Stop Saying No to Dessert

Sarah Nelson - Slow Foodie

In my article “Dancing to a Slow Jam” in which I discussed making jelly, I made the point that knowing
how to preserve food is only a good skill to have if you actually eat the food that you’ve stored away.
With that in mind, I wanted to pull out some of my delicious strawberry jelly to prove my point.

You’re in for a very special treat because as a general rule, I am not a baker. Not because I can’t bake,
mind you, but because I’m lucky enough to be married to a true baker. This man takes time researching
and perfecting his recipes so when the oven needs to be turned on, I defer to the master. However, as
gardening season begins to wind down, I find myself spending more time in the kitchen without the
canner so…….Strawberry Oatmeal Bars.

Now, I would be remiss at this point, if I didn’t tell you the nutritional benefits of the yummy concoction
we are about to make.

Strawberries: when you look at this red, heart-shaped fruit, it is practically telling you straight-away
that it’s gonna be great for your heart health by increasing HDL (good) cholesterol and lowering blood
pressure.

Strawberries are also sodium-free, fat-free, cholesterol-free and low in calories. Additionally, they are
full of fiber, antioxidants like polyphenols and vitamins. As a matter of fact, eight strawberries contain
more Vitamin C than a whole orange!

Finished Jelly

Let’s get back to the polyphenols. Polyphenol is a chemical found in plants. Strawberries contain
a polyphenol called ellagic acid. Cancer studies have shown that this acid prevents cancers of the
bladder, lung, breast, esophagus and skin. It does this by actually deactivating particular cancer-causing substances. Pretty amazing stuff.

These polyphenols have anti-inflammatory attributes as well which can help stave off things like
osteoarthritis, asthma and atherosclerosis by acting within our bodies the same way that aspirin or
ibuprofen does.

The other main ingredient of this dessert is rolled oats. If you haven’t heard enough about the
nutritional benefits of oatmeal from the Quaker Oats people, let me give you the short story. Oatmeal is also a cancer-fighting food, and similar to the strawberry, oatmeal isn’t just cholesterol-free; it actually
helps lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Now you know that this dessert is actually be good for you! Isn’t that a foreign concept? For many
people saying no to dessert has been a test of their self-discipline which, if they were able to pull it off, gave them the right to act self-righteous. They were just doing what was good for their health.

Bah humbug, I say! This recipe is a case of having your cake and eating it too.

Before I fast-forward to the recipe, here’s the other thing you should know about me: In the kitchen,
I’m lazy. I do not delight in super-complicated recipes. Julia Child and I probably would never have been friends. I believe that if cooking needs to involve blood, sweat and tears, I would be opting out of the program. I like my food to be healthy, taste delicious and be easy to accomplish. That’s it. Never fear that I will lead you into recipes that require an extensive knowledge of chemical reactions and the use of butane torches!

Without further ado, here it is:

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
(as adapted from a recipe on www.allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking soda
A dash of salt
1 cup of rolled oats
½ cup of butter, softened and cut into small squares

½ a pint of strawberry jelly (I used a tiny bit more as I was pouring from a pint jar)
4 large strawberries, roughly chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray. (*Tip about cooking spray
at end of recipe!)

Combine the first 6 ingredients using either a mixer, pastry blender or your hands. It will be crumbly.

Press about ½ of the mixture into the bottom of your pan. Spread jam over the top. Sprinkle the
chopped strawberries over the jam and then top with the rest of your crumbled mixture pressing down
lightly with your fingers.

Bake about 35-40 minutes or until the bars are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool before
cutting.

Enjoy!

Finished Dessert

TIP: Before I leave you to your strawberry goodness, here’s my quick tip on making your own cooking
spray with no chemical propellents! Buy a food grade, plastic spray bottle. Use distilled, boiled water
and mix two parts of the water with one part oil. You may need to increase your water ratio to create
a “spray” versus a “jet”. You should only make small batches at a time and keep it in the fridge to
prevent bacterial build-up. Always clean your spray bottle well before mixing up a new batch.

Happy eating!
Sarah

Sausage Biscuits Bites

 

 Hey everyone! I hope that you have had a great week so far. It feels good to be back from Vacation. We had a great time sitting on the beach. Be on the lookout for an extra story about my food adventure while I was down there. So...I know that said that this month would be crockpot month but I totally forgot to start the meal this week. I guess I left my head in Destin. But no worries, I have a backup meal that I made a few weeks ago. I happen to see these on Ziplist made by Plain Chicken. As soon as I saw them I knew what I was making that night to randomly take to work. I dropped them off in the break room the next morning and they were gone by 10am. Gee, I wonder if they liked them. :)

Ingredients:

- 1 lb sausage (Any kind will work)

- 2 cups of cheese (Variety is also allowed)

- 2 10 ct. cans of the Grands Jr. layer biscuits

Hardware:

- 1 large bowl

- 1 mini muffin pan

- 1 pair of hands (not pictured, If you have children helping then more hands are helpful)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400
2. Mix the sausage and cheese together gently with your hands.
3. Spray your muffin pan with cooking oil.
4. Open 1 can of biscuits. Split each biscuit in half to make 20. Press each half into a well of the muffin pan.
5. If you have children or know of a school that collects the Box Tops for Education remember to cut them off the biscuits can.
6. Next roll your sausage/cheese mixture into the size of large marbles. Add them into each biscuits.
   If you want you can roll out 40 even balls. I just grandma cooked them and just eyeballed as I went.
7. When you have added the sausage mixture cook them in the oven for about 8-10 min or until the crust is golden brown.
8. Allow to cool and Enjoy.
   
