Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Spooky Halloween Meal

Tonight we made a spooky Halloween dinner.  First we made Mummy Dogs.

Start by rolling out crescent rolls and try to merge the seams back together.  Then use a pizza cutter to cut strips.  Wrap the strips around hot dogs and place them on a baking tray.  Use a toothpick to make mustard eyes.  Make these eyes pretty heavy so that they hold up in the oven.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.




Next I made Peanut Butter Spider Crackers

Take a Ritz cracker and spread a generous amount of peanut butter on it.  Break pretzel sticks in half and place three on each site for spider legs.  Take a second Ritz cracker and spread peanut butter on it too.  Then place on top. Use peanut butter to glue chocolate chips on for eyes.   You could also use Nutella to make this a sweeter treat.


I finished off our meal with green bats pasta.  I made four cheese bowtie pasta (pasta side in a bag) and added green food coloring.  This one was a little lazy, but bowtie pasta does look like a bat.

The boys enjoyed their Spooky Halloween dinner!!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Pizza Soup and Italian Grilled Cheese

We went camping this weekend and enjoyed our favorite soup. This is a recipe of a former co-worker and it's delicious!  We love to make Italian grilled cheese sandwiches to pair with this soup, so I've included our recipe for that too!

Pizza Soup

1.5 pounds ground, browned Italian sausage
3 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
3 small zucchini diced
1 small onion diced
1 - 2 cups of beef broth
Mini pepperoni
2 tsp Italian seasoning

Mix together  sausage, zucchini, onion, tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and 1 cup of broth.  Simmer for 45 - 60 minutes on the stove top or 2 - 3 hours in crock pot. The zucchini will give off a lot of water, so add broth as needed after this.  Add pepperoni about 30 minutes before serving.


Italian Grilled Cheese

Sourdough bread
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Roasted red peppers
Italian seasoning
Butter

Butter the outside of the bread. Layer cheese and peppers and then season with Italian seasoning.  Brown each side in skillet until gloden brown.

Enjoy!



Pizza Soup and Italian Grilled Cheese

We went camping this weekend and enjoyed our favorite soup. This is a recipe of a former co-worker and it's delicious!  We love to make Italian grilled cheese sandwiches to pair with this soup, so I've included our recipe for that too!

Pizza Soup

1.5 pounds ground, browned Italian sausage
3 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
3 small zucchini diced
1 small onion diced
1 - 2 cups of beef broth
Mini pepperoni
2 tsp Italian seasoning

Mix together  sausage, zucchini, onion, tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and 1 cup of broth.  Simmer for 45 - 60 minutes on the stove top or 2 - 3 hours in crock pot. The zucchini will give off a lot of water, so add broth as needed after this.  Add pepperoni about 30 minutes before serving.


Italian Grilled Cheese

Sourdough bread
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Roasted red peppers
Italian seasoning
Butter

Butter the outside of the bread. Layer cheese and peppers and then season with Italian seasoning.  Brown each side in skillet until gloden brown.

Enjoy!



Saturday, September 22, 2012

Apple Cider Pork with Cabbage

Today's recipe comes with a little story... Last week paps and grandma Kay took our boys to the orchard to pick some apples. Tis the season! They recently rehabbed a family apple press and wanted to make home pressed apple juice with the boys. It is very good stuff but its amazing how many apples it takes to make a gallon of homemade apple juice. We've been drinking the juice, but I've been inspired to use some of the juice in our fridge to cook with as well. So today I made pork braised in apple juice with cabbage and apples.

I'm really happy with how it turned out. Plus both boys liked the apples in it quite a bit. I suggest not getting an apple press and making you're own juice. It's a mess and totally unnecessary. (Did I mention that paps is putting the press on Craigslist this week?) Substitute some fresh apple cider or store bought juice in its place.



Sorry for no picture but we were hungry and ate it all before I could get a picture. ;)  Thats a signs of a good dinner!



