Popovers

When I was a kid my family had a favorite restaurant that we would go to with a Dutch theme. There were windmills, the staff wore wooden shoes, and the servers all dressed in quaint costumes. But the best part about the place was the fact that they served all you could eat popovers fresh from the oven.

Never heard of a popover? Well, they are a type of roll and they are hollow inside. This makes them very light, but the best part is that you can fill the inside with whatever you want. They are good at breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even as a snack. Unfortunately they don’t keep well, so plan on cooking them and eating them (personally I’ve found that they taste too good and get eaten up right away, so I’ve never had to try to keep them for more than an hour) when they come out of the oven.

Here’s the list of ingredients:
3 eggs 1 cup of milk (1% works great)
3 tablespoons butter, melted (you can also use regular olive oil)
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt

• Start heating your oven early on to 375 degrees; it is important that the oven be completely up to temperature before you put the popovers in to cook.
• Use butter to generously lubricate some muffin pan cups. What size to use? I have a pan of 12 muffin cups and I generally get 10 popovers from it. You can use larger size ones depending upon how big you want your popovers to be.
• Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, slightly beat the eggs and then add in the milk followed by the melted butter. Slowly add the sifted flour and salt, mixing until the batter is smooth. Do not over mix.
• Pour the mix into your buttered muffin cups (no paper liners here!), filling each about 3/4 of the way up. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. DO NOT open the oven door! I’ve got a glass window I can look through to keep an eye on mine, but if you don’t you may need to experiment with your popovers to get the timing right.
• Take them out of the over and quickly cut a small slit in the side of each one to let the seam out. Put them back in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until the tops are a nice, crispy brown.
• Remove from oven and quickly remove them from the muffin pan (a butter knife comes in handy here because these things are hot).
• Serve and enjoy.

Next week: asparagus!

 

Nightshades

For those that suffer from arthritis or an arthritis related disease such as lupus, rheumatism, and other musculoskeletal pain disorders members of the Solanaceae family of flowering plants, more commonly known as nightshades, may be adversely affecting their illness. Members of the nightshade family include tomatoes, potatoes (but not sweet potatoes), eggplant, most peppers (both sweet and hot varieties including paprika, cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce) and tobacco.

Norman F. Childers, PhD, is the founder of the Arthritis Nightshades Research Foundation. He has the following to say on this subject: “Diet appears to be a factor in the etiology of arthritis based on surveys of over 1400 volunteers during a 20-year period. Plants in the drug family, Solanaceae (nightshades) are an important causative factor in arthritis in sensitive people.” The primary cause of the reactions in some people is the presence of an alkaloid called tropane which many are very sensitive to.

On the other side of the fence on this issue is an arthritis blog post at About.com: Arthritis, which says: “According to the University of Washington website, “No foods have been definitively shown to cause or exacerbate arthritis in most individuals. A variety of diets and hand-me-down information exists about certain foods and arthritis, in particular the night shade plants, but none of it has been proven.” The effect of foods on arthritis symptoms vary greatly from person to person. It is an individual decision whether or not to avoid nightshade vegetables.” However, there is a posted reply stating: “I am finding that since I cut potatoes and tomatoes almost completely out of my diet, I can no longer tolerate either. They cause excruciating pain in my legs and hips the following day. I do not believe this to be a coincidence.”

While many members of the nightshade family have been an important part of the human diet for centuries, there may be many who would benefit from removing them from their diet. Will this work for all arthritis suffers? Maybe, maybe not, but what have you got to loose by trying this except a short change in diet (a minimum of a two week trial is recommended) and a whole lot of pain?

Image source information.

 

Applesauce Raisin Bread

Recently I shared one of my favorite quick bread recipes and today I want to share another one with you. This is adapted from an old Betty Crocker’s Bisquick Cookbook called ‘Folk Breads, U.S.A.’. It makes a very moist loaf and is good for gift giving, after dinner, or a snack. According to the cookbook, this is an old New England bread, dating back to Colonial days.

Here is the original ingredient list:
2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup raisins
1 tablespoon olive oil

These are my adjustments to the recipe:
Use all purpose flour and whole wheat flour instead of Bisquick. I use 2 cups AP flour and ½ cup of whole wheat flour. You will need to add 1/4 tsp salt, 2 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp baking powder.
Add 2 tablespoons of wheat bran. You could use oat bran instead to add a bit of a nutty taste.
Substitute brown sugar for white sugar. Don’t use honey or molasses – too much moisture!
After you pour the batter into the loaf pan, sprinkle oat bran on top.

Heat oven to 350 degrees (I use a glass loaf pan, so I cook mine at 325 degrees). Blend all ingredients, except the raisins, in a large bowl. Mix on low speed for about 1/2 minute, then increase to medium speed for about 2 minutes. Fold in raisins. Pour batter in greased and floured loaf pan: 9” x 5” x 3”. Bake about 55 minutes. Remove when wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. The loaf will still look moist, so check carefully. Cool about 10 – 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Happy baking!

