Twin meals and kid dinner/grown up dinner

So, I've been doing some kid meal updates the last couple weeks, but I've decided to do something a little different. The babes' breakfast and lunch is pretty much variations on the same theme, but as far as dinner is concerned, I've decided to model their dinners after our dinners so that it will be 1) easier than making two different meals 2) keep me on track meal-wise and 3) get them on the same track with us so that they can transition to what we're eating easier in the future.

So, in light of this, here's what they've been eating for breakfast--

Top: eggs, peaches, maple toast; bottom: eggs, banana, orange segments 

Here's a typical lunch--

Top: toasted cheese sandwich, banana; bottom: peanut butter and honey sandwich, banana chips, grapes

For dinner the last few days the boys have tried a few new things, here's what we had for dinner:

Kid dinner: salmon burger, Apple, sautéed chickpeas and kale; Adult dinner: salmon burger with pan fried capers and sautéed chickpeas w/ kale

Recipe here: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/slow-cooked-salmon-chickpeas-and-greens I didn't make the salmon as directed, I baked salmon burgers and then pan finished them (it's what we had! :)) but everything else I made as directed. Delish! 

Kid dinner: pasta w/ butter, banana slices, peas and corn; Adult dinner: sautéed scallops and veggies w/ Thai noodles

Recipe here: Thai noodles-- http://www.melskitchencafe.com/super-simple-spicy-thai-noodles/  (no toppings or veggies, just noodles and the sauce)

Scallops-- http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pan-seared-scallops-with-pepper-and-onions-in-anchovy-oil/detail.aspx (I used white onions, and no red bell pepper, I also used sardines instead of anchovies. Finally, I replaced parsley with cilantro and added sesame seeds)

Kid dinner: baked chicken, sweet potatoes and peas; Adult dinner: baked drumsticks, baked broccoli w/ Parmesan and baked sweet potato w/ garlic and Parmesan.

Recipe here: drumsticks-- http://www.kitchenwithmommy.com/2014/01/wowza-baked-chicken-drumsticks.html 

Sweet potatoes-- http://reluctantentertainer.com/2013/12/roasted-sweet-potatoes-with-rosemary/

Broccoli-- http://milkandcuddles.com/2011/09/the-best-broccoli-recipe-on-pinterest/

Kid dinner: cheese quesadilla, apples, peas; Adult dinner: cheese quesadilla w/ pica de gallo and beans w/ Spanish rice

Recipe here: beans-- http://queenbeecoupons.com/slow-cooker-crockpot-refried-beans-no-frying-no-soaking-plus-easy-freeze-instructions/

Rice-- http://whatyagotcookingoodlookin.blogspot.com/2011/10/restraunt-style-mexican-rice.html (I used tomatoes instead of sauce, and added cilantro)

Hump day

Hey-lo,
I've been really having a homebody moment and I'm kind of loving it. I've been really in to staying at home and making food, or getting crafty, although the crafts I've kinda put on hold since I'm going to be moving in June. I've got a couple I've been working on, but they're gifts so I don't want to give anything away ;)
So, in the spirit of my inner Suzy Homemaker, here's the dinner I made last night, complete with recipe! You could make it more healthy by adding a bright green veggie or salad, but I'm pairing mine w/ sliced cornichons and red wine, because I can ;)

Spicy brown sugar chicken with garlic and wrapped with bacon

Chicken
bacon
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
black pepper
salt
brown sugar
olive oil

Take 4-6 pieces of chicken, cutlet size, or if you have full breasts, cut into 3rds or quarters, place in baking pan (i did 4 and used a 9x9 glass dish) and drizzle with olive oil. Then dust them with cayenne pepper, garlic powder, (I used thinly sliced garlic) salt and pepper then wrap with bacon and roll in brown sugar until coated. Place back in dish bake for 30-40 min or until cooked through.

Dijon potatoes with bacon and Bleu cheese

Potatoes
Dijon mustard
bacon
Bleu cheese
salt
Black pepper
butter (or olive oil)

Butter or coat with olive oil an oven safe dish. (I used a glass 9x9). Cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces i used 2 russets) Spoon Dijon and mix until coated (1-3 tbsp) Cut up 1-2 slices of uncooked bacon and mix in. Crumble desired amount of cheese on top. Bake in 400 degree oven for 20-30 min or so until the potatoes are cooked through. (I like mine a bit more like hash, so I cooked it longer)

I cooked them both at the same time, so it was done in under an hour and in my belly in less than 20 min, so.... Yeah! Great recipes!

