Feeding the Tribe

Veggie Lasagna

2010-04-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

One of my family's favorite meals is veggie lasagna. It takes a little extra time, and when the veggies are not from our yard, a little extra money, but it is so worth it.

Here is how I make it for my crew.

First I put some pasta sauce in the bottom of my biggest Pyrex pan. If you have homemade, that is the best, but as tomatoes are not in season, I used a jarred Roasted Garlic sauce.

On top of the sauce, place as many dry lasagna noodles as will fit without overcrowding. I often break mine up to get them to fit best...I like good noodle coverage.

I then prepare the zucchini layer. In a very large skillet, melt a few tablespoons of butter with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Slice 3 medium or two large zucchinis into thin rounds. Take three large cloves of garlic and mince. Take a handful of white mushrooms, or whatever mushroom you like, and chop into bite size pieces. Slice a large leek, or two smaller leeks in half lengthwise, then into half moon slices no more than 1/4 inch think. Add leeks to a large bowl and rinse in water a few times, the last time filling the bowl up so that the leeks rise to the top and any remaining sand can sink to the bottom (leeks can be very sandy). To the pan, add half the leeks and all garlic, cooking for a few minutes before adding the zucchini and mushrooms. Cook on medium low until everything is soft and starting to caramelize. Add some kosher salt and pepper to taste, then place the mixture on top of the noodles in the dish.

I then top this with a simple Beschamel made using butter and flour to create a roux and adding milk, salt, pepper and grated garlic. Cook until thick and poor over the top (you can also add mozzarella cheese to the sauce to make a cheese sauce).

Add another layer of noodles and prepare the spinach layer. Add some olive oil to the pan you cooked the zucchini in. Add the remaining leeks and two large bags of baby spinach (or about 6-8 cups). Add Kosher salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until leeks start to soften and spinach is wilted but still holds it shape well. At this time, add 1/3 a block of cream cheese and stir until melted and incorporated. Add the mixture to the Pyrex dish, cover with more noodles a layer of Ricotta cheese, enough to cover the noodles, then slice some fresh tomatoes and add them with some fresh basil on top of the Ricotta. Top with more noodles and cover with enough pasta sauce to evenly cover the whole casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake until noodles are cooked and everything is hot and bubbly. About 10 minutes before the lasagna is done top with mozzarella so it can melt and won't burn, or you can just add to the top and leave in the hot oven with the heat turned off when cooking is completed.

So yummy, so good for you :)

Our smallest member

2010-03-13T05:47:00.000-08:00

As I was feeding Teagan this morning, I thought I would share some of what we feed her.

I try not to rely on baby food, none of my kids were huge baby food eaters, but we do use some of the pureed fruits and veggies since they are easy and smooth.

Teagan is nearly eight months old and has begun enjoying a variety of foods. Every day she eats yogurt. It is whole milk, vanilla yogurt we get from the farm so it is also organic and antibiotic free. She loves the yogurt and it is so good for her belly. It also helps fend off any diaper rashes caused by yeast. Sometimes we smush a banana in the yogurt or we add in a pureed fruit such as apples or pears. This is either breakfast or lunch everyday.

Teagan also LOVES egg yolks (no whites until a year). We get her the farm eggs since the chickens are free ranged so the eggs are higher in good fats that help brain development. We scramble two egg yolks (farm egg yolks are almost orange) in a little of the cream that rises to the top of our milk bottles or a dab of butter, again these are good for growth and brain development.

Teagan also loves avocados! She will often eat a half an avocado for lunch with some dry cereal or puffs, or she will eat it with some oatmeal. We have some of the baby oatmeal, but we are transitioning her to steel cut oats since they have more protein and are a whole grain. Now that she tries to chew food, she is able to eat a lot more. She enjoys spaghetti squash with just a bit of butter, and she is slowly adding new things every day.

This is such a great time of exploration! We try to feed her the healthiest and most diverse foods possible so that she has a good palette and eats well like our other kids. I must admit, however, that she is a total puff junkie and I need to find something to replace them in her diet, they are really just poofy flavored carbs :)

Yes we still eat

2010-02-20T06:43:00.000-08:00

I just haven't had a lot of time to post!

Recent new recipes include cinnamon rolls that are to DIE for and hamburger rolls.

But this morning I took a staple of ours, Steel Cut Oats, to a whole new level...by mistake.

