What A Week!

Hi Mom and Laura, the two people who read this! Despite all the stuff that went on this week I did manage to make dinner on Monday night! I used a recipe from The Pioneer Woman and it was wonderful! It is called the Marlboro Man Sandwich and it isn't for the faint of heart, at least when it comes to butter. Since I am half way doing Weight Watchers this was a treat and I managed to make it with only one stick of butter. I used about 12 shakes of Tabasco and it wasn't hot at all for us so play around with that. We had some leftovers and the second night just ate the sandwiches on plain toasted white bread. We both preferred that to the sub rolls. I am not going to redo the recipe because she does a WAY better job than I could of telling how to make it.

I don't think you really need any sides with this but I did make some oven roasted garlic potatoes, a staple at our house. Below is my quick, absolutely no fail recipe.

Oven Roasted Garlic Potatoes

1 lb new potatoes cut into cubes, skin on

1T. olive oil

Garlic Salt

Place potatoes, oil and as much garlic salt as you want in a tupperware. Shake vigirously to combine! Pour contents onto baking sheet and add a bit more garlic salt if you choose. Bake at 425 degrees for about 30-45 minutes, depending on how crispy you want the potatoes.

I use baking potatoes when I want more french fry like results and new potatoes usually when serving with chicken, steak, etc. This recipe has never failed me once and is a great fix it and forget about it menu item.

Sick House

We have been passing around a cold/upper respiratory thing these past few days so no new fun things this weekend! We were supposed to have some friends over last night for dinner but ended up just eating at Melton's and then crashing in a semi benadryl induced sleep. Lily has become a new fan of Back to Nature Macaroni and Cheese, which is organic and orange like she thinks mac and cheese is supposed to be! Hopefully we will perk up this week and I will overflow this webpage with great recipes next weekend!

Roasting Green Beans

Even though today was a holiday for all of our family, I wanted to work on a meal that could be done on a day when I didn't have all the time in the world to prep. The temperature was a balmy 63 degrees today so grilled chicken seemed like a great main course, followed by a green bean recipe I have been really wanting to try. I won't ever be sick of potatoes but risotto seemed like a good, easy final piece to our meal. Below I have included the marinade for the chicken, a no fail from my Aunt Sandy as well as the roasted green bean recipe. The risotto was Lundberg and is a great organic staple from our farmer's market.

Bahama Mama Mia Marinade

1/2 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/4 c. olive oil

3 cloves of garlic

2 T. sesame seeds

1-2 lbs chicken breasts

Mix all ingredients in a large measuring cup. Place chicken breasts in a glass container and pour mixture over all of the breasts. Poultry can marinate for 30 minutes to 8 hours. This marinade is great for grilled, baked or broiled chicken.

Roasted Sesame Green Beans (serves about 4 not very greedy people or 2 of us)

1 pound fresh green beans, stem ends snapped off

1 T. olive oil

1 T. minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves)

2 t. honey

1/2 t. toasted sesame oil

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

1 T. sesame seeds

Sea salt and ground black pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. If you are using a dark nonstick rimmed baking sheet, cover the sheet with foil. If you are using a light colored rimmed baking sheet then foil is not required.

2. Spread beans on the baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Using your hands, toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with 1/2 t. of salt, toss to coat and distribute in an even layer. Roast 10 minutes.

3. While beans are roasting combine the garlic, honey, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Set aside.

4. After 10 minutes of roasting remove the beans from the oven. Using tongs, coat beans evenly with the mixture and redistribute in an even layer.

5. Continue roasting until dark golden brown in spots and starting to shrivel, 10-12 minutes longer. Adjust seasoning as needed and serve warm.

Notes: Oh. My. God. These were so good and so easy to make that Marvin might be sick of them soon. I think it would be great to add some red onions to this or even use it with chicken as a glaze and then tossed over brown rice. This recipe was easy but tasted like it took all day.

Taco Meltdowns

The above picture is all you will get out of this post because a certain 3 1/2 year old had a slight peanut butter and jelly vs. noodle freak out while I was cooking this up. However, this picture is my favorite part of cooking this recipe! One of my favorite smells, behind Lily as a baby/post bath now, and right above the just perfect stink of the dogs is onions and garlic sautéed with butter or olive oil. That smell alone will drive me wild!

