Forever Bags

I grabbed some Forever Bags at Menards a couple weeks ago.  They were free after rebate, so I thought it was the perfect time to try them.  The first thing I tried was bananas.

I had 6 bananas in one bunch, so I put 3 of them in one of the bags and left the other 3 out on the counter.  After 5 days, my bananas looked like this:

So, there was definitely a difference. Unfortunately, I stopped paying close attention after that.  I left the bananas in the bag for several more days, and then I noticed that they were turning a little brown - and they were soft.  They weren't as brown as the bananas that weren't in the bag, but they were just about as soft - so I'm not really sure the bag made much of a difference really.

It wasn't a huge problem. I just made some banana muffins.

I'm really interested in seeing how these bags work on other things.  Right now I have some bell peppers in one and some chard in another one.  We'll see how well things keep.

Oatmeal Apple Muffins

I made these Monday, and I love them!  Oatmeal, apples, cranberries, what's not to love?  They've also got whole wheat flour, walnuts, and cinnamon so they're good for you, too.  Seriously - so many good-for-you ingredients in one muffin!
 

Oatmeal Apple Muffins 
 
Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a bowl, beat together egg, milk, oil and sugar.
2. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients.
3. Fold egg mixture into dry mixture, just to moisten.
4. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.
5. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 450°

Good with or without butter!

• Print this recipe

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Turkey Tetrazzini

We had this for dinner this week, and it was yummy!
 

Turkey Tetrazzini
 
Ingredients:

• 8-oz. package noodles
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup chopped green pepper
• 3 T. butter
• 3 T. flour
• 1 t. salt
• Pepper to taste
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups turkey broth
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
• 1 cup buttered bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain.
2. Saute onion, celery and green pepper in butter. Add flour, salt and pepper. Add milk and broth and cook until thickened. Stir in cheddar cheese. Add noodles and turkey to this mixture.
3. Spoon into greasted casserole dish and cover with bread crumbs.
4. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes.

I found the original recipe in my favorite cookbook, The Best of Mennonite Fellowship Meals. The recipe was for Chicken Tetrazzini, but I had turkey, so that's what I used. You can use either one based on what you have and what you like.

• Print this recipe

Cinnamon Swirl Bake

I found this recipe in a magazine and just had to try it.

1-Dish Cinnamon Swirl Bake

Batter Mazola PureTM Cooking Spray 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 envelopes Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup milk (very warm 120-130°F) 2 tablespoons butter OR margarine, melted 2 tablespoons corn oil 1 egg

Cinnamon Mixture 3 tablespoons butter OR margarine, softened 3/4 cup brown sugar 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon Icing 1 cup powdered sugar 1 to 2 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon butter OR margarine, melted 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

	MIX batter ingredients together in a pre-sprayed 8x8-inch baking dish. Let rest for 10 minutes. Combine cinnamon mixture in a small bowl by mixing with fork.
	TOP batter evenly with cinnamon mixture. Using fingers, poke topping thoroughly into batter.
	BAKE by placing in a COLD oven; set temperature to 350°F. Bake 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned and firm in center. Cool 10 minutes. Combine icing ingredients and drizzle over warm cake.
	Recipe Note: If desired, batter may be mixed in a separate bowl. Proceed as directed above.

I don't have any Rapid Rise yeast, so I just used regular yeast and only 1 package or 2-1/4 tsp. I let it rest for an hour, instead of the 10 minutes, then spread the brown sugar cinnamon mixture on top and poked it in. Then I covered it with plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator. The next morning I pulled it out, let it sit for about half an hour to come to room temperature, and then baked as directed. I baked it for about 5 extra minutes.




The icing was really good, but I made it a bit thick so ended up spreading it on instead of drizzling.  I think there was enough icing for a double batch, so next time I'm either making less icing or making more cake!  I really liked the flavor, though, and I'm thinking of using this icing recipe for my cinnamon rolls next time.  The butter just added something. 

Also, next time I will follow the Recipe Note and mix it in a separate bowl.  I can't figure out the reason for spraying the pan and then mixing the dough in it.  I will definitely be making this again - it was so good!

• Print this recipe and find more 1-dish recipes from Fleischmann's Yeast.

Using My Garden Produce

I had some beautiful red peppers from my garden this year. Adding them to my zucchini was not only yummy, but pretty, too!

• Saute sliced onion and sliced red pepper in olive oil. 
• Add sliced zucchini and cook until done.  
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

The next day I was looking for something for lunch, had a bit of the zucchini left, some roast beef that needed used, and some chard from the garden...


With the leftovers:

• Cook sliced chard (7 leaves or so) in olive oil until done.  Season with salt and pepper. 
• Slice roast beef and add to skillet; heat through. 
• Add zucchini mixture and cook until heated, stirring frequently. 
• Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Yum! 

I tried making the zucchini, chard and roast beef for dinner one night by slicing uncooked beef and cooking that in olive oil with the onion and pepper then adding the zucchini and chard - but I didn't like it as well.  The peppers and onions didn't cook the same way or something.

I've still got chard in the garden, but everything else is finished, so I'll have to wait until next summer to make this again.  Posting this now so I don't forget!

Sweet Potato Chips

Image by kthread via FlickrMy son Cory has been getting more leg cramps than usual, and he was looking for a good source of potassium that might help him.  Ordinarily, he'd eat bananas, but for some reason bananas make him feel bad, so he needs something else.  I searched for some good sources of potassium and found that sweet potatoes have the most.  Unfortunately, he can't just find a baked sweet potato on campus, so I'm thinking of buying him some sweet potatoes and making these sweet potato chips.  They're something he can have handy in his dorm room.

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato peeled 
• 2 tsp vegetable oil    
• 1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste   

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
  
• Thinly slice potatoes in a food processor or by hand; they should be no more than 1/8-inch thick.
  
• Arrange slices on baking sheets so they don’t overlap. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake chips until they begin to lightly brown, about 15 minutes. Cool on a rack and serve.

 I'm also thinking that I'll try using some other seasonings besides salt, just to spice them up a bit. The problem is, he'll probably go through them really fast - or I might not want to share them with him once I make them.  Or I just might make these Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries w/ Honey Cranberry Mustard for me.  I won't have to share, because these won't keep in a dorm room!

• Print this recipe (at WeightWatchers.com)

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