Monthly Archives: February 2012

Quick Snack: Peanut Butter Date Balls

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I guess since the name of this blog is Scratch-N-Cook, I should probably make the peanut butter myself, and go to Tunisia and pick the dates with my own two hands. Then I should probably figure out what part of wheat the oats come from, pluck em off (if that’s possible) and squash them flat with my boot.

Because that, my friends, would be from scratch. But I’m not feeling up to it this week, because I’ve had a severe glitch in my sleep schedule. Perhaps the next time I make these, they’ll be a “slow snack” and I’ll write a post about the continental expedition that was necessary in order to make them.

This week, you’re getting the quick version. I’m just going to head to the grocery store and get whatever they have on the shelves. Then I’m going to spend, like, five minutes mixing them in a bowl, and another five minutes rolling them into little balls. After that, I’ll spend another five minutes eating. them. all.

Should I have said spoiler alert before I told you everything that was going to be in this post? Well… Delayed spoiler alert!

No? It doesn’t work that way?

Oh well. This little mixture is so easy that it doesn’t really deserve to be called a recipe. Then again, I saw a post that someone did about putting grapefruit in the oven. The genius said it was “baked grapefruit” and wrote an entire post about warming up half of a citrus fruit. What has the internet come to?

You’ll only need four ingredients to make these peanut butter snack balls and, in a pinch, you could probably get away with two. You could definitely add tons of other stuff. Nuts, coconut, and cocoa would all make great additions. You could play with variations of dried fruit as well. Man… Why do I keep putting the cart before the horse? I should probably let you know what went into these little bad boys first.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/4 dates
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Method:

  • Soooo easy. Mix it in a bowl.
  • Soooo easy squared. Roll the mixture into balls.
  • Pop them in the fridge for 30 minutes

If you’re super busy completing police officer training, or studying for the GRE, these make a perfect morning, afternoon or midnight snack. Dang it. That should have gone at the beginning, shouldn’t it?

What do you put in your peanut butter balls?

National Potato Lover’s Day: Homemade Wedge Fries

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Here ye! Here ye! ‘Tis February 8th, 2012. And ’tis a special and gloooorious day! What? No? You don’t know why today is so special? Hint: read the title of this post. Still no? Check out the picture above… I’ll give you a minute to think about it.

There you go! It’s National Potato Lover’s Day. It’s that fine time of year when we celebrate the mighty spud that has kept this country up and running for centuries. Here are some fun facts about the potato via Foodimentary:

Potato Facts:

A. The word , potato, is derived from a Native American word “Batata”

B. The first cultivated potatoes date back to 500o BC in Peru. Originally, they were purple. When cooked they turn a deep blue color.

C. Most of the nutrients found in potatoes are in the skin.

D. Sweet potatoes are distant relatives of the common potato, while Yams are not potatoes at all, they  botanically are considered lilies.

E. The average American eats 140 pounds of potatoes per year.

F. The word spud actually means “to dig a small hole in the grown, similar to spade, a tool to dig small holes.

G.  The Spanish claim that they first introduced the potato to Europe in 1550 while the Irish say that it was in 1585 when Sir Walter Raleigh introduced the potato to Europe.

 

In honor of the Batata, we threw together some simple homemade wedge fries. They’re one of those great home made crowd pleasers. Even though they’re incredibly simple, people seem to get really impressed that you made french fries from scratch. Plus, it’s something that nearly everyone can eat. This is a gluten free and vegan recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb potatoes
  • 1 t olive oil
  • 1/2 t dry italian seasoning
  • 1/2 t salt

Method

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Scrub the spuds and slice them into wedges.
  • Place them in a bowl and drizzle oil over the wedges.
  • Add seasoning and salt and toss to cover all of the potatoes.
  • Spread flat on a baking sheet and throw them in the oven for 10 minutes.
  • Turn them with a spatula.
  • Bake for another 5-10 minutes until golden brown.

How are you celebrating National Potato Lover’s day?

Vegetarian Rainbow Chard Breakfast

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Chard is one of those things that I’ve always loved, but never thought I wanted to cook at home. I really have no idea why. It’s pretty, hearty, versatile and it seems simple enough to prepare. But for some reason, I thought that if I committed to those big leafy greens when I was at the grocery store, they would end up going bad in my fridge for a few weeks because I didn’t know what to do with them.

Do I know myself? Of course I do. I got this giant, beautiful bunch of rainbow chard last week and it sat in the fridge for over a week. I actually think I was a little scared of it. I wanted to do something complicated and fancy with it, but all of my money’s going to a tax accountant this week. I wanted it to be a masterpiece, but I didn’t really have much time to work with. I wanted it to go bad already, so I wouldn’t have to look at it every time I opened the fridge. But alas, the chard held strong for over a week. It wilted a bit, but that’s what chard does when you cook it anyway.

So, I finally got the gumption to make some this morning. Yeah, I know when you think breakfast, you’re thinking chard. It’s a natural thought. I wasn’t in the mood for stirring up any steel cut oats, and I didn’t want to eat a lonely egg (it might get depressed), so I finally grabbed this out of the fridge and gave them a rinse. Then, I set about to winging a vegetarian breakfast recipe.

Ingredients (1 Serving):

  • 1 egg
  • 1 large handful of thickly chopped rainbow chard
  • 5 cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Method:

  • Add one teaspoon of olive oil to pan over medium heat. Toss in a handful of chard and season with salt and pepper. Saute for a few minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of water and saute for a few more minutes until the chard wilts completely.
  • Remove chard from pan. Use the same pan to fry an egg.
  • Remove egg from pan. Use the same pan to fry the tomatoes.
  • Plate it! Eat it!

Now that I’m all over my fear of chard, what else can I do with it? Any ideas?