I put the oats in the crockpot last night on high, but then got tired and turned them down too early. When the baby was up at 6:30 I came to check the oats and they were still undercooked, cranked them to high and went back upstairs. When the other kids got up, the oats were cooked but still a little loose, so I added in a jar of my home canned apple slices, a bunch of cinnamon, some pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar. We eat our oats with a little milk on top, and I swear this tasted just like apple pie a'la mode! It was so yummy, the kids and hubby gobbled it all up! The best part is the oats are organic (and super cheap), the apples are picked and canned by me and everything that is in the oatmeal with the exception of the milk is ok for Teagan to eat too. Gotta love the oats!

The hubster requested meatball subs for dinner, so I need to make meatballs this morning so they can simmer all day and I will use my hamburger roll recipe to make whole wheat hoagies for the subs. The extra dough will be made into whole wheat cinnamon rolls because we will eat them for Sunday breakfast.

Anniversary Cake

2010-01-09T12:46:00.000-08:00

On our real anniversary, the one in January, we got married at the magistrate, went to breakfast at Bob Evans with my sister, brother in law and niece, then registered for my baby shower...yeah, we did things the "unconventional" way :) We then had a big "wedding" in July back home on Long Island with all of our friends and family, but don't worry, no one was tricked, they knew we were married already and Haven was the guest of honor!

We don't celebrate either date a lot, we are just happy each year to be with each other, loved and together. Yesterday was our anniversary and the kids had a snow day, Ryan had work, and I had a huge to do list, so we plan to "celebrate" tomorrow with a nice dinner at home after the kids are in bed with a movie on PPV.

However, I cannot pass up an opportunity to make a cake, and in honor of our 10 years of marriage, I decided to make a chocolate chunk cake with peanut butter buttercream and chocolate chunks.

I cheated today and used a boxed mix...sorry, but the baby wouldn't nap and I needed to make the cake with only one free arm. Sometime soon I will post my yellow cake recipe, it is super yummy.

So I made the cake mix, added in a few handfuls of chocolate chunks and split the batter between two loaf pans. Bake as directed and when the cakes come out, sprinkle with more chocolate chunks, let melt and then spread evenly over the cakes. I then put my cakes in the freezer to cool well.

Then make the butter cream. Soften a quarter cup of butter and half cup of peanut butter. Using a mixer, blend the two until well combined and creamy. Add two and a half cups of powdered sugar (I don't like it too sweet, add more if you do) and blend until smooth adding half and half or milk in small increments until the frosting is smooth, creamy and the consistency you desire. Then add a teaspoon of vanilla and mix one more time.

When the cakes are cool, cover with the frosting and chocolate chunks, or if feeling fancy, melt chocolate and drizzle over. So yummy!

Pork Roast with Apples and Cider

2010-01-05T15:48:00.000-08:00

You know those times when you are cooking and making things up as you go and you think...hmmm, I should really remember this just in case we like it? Well, thankfully I remembered to keep track of what I did when I made pork roast with apples and cider.

Here is what I did, and the results were super yummy!

I had a nice boneless pork loin. In my dutch oven I added a few tablespoons of olive oil and then diced a good sized sweet onion and added it to the oil. Cooked until the onion began getting soft then added the pork loin and browned on both sides. Added the spices, salt and pepper, a teaspoon or so of paprika, two good pinches of red pepper flakes and a dash or two of cinnamon. Once combined, add a half a bottle of a good quality hard apple cider, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Then I added two big handfuls of dried apples (we dry our own so I had a bunch )but if you don't have dried apples, you could add a couple of diced apples, be sure to pick something tart that will hold up well. Cover and put in the oven for an hour to hour and a half on a low hear, around 325. Check about halfway through to see if it is getting dry, add more cider as needed.

Check that the pork is cooked, it should be very tender, but if you had a really big loin, it may take longer. Right before serving, take the pork and try to slice it...mine was so tender it pretty much shredded. The cider and apples and onions cooked into a thick sauce which I combined with the pork and then checked for seasoning...I found we needed a touch more salt. Serve over thin egg noodles...delicious!

OK, new year, new goals

2010-01-01T13:15:00.000-08:00

Wow, this blog gets neglected a lot, I think it is because I actually have to think about what I am making and then find a way to write it down here. I will try harder.

I think I am going to using labels, to see if that helps me organize my thoughts a bit better. I am also going to try to talk a little about food choices, what choices we have made and trying to feed a family of six good meals on a budget.