When I was pregnant with Lily I was placed on the fat woman diet since I was gaining weight so fast. At first it sounded like a death sentence but then it ended up being one of the best things that could have happened. I followed the diet in the "What to Expect" books, which I only recommend for the recipes, the rest will freak you out, making you afraid to look at styrofoam or drive your car. Anywho, as someone who has grown up loving tacos and taco salad, usually made with the traditional Old El Paso seasoning mix, I was thrilled to see this recipe! It is so so so simple and I think tastes even better! I have done this recipe a million times and it never fails. Below is my version of what is in the book.

Beef Taco Filling

1 lb lean ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 orange bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 can of kidney or black beans (rinsed if not organic)

1 clove of garlic

2 T. chili powder

1/4 t. cumin

pinch of oregano

olive oil

1/4 cup of water, as needed

Spray a large skillet with olive oil (I use a Misto) or add about 1/2 T. of olive oil till the skillet is coated. Add onion and peppers and cook until softened on medium heat. Once browned add the garlic and ground beef, cooking until the meat is a dark brown, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, chili powder, cumin, oregano and water if some moisture is needed. Simmer for 10 minutes until all the flavors are blended.

Notes:

When I make the filling for tacos I leave out the peppers. It tends to be a bit much going on for a simple taco filling. I discovered yesterday when I was making this that the dark red kidney beans I have from Publix are mixed with high fructose corn syrup! GROSS! I am working my way through using up a lot of stuff in the pantry before switching over everything and this made it to the top of the Whole Foods list! I felt that rinsing the beans helped to lose some of the grossness that they were canned in. Sometimes if we are feeling a bit crazy, or if I know for sure Lily won't be eating any, I dash in some Tabasco or red pepper flakes. You can add more chili powder to your liking but this is the minimum I would suggest.

I like to serve the filling for a salad over red leaf lettuce and garnish it with sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa (we use Paul Newman, medium) and guacamole if I have made some.

For tacos, I like to serve the filling in warm wheat tortilla's, garnished with everything above! The best part about this filling is that it tastes better after a few days when the spices have had a chance to settle in.

Fancy Nancy French Toast

I always said I didn't like French toast because it tasted like scrambled egg toast anytime I had it. When we visited some great friends in D.C. in November they made great French toast that I didn't want to stop eating! The toast was made so that the inside was soft but the outside was crisp and sweet.

Usually one morning of the weekend I like to make a big breakfast for all of us. When mom was here over Christmas break I took advantage of having someone to herd dogs and Lily and set off to the kitchen. I utilized a recipe from Cook's Illustrated that was detailed and long but well worth the process. I used challah bread fresh from the DeKalb Farmer's Market that I cut into big slices and it was amazing! I tried to sell Lily on eating it by calling it Fancy Nancy French Toast but it didn't work. Good thing since we ate all of it!

Since this was a long holiday weekend with lots of time to be in the kitchen I decided to make it for Lily and Marvin this morning. I will admit that if I had made this with the flimsy Italian bread I used this morning I would never make it again! I discovered for this you truly need a really thick, dense bread and make sure that you warm the butter! This mornings experience certainly got eaten, but I feel like I am continuing to refine how to make this great. I have included the regular recipe but also added the suggested add-ons they had. Enjoy!

French Toast

Serves 4

8 large slices of hearty white bread

1 1/2 cups milk, warmed

3 large egg yolks

3 T. light brown sugar

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

2 T. unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 T. for cooking

1/4 t. table salt

1 T. vanilaa

Maple syrup

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Place bread on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake bread until almost dry throughout (center should remain slightly moist), about 16 minutes, flipping slices halfway through cooking. Remove bread from rack and let cool 5 minutes. Return baking sheet with wire rack to oven and reduce temperature to 200 degrees.

2. Whisk milk (make sure its warm!), yolks, sugar, cinnamon, 2 T. melted butter, salt and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Transfer mixture to 13 by 9 inch baking pan.

3. Soak bread in milk mixture until saturated but not falling apart, 20 seconds per side. Using firm slotted spatula, pick up bread slice and allow excess milk mixture to drop off; repeat with remaining slices. Place soaked bread on another baking sheet or platter.

4. Heat 1/2 T. butter in 12 inch skillet over medium low heat. When foaming subsides, use slotted spatula to transfer 2 slices soaked bread to skillet and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. (If toast is cooking to quickly, reduce temperature slightly). Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Wipe out skillet with a paper towel. Repeat cooking with remaining bread, 2 pieces at a time, adding 1/2 T. butter for each batch. Serve warm, passing maple syrup separately.

