So if you haven't read the book French Kids Eat Everything, and you have a picky eater at home--it's time to Amazon it, asap. This book shows a great philosophy to eating in general, but especially where kids are concerned. After trying some of the author's ideas, I've found a pretty good system for busy weeknight meals at home.
Serve meals in courses. I know it sounds long and annoying and totally impractical--but it will actually SAVE YOU TIME. And time is a resource we all need more of.
a) 1st course: vegetables. Keep it simple--raw or lightly steamed veg. Just one variety, whatever is on sale and is seasonal/local. Examples: lightly steamed broccoli with red wine vinegar, sliced avacado, sliced radishes w/ sea salt, boiled/mashed sweet potatoes with a drizzle of maple syrup, artichoke hearts with lemon juice, etc. Something that does not take long to prepare.
b) 2nd course: main. Keep your weeknight main courses VERY simple--hearty soup/stew (can be made on Sunday and eaten later in the week) with bread, pasta with vegetables/pesto/tomato sauce, flatbread baked in the oven with sliced peppers/squash/mushrooms or other seasonal veggies. That's it. If there are folks in your house that get cranky without a hunk of protein for their main course, you can add a side of protein: baked chicken thighs, baked tofu, sausage, etc. Again--keep it very, very simple.
c) 3rd course: dessert (sort of). In our house, you have 3 options for your final course: yogurt (or soy yogurt), a small amount of cheese, or fruit. I let the kinds spoon some homemade jam or honey into their plain yogurt (this has way less sugar than store-bought flavored yogurts).
The rules with dinner are simple: you can't move on to your 2nd course until you have had a significant amount of your 1st course. The same is true in moving from course 2 to course 3. Tantrums are not allowed. Neither is gagging and pretending that you will throw up if you eat something you don't like. Or actually throwing up. Dinner table manners are mandatory. If any of the above happens, we calmly excuse you from dinner and you are sent up to bed. I know this sounds harsh, but it took about 3 nights for my kids to figure out that we were not going to budge on the rules, and now they just eat. AND now that the dinner-table-wars are over, we laugh and have fun at the table--which is what family dinners should be about!
I still love to cook long, involved, complicated meals, but now I save this for the weekends.
Showing posts with label dinner ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dinner ideas. Show all posts
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
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.
* 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.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
More Fall Favorites
Ok, just some notes to make on fall dinners to archive.
Homemade Pizzas
We are having them 2-3 times a week now! Aaron makes a big batch of dough that keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days with no problem. He makes the crust in one of 2 ways:
* Very very thin, pressed into an 8 or 9" cake pan (sprinkle bottom w/ cornmeal so it won't stick).
* Fried first. This method can be found in Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook Jamie at Home. You basically take the dough, press it round, then throw it into a frying pan with heated olive oil till the dough puffs up. Then you add your toppings and place it under the broiler for just a few minutes. Keep the toppings very light and vegetable-y because the fried dough makes the pizza a bit heavier than you might be use to.
Toppings have included the following: cut up, canned artichoke hearts that I have marinated in olive oil and red wine vinegar. Just cut them up and put them in a tupperware in the fridge w/ oil & vinegar. They'll keep for at least 2 weeks that way. Olives, sausage, and roasted red pepper/eggplant spread.
I've also changed pasta sauces for the pizza. This one is more of a light marinara and is more suitable for pizza rather than pasta. Here are the easy instructions:
Throw some olive oil in a pan, and add 1 chopped garlic clove, dried red pepper flakes, & dried oregano. Slowly fry till the garlic starts to turn golden. Add one 24 oz. can of either diced or whole peeled tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then turn all the way down to a tiny tiny simmer for about 45 min-1 hour, stirring occasionally. If you are using whole peeled tomatoes, don't break them up till the very end. After 1 hour, add 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Get out that immersion blender and whizz it all smooth. Check your seasonings and that's it. Freezes beautifully.
Chicken/Goose/Turkey Broth
Aaron likes to roast whatever kind of bird is on sale at the store about once a week. It's a very economical & convenient thing to do, because he can just eat the meat all week during lunch (for those of you who are stay at home parents, you know how hard it is to remember to feed yourself sometimes when you are focusing on the kid) with a small salad, slice of bread, and some cheese or fruit. Anyway, we are now taking the carcus at the end of the week and making a nice broth to freeze. It's a sure-fire way to get rid of an oncoming cold.