1 1/2 pound pork shoulder cut in 1" cubes

2 cups apple juice or cider

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1 bay leaf

4 cloves garlic

2 medium tart apples chopped into 1" cubes

1/2 head cabbage shredded

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar



Start by browning the pork shoulder in a little vegitable oil for 3-5 minutes until browned then remove from the heat. Sauté the onions, garlic, bay leaf, carrots and celery until softened. (About 5 minutes) . Reincorporate the pork and add the chicken stock and apple cider. Place in a 285 degree oven for 2 hours then add apples, vinegar, and cabbage. Return to the oven for 30-45 minutes until cabbage is soft.



We served it with corn bread muffins and it was excellent.



Saturday, September 1, 2012

Monkey Bread for my 2 Lil Monkeys

So Carrie is gone with some friends out of town this weekend for some shopping.  Since its just me and the boys I wanted to spoil them with a special breakfast.  I remember as a kid spending the night at a good friend's house and we made this great monkey bread for the morning after.  We got to help roll the little balls of dough in the sugar and put them in the pan.  I wanted to share that same experience with my boys.  I recently contacted her and asked for the recipe so I could share it.  I've modified it slightly to salt up the caramel a little and smooth it out so its less grainy.  Thanks Debbie Valiant for the help.  The boys loved it!

Monkey Bread
3 cans regular size buttermilk biscuits 1/2c sugar1/2tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 stick margarine, 3/4 c sugar, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt - all melted together in the microwave


Cut biscuits into quarters (I use kitchen scissors), roll in sugar cinnamon mixture, pile about half into greased & floured bundt pan, pour some of melted mixture over, then pile rest of biscuits in and pour rest of melted mixture over.

350 degrees for 35 min. Let stand 10 min, then invert onto platter.







Friday, August 31, 2012

Future Foodie Friday Tip -- Pick Three

I know my boys are happiest when they feel like they have a say in what we do.  I've noticed since we have started school, they are craving more control since they are in a more structured environment more often again.  We have started having pick 3 nights for dinner and the boys always eat great on these days. 

Here's how it works! You know how by the end the of week you have a lot of left overs and partial servings of items?  Get them all out and put them on the counter.  Only get out items that you are ok with your child having for dinner, then ask them to pick three of the items.  We will get out fresh fruit, veggies, left over meat, etc.  The boys get to pick what they want and they feel like they are getting their choice. Now they don't realize Mommy already made the choice when she decided what to put out, but that's my little secret!

Try a pick three night at your house and let me know how your family likes it.

Happy Friday!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Kid Friendly Quiche

My boys like to watch cooking shows occasionally.  They love the preschool version, Tasty Time with ZeFronk, on Disney Jr.  They watch the episodes online repeatedly and then ask to go shopping for ingredients, so that they can make the same dish as ZeFronk.  That's where this quiche recipe came from.  It easy, kid friendly and delicious.


Use a glass or biscuit cutter to cut circles of bread that will fit in a muffin tin.  Place a bread circle in the bottom of each muffin in a well greased muffin tin.  Add toppings of your choice on top of the bread: cheese, sausage, spinach, bacon, or ham, whatever you like.

Placing the bread in the tin

Add toppings
In a bowl mix eggs, milk, salt, and pepper.  For best results, you want an extra runny  scrambled egg mixture.  Pour the egg mixture over the toppings and bread. Bake at 325 degrees until toothpick comes out clean.
Mixing up the eggs


Ready to go in the oven



Viola, quiche muffins!

Try this with your kids and let me know what you think!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Loaded Twice Baked Potato Surprise

I'm normally the baker in the family, and I'm the one that strictly follows the recipe.  Well, I've been experimenting and I've come up with a great healthier version of twice baked potatoes.

Ingredients
4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
5 slices of bacon, fried and chopped
1/2 c. skim milk
3 T of fresh chives, finely chopped
6 oz of plain Greek yogurt
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 t. salt
pepper to taste
Balsamic Glaze

Boil potatoes and smash with a fork.  Combine potatoes, milk, yogart, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and stir.  Add bacon, cheese, and chives.  Spread into shallow baking dish and bake for 20 mins at 350 degrees or until warm all the way through.  Top with balasamic glaze, if desired.

Surprise!  No butter or sour cream.  If you use low fat or fat free cheese, then the little bit of bacon is the only fatty item.    The Balsamic Glaze really sets this off, so try some for the first time if you'v never had it.



Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Future Foodie Friday Tip -- Sauce it up!

I'll admit it this is may more of a make myself feel better about not fighting this battle post than strong advice, but there is comfort in numbers right? 

I have a toddler who loves ketchup.  I don't mean likes to have it with his fries kinda of love.  I mean he dips EVERYTHING in ketchup: his spaghetti, fruits, veggies, meats, brownies, bread, EVERYTHING.  Now I know that ketchup no matter what it says on the label is not a healthy choice, but I ask myself what's worse, no broccoli or broccoli with ketchup.  I think no broccoli is worse! If my little guy is getting some unwanted sugar with his broccoli, I still think the fact that he is getting the nutrients of fresh, steamed broccoli is a huge win for us! 

Our other little guy is really into balsamic vinegar and soy sauce with every meal for a dipping sauce.  These options don't have as big of drawbacks, so I don't have as much of a struggle with allowing him to have these dips.  My motto is if your child likes a flavor profile, be it ketchup or vinegar, let them use that comfort as much as they want, especially if it means that they are getting a variety of nutrients from healthy sources.  I'll be that Mom with ketchup and soy sauce pouches in my purse, so when we are out and my child refuses to eat without their "dip" I have an emergency stash!  Bring on the sauces and let your little one's dip away!!

Happy Friday!!

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Do you ever end up with bananas that look like this? 



We frequently have one lone banana left that starts to turn before we eat it.  I hate waste food, so I put bananas that are starting to go bad in the freezer.  This will turn the skins very dark, but the insides stay in their perfectly over ripe state.  Once I have enough bananas, I will make the following Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.



These muffins are delicious, easy to make, and I don't feel guilty about letting the boys eat them, because they are fairly healthy.  The boys love to make these and really enjoy eating them too!  Enjoy!

This recipe is from All Recipes

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients together.  Mix wet ingredients together and combine with dry ingredients.  We like to make these into mini muffins.  Bake at 350 degrees about 12 minutes for mini muffins or 20 minutes for regular muffins.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Future Foodie Friday Tip - Kids in the Kitchen

I apologize for the delay in posts but summer fun has prevailed the last month.  This week's tip is a little lengthy, so hopefully it will make up for the gap in posts.


A great way to get kids excited about food is to get them in the kitchen with you.  It's never too early, place infants in the kitchen when you are cooking so that they can take in the sights, sounds, and smells of your food. This will help prepare them for these flavors when they are  ready. The smells will be familiar when you introduce them to these foods as they get older.

Let your toddlers help as soon as you can.  Now maybe it's not the best idea to have a toddler help when you are trying to fix dinner in 10 minutes or less, but pick a time when you aren't rushed in the kitchen and let them help.  Start with easy tasks like outing cut up veggies in a bowl or handing you ingredients as needed, then work your way up to letting them measure and pour in ingredients.  Sure it's messy and it will take time and patience, but the provide and ownership your child will feel will be totally worth it.  They may be more likely to eat the food and enjoy it if they helped make it

Our boys have worked up to being quite the sous chefs.  We find that if we get all the ingredients, tools, and bowls ready before we bring them in to help, it makes things go smoother.  The boys can now make zucchini bread and cookies with Mommy just reading the recipes to them.  They measure, level, and pour in the ingredients all by themselves.  Lucas has even graduated to being Andy's assistant for cutting fresh pasta.

Having your kids help in the kitchen is a great way to have teach your children life skills of cooking and math, encourage excitement about food and above all have some family fun!

Happy Friday!

Friday, July 6, 2012

Future Foodies Friday Tip -- Gardening Excitement







We have been watering our garden throughout this drought and it is working.  The boys love helping plant, water, and pick veggies from our garden. When kids feel like they have some ownership in the growing of the family food, they have pride in the results and want to enjoy them like the rest of the family. At least I believe they are more likely to try them and be excited about trying them.  So try to create some excitement about eating fresh veggies. If you don't have a garden maybe the way to create that excitement is to take your child to the local farmer's market and let them help you pick out some fresh summertime veggies.  Happy Friday!


