National Ice Cream Day

Sunday, July 15 was National Ice Cream Day. Did you miss it this year? No worries, July is ice cream month. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and specifically the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day. So if you missed celebrating ice cream on the 15th, you still have the rest of the month to make sure you get at least one family celebration in.

This year I decided to make an ice cream cake with my kids. Picture this, Sunday morning about 9 am I say to my kids, "Who wants to help mommy make an ice cream cake? Do you feel like eating some ice cream?" The screaming and "yum yumming" that ensued after those two questions was loud enough that I was sure that the neighbors were wondering what was going on at my house. It was at that point that our family's celebration of one of our Nation's treasured days began.

I explained to my kids and my husband that it was National Ice Cream Day. My son wanted to know if we were going to eat ice cream all day long. I said that is not exactly the approach our family was going to take when celebrating this year, but we were going to start the day with making an ice cream cake and eating some along the way. Then that evening we were going to a neighbor's house and we were going to share our ice cream cake with our friends.  

Family recipe for Ice Cream Cake and Family Fun

1 package of Oreos (use one row for each of your three layers: bottom, middle, and top)
1 half gallon of _______ (ice cream of your choice) 
1 half gallon of _______ (ice cream of your choice)
Spring form pan (I used 9 inch)
Tin foil
Ziplock bags
Toy hammers for your kids
Bowl of warm water to place spatula in (helps spread ice cream)

This is where the fun begins. I gave each of my kids a hammer and a Ziplock baggie filled with Oreos and told them to smashing the cookies. You can picture how that went -- they loved every minute. Prior to the announcement of this holiday, I put the two half gallons of ice cream out on the counter so they would start to get soft. Don't leave the ice cream out long enough that it melts completely -- you want it soft not back to a liquid state.

Once the cookies are smashed, it is time to start to layer your ice cream cake.  I used a spring form pan so that it would be easier to serve.  I placed some tin foil under the pan in case there was any leakage, which there was not.  Start by putting some smashed cookies on the bottom of a spring form pan to form the crust of the cake.  Then I put one of the ice cream flavors (we used mint chocolate chip)

on top of the cookie crust. I used a spatula to spread ice cream out evenly.  Use a bowl of warm water to dip your spatula in to help spread the ice cream.  Top again with smashed cookie crumbs (middle layer).  Add your second flavor of ice cream and spread again. Lastly, top with remaining cookies.

Place some tin foil on top of your cake and refreeze for a few hours before serving.  If you used a spring form pan, it is super easy to serve.  Take spring form off --- dip your knife in warm water, slice, and serve.  Lastly, look around the room at all the happy faces.  Maybe President Reagan was right -- our Country needed a National way to honor ice cream.

Make sure you put National Ice Cream Day on your calendar for next year -- remember it is the third Sunday in July.

Stuffed Green Peppers or Stuffed Any Vegetable

I get a loud and honest Yummy out of my son every time I make my stuffed green peppers.  There is nothing that warms my heart more than a long "mmmmm"  or a "yummy" from my kids.  And the sprinkles on top of my sundae is hearing my husband enjoy the meal too. If your family doesn't like green peppers, you can use any vegetable you want.  The really yummy stuff is the "stuffed" part.  That is the part of the meal that gets all the accolades. So if your family doesn't like green peppers, try large hallowed out tomatoes, zucchinis cut lengthwise and hollow out, eggplant cut lengthwise and hollowed out, or red peppers which are high in vitamin C and much sweeter than their green brother the green pepper.  But in the end, if they only eat the inside and a little bit out the outside, it is still a great easy weeknight meal.

