Solstice. Perfect summer weather--hot, no humidity (well, comparatively for around here). Pool is open, school is closed, and camp starts tomorrow. Welcome to early summer!
Last week worked out well--due to a random set of circumstances, we didn't get to grill when we intended to so a lot of meat met its due date at once, so my husband grilled a Joann's pork tenderloin, four burgers, and a pile of chicken tenders marinated in lemon-yogurt. We ate off that platter all week. It was awesome.
This week:
Monday: I'm out. It's on Dad. He'll figure something out I am sure. (I have a conference.)
Tuesday: Back to taco Tuesday. Due to the surfeit of meat, I had to make the taco meat and freeze it. Bonus: now ready to go.
Wednesday: Small boy is still pouting that he did not get last week's Wednesday spaghetti, so it will make its triumphant return.
Thursday: I had a request! Pacific rim pork, rice, maybe a broccoli side.
Friday: town picnic! Last year it was cancelled by weather; I hope the picnic happens this year. We bring a salad or side; not sure what we'll bring right now though.
Last week, we did a potluck lunch on the second-to-last day of school. I made poppyseed chicken, broccoli slaw from Dinner: A Love Story, margarita punch, and the chickpea/apple salad. (I was the instigator, but a very generous friend volunteered her house for the actual event, so I overcompensated by bringing way too much food.) I also made dinner for my mother in law this week and did the Smitten Kitchen almonds & zucchini. Yum yum yum.
Also, I made summer goals along with the kids: lemon water is helping me reach one of mine. I am trying to stay better hydrated. It's amazing how two slices of lemon changes how I feel about that glass of water. I have pinned lots of fruit/veggie water combos on Pinterest so I will be experimenting with them through the summer.
My kids have discovered the Singing Monsters app so I am going to bowm bowm bowm on outta here. Happy week!
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Three More Wakeups
And then my kids will be out of bed every day at 6am! Joy!
Kidding. Summer is sliding in right on time here and as soon as we get the screen thing fixed around here (as in, no, you cannot spend all day every day on them) we will be in summer mode.
Not much last week in the new food department though there were lots of old favorites.
I did try the ginger baked pears, and I liked them but they were not a family hit. Still: it's always good to try new things.
This week is tricky because there is baseball every night if the one boy's team keeps winning. As much as I hate the season for its unpredictability, length, and inconvenience, I love this team and this coaching staff and I want this for them. Here's hoping, but I know winning five in a row is a hard feat to pull off.
Monday: Joanne's pork tenderloin (didn't get to them last week), rice, zucchini
Tuesday: tacos
Wednesday: spaghetti
Thursday: first day of vacation so I am hoping to grill chicken, with grilled asparagus and lemony smashed potatoes.
Friday: ok, so Monday is complicated...we are invited to a World Cup game watch at a pizza place, but I suspect our own baseball schedule will make that not happen. If we don't have pizza Monday, we will have it tonight. If we have pizza on Monday, pork will be tonight.
Happy mid-June to all!
Kidding. Summer is sliding in right on time here and as soon as we get the screen thing fixed around here (as in, no, you cannot spend all day every day on them) we will be in summer mode.
Not much last week in the new food department though there were lots of old favorites.
I did try the ginger baked pears, and I liked them but they were not a family hit. Still: it's always good to try new things.
This week is tricky because there is baseball every night if the one boy's team keeps winning. As much as I hate the season for its unpredictability, length, and inconvenience, I love this team and this coaching staff and I want this for them. Here's hoping, but I know winning five in a row is a hard feat to pull off.
Monday: Joanne's pork tenderloin (didn't get to them last week), rice, zucchini
Tuesday: tacos
Wednesday: spaghetti
Thursday: first day of vacation so I am hoping to grill chicken, with grilled asparagus and lemony smashed potatoes.
Friday: ok, so Monday is complicated...we are invited to a World Cup game watch at a pizza place, but I suspect our own baseball schedule will make that not happen. If we don't have pizza Monday, we will have it tonight. If we have pizza on Monday, pork will be tonight.
