chicken

This odd combination really works!

Ingredients:
1 package skinless, boneless chicken
1 small bottle of russian salad dressing
1 package dry onion soup mix
1/2 jar apricot preserves
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, julienned
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained of juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine russian dressing, onion soup mix, and apricot preserves in a small bowl until well combined. Cut chicken into chunks and place in a well-greased baking dish. Scatter in bell pepper and pineapple. Pour mixture over top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until chicken is done. Serve on rice.

Copyright (c) 2009 V P Lawrence-Williams

Recipe: Easy Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1 medium-sized jar chunky salsa (mild, medium or hot, your choice)
4 slices cheddar cheese
4 slices tomato
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
Brown chicken in butter in skillet. After it's browned, pour salsa over top. Cover with a lid and cook on low (simmer) for about 30 minutes. Chicken will be cooked. Take off lid, place a slice of tomato and a slice of cheese on each chicken piece, replace cover, turn off stove, and let cheese melt. Tomato will also get warm. Should take only five minutes. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Copyright (c) 2009 V P Lawrence-Williams

Recipe: Italian Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoons dried garlic granules
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 egg
2 cups oatmeal
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup green can parmesan cheese
salt/pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pan-spray a big piece of aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet (for sturdiness). Combine all ingredients. Shape into a loaf-shape and place on the sprayed foil. Drizzle a little oil over the top and rub by hand to coat. Wrap into a foil-pocket. Bake for 1 hour. Take out, uncover the meatloaf, change oven temperature to 375, and bake another 15 minutes. (Crust will form.)

Alternate: I like to combine 1/2 cup ketchup with a little garlic and onion powder , and spoon over the top. I like this crust even better!

Copyright (c) 2009 V P Lawrence-Williams

Recipe: Chicken and Celery Casserole

This is an easy casserole to prepare. Very filling.

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken or celery soup
1/3 cup water, broth or milk
1 cup dried chicken dices
2 cups dried pasta (macaroni or egg noodles work well)
1 can green beans
1/4 cup dried onion dices
1/2 cup dried celery dices
1 sleeve saltine crackers

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, add the can of green beans, with the liquid, and the 1/3 cup of water/broth or milk. Add the dried onion and celery dices, and the dried chicken dices. Allow to rehydrate. Add more liquid (milk or water) if necessary. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cook pasta, drain and add to mixing bowl. Add the can of soup and combine all ingredients. Pour into a baking dish/casserole. Top with crushed crackers (rolling pin and baggie works well). Bake for about 25 minutes.

Cost Breakdown:
4.00 = dried chicken dices (1/2 cup at 2.00 x 2)
.50 = broth or milk
1.48 = 2 cups dry pasta
.59 = can generic green beans on sale
.79 = can generic soup
.96 = celery dices
.32 = dried onion dices
.25 = crackers
====
$8.89 = total for this dish, at 4 servings = $2.22 per serving

To make this dish cheaper:

• use chicken you bought on sale - 4 thighs at 2.78, or even cheaper by using a whole chicken, cooked and divided in half.
• use water instead of broth or milk.
• use 2-3 ribs of celery bought on sale (.25 or so)
• use breadcrumbs - whenever you make bread and it's a mistake, or no one likes to eat the crusts, crumble it up and put in a container in the freezer. That will give you "free" breadcrumbs whenever you need them!

Copyright (c) 2009 VP Lawrence-Williams

Recipe: Mud Fish

Another old-way of cooking. This time, fish! This recipe is adapted from what Native Americans used to do:

Ingredients:
1 fish
thick mud
a roaring fire

Directions:
Catch a fish. Start the fire. Make up some thick mud. Coat the fish with about an inch of thick mud on all sides. When you have a good amount of coals from the fire, scoop some of them to the side. Bury the mud-covered fish in the coals and leave it there for 45 minutes. Then scrape away the coals. Knock the dry mud off the fish - it will take most of the fish scales with it, and the mud will have steamed the fish, keeping it moist and tender.

