Bodell Family Cookbooks
"A Taste of Tradition from the Bodell Bistro"
$13.00 or two books for $25.00

700 recipes
Reprint of old cookbook plus over 100 new recipes in a functional 3 ring binder,
including a book holder, full color section tabbed dividers starring pictures of our family, and an amazingly easy index to find your favorite recipe or plan whole menus.

Perfect wedding gifts, birthday gifts, visiting teaching gifts or get your Christmas Shopping done early for your extended family.

They are going quick and we will not be reprinting!

This cookbook is from my family with many recipes from my mom. Several people in my neighborhood have the old one, but this one is "new and improved". Reply here if interested in ordering!

A wonderful combination of tangy taste and crunchy texture, bell peppers are the Christmas ornaments of the vegetable world with their beautifully shaped glossy exterior that comes in a wide array of vivid colors ranging from green, red, yellow, orange, purple, brown to black. Although peppers are available throughout the year, they are most abundant and tasty during the months of August and September.

Sweet peppers are plump, bell-shaped vegetables featuring either three or four lobes. They usually range in size from 2 to 5 inches in diameter, and 2 to 6 inches in length. Inside the thick flesh is an inner cavity with edible bitter seeds and a white spongy core. Bell peppers are not 'hot'. They contain a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin, the compound responsible for the 'hotness' found in other peppers.

Choose peppers that have deep vivid colors, taut skin, and that are free of soft spots, blemishes and darkened areas. Their stems should be green and fresh looking. Peppers should be heavy for their size and firm enough so that they will gently yield to slight pressure. Avoid those that have signs of decay including injuries to the skin or water-soaked areas. The shape of the pepper does not generally affect the quality, although it may result in excessive waste or not be suitable to certain recipe preparations. Peppers are available throughout the year but are usually in greater abundance during the summer months.

Unwashed sweet peppers stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator will keep for up to one week. Sweet peppers can be frozen without first being blanched. It is better to freeze them whole since there will be less exposure to air which can degrade both their nutrient content and flavor.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Add finely chopped bell peppers to tuna or chicken salad.

Steam cored peppers for five minutes, stuff them with your favorite rice salad or grain pilaf, and bake in a 350©F oven until they are hot.

Healthy sauté chopped peppers, celery and onions, then combine with tofu, chicken or seafood to make a simple Louisiana Creole dish.

Purée roasted and peeled peppers with healthy sautéed onions and zucchini to make a deliciously refreshing soup that can be served hot or cold.

Bell peppers are one of the best vegetables to serve in a crudité platter since not only do they add a brilliant splash of color, but their texture is also the perfect crunchy complement for dips.

OK, this is not necessarily a "low cal" recipe. It is a "wow - so much better than the frozen crap at the store!".

A few notes: I did not "crush the fennel seed". I used it exactly the way it came in the bottle. It turned out fine. Always make sure your oven is HOT HOT HOT before you put the pizza in. Otherwise, letting the oven heat up with the pizza inside will give you a soggy pizza or gooey dough. YUCK!

Dough:
2 cups warm water
2 1/4 tsp yeast (1 yeast pkg)
1 tbsp sugar
5 cups flour
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp oil

Sauce:
2 medium-large garlic cloves
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
8 medium Roma tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
½ tsp fennel seed
½ tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

Toppings:
cheese
pepperoni
jalapenos
sausage
bell pepper
mushrooms
olives
onion

To make dough:
Mix warm water, yeast, and sugar in a mixing bowl and let the yeast dissolve and foam. Add 3 cups of the flour and the salt. Mix well and add in the rest of the flour and form into a dough and knead. Place in a clean bowl that's been sprayed with oil and cover with a towel. Let it rise for 2 hours.

To make sauce:
Crush and chop the garlic into small pieces. Chop the tomatoes into small dices. Crush the fennel seed into a powder. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together, mixing in the tomato paste last. Add more or less tomato paste depending on how thick you want the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pizza Preparation:
Grease 2 medium sized pans, or use your favorite stones. Press dough into pan to fill both pans. Use less dough for thinner crust, more for thicker crust. Lift the bottom of the dough and sprinkle a little corn meal underneath the dough (if you have it). Spread the sauce over the dough until it is thickly coated. Assemble toppings and bake at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until the crust is brown.

It's so intimidating when I check out other healthy food blogs. I'm not that person! I know nothing about pesticides, I don't buy organic, and I don't have a library full of fat free cook books. I certainly don't have a list of "approved" foods, and I barely know the meaning of "gluten-free". Sigh . . .