Happy mid-June to all!
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Crazy and Hazy, Check, Now Seeking Lazy
Anyone else remember that song, about the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer? I think we can check off the "crazy" for sure, and some of the "hazy" too. Last week involved a blitz trip to Connecticut to watch our niece graduate from high school there, which we were thrilled to be a part of. Then we jammed back down the turnpike in time for the baseball playoff games and sleepovers that awaited my boys. I went to a ballet while my husband went to a soccer game. I think it is the first time except for school where all four of us have been apart. It was a little strange.
Due to that--there wasn't much cooking last week, though I was delighted with one success: I made a turkey breast, based mostly on How to Cook Everything's recipe. My version: preheat oven to 450. Put turkey breast in pan with small amount of olive oil in the bottom. Rub soft butter on turkey breast. Top with kosher or sea salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning, then drizzle with a little more olive oil. Ideally, pour some chicken broth/stock in the pan to keep the turkey moist. Baste while it cooks if you think of it. Check after 30-40 minutes to see if the convenient little "pops up when it's done" thing has popped up. Serve to your picky child and watch him ask for thirds. It was bliss.
The only other "new" thing: I needed to use cans for the softball toss at the end-of-year parties, so I made the lemony walnut chickpea salad from Pinterest. I loved it as is, and loved it more with avocado. Yum. I made it again, even after I had plenty of cans ready for the carnival game.
This week: I have lots of rosemary. See if you can spot the theme.
Monday: Joanne's pork tenderloin, rice, zucchini
Tuesday: tacos
Wednesday: spaghetti (trying the Laughing Cow faux Alfredo here for me); it is also the end of year celebration for our school language program so I am making a ton of dumplings for the Chinese food requirement and probably margarita punch for the Mexican. (No, no tequila, tempting though it may be)
Thursday: chicken roll ups, roasted fingerling potatoes, something green
Friday: my last day of work for the summer! I am excited and terrified. We have been hammered with unexpected bills this year (starting with taxes, made worse by the much higher charge from the firm that did our taxes, then my car frying all its fuses, then a mostly-covered-but-so-expensive-we-still-paid-a-ton medical procedure plus much higher copays from the new health insurance...) and I am very worried about how the summer is going to go cash-wise.
But...it's summer! The kids are loving swimming, and I am finding myself very distracted at work and impatient to finish books and just have a different set of things on my mind. I am hoping to kick it off with a local "moms at loose ends for approximately 27 more minutes" get together, especially for the moms around here whose kids are all in school for the extra days from snow. But that would involve planning and that is not my gift right now!
Wishing you a good week full of things that make you happy.
Due to that--there wasn't much cooking last week, though I was delighted with one success: I made a turkey breast, based mostly on How to Cook Everything's recipe. My version: preheat oven to 450. Put turkey breast in pan with small amount of olive oil in the bottom. Rub soft butter on turkey breast. Top with kosher or sea salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning, then drizzle with a little more olive oil. Ideally, pour some chicken broth/stock in the pan to keep the turkey moist. Baste while it cooks if you think of it. Check after 30-40 minutes to see if the convenient little "pops up when it's done" thing has popped up. Serve to your picky child and watch him ask for thirds. It was bliss.
The only other "new" thing: I needed to use cans for the softball toss at the end-of-year parties, so I made the lemony walnut chickpea salad from Pinterest. I loved it as is, and loved it more with avocado. Yum. I made it again, even after I had plenty of cans ready for the carnival game.
This week: I have lots of rosemary. See if you can spot the theme.
Monday: Joanne's pork tenderloin, rice, zucchini
Tuesday: tacos
Wednesday: spaghetti (trying the Laughing Cow faux Alfredo here for me); it is also the end of year celebration for our school language program so I am making a ton of dumplings for the Chinese food requirement and probably margarita punch for the Mexican. (No, no tequila, tempting though it may be)
Thursday: chicken roll ups, roasted fingerling potatoes, something green
Friday: my last day of work for the summer! I am excited and terrified. We have been hammered with unexpected bills this year (starting with taxes, made worse by the much higher charge from the firm that did our taxes, then my car frying all its fuses, then a mostly-covered-but-so-expensive-we-still-paid-a-ton medical procedure plus much higher copays from the new health insurance...) and I am very worried about how the summer is going to go cash-wise.
