tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30790668704260233862024-02-19T07:46:14.625-05:00Level 2 Mommy...and gaining experience dailyKatie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-20573180286533974882012-01-08T09:00:00.002-05:002012-01-08T09:00:05.841-05:00Absence makes the heart grow fonder...maybe?Hello again and happy new year! When I abruptly stopped posting over the summer I hadn't intended on staying away so long. I found that the longer I went without posting, the more difficult it was to return to it because I didn't have any reason for having stopped. Well, I had a reason, but it was a little hard to admit that the reason I stepped away was because I was cranky about the whole thing. As an avid home baker, giving up wheat made me rather uncreative in the kitchen on several levels. I was finding sporadic moments of creativity, but for the most part we ate a lot of bunless burgers, grilled meats over salad, or grilled meats alongside grilled veggies. It felt very uninspiring and mundane, which makes for an empty blog post: <i>"Here's some okay pictures... and a recipe (of sorts)....it was pretty good...I guess. I mean, we ate it and all, do you want to?" </i>Not the most riveting of possibilities. <br />
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On top of that fact, I was finding when I <i>did</i> have moments of creativity they were struggles. Serious struggles. I have an unfinished post from back in July entitled: "What will I set on fire next?" (it was a rough week). Giving up wheat means looking at baking from a whole new direction, and with very unfamiliar ingredients. There are tons of blogs and cookbooks devoted to gluten free cooking and I have found several I really like, but I was finding that a lot of them used odd ingredients (gums, extracts, and processed...things) that I would never have bought for regular baking. I didn't want to purchase those types of ingredients because our purpose of avoiding wheat wasn't to go gluten free, but to avoid processed and refined foods. That excluded a lot of those ingredients the gluten free website were calling for in their quest to make gluten free recipes taste and feel like the real thing. To avoid their replacement ingredients, I was flying by the seat of my pants, having a lot of hard landings, and not being able to replicate my results for the sporadic successes. <br />
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Over the months, our commitment to going wheat-less slowly deteriorated. We never reintroduced breakfast cereals, lunchtime sandwiches, or crackers and such at snack time, but we were definitely incorporating more and more into our diet (it might not sound like it, but trust me, wheat was slowly making a comeback). Now that the holidays are over (especially my cookie baking extravaganza) we are going to be returning a bit more to our plan, but instead of going wheat-less we are just going to focus on eating <i>less </i>wheat. The wheat that crept into our dinner plans will be reduced and the desserts with wheat will be less frequent. Since it won't be missing entirely, I don't have to worry about being a frustrated baker. I'll probably be baking just as often as before, which is around once every week or two. Since I won't be using up all my creative energies trying to replace my favorite baked goods, I'll have some left over to apply towards lunches and dinners. (Sorry, breakfast, you miss out. You're still going to be either oatmeal or eggs, I have no patience for creativity in the mornings because I'm sleepwalking until nearly noon).<br />
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I think the final reason I walked away for a while was because of the stress I was giving myself over both the quantity and quality of my posts. I wasn't quite happy with either. I felt that I needed to post as often as possible so as not to disappoint anyone, and that each post needed to be littered with beautiful process shots. As lovely as that sounds it doesn't seem to be my style, and really, there are already so many people who naturally post like that (and who will be able to do it much better than myself.) <br />
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It is so easy to compare yourself with others who are much more talented (and experienced) and in doing so fall short. I had to remind myself that my blog on this little corner is not supposed to stress me out, it is supposed to <u>relieve</u> stress (wait, that <i>is</i> what hobbies are for, right?). I'm not getting graded or paid or forced to do this. I'm doing it because I want to. Since it is for me (and you just happen to be eavesdropping on my thoughts ;-) which, by the way, I've discovered from Hey, Babe are strange since I think them in narration) I'm much more concerned with quality. I'm probably not going to be posting more than once a week. I'm not necessarily going to include a ton of pictures just to have them (if I'm satisfied with how well they came out, that's another story). I'm not going to be posting our monthly menus anymore. We still do them but since they no longer follow the months but are instead on a 5 week rotation that doesn't fit nicely in my square box thinking ;-) (plus I think that nearly a full years worth of example is probably quite enough to get an idea of how to make one). <br />
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There are some things that I am going to be doing. I <i>am</i> going to be more certain that I am satisfied with the work I post. I <i>am</i> going to try to post more of the recipes that I've been asked for copies of (a Cheddar Beer Bread that reminds me of Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits is high on that list). Finally, I <i>am</i> going to relax about this and enjoy myself. As a stay at home Mom, I should already be accustomed to a more relaxed pace, but for some reason with blogging I wasn't following that. Here's to a new year with less stressing and more enjoying the trip without focusing so much on the destination. Happy New Year to you all, may it be the best one yet.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-35100301175242039412011-07-01T20:32:00.000-04:002011-07-01T20:32:39.219-04:00July Meal PlanHey, remember me? No? I'm not surprised. Things have been a little crazy around here recently. I often didn't have the opportunity to post and when I <i>did</i> have the opportunity, I didn't seem to have the inclination. It's a good thing this is just a hobby and not a job or I'd have been booted a <i>long</i> time ago.<br />
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I think that a large part of the reason I've been absent is that since we eliminated wheat from our diet I've been a little bummed. I love how much better I feel and do not miss the effects that wheat was having on my system, but it doesn't make a baker happy to find out that 95% (or more!) of their recipes are now off limits. So...I moped. And I got a bit cranky about all the meals that I've made previously who are just waiting to jump to the head of the line and appear here and now I don't want to post them because I'm in a tiff.<br />
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I'm sure that I will eventually post them, just like I will eventually post the new wheat free recipes I've been creating to replace them. The problem with my replacement recipes is that they aren't fully tested and I don't feel right posting something I created off the top of my head until I'm certain that it works more than once, several times would be better. As I work out the kinks I'll try to be better about posting the results, but until then things are going to be slim pickings.<br />
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As you will be able to see below, this month is pretty much ALL about grilling. I have no desire to heat up my kitchen so we are taking it all outdoors to appreciate the summer. Also, you might notice that most of the sides are rather up in the air. I am hoping to be able to fill in those blanks with various fresh veggies from my garden, but at the moment I have NO idea was they will be (and no promise that they will produce!) Enjoy!<br />
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<table border="2" bordercolor="#993300" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="background-color: #eeddbb; width: 100%;" text-align:center;=""><tbody>
<tr align="center"><th colspan="7">July</th> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Mon.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Tues.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Wed.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Thur.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Fri.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Sat.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Sun.</b></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;">Slow Cooker Red Beans & Rice</td> <td style="text-align: center;">Chicken Spiedies, Grilled Veggies</td> <td style="text-align: center;">Hamburgers, Baked Beans, Salad</td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hot Dogs, Baked Beans<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Greek Chicken Kebabs<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grilled Lemon Pepper Salmon<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tex-Mex Dry Rub- Steak<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bean Burritoes<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">BBQ Rub- Pork<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Salad w/Deviled Eggs<br />
</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hamburgers, Beans, Salad<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ham & Pineapple Kebabs<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grilled Salmon Patties, Grilled Sweet Potatoes<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicken & Spicy Wing Sauce<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Black Bean Salad, Chips?<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kefta & Zucchini Kebab<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicken Caesar Salad<br />
</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Indian Dry Rub- Chicken<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Steak & Pepper Kebab<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grilled Mustard Salmon<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hot Dogs & Baked Beans<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grilled Turkey Breast<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Party<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Taco Salad<br />
</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grilled Steak, Grilled Veggies<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Teriyaki Chicken & Pineapple Kebab<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grilled Salmon Patties, Grilled Sweet Potatoes<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pancakes (Wheat Free!)<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Zucchini Parm<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cajun Rub- Chicken<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cobb Salad<br />
</span></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 8px;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-63323679670496402172011-06-02T09:14:00.000-04:002011-06-02T09:14:21.039-04:00June Meal PlanMay was an interesting month. We got our garden planted in the beginning, the middle hit us up with some birthdays, a graduation, and Mothers Day and then the last weekend had us missing Hey, Babe as he went to Texas for his first (and can I hope last?) business trip which happened to coincide with our sixth anniversary. I'm still recovering from May, which is partly why I'm a bit tardy posting our menu. <br />
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The other reason is because I was rather hard pressed to plan a wheat free menu that I'd be interested in cooking and eating in this weather. In our un-air conditioned house I want to do as much of our cooking outside. That should be simple except for the fact that most things want to be slapped on a bun after you grill them. I have discovered that it is very possible that I should not eat wheat for health reasons and so I'm trying harder to stick to that. Here is what we have come up with, our wheat free (the hot dogs and hamburgers will be bunless), hot weather friendly dinner plan. Enjoy!<br />
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<table border="2" bordercolor="#993300" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="background-color: #eeddbb; width: 100%;" text-align:center;=""><tbody>
<tr align="center"><th colspan="7">June</th> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Mon.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Tues.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Wed.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Thur.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Fri.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Sat.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Sun.</b></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Leftovers<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lemon Chicken, Potato Salad</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Potluck Game Night<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Party<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Waldorf Chicken Salad<br />
</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hot Dogs & Beans<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">BBQ Chicken, Grilled Sweet Potatoes<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Taco Salad<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dry Rub Steak, Grilled Potatoes, Peas<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bean Burritos<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Party</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grill Roasted Turkey Breast, Asparagus<br />
</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Salmon Patties, Spinach Salad<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicken Scampi over Veggies<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicken Caesar Salad<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pepper Steak, Brown Rice<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Greek Chicken Kebabs, Tzatziki</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Party<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Black Bean Salad<br />
</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grilled Sausages & Potato Hobo Packs<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grilled Rosemary Chicken w/Fresh Greens<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cobb Salad<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kefta and Zucchini Kebabs <br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Taco Dip<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Barbecue Ribs, Corn, Cole Slaw<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Huli Huli Chicken, Broccoli Salad<br />
</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cream Cheese & Parmesan Grilled Tilapia, Spinach<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dry Rub Chicken, Grilled Summer Squash<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chef Salad<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hamburgers, Baked Beans, Salad<br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 8px;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-11236536448537438172011-05-18T09:00:00.002-04:002011-05-18T09:00:05.393-04:00How To Make a Monthly Meal Plan, part 5Yesterday I wrote about the first three problems I thought of that can interfere with successful meal planning, today I follow up with the last three.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000; margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><i>-I don’t like cooking or I don’t have time for it and with this plan I’m finding myself chained to the kitchen all the time and I can’t take it!</i></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">So plan differently. No one said you have to make a gourmet meal every night, or even that you have to make a from scratch meal every night. You are the one who is deciding what kind of meals your are making and how complicated they are, and how often you need to make them. One woman I know cooks three nights a week and makes enough for two meals each time. After eating those three meals once, they eat them a second time and then either go out or order pizza on Saturdays. This works wonderfully for their family and might be something that would work for yours. </div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">If your family (or you!) don’t care for leftovers then just plan simpler things. It is <i>your</i> plan. No one is grading it and critiquing it. I don’t eat or buy most processed foods (often) but that is how my family works. Your family eats and likes different things than mine and each of our menus will reflect that. </div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Another tip to cut down on prep is to do some things ahead. Chop all your peppers/onions/etc. for the week on Monday and put them in containers. Each night you will use only what you need for the day and you won’t be pulling out the knife and cutting board every night. If you rely on convenience foods, eating at restaurants and ordering takeout for 95% of your family’s dinners it might be better to start small and gradually increase your nights of cooking. Who knows? You might discover that having a plan in place with all of the necessary groceries eliminates the part of making dinner that you truly hate and actually cooking doesn’t bother you at all!</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">If possible enlist help. If your spouse isn’t home to be any use preparing dinner on a week night, try preparing a few meals in advance on a weekend, or after the kids go to bed one night. If your kids are old enough to be of any use in the kitchen, use dinner prep as a teachable moment. I was taken aback when I got to college and discovered how many students were there who had no idea how to do things like cook for themselves or do laundry. When/if your kids are old enough maybe they can be in charge of planning and cooking dinner one night a week.</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000; margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><i>-blah! We all got hit with the stomach bug! We have a house full of food but none of us are well enough to prepare it OR to go and get anything else to replace it with that we might be able to keep down:</i></b></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">This happened to us a few months ago and I learned a very valuable lesson. Keep sick people food on hand at all times and put it in an emergency place so that you don’t just dip into it when you are feeling lazy. We now have in a crate in the garage a few cans of chicken noodle soup, a box of saltines, a few boxes of jello, a six pack of little bottles of ginger ale, a few serving size bottles (not the big ones) of pedialyte, and a container of Gatorade powder. And we aren’t going to touch it. Most of that stuff can keep for a looong time, but we are going to replace it at the beginning of flu season every year just to make sure none of it is ever expired.<br />
