Author: Off Grid Gals

Community

TREGO SCHOOL HOSTS VETERANS DAY PROGRAM

Off Grid Gals

Trego School hosted our local veterans with a thanksgiving dinner with all the fixins and pumpkin pie for dessert.  Following lunch, the pledge and all-school singing of the Star Spangled Banner, Trego School K-4 students honored the vets with singing My Country ‘Tis of Thee and This Land is Your Land.  The 5th-6th grade students played patriotic music on the hand bells and Silas Poe, Liam Morris, and Cora Morris had solo performances on the harmonica.

Several students had prepared speeches about “What Veterans Day Means to Me” and read those.  The program had two guest speakers, Colonel James Carlton and Lieutenant Colonel Dave Scott.  Both speakers gave inspiring speeches about the importance of doing well in School and their experiences during their years of service.

The 5th-8th grade students prepared cards for each Vet and at the end of the program all the vets in attendance stood and the students passed out the cards.  One of the attendees, Dave Scott, commented about the program: “What an amazing day! The children’s performances and speeches were spectacular!”  Truth be told, the hand-made cards stole my heart. 

Community, Recipes

Chicken & Dumplings

Off Grid Gals

This recipe warms your soul on a cold winter night. Your standard chicken soup with a little twist. Every time I make it I think of warm hugs, snow, and love from Grandma. The amounts of each depend on your taste and how many you plan to serve.

  • Precooked chicken-diced (you can use uncooked but some times it leaves a film on top)
  • Carrots, celery, or other vegetables you like
  • Minced garlic, chopped onion, salt and pepper to taste(be careful with salt as chicken broth can be quite salty)
  • Chicken Broth mixed 2/3 to 1/3 with water
  • Cook all of the above ingredients on medium until it boils
  • Cut butter or shortening the size of a walnut with 2 cups flour, a little salt, pepper and garlic powder (I usually make a double batch for six to eight people), mix in water until dough pulls away from the bowl…may be slightly sticky. Knead dough (five to six turns only so your dumplings won’t be stiff). Roll thin and cut into 1″-2″ squares. Drop into boiling water and stir frequently so dumplings won’t stick together. Cook for 15 minutes longer.
  • I like to add a little corn starch mixed with water at the end so the soup is a little more creamy.
  • Serve with rolls (there’s a yummy recipe I submitted earlier) with lots of butter!
Community, Recipes

Banana Bread

Off Grid Gals

What do you do with those leftover bananas that turn too brown to eat? Don’t throw them out! Simply put them in the freezer and when you’ve collected some, make this easy and delicious banana bread. I always double this recipe so I can get two loaves which take anywhere between six and eight bananas depending on size.

  • 1/2 c butter
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-1/2 c mashed bananas
  • 1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 2 c flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

In a mixing bowl cream butter (slightly softened), gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Blend in bananas (if they’ve been frozen and then thawed they are the best in this recipe) and nuts. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture, beating only until blended. Turn into butter/floured bread pan. Bake 45-50 minutes at 350. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out of pan on wire rack. **Hint** when preparing bread pans, instead of flour I use powdered sugar in the pan. You then get a sweet crust on the banana bread. A warm slice with butter is amazing! Enjoy!!

Community, Recipes

Back to School Bread

Off Grid Gals

This versatile classic frequently receives compliments. It can be made into rolls and bread-sticks. With a little cornmeal it becomes pizza dough.

It also serves as the foundation of Lunch in a Bun, a popular menu item at Trego School. For lunch in a bun, each bun has a filling. Sometimes, it is taco meat and cheese. At other times, they are filled with pepperoni, ham and cheese, then served with marinara sauce.

These numbers in this recipe are reduced to result in a smaller amount of bread than is produced in the school kitchen.

Single Rise Dough

2 Tbsp. Active Dry Yeast
3 Tbsp. Sugar
3 tsp. Salt
1 cup Water
1 cup Warm Milk
1/3 cup Oil
2 Eggs
6-6 & 1/2 cups Flour or Bread Flour

  1. Decide on which mixing method you would like to use
    • If dissolving yeast in warm water, use a water temperature of 110 degrees
    • If mixing the yeast right in with the dry ingredients, use a water temperature of 115-120 degrees
  2. Mix as much flour as possible in using a mixer. Work the remaining flour in by hand and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic
  3. After mixing and kneading process is complete, let dough rest for 10 minutes
  4. Scale into proper size units (bread loaves, sandwich buns, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc.
  5. Mold your dough into the shapes you will be making. Pan into the proper sized pans.
  6. Proof the dough units until almost double in bulk. When touched gently, a unit that is fully proofed will full out the dent slowly.
  7. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes for loaves and approximately 15-20 minutes for dinner rolls and smaller units.

Community, Recipes

Corn on the BBQ

Off Grid Gals

I like cooking my corn on the BBQ. Especially during hot summer days! This is a great method to cook it. Keeping part of the husk helps prevent it from burning the kernels and it turns out tender and juicy. They can even be made up in advance so it’ll get you out of the kitchen sooner. Try it for your next summer get together!

