Easy Baggie Omlette

Recently my husband was reading a frugal finance book, and it mentioned making omelettes as a budget friendly and healthy meal.  He began to do an internet search for recipes and happened upon one that suggests making omelettes in a baggie.  I must admit that I was VERY skeptical about this method, but tried his finished product and was convinced it was a great idea!  Now mind you, this method is a bit longer than traditional pan frying!  But if you're like me, struggling to get the silly thing to cook evenly and not burn, you'll love this! I would definitely suggest experimenting with time and ingredients to suit your own personal taste, but here's a good starting point that works for us.

Omelette-In-A-Bag
1 ziplock-type sandwich baggie
2-6 eggs (depending on your diet!)
Additional ingredients per taste (cheese, chopped deli meat, diced veggies, spices, etc.)

1 - Start a large pot of water, bring to boil.

2 - While you're waiting for water to boil (and since a watched pot never boils!), pull out all your ingredients and seal them into the baggie, trying to remove as much air as possible.  Carefully squish it all up, until the eggs looked "scrambled".

3 - Once pot comes to full boil, add your omelette baggie and cook it at high boil for 15-30 mins, depending on how cooked you want it, and how many ingredients you use. The more ingredients seem to need a little bit more time for cooking.  Best way to check is to carefully press into the omelette and if it doesn't seem to seep any juice, it's most likely done.

4 - Turn off the burner, and remove the baggie with tongs.  Empty the omelette onto a plate, and voila! 

Happy eating!

Sooji Ka Halwa - Semolina Halwa

Some people think I have an obsession with anything Indian.  Well, according to Webster's Online definition, they are absolutely correct! 

~ Definition of OBSESSION ~

1: a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling; broadly : compelling motivation <an obsession with profits>

2: something that causes an obsession

~ Synonyms ~

Passion, enthusiasm, fascination, attraction, etc.

 

I would say that MOST people on this planet have an obsession of some kind.  Whether it's sports, cars, books, other people, fashion, religious conviction, and on, and on.  As a Christian, we believe that we are to have passion and zeal in loving and serving Jesus and people. 

 

So, yes, I have an obsession with India.  Want to know why?  Because God Himself put it there, and has verified it numerous times publicly and personally, to both my husband and I.  It goes beyond a cultural thing, even though it helps to know the many cultural aspects of the Indian subcontinent.  It's an unexplainable heart-wrenching, deep down inside, that when you see pictures of the people, when you hear of tragedies that beset them, both by default and design, or when you simply hear the speaking accent or the aroma of spices, you are instantly enraptured.  You choke up, tear up, take deep breaths so that you can gain composure, but no amount of mind-over-matter can truly cause this feeling to dissipate.  It's especially obvious, when only so many years previous, you can remember the times a relative took you to eat Indian food, of which you swore you'd never, ever eat again.  Or the times you'd call a customer service center, and demand the desperately-trying-to-speak-English Indian to connect you to someone that can speak English clearly and understandably!  And again, when you know beyond-the-shadow-of-a-doubt that you'd {previously} never give up wanting to own a happy American home, and would never leave the safety, comfort and cleanliness of American soil.  And here you have come full circle, wondering what life will be like in so many different circumstances, when you finally do go to that country, of which God has called you to (definitely NOT your original "white picket fence" plan).  Yes, I've been there once, and it definitely scared me and brought me to my knees!  But at the same time, I am still compelled to return.  I'll never forget the moment we (husband and I) were in the worship service of one of our sister churches in India, and the overwhelming voice of God telling me that these people needed someone to share His Gospel with them.  Other churches had closed down in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, and He reminded me of that.  "Who will reach them for Me?"  I broke down and told Him, "here am I, send me."  Recently, I was questioning how it would be possible for us to reach them, and God quickened to my heart that it would not be on mine or my husband's ability, but on His.  We will merely be His instruments, and it'll all come from Him.  Not my strength, but His. 