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Cucumber Melon Salad

We live in Posey County, Indiana which is known for it's fantastic melons.  We also have lots of cucumbers growing in our garden. So we thought we might use whats fresh and here for a refreshing summer salad. Here is the recipe for the Cucumber Melon Salad that we will be taking to our Independence Day cookout.  Enjoy!

2 Medium Cucumbers
1 Small Cantaloupe

1 Oz Mirin (Japanese Rice Wine)
1 Oz White Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tbs Sugar
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Garlic Powder
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Fresh Basil Cut Fine

Mix Together Dressing ingredients and pour over diced melon and cucumbers.  Allow to sit for at least an hour before serving.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Future Foodie Friday Tip -- Creativity with Food

We recently have had some success getting the boys to try new foods, by giving them creative names or stories. We tried refried beans and the boys were turned off by the appearance and the fact that the beans were mashed. We told them we had to mash them because they were magic jumping beans and otherwise they would jump right off the plate. We also told them if they ate them, they would have super jumping powers. Needless to say they both ate several bites and then jumped around the kitchen the next 10 minutes, swearing they were jumping higher than ever before.

 Last night I made fried zucchini chips and the boys were hesitant, but when I told them they were gold coins from a lost pirate treasure they gobbled them up. Try to get creative with the new foods your kids are hesitant to try in order to spike interest. You never know, they might be more willing to try it and like it.

I'd love to hear what stories or names you give food that helps your little one's eat more variety.

Happy Friday!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Zucchini, Zucchini, Zucchini

Right now our garden is over flowing with zucchini, so I thought I would post our top 5 recipes for using this great summertime vegetable.  Sorry I don't have more photos, we been eating these dishes before I can remember to take a picture.  Let me know what you think of these recipes, if you try them or feel free to share your favorite zucchini recipe.

1.  Zucchini Cakes -- We made these last week and they are our new favorite way to make zucchini.  They are very filling and even taste great leftover.  They are similar to crab cakes but with zucchini instead of crab.  The Old Bay seasoning gives them a little heat but not too much.
2.  Zucchini Coins -- This is the way my mom used to make zucchini. This is messy frying but very delicious.  These remind me a little of tavern food, when you get fried veggies as appetizers.

3.  Zucchini Slaw -- This is unique way to use zucchini for a sweet and sour slaw and no one will ever believe what the ingredients are when they taste it.
4.  Grilled Zucchini -- This is an easy way to make the vegetables on the grill while you cook your meat.  We actually put these in the refrigerator to chill and then serve them as part of an antipasti tray.  They are delicious warm to.
5.  Zucchini Bread -- This is the boys favorite way to eat zucchini.  I normally make these in batches and freeze the breads so that we can get them out for breakfast throughout the year.  This is a great recipe to use frozen grated zucchini in, so if you don't have time to bake and you have some extra zucchinis, just shred it and put it in a freezer bag in either 2 cup or 4 cup portions.  Just thaw and it will be ready to bake with.

Zucchini Cakes 


  • 3 cups of coarsely grated zucchini (you may want to remove seeds first depending on how large your zucchini are)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 T yogurt or mayo
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 2 T oil for frying
Combine all ingredients (except butter and oil) in a medium size bowl.  You may need to add more breadcrumbs if your mixture is too wet to hold together in patties.  Make 8 patties the size of small hamburgers.  Heat oil and butter in a skillet.  Cook patties until golden brown on both sides and drain on paper towel.

Hints:  Zucchini gives off a lot of water, so grate it and cook immediately.  These patties could be fragile so let them cook a few minutes before trying to turn them.

(inspired by http://www.relish.com/recipes/zucchini-cakes/)


Zucchini Coins

  •  sliced zucchini (as much as desired)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 T milk
  • 1 cup corn meal
  • salt and pepper
  • oil for frying
Heat oil in skillet  (ideally you want it to be about 350 degrees). Slice your zucchini thinly into rounds.   Beat egg and milk in bowl and set aside.  Mix corn meal with salt and pepper to taste.

Dip zucchini rounds into egg mixture and then into corn meal mix until coated.  Deep fry in oil until golden brown.  You may need to turn them to brown both sides.

