Oatmeal Cake

My youngest daughter requested Oatmeal Cake page. 285 a year in advance for her birthday. She first tried it at camp and loved it, and I liked it as well.

This is actually the first recipe I have made from the More-With-Less Cookbook, it was easy to follow.
I of course had to leave the nuts out of the icing, and I couldn't find shredded coconut that was nut free so I had to leave it out as well. I broiled the topping - almost forgot about - but got it out in time!

Everyone but one (claiming they didn't like that kind) tried a piece and my dad wanted a copy of the recipe!

This was a winner with only one piece left over - and it disappeared the next morning in the lunch of that someone claiming they didn't like that kind of cake.

I will be making this recipe again!
Sorry for the grainy picture!

Rating:
*****/5

Hi!
 
My name is Ashley. I live in Ontario Canada, with my family. Everyone in this house likes different foods, and usually no one likes the same thing. So, I am always on the search for new recipes, always testing out foods on my family. I came across a copy of More-With-Less and it really sparked some interest. I like the idea of simple meals, that cost less, and are homemade. I also like that the focus isn't on a huge piece of meat for every meal. I am on a limited budget, and meat prices are getting to be insanely high - take yesterday, I went to buy hamburger/ground beef and it was priced at $6.95 for 1 pound, hot dogs an 8 pack was $5, these are supposed to be the cheaper meat items. Roasts were $27. Seeing this at the store caused me to pick up More-With-Less again.
 
I'm not going to be cooking my way through the whole book, there are many recipes that I  know my family just wouldn't eat. There are a few that include nuts, which I won't be making because we have a nut allergy.  And there are recipes that include ingredients that we just don't have in this small town.
 
I will try to post pictures when I can (when I remember to pull out the camera!), and I will give my views and the views of my kids as well as we cook up some of these recipes.
 
And also if you have made some of these recipes and took pictures, feel free to send them my way and I will post them as well!

A little bit less...for more, hopefully

Yes, summers are normally busy times of year...with trips, gardening, and general basking in the sun.

No, I've not been posting much.  Partly because of busyness, partly because it's so hot in our kitchen that I never want to cook, and partly because I am finding that I feel like I've personally learned most of what I set out to learn.  More-with-Less was a mostly undiscovered cookbook for me a year ago, save a few bread and cookie recipes, and within a year I've branched in a direction I don't typically branch towards: simple, "home-cooked-tasting" meals (versus the normally crazy what-looks-awesome-with-seemingly-a-long-list-of-ingredients meals).

In brief, I am feeling that my personal journey with blogging about MWL is ending.  Not having to write may even make my life simpler...which, is totally in the spirit of MWL, is it not?

I gladly leave open the opportunity for someone else to pick up where I left off -- drop me a line, and we'll get you started. 

I have enjoyed writing very much and sharing stories with each of you about the food we eat.  I'm grateful for the press I received from Mennonite Publishing House and for the new people that came around because of it.  I hope you are not too disappointed (if you are, see the paragraph right above this one...you can turn that frown upside down!), but that you can appreciate any new insights you've found along the way.

Good luck and good eating to each of you, blazing your own culinary paths!

Cabbage!

92.  Formosan Fried Cabbage, pg. 226

It seems slightly culturally insensitive to call this "Formosan" when even the author is not sure if this recipe is used in Taiwan.  I grew up knowing this dish as "Bee Chee" (or spelled something like that...), which isn't necessarily great for describing what's actually in the dish, but at least there are no cultural assumptions. :)

Issues aside, I love the fact this recipe has only four ingredients.  It makes life so much easier.  And then it all is served over rice.  Perfect.

I used bacon that I bought from a farm that sells at the same market that I do.  (It's such a lovely treat to be able to buy food straight from a farmer and go home and cook it! :)) I've used different kinds of cabbage for this dish before, and they all turn out very similarly.

I ain't got much to say other than that.

Overall: 4 out of 5  If you're craving salt, say hello to dinner!

93.  Creamy Cabbage, pg. 226

Yup, I had leftover cabbage, and this is where it all was finished up.  Though I'm very normally a vegetarian, I always think of cabbage alongside a pork dish (like above :)).  Perhaps that's the German in me.  We didn't have meat with this dish, but I can envision it alongside kielbasa or spicy sausage.

After cooking the cabbage and onions for about 7 or 8 minutes, I dumped in the cream cheese and paprika.  I didn't see the need to add more fat in the way of butter, so I nixed that, and I don't have (nor do I like) celery seed.  (Which, again, really only leaves me with 5 ingredients, not counting water.  Yay!)

The dish was simple, but satisfying.  I liked that the cabbage was still crunchy, but had mellowed just a bit.

Overall:  3.4 out of 5  Good, but not particularly beautiful.

