What's for Dinner? Onion Straws

A couple of years ago I was making hamburgers and onion rings and decided to attempt some onion straws.  After a quick search, I found a recipe on the Pioneer Woman website.  (Here is the original link.)  The following recipe is the PW recipe tweaked to my liking:

PW’s Onion Straws

Ingredients:
1 large onion
2 c. milk
2 tsp. lemon juice or white vinegar
2 c. flour
1 scant Tbsp. salt
1 ½ - 2 tsp. black pepper
¼ to ½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Oil

Directions:
Mix the milk and lemon juice or vinegar together and set to the side (This is a quick buttermilk substitute). Slice the onion very thinly using a mandoline or a sharp knife. With your fingers, toss the onion slices until the onion rings are separated.  Place the onion pieces in the milk/lemon juice mixture and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better). 

Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

Heat oil to 375-400 degrees.

Once the oil is heated, take a handful of onions from the milk and toss them into the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour and place the onions into the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat until all the onions are fried.

Eat before anyone else sees them! Repeat with another onion!

Notes: Do not be tempted to put all the onions in the flour at once because the flour mixture gets soggy on the onions before you fry them, and the result is a tougher texture.

Serve with the sauce for Bloomin’ Onion Petals. 
Good on top of burgers!

No picture....just imagine string, thin slices of lightly golden batter dipped goodness!  Mmmmm!

Breakfast....a morning delight? Quick and Easy - Fried Rice

Breakfast is one of my least favorite times to cook.  It is not because I don't like the food - it is merely the time of day it is happening!  I am a morning person and -- much to my not-a-morning husband's dismay -- that is when I am most alert and talkative. All the pent up, overnight, energy-building sleep just explodes and...whew!  Did I mention that my husband is NOT a morning person?  There has been many a time that Jason has not-so-subtly told me to be quiet and leave him alone in the morning because...it is morning and time to be quiet.  (Brenda Holman, I know you can appreciate what I am saying! 😉)

I was not always a morning person.  Growing up in the Hasty home, a full breakfast was an everyday occurrence.  Early morning was an EVERY day event.  Whether you had just returned from an overnight birthday party or had a friend over and indulged a little too long in the midnight hour, there was never a reason to sleep the day away unless you were dying. When the sun was up, it was time to get up.  If you needed sleep, you should have gone to bed earlier. The only reprieve was when mom would take pity and let me go back to bed after dad left for work.  Looking back, I realize Mom probably allowed me to return to bed because I was a nightmare (and still am....Sorry Jason!) when I am tired.

Many times, 6:00-6:30 (yes that is A.M.) would roll around, even in the summertime or on the weekend, and we would get the call, "Get up.  It's time to eat." Oh, the agony!  Of course, that late-night revelry was clearly worth it, but breakfast was the last thing I wanted, having just gone to bed a few short hours earlier. After a groggy, head-bobbing breakfast of pretending to be awake and alert, I would listen for the sound of the front door closing and dad leaving, knowing that mom would allow me a little more sleep. Shhh....don't tell my dad. Thanks, mom! At the time, being forced to get up, eat breakfast, and start the day was torture, but I survived!  It was character building!  And Dad....now I willingly get up (when I am there visiting) at 6:00 A.M. and talk your head off while you are trying to read! 😊

Back to breakfast....I can say we had a real, homecooked breakfast probably 95% of my childhood.  The breakfast was either bacon and eggs, biscuits with gravy or cooked fruit preserves, or an egg dish of some sort with a meat and bread side.  We did have cereal on occasion when dad was away at men's breakfast meeting or out of town, but that was rare. My mom cooked. Yes...the biscuits, as well as everything else (including the jelly canned at some point), was made from scratch! My mother rose EVERY morning and prepared breakfast for the family before my dad left for work around 6:30.  Again, thank you, Mom! 

