No Empty Chairs

August 14, 2019 · 2:35 pm

Freezing Fresh Peaches (Without Peeling!)

It is peach season here in northern Maryland. I have visited two orchards in the past week and I am making my way through a bushel of fresh-picked peaches. Some have made their way into jams, peach butter, frozen peach yogurt, and lots of fresh peach juice running down chins.

Even after all of this canning, I still have more peaches than we can eat our way through before they go bad. So the remaining peaches are going into the freezer to be pulled out all winter when we need a little reminder of summer.

This is a super simple method for freezing peaches: no blanching, no peeling, no slicing. And I like them so much better than canned peaches.

All you need are two ingredients: fresh peaches and Fruit Fresh (a fruit preservative, mostly consisting of ascorbic acid).

To prepare peaches for freezing: wash peaches, cut in half and remove pit, place cut side up on a foil-lined tray, sprinkle with Fruit Fresh, turn cut side down, and place in freezer. When peach halves are solid, place in Ziploc bags and return to the freezer.

The kids’ favorite thing about these frozen peaches comes when you are ready to eat one. You can remove as few or as many peach halves as you want from the freezer. Place the peach half on a plate or in a bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds, or until no longer solid (You can also leave them in the fridge or at room temperature until thawed). To remove the peel, simply pinch the center of the peel and lift- the peel slides off in one perfect piece! So much easier than trying to peel the peaches before freezing!

I enlisted a much cuter hand model to help with this demonstration.
Thanks Julia!

Freezing Fresh Peaches

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Ingredients:

Fresh ripe peaches
Fruit Fresh (fruit preservative)

Preparation:

Wash peaches and cut in half.
Remove pit, but do not peel peaches.
Place peach halves cut side up on a foil-lined tray.
Sprinkle cut side with Fruit Fresh.
Turn peaches cut side down, and place tray in freezer.
After peaches have frozen solid, place them in a Ziploc bag and return to freezer.
When ready to use, microwave peaches for about 20 seconds and the skin will easily slide off.

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Filed under Canning/Freezing

Tagged as freezing fruit, fresh peaches, frozen peaches, how to, no peeling, preserving, recipe

July 8, 2019 · 10:33 am

Chorizo Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan

Chorizo sausage, fresh mozzarella pearls, spicy marinara: all stuffed into an eggplant shell and topped with melted Parmesan. Perfect on its own, or served with a side of pasta.

Be sure to use medium sized eggplant. The skin on large eggplant is too thick to eat unless cooked for much longer than this recipe.

I love chorizo sausage in this, but you could also use a mild or spicy Italian sausage. I also use a spicy marinara sauce (like Arrabiata), but you can use whatever your family prefers.

Chorizo Stuffed Eggplant Parmesan

Servings: 6
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3 medium eggplant (do NOT use large eggplant)
2 cups marinara sauce (I use a spicy variety, like Arrabiata)
Olive oil cooking spray
salt & pepper
1 lb chorizo sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
8 oz fresh mini mozzarella pearls (or ½” cubes)
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Use a tablespoon-sized measuring spoon to hollow out centers of eggplant halves (don’t discard eggplant insides). Spread about 1 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9×13” baking dish. Place eggplant halves in the baking pan. Spray the eggplant halves with olive oil cooking spray (or brush lightly with olive oil) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coarsely chop eggplant insides and set aside.

In a large skillet, cook chorizo over medium-high heat until browned; drain grease (place chorizo in a paper towel lined bowl to remove excess grease). Return chorizo to the skillet with the chopped eggplant, onion, and garlic. Stir in Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook until eggplant is soft, about 5-7 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

Add the mozzarella pearls to the sausage mixture in the skillet and stir gently. Quickly (before the cheese melts) spoon mixture evenly into the 6 eggplant halves. Top the filled eggplant boats with remaining marinara sauce.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh Parmesan and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

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Filed under Low Carb/Keto, Main Dishes

Tagged as baked, chorizo, eggplant, keto, low carb, main dish, Parmesan, recipe, sausage, stuffed eggplant

June 18, 2019 · 4:00 pm

Sugar-Free Blackberry Cheesecake Mousse

A light, refreshing sugar-free dessert perfect for summer evenings. You can use any fresh berry (raspberry, strawberry, blackberry). It is sugar free, low-carb, and keto friendly.

RECIPE:

Sugar-Free Blackberry Cheesecake Mousse

Servings: 8
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12 oz fresh blackberries (about 2 cups)**
¼ cup water
¼ cup granulated low carb sweetener (I used erythritol)
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
¼ cup powdered low carb sweetener (I used a monkfruit/erythritol blend)
¼ tsp liquid stevia
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
Additional fresh blackberries for garnish

Combine blackberries, water, and granulated sweetener in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, crushing blackberries with a potato masher or spoon. Strain blackberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing with a spoon to strain all of the pulp. Set strained mixture aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sweetener, stevia, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled blackberry mixture. Taste and add additional sweetener, if needed.