Zucchini Slaw


  • 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, (3 medium), grated
  • 1 medium sweet onion, grated
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
  • 1 small red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (optional)
  • Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Place zucchini and onion in a strainer or colander over a bowl. Add salt and toss to coat. Let drain at room temperature for 30 minutes. Rinse vegetables and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible. I like to squeeze mine in a paper towel to get as much moisture out as possible.

Mix zucchini, onion, bell pepper, vinegar, apple juice and basil; toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or chill until serving time.

 (inspired by http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cool_zucchini_slaw.html)


Grilled Zucchini


  • zucchini thinly sliced lengthwise (as much as desired)
  • olive oil
  • salt 
  • pepper
 Drizzle zucchini with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat them evenly.  Grill until soft to touch and warm through.  Serve immediately or chill and serve cold.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 c grated zucchini (it's best to have a little water with the zucchini to keep the bread from being too dry)
3 tsp vanilla
1/2 c chopped nuts (if desired)

Beat eggs, oil, sugar until combined.  Combine flour, soda, cinnamon, salt, and baking power as dry ingredients.  Gradually add dry ingredient mixture to egg mixture and beat well.  Add zucchini and beat.  Finally stir in vanilla and nuts if desired.  Pour into 2 well greased loaf pans or  4 mini loaf tins. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool.




Friday, June 22, 2012

Tyler Makes Pancakes by Tyler Florence


Lucas and Adam got this book for Andy for Father's day and the boys have insisted on reading it every night before bed since.  It's a great book that any child would love and has a great recipe for pancakes.  It does a wonderful job of teaching children where the ingredients come from besides the grocery store. This is the first in a series of three and we can't wait for the rest to come out.  Check out the video and this great book from Tyler Florence!

Tyler Makes Pancakes

Future Foodie Friday Tip -- Read about Food


When our sons are anxious or scared of something new, I try to find a book about it, so that the boys can learn about what to expect in order to calm their fears.  I believe the more you know about something the more likely you are to enjoy it.  The same can be said about food, when it comes to getting young children to try new things.  We have several books about food and they are not hard to find.  Most of ours came from the dollar section at Target.  Some of these books discuss the health benefits of certain foods, others talk about where food comes from, and a few are about the fun of cooking with friends and family.  We are supposed to read to our children everyday, so try adding a few books about food to your library and see if it spikes your child's interest in food.  I've listed a few of our favorite "food" books below.  We would love to get comments on how this works for you or your favorite children's books about food.  Happy Friday!!

Super Baby Abigail's Lunch Time Adventure
Cooking with the Cat
Sesame Street's Busy Bakers
Tyler Makes Pancakes
Fruit Salad Day

Friday, June 15, 2012

Future Foodie Friday Tip -- Taste Tests

In an effort to keep our blog up to date, I'm going to try to do a Future Foodie Friday Tip each week.  So here goes.  Our first tip is to let your children taste your dishes as you make them.  We should all cook with our palates, and we should teach our children how to use theirs.  A few weeks ago, I decided that our family was going to give black beans a try.  I looked at a few black bean and corn salad recipes and decided to use those as inspiration and wing it.  (I chose a black bean and corn salad because the boys really like corn and I thought a familiar ingredient might make them more likely to try and like the salad.) Lucas wanted to help, so I let him taste the salad and tell me what he thought it needed.  I think this is a great exercise, because it teaches him to notice the difference after more of an existing ingredient or a new ingredient is added to a dish.  It will help him develop his palate and hopefully make his dishes more successful when he is cooking on his own.  Happy Friday!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Biscuit Pizzas





One of the boys' favorite items to make is Biscuit Pizzas.  They are quick, easy and always a hit at meal time.  Adam helped me make these recently. 

1.  Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  

2.  The crusts are just canned biscuits flattened out on  pizza pan or cookie sheet covered in parchment or greased.  (We don't cook anything without parchment anymore because it significantly cuts down on our dish scrubbing time.)  Adam enjoyed flattening the squishy biscuits. 

