Smells of Fall

Yesterday was our first "cold" day this fall. When the forecast foretold temperatures in the low 70s after a week of 90s, I made a plan. Right after breakfast, the kiddos and I set out on our bikes for the grocery store. We needed just a few items to supplement our pantry and make it the perfect fall baking and making day. Halfway to the store, I realized Dave moved the bike lock from my basket over the weekend. This almost thwarted our plans, but the amiable security guard at the store let us park our bikes just inside the front door. With list in hand, we quickly made our way through the mass of aisles. Laden down with goods (and with small bellies full of donuts), we soon sped back home.

Once home, I opened the windows to let in the breeze and cooler air before setting to work in the kitchen. First up was potato leek soup. This staple in our household was Eamon's long-time favorite until recently. After much chopping and dicing, a slow simmer on the stove released delicious smells throughout the house. While the soup cooked, I began two separate recipes for banana muffins. For some reason, we have been slow on our banana eating and have a lot of muffin-worthy bananas. As those breakfast treats baked, I made some bacon on the cast iron griddle. Initially I thought I would just add those slices to our lunch salads, but then I remembered I had brussel sprouts from the farmers' market. I immediately chopped the brussel sprouts for lunch. Slow roasted in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper, they were perfect tossed with the bacon and a little balsamic vinegar. Last up was a batch of sugar cut-out cookies. We were going to make ghost and pumpkin cookies until I discovered our lack of cookie cutters. Apparently I donated them in one of my cleaning and purging sessions early in the summer. Set in the refrigerator to chill, the dough will be perfect for cookie making as soon as I borrow some cutters.

Throughout the day the kiddos meandered in and out of the kitchen satisfying their hunger and curiosity. The plumber visited to repair one of our showers and quickly commented on the delicious smells in our home. One friend came over, and two kiddos left to play at other homes. We made side meals together and shared our food with others. There were requests for poppy seed muffins and cakes as well as plans for more hearty, cold weather meals. There was bike riding, game playing, painting and crafting too. Truly it was a perfect fall day.

(I leave the cupboard doors open while I cook and bake. It drives Dave crazy. I am worse in this house because the cupboards are sometimes hard to open. Apparently my grandmother did the same thing when she was in the kitchen. I take that as a good sign.)

Lemon Season

While enjoying the snowy weather up north, I had plenty of time to knit. One project that I started was a veggie bag. I had a single skein of linen from Claudia Handpainted yarn in the poppy colorway that was begging to be used. The Ilene bag seemed like a perfect fit. The knitting went very quickly, and I finished the bag once we arrived home. The timing on this knit was perfect as the lemons here are beginning to ripen and are ready to be picked.

With bag in hand, I headed outside to grab some fruit off the tree. Lemons are not my favorite food, but with an overabundance this time of year you have to adapt. I grabbed a few particularly ripe ones from the tree. Aine and Benton helped me find just the right ones. I was amazed at how much this bag would hold. My arm got tired before the bag was full!

We now have plans to make some lemonade and lemon curd tomorrow. I will probably brew some lemon and ginger tea with a smidge of honey for our breakfast in the morning. Then we may pick up some fish at the farmers market to be flavored with lemon wedges. Lemon cookies will round up the day's menu. As you can see, although they are not my favorite, lemons are quite popular around my home this time of year.

Change of Plans

When the day started, our schedule was full. Milk pickup and a trip to the farmers market followed by a playdate at a friend's home. Playing would then lead into time in the car running a few more errands. It would be busy.

We left the house before eating breakfast to get our milk. Usually my milk run is done before Dave leaves for work, but he went into work early. The kiddos bundled up and we set off. It was uneventful. Once home, we ate some yummy grub and set off again to the market. I had not been to this particular farmers' market, but our friends go every week. I figured it would be a good introduction to the market and the kiddos would see friends. I also secretly hoped to snag a market basket from one of the vendors (the basket seems to be a marker for our homeschooling group, and it is cool).