Tonight we are having spiced chicken, and I have already posted how I make that. I also made a pot of tortilla soup since the whole family has been sick and the spicy goodness should help.

I am making spicy potato wedges as a side tonight. I have never made these before so I am not sure how they will turn out, but I am tired of spanish rice or white rice or lime cilantro rice....you get the idea.

This is what i did. I sliced about 7 potatoes into wedges and then sliced those wedges in half to make decent bite sized pieced. I then took a bowl and added a generous amount of kosher salt, a few dashes of cayenne pepper, a few more dashes of paprika, some cumin and black pepper. I then added olive oil to the mixture to make a slurry to coat the potatoes and added a few dashes of hot sauce. I then mixed everything together with the potatoes and left to marinate. I will roast them at a high temp, about 425, turning until cooked through and crispy. You can play with the spices as you like, this is the basic process I use for a few potato recipes including lemon dill and parsley potatoes, but I have never spiced them before. Hopefully they will crisp nicely and not be too spicy for the kids, although my kids are spice lovers. The nice part is, you can always customize the spice as you like, or even go mild and do salt and lime. The oil is needed and most stays in the container when you pull the potatoes out, and be generous with the salt, potatoes need salt.

Best Zucchini Sticks ever

2009-12-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

Oh my I love fried zucchini, and so does my 9 year old. Being that I was exhausted and needed a pick me up, I asked the hubby to grab two zucchini at the store on his way home and I got to work. In the past, I would simply bread the zucchini in dry bread crumbs that I had seasoned, but today decided I wanted to try a new approach. I scoured the web and looked at all the recipes and decided to do a battered stick. Here was what i did.

Slice a well washed zucchini into sticks (rounds would work as well). I made a bowl of seasoned flour, with salt, pepper and a little cayenne.

I then made the batter using an egg, some milk or half and half and a half cup of flour. I wanted the batter pretty thick, about the consistency of melted premium ice cream or pancake batter. I then seasoned this as well, with salt, pepper, a iittle "complete seasoning" and some tabasco. The first time, I dredged in the dry flour, then put in the batter, then back in the flour. The result was pretty good and the batter held tight to the zucchini, but there was just not a good coating/zucchini ratio. The next time I dredged in the dry flour then into the batter and then into the oil...this was perfect! The batter spreads a bit and creates a case around the zucchini, but there is so much flavor in the batter that I like the extra crunch I get. I cooked over med-high in veggie oil until really super crisp, added a little salt when they were draining and served with blue cheese dressing....oldest child deemed these the best ever and she has eaten a lot of zucchini sticks in her short life :)

Easy Potato Pancakes

2009-12-13T06:31:00.000-08:00

I made potato pancakes, or latkes, last night for dinner alongside a delicious brisket in red wine. My neighbor is expecting and indicated that she was craving potato pancakes so I sent some over for her and then she asked if they were easy to make...and well, they are!

Here is the recipe I use, I tend to eyeball it a lot since potatoes come in all sizes.

I use my food processor to grate the potatoes and carrots on the small grate disk. My food processor has a chute, so I have all the shredded material shoot into a huge bowl filled with ice cold water. The water will keep everything from going brown from oxidation.

Last night I made about 25 medium sized potato pancakes. I used 10 potatoes that were medium sized and three smaller carrots. I peeled the potatoes two at a time and then would grate them...I really dislike when my potato pancakes are gray, so small batches are the best trick. Halfway through the potatoes, I shredded the carrots. You can also add in onion and grate just as you do the potatoes and carrots, but my kids don't like it with the onion. For this sized batch, I would use one medium to large onion.

Once all the carrots and potatoes are grated and are happily sitting in the water, get another smaller bowl out and start heating your frying pan. Once warm, add vegetable oil to the pan, enough to coat the bottom well, but you don't want too much, the pancakes need to crisp and fry, but not deep fry! I preheat my pan and oil on a 7 on my stove dial, and then turn it down to 5 when actually cooking.

In your small bowl, beat one egg well. Take two big handfuls of the potato/carrot mixture, squeezing each really, really, REALLY well before adding to the egg. Once both squeezed handfuls are in the bowl, add three or four tablespoons of flour and salt and pepper, stir well. I then always do a small mini test pancake to check for consistency, seasoning, etc. When ready to cook, I use my "tablespoon" from my silverware set to place two or three blobs in the pan, flattening each a bit when they are placed. Don't overcrowd the pan or they won't crisp and watch the heat. There should be some sizzle when placed but make sure they are frying the whole time, and also watch that the heat is not too high. They take a few minutes per side, you want them to get nice and brown and crispy. I then place finished pancakes in an oven that was set to 350 and then turned down to 275 once pancakes were made.

