Four Months to Go.

We're moving in exactly four months today.  I've been going crazy making spreadsheets of everything from what areas we should look at to move (because nope, we still haven't found an apartment), to activies for Laela, to what we do and don't need to bring (because making a spreadsheet of stuff is a lot less headache than packing it for some reason.)  I've slowly started packing away the "extra stuff" in our life- Laela's infant stuff that I can't bring myself to get rid of, and have convinced myself I'll get a quilt made, books that we've both accumulated over the last twenty years or so, doubles of games (Ky, do we really need two of every Trivial Pursuit Game?  I'm just sayin'), and most of our winter clothes (since the climates we're moving to are going to be considerably warmer than here). 

To be completely honest, I didn't realize we had this much stuff.  I'm not usually the most sentimental person in the world (I lost my yearbooks and a lot of photos during the courses of my nine or so moves over the last few years and didn't really care too much), but when I found my box of things from Kyle- cards, notes, post its, pressed flowers, etc., I put it in the "move with me bin", because a Momma needs those things to look back on now and then. 

It's amazing how much one person can change our life, and how we react to life.  Kyle's probably the only person in my life that can keep me so grounded, that gets me so well, and can make me so ridiculously happy, even when things seem like they aren't so great.  Like not knowing where we're going to live and feeling like nothing is done, he still manages to be the calm in my storm.  I think the funniest thing is that he saves everything.  Seriously.  Everything.  I have a box of beer bottles in our basement- one of every one he's tried.  I think it's weird.  But then again, I don't even have a yearbook, and until I met Kyle, no real desire to hold on to the stuff, or the memories of the stuff, so I guess I'll have to respect his desire to save everything...so long as he doesn't turn in to a horder.

As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I may not have pictures or momentos of every time in my life, but I do have this- the memory of making my best friend Xana chocolate chip cookies when she found out she was pregnant for the first time, and all of the cakes I've made her since.  I've got a chocolate peanut butter cake for my Daddy and Kyle for Father's Day that they loved.  German chocolate for my Mom.  Lemon squares at barbecues.  My great-grandmother's cream cheese icing that I loved as a girl.  My gram's ginger cookie recipe that got me through pregnancy nausea.  Anniversary chicken from the first time I made Ky dinner.  Learning to make spaghetti and meatballs from my Dad, that I now make for my litte girl.  Kyle's grilled cheese.  Spanakopita as early as I can remember from South Street Soulvaki, and then trying to make it with my birth mom when I was a kid during a snow storm.  Corinne's chicken enchiladas that she made us when we had Laela.  Mom's banana bread.  Mom's disasterous "fat-free" scones. 

All of these things are stories, memories, recipes that I share with you and my family.  Proof that you can have all the pictures in the world, but the stories behind them- the smells behind them, they stay with you more than anything.  When you're old and your sight goes, what will you remember?  For some I'm sure it'll be the smell of chocolate chip cookie dough and the taste and feel of licking it off the spoon.  For my husband, I'm pretty sure he'll get old smelling his favorite- Easter ham.

Appreciate today.  Appreciate family dinner.  Those memories can't get lost in a move.  Neither can the recipes.

Beef and Ale Stew

Oh Spring, supposedly you're here, and when I look outside, it really looks like it!  Then I go outside.  And have to scurry in for my coat.  And scarf.  And normal shoes.  Ugh.  I was so looking forward to rocking some flipflops and being able to play outside for longer than 20 minutes! 

Alas, nature is not on my side.  The one benefit is that we can still rock out some stew!  (We live in one of those houses where certain foods are considered seasonal.  Kyle refuses to allow for hamburgers in Winter or lasagna and stew in Spring.  Personally, I could eat anything anytime, but I've got to respect his quirks.  And go out for hamburgers when I want one in Winter!)

We've visited a recipe similar to this before when I shared my beef beerguinon recipe, but this one has a lot less steps and takes some seriously minimal effort.  I used one of my favorite chefs, Jamie Oliver, for this one (thank you Food Revolution!), and added my own little twist.

Beef and Ale Stew
serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 stalks celery
• 2 medium onions
• 2 carrots
• olive oil
• 1 heaped tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 x 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes (or if you don't like chunky tomatoes, tomato puree)
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups brown ale, Guinness or stout (I used Terrapin Brown IPA)
• 3 fresh or dried bay leaves
• optional:  1 cup diced tomatoes, 2 cups peas, 4 medium potatoes- red or yukon gold.

Instructions:

• If using the oven to cook your stew, preheat it to 350-degrees
• Trim the ends off your celery and roughly chop the stalks
• Peel and roughly chop the onions
• Peel the carrots (I was lazy and didn't do this), slice lengthways, and roughly chop
• Put a Dutch oven on a medium heat
• Put all the vegetables and your bay leaves into the pan with 2 lugs of olive oil and fry for 10 minutes
• Add your meat and flour
• Pour in the booze and canned tomatoes/puree
• Give it a good stir, then season with a teaspoon of sea salt (less if using table salt) and a few grinds of pepper
• Bring to a boil, put the lid on, and either simmer slowly on your cooktop or cook in an oven for three hours.
• Remove the lid for the final hour of simmering/cooking and add a splash of water if it looks a bit dry
• When done, your meat should be tender and delicious
• Remove bay leaves before serving and taste to see if it needs more salt and pepper.

