Friday, October 30, 2009
Halloween, a day to be your alter ego
I'm sad but Lil B wasn't too into his Halloween costume. Maybe he will understand next year? He didn't want to wear the tiger cat hat or the gloves and he didn't like the black whiskers he dad painted on so he could go get photos so we ditched the photos and took some at home. You can view them online here.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
I like big beets (and fennel) and can not lie
Since moving to Bend, I've tried to eat organic, healthier meals. When I used to think about organic, I thought expensive. In the midwest, organic meant shopping at Whole Paycheck and spending more to get healthier more nutritious options. Yes, I was naive. I sure thought those graham pretzel cookies were good for you. Now that I look back at it, I was living in the midwest, around a bounty of fresh produce with a longer growing season. That is one perk I would say about living in the midwest -- you can grow more vegetables.
As a child, my mom had a garden and we'd have fresh tomatoes, peppers, beans and squash. Of course, my brothers and I all turned up our noses. My mom used to roast homegrown acorn squash and I'd still turn my nose. I look back feeling pretty stupid. We had peach and apple trees along with strawberries too -- jam all winter, apple pies - I can smell the memories. I remember at a young age my mom giving me a pail to pick strawberries and I'd eat one strawberry and then put one in the bucket and then repeated until one day I picked up a snake. I never went into the strawberry patch again.
Where was I? Oh yes, now that I have a child, I feel like I need to make home cooked meals. I plan them out in great detail and shop each week for our fresh meals. We joined a CSA which helped dictate what our meals would be week. Even though we split it with Kate, we still could eat salad each night. Then we started getting items that I've never tried in my life -- beets, kale, chard, different squashes, fennel, leeks. Eek! What do I do? I can't let the $11 a week I'm spending go down the tub. Must eat things I've turned my nose up to before.
First up were beets. Instead of flipping through the internet, I flipped through my cookbooks. Lo and behold, my good old standby cookbook came through with a roasted beet salad recipe with goat cheese and red wine vinaigrette dressing. It was to die for YUMMY. I've roasted my beets each time and tossed them into my salads along with some candied nuts from TJs.
Fennel was the next victim in my pursuit to expand my culinary adventures with vegetables. Fennel smells like licorice
[caption id="attachment_56" align="alignright" width="180" caption="Chicken and fennel are a natural match together"]
[/caption]
I hate black licorice but I still went ahead and cooked up with chicken and carrots. YUM. My husband and I were fighting for the seconds. Next time I made pork chops, tomatoes and fennel. We discovered that Lil B was a fan and kept piling more on his plate. It takes an act of congress to get him to eat any vegetable unless it's a spinach and artichoke veggie nugget. Next week I plan on buying fennel in the store and roasting a whole chicken with fennel! You see, I'm branching out.
This week when my husband came home with the CSA and he exclaimed we were having brussel sprouts for dinner. I did my icky face but then decided that I'd give them a shot. Twenty minutes later steamed with a tiny bit of butter and I was sold. Even Lil B ate them up.
I'm also a squash convert. Acorn squash. Spaghetti squash. Butternut squash. Delicata squash -- I could go on and on. Squash lasagna is on the meal plan for next week along with roasted acorn squash wedges. My mother would be SO proud.
I will admit some of my CSA went to waste. We always had way too much lettuce, spinach and tried our best to eat a salad each day. I also discovered that I don't like kale at all. I have a bunch of fresh kale going to my co-worker tomorrow. When we do our CSA again, I will make sure the kale goes to a good home. I'm sure someone out there will take it off my hands.
I hope I'm teaching my toddler the joys of vegetables. I can't believe it took me 34 years to develop a love affair with vegetables.
As a child, my mom had a garden and we'd have fresh tomatoes, peppers, beans and squash. Of course, my brothers and I all turned up our noses. My mom used to roast homegrown acorn squash and I'd still turn my nose. I look back feeling pretty stupid. We had peach and apple trees along with strawberries too -- jam all winter, apple pies - I can smell the memories. I remember at a young age my mom giving me a pail to pick strawberries and I'd eat one strawberry and then put one in the bucket and then repeated until one day I picked up a snake. I never went into the strawberry patch again.
