Hot Chocolate Memories

We were outside on Sunday and the air had a frosty nip to it and smelled like snow. I didn't know I remembered what snow smells like. It didn't snow of course, but the Littles would have been so, so happy if it had. It would never be what they really want, of course. They want the kind of epic snows I had as a child; they want the 4 foot drifts and the snowmen and a snow fort worthy of a cowboy. I don't know if anyone gets that kind of snow anymore, but it is as much a part of my childhood as Barbie dolls and Lincoln Logs.

In Colorado, when it snows, you still have school.  I remember my mother forcing me to put pants or snowpants under my dress because we had to walk 3 blocks to school and it was cold and snowy out there!  People shoveled their sidewalks, of course, but we took quite a few "short cuts" through snow drifts. We had recess too. No one had ever heard of "indoor recess." I don't believe we had a single time when the weather was too inclement for us to go outside.

(This picture isn't us, but it sure could be!)

It was a different world. I loved waking up to see the world blanketed in white. I doubt if Mom loved it. We'd put on our school clothes, then bread sacks over our shoes to keep our shoes dry and so the boots would go on easier. Then a sweater, snow-pants and snow-boots. Then hat, scarf and mittens and finally, a coat. These manipulations required adult assistance. It's hard to put on boots and it's even harder to zip your coat with mittens on . Little kids never had gloves back then. I think you were a teenager before you had gloves. Nothing fit 100% either; my snow clothes were once my sisters and my brother wore my cast-offs. I'm not sure where my sister's came from!

:
When we got all of that on, we could barely walk. It was a stiff legged, robotic walk at first as my knees learned to bend under the snow pants and my ankles got used to the boots. We would venture out and I still can taste that first whiff of fresh clean snow air. I loved how quiet the world was, blanketed in snow. We were often quiet the first few minutes as we listened to the loud sound of our own breathing in our scarves.

If it was a school day, I'm sure Mom closed the door and collapsed with a cup of coffee. If she was unlucky and it was a weekend, she probably braced herself for our inevitable and too fast return. When we came home, she always made hot chocolate. This was before "mix" and packets so it was yummy. One of my favorite childhood smells is the smell of scalded milk!  I make this for my kids on cold days still.

Hot Chocolate

1/3 cup dutch processed cocoa, unsweetened 

1/2 cup sugar

pinch salt

Stir all above together to break up the starch in the cocoa

Add:

3/4 water

Heat over medium high heat until the cocoa simmers 

Add:

3.5 cups milk, slowly, 1 cup at a time until heated then add more.

Top with marshmallows, (lots).

You can also add a pinch of cayenne and a teaspoon of cinnamon; that's our current favorite way to enjoy it.

What's your favorite hot chocolate memory?

Menu Plan Monday - Christmas is Coming!

Recently I've been planning my meals in blocks and that has really simplified life. This week, of course has a couple of special meals that must be planned to the nth degree so there you are!  Here are my Christmas menus - with wines so I can remember what they were next time -- and my plans for other days.

Italian Christmas Eve

Polenta  Parmesan
Ratatouille (I know, it's French!)
Broccoli (steamed) w/ shaved parm and almonds
Baked cod
A nice Chilean Chardonnay  - Copa del Rey 2009

Later, by the fire:
Peppermint ice-cream (Blue Bell of course) and Christmas cookies
Prosecco

Traditional English Christmas

A Tempranillo, Casajus Bebera del Duero 2009
Prime Rib (cooked in our Big Easy)
Mashed Potatoes
Yorkshire Pudding
Horseradish Sauce (really just sour cream and horseradish)
Candied long Carrots
Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Balsamic Vinegar &  Pancetta
and toward the end of the meal, St Michelle Select Harvest Riesling (2012)
Tennessee Stack Cake

If you've never had Tennessee Stack Cake - you must have it now. Run, do not walk to your kitchen. This year, I'll be using apple-butter Alli made last year. Oh yum.

We will also be eating:

Black Beans and Rice over Spinach

Crock-pot Chicken Tikka Masala with Jasmine Rice
Turkey Sausage and Peppers with Polenta
Florentine Omelettes with Ratatouille (since I have it on hand!)

I linked up with OrgJunkie for this Menu Plan Monday.

Sweet, Simple and Affordable Teacher Gifts

We have a lot of teachers to gift and while we sometimes have a good idea for someone, it's nice to come up with something generic we can give to lots of people. This fits the bill: Hot Chocolate Truffles.  You drop a truffle in a cup of hot milk, stir it up and viola! You have the richest, most lovely cup of hot chocolate.