We pulled up to the market, and the kiddos squealed with delight at seeing so many of their pals. They started running around the grassy area. They wanted to walk around the water feature until one of their friends fell into the fountain and it was really cold. It was madness of the best kind. The mamas were talking near the fishhugger tent. He and his family are also homeschoolers. He loves having the kiddos running around his area and checking out his baskets (I told you already about the baskets). After buying a basket for myself and a smaller one for both Aine and Benton, we set off for our real goal - kale.

The market has one big produce vendor. It isn't all local, but most of it is. It is all organic, and reasonably priced. Everyone working that stall was so kind, but apparently all the kiddos were driving one other shopper a bit crazy (or so I overheard). We ended up with a bit more than our kale. Eamon, Aine and Benton each collected a few items. We had beets, radishes, apples, parsnips, carrots and a butternut squash. While paying, Benton became upset over the purchasing process and threw his basket and food on the floor. After paying I picked him up and settled back into the grassy area. After much talk, he calmed down. He really wanted his basket contents to be weighed together in the basket. He understands now, but is not truly convinced that his way was not better.

The day went a bit awry at that point. Each of the kiddos had a struggle with hitting or unkind behavior. I decided to pull the plug and change our plans for the day. I talked with the mom and children with whom we had planned our playdate. We all agreed that playing could wait for another day when everyone was having a better day. I even said that it was my point of view on the day. I just didn't want to spend the day frustrated and angry with the behaviors. I wanted us to focus our energy elsewhere.

We headed home. It was the best decision. Once home, we settled into our rhythm again. I pulled out the simple supplies for graham cracker houses. Eamon was disappointed that we didn't have real gingerbread like last year. His feelings of disappointment faded once the assembly began. There was much candy consumption and hilarity throughout the process. Eamon came up with a porch design that was quickly adopted by the younger crowd. Each has a specific look for their house.

When the houses were complete, we settled in for some stories, holiday movies and crafting. Dinner was a delicious soup, green chicken chili. With full bellies, we settled into bed and listened to our next installment of The Cinnamon Bear. The kiddos fell asleep and I finished up the mitts I had been knitting. It was a good day, although it was not what we had planned.

I thought it was good

Potato and Spinach Hash Everyday Food 10/2011

Benton did too. The other two did not. In his defense, Dave had to work late. He did eat some of the leftovers. Oh well. There are always other recipes to try.

His First Pie and an Impromptu Picnic

Eamon loves to cook. He will often offer to make his own food. Some evenings when presented with my dinner plan, he will suggest that he make the meal. His version is often met with bigger smiles than mine.

This weekend, he decided that he would make a peach pie. Undeterred with only nectarines in the cupboard, he forged ahead with plans for an apple pie. He eagerly pulled out a jar of apple pie filling that I had canned last fall. We agreed that it was a good idea. He opened the jar and tested it to ensure quality (he loves the apple pie filling and would eat it by itself most days).

I am not a pie maker, so I suggested he consult one of my cookbooks. The Joy of Cooking was his pick. He flipped to the pie section and quickly began reading and collecting ingredients.

He poured, measured and mixed. I showed him how to cut in the butter and add ice water. He did it all with finesse. I am sure his great grandmothers would be proud. Once he had the dough prepared, he was ready to build his pie. He was a bit disheartened to learn that the dough needed to chill, but was consoled with some time outside at the park.

When the time came to roll out the dough, Eamon was busy. Several attempts to entice his help were ignored, so I rolled out the bottom crust. He slowly meandered into the kitchen amazed at what I had done. With the rolling pin procured at a yard sale by my father, he set to work on the top crust. We decided on a leaf motif on the top created with a few cookie cutters. It is fall now even in Arizona.

We filled the shell with the jar of pie filling and carefully set the leaves on top. Eamon sprinkled a bit of sugar and cinnamon on the leaves as well. I showed Eamon what to do with the leftover pieces of dough. As I explained the process, I let him know that this is the part I remember best about my mom making pies. She would let us slather the leftover pieces with butter and sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar. He made the leftovers into a few hearts to share with his brother and sister.