   
   

 I found this meal thanks to Ziplist and Plain Chicken. Be sure to check them out.

21 Ingredient Chili

I have been waiting months to finally make this meal. This has to be the BEST chili that I have ever had. First, it has chicken instead of beef. Also it has a range of flavors. It starts out with a sweet taste then finishes off with a nice spicy kick at the end. On top of it all it is a very hearty meal. After I eat one bowl I feel like I have ate 2.

Ingridients: (Don't get scared, I am sure you have most of these in your cabinet already)
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut in 1-inch chunks)
1 onion, diced
1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-oz.) can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-oz) can corn (drained and rinsed)
1 (15-oz) can fire roasted tomatoes (whole can)
1 (4-oz.) can diced green chiles
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and grated
1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder (this has heat, if you are sensitive, start with 1 tsp. 3tsp = 1tblsp)
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon white pepper (this has heat, if you are sensitive omit completely or go slow)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
2 cups chicken broth

Hardware:
Crockpot
1/4 Teaspoon
1 Teaspoon
1 Tablespoon
1 measuring cup (1 cup)

Directions:

1. Put your cubed chicken in the bottom of the crockpot. Next add all of your other ingredients on top and mix trying not to keep the chicken at the bottom.
   
   Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours. You will know it is done when you can shred the chicken real easy.

After it is done add your favorite toppings and enjoy.

Find more great crockpot meals from Mrs. Stephanie O'Dea at Crockpot365

In Sickness and Health...For Richer or for poorer…With or without tuna fish…I do.

Sarah Nelson - Slow Foodie

 

 

I’m having a hard time concentrating on my post today. I’ll admit it. The current political climate has me in a tizzy, and it seems like every conversation I have about it starts with a friendly debate over the differences of opinion and ends with an insult. Typically aimed at me, but there you go.

There are so many things that can separate us if we let them: race, politics, religion, gender, sexuality.

But the one I’m going to concentrate on today is the most timeless debate of them all: Dog Person vs. Cat Person.

I am a dog person. There you go. Now half of you probably hate me, but keep reading anyway. Brandon loves cats. I’m assuming. I don’t really know.

I honestly have nothing against cats except that their dander makes my sinuses fill up like a cop at Krispy Kreme. (That was wrong. I apologize, but it was also funny so feel free to chuckle. We’re all friends here.) Despite my allergies, when I was a kid, my sister had a pet cat: a Persian with four white feet very creatively named Mitten. He was a nice cat, and in general, I liked him. There was one thing I did not like however. His food. Oh….my……word, gag me with a fork. Worst chore ever: feeding the cat.

You could argue I suppose that dog food is just as bad. But you’d be wrong, and I can prove it. Once I ate dry dog food on a dare. It wasn’t terrible, and if you were to open up a can of Pedigree, you’d see that if you put it in a bowl and popped it in the microwave, it’d look a lot like Dinty Moore beef stew. If the zombie apocalypse were to happen, I could probably eat that too….but not cat food. Nope. I’d starve first.

So that’s it then. That’s what made me a dog person instead of a cat person: dander and disgusting smelling canned cat food.

“But, Sarah, “ I hear you saying, “What does this have to do with people food, recipes, the reason you have this gig in the first place?” Bear with me.



When I grew up, I met the perfect guy, and being a smart cookie, I married him. I was a dog person. He was a dog person. Everything was perfect. And then one day, I walked into our kitchen, minding my own business and was immediately horrified by what I saw, or rather what I smelled.

After Ron convinced me to leave the corner where I was curled in the fetal position, rocking repetitively and suffering dry heaves, he asked me what was wrong. So I told him…….he was eating cat food!

You’re horrified, aren’t you? I was. He told me then as I’m telling you now that it was only tuna fish, but my nose never lies. It was cat food.

This has been a major hurdle in our marriage: a man who eats tuna fish from a can, and a woman who gags at the mere whiff of tuna.  We learned to cope somehow. I thought we had moved past it, but then, a few years later, he tested me again. He came to me with a request.

“Do you think you could make tuna noodle casserole for me?” he said oh-so-sweetly.

And here’s the thing about love: you learn how to make sacrifices. Yes, I told him. I could make it, but there’s no way I could eat it.

And so, that’s my crockpot recipe of the week: Tuna Noodle Casserole. I think that because it is made in a crock pot with aromatic veggies like celery and onions, it really cuts down on that tuna smell. Once I get past draining the cans (hold breath & keep one hand over mouth the whole time, just in case), it’s not too bad. So even non-tuna lovers can make it even if they can’t bear to eat it.

The most important thing is he loves it, and I made some recent modifications recently that had him claiming: “It’s the best you’ve ever made.”

Tuna Noodle Casserole (in a crockpot!)
Adapted from “The Everything Slow Cooker Cookbook” by Margaret Kaeter
Which everyone should run right out and buy!

Ingredients:
3 cans of water-packed tuna (drained)
3 hard boiled eggs
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
2 stalks of celery
1 medium onion
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (thawed)
2 cups egg noodles (cooked)
1 cup of Keebler Club Multi-grain crackers (crushed)

Instructions:
1)      Drain tuna. Chop hard boiled eggs, celery and onion. Cook noodles. Crush crackers. Thaw frozen veggies.
2)      Throw all ingredients into the crock pot and give a good stir.
3)      Cook on low for 6-10 hours.
4)      Enjoy!



Happy eating! Well, for some of you.
Sarah