In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into the blackberry mixture.

Spoon mousse into 8 small ramekins and refrigerate until slightly firm (1-2 hours). Garnish with fresh blackberries, if desired.

NOTE: you can also use other berries like raspberries or strawberries.

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Filed under Desserts

Tagged as blackberry, dessert, keto, low carb, mousse, no bake, recipe, sugar free

April 11, 2019 · 7:43 am

Sesame Crusted Tuna Steaks

Fresh tuna steaks are a fast and delicious dinner that even fish-haters around here approve of. Fresh tuna steaks are coated in sesame seeds, quickly seared, and served with a spicy Asian dipping sauce. Tuna steaks are best served rare, so be sure you have all of your sides ready before starting to cook the fish.

The main ingredients in the dipping sauce are soy sauce, lime juice, and chili paste. The strong flavors pair well with the mild fish. You can adjust the spice level to the taste of your family.

Preparing the tuna steaks is super simple. Mix together some white and black toasted sesame seeds, and generously coat all sides of the tuna steaks. Cook for 2 minutes in a hot cast iron skillet, and you are done. Be sure and serve immediately, so that the tuna steaks don’t dry out.

The best place to buy sesame seeds is an Asian market. You can buy large bags of white or black seeds relatively inexpensively.

In addition to the dipping sauce, I served the tuna steaks with a Thai Cucumber Salad and Green Chili Cilantro Rice.

Recipes:

Sesame Crusted Tuna Steaks

Servings: 4
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4 fresh ahi tuna steaks, about 1” thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup each black and white toasted sesame seeds
4 Tbs oil

Dipping Sauce:
¼ cup soy sauce
1 lime, juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs sesame oil
10 drops liquid stevia (or 1 Tbs brown sugar)
2 tsp ground chili paste (adjust to taste)
2 Tbs chopped cilantro

Prepare dipping sauce: Stir together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Pat tuna steaks dry. Season both sides of the tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Place sesame seeds in a wide bowl and dip tuna steaks in seeds, pressing seeds onto all sides of the tuna steaks.

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet until very hot. Add tuna steaks to hot pan. Do not crowd pan; cook in batches if necessary. Cook for 1 minute on each side. (Adjust cooking time if steaks are thicker, or if you want them cooked more than rare). Remove to serving platter. Cut tuna steaks diagonally into slices and serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Thai Cucumber Salad

Servings: 6-8
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4-6 small pickling cucumbers, sliced
½ of a small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup rice vinegar, unsweetened
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs sesame oil
10 drops liquid stevia (or 1 Tbs sugar)
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
¼ tsp dried crushed red pepper flakes

Mix sliced cucumbers, onion and cilantro in a bowl. Stir together remaining ingredients. Pour over cucumbers.

Green Chili Cilantro Rice

Servings: 6
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Green Chili Cilantro Rice

1 can (1 ¾ cup) chicken broth
1 can (4 oz) diced mild green chilies, undrained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs olive oil
½ tsp salt
1 cup Basmati rice (or other long grain variety rice)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine broth, green chilies, garlic, olive oil, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice, cover, and simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes, or until rice is cooked. Stir in chopped cilantro.

This can also be cooked in a rice cooker: combine all ingredients except cilantro in rice cooker and cook according to directions; stir in cilantro.

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Filed under Main Dishes

Tagged as cast iron skillet, entree, keto, low carb, main dish, quick and easy, quick meals, recipe, seafood, sesame seeds, tuna, tuna steaks

March 21, 2019 · 8:25 am

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles

One thing my kids like me to make after making Homemade Chicken Bone Broth is Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles. You can make it in a pot on the stove, or it is quick and easy to make in an Instant Pot pressure cooker.

The hardest part about the noodles is the cutting. They should be fairly thin and left for at least 30 minutes (up to a couple of hours) to dry. This recipe makes A LOT of noodles. I use about half in this recipe of soup, and then freeze the remaining raw noodles to use another day.

I use a round pizza cutter to cut the noodles. Separate them slightly and move them around occasionally so that they can dry all around before cooking.

Once your noodles are made, the soup takes about 30 minutes to cook in an Instant Pot, or closer to an hour in a regular pot.

