Full Hearts and Full Bellies

Sweet potato chicken pot pie

2011-11-15T08:12:00.001-08:00

This is a recipe I stumbled upon once and I've made it a couple of times. Let me say that I only use this recipe as inspiration. There's a lot about it that I don't do, such as I omit mushrooms, add a few other veggies not listed, and I don't make it in individual ramekins. However, I like the essence of this recipe and once I truly get a good flow of my own system down, I'll change this post up to have my own method.

Sweet potato chicken pot pie

The Nester's advice

2011-11-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

This creative gal has blogged about her way of doing family meals each week. I like her ideas, and I especially like her idea for homemade bread!

Imperfect, do-able, flexible meal blue print

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2011-10-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from my dear Minnesotan friend, Kristine. She made this a couple of times when she lived with us and it's so hearty and warm and perfect for the season.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

½ cups Onion, finely chopped
½ cups Celery, Diced
2 cloves Garlic Clove, Pressed
½ cups Carrots, Peeled And Diced
1 cup white wine
5 cups Chicken Broth
2 cups Water
2 cups Shredded, Cooked Chicken
2-3 cups cooked wild rice
½ cups Flour
½ cups Butter
Salt And Pepper, to taste
1-½ cup Milk/Half-and-Half/Cream (your Preference)

1. In a large dutch oven, saute onion, celery, carrots, and garlic until softened. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with white wine and simmer until reduced.
2. Add broth, water, and chicken. Bring to a boil. Add rice. Cover pan and simmer on low.
3. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in seasonings of your choice (salt, pepper, dried thyme, etc.) and mix together until bubbly. Lower heat and stir in flour. Add milk, whisking until fully incorporated. Cook until thickened, stirring occasionally.
4. Add cream mixture into the soup. Check seasonings and adjust as desired. Cook over medium heat until thickened and heated through–about 20-25 minutes.

Pumpkin soup with a bit of a kick

2011-10-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

Autumn is in full swing here and it's a beautiful time of year. We've had some pretty cool nights and mornings and it's time to warm things up in the kitchen. I've tried several different pumpkin soup recipes, and this is my current favorite. This recipe yields a velvety, rich soup, with a smooth sweetness and a bit of a spicy kick, but not so spicy that it's hard to eat. Because of it's richness, it's best eaten by the cupful, served along with other foods to round out the meal. Perhaps a cool salad or half a sandwich? It will warm you, heart and soul! Plus, it's quite easy to throw together.

Pumpkin Soup with a kick.

2 Tablespoons Butter
½ whole Chopped Onion
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 15 oz. cans Pumpkin Puree
3 cups Water
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon Fresh Cilantro
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
½ cups Brown Sugar (or experiment w/ Agave nectar)
½ cups half and half (or coconut milk, almond mild...whatever you use for a dairy substutute)
½ teaspoons Ginger

Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Once melted, add the chopped onions and olive oil and saute for 5-10 minutes until onions begin to turn soft and you can see through them. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add pumpkin, water, and freshly cut cilantro and stir, mixing well. Cover and let simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Add cinnamon, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, half and half, and ginger and stir well. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 10 minutes. Add additional spices as necessary to suit your tastes.

School night meals

2011-08-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

School starts back tomorrow. As a homeschooling mom, I'm experiencing the opposite of what other mom's are gloating over..."Back to school, back to time for me! Finally, the kids out of the house! Free time!" Yeah, that's not exactly the road ahead for me, but I am thankful to be in a position to homeschool. I know I'm sewing seeds into my children that will hopefully bear much fruit. I'm getting time with them and they're getting more time with their family that can never be taken away. And *gasp*, I'm actually looking forward to sitting around the table, teaching and learning.
However, it means I have to be more intentional with my time. I'll now have to fight to get a workout in. Plan out grocery trips, errands, etc. Plan meals. We end up eating out way more in the summer. Fast food is more frequent and we have no real agenda, which results in less homecooked meals, or meals pieced together by what he happen to have in the freezer. Being at home in the school year allows for me to get back in the kitchen. But the meals need to be simple and easy.

So, I'm assembling some of my favorite weeknight meals. Ones that are simple. Notice I didn't say quick. Being home in the morning/afternoon affords me the opportunity to prepare something ahead of time (say, enchiladas, pasta sauce, ground meat for sloppy joes, crock pot meals, etc.) I can chop veggies while administering a spelling test. Saute onions and garlic for a pasta sauce while helping my son with math. Stuff a chicken w/ lemons, garlic and olive oil while the boys are taking a 15 minute reading break. You get the idea.

When I need inspiration while I'm planning our weekly menu, I'll check here for ideas. I'll continue to add to this when I see something that gets my attention, or if a friend passes along a good recipe, hint hint! I'd love hear your family's favorite simple weeknight meals. These are the basic meals...add to them an easy side of veggies and fresh fruit.

And in case you're wondering...no, I don't cook seven nights a week, or even five for that matter. I typically cook about 3 decent meals, eat leftovers a night or two, eat out a couple nights (sometimes just me and my boys when Davids' on the road), and forage through the pantry or freezer a night or two. We're flexible. My goal this year...get my husband to take over a meal once a week! We'll see how it goes!

Pasta night
Veggie pasta primavera
Easy eggplant parmesan over pasta with broccoli
Stuffed shells (from frozen section) with homemade bolognese or marinara sauce.
Pasta with chicken sausage

Chicken
Mango chicken
Italian chicken
Tex Mex bowls with grilled chicken and black beans
Chicken supreme
Parmesan chicken and rice casserole (using chicken breasts instead of thighs and half and half instead of cream, decrease broth to 1 cup, add a couple slices of bacon for more flavor).
Roasted chicken (save bones for broth)

Not-chicken
Roast beef salad with goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette
Crock pot roast with veggies
Crock pot pork tenderloin (save leftovers for bar-b-q sandwiches another night)
Asian style braised short ribs
Beef stroganoff
Almost Thanksgiving: thick sliced cuts of deli turkey (Boar's Head Golden Catering is good), topped w/ gravy, cranberry sauce, side of sweet potatoes and green beans

From the sea
Lemon butter fish
healthier "fried' fish

Things with a bun
Burgers or dogs on the grill
Maple Bar B Q sloppy Joe's
Turkey burgers
Crock pot Bar-b-q chicken sandwiches, save leftovers for bar-b-q chicken quesadillas with smoked gouda cheese

Casual and fun
Quesadillas - Cheese, Shrimp & cheese, apples & cheese
Chicken fingers and veggies
Homemade pizza

Family Friendly Soups - make on Sunday to have for the week!
Super easy chicken tortilla soup
Tortellini soup
Pepper cheese chowder
Fresh vegetable soup
White chicken chili
Cauliflower soup
Cheesy chicken and rice soup

Easy Sides:
Sauteed green beans
Sugar snap peas
Super simple sweet potatoes
Baked potatoes, regular or sweet
Root vegetable bake - can also be used as a main, or over salad greens
Balsamic brussel sprouts
Turnips - ok, maybe not family friendly, but I LOVE them
sliced tomatoes in season
steamed broccoli w/ cheese
Frozen peas, carrots, green beans and corn, with a bit of butter and cream cheese
braised spinach or greens
angel hair pasta, tossed w/ butter, olive oil, parmesan and spinach

Simple desserts - I'm a fan of letting the kids figure out dessert for themselves. They can get really creative!
Fresh fruit, layered w/ lowfat vanilla yogurt, honey and granola
Ice cream!!
Mini chocolate pies - 6 pack miniature graham cracker pie crusts, fill w/ instant chocolate pudding, top w/ whipped cream
indoor s'mores (make in toaster oven)
easy banana pudding layering vanilla pudding, vanilla wafers, banana slices and whipped cream
chocolate quesadillas
toast with nutella, sliced strawberries or bananas and powdered sugar

A new addition to the pantry

2011-07-07T05:22:00.000-07:00

If you've stepped foot into a health food store or the organic section of a larger grocery store, you've no doubt noticed the variety of oils available: grape seed, avocado, various nut oils...and coconut oil. At my favorite health food store of the moment, there's a large selection of coconut oils. Why would something that has had such a bad reputation in the past be sold at a store specializing in health? Perhaps because that something isn't actually bad for you.

Coconut products have been a hot topic among health nuts of late. If you've been paying attention, you've certainly heard the buzz on coconut water. You've probably heard mention of coconut oil as well. A friend recently told me that all she uses is coconut oil, even for sauteing vegetables. Several weeks ago I discovered I had but a few drops left of vegetable oil in my pantry. Vegetable oil is not something that gets a lot of use in my kitchen. When cooking or sauteing, I reach for olive oil, grapeseed oil, or butter. Vegetable oil is only used in my house for baking (which is something I only enjoy from time to time) and when David makes pancakes or waffles for the boys. I decided try out coconut oil in place of vegetable and just see how it works. I reasoned that it's not something that will get a lot of use, so what's the harm.
I decided on this product:

The first thing that took me by surprise is that coconut oil is in a solid form, much like shortening. I was told that when used for baking, just scoop out more than the amount you need, heat it until it's liquid, and then measure the amount you need just like you would with any other oil. This is exactly what I did when I made brownies using coconut oil. Whatever was left over I just poured back into the container and store the container in my kitchen cabinet. Now that it's stored in my kitchen it's in liquid form. I'm guess the temperature in my cabinet is warmer than the temperature in the store.

So...the brownies, my first cooking experience with coconut oil. I was thrilled to find that not only did the consistency turn out like normal, the taste was improved. Of course, I'm a coconut fan and love the flavor, but the coconut flavor is slight and not overpowering. The brownies definitely had a slight "mounds bar" flavor, without the shredded coconut texture that many people just can't get past. And my guess is that if you don't reveal the secret ingredient, people will never notice. So if you're serving someone with a definite coconut abhorrence, just don't tell them and see if they notice anything different.

My next experiment was to use coconut oil in lieu of vegetable oil for making a pie crust for my homemade chocolate pie. I served the pie on the 4th of July and got many compliments, particularly on the crust. I decided to let my family in on the secret ingredient. Not surprisingly, the reaction was mixed. Several folks were commenting on the saturated fat in coconut oil and the bad reputation it's had in the past. "Isn't coconut oil really bad for you?" was a comment that I heard several times. All I could say was that it came highly recommend from the health food store. This prompted me to do my own research. Turns out, there's tons of information out there on the health benefits of coconut oil. One woman I spoke with even takes a couple of spoonfuls of straight up coconut oil after each meal. She swears by it. I decided to give it a try for the next week or so, and see if I notice a difference. I'm starting with just one spoonful of oil after each meal. Honestly, it's not bad at all. The flavor is light and pleasing and it's not too "oily." Even after one day I can tell you that my energy levels have been up. That may be a placebo effect, but I'll take it over the lethargy I've been feeling for weeks.

I used coconut oil last night for frying up some veggies, and again, the flavor was wonderful. Slightly sweet.

Finally, I'll leave you with a few links so you can do your own reading on this product, but I wanted to highlight one section from a website which gets into the scientific nature of why coconut oil is better for you (and differs) from other oils.
The entire article can be found here:
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/article10013.htm

"HL How is it that not all saturated fats are unhealthy? Tell us about medium-chain fatty acids.
BF Fats and oils are composed of molecules called fatty acids. Three fatty acids joined together form a triglyceride molecule. Some fatty acids are smaller than others. Medium-chain fatty acids are smaller than long-chain fatty acids. Likewise medium-chain triglycerides are smaller than long-chain triglycerides. The size of these molecules is very important because our bodies process and metabolize each fat differently depending on its size. Most all of the fats and oils in our diet are composed of long-chain fatty acids, whether they're unsaturated or saturated. There are only a few dietary sources of medium-chain fatty acids, the primary source being tropical oils, particularly palm kernel and coconut oils. That's why coconut oil is different from other oils and it the secret to many of its healing properties.

Because the medium-chain triglycerides are smaller than the long-chain triglycerides that are in most fats and oils, they're digested quicker. In fact, they don't even need pancreatic digestive enzymes to break them down. By the time they enter the intestinal tract, they are completely broken down into free fatty acids, while long-chain triglycerides still need the digestive enzymes to break them down. What's important here is that the long-chain fatty acids, when they're finally broken down, will be absorbed through the intestinal wall. From there, they are packaged into lipoproteins and released into the bloodstream. So the long-chain fatty acids go into the digestive tract and then into the bloodstream. As they circulate in the bloodstream they supply the fat that collects in fat cells and the fat that collects in artery walls.

With medium-chain fatty triglycerides in coconut oil the process is different. They are quickly digested, so pancreatic enzymes are not needed. By the time they enter the intestinal tract they are completely broken down into fatty acids. Because of this, they are absorbed immediately into the portal vein, and sent directly to the liver. In the liver they are used as a source of fuel to produce energy. Therefore, they bypass the lipoprotein stage, and they don't circulate in the bloodstream to the degree that other fats do. Consequently, they do not supply the fat that collects in fat cells or the fat that collects in artery walls. They produce energy not body fat and not arterial plaque."

Other sites for your own research:
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/articles.htm
http://www.coconutoil.com/research.htm
http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/coconut_oil_facts.html

Clam Chowdah!

2011-03-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

I have Heather to thank for this. Little did she know that at the exact time I was fantasizing about some good clam chowder, she was cooking some up over in her tasty kitchen and let the Facebook world know. Thankfully she shared her recipe, and it's a great one. I made a few small tweaks to lighten it a bit, although I don't think it's light enough for Cooking Light standards. It's super yum, though. It had the husband drooling.

4 slices bacon, chopped
3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1 jar of clam juice
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
palmful of chopped parsley
1/4 to 1/2 stick of butter
up to 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart milk (I used whole)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste
couple dashes of hot sauce

Directions:

In a large skillet, fry up the chopped bacon until crispy. Transfer to a bowl and drain some of the grease out of the skillet. Leave a bit in there and add a tablespoon or two of butter. Once melted, saute all the vegetables for a few minutes until fragrant.
Drain juice from clams over the vegetables. Add the bottle of clam juice to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender. Toss in the parsley.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan (or crockpot), melt the remaining butter (about 1/4 stick) over medium heat (high if using crockpot). Whisk in flour, spoon by spoon, until you have a smooth paste. Whisk in milk slowly and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
Stir in clams and reserved bacon just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with hot sauce, if desired.

Maple BBQ Sloppy Joes

2011-03-22T18:28:00.001-07:00

My dinner table has been an all out war zone the past several weeks. My children have been on a hunger strike and it's driven me insane! One is having "issues' with his orthodontic appliances in his mouth (expander/braces) as well as reflux, the other is being a copycat. There's been a lot of gagging, spitting, and refusal to eat. There's been bargaining, tears, anger, and kids sent to bed without dinner. It's hard for a mama who loves to cook and finds it therapeutic. Anyhow, we're seeing some progress and slowly starting to eat again around here. One meal that has passed the test is one I stumbled upon while flipping through the channels one afternoon. Rachel Ray was doing a fresh take on sloppy joes and I knew I had to try it. Her recipe is great as is. Since my youngest thinks he doesn't like onions or peppers, I just buzzed them up in the food processor before tossing them into the meat and they went totally unnoticed. In fact, he said to me, "Mom, last time you made these you put vegetables in it and I didn't like it but this time you didn't put them in and I love it." Sure thing, buddy...just keep on thinking that. Now I'm wondering what else I can sneak in there. Chopped spinach? Sweet potatoes?
Anyhow, here's her recipe. They're great on buttered buns, but I ate mine atop mixed greens since I'm trying to be "good." Today I ate the leftovers for lunch scooped up with some pita chips. And yes, I used ground turkey breast.

Sloppy Maple-BBQ Turkey Joes
Ingredients

1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey or ground lean turkey breast
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, scant plamful
Salt and pepper
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup dark amber pure maple syrup
About 3 tablespoons soy sauce
About 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
About 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard
8 soft burger rolls, split
Shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese
Chopped scallions, for topping
Chopped pickles, for topping
Yields: Makes 8 Sloppy Sammies

Preparation

In a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add turkey and seasoning with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until browned, then stir in the bell pepper, onion and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes. In a bowl, stir together the tomato sauce, maple syrup, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and mustard. If the sauce gets too tight, loosen it up with a splash of water or chicken stock. Pour the sauce over the meat and simmer over medium-low heat for a few minutes to combine the flavors. Serve the sloppy turkey on rolls with toppings.

Museli

2011-03-03T06:18:00.001-08:00

As I type, I'm eating an experiment. Twice this week I've heard about soaking oatmeal overnight in the refrigerator (not cooking) so it's ready to go in the morning. It's more of museli style than hot, cooked oats. We all know the benefits of steel cut oats, but who has 40 minutes in the morning to make it? Breakfast has got to be quick and easy for me. I searched around online late last night and decided to try this:

1 part steel cut oats
2 parts milk (I used skim)
mix in a dollop of honey, cinnamon, and any other spices
let soak overnight in the fridge

So, after my early morning workout, I got the oats out, microwaved them for about a minute so they wouldn't be freezing cold and topped with a handful of fresh blueberries.
The verdict? Honestly, not too bad. The consistency is very liquid and the oats are quite chewy, but I like them that way.That's whats so good about steel cut oats, right? If you like grape nuts, you'd probably like this, although it's not nearly as crunchy as grape nuts. This is a very do-able way to get in some oats and fresh fruit in the morning.

I also saw a recipe from the Today Show that I'll try out. It uses rolled oats instead of steel cut. Here is is:

Overnight muesli

Mark Bittman
Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup mixed nuts and seeds (like sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, etc.)
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, optional
1/3 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
Dash salt
3 cups yogurt, plus more for garnish
Preparation
Combine the oats, nuts and seeds, coconut if you’re using it, raisins, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the 3 cups yogurt, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Serve garnished with additional yogurt.
Time: 10 minutes, plus time to chill

Valentines Day 2011

2011-02-20T10:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe this is my third Valentine's Day post. If you've followed my blog you know it's a special day for my family.
Valentines 2008
Valentines 2009
I departed from tradition temporarily last year since my husband was traveling. Instead of our usual dinner I thew a luncheon for my mom's birthday and the day was lovely.

Anyhoo...
We were back to our tradition this year of an evening dinner, hearts, candles, gifts and lots of love to go around. The guest list...
My parents (and yes, it was also a birthday dinner for my mom)
Aunt Kathy
our friend Kristine
and our little family.

I served my sausage and granny smith apple penne (and turned a complete blind eye to the fat content!), balsamic glazed mixed vegetables (frozen section TJ's), fresh berries and greek yogurt whipped with cream and honey and topped with granola, and my mom brought a carrot cake.
There were small gifts for all, treats, and lots of sweetness to go around. I love that my kids have started to ask when Valentines day is because they love our "love" dinner. That's how I like to spend my Valentine's Day.

