ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS -- COUSCOUS

 The staple cereal of North Africa, made from fine semolina.  The minuscule pellets are steamed over the pot in which the meat and vegetables are cooking or, for sweet couscous, over water, then mixed with sugar, nuts and fruits.

Two-Ingredient Soda Pop Cupcakes

• Prep Time 10 min
• Total Time 1 hr 45 min
• Servings 24

Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ white cake mix

1 can (12 oz) carbonated beverage of choice

Directions

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• In large bowl, beat dry cake mix and carbonated beverage with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping side of bowl. Divide batter among cups.
• Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove to cooling rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. If desired, frost with Betty Crocker™ frosting.

ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS -- ZA'ATAR

This blend of roasted dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, sesame seeds and sumac is found in many Middle Eastern kitchens.  Za'atar is traditionally sprinkled on toast spread with ricotta or try it tossed ith roasted potato wedges.

POTATOES, ONION AND PEPPERS

Potatoes, Onion and Peppers

Set oven to 350.

3 small potatoes sliced – not too thin
1 small onion chunked or sliced (your choice)
1-2 tbsp fresh rosemary or dried
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp ground pepper

A small bag of frozen peppers was cut up and added.

Mix liberally with olive oil. Put in baking dish.

Bake for 45-60 minutes until potatoes are tender.

EASY HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE

Easy Homemade Applesauce

6-8 apples, peeled, cored, coarsely cut up
½ C sugar
¼ C brown sugar
¾ to 1 C water
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon (to taste)
Cinnamon stick broken up - optional (wondered what to do with these)
½ C cranberries - optional (had some frozen)

Put all ingredients into a heavy duty pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. I used a potato masher to mash the apples and cranberries as they cooked. Remember to remove the pieces of cinnamon stick.

       

LAZY DAY BRAISED POT ROAST

Lazy Day Braised Pot Roast

4 lb boneless chuck roast, trim fat and blot dry
½ tsp salt
4 large carrots cut into 3-inch lengths
4 large potatoes, peel and quarter
1 large onion, quarter
2 bay leaves
3 C water
½ C cider vinegar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1. Place roast in slow cooker and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add carrots, potatoes, onion, bay leaves. Pour water and vinegar over meat and vegetables. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.


2. Transfer meat and vegetables to heated platter and cover. Turn cooker to HIGH. You will have about 3 cups of liquid. In a small bowl, mash the butter and flour together to make a beurre manié.
   
   OK this sounds like something Julia Child might use (maybe she did) but it's not hard to do. Beurre manié is just an uncooked paste of flour and butter that thickens the thinnest of sauces. Put equal amounts of soft butter and flour in a bowl or small food processor and use a fork or pulsing motion, to mash together until the mixture forms a semi-firm mass. Add to the hot liquid in the cooker, stir with a whisk until it melts and the liquid thickens. Turn cooker to HIGH re-cover and cook about 10-15 min. Pour over the meat and vegetables and serve the remainder in a bowl

VEGETABLE SOUP

Vegetable SoupGet out your favorite soup pot and put in 2-3 tbsp olive oil

Add and cook until tender
1 medium chopped onion
1 C carrots, cut up
1 C celery, cut up
2 C frozen tomatoes or a 28 oz can
1 C peeled and chopped potatoes
4 cans low sodium chicken and beef broth

Add seasonings to taste – some choices:
Salt & pepper
Oregano, Basil , Parsley, bay leaves

Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, simmer until potatoes are tender (30 min.).

Extras to add – your choice(s):Zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 C green beans cut into pieces or canned beans
Handful of spaghetti, broken up - any other short pasta

Simmer until pasta is cooked. Remove soup from heat. Stir in coarsely grated Parmesan cheese or grated Mozzarella - your choice.