What Am I Cooking?

Lunch for Two

2012-02-08T06:51:00.000-08:00

My husband and I work at the same place and so we get to take lunch together. And what do I love most about our lunches together? Making eggs.

We use whatever we have in the fridge but it mostly consists of a base of eggs with runny yolks, spinach and garlic. The rest is all up for interpretation. This particular lunch we added ham, cherry tomatoes and a bit of stone ground mustard.

Yum, yum?

Do you ever do breakfast for lunch?

--Mary

Making Almond Milk

2012-02-07T07:25:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, my husband was away on a business trip and my kids were both occupied: little man was washing all of his micro machines in warm water at the kitchen table. And little lady was drawing kitties and cutting them out of cardboard.

I could have cleaned or folded something, but instead. I decided to make almond milk. The night before I had left the slivered almonds in a dish of water to soak. And now, the easy part of blending and straining.

This was so easy. Though I'm sure a vita-mix and cheese cloth would have done better than my regular blender and fine mesh sieve.

I felt so self sufficent making my own. Though... in honesty, I do like the store bought kind better!

Almond Milk
1/2 cup almonds soaked in water over night
2 cups cold water
2 dates chopped
1 tsp honey (or more if you like sweeter)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (real not imitation)
pinch of kosher salt

Strain the almonds from the soaking liquid and discard liquid. In a blender place the almonds, water, chopped dates, honey, vanilla and salt. Blend about 2 minutes on high speed. Strain through fine mesh sieve or 3-5 sheets of cheese cloth. Save the almond meal for another recipe. Shake well before serving. Keep refrigerated for 3-4 days.

I really like this almond milk in coffee (but leave the last sip of it or you'll get a mouth full of tiny almond pieces). It's also delicious on granola or in oatmeal. I don't like to drink any form of Almond milk straight up.

Enjoy this simple recipe. I hope you have fun making it!

--Mary

Make and Bake Pizza

2012-01-16T17:29:00.000-08:00

Delicioso Pizza almost from scratch!

Pizza is one of our staples so I am always looking for an angle and with this simple feast -- I've found it!

My kids ( the toughest critics around) loved it too! Now that is worth every bite!

Your secret ingredient is the pizza dough. Mine is from Trader Joes but I have it on good authority that you can buy dough straight from your favorite pizzeria for about a dollar. With piled high ingredients you get the fullness of deep dish without the deep dish!

My ingredient's:

Sweet italian sausage - removed from casing, crumbled in a hot pan and cooked through.

Brown mushrooms, stems removed and sliced lenghthwise.

Pepperoni - prepackaged slices, cut in half.

1/2 6 oz. can Tomato paste- doctored up with fresh garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.

Let the layering begin:

On a par baked pizza crust round add the sauce to make a generously even layer over all but the crust.

Add on the goodies; a nice thick layer of shredded mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni and mushrooms and lay them on thick! Top with a little more mozzarella and bake as the dough directs, mine suggests 400 for about 10 minutes.

Serve with your favorite side salad and you've got it made!

Satsumas

2012-01-11T19:28:00.000-08:00

Isn't this time of year the best? Satsumas (and all the other amazing tangerines) are at the ready. I could buy five pounds and they'd disappear in just as many days. My Dear is the biggest culprit and his minion, our youngest, is right behind him.

They are beautiful and tasty and belong in a salad, right next to the pomegranates and walnuts, don't ya think?

Baked Eggs in Individual Cups

2012-01-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

We started a quiet morning with beloved Streusel muffins and baked eggs. My Dad was an egg guy. A master of omelettes and one who loved a poached egg on corned beef hash and occasionally, a shirred egg in the right restaurant. This morning I was musing about the tenderness of the well-cooked egg and thought about baked eggs.

Keep it simple.

Heat an oven to 325 degrees and place individual ramekins in a pyrex or other oven-loving baking dish. Carefully fill the baking dish and not the ramekins so the water comes to about the 3/4 mark.

Now, enjoy inventing:

use either a bit of butter or cooking spray in each ramekin to ensure easy removal
break an egg into the dish and add a touch of salt
chose your favorites: shredded cheese (I used some jalapeno jack), roasted tomatoes or peppers, sauteed mushrooms, onions, panko breadcrumbs, croutons perhaps, the whole grain on this one is hemp

Place in the oven and bake. About 20 minutes to tender but set. Check as you go. I finished one of the eggs in the broiler to brown the cheese for my cheese lover. You'll add lots of individual touches and I bet you can come up with lots of wonderful ideas. Like Caesar Eggs for the anchovy lover.

Ooooh! I'm excited to hear what you might do with just an egg and a ramekin!

Do share.

Kale Salad, again

2012-01-02T15:53:00.000-08:00

Kale Salad for breakfast.
The Kale Salad recipe with berries and a whole pomegranate, raisins and nuts and Oh! La! La!

We loved this at our New Year's Brunch.

Thinking about food

2011-12-31T07:57:00.000-08:00

So much in the blog-o-sphere is about the thing I made and my recipe. It's what we do here at What Am I Cooking Central, of course. But what about the conversations about food? The things we learn to do, the things we love about cooking, the Essence of Eats?

My friend Mary and I sit and talk about vegetables and crops of apples and the differences in flavors and bite the way the wine friends talk about wine varietals. Now, her job, her J-O-B, the thing she's paid to do each week, is think about and learn about what's happening in food and specifically, in the biggest Farmer's Market on the left coast. But we talk about it all (and have for years) because we just enjoy it. It's more than what we're throwing together to feed a clan. There's the joy in it that gave Mrs. Rombauer the idea for the title of the book, we can depend on, JOY OF COOKING. (It's historical. I laugh when I see the book's spine through the glass door of kitchen book space - thinking of how in Julie & Julia, Julia Child called her, "Mrs. Joy.")

I also spend time with Marjorie talking about food ideas and on Christmas day as we were eating the Tater Tot casserole Janet brought to the breakfast gathering, we were secretly trying to sleuth out the ingredients. (The recipe has been long illusive to us, though we've asked. It is a favorite at the gathering and, I thought I understood why you might keep it close.) Not long after we finished quietly throwing ideas around, "cream cheese and sour cream, nutmeg?" she came and apologized for forgetting to share it with me. She really forgot I wanted it. (I think she took pity on me, thankfully. My two kids would eat the whole pan, given the option.) And it turns out it's an Emeril Lagasse recipe. Mine all mine! You can find it here: Kicked Up Mac and Cheese.

See what we do when we talk about it? It. The deliciousness and fun we have compiling? I learned how to seed a pomegranate over at Food Wishes this week with no blood and no purple fingers and was on the phone with my mom within minutes to share the fun. She immediately went after two she had on her counter and called back almost giddy with delight. She'd seeded two pomegranates in 20 minutes rather than the 30 it usually takes her for one. We laughed and asked each other what took us so long to learn this over and over as she shared her amazement.

Food is fun. Yesterday, following my son's amazing presentation of Chicken and Mushrooms, my girlie spent time on line and found recipes for Shrimp Fettucini Alfredo, a Caesar where you keep the Romaine leaf whole and an apple cake dessert. She wants to feed us for New Year's Eve. I'm all for it.

Let's keep the fun of all the Christmas holiday cooking (and the time to plan, create and share) in our hearts as this New Year arrives. And let's plan to offer what we enjoy in the conversation and the recipe sharing all year through.

Happy New Year to you. And Bon Appetite!

Chicken & Mushrooms. Done!

2011-12-29T21:40:00.000-08:00

We did it. And when I say we I mean my 15 year old son was at the helm.
We made this: just chicken and mushrooms.

The meal is really simple with a little bit of finesse. Chicken breasts down to sear, flip, continue, add mushrooms, move to the oven, remove breasts, cook on the stovetop, deglaze with water, cook down and serve.

Oh my.

No original pics today, the boy needed his sous chef! (This is from foodwishes, you need to see this fabulous site.)

We served these alongside sweet potatoes( baked at 400 for almost 90 minutes) and a miners leaf salad with just olive oil and tomato vinegar. Yum.

Do try.

Chicken & Mushrooms

2011-12-27T07:14:00.000-08:00

This is what I'll be doing today. Through Dorie Greenspan's blog I happened on to the genius of Chef John at Food Wishes.

I vote we all just cook this today and call each other to discuss!

Enjoy.

Cream Cheese Ice Box Cookies - Joy of Cooking

2011-12-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

These are truly the perfect Christmas Cookies.

I'm going to go make some, roll them out and let the decorating begin! Join me?

About forty-two 21⁄4-inch cookies
Whisk together:
   2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
   1/8 teaspoon baking soda
   ½ teaspoon salt
Beat in a large bowl until fluffy:
   11 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
   3 ounces cream cheese, softened
   1 cup sugar
Beat in:
   1 large egg
   1 teaspoon vanilla
   (¼ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest)
   (Decorative sugar, cinnamon sugar, or nonpareils)
Stir in the flour mixture until blended. Refrigerate until slightly firm, about 1 hour. Shape the dough into a 12-inch log. Refrigerate or freeze until very firm. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease or line 2 cookie sheets. Cut the log into 3/16-inch-thick slices and arrange about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Before baking, sprinkle the tops with:
   (Decorative sugar, cinnamon sugar, or nonpareils)
Bake, 1 sheet at time, until the cookies are browned at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand briefly. Then remove to a rack to cool.

Oh, we thank you Irma Rombauer and Joy of Cooking.

Christmas Cookies!

2011-12-22T17:23:00.000-08:00

Let's go!

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 large egg beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cookies

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside. (No mention of a sifter here.)

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add the beaten egg and vanilla mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about one hour (or overnight) or until firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter. Cur out shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shapes while baking.

Note: if you are not going to frost the baked cookies, you may want to sprinkle the unbaked cookies with colored crystal or sparkling sugar.

Bake cookies for about 8-10 (depending on size) or until they are just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Frost with royal icing and sparkling sugar, if desired. Be sure to let the royal icing dry completely before storing. (This may take several hours.)

Frosted cookies will keep several days in an airtight container. Store between layers of parchment paper or wax paper.

Makes about 20 - 3 inch cookies.

For Royal Icing with Egg Whites:

1 large egg white

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg white with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

Thanks to Joy of Baking

Picture courtesy: sodahead.com

Warren Pears - coming soon!

2011-11-30T12:15:00.001-08:00

I'm not really a coming soon gal. More a "hey! look what we did!" gal. But I've been hearing so much about the Warren pear found here from Frog Hollow Farm.

Isn't it beautiful with that blushing cheek?

Don't buy them just yet, they may be coming to a market near you.
I'm tasting tonight and will report!

Oh joy!
There is nothing like the fragrance of a winter's pear.

You know you're busy when:

2011-10-04T08:47:00.001-07:00

...your husband says, "Dear, you haven't posted anything since the potatoes. I know we've eaten."

Hmmm.

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

2011-09-29T04:26:00.000-07:00

There's something about the family of new potatoes that takes me right to my roots of English cooking and my dad's delightfully crisp yet tender roasted potatoes.

So when a lovely bag of The Little Potato Company's Terrific Trio tri- colored baby potatoes came to my door I knew just what I wanted to do, with a little twist... fresh rosemary.

For busy moms there is something so helpful about fresh pre-washed and bagged veggies that makes the world seem doable. Because of their size (ranging from 1"-1 1/2") I was able to achieve my roasted wish in short time.

Here's what I did for deliciously tender and flavorful taters:

Cut the whole bag of potatoes into eighths.

From the garden, mince a spring of Rosemary.

In a glass baking dish, drizzle olive oil liberally along the bottom of the pan coating it.

Add the potatoes and rosemary to the baking dish along with one minced garlic and salt and pepper to your taste.

Toss all ingredients to coat.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes, tossing occasionally. I went for a lightly roasted skin (roasting tip: the longer you bake, the crispier the skin).

That's it!

I coupled them with breaded chicken tenders and a green salad. The dinner was good but my kids thought the potatoes were great!

Delightful Little Potatoes

2011-09-23T07:57:00.001-07:00

These little guys found their way into my kitchen and I'm so glad they did.

