My Own Chopped Challenge at Home: Using Leftovers and the Pantry

If you are a fan of The Food Network and Chopped you may be familiar with the Chopped Challenge at Home happening on Instragram and Twitter during this quarantine. The Chopped judges have been challenged to take food from their pantries and make a meal and also have encouraged others to post their meals . You can learn about it here.

I decided to do my own personal Chopped Challenge at home today with leftovers and pantry items. I am just posting it here and not entering the competition. This is what I found in my "basket":

Leftover sausage gravy from when I prepared biscuits and gravy

left over Manwich Sloppy Joe meat and sauce

whipped cream cheese that needed to be used

From my pantry  I used part of a jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce, 

and a dry herb mix.I mixed it all together and let it simmer on the stove.

From the pantry and fridge I cooked penne pasta, topped the pasta with parmesan cheese, and served it with a Caesar salad in the bag. 

Here was the final presentation.

"The ingredients in this dish sounded disgusting, but you know what? I really liked it".Chris Santos

"It was like sausage gravy and Manwich had a baby and it was enhanced with cream cheese. Great use of the basket ingredients" Alex Guarnaschelli

" Your pasta was cooked perfectly! I can't stop eating it." Scott Conant

" Not too shabby!" guest judge Everett Jolley

What did I think? The sauce was tasty. It reminded me of Campbell's tomato soup that you added cream instead of milk or water. I will probably never be able to duplicate it, but I used up lots of  leftovers and food that needed to be eaten.

Sibling Assignment #185: Reading the Cookbooks

Brother Bill gave the sibling assignment this week: "Write about what's been occupying your mind in the world of food preparation. Have you been trying anything new and different? Are there recipes or cook books that have excited your imagination? Utensils? Appliances? I think you get the point -- go about this assignment however you'd like -- but write about your life in the kitchen, going back as far as you'd like."

I have collected recipes since I was in college. I was always drawn to cookbook collections that members of an organization or church or community put together. The contributors chose their favorite recipes and there was always a favorite pot luck salad to try or a new dip which sounded perfect for a Super Bowl party. I have also cut recipes out of magazines, wrote them on note cards, and shared them with family and friends. I do find I don't use as many of these Velveeta Cheese, cream soup, shoestring potato recipes now.

Then there are favorite online recipe sites and Pinterest.  Why do I need anything else? Every recipe I would ever want to prepare could be found online. I am old school. I like the paper copy of most recipes. I print them. Mine are organized into notebooks. I scribble notes on them. I make changes in ingredients. I spill food on them.  Because I love food photography, I also love to visit a group of favorite food blogs. These sites are go- to places when looking for specific recipes or information on preparation. I learn from other cooks what worked, what they tweaked, what they would change next time. I also get to study the gorgeous food photos. 

Nearest and dearest to my heart are my cookbooks.  I have learned about food preparation and how to put a recipe together by reading and rereading my cookbooks. Sometimes when I am making a dish for a family dinner I find five or more different versions of the same recipe, then study what was added or combined to make each recipe unique. I have also gained knowledge with the tips and advice cookbook authors add.

What has been occupying my mind in the world of food preparation? Cookbooks. I have been reading each of them more like a memoir than a book of instructions. I have gained new and vital information about food by reading the authors' stories and studying how a recipe builds flavors and how the science of measuring ingredients is the secret to successful baking.

One of these cookbooks is My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life by Ruth Reichl. When she learned the magazine Gourmet which she served as editor in chief was ending publication, she rediscovered cooking, the joy of textures,the pleasures of fresh food from the market, and quiet, simple meals at home. She also shared a delicious collection of recipes that were not daunting to prepare. They just embrace the goodness of food. I reach for this cookbook often these days. I want to try her "Gingered Applesauce Cake Glazed with Caramel" with apples that were just picked. Enjoy more with Ruth here

I have been following Deb Perelman's blog "The Smitten Kitchen" for awhile. I decided to get her cookbook recently by the same name. One reason is because she manages to do amazing things in a tiny kitchen. I had to read her tips since I have now acquired a tiny kitchen. Her stories are a family history, as she shares recipes relatives has passed on and new, exciting ones using fresh food and herbs. One of my favorite parts of her book is the section "Build Your Own Smitten Kitchen". She gives sound advice that helps cooks see what they really need in their kitchens to cook effectively. Her food photography is spectacular. You can find her blog here

Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite is the third cookbook I am loving. It is organized in chapters that make sense to me like "Things With Cheese" and "My Mother's Sandwich Theory of Life". Her recipes give a background story, things she has learned by making and remaking the recipe and variations. She presents so many  delicious things to do with chicken I haven't even began to try them all. Her book is user friendly and her stories draw you back again and again. You can find her "Recipe Box" from her food column here.

