Big Momma and Me

Moving Back…

2010-12-20T11:17:00.001-05:00

I am going to be moving my food-only blog back over to my other blog, Pink and Orange Coffee. Please go there and subscribe! I promise to write!!!!!!

Thanks for reading,

FFWD: Marie-Helene’s Apple Cake

2010-10-29T08:20:00.000-04:00

You might have read here that we went to an apple festival a couple weeks ago. We got a TON of apples and I made a ton of yummy applesauce, apple butter, and apple fritters. I also made this:

Marie-Helene’s Apple Cake

I used 4 “diverse” apples, as suggested by Dorie and Marie-Helene. I am pretty sure I used a Gala, a Macintosh, a Granny Smith, and a Golden Delicious. I pretty much forgot the names of the apples as I put them in my apple picking box up on the mountain. Go figure.

An odd observation about this “cake.” It isn’t terribly sweet, and that is a good thing! Because…my husband believes that all dessert should be chocolate. In his mind, if there are apples or any other type of fruit, it is not dessert. SO….because the cake it isn’t cloyingly sweet, we can have this “dessert” as a side dish! Next time I make this—it will either be for breakfast or as a side dish with pork chops, NOT as a dessert!

You can see other FFWD member’s posts here.

French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group dedicated to Dorie Greenspan‘s newest book, Around My French Table.

We are going to cook our way through AMFT one recipe at a time. It is going to be a very tasty adventure. I hope you will join us!

Remember—you can still get the first month’s recipes from the FFWD website.

Thanks for reading, I wish I could share them with you, but you can get them from the book! It is totally worth the money!

Kartoffelpuffer (Potato Pancakes)

2010-10-27T11:02:00.001-04:00

Last week I made a lot of applesauce, and just a bit of apple butter, apple fritters, and an apple cake. Must be fall in Virginia. This weekend when I was contemplating this week’s menu plan, I was looking for something German so I could participate in Regional Recipes.

My wonderful husband, who grew up in Texas and plays the tuba and used to wear lederhosen suggested Potato Pancakes with applesauce, sour cream, and bratwurst. You know, since I had so much applesauce.

DUH. He used to go to Wurstfest. He knows these things. I knew there was a reason I loved this man.

Kartoffelpuffer (Potato Pancakes)

Inspired by Debber at Food.com

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, scrubbed
1 medium onions
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
cooking oil or bacon fat

Directions

Grate potatoes and onion. Stir in eggs, flour and salt immediately.
In preheated electric frying pan (350 F)or frying pan over medium high stove-top, add cooking oil or bacon fat--about 2 T per batch.
Using a one/third-cup metal measuring cup, scoop up some potato-onion mixture, and spread in a circle in the pan. Flatten out a bit, to about a 5-inch thin cake. Fry for about 2 minutes per side until golden-brown and crispy around edges.
Transfer cakes to a warm plate or keep warm in the oven. Best when served immediately.
Serve with applesauce, honey, or butter with salt & pepper.

Plate with simple glazed carrots and bratwurst, top with applesauce and sour cream.

This recipe is linked to these clickable banners:

Thanks for reading,

Turning Japanese

2010-10-26T12:41:00.001-04:00

Seriously, I am a child of the 80’s. When I think of Japan, I think of the song “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors and Benihana. Sorry, It’s true.

So…when I read about My Kitchen, My World going to Japan this month, I had to really think.

No, I don’t do sushi. I have tried, it isn’t for me.

Enter…Teriyaki sauce and Benihana-Clone Fried Rice. I am my husband’s Hero right now, I think he lives for trips to our local teppanyaki house. Look at that GLAZE!!!!!

Be aware that when you make the teriyaki sauce, your house will smell amazing—garlic and ginger wafts through the windows, down the hall, and up the stairs. MMMMMMM.

Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade

inspired by Celeste at Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 cup soy sauce
4 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup white sugar
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 dash red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Bring mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper; simmer an additional 5 minutes. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

**I marinated some chicken breasts in the marinade for 24 hours, then broiled them. GOOD GRIEF it was yummy!!!!

then, I made…

Benihana Fried Rice

Inspired by Andy at Food.com

Ingredients

1 cup rice, uncooked
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
2/3 cup green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
5 eggs
5 tablespoons soy sauce
salt
pepper

Directions

Cook rice according to package directions.
In a large skillet melt butter.
Add onions, carrots and scallions.
Sauté until carrots are translucent.
Set aside.
Heat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Place sesame seeds in a shallow pan.
Bake until golden brown (10 to 15 minutes), shaking pan occasionally for even color.
Lightly grease another skillet.
Beat eggs and pour into hot skillet.
Cook as you would scrambled eggs.

**I added some mixed veggies and used the homemade teriyaki sauce in place of the soy sauce. And no, the chicken isn’t burnt, it is the glaze!

This recipe is linked to these clickable banners:

Thanks for reading,

MPM week of 10-24-2010

2010-10-25T09:46:00.000-04:00

Last week was a great week for eating at my house! Take a peek at a couple of the things I made.

Chili with pasta This is one of my favorite welcome fall meals. I didn’t make my own pasta this time around, but I definitely made the chili the same. LOVE the hot sauce on top of the sour cream and cheddar.
Apple Donuts Seriously, these were yummy. And I had to make something out of all the apples we got last week at Graves Mountain Apple Harvest Festival!
Shepherd’s Pie This is not the normal recipe I use for shepherd’s pie…but it is now!!! YUMMY!!!!

This week, I am planning on these meals:

Teriyaki Chicken with rice
Potato Pancakes and sausage
Baked Ziti and Salad
Steak Salad and Bread
Roast Chicken with broccoli and corn

I am linking this to Menu Plan Monday

Thanks for reading,

Go to the polls...

2010-10-24T20:19:00.001-04:00

I am close to 200 posts on my homeschool blog Pink and Orange Coffee, and just over 100 posts on my food blog Big Momma and Me. I have been blogging for almost a year now!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING ME!!!!

Now, can you answer a few questions for me? I want to make sure you continue to like me…HA! If you can’t see the poll here, they are on the blogs: Pink and Orange Coffee or Big Momma and Me.

Thanks for reading,

Zeppole!

2010-10-23T11:06:00.001-04:00

Or apple fritters. Or apple donuts. I guess it depends on your pronunciation. HA! Either way, it is a potluck dish for I Heart Cooking Clubs.

I made these little donut like things the other day because my husband had just come back from the doctor with sinusitis and bronchitis. Poor hubby, have a donut.

Giada’s recipe calls for Cinnamon Flavored Whipped Cream. I never got to that part. Some things you can’t wait for. When you have a hot fried mass of sweet apple dough, you don’t need whipped cream!

Apple Zeppole with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis (Print from original source here)

Ingredients

1 large apple, peeled and grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Olive oil for frying

Directions

In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt, sugar, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Take pan off the heat and stir in the flour. Return the pan to medium heat and stir continuously until mixture forms a ball, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the flour mixture to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speed, add eggs, one at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Beat until smooth. Add the grated apple and stir to combine. If not frying immediately, cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator.

Combine the whipping cream, 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whip until medium soft peaks form. Transfer the whipping cream to a serving dish.

Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F.

Using a small ice-cream scooper or 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a rounded tablespoon of the dough into the hot olive oil. Turn the zeppole once or twice, and cook until golden and puffed up, about 4 minutes. Fry the zeppole in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan.

Drain on paper towels. Transfer the zeppole to a serving dish and sprinkle with powdered sugar using a small sieve. Serve with the cinnamon whipped cream alongside for dipping.

You should join in the I Heart Cooking Clubs group—we are doing the recipes of Giada de Laurentiis!

Thanks for reading,

FFWD: Hachis Parmentier

2010-10-22T10:50:00.001-04:00

Hachis Parmentier is a fancy French version of Shepherd’s Pie. It is a standby on my menu rotation, one of my family’s favorite meals, and OH so yummy!