These Piccolo potatoes are from The Little Potato Company. And they are all they promise to be.
- Quick to cook
- No need to peel
- I wash 'em anyway, but you don't have to.

I remember the first Yukon Gold potato I ever tasted. It brought to mind Grandma Edith's point of view. All a perfectly boiled potato needs is a little butter, salt and pepper. Yukon's took that idea to a new level and so do these delightful babies. They are full of flavor. So in preparing I didn't want to so so far as oven roasting with rosemary. Just wanted to see how they stood on their own - with just a little delicate enhancement. They are stars!

As dinner, right next to some tasty sliced sirloin, they performed brilliantly.
I started with about 1 Tablespoon of good olive oil in a pan and let it warm to high and popped in the potatoes whole.

Once in the pan, I reduced the heat to medium high and watched them for a bit and then covered them.

At about the 10 minute mark, I tossed in a handful of garden cherry-sized tomatoes.

Then, just before serving, I finished with a spot of butter.

And some fresh chopped tarragon - and salt and freshly ground pepper.

The flavor is delightful -- the tomatoes (I mixed cherry toms and some baby heirlooms) little sweet with a hint of tang. I suggest you try them soon. With the cherry tomatoes, they make a nice bridge from summer to fall.

A couple of tips? After piercing with a fork to test a couple of the bigger ones, I simply cut them in half (to fit in with their friends).

The potatoes can be found at Ralph's Fresh Fare. I say, go get 'em.

Dinner on a Bread Slice

2011-09-17T07:41:00.000-07:00

With fall advancing, here's an easy one with great results and it comes right out of Mom's 1960's kitchen.

Dinner on a Bread Slice

One wide loaf French Bread (usually sold in the market bakery, no skinny baguettes) one or two days old cut horizontally
2 pounds ground beef
1 egg
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Set your conventional oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the bread horizontally and place them on aluminum foil wide enough to completely cover them for cooking. (We never seem to have the wide aluminum foil, so I cut two lengths for each half and fold it together to produce a big enough piece.) Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, egg and soup mix.

Top the bread with equal parts of the beef mixture.
Sprinkle with equal parts cheese.

Cover with foil.

Place both on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

My mom always froze the second cooked loaf for reheating later. You can also freeze the second loaf before cooking, but please allow defrosting time before you bake it if you choose this route.

It's rather perfect for Sunday supper with soup too.

Try it. And tell us what you think!

A last word on Hatch Chilis

2011-09-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

Just like the summer slow and busy life is over, the Hatch Chilis are just about gone.

When last we met we were talking about tasty Hatch Chilis, weren't we? Before we break out the pumpkin soup and the chai lattes, here are a few things we learned on our Hatch Chili adventure first: they are chilis. I've learned to think of Hatch Chili season as the season of Chili opportunity, not the harvest season for one species of chili pepper. Here we go:

These long green chilis are all grown in one place, Hatch New Mexico. Hatch is not really the name of a specific variety of chili, more a range within a type of chili (that would be long green)
When I talked to one of my friends, she shared that she buys and roasts four pounds of Hatch Chilis each year, freezes them and uses them in all the recipes that call for chili
Then I talked to another friend and: well, ditto
Because they aren't all from the same chili variety, they're going to range in heat level - taste and divide as appropriate if you're using now or freezing
And apparently, the variation in heat is just part of being a chili (my brilliant fruits and veggies officiando friend tells me the variation has much to do with the stress a plant endures as the chilis are forming. Hmmmm. The become hotheads when they're stressed? I love these chilis all the more.)
When you roast, you can freeze them with skin on. The skin slides off more easily from the frozen state
You'll never have to buy a can of Ortega Chili again. (Fresh is my favorite! And Fresh/Frozen is the next best.) This should bring me to a great recipe for chili rice and it very likely will in the week to come.

Now I'm waiting for August like it's Chili Christmas!

Hatch Chilis: EZ Hatch Chili Cornbread

2011-08-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple, simple way to enjoy those yummy hatch chilis -- drop 'em in corn bread batter. Everyone has their favorite. We happened to have Krusteaz Honey Corn Bread in the pantry. So it became Hatch Chili Honey Cornbread.

I minced a chili, no roasting and then, lit the oven, mixed the mix, dropped the 2 Tablespoons of chilis in and baked as directed.

We were making Heirloom Tomato Sauce, so the bread became little slices of lunch with yellow Heirlooms sliced on top.

Nice heat with a little of sweet.

Hatch Chilis: First, we try salsa.

2011-08-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Hatch Chili season & I've been playing around with the fun little chili from Hatch, New Mexico in my California kitchen. Here are the first things I learned:

Wash your hands
Wash your hands
Don't touch your face, (don't wipe your brow)
And, wash your hands

Yikes! The oil in these babies is hot. I also note cooking with the Hatch Chili can be a little like playing Craps. You simply can''t predict the outcome. First, I taste a nice and mild one then a scorcher. Well, at least I'm clear on what I'm up against. I stopped by my neighborhood specialty grocer for well, a specialty item, and they were having a Hatch Chili fest. They roast, you buy and even they were separating the hot from the mild as they tasted them! I'd prefer to roast them myself - that's another post and it's coming.

The first attempt at Casa del My House, was Roasted Hatch Chili Salsa:

I sweated onions, roasted tomatoes and Hatch Chilis and combined them with salt and a garlic clove in the food processor.

Easy and tasty.

Next time, I'll go for Roma tomatoes, the big cherry tomatoes from my garden are yummy, but a little sweet. The salsa was a bigger hit day 2 than day 1. But, isn't it always?

Click here for the recipe.

Just a spot of lime juice along with the salt was a great idea. And voila!

Tongue of Fire Beans & Love

2011-08-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

On my trip to the Santa Monica Farmers Market I was arrested by these beautiful shelling beans, the Tongue of Fire. They we beautifully displayed almost overflowing in baskets by the Fairview Gardens farmer s. They grow more than one kind of bean, and have a range of information on them here.

I felt like I just wanted to run my hands through them and let them dribble out my fingers. Thankfully my hands were full and restrained! Aren't they inviting?

Now, these are definitely not dried beans, with which I have lots of familiarity and facility, but fresh. I had trouble remembering their name. They look like they should be the cranberry bean. At any rate, I snagged a pound or so (with a scoop) and brought them home.

Here's where my ignorance to their freshness set in. I left them in the bag for a couple of days and voila! they began to sprout a bit. So that night, while my summer lovin' family were craving burgers and I was not, I quickly transformed these beans into a plate of sheer delight.

First, a little bit of bacon in the pan, and then some chopped red scallions. Then I drained and cleaned the pan, added olive oil and let the cooked meat and onions continue. I added some chicken stock, some thyme from the garden and some red pepper flakes, then the beans.

I added a teaspoon of salt and let them simmer about 20 minutes. I later read here, that you shouldn't salt them while cooking because they become tough. I didn't notice a toughness, but they were a somewhat different texture than dried beans. Quite delightful.

Next time I'll wait to salt to see the difference.

But I won't wait to eat them. I may be in love.

Grab a spoon and join me?

Spanish Eggs from the Sonoma Diet

2011-07-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite Saturday morning recipes for tender and delicious eggs.

My husband really enjoys these and every once in a while I get them in the pan before my daughter requests Daddy's soul food: bagels.

They are very rich in a simple flavor.

Printable recipe
1 yellow pepper, cut into thin bite-sized strips
1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 eggs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

1) In a large skillet cook bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, and garlic in hot oil about 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomates, chili powder, cumin, and the 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to boiling: reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
2) Break one of the eggs into a measuring cup. Carefully slide the egg into simmering tomato mixture. Repeat with remaining eggs. Sprinkle eggs lightly with aditional kosher slat and black peper.
3) Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minues or until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not firm.
4) To serve, transfer eggs to serving plates with a slotted spoon. Stir tomato mixture; spoon around eggs on plates. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.

When you cut the jalapenos, wash your hands with soap and for heaven's sake, don't touch your eyes!

The French Macaron

2011-07-17T08:48:00.001-07:00

This is where I plan to spend some time in the next few days.

Have you tried to make The French Macaron?

My friend Marjorie and I think the salted caramel version is worth a try.

But, I'll start with chocolat. (Begin at the beginning.)

My friend Janice is living in Paris right now, dining on all things French and American and shares her opinion about the Macaron at Laduree in Paris.

Here's an article on the 10 essential tips for perfect Macaroons.
Really? 10?

And next weekend, there's a big Macaron tasting event at a fancy mall nearby. Move over le cupcake!

Bechamel -- In Honor of Bastille Day

2011-07-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

We should be dining of the delicious foods of France tonight, but I had a left-over steak salad from Chipotle and a slice of rare Filet Mignon waiting for me. Neither a Croque Monsieur or Croque Madam could keep me from that deliciousness. So, with nothing to show for the day, I offer:

A Bechamel Recipe

Printable Recipe

1 cup milk, scalded with a slice of onion, a bay leaf, a pinch of nutmeg, a couple of cloves, salt & pepper
Set aside so the flavors can mingle for 10-15 minutes
Make a roux of 1 1/2 Tablespoons of flour and 1 1/2 Tablespoons melted butter (heat until foaming)

When milk mixture is slightly cool, strain in the milk mixture and simmer, whisking for about 5 minutes.
For a thinner sauce, use 1 Tablespoon each flour and butter.

Use it in Macaroni & Cheese or any one of hundreds of uses for White Sauce. Or add parmesan and and a little tomato flesh for a nice pasta sauce.

And a bonus: my favorite Pate Sucre recipe (sweet tart dough - print it!).

And Viva la France!

Monday Meals

2011-07-11T01:23:00.000-07:00

We're a few weeks into our CSA season here and the beautiful greens are taking center stage. It's taken me a bit to get back on track with meal planning but I am getting back into the summer groove. Looking back through the archives of taste a little summer has helped quite a bit. Here's the plan for this week.

Saturday: Green pasta with homemade pesto and salad

Sunday: Stir-fried veggies, noodles, and spicy green beans

Monday: Dinner with friends (my contribution: radishes with Hawaiian red salt, homemade lemon-blueberry frozen yogurt, and lemon-thyme shortbread)

Tuesday: BBQ tofu with kale chips and fennel crisps

Wednesday: Homemade pizza and salad

Thursday: Grilled chicken and salad with kefir "ranch" dressing

Friday: Leftovers

What are you cooking this week?
What have you been seeing in your CSA box?

Angelcots, glorious Angelcots

2011-07-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I fell in love.

These beautiful, whiter fleshed apricots are called Angelcots. They'll be in your Trader Joe's or Ralph's markets very soon. We have Frieda's Specialty Produce to thank for bringing them from the world of farmers markets to selected grocers. (Just like the little kiwi, years ago.) They are magnificent.

These darlings are called Angelcots for a reason. They really are the angels of the apricot world. You know how many times you've encountered the fragrance of a ripening apricot only to find the flesh a bit flat or tart or worse, mealy? Well, not these delights. They are, somehow, sweet with a hint of tartness, almost buttery in consistency. And slightly reminiscent of the pear.

Frankly, if you like apricots, you should just buy a box and eat them as they are, as soon as they ripen (at room temperature). Here are a few ways I'll be enjoying them:

sliced and chilled
sliced in beverage
chopped in salad (with feta)
as dessert, halved and carefully peeled, with Marscapone cheese - maybe sweetened only a bit
with fresh, fresh blueberries
out of the bowl - as God clearly intended

After I tasted them, my first thought was a simple tart. I wanted to poach them briefly - a minute or so, (against all my instincts) just to remove the skin and impart a hint of orange peel. My instincts were right though. No poaching. In a quick minute they went from tart to Angelcot sauce. I barely had to stir them to have a luscious Angelcot Coulis. (Good for over the tart or over Vanilla Ice Cream.) Ah!

So with the remainder of my Angelcots, I went for a very simple compilation tart. It's fairly easy. Try it.

Angelcot Tart
Printable Recipe

1 sheet frozen puffed pastry
1 cup Creme Fraiche
6 Angelcots, delicately peeled
Angelcot Coulis

1) Defrost the puffed pastry. And heat the oven as directed.

