Foodie4Miles

Get Your Roots Done

2015-04-23T16:11:00.002-07:00

My best friend called the other day to tell me she had a woman stop her in the store to compliment her on her hair. She told her how she loved the cut, color and the ombre affect. Unfortunately, Anber, a mother of 3, business owner and part time single mommy as her husband works out of town, who is also preparing her home to sell and is building a new one, had not received a cut nor color in months, in fact the “ombre” affect that she was so adequately complimented on was simply her grow out, and an obvious need for a touch up. Many mothers could sympathize with the sentiment that we lack the motivation for self care when there are so many much needed things to do on the agenda. We skip meals or eat fast food. Sometimes even constituting coffee as all viable food groups while feeding our family wholesome organic, farm raised, pinterest, compartmentalized lunches. Any bathroom activity generally take about 10 minutes or however much time you have left after getting everyone else (including your husband who wanted a shirt ironed 15 minutes before you walk out the door) ready. Our idea of exercise is walking quickly through the grocery store with a cart full of children and any form of heavy scrubbing or mopping. The 20 something girl who would go tanning ( I know, kills your skin but you know you did it), get her nails done, had her hair done every 5 weeks and worked out and still complained about her size 6 body is long gone. The impeccable closet that was replenished almost weekly with new items is replaced with 15 pairs of yoga pants and more sweatshirts then you care to mention. And the pretty undies- oh please, you know that they are buried beneath a pile of no budge Haines that you tell yourself the “bikini cut” makes them not granny panties, but in reality, you know they are.

Yes we all know that the beauty is not on the outside. We should worry about our actions and not about looking good. But there is a level of self care that we as moms have simply let slide. Mind you this is not for the sake of others- I have no problem seeing a woman in yoga pants at the store in the middle of the week with a crying baby. You made it to the store and you have lip gloss on. Power to ya my sister in the trenches. It’s about the feeling as a woman when you take the time to do some self care that you truly do feel much more powerful.

The same level of mindfulness goes for feeding our spirit as well. We used to paint or dance, cook or climb mountains. We grew things, we built things, and we made decisions with other adults. Some maybe not so great but they were yours and did not require a diaper bag. We seem to forget that we had an identity before children. Yes they are the reason for waking up each day, but where did YOU go?

In the midst of our crazy changes this last year, I found myself in a very low level of spirit. Besides the business changes, the moms group I had so loved had sort of dissolved as each of us found our kids getting older, and the ball games and practices and school functions consumed our lives. Besides our home bible studies with the kids, and occasionally attending the church here in town, our moms group had been my outlet. Sure we weren’t all BFF’s that talked on a daily basis, but it was a sounding board and new perspective. We laughed together, cried together. We went though job losses, miscarriages, weight gain and kids with numerous medical conditions. We had each others back, made meals for new moms and raised money for a little girl’s cancer that lost her life just weeks later. It reminded you that you weren’t alone and that these women were feeling the same things in the day to day as a mom. In the midst of this, and Heath being gone with the business, I started attending the church that his brother and sister-in-law had attended for years. They had a great kids program and we had always loved their music and perspective. Our only reason for not becoming more regular was the 35 minute drive. Over the past 8 months it has become a great part of our weekend as a family and look forward to going each week. Several months ago, an opportunity fell into my lap for being a part of their worship team (a newly vamped phrase for chorus). For those who have not known me any more then my adult life, I have always had a great love for music. I played an instrument all through middle school and high school, was in a children’s choir and high school choir and that portion of my life had fizzled out when I walked out of those high school doors; unless you count singing in the car and the occasional karaoke night.

It was a long forgotten passion, which I had given absolutely no attention to. When I went to the first group workshop before Easter, I heard all of these amazing voices and sheet music lingo and felt myself sinking in my chair. When the opportunity came I was excited and now completely panicked. I had no recollection of music chords or keys. I didn’t remember how to harmonize or know what a coda was. How in the heck was I going to remember? That person was long gone and that information had been shoved down into the depths of my brain, and was no where to be found. But as time went on and the inner shovels dug past all the business information, dentist appointment times and track practice schedules I began to remember. Bit by bit, piece by piece. I was in a room with other adults, making decisions. I was working on cords, blending and not pushing the song speed. As each song would work its way through, the harmonizations gave me goose bumps. I really had totally and completely forgot how much I had loved it.

So what have you forgotten? What have you walked away from for so long that you don’t even remember what it feels like to be in that place again? Sure there are things in our life that have a season, but you can never forget your roots. The heart of what made you the person you are before those beautiful little wonders came into your life.

I’m not feeling guilty about my self care anymore. I got a gym membership, made a hair appointment, and my husband and I are going on a date Friday; the first, without kids and string attachments of work or chores, in probably a year. I also decided for my birthday to treat myself to an entire spa day, something I had not done since my wedding.

In the midst of all this mindfulness, it also includes eating better. And I don’t mean eating every green blended protein glop that is posted online. I’m talking about food, real food. No shakes. No powders. No points. Just tweaking the food we love and making it less gluttonous. In our house we barbeque all summer long. And with that comes the opportunity for every creamy mayonnaise filled salad known to man. In the dressing alone, for a 4 person serving, they carry over 1,000 calories! I decided to do some revamping, and cheat the system without loosing the rich creamy flavors. Here is a great pasta salad recipe that fills the need for a creamy slald without the bulk of the calories.

Creamy Garlic Pasta Salad

1 lb. mini shell pasta

¾ c. 2% plain Greek yogurt

2 tbsp. regular mayo

¼ c. skim milk.

¼ c. finely minced onion

2 large minced garlic cloves

¼ c. minced cilantro

1 container grape tomatoes cut into quarters

¾ c. grated 2% milk sharp cheddar

1 peeled, seeded and diced cucumber

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a 4 qt. stock pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until aldente. Drain and cool. Meanwhile mix together the yogurt, mayo, milk, onion, garlic and cilantro, chop vegetables and add to dressing. Mix in cooled pasta. Serve immediately or chill until ready.

The great thing about this recipe is you can vary it in so many ways. You can go with more Latin flavors by adding peppers and black beans, maybe even putting in avocado in place of the mayonnaise and a splash of fresh salsa- not the canned crud. You could go Italian and put in some fresh basil instead of cilantro, marinated artichokes and fresh mozzarella. Change up the vegetables to your favorites or add a protein. For my kids and husband they need that richness from the sauce but you could use a fat free Greek yogurt if you want to really cut the calories- or omit the mayo.

This evening I look outside as I’m cooking dinner. I have just gotten back from the gym, the grocery store and taking Payton to track practice. I’m working on a song for Sunday service so the music is playing on my phone. The sun is shining and I see my husband laughing and playing basketball with our kids. It brings tears to my eyes how grateful I am for this life that I am living and all of the people in it. The appreciation of what I have seems to be so much more prevalent when I take care of my mind, body and soul.

Stop, and take the time.

Get your roots done.

Laboring, Lent and Letting go

2015-02-18T13:09:00.001-08:00

I wake up every morning to a quiet house. I make my way through the toy scattered living room, on most mornings in the dark, to make my coffee, read my devotional and enjoy maybe 5 minutes of silence before the first cry of "MOM!!!" echoes down the hall and is immediately followed by " What’s for breakfast, I'm hungry"- in the whiniest shoulder shrugging tone I could hear at 6:15 in the morning. I know most moms can relate to this morning ritual scenario but mine happened to take a turn 6 months ago that I seem to have not shaken.

