Stacey's Famous Brined Turkey

My sister Stacey makes the best turkey for Thanksgiving. She has brined her turkeys for years, and has changed the original recipe she followed over the years to make it her own.
If you can get your hands on a local free-range turkey it will be even better. Remember that good all natural turkeys do not have over-inflated balloon breasts, they way commercial turkeys do. If you've never had a free-range turkey, you may be a bit shocked at how different he looks, but remember--this is the way he was meant to be. A well cared-for animal produces a higher quality of meat.

This recipe is great because it is very simple (although it does require some pre-planning). It is easy to make while you are running around (like a chicken with it's head cut off, har-har) doing all the other 5 million things you need to do when preparing a holiday meal. We buy our turkeys the day after Thanksgiving when they go on sale and throw them in the deep freezer. You may be sick of turkey right now, but come Feb. or March, that turkey in the freezer is going to look pretty darn good.
I'll shut up already and just give you the recipe.

4 cups (just under 1 box of Morton's) Kosher salt
2-4 gallons cold water
A big tub, plastic pail, or cooler that will hold your turkey
Ice (if you live somewhere that is not cold)
Carrots, celery, and onion
1 bunch fresh thyme (or 1 T. dried)
Butter
salt & pepper.

You've got to brine your bird the day before you cook it, so plan ahead. Take your 4 cups kosher salt and pour it into your bucket/pail/cooler. Add 2-4 gallons water, and stir till salt is dissolved. Now, before you add your turkey, make sure you've removed the neck and giblets, and all the other stuff that might be stuffed into him. Throw him in the brine, making sure the cavity fills up with water. He will float, so you might want to throw a plate on top of him to keep him submerged a bit.
Now, I just cover it and throw the bucket-o-turkey outside on my porch and let him brine for 6-8 hours. Where I live it is about 33 degress, so it's no problem. If you are somewhere that is above 41 degrees, you are going to want to throw a bag of ice on top of your bird. Keep the ice in the bag, just throw it on the bird to keep him and the brine cold. After he's had a good 6-8 hour soak, take him out and pat him dry. Put him in the fridge, uncovered, overnight. (I just cut open a paper grocery bag, line it w/ paper towels, and put him on that)
Cooking Day:
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Throw a bunch of carrots, celery, and onion all around the bottom of a roasting pan, covering the bottom of the pan entirely so that your bird will sit on top of the veggies. Add the thyme. Melt about 3-5 Tablespoons butter, and brush it all over your turkey, top and bottom. Then go back and sprinkle him with salt and pepper. You can tie up his legs or whatever here. Add 2 cups of water to the veggies in the pan. Put your bird on the veggies BREAST SIDE DOWN. That's right, BREAST SIDE DOWN. Fear not.
You're going to cook him at 425 degrees for one hour. Take him out, flip him right side up, and reduce the heat to 325. Put him back in and cook till a meat thermometer reads 175 degrees in the thickest part of the bird. This can take anywhere from 1 hour (a 10 lb bird) to 3-4 more hours (giant bird). It is very hard to overcook this bird because the brining process locks in the moisture.
Use the pan juices and fat to make your gravy after removing the veggies.
YUM!!!!

Roasted Winter Veg

Delicious and easy dinner tonight. I took an 8" round cake pan and lightly greased it with olive oil. Then I chopped up some winter veggies: carrots, onions, potatoes. You can also use sweet potato, turnip, celery root, parsnip. Lightly coat w/ olive oil, then add rosemary and sea salt. Lay a few links of sausage, a chicken leg, or some tofu on top, and throw in a preheated 400* oven for about an hour. That's it! The veggies get all caramelized and crispy...yum. If you think your meat is over cooking, just take it out after 30 minutes. You can use 1, 8 inch pan per person and serve it right on the table for that rustic look. This one is a keeper!

Heirloom Seeds for your kitchen garden

I know it's not even Xmas yet, but you may want to go ahead and order your seeds for next summer's garden. I've found that if I wait till Feb, there's a backlog. Also, it's not going to hurt your seeds to start them inside pretty early.

