Thursday, December 30, 2010

Happy New Year

This is the time of new beginnings.  The year is ending, but with it, an eclipse has come, and a fresh moon brings a new start.  You might be thinking, well, that eclipse was days ago, but what you may not realize is that it was one of the first eclipses that coincided with a mercury in retrograde and a winter solstice in almost 600 years, thus making it the longest day of the year with the significance of a new beginning.

With new beginnings in mind, I want you to keep perspective.  Whether you are a parent feeding a tiny human, a new couple, or a single person, food is meant to be two things:  first and foremost, it is meant to be fuel.  Secondly, pleasure.  Why eat if your food tastes like crap?  If you don't enjoy what you're eating, why will anyone else enjoy what you make?

My husband is going to be traveling a lot over the next few weeks, so I'll be sharing some quick and easy recipes that are not only effortless to make, but simple enough to make ahead of time, freeze, and reheat when you're ready to just pop something in the freezer.

Here's one of my favorite easy peasy recipes that's good enough for New Years:

(1) Package Puff Pastry
(1/2lb) Cheese (I prefer gruyere or cheddar)
Pepperoni (as much as you like)
1 egg

  • Heat your oven to 400 degrees.  Your puff pastry will more than likely come in strips of three.  Cut each strip into three.  Wrap the puff pastry around the pepperoni and cheese. 
  • Crack your egg into a small bowl.  Add a splash of water.  Whisk until well mixed.  Dip a pastry brush into the mixture and paint the mixture on each of your pastry.  Place each pastry on a parchment lined cookie sheet.   Bake for 20-30 minutes (the dough will be very puffy and look golden-brown.)
Enjoy!

Have a marvelous New Years!!!

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas!!!

It's officially my favorite day of the year. No, I don't mean Christmas, I mean Christmas Eve. The stockings are hung, the cookies are baked, presents are wrapped, Santa's cookie tray and cup are out waiting to be filled with goodies for the big man, and somewhere, Santa is gearing up and ready to go!


For as long as I can remember, I've always loved the anticipation of Christmas morning. It's not really so much about the presents, but the surprises I have in store for my family that excites me. When I was little, I used to squirrel over to Santa's Secret Shop and make my parents stockings. Now that I'm a "grown-up", I still love making everyone stockings with little gifts that I know would make them laugh, or remind them of when they were little. For me, that's one of the main points of Christmas (besides celebrating Jesus). For 363 days a year, people are "grown-ups". This is the one time of year it's okay to be a little kid with faith in a guy in a red suit who's going to make all of your dreams come true. It's acceptable to even have dreams- which as many of you know, that is most certainly frowned upon in our "adult world". It's really funny, because even at 28 years old, I still find myself looking out the window for that little red light and listening for the bells that I heard so many years ago as a young, eager little girl awaiting Christmas morning.

No, these last few posts haven't been about sharing recipes or experiments, and honestly, I haven't been much in the mood for making anything crazy. Right now, I'm appreciating all of the wonderful people that I have in my life (especially since my little bro is home safe from the Navy), and am doing what you're supposed to be doing during the holidays...stuffing everyone full of cookies and good cheer.

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!!! May all of your dreams come true!!!! (and not too many pies thrown at family members!!)





Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Captain Christmas Strikes Again

To give you an idea of just how much I love Christmastime, I'll share my husband's nickname for me:  "Captain Christmas".  Every year, I drag his sleepy self over to the tree farm near our house the morning after Thanksgiving to get our tree.  Then he assists me with the lights.  We hang our greenery, send our cards, and then watch Home Alone and Love Actually to kick off the season.

This year, we got to the farm so early that the trees weren't labeled by height.  Of course, the first tree that we both like is gigantic, and each one after that seemed too small.  So, after we had my six foot six husband stand next to it and it seemed like it would fit in our house, we strapped it to the car and brought it home.
Needless to say, the tree did NOT fit in our house.  It was like something out of a Lucy episode!  I hunted around our house for a saw or an axe, and came up with two rusty saws.  My poor husband had to saw four feet off the tree!!  At the time it was kind of hilariously awful, but afterward we just cracked up because we had a small tree on our back porch haha.

And that's how we kicked off our holiday season!  Hacking up trees, making greenery, and drinking lots of Boulder to heal our blistered hands!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Holiday Catch Up

My life has been a total whirlwind since Thanksgiving.  My daughter has become a delightfully fun wild thing, climbing furniture, running through the house, building things, playing with her "babies", running around parks, playgrounds and children's museums- basically just being your average toddler.  For me, it's been this really wonderful, exciting experience to get to be a part of her experiencing all these awesome things for the first time, like a few weeks ago when she went down the slide on her own, giggling and squeeling the entire way down with me cheering, having a silent heart attack as she went flying down the swirly slide.  I cherish these moments, and I'm so grateful that I get to stay home and have them with her.

On the home front, I guess I owe all of you a big catch up.  This new, fast moving toddler I've got over here has kept me from being on the computer much (she bangs on the keys every time I open it in front of her, and yes, she can reach the table), which has hindered my blogging.  Here's a quick catch up of some of my food-ventures...

Thanksgiving:



 

I made WAY too much food, but hey, we ate for over a week after!  These pictures don't really do all the food justice, but I was too tired after cooking to supervise how many or what kind of photos were taken.