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Keep a couple of emergency, totally from the pantry meals on hand so that you won’t feel forced to order pizza when life doesn’t go your way because it is going to happen. Rather than always keep the same emergency meal on hand in the pantry I sometimes try to plan a couple of new ones for the end of the month. If I need to use them earlier in the month it is not as big of a deal and I can back cycle whatever meal I’ve skipped. </div><br />
<blockquote style="color: #990000;"><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>-I thought this was supposed to save money, why is my grocery bill so much higher?</i></b></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">Well, first off I’d like to ask if you are including your takeout/restaurant spending (including tips!) in that total. I’m going to pull some random numbers out of the air here but if you used to spend $75 a week at the grocery store and then another $125 a week eating out, then your grocery bill all of a sudden doubling to $150 is not too surprising, as long as your eating out bill is either equally reduced or completely eliminated. Double check but you are probably spending less. <br />
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However, if you <i>aren’t</i> then what the heck are you making for dinner? Really, I’d like to know because it is probably fabulous and I’d like to invite myself over. Are you still buying a lot of convenience items (pre-made pizza crusts instead of a bag of flour and jar of yeast)? By making some things from scratch instead of buying them premade you will save a little money and usually be eating a little healthier. <br />
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Another option is to surround a spendy item will cheaper items. Make a nice piece of salmon and serve it with a pile of cheap bulk rice or frozen green beans instead of the costlier asparagus (which you can serve instead with a cheaper cut of beef or some chicken). It helps to spread out your “gourmet” without making you feel like you are depriving yourself by rotating between rice & beans and beans & rice. </div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">You are the one making the plan, so if you are choosing expensive things it will understandably cost more. Think about what your family was already eating on a regular basis. Was it costing you less when you were scrambling around? That's okay because you can still throw some of those options back into the mix (or options in a similar cost bracket) but this time do it without the scramble. </div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Also, keep in mind the sales. If you planned on making steaks and got to the store to discover the price was astronomically more than you had expected, check to see what kind of substitutions you can make. If there isn’t anything in a similar vein then scrap the meal for a different idea entirely or be prepared to shell out for the steaks. I find that this is why it sometimes helps to bring your meal plan along with your grocery list to the store, it can help you remember why you put certain items on the list and whether or not they are crucial to any given dish.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>If you missed the beginning of this meal planning series, please start <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-make-monthly-meal-plan-part-1.html">here</a>.</i></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-17061834405576089312011-05-17T21:23:00.000-04:002011-05-17T21:23:03.983-04:00How To Make A Monthly Meal Plan, part 4For some people, making a monthly meal plan (or even a weekly one) is fraught with peril. There are several pitfalls that people come across when they attempt meal planning on a larger scale for the first time. There are six big ones that I can think of and I'll share with you, half today and half tomorrow, how they can be addressed or avoided.<br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">MEAL PLANNING PITFALLS</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;">So now you have spent valuable time and planned out your meals, written your grocery lists, bought your food and gotten it all put away. You are all set for a week/month of stress free dinner prep, <b><i>except:</i></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"> <i> </i></div><blockquote style="color: #990000;"><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"><b><i>- Someone (your kids, your husband, perhaps even </i><u>yourself</u><i>) always says they don’t want <u>that</u> for dinner. Can’t we have/go to _____ instead?</i></b></div></blockquote><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;">Sure you can. Sometimes things just don’t go as planned and you have to roll with the punches and consider that the important thing is that everyone was fed a relatively healthy (hopefully) meal. However, if it is happening often perhaps you might think about why this isn’t working to see if there is a theme. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"><b>Does it happen regularly on specific days?</b> For me it happened every Monday. After having Hey, Babe home during dinner prep on Sat and Sun, I dreaded starting it up again solo on Monday nights. Now I make sure I’m planning things that I will look forward to eating and be more willing to prep like my favorite homemade pizza. Another option is to plan something that can be totally assembled earlier in the day while the kids are napping that just needs to be popped into the oven at the correct time. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"><b>Does it happen for specific meals?</b> Tell it to me straight, you don’t like my chili do you? You never feel like eating it, though you have before said you like it, and now when it comes up on the rotation we always seem to waffle around it and eat something else. Since you never <i>actually</i> eat it, stop <i>planning</i> on eating it. It is a waste in more ways then one. Maybe leaving it off the rotation for a while will make it more appealing in the future. Or maybe you can plan it for the night that whoever it is that hates it is not going to be home for dinner. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"><b>Is it always the same person?</b> I have two separate suggestions here. First off, maybe they just need to learn to live with it. Pickiness, especially when it comes to food, is never welcome. You are allowed to have things you prefer to eat and prefer not to eat, but if a meal is made for you, you eat it or you go hungry (ESPECIALLY if you are an adult/teenager). I’m sure that as with any rule, there are exceptions (allergies, intolerances, etc.) but generally speaking this should hold true. For some households there is always an alternate option to have (pb sandwich, hummus, etc.) for other households that just means you say, “Okay, the next time we are eating is at __ o’clock, see you then.” It is up to you to decide which method will work better for your family.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;">Another solution would be to have the unsatisfied person contribute more to the meal plan. If they are asking for blueberry pancakes for dinner instead of the spaghetti and meatballs you are making tell them “Ooh, what a great idea! Why don’t we write that down and have that ___ (tomorrow for breakfast/lunch, next week for dinner, etc.). When you are making the next meal plan, have them come up with a list of foods that they want to eat and maybe make them a part of the preparation process for “their” meals. You might want to make a note of which of the meals were their ideas so you can point out to them that they are the reason it is tonight’s dinner if their pickiness comes into play anyway.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;">In our household, I know that <b>I</b> am the most likely reason that dinner isn’t following the menu. Not the kids, not Hey, Babe, not any other factor. Just me. I need to remember to suck it up and just make whatever is on the plan because I KNOW that when I don’t it makes the last few days of the month rather hairy and takes away the peace that meal planning is supposed to bring me. I have to keep in mind when I am meal planning that what I have planned may not be exactly what I am in the mood food, but it is still tasty, nutritious food. If I am going to tell my kids, “tough, that’s what is for dinner,” than I have to do the same for myself. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="color: #990000;"><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><b><i>-I just bought AAAAALLLLLL this stuff to make ONE MEAL, and it costs so much money, and now whatever isn't used in that one meal is either going to spoil or get pushed to the back of the cupboard and lost forever:</i></b></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">You may need to tweak how you are planning slightly. There are four<i> </i>things I can think of to fix this: </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Choose less complicated meals, or at least do so for some of them.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Freeze leftover ingredients (granted, some things don’t freeze well.)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Make twice as much of whatever the meal is and freeze half for a bonus meal next week/month! (yeah, some things <i>still</i> don’t freeze well).</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Plan another, different meal that will incorporate those extra ingredients for a night or two later. Leftover ricotta cheese? Make some lasagna, stuffed shells, or cheese blintzes. Use it up somehow. Some of my tastiest creations came from adding odds and ends together so that none of them went to waste.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<blockquote style="color: #990000;"><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in;"><b><i>- </i></b><b><i>Similar to the last complaint, I made dinner every night this week and we have a ton of totally prepared food in the fridge and yet another new meal planned for tonight:</i></b></div></blockquote>I had this trouble a lot myself and started planning fewer meals for a while until Little Man started eating more. You can go a few routes with this one:</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Eat leftovers for lunch and stop buying so many other lunch options.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Plan fewer meals for the week, make one night leftover night and free up some time where you would have otherwise been in the kitchen. Maybe make a nice dessert on leftover night since you didn’t have to cook dinner.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Make smaller quantities so that there aren’t leftovers. Scale recipes down, cut portion sizes in half, and have some extra salad to fill people up instead.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Reinvent leftovers. Make a roast on Sunday and plan on using the leftover meat on Monday for Pulled Pork Sandwiches or soup or a casserole. Or if you think your picky family might catch on to the fact that it is similar to yesterday’s dinner, plan on using it Wednesday or pop it in the freezer and use it next week.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span>Intentionally make enough that there is a whole second meal and freeze one of them for a bonus meal!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>If you missed the beginning of this meal planning series please start <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-make-monthly-meal-plan-part-1.html">here</a>. Tomorrow, three more pitfalls with suggestions how to resolve them.</i></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-23125240525424947002011-05-14T15:03:00.000-04:002011-05-14T15:03:53.370-04:00The Daring Cooks Make GumboI am interrupting the series on monthly meal planning to bring you this month's Daring Cook's challenge! The series will resume once again next week. Our May hostess, Denise, of <a href="http://www.newfinmysoup.blogspot.com/">There’s a Newf in My Soup!</a>, challenged The Daring Cooks to make Gumbo! She provided us with all the recipes we’d need, from creole spices, homemade stock, and Louisiana white rice, to Drew’s Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo and Seafood Gumbo from <i>My New Orleans: The Cookbook</i>, by John Besh.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszrWDHyWJf2y04At6FW1MVCEn8KBXWtE9Yb1lkeH9FhEemh1zc6pSbbdp_3fqFLu4UDlAKpAMqAUCY3hyphenhyphenWm74wQtmPQ1MUELWTm2JT04NsCluUI1LYaBqzqGwKacDeAUDJg_F3pw3ekI/s1600/P1080012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszrWDHyWJf2y04At6FW1MVCEn8KBXWtE9Yb1lkeH9FhEemh1zc6pSbbdp_3fqFLu4UDlAKpAMqAUCY3hyphenhyphenWm74wQtmPQ1MUELWTm2JT04NsCluUI1LYaBqzqGwKacDeAUDJg_F3pw3ekI/s400/P1080012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I can't even begin to tell you how utterly unenthusiastic I was about this month's challenge. Really. After reading the challenge I immediately sighed and decided that I was going to make it to bring to potluck game night at the church so that I <i>might</i> not be stuck with so much in the way of leftovers. I wasn't going to shrug off the challenge just because I didn't think I'd like the food, but I didn't have to be happy about it either. Lovely attitude, don't you agree? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hwIbzWpku99fS3tHHqj6EGpk7-vmqU3yIq48AciNaiKqD0E9bwdLg-y7XwQ3tugWudmv8l-cr9hwSZ1N9WIkyz26pxOi2eZA7Luz5wZ5oZp-xxxXSSXLu084YIPBYlAxJcgznr1UDSE/s1600/P1080015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hwIbzWpku99fS3tHHqj6EGpk7-vmqU3yIq48AciNaiKqD0E9bwdLg-y7XwQ3tugWudmv8l-cr9hwSZ1N9WIkyz26pxOi2eZA7Luz5wZ5oZp-xxxXSSXLu084YIPBYlAxJcgznr1UDSE/s400/P1080015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Now, so far I had only seen the subject line, not the recipe or any of the example photos, and I had already done a mental shrug and eye roll over this challenge. <span style="color: black;">However, a</span>fter reading some of the ingredient options and seeing the absolutely stunning pictures in the example, I was feeling a little more charitably inclined toward this Gumbo. I can't even understand where my prejudice towards Gumbo came from since I've never actually tasted it but it was slowly starting to melt away. Not enough, however, for me to reassign it on the menu away from the game night. It might have seemed a little more appealing, but I still wasn't inclined to want a ton of leftovers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZpg4e3Xl6ChvgcA4pnrYlaeVGWQcwopKFSk8TIPcqkYbCYL6prJH43WRI-lqUGW0ZRKoCfrH5hvHprCZ5u6ePdLgmcBaeKGO5XhfDPwjkXXGfuzLg97_rliR9MV5WBLZHSigt_NFRwM/s1600/P1070915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZpg4e3Xl6ChvgcA4pnrYlaeVGWQcwopKFSk8TIPcqkYbCYL6prJH43WRI-lqUGW0ZRKoCfrH5hvHprCZ5u6ePdLgmcBaeKGO5XhfDPwjkXXGfuzLg97_rliR9MV5WBLZHSigt_NFRwM/s400/P1070915.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Considering those things, I find it quite ironic that I fell a little more in love with this dish nearly every time I tasted it throughout the cooking process. And I couldn't have it all to myself since I had already told people what I was bringing to the potluck. Drat! It serves me right after forming opinions based on absolutely nothing. Really, <i>nothing.</i> I have no idea why in my mind Gumbo = Gross. Perhaps it was simply the name? Or the fact that it usually (maybe always?) has Okra, which I dislike intensely. I have no clue.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhZtobxSXVeiZ3l3W2jLpq41KCXYf3TDRjf6m0fhac33WMMBiMT37WKDblroMdau4I4W_L4duLgs9FfuQez6rvE8JF1ipmqEyFBk9Bryr04hReOC59tOACZ2-ZzoafsYv8RJ3B1atsAE/s1600/P1070918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhZtobxSXVeiZ3l3W2jLpq41KCXYf3TDRjf6m0fhac33WMMBiMT37WKDblroMdau4I4W_L4duLgs9FfuQez6rvE8JF1ipmqEyFBk9Bryr04hReOC59tOACZ2-ZzoafsYv8RJ3B1atsAE/s400/P1070918.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