I like to make shepherd’s pie in my lodge casserole on the stove, top it with potatoes in the pot, and transfer the whole thing to the oven to finish.

Dorie’s version starts with stew meat and aromatic vegetables, which makes it’s own broth. (You can also start with ground beef and beef broth.) But it was the addition of Italian sausage totally elevated this dish in my mind.

I didn’t use gruyere in the mashed potato topping, as suggested. My grocery store doesn’t carry much more than cheddar, but I was able to find some fontina, which totally surprised me. So, I used that, and it was wonderful.

I am absolutely making this again!!!! Thanks Dorie!!!

You can find out how other bloggers liked this dish here…check them out!

French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group dedicated to Dorie Greenspan‘s newest book, Around My French Table.

We are going to cook our way through AMFT one recipe at a time. It is going to be a very tasty adventure. I hope you will join us!

Remember—you can still get the first month’s recipes from the FFWD website.

Thanks for reading,

I am being watched…(nothing to do with food)

2010-10-20T17:10:00.001-04:00

Almost three weeks ago Graham and I were kicked out of our bathroom for some renovations. Along with all our stuff and whatever clothing we had the foresight to pull out of the closet (which is located in said bathroom.)

In order to not stink, I have had to share a bathroom with a my husband and our 7 year old.

FOR ALMOST 3 WEEKS.

While this is not in itself an issue, I have realized that boys really are gross, and I need to paint Quint’s bathroom, I have also discovered that it is very disconcerting to take a shower with Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and the rest of the toy story gang staring at you from the shower curtain.

It is indecent, and disturbing. Woody is about at chest level, and Buzz, well, he looks kinda sinister and creepy.

I can’t wait until my bathroom is done.

Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette

2010-10-16T11:42:00.000-04:00

When I think of a traditional family dinner, I think roast chicken, veggies, and homemade bread. This week it had a Giada kick—rich Italian vinegar and simple roasted asparagus and purple cauliflower!

Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette

(from FoodNetwork.com)

Ingredients

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Whisk the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend. Combine the vinaigrette and chicken pieces in a large resealable plastic bag; seal the bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate, turning the chicken pieces occasionally, for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. **I used 4 boneless, skinless breasts, and marinated about 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from the bag and arrange the chicken pieces on a large greased baking dish.Roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 1 hour. If your chicken browns too quickly, cover it with foil for the remaining cooking time. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Place the baking dish on a burner over medium-low heat. Whisk the chicken broth into the pan drippings, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the baking sheet with a wooden spoon and mixing them into the broth and pan drippings. Drizzle the pan drippings over the chicken. Sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley over the chicken, and serve. **Because I used boneless, skinless pieces I only baked for 30 minutes. I did not reduce the drippings.

Alongside the meat I served asparagus spears and purple cauliflower that I roasted at the same time as the chicken. They were seasoned with olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, and minced garlic. I roasted them for 30 minutes, stirring once. I would probably cook the cauliflower a bit longer, but the asparagus was great!

This recipe is linked to I Heart Cooking Clubs:

Thanks for reading,

FFWD: Spicy Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup

2010-10-15T23:03:00.001-04:00

I still can’t believe I got my boys to try this soup. Admittedly, I left out the peppers so really, the soup wasn’t so spicy. But it certainly was filled with loads of spices and exotic flavors!

For the first time ever, I was able to use my newly purchased Star Anise. I got it about a month ago with no specific plans for it…just a want to try it out. Isn’t it pretty! Pictured alongside is whole coriander seed and a mélange of red, white, and black peppercorns.

One of the other fun parts of making this soup—I needed to tie up my spices in some cheese cloth. I unfortunately couldn’t find my kitchen twine, which proved to be a bit surprising when Graham bit into a whole pepper corn.

My kitchen smelled AMAZING while this simple soup was simmering. The addition of Coconut Milk for a fragrant creaminess played so nicely with the saltiness of the fish sauce and the tartness of the fresh lime juice.