RECIPES:

Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles

Servings: 6-8
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Egg Noodles:
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 egg + 3 egg yolks
1/3 cup milk
1 Tbs butter, melted

Soup:
2 Tbs butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock or bone broth
1 Tbs lemon juice
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried oregano
⅛ tsp poultry seasoning
¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
Salt, to taste (amount will depend on saltiness of stock, about 1 tsp)
2 cups uncooked egg noodles (half of the recipe above)
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
2 Tbs fresh parsley

Noodles:
In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center. In a separate small bowl, stir together the egg, egg yolks, and milk. Add egg mixture and melted butter to the well of the dry ingredients. Mix until mixture forms a rough ball, adding additional milk, if needed. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8” thickness. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut into thin lengths about 1-½ inches long. Separate slightly so that dough can dry on all edges. Let sit, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2-3 hours. Move dough around occasionally so that the noodles can dry on all sides before cooking.

Soup
Instant Pot Directions:
Add butter to Instant Pot and turn to Saute setting. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until onions are just softened. Stir in broth, lemon juice, dried seasonings, and salt/pepper.

Place lid on Instant Pot and cook on Soup setting for 7 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, and then QPR (quick pressure release).

Remove lid and change setting to Saute. Add the noodles and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until noodles are just barely cooked through. Stir in shredded chicken and heat through. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Stovetop Directions:
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, or until onions are softened. Stir in broth, lemon juice, dried seasonings, and salt/pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the noodles to the pot and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until noodles are just barely cooked through. Stir in shredded chicken and heat through. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Homemade Egg Noodles

Servings: Makes 4 cups uncooked noodles
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2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 egg + 3 egg yolks
1/3 cup milk
1 Tbs butter, melted

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center. In a separate small bowl, stir together the egg, egg yolks, and milk. Add egg mixture and melted butter to the well of the dry ingredients. Mix until mixture forms a rough ball, adding additional milk, if needed. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8” thickness. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut into thin lengths about 1-1/2 inches long. Separate slightly so that dough can dry on all edges. Let sit, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2-3 hours. Move dough around occasionally so that the noodles can dry on all sides before cooking.

Bring water or broth to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Slowly stir in noodles. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until al dente. Exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of the noodles.

To Freeze: After drying noodles, arrange in a single layer on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and return to freezer. DO NOT thaw noodles before cooking. Add frozen noodles directly to simmering broth to cook, adding about 1 minute of cooking time.

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Filed under Instant Pot, Main Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries

Tagged as bone broth, chicken, egg noodles, homemade, Instant Pot, pressure cooker, recipe, soup

March 20, 2019 · 8:18 am

Instant Pot Chicken Stock/Bone Broth

Making your own Chicken Stock or Bone Broth is simple and inexpensive using an electric pressure cooker, or Instant Pot.

You can start with raw or cooked chicken carcasses. I usually serve 2 rotisserie baked chickens (Yes-the precooked ones from Costco) to my family for dinner one night, and then use the 2 carcasses to make bone broth the next day.

If you are using a raw chicken with all of the meat still on the bones, cook for 60 minutes, then remove chicken from bones and set meat aside. Return bones to Instant Pot and cook again for another 60 minutes.

I freeze the bone broth in 1 or 2 cup containers to use in recipes later.

What’s the difference between chicken stock and chicken bone broth? In terms of preparation and cooking: just time cooked. In terms of taste and nutrition: bone broth is deliciously rich with all of the nutritional benefits of bone marrow. When refrigerated, the bone broth will become slightly gelatinous. I always go for the extra time and make bone broth.

Up Next: Chicken Noodle Soup made from homemade bone broth:

RECIPE:

Instant Pot Chicken Stock/Bone Broth

Servings: Makes about 12 cups
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1-2 chicken carcasses, cut up **(See Note)
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, cut into quarters
1 stalk celery, with leaves, cut into quarters
4 whole cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
2-3 sprigs of fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, parsley, sage, etc.)
1 Tbs kosher salt
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
Approximately 12 cups of water

Place cut chicken into pot of the Instant Pot. Add vegetables, herbs, seasonings, and vinegar. Fill with water to 1” below the Max line (in my Instant Pot, this is the 4L line).

Place lid on Instant Pot and close valve. Cook on High Pressure:
-Cook on high pressure for 60 minutes for chicken stock
-Cook on high pressure for 120 minutes for bone broth

Allow pressure to release naturally (NPR) for at least 30-60 minutes.

Cool slightly, and then strain bones and seasonings from broth. Divide into containers and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
Note on chicken: You can use raw or cooked chicken carcasses. I usually serve 2 rotisserie baked chickens to my family for dinner one night, and then use the 2 carcasses to make bone broth the next day. If you are using a raw chicken with all of the meat still on the bones, cook for 60 minutes, then remove chicken from bones and set meat aside. Return bones to Instant Pot and cook again for another 60 minutes.

