"Plan-Over" Beef & Barley Soup - a new face for Sunday's roast...

Put your leftover Sunday roast to good use with this hearty soup. Barley has become a “forgotten” grain - but it is rich in fiber and slightly thickens a broth as well. Great to portion into cup-size sealable containers for the freezer. These are really handy for a spur-of-the-moment dinner for one.

Today was officially “Soup Day” in the Salt Lake Valley because we had a reality check with a drastic swing of 45 degrees in temperature. When you are wearing short sleeves and sandals one minute, then your winter woolies the next - the first thing you crave is something warm to eat.

I remember as a child my favorite soup was Campbell’s Beef Barley. They don’t make it any longer, much less CALL it that - so I haven’t been able to find it for years. But I remember the deep brownish red broth with just enough of those cute little clumps of barley to make me hunt for them. It seemed to me this was the ultimate “warm up” soup.

I used leftover (some moms call these “plan-overs”) roast beef from Sunday dinner - along with the congealed beef broth that it was soaking in. I even allowed some of the hardened clumps of fat to remain with the broth for flavor - a little can’t hurt too much, can it?

This really hit the spot on the first day I’ve reached for a sweater in months...

For this recipe, along with step-by-step photos - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

Company Corn - so GOOD with late-season sweet corn...

This would typically seem like a Thanksgiving delicacy - but I can’t help but think it would be even more delicious to use the last-of-the-season fresh corn on the cob instead of frozen. This side dish has such a wonderful combination of flavors and textures, you’ll think it should be a main dish instead.

I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but it rightfully belongs to my good friend and neighbor next door. She is an accomplished cook, and has a second sense for what “works” in a recipe. It not only smells heavenly, but is gorgeous when served with all the colorful seasonal foods we love this time of year. Try using up your late-summer corn on the cob for an even better, extra flavorful dish.

For this recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Low Calorie Spinach Parmesan Quiche - with a "no pastry" crust...

If you aren’t sold on this recipe for the reason that it’s low calorie, it will win you over with how satisfying and filling it is. The fact that you don’t have to spend time on a pie crust makes it an all around winner. I was surprised at how delicious this easy quiche was - and it stores and reheats without losing it’s appeal...

I have seen flour tortillas used as a makeshift crust several times, but trying it made a believer of me. I just may take a very long vacation from making pie crust...

There are several versions of this type of quiche bopping around on the web - but this one caught my interest because of the calorie savings. Simply using part egg whites, as well as part-skim mozzarella cheese reduced the calories to 177 per slice.

I made this in a 9” pie tin with a burrito-sized tortilla - but next time I’ll use the soft-taco size tortillas and place them in two Grab-It bowls. That will leave one on hand for lunch later.

For this recipe, as well as step-by-step photos and it's source - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

"Sludge" - SMOOTH way to use your home canning rejects...

Here in Utah it seems this is the season for home canning... mostly tomatoes, peaches, and pears. I found this recipe last year on KSL5 Recipes, but it called for bottled pears instead of peaches. Pear Sludge is fantastic, but can be a little “grainy” - so we prefer bottled peaches instead.

Last year I found this way to use up the bottled fruit that didn’t seal when canning. It’s just SO disappointing to go to all that effort and have two or three bottles that you can’t line up on your shelf. My son and I enjoy this when we want a little something sweet, but don’t want to get a “sugar migraine”...

This drink is a LOT less expensive than a smoothie mix - and has a lot less sugar in it too. Here is a delicious way to use up canned fruit that is starting to look a little less-than-appetizing in storage. We are going to try it with our less-than-pretty fresh peaches that don’t look like they will be good in a bottle.

Try the “Cooler” and “Slushy” drink recipes included in this post as well... For the recipe(s) & links - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

Fresh Apple Sticky Buns - for when there's a NIP in the air...

Did you reach for a sweater today like I did? Isn't it heavenly!? I LIVE for Fall...

A nip in the morning air always makes me think of fall apples. After enjoying them fresh, I can’t wait to add them to meals in any form. I must say this is one of my favorite apple recipes. It’s hard to describe how great this is with soup and a salad - you won’t even consider having dessert.

A few years ago I taught a class on using apples, and ran across this recipe in Country Magazine. It is irresistible - especially when served warm from the oven. We’ve had this for breakfast (like cinnamon rolls) - and even for dinner with soup or chili in the fall. It is fairly fast to put together, then let it rise while you make the rest of a meal. The aroma of fresh apples and cinnamon (not to mention the smell of bread baking as well) makes everyone hang out in the kitchen waiting for it to be done...

For this recipe, photos, and instructions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

'Dogs In a Blanket - fun solution for your Labor Day leftovers...

