tamale pie

Wow - the ultimate comfort food (if you are a lover of grits and cornbread such as I am - I know, a Mainer who loves grits. Who was I in a former life, anyway?)

http://www.mothering.com/recipes/tamale-pie

busy night

10 jars of bread and butter pickles and some lavender rose cleanser. Weird combo, but 2 great creations! Too tired to post recipes. Used Organic Body Care book again (great book!) and recipe from my canning class back in July.

raspberry jam

I used 3/4 the amount of sugar that this recipe calls for - it is still a little too sweet for my liking - I will use 4 cups berries to 2 cups sugar next time. Still yummy though. After ladling it into the jars I processed the jars in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

freezer jam

I brought the kiddo strawberry picking today, which was quite entertaining. Once he figured it out, he would pick one, take a bite, throw it down on the ground with gusto and pick another (repeat). I tried to get him to eat the whole thing but no luck, so... I had to pick kind of quickly, then the skies opened up. Blah, blah blah, I ended up with less strawberries than I had hoped for, but still enough for 5 half pint jars of freezer jam and some other berries left over to freeze. My wish for a chest freezer has not come true yet (though I'm told it may), so in the meantime I really don't have a ton of freezer space to spare. Good thing it wasn't sunny and that my 15 month old wasn't a super helpful berry picker.

Onto the freezer jam. I had never heard of this phenomenon. Maybe I just wasn't listening. It is SO easy, and it made me feel so domestic. It is a quick recipe and stores in the freezer for a 6-12 months or 3 weeks in the refrigerator. It was also a money saver, because I got 5 or so pounds of berries for 8-9 dollars (after my CSA discount at the farm), and I made 5 jars of jam out of only 2/3 of them. Considering Adam eats PB&J most days for lunch, that is sweet! I am waiting for a month from now when he tells me he is sick of strawberry jam..... Again, I digress.

There are a couple different ways to make freezer jam. Ball's makes special pectin specifically for freezer jam. I bought 2 packages but did not use them today. I wanted to see if I could find a less sugary option. I found one in this recipe. It is good - different from regular jam - not as sweet (tastes more like you're just eating the fruit), and the agar makes it a tiny bit reminiscent of jello. It still spreads, but not like sugary yummy jam. I'm happy with it, but want to try the freezer jam pectin to test it out. The freezer jam pectin just puts me off a bit, as the list of ingredients is a bit longer than I'd like. We shall see. There are lots of other freezer jam recipes out there that I plan on reading and playing around with. I definitely recommend trying it.

can't think of anything for dinner!

ugh - i'm in a rut. found this. thought i'd share....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/dining/18mini.html?pagewanted=all

Mango and Avocado Salad

courtesy of Cooks Illustrated - Summer Entertaining

3 large mangos cut into 1 inch chunks

3 medium ripe avocados cut into 1 inch chunks

6 TBSP lime juce (about 3 limes)

6 TBSP minced red onion

6 TBSP minced fresh cilantro

1 jalepeno minced (with seeds and ribs if you want extra spice - we left it out for Charlie's sake)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for an hour before eating.  

I think this is my new "salsa" - we all loved it.  Some of us just picked out the mangos....

taste of summer and loose ends

For dinner we had a summer favorite - tomato cucumber sandwiches.  Sounds simple and boring, but with mayo, salt and pepper it is far from dull!  They will only taste better as local, fresh veggies emerge.  Yum.  We jazzed them up a bit tonight with sliced fresh mozzarella and some basil.

Also, I realized in my rush I forgot to mention how I made Charlie's pants...  I traced a pair of his and made them a bit larger.  I also used this tutorial to refer to....  http://handyprojects.blogspot.com/2005/04/how-to-make-easy-kids-pants.html  Lastly, I cheated a bit and used the bottom seam of the t-shirt as the bottom seam of the pant legs.  Fun and easy!  I am starting to read about serger sewing machines and wow does that seem luxurious....  maybe someday...  

We're off to Maine for a wedding this weekend and leaving in the AM.  Happy Memorial Day Weekend to all!!!

Pizza Fatigue

Pizza has been our go-to Friday night dinner for the past 3 seasons.  I couldn't take another night of it!  Having vetoed that plan I was stuck with what to do for dinner on a Friday.  Darn!  Trying to encourage the nice weather to stay I went with cool snack night foods.  In 2 hours while Charlie slept I boiled shrimp, made cocktail sauce, cooked fiddleheads, made veggies and dip, made a pasta salad and a strawberry rhubarb crisp.  That's right - all of that in 2 hours.  I love having time to myself to cook, but as I raced around the kitchen trying to get it all done before the babe woke up I kept reminding myself to enjoy my "me" time.  Haha!  It wasn't bad.  It became this race against the clock thing - a "see how much you can get done in one nap" game.  I even did a load of laundry in there somewhere.  (What the heck did I do with all of my time before Charlie?  Seriously?  Was I a lazy sloth?)    Just as Charlie was waking up I was trying to put out the cheese and crackers and pickled herring - "meal" complete.  Sure, I really didn't need to make all of that food, but you know when you go to the grocery store and instead of trying to think of one possible thing to make for dinner, 5-6 ideas pop in your head and the ingredients aren't too insane AND you can fit them all in one basket while hauling your baby (toddler!) in the other arm, as you promised yourself you only needed 4 things and why bother with the cart?  No?  You've never had an experience like that?  =)  Needless to say, I have had this happen often and my biceps are TONED - especially the left one - the one always carrying the toddler in those situations.  

