Saturday Prep-work

I find the hardest part of making meals for my family is finding the time to cut everything up. So today while Greyson was napping I pulled out this week's veggies and chicken, some containers and a sharp knife and cutting board and got to work.

First I peeled 6 carrots and cut 3 of them into sticks and put them in two containers for snacking and to take to lunch on Wednesday. Then I cut the other three into coins and put them into container A for Jambabyla on Sunday.

Then it was on to the Bell Pepper. I diced it up and half went into container A and half into container B for Tuesdays Chicken Curry in a Hurry.

Next came the onion. Half sliced and added into container B, half wrapped up and put back in the fridge.

Then I cut up 2 heads of broccoli. A few florets were added to the carrot stick containers for snacking. A handful added to container A and the rest put in another container for baked potatoes on Friday.

I added a cup of frozen corn kernels to container A, then sealed them all up and put them in the fridge.

Finally I cut up 2 chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces that I put into one more container. Now I can just pull out 1/2 for Jambalaya and the other half for Curry.

I'm hoping all this prep-work will make for speedier and easier meals later in the week.

Pot Roasting

I got up early this morning and put a pot roast in the crock pot. Something about searing meat first thing in the morning was really nice. It made the house smell warm and inviting...like fall.

Here's to the beginning of autumn! Let's just try to ignore that fact that it is 80 degrees outside.

Cookie Rules

I've been trying to find a "healthy" cookie recipe and after making Nikki's Healthy Cookies I have decided that cookies need sugar to qualify as "cookie". They also need to taste good. So I've just tossed in a batch of oatmeal cookies. They are fairly healthy, but also taste good. BONUS!

Later this week I'll make plain old Chocolate Chip Cookies - you know - REAL cookies.

a loaf of many meats

I made a meatloaf tonight that used meats from 3 different animals.
-Pig in the form of Pork
-Cow in the form of Beef and Veal
-Turkey in the form of...well Turkey

Yum. Carnivores rule!

Egg Salad

Egg salad is my new favorite food. It seems strange since it requires two of the foods I find revolting - mayonnaise and mustard. But somehow when combined with a hard boiled egg, some garlic powder, paprika and some diced up mini gherkins, I just can't get enough.

Served on a whole wheat English muffin with a slice of Canadian Bacon and I've got a yummy lunch!

First Harvest

This week I finally harvested some veggies from the garden. I haven't fertilized at all so things are a little on the small and slow side, but I rally don't mind. The thrill really comes from walking outside and finding that I have yet to kill every plant in my garden.
Today's harvest consists of:

• 1 small zucchini (I could have left it for another day or two, but I wanted to eat it with my lunch)
• 2 roma tomatoes (the whole roma plant is about 1/3 the size of the others. I think it is because I planted it late)
• 1 green zebra tomato (it too is small, but I like it that way)
• 1 medium sized yellow, crookneck squash (that plant is over-running the garden)

Aren't they cute!

I immediately cut up and sautéed the zucchini and served it over pasta. It was delish! The pasta is Hodgson Mill's Organic Whole Wheat with Milled Flax Seed and it is very, very good. Slightly nutty but not gritty like some whole wheat pastas - plus it is the only omega 3 rich pasta I can find that doesn't use legume flour (aka - allergic reaction in a box).

This is all that remains of a cherry pie I made nearly two weeks ago. When I removed the plastic wrap it actually stank. Here is a note for all of you - if there is pie in your fridge EAT IT! Don't try to be nice and leave the last piece for someone else. It will just go bad in your fridge and make a sticky, stinky mess. Although the photo still looks fairly appetizing.

Right now I am savoring my first peach of the season. Just the smell is delightful. I love the way it melts in my mouth and tastes like sunshine and rainy, cool evenings at the same time.

In which I fianlly make edible french toast

I love French toast, but for some reason it has turned out horribly the last, oh, say million times I've made it. I'm not sure why but it always turns out to be a disappointing waste of bread. This morning however, I was up at the crack of dawn and decided to pull out the trust Commonsense Cooking book and see what I could find. I followed their directions to the letter (well, cutting the recipe in half) and it worked!
We had yummy French toast for breakfast this morning and all was right with the world.
Except that while I slept like a log last night, Michael tossed and turned again - making this two nights in a row where he has barely slept. I'm thinking about slipping him a Tylenol PM tonight...

Dinner - As promised

Dear Alexa-
Tonight I roasted half of a local raised chicken from the CSA. I coated it with olive oil and lemon pepper from Penzeys Spices. The mashed potatoes were baby reds, also from the CSA, spiced up with a healthy dash of French Onion Dip and some garlic powder. Finally we had some flash cooked green beans. Strangely enough the green beans are frozen and from Aldi, but they really are the best green beans I've found. They are the super thin type that I love.

A leg and thigh for me and the breast for Michael.
I could make a joke about him being a breast man,
but really he just doesn't like to eat meat off of the bone.
Something that seems crazy to me.

