Waste not, want…less?
I dropped the ball on my “Weekly Green” posting. Not that I don’t have a TON of them in mind. But I felt overwhelmed about where to start. That and I didn’t want to come across as smug about being eco-conscious. Or maybe I just got lazy? It’s hard to compete with food porn.
Anyway, I’m bringing it back! Hopefully it’ll be in the spirit of collaboration not a know-it-all posting. I just want to share my ideas and hear other peoples’ as well.
So, here’s a teeny tiny one:
Our toaster oven bell no longer functions. I just noticed that this morning when I found this dried out old bagel in there.
Petrified bagel.
You know what happens when you leave a bagel in the toaster oven for an hour? It becomes hard as a rock.
A few years ago I would’ve just tossed it. It’d be a lot easier to toss it. But it’s a waste of food. The more I read about the Horn of Africa’s famine
Warning: this is a BIG image – it was impossible to read the smaller version.
Graphic from foodandtechconnect.com
and even here in the “Land of Plenty” I try to use everything. There are a few things that help with this endeavor:
1. Plan meals ahead of time BEFORE grocery shopping. I am a pretty disorganized person and usually fly by the seat of my pants. If I happen upon a farmer’s market, I’ll buy things just because they’re beautiful when I have no clear idea how or what I’ll do with it. This is great if you are Alice Waters or a Top Chef contestant. Also, works really well if you’re a natural cook who knows what to do with things. (Rebecca Trotsky) I am neither. I have really only been cooking for a year and have 2 toddlers. This limits my research & cooking time significantly. To waste less, I plan 2 or 3 meals per week and then add only those items I need to my shopping list. This has helped me a TON. Buying fewer items means I have less clogging up my fridge. I also have a lot less stress about having to use things up out of guilt.
I don’t care how pink that rhubarb is, keep on walking, girl.
2. Find recipes that use leftover veg or day old bread. A great example is the quinoa cakes recipe. You can literally chop up any leftover veg you have into the mixture. Another example is the Spring Vegetable Risotto with Goat Cheese which I’ll post this week. Bread can become croutons.
3. ROAST any leftover veg you don’t end up using. Just have a night of leftovers/odds & ends. G is usually at work late & my kids usually don’t care that much about dinner anyway so I just do it for myself!
But what about this old bagel I’ve just shown you?
Here’s my GREEN idea(r): freeze it in a Zip-Loc bag & use for croutons. I am really into croutons right now! I make plain, garlic & dijon mustard. That’s it so far but they are gooooooooood. I actually add any bread that is over a day old that I know is in danger of being tossed. Next time I need croutons (which is every 2 days right now!) I use whatever bread is in that bag.
Stay tuned for link for DIJON CROUTONS! (coming VERY soon…)
If anyone’s reading this (besides my sister) I’d love to hear what steps you’re taking in this vein? It’s always helpful to get ideas from other folks…
You too, Lib!
Homemade Microwave Popcorn – 3 Ways
London. 1994. I was sleeping on someone’s floor that summer. We decided to go see “Reservoir Dogs” at the cinema. (Yes, I called it “cinema” to get you in the frame of mind.) I ordered popcorn. Crammed a large fistful into my maw. What the WHAAAAT??? Sweet? It was sweet. AND savory. Mmmmmmm…like an adult’s Cracker Jack.
People were smoking cigarettes in there. The good old days!
Last week, a new friend was telling me how to make microwave popcorn in a brown paper bag. (Thanks, Kristy!) I remembered seeing something about it on Pinterest so I decided to give it a whirl.
Today I got a hankering for the sweet version so I looked up some recipes. Most of them called for what most Santa Monica moms consider the devil of all sugars: corn syrup (which makes a mean pecan pie) but I thought I could find something more “natural.” It came out real nice. REAL nice!
Btw: if you’re interested, here’s what’s in Pop Secret, Premium Popcorn:
INGREDIENTS: Popcorn, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Modified Cornstarch, Maltodextrin, Natural Flavor & Artificial Flavor, Lactic Acid, Monosodium Glutamate, Color (Yellow 5 Lake & Yellow 6 Lake), Nonfat Milk, Freshness Preserved by Propyl Gallate.
That isn’t sooooooo bad. But check out this one!