While I was making this I made quite a few changes, omissions, and alterations, both accidentally and intentionally. I knew that I didn't want to make it too spicy, so I left out the spicy sausage called for (not realizing that smoked Andouille Sausage is <i>also</i> spicy!) and I didn't want to have a lot of extra seasoning bottles gathering dust in the cabinet never to be used again so I assembled my own Creole spices but it a much smaller quantity than provided in the given recipe, this also lead me to omit the File Powder.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IpzemFoH58Y/Tc7O8dS0sYI/AAAAAAAAA5w/4WLMT8h6pK4/s1600/P1080018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IpzemFoH58Y/Tc7O8dS0sYI/AAAAAAAAA5w/4WLMT8h6pK4/s400/P1080018.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I dislike okra (I won't even describe what it reminds me of) but I had planned on putting it in anyway because Hey, Babe likes it. The Okra was eventually omitted when we couldn't find any after checking in three stores. Another minor change I made was to add half chicken thighs and half boneless breasts instead a a whole cut up chicken. After the first 45 minute simmer I took all the chicken out and de-boned and skinned it so that I could shred the meat and add it back to the pot, thus making it easier to serve at a potluck dinner.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-di1sYSraL3E/Tc7PBdSH26I/AAAAAAAAA6M/bAqflXEsepg/s1600/P1070906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-di1sYSraL3E/Tc7PBdSH26I/AAAAAAAAA6M/bAqflXEsepg/s400/P1070906.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The last two changes came about after a little...mishap, shall we say, in the kitchen. According to the recipe you are supposed to cook the roux for 15 minutes, constantly whisking. Due to either distractions from the kids or the fact that I chose to use some of the leftover bacon oil from breakfast, I am pretty sure that I burned my roux. The house was slowly filling with smoke, and it was not smelling tasty at all, but the recipe <i>said</i> I was supposed to keep cooking. I wanted to stop, but according to recipe I wasn't supposed to!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nzZriELWF9A/Tc7PBKAU4hI/AAAAAAAAA6I/dJC19RfKgxk/s1600/P1070909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nzZriELWF9A/Tc7PBKAU4hI/AAAAAAAAA6I/dJC19RfKgxk/s400/P1070909.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(grossly separating roux)</div><br />
I should have gone with my gut. I added the onions and ended up with a weird pot of separated oil and charred...stuff. It didn't look right and it tasted even worse. But I couldn't help but wonder if this was actually the result we were looking for? Who knows, although if any of you think that I was actually on the right track, let me know. Maybe I'll sacrifice a <i>small</i> experimental pot of it next time. At any rate, after a little deliberation I decided to start over and cook it less along with no bacon fat this time and with a movie playing for Little Man. The only problem with starting over was that I only had one onion left. Oh well!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mrr8F3L9-as/Tc7PAra4-uI/AAAAAAAAA6E/KvBhIrIz2Zc/s1600/P1070913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mrr8F3L9-as/Tc7PAra4-uI/AAAAAAAAA6E/KvBhIrIz2Zc/s400/P1070913.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(the top spoon is the charred version, in case you couldn't tell)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>It was the most exquisite form of torture. Riding in a car for half an hour with the pot of bubbling hot Gumbo sitting in my lap was almost more than I could handle as we went on our merry way to Game Night. If it hadn't been so very hot I'd have been even more tempted by the intoxicating fragrance to start drinking it up right there in the car. The general consensus seemed to be that it was delicious, with a caveat from a few who thought that it was a tad too spicy for them. Next time, and oh, there will definitely be a next time, I'm not too proud to admit when I was wrong! Next time I will ease back on the cayenne, maybe add a little sweet sausage along with the spicy, and serve it with Tabasco Sauce at the table for anyone who wants to kick up the heat. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQ-2FxC52QxIC2h34vW1RYSg3KJJJmrw5ctMS4RpAIg1JainviDTwQHq6gHp9M6138WHiOoJmzicOrf86R8w7y6J69f-o1XTCL-Vdd4696FuMSvJjIehZ9ylft3HCA4RxthbC-UP2q2E/s1600/P1080010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQ-2FxC52QxIC2h34vW1RYSg3KJJJmrw5ctMS4RpAIg1JainviDTwQHq6gHp9M6138WHiOoJmzicOrf86R8w7y6J69f-o1XTCL-Vdd4696FuMSvJjIehZ9ylft3HCA4RxthbC-UP2q2E/s400/P1080010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Because I made <i>many </i>alterations to the given recipe, I will post my version below. To use the recipe without my adaptations, or to check out the recipes for Seafood Gumbo click <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/25_Gumbo_-_DC_May_2011.pdf">here</a>.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Drew’s Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo</b><br />
<i>adapted from My New Orleans: The Cookbook, by John Besh</i><br />
Serves 10-12<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Ingredients</span><br />
<u>Seasonings</u>:<br />
1/2 tablespoons celery seed<br />
1 teaspoon sweet paprika<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper<br />
1 teaspoon garlic powder<br />
1 teaspoon onion powder<br />
1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (or less if you don't like spicy)<br />
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice<br />
<br />
1 chicken (3 ½ to 4 lbs.), cut into 10 pieces <br />
2 large onions, diced<br />
2 stalks celery, diced<br />
2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced<br />
1 tomato, seeded and chopped<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1 cup (240 ml) (230 gm) oil<br />
1 cup (240 ml) (140 gm) (5 oz) flour<br />
Leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh thyme<br />
2 quarts Chicken Stock <br />
2 bay leaves<br />
14 ounces andouille sausage, chopped<br />
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce<br />
Salt, to taste<br />
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste<br />
4-6 cups cooked Rice (I used brown, but I might try mashed potatoes next time, not traditional maybe but I think it would be delicious!)<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Directions</span>:<br />
Combine the seasonings together and sprinkle them over the chicken pieces while you prepare the vegetables.<br />
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Make sure all of your vegetables are cut, diced, chopped, minced and ready to go before beginning the roux. You must stand at the stove and stir the roux continuously to prevent it from burning.<br />
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In a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil over high heat. Whisk the flour into the hot oil – it will start to sizzle. Reduce the heat to moderate, and continue whisking until the roux becomes deep brown in color, about 15 minutes (the second time I only cooked if for about 10).<br />
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Add the onions. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir the onions into the roux. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue stirring until the roux becomes a glossy dark brown, about 10 minutes (again, the second time I did this for around 7-8).<br />
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Add the chicken to the pot; raise the heat to moderate, and cook, turning the pieces until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and continue stirring for about 3 minutes.<br />
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Add the thyme, chicken stock, and bay leaves. Bring the gumbo to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, skimming off the fat from the surface of the gumbo every so often. (I got a <i>lot </i>of oil off of this, more than 1 cup. Can anyone explain why we add it just to take it out? Can't we just toast the flour without the oil?)<br />
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Remove all the pieces of chicken to a plate. Add the chopped andouille and Worcestershire. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Start to simmer for another 45 minutes, while you are removing the skin and bones from the chicken pieces. Shred the meat and return it along with any accumulated juices back to the pot. Continue to skim the fat from the surface of the gumbo. Remove the bay leaves and serve in bowls over rice<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-10352879491952616442011-05-12T12:43:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:35:18.842-04:00How To Make A Monthly Meal Plan, part 3Making a monthly meal plan is such a valuable way to gain control of what for many people is the most stressful part of their day, the pre-dinner chaos that leads to fast food (and tears!). Many people have heard of the Flylady who discusses getting your homes in order and keeping them that way. I like what she has to say about meal planning:<br />
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<i>"You can't eat what you don't have in the house. Just the simple act of sitting down and thinking about what to fix for the next week then going to the grocery store and purchasing the food will give you more freedom than almost anything. This will save you time and money and put good food in your pantry. When you have nutritious food in your home you will feel better about what you and your family are eating."</i> <a href="http://flylady.net/">Flylady</a><br />
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I happen to like cooking and experimenting with new recipes so we have a new plan for every month but that doesn't mean you have to. If you are the opposite of me or if your family is less adventurous you could make one 30 day plan and just repeat it over and over again. After all, that means you would only be repeating things a dozen times a year (providing of course that there were no repeats already scheduled). The beauty of a set monthly plan is that once it and the accompanying grocery list are written, you will spend a lot of time each month <b>not </b>thinking about dinner. When making your plan you can keep any number of days either "set" or "changeable". You can keep one day a week or a month free for changes, or maybe you will keep only one meal the same each month. It is completely up to you!<br />
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Your meal plan does not have to be gourmet or complicated or expensive. It is <b>not </b>supposed to make your life more complicated. For some people, making out a plan might make them over ambitious and I'd just like to remind you to be realistic. If giving up takeout and restaurants will be tough, schedule some nights that allow for it. If you don't like being in the kitchen, plan for quick and simple foods like hot dogs or macaroni and cheese. Or perhaps you will only plan on cooking only three or four nights a week, either because you know you don't want to do more than that <i>ever</i> or just to start as you are easing into a new concept. If a month seems daunting, plan for a week or two. You can always use those meal ideas again if they work and scrap the ideas that don't. I included the following steps in my handout at the meeting but for those of you who weren't there or didn't get one here is a good way to create your first monthly meal plan.<br />
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1. Get a calendar, paper for list making, a pen and some recipe sources (magazines, internet, cookbooks- by the way, most public libraries have a surprisingly large cooking section). I use a computer <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArKX9D_56smkdEtDN09XcUo0NzVER0xqU3poSVpScVE&authkey=CLnnipkF&hl=en&pli=1#gid=9">spreadsheet</a>, but you can use an actual paper calendar if you’d rather. <br />
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2. Compile your family’s complete schedule for the upcoming menu period (week, weeks, month). Include information such as the nights people won’t be home, known crazy busy days, holidays, special events, entertaining, etc.<br />
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3. Write a list of your family’s favorite meals or even just foods they eat often and willingly. Perhaps even ask for input to see if there specific things they’d like to eat in the near future.<br />
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4. Check your pantry, fridge and freezer to see what ingredients you have that should be incorporated into the upcoming plan and add those meals to your list. <br />
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5. Start plugging the meals into appropriate days. By appropriate I mean days where you will be able (physically or mentally) to prepare that meal. If you aren’t going to be home all day you will want to plan a crock pot type of meal or maybe that will be your pizza night for the week instead of having a hands on intensive dinner.<br />
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6. See what you have left. Are most of the unfilled days busy days? Flip through your recipes to find some crock pot meals or make ahead dinners.<i> At the meeting, one mom suggested getting a menu to a favorite restaurant or two and looking for inspiration there. You can often find copycat recipes for popular restaurant dishes online.</i><br />
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7. While you are filling in your weeks keep in mind that you probably don’t want to schedule too much of the same thing in a row, like three Mexican dinners, or three nights where the main ingredient is lentils. Look for recipes you’d like to try and maybe add one new thing for each week (more than that and you might start overwhelming yourself.)<br />
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8. Leave room for changes and have a plan for leftovers. Planning a new meal for each night often times means too much food. For us it means that we have lunch for the next day. If there is enough of certain types of meals leftover I will freeze it and have a ready meal waiting in the freezer for a busy night.<br />
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9. Going through each meal and the corresponding recipe, make sure you right down all the ingredients you will need, including those for any side dishes or desserts you plan on serving with them. I like to put my ingredients into five columns: dairy/cold, freezer, meat, dry goods, produce. This makes it easier later when you are shopping. Make sure you cross check this with your pantry.<br />
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10. Finally, post the menu in a prominent place where you and the rest of the house can refer easily to it. This makes it harder to forget to take out the roast to thaw for tomorrow’s dinner, and eliminates a lot of questions of, “What’s for dinner?” once your family gets used to the idea of the meal plan.<br />
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<i>If you missed them earlier, read parts <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-make-monthly-meal-plan-part-1.html">one</a> and <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-make-monthly-meal-plan-part-2.html">two</a>. Please feel free to ask in the comments if there is anything in particular you would like to know. Also, I have in mind to address some pitfalls. In your experience, what have been some you've encountered?</i><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-61148438970903131692011-05-11T08:19:00.000-04:002011-05-11T08:19:30.169-04:00How To Make A Monthly Meal Plan, part 2<div style="text-align: center;"><i>If you missed it yesterday, read part 1 <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-make-monthly-meal-plan-part-1.html">here</a>.</i></div><br />
In the days before the first monthly trip I had come up with our menu. Our menu is a simple one, listing only the dinners that we will be having since Little Man and I eat leftovers for lunch and breakfast is either cold or hot cereal. After compiling the selections, going through all the recipes, and writing a comprehensive list of ingredients needed, I then checked the list against the contents of our fridge, freezer, and pantry. Various items were adjusted and the list was divided into two parts. After taking stock, I added to my portion of the list any household items that might run out in the next four weeks. We were ready.<br />
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While writing out my lists I tried to keep it as organized as possible by grouping like items together. The cold section (Dairy, Meats, and Freezer) I gave to Hey, Babe. It is a shorter list, covering a much smaller portion of the store, but it is nearly as time consuming since you need to check a lot of dates. I took the dry and canned goods as well as the household products. Starting at the farthest aisle first and working my was toward the registers, I got all the things on our list. The cart was very full, and quite heavy. I had strategically placed everything in to make sure it would all fit.<br />
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When I was done, I realized that it hadn’t taken me any more time than it normally would have. I still needed to walk down nearly every aisle, but while I was there I was taking several items, or several of the same item, rather than just one. Checkout took a little longer, (understandably so) but even that didn’t take nearly as much time as I had suspected it would. The whole trip (not including traveling, but including loading up the car) had taken about 45 minutes to an hour.<br />
