The Funky Chickent & Alligator Tongues blog is officially retired.
Please visit my new blog site: http://www.bethbakulich.wordpress.com/ for the latest on multi-hypenated-me.
Thanks for following and keep sharing and commenting!
Beth
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Succotash & Shiitake
I am thankful there are no proverbial flies on the walls of my home.
Oh! The things you would see...
Oh! The things you would hear...though I'm certain the neighbors hear some of it yet, I pretend they don't and this makes me feel better.
In attempt to stop the occassional slip and drop an f-bomb or other curse word, my family has embraced substitute sayings instead - cheese and crackers, mother hubbard, fudge, and other such words and phrases. We have a Swear Jar and charge $0.25 for each offense, keeping a tally list on the fridge with payment due on the weekend. Though we all pay our dues, I am the worst offender. By far. I find this unfair as I spend more time with the kids and they push me to limits beyond my control. And I work from home - I occassionally hang up the phone and mutter an innocent "dumbass" under my breath that tally up quick! [disclaimer: this wasn't after our call, I promise!] The trifecta of work and kids and at home are prime swearing territory. My 6 year old is the next worse offender because he is a jokester and loves to get his brothers giggling. What better way than to throw down a string of curse words? They reach levels of hysteria if parts of the anatomy are also used. Pretty much a state of chaos at all times within these walls, believe nothing less.
During dinner, we go around the table and each person talks about the highs and lows of their day. When my turn came around, I told them I was reading 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close', a book about a 9 year old's life before, during and after 9/11. "Oh, it must be really sad," said one of my sons. It does have sad parts, but mostly it's a story about searching and hope and change. And it has funny parts too. "What is funny about it?" [wait for it] [deep breath] "Succatash my Balzac, dipshiitake."
Mass hysteria ensued and I was their hero-of-the-moment. I took a victory lap.
Oh! The things you would see...
Oh! The things you would hear...though I'm certain the neighbors hear some of it yet, I pretend they don't and this makes me feel better.
In attempt to stop the occassional slip and drop an f-bomb or other curse word, my family has embraced substitute sayings instead - cheese and crackers, mother hubbard, fudge, and other such words and phrases. We have a Swear Jar and charge $0.25 for each offense, keeping a tally list on the fridge with payment due on the weekend. Though we all pay our dues, I am the worst offender. By far. I find this unfair as I spend more time with the kids and they push me to limits beyond my control. And I work from home - I occassionally hang up the phone and mutter an innocent "dumbass" under my breath that tally up quick! [disclaimer: this wasn't after our call, I promise!] The trifecta of work and kids and at home are prime swearing territory. My 6 year old is the next worse offender because he is a jokester and loves to get his brothers giggling. What better way than to throw down a string of curse words? They reach levels of hysteria if parts of the anatomy are also used. Pretty much a state of chaos at all times within these walls, believe nothing less.
During dinner, we go around the table and each person talks about the highs and lows of their day. When my turn came around, I told them I was reading 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close', a book about a 9 year old's life before, during and after 9/11. "Oh, it must be really sad," said one of my sons. It does have sad parts, but mostly it's a story about searching and hope and change. And it has funny parts too. "What is funny about it?" [wait for it] [deep breath] "Succatash my Balzac, dipshiitake."
Mass hysteria ensued and I was their hero-of-the-moment. I took a victory lap.
This phase quickly became overplayed by night's end and continued on. I, once again, created a monster.
Fighting fire with fire, the next night at dinner we had two mysteriously covered dishes on our dinner table. Unveiled, you guessed it - previously frozen and microwave heated succotash in one dish and stir fried shiitake mushrooms in the next. Served with it - a lesson in "if you're going to use the words, we're going to know what they mean."
Succotash is from the Narragansett Indian word msíckquatash, meaning "boiled corn kernels". Succotash is a food dish consisting primarily of corn and lima beans or other shell beans. Our version had corn, limas, red bell pepper and carrots.
Shiitake mushrooms are from East Asia - Japan, China and Korea. They are found on dead logs of evergreen trees that are similar to our beech and oak trees. Shiitake mushrooms have been cultivated for over 1,000 years.
Thankfully I roasted a chicken for them; otherwise they would have starved if these were their only dinner options! My children were not impressed or inspired.
I also enlightened them with some interesting facts about Honore de Balzac.
- 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850
- a French novelist and playwright.
- His magnum opus was a sequence of short stories and novels collectively entitled La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the 1815 fall of Napoleon
Two of my favorite Balzac quotes (www.brainyquote.com):
- "A man is a poor creature compared to a woman." (my daughter and I high-5'd after I read this one)
- "A mother who is really a mother is never free." (Truer words never spoken)
Not to be outdone, my mischievous 6 year old monster came prepared the next nights round and it was his turn to share his tale, his energy and excitement exuding from every pore. He started by telling us he knew how to spell WE. W-E. Good job. (where is he going with this?) Next, he breaks out a book he had stashed under his chair and shows us a picture of China. Very professor-like, he explains that China is a country where we get Chinese food and Chinese people. (of course.)
Why are we talking about China? I foolishly ask.
"Well," he smirks "Boys have Balzac and girls have We China."
Just another proud moment in my life.
Shiitake!!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Perfect Cook
I only watch TV when I fold laundry. I wash and fold by the mountain load, stockpiling so I have a solid hour if not more of folding time in order to keep up with Netflix. If I don't have enough time for a movie, I will watch Food Network. Yesterday I saw a commercial where this woman said "I am not a perfect cook, but [this product] will make me a perfect cook."
Perfect cook? Am I supposed to be striving for perfection? Missed that email.
I strive to cook with whole foods, minimizing the amount of or eliminating processed food.
I try to incorporate as much home grown vegetables and herbs from my garden as possible.
Mostly I strive to get a good meal on the table on time with a hope and a prayer that everyone in my family will like, no, not like, will just eat what's being served.
Are my attempts perfect? With a good belly laugh, no.
I'm messy, I improvise, I rush, I try new things that don't always work or taste good and some times the best laid food planning menu gets chucked in the trash and I stand in front of the pantry and fridge because I ran out of time or forgot to go to the market and I have no clue what to make for dinner. Banging my head against the pantry door and spouting an occassional Damn It! seems to help me think clearly in these instances.
Sometimes I will throw down a perfect meal (the kitchen will be a total disaster as a result), eveyone is eating, everyone is happy, no fits are being thrown because I'm obviously trying to poison them. In these rare moments, I sit back and bask in the glory. There will be no thanks given, no recognition or medals or cash rewards for my accomplishment. Just a mom doing what she set out to do - make a good healthy meal that everyone enjoys.
Comments like "the perfect cook" are why I don't spend my time watching television. True poison. Not watching TV makes me an idiot though as everytime someone says 30 Rock I get confused with 3rd Rock from the Sun. Dated and dumb. I've seen 30 Rock, I've read Bossypants, I get it. I just get confused. My husband just looks at me and shakes his head everytime I make this mistake and has asked that I stop saying making this comparison out loud - think it, don't say it.
Thankfully I've surrounded myself with those who have low expectations of me ever reaching perfection.
The bar is set for me firmly between Just Being Me and Keeping It Real.
Perfect cook? Am I supposed to be striving for perfection? Missed that email.
I strive to cook with whole foods, minimizing the amount of or eliminating processed food.
I try to incorporate as much home grown vegetables and herbs from my garden as possible.
Mostly I strive to get a good meal on the table on time with a hope and a prayer that everyone in my family will like, no, not like, will just eat what's being served.
Are my attempts perfect? With a good belly laugh, no.
I'm messy, I improvise, I rush, I try new things that don't always work or taste good and some times the best laid food planning menu gets chucked in the trash and I stand in front of the pantry and fridge because I ran out of time or forgot to go to the market and I have no clue what to make for dinner. Banging my head against the pantry door and spouting an occassional Damn It! seems to help me think clearly in these instances.
Sometimes I will throw down a perfect meal (the kitchen will be a total disaster as a result), eveyone is eating, everyone is happy, no fits are being thrown because I'm obviously trying to poison them. In these rare moments, I sit back and bask in the glory. There will be no thanks given, no recognition or medals or cash rewards for my accomplishment. Just a mom doing what she set out to do - make a good healthy meal that everyone enjoys.
Comments like "the perfect cook" are why I don't spend my time watching television. True poison. Not watching TV makes me an idiot though as everytime someone says 30 Rock I get confused with 3rd Rock from the Sun. Dated and dumb. I've seen 30 Rock, I've read Bossypants, I get it. I just get confused. My husband just looks at me and shakes his head everytime I make this mistake and has asked that I stop saying making this comparison out loud - think it, don't say it.
Thankfully I've surrounded myself with those who have low expectations of me ever reaching perfection.
The bar is set for me firmly between Just Being Me and Keeping It Real.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Road Trip: San Luis Obispo
On a recent work trip to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to recruit architecture students, I stopped in at one of my favorite local restaurants, Firestone Grill. Entering off the street, you cross the patio with three outdoor fireplaces as you head to the order taker inside the restaurant, you already smell the delicious barbecue on the grill. It wasn't until I stood in line looking up at the menu on the wall that I realized, in my relatively new pescatarian state, that I would not be ordering my favorite, "The Pig", a shredded bbq pork sandwich that is one of the best I've ever had.
This sudden realization was the first time in 20 days that I had been challenged by really wanting to eat meat over sticking to my decision to not eat meat. With the air thick with bbq aromas and knowing that The Pig is a great sandwich, it was not an easy decision. With a sigh, I ordered the Veggie Avocado sandwich and a pint of Firestone DBA. My friend did not. She ordered The Pig without hesitation. Not only did I have to forego eating The Pig, I had to sit and watch someone else eat it!
Luckily we were able split a basket of awesome onion rings and fries to help suffer the loss!
(note: I typed this post on 1/22 but forgot to publish it.)
This sudden realization was the first time in 20 days that I had been challenged by really wanting to eat meat over sticking to my decision to not eat meat. With the air thick with bbq aromas and knowing that The Pig is a great sandwich, it was not an easy decision. With a sigh, I ordered the Veggie Avocado sandwich and a pint of Firestone DBA. My friend did not. She ordered The Pig without hesitation. Not only did I have to forego eating The Pig, I had to sit and watch someone else eat it!
Luckily we were able split a basket of awesome onion rings and fries to help suffer the loss!