Anyway, no pizza for me, and I'm a happy girl, until next Friday when I have to dream up something again.  It won't be this elaborate I can promise myself that.  

Happy Weekend!!!

Irish Eggplant Parmesan

Yes, that is correct. I say this because I made some changes to the recipe and was told by the "Sicilian" it wasn't "traditional," but still good (smart man). Basically, I thought the eggplant was yummy just off the cookie sheets AND I was hungry THEN, AND I can't cook for hours on end with the little man running amok...hence, I bring you Irish Eggplant Parmesan - the healthier (because that's what the Irish are known for??), easier, and faster way to enjoy eggplant parm that won't leave you smelling like a Fry Daddy (thank you, Martha Stewart for you assistance)

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/baked-eggplant-parmesan

My alterations......

I made my own sauce.

I made my own bread crumbs out of multi-grain bread - you really can't tell the difference. Worth it - I'm really trying to avoid white food!

At the end of step 2, instead of switching to 400 degrees, I put a slice of fresh mozzarella on every round and turned on the broiler for 5 minutes.

I completely ditched step 3 (the part that makes it "traditional") and put some whole wheat pasta on a plate with sauce, tossed 3-4 eggplant rounds on the pasta and shredded some parmesan on top. Done.

meeting the challenge

Yea! Finally something I have created with my own 2 hands to post =) I met my local and seasonal challenge today. I bought some locally raised ground lamb, some local yogurt and pita bread, and made a recipe that I have adapted from a few I researched online. This is the second time I have made this and it is really yummy, although I learned today that fresh mint makes a huge difference in the flavor and is definitely worth it (today I used dried).

Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce

Meatballs................

Preheat oven to 450. Saute 1 medium onion finely chopped in 1 Tbsp olive oil. Toast 2 slices of bread and using food processor make into bread crumbs or use 1/2-3/4 cups of store bought bread crumbs (welcome to my recipes! no set amounts!!). In a large mixing bowl beat 1 egg. Mix in 1 pound of ground lamb, cooled onion and its oil, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste and 1/4-1/2 cup of chopped fresh mint (I use lots - love mint). Mix well with your hands. Roll 1" diameter meatballs and place on cookie sheet. This will yield about 40 meatballs. Place in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Yogurt Sauce...........

(making ahead allows the flavors to mingle, but not essential)

Mix 1 small container or 1 cup of plain yogurt (I used local sheep to really "lamb" up the recipe. Ha, ha. Actually we have a local sheep farm that makes yummy yogurt. Win win.) with 1/4 chopped fresh mint and 1/2 tsp salt.

Serve with/in/on pita with sauce, or however else you like. Delish, and very spring-esque.

(for those who are lamb-shy, I used to be, as well. Lamb is really not as gamey as it is often made out to be. It is more interesting than ground beef for sure. I am a huge fan lately. It is also high in iron and a great food for babies. Pork is iron-rich as well, but who is really having a hankering for a pork chop right now????)

eating seasonally AND locally

This is always a mission of mine. Easier said than done, often.

Here's a website I just found. I haven't perused it enough yet to give a full review, but like the drop down tabs where you can customize your location and time of year.

http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/eatseasonal/

A good use for leftover pasta

I made this last night after seeing it on Food Network.  It beats eating plain old pasta and sauce 2 nights in a row.  

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/healthy-appetite-with-ellie-krieger-/spaghetti-frittata-recipe/index.html

Passover Seder

No, we aren't Jewish.  As Adam told one of his patients, we're just pretending we are this week.  Holidays, whether I celebrate them or not, always give me an excuse to try new recipes.  This week I made matzo ball soup and macaroons.  Here are the recipes I referenced.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/22/dining/221srex.html

I didn't make my own broth, and used vegetable oil instead of schmaltz.  I also put chopped dill and parsley in by matzo balls.  Definitely use seltzer for the balls - it makes them lighter for sure.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Dipped-Macaroons-107951

I over toasted (by a lot) my first batch of coconut, so I had to improvise a bit and add more almond.  It was still good - a bit too meringue-y.  The problem was the batch of coconut I forgot about and burnt was long shred and all I had left was short, so I didn't get the yummy and pretty coconut look.  I also didn't get around to dipping them in chocolate, or taking pictures before we started eating them (the whole reason I picked the recipe)!  Oh well.  I'd make them again.  