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Upon arriving home again we found ourselves faced with the task of storing all the groceries. If it weren’t for our second fridge in the garage, this would have been much trickier. As it is our freezers ended up very full because we had to stow three 1-gallon jugs of milk and four loaves of bread in one (yes, we freeze our milk and bread). Everything else we tucked into place in our cabinets in as organized a fashion as possible and we were then done. For the next four weeks we had everything that we were going to need with the exception of produce.<br />
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We have been doing it since. We just shopped for our twentieth month’s plan and while there have been some forgotten items, extra items, nights we didn’t feel like any of the options on the plan, etc. it has made our lives so much easier. At 6 o’clock on any given night we have a fully loaded kitchen, ready to make any number of meals. It even has a convenient list of meal options still available clipped to the fridge.<br />
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It has gone so well that once after having written out the menu and corresponding grocery list we arrived at the store to discover we had forgotten the list at home. If we turned around and went home to get it, that meant a 40 minute round trip and losing our window of opportunity for shopping during a low traffic time, so we did our best to get what we thought we needed. We only forgot 5 things (though I think we had some extras of some others).<br />
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Are there nights we don’t want to eat the menu? Absolutely. Are there nights I don’t want to cook? Yup. Do we sometimes toss the plan to the side and order takeout? Don’t tell anyone, but yeah. Life happens. Kids interfere with your timetable and it becomes too late to start what had been on the plan, or you forget to defrost the roast that was supposed to be for dinner, or maybe you remembered to pull it out but the darn thing is for some reason still frozen solid. It happens, but because we know that it happens, I try to make sure that there are a couple of easy standbys in every month. Things like breakfast for dinner, or even just holding onto a couple of cans of soup for something quick and hot.<br />
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We don’t stick to our menu verbatim. If we are suppose to have Chicken Tacos on Tuesday, but I decide to make Thursday’s Beef Stew instead, it isn’t going to be the end of the world. I do, however, try to stick to the current week but that for the sake of the weekly produce more than anything else. For some families that kind of flexibility might backfire. I don’t have readers (yet) but if my kids were older and looked at the menu to see their favorite Spaghetti with Meatballs as tonight’s dinner they might balk at discovering we are instead having Vegetable Soup and no longer want dinner. It isn’t something I have experienced yet, but it is something to keep in mind for the future. Maybe by then I’ll be better at sticking exactly to the plan, but don’t hold your breath!<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-47788396352766266532011-05-10T13:26:00.000-04:002011-05-10T13:26:51.683-04:00How To Make a Monthly Meal Plan, part 1Earlier today I spoke on a panel with three other people at my church's <a href="http://www.mops.org/">MOPS</a> group. The subjects presented included juicing and smoothies, couponing, organizing your recipes, and meal planning. I feel that I was a little scattered in my presentation and am certain I didn't touch on everything I wanted to say. Since I mentioned that my monthly meal plans could be seen as an example here and some of you lovely ladies I met today might be visiting (Hi!) to get a better idea of what I was talking about, I thought that I would try again. Hopefully more clearly. First, a little back story:<br />
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I am an accomplished list maker. I like writing them, (it helps stall for time so I don’t actually have to cross things off the list). I also like to cook, especially for an appreciative (or sometimes captive) audience. When I was in college and cooking for myself I wasn’t so enthusiastic about cooking because there wasn’t anyone to share it with and I didn’t like the huge mess it made just for myself. After we got married I was the one who was home and available to do the dinner planning and prep so Hey, Babe and I made an agreement that whoever made dinner, the other of us would clean up. Both of my issues with cooking vanished. I started planning out our meals, usually for a week at a time, and doing the shopping once every week or so. I hate shopping (of all the kinds of shopping I’m actually most fond of going for groceries) and so I planned for a week at a time so that I wouldn’t have to go more often than that.<br />
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It worked well for a few years, then I got pregnant and two things changed. My sense of smell was such that I could smell our grocery store’s olive bar from the parking lot which made me quite ill and I developed a slew of constantly changing aversions. I didn’t know what I could eat even hours before dinner, let alone days. Hey, Babe started stopping at the store on his way home every night and calling me as he walked up and down the aisles suggesting things. We ate a lot of convenience foods and junk (the opposite of what you really should do when pregnant) and spent at least twice as much (if not more) on our groceries.<br />
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It got a little better after I had Little Man. I started planning weekly menus again, selecting meals that were easy to make with only one hand since I had to prep dinner with a baby on my hip. I probably would have stuck with doing the planning and shopping weekly if it weren’t for a few things. One of which had to do with the way I planned our meals. Since Hey, Babe, contrary to his mother’s belief, is not a picky eater and will eat pretty much anything I make, I only had my own tastes to apply to. I would sit with some cookbooks, magazines or websites, and browse for what was appealing. As I browsed through all my recipe sources, I would come up with numerous possibilities which I then had to whittle down to only seven. It wasn’t at all stressful, but it took up a lot of time and as a mother time wasn’t really something I could call my own anymore.<br />
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Still, if that were the only factor we would probably still be planning and shopping weekly, and be quite content doing so. The major cause in our change to monthly planning was the simple fact that we moved. The grocery store we liked to frequent was now a half hour ride away. We started shopping at a new and closer store, however, we quickly discovered that we easily spent over $20 more at the new, closer store, than we did at the old one. Now, $20 a week may not be a huge amount of money, but it will quickly add up. On top of that, we could no longer buy certain store-brand items that we preferred if we shopped at the closer store. <br />
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After considering the circumstances, we wanted to see if we could go less frequently. Hey, Babe passes a farmer’s market on his way home from work so fresh produce is picked up weekly rather than in the monthly trip. Even without getting any produce, we use two carts. Hey, Babe works Monday through Saturday so we decided to go really early the first Sunday of every month. I knew from experience that we needed to go early enough that we would beat the weekend crowd. At around 7am on that first Sunday morning back in September we headed out, learning that going early meant we wouldn’t just avoid traffic in the store, it also meant that we would have a much shorter ride getting there.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-28389342916570466562011-04-30T11:11:00.000-04:002012-12-28T08:59:30.515-05:00May Meal PlanAs I was scrolling through my recipe box looking for dinner ideas I was dismayed to find that less than one percent of the recipes in there were wheat-less. Yikes! Nearly everything was pastas, breads, had breading, etc. Using less wheat and avoiding processed foods is going to require more thinking outside the box than I had first thought. We have become such a bread centered society it is hard to avoid it. There are still some bread-type recipes (like all the pizzas on Mondays, I love pizza) but there are a lot less of them this month than there were for previous months. Enjoy!<br />
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<table border="2" bordercolor="#993300" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="background-color: #eeddbb; width: 100%;" text-align:center="text-align:center"><tbody>
<tr align="center"><th colspan="7"><span style="font-size: small;">May</span></th> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Mon.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Tues.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Wed.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Thur.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Fri.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Sat.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Sun.</b></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Zucchini Parmesan</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">3 Cheese Spinach & Broccoli Pizza</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Corn Chowder</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Garlic-Mustard Glazed Chicken Kebobs</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Game Night</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pan Fried Falafel, Tzatziki, Greek Salad</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Mother's Day</b></span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Spinach & Broccoli Calzones</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Baked Salmon w/Tomato Mayo</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">BBQ Chicken stuffed in a loaded Baked Sweet Potato</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beef Stir Fry w/Snap Peas</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Eggplant Balls w/Marinara</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Black Beans with Homemade Tortillas</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Rosemary Balsamic Chicken over Salad</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sicilian Pizza</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sweet Potato & Pecan Burgers with Caramelized Onions </span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grilled Herb Chicken, Grilled Summer Squash</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kefta and Zucchini Kebabs </span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sausage-Stuffed Potatoes, Spinach</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Salmon Patties</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cranberry Orange Chicken, Rice</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grilled Pizza</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cream Cheese & Parmesan Baked Salmon, Baked Potato, Spinach</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sweet & Spicy Wings, Sweet Potato Fries</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stuffed Cabbage</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chinese Barbecued Pork, Fried Rice</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Anniversary</span></b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pollo Rosa Maria, Mashed Parsnips<br />
</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Memorial Day</b></span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cobb Salad</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 8px;">
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-17370966718220747972011-04-29T13:34:00.000-04:002011-04-29T13:34:55.305-04:00Canned Salmon Burgers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZfUjsKnmSInAHc2o8rk143Khh97XO9kmHIIJ90q4s23uJqszcD4W-Dzy86tQ0LJcaS4KftO9-T9MWH1WVkIyxrq7gby43Mmt7iuqsdEBjgASYQmHEhM39NUuCy5i1SvyPbopnVa6NBw/s1600/P1060564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZfUjsKnmSInAHc2o8rk143Khh97XO9kmHIIJ90q4s23uJqszcD4W-Dzy86tQ0LJcaS4KftO9-T9MWH1WVkIyxrq7gby43Mmt7iuqsdEBjgASYQmHEhM39NUuCy5i1SvyPbopnVa6NBw/s400/P1060564.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Sometimes when I read the title of a recipe I kind of cringe wondering how in the world someone thought that was a good idea. And then I look at the accompanying photo and think, "Hmm, actually that doesn't look too bad. In fact, it looks rather tasty. Actually, why don't I go see if we have the necessary ingredients, Hey, Babe? Dinner is going off schedule tonight." This was one of those times. Except, since we didn't have the ingredients, it got added to the upcoming menu instead of cutting in line.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Vx6UdMH6v0/Tbr0iT7VphI/AAAAAAAAA24/XUOJt3Ey82s/s1600/P1060549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Vx6UdMH6v0/Tbr0iT7VphI/AAAAAAAAA24/XUOJt3Ey82s/s400/P1060549.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
In our house we eat Salmon Salad Sandwiches the way that most people eat Tuna. With a little mayo, some spices, and hopefully some finely diced celery and onions all mixed together and spread on a piece of toasted rye or a nice hard roll. In that application it is delicious, cravable even. Unfortunately all I could picture was a scoop of that dolloped onto a hot greased skillet and fried into a gooey, gross mess. Blech!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ngLSlWtNsKI/Tbr0iqLerdI/AAAAAAAAA28/_ktHAIMKaDw/s1600/P1060552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ngLSlWtNsKI/Tbr0iqLerdI/AAAAAAAAA28/_ktHAIMKaDw/s400/P1060552.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Upon seeing that the recipe called for a slightly different and much more effective approach than the one in my wild imagination, I decided to see if it was a satisfactory way for Hey, Babe (the fish hater) to enjoy eating a fishy-fish (his opinion) like Salmon. Does it tell you anything if I mention that he requested it be added to next month's menu? Delicious! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fVm1cxAIx-E/Tbr0jAoNo2I/AAAAAAAAA3A/_IKwdFg5DlQ/s1600/P1060559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fVm1cxAIx-E/Tbr0jAoNo2I/AAAAAAAAA3A/_IKwdFg5DlQ/s400/P1060559.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Since we aren't eating much wheat at the moment, and the instances we <i>are</i> eating it are reserved for such delicacies as <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2010/10/pizza-night.html">pizza</a> (<a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2011/01/tex-mex-sheet-pan-pizza.html">yum</a>, <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2011/04/salad-pizza.html">yum</a>, and <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2011/04/pizza-hut-style-pepperoni-pan-pizzas.html">yum</a>!), the next time we have these Salmon Patties we will be eating them over a bed of salad instead of rolls. But these patties? They will still be delicious, breadless or otherwise. Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyO0dVicsel9oDqN1RskbWD5IzV3_kJlabhqE23ieIZKj-NMSyt67U2-v3NudBO1i0hP5n6qaAbo9299NTP5PadSb9e_Mf8he8iKluzYPSWlm_-CH7EXY4T6HzvDdOf1UAyIGk7lmyL_A/s1600/P1060562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyO0dVicsel9oDqN1RskbWD5IzV3_kJlabhqE23ieIZKj-NMSyt67U2-v3NudBO1i0hP5n6qaAbo9299NTP5PadSb9e_Mf8he8iKluzYPSWlm_-CH7EXY4T6HzvDdOf1UAyIGk7lmyL_A/s400/P1060562.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>Salmon Patties</b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">adapted from <a href="http://cravingcomfort.blogspot.com/2010/03/perfect-salmon-patties-easy-too.html">Dana</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Ingredients</span><br />
1 (14 3/4 ounce) canned salmon, drained and fluffed with a fork<br />
1/4 cup onion, minced <br />
1/4 cup parsley, minced<br />
2 garlic cloves, crushed/minced<br />
1/4 cup cornmeal <br />
1/4 cup flour (next time I'm trying Parmesan here, I'll let you know how it goes!)<br />
1 egg, beaten <br />
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise<br />
1 tsp lemon juice <br />
<br />
dash salt<br />
dash pepper<br />
dash Tabasco Sauce <br />
Oil for frying<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Instructions</span><br />
To a medium bowl add all the ingredients and mix to combine well. Divide the mixture into four even portions and then use your hands to press each portion into an even patty, around 1/2 - 1 inch thick.<br />
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Heat a heavy skillet over medium high and add some oil to coat the bottom of the pan (1-2 tablespoons). When the pan and oil are hot, fry the Salmon Patties until they are golden on each side.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-39151648315600265772011-04-28T12:34:00.000-04:002011-04-28T12:34:56.043-04:00Salisbury Steak and Potatoes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NfvoQYanIp8/TbmIa9VOSBI/AAAAAAAAA2g/619_4PYOTTo/s1600/P1060487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NfvoQYanIp8/TbmIa9VOSBI/AAAAAAAAA2g/619_4PYOTTo/s400/P1060487.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Growing up, every once in a while we would be allowed to have tv dinners as a special treat. There was something special about getting to pick your own entree without a concern for who else liked it, and to have your own personal tray of perfectly portioned out dinner and your own dessert too. None of which you had to share! <br />
