Check out this site....
www.cheryljacksonphotography.com
Cheryl is doing photography for our site and spent the day with us today shooting the kids and our food. I can't wait to see how they come out! Cheryl's photos are amazing and she is just a fantastic human being. Check her out!
Meridith
Sunday, October 26, 2008
When will the fall (read soup!) weather start?
Well, it continues to be hotter than the dickens and wicked dry in these parts. That said, we had a class today where we the kids cooked paninis and soup. One of the soups we made today was a creamy broccoli soup that was chock full of goodness and is relatively low in calories and fat. Next time you are in the mood for soup, try this one. The kids really liked it and it's a nutritional winner.
A couple of notes - this recipe uses rolled oats as a thickening agent. This probably sounds weird, but since the soup is blended, you can't detect them. They offer a nice texture to the soup and also add fiber. Also, the recipe has you reserve the broccoli stems, peel them, and cut them. This might seem like a weird thing to do but peeled broccoli stems are fantastic. Peeled stems offer the crunch without any bitterness or fiberous texture yet are mild tasting enough to eat raw. Don't skip this part and make sure you try the peeled stems before you add them to the soup. You can peel them with a serrated peeler or use your sharp knife - stand them up on one end and slice down the sides until you are at the yummy goodness that is the middle.
(adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 cups chicken broth (the Costco organic stuff is our prepared broth of choice)
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup rolled oats (yup, you read that right)
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, florets separated, stems peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions
1. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add nutmeg; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
2. Stir in broth, 1 1/2 cups water, oats, and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Puree soup in batches, filling blender halfway. Return to pot. Season with salt and pepper.
If you have a palate that prefers the richness of a butter and cream fueled soup (pick me, pick me!), add a splash of half and half to the soup once it's been pureed. You don't need much but it will add some richness. You can also use half olive oil and half butter if you prefer. Obviously your fat and calorie content just went up, but eat a smaller portion and go about your day.
Meridith
A couple of notes - this recipe uses rolled oats as a thickening agent. This probably sounds weird, but since the soup is blended, you can't detect them. They offer a nice texture to the soup and also add fiber. Also, the recipe has you reserve the broccoli stems, peel them, and cut them. This might seem like a weird thing to do but peeled broccoli stems are fantastic. Peeled stems offer the crunch without any bitterness or fiberous texture yet are mild tasting enough to eat raw. Don't skip this part and make sure you try the peeled stems before you add them to the soup. You can peel them with a serrated peeler or use your sharp knife - stand them up on one end and slice down the sides until you are at the yummy goodness that is the middle.
(adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 cups chicken broth (the Costco organic stuff is our prepared broth of choice)
1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup rolled oats (yup, you read that right)
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, florets separated, stems peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions
1. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add nutmeg; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
2. Stir in broth, 1 1/2 cups water, oats, and broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Puree soup in batches, filling blender halfway. Return to pot. Season with salt and pepper.
If you have a palate that prefers the richness of a butter and cream fueled soup (pick me, pick me!), add a splash of half and half to the soup once it's been pureed. You don't need much but it will add some richness. You can also use half olive oil and half butter if you prefer. Obviously your fat and calorie content just went up, but eat a smaller portion and go about your day.
Meridith
Thursday, October 23, 2008
My must-have kitchen item
This is the thing I bought recently that I cannot live without.
It's made by a company called ScanPan from Denmark. They make FANTASTIC non-stick pans have a ceramic-titanium nonstick surface. This ceramic-titanium compound is super-heated and fired on. It creates an extra-hard surface which makes it suitable for use with metal utensils and it's ovenproof up to 500 degrees. It's guaranteed not to warp and is PFOA (teflon) free. It is not cheap - it will set you back about $140, but it has a lifetime warranty and is super versatile. I use mine to grill all sorts of meats, as well as quesadillas and grilled pizzas. It's a great alternative to firing up the barbeque outside and cleans up easily.
http://www.discountcooking.com/ has them - they are owned by Great News in Pacific Beach and you can order online and save shipping by picking it up there.
