food for my life

UPDATE: My Son's Top Nine Foods

2011-10-08T13:49:00.001-05:00

My sowilds 3 years old in early September. He's still a good eater.

1. Cheese, cheese and more cheese - definitely his favorite food. The sharper the cheddar, the better. He likes to eat it as is or in grilled cheese or in Stove Top Mac and Cheese.
2. Sweet potatoes
3. Bread
4. Dry oatmeal with brown sugar
5. Baked beans
6. Graham crackers
7. Steamed and raw carrots
8. Pureed parsnips
9. Potstickers

Some things have changed and others have stayed exactly the same.

Peach Oatmeal Cookie Bars

2011-08-07T19:20:00.001-05:00

A friend of L's came over on Friday morning to play. She and her Mom brought some raspberry oatmeal cookie bars made from a recipe at the following link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/delicious-raspberry-oatmeal-cookie-bars/detail.aspx. She mentioned that they doubled the batch and replaced half the butter with oil but I forgot about her advice when I made them. No worries, they turned out great. I didn't have any any raspberry jam but I did have some fresh peaches. I cooked them down to a jam like consistency (see bottom for more information). In short, I had to stop L from eating them because he loved them so much.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup cooked peaches (see below) or other fruit you have in the fridge

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8 inch square pan, and line with greased foil.

Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Rub in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender to form a crumbly mixture. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, and lightly press it into the jam.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.

Cooked Peaches (or other fresh fruit)

Ingredients:

Peaches, peeled and cut into small pieces

A few tablespoons of sugar to taste

1 teaspoon corn starch (if you have a lot of fruit you may need to increase the amount)

Directions:

Cook over low heat until it is the consistency of jam. I did not mash it but kept the pieces of fruit. I think it gives a better texture to the oatmeal bar.

Planning Meals Week 18: Friday, 4/29 through Thursday, 5/5

2011-04-28T19:57:00.001-05:00

Friday, 4/29 - Grilled chicken chorizo sausages on Portuguese buns, spiced grilled sweet potatoes
Verdict: The sausages are always good as they're made fresh at the Whole Foods. The grilled sweet potatoes had to be broiled as MTH was late getting home. They were pretty good but I think that cooking them on the grill would be better. Also, I'm not sure I like the cinnamon in there with the other flavors. I may leave it out next time.

Saturday, 4/30 - out to dinner at Boulevard Woodgrill

Sunday, 5/1 - homemade pizza and sauteed asparagus and garlic
Verdict: We used our new super peel from SM. It's great. It helps a lot with getting the pizza on and off the pizza stone. We were using the parchment paper method so now we're not wasting parchment paper!

Monday, 5/2 - leftovers

Tuesday, 5/3 - veggie stir fry with lo mein noodles

Wednesday, 5/4 - leftovers

Thursday, 5/5 - cheese quesadillas, veggie

Planning Meals Week 17: Friday, 4/22 through Thursday, 4/28

2011-04-22T21:28:00.001-05:00

Friday, 4/22 - Broiled Salmon, Pureed Cauliflower and Bread

Saturday, 4/23 - Easter Cookout with Visiting Friends - Burgers, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Potatoes with Mustard Vinaigrette and Chips

Sunday, 4/24 - Grilled Chicken and Pureed Parsnips

Monday, 4/25 - Deviled Eggs and Pureed Parsnips

Tuesday, 4/26 - Out to Dinner

Wednesday, 4/27 - Grilled Cheese and Veggie

Thursday, 4/28 - TBD

Banana Nut (or without nuts) Mini-Muffins

2011-04-15T13:36:00.001-05:00

We hosted a brunch back in March for St. Patrick's Day. As part of the menu, I made mini-quiches and blueberry mini-muffins. I borrowed several mini-muffin pans from a friend. But, I was hooked so I bought my own pan soon after. I have now made two different versions of banana mini-muffins two weekends in a row. The second batch turned out much better so I will only share that recipe here. This recipe is adapted from two different recipes - Banana Walnut Muffins from my Totally Muffins Cookbook by Helene Siegel and Karen Gillingham and Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce. The muffin recipe is from the muffin cookbook but with part of the flour substituted by the multigrain flour mix from the Good to the Grain cookbook.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) (optional)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup multi-grain flour mix
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease mini muffin tin. If using, spread nuts on a tray and toast in oven for 8 to 10 minutes. In a bowl, combine flours, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Note: I used a spoon for this step and it worked great - plus I didn't have to get out my mixer and then clean it up when I was done! Beat in eggs one at a time. Add mashed bananas and beat until combined. Stir dry ingredients into banana mixture just until flour disappears. Lightly stir in nuts. Spoon batter into muffin cups to the top. Note: I use a mini ice cream scoop for spooning in the batter. It is much easier than using two spoons. Bake 15-25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Meals Week 16: Friday, 4/15 through Thursday, 4/21

2011-04-15T07:16:00.001-05:00

Friday, 4/15 - Tartines a la Le Pain Quotidien

Asparagus and Goat Cheese
Turkey and Cheddar with Cilantro Pesto

Saturday, 4/16 - Rice Balls with Sweet Potato or Carrot filling (made by Aunt SM and LTH)

Sunday, 4/17 - MMH and Aunt SM out to dinner; MTH and LTH will probably have pizza

Monday, 4/18 - Hashbrowns

Tuesday, 4/19 - Irish Skillet Dinner

Wednesday, 4/20 - Leftovers

Thursday, 4/7 - Potstickers

Meals Week 15: Friday, 4/8 through Thursday, 4/14

2011-04-07T10:13:00.004-05:00

Friday, 4/8 - Grilled steak and vegetable

Saturday, 4/9 - Out to dinner with friends

Sunday, 4/10 - Take out sushi

Monday, 4/11 - Pan fried pork chops with onions and broccoli sauteed with garlic

Tuesday, 4/12 - Ground chicken tacos with tomatoes, avocado, grated cheese and cilantro and leftover broccoli

Wednesday, 4/13 - Leftover tacos and veggies

Thursday, 4/14 - Potstickers

Multigrain Flour Mix

2011-04-06T16:43:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
1 cup barley flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup rye flour

Directions:
Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just incorporated. I usually let the batter sit for a few minutes in order to let the flours absorb some of the moisture. For the waffle iron, I only spray with a little oil before putting in the first waffle. For me at least, I don't have any issues with sticking for the rest of that batch.

Meals Week 14: Friday, 4/1 through Thursday, 4/7

2011-04-03T14:02:00.001-05:00

Friday, 4/1 - Grilled chicken bratwurst sausages on Portuguese buns, salad with tomatoes and cucumbers and broccoli sauteed with garlic
Verdict: These sausages are made in house at Whole Foods. They were quite tasty although I wouldn't call them Bratwursts.

Saturday, 4/2 - MTH and I went to Columbia Firehouse in Alexandria. LTH had salmon, salad and broccoli with Grammie and Grandpap.
Verdict: I tasted the salmon made by Grammie and it was yummy. She used the Scottish salmon instead of the Atlantic wild salmon I've been buying. I may have to change over to the Scottish salmon. Also, MTH and I enjoyed our dinner at Columbia Firehouse. I would like to go back and try some more dishes.

Sunday, 4/3 - Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Molasses and Mustard, Pureed Parsnips and Patatas
Verdict: We were supposed to make the pastrami'd pork tenderloin but I was able to get whole coriander at Whole Foods on Friday. Then, I forgot to go to a different store. I'll try it soon though!

Monday, 4/4 - Leftovers

Tuesday, 4/5 - Stovetop Mac and Cheese and Vegetable

Wednesday, 4/6 - Leftovers for LTH and out to eat

Thursday, 4/7 - Hashbrowns and Vegetable

Lexington-Style BBQ Sauce (Adapted from epicurious.com)

2011-04-03T13:49:00.000-05:00

I had some leftover pork a few weeks ago and wanted to make something different out of it. BBQ sandwiches sounded like a good idea but I didn't have any BBQ sauce. At first, all of the recipes I found required it to sit for days before it would be ready to eat. Then, I found this one that was ready within a few minutes. Not only was it fast but it was also yummy. And, LTH dipped all of his foods in it for about a week.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lexington-Style-Bbq-Sauce-242264

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt (reduced from original recipe)
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar (original recipe called for dark brown sugar but I did not have any)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup ketchup

Mix the ingredients together and let sit for 10 minutes. If it seems too watery, add a little more ketchup.

Meals Week 13: Friday, 3/25 through Thursday, 3/31

2011-03-27T13:36:00.002-05:00

Friday, 3/25: Broiled Salmon, Pureed Cauliflower with Nutmeg and a Touch of Butter and Whole Wheat Bread
Verdict: For such a simple meal, it tastes like we've gone out to dinner at a nice restaurant. I love this one! And LTH is eating more and more of the salmon each time we have it.

Saturday, 3/26: Ground Chicken Tacos with Lots of Fixings (Lettuce, Avocado, Pico de Gallo, Cilantro, Cheddar Cheese) and Salad
Verdict: The seasoning I used for the taco meat was too spicy for LTH but he enjoyed his baked sweet potatoes, cheese and stuffing his pieces of lettuce with those two items.

Sunday, 3/27: Chicken Taco Nachos with Salad

Monday, 3/28: Leftover Pete's New Haven Style Apizza and Vegetable
Verdict: Pete's Apizza opened on Sunday and we decided to try it out. The pizzas are huge!!! So, we had leftovers. I also had it for lunch on Tuesday. Overall, it was good for their first day but the crust was a little chewy for LTH even though it is extremely thin crust pizza.

Tuesday, 3/29: Baked Chicken and Pureed Parsnips
Verdict: One of the easiest home cooked meals.
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Peel and cut up the parsnips. Boil for about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan. Add chicken pieces that have been seasoned with your favorite herbs or spices and salt and pepper. Brown the pieces on each side. Transfer to the preheated oven until the chicken is done.
4. Puree the parsnips once they are done cooking.
5. Enjoy!
For the chicken we were eating on Tuesday, I seasoned it with oregano. I went ahead and seasoned 2 pieces with cumin for the BBQ chicken sandwiches we had on Wednesday.

Wednesday, 3/30: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches and Pureed Parsnips
Verdict: Extra yummy with the homemade bbq sauce and cheddar cheese on waffle toast.

Thursday, 3/31: Out of to dinner with a friend - LTH had leftovers
Verdict: I had a great time at the wine tasting and eating at Lyon Hall. Although next time I go out to eat, it will NOT be to Lyon Hall as I've been there quite a few times.

