Crock Pot Baked Beans

I had this recipe sent to me via a reader from Vegetarian Times. And I have never used this recipe until this past week. I feel ashamed for not having used it earlier. But alas, I did and it was a success. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Me and my daughter love baked beans and we were hoping to find a good homemade recipe and we had this one sitting in out midst.


2 pounds Great Northern or Navy Bean (Navy Bean is the traditional bean used in most canned baked beans)
1/2-1/3 maple syrup or molasses, or a combination of both
1 medium onion chopped into bite-sized pieces
Dash of salt
2t dry mustard
1/4t liquid smoke
1/4t cumin
1/4 t fresh ground pepper
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I pressured cooked the beans first, for these types of beans are quite tough to cook without some sort of softening. I pressured them for 30 minutes. Do not go with less time, they need that much.

When beans are cooked, put them into your slowcooker and add remaining ingredients. Add the bean liquid as well. If you portioned your water when you pressured them, it should be the perfect amount, but if you do not pressure a lot of food, this can be a bit tricky until you get more comfortable with pressure cooking. I don't like being without mine.

We slowcooked our beans for about 3-4 hours on high and they were delicious, but the next day...Oh-My-Stars. It was like chili and spaghetti sauce, it is so much better the next day. So please try this one, it is worth its weight in gold!

My Almost Vegan Dinner

It is not my goal to be a vegan, but I do not shun it if it comes my way. Well thee other night, just such an opportunity presented itself.

My daughter and I were trying to pull together a meal and I had a crockpot of homemade baked beans going and they were yummo (I will blog that recipe soon, so simple), and we found a chick pea/wheat berry/dark green dish from Ruby Red Vegan . I like dishes where I have most of thee ingredients, and this was one such a dish. Make this dish folks. Simple and filling. Scroll down a bit but you will see the wonderful snap shot of the chick peas laying on a bed of wheat berries surrounded by a dark green (We used bok choy)

So on our plates that night we had the dish I mentioned above, our homemade baked beans, some left over bow tie pasta our homeschool group had delivered and a corn/black bean salsa I whipped up. Our plates were overflowing, and what does my lovely husband come out with (So typical for so many men) "Where's the beef?" And yet, even though there was plenty of left over brisket in the fridge, he did not make any attempt to leave the table and warm it up, he sat and ate what was on the table.

Why do people still poke fun of a perfectly wonderful meal if there is no meat. this is my daughters father...the jokes get old very quickly! Bad daddy!!

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

This recipe was given to me by one of my dear friends, who has taught me (And still teaching me) everything I know about bread baking. I run to her with all my questions and queries. She is my rock in the baking world. A few years back we were over for dinner and she made bread pudding. I was never much of a bread pudding fan, but that night, I was converted. This recipe is wonderful and just sweet enough to calm the palette. I do not like super sweet desserts, so this fits right into what I am looking for.

The reason I am posting this, is because another dear friend called me (For an entirely different reason) and we got to talking and as you all know, one subject leads into another and soon enough she was asking me about my cooking blog and referenced to my post about what to do when your baked bread goes wrong. She knew I had a bread pudding recipe and she had not quite found one that tickled her fancy, so here is mine. Well, I cannot truly claim it. This recipe is from Urban Homemakers. They are all about cooking from scratch and using as much natural ingredients as you possibly can. So this is for you Sharon!!

1/2-1 stick softened butter
7 slices good quality homemade bread
4 cups milk or milk substitute (For you vegans)
3 eggs, slightly beaten (Vegans, do your thing)
1/2 cup sucanat (I have used any sugar I have in the house, usually raw sugar)
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2-1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
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Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 2 quart baking dish. Spread a generous amount of butter on one side of each slice of bread and line the bottom and sides of the baking dish. Mix together, in a bowl, the milk, eggs, sugar, salt, raisins, and vanilla and pour over the bread. Place any extra pieces of bread on top and press down so they are submerged. Let stand about 10 minutes or longer if bread is quite dry. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 30 minutes more. If you like a crustier brown top, slip the dish under a hot broiler for a few minutes until deep golden. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream...oh heck, go for broke and use both.

Enjoy!

Stir Fry Sauce

I am putting this up for a fellow blogger who is searching for the perfect stir fry sauce. I came upon this when my husband was on Weight Watchers. And as always it has stuck with us. My daughter dresses it up every now and then, but use the basic recipe and then experiment as you see fit.

1T sesame oil
2-3T Tamari (Soy Sauce) Reduced Sodium is preferred
1t sugar (Any sweetener you have on hand will do)
*Add-Ons* these are items my daughter has added over the years.
Grated ginger-Be careful, this is powerful
2-3 cloves a garlic, through a garlic press, or minced, which ever you prefer
A pinch of pepper flakes
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The basic sauce is awesome and does not mask the flavor of your veggies. If you add the garlic, please remember not to add it until the end, otherwise it may burn. And garlic cooks quickly.

Comfort Food Memories

As I sit here, recovering from my back surgery (And not being able to sit for very long...yet) I am forced to enjoy what little time I am in any one given position. When I sit, I do as much as I can while sitting, and the same with standing or walking or any other position my body can get in, save lying down. There is just nothing I can do except hold the TV clicker and change channels.