(note: I typed this post on 1/22 but forgot to publish it.)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Week 1 Reflection
10 days down, we're going strong as Ovo Lacto Pescatarians. My menu planning was too aggressive and we had more food than we could possibly eat at the start. After a couple of days, we dialed back the menu and figured out what works and what doesn't. What works is keeping it simple.
We have always been big fruit and veggie eaters, but now - wow - we are seriously going through groceries! I'm finding myself at the market more often, which doesn't work I need to fine tune my planning and shopping, which is shocking to say. I am a master planner. My warranty is going out on so many other working parts of me, it isn't that surprising that my planning capability needs some fine tuning too. Good thing all my warranty items can be fixed!
Except the two bites of steak my husband had after being tortured by the fabulous smell while grilling steaks for our son's birthday dinner of choice - remember the kids are are still omnivorous. He later declared the steak was good but it wasn't worth eating. Instead of steak, we ate Halibut with Pineapple Avocado Salsa, an Everyday Food magazine recipe (Jan/Feb 2012) that was fabulous.
If you've tried my Bean and Cheese Burritos, try the sauce on Huevos Rancheros with black beans and poached eggs. Salmon with potatoes and kale rate high as did the mushroom, barley and zucchini soup.
Part of the fun, and confusion in planning, is the number of new recipes we are trying. Our favorite new recipe is eggplant baked with lentils and tomatoes. The black bean soup was mediocre at best and will not be on future menus.
The dinners ahead include cheese ravioli with marinara, bell peppers with corn filling and chili rice, vegetable and tofu pad thai, warm quinoa salad with shrimp and asparagus and grilled veggie pita pizzas.
Do I notice anything different with changing our diet? I don't miss meat. The kids are trying new foods and seem to enjoy what will be put on the table next. Our youngest thinks we're out to torture him...perhaps we are. Our 8 year old has decided he doesn't want to eat meat, just bacon and ham. Our 11 year old wants meat only meals and can his friends come over? Our 17 year old daughter who has been griping about eating meat forever was excited initially over our new eating plan. She lasted two days. She caved for chicken chow mein. My body composition is changing, definitely not eating the amount of fat as before. I have lost a few pounds (in my elbows - nowhere noticeable).
So far, so good. How are you doing on your resolutions? Any diet or lifestyle modifications?
I'm motivated and inspired by the responses and reactions I receive to my blog posts. Let me know your comments and thoughts - even the tongue in cheek comments by those of you who think dried beans are for art projects. I love a good laugh. Thanks!
We have always been big fruit and veggie eaters, but now - wow - we are seriously going through groceries! I'm finding myself at the market more often, which doesn't work I need to fine tune my planning and shopping, which is shocking to say. I am a master planner. My warranty is going out on so many other working parts of me, it isn't that surprising that my planning capability needs some fine tuning too. Good thing all my warranty items can be fixed!
Except the two bites of steak my husband had after being tortured by the fabulous smell while grilling steaks for our son's birthday dinner of choice - remember the kids are are still omnivorous. He later declared the steak was good but it wasn't worth eating. Instead of steak, we ate Halibut with Pineapple Avocado Salsa, an Everyday Food magazine recipe (Jan/Feb 2012) that was fabulous.
If you've tried my Bean and Cheese Burritos, try the sauce on Huevos Rancheros with black beans and poached eggs. Salmon with potatoes and kale rate high as did the mushroom, barley and zucchini soup.
Part of the fun, and confusion in planning, is the number of new recipes we are trying. Our favorite new recipe is eggplant baked with lentils and tomatoes. The black bean soup was mediocre at best and will not be on future menus.
The dinners ahead include cheese ravioli with marinara, bell peppers with corn filling and chili rice, vegetable and tofu pad thai, warm quinoa salad with shrimp and asparagus and grilled veggie pita pizzas.
Do I notice anything different with changing our diet? I don't miss meat. The kids are trying new foods and seem to enjoy what will be put on the table next. Our youngest thinks we're out to torture him...perhaps we are. Our 8 year old has decided he doesn't want to eat meat, just bacon and ham. Our 11 year old wants meat only meals and can his friends come over? Our 17 year old daughter who has been griping about eating meat forever was excited initially over our new eating plan. She lasted two days. She caved for chicken chow mein. My body composition is changing, definitely not eating the amount of fat as before. I have lost a few pounds (in my elbows - nowhere noticeable).
So far, so good. How are you doing on your resolutions? Any diet or lifestyle modifications?
I'm motivated and inspired by the responses and reactions I receive to my blog posts. Let me know your comments and thoughts - even the tongue in cheek comments by those of you who think dried beans are for art projects. I love a good laugh. Thanks!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Bean & Cheese Burritos: By Request
When I'm winning the "mean mom" award of the week from my kids, I remind them that I'm not trying to win any popularity contests. I am their mom for the love of the game, in good times and bad.
This is my same philosophy with cooking. I don't plan and prepare meals to win popularity contests, I plan and prepare meals to be as healthy and consciencious as possible. Sometimes I get lucky and everyone likes what I cook too!
One family favorite is Bean and Cheese Burritos. I make the burritos in bulk and freeze for later.
I was telling a friend about the burritos and how my youngest has eaten 8+ this week alone. I received an email from another friend whose daughter was listening in on my conversation and went home and told her! Word of mouth marketing at its best!
Here is my Bean and Cheese Burrito recipe that your family will tell their freinds, who will tell their friends, and their friends...and their friends!
Makes 30-35 burritos based on how big you want your burritos.
5 lbs dry pinto beans
Put beans in large pot - I use a 10L stock pot. Fill pan with water. Soak beans overnight - at least 12 hours. Drain beans. Put back in pot.
Add water to cover 2" higher than beans. Bring to boil. Cover. Cook for 2 hours. Beans should be soft.
Add:
3 onions, chopped
2 T. granulated garlic
4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 T. salt
2 T. chili powder
2 tsp. oregano
1 bay leaf
Cook for 1 hour.
To make the burritos:
30+ flour tortillas. I use Mission Large Burrito size, 16 to a pack
Cheese. I use 3 bags of Trader Joes Mexican Blend shredded cheese. Yes, I'll spend 3 hours making beans but I'm too lazy to shred my own cheese combination.
Warm entire package of tortillas in the microwave 1 minute to soften and make folding easier.
One tortilla at a time, add a scoop or two of beans - eyeball it - whatever looks good for your family. Top with a handful of cheese, again, eyeball it.
Fold in sides of burrito and roll up from front to back. Ole - a burrito!
Wrap in foil, put in freezer bag. Freeze. I usually freeze 5-6 per bag.
You will have a freezer full in no time. These burritos make great after school snacks, quick before or after sport meals and are incredibly inexpensive.
To reheat, unwrap foil. Put on plate. Put in microwave. Cook for 2 minutes, turn burrito over. Cook for 2 more minutes. We have a reheat button on our microwave that does the job, we don't bother with flipping. Work with what you've got.
The fun is not over yet. Know me well enough to know that I don't slap a burrito on a plate and call it a meal. I top the burrito with steamed vegetables - cabbage, yam, zucchini, and onion is a great start - and ranchero sauce...and avocado and maybe a bit of sour cream too.
Ranchero Sauce:
1 onion, chopped small
4 1/2 c. water
Bring to boil. Cook onion until tender.
Add:
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. granulated garlic
Cook for 2 minutes.
To thicken sauce, mix together:
1/4 c. cornstarch
2 T. whole wheat flour (you can use regular white flour, just use less)
add enough water to make thin paste
Add paste to pan, stirring constantly.
Allow sauce to cook over low heat for 10 minutes to thicken.
Layer it up! Burrito - Steamed Veggies - Ranchero Sauce - Avocado - Sour Cream.
FABULOUS!
This is one of my family's absolute favorite meals. I hope it becomes your family's favorite too!
Enjoy!
This is my same philosophy with cooking. I don't plan and prepare meals to win popularity contests, I plan and prepare meals to be as healthy and consciencious as possible. Sometimes I get lucky and everyone likes what I cook too!
One family favorite is Bean and Cheese Burritos. I make the burritos in bulk and freeze for later.
I was telling a friend about the burritos and how my youngest has eaten 8+ this week alone. I received an email from another friend whose daughter was listening in on my conversation and went home and told her! Word of mouth marketing at its best!
Here is my Bean and Cheese Burrito recipe that your family will tell their freinds, who will tell their friends, and their friends...and their friends!
Makes 30-35 burritos based on how big you want your burritos.
5 lbs dry pinto beans
Put beans in large pot - I use a 10L stock pot. Fill pan with water. Soak beans overnight - at least 12 hours. Drain beans. Put back in pot.
Add water to cover 2" higher than beans. Bring to boil. Cover. Cook for 2 hours. Beans should be soft.
Add:
3 onions, chopped
2 T. granulated garlic
4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 T. salt
2 T. chili powder
2 tsp. oregano
1 bay leaf
Cook for 1 hour.
To make the burritos:
30+ flour tortillas. I use Mission Large Burrito size, 16 to a pack
Cheese. I use 3 bags of Trader Joes Mexican Blend shredded cheese. Yes, I'll spend 3 hours making beans but I'm too lazy to shred my own cheese combination.
Warm entire package of tortillas in the microwave 1 minute to soften and make folding easier.
One tortilla at a time, add a scoop or two of beans - eyeball it - whatever looks good for your family. Top with a handful of cheese, again, eyeball it.
Fold in sides of burrito and roll up from front to back. Ole - a burrito!
Wrap in foil, put in freezer bag. Freeze. I usually freeze 5-6 per bag.
You will have a freezer full in no time. These burritos make great after school snacks, quick before or after sport meals and are incredibly inexpensive.
To reheat, unwrap foil. Put on plate. Put in microwave. Cook for 2 minutes, turn burrito over. Cook for 2 more minutes. We have a reheat button on our microwave that does the job, we don't bother with flipping. Work with what you've got.
The fun is not over yet. Know me well enough to know that I don't slap a burrito on a plate and call it a meal. I top the burrito with steamed vegetables - cabbage, yam, zucchini, and onion is a great start - and ranchero sauce...and avocado and maybe a bit of sour cream too.
Ranchero Sauce:
1 onion, chopped small
4 1/2 c. water
Bring to boil. Cook onion until tender.
Add:
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. granulated garlic
Cook for 2 minutes.
To thicken sauce, mix together:
1/4 c. cornstarch
2 T. whole wheat flour (you can use regular white flour, just use less)
add enough water to make thin paste
Add paste to pan, stirring constantly.
Allow sauce to cook over low heat for 10 minutes to thicken.