Pizza Monkey Bread

2011-03-25T15:01:00.000-05:00

I adapted this recipe to make this meal. All who ate it loved it! A few things to note for the next time I make this recipe (and I will):

Make the dough pieces smaller
Use more sauce

I also plan to try out other versions including Mexican Monkey Bread and Middle Eastern Monkey Bread. I'll report back once those are done.

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough

New York Style Pizza Sauce

Grated Mozzarella Cheese
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the pizza dough into 1/2 inch squares. You'll see the picture below mine are too big. I will change that next time!

Grease a Bundt or angel food cake pan well. Dip each dough piece into the pizza sauce and then place into the pan. You may want to add a little more sauce to the pan after putting in the first layer if the sauce does not stick to your dough very well. Now add a layer of cheeses. Repeat until you have no more dough.

Place in oven and cook for about 50 minutes, until it doubles in volume. Remove from oven and then remove from the pan immediately. I added some cheese to the top of the bread so it would look the monkey bread had been glazed. Enjoy!

New York Style Pizza Sauce (Adapted from Serious Eats)

2011-03-25T14:53:00.001-05:00

I adapted the recipe below from the Serious Eats New York Style Pizza Sauce recipe.

Ingredients:

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 medium cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Kosher salt
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and split in half

1 teaspoon sugar*

Instructions:

Blend tomatoes in a blender until slightly chunky. Set aside.

Combine butter and oil in medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Add garlic, oregano, and large pinch salt and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, onion halves, and sugar*. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to lowest setting (bubbles should barely be breaking the surface), and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by 1/2, about 1 hour. Season to taste with salt. Allow to cool and store in covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

* I did not need the sugar in my sauce as the tomatoes were not that acidic but some tomatoes may need it.

Pizza Dough - from Ratio by Michael Ruhlman

2011-03-25T14:50:00.000-05:00

I have found that the Ratio cookbook's recipe is the best for me. It requires a scale to make it as that is the whole point of the cookbook. I would like to make it more multigrain but that will be a future project.

Ingredients:

20 ounces bread flour

12 ounces water

1 ounce olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon active or instant yeast

Instructions:

Set your mixing bowl on a scale, zero the scale and pour the flour in. Zero the scale again and add the water. Zero the scale again and add the oil. Add the salt. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the water to allow it to dissolve. Fit the bowl into the mixer and, using the dough hook, mix on medium speed until the dough comes together. Continue mixing until your dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. To test your dough, pull off a chunk and stretch it into a square. If it's elastic enough to sallow you to achieve a translucent sheet of dough, it's ready. If it tears before you can do this, continue mixing, either in the mixer or by hand, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Remove the mixing bowl from the machine, cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise to twice its size. Push a finger into the dough. The dough should give some resistance, but not spring back. If it springs back, let it rest longer. If you let your dough rise for too long, it will feel flabby and loose when you press a finger into it and will be less eager to rise when you bake it.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it to expel excess gas and redistribute the yeast. Cover with a dish towel and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Shape the dough into a square for cutting into small pieces (see below for more information). Cover the dough with a dish towel and allow to rise, or proof, for about an hour. Or cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to a day; allow the bread to rise at room temperature for at least 1 1/2 hours before baking.

Meals Week 12: Friday, 3/18 through Thursday, 3/24

2011-03-25T14:29:00.000-05:00

Friday, 3/18 - grilled housemade sausages from Whole Foods in Portuguese rolls and steamed carrots
Verdict: easy and tasty - we were having a St. Patrick's Day Brunch the next morning and I didn't want to spend too much time on dinner.

Saturday, 3/19 - living room picnic of cheese, crackers and fruit
Verdict: these were leftovers from our brunch that morning. MTH had gone to the DC United home opener. LTH and I had fun with a picnic on his Thomas quilt in the living room

Sunday, 3/20 - monkey bread pizza
Verdict: LTH loved this meal. I will post the recipe soon and move these comments and the pictures below to that posting. The main things I'd change the next time I make it are: cut the dough smaller and use more sauce. Some other ideas I have for future savory monkey bread: Mexican monkey bread using corn meal in the dough along with cumin, chili powder, taco sauce and cheddar cheese.

Monday, 3/21 - leftover monkey bread pizza

Tuesday, 3/22 - Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese and Steamed Carrots
Verdict: As said before, like all small children, LTH loves this meal.

Wednesday, 3/23 - leftover mac and cheese, carrots and baked sweet potato

Thursday, 3/24 - Carrot Tofu Pot Stickers, Apple and Sweet Potato Fries
Verdict: These were the pot stickers that I froze a week or so ago. They are perfect from the freezer!

Carnitas

2011-03-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

I made these for the first time today as topping for taco salad. Yummy and easy!
From How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Ingredients:
2-2.5 lbs boneless pork shoulder
1 T. cumin
2 bay leaves
4-5 peeled and slightly crushed garlic cloves
1 onion, quartered
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a Dutch oven. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat such that there is a small bubble. Cover and cook for about an hour. Remove the meat, onions and garlic with a slotted spoon. Cook the liquid down. Add the meat back to the pan and fry the meat so that you get some nice browned edges. Use in tacos, taco salad or as a main dish by itself.

Tofu-Carrot Pot Stickers

2011-03-12T15:29:00.004-05:00

Using ideas from several pot sticker recipes, I made up this recipe using items from my refrigerator. They were yummy. Be sure to make the dipping sauce too! Note that you can freeze these before cooking them. Then, cook them just as described below although the cooking times will be longer.

Ingredients:
14 oz firm tofu, cut into small cubes
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1/4 onion, peeled and grated
1 T. toasted sesame oil
1 T. soy sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
gyoza wrappers or egg roll wrappers cut into quarters

Directions:
Mix the first six ingredients in a bowl with a potato masher. Put a small amount of filling in the middle of each wrapper. Using your finger, wet the outer edge of the wrapper and then fold over to make a triangle. To cook, place a pan over medium-high heat. Add about a tablespoon of oil. When the oil is heated, add the pot stickers to the pan and cover for about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water, turn to medium heat and cover for 2 minutes. Uncover and turn to high heat until all water has been evaporated. Enjoy with the dipping sauce below.

Dipping Sauce:
Mix together soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and vinegar to taste.

Planning Meals Week 11: Friday, 3/11 through Thursday, 3/17

2011-03-12T15:21:00.004-05:00

Friday, 3/11: Tofu-Carrot Pot Stickers
Verdict: Taste great and as mentioned in the link above, I made over 45 more that I put into the freezer for future meals!

Saturday, 3/12: Carnitas Taco Salad
Verdict: The pork butt was a hit as a taco salad. The two pounds of meat makes a lot
Sunday, 3/13: Date Night for MTH and MMH - Wine Tasting at Screwtop Wine Bar and Cheese Shop and Pork Dinner at Lyon Hall
Monday, 3/14: Carnitas repurposed somehow, veg
Tuesday, 3/15: Stovetop Mac and Cheese, veg
Wednesday, 3/16: Meeting - LTH will have pasta and veg or leftover mac and cheese
Thursday, 3/17: Covered hashbrown and veg

Meals Week 10: Friday, 3/4 through Thursday, 3/10

2011-03-07T22:54:00.002-05:00

Friday, 3/4 - Salmon with sauteed spinach and garlic with veggie broth risotto
Verdict: Salmon and spinach were yummy as always. Plus, these are simple dishes to prepare. The salmon goes under the broiler and the spinach is wilted in a nonstick pan with some garlic and olive oil. The veggie broth risotto is a bit more involved and was started first. I just followed the directions on the box of risotto. It was a nice side dish that provided leftovers for lunch on Saturday.

Saturday, 3/5 - Homemade pizza and boiled carrots with a touch of maple syrup
Verdict: Pizza is always a hit in our house. The pizza dough is made from the recipe in the Michael Ruhlman cookbook, Ratio. It's the best recipe I've found. Our toppings were green peppers, pepperoni, mozzarella and capers. LTH likes to eat the plain pizza bread with his cheese on the side.

Sunday, 3/6 - Roasted chicken, fried potatoes, pureed cauliflower and biscuits with a touch of cornmeal
Verdict: This chicken recipe is so simple. Just rub the chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper and cook on 450 degrees until the breast is 160 degrees. I used a little too much oil on the fried potatoes. They were very good especially if you like the patatas bravas that you can find at most tapas restaurants! We were only missing the garlic aioli. For the biscuits, I add a little cornmeal to the recipe in place of some of the flour. According to Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything cookbook, you can substitute up to 10% of the flour for corn meal. It worked!

Monday, 3/7 - Roasted chicken pizza with baked sweet potato
Verdict: LTH actually had a piece of pizza bread again but my pizza was awesome!

Tuesday, 3/8 - Chicken quesadilla and carrots and pureed cauliflower
Verdict: Quesadillas are so easy that how can I rate it anything but exceptional.

Wednesday, 3/9 - Chicken salad and sauteed broccoli with garlic
Verdict: I like chicken salad every now and then. Also, it was a nice way to have something different from that whole chicken that I was still eating from Sunday. I really got my money's worth out of that chicken!

Thursday , 3/10 - boxed butternut squash soup from the pantry - I can't make everything :)
Verdict: It was yummy and it was two servings so I had it for my lunch on Friday too.

Stove Top Mac and Cheese

2011-03-07T22:43:00.001-05:00

I've made this entree so many times and have never used a recipe but I thought I'd write it down for posterity :) My mom taught me how to make a roux for gravy when I was younger. And, in the end, a roux can be used for many different types of sauces including cheese sauce. If you want baked mac and cheese, all you need to do with this recipe is put it into an oven safe pan and sprinkle with your favorite toppings - bread crumbs, more cheese, etc. You could also add other flavorings to the stove top version like bacon, red peppers, onion, garlic, the list goes on.

Unfortunately, I do not know exact measurements for this recipe as I just make it by adding the ingredients, watching how it goes together and then tasting it.

Ingredients:
Cooked pasta
Milk
Butter
All purpose flour
Grated cheese
Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 2-3 tablespoons of flour. Allow the flour to cook a few minutes in the butter. Continue to whisk to ensure that the flour does not burn. Add 1 cup of warmed milk to start. Continue to whisk to keep the sauce from becoming lumpy. If the sauce starts to thicken too much, add more milk. The cheese will make the sauce thicker so make it a little thinner than you might think it should be. Add the cheese and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Once the sauce is to you liking, add to the cooked pasta. Voila - you have stove top mac and cheese.