My favorite part—Dorie’s “Bonne Idée.” She suggested we make this Curried! I LOVE CURRY!!! And so does Graham. I was able to try out yet another new spice—Maharaja Curry Powder.

As an accompaniment, we needed something bready, and not meaty. So—Grilled Cheese Sandwiches on Garlic Bread from our local Wegman’s was the agreed upon “compromise” food, AKA the “just in case Quint whines” food. I used the locally made organic Monterey Jack cheese we got at the wine festival last week.

French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group dedicated to Dorie Greenspan‘s newest book, Around My French Table.

We are going to cook our way through AMFT one recipe at a time. It is going to be a very tasty adventure. I hope you will join us!

Remember—you can still get the first month’s recipes from the FFWD website.

Thanks for reading,

It is Fall, Ya’ll!

2010-10-13T10:23:00.001-04:00

I don’t care if my kitchen is hot and I had to turn on the AC. It is fall. So I am making Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. MY WAY!!!!

I have this box of State Fair Cinnamon Nut pieces I got a couple weeks ago that I was DYING to try. I bet they will be amazing in streusel or crumb cake topping, or on thanksgiving sweet potatoes instead of those nasty marshmallows. Essentially, they are the broken up pieces that aren’t “pretty” enough to sell in a small bag for $10 or some ridiculous price. The pieces I have are not cashews, by the way. I am fairly sure they are pecan pieces. All I know—YUM YUM YUM!!!

Pumpkin-Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies **with a dash of Fall Spices

adapted from VeryBestBaking.com

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats (could use probably up to 2 cups)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice *My addition
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger *My addition
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves *My addition
1/2 a grated nutmeg *My addition
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter ~~or margarine~~, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
~~3/4 cup chopped walnuts~~
1/2 cup spiced nut pieces from state fair
~~3/4 cup raisins~~
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease baking sheets.
Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. **Admire the aroma and beauty of the nutmeg.
Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.
Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in nuts and raisins.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets. **I got a bit over 48 cookies!
Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and set in centers. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

This recipe is linked to these clickable banners:

Thanks for reading,

MPM, week of October 10-16

2010-10-12T12:44:00.001-04:00

I had a fun eating weekend.

We went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival on Saturday. Along with the rest of the Washington DC metro area. Seriously, we never saw a joust or the King and Queen. It was THAT busy. Granted it was a beautiful day and I can’t blame the peasants for wanting to get out. And the bet part—my weird son decided he wanted FISH AND CHIPS, and not the macaroni and cheese on a stick, or steak on a steak, or a turkey leg. He called it a shark fin because of the shape.

Quint did NOT like me taking a picture. Sorry about that.

On Sunday, we went to a local Wine Festival with my mother in law. I wont tell you that I purchased 6 bottles of wine.

But I will tell you that I had some dolmathakias (which most people call dolmas or stuffed grape leaves) and a gyro with homemade tzatziki. LOVED that lunch!

Anywhoo—we have a busy week—but I do have a PLAN:

Lunch

Monday--lunch out after dentist—I had to treat Quint to lunch after he had 4 sealants put on his 6 year molars. 90 minutes is a long time at the dentist!
Tuesday--mad science class at Cici's pizza! We have to have Pizza!!!! And yes, we do science classes at a restaurant. I LOVE HOMESCHOOL!!!!!
Wednesday--sandwiches/picnic at George Washington's Boyhood Home
Thursday—lunch at the dinner theatre
Friday—leftovers, unless I can come up with a reason to be gone

Dinners

Sunday--Beef Stroganoff
Monday--Dinner out then over to Gigi’s for Poppy’s Birthday Cake!
Tuesday--Going away dinner for Meghann who is leaving the states for a YEAR!!!!
Wednesday--Chicken Noodle Soup
Thursday--Chili Macaroni
Friday--Roast chicken with roast veggies, bread and Caesar salad
Saturday--Apple Festival???