Layer it up! Burrito - Steamed Veggies - Ranchero Sauce - Avocado - Sour Cream.
FABULOUS!
This is one of my family's absolute favorite meals. I hope it becomes your family's favorite too!
Enjoy!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
A New Year, A New Plan
During my work holiday party, a colleague and I were discussing how we planned to change our diets with the new year. She's going vegan and I reported my husband and I are going vegetarian but eating eggs, dairy and fish. Both knowing there is a moniker for such eating, but both unable to remember the name, I did a google search when I got home. "What is a vegetarian that eats fish?" Yahoo Answers gave me many options but the funniest was "A liar." We are, it turns out, becoming Ovo-Lacto Pescatarians or vegetarians that eat eggs, dairy and fish.
Basically, we're eating everything but not poultry, pork, beef or other animal meat. We have agreed to try it for 30 days and see if it's manageable with our house and lives. If so, we'll continue. If not, we won't die trying. The kids will remain omnivores (with an accent on the carnivore) but will increase their fish and reduce their overall sugar and wheat intake.
Our new menu is 4 days Ovo-Lacto Vegetarain with 3 days Ovo-Lacto Pescatarian. I love my new vocab words.
Seven "essential", "ultimate" and "complete" vegetarian cookbooks are on my shelf. All the authors agree that the best vegetarian diet is a balanced diet that provides enough protein. So how much protein do we need? I found a great protein calculator at http://www.healthcalculators.org/ which, based on our age, height and activity level, said I need 72 g of protein and my husband needs 92 g of protein. How many beans am I going to have to eat? Maybe I should retitle this post "Beans Beans the Magical Fruit..."
Typically when I plan a menu, I focus on dinner only. Since eating ovo-lacto-vegetarian/pescatarian requires paying attention to a balanced menu, I have to raise the bar. I can no loger worry what's on my hot buttered toast or slap some turkey on bread and call it lunch. So I've planned 93 meals for the month, and it wasn't easy. Plus some desserts with reduced sugar and fat. I was on a roll. I have no idea what the kids are eating for half the month, but I have pinto beans soaking and plan to make 30 bean and cheese burritos on New Years Day. They won't starve. I don't think we will either.
We are being more conscientious eaters. Call me vegetarian or pescatarian or ovo-lacto whatever, just don't call me a liar.
To your health! Happy New Year!
Basically, we're eating everything but not poultry, pork, beef or other animal meat. We have agreed to try it for 30 days and see if it's manageable with our house and lives. If so, we'll continue. If not, we won't die trying. The kids will remain omnivores (with an accent on the carnivore) but will increase their fish and reduce their overall sugar and wheat intake.
Our new menu is 4 days Ovo-Lacto Vegetarain with 3 days Ovo-Lacto Pescatarian. I love my new vocab words.
Seven "essential", "ultimate" and "complete" vegetarian cookbooks are on my shelf. All the authors agree that the best vegetarian diet is a balanced diet that provides enough protein. So how much protein do we need? I found a great protein calculator at http://www.healthcalculators.org/ which, based on our age, height and activity level, said I need 72 g of protein and my husband needs 92 g of protein. How many beans am I going to have to eat? Maybe I should retitle this post "Beans Beans the Magical Fruit..."
Typically when I plan a menu, I focus on dinner only. Since eating ovo-lacto-vegetarian/pescatarian requires paying attention to a balanced menu, I have to raise the bar. I can no loger worry what's on my hot buttered toast or slap some turkey on bread and call it lunch. So I've planned 93 meals for the month, and it wasn't easy. Plus some desserts with reduced sugar and fat. I was on a roll. I have no idea what the kids are eating for half the month, but I have pinto beans soaking and plan to make 30 bean and cheese burritos on New Years Day. They won't starve. I don't think we will either.
We are being more conscientious eaters. Call me vegetarian or pescatarian or ovo-lacto whatever, just don't call me a liar.
To your health! Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
C is for Christmas Cookie, Candy and Clementines
The letter of the season is C.
C is for Christmas, Cookie, Candy and Clementines.
Yes, Clementines. As in tangerines...that start with a C. I could have gone with Citrus or Cutie.
I give gifts of food at Christmas. I'm a better Cooker than a shopper by far.
With Citrus in season, I am adding Tangerine Marmalade to my gift giving and personal stash. My family LOVES tangerines. We easily go through 15-20 lbs a month. As I type this and think about the math do I realize I need to add 'plant a tangerine tree' to my to do list!
Giving marmalade is new for Christmas. Our tradition is to give cookie plates with a variety of cookies and candies. Typically we make 12 different types of cookies. This year, I can't seem to shorten the list lower than 14. To be fair, 12 cookies, 2 candies. We give around 20 plates of cookies every year.
I'm going to use this recipe for my marmalade, looks good, sounds easy:
http://dorisandjillycook.com/2009/12/16/tangerine-marmalade/
The cookie list is made. The shopping list is ready to go. I need to get busy.
The cookie list:
Chocolate Marshmallow Clouds (Mrs. Fields recipe, the boys love these)
Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread (Martha Stewart recipe, my favorite)
Sugar Cookies (Martha Stewart recipe, the best sugar cookie recipe, hands down)
Anise Almond Biscotti (Martha again)
Cinnamon Maple Rings (Mrs. Fields cookbook recipe, my daughter's favorite)
Peppermint Meringues (12/2011 cover of Bon Appetit recipe, my 7 year old loves meringues, when he saw the cover, we had to add these to the list)
Slice and Bake Lemon Cookies (another 12/11 Bon Appetit recipe, this looks easy - replacing the tried and true lemon bar)
Baklava (http://www.grouprecipes.com/2307/best-baklava.html but I remove the lemon and add rose water)
Cranberry Noels (Martha again, a new addition)
Gingerbread men (Martha again, I love gingerbread. I decorate with lemon frosting....yummy)
Almond Crescents (Martha again, another newbie)
Hrostule - Croatian cookie - tastes like funnel cake - (Around our World, Around our Town San Pedro Cookbook, this is my husband's traditional holiday cookie. Its tricky but worth it.)
Fudge (I'm an Alton Brown fan - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-fudge-recipe/index.html)
Buckeyes - I'm from Ohio, hello. My cousin Heather's recipe.
Here's the thing. My mom sends us a box of cookies that she's baking so I can't make the same ones. Luckily for my decision making process, she has made the same ones for years. I like to change up my list. We both make the sugar cut outs, we love to decorate them with sanding sugars.
My cookie list isn't randomly selected. There is a balanced plan. Fruit (cranberry and lemon), spice (2 gingerbread, cinnamon), chocolate (clouds, fudge, gingerbread, buckeyes), nuts (baklava, crescents), anise (biscotti), peppermint (meringues) and sugar (hrostule and cut outs). A little heavy on the chocolate, I realize. No complaints here.
Can you tell I'm a Martha Stewart fan? Her recipes, though labor intensive sometimes, are consistently great. My kids love the Mrs. Fields cookbook that I have. A picture for every recipe. They want them all.
For a cookie to make the list is one thing, to remain on the list year after year, it has to be one special cookie.
I love giving and recieving food as gifts. In my cul de sac, we receive homemade tamales, home grown oranges and lemons and hand rolled sushi from our neighbors! The first year we recieved the sushi plate, the look on my boys faces was priceless! You could read their minds - wait, I just gave up my cookies for fish and seaweed? To their credit, they ate it and loved it! Now the challenge is to make sure we all get our fair share!
Let the baking and gift giving begin! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from my kitchen to yours.
C is for Christmas, Cookie, Candy and Clementines.
Yes, Clementines. As in tangerines...that start with a C. I could have gone with Citrus or Cutie.
I give gifts of food at Christmas. I'm a better Cooker than a shopper by far.
With Citrus in season, I am adding Tangerine Marmalade to my gift giving and personal stash. My family LOVES tangerines. We easily go through 15-20 lbs a month. As I type this and think about the math do I realize I need to add 'plant a tangerine tree' to my to do list!
Giving marmalade is new for Christmas. Our tradition is to give cookie plates with a variety of cookies and candies. Typically we make 12 different types of cookies. This year, I can't seem to shorten the list lower than 14. To be fair, 12 cookies, 2 candies. We give around 20 plates of cookies every year.
I'm going to use this recipe for my marmalade, looks good, sounds easy:
http://dorisandjillycook.com/2009/12/16/tangerine-marmalade/
The cookie list is made. The shopping list is ready to go. I need to get busy.
The cookie list:
Chocolate Marshmallow Clouds (Mrs. Fields recipe, the boys love these)
Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread (Martha Stewart recipe, my favorite)
Sugar Cookies (Martha Stewart recipe, the best sugar cookie recipe, hands down)
Anise Almond Biscotti (Martha again)
Cinnamon Maple Rings (Mrs. Fields cookbook recipe, my daughter's favorite)
Peppermint Meringues (12/2011 cover of Bon Appetit recipe, my 7 year old loves meringues, when he saw the cover, we had to add these to the list)
Slice and Bake Lemon Cookies (another 12/11 Bon Appetit recipe, this looks easy - replacing the tried and true lemon bar)
Baklava (http://www.grouprecipes.com/2307/best-baklava.html but I remove the lemon and add rose water)
Cranberry Noels (Martha again, a new addition)
Gingerbread men (Martha again, I love gingerbread. I decorate with lemon frosting....yummy)
Almond Crescents (Martha again, another newbie)
Hrostule - Croatian cookie - tastes like funnel cake - (Around our World, Around our Town San Pedro Cookbook, this is my husband's traditional holiday cookie. Its tricky but worth it.)
Fudge (I'm an Alton Brown fan - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-fudge-recipe/index.html)
Buckeyes - I'm from Ohio, hello. My cousin Heather's recipe.
Here's the thing. My mom sends us a box of cookies that she's baking so I can't make the same ones. Luckily for my decision making process, she has made the same ones for years. I like to change up my list. We both make the sugar cut outs, we love to decorate them with sanding sugars.
My cookie list isn't randomly selected. There is a balanced plan. Fruit (cranberry and lemon), spice (2 gingerbread, cinnamon), chocolate (clouds, fudge, gingerbread, buckeyes), nuts (baklava, crescents), anise (biscotti), peppermint (meringues) and sugar (hrostule and cut outs). A little heavy on the chocolate, I realize. No complaints here.
Can you tell I'm a Martha Stewart fan? Her recipes, though labor intensive sometimes, are consistently great. My kids love the Mrs. Fields cookbook that I have. A picture for every recipe. They want them all.