3. Add pizza sauce and let your little one spread it out with a spoon as Adam does below.









Spreading the sauce
4.  Next add the meat of your choice.  We happened to have some leftover browned sausage on this day, so we did a combination of sausage and pepperoni.  We prefer Turkey Pepperoni, since it is significantly less greasy and healthier.  It truly taste the same if not better than regular.
Adding Pepperoni and Sausage
5.  Add pizza cheese. I like to try to let the boys 'do their thing' without a lot of fuss, when we are cooking.  As you can see, Adam had some trouble evenly distributing the cheese.  Since this was something I could easily fix after the fact, I just let him have a good time.
Adding cheese
Adam being very proud of his handy work
6.  We topped our pizzas with some Italian Seasoning and I mistakenly let Adam put that on one pizza.  I caution you against letting little ones spread spices evenly, because this is something that cannot be easily fixed after the fact.
Ready to go into the oven
7.  Bake the pizzas according to the directions on the biscuit can.  Ours took about 8 - 10 mins. 
Quick, easy well balanced meal when paired with broccoli and peaches
This is a great way for your little ones to get their own individualized pizza and you can have toppings of your choice too.  It's simple so they can help and they taste great as well.  Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Modernist Cuisine

With a background in engineering and a naturally scientific mind, I love to experiment with different cooking methods (much more than my wife, who is concerned over our family's health and diet).  I find myself always salivating over the next piece of kitchen equipment I need to own:  ISI foamer, sous vide temperature controller, vacuum sealer, etc.  (all of which I have acquired in the last few years).
I have really been wishing long and hard for a copy of Nathan Myhrvold's Modernist Cuisine cookbook.... Its not even fair to call this item a cookbook.  Its a 6 volum set of books with over 1600 recipes and 2400 pages.  It covers everything from how to cook the perfect hamburger to hydrocoloids and emulsifiers.  To give a little back story, Nathan Myhrvold is the former CTO of Microsoft and is now the co-founder of a company called Intellectual Ventures.  Part of what Intellectual Ventures does revolves around cooking and the culinary "arts" (read food science).   Wired Magazine recently wrote a great piece about Modernist Cuisine in its recent issue.  Check it out here.

But ALAS... Modernist Cuisine is not within my humble budget for more cookbooks.  This one MSRP's for over $500.  (That won't stop me from asking Santa again for it this year.)

But today they announced the sale date of October 8th, 2012, for "Modernist Cuisine - AT HOME".  I'm so excited!!!  If this thing was a software package, it would be the "lite" version.  Its only $115 at Amazon.  Still a lot for a cookbook, but for a 465 page "kitchen manual'"  that might be more my price range.  Check out the link to the overview on modernistcuisine.com.  I've already added it to my Amazon Wishlist.


Monday, May 28, 2012

Griddle and French Toast

Camping on Memorial Day weekend is a tradition for our family.  We are very fortunate to have a great state park nearby with wonderful campgrounds.  This weekend, we camped with about 40 friends and family.   I would not describe our camping experiences as "rouging it".  We have a camper, which means we have an oven and full size refridgerator, not to mention air conditioning and hot water.   When we camp with a large group, Andy gets to make use of one of his outdoor cooking tools, his griddle.  He installed a wench in our barn so that he can load it in and out of his truck alone, and I think the griddle is one of his most prized possessions.

  We enjoyed some very yummy meals, this weekend, due in part to the griddle. Every morning you can find a group of guys all standing around the griddle taking turns frying breakfast, french toast, bacon, eggs, sausages, and pancakes.  We also used it to make steak sandwiches, onions, peppers, and fried corn for dinner.

Our friend Dave cooking on the griddle

French Toast and Eggs frying on the griddle




Here's my recipe for French Toast inspired by my Granny's version.

Granny's French Toast

Whisk the following together until well combined
Eggs
Milk
Salt
Sugar
Vanilla
Cinnamon

Dip Texas Toast into the egg mixture and fry on a griddle until golden brown.  Serve with syrup.


Granny's French Toast


Thursday, May 24, 2012

What is a Foodie?

Andy and I were asked by a friend to write an article for a local magazine, Evansville Living.  The article was included in their food edition and inspired the creation of this blog.  Here's a link if you are interested.

http://www.evansvilleliving.com/articles/raising-future-foodies

Since the article has been published we have been asked by others, "What is a foodie?"  It's a very subjective term, so below you will find my best effort at defining the term "foodie".  Check it out, you may find out you are one too!

