Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #110

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Dehydrating Tomato Skins to Make Tomato Powder

Waste not, want not!

So you've made some Roasted Marinara Sauce and have some extra bits of skins, seeds, and other goodies that didn't make the cut? It's really simple to make tomato powder.  The uses are endless. Mix even amounts of powdered tomato and water to make your own tomato paste.  Add the powder to soups and stews for some added tomato flavor. I thought this would also be good added to meatloaf mixtures.  I am sure you can come up with even more ideas!

Dehydrating Tomato Skins to Make Tomato Powder

Roasted Marinara Sauce Leftover Bits
OR
Tomato skins removed during your canning process.

Roasted Marinara Sauce

Some of you have asked for my roasted marinara recipe and so I will offer a guide on how I make it. There are no exact measurement as each batch can be different depending on the intensity of the flavor of your tomatoes, onions, and peppers.  I make each batch and taste it until I am satisfied. 

You'll notice no garlic in my recipe.  Italian ladies everywhere are shaking their heads.  You are welcome to add it to your sauce.  My husband cannot have garlic so I do not use it and it is still very tasty.

Roasted Marinara Sauce

Red and Yellow Tomatoes (need to be mostly reds due to acid level needed)
Green  or Yellow Peppers (1-2 per baking dish)
Sweet Yellow Onions (1-2 per baking dish)
Olive Oil
Fresh Basil (good handful if using 3 baking dishes)
Fresh Oregano (small handful if using 3 baking dishes)
Fresh Parsley (optional) (small handful if using 3 baking dishes)
Salt
Sugar
Cayenne Pepper (few dashes per batch)

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #109

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Grilled Honey Rosemary Glazed Pork

Grilled Honey Rosemary Glazed Pork 

1/4 cup honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2-3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh Rosemary
1-1/2 pound pork tenderloin
olive oil
salt and pepper

Mix together honey, 1 T olive oil and Rosemary in a small sauce pan.  Use the 3 teaspoon measure if you like more Rosemary flavor.

 Bring to boil and cook for 30 seconds.  

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Pat pork dry and brush with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Grill over medium-hot fire for about 15 minutes turning every few minutes so all sides get time on the grates.   Brush on honey Rosemary glaze, continue to turn and glaze for another 5 minutes or until meat thermometer reads at least 145 degrees.  This is pork's new safety standard.  This cut of meat can go a little higher and will still be tender. 

Rest your meat under a foil tent for 3-5 minutes. Slice.  As you can see mine was still juicy so I poured the juices back over the meat when I served it. 

Use this glaze on other cuts of pork (change the cooking times) or even chicken!

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #108

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Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #107

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Salisbury Steak and Mushroom Gravy

If you are tired of the same ol' meat dish try this. It is a twist on my meatloaf patties recipe. So good my husband licked the pan. Yep, he sure did! (See photo at the bottom.)

Check out the freezer friendly and gluten free options too.

Salisbury Steak and Mushroom Gravy                                               Printable Recipe

Salisbury Steak ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup fine diced onion (or equivalent grated)
3-1/2 Tablespoons quinoa flakes (or bread crumbs)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Gravy ingredients:
1 to 1-1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
2-3 Tablespoons flour (use higher amount if you like it thicker) (use oat flour for GF)
2 cups beef broth (or chicken with 1/2 teaspoon Kitchen bouquet (aff link))
salt and pepper to taste

20 Ground Beef Meals for the Freezer are as easy as 1-2-3-4

Having a stockpile of freezer meals is invaluable especially when you get sick for a few days, are having surgery, had a baby, or don’t feel like cooking. 

Freezer meals are also a great strategy for saving money (when foods are bought or grown in bulk,) saving you prep time, and feeding our families nutritious home-cooked food.

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #106

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Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

My family loves pie and I usually use a box of pudding to make the filling.  I had been using a sugar-free version for a while but we've made the decision that eating sugar (in moderation) is better than the SF stuff.  

I bought regular pudding in a box and it was good. Then I decided to try and make my own and get rid of another pre-measured boxed helper. It's so easy to make! Even if you don't want a pie, the pudding is fantastic alone and even yummy slightly warm.  The egg yolks add a lovely richness and color.  I see many more pies in our future. 

Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

1 baked pie crust
2/3 cup sugar *
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3/4 cup milk (I  used whole goat milk)
5 eggs yolks
1 Tablespoon butter
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-4 bananas
whipped topping or 1 cup heavy whipping cream plus 2 T powdered sugar

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #105

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Unstuffed Green Peppers

When I was a child, my mom made stuffed green peppers.  I didn't like green peppers (except for raw) at the time so having a large cup made out of cooked green peppers didn't appeal to me.  I don't mind cooked peppers now but I find it much easier and faster to make this way.  If you want freezer meals for later this is the route to do it.

It is also a great way to get the green peppers into the dish for the picky eaters.  You can cut them as small as you like or even blend them.  They'll disappear even more after you add the tomato sauce. 