For a cookie to make the list is one thing, to remain on the list year after year, it has to be one special cookie.
I love giving and recieving food as gifts. In my cul de sac, we receive homemade tamales, home grown oranges and lemons and hand rolled sushi from our neighbors! The first year we recieved the sushi plate, the look on my boys faces was priceless! You could read their minds - wait, I just gave up my cookies for fish and seaweed? To their credit, they ate it and loved it! Now the challenge is to make sure we all get our fair share!
Let the baking and gift giving begin! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from my kitchen to yours.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Humble Times
Since my daughter got her driver's license, I no longer omit ingredients from recipes or don't make a recipe because I don't have all the ingredients. My daughter is my errand runner and shopper. It's a win-win, she gets out of the house and gets to drive with her radio blasting and I accomplish tasks without leaving the house.
This all sounds awesome and great until I realized the importance of explicit communication. Remember that game we played when we were young - a sentence is told to the first person who has to memorize it and whisper it to the next person and so on until the final person repeats what they heard - which is never exactly what was said in the beginning.
Here's our mother-teenage daughter version of the game. I needed cilantro. (I usually have it in my garden but it wasn't doing well, so I pulled it and hadn't planted any new seeds.) I sent my daughter to the store. I wrote cilantro on the list along with a couple of other basic items. From the store, my daughter texts me "cilantro leaves"? Yes, I reply, thinking the grocer got fancy with his signage.
When she got home, she handed me the receipt and started putting the groceries away. I noticed on the receipt that she paid $7.19 for cilantro. WHAT?!?! How much cilantro did she buy (typically it's $.39 a bunch)? She hands me the glass jar of "dried cilantro leaves".
I didn't say Fresh Cilantro. I didn't say Cilantro in the Produce section. I said Cilantro and she went to the baking aisle and grabbed the spice jar. Who would havwe thought?
The cilantro story happened a few months ago. Two weeks ago I had foot surgery that has limited me drastically - no driving, no walking any great distance, only being up in 15 minute increments. I'm down. I thought of this incident as I was making my Thanksgiving shopping list, realizing that I couldn't be that specific on that many items and have my daughter or (sigh) my husband, do the shopping for me. I had to go. But how?
The answer: use the motorized cart.
My daughter drove me to the store and dutifully pushed the cart behind me as I sunk into the seat and motored ever so slowly through the store. We made it through and bought everything we needed for our fest. I didn't run anyone over, people were courteous and lots of people had "I know the feeling" stories to share. Yet the more time we spent in the market, my head was down, I was slightly embarrassed and humbled by this experience, I won't be riding in the motorized cart anytime soon.
Slowing down, paying attention, being organized and being specific has it's rewards - our groceries subtotal was $197.81 - by slowing down, paying attention, being organized and being specific - I reduced by bill by $79.67 with card, coupons and bonus coupons! Whoop!
The motorized cart helped me with the shopping, but it isn't going to get the feast on the table in my limited condition. I need to come up with that plan...but that is for the next posting.
This all sounds awesome and great until I realized the importance of explicit communication. Remember that game we played when we were young - a sentence is told to the first person who has to memorize it and whisper it to the next person and so on until the final person repeats what they heard - which is never exactly what was said in the beginning.
Here's our mother-teenage daughter version of the game. I needed cilantro. (I usually have it in my garden but it wasn't doing well, so I pulled it and hadn't planted any new seeds.) I sent my daughter to the store. I wrote cilantro on the list along with a couple of other basic items. From the store, my daughter texts me "cilantro leaves"? Yes, I reply, thinking the grocer got fancy with his signage.
When she got home, she handed me the receipt and started putting the groceries away. I noticed on the receipt that she paid $7.19 for cilantro. WHAT?!?! How much cilantro did she buy (typically it's $.39 a bunch)? She hands me the glass jar of "dried cilantro leaves".
I didn't say Fresh Cilantro. I didn't say Cilantro in the Produce section. I said Cilantro and she went to the baking aisle and grabbed the spice jar. Who would havwe thought?
The cilantro story happened a few months ago. Two weeks ago I had foot surgery that has limited me drastically - no driving, no walking any great distance, only being up in 15 minute increments. I'm down. I thought of this incident as I was making my Thanksgiving shopping list, realizing that I couldn't be that specific on that many items and have my daughter or (sigh) my husband, do the shopping for me. I had to go. But how?
The answer: use the motorized cart.
My daughter drove me to the store and dutifully pushed the cart behind me as I sunk into the seat and motored ever so slowly through the store. We made it through and bought everything we needed for our fest. I didn't run anyone over, people were courteous and lots of people had "I know the feeling" stories to share. Yet the more time we spent in the market, my head was down, I was slightly embarrassed and humbled by this experience, I won't be riding in the motorized cart anytime soon.
Slowing down, paying attention, being organized and being specific has it's rewards - our groceries subtotal was $197.81 - by slowing down, paying attention, being organized and being specific - I reduced by bill by $79.67 with card, coupons and bonus coupons! Whoop!
The motorized cart helped me with the shopping, but it isn't going to get the feast on the table in my limited condition. I need to come up with that plan...but that is for the next posting.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Homage to Potage: The end is closer than you thought
Our youngest, age 6, asked when soup was once again was served for dinner, "are you trying to kill us?" With soup. Yes. Call CPS now, this is my weapon of choice. Sign that boy up with a theater troupe. Sheesh.
Day 9: Lentil Vegetable Soup. Another Spot vegetarian restaurant recipe that has graced our table many many times. Lentils are fast cooking beans, no need to soak, just through them in a pot of water and shazam, soup. The veggie combination varies but typically has onion, carrot, celery, yam, potatoes, broccoli and zucchini. Sometimes I puree the soup, sometimes not. The kids prefer it pureed. Me, not so much. I always serve cornbread with lentil soup.
A word on cornbread. The best cornbread recipe is on the side of the box of Albers cornmeal - not their cornbread recipe on the back of the box but the sweet corn muffin recipe on the side of the box. I modify the recipe to reduce the sugar the recipe calls for and I add a can of corn. I never make corn muffins. I bake the entire recipe in a cast iron skillet or 9 x 13 pan.
That's it. No more soup. Not entirely. I've had foot surgery and stocked my fridge and freezer with my favorites, chicken vegetable soup and vegetarian split pea. I also stocked the fridge and freezer with family friendly easy to re-heat meals while I'm laid up for a few weeks.
My 30 day soup plan didn't work out but it was fun while it lasted.
The best part - hearing from you that my silly homage inspired you to make soup.
Thanks for reading my blog and enjoying soup!
Day 9: Lentil Vegetable Soup. Another Spot vegetarian restaurant recipe that has graced our table many many times. Lentils are fast cooking beans, no need to soak, just through them in a pot of water and shazam, soup. The veggie combination varies but typically has onion, carrot, celery, yam, potatoes, broccoli and zucchini. Sometimes I puree the soup, sometimes not. The kids prefer it pureed. Me, not so much. I always serve cornbread with lentil soup.
A word on cornbread. The best cornbread recipe is on the side of the box of Albers cornmeal - not their cornbread recipe on the back of the box but the sweet corn muffin recipe on the side of the box. I modify the recipe to reduce the sugar the recipe calls for and I add a can of corn. I never make corn muffins. I bake the entire recipe in a cast iron skillet or 9 x 13 pan.
That's it. No more soup. Not entirely. I've had foot surgery and stocked my fridge and freezer with my favorites, chicken vegetable soup and vegetarian split pea. I also stocked the fridge and freezer with family friendly easy to re-heat meals while I'm laid up for a few weeks.
My 30 day soup plan didn't work out but it was fun while it lasted.
The best part - hearing from you that my silly homage inspired you to make soup.
Thanks for reading my blog and enjoying soup!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Homage to Potage: A Month of Soup: Days 4 - 8
Beautiful soup, so rich and green.
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful soup!
Lewis Carroll
Alice in Wonderland
We're still eating soup! We had a couple of detours but we're back on track with 30 days of soup.
Day 4: Spicy Black Bean
Chipotles in adobo sauce is one of my favorite canned goods. Chipotles are smoked red jalapeno peppers in a sauce of ancho chiles, tomato sauce, spices and vinegar. This very basic and delicious Spicy Black Bean soup recipe came from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook. Along with chipotles in adobo sauce, the recipe also includes cocoa powder and orange juice. We topped the soup with avocado and fresh cilantro. Quesadillas on the side. In a word, yum.
Day 5: Tortellini Soup
Tortellini soup is an old standby - super fast and easy and everyone loves it. I freeze my chicken broth in ziploc bags with 4 or 8 cups of broth, labelled and dated of course. For this soup, I use 8 cups of broth, a package of tortellini (I usually keep a package in the freezer for just such emergency meals) and either arugula or spinach - I used arugula since my garden apparently loves to grow arugula. Heat it all up, add some freshly shredded parmesan and call it a meal.
Day 6: Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Soup.
This turned out to be Roasted Ratatouille Soup. See my earlier post on ratatouille. My husband declared he was done with vegetable soups and we had to move on. I love ratatouille and loved this soup. I was alone. Frozen pizza saved the lot of them. The next morning I strained the broth and ate it in an omelette! Fabulous.
Stop. Detour. I had to sew Halloween costumes. Burgers out and a trip to the movies for the rest of them! I think I had wine for dinner. Is there a wine soup? Does wine count? Worked Saturday night for me!
Day 7: Chicken Pot Pie Soup
This is really Chicken Chowder but the kids think it tastes like Pot Pie so that's what I call it. I made a roux instead of using milk or cream as you normally would in a chowder. Nobody noticed. They ate it and liked it. What more could a momma want?
Stop. Detour. Halloween. We picked up Flame Broiler.
Day 8: Vegetarian Split Pea.
I do not eat ham in soup. Bacon, yes. Ham, no. The smell of a ham bone boiling in a pot is enough to make me gag. Eat it, no. My split pea soup recipe comes from The Spot Vegetarian Restaurant in Hermosa Beach. I love The Spot and this soup is my all time favorite. Onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, broccoli, yam, soy sauce, Braggs aminos and split peas. Simple, easy and delicious. I wished I had made some good brown bread (or even bought some). After all the candy I ate today, it's best we had no bread. The kids are completely over soup. Even my 17 year old groaned when I told her it was split pea night. They had sloppy joe's straight from the land of Manwich. From The Spot to Manwich all in one night, for shame.
Interesting facts:
My family isn't complaining about the random meals I'm serving. Interesting. I'm realizing it really doesn't matter what I serve for dinner as long as they like it. They don't care if it's healthy or thought out or made with love. I may trade in the dining table for a trough.