My favorite place to order seeds is here. This is Heirloom Seeds. They are an awesome family company in PA. They've got many organic varieties as well. I also like that they have a section titled "Southern Favorites" for all y'all living down south dealing with heat and bugs and such. HS gives you a nice description of each variety, so you can be sure to pick the one that's best for you.

Seed packs also make great stocking stuffers for the new gardener. Start with something easy like pole beans or cucumbers (the "muncher" is my favorite) till you get the hang of it. Remember, a $2 pack of tomato seeds will give you enough tomatoes to feed your family, your neighbor's family, and all your friends for the entire season.

Don't have a backyard? Tomatoes, basil, eggplant, and peppers grow great in containers. You can pick up a book on container gardening to help you out as well. I barely have a backyard because I live in the city, so I use containers alot. I also have convinced several people to let me grow a few plants in their yards in the 'burbs, and that's more fun for everyone! You might be able to find a community garden near you by clicking here. Community gardens give you a space to grow your food.

Take a little risk and grow a garden this year! Let me know if you have questions or need more info.

Mom's Pumpkin Bread

Sure, there are a million recipes out there for pumpkin bread, but none of them are as good as my mom's. I like to make this to give to my neighbors for X-mas. It's fun to put the loaves in the wagon and walk around the neighborhood with Noah passing them out. They freeze beautifully! You can get nice holiday-themed disposable loaf pans at most grocery stores (or Target) this time of year. Make all your loaves in one day, then freeze till you plan on delivering to save time. It's not a bad idea to bake a few extra, just in case you get invited to a last minute party or something (you social butterfly, you...)

Making this (and any baked good) with local pastured eggs makes the flavor even better. :)

Pumpkin Bread (a la Betty)
4 c. sugar (1/2 brown, 1/2 white)
1 c. vegetable or canola oil
1 can (1 lb. 13oz) pumpkin
1 egg
5 c. flour
4 tsp. baking soda
1 T. cinnamon
1 T. allspice
2 tsp. salt
1 c. raisins
2 c. nuts (optional) [walnuts are best!]

In a large mixing bowl, mix ingredients in order as given. Stir in raisins and nuts by hand last.
Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center is clean. Makes 3 loaves. (cut in 1/2 for one generous loaf or 2 small)

pumpkin loaf + eggnog + rum = yum!

Howard Family Holiday Candy

Every year my mother-in-law makes something she calls "Christmas Candy." When she says these words, my husband and his sister start bouncing around like kids on Xmas morning. Christmas candy is simple to make, and it's great to take with you to holiday parties or dinners.

And don't forget that homemade gifts cost you less and can be made in big batches.

You probably have all the ingredients already in your pantry, which makes it even easier. If you can get yourself some local pastured butter it will add a rich flavor to this already yummy treat.

So, here we go:

Grease a baking sheet and stick it in the freezer.

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

1 cup sugar or evaporated cane juice

1/4 cup water

Cook together in a pot over medium heat until temp reaches 285 on a candy thermometer. I recommend stirring pretty constantly with a silicon spatula while it cooks.

Ok, when it reaches 285, you've got to be ready to work fast!

Stir in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans or almonds), and pour out on the center of the baking sheet. The candy will be a thick liquid, and will have changed to a light caramel color. Don't worry about pouring it evenly or in a perfect square or anything--just don't let it drip over the edges of the baking sheet!

Throw the baking sheet in the freezer for a few hours, or overnight if you can.

When the candy is set, you move on to the last step:

Take a 1 lb bag of chocolate chips (I like 365 brand, of course, and only $1.99) and melt 1/2 of them over low heat. You don't want to turn your heat on too high, because they will burn the bottom of the pan. When they are melted, you pour it over the top of the set candy. Spread around evenly, and throw back into the freezer till set. Take it out, turn it over, melt the remaining chips and repeat.

