Run, don't walk

To the store and get any ingredients you are missing to make these:
Blueberry Lemon Rolls

They are so very good. I found my Spring General Conference Breakfast tradition.
Something about lemon zest & blueberries.
First time I've let dough sit in the fridge overnight. What was I waiting for?

Life changing salad dressing

It's been awhile since I've written about veggies at lunch, so here goes:

I pretty much do it every day . . . I don't keep track but I would say that 9 out of 10 or more times I do eat veggies with my lunch. Two Saturdays ago when lunch was pancakes & eggs I did not eat veggies. . . and I could have but didn't.
I have to say it's been a good change.

My favorite lunch veggie is spinach. I buy a one lb. box every time I'm at Sam's. (Unless they are out--then I growl under my breath and have to buy it at another store).  Nathan and I are the ones who eat it most, but if I give my kids an option they will usually eat some kind of veggie. Today one of the older children tried it on a turkey sandwich and enjoyed it, so there is hope.

I found this recipe my Aunt had given me several years ago that I'd never tried. It is a winner because it tastes good, goes well with Spinach and you can keep all the ingredients easily in your house. Drop me a line if you try it and like it, too.

Spinach Salad dressing:

1/3 C oil
1/4 C Lemon juice
2 T. Soy sauce
1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce

I call it awesome. Just fresh enough, b/c of the lemon, just spicy enough b/c of the tabasco. It feels a touch oily . . . but pretty close . . . and it's possible I put in 1/2 C? Can't remember. I confess many times I make it on the fly in my bowl, and it's probably a little heavy on the Lemon juice that way. 

Consciously eating veggies at lunch this year has not made me lose a ton of weight, but I feel better and it's led to other positive changes. Like seeing someone about my back, joining a gym, seeing people I haven't in many years, and taking Barre class. I love it. 

p.s. For my mom & Dad, this recipe is from Aunt Maxine. It's delicious & from family, you should try it.

Pesto, pasta, peas

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

This was very, very good. Fresh, light, and awesome. Try it.
I am not a fan of canned Sun-dried tomatoes, but when I saw a bag of dried tomatoes, I thought, "That's right up my alley."
[This link is the exact brand I bought, but I did not buy on Amazon  . . . wonder if that's a better price?]
(I don't like the extra stuff that's added to the canned variety).

At 5:00pm when I still didn't have a dinner plan, this is what I decided to make.

Changes:
I soaked my 3.5 oz bag of tomatoes in 2 cups hot water for about 7 min.
The recipe seems to have left out the amount of nuts--I used about 1/3 C of pine nuts.
Omitted garlic.
Used green onions instead of sweet. Green onions are my fave.

3 of my children liked it . . . I think they were the only 3 that tried it.

Served with sugar snap peas.
So good.

Mother's Day Menu re-cap

Perfect day!
Perfect weather, perfect company, and perfect food.

Breakfast:
Biscuits, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, and OJ.
But, the best part of the meal is that all my children were seated and quiet when I came down the stairs.

Lunch:
Skipped--because breakfast was heavy and late and we have noon church.
There was snacking . . . . but nothing awesome.

Dinner:
Chicken Cordon Bleu (thank you Sam's freezer section)
Green Salad w/ homemade dressing
Cucumbers & grape tomatoes
Garden Pasta Salad with Summer vegetables.

The recipe is from America's Test Kitchen, found HERE. 
We doubled it to feed a crowd. Also doubled the green beans, because they were so fresh. I want to eat this all summer long.

and the ONLY mother's day dessert:
Strawberry Tart

My sister's family and my parents came--we had a nice time talking.

I love spring and summer food. It's going to be a great season.

Assembly line Won Tons

We've been reading a book Bryn had me check out at the library a few weeks ago.

Dumpling Days

It also inspired tonight's dinner: Wonton Soup
(from an Everyday Food Tara gave me years ago. Can't tell you how many recipes I've been storing and saving for "someday." Must try new things.)

It's the story of a first generation American of Taiwanese descent and her first voyage to Taiwan. Since my family has a little Taiwan connection, it's very interesting. Hearing her talk about dumplings made me want to make this recipe I've been keeping around for years. It was nice to have Bryn's company while I made them . . . they took longer that I thought.

She laid out the wrappers and scooped most of the filling, even though this is my hand

Ready to go but protected with a damp paper towel so they don't dry out too much

My Chief Photographer was home teaching so this blurry pic will have to do

My rating of this recipe: Delicious.

