Chickpeas 2 Ways, One a Kid's Request

At the farmer's market the other day I bought some kale.  I have been craving kale, largely due to watching it grow at what seems an extremely slow rate outside my kitchen window.  I asked my daughter if she wanted it and she said, "Only if you make it with the beanies and tomatoes."  Hmm.  I had forgotten about that.  So the night before last a dutifully put out half a bag of garbanzo beans to soak overnight.

Garbanzo beans do not do well with a quick soak or a quick cook or anything like that but I truly think they taste better from dried than canned.  And I've become a bit suspicious of cans and am trying to usher them out, thanks to all the BPA hoopla.

So after soaking them overnight, I rinsed and drained them and put them in a pot to boil and cooked them, checking them periodically for 45 minutes or so.  Until they were soft but not totally done.

Mind you this was the day after that really big bottle of sake...I decided some broth might be in order. So I had to make 2 recipes for 1 dinner with 4 people.  (Ridiculous, isn't it?)

Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans, eh, whatever you wanna call 'em) & Kale
1/4 bag of dried garbanzo beans, pre-soaked and pre-cooked
1/4 bunch of fresh kale, washed and coarsely chopped
6 cups of broth
salt
pepper
garlic

I thawed out my broth, which is homemade, mineral-rich, and gluten-free, and was also a mixture of turkey and chicken.  I thawed it only slightly and then threw the frozen hunks in the pan, letting the stove do the rest of the work.  I was feeling a bit in need of laziness, and perhaps it showed.  Adding some garlic powder and wishing I had fresh on hand, I stirred in the kale and the beans.  I simmered this at a low heat for about 20 minutes, allowing all broth to de-frost and all flavors to meld.  I seasoned with salt & pepper and then sampled a cup, taking immediate notice, shall we say, of its restorative properties.

In another pan, I made my daughter's request:

Chickpeas with Kale & Tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup red bell pepper
1/4 bunch chopped kale
2 cups marinara sauce
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. powdered garlic
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup dried garbanzo beans, pre-soaked and pre-cooked


In some olive oil, saute the onions and peppers until they start to be tender.  Add the
garbanzo beans and kale.  Pour the marinara sauce over it, add seasonings, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat immediately to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the kale has begun to soften.  This dish has always been a favorite of my daughter's, in its many incarnations.  I have used fresh or canned tomatoes before too.  I just don't buy canned tomatoes anymore, so I have subbed in the marinara.

Chinese Shark

No this is not the latest craze on Cartoon Network, believe it or not.  It was last night's dinner.  And quite tasty it was, too.  Easy to make, pleasing to the whole family, a winner in my book.  The baby is going through this mysterious stage where he doesn't want to eat vegetables.  I'm not really sure why, and quite frankly, I really don't care. Eating vegetables is not an optional thing around here, and the sooner he learns that and quits screeching and throwing things, the better off we'll be.  But he ate last nights veggies without protest, which made dinner a much quieter affair. See? If you were brought a steamy yummy looking plate like this-- I bet you'd eat your veggies too.

Ingredients:
1 lb. shark steak (preferably wild-caught)
1 cup jasmine rice
4 cups water (divided)
a large chunk of fresh ginger
frozen veggies
tamari sauce
powdered garlic
Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup onion
rice vinegar
sesame oil
corn starch
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
lemon zest


Cut your shark steak into large cubes and place in a bowl.  Grate up about a tablespoon of fresh ginger, and about a teaspoon of lemon zest.  Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar, 1tsp. powdered garlic, and about 1 tsp. of tamari sauce toss. Set aside.  Start rice cooking (for me jasmine rice seems to take about 25 minutes.  I have no package directions because we bought a 25 pound bag and are down to just a bit in a Rubbermaid container.)  In a large skillet, pour about 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and the chopped onions.  Once the onions start to turn translucent, add the marinated shark to the oil and cook at medium heat until the chunks are cooked through.  I forgot to time this, but was able to prep coffee for the following morning, inspect a messy child's room, feed rice chex to the baby, stirring throughout, and then I think it was done, if that gives you an idea.  Remove shark to another (clean-please!) bowl.

Grate more ginger into the pan, add another teaspoon or two of garlic, about 1/8 cup tamari, 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce, another tsp or so of lemon zest. Stir together, and add the frozen veggies. Fresh would be great if you have them on hand, I did not.  I used a frozen pack of "Asian" vegetables and a mystery can of salt-free green beans that has been around for ages.  Cook until veggies are cooked through, then add them to the bowl of shark.  In the same pan, add more sesame oil, about 1 tablespoon, more grated ginger and lemon zest, 1/8 cup rice vinegar, and about the same amount tamari sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Add 1 teaspoon of powdered garlic, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. of cayenne.  Then, dissolve some corn starch into 3 cups of warm water.  How much you use depends on how thick you want your sauce to be.  Add this mixture to the sauce and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook together for about 3 minutes.

Add shark and veggies to the pan and stir well, making sure all is coated evenly.  Serve shark & vegetables over rice with sake. This meal is totally gluten-free.  I'm not sure about the sake though.

A note on sake:  We always buy the same brand, and we only buy it at Super H Mart.  It's twice the price anywhere else.  We have developed a pretty easy method for heating it, since we like hot sake but don't want to cook the alcohol out.  We bring a small pot of water to a boil, then remove it from the heat.  Then pour your sake into your sake carafe and place it in the water for 2-3 minutes. Remove the carafe and pour from there. 

Quick Pickles

So our garden is blooming and alive and growing and we got our first cucumbers.  So I decided to make some quick pickles once I managed to grab two cucumbers that hadn't been eaten by anyone yet.

Quick Pickle (Refrigerator Pickle) Recipe
2 pickling cucumbers, preferably fresh from the garden
2 tsp. mustard seed
2 tsp. dill
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. salt
1 tsp.black pepper
2 cups white vinegar

Bring vinegar to a boil and dissolve the salt in it.  Meanwhile, cut your cucumbers (I did one jar of spears, one jar of chips.) Arrange cucumbers in 2 mason jars and divide the seasoning between the two jars.  Pour vinegar/salt mixture over the cucumbers to cover.  Seal the jars and mark the date.  Allow the jars to cool. Once cool, refrigerate for 3 weeks before serving.

Note: This is a quick pickle recipe that must be refrigerated. It does not require sterilization of the jars or pressure sealing, so lack of refrigeration could cause you to grow, um, extra seasonings of the unsafe variety.

You can eat these prior to the 3 week mark but they will be extremely tart.  We cracked open a jar after only 3 days and consumed it in one sitting.  But my kids do LOVE sour. 

Amaranth in Chicken Broth

Amaranth is an ancient grain that the Aztecs used not only for nutritional sustenance, but also in ceremonial situations.  It is high in minerals, high in protein, and gluten-free.  All of which made it sound like a winner in my book and prompted 3 weeks of shopping to find the stuff.  It was actually rather hard to find, which is quite odd since it grows as a native species in much of the U.S.