INGREDIENTS: Popcorn Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn, Palm Oil, Salt, Freshness Preserved with TBHQ and Citric Acid. Pouch Ranch Seasoning, [Buttermilk, Salt, Tomato Powder, Monosodium Glutamate, Cornstarch, Sugar, Whey, Sodium Diacetate, Onion Powder, Citric Acid, Garlic Powder, Spices, Cheddar Cheese (Cultured Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Lactic Acid, Natural Flavor and Artificial Flavors, Disodium Inosinate and Disodium Guanylate, Canola Oil, Artificial Color (Including Titanium Dioxide, FD&C Red 40, FD&C Blue 2 and FD&C Yellow 5) Maltodextrin, Disodium Phosphate, Less Than (2%) Silicon Dioxide Added as an Anticaking Agent], Buttermilk Powder, Salt, Onion Powder, Natural Flavoring, Modified Cornstarch, Tomato Powder, Citric Acid, Spice and Herb, Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Spice and Coloring, Artificial Color, FD&C Blue 1, FD&C Red 40.
[from http://www.labelwatch.com/prod_results.php?pid=282009]
Holy Disodium Guanylate, Batman!!!
Anyway, you too can enjoy homemade microwave popcorn without all those ‘lates, ‘lose-s, and ‘sodiums. And it’s sooo much better than the chemical flavor we’ve all grown up on. (Or was that just me?)
For all iterations you need:
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 c popcorn kernels
1 TBSP olive oil
salt to taste (1 pinch up to 1/4 tsp)
brown paper bag (OR a vented lid which can be laid across a micro safe bowl – prolly more eco friendly)
First I’ll show you how to make the straight up kind, then I’ll share a couple of variations.
Combine kernels, olive oil & salt in a small bowl.
Unceremoniously DUMP into a brown paper bag (or your bowl – incidentally, I plan on using a bowl with a vented lid as soon as I GET a vented lid.) But hey, I had a package of brown paper bags from 2009 – when I was teaching 6th grade.
Some recipes advised STAPLING the bag. Listen, I used to bus tables at The Old Heidelberg in Naples, FL and will never forget the sparks that flew when I put a wicker bread basket with staples in the micro. Nor the ass-chewing I got from the cooks.
I folded my bag.
Unsure of how long to microwave it, I pushed the “POPCORN” button.
Then, b/c I missed the heavenly trill of the smoke detectors, I pushed it again.
Dad-blame it!!
So I tried it again. This time I just pushed the popcorn button once. When I heard the popping slow down, it happened to turn off. I suggest you stand right by your microwave and when the popping slows down, turn it off since all microwaves tend to have different POWER.
The second time it came out perfect! I added a little salt.
Now for the flavors.
1. SPICY. Add a tsp of spice rub to the kernel/oil/salt mixture. I used Tony Chachere’s spice rub.
Tasty!
2. HERB/PARMESAN. Add a few sprigs of fresh herbs to the kernel/oil/salt mixture. I used rosemary & thyme.
Make sure the herbs are coated in oil so they don’t burn. You can also mix them in the oil/kernel concoction for about 5 minutes prior to nuking so they can infuse the oil.
Sprinkle fresh parmesan on top of the popped corn. YUM!
(I forgot to take a picture of that.)
3. SWEET. This is my favorite. Add 1-2 tsp of maple syrup to the kernel/oil/salt mixture. You still need the salt!
Because of the sugar it seems to burn but it might be just caramelizing. Just pay extra attention to cooking time.
It looks burnt but it's not!
Macro feature really can’t make my fingers/nails look dirty enough!
| Homemade Microwave Popcorn – 3 Ways |
- 1/4 c popcorn kernels
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 pinch salt (you can always add more later)
- brown paper bag OR microwave safe bowl with vented lid (lid can be bought separately)
- OPTIONAL:
- creole spices
- sprigs of fresh herbs
- fresh parmesan cheese
- 1-2 tsp maple syrup
- In a small bowl, combine popcorn kernels, olive oil & salt.
- Pour mixture into a brown paper bag.
- Fold bag several times.
- Microwave using “Popcorn” button. If you don’t have that button, try 2 minutes on HIGH but be ready to shut it off when the popping slows down!