Soup is good for you. Shhhh, don't tell anyone. Really, it is. All of my soups have at least 6 vegetables. Soup hides vegetables so easy, especially if you blend the soup. Poof, like magic, you can't see the vegetables, the soup tastes delicious and my kids eat it. I eat it too. The best part for me, I've lost 4 lbs. Woo! Very exciting. For the most part I'm only eating soup, not the random meals I'm making for the kids. Simple diet solutions. Eat healthy, small portions, staying on track. I'm not doing this all day, just at dinner. Who am I to question the who, the how, the whats and the whys....soup works!
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful soup!
Lewis Carroll
Alice in Wonderland
We're still eating soup! We had a couple of detours but we're back on track with 30 days of soup.
Day 4: Spicy Black Bean
Chipotles in adobo sauce is one of my favorite canned goods. Chipotles are smoked red jalapeno peppers in a sauce of ancho chiles, tomato sauce, spices and vinegar. This very basic and delicious Spicy Black Bean soup recipe came from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook. Along with chipotles in adobo sauce, the recipe also includes cocoa powder and orange juice. We topped the soup with avocado and fresh cilantro. Quesadillas on the side. In a word, yum.
Day 5: Tortellini Soup
Tortellini soup is an old standby - super fast and easy and everyone loves it. I freeze my chicken broth in ziploc bags with 4 or 8 cups of broth, labelled and dated of course. For this soup, I use 8 cups of broth, a package of tortellini (I usually keep a package in the freezer for just such emergency meals) and either arugula or spinach - I used arugula since my garden apparently loves to grow arugula. Heat it all up, add some freshly shredded parmesan and call it a meal.
Day 6: Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Soup.
This turned out to be Roasted Ratatouille Soup. See my earlier post on ratatouille. My husband declared he was done with vegetable soups and we had to move on. I love ratatouille and loved this soup. I was alone. Frozen pizza saved the lot of them. The next morning I strained the broth and ate it in an omelette! Fabulous.
Stop. Detour. I had to sew Halloween costumes. Burgers out and a trip to the movies for the rest of them! I think I had wine for dinner. Is there a wine soup? Does wine count? Worked Saturday night for me!
Day 7: Chicken Pot Pie Soup
This is really Chicken Chowder but the kids think it tastes like Pot Pie so that's what I call it. I made a roux instead of using milk or cream as you normally would in a chowder. Nobody noticed. They ate it and liked it. What more could a momma want?
Stop. Detour. Halloween. We picked up Flame Broiler.
Day 8: Vegetarian Split Pea.
I do not eat ham in soup. Bacon, yes. Ham, no. The smell of a ham bone boiling in a pot is enough to make me gag. Eat it, no. My split pea soup recipe comes from The Spot Vegetarian Restaurant in Hermosa Beach. I love The Spot and this soup is my all time favorite. Onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, broccoli, yam, soy sauce, Braggs aminos and split peas. Simple, easy and delicious. I wished I had made some good brown bread (or even bought some). After all the candy I ate today, it's best we had no bread. The kids are completely over soup. Even my 17 year old groaned when I told her it was split pea night. They had sloppy joe's straight from the land of Manwich. From The Spot to Manwich all in one night, for shame.
Interesting facts:
My family isn't complaining about the random meals I'm serving. Interesting. I'm realizing it really doesn't matter what I serve for dinner as long as they like it. They don't care if it's healthy or thought out or made with love. I may trade in the dining table for a trough.
Soup is good for you. Shhhh, don't tell anyone. Really, it is. All of my soups have at least 6 vegetables. Soup hides vegetables so easy, especially if you blend the soup. Poof, like magic, you can't see the vegetables, the soup tastes delicious and my kids eat it. I eat it too. The best part for me, I've lost 4 lbs. Woo! Very exciting. For the most part I'm only eating soup, not the random meals I'm making for the kids. Simple diet solutions. Eat healthy, small portions, staying on track. I'm not doing this all day, just at dinner. Who am I to question the who, the how, the whats and the whys....soup works!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Homage to Potage: Soup's On!
Soup is delicious
Soup is nutritious
Soup can light the inner fire
Soup can be hot or cold,
thick or thin.
Soup is healthy,
light and stimulating -
agreeing with almost everyone."
Bernard Clayton, Jr.
The Complete Book of Soups and Stews
Soup. I love soup. I love soup more since reading somewhere that if you eat soup you consume less calories than you would eating a full meal, yet walk away fully satisfied. Make sense, sounds good. I want soup!
My family eats soup every week as part of our normal routine. Cold soups in the summer and hearty stews in the winter. Spring and Fall bring out the best soups. Squashes and root vegetables are a welcome comfort in the fall. Asparagus and peas breathe life into spring. Ah, soup!
My husband and I are constantly trying crazy eating plans at dinner - not diets, eating plans - to shed unwanted lbs (pronounced el-bees) and to be more contientious of what we're eating, not just strapping on the feed bag. Our new idea is to eat soup every night for dinner for a month. Not the same soup, not diet soup, just soup. The only rule, no cream based soups. Maybe the unknown article was right and we'll consume less calories and be thin and young and fabulous (I think the article claimed this would happen). Or maybe we'll end up just sick of soup.
Our quest, 30 Days of Soup.
Day 1: Vegetable with Bulghur and Herbs.
A tomato based soup with onions, garlic, acorn squash, zucchini, peas, arugula, parsley, oregano, basil and bulghur. Added bonus - the onion, arugula and herbs were from my garden!
What in the heck is bulghur and why is it in my pantry? Bulghur is a whole grain wheat commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking. Wikipedia couldn't tell me why it was in my pantry and I can't remember when I bought it. The bulghur sauteed with onions and butter, brings out a delicious nutty aroma.
My son's friend smells his food to see if it's too healthy. If it's too healthy, he won't eat it. (It has been months since I've seen him do this, but I loved it so much I'll never forget it, Mom of Son who is reading this post). This soup would not have passed his sniff test. Good and healthy! Pass the bean and cheese burritos for the boys, they weren't having healthy!
Day 2: Vegetable Beef
Early on, I knew I had to make a soup the kids would eat. Who can resist vegetable beef, especially with a side of rosemary bread? Not my family. I started early with grass fed beef roast - which I just noticed is no longer local but shipped in from Uruguay!! Uruguay! My carbon footprint has been compromised! I'll have to find a new resource for beef. Until then, I started early on the Uruguaian grass fed beef and let the soup cook all day. This is veggie first, vegetable beef soup, with lots of veggies chopped small - tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, green beans, peas and cabbage. With the bread baking, the house smelled great. Wait - did you think I made the bread too? I do work for a living. I bought some par-baked rosemary loaves and popped them in the oven just before dinner.
Chow down is what we did to that pot of soup....and the pumpkin pie (yes, I made it) for dessert.
The soup may make us thin, but the desserts will keep us sane. These are the kind of mottos I live by.
Day 3: Mushroom
Earthy, warm, and comforting, just what this momma needed on a busy cold day. Chicken stock, mire poix, white wine, mushrooms and parsley. No going wrong with that combination. It may have been too good. I ate two bowls of soup! My first double dip of the week! Delicious.
The kids are over our soup plan already. Soup? Again? They want chicken and potatoes. Fine! You're still eating a vegetable!
We are still game, happy with soup. We are eating less. Soup may be the answer.
Cooking notes:
I typically only buy whole chickens. Using my super heavy duty kitchen scissors, I cut the chicken into parts or remove the bones entirely depending on what's for dinner. The back and wing tips (and bones) go into a pot with onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper and I make chicken stock while I make dinner. The stock is then strained, cooled, bagged and frozen for future use. Handy when you get a whim to have soup for 30 days.
Mirepoix. How fast can you say "celery, carrots and onions in butter"? Why bother when you can say mirepoix? Aromatics. The flavor base of so many fabulous dishes.
Soffritto - celery, carrots and onions in olive oil. Love.
Holy Trinity - bell pepper, onion and celery. I'm working on loving peppers.
What soup will tomorrow bring?
Soup is nutritious
Soup can light the inner fire
Soup can be hot or cold,
thick or thin.
Soup is healthy,
light and stimulating -
agreeing with almost everyone."
Bernard Clayton, Jr.
The Complete Book of Soups and Stews
Soup. I love soup. I love soup more since reading somewhere that if you eat soup you consume less calories than you would eating a full meal, yet walk away fully satisfied. Make sense, sounds good. I want soup!
My family eats soup every week as part of our normal routine. Cold soups in the summer and hearty stews in the winter. Spring and Fall bring out the best soups. Squashes and root vegetables are a welcome comfort in the fall. Asparagus and peas breathe life into spring. Ah, soup!
My husband and I are constantly trying crazy eating plans at dinner - not diets, eating plans - to shed unwanted lbs (pronounced el-bees) and to be more contientious of what we're eating, not just strapping on the feed bag. Our new idea is to eat soup every night for dinner for a month. Not the same soup, not diet soup, just soup. The only rule, no cream based soups. Maybe the unknown article was right and we'll consume less calories and be thin and young and fabulous (I think the article claimed this would happen). Or maybe we'll end up just sick of soup.
Our quest, 30 Days of Soup.
Day 1: Vegetable with Bulghur and Herbs.
A tomato based soup with onions, garlic, acorn squash, zucchini, peas, arugula, parsley, oregano, basil and bulghur. Added bonus - the onion, arugula and herbs were from my garden!
What in the heck is bulghur and why is it in my pantry? Bulghur is a whole grain wheat commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking. Wikipedia couldn't tell me why it was in my pantry and I can't remember when I bought it. The bulghur sauteed with onions and butter, brings out a delicious nutty aroma.
My son's friend smells his food to see if it's too healthy. If it's too healthy, he won't eat it. (It has been months since I've seen him do this, but I loved it so much I'll never forget it, Mom of Son who is reading this post). This soup would not have passed his sniff test. Good and healthy! Pass the bean and cheese burritos for the boys, they weren't having healthy!
Day 2: Vegetable Beef
Early on, I knew I had to make a soup the kids would eat. Who can resist vegetable beef, especially with a side of rosemary bread? Not my family. I started early with grass fed beef roast - which I just noticed is no longer local but shipped in from Uruguay!! Uruguay! My carbon footprint has been compromised! I'll have to find a new resource for beef. Until then, I started early on the Uruguaian grass fed beef and let the soup cook all day. This is veggie first, vegetable beef soup, with lots of veggies chopped small - tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, green beans, peas and cabbage. With the bread baking, the house smelled great. Wait - did you think I made the bread too? I do work for a living. I bought some par-baked rosemary loaves and popped them in the oven just before dinner.