Whatever, I found it at Whole Foods, and in spite of their reputation as Whole Paycheck, it was not expensive (I think $2.72 for almost 2 lbs.)  I've cooked out of the container twice and haven't even used 1/4 of it.

On the same night I made our "Fancy Brussel Sprouts" I decided to introduce amaranth.  I often introduce something "weird" when I have other foods I know the kids will eat.. if they don't feel trapped, they tend to be much more experimental.

It was loved by all.  Seriously.  And so easy to cook, I see it becoming a staple for us.  I get tired of rice, and the hubby gets tired of potatoes.

Amaranth in Chicken Broth
Ingredients:
3 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup amaranth
2 tsp. parsley
2 tsp. ground garlic (I was out of fresh!)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt

In a small pot, bring the chicken broth and amaranth to a boil.  Reduce heat and add spices and olive oil.  Cook, covered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve as a side item in place of rice.

"Fancy" Fresh Brussel Sprouts

On the way back from our Father's Day excursion, we went by Dekalb Farmer's Market to pick up some meat, produce, and spices.  We have a habit of allowing M to pick out some fruits and/or vegetables at the market.  Over the years, she has picked things ranging from doughnut-shaped peaches to kumquats to purple potatoes.  And whatever it is, I try to buy to encourage her in trying new things and eating more fruits and veggies.

For some bizarre and unusual (at least for a 7 year old) reason, she loves brussel sprouts, which we ordinarily buy frozen. But they are (apparently) in season now, and so this weekend she chose fresh brussel sprouts.  I do not know that I have ever eaten a fresh brussel sprout, I had certainly never cooked one.  I rather consider cooking a new food a fun challenge though, so I planned a meal around it... Bison Cubed Steak, Fresh Brussel Sprouts, leftover Marinated Veggie Salad, and Amaranth in Chicken Broth.  It was a fresh, healthy, and yummy meal.

Since M picked the Brussel sprouts, I asked her if she wanted them boiled and plain or wanted me to saute them with onions, garlic, and balsamic vinegar.  She said,"I want them to be the fancy way."

So here's my recipe for "Fancy" Brussel Sprouts
1/2 lb. fresh Brussel Sprouts
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 cloves fresh garlic, sliced into slivers
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. lemon zest
sea salt
olive oil
water

Fill a large mixing bowl with water and throw the Brussel sprouts in.  Allow them to soak for ten minutes or so to loosen any dirt.  Rinse and remove.  With a small knife, cut the stem from the bottom, carefully removing most of it, but not cutting it close enough that all of the leaves will fall off.  Then, turning each sprout on its head, cut a cross in the bottom about halfway through, to enable the inside to cook better.  Fill a small pot with water and bring it to a boil.   Add the Brussel sprouts and lemon zest and continue to boil for about 10 minutes.  Remove the Brussel Sprouts from the water (I use a pasta utensil for this, but that's just me.)  Cut the sprouts into quarters and reserve. In  medium skillet, heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil with about 1/2 of your vinegar.  Add the onions and garlic, cooking until they begin to turn translucent.  Add your Brussel Sprouts to the skillet, along with the rest of the vinegar, sprinkle with a bit of sea salt.  Cook until sprouts are tender and coated well with the vinegar.

  The onions and vinegar help offset a bit of the bitterness of the Brussel Sprouts, and apparently they were "fancy" enough to satisfy M's taste.  I ate the leftovers straight from the pan as a snack when I was cleaning up the kitchen 2 hours later. (So I guess they were "fancy" enough for me, too.)

Bucket List

Recent events that-shall-not-be-named (why do I feel like I'm writing a Harry Potter novel?) have led me to thinking of a bucket list. I'm sure you know the concept of a bucket list, the whole what do I want to do before I die.

I don't think for me it's a what do I want to do before I die so much as a what do I want to do while I'm young, and what I want my kids to experience when they are young.

Do you think about these things? Or am I weird?

My list for my kids ( I would like them to each do before they are 10):
1.) Go real camping. No cabin, no rv.  Cook over a campfire and pitch a tent.
2.) Volunteer with the poor.
3.) Travel abroad, to at least one or two countries.
4.) Visit worship services for faiths other than our own.
5.) Go to sleep away camp for a week without mom, dad, or grandparents.
6.) Learn to balance a budget.
7.) Learn to cook a meal.
8.) Learn to grow food.
9.) Learn enough of one other language to get by.
10.) Dream and be a kid.

A list for myself.  While I'm young!
1.) Renew my wedding vows in Jamaica with my kids there with us.
2.) Go back to school for something
3.) Learn Spanish
4.) Get another tattoo (or two)
5.) Learn how to really build things.  Like maybe build my kids an amazing fort/swingset or something.
6.) Travel abroad to somplace really unusual
7.) See the pyramids! 
8.) Write a book and try to get it published.
9.) Get into and maintain the shape I was in when I was an archaeologist.
10.) Be financially independent.
11.) Learn, really learn, that you can't change other people, you can only change yourself.

What's on yours?

Gluten-Free Fried Chicken

To be honest, I have never been a huge fried chicken maker, because I simply wasn't good at it, until I stumbled upon a recipe by the Lee Brothers a couple of years ago.  Their recipe is step-by-step guaranteed delicious perfection. I still haven't made it very often, (because fried chicken isn't necessarily the best thing in the world for you) but I have come to appreciate it as a good dish to conjure up for something like, oh I don't know, say a picnic.

But now we are gluten-free.  And my Lee Bros. cookbook (which looks JUST LIKE that one over there) is still mysteriously packed up in one of my many boxes of books from when we moved (because yes, yes I DO have THAT many books.)  But I was planning a special picnic for my husband who LOVES fried chicken.

Uh oh.

Determined as I was to make gluten-free fried chicken, I was scared.  Scared I would fail, I would waste the chicken.  Scared it would turn out nastified.  And quite honestly, after staying up until midnight the night before Father's Day making said chicken, I still would not have included it in this blog because I thought I had failed.

But yesterday, when we pulled the cold container of fried chicken out of the cooler at the park, I was more than pleasantly surprised.  Had it not been 12,000 degrees outside, I would've indulged and eaten a truck load of it.  It wasn't pretty chicken, but it was very, very good.

So here is my recipe I concocted after reading about 50 recipes on the internet.