I found a recipe and then adjusted it to my taste. I saw a recipe for regular truffles that tasted like Mexican Hot Chocolate and borrowed the spices from that recipe to make a batch of Mexican Hot Chocolate Truffles too!  Here is our final recipe:

• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 oz good dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao), chopped fine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup  sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• Cocoa powder, crushed candy canes, instant espresso powder powdered sugar, mini marshmallows, sprinkles etc. for rolling

Using a double boiler, combine all ingredients except vanilla. Heat, stirring, until smooth. Right when it looks really terrible and hopeless, it is just about to come together.  If you don't have a double boiler, do what I do and use a bowl instead.  When smooth and shiny, stir in the vanilla and put the bowl in the fridge for at least 1.5 hours to firm up.

When firm, use a 2 tablespoon scoop to place it on wax paper on a sheet pan. Freeze for 1 hour or more.

Remove the balls from the sheet; roll in your hands to smooth, and roll in toppings.  We mix our espresso powder and our cocoa with powdered sugar because these are not overly sweet.  We shape our espresso ones like coffee beans.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Version:

Follow all the directions above but add to the hot mixture:  

• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. cayenne

We roll these in red sprinkles so you can tell them from the others. (And as you can see, I write on the freezer tray so I remember these are different!)

PS -- When I had them all done, I found this cute presentation with a stir stick included.  May do that the next time!  

Menu Plan Monday! Woot, woot!

I'm joining Org Junkie in her Menu Plan Monday link-up. Our Texas weather is still saying, "summer", but Mama is lighting the oven anyway, ready for fall food!

Monday Lunch Bento boxes: Ginger pork medallions (this recipe sans the asparagus), cooked carrots, grape tomatoes, spinach knobs with sesame sauce, white rice. (The ginger-teriyaki sauce for the pork is amazing).

Monday Dinner: Mamaw's Hamburger Pie, with green salad

Tuesday Lunch: Snack Plate (cheese cubes, crackers, ham roll ups, raw veggies, strawberries)
Tuesday Dinner: Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, "fat" couscous, Cucumber Raita

Wednesday Lunch: Leftovers!
Wednesday Dinner: (Irish Night) Homemade Sausage, Colcannon, Homemade Applesauce (all three simple recipes found here)

Thursday Lunch: Sandwiches, fruit, grape tomatoes, baby carrots
Thursday Dinner: Regular spaghetti with meat sauce, salad

Friday Lunch: School lunch day
Friday Dinner: Shrimp Salad, Cornbread Muffins

Saturday Dinner: Calorie-Wise Cheese Enchiladas, shredded lettuce, non-fat refried beans

Sunday Dinner:  Marie's Spaghetti Pie, green beans, fresh fruit. (Okay, this is not a low-cal or heart-healthy dish so plan your week with this amazing meal in mind. This dish is worth it!)

Have a wonderful week.

Cook Ahead Day and Back to School Menu Planning

Yesterday we had evening church planned, so I was able to rise early and get to the grocery store before the rest of the city. I came home with a stack of "cook ahead" ingredients to get a head start on the week. Sorry about the pics -- still no flash drive for my camera so iPod it is!

I started out making this beautiful breakfast I found on Pinterest.  It was very pretty and had eggs instead of butter (like most pull-apart). We used a cup of cooked sausage leftover from Pepper's breakfast burrito cook-ahead project a couple of days ago.  We enjoyed it with a fruit salad.

This would not be "everyday" food for us, as we're not that into canned biscuits, but it would be great company food because it sure is fast and easy.  I wonder if it would work just as well with my homemade biscuit recipe?

My next project was to poach chicken breasts, which I cooled and diced.  I put 2 into 3-oz packs for Pepper and I for quick lunches and froze the rest in 1.5# packages for a quick addition to dinners.

I prepped some celery for the week -- sticks for the kids and dice for recipes. I sauted and froze some of the dice. Today I will separate the grapes and grape tomatoes into snack size bags for fast access.

We made Cherry No-Bake Granola bars.  My basic recipe originated here, but of course, I've Tischler-ized it. My version is on Spark Recipes. If you've never made your own granola bars, do try them. These are so fast - they take minutes  - and you can customize them to your taste. If you use my recipe, make sure you like the taste of roasted sesame before you add it, because it's a prevalent flavor. We eat it a lot on our Japanese foods so we all are used to it but I would think some kids, especially, might not care for the strong flavor. You can leave it out with no ill effect. (36 bars per pan, 5 WW Points +)

We will have our favorite bento on Tuesday, Turkey, Carrot and Egg Soboro.  I cooked all the parts except the egg part so tomorrow's assembly will be super quick.

Our last bit of fun for the morning was putting together our favorite fruit snacks made of (get this) actual dried fruit.  This version is strawberries, papaya, kiwi, pineapple and tart cherries. As we were making it, the Blitz said, "This isn't really fruit snack, it's "Fruit-tastic."  We all decided that was a perfect name for our favorite fruit snacks and we'll be calling it that hence forth.