Eamon watched the baking of that pie like a proud parent. He chastised me a bit about burning the leaves. I explained that it was just the cinnamon and it should not affect the flavor. We let the pie cool and decided to wait to eat it later in the day. (It looks much browner in this picture than in reality).

On a whim, I decided to take the kiddos to the park with our pie and dinner. With our blanket spread out we enjoyed a bit of pork, applesauce and Eamon's pie. It was a glorious evening of cool weather and wonderful food. Everyone gave Eamon's pie a thumbs up. He was so very pleased.

Old Mother Hubbard

Today I sent a text to Dave telling him that I felt like Old Mother Hubbard. With the weekend spent camping, our food stores were bleak. Nothing in my pantry or refrigerator looked appetizing. Aine wanted pizza, but we had no tomatoes for sauce. Eamon wanted a sandwich, but we had no bread. I wanted anything that would taste good. The only person able to be satisfied was Benton with his request for cereal. I stood with the refrigerator door open staring. Finally I was struck with inspiration. Eggs!

I had hard-boiled a dozen eggs a few days ago. Usually the kiddos gobble them up. They were eating these a bit more slowly, so I decided to whip up some egg salad. This is something new for my kiddos. I am not sure they have ever really had it. I was in potentially dangerous territory, but I forged ahead.

I shelled five eggs and finely diced them. I added some pickles, mayonnaise and mustard. I added some red onion to mine. I whipped together a garden salad and cut up an apple I found in the bowels of the refrigerator with one bite out of it. I even added a small piece of chocolate leftover from our camping s'mores to their plates. It was a huge hit with Aine and Benton. They both declared it delicious. Eamon told me he could do better and proceeded to smear peanut butter onto a corn tortilla. Everyone was happy.

With success in the air, I decided to bake some bread. We needed a loaf to take on an upcoming picnic. I loaded up the bread maker in hopes that it would not heat up the house. The smell of baking bread wafted through the house and pleased everyone. The kiddos said it looked so delicious. I must admit that it did look pretty.

The day culminated with a few trays of snickerdoodles emerging from the oven for our picnic. It is amazing what can be made from a cupboard that appears bare. I guess we had more food than it seemed when I stood in front of the pantry. I wonder what I can make tomorrow.

A Slight Reprieve

Temperatures dipped this weekend to 100 degrees. I think we may have even been down to the high 90s. This was a welcome reprieve. The kids and I hit the park on Friday enjoying slighter cooler weather and overcast skies. They climbed on a metal sculpture at the library which is usually too hot to even touch. They reveled in the outdoors running and playing.

My thoughts turned to the indoors and the kitchen. With cooler temperatures, we opened the house over night to enjoy the cool breezes. I felt inspired again to cook and prepare meals (this has been happening for a few weeks now). I put together a quiche for our family to enjoy as classes begin this week keeping us away from home in the afternoon. I made Benton more of his delicious granola. I pulled out my stack of Everyday Food magazines and I dreamed of more meals to prepare as our temperatures dip and we gear up for our version of fall and winter.

Why We Need Chickens

The whole family was sitting in our family room reading, playing games and working on the computer. Benton left the room and sounds could be heard from the kitchen. I kept a keen ear to the sounds. I heard a pot and the refrigerator.

H: "Benton, what are you doing?"
B: " Just getting food."

Fair enough. He knows how to get himself a snack. He knows not to use the stove. I continued to listen.

H: "B, what are you getting to eat?"
B: "I'm making hard boiled eggs!"

Uh oh! I quickly moved from the couch into the kitchen while asking a few key questions.

H: "Did you crack the eggs?"
B: "Uh, huh! All by myself. I am making eggs!"

Benton was so pleased with himself. He had cracked four eggs, three made it into a pot and one had landed on the floor.

