dill pickle soup

okay, the proper way to do this would be to start by making a roux, and then stirring in garlic and diced onions and browning them.

unfortunately, that whole gluten-allergy* gets in the way and i don't do that, but i used to. keep your eyes (and potatoes) peeled- there's a gf alternative at the bottom: 

1. if you can eat gluten, make a roux first, then go on to step 2. (if you cannot eat gluten, obviously skip this first step).
2. start by sauteeing onions & garlic in some olive oil.
3. add 4 cups of vegetarian broth
4. peel and chop 4-5 medium sized potatoes, bring to a boil
5. cook until potatoes are soft
6. add one jar of kosher dill pickles, chopped (including juice)
7. season as you wish (pepper, salt, fresh dill, etc.)
8. simmer until flavors are blended and pickles are slightly tender.

garnish with sour cream if you want.
*for gluten-free option, you can thicken the soup with instant potatoes.

recipe: 239 bean chili

this chili is ridiculous. it's meatless, gluten-free, and high in fiber. best of all, it's quick and easy to make:

in a crockpot dump in the following:

48 oz jar Randall* deluxe Mixed beans (drained and rinsed)
24 oz jar Randall* deluxe Great Northern beans (drained and rinsed)
14 oz jar Meijer Naturals* pizza sauce
2 T. each of cumin, oregano
1 t. each of garlic powder, cilantro
dash of pepper
28 oz can Meijer Naturals* petite diced tomatoes (do not drain- dump on top)

crockpot: low for as many hours as you want- I do at least 4 so my family thinks I'vc been cooking all day and the smell permeates throughout the house. Top with Daisy sour cream & fancy shredded sharp cheddar cheese

* I'm a Meijer shopper. I came up with this recipe because the beans are directly across the aisle from the pizza sauce. Randall's beans are flavorful and already cooked. You could sub them out for dried beans that you soak, along with fresh diced tomatoes, but that would not be quick nor easy. Enjoy.

factory girl

our annual salsa factory opened for the season on saturday. after buying 200 pounds of produce from eastern market, we came home to can several varieties of salsa and some spaghetti sauce just for fun.

what does 200 pounds of produce consist of, you ask?
-2.5 bushels of tomatoes
-50 pounds of onions
-1 bushel of peppers (serrano, thai, banana, habanero, etc.)
-1 case of jalapenoes
-3 cantaloop (flip fantasia)
-3 lemons
and 1 ginger root

cost? $71.50
yield?
-30 quarts of salsa (and counting)
-8 quarts of pasta sauce

we'll finish canning this weekend, so if you'd like a lesson, please contact us soon~

shark bait!

mike kerner caught a 5'6" 113 lb blacktip shark we (well, not me personally) ate it.

the factory has reopened!

prepare the chips! fresh vanover salsa is on the way!

setting the records straight: the great gelatin debate

yesterday, my sister-in-law was telling me about the vegetarian fare she had available at her party. she pointed out the rice casserole, spinach salad and to the pretzel jell-o. "actually, jell-o is a by-product." i replied. "what??? what do you mean?" she exclaimed. "oh, we'll talk later." i said, not wanting to scare her at her own party.

so for you lindsay, and anyone else who cares... here is why jell-o is not vegetarian and why I do not eat marshmallows (except for these), most gum and fruit snacks, etc. sorry if this ruins everything:

Gelatin

The status of gelatin is a controversial topic. True gelatin consists of denatured proteins, and comes from the processed hides or bones of animals, usually pigs or cows. This also affects the status of some brands of marshmallows.^[4] Most kosher products today use fish-based gelatin.

Another issue with gelatin is whether it is parve ('not dairy, nor meat'). A kosher parve 'gelatin' made from vegetable gums such as carrageenan combined with food starch from tapioca (which is also suitable for vegans) is commercially available in supermarkets which have substantial Kosher food sections. It does behave differently than protein-based gelatin, however, and cannot always be substituted directly for animal gelatin without modification of the recipe (mixing it with hot water instead of cold water). Other gelatin-like materials available include combinations of carrageenan and other vegetable gums, such as guar gum, locust-bean gum, xanthan gum, gum acacia, and agar, chemically modified food starch, and chemically modified pectins. Recently, such products have been used in prepackaged gelled fruit products, replacing animal-based gelatin.

Although most gelatin is considered non-kosher, several prominent rabbinic authorities have noted that gelatin undergoes such extensive processing and chemical changes that it no longer has the status of meat, and as such may be considered parve and kosher. This is the position adopted by some Orthodox rabbis, including Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel.

