Salty and Sweet

 . . . the perfect combination.  Last night we enjoyed some of the bounties of summer from our co-op (thankfully harvested by someone more tolerant of the heat and bugs than I am).  Among the dinner selections was one of my favorites - fried okra. 

I wish some progressive movie theater (do you hear me, Alamo Draft House??) would offer this as an alternative to popcorn.  I'm not hating on popcorn, I mean I can eat that stuff even when I'm not hungry.  Fried okra though elevates the "salty" crunchy snacky goodness to a whole new level.  I'm sure the gourmet chefs at the movie theater (i.e., the half-awake, partied-out teens) would probably just screw it up anyway by hiding the okra in a heavy batter.  I like mine with lots of salt and a little corn meal, just the way Mama used to make (and still does)! :-)


The main reason for my post is a "sweet" discovery I made following a creative attempt to come up with a dessert without having to venture out (into the heat) to the grocery store.  Look at this . . . doesn't this photo look ethereal?

  What does it look like to you?  Hopefully bread pudding.  That's what I was going for . . . only I made it with, get this, leftover blueberry muffins.  Yep.  I'm sure that idea isn't original to me, but it was pretty darn tasty.  I made the muffins Sunday or Monday with some co-op blueberries, and what was supposed to make 12 actually made 24.  I just put the leftovers in the frig not having the heart to throw them out.   I filled a greased loaf pan with crumbled muffins - 12 in all (and these are "regular-sized" muffins, not jumbos).  Then I put 4 eggs in a large measuring cup and used 1/2 evaporated milk and 1/2 regular milk to make 3 cups.  I added 1/4 c. of sugar (which you'd vary depending on the sweetness of your muffins), a teaspoon of vanilla, and a few dashes of cinnamon.  After mixing well, I dumped the liquid over the muffins and let it sit for about 15 - 30 minutes (at this point you can add a little more milk - it  should be just below the top of the muffins).  Then I finished the pudding in a 350 degree oven, cooking for just under an hour (until a knife comes out clean).  I served it warm with some melted Blue Bell vanilla  (my lazy creme anglaise).  Of course, with this successful result, I started imagining the possibilities with all the different muffins and additions you could make . . . banana nut muffins with chocolate chips,  carrot cake muffins with walnuts, chocolate muffins with peanut butter chips, lemon poppy seed muffins with dried cranberries . . .
Let me know what you do if you get creative and try a muffin pudding!

Where's the Beef?

As I typed that line, I realized there are probably quite a few blog readers out there (not necessarily reading MY blog, cuz, let's face it, younguns are probably reading something a little more hip) who probably don't even know where that line came from.  Ugh.  I'm really getting old . . . did I mention my 20 year high school reunion is coming up??  . . . anyway, I digress . . . I used to be pretty dedicated to doing regular vegetarian meals.  We don't really need all the meat we usually have in our diet, and having a weekly vegetarian meal at least deceptively makes me feel healthy.  Well, this time of year, especially with all the spring/summer veggies being delivered by our co-op, I find it very easy to just sit down to a colorful plate of yummy grown IN the earth not ON the earth sustenance.  (I must also reluctantly admit I might have been motivated by the lack of meat options in my freezer right now, having too long put off the dreaded grocery shopping chore). 

Fresh green beans, cooked with just a little onion, sliced carrots roasted with a little cinnamon and honey, corn on the cob (which didn't need any topping) and a squash casserole made with yellow squash and zucchini.  I steamed about 4 c. of thickly sliced squash (I really hate it when it's cut so small it's mushy and unidentifiable), then added about 1/4 c. of mayonnaise, 2 eggs, 1/2 c. of crushed Goldfish (really, they're GREAT in this), 1/2 c. of cheddar cheese, and a little dry Ranch dressing mix.  Mix it all together and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until puffy and set.  No, this isn't the most health-conscious recipe, but there's a little room for increased fat when you're missing the fattiest part of a usual meal . . . the beef. Hmmm . . . think I'm going to Whataburger for lunch . . .

I hate leftovers . . .

I'm sure I've probably said that before, but I'm going to reiterate it.  I'm not sure at what point I was spoiled so, but I am.  Not having been fortunate enough yet to find that elusive money-growing tree either, sometimes I need to find a way to make myself eat them rather than letting them go to waste.  For me, that requires I dig deep into the little creative spirit that lives somewhere under all the other practical parts of me.  Last week, I made lasagna using some leftover meatloaf.  Last night, it was potato pancakes.  Okay, so that's not really THAT creative, but it was a crunchy alternative to the soft mashed potatoes we had earlier in the week.  To about 3 cups of leftover mashed potatoes, I added two eggs, about 3 T of flour, S&P to taste, and some finely chopped green garlic (which is a "garlicy" green onion I've been getting from my co-op this season).  A little Pecorino or other cheese of your choice is good in these too. After mixing everything together, I just dropped big tablespoons full into a little bit of olive oil to cook.  The result is a perfectly crunchy exterior, with a fluffly, cloud-like center (which the photo doesn't do justice in capturing). 