Chow down is what we did to that pot of soup....and the pumpkin pie (yes, I made it) for dessert.
The soup may make us thin, but the desserts will keep us sane. These are the kind of mottos I live by.
Day 3: Mushroom
Earthy, warm, and comforting, just what this momma needed on a busy cold day. Chicken stock, mire poix, white wine, mushrooms and parsley. No going wrong with that combination. It may have been too good. I ate two bowls of soup! My first double dip of the week! Delicious.
The kids are over our soup plan already. Soup? Again? They want chicken and potatoes. Fine! You're still eating a vegetable!
We are still game, happy with soup. We are eating less. Soup may be the answer.
Cooking notes:
I typically only buy whole chickens. Using my super heavy duty kitchen scissors, I cut the chicken into parts or remove the bones entirely depending on what's for dinner. The back and wing tips (and bones) go into a pot with onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper and I make chicken stock while I make dinner. The stock is then strained, cooled, bagged and frozen for future use. Handy when you get a whim to have soup for 30 days.
Mirepoix. How fast can you say "celery, carrots and onions in butter"? Why bother when you can say mirepoix? Aromatics. The flavor base of so many fabulous dishes.
Soffritto - celery, carrots and onions in olive oil. Love.
Holy Trinity - bell pepper, onion and celery. I'm working on loving peppers.
What soup will tomorrow bring?
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Ratatouille
On the way to soccer today my 7 year old son asked if we could make ratatouille. Can you imagine how thrilled I was to hear this? My immediate reply was "YES! Absolutely! Let's make ratatouille!" "Wait", he said. (If mom is this excited about ratatouille, it must be a) gross or b) good for me) "What is ratatouille?", he asked.
Ratatouille is French comfort food at it's best. A dish originating from Provence, Ratatouille has many variations but is consistently a gardners dream meal, combining delicious summer crops, eggplant, zucchini, red sweet peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Chop and cook in olive oil with salt and pepper. Ratatouille can be served hot or cold, on pasta, with an omelette, or eaten straight out of the pan.
I have two favorite food memories involving ratatouille. In the early 90's I used to meet a friend for lunch at this great cafe in Westchester, CA. I can't remember the name of the place for the life of me and it closed long ago. Without fail, I would order the ratatouille omelette. I don't remember if the ratatouille tasted exceptional but the combination of conversation with my friend and the deliciousness of the ratatouille provided me comfort and imprinted on my stomach, heart and brain.
My other ratatouille memory is from Paris, 2008. I was the last to sign on to a group of 5 women, family and friends, to go to Paris in May to celebrate my mother-in-laws' 75th birthday. Due to a series of unfortunate events, the 5 ladies rescheduled their trip for late June. With the kids schedules and added costs to change the trip, I couldn't make the change and decided to stick with the plan, and go to Paris - solo. I had just had back-to-back surgeries in November and January, to remove my appendix and major surgery removing a cancerous tumor that chopped off 1/3 of my large intestine and reworked my plumbing. I was thankful to be alive and ready and in need of a vacation! I changed the accomodations to better suit single travel and went on my trip. [Let's just insert here that I have the greatest husband ever for allowing and loving me to leave him for 10 days with the 4 kids]. I had many memorable and fabulous meals in Paris and surrounding areas, but one of my favorites was in a small cafe near the Musee D'Orsay that I stopped in to avoid the downpour of rain that appeared out of nowhere. My intention was not to eat but when I walked in, the air was filled with the smell of simmering tomatoes, garlic and deliciousness. On the board, the plat du jour was simply, ratatouille. I sat and stayed awhile. Enjoying the ratatouille, the freshness of the vegetables, the ambience of the cafe, and the company of four women from Toronto I met at a nearby table. Sharing this memory reminds me of the aroma that I can almost smell.
This is the first summer in many that I haven't grown eggplant. I simply forgot about it and the simple comfort and pleasure of ratatouille. Next year, for sure, I'll plant an eggplant plant or two. Until then, I'm running to the store to buy an eggplant and make ratatouille before my son changes his mind.
"Oh", said my son after I told him about ratatouille. "That's funny, I don't remember eggplant in the movie."
Ratatouille is French comfort food at it's best. A dish originating from Provence, Ratatouille has many variations but is consistently a gardners dream meal, combining delicious summer crops, eggplant, zucchini, red sweet peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Chop and cook in olive oil with salt and pepper. Ratatouille can be served hot or cold, on pasta, with an omelette, or eaten straight out of the pan.
I have two favorite food memories involving ratatouille. In the early 90's I used to meet a friend for lunch at this great cafe in Westchester, CA. I can't remember the name of the place for the life of me and it closed long ago. Without fail, I would order the ratatouille omelette. I don't remember if the ratatouille tasted exceptional but the combination of conversation with my friend and the deliciousness of the ratatouille provided me comfort and imprinted on my stomach, heart and brain.
My other ratatouille memory is from Paris, 2008. I was the last to sign on to a group of 5 women, family and friends, to go to Paris in May to celebrate my mother-in-laws' 75th birthday. Due to a series of unfortunate events, the 5 ladies rescheduled their trip for late June. With the kids schedules and added costs to change the trip, I couldn't make the change and decided to stick with the plan, and go to Paris - solo. I had just had back-to-back surgeries in November and January, to remove my appendix and major surgery removing a cancerous tumor that chopped off 1/3 of my large intestine and reworked my plumbing. I was thankful to be alive and ready and in need of a vacation! I changed the accomodations to better suit single travel and went on my trip. [Let's just insert here that I have the greatest husband ever for allowing and loving me to leave him for 10 days with the 4 kids]. I had many memorable and fabulous meals in Paris and surrounding areas, but one of my favorites was in a small cafe near the Musee D'Orsay that I stopped in to avoid the downpour of rain that appeared out of nowhere. My intention was not to eat but when I walked in, the air was filled with the smell of simmering tomatoes, garlic and deliciousness. On the board, the plat du jour was simply, ratatouille. I sat and stayed awhile. Enjoying the ratatouille, the freshness of the vegetables, the ambience of the cafe, and the company of four women from Toronto I met at a nearby table. Sharing this memory reminds me of the aroma that I can almost smell.
This is the first summer in many that I haven't grown eggplant. I simply forgot about it and the simple comfort and pleasure of ratatouille. Next year, for sure, I'll plant an eggplant plant or two. Until then, I'm running to the store to buy an eggplant and make ratatouille before my son changes his mind.
"Oh", said my son after I told him about ratatouille. "That's funny, I don't remember eggplant in the movie."
Friday, May 20, 2011
Oh For the Love of Cod
From prior posts you know that I only buy wild fish, no farm raised fish for me. 'Color added' freaks me out. I'm not a fan of red velvet cake either for the same reason. My husbands' cousins are shrimp farmers in Mexico (this is a great story for another day) and we've had conversations on why fish and shrimp farming are good. I get it, I understand sustainability. I understand that fish farming is good business, it just isn't for me.
A friend recently questioned my stance on farm raised fish and brought up tilapia. Blah! She said tilapia is like chicken. Blah! I'm a fish-loving girl. I grew up eating pike, perch and bass from Lake Erie and Lake Michigan and little lakes inbetween. I eat trout, smelt, sardines, sole and squid. But tilapia. No thanks. Tilapia is claimed to be the fish Jesus of Nazareth multiplied a thousandfold to feed the masses. Maybe when I'm starving I'll eat it. Until then, I'm excercising my options.
I buy my fish at Santa Monica Seafood, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or Henry's. A great resource in knowing what to buy is Santa Monica Seafood's Awareness Guide: ,http://www.santamonicaseafood.com/downloads/Seafood-Product-Awareness-Aug2010.pdf This is a 150 page download that I refer to often.
The most versatile fish that often frequents our table is the namesake of this post, Cod. White, meaty and delicious, I use cod in everything from tacos, skewers, stew or a good fish fry. Delicious. Because it is a fatty fish, it is a forgiving fish. It is difficult to overcook cod. Though I cook it many ways, my family loves (LOVES) Ina Garten's recipe in the Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook for Parker's Fish & Chips. With some homemade tartar sauce and coleslaw, this is Oh For the Love of Cod Delicious!
I got to thinking about cod from the Grilled Garlic Lime Fish Tacos recipe in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine. This is the little 5 x7 magazine found at checkstands or my mailbox. Great easy recipes that my family loves (as opposed to Rachel Ray recipes that they consistently dislike - interesting, I know). I'm going to get some cod and grill up some tacos this weekend!
Yum!
A friend recently questioned my stance on farm raised fish and brought up tilapia. Blah! She said tilapia is like chicken. Blah! I'm a fish-loving girl. I grew up eating pike, perch and bass from Lake Erie and Lake Michigan and little lakes inbetween. I eat trout, smelt, sardines, sole and squid. But tilapia. No thanks. Tilapia is claimed to be the fish Jesus of Nazareth multiplied a thousandfold to feed the masses. Maybe when I'm starving I'll eat it. Until then, I'm excercising my options.
I buy my fish at Santa Monica Seafood, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or Henry's. A great resource in knowing what to buy is Santa Monica Seafood's Awareness Guide: ,http://www.santamonicaseafood.com/downloads/Seafood-Product-Awareness-Aug2010.pdf This is a 150 page download that I refer to often.
The most versatile fish that often frequents our table is the namesake of this post, Cod. White, meaty and delicious, I use cod in everything from tacos, skewers, stew or a good fish fry. Delicious. Because it is a fatty fish, it is a forgiving fish. It is difficult to overcook cod. Though I cook it many ways, my family loves (LOVES) Ina Garten's recipe in the Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook for Parker's Fish & Chips. With some homemade tartar sauce and coleslaw, this is Oh For the Love of Cod Delicious!
I got to thinking about cod from the Grilled Garlic Lime Fish Tacos recipe in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine. This is the little 5 x7 magazine found at checkstands or my mailbox. Great easy recipes that my family loves (as opposed to Rachel Ray recipes that they consistently dislike - interesting, I know). I'm going to get some cod and grill up some tacos this weekend!
