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about Vic's Mom's Kitchen

I started this blog to make it easy for my kids to make the same quick, economical, tasty and healthy food as they got at home.

But you will find more than favorite family recipes here.

There are also pages on:

menu planning for healthy eating

how to save money and buy a month's worth of meals

what basics to have on hand to make stuff from scratch

basic cooking tips

about cooking utensils, pots and pans

how to keep stuff and how long it will keep

seasoning foods



VMK is simple no frills with no frills cooking. (There are a few recipes fancy enough to use for entertaining) I try to keep things healthy and nutritionally balanced, but I won't sacrifice taste. Most meals will serve two and many make enough for four and are ones that are good leftover for the next day.
My kitchen is too small for a MW so there are not many MW instructions, but these recipes usually take me around 30 min using the stove or oven.
These recipes don't use any small kitchen appliances that plug in. No mixers or blenders.

peace and love
Littia - Vic's (and Sam's, and Carolyn's and Cliff's) Mom

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Banana 'Ice cream'

This is a version of the recipe that came out on BoingBoing a while ago - one that does not use power tools.

One very ripe banana per serving and amounts for the added ingredients are for one serving.

Mash banana with potato masher. Add other ingredients and mix til smooth. Put the mixture in a wide shallow container with a flat bottom - you want the banana mixture to be spread real thin. Put it in the freezer for at least an hour and a half.
Then take a large fork and 'rake' the frozen mixture. It will come off like shaved ice or slushy. Mash it a little and stir for a smooth creamy look.

Additional ingredients: for each banana
1 tablespoon honey + 2 tbsp peanutbutter
2 oz coconut juice
2 oz orange juice and pulp

The peanutbutter and honey work well. Fruit juices can't be over 2 oz or it ends up more like a slushy and loses the creaminess.
Enjoy experimenting
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Submit a Recipe

If you have any easy cheap recipes that I don't have here, you can submit them. I will test them in my kitchen and post them when they have been tested. Note: I cannot post all requests and I am trying to KISS - there are plenty of recipes for raspberry tofu mousse and other things people really don't want to cook or eat daily.
Type your submission in the comment box below.

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Submit a request

Please enter what you are looking for in the comments box at the bottom of the page. I have a lot of other recipes. I just put the easiest ones one here first, if I can find something like what you ask for I will post it.


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snacks

This will be where you will find Cheese Straws and other snacks when I get them in here.

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sweets

These are sweet things likes cookies and cakes.


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breakfast

These are things that are usually eaten as a breakfast.

But actually I'm usually too sleepy to remember what I do and write it down so I will fill this in with

Oatmeal
French Toast
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Southwest Omlette


And some more stuff when I wake up
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veggies

These are recipes that are for vegetables or for main dishes that don't have meat.


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cheese

There wil be recipes for cheese related things here But they are not added yet

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eggs

These are recipes that use eggs as a main ingredient instead of meat.



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other meat

This is for everything else. Sometimes you can get a good buy on marked down veal and lamb because not many people know how to cook them. This also includes canned meat like corned beef and hotdogs.


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fish

This is mostly for canned or frozen fish and shrimp. If you are fortunate enough to get good fresh fish - just steam it or broil it lightly.


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pork

We try to go easy on the pork. But it is a good southern favorite and life don't taste the same without it.


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chicken

These recipes can all be made with boned cooked chicken. A few can also be made with whole chicken parts - 'BBQ'Chicken and Teriaki Chicken.


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beef

This is for beef - roasts, stirfry etc. Most of these will work with other types of meat like deer. See other meats for recipes using lamb and veal.


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ground meat

These are recipes that use ground meat. Usually this is ground beef but ground turkey or chicken can be used if you add a little vegetable oil. You can use rehydrated TVP if you want - when I rehydrate it I add bullion at the same time so it gets a good flavor.

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how long will it keep?

Here's a handy site http://www.stilltasty.com/
that has great info about how long things keep.

But if you don't want to get into too much detail,
while not exactly scientific, I use an old 'rule of 3' for perishables that hasn't killed me yet:
3 hours unrefrigerated
3 days refrigerated
3 months frozen
and it is easy to remember.

Tins or canisters are important to keep your dry goods dry and free from critters. Beans, rice, and pasta should be stored in canisters instead of the plastic bags. pests can eat through the plastic.

Keep your potatos and onions in a hanging basket or in a cardboard box in the cabinet. take them out of the bags even the mesh ones - they need good circulation. Use the potatos that are softer or have sprouts first. Use the onions that are sprouting first. Yes it is true that the green part of the potato under the skin is not good.

