honey wheat bread

Honey wheat bread

I'm working with a new piece of kitchen equipment -- a Zojirushi bread maker -- and it's making me think a lot about my mom, Margaret Juzwik, who made six loaves of bread each week to feed the six mouths in our family. Indeed, she gave me the bread machine as a Christmas gift. It has occasioned a bread-making exploration in the past few weeks, a great winter past-time.  Here's the most recent effort, which worked well. It's a hit with Maudemarie, Elliot, and Lydia.

1 1/2 cups water
3 cups white bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cut nutritional yeast
4 generous tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons powdered milk
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Pour it all, in order, into the bread machine and voila!

Mom's chicken soup

Mom's chicken soup

Homemade chicken soup bears amazing healing properties. This recipe comes from my mother, Margaret Juzwik. Like her, I often make this soup with leftover turkey, often the day after Thanksgiving, but Mom's original recipe calls for chicken.

5 quarts turkey or chicken broth
4 C (or more) chopped chicken (cooked or uncooked)
1 C celery
1/2 C celery leaves
1/4 C onion, finely chopped
2 t salt (or more,
pepper to taste
bay leaf

1/2 C parsley
1 C peas
1 C carrots
2 C green beans
2 C egg noodles (I never put 'em in, but sometimes I use 3/4 C wild rice)

1/4 C butter
1/4 C flour (I usually use oat flour)


1. Add liquid and everything up to bay leaf. Also add rice, if using.

2. Simmer for an hour. Then add parsley and veggies. Simmer until tender. Add noodles, if using.

3. Melt butter in small frying pan. Slowly stir in flour, whisking constantly. Add small amounts of broth from pot and keep adding and stirring until smooth. When you have 1-1 1/2 C, then add to pot and stir.  Simmer for another 15 minutes.

Note: If I want a lighter soup, I leave out the butter and flour.

Mediterranean Chicken Soup

Mediterranean Chicken Soup

On a cold snowy January afternoon, a pot of broth had simmered away on the stove for nearly 24 hours.  I craved chicken soup, but something different from the usual fare. Some recently thawed roma tomatoes and 2 partially eaten rotisserie chickens -- the bones were used for broth -- also needed to be used. So here is what I developed. It passed the kitty sniff test, and Maudemarie said it tasted like chicken tacos...perhaps because of the oregano?  

4 quarts chicken broth (approximately) - homemade broth is ideal
4-5 cups chopped cooked chicken meat
2 cups roma tomatoes, pureed in blender (or a 32 oz can tomato puree would probably be equivalent)
1 large fennel bulb, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 small garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon (or more) oregano
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoon salt
pepper, to taste
3 medium russet potatoes (I used baked potatoes, but fresh potatoes would also work)
3 cups green beans (frozen work just fine)
parmesan (sprinkled on top)

Bring broth to boil. Combine all ingredients except green beans (unless the potatoes are already cooked, in which case wait on them also). Simmer for an hour or so. Add the green beans and simmer for another 15+ minutes, until cooked. Other vegetables can also be added, as desired, although I enjoyed the simplicity of this combination, sprinkled with parmesan and freshly ground pepper, served with a crusty slice of bread.

Recipe Links

Recipe links

This page tracks some favorites from the web...

Butternut macaroni and cheese (Martha Stewart): https://www.marthastewart.com/337716/macaroni-and-cheese-with-butternut-squas
(notes: I bake 20-30 minutes, uncovered, at 400 degrees, load it up with parmesan on top (skipping the olive oil), and sub cottage cheese for ricotta. I also use 3 C previously prepared squash or pumpkin puree.)

Feta-brined chicken (Melissa Clark): https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017152-feta-brined-roast-chicken

Red lentil, chicken, and fennel slow cooker soup (Katie Workman): https://themom100.com/recipe/red-lentil-fennel-and-chicken-slow-cooker-soup-2/#comment-24962 (notes: I like this with turkey meat and broth, and with cilantro rather than parsley).

Grandma's Anything Goes Strata
(Food Network)

My sister-in-law Jodi just shared a new blog with me -- can't wait to try these recipes!
https://www.skinnytaste.com/zucchini-lasagna/
https://www.skinnytaste.com/cauliflower-fried-rice/

Frozen desserts to try
https://thebusybaker.ca/blackberry-mint-frozen-yogurt/ -- try this!! looks amazing!!
https://cookieandkate.com/2015/mango-lassi-frozen-yogurt/
https://www.highheelsandgrills.com/skinny-blueberry-frozen-yogurt/
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chocolate-gelato-101903
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11954-lemon-gelato

Grilled Chicken Tenders
https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/grilled-chicken-tenders/
(This recipe is so simple: for 1 lb chicken tenders, 1/4 C olive oil, 2 T lemon juice, 2 t Italian seasoning, 1 clove minced garlic, 3/4 t salt, 1/4 t pepper). Mix and marinate for up to 8 hours.

Texas sheet cake

Texas Sheet Cake

I haven't done the research to learn the origins of this recipe, but I got it from my mother, Margaret Juzwik, who used to make it for me on my birthdays as a child, because I always requested it!  I recently made it for Maudemarie's 9th birthday party and doubled the recipe to use a 15 X 22 inch cookie sheet.  It's perfect for serving to lots of people at a party!  And she loved it:)

Set oven for 400 degrees. Oil rimmed cookie sheet or use parchment paper.

Whisk together:
2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Set aside.

Bring to boil:
1 C butter
3 T cocoa
1 C water

Add to the flour mixture while still hot. Stir till smooth.

Add:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Beat smooth.

Combine: 
1 t soda and 
1/2 c buttermilk

Add to mixture and beat in until well blended. Pour onto cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool, then make frosting.

Frosting

Bring to boil and whisk constantly to avoid burning: 
1/2 C butter
3 T cocoa 
5 T milk
1 t vanilla

Remove from heat and add:

3 1/2 C powdered sugar.

Stir till smooth. Spread on cake when cooled.

Crab Meat Dip

Crab Meat Dip

8 oz. cream cheese
1 T milk
6 oz. crab meat
2 T onion, finely chopped
1 t horseradish
1 t mustard
1/4 t salt
a bit of garlic

Combine cream cheese and milk. Add other ingredients. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Monkey Bread

Monkey Bread
This version comes from my Aunt Linda! They are so good on a misty Maine morning.

3 pkg buttermilk biscuits (10/pkg)
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 t cinnamon
1/2 c brown sugar
1 stick butter

Cut biscuits into 1/4s & roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Put into bundt pan. Add remaining cinnamon sugar on top. Boil butter & brown sugar. Pour over biscuits. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.