I use brown rice any more in my dishes so I'll give you the white rice version and you can change it up to match your brown rice/water measures and cooking times since brown rices can vary from brand to brand.

Unstuffed Green Peppers

1 pound ground beef

2/3 - 1 cup chopped green peppers

2/3 cup chopped onion

8 ounce can tomato sauce

1-2 Tablespoons Worcestershire

1-1/2 cup water

3/4 cup minute rice

1 -2 cup shredded Mexi blend cheese or 4 ounces Velveeta (optional)

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #104

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Piña Colada Muffins

The first time my husband and I had these muffins were on vacation on Maui where we stayed at a bed and breakfast.  Every morning the owner made breads and had juice and fruit for us to eat.  Everything was so tasty! I think it was the combination of short travel from plant to plate and the beautiful setting we ate them in. 

You can make these in jumbo size (which is how she made them) or in regular muffin size. Either way they are delicious. I  think next time I may add some chopped macadamia nuts to the muffins.

Piña Colada Muffins

1-1/3 cups sweetened coconut flakes
2  cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #103

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Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #102

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Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #101

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Berries and Cream Croustade

Our strawberries are in season and I had some fresh blueberries so I set forth to make a dessert using those fruits. Who doesn't love a nice flaky pie crust bursting with berries?  How about a pie crust with cream cheese and berries?  Yes, please!! 

Berries and Cream Croustade

Croustade:
1-1/3 cup all purpose flour (I used Jovial Einkorn flour)
1 stick cold butter (salted)
1/4 cup ice cold water
(or use your favorite pie crust recipe or store bought)

1 egg white

Filling:
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
8 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar 
1 egg yolk
2 Tablespoons flour (I used Jovial Einkorn flour)

Topping:
2-3 cups fresh berries
additional powdered sugar (for dusting.)

Using a food processor, add butter to flour, pulsing until butter is pea sized. 

With the machine pulsing, add ice water just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky.  It should "ball up." If you need more water add it 1/2 tablespoon at a time. 

Place dough onto piece of plastic wrap.  Flatten dough a little bit into the shape you are going to use.  I used a rectangle shape so I shaped it into a rectangle but you can also make it round. Place in refrigerator for one hour. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place a piece of parchment paper onto a flat cookie sheet.  Be sure it is large enough for your dough piece. Flour the surface you are going to roll the dough out onto. Place dough side down leaving the plastic wrap on top to roll onto.  Roll out dough into shape you need. Your dough should be 1" wider on all sides than the final size you need and be 1/8" thick. If you are using a rectangle shape you can cut off the odd shaped edges to even it out.  

Using your rolling pin dusted with flour roll the dough onto the rolling pin and then unroll it onto your parchment paper. Fold 1" of edges in toward center, forming even border.  If you like, pinch edges to form fluted edges. 

Using a fork, prick holes in the bottom of the crust.  

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack while you make the filling.

For filling, beat together lemon juice, cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg yolk and flour until smooth.  Spread onto middle of your croustade.  

Brush outside edge with egg white.  Return to oven for 14-16 minutes or until crust is golden and cream cheese is set. (The flatter you make your cream cheese the less you need to cook it to be sure egg is done.)

Slide parchment and crust onto a cooling rack.  Cool completely.  Slide crust off of parchment onto serving plate. Sprinkle berries on top.  

Dust with powdered sugar and serve.  Refrigerate leftovers

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Vinegar

I have partnered with the Iowa Pork Producers Association for their first ever Iowa Food Blogger Pork Partnership.  I will be sharing a tasty tenderloin recipe and share a little bit about my connection with pork.

I grew up in a rural setting but not as farmers.  We rented our house from a farmer.  So, we grew up near animals but not raising whole herds ourselves.  That farmer raised pigs and so once in a while we'd get runts.  They were ones that weren't going to make it without a little help. 

We'd bottle feed them with baby bottles and we kept them in the house, yes IN the house!  Usually in the linoleum floored laundry room but sometimes we'd take them out to play.  People always look at me like I am crazy and ask "don't pigs stink?"  No, pigs don't stink when they aren't running round in their own poo!  

This is a photo of "Josie" and my sister.  My mom tells me my sister fell asleep and Josie cuddled up for a nap with her too.  When they were past bottle fed stage Josie went outside until market weight. Mom would go out in the pen and sit down on the side cement slab and Josie would come up and put her front hooves on mom's lap wanting a scratch. She did this all the way to market weight.  That's a big pig!

To learn more about modern pork farming and the values in which Iowa Pork Producers operates, visit www.porkcares.org. 

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Now on to the recipe and this recipe couldn't get any simpler unless it cooked itself!  My family really enjoyed it!!
Below is the recipe as I had made it, you can see the original recipe HERE.  They have over 2,000 recipes so look around.

Stick around to the bottom for a fantastic grilling giveaway!!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Vinegar                             Printable Recipe

2 pork tenderloins
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh sage (or 1 Tablespoon dried)
salt and pepper, to taste