To add flavors:
1. SPICY: add spices directly to bowl of oil/kernels/salt. Continue as you did with the plain.
2. HERBS: add sprigs of fresh herbs to the bowl of oil/kernels/salt. Allow to infuse for 5 minutes. Continue as you did with the plain.
3. SWEET: add 1-2 tsp of maple syrup to the bowl of oil/kernel/salt. Continue as you did with the plain.
Finally, the one con to making popcorn this way: there tend to be a lot more unpopped kernels than you’d get in the pre-made microwave popcorn bag. I’ve yet to find a solution to this problem but am interested in hearing if anyone out there has?
Simple Miso Soup
What are your criteria for an easy dinner?
Mine:
1. As few ingredients as possible
2. good for adults too
3. requires no specialty store
My friend, Olivia, put me onto this! Why didn’t I think of it??
All you need:
3-4 TBSP miso paste
roasted seaweed, cut or torn
16oz firm tofu, pressed & cut into small cubes
8 oz soba noodles
OPTIONAL:
green onions, sliced
shiitake mushrooms
baby spinach
crushed red pepper
Knowing how those soba noodles like to be babied, I looked at a few recipes to check on the order of things. Those of you who have cooked soba noodles know they have to characteristics that make them distinct from, like, spaghetti.
1. They expand QUITE a lot during cooking.
and
2. After cooking, they need to rinsed with cold water to avoid unsightly CLUMPING.
My advice: follow the package directions to a T. (Tee or T? I dunno!)
Here’s what I did after reading several recipes:
1. Press tofu. Also: I think FIRM tofu would be best for soup. I had extra firm so I used that.
2. Start your water for the soba. Use a medium or large saucepan since the soba will expand. Follow package instructions. I know I already suggested this. I can’t stress it enough because of my own failure to follow package instructions.
3. While that’s boiling, cut the seaweed into strips of whatever size you’d like! I used kitchen scissors.
I cut some of the strips into thirds afterwards. By the way, what’s Monkey Binky doing on the floor?
4. Drain your noodles, rinse & set aside. Do NOT skip the rinsing or you’ll have a giant clump o noodle.
5. Set 4 c of water to boil. This will be for your broth. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 or 4 TBSP miso paste with some of the hot broth water. Then add that mixture to your broth water & stir to combine. This supposedly helps avoid clumping but you can try skipping this step & just add the miso paste directly to the boiling water if you’re feeling adventurous (i.e. short on time.)
Add the seaweed & tofu to the broth and let it sit for a few minutes.
Ready to serve!
Drop some noodles in your bowl:
Ladle some broth over the noodles.
YUM!
DISCLOSURE: My broth isn’t as purdy as it could be because I was trying to save on dishes/energy use. I decided to reserve 4 cups of the noodle water to use for the broth. (Instead of tossing perfectly good hot water & starting over again.) The results tasted excellent but looked sort of murky.
Next time I’ll add shitake mushrooms & green onions.
Btw: both kids showed their usual level of disinterest in it the first night but I now realize they are not big dinner eaters. They eat most of their food during the daytime. The next day they scarfed down 2 bowls each! Which tells you the leftovers are great too…
| Simple Miso Soup |
- 3-4 TBSP miso paste
- roasted seaweed, cut or torn
- 16oz firm tofu, pressed & cut into cubes
- 8 oz soba noodles
- OPTIONAL:
- green onions
- dried shitake mushrooms
- Press tofu.
- Start your water for the soba. Use a medium or large saucepan since the soba will expand. Follow package instructions.
- While that’s boiling, cut or tear the seaweed into strips of whatever size you’d like! I used kitchen scissors.
- Drain your noodles, rinse & set aside.
- Set 4 c of water to boil. This will be for your broth. Add 3 TBSP miso paste to your broth. Taste broth & add miso paste as needed.
- Add the seaweed & tofu to the broth and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
- Ready to serve!
- Drop some noodles in your bowl.
- Ladle some broth over the noodles.
- Slurp & drink!
Keep the noodles & broth separate in the fridge! Good for leftovers for a day or two.