My oldest son WAS a little disappointed that "pancakes" last night didn't mean syrup, but he and the other two guys at my house enjoyed them.  They were even making little sandwiches with the pork tenderloin in the middle.


Speaking of pork tenderloins, they are just about my favorite thing to cook.  They are so easy and always moist unless you just really don't tend to them at all . . . my favorite seasoning is McCormick's Grill Seasoning (LOVE that stuff), a little salt and pepper, and some coriander.  Coriander's not used a whole lot in most every day cooking, at least in my experience, but it makes a huge difference on these.  I drizzle the tenderloins with olive oil, sprinkle on the seasonings I mentioned, brown them quickly on the stove, then finish them in a 350 degree oven for about 20 - 25 minutes.  Let the meat rest, of course, then pour the pan juices over after slicing.

The photo also shows the last of the braising greens, I'm afraid, as the spring/summer season at the co-op is in full swing now. I'm so excited to be getting all the new produce though!

The Low Down on Lo Mein

The most important thing? It's one of the easiest, quickest, and cheapest things you can make. You just need some pasta, veggies, protein (optional), and a few simple ingredients for a sauce.

I took a basic sauce idea from the Rachel (of the Ray kind) and made it work for what I had on hand. First, the pasta. I had some leftover whole wheat fettucini from earlier in the week (still not sure why I hadn't thrown it out) which wasn't quite enough for my family, so I just added a packet of ramen noodles (yep, that stuff from college . . . I keep it on hand for lo mein, or for a crunchy ramen "cake" to serve under stir fry . . . that's a recipe for another time though). If you frequent an Asian supermarket, you can get some extra-tasty noodles to use in this dish. With cooked pasta in hand, I heated my wok to high, then threw in some small slivers of chicken breast (one breast for the whole family). I seasoned lightly with some salt and pepper and removed it from the pan as soon as it was just cooked. Next, I added a little garlic and ginger (if you don't have fresh on hand, just add some dry to the sauce) to the pan along with some thinly sliced carrots. I put a little water in the pan, covered, and steamed just until the liquid evaporated. This is a good tip for cooking "harder" veggies like carrots, broccoli, or sugar snap peas that need a little pre-cooking. After the steaming, I dumped in some rehydrated shiitake mushrooms (this is a great thing to keep in your pantry), button mushrooms, sliced green peppers, spring onions, and a little chopped bok choy - all stuff just hanging out in the frig. Once the veggies cooked for a minute or two, I scooted them over to one side of the pan, dumped in a couple of beaten eggs, then scrambled them before mixing the veggies back in. Make sure you let the eggs cook a little before you start stirring if you want some nice chunks of eggs instead of itty bitty pieces. All that was left to do is throw the meat back in, toss in the pasta, and dump the sauce on. The sauce is super simple - equal parts of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and water, mixed with a little sesame oil. I added a little Srirachi for heat too. Finis! The sauce is super-versatile though . . . Option 1: Add a little sugar to the sauce, then some toasted cashews or sesame seeds on top of the stir fry. Shrimp would be an excellent protein choice for this one. Option 2: Add a little peanut butter to the sauce, some chopped peanuts and cilantro on top. It's like your own Pad Thai! By the way, the starch from the pasta will thicken the sauce some, so make sure you take that into account when you're making it. If it ever gets too thin and soupy though, you can always thicken with a little cornstarch or lightly flour your chicken/shrimp/whatever before cooking it to thicken the sauce later.

Here are some suggested ingredients for your own lo mein, just so you won't be staring into your OWN frig wondering, "I wonder what I could do with this??" Just mix and match and have fun! Use your "take-out" money for a movie instead! :-)

The Veg:

Carrots
Broccoli
Onions (spring or yellow)
Cabbage (choy or green)
Zucchini
Mushrooms (any kind)
Green beans
Sugar snap peas
Bean sprouts
Bell peppers
Bamboo Shoots
Celery
Spinach


The Protein:

Chicken
Beef (even leftover steak)
Pork (how about leftover pork chops??)
Tofu
Shrimp
Scallops

BBQ Halibut

I'm sure all my friends and family on the Gulf Coast are reading this and thinking, "Halibut?"  Sorry, there's not any grouper to be had in the land-locked city of Austin that doesn't cost a ton and require equal amounts of gas to find.  So, I bought what was fresh, wild, and available, okay? :-) 

( . . . and, yes, this photo is of the leftovers . . . it's that "forgetful" thing I have again).

