Last week it was 85. Monday, the wind started to blow. It blew and blew and blew until it cooled off all of Bozeman and now it's a chilled 50 degrees by the afternoon. I'm glad I finally finished repainting a long-term project of mine. It only took me nine years to paint a small chest and now I'm wishing I'd changed the color. It took me nine years to decide! Yeesh. An ability for decorating I wish I had and alas, I'm paralyzed by color.
But not the great colors of Fall! These inspire me. After living five years in California where the weather was perfect all year long (I miss it sometimes), it gets me giddy every time the seasons change. It's nice to be apart of change sometimes and Fall is one of the best times of the year in Bozeman. The other best times are Spring and Summer and Winter pulling up the end.
Time to bag the grill and dust off the CrockPot. I feel like we traveled so much this summer, I didn't really enjoy all the Spring salads and cool stuff of summer, but another season, another menu. Warm rolls, hearty soups, fresh bread, and maybe some cinnamon potpourri to welcome in the cold nights.
My boys are off on a trip together for a couple days, and I finally have a moment to plan a menu. It's been fun combing through the Internet to find good food blogs and plot out a menu. My only qualm is that everytime someone provides a menu, they only provide dinner, but what about breakfast and lunch? My little menu below is a reminder for me of some quick breakfast/lunch items to eat also.
I spent $125 for two-weeks worth of food (not just dinner), so for me that would be great to feed my family on $250/month. Here's my beginner menu with all new recipes. Two weeks of goodness. I'll include all websites where I grabbed these recipes and commentary as our family eats these meals. Like I've mentioned before, I just need an online recipe book, this site isn't to make me rich.
Sunday
b: Swiss chard frittata While our 1.5 year-old inhaled this, Jared choked it down and mildly threw up in his mouth when he realized it wasn't eggs and spinach out of a pie plate that he'd been eating, but rather tofu and chard. Guess he's not ready for vegan...
l: PBJ
d:
main: Beef stroganoff with Massaged Kale and Craisin Salad
This was great the day of and delicious for lunch. We served it over red potatoes, so it was more like stew than stroganoff. Next time I'll carry out the stew plan and add carrots. Yum! A keeper.
Monday
b: Oatmeal Pancakes The best part about this recipe is that you make up a huge batch of the mix and use it forever. The pancakes were delicious and our family had fresh peaches, bananas, pecans, whipped cream and maple syrup.
l: Kale salad, leftover fruit and oatmeal pancakes (cheap right?)
d: South Indian Style Vegetable Curry (finecooking.com) - SUPER spicy. Leave out cayenne next time. It had rave reviews on Fine Cooking, but I'm not all that convinced. Then again, I only lived 10 minutes from the best Indian restaurant in the whole world when I live in California (Kamal Palace, Seal Beach, CA)
Tuesday
b: Bacon, Eggs, Green Smoothie (that's where you blend up a few handfuls of spinach along with anything to make it good and healthy - i.e., flaxseed, oat bran, carrot, berries, apple juice, coconut, banana).
l: PBJ or Sandwich with hummus and peas (Parker loves this)
d: White and Green Chicken Enchiladas (not healthy, but needed)
Wednesday
b: Smoothies, Refrigerator Muffins
l: leftover enchiladas
d: Garlic Tuna and Asparagus Pasta
Thursday
b: kale/fruit smoothie
l: leftover pasta/tuna fish sandwiches
d: salmon, fresh green beans
Friday
b: oatmeal
l: tomato/basil/mozz salad
d: leftovers (indian curry)
Saturday
b: banana-nut pancakes
l: sandwich
d: Autumn vegetable soup
Sunday
... to be continued...
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Massaged Kale and Craisin Salad with Feta Cheese
Especially this salad. Jared didn't scarf it down like he will something with beef in it (I did pair this salad with her Beef Stroganoff - solid recipe), but he did say it was good and ate it all, which he normally doesn't do with salad. Kale is such a sturdy green, that normally to eat it, I throw it in a smoothie or a soup to mask its bitter chewiness. I didn't realize that massaging it with just a little bit of salt could go such a long way. Once I added the rest of the ingredients, this salad was healthy and delicious and good the next day for lunch too.
As a sidenote, I've been working on presentation lately, and this salad looks pretty on the table.
*Serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch kale
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or sea salt
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup dried cranberries/craisins (I used maple candied cherries that I had)
3/4 cup small-diced apple
1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup crumbled Feta cheese
DIRECTIONS:
Wash the kale and pat it dry. Slice off the stiff stems below the leaves and continue slicing the stem away from the leaf until you have cut a thin v-shape into the kale leaf and removed the tough stem all the way up. Stack the kale leaves two or three at a time, roll them up, and slice the leaves into thin ribbons.
Place the kale ribbons in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and massage it into the kale with your hands for two minutes. You’ll notice the kale start to turn a darker green and the texture of the kale will begin to soften a bit.
Toss in the red onions, craisins, apples, and sunflower seeds. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar and sugar. Pour over the salad and toss. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top and serve. The salad can be refrigerated for up to a day before serving (if doing this, I would suggest refrigerating the salted kale separately from the other ingredients and tossing the salad together an hour or two before serving).
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Swedish Pancakes
It's been a crazy summer and I haven't even really been home to cook. But today, I thought I'd try my version of a Swedish pancake/crepe. They were so good! I think next time I'll half the butter (which I'm posting the recipe with only half the butter in it, so you could in theory double it and they'd be good).
Preheat a Swedish pancake pan (round, cast-iron pan) over medium heat.
Beat the egg and milk in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the milk mixture, stirring to make a thin batter. I hear you shouldn't overmix it, but I had to in order to get the lumps out. Fold in the melted butter.
Grease pan with oil if needed. Pour about 1/2 cup of batter into the middle of the pan and swirl around to cover the bottom of pan. Will be a very thin layer of batter. Cook until bubbles form on the top, about 1-2 minutes. Turn with a spatula (or be spicy and try to flip it like Emeril) and cook on the second side until golden, about 1 minute. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining batter.
Here was my favorite: After I flipped the pancake in the pan, I covered the cooked side with Nutella and bananas, and let it all heat up in the crepe. When the other side was finished, I folded the pancake in half and slid it onto my plate. Perfect!
Serve hot with all toppings.
- 2 large eggs
- 2 c milk
- 1 c all purpose flour
- 2 T sugar
- 1/4 t salt
- 2 T melted butter
- Oil for griddle (if needed - I had a nonstick pan and the butter was enough to flip them over)
- Sides of fruit, Nutella, jam, and some like sour cream
Preheat a Swedish pancake pan (round, cast-iron pan) over medium heat.
Beat the egg and milk in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the milk mixture, stirring to make a thin batter. I hear you shouldn't overmix it, but I had to in order to get the lumps out. Fold in the melted butter.
Grease pan with oil if needed. Pour about 1/2 cup of batter into the middle of the pan and swirl around to cover the bottom of pan. Will be a very thin layer of batter. Cook until bubbles form on the top, about 1-2 minutes. Turn with a spatula (or be spicy and try to flip it like Emeril) and cook on the second side until golden, about 1 minute. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining batter.
Here was my favorite: After I flipped the pancake in the pan, I covered the cooked side with Nutella and bananas, and let it all heat up in the crepe. When the other side was finished, I folded the pancake in half and slid it onto my plate. Perfect!
Serve hot with all toppings.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Toasted Corn, Edamame, and Tomato Salad
We love to eat this salad in summertime. I'll make up a batch and then we eat on it all week long!
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2-1/4 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 3 medium ears) (p.s. I used frozen corn)
2 Tbs. plain low-fat yogurt
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. clover honey
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping cup quartered cherry tomatoes (about 15)
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh mint
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil
------------------------------------------
Cook the edamame according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool completely.
Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels are golden brown in patches, about 9 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, honey, garlic, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Slowly pour in the remaining 4 Tbs. olive oil, whisking constantly until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a medium serving bowl, combine the cooled edamame and corn, the tomatoes, and the herbs. Gently toss. Add half of the vinaigrette and gently toss. Add more vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.
5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2-1/4 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 3 medium ears) (p.s. I used frozen corn)
2 Tbs. plain low-fat yogurt
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. clover honey
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping cup quartered cherry tomatoes (about 15)
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh mint
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil
------------------------------------------
Cook the edamame according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool completely.
Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels are golden brown in patches, about 9 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, honey, garlic, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Slowly pour in the remaining 4 Tbs. olive oil, whisking constantly until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a medium serving bowl, combine the cooled edamame and corn, the tomatoes, and the herbs. Gently toss. Add half of the vinaigrette and gently toss. Add more vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Chinese Chicken Salad
I have a chinese chicken salad recipe that I never use because it takes a long time to make. This one was simple, and healthy with the cabbage and the fresh ginger. Next time I'm going to try it with a little less sugar. I'm sure it makes it taste great, but I bet I can reduce it a little more. Or at least use a sugar substitute. We'll definitely eat this salad again. The dressing was great!
(adapted from finecooking)
2-1/2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about 1/3 medium head)
1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 1 large carrot)
1/3 cup thinly sliced (on the diagonal) scallions (about 4, white and green parts)
1 tsp. plus 3 Tbs. low-salt soy sauce
3-1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
Kosher salt
1 clove garlic
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves, plus 1 Tbs. chopped
3 Tbs. creamy peanut butter
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. peanut oil (I used sesame oil because I didn't have peanut oil, and I think it enhanced the flavor)
1 lb. thinly sliced chicken breast
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds or chopped peanuts
In a bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, scallions, 1 tsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sugar, and a big pinch of salt. Set aside for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.
In a small food processor, chop the garlic and ginger. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, add the 1/4 cup cilantro and chop thoroughly. Scrape the bowl, add the peanut butter, 1 Tbs. hot water, the lemon juice, 1 Tbs. oil, 3 Tbs. soy sauce, and 2-1/2 tsp. sugar. Pulse until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
Either grill or cook the chicken in a skillet, seasoning with salt. I used our George Foreman because it's the bomb. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Slice the chicken into generous 1/4-inch strips.
Toast the sliced almonds. Set the broiler to high, and spread the almonds on a sheet. Place the rack in the middle of the oven and cook for 1 minute. It seems much quicker than toasting them on the stove top.
The rest of the directions say to squeeze the cabbage mixture well and add it to the chicken, pour in the dressing, and toss well to combine. But (and I should have taken a picture of this because it looked pretty for once), I put the cabbage mixture on the plate, layered the chicken on top, and drizzled the dressing over the chicken. In my world, I felt gourmet because I never pay attention to presentation (although I'm trying to - I've just had to get this cooking thing down first). With the sesame oil addition, the dressing was strong but delicious, so I didn't want to overpower the salad. I put the rest of the dressing in a bowl and we could add more if we wanted. Jared did. And went on to eat a variety of other random foods in the kitchen, dipping them in the dressing. Lovely.
Divide among two to four plates and garnish with the remaining cilantro and the toasted almonds or peanuts.
(adapted from finecooking)
2-1/2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (about 1/3 medium head)
1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 1 large carrot)
1/3 cup thinly sliced (on the diagonal) scallions (about 4, white and green parts)
1 tsp. plus 3 Tbs. low-salt soy sauce
3-1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
Kosher salt
1 clove garlic
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves, plus 1 Tbs. chopped
3 Tbs. creamy peanut butter
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. peanut oil (I used sesame oil because I didn't have peanut oil, and I think it enhanced the flavor)
1 lb. thinly sliced chicken breast
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds or chopped peanuts
In a bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, scallions, 1 tsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sugar, and a big pinch of salt. Set aside for 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.
In a small food processor, chop the garlic and ginger. Scrape the bowl with a spatula, add the 1/4 cup cilantro and chop thoroughly. Scrape the bowl, add the peanut butter, 1 Tbs. hot water, the lemon juice, 1 Tbs. oil, 3 Tbs. soy sauce, and 2-1/2 tsp. sugar. Pulse until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
Either grill or cook the chicken in a skillet, seasoning with salt. I used our George Foreman because it's the bomb. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes. Slice the chicken into generous 1/4-inch strips.
Toast the sliced almonds. Set the broiler to high, and spread the almonds on a sheet. Place the rack in the middle of the oven and cook for 1 minute. It seems much quicker than toasting them on the stove top.
The rest of the directions say to squeeze the cabbage mixture well and add it to the chicken, pour in the dressing, and toss well to combine. But (and I should have taken a picture of this because it looked pretty for once), I put the cabbage mixture on the plate, layered the chicken on top, and drizzled the dressing over the chicken. In my world, I felt gourmet because I never pay attention to presentation (although I'm trying to - I've just had to get this cooking thing down first). With the sesame oil addition, the dressing was strong but delicious, so I didn't want to overpower the salad. I put the rest of the dressing in a bowl and we could add more if we wanted. Jared did. And went on to eat a variety of other random foods in the kitchen, dipping them in the dressing. Lovely.