Ingredients:
1 gallon water
11 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 cup brown sugar

2 cups sea salt
2 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. italian seasoning
1 tsp. granulated garlic
ice
3 cups buttermilk
1 lb. rice flour
black pepper
cayenne pepper
granulated garlic
parsley
salt
cornmeal (not cornmeal mix)
3-4 cups coconut oil
a large amount of time and patience


This was a 2-day recipe, or at least a night-and-a-day.  I don't normally have that amount of time to invest, but to cook something for an occasion like Father's Day I will make it work. But if you would like to try this at home, I thought I would give a warning!
Thaw out your chicken if you have it frozen.  Do this in the refrigerator or in water, do not do it in the microwave and risk partially cooked, dried-out chicken.  Once it is thawed and/or removed from the package, wash it off.  In a large bucket or trash bag if you don't have a bucket, pour 1 gallon of cold water and dissolve the sea salt and brown sugar in it. Add the 2 tsp. parsley and 1 tsp. garlic, plus 1 tsp. italian seasoning.  Add the chicken and ice.  Put your container of chicken the coldest part of your refrigerator and leave it there for 4-6 hours.  This is brining the chicken.  It helps the chicken to have more moisture when you fry it so that in turn your chicken is juicy, moist, and super-delicious.

When you are ready to cook, pull out three mixing bowls or large containers.  In the first, put about 2 cups of rice flour, and sprinkle in some garlic, parsley, cayenne, and about 1/8 cup of cornmeal.  Put the exact same thing in your 3rd bowl.  Toss or mix the dry ingredients together.  Pour about a cup of buttermilk in the 2nd bowl.  Line them up on your countertop in a neat little assembly line.  Heat your oven to 350 and grease 2-3 baking sheets.
The next step is to dredge the chicken.  Dredge in bowl 1, dip into the buttermilk bowl, and then dredge it into bowl 3.  Lay across a baking sheet.  Repeat until you have all of the chicken breaded.  Bake your chicken for about 30 minutes and remove from oven.  Turn the oven off for crying out loud! It's summertime and hot as h-e-double hockey sticks!

Now heat a medium to large skillet over medium high heat.  I like to use a smallish skillet for fried chicken so that I only cook 1 or 2 pieces at a time so I have better control of what's going on in there, but that does make it take considerably longer.  Pour in just enough coconut oil to coat the bottom of the skillet with about a 1/4 inch coating.  Once the oil is melted well and hot, add pieces of chicken one at a time.  Make sure your chicken can lay out entirely flat.  Fry chicken for about 5 minute on each side.

Do not obsessively turn the chicken, this will cause your breading to fall off.  Do not forget about the chicken and cook it too long, this will cause your breading to burn.  The chicken itself is mostly cooked at this stage, but still needs to be finished off and you are crisping and cooking the breading.

Do have plenty of napkins on hand for eating. If you are transporting to a picnic or other event, store in an airtight container and keep cold.


Enjoy your picnic-- try and avoid flies and ants and enjoy sun and family!

Father's Day Weekend-- Gluten Free Picnic Part II

Marinated veggie salad used to be my go-to dish for summer cookouts, potlucks, and barbeques, however, I always used a balsamic base and my husband doesn't care for balsamic (he thinks-- I cook with it all the time) and so I've gotten out of the habit of making it. But I mentioned it the other day and the girl's face lit up and said, "Yes, please!" so I must make it.  I simply can't resist when a child asks for veggies-- I always feel I must comply.  This is kindof a choose-your-own adventure dish.  The important thing is to use FRESH veggies, not canned or frozen, and to use a proper vinaigrette (i.e. one that doesn't seperate on you.) I like zucchini and yellow squash especially in this but they aren't in season quite yet.  Because of the vinegar potato salad, I also am working to make sure we aren't bowled over with sourness at our picnic.  This is this week's version:

Marinated Veggie Salad
1 ear of corn
1 large cucumber
1 bell pepper
10 baby carrots or maybe 2 large ones  (I almost never buy baby carrots but I like them for this)
1-2 cups of your favorite variety dried bean (I used garbanzo)
1/2 red onion
for the dressing:
2 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. rosemary




The night before: Soak your beans.  This is not a recipe you want to do a quick soak with. Trust me.  You can prep everything else the night before or not, it's up to you.  Boil your ear of corn.  I always boil mine still in the husk, to me it tastes MUCH sweeter if you do it this way.  To remove the husk and silk, I use barbecue tongs after cooking.  Once the corn is cooked, slice the kernels off of the husk.  Get a large bowl or container for your salad, throw the corn in it.  Julienne the cucumber, carrots, and bell pepper.  (I like baby carrots for this because you are really only cutting them in 4ths.  But if they have been in the fridge for a long time, they won't have any taste. So you want to use really fresh ones.) Slice the onion to be about the same size as your other veggies.  Throw all veggies in the bowl or large container.  Cook your beans and allow them to cool, then add to the salad.  I try to keep the ratio of everything about even, however, one veggie always overpopulates.. this time it was the cucumber. C'est la vie.  Anyhow, you can at this point stick it in the fridge, or go ahead and make your vinaigrette.  If you're in a big hurry, you can dress it with store bought, but I always think homemade tastes better. 

Watermelon Salad
1/2-1 Whole Watermelon (seedless if you can, otherwise you're gonna have to seed it)
1-2 cups feta cheese
black or white pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil


I don't remember where I first got the idea to serve pepper with watermelon and feta cheese, I think it was a trendy thing in magazines a couple of years ago.  This year I'm adding in fresh basil from my garden to round out the flavor.  This is a very simple dish to throw together. Simply chop up the watermelon into bite size pieces, slice the basil into thin slivers.  Toss that together with the feta cheese and sprinkle with the pepper.  Tada! A beautiful summery salad that makes you look like a creative culinary genius.  (One that didn't do any hard work, natch.)

Father's Day Weekend-- Gluten-Free Picnic

Whoa! Here we go, another busy weekend.  It's Friday night, and I'm trying to get all of my ducks in a row.  I am working on Saturday, and then having a cookout at my parent's house. Sunday morning, bright and early, we're headed to Athens to go to the zoo there and have a picnic.  What does this mean?  Lots of cooking: 2 types of potato salad, baked beans, marinated veggie salad, gluten-free fried chicken, and watermelon salad.  Not to mention getting together my dad's gift, my husband's gift and hauling everything to where it needs to go along with the snacks.  I want a long nap just thinking about it.

First up: MY traditional potato salad
6 potatoes
3 eggs
2 stalks celery
3 tsp. parsley
1 cup mayonnaise (sometimes I use sour cream)
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
1 heaping tsp. Hungarian paprika
salt
pepper



Chop the potatoes into medium to large sized chunks, throw them in a large pot, and boil until ready. Also hard boil the eggs (seperately) and remove the shells.  Set both eggs and potatoes aside in a colander to cool.  Chop the celery finely.  Throw eggs, celery, and potatoes into a largish bowl and add mustard and mayo.  Mix up with a spoon.  I use a regular tablespoon to do this, it helps the potatoes mush up so you get some potato starch mixed in your dressing.  Add Hungarian paprika and parsley, and then salt & pepper to taste.  Mix well, cover, and put in the fridge until just before serving.  My husband and I both firmly believe that the spicy brown mustard makes this potato salad.  Not to be cliche, but it rather takes it from bland and boring to "WOW."