Nathan came home at 7 so he ate dinner after us. He said, "Do these taste better because of the book we are reading?"
I don't know if it's that, or just breaking your fast after a long day, but if you haven't made wontons, this is a good place to start--they show lots of pictures demonstrating the steps.
3/5 of my kids liked the whole soup, one only wanted the broth, and one didn't care for it at all. Pretty good--we don't try to please all the palates at once.

I remember watching my mom make egg rolls when I was little and learning how to wrap them myself when I got older. I love deep fat fried wrapped up meat and cabbage. Boiled in soup is also tasty.

(I've decided to check out some Newberry winning authors--I think that's what my friend in Chicago read. I don't read adult fiction for the most part, but I love a well written story so I thought it would be a good place to begin).

Have a great week.

Blueberry season

I found a blueberry muffin recipe I love, here, in my favorite Test Kitchen Cookbook.
(36 muffins and only one stick of butter).
I like to sprinkle a little bit of this sugar on top before I bake them--a detail that's worth it.
I enjoy having company and I like cooking to feed them. We've enjoyed many delightful meals with family members in our home this summer. Despite my intentions, there were some meals I didn't get made in time. These are the blueberry muffins that came out of the oven about half an hour after my company left.
BOO!
Next time?
Our company have come and gone . . . . no more visitors from out of town until next month.
(When we have a priesthood ordination and baptism in the same weekend!!!) 

Egg-salad idea

For your leftover Easter eggs . . . . 
I tried this sandwich today and it was awesome.
I measured nothing, you will have to guess.

1 hard-boiled egg, diced
olive oil
vinegar
mustard
cilantro
salt
pepper

Sliced tomato

2 slices homemade bread (toasted--that's a bonus of being at home with young children. Access to a toaster).

(I know not everyone loves cilantro like I do, some think it tastes like dishsoap. But if you love it, try this sandwich--it is a keeper. Sidenote: this was my lunch, I didn't try feeding it to today's crowd. I do have one or two children that would appreciate it, but not those who are home today. I might eat this weekly for awhile).

Nancy's Homemade Noodles

Every month I ask for help deciding what's for dinner.
It's a win-win.
They win because they get to give input and we get to eat what they want for one dinner.
I win because I don't have to plan EVERYTHING.

This month, Nate picked chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles, which we ate tonight for dinner.
Some ate none, some ate all, someone went to great lengths to remove all the parsley.

to parsley or not to parsley, that is the question

Nancy's Noodle Recipe:
(yields 1/2 lb dry, 4 C cooked)

2/3 C flour
1 egg
1 TBSP. water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oil

Make a well in flour  and add other ingredients. Work with hands folding until it can be cleaned from hand. Cover, let sit for an hour.
Roll and fold 10 times, adding flour each time so it doesn't stick. Roll out to 1/4 or less, cut. Let sit 1/2 hour to dry. Add to boiling water or broth. Boil 5 minutes.

Notes: I use a mixer instead of kneading by hand, and I double because they are good. I think this recipe came from the Joy of Cooking, but is not the same as the version there now.

Nathan copied this years ago over the phone from his mom, on the back of a first year podiatry school schedule. He doesn't really have a favorite meal, but this comes close. He eats it served over mashed potatoes.

Nancy last made it for us when she and Steve came to visit in TX post-Edwin.

I love it because it's simple, good food. Hope you like it, too.

September in my kitchen

I spent an hour and a half shredding zucchini and squash to put into our freezer. We did not grow this ourselves--it came from 2 friends and my parents. I also lent my shredder to a friend who put enough zucchini into her freezer to make 29 loaves of zucchini bread.

I taught a friend how to pressure can beans--we did pintos and black. I need to do some more--we have lots of empty jars, and lots of bags of dried beans.

My sister in law, Tara, started a food blog, here. She's a dietician and enjoys good food. (Which is pretty much a perfect combination). Check her out.
My culinary skills improved just by living close by her for 2 years.

I made this delish lasagna the other day. My dad gave me zucchini and squash from his garden so we tried it. I think you could cut a lot of fat and not miss it. (The heavy cream and the mozzarella cheese. Milk instead of cream, and about half the cheese). Next time--because I think there will be one. I didn't use her method for the chicken, but I want to try it. Bay leaf and lemon sound interesting together.