Break up the candy in rustic, uneven pieces, throw it in a holiday tin and give it away as a hostess gift...or just eat it all while you watched TiVo'd General Hospital after the kids have gone to bed.

Simple. Yummy. Finished!

Toasted pita with pestos

I think pesto is my new favorite food. You can make so many different kinds of pesto, and they keep in the fridge a long time (and freezer too!). Freeze your pesto in ice cube trays, then pop out and put in a ziplock bag for individual portions. Pesto is great when you are busy and don't have time to make a big weeknight dinner. I posted a recipe in fall of '08 for my mother-in-law's basil pesto. But this year I have been making artichoke pesto!!
You can find a gazillion different artichoke pesto recipes on the web, and now here is number gazillion-and-one.
Artichoke Lemon Pesto
1 can artichoke hearts (8 oz), drained
5 T olive oil
5 T grated pecorino cheese (or you can use parm.)
1/3 c. fresh basil leaves
4 T. fresh lemon juice
1 cup nuts (I use pine nuts, but you can also use walnuts. toast them for a different flavor if you like)
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

Throw the artichoke hearts, nuts, and cheese in the food processor and pulse a few times. Then add all other ingredients and whiz it up. You can add more oil or water to loosen the pesto if it is too thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt.

Now that you've got your pesto, you can get to work putting together your fast dinner. Spread the pesto on a whole wheat pita, and top with a big fat slice of roasted red pepper (recipe posted earlier this year). Slap it in the toaster oven for 5 minutes, watching to make sure the pita doesn't get too crispy. Serve with a salad or soup.

Pesto can be made from: basil, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, hearts of palm, olives, roasted red peppers, and even figs!
Try pesto in these other fun ways:
on baked potatoes, over chicken or fish prior to baking, with a baguette and brie, on apple slices, tossed with boiled chilled shrimp for a fancy shrimp salad, swirled into your tomato soup, as salad dressing.

Spaghetti Squash & Pork Stir Fry (Eating Well Mag)

Last sunday was the final day of the Skippack Farmer's Market for the season. Man am I bummed. Kim K and I drove out there and loaded up on fresh fruits and veggies from Stauffer Family Farms. 5 generations of growing in Pennsylvania and going strong. For $18 I got a 1/2 gallon of fresh cider, 8 pears, 8 apples, 1/2 pint raspberries, 4 cukes, 8 big potatoes, 6 heirloom tomatoes, and a big fat spaghetti squash. Josefina ate all the raspberries and is working on the pears too.
I was googling spaghetti squash recipes (I have never cooked one) and stumbled across one from the good folks at Eating Well magazine. Now, those of you who know me know that I LOVE Eating Well magazine. Get yourself a subscription, it is worth the $20. They focus on seasonal food, and do alot of "recipe makeovers" to make stuff better for you. They also have several great cookbooks out, including one called "Eating Well Serves Two." But I digress...Anyway, this one looks perfect, especially because I have a freezer full of pork (see earlier posts). And I get excited about sitting down to dinner and realizing that 90% of what's on the table was grown/raised within 100 miles of my house.
Here's the link:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/spaghetti_squash_pork_stir_fry.html

Make it and let me know how it was! I am making it tonight.
UPDATE:
I made it. It was fantastic!

Lauren's yummy Peking Style Fried Tofu

I love tofu. I know that most people don't, but since my first bite of tofu in college in Austin, I was hooked. There are so many things you can do with it, including making Whole Food's famous vegan chocolate mousse (I will not give away the recipe--sorry!). For those of you that are scared of tofu, here's a great starter recipe.
My friend Lauren gave me this recipe recently, and it is delicious! She gives it to her kids (3 and 1) and they eat it up. It is so simple to make, and is great served with some steamed greens and brown rice.
Recipe:
1 pkg firm tofu (not silken)
1/2 c. flour (I used King Arthur's white whole wheat and it worked great)
1 egg beaten (you may need 2)
1 T. green onion, sliced thin
1 T. ginger root, minced
1 t. cooking wine or sherry
1 t. salt ( use about 1/4 t.)
1 t. sesame oil
1/2 c. stock (veg or chicken)