Here's where I deviated from Jamie...

I cooked some quartered potatoes in olive oil, garlic and onion powder and stirred them in with the stew when there was an hour of cooking left.

Since Kyle hates chunky tomatoes, I put them at the bottom of Laela and my bowls so we'd have them, and just poured the stew on top.

I also added some peas to the bottom of Laela and my stew, because well, I always like something green, and I had a hankering for peas.

This meal is delicious, and it just gets better with each passing day!

Karate Chop!

Remember when you were a kid and your Mom/Dad/Guardian/Self posing as one of those would write you a note to get you out of life for the day?...

Dear Readers,
Yesterday, I woke up feeling like I was karate chopped in the throat.  Today is not much better.  Monday I will share a beefy beer stew that's to die for.

Sincerely,
Cara

Five Minute Minestrone

I think I'm going to write Nigella Lawson a letter thanking her for writing Nigella Express.  It's the perfect quick food cook for someone who loves variety in their breakfasts/lunch/dinners, and doesn't always have a ton of time on their hands.

I was feeling kind of blah the other night, and seriously unmotivated to make dinner, so when I found Nigella's minestrone soup recipe, I dove into my fridge, grabbed the ingredients, and whipped up dinner so fast my husband was baffled how something so good could be made so fast!

Nigella's Minestrone in Minutes
Ingredients:

• 1 14-oz can mixed beans (sometimes sold as mixed bean salad) or other canned beans
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup tomato-based pasta sauce of your choice
• 4 oz ditalini or other soup pasta

Instructions:

• Drain the beans and put them into a saucepan with the hot stock and pasta sauce.
• Bring the pan to a boil and then add the ditalini, cooking according to package instructions.
• Once pasta is tender, switch off the heat, remove the pan to a cool surface, and let stand for 5- 10 minutes if you can bear to wait.  The pasta swells in the soup, and everything just gets better.  (Basically, once you've rounded everyone up and set the table, the soup is plump and delicious.)

I added some peas to Laela and my portions of the soup, because I just felt guilty having this without any veggies (although after I'd thought about it, I had put pureed carrots, celery and onion in my spaghetti sauce, so I really didn't need the peas.)

You might think this is one of those soups that's not super filling, but trust me, it really is.  There was enough of this soup to feed Kyle, me and Laela, plus two extra bowls for later.

Sneaky Meatloaf

I know we've visited meatloaf before.  I promise you though, this meatloaf is a little bit different.  I did the usual with the ground meatloaf mix (lamb, beef, and pork), egg, and breadcrumbs.  Here's where we get a little sneaky...I pureed a bunch of yummy steamed veggies- peas, broccoli, carrots, celery and onion.  I topped it with pasta sauce, and there you go!  A super simple, super healthy, and incredibly easy dinner!

You need:

• 1 pound meatloaf mix
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 carrots
• 1 medium onion
• Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• Ketchup
• Broccoli (I use about a cup)
• Peas (I use a little less than a cup)
• Pasta Sauce
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

• Chop the celery, carrots and onions.  Sweat (cook until fork tender- you'll see moisture released as you do this) the celery, carrots and onions.  Steam the broccoli and peas. 
• Puree all of the vegetables.
• In a large bowl, add the vegetables, salt and pepper, egg, and a good squirt of ketchup.  Add enough breadcrumbs to bind it together so it's not slimy, but moist and firm.
• Preheat your oven to 350-degrees.
• Drizzle olive oil onto a baking sheet
• Form your meatloaf/spice/breadcrumb mixture into two small logs.
• Cook at 350-degrees for twenty minutes.  Top with pasta sauce (or if you don't like pasta sauce, my girlfriend Laraine swears by barbecue sauce- I've tried it and I've gotta say, it's a great change of pace, and is super yummy), and cook for 15-20 more minutes.
• Wait about five minutes so that you don't lose its juiciness, and serve.

Enjoy!

Fry It Up!

I don't know about you, but every once in a while, someone in my house (ahem, Kyle) begs for fried deliciousness.  I usually give in with one fried item (Anniversary Chicken), but this time I gave in with some home made chicken nuggets, some fried frozen French green beans, and some manly corn (yes, I said manly, because my Mom self calls this a grain, not a vegetable.  No matter what anyone tells me.  And I sort of feel like it's always guys trying to convince me it's a veggie.)

Anyway, this meal is painfully easy. 

For the chicken nuggets:

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 cup flour
• Montreal Chicken Seasoning
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• 1 egg
• Olive oil

Directions:

• Cut your chicken into 3 strips, and then cut those strips into squares.
• Heat your skillet to medium heat, with a few good glugs of olive oil.
• Whisk your egg with a good amount of water.  Make sure they are completely whisked together.
• Sprinkle some seasoning, salt and pepper into the egg wash.
• In another bowl, toss in the flour with some seasoning, salt and pepper.
• Using one hand, put the chicken in the egg wash.
• Put the chicken squares in the flour.  Use your dry hand to toss the chicken in the flour.  Ensure that it has a good coat of flour.  Do this with all of the chicken.
• Put the floured chicken in the hot skillet.  After 2 minutes, turn the nuggets over.  Cook for 1/2 to 2 more minutes.
• When the nuggets are done, put them on a paper toweled plate to soak up the oil.