I made a breakfast casserole from America's Test Kitchen a few weeks ago. It was good--but I wanted to try some tweaks and make it again. We had Round 2 for dinner tonight--and it was near perfection. (Left out half the sausage, salt, hot sauce, pepper, and the entire onion). If you come visit, I will make it for you. I think it's earned a spot in the regular rotation. The boys love it and the girls picked at it--but ate more tonight than last time. You toast the bread before putting it in--which solves the soggy problem most breakfast casseroles face. And, you have to make it ahead of time--which is a beautiful thing when it's 4 pm and dinner is already made except for baking.
(I think Test Kitchen hits technique RIGHT ON, EVERY TIME. Most of the time there are steps that could be streamlined and salt that can be removed. Do you agree? And I try to avoid their website so I don't think I need any new cookbooks. They have a slow cooker book that caught my attention--thank goodness my library has it. I love using the slow cooker).

This week, I learned that by adding a little cocoa powder to your morning oatmeal, you will not believe what kind of response you will get. Children who normally may loathe it might ask for seconds.   
(I am not planning on repeating every time we eat it, but it sure is nice to not have to fight a battle when oatmeal is served).

Caitlin's birthday cinammon rolls turned out really well. She's not really into cake, which is OK with me.

Andrew asked for
chocolate cake,
chocolate frosting,
and chocolate ice cream for his. That all went smoothly.

But, I had two snags on the homemade pizza he asked for. First, I ran out of cornmeal. My mom quickly went to Target and saved the day. Then, when I was putting the pizza dough into the pans, I remembered I left out the salt. Since Nathan wasn't home yet, I asked him to stop at Little Caesar's to solve the pizza emergency.
I still had all the toppings and sauce, so we had pizza later that week. I think Andrew was OK with that part.  (I remembered the salt the second time). His two closest friends were able to make our last minute invitation, which was nice.

I bought the worst breakfast sausage in the world. It was so bad I gave a thought to reconsidering vegetarianism. Two children would not eat it. Some of the others thought it was great and had extra. Nathan and I wished we hadn't broken our fast eating it. 

This dressing is very good. Can't say anything about the salad, I haven't tried it. But the dressing changed my mind about rice vinegar.

This month I have been REALLY bad at meal planning. I just haven't done it. I think it's less stressful to take the time to make a plan and carry it out than not plan. So, I will try again, and let you know.

When we studied the Word of Wisdom this week Andrew asked, "Why are we only supposed to eat meat in the winter?"
(We don't do this, by the way--but perhaps we should try a little harder).
His was not the only question, however, we also got, "It is OK to drink hot chocolate?"

And, if you have read this far, you might also be interested in reading this, my Mormon.org profile, complete with my apron.

My Pizza crust

This is a compilation of two really great pizza crust recipes . . . so I am calling it mine. But I want you to have it because my search for a great recipe is over.

1 1/2 C warm water
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
3 C unbleached flour
1/2 C cornmeal
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar

1) Mix all ingredients in mixer. Knead about 10 minutes. (It will be very sticky). Scrape into in oiled bowl, cover and let rise until double, or about 1 hour.

2)Preheat oven to 425. Spray olive oil on 12 by 18 inch baking sheet, and sprinkle with about 1/2 Tbsp cornmeal.

3)Oil a spot of your counter about the size of your baking sheet. Turn dough out onto counter, and stretch gently with hands. Leave 5 min. Transfer to baking sheet, stretching and rolling out to fit pan.

4)Brush the top with olive oil, make dents to prevent bubbling, let rest 5 minutes.

5)Add sauce and toppings.

6)Bake for 20-25 minutes until crust is browned and cheese melted.

(Sidenotes: I found the recipe I started with while visiting teaching. It comes from Simply Recipes. Of course I am keeping the Chicago Deep dish recipe I found last month--which supplied the extra inspiration. It is just not for everyday use. Special occasions and requests only).

The good, the bad, and the yummy

The good:
The shipping on my new Bosch will only take 2-3 days.

The bad:
I broke my Kitchenaid permanently last week.

The yummy:
Cranberry Applesauce
(copied from a magazine in a TX doctor's office as far as I can tell from the paper on which it's written)
6 sweet/tart apples (Braeburn, Fuji, McIntosh are suggested)
2 C fresh cranberries
2/3 C sugar
1/2 C sweet cider
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice

Simmer 25-30 minutes.
Food process when cooled.
Chill for 3 hours.

(I didn't have cider, so I substituted water and more sugar.
I didn't have those apples, I used Granny Smith.
I used my immersion blender, not a food processor.
I didn't wait 3 hours either).