This may have to be another part 1 with more coming. I have only touched the surface of my cookbook reading.

Ten Things I Love About My Mother

 Today is my mom's birthday. I wish I could be with her today, but I know she will have a lovely day without me. It is only fitting I share ten things I love about my mother today.

1. She is always finding little articles or cartoons she thinks I will like and cuts them out. She either mails them to me or keeps them in a dish on the TV until I come to visit.

2. She taught me the proper way to make a bed...even though I still can't get it she is a very patient teacher.

3. She knows how to make a fruitcake how fruitcake should be made. Her brandy soaked Christmas tradition is the best.

4. She has determination. She has modeled this character trait as long as I can remember. If a dust bunny needs to be picked up, a spill on the floor needs to be wiped, a fan needs to be dusted, plants need to be watered, a load of clothes needs to be folded, a batch of cookies needs to be prepared it doesn't matter if she hurts or is tired... it gets done.

5. She is an amazing gardener. She creates healthy compost, weeds to perfection, waters just as it should be done, deadheads like a champion, and knows when to pinch back, cut back, and harvest at just the right time and she has taught me much.

6.She knows how to cook. Mom is an old school chef. She used basic ingredients, traditional flavorings and spices, and recipes she has used for years. Nobody else has mastered meatloaf, swiss steak, potato salad, orange rolls, or navy bean soup quite like my mom.

7. She loves her family unconditionally.

8. She continues to be a learner. No internet, googling, or smartphoning for my mom. She still gets out encyclopedias, paper maps, and books from her reference collection to find out facts or reteach us something we forgot.

9.She loves to have a good time. Whether it is shopping for sales with her daughters, going out to dinner with her children, going to the theater, a basketball game, a high school concert, a tour at a winery, meeting up with high school friends, talking over the fence to a neighbor, a church tea, or a Community Concert... she loves a good time.

10. She supports good causes. She believes in giving back whether it is donation to the library in memory of a friend, clothes to the woman's center, support for breast cancer research, March of Dimes, time working for Habitat for Humanity, the Sixth Street Theater,

or providing canned food for Cosette's food drive at school.

 She has purchased cookie dough, raffle tickets, attended dinners, and made donations to support her granddaughters and their school endeavors. She is generous for good causes.

Happy Birthday Mom!  Thanks for all you have taught me. Often I am a slow learner so I know you aren't done yet.

Gathering Around the Table: Where the Stories Are Told

 Visits from family always remind me how gathering around the table is a meaningful ritual we engage in many different places.  It doesn't matter if my sister and I are surveying the coupons Mom just cut out for us while tasting a new french toast recipe, trying my favorite Indonesian Ginger Chicken recipe while relaxing on the deck,

 sampling wine at China Bend,or moving to another outdoor table this evening surrounded by home grown green beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes. It is all about gathering around the table. ( Above are JEJ and Mom at China Bend)

Our family could have conversations that revolve around food and drink for a whole day and more and never run out of stories. An old recipe takes us back to dinner at 516 W. Cameron in Kellogg twenty years ago. Having a special Brandy Alexander reminds us of how our dad had finesse when he mixed drinks. Simple green beans with bacon can bounce us around from Grandma Woolum's to Grandma West's to Auntie Lila's,then back home to Mom's house. Bloody Marys now hold a newer special memory of the Cousin Reunion in Orofino last summer.

Tonight at dinner RP and me discussed food we liked as kids, didn't like as kids, and what foods we want to have now. We recognized that we are pickier.... not in what we eat, but more in where it is purchased or how it is prepared, baked, or stirred. He may want a better cut of meat or a fresh baked bread from a favorite local bakery. I  want homegrown tomatoes, peaches from the orchard up the road, and eggs from my chickens.

As we remembered food and formed opinions about our recent eating habits, Mom's voice crept into my head. She is always reminding all of us to read the ads, cut the coupons, and buy on sale. " I was a Depression Baby you know!" (Above is Mom in a deep discussion as we enjoyed lunch at the White Bird in Northport.)