Meals Week 9: Friday, 2/25 through Thursday, 3/3

2011-02-25T09:16:00.002-05:00

This week did not turn out to be one of my best weeks for cooking as MTH and I were out of town from 2/25-2/27 for a wedding. My Mom thankfully went grocery shopping for me and there were leftovers from her visit. But, even after the leftovers were gone, I made things like pasta and spaghetti sauce. I just was not in the mood for cooking.

Friday, 2/25 - Stir Fry Vegetables and Chicken with Noodles or Rice
Saturday, 2/26 - Meat and Potatoes Japanese Dish
Sunday, 2/27 - Eating Out for Me and Aunt Shan and probably pizza for MTH and LTH
Monday, 2/28 - Leftover Meat and Potatoes
Tuesday, 3/1 - Pasta with Sauce and Veggies
Wednesday, 3/2 - I don't recall
Thursday, 3/3 - I don't recall

Waffle Toast - How to get your kid to eat

2011-02-22T08:43:00.000-05:00

LTH sometimes wants waffles during the week but there's no time to make them. One day, I decided to put some toast in the waffle iron to make "waffle toast". It is now his go to breakfast almost everyone morning. The downside is he isn't eating as much oatmeal as before but at least it's whole wheat bread.

Week 8: Friday, 2/18 through Thursday, 2/24

2011-02-18T15:01:00.003-05:00

Whole Foods One Day Deal this Friday was $1 off per pound on air chilled organic whole chickens. I bought two! One is in the freezer for another day. Tonight, we'll have roasted chicken with roasted fennel and whole wheat bread. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get into the habit of baking bread so this bread is from Whole Foods. One of my goals is to bake our own bread but it just doesn't fit into my schedule right now. Note that the page numbers are for my reference and I do hope to post most of the recipes here at some point. It's helpful later when I'm trying to quickly use previous weeks for future weeks!

Friday, 2/18 - Simplest Whole Roasted Chicken (p. 644), Braised Fennel, Bread - COMPLETE
Verdict: This recipe is the simplest for making a whole roasted chicken. It's from my beloved cookbook, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. I also highly recommend the braised fennel (or as LTH says, "fendel"). It was simple but tasty (and different from our normal vegetables).

Saturday, 2/19 - Chicken Tacos and Sauteed Broccoli and Garlic - COMPLETE
Verdict: Great use of the leftover chicken from Friday's meal. We also had chicken nachos for lunch that day that were very yummy.

Sunday, 2/20 - Bean and Cheese Empanadas (p. 174) and Pureed Parsnips - COMPLETE
Verdict: Very good and easy. I even made the refried beans myself (using canned pinto beans - next time I should make the beans from scratch too). MTH commented on how good the beans were. The good part is that reheated empanadas are also very good.

Monday, 2/21 - Bolognese Risotto and Pureed Parsnips - COMPLETE
Verdict: Same as before - yummy! I think I'll make another batch of bolognese just for making this dish.

Tuesday, 2/22 - Leftover Bolognese Risotto and Pureed Parsnips - COMPLETE

Wednesday, 2/23 - Macaroni and Cheese and Baked Sweet Potato - I made cheese quesadillas, green beans and baked sweet potatoes instead.

Thursday, 2/24 - Bulgar Pilaf with Broken Vermicelli and Pureed Vegetable - I made the homemade stovetop mac and cheese standby as well as maple carrots instead
Verdict: LTH loves mac and cheese and will eat carrots very easily. Although it's definitely not as easy as making Kraft mac and cheese, homemade stovetop tastes so much better, it's worth the extra 10-15 minutes of preparation in my opinion. Plus, you know what all of the ingredients in it are!

Multigrain Waffles

2011-02-18T14:39:00.001-05:00

These days when I make things with flour, I like to experiment with different types of flours and whole grains. My cookbook, good to the grain, has a nice multi grain mix that can be used in the place of some or all of the flour called for in other recipes. I did just that in my old standby waffle recipe. This recipe comes from my very first cookbook, The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook (copyright 1980). It was given to me by my mother in 1988. A nice way to describe its appearance is well worn. Not only did I learn to cook from my mother but also from this cookbook. Every recipe in this cookbook has a picture to go with it. That enabled me to envision what I was trying to make. Anyway, that's a different story and maybe I should write about that in another post. Below is my go to recipe for waffles these days. One thing to note is that almost no published waffle or pancake recipes call for vanilla but in my book that is the secret ingredient that makes them taste so good!

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup multigrain flour mix (see below or click here)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
2 cups buttermilk (you can also use plain yogurt thinned with some milk)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (make sure it is a neutral oil)
3 tablespoons milled flaxseed
2 eggs

Multigrain Flour Mix:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
1 cup barley flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup rye flour

Instructions:
Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just incorporated. I usually let the batter sit for a few minutes in order to let the flours absorb some of the moisture. For the waffle iron, I only spray with a little oil before putting in the first waffle. For me at least, I don't have any issues with sticking for the rest of that batch.

Also, if we don't use all of the batter, I put the leftover batter in the refrigerator. When I use it the next day, I whisk in a little more vanilla as it seems to evaporate while sitting in the refrigerator.

Week 7: Friday, 2/11 through Thursday, 2/17

2011-02-10T21:44:00.001-05:00

Friday, 2/11 - Lobster Tail with Lemon and Butter with Garlic Broccoli - COMPLETE - should have bought a small steak for MTH and I to share as well. We didn't have enough to eat. I ended up making a batch of brownies afterward!!

Saturday, 2/12 - Black bean tacos with steamed carrots and corn - We made turkey meatball pizza sandwiches instead. These were really good! Pizza sandwich just means we used pizza crust as our bread for the sandwich. These sandwiches also had yummy caramelized onions on them.

Sunday, 2/13 - Out to dinner with MTH - We ended up not going out to dinner as LTH did not sleep well the night before. We at takeout from a local sushi restaurant. LTH and I shared the salmon teriyaki and MTH had the sushi.

Monday, 2/14 -Couscous Casserole with Cauliflower and Ricotta (p.480) - LTH loved this meal; MTH was not come home the night we first had it. On Tuesday, we had it for leftovers and he wouldn't taste it. I think he would have liked it. Maybe next time.

Tuesday, 2/15 - Leftovers
Wednesday, 2/16 - Macaroni and cheese sauce with sweet potato fries - LTH loves this meal always! It's definitely a stereotypical toddler meal. But, I like it too.
Thursday, 2/17 - Hashbrowns with cheese and baked sweet potatoes - LTH is not as into hashbrowns as I am but he does love his baked sweet potatoes plus he loves cheese.

Week 6: Friday, 2/4 through Thursday, 2/10

2011-02-03T22:25:00.004-05:00

Friday, 2/4 - Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Pureed Vegetables and Spaetzle - COMPLETE - LTH loved the tenderloin but not the spaetzle
Saturday, 2/5 - Ate at Tallula with a friend; LTH had macaroni and cheese and carrots
Sunday, 2/6 - Super Bowl - grilled buffalo wings, blue cheese, guacamole, corn tortilla chips, celery and carrots - COMPLETE - LTH said no thank you to the blue cheese and guacamole but said yes to the celery and carrots
Monday, 2/7 - Chicken and Celery Pot Stickers, Steamed Carrots with a touch of butter - COMPLETE - LTH loved these pot stickers. He loved helping to make them!
Tuesday, 2/8 - Leftover Pot Stickers - COMPLETE
Wednesday, 2/9 - Celery Root and Parsnip Puree, Half Recipe of Cheese Biscuits - COMPLETE - As usual, LTH loved the puree. He ate the biscuit but didn't devour it.
Thursday, 2/10 - Leftover celery root and parsnip puree and biscuits - COMPLETE

Week 5 - Friday, 1/28 through Thursday, 2/3

2011-02-03T21:34:00.000-05:00

Friday, 1/28 - Broiled Salmon with Cauliflower Puree - COMPLETE - LTH loved the salmon!
Saturday, 1/29 - I was out of town so LTH and MTH ordered pizza
Sunday, 1/30 - balsamic chicken with carrots and turnips cooked in marsala
Monday, 1/31 - leftover balsamic chicken with carrots and turnips cooked in marsala
Tuesday, 2/1 - bulgar pilaf with broken vermicelli and pureed parsnips
Wednesday, 2/2 - leftover pilaf and pureed parsnips
Thursday, 2/3 - hashbrowns with onions and cheese with pureed carrots

Week 4: Friday, 1/21 through Thursday, 1/27

2011-01-21T20:42:00.001-05:00

Friday, 1/21 - Chicken Packages with Grated Vegetables - COMPLETE
Saturday, 1/22 - Pizza, Broccoli - COMPLETE
Sunday, 1/23 - Mushroom Barley Soup, Orange Pureed Carrots and Multigrain Sandwich Bread - COMPLETE
Monday, 1/24 - Leftover soup, vegetables and bread - COMPLETE
Tuesday, 1/25 - Kasha with onions, Pureed Parsnips - COMPLETE - not good!
Wednesday, 1/26 - Don't remember
Thursday, 1/27 - Tomato Soup with grilled cheese

Homemade Cereal - Graham Nuts

2011-01-17T20:53:00.001-05:00

I loved the idea of making my own cereal at home. It had never occurred to me that I could do such a thing until I saw it in the cookbook Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce. In her description of the recipe, she mentions that she found the recipe that inspired this one in an Amish cookbook. The only thing I changed this time around was to use table salt instead of kosher salt. I've tried using coarse kosher salt as she recommends in every other recipe but they've all turned out too salty. MTH refused to eat the pancakes due to the saltiness. I don't actually think they are saltier than other things I've made. I just thing the big grains of salt give more of the salty flavor. Next time I make these, I'll be using cane syrup (homemade in my hometown) instead of the honey

Ingredients:
1 cup graham flour
1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (she calls for 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt)
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350. Spray a little oil on to a baking sheet and line with parchment paper.

Whisk the dry ingredients into a large bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk, honey and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together to form a batter.

Scrape the batter onto the baking sheet and, using a metal offset spatula, spread the batter evenly across the entire surface of the sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and break off any areas of the cracker that are getting dark or dry, and set them on a rack to cool. I didn't have any pieces to break off at that point.

Turn the oven down to 250, return the baking sheet to the oven, and bake for 55 to 60 minutes more. Every 20 minutes, break off any more dry sections and put them on the cooking rack. While you are doing this, break up the rest of the dough into smaller pieces to encourage the dough to the dry out faster, and return the baking sheet to the oven for the remaining time.