Stuffed Green Peppers

Ingredients:

2 cups of rice  (white or brown)
1 package of ground sirloin (about 1.5 pounds more or less) 
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (dried basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and sage)
* mommy hint - if you don't have a pre-made Italian seasoning -- just use a couple of dashes of oregano -- or skip this step
 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
salt/pepper to taste
14 - 16 oz can of tomato sauce (depending on brand you use size varies, and it doesn't really matter)


Directions:

First step -- start making rice (white or brown your choice).  Now start making the meat part of the inside.  Get your pan hot over a medium flame.  Add olive oil and chopped onion.  Once they are translucent, add chopped garlic.  After a minute and before garlic turns brown, add ground sirloin and brown. Add cinnamon *mommy hint - the cinnamon doesn't add sweetness; it adds a great warmth to the background of the dish.  Add Italian seasonings and salt and pepper. Once meat is cooked, take off stove.  In a large bowl mix meat add rice (just enough so that there is a good ratio of meat to rice -- eyeball it.) Then add tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese.  Once mixed, it is time to stuff your peppers or family prefered veggie.  First prepare your veggie to stuff.  If you are stuffing peppers, cut top off and take out seeds and ribs.  After preparing veggie, stuff them.  Place stuffed pepper like little soldiers in a high sided casserole dish. If you have extra stuffing, place yummy meat and rice mixture around the peppers.  To help keep dish moist, add some water (about a 1/3 cup give or take) to bottom of casserole -- right on top of extra meat and rice mixture.  Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese to top of peppers.  Cover casserole.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour -- depending on how crunchy or soft you want your peppers to be.  I cook them for 45 minutes then take the cover off for the last 15 minutes of cooking -- I like to have a nice crust on the top.

Buon Appetito -- I hope your family enjoys it too.

Nonna's Moist Pound Cake

My Nonna used to make this pound cake all the time. She made it for holidays and regular days alike.  It was a staple.  She made it in a tube pan, but my mom says that she made everything in a tube pan.  My mom bought me this Wilton long loaf pan for Christmas.  I love it.  One of the highlights of the pound cake is the yummy buttery golden crust on the top of the cake.  This is why I wouldn't suggest using a bunt pan; all the yummy buttery golden crust ends up on the bottom of the cake. That is one of the reasons I love my new pan; it allows for more yummy buttery golden crust. 

Here is the long Wilton loaf pan.








This recipe couldn't be easier.  It is a traditional pound cake: a pound of butter and a pound of sugar.  But it is worth every calorie. The batter is thick.
This pound cake goes great with a cup of coffee. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do in my family.

Nonna's Pound Cake

Ingredients:
1 pound of butter (4 sticks)
1 pound box of powdered sugar
6 eggs (add two at a time)
3 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 teaspoons brandy extract
2 teaspoons rum extract

Directions:
Cream together butter and powdered sugar. Then add two eggs at a time.  Add extracts and flour.  Place batter in a greased large loaf pan, two smaller loaf pans, or a tube pan.  Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 20 minutes (if using one large loaf pan or tube pan).  If using two smaller pan, you might want to start checking it around 45 minutes.

Enjoy your coffee break - you deserve! 

Farro Salad - bye bye pasta salad!

Farro Salad

Farro is related to the common wheat we eat; it is especially popular in Italy. It is an ancient grain called emmer wheat.  Once boiled, it has a chewy firm texture and a nutty flavor.  I have to say I just love it.  The farro I buy takes about 20 minutes to boil. Farro can be used for salads, soups, side dishes, or as a main entree.

Since I started making farro, it is my new go-to for a cold salad instead of making a pasta salad. It is always a hit.  I also make it for myself and the kids for weekday lunches.  I make a bowl of it, store it in the frig, and it is a great side to a sandwich or it can be a lunch in itself.  It is nice to have on hand if a fellow mommy stops by; it is easy to pull out and lunch is ready.

So depending on what I plan on using it for, that determines what veggies I put in it.  If I am making it as a side to a family meal or a party I can use items that should to be consumed the day I make it or the next day.  If I am making this for myself and the kids for the week, I use veggies that will stand up to a longer stay in the frig. In the recipe below I will note veggies for a long frig stay (Lfs) vs. short frig stay (Sfs). You can create this recipe for your family's likes and needs.