Christmas 2010:
This is only the beginning...but here's what I made this past weekend:

Chocolate peanut butter drop cookies, peanut butter cookies, chewy surprise cookies, ginger cookies and chocolate chip:



Ginger Cookies:


Chewy Surprise:


 

I have also made macaroons and sugar cookies, but I haven't taken photos of them yet because the macaroons aren'd chocolate dipped yet and the sugar cookies are waiting to be decorated.  Check in Wednesday for more holiday treats!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Checking In

Things have been very busy since Thanksgiving.  Kyle's been working twelve hour days and we've both been trying to get everything ready for Christmas.  Needless to say, the blog kind of fell by the wayside a bit since I've been pretty zonked.

To be completely honest, I've been too tired to cook anything exciting.  The only super fun thing I've done as of late is making Julia Child's baked eggs in ramekins.  While the flavor was great, the texture seemed a bit off-putting to me, so I think I'm going to make them again to see if it was our wonky oven (it changes tempurature randomly from time to time).

This weekend is going to be filled with holiday treats, so be prepared to see some yummy holiday goodies!!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Post Thanksgiving Food Coma

I don't know about you, but I'm still a zombie from the holiday.  Between cooking a feast (I cooked WAY too much by the way, and don't worry, I'll post pictures soon!), pigging out on the feast, boozing, hosting family, getting a Christmas tree (which somehow wound up being 12 feet high and my husband had to saw half of it off!!), decorating the tree and the house, wrapping presents, and getting Kyle's lunches ready for the week, I'm about ready to sleep for three days.  Oh wait, I can't.  I have a one year old who wants to play tag and jump in the ball pit.  Oh well.  Rest is for the lazy anyway!

The one major benefit is all the leftovers.  Laela and I ate sweet potatoes mixed with granola for breakfast.  She was saying yum yum yum the entire time!  Healthy?  Check.  Easy?  Double check.

If you made sweet potatoes for Turkey day, just sprinkle some quick oats onto your sweet potatoes, mix them in, and heat them up!  You'll have a really yummy and nutritious breakfast or snack for you and your little one!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Thanksgiving Prep and Some Chocolate Heaven

I don't know about you, but for us, the holidays mean houseguests.  For Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law are coming to stay, and they LOVE chocolate.  It must be genetic or something, because my husband is a chocoholic too.  When I saw this recipe, I knew my husband would swoon over this, so, as I said in my last post, when I made this and he loved it, I felt like it would be wrong to not share it with you guys, as well as our family when they visit.

As promised, here's the amazing chocolate pudding recipe from my Nigella Express cookbook (pg 311).  Best part?  The whole shabang, including the whipped cream, takes less than ten minutes to make.  And yes, you can eat it hot!



Budino Di Cioccolato

Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup cocoa
2 Tablespoons boiling water
2 egg yolks
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
2 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
  1. Put the kettle on to boil water, and warm the milk and cream together either in a saucepan or the microwave.
  2. Put the sugar and cornstarch into another saucepan and sift in the cocoa.  Add the 2 tablespoons of boiling water and whisk to a paste.
  3. Then whisk in the egg yolks, 1 at a time, followed by the warmed milk and cream, then the vanilla extract.
  4. Scrape down the sides of your pan and put it on the heat, cooking and whisking for about 3-4 minutes until the mixture thickens- if it helps, think of a consistency like mayonnaise.
  5. Take off the heat and whisk in the finely chopped chocolate before pouring into 4 small cups or glasses each with a yield of about 2/3 of a cup.
  6. Cover the tops of the cups with plastic wrap laying it directly on the pudding to stop a skin from forming, and then refrigerate once they are cooler.  Make sure they are not still fridge-cold when you serve them.  You can add a blog of cream on top if you like.
I made a bit of whipped cream for this.
Here's how you make it:

Whipped Cream

Pour some heavy cream into a bowl (a half cup or so- you don't have to be exact).  Grab your trusty mini whisk and whisk your cream until you start to see the swirls stay in the cream, and you can make soft peaks (kind of like when you're making meringue, but not quite as thick).  You don't want to overbeat it, otherwise you'll have butter instead of whipped cream.  Whisk in a splash of vanilla and touch of sugar (I didn't want to have it too sweet since the dessert is so decadent) and you're ready to top your pudding!




I hope that everyone has an amazing holiday!  Try to remember that it's your family, and even if they make you crazy, they're just happy that they don't have to deal with the stress of cooking!

*Tips on how to not go crazy on Thanksgiving:
  • Use the Good Eats Turkey Recipe.  It really is the best one.  It shortens your cook time.  It makes a juicy turkey, and it really is simple to make.
  • If you're like me, and you get on a Martha Stewart bender, give someone in your life permission to stop you if you're going too far.  Kyle stopped me from making brie and chive biscuits and a few other things because he knew I wouldn't be able to enjoy the time with family, and let's be real, that's what this entire day should be about.  It shouldn't just be me sweating in the kitchen!
  • If your family has something that you make, that you can make with your eyes closed, then make it.  Even if Martha Stewart's celery root potato mash looks amazing, if you make the best mashed potatoes ever, don't reinvent the wheel when you've got a million things to do.
  • The trick to getting everything out warm is this.  First, the things that you cook on the cooktop should either be reheated on the cooktop about five minutes before the turkey is done.  The turkey is going to need time to rest, so when you take out the turkey, you can pop in the things that you need to bake (mac and cheese, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole and if you're making rolls, make them last).  Also, remember that you can cook most things in the casserole on the stovetop, and that they can set in the casserole dish in the oven quickly if most of the work is done for you.  (For instance, I think canned green beans are gross, so I use fresh ones for my casserole, and cook them in cream of chicken soup with fresh herbs.  Then I pop it in the oven with the onions on top so that it gets yummy crispy golden brown.)
  • Before you cook one thing, make an ingredient list of EVERYTHING you're making.  Make sure you have everything you need so that you don't have to run around like a maniac and stress yourself out.  (I've done this, it stunk, I'm sure you've done it too.  Save yourself the trouble and really list out your recipes.)
  • Designate a "cocktail maker".  I don't even mean for everyone else, I mean for you!  We're having wine and hot toddy's at our Thanksgiving, and my husband is on call to keep my toddy's coming!  If you don't drink, that's fine, just make sure you have someone to help you out when you need it- be it an errand runner, water glass filler, baby watcher...  You may be Superchef, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't have a minion, I mean assistant, for the day.
Happy gobbling!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Turkey Time is Coming!