 

In Defense of Butter

Butter vs. margarine: the debate has been going on for quite a while now and, as with many debates, there is no easy answer to this one. Search the internet and you will find about as many sites favoring butter over margarine as those that favor margarine over butter. Here are some with the best arguments, both ways:

• The Dairy Farmers of Canada are pro butter (no surprise there)
• The National Association of Margarine Manufacturers are pro margarine (surprised?)
• BreakTheChain has information on an e-mail you might have seen along with facts on both butter and margarine

For myself, I vote for butter. Why? Do you have some margarine in the fridge? Go and read the list of ingredients on the package. Do you feel you need a degree in chemistry to understand what’s in the product? Check out this article at Chemical & Engineering News about the ingredients in margarine. Now, do you have some butter? Here’s the list of ingredients from my tub butter: cream, salt. Pretty simple. I’ve also got some salt-free butter that says: cream. I’ve read many health food articles which advise you to eat simple, whole foods that have been processed as little as possible. I think that is good advice.

Too much of anything, butter or margarine, is not good for you. However, butter has been used by humans for thousands of years. If it was so bad for us, why have we used it for so long?

Want more information? Check out this Wikipedia article on butter and this one on margarine.

 

Banana Bread Recipe

I have an old cookbook that was my mom’s that I still use. The copyright date on it is 1963 but the pictures all look like something out of a 1950’s TV sitcom. The book is full of all kinds of helpful information such as cooking vocabulary, how to measure stuff, how to store stuff, and even a section on wine. Very handy.

Anyway, I wanted to share my version of the banana bread recipe from the book. This is a favorite of mine (and those I share the bread with). I’ll start with the list of ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons wheat bran
oat bran
2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup salt-free butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed, ripe bananas (about 2 or 3 depending on their size)
Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg (fresh ground is best), and a little vanilla extract

Thoroughly grease (I use Crisco here) a 9″x5″x3″ loaf pan, making sure to cover every nook and corner then dust it with flour. Start the oven heating to 365 degrees (F).
Cream the butter and sugar together. Once it is well mixed add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy (use a mixer as this takes about 4 minutes).
Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together.
Reduce the speed on the mixer to low and add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Then add about 1/3 of the mashed bananas, continue adding some flour and then some banana until everything is incorporated.
Pour the mix into the loaf pan. Sprinkle the oat bran on top of the loaf. Cook for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Because I use a glass loaf pan I reduce the cooking temperature to 325 degrees (F) and the cook time by 10 minutes. If your not sure of your oven you might want to get an oven thermometer so you can see what the actual temperature is.

There are many ways to serve this bread. I love to heat a slice and put butter and honey on it. Carefully wrapped it will store well in the freezer for up to 6 months (mine never last that long), and it should keep in the fridge for up to a month (I only know this because I forgot part of a loaf and found that it was still good).

Happy baking!

 

Olive Oil

I had already decided to write about olive oil this week, but then I found this article posted as the Article of the Day on Refdesk: “Jeanne Louise Calment, who died at 122 years and 164 days of age, lived to be the oldest person on record. She reportedly attributed her longevity and relatively youthful appearance (for her age) to olive oil, which she said she poured on all her food and rubbed into her skin.”

Olive oil offers many benefits to those who use it regularly because it is rich in monounsaturated fats, most notably oleic acid. If you go for regular medical checkups no doubt you’ve had a blood test to measure your cholesterol levels. Since olive oil, especially extra-virgin olive oil, is so high in monounsaturated fats it is an excellent addition to your daily diet. It can’t hurt to add something to your diet that is proven to reduce the risk of two common causes of death: heart attacks and stroke. Check out this short article at the Mayo Clinic.

While I am unable to locate the article I do remember studies done on people who eat a Mediterranean diet (one rich in olive oil) that showed they had lower cholesterol levels with fewer heart attacks than those with different dietary habits. If you’ve looked at the recipes that I’ve posted here you will notice that I always use olive oil. I’d love to tell you that my cholesterol levels are great but since I don’t have health insurance it’s been a long time since I’ve been to the doctor. Hopefully the olive oil will keep me healthy so I don’t have to go!

Here are some other articles you might want to check out:

• What’s for Dinner: Health Benefits of Olive Oil
• Science Daily: New Potential Health Benefit Of Olive Oil For Peptic Ulcer Disease
• Better Health Channel: Weight Loss Benefits (sounds great to me!)

Olive oil doesn’t work in all cooking situations, but you can use it for the majority of your cooking. I use it when cooking things I like (but which aren’t so good for me) such as bacon, sausage, or hamburgers. I’d read somewhere that the olive oil pulls out the saturated fats from the meat making it not so bad for you. Also, there are many different grades of olive oil. If you are confused about which to purchase, check out this article here.