Almost as good........

......... as the candied citrus peel and 1/10th the time. Definitely a more appropriate recipe for me these days! Melt chocolate in double boiler... dip pretzel... sprinkle with anything you've got lying around, place on wax paper lined cookie sheet - refrigerate to harden, DONE. Next time I want to sprinkle them with toffee bits.

candied citrus peel dipped in chocolate

Sounds yummy, right? I saw a picture of these somewhere about a week ago and I just kept thinking about them, so I made them last night. I will spare myself from retyping it - it was a L-O-N-G recipe. Here is the link... http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/ilc/1299/citrus.html Let me preface this by saying there is a reason I'm not the world's best baker, which is the same reason I will not be making my living as a candy maker either. The process is long and detailed and requires a precise, non-corner-cutting cook. That is not me. I'm the type that opens the cupboard and throws together whatever I can find and dinner magically appears. I can't stand following recipes - it's just too tedious. That said, I did enjoy sneaking away and having a solid block of time to myself, so I tried to revel in it. Instead of 4 oranges I used 1 grapefruit, 1 orange and 1 lemon. I also only half dipped the strips. The process from start to finish took a total of 2-2.5 hours.... Yes. It takes that long. I knew this going in, but by the end of it, when your careful hand really makes your product look nice, I was too tired. I was so excited to taste them and was SO disappointed when the were exceedingly bitter! I tried my best to really get all of the white pith out, but obviously it wasn't a good enough effort. I hoped the chocolate would counteract the bitter, but no. SIGH! Oh well. I have eaten some of them just because. They aren't so awful, but I just had this idea in my head of the yumminess of candied orange peel that I have had before from a store.... the next time I crave such yumminess, to a store I will go...

Adam's pan roasted mussels

I love it when he makes this - always yummy and so quick and easy. We just had it last night - the two of us can handle 3 pounds of mussels and most of a baguette, without difficulty =) There really isn't any juice to dip the bread in with this recipe though, as you cook it off.

2-3 pounds of mussels

1 cup chopped parsley

freshly ground pepper

Wash the mussels - discard any broken or open ones. Heat a heavy bottomed pan or cast iron skillet until it is very hot. Add the mussels and stir occasionally to evenly distribute heat. The mussels will release their juices and begin to open. Keep stirring and cook until juices have cooked off. This almost smokes them in their own juices. Total cooking time is 6-8 minutes, give or take. Dump into a large bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and pepper. Serve immediately.

Homemade butter - 2 methods

I've been wanting to try my hand at this for awhile, and the other day at the farm store I remembered and grabbed a pint of cream. There are 2 modern methods of doing this (meaning no churn!), and we split the batch and tried both. Before starting I let the cream sit out for about 2 hours until it was room temperature for faster processing. I poured half the cream into a jar and the other half into the food processor (using the metal blade). I added 1/2 tsp of sea salt to the jar and started shaking. Shaking, shaking, shaking. I was warned on many of the sites I read that this can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. Luckily it only took 5. This may be because Adam took over after 2 minutes and swears his "technique" is what sped the process along. Within a minute of shaking the sloshing of the cream went away, and I assume there was whipped cream in the jar. After a few more minutes Adam said all of a sudden it started sloshing again - this was the butter separating from the buttermilk. You could see in the jar a lump of butter in the midst of the buttermilk. We poured off the buttermilk and added very cold water and kept shaking, draining and repeating every 30-60 seconds 4-5 times until the water ran clear. This process washes the butter, and because the water is cold it doesn't wash away any of it. Basically, this is to ensure there is no buttermilk remaining, as remaining buttermilk will make the butter go rancid. I then took the butter out of the jar and squeezed it between two sheets of waxed paper - a final effort to remove any liquid from the butter, then shaped it into a stick, wrapped it in fresh waxed paper and voila! Butter! The food processor method produced butter in 2 minutes flat. I dumped off the buttermilk (see the buttermilk in the photos in the jar - we got about 4 oz of buttermilk from a pint of cream) and washed the butter a few times, then sprinkled in 1/2 tsp of sea salt and 2 tablespoons of honey and whipped it again. The product is pictured in the small bowl. This butter is lighter in texture due to the whipping of the food processor, and I think I like it a bit better. Maybe it's the honey. Both butter products smell very fresh and yummy. We used really fresh cream that was lightly pasteurized, so it had a different taste to us than store bought butter - more sour almost. I want to add herbs to the whipped butter next time. Yum. One tip we didn't try was to add a clean (obviously=) ) marble to the jar. It speeds the process a bit and when you stop hearing the marble, the butter is formed. A good idea when making butter with kids. I'm not sure if I saved any money making my own butter.... maybe if I by more cream and make bigger batches. It was fun and easy though!