Keep making in small batches until you are done...then eat and enjoy!

Chicken with Two Tomatoes

2009-12-01T13:22:00.000-08:00

Oh I cannot express to anyone how much I love tonight's dinner. It is like home, hearth and super deliciousness all wrapped up into one easy meal. I call it Chicken with Two Tomatoes, but really it is with two KINDS of tomatoes. The nice part about this meal is you can add things to it if you like, and it is yummy over pasta or like we are having it tonight, couscous.

OK, here is what I do

For my family, I need 6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I cut into strips. Saute in some olive oil with four big cloves of chopped garlic on a reasonably high heat so the chicken gets a little browned, but be careful not to burn the garlic...if you are worried, wait until the chicken is almost done before adding the garlic. Add in some sundried tomatoes, I used just about half a small jar, and I sliced mine into strips. Then add basil, oregano, salt and pepper to your taste...fresh is best, but dried will work here too. Once the chicken is cooked through, turn the heat off, and add a handful or two of cherry or grape tomatoes that have been sliced in half. The heat from the pan will help warm the tomatoes, but won't make them super mushy. Once the chicken is cooked and tomatoes in, I then make the couscous (or pasta). When the couscous is done and ready to serve, turn the heat back on the chicken, add a few tablespoons of butter and crumbled feta cheese. The goal is to get the butter all melted and the cheese melty and soft, but not all hot and disappearing. Then serve the chicken and tomatoes over the couscous so that it soaks up all the yummy goodness!

This is also fantastic with fresh baby spinach stirred in when you add the butter and feta, other options are capers or olives, yummy!

Too much bread...and I wish I meant money

2009-11-30T14:07:00.000-08:00

I have a ton of leftover bread. I made cinnamon raisin Challah bread for Thanksgiving morning, regular artisan bread for Thanksgiving dinner and hamburger rolls for last nights dinner...needless to say, lots of extra bread.

I needed something for tonight's dinner, something warm and toasty as it had been a long day of hard thoughts, and I also had to use up the bread.

I decided to make a combo bread pudding/baked french toast. I made a cinnamon caramel sauce out of butter, brown sugar, a little corn syrup and dash of salt all brought to a bubble on the stove. I then greased my big Pyrex and added the syrup to the bottom. I cubed up the half loaf of Challah that I had and a half a large boule of bread and pushed it down into the syrup. Then I beat 8 eggs and two cups of milk with a teaspoon of vanilla, two tablespoons sugar, a teaspoon cinnamon and a dash of salt, poured over the bread and pressed down. Refrigerate for two hours then baked for an hour at 375 until a knife came out clean. Then I sprinkled the top with small pats of butter a little more cinnamon and brown sugar and baked ten more minutes. It hit the spot, kids loved it and I used up most of my extra bread!

Dinner evolution

2009-11-24T12:27:00.000-08:00

I had no intentions of posting until tomorrow, but then I went to make dinner and had one of those moments that folks who love to cook, but also who cook all the time, have. My plan for dinner was a simple meatless baked ziti, bread and salad. As I gathered the items I needed, I saw them...leeks. I had bought them to use when the in laws were here since they like the veggie lasagna I make. With Thanksgiving looming, I really need to use those leeks up, one can go in the stuffing, but the other...well. Then it happened, dinner evolution. My mind started going and a new plan, and recipe, was hatched.

I had a really nice, big, organic leek to use up. I already had my ziti noodles out, as well as my ricotta and mozzarella. Quick scan of the fridge and freezer, and I pulled out about 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Here is what is being made.

I sliced my leek and washed it really well, they are very sandy. I put the leeks in a pan with a blob of butter and a few glugs of olive oil. I then sliced my chicken very thing, and then cut into bite sized pieces. This is really easy to do when the chicken is still partly frozen, plus you avoid the slimy chicken feeling. I then cooked the leeks and chicken together until the chicken was cooked through, adding salt and pepper and garlic when almost done.

