Kiwi Fruit

Lately we've been eating a lot of kiwi fruit and I have noticed it's been on sale at the stores (we've been getting the kiwi with our Bountiful Baskets). I like Kiwi but it's not everyone's fruit and it's a little intimidating to look at. They are little oval shaped fruits covered in a brown fuzz (a cross between peaches and coconuts).
The skins are not edible, making the fruit even less appealing to those not into peeling their food. I have a friend who cuts off one end and eats the flesh out with a spoon, similar to eating a soft boiled egg. I haven't been able to talk myself into trying it that way. I like eating the fruit while reading a book after lunch so the spoon method just seems to be too attention consuming.
At one end of the Kiwi is a hard knob that must be removed with the peel. I cut each end off and then peel with the knife or a peeler.
Kiwi's are rich in nutrients. For their little size, they hold a lot of potassium, Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Their seeds are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids but you need to break into them (so no slurping the seeds, must chew). I like the seeds, they have a fun crunch.
The taste of the kiwi is a little sweet and a little tart. The more ripe, the sweeter but they are never really all that sweet. They are quite juicy so you get all that good water with them.
To pick a good kiwi - it should not be soft but should give slightly when pressed. The "fur" should be a uniform brown and should not be dark. The skin should also look firm with no wrinkles. Wrinkles indicate that the kiwi is starting to over-ripen. This is okay for home eating but I wouldn't purchase a kiwi in this condition.
In preparing for this post, I discovered that Kiwi Fruit comes from China. I didn't know that but I am sure they are now grown in the US. There is some research that shows that Kiwi's might be used for medicinal purposes but there is no evidence supporting it 100% yet. I think it's still a good food to add to your diet. It tastes like the best parts of summer but it's still gloomy outside.

Sweet and Sour Meat

I opted to title this Sweet and Sour Meat because I make this with pork or chicken. You really could use any meat (or no meat) if you desired. Long ago I used to bread and fry chicken nuggets to serve with this sauce but I really prefer the meat unbreaded and made into the sauce so it absorbs some of the great sweet and sour flavor.
This is one of those recipes that my mom got from the ladies group at church when I was a kid. It was one she made on occassion at home but it was a lot of work frying the chicken (another reason why I don't make little nuggets). Somehow I got the little photocopied booklet and created my own version.
I made this last night with chunk pineapple since the store was out of crushed and it worked nicely. I can't remember the exact size of the can but it's what I would consider a normal sized can (maybe around 14 oz). Also I have found that reducing the vinegar to 1 cup helps cut the bite that my family is not so fond of. I use plain white vinegar but this could be good with rice vinegar.
I serve it over rice with extra soy sauce.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
1-2 pounds chicken or pork, cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, diced
1-2 green peppers, diced
1 can crushed pineapple with juice
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cup vinegar
4 tbs. soy sauce
2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
4 tbs. cornstarch
1 cup cool water
1 cup ketchup
In a deep skillet or large saucepan (not huge but at about 12 inches across and 5-6 inches deep), heat enough oil to cover bottom of pan. Add meat and brown. Add onions and green peppers. Saute until just tender. Mix cornstarch with cool water until all the starch is dissolved. Add to pot with remaining ingredients. Stir until well mixed and begins to thicken. Remove and serve over rice.

Quick Stir Pitcher

I first saw a self stirring pitcher on a blog about home storage and emergency preparedness. The blog talked about how this pitcher was an absolute necessity for any home. I thought about it but I rarely buy something online, for no real reason except that I hate paying extra for shipping. A month later, I was at an event that had seller's tables set up in the lobby. One table had Pampered Chef items and this pitcher was something new that they were promoting. The Pampered Chef pitcher did come out to be a few dollars more for the actual cost of the pitcher but I was able to walk away with it that day and that's what I really like (I like holding my products in my hand).
At first, it was fine. We used it all summer to make kool-aid but I just didn't get it. I didn't have anything negative to say about it but I didn't love it. When my husband lost his job in December, I felt it was a good time to start using up all those cans of powdered milk or at least make a big dent in them. Over the last 4 months we've found that we tolerate the powered milk just fine. We don't drink it just because but it works fine in cereal and for cooking. What I hate is that this particular brand of powdered milk seems water resistant. The powder hits the water and forms tight little balls that never seem to really dissolve. It's a real pain. Then I re-discovered that quick stir pitcher in the back of the cabinet and thought 'couldn't hurt'.
I, now, understand why that pitcher is a must have. With a little effort (not as much as without) the powder is quickly blended into the water. There are no more lumps (an occassional bit stuck to the side of the pitcher but nothing to worry about). It cleans quickly and fits easily into our refridgerator. I absolutely love it. The pitcher looks like a normal pitcher but has a plunger in the lid but instead of a rubber end, it has a pinwheel like plastic piece. It's not hard work to get the milk mixed. It does create a lot of foam and bubbles so you have to watch over pumping and foaming out the spout but other than that I have no complaints.
I look forward to buying real milk again. Our local co-op now has raw organic milk and I envision my little pitcher turning that milk into a vat of butter with as little effort as it makes my powdered milk. I definetely say this is a must have. Pampered Chef sells it in two sizes but I think the smaller size works just fine. I know that it's out there from other companies so any one should do.