Watercress soup

2011-02-20T10:03:00.000-08:00

So I've started up with a CSA program again. Sadly, not with Farmer Chad (his pickup window was just too short and inconvenient for me), but with Local Food Stop, picking up at the new Natural Foods Warehouse right by me. I'm so excited about all this!
This CSA allows you to pick from a menu of what you get in your bag and there's no seasonal commitment. This week I got rainbow carrots, watercress, strawberries, apples, kiwi and broccoli. Watercress was a bit of a wild card for me since I don't recall ever using it for anything, but I figured I'd find something creative to do with it. After reading a bit online about the cancer fighting properties of watercress and running across a few recipes I decided to try a watercress soup. You'll need your immersion blender for this one, otherwise you'll have to transfer to a blender in batches, and that's a pain. I can't say enough about how great an immersion blender is. This soup is light and a great starter or a lunchtime accompaniment. OK, after a few tweaks, here's what I got:

Watercress Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 small yukon gold potatoes- peeled and cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 or 3 small carrots, peeled and sliced
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
salt, pepper, and seasonings
2 1/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 1/2 cups milk
2 nice bunches of watercress, rinsed and large stems removed

Directions

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the potato , carrot, garlic and onion, stirring to coat with the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium and saute until tender and fragrant. If you have a bit (1/4 cup) while wine, pour it in to deglaze the pan.
Pour in the chicken stock and the milk, bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the watercress and simmer, uncovered, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until watercress is just cooked. Turn off heat and let cool for a few minutes. Using an immersion blender puree until smooth. Season to your desired taste. I threw a little dill in mine. Top each serving with fresh cracked pepper and shaved cheese if desired.

Lemon butter fish

2011-02-10T16:21:00.001-08:00

For dinner tonight I revisited a recipe I posted some time ago. Sole with sides was it's name, but I prepared it a little differently tonight. Turns out, sole can be a little hard to find, so I substituted talipia tonight. I pretty much made it the same way, but served it a top pasta tossed with garlic, olive oil, spinach, salt and pepper. I also threw in some steamed broccoli and topped it all off with shaved parmesan, salt and pepper. I'm telling you, it was restaurant quality. SO yummy, fresh, and healthy. Amazing what garlic, butter, and fresh lemon juice can do.
Here's the recipe how I did it tonight:

3/4 box of angel hair pasta (whole wheat, quinoa, or another healthier version)
A couple handfuls of fresh raw spinach, to toss in pasta
2-3 garlic cloves
olive oil

Sauce:
2 TBS butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp. paprika
salt
pepper
juice of half a lemon

3 or 4 filets of white fish (talipia or sole work well)
flour, for coating the fish
1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
seasonings (salt, pepper, lemon pepper, seasoned salt...whatever you have like that)
juice of half a lemon

Get the water for the pasta started and cook according to package directions. Just before draining, toss in the raw spinach, let cook for 30 seconds or so, then drain. While the pasta is cooking, get started on the sauce.

In a small saucepan or saute pan, cook the butter and garlic over medium heat until it sizzles. Wish in the paprika, season with salt and sizzle a bit more. Once it turns golden, add the lemon juice and cook for another minute. Keep warm while you get to the fish.
Heat the butter and oil over medium high heat in a large saute pan. Lightly coat fish filets in flour, seasoned with seasonings, and sauté until golden, salting and peppering each side as you turn. Once both sides are golden and crispy, you're through. Squeeze the lemon juice over just before turning off the heat.

Toss the hot pasta with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, Dish out into serving bowls. Top with a fish filet and drizzle with some the the sauce. Top the whole thing with fresh ground pepper, dried or fresh chopped parsley, and perhaps some shaved parmesan.

The easiest soup evah...

2011-01-13T17:27:00.000-08:00

I'm really cheating here with this one, but I just couldn't not post this. You'll see why. This is, most definitely, the easiest soup (and one of the most delicious) I've ever made. I wish I could take the credit for it, but it's not my genius behind it. It's the good folks at Trader Joes. This is what they were demo-ing the last time I was there.

For years I've made chicken tortilla soup with painstaking detail. My tried and true recipe is no doubt delicious, but time consuming. After having this one here, I don't see going to the trouble of making it the other way for awhile.
It could not be easier...

Trader Joe's Captain Mark's Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 large can chicken
1 jar garlic chipotle salsa
1 carton chicken broth

Optional items that I like:
frozen corn
cooked brown rice

Toppings:
shredded cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips
Trader Joe's green salsa verde (refrigerated section)
hot sauce

In a heavy pot, heat the chicken, salsa, and broth. Add any optional items and heat through. Ladle out into bowls and top with desired toppings and hot sauce.

Mango Chicken

2011-01-04T16:04:00.000-08:00

During the Summer of 2009 I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Europe with my husband. My boys still haven't forgiven me for leaving them for the trip, but I have to say that it was a highlight of the entire year. London, Scotland, and Ireland were the places we visited, and like a good girl, I cleaned many a plate in each locale. While in Ireland, we stayed with my good friend Judith's sister and her family, the Robinsons. Judith is an amazing chef herself, and has a cookbook coming out soon, so be sure to check her out. Good cooking runs in her family apparently because we had a nice little dish at the Robinson's house that Jayne, the sister, swears is easy as pie. I've made it a few times myself, and while it's still very yummy, easy and even passes the little picky eater's test, it's still not as good as Jayne's. I believe this is because Irish chutney must be different from our chutneys found here in the States. Maybe a trip to Whole Foods is in order for a better chutney, although Trader Joe's does have a nice one. Anyhow, here is the recipe for Mango Chicken...great for a quick and impressive weeknight meal.

Mango Chicken

What you need:
boneless skinless chicken breasts
Jar of good mango chutney
Heavy cream or plain yogurt or mixture of both both
cooked white or brown rice

Optional:
mushrooms
bacon

Take a good jar of mango chutney, mix together with heavy cream or plain yogurt (or a mixture of both) until you have a thick, but pourable consistency and pour into a baking dish.
Throw in a few raw chicken breasts and bake, uncovered at 350, until nice and caramelized. Serve over rice.
For a different twist, use a spicy chutney, toss in some mushrooms and wrap the chicken in bacon. Garnish with fresh mango slices. That will impress people!

Red Beans and Rice

2011-01-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

Have I ever mentioned I have a cajun mother in law? My husband laughs when I say this and tells me that she's really Creole, not cajun. Maybe that's a fact, given her french heritage, however, the woman has some cajun tendencies. Ever seen The Waterboy? The mom in that, Kathy Bates, eats just about anything, including snake. While my mother in law may not eat snake, she's not afraid to try just about anything. There's nothing that scares her in the way of food. I love that about her. She's always willing to try something different, new, and unexpected. She's been known to suck the marrow out of chicken bones. She grew up on the bayou in south Mississippi and Louisiana. And she makes delicious cajun food. I didn't know so many spices existed until I started dating David and eating dinner with his parents. I loved having steak on Sunday nights, always complete with twice baked potatoes, rice and french bread. Her oyster stew on Christmas Eve was a hit with me, as were her griods on Christmas day. I certainly owe a lot of my cooking knowledge to her.
She makes a mean red beans and rice dish, and she made it for us recently. I jotted down her recipe, which she says is the way Maria, The Help, made it for her family growing up. The ingredient that makes it stand out from the others is cloves. Let me preface this recipe by saying I have not made this myself yet, but wanted to post it so I'll remember to make it. I'll revisit the recipe if I need to make changes. It can be made either in the crock pot or simmered on the stove on low heat for hours. So, here's Red Beans and Rice Maria's way:

Red Beans and Rice

1 pkg. dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight according to pkg. directions.
diced bell pepper, onions, and garlic sautéed in oil or bacon fat
ham hock or ham bone
5 bay leaves
salt
Italian seasonings
ground clove (1 tsp. or more according to taste)
worcestershire sauce

Add the soaked beans to a crock pot or dutch oven. Add the sautéed mixture of pepper, onion and garlic. Cover the beans with water. Toss in the bay leaves, salt, Italian seasonings, clove and worcestershire sauce (all to taste). Let simmer on low heat until tender.

Tortellini Soup

2011-01-02T15:59:00.001-08:00

It's a new year, and time to breathe some new life into this forgotten blog of mine. I'm ready to post a few recipes and inspiration. I'll get right down to business.

This here recipe is an old one for me, actually. I started making it as a newlywed 14 years ago, so I can tell you it's quite simple. I originally found this recipe in a Betty Crocker cookbook and have made a few tweaks of my own. It's a versatile soup and can be used for lunch or dinner. Since my oldest and I are a bit under the weather, we're having it for dinner. I'm hoping that the little picky eater will eat it as well since it's got pasta in it. I consider it a twist to classic chicken noodle, even though there's no chicken in it. It wouldn't be a bad idea to throw some in!

Tortellini Soup

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 medium celery stalks, chopped (1 cup)
3-4 medium carrots, chopped or sliced
1 small onion, chopped
White wine
2 cartons (32 oz each) chicken broth
4 cups water
2 packages (9 oz each) dried cheese-filled tortellini or refrigerated tortellini
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon freshly grated whole nutmeg, or more to taste (the nutmeg makes this soup, IMO)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter and olive oil in 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Saute garlic, celery, carrot and onion until fragrant and onions are translucent. Deglaze the pan with a few glugs of white wine.
Stir in broth and water. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Stir in tortellini. Stir in parsley, pepper and nutmeg and any other seasons you desire (I like Italian seasonings). Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tortellini are tender. This may take less time if using refrigerated pasta. Top each serving with cheese.

*This makes a large amount. I don't know how well it would freeze because of the pasta. Once it's refrigerated, the pasta tends to soak up more of the broth so you may need to add more water when reheating. Or, you may just use 1 pkg. of pasta to begin with. Just depends on how much broth you want.

Banana Bread

2010-07-22T05:50:00.000-07:00

I was sure I had already posted this recipe, but after searching for it I don't believe I have. So, here is my tried and true banana bread recipe. I've been making this recipe for years and always get tons of compliments on it. I even once had a college guy ask me for the recipe so he could give it to his girlfriend! However, I have to give credit to Karen Dotson since it is her recipe from the Rock Springs Baptist cookbook. I've never met her, but she knows how to make some dang good banana bread. I'll post the recipe as is, but I almost always alter it and use whole wheat flour, oat flour or some blend. You can even toss in a little flax seed or wheat germ to make it ultra healthy. I'll be making it soon and will toss in some fresh blueberries.

*Oh and a little tip about overripe bananas for you. Don't feel like if you have overripe bananas you have to use them right away. Simply peel them, break them in half and put in a ziplock bag and freeze until ready to use. Let them thaw a little when you do want to use them. They make for really moist banana bread! And, they're also ready to use in smoothies. I usually have a bag full of bananas in the freezer!*

Banana Bread

3/4 C. Sugar
1/2 C butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 C flour
2 eggs
3 overripe bananas, mashed
1/2 C chopped nuts (optional)

Mix sugar and butter together; beat in eggs. Add sifted dry ingredients, vanilla, banana and nuts. Pour into well greased loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Red Curry Chicken

2010-06-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

Holy moly, that was a long hiatus from my little ole blog here.
Well, surprise...I'm back!

Let's see, last time I was on here I was talking about Guatemala. That seems like a lifetime ago. Basically, the past 2 1/2 months have been, well, shall we say sketchy? We put our house on the market, we sold it, and we moved. It was NOT fun. But, considering the market we're in, we're thankful that it even sold. We consider ourselves blessed in this and we consider ourselves blessed with our new place as well.

Life has not been normal for awhile but we're working our way back and are almost there. Even my workout routine, which I've followed religiously throughout the year, has fallen by the wayside, but with my permission. I knew the move would be stressful so I gave myself a free pass to just not do it until I'm completely ready to jump back in. Today I finally hit the gym for what I lovingly call an "icebreaker" workout. Easy, basic, and something to just break past the mental barrier of not having been active. Although, I'd argue I've been very active with moving and all.

So, we're doing our best to turn this house into our home, and for me part of that is getting back to cooking and eating as a family around the table. We've had our fill of fast food, eating out, and thrown together junk and I'm loving the nights that I'm taking a break from setting up house to cook for my family. I'll admit, there's only been a handful of real meals, but we've only been here two weeks. I'd say we're doing pretty good.

One thing I've made twice already is a recipe I posted awhile back as Curry Chicken. It was an adaptation from a CL recipe, but I've tweaked it even further and have decided it's more like Thai Red Curry with Chicken than just plain old curry chicken, so I've renamed it. Here's my more updated (and no so light) version. My picky little Wyatt loves it, which is why I've made it twice.
And tonight it turned out so good, I'd say it was restaurant quality!

Red Curry Chicken

2 TBSP grapeseed oil
2 boneless skinless breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
salt
2 cups green (or whatever color) bell pepper strips
half of a small yellow onion, cut into strips
small can bamboo shoots, drained
1/2 can baby corn, drained
2 TBSP fresh lime juice
2 TBSP reduced sodium soy sauce
2-3 TBSP red curry paste
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp brown sugar
one half of 1 (14-oz) can light coconut milk
one half of 1 (14-oz) can regular coconut milk
torn fresh basil

3 cups hot cooked jasmine rice

1. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pan fry in oil until lightly browned on all sides.
2. Add bell pepper, onion, bamboo shoots and baby corn to pan; saute 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken and vegetables from pan.
3. Combine juice, soy sauce, curry paste, garlic and sugar in small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add juice mixture to pan and let heat through for a minute.
4. Add 1/2 can of each coconut milk (light and regular) and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 12 minutes or until slightly thick.
5. Return chicken and vegetables to pan; cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Toss in some torn fresh basil. Serve over rice.

Eating in Guatemala

2010-03-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

So I just returned last night from a short trip to Guatemala with International Justice Mission. And what an amazing trip it was!
I've been blogging and talking all about my experiences there, but one question that keeps coming up is "what kind of food did you eat?" I figure that deserves it's own post here on my little food blog. After all, so much of the experience of traveling is about the food. I've heard of some who dread getting out of their comfort zone, being forced to stretch their culinary palate. Poor souls. Live a little! Embrace where you're at! Get yourself out of your box!

So, here's what I had a lot of...

Pretty much everywhere you go, the coffee is good. Really good. I even had the opportunity to zip line over a coffee plantation. Seeing all the work that goes into it gave me even more of an appreciation for the people who harvest, wash, and roast it.

Another interesting drink that is quite popular in the restaurants is called "Fresco de Jamaica" (hibiscus flower drink). It's a refreshing, sweet, floral tasting drink that's really good. I wish I could find it here.

Probably the most popular fast food restaurant, Pollo Campero, just opened up a location here in my home city just outside of Atlanta.
These places are everywhere in Guatemala. Although we did not eat there on this trip, back in 1995 I ate there several times. One of the newest staff members of IJM is a native Georgian. He and his family just moved to Guatemala City and he said that Pollo Campero has the best fried chicken he's had at any restaurant. I plan to take the boys there sometime in the near future for the cultural experience!

A typical breakfast for me was "mosh". Mosh is similar to oatmeal, but more runny. I topped it with granola, papaya, strawberries and honey. It was really delicious and filling. I'd also have fried plantains, refried black beans (yep!), and papaya juice. On one of our visits to an IJM's client's house, she had worked hard all morning preparing her mosh for us. Her's was cooked with cinnamon and sugar and the sweet lady had been stirring it for SO long. She then served us the mosh in cups and we drank it as we left.

My last morning there I had this:

On the menu, it was called "Mexican Eggs." I SO want to recreate this. It was basically two fried eggs atop a corn tortilla, topped with salsa, avacado, crumbled queso blanco with a side of fried plantains and black beans. Simple enough, but I doubt I'll be able to make it just right because the salsa was very unique.

Beans for breakfast? I can tell you that that every time I had refried black beans they were always wonderful. They were very salty but in a good way. They were usually topped with sour cream or cheese. I've never had them like that in the states. I've heard that the way to prepare them is to cook them, run them through a food processor until they're very smooth, then fry them in a skillet to dry them out a little. I have no idea if this is truly the way it's done, and I don't know what seasonings are added but I figure it's worth a shot.

Other things on my menu: ceviche (first time having it...definitely won't be the last!), pumpkin ravioli in a Guatemalan herb sauce, shrimp in a curry coconut milk sauce with raisins and bananas, and chili rellenos. There was also an interesting marinated vegetable salad offered at the hotel with every meal that included cauliflower, carrots and peppers marinated in a vinegar sauce. Again, very tasty.

Dessert was a bit of a disappointment. I was never that impressed. They usually seemed so promising, but just didn't quite deliver.

If you're interested, here's a link I found on typical Guatemalan food.

Everything but the kitchen sink pasta primavera

2010-03-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a picture to post tonight, but we didn't waste any time before eating, it was that good. If I rated my recipes here, I'd definitely give this one 5 stars! Filling, healthy, colorful and delicious. All the things a good meal needs.

This recipe was born out of a necessity to use up some produce and chicken and because I needed something quick that I could throw together. Plus, I love making pasta. I've listed the veggies I used, but what I love about pasta primavera is that you use whatever you have on hand or like.

So, instead of laying this out in a recipe format, I'll just let you know what I did as I went along, because that's pretty much how I made this baby up.

What I used:
1 lb. penne (Barilla, yellow box; healthier version)
1 chicken breast
olive oil
2 slices thick cut bacon, diced up
white wine
butter
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

A handful of the following (don't need too much of any):
onion (sliced)
orange bell pepper (sliced)
carrots (sliced)
zucchini (sliced)
broccoli florets
sundried tomatoes
2 roma tomatoes (diced and seeds removed)
fresh torn basil

seasonings
parmesan cheese, grated
pana granada cheese (trader joe's)

Get the pasta cooking, according to package directions. I cooked the whole box, eventhough I didn't use all of the pasta in this dish.

I marinated my chicken breast for all of 10 minutes in some Greek salad dressing. Had to use it up. After that, I grilled it. While it was grilling, in the largest Le Cruset skillet I have (this baby's big!) I heated about a tbsp olive oil and fried the diced bacon until slightly crispy. I transferred the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, dumped the bacon grease, and used about 1/2 to 1 cup of white wine to deglaze the pan. Let that simmer a bit to reduce, then add about 2 tbsp of butter. Once melted, I tossed in the onion, garlic and carrots. I let those cook for a couple of minutes, then added the bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes and basil. I also added a little more olive oil to keep things moist. While the veggies cooked, I added several different seasonings I had on hand ( Italian among others). About this time the chicken was done so I removed it from the grill, let it sit a few minutes, then sliced it up and tossed it together with the veggies. Add in the bacon at this point as well. Season with sea salt, pepper and anything else you feel like. Toss in the cooked penne, top with the cheeses and dive in! Goes great with a good glass of red.
And don't skip out on the bacon...I think it makes this dish!