I am trying to keep adding to our prepared foods so that each week's lunches and snacks are easier .

Here's the plan for the week:
Monday:
Lunch: Pizza, grape tomatoes, cuties
Dinner: Chicken Yakisoba, cucumbers

Tuesday:
Lunch: Turkey, Carrot, Egg and Green Bean Soboro bento

Dinnner: Asian Salad

Wednesday:
Lunch: Boiled egg, "Kids sushi" sandwiches, apple
Dinner:  Root hog! (Everyone eats from the larder or leftovers)

Thursday:
Lunch: (Kids eat school lunch today)
Dinnner: Black beans and Rice on bed of baby spincah

Friday:
Lunch: (Whatever I can dig up!)
Supper: Three cheese potato tacos, iceberg salad

Can't think ahead to the weekend. Have a great week!

PS - forgot to mention I'm joining Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday Link-up!

Eating Healthy! Menu Plan Monday

It's Monday!  Time to join Orgjunkie.com in her Menu Plan Monday link-up.

This week is focused on Mom and Dad eating yummy but lower calorie food whilst keeping the kiddos full. (For instance, all the egg dishes are "whites only" for the grown ups and a mix of whole and whites for the children.) Focus Two? Meals that are a "flash in the pan;" it's too blasted hot for long-cooking recipes. I'm spending more time drinking ice tea and a lot less standing over the stove!

If you stay in my home, you quickly realize I make a lot of new recipes. We have our "tried and true," of course, but I love new recipes. I picked up a book at Weight Watchers called What to Eat Now. Many of these meals are from that book although I have been able to find links elsewhere. And for your viewing pleasure, in getting a link for the book, I discovered a two-season BBC series by the same name. BBC and documentary?  Count me in!

Monday:
Florentine Omelette (4), fruit
Lemony Hummus and Goat Cheese pitas (5)
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry,(5) brown rice

Tuesday:
Quick Berry Blintzes (4)
Ham and Swiss Pannini with Red Pepper Mayo (6), Fire and Ice Cukes
Chicken and Rice Burritos (8), fat-free refried beans

Wednesday:
Greek Yogurt and Figs (6)
Chicken Tomato Quesadilla (8), Corn Salad, Salsa
Thai Style Beef Salad (4), edamame, bread for the kiddies

Thursday (usually "Pasta Day" but Polenta is a good foil for pasta:
Top of the Morning Smoothie (6)
Meditteranean Salmon Wraps (8), fresh fruit
Polenta with Sausage and Peppers (7)

Friday is "Sandwich Day":
Egg and Cheese Burrito Roll (6)
Easy Lobster Rolls (6). cole slaw
Three Cheese Potato Tacos (15 ()using pre-made taco shells), Frijoles de la Olla (3) Iceburg Salad, Fruit Salad

Saturday:
(Picnic breakfast) Yogurt, granola bars, slushy juice packs and trail mix
Snack Plate
Low Cal Filet Mignon, Sauteed Zucchini (5) and Brown Rice (Sirloin for the kiddos)

Sunday:
Eggs and lox scramble (6) (plus toast for the kiddies)

Weight Watcher's Reuben Sands (8), pickles, Strawberries
Pork Chops w/ Cherry Pan Sauce ( 7), pureed sweet potatoes, Broccoli Romanesco

Here is my prep list for the week, all of which I will complete on Sunday. I made a page of "Save" stickers to keep the family out of my ingredients! I have a special shelf in my freezer for the items I will use this week so it's easy to just grab them the night before. When I do my prep, I will clean and organize the produce drawer and make "grab and go" snack bags of gapes, tomatoes and baby carrots.

Make 32 crepes, cool.
Make red pepper mayo
Cook 6 chicken breast for quesadilla, shred, freeze
Chop 36 olives, store in brine in fridge (will use 1/3 of them for sausage & polenta dish)
Chop 6 stalks celery
Prep mayo-sauce for lobster rolls
Prep tomato mix for pitas
Pre-cook sirloin, slice, freeze
Slice round steak (1.5) pounds
Slice 4 bell peppers
Make "fire and ice" cukes (equal parts water and vinegar, several packets truvia)
Grab and go bags

What's cooking at your house?

Party Giant Subs

Sometimes I write blog posts so I can find the information again when I need it.  This is such a post.

For Sunshine's "beach birthday" we made giant Italian subs. It would up being a "rained in at the house" birthday but the sandwiches were fine.  Here is the formula (though if your loaves are bigger or smaller than ours, you'll obviously need to adjust!)