Take your carcus and throw in into a pot full of water. Add a couple of carrots, celery, an onion, and a few cloves of garlic. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Cool, then strain the broth completely--you don't want any chunks of anything in there. Season with salt and pepper and freeze.
To Serve: This comes from an irish recipe called Michaelmas Broth that I found on the internet. Just take your broth, add 2 tablespoons long grain rice, and simmer for about 20 minutes. The rice will kinda thicken the broth a bit. Serve in bowls with some finely cut up pieces of meat and slivers of green onion. I suppose you could throw some other veggies in there as well--baby spinach would be great, and probably mushrooms too.
Extras:
I've also been making quick breads: pumpkin, banana, and applesauce. And breakfast has been either oatmeal, or swiss style museli with heated soymilk and honey. Yum.
Homemade Pizzas
We are having them 2-3 times a week now! Aaron makes a big batch of dough that keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days with no problem. He makes the crust in one of 2 ways:
* Very very thin, pressed into an 8 or 9" cake pan (sprinkle bottom w/ cornmeal so it won't stick).
* Fried first. This method can be found in Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook Jamie at Home. You basically take the dough, press it round, then throw it into a frying pan with heated olive oil till the dough puffs up. Then you add your toppings and place it under the broiler for just a few minutes. Keep the toppings very light and vegetable-y because the fried dough makes the pizza a bit heavier than you might be use to.
Toppings have included the following: cut up, canned artichoke hearts that I have marinated in olive oil and red wine vinegar. Just cut them up and put them in a tupperware in the fridge w/ oil & vinegar. They'll keep for at least 2 weeks that way. Olives, sausage, and roasted red pepper/eggplant spread.
I've also changed pasta sauces for the pizza. This one is more of a light marinara and is more suitable for pizza rather than pasta. Here are the easy instructions:
Throw some olive oil in a pan, and add 1 chopped garlic clove, dried red pepper flakes, & dried oregano. Slowly fry till the garlic starts to turn golden. Add one 24 oz. can of either diced or whole peeled tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then turn all the way down to a tiny tiny simmer for about 45 min-1 hour, stirring occasionally. If you are using whole peeled tomatoes, don't break them up till the very end. After 1 hour, add 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Get out that immersion blender and whizz it all smooth. Check your seasonings and that's it. Freezes beautifully.
Chicken/Goose/Turkey Broth
Aaron likes to roast whatever kind of bird is on sale at the store about once a week. It's a very economical & convenient thing to do, because he can just eat the meat all week during lunch (for those of you who are stay at home parents, you know how hard it is to remember to feed yourself sometimes when you are focusing on the kid) with a small salad, slice of bread, and some cheese or fruit. Anyway, we are now taking the carcus at the end of the week and making a nice broth to freeze. It's a sure-fire way to get rid of an oncoming cold.
Take your carcus and throw in into a pot full of water. Add a couple of carrots, celery, an onion, and a few cloves of garlic. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Cool, then strain the broth completely--you don't want any chunks of anything in there. Season with salt and pepper and freeze.
To Serve: This comes from an irish recipe called Michaelmas Broth that I found on the internet. Just take your broth, add 2 tablespoons long grain rice, and simmer for about 20 minutes. The rice will kinda thicken the broth a bit. Serve in bowls with some finely cut up pieces of meat and slivers of green onion. I suppose you could throw some other veggies in there as well--baby spinach would be great, and probably mushrooms too.
Extras:
I've also been making quick breads: pumpkin, banana, and applesauce. And breakfast has been either oatmeal, or swiss style museli with heated soymilk and honey. Yum.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Tips for season change
Suddenly its Fall!
And suddenly, we have to figure out what to eat all over again. Gone are the cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers from the backyard. Now we are craving warm food, and turning on the oven is fun again.
Aaron had a great idea of how we should stay on track with our good eating habits. We made a list of all the Fall staple dinners that we like to eat over and over again & that are affordable (and included a category for sides). So each Sunday we sit down and look at the list and see what looks good for about 3-4 nights for the upcoming week. We have 1-2 nights of new recipes, and if any of them stick we add them to the "staple" list for the season. We usually eat with A's parents 1 night a week, and don't really have any kind of formal meal on Saturdays. So, here's the list w/ notes:
Red beans & rice (one of my signature dishes from my grandmother)
Pizzas w/ block mozzerella--we make a dough, divide it into 4 balls, and freeze 2 of the balls. You can also keep the dough balls in the fridge overnight.