Carrots and cabbage keep in the crisper all month long wrapped in plastic, or aluminum foil.

Fruits and tomatos do not ripen in the fridge. Do not refrigerate fruit unless it has been cut.

Put fruit in a paperbag to make it ripen. (some say add an apple)

Don't keep eggs on the door in the little eggholes, it is too warm. If you must use a cracked egg. Check it first by smell, then look to see if it is cloudy or if the yellow bursts when you crack it - I wouldn't use that one. A good way to not waste eggs is to crack each one separately into a cup and make sure it is good before adding it to the rest.

Buy cheese in big block (24 oz). Cut it up in 8 oz chunks and wrap separately. *Note: do not touch the cheese with your bare hands. This is how it gets that mold on it. Use plastic bags as gloves to avoid touching the cheese. Keep in dairy drawer. I haven't ever got sick from eating cheddar that i cut the white mold off of. Cheese gets crumbly if frozen and doesn't melt as well.

I freeze a lot of stuff. I use aluminum foil and ziploc sandwich bags. The freezer bags are too large - 1 qt - for two people and the sandwich bags seem to protect from freezer burn as well as a half filled quart bag, and they are cheaper.

Freeze any meat that you don't plan to use especially right away. (and especially if it is a 'quick sale').

I freeze ground meat in 1/2 lb blocks in aluminum foil. mold the foil around odd shaped pieces of meat or bone. Watch the bones do not cut the foil. If it does. You will have to double wrap it - a patch won't work.

I bake the roast and freeze the left overs as cubes or slices in 2 servings per ziploc.

If I buy chicken quarters I boil them and bone them. This saves space in the freezer. 1 c of chicken meat per ziploc bag. If I buy breasts, I bone them and freeze the breast strips raw. If I boil the chicken, I use boil the stock down and cool it. The fat will harden on top in the fridge, take it off and keep the stock for recipes. it will freeze.

I divide lunchmeat and hotdogs into meal-size packs to keep things from hanging around the fridge way too long.

Bread will freeze in the wrapper, just watch how you thaw it out. If you put the frozen loaf somewhere warm, the moisture will condense on the inside of the wrapper and you will end up with bread that is hard at the bottom and soggy at the top. Very unpleasant. Let the bread thaw slowly. If you need some quick - take out a couple of slices and set them out on a plate for 10 min or so. Or if you're really impatient put it in the toaster - watch sparks from melting ice.

There are things that don't freeze well. DON'T FREEZE
potatos, sweet potatos (puree okay),eggs,milk, whole raw large fruits and veggies, salted stuff, canned things. Cream sauces and gravies.
some things are not worth freezer space: cooked rice, cooked pasta, onions.

Bell pepper and celery can be diced and frozen raw for use in recipes later.


Mushrooms must be sliced or diced and fried in butter before frozen for use in recipes later.


Strawberries and other small berries can be frozen raw. small beans and peas can also - but are easier to store dried. Wash the strawberries first then cut the tops off and they won't be soggy. Large strawberries or ones that are not quite ripe can be cooked in a light syrup and frozen.

Bananas can be mashed and frozen raw for bread or cake.

Larger fruits like apples and peaches must be cut up and cooked lightly before freezing. They are usually frozen in a light sugar syrup.

Veggies should be chopped or sliced and blanched - this is when they are put in boiling water for a minute or two til they change color, then drained and cooled off in cold water.


Soups stews and casseroles can usually be frozen - if they don't have potatos
freeze a single serving of leftovers for a quick lunch.

Cool these before you bag and freeze them. Watch how you load your freezer - spread the new packages out flat so they cool quickly - instead of stacking them in a pile. organize later.
If you want to do a lot of food storage preparation use a book like the 'Joy of Cooking'.

read more cooking tips
find out about kitchen utensils
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basic cooking tips

measuring things
all the recipes are made for easy measuring. Use a glass 1 cup measure - don't worry about dry cup or wet cup measuring. all the recipes will work with a teaspoon and a tablespoon if you don't have a measuring spoon.
don't pack anything into a measuring cup to measure it except for brown sugar


sifting
a sifter is a handy thing and can make your pancakes and cakes much better. You can also sift the added dry ingredients (baking powder etc) into the mixture better by putting it through the sifter with the flour.