2) Trim the edges of the dough 1/2" and stack it along the side edges to make a border (you'll use this for lots of summer fruit tarts).

3) Give the edges a quick egg wash (ez: one egg & 1 Tablespoon of water, whisked)

4) Bake the pastry.

5) When it cools, brush the Creme Fraiche (mixed with 1 Tablespoon of superfine sugar) onto the the pastry bed. You can also use a thick greek vanilla yogurt or pastry cream. Pastry cream is my favorite, but this is a quick compilation and there will be another tart.

6) Cool covered in the fridge while you peel the Angelcots. (I use a tomato peeler like these - be careful.)

7) Cut the fruit into sixths and layer them as you like. They'd also be great in quarters or halves.

8) I used the coulis so no apricot jelly for me, but my French pastry counterparts will always brush fruit gel over any fruit pastry. Not this time, but if you try other fruit and want the finished, less rustic look, follow the recipe below.

And, enjoy.

Fruit Gel to Finish
Cup apricot preserves
2 Tablespoons water or liqueur like Grand Mariner
Heat and push through a stainer to remove fruit particles.

Blush over when slightly warm and allow to set. Fruit will hold it's freshness and shine beautifully.

Now, go buy some Angelcots.

My box is empty.

Rhubarb Sangria

2011-06-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

A summer night-- with the breeze gently blowing and the sun softly setting requires only one thing to make it perfection. Sangria.

Eric and I have been making Sangria for years. And though it's never the same. It's got a few basic ingredients.

Fruit + Red Wine.

Seriously.

We usually get a bottle of red wine-- wine that's on sale. Shhh. Don't tell.

And in a large pitcher we combine equal parts of red wine and fruit juice. And then add cut up fruit. Fresh peaches, strawberries, black berries, oranges, limes, lemons....

Recently, I made rhubarb juice. Naturally, I thought it would be beautiful in Sangria.

Note the very large and very cheap bottle of store bought sangria. This rhubarb juice added a bit of tang and a bit of extra sweet. It kept the sangria light and airy.

Be care, these are easy to drink on a hot summer day.

Making Pizza Pie

2011-06-24T07:15:00.000-07:00

I've been making Trailer Gypsy's quick pizza crust for a while now... I needed a replacement for the little bags of chemicals and magic (ok it's just dry bagged pizza crust) that costs too much money but is SOOOO easy. And the other quick pizza crust recipes I've tried taste like moonsand. Moist and gritty. And that is not how I like my pizza.

And I can honestly say.... I love this recipe. No moonsand. Just smooth and crispy pizza. Quickly. Who says things can't be quick, cheap and good?

Plus, we make two thin crust pizzas. One with just cheese, chicken and broccoli for the kids. And one with everything for the grown-ups-- this one was three cheese, Manzanilla olives and fresh spinach. Pizza is so versatile for this time of year when gardens are producing, farmers markets are bursting and the CSA box is a treasure trove-- any veggie you can possibly imagine could probably be a topping!

I did monkey with it a little bit. Here's the original recipe.

And here is mine with some tiny tweaks.... honey instead of sugar. High fiber flour (or all purpose flour), I just use high fiber flour. A bit extra salt for a more rounded flavor-- in absence of extra spices (boo kids and their aversion to 'green flakes' on their pizza. For the record basil is not algae).

Trailer Gypsy's Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
1c. warm water - you want the water really warm, not lukewarm
1 Tbsp. honey
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast - that is how much is in 1 packet
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups flour - unbleached high fiber flour.
Spices-- I had to use 'hidden' spices. Nothing green you know.... onion powder, garlic powder....

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix water, sugar and yeast in a bowl until dissolved.
Add the olive oil, salt, and spices.
Add flour, stir until mixed well.

This will be a stickier dough than if you were making bread but it shouldn't be too moist either. Add more flour if you need to.

Let dough sit for at least 10 min. while you prepare your toppings.

On a floured surface roll dough out into two thin sheets. Will make about 2 medium pizzas.

Chicken - Simple and Yummy

2011-06-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

No fancy cookbook is needed when Meredith, my coiffing gal is around. Besides a couple of highlights, coverage of some, um, gray paint at the scalp line and a great cut, she's dashing off kid friendly recipes.

So here it is: grab a big package of thighs and one of drumsticks. Make the marinade by mixing everything in a big ziplock bag, pour it over, pop it all in the oven and voila, in a Lipton Onion Soup Mix way.

My family loved the flavor - I finished it in the broiler for some tasty caramelizing.

Easy. Tasty. On the grill? What's not to love?

Looks good doesn't it?!

2011-06-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

Raspberry-Rhubarb Crisp

via Molly

I'm over at my home base for Monday Meals this week.

Monday Meals

2011-05-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

Monday Meal Planning

It's been a long while since I've posted our meal plans and to be honest, it's been a while since I've done much planning. For the next couple of weeks I'm working on cleaning up and cleaning out our chest freezer to make way for all of the fabulous treasures that will be coming our way when our CSA share starts in a few weeks. I'm working on using up sauces and veggies that are hanging out in there. Here's what I've come up with so far.

Monday: Pasta with shrimp, spinach, feta, and homemade tomato sauce

Tuesday: Grilled chicken sausages and mediterranean whole grain salad

Wednesday: Homemade pizza

Thursday: Green pasta

Friday: Grilled chicken and corn and zucchini casserole

Saturday: Eggplant cheese pie

Sunday: Salmon with potatoes and greens

Monday: Swimming lessons- out to dinner

Tuesday: Noodle salad with thai peanut sauce

Wednesday: Pasta with chicken and peppers

Mexican Pot Roast & Marinade

2011-05-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

I have come to love this recipe for pot roast. Lots of flavor and really yummy the next day for pan fried tacos. I cut back to 1 cup of beer and use 2 cups of beef stock, adding 1 Tablespoon of sugar. The beer can leave a bitter taste. Fine for me, but not great for the kiddos. Chef hats off to the girls at the Border Grill. They are creative geniuses.

Pot Roast Ingredients

2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef chuck

Beer Marinade, recipe follows
3 tablespoons pork lard or vegetable oil
2 medium onions, cut into thick slices
4 garlic cloves, finely mashed
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
3 cups dark beer
3 cups water
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

Directions

Trim the beef chuck and place in a container just large enough to hold it. Pour the Beer Marinade over and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lift the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Reserve the marinade. Over a medium high heat, in a heavy Dutch oven, heat the lard. Brown the steak on both sides. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 2 minutes and then add tomatoes, salt, pepper, bay leaves, beer, water, and the reserved marinade.

Cover and bake about 45 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook an additional 45 minutes or until the meat is very tender.

You can also do this in a slow cooker on low all day. Or in the oven for several hours at 300 degrees.

Beer Marinade Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup dark beer
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme

Directions

To prepare the marinade, whisk together the oil, beer, and lemon juice. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, mustard, basil, oregano, and thyme. Mix well.

Found at foodnetwork.com.

Upcycled Left Overs

2011-05-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

One night, I made a big pot of Brown Jasmin rice with chicken. And had plenty of left overs for the next day's lunch. But come lunchtime, I wasn't thinking about sticky second-day rice. I wanted something new and fresh.

We had bought a pack of egg roll wrappers from the Asian market in Sioux City, the last time we were there. So, after a quick soak. I rolled in fresh spinach, leftover rice and chicken and julienne carrots. We made a quick dipping sauce which made the meal.

In a fry pan, I quickly browned each side. And in less than 15 minutes we had a beautiful, healthy lunch.

Egg Roll Sauce
2 Tablespoons Dark (or regular) Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Rice Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Hot Chili Sauce
Juice from half a small orange.

Mix all together and serve with spring rolls, pot stickers or vegetables.

GiGi's Swedish Meatballs

2011-05-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

Passed on to me by my sister in law from her Gi-Gi (Great Grandmother) in Minnesota, these delightfully easy meatballs have been a great addition to our family dinners and Annual Halloween parties!

The are best prepared in a crock pot simmering for on low for several hours with minimal attention.

Here I paired them with American Mac n' Cheese, Japanese Edamame beans for a little international fare.

Cool tip-You know the recipe is fast when one of the main requirements is that the main element be frozen!

Here's what you need:

A party bag of frozen seasoned [likely noted as italian] meatballs

if you prefer a non-meat meatball- no problem, the only crock requirement is that your protein item start frozen.

1 12 oz. jar of your favorite BBQ sauce

1 10 oz. jar of your favorite grape jelly

1 tablespoon vinegar (calls for apple cider but I have even used balsamic)

Here's what you do:

fill a crock pot 2/3rds of the way to the top

add the 3 additional ingredients and stir to coat all the meatballs

simmer on low for 5-8 hours stirring occasionally if life permits.

DONE!

You could pair this with a more traditionally Swedish fare by adding egg noodles in a white sauce as your side dish.

Whatever you add, these meatballs will be the talk of the town!

Prince William's Chocolate Crunch Cake

2011-04-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

My kiddos, at least my girlie, will be with me watching the Royal Wedding on the telly early Saturday morning. And to celebrate the occasion, we'll enjoy one of Prince William's favorite treats.

Tea & Sympathy's Easy Recipe

Prince William’s Chocolate Crunch Cake
Serves eight.

Ingredients

For the cake
1 box graham crackers
¼ c. raisins
¼ c. nuts, chopped
5 oz. dark chocolate
5 oz. milk chocolate
1 stick butter, room temp.
1 14-oz. can condensed milk

For the topping
5 oz. dark chocolate
1 tsp. milk

1. In a large metal bowl, crumble graham crackers into bite-size pieces. Add raisins and nuts.

2. In a saucepan, melt chocolates, butter, and milk. Stir frequently so chocolate doesn’t burn.

3. Add melted mixture to crackers and stir until dispersed.

4. Line an 11-by-7-inch pan with waxed paper. Pour mixture into pan; spread evenly. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

5. For the topping, combine ingredients in a saucepan; stir until melted.

6. Remove cake from fridge and cover with topping. Cut into squares and serve.

So, grab a blanket and a cup of tea. Lift your pinkie and enjoy.

Thanks to Daily Candy for publishing this recipe so we can all feel a little connected to the festivities.

7 Winter Recipes under $15:: Hungarian Goulash

2011-04-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

I was a bit tenitive about making hungarian goulash. Just because I had never made anything like it. But I used leftovers from a huge arm roast as the base and worked up from there.

The original recipe is here.

This recipe was all that it promised. Eric and I througholy enjoyed it. Like sop-up-the-last-of-the -tomato-meat-wine-juice-with-a-piece-of-bread good.

Here is my version...

Hungarian Goulash
1 pounds slow roasted arm roast-- so tender and juicy
Kosher salt
Black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 large onions, sliced thinly
10 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 can of stewed tomatoes
½ cup dry red wine
2 cups chicken stock
½ cup diced green peppers
2 Tbsp paprika
½ tsp caraway seeds

Heat one Tbsp olive oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Heat up meat, until bubbly.

Reduce the heat to medium low. Add remaining oil, onions and garlic. Cover and sweat the vegetables, stirring occasionally. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom. Stir in tomato paste. Add wine, stock, peppers and paprika. Combine well, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

We served ours over whole grain noodles.

Quick Grilled Chicken Soft Tacos Ole'

2011-03-31T22:54:00.000-07:00

Ah, with the slightest hint of warm weather fun it's Grilled Chicken Taco Time!

This can be thrown together in a matter of minutes and prep can take place even the day before for a really on the fly but good for you dinner for all.

Here's what you need:

Taco size corn tortillas

4 Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 tspn grilled chicken seasoning

1 Avocado

1 Jar of your favorite Salsa

1/2 Lb graded Cheddar Cheese

Lettuce (optional)

Prep: about 10 minutes

Cook: about 11 minutes

Here's what you do:

Take clean, lightly seasoned (grilled chicken seasoning) whole chicken breasts and toss on your Outdoor Grill, George Foreman Grill, or in your Broiler for about 6 minutes on side one and another 5 on side two until cooked through.

Remove from grill and set aside to cool slightly.

while chicken cools, grate your cheese, or for another time saver use pre-grated cheese from your favorite market.