The family I work for moved last week to a new neighborhood. The boy was a bit under the weather today, so after an easy-going morning and a noontime snooze, we braved it and ventured out to explore and grab some lunch and play at the park. It started raining enough to send us home earlier than we'd hoped, but it was still fun. :) The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to Thomas. Thomas the tank engine.
Playlist: Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Doobie Brothers, Eagles, Norman Greenbaum, Steve Miller Band, Led Zepplin, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Pretenders, Tom Petty, the Police, CCR, Don McLean...

cauliflower pizza

I've been attempting to make vegetable based pizza crusts for a few years now. I attempted a zucchini crust recipe a few times a couple of years ago, and the first attempt was delicious! it stuck to the pan really bad though, so I figured I'd made it too thin. Every subsequent attempt was not great to say the least...
Cut to a few weeks ago, I was reading on a different blog and was inspired to try the cauliflower crust pizza. I  augmented the recipe a little, and so far I've made it 3 times, and it was so good!! the first time I forgot to cook the cauliflower after I riced it, but it was OK, just a bit raw-ish tasting. I used an olive oil base and topped with brie, Gorgonzola, and mushrooms.  The second attempt was about the same, and I added sauteed french shallots. This last time I made it, I switched to a tomato based sauce and topped that with mozzarella balls, olives and mushrooms. I was only able to snap a picture this last time because it was eaten so fast the first two times! The coolest thing about it is, there's less than half the calories of a typical slice of plain pizza IN THE WHOLE FRIGGING THING! (minus the toppings of course ;))

anyway, the crust is super easy, here's the basic recipe:

1C cauliflower, riced (grate, then microwave for 8 min)

1C mozzarella, shredded

1  egg, beaten

1t dried oregano, or alternative spice mix (I used the salt free pizza spice mix from the bulk section at central market)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 t garlic salt or other flavored salt (I used truffle salt)

olive oil

spray a cookie sheet with non stick spray, or spread olive oil, thick and even over the whole surface. pre-heat oven to 450. in a largish bowl, stir together cauliflower, egg and cheese. add spices and salt and mix thoroughly. transfer to sheet and pat into desired shape with your hands. brush with olive oil. bake at 450 for about 15 min. remove and loosen from sheet with a spatula, careful to not break the crust!! 

top with whatever your heart desires and pop it back in the oven for 4-5 min until topping cheese is melted (I usually boost the heat up a bit too at this point, but you don't have to) 

this is enough for one pizza, which, with salad, was enough for me and my husby.

easy peasy!!

I love Thanksgiving

I love thanksgiving. I'm like Seth Cohen from the OC, I dream about eating so much thanksgiving deliciousness that I pass out right there at the table.
The past couple of years I've prepared our meal (although last year it came a week late due to scheduling conflicts and a turkey delay). It's no secret that I love to cook, and with thanksgiving, you can't really over do it. in a normal meal you can make 4 maybe 5 different dishes before you're overdoing it, but with thanksgiving, the sky's the limit.
I also love that there's usually left overs, and finding new and interesting ways to use turkey is one of my favorite things.
speaking of this, I found a delish turkey pho recipe in the recent edition of 'goop' that I had to share (and can't WAIT to try!):

Turkey pho by Winnie Ab

Makes: 2 big bowls of soup

• 1 quart homemade turkey stock (or homemade or store-bought chicken stock)
• 1 bunch scallions (green top parts only), chopped
• One 3-inch chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of a knife
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce, or more to taste
• 1 to 2 cups kale, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 pound leftover turkey breast, shredded
• 1 bunch (about 2 ounces) cellophane or bean thread noodles (or enough flat dried rice noodles to serve 2)
• 1 ½ tablespoons chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
• 1 ½ tablespoons chopped scallions (white parts only), for garnish (optional)
• Sriracha hot sauce
• 1/2 lime, cut into wedges

Heat a cast-iron skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the spices and toast until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately spoon the spices into a bowl to avoid burning them.