I chose to make a vinegar based potato salad for the picnic. This way, I have no worries about mayo spoilage.

Potato Salad #2-- Vinegar Version
8 potatoes
1/2 red onion + 1/8 red onion
1 stalk celery
For the dressing:
1 cup oil ( I used canola but prefer olive)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 small stalk fresh thyme
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
salt
1 tsp. brown mustard

Wash your potatoes, chop them up, and boil them.  While they are cooking, slice up half of a red onion in thin slivers.  Sautee them until they are just starting to turn clear, and remove from heat.  DO NOT go get on Facebook while waiting on your oil to heat (unless you want to do like I did and burn up your oil and set off the smoke alarm and wake up the baby and make everyone angry.) Chop your celery into small pieces.  Take about 1/8 of the onion and mince as small as possible.  In a small non-reactive bowl, pour the apple cider vinegar, and sprinkle some sea salt.  Add the minced onions, mustard, and honey.  Remove your thyme leaves from the stem, and chop finely.  Throw them in the mix.  Add freshly ground pepper.  Grab your whisk, and whisk it all together.  SLOOOOOOWLY pour in your oil, whisking the entire time.  This step is really important, it helps keep the vinaigrette from separating.  Now, toss your boiled potato pieces, sauteed onions, and celery into a large (preferably lidded container.)  Pour your vinaigrette over the mixture, toss well, and put in the refrigerator until ready to use.

I've made many vinegar potato salads before, I just invented this one this morning and it's the bomb.  Very honey-mustardy.  My family's gonna chow down. I'm wondering if I need to cook more potatoes and throw in there...

I'll follow up in the next post with more of my gluten-free picnic.  Coming up: marinated veggie salad, watermelon salad, and gluten-free fried chicken. 

Thai Crockpot Mishmosh

Because I have been languishing about the house in a gluten and book induced stupor, I really haven't cooked much this week. I've thrown it all to my husband, who thankfully is a very good cook.  I have a job interview tonight at 5:30, leaving the likelihood of me stirring up a tasty dinner on the stove slim to none.  So I started brainstorming, and eventually decided that I had at least a bit of a vision.


We'll see if my vision turns out decent tasting.

Ingredients:
2 tsp. gf curry
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
3 tsp. powdered garlic
1 can coconut milk
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. lemongrass
1 tsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 bag frozen spinach


I threw it all in together on low.  We'll see what happens... at least I can say I tried.....

Cheating and Reading

I apparently possess quite a weak disposition, which can be shown in how little I've accomplished this week.   First of all, I am a reader.  I should really capitalize that and say a READER.  I have something like 40 boxes of books and buy more all the time.  They take up a lot of space in a little house, but I can't help it. It's an addiction.  Feeding into that addiction, my friend Shannon recently introduced me to Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody mysteries.  OH MY.  They have the elements of interest-- historical setting, Egyptian archaeology, and mystery.  I am T-Totally addicted.  I am borrowing this series from her a couple at a time.  When she brought me the last installment (Monday), I ignored the books for two days because I knew they would take over my life.  And take over they did.  I read both books between Wednesday afternoon and early Friday morning. My house is a wreck, I haven't cooked dinner in days, and my eyes are burning even now as I look at the screen to type.   I'm obsessed.  I read in the car yesterday at redlights and started crying when a character died, all on the way to a job interview.  It's a wonder I didn't blow the interview solely based on my obsession with the books.  It's really not pretty. 


My other problem this week? I cheated.  On my diet.  I went gluten-free to keep from cooking more than one dish at a meal.  I found out that being gluten-free I felt tons better, and have stuck with it for a couple of months. I also started working out, and have felt overall fantastic.

Enter last weekend.  I went to lunch with a friend, and ordered pimento cheese crostinis, garnished with fresh jalapeno and bacon.  Yes, it was fabulous. Yes, I ordered the dish absolutely in a moment of weakness, knowing that NOONE in my family would eat it and I would love it.  I followed up on this by going home and eating a SuperPretzel and having a regular (gluten-filled) beer.

I woke up Monday morning feeling like it was pollen season.  I was sniffly, coughing, and achy.  It has thrown my entire week off.  Today is Friday and I still feel terrible.  This could be due to my attention to Amelia Peabody and also to do with the gluten.  I also skipped lunch yesterday to go to a job interview. 

In short, today's post is my confessional. I must show self restraint, both with books and food.  It is NOT worth feeling like this again. 

Chicken with Mustard Spinach

The other day I felt inspired by a recipe included in the AJC's Reach edition. It sounded really delicious, and with my usual inability to follow recipes, I did some tweaking. (Everyone who's surprised please raise their hand)  No, really, all jokes aside, it turned out amazing.

Here's my version:

The chicken was a little labor intensive for my tastes, I actually think it could be improved by cooking it in the crockpot.

Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. powdered garlic
1 tsp. wasabi powder
salt
black pepper

First, I browned the (salt & peppered) chicken in a skillet, about 4 minutes on each side, then removed and put to the side.  Next, I scraped the chicken bits from the bottom of the skillet and added the orange juice, honey, and dijon mustard. I poured in the chicken broth, slowly, mixing it as I went.  After bringing the sauce to a boil, I added the cayenne, garlic, and wasabi powder.  Simmer this on low for a couple of minutes, and return the chicken to the pan.  Cook over low heat until chicken is completely  cooked through. If sauce reduces too much, add more broth.  Serve the chicken with extra sauce spooned on top.


I fried potatoes (plain, because we all disagree about appropriate seasoning) and made spinach.  I wanted my spinach to pick up on the mustard in the dish without being overpowering.  It was declared a keeper.

1 bag frozen spinach
1/2 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
3 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. thyme

This was very easy, really.  Because the spinach was frozen and already contained liquid, I was able to throw it in the pan without any oil, and placed the garlic and onions on top.  I cooked over medium heat, stirring constantly.  When the spinach was half cooked, I sprinkled in the mustard and thyme.  Once done, I just threw it in the plate with the chicken.  It had just enough flavor to be the perfect complement.

Learning to Cook As a Child-- Dump Cake

I am rather a fan of the Gluten-Free Girl (as I've mentioned before) and one day last week she tweeted asking people about their experiences learning to cook as a child.  I tweeted back about dump cake.

In reality, however, dump cake is the first thing I really remember cooking independently, but that does not mean it's really the first thing I ever cooked. My family is full of cooks, male and female, and I always loved to eat and I always wanted to be in the middle of it.  I also wanted to pass that on to my kids, and my daughter started learning to mix things at about 9 months old.