Pie crust

2010-03-12T08:52:00.000-08:00

I'm dreaming of the chicken pot pie from my last post. It was even better the next day as leftovers. This will definitely be put into rotation more.
I saw Rachel Ray making beef pot pie wedges where she rolled out two pie crusts (storebought), cut each in half making semi-circles, filled a little filling on each and folded over and pressed with a fork to make little pockets. She brushed and egg wash on top and baked until golden. I think this would be great with the chicken filling.

Per Sara's request, here's my pie crust recipe. Of course, store bought is easier, but I like to make mine because I've been using a blend of 1/2 whole wheat flour 1/2 regular flour to make it a little healthier. I like the flavor whole wheat adds as well.

Pie Crust:
In a small bowl, combine
1 1/3 C plain flour (I use the 1/2 and 1/2 blend)
1/2 tsp. salt

In a glass measuring cup, measure
1/3 C. vegetable oil
Add enough milk until it reaches the 1/2 C line
Mix well and add to the flour mixture, mixing well.
If mixture is too dry, add a little more oil or milk

Roll out for use in a pie. I usually roll mine out between two sheets of waxed paper.
Bake at 450 degrees until browned.

Chicken Pot Pie

2010-03-02T14:47:00.001-08:00

Great. Snow...again. And it's the messy, wet kind of snow that gets brought in on little boy's shoes and the dog's paws. I'm not enjoying this latest bout from mother nature, but at least a day like today can be savored around the dinner table. Today's weather demands pie...chicken pot pie and blueberry pie for dessert.

Although I don't make chicken pot pie often, I enjoy making it for several reasons. One, it can be made ahead. I love meals that I can cook after lunch and assemble just before baking. Two, I love to chop up a bunch of stuff and saute it in a pot.That's why I love making soup and pasta sauces. I love the smell from onions and garlic sauteing in butter and white wine. I love to stand by the stove and stir and smell and taste. It's comforting, especially when it's cold and wet outside.

Today I adapted Pioneer Woman's recipe to my own liking. Not that her's wasn't good enough, I just needed to use what I had on hand and what I like. Here's what I came up with. It met the whole family's approval.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 yellow onion, diced
2 cups mixed vegetables (whatever you have on hand. I used carrots, peas, cut green beans, corn and 1 small potato). Can be fresh, frozen or canned. Make sure to dice up carrots, potatoes, green beans.
2 cloves pressed garlic
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
3 Tbsp butter (or olive oil)
3/4 c. all purpose flour
up to 2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
1 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp ground rosemary
kosher salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
1 pie crust (I make mine from scratch using a little whole wheat flour)

Preheat oven to 400

Heat the butter (or oil) on medium to low heat in a heavy dutch oven. Saute the onion for a few minutes, until clear. Toss in the other vegetables and garlic and continue sautéing for several minutes. You want the carrots and potatoes to be tender, but not mushy.

Add the chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and chicken and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.

Pour in the chicken broth, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Make sure there's not too much liquid. You may not need to use all the broth. Stir in the wine. Pour in the cream and stir. If mixture is dry, add the rest of the broth. Allow mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes. If the mixture is watery, you may need to add a little more flour. Season with thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and taste, adjusting the seasonings if needed.

Pour into a deep dish pie pan or a small casserole dish. If making ahead, refrigerate until ready to use.

Roll out the crust so it's 1 inch larger than the pan. Place the crust on top and press the crust into the sides of the dish to seal. Cut small slits in the top to vent.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Pico De Gallo, Guacamole and Curry Chicken

2010-02-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

This has been one of those weeks that I've wanted to get in the kitchen and get cracking. Having a husband gone for 4-5 days of the week and living off the boys leftover mac and cheese, pb&j crusts and cereal makes me want to be productive by the time Monday rolls around. Throw in a big trip to Trader Joe's and I'm all set for some therapeutic chopping, sautéing and simmering. Yes, cooking is therapeutic for me.

So I'll cut to the chase. I had an insane craving for homemade pico de gallo and guacamole. I love good guac but I can't tell you the last time I made it. It's been years...maybe even a decade. Seriously. That streak is over thanks to Pioneer Woman's recipes for both. Her pico is super easy. Use equal amounts of:
1. diced yellow or red onions (I like yellow)
2. diced roma tomatoes
3. chopped cilantro
Add in some diced jalapenos (I cheated and used a couple spoonfuls of jarred diced jalapenos)
Stir all together in a bowl, add the juice from half a lime and season with salt to taste. Test it with a chip before adding more salt, since the chips usually have salt.

Pico only keeps for a day or so, so only make the amount you'd use in that time.

For perfect guacamole, simply mash a ripe avocado with a fork (not too mushy!) and toss in a hefty pile of the pico. Stir together gently, test to make sure the taste is how you want it and sprinkle with a little paprika to make it look pretty. If needed, add a little more lime juice. Both the pico and the guac are AMAZING with Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Pita Chips. To me, they're way better than tortilla chips.

So that was lunch...pico de gallo and guacamole. Oh, and I forgot to mention a helping of Pioneer woman's Sherried Tomato Soup. This soup will knock your socks off, big time.

O.K, so moving on to dinner...

Thanks to Jen, I now have a subscription to Cooking Light again! The first recipe I wanted to try was Chicken Curry. I tweaked it a bit, and here's what I came up with. It was pretty good and didn't take long to throw together.

1 TBSP grapeseed oil
2 boneless skinless breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
salt
2 cups green and red bell pepper strips
half of a small yellow onion, but into strips
small can bamboo shoots, drained
1 garlic clove, minced
2 TBSP fresh lime juice
2 TBSP reduced sodium soy sauce
2-3 TBSP red curry paste
1 tsp brown sugar
1 (14-oz) can light coconut milk
torn fresh basil

3 cups hot cooked jasmine rice

1. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pan fry in oil until lightly browned on all sides. Add bell pepper, onion, bamboo shoots and garlic to pan; saute 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken and vegetables from pan. Combine juice, soy sauce, curry paste and sugar in small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add juice mixture and coconut milk to pan, bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 12 minutes or until slightly thick. Return chicken and vegetables to pan; cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Toss in some torn fresh basil. Serve over rice.

Super easy party treats

2010-02-09T16:46:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or is Valentine's Day becoming like another mini-Christmas season? It seems like this week has been filled with having to get lots of goodies, treats, Valentines, etc. together for the boys' Valentine's parties at school. I tell you, these elementary parties can be quite stressful! I need something easy as my "go to" treat for these things.

The following is not my own creation. I got this from my sister in law, who I believe got it from someone she works with. They are SUPER easy, the kids can totally help, and they usually get devoured at a party. And there's really NO baking involved, although you do have to turn on the oven.

What you need is this:

1 bag of small Snyder's pretzels (This brand works better than Rold Gold for this recipe)
1 bag Hershey's Hugs (the milk and white chocolate swirled ones...NO nuts)
1 bag colored M&M's (for whatever holiday you're celebrating)

Preheat the oven to 200.
Line a cookie sheet with waxed or parchment paper. DON"T skip this step! You'll regret it later if you do.
Place as many pretzels on the sheet as will fit. Don't use any broken pretzels. Top each pretzel with a hug. Pop in the oven for about 5-10 min. Stay close by and keep an eye on them. You want them to be soft, but not totally melted.
Remove from oven and immediately top with M&M's by lightly pressing.
I like to use a variation of 1, 2, or 3 on each pretzel. Put in the refrigerator to cool down and return to solid.
Once they are back to solid, put on a pretty plate, wrap with foil and keep refrigerated until party time.

Another variation...use a Rolo instead of a hug and a pecan half instead of a M&M. They're like mini-turtles and people go NUTS over them.

Imagine the possibilities...Spring M&M's for Easter, multi-colored for Summer, red and green for Christmas, etc.

Keeping it real

2010-01-28T17:24:00.001-08:00

Just so you don't go thinking I'm some ultra healthy, feeding my family homemade meals every night of the week kind of gal, I thought I'd bring you down to Earth a bit. My usual "It's Thursday night and my husband is on the road for the next 4 nights and it's just me and the boys" dinner is this: eating what's left of the mac and cheese directly out of the pot while watching my kids watch the Suite Life. If I'm lucky, there might even be some crumbs leftover from the chocolate pop tarts they had for dessert. That's my totally glamorous rockstar wife's life. Sorry if I disappoint.

Root Vegetable Bake

2010-01-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

I love my Aunt Kathy. She's my mom's baby sister and to me, she's a great mix of a cool aunt but also a motherly figure in my life. She never had children of her own (by her own choice) but you better believe that all her nieces and nephews claim her as one of their mothers. She's every bit a grandmother to my boys as their real grandmothers are. Kathy has an amazing gift of hospitality and can cook like nobody's business. I often go to her for recipe and entertaining advice and I love to cook for her.

She's mentioned her "Root Vegetable Bake" several times and I finally attempted it today. The rustic smell of root vegetables roasting and caramelizing in the oven made our house so warm and cozy on this rainy and dreary day. Although I originally made this as a side dish I decided to serve them atop a bed of mixed greens; making a simple yet hearty winter salad. I simply took some baby romaine lettuce, drizzled some homemade maple dressing over, topped with a hefty serving of the root vegetables and seasoned with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Add a few walnuts for some crunch. This is my favorite recipe of the moment! Soooo good. Listen up...don't be afraid of turnips, rutabagas and parsnips. They are SO delicious and tasty when roasted and all the vegetables take on a slight sweetness. You really want to vary your root vegetables, otherwise you won't have as flavorful of a dish! About the only root vegetable I didn't use was carrots, just because I wasn't in the mood.

Here's the method:

Root Vegetable Bake

Use an assortment of your favorite root vegetables. What I use:
1 red potato
1 turnip
1 rutabaga
1 sweet potato
1 onion (red or yellow)
1-2 parsnips
1-3 stalks of fresh rosemary
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sea salt
pepper

Peel and chuck the vegetables (you may leave the skin on the red potato), making chunks of similar size, about 1-2 inches. Toss in a large bowl with several good turns of olive oil, rosemary leaves, and a few good splashes of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, or until caramelized and tender. Stir a couple of times while they're in the oven. Don't overcook.

Great fresh out of the oven or on top of mixed greens.
Enjoy!

Maple Dressing:
1/4 C. Maple syrup
1/4 C. Olive OIl
2 TBSP Cider Vinegar.

wisk to combine all ingredients.

Super simple and delish sweet potatoes

2010-01-13T05:43:00.001-08:00

Ever watched that show on the Food Network called "Healthy Appetite"? It's great and Ellie Krieger really has a lot of great recipes that are tasty and healthy. They are usually quite simple to prepare as well, using fresh ingredients.
I needed a good sweet potato recipe the other night and I found one of hers and decided to try it out. I like my sweet potatoes on the sweet side. If I'm at a steakhouse and I order a baked sweet potato, I'll usually ask for extra brown sugar and cinnamon. I know some like theirs totally plain but my sweet tooth has a high tolerance and can handle some extra sweetness.

I chose Ellie's recipe because it calls for no sugar, but honey. I figured I'd let the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes come through for onece, and save my family from unnecessary sugar, even though I love my sweet potatoes swimming in butter and sugar.
This recipes was great! Super easy to prepare, simple, and yes, sweet! You could probably add in some maple syrup to give it some more sweetness but it's really not necessary. Simple, wholesome, and it even passed the kid test!

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients
2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces and put in a 9 by 13 baking dish. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, honey and lemon juice. Pour mixture over potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the salt, and bake, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until potatoes are tender.

2010-01-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

I pretty much kicked it in the kitchen today. I think just knowing that snow was in the forecast made me want to fill the house with cozy warm smells. To me, snow is all about what you have going on in the kitchen!

So, my first project before lunch was to make strawberry jam with these wonderful Florida strawberries that are coming into season. I'm glad I jumped on it because there's no telling what will happen to the strawberry crops after all this cold weather this weekend. I enlisted the help of my 7 year old and we ended up making 9 jars. I had hoped to make two batches but was a little short on strawberries so I decided to us the rest of the strawberries for our dessert tonight. Enter the ready made organic granola pie crust I picked up on sale at Kroger a while back. Hmmm....a pie crust + fresh strawberries=Strawberry Pie!
I looked around online and picked out this recipe from Betty Crocker:

Fresh Strawberry Pie
Obviously I skipped the crust part since I already had it on hand and I added a few tablespoons of sugar to the cream cheese to sweeten it a bit. I also used 3 tbsp. of corn starch instead of 2. Pretty easy to make and a sweet taste of Summer on this cold night. Into the refrigerator it went to get set up for tonight.

I couldn't pass up making cookies on a snowy day, so while the boys played outside I whipped up some of Pioneer Woman's Oatmeal Crispies with white chocolate chips and cranberries. And just so you know, she uses shortening in hers, I use butter.

While those were baking, I got a start on our dinner, Asian style braised short ribs. I've been planning on making these for awhile now and got the meat from the Butcher's Market yesterday. I had never cooked short ribs before and I don't recall ever braising anything but after reading up on it in CL, I decided to give it a try. It was pretty easy to assemble, but you do have to plan ahead since it simmers on the stove for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. And I think it's important to have a good dutch oven, like a Le Cruset or a heavy cast iron one. I'm not sure if it would work as well in a regular stainless steel pot. But if that's what you have definitely try it. I love recipes that I can make in the afternoon and just let them do their thing so I can relax a little before dinnertime. Or go for a hike in the snowy woods. I served these up with buttered white rice and sauteed green beans seasoned with orange infused olive oil and seasoned salt. Let me say...the guys LOVED this dish! Wyatt loves short ribs! Who knew? Be sure to serve them up with lots of the juices spooned over. Sooooo good!

Here's my recipe, adapted from Cooking Light Jan/Feb. 2008:

Asian Style Braised Short Ribs:

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
2 pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 8 equal pieces
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry sherry
2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 3 1/2 ounces)
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (8-ounce) can sliced bamboo shoots, drained
1 (4-inch) cinnamon stick
1 (8-ounce) can diced water chestnuts, drained
4 cups hot cooked short-grain rice

Preparation
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add half of beef to pan; cook 3 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Repeat procedure with cooking spray and remaining beef.

Add ginger, rind, and garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in sherry, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add mushrooms; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add beef, broth, and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon); bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 1/2 hours or until beef is very tender. Stir in water chestnuts; cook for 5 minutes. Discard cinnamon. Serve over rice.

Golden Winter Soup

2010-01-04T17:23:00.000-08:00

I have needed some inspiration lately in the kitchen. Spending so much time in the kitchen around the holidays made for some real burnout this past week and I needed something new to look forward to. I turned to an old Cooking Light issue (Jan/Feb 2008) and knew that the soup on the cover, Golden Winter Soup, would be perfect for this cold night. Surprisingly, the kids even ate it! I paired it with Rachel Ray's greek salad. Here's my adaptation of the delicious Golden Winter Soup:

Golden Winter Soup

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 good sized squash)
2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled russet potato (about 12 ounces)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups sliced leek (about 2 medium)
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
4 Tbsp Agave or honey
freshly grated nutmeg, to tase (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)

12 ounces baguette, cut into 16 slices
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
3 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Preparation:

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add squash, potato, garlic, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add leek; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Stir in half-and-half, agave or honey, and nutmeg. Cover and keep warm.

Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil bread slices 2 minutes or until golden. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 1 teaspoon chives. Serve 2 bread slices with each serving. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

Christmas feast

2009-12-26T19:03:00.001-08:00

I spent hours in the kitchen on Christmas Eve working on some foods I planned to have on Christmas day. Inspired by my new Pioneer Woman cookbook, most of what I cooked came from there. If you don't have it, get it! There's some great recipes in there.

Here's what our Christmas day feast included:

Breakfast:
PW's Cinnamon rolls (half w/ coffee flavored icing, half w/ orange marmalade icing) and coffee
So worth the effort! I made the dough in the afternoon and cooked them the night before, reserving half of the icing so when I heated them up on Christmas morning I had fresh icing to top them off. Yes, they're full of fat, but hey...it's Christmas! Plus, I used half whole wheat flour so I felt a little better about that.

Lunch @ my mama's = tons of casseroles and sweets

Evening appetizers:
PW's Burgundy Marinated Mushrooms
PW's Hot Artichoke Dip
Turkey and beef meatballs cooked with grape jelly and chili sauce
Beer bread (Thank you Trader Joe's for the mix!)
Blueberries & Strawberries w/ vanilla greek yogurt and cinnamon
Various apps from Trader Joe's
PW's Chocolate Sheet Cake
No bake cookies & other sweets

Thank you Trader Joe's...

2009-12-21T17:16:00.001-08:00

for keeping me sane this Christmas season. The only thing is, who are all these people that are crowding my store? They make it very difficult to navigate the aisles and get what I need.

Anyhoo,

I needed something easy for tonight. David headed down to Alabama this morning to pick up his grandmother and I didn't expect him back until after dinner. I was planning on raiding the fridge for leftovers for the boys and I. So, I was surprised when he called at 4 and said he was about 2 hours away. So, Trader Joe's came through for me tonight with a simple but almost home cooked meal.

Our dinner tonight:

TJ's eggplant parmesan (frozen section), fried up in some garlic infused olive oil.
Layered in a dish with TJ's Toscano marinara sauce from a can and yes, it's good!, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and basil. Pop in the oven on broil (low) until cheese is melted. Served atop TJ's "just spaghetti" (frozen section) which is already cooked and so easy to heat in the microwave. Steamed broccoli with parmesan cheese, lemon juice and seasoned salt on the side and a tossed salad.
Fresh strawberries and blueberries for dessert topped with whipped cream, honey and cinnamon.
Easy, elegant, and yummy!

Note to self...make these every Christmas!

2009-12-19T10:42:00.001-08:00

Christmas is not the time to watch what you eat. Or, I guess you could reason that it's exactly the time to watch what you eat. If I know I'm headed to a function where there will be lots of tasty treats, instead of being that person who tries to avoid all the greatness, I'm usually the person who has no fear of indulgence. Maybe I'll regret that in a few years, but I do try to eat light the rest of the day. And for the record, I've been running a lot these days. I'd like to start off the year with a 10K in January.

But I digress.

Here's a couple of recipes that are hits. And yes, they're not light, but they are oh so good!

The first one is a great sweet appetizer, perfect for entertaining or for taking to a party. I've served it several times and it's always been devoured. It's quite easy to assemble and can be made in advance. And for all you who hate coconut, please make this for the people in your life that love it. I promise, they'll love you forever! Instead of only serving it with fruit, I also serve it with some simple crackers.

Sweet Cheese Ball

And for all those cookie swaps that we ladies inevitably get invited to, here's a favorite cookie recipe that's also quite easy to make. I opt to make the recipe with pecans instead of almonds, but that's just my preference. I also cut the vanilla extract to 4 tsp.