On Wednesday August 13th, 2014 we signed papers and officially closed escrow on a second location for Sewell's Taxidermy. We officially became a big game taxidermy chain. The moment they handed Heath the keys, I started to cry. I was so proud of the man he had become and how much his business had grown. He started out in a small woodshop in his grandparents’ backyard and was now the owner of two locations servicing both sides of state. He OWNED his, and might I say, very nice second location. He spent all night that evening tearing down the old signs, clearing walls and sweeping up from the previous business and by 8 am Thursday morning, Sewell's Taxidermy Burns was open and ready for business. The beginning of the first hunt of the year, antelope season, started Saturday so the kids and I held down the new location while Heath work his drop station during the day at the other end of town and an employee took care of things at home.

When the time came at the end of August for the kids and I to head home, I knew I had a daunting road ahead of me. Heath would be running the Burns location through the coming months and I would be a single mom, with my 4 kids, 2 daycare kids (one of which would be a newborn), a business to run, and a home and family to care for. I had no disillusion of how it would all be nor did I completely prepare myself for the havoc that would issue. I was alone; completely alone, without a husband to bumper the needs of school, parenting and especially business. The Hunting season had shot off like a rocket with our second business launch on facebook basically going organically viral and being viewed over 9,000 times. By the end of August we have over 100 pieces at the Burns location and September bow hunting was beginning to look very promising. My first week of parenting alone was sheer chaos. between school, preschool, transporting 6 kids (4 of them under the age of 4) multiples times in a day, Girl Scouts, homework, laundry, family commitments, and much needed housework (or lack there of)-I was wiped. Oh.... I forgot to mention the 40+ Elk I got in during a 3 week period, the first for Sewell’s Taxidermy during bow season in our entire 11+ years! Taking in customer pieces and contacting employees to come out and help-if they could, all while juggling the above items. I was Cinderella with the 3 trays. I was balancing-sort of. But inside I was coming apart at the seams. The little things-like taking a shower, eating sitting down, or getting to bed before midnight became a luxury. This same cycle went on for 3 months going through every hunting season. I even at one point had to take on the duties of capeing out deer which in my 12 years with Heath I had NEVER done, managed a vomiting flu bug that ravaged everyone in our house, myself included and tended to Heaths hound dogs and the accidental batch of 10 puppies that came the week I got home. But I did it, alone- very alone. I felt like the description Bilbo Baggins used in the Lord of the Rings- "Like butter scraped over too much bread". I was short tempered, tired, had gained 10 pounds, emotional, overwhelmed and missing my husband terribly. I kept looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. My only consolation was that business was booming, but at what cost?? I wanted to pass my burden and move to Burns. Be done with

Lebanon

, hire a shop manager and start our life in a new place.

It has been no secret that our family has loved Eastern Oregon, and on many occasions seriously spent time looking into moving to the high dessert country of Harney County. It’s small, VERY small, away from the bazillion coffee shops, nothing is open on Sunday, and they have one Movie Theater and maybe 6 restaurants. There is no mall, no Wal-Mart or Freddie’s, and the weather consists of subzero temperatures or blazing summer heat- that by the way; come with massive windstorms, thunder and lightning that start fires EVERY year.

But on the other hand, the side that we see is a family driven community of hard working people, mostly with land and farms (80 acres is considered an average home) willing to make deals with a hand shake and a promise. They have only a few coffee shops in town, but they are owned by local people, supported by local people. Businesses aren’t open or working on Sunday because they are at church or spending time with their families. This small community is held together by the people of Harney County and the few travelers that come through town. The winter snow is beautiful and helps supply water to the multitude of ranches during the hot summers- which are subsided by the old, but wonderful community pool that bronzes every kid from opening day to closing weekend. They may not have the fastest wifi, or a huge selection of shopping options, but it’s worth it all in the end to see people exist on the other side of technology and materialistic things.

I badgered my poor husband for months about a "plan" even before the second location had finalized. But now I wanted it to be over. I even went as far as to fill out mortgage applications and picking out houses. But no matter how much I tried to force the change it wasn’t happening.

We had this great thing happen. This big, wonderful, life changing thing happen and all I could think about was how I felt like a sinking ship with no rescue in sight. The end of November could not come fast enough for me.

By the time the seasons wrapped up, between the 2 locations, we had over 220 shoulder mounts come in, not counting the other small pieces like board mounts and Europeans, bringing our total intake to well over 300 pieces. The second location was a success. It had officially paid for its self and in our first year- no; first few months. We had made a profit. How many small businesses could say that?! Although this was a victory from a huge leap of faith, I immediately began to think of next year and how it would all play out.

Now here we are, the dust settled, the mounting season is beginning with heads going out the door, and my mind keeps wandering to months from now, when September comes. Will it come and repeat the vicious cycle I had suffered before? Can I fix it all and make it less challenging?

Why can’t I let this go?

As most Christian know today is the beginning of lent- it’s generally celebrated by the Catholic Church but it has begun to make a comeback in non-denominational Churches as well. It is a time traditionally for fasting, but in more modern life it is the act of giving something up- something you value. Last year our whole house decided to omit TV from our daily lives except on family movie Friday and only 1 hour a weekend. Subsequently we had our TV break in the midst of lent last year making it much easier to find something else to do. But this year I think besides giving up something as a family, I need to be giving something up, and it needs to be a bigger sacrifice. Although everything in life needs somewhat of a plan, some things you just can’t “fix”. I need to trust the process, know that this to shall pass and at some point, someday, this will no longer be my burden to bear. Sure I have things I will change, but I now know what to expect after going through it last season. I need to let this go. My mom once told me when she was struggling with the same type of blessing/burdens, “Isn’t this what you prayed for?” I think all of us struggle with some of the great tasks in our life; our kids, work, home etc. But they are all things to be grateful for, things that without, we would so desperately want. The feeling I had seeing my husband receive the keys should be the feeling that gets me through the late nights of capeing heads. When Rueben colors on the walls of the house while I’m helping a customer, I need to remember I wanted my children so desperately. They are also going through this change, not just me. I need to remember that while my husband is alone, in a travel trailer, working 5 hours away from his family I am in my home, with my children and complaining about all I have to do. I am not actually alone in this. I have my whole family beside me, walking this journey.

As much as I love food, during those 3 months, my cooking left much to be desired. But I found a short cut foodie way to prepare a yummy dinner along with the kids. We always do pizza Friday in our house. Its mom’s way of getting off the hook, using paper plates and the kids get one night with no vegetables. I’m not a huge fan of pizza, but I found one way during a make-your-own pizza night that I think any foodie mama would love.

Short Cut Shrimp Pizza

1 tube Pillsbury pizza dough

½ c. Marinara sauce

¼ c. Extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. Minced garlic

1 ½ c. Fresh, water packet mozzarella balls

½ c. Chiffonade (sliced into thin strips) fresh basil

2 c. Small peeled, deveined, cooked shrimp.

Salt and pepper to taste

Roll our pizza dough and bake for half the time allotted on the package. In the mean time, mix the sauce, oil, vinegar and garlic together with a whisk until well blended. Spread the sauce over the pizza dough. Warm shimp in a saute pan. Top the pizza with the shrimp and place the mozzarella speratically over the top. Finish with the fresh basil. Salt and pepper according to your liking. I’m normally not a pepper person but a generous amount of fresh cracked pepper over the top really helps this dish pop. Finish baking according to the directions and your liking. I have like to brown mine under the broiler to crisp up the edges.

My mornings are chaotic; making breakfast, packing lunches, daycare kids arriving, and hopefully getting the kids out the door on time. It’s a lot to do and a lot to take in and I may only have 5 minutes to myself in the morning but I asked for it all, and its mine. These great gifts I prayed for are right here in my home, and my life everyday. I have no idea what will come next season, it could be just as hard as the last, maybe we will be living in Burns, maybe not, but I know that my family will be with me, right beside me in the trenches and I shouldn’t ever forget that.