I'm in a rush to clear out some of my canned and frozen goodies from last year before the same things come back into season...But a few things have already gotten ahead of me, like beets.  I still have nearly a dozen pints of pickled beets sitting in our basement, and yet, tonight, I am cooking the first two beets we'll eat this summer.  Ahh, well, I guess that just means I'll not have to can those this year.  I'm also, more than happily, helping clean out my mother's cellar.  I've become reacquainted with my undying love of tart-apple applesauce.  And though a good deal of my fruit servings these days goes towards ungodly amounts of sweet cherries, I've also found space in my stomach for the hearty bowl of cold applesauce on hot nights.  I like food a little too much, it seems...

90.  Bierrocks, pg. 144

A grateful nod to Rocky Mountain MCC Relief Sale for introducing me to this dish nearly 8 years ago.  Before my service group's trip there, I'd never known that hamburger, cabbage, and onion could be enclosed so nicely in a soft, wheaty bun.

So, last night, with meat-eating friends coming over, I dove headfirst into tackling this cultural delight (and tried to gear up my stomach to ingest beef for the first time in a very long time.)

I halved the recipe since there were only four of us.  In the dough, I still used a whole egg, and it turned out fine.  I used one cup of whole wheat, and the rest white.

I used a whole pound of ground beef, since it was frozen and I wasn't patient enough (or had enough foresight) to use just 3/4 lb.  I did end up with extra filling, but I think I could have put more than 2T. in each pocket.  I got 6 large bierrocks out of the recipe.  Be forewarned that the dough really expands when it bakes!

Served alongside hot sauce and ketchup, these bierrocks were very tasty.  Not as good as I remember them from the Relief Sale, but not having grown up eating these, I can't say I did too bad for a first go. :)

Overall:  3.6 out of 5  Good.  A fun substitute to boring ol' hamburgers!

91.  New Potatoes and Peas with Ham, pg. 140

In my opinion, creamed peas and potatoes are The Quintessential Summer Dish.  Their combination signals the beginning of something very good.

When you're getting your veggies together, I don't think it's super important to maintain the proportions listed.  I often don't use onions at all, sometimes use fewer peas (depending on what I have on hand), and will use medium-sized potatoes and cut them up.

Normally when I'm making this dish, after cooking the veggies, I drain all the liquid and just add a little bit of butter and milk.  But I have to say that I really liked making the roux with the extra liquid.  I liked the thick, almost-gravy it made.  I will definitely do this again.

And I completely nixed the cooked ham and cheese.  I suppose if this is your entire dinner, you might want that protein in there, but for a main veggie dish, doing without them is completely understandable.

(The leftovers are great for breakfast, too. :) )

Overall:  4.6 out of 5  Simply Summer.  Yum.

I'm all for changing the status quo, and here in our house, that means involving my husband in making food occasionally.  He does a couple things really well in the kitchen:  chop veggies, season dishes, and make Annie's mac and cheese.  He's also quite good at loading the dishwasher (but rarely unloads it), adding too much garlic to a concoction (just did that last night), and now, as I've come to find out, putting beans on the stove to cook while I'm gone (and I've asked him to).

Unfortunately, with this last "gift", the only part he's good at is the actual physical action of putting the beans on the stove and turning the gas on. :)

I had been gone for part of an afternoon when I asked him to do these things for me when he got home from work.  Upon my return, I smelled something burning.  Now, I've burned a pan of beans before, and so I was more or less (ha!) instantly clued into what was happening.  I run to the stove, find the pan dry, and the beans looking up at me, helplessly.  I performed as much emergency aid as I could, and then let the beans cool down before I would try one to see if the burny smell had turned into burny taste.  (This also gave me time to yell at said husband.  In a kind, thoughtful, and forgiving way, of course.)

Soon enough, we discovered the beans were somewhat salvagable, so all had not been lost in the quest for the night's dinner.

89.  Crusty Mexican Bean Bake, pg. 101 featuring the crust from Soybean Pie, pg. 111

Starting off with the crust:  since I didn't have yogurt or sour cream, and didn't feel like going out specifically for it, I decided to go with the crust for the Soybean Pie, which is a corn-based crust versus the flour-based crust of Bean Bake.  The final crust product reminded me of cornbread, which was nice, as we oft pair cornbread and chili...which takes us to the Bean Bake.

To make it vegetarian, I subbed about 1 c. of cooked soy beans for the ground beef and sauteed them with the onion.  The remainder of the filling is straight-forward, but I used (nearly burnt) pinto beans instead of kidney beans.  Since I didn't have any juice left from the beans, I simply rinsed out the tomato paste can with water and used all of that liquid instead.  As I didn't have chili powder, I subbed 1 1/2 t. cumin, 1/2 t. cayenne, and 1/2 t coriander.

After baking, I sprinkled a little bit of cheese on top as well as a few garlic scapes (for color.)  At the table, I had extra cheese and lettuce available, and had salsa available instead of tomatoes. 

As a whole, it was a good dish, and solid.  I would air on the side of saying it serves 4-5 adults, at least if that's all your serving for dinner.

And I guess we can say that all's well that ends well.  :)

Overall:  4 out of 5, Husband rated.  I would have gone slightly more conservatively in the mid-3s.

