Monday, December 29, 2014

How to Cook a Spaghetti Squash

Have you ever heard of a spaghetti squash? I've heard of it before, but never really knew what it was...much less why it was called spaghetti squash. If you know me, then you know I try to limit my carbs as much as possible. Finding this gem of a squash has been amazing.

What is Spaghetti Squash?

I wasn't really sure what this type of squash was until recently. The reason that it is called spaghetti squash is because the pulp shreds and looks like angel hair pasta. It is a great alternative for noodles in a red sauce meal. 

How to Cook Squash


This squash has a thick skin. It has to be cooked in the oven. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Remove as much of the strings as possible that are attached to the seeds. 

Lay both halves of the squash, pulp side down into a glass baking dish or broiler pan. Fill the pan with 2 inches of water. Place in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. 

All squash to cool a bit. Use a fork and scrape out the center. It will last for up to a week in the refrigerator after being cooked. 

Friday, December 26, 2014

Beef Stew Recipe

One of the things I love making in the winter is beef stew. Whenever I get a chance, this is a recipe I put together. There are a few basic ingredients that make up a stew. Check out what I put in my recipe.


Ingredients For Beef Stew Recipe

1 pound stew meat
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of flour
2 cups of peas
1 cup of carrots
2 cups green beans
2 cups diced potatoes
3 beef bullion cubes
1 tablespoon oregano
2 tablespoons McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 bay leaf

How to Make Beef Stew


First you need to cut your stew meat into bite sized pieces. Coat with the flour and steak seasoning. 

Saute' onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Then add the flour coated stew meat to brown. Once the meat has browned, but still a bit pink inside, cover with water. Stir the mixture until blended. 

Add all the vegetables and spices to the pot. Cover the vegetables with water completely. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat for about 1 or 2. Depending on how thick you like your stew, you can either cook it longer, or add in more flour. 

If you plan to add flour, mix the flour up with water and remove any clumps that form. Pour into the soup pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat back to a medium low until soup is as thick as you would like. 

Should you like to make this recipe in a crock pot it will not get as thick. In fact, it will probably be pretty runny. 

Friday, November 21, 2014

How to Cook a Turkey and Keep it From Drying Out

With the holidays upon us, it is a good chance you will need to know how to cook a turkey. Have you ever had turkey that ended up dried out or tough? Here is what you need to do to avoid that problem.

How to Cook a Turkey


Every package has cooking instructions of how long to bake the bird and at what temperature. Read the label and calculate how much time you need based off the pounds. 

Go HERE for my turkey recipe.

How to Keep a Turkey From Drying Out


There are a few main things you need to do to make certain a turkey does not dry out while it is cooking. Follow these steps and you can be sure that it will keep your bird from tasting dry. 

Thaw it completely 

When it isn't completely thawed, it will have to cook longer to get the center up to temperature. This can cause parts of the bird to dry out. 

Rub down with oil

The entire outside needs to be rubbed down with oil. My preference is olive oil. This keeps the bird tender and helps to make the skin get crispy. 

Fill the pan with water

Put two-three inches of water in the bottom of the pan you are baking the turkey in. This will create steam in the oven as the bird bakes. You might even notice that it takes a little less time to cook with this method. 

During the cooking time, the water might evaporate. When this occurs, add more water to get it back to the level it was when you started baking. 

Baste the turkey

Basting means you take a bit of water from the bottom of the pan and pour it over the top of the bird. You can use a spoon, cup or basting bulb to do this. About once an hour, open the oven and pour some of the liquid from the pan on top of the bird. 

Monday, October 13, 2014

Simple Individual Blueberry Pastry

Last month, I was getting down to the bear parts of my pantry and had to come up with a new recipe on the spot. This is something I am quite good at. I had been given a large bag of blueberries and several frozen rolled pie crusts from a friend. These were my ingredients of choice to create this scrumptious breakfast dish.

Ingredients For Individual Blueberry Pastry


I am not quite sure what to call this treat. It was made for the purpose of being a breakfast pastry. It only took a few ingredients. 

-frozen rolled pie crusts
-2 cups of blueberries
-1/2 cup of sugar
-8 0z cream cheese
-butter for brushing the crust

How to Make the Dessert

I placed the cream cheese, blueberries and sugar in a food processor. Since I have a small one, I had to put half and half in the processor to mix it all up. I blended until it was fully combined. 

Once I blended the middle parts, I rolled out the pie crust and cut in four slices. I put about 1/4 of a cup of the mixture in the center. 


After I filled the centers of the dough with filling, I closed them up for baking. I brought two sides up together, and then the third side to join them. With wet fingers, I pinched the seems closed. 


After I pinched the dough together, I brushed the pastry with melted butter. I baked it in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. 


My family really enjoyed this recipe. I also did a cream cheese cinnamon version of this recipe. 

You can follow me at Love Hope Adventure for some of my other kitchen creations. Look under the Keelie's Kitchen tab. 







Monday, September 8, 2014

3 Simple Kitchen Tricks

I've been cooking for many years now. There are a few things that I picked up along the way from my mom, that I still do. Here are just a few of those kitchen tips that I use.

1. Add Sugar to Water

I boil water for tea almost every single night. To make sure the sugar is fully dissolved, I add the sugar to the water before I bring it to a boil. Fill up your pot with water, add the amount of sugar that you normally would, and then bring to a boil. Once it has reached boiling, take it off the stove and add the tea bags to steep. This is the perfect way to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved and the bottom of the pitcher is not sweeter than the top. 


