Black bean mozzarella calzones and garlic cheese fingers

These are pretty simple. Just use your favorite go to pizza dough recipe, or use ready made dough if you like.

Roll out enough dough for one calzone, I make mine huge, you can make them as big or small as you'd like. For these, I used tomatillo salsa. I spread a thin layer of green salsa on one of half of the dough, then put a couple handful's of black beans over that, and then load the beans with shredded mozzarella. These would be yummy with Jack too.

I made spinach calzones with mozzarella last week, also yummy. Can't beat a calzone, quick, easy, and always delicious and you can fill it with whatever you want!

Quick comfort foods

Because I have been so busy with the farm, bottle baby goats, and Izzie the calf, I have been making lots of late night (sometimes 10, 11 PM...) meals and a few quickies. We've had lots of soups, pasta's... These are a couple of my favorite quick, yummy, comforting meals, especially good for late night suppers.

Caramelized Onion Macaroni



This one is super quick, just heat lots of butter in a pan and caramelize your onions over a slow heat until they are golden brown and delicious. Then just pour them over some cooked macaroni or other small pasta and mix. Sprinkle some Parmesan on it and enjoy.

Black Bean Avocado wraps



Take and drain one can of black beans, or two depending on how much you want. One can makes three wraps. Finely dice one large clove of garlic (you can use two cloves if you use two cans)

Heat some oil in a pan and add the black beans and garlic, and heat through. Mash the beans and garlic.

Grate some Mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese and mash up your avocado.

Get your wraps ready, and place some of the beans, avocado, and cheese, on each wrap. Wrap them individually in paper towel and microwave for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted. We eat these with sour cream and they are so yummy.

Black bean burgers

These black bean burgers are so delicious. They are among my favorite burgers, ever. I make them so huge they are a meal in themselves, and I always make huge homemade rolls. But this goes really well with warm potato salad. I just boil some potatoes, and mix up some apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and finely diced onion, and add it to the hot potatoes. It's really nice on a cool evening.

Of course you can top your burgers with whatever you like. We do mayo, mustard, and lots of lettuce. Cheese would be good on these, and really anything you could think of. Tomato, red onion.....

Ingredients
1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

4 really nice rolls

Directions
Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-low heat.

In a food processor, pulse onion and garlic until finely chopped. Add 1 can black beans, cilantro, parsley, egg, and red pepper flakes and pulse to combine. (I did not put this in the food processor, I just mashed one can of the beans, and then added everything finely chopped. I cannot be bothered with food processors.)

Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl, add the remaining can of black beans and the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and mix until well combined.
Divide remaining mixture into 4 portions and form into patties. Place on hot oiled grill over medium-low heat and cook about 6 minutes a side or until heated through. Toast hamburger buns on a grill. Place a burger on the bottom of each bun. Top with favorite toppings. Cover the burgers with the top of the bun and serve.

Pork Schnitzel

So it's nearly impossible to go wrong with fried pork right? This is just a simple recipe for a simple pork schnitzel. There are so many recipes, so many kinds of schnitzel, so little time.

So to get the craving satisfied, this works.

A lot of pork schnitzel recipes call for pork loin chops, I used a pork tenderloin. I cut it in half, then I cut it into four smaller pieces. I then pounded the heck out of it with my trusted rolling pin, which serves many purposes in backwoods kitchen. Just remember to make it as thin as you can.

It worked great.

So then get yourself set up.

First you need about 1 cup flour, 1 tsp seasoned salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder. Mix that together on a plate, or your counter, whatever you are using.

Then beat one egg with 2 tablespoons of milk.

Then have your breadcrumbs ready. You can use any type of bread crumbs that suit your fancy, and you can add any kind of herbs or spices that you would like.

Take your pork cutlet, dredge it in the flour mixture, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Continue with the remaining cutlets, and put on a place.

Heat your pan up with your oil. You need enough to cover the bottom of the pan and a little extra. The pork does not need to be completely covered in oil, but you need a decent amount so it browns really good.

Cook it until nice and brown on both sides. This worked out to about 5-6 minutes a side for me.

It turns out really yummy, it was a hit with the other half, he loved this.