White beans w/ sage & ham--this recipe changes every time I make it, but it makes me love my crockpot.
Midnight breakfast--this term was taken from Chef Jamie Oliver. It's basically a frying pan with all your breakfast stuff cooked together (eggs, sausage, tomato slices, mushrooms, etc), kinda like a traditional "English" breakfast fry.
Garlic & Olive oil over pasta--just as plain as it sounds, with a light protein on the side + veg.
Jumbalaya--another one from my grandmother.
Baked beans & hot dogs--now that I can make baked beans from scratch, this one is great to freeze.
Red sauce pasta--there are so many varieties of red sauce to make from canned tomatoes, and the leftovers can be used as pizza sauce the next day.
Sides:
pureed butternut squash, roasted acorn squash, ceasar salad, sweet potato fries, apples & pears, roasted roots & tubers, quick pickles, spinach/feta/pea salad.
Aaron also spends sunday or monday roasting/smoking some variety of meat such as pork shoulder, a whole chicken, chicken quarters, bone in pork chops, or ribs. We also buy meat on sale and freeze it to make hamburgers, bacon, and sausage. He also makes sandwiches: rubens & hot ham & cheese.
Noah and I have a few staples of our own including: quesadillas, sandwiches & tomato soup, baked potatoes, w.w. mac & cheese w/ peas and tomatoes, eggs, turkey bacon, quick fried tofu w/ dipping sauce, french bread pizza (when i'm really feeling lazy).
We are also making focaccia bread to subsitute for crackers, and you can use the leftovers for croutons--yum!!
I might add more as the season moves on.
And suddenly, we have to figure out what to eat all over again. Gone are the cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers from the backyard. Now we are craving warm food, and turning on the oven is fun again.
Aaron had a great idea of how we should stay on track with our good eating habits. We made a list of all the Fall staple dinners that we like to eat over and over again & that are affordable (and included a category for sides). So each Sunday we sit down and look at the list and see what looks good for about 3-4 nights for the upcoming week. We have 1-2 nights of new recipes, and if any of them stick we add them to the "staple" list for the season. We usually eat with A's parents 1 night a week, and don't really have any kind of formal meal on Saturdays. So, here's the list w/ notes:
Red beans & rice (one of my signature dishes from my grandmother)
Pizzas w/ block mozzerella--we make a dough, divide it into 4 balls, and freeze 2 of the balls. You can also keep the dough balls in the fridge overnight.
White beans w/ sage & ham--this recipe changes every time I make it, but it makes me love my crockpot.
Midnight breakfast--this term was taken from Chef Jamie Oliver. It's basically a frying pan with all your breakfast stuff cooked together (eggs, sausage, tomato slices, mushrooms, etc), kinda like a traditional "English" breakfast fry.
Garlic & Olive oil over pasta--just as plain as it sounds, with a light protein on the side + veg.
Jumbalaya--another one from my grandmother.
Baked beans & hot dogs--now that I can make baked beans from scratch, this one is great to freeze.
Red sauce pasta--there are so many varieties of red sauce to make from canned tomatoes, and the leftovers can be used as pizza sauce the next day.
Sides:
pureed butternut squash, roasted acorn squash, ceasar salad, sweet potato fries, apples & pears, roasted roots & tubers, quick pickles, spinach/feta/pea salad.
Aaron also spends sunday or monday roasting/smoking some variety of meat such as pork shoulder, a whole chicken, chicken quarters, bone in pork chops, or ribs. We also buy meat on sale and freeze it to make hamburgers, bacon, and sausage. He also makes sandwiches: rubens & hot ham & cheese.
Noah and I have a few staples of our own including: quesadillas, sandwiches & tomato soup, baked potatoes, w.w. mac & cheese w/ peas and tomatoes, eggs, turkey bacon, quick fried tofu w/ dipping sauce, french bread pizza (when i'm really feeling lazy).
We are also making focaccia bread to subsitute for crackers, and you can use the leftovers for croutons--yum!!