Italian Wedding Cookies

Merry Christmas friends!

snacks straight from literature

2009-12-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

I love reading books I grew up with to my boys. One book we finished recently was the first book in The Boxcar Children. I loved that book as a child. In the book, the "boxcar children" had a job picking cherries for a doctor. After they picked all day, they were rewarded with cherry dumplings, made by the doctor's mother. Everytime I'd read the words "cherry dumplings", Wyatt's little ears would perk up and he'd say "Mom, can we please have cherry dumplings someday." A few days ago I finally gave in and came across a recipe for Boxcar Children Cherry Dumplings. The recipe itself is very simple, only calling for a couple of cans of crescent rolls and a can of cherry pie filling. I know, I know...crescent rolls go against everything I believe in for healthy eating. I normally avoid them but tis the season, right? I know there are much better recipes out there, but this was easy, one my kids could help make and quick. If you make them, I'd suggest to not overfill the dough with cherries. You'll have some cherry pie filling left over so I would top the finished dumpling with more cherries and whipped cream or ice cream.

After reading The Boxcar Children we started Farmer Boy, the childhood story of Almanzo Wilder (Laura Ingalls Wilder's husband). In the first part of the book, Almanzo's family has an evening snack of popcorn, apples and apple cider by the warm fire. So the other day when the boys were asking for a snack, we had...you guessed it...a "Farmer Boy" snack of apples, popcorn, and apple cider by our fire. It's the little things you know!

Alright, I'm on to make a swiss chard pizza tonight for dinner. For dessert...Pioneer Woman's chocolate sheet cake! But, more on Pioneer Woman later.

Thai coconut soup

2009-12-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

In the first few years of mine and David's marriage, we fell in love...with Thai food. Our absolute favorite was Chicken Coconut Soup. We'd order up a "hot pot" and slurp up every last bite as the fire in the hot pot crackled away. If you've never had this soup before, the flavors might be completely new to your taste buds. The combination of coconut milk, lime juice, lemon grass, and curry can be daring if you're not an adventurous eater. But even if you're not, I would still encourage you to try this. I know many who turn their little noses up at international foods but still love this soup.

We tried several times years ago to duplicate this soup at home but were never satisfied with the results and decided to just leave it up to the professionals. Until now.

One of the food blogs I frequent posted this recipe she adapted from Allrecipies. After trying it out today, it definitely passes the taste test. Instead of shrimp I used cooked shredded chicken. I also used a little more lime juice and red curry paste than she calls for. Other than that, I pretty much stuck to the recipe as written.
Serve it up with some Naan bread! Or better yet, buy yourself a hot pot, have some fellow Thai food foodies over and impress the heck out of them!

Thai coconut soup with chicken or shrimp

Beef Stroganoff

2009-11-18T16:46:00.001-08:00

Last night I searched the net for a good beef stroganoff recipe. There's tons out there so I just winged it and made what I thought would be good. Good thing I trusted my gut because it was pretty darn good. I'm going from memory here, but I wanted to get my method down so I can make it in the future. There were no real exact measurements so if you want exact measurements than this will frustrate you.

Ingredients:

1 lb to 1 1/2 lbs. beef steak cut into 1 inch chunks (sirloin, tenderloin, or the tenderest cut your money can buy)
butter
flour
1 sweet onion, sliced into strips
bacon (optional), cut up into pieces
garlic
red wine
2 1/2 cups beef broth
mushrooms
worcestershire sauce
sour cream
cooked buttered noodles

In a cast iron skillet, melt about a tablespoon of butter. Lightly coat the beef in flour, shaking off any excess. Salt and pepper the meat, and sear the beef over med high heat on each side until brown. Remove from pan to a towel lined plate.

In a separate deep pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook the onion strips over med low heat until soft and lightly browned. If using bacon, skip the butter and fry the onions and bacon in the bacon drippings. Once cooked, add a few minced cloves of garlic and cook a minute or so, being careful not to burn. Deglaze the pan with a good amount of red wine, probably 1/2 to 1 cup, making sure to really scrape the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Cook until liquid is decreased by half. Add about 2 cups beef broth. Once the mixture starts simmering, add a package of sliced baby portabella mushrooms. Add a few shakes of worcestershire sauce. In a separate bowl, pour about 1/4 to 1/3 cup beef broth. Heat in microwave until hot. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of flour into the broth and whisk until thick, making a thick roux. Add the roux to the mixture in the pan. Stir and simmer over med/low heat until thickened. Add the beef to the pan. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup sour cream, until desired creaminess is achieved. The stroganoff should not be runny, but smooth.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

2009-11-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

For this week's soup I dug out my Mitford Cookbook for a recipe I've made only once before. It was great the first time, but a little messy with having to transfer the soup into the food processor in batches and puree, so I never made it again. I couldn't wait to try it out with the immersion blender. Man, what a difference that makes. It was SO easy! I love that thing!
Anyway, here's my take on the recipe:

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

2 TBS olive oil
1 cup chopped green onions or shallots
4 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups chopped jarred roasted red peppers, drained
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans whole stewed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tsp. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 - 1/2 cup half and half
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Sour cream or cheese for serving

Warm the olive oil in a large heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add the green onions and saute until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, red peppers, tomatoes, sugar, garlic and basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Add in the half and half (or whipping cream if you're going for it!) until desired creaminess is achieved. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with sour cream or parmesan cheese.

Swiss Chard Pizza

2009-11-08T07:56:00.000-08:00

I treated my aunt Kathy and I Friday night to this wonderful pizza posted by Kara on her blog. I got some nice swiss chard in my CSA box this week and this was the best recipe for it! I will definitely make this again, and I think next time I might toss in a little sauteed granny smith apples. It would really compliment the walnuts and cheese. Kathy's going to make it topped with grilled chicken. Oh, and to make it easy, I used pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe's.

My new toy and a new soup

2009-10-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted an immersion blender. I always knew it would be something I wouldn't use a ton, but when I'd need it, I'd be so thankful for it. Why keep putting it off? Turns out they're only like $30, and with a coupon I got mine for $25. Let me tell you, I'm already pleased with the purchase. It's amazing how well that baby works! No more transferring soup in batches to the blender, spilling it all over the counter. I've avoided making so many things for that reason alone!

And so what did I use my new purchase on? This soup I finally decided to make: Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup.

The immersion blender came in SO handy on this one. You could still make it without one, but you do have to do the whole transfer in batches thing. Either way, it's definitely worth it. Similar to the curried butternut squash soup I've made before, just without curry, so if curry scares you, try this one. Oh, and if you hate carrots, don't worry, it's not too "carrot-y." Really.
We had it for lunch today, along with a sandwich inspired by Jen (who makes wonderful sandwiches).
Turkey on whole wheat with horseradish cheddar, cranberry chutney, mayo, and sliced apples. Fry it up in a pan with a little butter. Yum! And we like to dip our sandwiches in our soup!
I'm thinking it would be fun to make a new soup once a week.

Balsamic Brussel Sprouts

2009-10-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

I saw a recipe very similar to this online tonight and decided to try it out. The results were amazing! Who knew brussel sprouts could be SO good?

Balsamic Brussel Sprouts:

Rinse brussel sprouts. Remove the ends, quarter them, and place in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with enough good quality olive oil to coat, sprinkle with a good balsamic vinegar to coat, toss in a couple of minced garlic cloves, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place on a baking sheet and roast at 450 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until done.

Bolognese Sauce

2009-10-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

I realized I have never posted my Bolognese sauce. I guess that's because I made it different every time. Sometimes I add more sauce, sometimes more milk. Either way, I wanted to post it as a guide for future reference. We had a yummy dinner tonight. We had penne with bologonaise and balsamic roasted brussel sprouts with sourdough garlic bread. I'll post the brussel sprouts recipe in another post...they were seriously that good. This recipe is totally doable ahead of time.

Bolognese Sauce

Olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery (optional)
2 carrots, run through the food processor to make them very finely chopped (almost like a paste)
4 cloves of garlic
1 pound of lean ground beef
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup whole milk
Large can of marinara sauce or 1 jar of good quality pasta sauce
a couple shakes of red pepper
Italian seasonings to taste
salt
pepper
freshly ground nutmeg to taste
parmesan cheese

Method:
In dutch oven, heat olive oil and saute the onions until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and garlic and sauté for a few minutes more. Add the beef and cook until browned. Add the wine and remaining ingredients, adjusting as desired. Simmer for 45 min. Serve over pasta topped with parmesan cheese.

Italian Chicken

2009-10-25T16:49:00.001-07:00

I've been losing my mojo in the kitchen these days. It's been awhile since I've made a really good dinner, in my opinion. David's always very gracious, but frankly, my dinners lately have been flops. It's pretty frustrating when I'm trying so hard to make family meals happen even if there is soccer practice at night. That will soon be over and I'm SO glad. We're just not up for being one of those families that have an activity every single day of the week. We all love our time at home, and it is, after all, the simple moments at home that stick in a child's mind.
Tonight was a rare Sunday evening that David was home. I'm been used to my Sunday evenings with just me and the boys, and admittedly, if he had been gone, I would not have gone to the trouble of really cooking. But he was home, so I did cook, and finally I made a decent meal. It's worth making again so I wanted to make sure I got it down. I have no name for this, although Italian Chicken might be a good one:

Italian Chicken

Needed: chicken breasts, mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs, an egg, Italian Seasonings, whole wheat flour (may use white all purpose), good quality marinara sauce, butter, salt, pepper, and toothpicks.

Method:
Preheat oven to 400

Take a few chicken breasts and pound them down until they are pretty thin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sprinkle a good amount of shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Roll the breast up and secure with toothpicks. Dip the whole thing in whole wheat flour, then an egg mixture (egg w/ just a splash of water or milk) all mixed up, and finally , dredge the whole thing in breadcrumbs. I use my homemade ones that are healthier. I also mix in some Italian Seasonings and grated parmesan cheese into the breadcrumbs, but that's just me. Place the breasts seam side down into a baking dish, pour a mixture of melted butter and oregano over the top and bake at 400 until done (maybe 40 minutes, depending on the thickness). While it's baking, simmer a jar of marinara sauce on the stove. Once the chicken is done, remove from oven and slice so they resemble medallions. Pour just enough marinara sauce over the top to lightly cover, sprinkle with more mozzarella and pop back into the oven until the cheese is melted. Really good all on it's own and even better served over a top of pasta.

It really wasn't all that hard to prepare. While the oven was preheating I was able to get the chicken assembled from start to finish. I'll be glad to add this to the list of "definitely make again."

2009-10-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

My mother in law said the sweetest thing today. She said "I was excited about eating lunch here. I always love your lunches!" That was so sweet to me because lunch is not my favorite meal of the day, although it is growing on me. Sometimes I just eat bits and pieces of things...hummus, vegetables, salad, crackers, cheese, etc. I'm not a big fan of sandwiches, mainly because I'm not very creative in that department. Lunch today was pretty simple, but I have to admit it was pretty good. Too bad I can't take much credit for it. I heated up some of Jen's Pepper Cheese Chowder from our soup swap, topped it with bacon, cheese, green onions and hot sauce. I also threw togehter a nice salad of mixed greens, CSA box radishes, broccoli, tomatoes, heart of palm, artichoke hearts, bell peppers, green onions, carrots and gorgonzola cheese. I also made some sweet tea (sweetened with agave) and threw in a little chai. For dessert, a Trader Joe's cherry pie. As long as there's a Trader Joe's around, I don't think I'll need to make a cherry pie ever again. This was a lunch worth repeating.

Fall CSA time again!

2009-10-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

It's Fall CSA time again. I almost didn't sign up, but changed my mind at the last minute remembering how much I love Fall produce. I enjoyed the Summer CSA box, but I did tire of the weekly commitment of having to pick it up on Thursdays between 10:30-11:30. Plus, with the abundance of Summer produce on roadside stands, I felt that I could easily get fresh and organic produce just from the local gardens. But Fall produce is a little harder to come by.
I loved getting the box last Fall, so here I go again!

Today my box contained broccoli, tomato, radishes, spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes, purple bell pepper and hot peppers. I'm all about planning these days so I need to commit to a plan to utilize these things and stick with it. I think this will help me out with what to eat on the 4 nights a week David is gone. I'm really excited about the spaghetti squash and I'm thinking I'll have that for dinner a couple of nights, along with a baked sweet potato and steamed broccoli. I also have some cubed butternut squash. I'm going to caramelize that and toss that into a spinach salad, along with the tomato and radishes, walnuts and feta cheese.

Right now I'm enjoying a tasty tomato soup made by Kara. The garlic and fresh tomatoes make for a very bright and clean tasting tomato soup! I added some sour cream, cheese, and a crumbled bacon. Thanks Kara!

Harvest Salad

2009-10-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

And speaking of Harvest Salad in my last post, I had to share the recipe. My friend Kelle made this for me after I had Wyatt and it's seriously delicious and so right for this season. Like most of my recipes, you can change out some of the dried fruits for others, but I'd advise you to keep the figs in (unless you're totally opposed to figs).

Harvest Salad

1 pkg. fresh spinach

Mix together in a bowl:
2 red pears, chopped - toss in lemon juice
1/2 cup dried apricots and figs (or other fruit mixture. I like apples, blueberries, figs, and cranberries)
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 small purple onion, thinly sliced
1 cup Jicama, finely chopped

gorgonzola cheese for topping
toasted nuts, for topping

Dressing: I like to double this to have extra
3 TBSP Cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. sugar
1/3 c. olive oil

Whisk together and pour half (if you've doubled the dressing, all if you haven't) over the fruits. Toss together and refrigerate for 1 hour or more.
Top the spinach with the fruits, gorgonzola cheese and toasted nuts. Top with more dressing if desired.

Slow cooking

2009-09-27T06:11:00.001-07:00

I have a feeling that this is going to be my sanity this Fall.

Our week nights are being taken up with soccer and I'm not happy about it. True, it's my own doing signing up the kids for this, and honestly, I'm doing it for Wyatt. He's finally old enough and has been begging to play. In hindsight, I should have just signed him up, waiting to put Ethan in baseball in the spring. One kid, one sport a season. I think that will be our plan in the future. I'm so adamant about us having a decent family meal together at our kitchen table. It's so important. With soccer practice and makeup games happening right at the dinner hour (6pm) on the weeknights, we are either stuck grabbing a quick bite out after or eating an early dinner just before. I'm opting for the early dinner as much as possible. To make this happen I need my crock pot.

I have a feeling this website will be my new BFF. I saw it posted on Jen's blog awhile back, but after giving it a closer look, I'm really impressed. This girl is into healthy eating! I've shied away from many crock pot recipes because so many of them out there are full of fat, sodium and processed ingredients. She's really put some thought into her recipes and most of them are gluten free. I'm starting this week with her Pesto Chicken and Sweet Potatoes, Orange Chicken and Sweet Potato Chili (Vegan). I'm thinking the chili would be amazing with some sweet cornbread on top!

Pasta with Chicken Sausage

2009-09-10T15:42:00.001-07:00

Do you know how often I come to my own food blog for meal ideas? It's a lot. I like to know what works for us. And this next recipe is one that works!

With our weeks being very busy now with school, soccer, AWANA, and other various activities, often the first thing to go is eating at home. I'm determined to make it happen as much as possible. I'm passionate about my little family sitting around our table as often as possible eating a homecooked meal.

Tonight's one of those nights it would have been very easy to let that go. With Wyatt having soccer practice at 6-7pm, you'd think we'd just run out for a bite to eat after. And I just can't seem to get organized enough to have dinner ready at 5. Maybe that's something I need to work on for the future. But for tonight, I needed something easy to throw together while David took the boys to the soccer field.

This is a recipe that was inspired by a Real Simple recipe. It's quick, easy, and versatile. And most importantly, it passes the kid test. I'm making enough so we'll have leftovers for tomorrow.

Pasta with Chicken Sausage

12 ounces rigatoni (or other desired pasta)
2 tbs. Olive Oil
1 onion, sliced
6 ounces fully cooked chicken sausage links sliced (I prefer the chicken with apple kind)
Broccoli florets or peas if you have them
Parmesan cheese, grated

Optional:
White Wine
Half & Half (Or whole milk or heavy cream if you really want to go for it)
grated fresh nutmeg

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the onion, stirring often. Let it get nice and brown, about 5 minutes or so. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally until browned. While that's going on, cook pasta according to package directions. For a light, no-heavy sauce pasta, add the broccoli/peas and 1 1/4 cups water and simmer, uncovered, until the broccoli or peas are tender. Toss with the pasta and top with cheese.

Or...if you want a more saucy (and yes, fattening) version, after the sausage is browned, add a few good glugs of white wine and deglaze the pan. Once the wine has almost all been absorbed, add a good amount of your half and half (or milk or cream, or a combo). This is where I'm going to throw all you "exact measurements" people off. Just add as much as you'd like for the amount of sauce you'd like. Keep in mind the more you add the more runny it will be. I'd estimate I add about 1 1/2 -2 cups combo of half and half and 2% milk. Let it simmer a bit to thicken. Add some grated nutmeg. Add the veggies (if you want them) and simmer until tender. Another idea is to add about 1/2 to 1 cup of pumpkin for a wonderful Autumn dish.

Toss with the cooked pasta and top with cheese.

Skip lighting a scented candle that night because your house will smell amazing just from the cooking.

Fresh Vegetable Soup...or as I call it: CSA box soup

2009-08-22T08:05:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a soup swap with some friends this week. We're each making a huge batch of soup then dividing it into 5 large portions. We keep one batch for ourselves then when we meet up this week, we all trade our other 4 batches. The idea is that you cook once, but end up with 5 different types of soup for the freezer. As I type I've got two large pots simmering away on the stove.

I love soup. Love all different types. Ever heard of Apple and Parsnip soup? It's amazing. So is Curried Butternut Squash soup.
For me, part of the joy of soup is the making of it. I love the process of taking a bunch of fresh vegetables, chopping them up, sauteing garlic and onions in EVOO, tossing the veggies in, along with some broth, and letting it simmer away.
By far, my favorite soup to make is Fresh Vegetable Soup. I found a great recipe in Cooking Light years ago and I've been making it ever since. Of course, I've added my own little changes. Whenever I make vegetable soup, this is always the version I make. Although I pretty much know how to make it from memory, I still rely on the recipe just to make sure. When I went to find the recipe a few days ago, it was nowhere to be found. I looked high and low to no avail. Did tons of internet searches to find it, but still couldn't come up with the exact one. I was all prepared to just wing it and do it from memory, but decided to make one last attempt and finding it and thankfully it was found, just stuck in between some random cookbooks.

I'm now posing it here so I'll forever have it. No more searching high and low.
The recipe is more of a guide, as all the vegetables listed can be substituted with whatever you have fresh on hand. Thanks to my CSA box, I had a lot of nice goodies to work with. If you have no potatoes on hand, substitute some dried macaroni. To make it even more hearty, add some shredded cooked chicken or ground beef.