For every 5 - 6 people:

1 Italian loaf of bread
1-1/2 pounds deli ham (sliced very thin)
1/2 pound Genoa Salami (sliced very thin)
3/4 pound Provolne cheese
7 to 12 dill "stackers"
1/3 jar sandwich pepper rings
1 to 1-1/2 cups sandwich spread*
1/3 head of red or green "leaf" lettuce (click the link for a lettuce prep tip)
Cocktail picks

Just increase the recipe as many fold as you have folks. 5 loaves fed 26 hungry teens and adults€ well.
Here is the assembly process:

Slice open and hollow out the top of each loaf.

 Lay out your loaves and all the ingredients

 Spread the bread with the sandwich spread, then top with cheese (both sides of the loaf).  The cheese helps keep the bread from soaking up too much juice.

 Continue layering on the ingredients on the non-hollow side of the loaf, starting with ham, ending with pickles, pepper slices and then lettuce.

Wrap the whole thing tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. It will stay crisp for a few hours. To serve, place 6 or 7 cocktail picks down each long edge of the loaf and slice in between the picks.  Serve!

Old Fashioned Comfort Food

My return to "outside" work and my local public radio station becoming an "all news" station happened to conicide in time. So on the rare days I drive myself to work, I get to listen to a bit of news which I love. One day recently, they were doing a piece called "Found Recipes," stories from cooks about foods which have "surprised or delighted them." The story I heard was about blueberry dumplings.

I decided to make these dumplings for the 4th of July. It sounded perfect for our old-fashioned fourth. They were amazing. A-maze-ing. I could not stop thinking about them. That said, I should warn you that either the recipe has an error or I made one, because my dough was not a soft batter but I actually picked it up and rolled it into balls. Even so they were fantastic. I am going to try again this week and if my batter is thick, I will increase the milk until it is soft. The blueberry sauce is more scarce than I'd have imagined; the dumplings truly are the star of the show.  Try it and let me know what you think.

Dumplings (Adapted from the NPR recipe)

2 cups flour

1 tblsp. sugar (the original calls for a teaspoon)

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup butter (the author used all shortening)

6-8 Tblsp. milk (This is the error, I think. I am going to add enough to make it soft enough to  scoop)

Mix the dry ingredients together and cut in the shortening and butter.  Add milk gently until it becomes a very soft dough.

Stewed Blueberries

2 cups blueberries

3/4 cup water (author used 1/2)

1/4 cup sugar

Heavy cream (We used whipped cream)

Bring the blueberries sugar and water to a boil; don't walk off this happens fast! Drop the dumplings on top. Lower heat to a simmer and cover pan. Steam for 12 minutes. Serve warm, pouring cream over the top for serving.

Simply Gnocchi

Gnocchi is part pasta, part dumpling, patently potato -- in other words, it's the perfect food!  Gnocchi is pronounced "NO-key" but you have to say the "no" with your tongue far back on the roof of your mouth and us your nose to say it.  But who cares how it's pronounced; it's so delicious!

It's also a great family cooking project.  Don't do it when you're in a hurry (like me, tonight).  Do it ahead of time and freeze them for a day when comfort food is of the highest order.  Here is my favorite gnocchi recipe followed by 2 simple and perfect sauces:

3 russet potatoes, baked
1-3/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
Salt to taste, I probably add 1/2 a teaspoon

While the potatoes are hot, peel them then  rice them or mash them. (If you don't know what a ricer is, just mash them with a fork).  Then spread them out and let them cool off a bit.  It's best to wait until they are not steaming.

Add to the potatoes the flour and the egg; stir as lightly as possible so as not to make the potatoes too starchy.

Then working with a handful at a time on a lightly floured board, shape into a rope (remember play-dough?) about 3/4" thick and using a thin, sharp knife, cut into 3/4" lengths.

When all are cut, you are going to use a fork to give them the classic gnocchi shape. Flatten your hand, palm side up, and place a piece near your finger tips. Now hold a fork with the "rump" up and press the gnocchi off your palm with the tines of the fork, sort of rolling it.  Now you gnocchi should be long and ovalish with nice divots for collecting sauce.  Press pretty hard and let them fall back to to board.

At this point, you can freeze them by laying them out on a sheet pan (on waxed paper), cover and collect into a bag when frozen. Alternately, you can refrigerate them on the same sort of tray up to 48 hours.

Cooking;
Bring a wide pan of salted water to a boil; using a straining spoon, lower the gnocchi into the water, cooking a half-batch at a time.  When done, they will float to the top (about 2 minutes).  If frozen, this will take up to 3 minutes. Using the strainer, remove them when done and add them to your prepared sauce.