The marinade/glaze was super tasty and easy; I just needed to make about twice as much for the fish I had.  Here's the recipe:  2 T butter, 2 T brown sugar, 2 T lime juice (or more, to-taste), 1 T soy sauce, a couple of dashes of Worcestershire, and 2 cloves of minced garlic . . . oh, and a few grinds of black pepper.  I would probably have opted for a little hot sauce too were it not for the two "noobs" eating with us.  Based on what I cooked last night, this would be enough for about 1.5 lb of fish.  Put all the ingredients in a sauce pan and heat until the sugar's melted.  Pour the cooled mixture over the fish to marinate for an hour or so, then either grill or broil, basting with the leftover marinade (and I think this step is key).  I broiled, since we're out of propane and I haven't been able to really go outside since the snake incident ;-). This marinade would be fabulous on shrimp too, maybe skewered with some veg of your choice and pineapple or mango.  Heck, it would even be good on chicken or pork.  I served the fish with a little lime on the side, some roasted butternut squash, and sauteed spinach.  We had some sectioned pummelo to top it off.  The only missing accompaniment was an extra tall glass of white wine! Toodles . . .

Fake It Again

Here's another quick "fake it" idea for taking minimal effort to make something that looks special. One of my favorite things to do for breakfast, or even dinner sometimes, is a frittata (that's snooty chef talk for baked "scrambled" eggs, by the way). I love the versatility of a dish that I can put just about anything into, including leftovers, and let the oven do the work for me while I multi-task elsewhere. All you need are some eggs, milk, S&P, and your imagination! Just sautee/brown/warm whatever you want to put in the eggs in a skillet (with or without butter depending on how fatty the contents are), pour in some beaten eggs that have been thinned with a little milk, sprinkle with cheese, if desired, and throw the pan in the oven at about 375 to bake for just a few minutes until the eggs are set (usually just enough time to throw the rest of my son's lunch in his lunchbox).  Here's our breakfast from this morning.  Sorry it looks a little messy; as usual I remembered to take a photo about half way through eating.  Today was a sausage, potato and cheddar frittata.  Potatoes are kind of a luxury on a weekday since it takes a little while to get them nice and crispy on their own.  What I've started doing is chopping them (with or without the skins on), and letting the microwave cook them slightly before putting them in the skillet.  I can ether crisp them up nicely or, like today, let them mash up a little and make a nice textural addition to the eggs.  So, I chopped the sausage and browned it, put the potatoes and a little onion in the skillet for just a few minutes, then turned the heat off.  I added 6 eggs, beaten with about 2 or 3 T of milk, seasoned with S&P (yes, KOSHER salt :-)), sprinkled the top with cheddar and let the oven do the rest of the work for me.  I chose to garnish my frittata with a little of Mr. Bayless (Rick, that is) salsa and had a toasted English muffin (LOVE my BAYS) with a little fruit.  As I mentioned before though, your imagination is the only limit on making these.  I really kinda hate leftovers, unless I can make them into something completely different, so here are some ideas for using them in what will be your new go-to egg dish!

1.  Leftover Tex-Mex:  If you have leftovers from tacos or fajitas, add the meat (steak, chicken, chorizo) into the skillet, toss in some of the peppers and onions, and pour on your eggs.  You can add a tablespoon or so of salsa (unless you have kiddos like me and have to add it after-the-fact), and queso fresco, cheddar, or whatever cheese you have on hand.  If you like migas, like I do, you can even throw in a few crushed up tortilla chips.

2.  Leftover Rotisserie Chicken: Add some red peppers (roasted or not), onions, and swiss cheese.

3.  Leftover Mashed Potatoes (if they're a little chunky, anyway): Add to the skillet with any meat and/or cheese of your choice.

4.  Leftover Spinach:  Feeling vegetarian, you can add spinach, mushrooms, and a little feta or swiss cheese.  This combination is also good with bacon though. :-)  I often have a couple of pieces of bacon leftover after breakfast, so I put the leftovers in the frig to use later in the week for this dish.

5.  Leftover Smoked Salmon: Okay, so I don't usually have leftovers of this just laying around (it usually all finds its way into my tummy with some capers, cream cheese, and bagel chips), but this is a nice "fancy" dish to make if you need to impress someone, or just pamper yourself a little.  Dump your eggs in a buttered skillet, sprinkle in chopped salmon, maybe some blanched asparagus, and a few dollops of cream cheese placed on top.  Sprinkle with some chives if you have them on hand.

Really, the sky's the limit here.  Be creative, try lots of combinations of veggies, meats and cheese (even cottage cheese is a great addition and low-fat protein boost), and let me know what YOUR favorite is!