Yum!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Confessions from my Pantry
We all have our issues. Some are secret, not visible on the surface. Others, like mine, are obvious. (I love lines that make me laugh from the inside out.) My issue is collecting food. I don't save every last morsel of leftovers wrapped in tin foil like I was raised in the depression...then I would truly be my beloved Mother In Law (aka MIL). My issue results from the love of grocery shopping. I can barely tolerate clothes shopping. Shoe shopping isn't fun because I have an old lady bunion/foot problem that needs to be corrected. As a result, I collect food. I guess this is the byproduct of my affection for recipes, cookbooks and other cookery.
I cleaned out my pantry and freezer this weekend. I saw a moth and freaked. I think it was the oat bran improperly resealed, but not for certain. My pantry is 47" wide, 6' high and 23" deep. Plenty big enough for my collection!
I love my pantry. Now that it's cleaned and straightened, it looks good, it smells good, and it inspires me with its crazy variety of contents. I have 37 spices, not including salt and pepper. I counted them as I restocked the pantry and thought of my friend in Arizona who once told me whenever she made a recipe that called for a spice she didn't have, she skipped it. Yikes! Would you (could you?) make chili without chili powder? I made a list of the ones I know I'm missing and plan to get them soon. I have an herb garden, but I can't grow everything - tumeric, curry, nutmeg...or can I?
Now that I've organzied/reorganzied my collection, I realize that I need to focus my menu this week on what I have stocked up. Take a look at your pantry and freezer and use what you have before adding more on top!
Monday - Meatloaf and baked potatoes and green beans- this is carried over from last week - I never made it and it still sounds good!
Tuesday - Lentil Soup and cornbread - a classic - and a complete protein.
Wednesday - Pasta with tuna, capers and white wine sauce
Thursday - Grilled chicken breast with quinoa, olives & herbs
Friday - In & Out - Flag Football Game and School Carnival
Saturday - Killer Shrimp - this is an awesome combination of flavors, serve in bowls, dip bread in broth
(Killer Shrimp was a fav restaurant in Marina del Rey in the 90's)
2 tbl rosemary
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp fennel seed
2 quarts chicken broth
8 oz clam juice
3 oz tomato paste
1/2 lb butter
2 lbs shrimp or prawns, tails on
French Bread
Sunday - Roast Chicken, potatoes and carrots and most likely, artichokes!
Be inspired.
I cleaned out my pantry and freezer this weekend. I saw a moth and freaked. I think it was the oat bran improperly resealed, but not for certain. My pantry is 47" wide, 6' high and 23" deep. Plenty big enough for my collection!
I love my pantry. Now that it's cleaned and straightened, it looks good, it smells good, and it inspires me with its crazy variety of contents. I have 37 spices, not including salt and pepper. I counted them as I restocked the pantry and thought of my friend in Arizona who once told me whenever she made a recipe that called for a spice she didn't have, she skipped it. Yikes! Would you (could you?) make chili without chili powder? I made a list of the ones I know I'm missing and plan to get them soon. I have an herb garden, but I can't grow everything - tumeric, curry, nutmeg...or can I?
Now that I've organzied/reorganzied my collection, I realize that I need to focus my menu this week on what I have stocked up. Take a look at your pantry and freezer and use what you have before adding more on top!
Monday - Meatloaf and baked potatoes and green beans- this is carried over from last week - I never made it and it still sounds good!
Tuesday - Lentil Soup and cornbread - a classic - and a complete protein.
Wednesday - Pasta with tuna, capers and white wine sauce
Thursday - Grilled chicken breast with quinoa, olives & herbs
Friday - In & Out - Flag Football Game and School Carnival
Saturday - Killer Shrimp - this is an awesome combination of flavors, serve in bowls, dip bread in broth
(Killer Shrimp was a fav restaurant in Marina del Rey in the 90's)
2 tbl rosemary
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp fennel seed
2 quarts chicken broth
8 oz clam juice
3 oz tomato paste
1/2 lb butter
2 lbs shrimp or prawns, tails on
French Bread
Sunday - Roast Chicken, potatoes and carrots and most likely, artichokes!
Be inspired.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Glass Half Full
I'm a Glass Half Full kind of person. Life gives me lemons, I make lemonade. I have always looked at life's lessons as good character building material. I take life head on, with a plan in place, ready to scrap the plan and punt when necessary.
My menu didn't go according to plan last week. I started good then I had to shuffle - my track star daughter wanted pasta on Thursday to be fueled for Saturday's meet (of course, how did I miss this?). Friday came and my husband was at a 12 hour planning meeting, 6 AM - 6 PM. When he called to say he was on his way home, the kids wanted him to pick up In-N-Out so we had burgers...uh oh...that was Saturdays plan. Saturdays menu was going to pick up where Friday left off but after sitting in the sun all day at the track meet I didn't feel like cooking, let alone eating (you know the feeling - give me a glass of wine and let me go to bed). I picked up Papa Murphy pizza, which is pretty good for $6 2-topping pizza.
As I began the menu for this week, I had stuff left from last week so if you're following my menus, there are repeats....................................................................................................................
Sunday - Shrimp with pesto and fresh tomato (this was Friday nights' fish tacos)
Monday - Burgers and mac salad. My carnivores love burgers so much they would eat them every night.
Tuesday - Flame Broiler on the fly. I have had a rash since Friday...turns out to be shingles. My husband was out mountain biking, one kid had soccer practice and it was freaking hot. Take out was invented for days like these.
Wednesday - Barbecue Chicken and baked potatoes and artichokes (from the garden - I have 25 growing at the moment!)
Thursday - Teriyaki Salmon and rice
Friday - Football game and Track meet - again, food on the fly.
Saturday - Spot Burritos. The Spot is a vegetarian restaurant in Hermosa Beach. They serve a Garden Burrito (steamed veggies, brown rice, beans, cheese) wet with Mexican Sauce (chili powder, onions, water, garlic) topped with sour cream and avocado. We love The Spot and the kids love the burritos.
A note here...my menu planning is to be a guide but it is written in pencil, ready to be erased, shuffled, substituted or changed as necessary. I'm flexible. As much as I love cooking, no tears or broken hearts here if I don't have to prepare a meal.
My favorite recipe of this past week was a Strawberry Tiramisu that I made for dessert on Sunday. It is Bon Appetit's 2006 recipe. The recipe says to let it sit for a minimum of 8 hours so the lady fingers absorb all the fabulousness and get soft, but it really needs to be overnight. This recipe makes a 9 x 13 which is a LOT of tiramisu. It was my food therapy while I coped with the misery of shingles.
Have a good week!
My menu didn't go according to plan last week. I started good then I had to shuffle - my track star daughter wanted pasta on Thursday to be fueled for Saturday's meet (of course, how did I miss this?). Friday came and my husband was at a 12 hour planning meeting, 6 AM - 6 PM. When he called to say he was on his way home, the kids wanted him to pick up In-N-Out so we had burgers...uh oh...that was Saturdays plan. Saturdays menu was going to pick up where Friday left off but after sitting in the sun all day at the track meet I didn't feel like cooking, let alone eating (you know the feeling - give me a glass of wine and let me go to bed). I picked up Papa Murphy pizza, which is pretty good for $6 2-topping pizza.
As I began the menu for this week, I had stuff left from last week so if you're following my menus, there are repeats....................................................................................................................
Sunday - Shrimp with pesto and fresh tomato (this was Friday nights' fish tacos)
Monday - Burgers and mac salad. My carnivores love burgers so much they would eat them every night.
Tuesday - Flame Broiler on the fly. I have had a rash since Friday...turns out to be shingles. My husband was out mountain biking, one kid had soccer practice and it was freaking hot. Take out was invented for days like these.
Wednesday - Barbecue Chicken and baked potatoes and artichokes (from the garden - I have 25 growing at the moment!)
Thursday - Teriyaki Salmon and rice
Friday - Football game and Track meet - again, food on the fly.
Saturday - Spot Burritos. The Spot is a vegetarian restaurant in Hermosa Beach. They serve a Garden Burrito (steamed veggies, brown rice, beans, cheese) wet with Mexican Sauce (chili powder, onions, water, garlic) topped with sour cream and avocado. We love The Spot and the kids love the burritos.
A note here...my menu planning is to be a guide but it is written in pencil, ready to be erased, shuffled, substituted or changed as necessary. I'm flexible. As much as I love cooking, no tears or broken hearts here if I don't have to prepare a meal.
My favorite recipe of this past week was a Strawberry Tiramisu that I made for dessert on Sunday. It is Bon Appetit's 2006 recipe. The recipe says to let it sit for a minimum of 8 hours so the lady fingers absorb all the fabulousness and get soft, but it really needs to be overnight. This recipe makes a 9 x 13 which is a LOT of tiramisu. It was my food therapy while I coped with the misery of shingles.
Have a good week!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Back to Basics
Spring Break was eventful - started with tent camping complete with cooking over a pit fire and s'mores (of course) and ended ended the week with a beautiful Easter with family - I made the complete Greek Easter published in Bon Appetit's April 2011 - zucchini keftedes (soooooo good!), stuffed grape leaves, grilled octopus with gigante beans, lamb chops (delicious!), lemon roasted potatoes and baklava. Fabulous!
Time to get back to basics. Break out the formula and plan the menu.
Here is my plan for the coming week. I'll do my best to post my menus weekly.
Nothing fancy but nothing short of delicious. Enjoy!
Sunday: Greek Easter Bon Appetit April 2011 + a spinach, feta, red onion and strawberry salad with basalmic vinagrette (delicious!) and Pastierra - a traditional Italian Wheatberry Ricotta Custard Pie
Monday: Lentil Soup with Cornbread and Arugula Salad with Lemon/Olive Oil dressing
Tuesday: Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken with Brown Rice and Artichokes (from the garden)
Wednesday: Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs
Thursday: Ham and Yams, cabbage salad
Friday: Shrimp Tacos
Saturday: Hamburgers
On my Soap Box:
I'm an avid organic gardener. I have a 300 s.f. vegetable garden and I worm compost. I like dirt. I like good bugs. I love preparing meals from my garden. With this said, I have waged war against garden slugs, one beer at a time. Slugs mowed down so much of my garden this past week. Fortunately they love beer, I love slugs out of my garden. The drunken fools drink until the drown. Party on.
I only buy wild seafood, not farm-raised. Farm raised freaks me out. No other reason.
I only buy grass-fed, organic beef. Not only does grass fed beef taste better, I like the idea of the cow meandering through a pasture rather than laying in mud and dung tied to a post eating cornmeal.
With a little planning remove convenience foods from your life and prepare homemade nutritious and delicious meals for yourself and your family all week long.
Enjoy!
