PInterest Sunday

Pinterest is my latest addiction, as I'm sure it is for many of you out there.  So far, my nightly pinterest pinning has been trumped only by Christian Grey (why yes, I have jumped right on that bandwagon!). 

Again, like many of you, I pin everything and then do nothing with it.  My boards are full of wonderful ideas that never come to life.

Yesterday, I vowed to change that!  My children had a marvelous time in the bathtub for almost two hours. 

They played with cloud dough (a mixture of flour and baby oil, found on play create explore blog) in the bathtub, because it was too humid and hot to play outside and I couldn't fathom the mess in my already dirty kitchen.  This was followed by some bathtub paint...I don't know who to credit for this one, there are directions all over the web...we mixed shaving cream and food coloring in a mini muffin tin (they each got six colors).  After awhile, I squirted some kids body wash over the top and it seemed to stick to the walls better.

When we decided to be finished, the three-year-old got a washcloth to wipe down the walls and the toddler got the job of rinsing all the dishes and paint brushes (so I could keep her sitting down in the slippery tub).  Then everyone got a bath.  If I'd had some, I would have thrown some glow-sticks in the water and turned the lights out and we could've made it a pinterest hat trick.  (Again, I don't know who to credit for the glow-stick idea, I've seen it on Pinterest just about every day)

Here is what I learned...

1. Food coloring mixed with shaving cream will not stain a fiberglass tub (thank goodness!).
2. Two hours in a tub makes for some very tired and satisfied kids--we will be doing this again.
3. There is nothing in this world that is any cuter than my toddler's bubble butt covered in specks of dough and rainbow shaving cream!

Then, after I fed the kids some Stuffed Pepper-Stuffed Shells that I cooked ahead for the week, I made some Baked Egg Rolls for me and my hubby, also found on pinterest.

Real Men Think Quiche is Cool!

My latest go-to method of cleaning out the fridge...quiche!  When I suggested it for dinner, my "real man" said "cool!"

It was about two months ago that I started this kick with the purchase of a two pack of frozen deep-dish pie crusts.  The first pie crust became a remarkably yummy Monte Cristo Quiche (recipe follows).  The second crust became (my friend Michele's recipe) Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie that my husband made me take to work so we wouldn't eat it all and then he got mad that I didn't save him a piece.

Next shopping trip's pie crusts became first a Spinach, Mushroom and Ham Quiche (recipe follows) that hubby said was the "best yet" and we even tricked the picky three-year-old to eat more than her standard "2 no-thank-you bites."  The second crust from that package became a Crab and Shrimp Quiche.  I would give you the recipe but I hated it...if you think it sounds good (like I did), do what I'm going to do--look up a recipe somewhere else.

Current package of pie crusts...Spinach, Mushroom and Ham again.  Here is the part where I pat myself on the back (hope you don't mind)...tonight I wanted to make quiche for family dinner but here is how the evening went...

• Try to leave work at 4:45, actually get in the car with children at 5:30
• Ride home with this in the back seat:  "I don't want to go home, I want to go somewhere else, I'm mad at you, I'm MAD at you, I'M MAD AT YOU...mommy...sorry...I was just yelling 'cause I was mad at you" (hurray three-year-olds!)
• Toddler pees through diaper into carseat (thank god Daddy is home!)
• Daddy takes screaming, starving, dirt and pee covered toddler to tub
• Mommy assembles quiche and slices strawberries and middle finger (just a little bit)...

Here is where it finally started turning around...

• Three-year-old eats strawberries, deli roast beef, leftover mac and cheese, dried pineapple, dried cranberries and cubed ham for dinner
• Three-year-old asks to help scramble eggs: "can you put it on the floor and we need a whisk?" And she did a great job beating the eggs
• Freshly bathed and totally adorable toddler eats strawberries, cubed ham and two helpings of mac and cheese (with a fork) for dinner
• Mommy finally gets quiche in the oven and sends children to basement with Daddy to watch Octonauts
• Mommy brings pieces of quiche to basement for parents' dinner and toddler practically breaks her neck climbing on couch to get "bite, bite, bite" of the spinach and mushroom quiche
• Three-year-old stops in dining room on way to tub for a piece of quiche but only wants the ham and spinach--no egg (but that's okay, the whole reason I made quiche tonight was to get some iron filled spinach into my anemic daughter!  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!)