B: "See, Mama, I cracked the eggs ALL by myself. I am making hard-boiled eggs."

I quickly wiped up the errant egg, picked a few eggshells out of the mix and helped our little chef make himself scrambled eggs. We talked a bit about how hard boiled eggs need to stay in their shell. He made the eggs all by himself (with a little help from mama). This was such a big deal for the smallest member of our family. Of course, once we were done, he didn't want to eat any eggs.

Yum...Nutella

A friend of mine recently gave birth to twins. Our family brought them food to help during their adjustment to a family of five. Sharing meals with a family during times of transition is such a help. I try to make a main dish, side and dessert. This time I experimented with a new recipe for dessert. I made Nutella Meringues.

I didn't think I had the patience for meringues. In the past I could never get the eggs to stiff peaks and ended up with lump cookies. This time everything worked perfectly. The eggs were beat to perfection, and the nutella added a delightful richness. I packed up half the cookies for our friends. The remaining cookies disappeared fast. Everyone wants me to make them again. It was a definite success.

Plum Crazy

Arizona has two growing seasons compared to other places. We can have a wonderful garden during the winter and spring. The summer, however, is pretty dreary in the produce area. Fortunately we have close neighbors with great growing seasons. Recently I was able to procure around 20 pound of plums from California. They were organic and looked beautiful.

I set them out for eating, since the small people love eating fresh fruit. These plums just sat. I cut them up for meals, but no one under 8 ate them. When I asked what was wrong, each told me that they were too sweet and juicy. I could not believe it.

So, I had a box of plums to eat or store while temperatures outside hovered in the 110s. I procrastinated a bit, but I could not ignore them for long as they were occupying valuable refrigerator space. This weekend I finally succumbed and pulled out the canning equipment.

All went really smoothly and I didn't overheat the house too much. I made plum jam, plum chutney and plum conserve, because I had so many plums. I used Pomonas Universal Pectin, so I could cut the amount of sugar needed significantly. The plum jam and chutney recipes originated from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. It took a lot longer than I had planned as it seems everything does. Although it was not my harvest to preserve, I now have quite a few jars of plum preserves for the cooler months to spread on toast or have with roasts.

Plum Conserve, Plum Chutney and Plum Jam

Out of Ideas

I am struggling to find meal ideas that do not require a lot of effort on the cook's part. I am definitely running out of ideas. I need your input. What do you make when it is too hot to cook? 

The Chef

The other day Eamon wanted to make something in the kitchen. We talked about a few options and then decided on pretzels. He gathered his ingredients and set to work. Eamon mixed and kneaded. He made two batches, so there was plenty to share with his sister and brother. 

Everyone set to work creating pretzel masterpieces. They shared a bit of dough with me as well. We rolled out snakes of dough and coiled them into pretzels. The most fun was creating free form pretzels. Eamon crafted a trident, a train and a few traditional pretzels. Aine made a flower, the letter "A" and some twists. Benton made pretzels snakes and balls.

Everyone watched patiently as they cooked. Eamon presented everyone with a quick snack of pretzels. Delicious!

Eamon used a recipe we had tried a few years ago. Eamon and Aine enjoyed looking at this old blog post. They couldn't believe they were that little.

Some Days...

I even impress myself. Today was one of them. Eamon had a friend over to play. I set out a quick snack for everyone to enjoy - oranges, popcorn and crudite. It was a hit. You don't want to see the aftermath. Days like this, I miss our dog.

A day in the kitchen

Some days begin and end in the kitchen. I like to cook. I enjoy food blogs. I can read about food at almost any time of day. I especially like 101 Cookbooks, Moderate Oven, Smitten Kitchen, Remedial Eating and my friend's new food blog My Sweet Life. There are others that I read, but not as often as these. I also love cookbooks. I have a few and enjoy checking them out from the library. I am always on the lookout for delicious food. I love variety in my diet and am always trying new things.

