Sorry, sweetie. Bacon is not a vegetable

DD has hit the "animals are cute and fuzzy, so I can't eat them" stage. This leads to someinteresting discussions during dinner prep. Fortunately, this wasn't the "but cows are soooo cute, so I can't eat that" sort of conversation.

DD: What's for dinner?

Me: Pasta with bacon & cauliflower.

DD: Yea! Finally, a vegetarian meal!

Me: ... (staring at DD)

DD: Oh, yeah. (sighs heavily) Well, bacon should be a vegetable.

Pasta With Bacon and Cauliflower - Recipe from RealSimple. It's quite good, though I prefer roasting the cauliflower and tossing with gnocchi.

Supper Wars: Spaghetti with Sweet Potatoes & Ricotta

Another recipe from the Real Simple magazine Month of Easy Dinners. We've tried four or five over the past two weeks, and I'm sorting through photos to post while I can still remember what the kidlets had to say about them.

The first was the Gnocchi & Roasted Cauliflower, which garnered three positive reviews, one neutral, and one "why are you trying to kill me?" The good news is that all three children have now decided potatoes can be a part of pasta, and have asked if I'll make gnocchi again. (Though only one wants it served with the cauliflower next time.)

This time, Spaghetti With Sweet Potatoes & Ricotta. Stuck very close to the original, aside from making a little extra pasta, since I'm feeding more than four, and adding a few more dollops of ricotta at the end. Knew adding extra sweet potatoes would be pointless, since the two boys weren't going to eat more than one or two token bites of that ingredient.

It took 10-15 minutes to get the ingredients together and prepped.

While doing this, the water was heating for the pasta. Means this

recipe completely avoids pushing one of my big frustration buttons ofsupper-prep, the hurry-up-and-wait stage. Kept busy the whole time, and not just because I was being bombarded with homework questions from third, fifth and ninth grader.

Once the spaghetti was drained and set aside, I rinsed the pot and put it right back on the stove, with olive oil for the sweet potatoes & shallots. That's correct, same pot, which hits another high point of an "easy" meal... less cleanup!

While the potatoes & shallots cooked, I prepped broccoli for steaming, shaved parmesan, and chopped rosemary. (And came up with a 3rd grade level interpretation of wikipedia's entry on metamorphic rock, checked a math worksheet, and repeated "no, you may not watch tv" at least three times.)

By the time for adding pasta back to the pan, along with rosemary and scoops of ricotta, the kidlets were clearing away homework and setting the table. About the same time the last napkin was placed , the first plate was ready for the table.

Like with most meals which the adults like, this met with mixed reviews from the kidlets. B1 & B2 LOVED the ricotta, liked the flavor, but HATED the sweet potatoes. (This is after saying they liked the flavor of the pasta which had been tossed with the sweet potatoes... Ack!) DD was not a fan of the ricotta. Something about the texture when the ricotta is on it's own - she likes it as a filling for lasagna or in ravioli. She did like the sweet potatoes very much, though.

General kid consensus - neutral, leaning toward good-ish. If I want to make it again, that's okay, but could I please not give any of them the parts they don't like. Since this is a little difficult to do with something cooked all in the same pot, TOUGH. I will make it again, and they will eat exactly the same way as they did this time - token bite or two of the least favorite part, then scarfing down the rest.

The recipe in Real Simple says this meal takes 25 minutes. I didn't get it prepped and cooked in 25 minutes. In a perfect world, working in a perfectly ordered kitchen, quiet children studiously doing homework with nary a question, sure. But even at 35-40 minutes start-to-finish, this is still a keeper for easy suppers.

Supper Wars: Gnocchi & Roasted Cauliflower

Real Simple magazine had a feature this month with four weeks of easy meals. There are some things on the menu which don't appeal to me, and many which will spark a dinner table battle with the kids, but there are a few I really think we should try. This is one of those.

"What's a g-notchee?" was the question from a younger child. They wouldn't remember the last disasterous attempt at serving the puffy little potato pasta. B2 was a toddler, and DD wasn't even born. B1 was VERY PICKY about textures, and the experience was so bad that gnocchi hasn't crossed my mind, outside of restaurants, in almost a decade.