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Most often the way I chose which dinner I wanted was based on the dessert included. I remember wanting to go with Mom to the store to pick out my dinner instead of just placing my order, so to speak. That way I could see what was available and make sure I got a good combination. Cell phones would have come in quite useful at the time, I'm sure.<br />
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Unfortunately, sometimes the dessert I wanted was accompanying a meal I didn't. When that happened I still got the dessert it just meant I had to eat something gross first, Salisbury Steak for example. I never really cared for it, and since the only time I had tasted it was in a prepackaged dinner that isn't very surprising. What <i>is</i> surprising is that when I saw a recipe for Salisbury Steak, I got a weird nostalgic craving for it, a food I'd never liked. <br />
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After reading the recipe and seeing all that Salisbury Steak <i>could</i> have been I was tempted to try it, and eventually gave in. The tender and moist beefy patties weren't spongy like a remembered. The rich and hearty mushroom sauce wasn't nearly as salty and was missing a distinct chemical aftertaste. In other words, it was delicious and beyond surpassed my childhood memories. Enjoy!<br />
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<b>Salisbury Steak</b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Ingredients</span><br />
1/2 cup milk <br />
1/2 cup instant potato flakes (not granules or buds, they won't work here)<br />
1 pound lean ground beef <br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon pepper<br />
4 tablespoons butter/oil <br />
1 large onion halved and sliced thin<br />
1 pound white mushrooms sliced thin<br />
1/2 tsp salt <br />
2 tablespoon tomato paste <br />
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour <br />
2 cups beef broth <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Instructions</span><br />
In a large bowl combine the milk and potato flakes. Add the beef, salt and pepper and using your hands mix it until it is thoroughly combined (you don't want pockets of mashed potatoes!). Shape into 6 patties, about 1/2-inch-thick each. Refrigerate for 1-4 hours to allow them to set up a bit..<br />
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In a large skillet set over medium high, heat 1 TB oil and cook the patties 5 minutes or so per side until they are well browned. Remove the patties from the pan to a plate. To the empty pan add the remaining oil and cook the onions for 5 minutes until they are soft. Add mushrooms and salt and cook until their liquid is gone, about 6 minutes.<br />
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Mix in the tomato paste and flour and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer before returning the patties to the pan. Reduce heat to medium low and cover, cooking the patties for 12 minutes or so until they are cooked through. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-9565371012915425262011-04-27T08:00:00.000-04:002011-04-27T08:00:20.986-04:00Daring Bakers Make Mousse in an Edible Container<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGl78aKsN3GdpotSSyvZrv54vSaL0V2WQWgPArYT0VkCNXn9mRbIvDVJ3p3E72cvWclYyeu-P65fqVTFE7gflPQWQPmmVRLCthpgQR-3k5UPEy3lTizOtMReHe1lD796Ud_xM8KxPAlo/s1600/P1070375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGl78aKsN3GdpotSSyvZrv54vSaL0V2WQWgPArYT0VkCNXn9mRbIvDVJ3p3E72cvWclYyeu-P65fqVTFE7gflPQWQPmmVRLCthpgQR-3k5UPEy3lTizOtMReHe1lD796Ud_xM8KxPAlo/s400/P1070375.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZmlApBQbFqkTvdMuI_IWVQ2fU7tkNlXVvp_J6X8isDJmW5OuGYeIIRyDqKzpGiMEZUAwy4YsIJ0YL-wbaQKEzFSzdTa__EF3NbwnV6QxeDhE2DftG6Kyh2BoRF5TGrIcaBHjRcPCNLc/s1600/P1070381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>The April 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/users/cheapethniceatz">Evelyne</a> of the blog <a href="http://www.cheapethniceatz.com/">Cheap Ethnic Eatz</a>. Evelyne chose to challenge everyone to make a maple mousse in an edible container. Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 27th to May 27th at <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/" title="http://thedaringkitchen.com">http://thedaringkitchen.com</a>!<br />
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So, can I tell you a secret? I'm not writing this at the last minute. It always seems that real life craziness gets in the way of my ability to complete the Daring Challenges until the <i>very</i> last minute (like the day it is due to be posted) and then I find myself up late after the kids are in bed trying to get the post finished. Not this time! I have more than a week to go before this post will publish. It feels kind of...strange actually. But I think I like it.<br />
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When I first read this challenge, I only skimmed over it assuming that it was the same as the Daring Cooks edible container challenge, except sweet instead of savory. I missed one key detail in reading the instructions where it said, "There are 2 mandatory components to this challenge. You must make one of the 2 <b>maple mousse recipes</b> listed below and you must make an <b>edible container</b> in which to place your mousse for presentation." They even put them in bold. Somehow I thought I could make <i>any </i>filling and it wasn't until the other day that I realized I was suppose to make a maple mousse.<br />
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When I realized the filling had already been selected for me I didn't really mind, but I wasn't able to get back to the store to get the real maple syrup that was required. Not seeing any time in the near future that would be convenient to pick some up and wanting to get started filling the bowls I had already made, I decided to go with Honey, which had been presented as an alternative. The dried pineapple bowls were inspired by the dried pineapple flowers on <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/54_Maple_Mousse_Edible_Container_-_DB_Apr_2011.pdf">Martha Stewart's site</a>, which I saw quite some time ago. Her recipe says you only need to dry them for around an hour which I found not nearly sufficient. Perhaps if you can manage to get your pineapple slices paper thin that will be fine, otherwise expect to check it every half hour or so until it is nice and dry and tacky. <br />
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I'm wondering if it would have helped to dried them flat for the first half hour or so before trying to flip them over and place them in my silicone muffin cups. Trying to fit the stiff, fresh pieces of pineapple was a little tricky because they wanted to tear and break but I noticed when I was checking on them that they had become much more pliable after a little time in the oven. Be sure that you dry your pineapple on some parchment paper, or a silpat, or something else that it won't stick to otherwise you will end up rather aggravated later. The muffin cups I used were a gift from one of my brothers (hmm, I seem to get a lot of cooking paraphernalia from those guys) and I don't get to use them often but they worked marvelously for this. I might make some individual sized fruit leathers in them soon.<br />
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Here I am rambling on and I haven't yet told you how wonderful the pineapple and honey went together! The mousse on it's own was incredibly sweet and I can't really see myself eating much of it that way. After I paired it with the dried pineapple I was surprised how much less sweet it seemed. Even though pineapples are a sweet fruit the acidity from the citrus really seemed to mute the sweetness of the mousse. The pineapple cups were a little chewy and I loved that next to the melting smoothness of the mousse. <br />
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Don't forget that this month's challenge is a competition! Browse around and see what some other creative souls from the Daring Bakers have come up with and make sure that you vote for your favorite from April 27th to May 27th at <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/" title="http://thedaringkitchen.com">http://thedaringkitchen.com</a>! And if you'd like to try it, find the challenge recipe <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/54_Maple_Mousse_Edible_Container_-_DB_Apr_2011.pdf">here</a>!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZmlApBQbFqkTvdMuI_IWVQ2fU7tkNlXVvp_J6X8isDJmW5OuGYeIIRyDqKzpGiMEZUAwy4YsIJ0YL-wbaQKEzFSzdTa__EF3NbwnV6QxeDhE2DftG6Kyh2BoRF5TGrIcaBHjRcPCNLc/s1600/P1070381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZmlApBQbFqkTvdMuI_IWVQ2fU7tkNlXVvp_J6X8isDJmW5OuGYeIIRyDqKzpGiMEZUAwy4YsIJ0YL-wbaQKEzFSzdTa__EF3NbwnV6QxeDhE2DftG6Kyh2BoRF5TGrIcaBHjRcPCNLc/s400/P1070381.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-56739913700881154792011-04-23T10:04:00.000-04:002011-04-23T10:04:04.212-04:00Coffee Cake (not Coffeecake) With Chocolate Icing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCP-gklrS6lRAC11oC2GZ9oiVdti9Ne5NGToW5n0H741m_CPNPMXRA6fcdEWwHo2mYa57-S0CailpODC0tuLgUJJk-4y5gIRpXQN2ljebyebHFz4Dr38SWJL8soORbnZhOrGoCsDnb5I/s1600/P1060529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCP-gklrS6lRAC11oC2GZ9oiVdti9Ne5NGToW5n0H741m_CPNPMXRA6fcdEWwHo2mYa57-S0CailpODC0tuLgUJJk-4y5gIRpXQN2ljebyebHFz4Dr38SWJL8soORbnZhOrGoCsDnb5I/s400/P1060529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
For Hey, Babe's birthday we were planning on having a party with his family that, due to various illnesses that bounced between households, never actually happened. Because of that, I am really glad that I decided last minute on his <i>actual</i> birthday to whip together a cake for an intimate family celebration after dinner. Plus, even though Hey, Babe isn't a dessert person I know that Little Man was looking forward to singing to Daddy and eating some CAKE!<br />
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When I was scanning through some recipes I knew I didn't have a lot of time, which meant that the recipe had to be very simple. It also couldn't be a chocolate or a vanilla cake since I already had two layers of chocolate cake in the freezer for the coming weekend party and he doesn't care for vanilla. After flipping through some books I decided to Frankenstein a few recipes and came up with this one. I used the recipe for <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2010/10/lemon-coconut-cake.html">Boiled Milk Frosting</a> that you can find here, choosing to make the chocolate version (add 1/4 cup cocoa powder) that was given as an alternate option.<br />
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The cake came together quickly and easily. It was a very tasty cake, and had it not been for the added icing it would have been a very simple, every day sort of snack cake. It isn't often that I have a coffee flavored cake and for that reason alone I'd have made it again, but for a cake that was cobbled together from several recipes (mostly Dorie Greenspans <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Home-Yours-Dorie-Greenspan/dp/0618443363?ie=UTF8&tag=lev2mom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Cinnamon Squares</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lev2mom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0618443363" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />)</i> I was quite pleased with how it turned out.<br />
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<b>Quick Coffee Cake </b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ingredients</span><br />
1 3/4 cups Flour<br />
1 cup Sugar<br />
2 teaspoons Baking Powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon Salt<br />
3/4 cup Whole Milk<br />
1 tablespoon Instant Coffee Granules<br />
2 Eggs<br />
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract<br />
10 tablespoons Butter, melted and cooled<br />
1 recipe <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2010/10/lemon-coconut-cake.html">Boiled Milk Frosting</a> (your choice of flavor) <i>optional</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Instructions</span><br />
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and flour either an 8-inch square or 9-inch round cake pan. <br />
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In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a large Pyrex measuring cup measure out 3/4 cup of milk and add 1 tablespoon (or more if you'd like it a bit stronger flavored) of coffee granules. Stir to dissolve. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.<br />
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Working quickly but gently, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients <i>just</i> until they are combined. Use a spatula to carefully fold in the cooled melted butter until you have a smooth batter.<br />
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Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 35 minutes or so until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 10-15 minutes before removing from pan. If you plan on icing it be sure to cool the cake completely first. Enjoy!<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-49481589490065844322011-04-20T10:54:00.000-04:002011-04-20T10:54:11.837-04:00Pizza Hut Style Pepperoni Pan Pizzas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QvV5-iyCfK0cmgfDxwQwquaVi7qvKk6IpluNMm-22e7R1rw1ecbpM5bEMVA65kENkJZdf1GkRy9RGdDsOOGR1mUoXh4PGrPFZaiOG9sM91dNHFm7xQ-wEcx6Vo4IUoVsKzmxmfd_z9g/s1600/P1060231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QvV5-iyCfK0cmgfDxwQwquaVi7qvKk6IpluNMm-22e7R1rw1ecbpM5bEMVA65kENkJZdf1GkRy9RGdDsOOGR1mUoXh4PGrPFZaiOG9sM91dNHFm7xQ-wEcx6Vo4IUoVsKzmxmfd_z9g/s400/P1060231.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Wow, that's a lot of P's. The salad pizza I showed you last time would be considered rather healthy by most standards, make it with a whole wheat crust and low fat dressing and you'd be golden. Especially when you look at that pizza in comparison to this pan of greasy, salty goodness. Now, just like with my children (or <a href="http://www.blogger.com/">my appliances</a>) I don't love one more than the other, I just love them differently. A nice slice of pizza is welcome any time in my book, be it breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacktime, or even sometimes in the middle of the night. If I am hungry I'll never turn my nose up at pizza. To Hey, Babe's amazement I'll eat it cold from the fridge just as happily as hot from the oven.<br />
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All that being said, there is something wonderful about getting your own personal pan of pizza that you are not going to be expected to share and you can top however you wish. Hey, Babe and I are nearly always in agreement over pizza toppings (thank goodness!) and if the topping in question is pepperoni Little Man is on board as well. These all ended up being the same but still, we each had our <i>own</i>. When we make these pizzas Little Man loves that he gets to smoosh out his own pizza dough and I just love how soft and tender the thick crust is.<br />
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We haven't reached the stage where we need two batches of this dough to feed us, so instead of just making 2 9" pizzas and splitting them up, I make the two it calls for plus a smaller third one for Little Man which results in slightly thinner (but still incredibly tasty!) pizzas. Honestly, a whole 9" pizza is a bit much and we end up with leftovers for lunch (yay!). This could easily serve 4-5 people, especially if accompanied by a salad. When I am making Little Man's pizza, I use one of my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pyrex-1072164-Storage-18-Piece-Round/dp/B000HAVOC6?ie=UTF8&tag=lev2mom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Pyrex Storage Bowls</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lev2mom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000HAVOC6" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> in either the 7 cup or 4 cup size depending on how hungry he has been recently. (Have I ever mentioned how much I <i>love </i>these bowls? They are awesome. I had to get a second set because I am always using them and could probably use a third set. Good-bye plastic!)<br />
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This recipe was originally from a Cook's Country magazine, and in light of Hey, Babe's refusal to bring home "normal" pizza from work I tried it right away. I had high expectations and was thrilled to have them met. Since I don't quite have the sauce right I can only recommend that you use your favorite homemade or jarred tomato sauce, and feel free to mix up the toppings. Keep in mind that this is a greasier pizza than one cooked on a pizza stone and so is is a bit less healthy. Knowing that, I comfort myself with the fact that all the ingredients are relatively wholesome and that there are no chemicals or soy. Go ahead and try it. You <i>know </i>you want to.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Pan Pizzas</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ingredients</span><br />
Dough:<br />
2 tablespoons oil, plus more for the pans <br />
1 cup milk, warmed to 110 degrees<br />
2 teaspoons sugar <br />
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for counter<br />
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast <br />
1/2 teaspoon table salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder <br />
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Topping:<br />
1 1/3 cups for favorite prepared pizza sauce <br />
3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese<br />