Divide among two to four plates and garnish with the remaining cilantro and the toasted almonds or peanuts.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Simple Shrimp Avo Salad
(from my friend, Mo, from her recipe from RealSimple)
About 6 corn tortillas
olive oil
salt and pepper
about a pound of large shrimp (the recipe called for 1 1/2, but 1 pound was more than enough for me and the kids),
peeled and deveined
1/2 tsp. cumin (or more, we love cumin)
2 romaine hearts, sliced thin
1/4 of a red cabbage, sliced thin
2 tbls. fresh orange juice
2 tbls. fresh lime juice
avocado
roasted pumpkin seeds
First make some baked tortilla strips in the oven. Preheat oven to 400 and place about 6 corn torillas, sliced about 1/2 in. strips on a baking sheet. Toss about a tbls. of olive oil and a little salt with them then bake them until crispy, about 10 minutes.
Then toss your prepared shrimp with the cumin and some salt and pepper. With about 1 tbls. of olive oil in a saute or frying pan on medium high heat, cook the shrimp about 2 minutes on each side until they look done.
Make the dressing with the orange juice, lime juice and about 1/4 cup olive oil (I comletely eye-balled this part so I have no idea what the measurements were, this is just my best guess). Salt it a little and mix it up!
Then throw all your ingredients in a bowl and toss if you wish or if you're weird like me and feel the need to "plate" each person's meal, I layered it in pasta bowls starting with romaine and cabbage, followed by avacado, shrimp, a drizzle of dressing, tortilla strips and topped it off with pumpkin seeds.
About 6 corn tortillas
olive oil
salt and pepper
about a pound of large shrimp (the recipe called for 1 1/2, but 1 pound was more than enough for me and the kids),
peeled and deveined
1/2 tsp. cumin (or more, we love cumin)
2 romaine hearts, sliced thin
1/4 of a red cabbage, sliced thin
2 tbls. fresh orange juice
2 tbls. fresh lime juice
avocado
roasted pumpkin seeds
First make some baked tortilla strips in the oven. Preheat oven to 400 and place about 6 corn torillas, sliced about 1/2 in. strips on a baking sheet. Toss about a tbls. of olive oil and a little salt with them then bake them until crispy, about 10 minutes.
Then toss your prepared shrimp with the cumin and some salt and pepper. With about 1 tbls. of olive oil in a saute or frying pan on medium high heat, cook the shrimp about 2 minutes on each side until they look done.
Make the dressing with the orange juice, lime juice and about 1/4 cup olive oil (I comletely eye-balled this part so I have no idea what the measurements were, this is just my best guess). Salt it a little and mix it up!
Then throw all your ingredients in a bowl and toss if you wish or if you're weird like me and feel the need to "plate" each person's meal, I layered it in pasta bowls starting with romaine and cabbage, followed by avacado, shrimp, a drizzle of dressing, tortilla strips and topped it off with pumpkin seeds.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
(adapted from betty crocker)
And they turned out pretty darn good. Here's a tip I learned from Ina Garten: once you scoop out the cookies and put them on the sheet, flatten them a bit with a damp hand. They turn out great!
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c butter/margarine, softened (if you have a Bosch, you don't need to soften the butter - it does it for you when you beat it all together)
1/2 t vanilla
1 egg
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c quick-cooking (or old-fashioned) rolled oats
1/2 c raisins (or other dried fruit - I used cranberries this time)
1/2 c chopped pecans (or other nut)
And they turned out pretty darn good. Here's a tip I learned from Ina Garten: once you scoop out the cookies and put them on the sheet, flatten them a bit with a damp hand. They turn out great!
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c butter/margarine, softened (if you have a Bosch, you don't need to soften the butter - it does it for you when you beat it all together)
1/2 t vanilla
1 egg
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c quick-cooking (or old-fashioned) rolled oats
1/2 c raisins (or other dried fruit - I used cranberries this time)
1/2 c chopped pecans (or other nut)
- Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar and margarine; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; blend well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Stir in oats, raisins and nuts.
- Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto sprayed cookie sheets.
- Bake at 375°F. for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.
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