Noodle Use, Cook

Simple Fruit Salad

2006-03-29T07:25:00.000-08:00

First had this simple recipe at my sister's house years ago. It's now a family favorite:

1 ripe pineapple
5-7 kiwi
1-1 1/2 quart strawberries

The key is to get wonderfully ripe fresh fruit. A tip I learned for selecting ripe pineapple is not only to look and smell it, but also try pulling a leaf out of the top - if it pulls easily it is more likely to be ripe. For kiwi I try to select kiwi that are not completely hard, but also not completely mushy since we want the fruit to hold it's shape. As for strawberries, look for the reddist, un-bruised fruit possible.

To prepare pineapple cut off the top, slice in half and then fourths. Proceed to cut the hard core out of each fourth. Then start running the knife along the spine of one fourth (or dived fourth into half if particularly large slice) getting as close to the outer edge as possible with out including tough outer skin or pickers. I suggest cutting off the tough outer skin on top or bottom where it curves to be able to hold the slice verticle while running the knife downward. Cut strip into rather small chuncks, and place in bowl.

To prepare kiwi for this recipe I use a sharp paring type knife, cut off both ends and then peel from top to bottom of kiwi with knife. Then halve slices. Add to pineapple.

To prepare strawberries. Wash well. Cut off tops and any bruised areas. Slice. Add to pineapple and kiwi. Stir and serve.

Grocery Lists

2006-03-22T12:48:00.000-08:00

Well, Free Money Financial started talking about grocery lists with this post. Educating the Wheelers talks about how she organizes her list here. So I thought I would add my method, learned from my mother.

Mom always had a list of possible meals on a recipe card. We tend to experiment with recipes a little more than this, so I skip this, but there are definetely regular meals with two kids in the house! Other than that I will frequently look at various food blogs to get inspiration for meals - taking in mind what' s on sale at my local grocery and the ingredients in my pantry. I have heard of others organizing their weeks by different themes each day- italian/mexican/american/german/asian food nights, or ingredients- beef/chicken/fish/vegetable/leftover, or cooking methods - crockpot/bake/grill/sauted/microwave. I must admit these "themes" do help me come up with ideas when I am stumped.

Now we are ready to make a grid with three boxes horizontally and however many days you are shopping for vertical (I generally do a week at a time). In the top boxes the day is indicated (I abbreviate to just the letter- MTWRFSS, the middle box is lunch, the bottom box dinner. From there I write what's for dinner, including sides (although these some times actually get switched around). Same goes for meals getting switched around - I may switch salmon night to Monday and burger night to Friday since the salmon is fresh and the burger is frozen. Lunches usually consist of leftovers, or simple prepartion items, except on the weekend, when I may cook a larger portion of something so I have it available for lunches throughout the week. I find the dinner squares (on the bottom) are the one's I really try to complete, that way I know there are enough meals at home, and no I do not need to stop and pick anything up.

Under the grid I list the shopping categories - produce, meat, dairy, bakery, dry, frozen, deli. When I need ingredients they get listed below in these categories. I can always look up and see which meal it corresponds to, should problem arise. In the categories there are usually many more things than are listed for the meals (ie - breakfast food/snacks and standards-, milk, eggs, etc.) But the chart gives me a framework to work off of. It also helps remind myself to include plenty of vegetables. Based on Educating the Wheelers post I may start including any "special/unique" ingredient needed for the recipe in the appropriate square as well.

Another tip I have is to print an approximate price next to each item, and then if it costs much more than expected I can decide whether or not I want to get it. I also total each category of food and add them up to figure out the approximate cost of the list. If to high I can take items off as needed before going to the store.

Happy shopping!

Fennel Roast

2006-03-14T11:16:00.000-08:00

Years ago my mother-in-law used to work at Fraboni’s, a local Italian speciality shop. One of the most wonderful roasts they prepare is a porketta roast. When she worked there the original owner used to very secretively make these himself, and the staff was never asked to do the task. At some point he must have passed the recipe down to his sons who continue to make these fabulous roasts.

After having it several times I ventured to try and make my own version at home. While not the authentic recipe, it’s pretty close.

Fennel Pork Roast

3-4 lb pork roast (as I mentioned porketta is used in the original version, but I find any boneless cut is sutable)
Fennel leaves from one large Fennell bulb (reserve the bulb for other uses)
2-3 T Olive Oil
3-4 Cloves Garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Chop Fennel leaves. Wash the pork roast. Coat the roast with olive oil, garlic, fennel leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Marinate 2-3 hours or overnight if possible. Although the original roasts are always wrapped with butcher’s string, I find this unnecessary. Place roast in oven and stove safe pan, cook at 375 degrees until done (internal temperature of 160), approximately 2 hours.

For Gravy

Pan drippings
1-2 T Butter (optional)
1-2 T Flour
2-3 C Stock (chicken, vegetable, or beef)

Remove roast from pan and warm drippings on stove top. Add butter if not enough drippings. Add flour over medium-high heat and cook approximately 2 minutes. Slowly wisk in stock (or water) and heat over high heat until desired consistency. I love to accompany this meal with mashed potatoes to take advantage of the gravy.

Applesauce

2006-02-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

I love having fruit in the house. And apples tend to have a long shelf life, especially when kept in the fridge. After a certain point I find the apples get mushy and are not appealing to eat. When this happens applesauce is a great alternative.

I have my 5 year old get to work peeling them for me and I cut them into chunks. How small of chunks is a personal preference, I like mine rather big. I place them in a pan and add enough water to cover them. Then add sugar and cinnamon to taste, and let cook, stirring occasionally until they turn opaque. This last weekend we accompanied pancakes with the fresh applesauce. So much better tasting than store bought and frugal too!