by: Sarah Sandori

Green beans are one of those vegetables that are so ubiquitous, most people never give them a second thought. They show up as side dishes in so many restaurants and on so many family dinner tables that they just seem like a ho-hum sort of dish.

I’m a big green-beans fan, though. First, they’re quite low in calories, containing fewer than 45 per cup. Yet they’re full of important nutrients, most notably vitamin C, vitamin A, iron and manganese. Other nutrients include thiamin, riboflavin, copper, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids and niacin. Secondly, although it’s hard to get kids (and some adults) excited about them, with a little creativity green beans can be made into a large variety of quite tasty dishes.

Green beans are also known as string beans. Deep green and crunchy, they’re usually available in the produce section year-round. You can also find them frozen and canned.

Green beans are picked when they are still immature, one of the few types of beans harvested and eaten at this stage. When buying them fresh, try to choose the slenderer beans, making sure they are crisp and free of spots. When you’re ready to cook with them, wash the beans and break off the ends of their stems.

Recipe #1: Green Beans with Red Pepper

Ingredients
1 red bell pepper
1 pound green beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt
Black pepper

Directions
Place a saucepan full of water on medium heat. Bring water to a boil and add the beans. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove beans from heat, drain them and set aside.

With a sharp knife, cut red bell pepper into thin slices. Place pepper slices in a pan or skillet, add olive oil, and sauté over medium heat until pepper is tender. Add green beans, garlic, wine (optional), balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat all ingredients until the beans are quite warm. Remove from heat and serve.

Recipe #2: Green Beans and Mushrooms

Ingredients
8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
2 pounds fresh cut green beans
1 cup water
Salt
Black pepper

Directions
Heat butter in a saucepan. Sauté sliced mushrooms and chopped onion in the butter. Add the green beans, water, salt and black pepper. Bring pan to a boil, then reduce heat and cover, simmering until the beans are tender. Simmer until tender. Remove from heat and serve.

———————————————

Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Have you ever wanted to be able to exactly duplicate a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah’s article where she reveals her source for the most mouth-watering secret restaurant recipes in America: http://www.solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html

How many times have you started to prepare a recipe and discovered you do not have all the necessary ingredients?

What do you do?

This often results in a recipe that is ruined, wasted ingredients, or you have to stop everything and run to the grocery store. When you get to the grocery store, you may have to purchase a large container of an ingredient just for a teaspoon or two that you actually need for this recipe. This is very aggravating and very costly since shelf life on spices is not a very long time.

Our common ingredient substitution list will help you substitute other ingredients for the missing ingredient. The substitutions could produce a slightly different flavor or texture than the original ingredient, however, it will save you time and money.

Do you have recipe book after recipe book lined up on your kitchen counter taking up valuable counter space? Do you have a recipe drawer you throw your recipes in, and are never able to locate the recipe when you need it? What are your plans for your recipes that you get from My Country Kitchen?

The staff of My Country Kitchen love organized recipes that make your life easier. Computerized recipes make it easy to find recipes, stay organized and reduce the stress in your life. Create the following categories for your personal computerize recipe database.

Appetizers
Beef
Beverages
Breads
Breakfast
Cajun
Cakes
Candy
Chicken
Condiments
Cookies
Crock Pot
Desserts
Food Mixes
Fruits
Holidays
Italian
Jam/Jelly/Preserves
Copy Kat recipes
Marinades/Rubs
Mexican
Oriental
Pasta/Rice/Beans
Pies
Pork
Potatoes
Salads
Sandwiches
Sauces/Creams/Dressings
Seafood
Soup
Turkey
Veal
Vegetables

What I suggest is to mark off time on your schedule to enter your recipes on the computer. Say 30 minutes a day or week, etc. Always remember to back up your recipe database.

Make a new document for each recipe and then save that document under the specific category on your recipe database.

Make a file for all your cooking tips.

Make a file for all your meals/grocery list you receive from My Country Kitchen.

Go through each cookbook and enter your favorite recipes on your database under Cookbook recipes. Unless the cookbook has sentimental value, sell your cookbooks. This will decrease your clutter. For the cookbooks that you are going to keep, make a chart with these subtitles: Recipe Name; Cookbook Name; and Page Number. This will allow you to find recipes in cookbooks easier.

——————————————

About the Author:
Betty Lynch is the owner of My Country Kitchen and author of “Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen.” You may visit her website at www.mycountrykitchen.com

Do you need a time saving kitchen tool that will cook your meals in a third of the time? Turn to your trusty pressure cooker. It is a long time kitchen tool that older generations used almost all the time. Some people may think that your pressure cooker is just for canning. But this is not true… pressure-cooking makes it easy for even the busiest cooks to prepare meals from scratch which will be healthier for your family.