Along with the homecooked food, there was always a small glass of juice and a larger glass of milk.  Oh, how I detested drinking milk, 2% milk! The combination of milk and eggs NEVER sat well with me.  I tasted it the entire day at school.  PLEASE, PEOPLE, do not pity me.  I know that in today's world it would probably be considered child abuse if a parent made their kid eat a well-balanced breakfast that they didn't want to eat.  I was NOT abused, I was just strongly encouraged to obey and not to complain about it.  Besides, I don't think my mother ever knew about my dislike of eggs and milk, especially together, until I was grown and moved out of the house (if she even knows now). 

As for the milk, I still do not drink it willingly unless it is accompanied by a brownie, cookie, or some other delightful delicacy.  Also, marriage brought along the discovery of the pink-lidded, skim milk. Much more palatable in my opinion! And...by the way, my parents still arise at the crack of dawn (make that before the crack of dawn) to walk, read, and then eat breakfast, usually all done before 7:00 A.M.  Yes, I still sit down and eat with them, although now I do it willingly and do not drink the milk!

Breakfast and I still do not agree.  The time set forth for "breaking the fast" can not occur at the crack of dawn for me.  My stomach just doesn't do mornings.  I wake up and make my coffee first thing in the morning, but oftentimes, 10:00-10:30 in the morning comes along and I get a bit light-headed and realize, "Oh! I need to eat!" 

As much as I like to cook, I do not enjoy cooking in the morning.  For me, it needs to be already prepared burritos, egg muffins, a bagel, or something else quick and easy to fix.  That is what led me to this post. 

This morning, I knew I needed to eat something because I had a long day ahead of me and would be driving out-of-town with a friend for a doctor's appointment.  I opened the refrigerator with my typical "yuck!" feeling.  Nothing ever sounds good to me first thing in the morning except coffee!  After perusing the fridge, I found some left-over white rice and mixed veggies and decided on fried rice.  Here is how I made it:

Quick and Easy Fried Rice

Ingredients:
1½-2 c. cooked white rice
1 strip of bacon, cooked and cut into pieces
½-1 c. cooked mixed vegetables
1-1½ Tbsp. soy sauce
garlic powder, to taste
onion powder, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 egg

Directions:

Crack the egg in the skillet over medium heat.  Begin stirring immediately and cook until done.  Add in the rice, veggies, bacon, soy sauce, and seasonings, tasting to get the flavor you desire. Stir over medium heat until thoroughly heated.  Remove from stove and serve. 

This was a quick, filling morning treat.  You can use ham or bacon, 1 or  2 eggs, adjusting it to fit your taste and what you might have in the fridge.  It took about 3-4 minutes from start to finish to be ready to eat.

Happy breakfasting!

What's for dinner? Sweet and Sour Chicken

I have no idea where this recipe originally came from or what the original recipe looked like, but several years ago, I was looking for a recipe for sweet and sour chicken that was at least similar to the one found in our local Chinese restaurant.  Of course, when I pictured sweet and sour sauce, I immediately imagined the bright red...unnaturally red... sauce found in a large warming pan at the end of a bar at a Chinese buffet.  Actually, I did not even eat sweet and sour chicken (even on the buffets) until first having it at Hunan Restaurant in Jefferson City, Missouri. Yum!

July 2019
Hunan in Jefferson City, Missouri
Notice the bright red sauce

In my quest to mimic this delightful sweetness, I discovered that the red in the sauce was the result of oodles of red food coloring.  

After searching and experimenting, I found a tasty sauce that --as you will see in the photos to follow-- is not red at all. However, I assure you it is sweet and has the perfect amount of tangy sourness! For the chicken, I found a Long John Silvers copycat chicken batter recipe, adjusted it to better fit the fried chicken chunks for sweet and sour chicken, and voilà...Sweet and Sour Chicken!  

Important note:  Don't forget to begin cooking your rice when you start preparing your meal.  When I made this meal today, the chicken was fried and the sauce perfected.  I called my husband to tell him it was ready. He sauntered into the kitchen and asked, "Do we get rice with this meal?"  Whomp, whomp, whomp...I had totally forgotten the rice.