Fake It

Okay, so I've had requests for detailed recipes on the food I've posted.  While I love recipes and often have them as a starting block, it's rare that I find a dish that's spot-on to my taste.  I suspect that's the same for you, if you have more of a love for food than a biological need.  Those changes I make on-the-fly make it difficult to really document what I do, especially since I find my own tastes changing so that I might revamp something I've been making the same way for a long time.  I mention all this because if you feel like a slave to a recipe, you've got to step out of the box and have a little confidence.  You know if something tastes good or not; you just have to practice enough to know AHEAD of time what to do/not to do to make a recipe work.  In case you're wondering, everyone, even those big time chefs you might watch on TV have made things that are bad.  They've just cooked so much (and had the necessary episodes edited) so their recipes are tasty (or relatively tasty, anyway).  To get off my soap box, I'll just give you some simple tips for gaining confidence, wowing yourself (and others) at your own mad skills, and taking just a couple of extra steps to make your usual dinner better.

Here's what I did tonight . . . pork chops with a balsamic glaze, nestled on a bed of braised kale and cheese-crusted polenta.  Sounds hoity toity, right?  Not.  The polenta is pre-made from the store.  Yes, I DO know how easy it is to make it, and I've made it (as you'll see in a previous post), but it's nice to have this stuff on hand for a week-night meal.  All I did was slice the polenta into 1/2-inch slices, place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, topped them with a little mozzarella (only because I didn't have parmesan), and sprinkle them with a little coarse kosher salt to give them a little crunch.  Then I popped them under the broiler until they were browned.  Easy peasy.  Kosher salt - my latest confidence booster.  I've watched for years as "The Chefs" very nonchalantly threw some non-discriminant amount of Kosher salt into their food.  That's a disaster waiting to happen for me . . . BUT I have a little bowl of the stuff next to the stove and am now pretty confident in my ability to gauge the amount different things need.  Of course - it's taken me some time (and numerous salt-cured batches of scrambled eggs) before I got it right, but let me just tell you how big-headed I get when I can play "Chef" and sprinkle the stuff on my food knowing I'm at least not going to OVER salt things.

Now for the pork.  I used to just season the things with grill seasoning, then cook them in a skillet on the stovetop until they were done.  This almost always resulted in slightly dry chops sitting in some charcoal-y bits in the bottom of the pan (that would take FOREVER to clean off).  Now, I put just a little olive oil in the pan, sear one side over pretty high heat, flip them and finish them off in a 400 degree oven.  First of all, I don't have to sit and keep flipping them to avoid "the burn," which gives me more time for other things; more importantly, though, the result is always juicier, and I'm left with some usable stuff in the bottom of the pan.  More on that in a minute.  I marinated four thick chops in (and I'm guessing at these amounts) 1/4 c. of olive oil, 1 - 2 T of soy sauce (this is always a good option for a quick marinade), 2 cloves of minced garlic (fresh is ALWAYS better), about 10 grinds of black pepper (told you I'm guessing), and about 2 tsp of Italian seasoning.   Back to that "usable" stuff in the pan - deglaze, deglaze, deglaze, which if you haven't figured out by now, is just a fancy word for dumping some liquid in your pan.  Once the chops were done, I pulled them out of the pan, put my pan on the stove, and over high heat added just a splash of balsamic vinegar.  It reduced just long enough for me to scrape the stuff off the pan and mix it in.  Perfectly tasty.  The kale was just sauteed for a second with some onion, then braised in chicken stock (and another flourish of Kosher salt, of course), and that was, literally, a 20-minute meal. 

My hubby and I enjoyed a little dish of some sectioned pink grapefruit and oranges (more fabulous local produce from my co-op) that were gilded with just a little Bauchant (which is a very close, cheaper alternative to Grand Marnier).  That's it.  Dinner is served.

Sorry - I feel like I've gone on and on (and I'm sure I have because I'm putting off exercising as long as possible . . . did I mention I'm training for a 5K?  What WAS I thinking????), but all I want to encourage you to do is stay in the kitchen, try things, new things, and chalk any disasters up to a learning experience (just stick with cheap ingredients and have the take-out menu handy until you get the hang of it ;-)).  Now go forth, buy some Kosher salt, and sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle your way into your own little culinary adventure!

. . . and now, I'll leave you with a picture of my favorite fat kitty who, like her Mama, always underestimates the size of the receptacle her big behind will need to fit into.  Love you, Maggie . . .