But back to the dump cake.  It was glorious!  I guess when I "officially" started cooking was in Girl Scouts at Girl Scout camp.  Our first camping trip in Brownies was actually in my grandmother's back yard.  We did an overnight to get ready to go to an actual campground.   At any rate, we made a scotchbox oven (a fascinating invention-- you should really try one!) and cooked the dump cake in it.

Dump Cake Recipe:

1 can crushed pineapple
1 can cherry pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
2 sticks of butter (we probably ate margarine)


Directions: Grease your pan well.  Dump the pineapple in the bottom of the pan and spread it out, then top with the cherry pie filling. Spread the cake mix over the fruit mixture, and top with the butter.  Cook until cake mix is done.  The result is somewhat like a cobbler.

Now, today, as an adult, that sounds like a grotesque mixture of gluten and high fructose corn syrup, not even touching on real food.

But as a child, it was devastatingly delicious.  I felt as though I were a wilderness woman, akin to my hero Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I BUILT an OVEN and I BAKED a CAKE.  I was strong, and accomplished.  I was smart, and could be trusted with FIRE.  I thought, in fact, I could conquer anything.  Little did I know I would learn at some point to cook many other things at camp, eggs in a sack on a stick over a campfire, porkchops on a brick.

And little did I know that I would soon learn to cook not only outside, but indoors as well.  I would learn the awesome feeling of providing tasty and healthy sustenance for others.  Little did I know that as I bemoaned my inability to draw well, to paint well, to dance well, I had not yet discovered my ability to create through food.  I did not yet know the satisfaction of hearing a child say "yum" when you feed her food that is actually good for her.

But that instance of creating dump cake in my Mema's back yard, that let to my passion and creative outlet of cooking.  And howevermuch that dump cake was comprised completely of junk food, what it led to was far worth it.

A 7-year-old with highlights????

 I write often about cooking.. cooking for family, cooking for fun, feeding our health.  But I also write about my children.  Inevitably, a rant and rave type of post was sure to come.  It is summertime, and my daughter is out of school. She alternates between staying with my mom, my mother-in-law, and my best friend's mom.  For her, she gets a variety of things to do and loves the people she's with.

Yesterday, she was with my mom.  I was working, minding my own business, when my phone made the little "text message" noise. I grabbed it and looked, and this is what it said:

MOMWORKCELL
Hi Mama It's Maia.  Can I get just a few highlights in my hair?

And then I started cussing.  I'll censor myself now that 24 hours has passed and I'm calmer.  But let me make several points:
1.) I try to keep chemicals away from my babies.  I alternate organic shampoo with baking soda and vinegar.  I use natural cleaners around the house.  I try to avoid processed food.  Why would I let her dye her hair???
2.) Her hair is naturally light brown with blonde highlights.  What's the point?
3.) Why does a 7 year old need dyed hair? She's SEVEN!!!!
4.) It would be a lot more age appropriate to dye her hair purple or pink or something than to highlight it.  That's just too I don't know, GROWN.

My husband happened to be working from home yesterday and heard me cussing.  I texted her back:

ME
NO WAY

Then I waited for a response.  Nothing.  So I called.  I asked, "Did you get my message?"
She says, "What? No.. the phone didn't go off. Can I? Please?"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.  And don't let the hairdresser cut your brother's baby curls either!"
"But why? Evelyn has highlights." (Evelyn is a friend from school, who did indeed sport highlights in the 1st grade."
Which made my husband start shouting. He wants the baby's hair to grow out.  Which drives everyone nuts since we live in GA and everyone thinks he should have a manly (READ:short and not curly) haircut.


They got the message loud and clear.  They came home, she with a presentable haircut, he with curls intact.

This leads me to wonder-- Am I trying to keep my babies as babies for too long?  Or are we making/letting our kids grow up too fast? 

Hoison Bison Lettuce Wraps

Last night, when I finished working, I just didn't have my normal energy to cook.  I was hungry and wanted dinner in a hurry.  Maybe it's that mile I ran on my lunch break, who knows?

So I made hoison bison lettuce wraps, which I was able to pull together in about 15 minutes (eat your heart out Rachel Ray!) and make everyone eating at home happy.



 Ingredients:
3 tsp. hoison sauce
3 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic
3 Thai chilis
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper (any color)
1 lb. ground bison
1 tsp. sesame oil
lettuce (I used Romaine but Bibb would work so much better)
tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes that I quartered)
carrots
cucumbers
sliced onion

Add sesame oil to a large skillet, bring to medium-high heat.  Add smashed garlic cloves and onion, cook for about 2 minutes.  Add chopped bell pepper and cook for another 2 minutes or so.  Add your ground bison.  Stir this all together, inhale and enjoy the scent.  If your Thai chilis are frozen, throw them in the mixture whole, being careful not to break them open. Throw about 8 of the tomato quarters into the mix, and then spoon about 3 heaping teaspoonfuls of hoison sauce over the mixture.  Mine was gluten-free.. but I would read the label carefully.  (I'm sure this would be tastier and healthier if I made my own hoison sauce, but again, I was in a hurry this time.  Next time for sure.)  Mix well.  Lower the heat to low.  While the meat mixture is simmering, wash the lettuce and lay out the leaves for the wraps.  Cut the cucumbers and carrots into matchsticks, slice some onion, and lay out quartered cherry tomatoes.  Once this is done, your meat should be about ready.  Pull out any meat for those that can't or won't eat spicy.  (I pulled a cupful out for the baby.)
Now, grate up about 3 tsp. of fresh ginger.  I wouldn't measure this, just eyeball it.  Pull out your Thai chilis and mince them.  Then put them, seeds and all, back into the meat mixture.  Stir it all up and cook a couple more minutes.

Serve the meat on lettuce with assorted vegetable toppings.  (My husband topped his with feta cheese, but to me it didn't seem to go.  It's your wrap though, so feel your moment.)

Summer School

Summer is a long time for kids.  An eternity.  And although I do believe firmly in letting kids be kids--- having lots of time to play and explore, I don't believe in letting little brains turn to mush in 12 weeks.  So last year I instituted doing summer school at home.  M loves it!

This year we were gifted with the entire Lemony Snicket series, which I think I mentioned before, so we are utilizing it to really focus on her comprehension.  I know she reads the words fine, but I want to be sure going into 2nd grade she understands what she's reading.  Currently I have her doing 1 chapter a day with a variety of activities: defining words, summarizing chapters, composing songs about the chapter, making a poster, etc.

She also does 3-4 pages per day in a math workbook she brought home from school (at her request.)  And this week she is attending Bible School, which will help her with some of the most important type of learning (spiritual.)

So now I am in search of ideas to round out her summertime education. I don't want to overload her, but still.  I'm going to the library this afternoon, and will definitely be getting books on poisonous plants for this week, since we've already had a poison oak episode this summer. Ideally, I'd like to design a subject per week for her to enjoy.   I'll update as we complete/finish projects when I have really good ideas. If, perhaps I should say.