2. Use Hot Water in Koolaid


When I make Koolaid, I always take the amount of sugar that the package calls for, and use hot tap water to mix it in with the powder from the packet. This way, the sugar and Koolaid mix has a better chance of becoming fully dissolved. Then I fill the pitcher the rest of the way with cool water. 


3. Boil Water Faster

Now this is one you probably already know, but it might not be something that you often remember to do. If you want to bring anything to a boil faster, it is best to put a lid on it. This same concept goes for when you are reheating soups, sauces, vegetables, or just plain water. 


These are just a few lifehacks that I use in my kitchen fairly often. 


Be sure you visit me at Love Hope Adventure to see recipes that I post. I love working in the kitchen and often create new meals on a weekly basis. 

I created these pictures over at LifeTricks

Monday, September 1, 2014

Sweet Rice Breakfast Recipe


One of the easiest things you can make for breakfast is to take left over rice and add a few ingredients to the mix. Think about the types of things you would put in oatmeal.

You will want some kind of sweetener like brown sugar, white sugar, pancake syrup, molasses, or whatever you like to sweeten food with.

There needs to be some kind of liquid to make the rice soft when you heat it in the microwave. Milk, almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk make great choices.

If you like cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger, you can sprinkle a bit on the top of the mix.

Adding in fruit like raisins, cranberries, blueberries, or strawberries gives you great flavor and added nutrients.

This simple recipe can be made with whatever ingredients you have on hand. It can be made to suit your tastes.

If you are interested in some of the other recipes I have put together, go to Love Hope Adventure and look under the Keelie's kitchen tab.

I originally loaded this recipe at LifeTricks, where I create tricks to share with those that follow me.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Homemade Applesauce Recipe

I am not sure about you, but I do not care for jarred applesauce that is purchased at the store. One might say that I'm a bit spoiled, because I only eat homemade applesauce. Fortunately for me, it is a simple thing to make. It does take time to make DIY applesauce, but it is totally worth it in my opinion.

Ingredients


4-5 pounds of peeled and cored apples of any kind
1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
1/2 cup of water

How to Make DIY Applesauce

Once you have peeled and cored your apples, you'll need to cut them into smaller cubes. This will help them to cook down faster. You can add lemon juice to the mix if you like your applesauce to be a bit more tart. A mixture of red and green apples make for a nice sauce, but that is not necessary. Just use whatever you have on hand. 4-5 pounds of apples will normally make 6 cups. 

Put apples, lemon juice, and water in a pot. Cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil. Once it has reached a boil, turn the heat down to about medium. Be sure you watch your pot and don't cook too quickly, or you will burn the apples to the bottom of the pan. As they cook down, they will create their own juice, however if you cook too quickly it will scorch. It is important to cook on medium heat, and not below, or it will ever fully cook. 

Use a fork to test the apples, like you would when making boiled potatoes. When they are soft enough to mash, remove from heat and mash with a fork or hand masher. 


You can then add a few slices of butter to the top and sprinkle with cinnamon. Taste test it and see if it is as sweet as you like. If it is not, then add sugar to taste. 


Come check me out at Love Hope Adventure to see some of the other recipes I have posted. 

Monday, August 25, 2014

How to Handle a Grease Fire

It happens to the best of us; you're in the kitchen and next thing you know, something has caught fire. When you have a fire on your burner or in your oven due to grease, there are a few things you need to do to put the fire out.




The main ingredient you will need to put out a grease fire is baking soda. Do not use water to put out a grease fire or it could cause it to ignite more. Baking soda needs to be sprinkled on the place where the fire is burning. 

Read the full article HERE, for other tips when dealing with a fire in the kitchen. 

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Homemade Meatball Recipe

I am not a huge fan of frozen meatballs. To me, they taste too dry and processed. For several years, I have been making DIY meatballs. The first time I ever attempted to make something like this, I did not know what I was doing. It made a huge mess, because I didn't cook the meatballs before I put them in a pot of red sauce. Believe me, I have come a long way since that day. Here is how to make homemade meatballs from scratch.

Meatball Recipe




1 Pound of Raw Ground Beef
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Oregano
2 Tablespoons Basil
1 4 oz Block of Cream Cheese
1 Cup of Bread Crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Slightly Beaten Eggs

How to Make Meatballs From Scratch


Place the ground beef, eggs, garlic powder, oregano, basil, cream cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper into a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix up the beef with the rest of the ingredients until well blended. Pinch off about an 1/8 of a cup of meat, and roll into a ball. Place the balls on a broiler pan or a cookie sheet. Once the entire mixture is turned into meatballs, bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. 

After the meatballs are fully cooked and cooled down enough to remove from the pan, place them in whatever sauce you have prepared for them. These are good to make Swedish meatballs or red sauce and meatballs. 

Please visit me at Love Hope Adventure to see some of my other kitchen creations.  



Friday, August 15, 2014

DIY Hummus Recipe

I really enjoy eating hummus very often. The price on the other hand, is not something I enjoy. For that reason, I decided it was about time I learned how to make this really simple dish. With just a few simple ingredients, you can also have homemade hummus. 

Ingredients:


2 cups chickpeas
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup water

Method:


You will need to have a food processor or a really good blender to make this recipe. Start by putting the chickpeas in your blender. Fill the processor with the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and a cup of water. Blend the mixture until it is smooth and dip like. You might need to add water to this mixture to get the right consistency. Don't be afraid to add more liquid to make it as soft and spreadable as you like it to be.