The ziti noodles were boiled and drained, then the chicken mixture was tossed in the same pot and stirred well. I added one can of diced tomatoes and a half a bag of leaf spinach, stir well. I then made a simple white sauce (flour and butter in equal portions, cook for a few minutes, add milk,salt and pepper and cook until thickened) then added a good handful of grated parm cheese and poured over the pasta/chicken/spinach/leek mixtures. Stirred in a handful of mozzarella cheese and put in a big baking dish. Added a few spoonfuls of ricotta, sprinkled some more parm on top and baked until bubbly.

The trick is to taste it before you bake, especially checking for salt. Everything is cooked at this point, so it is safe, but the parm cheese is salty, so be careful adding salt. I am not sure what to call this, any ideas??

We have been busy....onward to Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

I have been cooking and feeding the family the last week, but we had company and it got crazy, so no posts. I will try to do better...but I promise the kids ate :)

Thanksgiving is creeping up on us, and I am hosting this year.

On the menu:

Spinach and Artichoke Dip (it is required at all family gatherings)
Vegetable Crudite
Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato Bake
Sweet Acorn Squash
Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Bread

I am getting a jump on things and starting the cooking tomorrow so that I can enjoy the day on Thursday. I made the bread today, it is out usual recipe but I doubled it since we will be having fresh bread tonight with dinner. The sheer volume of dough is astounding! I also plan to make Challah tomorrow to be used in Thanksgiving French Toast...we need something to enjoy while watching the parade!

I will post some recipes tomorrow, most likely my Sweet Potato Bake which is a spin off of Sweet Potato Souffle. I also will post my stuffing recipe which is made with white wine and lots of veggies. See ya tomorrow!

Comfort Food

2009-11-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite uses for leftover pasta is fried spaghetti...the kids and I love it for lunch, and it jazzes up boring plain pasta.

To make, I take a pat of butter and melt in my cast iron skillet. If you don't have cast iron, you may want to use a nonstick skillet since this can stick pretty badly, or you may want to add a little olive oil.

When the butter is melted, I add some seasoned bread crumbs, for a single serving, this is around a heaping tablespoon. Add a handful of cooked long pasta like spaghetti or angel hair and cook until the bread crumbs are crispy and the pasta is warmed through. Then stir in some hunks of feta cheese or grate some fresh parm on top, sprinkle with a little more breadcrumbs and cook a minute or two more,

It is simply delicious and a wonderful, comforting lunch!

Breakfast for the bunches

2009-11-16T19:02:00.000-08:00

My kids are breakfast eaters, their little eyes slowly open and then they ask to eat. Their father is this way too, and he got them all hooked on eating cereal, which is not a practice I enjoy. The kids needs two big bowls to feel full (and they are a bunch of skinny kids!) and while I only allow healthy cereals, I just feel there are better options. On crazy school mornings, it can be hard to get up and make a hot breakfast, especially with a nursing baby, before school activities and preschool drop offs, so I have found a few good tricks.

Crockpot Steel Cut Oats are a must here. In fact, I pretty much use my crockpot for oatmeal only! There are a million recipes out there, so I won't repeat how to make it, but I did want to share some of our favorite varieties.

A big favorite is for us to add our home canned apple slices or apple pie filling to the pot at night, by morning the oatmeal is filled with the fresh apple flavor. We also like it with brown sugar or maple syrup. You can add berries in the morning, or dried fruits the night before, apples and raisins are faves here. If your family can eat nuts, I bet they would be delicious mixed in too.

The best part about the oats is the cost. We get our steel cut oats at a local grocery store in the bulk area. They are organic and cost us $1.67 a pound, and every few weeks the store offers a dollar off the bulk bins! We only use a cup to a cup and a half of oats which means we are paying between 40 and 60 cents for a breakfast that feeds 5 people with extra left. Not to mention that steel cut oats have a better nutritional value than rolled oats, it is a hot and filling breakfast and my kids love it!

Granola Bars-coconut chip

2009-11-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

I have kids with food allergies which can make getting some items tough, especially if you are looking for healthier options of kid favorites. We always have a hard time locating granola and granola bars that are nut free, so I learned to make them myself. The bonus to this is that I can customize the recipe to what I have on hand or what the kids like, and once you make it a few times, you learn when it looks "right" and can do a lot of it by eye. I posted the basic trail mix granola bar recipe on my other blog and it can be found here

Today the kids requested granola bars, so this was what I put together.