I love Thanksgiving.  First of all, the food is always awesome (although I have to be honest, I always find myself wishing the Pilgrims and Indians had bonded over some steaks rather than turkeys), and I love having my family get together.  I'm super excited this year especially, since we're hosting Thanksgiving at our house!  Our menu consists of turkey, nicoise salad, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, green bean casserole, corn, peas, stuffing, honey glazed carrots, homemade corn bread, a hazelnut tart, and pumpkin pie.

I'm making the honey glazed carrots mainly because my Daddy doesn't like regular carrots.  He said something about liking sweet carrots, so hopefully he'll appreciate the effort!  Here is my honey glazed carrots recipe:

Ingredients:
  • Salt
  • 1 pound baby carrots
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Add salt to the water.  Then add the carrots and cook until tender for 5 to 6 minutes.  Drain the carrots.  Toss the carrots back into the pan.  Add the butter, honey and lemon juice. Cook until a glaze coats the carrots (this should take about five minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley.

Just as a side note, some easy ways to prepare for Thursday is to make things a few days ahead of time.  Today I made my onion dip, my pie crusts, and I organized all of my Thanksgiving ingredients and recipes.  I'm making my desserts on Tuesday, and almost all of my sides on Wednesday. Try to keep it simple so you don't make yourself crazy, and allow yourself to enjoy the day.

Wednesday, I'll share the pudding recipe I found in my Nigella Express cookbook.  My husband's exact words after his first bite were "Oh God."  After his second bite?  "This is NOT the Jello I grew up with!"
I'm planning on making this for my chocoholic mother-in-law when she comes in from the 'Burgh on Wednesday.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

A Quick Note..

Sorry for being MIA all week.  I got bludgeoned with a virus and was completely out of commission all week.  Now that it's Thanksgiving, I'll be posting some of my favorite Turkey Day recipes on Monday and Wednesday.  If you have any holiday cooking or baking questions, please email me at csnydercakes@gmail.com!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Foodie Mission No. 1

Since this weekend was non-stop, I'm taking today off from sharing a recipe and writing a full post.  Instead, I'm going to give you some homework.  Bust your routine.  Try something new that you've never had before.  Whether it's cooking something from my blog, trying something at a new restaurant, or borrowing a friend's international food cookbook.  Food should never be feared, so try the snails! 

See you Weds!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Sometimes a Picnic is More Than a Picnic

Yesterday was a great day.  My husband took the day off to hang out with me and Laela.  Kyle let me sleep until 9:00AM (hooray!!!), we had a nice family breakfast, played with my parents' dog Memphis, and finally had a picnic at the park since it was such a gorgeous day.

Growing up, my brother and I didn't have a whole lot.  My Dad was raising us on his own, and he had to work multiple jobs to keep us afloat, so when he wasn't working (or dead tired from working three shifts in a  row), he would take us out to play.  Let me tell you, I was one wild monkey of a little kid.  I loved to climb trees and invent games with the neighborhood kids.  We'd play "stuck in the mud" and "spaceship" (I was always captain of the ship!), and we'd build amazing forts.  All of that playtime with my friends was awesome, but nothing was better than hanging out with my Dad.  We'd throw the football around in the park, search for rocks and stones, play on the playground, and pig out on hoagies and Tastycakes..it's not necessarily what we were doing, it was just that those were the times when everything really felt like a family.  Not missing something because I didn't have a Mom, and not weird because my Dad was the one taking me to Girl Scouts.  I don't ever remember feeling sorry for myself because she wasn't there, because my Dad was always enough.

I don't think parents realize the impact of little things like going to the park will have on their children.  It's these little moments that help them form who they are.  The moments that help them learn to trust and feel safe.  I watched my daughter run down a hill for the first time yesterday.  My baby ran!  And when she started to stumble she reached up and said "Mama!"  As I grabbed her hand, I couldn't help but think that this is everything I've ever wanted.  I have the most wonderful life.  Our baby girl knows Mommy and Daddy are always there.  We're doing it right.  And that's all that matters.

Even if you don't have kids, remember that it's the little things in all of your relationships that  matter.  I feel like everyone's always forgetting the "relate" part of the word "relationship".  Get on the people in your life's level, whether they are children or people that are older than you.  The understanding you'll find may surprise you.  And remember, food is a universal language..so if you have nothing to say to one another, try a new food experience and see where the conversation takes you.