Steam your torillas for a few minutes to soften-I use a shallow pot with a steamer basket.

Slice the avocado into chunks, and chop your lettuce if using.

Now, back to your grilled chicken, cut the breasts into 1 inch cubes.

Now you're ready to assemble!

Set all the ingredients out in separate bowls to allow your family to build their own fun.

Pile the ingredients to your liking in double tortillas for a sturdy meal, top with salsa and you are ready to go!

Add a side of black or vegetarian refried beans for good measure. Ole'

Crazy Week Night Sweets

2011-03-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

Eric, my husband and I have worked together at most jobs we've had for the last 10 years. Mostly in resturaunts, but even now we get up together, get ready together, get the kids off to daycare together and we then, walk through the front doors of our work together.

A few years ago we worked at this place that had the best "Sweets" or sweet potato fries-- I actually almost forgot about them until on a date night we ordered sweet potato fries at another resturaunt. And we were sorely disappointed, not enough sweet or salt. And with the long-lost taste of Sweets in my mind, I could not get over it.

So last night, when I was home with two sickies. I found that I needed dinner, quick! And the two sweet potatoes staring at me on the counter got me thinking again.

So I made my own version, a baked version with more sweet, and more salt. Not nutritious... but delicious. These are quick and the kids will eat them!

Baked Sweets
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 pounds sweet potatoes, unpeeled and cut into long strips
1 tablespoon olive oil Spray or grease a baking sheet pan. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, salt with sweet potatoes and oil in a mixing bowl. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender and a little crispy.

Photo

Pretty Recipe Keeper

2011-03-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

I have so many recipes on cards and as tear outs from magazines etc. I wanted a pretty place to nestle them among my cookbooks for ease of use. As luck would have it I received a beautiful photo album in a unique size that I had an Ah ha moment for ( I fancy using things for unexpected uses)! This pretty book would become my recipe friend and confidant.

Do you have a pretty album that is going unused?

I sectioned my book into 3 basic groupings of appetizers, meals and desserts. Of course you can break things down in the way it best suit you.

Now my Great Aunt Flossie's dish can be savored from it's original form - an old ingredient stained card. It will be served right along with the Crock Pot Brownie I featured last week!

Happy St. Patrick's Day & Irish Soda Bread

2011-03-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

I put this tasty bread into the oven this morning and the house smelled like St. Patrick's Day. No, no corned beef or cabbage, but a lovely traditional Irish Soda Bread. Warm, mildly sweet with currants and (not today) caraway seeds.

Irish Soda Bread

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Use 2 Tablespoons of butter to season the skillet (or pan)
Whisk together:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup currants

Add, mixed:

1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs well beaten

Put the bread in the skillet, pan or dish. Dot with 2 Tablespoons butter. Bake for 1 hour.
Cool and turn out or serve from the pan.

It will be served with strawberries.

How are you celebrating?

Later tonight, we'll enjoy this roast. Which spent the night soaking in herbs and Guinness!

More on that later.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you.

Sunday Dinner and Monday Meals

2011-03-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

For Sunday Dinner tonight we had mini-turkey meat loaves, cooked in muffin tins. We rounded things out with garlic mashers and steamed broccoli and carrots. My kids LOVED this dinner. Even the girl who usually only eats fruits and veggies.

The mini meat loaves were inspired by a recipe in this adorable cookbook. Rae Grant of My Little Hen knows kids... she knows what they like to eat, what they like to cook, and even what they like to craft too. I turned to her cookbook for inspiration and recipes for a few different items on our meal plan.

So here we are... some pretty basic stuff. We have a lot of comfort food and soups on the menu as we slowly ease into spring. The hubby will be out of town for a bit so I like to stick with things the kids will really like and stuff that is pretty easy to prepare. I did a big bread bake yesterday and we are already through a loaf and a half. Oops! Here is my favorite honey whole wheat bread recipe. (For a bigger view of the meal plan, just click on the photo.)

What is on your menu for the next week or two?

Swiss Chard Saturday Night

2011-03-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, for me, cooking is all inspiration.

My darling friend had some extra Rainbow Chard on her hands and gave it too me. You may not feel the same way, but with all the color, it was feeling like Christmas!

I brought it into the kitchen thinking about a light dinner and before I knew it the chard was in a light wine sauce with some chicken Italian Sausage, pasta and a touch of Pecorino Reggiano.

Dinner was mild, light and easy on the eyes.

Here's how:

Recipe

1 Clove Elephant Garlic - minced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup white cooking wine or Vermouth
1 Teaspoon salt (or to taste)
5 Chicken Italian Sausages sliced
One bunch Rainbow Chard - cleaned, dried, stems cut in bite sized pieces and separated from the leaves, leaves cut or torn into pieces
2 Cups cooked pasta
1 Tablespoon Butter
Pecorino Reggiano Cheese or Parmesian

1) Pour Olive Oil into pan and heat on low.

2) Add minced Elephant Garlic (this is a very mild flavored garlic, almost in the onion to leek flavor group). Saute on low until translucent.

3) Add Chicken Stock, (or Broth) and wine and cook over a low simmer to reduce.

4) Add chopped chard stems and cook 5 minutes.

5) Add chopped chicken Italian Sausage and continue to cook on low for 10 minutes.

6) Add the remaining chard leaves and cook, covered on low for about 5 minutes.
7) Add 1 Tablespoon butter and toss with about 2 cups of fresh, hot pasta. I used penne.
8) Plate and top with the Pecorino Reggianno.
Bon Appetit!

What? Brownies in the Crock Pot! This, you gotta try!

2011-03-11T02:41:00.000-08:00

OK, this has some sweet aroma appeal along with the ready-when-you-are that Crock Pot's bring.

Cook on low for 3 1/2 hours for a rich, delightful twist on a favorite desert!

This new favorite was derived from my favorite cooking publication-EVERYDAY FOOD

Here are the ingredients in order of appearance:

1 stick of soft butter, cubed

1 1/2 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped

12 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup sugar

-cook these over low heat on the stove until melted

-add 3 eggs (lightly beaten) followed by mixture this pre-whisked mixture:

1 1/4 cups of flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup unsweetened coco powder

Fold all ingredients together and transfer to slow cooker for molten chocolaty fun!

Once the 3 1/2 hours is done, let cool to taste and scoop right out of the pot to enjoy!

Let's Talk CSA

2011-03-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

We just sent in our contract for this year's CSA share and I am so jazzed! In Minnesota we have a short growing season and our deliveries won't start until late June but I don't mind daydreaming and menu planning for a while.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. This is a great way to get fresh, local, in-season produce onto your dinner (and breakfast and lunch) table. Many CSAs offer other products such as meats, dairy, eggs, herbs, and flowers.

The website Local Harvest is a wealth of information about CSAs as well as a place to find a CSA farm near you if you are interested.
Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

-From Local Harvest

What I love about being a member of a CSA farm is that I know my growers. I get to visit the farm and help out if I want to. I know that my family is getting the highest quality food. We eat tons more fresh veggies than we would otherwise. My kids know the names of dozens of different vegetables and eagerly try most of them, often while we are still in the red wagon on our walk home from our neighborhood dropsite. My children also know where their food comes from and how it grows.

Here are a few sites to check out for recipes using CSA produce:

taste a little of the summer

Blame it on the Food

Flour Girl

So tell us, do you belong to a CSA? Which one? Why do you love it? Are you thinking of joining a CSA? Do you have questions?

My favorite poem just so happens to be painted on the side of the barn at our CSA. LOVE!

Shrove Tuesday Pancakes or simply Irish Pancakes

2011-03-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

The Odlum's guide to homebaking was a cookbook my mom used when I was a kid growing up in Dublin. I don't think she needed to use it very often, but it was a familiar little book around the kitchen with it's old brown paper cover and the Odlum's Owl on the front, the price tag - 2 shillings and 6 pence.

On Shrove Tuesday every year our mom would make Irish Pancakes for dinner. They were only served on this one day every year, the day before Lent. My brother John and I would eat one hot pancake after another until we were stuffed. Several years ago I decide to introduce this Irish tradition to my own family in California. The first time I decided to make the pancakes I pulled the thin little Odlum's cook book off the shelf and there on page 30 was the magical little recipe I needed. I hadn't tried them myself in years, but I remembered well the smell of them cooking and the warm sugary, lemony, buttery juice dripping down my hands as a kid and I couldn't wait to experience it all over again.

What is Shrove Tuesday you might ask. For those of you who don't know, Shrove (confess) Tuesday falls on the day before Ash Wednesday in the Christian tradition. It's the day before Lent which is a time of abstinence or giving up. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were traditionally forbidden during Lent. Of course we don't eat them for that reason anymore...shhh. We eat them because they taste so good.

Irish Pancakes

You'll need:

8ozs. All purpose flour

2 eggs

1 pint milk

1/2 level teaspoon salt

3 - 4 ozs. butter for cooking and serving

3 - 4 ozs. sugar for serving

2 - 3 organic lemons cut into wedges for serving

Method: To make pancake batter easily, first sift the flour with the salt into a bowl. This will help to produce a batter that is smooth and free from lumps, lumps are no good in Irish pancakes, just like lumps in Irish mashed potatoes aren't good either, but that's another story. Beat the eggs and milk together in a separate bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and very gradually add the liquid to the flour a little at a time, this is very important, stirring and beating as you add the liquid until a smooth batter is made and all the flour and liquid are incorporated. The recipe suggests letting the batter stand for an hour (I usually don't have time for this, when we are ready for Irish pancakes we want them NOW). Pour the batter into a jug from which it can be poured easily on to the pan.

Cooking: Prepare a medium size pan by melting a little of the butter on the pan over medium to high heat (my mom would take a paper towel and wipe up excess melted butter, leaving a thin layer of butter, just enough so the pancake wouldn't stick to the pan). Pour a thin covering of the batter, just enough to run over the bottom of the pan. Cook quickly for less than half a minute over a good heat (long slow cooking will make pancakes very tough). Loosen the pancake and flip it over to cook the other side for another half minute.

Serve immediately.

Serving it up and dressing it to eat: Immediately serve the cooked pancake on a warmed plate. Add a little dab of butter, which will melt on the hot pancake, spread the butter with a knife. Immediately sprinkle sugar over the buttery pancake and squeeze the juice of a wedge of lemon. Roll the pancake into a long thin roll, cut in half and eat immediately preferably over your plate so that you can catch the lemony, sugary, buttery juices which can be absorbed with your next serving. ENJOY!

Warm Chick Pea Stew - 7 Meals for under $15

2011-03-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

My challenge in the 7 Meals Under $15 was the Warm Chickpea Stew. The first time I tasted chickpea stew was at Gjelina on Abbot Kinney in Venice, and as a thick vegetarian stew goes that was rated very high on my yummy radar. Then I decided to take gluten out of my diet and I couldn't eat the Gjelina's stew because there's couscous in it. When I saw this recipe I jumped at the chance to make it gluten free, this recipe has brown rice instead of couscous.

It was a beautiful morning this morning in Topanga. I woke up early and after a little breakfast I felt inspired to make the stew. I had all the ingredients at my fingertips. In my usual way, I altered the recipe just slightly to match my own particular taste, but not too much because I wanted to stick as closely as possible to the original recipe.

While I was chopping and prepping and thinking about how fun this blog thing is, my phone rang and it was the wonderful Vicki herself, perfect timing, since she's the reason I'm blogging these days. Vicki and I chatted through most of my preparation and cooking, with Vicki on speaker on the kitchen counter while I chopped and stirred. (It's a fun way to cook!)

Here's the recipe, enjoy!

Warm Chickpea Stew

Prep time: 15 mins

Total time: 75 mins

Serves: 8

1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 1/2 cup diced onions (2 medium onions)

3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks)

2 diced medium carrots (carrots were not in the orig. recipe, I added them)

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 (28 oz) can organic diced tomatoes and their juices

3 cups organic vegetable stock (the orig recipe called for chicken stock, I prefer vegetable stock) [note: if store bought, buy low sodium]

20 oz can of organic chickpeas, rinsed

14 oz can of organic lentils, rinsed

1/2 cup short grain brown rice

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp fresh organic lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (I used 6 fresh basil leaves instead)

1 bayleaf (I added this to the recipe)

Heat the olive oil in a medium stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions, celery and carrots and cook for approx. 4 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, stirring well. Add the vegetable stock, lentils and chickpeas. Bring to a boil.