We LOVED it. You will too!

A tasty pair

I love these recipes with Coriander & Chicken and wanted to share them:

Chicken Tikka Masala
(This is not the exact recipe I have used, but it is the closest free and non-copyrighted one I can find). I got mine here, which I bought at Sam's Club for less than you can get online. This dinner will make you want to stay at the table and eat some more. And more. And you will jump up and down if you get the leftovers the next day--it's so good. I cannot promise your children will love it--but if you like tomatoes, I think you will. And I didn't really jump up and down. But I am excited for lunch tomorrow.   

Chicken Bits or Chicken Bites
I've had this one for awhile, and it appears on our table once every couple of weeks. I tweak it a little of course. I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces instead of tenders, and I cook them all at once, rather than saute twice. It is easy and tasty. My kids love it. Need I say more?


p.s.
Have you tried Freeze Dried herbs?
The first one I tried was dill. It is the next best thing to fresh, because you can keep it around for a long time. Today I bought cilantro . . . we'll see. If I love it, it is going to save dinner a thousand times.  . . . (I can't tell you how many times I've wished for fresh cilantro in my kitchen).
Parsely will be next.

Playing with our food

Don't knock it until you've tried it!
Here are the participants in Friday night's food presentation contest.
Taco salad night is always a hit at our house. I love the colors. And flavors.
My kids like it because they are in charge of what goes on their plate, and how it is organized.
Can you tell from the photo above that eating "mixed" foods is an acquired skill? Someone isn't quite ready for that yet.

p.s. One participant wanted me to photograph a plate with only lettuce on it. I didn't.
And, I've always loved playing with my food. I encourage it at my table (within reason). Broccoli stalks as trees . . . . . .

Evidence

that Nathan went back to Copperas Cove on Sunday to speak again. I begged him for this photo.
Imagine these prints on the streets surrounding your favorite high school. School spirit is alive and well in CC.

This time, he talked about gifts and the gift of the Atonement. His requirements for a great gift are:
1)Something you want
2)Something you need
3)Something you can use again and again.

He went with his parents to speak. The kids and I went home, after going to our own ward. My parents were here also (for Bryn's baptism), and rather than send them to the airport hungry, I wanted to make them our traditional Sunday lunch pancakes before they left. More on the baptism to come, soon.


Evidence of how I spent my day today:

47 jars, and not a single one broke! Two that failed to seal, which will become dinner tomorrow. I think they are the ones I didn't wipe very well after I transferred chicken from one jar to another.

Last week when talking to a friend she said she wanted to can chicken. If you buy 50 lbs of it at a time, you can get it for $1.50/lb at our Sam's. That's a lot of chicken, but split between 2 families of 6 people each . . . . I won't can chicken again until my zip code changes.

Her canner fits 8 pints at a time. Mine fits 16, so we did 2 batches. This is the first time I've used more than one canner at a time, I loved it!

She offered to cut the meat (my least favorite part) if we could use my stove for the canning. What a great deal. Looking forward to using chicken post baby when I am too tired to think straight.

Recipe for a good day

Have I given you this recipe yet?

Award Winning Cornbread

1 1/2 C Flour

1 C Cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 C Sugar

1 1/2 C Milk

2 Eggs

1/2 C Oil (Canola)

Mix, Stir, Bake at 350 for 30 min in a greased pan. Enjoy!

It's a good thing I didn't post anything yesterday. I was frustrated about Caitlin's Dr's appointment that I completely forgot to go to. I was in tears when Diana and I had a skull collision at her naptime. I have my first "goose egg" in years. And I was in a panic about Bryn turning 8. (My children's birthdays are always hard for me). But this morning, there is the smell of cornbread in my kitchen and the world is right again. She requested it as part of her lunch. I told her no last night during the midst of the stress, but when I woke up this morning, I thought "Why not?"

I got this recipe from companion on my mission. I can't believe they sold cornmeal in the Canary Islands, I never saw a native use it. I think I've made this recipe over a hundred times in my life, it is one of my favorites. Hope it becomes one of yours.

The best made plans . . . . (Fish week)

If you were to title this week's menu, it would be "Fish week."

Monday night we ate frozen fish sticks because it was a busy day and Nathan wasn't going to make it in time for dinner.

Tuesday night: Refried beans and rice.