It's my favorite thing in my kitchen right now. Well, that and the Guinness that's cooling in my fridge.
Meridith
An Ode to Halloween
I love candy. There, I said it. I'm not a big sweet eater generally or a chocoholic, but there is something to be said for a bite size piece of Halloween goodness. My downfall? The mini reese's peanut butter cups and those bite size Mr. Goodbars. Oh lordy. It's only taken me 38 years to figure out that I shouldn't bring the Halloween candy into the house until the day of Halloween or risk the return of the Halloween spare tire or saddlebags.
So, we're doing a couple of Halloween classes this year and in coming up with the menus, there are frighteningly (boo!) few recipes that don't involve candy, sugar, chocolate and other treats. It seems like the great divide - there are recipes for butternut squash soup (a big winner if you haven't tried it), pumpkin based items and then the sugar. So, what's a cook to do if you don't want to overload your Halloween with sugar laced items? Here's some snack type items that won't send you into sweet overload.
Halloween Trail Mix: dried cranberries, roasted peanuts, pumpkin seeds, Chex corn cereal, pretzel sticks, and candy corn (go easy on the last one and the sugar guilt won't get to you). The trick to this is that it has your palate covered - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. What is umami? It's also been called "earthy". You want something that gives your mouth a feeling of satisfaction. It's one of those things that you know it when you feel it. So, if you want to substitute any of the items, just make sure you've got the flavors covered.
Sweet Potato Chips: peel and slice thinly (use a mandoline if you have one) and then toss lightly in olive oil and salt. Bake in a 400 degree oven until they are crisp. Dee-licious. This is also awesome to do with beets. Make sure you don't go overboard on the oil and it's best to turn them midway through cooking.
Homemade soft pretzels: these are 100% awesomeness. You cannot go wrong and they put any of those freezer soft pretzels to shame. Add some veggie heavy dip (think red pepper hummus) and you've got a winner. They're fun to make and the kids love shaping them. Here's the recipe that we use in our classes, adapted from a Gale Gand recipe:
2 tablespoons warm water, plus 1 1/3 cups warm water
1 package dry yeast
1/3 cup brown sugar
5 cups flour
1/2 cup baking soda
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 tablespoons warm water with the yeast to dissolve it. Then stir in the remaining warm water and brown sugar. Place bowl on a mixer and using a dough hook, gradually add the flour and continue mixing until it forms a ball. Turn it out onto a work surface and knead the dough to make it smooth. Use enough flour on your work surface so the dough is not sticky.
2. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Butter 2 sheet pans. Bring 2 quarts of water and the baking soda to boil in a large saucepan. Cut dough up into golf ball size pieces. Then roll them into desired shape, either a classic twist or long stick like shapes. Drop it into the boiling water for 30 seconds then fish it out and place it on the greased sheet pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown.
This recipe has been successfully used by many 5 year olds. Give it a try!
Hopefully these will inspire you to step away from the popcorn balls and crushed oreos with gummy worms and try something different.
Oh, and don't forget to check out The Hallo-Weiner by Dav Pilkey. It is only the best Halloween book EVER...at least that's what my seven year old says.
Happy Halloween, you Hallo-weiners!
Meridith
So, we're doing a couple of Halloween classes this year and in coming up with the menus, there are frighteningly (boo!) few recipes that don't involve candy, sugar, chocolate and other treats. It seems like the great divide - there are recipes for butternut squash soup (a big winner if you haven't tried it), pumpkin based items and then the sugar. So, what's a cook to do if you don't want to overload your Halloween with sugar laced items? Here's some snack type items that won't send you into sweet overload.
