New recipe week

Last week I kept telling everyone it was my week of new recipes. These are the attempts...

Spicey Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs - First time I cooked anything under the broiler. It was easy! These would be also easy to grill and a great alternative to wings.

Senegalese Peanut Stew with Spinach and Sweet Potatoes - blah

Shrimp Creole - Our Fat Tuesday dinner was spicy and good over a little rice. No leftovers.

Pumpkin Spice Syrup - this was a mess. I had trouble straining it through the cheesecloth (maybe impatience?) and ended up with about an inch in the bottom of a canning jar. Next time I'll try using the cinnamon sticks and might forget the straining all together. Most of the other recipes I looked at didn't suggest straining. Determined to figure this out. Should be easy!

My turn to cook dinner for my Supper Club is exactly 1 month away. Need to plan menu a.s.a.p and have a practice run at it. All I know is that BEEF will be the main course.

Szechuan Green Beans with Pork

The boys and I went to the market yesterday - it's been way too long since our last visit. I dragged them, about 20lbs of meat and their pizza bagels back to the car. Ian will be sad, but I didn't purchase any red meat. Mostly chicken - sausages, thighs and the dreaded boneless, skinless breasts - and 1 pound of ground pork for the recipe below. I also got a few spices and bags of legumes. Putting the spices away I realized my white pepper is from 2009. I try to write the purchase dates on the containers. Does pepper go bad? Obviously need to dust and restock the spice cabinet soon.

Yesterday I made Szechuan Green Beans with Pork for lunch. I am starting to take note of the authenticity of the serving sizes stated in recipes. I followed the recipe exactly and it was correct. Four 1 cup servings. I liked the dish for lunch but don't think I would double it. Not sure how it would freeze and I figure we would get sick of it before going through 8 servings. I froze the other 1/2 lb of ground pork and plan on making it again.

cooking up the CSA share

We joined a CSA this year - bags of fresh vegetables, that are grown literally one mile down the road, have made my family very happy. Most of the time I simply roast, steam or saute them. Some days I break out a small kitchen appliance and put William up on a chair next to the counter to "help" me.  Exciting things happen in the pink kitchen - basil houses are constructed, my keyboard gets covered in a spray of flour (the space bar will never be same) and spoons are licked clean. Little Henry periodically squats down and peers into the oven to see what's going on in there and later screams at me because he can't reach the goodies on the cooling racks.

Chimichurri
I probably made about 6 batches of this. Ate it with pork chops, gifted and froze.

Ina's Pesto
Simply Recipes Pesto
I lost count of how many batches of pesto were made. Really need to try them side by side to compare.  Note to self - buy half as much cheese as you think you need or read the recipe before you go shopping. Ate with pasta, used in the Pasta, Pesto and Peas salad, gifted and froze.

Simply Recipes Basic Tomato Sauce - very sweet, double recipe next time
Ruhlman's Tomato Sauce - I liked the ease of this but not the seeds

Carrot, Zucchini, Squash Ribbons
I grated everything instead of making the ribbons - it's a quick side.

Pasta, pesto and peas
Made it on Labor Day, great pasta salad for a large group

Smitten Kitchen's Zucchini Bread 
Just plain, straight, delicious bread!
Simply Recipes Zucchini Muffins
I liked this recipe because it used melted butter.
Zucchini Carrot Bread
Great because it used a lot of veggies
Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread
I subbed carrots but want to try it with the sweet potatoes

baba ghanoush.
Ok, but i don't really like eggplant to begin with

Labor Day 2011

We got back from vacation, WFR started pre-school and the fall semester started. Busy week!

raspberry season

So...it's been quite some time since I've written anything here and I've missed it. In the last 2 years lots of things have gone on in our lives and I'm not going try to do a recap or anything. Let's just say that we moved into a new house and are now a family of 4. WFR is getting ready for pre-school to start in a few weeks and Henry is perfecting the art of running.

That all being said, it's raspberry season and I'm going to start trying some new recipes and posting again. The boys and I are going to a family reunion this afternoon and I made these raspberry breakfast bars to take. I liked this recipe because it calls for a whole pound of berries but they turned out soggy. I have a few ideas why this happened (my errors) and will have to try them again.