Hope you enjoy!

Let's begin:

Prepare the batter by mixing together all of the dry ingredients. 

Add in the egg and water.  

Mix until well blended. 

Look at those nice bubbles.  

This will help the chicken have the fluffy, textured batter.

Add in the chicken. 

Heat oil to 375-400°.  Drop in the chicken pieces and fry until golden brown.  Do not put too many pieces of chicken in the oil at a time. You want the chicken to have space to fry all around.  Fry until a deep golden brown, approximately 5-6 minutes.  Remove from oil and place on a towel to drain.  At this point, taste a piece of the chicken to make sure it is as tasty as it looks.  

Continue the process until all the chicken is fried.  While frying, make sure you take the time to dip a piece of the fried chicken into the sauce that you have prepared along the way. Be prepared to slap away the hands of those wandering through the kitchen attempting to taste the crunchy goodness!

While the chicken is frying, begin making the sauce.  


Prepare the bell pepper by cutting cored and seeded pepper into 1-inch chunks.  I usually use only red peppers, but I had some yellow on-hand and decided to try something new. You can also chop up onions in large chunks if you want to add them as well.  The onions are optional but a nice addition.

Place the sugar, water, vinegar, oil (1 tsp.), soy sauce, salt, and garlic in a pan and bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Make a slurry of cornstarch and water. Stir it into the boiling sugar mixture.  Make sure you constantly stir the sauce at this point.  It will thicken quickly and you don't want it to clump or burn.  

Continue cooking and stirring constantly until the mixture is thickened.   As the mixture thickens, it will take on a more glassy appearance. 

After about 10-15 seconds, the sauce will be gelled.  It is now time to add in the vegetables and an 8 ounce of pineapple chunks, juice and all.  Stir it all together and turn off the heat.

Set the sauce aside until the chicken is finished.  Did you try your chicken?  Go ahead and dip a couple of pieces.  Cooks privilege.

When all the chicken is fried, it is time to call the troops and dish it up.  Place a big scoop of rice on a plate, grab a handful of chicken pieces and plop 'em on top of the rice, and ladle a healthy serving of sauce right on top.  Delish!

I had some homegrown zucchini that I fried up with the leftover batter.

This is a delectable recipe for sweet and sour chicken, and it is fairly quick to make.  It takes about 40-45 minutes from start to finish (once you know what you are doing).  Here is the recipe without pictures:

Sweet and Sour Chicken 

Chicken Pieces

Ingredients:

 ¾ c. flour

¼ c. cornstarch

½ tsp. seasoning salt

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

1 egg

¾ c. water

Directions:

Mix ingredients together until smooth.  Dip chicken pieces and deep fry at 350-400º until golden brown. 

Sweet and Sour Sauce 

Ingredients:

 ½ c. sugar

½ c. chicken broth or water

⅓ c. white vinegar

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. soy sauce

¼ tsp. salt

1 spoonful minced garlic

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. cold water

1 small red bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces

8 oz. can of pineapple chunks

Directions:

Heat together sugar, broth, vinegar, oil, soy sauce, salt and garlic to boiling over medium-high heat.  Stir occasionally.  Mix cornstarch and water.  Stir into sugar mixture.  Cook and stir about 10 seconds or until thickened.  Stir in bell pepper and pineapple.  Serve with chicken and rice. 

Hints:  If the sauce becomes too thick, add some additional water to reach the desired consistency.

I have found that jasmine rice The Instant Pot Jasmine rice recipe found here is an easy way to make perfect rice.  

If you need the "red" to make it feel authentic American Chinese buffet worthy, go ahead and add in some red food coloring to meet your satisfaction. 😉

Back to the Blog

After several years of quiet, I have decided to try blogging again.  Life has changed a great deal in the last nine years with children growing up, one moving out, and my job as a "Mommy" transitioning to "Mom."  I started to say my time as a mom coming to a close, but I know that the job of mom doesn't ever truly end, rather it changes.