If you’re like me, you have Labor Day leftovers lurking in your refrigerator. I always buy too many hot dogs when they’re a great buy, then I feel guilty that they don’t have the same appeal anymore. Wrapping pre-grilled hot dogs in a tender blanket of buttermilk dough revives that summer love affair with tube steak once again...

When you see a “Pig In A Blanket” doesn’t it conjure up memories of school lunch? I had the typical school lunch experience that most have, but one thing those lunch ladies could do right was BREAD! And it didn’t matter what form they served it in, it was always the first thing snagged in the lunch line.

Using the Buttermilk Refrigerator Roll dough recipe from yesterday (HERE), you have the luxury of not having to make a school-lunch-size batch all at once. If you only have a few solitary hot dogs left from your BBQ that you want to use up, all you need is a few pinches of dough to make them over into a treat from yesteryear. Dogs that have already been barbecued on the grill are especially good (see the grill marks peeking through the dough? Seeing that makes them taste even better)

Halloween’s around the corner, and these would make fun kids’ treats then... (make your baked hot dogs into a mummy by adding two dots of mustard for “eyes”)

We all know how Pigs In A Blanket are made, but I liked the idea of forming the dough around the dogs in a spiral or braid shown here. I found this illustrated on mykitchensnippets.com - and saved it to use later. I’m glad I remembered where to find it...

For step-by-step instructions & photos - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

Buttermilk Refrigerator Dough - ready at a moment's notice...

I don’t know how anyone can cook on a regular basis without a quart of buttermilk in their refrigerator. It is the main ingredient in these hearty rolls. The dough reminds me of the buttermilk scone dough my mother used to make for the Relief Society Bazaar booth at the Sandy City 4th of July Celebration when I was a kid. The proportions are different, but the taste is almost the same. Delicious!

So how many favorite roll recipes do YOU have, anyway? I am hopeless... every roll becomes my new favorite. This recipe (which I saw on sisterscafe website HERE) caught my eye because it can be stored in the refrigerator for a long period of time without much change in quality. As the sisters mention, it is the answer to hot rolls for Sunday Dinner. But I’ve found a few other ways to use this versatile dough - check back for one soon...

My dear friend Debbie has a unique way of making Knot rolls. Check out her website cookinonthemountain.blogspot.com - (she can make heavenly meals completely in her box oven - it’s amazing! She is my outdoor cooking hero-ine!) I used her method of shaping with this terrific dough, but next time I will try her recipe also...

For this recipe, plenty of photos, and instructions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Peaches In a Blanket - personal size bundles of fruity goodness...

I love apple dumplings, and wanted to give equal opportunity to the peaches that are at their peak right now. You know that just about anything wrapped in flaky pastry will take on a new identity - and peaches are no exception. With a tender-crisp outer crust, and soaked in a sweet, buttery sauce - these qualify as summer comfort food.

You’ve had peach pie by now, right? If you haven’t, and you don’t have enough for a full pie - use what you do have this way. Peaches cook much faster than apples, and these can be ready more quickly than pie. I made these when I was home alone last weekend, and I couldn’t leave them alone. I had to ration them to one-a-day (like the vitamin).

These are best served warm with a shot of sweetened whipped cream, a drizzle of liquid cream, or even a scoop of everyone’s favorite (ICE cream, that is...) It’s easy to pop these in the microwave or a warm oven for a little bit - then they taste almost as good as freshly made.

I added some praline pecans to mine - and it added a great flavor and crunch in the middle of the tender, juicy peach. I’ve seen similar recipes that call for Mountain Dew poured over apple dumplings - but Sprite was delicious. And no - this is NOT health food... but homemade trumps ready made high-carb sweets any day!

For this recipe, instructions, and step-by-step photos, go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

Pizza Bake w/Zucchini Crust - like the deep-dish pizza pie you love...

Yes! This recipe surprised me... I had no idea it would be this delicious. The star-of-the-season (shredded zucchini) is under cover hiding in a tender, puffy crust. Traditional pizza ingredients on top make this taste like an amazing deep-dish pizza pie. You’ll love this unusual twist of a zucchini recipe...

A year ago my wonderful daughter-in-law gave this recipe a try, took a picture, and sent it to me. In her words - everyone liked it and polished it off! That’s saying something - due to the fact that they have three little ones under the age of five. And Dad loved it too...

I’m hoping it reheats well, either in the oven or microwave - because it makes a HUGE batch. Next time I’m going to try different toppings - but Italian sausage is everyone’s choice it seems, and it was terrific.

I was a bit worried about all the liquid surrounding the shredded zucchini. I drained a little bit of it before adding it, but it was still extremely moist. It didn’t seem to matter however, because it was not swimming in juice like I thought it would. I chopped up an entire green pepper, used about 1/4 cup, and froze the remainder in a small container for next time. For some reason, I think I’ll be using up zucchini for quite some time...

