In the Kitchen

Periodically I get major baking spells (they usually coincide with holidays). 

Here's what was baking today.

40 Minute Rolls

Easter Braided Bread similar to this

Chocolate Macaroon Pie

Gluten Free French Bread

Sugar Cookie Easter Nests

And I failed to get pictures of my Lemon Coconut Bars and Hot Cross Buns.   And this delicious Sweet Potato Hash which makes a lovely breakfast.

Now I'm off to do laundry, pack clothes.  And finish the girls' dresses before we leave tomorrow. O

Friday Fire

A neighbor once called us "The One Family Neighborhood Watch." 

 

We could add "Family Brush Collectors" to that resume, too.

 

 

The kids have been wanting a fire so they agreed to collect the necessary sticks.

 

 

I'm not sure there's anything more terrifying that these wild boys and a girls wandering around with long, sharp pointed objects in the dwindling daylight.

Thankfully no eyes were put out in the process.

 

Matthew perfected his toasting skills.

 

Josie might need a little more practice. 

Katherine was dubbed the Marshmallow Hoarder.  She raided the bag and filled her hands, clutching them tightly to her body lest anyone should try to take one.

 

 

 

Jonathan's cheeks grew as large as his brown eyes as he stuffed in many a marshmallow.

 

 

And for the occasion we created a new treat: the Swoopie - toasted marshmallow stuffed between two whoopie pie cakes.  I think Stephen approves!

31 Flavors and That's What You Choose?!

Scouts was cancelled due to lots of sickness so to assuage their disappointment, we got ice cream.

 

 

I had some random coupons including a free birthday scoop and we couldn't let that go to waste.  Stephen made a sensible choice with Oreo but Andrew chose Easter Egg Hunt (white chocolate with crème swirl and bits of colorful something).

 

 

And these two chose cotton candy which looked as bad as it tasted. Of course, Josie was thrilled that not only was it pink and purple, but it matched her dress (which thankfully concealed the fact that she left the house without underwear).  Definitely no temptation to me!

Cold Slop

Or so one of my parent's foster children called it.

 

My mother has once again been proved right: cole slaw is one of those detested foods of my childhood that I have come to love.  And love it I do.  It's a common side to burgers and dogs and bbq.  It's the perfect cool companion to spicy Caribbean jerk dishes.  And by simply adding lime zest and juice and some chopped cilantro, it accompanies anything Mexican, especially fish tacos.

You can buy bottled sauce, but why when you are already have the ingredients?  Here's what we use.

4 c. finely shredded cabbage (store bought or shred yourself)
1/2 c. diced bell pepper and/or celery
several shredded carrots

Combine with 3 T. sugar and 2 T. vinegar. Chill 1 hour (or not if you're in a hurry).  Add 1/2 c. mayo, salt & pepper and you are ready to enjoy.

When Life Hands You Lemons

If I were forced to give up every fruit in the world but one I would have absolutely no trouble choosing.  The lemon wins, hands down.

The lemon is the workhorse of the food world: dependable, versatile, and available all year round.  You can preserve it in salt, as the Moroccans do, and stuff your chicken with it, or you can stick it into a suet crust surrounded by butter, as the British do.  You can dice it up and put it into a salad with red onion and Italian parsley.  You can make lemon cookies, lemon cake, lemon icing, lemonade (hot or cold), lemon flip, and lemon rice pudding. 

"Lemons and Limes"  More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin

While I'm more a fan of limes, lemons were in the fridge and just called out to be made into Coconut Lime Bars.

April Fools

Playing catch-up doesn't leave much time for planning ahead so at 8pm on March 31 I was scraping the bottom for tricks.  This time Google was no help (tricks were too messy or involved food items that aren't on the menu around here).  What to do?

 

This year it was Dinner for Breakfast, an all around treat for everyone.

 

I pulled out my emergency stash of frozen chicken nuggets and fries (not normal fare but a definite staple in the freezer for those times when you need something quick), divided a couple of stray cans of Coke, and pulled out our 62 oz. bottle of ketchup (I think we need one of those pump-style dispensers).

 

And in the spirit of mixing things up, we had Breakfast for Dinner: eggs, muffins, pancakes, bacon, and juice.