When I first started this blog in 2010, it was my way of sharing things I had learned and tweaked to make life fun and easier for me and my family.  It was for sharing some of our homeschool experiences as well as my love of cooking.  I needed an outlet to just share.  While my purpose is still much the same, I know that the focus has changed because I have changed. In essence, I want to share me. 

One thing I want to accomplish with this blog....at this point....is to share recipes that I have used and enjoyed. I really enjoy cooking.  I love tweaking recipes.  I relish a challenge.  The challenge of making a copycat recipe has always been exciting to me; however, focusing on real everyday-ingredient recipes is an important area I hope to target.  So many times while searching online for something to make for dinner, many of the recipes seemed to have an unusual ingredient or two that I didn't an on-hand item.  Sometimes I don't even have a clue what it is.  Hint:  If I have to Google something to find out what it is...I probably don't have it. 😏

Sometimes when you come home from a busy day either at work or at play, you need to just fix something quick and easy to be able to advance to that coveted relaxation moment when dinner is done and put away. I've been there, frequently.  Sometimes it is nice to be able to grab that frozen burrito or pizza, throw it in the oven, and add a side of broccoli to make it healthy! Yes, we always have a stash of the processed food for such occasions because while my husband loves a good homecooked meal, he thankfully also loves the frozen burritos, pizzas, and chicken nuggets! I have it pretty easy. 😊 

Just a note: simple recipes are sometimes just as quick (and almost as easy) as the frozen option.  That is why I want to take the time to document recipes that this downhome, Midwest, Missouri transitioned to Oklahoma girl would make on a regular basis.

Addendum:  As stated before, I also enjoy challenges so I will be recording unusual recipes that I make for the pure enjoyment of cooking!  Finding and creating semi-off-the-wall foods makes cooking more interesting.  Exploring different ideas, different cultural foods, and different methods of food preparation creates variety and spice in life.  A little Chinese one day, a little Mexican the next keeps life flavorful!

If there is a recipe that you have or enjoy, feel free to share.  I would love to try new things, and often the best recipes are the recipes shared with friends!

The Perfect White Rice in an Instant Pot

I have had my Instant Pot for about a month now and have found my favorite thing, thus far, to make in it...RICE!  It is so easy and has turned out perfect every time. 

In a previous post, I talked about making wild rice, but since then, I have made white rice several times and have decided that my IP is worth it just for cooking rice.  Being able to set it and walk away is wonderful.  It has worked every time to produce the perfect rice texture.  The original directions I used are found at Perfect Pressure Cooker Recipes.

Here is how I make Perfect White Rice in my Instant Pot:
Ingredients 
1 cup rice
1 cup water
¼ - ½ salt (optional)

Instructions

1. Rinse the rice under cold water for a couple of minutes to wash off some of the outer starches. Drain it well.
2. Place the rice, water, and salt (optional) in the Instant Pot.
3. Close the lid and cook at MANUAL HIGH PRESSURE for 3 minutes. 
   After the 3 minutes, use the natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then finish with the quick release.
4. Remove the lid carefully and fluff the rice.

NOTES:

• Rice doubles as it cooks, so one cup of dry rice yields 2 cups of cooked rice.
• You can increase the amount of rice just make sure you use equal rice to water ratio and rinse the rice thoroughly.
• Jasmine rice is my favorite white rice.  It has a wonderful texture.  
• I have made it both with the salt and without, and I don't see much of a difference.

The Instant Pot has arrived!

Three days of waiting and my Instant Pot finally arrived yesterday.  After reading a myriad of “directions” and suggestions, I couldn’t wait to cook with it.  I finally opened the box to go through everything and had a moment of slight panic.  There were/are a lot of directions!  I had no idea what I was doing, and while I am fairly proficient at using a pressure cooker, this machine was a different story.  I began reading.