  • Ears of corn
  • Peel back husks, remove hair and the outside husks, but keep several around the corn leaving them connected.
  • Butter each cob
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Put tender husks back around corn
  • Wrap in tin foil
  • Put on BBQ for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally. Enjoy!
Community, Recipes

Rice Krispy Treats with a flair

Off Grid Gals

This summer sweet is a great little treat. It’s easy to make and you don’t have to bake.

  • On low heat, boil 1 cup sugar and 1 cup light karo syrup until sugar dissolves and remove from heat. Then mix 1 cup peanut butter until smooth. (Be sure not to overcook or they will turn out rock hard)
  • Stir in 6 cups rice krispies until fully coated. Press into a 9×13 pan.
  • In a separate pan, melt 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup butterscotch chips. Spread over rice krispies.
  • Let cool and serve. Enjoy!
Recipes

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

Off Grid Gals

I’ve looked at many recipes for making Chicken Pot Pie using my cast iron skillet and didn’t find one in particular that fit into my “how can I make this with the least amount of work” philosophy. So I combined a few different recipes and this chicken pot pie is easy to make and the crust is flakey and very tasty. Enjoy!

FOR PIE CRUST:

  • 8 tablespoons cold butter cut into cubes
  • 8 tablespoons cold shortening cut into cubes
  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • (I have a 12″ skillet, so I make 1-1/2 times this recipe so I have plenty of dough). I put the butter and shortening in the freezer for a few minutes to harden and then cut them into your flour/salt until clumps form. Then pour in water and mix until dough ball forms. Cut the dough in half and form into two flattened round disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.

FOR FILLING:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • Frozen carrots
  • Frozen peas
  • Frozen or diced potatoes
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups chicken, diced
  • (Flour and chicken broth can be adjusted based on size of pan–I use 1/2 cup flour and 5 cups chicken broth)Preheat oven to 400. Add butter and oil to large pan and melt. Sauté celery, onion, and garlic until soft, about five minutes. (If you are using uncooked chicken, at this point cook chicken until its internal temp reaches 165 and remove from pan), if not, add frozen vegetables and sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir until evenly coated and cook for a few minutes. Then add chicken broth a little at a time and whisk after each addition until mixture begins to resemble a thick pudding. Once this consistency is reached, remaining broth can be added in. Stir in cooked chicken and salt and pepper and simmer until thickened.
  • Roll out pie dough until it is 1/4″ thick. Lay one dough across bottom of skillet (no need to oil/butter skillet). Add chicken/vegetable filling. Roll out second dough and place it over skillet. Crimp edges together. Cut vent holes in center of pie.
  • Bake for 20 minutes at 400. Then reduce temperature to 350 and bake for 25-28 minutes more, or until top is golden brown (you may need to wrap edges of pie with tin foil if the edge gets too dark. Allow 15-20 minutes before serving.
Community, Recipes

Easy Homemade Coleslaw

Off Grid Gals

This easy coleslaw recipe my mother shared with me. Friends and family that don’t particularly like coleslaw, love this recipe. It goes good with fresh caught fish! (See picture below that was featured last month in fish tacos with homemade tortillas)

When preparing this recipe it’s important to remember when you shred cabbage, there is a lot of moisture in it that you wouldn’t find in bagged pre-shredded cabbage, so it is easy to make this recipe too soupy.

  • 1/2 a cabbage- shredded
  • 1 carrot shredded
  • 1/3 c. mayo
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbs apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Shred cabbage and carrot into a bowl. Use a separate bowl to mix the rest of the ingredients. I usually dissolve the sugar and vinegar together and then add the mayo and garlic powder. Then pour the mixture into the cabbage. Let chill for 10 minutes and serve.

Community, Recipes

Homemade Tortillas

Off Grid Gals

This is a tortilla recipe which requires no special equipment. Just simple ingredients found in the cupboard. I use this recipe when making fish tacos (See pic below-fresh perch taco with homemade coleslaw and tortilla…Yummy!). They don’t refrigerate well, but they’re so easy to make, you can make them fresh for the meal and impress your guests! Recipe makes 6-8 tortillas.

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • Whisk all ingredients together. Pour enough in a hot nonstick pan and swirl to make a tortilla (about 1/4 cup). Don’t use oil in your pan. Cook until the edges turn up and flip to the other side to continue cooking. Cook a couple minutes on each side. Keep warm in oven until use.

Community, Recipes

Caramel Corn

Off Grid Gals

This delicious recipe is a yummy treat and always a favorite at gatherings or for a cozy afternoon at home. It is not quick to make but well worth the time put into it.

Carmel Corn

  • 1 c. butter
  • 2 c. brown sugar
  • 1 c. light corn syrup
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Bring to a boil over medium heat
  • Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add:
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • Pour over six quarts of popped popcorn…using an air popper works best (I fill a large roaster and separate the unpopped kernels first…no sense breaking a tooth)
  • Bake in oven at 250 for one hour…stirring every 15 min.
  • Enjoy!