Where was I? Oh yes, now that I have a child, I feel like I need to make home cooked meals. I plan them out in great detail and shop each week for our fresh meals. We joined a CSA which helped dictate what our meals would be week. Even though we split it with Kate, we still could eat salad each night. Then we started getting items that I've never tried in my life -- beets, kale, chard, different squashes, fennel, leeks. Eek! What do I do? I can't let the $11 a week I'm spending go down the tub. Must eat things I've turned my nose up to before.
First up were beets. Instead of flipping through the internet, I flipped through my cookbooks. Lo and behold, my good old standby cookbook came through with a roasted beet salad recipe with goat cheese and red wine vinaigrette dressing. It was to die for YUMMY. I've roasted my beets each time and tossed them into my salads along with some candied nuts from TJs.
Fennel was the next victim in my pursuit to expand my culinary adventures with vegetables. Fennel smells like licorice
[caption id="attachment_56" align="alignright" width="180" caption="Chicken and fennel are a natural match together"]
[/caption]I hate black licorice but I still went ahead and cooked up with chicken and carrots. YUM. My husband and I were fighting for the seconds. Next time I made pork chops, tomatoes and fennel. We discovered that Lil B was a fan and kept piling more on his plate. It takes an act of congress to get him to eat any vegetable unless it's a spinach and artichoke veggie nugget. Next week I plan on buying fennel in the store and roasting a whole chicken with fennel! You see, I'm branching out.
This week when my husband came home with the CSA and he exclaimed we were having brussel sprouts for dinner. I did my icky face but then decided that I'd give them a shot. Twenty minutes later steamed with a tiny bit of butter and I was sold. Even Lil B ate them up.
I'm also a squash convert. Acorn squash. Spaghetti squash. Butternut squash. Delicata squash -- I could go on and on. Squash lasagna is on the meal plan for next week along with roasted acorn squash wedges. My mother would be SO proud.
I will admit some of my CSA went to waste. We always had way too much lettuce, spinach and tried our best to eat a salad each day. I also discovered that I don't like kale at all. I have a bunch of fresh kale going to my co-worker tomorrow. When we do our CSA again, I will make sure the kale goes to a good home. I'm sure someone out there will take it off my hands.
I hope I'm teaching my toddler the joys of vegetables. I can't believe it took me 34 years to develop a love affair with vegetables.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Fresh apples ... yummmm
I have to start thinking about what I'm going to bake in my company's employee bake-off challenge. Each week there will be a different category ... pies, brownies, cookies - I think. Anyone have a killer recipe they want to share? One of my co-workers shared that she loved this recipe for zucchini cake I made this summer. Another really liked this peach pie. I'm still waiting on Jen's killer brownie recipe she says I'm sure to win with.
This week five liberty apples from LaMancha Ranch in Sweet Home, OR greeted me in our CSA box from Groundwork Organics. Five apples is the perfect amount for a pie or crisp and since I have recently fell in love with Smitten Kitchen's Breakfast Apple Crisp dish, I decided that's what we were having for breakfast in the morning.
Breakfast Apple Crisp
Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen
3 pounds* of whatever apples, or mix of apples, you like to bake with, peeled, cored and cut into medium chunks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup flour
2 cups oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, as you wish; I used unsweetened)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix apple chunks with lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and pinch of salt in a 9×13-inch baking dish until apples are evenly coated. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the honey. Stir in the flour, oats, almonds, coconut and another pinch of salt until clumps form. Sprinkle evenly over the apple mixture and bake in the oven for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until the apples are softened and bubbly. Should the granola brown before you wish it to, cover the baking dish carefully with foil for all but the last few minutes of baking time, when removing the foil will help the granola recrisp. Cool to room temperature and then stash in the fridge to eat with your morning yogurt.
ENJOY!
This week five liberty apples from LaMancha Ranch in Sweet Home, OR greeted me in our CSA box from Groundwork Organics. Five apples is the perfect amount for a pie or crisp and since I have recently fell in love with Smitten Kitchen's Breakfast Apple Crisp dish, I decided that's what we were having for breakfast in the morning.