Remove the sheet from the oven when the cracker is mahogany brown and entirely dry. The all the pieces of the crack cook on a rack.

Set up a food processor with a large hole grate attachment. Feed pieces of the cracker through the tube at the top and grind into nuts. Serve with cold milk. They will store in an airtight jar for one month.

How to get everyone in your family to eat vegetables - Pureed Vegetables

2011-01-17T20:31:00.003-05:00

Adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

I'm on a pureed vegetable kick!! We are all inhaling these things almost as fast as I can make them. LTH likes pureed parsnips the best but he'll also eat without any complaint pureed cauliflower and pureed carrots. With a little discussion, he also ate the pureed butternut squash. I wasn't as crazy about it myself though. We are on our second weekend of me making 3 different pureed vegetables at once. Then, we had vegetables of the rest of the weekend and for the first part of the following week. It only took about an hour!

Ingredients:
Most root vegetables will work here. The ones I've tried are carrots, parsnips, cauliflower and butternut squash. I want to try turnips and rutabagas.
You can also add different flavorings for each vegetables. The cookbook recommends the following:
Carrots - ginger, orange juice and orange zest - VERDICT: makes the carrots almost like a dessert
Parsnips - sour cream - VERDICT: not needed - just add a little salt and pepper and you're good to go
Cauliflower - ricotta, nutmeg and Parmesan - VERDICT: I haven't tried the ricotta but they were great without it. I do recommend the nutmeg. It's an interesting flavor that makes the cauliflower have more taste.
Butternut Squash - roasted garlic - VERDICT: it needed more!! They would have been more palatable with more roasted garlic. You live and learn.

Instructions:
Cut the vegetable into 1 inch pieces. Put into pot with water just to the level of the vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-10 minutes until cooked through but not mushy. Although you can use a food processor or a blender to make these purees, I highly recommend investing in a food mill. The food mill gets rid of any of the fibrous parts of the vegetables versus chopping them into smaller pieces. In the case of the parsnips, you will greatly appreciate the difference. Once the vegetable is pureed, add the mix ins discussed above or come up with your own seasonings.

Uses:
We've been using them as our vegetable dish at each meal. But, I've also heard they can be used as dips for other vegetables or for chips. They could also be used as a filling for ravioli. Please post any other ideas!

Week 3: Friday, 1/14 through Thursday, 1/20

2011-01-14T15:32:00.003-05:00

1/14 - Baked Southwest Tilapia Tacos and Sweet Potato Fries - COMPLETE
1/15 - Mac and Cheese and Pureed Parsnips with Homemade Oat Soda Bread - COMPLETE

1/16 - Risotto and Pureed Cauliflower with Homemade Oat Soda Bread - COMPLETE

1/17 - Grand arroz con pollo (rice with chicken and vegetables) and Pureed Cauliflower with Homemade Multigrain Bread - COMPLETE

1/18 - Leftover grand arroz con pollo and Pureed Cauliflower with Homemade Multigrain Bread

1/19 - Cleaned out the leftovers from the refrigerator as I didn't have time to make the Kasha due to being home late

1/20 - Out to Firefly in Foggy Bottom for Restaurant Week

My baking plans are:

More carrot muffins - VERDICT: did not get these done
Oat Soda Bread - another quick bread - VERDICT: not bad but best with butter and cane syrup or preserves - not your healthiest meal or snack
Graham Nuts - a homemade cereal in the spirit of grape nuts but hopefully much much better - VERDICT: I loved these!!
Everyday Sandwich Bread - I haven't decided if I'm going to go 100% whole wheat or add a portion of another flour - VERDICT: pretty easy and tasty although will add a little more salt next time

Carrot Muffins

2011-01-14T15:23:00.002-05:00

Recipe adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce

Ingredients:

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons spelt flour

2 tablespoons oat bran

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon sugar

pinch of salt (recipe calls for 1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt but I found the topping to be too salty with those bigger grains of kosher salt)

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

Dry Mix:

1 cup spelt flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup oat bran

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon kosher salt (I think the kosher salt is fine here as it is dissolved into the batter; if you do substitute table salt, be sure to use less than a teaspoon; it is not a 1:1 substitution)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrots, about 2 medium

Wet Mix:

2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Grease 8 muffin cups and the outer area with 1/3 cup capacity with butter. If possible, fill alternate cups as these muffins bake out of the cup.

For the streusel topping, measure the flour, oat bran, sugars and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the butter to the dry mixture. Rub the butter between your fingers, breaking it into smaller bits. Continue rubbing until the mixture feels coarse, like cornmeal. The more quickly you do this, the more the butter will stay solid.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, puring back into the bowl any bits of grain and other ingredients that may remain in the sifter. I also sometimes just use a whisk to mix up dry ingredients instead of putting through the sifter. Stir the carrots into the dry ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk and egg and whisk until thoroughly combined. Using a spatula, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Scoop the batter into 8 muffin cups, using a spoon or an ice cream scoop. The batter should be slightly mounded above the edge. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the mounds of batter and press it into the batter slightly.

Bake for 32 to 35 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The muffins are ready to come out when they smell nutty and their bottoms are a dark golden-brown. Remove the pans from the oven, twist each muffin out, and place it on its side in the cup to cool. This ensures that the muffin stays crusty instead of getting soggy. I think I'll use a cooling rack next time instead.

Also, the book says that these muffins are best when warm from the oven or later that day. Although they did taste the best that first day, they still tasted good 2-3 days later. They can also be frozen and reheated.

Week 2: Friday, 1/7 through Thursday, 1/13

2011-01-14T09:18:00.006-05:00

Friday, 1/7 - Broiled salmon over pureed cauliflower with whole wheat baguette and sauteed garlic spinach

Saturday, 1/8 - Multigrain pizza with assorted toppings (green pepper, cheese, mushrooms) along with pureed carrots, parsnips and butternut squash (eaten separately)

Sunday, 1/9 - Mushroom barley soup with added vegetables and baguette

Monday, 1/10 - leftover mushroom barley soup

Tuesday, 1/11 - Homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese and green beans

Wednesday, 1/12 - Cheese quesadilla and baked sweet potato
Thursday, 1/13 - I had not planned anything and we ended up with Indian takeout. LTH had bread, blueberries and banana and was quite happy.

I also made some yummy carrot muffins using spelt on Saturday. I will making more of these along with other recipes from my new cookbook, Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole Grain Flours. I hadn't even heard of some of the flours mentioned in this book. I'm excited to try them out!

Bolognese Sauce (at least 3 hours)

2011-01-07T15:57:00.000-05:00

Adapted from Lidia Bastianich's recipe in Lidia's Family Table

Note that I halved the recipe and we had it for dinner two nights, two lunches and froze some!! The recipe below is the halved version. Also, I used my food processor for all of the processing and it is a huge timesaver for this recipe.

Interesting side note: I work with a guy from Italy. He told me that in Naples it's said that Bolognese is the perfect meal for doormen to cook as they have nothing else to do but sit and stir.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 cup dry white wine
3 oz bacon
3 garlic cloves
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced in a food processor or finely chopped
1 celery stalk, minced in a food processor or finely chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 t salt, plus more to taste
1 cup dry red wine
1 T tomato paste
1 cup canned tomatoes and juices, crushed
4 to 6 cups chicken broth

Directions:
Put all 2 lbs of ground meat in a large mixing bowl. Pour the white wine over it and mix it with your hands. Next, make the pestata - cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and put them in the bowl of the food processor with the peeled garlic. Process them into a fine paste.

Pour the olive oil into a heavy saucepan (I used my big Le Creuset pot) and scrape in all of the pestata. Set the pan over medium-high heat. Break up the pestata and stir it around the pan bottom to start rendering the fat. Cook for at least 3 minutes, stirring often, until the bacon and garlic are sizzling and aromatic.

Stir the minced onions into the fat and cook for a couple of minutes, until sizzling and starting to sweat. Stir in the celery and carrot, and cook the vegetables until wilted and golden, stirring frequently and thoroughly over medium-high heat, at least 5 minutes.

Turn the heat up a notch, push the vegetables off to the side and put all of the meat into the pan. Add the salt. Give the meat on the pan bottom a few moments to brown, then stir, spread and toss with a sturdy spoon, mixing the meat into the vegetables and making sure every bit of meat browns and begins releasing fat and juices. Soon the meat liquid will almost cover the meat itself. Cook at high heat, stirring often, until all of that liquid has disappeared, even in the bottom of the pan. This will take 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the heat and the width of the pan. Stir occasionally, and as the liquid level diminishes, lower the heat too, so the meat does not burn.

When all of the meat liquid as has been cooked off, pour in the 1 cup of red wine. Raise the heat if you've lowered it, and stir the meat as the wine comes to a boil. Cook until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes. Now drop the 1 tablespoon of tomato paste into a clear space on the pan bottom. Toast a minute in the hot spot., then stir with the meat and let caramelize for 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes. Bring the liquid to a boil, stirring the meat and let the liquid almost boil off, 5 minutes more.

Pour in 2 cups of hot broth, stir well, and add more if needed to cover the meat. Bring it to an active simmer, cover the pan and adjust the heat to maintain slow, steady cooking with small bubbles perking all over the surface of the sauce.

From this point, the Bolognese should cook for 2-3 hours. Check the pot every 20 minutes and add hot broth as needed to cover the meat. The liquid level should be reducing by 1 1/2 to 2 cups between additions; if it's falling much faster and it takes more than 2 cups to cover the meat, lower the heat to slow the evaporation. If the sauce level drops slowly or not at all, raise the heat and set the cover ajar to speed concentration. Stir well at every addition.

During the final cooking interval, you want to reduce the level of the liquid. At the end, the meat should no longer be covered but appear suspended in a thick flowing sauce. If the meat is still submerged in a lot of liquid, remove the cover completed to cook off moisture quickly.

A few minutes before the end of cooking, taste a bit of meat and sauce and add salt if you want.

Note that you'll want to spoon off the fat before serving.

Salmon Rillettes

2011-01-07T15:28:00.000-05:00

Adapted from two different Epicurious recipes
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salmon-Rillettes-236907
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Salmon-Rillettes-11853

Ingredients:
1 celery stalk, sliced thin
1 onion, sliced thin
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 cup white wine
1 lemon, halved
6 oz salmon filet
sour cream
Dijon mustard
extra virgin olive oil
capers (were not in the initial round of rillettes)
salt and pepper
bread and/or saltines

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to simmer. Add the celery, onion, peppercorns, bay leaf, wine and lemon. Simmer for 25 minutes.