But...it's summer! The kids are loving swimming, and I am finding myself very distracted at work and impatient to finish books and just have a different set of things on my mind. I am hoping to kick it off with a local "moms at loose ends for approximately 27 more minutes" get together, especially for the moms around here whose kids are all in school for the extra days from snow. But that would involve planning and that is not my gift right now!
Wishing you a good week full of things that make you happy.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
The Rest of the Story
So, what I didn't mention last week: I had no right to be melancholy. My husband took the kids to the mountains for the weekend over Memorial Day because I had to work. Not much--only an hour on Sunday afternoon--but it was really in the middle of everything, so I stayed home for the first time (? I think) in 20 years. It was so quiet. I loved it but it was instructive--even with 2 of the 3 leading mess-makers out of the house (I am definitely in the top 2), it took ages to get the house looking the way other people seem to keep theirs.
I cooked a ton--mac and cheese for a family party in two weeks, the soup from last week, and some recipes I was interested in but no one else would be. Case in point: the Provencal Tuna Salad from How to Cook Supper. I had the dill, I had the will, and I was ready to go. And I loved it. Not a single other soul in the house would have eaten it but I was delighted to have it to myself anyway. Also, meet my new summer breakfast, the peanut butter and banana smoothie. So good, so easy. I used regular milk since that's what I had but now that I know I will make this again (and again and again) I will get some almond milk and less sugar-based peanut butter. I was also inspired to try the brain power smoothie since that was so good. This was more of a traditional fruit smoothie and I loved it too (even though I didn't have 2 C blueberries, and I did skip the chia--I can't get through that texture). Only downside to this is that I don't usually have pomegranate juice in the house. But if it's on sale...this is a good one.
While I had my blender out, I made detox soup because I love it so, and also tried this avolantro-lime dressing for the super-cute salads-in-the-jars-I-am-resisting-purchasing. I liked it, but didn't love it; I think part of it is that if it has avocado and cilantro, it should be detox soup. And I never add enough olive oil because I am aghast at what I do add, so it's not very dressing-y. But it was good on tacos and with beans and salsa for the cute salad-in-a-cheap-tupperware-from-the-market.
For an impromptu Memorial Day gathering (well, impromptu for me, my friends had been planning for a while I am sure), I made a mashup of the Giada orzo salad (on sidebar) and this minted orzo salad with chickpeas and feta--but with the rather large adjustment that I didn't have mint. So, a few more veggies than Giada's version, and I was afraid the garlic would make the dressing too sharp (at least with the garlic I have right now), so a little of this, a little of that, some basil, and poof--a salad ready to take, and was well received.
I also made another Pinterest find--Barefoot Contessa sautéed tomatoes. I found it took way more than 7 minutes to get them all collapse-y. I think I like them oven roasted better but this way was easier (no cutting, just herb chopping). A worthy experiment but one I probably won't repeat.
For my own dining pleasure, I tried the Persian chicken salad suggested by the Tipsy Baker. I loved it and will make it again when I have the things on hand. I toasted extra spices and kept them aside.
And I had to laugh at the comment about tzatziki as a salad--it usually is a topping rather than a side, but it doesn't always work that way here, so we count it as a side salad if I don't over shred the cukes. That recipe from last week was very good but not amazing so the search continues.
So. That brings me to this week.
Monday: turkey breast (which I didn't make last week), zucchini, stuffing for glutenous people
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday or pizza at the baseball field, depending how many family members are coming to the 6pm game
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti
Thursday: Tacos or turkey, depending on how Tuesday went
Friday: out for a graduation celebration with family
Have a happy week, everyone!