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Filed under Instant Pot, Main Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries

Tagged as bone broth, chicken, Instant Pot, main dish, pressure cooker, recipe, soup, stock

March 13, 2019 · 10:29 am

Lemon Chicken Piccata Stir-Fry

This simple chicken stir-fry is perfect for a last minute meal. You can easily have it on the table in less than 30 minutes. Flavored with fresh lemon slices and tarragon this is a wonderfully light meal that can be served over rice or a bed of steamed vegetables.

A traditional lemon chicken piccata is made with a similar sauce, but the chicken is kept whole, usually pounded thin. This recipe preserves those flavors, but with quick-cooking thin sliced chicken.

In full disclosure, this meal is not enjoyed by everyone in our family. Five of us absolutely love it, but two don’t really like it (and one of those is my husband). They are not fans of “fruity” main dishes, even lemon, which I don’t understand because the lemon adds no sweetness. Since my husband isn’t a big fan, I usually wait until he is out of town or has another dinner commitment to make it. The other kids love it so much, though, that they will start asking when Dad is going out of town again so that we can eat Chicken Piccata.

RECIPE:

Lemon Chicken Piccata Stir-Fry

Servings: 4-6
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4 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
¼ cup butter
2 Tbs flour
2 tsp tarragon
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 lemon, sliced (remove seeds)
2 cups chicken broth
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried)

Hot cooked rice or steamed vegetables, for serving

Melt butter in a hot skillet. Add chicken slices. Sprinkle with flour, tarragon, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add sliced lemon. Cook until lemon starts to slightly wilt and chicken is cooked through. Stir in chicken broth, stirring to loosen browned bits. Cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened and lemons have leeched most of their juice. Stir in parsley.

Remove lemon slices and serve chicken piccata over hot steamed rice or steamed vegetables.

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Filed under Main Dishes

Tagged as 30 minute dinner, chicken, easy meal. last minute meal, entree, lemon, main dish, piccata, stir fry, tarragon

January 31, 2019 · 1:40 pm

Hearty Beef Minestrone Soup

As a polar vortex takes hold of the country, there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of hearty beef minestrone soup and warm homemade bread.

Chock-full of tender ground beef, vegetables, beans, and pasta, this soup is very filling and is especially good topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Some of us here are avoiding pasta these days, so I sometimes cook the pasta separately and let people add it to their soup when they dish it up.

This soup also freezes wonderfully. So make a big crock-pot full and set some aside to eat another day. The one thing you need to do when freezing this soup is to freeze the soup WITHOUT the pasta stirred in. Freeze the cooked pasta separately and add the pasta when you reheat the soup. If you freeze the pasta in the soup, it will be mushy when you reheat it.

For a delicious bread to serve with your soup, try one of these recipes:

Whole Wheat Bread, or Rolls:

Crescent Dinner Rolls:

Crescent Rolls 2

RECIPE:

Hearty Minestrone Soup

Servings: 12
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2 Tbs olive oil
1-2 lb ground beef (use 2 lb for a thick soup)
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef broth
1 can white beans, drained
1 small can (6oz) tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet or beef bouillon base
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
1 large carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup small pasta shapes
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

In a large pot, brown ground beef in olive oil; drain excess fat. Add onion and garlic to the pot and cook until tender. Add broth, beans, tomato paste, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, carrots, celery, and cabbage. Bring to a boil; simmer 30 minutes. Add zucchini and cook 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook about 10 minutes, just until pasta is tender. Add additional water if soup is too thick. Remove bay leaf. Taste and add additional salt, if needed. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

To cook in crock pot: Brown ground beef, onions, and garlic as above. Place in crock pot. Add remaining ingredients (except for Parmesan) and cook on low for about 8 hours. Turn to high heat, add pasta, and cook until pasta is tender, about 30 minutes.

To freeze soup: Prepare as above, but do not add pasta. Place in freezer containers and freeze. Cook pasta separately in water. Drain, cool, and freeze pasta separately. Add cooked pasta to soup after thawing and reheating.

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Filed under Main Dishes, Soups/Stews/Curries

Tagged as beef, crock pot, ground beef, main dish, minestrone, pasta, recipe, slow cooker, soup, vegetable

December 14, 2018 · 5:30 am

Top Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies (Honorable Mentions)

These cookies did not make the Top 12, but were close runners-up. If you are looking for more baking ideas, these are sure to please! Also included are some of our favorite Christmas candies.

December 13, 2018 · 5:35 am

Top Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies Recap

After an extensive process of nominations and voting, these are the cookies that our family voted as their favorites. It is not an exhaustive list, and the voting may have been skewed by the child who hates anything chocolate. Tomorrow I will share a few Honorable Mentions and some favorite Christmas candies.