Farro Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup of farro, boiled per directions on bag
shelled and boiled edamame (soybean) - Lfs
Kalamata olives - Lfs
red peppers, chopped - Lfs
carrots, chopped - Lfs
cucumbers, deseeded and chopped - Sfs
cherry tomatoes, whole - Lfs
feta (or any cheese you want -- ricotta salata works well too) - Lfs
baby spinach - Sfs
defrosted, frozen sweet peas - Lfs
zucchini - Sfs

*any veggie you want (make it your own)

Directions:

Boil farro according to directions on bag, drain, and set aside. *mommy hint - if making it to serve right away, you might want to stick it in the frig to cool it down.  While farro is cooking, I start to assemble veggies in a bowl and make my dressing.  So when the farro is cooled, I toss it all together and dress it. It is so yummy -- bye bye pasta salad.

Dressing:
1-2 rounded teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt
pepper
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
5-6 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Put mustard, vinegar, a bit of salt, and a bit of pepper in a bowl. While mixing with a fork or wire whisk, add oil in slowly.  Taste -- add more salt or pepper if needed.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

My husband loves chicken pot pie.  Trying to perfect this recipe took quite a few times.  One time the potatoes inside were raw.  One time the inside was too dry and not creamy enough.  One time I needed more veggies and the wasn't enough pie crust. I used a frozen pie crust, but apparently I didn't use enough my husband said, "to qualify this recipe as a pot pie."  So I tried again -- and triumph.  This recipe was a big hit with my triumvirate: husband, son, and daughter. All three loved it; the final recipe I am sharing has enough veggies, solved the potato issue, and has plenty of the pie crust.


Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients: (this makes two pies or one 9x13 pan)

3 Chicken breasts/ or roasted chicken from the store/ or turkey breast
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
1 medium onion
1/2 cup flour
4 cups of chicken stock (one box)
frozen veggie mix (I use sweet peas, carrots, corn, lima beans)
frozen green beans
3 small potatoes, diced / or use frozen breakfast potatoes (this way you don't have to peal and cut)
salt and pepper

2 packages of refrigerated pie crust (each package has two crusts) 4 crusts in total ( I use Pillsbury)

Directions:

First thing you have to do it start cooking the potatoes.  The first time I made this I tried to use uncooked potatoes, and they weren't cooked by the time the crust was finished.  So I had to choose par cooked potatoes or burnt pie crust. Hence it is a good idea to start to cook potatoes in a pan with a bit of olive oil. Once cooked, put potatoes off to the side in a bowl. Next, if you have raw chicken, cook the chicken in that same pan with some olive oil.  If you bought roasted chicken from the store or are using left over chicken or turkey from a previously dinner, cube it up.  *mommy hint-- this meal is something I usually make to reuse left over chicken or turkey.  But you could start from scratch if you would like.  Once chicken is cooked, cube it and place in potato bowl.

Now it is time to make the sauce. Place 2 Tablespoons of butter, 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, and diced onion in a pan.  Once onions are translucent, add flour -- it will form a paste.  Slowly add warmed chicken stock until you have a sauce that is the consistency you like.  If you want it to be thicker, add some cornstarch, but the sauce must be bubbling at that time so to not have a lumpy sauce.  If you want it to me thinner, keep adding stock or a bit of water if you used all your stock (no need to open a new box).  Add salt and pepper. * mommy hint - Taste it!  You have to see if you like the taste of the sauce.  You may need more salt.  This is the time to make adjustment.  Once you decided on your sauce taste, add chicken, potatoes, and frozen veggies (add as many as you feel like your family wants or needs).  I also add frozen green beans.  The inside is finished.

Lastly, it is time to assemble pot pie. If you are making this recipe in a pie pan, cover the bottom of pan with crust.  Then fill with your pot pie mixture and cover the top with a pie crust.  Pierce some holes in the top of the crust to vent pie. *note -- this filling makes 2 pies, so if you want one pie - cut recipe in half.  If using a 9 x 13 pan, cover the bottom with 2 pie crusts (this takes some geometry -- don't let anyone tell you high school geometry doesn't play a part in cooking -- every once in a while I have to whip it out) Fill your pan with your yummy filling.  Then top with two more pie crusts.  Pierce top to vent your pot pie. 
* mommy hint - you can make it all the way to this point a day ahead of time and then 
cook it. This is the perfect make ahead dinner.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes until crust is golden brown. Enjoy!

