June 2008 – Page 2 – Feed Your Kids

Weekly Menus

I’m not always organized enough to have a week’s worth of menus planned out in advance, but after going through my recipes yesterday, I came across so many that I wanted to try (or try AGAIN), that I’ve had to put them down on a schedule. If you want to play along at home, here’s … Continue reading “Weekly Menus”

Saturday
(the first night that Boy and Girl will be home from camp, so I wanted something fun and kid-friendly):
Make-Your-Own-Taco Night
I will be trying out 2 different homemade taco seasoning versions and will let the family taste test to see which one is best. The winner will be blogged at a later date. We’ll have all the accompanying “fixins”: cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, cilantro, beans, etc. Maybe even guacamole, if I get inspired. We prefer soft tacos around here, but sometimes I’ll fry up some corn tortillas for make-your-own tostadas. Since I’ll be preparing 2 pounds of ground beef, I’ll freeze the leftovers for a silly taco “ring” that the kids saw in one of my old cookbooks recently and asked me to make. Refrigerated crescent roll dough? ….(shudder)… I was the one that had to ask them to help plan the menus, right?

Sunday:
Sausage and Peppers with Crispy Polenta
I’ll start out with this recipe from February’s Real Simple magazine, but I already know that I’m going to adapt it significantly, using some chicken sausage that I have in the freezer and probably making homemade polenta.

Monday:
Make-Your-Own-Pizza/Calzones/Stromboli
We’re even going to make our own dough, using a hybrid of this recipe from Family Fun magazine from a million years ago and a version from the April/May Fine Cooking magazine that I can’t link to for you, because Fine Cooking makes you pay for their website. Grrrr…. Actually, if anyone is pondering subscribing, I will begrudgingly admit that it’s worth it. If you subscribe to the magazine, the website only costs an additional $10 per year and has much more, additional content that is not in the magazine. The Grilled Tandoori-style Chicken thighs and Corn Saute with Ginger, Garlic and & Fresh Cilantro recipes ALONE are worth 10 bucks! Anyway, the dough can be made ahead of time and chilled until ready to use and I’ll have lots of different topping options so that everyone can make their own dough into whatever configuration they choose.

Tuesday:
Creamy Chicken Curry in a Hurry, also from Family Fun magazine. Speaking of Family Fun – look at these cute cookies that they have on their main page – too cute and perfect for the 4th. Of course, they might stain your tongue blue…

Wednesday:
Marinated London Broil from Cooking Light magazine. Not sure what I’ll serve with this, but I’ll try to keep it on the “light” side, because we’re already having more beef this week than we usually do. Also, my in-laws’ farm is open on Wednesdays, so I may truck on over there to pick up some fresh veggies to accompany this (and round out the rest of this week’s meals).

Thursday:
Pork Loin Roast.
Not sure which recipe I’m going to use, either Garlic-and-Spice-Rubbed Pork Loin Roast from January 2008 Food & Wine or Roasted Pork Loin with Maple-Mustard Crust from January 2008 Fine Cooking (which I can’t show you, of course….grrrr), but I know, for sure, that I will freeze the leftovers to use to make Cubano sandwiches at another time. There is a great recipe for them in the May 2008 Food & Wine (can’t find the link – may not be on their website yet), but there’s also another great one over at, you guessed it, Fine Cooking. I SWEAR they’re not paying me…it is a great site, though.

Friday:
Not sure exactly what Friday will hold for us – our families tend to announce get-togethers at the last moment, so we don’t have extended family plans yet. If the day finds us at home, just with our immediate family, we will certainly be grilling burgers and/or dogs. We used to have a MAMMOTH (seriously – with rented tents, tables and commercial grills and 150 – 200 people) party every year on the 4th when we lived in the Washington D.C. area (you could see our city’s fireworks display from our back yard), but have adjusted nicely to a more toned-down, quiet patriotic celebration. I do have an easy and phenomenal potato salad recipe, though – start with deli potato salad (when we lived in Virginia, I would buy it at Red, Hot and Blue) and add prepared pesto, toasted pine nuts and chopped fresh red bell pepper. Too delicious for words. It was an absolute MUST at our party. Anyway, Friday is relatively unscripted – maybe some star-shaped cookies?

Now for the disclaimers…plans subject to change. I am frequently guilty of planning a week’s worth of menus and then finding that we’re inundated with leftovers and I’ll decide not to cook on one or two nights. Or something, like maybe a car wreck, will get in my way and we’ll end up getting take out on a night when I had planned to cook. So, if I don’t end up blogging every single one of these meals next week – don’t hold it against me!

So, have fun with “Feed Your Kids”, the home game…

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What does it mean, you ask? What is it? It’s this. I don’t know why I think that’s so cool, but I do. On a related note, I’m also always noticing geeky things like when a product label has been blanked out on a TV show: changing a “Tide” label, for example, to “Tie”, when the production team hasn’t gotten the proper legal clearances. I also noticed last night, for the first time (while watching some REALLY old episodes from the DVR) that lots of episodes of “Desperate Housewives” are named after Stephen Sondheim songs.

