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Farm Kitchen:  Made My First Bakeover!  |
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Sourceress
True Blue Farmgirl
76 Posts
Elisabeth
Thurmont
MD
76 Posts |
 Posted - May 06 2010 : 11:20:25 PM
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I made my first Bakeover tonight, and it was excellent, and everybody loved it and there were no leftovers and the boys were scraping the crumbs off the plate! I am really psyched. I was hoping Bakeovers would turn out to be a success, because I have CFS and fibromyalgia, and I have a hard time standing in the kitchen for long periods of time. I used to love to cook, and cooked all the time, but I'm at the point where most of the time I don't have the energy to do anything that requires huge amounts of prep, because I just can't stand that long. On top of that, the boys are allergic to several things which, taken together, comprise something like 80% of the Standard American Diet, so the usual cheap nuke food options are not available. We end up eating out a lot because I just don't have the energy to cook, and neither does my husband, who gets up bleedingly early to drive to Northern VA to work all day so we can pay the bills and stuff, even though he's fighting Gulf War Syndrome. I really hate not being able to make healthy, nutritious, home-cooked meals for my family - I feel like I'm not doing my job, and I'm not a very good mom. So when I read about Bakeovers, I thought "Wow, I wish I could make those for my family - I could manage to do that much." Then Mary Jane came out with a gluten-free version of her Budget Mix. So now I can make Bakeovers!
The Bakeover we made tonight had a mixture of shiitake, oyster, and crimini mushrooms, onion, asparagus, and fresh loose sausage from our local butcher. When I found I needed more grease, first because the sausage was very lean, and didn't have enough moisture to keep it from burning, and then later to saute the vegetables in, I used bacon grease, which I collect in a jar every time we fry up bacon. All the bacon we use comes from that same local butcher, who makes his own preservative-free bacon that smells like a campfire when you cook it. The bacon grease gave it a really nice punch of flavor. I used the gluten-free Budget Mix, of course, substituting rice milk for the milk (although I did use real butter).
When the vegetables were cooking up, and then after we added the sausage and mixed it all in, the kids kept wandering in and saying how good it smelled and how they couldn't wait for dinner. Finally it was baked and on the table, and it met with an enthusiastic response. Everybody said we could make Bakeovers again, a lot even, and they're all keen to experiment. I am feeling really good about finally finding a way to solve the "how to feed my family healthy, nutritious, organic meals without killing myself" dilemma. Yay!
Tomorrow I'm going to order a whole case of Budget Mix - I suspect we'll be using quite a bit of it!
(I am so excited about the Bakeover, and grateful that it was easy and delicious and popular, that it was the topic of today's entry in my gratitude journal! :-) )
Lis
*the Sourceress*
unschooling mama to
Corwyn (4/99)
and Galen (5/01)
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Marybeth
True Blue Farmgirl
6418 Posts
Mary Beth
Stanwood
Wa 98292
USA
6418 Posts |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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clothedinscarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
1333 Posts
Siobhan
Battle Creek
MI
USA
1333 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2010 : 06:29:07 AM
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It sounds wonderful Lis! I have never done a bakeover yet. I'd imagine they'd save me a lot of fuss as a mommy of three boys. I really need to give it a try. Where do you find the recipes? Are they in the Ideabook? Or the farm kitchen magazine? Or both? I don't have either of those yet, but they're on my wish list! I'm hoping to get some of my wish list items from hubby for Mother's Day or my b-day!!!
Farmgirl Sister #1110
Siobhan - AKA Liza-Jane (my farmgirl name), wife to my best friend, Trent, and mommy to Camden (11/28/05) and Bennett (7/11/07). and Truman (7/28/09) |
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karla
True Blue Farmgirl
1308 Posts
karla
Pella
Iowa
USA
1308 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2010 : 07:45:48 AM
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Me too! I can't afford the books yet but am hoping someday! Are bakeovers a kind of casserole? Sounds kind of like it?!?
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. |
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Sourceress
True Blue Farmgirl
76 Posts
Elisabeth
Thurmont
MD
76 Posts |
Posted - May 07 2010 : 12:05:35 PM
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They're in the Ideabook, and the recipe is also in the booklet that comes with the Budget Mix. There are occasionally Bakeover ideas in the magazine too, I think. Basically, though, a Bakeover is 4 cups of chopped up fresh vegetables, some cheese or meat if you want, mixed together and sauteed up in an oven-proof pan (MJ carries one that is kind of wok-shaped, so you get more stuff in your Bakeover, but I just used my 8" cast iron skillet, and it worked fine), make a crust with Budget Mix or any of MJ's other bread mixes, or I think there's actually a recipe for doing it from scratch in the Ideabook, put the crust on top of the stuff in the skillet, and bake it at 375 F for 20 minutes. When it comes out of the over, you invert it onto a plate (this is the only part where using a cast iron skillet can be tricky, as they're fairly heavy) and serve it forth.
And that's it. That's the recipe. What you use for the 4 cups of vegetables is up to you. Whether or not you use meat or cheese, or what kinds is up to you. It's incredibly flexible. It's what Alton Brown would call "refrigerator Velcro" - whatever you've got sitting in your fridge - leftover veggies, leftover meats, whatever - you can pair them up with things they're compatible with, maybe add some extra stuff depending on what you've got, and you've got a delicious meal that does not look or taste like leftovers, but still gets them out of your fridge. I am thinking from now on when I get stuff like sausage to grill, I'll get extra, so that I have leftover grilled sausage to put in a Bakeover the next day. In fact, I'm going to try to start planning all my meals that way - when we're having something that could also be used in a Bakeover, make extra so I can do a Bakeover the next day.
Lis
*the Sourceress*
unschooling mama to
Corwyn (4/99)
and Galen (5/01)
Living with CFS since 1993
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karla
True Blue Farmgirl
1308 Posts
karla
Pella
Iowa
USA
1308 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2010 : 07:29:58 AM
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Sounds yummy! I will have to give it a try! Would love to know more combinations that everyone has used!
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. |
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Nigella
True Blue Farmgirl
386 Posts
Nigella
Chimacum
WA
USA
386 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2010 : 09:09:32 AM
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I love bakeovers!! My favorite one I've come up with so far is: 1/2 lb ground pork, 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped green apple, 2 celery stalks, 1 T. fennel seed. You can replace the celery and fennel seed with fresh chopped fennel, I just didn't have any fresh fennel when I made this so I used celery and fennel seed instead. This would be really good with chicken also.....
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
~Thomas Edison~
Sister #1213
www.thecapriciouscorgi.etsy.com |
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traildancer
True Blue Farmgirl
485 Posts
Loyce
Glide
OR
USA
485 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2010 : 09:54:47 AM
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I made a BakeOver on Wednesday with baby bella mushrooms, white mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash and fresh spinach. When it was flipped over, I sprinkle grated Swiss cheese on it. Even though he "had" to put sour cream on it (before even tasting it) my husband liked it. Once in a while I can sneak in no-meat meals. Most of our meat, though, is wild game or our own butchered beef.
The trail is the thing.... Louis L'Amour |
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Farm Kitchen: Made My First Bakeover! |
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Made My First Bakeover!