Coconut Chip Granola Bars

2 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup apple butter (we had homemade on hand, can use apple sauce too)
1/4 cup veg oil (you can up applesauce to a cup and not use any oil)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2-3/4 cup shredded coconut (we usually use unsweetened, but I had sweetened today, if unsweetened, you may want to add a 1/4 cup of honey)

Basically just toss in a bowl and stir until very well combined. It should be wet and be able to hold together when pushed on, but not at all soupy. If it is too wet, and there is excess liquid, add some more flour and oats, too dry, a little more applesauce or oil. Basically mine looks like a thick oatmeal cookie dough. Press evenly into a greased dish, I use a large Pyrex dish that I greased, and bake at 350 30-45 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through. These will cut into nice bars for the kids, and you know they are filled with healthy stuff. The best part is you can sub any mix ins you want, we love raisins, dried cranberries, figs, dried apples and blueberries (this is excellent with maple syrup in place of some of the sugar or honey). No nuts here, but if you can have the, they are an excellent option as well!

Spiced Chicken

2009-11-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

is a staple meal around here. It is something the whole family will eat and I can use it a number of different ways. It is also a pretty cheap meal, filling and healthy.

Tonight we are having Spiced Chicken Enchiladas. I use chicken leg quarters to make the chicken, and get them really cheap at Wegmans, I think they are .47 a pound!

To make the spiced chicken, take as many of the chicken leg quarters that you think you need, we use at least five or six for a meal, more if I plan to use the extra for soup. Put the chicken in a pot, cover halfway with water and add spices of choice. I use cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne and chili powder. Cook until the meat is falling off the bone,remove from the pot and save the broth to be strained and frozen later as stock.

Remove the chicken from the bone and shred, add to a skillet with diced onion and saute until well shredded. Add either taco seasoning or seasoning of choice, I use cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, red pepper flakes and garlic. Add some of the stock if it gets too dry or starts to stick to the pan, then add a half a can of Rotel with lime and cilantro.

Then make the sour cream cheese sauce. Make a simple roux of butter and flour, then add a few cups of milk. How much sauce will depend on how many enchiladas you are making, I make our huge baking dish full and we like it drenched in sauce, so we use probably 4 cups of milk. Once it begins to thicken, add the rest of the can of rotel, salt and pepper, remove from heat and add a few handfuls of shredded cheese and three to four tablespoons of sour cream, stir well.

Take a corn tortilla, spoon some chicken inside, add some shredded cheese and roll up and place in greased baking dish seam side down. Repeat until all the chicken is used and then pour the cheese sauce over the top slowly, making sure it gets down the sides and between the enchiladas and doesn't overflow! Bake at 350 about 35 minutes until all bubbly and yummy, adding a few handfuls of cheese in the last 10 minutes. Serve with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes. When I have it on hand, I add fresh cilantro to the chicken and to the top of the enchiladas when done baking.

Ain't cookin'

2009-11-11T12:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry crew, but mama has to work and has parent teacher conferences before work and the baby sitter is coming so, I AIN'T COOKIN'!

See, everyone takes a night off. We are ordering pizza!

Pot Yoast

2009-11-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

So, the cookies I made the other day are gone and the husband has requested more. He may need to wait until tomorrow, I am not sure I will be able to pull it together enough today.

Tonight we are having pot roast, or as my oldest used to say, "Pot Yoast"

I love pot roast, it is easy, delicious, healthy and cooks in one big ole pot all day long making the house smell yummy! I never make it exactly the same way each time, but today I am going with my more "traditional" version.

In my big Le Crueset I put some very thinly sliced sweet onion with a few swirls of olive oil. I cut them really thin since no one else in my family has my deep love of onions, and they cook down to almost nothing if they are thin enough. I then take my chuck roast and brown each side while the onions are cooking all in the same pot. Once that is done, I add salt and pepper and enough liquid to reach halfway up the roast, preferably use beef stock, that is what I do and it gives loads of flavor. I then add either 4 large fresh diced tomatoes or a can of whole tomatoes to the mix and let cook. After a few hours, I will go and add carrots and potatoes, some roux I made earlier and cooked until deep brown, more salt and pepper, a few red pepper flakes, a dash of hot sauce, and garlic powder. Let cook with the top off until the veggies are tender, the meat is falling apart and the gravy is thickened. The time will really depend on the size of your chuck roast, and you may need to add liquid if you cook too long without a top. I like to start breaking up the roast when I add the veggies, especially when I have a huge roast like I do today, it helps it get tender.