 My  brother must have heard the same voice in his head today when he went to town shopping. He found the shrimp on sale at Safeway, got free Starbuck's Via Iced Coffee attached to the Pike Street Market Roast, and used his Club Card.

Whether we drink coffee that was a bargain, enjoy corn on the cob regular price, or have top shelf brandy in our Alexanders.... it is really more about what happens while we gather around the table. The table can be in Kettle Falls, Orofino, Kellogg, or a restaurant in Northport. It is around the table where the stories are told.
( SVG and RP solving world problems at the White Bird)

Three Words: Mac and Cheese

 I have continued this week-end to experiment with food photos. As I read ways to photograph food I was amazed at the tips photographers suggested to get food to look so delicious and inviting in magazines and books. Tonight I experimented with macaroni and cheese. Here it is step by step:

Sibling Assignment #136: Ten Lessons Learned from Auntie Lila

The most recent sibling assignment was to write about an aunt. My brother wrote such a touching tribute about me which you can find here. Thanks Raymond Pert.

My Auntie Lila is my mom's older sister. We saw her at least once a year during my growing up years. During the summer I often walked up Michigan Avenue from my grandma's house to visit her warm, inviting home. I can remember times she babysat children, watered her lawn, pruned roses, picked green beans, and got dinner started all before the heat really settled into the Orofino valley in the late afternoon. I used to love to sit in the kitchen while Mom and Lila had coffee and chatted about people and events that dated back to when they were kids.  There were many lessons I learned during all those years. Here are ten important ones:

1) Night Owls Rule! I used to love to stay overnight at Lila's in the summer because she loved to stay up really late and watch T.V. , visit, and have ice cream. I loved being another West night owl.

2) Headbands are Cool! My aunt has never looked her age, but I always loved it that she wore headbands to hold back her hair which made her seem very hip when I was a preteen.

3) Surround Yourself with Reading Material.  She has book shelves in her living room, book shelves in her hall, magazines and magazines on her coffee table, a great stack in the bathroom, newspapers around,and probably more books in the back room. I always found something interesting to read at Lila's and we share a love for reading.

4) Cookies Help You Through the Day. My aunt had a cookie jar that sat in the same place on the kitchen counter for as long as I can remember. It was always filled with cookies... always. She had these yummy Sunshine storeboughts that we never had at our house. It was such a treat to dig into the cookie jar while visiting.

5) You Need Your Beauty Sleep. Along with staying up it was always fun to sleep in at Lila's house. She was never one of those up at five o'clock a.m. aunties. It was okay to sleep in while on summer vacation.

  My Uncle Bob, Lila, Grandma West, and Mom in 1955.

6) It is All About Family. Lila's family is the center of her life. Her walls are covered with photos, she tells stories, visits family, loved it when her grandchildren were born,  would wait for her son to drive by in the logging truck, hoped her daughter would stop by after work at the clinic, was happy when her other daughter drove up from Boise, and seemed to like us tearing around in the summer also.

7) Home Grown Vegetables Are the Best. Lila had an incredible garden. My dad would wander around picking up tips from Lila before he got serious about raising his own garden. Whether corn, green beans, or cucumbers... they all tasted better out of her garden.

8) A Yard Need Flowers. I probably have carried this lesson more than any others. Between my aunt and my two grandmothers growing flowers was instilled in me from a very early age. I remember thinking I could never grow roses because Lila's were magnificent and I figured that meant they were hard to grow. I loved the coleus, zinnias, and other bedding plants that surrounded her yard. Every year when I begin planting flowers I think of her.


9) Smile and the World Smiles with You. Lila is always smiling. She could have been baking a cake, boiling corn, and canning beans in the kitchen during a hot August day in Orofino, and she would have a smile when we came into the door.

 10) The Way To The Heart Is Through the Kitchen. Again,all the women in my family have surrounded me with a love for food, fellowship, recipes, dinners, birthday parties, and much time spent gathering around the table. She would bake cakes even if it was summer and hot. She perfected Swiss Steak with the best cut of sirloin from the Glenwood IGA and served it with buttered corn on the cob on the side. My brother shared the same birthday with my grandmother and here they are having a rare celebration together in the early sixties.


My Auntie Lila will turn ninety in June. Her lessons will continue to be passed down for many years to come.  The picture at the top was taken last summer at a family reunion by my cousin Michelle.She is one aunt to remember!