I cooked a ton--mac and cheese for a family party in two weeks, the soup from last week, and some recipes I was interested in but no one else would be. Case in point: the Provencal Tuna Salad from How to Cook Supper. I had the dill, I had the will, and I was ready to go. And I loved it. Not a single other soul in the house would have eaten it but I was delighted to have it to myself anyway. Also, meet my new summer breakfast, the peanut butter and banana smoothie. So good, so easy. I used regular milk since that's what I had but now that I know I will make this again (and again and again) I will get some almond milk and less sugar-based peanut butter. I was also inspired to try the brain power smoothie since that was so good. This was more of a traditional fruit smoothie and I loved it too (even though I didn't have 2 C blueberries, and I did skip the chia--I can't get through that texture). Only downside to this is that I don't usually have pomegranate juice in the house. But if it's on sale...this is a good one.
While I had my blender out, I made detox soup because I love it so, and also tried this avolantro-lime dressing for the super-cute salads-in-the-jars-I-am-resisting-purchasing. I liked it, but didn't love it; I think part of it is that if it has avocado and cilantro, it should be detox soup. And I never add enough olive oil because I am aghast at what I do add, so it's not very dressing-y. But it was good on tacos and with beans and salsa for the cute salad-in-a-cheap-tupperware-from-the-market.
For an impromptu Memorial Day gathering (well, impromptu for me, my friends had been planning for a while I am sure), I made a mashup of the Giada orzo salad (on sidebar) and this minted orzo salad with chickpeas and feta--but with the rather large adjustment that I didn't have mint. So, a few more veggies than Giada's version, and I was afraid the garlic would make the dressing too sharp (at least with the garlic I have right now), so a little of this, a little of that, some basil, and poof--a salad ready to take, and was well received.
I also made another Pinterest find--Barefoot Contessa sautéed tomatoes. I found it took way more than 7 minutes to get them all collapse-y. I think I like them oven roasted better but this way was easier (no cutting, just herb chopping). A worthy experiment but one I probably won't repeat.
For my own dining pleasure, I tried the Persian chicken salad suggested by the Tipsy Baker. I loved it and will make it again when I have the things on hand. I toasted extra spices and kept them aside.
And I had to laugh at the comment about tzatziki as a salad--it usually is a topping rather than a side, but it doesn't always work that way here, so we count it as a side salad if I don't over shred the cukes. That recipe from last week was very good but not amazing so the search continues.
So. That brings me to this week.
Monday: turkey breast (which I didn't make last week), zucchini, stuffing for glutenous people
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday or pizza at the baseball field, depending how many family members are coming to the 6pm game
Wednesday: Wednesday Spaghetti
Thursday: Tacos or turkey, depending on how Tuesday went
Friday: out for a graduation celebration with family
Have a happy week, everyone!
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Short Week, sorta
It's never a short week in food prep, right?
So, here we are at the unofficial start of summer...ahh! The pool is open, the swim team season is underway, the boys are sleeping well at night (coincidence? I don't think so).
Monday: Roasted turkey breast, tzatziki or cucumber salad (or both!), stuffing, asparagus
Tuesday: Tacos
Wednesday: Spaghetti
Thursday: chicken, rice, leftover asparagus
Friday: Maybe pizza?
We'll see how the end of the week goes.
Last week I made one of my pinterest pins (finally) for shrimp corn chowder. It was bland but that just made it easier to jazz up. Since I am the only soup eater in the house I won't put it on the sidebar here but it was a yummy basic recipe and very easy to boot.
This is the tzatziki recipe I am trying this week:
So, here we are at the unofficial start of summer...ahh! The pool is open, the swim team season is underway, the boys are sleeping well at night (coincidence? I don't think so).
Monday: Roasted turkey breast, tzatziki or cucumber salad (or both!), stuffing, asparagus
Tuesday: Tacos
Wednesday: Spaghetti
Thursday: chicken, rice, leftover asparagus
Friday: Maybe pizza?
We'll see how the end of the week goes.
Last week I made one of my pinterest pins (finally) for shrimp corn chowder. It was bland but that just made it easier to jazz up. Since I am the only soup eater in the house I won't put it on the sidebar here but it was a yummy basic recipe and very easy to boot.
