Cranberry-Orange Caramel Corn

I came across this recipe in my November 2010 Better Homes and Gardens magazine (p. 222) and couldn't wait to try it. I did modify it (of course) to substitute healthier alternatives for the brown sugar and corn syrup, and include slivered almonds instead of whole, which I thought would be easier and safer for my children to eat. But the poor kids didn't get any because my husband and I ate it all (over a few days)--oops! Darn...now I'll have to make another batch...

Cranberry-Orange Caramel Corn

12 c. air-popped popcorn (about 1/2 c. kernels)
1 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. raw sugar
1/8 c. honey
2 Tb. orange juice (I might even use more next time, since it wasn't very orangy)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In a very large bowl combine popped popcorn (be sure to sift out unpopped kernels), cranberries, and almonds; set aside.

In a 2-quart saucepan cook and stir butter, raw sugar, and honey over medium heat until butter is melted. Stir in orange juice. Bring to boiling over medium heat. Boil at moderate, steady rate for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and baking soda (mixture will foam up).

Pour syrup mixture over popcorn mixture in bowl; stir to coat well. Transfer to a 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan (cookie sheet with a lip) or shallow roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring twice. Transfer caramel corn to large sheet of greased heavy foil; cool. Makes 20 (1/2 c.) servings.

Thanksgiving Thank You

As many of us will be traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday or otherwise on holiday from our regular schedules, I just wanted to write a little thank you to my readers, for whenever you may read this.

I know there are some of you out there whom I haven't met yet (and I hope you will introduce yourselves soon!), but to all of you, thank you for reading my blog. And to those of you who leave comments, a big thank you. My motives for doing this blog are wholly intrinsic, but sometimes when I hear nothing from anyone for a while I wonder if I am doing any good. (However, I learn so much myself that I know down deep it already is worth it.) But I sincerely appreciate those comments that have let me know I've written something of interest, provided a recipe you're excited to use, posted information you didn't know before, or expressed interest in learning about something I haven't thought of yet, that makes it all worth it.

So with that said, I wish you all a very joyous and gratitude-filled Thanksgiving holiday!

Sincerely,
Katrina

Best Thanksgiving Yams

I have made this recipe for a couple different Thanksgiving gatherings and people have enjoyed it. As you know, there are tons of yam or sweet potato recipes for Thanksgiving, but if you're looking for something a little different, try this one. It doesn't try to disguise the tasty vegetable and fruit with tons of refined sugar and marshmallows. Instead, it enhances their natural flavors in a way that somehow still reminds me of pie. With so many other sugar-filled items served at the celebration, why not make a healthy, yummy yam dish? (By the way, I got the recipe from my aunt Kristen, an excellent and creative cook.)

Followup note: I made it for Thanksgiving 2010 for a family gathering full of people who don't like yams but eat the token spoonful each Thanksgiving. None of them seemed at all excited about my offer to make a yam dish, but they let me do it--and I got tons of compliments and several even asked for the recipe! I felt like that was mission accomplished because I love helping others rediscover undervalued/unappreciated healthful foods.

Best Thanksgiving Yams

Wash, scrub about 4 large yams. Place in pot with enough water to cover and boil until cooked all the way through but not mushy (check with a fork). Drain off water, allow yams to cool. Then carefully peel (you want them to look as nice as possible when you're done).

Slice yams into a 9 x 12 casserole dish. Slices should be about 1/4"-1/2" thick.

Peel and slice 2-3 apples over top of yams and arrange neatly. (I like to use Jonathan or another variety that has some tartness to it.)

Pour thickened juice mixture over that:

Juice mixture

2 c. apple juice concentrate (Other years I have used apple raspberry juice concentrate or apple cran-raspberry, which were also superb)
4 Tb. cornstarch - mix into juice before heating, then heat to boiling and stir till thickened and clear.

Add the following to juice mixture (all these delectable spices say "holidays" to me!):
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. ginger

Serve dish warm (so you may need to keep in a warm oven until time to serve).

Just before serving, sprinkle cashews over top.

Chili

Chili is such an excellent, nutritious comfort food for a cold day, don't you think?
My family has a Halloween meal tradition that to the best of my knowledge is now in its third generation. It's a meal we look forward to every year and which, while eating, triggers all sorts of pleasant memories for me (so I hope it is beginning to do so for my children as well). This meal includes my mom's chili, which I start craving as the weather cools anyway.

There are probably as many chili recipes out there as people who make the dish, and I have tried more than I can count. But I always go back to this traditional, classic recipe as my very favorite for southwestern style chili. (So those of you who are Cincinnati natives may not appreciate it quite the way I do. But then, I never did get to like either Skyline or Gold Star :).)

This is one of those recipes that you follow and then taste and add more spices, as needed, until it's just right.

Classic Southwestern Chili

Cook about 4 c. dry beans according to package directions and/or using my tip (#3).

