Cookies at Fair Time

Fair week has just ended, and while I didn't do any baking to enter in the competitions, I did bake cookies for the Cattlewomen's hospitality table at the 4-H Livestock Sale. Baking cookies this time of the year reminds me on many 4-H cooking classes and questions I encountered while working. Baking cookies is often the first experience of a new cook as a child learns to bake. As we help children learn this skill, remember that we are teaching life skills and traditions, as well as math, science, and nutrition. Hard to believe all that happens in the kitchen! 
Cookies are a great early project, not only because they are easy and quickly done, but they are also a personal, bite-size bit of comfort food - who doesn't enjoy a cookie and a glass of milk? 
Here's a peanut-butter chocolate chip recipe that goes great with that glass of milk, maybe even followed with a mid-afternoon nap! Doesn't that sound comforting on a hot afternoon?

Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies  
Ingredients:
2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter and mix.  Add egg and vanilla extract and mix well.
Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and add to dough with mixer on low speed until mixed. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate dough for a few hours or overnight (this helps keep the dough from spreading out too much). Preheat oven to 325 degrees and cover baking sheets with parchment paper. Place rounded mounds of dough (about 2 Tablespoons each) on the baking sheets. Bake 15 minutes. Remove when slightly under-baked and let cool on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack. Makes about 6 dozen.
(enough to share a few dozen and enjoy the rest)

Ratatouille - not the movie!

It was me in the kitchen, not Remy, the would-be chef in a favorite Disney movie, but the dish was Ratatouille. That's a french cruisine word for a recipe with humble beginnings. "Touiller", the french word that ratatouille comes from, means to toss food (do we call that a 'food fight' in America?). The ingredients are simple - late summer garden vegetables that are stirred together. It was sometimes called a poor farmer's dish.
This poor farmer happened to have most of the ingredients on hand, fresh from the not-too-plentiful garden and Ratatouille made a wonderful side dish for dinner. The amounts of the vegetables can be varied and substituted according to what you have. The recipe is adapted from Southern Living magazine, and I served it with beef rolls (a new technique I've adapted, that's another blog).

Ratatouille
1 small red onion (or the sweet Vidalia left from the earlier onion rings - blog of June 30)
1/2 (1-lb) eggplant, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 small summer squash, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium-size red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Saute onion and eggplant in hot olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender and light brown around edges. Add squash, garlic, and bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add tomato, basil, and 1/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring constantly 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated.

Sunday Supper Scones

Sunday Suppers are usually a light affair at our house, sometimes only crackers & cheese. But often its a good time to have a 'breakfast' sort of meal, since scrambled eggs are not my fare at 6:30 a.m.! A new recipe from Taste of Home magazine suggested Biscuit Baking Mix for the base of scones. Sounds easy and quick! Just right for a Sunday Supper.
Scones are traditionally connected with Scotland, Ireland, and England. But history isn't sure who did create these culinary creations. It seems there were few cookbooks, fewer cooking magazines and newspaper columns, and no food blogs in the times before the 1500's. Scones were, and most often are now, round cake-like breads. Originally they were made with yeast and oats and baked on a stone. Today scones are quick breads, somewhat similar to American biscuits. Often they are flavored with nuts or dried fruit to add a sweeter taste. Plain ones may be served with butter and jam (or clotted cream if you're British). They can be quite dry and hard, so I was pleased that this recipe creates a softer more moist product. Scones are usually round and cut into wedges before baking, but can be square or diamond shapes also.
Scones can be prononced two ways, either is correct. In Scotland and Northern England it is "skahn" (rhymes with gone). In the south of England, Canada, and usually in the U.S., it is "skoan" (rhymes with own).
Here's the Cinnamon - Sugar Scones we had. The leftovers were great for a quick morning snack the next day.

Cinnamon - Sugar Scones
Mix together:
3 cups Biscuit Baking Mix (could use Bisquick. I used Aunt Jemima Pancake/Waffle mix)
1/4 cup sugar
Whisk together:
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/3 cup milk
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Stir in:
1 cup cinnamon or chocolate chips (we had the cinnamon - yummy!)

On lightly floured surface, knead dough gently 10 times. (you may need to add a few more drops milk) Pat into a 9-inch circle. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Cut into 8 wedges; place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Cool Cooking on a Hot Day

Most of us think of using our slow cookers (or Crock-Pots) in the winter to make soups and roasts, but they are also a great appliance for summer use. Making a casserole or meat in the slow cooker uses less electricity and keeps the kitchen cooler than using the range and oven.
The slow cooker should cook foods between 190 - 212 degrees for best results over a time period of 4 to 8 hours. If the temperatures are below that, the food will be underdone and may not be safe. Over 212 degrees and food may be dried out and overdone. Test the slow cooker by filling 1/2 - 2/3 full of water and set to cook. Check the temperature at 2 hours, 4 hours, and 6 hours. For food safety reasons, the temperature should be above 185 degrees. You may want to check the temperatures at the various levels - warm, low, and high.

From our Greenwood County Cattlewomen's Cookbook of last summer, I chose the Crockpot Pizza (by Anna Curry - our new Ag Agent at the Extension Office) to try for company last week. It is definitely a 'keeper recipe'.