eggs
eggs are a little tempermental. the whites like to be at room temperature before they will beat well. If you beat egg whites do not have any oil on your bowl or beaters or they won't work. beat eggs with a fork before adding them to batters.

butter
recipes that call for butter usually want it at room temperature or soft. not melted - it will soak in too quick. (cornbread and pancakes are exceptions to this)

mixing things
some recipes will tell you to mix the dry ingredients with the wet ones. Usually this is done by making a well in the middle of the dry ingredients in a bowl and pouring in the wet stuff. Then you stir from the center, slowly incorporating more dry ingredient until it is mixed. some recipes ask you to add the dry ingredients in stages to the wet ones.



heating things
lower heat is better unless you are looking for a quick crunchy crust. High heat will cook the outside before the inside is done. cover things if you want them to cook faster and not lose moisture. If you want something to lose moisture - raise the heat and stir until the moisture evaporates.

roasting in an oven
Covered with a lid or foil the meat will retain moisture, but will not develop a good crispy flavor. Higher heat will burn not brown covered things in the oven.
But if you bake uncovered, the food can dry out too much.
One way is to bake covered at low heat, and then uncover, browning or broiling under higher heat. This will give a good color but not the best flavor.
The other way is to sear the meat with high heat first, this will seal the juices in the meat and keep it moist while it bakes uncovered. You can either pan sear the meat in a little oil first - good for roasts, small game etc. Or for fowl you can put the bird (skin on) in a 400 oven and immediately lower heat to 325. This will crisp the skin and keep the meat moist.
If you are not watching your cholesterol, larding and basting are other ways to put crispness and flavor in roast meat.
Larding is adding additional fat on top of lean meat, or under the skin of lean birds as it bakes - strips of lard, bacon or fat is used.
Basting is using some combination of the meat's own fats and juices, or other fats and liquids(BBQ sauce) to apply moisture to the meat as it bakes - it is labor intensive to do properly.

how to tell if it is done
meats are done when the juices run clear, cut into the thickest part of the meat and see if it is still bloody. Or better yet use a meat thermometer and cook to the recommended temperature.
Fish and seafood cook fast, take this into account when timing the doneness of other ingredients and sidedishes. the seafood is usually added last to soups, gumbos and chowders. fish is done when it is no longer transparent and flakes easily with a fork.
Shrimp are done when the shells turn pink and the meat is less transparent, they will release from the shells easily. Fresh shrimp (med) only take 5-7 min at boiling. fresh oysters take less. Rubbery tough shrimp have been cooked too long.
Shrimp taste best cooked in shell, shelled and then added to jambalayas, etc.
baked things will be brown - but check the center of cakes, cobblers and breads with a toothpick - it should come out clean, not gooey. pasta should still be a little firm to the bite. grains will absorb the liquid. rice will split in the middle when it is soft. the skin of beans will curl when you blow on them. test potatos with a fork. cook any left over to boiling for at least min to make sure nothing is growing in it.

substitutions
try to use the ingredients in the recipes. Substitutions are tricky and do not often work out like you want them to. This especially applies to things that are baked. Get a good cookbook like 'The Joy of Cooking' to find out how to substitute things.


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seasoning

Seasoning food is not hard when you learn a few basic flavor combinations for the different types of cooking.

italian
always use: basil, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and oregano
also use: bellpepper, onion, black olives, celery, bay leaf, fennel seed, marjoram, pimiento, red pepper flakes. parmesan, mushrooms

italian white
use cream, butter parmesan, and a little nutmeg, mushrooms

tex mex
always use: chili powder, garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes,tomato
also use: tobasco, cilantro, bell pepper, jalapenos, onion, celery, black olives, salsa, cheddar and jack cheese

southwest
always use: chili powder, garlic, cumin, pepper flakes
also use: jack cheese, onion, bell pepper, tomatillo

creole
Tony' Chacheres (i didnt spell it right) and Zatarain's make good creole seasoning mixes - but if you want to season your own you can.
always use: roux and creole seasoning of the following combo - garlic, thyme, black pepper, tobasco, tomato, bell pepper, celery
also use: okra, rice, gumbo file, sugar, red pepper flakes

roux-(pronounced 'roo') is a mixture of flour and fat (bacon grease, veg oil or butter) The fat is heated and (somewhere around) an equal amount of white flour is added to the fat under low heat - prefreably in a heavy pot. The fat and flour are slowly browned to the desired color. Light color for light sauces, med brown for chicken, or dark nutty brown for beef and gumbos. Roux is used to thicken a wide variety of soups,sauces and gravies in many kinds of cooking beside creole. When you get good at it you can make a big batch of roux to keep in the fridge for adding to things.