Stories From the Kitchen: A Delicious Meme

My growing collection of cobalt blue glassware in my kitchen window.


What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?

This was hard for me because it seemed like I was always helping in the kitchen instead of doing it all by myself. One year for Christmas I got the pans that made a tiered cake (in fact I still have them). I am going to say I was twelve. I loved little black and white illustrations in the Betty Crocker cookbook and on page 147 in showed how to use these pans with a Silver White Cake. I think that is what I made.

Who had the most influence on your cooking?

If I would have spent more time with my two grandmothers they would both be on this list because each them had their own style, but both their cooking styles revolved around garden fresh vegetables, hearty desserts, homemade dill pickles, and delicious fruit desserts and cookies. I spent more time in the kitchen with my mom. She made homemade bread many Sundays, simple comfort meals like pork chops and meatloaf during the week, and great desserts like Lemon Fluff and brownies in her "spare time"! From my mom I learned how to explore cookbooks for unique recipes, clip recipes by Dorothy Dean from the Spokesman Review, and the art of putting a nutritious meal on the table within sixty minutes.

Do you have an old photo as "evidence" of an early exposure to the culinary world and would you like to share it?

The picture above shows me between my parents cleaning up after dinner at my grandma's house in Spokane. I don't even remember Dad ever doing dishes, but I love this picture of all of us together. We probably enjoyed dessert after the kitchen was cleaned up.

Mageiricophobia - do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat?

Making candy and using a candy thermometer. Whenever I see words like soft ball and hard ball stage I shudder. I tried to make fudge once, but it was humid and I guess that changes the life of fudge. It was a disaster. I let other people make homemade candy.

What would be your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest letdown?

Valued appliance: My dark blue Kitchen Aid mixer.
Biggest letdown: nutmeg grater.... where do you find the nutmeg to grate and how do you do it without shedding some skin?

Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like - and probably no one else!

When I was younger it was always a pack of Fisher's sunflower seeds with a can of Pepsi while reading a book. I don't think it is funny or weird, but I have always loved applesauce with any pork dish, particularly pork roast. I think it would be weird not to have the following combinations: potato salad with cold fried chicken, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, baked ham with scalloped potatoes. (notice a little potato theme beginning...it will show up again below!)

What are the three eatables or dishes you simply don't want to live without?

pasta with other additions, good cheese, and a warm,fresh loaf of bread

Your favorite ice-cream?

Butter Pecan

You will probably never eat...

liver and onions

Your own signature dish...

Mitford Orange Marmalade Cake

Any question you missed in this meme, that you would have loved to answer? Well then, feel free to add one! Here are mine:

Which meal is your favorite to prepare?

I really like to create breakfast for a group because we don't have fancy breakfast very often when it is just the two of us. I love trying egg dishes, overnight roll recipes and pastries.

What vegetable is your favorite to prepare?

Perhaps it is because I am from the "Famous Potato"state of Idaho that I love to collect and prepare potato dishes.

Which cookbooks are the favorites on your shelf?

The Barefoot Contessa series, the original Betty Crocker Picture cookbook, The Habitat for Humanity Partners in the Kitchen series, Fix-It and Forget-It Recipes for Entertaining, and Pacific Northwest, The Beautiful Cookbook.

If you decide to do this meme, let me know so I can come and savor your answers.

Belated Birthday Brunch and Keepers from the Recipe Box

Saturday morning was supposed to be the belated birthday brunch for JEJ and Silver Valley Girl at Mom's house in Kellogg. They both celebrate their birthdays on July 3rd. Because of our wind and power problems and fires close by we had to postpone to brunch until today. Today we honored SVG and Z2 (whose birthday is tomorrow) because JEJ needed to stay home.

The Menu

Mimosas

Breakfast Pizza

Overnight Citrus Pull-Apart Rolls

Melon Salad

sparkling cider, orange juice, coffee

It was exciting to have Raymond Pert's wife The Deke in Kellogg. It was perfect weather for a brunch surrounded by Mom's flowers in the back yard.

Two recipes:

Citrus Pull-apart Rolls

I always do the overnight recipe option at the end. It works really well!