Add the salmon, cover the pot and remove from the heat. Let it stand for 10 minutes.

Remove the salmon from the pot and chill it in the refrigerator. Discard the vegetables and the water.

By hand with a fork, mix the salmon with the sour cream, Dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste. Keep chilled until you're ready to serve.

I wanted to add capers as well but didn't have them on hand when I first made the rillettes. I bought some the next day and added them to the leftovers. I highly recommend using capers in your recipe.

Week 1: Sunday, 1/2 through Thursday, 1/6

2011-01-07T15:19:00.001-05:00

Since I didn't start with the blog on January 1st but I did start the planning with the new year, I'm only going to post the actual menu for that week.

Sunday, 1/2 - Whole wheat linguine with Bolognese Sauce, Butternut Squash with Balsamic Drizzle Sauce, Whole Wheat Baguette
Monday, 1/3 - Leftover bolognese with pasta and butternut squash with balsamic drizzle sauce
Tuesday, 1/4 - Mexican Chicken Soup with Rice and Sauteed Spinach with Garlic
Wednesday, 1/5 - Leftover chicken soup and sauteed spinach
Thursday, 1/6 - Vegetable Stir Fry with Whole Wheat Spaghetti

LTH at some of these items but is currently stuck on cheese, baked sweet potatoes and plain whole wheat pasta.

Cooking in the New Year

2011-01-07T15:11:00.000-05:00

As with most people, I have resolved to have a new beginning. My new beginning is with cooking at home. We're pretty good about eating at home most of the time but it's not always the most interesting or most tasty foods. This year I want to take a little up front time to plan so that we can have healthier and tastier meals.

Here's how I'm going to do it:

1. Plan out a week's worth of meals
2. Post the expected week's menu
3. After the meals, post the recipes
4. Update the week's menu with the actual menu

Even if no one reads this blog but me, it will be an exercise that will help me to learn and hopefully become more efficient in my meal planning and preparation.

Graham Flour Recipe

2011-01-03T13:17:00.001-05:00

I couldn’t find graham flour at my local Whole Foods. The people in the store didn't even know what I was talking about!! I remembered an Alton Brown Good Eats' episode where he told the ratios for making your own graham flour. The internet is handy for finding such information when you need it.

From http://askville.amazon.com/SimilarQuestions.do?req=graham-flour-made

A fully correct substitute for it would be a mix of white flour, wheat bran, and wheat germ in the ratio found in whole wheat. Wheat comprises approximately 83% endosperm, 14.5% bran, and 2.5% germ by mass^[1]. For sifted all-purpose white flour, wheat bran, and wheat germ having densities of 125, 50, and 80 grams/cup, respectively, one cup of graham flour is approximately equivalent to 84 g (~2/3 cup) white flour, 15 g (slightly less than 1/3 cup) wheat bran, and 2.5 g (1.5 teaspoons) wheat germ.

I will be using this flour to make Graham Nuts. It's a recipe in a new cookbook I received for Christmas. It's a homemade take on Grape Nuts.

Sweet Potato and Leek Soup (with bacon)

2011-01-01T21:44:00.001-05:00

Adapted from Picnics by David Herbert

4 slices bacon, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 carror, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/4 lb sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
2 pints vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream

Cook bacon over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the leeks, onion, carrot, garlic and sweet potato. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the leek and onion have softened.

Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 25/30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Purée the soup in a blender in batches.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Makes a big pot of soup. I will be freezing for a future meal.

New Years' Eve Dinner

2011-01-01T21:36:00.002-05:00

I previously posted we were planning to make a fancy dinner. We ended up ringing in 2011 with a dinner of appetizers. Yummy!!

Final Menu:
Salmon Rilletes (adapted from two epicurious recipes)
Three French Cheeses with a sliced baguette
Leek and Sweet Potato Soup (from the cookbook Picnics by David Herbert)
Grilled Chicken Wings (marinade created by MTH)

New Years' Eve Menu

2010-12-28T14:54:00.002-05:00

MTH and I are thinking of making our own fancy dinner. I cheated and looked at epicurious menus instead of trying to figure out a menu on my own. I want to make items like we would order at a nice restaurant.

Proposed Menu:
Salmon Rilletes on Toast
Three French Cheeses with Apple, Fennel and Walnut Salad (will substitute pecans for the walnuts)
Main Meat Dish - here's where you come in - please give ideas!! MTH vetoed the veal rib chops with caramelized fennel and figs
Potatoes Simmered in Saffron
Veggie Side Dish - if you have any ideas for a tasty veggie side dish, I would love to hear them!

Drinks:
Sparkling Wine
Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc (present from a dear friend!)
Other wines I find at the store

We'll let you know how the meal goes!

Snickerdoodles

2010-12-04T15:32:00.000-05:00

Snickerdoodles are a great cookie to make with a 2 year old. Logan "helped"measure the ingredients as well as mix them in the mixer. I did have to teach him that no hands could go past the bowl when the mixer is on. But the part he enjoyed most (besides sampling them) was rolling them in the cinnamon sugar. Next stop with all of these cookies: the firehouse!!

Recipe from the 2005 Martha Stewart Holiday Cookie magazine (printed version)

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.
In a small bowl, combine remaining sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small (1 1/4-ounce) ice-cream scoop to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 12-15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after 5 minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Easy Green Beans (Faux Loubieh Bi Zeit)

2010-04-24T10:59:00.002-05:00

I previously posted that my son likes the Lebanese green beans loubieh bi zeit. Well, I figured out a quick shortcut to making them. Just mix the canned green beans with bottled spaghetti sauce. Although I try to make everything homemade for him, it's impossible to do so.

How to Cook Everything

2010-01-14T20:57:00.003-05:00

I used this cookbook to make 4 different things last weekend!

1. Beef stroganoff - a very easy recipe that took less than 30 minutes. LTH (my son) loved the noodles. He doesn't seem to like the texture of beef yet but he must like the flavor.
2. Olive oil salt bread - a simple quick bread that I think will become a go to recipe. The basic recipe does not have much flavor. But, you just add spices or other mix ins that will match the rest of the meal and voila, you have a great side dish.
3. Cinnamon rolls - this recipe is a yeast bread. They turned out ok. I was not crazy about the glaze he recommended. Next time, I'll use my Mom's.
4. Chicken pot pie - I started with a whole chicken and made my own broth. There was so much chicken that I made chicken stir fry later in the week and there's still enough chicken and broth in the freezer to make 2 more pies!

What Else Does My Son Eat?

2010-01-02T13:05:00.004-05:00

I thought I'd add to the list of foods. As an update on Peanut, he'll be 16 months on 1/7. He had his 15 month well baby visit last Tuesday. He weighed in at almost 22 pounds and is almost 31 inches long. He's a long skinny boy!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes (sweet potato fries was on the last list but I've decided that just roasting the sweet potatoes is almost as easy if I plan and are definitely better for him)
Stuffing (I may just break down and buy Stove Top to make for him :)
Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew (previous post) (he actually just liked the hominy stew part and not the pork. I'll post a modified recipe soon)
French fries (we've found that he actually likes these now. I'm not going to make them at home since they'll be a nice treat when we're eating out)
Broccoli sauteed in garlic
Benedictine spread (cream cheese and cucumbers) from Garnett's Cafe

And we've found a cheese that he does NOT like

Stilton Cheese

Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew

2009-12-29T11:28:00.005-05:00

We had this stew for dinner last night with some warmed corn tortillas and steamed broccoli sauteed with garlic and red pepper.

Adapted from Cooking Light. Original recipe here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound boneless pork chops, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (20-ounce) can hominy, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

Preparation

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; set 3/4 teaspoon spice mixture aside. Add pork to remaining spice mixture in bowl, tossing well to coat.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove pork from pan; set aside. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and continue to saute for 2 more minutes or until you smell the garlic. Return pork to pan. Add reserved 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture, broth, hominy, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes.

Whole Grain Waffles

2009-11-21T22:20:00.005-05:00

I like to add as much healthy as I can to breakfast. When DS decided he didn't want to eat oatmeal for breakfast anymore, we started doing waffles instead. These have whole wheat flour, wheat germ and milled flax seed. They may not be as light as regular waffles but I think they're pretty good and Logan has consistently eaten them for breakfast for about 3 months now! Adapted from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook (1980 edition)

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons milled flax seed
2 tablespoons wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup yogurt ( in a 2 cup or bigger Pyrex)
enough milk to make 2 cups in the Pyrex mention above (your making buttermilk so you could also used buttermilk)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:
Whisk together dry ingredients. Whisk together wet ingredients. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Follow your waffle iron's instructions.

Loubieh Bi Zeit (Lebanese Green Beans)

2009-11-21T22:04:00.004-05:00

MTH and I had take out from The Phoenician a few weeks ago. There were some leftover Loubieh Bi Zeit. I thought that DS may like them. He LOVED them! Given that he previously was not as enamoured of green beans, I decided I needed to figure out how to make them. Here's a recipe that I adapted from http://homemade-recipes.blogspot.com. Here is the link to the original recipe.

Ingredients:

olive oil
onions, chopped
garlic, chopped
1 can of green beans (I used half sodium)
1/2 can of tomato sauce
1/2 half lemon, juiced
2 cups of chicken broth or you can use chicken bouillon
Pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a saucepan.
Add onions and saute until translucent.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant (no more than 2 minutes).
Add green beans, tomato sauce, lemon juice, chicken broth and pepper.
Cover and cook on low heat for 45 minutes. You can probably cook less and it will be fine.

My Son's Top 9 Favorite Foods

2009-11-21T19:17:00.012-05:00

My son will officially be 15 months old on 12/7. It's hard to believe that he was only 3 months old almost a year ago. So far, he has proven to be a good eater.