Finding a Happy Place

2014-02-11T15:33:00.002-08:00

The week of Christmas for our household was probably one of- if not the worst it will see in its entire history together. We didn’t have nasty feuding families or uncomfortable long drives to far off places with blizzards abounding. We had a 3 letter word completely and utterly consume our entire household.

FLU

Sounds simple enough, but with 4 sick children, a sick husband and holiday dishes to be made for the 3 Christmas’ we were to attend in a matter of days it made it, at best difficult. But to top off our fiasco sundae, I had a surprise planned out for the kids. The mother of all Christmas gifts that they would only see once in their childhood from us. One that I had prepped, planned, thought out, researched and obsessed over since the Christmas before when one of our friends did the same for their children. The one place every little kid dreams about and hears the quintessential music and castle come floating across the TV screen and the twinkle of a fairy spells out the happiest place on Earth-

~Disneyland~

I had every (literally every) detail planned out. Christmas morning my happy excited children would find a ginormous box sitting in front of the tree with a big red bow, and as the classic “when you wish upon a star” played in the background the box would open with Mickey mouse balloons floating everywhere with the ever typical mouse ears inside with custom made shirts with their names ever so sweetly typed out in Walt Disney font saying “I’m going to Disneyland”. The kids would scream and we would all cry and they would tell us how excited and appreciative they were!

Perfect right?!

You’re crying aren’t you?

Like a scene from a movie it would play out perfectly…..

And just 8 days after our perfect Christmas morning, we would pack the car as flawlessly as I had planned from pinterest, drive 12 hours straight because of course we would make excellent time and only stop for gas as our kids slept perfectly the whole way to Anaheim.

Delusional does not even begin to describe how I was thinking, I know.

Once the Plague had set into motion just 3 days before Christmas I has coughing, sneezing, achy, fever ridden children. The day before Christmas Eve the big bomb set in with my husband getting the worst of it. Not to mention we had the bright idea that year to spend the night at great grandmas so she could see all the kids together on Christmas morning. So after drugging the kids and Heath with all medications known to man kind, scrubbing them off in the bath, dressing every member of my household (barely myself) and packing all the items needed for the ever magical surprise box that they couldn’t see until the next morning, all their clothes for the next day and pharmaceuticals to keep them running. Oh- and don’t forget the presents for the 2 Christmas’ in less then 5 hours of each other.

Once we made it through the evening and got the sniffling children and husband to bed I stay up until after midnight making the magic box. In the morning I was met with over tired, sick children, upset that they had to even be out of bed and wondering why Santa had only brought a big box with (supposed) promises of something that was over a week away!

Deflation sets in along with exhaustion.

The ever present illness then consumed our next 8 days with my husband having double pneumonia to the point we were worried about even being able to go on our trip- making our already skeptical, barely recovered children question the validity of this “supposed” trip. Once the doctor finally gave clearance I perfectly packed each bag, even put the car carrier on top of the car by myself, looked up gas station, planned out our eating stops and how I would be able to drive the entire trip so heath could continue to rest and I would still manage to conquer our vacation as planned.

I again am in complete denial of our current situation as you can see, and continue with my “perfectly planned” trip.

I will spare you the complete details but after having a crying baby the majority of the drive, myself nauseated and puking my guts out, some even while in rush hour traffic while driving, Heath ended up taking over and driving for most of the trip. After 17 long and grueling hours we finally made it to Anaheim.

The very next day I loaded everyone up for the first day in the park. I was fuming because we were late getting out the door (NOT according to my park plan print out) and trying to manage all the details again and figure out where to park, catch the shuttle, load all food, water bottles, hats, signature books, pin lanyards oh- and kids, was completely taking its toll.

Then it happened.

We walked through the entrance, the music played, the looks of wonder and marvel and pure magic struck my children’s faces.

They were here- really here

And like bees to honey they were taking it all in. They wanted to see every thing, do everything, watch everything, and ride everything. As an adult- being able to see the real magic happen before your eyes was worth all the sickness, loss of plans and utter chaos I had gone through those past weeks to get to that moment. We spent the entire week not following much of a plan. It wasn’t the way I wanted. It wasn’t the way I had planned it- but it was, in the words of Mary Poppins; practically perfect in every way.

We had the delight of being able to cook our own meals in the townhouse we rented. So here was a meal that made for a magical evening.

Green Chile Cheesy Chicken

4 small chicken breasts, pounded thin

salt and pepper to taste

1 drained 4 oz. can of chopped green chiles

6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

8 slices bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a medium mixing bowl combine cream cheese cheddar, and green chiles.

Lay the chicken flat, season both sides with salt and pepper, place 1/4 of the on the chicken and roll them up.

Wrap each chicken breast with 2 slices of bacon and place them in a baking dish.

Bake about 25-35 minutes

I Am Not My Mother

2013-10-17T09:53:00.003-07:00

I am not my mother.

Not in a resentful, distain of possibly being her, I’m just not. As far back as I can remember she has been the epitome of motherly perfection. She never forgets a face, name or birthday. She even remembers to send cards for anniversaries and, graduations. She also sends Halloween, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day and Thanksgiving cards to each of her 17 grandchildren across the US- ON TIME. In 1983 my parents lived in Colorado Springs Colorado, there was a shuttle landing at the NASA site in Denver just a few days after my birth and my parents decided to go. At that point my mom was able to fit back into her size 6 jeans- and still wears a sixe 6 at age 60. In the midst of one day in her life she can bake bread for church, drop of her weekly purchase of donations, bring me the shirts she irons every week for the boys, sew a dress for an upcoming event, manage the books for my fathers business, pick the strawberries, tomatoes, onions and zucchini she grew in her garden, mow the neighbors pasture with the tractor and oh- help birth a calf. She makes lists, eats a balanced meal at every meal, can craft anything, sew anything, bake anything, grow anything, raise anything and pretty much should wear a cape and mask.

When my husband and I got married in 2003, I had this standard in my mind of how I should be as a wife and mom. A do all, be all mother who can conquers everything in an orderly, organized fashion. For those who know me well enough are probably on the floor choking on my words knowing I am the most unorganized, distractible, spontaneous person you could probably meet. First of all I forget everything, so when buying cards for family members, I either loose them or forget to send them. In high school I somehow managed to wear a size 3 but by the end of my first term in college I was a size 10 and have fluctuated after 4 kids between a 14 down to an 8 back up to a 12 and have managed to work my way back down to a 10 since the birth of our last child, but thanksgiving is coming so I’m sure that will change. My daily life consist of me trying to clean my house but inevitable failing between multiple distractions and children so I end up with a half made poorly done pinterest project, 2 sheets of burnt cookies, dead plants in the back yard, a stack of filing for my husbands business that has been sitting there for weeks, a giant pile of half folded laundry that isn’t put away and 4 kids going to bed an hour past bed time after having Tostinos pizza for dinner…again. I am not my mother.

About halfway through the past 10 years I began to resent the fact that I had none of my mother’s talents. I was too unorganized, too distracted to be able to be like her. My mom, my husband, and my kids had never asked me to be those things. I was putting it on myself.

But why?

If my family was accepting of who I was then why was I finding all the ways each day how I wasn’t the Martha Stewart, wife of the year, etsy store, organized list maker, pinterest project, organic food, perfectionist, homeschooling mom I wanted to be?