First up, I ran the beginner's water test.  Basically you run your machine through on high pressure for 2 minutes with 2 cups of water in the pan.  It is meant as a practice run.  Next, I had to figure out what to make.  Since I had wanted a rice cooker for so long, I decided I would start with wild rice.  While the Instant Pot manual came with a general rundown of instructions for cooking several types of foods, including rice, the instructions were very vague.  Scouring the internet, my confusion began mounting because there were so many different sets of instruction for making the rice.  The amounts of water and cooking time were all different…for the same kind of rice! 

I just decided to pick one.  Here is what I did:

1.5 cups wild rice

1.5 cups water

Pour the rice and water in the bottom of the Instant Pot insert.  Put the lid on in locking position.  Make sure the valve is on sealing.  Press the “Multigrain” button.  Sit back and wait. 

I must admit I was a bit disappointed in the amount of time it took to complete the cycle.  During the cooking process, it completes a soak for the rice before building up steam and finally releasing the pressure after 35 minutes.  The taste and texture, though, were perfect. 

Now for the good and the bad:

Good:

1.  I was able to set the rice to cook and walk away from it.  This was the best part!  When you make rice on the stove, you have to be close at hand the entire time from bringing the water to boil until it is done. 
2. This rice did not boil over and did not stick to the pan like stove top rice making tends to do.
3. It has a warming function so the rice was warm when we were ready to eat.

Bad:

1.  It took about 65 minutes to complete.  Normal time would be 30 minutes plus the time to get the water boiling.

So far, I just “like” the Instant Pot.  When I began reading about it, I thought it was a device that would allow me to get foods done more quickly, which was my biggest draw.  Unfortunately, I did not see the time-saving with rice cooking.  The 20 minute pressure build up seemed to take forever.  The convenience of being able to start things and walk away was a plus.  It was a bit stressful and there seems to be so much to learn, but I think with time I will learn to use it more proficiently and will enjoy using it.

Ode to the Instant Pot

Mmmm....cooking.  I really like cooking.  The smile on someone's face when you bring them that slice of warm chocolate cake or fresh baked bread is very satisfying.  I love to try new recipes, old recipes, copycat recipes, etc. Cooking brings me such pleasure.  Creating new dishes brings fulfillment. Visiting a kitchen store makes me giddy.  So, here I sit excitedly awaiting my newest kitchen appliance!  The Instant Pot!  For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Instant Pot,  it is a multi-function appliance that, according to www.instantpot.com , “...has 7 commonly used kitchen appliances in 1; Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice/Porridge Cooker, Yogurt Maker, Sauté/Searing, Steamer, and Warmer.”  

I first heard about the Instant Pot several months back when my mother-in-law mentioned having purchased one and really liking it.  At first, I could not justify one more gadget.  However, the taco soup she made for us during our recent visit was wonderful, and it got me to thinking that …..if I purchased the instant pot, I could replace my crock pot, eliminate one of my three pressure cookers, and get the rice cooker that I have wanted for 18 years...all in one device! After all, I had been looking for a new crock pot because I wanted to upgrade to a programmable one that I could actually set a temperature on, and it was going to cost $60-80 for the replacement.  As for the pressure cookers, I have three: a 6 quart, a 8 quart, and a huge canning cooker. I  will be able to get rid of the 6 quart, at least. I would be able to eliminate some extra clutter from our kitchen and get my coveted …rice cooker. 

It is a fairly rare occasion that I will just decide to purchase something for myself.  I love to shop for my husband and kids but seldom have anything that I want badly enough to actually buy for me because I don't like to spend money....translated....I'm cheap!.  A friend had gifted me some money recently.  Sunday, I made the decision to buy the Instant Pot.  I began scouring the internet to figure out what model would best suit our family and what store had the best price. I asked my husband and he was all for it, or at least he was until I inundated him with question after question filling him with far more knowledge about the Instant Pot that I am sure he ever wanted to know.. 