NOTES:

I used 1% milk and cage free eggs for the mixture. Whole would make it richer but isn't needed. I saved the egg whites to add to our scrambled eggs giving a bit of health to our breakfast! After the last pieces were in the oven, I switched my upper oven to a convection bake for about 5 minutes at 200 degrees while I finished the scrambled eggs and bacon up. That convection portion added a bit of crunch to the toast which I liked a lot. As I was eating it I thought it would also be good to maybe roast some walnuts or pecan pieces to top the toast with. You could also sprinkle a bit of powered sugar if you wanted but it really is sweet enough, especially once you add the warm maple syrup!

Extra Crisp French Toast:

Process 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread or challah, torn into 1 inch pieces, 1 T. light brown sugar and 1/4 t. ground cinnamon in food processor until finely ground, 8 to 12 one second pulses. You should end up with about 1/2 cup of crumbs. Follow recipe for French Toast, sprinkling 1 T. bread crumb mixture over one side of each slice of soaked bread. Cook, as directed in step 4, starting with crumb mixture side down.

Almond Crusted French Toast:

Process 1/2 cup slivered almonds and 1 T. light brown sugar in food processor until coarsely ground, 12 to 15 one second pulses. You should end up with about 1/2 cup of crumbs. Follow recipe for French Toast, adding 1 T. Triple Sec and 1 t. grated orange zest to milk mixture in step 2. Sprinkle 1 T. nut mixture over one side of each slice of soaked bread. Cook, as directed in step 4, starting with nut mixture-side down.

Snow Day Cake

Since we were stuck at home all day with each other and I was on a mission to eat as much starch as possible, it seemed logical to break out the cake mix I had bought at Whole Foods a few weeks ago. When we were decorating Halloween cupcakes in October I was horrified to see the amount of trans fat in the icing. I had been curious to try the cake mixes at Whole Foods and since Lily is obsessed with sprinkles and more sprinkles this mix fit the bill. Naturally Nora is produced with minimal ingredients, none of which require a scientist to figure out how they are compounded.

For this recipe I used 1% organic milk, two cage free brown eggs and conventional canola oil. The recipe was straight forward and as quick as the mix was spinning the cakes were poured into pans and ready to go to the oven. One thing that was cool was that the sprinkles evolved out of the mix as it was beaten. In our oven 25 minutes were enough for beautifully golden cakes.

After cooling in the pan for 10 minutes and then cooling on wire racks for about 30 minutes it was time for icing!

I went with Nora's icing as well, although an at home butter cream would have been great as well. All I needed was a stick of butter and some milk and strong arm muscles to stir for 5 minutes. The icing came up fluffy with a great vanilla taste. The mix also came with healthy sprinkles to add to the top, a task that my helper was happy to assist with.

What I loved about this cake was that it was a simple boxed cake that tasted like a homemade cake I had spent all day in the kitchen making! When you have time to make a homemade cake it is always a wonderful experience but sometimes you need something quick to take to school, celebrate a milestone or just have a fun quick activity in the kitchen. I would love it if Nora could market sprinkles separate from the cake mixes and icings. Since Lily loves sprinkles on everything it would be great to have them ready to go for whatever!

After I made the cake I went to Naturally Nora's webpage, read about how she got to this great recipe and joined as a fan on her Facebook page. What I didn't know is that Nora was giving away cakes if she got to 200 fans that week. Last week at work was one of the harder weeks I have had on any jobs. Working with homeless families and their children isn't always a happy ending and last week fulfilled that notion. When I got into the office on Wednesday I jumped on Facebook before facing whatever was going to hit me that day. I switched to live feed and saw that I had won 2 cake mixes and 2 boxes of icing! Nora, if you are reading this, you turned a sad day in our office into a joyous one! Who doesn't love cake? After that moment the week began to pick up-the simple thought of cupcakes with icing somehow brought us back to everything will be ok.

I got home Friday after a long work day involving great volunteers and a new client who wants to break the cycles her life has always held. I picked Lily up from school and when we got home I had cake mixes sitting by my garage! Lily was thrilled to see more sprinkle cakes and I was excited to be able to try the chocolate cake/icing combo! Chocolate cupcakes are on the schedule for today and I know for sure that smiles will follow. Thank you Nora!