7 years ago I joined a national organization called MOPS- which stands for Moms of Preschoolers. these women are truely amazing. We all come from different backgrounds, families and belief systems. There have been days where I didn't have time nor energy to go to a meeting, but once I got there I was so glad I did. We meet twice a month during the school year and enjoy adult conversation (a must when a parent of preschoolers), great food and various activities and speakers. Of course it’s like any mommy meeting at first. The feeling of not wanting the rest of them to know what a wholly mess you are, but by the end of the first month you’re comparing war stories about poopie pants and worst mom of the year award winning moments. It was within this group (and during a pregnancy) that I had a complete and utter meltdown. And yes, they still speak to me. At the time I was working, and still attempting to be the all perfect homemaker mom. A speaker was coming to talk about balance in our schedules. As she spoke it came about that she married a man with children and had not had them as babies. I in turn, {again pregnant and hormonal} began to sob uncontrollably. The cure I was seeking to my never-ending unstructured self was not to be found. As I went on my babbling rampage to these poor women, they all began to say the same thing I was. How they felt like they could do more, be more, to be better wives and moms. In that moment it dawned on me that I wasn’t alone. That maybe that one thing was what made us great made me great; the want and need to be better for our families. From a child’s perspective my mom was perfect. I now honestly believe that is the ultimate goal. I can’t be a perfect someone else. I can only be a perfect me; for my husband, my kids, my family and my friends. I know now my mom is somewhat of an exception to the rule, and I’m grateful for it, but I’m also grateful for being so unorganized that I forget to go to a meeting because I would rather watch a movie with my husband. Distractible enough to spend the whole day doing what I love in my kitchen instead of mopping floors. Spontaneous enough to build a fort in my livingroom and not fold the laundry. So for my fellow messy moms- here is a sure fire, last minute meal for those movies, fort, baking days;

Zucchini Casserole

8 cups sliced zucchini

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 cup mayo

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 small onion, chopped

1 packages sliced and sautéed hotdogs or 1-2 packs crumbled bacon pieces

Salt & pepper to taste

Butter

Crushed up rice krispies or corn flakes

Bring a pot of water to boil, enough o sustain the amount of zucchini. Drop in sliced zucchini and boil until just tender but not too long. Drain well.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg, mayo, Parmesan cheese, onion, protien and salt & pepper. Mix well. Add drained zucchini and mix.
3. Butter a large pie plate and pour zucchini mix into pie plate. Melt butter and mix with desired topping and sprinkle over casserole.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour until bubbly.

Note: for a lighter version use light mayo and omit topping.

In songs of Solomon 4:7 it says “You are all together beautiful my love, there is no flaw in you”. God created us just as he wanted us to be. Not like another mom, but just us.

A Beautiful Mess.

I Kill it- You Cook it

2013-09-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

I remember being a little girl and dreaming about the man I would someday marry. I don't think I could even offend my husband with the statement that dead animals would not be the base of any little girls prince charming. farmer-maybe, hunter...mmm..OK, but Taxidermist? I knew a six to seven figure a year, large company CPA was not in my future, just because I wasn't that kind of girl, but I definitely did not prepare myself for the strange looks- sudden gulps and squished faces when I declare- " he's a taxidermist." Mind you I am not ashamed of the job that puts a roof over my head and clothes on my children's back. Heath is an artist and a craftsmen and I applaud him each and everyday. That being said- I know its weird.

The two most annoying questions I got when we were engaged were " Are you going to let him hang that stuff in the house?" and because I was a culinary arts major, " remind me not to eat dinner at your house?! Ha-Ha!"...yeah...real funny. We don't eat skunk or raccoon, I have all my teeth and no one is playing a banjo in the background. We are a fully functioning {semi} normal family, no old tires in the front yard, and yes we have running water. We have head mounts in the house but they do not look like an ominous creature with crooked eyes bulging from its head like you see in crime shows where the guy has a dead body in his freezer. It's a business just like an auto mechanic or a welder. We provide a service to hunters, and to my surprise over the past decade of my marriage, its a thriving business. Each year his business grows and we see people of all income brackets come through the door. And to be honest, in my opinion, they are the best customers a business could ask for. They are kind and caring, and are more like friends and family then just another sale. We get spoiled by our customer too. Some spend so much time in the woods that they literally give us meat out of their freezer because they have too much. OK-for the moms out there reading this still being skeptical and wrinkling your face let me put it in these terms;

envision someone walking through the door and giving you 10 pounds of hamburger, 6 bottom round roasts (about 5 lbs. a piece), and 3 packages of steaks, about a pound a piece. All organic, grass fed meat from a local sustainable source-for FREE. Crunch those numbers, un-crunch your face and tell me I'm not onto something! The protein we get not only reduces my grocery bill but guarantees my kids, the best option there is available. This also gives me the freedom to create all kinds of things with the various cuts we end up getting.
Most people I think are scared to cook game meat, I know I was. You spend your whole life with pork, beef and chicken and then you try to cook this thing that once had horns and you don't even know where to begin. You've heard the rumors about it being gamey and your great aunt Bertha cooked it one time and it was either deep fried and smothered in gravy or dry and chalky. Trust me when I say this- its just like BEEF! I know, I know, its like the saying it's just like chicken, but I'm serious. Its a dark meat that is simply leaner, has less cholesterol and when handled correctly, has only a slightly different taste then beef and is not gamey at all. Sure everyone likes something deep fried and covered in gravy but Aunt Bertha weights 260 pounds for a reason. No one can live on a diet like that and to be honest, you loose so much of the flavor. If you become lucky enough to harvest a deer or elk yourself or like us, have it given to you, here is a recipe we love;

Salt Crusted Wild Roast
1-3 to 5lb. Deer or Elk Roast
1/3 c. olive oil
1/4 c. minced onion
1-2 tbsp. minced garlic (depending on your taste)
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. herbes de provence
1 cup kosher salt

combine oil, onion, garlic, pepper and herbes in a heavy plastic bag. Add roast and insure it it coated in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight. Remove from bag and let set on a roasting rack lined with foil until room temperature. preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using hands, message the kosher salt all over the surface of the roast, generously heaping some on the top. Bake for 1-2 hours- depending on your roast size. Roast should reach 140 degrees before removing from oven, longer if you prefer it less pink. remove from oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes. remove salt crust and slice as desired.

The next is a somewhat deceptive recipe I created to get my kids to eat cauliflower and makes a great, earthy side to a hearty roast like the one above.

Creamy Cauliflower Potatoes

3 large red potatoes, NOT peeled
3 cups cauliflower pieces- fresh or frozen ( if frozen thawed)
tbsp. salted butter
1/2 c. heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Dice potatoes and place in a large pot with cauliflower pieces and heavily salted water. bring to boil and cook until potatoes and cauliflower are soft but not mushy, about 10 minutes. drain well. in the same pot heat the heavy cream and butter until melted. add in the potatoes and cauliflower and using a potato masher press out the potatoes and cauliflower. In the event you have big chunks of cauliflower, pulse with a stick blender but remember, your making smashed potatoes-not baby food. Add salt and pepper to taste
You can add in bacon pieces, cheese, whatever you want to doctor them up- but don't tell the kids about the cauliflower.

As the hunting season falls upon us and your husband has a friend who wants to take him hunting- shove him out the door! it will save you some time from couponing.

Summer Storm

2013-07-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

Most people live by a schedule- as for myself I have found that with 4 kids it works best to have one- but sticking to it ( again 4 kids) generally ends in more havoc then its worth at times. During the summer months for our family I always find our family in a state of discombobulated order. We have a bedtime- but it could be 7:30 or 10:30. We have regular meals- like chicken ala’ McDonalds. I will say my one saving grace for my family’s health during the busy summer months is the barbecue. I truly love it. Unfortunately for me I do not have one of those husbands who slaves over a grill during and cooks a steak to perfection

Yea….that would be me..

He is gladly willing and able to eat whatever I make though- such a good sport!