Toppings of your choice (pepperoni, sausage, chopped veggies, etc.) <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Instructions</span><br />
1. Evenly coat each of two 9-inch cake pans with a generous portion of oil, about 1-2 Tablespoons a piece.<br />
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2. In a large glass measuring cup, combine the warmed milk with the sugar and 2 TB of oil. To the bowl of your mixer add flour, yeast, and salt, mix just to combine. Attach your dough hook and on low speed slowly start adding the wet ingredients. Increase the speed to medium-low and keep mixing the dough for about 5-6 minutes until is is smooth (if you are doing this by hand you will need to knead around 10 minutes or so). Shaped the dough into a ball and leave it covered in a warm place until it has doubled. This should take about 30 minutes depending on how warm a place you leave it. I often allow my oven to preheat to around 100°F and then turn it off to let it rise in there, or I put it in my laundry/boiler room which is around 80°F at any given time, it takes a little longer to rise in the boiler room.<br />
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3. Lightly flour your counter and taking half of the dough, roll it into a ball. Flatten it into a largish disk and then transfer it to the oiled pan, using your fingers to gently press it evenly to the edges. If at any point the dough you are working with starts to get tough and uncooperative, switch to the other piece and allow the first to rest a little. Cover the pans with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place about 20 minutes. Don't use your oven this time because you are going to need to start preheating it to 400°F. <br />
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4. After the dough has risen, start assembling. Divide the sauce, cheese, and toppings evenly over the tops of the pizzas to within a half inch or so of the edge. Bake until the cheese is melted and your pepperoni (if you used any) is browning around edges, about 20 minutes. Let the pizzas rest in pans for 1 minute after removing them from the oven before taking them out of the pan and serving them.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-32967672024865796682011-04-18T16:28:00.000-04:002011-04-18T16:28:56.089-04:00Salad Pizza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EyeQlVhPj_E/Taw_1p0rpGI/AAAAAAAAAzE/Z5NEjIczUk0/s1600/P1060211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EyeQlVhPj_E/Taw_1p0rpGI/AAAAAAAAAzE/Z5NEjIczUk0/s400/P1060211.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
During the first few years of our marriage, Hey, Babe worked as a manager for a fast food pizzeria. Considering that it was the same place he had worked for all through high school and had returned to it for a few years after college while we were waiting for me to graduate and get married, it is no wonder that he had long since tired of their food. I found this rather frustrating since it would have been quite convenient if he had been able to bring dinner home on the nights I didn't feel like cooking. Especially considering Pizza is one of the foods I love and can eat over and over again in nearly any configuration. <br />
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One of the only ways Hey, Babe was willing to accommodate me was to on rare occasions bring home a not-from-the-menu salad pizza. He and his brother had worked at the pizzeria together through high school, and upon tiring of all the heavy, greasy, salty pizzas readily available, they began instead to create various versions of this salad pizza when hunger struck them. The salad bar and various pizza toppings available made it quite easy both to assemble and to switch up the ingredients by making it spicy, or with chicken, or bacon, etc. It wasn't always the same exact ingredients, but it was always good.<br />
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I know this is another pizza recipe and I have posted several already, but since pizza is so awesome can you really blame me? It really is one of my favorite things and because you can change up the toppings so drastically you never have to eat it the same way twice. Coming up soon...Pepperoni Personal Pan Pizzas.<br />
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<b>Salad Pizza</b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ingredients</span><br />
1 lb or so of your favorite pizza dough (I've even used this <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2010/11/no-knead-bread.html">No Knead Dough</a>)<br />
4 oz. Cheddar Cheese<br />
4 oz. Mozzarella Cheese<br />
1/4 - 1/2 cup Creamy Dressing (we use Ranch, but Italian or Caesar could work too) <br />
1 Red Onion, diced <br />
4 cups Romain Lettuce, thinly sliced (you could also do spinach, iceberg lettuce, etc.)<br />
2 small Tomatoes, chopped<br />
2 Carrots, thinly sliced or grated<br />
1 Bell Pepper, chopped<br />
1 Cucumber, chopped<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Optional Ingredients</span><br />
Cooked Chicken<br />
Bacon, Chopped<br />
Hot Peppers<br />
Olives<br />
Sausage, Chopped<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Instructions</span><br />
Preheat oven (and pizza stone if you have one) to 450ºF.<br />
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On a piece of parchment paper, roll out your pizza dough into a circle of your desired thickness. Sprinkle cheddar over the dough followed by mozzarella both to within an inch or so of the edge. The mozzarella is less likely to burn and should go on top of the cheddar. Place on preheated pizza stone and bake 12-14 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the cheeses are melty and starting to turn golden.<br />
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There are now two ways you can assemble this. The first is to mix all the remaining ingredients, including dressing and your selection of optional ingredients into a bowl, toss them together and then spread them evenly on the pizza. This works fine but then you get a big bowl dirty and you chance there being an uneven distribution of ingredients. Instead, I usually spread some of the dressing on the top of the cooked pizza and then start layering the ingredients on, scattering them evenly over the top sometimes finishing with a little more derssing. It's your choice. Either way, slice with a pizza cutter and serve it warm.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-39671803349772317922011-04-16T11:57:00.000-04:002011-04-16T11:57:37.250-04:00Baking Tips Part 1: Cookie Shaping<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MN_minskocryzxWTPrmbZ-EAgQmZqL_AtbKMuMA7FD9B0xZ5V337-slf7Qe3z-FwzRFBOBfp_ikKczL_lJoKxGUt_PRGXUGXFupyKSkh7ePzwP63Ir_IN0_khAf94Kg0bxqmKKQH-xg/s1600/P1050471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MN_minskocryzxWTPrmbZ-EAgQmZqL_AtbKMuMA7FD9B0xZ5V337-slf7Qe3z-FwzRFBOBfp_ikKczL_lJoKxGUt_PRGXUGXFupyKSkh7ePzwP63Ir_IN0_khAf94Kg0bxqmKKQH-xg/s400/P1050471.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
When I first started baking I learned the hard way that you should read through a recipe and make sure you are certain of two things: first, that you have all the ingredients, and second, that you understand all the instructions. The worst time to realize you aren't sure of either of those items is when you are halfway into making a recipe. Along the way I have picked up some various other tips and tweaks that I regularly apply to my baking and for this half I'd like to touch on shaping the cookie dough.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_3DvhqBh9Oc/Tam5-Gz8vJI/AAAAAAAAAyU/ikdSyEakQG8/s1600/P1060244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_3DvhqBh9Oc/Tam5-Gz8vJI/AAAAAAAAAyU/ikdSyEakQG8/s400/P1060244.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyuaJne0y96OiYARtf0BA5IxwvjaMLkRDTfBz2Wn8u0MxJbacnf9Z22Eprwc324BsXibVBoRg_EnX6xzotP1aB_OIs9gPx8xUOrohotA31tn_JQhw_4D_8MwEr_x9VEwfA3IGp6YgucQA/s1600/P1060979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Something else I learned early on is that I am a lazy cook when it comes to certain steps, especially when it comes to shaping cookies. Here are a few things I routinely do to make my cookie baking easier, faster, or less messy than the instructions call for. There are several ways of shaping cookies and I find that they fall under two tiers, the first tier being the simpler. If I were to list them in order of preference based on ease of assembly they would be:<br />
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<b>First Tier-</b><br />
<ul><li><b>Bar Cookies-</b> By far the easiest and least fussy method. Plop the dough into your prepared pan and smooth it out using a spatula, your wet/greased hands, or a piece of wax paper. Wonderful in that you do not have to babysit the oven, turning trays and switching trays and putting a new tray in, but it will take a bit longer to cook so your instant gratification is reduced.</li>
</ul><br />
<ul><li><b>Drop Cookies-</b> One of the more common methods, perhaps even the <i>most</i> common. I bought three sizes of cookie scoops (1 tablespoon, 2 tablespoons, and 3 tablespoons) and no longer dread gooey fingers or uneven sized cookies that lead to overdone and underdone cookies on the same tray. Easy to assemble but you need to babysit the oven, filling trays and switching them around. (Along these same lines are thumbprint cookies which are drop cookies that have been indented, usually with your thumb, and then filled.)</li>
</ul><br />
<ul><li><b>Rolled into a ball and flattened-</b> This is where you divide the dough into even little balls of a determined size or number before using your wet/greased/floured hand or the bottom of a floured/sugared glass to press them into thinner flat disks. Previous to buying my cookies scoops I didn't like this method much as it sorely tested my patience when it came to getting all the balls to be even. Now I use my cookie scoops to plop them out all the same size without a bit of hassle.</li>
</ul><br />
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<b> Second Tier-</b><br />
<ul><li><b>Slice and Bake-</b> Here you take the entire portion of dough and shape it into a long log using parchment paper, wax paper, or plastic wrap. It is then chilled before slicing off even thicknesses of dough and baking them. My dough often does not cooperate. The pitfalls of this method include: round logs turning square, square logs turning round, dough sticking to the wrapper, slices getting squashed or cut unevenly. This works well for a nice thick dough that is well chilled but as the dough softens you run into trouble.</li>
</ul><br />
<ul><li><b>Rolled Out and Cut- </b>Using a floured or greased surface and rolling pin the dough is rolled out to a prescribed thickness and shape before being cut into smaller portions with a knife, pastry cutter, pizza wheel, cookie cutters, etc. Unless you cut the dough into squares you are left with scraps and the procedure must be repeated. Each time it is repeated with subsequent scraps the uncooked dough gets a little warmer/softer resulting in a tougher finished product. Also, you may run into dough that wishes to stick to either the rolling surface or the rolling pin and after doing so, tears when you try to move it to the baking sheet.</li>
</ul><br />
<ul><li><b>Rolled, Filled and Shaped-</b> Like the previous method, this dough is rolled out flat and cut into smaller portions. Those portions are then filled with some concoction and then the dough is wrapped to hold the filling in some way. This is by far the most fastidious method and the one I am least likely to do. </li>
</ul><br />
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About that lazy cook thing that I mentioned before. When I am making any cookie in the second tier, 99% of the time I will switch it for a first tier method. It makes my life simpler and makes me happy while I'm baking. The final products are not usually drastically different from the original intent and sometimes I even prefer them. Although I must admit, since I have never made some of the second tier cookies in their original presentation, I am only making an assumed comparison. Sometimes I will even turn first tier cookies into the simplest form, that of the bar cookie. It really depends on my mood and my time constraints.<br />
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I know that there are other methods of shaping cookies, and even variations on the above methods. Cookie guns or cookies presses for example aren't anywhere on my list, but since I have never used one I can't comment. I won't pretend that the above list is by any means complete, it is, however, complete according to the methods I typically come across. So, what have I missed? Would you agree with that order of ease or do you switch some around? Are you a baker (lazy or otherwise) with any tips to share?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Sc28Yhm9aA/Tam6Bhc_r0I/AAAAAAAAAyo/40rBe7Ag84Q/s1600/P1040162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Sc28Yhm9aA/Tam6Bhc_r0I/AAAAAAAAAyo/40rBe7Ag84Q/s400/P1040162.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-13903098710646589772011-04-14T21:33:00.000-04:002011-04-14T21:33:10.223-04:00Daring Cooks make Edible Containers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4o9zvuiU7DA/Taee4hoNLLI/AAAAAAAAAxs/rYYnx0McrQI/s1600/P1070042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4o9zvuiU7DA/Taee4hoNLLI/AAAAAAAAAxs/rYYnx0McrQI/s400/P1070042.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Renata of Testado, Provado & Aprovado! was our Daring Cooks’ April 2011 hostess. Renata challenged us to think “outside the plate” and create our own edible containers! Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 17th to May 16th at <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/" title="http://thedaringkitchen.com">http://thedaringkitchen.com</a>! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAytZXs6_GcG1jvXXvxN6sPmfyYeCY4huz2xdhWVijr7QBCjyKB8bG_ji5mKHr5wCicB7n91ktW8DQpKUXxgIpPEgy1J0w1qPSN6GU-aknZm5yd_2U3QMxhtUjrKM3Oylv5-LAU3XDNhQ/s1600/P1070031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAytZXs6_GcG1jvXXvxN6sPmfyYeCY4huz2xdhWVijr7QBCjyKB8bG_ji5mKHr5wCicB7n91ktW8DQpKUXxgIpPEgy1J0w1qPSN6GU-aknZm5yd_2U3QMxhtUjrKM3Oylv5-LAU3XDNhQ/s400/P1070031.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I like it when I can kill two birds with one stone. I selected Southwestern Egg Rolls for March's menu and then didn't get the chance to make them. When this challenge was announced I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the possibilities, especially given the news that there were prizes to be awarded. The pressure was on! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U7hAlPLAQWE/Taee1pjrDjI/AAAAAAAAAxU/ektFrfFLKXg/s1600/P1070026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U7hAlPLAQWE/Taee1pjrDjI/AAAAAAAAAxU/ektFrfFLKXg/s200/P1070026.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ft61M3RAuU/Taee2QrjYPI/AAAAAAAAAxY/0ngY7kzT5H8/s1600/P1070027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ft61M3RAuU/Taee2QrjYPI/AAAAAAAAAxY/0ngY7kzT5H8/s200/P1070027.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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After thinking for a bit I came to the decision that this recipe would fit the requirements nicely. Now that I have completed it, I am a little less certain that I went in the right direction. Since it is too late to do anything else I am just going to have to soldier forth with what I have regardless and simply try harder next time.<br />
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I really like being able to mix up the presentation or flavor of a standard food. These egg rolls in no way resemble your standard takeout fare. I love how light and crispy the wrapper becomes around the filling, much more delicate than if these had been made with tortillas. I am sure that similar things are available, in fact I think I recall some that were served with a thin avocado and something dipping sauce, but I am thrilled with how these turned out. Good Luck to all the Daring Cooks who have thrown their hats into the ring. If you'd like to vote on any submissions don't forget to visit <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">The Daring Kitchen</a>, there were so many wonderful things made for this challenge!<br />
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<b>Southwestern Egg Rolls</b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ingredients</span><br />
1 chicken breast cooked and diced<br />
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks<br />
1/4 cup green onion minced<br />
1/2 cup frozen corn <br />
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed<br />
1/4 cup frozen spinach thawed and drained<br />
1 jalapeno, minced<br />
1/2 tablespoon parsley minced<br />
1/2 teaspoon cumin <br />
1/2 teaspoon chili powder <br />
1/4 teaspoon salt <br />
dash of cayenne<br />
3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded<br />
several won ton wrappers (I think I used 6 or so but I really filled mine)<br />
small bowl of cold water (for sealing wrappers)<br />
sauces to serve (salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc.)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Instructions</span><br />
To a large bowl, add all the ingredients except for the won ton wrappers, mix well.<br />
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Taking one wrapper at a time and leaving the remainder of the package covered with a damp towel, arrange the wrapper so that one of the corners of the square is pointed toward you. Put a line of about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of filling in the center of the wrapper. The less filling you use, the more like appetizers these will be, I tend to load mine up, but that is a personal preference. <br />