Pasta & bean soup

I whipped this simple soup up in a hurry. It's a miserable day outside and I'm tired today, partly because of the weather and partly because I'm just tired! So I needed something that was good, filling, warm, and easy.


This turned out to be all of the above.

I used:

5 slices bacon

1 small potato, diced

1 small carrot, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves minced garlic

2 1/2 cups vegetable stock

about 2 cups water

1 1/2 cups small pasta (I used shells)

1 can Romano beans

1 tsp. thyme

salt & pepper to taste

Cook the bacon till done, a little crispy but do not over cook. Drain the fat, and add more oil to the pan. Cook the potato, carrot, onion, and, garlic until tender and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the veggies to your soup pot, you stock, your water, your bacon, beans, dried pasta, thyme, salt & pepper. Cook until the paste is tender, and the veggies are done.


I cooked this for about an hour because I left it cooking to go to the barn and was in the barn longer than I planned. The pasta was really cooked, but it all taste delicious and had thickened up a lot.

Cranberry pork roast - crockpot

Yummy :)



1 Pork tenderloin cleaned
1 16 oz can jellied cranberry sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp cold water
1 tsp salt

Place the tenderloin in the slow cooker. Combine cranberry sauce, sugar, cranberry juice, mustard and cloves, pour over roast.

Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Remove roast and keep warm. Skim fat from juices. Measure 2 cups adding water if needed. Pour into saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Combine cornstarch in cold water to make a paste. Stir into gravy. Cook and stir until thickened. Season with salt and serve with pork.

M&M cookie bars

These M&M cookie bars are all over the place, on blogs, on recipe sites, everywhere. I figured if so many people were making them, they must be good. Here is the recipe for them as seen on novice-baker.blogspot.com. This recipe is lots of places, but this the one I used.

Also I did change on thing, to make them a little more special, I used peanut butter M&M's.



2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups M&M's

Preheat the oven to 350.

Lightly spray a 10 X 15" jelly roll pan with non-stick spray. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.In another large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar, stirring until evenly distributed. Allow to cool slightly. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating very well after each one. Mix in vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture and when combined add in the M&M's. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.Bake for 24-26 minutes, until they are shiny and golden brown on top. Try not to overbake these or they will be dry. A cake tester will most likely not come out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting.

Sweet and Sour tofu and rice

I have several recipes to share. I got behind on blogging with lambing/kidding started now, time to myself is hard to find. It's hard to find normally but lately, I'm too tired for much else than critters and the basics.

So I'll just start posting as I can, maybe I'll get a few posted today... Starting with one of the quickest, easiest, yummiest dishes. Even if you are not a lover or tofu, or are cooking for someone who is not, I think this might be the way to get a little tofu into your diet. Tofu really does not have a taste, it takes on well the taste of whatever you cook it in or with. I think most people don't have a problem with the taste of tofu in dishes, but some people have a problem with the texture. I ate a lot of tofu in my lifetime, I was vegetarian for nearly 10 years and more than half of that I was vegan.

I still like tofu and I like cooking vegetarian dishes. And if I can get Kevin to enjoy tofu in this dish, I think a lot of people that might not think they will like it, will :)

So you need:

1 pkg FIRM tofu
Cornstarch
Olive oil
1 can pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
1/4 cup juice from the canned pineapple
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 orange bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks

Optional, white or brown rice. I use Jasmine.

I always double the sauce recipe and personally I use yellow and orange bell peppers because they are my favorites, but you could easily use red or green, or whatever mixture you like. Use them all!

For the tofu:



Drain the tofu and pat dry with paper towel. Then cut the tofu into small cubes. Toss them all in a large ziplock bag with some cornstarch, say about a cup, or however much you need to coat all the tofu cubes well with cornstarch.

Heat your olive oil in a frying pan, add enough to just barely cover the tofu. I never use the same amount and you are not completely covering the tofu like if you were frying them. Just add enough to coat the pan well.

Take your tofu cubes out of the bag and get all the excess cornstarch off them. Put an even layer in the frying pan, so they are all on the oil, you might have to do two batches. Brown on both sides of the tofu, this only takes a few minutes on each side. Until they are brown and crunchy, but just light bright, not dark or overcooked.