88. Marinated Soybeans, pg. 113

This was my first time cooking with actual soybeans.  Sure, I take in soy in many, many other ways on a daily basis, but this was absolutely The First Time that I cooked up soybeans and then used them in a recipe.  Oh, More-With-Less!  The places you take me! :)

I had high hopes for this dish.  I typically like marinated things and salads in general.  I don't know that I've ever had enough bean salad to be able to compare this recipe to a standard 3-bean concoction...so I'm quite new to this.

It was pretty.  I used fresh basil from the garden, and combined with the parsley, it looked spunky and fun.  I had to sub here and there...didn't have garlic salt, so minced an extra clove instead and added a dash of salt.  I didn't have dill pickles, so I threw in a tablespoon of sweet relish.  And I didn't have green pepper, so it didn't get any.

Stuck in in the fridge to chill, and got it out to use as my side dish for dinner.  The first bite was okay.  But the more I ate it, I felt that it was ending up:  too sweet, too heavy, and had too many competing flavors.

My advice is to reduce the amount of honey, eat small portions of the stuff, and tailor the spices to your typical delights.

Overall: 2 out of 5  Bearable, but not great. 

Just a quick plug for the new MPH book, Saving the Seasons:  It looks gorgeous, scrumptious, and full of new ideas!  If you're looking forward to learning how to put up food, I recommend a look into it!

87.  Lentil-Barley Stew, pg. 107

Another rainy day, another soup.

I doubled this recipe to serve a crowd of 9 (just to be on the safe side), and we had plenty of leftovers.  Pairs nicely with a salad, and I even pulled out Simply in Season to make Rhubarb Muffins (with rhubarb fresh from the garden!)

A quick few notes on what I did differently.  Towards the end of the saute time, I added three cloves of minced garlic.  Then, I added a few cubes of veggie bouillon with the water, and then didn't add either the salt or garlic salt.  I actually used less water than what it called for, as the pan looked like it would overflow if I used the full amount -- I probably used about 10 cups instead of 12.  Also, when I added the lentils, since I was using wheat berries instead of pearl barley, I went ahead and added the berries, since they take a little longer to cook.  Other than that, I made the recipe as written.  The smells that gradually filled the kitchen (alongside the cinnamony-muffins) were delightful!  The meal was heartily eaten, and the stew was a hit!

Overall: 4 out of 5  Great for larger groups, and a solid meal even on its own.

Back Again

Now that the two wedding-dessert-fiascos are past, my mind is settling and I'm here to review a few recipes that have been tested recently.

84.  Pakistani Kima, pg. 131

Perhaps surprisingly, I've been familiar with this recipe since high school, as my school's cafeteria tried their hand at this kima occasionally.  I was never a huge fan of it then, but a Pakistani student assured us it was nothing like his mother's ... which left me with hope that my turn at making it might be more successful.

I'll admit I change the recipe fairly dramatically -- instead of beef, I used about 1 1/2 c. garbanzo beans.  Instead of a regular potato, I used a sweet potato, and as I didn't have any peas or green beans (the peas are starting to set on in the garden, though! :)), used about a cup of frozen corn.  The peas or green beans would have given the dish some much-needed color, but we just had to do without for now.  I kept all the seasonings the same as written, which I really think is the kicker for this recipe.  And, really, as long as you like curry, you can tweak this dish in the vegetable arena as much as you like and still really enjoy what turns out.

I served yogurt alongside, since my curry mix is pretty hot.

This recipe was pretty quick to come together, and it definitely was good.

Overall: 4 out of 5  Get yourself a good curry powder and make this!

85.  Zucchini Bread, pg. 82

We're heading quickly into the days of too many zucchinis.  Are you lining up your recipes already, trying to figure out how to not let a single one go to waste?  I'm not.  For two reasons:  the freezer and this recipe.

I generally am a huge fan of sweet breads, especially fruit and vegetable versions.  Last summer, when our zuke supply was unrelenting, I made this bread at least once a week, and also shredded some by the quart to put in the freezer for winter soups...and...bread. :)

I like this recipe because it's fairly simple to pull together.  I typically add about 1+ c. of chocolate chips for an extra antioxidant boost.  (Right?)  I only have 9" pans, which are fine -- you'll just get a squatter bread and might want to check for doneness starting around 50 minutes.

Overall:  4.5 out of 5  Yum...and it's vegetables!

86.  Easy French Bread, pg. 63

I realise most people have it within their realm of realism that there is the occasional mess-up when making a recipe.  I don't have this realism for myself, and when I came to this self-proclaimed "easy" recipe, I figured I would fly through pulling it together and it would turn out normal and right.

