The Dianne Linderman Blog

Decadent Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Decadent Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This sandwich is better than fudge!

 

Choose high quality 100% organic whole wheat bread, or oat bread.

 

1.   Put two pieces of bread into the toaster and lightly toast.

2.   Spread small amount of high quality mayo (try mayo made with olive oil) on both pieces of bread.

3.   Choose any type of cheese you like, my favorite cheese is white cheddar.

4.   (Now is when you can add some tomato and, or, basil or what ever you would like)

5.   Melt some love (butter) in a pan on the lowest tempter

6.   Lay your sandwich into the melted butter and leave it alone until golden brown, then turn and brown the other side.  You also want to make sure the cheese is melted.  Cut in half and eat with Dianne’s Tomato Soup.

 

Enjoy!!!

 

 

How To Make Soap

Simple Soap Making

Fun for the whole family, and if you get really creative

 You can turn this idea into a business!

Go to any supermarket and you will find glycerin soap bars!  You can also goggle glycerin soap and come up with other options.  We use the colored pure glycerin soap we find in our local market, and most of the time it has a fragrance.  You can buy fragrance free glycerin soap bars and add your own essential oils, which even add quality to the soap.

Melt glycerin soup bars in a glass-measuring cup.  I like to use the 4-cup Pyrex glass measuring cup so that I can make more bars at a time.  The fun part of the project is that you can use just about anything as a mold.  My son used a plastic cover of a toy truck he bought, and the plastic had been heat pressed around the toy truck so the shape was perfect.  If your kids want to make soap, please help them, the glycerin gets very hot, and can burn them! 

Pour the hot soap into the mold and let cool for at least one hour, and then carefully pop out the soap out of the molds!  You will start to see all of the possibilities and go wild with molds, colors and fragrances. 

Have fun!

 

 

Dianne's Tomato Basil Soup

Dianne’s Tomato Basil Soup

Our signature soup at our restaurant Country Cottage Café

 

6 to 8 vine-ripened, organic tomatoes washed and cubed.

1 cup of fresh basil

1 cup of whole cream, (optional) or whole milk.

3 to 4 cloves diced fresh garlic

Garlic salt and pepper to taste.

1 to 3 Tablespoons of maple syrup, unless tomatoes are really sweet.

You can also add Tabasco or hot sauce of you like spicy soup.

To make this soup a little richer, add 1/8 cup of white wine and cook on low until

 

In a blender blend all ingredients until pureed, unless you want chunky soup then blend half of the soup a little less.

 

Warm don’t cook this soup for optimum health (unless you add wine, then you need to cook the soup)!  Men, this soup is great for your prostate!

 

Don’t be afraid to experiment and add, things like, Parmesan cheese, garnish with some fresh basil.

 

Cheers!

Crunchy Cashew Carmel Corn

Crunch Carmel Cashew Corn

·        4 T butter, plus more for baking sheet

·        10 Cups plain salted popped popcorn (1/2-cup kernels or a 3.3-ounce         bag microwave popcorn.  (Use Newman’s microwave popcorn, its better for you).

·        1 Cup cashews or any type of nuts you like, coarsely chopped.

·        ½ cup packed light-brown sugar

·        Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Butter a large rimmed baking sheet; set aside Place popcorn in a large bowl.  If using cashews add to bowl and toss to combine.  Set aside

In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugar ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil, stirring constantly. Working quickly, drizzle popcorn with sugar syrup, and toss well.

Spread popcorn evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake tossing occasionally until golden and shiny, about 40 minutes.  Transfer hot popcorn to parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, let cool and break-up pieces

Sugar Lollipops

 Sugar Lollipops

 

 

2 Cups Sugar

½ cup light corn syrup

¼ cup water

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Powered flavored Vitamin C package

 

Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper; place in the refrigerator until chilled, about 30 minutes.

 

Stir sugar, corn syrup, water and cream of tartar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.  Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, wiping down the sides of the pan occasionally with a pastry bush to remove any crystals, about 5 minutes.

 

Once the mixture reaches a full boil, cook, undisturbed. Until very light amber, 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove from the heat and pour into a second deep saucepan, preferably one with a pouring lip; set aside just until the mixture stops boiling and is pour into a second deep saucepan, preferably one with a pouring lip; set aside just until the mixture stops boiling and is thickened somewhat (it will continue to darken), about 2 minutes.