When purchasing a pressure cooker make sure you get a quality pan. I recommend starting with a new pressure cooker so that you will have the instruction booklet. Purchasing a pressure cooker at a garage sale is NOT recommended. Read and understand the instruction booklet for your cooker before you make your first meal. The newer pressure cookers are a lot safer than the older designs of our mother’s and grandmother’s time. A lot of people are scared away from pressure cooking because of stories about the pressure cooker exploding and food all over the ceiling. Chances of this happening today are less likely, because the newer cookers will not open if there is pressure inside them.

The two biggest concerns when using your pressure cooker are the gasket seal and the vent tube. These need to be working properly in order to cook food safely.

The gasket is the rubber seal on the inside of the cooker lid. Make sure this seal is flush against the lid to seal correctly.

The vent tube is equally as important. This is the tube in the center of the cooker lid that vents out the steam. The small weight that jiggles back and forth goes on top of the vent tube. If the vent tube gets clogged, you can have an explosion. This is why you must add a little oil to beans when pressure cooking them. Otherwise, the skins from the beans will clog the vent tube. You can prevent problems with your pressure cooker by neglecting to check the vent tube before you cook. Hold the lid up to the light and looking through the vent tube to make sure it is clear. You can check that gasket at the same time.

Most of the time, pressure cooking won’t be a problem, but you still need to use caution. Keeping your pressure cooker clean, particularly the lid, gasket and vent tube, will help prevent any problems.

Foods that normally take hours to prepare using conventional methods of cooking takes only a third of the time to cook in your pressure cooker. That adds up to both time and energy savings for you. With the newer pressure cookers very little steam escapes during the cooking process. This allows you to use smaller amounts of liquid and retain more vitamins and minerals in your food. Don’t be surprised if your pressure cooker ends up as your favorite cooking utensil.

Pressure Cooking is one of the healthiest ways to prepare your food it helps preserve the natural taste of your food, and is a faster way of cooking. Pressure Cooked meats are fork tender, and delicate fish or chicken are cooked to perfection in just minutes.

The pressurized steam which is produced by high temperatures inside a pressure cooker makes the food cook quickly and intensifies the natural flavors. This allows cooks to use less salt, sugar, and still get a better taste from their food. Pressure cooking creates an airless environment that retains more nutrients than other cooking methods. As the foods cook quickly with very little liquid, more vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are preserved and not boiled away during cooking. Foods are cooked in a sealed steam atmosphere; which is a virtually fat-free cooking method. Rapid cooking techniques are better for retaining nutrients than slower methods.

So the next time you want to cook a brisket or tougher cut of meat, pull out your pressure cooker. You will be pleasantly surprised at how little of time it took you to cook a healthy meal for your family.

——————————————

About the Author:
Betty Lynch is the owner of My Country Kitchen and author of “Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen.” You may visit her website at www.mycountrykitchen.com

Have you ever dreamed of having a personal assistant in your kitchen? Oh I have, many times! As I dreamed of things this personal assistant would do for me, I developed some time savings tips that will make your time in the kitchen less stressful.

One of the most efficient time savers is planning your meals by the week, for two weeks or even a month at a time. After you plan your meals, compile a grocery list. Buy each item on your grocery list, list the dish which you will be using that ingredient. This will help you once you return home from your grocery shopping. Do your grocery shopping on a day and time there are fewer people at the grocery store. This will allow less stress in fighting the crowds and will help you think clearly as you are making your food selections.

Once you get home, take time putting away your groceries. Clean and chop your vegetables such as herbs, onions, peppers, celery. Once cleaned and chopped, pre-measure your vegetables, place in a storage bag labeled with the recipe it goes in. Keep one shelf in your refrigerator for ingredients for your meals. Let your family know about this shelf so they will not eat your ingredients.

When you are browning your ground beef, brown all the beef you are going to use the rest of the week. Put cooled browned beef in plastic bags or containers, and label them with the recipe name. This will cut down on your prep time for the rest of the week. There is no use in browning beef several times in a week.

When thinking about your personal assistant, think about your appliances that can help you. Your slow cooker will become your best friend. In the morning, you can assemble your vegetables and meat in your slow cooker in less than 10 minutes. Your meal will be done when you return home in the evening. A slow cooker is a wonderful investment!

Always keep pre-packaged salad on hand to have a quick and easy side dish.

——————————————

About the Author:
Betty Lynch is the owner of My Country Kitchen and author of “Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen.” You may visit her website at www.mycountrykitchen.com

Have you ever tasted persimmon pudding?