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Dip a finger in the cold water and run it around the edge of the square to moisten. Fold first the left and then the right points toward the center, they may or may not meet. Fold the top point down toward you carefully and begin rolling the egg roll toward you, moisten with a little more water if needed to seal.<br />
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Continue assembling until all the filling has been used. They can be prepared through this step and held covered in the fridge for a few hours before proceeding.<br />
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In a large, deep skillet, heat about 1/2 inch of oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Cook the egg rolls for about 2-4 minutes on each side until nice and golden and heated through. Drain on a paper towel and serve with salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.<br />
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note: I prefer my veggies to be more crisp than many people. If you would rather, you can saute the filling first (minus the cheese) until they reach a bit more tender state.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-39609986001214300312011-04-14T09:44:00.000-04:002011-04-14T09:44:52.552-04:00Random ThoughtsI like that the more I cook, the better I am getting at recognizing potential problems in a recipe. I can't recall a specific recipe that prompted this thought, but it makes me happy just the same.<br />
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I read on a forum about a family that was having trouble with the kids complaining about the house not having any food. The trouble was summed up very clearly when it was pointed out that there was apparently a discrepancy with the definition of food. As far as the kids were concerned food equals something already prepared that they need to do little to nothing to in order to consume it. In the kids eyes Mom was only buying ingredients. <br />
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In that case, we don't really buy any food at all (except for fruits and veggies most of which require little more than a rinse in the sink).<br />
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I love to watch my kids interact with one another. I love that I can use them to cheer one another up or ward off a funk. If the Storm Sprite is upset I can often encourage Little Man with little or no coaxing to come talk with her and try to cheer her up. In fact, usually I don't need to do anything and he comes to see what's the matter of his own volition. This can be done by him shaking his head back and forth 2 inches from hers with his nose all scrunched up and a big grin dominating his face as he says repeatedly, "Gimme those smiles! Yeah, yeah! Gimme those smiles!" Other times he is more mild and simply pats her and reassures her that he is there, (or I am there, or Daddy is there). <br />
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Likewise, if Little Man hasn't woken himself from his nap by 3, I know that I have a much better shot at a happy child if I bring the Storm Sprite in with me and lay her down next to him as I try and rouse him. Instead of getting a wimpy, whiny boy, I end up with one grinning and snuggling his sister for a few minutes before he decides he is ready to get up and move on with the day.<br />
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Of course, since they are both human (and still rather small, immature ones at that) it can also be frustrating to watch their interactions. The two of them were sitting on my lap giggling and tickling and having a grand old time. For no apparent reason this went suddenly downhill as Little Man bit his sister's finger. No warning. No reason. And that was the end of that merry scene.<br />
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Little Man loves his daddy. I have numerous pictures of Little Man copying, helping, or just following Hey, Babe in whatever he is doing. One of the things that he wants to be able to do with Hey, Babe, is mow the lawn. He has his own little plastic walk behind mower, just like his daddy does. Unfortunately for him, we don't let him use it while Hey, Babe is actually mowing the lawn because we have too many rocks in our yard that might become accidental projectiles. <br />
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One particular day as Little Man joined Hey, Babe putting his equipment away, he decided to help. To do so he bent down pushed on the body of the still very hot mower and before anything could be done had burned his fingers. Thankfully it wasn't a bad burn but still it hurt, especially for a child only beginning to expand his repertoire of painful experiences. Since that occurrence, when we tell him not to touch something and that it is hot or dangerous he always asks, "Like a lawnmower?" In our house it is not hot like a stove. Nope. Around here, it's dangerous like a lawnmower.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">-------------</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-74576865258946427982011-04-13T17:24:00.000-04:002011-04-13T17:24:22.752-04:00Cheese Blintzes with Blueberry Compote<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eemJtH0fwl19R_cOT0Gcf2cNG_KzIhZ1XUZrQGqviQMHzvORutyT9EYmYkPvol0CfHmHn3-K1wI72D5NY8UfJwwDgm50RQY4UX2iBai9pl5YiD_06ZPFIa3VRQTaJtR5Z7NYdtWwpNY/s1600/P1060134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eemJtH0fwl19R_cOT0Gcf2cNG_KzIhZ1XUZrQGqviQMHzvORutyT9EYmYkPvol0CfHmHn3-K1wI72D5NY8UfJwwDgm50RQY4UX2iBai9pl5YiD_06ZPFIa3VRQTaJtR5Z7NYdtWwpNY/s400/P1060134.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
When I found myself with a partially used container of ricotta cheese languishing in the fridge, I decided I wanted to bake something. Anything. Well, anything sweet really, since I wasn't in the mood for stuffed shells or lasagna or other such things. It was with this in mind that I found myself browsing through the first cookbook anyone had ever gotten me, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/King-Arthur-Flour-Bakers-Companion/dp/0881505811?ie=UTF8&tag=lev2mom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mR6IKezP_j0/TaYPt6bcWkI/AAAAAAAAAwg/Lm7SHc061R4/s1600/P1060116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mR6IKezP_j0/TaYPt6bcWkI/AAAAAAAAAwg/Lm7SHc061R4/s400/P1060116.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I received this cookbook as a Christmas gift from one of my brothers while I was in college. I don't recall having as pronounced an interest in cookbooks, recipes, and cooking then as I do now, but it is safe to say that this book was probably the catalyst that sparked my current interest. It was unlike any other cookbook we as a household owned (and by we I mean Mom). Mom had a few of your typical cookbooks such as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Better-Homes-Gardens-Cook-Plaid/dp/0470556862?ie=UTF8&tag=lev2mom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Better Homes and Garden's New Cookbook</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lev2mom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0470556862" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> (the link is for a newer version) as well as some not so typical like the Le Leche League's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Foods-Family-International-Cookbook/dp/0452255031?ie=UTF8&tag=lev2mom-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Whole Foods for the Whole Family</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=lev2mom-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0452255031" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> (which I'd still like a copy of and again, I think that link is for an updated version). There were a scattering of other cookbooks and magazines of cookie recipes and such, but this book was strictly for baking.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c3zfQU9eMBg/TaYPuSzbJSI/AAAAAAAAAwk/slRFFxHUcYc/s1600/P1060121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c3zfQU9eMBg/TaYPuSzbJSI/AAAAAAAAAwk/slRFFxHUcYc/s400/P1060121.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Growing up there wasn't a lot of baking happening in our house. Mom was, and still is, an incredible cook. She was able to seemingly instinctively throw together ingredients, sometimes with random leftovers, and create a delicious meal. Baking, however, didn't happen except during predictable times such as pies for Thanksgiving and cookies for Christmas. I think that having eight kids to corral kept Mom understandably otherwise occupied. Which is why a book devoted to baking held such an allure.<br />
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I have read through the book cover to cover at at least once. I like that it has short captions, suggestions, and interesting tidbits of information scattered throughout the recipes. If it were up to me, there would be a lot more pictures of the final products included but we can't have everything. This time, while I was flipping through it with intent, I came across this recipe for Cheese Blintzes with Blueberry Compote and even without an accompanying picture I knew it would be the perfect way to use up my neglected ricotta.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazOVYOtdNIyMp0hYxLP1D7TlfS8lHM4GVf1-1Kwrp__zB1hYKu2U3lRI_uqhV_yNIfFisNep3w4Z7QuAhUiVRJzKQ3y4OjuE7erjwC2hq73UbpxqExidql-VbwsJFqXcIVCaVklgyMVA/s1600/P1060101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazOVYOtdNIyMp0hYxLP1D7TlfS8lHM4GVf1-1Kwrp__zB1hYKu2U3lRI_uqhV_yNIfFisNep3w4Z7QuAhUiVRJzKQ3y4OjuE7erjwC2hq73UbpxqExidql-VbwsJFqXcIVCaVklgyMVA/s400/P1060101.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The filling recipe had to be modified a bit to cater to how much ricotta I had left and I cut the sugar for the compote in half (why does everything have to be so <i>sweet?</i>) as well as altering the cooking method a bit. The results were absolutley delicious. The tang of the blueberries were offset nicely by the delicate crepes and the smooth creamy filling. I am sure that this would grace a breakfast buffet just as easily as a dessert table. We ended up eating it as breakfast for dinner and were perfectly content.<br />
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<b>Cheese Blintzes with Blueberry Compote</b><br />
<b>Crepes:</b><br />
1 3/4 cup milk<br />
3 eggs<br />
5 Tablespoons melted butter or oil<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1 1/2 cups flour<br />
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or vanillla (optional)<br />
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To your blender add all the ingredients and pulse until very smooth. Allow the batter to rest in the fridge for about an hour. This allows the gluten to relax (I often skip this step because I'm impatient).<br />
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Preheat a lightly greased nonstick crepe or omelet pan over medium high heat. The amount of batter you will need for each one will be determined by how large your pan is, for an 8 inch pan use about 1/4 cup of batter. Tip and tilt the pan in a swirl to allow the batter to spread into a thin coating on the surface of the pan. Cook the pan until it has set and no longer looks wet. Remove the crepe to a plate to cool and start the next one.<br />
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You may stack the crepes as long as you stack them with the "uncooked" side all facing the same direction so that they don't stick together. These can be topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar, sliced fruit, Nutella, etc. if you don't want to make blintzes.<br />
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<b>Creamy Ricotta Filling:</b><br />
6 oz cream Cheese, softened<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1 Tablespoon Sugar<br />
1 egg yolk (I added the white to the crepes)<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
1 cup Ricotta<br />
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In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, salt and sugar together until well combined. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.<br />
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<b>Blueberry Compote:</b><br />
1/4 cup cold water <br />
1 tablespoon cornstarch<br />
1 tablespoon sugar <br />
1 teaspoon lemon juice<br />
pinch salt<br />
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)<br />
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Combine water and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combined. Heat over a medium flame until the mixture is starting to bubble and slightly thicken. Cool to lukewarm.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoHb8DJazoptUFS4euyjFMvJi6Mh68-Z3IYh-zXHfyPMlncty64u8oGwHQHw9hats2yq-A1k2EGSI0_QmGZrs44dI4xqvKuRyJWtAXGAqz4txGWlv_-mEWXKpIqorM8J6F-FFyQIK-Kc/s1600/P1060137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoHb8DJazoptUFS4euyjFMvJi6Mh68-Z3IYh-zXHfyPMlncty64u8oGwHQHw9hats2yq-A1k2EGSI0_QmGZrs44dI4xqvKuRyJWtAXGAqz4txGWlv_-mEWXKpIqorM8J6F-FFyQIK-Kc/s400/P1060137.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>Blintz Assembly:</b><br />
Place about 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each crepe. Fold the sides in, the top down, and then roll the crepe to enclose the filling. Place them all in a lightly greased pan and bake them in a preheated 350°F oven for about half an hour or until they are heated through. Serve them hot topped with the blueberry compote.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-76050279638975130342011-04-12T11:22:00.000-04:002011-04-12T11:22:26.476-04:00White Bean and Ham SoupAs I was scrolling through the backlog of recipes I have that are waiting to be posted here, I came across this one. It surprised me that I had yet to share it considering the fact that I have made it several times over the past few months and so I knew it was time to pull it off the shelf.<br />
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I keep thinking that soup weather is fading and then I look out the window and realize that Spring still has no idea what it is doing yet. Case in point, we are currently awaiting a thunderstorm and our expected high temp for the day was reached at around 9 AM. We aren't in freezing temperatures by any stretch of the imagination, but after a dreary rainy day having a cup of this hot soup with beans that just melt in your mouth will be sure to cheer just about anyone up. <br />
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A lot of soups take hours of simmering to reach the right flavor and consistency, the original version of this recipe was no exception. Since I'm not always on top of things (in fact I'm not even often on top of things) I adapted this recipe to be made in a much shorter time frame. Out went the ham bone, dried beans, and the long and low cooking time and in came a few cans of White Beans, a Ham Steak and a quart of Chicken (or Veggie) stock. Rather than fresh warm bread (see above - not on top of things) I whipped up a quick batch of biscuits to serve with the soup. I mention the biscuits only as a suggestion since the recipe I selected was passable but not worth repeating. And here is the first clap of thunder, it seems the weatherman was correct after all. Anyone else have soup on the forecast for tonight?<br />
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<b>White Bean and Ham Soup</b><br />
<b> </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ingredients</span><br />
2 cans of white beans - either Great Northern or canelli <br />
4 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth <br />
1 diced ham steak<br />
1 cup carrots chopped<br />
1 cup celery chopped<br />
1 cup onion chopped<br />
3/4 teaspoon thyme <br />
Dash of hot sauce<br />
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar <br />
1/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped<br />
Salt and pepper<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Instructions</span><br />
In a large stock pot, saute the diced ham steak in a small portion of olive oil, just until it starts to get a little color. Add the carrots, celery and onions and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until they are soft, about 5-10 minutes. Add stock, beans and thyme and simmer until the beans are soft and the flavors have come together at least half and hour (or up to 2). Season with salt and pepper and add vinegar and fresh parsley. If you'd like have a slightly thicker soup, mash up some of the beans a bit.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-79322376071053606122011-04-11T21:31:00.000-04:002011-04-11T21:31:46.929-04:00Starting a new hobbyThe past several weeks have had me preoccupied with the various steps of planning and starting my first garden. Due to the very unwelcoming weather that spring started off with, it was even more enjoyable to be a part of the sprouting, potting and transplanting process for my first time. I have been scouring the internet for recommendations on everything garden related that I can think of, and you should see the lists! Actually, heh, you probably shouldn't because you'd then think I'm a bit cracked.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v3IyjWi1cYc/TaOnmusMkZI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/RwMoADuUk5g/s1600/P1070011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v3IyjWi1cYc/TaOnmusMkZI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/RwMoADuUk5g/s400/P1070011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Lettuce!)</div><br />