* Cut tofu in 1/2" slices (Lauren drew me this awesome picture of how she slices the tofu using one of Noah's crayons.) and coat in flour.
* Heat pan and add 2 T. oil over medium heat
* Dip tofu in egg and add to pan, arranging slices evenly.
* Fry over medium heat until golden brown, turn over and brown other side.
* Sprinkle with green onion and ginger.
* Combine wine/sherry, salt, sesame oil, and stock, and pour over tofu.
* Poke tofu with fork to allow liquid to seep in.
* Turn heat to low and cook until liquid is absorbed (10-15 min)
That's it!!

Maple Candy & Enchiladas (not together!)

Here are 2 great recipes I found online.
The 1st is for Maple Candy. This is a perfect treat to make in the fall. Also, maple syrup is processed more easily than table sugar, so it satisfies your sweet tooth without all the sugar. It is local to folks in the North East, and can easily be found within 100 miles of NYC. Look for maple syrup at farmer's markets to get the best price.
Here's the link: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-maple-magic-candy-recipe.html#

The 2nd is for enchiladas. Yesterday I was missing home (Texas), and when I miss home I deal with it by eating tex-mex food. Enchiladas are one of my favorite foods to make, because you can put anything in them. This is a great use for my leftover late summer tomatoes that are starting to get soft. You can also use leftover beans too.
Here's the link: http://www.recipezaar.com/Cheesy-Bean-Enchiladas-133377
I reduced the amout of cumin to 1 t. 3 t just seemed like ALOT. I also added some peppers from our garden. I used jack cheese for Aaron, and vegan cheese for me. No, it's not as good as the real thing, but I'm trying to watch the fat!

Salads

I read Joel Fuhrman's Eat To Live book. He makes some great points about the American Diet, disease, weight, etc. The book is really detailed, but the bottom line of it is he recommends people eat 90% of their diet from unrefined plants. This includes veggies, fruit, and beans. Only 1 serving of complex carbs daily. 10% of your diet (calories) can be from animal protein. And most importantly, you should eat 1 pound of raw leafy greens a day. ONE POUND!!! And work up to also eating 1 pound of cooked green veg a day. Wow.

Well, I've been doing it for 3 weeks now. And you know what? I feel better than I have felt in a long time. I never thought that 1 pound of lettuce/spinach/kale would keep me so full. I know, all of this sounds crazy, but just read the book if you want to understand the madness.

The point of all of this is that I am coming up with some creative (but simple) salads these days. Ol' Dr Furhman is against oil--even olive oil--for 6 weeks, so this is requiring some thought. I've had some good salad, and some really bad salad. As I eat a delicious salad I will post the components, mostly so I can remember them for later.

Kale/Carrot/Raisin:
Blanch 1 bunch of kale. I use the red kind for color. Disgard tough stems, and chop the leaves into 1/2 inch strips. Grate 1-2 carrots, and throw 1 box of raisins on the kale. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon on the whole thing and toss. It's better if you keep it in the fridge overnight before eating. I think the lemon juice breaks down the kale, and the sugars from the raisins sweetens everything. Drizzle with tahini before serving. And yep, I eat the whole thing in a day. BTW--I HATED kale before discovering this recipe, which is an adaptation from a recipe a girl at work gave me.

Romaine/Pea/Tofu:
Chop 1 head/heart romaine (I use the heart only, because I can buy a 6 pack for $4 at the store), and toss in 1/2 lb. of frozen (thawed) green peas. Pour 1 T. apple cider vinegar over, and toss. Quickly sautee 1/3 lb firm tofu, cubed. I press the tofu while it's cooking to get some of the water out of it. Nope, no oil, just straight tofu in a frying pan. After about 4 minutes, splash some Bragg's Liquid Amino's on the tofu, stir 1 minute, then turn off heat. The Bragg's taste just like soy sauce, but without the sodium. Throw the tofu on top of the lettuce/peas. Drizzle with tahini (yes, I do alot of tahini drizzling) and serve. Fantastic.