Breakfast Apple Crisp
Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen
3 pounds* of whatever apples, or mix of apples, you like to bake with, peeled, cored and cut into medium chunks
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup flour
2 cups oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, as you wish; I used unsweetened)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix apple chunks with lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and pinch of salt in a 9×13-inch baking dish until apples are evenly coated. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the honey. Stir in the flour, oats, almonds, coconut and another pinch of salt until clumps form. Sprinkle evenly over the apple mixture and bake in the oven for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until the apples are softened and bubbly. Should the granola brown before you wish it to, cover the baking dish carefully with foil for all but the last few minutes of baking time, when removing the foil will help the granola recrisp. Cool to room temperature and then stash in the fridge to eat with your morning yogurt.
ENJOY!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
So about my mom
Where was I? Oh yes, my lack of blogging and my new attitude. I CAN DO IT. So, I was talking to my husband and after 10 years of doing the internet thing, I've register a domain name and take this up a notch since I have plenty of time on my hands, ya know (really, I don't).
And then I remembered that next month was National Blog Post Month. Maybe this is my opportunity to get back in the game and writing away?
I started thinking about my goal a few years ago to write something about being a motherless daughter. I got discouraged because the person who wanted to edit made some negative comments about the first two posts so I abandoned that idea. I'm pretty sure I can fill 30 days with content about my mom or just memories in general of growing up. It can be something Ben and maybe my neices and nephews could look at and get some insight on how I (or my brothers) grew up.
Wish me luck. (gulp)
Monday, October 26, 2009
The resident chicken hater
My husband, for some reason, doesn't like chicken. I think it might have something to do with getting food poisoning from a chicken dish (not made by me, of course). Getting him to be ok with making chicken dishes has taken some time over the past six years but recently, I made one that he exclaimed "THIS IS THE BEST CHICKEN DISH EVER." I whole heartedly give Martha Stewart props for this tasty chicken dish which is super easy to make. It also includes items from my CSA as well.
Ingredients
Serves 4
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 fresh whole sage leaves, plus 4 minced leaves
4 (6 to 8 ounces each) chicken cutlets
4 slices (3 ounces) thinly sliced prosciutto
4 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup reduced-sodium canned chicken broth
1 tablespoon cold butter
Directions
In a shallow bowl, stir together flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Lay 1 sage leaf lengthwise on each cutlet, then wrap a prosciutto slice around middle of each cutlet, encasing sage. Flatten with the palm of your hand to help prosciutto adhere to the chicken. Dredge cutlets in seasoned flour; tap off excess.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Cook 2 cutlets until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove cutlets, and keep warm. Repeat with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and 2 cutlets.
Add wine and broth to skillet; cook over high heat until reduced by three-quarters, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool 1 minute. Add butter and minced sage; stir until butter is melted, about 30 seconds. Spoon sauce onto plates; top with cutlets. Serve immediately.
Chicken with Prosciutto and Sage
Ingredients Serves 4
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 fresh whole sage leaves, plus 4 minced leaves
4 (6 to 8 ounces each) chicken cutlets
4 slices (3 ounces) thinly sliced prosciutto
4 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup reduced-sodium canned chicken broth
1 tablespoon cold butter
Directions
In a shallow bowl, stir together flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Lay 1 sage leaf lengthwise on each cutlet, then wrap a prosciutto slice around middle of each cutlet, encasing sage. Flatten with the palm of your hand to help prosciutto adhere to the chicken. Dredge cutlets in seasoned flour; tap off excess.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Cook 2 cutlets until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove cutlets, and keep warm. Repeat with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and 2 cutlets.
Add wine and broth to skillet; cook over high heat until reduced by three-quarters, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool 1 minute. Add butter and minced sage; stir until butter is melted, about 30 seconds. Spoon sauce onto plates; top with cutlets. Serve immediately.
Easily entertained
Lil B can do this for about 30 minutes at time. When Brian first told me about Lil B's new trick, I thought he was telling a tall tale. I had to see if for myself and in deed, I was amused for 20 minutes. Then after that, it got a little annoying.
Hooray for stay-at-home dads
[caption id="attachment_24" align="alignright" width="180" caption="Having a hands on dad is pretty cool"]
[/caption]
Last Friday, I met my husband and son in downtown Bend for lunch. I walked into the burger joint in a rush, texting on my Blackberry with a million things on my mind. I sat down, took a deep breath and enjoyed the fact I was not in the office and enjoying some time away with my toddler, who's learning more and more everyday and having lunch with my husband.