oriental
always use: ginger, soy, sugar, garlic, pepper flakes
also use: curry powder, five spices powder, teriaki sauce, cinnamon stick, star anise, lemon grass

savory - this means just a good seasoning for roast meats and stews.
always use: onion,garlic,celery,
also use: black pepper, bell pepper, mushrooms
use 1 or two: sage, thyme, parsley, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, savory

The idea with making your own seasoning is to compliment the food instead of covering it up.
Start by experimenting with just 1 or two of the dried herbs and then you can see which blend you like. Go easy on dried herbs - no more than 1/2 -1 tsp for a large roast or stew. you can always add more later. Rosemary goes well with beef, lamb and other strong meats. Dill and lemony things go well with strong fish. Celery and parsley go well with chicken in soups.

You can see that there are different flavor categories that different seasonings belong to. Sometimes mixing things from different categories can make for some interesting flavor combinations. But not all of them good - so be careful mixing things like cinnamon and rosemary or ginger and chili powder.

Find out what basics to have on hand to cook from scratch
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menu planning

A menu should have a variety of foods from all food groups.

I use these 4 food groups: proteins, dairy, starches, and fruits&veggies.
There is some overlap - some veggies like beans have starch and protein so just keep this in mind.

meat
Usually meat is the center of the meal and the rest is built around it.The recommended serving sizes for different kinds of meat not very big - a serving is about the size of a pack of cards.
Servings for beef are abut 1/4 lb.
For chicken about 1/2 cup boned meat.
For fish about 1/3 lb.
Go easy on sausage, bacon, lunchmeats and ham. Use them for seasoning.
If you don't want meat - beans, eggs and cheese can be used instead.
I am not a vegetarian and my body likes protein.If you want to be one you must find ways to combine all the different plant proteins to add up to animal proteins to stay healthy.

(beans are part protein, part veggie and part starch. Cook them with small amounts of meat or a bone to upgrade the flavor and protein value. There is no substitute for ham or bacon for seasoning beans. Smoked turkey is not as good as pork, so just go easy on the pig. Beans are usually mixed with rice or some other grain that has complimentary proteins.)

starch
Choose the starch to compliment the meat.
Don't just think - meat and potatos.
Think about rice, dressings, pasta, barley or other grains. Bread can be used in sandwiches or casseroles, or the dough in pizza and wrappings for meat pies. And don't forget corn and cornmeal and masa in chips, cornbread toppings, tortillas and tamales.
Try to use whole grains and to vary the starches with every meal to get a wide variety of nutrients.

dairy
dairy is an iffy thing. Some people use dairy instead of meat and some people are allergic to milk and eggs. If you can tolerate them, dairy is good cheap concentrated protein. But there is a lot of fat in dairy so be moderate.

butter - 1 lb should last a month if you are not extravagant with it. Other 'butter' products are not a good buy they have added water and are not good for baking.
margarine - and spreads have added water and are not a good buy. They also have hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is as bad for your arteries but doesn't tast as good as butter. Avoid canned shortenings, squirt and spray stuff, I'm not sure they are food.
So just use butter. And get a butter dish so you can keep some out soft.
Cheese as an ingredient or topping is a good way to add protein and calcium.
 It is best hand grated fresh. Pre-grated cheese is a bad buy. A cheese slicer is a good one especially if you like grilled cheese sandwiches. Cheese spreads and other cheese 'foods' are not really food either but a mixture of oils and milk solids.
Cheese is good as a snack with fruit.
adding egg to dishes like fried rice and breads adds protein.
Use yogurt as a topping or substitute for sourcream.
Use milk in soups and casseroles and deserts to up their protein value.

fruits&veggies
Choose a veggie (or two) to go with the meat and starch. This can be as a side dish or ingredients added to maindish meals like casseroles, soups, spaghetti sauce or chili. Find ways to sneak in a lot of veggies. Seasoning vegetables like garlic, onions, peppers, celery and mushrooms are a good way to sneak in extra vitamins. Add carrots to spaghetti sauce or zuchinni to meatloaf.
Think fruit. Often times meat can be cooked with fruit. Ham and pineapple or porkchops and apple. There are other combinations that are a ways to use fruit in your meals instead of veggies.
Try to sneak fruits and veggies into desserts and snacks as well.

read about seasoning food
find out how to plan meals for a month
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