Basic Quiche Recipe
6 eggs
1 cup milk
Few dashes hot sauce (optional)
Few shakes ground mustard (I use probably 1/2 tsp...this is optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Frozen Deep-Dish Pie Crust (whole wheat if you can find it)
Fillings of your hearts desire (I usually stick with a meat, a cheese and a vegetable.  I always have canned mushrooms in the pantry and I love mushroom quiche, so I use them alot)

Preheat oven to 350.  Beat first five ingredients in a medium bowl.  Place frozen pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet and layer fillings in pie crust. Pour egg mixture over fillings.  The egg mixture should come to the bottom of the crust edge.  Bake 30-40 minutes until center is set and top is golden brown.

Monte Cristo Quiche

Follow directions above using mushrooms, sliced ham, sliced turkey and shredded Swiss cheese (or Gruyere, jack or cheddar cheeses).  Heat 1 Tbs. raspberry jam about 20 seconds in microwave and drizzle over the quiche before serving.  When we had this quiche, we didn't have any raspberry jam in the fridge.  We used Feisty Vanilla Pepper Jelly from the Hawaiian Vanilla Company.  So. Darn. Good.

Spinach Mushroom Ham Quiche
Pretty self explanatory...layer mushrooms, cubed ham and 1/2 a box of frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry) with mozzarella cheese for the fillings.

Ruthi Claytor Picked a Peck of Rainbow Peppers

I can only blame pregnancy.

I have never in my life liked bell peppers in any form.  Then I got pregnant.  After my first pregnancy, my sister brought dinner to the house...stuffed peppers.  Hmmm, not bad.  After a few months of experimenting, Ken and I discovered that green peppers are tolerable, red peppers are acceptable and the orange and yellow ones are actually delicious.

So two more pregnancies have gone by and I find myself buying the rainbow pack of peppers at least once a month.  Recently, the local grocery store has had them in a six-pack for seven bucks!  So now it's twice a month and double the peppers in the pack...and we are not tired of them yet!  How is that, you ask?  It is all about the creativity and preparation...and a little inspiration from those first stuffed peppers I enjoyed.

Oh, and my 18 month old daughter can't get enough peppers either--she fights me for them (although not as much as roasted cauliflower, but I'll tell you about that later).

First, prep the peppers.  Once I've made a plan on when and how to use the peppers, they either get stored whole in the fridge or cut and frozen.  If you'll be using later or not sure how and when, core and slice the peppers and spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet in the freezer.  Once they are frozen, portion and freeze in zip-top bags.  Usually, I'll core and slice all six peppers and divide into three portions--two in the fridge and one in the freezer for later.

Below you will find the recipes we used for the latest peck of peppers.  One is on of our favorite stand-by recipes and two I've created recently that blew even me out of the water!
Mostly Veggie Steak Sandwiches
Stuffed Pepper Stuffed Shells
Pineapple Teriyaki Pizza (pictured above--thank you Ken for making my food look so tasty!)

For the record (because I know my sister will ask), both kids eat the steak sandwiches, Charleigh (the 18 month old) devoured the shells, and Ken and I didn't share the pizza with the kiddies--it was too yummy!

Our favorite stand-by recipe...
Mostly Veggie Steak Sandwiches
Olive Oil
8 or 16 oz white or cremini mushrooms, sliced thin (we love mushrooms...we use 16 oz)
2 bell peppers, any color, cored and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 box frozen minute steaks (7 slice size box), chopped into strips
Montreal steak seasoning
Worcestershire sauce
4 sub rolls
Sliced sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
Mayonnaise
Oregano
Cook mushrooms in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until most liquid has rendered and evaporated.  Add peppers and onions to pan and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until veggies are to your desired tenderness.  Remove veggies to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
Add minute steaks to skillet, season with steak seasoning and Worcestershire sauce to taste.  Cook until steak is cooked through.  Add veggies back to skillet and check for seasoning (salt and pepper).
Toast sub rolls, spread very lightly with mayo and sprinkle with oregano.  Assemble sandwiches with cheese.
(lots of times I'll warm the left-over steak and veggie mixture and toss it with romaine lettuce, balsamic vinaigrette dressing and some feta cheese).

Stuffed Pepper Stuffed Shells
24 Jumbo pasta shells
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, any color, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbs. Montreal steak seasoning
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 cup beef broth
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 can condensed tomato soup (undiluted)
Cook shells, spread on waxed paper to cool.  Cook ground beef and onion in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add peppers and garlic and cook until veggies are desired tenderness.  Add steak seasoning and tomato paste and cook 2-3 minutes.  Add chili powder and beef broth.  Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer until liquid evaporates, 5-7 minutes.  Meanwhile, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour and cook 2-3 minutes.  Whisk in milk and bring to simmer.  When thickened, add 1 cup cheese and tomato soup, stirring to melt cheese.
Assemble shells--preheat oven to 350.  Spray 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.  Stuff each cooked pasta shell with large spoonful of ground beef mixture and place in dish.  Pour cheese sauce over shells and top with remaining cheese.  Bake 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.  (Warning--the cheese sauce is so yummy, my husband literally licked the sauce pan clean!)