I know this was a little bit off-topic for the blog, but yesterday was just such an amazing family day that I wanted to share it, you know?  And I'll be back with your regularly scheduled delicious recipes and food tips next week, so don't worry!  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend with their family!!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

A Quick Easy Dinner After a Long Day

Today was one of those really awesome exhausting days.  I got a lot accomplished around the house, ran/walked my parents dog with Laela in the carrier, ran some errands, went to the park to chase Laela around, and then went on a playdate with Max and Lauren at Smith Playhouse.  It was our first time there, and Laela had a superfun time!

After such a long day, I obviously didn't have a ton of energy to cook, so I heated up some leftover basmati rice that I'd seasoned wtih paprika, salt, pepper and butter.  Then I grabbed a bone-in chicken breast, put it in a plastic bag with a seasoning mix made with kosher salt, pepper, and paprika, and gave that baggie a good shake to get the chicken fully covered with the seasoning.  I chopped 2 small potatoes and 1/2 of a small vidalia onion, and dumped some paprika and Tony Chachere's seasoning with a bit of olive oil into my cast iron skillet.

Once my skillet had reached a medium heat, I tossed in the chopped onion.  Once the onion had began to carmelize, I added the chicken and potatoes and plopped on the lid.  Check your potatoes every few minutes to move them around, but don't flip your chicken for four minutes.  After the four minutes, pour in some water to deglaze the pan, and move your potatoes and onions around so that they get covered in all that yummy chicken flavor that will come out from adding the water.  You can add broth if you want even more flavor, but like I said, I was tired and I didn't want to do any more work than I had to!

Once the eight to ten minutes of cooking are up (it will take 4 to 5 minutes per side depending on the size of the breast: bone-in chicken generally takes a few minutes longer than boneless, but it's worth it for that extra flavor), plate the potatoes, chicken, and rice and you're good to go!  It's even better if you have any steamed broccoli or peas on hand to add.  I like to mix my veggies up, while Kyle likes his in separate non-touching portions.

This is a great, easy meal that you can have in minutes!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Leftovers Pasta!

After going to the grocery store three times in one week, I made a decision.  With the exception of milk, eggs and bread, I'm not going to go grocery shopping until the fridge is empty.  I want to find out what I can do with the things in my pantry, fridge, freezer and cabinet, and how long I (well, and Kyle and Laela too) can get by without getting crazy bored or just plain stuck with the food that we already have.

You might be thinking that I'm a total weirdo, but think about it for a second.  How much food do we all waste in a week?  A month?  A year?  This isn't about carbon footprints or piles of waste that we have to deal with.  It's about the food.   First, it's recognizing that you can make delicious food out of pretty much nothing (I learned this from my great-grandmother who used to be able to make the most amazing biscuits for ten people with the very minimal ingredients in her pantry).  If mamas and grandmas could make amazing meals with scant supplies during the Depression, can't we try it out?  During these trying and unstable financial times, is it really such a wild food risk to learn to make do with what you've got now and then?  You might be surprised with what you will learn about yourself and your cooking ability.

Second, one of the biggest problems that a lot of us have is laziness.  We get in food ruts.  I say we because everyone does it.  I've done it!  When I lived alone, I went through a phase where I'd make a roast, live on it for a week or two, then make pasta, live on that for another week.  It was easy.  But damn if it didn't get boring from time to time.  So I learned to make lots of different things with the leftovers, or with the extra things in my pantry.  Give yourself a chance to make a little more effort for your dinner.  I'm not saying bust out the French cookbook and spend hours cooking, but try something new with the same old ingredients.  You may surprise yourself!

Let's call this "Leftovers Pasta".


I'm not going to give you the specific ingredients list for this pasta.  Just try using whatever you have on hand.  (If you do want to try out this exact recipe, combine some cooked ground beef, spaghetti sauce, garlic, chopped basil, cannellini beans and pasta.)

I was exhausted when I made this pasta.  We had some leftover spaghetti noodles, some leftover homemade pasta sauce, and some leftover cannellini beans that I had cooked in chicken broth and garlic.  We had some ground beef in the fridge, so I cooked it on medium heat with some salt and pepper.  Once the ground beef was done, I drained the grease, tossed it back in the pan, added the sauce and beans with some of the broth that the cannellini beans were in, and I added some fresh basil (I just ripped it up with my hands, but you can chop it if you'd like).  I let the sauce simmer with the beef and beans for five or ten minutes (the longer it simmers, the better it is, but if you don't have time, it'll still be delicious.)  Once I was ready for it, I added the cooked pasta and topped it with fresh basil.  If you have any parmesan shaker cheese or fresh parmesan, feel freed to add that as well!


Don't be afraid to raid your fridge and re-invent leftovers or old stand-bys.  Toss your leftover spaghetti and sauce in some olive oil with some broccoli for a fun twist, and bake your leftover spaghetti for a change!  You don't always need to run out to the store, rush around like a maniac to get a healthy, delicious meal on the table.  Try something new!  Go for a new food experience!

*My homemade pasta sauce

Friday, November 5, 2010

Teething ISN'T Terrible..

No matter what your friends say. 

You know the drill.  You read all the baby books.  You heard the horror stories.  And then you wake up one day and you see it.  The little tiny white pearl in your baby's mouth.  "When did that happen?"  "Am I a horrible person because I didn't notice my baby was in pain?"

