Review: Every Day With Rachel Ray

As promised, I've been trying some new recipes. Though I think for the most part that magazine subscriptions are a waste of money, I found myself quite excited to pick up several Rachel Ray cooking magazines at Half Priced Books for $.50 each. When it comes to cooking magazines, who cares if it is two years old? Food never goes out of style.

Probably my favorite part about this magazine was that there are hundreds of recipes and most of the ingredients I already had on my pantry shelf. There was nothing too obscure or obsolete. The advertisements were minimal and appropriate. And when I was done tearing out what interested me, the kids had plenty of great photos to cut and paste.

Bacon and Canteloupe Wraps

Ah... a taste of summer is a refreshing break from the stews and soups of winter. I found this recipe in a magazine and adapted it for what we had on hand. I can't wait to make it again especially on a hot summer evening. These would also be a great addition to a brunch.

Bacon and Cantaloupe Wraps

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 6-8
Cost: Approx. $5.50


1 package of flour tortilla shells ($.99)
1/2 cantaloupe sliced into thin strips ($1.00)
1 package turkey bacon cooked until crisp ($2.00)
2 cups Romain lettuce cut into ribbons ($.50)
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp prepared mustard
2 tsp sugar
Mayonnaise

Cook bacon and warm tortillas. Mix Vinegar, mustard and sugar. Pour over lettuce and toss. Spread tortilla shells with thin layer of mayonnaise. Layer bacon, cantaloupe. Top with lettuce and wrap.

Easy Irish Oats

I love Irish Oats. They're crunchy, creamy, nutty and comforting. Beyond that they are a great source of fiber and nutrition. They provided hearty breakfast that will last through the morning. The only downside is that these take about 10 times as long to cook than regular oatmeal and actually require attention. These facts almost persuaded me from passing up a 25 pound bag for $12.50. I knew that there had to be an easy way to prepare these. With a little research, I found the answer. Enter the rice cooker. It's breakfast for pennies at our house.

Easy Irish Oats

Prep time: none
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: 4

1 cup Irish Oats
3 cups water (replace with 1/2 cup milk if desired)
1 Tbsp butter

Add all ingredients to the rice cooker. When oats are cooked top with favorite ingredients and serve. I like mine with cinnamon, maple syrup and pecans.

Waking up

One of my goals for this next year is to wake this blog of mine up. It seems that since the Elimination Diet ended last spring I stopped being creative in the kitchen. I believe this resulted from being burnt out from fixing every recipe from scratch and having to micromanage every aspect of our food. Then, from August to November we ate entirely out of the freezer. November until now? Well, I'm not quite sure.

It's clear that we are all ready for some variety around here. After completing the budget for the coming year, cutting down on our food bill is going to be of the utmost importance. I know it's doable, it's just going to require some ingenuity and planning on my part.

So here are my goals for 2011:

1) Serve at least one new recipe a week.

2) Review at least one recipe book or magazine per month.

3) Teach each of my children how to make three complete meals each.

4) Make larger dinner portions with the hopes of leftovers for lunch, thus reducing work and waste.

5) Shop only once per week.

6) Serve two vegetarian dinners per week.

7) Eat out for special occasions, not desperation.

Do you have goals for your cooking in 2011?

Alaina's Crock Pot Sesame Pork Chops

I often find pork chops marked down at our local grocery. However, I'm not the best at making sure that pork chops are well cooked without being too dry. After trying Alaina's original recipe, pork chops have quickly become but one of our family favorites. Usually I have all the ingredients on hand, but simple substitutions like ketchup or dried ginger always work in a pinch.

Alaina's Crock Pot Sesame Pork Chops

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours in the crock pot
Yields: 6-8 servings
Cost: Approx. $5.00

6 lg. bone-in pork chops ($4.50 on sale)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 Tb. brown sugar
3/4 c. tomato sauce
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1 Tb. fresh ginger, minced
pepper to taste

Put chops in crock pot and season with pepper. Mix remainder of ingredients and pour over the pork chops. Cook on low for 6 hrs. Serve over rice.

Gluten Free Biscuits

My first attempt at gluten free biscuits was a disaster. They resembled salty, putty colored hockey pucks. Out of desperation for something bread like the kids ate them covered with maple syrup. Take two was much, much better.

Gluten Free Biscuits

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
Cost: Approx. $2.50
Yields: 12 biscuits

2 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free baking flour ($1.50)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
5 tsp sugar
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp vinegar
4 tbsp butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 egg and 1 egg yolk

Combine all dry ingredients. Mix milk, vinegar and eggs together well. Fold dry ingredients into wet. Add butter and mix by hand. Form into disks. Bake on greased baking sheet for 12-15 minutes at 350.

Amish Cole Slaw

Believe it or not, we are still eating out of our freezer. It looks like about ten more dinners and I'll have to rethink our fall menu. Looking forward to trying some new soups/stews and stocking the freezer with some turkeys.

My family is not a fan of slaw with mayonnaise so I'm always on the lookout for an alternative way to use cabbage. Recently I ran across this recipe for slaw and found it to be just the right balance of sweet and sour. It's not something to make right before dinner. The flavors are best if the slaw is refrigerated for at least twelve hours. (We learned this the hard way.) I think next time I'll make a double batch and have it as a side several times during the week.

Amish Cole Slaw

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 8-10
Cost: Approx. $2.00

1 medium head cabbage shredded ($1.50)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, onion, and 1 cup sugar. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, salt, celery seed, 1 teaspoon white sugar, mustard and oil. Bring to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes. Cool completely, then pour over cabbage mixture, and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 12 hours for best flavor.