Camping Celebration

I'll blame it on the long ride home from the beach.

 

 

A rather restful vacation had revived my spirits, given me increased energy.

 

So I planned a party.

 

So far, birthdays have been family affairs, cake and ice cream with grandparents and cousins.

 

But, what if we invited a few friends this time?

It still was pretty small, two other families with their kids.

 

But it was a really fun celebration.

Somehow in the planning I failed to think about having a nursing baby to deal with, too.

The other moms were eager to hold her.

 

And I couldn't have done it without Doug who took charge of the wild kiddos.

Together we manned games and handed out prizes,

 



amidst lots of laughs and many cries of "Bingo!"

 

Stephen requested a compass cake which was easy enough

and to accommodate all the various food restrictions, we had separate campfire cupcakes, too.

I always enjoyed the birthday celebrations my own mother planned for me as a child,

and it was such a pleasure to plan a soiree for someone who gets so much pleasure

out of the big and little things of life

and appreciates the value of being with family and friends.

 

Happy Birthday, Stephen!



Nana's Chicken

When Josie was born, my saint-of-a-mom not only came to take care of four active boys and a crazy post-partum mom, she brought food to stock our freezer.  With all our food restrictions, this is not an easy task.  One night after she was gone, I pulled out meatloaf to heat for dinner.

 

Matthew was quite impressed:  "Mmm, I love Nana's chicken."

 

 

 



And he really does.  I made some last night for dinner.  He had it again for breakfast and lunch!  I guess I need to go ahead and make some more for those upcoming post-partum days.

Giving Thanks: Apple Pie

I'm starting to forget her.

 

Your mother, she could peel an apple in one long strand.

 

Sleepless in Seattle

Giving Thanks: Post-Halloween Snack Time

Oh, the hard decisions of life: what candy shall I eat next?

 

 

I'm not sure Andrew labors over it too much; he simply dives in.

 

Instead of being one of those moms who carefully doles out a piece or two a day and thus stretching those sugar bugs out 'til the start of the Christmas season, I say eat it all now.  Gorge yourself.  Then it's over and done with and the begging ends lessens.

 

Andrew's afternoon snack:  1 package of M & Ms, 2 snickers, 2 Reese's Cups, 1 Reese 's Fast Break, and 2 Kit-Kats.

Vacation Vices

What vacation would be complete without indulging in a few things?

 

1. Food

 

I think this is probably a major area of indulgence for most on vacation.  While as a whole there's no dining out (save the heading-out-of-town breakfast), it doesn't stop us from eating.  And eating lots of things that don't normally appear in our pantry.

 

 

Every morning the kids went straight to those miniature boxes of sugar-laden cereal.  Until it ran out.  Then they started in on my brother-in-law's personal stash.  In addition, there was a large quantity and variety of chips.  And I will neither confirm nor deny that 3 gallons of ice cream was consumed in 7 days.

 

2.  Television

 

We couldn't afford to take along on a babysitter (my mom actually had the audacity to suggest that no one would want the job!) so the TV was second choice for those early morning/post-lunch/dinner-prep times when a few moments of peace were needed.


Armed with a long-running copy of the old cartoon, we were set.  And as far as cartoons go, it is pretty tame.  Yeah, he smokes and the boys suddenly started puffing on their Pixie Sticks, but at least there is no dialogue - just funky music.

The menfolk relaxed with a couple of hours of COPS.  There's nothing more riveting than watching someone Tased in the head or seeing a punk on a motorcycle crash while exceeding 100 mph.  That's entertainment.

3.  Reading Material

One of my criteria for judging the merit of a particular house, is it's selection of reading material.  Biographies, non-fiction, and mysteries are all great, but what I really like are the trashy magazines.  All those supermarket tabloids that I can't flip through with the boys present.  The glossy covers that declare, "Kate Middlenton's Baby Bump" which I could only dream of on a good day.  I was a little disappointed in this year's offerings; they mainly focused on fashions that I would never be tempted to purchase.

On the other hand, there was a bookshelf with something for everyone:  Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis; Monica's Story by Andrew Morton; The Maker's Diet by Jordan S. Rubin; Sage-ing While Age-ing by Shirley MacLaine; Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith.  In my few minutes of downtime I curled up on the porch with Larkrise to Candleford by Flora Thompson.