First of all, no, you are not terrible.  You didn't notice because not all babies make a big fuss out of teething.  Laela had two teeth before we noticed!  I was still nursing, she wasn't biting me, and she was her happy, playful self, so how was I to know?  Sure, she was a little drooly, but she was barely even five months old!  She was always drooly!  When I had thought she was teething, our doctor said she thought it was a little early and not to worry about it, so we didn't. 

Anyway, I did what any parent would do.  I went shopping!  I bought every teething ring on the planet.  The thing was, she was more interested in my wooden spoons and rubber spatulas.  So of course, I went shopping again for more teethers.  Then her cheeks got all red and I got convinced there was poison in the teethers, and that my daughter is a wild monkey chewer, so I gave up.  And then we found the keys.

I have no idea who made those suckers, but they were the best.  They had a stop light on them that she could push buttons and make lights, and gave her the option of hard and soft chewing.  We didn't give her teething tablets, and when she seemed like she had a low grade fever before bed, we gave her some infant tylenol.  Don't waste your money on teething tablets, herbal teething medicine, or gum numbing gel, none of it works, and if it does, it's not in the way you want it to.  Your baby might get a numb throat and mouth from the gum numbing stuff, and that can be dangerous.  Of course, now that my friends' babies are starting to teethe, I can't find those amazing teething keys anywhere!  Argh.  I guess I'll just buy them some spatulas and wooden spoons.

Laela with her keys:


When Laela's back teeth started to come in, she was gnawing on everything like a dog, so I decided to get some Sassy Teething Feeders with mesh bags, freeze up some sweet potatoe puree in ice cube trays, some bananas (I just peeled some bananas, cut them up, and popped them into freezer bags until I was ready for them), strawberries, blueberries, and yogurt, and filled the teething feeders whenever Laela seemed like she needed something cold to gnaw on.  She really loved them, and when she seems like she's teething again (drooly, a little rashy around the chin, maybe a little more sleepy than usual- kind of like a growth spurt), I make these for her and she goes to town.  (This is also a great way to get them to learn to eat on their own, and to get them to eat when they're sleepy/fussy/not feeling well.)


At the end of the day, teething is a natural process, and like anything else, if you freak out, your kid will freak out too.  It's parental instinct to want to soothe every pain and discomfort, but the reality is that sometimes even little people have to figure out a way to deal with it...because in a few years all those little teeth are going to fall out and new ones are going to shove their way through.

Moral of the story?  Make lots of comforting food for your little one (if they're old enough), pour yourself a glass of wine, offer up a lot of cuddling, distract them by playing and reading some fun stories, and just roll with it.  Oh, and get a crib guard.  They are chewing on it when you aren't looking.  Yes, even your little angel will chew on the walls if you let her/him.


For other tips on how to deal with teething, I highly recommend Baby and Toddler 411 by Dr. Ari Brown and Denise Fields.  Their books offer great advice on pretty much all things baby and toddler (and are especially awesome when you have a fact checker like my husband!)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Lemony Bombay Potatoes


I don't know about you, but we eat a lot of potatoes in our house.  After a while, I start to get bored, and want to try something different.  I figured since Bombay Chicken is one of my favorite foods, I'd try just making the vegetables in the recipe and see what happened. 

For this recipe, I used purple and Yukon Gold potaoes.  You really can use any kind you like (although I prefer not to use Russet for this kind of cooking, since I like to leave the skins on).  I had found these purple potatoes at our local farm (http://www.mapleacresfarmmarket.com/) and thought it'd be fun to try some recipes with them.  They're incredibly smooth and soak up flavor like nobody's business.  Try them in mashed potatoes and I promise, you'll be pleasantly surprised!  Plus, how often do you get to put purple food on your plate?!

Bombay Potatoes

Ingredients:
(1) Lemon
(2) Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes
(2) Medium Purple Potatoes
1 inch piece of ginger (peeled)
5 sprigs fresh coriander (cilantro)
(1) Red Pepper
(1) Green Pepper
(1/2) Vidalia Onion
1 tsp cumin
Tumeric
Dash of salt and pepper
Olive Oil


Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Wash and chop your potatoes.  Keep in mind that the more evenly you chop your potatoes, the more evenly they'll cook.  Put them in a medium sized baking pan (I used my corningware, but you can use a baking tray or a medium cake pan if you don't have one).  Zest your lemon over the potatoes.  Squeeze the lemon over the potatoes, being sure to not get any seeds on them.  Then slice your lemon into six slices and add them to the mix.  Sprinkle Olive Oil over the potatoes.  Chop the cilantro (you can make this easier by using scissors) and add it to the potatoes.  Add the remainder of the spices.  Dice the peppers and onion.  Add the peppers and onion to the pan, mix up the ingredients, and bake the dish off with a lid on for 30 minutes. 


If your potatoes seem to be a bit dry while they're cooking, add a bit of chicken or vegetable stock to the pan, and give it a few minutes to reduce the juices.


We ate this with some whole wheat couscous and it was delicious!  It's also even yummier the day after!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Mama's Meatloaf for the Fearful Eater

No matter how long you know someone, or how well you think you might know them, it always seems that there's always something new out there to surprise you.  For me, it's just how little my husband ate growing up.

The other day, I wanted meatloaf, and he responded with "I don't eat meatloaf.  It's disgusting."  I looked at him like he had three heads!  "What?  Didn't you eat it as a kid?  It's all the things you like..meat, ketchup.  Meat.  Ketchup?"
Needless to say, he conceded that he also didn't like spaghetti growing up, and now that he's an adult, he absolutely loves spaghetti and meatballs, so he agreed to give the meatloaf a try.  His reaction?  Yummo!  He liked it so much, he brought the leftovers to work for lunch!

