In the depths of winter, after months of comfort food, I find myself craving veggies and fruit. In the cold weather season I am often making more starchy heavy foods, and vegetables are sometimes forgotten. In an effort to integrate more fruits and vegetables into our diet I have been making smoothies for me and my husband. I keep all of the ingredients in the freezer, so that I have them on hand. I use different ingredients almost everytime, so that I dont get bored with one flavor. The staples of my smoothies are: spinach, yogurt, banana and carrot juice. Todays smoothie included:

Mango
Pineapple
Apple
Peach
Strawberry
Blueberry
Yogurt
Carrot Juice
Spinach

Increments will depend on how much you want to make. I filled a four cup liquid measuring cup with my frozen fruit, and that made two large glasses. Feel free to experiment with adding the fruit that you like. No matter what I have tried I have not had a bad result. The smoothies never taste “healthy” and would be great for kids.

I whipped this soup up on a whim with ingredients that I had on hand. That is the beauty of soup, you can add and subtract ingredients and still get a great result. When I opened my refrigerator today before lunch I had one cup of cooked multi grain pasta, some random veggies and Italian sausage. One half hour later I ca up with a flavorful, healthy, vegetable soup. Here is the recipe, but feel free to make it your own with ingredients that you have.

Quick Vegetable Soup

1/4 pound Ground Italian Sausage
3 cups Chicken Stock
1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 cup Zucchini, small diced
1 Carrot, small diced
1 Small Potato, small diced
1 cup Cabbage, chopped
1 cup Pasta, cooked
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

Cook sausage in a medium sized saucepan, if there is an excess of grease, drain it. Add stock, canned tomatoes (with juice), and veggies. Simmer until vegetables are tender. If you have cooked the pasta ahead, add it then cook for another five minutes. If you would like, add the uncooked pasta in with the veggies and simmer until all are tender. Season to taste.

These crackers are a simple solution for your crunch craving. Made with spelt flour and multi grains they can accompany any healthy meal or light snack. They can also make a great addition to your next potluck along side a tray of cheeses or some dip.

Multi Grain Crackers
Makes about 2 dozen crackers

2 cups Flour, I prefer white spelt
1 tsp Baking Powder
½ cup Warm Water
2 ½ Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper
Grains and Seeds of your choice for sprinkling
1 Tbsp Additional Oil For Sprinkling

Combine flour, baking powder, water, oil, salt, pepper. Knead until all ingredients are well combined. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out onto a floured surface. Roll as thin as you prefer. Cut into your preferred shape then brush with olive oil. Then sprinkle with the grains and seeds of your choice. I like poppy seeds, flax seeds, rolled oats or spelt, sunflower seeds or sesame seeds. Place onto greased sheet pan and bake at 425 degrees until golden brown. Depending on the thickness bake 6-8 minutes.

After a summer of experimenting we have our pizza process down. Here are a few quick snaps of our latest experiments…

It is that time of year! No, not Christmas! Corn Season! I love fresh sweet corn and I wait until prime season to eat it on the cob. But when it is the middle of winter and I am craving a taste of summer, all I have to do is open the freezer. Every year I freeze dozens of corn, cut off of the cob in quart portions. It is easy and the process is on that I have helped with since I was little. Now, I am a bit faster at cutting it off the cob, though!

Here is a video of me demonstrating freezing corn on Good Company Today, Cleveland

Freezer Corn

4 quarts Fresh Sweet Corn
1 quart Water
1 cup Sugar
4 tsp Salt

Remove husk from corn. Cut kernels from the cob with a sharp knife. Place in a large stock pot with water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes. Then add sugar and salt, boil for five more minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Divide evenly among quart freezer bags and freeze.

If you like this simple recipe you can find more in my book, Celebrating Simplicity the Starter Kitchen. Get a copy at Barnes and Noble.com

Here are some construction and completion photos of our new wood fired oven.

Keep checking back to see all of the food I am testing out in our new oven!

After quite a long break I am ready to get back into blogging… What have a been up to in my absence? Working on a patio oasis that would rival the best of Rome… well my husband did most of it = ). The best part of it all? My new wood fired oven! With only a few cosmetic additions to go, we are almost ready to unviel it to the world. So, here is a sneak peak of our first pizza in the oven.

