Written by One of the things I learned about marriage early on is that you have to respect each spouse’s strengths and weaknesses, and settle into a routine where together you manage to get everything done. I’ve always been the cook, generally in charge of figuring out what we’re going to eat and getting it out on the table. The garden, really, has just been a natural extension of that.
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Posts in category Food
From The Kitchen: Quick Hummus
Hab Life, and Catching Up
I’m going to skip the obligatory “sorry I haven’t posted since 2016” preamble, and just say that it’s been a long five years. Things happen, things change, people get closer, people get further apart, and we become more aware of the things we care about and the things we don’t. So let’s just move on to the part where I catch you all up on life here at the Warren homestead. Assuming, of course, that anyone is still checking this blog from time to time.
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Fast and Filling Chicken Vegetable Soup
Been a while since we’ve done one of these food things here. As always, the neverending battle against expensive convenience continues, and with the recent addition of a chest freezer to the homestead here, we plan to continue expanding our recipe list. So stay tuned.
This has been our most recent one. We started with a basic recipe offered by Kristi’s aunt Janelle and then (as we are wont to do) embellished, tinkered, rearranged and just generally co-opted it. It’s nutritious, very filling, cheap and easy to make, and actually tastes better when reheated for lunch the next day.
Fast and Filling Chicken Vegetable Soup
1 29oz can of kidney beans
1 29oz can of diced tomatoes
1 15oz can of black beans
2 or 3 chicken breasts, diced
1 zucchini
1/2 large yellow onion
Olive Oil (to taste)
Dried basil, salt, oregano, Old Bay seasoning (to taste)
Water (as needed)
This stuff’s really easy to make. Chop up the chicken, throw it into the pot with a bit of water and cook it thoroughly; I also sometimes use this as an opportunity to rid the freezer of leftover frozen turkey burger. Chop up the vegetables and throw them in once the chicken’s cooked. Then in goes the canned stuff: beans and diced tomato, along with water as needed.
Put a lid on it, stir occasionally and let it cook for about 20 minutes. When the zucchini has started to take on that translucent color that says it’s well cooked, take the temperature down to medium and start seasoning. I put olive oil in everything. Basil and oregano. You’re going to need salt. And Old Bay seems to give it a final twang that takes it home – or at least, that’s my opinion anyway.
Let it cook a little while longer (maybe 10, 15 minutes) as it begins to take on a gumbo-like thickness, and then it’s done. Serves four (or two, with two leftover lunches the next day). Very filling and goes great with garlic bread.
Enjoy!
Peppermint Bark
Written by [Ed. from Rob – This is a guest post from my brother Chris, who wanted to share his own Christmas recipe with R&K readers. Thanks, Chris!]
Hello all. I wanted to bring this up because it is the holidays and everyone likes chocolate. A few years ago, I stayed at a B&B in St. Augustine, FL (Carriage Way – awesome place). While I was there, they made some goodies for the people staying… one of which was Chocolate Bark. This stuff was great! When we left, we asked for the recipe and they gave it to us. Well, since then, we (My roommate and I) have started a tradition on making this every year around the holidays (12 batches this year in one night!). Last year, I took the recipe and decided to incorporate my obsession with Peppermint and came up with a Peppermint Bark that those who have tried it enjoyed it very much. Well, here they are!
Chocolate Bark
1 Box of Baker’s Semisweet Chocolate (8oz)
1 Box of Baker’s While Chocolate (6oz)
10 Oreo Cookies
2 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter (Creamy)
Instructions:
– Crumble the oreo’s in a plastic bag. (I find separating them in half, 5 in each bag works best)
Melt the white chocolate and stir in the peanut butter. Stir in half the crumbled cookie
(You want to melt the white first because it takes longer to cool and resolidify)
Melt the Semi-sweet and stir in the remaining crumbled cookie.
Set out a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place tablespoon of each so they are alternating (dark-white-dark-white-dark) on the parchment.
Once the sheet has a dark and white checker-board-like mix, take a knife and slowly run it through the mix to slightly swirl them together.
Once done, place in fridge for 1 hour to harden and break it apart after…. you have bark!
Note: I have recently tried making the break and cut process easier by pulling it out after 30 minutes or so and ‘scoring’ the block so it breaks and cuts much easier.
Now…
Peppermint Bark
1 Box of Baker’s Semisweet Chocolate (8oz)
2 Boxes of Baker’s While Chocolate (6oz)
10 Oreo Cookies*
Box of 12 Candy Canes, crumbled (In an bag with a hammer works nicely)
3 tsp of Peppermint extract
Instructions:
Crumble the Oreos in two separate bags (4 for the semisweet and 6 for the white)
*Note: This time of year, Oreo’s has come out with a limited edition Peppermint cream – this works great!
Melt the white chocolate down – mix in the six crumbled oreos
Add 1.5 tsp of peppermint extract
Add about 1/3-1/2 cup of the crumbled candy cane
Melt the semisweet and mix in the cookies, another 1/3-1/2 cup of candy cane and the 1.5 tsp of extract.
As with the original Bark, place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper and slightly mix.
Place in fridge for 1 hour and break it up.
Well, thats all for now… everyone have a great holiday!
Note: A couple of suggestions.
1. If not during the winter holidays, you should be able to crush starlight mints rather than candy canes
2. Regular oreos work too
3. During the holidays, you can find decoration peppermint flavored sugar crystals. works great in and on the bark.
4. I suggest again to cool the bark for 30 minutes and cut the bark then. I did this recently and it made a cutting job usually of 20 minutes with a knife to 5 minutes by hand.
5. For you real peppermint lovers, you can always try more peppermint extract. I have not tried Peppermint oil but I hear that is stronger than the extract.
6. I’m sure you can use the morsels, but I haven’t tried them. I figure as long as the amount is the same (8oz and 12oz) you should be fine.
7. I found that crushing oreos in a bag can be messy and cause the icing to get primarily on the inside of the bag and not make it to the mix. Try separating the oreos from the icing first (fairly easy with a butter knife). Once you melt the chocolate, mix in the icing from the cookies then mix in the crumbled cookie. (Or just eat the icing if you like 🙂 )
C