Wikipedia defines a foodie as an aficionado of food and drink. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodie

 
Webster defines a foodie as a person with an avid interest in food fads.
Foodies may enjoy cooking, trying different foods, cookbooks, following restaurants openings and closings, following chefs, wine tastings, and current food trends or all of the above.
Foodies are amateurs. They make a hobby out of food. A foodie doesn't just like food, they are interested in it and study it.  Foodies don't have to be interested in only the finest food, they can also be interested in ordinary, everyday food. 

 
In the style of Jeff Foxworthy, if you......

  • Watch Top Chef and recognize the guest judges 
  • Own more than 5 cookbooks
  • Subscribe to a food or cooking centric magazine
  • Read books about food that are not cookbooks
  • You can match up chefs with their flagship restaurants
  • Your idea of perfect afternoon is cooking dinner 
You might be a foodie!

So are you a foodie?

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Summer Block Party

This weekend we are kicking off summer at a block party hosted by our neighbors.  They have graciously offered to supply the main course but left it up to the rest of the neighborhood to bring something "unique" and creative as sides.  Since our street is full of young kids, we decided we better bring something fresh and healthy to go with all the great grilled meat.  I decided to make use of all the young leaf lettuce growing in our garden and put together a summertime strawberry salad. Its great to have a nice garden but I think I might have overdone it when planting the lettuce with our boys, as we have a HUGE patch of lettuce that I don't want to go to waste.

Summertime Strawberry Salad

1 lb strawberries cut into a small dice
4 oz of candied pecan pieces
1 large bowl of leaf lettuce
2 oz of freshly shredded parmigiana cheese

Dressing:
1 1/2 oz White Balsamic Vinegar
1 oz Honey
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
3 oz olive oil
pinch of salt

When you whisk the salad dressing together start with the first three ingredients and slowly pour in the olive oil.  The mustard will help it emulsify and shouldn't separate on you. Trust me its not enough to make it taste like mustard just enough to help the dressing hold together. This salad is especially good for summertime, since it doesn't include any milk or egg products it holds up to the warmer temperatures really well.   (special trick:  if it does separate on you whip out that blender you have and try mixing it in there.  That should do the trick.)  Dress the lettuce with the dressing and add the pecans and strawberries right before you eat.

Carrie is also working on a cake that I smell upstairs that she probably wants to share...  but I'll let her do that herself in her own post.  (and from the smell of things it deserves its own post.)






Happy Food Revolution Day

Happy Food Revolution Day to all.

May 19th 2012....  www.JamieOliver.com  Do your part today by making a healthy meal for your family.  (or someone else's family for that matter....)

"Thousands of people in cities around the world are joining together in a day of action alongside Jamie to inspire, educate and empower people about real food.

On May 19th the first ever Food Revolution Day, launched by the Jamie Oliver Foundation, will involve participants hosting and joining in events to highlight the incredible benefits of better food.

So far groups in 45 countries have signed up to take action. Visit foodrevolutionday.com to discover or create an event in your area.
Local events will spread knowledge about healthier food choices and the dangers to society of food-related diseases, such as obesity.

How about honing your good food skills during community cooking classes or getting stuck into gardening masterclasses? There will also be tours of farmers’ markets and tips on starting up food blogs. Participants can also sign up to host a dinner party or discover ways of bringing healthier choices into schools or the workplace. 

THE FACTS: Obesity is preventable, yet at least 2.8 million adults around the world die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. In fact, the majority of the world’s population is more likely to die from obesity than from hunger, according to the World Health Organisation, Obesity & Overweight Fact Sheet. Kids are growing up overweight and malnourished from a diet of processed foods. Food Revolution Day aims to empower people to make healthier food choices that lead to healthier lives. 100% of net funds raised for Food Revolution Day will go to support food education projects through Jamie’s foundation teams in the US, UK and Australia.. 

Events will be taking place from May 18th through to the 20th bringing together an international community of foodies, chefs, parents and educators, companies and celebrities as well as those who just want to learn more about their rights to healthy food choices."