Cooking With Caren
Wednesday
My oven does not work well. It runs 25-50 degrees too hot, so baking is an issue. Before I moved into this house, I bought a convection toaster oven, because I knew with just Ryan and myself, there would be many times when it wouldn't make sense to heat up the whole oven. This has turned out to be true. I believe I save a lot of energy by using the toaster oven, but little did I know I would rely on it even more to compensate for my unpredictable oven.
So, due to heavy toaster oven use, but also due to the reduced size of my household, I have been playing with reducing recipes. Many times I batch cook and freeze, but some times I just don't need any extra food hanging around my small kitchen. Also, I'm packing my lunch regularly now, and I like a little variety. And the last reason I've been reducing recipes is that there are a lot of things that I like to eat, but Ryan doesn't. I'm trying not to waste food.
Yesterday, I adapted a peach cobbler recipe for my toaster oven. I thought I'd share it with you. I have a set of Corning Ware individual size casserole dishes, but you may have some other type of dish that is the right size. I saw Paula Deeeen use coffee cups for a cobbler, which I thought was clever. The cobbler topping is more biscuit-y than cake-y, but I find it tasty.
MINI PEACH COBBLER
2 single-serve peach cups (3.75 oz each) w/juice
1/2 cup Bisquik
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup milk
Preheat the toaster oven to 400'. Spray 2 individual casserole dishes with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the peaches with juice into the dishes, one per. Mix the remaining ingredients & drop by teaspoonfuls over the top of the peaches. Bake for 20 minutes.
Also, I had fun getting a tea recipe just right for me.
MASON JAR MICRO ICED TEA
Use a 4-cup Mason Jar that has measurements marked on the side. Fill with 3 cups of water. Add 1/8 cup sugar. Micro on HI for 4 min, or until boiling. Stir in 1 packet of Equal, drop in 2 small/individual size teabags. Steep for 20 min. Add ice and drop in a straw. I make this on Saturday morning, and it usually lasts the weekend for me.
Don't laugh, but I'm thinking of getting another gadget. I want one of those pocket snack machines, so that I can make portable lunches to eat when I run errands on my lunch break. I also find that Ryan enjoys using gadgets to cook with, and so is more likely to do so.
My oven does not work well. It runs 25-50 degrees too hot, so baking is an issue. Before I moved into this house, I bought a convection toaster oven, because I knew with just Ryan and myself, there would be many times when it wouldn't make sense to heat up the whole oven. This has turned out to be true. I believe I save a lot of energy by using the toaster oven, but little did I know I would rely on it even more to compensate for my unpredictable oven.
So, due to heavy toaster oven use, but also due to the reduced size of my household, I have been playing with reducing recipes. Many times I batch cook and freeze, but some times I just don't need any extra food hanging around my small kitchen. Also, I'm packing my lunch regularly now, and I like a little variety. And the last reason I've been reducing recipes is that there are a lot of things that I like to eat, but Ryan doesn't. I'm trying not to waste food.
Yesterday, I adapted a peach cobbler recipe for my toaster oven. I thought I'd share it with you. I have a set of Corning Ware individual size casserole dishes, but you may have some other type of dish that is the right size. I saw Paula Deeeen use coffee cups for a cobbler, which I thought was clever. The cobbler topping is more biscuit-y than cake-y, but I find it tasty.
MINI PEACH COBBLER
2 single-serve peach cups (3.75 oz each) w/juice
1/2 cup Bisquik
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup milk
Preheat the toaster oven to 400'. Spray 2 individual casserole dishes with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the peaches with juice into the dishes, one per. Mix the remaining ingredients & drop by teaspoonfuls over the top of the peaches. Bake for 20 minutes.
Also, I had fun getting a tea recipe just right for me.
MASON JAR MICRO ICED TEA
Use a 4-cup Mason Jar that has measurements marked on the side. Fill with 3 cups of water. Add 1/8 cup sugar. Micro on HI for 4 min, or until boiling. Stir in 1 packet of Equal, drop in 2 small/individual size teabags. Steep for 20 min. Add ice and drop in a straw. I make this on Saturday morning, and it usually lasts the weekend for me.
Don't laugh, but I'm thinking of getting another gadget. I want one of those pocket snack machines, so that I can make portable lunches to eat when I run errands on my lunch break. I also find that Ryan enjoys using gadgets to cook with, and so is more likely to do so.