Adapted from recipes from: Olivia Kelly & Heidi Swanson
Glory Bowl
During my salad-a-day month last March, my Canadian friend Kinga sent me this recipe. It’s a really popular dish named not after anything in the movie Porky’s but rather a ski bowl at Whitewater Ski Resort in Nelson, British Columbia. It took me a while to get over to Whole Foods for the nutritional yeast flakes. I had never heard of them & tried to never go to Whole Foods for various reasons. Also, when I read this recipe it sounded a little TOO healthy in that unsatisfying way some restaurant salads are. So I put it off.
Finally I had all the ingredients and decided to go for it. It’s SO WORTH IT!!!! SOOOOO WORTH IT!!!!! It’s amazing – something that looks like a pile of what G would call “Rabbit Food” but is so flavorful, satisfying & doesn’t weigh you down.
You’ve got to try this. Although it has a lot of components, the prep for each one is pretty simple.
Here’s what you need for the salad:
**NOTE: this makes enough for 8 people so you may want to halve it, which is what I did.**
SALAD INGREDIENTS:
2 TBSP vegetable oil
2 c cubed extra firm tofu (remember to press water out first!)
8 c hot cooked brown rice
2 c grated carrots
2 c grated beets
2 c packed baby spinach
2 c slivered or slice almonds, toasted
For the dressing:
and this:
DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
1/2 c nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 c soy sauce (or tamari)
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1/3 c water
2 TBSP tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1-1/2 c vegetable oil
1. First, press your tofu. You can need to press it for about 15 minutes and can do that while making the dressing.
2. While that’s a-pressin’, add all your dressing ingredients to the blender & puree until creamy!
(Note: Properly stored, this can be kept for up to ONE week in the refrigerator.)
3. Cook your rice. I found this quick cook brown rice at Trader Joe’s. Takes about 10 mins instead of 45 mins so I did it! You can also find pre-cooked brown rice in the FREEZER section at Trader Joe’s. Just pop in micro for about 3 mins. That’s what I do when I’m in a crunch. **NOTE: if you’re using the regular brown rice – start this earlier according to how much time you need. You can always heat it up if you need to.**
4. Now prep your veggies. As you may or may not know (or care) I use a hand grater. Builds character.
5. Time to lightly pan fry that tofu! Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. I sprinkle a few pinches of salt over the tofu and turn when it’s golden brown. After all sides are lightly browned, drain on a paper towel lined plate.
6. Now for the fun part: ASSEMBLY! Add your rice layer in a nice sized bowl.
Drizzle about a tablespoon of dressing over the rice.
Top rice with spinach.
Add carrots & beets.
Now the almonds.
The tofu and about 3 more TBSP of the dressing.
Bea loved this dish! She doesn’t have that many teeth yet so she had some trouble chewing the spinach but she ate 2 bowls of this.
M ate only the rice.
Thanks, Kinga!
| Glory Bowl |
- SALAD INGREDIENTS:
- 2 TBSP vegetable oil
- 2 c cubed extra firm tofu (remember to <a href=”http://coxfitzchronicles.com/?p=4079″>press water out</a> first!)
- 8 c hot cooked brown rice
- 2 c grated carrots
- 2 c grated beets
- 2 c packed baby spinach
- 2 c slivered or slice almonds, toasted
- DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 c nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/3 c soy sauce (or tamari)
- 1/3 c apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 c water
- 2 TBSP tahini
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
- 1-1/2 c vegetable oil
- First, press your tofu. This needs about 15-30 mins and can be done while making the dressing, cooking the rice & grating the carrots/beets.
- While that’s a-pressin’, add all your dressing ingredients to the blender & puree until creamy! (OR start your rice – depending on your cook time.)
- Cook your rice. I found this quick cook brown rice at Trader Joe’s. Takes about 10 mins instead of 45 mins so I did it! You can also find pre-cooked brown rice in the FREEZER section at Trader Joe’s. Just pop in micro for about 3 mins. That’s what I do when I’m in a crunch.
- Now prep your veggies. As you may or may not know (or care) I use a hand grater. Builds character.
- Time to lightly pan fry that tofu! Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. I sprinkle a few pinches of salt over the tofu and turn when it’s golden brown. After all sides are lightly browned, drain on a paper towel lined plate.
- Now for the fun part: ASSEMBLY! Add your rice layer in a nice sized bowl. Drizzle about a tablespoon of dressing over the rice. Top rice with spinach. Add carrots & beets.