The kids were less than thrilled about the stack of ingredients on the counter. I did have two children sneaking raw cauliflower off the cutting board. (I had to pretend to be cross about the swiping, but... Yea! They were eating it like chips, and enjoying the crunch.)

My quantities were a little different than the original, since I was making this for more than four.

Gnocchi with Roasted Cauliflower
2/3 head of cauliflower, trimmed to florets
(I used the orange cauliflower, it turns a lovely color in oven)
12-16 sage leaves
3 Tbs Olive Oil
Sea salt
Cracked pepper
24 oz Gnocchi
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Toss cauliflower with oil, salt, pepper and sage leaves. Roast on baking sheet for 25-30 minutes at 400F.

While roasting veggies, start water heating for gnocchi. Cook according to package directions, then drain and toss with butter. (Original recipe I read didn't call for it, but I like it sooooo much more with butter.)

Place gnocchi on plates. Top with roasted cauliflower. Sprinkle with cheese.


It was so very good. Not only from a taste standpoint - the textures of the slightly crunchy cauliflower and soft, puffy gnocchi were fun. The kids gave mixed reviews, of course:

1. B1 thought it tolerable, but liked the gnocchi, and asked if we can do more with that.
2. B2 felt this was the best supper ever, had seconds, and let me know I could fix the same meal for him the next night, seeing as how there was a little bit of cauliflower left in the veggie bin.
3. DD announced she only likes food with "colorful flavors" and that this meal was not colorful enough for her. (Obviously, this is the child targeted in the decision to avoid plain white cauliflower. She ate it, but only because there were chocolate-dipped biscuits at stake.

From a convenience standpoint, this was great recipe for a night where afterschool activities and carpooling led to a later supper than usual. Start to finish, less than 45 minutes. Easy meal for kids to help prepare, and not a lot of mess to clean up after. With the side of steamed green beans, tossed with butter, the cost per person was about $1.45, making it far less expensive, and more nutritious than any fast food option... or any of the "healthy" prepared meals at the grocery stores. (Plus, I didn't have to sit in traffic for 30 minutes plus to get it.)

Spiced Blueberry Chutney = YUM!

After first amadeus & chutney on toast, I thought to snap a photo. Good thing, as it went very quickly (and a rather messily) from this point on.

So very good. The vinegar really mellowed in the few days since canning the batch. Was a bit worried by the strong scent during cooking. Will pick up more of the Amadeus at Whole Foods this weekend, and repeat this meal as Sunday lunch. May have a 1554 belgian black instead of the unfiltered wheat beer.

On a "try something new" note for the kids, even though they were having leftovers from Tuesday, they all tried both kinds of cheese. B1 preferred the buttery taste of the Amadeus (if he had to eat it), DD loved the Amadeus, and thought the Parrano was okay. B2 loved them both, and tried to get me to trade part of my cheese for part of his dinner. (Let him have a couple more slices after he finished up veggies.)

More experimenting with presersves: Blueberry Chutney & Plum Preserves

After the recent success with delicious (and properly sealed) jars of blueberry preserves, I decided to try a couple more recipes - plum preserves, and the spiced blueberry chutney I'd seen on Grist.

Along with three of the four pounds of plums and the two pounds of blueberries from my last Costco trip, I needed fresh ginger, shallots and lemons. Followed the recipe on the chutney - cut in half - but decided to wing it on the plums.

Since the plums would need extra time for sitting in the sugar and simmering off water, I started with those. Sliced the plums, then cut each slice into chunks. Mixed in 2-1/2 cups of sugar and set it at the back of the counter while prepping the chutney ingredients.

Poured sugared plums into pot and brought to boil on medium high. Added lemon juice and 1-1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon and brought the temperature down to medium low. (Just high enough to keep it at gentle boil.)