Put them on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Now toss your peppers in a pan with some oil and let them get a little tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile mix your pineapple juice, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl. Toss your pineapple into the pan with the peppers and if you like, let it brown a little. Pour in the sauce and cook until it's thickened up a little bit and hot, only a few minutes.

If you mix the tofu in it will become soggy fairly quickly so I wait until I am ready to serve it and just put the tofu on top.



I pour the sauce over rice and top with tofu. It's really quite yummy! I use this as an alternative to chicken or pork, but with the same sauce recipe, this works for both of those as well.

Caribou meatballs

I love spaghetti and meatballs. But I wanted to do something different. I have had a package of ground caribou I've been saving up from Gene, one of our friends in Alaska. I thought this might be a good time to break it open. I made meatballs pretty much as I would with beef, but I made them a little bit more spicy. I broke up the ground caribou and added bread crumbs and an egg - I didn't measure. I just add it until I think the consistency is correct. But you just need the one egg. I then added, a palm full of garlic powder, a half a palm full of dried minced garlic, some paprika, salt, pepper, and a little oregano.

I baked the meatballs for about 10 minutes in the oven at 425 degrees, and then I pulled them out and just let them simmer in some homemade pasta sauce until I was ready for them.

The pasta sauce I made in the fall with fresh tomatoes and canned, is wonderful. I'll be making a double batch of it this year. It's fresh, tasty, so much better than stuff that comes out of a can, but it's also convenient since it's already made and I just have to open up a jar. Best of both worlds.

Of course you could make these meatballs with some spicy italian sasuage, or ground beef. But Caribou is a yummy treat and the flavour is much better than beef, and it's a lot leaner. They are spicy, so if you don't like spice, back off a little on the amounts.

Lemon pound cake and Sponge cake

This is a nice simple lemon pound cake. You can make an icing for it, or a simple lemon drizzle. I did neither. I found this recipe on recipezaar.com. It's just a simple light cake that's good for having with tea.



Easy lemon pound cake

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar


Directions
Mix together 1 cup sugar and butter.
Add eggs and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice; mix well.
Add salt, flour, and baking powder to mixture.
Add milk.
Bake at 325°F in a well greased loaf pan for 1 hour,or until golden brown.

Put on lemon glaze, or drizzle if you'd like.


Serve warm or cool.

NOW that real fun. I have found out how easy it is to make sponge cake, which happens to be one of Kevin's favorite things. It's very easy and it worked the first time. We ate the cake with fresh strawberries and some ice cream. I look forward to making this again in the summer when all the raspberries are ripe.... yum.

I got this recipe at recipes4cakes.com




Always the Best Sponge Cake Recipe


4 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

4 Tb cold water

1 cup cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

Oven Temp 325° Baking Time 30 Min.

Beat egg yolks and sugar together until very light. Add water. Sift together flour and baking powder. Add to batter. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.Bake. Cool completely and invert onto cake platter.




She has some good rules and information on making sponge cakes here : http://www.recipes4cakes.com/sponge_cake/funfood.htm



Happy baking!

Apple Cider pork tenderloin - crockpot

This was really yummy and makes for a nice dinner. We had it with boiled potatoes and green beans.



I tossed this all in the crockpot which made for a stress free dinner.

Ingredients:
2 medium onions, halved and sliced
1 -2 pork tenderloins, cleaned
4 to 6 carrots, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried leaf marjoram or thyme
2 cups apple cider
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Preparation:
Arrange onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. Put tenderloins ontop. Arrange carrots around the roast; sprinkle the roast with the garlic, salt, pepper, allspice, chili powder, and marjoram or thyme. Combine the juice and vinegar and pour over the roast.


I cooked this on high for 6 hours.

Chocolate swirled Peanut butter cookies

My first post! I've been sharing recipes on my farm blog for some time now, but decided maybe my recipes needed a place of their own.

Don't make these unless you don't care how many you eat. You won't be able to stop yourself, so if you don't want to be eating a lot of cookies, I'd avoid these.

These are some of the best cookies I've ever had. How could they not be? Is it possible to go wrong with peanut butter AND chocolate? I think not.

You can find the recipe here http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/06/03/chocolate-swirled-peanut-butter-cookies/

They are worth the effort, trust me.