Seeding a Cucumber

As I'm teaching my kids to cook, I try to impart the skills for them to be able to not only prepare a dish, but to be creative with flavors. That's why I cook.. I liken cooking to art and creativity, I love to create something that is delicious and healthy and fuels my family and my friends.  And I love to eat.

But I digress.

I also try to teach them little cooking tricks and skills that make things easier, simpler.  And I honestly don't know how many of these are my own little tricks, and how many of them are common knowledge.  So I guess as I share with M and R, I'll also share here in the little blog I keep as much for my reference as for anything else.

As we made the crockpot gyro recipe for about the 3rd time the other day, I showed M how to seed a cucumber.  I peeled it with a vegetable peeler, split it lengthwise, and then she gasped in all the seeds, wanting to know how to get them out without cutting away half the cucumber (a real tragedy for her, she LOVES cucumbers.)

Very simple, really.  You take a teaspoon and just gently scrap away the seeds.












I did half, she seeded the rest. (And kept all the seeds to eat in a bowl with the aforementioned spoon.!)

Chicken Broth/Stock

I mention chicken broth or chicken stock in a lot of my recipes, but I don't think I've ever posted about making it.  It's super easy, it freezes well, saves money, and, well, if you're using a healthy chicken (i.e. free-range, non-antibioticized, etc.) it is also a good source of minerals.

We almost always buy bone-in chicken.  It has more flavor and is also cheaper.  I often cut chicken off of the bone, and oftentimes shred it too.  I save all my bones and all my skin and either use it immediately or throw it in a container in the freezer.  Once I feel I have enough to work with, I make my broth or stock.  I especially like to use a whole chicken carcass, but that's just because it has some meat clinging to it to provide more flavor.

When I know I will be making broth in a couple of days, I also save vegetable scraps-- the leaves from celery, the little leftover onion that didn't fit in a recipe, etc.  I throw them in a tupperware dish in a fridge. If I don't have scraps to use I will use fresh vegetables, but since they'll be strained out and discarded in the end, I like to use scraps if I can.  (It's all about saving pennies.)

Typically, I use:
4-6 chicken bones
1 cup or more of chicken skin or meat bits
1/2 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 cup celery and/or carrot scraps
 Lots of water

If I am cooking anyway and will be by the stove, I cook this in a stock pot. If not, I throw it in the crockpot.  I usually fill it most of the way with water.  You don't necessarily want to boil it, you want to cook it slowly and low.  Your broth is not done until you start to get a golden color with globs of gelatin in it (the vinegar actually helps produce the gelatin).  You may also add parsley at the end.  Strain the broth and either use immediately or freeze. To freeze, pour in a container, leaving extra room at the top as liquid expands when it is frozen. Otherwise, you'll have one heck of a mess to clean up in the freezer.   I usually sit my containers out for about 20 minutes before use and then pop the frozen block into the pot I'm cooking in.

You can use chicken broth for drinking when you're sick, to make soups, or to make sauces or rice more flavorful.  It's cheaper to make than buy, and you're skipping all the excess sodium and preservatives. 

Thai Noodles-- OH YES I CAN!!!

At our latest and greatest visit to the Asian Market (SuperHMart-- a veritable wonderland) we bought rice noodles because they are gluten-free.  And I suddenly got inspired TODAY.

I love Thai food.  I particularly like that Thai food has this almost magical balance about it .. a mix of sweet, spicy, and tangy all at once.  It's AHHHHHHHH.  And so tonight I decided, for the very first time, to create my own "Thai" dish.


DRUMROLL PLEASE..........


It was nothing short of fantastic!

The baby is currently eating it by double fistfuls, and my husband ate 3 (count 'em 3) bowls.  My big girl is off at Bible school, where she'll have dinner tonight.

Warning: This is a labor-intensive dish, unless you want to try to convert it to the crockpot.  It probably could be converted, I was just into the stove cooking. As a matter of fact, I normally just write down ingredients and measurements when I'm cooking, but this time I made notes.

Still totally worth it.  I may make it again this week.

Ingredients:

3 inch piece fresh ginger (chopped coarsely, divided)
3 garlic cloves (smashed)
1 onion (sliced)
2 tsp. lemongrass
2 tsp. coconut oil
2 tsp. sesame oil
7 cups chicken broth (can sub water for 6 if need be)
5 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (divided)
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs (diced)
1 300 g pkg. rice stick
1 small container frozen mushrooms or 1 can sliced mushrooms
3 heads baby bok choy
1 carrot (chopped)
1 stalk celery (chopped)
1 can coconut milk (divided)
5 tsp. rice vinegar (divided)
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (divided) (I like Bragg's)
2 tsp. powdered garlic (divided)
1/2 tsp. gf curry powder

4 tsp. fish sauce (divided)
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1 lime (juiced or sliced to squeeze)


First, gather all of your veggies, wash them and prep them according to ingredient list.  Also wash and chop your chicken.  Next, in a LAAARGE skillet, heat the coconut and sesame oils together on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the fresh garlic and onion and 2/3 of the ginger. Cook all together until onions are translucent, tossing or stirring often to prevent burning.  Add 1 cup of chicken broth, 4 tbsp. worchestershire sauce, and lemongrass.  Bring the mixture to a boil and then add chicken.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until chicken is done.

While chicken is cooking, add either 6 cups of chicken broth or 6 cups hot water to a large bowl.  Add your package of rice noodles.  Let them soak in the bowl until further notice.

Back to the chicken.  Is it done yet? Great. Dump it all in a big bowl, and return your pan to the stove.  In the pan, add the frozen or canned mushrooms, the rest of the chopped ginger, and 1/2 a can of coconut milk.  Reduce the heat to low.
Add to the pan:
3 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. powdered garlic
1/2 tsp. gf curry powder
2 tsp. fish sauce

If you aren't gluten-free, you can sub Jamaican curry powder.  Cook the contents on sauce, letting the flavors meld together.  After the flavors are melded or once you get impatient, add in the chopped carrots and celery.  Bring the heat up to medium and add 1/2 tsp. of brown sugar, stirring it in really well.  Dump in the bok choy and sprinkle the cayenne pepper over it all.  Stir everything up really well, making sure the cayenne mixes in.  Cook for 3 minutes, but keep an eye on it to be sure nothing's burning.

While that is all cooking, mix together in a bowl:
1/2 can coconut milk
2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. powdered garlic
Mix it up well, using a whisk if need be to dissolve everything.  Return the chicken to the pan, mix in well with the veggies.    Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and veggies.  Drain your noodles and add to the pan.  Stir everything up.  You may need to use a pasta spatula for this.  Add about 1 1/2 cups of water.  Cover and continue to cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until noodles are soft. Meanwhile, start collecting all the bottles of ingredients laying all over the kitchen and put them away.  Periodically, open the lid and stir up everything to be sure nothing is burning at the bottom of the pan.  Serve in a bowl with a slice of lime squeezed over it. 