For the recipe, it's source, and detailed photos - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Recipe for Disaster... weddings & food blogging don't mix...

I will not whine, I will not whine, I will not whine...



I really love creating things... but this is ridiculous!



I've been trying to get ready for my second wedding this year, AND trying to keep up with a food blog. Can you tell it's not working?



I am happy to say the fifth dress is now finished... Everyone is now ready with their wedding attire (Whew!)



Even after several weeks now - I'm not ashamed to say "I don't do windows" (or dusting either...) That there is a protective coating on my shutters. And I'm serving Del Taco for dinner till the wedding...



My two quilts are now ready for the bindings. I can hardly wait to sit in my easy chair with my feet up, put on "Pride & Prejudice" (or a Patrick Swayze film - I'm so sad to hear he passed away today of the same disease that took my husband...), and stitch away for a week. But I don't have a week:(

So... if you don't see as many posts for a bit, please hang in there. I'll be back.

Freeze-Ahead Peach Pie Filling - you'll be glad you did...

When you are finally weary of fresh peaches (how can that be possible?) and need a way to use them up - try this. In the dead of winter, you’ll be so glad you didn’t let them get soft on the countertop because you were too tired. You won’t have to wait for it to thaw either - just pop it in frozen & bake.

I have such generous neighbors - and they have peach trees too! I was driving out of my garage last week and saw a little makeshift stand on a 5 gallon bucket. It had a box of peaches with “FREE” scrawled on the side. Being the bargain hunter I am, I couldn’t resist.

I went to work using them for a special dessert I needed that night (see the post for Single Size Fresh Peach Tarts HERE) and I still had them taking over my kitchen. What to do? I had heard of freezing peaches for pie filling, but I didn’t think they would retain their color, flavor, and texture. I was (happily) wrong about that.

I decided to use my FoodSaver to finish protecting the frozen “discs” of pie filling. Now when I open my freezer I’m actually looking forward to warm peach pie on a cold winter night.

For this recipe, along with step by step instructions and photos - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Golden Cheddar Squash Bake - like "macaroni & cheese minus the macaroni"...

Summer squash, crook neck squash, or yellow zucchini - whatever you call it, it’s hay day is ready to come to a close. Make sure your memories are fond ones by serving it up in this unusual dish. In the original recipe, it is described as “macaroni & cheese minus the macaroni”... Sized down to serve 6-8, this is sure to please even your most discriminating vegetable aficionado.

I found the original recipe I adapted this from described on Serious Eats website - and it took some detective work to be able to find it. Originally in Tracey Medeiros's book titled “Dishing Up Vermont” - it’s title is Grafton Squash Casserole and it can be found in several places on the web. The recipe is promoted by Grafton Village Cheese Company - and their cheese apparently is well known for it’s unique flavor. Since I have no way to try it clear out here in Utah - I improvised and made it with good ‘ol cheddar cheese from (gasp!) Sam’s Club...

From the ingredients, you can tell it’s going to be rich-tasting and full of flavor. As you know, summer squash can be bland if not handled the right way. The topping is wonderful with Panko crumbs, even more cheddar, and smoky paprika. All in all - it lived up to my expectations.

For this adapted recipe, photos, and directions - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Single Size Fresh Peach Tarts - you won't want to SHARE these...

Hooray! Peaches are on... You’ll be glad you don’t have to share this luscious peach tart with anyone but yourself. It’s simple to make the pastry tarts, or even make individual discs from your own pastry recipe. Keep them sealed for freshness, then make a quickie batch of the sweet glaze to pour over freshly sliced peaches. YUM!

I wasn’t prepared for how much I would LOVE this glaze recipe... It compliments fresh peaches (which are so abundant right now) perfectly. I may just have to make this every single day until peaches aren’t available anymore.

I was expecting the peaches to turn brown, but they held their golden color for almost an entire day. That frees you up to make this several hours before you serve them - which allows you to chill them, making them even better.

I topped them with stabilized whipped cream (included in the recipe HERE) - and it held up beautifully.

If you’ve never used Ultra Gel - you owe it to yourself to give it a try. I used it in this recipe, and it eliminated the need to cook (and cool) the sauce. It also won’t set up extra firm or quickly form a skin on top as cornstarch does.

You could use this recipe in small, individual graham cracker shells, and even in a pre-baked pastry crust for an entire pie. I made individual tart shells - which “sagged” on me by the time they were done. I’ve decided that’s a lot of effort, so next time I’ll just cut out rounds of pastry (you'll love the recipe HERE) and bake them on a cookie sheet. After all - you just need something to hold the real star of the show (the peaches).

For this recipe, with detailed instructions & photos - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

Hunter's Stew - savory convenience...