Add the rice and salt and lower the stew to a simmer. Cook covered for 60 minutes or until the rice is tender. Add the basil leaves and lemon juice, continue to cook for a couple more minutes. Serve in warmed soup bowls, you can garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs if you wish.

When I served the stew for lunch today I served it warm and not hot, so we could really enjoy all the delicious spices. It was a perfect Saturday lunch, but I would serve it anytime. ENJOY!

Joan's notes: This was a quick and easy recipe and within an hour we were enjoying a bowl of yummy nutritious stew. Next time I will crumble a mild goat cheese on top when serving the stew. While I was chatting with Vicki this morning I challenged myself next time to cook the chickpeas and lentils from scratch rather than using canned ingredients, this will add to the cooking time of course, but these can easily be cooked the day before and refrigerated until I need them. I rinsed both the lentils and chickpeas under cold water which removed some of the sodium added in the canning process, but I am curious to know how different this stew will be with home cooked ingredients.

Till next time.

Quick and Yummy Sloppy Joe's

2011-03-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

[side note] I seem to be having hot sandwich cravings during our not-as-sunny-as-usual winter in California. ;-)

A hot sandwich is perfect for those nights (quite a few actually in my house) where I need to get dinner on the table fast! One of my favorite "Go To" dishes is good ol' hearty Sloppy Joes. Tuesday was one of those days, so I got my hands on a Sloopy Joes season packet (yes sometimes season packs can be your BF in a pinch) and followed the directions which were as follows:

ingredients:

1 Lb ground beef (I like ground turkey just as much, though it it cooks up finer)

1 Sloppy Joe season packet

1 4oz can of Tomato paste

1 cup of water

6 rolls, Kaiser, Ciabatta, French or other

saute ground beef in a pan then drain and add water, season pack, tomato paste and let simmer per package directions.

In the meantime toast the buns in the broiler for a few minutes then, add sloppy joe meat to open roll, garnish with grated mozzarella and serve-yum!

A Quick Side: Wild Rice

2011-03-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I know there will be chicken on my Grill-A-Vator. (Yup, I have the amazing O'Keefe and Merritt with a working broiler.) And right next to it will be a delicious salad with Easter Egg radishes, avocado and my favorite Dijon Vinaigrette along with Wild Rice.

Wild Rice is such a great side dish. It's actually a grass more than a grain. A grainy grass. Trader Joe's has a Fully Cooked and ready-to-eat pack that serves well when you want to eat beautifully by compiling great ingredients but don't have the luxury of slow cooking. You won't find microwave instructions here either. Not on my radar.

Wild Rice And:

1 package Trader Joe's fully-cooked Wild Rice.

2 Tablespoons EV Olive Oil

1 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup diced scallions

Salt (your choice)

Fresh Ground Pepper

Lemon juice (optional, but yummy)

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium flame. Add red onion, cook until translucent. Toss in Trader Joe's Wild Rice. Cook on medium for about 10 minutes. Add scallions. Cook 5 to 10 minutes, to wilt the scallions. Salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze the juice of 1/4 lemon. Serve. 20 minutes max cooking time.

Variation inspiration:

- Add garlic salt

- Start with onion and minced garlic

- Without garlic and scallions add 1 cup chopped fresh or canned peaches

- Add chopped celery

- Add brown rice, butter, feta cheese, cilantro, fresh tomato, herbs, herbs, herbs

Cooking with: A New Pan - Ice Cream Sandwich Pans

2011-03-01T07:03:00.000-08:00

I'm all for checking out a new utensil or pan. It seems Sur La Table has a bunch of new pans, a doughnut twist pan (I think of them as fried though, not baked) and this dreamy Ice Cream Sandwich Pan. I see a recipe book in the left background, but, I might need to have a few good recipes for this now!

It might be too cold for ice cream sandwiches today, even on the Southern California coast, but spring is around the corner.

So, how about this? Send us your recipe, we'll dig through our files and we'll spend the last week of March celebrating Ice Cream Sandwich week! Could be a fun way to tuck away some summer recipes before the heat and busy joy overtakes us and we end up looking for the ice cream truck!

What do you think? Leave us a comment so we know you're in! And just maybe we'll have a fun giveaway to go with it.

Check back!

Stuffed French Rolls, an old family favorite.

2011-02-25T14:54:00.000-08:00

Bet you can't eat just one!

These fabulous hot pockets are simple to make and fabulous to freeze for your one for now, one for later meal planning.

I recommend preparing a double batch.

What you need:

1 1/2 dozen french rolls

1 lb grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 large onion-diced

1 clove garlic-minced

2 2 1/2 oz cans diced black olives

2 2 1/2 oz cans diced mild green chilies

1/2 cup canola oil

1 14.5 oz can plain tomato sauce

salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients with the exception of the rolls and set aside.

Slice rolls across as you would for a sandwich, only make your cut so the bottom piece is thicker than the top. You will be scooping out the insides of the bottom to hold the filling mixture ( you can save the crumbs for breadcrumbs later on).

Fill the rolls, place them back together and wrap individually in foil.

Bake for one hour or freeze for another day.

Enjoy with a nice green salad.

You'll be a fan!

7 Quick Recipes Under $15 - Pulled Pork

2011-02-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Here's my take on the pulled pork from the 7 Quick Recipes Under $15.

I was going to cook the pork shoulder in the crock pot since I never have time to roast a cut of meat for 5 to 7 hours and then let it rest for up to 2 more. However, the cut of meat I bought was smaller than the recommended one AND we are in the midst of yet another big snowstorm so we weren't going anywhere this afternoon. So, roast slow and low I did and, to be honest, I wish I used the slow cooker after all. In the end, our meat was not tender enough to pull apart with two forks. I have cooked pork loins and roasts in the crock pot and had much more success at getting the texture I wanted. The entire dinner would have come in around $15 IF you already had all of the spices (we did) and you didn't need to buy the hot sauce and salsa (we didn't) and you got a fab deal on the meat (try Costco for a large pork shoulder at under $2 a pound). There is so much meat, that this would feed a crowd and is a pretty good deal in that sense. I guess this was quick if you only counted the prep time and not the cooking time. Don't get me wrong, the meal was pretty good and the flavor of meat was nice. The kids ate it too with minimal complaining (except for my 5 year old son who almost died when I made him eat two bites of avocado!), so that's a big plus. So if you're interested, here's the recipe in it's original form. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients
3 Tbsp sweet paprika
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tbsp white pepper
1-2 tsp cayenne or chipotle
1 pork shoulder, about 8 pounds
Flour or corn tortillas
Guacamole
Salsa
Hot sauce

Mix all spices together.

Dry the pork shoulder with paper towels, place in baking pan that is bigger than the shoulder by at least a inch in length and width, and at least 3 inches deep. Sprinkle dry rub onto the surface of the shoulder and massage in such that it adheres to the surface. Coat all sides. Make sure the fat layer on the shoulder is facing up before cooking.

Place baking pan uncovered in a 225 F oven on the middle rack. Roast until the center of the shoulder reaches 190 F. This could take 5 to 7 hours. When the shoulder has reached 190 F, shut off the oven and let the roast cool for a couple of hours before removing from the oven. If the bottom of the pan is dry (or crusted with dried spices) then cover the pan with foil to retain internal moisture of the meat during the cooling period. When the temperature drops to 170 F or slightly lower, remove from oven.

Place on a large, clean work surface such as a cutting board, and remove the large sheet of crusted fat on the top. Pull apart with two forks. It will pull apart very easily.

Fill tortillas with the pork, sprinkle some of the rub on the meat, and top with salsa, guacamole and hot sauce. This dish will feed about 14 hungry friends.

***We (a family of 4) had PLENTY of meat left over from a 3.5 pound shoulder. We'll be cooking it up with some bbq sauce, shredding it up a bit more, and having bbq pork sandwiches with cole slaw and oven fries later this week.

Brussels Sprouts, really?

2011-02-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I have nothing to say for myself but, "really"?

My whole life parents and grandparents have tried to get me to eat Brussels Sprouts. I tasted once or twice and quickly became a vociferous naysayer. I wouldn't, couldn't, not gonna, ever, eat them. I could sit at the table for hours not eating them and the only things I like less than those bitter cruciferous sprouts are lima beans. So there. None. For years.

One day about 6 or 7 years ago I had a bite of my friend Anna's grilled Brussels Sprouts at Houston's Restaurant. They were not bad. But, it didn't convince me. And anyway, I don't live near a Houston's and reasoned it must have been an anomaly of sorts.

Then a funny thing happened. Joan, of the Organic Kale Salad, offered to cook the mean little guys for our Thanksgiving celebration. I couldn't exactly turn down a dinner contribution. I figured I'd just have extra salad and forget to put them on my plate. But then something happened. I tasted them. And voila, I changed teams there and then. I love them. I love Brussels Sprouts and would eat them anytime, anywhere. Really.

Here's the trick:

Buy them organic. Buy them fresh. Cut away the base of the core. Peel any tarnished leaves. Cut them in half.
Heat a skillet to medium high with plenty of good olive oil*. Add the sprouts and a pinch of salt, and skitter them around in the pan for a while, til they start to just roast. You want some brown on the leave. Then add a bit more fresh olive oil - a sprinkling and the juice of 1/2 a lemon or so.

Then you eat them. Mmmmm.

My sister recommends finishing with Balsamic Vinegar. Or add a couple of teaspoons of brown sugar to the olive oil while their cooking and finish with either the lemon or the vinegar.
You really could eat them every day.
There are tons of recipes out there.

My mom (the one who tried to make me eat the boiled to death kind of Brussels Sprouts for all those years), was shocked when I served them with turkey the other night. Those are them swimming in the shimmery wine & stock gravy. Oh yes, they were very happy. And she was thrilled she'd finally convinced me!

All I have to say is "who knew"?

* Always Cold Pressed Extra Virgin and preferably organic. Laleli is my hands down favorite and you can buy it over the phone from the rep: Mary Landis. (She's my friend and a fellow kitchen lover.) The flavored varieties are superb because they mash the olives and the fruits (herbs) together so there's some crazy marriage of flavors. (I suppose mashing will do that.) I prefer not to live without the lemon, the basil and the garlic flavor in my kitchen.

Cooking with Wine

2011-02-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

After Ellen's tasty post where wine is incorporated, I was thinking about how much I love to cook with a little wine here and a little wine there. I don't always have a bottle of wine open like you would in a restaurant setting. And, I don't particularly like buying the little screw top bottles of cooking wine. I'm fine with some Two Buck Chuck in white or red for this job. So in the case of Ellen's recipe, you need 1/2 a cup of white wine. (I'd almost never have this around, I'm not a white wine drinker.)

So, an easy, simple step I take, is freezing left over wine. If I need a cup of wine for cooking, I open the bottle then repackage the rest for later.

Because of the alcohol, wine doesn't freeze too terribly hard and thaws pretty easily. Think about the shape of the bottle or jar you use. One simple way to do it is to use an ice cube tray and bag the frozen cubes. I'm not big on plastic in the freezer though and I tend to want a bit more than a cube so I freeze it in the perfectly shaped ramekin.

I don't think I ever leave the drippings from a roast or steaks or turkey. Do you deglaze your pans? It makes for the tastiest sauces and isn't something that should be particular to chefs. You may have deglazed, just by adding water and making gravy. But when you make steaks, try this:

Pour off a little bit of the fat
Make sure to removed blackened pieces (brown is good and carmelized)
Pull the pan off the fire for a minute
Add wine
Return the heat
Scrape with a spatula
Let it boil down and concentrate
Finish with a little bit of butter

Taste it, and add salt, pepper if you like. Now you have a perfect accompaniment for the steak, etc. Or, a wonderful thing to freeze and add to a soup base.
Easy.
All from some extra wine in your freezer.