Well, I'm mixing it up and, having decided to halve the recipe, was just mentally cutting each ingredient measurement in half before dumping it in.  Except the flour.  I forgot.  I dumped in 2 c. white flour and 2 c. wheat flour before realising what I had done...and why the dough seemed inordinately dry.  After I gave myself a moment to be angry, I dumped the dry dough onto my countertop.  I tried kneading in some extra butter which helped a little bit...but not enough to reclaim the dough.  So, I did what I could, but it was a tough dough.  I still let it rise, baked it, and have been eating it.  The flavor is pretty good, but it looks positively sad.  I really hate messing up on recipes because Food is one thing I really enjoy doing time and time again ... bleh. 

Overall:  Not sure.  Maybe if I try it again, I'll adjust.  (Or, has anyone else made this?)

Until next time...which, hopefully, will not be 2 weeks from now...

I am a person who has struggled to live in the present.  I tend to live in the future, anticipating that the next big thing will be the right fit for me.  Occasionally, even, I will take amazing experiences from my past and push them into my future, in hopes that they will occur again.  One of those things is moving back to my desert home, New Mexico.  Having (realistically, now) loved 80% of my short 2 years there (versus my 50% over 2 years in Lancaster), I keep trying to re-write NM back into my life.  While not physically there, I mostly long for the things I knew there:  the towering Sandia mountains, the ease of public transit, bike paths along the Rio Grande, and then, of course, the food.  Red and green chiles, fresh tortillas, beans and more beans, Frito Pie (picture: a small bag of Frito chips cut open and chili, cheese, and sour cream dumped on top...and eaten out of the bag), and the list could go on. 

So, yesterday, when I was skimming through MWL, and came across my first recipe, refried beans, I had visions of what could very well come together in my kitchen.  After we ate our meal, a lone, bittersweet tear sat in my eye.  It is good to "come home" in brief moments at the dining room table.

82.  Mexican Refried Beans, pg. 101

I started the beans cooking, promptly forgot about them, and went to work outside in the garden.  Awhile later, I came back in, smelled singeing beans, and raced to save them.  They were save-able, and a near disaster was averted.  (This very disaster has happened to me at least 3 times in my life...why is it so easy to walk from a pot of cooking beans??)

I cooked the beans by themselves, knowing that I would want to sauté the onions by themselves later.  After the beans are done cooking, reserve about a cup of their liquid, but dump the rest out.  I don't have a potato masher, so I just plopped them into my mixing bowl and let the paddle take care of it.  (If you have neither, my host mom from a stay in Ciudad Juárez mashed her beans with the bottom of a drinking cup.)  While they were mashing, I sautéed the onions with a teaspoon of cumin and about a 1/4 t. cayenne.  I am of the stubborn opinion that refried beans aren't really refried beans unless they have at least some cumin in them.

Use an amount of oil/fat that you're comfortable with, and when you add the beans, you can always add some of their cooking liquid to thin it out a bit.

I also added about 8 or 10 cherry tomatoes from the freezer for a little extra something-something, but the beans were delightful in taste trials before that addition.

Overall:  4.8 out of 5  If you have the time to make your own refried beans, this is a great starter recipe for you.  Do it!

83.  Navajo Fry Bread, pg. 83

Hellloooo, amazing-tasting-fried-dough.  So do you see where we're headed now?  Do you see the final dish?  Are you drooling yet?

I divided the recipe to get two servings -- 1 1/2 c. flour, dash of salt, just under 3/4 t. baking powder, 1/2 c. water, and just under 1/4 c. milk.  So simple.  While, yes, you will need to knead this dough, try not to overknead it -- I've made a tough fry bread in my time by overkneading.

For frying, I just used my high-walled frying pan, and made sure the bottom was well-covered with a mix of oil and shortening.  When I first learned how to make these from a Mennonite Navajo woman in Farmington, NM, we, of course, used lard and lard only.  Which is fine, if you're into that. :)  (The picture of the three lovely ladies shaping fry bread were my co-horts in Service Adventure in 2002/03 -- Gail (Guengrich) Miller, Anja (Baumgart) Phillips, and Ellen (Bradshaw) Goodman.)

I stretched my dough with my hands, holding the dough up in the air and rotating it so that it's more or less the same thickness.  Definitely punch that hole in the middle -- helps the middle part cook thoroughly.

After we fried them, then came assembly into Navajo Tacos.  Fry bread, then the beans, then lightly steamed corn, (cheese if you want it), lettuce, and salsa.  (Or see page 146 for other ideas.)

Overall:  5 out of 5  The meal was silent, except for sighs of delight after bites.

You may have been concerned, with this long silence, if I had, in fact, survived the cupcake making.  I did.  Proof:

Meanwhile, in my recovery, I've made a few dishes to update with.

79.  Carrot-Cheddar Casserole, pg. 227

A dairy-lovers dream.  Chock full of milk (I used some leftover cream from the cupcake adventure), super cheesy (used a little bit of cream cheese, also leftover from cupcakes, as well as some herbed cheddar), topped with Cheez-Its...And mix that all with some sweet, mashed carrots.  Pretty good stuff, though I'm not sure it could ever classify as "healthy", unless you're on an all-dairy diet. 