 

So, in my continual pursuit of widening my Indian cooking skills, and keeping the dream alive in our home, I have found a wonderfully tasty recipe, that just tonight I made successfully!  If you like Cream of Wheat or Malt-O-Meal, your sure to enjoy this treat!

Sooji Ka Halwa Recipe

By Petrina Verma Sarkar, About.com Guide
http://indianfood.about.com/od/sweetsanddesserts/r/Sooji-Ka-Halwa-Semolina-Halwa.htm

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 and a 1/2 cups sooji/ rawa (semolina)
• 1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter - super easy to make at home, just google it!)
• 3/4 cup mixture of cashews (coarsely chopped ) and whole raisins/ sultanas
• 3 cups hot water
• 1/2 cup whole/ full cream milk (half & half works splendidly)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 pods of green cardamom split open

Preparation:

• Heat a deep pan on a medium heat and when hot add the ghee. When it melts, add the Sooji and mix well.
• Roast the Sooji (stirring frequently) till it begins to turn a very light golden color and give off a faint aroma. The roasted Sooji will have the grainy consistency of wet sand. Now add the cashews and raisins to the Sooji and mix well.
• While you are roasting the Sooji, in a separate pot and on medium heat, bring a mixture of the milk, water, sugar and cardamom to a boil, stirring often.
• When the Sooji is roasted, gently add the water and milk mixture, stirring all the while to prevent lumps from forming. If any do form, make sure to break them with the back of the stirring spoon so you get a smooth paste-like consistency. Cook the mixture till it is thick and begins to come away from the sides of the pan.
• Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool to a warm temperature. Serve now in individual bowls.

Kroger Fruit Smoothie Bars

Now that I'm a BzzAgent I get to try all kinds of free products (full size, mind you!), and in return I share my opinions and give reviews. Today's is about the Kroger Fruit Smoothie Bars.  BzzAgent sent me some coupons in the mail, one specifically for me to get a free box of these frozen treats from my local King Soopers.  Once I brought them home, I passed them out to my husband and kids to try, along with one for myself.  My kids thought they were pretty good, but didn't seem overly impressed.  My husband like them so much that he ate another one that night, and again had one last night!  I personally thought they were pretty good, although I'd liked them to have been a little sweeter, and possibly bigger.  We tried the Strawberry Banana flavor.  It really did taste like a strawberry banana yogurt that was frozen on a stick.  There were actual chunks of strawberries and bananas inside.  Pretty good in my opinion, and possibly an occasional item I would purchase when desiring a frozen treat.

<img src="https://img.bzzagent.com/image/krogerIndulge.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=6584360540&Campaign=7316548998&Uid=1436015&token=84be9361b0a38c133f751011b2d6f03e" alt=""/>

Private Selection Chocolate Molten Upside Down Cake Review

So, recently I signed up for something called BuzzAgent, and although it took awhile to be offered my first campaign, now that I have, I'm loving it!  You get full-size samples to try, and review through avenues like Twitter, Facebook & blogging.  So, here's my first review!

Once I qualified for and received an invite to the PS Upside Down Cake campaign, I was able to immediately download an e-coupon onto my King Soopers "soopercard".  I then went to my local King Soopers, picked out one of three yummy flavors, brought it home, and followed the directions on the box.  Wow!!!  This was extremely delicious!  So thick, and fudgy!  I gave us pretty big portions, and I was personally unable to finish mine because it was so rich and chocolaty.  This is a choco-holics nirvana!!!  A day later, I warmed up another piece for each of us, and a friend, and it was still super yummy, even from the microwave!  Original price in my local store was $9.99, and I would say that it's totally worth every penny I would've spent (remember, I got it free to try!).  You can probably find it in most King Sooper and Kroger grocery stores.