Anyway, this month is particular was probably the busiest one we have had in the 10 years we have been married. We had out of town guest 2 different times, County fair (that I volunteer at), a HUGE community wide garage sale that went on for 4 days ( plus clean up and take down), and now we are gearing up for our 4 kids’ giant birthday bash. I have finally found the floor of my living room and felt a need to disconnect from the mop and vacuum and spread a little summer recipe cheer. For those of you who are currently living my ~~nightmare~~ reality, I have a great tried and true summer pasta salad recipe that is always a crowd pleaser, super easy to make, goes great with any grilled protein or kabob, and can stay in the fridge for days. In our opinion its better the next day after the pasta soaks up the dressing.

Summer Pasta Salad

1 lb. cooked, drained, rinsed and cooled tri-color pasta

1 ½ c. finely diced sharp cheddar cheese

1 large tomato diced

2 green onions sliced

1 cucumber seeded and diced

1 ½ c. ham diced

1c. canola oil

¼ c. apple cider vinegar

¼ c. lemon juice

2 tbsp. ranch dressing mix

Mix together cooled pasta and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar and ranch dressing mix until well blended. Pour desired amount of dressing over salad and toss. Note: if stored overnight the salad will absorb some of the dressing so more can be applied later on.

~ This recipe is one my mom has made every summer for as long as I can remember and is a summer barbeque staple. Thanks Mom! ~

April Showers

2012-04-11T18:50:00.001-07:00

It seems this time of year always makes me smile. Well at least those days where the sun comes out and it surprises you with beautiful 65 degree weather when you least expected it. Of course the following day (or days for us valley dwellers) ends up being a wet mess and makes us long even more for the sunshine. This time of year seems to always be shower season, not in the sense of the beloved Oregon rain, but in baby and bridal showers as well. My mom and I had the pleasure of putting on an event this past weekend for our very longtime family friends. They recently had become grandparents and wanted to have a baby welcoming, and have it be family friendly- dads and spouses included. Now I know most men try to avoid events like this due to the usual lack of other males present but seeing how this was more of a “come meet the baby” then an actual shower with games and prizes, we planned that some men would actually brave the weather so to speak! We knew we wanted small appetizers and hor dourves but how can you make them more appealing to the testosterone in the room? I mean everyone knows a guy likes to eat. The more fanciful things we could make would not only leave them sniffing the food at the buffet line but eventually asking that beloved, non-adventurous question of

“What’s in this?”

Speaking for the males in my family, if it has meat, starch, cheese - OK, and lets not forget some sort of condiment I’m usually safe. So why not play off of the caveman appetite? And that was when I had an idea; a His and Hers Menu! This would allow the men to feel safe with their usual favorites but with a nicer spin on it, and then an adjacent ladies sort of upgraded version.

His Menu

Mini Meatloaf Cupcakes with Creamy Potato Frosting

Hot Wing Dip

Pulled Pork Sliders on Mini Pretzel Buns

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Bites

Her Menu

French Fried Onion and Mushroom Canapés

Cool Cucumber Vegetable Dip

Tarragon Shrimp Sliders on Mini Pretzel Buns

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

So you don’t get EVERY recipe this time, but here are a few to wet your appetite;

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper Bites

20 whole Fresh Jalapenos, 2-3 Inches In Size
2 cubes Cream Cheese, softened
2 pound Thin(regular) Bacon, Sliced Into Thirds

If you have them, slip on some latex gloves for the pepper prep... Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane. Cut each half into half again, making a perfect bite sized piece. Fill a Ziploc bag with cream cheese and snip of the end to pipe out into each jalapeno bite. Wrap jalapeno with bacon pieces (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle.

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don’t want the bacon to shrink too much so if, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. Serve warm or at room temperature.

French Fried Onion and Mushroom Canapés

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
4-ounces canned mushroom pieces and stems, drained
one 2.8-ounce can french-fried onions
1 loaf cheap white sandwich bread

Lay out slices of bread and using an inch and half size cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Reserve the crust and remaining bread for other use. ( it freezes really well, and the last time we used it for croutons). Generously spray a cookie sheet with spray oil and place the bread round on sheet. Sprinkle the tops with garlic and onion powder. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. In a bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Parmesan, mushrooms, and onions. Spread on lightly toasted party rye or pumpernickel. Top each baked round with mixture and broil until brown and bubbly

Mini Meatloaf Cupcakes with Creamy Potato Frosting

1 pound Ground Beef ( or in our case elk or venison)
1 cup Whole Wheat Bread diced into small pieces
½ a Medium Onion, Diced
1 whole Egg, Lightly Beaten
½ cup Ketchup
2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper

1 ½ pounds Potatoes, Peeled And Cubed

½ sticks Butter

1 teaspoon Salt
½ cup Evaporated Milk
½ cup fresh Chopped Chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini tartlet tray with aluminum mini foil baking cup liners. Mix ground beef, bread pieces, onion, eggs, salt, pepper and ketchup. Using a small scoop, fill each cup with meatloaf mixture. Filling will be slightly above the liners in a mounded shape simulating the finished cupcake shape since the mixture won’t rise. Bake for 20 minutes or until done. Boil peeled and cubed potatoes for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain in a colander and return to pot. Add butter and salt. With a mixer, beat on medium until completely smooth. Add evaporated milk. When meatloaves are done, remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Remove the foil liners from the trays. Be careful because the edges may stick to the trays. Separate with a knife if this happens and lift out of the trays. The meat will have shrunk a little and some grease will be in the bottom of the liners so be careful. Place onto desired serving dish. Spoon potatoes into a large ziploc bag with the corner cut off and pipe potatoes on top of meatloaves in a swirling motion. Sprinkle the tops with chopped chives. Serve warm.

Cool Cucumber Vegetable Dip

· 2 whole cucumbers, peeled and seeded

· 1 bell pepper cored and seeded

· 3 stalks celery, ends removed

· 1 onion, peeled and ends removed, cut in half

· 3 lbs. cream cheese, softened

· ¼ c. mayonnaise

Take cream cheese and pulse in food processor. Add vegetables one at a time. Finish with mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper to taste. This batch makes a ton, so you can cut in half if needed.

Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus

7 oz. prosciutto, sliced
1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 or 2 bundles of fresh asparagus, trimmed well and ends removed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread prosciutto slices with cream cheese. Cut each of them into 4 strips lengthwise. Twist and Wrap slices around each asparagus spear. Arrange wrapped spears in a single layer on a medium baking sheet. Bake 10- 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until asparagus is tender or their green color turns very vibrant. Serve warm, cold or at room temperature

We had no casualties as a result of a couples shower. It was a pretty nice day. Lots of baby cooing and cuddling and so far no complaints about the food. Even during the clean up part, we noticed most of the plates were completely clean. Events like these are always fun because not only are you doing them for people you care about but the small intricate bites give a smorgasbord to your guest. I always have trouble at a restaurant deciding what to get becuase I wat to try it all, and a menu like this gives you exactly that option.

We have another event coming up next month and a family dinner this weekend so look for yet another blog very soon!

2012-04-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

Being recognized for something is always fulfilling. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and worth. In motherhood it can be a little less rewarding- like when your child thanks you for holding their hair when they are throwing up, or your husband tells you that “dinner was great”. Even though you thought it was awful. My life centers on my children and our business so the recognition I hope to gain is generally not for myself, but in the accomplishments of my husband as an artist and my kids in school, manners and making it to the potty in time. But since I have started my food adventures I find my blog and the comments I receive personally fulfilling that this is something I was meant to do. Even if I only have 4 followers..

Just last week I was working on contest stuff for our County Fair (for those who do not know, my mom and I are the superintendents of the baked goods department). I was sending emails and setting up conference calls all while doing laundry, scouring the house after a 2 week flu stint and making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I took a minute to check my emails- and I had one subjected “Food Blog. It reads like this;

LaurelLynne,

We were given some information about your cooking ideas and I was wondering if you would feel comfortable about being featured on our food page. It would include an interview with me and a photographer while cooking something.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Amanda Robbins

Albany Democrat-Herald

I was floored.