Of all the forms of cooking, I really like to bake. If given the choice, I would much prefer making chocolate chip cookies to making dinner. Sweets are a bit of my downfall. Most of the goodies I make are somewhat healthy. I substitute flax seed or chia seeds for eggs, use applesauce in lieu of oil and almost exclusively use whole wheat flour. I still use sugar, although I occasionally substitute maple syrup or honey. In a nutshell I try to make my obsession with baked goods not a detriment to my family's overall health.

I am most predictable in my baking. I prefer chocolate chip cookies to pretty much anything. I have six recipes for different types in my recipe box. I love them all with their subtle differences and nuances. I recently found out that my children do not like chocolate chip cookies above all else. They actually have other favorites. One like snickerdoodles and the other sugar cookie. Can you imagine such a thing??

In an effort to appease the masses, I recently spent a few hours in the kitchen making a few of everyone's favorites. I made banana bread, baked oatmeal cake and of course chocolate chip cookies. The banana bread is fantastic and gets rave reviews whenever I take it anywhere. I often add mini chocolate chips to one loaf, which is always a big hit. I found out about the baked oatmeal from a friend. It is delicious for breakfast or added to a bowl of yogurt and berries. And finally I made the cookies following my current favorite recipe. Everyone was quite pleased with the yummy baked goods. Below is the recipe for my banana bread. It never fails to impress.

Banana Bread - original source unknown


4 ripe bananas (1.5-2 lbs, but I often use more)
1 c pkd light brwn sugar
1/2 c oil
1 lg egg
1 c all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking pwdr 
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream (I usually use homemade yogurt)
1 T vanilla
I added choc chips on a whim

Preheat oven to 350
Beat bananas until mashed.  Add brown sugar, oil and egg.  Beat until smooth
Reduce speed to low.  Add flours thru salt.  Bet until smooth 
Add sour cream and vanilla.  Beat until combined.
Fill muffins 3/4 full
Bake 25-30 mins rotating pan halfwy thru

What I worked on today

Cooking

Cleaning Rooms

Exploring the possibilities

Best Dinner Ever

I meal plan and cook at home most nights. We try to eat dinner together every night. Lately, however, dinner has not been a success. In fact you could call dinner at our home a colossal flop. Meals have failed that were former hits - potato leek soup, tacos, and spaghetti. New recipes have also failed. Dave tried to tell me that the children almost vomited when presented with the recent Roasted Shrimp with Spaghetti Squash (I was at a meeting that night, but I ate the leftovers. It was good).

Tonight I decided to turn the tables on the small people. Eamon wanted me to make him a cheese sandwich just before dinner. I asked him to wait since the rest of us were in the middle of an art project (making watercolor hearts from coffee filters to hang in our windows). Then I asked him what he would like for dinner instead of cheese sandwiches as that was not the plan. He decided instead he would make a peanut butter sandwich for everyone. And he did. The sandwich was accompanied by carrots, cucumbers, celery, edamame, pecans and ranch dressing in shot glasses.

The kiddos were thrilled. Aine exclaimed that it was the best meal ever. (Hmmph) Each of them ate their meal and asked Eamon for more. He was quite pleased with himself. Perhaps he will help a bit more with meal planning and prep from now on. He did want to become a chef at one time.

Valentine Pretzel Doodles

Inspired by my sister, the kids and I set out to make some Valentine's Day candy. It is a basic treat comprised of pretzels, Hershey Kisses and M&Ms (definitely not health food). Aine was my biggest helper in the task. We chose small pretzels and caramel kisses topped with holiday M&Ms.

While waiting for the oven to preheat to 350 degrees, Aine and I unwrapped all the Kisses while testing a few.

Then Aine arranged the pretzels on a baking sheet topping each one with a kiss.

We all eagerly watched them melt in the oven. It takes about 3-5 minutes. You will notice the tops of the kisses begin to sag. Once we took the out, Aine and Benton topped them with M&Ms. They pushed down the candy a little bit which spreads the chocolate on the pretzel.