I guess now we're back to clean living.

"No-Make Cookies"

Cooking around here is complicated.

Aside from the individual preferences of 6 family members, we have the issue of food allergies which further narrows the list.  Over the years we've managed pretty well on the whole, but the dessert category is a little tricky.  Egg substitutes, for example, are not always reliable and the results can vary from day to day.

Rice Krispie treats are quick and easy; so is Wacky Cake.  I've grown tired of both.  Then I remembered the No-Bake Cookies from my childhood.  With a little substituting they've become a treat the whole family can enjoy (they're one of Stephen's favorites).

No-Make Cookies

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. coconut oil

2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 c. rice milk

1/4 c. sunflower butter

1 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats

1/2 t. vanilla

Combine sugar, oil, cocoa and milk in a medium saucepan.

Bring to a boil and stir for 30 seconds.

Remove from heat and stir in sunbutter, oats and vanilla.

Scoop onto waxed-paper and allow to cool.

Yield: 2 dozen

Make Your Own: Salsa

Forget candlelight and flowers, I fell in love over salsa.

A certain young suitor used to take me to Applebees for quesadillas (it never occurred to me at the time how he could afford it, but I think I have my in-laws to thank for that).  They had this amazing salsa, full of flavor and really, really cold.  It was delicious, and I was smitten (the company wasn't bad, either).

Time moved on.  Suitor and I married.  We pinched pennies.  Old El Paso and Pace seemed pretty tasty.

Then I met the refrigerated stuff: Garden Fresh Gourmet.  It's good - really, really good.  But at $3 a carton, which is easily consumed in one sitting, not very economical.



But now I can have my salsa and eat it, too, thanks to Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style Salsa.  Using ingredients I always have on hand, it comes together in a flash, and even better, I can add LOTS of cilantro (that is, unless by brother-in-law happens to be around).  I don't ever want to go back to the jar.

Baby Shower

A delicious way to celebrate a new baby girl -

Five Flavor Pound Cake and a posie of pink zinnias.

Meals on Wheels

Statement Of Fact:

Nothing is more helpful to a new mom than the gift of a meal.

Sleep is great, but it's hard to arrange that; diapers and wipes are always necessities but not nearly as fun.  Hands-down, a hot meal is enough to make any new mom's day and provides the perfect excuse for seeing the new arrival.  Having been blessed by numerous delicious dinners, we are more than happy to return the favor.  To make the most of your "good intentions," here are some suggestions:

1.  Provide a Meal:  If you say you're bringing dinner, try to include a side dish or two in addition to the main course - new moms may not have something else to whip out to serve with chicken (casseroles for the freezer are definitely an exception).  Nursing moms are notoriously ravenous so there should be enough to assuage her appetite at least for a couple of hours.

2.  Call Ahead:  It's always nice to arrange a mutually agreeable time for food delivery so that recipients are home/awake. 

3.  Use Disposables:  New moms (and the sick and bereaved) don't need the headache of having to return multiple Pyrex dishes to multiple people (remember, momnesia doesn't go away immediately). 

4.  Keep it Simple:  While multi-course meals are lovely, chances are the new parents will be scarfing down bites while pacing the floor with a fussy babe.  They are not out to be impressed; they just want hot food that they don't have to prepare.

It is a labor of love to make and deliver food, and I am so grateful to those who have been willing to serve us in this way (Doug is just glad to get some more variety in his life).

Peachy Keen

 I'm calling it The Summer of the Peach Sorbet.

A dear friend brought us dinner after Josie was born, and being aware of all the food allergies, she was kind enough to make Matthew-safe Peach Sorbet.

For whatever reason, the kids didn't finish dinner which meant no dessert.  It only took one bite, and Doug and I knew we'd devour their share.  Such is a perk of parenthood.

I immediately called for the recipe and we've been making it ever since.

Easy Peach Sorbet

2 c. pureed peaches (fresh, frozen or canned)

1 c. + 2 T. simple syrup

1/4 c. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in the blender (I prefer to chop the peaches and freeze slightly).

Pour into ice cream maker and process for 10-20 minutes.