Raspberry Patience

Those are the steps to my attic. Sitting on them are 3 different batches of boozy goodness - Raspberry Liqueur, Double Raspberry Treat and Righteous Raspberry. The kitchen counter has a few small stains and a couple of wooden spoons and towels were sacrificed (no worse than making jam) but the process was simple and so far everything is going smoothly. I have to swirl Righteous for 20 seconds on Wednesday. On Friday I need to strain the Liqueur into their final bottles. This is all marked on my calendar. The most difficult part is waiting a month before it's all ready to drink and share.

Here's WFR eating lunch!

the easy road

I have to admit that I am a teeny tiny bit jealous of Pillsbury Bake-Off winners' monetary prizes and kick ass ovens. Also, that I usually pride myself on making things from "scratch".

This past week I picked up a copy of their book from the library and found it had 2 raspberry recipes. Did you know that I am scouring the internet and cookery shelves for raspberry recipes? Lucky me it had TWO! And they both included canned bread!?!?! I thought to myself...Can I really serve something that I popped out of a cardboard tube? Well, when you have no more than 5 minutes in a row to do anything I decided to go for it and honestly they were delicious.

It's a shame really. Should I be amazed that I was able to "bake" twice this week? Or should I be disgusted with myself for selling out and embracing the Dough Boy? Could I be over analyzing? Maybe, but when I get a compliment I feel guilty and a almost embarrassed. I am compelled to blurt out "I didn't really bake them, the crusts are biscuits from a can". Like, no they're not really THAT good, they can't be! Then I wish I had made that Lemon Bundt, the one with the zest of 6 lemons from Cooks' Illustrated. Now there's a cake to be proud of but I probably would have to hire a babysitter to make it during the week.

These are really good and I might make them again....

raspberry-nut dreams

1/2 c. macadamia nuts
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c. frozen raspberries, thawed, drained and liquid reserved
1 can (16.3 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 16 regular-sized muffin cups with cooking spray. In food processor, pulse macadamia nuts until coarsely chopped. Add brown sugar; process till combined. Place in small bowl and set aside.

2. In same food processor, process cream cheese, 2 Tbs nut mixture and 2 Tbs raspberry liquid till smooth.

3. Separate dough into 8 biscuits; separate each into 2 layers, making a total of 16 rounds. Lightly press each round in bottom and up side of muffin cup. Spoon about 1/2 Tbs cream cheese mixture into each dough lined cup. Top each evenly with raspberries and 1 Tbs remaining nut mixture.

4. Bake 14-22 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes before serving.

Nice week

Last week my sister-in-law and 2 nieces came into town from Colorado. We had a great time visiting with them. Many trips were made to Starbucks and the ice cream stand. We all helped my mother-in-law get ready for the Brooklyn Heights Garage Sale on Friday and did the selling on Saturday. Unfortunately, it was SUPER HOT and there were not many customers.





Then on Sunday my parents took WFR and I to the Valley City Frog Jumping Contest. It is some good, clean family fun! It was also SUPER HOT that day so we walked around a little then went back to their house to sit in the a/c.

Pack the moving truck

We have a new tenat on our front porch but it took her a few days to choose btwn the left and right units. I'm afraid to water the hanging baskets so they're turning a yellowish brown color and looking quite crispy. The neighbors probably think that I've just been negleting my plants (which is normally the case) but I am actually trying to save her nest. And I figure if I've stopped watering one, I might as well have a matching pair of dead baskets. Maybe something else will move into the other one. The rent is cheap!

busy week

We have a TON of stuff going on this week which is exhausting me. So much, that I played hookie from WFR's swim class last night and fell asleep on the couch by 9pm.

Tomorrow I am taking our new teenage babysitter (and her little sis) on an outing to get to know WFR a little better. I want her to come over and see the apartment and we can discuss his bedtime routine. Which is not much more than read "Goodnight Moon" while he drinks some milk, put him in the crib, shut the door and ignore anything else that happens until after 6a.m. Oh, and don't forget to turn the sound machine on! We were supposed to go to the zoo but if it rains I'm not sure what we're going to do.