Another cool thing from the internet today:

The 50 best cookie recipes on the Internet
(I will be trying the Sweet Ravioli cookies VERY soon.)

And a bonus story about Boy:

The kids are at a Drama/Theatre (sleepaway, but local) camp this week, but Girl needs medicine that must be administered by us, nightly, so we are stopping by the camp every night at bedtime, to give Girl her medicine. I know, it’s not exactly “sleepaway” camp that way, but I’m OK with that…

Anyway, every year (Girl went to this camp last year), this camp packs up the kids and takes them to see a show on one of the camp evenings. Last night, they went to see a dress rehearsal for “Beauty and the Beast” that will be playing at Zilker Park this weekend (usually, the camp “packing list” says to pack one “dressy” outfit, but they didn’t this year, because the show was outdoors and only a dress rehearsal). So, we had to go give Girl her medicine a bit early (before the show) and we caught the kids at dinner. While Hubby gave Girl the medicine, I went to say hello to Boy. The first thing that Boy said to me was that he was dressed up and ready for the show (and I did notice notice that his roommate, J., was wearing a collared shirt and khakis). I thought this was odd, since I knew that Boy hadn’t packed any “dress” clothes, so I decided to take a better look at what he had on. That’s when I noticed: brown Gap T-shirt (rapidly becoming covered with drips from the beans that boy was eating with gusto), olive green cargo shorts, paired with…..black socks and his black “dress” tennis shoes.

Well, at least we can give him credit for trying, right?

Chai-Spiced Crumb Coffeecake

OK….I know that I said I wasn’t going to be cooking this week, but I was craaaaaaaving this…. Adapted from this recipe in Food & Wine magazine. I’ve made this before, but wanted to try to make a smaller version, since it will just be the two of us eating it this week. When I’ve … Continue reading “Chai-Spiced Crumb Coffeecake”

OK….I know that I said I wasn’t going to be cooking this week, but I was craaaaaaaving this….

Adapted from this recipe in Food & Wine magazine.

I’ve made this before, but wanted to try to make a smaller version, since it will just be the two of us eating it this week. When I’ve made the full 9 X 13 pan version of this before, it was delicious, but it took 5 kids and 4 adults 3 breakfasts to polish it off. I also felt that the original recipe was a bit too rich and could use some more spice flavor, in addition to the cardamom, so I used skim milk and added a few more spices. The next time that I make this, I may try to incorporate a cinnamon “swirl” layer into the cake itself. That could be really good. This might also be good baked as muffins, instead of as a cake. Drat – just might have to test this recipe some more. Mmmm….

Chai-Spiced Crumb Coffeecake

Crumb topping:
1 cup pecans
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
6 Tbsp light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp Chai Spice Seasoning Blend
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup skim milk
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp Chai Spice Seasoning Blend

Glaze:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 to 5 tsp skim milk
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
small sprinkle of Chai Spice Seasoning Blend

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Butter an 8 X 8 inch baking pan.

Make the crumb topping:
Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned. Let coat, then coarsely chop the nuts. In a medium bowl, stir the melted butter with both sugars, the spice blend and salt. Add the flour and stir until clumpy. Stir in the chopped nuts.

Make the cake:
In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the sugar, baking powder, spice blend and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, melted butter and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the surface (the batter will be very thick). Scatter the crumbs in large clumps over the cake; the crumb layer will be quite deep. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the crumbs are golden and firm and a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. If the crumbs brown before the cake is done, cover the cake loosely with foil. Transfer to a rack to cool before pouring glaze.

Make the glaze:
In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, spice blend and 2 tsp. of the milk until smooth. Add more milk, if necessary, to reach desired “drizzling” consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the cake; let cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be kept, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Serves 9.

NB: You can use Cinnamon Spice Blend, instead of the Chai Spice Seasoning Blend, if you’re not a big fan of cardamom, or if you just want a simpler flavor.

Pasta Carbonara with Peas (for 2)

OK, so I lied. In the course of going through all of my cooking magazines and recipes, I got inspired and made dinner tonight, after all. It was simple, though, and super fast. We will definitely have this again, when the kids are home. I didn’t do a great job of tossing the pasta quickly … Continue reading “Pasta Carbonara with Peas (for 2)”

OK, so I lied. In the course of going through all of my cooking magazines and recipes, I got inspired and made dinner tonight, after all. It was simple, though, and super fast. We will definitely have this again, when the kids are home. I didn’t do a great job of tossing the pasta quickly enough when I added the eggs, so I did get a little bit of egg “curdling”, but this was still quite a success.

Pasta Carbonara with Peas
adapted from a recipe in Fine Cooking magazine

2 very generous servings

1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 slices bacon, cut into small shreds
1/2 cup minced red onion
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
2 large eggs
8 ounces (1/2 lb) spaghetti noodles, uncooked
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen green peas
small pinch of dried oregano leaves, optional
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook peas in a small microwaveable container, covered with water, in the microwave, for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until completely thawed but not hot. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until bacon is golden and starting to crispen (about 5 minutes). Lower the heat slightly, if necessary. While the bacon is cooking, add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until just barely underdone. Add the onion and cook about 5 more minutes, until the onion is softened and the bacon is starting to crisp. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more, stirring frequently and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Remove pan from heat and set aside until spaghetti is done.