This mud in the fire process kinda acts like an oven. It can be used for almost anything.

Recipe: Chicken and Veggies Foil-Pocket

This is a good meal to make on the grill.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons honey
4 chicken thighs or breasts
1 can pineapple chunks
2 cups dried broccoli dices
1 cup dried bell pepper dices
1/2 cup dried onion dices
salt/pepper to taste

Directions:
Empty the pineapple juice from the can into a bowl. Add the dried broccoli, bell pepper and onions to the bowl and allow to rehydrate. Prepare and preheat the grill. Combine the chili sauce and honey with the veggies and pineapple juice. Cut two 12x12" pieces of heavy duty foil. Spray with non-stick spray. Place the chicken in the center of one piece of foil and top with veggie mixture and pineapple chunks. Top with remaining piece of foil (spray first) and fold the edges twice to seal. Cook on the grill until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Added the following April 6 2009:
Cost:
Today I bought a package of 4 chicken thighs for $2.78 (on sale, with an orange sticker).

2.78 = pkg 4 chicken thighs
1.00 = can of pineapple
.28 = chili sauce
.10 = honey
2.00 = dried vegetables/onions
===
6.16 total, but serves 4 people so... $1.54 per person

Copyright (c) 2009 VP Lawrence-Williams

Recipe: Quick Sausage Dinner

This is almost a complete meal, all but one ingredients is from your stored freeze-dried / dehydrated foods. Yummy!

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups dried potatoes dices
2 cups dried sausage crumbles
2 cups dried carrot dices
1 cup dried cauliflower dices
1/2 cup dried onion dices

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan pan and let sit for 20-30 minutes to rehydrate. Add water if necessary. Gently add heat to medium, cooking until all is heated through. Serve hot, with perhaps a fresh cole slaw.

Alternate:
Place a large sheet of super-strong aluminum foil in a large outdoor baking dish or lipped-baking sheet (for strength). Add all ingredients, and fold the foil into a packet. Let sit for 20-30 minutes to rehydrate. Heat on grill or cookfire until food is heated through.

Copyright (c) 2009 VP Lawrence-Williams

Recipe: Chicken Bacon Casserole

Yummy hot filling dish! To make it a chicken club casserole, serve topped with fresh diced tomatoes!

Ingredients:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup water
2 cups dried chicken dices
1/4 cup dried bell pepper dices
1/4 cup dried onion dices
1 cup cooked bacon pieces (jarred are fine)
salt/pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, rehydrate chicken, bell pepper and onion with the 1 cup of water. Once mostly rehydrated, add rest of ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased baking dish. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until heated through.

Copyright (c) 2009 VPLW

Recipe: Kentucky Baked Chicken

I grew up eating Kentucky Fried Chicken once every two weeks or so. My dad even met Colonel Sanders once on an airplane! Where I grew up in Kentucky, we would sometimes go to "Claudia Sanders Restaurant", sometimes called "Colonel's Lady", a restaurant in Shelbyville, Kentucky that the Colonel set up for his wife; they served KYFried, baked ham, creamed spinach, homemade biscuits, pots of honey, and so much more. Banquet style, with the serving carts piled high with the most delicious down-home dishes.

About the KYFried Chicken... I've tried for years to duplicate their recipe, but still don't have it. This one comes kinda close.

Since it uses fresh chicken, this isn't something you could make if confined, with your stored foods. However, if you have a homestead, this is a MUST recipe!

Ingredients:
3 cups self-rising flour
2 packages Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
1 tablespoon paprika
2 envelopes instant tomato cup-a-soup mix
a dash of onion powder (optional)
salt/pepper to taste
butter or lactose-free equivalent

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all ingredients in a medium flat bowl. Coat chicken pieces with mixture. Lay out on sprayed cooking/baking sheet. Pour melted butter over all. Bake 1 hour until crispy.

Copyright (c) 2009 VPLW