Sure I write a blog and talk to any moving body about my cooking but was I worthy of being on the food page? I mean I know it’s not the New York Times but still, it’s a notable accomplishment and recognition for someone as detached from the REAL food industry as me.

I then spent the last week planning, cleaning preparing, shopping and tweaking my recipes. I had trouble sleeping, and was probably nervous for the first time I can remember in a long time. I even recruited Payton to be my little assistant.

Then- Today was the day-

They would be here at 10 am and I needed to turn into Ina Garten or Paula Deen and make it look flawless, flavorful and fabulous. In My mass preparation and alterations I picked this menu because I have always been a fan of cooking with the seasons. We are coming into spring- ok, we are supposed to be, but this is when those light dishes and fresh salads start showing up in restaurants and food websites. Farmers markets will be starting up soon and with the hope of SOME nice weather we will even be barbequing before we know it. Each one of them is a table please- nice to look at and full of flavor.

Shrimp, Avocado and Tarragon Sandwich

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons drained capers, finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons diced red onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

2 dashes pepper sauce

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, room temperature

2/3 loaf of focaccia cut into 6 sandwiches

1 pound peeled deveined large shrimp

2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper

1 ripe avocado chopped and mashed- seasoned with salt and pepper

Green leaf or butter leaf lettuce

1. Get a large pot of salted water boiling. Add the shrimp and reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cool water. Drain shrimp and chop coarsely. Mix the shrimp, first 5 ingredients and bell pepper in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and more hot sauce, if desired. Lightly butter cut sides of focaccia bread and place on cookie sheet, butter side up. Heat broiler and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Spread avocado over bottom of each bun. Top with shrimp mixture and lettuce, if desired. Cover with top buns. Transfer to plate or wrap for later use.

Focaccia Bread

2 ½ cups AP Flour

¼ c. Bobs Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 ½ teaspoons herbes de provence

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic, herb and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and water.

2. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Using fingers poke divots into dough. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm or allow to cool for use in sandwiches.

Asparagus Salad

1 pound asparagus, ends removed, cut into thirds

2 red bell peppers cored and seeded

4 scallions sliced

3/4 c. canola oil

¼ c. apple cider vinegar

¼ c. soy sauce

2 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1. Blanch asparagus in boiling water for 3-5 minutes, then drain and plunge into ice cold water. Drain again. Cut peppers into thin strips, the same length as the asparagus. Combine the pepper, sliced scallions and asparagus in a bowl. Meanwhile whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over vegetables. Season to taste. Serve either at room temperature or chilled.

My reasons for picking the menu I did were because I have always been a fan of cooking with the seasons. We are coming into spring- ok, we are supposed to be, but this is when those light dishes and fresh salads start showing up in restaurants and food websites. Farmers markets will be starting up soon and with the hope of SOME nice weather we will even be barbequing before we know it. Each one of these is a table please- nice to look at and full of flavor.

As I went through each recipe and was chopping, slicing, blanching and rinsing, I found myself messing up on my steps out of sheer nervousness. But why?? You would have thought I was cooking for Gordon Ramsey!! The reporter asked me a vast array of questions, including how I started cooking, what I like to cook the most, and what is my favorite part about cooking. The one question that stumped me the most was “what would you tell someone wanting to learn how to cook?” I sort of stood there and had to think- and generally for me the words easily come flying out of my mouth. But then I said the one thing I should have said to myself through the whole process-

Don’t be afraid.

Just like anything, all I had to do was be myself, and the rest would fall into place as it was meant to be. Who knows if anything will come from the article, but someday I can look back and say- you know what- I did that.

Start From Scratch

2012-03-05T10:34:00.005-08:00

Any stay at home mom would tell you, stress in inevitable. Anyone who owns their own business would tell you the same thing. Low and behold, I happen to fall under all accounts, and since I come naturally with a slightly shorter fuse then most, my snappy responses tend to flourish. Not to mention I come form a long lineage of smartasses. It seems to compound the closer we get to the end of the month when the bills are coming in and the cupboards starts to look- well- inventive, all on top of the normal household and business chores.

$275.00

That is the food budget for our household each month. For a family of five it is a challenge each and every month to stay in that range. Following a trend of fellow young mothers, I have become an avid couponer and watch the weekly ads vigorously. But the things that really ad up each month, like produce, dairy, and meats generally do not come in the Sunday SmartSource. Growing up I came from a family that has a majority of it’s income from a “cowboy” way of life, so steak and lobster were never on the menu. This lifestyle for me is not unmanageable, but the foodie in me gets very tempted by the beautiful cuts of wild salmon and the bags of organic fresh basil.

So here we are, once again at the end of the month and there aren’t a lot of very inspirational items in my cupboard that lean towards that fabulous meal you want to remember next week. The Food budget was gone 3 days ago, the dogs peed on the carpet, you just added up the bills for the month and your over your usually budget by three hundred bucks….

Woohoo….

The release of stress for some is a long hard workout, for other a tub of ice cream while vegging on the couch. Maybe for you it’s a long soak in a bath with the radio drowning out the sound of your kids in the other room. All of those sounds pretty tempting, but for me it’s a recipe, made from scratch and completely uninterrupted. So the end of the month, with only the basic ingredients, I needed a mommy time out, giving me the inspiration today to go gung-ho! Here is what I made:

Home Made Pasta

Serves 6-8

4 eggs

Pinch of salt

10 oz. flour

In your kitchen aid add eggs and salt first and then flour. Mix until dough comes together and is well blended. With lots of extra flour, knead dough by hand for 10 minutes.

At this point I used my pasta rollers, which if you have a kitchen aid, and like to cook, I highly recommend getting them. They make a great gift idea for those times when someone asked you what you want for Christmas/ birthday and you have absolutely no idea what you want. I for one got them for my birthday7 years ago. Pasta can be extremely finicky. If you over work the dough, it can be tough. If underworked it can become mushy and not hold together. It truly takes years to master but the pasta rollers really help, and with a little time in the kitchen you can get a feel for what you are looking for.

After feeding it through the pasta roller enough times to get to the thickness wanted, I then laid out the pasta and cut it into long lasagna style noodles. Then lay them out on your cookie wire racks to dry out. The longest I would suggest is several hours before putting in an air tight container for later use (3-5 days) or you can freeze in an airtight container for use in later weeks. I used mine later in the evening to make lasagna from scratch.

Home Made French Bread

5 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 Bobs red Mill Gluten Flour

2 1/2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.

Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.

With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

Home Made Marinara/ Spaghetti sauce

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 green bell pepper, diced small

2 cloves garlic minced

½ of a medium onion, diced small

3-14.5 oz. cans fire roasted tomatoes, juice included

½ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Additional water

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pot over med. heat. Once heated, add the peppers, garlic and onion and sauté until softened and aromatic. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Cover and let cook for 2 hours over medium low heat. Taste sauce and add desired seasoning. Cook an additional 2 hours uncovered on low heat. If the sauce reduces too much, add a small amount of water until desired thickness, tasting along the way to make sure you are not deluding the flavors.