When spaghetti is almost al dente, drain it, reserving at least 1 cup of the cooking water. Do not rinse it. Add the spaghetti to the onion/bacon mixture in the skillet. Cook pasta mixture over medium heat, tossing with tons to coat the pasta with the bacon fat and finish cooking the pasta, adding a little of the cooking liquid, if necessary, to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan. After cooking for about 1 minute, remove the pan from heat. Add a little more cooking water and then add the eggs to the pan, tossing immediately and frequently to coat the hot pasta with the eggs. It’s really important to move FAST here, or you will end up with scrambled eggs in your pasta. Toss for about 1 minute, until the eggs have thickened and coated the pasta. Add a little more pasta water, if necessary. Toss in 1/2 cup of the cheese, oregano and peas. Season generously with pepper to taste. Season with salt, if necessary (it may not be, depending upon how salty your bacon is). Serve immediately, sprinkling each portion with 1 Tbsp. of the remaining Parmesan.

Summer Camp

Boy and Girl, with all of their camp gear (pillows, towels, swimsuits, yoga mats, and of course, teen magazines and M & Ms), when we dropped them off Sunday.

Mental Health Week

Hey, guys – There will be very light posting this week, if any at all. Boy and Girl are both at sleepaway camp this week and I’m taking some time for myself. I am going to try to catch up on watching TV shows that I’ve recorded to DVR; I’m going to clean off my … Continue reading “Mental Health Week”

Hey, guys –

There will be very light posting this week, if any at all. Boy and Girl are both at sleepaway camp this week and I’m taking some time for myself. I am going to try to catch up on watching TV shows that I’ve recorded to DVR; I’m going to clean off my desk and clear out my email InBox. I’m going to read the food magazines that I have stacked around in piles and I’m going to try to even clean out the garage. We’ll see how much I actually get accomplished, but the one thing that I will likely not being doing much of this week is cooking. My dishwasher will be happy: I’d made so many spicy Mexican and Middle-Easterny-type things lately that the inside of my dishwasher was starting to smell like cumin, from all of the spicy dishes that were being washed in it. Weird.

Something for you all to think about during my “absence”, however:
I am going to start taking “suggestions”. If you’re looking for a good recipe for a certain dish, shoot me an email or comment and let me know, and I’ll post what I’ve got. Also, please feel free to submit any cooking or ingredient questions. I’ll do my best to tackle them. If I get enough, I may even add a cooking FAQ.

Anyway, have a great week and I’ll see you all soon.

XO,
Lara

Tibetan Aid Project Fundraiser

My parents are at this fundraiser tonight and got Anthony Bourdain’s autograph for me! I can’t wait until they get home and I get to hear all about the evening. The food, the people, and most of all, the Tony! I think that they bid on some fun silent auction items, too, so I can’t … Continue reading “Tibetan Aid Project Fundraiser”

Vanity Fair article about Monsanto

I want everyone that I know to read this: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto200805

I want everyone that I know to read this:
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto200805

Greek Seasoning

I like to make my own Greek Seasoning, because the grocery store brand has MSG in it, which I am VERY sensitive to. This seasoning is great for grilling, adding to marinades or any kind of rice or pasta dishes. Delicious on steamed or grilled vegetables. Add some to whatever recipe you use to make … Continue reading “Greek Seasoning”

Greek Seasoning

2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. dill
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. rosemary
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. thyme

Mix all ingredients together and store in airtight container. This recipe can easily be cut in half if you don’t think that you’ll use the full amount before it goes bad.

Herbed Chicken Meatloaf

I thought that this recipe, from May 2008 Southern Living, looked intriguing, but I must admit that I was a little apprehensive – chicken meat loaf? The recipe was really easy. I did use fresh onion/celery/pepper instead of frozen and I like to use my own Greek Seasoning blend, but other than that, I was … Continue reading “Herbed Chicken Meatloaf”

I thought that this recipe, from May 2008 Southern Living, looked intriguing, but I must admit that I was a little apprehensive – chicken meat loaf?

The recipe was really easy. I did use fresh onion/celery/pepper instead of frozen and I like to use my own Greek Seasoning blend, but other than that, I was pretty true to the recipe instructions.

We ate this on top of pitas, with tzatziki, grilled halloumi and a variety of fresh veggies and caramelized onions to “customize” with. I bought some weird pitas this time, that wouldn’t “open”, so we couldn’t stuff them, but they were good this way.

Overall, I wouldn’t give the meatloaf rave reviews. It tasted OK, but it was just a bit unappetizing. I think that boneless, skinless chicken thighs sprinkled with the same Greek seasoning and then grilled would be good and if you served it with some grilled onions and peppers, it would taste very similar. I wasn’t crazy about the mayonnaise flavor in this recipe – it was almost like chicken salad that had been baked. Not awful, but not a home run, either.