Guest Contributor: Ellen Pastusak and Creamy Tuscan Chicken

2011-02-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

My friend Ellen is fun. She's one of those people who seems to just be in love with all aspects of life. She has an ease and simple humor in her approach. She's also straight-forward without the extra wrapping.

She offered this delicious and fairly simple recipe. As I read it, I dreamed of the history, it must have come from some fabulous trip with her husband to some wonderful corner of Italy. So I asked about the history. She replied, "I actually saw this recipe on the package of Fosters Farm chicken I got at Costco." She said something about it being more elegant if she'd found it in GOURMET magazine, at which point I forgot all about the little Tuscan village and got a little teary eyed (I do miss GOURMET).

Well, this is elegant simplicity at it's best and I bet you'll love it. (Don't you wish you could dip a little rustic bread in that pan!)

Ellen's right about the sum of the parts, each ingredient in this recipe is good, but when you put them all together they are perfection! And the ingredients together are Ellen's take on a quality, comforting dinner entree. A proven winner. And she promises, it tastes splendid reheated.

Here's the recipe.:

Creamy Tuscan Chicken a la Ellen

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 T. olive oil

salt and pepper

Sauce:

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup heavy cream

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup packed fresh spinach

1 cup fresh basil, rough chopped

1. Heat oil in non-stick pan on medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook on medium high heat for 8 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan and set aside for later use.

2. Add white wine to hot pan and let reduce by half. Add mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add heavy cream, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and bring to simmer. Add spinach and basil and cook until spinach becomes tender.

3. Place chicken back in pan with sauce to reheat - simmer for 5 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165. Serve alone or with pasta or risotto.

(to quicken cooking time, flatten chicken with mallet before cooking)

Give it a try and leave your thoughts in a comment!

Trader Joe's Compilation Meals - Carnitas & Roasted Veggies

2011-02-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

Last night I had a sick kiddo and Grama stopped for dinner so, quick and easy was a must, as was tasty.

I grabbed some pre-cooked Trader Joe's Carnitas and warmed them in big saucepan with some (lightly sauteed in olive oil) onion. Add yummy Trader's tomatillo salsa thinned with a bit of chicken stock and while it cooked with the lid on over a medium to low fire, slowly, I moved on to the veggies.

Chopped cauliflower, carrots, beautiful onions and red turnips tossed with olive oil, a bit of salt and lemon juice and were popped into a 400 degree oven for a bit. For a beautiful roasted cauliflower or broccoli, I love this recipe.

Add the tortilla, creme fraiche (ok, Crema would be good, but this was in the fridge) and salsa and you have a quick, delicious and by no means expected dinner.

The grain? It's quinoa. More on that later. High protein and tasty with a little salsa sauce.

This probably deserves a recipe, but for now: Bon Appetit & Que bueno!

TJ Carnitas look like:

Organic Kale Salad - The Recipe

2011-02-17T08:44:00.000-08:00

Joan's Favorite Organic Kale Salad

1 head of organic kale (the curly kind)

Olive oil

1 orange

1 grapefruit

1 pomegranate

Handful of the following raw and unsalted seeds:

Sesame seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Flax seeds

Sunflower seeds

Wash the kale and strip/cut the leaves from the stems. With a sharp knife chop the kale leaves to fine bite size pieces (the finer the better) and place in a glass bowl. Add olive oil, approx 2 tablespoons to the kale leaves and knead the oil into the leaves making them tender and soft. Add the juice of 1 fresh orange and knead it into the leaves as well. Do not add the oil and orange juice at the same time, you will not achieve the right tenderness. Set the bowl aside. Seed the pomegranate and add the seeds to the salad. Add the raw seeds of your choice. Mix it all together and enjoy and see who fights for the last little bits left in the bottom of the bowl.

2011-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Osso Bucco

I took this recipe from 7 Recipes under $15, a selection Joan, Kerry, Mary and Vicki and I are testing. (Just for you! Join us?)

I fiddled with it a bit, to meet both ease of use and budget constraints for a lovely Sunday night dinner with family.

OSSO BUCCO
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 120 minutes
Serves: 4
Cost: $11 per person-ish (not quite under $15)

4 large 2 ½-inch thick veal shanks, each patted dry and tied securely with kitchen string-I chose 2 shanks and two chops to see how their end result would vary. My family liked the chop (not entirely Osso) a little better, less fat and more meat to savor. I also skipped the stringing process, I've been known to cut a corner or two in the kitchen- you know, busy mom thing.
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
All-purpose flour for dredging the veal shanks/chops
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 ½ cups dry white wine
1 ½ cups finely-chopped onion
¾ cup finely-chopped carrots
¾ cup finely-chopped celery
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp tomato paste
3-4 cups chicken stock
1 ½ cups drained canned plum tomatoes, chopped
Cheesecloth bag containing 6 fresh parsley sprigs, 4 fresh thyme sprigs, and 1 bay leaf-I passed on the cheese cloth and let these ingredients mingle with the above elements freely. I removed the bay leaf at serving.
4 Tbsp flat parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp lemon zest

Dust shanks with salt and pepper then dredge in flour. Shake off excess flour.

Heat Dutch oven with 1 Tbsp each oil and butter until very hot. Brown shanks, adding butter and oil as needed. Remove browned meat.

Lower heat and add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Saute about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste. Add wine and bring to a boil. Let the wine boil for about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, and cheesecloth bag. When this boils, cover the pan and simmer until meat is falling off the bone, about 1 ½ hours.

Snip kitchen string off shanks and top with parsley and lemon zest.
The suggested side serving is creamy polenta- I chose couscous.

When the final meal was prepared I served the shanks/chops over couscous and ladled with sauce for a delightful dinner mimicing Sunday dinners from days gone by.

Meal Planning: I'm Fancy!

2011-02-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

Here's the plan for meals at our house for the next two weeks. I didn't do any power cooking this weekend, although the veggie egg bake I made for dinner was big enough to last through a few lunches and breakfasts as leftovers. It's always nice to have a few things tucked away in the fridge for mid-week busy-ness.

Here is the recipe for the bounty rice dish and for a pizza similar to the one I have planned for Friday. Our pizza this week will include caramelized onions... my new thing. I'm fancy now you see... I figured out how to make caramelized onions. Not too tricky at all I must admit.
Here's how I do it:
4-5 cups of thinly sliced onions
3-4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp white wine
3 tsp white wine vinegar
4 tbsp water (plus more if needed to keep the onions from browning too much)
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp sea salt
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add all ingredients and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally and adding extra water if necessary (I sometimes add another tablespoon or two) to prevent the onions from burning. The onions should be done after about 30-40 minutes.

after 5 minutes in the pan

after 30 minutes in the pan

They have a sweet tang to them that we usually enjoy on a flatbread or pizza. I'm sure they would also be marvelous over a steak or maybe as an appetizer in a dip like this one.

Organic Kale Salad

2011-02-12T16:26:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up in Ireland we would eat kale (curly kale) once or twice a year around Halloween. My mom would cook it and chop it fine and add it to our mashed potatoes (this dish was called colcannon), she bribed my brother and I to eat it by wrapping coins in tin foil and placing them underneath the colcannon and we weren't allowed to dig for the money, we had to eat the colcannon until we reached the silver gifts.

I have to say I didn't enjoy colcannon at all, but it sounds delicious to me now. I re-discovered kale about 2 years ago, as many of my friends did too and I started to explore different recipes and this one is my favorite. In fact I love my kale salad so much that I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I can't get enough of it. This picture was taken at my birthday party last weekend. Although my hubby didn't want me cooking anything for my own bday, I was very happy to make my salad.
Here's the recipe:

Joan's Favorite Organic Kale Salad
1 head of organic kale (the curly kind)

Olive oil

1 orange

1 grapefruit

1 pomegranate

Handful of the following raw and unsalted seeds:

Sesame seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Flax seeds

Sunflower seeds

When I made this salad last weekend I added the juice and fruit of a delicious sweet white grapefruit that I bought at the farmers market, which turned my salad into a delicious brunch salad.

Prep in advance: I usually wash / prepare 2 heads of kale at once so that I can be prepared to make another salad the next day. I save the prepared leaves in a glass container in the fridge till I need it. Unlike a salad made with lettuce, kale salad tastes even better the next day when the leaves and seeds have soaked up the citrus juices. Kale leaves can also be added to veggie soups, yum.

Unlike when I was a child, my 14 year old girlie will sit down with a big bowl of kale salad and finish it to the last bite, I feel pretty good about this and I don't have to add money wrapped in tin foil to bribe her, she sometimes helps to seed the pomegranate.

This is a healthy, nutritious way to eat your greens and seeds.

A green smoothie...

2011-02-11T06:41:00.000-08:00

Good morning dears,
This weekend we were inspired to make green smoothies, though ours had more than just green ingredients. My kids watched me put all of the fruit, juice, juice-ice (we freeze orange juice in ice trays to make 'Popsicles') and spinach into the blender and then quickly drank it down. KNOWINGLY drinking spinach. This was a parenting accomplishment.

So, if you let your preschoolers help you, they may be more willing to eat what you're giving them. Just sayin'

Good for you Green Smoothie
3 pieces or more of Juice Ice (just frozen juice cubes)
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 a lime juiced
1 banana
1 tangerine juiced
handful of frozen raspberries
handful of spinach

Blend the heck out of it until it smells amazing and all the chunkies are gone.
Pour into glasses and watch as your little people get a days worth of fruits and veggies! Woo-hoo!

A Power Cooking Night

2011-02-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

I heartily agree with Kerry and everyone else who does a little power cooking. Sometimes I plan mine, ya know, its Saturday, the kiddo's schedules don't demand and I can take a couple of hours in the kitchen to prepare for the meals ahead.

There are times when a cooking night is driven by USE BY dates. And on occasion, the opportunity just presents itself! Last night my girlie's volleyball practice was canceled and my boy's guitar lesson could move, so we came home right after school/work. Ahhh.

I dived right in and the kitchen was suddenly filled with the fragrance of onions sweating in olive oil.
Here's what I prepared:

the cut chicken version of Spatchcock Chicken
a pot roast
Layered Chicken Enchilada's a la my sister - kinda like this recipe (no canned soup here!)

I browned the pot roast and got it in the pan then popped the cut up chicken in a 400 degree oven all dressed up with olive oil, salt, garlic cloves and cherry tomatoes, then, over to the casserole. It took a little over ninety minutes and I'm set for a couple of days. The chicken yielded left-overs for lunch and a snack (I am all for a tasty cold chicken leg for a snack and am offering protein instead of simple carbs at my house.), I'm having some for lunch too. The pot roast will finish tonight when I do step two, placing it in a pan with baby onions, potatoes and carrots, a little beef stock and wine to finish the braise and warm the house. Left overs will be used on taco night. And the layered enchilada business is perfect for Friday night. Leftovers to the freezer!

There's power in the simple nights in the offing!

Ok, share. Do you do power cooking?

I know Kerry does.

A way to their hearts is through these fabulous chocolate chip cookies

2011-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colonial American Chocolate Chip Cookies.

( discovered Women's Day Magazine over a decade ago and credited as being created first in Colonial America in the New England area)

This recipe was given to me by a dear friend who's husband is a chocoholic. She said they made a batch at least once a week.

What I like is this tasty dough's simplicity, making a weekly dose doable if need be. I rarely buy cookies anymore, preferring the warmth and love that goes into a nice warm batch of cookies like these.

This Valentine's day bake up a batch of these delightful chocolate wonders and you will be sure to win the hearts of the ones you love.

3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I add another 1/8-1/4 cup to make them puffier)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 12oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans (walnuts work well too)

In a mixer beat together sugars, butter, egg and vanilla. Add in flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold in pecans.

Drop by rounded teaspoon, 2" apart.
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes in a 375 pre-heated oven.

Remove and enjoy while warm.

7 Meals for under $15

2011-02-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

I was breezing through my email and What to my wondering eyes did appear, but a miniature post with 7 quick recipes under $15 (well, it started out like the poem).

I really like a lot of these recipes. And, I'm all for a vegetarian dinner at least once a week.