This is the tzatziki recipe I am trying this week:
Tzatziki
Serves 4
This side-dish works best in the summer and can be served with bread, lamb, vegetables and potatoes. It is a mainstay in middle Eastern cuisine, although we are bringing it here as a Greek dish. Give it a try, close your eyes and picture yourself on a beautiful beach in Antiparos.
Ingredients:1 cup natural yoghurt (greek-style is best, particularly sheep-milk yoghurt)
1 firm cucumber
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
Sea salt
1 firm cucumber
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
Sea salt
Instructions:Take a bowl and fill it with the yoghurt.
Peel the cucumber, grate it and put it into a separate bowl adding some salt. Let it draw some water and then drain it well by pressing it into a sieve using a large spoon. Add it to the yoghurt. (You can reserve the juice and drink it – it’s delicious and healthy.)
Peel and finely mince the garlic cloves and mix it into the yoghurt mass along with the vinegar, olive oil, mustard and a little salt to taste.
A few finely chopped mint leaves are optional, and taste lovely in the mix.
Peel the cucumber, grate it and put it into a separate bowl adding some salt. Let it draw some water and then drain it well by pressing it into a sieve using a large spoon. Add it to the yoghurt. (You can reserve the juice and drink it – it’s delicious and healthy.)
Peel and finely mince the garlic cloves and mix it into the yoghurt mass along with the vinegar, olive oil, mustard and a little salt to taste.
A few finely chopped mint leaves are optional, and taste lovely in the mix.
And of course now that it is almost 80 degrees I am immediately thinking about my detox soup as well. Mmmmmm.
Last week was a bit of a bummer--I made the Joy of Cooking ribs, which we thought were great, but my rib-loving oldest wouldn't eat them. He orders them from restaurants all the time so I am a little bummed out about this. What we are eating is dwindling, dramatically, and it makes me sad. Some of it is me. I am worn down by making lunches and grateful to just put the same thing in the one lunch, and frustrated to the point of wanting to give up on the uneaten lunches on the other side. Right now I try to console myself that I am at leaf getting the highest nutritional punch possible out of what I serve and hope it works out in the end.
I don't mean to end on a melancholy note but that's kind of where I am in the kitchen right now. Wishing you a happy Memorial Day--may it be filled with good memories, new and old.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
For the Record
So, I meant to post what we had for the first communion for future reference.
The only request from the first communicant was buttered noodles (nugget shaped from Wegman's). We made two pounds, put them in a crockpot on "keep warm," and it was plenty.
He didn't care about the rest, so we went with a very Delco Celebration.
-Because he really did care, a medium sized party tray of nuggets from Chik Fil A
-Roy Tweedy's meatball sandwich special
-Wayside Market mini sandwich tray and mini croissant tray (20 each, huge hit, delicious), garden salad (yummy but no one ate it, though it was perfect as a leftover party food item in my fridge for the week)
-Colonial Village dried beef dip and potato salad
-cheese plate (because Mr. Picky loves his cheese) with Ritz and Triscuits
-320 Pico and Chips and fruit salad
-Margarita punch
-Maria's cake
-ah-maaaaaaz-ing cookies from a friend
-chips, pretzels, bugles, Chex Mix
-3 dips--onion, curry, lemon-dill
We were so lucky the weather cooperated, and it all went beautifully.
This week:
Monday: turkey breast, stuffing, broccoli
Tuesday: tacos
Wednesday: spaghetti
Thursday: Pacific Rim Pork with rice
Friday: leftovers, or pesto quinoa for the boys
We came in to a lot of hot dogs (and I mean a LOT--they were for a tailgate that ended up all but rained out) so I was looking for the St. John's Hospice recipes and it encouraged me to clean out my paper recipes and get them coordinated online. I tossed a bunch of stuff (if it called for an ingredient I don't know, it's out--I'm not at a point in my life to be experimenting quite like that) and need to get the rest connected to the blog. I was fascinated, though, to discover just how many of the recipes I'd clipped were from Jenny Rosenstrach, she of my blog obsession, Dinner: A Love Story. I had stuff from Cookie and Real Simple all over the clippings boxes. Happily, many of them are now online, so the clippings are recycled, but I am so glad she has embraced the new media and the interwebs.