This is a corner piece - look at this beautiful crust -- yummy!

Sweet Little Easter Lamb Cake

I have always loved those sweet little stand-up lamb cakes you see for Easter. You know the ones I am talking about; they are usually covered in swirly icing or white coconut and lay on a bed of green coconut grass and jelly beans. With my little ones at three and almost two, I look at each holiday as a time to create memories with new traditions.

My dear girlfriend Lene (Ilene), has made a lamb cake for Easter for her family for years.  Her kids are grown now, yet they still come over to celebrate Easter and look forward to this very special lamb cake.  It is always striking to me how powerful and important traditions are, especially when those traditions are begun and continued throughout a little one's childhood.  The traditions parents start and foster throughout a child's life are the same traditions that keep them coming home.  Everyone wants to hold on to the positive warm parts childhood. 

It is part of our make up as humans.
It is those traditions that create the foundation of a child's memory.
It is those traditions that help to create the stability in a child's life that help him to feel safe and secure.

So when I have a desire to create a tradition like making the lamb cake for my kids for Easter, it is not really about the cake.  It is about creating memories, traditions, and stability in my children's lives.

I went out and bought my Wilton Stand-up Lamb Cake Pan at Joanne Fabrics.  I immediately called Lene for the perfect lamb cake recipe; of course, she had the perfect recipe - the 7-up pound cake. It is a 1950's classic pound cake that was known for its light and airy texture because of the soda. It gained popularity again as a bunt in the 1980s.  It has a lemony taste and the perfect texture needed to stand up to the cake pan.

I was set; I had the idea, the pan, and the cake recipe. Then why was I so nervous about making a mistake and my cake flopping.  It was my first attempt at creating a tradition for Easter, and I didn't want it to flop.  Of course the only one who would know that it flopped would be me because the three year old and the two year old would have no idea what it was supposed to look like.  Plus, they are kids; they just get excited when they are about to eat cake -- any cake. I called Lene three times during the baking process.  Call #1 What temperature do I bake it at -- your cake directions or the pan directions?  Call #2 How do you tie the pan up? It only has one set of holes -- won't the cake be forced open on the other side?  Call #3 The back of the lamb's head isn't round - it is flat -- what do I do? In the end, Lene said to follow the directions she gave me for the cake, tie the cake pan in three places to secure it, and it doesn't matter if the back of the lamb's head is flat. She calmed me down - as usual.
Here is the recipe:

Lene's Sweet Little Lamb Cake / 7-up Cake Recipe

Ingredients:
3 sticks of room temperature butter
3 cups of sugar
5 eggs
3 cups of flour
2 Tablespoons lemon extract
3/4 cup of room temperature 7-up

Directions:

*mommy hint - you will have extra batter if you make the lamb cake.  So you can make cup cakes or another small loaf pan cake. 

Use a standing mixer. Beat butter and sugar until creamy, about 20 minutes. Add each egg one at a time. Mix in flour and lemon extract.  Fold in by hand or on your slowest speed the 7-up.  Place cake in your well greased and floured pan (lamb pan if its Easter). Tie your lamb pan around the neck, body, and through the manufacturer's hole to secure pan from moving up during the baking process. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50 - 55 minutes.  Check cake. If toothpick comes out clean (use the manufacturer's hole), take the back of lamb pan off and finish cooking for 5 - 10 minutes. Total cooking time should be about 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes.

For taking lamb cake out of the pan follow the directions that are given to you when you buy the lamb pan.  Take cake out of oven. Let cool for 5 minutes. Put back of pan back on.  Flip the cake over so it is sitting on its back side and wait another 5 minutes.  Then take face of lamb pan off, and let it cool off for about 4 hours before completely taking it out of its pan and decorating it.