1. Cheese, cheese and more cheese - definitely his favorite food. The sharper the cheddar, the better. He also loves goat cheese and sheeps milk cheese. He likes to eat it as is or in grilled cheese.
2. Sweet potato fries
3. Bread
4. Waffles - he has these every morning for breakfast almost without fail. We've tried to introduce other things but he doesn't care to branch out. I make these over the weekend and then freeze them for his eating pleasure throughout the week.
5. Baked beans
6. Lebanese green beans (loubieh bi zeit)
7. Roasted carrots
8. Roasted chicken and mustard sandwich - yep, he loves mustard.
9. Fried bananas

Things he currently doesn't like
chicken nuggets
French fries
birthday cake (he liked feeding it to his Mom)

Apple Upside Down Cake

2009-10-11T21:01:00.005-05:00

Found on kitchenmusings.com - Adapted from Rose Levy Berenbaum's recipe in Rose's Heavenly Cakes
http://kitchenmusings.com/2009/10/bring-on-the-apples.html

Apple and Walnut Filling
3 1/4 c sliced apples (about 2 large)
1 t lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/3 c light brown sugar, firmly packed, divided
4 T unsalted butter, divided
2/3 c pecan halves

One 9×2-inch round cake pan bottom coated with shortening, topped with a parchment round
baking stone optional

Preheat the oven, twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven, set a baking stone, if using, on the rack and preheat the oven to 350F.

Make the apple topping:
In a medium bowl, toss together the apples, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Allow the mixture to sit for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 1/2 hours. Drain the apples, reserving their liquid.

In a small heavy saucepan, preferably nonstick, melt the butter. Use about 1 tablespoon to coat the parchment-lined bottom and the sides of the cake pan.

Add the remaining brown sugar and the reserved liquid that has drained from the apples to the butter remaining in the saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a light-colored silicone spatula, then stop stirring, but leave the spatula in place to judge the color, and simmer for about 3 minutes, until bubbling thickly and deep amber in color.

Pour this mixture (do not scrape) into the prepared cake pan, tilting to coat the entire bottom. Don’t worry if the mixture hardens; it will melt during baking. Place the apple slices, overlapping slightly, on the bottom and around the sides of the pan. Set aside.

Toast the pecans:
Spread the pecans evenly on a baking sheet and bake for about 7 minutes to enhance their flavor. Stir once or twice to ensure even toasting and avoid over-browning. Cool completely. Chop coarsely and set aside.

Batter
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 c Greek yogurt, divided
1 1/4 t pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 c all purpose flour, sifted into the cup and leveled off
3/4 c superfine sugar
3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
9 T unsalted butter

Mix the liquid ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks, 2 tbs. of the yogurt, and the vanilla just until combined.

Make the batter:
In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the remaining yogurt. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture to the batter in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a silicone spatula, drop the batter in big blobs on top of the apples. then smooth the surface evenly with a small offset spatula while keeping the apples in an attractive pattern.

Bake the cake:
Place the pan in the oven on the stone, if using it. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown, a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center.

Unmold and cool the cake:
Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake, pressing firmly against the pan, and invert the cake at once onto a serving plate. Leave the pan in place for 1 to 2 minutes before lifting it off. If any apple slices have stuck to the pan, use a small metal spatula to place them back on the cake. Scatter the toasted pecans on top. Serve warm or room temperature.

Apple Crisp

2009-10-11T20:51:00.003-05:00

Recipe adapted from My Recipes website (http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=226369)
This dessert was a hit at work!

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3 cups chopped peeled Granny Smith apple (about 2 1/2 pounds)
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and apples in a 9 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with oat mixture. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until apples are tender.

Sauteed Apples (No sugar added)

2009-10-04T21:03:00.003-05:00

I have a jar of coconut oil from making a carrot cake from the 101
Cookbooks website. I've started using it to saute several of my son's
fruit dishes. For this one, I just sauteed the apples in the oil until
soft. Then at the end I added cinnamon and nutmeg. No sugar added! You
can do this with bananas, sweet potatoes, plantains, the list goes on.

The Apple Chronicles Begin

2009-10-04T20:58:00.002-05:00

Corn Pancakes

2009-06-13T19:55:00.004-05:00

I had some corn cakes (or so they called them) at Cafe Gutenberg. When I googled corncakes, I got recipes that didn't match what I had eaten. So, I googled corn pancakes instead. Then, it seemed to match more closely to what I thought I had eaten. The first time I made them, I just used a recipe I found online. But, they weren't corny enough. The next time, I modified my normal pancake recipe by substituting 3/4 cup of flour with 3/4 cup of corn meal (and didn't add the milled flax seed or wheat germ). These still weren't corny enough. I had been told that I should probably try adding pureed corn. I really didn't want to go to that trouble. So, for my third try, I used masa. It worked! They're very corny. Here's the recipe. It's very similar to my normal pancake recipe but since I expect to make this one again, I want to write it down fully.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup masa
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 cup milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:
Stir dry ingredients together. Stir wet ingredients together. Add liquid to dry ingredients. Cook and enjoy with maple syrup or as a savory side dish at dinner.

Banana Nut Whole Wheat Pancakes

2009-02-22T20:25:00.004-05:00

I love banana nut bread so I decided to make banana nut pancakes. Really, it's just my normal pancake recipe with additions. I've also added blueberries.

1/2 cup plain flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 T wheat germ (optional)
2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1 1/4 cup milk (you may want to use more to make a thinner batter)
1 egg
2 t vanilla
2 T oil
mashed banana
chopped pecans

Mix the dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well but do not overstir. When making the pancakes, add the mashed banana and chopped pecans. Then, when you turn the pancake, you'll have nice caramelization of the banana and toasting of the pecans.

Veggie Tofu Stir Fry

2008-09-06T11:20:00.000-05:00

This recipe is very similar to the previous one but it has different flavorings. The great thing is that you could create more dishes than these two!

Ingredients:
soba noodles, cooked
extra firm tofu, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
squash, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
frozen stir fry vegetables
soy sauce or tamari
Chinese spicy mustard
Thai chili sauce
white wine vinegar (rice wine vinegar would probably be good too)

Directions:
Mix together the soy sauce, mustard, chili sauce and vinegar to taste. Add the tofu cubes and marinate for a few minutes. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the tofu and brown for 5-10 minutes. Add the squash and frozen vegetables. Cook until done. Serve with vegetables and tofu mixture on top of the soba noodels.

Italian Veggie Tofu Pasta Salad

2008-09-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

We've decided to eat more tofu. For one thing, we actually like it but also it's good for us and it's cheap compared to meat.

Ingredients:
whole wheat penne pasta, cooked
olive oil
extra firm tofu, cut into 1/4 inch squares
zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch squares
bell pepper, coarsely diced
blue cheese
Italian vinaigrette
fresh ground black pepper
red pepper
salt

Instructions:
Marinade the tofu in the vinaigrette for a few minutes. Heat some olive oil in a saute pan. Add the tofu and zucchini. Cook for a few minutes and then add the bell pepper. Add the black and red pepper and the salt. Cook until browned to your liking. Mix the cooked vegetables with the pasta, blue cheese and vinaigrette to your taste.

Grilled Potato Salad

2008-08-24T18:03:00.003-05:00

If you've discussed grilling with me, then you know I've made grilled potato salad in the past. Well, I've found a better way. Slice the potatoes instead of chunks.

Ingredients:
Potatoes
Mustard
Olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes
White wine vinegar

Directions:
Peel or wash the potatoes well. Slice as consistently as possible (about 1/4 inch). Parboil for about 5 minutes. Dry the potatoes thoroughly. In a bowl big enough to hold the potatoes, mix the last 5 ingredients to make a sauce (use the amounts that will coat the number of potatoes you have). On a preheated grill, grill the potatoes until they are browned on both sides. Return them to the bowl with the sauce and mix with the remains. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Cheesesteak

2008-08-24T16:22:00.003-05:00

I have lots of peppers and onions in the fridge due to the weekly produce allotment that i receive. So, I offered to make grilled sausage and peppers for MTH last night. He wasn't in the mood for sausage but asked what else could we have with peppers and onions. Chicken cheesesteaks somehow came to mind. Here's what we did:

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
garlic salt
oregano
red pepper flakes
fresh ground black pepper
1 green pepper
1/2 Vidalia onion (ok so this was actually from my parents)
1/4 yellow tomato (whatever your have on hadn will do)
mozzarella cheese (not the kind in water)
parmesan cheese
2 hoagie rolls

Directions:
Preheat the grill. PLace the whole pepper and pieces of onion on the grill. The onion will only take about 5 minutes. The pepper about 10 minutes (until it's somewhat blackened). Use the garlic salt, oregano, red pepper flakes and black pepper as seasonig to your liking. Grill the chicken. Toast the rolls on the grill. Construct your sandwich as you please - I put the cheeses, green pepper, onion, tomato and mustard on mine. You could add a pickle too.

Half Whole Wheat Applesauce Spice Muffins (45 minutes)

2008-04-27T18:09:00.002-05:00

I made banana pecan muffins a few weeks back. I froze the extras and really enjoyed having this daily snack to take with me to work. I decided to make a different flavor this time. I sachet on the internet for a recipe. All of the ones I found seemed to have a lot of butter. If you look at this recipe, you'll see that it originally did as well. In the comments, people had tried it with less butter so I decided to test my luck on my first try. It seems to have paid off. These are delicious muffins. Plus, they're better for me than the previous ones since I've added whole wheat flour.

Adapted from recipe in Gourmet, November 2003
Active time: 20 min
Servings: Makes 12 muffins.
Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (original called for only all-purpose flour)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (original called for a full cup)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (original called for 5 tablespoons)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Special equipment: a muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups
Preparation:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Grease muffin pan.

Stir together flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together eggs and brown sugar in a large bowl until combined well, then add butter, a little at a time, whisking until mixture is creamy. Stir in applesauce, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened. Stir in nuts and divide batter among muffin cups.

Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan and cool slightly.

These muffins are supposed to have a topping that I forgot to add:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

The topping is added before baking.

Chicken Paella

2008-03-04T19:54:00.001-05:00

My sister bought me some saffron for my Christmas gift this year. It was quite a creative gift. I've been trying to decide what to make with it. Well, a few weeks back, I made chicken paella. One day, I may be brave enough to make a seafood paella but that will be in the future. The dish I made tonight was very tasty. As usual, I loosely followed a recipe that I found online.

The fun part is that I bought the bacon, chorizo and the chicken from a local butcher shop, Belmont Butcher. The even cooler part is that the bacon and chorizo were made and cured at the butcher shop. We had flourless peanut butter cookies for dessert.