This pizza was surprisingly great for our first attempt! The next few attempts, lets just say our beginners luck wore off! As part of a summer series I will be sharing it all, the contruction, the cooking- the good, and burnt. Keep checking in, in a week or two we will be ready to go.

This dessert is so simple, yet so good that it is a must try for anyone with a sweet tooth! Last week we had some folks over for dinner and my husband requested cream puffs for dessert. I was not in the mood to pipe out cute little puffs, so I did this version instead. I have seeen this dessert before with cream filling and chocolate, but thought a little fruit would make it better. When I made it I made a homemade cherry filling for the bottom. But, I think canned cherry filling would be just as good in a pinch. You could also use your favorite kind of fruit, or even jam.

Cream Puff Cake

For cream puff layer:

1 stick Butter
1 cup Water
4 eggs

In a medium sized saucepan melt butter with the water. Remove from heat and let cook slightly. With a wooden spoon stir in one egg at a time. Once all combined spread batter onto the bottom of a greased 13×9 inch pan. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

For filling:

1 can Cherry Filling
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 small box Vanilla Pudding
2 cups Milk
2 cups Whipping cream
1 cup Powdered Sugar

Spread canned cherries over the puff pastry shell. Then, in a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with vanilla pudding powder and milk until smooth. Pour over cherry layer. Whip cream until soft peaks form then add powdered sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread over pudding layer.

For Ganache:

¼ cup Whipping Cream
¾ cup Chocolate Chips

In a small saucepan over low heat bring cream to a simmer then stir in chocolate chips to melt. Let cool slightly then drizzle over the top of the cream puff dessert.
Chill completed dessert for a few hours then serve. This dessert is good for up a 3 or 4 days.

It is not often that this gravy lovin’ country girl braves the world of Asian cooking… but when I do- it is oh so good! This past weekend was my Grandma’s birthday. She is a huge fan of sushi and loves Japenese food. I do not eat sushi, but love the challenge of making it. Here are some fun pictures of that good dinner… and a bonus recipe for potstickers. This recipe is a staple at every Asian themed meal I host. I created it a few years ago and I am famous for it now (at least in my small circle of friends!)

Pork Pot Stickers
Makes 30

1 lb Unseasoned Ground Pork
3 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
1/8 tsp Seracha (not sure how to spell, hot sauce)
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Green Onions
1 tsp Fresh Ginger, grated
½ cup Cornstarch (enough pull everything together)
1 cup Finely Chopped Green Cabbage
1 Tbsp Cilantro, fresh, chopped
Wonton Wrappers

Mix ingredients for filling. Lay wonton wrappers out onto the counter, then fill with 1 heaping teaspoon of filling- in the center of each square. Brush edges with egg wash, then fold in half to create a triangle. Then connect the two legs of the triangle with egg wash.
Using a steam insert for a stock pot, steam each pot sticker for 5 minutes. Once steamed, fry pot stickers in a small amount of vegetable oil until crisp on each side. The pot stickers can be stored (steamed) in the refrigerator for up to one week. Or frozen.

Sauce

1 tsp Honey
½ tsp Garlic
1 Tbsp Mustard
1 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
¼ cup Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
¼ tsp Ginger, grated fresh
¼ cup Soy Sauce
Cilantro, for garnish
Mix all ingredients for sauce and let chill for at least an hour before service.

For the sushi I made… Spicy Tuna Roll, Marinated Shrimp Roll and some sushi wrapped in rice paper- for those who don’t like Nori (me!)

Other items on the menu included: marinated shrimp, chicken and beef skewers, which were cooked at the table. Soy Pork Noodles with stir fried vegetables. Sticky Rice. Wasabi Slaw- which was the favorite item of the day. And fortune cookies which my mom made with little sayings on the inside. She is much better than I am at making things that involve patience!

My Asian themed table.

And here I am snapping a quick shot of the sushi before it was gobbled up!

These simple appetizers are so easy they can be whipped up in minutes. They also use ingredients that most people have on hand.

Swiss Cheese Crostini

1 cup Sour Cream
½ cup Mayonnaise
1 cup Swiss Cheese, shredded
3 Tbsp Italian Dressing Mix
Hearty Italian Bread

Combine sour cream, mayo, cheese and Italian dressing powder. Slice crusty bread and spread with cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

For more simple recipe ideas please be sure to check out my cookbook- Celebrating Simplicity, The Starter Kitchen. They are available on Barnes and Noble.com