Overall:  3.3 out of 5  I would rate it higher, but felt guilty while eating it ...

80.  Cream of Carrot-Cheddar Soup, pg. 204

Mmmm another carrot and cheddar combo...I had extra carrots that needed to be used up :)  Apparently, I over-ordered a little bit for the cupcakes, but better safe than sorry, right?  Especially when it's for someone's wedding!

I'm a sucker for "cream of" whatever soups.  So, I was pretty excited about this one.  I had a few sweet potatoes on hand, so I decided to sub them for the regular white potatoes.  Shredded the carrots and and potatoes in a food processor (what a time saver!) and dumped everything together.  I had neither Tabasco or worcestershire on hand, so used a spicy steak sauce instead.  Since I was using sweet potatoes, I nixed the added sugar.  (And carrots are so sweet to begin with...not sure why it would need to be in there at all.)

After adding some Old Bay Cheddar (seasoned with Old Bay spices) and milk, the soup was ready.  It was a little disappointing.  Not as thick as I expected, or as creamy.  I'm thinking that it might be good pureed -- breaking up the veggies would make a thicker soup.  Spice-wise, it was okay, but I needed to add more of the hot sauce to be satisfied.

Overall: 3 out of 5  Average, as written, but could be improved upon.

81.  Three-Flour Bread, pg. 60

Nothing like realising at dinner time that there's no bread in the house for your husband's lunch for the next day.  Suddenly you have a choice:  save yourself the trouble and go to the grocery store and buy the most nutritious loaf you can find (while resolving not to feel guilty) or change your evening plans and whip up a batch.  I go back and forth between these options when I find myself in this situation (it's happened a couple times.)  Sometimes, when I'm too tired, I will just go to the store and buy a loaf and resolve to make the next bread.  This time, I decided I had it in me to do some aggressive kneading.  And to even branch out beyond oatmeal bread, no less!

So ingredients started getting dumped in my Kitchenaid.  I left out the dry milk and upped the soy and wheat germ, and added about a 1/4 c. of potato flour and 3 T. vital wheat gluten.  Otherwise, I mixed just as written.  I put the dough in the oven with the light on, hoping to slightly speed up the 2 hour rising time.  At about an hour and a half, I took the dough out and shaped the loaves.  They rose speedily, and after about a half hour, I was happy with their size so I slashed them down the middle and set them in the oven.  Now, I'm not sure I completely understand the 450 start temp, considering it takes my oven longer than 10 minutes to reach 450.  Anyways, it worked out, and I still turned the oven down to 350 after 10 minutes.  The bread looked really lovely, and baked high and light.  It tastes wonderful as toast, and it's definitely worthy of being made again!

Overall:  4.0 out of 5  Solidly tasty.

Cooking Occasions

Last week, I had the fortune of being invited by a woman at our church to learn how to make zwieback.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with zwieback, it is a yeast roll with two "layers":  a wider roll on the bottom and a miniature roll on top.  They look, more or less, like this->

The woman who invited me had been a young refugee during World War II in Germany, and escaped with her family to the U.S. with the aid of MCC.  After shaping the rolls there at her house, we had the chance to sit and talk about both of our life stories while the rolls raised and baked.  Sitting with this woman of courage, strong opinions (but accepting at the same time -- leave it to a German), and skills, I found myself wanting to hear more about her than I wanted to say about myself.  And I was reminded again that food not only brings people together, but shapes traditions, cultures, and stories.

This coming weekend, two friends are getting married, and I was asked to make part of the dessert.  We settled on cupcakes, and the search for recipes and quality ingredients ensued.  My friends are greatly invested in having a spread which represents both local produce and local labor, and I'm trying to do justice in my part.  I'll be baking 20 dozen(ish) cupcakes of four varieties.  I'm looking forward to the challenge (never done this before!) and am hoping that I'll live to tell about it.

I'm getting long-winded.  Here's the recipe for today!

78.  Kusherie (Egyptian Rice and Lentils), pg. 108

Craving lentils, I was in search of a recipe that I hadn't tried yet, and after reading the forward to this recipe (regarding its surprising ease of production), decided to take it on.  This kind of recipe always looks fun to me -- what I mean is that when I look at something like this, I see lots of room for variations and experimentation.

I used slightly less than called for on the lentils, but kept the stock at 3 cups.  If you use stock instead of water, consider not using the extra salt.  I used a mix of brown and wild rices, and as you can tell in the pictures, it's pretty dramatic.  While my rice usually takes longer to cook (up to 35-40 minutes), I decided to test at 25 minutes, and it was ready.  While you're not supposed to stir, I think it's perfectly reasonable to test the lentils and rice at the 25 minute mark.  If they're not done yet, put the lid back on and wait another 4-5 minutes and check again.

For the sauce, I used about 3 cups of frozen tomato chunks instead of the sauce/juice/puree, and a whole can of tomato paste.  I omitted the celery leaves.  I did put in all the spices, though when I make this again, I probably won't add the extra sugar, as I find tomato paste quite sweet to begin with.