Our favorite sauce is a Sage and Butter sauce we originally got from Cook's Illustrated Italian Classics.
It couldn't be simpler:
Melt 8 Tablespoons butter in the microwave or a saucepan
Finely chop 10 sage leaves; add to the hot butter
Finely grate 2/3 cup parmesan (plus more for passsing)

Sauce the gnocchi as it is removed from the water, add the cheese when all the gnocchi is in the bowl.

Second favorite:  Gnocchi allAmatriciana. I found this recipe in Family Circle.  I've linked it here for you.  Our main change was that we subbed in basil for the thyme. My people are not thyme people.  Do not substitute the pancetta or you will lose some of the authentic Italian flavor.  This is sauced then baked 20 minutes which gives you plenty of time to make a quick salad or  have a glass of wine. We had this one for dinner tonight. It was lovely.

I know -- by now you are thinking, that sounds like a lot of trouble. Make the gnocchi ahead and it will be a breeze and I promise, it is completely worth it. It is like eating potato clouds. Can't wait to hear what you think!

Friday Fish Meal

Yesterday was Friday and Pepper woke with a hankering to cook.  She is a cook in her own right now, far more creative than I, and not afraid to work long hours to produce an extraordinary result. Except when baking, she works without recipes, allowing her skilled nose and sense of food harmony to guide her.  In this case, the masterpiece could be called:

Pepper's Fish Tacos with Fresh Corn Salad and Texas Slaw

(in her words)

Fresh Corn Salad

I roasted on the iron griddle:

Whole corn on the cob (4 ears), 

2 Poblano Peppers

1 Red Bell Pepper

Black beans, drained, 1 can, roasted briefly on the griddle.

Cut the corn off the cob.

Dice peppers.  

Dice 1 Tomato.

Rough chop 1/2 bunch Cilantro

Make a dressing:

Juice of 4 limes

lime zest

Cumin (to taste)

Garlic powder (to taste)

Chili powder (to taste)

a bit of Paprika

Salt (to taste)

Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix all this all together and let it marinate in the fridge a few hours. (I thought about how delicious  it would be topped with some queso fresco. :)

Fish

I made a dredging mix of flour, Mexican spices (comino, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder), and salt. 

I dredged the cod fish in this mixture then pan sauteed it in a very little oil.

Texas Cole Slaw

Half of head green cabbage - finely shredded with a knife

Make a dressing:

Rice Wine Vinegar, "Mexican spices," mayonnaise, a very little sugar, (all to taste)

(The spices turned the slaw pink and I loved it)

Corn Tortillas (wrapped in foil and heated in the oven).

Assemble a taco of fish and slaw.  (We ate the fresh corn salad on the side but Mom ate hers in the taco)

[This meal was delicious, oh my goodness. Sadly, we gobbled down the whole thing with nary a photo. The corn salad, particularly, was lovely. dmt]

(Recipe copyright 1/25/2013 Allison Tischler, aka "Pepper")

"You Won't Miss the Meat" Chili with Cornbread Dumplings

We've actually had a bit of cold weather this year so we have enjoyed more soups and stews than in times past.  My people love chili.  I mean they love it. They also love cornbread so I had the idea to combine the two.  We eat meatless most Fridays, so we make our chili with a 9 bean mix instead of meat.  Only Sunshine and the Dear Hubby miss the meat; really it tastes great either way.

To make the chili:

1# 9 bean soup mix (discard seasonings)
   (Cook beans according to package directions.  Do NOT add remaining ingredients until the beans are soft)

When beans are cooked or nearly so, add:

2.5 T chili powder;
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Cumin
1.5 t salt; 
1/2 tsp Cayenne (or omit if too spicy)
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger (helps with "repeating")
2- 16oz cans diced tomatoes, un-drained; 
1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz. of beer

Heat til bubbly; reduce heat, cover, simmer 30 minutes.

To make the cornbread dumplings:
1 packaged corn muffin mix
1 egg
Milk (as directed on package, less 25%) or buttermilk (my preference)

Reduce the amount of milk called for on the package by 1/4th.  Mix all three ingredients, then drop by 1/4 cup scoops onto the top of the chili.  Increase heat long enough to return the chili to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes until the dumplings are done.

Here is the chili when I first added the dumplings:

And here is the delicious finished product.  I think our chili will always have cornbread dumplings from now on.

It's Monday, and I'm joining Orgjunkie.com in her Menu Plan Monday link-up.  But I'm taking a non-traditional approach to this task just once . . . I'm only giving you my plan for Thursday so you can either decide I'm nuts, too traditional, or wrangle for an invite.  Starred* items are gluten free and vegetarian.

Lately I have had a focus on hospitality.  I hope that it comes across at our family table.  I am truly so grateful for both families I am blessed to be a part of and this year (as most) family tops my list of things I am oh, so thankful for.  Thus, this menu.  We have one more menu item than we do people eating so I think everyone will be full!