On the other side of the stove, sauteed shallots and fresh ginger in olive oil, then added one cup sugar and four cups of blueberries. Once this came to a boil, I added lemon juice, red wine vinegar, white pepper, allspice, nutmeg and one bay leaf. After it had been at a low to medium boil for 20 minutes, it had thickened quite nicely. Ladled the hot chutney into jars which had been simmering at back of stove.

By the time I'd finished with the chutney, the liquid had been cooking off the plums for about one hour. Used the potato masher to break up any remaining chunks, and brought up to a full boil for ten minutes before ladling into the remaining jars.

All jars were sealed, popped back into the hot water pot, and "cooked" for 10-15 minutes. Once everything had cooled, I had seven jars total, all with the lids popped down.


Opening the first jar of blueberry chutney tonight, to go along with fruit, flatbread and mini-melba toast. Have some Amadeus (buttery) and Parrano (sharper tasting gouda) from Whole Foods to have with it. Just have to decide between a glass of chardonnay or some of the wonder Mothership Wit from New Belgium. (Kids are eating leftovers from last night... they liked last night's turkey/vegetable loaf so well that they asked for it again. Far be it from me to discourage them.)

And, if I've any room left after supper, I'll join the kids in toasting up oatmeal muffins from breakfast and covering them in plums.

In a jam

Blueberry Apple Jam... YUM!

Whole Foods has had fantastic looking two pound containers of blueberries on sale the last couple of weeks. Went through blueberry scones, blueberry oatmeal crumble cake, blueberry waffles with the first package, along with sprinkling a few berries in every bowl of yogurt, ice cream or cereal. This weekend, I decided to try my hand at preserves.

I make jams, chutneys and jellies - in small quantities which go in the fridge or freezer. Have never tried official "preserving" before. Picked up a dozen half-pint ball jars at the local Ace, dug out my largest pot, and got all the necessary implements ready to go.

4 cups blueberries
2 grated granny smith apples (with skin)
2 cups sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Bring to full boil for 10 minutes. Add a small pat of butter if the juices get foamy. Turn off heat and ladle into hot jars. Seal and place back into large pot of hot water. Bring to boil and cover for 10 minutes.
Cool for 24 hours. Check seal on jar lid when cool. If the center of the lid pops up after pressing, store in refrigerator or freezer. If lid center stays down, it's sealed, and can go into the pantry.

All four jars sealed, so we're good to go. The little bit extra was used up right away, on a batch of cornmeal waffles.


Now that I know I can do it, I'm going to try something savory, while the blueberries are still a bargain. I found a recipe for Spiced Blueberry Chutney over at Grist.org, and am hoping to try it out later this week. A batch of pint jars might be in order soon too, as the grape and heirloom tomatoes in the garden are growing like crazy. When the yield is greater than we can eat fresh in a few days, it'll be time to put up jars of tomato basil sauce and spicy corn relish.

Chicken Basil (Thai)

Spicy Basil Chicken (or Tofu) with rice or noodles is my standard order in a Thai restaurant. It's one of those dishes I always think "I could do this at home" but never actually try. Probably due to the spicy part of the name. The younger kids are just starting to be okay with flavorful spicy. Hot spicy is still a while in the future.

But when we came home from vacation to a planter thick with Sweet & Thai Basil, I decided to give it a shot. Googled "Thai Basil Chicken Recipe" and started sorting through the many, MANY results. Skipped anything which was attached to a particular brand of sauce, television show or magazine. Narrowed it down to two recipes I could work between to get the dish I love in restaurants... minus some of the heat.

Chicken Basil Recipe from ThaiTable
Spicy Basil Chicken from Thai Food & Travel

Once you get over being hung up on not having packets of Holy Basil in the pantry, it's really a very simple dish. Chicken, basil, garlic, peppers, lime, fish sauce and oil for stir frying. Steamed rice on the side.

