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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!!

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!

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

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!)

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!

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!