Thursday, Thanksgiving!
Appetizers:
Carrot Cake Jam on Cream Cheese*
Regular crackers
Gluten free crackers*
Crudites* (complements of a guest)

Dinner:
Green Salad* (complements of a guest)
Mulligatawny Soup - Vegetarian base with Tofu*
Roasted Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Stuffing*
Stuffing (half with walnuts, half nut-free)
Turkey (cooked in our oil-free infared Big Easy cooker)
Mashed Potatoes*
Cranberry sauce* (with a touch of orange and Grand Mariner)
Gravy
Sweet Potatoes* (roasted; no marshmallows)
Green beans* (complements of a guest)
Rolls

Dessert
Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust
Pike's Peak Apple Crisp (with oat flour instead of wheat)
Sparkling Pineapple Soup (adults only!)

I hope your Thanksgiving is truly sweet and that you both wake and fall asleep counting your blessings!

Sanity - err Food - Preservation Time

My team --aka the Dream Team -- is cooking for youth again on Sunday, so my week has consisted of a lot of planning, shopping, emailing, and calling.  On Thursday morning I squeezed in a stop at Sams to pick up my pre-order for the youth and then came home to read an email that I needed to cook for 25% more people than I had planned for.  Oops.  Friday morning after I got Tinker and The Captain off to school, The Blitz and I headed back to Sams.  While there, I had a moment of inspiration and decided to stage an impromptu cooking day.

Normally when I do "cooking ahead," I make an elaborate plan, clear my calendar, clean my kitchen and fridge, check my staples, shop all at once, and knock it out in a weekend of elaborate work.  Truthfully, I don't have time for that right now.  I decided to just pile a bunch of meat in my car and see what I could make from it.

Here are the results:

I made 4 batches of Bo Luc Lac, Vietnamese Shaking Beef.  I made the marinade times 5 and dived 8 pounds of sirloin into 4 bags, dumped on the marinade and froze.  This meal is a family favorite served over salad, tomatoes and brown rice.

I bought a giant pack of pork chops and simply divided it into three.

This recipe from Family Circle for Korean Short Ribs in the slow cooker sounds fantastic. I pulled the recipe a couple of months ago so when I saw boneless short ribs for sale I grabbed them to try this one.  I made the sauce, poured it on the ribs, bagged and froze it.  When we're ready for it, we'll just thaw and dump the whole bag into the crock pot.

I cooked 16# of Boston Butt into Pulled Pork.  It takes 9 hours start to finish (but the actual work is about 20 minutes) so I actually just finished it this morning.

I had fresh ingredients from my farm box for ratatouille so I made a double batch.  Yum.  Half for tonight's supper, half for the freezer. In honor of my French friend, Mikiio, I will say that ratatouille should always be served with polenta or rice, never pasta!

I made a batch of Muddy Buddies (sans the chocolate -- it is sweet enough!) for the kids for snacks.  I also made a batch of regular Chex Mix.

Today we will make a double batch of Carrot Cake Muffins because our kids are crazy for them.  We use a standard carrot cake recipe except we cut the sugar by 1/4 and substitute whole-wheat flour for half the flour.  We do not frost them.  This makes a snack that's acceptable by my standards but sweet enough to thrill the kids. Plus, they're pretty.  Once made, we'll freeze them and bag them individually.  That makes
them super simple to pop into a lunch.

I have quite a few hot peppers so I may pickle some for the freezer.  I also have beets to pickle but will roast them first.

While I worked on Sanity Preservation, Pepper made braised chicken thighs.  She has this to a science now and it takes every ounce of self control I have not to grab that crispy skin and eat it all!  Crisp outsides, moist insides.  Oh my goodness.  We served it with Creamy Polenta, ratatouille, and steamed broccoli.

Earlier in the week we got a batch of homemade Mac N Cheese in so if I can get around to some marinara sauce and maybe a chicken dish this week, we'll be in clover.  So instead of "saving dinner," I'm really saving my sanity.

What's cookin' at your house?

Menu Plan Monday!

I'm joining Orgjunkie.com in her Menu Plan Monday link-up again.  I love to share!

Monday:
Yogurt, bananas, dry cereal
Lunch - out!  Busy day
Pork chops, baked potatoes, green beans

Tuesday:
Dr. Bircher's Museli
Korean Beef Skewers, (homemade Asian dressing in marinade) steamed rice, Lemon Zucchini Ribbons, apples [marinate the skewers overnight; the rest is a snap]

Wednesday:
Scrambled eggs, bacon, milk
Soba Noodle with Spring Vegetables; Sauteed purslane, amaranth, fruit
On their own for supper!