Well, those are the directions to follow. Lene has been making this cake for years without as much as a hiccup, let alone something as tragic as the lamb being unable to stand (like the cake pan promises) or  I hate to say it, losing the sweet little lamb's head.  I cannot say the same thing for myself.  Time for me to be honest.  I called Lene during the baking process to make sure I didn't make any mistakes.  When the little lamb came out of the oven, I knew there was a problem.  It didn't rise as much as I thought it would.  Hence the base of the lamb was half as big and sturdy as it was meant to be.  But I pushed through and started to decorate my-flat-back-no-rise-lamb-cake.

Everything was going well; the sweet little lamb was turning out so cute. I finished; I was about to take a picture. Then it started to happen.  It fell on its very flat back.  I put it up.  It fell again.  I put it up.  It fell again.  I started to panic.  The kids and my husband came into the kitchen. I could feel the anxiety building in my chest. I yelled to my husband to help me; I said, "help its falling!" He said, "what's falling?"  I said, "are you kidding? The lamb -- can you not see it is falling on its back and its about to lose its head!"  He starts to panic because he doesn't want to see me so disappointed. He started to prop it up with some carrots from the frig.  He started to take a picture of the sweet little lamb before it lost its head --- I hate even typing that -- but it is true. It was about to lose its head!  There was panic and stress in the air.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED.... Not what you are expecting.  It was my three year old son.  Above my husband and my stressed voices you could hear my son's sweet voice saying,"ooooh it's so cute.  Take a picture of me next to it. Take a picture Mommy."

His sweet voice and request stopped me in my tracks.  It wasn't about the cake.  It was always about my kids and their memories. As far as he was concerned it was a perfect little lamb ready for a photo shoot.  He thought it was cute even with the carrots supporting it from behind.  In that moment, that is all that mattered to me.  I stopped running around trying to save the cake; I started taking pictures of my kids, Aidan and Zuzu, with the sweetest little lamb cake that was ever made.  Looking back at the situation now (with only 12 hours of hindsight), I already know that this unstable little lamb cake will probably always be my favorite cake because of the lesson my son taught me.

Our kids see their world as wonderful; they see life as wonderful.  They are not looking for perfection. I am not sure when that changes, but I know it does. And that makes me sad.  But for now, I know I want to try to see life through my kids' eyes. I want to stop looking to be perfect and stop looking to fix things. I simply want to smile and appreciate everything and everyone around me.  And every once in awhile I'd like to stop and say," take a picture of me next to..."

   

It is all about the memories; it is not about the cake.  What was your "lamb cake" this Easter season?

Yogurt Treats for Kids and Yourself

I have always liked yogurt. But since I have had kids, yogurt has become my friend.  My go to item.  My kids are 3 and 1 and they view yogurt as a treat.  Even plain yogurt.  I know what you are thinking.  I am a cruel mom who doesn't give my kids ice cream and REAL treats.  But that isn't the case.  But I have saved yogurt as a treat and haven't let them know that I change up the presentation on them all the time.  Sometime they eat straight from a bowl, butttttt other times I freeze it in different ways.  And presto I have a new treat.


Frozen Treat #1: Yogurt Pops

I bought these fabulous little jewel pop forms made by Tovolo. You can buy them online, at Land of Nod, or from Sur La Table -- or I'm sure you can find them all sorts of other places.  I fill them with yogurt, and they freeze perfectly.  The kids love going into the freezer and asking for "pops" - so cute that is what they call them.







Frozen Treat #2 Frozen Dots

Use a zip lock bag as a pipping bag. Place yogurt in baggie. Pipe nickle sized dots of yogurt on wax paper or foil that is on some kind of pan or flat plate that fits into your freezer. I use a 9 inch round cake pan because it fits into my side by side frig/freezer. Freeze your little dots.

Once frozen, peal them off and store in freezer.  When you give your little ones a small bowl of these frozen treats, trust me they will not notice or care that it is simply yogurt in yet another form. My guess is that you will even enjoy popping a few; I know I do.

Frozen Treat #3 Yoplait Whips

I cannot take credit for this idea.  Yoplait came up with it; I just listened and took the advice given to me from their commercials.  These are great frozen.  Just freezer and enjoy.