- Now the almonds, the tofu and about 3 more TBSP of the dressing.
- Glory, glory!!!
1. Start your rice depending on how much time you need. You’ll want warm rice to put in your bowl. Or you can always reheat your rice if you’ve made it ahead of time.
2. The dressing will keep for up to a week, properly stored in the fridge.
3. Definitely halve this recipe if you need to. This is for EIGHT people!
Source: Canadian Living Magazine
Homemade Blueberry Lara Bars
Do you ever eat these?
(Photo taken from the Larabar website!)
We used to take them when we went hiking, skiing or kayaking. Those were the days! I always preferred these to Power Bars (old school), Tiger’s Milk & even Cliff Bars thinking they were less processed/chemically.
Also, I wanted something portable for the kids & me that wasn’t loaded with extra sugar. I can’t believe how easy they are to make. These are great little energy bars – and a healthy power snack to keep in your purse.
I think they also help keep you regular. If you know what I mean.
You should be able to get everything at your regular grocery. Nothing fills me with dread more than the thought of a trip to Whole Foods. I actually like the store but it’s not near my house, it’s pricey & it’s just a li’l too much sometimes. Holy cow I was amazed to find everything I needed at Ralph’s & Trader Joe’s!
Here’s what you’ll need:
INGREDIENTS:
1 c dried blueberries
2 c cashews
1 c dates, pitted (Medjool work best)
1/2 a vanilla bean
zest of one lemon
1. Toss blueberries in your food processor. I know, I know, in the past I’ve bragged about using my blender for everything. And I did this time too. But if you are lucky enough to have a food processor – use it.
Dump blueberries into a large bowl.
2. Now process your cashews. They should be in a fine dust. Not like mine. Here’s where things went wrong. (I chopped the dates first but they made the stickiest, crazy mess so I decided next time I’ll do the cashews first.) Anyway, by the time I got to the cashews my blender had had it. It smelled like smoke and then the two black rotors with black rubber teeth, that need to stay clenched together, melted down, spewing black rubber, followed by a VERY BAD SOUND and a less bad but still bad SMELL. After that, the blender ceased to function.
Is this where bragging gets you?
Anyway, that explains the whole cashews in my bars. Yours won’t have those. But if they do, big deal?
Before the blowout.
Add the chopped cashews to your bowl.
3. Now chop the dates. This’ll be an ooey gooey sticky mess. Like someone stepped on a giant raisin. Except in your blender. Only you’ll be using your food processor for this.
I did the blueberries & dates first!
Add ‘em to the bowl.
4. Finally, add the lemon zest & scrape out the innards of a half of a vanilla bean. That’s that really dark stuff on top.
5. This ain’t pretty but knead it by hand. You’ll want to combine it as thoroughly as you can unless you don’t mind biting into a pure clump of lemon zest.
Could my hand BE any less photogenic? Oh wait, that’s what it actually looks like in person.
6. Spread the mixture into the bottom of an 8×8 (or something close) baking dish. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before cutting.
Bea loves ‘em!
Maddie feels differently about them.
What’s Maddie doing back there? Who didn’t fold the laundry?
These will keep well in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks according to internet lore…
| Homemade Blueberry Lara Bars |
- 1 c dried blueberries
- 2 c cashews
- 1 c dates, pitted (Medjool work best)
- 1/2 a vanilla bean
- zest of one lemon
- Toss blueberries in your food processor. Dump chopped blueberries into a large bowl. They won’t chop perfectly but as long as they’re sort of torn you’re in good shape.
- Now process your cashews. They should be in a fine dust. Add the chopped cashews to your bowl.
- Chop the dates. This’ll be an ooey gooey sticky mess. That means you’re doing it right! Add ‘em to the bowl.
- Finally, add the lemon zest & scrape out the innards of a half of a vanilla bean. That’s that really dark stuff on top.
- Knead it by hand. You’ll want to combine it as thoroughly as you can unless you don’t mind biting into a pure clump of lemon zest.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of an 8×8 (or something close) baking dish. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before cutting.
