August 29, 2009

Preparation Makes Light Work Later

Below are the recipes I made today.

Magic Mix
from Everyday Food Storage
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2 1/3 cups powdered milk
1 cup all purpose flour (Yes, use All Purpose)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

Combine dry milk, flour and margarine/butter into the large bowl of a mixer (Bosch or Kitchen Aid highly recommended). Mix on low so powder doesn't spray everywhere (unless of course you have a Bosch or the attachment for the Kitchen Aid that prevents powder spray). Turn on high and mix until it looks like corn meal. Store tightly covered in refrigerator.

Visit Everyday Food Storage for other ways to use the Magic Mix. Enter "magic mix" in the search box at the top of the page. Some examples are condensed cream soups, pudding, and various sauces. I will be using it to make the Yellow Squash Puree Macaroni and Cheese mentioned yesterday.

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Okay so Moo wanted to make something sweet and I wanted to use the Magic Mix so I found this recipe and she made it.

Magic Mix Chocolate Pudding

from Everyday Food Storage
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1/2 cup sugar
1 cup Magic Mix
2-3 Tbsp cocoa
2 cups water
1 tsp vanilla

Combine Magic Mix, sugar, and cocoa in saucepan and mix well. Add water, stir over medium heat until pudding bubbles. Add vanilla and beat. Cover and Cool.

Tasty! I am guessing it will taste even better tomorrow when it is completely chilled.

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Yellow Squash and/or Zucchini Puree

1 lb yellow squash and/or zucchini
1 lemon wedge

Bring water to boil in a pan with a steamer basket. Wash the squash. (DO NOT peel your zucchini or squash when cooking or baking with it. That is where all the nutrients come from.) Slice squash into one-inch rounds. Once water is boiling place squash in steamer basket and squeeze the lemon wedge over the squash--this will help enliven the flavor. Cover and steam for five minutes or until tender. Uncover and let squash cool for a bit. In batches, puree in blender or food processor. Squash tends to release quite a bit of liquid so there shouldn't be a need for additional water. Pour the squash into freezer storage containers or ice cube trays (great idea if you are making homemade baby food). Let cool completely before freezing or refrigerating.

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When Bob was younger I made a lot of his baby food by steaming vegetables. If anyone has thought about doing that and has any questions, I would be happy to share my experience. Besides you have not seen such an awesome shade of green as you get from homemade peas.

TIP - When steaming vegetables, let the remaining water cool and then use it to water your houseplants. The nutrients from the vegetables is great for the plants.

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I had a thought that I would make my own mayonnaise and truth be told I executed that thought. Executed but did not do so successfully. I will post a recipe once I have successfully made mayonnaise.

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Potato Gnocchi (Potato Dumplings)
from Simply Recipe
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2 lbs potatoes (the older the better)
3 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 egg
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups flour

Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill the pot with water to just above the potatoes. Place on high heat and add salt. Leave to boil for 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain. One at a time hold the potatoes and peal them with a knife or vegetable peeler. Work quickly. Using a potato ricer or a food mill 'mash' the hot potatoes. Add the egg and stir quickly--this will cook the egg. Add one or two handfuls of flour and stir until it all sticks together in a ball of dough. Remove from bowl and knead on a floured surface or Silpat. Knead for a couple minutes adding the remaining flour until the dough does not stick to hands and is pliable. Cut the dough into four or five sections and roll out each into a 1.5 inch roll. Slice the roll into 1 inch rectangular pieces. Add an indent to each rectangle by pressing your finger into the center of each rectangle--this helps hold sauce. Repeat with all sections and place gnocchi on on a floured platter or dish to prevent sticking. At this point the gnocchi can be placed in freezer until hard then placed in baggies for use at a later time. To cook - bring a pot of water to boil. Add a few gnocchi at a time. When they rise to the surface, wait half a minute to one minute then remove gnocchi with slotted spoon. Drizzle with olive oil to prevent them from sticking to one another. Serve with your favorite sauce.

I am going to use the gnocchi later this week for Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables.

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I believe that is everything I made today. If I left anything off I will write about it tomorrow. Good night.

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