This is a ridiculously easy way to make a meatloaf.

Ingredients:
1 lb lean beef (we usually get 90/10, but if that's too lean for you 80/20 is okay too.)
3/4 cup bread crumbs
(4) sprigs thyme (only use the leaves)
(1) egg
1/4 cup chopped, carmelized onions (I prefer Vidalia)
Dash of salt and pepper (optional)
Ketchup

This is what all of the ingredients in the bowl should look like:


Directions:
  • Chop onions and put in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet on medium heat (I use a sprinkle of olive oil).  Cook the onions until they are a light golden brown.
  • Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Mush them together with your hands or a fork.  You don't want to make it too dense though, otherwise the meatloaf won't be as light as it should be.
  • Mold the meatloaf into an evenly wide and tall log.
  • Put the mold in a lightly oiled/greased pan.
  • Cover the top of the meatloaft with Ketchup
  • Turn the heat in the oven to 350 degrees.  After the oven is preheated, place the meatloaf in the oven for 30 minutes.
Shazam! You have an easy peasy dinner!  This also reheats great for lunch!

Variations:
  • You can add cheese to the mixture.  Parmesan for a more Italian flavoring!
  • You can use spaghetti sauce, or plain tomato sauce.  I used ketchup because it's one of Kyle's favorite dippings sauces, and I don't add any salt to my meatloaf, so this gives it that extra kick it needs.
  • Meatloaf mix makes the best meatloaf.  I used lean meat in this recipe because it's cheaper and easier to find.  Plus it's one of those things that's almost always on hand.
  • You can add dried cranberries (I saw this on Dr. Oz the other day).
  • You can also add the ketchup to the mixture if you want a tomato taste throughout.
  • To make it totally different, if you have extra brown gravy, you can pour that overtop while it cooks for some yummy meaty goodness!
  • If your kids hate onions, just use onion powder, or use a cheese shredder for the onions.  I've used a cheese shredder for onions with a lot of people who like the flavor but hate the texture.  It works every time.
  • My friend Laraine suggested using barbeque sauce in place of the ketchup if you don't have a ketchup loving household.  I used to do this when I nannied and the little boy I nannied for hated ketchup, but would eat barbeque sauce on everything. (which really, can you blame him?  the stuff is kind of awesome!)

This is what the meatloaf will look like before you put some ketchup on it and pop it in the oven:


I'd have completed pictures of the meatloaf if Kyle hadn't dove into the sucker when I'd left the room for a minute!  I'm making this again this week, so I'll post more pics soon!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

To Poach, or Be Poached...


Growing up, I loathed eggs.  The only person who could get me to eat them was my Grandma Edna.  I'll never really know what the heck she did to those eggs, but they didn't really taste like eggs, and I loved their salty goodness. (I suspect that they were soft boiled and covered in cheese, but who really knows?  I was five.)


I don't think I really got to a point where I could stand eggs until I was in high school.  I tried eggs benedict and thought it was the bees knees of breakfasts.  Ever since then, I've been an egg fan.  

Today class, we're going to talk about my favorite kind of egg, and in many people's opinions, the healthiest way to eat an egg, the poached egg.  It doesn't involve any fat, grease, cream, milk, or butter.

I found a great video of Gordon Ramsey poaching an egg:

Once you get used to poaching eggs, you'll be able to get it done super fast.  Bring the pot of water to a soft boil.
  • Gently drop your egg in.  
  • Keep the water moving so that the egg doesn't stick to the bottom, or lose all of its white.  If you drop the egg in from too high up, you're liable to lose some of the egg white. 
  • Don't do too many eggs at a time, because they can stick together and the shape of the poached egg will get messed up.
It's may not look perfect the first few times you do it, but I promise you, it is easier than it looks, and it will taste delicious.


This is what it should look like close up.  You should be able to pick it up with your hands without popping it (unless you're squeezing it pretty hard).



Good luck poaching!

Monday, October 25, 2010

A Simple, Healthy Fall Meal

When I think fall, I think chicken pot pies, roasts with potatoes, roast beef sandwiches double dipped, and lots and lots of soup.  I think I made it pretty clear in my last post that I've about had it with chicken soup, and when I started to come down with the diptheria that the rest of my house had, this herb infused, braised chicken with quinoa spirals and veggies was right up my alley.


The picture was kind of an afterthought because I was starving, so please forgive the shanty quality.


For the quinoa, I purchased some Ancient Harvest Quinoa Spirals.  I cooked the quinoa pasta according to the package.