My husband is currently laid off. He'd love to be working for someone right now, but he's moonlighting as a multi-talented marketing professional. He dabbles in marketing strategy, designs ads, logos and websites, dabbles in videography and is a whiz at social media. Anyone would be lucky to have his talents on their team but alas, there are no jobs currently open in Bend. With that, we're making do.
I won't lie, living on one income really isn't ideally how we'd like to be living and it has tested our marriage but the silver lining is my husband is spending a lot of time being a dad. He knows when Benjamin needs to go down for a nap. He has him on a schedule and he takes him everywhere in his Kelty Kids Backpack. I'm counting my lucky stars Lil B has the best hands on dad in the world.
As we ate our lunch, the waitress came by to bus our table. "Ma'am, you're so lucky to have such a hands on husband. In my day, husbands just went to work and came home and expected dinner."
I'm grateful for everything you do, Brian. You're the best dad, husband a wife could ask for.
[/caption]Last Friday, I met my husband and son in downtown Bend for lunch. I walked into the burger joint in a rush, texting on my Blackberry with a million things on my mind. I sat down, took a deep breath and enjoyed the fact I was not in the office and enjoying some time away with my toddler, who's learning more and more everyday and having lunch with my husband.
My husband is currently laid off. He'd love to be working for someone right now, but he's moonlighting as a multi-talented marketing professional. He dabbles in marketing strategy, designs ads, logos and websites, dabbles in videography and is a whiz at social media. Anyone would be lucky to have his talents on their team but alas, there are no jobs currently open in Bend. With that, we're making do.
I won't lie, living on one income really isn't ideally how we'd like to be living and it has tested our marriage but the silver lining is my husband is spending a lot of time being a dad. He knows when Benjamin needs to go down for a nap. He has him on a schedule and he takes him everywhere in his Kelty Kids Backpack. I'm counting my lucky stars Lil B has the best hands on dad in the world.
As we ate our lunch, the waitress came by to bus our table. "Ma'am, you're so lucky to have such a hands on husband. In my day, husbands just went to work and came home and expected dinner."
I'm grateful for everything you do, Brian. You're the best dad, husband a wife could ask for.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
What about blogs?
Last night at Ignite Bend my lovely friend Kate posed the question "Who blogs anymore?" and then I got to thinking ... oh crap! I haven't blogged in over a month. My last post was about lack of time in my life but then I got to thinking that maybe I shouldn't say that and be more positive. Maybe I should have a "I CAN DO IT ALL" attitude?
Where was I? Oh yes, my lack of blogging and my new attitude. I CAN DO IT. So, I was talking to my husband and after 10 years of doing the internet thing, I'm thinking I might register a domain name and take this up a notch since I have plenty of time on my hands, ya know.
And then I remembered that next month was National Novel Writing Month. Maybe this is my opportunity to get back in the game and writing away? Maybe this is the time that my husband should get cracking on my website? (hint, hint)
I started thinking about my goal a few years ago to write something about being a motherless daughter. I got discouraged because the person who wanted to edit made some negative comments about the first two posts so I abandoned that idea. I'm pretty sure I can fill 30 days with content about my mom or just memories in general of growing up. It can be something Ben and maybe my neices and nephews could look at and get some insight on how I (or my brothers) grew up.
Wish me luck. (gulp)
Where was I? Oh yes, my lack of blogging and my new attitude. I CAN DO IT. So, I was talking to my husband and after 10 years of doing the internet thing, I'm thinking I might register a domain name and take this up a notch since I have plenty of time on my hands, ya know.
And then I remembered that next month was National Novel Writing Month. Maybe this is my opportunity to get back in the game and writing away? Maybe this is the time that my husband should get cracking on my website? (hint, hint)
I started thinking about my goal a few years ago to write something about being a motherless daughter. I got discouraged because the person who wanted to edit made some negative comments about the first two posts so I abandoned that idea. I'm pretty sure I can fill 30 days with content about my mom or just memories in general of growing up. It can be something Ben and maybe my neices and nephews could look at and get some insight on how I (or my brothers) grew up.
Wish me luck. (gulp)
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