Properly wrapped, these should keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Source: Use Real Butter
Meatless Monday: Broccoli Gribiche
Do you like roasted potatoes? What about roasted veggies like broccoli, asparagus or brussel sprouts? (Btw: if you think you don’t like brussel sprouts – I’ll be posting a roasted brussel sprouts recipe that will make you drop to your knees and recite a catechism or, being that I was raised Episcopalian, I’m not totally sure what I’m talking about…) Anyway, if you like roasted veggies & potatoes, you will LOVE broccoli gribiche!
I LOVE this dish!!! My kids didn’t feel the same but I LOVE THIS DISH!! This dish ROCKS!!! Try it!! You know where I got this recipe: Super Natural Every Day. This cookbook is full of simple yet amazing recipes. I haven’t made one bad thing from this cookbook…yet.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the recipe – all you do is roast the potatoes & broccoli and toss with a sauce. Not that you were. Getting overwhelmed that is. (Projecting much, Christina?)
It’s great the next day too!
Here’s what you need:
All these ingredients can be found at Trader Joe’s.
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 LBS small fingerling potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed & dried (or cut larger potatoes)
1/2 c + 2 TBSP olive oil
salt
12 oz broccoli florets (I peel & slice the stems too)
4 large eggs, hard cooked & peeled
2 TBSP wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon style mustard
1 TBSP capers, chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 TBSP parsley, chopped
1 TBSP tarragon, chopped
1 TBSP chives, chopped
(use dry herbs if you are in a pinch!)
First you’re going to roast the veggies. Potatoes take longer than broccoli. Incidentally, your potatoes should be no thicker than your biggest finger (middle?). Mine were a little thick so I halved or quartered accordingly.
Also, when a recipe calls for the broccoli florets only, I still peel the stalks/stems & slice into coins. They’re really yummy & tender once you’ve peeled them and I hate wasting them. The kids actually like them better than the florets due to the texture I think.
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Toss potatoes with a TBSP of olive oil and a pinch or two of salt. Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Do the same with the broccoli but keep it SEPARATE since broccoli roasts faster. Place potatoes in oven. Bake for 15 mins.
After 15 mins, toss or turn with a spatula & put the broccoli in for another 15 minutes. I actually made ‘em share a baking sheet b/c I was dreading the clean up. But I realized that was kind of dumb afterwards.
Here they are crammed together on one baking sheet.
4. In a medium-sized bowl, mash up the egg yellow. Reminds of this episode of “Between Two Ferns”. (Click that link if you like Zach Galifianakis. You will laff really hard.)
Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, very slowly, whisking all the while.
Add the vinegar & mustard & whisk.
Stir in the capers, shallots, herbs & 1/4 tsp salt.
Coarsely chop the remaining eggs & gently add them to the dressing.
Place the potatoes & broccoli in a large bowl, pour 3/4ths of the dressing atop and combine very gently. Add more dressing to taste! (I added the whole thing & loved it!)
Some would serve this as a hearty side but for me it’s the perfect lunch or light dinner.
| Broccoli Gribiche |
- 1.5 LBS small fingerling potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed & dried (or cut larger potatoes)
- 1/2 c + 2 TBSP olive oil
- salt
- 12 oz broccoli florets (I peel & slice the stems too)
- 4 large eggs, hard cooked & peeled
- 2 TBSP wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon style mustard
- 1 TBSP capers, chopped
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 TBSP parsley, chopped
- 1 TBSP tarragon, chopped
- 1 TBSP chives, chopped
- (use dry herbs if you are in a pinch!)
- Preheat oven to 400. First you’re going to roast the veggies. Potatoes take longer than broccoli. Incidentally, your potatoes should be no thicker than your biggest finger.
- Toss potatoes with a TBSP of olive oil and a pinch or two of salt. Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Do the same with the broccoli but keep it SEPARATE since broccoli roasts faster. Place potatoes in oven. Bake for 15 mins. Toss, add separate baking sheet with broccoli & bake for another 15 minutes.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mash up the egg yellow.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, very slowly, whisking all the while. Add the vinegar & mustard & whisk. Stir in the capers, shallots, herbs & 1/4 tsp salt.
- Coarsely chop the remaining eggs & gently add them to the dressing. Place the potatoes & broccoli in a large bowl, pour 3/4ths of the dressing atop and combine very gently. Add more dressing to taste!