 

Make 24

 

 

 

Brownie Bran Muffins

Brownie Bran Cupcakes

 

6 Tablespoons Butter

2 oz semisweet chocolate chopped

3 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped

1-cup dark brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2 large eggs (organic)

1 tsp vanilla (pure)

½ c whole-wheat pastry flour

1/8 c wheat bran

1/8 c ground golden flax seed

 

 

Preheat oven 350 degrees, line muffins pan with paper liners, in a double boiler, melt chocolate stir occasionally until melted.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

 

Into the cooled mixture stir the sugar, salt, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix well and stir in the flour, wheat, and flax. 

 

Pour even amounts into to muffing pans, and bake for 20 minutes, until puffed but still liquid in the center.  Yum yum.

Healthy Apple Crisp

6 to 8 tart apples, (peeled and cubed)

2 cups of brown sugar

1 cup of oat flour

½ cup of flax meal

1 ½ cup of whole-wheat pastry flour

2 Tablespoons of cinnamon

¾ cup of salted butter

 

Place chopped apples in 8x 12 inch or larger baking dish sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cinnamon on top of apples and sprinkle some brown sugar.  In separate bowl put butter in a large mixing bowl, (butter should be soft).  Add all try ingredients, and with your hand mix well, mixture should feel crumbly.  Sprinkle on top of apples; shake a little cinnamon on top.  Bake at 350 for approximately 30 to 40 minutes.  Check the apples with a fork and look for them to be soft and slightly squishy!

 

Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, Yum Yum Yum!

Focaccia Bread

Focaccia Bread

1 Package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

1 teaspoon maple sruype

1 ½  cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees )

1 ½ cups oat flour

2 ¼ whole wheat flour

¼ cup flaxseed meal

2 Cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup plus 1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

Baked Potato Soup

Baked Potato Soup

You can make this soup very fattening and rich o,r make a skinning version of it by simply adding non-fat products, but it will never be as yummie as  real baked potato soup!

 

4 to 6 baking potatoes, pealed and cubed

Approximately 1-cup chicken broth

4 cups whole milk

1 to 2 cups of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1-cup sour cream

¾ cup chopped green onions, divided

6 cooked and crumbled bacon slices

2 tablespoons of butter

1 whole onion, sautéed in butter

Salt and pepper to taste

2/3 cup oat flour

 

In large soup pot, pour chicken broth over cubed potatoes and sautéed onions and boil until they fall apart. Blend potatoes with hand beater while in soap pot. In separate small pot, add flour to milk and Wisk over low heat until creamy.  Add flour milk into blended potatoes and whisk well!  Add half of the cheese and half of the sour cream.  Now your soap should start tasting rich and creamy.  Salt and pepper to taste, warm thoroughly, and serve in big soap bowls with a dollop of sour cream, cheese and bacon on the top!  Yum Yum, I can hardly wait!

 

Autumn Farmhouse Stew

Autumn Farmhouse Stew

This stew is full of root and cabbage veggies, very healthy!

 

1 Whole Chicken

1 Large onion, chopped

2 to 4 carrots, diced

1 whole stalk celery

½ cup of parsley

4 ounces of butter

2 Tablespoons oat flour

3 garlic cloves diced

1 small turnip, cubed

1/ green cabbage, cubed

1 cup of parsnip cubed

1 cup of red tomatoes, cubed

1/8 cup white wine (optional)

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 to 4 tablespoons Dianne’s chicken powder, or any chicken powder

½ cream 1 tablespoon fresh dill for garnish

 

Place chicken into large stew pot.  Add all vegetables, seasoning. Add enough water to barely cover chicken, and veggies, cover and sit stew pot on the burner on medium low.  In small saucepan, sauté garlic add to stew.  Cover and simmer for approximate 1-½ hours on low.  Check to see if chicken is done by pulling on the leg.  The leg should almost come apart; this is how you know your chicken is perfect!  Take chicken out of the stew and de-bone.  Also take out celery stalk, now add wine and simmer for 10 minutes taste and see if your stew needs a little garlic salt!  You can now add cream or it may be perfect the way it is. 

 

I love this stew and it is a perfect cool and cold weather meal, and very hearty and healthy!

 

Good eating!