When beans are cooked (about 3 hours), add other ingredients:

Brown 1 lb. ground beef, drain off grease and cook 2 onions and 1 clove garlic in same pan.
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes in juice
3 tsp. chili powder (or more, to taste)
4 tsp. salt (or less, to taste)
1/4 tsp. pepper (or more, to taste)

Serve with grated cheese or other toppings, as desired.

Budget Saver Tip #17: Shop Thrift Stores

While I know there are many people out there who wrinkle their noses at the thought of entering a thrift store, I am not one of them. Yes, I know, sometimes they smell funny, and you never know quite what you're going to find, but I get so excited over good deals that I love them! Of course, not all thrift stores are created equal, and you may not always find what you're looking for, but other times you'll hit the jackpot. When that happens to me it makes my whole day!

Take, for example, last week when I went to my local thrift store and, on a whim, decided to check out the shoes (even though I hadn't found anything the last couple times). Now, I know there are professionals from stores like Stride Rite that would be horrified to learn how many secondhand shoes my family wears, but that's how it's always been for me/us and I have no problem with it. If the shoe fits... Well, much to my surprise, I found two pairs of brand-new looking shoes that fit me very well--for $8 total! I figure I saved at least $35 and these shoes have lots of wear left. Plus, they're cute. After over two years of not buying any new shoes for myself, such a purchase was a treat, particularly because I spent so little.

I think my favorite thing to find at thrift stores, though, is children's/baby clothing, since kids grow out of clothes so fast. You can get a whole pile of cute, good quality children's clothing for a fraction of the cost of buying them new. That was certainly a lifesaver while my family was going through the Great Depression of graduate school but our children kept growing!

Curry Vegetables (Crock Pot Recipe!)

Thanks to my friend, Carolyn, for this delicious recipe! I heard she was making it the other day and it sounded so good I asked her for the recipe. The picture didn't turn out very well, but I love all the cheery colors of this combination, in addition to its great taste and nutrition--and that it's a crock pot recipe is a bonus. (Note: it's not spicy if you follow the directions as written, just flavorful.)

Curry Vegetables

2 cans drained and rinsed garbanzo beans
1 diced red pepper
4 tiny potatoes or 1 large sized potato (I used 3 medium potatoes)
1/2 c. diced carrots
1/2 c. diced celery
3 cloves, crushed
2 Tb. curry
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. red (cayenne) pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 can tomatoes and juice
2 c. vegetable (or chicken) broth
3/4 c. plain yogurt (or sour cream)
1 c. frozen peas (added later)

Directions:

Pour drained and rinsed garbanzo beans in to crockpot.
Cover with diced vegetables (if you have other veggies you want to use besides those listed, change things up).
Add spices.
Add tomatoes, yogurt, and broth.
Stir to mix flavors.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. (I started it on high for an hour or so, then turned it down to low and cooked it for a total of about 4 hours, and it turned out great.)

20 minutes before serving, stir in frozen peas and turn to high heat.

Serve over hot (brown) rice.

Dinner Menu

Monday night we had such a yummy dinner I thought I would share...

I made that creamy pumpkin soup I wrote about the other day (minus the cinnamon) and a new breadstick recipe that we enjoyed, which is a variation on our usual, best-loved breadsticks:

Garlic Breadsticks

1 1/4 c. warm water

2 1/2 tsp. yeast

3 c. whole wheat flour (or 1 c. cracked wheat, 1 c. wheat flour, 1 c. white flour)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1Tb. vegetable oil
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or 1/2 c. bottled variety)
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tb. butter, melted
sesame seeds (to be sprinkled)

1. Coat a baking sheet with vegetable cooking spray; set aside.
2. Combine warm water and yeast, allow yeast to soften.
3. Add salt, flour(s), and oil. Combine until well mixed and dough is proper consistency (should be stiff).
4. Mix in Parmesan cheese and garlic.
5. Remove dough from bowl and with rolling pin roll out into rectangular shape until flat and thin (about 1/4 inch--or about size of large cookie sheet). Cut into finger-width strips.
6. Brush top of dough strips with butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Allow to rise while oven warms.
7. Bake at 400°F until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes.

Turn it Down!

I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but I found the following information interesting about how to better protect our hearing (or our children's). In the November 2010 issue of Reader's Digest (p. 76) I was shocked to learn that "One in five adolescents now suffers from hearing loss--a 30 percent jump from just two decades ago. The loss is mild, but it means more teens are hearing only about as well as a typical 40- to 60-year old." Wow. I don't want that to be my kid!

So here are the article's suggestions for protecting this precious sense most of us take for granted:

• 60 - You can listen all day if you keep the volume at 60 percent of the max
• 80 for 90 -You can boost the volume to 80 percent for 90 minutes a day
• 100 - If you want to crank up the volume as high as it'll go, keep it short--just five minutes a day.

This is particularly referring to iPods, but I'm sure the same principle applies for other modes of music listening.