I didn’t include the egg boiling time. Btw: here’s a foolproof way to boil your eggs:
1. Place eggs in sauce pan of cold water (water should cover the eggs by an inch.)
2. Turn on the heat to high.
3. When water starts to fully boil, turn heat off & set timer to 20 minutes.
4. Voila! Eggs are hard boiled!
Rinse under cold water just enough to be able to peel them.
Source: Super Natural Every Day
Booby Bags – Spring Sale
Booby Bags are not for 14 year old boys!!! They’re pretty gift bags for new moms who plan to nurse their babies. Oh sure, we’ll throw in a couple of things for the baby too!
A beautiful, helpful gift for someone whose life has just changed 180 degrees. Can be customized for gender and comes with a sweet hand-stamped onesie, hand-made blankie or burp cloth & quality mini-book or toy. Everything comes beautifully wrapped with a handwritten card containing your personal message.
$100 plus shipping. Mention coupon code SPRING2012 for $10 off your next Booby Bag.
Look for us on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/boobybag
Email us at:
christina@boobybag.com
Hippity Hoppity
We hosted our 3rd Annual Cox-Fitz Egghunt & Brunch this year!
Like the wreath? So did about 7 people at the Farmer’s Market. I think they assumed it was artisanally made or somethin’ because they kept asking me where I bought it.
TJMaxx. That’s where I bought it. HAHAHAA!!!
This is our third year having a yard and our third year hosting Easter. The kids were barely ambulatory when we started this so I’ve had to adjust every year. It’s really the most fun holiday for me, a non-religious person. I love it because:
a. It’s warm & sunny out.
b. You can decorate in pastels without receiving too much criticism.
c. Little girls in pastel dresses are soooooo cute no matter how anti-princess I am.
d. There are flowers everywhere.
e. The kids have a ball!
On Saturday night I was up till 2:00AM cooking & prepping. I woke up at 5:30AM (thanks a LOT, Bea!) and decided to stay up and let everyone else sleep. Around 6 I heard some tiny footsteps and an “Ohhhhhh WOW!!!!”
She had that bunny unwrapped and an ear bitten off quicker than I could say “April Valley.”
Then Bea woke up.
I distinctly heard Maddie exclaim, “This is REALLY GOOD!” while she looked through her basket.
Pure joy!
These pix were all taken with my phone and are a tad blurry. But still capture that golden halo of baby hair.
Meanwhile, I was cooking!
The Menu:
1. Sunshine Dazzler
2. Orange juice
3. Coffee
4. Cheese Grits
5. Summer Vegetable Torta (gluten free)
6. Coffee cake
7. Asparagus gruyere puff pastry (forgot to make until half the guest were gone & I’d had too many Sunshine Dazzlers.)
8. Fruit Salad (two kinds)
9. Lemon-Blueberry scones (scrapped these as I decided to have fun instead of keep cooking!)
10. Earth Wind & Fire Salad
Brooke brought cupcakes & Lyn brought some brussel sprout/walnut salad. YUM!!
This torta was really pretty and amazing!!! It’s gluten-free as well (not that I’m on a gluten free diet but just thought you’d be interested…) Here’s a link to the recipe.
These roasted potatoes look better than they were. I made some EXCELLENT ones this past week that were part of a broccoli gribiche recipe, soon to be shared. So if you come over again & see these, they’ll be WAY better!!
The kids’ fruit salad.
The adults’ Kir Royale Fruit Salad.
I quartered these for the Sunshine Dazzler cocktail. Love those blood oranges!!! Btw: I somehow neglected to take pix of the Sunshine Dazzler AND the Earth Wind & Fire Salad again. I got busy.
Suffice it to say, the Sunshine Dazzler
(photo from blog.teroforma.com)
is a VERY easy, excellent brunch beverage. It totally beats a screwdriver or a mimosa in my opinion. Though it actually is a sort of combined mimosa/screwdriver with some mango juice. And you can make a big pitcher of it and just let guests get their own ice. YUM! Very pretty with sliced citrus floating on top.
Here’s the table in the early morning – still missing a few dishes but you can see the Earth, Wind & Fire Salad, the Sunshine Dazzler is in the glass pitcher way in the back and there was the most excellent coffee cake in the world under the foil. However, I made that around 1AM and I totally forgot a minor ingredient, baking powder. So I had to add it late and it was too late. Enough said, this wasn’t the best coffee cake in the world but here is the link to the BEST Coffee Cake in the WORLD.