But I sat at my cold puffed rice cereal with a chopped up nectarine and cup of coffee with store bought wheat bread (Temporary due to my surgery) some memories came flooding back to me.

When I was a little girl, we had your A typical household. My father worked (A police officer in Miami) and my mother stayed home (Until my youngest sibling was school age, then she entered the work force in the school system so she could be home when we were home). So on Saturday and Sunday, we relaxed just like everyone else. All of our errands were done on Saturday, or at least those that needed my fathers help. We grocery shopped and did all the heavy lifting chores on the weekend. And on Sunday my parents would sit in their bed with the Sunday paper and Easy Listening style music was on the radio. I would read the Sunday Funnies (Comics) to my younger sister. My parents would have their coffee with them. this was before the days of drip coffee. Now I am dating myself. Heck, even my first coffee pot was a percolator.

But what I remember most was my mother letting my dunk my buttered toast into her heavily sugared, heavily creamed coffee. I remember the fat from the butter swirling into her cup of coffee. So I sit here today, doing the same thing, all the while my husband is looking at me like I am some sort of weirdo. to me, there is nothing more comforting than a connection to food. Do not get me wrong, I also have some bad memories with food, and I swore to myself that I would not do to my children what was done to me with food. I wanted my children to have a good connection and good memories with food.

I live for food. I am cleaning the lunch table and wondering what is for dinner. I love to cook (Waiting to heal from surgery before I can get back in there full time again) and I love to eat what I cook. I would much rather have a friend come over with a covered dish, or a bottle of wine and sit around a table of good food and shoot the breeze. Good friends and good food. to me, that is what life is all about.

Moroccan Stew

This recipe we found...well not found but were introduced to under odd circumstances. My daughter(who is a vegetarian) had a sleep over with her best friend. They were already aware of her vegetarianism, but most people panic and have no clue what to do. Luckily this mother is a cooking mom, so she put on her Google cap and found this recipe. We fell in love with it and Viola...it is a dish we make on a regular bases.

Do not omit any of the spices, or trust me...you will regret it, the dish depends on all the spices listed. If you do not have them, then wait and buy what is necessary. It will be worth it.

2T olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2t paprika
1t salt
1/2t pepper
1/2t coriander
1/2t cumin
1/2t turmeric
1/2t ground ginger
1/4t cayenne (This is plenty)
1 cup of water
28 oz. canned tomatoes, drained
2T lemon juice
3 cups 1-inch cubes peeled hard squash (We prefer calabaza, but acorn, or butternut can be used in its place)
2 cups cubed, peeled carrots
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Chop vegetables and set aside. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; saute until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Mix in all spices (We put all spices in a small bowl for convenience) Add 1 cup of water, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Add squash and carrots. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20-25 minutes.

This dish can be served with a grain such as quinoa, or cous cous. I have even used rice in a pinch. My daughter prefers to use it with nothing, more like a soup. But it is delicious all the same and any way you want to eat it. Enjoy!

I Have Gadgets and I'm Not Afraid to Use Them

Yes indeedy folks, you heard right. I finally got hold of my Christmas Gift Card my mother had sent to me via my sister. but somehow that poor card got a HUGE detour. I finally got it while I was in Miami having my spinal surgery. So, when I was well enough to leave the house, my hubby took me and the children and off to Bed, Bath & Beyond we went. The first thing my daughter and I determined(since she helps out tremendously in the kitchen) was what we needed most. And straight out of the bull pen was a knife. And Viola, you see it above, we purchased one of Rachael Ray's more accessible knives. not too large and not to small. It is just right. So mom, thinking she knows what she is doing, breaks the poor little knife in. Well low and behold, that thing is sharp, and I have the cut to prove it. Yep. I was slicing carrots, so I thought it was just carrot juice...oh so no. that was blood and it was coming form my finger. Once we realized just how sharp it was and handled it with much more care, we have learned to love that thing. Sharp knives are essential in any kitchen.

Now this little gift was not something I was necessarily in the market for, but you have to understand two things. 1) We use garlic in everything, even in our cereal...nah, just kidding, but we do go through tons of garlic...no Vampires here. 2) The one I was currently using was so small that I could not put a clove of garlic inside, unless I chopped it in half. One clove. So you see my dilemma. Now I can practically put an entire head of garlic in there now. Ahhh, modern technology.

And last but certainly not least, we went with a microplaner. We debated about this one. Since my daughter is the chief cookie maker, we almost purchased a silicone mat, but decided on this. We can use this for so many things other than lemon zest, so the microplane jumped into our cart. All in all it was a good day for gadget shopping.

This is what gets me about people. Everyone knows I love being in the kitchen. So why get me anything other than something that goes in the kitchen. I could actually place my bed in there, that is how much I love being in my kitchen...and yes, even the cleaning up part. I love cooking and eating. I cannot thank my mother enough for getting me this Gift Card, even though it took nearly 8 months for me to get it and decide what we actually needed. But we now have a happier kitchen. And all of you readers are invited over for a meal so I can use all of said items mentioned above.