YUM!

yum! pizza for all

• 1 package Martha White Deep Dish Pizza Mix (prepared as directed)
• 3/4 can of Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce (the best sauce I have ever tried!!!)
• 5-6 sliced fresh mushrooms, layered with:
  
• 5-6 chopped Reese Artichoke Hearts (non-marinated, extra-small size)
• 8-10 jarred Dellalo Sun Dried Tomatoes in olive oil and herbs, topped with:
• your choice of grated cheese. (I used the Mexican blend, because it's what we had)
  

Of course, you could substitute with whatever you wanted, brands or whatnot, however this is what I found in my pantry. The Mexican Cheese was good, but some fancy white cheese could have been incredible. We always have Mexican or Taco blend here. I guess it's an embarrassing staple in the Vanover Household. Whatever you do, though, you *have* to try the pizza sauce. It rocks.

feeding the creative monster

"look! i'm grandpa schneider!"

give peas a chance

this morning, i received this in my inbox:

Dear MEAGAN,As a reader of Domino we'd like to give you the opportunity win the internship of a lifetime and be published in JANE magazine! Subscribe to JANE and automatically be entered to win a week at Charm City Cakes in Baltimore, home to Food Network's hit show Ace of Cakes, where you'll learn all about what it takes to create extreme cakes.

seriously. what part of that sounds like fun? why, if i actually do desire to be a domestic diva, does this hold no interest to me? why do i continue to blatantly refuse to learn how to cook? why do i make lavish hors d'oeuvres yet continue to serve my family boxed pasta? why can't i just enjoy the beauty in my stove? the art of cooking? oh, why...

queen of the kitchen

okay, so i know that i said that i wouldn't be back until after the holidays, but i just wanted to share some of my fab new cooking talent.

last night, i made these festive little brownies (or lil' brownables) (recipe here) and on top of the three dishes that i'm making for christmas eve, i'm also going to make these for my olive loving cousin. how cool is that?

mad about mandolines

today we made homemade waffle fries using our mandoline. we have the twotwelve stainless one (which we highly recommend) but you can buy many different ones. we had seriously considered the zyliss before we found ours.

just call me betty freakin' crocker

here is a picture of the fabulous potato and leek tart that i made for dinner on monday. the recipe can be found online here.

i was very proud of the results. it kind-of reminded me of back when jon of hb used to blog about his cooking all the time. yum.

a recipe: summer salad

the blend of textures and rich flavors in this salad make it incredible.

ingredients:
1 avocado, peeled and cut into chunks (preferably organic)
10 oz. baby salad greens, washed
ranch flavored cheese crumbles
ranch-style salad dressing

preparation h:
in a bowl, layer salad greens and avocado
drizzle salad dressing over and top with cheese crumbles
serve immediately in chilled salad bowls

variations:
bleu cheese crumbles with bleu cheese dressing
feta crumbles, greek dressing and sliced black olives

servings: 4

a recipe: easy manicotti (serves 5)

2 packages of dry manicotti shells
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 package (15 ounces) low-fat ricotta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dry grated parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
3 cups of pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. cook and drain pasta following instructions on package.

2. combine spinach, ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese and pepper in a bowl

3. spoon carefully into manicotti shells and place in 9x12 ungreased baking dish.
4. pour sauce mixture over and around shells. sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
5. bake in preheated oven at 350*F for approximately 35 minutes.

6. enjoy!

a thought: toddlers and spaghetti

a recipe:
1 c. cooked d'itali pasta and broken spaghetti noodles
1/2 c. pasta sauce
1/2 c. cooked vegetable blend
1/8 c. shredded cheese

instructions: throw into big bowl and mix well.

now this could go one of two ways:
1. toddlers would enjoy a well-balanced meal
2. toddlers could destroy a kitchen in 0.5 seconds

after plating the meal, it finally occurred to me... a 19 month old and a 14 month old were not responsible enough to eat spaghetti by themselves let alone together. and i was completely insane for even attempting it.

finally- the holidays are over

and we can relax for a bit. we had the family easter chez-nous this year as it is the only home slightly baby-proofed. so the celebration began with my sister, joshua rosshua, my mom, aunt and cousin coming over on thursday to make eight million pierogies. after four hours the kitchen was covered with flour, but we were finished. we made potato and cheese as well as kapusta. (that's sauerkraut for all of you non-poles). we also served leg of lamb, sliced ham, carrots with dill and a spinach salad. i hope everyone enjoyed it as there was an obscene amount of clean-up to do come monday morning.

btw, the link above is to recipezarr.com, not the original recipe of my authentic polish Babcia. there are many recipes online for various pierogies, including one by emeril lagasse, but would you really trust an italian to make a traditional polish dish? i'm just saying.

sarah, nate, joshua and kylinn trying to say "kapusta!"