Red Lentils:
I love red lentils, especially when they are mixed with a tomato broth. The 2 were just made for each other! Red lentils are great because they cook much faster than most beans, and do not require a pre-soak. So here we go:
Take 1 cup dried red lentils and put into a pot. Add 2 cups low sodium veggie broth, 1 cup Imagine creamy (vegan) tomato soup, and 1 cup water. Turn on high heat till boil. When it boils, turn down the heat to a low simmer, and cover. Cook for 45 minutes, then turn off heat and let sit for 15 minutes. If you want this more "soupy" increase liquid by 1 cup. This is great served next to steamed brocolli drizzled with (you guessed it) tahini and hot sauce.

The Whole Hog.

We bought a whole butchered hog. Yep. He's in the freezer. But don't worry, he's not stuffed in there like a dead body or anything. I highly recommend this to anyone who is a meat eater and is trying to save some money. It's enough meat to last the entire year.
First, go to http://www.eatwild.com/ to locate a farm near you. They've got an awesome clickable map (I love clickable maps!) that's easy to use. The great thing about EatWild is that it is a directory of farms that sell grass-fed/pastured meat, dairy, and eggs.
Why grass-fed? Well, just go to their website and read why. I learned alot about this when I read Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food. That book totally changed the way I look at food. I know that grass-fed stuff is expensive, but if you buy directly from the farms it is not at all. And its worth it to drive out to a farm every other week to get milk, eggs, cheese, etc. Noah totally looks forward to it now as a treat.

Next, get yourself a chest freezer. You can easily find one on Craig's List. Make sure you get a chest-style one, not an upright (they use alot more energy). I just slapped a post up on Craig's List that said, "Looking for a chest freezer. Will pay $50 and come get it." I got alot of responses, and there were many sizes to choose from. Go to Sears ahead of time and check out the different sized freezers to eye-ball the one you want. They are measured in cubic feet.

I chose Meadow Run Farm in PA because I know we do business with them at WFM. Don't hesitate to ask to visit the farm before you commit to purchasing anything. A clean, well-run farm will let you come out anytime and let you wander around as you will. This is important because you want to buy from a place that is totally transparent in it's business practices. A place that has nothing to hide has no prob with you looking around. Believe me, I've taught enough food safety classes to know that this is essential. Meadow Run let me walk all over the place and invited me to bring my kids back whenever I wanted.

They offered 3 cutting options for the hog, and it arrives frozen and vacuum packed in small portions. Some farms might let you choose the cutting options, and some will let you purchase a 1/2 or 1/4 of the animal (known as a "share"). The cost came to $3/lb hanging weight. That is a great price, especially for pastured, all natural, no hormone, no antibiotic, vegetarian fed meat. And it is an unbelieveable amount of meat! There's about 30 lbs ground, 25 lbs bacon, 15 lbs pork chops, 2 hams, 2 tenderloins, 2 full racks of ribs, all the bones (for soup stock), and some other stuff that I'm forgetting now. We chose pork because we eat it alot more than beef or chicken, and it's cheaper than beef too. We used some of our tax-return money to buy it, and probably will again next year.

This is one of the smartest things my family has done to date, and I definately recommend it to everyone.

Summer 2009

I don't have time to do all the recipes for this summer yet, so I will just make some notes and try to come back later. Favorites this summer include: cucumber yogurt soup, pickled cabbage, frozen strawberry pops, cucumber avacado soup, and pork fried brown rice.

I have also been having 2 teaspoons of Bragg's Cider Vinegar + 1 teaspoon agave nectar (or honey or maple syrup) in a glass of water 3 times a day. This is basically an all natural gatorade. It takes a minute to get use to it, but you will find that your body craves it soon! Also aids in digestion and is a bit of an appetite supressant. Have one first thing when you wake up, mid morning, and mid afternoon. Yum.