Halloween Trail Mix: dried cranberries, roasted peanuts, pumpkin seeds, Chex corn cereal, pretzel sticks, and candy corn (go easy on the last one and the sugar guilt won't get to you). The trick to this is that it has your palate covered - sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. What is umami? It's also been called "earthy". You want something that gives your mouth a feeling of satisfaction. It's one of those things that you know it when you feel it. So, if you want to substitute any of the items, just make sure you've got the flavors covered.
Sweet Potato Chips: peel and slice thinly (use a mandoline if you have one) and then toss lightly in olive oil and salt. Bake in a 400 degree oven until they are crisp. Dee-licious. This is also awesome to do with beets. Make sure you don't go overboard on the oil and it's best to turn them midway through cooking.
Homemade soft pretzels: these are 100% awesomeness. You cannot go wrong and they put any of those freezer soft pretzels to shame. Add some veggie heavy dip (think red pepper hummus) and you've got a winner. They're fun to make and the kids love shaping them. Here's the recipe that we use in our classes, adapted from a Gale Gand recipe:
2 tablespoons warm water, plus 1 1/3 cups warm water
1 package dry yeast
1/3 cup brown sugar
5 cups flour
1/2 cup baking soda
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 tablespoons warm water with the yeast to dissolve it. Then stir in the remaining warm water and brown sugar. Place bowl on a mixer and using a dough hook, gradually add the flour and continue mixing until it forms a ball. Turn it out onto a work surface and knead the dough to make it smooth. Use enough flour on your work surface so the dough is not sticky.
2. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Butter 2 sheet pans. Bring 2 quarts of water and the baking soda to boil in a large saucepan. Cut dough up into golf ball size pieces. Then roll them into desired shape, either a classic twist or long stick like shapes. Drop it into the boiling water for 30 seconds then fish it out and place it on the greased sheet pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown.
This recipe has been successfully used by many 5 year olds. Give it a try!
Hopefully these will inspire you to step away from the popcorn balls and crushed oreos with gummy worms and try something different.
Oh, and don't forget to check out The Hallo-Weiner by Dav Pilkey. It is only the best Halloween book EVER...at least that's what my seven year old says.
Happy Halloween, you Hallo-weiners!
Meridith
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
What a slacker!
Has it really been since September 16th?!? Well, I've been very worried about Rachael Ray and her throat issues, so I've only now felt well enough to come back to the world of blogging. By the way, I hear it's a benign cyst and she'll only have to be quiet for a couple of weeks so I guess that's something to be thankful for - be thankful that it's only a cyst or that she'll have to be quiet. You decide.
Well, it's been hard to focus on anything else besides the economy and the election. We really are facing some difficult times ahead and it's hard to not be overwhelmed, stressed, and discouraged. Nothing makes me feel better than a big batch of chocolate chip cookies warm from the oven. Hence those Weight Watchers people are tracking me down again. Seriously, now is the perfect time to look at our food budgets and our eating habits. Put down that processed stuff and cook some real food with some real nutrition. We're under enough stress. We need to take care of our bodies and souls.
A couple of practical tips that work for me to save money and eat well:
1) Do not shop hungry. Ever. It's amazing what I talk myself into when my blood sugar is a little low. I never seem to talk myself into anything inexpensive, nutritious, or with any socially redeeming value whatsoever. My husband is the worst offender - the conversation when he gets home from the store goes something like this: "Pop-Tarts?!? Seriously?"
2) Shop seasonally. My favorite place is Specialty Produce in Old Town area. They are a wholesaler, but do have hours open to the public. On their website www.specialtyproduce.com there is a place on the left top side that says "In Season". Click on that and it lists all the current seasonal produce. Don't let Brian Malarkey's mug frighten you off -he just plays an ego driven, media hound on TV. These are good people with good produce.
3) Along with not shopping hungry is to shop with a list. I also try to limit the number of visits to the store as it seems like when I just "pop" in for something, I end up with stuff I didn't plan on.