Here’s to happy and healthy living!

 

Yogurt

I love yogurt and try to eat some every day. Many years ago when I was first starting to study vitamins and healthy eating I read an article that said eating yogurt would help you to live longer. Can’t find that article now since it has been about 30 years since I read it, but there is a lot of other information out there on the health benefits of yogurt. First though, if you are going to purchase it be sure to get the kind that has “active cultures” in it. Not sure which kind to get? Check out this article.

The Leaf Lady has some good information on yogurt, although she spells it differently:
Yoghurt is an ancient wonder food, strongly antibacterial and anti-cancer. A cup or two of yoghurt a day boosts immune functioning by stimulating production of gamma interferon. Also spurs activity of natural killer cells that attack viruses and tumors. A daily cup of yoghurt reduced colds and other upper respiratory infections in humans. Helps prevent and cure diarrhea. A daily cup of yoghurt with acidophilus cultures prevents vaginitis (yeast infections) in women. Full fat yoghurt helps fight bone problems, such as osteoporosis, because of high available calcium content. Acidophilus yoghurt cultures neutralize cancer-causing agents in the intestinal tract. Plain old yoghurt with L bulgaricus and S. thermophilus cultures, both live and dead, blocked lung cancers in animals. Yoghurt with live cultures is safe for people with lactose intolerance.

In reality it is not the yogurt but the bacterial cultures that it contains that are so beneficial to your overall health. Some of the potential benefits indicated in studies using probiotics (definition: Live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.):

• Bowel regularity
• Preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea
• Reducing symptoms associated with lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome
• Reducing diarrhea (from illness) in children
• Enhancing the immune system and reducing allergic response
• Decreasing severity of gut inflammation, inflammatory bowel disease, and gastro-enteritis
• Reducing the risk of colorectal cancer

Some last sources of information:

• Canadian Living has a lengthy article
• WebMD has information
• eSsortment has a short article with some of the health benefits of yogurt

Lastly, many of the references listed here also include recipes for both making your own yogurt and using yogurt. Enjoy!

 

Comfort food

Who doesn’t need something to make them feel better from time to time? Unfortunately comfort food has somewhat of a bad rap. When most people think of comfort foods they think of high calories, something that tastes wonderful but which is decidedly not good for you.

Well, here’s a recipe for a comfort food that, with a few simple additions, not only makes you feel good but is good for you. It’s an old recipe which I got from a wonderful lady that I think of as my mom. She got it from a box of stuffing mix, but they don’t print it any more. I’ve tweaked it a bit, adding more ingredients and a marinade for the chicken.

Now, I’m not one for measuring stuff (I’m of the “that looks good” measuring process), so here is the general idea: I base everything on the number of packages of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts that I use (generally 3 per package). The quantities below are for one package, just increase as needed.

1 package boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 box Stouffer’s chicken dressing mix (yes, you can make your own dressing, but this is quicker)
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup (go with the low sodium variety)
Vegetables: onions, celery hearts, carrots, mushrooms
Wheat bran
Seasonings: Mrs. Dash, turmeric, sage, cayenne pepper, parsley

At least 3 hours before cooking the chicken, make up the following and let the chicken soak. You can even do this the day before:
1 cup of water
1 tsp of salt
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tblsp balsamic vinegar
poultry seasoning
sage
I put the whole thing in a zip lock bag, add the chicken, mix everything about a bit and place the bag in a dish (in case something springs a leak) in the fridge.

- Chop all the vegetables - the amount is up to you: 1 large or 2 small onions, 4 or 5 ribs of celery, I use about 1/2 pound of baby carrots, 1/2 lb mushrooms; you can also add garlic, elephant garlic (interesting stuff, it is not a member of the garlic family but a leak, wonderful taste), green or red bell pepper; the nice thing about this dish is you can mix and match a lot of different things or whatever you find handy in the fridge.
- Save the leafy green tops of the celery for the dressing mix - I just do a rough chop on it and then add it to the dressing after mixing it up as per the box directions. You can even add some of the celery if you chop it fine. Oh, I add about 1/4 cup of the wheat bran to the cooked dressing.
- Sweat the vegetables with some olive oil until softened. Add them to a casserole dish with the soup.
- Cook the chicken. I generally chop the chicken into bite sized pieces before cooking. I also use Mrs. Dash to season the chicken, the turmeric, and some cayenne pepper for zest.
- Add the chicken to the casserole dish and mix with the other stuff. If it seems too dry, add more soup.  Season the whole thing with some of the Mrs. Dash and parsley. I also add a tablespoon or so of the wheat bran to this as well.
- Top with the dressing mix.
- Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until the dressing is golden and the dish bubbles around the edges.

Enjoy!