Pumpkin Puree

If you have any pumpkins left over from Halloween that haven't been carved, you should seriously consider doing what I started doing last year: Make your own pureed pumpkin. It is wonderfully delicious in all kinds of recipes. Last year it made me feel so good to use as much of our pumpkins as I possibly could--the meat and the seeds--and thereby also be very cost effective. It was somewhat of a time commitment, but simple to do, and I found it worth it.

As I recall, we tried pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pancakes, which were excellent, but our favorite recipe (surprisingly) was Creamy Pumpkin Soup.

If you've never made your own pumpkin puree (which will keep for a while in the freezer if you make too big of a batch), here are directions:

1. Select a ripe and firm medium pumpkin. Larger pumpkins can be used, but they begin to take on a grainy texture the larger they get.
2. Cut open the pumpkin and remove the seeds and fibrous strings.
3. Cut the pumpkin into four to eight pieces.
4. Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil. This will minimize the cleanup task.
5. Place the pumpkin pieces onto the baking pan.
6. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for one to 1 1/2 hours, or until pulp is soft.
7. Remove the pulp from the rind with a spoon and discard the rind.
8. Blend the pulp until smooth using a blender, food processor or mixer.

I also learned the following nutrition facts about a simple, ordinary pumpkin:

• No cholesterol.
• Low in fat.
• Low in sodium.
• Particularly rich in beta carotene, which converts to vitamin A in the body. "Current research indicates that a diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and offers protect against heart disease. Beta-carotene offers protection against other diseases as well as some degenerative aspects of aging." (quoted from this informational site)
• A good source of Vitamin E, Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus.
• A very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. (quoted from Nutrition Data)

I love that something so good for you is also so delicious and versatile!

Healthier Alternatives

Tomorrow night I will be giving a short presentation at my church on nutrition. My topic is healthier alternatives--which is much of what this whole blog is about. It was a bit difficult to condense everything I thought of to discuss, but I managed to fit onto one page what I felt were the most important things to cover (it doesn't fit quite the same here). I include it below for those who are new to my blog or those who may appreciate a refresher, complete with links to places where I talked about them (or found the information) in more detail.

COOKING WITH HEALTHIER (AND USUALLY CHEAPER) ALTERNATIVES

• Try to do most of your shopping around the perimeter of the store (or better yet, produce as much of your own food as you can). (See Michael Pollan's book In Defense of Food.)
• Cook from scratch - Get as close to possible to the natural source. Ex: Kroger’s All Natural sour cream has only cream, milk, and enzymes. Use butter instead of margarine. Even make your own spice mixes and cook desserts from scratch too.
• When you do buy prepackaged/prepared foods, check ingredients: The fewer the ingredients the better--and if you don’t know what some of them are, it’s probably better to opt for something else. (Again, see Michael Pollan.)
• Avoid MSG (monosodium glutamate). It’s added to many bottled sauces, salad dressings, canned soups, premade spice mixes, bullion, prepackaged foods, and even some sausages (not to mention many restaurant foods).
• Eat more vegetables. Try planning some dinners more around vegetable (and bean) dishes than meat dishes. This can also be cheaper.
• Limit or cut out white flour and refined grains. Bake with whole wheat flour and whole grains, including whole grain pastas and brown rice. Whole wheat flour is best ground fresh, since wheat begins losing its nutritional value (particularly its protein content) 72 hours after it is milled. You can also save a lot of money by grinding your own.
• Add more beans to your diet (preferably cooked from scratch). Ex: Substitute hummus for your vegetable or chip dip. If you do use canned beans, be sure to rinse off the sodium. Beans are super nutritious and very inexpensive. (Tips on how to get rid of much of the gas when cooking dried beans.)
• Refined sugar: Cut it down or out! Examples:

- Use healthier substitutes like honey, fruit juices, or raw sugar.

- Drink 100% juice instead of punch or soda.

- Replace fruit snacks with dried fruit.

- Instead of pancake syrup, use honey. Buy items such as peanut butter and

applesauce without sugar.

- Conscientiously check for corn syrup on labels and limit intake (there’s even some

new ketchup without it!)

The Oiling of America

A few years ago a friend of my mom's introduced her to an online article, which completely changed her view of fats. That was something quite remarkable, since my ever-health-conscious mother had always done everything low fat she possibly could, and up to that point had raised us all with margarine and very little animal fats. She urged me to read the article as well, which I did, and it amazed me. (I mentioned it briefly here.) It took all the "facts" we had been fed by health experts and turned them on their heads, and forced me to really think about the whole concept.

Since then, that obscure article has grown into a non-profit charity called The Weston A. Price Foundation with a multitude of topics ranging from the importance of natural animal products, to how dietary guidelines should be, to the truth behind heart disease. I have quoted from it several times before and will continue to use it as an important resource because I keep finding how much sense it makes! If you have any interest in these topics at all, I urge you to take a look too.