Here's what you'll need for the chicken and veggies (this served 4 adults and 1 toddler):

(2) Large boneless chicken breasts
(1) Quart of organic chicken stock (or a quart of homemade)
Seasonal veggies (I used two Yukon Gold potatoes, 1 zucchini, 3 large carrots, and 2 stalks of celery)
(2) Sprigs Rosemary
(1) Small bunch of Thyme
(2) Sprigs of Sage (or about 8 large leaves)
(1) Tb chopped Garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

  • Heat your cast iron skillet to medium high and pour in the chicken broth, garlic and herbs.  Cut each chicken breast into thirds, and put them in the skillet with the lid on.  (This will "steam" the chicken and really bring out the flavor)
  • Bring the heat down to medium and let the chicken cook for five minutes without the vegetables.
  • Chop the vegetables (the smaller you cut them, the quicker they cook) and add them to the chicken/stock mixture.
  • Put the lid back on the pan and let it cook for another five minutes.  Bring the heat down to medium-low heat.  Stir the chicken and veggies around to make sure all the flavors are mixing in well.  Taste the broth.  If it doesn't seem flavorful enough to you, add some chicken boullion.
  • If you're not ready to eat quite yet, you can leave the chicken and veggies on low for up to an hour.  They'll get packed with flavor and really be delicious.  Just make sure that the broth doesn't reduce too much, because you want that sauce for your pasta. 
  • When you're ready to chow down, mix your pasta with your chicken, veggies and broth.  Just fair warning, if you've never had quinoa before, it's super filling (because it's filled with oodles of protein!), so maybe pace yourself slow so you don't stuff yourself like a turkey!
This week is one of my family and friends favorite spoooktacular holidays, so check in with me later in the week for some yummy spooky treats, and some sweet treats for my parents wedding anniversary!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

I'm SO Sick of Soup!

Oh my gosh, it's only a month into cold and flu season and my house has been hit with the sniffles and achiness AGAIN!  Ugh.  There is nothing worse on this planet than a cranky, runny nosed baby, and a cranky, runny nosed, feverish husband!  Since we're all a little sick or being sick, and of living on soup and crackers, I've been researching some healthy alternatives to our favorite sick day staple, chicken soup.

What did I find?  Besides soups- which really are best, I found that instead of the plain white flour pasta and butter that is most people's alternative to soup, you can have a variety of pastas and rices that are delicious and more nutritious for you. You're sick!  You need vitamins and minerals and complex carbs.  You need food that will fuel your body in the most optimal way to help it fight the illness at hand.  Do yourself a favor, get out of your white pasta and white rice comfort zone and try some whole grain, whole wheat, or quinoa pasta.  If you're baking, take a risk!  Substitute some whole wheat or oat flour for some of your white flour!

Tomorrow I'll post a yummy quinoa pasta recipe.  Just because my family is sick, doesn't mean they shouldn't have a healthy, protein and nutrient packed meal!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Hangover with a Splash of Flavor



Is this a fancy breakfast?  No.  Is it easy?  Yes.  Will it cure your hangover?  Probably. 

There's two things I made to "woo" my husband that got him hooked..one was hangover breakfast, and the other was the anniversary chicken recipe I shared with you guys a while back.  Hangover breakfast isn't rocket science people.  You make some French Toast (you can go fancy with this, but if you're feeling up for fancy breakfast after a night of boozing, then you're a better woman than me). 

How do you make French Toast, might you ask?  Beat two eggs with 2 Tbs milk.  You can add more milk if you want to, I do it by eye.  Add a capful of vanilla extract (or almond extract if you're out of vanilla), a few good shakes of cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice if you don't have any cinnamon), and a dash of sugar to the eggs and milk mixture.  Whisk the mixture really well (but not so well that it'll give you the spins!)  Heat your skillet to medium, spray it with cooking spray or grease it with some butter.  Dip bread slices one by one into the mixture, shake off any excess, and toss that sucker on the heated skillet.  Depending on how crispy you like your french toast, do one and a half minutes per side for soft French Toast, and two or two and a a half minutes per side for crispy French Toast.

Now let's talk eggs.  Here are some simple scrabled eggs that made Kyle able to function.



To make scrambled eggs for 2.5 people (and considering Kyle eats twice as many as me), I beat five eggs with about 5 Tbs of milk.  We only drink skim in our house (with the exception of the baby), but use whatever you have at hand.  Beat the eggs and milk together, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and pour into a greased medium-hot pan.  The trick to these eggs is to keep moving them around as they cook.  That way they get really fluffy, instead of that weird fried egg texture that a lot of scrambled egg recipes have.  And be sure to remember, trying to cook them on higher heat will do nothing but make some awful rubber eggs!  Now, once your eggs are good and fluffy, and seem like they're about done, get a few slices of really good cheese- cheddar and American are my favorites, remove the pan from heat, and cover the eggs in cheese.  Once you've covered your eggs in cheese, put a lid on them for 2 minutes and leave them alone.  Don't open the lid to check on them, just keep a lid on it.  When you uncover the pan, you'll have deliciously gooey, yummy eggs that will line your belly in warm happy goodness.

Mmmm...potatoes.  You really can't go wrong with potatoes. Get your cast iron skillet piping hot, then turn it down to medium high heat.  Pour a 1/2 inch of olive oil, bacon grease, or whatever kind of oil blows your hair back into the pan.  Cut your potato into little cubes (or if you're too tired, just roughly chop it).  Throw in some Tony Chachera's Cajun seasoning, or some Mixed Up Salt, stir, and just leave the potatoes alone for 2 minutes with the lid on.  After 2 minutes are up, keep the potatoes moving in the pan.  If you feel they're getting to dry for you, add a splash of water, put the lid back on for 2 minutes.  Stir the potatoes.  Now this is where personal preference comes in.  Kyle likes his potatoes almost burnt, so I leave them on for a bit so that they get that yummy crunchy, almost overcooked texture.  If you like your potatoes soft, just keep an eye on them, and when you think they're done, give them a taste!  When your potatoes are done, sprinkle a little cheese on them, and whalah!  You've got cheesy hangover potatoes.