Yum!

Also this week I've been eating tons of watermelon.
Check out the giant hunk I ate for breakfast on Sunday.

Well that is "what the Perry's are eating tonight". Not really exciting, but yummy. I have no real plans for tomorrow. Maybe a quiche. I have some bacon and spinach that I need to use up and once again we have more eggs than I know what to do with.

Hope you are having a great day!
m

Fruit Salad Days

Yesterday I was craving fruit salad. I neeeeded fruit salad so I ran to the store picked up some fruit and made some salad. My yummy and craving satisfying fruit salad recipe (If you can call it that) is below.

1 handful local blueberries
1/2 a pint of raspberries (which were on sale so I bought 3 pints - I'll freeze the rest)
8 strawberries hulled and diced
1 kiwi fruit skin removed and diced
1 golden delicious apple, skin removed and diced
1 slightly under-ripe banana, peeled and diced
mix together in bowl and drizzle with a little lime juice and honey and mix again

It makes a bright, fresh and yummy fruit salad, perfect for 4th of July weekend. Of course we've eaten it all already so I'll have to make a new batch.

Today's CSA Haul

I have to admit I was a bit underwhelmed with the CSA last week, but this week it was great.

• 1 whole free-range chicken (which I've already roasted)
• The chicken turned out beautifully. I was slicing it when I realized that I should have taken a photo, but trust me it was perfect. And it tasted pretty good too. I chopped the rest of it up for soup or chicken salad later in the week.
  
• 1 dozen farm fresh eggs (I'll be making a frittata later)
• I made a potato and chicken frittata for breakfast, it was good but needed onions!
  
• 1 jar of local honey (we use a surprising amount of honey in this house)
• 1 jar of fresh made salsa (chips and dip are always welcome here)
• 2 baguettes (I traded in the tofu - which I can't eat- for the second loaf)
• 3 huge tomatoes (I'm sure they were grown in a hot house - but at least it was a local one)
• a bunch of fresh rosemary (which I used to season the roasted chicken)
  

Dinner Is Served

And the salad was grown in my garden.
I have 6 lettuce plants and they are all doing well. I even tossed some baby chard and cilantro leaves for kicks. Paired with some grilled asparagus and chicken it was a delightful meal and the first of many that involves home grown veggies.
Visit Grow Your Own for more people eating what they have grown themselves.

Making Cornish Pasties

I've wanted to make Cornish Pasties for a long time now. So on this snowy February day, while Michael paints in the basement I decided to make some. I used the recipe out of Cooking: A Commonsense Guide, a British cookbook that is about as straight forward as it gets. (I really recommend this cookbook, aside from having to convert the measurements it is a great tool with wonderful and easy to follow recipes.)
They turned out great and I have big plans for the next batch. Really anything wrapped in dough has to be good. Plus they are a great lunch box food!

Check out my tutorial and make your own.

proof that we do have a new camera

For Alexa:


Tonight's dinner included:

- Ricotta stuffed chicken breasts with shallot pepper seasoning and Parmesan cheese.
- Indian style, long grain rice.
- Fresh Green Beans in a lemon-thyme butter sauce, covered in caramelized onions.

**** (out of 5)

successful baking

While I cook a lot there is one thing that has always eluded me.
Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I have never made a really good Chocolate Chip Cookie. Oatmeal, easy. Molasses, yep. Chocolate Chip, nope. They always turn out poorly - flat and too crispy and greasy.
Until tonight.
Tonight I made perfect, chewy and delicious cookies. Frankly, it's about time.

beets

For Christmas I received the Deceptively Delicious cookbook and last night I pureed a bunch a veggies for a weeks worth of health meals. It was messy, especially the beets. They are so magnificently red - staining my hands and the counter top magenta. Plus they smell bad. Michael says it made our kitchen smell like Russian Peasants lived there. And it did.
This morning I set about to make Pink Pancakes (with beets). The beets turned the mix a violent shade of hot pink and no matter how much cinnamon and apple was added to the mix it still smelled like dirt (and not good fresh dirt). The first pancake was still gooey after it had cooked for 5 min so I tossed it and started again. The second appeared to be cooked through so I sprinkled it with powdered sugar and a little syrup and took a bite of the brilliant pink pancake.
And spit it right back out.
Normally I can go ahead and swallow down one bite of about anything, but this was so terrible. Just awful.
When I made Brussels Sprouts a few weeks ago (which I loved by the way) Michael made the comment that some foods are eaten because there is no other option. That people ate Brussels Sprouts because the didn't have corn or other veggies that taste good. After the Beet Pancakes and think that he is on to something. I know they are highly nutritious and they probably kept many a peasant family alive, but they will not be sustaining this family.

discovery

So we've had a gas range for over 2 years and I just realized that I can have camping quality roasty-toasty marshmallows any time I want!