Classic Macaroni and Cheese

We were lucky for a long time in that Costco sold Annie's Mac and Cheese at a great low price. They recently switched to Velveeta which Lily promptly exclaimed tasted like smelly socks. Since this is a staple for our house I started to uncover a good recipe to make from scratch. Upon revisiting my Cook's Illustrated All Time Best Recipes I decided to try out the recipe. I broke my Sunday afternoon rule as we had an unexpected snow day for the 1/4 inch snow we got (in defense of the south, the roads are an ice rink since the temp has not risen over 22 all day long!).

Going forward I will have pictures of the progress of the recipe. Today, you will have to settle for the way it turned out. Next time you come over for dinner, it won't be burned, lessons learned.

Bread Crumb Topping:

6 slices large white bread, torn into rough pieces

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

Pasta and Cheese:

1 pound elbow macaroni

table salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons powdered mustard

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

5 cups of milk

8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

1. FOR THE BREAD CRUMB TOPPINGS: Pulse bread and butter in food processor until crumbs are about 1/8 inch, 10 to 15 one second pulses. Set aside.

2. FOR THE PASTA AND CHEESE: Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat broiler. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add macaroni and 1 tablespoon salt. Cook until pasta is tender. Drain pasta and set aside in colander.

3. In now empty Dutch oven, heat butter over medium high heat until foaming. Add flour, mustard, and cayenne and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; bring mixture to boil, whisking constantly, until thickened to consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses and 1 teaspoon salt until cheeses are fully melted. Add pasta and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is steaming and heated through, about 6 minutes.

4. Transfer mixture to broiler-safe 13x9 inch baking dish and sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs. Broil until crumbs are deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, rotating pan if necessary for even browning. Cool about five minutes, then serve.

Notes: It's crucial to cook the pasta until tender-just past the al dente stage. In fact for this, overcooking is better than under cooking the pasta. I used 1% milk for this and still came out with a creamy wonderful sauce. For cheese I used extra sharp and colby jack, neither organic. I think adding in some feta would give a nice texture and flavor to the recipe.

I purchased Italian bread slices from Publix which were fine, however next time I will use a thick white bread from the DeKalb Farmer's Market since the price is cheaper and the bread is organic. I skipped the mustard since I have mustard adverse people in my house and used paprika instead of cayenne. In addition I added salt and pepper to the final stirring stage before placing it in the oven.

As for the broiling, I would suggest turning the oven on the broil once you start the 5 minute simmer of milk. I broiled for 3 minutes and the crumbs burned in under that time. Even with a blackened crust the taste was far superior to even organic mac and cheese I have purchased in the past.

Resolutions for 2010

Last year after Marvin lost his job we did a much better job of eating at home, doing less processed foods and being more conscious of what we put into our bodies. Once he got a job again and life once again got hectic all of that fell to the wayside and we were once again eating whatever sounded good.

Starting off this year I decided to be more aware of what we were eating. I have always tried to buy organic when we could afford it but this year it is a must for certain things like dairy, poultry and beef-veggies and fruit as deemed necessary. We bought half of a cow in November and the taste is amazing-it tastes like a dead cow not plastic! Buying all of that meat got me energized towards cooking again. In addition, I was lucky enough to receive a years worth of Cook's Illustrated magazines from mom for Christmas. Since I am a cooking dork, although not highly skilled, I have loved pouring over the magazines trying to decide what roast really is the best tasting and how 1 tsp. vs. 1/2 tsp. actually makes a difference in tenderizing the meat.

My biggest issues as a person who works full time and consults on the side is how do you get away from processed foods full of trans fat and HFCS and get back to home cooked meals when time is strained? I decided that once a week I would work on something that we have always done from a box and figure out a way to make it without all of the ingredients that I can't pronounce. I am lucky that I generally have the weekends to prep for things and I decided that Sundays will be my afternoon to try a new menu item, as well as get our fridge and pantry ready for the following week. Cook's Illustrated takes ordinary recipes and makes them great with just a few changes from how you have always done it. I decided now was the time to make our healthy eating a priority. You won't see fat free, low fat ingredients because I don't think that is natural. You will see good, easy recipes tested by me!

This blog will chronicle my journey to feeding our family better and hopefully saving some money too. We will always have S'mores Pop Tarts and Dr. Pepper and will probably eat Savage Pizza every Friday, but I figure if we can pick up some healthy things to balance that out I won't be doing too bad.