Fresh Vegetable Soup

2 Tbs. Olive Oil
2 C. Chopped Onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 C. Chopped Celery (about 4 stalks)
2 C. cut green beans
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 C thinly sliced carrot
1 cup. frozen baby lima beans
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 1/2 cup. peeled and chopped potato
3 teaspoons dried Italian seasonings
4 (14 1/4 ounce) cans organic beef broth or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained
2 cups chopped seeded tomato
2 cups crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes
2 cups shredded green cabbage
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for topping

1. Heat oil in a large pot over med. heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 2 min. Stir in celery and next ingredients through tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 min.
Add cabbage salt and pepper, cook 5 min. or until cabbage wilts. Serve with cheese.

Mmm...Summer

2009-07-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

This is what I LOVE about Summer...all the fresh vegetables.
Being a southern girl, that's what I grew up on in the warmer months. My family reunions are filled with vegetables. Granted, a lot of them are fried, but many are just sliced up as they are.

Our table tonight:
Smashed potatoes
Corn - cut off the cobb with melted butter, salt and pepper
Fried okra (thank you Kara for advising me on how to make it your way, which is the best!)
Sliced tomatoes w/ torn basil, salt and pepper
fresh cantaloupe
Blueberry cornbread

Nothing fancy with the pictures here...just a true to us snapshot of our little family's dinner table. The cantaloupe didn't make it into the shot.

With the exception of the blueberry cornbread, everything came right out of my CSA box. Even right down to the basil. So, not only was everything delish, it was a good feeling to know that our meal tonight didn't have to travel far and by us purchasing it directly from the farmer, we're helping his family out. We explained the concept of buying local to our kids tonight around the dinner table.

And who out there is turning up their noses at the idea of blueberry cornbread? Don't knock it till you try it. It's a recipe from Hans Rueffert's book Eat Like There's No Tomorrow. Haven't heard of him? Check him out. Amazing chef, cancer survivor, and man. I've had the pleasure of meeting him on a few occasions and I really respect the man. I'm not giving you the recipe for the cornbread because I want you to buy his book!
There's some great recipes in there, especially for those who love to make the most of Summer's bounty. And I love the title! For someone who lives to eat, rather than eats to live, it's right up my alley.

Roast Beef Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette

2009-07-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here's something super easy and requires no cooking for the hot Summer. It's one I adapted from Real Simple Magazine (put my own twist on it). It saved me from serving my family cereal for dinner tonight...not that there's anything wrong with that.

Roast Beef Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Toss the following into a salad, or use whatever you have on hand:
good quality mixed greens and romaine lettuce (Boston lettuce works nicely)
sliced tomatoes
cucumbers
carrots
sliced red onion
marinated artichoke hearts
sliced heart of palm

Top with crumbled goat cheese, sliced deli roast beef (warmed up a bit), and a good balsamic vinaigrette or TJ's Tuscan Italian dressing.
Or...make your own dressing of 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard.

Morning glory muffins

2009-07-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

When life gets busy (when is it not??), I need something quick, healthy, and delicious for breakfast. Something that doesn't take long to prepare and something packed with fiber. When I was losing weight a couple of years ago, one thing I was doing was really paying attention to my fiber intake. I didn't watch calories or fat grams so much, but I did aim to eat foods high in rich fiber. It fills me up and evens out my blood sugar keeping me from getting super hungry. I adapted a recipe for "morning glory muffins" from cooking light, making it more of my own creation. These babies have some great ingredients in them such as flax seed, wheat germ, wheat bran and oats. I make a big batch of them and keep them in the refrigerator in a ziplock bag so all I have to do in the morning is heat one up and throw a little Smart Balance on and I'm good to go. I usually try to have a fresh fruit, such as a banana, blueberries, or a peach along with a 8oz. glass of 1% milk. Sometime around 11am I'll also have some string cheese and an apple and I usually hold off on lunch until 1pm. I've heard it said that you have to eat to lose weight. I think that is so true, especially in the morning. I have to eat several times in the morning hours or else I'll be totally famished by 12 and will head for whatever is fast, easy and usually not so healthy. If I start the day off right I'm much more likely to keep it up and eat well throughout the day and not fall prey to sugar cravings.

Oh, and they make a great nighttime snack as well!

So, without further adieu, here's my adapted Morning Glory Muffin recipe:

Tip: Store wheat germ, wheat bran flaxseed and Scottish oats in the refrigerator or freezer in a ziplock bag. I'm able to fit them all into one bag and just grab the whole thing when I need to make the recipe. Keep them in their own individual bags in the larger ziplock bag.

Yield
18 servings (serving size: 1 muffin)

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup whole wheat flour (about 4 3/4 ounces)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces) (I use King Arthur's White Wheat)
1 cup regular oats
2/3 cup packed brown sugar (can use less if desired)
1 tablespoon wheat bran
Good pinch of each: ground flax seed, wheat germ, and Scottish oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt (I use 2% Greek Yogurt but you may use fat free plain)
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2)
1 large egg
1 1/2 cup chopped dried fruits (mix and match raisins, blueberries, apples, cranberries, cherries...whatever you have on hand)
3/4 cup chopped nuts (I prefer pecans. Walnuts are nice as well)
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed (about 2 tablespoons whole)
3 tablespoons wheat germ
3 tablespoons Scottish oats

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Place 18 muffin cups liners in muffin cups; coat liners with cooking spray.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flours and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine yogurt, banana, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in dried fruits and nuts. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle evenly with a mixture of the flaxseed, wheat germ and Scottish oats. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.

Turnips

2009-06-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

I got a lot of goodies from Farmer Chad today, but my favorite was the turnips. Yes, I said was. Eventhough I was starving by the time I returned home after running errands, I waited to eat until I could boil those babies until tender, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and dig right in.

I sure do love turnips.
Why do people turn their little noses up at them?

I don't get picky eaters.

It's CSA time again!!!

2009-04-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

And I'm so excited! I'm ready for some farm fresh food and creativity in my kitchen. It's definitely needed. As much as I enjoyed the Fall/Winter selection, I bet I'll enjoy the Spring/Summer variety even more. I love fresh summer produce. I have some pics of the goods, but can't upload them right now.
Today's box was great:

Two large bunches of leafy lettuce (I'll have salads twice daily I'm sure)
A couple of verities of greens (I love braised greens!)
A bunch of small carrots (for the salads....Ethan could eat all of them on his own)
A small bunch of spring onions (for cooking with and salads)
And a small container of bright red strawberries (snacks for the boys, and topping for greek yogurt or steel cut oats for me)

I like that getting the CSA box forces me to eat fresh; you don't want the food to go to waste.

The past couple of months have been hard for me to eat well. I try when I can, but my sweet tooth is working overtime and I find myself out of the "comfort zone" of where I want to weigh. Nothing that can't be easily remedied with more exercise and eating better. I have a goal in mind for myself of where I'd like to be in about a month and I'm going to work hard to get there.
The most difficult thing has been that I just can't get a workout in. Not at the gym at least. I simply don't have the time right now to go to the gym. Our schedule is jammed packed.

I was able to get two good workouts in this week at home doing a combo of the treadmill and a 20-min circuit that I made up (intervals of 1 minute cardo like jumping rope/jumping jacks and 1 minute weight or resistance). The first workout had me very sore for the next two days, so I feel like it was effective.

The truth is I was making more progress when I was going to the smaller women's only circuit gym (Shape Express) than I have being at the big gym. It's not a surprise to me; I knew this going into it. There really is something to a good effective 30- minute circuit training workout that combines cardio and resistance at the same time than to doing 30 minutes of intense cardio and 30 minutes of weights, which is what I usually end up doing at the "big" gym. I know taking classes would help, but I just can't make it to the classes. They're either during school or in the early evening. I'd need a mid-day class.
But...the big gym offers great child care and kid's activities, something the small one didn't have.
I'm thinking if I can come up with a really good 30 minute circuit I could do at home I'd be set.

Whatever I do, I need to make it happen. Lack of exercise isn't only showing on the scale, it's showing in my stress level, sleeping, and just not feeling relaxed. The days I've done it, I feel so much more relaxed.

There...I've put it all out there so now I'm committed!

White Chicken Chili

2009-04-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

I totally meant to post this recipe at Christmas, especially since this is what I made on Christmas Eve for the family. And here it is April and I'm posting a Christmas recipe! It's great for any time of the year, though. It's also a wonderful option for serving at larger gatherings. You can do a tex-mex thing with it and let people top the chili with various toppings (sour cream, salsa, pico, chips, shredded cheese, etc.) It went over great. I pretty much made it just as the recipe calls, although I decided to use dried white beans and soak them overnight in lieu of the canned. Make it the day before and you won't be disappointed!

White Chicken Chili

2009-04-01T04:14:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have seen this before; it was in my inbox this morning from a naturopathic/homeopahtic doctor I've been to. Very cool! Gives new meaning to the children's prayer "Thank you God for our food."

Nature's Pharmacy! Amazing!

God left us great clues as to what foods help what part of our body!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopene and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers! It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually help balance the blood sugar of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Quesadillas

2009-03-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

Yummy quick dinner tonight for myself, the boys and my mother in law:

2 types of quesadillas on whole wheat tortillas:

1.) Shrimp, cheese (low-fat shredded Mexican), and grilled onions with a little creole seasoning sprinkled in &

2.) sliced apple and cheese

Served with sour cream with a bit of fresh lime juice mixed in and TJ's peach salsa.

Easy and yum!

My Kitchen This Week

2009-02-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

Monday....Sweet and Sour Chicken with brown rice...Wyatt's absolute favorite. It's the only time he asks for more chicken.

Tuesday night...Roasted Chicken with carrots, potatoes and onions. Also tried my hand at braised cabbage. It was pretty good!

Wednesday lunch...Quick Thai Corn Chowder. We're having kids over to play today, so maybe ordering a pizza and throwing together a salad is in order if they're all still here at dinnertime.

Thursday...eating out or eating leftovers.

Out of town this weekend! We're heading down to the Strawberry Festival in Tampa...I've heard they have the best strawberry shortcake ever! Good friends and good times ahead.

Valentine's Day Part 2

2009-02-18T15:00:00.000-08:00

I know Valentine's Day was so last week, but indulge me a bit. If you read my food blog from last year, then you know that Valentine's Day is a much celebrated holiday in my house. No so much for the "romantic" part, but just as a good excuse to celebrate the love we have for each other. It all started when I was a child. Valentine's day is my mom's birthday, so growing up, we had a double celebration. My mom, sweet lady that she is, would always go all out getting gifts and sweets for all of us. Plus, we always had a nice meal and homemade cake to look forward to. Over the past several years, I've tried to recreate that idea for my kids. We have an "I Love You" dinner. It's quite a simple idea actually. I love my men...all three of them, and instead of hiring a sitter and feeling like David and I have to go out as a couple, I'd much rather stay home, cook a really yummy meal, decorate, light candles, and give gifts to my guys. We've also invited my sweet Aunt Kathy to join us for the past few years. It's always been such a night to look forward to and one I do from my heart.

This year I decided to make it a little bit of a bigger deal by inviting my parents, my mother in law, and both my aunts to celebrate both Valentine's and my mom's birthday. My aunt made a coconut heart shaped cake and an appetizer. I did the salad (spinach, strawberries, red onion, pecans, cucumbers and poppy seed dressing) and the entree: Granny smith apple and sausage penne. I also went a little overboard and made sure everyone had a small gift (really..not a big deal. I totally scored on necklaces and bracelets with $20 price tags but only paid $2).I also decorated with flowers and candy kisses. Very festive and fun. It was all a total hit.

Right before dinner, Ethan snuck upstairs and came back down totally dressed up. It was all his idea. He said he wanted to "look nice" for dinner. That made my heart melt!

My mom looks pretty good for 71, huh?

It seems like most families have one special day a year that they do differently than anyone else. This is ours.

Tex Mex Bowls

2009-02-17T06:38:00.000-08:00

It's time for me to make a confession. I've been terrible lately at making meals at home. Our schedule the past several weeks has had us away from home during the late afternoon hours and it's just so hard to arrive home after 6pm with a starving family and expect to whip up a decent meal in minutes. It's been so much easier to go to our favorite "kid's eat free on Tuesday nights" restaurant. Hey...if we have to eat out, at least we're not paying for the kids. Problem is...it's usually junk the kids end up eating (hot dogs, grilled cheese). Sure, it's nice to go somewhere else where they cook and clean up and we return to a perfectly clean kitchen. Still, it's more money unnecessarily spent on a not so decent meal. In my defense, there's been plenty of nights I have planned ahead and organized something very easy to make on these busy days, but my well meaning husband is very good at talking me out of going to the trouble of making dinner and our behinds end up in a restaurant booth. It's a guilt ridden process: I feel guilty for spending the money on poor quality food, guilty that my kids are eating it, guilty that I couldn't be more on the ball and have dinner ready myself, and guilty that I'm probably consuming way more calories than I would at home. Planning has got to be key, but I've also got to plan meals that can be cooked earlier in the day and warmed up just before serving. I'm becoming more friendly with my crock pot again. Staring in March, the boys will have some type of activity nearly every day that will have us out of the house in the later afternoon hours. I won't have the time to devote to making dinner at dinner time.

It's can be weird to think about preparing dinner in the AM hours, but that's what I think will save us. Take today, for instance. I'm taking one of our favorite meals...grilled chicken, black beans and rice and making most of it in the morning. I soaked the beans overnight; very easy to do. Threw them in the crock pot along with some onions, garlic, cumin, curry powder, salt, white wine, rice vinegar and chicken broth. I'll cook them on low for 6-8 hours and cross my fingers that they won't get overdone.
The rice (brown jasmine) was cooking while I made the boys lunches and the chicken is marinating in the fridge. Once we get home tonight after 6pm, I'll throw the chicken on the grill, heat the rice, and maybe even toss a salad together. The final plan will be to make Tex Mex Bowls...layer in a bowl: rice, shredded cheddar cheese, black beans, chopped chicken, shredded cheese, salsa and sour cream.
If all goes well, we'll be sitting down to dinner around 6:30. Not too bad.

Another great idea for these types of meals is bar-b-q chicken Kelle's way. It basically consists of throwing a few chicken breasts into the crock pot, pouring a bottle of gourmet bar-b-q sauce, perhaps a few chopped onions and garlic powder and let it do it's thing until dinner time. I love bar-b-q this way since I can control the type of meat (hormone and antibiotic free). Plus, the leftovers make great lunches.

I'm going to have to brainstorm to come up with more ideas like these. There's always the typical pot roast, but we don't each much red meat in our house. Maybe some good chicken recipes are due.

Some things I'm crazy about

2009-01-28T07:07:00.000-08:00

I know I've mentioned it before, but there are a few things in the world of food that I'm crazy about. If there's something on the menu with these choice ingredients, I'll definitely be getting it. To name a few...Coconut, butternut or acorn squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. And why do I love these things so? They're all sweet, of course!

Upon doing a little search of these ingredients, I came across a few recipes I'll be making in the future. Just thought I'd pass along the goods:

Coconut Ginger Spiced Carrot Soup - different, I know, but I bet it's delish!

Coconut Mashed Sweet Potatoes - Hello! How have I never heard of this before?? It's a Hawaiian dish.

Acorn squash quesadillas -
Yum!

Thai Coconut Corn soup - Thanks Jen Gordon!

Maybe I'll get creative and come up with some of my own.
One of these days I'll share my recipe for my mom's famous homemade coconut or chocolate pie.

Marinara, veggie lasagna and soup

2009-01-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

My life has to be all about planning these days. Planning meals, planning lessons, planning what errands I'll run on what day, planning when I'll work out, planning the boys' activities, planning when not to cook, etc. I like to try to spend some time on Sunday each week making my plans for the week. I need to plan on two decent cooked at home meals this week. Why just two? Well, thanks to the baptist church down the road, our boys attend AWANA on Wednesday night and we have a date night each week. Wednesdays are my night off from cooking and eating at home. Out of the other 4 nights (I'm counting weeknights here), I know we'll be heading out of town on Friday, so that leaves Mon., Tues., and Thurs. I'll plan on cooking two nights and having leftovers the other. Of course, good planning requires a big trip to the grocery, which I took care of this afternoon.

So..what to make. I've already gotten a head start on that one. As I type, my house smells amazing thanks to the big pot of homemade marinara I have simmering on the stove. There's enough in there for several meals, so I'll freeze most of it. Let me just say that I don't always make a homemade marinara. There are plenty of good ones out there at the store, so I usually start with a jarred variety and add to it. However, I got inspired this time and decided to make it from scratch. It's really quite simple and not too time consuming. Plus, it leaves you with so much that you can just freeze it in one or two cup batches and have plenty on hand for next time.

So...here is the Basic Marinara recipe from Cooking light.

On our menu for tomorrow night...Vegetable Lasagna inspired by Heather. Actually, that's probably not the most accurate title. It's not technically veggie, I do add meat to it, but there's sure a lot of veggies used. I'll utilize the veggies I have on hand and add some sweet Italian chicken sausage to the marinara. This lasagna is amazing and I'm convinced it's due in part to the addition of pumpkin. It adds such a subtle sweetness. I also love the fact that the veggies are all buzzed up in the food processor so the kids don't really notice them. It's a great way to slip some veggies into their mouths with them even knowing it.

For later in the week, I'm trying a soup I've never made before. Sweet Potato and White Bean Soup with Sage Walnut Pesto.
I just love making soup. I love the versatility of it. It can satisfy lunch or dinner, it will freeze well (usually), and I enjoy the process of making it. It may be a bit ambitious to serve this to the kids, but we'll give it a try. Of course, I'll have bread, fruit and salad to satisfy them if they turn their little noses up at the soup.

Sole with sides

2009-01-07T06:52:00.000-08:00

In my last post, I mentioned a cookbook a friend game me called Apples For Jam. Such a cool cookbook to just sit down and read. Even better to cook from!

For my first recipe from this book, I made pan fried sole with lemon garlic butter. Quite easy to make. You simply make a sauce of 3 tablespoons butter, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1/4 tsp. sweet paprika, salt, and the juice of a lemon. Cook the butter and garlic over medium heat until it sizzles. Add the paprika , season with salt and sizzle a bit more. Once it turns golden, add the lemon juice and cook for another minute. Keep warm while you get to the fish.
Lightly coat filets of sole in flour and sauté until golden, salting and peppering each side as you turn. Serve the fish topped with the sauce and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

The recipe has it served alone, but I put it atop a mix of regular and whole wheat spaghetti noodles tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and crushed garlic. It would be wonderful with a little sauteed spinach thrown in as well. I'll use the leftover noodles for the boys dinner later this week. Maybe I'll throw a little cheese in and make a side of peas. I need something really easy since David will be gone for three nights this weekend.