But I am reminded that we should write about what we love. And since my biggest love is my family, I write for them. Don't worry, I don't write ABOUT them (this isn't our family activity blog site), but I write BECAUSE of them.

I have been trying many new recipes, but they don't always turn out the way I had hoped (i.e. a very bland macaroni and cheese). So if I go a few days without any new recipes I am sorry, but be assured I am still here! The most important part is I am still trying. After all, I still have to make dinner most nights so I may as well try to make it the best I can.

My other problem is the amount of distractions from my focus. School is coming to an end, and that always makes havoc of a mother's schedule. As much as we all love baby Jainna, she sure makes it hard to get anything done. Therefore, I haven't had as much time to study out recipes, make a good grocery list, or even take the time to cook. But all these distractions illustrate to me how easy it is to slip back to old habits. So many times I've wanted to trow in some frozen chicken patties or just have hot dogs for dinner.

But enough complaining! I tried a new pizza recipe last night. I don't think the dough was much different from what I've made in the past, but the sauce was new and interesting. Unfortunately I didn't buy all the toppings I would have liked to have (see distraction list above) so it didn't seem like anything exciting when it came time to eat.

Sorry for the rant, and thanks for reading to the end. You deserve a prize! But unfortunately I am out of prizes for now.

uhoh! I'm sorry I am a few days late on my first Give-Away! I hope you don't fire me as your favorite healthy family cooking blog. I know you are all on pins and needles waiting to see who wins!

First off, I just wanted to thank everyone for your comments, it's so great to get feedback and to see people setting new goals. Grats to everyone who is striving to live a healthier life for themselves AND for familes. Secondly, I used www.random.org to decide the winner - and no, I did not let my husband enter the drawing (although I did appreciate him leaving a comment).

I did, however, choose a second prize that I will explain after I announce the winner, so keep reading!

without further ado, the winner is . . .



LAURA!!! My sister from Stansbury Park, Utah! Hooray!!! I hope no one gets mad about nepotism, but since more than half the replies were from family, I could't avoid it :) Grats on your new book. I hope you saw all the Food Revolution episodes, you can see them on HULU if you need to catch up on any. I would surely appreciate it if you would blog about your winnings today and encourage your blog readers to follow the FamilyScratch blog to let them know what a fab sister you have!!

And because my sweet cousin LANI was the only one who responded originally to the give-away, I am giving her something special too (dont tell my husband I went over my budget - oh wait, I dont have a blog budget...ooops)! I've recently discovered the Deen Brothers. They are the sons of the ever-famous chef Paula Deen and have made a name for themselves in healthy cooking (something their mother is not well known for). So I ordered two of their books from amazon.com. I'll be browsing both and give one to Lani when I see her this summer at our family reunion.
The Deen Bros. Take It Easy: Quick and Affordable Meals the Whole Family Will Love (Hardcover)
The Deen Bros. Y'all Come Eat (Hardcover)

Both sound great to me and I'm excited to read and cook from them both. Thanks again for being such loyal followers. I hope you will continue to post comments - it really makes my day to know people are reading my ramblings.

I had to double the amount of spices to get the coverage I wanted. Here is the amounts I used. If your family doesn't like it spicy, you may want to use less cayenne and garlic. The original recipe calls for 2 T butter AND the 2 T oil. I thought it was over kill so I deleted the butter. ENJOY!

2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme

6 boneless skinless chicken, cut into strips or cubed
2 T olive oil
4 T lime juice
1/2 cup chicken broth

Combine spices and sprinkle on all sides of chicken pieces. In a skillet, heal oil over medium high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown. Remove chicken and add lime juice and broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan and thoroughly coat and serve.

I served this chicken with rice and veggies. Nutritional information is only for the chicken. Serves 6. Calories 240, Fat 8.8g, Carbohydrates 2.6g, Protein 33.6g, Weight Watchers = 5.5 pts

I just created a bean soup that we are going to try tonight. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes. I had a recipe, but decided to make up my own. Here's what I did . . .

1 can white beans
1 can red beans
1 can pinto beans
4 cans of water
about 1/4 cup dried onion (i'm out of real onion for some reason)
1 cup of salsa (I may add more later if needed)
1 cup of sliced pickled jalapenos (the kind you put on nachos or hot dogs. I didnt dice them because I know the young kids will want to pick them out.)
1 pkg of precooked cubed ham

I'm excited to try it. I love easy soups where you only have to dump the ingredients in the crock pot - no cutting, peeling, dicing, etc.