I, like Kerry, enjoy CSA fruits and veggies. Mine come straight to my door every other Monday in a box from my milkman. It's like a Christmas present every week. My teen son looks forward to it. He runs out to bring it in and almost always takes something to school. It's these Monday nights when I really get down to inspired menu planning, but I digress.

Here's the recipe list.

I think we'll each try one or tow and post as we go. Kind of a modified Julie and Julia deal. But, on a budget and not French and there is no Julie here.

Let us know if you try one and how it works out for you!

Warm Chick Pea Stew
Hearty Matzo Ball Soup
Hungarian Goulash
Falafel “Buffet"
Pulled Pork Tacos
Vegetarian Dahl
Osso Bucco
Photo from Cooking Light magazine

Guest Contributor - Kathy Soloman - A point of view on dinner and service

2011-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Let's face it, some days cooking dinner is fun and some days you don't want to be faced with "what's for dinner?" And there's always someone walking in the door daily with that on their mind!

Well, I am learning in a current Bible Study about being a Proverbs 31 woman and how it is my role to do good. (Prov 31:12) Summing it up within a family: doing good happens by giving. That's my calling.... no matter how I feel any moment. And to top it off later, Prov 31:15 speaks of getting up early to yet...well I'm learning to put it together and to plan my days better. And about that nightly meal, doing whatever I can early in the day to have most of it prepared so doing the final steps won't "throw me over the edge" when I am feeling tired. Hopefully I can take a deep breath and continue to "do good."

In meal prep, I find that if I can simply remember to thaw meat, then we should be fine! Tonight tho, it's a simple meal because we have different people going in all sorts of directions. So I am depending on my Bear Creek soups and trying the vegetable beef version tonight. Along with some warm yeast rolls that bake quickly, dinner will only take about 15 minutes to prepare.

Blessings to any lady out there in role of mom, sister, daughter, friend, aunt, etc. As women we have a great role of "doing good and not harm all the days of our life" if we are filled with wisdom from above.

It's not food, but i's still good for your soul!

2011-02-04T06:16:00.000-08:00

Hello What am I Cooking? Friends!

I am hosting a workshop called, Revisiting Sanctuaries: a workshop for daily seeing.

This workshop is set up on a five week schedule. Each Monday you'll get a new workbook on a new facet of seeing-- with journal prompts, videos, thoughts, interviews, tutorials-- each week experiencing seeing in a different way. An 8x10 printable poster by artwork made by me. A private blog for deeper discussion, a private forum for conversations.

Registration continues through February 14 for $40. The workshop begins February 14th. But each week is set up to work along as you can.

Alone for Dinner - A favorite salad

2011-02-03T20:42:00.000-08:00

Tonight I found myself on my own for dinner and I swear my car drove itself to grab a few bits of this and that for the perfect salad.
I ate it before I could take a picture. So, sorry. But, so happy.

As I sat in pure dinner bliss my dog stared deeply in my eyes. I sent him back to his dinner. And then, my dear husband who didn't want dinner used his famous opening line, "whatcha got there?" The rest of the meal quickly became history.

Don't you just love a good salad!

The Un Deux Trois Salad

One head crisp romaine torn (or chopped!)

A couple of ounces of bleu cheese - tonight Stilton

One peeled and chopped Granny Smith

A couple of teaspoons of almonds (or walnuts)

A handful of shredded chicken (from last night's dinner)

Nora Ephron's Dijon Vinaigrette

Mix 2 tablespoons Grey Poupon mustard with 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar.

Whisking constantly,  add 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, until creamy.

Actually,  I've been making it so long, I forgot about the red wine vinegar. I've  always used organic apple cider vinegar. And Melissa D'Arabian shared a  secret, that when making his vinaigrette, a Parisian cafe owner added a few drops of soy sauce as a secret ingredient. Here's that link.

You  can always make it more complex, adding minced garlic, minced shallots,  fresh herbs you love. I always return to the basic and enjoy it with  champagne vinegar and even the subtlety of rice wine vinegar. Leave out  the vinegar, add lemon juice and grate Parmesan. Variations and flavors  are endless.

For my taste this simple recipe means I never have to buy a bottle of dressing.

Trader Joe's Compilation Meals

2011-02-03T05:37:00.000-08:00

Every now and again all we really want to do is put a few things together for E-Z dinner. Right?
So Trader Joe's has some goodness in the aisles. I'll make it my job to share some compilation dinners from TJs.

This Monday night we had a fun one. There was no school, so right about 1:00 when relaxin' and practicin' and chores were done, my Dear asked the kids if they wanted to go bowling. I added, bring a jacket and off we went (surprise!) to Disney's California Adventure for 5 quick rides. (Yes, we invested in passes. Yes, no one was there, but another family from our school. Yes it was fun.)

At the end of the trip, my youngest was begging for a hot dog but I don't really wish to give the mouse empire all of my money, so we headed home for a simple bowl of Trader Joe's Chicken Chili.

Heat it up.

We serve it over the TJ's organic corn chips with a little dollop of organic sour cream and about a teaspoon of (hand) shredded Cheddar. Not a tremendously balanced meal, but just enough - this bowl full of fun.

For tex mex taco salad - make your taco salad and pour warm chili on top
For chili soup - add chicken stock, additional chicken meat and top with scallions
Some like chili mac with noodles

If you aren't making chili from scratch, I really like the Trader Joe's version.
How about you?
What's a super-quick meal at your house?

Crepes! The best breakfast for dinner around!

2011-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Breakfast for dinner is my go to meal in a pinch. Last week I tried my hand at Crepes thanks to Everyday FOOD magazine and WOW!

I am in a committed relationship with this french favorite!

Try it yourself and you too will fall in love. The possibilities for this relationship are endless. You can choose savory fillings as well as sweet. I chose to go sweet.

Here is a bonus, you are bound to have all the basic crepe elements on hand in your pantry and fridge at all times.

Start with

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tblspn sugar

1/4 Tblspn course salt ( everyday iodized salt will do)

1 1/2 cups whole milk ( I used 2%)

4 large eggs

3 Tblspns unsalted butter-melted (I salted butter)

Blend above ingredients in blender, puree until mixture is smooth and bubbles form on top-about 30 seconds.

Allow batter to sit at room temp for about 15 minutes

Then the magic happens...

Heat 12 inch skillet over medium heat (I love my stainless steel pan)

Lightly Coat with butter

Add 1/3 cup of batter and swirl to cover bottom of skillet

Cook until underside of Crepe is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes

Loosen edge with spatula, then with your fingertips, quickly flip and cook for 1 minute

slide from pan to plate and add your favorite fillings

I offered either

a few mini chocolate chips scattered across the flat surface of the crepe, then rolled up and dusted with a light coating of powdered sugar and topped with whipped cream

a light spread of raspberry jam, then rolled and dusted and creamed.

Happiness will envelope your whole dinner table and you might even start speaking french!

Meal Planning: Takin' it easy

2011-02-01T05:38:00.000-08:00

We've got a lot going on in these next few weeks. I'm keeping things nice and easy when it comes to dinners. By planning simple meals, cooking and prepping ahead, and making good use of leftovers, I hope to keep things in the kitchen under control.

One of my time-saving strategies is to work ahead. This weekend was a big cooking weekend. On Saturday afternoon I made cookie dough and bread dough. I made a whole roast turkey on Sunday. While the turkey was cooking I cut up all of the veggies I need for my turkey noodle soup and the veggie egg bake and stored them in the fridge in reusable containers. After the turkey was out of the oven I baked cookies for the charity bake sale at my hubbie's work on Wednesday. I scrubbed up a few potatoes, sprinkled them with kosher salt, and wrapped in aluminum foil into the bottom of the oven to bake at the same time as the dozens of cookies. Those baked potatoes made for a quick and tasty dinner last night. While I was working on the cookies, I took the turkey carcass and leftover roasting veggies and made stock for the soup.

A lot of my power cooking and prepping is done on weekend afternoons while my kiddos are napping or in the evening after they are settled in bed. I find that listening to my favorite radio stations and sipping a cup of tea or a nice glass of wine makes for a relaxing time even though I'm getting things done.

How do you make cooking fun and relaxing?

Gluten Free Beef and Vegetable Soup

2011-01-31T06:31:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, Truman (my son) was having stomach problems-- waking up in the middle of the night crying for hours about how his stomach hurt. As a mother, I felt so helpless. We tried a lot of things. Taking dairy out of his diet, going gluten free and so on. In a couple months, the episode was over and we still don't know what the problem was.

But I do still have a few gluten free foods leftover in the cupboard-- for instance, Qunioa Elbow Pasta. This pasta is amazing, because it tastes just like pasta should. It's perfect for soups, tomato based dishes and mac-n-cheese.

Gluten Free Beef and Vegetable Soup
1/2 lb. Lean Ground Beef
1/2 Medium Onion chopped fine
1 Can of Diced tomatoes-blended until smooth
6-8 Cups of gluten-free Chicken Stock (or make your own)
1 Cup frozen peas and carrots
1 clove chopped garlic
1 cup chopped broccoli
2 small potatoes chopped
1 box Quinoa elbow pasta

In your stock pot use 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute ground beef and onion until no pink is visible. Add garlic and blended tomato then chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Salt to taste. Add vegetables. Bring back up to boil. Add Quinoa pasta cook about 6 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste.

This soup is quick to make. Warm and filling... serve it with some GF crackers. No one will ever know it was all made without flour!

Organic Vegetarian Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.

2011-01-30T10:51:00.000-08:00

I love making soups and stews, particularly in the winter. It must be the Irish in me. I have found though that my family will enjoy a delicious bowl of soup anytime of the year. Whatever vegetable is in season I will take advantage and make soup and freeze it. Of course living in Southern California, other than heirloom tomatoes which come and go, most other veggies are available all year round. Butternut squash is one of those and happens to be a family favorite of ours. Whether we just roast it, puree it or make into a soup, we all seem to love this particular fruit/squash/veggie.

I found this recipe in a Williams-Sonoma Soup for Supper cookbook years ago and I have enjoyed exploring and changing this recipe over the years and each time it seems to be better than the last. I like to make this soup on a Sunday, serve it with dinner on Sunday evening and then freeze the rest for later in the week or another time.

Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus 1 hour for baking squashes.

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Organic Ingredients:

2 medium to large butternut squashes (1/12-2 lb) each

2 celery stalks

2 carrots

2 yellow onions

8 fresh sage leaves, shredded

2 - 3 oz of hazelnuts

3 tablespoons of butter (sometimes I substitute olive oil)

Organic low sodium vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Roasting the squash makes it easier to peel and deepens the flavor of its flesh, making a richer, more flavorful soup. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Wash each of the squashes skin thoroughly before cooking. Using a sharp knife cut each squash lengthwise in half, scoop out the seeds (seeds can be saved and roasted later and enjoyed as a healthy snack). Place the squash cut side down in a glass pyrex or similar dish, add approx 2 cups of water to the dish so that it's just coming up the side of the squash but not covering it. The thing I love about this recipe is I can cook the squash the day before or hours in advance of actually making the soup, just pop it in the oven while you are busy around the house, it's actually better because then it's cool enough to handle. Cook the squashes for about an hour or until tender or soft. Remove from the oven, save the water in a bowl or pot and set aside (this will be used as stock in your soup). Once it's cooled down scoop the pulp into a bowl and set aside.

While the squashes are cooling, in a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, celery and carrots, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and translucent, 8-10 mins. Add the sage leaves (I always have organic sage growing in my herb pot). Add the squash pulp to the pot, as well as the water/stock you set aside from roasting, then add enough vegetable stock to cover the ingredients in the pot. Bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally to avoid burning the veggies and reduce heat to a nice simmer, continuing to stir occasionally, I like to cook it slow (although the recipe says 20 mins of cooking time) I tend to let it simmer longer and slower I think this adds to the flavor of the soup. While the soup is cooking I put the hazelnuts in a food processor and grind them well till there are no hard pieces of nuts, so just before a powder consistency. Once the soup is cooked, working in batches, puree the soup in a blender and with each batch being pureed add some of the hazelnut so that it all gets blended together. The blended soup has a rich and creamy consistency. Return to a clean saucepan over low heat and serve in warmed bowls.