This stew “evolved” gradually over the years as my husband and sons requested it for scout camps, hunting, fathers & sons outings, the “neighborhood” 4-wheeler trip, and other male-bonding activities. I make it the day before, and package it in gallon-size ziploc bags - then all it takes is a source of heat and a large pot and dinner’s ON!

The first requirement for this stew is lots of TIME. You just can’t hurry stew meat (in this case chuck roast that I cube). Next is an adequate heavy pot - my favorite is my huge Magnalite roaster, and second choice is my well-seasoned dutch oven. The last thing you need to make this a success is a secret ingredient: Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup. (Now it’s not a secret any longer, right?!) As the name of the soup implies - it gives you a rich golden gravy with large slices of mushrooms that really “makes” this hearty stew.

This recipe is very forgiving - if you pay attention to the three points above, you will most likely have the men in your life eating out of your hand (or your roaster anyway).

We have left this baking all day in our condo while we played at the lake, enjoyed this at Yellowstone among the buffalo, packaged it precooked in scout tin-foil dinners (No - that’s not cheating! My men’s dinners were perfectly done while everyone else was waiting for theirs to char over the fire). Last, but not least, we enjoy this for Sunday dinner occasionally also.

For this easy, delicious recipe - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Ganache Topped Zucchini Cake - drenched in chocolatey goodness...

Gracious! I can feel the first freeze coming on quickly - and I’m am driven to use as much zucchini as possible. When I saw this on mybakingaddiction.com - I couldn’t resist one more recipe using the last fruits of my ONE zucchini plant (thank goodness I only planted a single, or I’d be buried in it!)

Well - there’s a first for everything... and my first this week was making Ganache. I wish I’d never tried it - for now I’m hooked for life. Incredibly easy, and exceptionally delicious for such a tiny bit of effort. And when it flows slowly over the top of such a rich, moist cake as this - it’s hopeless to resist...

My family really enjoyed this for dessert on Sunday. It looked so innocent, they didn’t even suspect it had zucchini in it. But be careful (unlike me) and stir the zucchini in thoroughly. It is such a stringy beast, you could have “ropes” of zucchini strands showing up on someone’s fork if you aren’t diligent in stirring it really well. (Just ask my daughter - but she smiled graciously and scarfed it down like everyone else!)

As I mentioned, I found this on mybakingaddiction.com. You’ll find her version and photos HERE... I didn’t change a thing, other than I used my frozen zucchini that was still lurking in the back of my deep freeze. Next time I’ll gladly use up my fresh stuff.

For this wonderful recipe and helpful photos - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Crispy Parmesan Crepes - the crunchy texture will delight you...

I had never paired the word “crispy” with “crepes” - but they make a fine combination... Parmesan cheese adds such a texture and flavor to these unusual crepes. Mushrooms, asparagus, heavy cream, and cashews make them even better. Easy to place unbaked crepes in small portions in your freezer to spoil yourself some evening in the future.

A few months ago I couldn’t reach my friend (who made these) so I could ask for her recipe. I did an internet study and came up with the Chicken Parmesan Crepes (found HERE) - which were good, but just not the same.

I finally reached her and she graciously shared it with me. I can’t quite decide which ingredient gives it such a distinctive flavor - but my guess is the soy sauce. What an UN-likely ingredient to be found in crepes! You may want to cover yours if you prefer the traditional soft crepe - but these were extra tasty baked UN-covered, giving them a crispy parmesan crunch. The tender ingredients in the filling are a nice contrast.

You’ll find that adding grated Parmesan to the crepe batter gives them a wonderful crunch - even coated with sauce. I just love these, and my family agreed with me. They (of course) would opt to leave out the cashews - such pansies!

For this recipe, photos, and links - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

Breakfast Cake with Dried Blueberries - our family favorite, hands down!

I can’t believe I haven’t posted this family favorite before... Of all the “special” breakfasts my family requests - this one wins hands down. We used to make this on Sunday evenings before going to bed, when we would sit around the table talking about the upcoming week. I miss those days...

This recipe comes from an OLD (and very dog-eared) copy of a paper-back Betty Crocker Cookbook that I have had since I went away to college almost a century ago. Since the first day I made it (to use up tons of leftover sour cream from a church dinner) - it’s still everyone’s favorite Sunday night treat. The delicious cinnamon-y aroma as it bakes drives everyone nuts waiting for it to finish.

Today (Labor Day) I made it for my son to bring back his high school friends for a late breakfast after watching their school get “swamped” in football by Trinity. It was good therapy. Give them (soft) butter, and lots of COLD milk and everyone feels like a million bucks.

I added dried blueberries (the kind you can buy at Costco, or elsewhere) - which I have never done before. The cinnamon streusel filling wrapped itself right around them and they almost tasted like very sweet raisins. But my kids’ favorite is still “plain jane” - (no berries!) As you can see, that didn’t stop them from polishing it off completely.

For this favorite recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)