Ingredients:
2 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 lb. boneless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cups basmati rice
4 cups of chicken stock
½ teaspoon of saffron threads
½ teaspoon of chili powder
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup of corn kernels
½ cup of green peas
1 chorizo sausage

Preparation:
Steep the saffron in heated chicken broth. Fry the bacon until golden (add oil at the beginning as necessary). Remove from pan. Cook the chicken until done. Remove from pan. Add oil if necessary, saute onion until translucent. Add rice and garlic stirring until coated with oil. Add 2 cups of broth and simmer while covered. When liquid has cooked down, add another cup of liquid. Repeat with the remaining cup of liquid. Once rice is almost done, add the corn, green peas, chicken, bacon and the chorizo. Taste and season to taste. Then, serve.

Homemade Lasagna (About 1 hour)

2008-02-17T12:47:00.004-05:00

We usually go out to eat on Saturday nights but this week, we went out on Friday night and then ate in on Saturday. On my blog, you can read about the dinner out here (link coming soon) and you can read MTH's review here (link coming soon).

Here's the quick lasagna that I made last night. Note that it feeds enough for an army so be prepared for leftovers if there's only two of you like me and and MTH.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
29 oz petite diced tomatoes
8 oz tomato paste
oregano, to taste
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
16 oz skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
Parmesan cheese (use how much you like)
mozzarella cheese (use how much you like - I tried not to make it too cheesy)
12 lasagna noodles, boiled

Preparation:
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the ground meats until almost no pink remains. Add the onion and green pepper. When they are translucent, add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Add the spices to your taste. Let simmer for at least 15 minutes. Taste again and add more spices if necessary. Mix the ricotta, egg and Parmesan cheese.
In a 9x13 pan, start with a small amount of sauce (2-3 spoonfuls). Place 4 noodles across the pan. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat the layers ending with sauce ensuring that the sauce covers all the noodles. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let set for about 10 minutes before serving.

Cuban Picillo Sandwiches (Less than 20 minutes)

2008-01-27T10:45:00.000-05:00

Last night, we made these sandwiches for dinner. We thought they would be fun to eat while we watched The Simpson's Movie. I also made some baked sweet potato fries. The sandwiches are supposed to be made with ground pork but I couldn't find any at my grocery store. They had ground lamb and ground veal but no ground plain pork. They also had bulk Italian sausage and other types of bulk sausage which are of course, ground pork. But, they have other spices in them. Anyway, I substituted ground turkey for the ground pork. I'm sure that the ground pork would taste even better. Hopefully, the next time I make these sandwiches, I'll be able to find the ground pork. My plan is to use half ground turkey and half ground pork (they'll be slightly healthier!). Also, the original recipe called for raisins. Neither MTH nor myself like raisins so we left them out. If you like raisins, then you may want to try them. You add 1/2 cup golden raisins with the spices and the tomatoes.

Adapted from Cooking Light, October 2005

1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
8 (1 1/2-ounce) whole wheat hamburger buns

Cook onion, garlic, and pork in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain and return mixture to pan. Stir in next 5 ingredients (through tomatoes). Reduce heat, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in olives. Toast the needed buns. Spread about 2/3 cup picadillo mixture on bottom half of each bun; cover with top half of bun.

We had leftovers which I'm sure will taste even better on Monday.

Yankee Pot Roast (About 2 1/2 hours)

2008-01-27T10:38:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, the grocery store had chuck roasts half off. So, I decided to buy one along with some parsnips, carrots and potatoes. I knew the basic idea of how to make a pot roast and what I would need to do it but I still had to look up a recipe for some added instructions. Here's what I did.

Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, October 2007

1 teaspoon canola oil
2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed
1 cup chopped yellow onion
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled parsnip (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups (1-inch-thick) slices carrot (about 8 ounces)
2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled baking potato (about 1 pound)

Preheat oven to 300°.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef to pan, browning on all sides (about 8 minutes). Remove from pan. Add a little more oil. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until beginning to brown. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; add spices through bay leaves. Return roast to pan; bring to a simmer.

Cover and bake at 300° for 1 1/2 hours. Stir in parsnips and carrots. Bake, covered, 1 hour. Stir in potato; cover and bake 30 minutes or until roast and vegetables are very tender. Discard bay leaves.

Beef and Veggie Potpie (About 45 minutes)

2008-01-19T11:14:00.000-05:00

I made this one a few weeks back. Again, I got the idea from the www.myrecipes.com daily emails. But, as per usual, I didn't follow the recipe word for word. Here's what I made:

olive oil
3/4 pound ground sirloin
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped carrot
dried thyme, to taste
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
7 oz fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain. Wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel. Heat more olive oil in pan. Add zucchini and next 5 ingredients (through garlic); sauté 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Return beef to pan. Stir in wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and broth. Bring to a boil; cook 3 minutes. Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl; stir with a fork to get rid of the lumps. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Bake a batch of homemade or canned biscuits while the beef mixture is cooking. Serve the beef mixture over one or two biscuits. It's an all in one meal with your meat and vegetable!

Christmas French Toast (About 20 minutes)

2008-01-03T22:44:00.001-05:00

We had lots and lots of bread that had been sliced up for our Christmas Eve dinner. So, I decided to take a page from Alton Brown's book and leave it out overnight so that we could make perfect French toast. The batter was simple:

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix thoroughly.

Add a dot of butter to a preheated frying pan. Place the bread into the batter for a few seconds, flip and repeat. Place in the frying pan and brown on both sides.

I like a little sugar or jam. My Mom had brought some of her homemade strawberry and blueberry jams. Some people put syrup on it instead.

It was the best homemade French toast I've ever had. Using stale bread is the key! The day after Christmas we had some challah bread left over. It makes awesome French toast as well.

New Years Day Meal

2008-01-03T22:41:00.000-05:00

I tried to be traditional with our meal on New Years. You know, black eyed peas for luck and collard greens for money. Well, collard greens were a bit much for just me and MTH. So, I made wilted spinach with garlic instead. But, we did make the black eyed peas straight from the dried beans. And, we broiled a flat iron steak using a Mexican rub from my friend MAT (the one that lives in SF, formerly MAK). We thoroughly enjoyed making the meal together and then eating it together.

Bean Soup (15 minutes prep with 30 minutes simmering)

2008-01-02T23:04:00.000-05:00

This recipe is officially called "North Woods Bean Soup". It's adapted from a recipe in the January 2002 issue of Cooking Light. I've put my changes in italics. This soup took me only about 15 minutes of actual hands on preparation. The rest was just simmering. I was really impressed because I was able to go work out, come home and start the soup, take my shower and then presto - dinner was served!

Ingredients:
1 cup baby carrots, halved
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
7 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
dried oregano, marjoram and thyme, to taste
black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste
2 (15.8-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
smooth kale

Preparation
Heat a large saucepan coated with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and kielbasa; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes. Add the broth, dried spices, peppers, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Place 2 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Return the pureed mixture to pan. Simmer an additional 5 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Add the kale, stirring until kale wilts.

Almost Whole Wheat Pita Bread (About 9 1/2 hours with rising)

2008-01-01T13:28:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe in the Washington Post on Sunday and decided I wanted to have homemade pita bread to go with store bought hummus (I'll make that from scratch when I get a food processor one day). The recipe said that it could be made with whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour. I've found that breads made only with whole wheat are very heavy so I decided to try it out with half whole wheat and half bread flour. I thought the bread flour would make a better pita as well - more gluten. That's what makes your bread chewy. Also, I didn't feel like baking these on Sunday night when I made the dough so I set them to rise in the refrigerator and baked them the next morning. Here's my recipe adapted from "The Arab Table" by May S. Bsisu.

Ingredients
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
1 ¼ teaspoons sugar
2 3/4 cups bread flour,plus extra for kneading
2 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons olive oil

Method
Combine yeast, 1 cup of the warm water and sugar in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Set aside until mixture is foamy and doubled in size, about 10 minutes.

Sift flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Using your stand mixer and the dough hook, mix ingredients until dough pulls away form sides of the bowl, forming a ball.

Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Sprinkling as little flour on the dough and your hands as possible, knead the dough -- push, fold and turn -- about five minutes, until dough is smooth, elastic and doesn't stick to your fingers.

Coat a large bowl with remaining olive oil and place dough inside, turning to coat with the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and set in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, lightly dust a baking sheet and a kitchen towel with flour.

Punch dough and transfer to a floured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Divide dough into equal pieces (depends on the size pita you want), roll each one into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, flatten gently, using a rolling pin or your hands. Roll dough out until about ¼-inch thick. Lay loaves on floured towel, sprinkle flour on top, cover with a second towel, and let rest about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Preheat pizza stone* 10 minutes before ready to bake.
Arrange as many loaves as you can on pizza stone, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Bake until they puff up, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool; repeat.

Can be frozen in plastic zip bag and thawed in refrigerator. Reheat at 300 degrees for 10 minutes.

* If you don't have a pizza stone, a cookie sheet should be fine instead but I would definitely preheat it just like the pizza stone.

Folded Red Pepper Tortilla Pizza (About 15 minutes)

2007-12-30T15:45:00.000-05:00

I was trying to find something to make for lunch today with ingredients we had on hand. These pizzas came out great.

Ingredients:
Flour tortilla
Red pepper pesto*
Mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni
Red pepper flakes
Dried oregano

Preparation:
Turn broiler on high. Place tortilla in pan. Spread a couple of teaspoons of red pepper pesto onto the tortilla as if on pizza dough. Add your toppings (mozzarella, pepperoni, red pepper flakes and dried oregano, in my case). Cook under the broiler until bubbly and starting to brown. Fold the tortilla over halfway (will look like a soft taco). Cook until browned. Turn over and repeat. Enjoy!

As usual, you can try out all different types of toppings. It's a great way to use up leftovers in an entirely new way.

* We used Bella Cucina Red Pepper pesto
Click here. It was part of my birthday gift from MTH's parents.

Green Chile Tortilla Roll-Ups (About an hour)

2007-12-30T11:40:00.000-05:00

This recipe is another easy one. You could make up different flavors. You could also add ham instead of turkey. I'll definitely make these again for future get togethers.

Adapted from cooksrecipes.com

1 (4-ounce) can Diced Green Chiles
4 ounces neufchatel, softened
1 cup mixed shredded Mexican cheeses
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
sliced turkey
4 (6-inch) fajita-size flour tortillas

Combine green chiles, neufchatel, shredded cheeses and hot pepper sauce in medium bowl. Spread 1/2 cup cheese mixture over each tortilla. On some, add some slices of turkey. Roll up. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut each tortilla roll into ½-inch slices.