Today I discovered that my kitchen helpers put the frozen fish into the fridge, not the freezer. They were so efficient that I didn't even notice them or give them a second thought, until I found 3 dinners worth of fish in the fridge, (plus 3 lunches worth for N to take to work).
OOPS. When I found the first package, I thought "Great! I didn't have a plan for dinner tonight and since they are already thawed, it will be perfect."

Then, hiding behind package one, I found packages 2 and 3. I laughed because what else could I do? It was too late to re-freeze them.

We ate Tilapia Fish Sticks tonight. This is a favorite Tara gave me when we were neighbors in Chicago. Tilapia was always on sale at one of our favorite stores, and it has become a family favorite (for some of the family, that is).

Tomorrow will be LOTS of salmon, are you coming for dinner?

My helpers begged to have their picture taken after their baths and combing their own hair. I love my helpers and their working hands.


Friday will probably be fish, too.

Now, I wonder, "Was it my helpers? Or was it me?"

Finished!

It's done! 9:30 am Friday, Sept 18th!


More than once I asked Nathan why I didn't just BUY a cute apron instead. He assured me that I was learning useful skills and that the first time we do ANYTHING it isn't easy.

I guess I have been doing a lot of the same things over and over again,
Wake up
Lunches
Kids to school
Home again for housework or
Shopping
Lunch
Nap
Kids home from school
Dinner
Flag football/scouts/or Enrichment
Scripture study
Crash into bed
Repeat
and getting out of my comfort zone was uncomfortable.

It was not easy. The ties were particularly tricky. Sewing with black fabric is a little bit like knitting with black yarn . . . it's hard to see exactly what you are doing, and I don't have the right marking tools.
I learned a lot:
what "understitching" is
how to use interfacing
my very first V-neckline
why marking your fabric can save you a LOT of time

I bought a seam guide, (If you don't have one yet--spend $1.50 and get one--it's the best sewing money I've spent in recent memory).

I got through this apron with a lot of help from a friend in my ward who was making one, too. She's great and answered many questions and let me look at her apron a handful of times until I understood how the pieces fit together.

I am keeping the pattern, but think this one will last me a long time. In the meantime, I can't wait to use it at dinner! Now, what is for dinner?

Remember when you see this photo that I today I am 24 weeks pregnant!

Cinnamon Chips

Have you tried?

After paying $6 for a loaf of Cinnamon Chip Bread last weekend, I determined to make my own. I'd never heard of "Cinnamon chips" before, but when I looked them up online, I discovered that Hershey's makes them. This morning when I found them at my grocery store in our small town, I nearly jumped up and down in the aisle. (There is one grocery store in my town besides Walmart. OK, one chain, two locations).

I added them to my regular bread recipe and WOW--what a treat!
I have to figure out when the best time is to add them to my dough, it was quite sticky and quite melty . . . will be putting them in the freezer before the next attempt. Can't wait to try them in an oatmeal cookie, too! From my kitchen to yours--ENJOY!

Searching for Dinner Salads S.O.S.

Tonight dinner was Chinese Chicken Salad, pictured below. My older kids love it, especially because I added Mandarin Oranges tonight. The younger ones still have a hard time with the dressing, but filled up on the Chow Mein Noodles and cucumbers we served on the side.



I've been in a bit of a cooking funk, and so I am searching for your favorite dinner salads. Using the electricity as little as possible is a desirable thing. In your comments, please post a favorite, send me a link to a great recipe or site, or an email. My husband, family, and self would greatly appreciate a new idea or two.

p.s. I'm not really a fan of cold pasta salads, so save those for someone who is.

Corny

Our Memorial Day weekend plans changed when we realized we couldn't get the air conditioner in the mini-van fixed until after Jun 1st. :(

We planned to go to Houston to the temple and to drive on a little further to dip our toes into the Gulf of Mexico. That trip is postponed for awhile, but we are having fun at home this weekend.

In the afternoon, we filled 15 of our new canning jars with corn. The kids helped shuck the corn, I cut, and Nathan prepared it for the jars. It was fun to work together on something we can use later. In between duty, the kids were out in the backyard playing. The weather was so nice today, only high 70's, so the windows were open and I called them when it was time to shuck more corn. I called them "Corn Team." They came running each time it was their turn to help. I'm pretty sure that A & B will be the only kids who answer "We canned corn" when they go back to school on Tuesday and are asked what they did over the weekend.

I learned that shucking and cutting could be done outside, sparing a lot of kitchen cleanup, but will have to buy more corn to apply that knowledge. This was the first time we'd tried canning corn. I thought it would work well in pint jars, since we now have an abundance of them.