Sunday we are going to the Cleveland Food Rocks Rock 'n' Roll BBQ. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it. They are pretty vague on the details...bbq from "famous" Cleveland restaurants and music at the Beachland. This group is a non-profit that are raising funds to help promote the city's good eats." I don't know what that really means. But...I haven't been to anything food related in so long, I didn't want to miss out on something that could be cool. More info can be found here. Let's hope it's worth the admission!

mile markers

We had a very long drive but a nice visit. I wished we could have stayed in NJ another day. WFR was a trooper and did pretty well in the car and sleeping in the pack-n-play. Saturday we went to a playground, farmers market , Jersey City for dosa and IKEA. In the evening we had a family dinner full of carbs and stories from India and Vietnam. The stories amaze me and make me feel very grateful for what I have.

Why does Pennsylvania have a mile marker every 1/10th of a mile on 80? That is a lot of signs.

Road trip!

Tomorrow we are leaving for New Jersey to see a set of WFR's grandparents. We've made a similar trip once before but I am not remembering it that clearly (except the part where we were driving around in the dark, lost, looking for a hotel where we were supposed to meet his parents). So, it was either so bad that I've blocked it out completely or a piece of cake!

I finished all the laundry yesterday and the house is in pretty good shape. Today I collect and pack items for the drive and our bags. Not sure what time we're leaving tomorrow, it all depends on when Ian is able to leave work.

25 things I've done so far this summer...

1. worked chat reference a ton, earned the title of biggest "answerer" in May!
2. celebrated lots of birthdays - parties, cake and ice cream :)
3. met up with some old friends via Facebook
4. already paid for our zoo pass in visits
5. had a Mother's Day pedicure
6. went on a picnic
7. ate a Monte Cristo at Melt
8. became a little obsessed with Crocs
9. attended baseball games - Indian's and the kids' coach pitched
10. ate tons at a Father's day breakfast and then a bbq
11. got a Sam's Club membership
12. taking a quilt class at Stitch Cleveland (still not finished!)
13. met our possible future neighbors at a West Clinton Block Club meeting
14. look forward to Tuesday story time and swim lessons
15. applied for temporary health insurance
16. cut carbs from our diet, lost 12lbs!
17. kissed WFR after he hit his head on a driveway/sidewalk
18. let my locks grow long and become very frizzy
19. put up with terrible tenants for too long
20. spent money at the Tremont Yard Sale and Farmer's Market
21. put a few miles on the stroller by walking the neighborhood
22. feel like I go to Giant Eagle almost every day
23. felt under dressed at a City of Cleveland Architecture Review Board meeting
24. Roller Derby!
25. finally replanted the jade plant

Egg Hunt

Happy 1st Birthday William!

An entire year has gone by in a flash. On one had I can barely remember WFR as a newborn, it seems so long ago. On the other I can't believe he's already walking, starting to talk and getting into a lot of trouble. On to the birthday....

Since our apartment is pretty small we only were able to invite our families. This ended up being about 20 adults and 6 kids - the place was packed!

The menu:

BBQ and Carolina Pulled Pork - I used this Baking Bites recipe for the BBQ and referenced these 2 for the Carolina. Both turned out really good!

Four Cheese Macaroni from Allrecipes.com. I have never made mac and cheese from scratch before so I just picked the recipe that had received the best reviews. Everyone seemed to like it but I wouldn't make it again. I think I would go with a recipe that started with a bechamel sauce so it would be creamier.

My mom brought coleslaw and my mother-in-law brought her manderine orange salad. I also made a huge tray of tater tots - the kids (and I) love them.

I kept going back and forth about making or buying a cake. There are so many places that sell delicious cakes!!! But my mother guilt kicked in and I decided to bake one. Martha Stewart to the rescue! I made a practice cake the week before to make sure it wouldn't be a total disaster. The cake is what started the monkey theme - then came the invites, few strings of bunting to decorate the house, and his monkey shirt.

Gasparilla Weekend

We left our cold, snowy, Cleveland last Friday. The three of us hopped on a plane and went to Tampa to visit the sun and the Schweiterman Family. They are great hosts!