We usually have a delicious salad and some warmed bread. I don't add salt or pepper in the cooking process of this soup and in fact I don't add seasoning at all to mine when I eat it, I personally don't think it needs it, let me know what you think.

If I'm going to freeze some of the soup which I usually do I will fill 16 oz paper containers like the one in the picture which I have found at either Surfas in Culver City (they don't always carry them though) or at Smart and Final stores, don't forget to buy the lids to fit. I write the name of soup, making a note that it has nuts (in case I am serving someone who is allergic to nuts) and the date on the lid and put it in the freezer for a future lunch or dinner. When you take it out of the freezer, with a sharp knife cut a line down the side of the container at the seam and you will be amazed at how easy it is to peel the paper right off the frozen soup and pop the soup in a pot over low heat so it doesn't burn, it takes about 10 mins. to warm the frozen soup and voila.

Recycle the paper container and lid.

Spatchcocked Chicken Night

2011-01-29T06:01:00.000-08:00

Heather, Jemma, Joan, Michelle and I can tell you, this was one fun and silly night. This gaggle of gals and dads and kids gathered - each with our contribution and Jemma's was this quick-to-make chicken. Wonderful, yummy, quick. We also found ourselves mimicking Dan Aykroyd mimicking Julia Child (ah...) in an English accent as we pitched the bird into the oven. I'm quite aware you had to be there. But kitchen fun is worth recalling.

This recipe calls for a whole, spatchcocked chicken. The technique is described in the recipe below, but I'll venture the guess that it can be done with a cut up chicken. Which makes it viable for a weeknight. I'll try it and report. But, you can too.

Served along with: salad, brown rice, dessert. The sauce is very tasty over rice!

Let us know what you like in a comment!

Spatchcocked Chicken with Tomatoes - Recipe

2011-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Use  a 3-4 pound chicken. Turn it breast side down on a cutting board and  starting at the bottom, cut upward with kitchen shears, along the  backbone. Cut along the other side and remove backbone. Turn the chicken  and flatten it in true butterfly style by applying pressure with your  palm. (Here's a video of a more complete method and a more refined method, which makes it easier to cut for serving.)

Spatchcocked Chicken with Tomatoes

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Season  spatchcocked chicken with coarse salt and ground pepper and place,  breast side up, in a pan (or on a cookie sheet) with 3 unpeeled garlic  cloves, smashed. With the tip of a paring knife, pierce 1 pint cherry  tomatoes. Add to pan and drizzle tomatoes with 1 teaspoon olive oil;  season with salt and pepper. Pour 1/2 cup dry white wine and 1/3 cup  water into pan. (we forgot the wine and it was delicious...) Roast  chicken until juices run clear when pierced between breast and leg (to  165 degrees at the thickest part of the meat) 30-40 minutes. Let rest 5  minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup basil leaves before carving.

Taken from Martha Stewart Everyday Cooking July, 2010.
Also see Martha Stewart's website recipe.

What about French Omelets?

2011-01-28T06:51:00.000-08:00

One of my first food remembrances is of Saturday morning omelets.

My dad would, very often, make tomato and cheese omelets. (While singing - I add.) They were wonderful. So, omelets have always been part of my culinary repertoire. But the game changed when I saw Julia Child make her French Omelet.

They are so good that my kids, ask for them by name: "please, a Julia Child this morning."

And here's the kicker: my husband who's kitchen adventures are limited to Meat Square (later) and scrambled eggs, watched the video because he wants to make them. (I do love Julia!)

Take a peak and later in the week. We'll give you a whole post on how this can be dinner. And yes, I've served this at a dinner party for six and it was, shall we say, magnifique!

Happy family food, happy family and friends - Lasagna Soup

2011-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

There is nothing better than walking in the door from a busy day to find the aroma of a delicious home cooked meal lingering in the air. This meal is one of those miracle meals that is savory enough for the adult palate, yet pleasingly simple to tantalize the mouths of babes.

The added plus to this meal which ties in nicely with Kerry's meal planning post from yesterday, is to double it for a planned meal at a later date. When preparing the recipe, make a double batch, freeze one to put in on your two week planner for 2 to 4 weeks from now. Keep accumulating meals this way and you end up with little fuss and lots of peace of mind for meals to come all year long.

Tonight I will serve one batch to my daughter's Girl scout troop and then in two weeks to my family at home.

The Recipe;

Lasagna Soup ( though it's thick like stew)

compliments of Family Fun Magazine's Meredith Deeds recipe 2/09

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (bulk or casing removed)

2 onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons oregano

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

6 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

8 oz fusilli pasta (uncooked)

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil

8 oz ricotta cheese

1/2 grated Parmesan

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch of pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil, add sausage and saute, breaking it up into small pieces. until sausage is no longer pink.

2. Add onions and saute until softened.

3. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute.

4. Add tomato paste and saute until rusty brown.

5. Add tomatoes with their juice, the broth, the bay leaves and bring to a boil.

6. Reduce and heat for 3o minutes.

7. Add the uncooked pasta, then increase heat to medium and boil until pasta is tender to the bite.

8. Discard bay leaves, stir in basil, season with salt and pepper to taste.

9. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan, the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pinch of pepper.

10. To serve, place 1 1/2 tablespoons of ricotta mixture in each bowl, sprinkle  with mozzarella and ladle the soup over the top. Makes about 13 cups.

Enjoy!

Meal Planning and a Bonus Recipe

2011-01-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

I doodle out a meal plan for my family every two weeks. I find that a good amount of time for us to plan ahead. No matter how well I plan though, things always get shifted and changed, but it's a routine now and it works. Here's our plan from last week and this.

Now for the bonus recipe:
Easy Tex-Mex Frittata
I made this for breakfast using leftovers from the taco salad we had last week. By my calculations, the whole thing topped out at less than 300 calories. Not too shabby.
Heat a small, oven-proof, non-stick pan and coat with cooking spray. Add 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes and 1/3 cup cooked black beans. I also had about 2 tbsp of seasoned ground turkey leftover from the salad too. (Who saves that amount? It worked for this though!) Heat the "filling" ingredients through, then whisk together 1 egg and 2 egg whites with about 1 tbsp of water. Pour the eggs into the pan over the heated tomatoes and beans. Cook until bottom is set. Sprinkle about 2 tbsp of sharp cheddar cheese over the top and shake on hot sauce as desired. Pop the pan into a 325 degree oven for about 5 minutes until the eggs have set. This easy and filling breakfast can be made with a huge variety of leftovers. Maybe next time you should save those two spears of asparagus, the few bites of ham, or the little bit of parmesan... it just might turn into a terrific breakfast.

Frugal Meal Planning and Perfect Timing

2011-01-24T11:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we find ourselves exactly where we're supposed to be.
I just found myself on Ruth's blog and guess what her topic is?

Frugal Meal Planning

and she has great, great, great ideas.

Check it out.

Thank you, Ruth!

Handy Man

2011-01-23T07:09:00.000-08:00

This is the Hot Man.
Really, the Hot Man.
He attended out birthday celebration yesterday. Actually, Joan gave Jemma, Michelle and I each a hot man.
Apparently we need him.
While it looks like he brought flowers for the birthday girl, which would, I suppose, make him a hot man, he's one of those supportive guys who hangs around the kitchen. Keeps you from burning a surface by lying down and holding a hot pan.
I need the hot man.
He also provides plenty of amusement in my house.
He seems to move all over the place with the help of the my husband.
And, red fits will with my kitchen colors,

So, welcome to my world Hot Man, welcome.

Monkey Bread - Saturday morning fun

2011-01-22T07:35:00.000-08:00

Monkey bread came into our family in the 70's when my grandma found a recipe and began serving it with dinner on occasion. Edith's version was made like a dinner roll, completely savory (and buttery) and built in bites like the one in the picture. But ours today, the one in the picture, is a cinnamony-sweet breakfast treat - something we love to make, especially with friends or the cousins.

This particular version came from our fabulous friend, Bonnie, who introduced it as a breakfast treat for kids on mornings when she drove them to school. Her big boys (her trees!) love it - it was sure to be a hit. So, on those early, yummy, cozy mornings, when she wasn't delighting them with crepes or breakfast burritos, she made Monkey Bread. My kids wanted, desperately, for me to make it too.

This particular recipeis calls for frozen bread dough, butter, sugar, cinnamon and a knife. I learned in my first tries that you must let the dough not just thaw, but rise and that bigger pieces are better than smaller pieces.

Here's our super simple recipe:

1) Thaw a loaf of frozen bread dough. We like Bridgeford.

2) Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

3) Spray a bundt or angel food pan with Pam.

4) Melt a stick of butter, place it in a shallow dish or bowl.

5) Place about 1:4 ratio cinnamon:sugar in a shallow dish or bowl - you could use a whole cup

6) Cut the risen dough into bite sized pieces (we cut the loaf in width-wise strips and then  into thirds).

7) Assemble by dipping cut bread into first butter then sugar and build in the pan.

8) Save left over butter or c/s for next time! 

8) Bake in 350 over for about 35 minutes. (The dough at the top of the pan will be lighter than that pictured.)

9) Cool a few minutes, then turn the ring of yumminess over on a pan and serve.

There  are several recipes for monkey bread. Erin's has ice cream in the mix!  And there's even a kit you can buy. 

What I love the most about monkey bread is how it makes my monkeys jump for joy!

What Am I Cooking?

Lunch for Two

Making Almond Milk

Make and Bake Pizza

Satsumas

Baked Eggs in Individual Cups

Kale Salad, again

Thinking about food

Chicken & Mushrooms. Done!

Chicken & Mushrooms

Cream Cheese Ice Box Cookies - Joy of Cooking

Christmas Cookies!

Warren Pears - coming soon!

You know you're busy when:

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Delightful Little Potatoes

Dinner on a Bread Slice

A last word on Hatch Chilis

Hatch Chilis: EZ Hatch Chili Cornbread

Hatch Chilis: First, we try salsa.

Tongue of Fire Beans & Love

Spanish Eggs from the Sonoma Diet

The French Macaron

Bechamel -- In Honor of Bastille Day

Monday Meals

Angelcots, glorious Angelcots

Rhubarb Sangria

Making Pizza Pie

Chicken - Simple and Yummy

Looks good doesn't it?!

Monday Meals

Mexican Pot Roast & Marinade

Pot Roast Ingredients

2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef chuck

Directions

Beer Marinade Ingredients

Directions

Upcycled Left Overs

GiGi's Swedish Meatballs

Prince William's Chocolate Crunch Cake

Tea & Sympathy's Easy Recipe

7 Winter Recipes under $15:: Hungarian Goulash

Quick Grilled Chicken Soft Tacos Ole'

Crazy Week Night Sweets

Pretty Recipe Keeper

Happy St. Patrick's Day & Irish Soda Bread

Sunday Dinner and Monday Meals

Swiss Chard Saturday Night

What? Brownies in the Crock Pot! This, you gotta try!

Let's Talk CSA

Shrove Tuesday Pancakes or simply Irish Pancakes

Warm Chick Pea Stew - 7 Meals for under $15

Quick and Yummy Sloppy Joe's

A Quick Side: Wild Rice

Cooking with: A New Pan - Ice Cream Sandwich Pans

Stuffed French Rolls, an old family favorite.

7 Quick Recipes Under $15 - Pulled Pork

Brussels Sprouts, really?

Cooking with Wine

Guest Contributor: Ellen Pastusak and Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Trader Joe's Compilation Meals - Carnitas & Roasted Veggies

Organic Kale Salad - The Recipe

Osso Bucco

Meal Planning: I'm Fancy!

Organic Kale Salad

A green smoothie...

A Power Cooking Night

A way to their hearts is through these fabulous chocolate chip cookies

7 Meals for under $15

Warm Chick Pea Stew

Hearty Matzo Ball Soup

Hungarian Goulash

Falafel “Buffet"

Pulled Pork Tacos

Vegetarian Dahl

Osso Bucco

Photo from Cooking Light magazine

Guest Contributor - Kathy Soloman - A point of view on dinner and service

It's not food, but i's still good for your soul!

Alone for Dinner - A favorite salad