I think you could dump pretty much all of it into the crockpot, cook all day, and then do the noodles towards the end.  But I"m not really sure. If you try it and it works, please let me know.

Ways to Use Polenta

So a couple of days ago I made a big pot of polenta, and mentioned that you can slice the leftovers and save and use for a variety of uses.  Sliced polenta.  It's the weirdest thing.  It's all soupy, and then suddenly it's a solid.

I have heard of polenta served as a side dish, topped with marinara. Actually, it's very good.  And I have heard of a variety of other uses too.

But here is how we used our sliced polenta:

For breakfast, we either pan-fried slices in olive oil or toasted it in the toaster oven, and then topped it.  My family got creative.

1.) topped with grape jelly (all-natural, no sugar added)
2.) topped with a fried egg and a bit of butter
3.) topped with a fried egg and salsa and shredded cheese

and our favorite:
4.) topped with sundried tomato cream cheese, a fried (over easy) egg, and salsa.

Yum.

Great way to use leftovers and get breakfast on the table quick.  I'm a fan of quick.

Quick 'N Easy Gluten-Free Lunch (or not) for Kids

I work from home but usually do not have the children with me.  Most of my time is spent on the phone, and I cannot properly give them the attention that they need and deserve.  Yesterday, however, my mom had a lunch meeting for her job and was unable to take them with her.  So she brought them over during my lunch break.  I had one hour to feed them, entertain them, and get them wound down enough so that they could go play quietly in the baby's room while I went back to work.  During my working time, I cooked some frozen peas up.  

I had to make a simple lunch, but at the same time wanted it to be nutritious (for the most part) and also something they would like.

To make this simple, when you are cooking a dinner, save leftover rice and/or pasta (plain) in the fridge, so you'll have it on hand.


For each bowl, you need:
1-2 cups starch (pasta or rice)
1/2 can tuna
1/4 cup peas
cheese (optional)
appropriate salad dressing (i.e. gluten free if needed)


Assemble the bowls, mix it up, and serve.  She ate hers with pasta and ranch dressing, he ate his with rice and italian dressing.  She tried a 2nd bowl without the peas and declared it was somewhat flavorless and the veggies were necessary.  (I gave myself an interior high-five on that one!)

Curry Ground Turkey Pot Pie Madness

Do you ever get odd cravings?  Really odd?
So
I do.  A common one when there's candy in the house is Nestle Crunch dipped in peanut butter (reason #57 NOT to have candy in the house.)  But yesterday I was craving curry ground turkey.  Now why is that odd? Because I've never HAD curry ground turkey.  And yesterday, when the craving announced itself, my husband had already agreed to make dinner.  Just one of those strange coincidences.  Which dragged the curry out to the point that I was desperate when I got up this morning.  While evaluating and making the curry in the crockpot, the idea of a curry pot pie occurred to me.  The only issue with that, of course, is that I have been avoiding breads and crusts like the plague since going gluten-free.  And I haven't broken down and paid $12 for some xanthan gum.

But I did have an aha! moment!  A couple of years ago, I made a chicken pot pie recipe from Real Simple magazine that had a polenta crust instead of a traditional.  And polenta is gluten-free if I make it from scratch. So all I have to do, is remember how I made that, and remember to not use tarragon because my family hated the tarragon in the original (which I cannot find at all.) Now, naturally, I didn't have any chicken broth available to make the polenta, because the last 3 times I've made it I actually forgot it and left it out on the counter and never froze or refrigerated it.  But I did have a chicken carcass in the fridge, so I fired up crockpot #2 to get the chicken broth going. 

Which led me, after returning from my morning walking trip, to desperately running around chopping vegetables before time to log in and start working.  I am inventing curry ground turkey as we speak (er, as I type, I suppose.)  I'll put the recipe in its completed form and my evaluation of it below, after I've finished.

What I should be doing is coming up with a quick and easy gluten-free lunch, because the kids will be here during my lunch hour, and my mom announced she's not feeding them first. What I'm actually doing, though, is blogging about an irrational craving for a dish I've never even eaten.

Curry Ground Turkey Pot Pie
For the filling:
1 onion (I used a Vidalia)
2 potatoes
2 carrots
1 stalk celery
2 tbsp. gluten-free curry powder
2 small heads bok choy
1 lb. ground turkey
1 cup water
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup chicken broth
For the topping:
cooked polenta

Early in the morning, start out by chopping your veggies.  Peel the onion, but for crying out loud, leave the peels on the onions.  Throw everything except the bok choy into the crock pot.  Top with the ground turkey and sprinkle the curry powder over it.  Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of frozen peas.  If you have a programmable crockpot, cook it on low for 4 hours or so.  When you are getting ready to throw your pie together, add the chopped bok choy and the chicken broth, and switch your temp over to high.

In the afternoon/evening, make your polenta.  If you don't have or want to use instant polenta, make it from scratch:
3 cups cornmeal (NOT cornbread/meal mix)
21 cups chicken broth
2 tsp. salt

Bring chicken broth and salt to a boil in a large pot.  Add the cornmeal S-L-O-W-L-Y, whisking all the while.  Once it is all blended, keep the pot boiling.  You will want to stir this constantly, keeping lumps from forming and keeping the bottom of the pan from burning.  Be careful with the polenta, it looks like lava when cooking and will bubble and pop.  You will want to cook it like this for 30-40 minutes.  You may add seasonings if desired. You want to stir continuously.  When it is done, it will be very creamy, and will willingly pull away from the side of the pot for a moment. 

When it is almost done, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Stir the polenta a bit, and then pour your filling into a greased baking dish.  It's ok if the bok choy hasn't totally wilted, it will do so in the oven.

When the polenta is ready, spoon it over the top of the filling until everything is covered nicely. 

When your oven is heated, pop the dish in the oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes.  The polenta topping should start to solidify and form a bit of a crust and turn golden brown or until you can't stand waiting anymore...

Serve in a bowl with a spoon, nothing fancy.  Just sheer enjoyment!  It turned out great-- we loved it!

While the pot pie is cooking, grease a cookie sheet or other baking pan and pour the leftover polenta into it.  Smooth it out so that you have an even layer.  Remove from the stovetop and place this sheet over to the side.  Once it cools and solidify, you can slice the polenta and use it for tons of other things.

Losing the Baby Weight

So my youngest is now the ripe old age of 16 months, and has been fully weaned for 2 months.  I have absolutely zero excuse for the fact that I still haven't lost my baby weight.  Prior to having him, fat for me was 135 pounds, after weaning, I was tipping the scales at 155 pounds.  Ack!