For the sides, I made snow peas with butter, salt and pepper, and made the same sweet potatoes as the night before (see the last post). Still every bit as delicious.

David raved over it and the boys ate pretty well. I've realized Ethan just doesn't care for sweet potatoes, but he ate everything else on his plate.

It may sound weird, but I'm kinda craving a salad with the snow peas and sweet potatoes thrown in. Perhaps that will be my lunch today.

A meal revisited, with a couple of newbies

2009-01-05T14:39:00.000-08:00

It was so good to finally get back in the kitchen and cook a decent meal after not really cooking for a couple of weeks. It's therapy for me.

I used my own blog tonight for inspiration. After scouring through some past entries, I remembered how good the black beans and brown rice and grilled chicken meal was. I'm telling you, the curry in the black beans is amazing. Don't be afraid of curry. At least not curry powder. It adds a slight sweetness to the beans. I planned ahead and soaked dry beans a couple of days ago, so no canned beans tonight. I used TJ's Island Soyaki Marinade for the chicken and made a huge batch of brown jasmine rice.
I got to put my new Christmas present to use for the first time; a slicer/shredder attachment for my Kitchen Aid (thank you David!). I shredded a block of raw milk cheddar cheese in about 20 seconds! Awesome! I used the cheese to top off the chicken, which topped off the black beans, which topped off the rice.

I also had some lovely sweet potatoes courtesy of the last CSA box that needed to be used and I found the best recipe online for Maple glazed roasted sweet potatoes.
These may have been the best sweet potatoes I've ever made. I don't know if it was the cooking method or if they were just really good potatoes, but they were so soft and buttery. They tasted just like those terrible sweet potato patties you buy at the grocery that are full of buttermilk, corn starch, and food dyes. This version only had two tablespoons of butter; that's way less than I normally use. I'm sad to say there's no leftovers of those babies.

I'll probably use the black beans and rice again for lunch tomorrow; maybe even scramble an egg into them for some protein.

I got a little inventive with dessert as well. While the boys, David included, made build you own ice cream sundaes, I took a healthier route. I made my own version of one of my favorite desserts found at Thai restaurants; Sticky Sweet Rice with Mangoes. It may sound weird, but trust me; it's amazing. I'm normally a chocolate or cake person, but I tried this dessert at a local Thai place and have gotten it ever since. I've never attempted to really make it myself. Everytime I've asked a server if it's difficult to make, they've all said yes. I figure I'll leave the real thing up to the experts.
My knock off version wasn't so bad, though. I took some of the brown rice from dinner, topped it with sliced mango, and poured a little TJ's organic sweetened condensed milk over the whole thing. Not bad at all. It satisfied my sweet tooth!

I love brown rice! I'm considering having it for breakfast tomorrow. Maybe I'll top it with maple syrup and pecans, just like I do oatmeal.

On a side note, a sweet friend gave me a cool cookbook she found at Anthropologie called Apples for Jam. It's got some great recipes in it and I'm getting really inspired to start cooking away.

Cauliflower Soup

2008-12-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

Tis the season for full hearts and full bellies...and warm bellies. With the weather being as cold as it has been, it's hard to think about eating something cold for lunch. Lunch is not my favorite meal of the day. I'm always at a loss of what to make. I'm usually too hungry to go all out and make something that requires a lot of time. But I also tire easily of the typical turkey and cheese on wheat. Soup is always a good option, especially when it's paired with a fresh salad or crusty bread for dipping. I like to take advantage of the time on the weekends to make a big pot of soup; one that will leave me with plenty for the week and maybe even some for freezing.

I was invited to a friends for lunch recently, and she made a soul warming cauliflower soup with bread and salad. It was delicious and left me satisfied all the way up until dinnertime. I had never actually made cauliflower soup before, so it got me searching around for several recipes, and the one I settled on was this one from Rachael Ray. It's pretty simple to make and the effort pays off big time. You will be happy with this one! While it was simmering, I threw together a huge salad with the lettuces I received from the CSA box this week that should last several days. I now have my lunch dilemma solved for a while.

And get this...Wyatt actually liked it! I told him it was mashed potato soup.

Here you go:

Cauliflower Soup by Rachel Ray

Coarse salt and coarse black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 small heads cauliflower, or 1 large, cut into small bunches of florets
3 ribs celery and leafy tops from the heart of stalk, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk
Hot sauce, optional
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves or chives, for garnish
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, for passing at the table

Directions
In a large pot, heat up the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter, over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cauliflower florets and stir with a wooden spoon. Add celery, onion and thyme and cook for 3 minutes. Push the vegetables to 1 side of the pot. Melt 1 more tablespoon of butter on empty side of pot and add flour to the butter. Cook for 1 minute, stirring the flour in the butter. Mix in chicken broth and half-and-half. Bring up to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Puree soup using an emersion blender, food processor or blender and return to pot. I like to leave it a little chunky. Check seasoning and add a dash of hot sauce, if desired.

Garnish soup with hot pepper sauce, chopped parsley or chives and serve with grated cheese to sprinkle on top.

Stand-by's and a Thanksgiving side

2008-11-25T17:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a busy day. Actually the past two months have been busy, but yesterday was one of those days where I absolutely did not want to eat out again but didn't have a whole lot of fresh foods at home to make a decent meal out of. Then I remembered one of my "stand-by" meals that I had stashed in the freezer. I'm sure you know what a "stand-by" meal is: something that you keep the ingredients for on hand at all times and it can be quickly prepared. For most it's spaghetti or soup. Easy enough. Maybe even breakfast for dinner. That's always a great one. My favorite lately is all things I get at Trader Joe's (no surprise there, I'm sure). This is what I keep on hand in the freezer for days such as yesterday:
TJ's tempura chicken w/ sweet and sour sauce
TJ's Beijing style frozen vegetables
TJ's premade frozen brown jasmine rice
TJ's chicken egg rolls
TJ's sweet and sour sauce

Everything, except for the sweet and sour sauce, can be found in the frozen section. It's kind of like one of those stir-fry kits, except it's actually good. Those kits never seem to be enough, and the vegetables always end up soft and soggy. This works out way better, in my opinion. I usually fry the chicken up in a separate pan than the vegetables (and I use grapeseed oil or sesame oil...something that can be cooked at a high temp), heat the rice while the chicken is cooking, and then mix some of the sweet and sour sauce and the beijing sauce from the veggies and throw it all together at the last minute. I happened to have fresh broccoli and cabbage on hand last night, so I threw some of that in as well with the other veggies. The boys love it and it's usually the perfect amount for our family of four. It's also quick to make.

What's your "stand-by?" I'd love to know.

On another note, I made my sweet potato casserole today for Thanksgiving. I make it the way my mother has always made it; with a pecan praline topping. Let me tell you, it's way better than the marshmallow stuff. I've had some pretty bad casseroles, and if sweet potatoes are not done right, they can be downright disgusting. David and his sister swore they hated sweet potatoes, but once they had them cooked this way, they both say it's one of their favorite holiday dishes. I would give you my exact recipe, but I remembered Pioneer Woman makes hers the same way, so I'll just direct you to her recipe. This is also known as "I'm too lazy to get off the dang couch so I'm ripping somone else's recipe off and giving it to you." Seriously, though, it's a common way to make the casserole here in the south, and her recipe is almost exactly the same as mine.
One thing I've done differently with it this year is I've used canned organic sweet potato puree from TJ's. We'll see if it tastes as good but I was sure happy to not have to boil and mash the potatoes. Huge time saver there.

Sweet Potato Casserole that you'll actually like!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

2008-11-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

As I said in my previous post, I had two butternut squashes on hand from the CSA box. Other than making babyfood when my babies were babies, I don't recall ever making anything with butternut squash. It's not that I don't enjoy eating them, I've just been intimidated a little by them. One of my favorite pastas is butternut squash ravioli. It's hard to come by, but if I'm ever at a restaurant that serves it, I will most definitely get it. In fact, my favorite dish in all of Atlanta is Zuzza at Figo. Zucca is a divine butternut squash ravioli with a raddichio cream sauce. I cannot go to Figo and not get it. I salivate as I drive by the restaurant just thinking about Zucca. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

O.K., I'll stop going on about my little obsession.

Anyway, I'm certainly not going to attempt to make it; I'll leave that up to the experts.
But I had to come up with something to do with the butternut babies I had on hand.

After poking around online, I found this recipe by Ellie Krieger:

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Perfect. Right up my alley. I've watched her show before on the Food network; Healthy Appetite, and she comes up with some pretty good recipes. I had everything I needed, so I sat the boys down in front of the TV with their lunches, and I got busy in the kitchen making a huge batch of the soup. And yes, I do use the TV as a babysitter at times. Well, a lot of the time if I'm honest.

The result...delish! And I mean it. I'm trying to make myself wait until dinnertime to eat a whole bowl, but I keep sneaking by the pot and dishing out little spoonfuls. Tonight, I'll top it with a dallop of yogurt (greek yogurt) as the recipe suggests. I know some are afraid of curry...don't be. This is just a rich, flavorful and slightly sweet soup that is perfect for this season.

I can't wait until dinnertime tonight!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (2 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
2 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons plain low-fat yogurt, for garnish
Directions
Heat oil over medium heat in a 6-quart stockpot. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft but not brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the butternut squash, broth, curry powder and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat stir in honey and puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender until smooth. Season with salt, to taste.
Ladle into serving bowls and add a dollop of yogurt.

Getting creative with CSA

2008-10-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

Heather recently posted about all the great things we got in our CSA boxes, so I won't list it all here. But I did want to post of pic of it all for you. I love the idea of doing CSA boxes, plus, it's always a surprise to see what you get. You do have to get creative and plan some meals around your fresh produce so it doesn't go bad, but you're usually getting what is fresh and in season at the moment and that's just what your body needs. The chicken, honey, and cheese were not in the box...they were additional purchases from Farmer Chad. We have really blown through the cheese, though. I'll definitely be buying another block this week.

I used several of my items tonight for our dinner. We started with a simple salad using the lettuces from Farmer Chad, along with the purple sweet peppers. I also topped the salad with sliced apples, candied pecans, chevere cheese with honey (a new find at Trader Joe's), and a homemade maple syrup salad dressing from Rachael Ray. It was definitely a nice departure from my typical tossed salads and the flavors were perfect for this beautiful autumn season we're in.

For dinner, I soaked black beans over night to make black beans and rice inspired by Joy. She puts curry powder in hers, and I have to say, that just takes a typical black beans and rice meal to a whole new level. It's very subtle, but the curry gives it a little bit of a sweetness. I also sauteed some onion, garlic, purple bell peppers, oregano, and white wine vinegar and threw it all into the pot with the black beans and let them all simmer for about an hour. Talk about making the whole house smell divine. While that was simmering, I braised the greens from the CSA box the way Heather does (amazing...thanks for the idea!), and grilled some chicken breasts to top off the black beans and brown rice. Once on the plate, I topped the beans and rice with a little of the cheddar cheese.

It sure feels good to have a full belly of fresh and good for you food. I've been feeling a little under the weather the past couple of days and this was one of those afternoons that I was really leaning towards not cooking. But I'm so tired of eating out and eating junk that I forced myself to get my butt in the kitchen and get to work. It's amazing how cooking can be therapeutic at times. Not only did I pull it off, I'm already feeling better for having eaten well.

I've got a plan for the acorn squash that we got in the box. I'll post about that later.
Now...if I could just get myself to the gym I'd be feeling a whole lot better about life. Unfortunately, that part of my life has really taken a hit since homeschooling. I just have to make the time.

Can't wait to see what we get in out boxes this week!

The plan

2008-10-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

As I type, I have my Roasted Chicken in the oven. I don't think I've actually made this since Valentine's Day, so it's long overdue. This meal is always a hit! I like it because it's the kind of meal that you prepare a couple of hours in advance, and let it cook in the oven while you tend to other things. In my case, I'm tending to two little boys. It gives me a good chance to get them all bathed before dinner.
I'll serve this roasted bird with rainbow carrots I found at Trader Joe's, fingerling potatoes, onion, and celery (all of which are in the oven along with the chicken, soaking up all the goodness.) We'll also have brown rice, which was leftover from a few days ago, and for dessert, sliced fresh peaches topped with real Greek yogurt, honey and pecans. It's kind of my new favorite dessert or breakfast.

Tomorrow, I'll use the leftover chicken bones and meat to make a good chicken stock. Then, this weekend, I'll use that stock to make my Chicken Tortilla Soup. I'm getting as much use out of this guy as I can. I think at some point in the next several days I'll also make Joy's Black Beans and Rice. She puts curry powder in hers and I really like that idea.

I'm also excited about something new for us this Fall. We're going to be getting a CSA box from a local farmer. If you don't know what a CSA box is, you can google it to find out more. In short, it's a great way to support a local organic farmer and get fresh and in season produce in return. David first mentioned this idea to me after reading a book by Michael Pollan called In Defense of Food. I kind of missed the boat to sign up for Spring and Summer CSA boxes, and thanks to Heather letting me know about the one coming up, we'll soon be getting some interesting Fall produce to add to our diets. We're also going to try out some raw milk. I can understand that to some it may sound like we're going overboard, but the more you learn about the food industry and what is actually in our foods, the more you want to get back to eating how our great grandparents did.

I'm so ready to get back to eating healthy. For me, eating healthy has nothing to do with "low fat" or "low calorie", but fresh, whole, unprocessed or minimally processed foods. It's hard to do, especially when life is busy and there's little ones around, but I'll do the best I can and live in freedom for the situations when I just can't do it. When things get really busy, I can freely give my kids corn dogs and mac and cheese without any regrets. They'll just eat something better the next day. And my sweet tooth...don't even get me started on that one. I'm kind of "no holds barred" on that.

Alright...back to the kitchen to get started on a salad. It's starting to smell really good in here!

Octopus cake

2008-09-21T05:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, it seems I have forgotten all about my food blog. I haven't really, but I've just been so busy and haven't had the time to get on here. My friend Joy started one and that reminded me about mine.

So...to start off...I'm posting pics of Wyatt's birthday cake from last week. He's been saying for months that he wanted an octopus cake. He's a little obsessed with all things nautical and is especially enamored with octopuses. I checked around online and the best I could come up with was this:

It's an Octopus cake pan from Williams Sonoma. It's something they had out a couple of summers ago, but the outlets about 30 miles north of me had some in stock. So one day last week, with both the boys in tow, I headed up to the outlets to go to ONE store. The things a mother would do , right? The cake itself is really cute without frosting. It's so intricate that it's really hard to frost (took me an hour) and when you do frost it, it covers up a lot of the detail. But, Wyatt was set on him being green with candy on his tentacles. So, this is the result:

I think it turned out pretty cute. The perfectionist in me was frustrated by how it turned out, but I know that to a child it was festive and fun. I found some cute ocean related gummie candies (fish, octopus, seahorses) so I arranged them around the cake. The cake itself was lemon flavor with cream cheese frosting. It was really tasty!

Other than that, there hasn't been many exciting things going on in the kitchen these days. David's on tour, so I've been cooking one really good and decent meal a week and then on all the other days we've been either eating out, eating leftovers, eating at other people's houses (my favorite!) or breaking out the mac and cheese and homemade chicken fingers. There are a few things that I've been wanting to get to on here. For one, remember my paella dilemma? I checked around online and ended up making my own version that turned out pretty good. I actually took pics of it, but now can't find them on my camera. Plus, I have now forgotten exactly how I made it. I know that it wasn't true paella, since true paella is so exact and complicated, but it was a good and quick substitute. I made it with chicken, shrimp, and sausage. Even made my own homemade saffron rice with basmati rice. If I can remember my method I'll post it.

Also, Jen asked me long ago to post my marinara sauce. I've hesitated because I don't really have a certain recipe or method even, but I'll try to get on here one of these days and post something for that. Other things I'd like to post...my homemade vegetable soup since we're getting into soup season, my banana bread and any other things I can think of.

Paella?

2008-08-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

We had a spontaneous date night Monday night thanks to the MIL. I've been craving good paella ever since I saw the movie Bella (good movie, by the way). We headed down to La Fonda in Buckhead where we had wonderful paella and white sangria. It totally hit the spot and satisfied my craving. It got me thinking, thought, that paella is a pretty simple dish and one I could perfect at home. So....I'm asking for some input here. Does anyone out there have a killer recipe for paella that they just love? Would you be willing to pass it along? If not, I'll start scouring the internet for a good recipe and will begin the process of trying it out. I'd like to find one with chicken, sausage, and shrimp. I'll leave the calamari and clams to the restaurants.

Turkey Burgers and Asian Slaw

2008-07-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

Summer is busy! Especially for those of us with children that we're trying to keep occupied. As always, though, food is on my mind. I'm really enjoying all the fresh things out there now. If Summer were a taste, I think it would be that of a ripe juicy peach or nectarine. It just doesn't get better than that IMO.

Even with all the fresh produce available right now, Summertime is sometimes a trap of eating junk food as well. At least for me and my family it is. I've found that with our summertime activities and with our lack of properly planning the day out, we frequently run into a situation where it's dinnertime and we're either A). just getting home and there's nothing to eat; B). Out and about with just a small window of time to grab something to eat; or C). Still full from a late lunch and need to eat something that would qualify as dinner. The fast food visits are more frequent, as well as calls to the pizza delivery, and my personal "oh shoot, it's dinnertime" favorite...cereal and eggs. Yep, Summertime is not the most healthy for my family. Judging from the past, I tend to gain weight during the months of July-Oct. I think that's probably the opposite of most people. I can do o.k. through the holidays, but it's the warm months, and then especially the transition from Summer to Fall that have me cramming all the bad stuff in.

My friend Kim is really good at always having decent things on hand or in the freezer ready for her family. One of my favorite recipes of hers is for her turkey burgers. I like a good burger every now and then, but the guilt associated with a good burger often has me turning them down. These burgers are less guilt ridden, and in my opinion, every bit as tasty. When I made them this week, I used about 2 1/2 pounds of meat, which yielded about 16 burgers. I make mine somewhat small and some I made really small for the boys. I froze most of them so we'd have the burger option waiting for us in the freezer on busy days. So, without further ado, here's the recipe I got from my friend Kim:

Turkey Burgers
Equal parts ground turkey breast and regular ground turkey
1 egg for every pound of meat
1 cup dry breadcrumbs ( I make my own: equal parts whole wheat panko breadcrumbs and wheat germ)
fresh garlic
Spice blend (such as Spike, etc.)
Optional (but really good!): 1/2 cup. shredded monterrey jack cheese

Mix the turkey with the egg well. Start adding breadcrumbs by 1/4 cup intervals. You may not need a whole cup of breadcrumbs. You don't want the mixture too dry, but you do want it to be easy to work with. Once the breadcrumbs are thoroughly mix in, add the other ingredients. You may need to use your hands to really mix well. Form into desired size patties. At this point, I pour this following marinade over the patties and let them marinade for at least 8 and up to 24 hours.