Fried Rice
The pork fried brown rice is simple. I usually make a big pot of brown rice at the beginning of the week and store it in the fridge. It helps to sprinkle a bit of water to the rice daily so it doesn't dry out. As we go through the week creating little scraps of leftover veggies: the end of an onion, a few baby carrots left in a bag, a small handful of baby spinach from a leftover salad...I just dice them up finely and put them in zip lock bags. You can use your leftover meat scraps (or tofu) as well: the bit of a leftover chicken breast, a few slices of bacon, the end of a pork roast, etc. Basically what you do is sautee the diced veggies in a bit of olive oil (or the bacon fat if you aren't counting calories!) and add the cooked meat. Stir for a minute, then add some rice (I use one cup per serving). Again, you will probably need to add a tablespoon of water here for the rice. Let it get all heated up then start seasoning it. I use Bragg's Amino Acids as a replacement to soy sauce (doesn't have all the sodium, but has the same flavor), a dash of toasted sesame oil, and a bit of seasoned rice vinegar. That's it! If you prefer a different flavor, you could season by shredding some jack cheese over it instead of the asian seasonings.

Frozen Strawberry Pops
I started off by making these as baby food for Josie (just reheat and add to rice cereal), but they ended up being a frozen treat for Noah. Noah is the pickiest eater on earth, and this is the only way I can get fruit in him.
Take as much of your favorite fruit as will fit in your blender. Obviously wash & cut off any green tops, pits, etc first. Throw them in the blender and puree. Add water if it gets too thick. Then push it through a fine mesh seive. It's a bit time consuming, but it's important if you are making baby food (or have a picky eater). Freeze in ice cube trays or those plastic popsicle makers. Turn out of ice cube trays after a day and transfer to a zip lock bag (in the freezer). Will keep for 6 months in the freezer.

Potato salad, white bean dip, pita & eggs

2 New Recipes
I just made these up one day--and they are great!

Potato Salad
I get sick of super heavy mayo deli salads. This one still has mayo, but is lighter and more flavorful. This is fantastic when you can get hold of those tiny little red new potatoes when they come into season in the spring. I didn't measure anything, so y0u will just have to taste as you go along.
Basically I just make a dressing first: a few spoonfuls of lite mayo, a teaspoon of dijon mustard, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, salt, pepper, garlic powder & onion powder. Mix, then add your herbs. Now, I used dried parsley and dill, but if you have fresh it would be so much better. If you only have dried, try to make your dressing about 30 min ahead of time and let it sit. That way the herbs can kinda reconstitute. Anyway, after adding your herbs, carefully measure out and add 4 T. olive oil. Whisk together and let sit for at least 10 minutes.
After boiling the potatoes, let them hang out in the collander for about 10 minutes or so. Chop up 1-2 stalks of celery, and toss into the dressing. Then add your potatoes and toss & mix really well. Serve at room temp--that's the secret! You think potato salad should be served cold because that is what we are all use to, but room temp really brings out all the flavors.

White bean dip
This is basically a bastard hummus, because I was out of chickpeas. Aaron went crazy for it and has asked for it again.
1 can white beans (cannelli, great northern, or navy will all work fine), rinsed and drained.
3 cloves of garlic
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t. dried parsley (or fresh, if you've got it)
olive oil

Throw everything into a food processor, and add maybe 4 T. of olive oil. Whiz it up, adding more olive oil if it gets too chunky and needs to be loosened up. That's it. Will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days.
I love love love this with homemade pita. There are many homemade pita recipes on the internet, but here's my favorite:
http://momgrind.com/2009/02/26/pita-bread-recipe-homemade-soft-and-fabulous/
This is from a blog called momgrind. I haven't tried any of their other recipes, but this one is amazing.

Besides the above, we are still cooking pizzas like crazy. I've also been making devilled eggs because they are so yummy.