Add the toasted spices, stock, scallions, ginger, brown sugar, and fish sauce to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.

Taste the broth and add more sugar or fish sauce if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids. Add the kale and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.

Add the turkey and noodles. Allow to sit for a few minutes while the noodles soften.

Ladle the broth into 2 bowls. Divide the kale, turkey and noodles evenly between the bowls.

Sprinkle on the garnishes and add Sriracha to taste. Squeeze lime juice to taste before eating.

(courtesy of 'goop' newsletter. I love you Gwyneth!!!!)

bring on the comfort

I hate cold weather (which to me is anything below like, 50). My plan when the clouds roll in and the rain starts to fall (which, in Seattle, is like, October through may) is usually to get out of town or snuggle somewhere relaxing with the hubster, but when I'm alone, it's all about movies and comfort food. I must say, I love to cook. There's something that is so satisfying about being able to combine fresh ingredients in a way that just makes you warm all over.
In the spirit of this, I made one of my favorites this week: Shepard's Pie. Now, I'm sure there's a standard recipe for this dish, I'm not fully aware of it, but this is my version...

Sara's Shepard's pie
1 lb ground beef (or whatever you use)
1 onion, sliced
a handful of your favorite mushrooms, sliced
1 C + 1 C (or so) heavy cream
1 bunch of kale, coarsely chopped
1 C corn (or the corn from 1 ear, but frozen or canned is fine)
1 C peas (frozen or canned are fine)
4-5 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 C grated cheddar cheese (I used Dubliner)
& have these available for flavor:
salt
pepper
nutmeg
butter/olive oil

Brown the beef, boil and mash the potatoes (add butter, cream, salt, and/or pepper to taste), and saute the onions (I used olive oil). cover them and set aside.
In a small sauce pan, combine 1C cream, mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low boil, stirring continuously until it starts to thicken a bit.
in a casserole dish (9x11 or 13) spread the beef along the bottom of the dish. pour the mushroom cream evenly over the beef. layer the sauteed onions on top of that.
in a large saute pan, saute kale until bright in color. reduce heat. add 1 C cream or enough to cover the bottom of the pan evenly. dust with salt, pepper and nutmeg. cover and let simmer for 20 min. or until most of the moisture has evaporated. stir. (try not to lift the lid very much during the simmering off process)
add peas and corn on top of the onions and beef/mushroom cream while the kale is simmering.
add kale layer on top of peas and corn layer.
spread mashed potatoes on top of the kale layer.
sprinkle cheese on top of potatoes layer.
place in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25 min. or until bubbly, and cheese has started to brown.
let cool before serving.

I was able to use fresh corn, kale and ground beef from local farms and potatoes from our own garden. score!

coooooold

It would appear that our faux-summer is officially over. we got like, a cumulative month of 70+ weather (maybe) and only like, 5 days where we cracked 80. I have only one thing to say to that: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Seriously?! I feel gyped. but anyway....

Before Jared left for Europe, I had a chance to make a really great dinner, acorn squash with stuffed quinoa, and fortunately I was able to get the recipe down before I forgot it! so here it is:

Yellow acorn squash 
w/ quinoa& pear stuffing


Squash
1 acorn squash, I used a yellow
Maple syrup
Butter


Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds and smear soft butter all over the inside and then drizzle maple syrup over that.
Bake squash cut side down in a shallow pan (w/ a little water) in 400 deg oven for 30-45 min, or until you can pierce the rind w/ a fork but BEFORE the rind burns and collapses. Let cool.

Cook quinoa according to directions.

Stuffing
1 cup quinoa
Half a pear, chopped
Half a jalapeño, diced
1/4 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts
2 med. Chantrelle mushrooms, chopped
A pinch or two (or smidgen, if you like) of the following:
Cardamom          Cinnamon
Powdered curry   Nutmeg
Pepper                Salt

Mix all this in a bowl, cover it, and set aside, or in the fridge 

Flip over the squash and spoon in stuffing. I usually kinda lean them against each other so I can mound up the quinoa. Press a pat of butter into the top. 

Put them back in the oven at 300 for another 10-15 min, then take them out and serve!

Delish!!!