Good Gift

I'm a huge fan of a practical gift versus the teddy bear or box of candy. Those who know me well have certainly considered this when getting Christmas gifts for me this year. One of those gifts was a huge rice cooker with a steam basket that also can be used as a slow cooker. Sweet! Let's test this baby out.


2 C. Brown rice
4 C. Coconut water
1 peeled butternut squash cut into big cubes

Place rice and water in rice cooker, top with steam basket filled with butternut squash, then start rice cooker.

Now what do I put in my rice to make it a meal? Well, a friend of mine gave me some ground beef from her cow that was raised in good old Friendsville, MD on organic grains in her front yard. Perfect. I love throwing together meals with what I have on hand because it always makes for an interesting meal AND it saves money while preventing waste.

1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Handful of asparagus, cleaned and chopped
1 poblano pepper, diced
1/2 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. marjoram
Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Brown meat with garlic and onions, when it is partly cooked, throw in the veggies and all the seasonings (do the beans last so they don't over cook and dry out). When the rice is finished, toss the meat mixture with the rice. Toss the squash with some Chinese five spice in a separate bowl and serve on the side. If you prefer spicy like I do, just sprinkle red pepper flames, or my fav., tapatio.

The cook-rice-while-steaming-vegetables-at-the-same-time venture turned into a success. It was fabulous. The super lean beef was great, too! I recommend staying local as much as possible with your meat and veggies and you'll always have the best quality while supporting your community at the same time.

Christmas Stromboli

I am from Western Maryland, just between the Pennsylvania and West Virgina borders, and one of the most popular food items in that area is the Pepperoni Roll. Much of my family in California has never heard of the pepperoni roll, but it's very similar to a Stromboli. I was in the mood to have some of these today because they make me feel at home and what better day for that than Christmas.

I started  with a basic dinner roll, just enough sugar to make the dough barely sweet.

Ingredients

    1 (1/4-ounce) package dry active yeast
    1 cup warm water
    1/2 cup sugar
    1 egg, beaten
    2 teaspoons salt
    1 cup warm milk
    4 ounces melted butter
    5 cups flour, plus more, as needed (I like the better for bread flour for this)
    * Veggies and meat for filling, mozarella cheese
   
Directions

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit until lightly foamy, then stir in sugar and add egg, salt, warm milk, and butter. Slowly add 5 cups flour, adding more as needed to make an elastic dough. Mix well, then roll out to floured surface and knead dough for about 5 minutes.

Place dough in buttered bowl, cover with towel, and set in a warm place to rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

 For my Stromboli, I sauteed onions, portabella mushrooms, diced poblano pepper, and spinach, seasoned them with sea salt and course ground black pepper, fresh thyme, and fresh italian parsley. I also used Mozzarella, Feta, and Pepper Jack cheeses and I used Salami and Pepperoni for the meat.

Pinch a chunk of dough off, about fist sized, and roll out flat.  Add your fillings (Vegetarian: I added the sauteed veggies + Feta, Meat: I added everything). Begin rolling into a sort of burrito, pushing both ends in as you roll so that the roll is closed.  Butter tops and bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until nicely browned. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

** Traditional Appalachian style pepperoni rolls are filled with pepperoni and cheese - I always add hot banana pepper rings to mine for fun.

** When sauteing veggies,  add fresh spinach last because it wilts quickly.

** If you spray your hands with PAM before rolling dough, your fingers won't stick to it.

New to the blogging world...

Hello,

My name is Janismarie and I am super obsessed with food. Looking at it, smelling it, creating it, thinking about it, and of course eating it :) If you ask my family, particularly my brother, I haven't always been the best cook. Nor have I ever really been a baker. Once I became a mother, all of that changed. Little did I know that 12 years of cooking dinners, making desserts for school, providing for a potluck, learning how to pack lunches, eating on a budget, trying to stay healthy, or finding something fun for my daughter and I to do on a Sunday afternoon would lead to me not only becoming a great cook, but a creative one as well.  Now my family loves to come to my place to eat and my little brother doesn't make faces when he sees the menu.

I am so proud of this accomplishment that I want to share some of my creations with you.