Thursday:
Refried beans, egg, corn tortilla
Turkey and Egg, Carrot Soboro Bento, brown rice

Friday:
Cereal
Beef Rolls, Asian Pear and Cucumber Salad, brown rice
Baked fish, sweet potatoes, pasta salad

Saturday:

Bacon and Corn Griddle Cakes
Chicken Canzanese, Creamy Parmesan Polenta, mixed vegetable
Leftovers or snack plate

Sunday:
Bacon and Egg Cups
Kickin it Up Drumsticks, Rolls, Salad

We are having a big bacon week.  It was on sale so I bought 2 packages but I won't buy it again for a month.  It works for us this way!

I plan my meals on Google Calendar, so they repeat on a set schedule; this saves me tons of time and it's easy enough to make a change if I want to try something new.  It also ensures that our favorites do come back because I love to try new things, but the family loves to eat the old favs.

I've decided to join Orgjunkie.com in her Menu Plan Monday link-up.  I'm always looking for inspiration so maybe I can share a little at the same time.

I'm so aware of summer just slipping away.  We are eating our "school time lunches" now to be sure that The Captain knows how to open, eat, and re-store his lunch stuff.  I should not admit this but sometimes I am very tempted by the PBJ in the plastic bag that will become landfill.  He is catching on though and will be a lunch pro by the time school starts!

Monday:
Baked Oatmeal, fruit (made night before and refrigerated)
Tamagoyaki, Ham/Cheese roll up,  rice, mini veggies, sauteed spinach, fruit (roll-ups made night before)
Avocado Chicken Salad, bread or roll, carrots (chicken was roasted on Sunday)

Tuesday:
Yogurt, banana, plain cereal
Peanut Sauce Bento Bowl (sub shrimp for tofu), grapes
King Ranch Chicken, mixed green salad (again, Sunday's roasted chicken)

Wednesday:
Pancakes and Milk
Lemon Chicken Nuggets, carrot kinpira, spinach knots, rice
On their own for supper!

Thursday:
Eggs and Toast, Milk
Slow Cooker Orange Chicken, rice, greens
Beef Tips, Mashed Potatoes, fresh veg (whatever is on hand)

Friday:
Cereal
Zucchini cakes, Yogurt, Potato Salad, green or yellow veg
Order pizza!

Saturday:
Muffins or quick bread, cheese, fruit
Oven BBQ Chicken Legs, baked potatoes, corn
Leftovers or snack plate

Sunday:
Pancakes or Waffles, bacon
Leftovers (likely chicken and some kind of fried rice dish!)

I prep my veg the night or several days before for lunches.
Yes, I know we eat chicken almost every day.  I have no way to justify this except that we eat two small meals containing meat so one of them is often chicken.  Maybe I should have been a chicken farmer!

I plan my meals on Google Calendar, so they repeat on a set schedule; this saves me tons of time and it's easy enough to make a change if I want to try something new.  It also ensures that our favorites do come back because I love to try new things, but the family loves to eat the old favs.

Monday Lunch Menu

Yummy Lettuce/Chicken Wraps for Back to School

Lazy summer is nearing an end.  The "bigs" have been so much help and it has made our no-schooling time so enjoyable.  Yesterday after taking her next-to-last Intro to Psych test, Pepper relaxed with her ukulele, part obsession and part constant companion.

Sunshine built the most fantastic fort ever. Let's face it, if you live in Texas, you'd better find some ways to play indoors in August.

 

With school starting in only 3 weeks, we are shifting focus around here.  I just moved the kids "wake up lights" to come on a half hour earlier; next week they will be adjusted again.  We are practicing a "school time" schedule to make an easy adjustment to the rhythm of our days.  By the time school starts, the rhythm will be set and we can focus on helping The Captain adjust to Kindergarten, itself.  I blogged about it for adoption. com but then re-thought it a bit and realized we needed to ease in and not just jump in with both feet (duh!).

Tinkerbelle will be headed to Pre-K 3 hours a day; her days will either begin or end at the same time as The Captains.  Both will attend Old Town Elementary, right across from our neighborhood.  Sunshine and Pepper will be homeschooled again; we are starting after Labor Day.  Pepper is taking dual-credit classes at the community college. In the fall, she'll be taking composition and art history.

It all adds up to me reorganizing myself in the kitchen.  We are "back to bento" for the fall.  Our bento lunches pack a lot of protein into an interesting and compact arrangement.  They are so perfect for lunch.  We are teaching The Captain how to take his lunch out and eat from the bento boxes; he is just a boy who needs to practice things!

For today's lunch, I found this interesting recipe on Iowa Girl Eats and then made a few changes so that I can make it any time with ingredients I always have on hand.  It was so wonderful, it'll go on a 2-week rotation.  We enjoyed it with edamame and cous-cous.