And then come the browned onions.  My-oh-my, how I love them.  Because I made a full recipe, but knew the two of us wouldn't eat it all in one night, I only sauteed one onion and two cloves of garlic.  Tonight, with the leftovers, I'll sauté another onion and two more cloves of garlic, while just reheating the rest of the dish.


I liked several things about this recipe.  One, the rice/lentil combo gets started first, and immediately after adding the rice, you can go on to the sauce, and then once the sauce comes together, you can start working on the onions.  Then, once the onions are done, everything else will about be ready.  It's nice to have two parts of your meal taking care of themselves while you're getting the finishing touches together.  Second thing that I like is that you can, as the contributor states, nix the sauce altogether.  The browned onions have so much flavor that having them with the lentils is still divine.  And lastly, I like that it's a one-plate, one-dish meal.  I know that cooking this recipe will be all I need to make for that meal.

Overall:  4.3 out of 5  Love the flavors, love the colors and presentation.

76.  Coconut-Oatmeal Granola, pg. 95

This is not your typical granola.  You might notice that it calls for 3 cups of flour, more than either coconut or oatmeal.  And, in the end, you can expect a floury-wheaty cereal.

The tastes are nice -- it is pleasantly sweet, and the coconut is tasty.  But the consistency makes your mouth feel coated in paste.  Not really our style, but a gander nonetheless at a morning meal.

Overall:  2 out of 5  Did you see how short my review was?

77.  Cauliflower Salad, pg. 252

You're trying to pull together a meal last minute, and you're not quite sure what to do with that huge head of cauliflower in your fridge?  Try this salad.

Fast to make, with ingredients most cooks already have in their kitchen, this light salad makes for a great side dish to most any meal.  I mixed all the liquid ingredients in a pitcher and then dumped the dressing over the veggies.  Instead of scallions, I used a hearty snipping of chives.  Wild spring onions would also work well.

We didn't have time to chill it before eating, but the flavors were still good.

Overall:  3.8 out of 5  Simple and delightful.

You want something sweet, but crunchy.  Healthy, but only halfway.  You arrive at this recipe, and you know that you have met what will become your snack.

75.  Peanut-Butter Popcorn, pg. 306

Exhibit A.  Peanut-y Cracker Jacks without the miniature baseball card.  I experienced only mild disappointment at the latter, and soon forgot it all together when my tastebuds encountered the sweetly-coated popcorn.  It's so simple to make.  Pop popcorn.  Boil some stuff, add a little PB, dump it all together.  Eat.  Yum.

I split the liquid sweetener, doing half light corn syrup, half agave.  Very agreeable.  If your PB has sugar added, lessen the amount of sugar you use to 1/4 - 1/3 c.

Overall:  4.6 out of 5 The next time I watch the Phillies, I might have to make a batch.

A Happy Easter to each of you!  I hope your respective Easter Bunnies treated you better than mine did... And if they didn't...then maybe it's time to stop believing in him/her.

A festive day calls for festive food, and I was in a festive spirit.  Thus, breakfast was created.

72.  Grandmother's Russian Pancakes, pg. 75

Growing up in a house where a parent could claim Prussian/Russian ancestory, I was familiar with various and sundry meals which were eaten only at home (while living in VA) and in Kansas at relatives' homes.  I always had a special affinity for that which was not PA-Dutch/Southern influenced, and I was excited to try this recipe.  We grew up eating "rearei", a egg-milk-flour concoction fried and then chopped up, and served topped with pancake syrup.  These pancakes looked similar, and today they were called upon to be tested.  Like Mennonites, they were The Chosen.  (I hope you caught the playful sarcasm :))

The batter is easy to whip up and you're straight to the stove top in less than five minutes.  The recipe tells you everything you need to know beyond that.  They'll look a lot like crépes, only mine were a little bit thicker -- I think I had my fire on too high, and they didn't spread out as much as I had anticipated.  So, don't expect it to resemble an American-style pancake -- they do not get light and puffy.  It's very much an eggy pancake.

I liked it!  A half recipe was perfect for two, and we spread ours with cinnamon and sugar, maple syrup, and blackberry syrup (the next recipe below)...all on different ones, of course.

Overall: 4.5 out of 5  Filling and simple.  A taste of history. :)

73.  Fruit Syrup for Pancakes, pg. 77

I was first introduced to this recipe when visiting my brother during his MVS term in Chicago.  We made mango syrup to top (what I remember as being) very delicious pancakes.  I have used this recipe several times since, and enjoy the colors it adds to a breakfast plate.

Today, we used frozen blackberries, which made a vibrant, deep purple syrup (suitable for Easter, eh?)

The photographs tell it all...

Overall:  5 out of 5  I could eat this stuff plain.  (And I do.)

74.  Potato Pancakes, pg. 233

I realise I get on kicks.  For awhile there, it was soups.  Lately, it's been pancakes.  And it seems that for each one, I have a story.  This one is no different.