For the green beans:

I didn't have any fresh beans, so I used frozen ones.  They will not be as pretty as you get in a restaurant, or if you were making this with fresh ones, but they will taste just as good.

You'll need:

• 3 cups green beans
• 1/2 cup flour
• Montreal Seasoning
• 1 Egg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Whisk the egg, some Montreal Seasoning, some water, salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Mix Flour and seasonings in another bowl.
• Put the greeen beans in the egg wash.
• Toss the green beans in the flour.
• In a skillet that has been heated to medium heat with olive oil, add the dredged green beans.
• Keep them moving around in the skillet.  They'll cook pretty quickly. (2- 3 minutes)
• Put them on a paper toweled plate to soak up the oil.

I served this with homemade barbecue sauce, but my husband would shoot me for sharing that recipe, so serve it with your favorite barbecue sauce or honey mustard.  I cooked the corn with a bit of butter, salt and pepper.

Here's what a Mommy and baby portion looked like:

And just for the record, I don't get the whole buying premade chicken nuggets thing.  You can make these yourself, you know what's in them, and they freeze for 6 months to a year.  If your kid won't eat anything but nuggets, make a whole bunch, put them in freezer baggies, and reheat as needed.

Pop in for Some Peppers Soup!

A while back, I had mentioned that I was going to start trying to work with what is already in my fridge, rather than run to the store every time I wanted to make dinner.  Part of the reason for this is to see what I can do at the end of the grocery week, and part of it is because I feel like sometimes trying new things with what's in the fridge can break me out of a food rut.

I've been in the mood for some hearty, soothing soups lately, so I decided to bust out some frozen mixed peppers that I had in the freezer and make a delicious pepper soup garnished with roasted potatoes.

Roasted Red, Green and Yellow Pepper Soup

Ingredients:

- Approx. 1 cup frozen mixed peppers (or one heaping handful)

- 2Tb Garlic (chopped)

- 1 small sweet onion, chopped.

- 3Tb butter

- 3Tb flour

- 2 cups chicken, vegetable, or beef stock (or 2 cups water with appropriate amount of boullion)

- 2 carrots, chopped.

- 2 celery stalks, chopped.

- 1 cup tomato sauce (you can use my super easy pasta sauce recipe if you want home made)

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- Dash of Nutmeg

- Dash of Cinnamon

- Olive Oil

Instructions:

• In a medium saucepan, boil stock.
• While the stock is boiling, put a large saucepan on high heat.  Whisk butter and flour until it forms a paste.
• Whisk in the stock, the pasta sauce, and add 1Tb garlic, the salt and pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
• Lower the heat to medium heat.
• Heat a large skillet to medium high heat.
• Pour a few glugs of olive oil into the hot skillet.
• For 5- 8 minutes, fry up the carrots and celery until fork tender.
• When fully cooked, put the carrots and celery into the food processor or blender.  (KEEP THE SKILLET HOT!)
• Add the peppers, onions, and garlic to the hot skillet. 
• Once the peppers, onions and garlic start to smell really aromatic and great, and look like they're losing liquid (sweating), pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and puree with the carrots and celery.
• Whisk the puree into the cooking soup. 
• Lower the heat to medium low heat.
• Cook for at least twenty minutes.  This is one of those recipes that will taste great straightaway, but will also taste amazing the longer it cooks, or the next day as leftovers.

For the Garnish:

Ingredients:

- 3 or 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes

- 2 Sprigs Rosemary

- 2 Sprigs Thyme

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- Onion Powder

- Garlic Powder

- Olive Oil

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 350- degrees.
• Wash and chop your potatoes.
• Put your potatoes in a 3 inch deep baking dish.
• Add all of the seasonings, and a drizzle of oil.
• Mix together with your hands or tongs.
• Bake for 20 minutes
• Top your soup with it and enjoy!

*This soup freezes well for 6 months in a regular freezer and 1 year for a deep freeze.  I put it in individual sized containers so that it defrosts quickly and is easy for Kyle to bring for lunch.

My family realy enjoyed this soup!  And to top it off, when Kyle and I talked about it, it cost less than $5 to make!  (and there was enough for him to bring to work for lunch and for me to feed the baby for 4 days!)  Maybe it's crazy to try to make everything in the fridge before I grocery shop next (besides for milk and eggs), but it is kind of fun to see that it is possible to make really good food with what we have, and to know that we're not wasting anything.  Isn't there enough waste in the world?  And enough people that don't have enough, that we should try to use what we've got before accumulating more?  Just a thought.

For the weekend, I'll be sharing a deliciously bad for you fried dinner that I made Kyle when he was a bit hungover.  Next stop...fried green beans and homemade chicken nuggets.