It is not a pudding at all, but more of a moist cake. In Southern Indiana this dessert is a favorite and a must at any family gathering. Eating persimmon pudding is an event. Pictures are taken of toddlers eating their first piece of persimmon pudding. Everyone thinks their pudding is better than the next person’s pudding. Well, our 94 yr old Grandmother is just as picky about her persimmon pudding as everyone else.

This morning I fixed, for the first time, Grandma’s persimmon pudding. With strict instructions, Grandma tells me the recipe has to be followed to the “T.” Okay. With Grandma sitting at the table, I gather all the ingredients. I pour the persimmon pulp into the mixing bowl. Did you spray the pan? Yes Grandma, that is done. Make sure you use a spatula to get all the pulp out of the container. Get every drop of persimmon. Okay, Grandma (Have you noticed older folks do not waste a dime size of anything?). Next is the soda… don’t forget to mix the batter every time you add an ingredient. Okay, Grandma, I’m mixing. Use the bowl the pulp was in to beat your egg. Use a fork to beat your egg. You will get fluffier eggs if you use a fork. Okay Grandma, I’m using a fork. I can still hear her voice!

We continue through the recipe getting instructions all along the way. The persimmon pudding was baked and turned out to pass Grandma’s inspection. We both enjoyed our time together in the kitchen. This is one of the many days I will treasure the memories of cooking with Grandma.

Persimmon pudding has a taste and texture all of its own. Over the years I have watched people marry into the family who don’t have the same love of persimmon pudding as those who grew up on persimmon pudding.

Grandma’s recipe was a dear friend’s recipe, Treva. Treva won a prize at the Martin County Fair sometime during the 1970s with this recipe. Treva died in 1980 from breast cancer. Grandma has lovingly made this persimmon pudding every time we visited the family farm. Now that her eye sight is to the point she can no longer cook, I will carry on her tradition. Even though I do not like persimmon pudding.

Treva’s Prize Winning Persimmon Pudding

Spray pan with cooking spray

1 cup of persimmon pulp
1/4 tsp soda

Mix well

1 egg beaten with a fork

Mix well

1 cup sugar

Mix well

1 cup of flour mixed with 1 tsp of baking powder - Mix together

1 1/4 cup cold milk

Alternate a little flour with a little milk until all flour and milk is gone. Don’t dump them in together you will get lumps.

1/4 cut melted butter

Mix well.

Pour into 9×9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until edges pull away from the pan and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

——————————————

About the Author:
Betty Lynch is the owner of My Country Kitchen and author of “Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen.” You may visit her website at www.mycountrykitchen.com

Do you keep in your pantry items to make a meal in minutes?

Take-out food is so expensive. When you do a little preparing, you can actually fix meals in minutes. While meals in minutes are probably better for you and your family than a burger and fries. The good thing is that you are saving money.

I always keep a bag of precooked fajita meat in the freezer. Stir fry the meat, onions and bell peppers. Add lettuce and toast to make a fajita salad. Open a can of fruit for dessert.

The same fajita meat can make Nachos. Spread tortilla chips with bean dip, add fajita meat and cheese. Microwave until cheese is melted.

Quick fajitas can also be made with the meal. Add chips and hot sauce to make your meal.

Boil noodles and top with the stir fried fajita meat. Add a jar of gravy and heat until hot. Serve meat over noodles. Add a salad to complete your meal.

Frozen meatballs are another staple I keep in my kitchen. Brown meatballs in a skillet until thawed. Add a can of spaghetti sauce and simmer. Boil spaghetti pasta. Broil under the broiler toast with butter and garlic powder for garlic toast. Add a salad to complete your meal.

Brown meatballs in a skillet. Cook Ramen noodles. Toss meatballs with noodles. Add a salad.

Brown meatballs in the skillet until thawed. Pour in a can of beef gravy. Open a box of macaroni and cheese. Add a salad to your meal.

I always keep a package of the frozen skillet meals in the freezer. These can be made within 15 to 20 minutes. Add a salad and a can of fruit and your meal is complete.

Kids love this dish– take 2 cans of Ravioli. Layer Ravioli, cheese and crushed corn chips. Top with cheese. Microwave until the cheese is melted. Add your salad and your set.

Fix a package of stuffing mix according to directions. Take thick slices of turkey that you can purchase from your deli. Roll stuffing inside turkey to make a roll. Pour a jar of turkey gravy over the top and microwave until warm. Serve with a can of green beans.

All time favorite is soup and grilled cheese sandwiches or soup and a salad is a big hit in the winter time.