Between high school and college, I took a year "off" to serve with Service Adventure in Albuquerque, NM.  I worked at an elementary school as a teacher's aide, and in the kindergarten class where I helped half days, we often had activities based on various culture's celebrations.  It was in this class that I tried Latkes for the first time, the potato pancakes traditionally eaten by Jews during Hanukkah.  We ate them, of course, alternating between sour cream and applesauce.  While I can't remember the kids' reactions, I really enjoyed them.  While similar to hashbrowns, the inclusion of eggs and a little flour set them apart a wee bit.

When I made this recipe, we ate them the more traditional-hashbrown way with ketchup, but would definitely eat them with applesauce if I made them again.  It's a good, straight-forward recipe, and I will definitely be making them again.

Overall: 4.6 out of 5  Fried potatoes.  How can you go wrong????

Now, I know I can't count this brilliant ingenuity as a new review, but it needed to be shared.

Here she is:  Mini-Loaf Cinnamon-swirl Oatmeal Bread French Toast.  I looked and tasted and said that it was good.  Can I get an "amen"?
 
And back to the realm of number counting...

71.  Nippy Garbanzo Spread, pg. 308

Every time I skimmed through this page, this recipe always jumped out.  "Nippy" is not a word I typically associate with food (aside from cheese, perhaps), so it always sounded a little funny.  I never really read the recipe, though, in those flip-throughs, and just assumed that it was a recipe for hummus.

Until today.

I had cooked up a bunch of garbanzos, thinking I would make hummus until I discovered that I was plumb (ha!) out of lemon juice.  And, then I remembered this recipe, and decided to give it a go.  The recipe itself puzzled me a little bit because I couldn't imagine how it was going to turn out.  I've never cooked a spread like this one calls for, let alone having to mix eggs in to bind it all together.  I was suspicious, but I was curious.

With a food processor, this recipe is a snap to make.  Dump in onion and a couple cloves of garlic and let them mince.  Scoop them out and start sauteing them while you process the garbanzos and eggs together.  Stirring until "dry" was a bit of a crapshoot.  I just let them go until they turned the approximate consistency of scrambled eggs.

As the mixture cooled, I added salt, pepper, cayenne, and about 3 T. of mayo.  And then I tried it.

It was okay.  Not super, but not as awful as I thought it might be.  If you're looking for hummus, this ain't gonna satisfy you one bit.  If you're looking for a new spread idea for persons with highly sensitive palettes (read: bland), this might be a good bet.

Overall:  2.6 out of 5  If you're looking for nippy, head straight to the freezer aisle and skip the process of making this.  If you're looking for something wet to put on sandwiches, and want to keep it "agreeable", you'll probably like it.

70.  Wheat Germ Griddle Cakes, pg. 74

Saturday morning came around and I had guests to feed.  Having pancakes in our house is a special treat, since it means that we (being the husband et moi) are eating breakfast together.  It is actually a rare occurrence in our house, since one of us is always getting up early for work on the day that the other one can sleep in...

So, having doubled the number of people in our house, I thought it was an excellent excuse to pull something together more elegant than granola for our morning meal.  I often look to MWL for pancake recipes (as I mentioned before here) and this one was chosen.

The batter is mixed up a little differently than normal pancakes, and there is less room for error in this recipe.  Mixing it well will not result in flat, dense cakes.  In fact, these cakes cooked high and light, leaving me in awe of the wonders of wheat germ.

Not only in looks were these pancakes a hit.  They were tasty as well, with subtle nutty flavors and just sweet enough that you didn't feel like you had to dump a jug full of Aunt Jemima on top.  (I don't really use Aunty's corn syrup abomination, but I'll try not to judge those who do...ahem...)

So, if you're looking for something pancake-like, but don't want the same old buttermilk deal, give these a try and you might have yourself a new favorite!  Or, at least, something to get your husband/wife/child/friend/etc. up for on Saturday mornings.  :)

Overall: 4.5 out of 5  Delightful plain, with chocolate chips, or dressed with butter and maple syrup.

68.  Six-Layer Dish, pg. 137

We had plans we had to work around on the night I decided to make this.  Therefore, this dish worked very nicely, as it sat in the oven for two hours while we did all our other stuff.  It's been a long time since I've made something that is along the lines of "fix it and forget it," and it was very nice to think about that the dish could be left to its own devices while I puttered away elsewhere.

On top of the lovely time factor, this dish can easily become a five-layer or seven-layer or whatever-you've-got kind of meal.  If you've got a food processor, the slicing and dicing goes super quick as well!

I used a 9x9 baking pan and didn't measure anything.  I went by looks and catered according to what we like most.  Two potatoes, a couple carrots, skipped the rice, a big onion, a can of black beans instead of meat, and a 15 oz. can of tomatoes. Ba-dah-bing.  Done.  (Mostly.)  I poured a little bit of oil over the top, nixed the brown sugar, covered it, and stuck it in the oven.  When there was about 20 minutes left (I estimated -- maybe an hour and a half into it, when a fork easily pierces the potatoes), I sprinkled a little bit of feta cheese on top.  I left the pan uncovered then, and set it to cook just a bit longer.  And that was all I wrote. (On this one.)