Friday - Got up early to make our 8:50am flight. WFR refused to nap and was a little cranky on the plane. Gregg picked us up and the boys quickly got the car seat installed. We went to their house, regrouped, did some prep work for the Boat Parade on Saturday and had a late Mexican lunch out. The college roommates stayed up way too late and had a bit too much fun. I know it's hard to believe but Baby Caiden is cuter in person than she is in her pictures!

Saturday - Cleaned ourselves up and headed to the Gasparilla Boat Parade. It took a few tries to get onto Davis Island but we made it! Lots of boats and people to look at. Left the parade and headed toward the after party at the SS Schwieterman. The small gathering turned into a pretty big get together. We ate Low Country Boil and watched babies play. Lovely company.

Sunday - Ian, WFR and I took a trip to Clearwater Beach. We had lunch at Crabby Bill's, walked on the boardwalk and then strolled down the beach. It was cool but sunny. I was amazed by how many people were laying out and how tanned they were in February.

Monday - The Schwietermans rented a cabana (aka Chickees) for us at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. We loaded up the babies, bags of toys and the sunscreen for a day of relaxation. We lived like rock stars for a few hours and loved every minute of it. I only wished it was a cabana boy instead of a cabana girl. The pool was heated but still wasn't warm enough to take a dip... the temperature didn't seem to bother WFR who loved splashing and kicking in the water. We took him out when he started shivering!

The weekend was really great. We had a wonderful time visiting with Liz, Gregg and Caiden. We talked for hours - about the past, how our lives have changed and the future. They are really great friends.

Children's Museum

Tuesday my friend had the day off so we went to the Children's Museum. I can see us spending many days there over the winter, especially when William gets a little bit bigger. He enjoyed playing with the musical instruments and having Sadie drive him around town.

Shipwrecked

I made a casserole the other day. It sure is casserole, crock pot, dutch oven weather around here. The leaves are starting to cover the ground. We turned on our heat and took our fleece jackets out of the closet. My nose and feet are cold when I go to bed.

This casserole surprised me. Honestly, I chose it because of the name and the fact I could use my food processor to slice everything up. It's easy to make and can be a really healthy dinner if you use brown rice and lean turkey. There are a bunch of versions online but this one is from the book Hot dish heaven : classic casseroles from Midwest Kitchens by Ann L. Burckhardt. I found it while browsing the library shelves after story time. (btw, why is story time only 6 weeks long? As soon as the parents and babies start to recognize each other, it's over. Don't worry...the next session starts in January! Really, does it take that much work for the children's librarian to get together a 20 minute program for babies once a week? If it does, someone please tell me why!)

Back to the food. I prepared all the ingredients and brought out my round 2.5 quart casserole dish. I started the layers and decided there was was way too many fillings to stuff into this dish. The recipe calls for one 2 quart dish. I ended up using two round dishes - a 2.5 and a 1.5. Another option might be using an 8 1/2 x 11 glass dish. I am pretty happy though because now I have a casserole in the freezer for another night.

Shipwreck Casserole

1 medium onion, chopped or sliced thin
2-3 medium potatoes, diced, grated or thin sliced
2 carrots, grated or thin sliced
1 lb regular or lean ground meat or turkey, raw, crumbled
1/3 c. uncooked white or brown rice
1-2 ribs celery, sliced
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
1 can tomato soup
1 c. water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. (325 for glass casserole)
Layer the vegetables, meat, rice and beans in the order given in a 2 quart casserole, seasoning each layer lightly with salt and pepper. Stir soup and water together and pour over the layered ingredients. Cover and bake for 1.5 hours. Use a fork to test vegetables for doneness.

my baby eats!

Over the past week we have had some big milestones. Not only did William start eating solids he also got his first tooth! So far he's eaten rice cereal and pumpkin. You're supposed to wait four days before introducing a new food so that if the baby has an allergic reaction you'll know what it's from. Tommorow he gets to try something new...apples? bananas? avacado? It's so much fun watching him taste things for the first time. So far he's taken to it like a champ. Below are the frozen pumpkin cubes he's been eating.

finally!

I ordered My So-Called Life from the library weeks ago and it finally came in! I know what I will be doing for awhile - reliving junior year in high school.