Baking Plan

bread
oatmeal cookies

I am linking this to Menu Plan Monday

Thanks for reading,

FFWD: Gerard's Mustard Tart

2010-10-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

For quite a while, I have been jealous of the “Tuesday with Dorie” folks, but not anymore! I am now doing French Fridays with Dorie!

French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group dedicated to Dorie Greenspan‘s newest book, Around My French Table.

We are going to cook our way through the book one recipe at a time. Yes, it will take some time…but how many of us have actually cooked an entire book???

This week, we are all making Gerard’s Mustard Tart. Since I missed the first week (last week) I made some Gougeres for good measure!

I have never made a tart before, and my family is not one what would normally eat a Quiche, so this was a challenge on many levels. Steamed carrots and leeks, scented with rosemary—quite a stretch for my meat-and-potatoes boys.

BUT I LOVED IT!

Now, any of you who have read Big Momma for a while, know how I feel about Pie Crust. Just so you know, Dorie’s tart crust is the same, with a bit of a twist—an egg. As you can see (if you look at my other pie posts), I am getting better at the crusts.

In the egg custard for the tart, I was able to use some of my brand new Fleur de Sel that my husband got my last weekend on a cute little spice and tea shop we found in Alexandria VA.

Just in case the boys did not fully appreciate the veggie-and-no-meat-no-cheese tart, I made the Gougeres from week one to accompany the tart. They consist of heavenly puffs of pâte à choux, or profiteroles. Savory, not sweet. I used a mix of cheddar and parmesan in these lovelies. MMMMMM, they were GOOD!!!! Easy and wonderful!!!

Plated along with the tart and cheese puffs were some pan fried chicken and apple sausages. Of course, I had a dollop of Dijon mustard on the side!

I know you all want the recipes, and I wish I could give them to you—but we were asked to not post them. BUT!!! If you head over to the French Fridays with Dorie website, you can get October’s recipes there!

Now, go buy Dorie’s Book and join us!!!!

Thanks for reading,

Sorta Giada Inspired

2010-10-07T10:01:00.001-04:00

It has been a while since I did a I Heart Cooking Clubs post. I really DO heart cooking clubs!

So anywhoo—they changed from Mark Bittman (who can and has cooked everything) to Giada De Laurentiis, who is really pretty. Yes, she can cook—and sell her cookware at Target.

I finally bought one of her books too—and one of Lidia Bastianich’s too. Just to even out the fluff. Sorry, I am not from California. We have a problem doing light food here on the East Coast. And try as I might convince my boys, fruit is not a dessert. They just need sustenance. Meat and Potatoes, Pasta. Heavy Cream! Giada is so tiny, it is hard to believe that she eats anything. Remember, never trust a skinny chef!

So anywhoo—didn’t I just say that? We are welcoming Giada this week at IHCC. I am trying to come in through the door…sausage and cheese and pasta helps.

Tagliatelle Linguine with Smashed Peas, Sausage, and Ricotta Boursin Cheese

Ingredients

1 pound fresh or dried tagliatelle pasta (or other wide, long pasta) **I used linguine**
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed **I used mild**
1 pound frozen peas, thawed **I was apparently out, so omitted these**
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese **I used boursin cheese**
1 bunch fresh basil leaves chopped (about 3/4 cup) **Was going to use spinach, it was too mushy**
1/4 cup fresh grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 teaspoon salt
**I ADDED**1 onion, diced
**I ADDED**2 cups mozzarella, shredded

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes if dry or according to package directions if fresh. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. **If my spinach hadn’t been too mushy, I would have wilted it with the pasta water. I do this by putting my strainer over the sink, putting the spinach in that, and pouring the pasta and water over the spinach to drain. It wilts it perfectly!**

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat and add the sausage.

Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into bite-sized bits. When the sausage has browned, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

~~Add the peas to the pan and, using the back of the wooden spoon, smash the peas.~~ I ended up not doing this pea step. I only had frozen corn in the freezer. I had no idea I was out of peas. UGH!