I will make drop biscuits and egg noodles to go with the pot roast and we will have full bellies! We go a little heavier on the spice and flavor since that is my family's preference. The hot sauce doesn't really make it hot, it just adds flavor, I actually add it to chicken soup to give a nice tang with little to no heat, but feel free to make it as spicy or mild as you prefer.

Lemony admissions

2009-11-09T10:23:00.000-08:00

First, I must admit that I gave my son Easy Mac for lunch...yes, EASY MAC, probably one of the more offensive kid food items. See, he had preschool and we had a few packs in the pantry that I got a rockin deal on, and well, I am tired today. I did make him eat carrots from our garden with it...but this is just proof that there are some days everyone needs a break!

I was planning to make fish for dinner, but Grayson asked that we have lemon chicken, so I am indulging him, he is really cute and huggable and he knows how to play that card with me. The lemon chicken is really easy. I cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces and dredge in flour that has salt, pepper and lemon peel added. Cook the chicken in a a few pats of butter and a few Tbs of olive oil. When cooked through, I add some chicken broth to the pan and the juice of 3-4 lemons and their freshly grated peel. Salt and pepper to taste and simmer until the sauce is thickened and everything on the house smells yummy. Tonight I will also add some peas to the mixture in the last ten minutes and I will toss with cooked orzo. A delicious, easy and healthy one dish meal.

Cooking between naps

2009-11-08T15:01:00.000-08:00

Teagan's naps.

I had a lot to accomplish today and on top of what I HAD to make, I had promised the kids some cookies. I started the bread early this morning as we needed it to make rolls for dinner. When it is in between weather, not too warm, not too cold, I am thankful that the dryer is always running so I can put the bread to rise. Soon enough the fireplace will be going and the bread will sit there to get ready to bake.

After starting the bread dough, I decided to cook up some bacon. I really wanted a BLT for lunch and wanted to make a quiche for me to eat through the week. I haven't been eating as much protein as I should and I can feel it, so a quiche is an easy meal to have handy. To make the quiche I used a store bought refrigerated crust...I know, I know, but I had it and it was quick and easy between the baby's 10 minute cat naps! I put the crust in a pie pan, then made a simple roux in a pan using a bit of butter and flour, salt and pepper. I added defrosted and lightly squeezed spinach (I wanted some of the spinach water) and cooked with garlic. Usually I add onions, but I am running low so I skipped it :) I put a blob of cream cheese, about 2 Tbs and a small splash of cream in with the spinach and cook until thickened. Put the spinach mixture in the crust, crumbled a few strips of bacon on top and added a few handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese...although I wish I had Jarlsberg! Then I took 6 eggs and some milk, about 1/2 to 1 full cup depending on egg size and whipped together and poured over the mixture. Bake at 350 until no longer jiggly in the middle, turn off the oven and leave the quiche in the warm oven for 15 more minutes. Yum!

After making the quiche, I made some cookies for the kids and prepped for dinner. Tonight we were having steak sandwiches with sweet potato fries. Took two of our top round steaks left from our cow order and cut them into bite size chunks. Added loads of black pepper, some salt and worschester sauce and tossed together. Cooked on a very hot cast iron skillet with melted butter until just medium rare. This goes on the homemade rolls with lettuce and cheese. Sweet potato fries were sliced, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper a little cinnamon and a small dash of cayenne pepper. Bake at 400 turning often until cooked through and starting to brown, I often have to finish mine under the broiler to get a little crisp on them.

So that is what we ate today :)

Shiny New Blog

2009-11-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

Since I have found that many of my updates on Facebook and on my other blog revolve around the meals I make at home, I decided to create a dedicated space just for what we do to feed our bellies.

This blog will discuss how we eat, why we eat this way, and the best part, WHAT we eat! I think my kids have a wonderfully diverse palette and that this is in part due to the foods we cook here at home.

Food is a huge part of our lifestyle. Our oldest has food allergies and some other health issues, and we have found that following a very natural, close to the source, balanced diet is what is best for her. The benefit to us is that we eat tons of good, healthy homemade foods and our diet is as local as possible.

Whenever possible, I will try to include recipes. I often just toss stuff together in a way that sounds good, but if I can, I will provide the specifics.

I am happy to answer any questions as we strive to eat well, live well, and treat the environment well while feeding the tribe!