I might add more as the season moves on.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Notes from tonight's dinner--early fall
We had a great dinner tonight! I figured I better jot down some notes about it so that I remember it for later. The whether has started to get chilly outside, so its time to make some changes to our usual dinner staples (bye bye cucumbers).
I think its good to make some notes, especially during the season changes, so I can look back and see what was working and what wasn't. Aaron has been trying to remember all day today what sandwiches he made last year during the cold whether.
Lunch first: I had maple ham and swiss cheese sandwiches using the sandwich press. I don't like one of those fancy "panini" presses. I prefer the old style one that is sandwich-bread shaped. Aaron had his first ruben sandwich of the fall. He makes it with corned beef and saurkraut, russian dressing, swiss cheese, and rye bread. He heats up the kraut and corned beef in a pan together. (Noah had a PBJ, which he has about 2-3 times a day now...)
And here's dinner:
Aarron had some chicken quarters that he slow-roasted all day after brining for about 36 hours. The brine contained salt, vinegar, 3 T ketchup, 3 T dijon mustard, 1/3 c. lemon juice. I think he basted it all day as well with butter, wisticher sauce, sugar, dijon, and salt.
I made a few odds and ends. We had some sweet corn and eggs from a farm we visited yesterday outside of Harleysville. I turned the eggs into deviled eggs (yolks, mustard, mayo, pickles, salt, pepper, and paprika) and just steamed the corn. I had some local red bell peppers in the fridge that needed to be used asap, so I roasted them. They were amazing! I threw them in the toaster oven on "grill" for about 15 minutes, then put them in a paper lunch bag and closed it for another 15 minutes while cooling. I skinned the peppers (its really annoying) then sliced them thin. I put them in a tupperware with 2 parts olive oil, 1 part red wine vinegar, and salt. They will stay good in the fridge for about a week. I have a recipe for canning them somewhere, but I haven't done that yet this season. I'll be sure to report back when I do.
There was also some feta cheese hanging out in the fridge that I needed to use or loose, so I marinated it in olive oil, vinegar, oregano, basil, dill, salt, and pepper (all dried herbs). This should also stay good in the fridge for about 10 days.
We also had a baguette available for soping up all the yummy juices from everything.
Anyway, its worth noting to hang on to the pepper recipe. They were the best batch I have ever made!
I think its good to make some notes, especially during the season changes, so I can look back and see what was working and what wasn't. Aaron has been trying to remember all day today what sandwiches he made last year during the cold whether.
Lunch first: I had maple ham and swiss cheese sandwiches using the sandwich press. I don't like one of those fancy "panini" presses. I prefer the old style one that is sandwich-bread shaped. Aaron had his first ruben sandwich of the fall. He makes it with corned beef and saurkraut, russian dressing, swiss cheese, and rye bread. He heats up the kraut and corned beef in a pan together. (Noah had a PBJ, which he has about 2-3 times a day now...)
And here's dinner:
Aarron had some chicken quarters that he slow-roasted all day after brining for about 36 hours. The brine contained salt, vinegar, 3 T ketchup, 3 T dijon mustard, 1/3 c. lemon juice. I think he basted it all day as well with butter, wisticher sauce, sugar, dijon, and salt.
I made a few odds and ends. We had some sweet corn and eggs from a farm we visited yesterday outside of Harleysville. I turned the eggs into deviled eggs (yolks, mustard, mayo, pickles, salt, pepper, and paprika) and just steamed the corn. I had some local red bell peppers in the fridge that needed to be used asap, so I roasted them. They were amazing! I threw them in the toaster oven on "grill" for about 15 minutes, then put them in a paper lunch bag and closed it for another 15 minutes while cooling. I skinned the peppers (its really annoying) then sliced them thin. I put them in a tupperware with 2 parts olive oil, 1 part red wine vinegar, and salt. They will stay good in the fridge for about a week. I have a recipe for canning them somewhere, but I haven't done that yet this season. I'll be sure to report back when I do.
There was also some feta cheese hanging out in the fridge that I needed to use or loose, so I marinated it in olive oil, vinegar, oregano, basil, dill, salt, and pepper (all dried herbs). This should also stay good in the fridge for about 10 days.
We also had a baguette available for soping up all the yummy juices from everything.
Anyway, its worth noting to hang on to the pepper recipe. They were the best batch I have ever made!
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