This is even worse because I worry so much about eating healthy and teaching my children how to eat healthy.  I am by no means fat, but I am not at a healthy size either.  Enter summer.

Looming ahead of me is at least an event or more that will require my attendance in a swimsuit.  Naturally, I only own bikinis.  Like 7 of them.  Since I am cheap, I refuse to buy a one-piece.  So I have set a goal, to get down to 128 pounds.  I've been working on it a bit already, and actually slacked off on writing for a couple of days.  I have been showing up at my parents' house at 6:15 each morning to walk around their neighborhood, dragging along my mom, her bulldog, and both kids.

I'm also trying to cut back on the junk that I sneak once the kids are in bed.  And I'm down to 143 at this point...
But I made a bet with my husband, that we'll both lose 15 pounds (from where we were a couple weeks back) by August, or we're shutting off the satellite service.

Hope it works.  Desperate Housewives will be coming back shortly thereafter.  I'd hate to be sneaking over to my moms' on Sunday nights......

New and Improved Homemade Baked Beans

We moved last October back to my hometown.  I grew up in a relatively small suburb, which would lead one to imagine I would know tons of people here.  And I kinda do.  But a lot of my friends moved away.  So we really mostly only hang out with one set of friends here in town.  But friends of theirs, who have a daughter our daughter's age, invited us for a cookout on Memorial Day.  And since I do want my daughter to have lots of friends whose parents I know and therefore will let the kids go over and come over, we went.  It was a bring-something type of cookout, and I was told to bring something easy, so I did baked beans.

In the past, I have always dumped them in the crockpot and they turned out pretty good, but I have been in a really hands-on cooking mood, so this time I only transported them in a crockpot already cooked.  They were pretty darn good if I do say so myself, the baby ate them until he made himself sick.


New and Improved Baked Beans
1 bag small kidney beans
1 medium vidalia onion
1 smoked turkey wing
3 tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. sherry vinegar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 can tomato paste 
3/4 c. white vinegar
1 tsp. powdered garlic
1/4 tsp. cumin


Soak beans overnight.  If you don't have time, you can follow the quick soak directions on your bag of beans.  But they never really turn out as good.  A true soak will also help reduce their gas-causing abilities (just something to think about.)  Anyway, once you soak them, drain them and rinse them.  Put the beans in a large pot and add enough water to cover them.  Bring to a boil and boil for about 10 minutes.  Throw in the smoked turkey wing (it can still be frozen at this point.) Reduce heat and cover.  You will be cooking these for about an hour and half.  It's a good idea to check periodically and be sure you're not running out of water and nothing is sticking.

Meanwhile, pull out a large skillet.  Turn your heat on medium-low, and once the skillet is hot, melt the butter.  Slice your Vidalia onion thinly and add to the butter.  Cook on low, stirring regularly.  Vidalia onions are sweet, if you don't have that available, sub another kind of sweet onion.  After cooking the onion for about five minutes, throw in the fresh garlic cloves, peeled and chopped.  Dump the brown sugar on top of that.  Keep cooking and stirring, you are wanting to melt that sugar.  Once it is mostly melted, add the sherry vinegar. The idea here is to bring out the sweetness of the onions.  Cook for another 2 minutes or so and add the cayenne pepper and the tomato paste plus 1 can of water.  At this point, the contents of your pan will look really crazy, but hang with me.  Keep cooking at medium low heat, and stir the pot regularly to help the tomato paste to dissolve.  Once you have a smooth sauce, add in the white vinegar, garlic, and cumin.  Bring everything to a sauce consistency once again.  Cook for another 2 minutes or so and turn the heat off.  At this point, your beans have been cooking for a while, check to see how they are doing.  Go ahead and pull the turkey wing out and shred it, and return it to the pot.  Once your beans are done, pour the sauce into the pot, and mix it all up.  Cook for five minutes or so.  If you're transporting them, pour them into a crockpot and keep it on "warm" or "low."

-You could do this in the crockpot.  My luck in the past has not always shown them to have the same bold flavor.
-These baked beans have a more tangy, barbeque-ey flavor than sweet.  If you want them sweeter add more brown sugar or molasses.
-Bourbon can also add sweetness, I didn't have any on  hand this time.


Serve.


On another note, yesterday marked M's first real day of summer, at which point I presented her with her first week's homework.  She's starting the Lemony Snicket series, and I am having her learn how to properly define words and learn them, summarize a story, and other activities.  She is a very good reader, but I feel like she doesn't have all the analytical skills she needs. She also has requested to do 4 pages a day of a math workbook.  Tonight I'm going to the library to pick out some books on either a country or an animal for her to study.  The funny note about her summer homework is that she has to work a lot harder than during the school year.  But I think she likes it better.

Gluten-Free Corncakes and Homemade Blueberry Syrup

For some random reason, I woke up this morning, on a Saturday at 6:11 am.  The alarm didn't go off, there wasn't a child shaking my arm, it was literally for no reason.  But when I did wake up, I sprang up, full of energy, with one thought on my mind-- Corncakes.  I think, for some people, waking up thinking of food is odd.  For me it's kinda normal.  But I do think the thought of corncakes was kinda odd since I had never had any.

So I set about researching corncakes online, and of course, most of the recipes contain wheat flour.  I haven't really had the spare time to sit around and learn how to sub well with other types of flour, so I was looking for something made up of straight-up cornmeal.

Um, right.

I tried.  I, first of all, am not exactly the pancake goddess.  I flip too soon, or too late, and in this case my problem was only exacerbated by the fact that the pancakes I made were made of straight cornmeal.  So I made UGLY corncakes.  They tasted ok.  Nothing to write home about.  They were VERY filling, we each ate only 2 (with flour pancakes, my hubby can probably put away 6.)  They were, also, as my husbnad described them, "grainy." I thought they lacked sugar, too, even with syrup.  So perhaps I need to try again.

But while flipping the corncakes, I was inspired to make homemade blueberry syrup, since I had two pints of blueberries in the fridge.  And it, well it was just TO DIE FOR.  As a matter of fact, I have it resting on the stove, so that I can stir the remainder into some yogurt or just eat it straight in a bit.

TO-DIE-FOR-BLUEBERRY-SYRUP

Ingredients:
-1 cup blueberries
-1 cup water
-2 tsp. sugar
-2 tsp. pomegranate balsalmic vinegar

Into a small saucepan, pour the blueberries and water.   Bring the mixture to a boil.  Keeping the mixture boiling, add in both the vinegar and the sugar. Stir regularly to be sure the sugar isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Once the sugar is dissolved, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture resolve.

You can serve this hot, in which case the syrup will be a bit runny, or let it cool in the pan, in which case it will be a bit syrupy.  The longer you cook it, the more the blueberries will break down and the less lumpy it will be.  I personally couldn't wait and ate it hot all over my corncakes.