Elementary Chef

Taco seasoning is a favorite staple in my house. Tacos and burritos are a great quick and easy dinner. The seasoning mix is great for beef or chicken. But have you ever used it to season soup? Add some corn, beans, salsa, chicken or beef and go? Or what about as a chili base?

When you’re out of those little packets or want to save money and mix some up at home, try this blend:

Taco Seasoning
1/2 t paprika
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t oregano
1/4-1/2 t salt

The measurements are my guesses. I mix this blend by smell. Do it right, and you’ll know!

A friend was at our house the other day. It was an early afternoon, and I offered lemonade. Realizing I was out, I poured the last glass and said, “Hold on, I’ll make some more.” “What do you mean, you’ll make some more?” she inquired. She was unaware that people made lemonade. It does not all come from gallon jugs, and it is an incredibly simple and thoughtful concoction to offer your guests. Here, I give you three variations:

Steph’s Lemonade

This basic blend is the reason our household buys RealLemon juice in bulk.

1 C. fresh lemon juice or RealLemon
1 C. Sugar

Add both to a 2-Liter pitcher (standard size.) Fill with water. Stir. Serve over ice, and add a sprig of mint if you really want to be fancy.

Sweet Southern Lemonade Tea
Make lemonade as directed above.
Make strong tea. (6-8 teabags, one liter of water, pour over ice to melt.)
Mix together 3 parts tea to 1 part lemonade.

Memphis Rum & Lemonade

It is almost summer in the South, y’all. I had this many years ago in Memphis, strolling down Beale Street, and I’ve been a fan ever since.

Make lemonade per directions above, except, only fill to 1.5 liter mark. Pour a strong shot of rum in a glass over ice. Add lemonade to the top. Drink on your front porch.

summer, recipes, lemonade, lemons, rum, tea

I’m one of those folks who believes that having a fabulous sauce or seasoning at your disposal can absolutely MAKE a meal. It’s that well-stocked kitchen philosophy. Case in point? The fabulous sauces offered by Buckhead Gourmet. I have been a loyal fan of these folks since I first met them at my neighborhood Costco a couple of years ago. Since then, I’ve used these at home, bought them for teacher gifts, and included them in wedding gift baskets. I snagged the picture of their onion relish, because my husband’s favorite dish is grilled pork chops with this relish on top!

The site has a number of recipes, but I’m a big fan of just using the grilling sauces on pork chops, chicken, and fish. And I ADORE the Thai Chile Ginger sauce as a finishing sauce for… well, anything! I even like it for chicken fingers! So, go explore! I have yet to taste a sauce I don’t like from them. They also have a fabulous array of recipes! I’ll be trying the Pork-based Southwest Chipotle Chili this week!

Cooking, Sauces, Grilling, Chipotle, Pork Chops, Recipes, Southwest

It took me a long time to master rice — and really, it shouldn’t be a hard task! As with many things in my life, I’m always looking for the shortest route possible. I assumed that the shortest path to cooked rice was through my microwave. Not so! Now, some of you may have a rice cooker. I LOVE those. They’re wonderful! But, in my pared down kitchen, there just isn’t room for a rice cooker. Especially, since I’ve discovered that stove-top rice preparation is just as easy.

To prepare rice on the stove-top, add 1.5 cups water for each cup of rice (white or brown). Add rice and water to pot before turning on heat. Cover pot, and heat to boiling. Turn heat down to medium — hot enough that the rice won’t boil over. Now go do something else! Make your entree! The rice will prepare itself (as long as you don’t let it boil dry!)

The other note I need to add here, is that I recently discovered the glory of organic brown rice. I buy it locally at our Fresh Market, and the taste is well worth the extra price.

Let them eat rice!

I searched high and low for the perfect blueberry muffin recipe for you, and I decided that I’d go with a favorite stand-by — Bisquick. I buy Bisquick in bulk at Costco. It’s incredible. Add cheese and ground beef for Cheeseburger Pie… Make perfect shortcakes for strawberries… Whip up super-fast pancakes… Or, add blueberries for fantastic muffins!

Let the cheapskate in me take this opportunity to point out that for baking, you’re FINE to use frozen blueberries. They’re usually cheaper, and I can’t taste the difference.

Ingredients:
2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) blueberries

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups, or grease bottoms only of muffin cups.
2. Stir all ingredients except blueberries just until moistened. Gently stir in blueberries. Divide batter evenly among cups.
3. Bake 13 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Happy breakfasting!

blueberries, muffins, cooking

I don’t know about you, but the produce section at my grocery store almost depresses me this time of year. The tomatoes are pink. Cucumbers are tasteless. Nothing is right. So what’s a girl to do? Give up on salads this time of year? On the contrary, it’s time to get more creative.

For starters, consider some variations on the base theme. Try spinach only. Or an arugula/romaine blend. Or if lettuce isn’t your bag, skip it altogether!

Now for the toppings, if you’re like me and can’t stomach those pink tomatoes, try a pack of grape tomatoes. These tiny gems somehow maintain their somewhat tart flavor — even in February! Or if the tart is too much for you, sundried tomatoes are always a great option.

Other flavor-packed favorites of mine include: any kind of olive, hearts of palm (buy these in a jar), marinated artichokes, and ANY kind of cheese. And for another unexpected twist, top your salad with a handful of cooked pasta to really bring it all together. (The pasta works best with oil-based dressings.) In fact while we’re on the topic, now is a great time to try a new salad dressing. While I’m a big fan of saving money at the grocery, salad dressing is worth the splurge. The refrigerated dressings in the produce section really are worth the extra cash. My personal fave? Marie’s Blue Cheese Vinaigrette!

Happy tossing!

salad, heart of palm, cooking

Of course you do. It’s almost impossible to cook without milk, although I do have some lactose intolerant friends who do wonders with liquid coffee mate… But for today, I want to answer another question — this one about milk.

If you’ve looked at the dairy case at the grocery lately, the selection is a bit intimidating. The most popular milks are sold based on the percentage of fat they retain. In addition to these stand-bys, you find a number of milks marketed by their additives. I typically keep both 2% and skim milk in my fridge. While I opt for skim milk for drinking, adding to coffee & tea, and cereal, I frequently cook with 2%. I just like the creamier consistency in a lot of my recipes!

Whole Milk retains the full fat value of milk. The actual fat percentage of whole milk hovers around 3.25%, but is slightly variable.

Reduced Fat Milk comes closest to retaining the taste of whole milk, but contains only 2% milk fat.

Low Fat Milk, when you can find it, contains 1% fat. For those who just can’t drink skim (like my husband!), this can be a good compromise.

Very Low Fat Milk, often harder to find, contains 1/2% fat. This has become a popular milk for marketing with additives.

Skim Milk is fat-free and very diet-friendly. Some people complain that it tastes like water, but I honestly can’t stand anything else, I’m so used to it. It also steams very well for lattes.

Half-and-Half is a blend of half cream and half milk, used mostly for coffee and tea, although I also use it in place of cream in heavy soups (like potato or cheese.)

Sweet Acidopholous adds acidopholous cultures and vitamins A&B to lowfat milk. Many people swear by this stuff, which is supposed to help prevent yeast infections and reduce gas (!!)

My daughter points out that I’m skipping a whole list of her favorite milks — like orange cream (yuck!) Suffice it to say that flavorings are added for just that — flavoring. An elementary-stocked kitchen should always have a gallon of fresh milk ready. A well-stocked kitchen should add cream or half-and-half and powdered milk.

Got milk?