Coming Soon!

Doing the Irish recipes for 17 posts brought a lot of things to my attention. The first was that I realized that I can post here on a more regular basis without much trouble. The weekends are a little chaotic for me but through the week shouldn't be a problem. Also, having a theme made me put other recipes on the back burner leading me to come up with some other ideas of what I would like to share.
This past weekend I volunteered with the Red Cross at a Community Preparedness Fair and got to thinking about household preparedness and sharing some of that information with others. I don't want to dedicate an entire blog to preparedness - not because I don't think it's a viable topic but because there are other great blogs about the topic and I really don't need to add another blog to my schedule.
So I decided to kind of make themed days - Monday, Wednesday, Friday I will post a recipe that I have experimented with. (I want to make it clear that most recipes I play with have come from somewhere else but since I put all my found recipes in a computer file I rarely remember where they came from. I try to credit as I can but most of the time it just won't happen and I apologize for any confusion.)
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I will share something food or household related. That might be a product I found that I can't live without, a tip or technique or anything else I can think of. I will, also, share some food information. If there is a particular fruit or vegetable that you have not tried and would like information about - let me know and I will blog. I think it's important to remember that food is part of a household and part of a life. Eating well on a budget means more than beans and pasta. It's my goal to weed out all the extra expense and still eat well.

Poached Pears

We ended up with some pears that were not very tasty for eating but wanted to consume them anyway. I had always heard about poached pears but never tried them. I looked at a recipe and it seems that poached pears contain alcohol that you light on fire. Being that we had special guests who did not drink alcohol and were eating in my father's apartment I thought it was best to create an alternate recipe. My recipe uses Watkins Mandarin Orange Seasoning and Dip Mix which is still available through Watkins but I think one can substitute orange jello powder. Personally, I love the Mandarin Orange Mix and use it to make a salad dressing I found on the Watkins website ages ago (I am not sure the recipe is still there). This turned out to be really easy and tasted great. Everyone loved them.

Poached Pears
6 ripe pears
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 TB mandarin orange mix (Watkins)
1 tsp Chinese five spice blend
Bring water to boil. Add sugar and let boil until the water has boiled to half or there about. Add mandarin orange mix and Chinese Five spice. Cut pears in half and remove core. Lay pears in 11x13 baking dish, cut side up. Pour syrup over pears. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Pita Bread

Pita bread is actually quite simple. I had a recipe long ago that I am certain cooked the pita in a skillet but this oven recipe worked nicely. This recipe has you raise the pitas after shaping them but I found that it took up too much counterspace and worked fine baking them right after shaping. Also, I skipped the step of placing them in a paper bag or draping with a towel and just stacked them on a plate. After baking you can eat them or cool them, butter and fry in a skillet.

Pita Bread
1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Add yeast to water and let ferment for 10-15 minutes. Mix all remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add yeast water and oil. The dough will be slightly dry but mix well. Knead in bowl or on countertop for several minutes. Let rise in a warm location. When it has risen to twice it's size, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. cover with a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas a softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.

Curried Chicken

This is a great and quick dish. I discovered something called stir fry chicken at our grocery store. It's become my favorite cut of chicken. They also have stir fry pork and beef. The cut is about 1/2 inch strips of meat but they cook really fast making them perfect for rushed dinners.
Curry is often a dish served with a lot of extras. I served this with currants, almonds and lemon slices. You can easily include other nuts, fresh herbs or anything that sounds good (chutneys are often served with curries). I made fresh pitas and will share that recipe tomorrow.

Curried Chicken
1 onion, chopped
2 teas minced or paste ginger
1 head (bulb) garlic, minced or mashed (I often smash the unpeeled cloves under a jar and then remove the peels)
2 teas curry powder
2 teas cumin
2 teas lemongrass paste
1 onion sliced
2 green peppers, chopped or sliced
2 tbs sour cream
Lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
4 3/4 pounds stirfry chicken (this is what I used - feel free to use more or less chicken)
Oil
In a blender, puree lemongrass, ginger, garlic, curry powder, cumin and chopped onion until a thick paste. Heat oil in deep skillet. Saute the sliced onion and peppers until they start to soften. Add paste and let brown. Squeeze lemon juice over pan to loosen anything sticking. Add chicken and fry until the chicken reaches 180 degrees. With this cut cooking should take about 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream and remove from heat.
Serve over salad greens on a pita.

*ginger and lemongrass paste can be found in nearly any grocery store produce section. They can come in small jars or plastic tubes. Lemongrass can be optional.