4) Google - I do love Google. A simple Google search will give you a wealth of menu ideas of low cost, high quality menu ideas. That said, there is plenty of junk out there. Resist the urge to mix a can of cream of mushroom soup with ground beef and call that a high quality meal. Or some "biscuits" with some "gravy" both of which come from a mystery packet of questionable ingredients. Quick yes, inexpensive yes. Junky and non-nutritious....most likely. Eggs, lentils, and beans are good sources of high quality, generally low cost protein. Pasta, even the whole grain or multigrain varieties are also good options. Consider soy protein options as well.
5) Use braising techniques - you can take a pretty inexpensive piece of meat, cook it properly (read "long" and "slow") and make it darn delicious. It will also stretch to more than one meal. Check out epicurious for some ideas or good old Martha.
6) Soups. Great way to use vegetables and inexpensive starches to make a filling meal.
So, what ideas do you have? Share them here for all to learn.
As I think of all that is going on, it reminds me of something that I heard recently and I think I can attribute it to who Nate calls "the brown guy". I'll let your imaginations go so as not to offend those from differing political persuasions. We're an equal opportunity blog here. The quote I heard was "hope, not fear". While we may be fearful, be hopeful and let that guide us to greatness - in all things.
That and $1.50 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Better yet, take that $1.50 and go buy a box of whole wheat penne.
Well, it's been hard to focus on anything else besides the economy and the election. We really are facing some difficult times ahead and it's hard to not be overwhelmed, stressed, and discouraged. Nothing makes me feel better than a big batch of chocolate chip cookies warm from the oven. Hence those Weight Watchers people are tracking me down again. Seriously, now is the perfect time to look at our food budgets and our eating habits. Put down that processed stuff and cook some real food with some real nutrition. We're under enough stress. We need to take care of our bodies and souls.
A couple of practical tips that work for me to save money and eat well:
1) Do not shop hungry. Ever. It's amazing what I talk myself into when my blood sugar is a little low. I never seem to talk myself into anything inexpensive, nutritious, or with any socially redeeming value whatsoever. My husband is the worst offender - the conversation when he gets home from the store goes something like this: "Pop-Tarts?!? Seriously?"
2) Shop seasonally. My favorite place is Specialty Produce in Old Town area. They are a wholesaler, but do have hours open to the public. On their website www.specialtyproduce.com there is a place on the left top side that says "In Season". Click on that and it lists all the current seasonal produce. Don't let Brian Malarkey's mug frighten you off -he just plays an ego driven, media hound on TV. These are good people with good produce.
3) Along with not shopping hungry is to shop with a list. I also try to limit the number of visits to the store as it seems like when I just "pop" in for something, I end up with stuff I didn't plan on.
4) Google - I do love Google. A simple Google search will give you a wealth of menu ideas of low cost, high quality menu ideas. That said, there is plenty of junk out there. Resist the urge to mix a can of cream of mushroom soup with ground beef and call that a high quality meal. Or some "biscuits" with some "gravy" both of which come from a mystery packet of questionable ingredients. Quick yes, inexpensive yes. Junky and non-nutritious....most likely. Eggs, lentils, and beans are good sources of high quality, generally low cost protein. Pasta, even the whole grain or multigrain varieties are also good options. Consider soy protein options as well.
5) Use braising techniques - you can take a pretty inexpensive piece of meat, cook it properly (read "long" and "slow") and make it darn delicious. It will also stretch to more than one meal. Check out epicurious for some ideas or good old Martha.
6) Soups. Great way to use vegetables and inexpensive starches to make a filling meal.
So, what ideas do you have? Share them here for all to learn.
As I think of all that is going on, it reminds me of something that I heard recently and I think I can attribute it to who Nate calls "the brown guy". I'll let your imaginations go so as not to offend those from differing political persuasions. We're an equal opportunity blog here. The quote I heard was "hope, not fear". While we may be fearful, be hopeful and let that guide us to greatness - in all things.
That and $1.50 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Better yet, take that $1.50 and go buy a box of whole wheat penne.
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