Turn off the heat. Add the ricotta/boursin cheese along with the cooked pasta and toss to coat, adding the pasta cooking water in 1/4 cup additions, if needed, to make the pasta moist. Return the sausage to the pan. ~~Add the basil,~~ Pecorino Romano cheese, and salt. Toss gently to coat and serve immediately. Top with shredded mozzarella.

This recipe is linked to these clickable banners:

Thanks for reading,

Eggs ala Quint

2010-10-06T11:03:00.001-04:00

This morning my son Quint, who is 7, wanted to make me scrambled eggs.

Obviously, he wanted something from me—namely Chocolate Chip Cookies.

But, I relented. I am not the strict and evil mommy he might make me out to be. I let him make me scrambled eggs. And he will get cookies when he finishes some school.

1. Melt butter in a pan over low heat.

2. Mix eggs in a too small bowl with a too small whisk.

3. After you pour the eggs in a pan, move them around with a spatula.

4. Pose for the camera.

5. Add pepper.

6. Lots of pepper.

7. Then some cheese.

8. And some more cheese.

9. Eat!

Thanks for reading,

Back in the saddle again…MPM October 3-10

2010-10-04T16:36:00.001-04:00

I know, slacker…

I never posted last week, although I did have a plan! And I am even putting it on a white board now. Keeps me motivated and helps me remember…which I certainly need help with. And Quint is very good about ~~bugging me~~ reminding me to stick to the plan.

lunch

Monday—out with daddy/errands
Tuesday—leftover tacos and pizza
Wednesday—out at bowling
Thursday—sandwiches
Friday—fish sticks

dinner

Sunday—Tacos and broccoli
Monday—Sausage and pasta, Caesar salad
Tuesday—Out with girls from high school!
Wednesday—shepherd’s pie
Thursday—French tart
Friday—out with friends
Saturday—Renaissance Faire!!!

I am linking this to Menu Plan Monday

Thanks for reading,

Moroccan Couscous

2010-09-29T11:50:00.001-04:00

My son absolutely adores couscous. I like vegetables, A LOT. So, when Graham was gone eating a cow in Texas, I decided to go vegetarian one night and make vegetable couscous. And seriously, who doesn’t like Moroccan??? Heck, my husband and I went to a Moroccan Restaurant in DC this past Friday night!

(It was good, REALLY good! But next time, I will make some meat and raita on the side.)

You can get this recipe by Benevolent Empress at allrecipes.com.

I started by making the spice mix.

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

It then went into the skillet to toast.

And 1 teaspoon olive oil went in too. You know spices get better with oil to bloom in!

Next, I added 1/2 diced red onion.

And then 1 red bell peppers, 1 small zucchini, and 1 small yellow squash.

Followed by 1/2 cup raisins, zest from 1 orange, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 can drained and rinsed chick peas.

1.5 cups chicken broth and 1/2 cup FRESH OJ is added and brought to a boil.

And then the 1.5 cups couscous comes to the party. I had multi-colored couscous, to add some “much needed” color to the mix. HA!

I then took it off the heat, covered it, and let the couscous do it’s thing for 5 minutes before digging in.

And topping with 3 tablespoons fresh chopped mint.

This recipe is linked to these clickable banners:

Thanks for reading,

We have a WINNER!

2010-09-29T10:53:00.001-04:00

Oh for crying out loud…I am always so late with things!

Anywhoo—here is the winner of the $35 CSN Gift Certificate. Contestant #6:

Mom2JC…you will be getting an email soon!

Homemade Fruit Roll-ups!

2010-09-15T17:00:00.001-04:00

This month I was supposed to can or jar some fruit or veggies for the Daring Kitchen. Well, I have in fact done that before. And while I enjoyed the process or processing a box of peaches into spiced peach jam and peach salsa, it was a colossal waste of my time for my ungrateful family.

WHY you might ask???? Easy, they don’t eat fruit.

Let me take that back, Quint drinks apple juice, and applesauce, and fruit roll-ups. A jar of grape jelly will easily last us 6 months to a year.

So….I decided to go in a different direction. One that hopefully had a chance of not going to waste.

Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups (or Fruit by the foot!)

source: Simply Recipes

Ingredients

2 bunches grapes (I chose red)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (not really needed)
dash of cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup water

Instructions

1. Stem and rinse grapes in a large colander. Move to a large pot and add about 1/2 cup water.

2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Drop to low, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until most of the grapes have burst.

3. Mash with a potato masher or spatula. Taste and add sugar and spices. Continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until all grapes are broken up and soft.

4. Transfer grapes to a food processor, blender, or use a hand blender to puree until mostly smooth.

5. Place a fine mesh colander lined with a coffee filter or cheese cloth over a large bowl and pour puree though. The resulting juice is yummy grape juice! The left over pump is your leather.

6. Heat oven to the lowest it will go—mine was 170. Line a sheet pan with plastic wrap, pour pulp onto wrap and spread. Put pan in oven to dry out. It took me 6 hours.

7. Cut and enjoy once leathery!

This recipe is linked to:
The Daring Kitchen

The Daring Kitchen is the home of The Daring Bakers and The Daring Cooks. The premise of both groups is to create one recipe each month, given to us by a monthly host. We all create the same exact recipe and then post about it on our personal blogs on a designated date.

The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John’s source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Thanks for reading,

Happy September Giveaway!

2010-09-14T15:53:00.002-04:00

So I have been trying to redo some rooms in my house lately. We covered our back deck, painted our living room, hung new curtains in our bedroom, got new sofas, and we also got a new coffee table. I wish we had looked online first. CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from a coffee table to school supplies to cookware!
Like this Raclette grill that we used this Sunday night!

Anywhoo, they recently contacted me wanting to do a giveaway.
I also get to review some stuff for them over at my homeschool blog, Pink and Orange Coffee.
If you want to win a $35 gift certificate to one of the 200+ CSN stores, enter my giveaway! You may enter up to four separate times. And you MUST leave me your email address so I can contact you if you win!

Enter once telling me what you want to get at CSN.
Enter once telling me that you are an email subscriber, Google friend follower, or read me in a burner like Google or Feed Demon, etc.
Enter once if you are a friend on twitter
Enter once if you are a follow of my other blog, Pink and Orange Coffee.

I will keep this open until September 21
PLEASE ENTER IN THE LINKY TOOL!!! NOT IN THE COMMENTS SECTION!!!

Thanks for reading,

MPM—September 12-18

2010-09-13T10:47:00.001-04:00

Last week I totally bombed…I never did my menu plan.

Well…we were gone several nights, so really, I didn’t have much to plan. I love that as homeschoolers we can just get up and go on a mini vacation the week school starts for just about everyone else. HAHAHA!!! Quint and I had fun on a dragon shaped paddle boat!

Don’t you just love the red-orange life preservers?!?!

Dinners

SUNDAY==Raclette of polish sausage, baby red potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and an obscene amount of Monterrey jack cheese.

MONDAY==Peanut Butter Noodles and Spinach

TUESDAY==Dinner at Joe’s!

WEDNESDAY==Pea and Ham Gnocchi and salad

THURSDAY==Out after Swimming

FRIDAY==Tacos, nachos, and lettuce wraps

SATURDAY==Ground Beef Stroganoff (so NOT gourmet, and therefore one of Graham’s favorite easy meals)

Baking Plan

Bread
Brownies

I am linking this to Menu Plan Monday

Thanks for reading,

Creamy or Crunchy?

2010-09-03T16:44:00.001-04:00

You can tell I am a mom of a 7 year old boy. That is OBVIOUSLY a question about Peanut Butter. (And just so you know…Choosy moms only choose Jif!)

When I first heard that I Heart Cooking Clubs wanted us to choose, I knew I had to make something with peanut butter. But which kind? I have both!

I only like creamy. Graham doesn’t really care. And Quint….well, he takes his peanut butter VERY seriously. Creamy is for SPOONS only and crunchy is for SANDWICHES only.

But what about cookies???