Unchartered Culinary Territory - Southern US/Asian Fusion

There are a few things I pride myself on as a girl (cook) raised in the South . . . knowing that the perfect meal is a piece of cornbread (not sweet!) floating in a pool of mustard green pot liquor, never eating instant grits or mashed potatoes, and never ever insulting my palette by replacing the light and flaky tang of a warm, butter-laden, homemade biscuit with something that comes out of a can. Don't get me wrong - canned biscuits have their place in a sweet monkey bread or even, in a pinch, for pigs-in-blankets on a hurried school morning. Just don't put them out in a bread basket like they're the stars their non-preserved, lovingly-made pieces of heaven are. Since I DO have them in my frig occasionally for the aforementioned acceptable uses, however, I decided to try something unusual with them. I made potstickers. Yep, I know every Asian chef is cringing at that thought (and the fact that, as you can see from the photo, I was a little overzealous with my browning), but they really were a pretty tasty alternative since I was craving potstickers and had no wonton skins. They are definitely not the same texture as a real potsticker. I'd compare it to the bun you usually find on a dim sum cart filled with BBQ pork. It's a little "breadier," which actually made me happy. I couldn't stop eating the things!  I'm even thinking about grabbing a couple of the cold leftovers out of the frig to munch on while I'm writing this post. :-)  My filling du jour was a combination of chopped raw shrimp, rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, blanched cabbage, shredded carrot, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, green onion, and a raw egg. I took a can of Grands biscuits, split them in half, and rolled each half into about a 4-inch circle. Then I spooned the mixture on the dough, folder over and sealed the edges with a little water, and chilled them until dinner. In typical potsticker fashion, I just browned the bottoms in a lightly-oiled skillet, poured some diluted chicken stock on them and covered them to steam until the liquid evaporated. My dipping sauce is just soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili flakes, and a little sesame oil, with some green onions floating on top. TAS-T!!!

Easter Eats

I miss ham. No, that's not a typo for "him" - I really DO miss "ham." It was always a staple at my house for Easter, but my husband's not much of a fan, so we improvised this holiday, thankfully staying within the pork family.  My husband, who's becoming quite the pit master, helped create an achiote/citrus pork butt that marinated overnight in achiote, orange juice, lime juice, cumin, etc. and was slow smoked until it started to shred. Tender, salty, tangy goodness served with a side of similarly-flavored sauce (spiked with a tiny bit of spiced rum).

Continuing the Latin theme, I made rice and pigeon peas  .  It was my first time making sofrito, and I just can't get over what a difference it made for the dish.  The sofrito lent a brightness and slight acidity to the rice beyond what just canned tomatoes would have.  As an aside, I'm really quite terrible at making rice.  As much as I love to cook, making good rice has always been a skill that escaped me.  I rely on my rice steamer to do the job for me instead of risking what is always either a crunchy or mushy result.  Using this recipe (which I actually halved for us) and my sister's suggestions (no stirring after adding liquid, boil with the lid off until the water is level with the rice, cover tightly and cook on low for 20 minutes, then shut off the heat for another 10 minutes before fluffing), I actually made stove top rice that was worthy of first AND second helpings!  As you'll see from the recipe, the rice also has green olives in it (thankfully I had enough for the dish since my oldest son ate half a jar of them), which just added another dimension to the rice too. 

We had to make deviled eggs, of course, and had options for both the olive and pickle camps in my household.  (BTW, the look on my oldest son's face was priceless when I explained to him that the eggs we had so painstakingly decorated the night before would find a final resting place in our tummies.) 

Last, but not least, came the cupcakes.  You'll notice the ones with coconut are suspiciously missing, but I'll deny consuming more than one of them.  While I wanted a more glamorous cake for our feast, giving my oldest the option, he'll choose cupcakes every time, so I at least "gilded" these gems with a cream cheese frosting enriched with some melted white chocolate.  They were lovingly frosted by my husband, then brilliantly decorated by the boy who now thinks Easter is his favorite holiday :-)

My Favorite Holiday

Well, I do love Christmas, watching my babies get lost in the magic of it all, but for me holidays = food, and my favorite holiday is St. Patrick's Day.  Don't get me wrong.  I love the tasty food at Thanksgiving - fried turkeys, dressing and pecan pie - an Easter ham with splotchy colored deviled eggs, but my favorite truly is March 17.  I know corned beef isn't really a traditional meat in Ireland, but since my husband and I are both only part Irish, I don't mind taking a little creative liberty in creating our own tradition.  You'll get to see the full feast when it's prepared, but today I initiated the metaphorsis of plain, boring brisket into the explosion of flavor it will be in just about a week.  If you haven't tried making your own corned beef, trust me, it's worth it.  My Mimi made it years ago, and I haven't been able to go back to the old, store-bought, boiled standby without feeling disappointed.  The corning process really is very easy to do; it just takes a little planning to make sure you've started it early enough.  You start with this rather unattractive piece of meat:

Doesn't my Tupperware marinator look happy to have come out of storage for its once-a-year task?   Next, you coarsely grind a mixture of coriander seed, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and bay leaves, then add a little brown sugar, curing salt, and garlic.  This yields a spice rub that will leave your house smelling fabulous:

Lastly, you lovingly coat every inch of the brisket with the spice mixture and let it hang out in your frig for about 7 days, depending on the thickness, turning once a day.  I'll be baking this puppy, which yields a much more flavorful end product since all that tasty spice rub is crusted on during the baking process. 