You see, there are several sizes and models to choose from – 3 qt., 5 qt., 6 qt., and 8 qt.  Then there is the LUX, DUO, ULTRA, and Smart Bluetooth.  So much to decide.  I read articles. I contacted my mother-in-law.   I talked to my husband...again. At one point I found myself backing out of it all together and trying to decide if I really wanted one at all.  I hate making decisions, especially when more than one decision will work.

Finally, this article by DadsCookDinner, helped me decide.  Before reading this post, I had all but hit purchase on the 8 quart DUO80. It was when I read his last paragraph that I made my decision. He had purchased the 8 quart but had reverted back to the 6 quart for his family of 5 because of the size. I knew that I did not want an item so big that I dreaded getting it out of the cabinet.  While the 8 quart would have probably been nice at times (and I even second guess myself now!!), I know that for most things the 6 quart will be sufficient. 

After much stress and debate, I hit the purchase on the Instant Pot DUO60 from Kohls.com.  After the discounts and free shipping, it was $89.51.  It is set to arrive tomorrow.  So far, I have joined two Facebook recipe idea groups and started collecting recipes that I would like to try.  There are recipes galore all over the internet.  Looking forward to my new Instant Pot adventure!

What's for dinner? - Ozark Apple Pudding

Mmm...mmm...good!  I was online yesterday and found a recipe for Ozark Apple Pudding.  It was on the website TastyKitchen.com. This particular recipe was in the blog tab in the step-by-step recipes.
 
When we found the recipe, both Savannah and I agreed that it was a must that we try it today. While I would not consider it a pudding as the title would suggest, it is a wonderful apple cake and was so easy to make. There is a step-by-step recipe with pictures here. It smelled wonderful while it was baking and was moist and delicious when it was eaten!

I did a couple of things different.  First off, I used 1 cup of cinnamon flavored apple sauce for one cup of the oil and only used 1/4 cup of oil.  I also left off the nuts...one - we were out of them and two - I am not really crazy about nuts in my cakes, cookies, or breads.

Just a heads up...I also made the coconut granola from the same blog area (here is the recipe).  It turned out alright and would have been much better had I not forgotten it in the oven.  It turned out a little on the brown side but was still pretty good.  The kids enjoyed eating it as cereal with milk on top.
 

Scholastic Website Thanksgiving Webcast and Activities

Last year, we took part in the Scholastic Thanksgiving Webcast as part of our November activities.  We were able to watch a live production of an interview with "Pilgrims," see various buildings and tools that were used during the Pilgrim era, and learn a little about their way of life.

Last week, I received an email announcing that the Thanksgiving activities were available again this year.  One example of an upcoming activity takes place on November 9th at 1 p.m. ET. There is a  "Tour the Wampanoag Homesite" that will be available for viewing online.  The website offers many other interesting activities and is really a fun way of learning a little about the past. For those of you interested in signing up, follow the link here.  This will take you to the sign-up page.

We received our first Pilgrim email today.  It is a letter from a Pilgrim child telling about the journey on the ship to the New World.  This letter has links to a Thanksgiving unit and other audio versions of "letters from Pilgrims." We look forward to following the site a few days at a time up until our Thanksgiving break.  It will be a chance to see what we remember from last year's unit and what new things we can discover.

Annual Trip to the Pear Trees

This morning started out with a round of beautiful fall weather.  The temperature was perfect.  Of course, our Oklahoma fall wind was coming in strong, but it was at least not cold.  We decided to take a nature hike and head to the pear trees.  We had not checked on the pears this year and were wondering just what we would find.  

Last year the pear were abundant (here is the post). However, this year...there was not a single pear to be had.  Out of the 3 trees in the grove, there were no pears in sight.  Now, we have the quest to try and solve the mystery of why.  Could it be the extreme drought? Maybe it was just a "sleeper" year for the trees. I am leaning more toward the drought because there was so much vegetation that was destroyed.  Our area was really hit hard.  

Anyway, we still have some pears from last year in the freezer so we just have to wait until next year to see if the pears return.