1- 25 ounce package frozen roll dough 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 cup granulated sugar, divided 2/3 cup (6 oz) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoon orange juice 1 egg 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind 1 tablespoon grated orange rind 1 cup powdered sugar 5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions:Thaw roll dough at room temperature 30 minutes. Cut rolls in half. Place 24 halves, cut sides down, in bottom of each of 2 9" round cake pans coated with cook spray. Brush melted butter evenly over rolls. Cover & let rise 30 minutes.While rising, combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cream cheese, orange juice, and egg. Beat at medium speed of mixer until well blended. Pour sugar & cream cheese mixture evenly over rolls. Combine 3/4 cup granulated sugar & rinds. Sprinkle evenly over rolls. Cover & let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350°F.Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cover with foil if they start to brown too much. Let cool 15 minutes. While cooling mix powdered sugar with lemon juice. Drizzle over rolls.

Overnight option: After pouring the cream cheese mixture over the rolls, cover with plastic wrap and set out about 15 minutes then and refrigerate overnight. Gently remove plastic wrap and sprinkle with rind mixture. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Proceed with recipe at Preheat oven step.

Breakfast Pizza

1 tube crescent rolls

1lb. sausage, crumbled, browned and drained ( I used bacon and want to try Canadian bacon)

2 cups frozen hash browns

1 C. cheddar cheese, shredded

5 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Unroll crescent dough and place on bottom of pan. Press perforations together to form a rectangle.Top with sausage, then add the hash browns. Slightly scramble the eggs. Pour over potatoes. Top with cheese. Add the salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

The 8 Meme

I found this meme on i beati's blog and thought I would give it a try. The above is created with Wordle.

The 8 Meme

Eight Books I Have Read Recently
1-Home to Holly Springs- Jan Karon
2-Her Last Death- Susanna Sonnenberg
3-Friday Night Knitting Club- Kate Jacobs
4-A Poetry Handbook-Mary Oliver
5-Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
6.-Lost and Found by Jacqeline Sheenan
7- Old Friends from Far Away by Natalie Goldberg
8- Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein

Eight Movies I Have Seen Eight Times
1. American President
2.Sound of Music
3. When Harry Met Sally
4.It' A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
5. Big
6.Muppet's Christmas Carol
7.The Way We Were
8.On Golden Pond

8- Eight Things I Have a Passion For
1-Flowers
2-Cooking and recipe collecting
3-Writing/Reading
4-Family
5-Poetry
6-Camping
7-Teaching
8-Photography

Eight things I say a lot
1. Really!
2. Ummmmm! That's Interesting
3. Amen
4. Have you made a good choice?
5. You're kidding!
6. Do I snore?
7 . I'm going to bed.
8. Do you want a treat?

Eight Things I Would Like to Do Before I Die
1- Learn to knit
2- Play the piano well
3- Go to Yellowstone National Park
4- Take my mom back for a trip to the Oregon coast
5- Bring all my friends from different places together for a retreat
6- Take a road trip through the back roads of the Pacific Northwest
7- Visit the Thousand Islands in New York
8- Take a workshop from a photographer to learn more about the craft

How Do You Say "Great Meal" in German?

Tonight I am staying in Pullman, Washington with my friend BW. We coordinate the writing retreat together and are off to McCall, Idaho tomorrow. I was very fortunate to attend a German dinner tonight put on by the brew club her husband belongs to. The rules were simple. Every dish that was served had to have beer as an ingredient. The meal was based on a German theme. Some of the brew club members brought their own home brewed beer, while others just brought favorite kinds that went with each course. Where I grew up a Lucky Lager could go with chips and dip, a hamburger, and a piece of apple pie! No aluminum cans at this gathering. This beautiful salad had a wheat beer added to the dressing. The soup was made with a pale ale and Cougar Gold cheese, made right at Washington State University. BW's husband brought homemade sausage he had ground and filled before we left. They were grilled and very yummy! There was also German potato salad, pork dishes, cabbage, sauerkraut, soft pretzels, and beer bread. Desserts ranged from gingerbread to prune cake to the two cakes above. Each had a distinct taste and all were delicious (or so I heard.. I just couldn't sample everything). Now who knew about chocolate beer... I mean stout? One guy that brewed his own beer brought it out after dinner. I loved his pink sticky note label. I know IPA means something to the brew club members, but I can't quite remember what. It was a big learning curve for me tonight. I was amazed at how many delicious ways the group found to use beer for this dinner. Now I better go Google IPA.
Okay... I am back.... IPA... India Pale Ale. It is coming back to me now.