Seriously . . . I'm just so excited I'll get to eat this next week (and Mom and Dad, if you're reading, look what you'll get to eat when you're here :-))!  As a sneak peak of next week's post, the menu will be of course the corned beef, cabbage sauteed with onions and Irish bacon, champ (which is a butter-ladened version of mashed potatoes with green onions), Irish soda bread (I usually use my Mom-in-Law's recipe but saw an interesting brown version in Cooking Light this month I might have to try), and, for dessert, a Guinness Cake which is a dense, moist chocolate cake, flavored with a little Guinness (only a little . . . I don't like beer) and frosted with a bittersweet ganache.  Toodles!

Baby's First Polenta

As a girl who grew up eating grits, polenta sits securely on the list of my top ten comfort foods. Tonight, I was able to share a "moment" with my baby. For supper, we had pork chops,  seared in a pan, then finished off in a nest of caramelized onions (quickly "pickled" with a little sugar and vinegar). These onions found a perfect home atop a golden mountain of buttery, cheesy, baked polenta.   Since I AM responsible for the nutrition of my family and therefore could not subject them to just the polenta (which would have been my choice :-)), we had some broccoli and broccoli greens (thanks again, co-op) sauteed with a little garlic and olive oil.

After my baby enjoyed his sweet pea mush and bananas, I decided to let him have a taste. Here's bite number 2: 

Notice he has literally pulled my hand and the spoon to his mouth in an effort to speed up the feeding process.










. . . and here's bite number 5:

  At this point, he's actually given up on my ability to feed him fast enough and has commandeered the spoon in order to savor every last grain of the stuff.  Of course, this happy baby was soon followed by one who gagged himself by sticking the spoon just a little too far down his throat, but Mama  remedied the situation, retrieved the spoon, and comisserated with a little dude who, like his Mama just loves the stuff.  Gosh, I think my arms may even look a little like his . . .

Viva la Avocado!

It's nice to live somewhere you can get good avocados almost all the time . . . I think we're pretty spoiled that way. The latest creation I used them in (which is another Rachel Ray-inspired dinner) was steak tacos with an avocado salad. These were crunchy tacos, with layers of medium-rare/chili-seasoned steak and the tasty salad (a mix of avocados, butter lettuce, lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, S&P).

Holy cow! My fingers look fat! Sorry, uh the salad would have had some heat by way of jalapenos had I not been feeding my almost-four-year-old. (Of course, my husband reminded me I can always make two batches :-)). The combination of the warm, salty and crusty steak pieces with the cool, creamy, tangy salad is just all that a hungry mouth could want. The yucky looking side is a stand-by at our house - refried beans. My kid loves them, what can I say . . . so what if it looks a bit like something that's already been digested. Anywho, the crowning glory to the meal was a Tres Leches Cake that was surprisingly not too sweet.

I started with an Allrecipes recipe but omitted some of the sugar in the cake and left the whipped cream unsweetened. Per some of the reviews, I also added some soda to the cake and only used half the whole milk (I couldn't bring myself to use half-and-half like some of those crazies did). Let's see, oh, I also poured the milk on while the cake was still hot. It's definitely better a day later (which is why I had an even bigger slice today :-)), so make sure you plan in advance for the perfect custardy, cakey, drenched-in-condensed-milk palette pleaser.  Can you SEE that wonderful juice-of-the-gods it's floating in????  Ummmm . . . heaven.

Thank you for dinner . . . that was a good dinner . . .

These are the words that, upon their utterance, allow me to rest easy in my dining chair knowing the meal I've so lovingly prepared was met with the ultimate praise . . . from my almost-four-year-old.   I must note before outlining the tasty dinner we had tonight that the pressure of having to take photos of my meals and document them here is making me stretch the creativity a little . . . green beans are pretty boring, but green beans with . . . oh, sorry . . . you'll have to wait until you get a little further into this post. 

First up, my herb-rubbed pork tenderloin was quickly browned in the pan before roasting in the oven.  I threw a couple of crushed cloves of garlic in the oil first, then removed them as they started browning, so I'd have some garlic-flavored oil for the tenderloin. 