Marinade for burgers:
10 ounces reduced sodium soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 1/2 TBS. Worcestershire
1/2 heaping teaspoon mustard
1/2 heaping teaspoon ginger (dry)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 TBSP brown sugar

After they marinated I grilled the ones we had for dinner, and then individually wrapped the others in waxed paper, put them all in a ziploc bag and froze the them. Much better for you than Bubba burgers!

They go great on a whole wheat bun. Thomas makes some cute little "bagel buns" that are a great size for the burgers and they come in whole wheat. I usually toast those on the grill for a minute just before serving. Kim serves hers on a crusty roll and they're wonderful!

Some ideas on sides? How about sweet potato fries? There's some pretty good panko breaded onion rings in the freezer section. And one more idea for a side:

Asian Cole Slaw:
1 pkg. Chicken Ramen Noodle
1 Pkg. cabbage slaw w/ carrots
2 red apples, peeled and chopped
sliced green onions
1/2 cup almonds.

Dressing:
2 TBS. Cider vinegar
3 TBS Water
1 TBS vegetable oil,
1/4 cup sugar,
1 minced garlic clove
ramen noodle seasoning.

Mix slaw ingredients together, mix dressing together and toss with slaw.

That's a great side dish for the summertime! Easy to take places and perfect for a cookout.

Meals on Wheels

2008-06-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

The title clues you in to what's been going on in my kitchen this week. Let me back up and say last week, in the span of one week, I threw 3 different parties. I've been pooped out. That's a lot of work! I knew this week would be easier, but I did bring two meals to two different friends. One moved and one had a baby. I really do enjoy cooking for people, especially when it's needed, like after a birth or a move. It's always fun making dinner and having friends over, but there's something more sacrificial when you do it in advance and bring it to their doorstep. It gives me a chance to pray for the people that will be eating it, asking God to make the food a blessing to them. Ladies are cranking out babies left and right at my church and I felt that for a time, I needed to take a break from the meal making. After all, most of the new mamas live in town and I live about 40 minutes away, so that makes it difficult. But I'm ready to get back in the business of feeding these women when I can. It's one little way of stepping beyond myself.

So, for my friend that moved, I made her my sneaky chicken fingers with green beans, creamed potatoes, cornbread, creamed corn, and a peach cobbler. Typical southern meal, and I knew that this particular family would like it.

But, what I made for my friend with the new baby is the recipe I'm about to give you. It's amazing! I whipped it up in the late morning and It was SO hard not to eat it all right then and there. You could have put a giant chocolate cake in front of me and I still would have gone for this dish instead!
I got the recipe from my friend, Judith, who got it from our friend Deborah, who got it from the AJC (I think) who got it from a restaurant. So...it's been in a lot of hands. I made extra so we'd have enough to feed my family tonight as well. I will warn you, though, it's not one for dieters! It's high in fat, but trust me, there will be a party going on in your mouth! I've made my own tweaks to it and this is what it is. I call it:

Sausage and Granny Smith Apple Penne

1 pound sweet Italian sausage
2-3 chopped shallots
2 Granny Smith Apples, cored, peeled and chunked (or diced)
1/4 cup White Wine
3 cups heavy cream (or may use 2 cups cream and 1 cup light cream or half and half)
1 pound cooked penne pasta
grated nutmeg (around 1/4 to 1/2 tsp)
pinch of cinnamon
fresh basil
Parmigiano or reggiano cheese, grated

Remove any casings on the sausage and brown it well in a large pan. Once browned, drain and remove sausage from pan and onto a plate lined with paper towels. Saute shallots and apples in the pan. You may add a couple of tablespoons of butter for flavor at this point. Once they are softened, add the wine to deglaze the pan. Then add the cream. Return sausage to pan and simmer until reduced by 1/2 or 1/3. Toss with cooked pasta, grated nutmeg, pinch of cinnamon, torn fresh basil leaves and grated cheeses.

Like I said, it's amazing. Fattening, but amazing. It would be a great meal to have on Christmas Eve. Or June 5th. Or any day of the year for that matter.

Birthday cakes

2008-05-31T16:33:00.001-07:00

Here's a fun post for you. I've been making my kids birthday cakes for the past year. I started it last year when I made Ethan's cake instead of ordering one from Publix, our usual. I have this cookbook of fun kid's recipes and he had picked out a spaceship cake that we made together. It turned out pretty cute. And of course, there was Wyatt's catipillar cake. A surprisingly simple cake to make.
This year, Ethan wanted a Star Wars Indiana Jones Lego cake. What was I supposed to do with that? Well, I found a pretty cool website that has some super homemade cake ideas and came across an idea for a lego cake. Here's how mine turned out.
In theory it was pretty simple, but it was work. I used two cake mixes (chocolate and butter cake) and poured the batter into two loaf pans and one sheet cake (rectangle). I did this a couple of days before the party and just froze the cakes themselves so they would be easier to assemble and frost the day before the party. The day of assembly, I trimmed the rectangles to make them look more "blocky". I frosted each one a different color, stacked them how I wanted them, and used large marshmallows cut in half for the lego prongs. I used Duncan Heinz cake mixes and so many people raved about how good it was. I think freezing them a couple of days enhances the flavor a bit, too. As far as the frosting goes, I used just a couple of tubs of the buttercream frosting. The fun part was Ethan got to be creative and pick out exactly which legos he wanted to go on the cake and he built some small spaceships as cake decorations. I think this part made him feel very important and he took it quite seriously. This cake was probably the most work of the three I've done in the past, but it was a labor of love.

New food blog

2008-04-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned my Irish friend Judith before on both my blogs. She's an amazing cook. And I seriously mean amazing. She's been in the process of writing a cookbook that fuses Irish cooking with Southern cooking, and she's been writing this book for a couple of years now. The focus is on fresh, whole foods and she's got great stories of her upbringing in her lovely Ireland. The book is near completion and you should be on the lookout for it sometime early next year.
In the meantime, she's started a food blog and she's posting some of her delicious recipes. Check it out, get in your kitchen, and start cooking!

In addition to her blog, she's also got a website called The Ulster Kitchen, for all things Irish.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice soup

2008-04-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

My mother in law came over yesterday for lunch. This is what I made: cheesy chicken and rice soup.
Jen made this for me after I had Wyatt. It's a recipe from CL that I had overlooked at the time, but she zeroed in on it and I loved it. I had a craving for it over the weekend and got the ingredients so I could indulge.
My twist on it: I use precooked brown rice from TJ's instead of the wild rice it calls for. I also used a couple of glugs of white wine, red potatoes, doubled the amount of garlic, and added a little celery. I used half cheddar cheese and half processed cheese ( I just couldn't use the amount of processed cheese it calls for). The end result is sooooo good. It's similar to a baked potato soup. In fact, if you add a few slices of precooked bacon and chopped green onion, it would be a good version of baked potato soup. And who doesn't like baked potato soup? In fact, when I was pregnant with Ethan and couldn't stomach anything except fruit loops and cocoa puffs, I distinctly recall sending David out to Atlanta Bread Co, for a cup of this soup. And I guarantee that my version has lass fat and preservatives than theirs.

Warning...it makes a lot, so make it when you want to feed more than just yourself. I'm not too sure if it would freeze well since it is dairy, so I sent the mother-in-law home with some. And I had it for dinner and am eating it for lunch as I type. Enjoy.

Freak?

2008-04-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

I've felt for some time now that I may be perceived as a bit of a nutrition freak. I realize with my posted articles of interest regarding diet sodas and plastics that I may be over the top for some. Compared to my extended family of good ole southerners, I guess I am a bit of a freak. I DO buy mostly horomone free meats, nitrate/nitrite free bacon, organic produce, and I try to avoid anything with enriched flour as the first ingredient. Other items I try to avoid...partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. I almost solely use brown rice, not white. Avoid white bread like the plague. While those are all things I do in practice, let me assure you, my pantry is full of things you wouldn't find in a true "freaks" pantry. Fruit Loops cereal straws, fruit gummies (no real fruit contained...sorry), chips, crackers, candy, etc.
While you won't ever see me drinking a diet soda (sorry, no bending on this rule), I will buy it for parties at my house.
And knowing all the hoopla regarding plastics contacting our food, have I gone "plastic-free" in my kitchen? Nope. My kids still drink and eat off of plastic. I did, however, recently throw out most of my plastic food storage containers and replaced them with glass pyrex dishes, and I like it much better. So much easier to clean.
It's all about trying to make better choices, educating yourself, and allowing yourself freedom at times.
And speaking of freedom, I'm really craving a big turtle sundae from Brusters today. I think my boys need some time out with mom.
Peace out.

I'm back...

2008-04-14T08:33:00.001-07:00

I'm getting back into the swing of things here. We've had company with us since Wednesday and they just left this morning. Our sweet friends from Tampa spent their Spring Break with us and it was great having them. A lot of eating was done by all, though, so I'm trying to get back to a more "normal" routine. I did alright, though. I managed to run on the treadmill twice and walk my neighborhood once, so I kept with my 3 times a week workout. I just loaded up on sweets and white breads. We did have a nice dinner out a Zuma, where I actually consumed a good amount of sushi. We finished off the evening at Cafe Intermezzo where I had the best chocolate and coconut cake ever. Not surprisingly, the scale this morning was not nice. I've got to get back down to my comfort weight.
I've got a good start to the week...just finished an hour workout and a 20 minute sauna session. I'm hydrated and feeling good.

For dinner last night we had a little dinner party for our freinds and another couple. I tried a recipe from CL that I've had for a long time but never made and it was great! It's Chicken Supreme. You marinate it all night, so once you're ready to make it, it doesn't take long at all. Just bread it and throw it in the oven. The recipe calls for margarine, but since I think margarine is a four letter word, I used butter. I also used my own homemade bread crumbs that I use for everything (a mixture of equal parts whole wheat breadcrumbs, wheat germ, and ground almonds). I also threw in some Italian Seasonings in the crumbs. There you go...easy and good. Maybe next time I'll throw in some parmesan cheese to the crumbs as well. We also had roasted red potatoes with olive oil and seasonings, and a nice green salad with blue cheese and cranberries. A nice meal if I do say so myself.

Treats for the kiddies

2008-03-29T05:09:00.000-07:00

I was a TJ's this week, and as usual, I had to stop by the demo area to see what they were cooking up. It was different this time, the lady said she was making something that her mother used to make for her when she was growing up. I think she called them cookies, but they were more like little donuts or fritters. Very simple...went something like this:
Take some premade pizza dough (usually found in refrigerator or deli section of store),
tear off little "bits", about 1 or 2 inches in size, fry them up in some oil (not olive...I think I'd use grapeseed) until they're browned on both sides, and top with what you want! They used chocolate syrup and powdered sugar. Other ides...cinnamon, sugar, jam, agave, etc.
See, so simple but they were delicious! I haven't made them, but I think I will at some point. The boys would love them and could help make them. TJ's sells whole wheat pizza dough...I wonder how that would taste? Hmmm...I just may have to try that out and let you know.

Thinking about treats for the kiddies, it reminded me of a recipe from a cookbook my sweet grandmother gave me when I got married. It has a recipe in it called "Instant treat for the kiddies." Let me back up. This cookbook is one of those cookbooks that has all those wonderful recipes from the good Christian women from the Extension Homemaker Council of Fannin County , GA. That's where Blue Ridge is. This book was printed in 1971, so all the women went by their husband's name, such as "Mrs. Homer Turner" or "Mrs. Dave Murphy." It cracks me up. Some women broke from tradition and listed the recipes under their names. I have to wonder if they were secretly looked down upon for that. Plus, many of the recipes call for lard, oleo, cheese whiz, or ritz crackers. I'm sure all staples of a good "Southern" pantry at the time, although they make me want to have a heart attack.
I bet many of you have a cookbook just like this, one that's been handed down, or purchased for a fundraiser, or just given to you. I treasure mine, because even though it was printed in 1971, I didn't actually get one until 1996 when I got married. I always grew up with the book, since my mother has one. As a kid I'd just "read" the cookbook for fun, looking for a cookie recipe I might be interested in making. Apparently my grandmother, Leslie, purchased many of these books, deciding that when her granddaughters, present and future, got married, she'd give them each one as a gift.
The inscription in mine says (in her sweet handwriting):
Jennifer, I hope you enjoy this cookbook and make a real good cook. I bought it a long time ago especially for you. I thought you might need it sometime. Grandmother." Bless her sweet soul. My Mamaw was an amazing woman. She worked so hard, was a farmers wife (my grandfather was also a schoolteacher), an amazing cook, always took such good care of her family, never gossiped, helped other families out even if she barley had enough for her own family, wrote poetry, and get this...she married her schoolteacher! There was a 15 year age difference! She really was amazing and I wish I had had more time with her on Earth. Imagine Caroline Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie. I treasure my cookbook because it's a little tangible piece of my Mamaw.
So, back to the recipe "Instant Treat for the Kiddies".
It goes like this:
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
dash of salt
Mix all ingredients and bring to a boil. Spread on soda crackers and serve immediately.

Funny...my mother never made this for me that I can recall. I can't tell you if it's worth making or not. Seems to me I'd like to make the TJ's treats. I may have to save this recipe for a rainy day when I'm desperate to do something out of the ordinary.
I'd like to hear from you on this. Do any of you have any good "treats" that you whip up for your little ones? Something maybe a little out of the ordinary? Or something that was made for you when you were little. Speak up! Even if you're a lurker to this site. I'd love to know!

2008-03-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

I have to be proactive this week. Considering the amounts of sugar, sweets, candies, white bread, etc., I consumed over the weekend, and the fact that my birthday is this coming Friday and I have several outings planed that involve eating out, I have to take action! Cake is my weakness. I love it and have no control when there's good cake around. Since David will be out of town on my birthday, we're celebrating as a family tonight. We're going out to eat and the boys have gotten me a chocolate cake from the best cake place in town...Piece of Cake.
Not a "bakery" in the sense of artsy creations that don't taste good.
More of a homemade style cake that your grandmother would make. But man, oh man, the cakes are out of this world.

So far I have a good start to the week. It's Tuesday, and I've already been to the gym twice, worked out for an hour each time and did the sauna each day, so I feel good about all that.
And last night's dinner was really good. I wish I had pictures. Like I said, I totally ate junk over the weekend, so I wanted something really healthy and whole to eat for dinner. I made a huge salad with fresh artisan greens, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, celery, cucumbers, onions, green onions, artichokes and chickpeas. I'm in a big salad mood these days. I wanted to fill up on that and then just have a small portion of dinner. That's just what I did. I've been serving mine and David's dinners on smaller salad-sized plates to cut down on portion sizes.
What I made was the Parmesan Chicken and Rice Casserole from CL March 2008. The verdict...it's a keeper! I modified it of course. I used chicken breasts, instead of chicken thighs. Half and half instead of whipping cream, 1 cup broth instead of 2 (And I think I could have even decreased it a little from that), and I added 3 slices of cooked bacon to give it more flavor.

Don't let that picture fool you. I grabbed that from the website...not one of my own.
I'll be making this again for sure. It's also good enough to make for company.

A good start...chicken stock

2008-03-08T16:58:00.000-08:00

Two nights ago, I was sitting on my deck while the boys ate dinner, enjoying a nice glass of red, watching the sunset, hearing the birds sing, and absolutely loving the warmth of the day. There was just a small taste of spring in the air. I started to remember what it looks like at my house in the summer. A small glimpse of the coming months.
It's a different scene this night. As I drank my coffee this morning, I watched the snow fall, and this evening, the fire I've made is crackling away in the fireplace, I'm enjoying another glass of red, Pride and Prejudice is on the TV, and the smell of my homemade chicken stock is filling the house.
Which brings me to my reason for posting.
With cold weather here yet again, I've been craving some warm food. Mainly, Chicken and Dumplings. Now, all my life, I've never really cared for the dish. I've always thought it to be congealed, and the dumplings mushy or slimy. It wasn't until I tried my friend Kim's recipe for chicken and dumplings that I found I really liked it. With this recipe, it's more like a thick chicken stew.
And to get a head start (I'm actually making them for lunch tomorrow), I wanted to make my chicken stock, since it's the base of the recipe.

Here's what I did...
Took a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken (whole), put it in a heavy dutch oven, covered with water, and set it to boil on the stove. As the water was heating up, I added two sliced carrots, sliced onion, celery, a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme and about 1 teaspoon of herbs de provence. I let this concoction simmer for at least 2 hours.

As I type, the stove is off, the chicken has been removed to a cutting board to cool and the broth is also cooling. What I'll do in a bit is strain the broth, so I'm just left with a simple clear liquid, pull the meat (the nice pieces anyway) from the bone and place back in the broth, cover and refrigerate until tomorrow morning.

There's a good start for several uses. A nice chicken broth. Even without the meat, you've got a great start for chicken noodle or chicken and vegetable soup, chicken tortilla soup, or whatever you need a good chicken broth for. And if you picked up a rotisserie chicken, or happen to make roasted chicken for dinner, just use the bones and whatever pieces you didn't eat to make your broth with.

On to the dumplings. Here's the basic recipe for what I'll make...
In a heavy pot, melt about 2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil) and sauté diced carrots, onions, garlic, and celery until soft and fragrant. Add about 1/3 cup of the chicken broth and 3 to 4 tablespoons of flour to make a thick paste. Slowly add more broth, a little at a time, until gone. You can also keep adding more flour to thicken a bit, if desired. Depending on how much you want to make, you may need to add more chicken broth (store bought) if you have some. Season with tarragon. Add the shredded chicken to broth. Slow cook for 1 to 2 hours. Bring to a boil, drop in 1 bag wide egg noodles (dumpling size) and cook for 10-12 minutes. Turn back to low. Add 1 can evaporated milk, or if you really want to go for it, use 1 1/2 cups half and half. Cook to a slow boil again and serve, or simmer until ready to serve.
You really can't mess this up, and you can add or take away ingredients depending on what you desire. As you can see, it turns out more like a thick chicken stew. I'm going to serve it with some garlic bread. My mother in law is coming over for lunch tomorrow, so I wanted to serve something really good.

Sunday Supper

2008-03-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

Man, I wish I would think to take pictures of my meals. Honestly, when I'm all finished cooking, and the food is hot and on the plate, my first thought isn't "Well, look at how nice that is. I should take a picture of it." No, instead my thoughts are more like "Someone get the napkins, forks, drinks for the boys...turn off the tv, wash hands, wipe the cat hair off the table. I'm starving. Let's eat." That's reality. I will try to take more pics, but when I do, I know that means that when I do have time to post about a meal, I'll then have to find the cord that connects my camera to the laptop, load the pics, and all that other technicality that involves adding a pic to a post. Sometimes it's just easier to report about my kitchen happenings and let you use your imagination. But, I know we're an image driven society, and even I like to take a gander at what people's meals actually look like. Pioneer Woman does a great job of that.