Bonus - The house smells like camping!

a cooking weekend

Some days are cooking days. This weekend is a cooking weekend and I love it!

So far I have made:
- veggie cream cheese spread for celery (which may join the roster of quick dips to bring to parties)
- zuppa di polpettini (where I ended up making something so far from the recipe it may need a new name, though the basic idea is the same.)

- pumpkin soup using the pumpkin I picked off the vine in October and has spent the last month on my front porch. (thank goodness they stay fresh until punctured inside the freakishly hard skin.)

Here's how to make your own Pumpkin Soup d'Morgan

Bring pumpkin in from front porch and wash it. I used a Japanese black and green Pumpkin called a Kabocha.

Cut pumpkin in half. This required 2 knives and the help of Michael. Kabocha have extsreamly hard skin. Scoop out seeds and stringy pieces.

Bake cut side down on parchment or foil lined baking sheet for 40 to 60 min at 350 degrees or until soft.

Scoop out insides and stir until smooth. (you could use a blender, but I didn't need to.) Transfer to pot and slowly add 1 16oz box reduced sodium chicken broth. Simmer. Add to this 1/2 cup caramelized onions and 2 minced cloves of garlic. Using a stick blender mix until smooth. Add cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste. For a little kick add some curry powder.

Garnish with Shredded Carrots and Sesame Seeds. Enjoy.

Coconut Rice #93(a)

Recipe #93 is actually Statued Chicken and Peppers with Coconut Rice, but tonight I just made the rice with some Stir Fry (Beef, Onions, Garlic, Baby Bok Choy, Sweet Potatoes and Water Chestnuts).

Michael loved the rice, which is amazing as he is the pickiest eater ever (aside from my mom -- Hi, I love you!). The rice was sweet and almost dessert-like, which will be even better when made with a spicy curry.

Coconut Rice #93(a)
In a Medium sauce pan combine 1 cub long grain rice and 3/4 cup water. Let soak for 20 min. Then bring the water to a boil and add 1 cup coconut milk (I like A Taste of Thai). Stir as it comes to a boil and then reduce heat and let simmer with the lid on for 15min. Fluff with fork and serve.

The Challenge Ends

The Challenge is over and I have not met it. I'm still eating well, working out ocasionally and let's face it, I am not a still person.

The real reason this project is drawing to a close is that I am tired of writing about it.So, I'm on to the next this and that is cooking. I have become a bit obsessed lately with cooking. Over the last 2 weekends I have purged all of my magazines and cut out any recipes I think that Michael and I might ever actually eat. They have all been pasted in a binder and numbered. So far there are 101 recipes. I'm making them in no particular order and making comments and notes to myself about improvements or ways to make them more "Perry Family friendly".

Here is recipe 100 - Perfect Pot Stickers:

This is the recipe from Good Eats and my modifications. I made a batch on Tuesday and froze them all for Friday when Alexa comes to town.

Perfect Pot Stickers from Alton Brown of Good Eats (the original recipe is available Here)

1/2 pound Ground Turkey
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow sweet peppers
1 slice of fresh ginger finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons ketchup
1 teaspoon Honey Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
40 small wonton wrappers
Water, for sealing wontons
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
1 1/3 cups chicken stock, divided

Combine the first 11 ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl (Turkey through Pepper). Set aside.
To form the dumplings - Set 4 to 6 wrappers on a cloth or parchment covered space. Place ½ round teaspoon mixture in the center of the wrappers. With a damp finger seal the edges of the wrappers, then fold the outer corners to the center. Set aside and cover with damp cloth. Repeat until filling is gone. At about wonton 30 I’m ready for this all to be over, but it takes about 40+ to use all the filling.
Heat a 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 filled wontons at a time to the pan They can be close tot each other but not touching and cook for 3 minutes, without touching. (they will stick to the pan) Once the 3 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately.

Because when you add a side of rice or couscous to this dish Michael and I only eat 4-5 potstickers each I only cook one batche at a time. The rest I freeze, uncooked on a parchment covered cookie sheet and then transfer to ziplock bags usually in groups of 10. When you want to reheat them just put the frozen wontons in to the sauté pan as before but up the cooking times to closer to 4 min per step.

Deceptive cooking

I'm very much about getting as much nutrition into our meals as I can without being super weird. I add thin slices of carrot to tacos, last week I made cauliflower mashed potatoes, I add ground flax seed to almost everything.
This week I found a book called Deceptively Delicious which is full of recipes that sneak in good for you foods. So today I made brownies with carrot and spinach puree. The verdict is still out on them, but I'm excited about sneaking in some health into something so yummy as brownies.

The Verdict is in the veggie brownies are deemed yummy. They are really more like cake, and not like the fudgey brownies that Micheal and I really like, but if eaten as cake they are great. The chocolate cream cheese frosting made them extra good.

Side note - Buying frosting in a can is now a thing of the past. It is so easy to make!