P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wrap - adapted 

Serves a family, or 6  hungry adults
(approximately 185 cals., 5 grams carbs, 8 grams fat, 21 grams protein)

Ingredients:

1. 4  large cloves garlic, minced
2. 3 tsp fresh ginger, peeled & minced (I buy it frozen - MUCH easier to deal with )
3. 1-1/2  tbsp  sesame oil
4. 1/4 cup  soy sauce
5. 2  tbsp  peanut butter
6. 1  tbsp  honey
7. 2 tbsp rice vinegar
8. 2 tbsp chili garlic sauce (I use the one with the rooster)

1. 2 tsp. olive oil
2. 3 fresh carrots, washed and diced finely
3. 2 lb ground chicken breast
4. salt & pepper, a dash of each

1. 18 or more large outer lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry (you can buy these all prepared now, in a plastic box!)

Directions:

Place the first 8 ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl.  Microwave 30 seconds.  Stir until smooth and set aside.

Using a large non-stick fry pan, heat the olive oil briefly and add the carrots.  Saute for 2 minutes, then add the ground chicken, salt and pepper.  Stir fry until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink -- this only takes a few minutes.  Add the sauce and cook a few minutes until desired consistency is reached.  I like to cook out a bit of the liquid.

Place the chicken mixture in a bowl.  If desired, garnish with chopped green onions and/or ground peanuts.  I used just a bit of chopped cilantro.

A Peck of Pickled Peppers

I couldn't resist.  We've had a pepper glut lately so I've taken to pickling them.

These are banana peppers with a slice or two of yellow bell for good measure;  banana peppers are yummy on sandwiches.  Not that we'd know; the kids ate the whole first jar just plain!

On the right is combined jalapenos and habaneros.  There is a lot of spice in this little jar.
Finally, on the left, pickled squash.  No seriously, it's good.  It will be the perfect accent to my fall bentos!

For the peppers, I started with a mildly sweet pickle recipe I found.  However, I substituted a clove of minced garlic for the celery seed (not a fan).  The author does not process hers in a water bath but unless you are going to refrigerate them (as I am), you probably should.  10 minutes ought to do it. 

For the squash, I used the following brine recipe:

1 cup seasoned white vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Bring the brine to a boil; meanwhile pack  julienne squash in jars.  Squeeze a piece of long chili into each jar.  (This makes a very spicy pickle -- but it is a very     s-l-o-w    heat and I adore it).  I doubled the brine for this batch.  I had a lot of squash.
Bring your hot water bath to boil.  Brine and cap the jars; cook in hot water bath 10 minutes.  

Fantastic Fish Pie

It's Lent.  It's yummy.  And no, I didn't eat it (calories), but everyone else loved it.  All that said, I can't really take credit because it's Jamie Oliver's recipe.

Fantastic Fish Pie

 Jamie Oliver from The Return of the Naked Chef

(My notes are in italics; the photos are mine) 

6 large potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch squares
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 free-range eggs
2 large handfuls fresh spinach, trimmed and washed
1 onion, finely chopped (I don't use the onion)
1 carrot, halved and finely chopped (we like the carrot chunky)
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pint double cream (I use light cream or just milk)
2 good handfuls grated mature Cheddar or Parmesan
juice of 1 lemon
1 heaped teaspoon English mustard
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
455gr/1 lb haddock or fresh cod fillet, skin removed, pin-boned and sliced into strips (use whatever you have; I've used halibut, snapper and crappy)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nutmeg, optional

Preheat the oven to 230C/450F/gas6.  (We do 350 for 30 min)

Put the potatoes into salted boiling water and bring back to a boil for 2 minutes. Carefully add the eggs to the pan and cook for a further 8 minutes until hard boiled, by which time the potatoes should also be cooked. At the same time, steam the spinach in a colander above the pan. This will only take a minute. When the spinach is done, remove from the colander and gently squeeze any excess moisture away. Then drain the potatoes in the colander. Remove the eggs, cool under cold water, then peel and quarter them.  Place to one side.

In a separate pan slowly fry the onion and carrot in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes, then add the double cream, and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, lemon juice, mustard, and parsley.

Put the spinach, fish and eggs into an appropriately sized earthenware dish and mix together, pouring over the creamy vegetable sauce. 

(before pouring on the sauce)

The cooked potatoes should be drained and mashed, add a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a touch of nutmeg, if you like.  (we use butter instead of olive oil here)

Spread on top of the fish. Don't bother piping it to make it look pretty, it's a homely hearty thing. Place in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are golden.

Serve with some nice peas or greens, not forgetting the baked beans and tomato ketchup. Tacky but tasty, and that's what I like.

And here is the picture 2 minutes after I put it on the table -- I was just a little too slow!

Try it and let me know how much you love it too!