Easy recipe there: take the boiled egg yolks, mash with a fork, and add mayo, mustard, celery, pickle or relish, salt & pepper. Mix and scoop back into halves of the boiled egg whites. Serve with a sliced green olive and sprinkled paprika on top.

I think I'll go make some now...

Early Spring--potatoes & pesto!

Early Spring
First, I went to pickyourown.org and created a "picking schedule" for my family. Noah will be 3 this June, and I think he will really enjoy going to different farms and picking fruits. We bought a used deep freezer off craig's list so that we can freeze fruits, veggies, and purees.

Aaron has been going down to the italian market every week to buy cheese. They make fresh mozz. right there, and its about $3/lb cheaper than any grocery store. He also discovered that he can get big bunches of basil for $2 each and has been making pesto.

Yum, PESTO!! I never liked pesto before, but I have realized now that I didn't like bottled pesto. Fresh is totally different. And its yummy on pasta, bread, baked potatoes, etc.
So here we go:
2 cloves garlic
2 c. basil leaves
3 T. olive oil
3 T. pine nuts
Whizz up in the food processor, then add 1/2 c. grated parm cheese. Then add 1/3 stick butter and whizz again. Keeps well in the fridge, and you can freeze it in ice cube trays for small servings.

By the way, baked potatoes are a great early spring treat. And don't just settle for big starchy potatoes--check out some of the smaller, more interesting varieties. There are red skinned, purple, small white, fingerling, sweet, yam, etc. All are fantastic baked at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Just wrap in foil and throw in the oven.
You can put all kinds of toppings on them to make it interesting. Jamie Oliver has a whole chapter on this in his book, Jamie's Dinners.

And yes, potatoes are good for you. Just remember to eat the skins because they have the most vitamins/minerals.

Quick Winter Notes

Not much time, so here are some notes for winter that I can expand on later:
* Pizzas continue to be the #1 food at our house. Now I am making the crust w/ part whole wheat flour. Breakfast pizzas are my favorite: sauce, light on cheese, 1 strip of cut up bacon, and crack some raw eggs on top before baking.
* Overnight oatmeal. Just throw some rolled oats and water (ratio is 1 part oats to 4 parts water) into the crockpot before you go to bed at night. Add some dried fruit: apricots, cherries, dates, cranberries, rasins, etc. and some flax meal, then put the crock pot on "low." In the morning you have this super-chewy yummy hot breakfast. I am going to experiment w/ corn grits this week.
* Mac & cheese with add-ins. Sorry, but its a childhood favorite. I tried making my own, but frankly I like the boxed kind better. I use Annie's Whole Wheat Shells & Cheese. Add-in's include: sliced tomatoes & green peas (throw frozen green peas in with the cooking pasta 3 minutes before its done); pureed butternut squash (the kids will never know!); turkey bacon & mushrooms (sauteed together first); and of course, plain w/ a side of fish sticks & ketchup.
* Ham & Swiss on a baguette. Or if you are feeling fancy--hot ham & cheese on a potato roll.
* Saurcraut & weiners cooked all day together in the crock pot. Use a can of beer for your cooking liquid.
* Sides: sweet potato fries, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, romaine & avacado salad, raw baby carrots, spinach & hard boiled egg salad, deviled eggs, sliced apples & pears, baby arugula w/ lemon juice and olive oil.
* Smoothie: pineapple/coconut juice w/ 1 banana, protein powder, & 2 leaves of raw kale. Just whizz it up and ignore the texture of the kale :)

Aaron's picks:
Aaron has continued roasting various meats, of course. Favorites this winter include: boston butt (pork shoulder--one of the cheapest meats per pound sold out of the case), whole chicken or turkey, pork loin roast, brisket, and chicken drumsticks. He roasts them slowly usually after marinating for 12-24 hours or applying a dry rub. The meat keeps great in the fridge for up to a week and makes an excellent cold lunch served with cheese, bread, broth, and fruit.