These are the tasty fried bits of garlic that found a perfect home atop the mountain of cheddar mashed potatoes.  My green beans were quickly sauteed with green onions, a little soy sauce and lemon, and . . . wait for it . . . RADISHES!  I love radishes in salads, but I've never had them cooked, and they're like most root vegetables - they get sweeter when they're cooked a little.  Yum.   You can probably tell from the colorful spoon in the middle of my plate just who got to share my dinner with me. I really do need something other than white plates to make my food look at little more appetizing . . . sorry.

Lastly, I made a slow-cooker pudding inspired by a recent Rachel Ray recipe (yes, she's kind of annoying to me, but I don't think anyone would want to have to watch me on TV as much as that either). It was supposed to be a lemon/banana pudding, but my oldest son isn't partial to lemon, so I just used vanilla and a little cinnamon. The bananas were just getting ripe, so they kept their texture through the cooking process and got this nice caramelization on the bottom that when flipped over break up the otherwise bland color of the dessert. Of course, I was out of whipped cream and had to substitute . . . sniff, sniff . . . my BFF Haagen Daas Dulce de Leche ice cream on the side. As my husband says, that ice cream could make even a bowl of . . . well, you know . . . taste good. The texture of the "pudding" is more like a cakey-souffle. For this girl who likes all things creamy, custardy, and creme-brulee-y, it was the bomb.

TTFN! Here's hoping my next post is a Sewing Room update with my overdue paintbox blocks from last week!

Comfort Food

So, I made these last week in the worst of the throws of my illness, and they were a little better than regular oatmeal cookies because of the secret ingredient. Okay, the ingredient's NOT that secret, but it was a happy substitution I had to make for being out of pecans.  A few weeks ago, I was hurriedly pushing the buggy up and down the isles at the store with the big red dot and circle, with the name that rhymes with 'Flarget," doing one of the most forbidden activities in the shopping world - shopping while hungry. I managed to avoid most of the temptations, but I did swing by the "nut" isle looking for my dill pickle cashews, only to have my eye catch firmly (sounds painful doesn't it??) on the honey cinnamon almonds. THESE, my friends, are the secret ingredient in the oatmeal cookies. I adjusted the sugar a little to compensate for the sweet almonds, but the subtle bits of crunchy, cinnamon-coated almonds made these cookies the perfect calorie-free snack for me on what would have otherwise been a dumpy day . . . yeah, I said "calorie-free" because, like birthdays, calories don't count when you're sick, dammit! Oh, and Robin, I bet you can tell from the picture and my warm accompanying beverage who I'd like to be sharing them with! :-)

Food, Glorious Food

Well, Happy Valentine's Day from my happy tummy to yours! The holiday today followed on the heels of a stressful evening for us, having had our oldest son running an unexplained temperature of over 104 degrees throughout the night last night. (Thank you to those parents who sent their sick kiddo to school this week with a special "happy-first-week" present for my baby)! I had a very rare night of snuggling in bed with the little guy, although the imagined, cozy version of that event is much better than the reality of a tossing, turning little dude who likes to talk a lot in his sleep and who has unnaturally sharp toenails like his Papa. Needless to say, between that bedfellow, a husband whose allergies have him snoring this week, and the cuddle cat who literally likes to lay on my face during the winter, it wasn't the restful night sleep I needed. Thankfully there's coffee . . . oh, and more importantly, his fever was short-lived today; he even managed to get a couple of valentines made. He was not however feeling well enough to enjoy today's food. For breakfast, we had strawberry muffins drizzled with white chocolate and a heart-shaped frittata with bacon, red peppers, spring onions (thank you, co-op) and cheese. Yes, I know the heart shape is kinda over-the-top, but really, why have kids if you can't do silly things like that? For lunch, we had what we were GOING to have for supper last night before the house transformed to a pediatric ward - pork chops with an arugula pesto and mashed cauliflower (and, yes, that's a Woodchuck Cider lurking behind the plate that gave the food a happy, bubbly trip send-off to my tummy). I have to say the pesto MADE these chops today. I used arugula (thanks again, co-op), toasted cashews, parmesan, salt and EVOO, and the arugula/cashew combo is something to make your taste buds tingle (I can't wait to use the leftovers with some pasta later this week). The richness and slight sweetness to the cashews married perfectly with the arugula. It's almost 11 pm, and I'm still thinking about it. The pork chop juices and pesto mingled well with the the cauliflower too (COOOO-op) which was tasty too . . . I've made it in the past and wasn't real thrilled with it, but this recipe (adapted from Guy's on the Food Network website) was a great alternative to mashed potatoes. It uses part roasted cauliflower which I think made the difference. This would have been good with grits too. For supper, we were still too full to enjoy the surf-n-turf dinner I had planned, so I'll post photos of that tomorrow night if there's anything noteworthy . . . and now, as the day winds down, I think I'm going to put my laptop away a little early (I know 11 pm's not early, but it sounds better in my closing), see if my hubby will do the same (bye bye WoW), and hopefully have a little time for us to enjoy together before the work-week reality hits again in the morning. Happy early President's Day, y'all (whatever the heck that is)!