Sent kidlet outside to gather a small bowl full of both types of basil from the planter, set other kidlet to juicing a couple limes. Here's what I did to make it for the picky members of my crew:

• Cut two boneless skinless chicken breast fillets into very thin, 2" long strips. Put them in the freezer for 20 minutes before cutting, so they'd be easier to handle. (Recipes called for ground chicken or chopped chicken thighs.)
• Used a little over a 1/2 teaspoon of crushed Indian red pepper, since there'd been no thai chili peppers at the store. I could have substituted jalapeno, but didn't want to. (Would use more than 1/2 tsp if not making for kids.)
• Added a thin sliced Vidalia onion. The one recipe called for shallots, but it's summer in Georgia, which means I'm happily putting Vidalias in just about everything.

As with any stirfry, the ingredients are important, but the magic is in the timing. The recipe from ThaiTable has step by step photos, which made it very easy to get the timing right.

My plating wasn't as pretty as this lovely finished photo from their site, but nobody seemed to mind. All the plates returned to the kitchen completely empty, so I'd have to call this a keeper.

Will probably try other versions soon. Tofu, most likely, with ribbons of egg.

Kitchen Sink Granola

In making the last batch of nutty granola, I found a lot of little bits of fruit and nuts we've been mixing in. Rather than sticking with just a few ingredients and ending up with even more little baggies of not-quite-enough-for-another-batch, we threw everything in. Well, almost everything. There were some turkish figs I didn't think would chop well, and I was too lazy to shell a bunch of pistachios, or those would have gone in, too.



In addition to the organic rolled oats, cinnamon and maple syrup, we added:

• English Walnuts
• Cashew Halves & Pieces (salted, so no salt was added to recipe)
• Pecan
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Flax Seeds (only had 1/8-1/4 cup left, so is not much)
  
• Raisns
• Cherries
• Blueberries
• Golden Raisins
• Chopped Dates
• Cranberries
• Diced Apple Bits (added 1/2 way through cooking, as they tend to toast quickly)

It. Is. Amazing.

It tastes decadent, yet is healthy. Had to force myself to eat something other than granola for lunch and dinner.

I don't want to make the simple version anymore, but will, at least until I build up enough of the little ziploc baggies in the pantry again.

Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

This is a regular on the menu, and has always been on the "Win" column in the ongoing supper war with the kids. Very easy to make, and there are easy to find substitutions, if you don't have an Asian market nearby. I'll cut thin slices off a small roast, just before prepping the rest for another meal, but you can also grab a pack of the thin sliced/shaved beef from the meat counter at the grocery store. Basil Meatballs (beef or poultry), or Garlic-Ginger Baked Tofu also work well. If you want to keep it completely meatless, use the baked tofu, and make the soup with vegetable broth.


4-6 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 inch piece of ginger, grated & juice squeezed into broth
2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
1 Tbs Fish Sauce
1-2 Tbs Soy Sauce (to taste)

4 Servings of Rice Vermicelli (or regular)
A few slices of beef for each bowl

Cook vermicelli according to package directions, rinse and set aside. Combine broth ingredients together and bring to a simmer, while you prep a platter of add-ins:

Basil Leaves
Cilantro Sprigs
Mint Leaves/Sprigs
Chopped Scallion
Sliced Jalapeno
Bean Sprouts

Place a serving of vermicelli in each bowl, and top with a few slices of raw, sliced beef. If you're using a thicker slice, or meatballs, cook them as part of your prep. The thin slices will cook when you pour the broth over top, as long as you have it at a good simmer. Ladle broth over pasta & beef, then serve. Each person can add items from the salad plate to their bowl at the table.

Nutty Granola

DD and I are taking advantage of the return of winter weather to run the oven all afternoon. Oatmeal breakfast muffins, honey wheat bread, both in loaf and hamburger bun form, and Nutty Granola.
This is our second batch. Came across this particular recipe at Running with Food, and followed it back to Lethally Delicious. Made it last weekend (that's when we took the photos), and went through it really quickly. My fruit & nut mix is slightly different than the original, and I'm making this batch slightly larger than the first, in hopes it will take us a little longer to eat it all up. More than three days would be nice.