Okay, so for the most important part of any greasy hangover breakfast...BACON!!!  Sigh, I swear, I could be Homer and dip it in butter.  MMMMM..okay, maybe I don't want to dip it in butter, but I do love me some bacon, hungover or not.  Unfortunately, no one in my house likes bacon the same way (Kyle likes his barely cooked, Laela likes it kind of crispy, and I like mine almost burnt), so I had to come up with a solution that could save me some time, keep me from having to do a million dishes, and have the bacon come out in a way that we'd all be happy.  Where did I turn to do this you might ask?  My fabulous friend, the oven.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (parchment and wax paper are not a good fill in for this one guys, so please don't waste your time trying.)  When the oven is hot, place as much bacon that will fit on the sheet without touching (if bacon touches, it melds to itself, and that can make a greasy hot mess if you want to flip your bacon.)  Pop it in the oven, and just keep an eye on it to see how chewy looking you might want it, or how crispy you may desire it to be. If you like your bacon really crispy like I do, you may want to flip your bacon so that it gets evenly crispy on both sides.  Just keep an eye on it, and always remember, if you can smell whatever's in the oven, it's darn close to finished.

If you've finished reading this and you're finding yourself wondering how to get this all done at once, you should attempt it in this order:
Bacon, potatoes, eggs, French toast.

Yes, I know this blog is about Mommies and babies, but let's be real people, some days you go out on date night, or for a night out with your friends, and you wake up the next day wishing your Mommy was there to make you breakfast.  Unfortunately (and fortunately!) for you, you're a grown up with responsibilities, so get your butts in gear, fill up the sippy cups, give the kids some pots and pans and wooden spoons to play with while you cook and make your family some breakfast!  I promise, you'll feel at least 90% better.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Chicka Chicka Soup Please

Laela and I both woke up this morning with some good old fashioned snot-o-rama.  I think hers is from the vaccines she got on Friday (they said cold like symptoms would occur a few days later) and that mine's just from being a bit run down, but regardless, we're both cranky and in the mood for some tlc and chicken noodle soup.

Here's how to make a pretty fool-proof chicken noodle soup:

Ingredients:
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 3 large carrots (chopped into chunks or diced, depending on your preference.)
  • 2 stalks celery (chopped or diced, depending on how you preference.)
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped (I prefer vidalia)
  • 1 small bunch chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 ounces egg noodles
  • 1/4 cup freshly cut dill leaves, chopped
  • 2 Tb butter
  • 3 Tb all purpose flour
Directions:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the chopped garlic and saute until fragrant, 1 minute more. Whisk in the flour and stir frequently until it coats the vegetables and makes a paste. Cook until it reaches a pale blonde color, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, making sure there are no lumps.  Let the soup simmer for 15 minutes to thicken and develop the flavors.

Reduce the heat and add the chicken and the noodles. Do not boil the chicken or it will become tough. Add the dill and simmer gently for 10 more minutes.

Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and serve.

  *Note:  If you like peas or corn in your soup, feel free to add as much as you want.  Also, I prefer more noodles than chicken, So I sometimes make more noodles than the recipe yields.
 
I hope this soup helps you as much as it helps my stuffiness!

Monday, September 20, 2010

She's ONE!!!


One.  A little over a year ago, I gave birth to the most perfect little girl in the world.  Well, maybe I can't speak for the whole world, so I'll just say in my world.  And Kyle's world..and our parents, and I'm pretty sure that list goes on a little bit, but I digress..  I gave birth to this perfect, smiling (so what if it was gas?  New parents don't care, it's their baby and she's smiling!!  Whooo!), chubby cheeked little creature that filled me with so much love and emotion that I thought I was going to burst.  Thankfully, I didn't burst and I got to see her grow into this adorable little toddler who loves to jump in the waves at the beach, zoom around the yard while carrying one of her little purses, pat and hug her baby dolls, and pig out on pretty much anything and everything in front of her.  It's amazing how three months ago she was cruising furniture and crawling, still sticking everything in her mouth, and now, she eats off a plate like a little lady (we're still on frisbee watch, don't worry!), drinks with a straw, and likes to eat her food on her own.  As I write this, she's sitting at her little table, playing with her wooden Montessori peg toy, pushing the beads up and down the wires.  It's firsts like this that tug at my heart strings with both pride and sadness as I watch my beautiful little girl become an independent little person.  She amazes me everyday and I just can't believe how quickly the time goes.

Anyway, now that I've totally mushed out, I'm ready to get back to business.  I had big plans for Laela's first birthday, and while I didn't get to do everything I'd planned because of time constraints, visitors, and Kyle leaving on a business trip for a few days following our vacation, I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out.

Ms. Laela had a yummy pumpkin birthday cake with buttercream icing.



I think she enjoyed it, don't you?

I made some basic chocolate and vanilla buttercream cupcakes for the partygoers.
I also made some lemon sugar cookies with royal icing.  I was a bit rushed, so they didn't come out as exciting looking as I'd planned, but everyone seemed to think they were pretty good.




For the favors I made chocolate covered pretzels.

I really tried to keep the decorations more fun and whimsical instead of pink thrown up.  We had butterflies, dragonflies, bees and ladybugs hanging from the trees and plants in our yard.

We even decorated the gift table...



It was a great party.  We had a wonderful time, and it was really fun to see Laela smash her cake and toddle around with her little buddies and our family and friends.

See you Wednesday for Laela and my next foodie adventure!