Time to get back to basics. Break out the formula and plan the menu.
Here is my plan for the coming week. I'll do my best to post my menus weekly.
Nothing fancy but nothing short of delicious. Enjoy!
Sunday: Greek Easter Bon Appetit April 2011 + a spinach, feta, red onion and strawberry salad with basalmic vinagrette (delicious!) and Pastierra - a traditional Italian Wheatberry Ricotta Custard Pie
Monday: Lentil Soup with Cornbread and Arugula Salad with Lemon/Olive Oil dressing
Tuesday: Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken with Brown Rice and Artichokes (from the garden)
Wednesday: Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs
Thursday: Ham and Yams, cabbage salad
Friday: Shrimp Tacos
Saturday: Hamburgers
On my Soap Box:
I'm an avid organic gardener. I have a 300 s.f. vegetable garden and I worm compost. I like dirt. I like good bugs. I love preparing meals from my garden. With this said, I have waged war against garden slugs, one beer at a time. Slugs mowed down so much of my garden this past week. Fortunately they love beer, I love slugs out of my garden. The drunken fools drink until the drown. Party on.
I only buy wild seafood, not farm-raised. Farm raised freaks me out. No other reason.
I only buy grass-fed, organic beef. Not only does grass fed beef taste better, I like the idea of the cow meandering through a pasture rather than laying in mud and dung tied to a post eating cornmeal.
With a little planning remove convenience foods from your life and prepare homemade nutritious and delicious meals for yourself and your family all week long.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Secret Formulas
Mwah-ha-ha! I have a secret formula!
Planning is the key ingredient to good meals all week long.
This formula is my guide for weekly menu planning.
2 fish/seafood
1 vegetarian
1 chicken
1 pasta
1 soup
1 beef or pork
This week:
Sunday - Pork Ribs and potatoes
Monday - Smoked Salmon Tortellini & Aspargus Alfredo
Tuesday - Shrimp & Vegetable Stirfry with pork gyoza (trader joes) and rice
Wednesday - Lentil Vegetable Soup + Cheese Quesadillas
Thursday - Spaghetti & Turkey Meatballs, Salad
Friday - Bean & Cheese Burritos Wet w/Steamed Veggies
Saturday - Chicken + Root Vegetables
A lot of overlap. My soup this week could also be my vegetarian meal; the smoked salmon tortellini could be my pasta but I counted it as a fish.
Sunday and Monday my kids loved each meal, asparagus included. Tuesday, my youngest ate the gyoza and rice but wouldn't touch the stirfry. Everyone else loved the stirfry...including all of its 9 veggies! Even the photo looks delicious! Tonight, I pureed the lentil soup on a recommendation from a friend and the kids loved it! 7 vegetables! Woo! I usually make cornbread with lentil soup but I was pressed for time and quesadillas a quick fix for the kids who dipped their quesadillas in their soup! Whatever works! I accomodate my kids with each meal. I don't force my kids to clear their plates but they are required to try everything. I think it is important that they experience food beyond "kid food".
Using my formula, I prefer to plan a month at a time. I don't have a fancy meal calendar, I grab a blank sheet of paper, write the days of the week on top, make a calendar grid and start filling it in. If I get the idea from a magazine or cookbook, I list the source and page number. I start with whatever I have in the freezer or on hand, then I make my grocery list. This way I don't over buy, things don't sit on the shelf or in the freezer for months on end and I manage to my food budget.
I make most everything homemade, from scratch. That isn't to say my freezer isn't full of corn dogs, pizza rolls, pizzas, dinosaur chicken and other things delicious that fill in when it's date night or girls night out and dad is in charge.
Plan ahead and make the food you love. Enjoy!
Planning is the key ingredient to good meals all week long.
This formula is my guide for weekly menu planning.
2 fish/seafood
1 vegetarian
1 chicken
1 pasta
1 soup
1 beef or pork
This week:
Sunday - Pork Ribs and potatoes
Monday - Smoked Salmon Tortellini & Aspargus Alfredo
Tuesday - Shrimp & Vegetable Stirfry with pork gyoza (trader joes) and rice
Wednesday - Lentil Vegetable Soup + Cheese Quesadillas
Thursday - Spaghetti & Turkey Meatballs, Salad
Friday - Bean & Cheese Burritos Wet w/Steamed Veggies
Saturday - Chicken + Root Vegetables
A lot of overlap. My soup this week could also be my vegetarian meal; the smoked salmon tortellini could be my pasta but I counted it as a fish.
Sunday and Monday my kids loved each meal, asparagus included. Tuesday, my youngest ate the gyoza and rice but wouldn't touch the stirfry. Everyone else loved the stirfry...including all of its 9 veggies! Even the photo looks delicious! Tonight, I pureed the lentil soup on a recommendation from a friend and the kids loved it! 7 vegetables! Woo! I usually make cornbread with lentil soup but I was pressed for time and quesadillas a quick fix for the kids who dipped their quesadillas in their soup! Whatever works! I accomodate my kids with each meal. I don't force my kids to clear their plates but they are required to try everything. I think it is important that they experience food beyond "kid food".
Using my formula, I prefer to plan a month at a time. I don't have a fancy meal calendar, I grab a blank sheet of paper, write the days of the week on top, make a calendar grid and start filling it in. If I get the idea from a magazine or cookbook, I list the source and page number. I start with whatever I have in the freezer or on hand, then I make my grocery list. This way I don't over buy, things don't sit on the shelf or in the freezer for months on end and I manage to my food budget.
I make most everything homemade, from scratch. That isn't to say my freezer isn't full of corn dogs, pizza rolls, pizzas, dinosaur chicken and other things delicious that fill in when it's date night or girls night out and dad is in charge.
Plan ahead and make the food you love. Enjoy!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Funky Chicken & Alligator Tongues: An Introduction
Crappuccino is the phrase of the moment in our house.
Crappuccino is the word my boys have invented to sidestep reprimand for saying "crap" which has been banned due to overuse.
Our family is "normal" - as normal goes. A family of 6 in North Orange County, California. A hard working mom and dad, an awesome 16-year old girl and three rambunctious boys ages 10, 7 and 5.
Feeding this brood is always a challenge. My husband and I agree, we want to have the best, healthiest food as least expensive as possible. The Fantastic Four want all the junk, if it is seen on TV the better, no matter the cost.
Luckily and thankfully, I love to cook. I love to read cookbooks, magazines about food and ponder recipes. I am not one to sugar coat anything in my life, let alone disguise food to get my kids to eat it. However, I have recently come to appreciate my mother's wisdom - another mother of 4 - who taught me that by simply renaming the obvious, the original option sounds pretty good. For example - it doesn't matter what you say you are making for dinner, the kids will complain. "Again?" "Yuck!" "I'm not eating!" are all expected responses. My mother, in response to our negative reaction to pork chops, "AGAIN?!", said, oh, my mistake, we're having alligator tongues. WHAT!?!?!? Well, she said, we could have alligator tongues or pork chops - what will it be? Hands down, pork chops. I relived this moment with my children recently and they, though intrigued by alligator tongues voted for pork chops.
Roast chicken has become funky chicken for the same reason. Funky chicken is waaaaay more fun than another bird from the oven.
Tonight I told the kids we were having barbecue ribs, baked potatoes and steamed broccoli. Nothing short of delicious. In the midst of the cheers (yes, we cheer for our favorite meals) our oldest son added - may we have cheese and bacon for the potatoes too? Variation is the spice of life. Yes son, we may.
With that, welcome to my blog - Funky Chicken & Alligator Tongues.
Though I work full time between two jobs, I serve up a homecooked meal every night, with the hope that we will all enjoy the meal together. With our crazy schedules this doesn't always happen but most nights it works.
A lot of friends have asked for my recipes, what's for dinner and wonder what I could possibly cook all the time. I'm a planner. A chronic planner. My dinner menu is planned weeks, if not a month, in advance. I know what to buy, I know what I'm cooking and the family knows what will be on the table come dinner time. I am flexible and if it's 85+degrees outside, I will switch the menu around so we're grilling and not turning on the oven.
This blog is to share my planning, my recipes and the fun my family has at the dinner table.
Crappuccino won't be on the menu, I promise.
Crappuccino is the word my boys have invented to sidestep reprimand for saying "crap" which has been banned due to overuse.
Our family is "normal" - as normal goes. A family of 6 in North Orange County, California. A hard working mom and dad, an awesome 16-year old girl and three rambunctious boys ages 10, 7 and 5.
Feeding this brood is always a challenge. My husband and I agree, we want to have the best, healthiest food as least expensive as possible. The Fantastic Four want all the junk, if it is seen on TV the better, no matter the cost.
Luckily and thankfully, I love to cook. I love to read cookbooks, magazines about food and ponder recipes. I am not one to sugar coat anything in my life, let alone disguise food to get my kids to eat it. However, I have recently come to appreciate my mother's wisdom - another mother of 4 - who taught me that by simply renaming the obvious, the original option sounds pretty good. For example - it doesn't matter what you say you are making for dinner, the kids will complain. "Again?" "Yuck!" "I'm not eating!" are all expected responses. My mother, in response to our negative reaction to pork chops, "AGAIN?!", said, oh, my mistake, we're having alligator tongues. WHAT!?!?!? Well, she said, we could have alligator tongues or pork chops - what will it be? Hands down, pork chops. I relived this moment with my children recently and they, though intrigued by alligator tongues voted for pork chops.
Roast chicken has become funky chicken for the same reason. Funky chicken is waaaaay more fun than another bird from the oven.
Tonight I told the kids we were having barbecue ribs, baked potatoes and steamed broccoli. Nothing short of delicious. In the midst of the cheers (yes, we cheer for our favorite meals) our oldest son added - may we have cheese and bacon for the potatoes too? Variation is the spice of life. Yes son, we may.
With that, welcome to my blog - Funky Chicken & Alligator Tongues.
Though I work full time between two jobs, I serve up a homecooked meal every night, with the hope that we will all enjoy the meal together. With our crazy schedules this doesn't always happen but most nights it works.
A lot of friends have asked for my recipes, what's for dinner and wonder what I could possibly cook all the time. I'm a planner. A chronic planner. My dinner menu is planned weeks, if not a month, in advance. I know what to buy, I know what I'm cooking and the family knows what will be on the table come dinner time. I am flexible and if it's 85+degrees outside, I will switch the menu around so we're grilling and not turning on the oven.
This blog is to share my planning, my recipes and the fun my family has at the dinner table.
Crappuccino won't be on the menu, I promise.
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