Mexican Wedding Cookies (AKA Russian Tea Cookies) (About an hour)

2007-12-30T11:38:00.001-05:00

These are simple cookies. Also, if you know someone who is vegetarian (not vegan though), these cookies will be great for them as there are no eggs in them. I not only made them for the party but also for Christmas with the family.

From the Food Network 12 Days of Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for coating baked cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting hands
1 cup pecans, chopped into very small pieces

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula. With floured hands, take out about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into a crescent. Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in additional confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks.

Homemade Marshmallows (About 30 minutes)

2007-12-30T11:34:00.000-05:00

The great thing about this recipe is that it is extremely easy (although takes some time) but it wows just about everyone who sees them. Most people don't really understand how marshmallows are made. In the end, it's very similar to making meringue but using gelatin instead of egg whites.

3 packages unflavored gelatin
From the Food Network 12 Days of Cookies, 2005

1/2 cup cold water, plus 1/2 cup
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Deviled Eggs (About an hour)

2007-12-30T11:28:00.000-05:00

Deviled Eggs
Adapted from Epicurious.

12 medium eggs
some mayonnaise
some Dijon horseradish mustard
some cayenne pepper

Used http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/BoiledEggs.htm for instructions on how to boil eggs perfectly.

Peel eggs and halve lengthwise. Carefully remove yolks and mash in a bowl with a fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard, and cayenne and stir with fork until smooth, then season with salt and pepper. Taste. Add more of any of the ingredients as you see fit for your taste. Using two spoons, spoon the yellow mixture into the egg whites. If you're ambitious, use a pastry bag and pipe it into the egg whites.

Pictures from Baking for my Party

2007-12-30T11:20:00.001-05:00

Ready to bake!

Playing around with the camera.

Sugar cookies.

Pecan Mandelbrot - before the first bake.

Pecan Mandelbrot - after the second bake.

Orange Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Fondue (About 1 1/2 hours)

2007-12-29T19:03:00.001-05:00

One of the cookies that I've made for the past 3 Annual H Christmas Parties is the Orange Sugar Cookie. The recipe actually calls for lemon zest and lemon juice but I thought that the orange flavor would be awesome with the dark chocolate fondue that I serve at the party. I also made marshmallows and cut up fruit for dipping in the chocolate. Here are the sugar cookie and chocolate fondue recipes:

Orange Sugar Cookies
Adapted from Martha Stewart Christmas

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
2 large eggs
Granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
2. Put sugars and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the orange juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
3. Scoop dough using a scoop; space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with wet fingers. Sprinkle tops with granulated sugar
4. Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Chocolate Fondue
From Epicurious
1 cup premium cocoa powder (Valrohna or Scharffen Berger), sifted
1 1/4 cups spring water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup plus 5 tablespoons heavy cream
5 ounces (premium) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Sift the cocoa into mixing bowl and set aside. Place the water, sugar, and corn syrup into a pot and bring to boil. Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until sugar solution has reduced by about 30%. Pour the cocoa powder into the solution and blend with a whisk until smooth. Return the chocolate mixture to the stove and continue cooking over medium heat. Add heavy cream, bring to boil and allow to simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into fondue pot and keep warm.

Lots of Cookies

2007-12-29T13:10:00.000-05:00

I cooked a lot over the month of December. I took a few pictures of the process (although not as many as I would have liked). I will be posting about some of those cookies. Yummy!

Beer, Beer and Turkey? (About 2 hours)

2007-12-02T22:53:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I made beer and "beef" chili. I put the beef in quotes because I substituted ground turkey for the ground beef. I started with sauteing onions and garlic and then the ground turkey is added. At this point, you can decide which chili spices you like the most. We put in chili powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, basil and thyme. Also, beer, chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato paste were added at this point. The chili is left to simmer for as long as you like. Then add the beans.

Why did I mention two beers in the title? Because I also made beer batter bread. It's another very simple recipe. I got this one off the epicurious website and didn't make any changes - Beer Batter Bread Recipe.

Beers used: Amstel Light in the chili and Guinness in the bread.

Surf and Turf, MTH Style

2006-12-03T21:41:00.000-05:00

MTH decided he wanted to eat in last night so he stopped at Whole Foods on his way home. At first, he wanted some grilled fish. Then, he remembered that we'd had sushi on Friday so he changed his mind. Then, he chose a ribeye and some shrimp. He also picked up some cheese, bread, potatoes, broccolini and green peppers. I had some dry rub that we'd made a while back for some other recipe. It had some cinnamon, chile pepper and other flavors I don't remember. We decided it would probably be good on steak. We also added some fresh cracked pepper and roasted red pepper flakes. While he was making the steak, I steamed the broccolini and then sauteed it in olive oil with garlic. The potatoes were from the freezer. They were flavored with rosemary, sea salt and olive oil. We only needed to pop them in the oven for a little while. MTH roasted the green pepper to go with the steak. So, finally our meal was grilled steak with grilled shrimp and blackened pepper, rosemary, sea salt and olive oil potatoes and garlic infused broccolini.

Sweet Potato Bread (About an hour)

2006-11-27T21:33:00.000-05:00

Remember how I said I figured out something to do with those sweet potatoes that didn't quite become a souffle? On Sunday, I decided to see if I could turn it into sweet potato bread (kind of like banana bread). I found a recipe on www.foodnetwork.com for sweet potato bread that used mashed cooked sweet potatoes. I decided to use that as my basis. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 1/6 cups sugar
1/3 cups evaporated milk (it called for water but I happened to have some evaporated milk left over from the pumpkin pie)
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine sugar, water, oil, eggs, and sweet potatoes and mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and mix to combine. Add pecans and mix well. Pour into a liberally greased loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. Cool in pan to room temperature.

* Adapted from:
Sweet Potato Bread with Pecans
Recipe courtesy Bill Kelly
Show: Sara's Secrets
Episode: Sara's Thanksgiving Secrets

MTH even liked it. He asked for me to cut a slice for him to take to work! Since TV was the reason we had these mashed sweet potatoes, I made another one tonight that I'm going to drop by her house in the morning.

If you want to try this recipe, I'm fairly certain you could try other types of vegetables like pumpkin or grated zucchini. It's a great way to clean out the refrigerator.

Thanksgiving Dinner

2006-11-26T18:26:00.000-05:00

This year, MTH and I were on vacation for a week until Thanksgiving Day. Therefore, when we returned on Thursday, we didn't have any fresh food in our house. It was interesting trying to find a place that would be open. We ended up at Murphy's, A Grand Irish Pub. There was a roaring fire and not much cigarette smoke. I ordered the Irish stew and MTH ordered the surf and turf (not very Irish :). The Irish stew was very good. I was impressed with the taste. Unfortunately, their bread is from the freezer so the meal was not the best that it could have been.

On Friday, we did our Thanksgiving Dinner. We had TV, QY and QY's husband over. The menu was as follows:

Wensleydale Cheese with Cranberries and St. Felicien for starters
Grilled Marinated Turkey Tenderloin
White Sweet Potatoes
Sherried Green Beans and Mushrooms
French Bread
Homemade Pumpkin Pie

So, it wasn't totally traditional but it was still very good. Here are the details:

Grilled Marinated Turkey Tenderloin
Ingredients:
turkey tenderloin
olive oil
white wine vinegar
spicy mustard
salt and pepper
Directions:
Mix the olive oil, white wine vinegar and spicy mustard to taste. Put the turkey tenderloin and marinade into a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour but no more than 6 hours. Turn the grill on high to heat it up. Take the turkey out of the marinade and salt and pepper each piece. Cook on high for 9 1/2 minutes on each side. Test the largest piece to make sure it's done.
Note:
My Mom made this with my sister the day before and gave me the idea for how to do it. I have a feeling that ours turned out differently since we have somewhat different ingredients.

White Sweet Potatoes
Bake the sweet potatoes on 400 degrees Fahrenheit until they are soft. We actually tried to make a sweet potato souffle but it didn't turn out. I'll have another post later that tells you about what I tried to do with the sweet potatoes instead.

Sherried Green Beans and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
fresh green beans, cleaned and snapped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
assorted mushrooms, cleaned and chopped but left in large pieces
3 tablespoons cream sherry
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the garlic and mushrooms. At the same time, microwave the green beans in order to start the steaming process. Once the mushrooms soak up the olive oil, add the sherry. Let the mushrooms simmer for a few minutes. Then add the green beans and let them steam on top until they are done to your liking. Serve with some slivered almonds on top.

French Bread
Although I've been known to make many different types of breads, the directions for this one is to go to the bread section of the grocery store and buy a French baguette.

Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
5 to 6 tablespoons cold water
1 can of pumpkin pie mix (follow the directions on the can)
Directions:
Mix the flour and salt together. Cut in the shortening until it resembles peas. Add 2 tablespoons of water in the center of the bowl and gently mix to start to create a ball of dough. Add 2 more tablespoons of water and make a larger ball of dough. Add 1-2 more tablespoons in order to form the rest of the dough. Place the dough on a piece of waxed paper. Wrap the dough in the paper and then in plastic wrap. Put into the refrigerator for at least one hour to let it rest. Now, just follow the directions on the can to finish up a wonderful pumpkin pie.

Let me know what you did for Thanksgiving. Any old traditions that you'd like to share? Any new ones that you started this year that you expect to continue?

Hot Pepper Grilled Cheese (Less than 10 minutes)

2006-11-26T14:46:00.000-05:00

MTH was hungry after his 5 mile run so I needed to make something quick (plus, I've got lots to do - Christmas cards, finish decorating, go to the grocery store for the week, etc). So, I decided to make grilled cheese sandwiches. You're probably asking yourself why am I putting this one on my recipe blog. Well, it may be a simple recipe but it turned out to taste really good.
Here's what you need:
French bread, halved lengthwise
butter
red pepper flakes
extra sharp cheddar cheese, sliced
non-stick frying pan
cake pan or plate that fits inside the frying pan
heavy pan

Here's what you do:
Melt a little butter into the non-stick pan on high. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes to your taste. Let them toast for about 30 seconds or so. Then, toast the French bread cut-side down. Put the cake pan or plate on top of the bread and then weight it down with the heavy pan. Toast for about 30 seconds. Take out the toasted bread and turn down the heat to low. Place the sliced cheese onto the bottom piece of the toasted bread. Top with the other slice. Place back into the non-stick pan. Put the plate or cake pan on top and weight down with the heavy pan. Toast for 30 seconds to a minute. Turn it over and toast again for another 30 seconds to a minute. You now have a spicy grilled cheese sandwich. Everyone will ask for seconds so be prepared!