Pineapple Teriyaki Pizza
1 medium bell pepper, any color, chopped (or a mix of peppers, about 2 cups chopped)
olive oil
1 Tbs corn meal (for dusting pan)
Refrigerated Pizza Crust (in a tube is fine)
2 Tbs.Teriyaki sauce (look for a thicker "marinade" variety in the bbq sauce section of the grocery store)
1 cup pineapple, diced
Packaged Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs (I used Aidells brand--you'll find it in the refrigerated sausage case)--half a package, diced
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 400.  Toss peppers with a drizzle of olive oil and scatter on cookie sheet.  Bake about 10 minutes, tossing once during cooking time.  Remove from the oven and cool slightly.  Meanwhile, brush another cookie sheet with olive oil and dust with corn meal.  Stretch pizza crust to fit pan.  Drizzle crust with 1 Tbs. Teriyaki sauce.  Top with roasted peppers, pineapple, meatballs and cheese.  Drizzle remaining Teriyaki sauce and 1 tsp olive oil on pizza and bake 15 minutes until golden brown.

I'm kinda famous, or at least getting there...

So the Maryland Gazette did a story on me and my book.  I really appreciate that they thought the book news-worthy, and thanks to Kathy Shatt for making me sound good (I have to thank my photographers, husband Ken and friend Steve for actually making me look good).

http://www.mdgazette.com/content/glen-burnie-west-local-writer-broccoli-popsicle-and-other-stories

The person I really need to thank, though, is Ann "Grannie Annie" Golueke.  I neglected to give her credit in the article for the strata recipe.  Ann and I often share recipes and ideas; building off each other to create our own thing.  Ann actually started the strata kick.  So Ann...I'm sorry and I thank you, and mostly Ken thanks you--he loves the strata!

A strata is basically a savory bread pudding, but sooo simple to make.  Ann has her favorite combinations of meats and veggies to put in, and even her favorite type of bread.  I've had her strata...it's yummy!  The one I like best of hers involves Italian bread, bacon, asparagus, onions and some southwest seasoned egg substitute.  For me, the strata has become a method for which we clean out the fridge the day before shopping day.

You have to start the night before as strata needs to sit in the fridge overnight.  You'll need some bread, milk, eggs and cheese.  Choose your casserole dish size according to how much of each ingredient you have.  A loaf of bread, a dozen eggs and a cup or two of milk makes a very hearty 9 x 13 pan full.  As for the other ingredients you put in, just use what makes you happy.  I'm using some nice round numbers in the recipe below to make an 8 x 8 pan (about 4 servings).  I never measure when I cook and this method is very forgiving if you have too much or too little of something.

1/2 loaf of bread of any type (or some garlic herb croutons...you gotta try it!)
6 eggs
1 cup milk
salt, pepper, ground dry mustard, hot sauce or any other seasonings you like in eggs
1 cup cheese (your favorite)
1 cup chopped, cooked meat (any breakfast-ish meat will do)
1 cup chopped vegetables (fresh or thawed-frozen)

Spray pan with cooking spray.  Beat eggs, milk and seasonings to taste. Tear bread and place in pan. Layer cheese, meat and veggies on top and lightly toss with fingers.  Pour egg mixture on top, pressing down on bread so that it soaks up the eggs.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, let strata rest on counter while oven preheats to 350.  Bake covered 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake 15-25 minutes more until center is set and strata is golden brown.

The last strata I made had honey wheat bread, maple sausage, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, red pepper, cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese and garden vegetable cream cheese.  Ken said to me "honey, this is the best one yet!"  The problem is, I'll never have those same ingredients in the fridge at the same time again!

Easter 2011

My 2-year-old daughter learned how to use a knife on Easter.  It started with Daddy really needing a nap...

The baby (8 months old) was up at 12:30am and my wonderful (occasional insomniac) husband got up with her and even though she want back to sleep immediately, he was up until 3:30.  So at 8:30 am, he really needed a nap!  We had finished the egg hunt and the "opening" of the Easter basket and the consumption of enough M & M's to not want to eat the scrambled eggs and ham Mommy had cooked for breakfast.  Daddy had fallen asleep on the couch, so Dani (the 2-year-old) needed something quiet to do as to not wake him up.  (And Mommy needed to start Easter dinner so that she could get a nap when Daddy did wake up.)