For most of my new endeavors, the planning and research stage is the part that I get the most enjoyment and satisfaction from. I thoroughly enjoy the lists, the search queries and the acquiring of new and obscure information. Perhaps that is why most things that catch my interest only hold it for so long before they lose their appeal. I am sure that Hey, Babe is hoping that my gardening interests don't dwindle too quickly, especially in light of the fact that he is going to be doing the lion's share of building the raised garden beds in the coming days.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bzGtWI--LBU/TaOnl_lj4XI/AAAAAAAAAvI/lEKEFKWXQEw/s1600/P1070017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bzGtWI--LBU/TaOnl_lj4XI/AAAAAAAAAvI/lEKEFKWXQEw/s400/P1070017.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(sprouting Marigolds)</div><br />
In my bay window there are currently dozens of tender new green plants of several different varieties all in various stges of growth. Occasionally there are casualties or catastrophes. My tomato seeds came in two packets, each containing a mixed variety of seeds dyed various colors according to their type. Unfortunately the colors used within each of the packets overlapped and I placed them all into the same container when trying to presprout them. I say unfortunately because Little Man took it upon himself to shake the container, scrambling them into one mishmash of mixed colors rendering it impossible to tell the green Cherry Tomato seed from the Green Regular Tomato seed. On top of that, in mixed seed packets you are not guaranteed anything and for two of the varieties I had used all <i>two</i> of the provided seeds in my sprouting attempts. We shall see when they start bearing fruit whether I guessed correctly at which type they were. Little Man has also uprooted more than a few seedlings in his enthusiasm for "helping" me. Soon enough the weather will change and he will be able to help me carefully transplant them into the garden where they might have a better chance at surviving.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PG1lR4OAas8/TaOnmXR7zkI/AAAAAAAAAvM/BqwfHBdweW0/s1600/P1070009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PG1lR4OAas8/TaOnmXR7zkI/AAAAAAAAAvM/BqwfHBdweW0/s400/P1070009.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> (tomato seeds pre-shaking)</div><br />
I am hoping that this, my first attempt at gardening, will stay a lifelong interest rather than turn into one of my more fickle ones, like the crocheted blanket I started nine years ago...and have not yet finished. I know that part of that will be determined based on my results and so I am curiously anticipating the results of this season. What color do you suppose my thumbs actually are?<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-6285865325749293152011-04-01T16:53:00.003-04:002011-04-28T12:41:20.011-04:00April Meal PlanIn the past week or so, Hey, Babe and I decided to change how we eat a little. We already avoid a lot of processed foods, but we are going to be making an effort to eliminate even more of them. Things like white flour, white sugar, processed oils, etc. will be if not <i>totally</i> removed from our diet (I really like to bake and I don't want to give that up entirely) they will be drastically reduced. I am curious to see how increasing our consumption of foods nearer to their natural form will alter our energy and health (both mental & physical).<br />
It was a bit trickier for me to come up with a variety of foods that would work with this new tactic. As you can see below, we didn't avoid them completely, but there is a significant lack of pasta and breads in the majority of our month's plan. <br />
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<table border="2" bordercolor="#993300" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="background-color: #eeddbb; width: 100%;" text-align:center;=""><tbody>
<tr align="center"><th colspan="7">April</th> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Mon.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Tues.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Wed.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Thur.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Fri.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Sat.</b></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><b>Sun.</b></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Potluck Dinner</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicken Pot Pie</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicken Stir Fry</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicken Curry, Brown Rice</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2011/04/salisbury-steak-and-potatoes.html">Salisbury Steaks</a>, Mashed Potatoes, Peas</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2011/04/salad-pizza.html"><span style="font-size: small;">Salad Pizza</span></a></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Taco Salad</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eggplant Parmesan</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Birthday Party</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/2010/10/another-black-bean-soup.html"><span style="font-size: small;">Black Bean Soup</span></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicken & Basil Roulades w/Mustard Sauce, Baked Squash, Green Beans</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beef & Broccoli, Brown Rice</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Salmon Fish Sticks, Carrots & Peas</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Black Bean Mushroom Burgers, Roast Corn</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pork Chops, Brown Rice, Broccoli</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">BBQ Chicken stuffed in a loaded Baked Sweet Potato</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sautéed Spinach w/Chickpeas & Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Roasted Potatoes</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicken Cordon Bleu, Twice Baked Potatoes, Broccoli</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fiesta Steak, Tomato Salad, Corn</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pizza</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Taco Salad</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Vegetable Torta</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Greek Grilled Chicken Kebabs, </span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Easter</span></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Herb Roasted Chicken & Sweet Potatoes</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stuffed Zucchini Cups</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fish, Rice, Broccoli</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Potato Nachos</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kielbasa, Sauerkraut, Mashed Potatoes, Sauteéd Apples</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicken Florentine, Whole Wheat Pasta, Peas</span></td> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><br />
It seems that this month my work will be more cut out for me. It will be interesting to see the results of our efforts. Enjoy!<br />
<div style="font-family: verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 8px;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-722923124305201072011-03-27T23:11:00.000-04:002011-03-27T23:11:58.305-04:00The Daring Bakers make Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmnOQw2mfAnqMXV1MPoOPHairLHSrZico8vkRD111AvY1KnaRwSvR25zbbuzVXMQU7CjXgqCPItowN-53tvCZF-4EPrCOJPYkTx21KFeVWyyTIPFK_au7RdIsSo_IcOE_xk12UubCygk/s1600/P1070095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmnOQw2mfAnqMXV1MPoOPHairLHSrZico8vkRD111AvY1KnaRwSvR25zbbuzVXMQU7CjXgqCPItowN-53tvCZF-4EPrCOJPYkTx21KFeVWyyTIPFK_au7RdIsSo_IcOE_xk12UubCygk/s400/P1070095.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.<br />
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Holy cow was this good! When I realized that I was going to be making this without any extra hungry people around to help me eat it (other than Hey, Babe and Little Man) I decided that I was either going to have to cut the recipe down or make half of it a savory version. After sitting back and thinking of all the interesting filling possibilities we had in the pantry, I knew that cutting the recipe down was no longer a viable option. <br />
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I narrowed down my choices to three. A savory pizza-like "cake" stuffed with chopped onions, pepperoni, mozzarella and herbs, and two sweet versions. The first sweet cake had the standard chocolate, cinnamon and nut filling provided in the original recipe and the second had blueberries with a dusting of cardamom. <br />
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I had no trouble getting the dough to come together, the only adaptation to the given recipe that I made was to use 2 yolks instead of one of the whole eggs that were called for to eliminate the waste the meringue would otherwise have created. I did chose to allow it to rise in the fridge overnight so that I wouldn't have to deal with it the next day, taking it out of the fridge to come to room temperature a few hours before I'd need it (we have a cold house).<br />
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When the pepperoni version was baking in the oven my mouth started watering, it smelled so tempting that I could hardly wait to try it. It was incredibly tender and moist and I said to Hey, Babe that even if the other two version were awful I'd still make this again. Next time I might add some more cheese, but other than that it was delicious.<br />
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After having finished dinner I was curious to see if dessert would be as good. I tasted the chocolate version and decided it was my favorite. Then I tasted the blueberry version and decided that <i>it</i> was my favorite. But when I tasted the chocolate a second time I changed my mind again. Can you see where this was going? They were both so delicious I really can't say which I liked more.<br />
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This dough was so easy to work with and has so many possibilities for filling variations that I know I will have to try some more versions. I can see cream cheese, or apples, or sausage and peppers, or broccoli and cheddar, or...I think I need to go eat something. All those possibilities are making me hungry.<br />
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Find the challenge recipe <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/sites/default/files/u11/53_Meringue_Filled_Coffee_Cake-DB_Mar_2011.pdf">here</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3079066870426023386.post-48571168189146837202011-03-01T21:48:00.000-05:002011-03-01T21:48:47.029-05:00Tips To Make An All Butter Pie Dough<span id="goog_1231197107"></span><span id="goog_1231197108"></span><br />
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Growing up I thought that all pie crusts were gross. They looked nice (most of the time) and lots were very flaky but sure enough every time I bit into a piece of pie one of two results awaited me. Either the crust was so dry, bland, and moisture sucking that I'd rather have eaten a stick of chalk, or it left a weird film of something akin to a liquid plastic chemical over the entire surface of my mouth and I'd feel the urge to scrape it off. Thankfully, Mom agreed that the efforts of making a pie crust weren't worth the unappealing results (and the results of store bought crusts were even <i>worse</i>) and skipped the process entirely, always choosing instead to use graham cracker crusts. <br />
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While in college one of my roommates made a pie for a Thanksgiving dinner we were hosting. I didn't want to offend her, leaving the crust she had worked hard to make very obviously sitting on my plate with only the filling gone, so I quickly took a bite of the outer crust side. I had thought to get the gross part over quickly so that my last bites would be nearly all delicious filling, but as I ate that bite I knew it had been a mistake. It was the best pie crust I had ever tasted. I don't mean to say that it was just better then all the other gross ones but still not worth eating. No, this crust was incredible. It was worth savoring. I should have been taking small bites of the buttery, moist flakes to make it last as long as I could and here I was chomping away trying to get it over with so I could get to the good stuff. Oddly enough I can't tell you now what kind of pie it even was because the awesome crust pushed all other memories of the experience out of my head.<br />
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Now that I knew good pie crust wasn't a myth I knew I was going to have to learn how to make one myself. After some consultation I was made aware of the standard tips, not to overwork the dough, keep everything cold, use all butter for better flavor use some shortening if you want it flakier (no thanks, that would be the liquid plastic I have always hated), etc. So I tucked that knowledge away for the next pie crust making opportunity. Which didn't happen for quite a while.<br />
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Since that first experience, I have learned a couple of other things. If you freeze your sticks of butter and then run them over the coarse side of a box grater it will be easy to toss them together with the flour using a fork. Use less water then you think you will need. Leave dry spots even. Otherwise you will just add a ton of flour later, toughening up your crust. I tend to like using my food processor to grate the butter because it is quicker so I also use it for the mixing part, but if you use a hand grater you can mix this with a fork. Also, who says that you can't flavor the crust? Recipes don't usually call for any, but I like to add some spices in with the flour that work well with the filling (cinnamon for apple pie readily comes to mind). Really it seems that good pie crust comes more from practice and a gentle touch then from any specific "best pie crust" recipe, but I have used this one with great success. One of the benefits of baking is being able to eat your mistakes as you learns from them so get in the kitchen and give it a try. <br />
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<b>All Butter Pie Dough</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">-= Ingredients =-</span><br />
2 1/2 cups Flour <br />
2 tablespoons Sugar(for savory applications, reduce this to 1)<br />
1 teaspoon Salt<br />
1/2 tsp ground spice, like cinnamon (optional, use whatever will best complement your filling) <br />
2 sticks unsalted butter, frozen<br />
1/2-34 cup ice cold water<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">-= Instructions =-</span><br />
To the bowl of your food processor add the flour, salt, sugar and spice. Pulse once or twice to mix it up. Open up the processor and remove about a cup of the dry ingredients. Using the coarse grating disk, feed the first of your frozen sticks of butter carefully through the tube. Pour the dry ingredients in. Feed the second stick through.<br />
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Switching back to your s-blade, pulse two or three times and then begin to drizzle 1/2 cup of ICE cold water into the feed tube while pulsing. The dough will look like it is starting to think about coming together. Maybe. Dump it out into a bowl (or your counter top) and use your hands to finish mixing and bringing it together. If you <i>really </i>need it, add another tablespoon of water at a time to the dough, but only just enough to make it barely clump together. <br />
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Divide the dough in half, and place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Use the sides of the plastic wrap to pull in the dough and shape it into a disk. The thinner the disk is now, the less work you will have to do later, but don't go too crazy. Let the dough chill in the fridge for at least two hours before rolling it out. This helps the butter to get cold and solid again (we don't want it melting into the flour) and also allows the water we added so stingily to distribute more evenly.<br />
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Your dough should keep at least a week in the fridge, and in the freezer longer. This will make enough dough for one double crust pie.<br />
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Just a couple of rolling tips: When you are ready to roll out your crust, lightly flour your workspace and leave the plastic on the top of the dough. Turn the crust often so it doesn't stick to your counter. Halfway through rolling it out, peel off your plastic wrap since it will have been stretched quite a bit by now and may be at risk of tearing. You can stick it back on if you like, but removing it will have released the tension that was building up (learned that the hard way, see the below photo). We don't want it to rip and leave behind bits of plastic. If you use plastic all the way to the end of your rolling, allowing the dough to chill again will make it easier to remove the plastic without ripping your hard work to shreds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-s0L91qdqT8A/TW2rYgyBcTI/AAAAAAAAAs4/4f2CjX11XFQ/s1600/P1040674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-s0L91qdqT8A/TW2rYgyBcTI/AAAAAAAAAs4/4f2CjX11XFQ/s400/P1040674.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">This post should be appearing to you courtesy of <a href="http://level2mommy.blogspot.com/">http://level2mommy.blogspot.com</a></div>Katie Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16198112856969365250noreply@blogger.com1