When we were done, we set about trying to figure out a good name for our treats. Dave suggested "pretzel doodles," and Aine concurred. We all agreed whatever they are called, they are quite tasty.

Abundance

As a family we strive to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.  We enjoy growing our own food and have belonged to several CSAs. We also shop at the farmer's market when possible. In addition we  participate in a produce buying coop. It is not always seasonal or local, but it works for us right now. I volunteer and run the site closest to our home. Every Saturday morning you can find me at the park helping distribute produce very early in the morning. It has been great for our area. I meet a lot of our neighbors and recognize more faces when I am at the library, gymnastics class, and the park.

The contents of our basket change week to week. On Saturday I try to create a weekly menu from what we have received. Some weeks we fly through the food.  Other times, it takes a bit longer. Recently we have had a plethora of winter squash. We had a bounty of acorn, kabocha, spaghetti and butternut. Especially butternut. Our family loves Butternut Squash Soup and Baked Rice with Butternut Squash, but we can only eat so much of it. Luckily my mom had a different recipe. She had a recipe for bread. She claimed it was the best bread, and she was right.

I roasted two smaller butternuts and made the bread. I omitted a bit of the sugar in the interest of making it a bit healthier (snort). I took a loaf to a playdate, and everyone ate it. A few of the children took several pieces. I even saw a dad eat it. We have only a small piece left, so we have plans to make some more tomorrow.

I am sharing the recipe with you, because it is that good. Any changes I made are included in parentheses. Enjoy!

All that is left of 2 huge loaves

Butternut Squash Bread
1 c oil (I used coconut oil)
1 c water
3 c sugar (I used 2 cups with no problem)
2 c pureed butternut squash (I used two smaller squash)
4 eggs or equivalent egg substitute
3 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
2 cups nuts, pecans or walnuts (I would use less next time)


Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour 3 loaf pans (I used two, because that is all I have). 
Roast the squash. (I sliced the squash and seeded it. Each half was placed cut side down in a dish with a bit of olive oil. I baked it at 400 degrees until it could be easily pierced with a fork. Spoon out the squash flesh.) 
In a large bowl, mix squash, egg, oil, water, and sugar until well blended. Set aside.
In separate bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients except nuts.
Stir dry ingredients into squash mixture. Lightly fold in nuts. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 75 minutes or until toothpick is clean.

Good Day

Our holiday crafting for out of town family is done.  The packages were mailed yesterday and should be there in time.  Just a few more gifts to finish for the local folks.  It appears that our handmade holidays will be a success.

Today we baked a bit.  We want to share some goodies with our neighbors.  We are surrounded by older people with a small smattering of college students sprinkled into the mix.  Most of our neighbors are quite friendly and even a bit entertained by our antics.  We baked cowboys cookies (using the chocolate/coconut variation) and made some peppermint bark.  We also have cookies we received during an annual cookie swap to share.  Tomorrow we plan on bringing the treats to our neighbors and hopefully sharing some smiles.

Yogurt

We love yogurt.  I prefer the protein packed Greek yogurt, but we will eat it all.  Our favorite combination is plain yogurt with a bit of fruit, nuts or granola.  Benton especially gobbles it up.  To keep up with the quick consumption, I make our own yogurt.  We use organic milk and a yogurt maker my sister gave to me.  It makes 5 individual cups of yogurt.  I also have a larger yogurt maker.  In the past I used that one exclusively, but I currently prefer the individual containers with the kiddos.  We also use our yogurt in smoothies and in place of sour cream and love it.

It is very easy to make as well.  Just heat a quart of milk to 180 degrees stirring occasionally.  Cool the heated milk to 110 degrees and add 1/4 cup yogurt starter (we use 1/4 cup of homemade or store bought yogurt).  Put into the yogurt warmer cups and leave it alone for 6-8 hours.  After that time refrigerate and enjoy!   For more information on yogurt making, check out one of my favorite food blogs, 101 Cookbooks.