Eggs -

As you buy eggs in a market setting, you may wonder how to be sure they are edible. Cracking open a rotten egg is a memorable experience that you will want to avoid! As you wash your eggs before putting them in the fridge, the simplest test is to put them in bowl of water to see if they float. Plain water always seemed to work for me, but today I read in an "Ask Martha" column that you should dissolve four teaspoons of salt into two cups of water. Perhaps this will show the difference more clearly. Old eggs will float and fresh ones will sink to the bottom. The article said that if one hovers somewhere in the middle it is not particularly fresh, but is edible.

Please note: I would still recommend cracking each egg into a small bowl to make sure it is a good one before adding it to other ingredients. If the recipe calls for several eggs, still break them one by one into a small bowl and then add to the other eggs. It is always possible for an egg to go bad after you checked them - or to forget one time to check them before putting them away. This precaution could save you from ruining other expensive or special ingredients.

*** After reading about how Avian Flu is spread through bird "droppings", it occured to me that care in the washing of your eggs is more important than ever. A solution of three tablespoons of bleach per one gallon of water should be used to soak the eggs and then they should be rinsed well. You should use gloves while washing the eggs.

Substitute for Canned Soup

The standard substitute for canned soup in recipes like casseroles which call for cream of chicken or other condensed soups is found in More with Less Cookbook by Doris Longacre. She suggests using a medium-thick basic white sauce. The directions are:
Melt in a heavy saucepan 3 Tbsp. butter. Blend in 3 Tbsp. flour and 1/4 tsp. salt. Using a wire whisk to prevent lumps, stir in milk, stock, or a combination equal to one cup of liquid. To make a substitute for chicken soup, use part chicken stock or bouillon. To make mushroom soup use 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms and 1 Tbsp chopped onion sautéed in the butter before adding the flour. Once the liquid has been added, cook until smooth and thickened. This amount substitutes approximately for a 10 oz. can of condensed soup.

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That was the "standard substitute" and it works well. My version is a bit different. In an effort to cut down on fat AND because it's easier, I simply whisk the flour into cold liquid (milk/flour/stock/etc.) and bring it to a boil. After it boils, I continue to cook it for 2 minutes to make sure the flour is cooked well. This means I don't use butter in my recipe. I also omit the salt since I usually use a bouillon cube rather than stock.

For a more creamy soup, I use a full cup of milk and add a bouillon cube (1/2 cube per 1 cup of liquid if using Knorr) rather than using part water.

I prefer to use whole wheat flour rather than white plain flour. The whole wheat flour doesn't thicken it as much, but I have not found that to be a problem in casseroles.

Mexican Chicken

Here is a recipe that I have adapted for cooking without canned soup. See the notes at the end for substituting back in the soup, if you prefer, as well as a few other "tips". For the standard substitute for canned soup see the entry with that title. In this recipe I increased the amount of white sauce to make the recipe more creamy. 

Mexican Chicken 

3 cups cooked, de-boned chicken, cut up in small pieces no larger than 1 inch by 1 inch 

4 cups milk 

3/4 cup flour (either plain white or whole wheat/whole meal or “Atta”) 

2 Knorr bouillon cubes 

1/2 cup butter 

2 cups onion -- diced 

1 cup chicken stock 

1 can green chilies 

4 cups grated cheese (1 pound) 

5 cups tortilla chips, crushed 

 1. Sauté onions in butter. 

2. Make white sauce with milk, flour, and bouillon cubes. Whisk flour into cold milk. Cook over medium heat. When milk is hot, add bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil.  Once boiling cook for at least two minutes until thick.  

3. After preparing white sauce, mix with chicken, sautéed onions, chicken broth and green chilies. 

4. Layer 3 cups crushed chips on bottom of a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Next layer 3 cups of the chicken mixture onto top of chips. Then add 2 cups cheese Next, layer 2 cups crushed chips, rest of chicken mixture, and 2 cup cheese. 

5. Bake for 30 min. at 350. 

 NOTES : Three cans cream of Chicken Soup may be substituted for the white sauce (4 cups milk, flour, and bouillon cubes). It's quicker to use the bought soup, but the homemade white sauce tastes much better. 

If whole wheat or Atta is used in making the white sauce, it will not be as thick as when you use plain flour. However, it still makes a nice creamy sauce and works fine in the recipe. 

Home made flour tortillas (either white or whole wheat) can be sliced and toasted and substituted for the corn chips. I cut the amount slightly on the amount of “chips” when using flour tortillas. 

For Gluten Free - substitute corn starch as the thickener instead of flour.  Use half the amount of corn starch as flour.  In this recipe use 1/4 cup + 2 TBSP corn starch.  Use the cornstarch in the place of the flour and follow recipe above. 

Pizza Crust

Pizza Crust

Recipe By : Linda

1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup water -- warm
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.). Add yeast to warm water (not hot) and stir to dissovle. Add salt and half the flour to the yeast/water mix. Mix with a spoon until smooth. Add oil and remaining flour. Mix well (you will need to use your hands). You should have a smooth ball of dough. Cover and let rise for 10 minutes. Spread on 2 greased pizza pans with greased hands. Top with sauce, cheese, etc. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 - 30 minutes. (Bottom of crust should be light brown)

Pizza Sauce

Pizza sauce (revised 4/08)

My version of a recipe by Edith J. originally found in Newcomers Cookbook, 1986 version.

1 340 g. or 12 oz. can Tomato Paste (any brand)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon thyme
4 tablespoons oregano , regular (or 1 TBSP ground oregano plus one tsp regular oregano)
1 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar

Mix spices, tomato paste, and water until well blended. Heat over low heat until simmering. Simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool slightly before spreading on pizza crust. Use only what is needed to give medium cover over crust. Freeze the rest for next time.

Getting Started

As I've been helping people get ready to go to various places in the world, there have been lots of questions about how to cook overseas. I would like to post some simple recipes for these friends to help them prepare "yummy" dishes for their family and friends. I will begin with some of the basic recipes we've talked about at my house. If you need a specific recipe, post a request in the comments. Thanks. Linda