Moving on...
When I was growing up, we had a pot roast each and every Sunday. My mom would get the crock pot out and get the roast cooking before we left for church and by the time we arrived home, the roast (always a chuck roast), potatoes, carrots, and onions were ready and the entire house smelled heavenly when we opened the door. Sometimes we had company join us, but mostly it was just us, the family. I soon took the heavenly smells for granted. I watched while other families got to go out to lunch after church. I always envied the families that would go to Picadilly together. I just knew those kids were getting the cool jello and whipped cream desserts that I would have killed for as a youngster. We rarely got to go out because my mother always had the roast on.

And the roast...I really hated it. Because it was always a chuck roast, there was so much fat sticking to the meat. I'd spend most of my time trying to cut the little globs off each and every piece before I'd take a bite. And I know I did my fair share of complaining to my mother about it. When I think about her getting the roast ready in the mornings, along with getting 4 kids ready for church, not to mention that she bought the roast because it would feed the family on a budget...I cringe to think of my complaining about it. Once I was a teenager, I joined the other kids out at Dairy Queen, Rio Bravo, or wherever the youth group kids ended up. My days at the family table for lunch were few and far between.
I really didn't make peace with the pot roast until I was married. I started to crave that heavenly smell in my own little apartment, and realizing the ease of cooking in a Crock Pot for a married full time college student/part time job holding girl, me and the pot roast made amends. It also helped that I learned that there were other cuts of meat that are not as fat as a chuck roast.

I've been nostalgic lately for Sunday suppers. I've said for a few years now that I'd love to have a meal waiting on me when I got home from church and I'd love to be able to invite others to join us. It a way of feasting together...breaking bread and enjoying a day of rest. Lets face it...as a mom, sometimes it's more restful to prepare a meal and serve it than to go out to a crowded restaurant and entertain two wiggly and loud boys while trying to carry on a conversation with someone that you really want to give your undivided attention to. That's mentally exhausting. I'd like to focus on family and those relationships closest to us and ones that I'd like to develop more.

That's what we did today. Our longtime friends, Dave and Kara, joined us after church up at our house. That's a commitment since we already live about 30 minutes from church, but they live north of town as well so I don't think they minded the drive.
Instead of a pot roast, I did a pork tenderloin recipe I found online, and threw it in the Crock Pot along with tons of baby carrots and sliced onions. I turned it on high at 8am and it was all finished when we arrived home (that heavenly smell!!). I'm not a huge pork eater, but I do like a good tenderloin and I usually buy pork that's all natural (no hormones, etc.). I also planned ahead and assembled Emma's candied sweet potatoes (from the Mitford Cookbook). They only take about 20 minutes to cook so while they were in the oven I also cooked some baby lima beans, honey grain rolls from TJ's and some sweet tea. This was definitely a meal that I didn't even consider snapping a picture of...we just wanted to eat!

And eat we did! I may be biased, but it was tasty! Of course, it was a typical "southern" meal considering the amount of butter used..but hey...we eat well during the week...it's o.k. to have an indulgence day.
The pork was very tender and flavorful. The carrots were so sweet, like candy, and I think they were my favorite item of the whole meal. And the candied sweet potatoes lived up to their name. Very good...almost like dessert. I loved every bite and will definitely be making this meal again in the future. But I have to say, it wouldn't have been the same if it was just the 4 of us on a Monday night. Somehow food tastes better when you're in good company. I wonder what would happen if we all made more of an effort to have Sunday supper at home and open our doors to our friends or neighbors. Just to take it easy for a day and enjoy each other's presence. I personally think it's a great way to get relaxed and refreshed for the week to come.

Fish...again

2008-02-26T16:24:00.000-08:00

So, after reading how Candace does her fish, I decided to do it her way. Instead of Talipia, I used a fish called "Striper" I found at TJ's. It was promised to be mild and never "fishy".
So I did it Candace's way...dipped it in an egg/milk mixture, bread crumbs (my mix including whole wheat bread crumbs, wheat germ, almond meal, and salt) and fried it a little in grapeseed oil.
The verdict...
So yummy! I finally found a fish I think I could add to our weekly menu. It was definitely light and not fishy at all. It didn't even need lemon. Wyatt loved it (which is saying a lot!), but he had to have his with honey on top. Yeah...fish and honey...not exactly what I'd do, but hey, whatever it takes.
I'm happy to have a fish success story to make up for the disaster from last week.
Thanks Candace!

2008-02-25T17:40:00.000-08:00

I'll make it quick.
Tonight's dinner was Seared Scallops over Bacon and Spinach Salad with Cider Vinaigrette from CL.
Definitely worth the effort! A little gourmet than we're used to at home, but it was excellent. Just the scallops alone were great and I'd definitely make them again and serve with a couple of side dishes.
It took me longer to make than I'd like, and it's not the type of dish I'd make often, but definitely a keeper for special occasions.
For dessert, I whipped up a peach crisp. TJ's sells big jars of "peach sauce", like applesauce. I picked one up today thinking I'd use my mother's apple crisp recipe using peach sauce instead. It turned out great, and the vanilla ice cream I topped it off with didn't hurt, either.

Last nights' was good too, with a lot less work. A pot roast in the Crock Pot with tons of carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, and mushrooms on top of brown rice. I'm going to make an effort to get the Crock Pot out more. I love the time I save and the convenience of having dinner ready without really having to do anything.

Here's a recipe I ran across from Pioneer Woman. Sherried tomato soup. It looks amazing and I'd love to make it soon, especially when it's cold outside. I'm going to have to figure out a way to cut down on some of that fat content, though. I just can't use that much whipping cream in good conscience.

Valentine's day roasted chicken

2008-02-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

It's Valentine's day, and for the past few years we've had an "I love you" party at our house. Not really a party in the typical sense of the word, but we call it that because the boys love parties. It's really more of a dinner. I decorate with red and pink hearts on the windows, light candles, make a special dinner and give everyone little presents and cards. It makes it really special. We always invite my wonderful aunt Kathy (her husband passed away 6 years ago) and just enjoy a quiet but festive night at home. Sure beats trying to go out to a packed restaurant.
In years past, I've made pasta dishes with salad, wine, etc.
This year I wanted something different. We're having "Mitford" roasted chicken. If you've been fortunate enough to read the Mitford series of books, you know food is a big part of life in Mitford. If you have even an ounce of Southern blood in you, you will have a physical craving for the foods they consume in Mitford. The roasted chicken recipe hails from the Mitford cookbook. I've been making it for several years now, but after talking with my friend, Kara, about how she does her roasted chicken, I decided to try her way as well. This is what I did:
I brined a kosher organic whole roasting chicken for about 7 hours today. Don't let the word brining scare you. Basically, I just "soaked" the whole chicken in a pot with salted water in the fridge. Did it this morning before I headed out. Do a google search on Brining to learn more about it. It's just a way to keep your meat juicy and flavorful. You can skip this step, but it's really not that hard to do and the results are wonderful. And don't let the 7 hour thing scare you either. You can brine it for as less as 3 hours if that's all the time you have.

I always roast my chicken with some veggies, so I had an array of fingerling potatoes (whole, not cut up since they're small), carrots, celery, and onion wedges ready. This is where I did things differently. I used my Pampered Chef stoneware bunt pan and arranged the veggies in the pan itself. Traditionally, I've put the chicken in a big cast iron skillet or a roasting pan and arranged the veggies around it. According to Kara, when you put the chicken on the bunt pan (plopping it over that middle part of the pan) the chicken gets roasted all the way around and the juices just run down into the veggies making them super tasty.

When I was ready to start roasting the chicken, I dried the chicken off, rubbed it generously with olive oil and a few crushed garlic cloves. Then I shoved lemon slices into the cavity of the chicken (about two lemons) as well as about 5 garlic cloves and a few sprigs of rosemary. Just under the skin of the breast, I also slid in a few more garlic cloves and about 4 more lemon slices and more rosemary.
I took the chicken and slid it neck side down just right onto the middle raised part of the bundt pan. I gave it a few more rubs of olive oil and a sprinkle of TJ's 31 seasonings salute.

See how the little buddy's legs were falling down? I tied them up with some twine to keep them in place.

Off the little buddy goes into the 425 degree oven.

After 30 minutes at 425, I turned down the heat to 350 and rotated the pan about a fourth of the way around. The kitchen was already smelling great after 30 minutes. It only gets better!

Here's Wyatt waiting at the table for dinner to start. We kept telling him it would be awhile, but that boy was ready. Funny thing is, though, he doesn't eat. He's terribly picky.

O.K...back to the chicken. After the 30 minutes at 425, the chicken stayed in the oven an additional hour and 15 to 25 minutes at 350, making the total cooking time just under 2 hours. Every 20 minutes or so, I'd rotate the chicken a little and stir the veggies around a bit to make sure they were all evenly coated. The buddy in the oven would tilt over a little, but I'd just try to even him out as best I could.

While he was roasting away, I also threw together a box of TJ's cornbread mix, lima beans, and sweet potato patties topped with brown sugar, cinnamon, and of course...butter.

Hey...it's Valentine's day. There's no love more sincere than the love of food. This meal is designed to warm heart and soul...not keep your waist trim. I'll worry about that tomorrow.

So, once the chicken was all done, I let him rest out of the oven for a bit. I've always heard it's important to let meat sit for a bit to keep it juicy. This is how he looked all roasted.

Don't let that dark brown circle throw you off. Just under the skin there is a nice lemon slice and the browness is from the sugars carmalizing into the skin. Not pretty, I know, but I cut it all up anyway.

I wish I had a good pic of all the veggies and chicken arranged on the platter. Don't know if you can get a good view from these pics. It really was a nice presentation.
There's Kathy in the background...

And me and the boys...

Now...the big taste test...it was simply amazing! I think it was the best roasted chicken I've made in my life (THANK YOU KARA!!). The flavors of the rosemary, lemon, and garlic all came through into the meat. And the veggies...SO very delicious!
We enjoyed every bite. I really think this was one of the top meals I've made, and really not all that difficult!
As they say in Mitford...I put a good Cabernet behind it. We finished our meal with slices of strawberry cake from Piece of Cake here in Roswell.

One last thing about Valentines...it's always been special because it's my mother's birthday. It was always a big day in my house growing up. I've wanted to make it as special for my kids as well, and hope they feel loved on and see that it's not just a day for mom and dad, but a day to show others how much we love them. I hope they always remember Valentine's with warm memories when they are men. I hope they remember the food, the warmth and smells of the kitchen, the cards, chocolate, and presents on the table, and most of all the sweetness of the day.

And happy 70th birthday to Marlene!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2008-02-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

Nearly a decade ago, I visited a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant out in Tucker named El Matador. If you know me well, than you know that I'm not a huge Mexican food fan. Actually, I really enjoy it when it's fresh or homemade, but the typical "Combination" plate places (La Parilla, El Toro, Los Reyes, etc.) are NOT my favorite. The food always tastes cheap and full of fat to me. So, this particular day at El Matador, I wanted something lighter than an enchilada, rice, and beans. I went with their chicken tortilla soup. And let me tell you, it was great! So fresh and filling, yet light. Topped with fried tortilla strips, avocados, pico de gallo and lime juice...let me tell you, I was in heaven. I remember all the combination plate eaters were saying, "Wow, what did you get? That looks incredible." And it was.

Amazingly, just a few months after the soup and heaven experience, the AJC ran the full recipe for El Matador's Chicken Tortilla soup. I couldn't believe it! The one recipe from the one little hole -in -the -wall restaurant with the best soup was now all mine!
I've tried soups at many other Mexican restaurants, and while some are good, none have compared to El Matador's. I don't even know if the restaurant is still there.

Over the past several years I've made the soup for people and all have loved it. I've been asked many times for "my" chicken tortilla soup recipe. It's funny to me that even though Mexican is not my favorite cuisine, I'm known for a dish of this origin.
I've made a few tweaks to it to make it a little more healthy, such as using brown rice instead of white, chicken stock instead of chicken bullion cubes, and recently I fried up some whole grain tortilla strips in grapeseed oil instead of plain white tortillas.

Timesaving Tips: It calls for a homemade pico de gallo (below), but I usually use premade store bought fresh salsa. And if your life is anything like mine and you don't have all day to devote to one recipe, you can make the "special sauce" a day or two in advance. You could also cook the chicken in advance and just save the stock in the refrigerator until you're ready to assemble it all together on the stove. The recipe calls for cooked rice, so make sure you do that in advance as well, or while the chicken is cooking. Don't even think about skipping the "special sauce"...it won't be nearly as good without it.

Also, please keep in mind that when serving the soup, it's imperative that you squeeze fresh lime juice into each serving, top with avocados and chips (or fried tortilla strips if you decided to be an overachiever and make some). Without the lime juice, the soup is flat. You can also add some hot sauce for those who like it hot.
One more thing...you'll need a big pot. Maybe not a stock pot, but grab your biggest soup makin' pot you have on hand. It makes a lot...invite people over to share. They'll be impressed!

And so sweet friends, here is the recipe as I make it. It is rather long.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic salt or powder
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 to 2 1/2 quarts water
4 cups cooked brown rice
special sauce (recipe follows)
3 avocados
3 limes
Pico de Gallo (for topping, recipe follows)
Tortilla chips or fried tortilla strips

In a large pot, combine chicken, salt, garlic powder and onion. Add the water and bring to a boil. Let boil for 30 minutes or until chicken breasts are cooked through. Remove breasts and allow to cool. When the chicken has cooled, shred and place back into the broth. Add rice and special sauce to broth. Simmer until hot or ready to serve. When serving, top with sliced avocado, pico de gallo (or salsa), freshly squeezed lime juice and crushed tortilla chips or strips.

Pico de Gallo
2 cups finely diced yellow onion
7 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves and be careful not to touch your eyes)
1 1/2 cups finely diced tomato
1 1/2 cups chopped cilantro

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine onion, peppers and tomato. Stir in cilantro and mix until well blended.

Special Sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt or powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 large fresh whole tomatoes (or used canned whole tomatoes) peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken broth

In a medium saucepan over low heat, heat the oil. Stir in flour, pepper, garlic, cumin and chili powder and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and tomatoes. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes.

There you go! If you make it, please let me know how it turns out.
Now I'm on to making dinner tonight...sweet and sour shrimp.

Chicken Fingers and Veggies

2008-01-14T18:58:00.001-08:00

I needed something easy for dinner since it's just me and the boys, but I needed them to have a decent meal after a weekend of not such good eating. I came down with a stomach bug on Friday. Thankfully, it was short lived, but it still took me all of Saturday to recover. Food was not on the top of my list of things to think about. You don't realize just how many commercials involve food until you're sick or you're pregnant and have constant morning sickness. We're definitely a gluttonous society and we like our cheap and nasty food.

Anyway, dinner tonight...
I whipped up some of "my" chicken fingers. I use the recipe from the book The Sneaky Chef. If you watch Oprah and saw Jessica Seinfield on promoting her new book Deceptively Delicious, you know the idea of pureeing certain veggies and/or fruits and slipping them into your meals as a way to get your kids to eat their veggies without having to fight with them about it. The book I have, The Sneaky Chef, is very very similar.
Anyway, the recipe is very yummy and I've made it several times. The breading is a mix of ground almonds, whole wheat bread crumbs, wheat germ and parmesan. I'm probably forgetting something. If you're thinking of making it, definitely check into the book. The vegetable puree you use is sweet potatoes and carrots. You dredge the chicken tenders in whole wheat flour, then dip in the puree with egg mixed in, and finally dredge in the breading. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning once and they're done. These are really very tasty and if you hate the above mentioned vegetables, don't worry, you can't taste them at all. I think they really are way better than any frozen chicken tenders or any from a restaurant, and my kids love to eat them dipped in honey. I've also sliced them up for myself and topped a mixed salad with them for a more adult way to eat them. Tonight I just ate them like the boys do, honey and all. I'm very happy eating and feeding my kids something like that; packed with whole grains, vegetables, and a lean protein.

We also had a side of TJ's Brittany blend...green beans, yellow beans, and carrots, seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, parmesan, and TJ's 21 seasoning salute. You can find the Brittany Blend in the frozen section.
So there you have it...
With David gone for the next 7 nights it will be interesting to see what I come up with for me and the boys.

On a side note, I met my "goal" of working out 4 times last week! Woo hoo!
Now I'm on to this week. I got my workout in today, so 3 more to go. Shouldn't be hard to do.
I've felt great today. Tons of energy...just all around goodness. I woke up at 6:30 ready to take on the day! The lunches were packed before 7am! I thought it would be fun to play overachiever for a day.

Vegetable lasagna

2008-01-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

So, here it is...my first post on my "foodie blog." After being in a serious cooking "slump" over the holidays, I'm back in business in the kitchen and enjoying it. Hence, the idea for a food blog. I think about food a lot. It's a big part of my life and I'm constantly learning more about it. I thought this blog would be a good way for me to keep track of things I've made. And I'll be honest here as well. If I've made something that wasn't all that great, I'll keep it real and let you know. I'll most likely focus most of my health and weight loss posts here as well. I may play around with both blogs for awhile before I figure out what will work best, so hang on for the ride.

For dinner tonight, I made the vegetable lasagna from Cooking Light, Oct. 2007 issue, (pg. 173). If you're googling it, it's probably under "Colorful Vegetable Lasagna." I got crazy and even made the huge batch of homemade marinara sauce that it calls for. I made that around lunchtime while the boys were at school, and let me tell you, my entire house smelled like Heaven. It was amazing! I ended up using about 3 cups of the sauce for the lasagna and froze the rest for future meals. I'm glad I did because I was able to store about 8 cups in the freezer. I'll definitely be using that for my baked penne pasta in the future.

I used whole wheat lasagna noodles for this recipe. I always use something other than just plain white pasta. I feel so guilty using the white stuff and to me, the whole wheat pastas, or even quinoa pasta taste just as good or even better than the over-processed pastas.
The recipe also packed colorful bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and zucchini.

The recipe called for fat free ricotta, but I tend to stay away from fat free items. I opt for the part-skim.

It turned out great! I also served it with a tossed salad topped with pears and TJ's candied pecans, and toasted whole wheat sourdough bread (also from TJ's).
Yes folks, our bellies are full tonight. And there's tons of leftovers. We should have had people over for dinner to help us eat it!

As a special dessert (especially for the boys), we had cupcake sundaes. I picked up a pack of 4 chocolate cupcakes from the frozen section of TJ's. Cut each one in half, topped it with vanilla ice cream, cherries, and let the boys go to town with the sprinkles.
What I loved about this meal was the process of making it. I've always loved making Italian food. There's something soothing to me to sauté garlic and onions in a pot, add the tomatoes, spices, and let it simmer. The smells are amazing.