4 cups Old-fashioned Rolled Oats
1/2 cup English Walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup Georgia Pecans, chopped
1/2 cup Cashews, chopped
1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 cup Chopped Dates
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt
2/3 cup Maple Syrup

Did a quick chop of the dried fruit on the cutting board, then mixed everything together, except the maple syrup. Stir the syrup into the oat/fruit/nut mixture in two or three portions, then turn the whole bowl out onto a greased cookie sheet and spread evenly. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring it two or three times.
Wait impatiently for it to cool, then start eating with milk, silk, yogurt, fruit, ice cream, etc. Is not too sweet, not overly sticky. Not too crunchy - no worrying about the dental work.

Butter Chicken - a supper war victory

I've made this before, a few times. Two children liked it each time, even though they thought the last time was a bit too spicy. B2 thought the idea of yogurt in dinner was disgusting, so has been fussing every time. I asked him last week if he'd mind giving it another try if I used coconut milk, in place of yogurt. He said yes, so I did.

I prefer the flavor with yogurt, but this was good too. Other variations include using tofu, tempeh or roasted vegetables in place of chicken.

1 large onion, rough chopped
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & rough chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, peeled
1-2 small plum tomatoes (or a cup of grape/cherry tomatoes)
3-4 inch piece of fresh ginger
3 Tbs Cashew Butter (or a 1/3 cup cashews, added to food processor)
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1-2 tsp curry
2 tsp salt
Fresh cracked pepper
2-3 Tbs Canola (or high heat oil)

Grate the ginger, and squeeze the juice into the blender. (Toss the pulp) Place all of the above ingredients, except the oil, into a food processor or blender, and blend it to make a curry paste.


Heat oil over medium high stove - add curry paste. Simmer the curry paste until much of the moisture has cooked off, and it's become quite thick. At this point, start watching for it to take on a shiny quality, as the the oil starts to break. (That's what you want to see before adding yogurt or coconut milk)

2 cups plain yogurt, or 1 can of coconut milk
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs,
or 2-3 breasts, cut into bite size chunks

Stir yogurt into paste. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often (it will stick). Add chicken pieces. After it comes back to a simmer, cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is done.

Scoop chicken out to serving bowl, then raise the temperature back to medium high. Bring the sauce to a boil, and cook until you see the oil separating (see photo). Pour the sauce over the chicken in the serving dish and serve with rice. We like to have Nan and green peas. (I was lazy Sunday, and purchased the Nan, instead of making it.)

In case I had any doubts about declaring this an official win in the ongoing challenge to get the kids to eat something weird (as in anything with flavor), my daughter & son were looking over my shoulder while I pulled the photos off the camera.

"Ooh! Mom, when can you make that again?"

Butternut Squash Risotto

It's cold outside. I have a 4 mile run today, but am putting it off until the temperature hits 40 or above. I'm waiting for changes for a map from a client, my kitchen is clean, and the laundry is switched. I can't pick up my copy of Nation of Sheep by Andrew Napolitano, or I'll keep reading and miss the run. It's a good book. Plus, it will make me cranky, and then I'll spend most of my run grumbling, since I'll be pushed for time and cranky. So, I'll blog last night's dinner.

Modified from a recipe in The Farmers Market Cookbook
(bought at Costco several years ago... or was it Sams?)

1 cup Brown Rice
1/3 cup Lentils
Rice cooked according to package directions; lentils tossed in about 1/2 way through cooking.

Butternut Squash
Olive Oil
Thyme
Salt & Pepper
Peeled, seeded and cut. Roasted in olive oil with seasonings at 400 degrees for 30 mins or so.

Leek, sliced
Yellow Onion, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, chopped
Baby Portobello Mushrooms, sliced
Fresh Parsley, chopped
Carrot, rough grated
1/2 cup Vegetable Broth
2 Tbs Butter
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Handful of chopped walnuts
Handful of chopped walnuts
Cook onion, leek and garlic in butter over medium high heat. When onions start to color, add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms start to fry, then add carrots. Cook until carrots start frying, then add rice, lentils, parsley and vegetable broth. Cook for five minutes, then stir in half of the grated cheese. Serve, topped with walnuts and remaining Parmesan.

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39 degrees. Woo hoo - almost there! I'm off to get changed for my run, so I can get back home & heat up the leftovers for lunch.