Home Made Lasagna

1 large cottage cheese carton (small curd, whole milk)

3 eggs

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage, cooked

1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 c. parmesan cheese, grated

Homemade pasta

Homemade marinara

In a large bowl, mix the cottage cheese, eggs and basil until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside, meanwhile cook your ground beef or sausage and begin to boil a large pot of salted water for your pasta. Drain meet from drippings and set aside. Once water is boiling, add fresh pasta to water and cook for 2-5 minutes, just bringing the noodles to a desired texture- al dente. Remove from water and place in a ice cold water bath to shock them. Remove once cool enough to touch, and lay on tea towels until ready to use. Preheat the oven to 375°. Using a 9x13” pan spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom. Place one layer of noodles side by side, even ripping to fit if necessary. Add a layer of the cottage cheese mixture, followed by meat, more marinara and shredded mozzarella. Continue this pattern until coming to the last layer; once placing the pasta, top with marinara, mozzarella and 1/3 c. grated parmesan. Place in oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

There is no better feeling, then putting your heart soul and time into a homemade recipe, that took literally all day to cook, and finding your families plates completely clean. Then to top it all off your husband turns to you and says “honey, this is the best lasagna I have ever tasted”

Now if that isn’t a stress reducer, I don’t’ know what is

Food For Therapy

2011-11-07T22:07:00.001-08:00

Oh my good Gravy!! It has been too long since I took a moment to enjoy the fruits of my labor via blogging. Since the eons it has been since my last post last October….( Again I say LAST October)….(sighing and rolling my eyes)… I have had the joy of really getting to cook for my fellow family members on at least a monthly basis. Although I love my children and husband, having a wider audience to taste my epicurean curiosities makes for a much more constructively critical audience.

Just before thanksgiving last year, it became very apparent that my Papa’s time was coming to a close- in an effort to be as supportive as possible (and to selfishly take advantage of our remaining time together) I made the decision to spend the next few weeks in Milwaukie with my Mother, Aunt and Grandma while caring for Papa. I was struggling- and had not faced the reality that he was going to go soon. So as any normal person, I went straight for the kitchen. Any meal was no longer simplified- I bought flashy ingredients and made things I would never fix for my kids or husband. Rich, flavorful foods with hours invested. I’m sure we all gained a few pounds those weeks together.

Papa was a simple eater though. I knew he would be happy with anything, but I knew he was on a strict diet the few weeks prior per his doctors and grandma would follow those notes like a drill sergeant, but now with the inevitable coming, he had freedom to eat what he wanted. When running around in the produce department with Grandma- trying to get a few things before heading back to the house- for some reason I grabbed a bag of pears. Granted I have never been a huge pear fan but these looked picture-perfect. They were golden, firm and unbruised. I could tell they were perfectly ripe and even without a clue as to what I would do with them- they were in the cart regardless.

Fussing and fidgeting and milling around are the many ways our family copes. No time to sit and cry- there are things to do. Well for me the “to-do” has always been food. Even as a kids I would get lost in the possibilities of dinner and knew when I was 14 I wanted to be a chef. That was when Papa made me my first recipe binder. He would always joke about how he would happily be my “tester” anytime. The support of my grandparents has always weight upon me like a parents would because of the close relationship I had with them in my childhood, so late one evening after settling papa in and telling everyone goodnight, I had trouble getting to sleep so I picked up my laptop and tried to start typing my thoughts for Papas eulogy. I knew as we talked and spent time together each day I would remember things and in the chaos of it all did not what to forget them. But with the laptop set,

and my fingers on the keys,

I sat there.

I was stuck-…….

and then, I lost it. Just then my never-failing mother walks by the door and sees me,

in pieces.

We cried together for a moment without really saying much, and ending with “I Love you”, as we always do. I then decided to go back to my serenity of recipes and scoured the web for a sublime pear recipe.

The next day I scurried and stirred, mix and sautéed and ended with a Spiced Pear Tartlet with Vanilla Bean and Star Anise. It was beautiful; spicy yet subtle, with a crispy puff pastry crust that flaked like clouds and melted like butter on the tongue. It tasted like fall on a plate. Papa enjoyed a healthy slice, ala’ mode of course and for me it was good therapy for moving forward. We lost papa on December 6^th, 2010 . We all enjoyed a wonderful few weeks at home with him, and he managed to finish and entire mince meat pie before he left us.

It was then we decided to have a monthly family dinner at my parents’ home each month- with no requirements, no guilt in attending or hidden agenda, just good food and time with family. We had all had quite a year between the 28+ of us. We have had multiple deaths, divorces, major injuries, lack of work and as most in this economy, times are tight, and finding ways to whined down, relax and remember the simpler things is becoming harder and harder to do when the money isn’t rolling in like it used to.

So each month we have a theme- make a dish, play games, drink some wine (and sometimes a little more wine…and more..). I cannot speak for other folks but our family is pretty much an open book- we don’t keep secrets we talk about everything, and hold no grudges as a result. We harass each other; drive each one crazy in some ways- we even aren’t all in the same political party for that matter. But, the one constant is that we love each other- and never knowing what time we have, we know that come hell or high water we can rely on one another. And the small stuff, the little differences in each one of us, makes for a much more interesting party every month.

So this time around, I dedicate my food- and endless love to Papa. Thank you for always believing in me and being part of my family and my life.

I love you

Rolling up my sleeves and getting back to it!

2010-09-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

So after a 7 month hiatus, I am now back to my cookbook challenge. I may not be able to finish by my 1 year mark, but I will darn sure give it my best shot. After having our newest addition and finally quitting my job to be the mom I know I'm meant top be, I can make a little more time in my life for myself and my children, including my love of food.
My mom and I recently had the opportunity to help with the food for my Sister-in-laws 30Th birthday party. The plan was to have a menu that was Italian based appetizer bar. Appetizers have always been my favorite form of food because it is a meal in a bite, giving you the opportunity to taste lots of different things. when I first started my cookbook collection, appetizers, hors d'oeuvre's, starters etc., were the ones I wanted the most, so once the menu theme was set in place, I had LOTS of books to choose from.
The first book was simply titled "hors d'oeuvres". This book has always been a favorite of mine because there is a picture with every recipe, making it easy to decide if the food is what you envisioned, as well as prepping ahead and storage suggestions.

Because of the Italian theme we went with a recipe that had a Mediterranean influence.

"Tiny Parmesan and black olive shortbread's with Parsley pesto and Feta"
-Hors Doeuvres by Eric Treuille & Victoria Blashford-Snell

Being the anti-baker that I am, my mom volunteered to do the shortbread's. After getting several calls from her about the dough, I know the recipe left us sort of hanging out to dry-literally. She was so perplexed because the dough was not dough at all but a powdery mix resembling something similar to Bisquick. After reading through the ingredients and mumbling to ourselves over the phone we went with the wing it approach of, when all else fails add more butter. I'm sure that is a life quote of Julia Child's and Paula Deens. Once she added more butter the recipe came out fine, The olive flavor was not really present for being called a black olive shortbread, but the Parmesan came through beautifully. As for the pesto, that was assigned to me. Pesto in my opinion is about as important as ranch dressing ( yes I said ranch dressing) I know for a epicurean of sorts i shouldn't have a love of condiments such as ranch but I do, so sue me. Anyway, Pesto can enhance the flavor of practically any dish, is simple to make, and easy to store, yet for some unknown reason i had not made it since culinary school. I wasn't a big fan of the parsley pesto idea so I went ahead and made a traditional pesto and also utilized another cookbook of mine with the recipe. This came from;

The Pasta Bible by Jeni Wright

This book also has my highly sought after photo with each recipe, but also has instructional photos for the more advanced techniques required. The recipe was simple straight forward and turned out really well. I also liked the fact the the ingredients were listed in measurement as well as weight.

Once both of these components were done all that was needed was to plate them up-making these pretty simple and straight forward. The flavors were pretty powerful so if you don't care for garlic and Parmesan, these were not for you. We were pleasantly surprised to find that even with the pungent flavors, they were quite a crowd pleaser.