Day Two Post Traumatic Event

Well, yesterday (which was the second "traumatic" day of sending my oldest to school) was probably the most productive I've had in a long time. Yay ME! :-) After getting up I fed kitties, cooked breakfast for the biggest "boys," made school lunch for SP, fixed breakfast for the baby, ate my own (now cold) breakfast, cleaned litter boxes, cleaned kitty water fountain, did three loads of laundry (yeah, I even put it away instead of letting it become a long-term "decoration" in my living room), worked out, showered, made up beds and straightened up, made some baby food to freeze . . . oh, and cooked this for supper (please forgive the "blahness" of the white plate): Italian roasted pork tenderloin; carrots roasted with orange juice, honey and rosemary; Parmesan mashed potatoes; and "Roman" style broccoli. The broccoli was, oddly enough, my favorite. We're participating in a local produce co-op which is providing lots of winter veggies, and I'm trying to find something a little different to do with all the broccoli. This method of cooking was to put a few tablespoons of olive oil in a medium-high skillet, add some spring onions (another co-op veggie) and garlic to cook for about 30 seconds, then throw in the broccoli and about a 1/2 cup of water; cover and steam until broccoli is just getting tender. Uncover the pan, then cook, tossing frequently, until the water has evaporated. This should yield some browning on the broccoli. Drizzle with some more EVOO and a teeny bit of lemon juice. YUMMY! It was actually the thing I was picking at after the meal (although I admit to having a small spoon full of the cold mashed potatoes - BAD Mikki). All in all it was a good day . . . I was even in bed by 10:30 (after getting my "House" fix with my hubby)! I can hear the "Wonder Woman" theme in my head now . . .

Biscotti Part III

We've been in a "biscotti" mood around the house lately, so this is the third type I've made. I'm still playing with the butter/egg ratio I like best, but I thought these turned out tasty. They're called Butter Pecan, but I think they're more Butterscotch Pecan . . . not that there's anything wrong with that! I didn't have many butterscotch morsels left, so for the "drizzle" I ended up doing mostly white chocolate chips with a couple of tablespoons of the butterscotch ones, and I really dig the subtle butterscotch flavor. These are good even without a cup coffee (even though I'm off now to get myself a cup since this is day two of solid, rainy, cold, yuck weather). Oh, by the way, due to some circumstances (children) beyond my control, I wasn't able to monitor the cooking times as well as I'd have liked, so some of the biscotti broke apart. The good news? Biscotti crumbles make fabulous topping for ice cream. :-)

Zuppa Toscana

It's a cold, cloudy day . . . the fireplace is flickering, and you're happy to be lounging around the house in sweats and socks with no where to go. If only you had something warm and comforting for your tummy. This is it! :-) It's bacon, sausage, potatoes, cream and kale. What could possibly be better?!?!? Zuppa Toscana with a crusty baguette - it really DOESN'T get any better. I made some minor changes (like cooking the bacon before the onion so I could drain a little of the bacon grease off, and my hubby and I added some red pepper flakes in our bowls to keep from hearing "it's too spicy" from our oldest son). You could change out lots of things to make it healthier, but really . . . why mess with perfection. My oldest son even gave it a thumbs up!

Holy Spaetzle!

I realize some readers (hello, is there anyone there?) may think spaetzle is no big accomplishment; however, while it wasn't a complicated process, I'm patting myself on the back for making something I'd never made before. We had Chicken Paprikash (inspired by an awesome photo and recipe in a recent Saveur), and I decided spaetzle would be a perfect accompaniment. It was . . . and it was YUMMY! I definitely have a love/love relationship with all things pasta (I love it, and it loves to take up residence on my rear end), and this was no exception. I also made a radish salad with a sour cream/dill dressing. On the sewing front, I managed to get two blocks completed last night for my quilt-along, and I'll post photos soon of those . . .

And so it begins . . .

Today's the day I bite the bullet and actually contribute to the blog I started almost two years ago . . .

It's been a rainy/chilly day, perfect for enjoying some homemade Chunky Monkey Biscotti with a nice cup of coffee. Sawyer and I enjoyed making them, although I think the limitation he has on more age-appropriate milk for dunking makes biscotti NOT so much his favorite cookie. Thank you to Ms. Sugar Plum for sharing the fabulous recipe! (Seriously, you can't look at her site without wanting to get into the kitchen - or at least have someone get in there for you; she has beautiful photos)! Thank you also to Baby Cooper for accommodating my indulgance of a little time in the kitchen.