Let the Deviled Egg preparation commence!

First of all, my planning ahead paid off!  Hubby Ken could not figure out why I was buying 18 packs of eggs every time I went grocery shopping for the past month.  Here's why--in order to peel hard boiled eggs easily, you have to use old eggs.  Not stinky, green old, just old enough to be at or a few days past the "sell by" date.  So I had plenty of eggs to work with on Friday when I cooked them.  On Sunday morning, the peels slipped right off and we only "lost" one egg to a stubborn peel.  If you haven't perfected your own hard boiled egg cooking method yet, try mine:

1. Use old eggs (see above).
2. Start with a wide pot with a lid.
3. Place eggs in a single layer in bottom of pot.
4. Cover with cold water (if your eggs are cold).
5. Place on stove, covered, and bring to a boil.
6. As soon as the water boils, turn off the heat and set the timer for 15 minutes (my sister says 20 minutes).
7. When the timer goes off, drain the eggs and put them in a bowl (or the sink) filled with water and ice.
8. Leave until cool then refrigerate until ready to use.

Second of all, my casual attitude about food with Dani paid off, too!  I really wanted to get some protein in her after all that chocolate (well, it wasn't so much, but it was the first time we've ever eaten candy before breakfast!).  I had been suggesting to her all kinds of food all morning, in which she was not interested.  As soon as she peeled that first egg..."mommy, I eat it?  Put some sauce (she means salt) on it." and she gobbled up probably 1 1/2 eggs by the time we were done.

Dani's job was to help peel the eggs, then after I rinsed them, she was to dry them and hand them to me one-by-one for slicing and yolk ejecting.  I have no idea where this came from, but after the first couple of eggs it was "here mommy, here is your artichoke!" 

I don't follow a recipe or measure anything when I make deviled eggs, I just add how much and what I think will make it taste better.  So I again needed something for Dani to do while I worked my magic.  I thought about having her stir, but did I mention that we were in the dining room and oh, she's two?  That being said, some may question my idea to put a knife in her hand!  Don't worry, it was just a butter knife that came in her toddler silverware set.  We talked about knife safety (don't ever put it in your mouth and when you are not cutting, it stays on the cutting board) and how to hold it with the blade straight up and down.  And then she mutilated the pieces of white and yolk on her cutting board that she had previously been nibbling at.  She really amazes me every day! 

After I had the filling to my liking, she did get to stir and pull the trigger on my "decorating gun" to fill the whites.  And for the second year in a row, we did not make enough deviled eggs for Easter dinner.

So for our next trick...Creme Brule (just kidding!)

Radishes

I've been trying to introduce new foods into our lives, not only for the kids, but for myself too!  So each trip to the grocery store, I'll buy something I haven't tried yet or tried in awhile.  After a little research, I try different ways of cooking whatever it is...this led me to "Braised Radishes" this week!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/braised-radishes-recipe/index.html

I don't like radishes...raw!  I know this.  Ever since I was a kid, I haven't liked radishes.  I discovered last week that I do, however, love them cooked!  They lose the bitterness and taste very earthy and a little sweet with a meaty kind of texture.  The braising liquid is a mixture of chicken broth, shallots, butter, sugar and vinegar, which adds to the sweet / savory yumminess.  The radishes cook out a lot of the color, making everything a pleasant pink (hmmm, princess rosy radishes, anyone?)  WARNING:  If you have any left over, don't heat them up at work...even though they taste good, they do smell like dirt!

As I was prepping my radishes, my two-year-old pushed her step-stool over to the counter to see what I was doing.  "Mmm, mommy, I want some!"  So I sliced off a very thin piece of radish and gave it to her.  She tried a couple of times to bite it...with her front teeth and then with her giant molars in the back...decided she couldn't take a bite and handed it back to me.  I'm so proud that she will try things!  I put that slice of radish in my mouth, decided I didn't want to bite it, but I ate it anyway...I'm so proud that I will try things!

So after the radishes had braised for about 15 minutes (the recipe says 10-12 minutes; I was playing in the living room with the baby) some of the radishes were more done than others, so as I ate one that was less done, it still had that bitter finish that the raw ones do (that's the part I don't like).  I spoke before I thought and asked my husband "are radishes related to horseradish?"  Go ahead and laugh at me...sometimes I just have to say it out loud to answer my own question.