The next app. we wanted to make was some sort of bruschetta. In my book-The Essential Appetizers Cookbook , we again have photos and helpful hints with each recipe, even provided sections based on regions of the world to ensure that your menu flowed well. The section on Bruschetta provided different recipe variations on this common Italian dish. I chose the:

"Pastrami and Herb Creme Fraiche with Tomato and Basil Bruschetta"

Creme Fraiche in layman's terms is a french variation of sour cream. The flavor tends to be richer and the consistency thinner but the biggest difference is the price-if purchased. After doing some digging my mom managed to make a restaurant quality creme fraiche in a matter of days and a lot cheaper then what you'd pay in the grocery store. We then just finished it off with some fresh chopped chives and it was ready to go. the fortunate thing about this time of year are the great garden tomatoes.the tomato basil mixture was very straight forward and a simple mixture of tomato, finely shredded basil, some garlic, top shelf olive oil, along with salt and pepper to taste, with the garden tomatoes really standing out with such great flavor. The pastrami was an easy find for me since we have found ourselves constantly shopping a local discount grocery store that also has Amish deli cuts-that are truly to die for.
Once the elements were ready we allowed the guests at the party to build as they ate because we were afraid of the bread getting soggy, which we were glad we did since the tomatoes began to get a little soupy. This dish was probably my favorite- it was filling and left your pallet wanting more. The contrast in flavors were fresh, creamy and well seasoned. Definitely one that will go into our regular repertoire.

Well folks, it's good to be back! more recipes and books to come.

2010-02-17T16:12:00.001-08:00

I was very fortunate to have married a man who definitely brings home the bacon….. or should I say elk, deer, antelope and all other four legged animals with antlers. Our freezers are never scant to say the least, and he is always encouraging me to make something new and different with them. To help you understand my husband he is, and is not a picky eater. The best way to describe what he likes is this; if he had meat, potatoes, and corn the rest of his life he would be completely happy, but in the same breathe, he does not like to venture too far from his comfort zone of foods. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I love to cook. I try different things, challenge myself in the kitchen and if that limits me to a starch, some sore of game meat and a can or corn…ugh…you get the point. Even with this bit of knowledge in my head I try to go forth and make food that could possibly change his mind. 7 out of 10 I can but occasionally I find him picking his way around the dish, but like the great husband he is, never complains, that or as my mother would say “he knows better then to get hit with the frying pan!”. All in all he has gotten better about trying things in our 7 years together, and now encourages me to use up what we have in different ways.
This Christmas I received a cookbook from my parents in honor of the Pendleton Round-up called “Beyond the Bull”. This book is full of recipes, pictures, and history about one of Oregon’s cherished events. From cover to cover, this book is full of down home hearty cooking that can stick to the ribs of any cowboy or cowgirl, green horn or saddle tramp.
After having some time to go through the book, I selected a Beer pot roast recipe to try out. I should start by saying I have traditionally hated pot roast because in my opinion thus far, it has been bland, boring and dry. Whenever I have had it, it normally gets drowned in ketchup or some other condiment just to make up for the “mistake in a pot” flavor. I knew this going in but was convinced I would find a way to give it a better flavor, the recipe looked promising and that chuck roast in the freezer could be used for little else. It started off with a onions caramelized in butter, and I mean lots of onion. I know that onion can be a really over powering flavor, but once they are caramelized they are so sweet and mild in flavor that even the most anti-onion eater will find it suitable. Once the onion were nice and brown and had a sweet smell steaming from the pot I added the flour, salt, garlic, and one can of beer. While this was brewing away, I seared off my roast. One tip I will give anyone either doing a dry oven roast or a pot roast, ALWAYS sear your meat. This means you have your pan so hot, when you add your oil to the pan it starts to smoke. Then you season your meat (salt, pepper etc.) and then put it in your pan. This will create a really loud sizzle and it will only take maybe 20 seconds to get a good dark color, and you’ll want to rotate to do the same on all sides. When you finish, if you were just looking at it you’d think it was done. This is a trick I learned in culinary school that keeps your juices in when cooking for long periods of time. That also means, no cutting and checking it while cooking. The best way to tell if a roast is done is to check periodically with your instant read thermometer. You can find a done-ness guide online or in your typical Betty Crocker cook book. Once I had the meat seared and the base done I placed the meat in the dutch oven with the sauce and baked it, covered for about 3 hours. I wanted to be sure and have a vegetable, so about ½ before being done, I added some carrots. I also made some roasted red potatoes to help sap up some of the sauce. This recipe was so easy, and so good, heath went back for 3rds! There are so many different ways to cook a pot roast and I really feel like it comes down to the meat and how it is handled, and thanks to my husband; we have plenty to fill our table. He may be picky sometimes, but boy he sure comes in handy!

Love you honey.

Now on to book #8

Start at the top and work your way down...

2010-01-02T21:59:00.000-08:00

This was my first thought as I looked up an down my bookcase. I realized in a second that my "one a week" plan may not work, after I counted 167 cookbooks. Like my cooking blogger before me, I plan on taking no more then a year. Once this epiphany hit me, I took a deep breath and grabbed the first book and in the most juvenile way possible, flipped through the pages with my eyes closed and pointed at my first recipe.

"Deceptively delicious"
by Jessica Seinfeld

-Aloha chicken kabobs-

I was so happy to get this book off the shelf since I felt it would be an easy place to start-sort of. The whole concept behind this book is to trick your picky eaters into consuming good-for-you food. My mother purchased this book for me since I have a daughter who is obnoxiously selective in her food choices(unless it resembles dessert). I spent about an hour last night looking through all the other recipes and found some of them great yet others to be disappointing. All of them are great family recipes for anyone with kids 8 and under but as for the healthy factor some of the recipes only had 1/4 cup of good-for-you food for a recipe that fed 8-10 people. One great thing though is everything is pureed to hide the most noticeable foods in some pretty strange but yummy places and even thought it i allot of work for the bigger recipes I spoke of, it totally works with ones that have enough to really get the kids (or husbands for that matter) the nutrition they need. The one recipes I selected seemed to be a good way to incorporate the more healthful items. The recipes came together pretty well but my environment to say the least was not what I had hoped for. Two screaming kids, a totally destroyed kitchen and not getting home from work until after 6:30...ugh! The recipe was your typical home breaded chicken recipe but with a twist. with the egg wash, you added pureed pineapple and sweet potato and a small amount of soy sauce. With the breadcrumbs was 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut that definitely gave it a totally different flavor that went over well. The chicken was delicious and my overly picky daughter actually decided she liked pineapple.....MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! I'm not sure if this will be the cookbook I rely on day in and day out but It was definitely good inspiration for getting my picky eaters to consume good food. I also know that to be able to really get into my recipe, I need to do it in a....shall we say...more relaxing enviroment.....

Coming soon....book #2!

The beginning of a challenge.....I think....

2010-01-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

My most recent years have been spent being a wife to a husband with his own business, mother of two and working a full time job. this in the end leaves little time for ones self to explore other options besides the debate over taking a shower in the morning OR being able to put make-up on for the day.
I now find myself relishing in my years as a culinary student and staring at my massive bookshelf that is packed and stacked with cookbooks that have done nothing since their inhabitants but collect dust. Some I don't believe I have ever made one recipes out of. Chinese to Italian, the Art of Baking to 365 ways to make an egg; SO many recipes without one glob of goo on the pages or dust of flour! I have spent my time these past years taking care of others, and this bookshelf shows that the things that I love and the the things I have a passion for have literally been put on a self...no pun intended. Although the movie may not be a block buster Julie and Julia has really hit the nail on the head for me. I need something to spark my passion that I once had for cooking. I need to make my family gain 5 pounds from eating the disgustingly good food and my friends to relish over my not-so-potluck parties. I now challenge myself, each week to make one recipe out of my many neglected cookbooks. I am not doing this for glory or fame or the hope of being published but for a single soul search of the talent I know is buried inside of me.

Wish me luck world....the book search begins tonight!