CROCKPOT PIZZA
1 pound hamburger, browned (I used about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 small bag rigatoni noodles (cooked)
2 (8-oz) bags shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used cream of celery, I like that flavor better)
1 onion, chopped
2 small cans pizza sauce
1 (8-oz) package sliced pepperoni
(I also added 1 small can of sliced mushrooms, drained)
Alternate each ingredient in layers two times in a greased crock pot or 9" x 13" pan; beef, noodles, cheese, soup, onion, sauce and pepperoni. Bake 4 hours on low in crock pot or in 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Favorite Food - a winner

As I worked with 4-Hers for many years, and continue to do some judging of 4-H events, one of my favorite events is the Favorite Food Show. In this event, the 4-H members demonstrate food preparation, presentation, safety, and nutrition skills by setting a table with a chosen 'favorite food'. They are evaluated by a judge (that's a fun thing to do - get paid for offering your opinion!), on how they can explain their knowledge of the entry.
I judged the county show in Wilson County this summer, then was asked to also judge the SE Kansas Area Favorite Food Show. Knowing that my choice of winner from Wilson County would be an entry, I asked to judge the other half of the room of junior entries. But when it came down to the final consultation between the other judge and I, this one was a clear winner - again!
This young 4-Her,  I think she's only 9, had chosen a meal suitable for farm work day and decorated the table accordingly. Served with a salad and roll, it's an easy to fix and quick dinner. The food looks and tastes yummy. I can hardly wait to make it for my farmer.

CHEESEBURGER CASSEROLE

1lb ground beef

1-16oz can green beans

1-16oz can carrots

1-16oz can corn

½ cup instant rice

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Brown ground beef, drain, place back in pan

along with canned ingredients (not drained) and rice.

Mix and cook over medium heat until

juices are absorbed.

Approximately 6-1cup servings

Ohhh - Onion OOOOs

There's a saying "Make hay while the sun shines", well the sun has been shining lots this week! With temperatures above 100 degrees I'm glad I'm in the kitchen making lunch, not in the hayfield. So with a bit of this guilty feeling, I looked for some good ideas for lunch for those who were in the hayfield. A new beef sandwich recipe (a later blog), fresh tomatoes, corn on the cob, fruit cobbler (blog from Feb. 13) - and Oven Fried Onion Rings.
I had just purchased a bag of Vidalia Onions at the store, and wanted a special way to use them. Vidalia onions are unusually sweet, due to the soil in the area of Georgia where they are grown. That area is a legally defined area of 13 counties and portions of 7 more. They are only available in our area in season, so they are a special treat when found. There's even an annual Vidalia Onion Festival, and this is Georgia's official State Vegetable.
The recipe is from the Food Network and easy to do, a bit of a mess but worth it. I prepared half of the ingredients and 1 1/2 onions for a generous 3 servings. Even if you're preparing a full or larger amount, I would prepare the dipping bowls, at least the panko breadcrumbs, in smaller batches, mine got pretty messed up at the end! Also, I sliced the onions very thin, about 1/3 inch - I have a great tool for holding the onion for slicing from Pampered Chef - it looks like a hair pick! With slices that thin they didn't need to be turned. This recipe makes a very crunchy onion ring - much better than the fast-food deep-fried varieties!

Oven Fried Onion Rings

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

3 teaspoons salt (divided)

2 cups buttermilk

4 eggs

3 cups panko breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 large yellow sweet onions, cut into ¼ - ½ -inch slices

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Placed parchment paper on 2 baking sheets and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine flour, paprika, and 1 ½ tsp. salt. In another bowl or shallow dish, whisk together buttermilk and eggs. Add half of the flour mixture to the buttermilk and beat until smooth and thickened.

In a separate bowl, combine the panko, olive oil and remaining 1 ½ tsp. salt.

Light dredge the onion rings in the flour mixture and then drop into the buttermilk. Drain the excess batter and then dredge in the panko mixture.

Arrange on the prepared baking sheets in a single layer. Place in oven and bake until golden brown 14-12 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, flip over each onion ring to ensure even crisping and browning (think slices may not need to be flipped) 

3 steps of dipping - messy but worth it!

Ready to go into the oven

Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos? Not a usual thing at our house, in fact I previously thought fish tacos were, well - kind of 'fishy'. Aren't tacos supposed to be beef? They usually are here, but the fish tacos did prove to be a good light summer supper. After raves from daughter Sara and a delicious order from a menu in Santa Fe, I decided to try them at home. Sara shared her recipe with me, and of course I adapted it for our taste and ingredients on hand.

Fish Taco Ingredients
white fish (tilapia is our choice, wish we could find more selection and better prices in our area) - we allowed about 4 oz per person
fish breading (I used a commercial package I had on hand - it was flour, cornmeal and seasoning. I added a dash of paprika, ground cumin and chili powder)
Flour tortilla (We used the 6 inch ones, the restuarant had 4 inch tortillas that made an attractive plate. For a special dinner, I might make my own or cut the 6 inch ones smaller)
shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
chopped tomatoes
shredded cabbage (from a bag of slaw mix)
chopped green and red peppers

Cilantro Lime Sauce (this is what makes it really good!)
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup Kickin' buffalo mayonaise (new product - good!)
juice of 1 - 1 1/2 limes
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro (I didn't have fresh, so I used 1 Tablespoon cilantro paste - comes in a tube, very handy)
dash ground cayenne papper
dash ground cumin
Mix together and check the consistency. Add a teaspoon of milk if it needs to be thinner.

Rinse and blot dry fish. Mix breading ingredients in a plastic bag, coat fish by dropping in and turning. Melt 1 Tablespoon each olive oil and butter in a skillet, when melted and hot, add fish. Cook fish 5 minutes on each side over medium heat.
Serve the tacos by coarse-chopping the fish onto the tortillas and adding tomatoes, cabbage, peppers and cheese as garnish. Drizzle with Cilantro Lime Sauce.
We served this with Spanish rice and chips. Easy Spanish rice is to make regular (minute) brown rice and add a couple of tablespoons of salsa.
Hmmm - we will do this again, good for a summer supper. But we won't forget our beef tacos!

Here's my plate at Capital Grill in Santa Fe

Fish Taco at home, on a 6-inch tortilla