Oh, there are the cheese grits too.
Lovely Lyn & Maddie pre-egghunt.
Guests melting in the hot driveway as the backyard was still verboten at this time.
LET THE EGGHUNT BEGIN!!
Bea’s first “walking” egg hunt. Lyn served as her butler.
Ava:
Frog Pillow oversaw the hunt:
This egg was empty.
I really don’t think I look like Mama Cass in real life. Or do I?
M’s basket at the end of the hunt. She is so non-competitive.
We only have good-looking friends.
Love. My own children don’t hug me this much.
My friend made these adorable cupcakes with rainbows & clouds on top. Email me if you want the “how to” and I’ll get it for you. I think the rainbow is some candy and the clouds are white frosting. Soooo cute!!!
We had so much fun and loved having our friends over!
When Life Gives you (too many) Lemons
Make lemon ice cubes!
Here’s what you need:
YOU NEED:
lemons (duh!)
a sharp knife
a mesh strainer
an ice cube tray or two
a freezer safe container to store your cubes
Lemons, lemons…lemons,,,,,lemons_____lemons!!!! I love juicy lemons!!!
1. Squeeze your lemons.
Talk about a hand cramp!
2. Strain out the seeds over an ice cube tray.
3. Freeze.
4. Store in a freezer safe container.
I’m not sure this is the best storage method – I’d love to hear other opinions on this???
5. Drop ‘em in any drink to which you’d would normally add a lemon slice (iced tea, diet coke, sparkling water etc). OR let them melt & use for cooking/baking when lemons aren’t in season. YUM!
Meatless Monday: White Beans & Cabbage
I know, I know, this sounds sort of “austere.” You’ve got to trust me on this one.
My neighbor, Aileen, gave me this head of cabbage and I was wondering how much SLAW my family can eat. But I also had a few potatoes and this can of beans. I knew there were a few really simple recipes in my fave cookbook. Sure enough!
Honestly, I was really bored with this recipe thinking about how unappealing it was
How surprised I was to keep eating & eating this! This is yummy!! This is filling!!! This is nutritious!!! Best of all this is easy to make & tasty the next day too!!
All you need:
INGREDIENTS:
2 TBSP olive oil
4 oz potatoes, scrubbed, unpeeled & cubed
salt
1 large shallot, sliced finely
1-15oz can white beans (or chick peas if that’s all you have!)
3 c finely shredded green cabbage
grated parmesan cheese
Don’t be fooled by how simple this is, it’s still sooooo satisfying yet you won’t have the sick gluttonous feeling you can get after a heavy meal. And perfect to take to work…
1. Heat olive oil on medium high in a large skillet. Add the potatoes & a pinch of salt.
Cook until potatoes are brown taking care to toss or turn potatoes every few minutes. This should take about 8 minutes.
2. Add the shallots & beans. Brown the beans, being sure to scrape & combine the browned bits every few minutes.
3. Once beans are somewhat browned, add the cabbage. Don’t be alarmed by the volume of the cabbage – it will reduce as it cooks down. Stir to coat with the oil and browned bits as that’s the tasty stuff!
Salt & pepper to taste!
4. Serve with sprinkled parmesan to taste.
| Meatless Monday: White Beans & Cabbage |
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 4 oz potatoes, scrubbed, unpeeled & cubed
- salt
- 1 large shallot, sliced finely
- 1-15oz can white beans (or chick peas if that’s all you have!)
- 3 c finely shredded green cabbage
- grated parmesan cheese
- Heat olive oil on medium high in a large skillet. Add the potatoes & a pinch of salt.
- Cook until potatoes are brown taking care to toss or turn potatoes every few minutes. This should take about 8 minutes.
- Add the shallots & beans. Brown the beans, being sure to scrape & combine the browned bits every few minutes.
- Once beans are somewhat browned, add the cabbage. Don’t be alarmed by the volume of the cabbage – it will reduce as it cooks down. Stir to coat with the oil and browned bits as that’s the tasty stuff!
- Salt & pepper to taste!
- Serve with sprinkled parmesan.
Source: Super Natural Every Day (ingredients slightly altered for simplicity)