Wishing you a good week!
The only request from the first communicant was buttered noodles (nugget shaped from Wegman's). We made two pounds, put them in a crockpot on "keep warm," and it was plenty.
He didn't care about the rest, so we went with a very Delco Celebration.
-Because he really did care, a medium sized party tray of nuggets from Chik Fil A
-Roy Tweedy's meatball sandwich special
-Wayside Market mini sandwich tray and mini croissant tray (20 each, huge hit, delicious), garden salad (yummy but no one ate it, though it was perfect as a leftover party food item in my fridge for the week)
-Colonial Village dried beef dip and potato salad
-cheese plate (because Mr. Picky loves his cheese) with Ritz and Triscuits
-320 Pico and Chips and fruit salad
-Margarita punch
-Maria's cake
-ah-maaaaaaz-ing cookies from a friend
-chips, pretzels, bugles, Chex Mix
-3 dips--onion, curry, lemon-dill
We were so lucky the weather cooperated, and it all went beautifully.
This week:
Monday: turkey breast, stuffing, broccoli
Tuesday: tacos
Wednesday: spaghetti
Thursday: Pacific Rim Pork with rice
Friday: leftovers, or pesto quinoa for the boys
We came in to a lot of hot dogs (and I mean a LOT--they were for a tailgate that ended up all but rained out) so I was looking for the St. John's Hospice recipes and it encouraged me to clean out my paper recipes and get them coordinated online. I tossed a bunch of stuff (if it called for an ingredient I don't know, it's out--I'm not at a point in my life to be experimenting quite like that) and need to get the rest connected to the blog. I was fascinated, though, to discover just how many of the recipes I'd clipped were from Jenny Rosenstrach, she of my blog obsession, Dinner: A Love Story. I had stuff from Cookie and Real Simple all over the clippings boxes. Happily, many of them are now online, so the clippings are recycled, but I am so glad she has embraced the new media and the interwebs.
Wishing you a good week!
Saturday, May 10, 2014
My Favorite Food Category
So, how was your week? Mine was full of leftover party food. It was bliss. (Many of you know--"leftover party food" is my favorite food category!)
Alas, not so for this week. Mother's Day brunch tomorrow and then actual cooking this week. But the communion, the party, and the leftovers--all wonderful. Now back to reality...
Sunday--I don't care as long as I don't cook it. I made quiches for brunch (classic Betty Crocker quiche Lorraine, thanks to the interwebs, and this spinach quiche (with crust) and this spinach and mushroom quiche (without). The one without, I used the rest of my fat-free yogurt and regular fat sour cream (it's what I had). I couldn't believe all that fit in my pie dish but it did!
Monday--baseball at 6 with a 5:15 call, so Crazy Jane's Chicken, rice, and spinach.
Tuesday--tacos
Wednesday--spaghetti
Thursday--Pacific Rim Pork, rice, maybe broccoli on the side
Alas, not so for this week. Mother's Day brunch tomorrow and then actual cooking this week. But the communion, the party, and the leftovers--all wonderful. Now back to reality...
Sunday--I don't care as long as I don't cook it. I made quiches for brunch (classic Betty Crocker quiche Lorraine, thanks to the interwebs, and this spinach quiche (with crust) and this spinach and mushroom quiche (without). The one without, I used the rest of my fat-free yogurt and regular fat sour cream (it's what I had). I couldn't believe all that fit in my pie dish but it did!
Monday--baseball at 6 with a 5:15 call, so Crazy Jane's Chicken, rice, and spinach.
Tuesday--tacos
Wednesday--spaghetti
Thursday--Pacific Rim Pork, rice, maybe broccoli on the side
Friday--hooray for the school's end-of-year party!
Have a great week and Happy Mother's Day to any who celebrate!
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