It was good and hearty.  An all-in-one kind of dish.  While I often turn up my nose at casseroles, this one might be a keeper!

Overall:  3.8 out of 5  Simple flavors, and simple to make.

69.  Basic Cooked Lentils, Curried, pg. 105

Now, I realise that I've technically made one of these recipes before, but I decided that I'm allowed to count another one since I'm reporting on it. :)

While I often enjoy making elaborate multi-course meals, especially when we're having friends over, after a long day at work, oftentimes I just want to do something straight-forward and easy.  When in those tight "what do we eat tonight?" spots, my mind occasionally wanders to having rice and lentils.  I appreciate their shorter cooking time, how nicely they pair with any kind of rice, and their nutty flavor.

Basically all I want to say about this recipe is that if you like curry, you will probably like this yumminess.

Overall:  4 out of 5  Spicy, lentily, and satisfyingly delicious.

You may be wondering why I've not posted in a week (or maybe you don't care...), and let me assure you that I have not forgotten about my ambitions.  My time as of late has been very consumed with work and working on our kitchen.  In fact, we finally have put down our tile, and are waiting for the thinset to cure so that we can finish up with grout.  It's a process, and not one I want to do again anytime soon.  Aside from the fact that I've been tired from all the busyness, we've can't be in our kitchen, so I made only one recipe this week.

67.  Fresh Asparagus Soup, pg. 203

Growing up, I loathed the nights when asparagus was served.  Even the mandatory solo two-inch piece was a chore to choke down.  But, sometime since, I've grown to appreciate and even enjoy the veggie, and with spring on my mind, asparagus wasn't far behind.

Looking at the recipe, I was expecting more of a cream of asparagus soup, and I have to admit I was a bit disappointed.  I felt like there was very little taste of asparagus ... the tang of the sour cream seemed to be the dominant feature.  I probably could have used more asparagus to help it along, but didn't think of it at the time.  I added some garlic with the sauté, which I think gave a nice warmth to the soup, but generally speaking, I think I could find a better recipe to complement the earthy asparagus notes.

Overall:  2 out of 5  Not great, but still edible.

I have just counted all the recipes in More With Less.  I only counted those which had their own row of bold dots, for a total of exactly 550 (I think.  I only counted once.)  And, according to my calculations, it will take me another 5 years to finish, at the rate I'm going...  So...hang on for a fast and exciting ride...HA! :)  No, what this really means is that I'd REALLY like it if we make this into a community project.  I know a lot of you have a few recipes you repeatedly return to in MWL, and I know I haven't written about all of thosel.  If ever you make something and want to write about it, please let me know!  Otherwise, you'll have to listen to me for a very long time.  And that would be boring.

65.  Onion Cheese Loaf, pg. 82

While it's been many years since I last visited one, this recipe vaguely reminded me of the cheese biscuits served at Red Lobster.  A very savory loaf, this one is, and not your typical slice o' dough.

For the dry ingredients, I didn't have ground dry mustard, so I just put in a teaspoon of mustard seed.  I was pretty happy with the subtlety that they provided, and recommend it if you don't have ground mustard.  You might also add a teaspoon of "real" mustard (the kind you put on sandwiches).  I used pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar, which was very nice.  I omitted the Parmesan, since I didn't have it.  A sharp cheese would be very dramatic on its own, so accommodate to what you've got and what you like.

The onions and paprika on top make a lovely display, and I wish I would have taken a picture of the loaf before we ate it all...My loaf didn't rise very much, but feel like it probably shouldn't have anyways with all the (yummy) fat that is in it.  Baking for 1 hour made for a crunchy crust, so just keep an eye on your bread from 45 minutes.

Overall: 4.3 out of 5  Dangerously good and satisfying!

66.  Corn and Bean Chowder, pg. 202

I served this chowder along side of the Onion Cheese Loaf, and they made a lovely pair.
 
A fairly straight-forward recipe that doesn't take too long to prepare if your beans are cooked.

I've noticed a couple recipes now that pair corn soups with nutmeg, and I really like the combination.  It is not something that I would have thought of on my own, but, again the subtlety of the spice changes the direction of the soup.

Because I didn't get my corn out of the freezer soon enough for it to thaw, I added all the corn to the pot and once it had cooked a bit, I took out about a cup and a half and sent it through the food processor.  I didn't think it thickened the soup very much, but could have taken out more and I'm sure it would have been quite thick.

Instead of dry milk solids, I used a can of coconut milk, which was delightful!  If you don't have milk powder, you could also put in regular milk instead, but, of course, the soup will be thinner.  I also subbed black beans for kidney.

Overall: 4 out of 5  Very yummy and warm.  Filling.