 <img src="https://img.bzzagent.com/image/upsideDownCakes.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=7238570407&Campaign=7070231598&Uid=1436015&token=58f307755c98633c0a712226572b9b7e" alt=""/>

Diced Pork with Rosemary & Thyme

So they say that "necessity is the mother of all inventions".  Well, after making my roast last week, I had leftover herbs that I need to use before they spoil.  And I had a huge package of diced pork, which I needed to split between the plan of green chile and something else.  I kept finding all sorts of recipes for pork loin with rosemary & thyme, but nothing using diced pork specifically.  So, I took the roast recipe and tweaked it in my usual "Heather experimenting style", and lo-and-behold, a new recipe is born!  (And a very good one, if I do say so myself.)  ;)
Pressure-cooked Diced Pork with Rosemary & Thyme Stew

2 lbs. diced pork

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

4-5 potatoes, peeled and cut in bite-sized chunks

2 whole Carrots, cut in bite-sized chunks

1 zucchini, cut in bite-sized chunks

1 16oz. container of sliced mushrooms

Salt & pepper, to taste

1 cup red cooking wine

2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock/broth

2 tsp. beef bouillon granules

3 sprigs each fresh thyme and rosemary, roughly choppedor more to taste

1 can cream soup (I used celery, but chicken or mushroom would work too)

Heat oil in 8qt. pressure cooker, uncovered on medium-high heat.  Add pork and brown.  Then add onion and garlic, stirring for a couple minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except cream soup) into pan, then cover with pressure cooker lid and follow manufacturer instructions, brining to pressure and cookingn for about 40 mins.  Remove from heat, and either use quick release or wait for natural pressure release, about 15 mins.  Once done, stir in the canned cream soup, and serve.

(Note: I'm pretty sure you can cook this without pressure-cooker, using either a regular stew pot, cooking slowly on low, or crockpot.  You'll have to just play with it and see what works best. Our pork came out so very moist, and so you should also aim for a nice fall-apart pork as well.)

Perfect Pioneer Pot Roast

Well, this is the time of year when you bring back the comfort foods! You know, the ones that are both hearty and help warm up the house.  Especially the ones that cook all day and fill your house with the most amazing aromas, and make you wish it was dinner-time!  On my last grocery shopping trip I decided to pick up a roast.  Now I have to say that I've always imagined these tasting better than I have ever cooked them, so a little reluctance and resignation accompanied my decision.  You see, I just didn't ever have a great recipe.  My roast always tasted pretty bland and disappointing, and so decided it was time to scour the internet (yet again) for a better recipe.  Lo-and-behold, "eureka! I found it!" Of course I cannot take credit for it, but definitely wanted to pass it on to my friends, family and followers.  I cannot even try to replicate the georgeous photography that The Pioneer Woman produced on her website, so I'll just aim you that direction.  I'll say that I tweaked it ever so slightly myself (adding potatoes and mushrooms to mine), and my son even added his own condiment of choice to the meat (bbq sauce!), but all in all, it turned out to be one of the best tasting roasts I've ever made!  Reminiscent of Mimi's Cafe (well, at least in my simple mind), lol!  Here's the link...hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/2008_the_year_of_the_pot_roast/
 

Fall = Casseroles

Okay, so the lazy months of summer are well past, and homeschooling has resumed smoothly enough.  The cooler weather has returned, which means it's time to turn up the heat and make our homes cozy.  How better to do that than to turn on the oven and make a simple dinner, and throw in a sweet treat while we're at it.  So, in honor of the wonderful invention of the casserole, here's a family favorite that I grew up eating, quite often.  You can either use pork chops (that have been browned in a frying pan with a little oil first) or diced chicken.  Don't forget to have a great recipe for cookies or sweet bread while you have a preheated oven!

Chicken (or Pork Chops), Potatoes and Mushroom Soup Casserole
1-2 lbs. diced boneless, skinless chicken breast
6-8 potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (use can to add 1/2 - 1 full can amount of milk)
salt, pepper, garlic salt (to taste or optional)

Super simple instructions!
Grease a 9x13" baking pan, then toss it all in together, then cook for 1 hour, at 400 degrees.

Serve with additional veggies or salad of choice.