A list of “never-outs” would be:

Precooked frozen fajita meat
Salad fixings
Bean dip or refried beans
Shredded cheese
Jar gravy
Noodles
Ramen noodles
Frozen meatballs
Spaghetti sauce
Macaroni and cheese mix
Frozen skillet meals
Ravioli
Corn chips
Stove Top Stuffing mix
Turkey gravy

Make a list of your “meals in minutes” and tape to the inside of your pantry door. When you are in a hurry, turn to your pantry instead of the phone number to your favorite take out restaurant. Every time you fix a quick and easy meal instead of take-out food, put the money you would have spent into a jar. Tell your family about the money jar. As a family, decide what you are going to do with this money. (I.e., Disney trip, etc.) Fast food is a habit everyone gets into, so make getting out of the habit fun for everyone.

About the Author: Betty Reed Lynch, owner of My Country Kitchen, a menu planning service for the BUSY person! Visit her web site at: www.mycountrykitchen.com to subscribe to her menu planning service. If you have any questions, feel free to email Betty at [email protected]

My name is Betty Lynch, thank you for visiting My Country Kitchen! I love to cook for my family and friends, but I don’t always have the time. I work full time as a Legal Assistant, I also enjoy my other titles of Cooking Consultant, Cookbook Author, avid bowler with my husband, and I am involved in community and church activities.

I’m married to my best friend and we just celebrated our 18th anniversary. I’m from the old school where people showed their love and appreciation from the kitchen by cooking wonderful meals and desserts. I’ve been cooking since I was old enough to reach the stove. Believe me, NO person will leave my table hungry. As I grew into my high school years, I loved to collect and try new recipes. So having this business is a dream come true for me.

I’ve always wanted to write a cookbook, and I’m so grateful that that dream became a reality in December, 2006. “Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen” was published! I’ve already started another cookbook, so be watching as I write more and more cookbooks.

Cooking and experimenting with herbs is such a wonderful way to add flavor to your dishes. So you can imagine my excitement when I met my dear friend, Bea Kunz, of Sage Hill Farms. She offers fresh dried herbs year round! Oh, I’m in heaven every time I get a shipment from Bea!

I hope you will find this website helpful.

Blessings,

Betty Lynch

P.S Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]

Chicken Ricotta

Serving: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 medium onion, sliced

2 peppercorns

2 cans green chili, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine chicken, onion, peppercorns in med. skillet with water to cover. Simmer over med. heat till chicken is just cooked (8-10 min.)

2. Preheat oven to 375°F, butter bottom of 8×8″ baking dish.

3. Arrange 1/2 the chiles, 1/2 the Ricotta, 1/2 the Jack to cover in layers. Place chicken mix over that, then salt and pepper. Spread remaining Ricotta over chicken, then remaining Jack. Top with chilies, pour tomato sauce over top.

4. Bake about 20 minutes till heated through. Cut into fourths and serve.

Based on individual serving.

Calories: 700, Total Fat: 34 g, Carbohydrates: 36 g, Protein: 52 g

Quick Pasta with Vegetables and Garlic Sauce

Serving: 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 110 minutes

Total Time: 125 minutes

1 lb pasta shells

4 tbsps olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

4 minced cloves garlic

1 1/2 cups fresh broccoli florets

1 grated carrot

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup half-and-half or cream

1/4 tsp nutmeg

4 tbsps chopped fresh parsley

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional) Purchase a block of Parmesan cheese and grate it. It is wonderful!

1. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain well and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

3. Add onion and garlic to skillet and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add broccoli, then carrot, red pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook over low heat until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Add half-and-half, nutmeg and parsley. Raise heat to medium and heat until almost boiling, but do not boil.

5. Add to pasta and mix well. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Based on individual serving.

Calories: 560, Total Fat: 34 g, Carbohydrates: 55 g, Protein: 10 g

Add to this wonderful meal a toss salad to complete your meal.

Easy Chocolate Lover’s Cheesepie

Prep Time: 15 min.

• 3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY’S MINI CHIPS Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
• 1 extra serving-size packaged graham cracker crumb crust (9 oz.)
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream

1. Heat oven to 450°F.
2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer until well blended.
3. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Stir in 1-2/3 cups small chocolate chips; pour into crust.
4. Bake 10 minutes. Without opening oven door, reduce temperature to 250°F; continue baking 30 minutes or just until set. Remove from oven to wire rack. Cool completely.
5. Cover; refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
6. In small microwave-safe bowl, place remaining 1/3 cup chips and whipping cream. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 20 to 30 seconds or just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred.
7. Cool slightly; spread over top of cheesepie.
8. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until topping is set.
9. Cover; refrigerate leftover cheesepie.
10. Makes 10 servings.