Well…being the baker in the family, I got to make that choice. And I OBVIOUSLY chose creamy. But I added some crunchy oatmeal to the cookies, and a bit of creamy chocolate. I also had a ton of…help.

Step 4 was an addition to the original recipe. It was obviously a editing error on behalf of Mark Bittman. The SHAME!

PRINT RECIPE HERE

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Serves: 3 for about 2 days

Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
pinch salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 375°
Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugars; add the eggs one at a time and beat until well blended.
Combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Alternating with the milk, add the dry ingredients to the batter by hand, a little a time, stirring to blend. Stir in the vanilla or almond extract.
Lick the beater thoroughly before putting it in the sink.
Drop by teaspoons or tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets and bake until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool for about 2 minutes on the sheets before using a spatula to transfer the cookies to a rack to finish cooling. Store in a covered container at room temperature for no more than a day or two.

This recipe is linked to I Heart Cooking Clubs:

Thanks for reading,

One Zucchini, Two Zucchini

2010-08-31T19:49:00.001-04:00

I promised I would share the super yummy Zucchini casserole with you. And I am adding in some Zucchini bread for good measure.

Yesterday on my Menu Plan Monday post I mentioned that I was SERIOUSLY going to start pushing the whole grains and veggies. Someone (Quint) is seriously in need of both. And momma ain’t messing around anymore. We are even trying Quinoa tonight. Mwahahaha!

So last night I made this amazing zucchini casserole. Even Graham ate it (he also has veggie loathing issues, and they WILL be broken!) This is the only picture I have. I totally flaked out, sorry! Really, it is easy and so good!

This morning I made Zucchini bread. Graham knows, Quint does not. I expect a bit of a fight, but I am SERIOUS! Do you HEAR ME????

VEGGIES ARE OUR FRIENDS!

PRINT CASSEROLE RECIPE HERE

PRINT BREAD RECIPE HERE

Zucchini Bread

Makes 2 Loaves

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 zucchinis, grated

Procedure

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch bread pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl.
Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well.
Stir in zucchini until well combined. Divide batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Zucchini Casserole

Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 medium zucchini, diced
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup corn chips, broken

Procedure

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk in milk until smooth. Beat in eggs and chilies. Stir in cheese and zucchini.
Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle corn chips over zucchini mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and edges are lightly browned.
Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

This recipe is linked to these clickable banners:

Thanks for reading,

Two Awards

2010-08-31T12:05:00.001-04:00

I have been a little remiss in responding to two awards I have recently won. EEEEK! (And just so you know…I am cross posting this on my Homeschool Blog Pink and Orange Coffee because I am awarding some fellow homeschoolers!)

and

I received the beautiful Blogger award from Laura O. over at Day by Day in Our World

And the Sunshine Award from the Crazy Mom over at Ramblings From the Crazy House

THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH!!!!!

As a recipient of the blogger awards, one must:

1) Add a link and note of thanks to the person giving the award
2) Pass the award on to the bloggers whose blogs you love (15 tops)
3) Share 7 things about yourself

Here are some random facts about me:

I have orange toenails today. Next time they will be pink.
I love to watch FOX News. Fair and Balanced, baby!
We have an R2-D2 robot standing in our living room.
I love to cook. REALLY love to cook. When I am stressed or mad I MUST make bread…or else!
I have apparently inherited the MOM VOICE. My friends mock me regularly.
I like to take pictures, have a decent camera, but absolutely no talent. Bummer!
I read every single night. Sometimes for 10 minutes, sometimes for 2 hours. I can’t sleep if I don’t read.

Now, here are the lucky few who are getting both awards from me. YOU ALL ROCK!!!

Torviewtoronto http://torviewtoronto.blogspot.com/
Midwest Mama http://homeschoolheartandmind.blogspot.com/
Layton Family Joy http://laytonfamilyjoy.blogspot.com/
Heather http://girlichef.blogspot.com/
Christy http://frugalcrunchychristy.blogspot.com/
Carla and Michael http://recipeadddict.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading,