COOKATHON DAY

It’s time to reload the freezer with meals again – I think there is only 1 Spaghetti Supper in there at the moment. So, today, I got busy planning, cooking, and preparing to cook some more :-D

To successfully avoid doctors and medical facilities, I cook meals that will benefit my body, balance my body, and keep my body humming healthily. Food is not just nourishment to satisfy the hunger beast … food is nutrients (for body growth and maintenance), vitamins/minerals (for the body to develop & function normally), and energy (boost metabolism/fight fatigue). I try to live as organic & holistically as possible – I grow a garden, and I grow foods that will give me whole-body benefits. I cannot raise my own meat sources where I live here in town, so I travel to a Butcher Shop about an hour & a half away to purchase organic and fresh butchered meats every Spring. When I cook, I try to make sure I get all variety of meats include in my monthly menus: beef, pork, chicken (eggs counts as fowl ‘meat’), fish, and beans; I go easy on the pork because my body has trouble breaking some foods down … and pork is hard for anybody’s body to digest in general. To the meat meals, I usually add root veggies (potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, beets, ect.): but not all the time – as well as other veggies I like (like tomatoes, peas, asparagus, kale, mustards, ect.); & whole grains, here I have to be careful so as not to cause internal damage to my whacky body – such as rice, barley, corn, pastas, & breads. And fruits, though fruits are hard on my body: I don’t add a lot of fruits, but I do carefully add some. Bob and the kids liked fruits and their bodies could digest them properly, so I always made fruits dishes for them when they were around ;-) I don’t add everything listed all the time, or even all at once – this is just a general itinerary to highlight how I balance my meal menus.

I MISS COOKING FOR MY HUSBAND!

So, I am focusing, in my new solo widow life, on cooking foods that Bob didn’t particularly like – he always ate what I cooked, but there were some meals he just didn’t care for; and I never repeated them. Now, though, I can :-D

I keep 1 meal aside for the week ... and freeze the rest for future meals.

This is my rundown for today’s Cookathon: Homemade Bread (fiber) - German Lentil Soup (beef/pork sausage blend): there was A LOT! – Seafood Jambalaya (Fish) – Peppered Buttermilk Biscuits (just because ;-)) – Sugar-topped Molasses Cookies (what can I say? I like sweets) – Baked Chicken German Style (Chicken) – Baked Ziti Casserole (Beef). These meals should keep me for a while ;-)

16 ct. COOKATHON MEALS READY FOR THE FREEZER. 3 meals kept aside & in the 'fridge for this week's meals.

German foods are heavy foods, rich in hearty sauces – loaded with calories. I have shed 30 pounds since becoming a widow: 20 pounds of that loss in the 2 hospitals in 2 states over 3-1/2 months span of time. I hope I do not gain all that back over the Winter … I will have to be very judicious in balancing my daily meals and calorie intake: something tells me I will be doing a high-wire act in that regard ;-)

Enjoy the recipes posted below :-D

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==GERMAN LENTIL SOUP Recipe

I was thinking about my sister Iris today, so I made a batch of German Lentil Soup to carry me through the Fall-Winter months. This recipe makes a LOT of soup; and I am only 1 now.

This recipe comes out of my Bon Appetit/November 1985 cooking magazine. I made it in my large oval crockpot (just dumped everything in the po on High heat; bring to a boil – reduce heat to Low & cook for about 6 hours), but I am posting the original recipe as printed for those purist cooks who prefer to spend all day on their feet in the kitchen …

This soup is a hearty, rich soup – perfect for Fall & Winter Menus ;-)

I also baked bread this morning (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2018/06/white-bread-basic-master-recipe-makes-2.html), and a thick slice of warm bread will round the meal out later on ;-)

German Lentil Soup with Homemade White Bread

GERMAN LENTIL SOUP Recipe ~ 6 to 8 servings

½ cup (1 stick) Butter * ¾ cup all-purpose Flour * 12 cups Beef Stock * 8 ounces dried Lentils * 5 celery stalks, diced * 3 carrots, diced * 1 large Onion, diced * 1 small Tomato, diced * ½ pound Knockwurst, diced * 3 Tablespoons dry Red Wine * ¼ teaspoon freshly ground White Pepper * 2 pounds boiling Potatoes, peeled & diced * ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour and stir mixture for 3 minutes; set roux aside.

Bring stock to a boil in heavy large saucepan. Add lentils and boil until tender, 1-1/2 hours.

Add celery, carrots, and onion to lentils and boil until tender – about 15 minutes. Add tomato. Reduce heat to Low; whisk in roux. Add diced knockwurst, red wine & white pepper: cook 30 minutes.

Increase heat to High; add potatoes to soup and boil until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar. Serve immediately.

**WHAT I DID WITH MY SOUP:

Soup portioned out for individual servings.

Packaged Soup ready for freezer.

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==SEAFOOD JAMBALAYA Recipe

I like quick and easy meals (I like to eat well, but I am basically a lazy cook ;-)); this recipe also come from my Bon Appetit/November 1985 cooking magazine.

I made this recipe on the stovetop because it is so simple and quick.

SEAFOOD JAMBALAYA Recipe ~4 to 6 servings

2 Tablespoons (1/4 stick) Butter * 2 large Yellow Onions, chopped * 2 garlic cloves, chopped * 2 ct. 28-ounce cans Italian Plum Tomatoes, drained (1/2 cup liquid reserved) * 2-1/2 cups Chicken Broth * 1 medium Green Bell Pepper, seeded & chopped * ½ teaspoon dried Thyme, crumbled * ½ teaspoon dried Red Pepper Flakes, crushed * 1 Bay Leaf * Salt & Pepper to taste * 2 cups uncooked Rice * 1 pound large Shrimp, peeled & deveined * 1 pound Sea Scallops

Ingredients: Shrimp, Scallops (I used the small Bay Scallops), Green Pepper, & Rice (I used Brown Basmati Rice)

Drained Tomatoes

Reserved tomato juice, Spices, & Chicken Stock (I used homemade stock)

Melt butter in Dutch Oven over low heart. Add onions & garlic and stir until translucent – about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes with reserved liquid, broth, bell pepper, thyme, pepper flakes, bay leaf, and salt & pepper:

Bring to a boil; stir in rice. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed – about 30 minutes.

Stir rice into liquid; cover and cook.

While rice is simmering, pull the tail shell off the prawns …

Add shrimp and scallops to rice mixture. Continue cooking until seafood is opaque – about 2 minutes. Discard bay leaf; taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.

**WHAT I DID WITH MY JAMBALAYA:

Seafood Jambalaya portioned out for individual servings; and headed for the freezer.

Seafood Jambalaya with biscuits & cookie (recipes follow). Ready for freezer.

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==PEPPERED BUTTERMILK BISCUITS w-HONEY Recipe

This recipe sounds interesting – Bob & our granddaughter Alyna, always teased me about my freehanded use of ground pepper … though I never did make this particular recipe before today ;-)

Pepper is good in the Fall & Winter months. Plus – I just LIKE to season my meals with black pepper. The spice, Black Pepper is chockful of antibacterial & anti-inflammatory assets; which help our bodies keep infections at bay, and also helps provide relief from infection discomfort. Black Pepper is also enriched with Vitamin C – which naturally boosts the immune system and works as an excellent antibiotic. Black pepper is also known to alleviate chest congestion and clear stuffy noses. Black Pepper mixed with honey is also a natural cough suppressant. Being as how I steer clear of doctors and pharmaceuticals; I can get down with that! The best way to maximize the benefits of Black Pepper is to crush the peppercorns – which this recipe calls for ;-)

This spicy biscuit recipe comes from my Bon Appetit/November 1993 cooking magazine.

Enjoy!

PEPPERED BUTTERMILK BISCUITS w-HONEY ~ Makes about 28

3-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose Flour * 2 Tablespoons Baking Powder * 2 teaspoons ground Black Pepper * 1-1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt * 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted Butter, cut into pieces * 1/3 cup chilled solid Crisco shortening, cut into pieces * 1-1/2 cups chilled Buttermilk * Honey & unsalted Butter

Preheat oven to 450-degrees. Mix first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add 6 Tablespoons butter, & shortening … and rub with fingertips until coarse crumbs form. Mix in buttermilk. Turn our dough onto a floured surface; knead gently until combined – about 20 seconds. Roll out dough to thickness of ½-inch; cut out biscuits using a 2-inch cookie cutter: Gather scraps, reroll and cut out more biscuits. Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheets – spacing evenly. Bake until golden – about 15 minutes. Serve warm with butter & honey.

**I ate one … THEY ARE DELISH!

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==SUGAR-TOPPED MOLASSES SPICE COOKIES Recipe

When Fall rolls around, I like to cook and enjoy comfort foods that scream, “Fall is here!”

Nothing says Fall like a spicy molasses cookie!

This recipe comes from my Bon Appetit/November 2006 cooking magazine.

This recipe is based on the traditional molasses cookie … but it packs heated punch with the addition of Black Pepper. The cookies look innocent UNTIL you bite into one ;-) With just a pinch of pepper, you get just a hint of heat; use a bigger bit of pepper, and you will definitely feel the heat.

These cookies are very large when they bake, so space them on the baking sheets accordingly.

SUGAR-TOPPED MOLASSES SPICE COOKIES ~Makes 24

3-1/3 cups all-purpose Flour * 2 teaspoons Baking Soda * ½ teaspoon Sea Salt * 2 teaspoons ground Ginger * ½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon * ½ teaspoon ground Allspice * A pinch (small or not so small) of cracked ground Black Pepper * 1-1/2 sticks (12 Tablespoons) unsalted Butter; at room temperature * 1 cup (packed) light Brown Sugar * ½ cup Molasses  (not blackstrap) * 1 large Egg * About ½ cup granulated Sugar, for rolling

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and pepper.

With a hand mixer, in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until it is smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat for 2 minutes or until blended – scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until the flour remains and spices disappear. If some of the flour remains in the bottom of the bowl, avoid overbeating the dough … and mix in the last of the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula. You will have a smooth, very soft dough.

Divide the dough in half & wrap each half in plastic wrap; freeze for 30 minutes – or chill in fridge for at least an hour. **DO AHEAD NOTE: The dough can even, at the point of plastic wrapping, be held in the ‘fridge for up to 4 days before using.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; or a silicone mat.

Put the sugar in a small bowl; working with one packet of dough at a time, break off 12 pieces and smooth ball between the palms of your hands. One by one, roll each ball around in the bowl of sugar and use the bottom of the small bowl to press down on the coated cookies on a baking sheet until the cookies are between ¼ & ½ -inch thick:

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies feel set to the touch. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, if the cookies have spread and are touching, use the edge of a metal spatula to separate them while they are ht. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool at room temperature.

Repeat with the second batch of dough.

These cookies will keep 1 week in a cookie jar; and can wrapped airtight individually and frozen for up to 2 months.

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==BAKED CHICKEN GERMAN STYLE Recipe

Thinking about the scheduled Senior daytrip to Leavenworth in December has kinda led me towards German fare in my menus this Cookathon ;-)

I don’t remember where I snipped this baked chicken casserole recipe … or even the source I snipped it from … but I found it while thumbing through one of my many recipe boxes, and it intrigued me; so, I made it :-D

BAKED CHICKEN GERMAN STYLE ~ 4 servings

¼ cup (1/2 stick) Butter * 5 Tablespoons all-purpose Flour * 1-1/4 cups Chicken Broth * 2/3 cup Milk * ½ teaspoon fresh Lemon juice * Salt & Pepper to taste * ground Nutmeg * 1 pound Egg Noodles (2 cups DRY NOODLES), freshly cooked * 1 4-pound chicken, poached & cut into 8 pieces & skinned * 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese mixed with 1 teaspoon of Paprika

Baked Chicken German Style - Ingredients

Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and stir 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in 1 cup broth and milk. Increase heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thick – about 10 minutes. Blend in lemon juice. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Moisten the bottoms of 4 individual casseroles with remaining ¼ cup chicken broth. Layer each casserole with noodles, 2 pieces of chicken. And sauce. Top with cheese mixture:

Portioned out for individual servings and ready to bake.

Bake until bubbling and golden brown – about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Chicken, Biscuits & Cookie being wrapped for the freezer ...

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==BAKED ZITI Recipe

I prefer making casserole dishes; I am a lazy cook who enjoys tasty foods, but I don’t like the long kitchen details or the piles of dishes that need to be cleaned up after making piece-by-piece meals. This easy casserole is my favorite ziti recipe, and I have been hungering for it – even Bob liked this dish.

Again, I am not sure when I clipped it, or what magazine I clipped it from … but I have been making it for at least 3 decades :-D

I am trying a new type of noodle this time – the elbow macaroni I am using is a kosher type made from white rice:

Kosher Rice Noodles

I saw it earlier this year, so I brought it home and we’ll see how it makes up today ;-)

BAKED ZITI ~Makes 4 servings

½ pound Ground Beef * ½ teaspoon minced, peeled Garlic * ¼ cup diced, peeled Onion * 1 cup Tomato Sauce * 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste * ¼ teaspoon dried Basil leaves * ¼ teaspoon Oregano leaves * 1/8 teaspoon ground Black Pepper * 4 ounces (2 cups) Ziti or large macaroni, cooked according to directions & drained * ½ cup (2 ounces) part-skim Mozzarella Cheese

In a 2-to-3-quart saucepan cook meat, garlic, & onion over moderately low heat; breaking down meat into small pieces with a spoon. When meat is no longer pink, transfer to a fine mesh strainer to drain, pressing mixture against the mesh to extract as much fat as possible. Return meat mixture to pan; stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, herbs & pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 5 to 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in ziti; transfer to a 1-1/2 quart oblong baking dish & sprinkle with cheese. Place in 350-degree oven & bake 20 to 30 minutes, until hot.

**WHAT I DID WITH MY BAKED ZITI:

Portioned out in individual servings - small loaf pan.

Wrapped in plastic with a cookie. Notation to make a piece of garlic bread ...

Placed in a Gallon sized plastic baggie for the freezer.