Beef Barley Soup -- so warm and hearty

As of late, everyone in our household has been sick.  Nothing awful.  I think we are going on our third week of one illness or another.  We keep passing it around.  Our home is calling for a soup night. I thought I would try to make beef barley.  My grandmother (my Dad's mother) used to make beef barley soup with ground beef, but I thought I would try to make it with stew meat. 

Beef barley soup was my brother's favorite recipe that my grandmother used to make.  One night at her house was particularly memorable.  We all sat down to eat her beef barley soup and were enjoying it. As when any good meal is put on the table, everyone stopped talking and started eating.  Above the sound of our slurping, we could barley hear my baby brother say, "if this is beef barley soup, where is the barley grandma?"  It was at that point everyone started searching for the barley in his bowl as if looking for the lost treasure of the Seven Seas.  We all quickly came to the conclusion that my grandmother had forgotten the barley. For years to come, it was always a great story to relive and retell.  So when making the beef barley soup, you can use ground beef or stew meat, but don't forget the barley.  Maybe that is only a funny joke in my family. 

Now I don't know my grandmother's recipe, but here is my version of beef barley soup. The soup turned out warm, hearty, and yummy.  Here is how I made it.

Hearty Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients:

olive oil (the start of most wonderful recipes)
4 lbs. Beef Stew chunks (cut into small bite sized pieces)
1 medium onion
2-3 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
1 box chicken stock
8 cups of water
6 chicken bullion cubes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
2-3 bay leaves
cheese rind (don't need this, but if you have it use it)
2-3 red potatoes
1 cup medium barley
3 cups or so of frozen veggie mix

Directions:

Heat some olive oil in a stock pot.  Cut stew meat into small soup sized pieces. Brown the meat.  Salt and pepper after the meat is brown.  There will be a liquid at the bottom of your pot -- this is fine and only adds to the flavor of the soup.  Add chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Add some salt and pepper.  *mommy hint - salt and pepper after each section of steps to build flavors. Add one box of chicken stock, 8 cups of water, and 6 chicken bullion cubes. *mommy hint - I  know many people would use beef stock and beef bullion, but I just wanted to use what I had in the house. And it worked just fine;  plus I prefer chicken stock to beef stock. But if you like beef stock better, use it.  Continue to add layers of flavors.  Add one can of diced tomatoes, bay leaves, diced potatoes, and one cup of barley. If you have a cheese rind this is the time to add it; if you don't just skip this step you will  not miss it.  *mommy hint - I always have cheese rinds in my freezer for the express purpose of making soups.  It adds a saltiness to the background of the soup.  It is not needed; it is just a little secret my Nonna (my mom's mother) taught me.  Simmer for 1 hour.  Then after the barley has been cooked, add 3 cups or so of your favorite frozen veggie mix.  Bring to boil again and serve.  So filling and yummy.  Enjoy.

Successful Easy Meals for Kids using Veggie Burger

I know you have been there -- it is lunch time, and you aren't sure what to make the kids. This was one of my shinning mommy moments. So I thought I would share my great find, so my success can be your next success. The reasons this lunch was successful are it was fast, easy, I had the ingredients, it contained the elusive veggies, and ooooh did I mention -- they loved it. Now all of us have made a pizza on an English muffin before. The shinning mommy moment isn't the pizza; it is the addition of the veggies. Because of the texture of the veggies, the kids have no idea they are eating them.
Dr. Praeger's California veggie burger is the key to the story of my success.

Veggie Pizza

Ingredients
 • English muffin/ or bite sized pitas/ or a tortilla (switch it up - they are tots -they will think it is a different meal they love every time you make it)
• Pizza sauce
• Dr Praeger's California veggie burger
• Olive oil
• Mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Heat some olive oil in a small pan and warm California burger. As you are cooking the burger, break it up into a veggie paste consistency. Toast English muffin lightly because you are going to continue cooking it once other ingredients are on it, and you don't want it to burn. Kids usually don't like anything that has burned spots. Once English muffin is lightly cooked, add some pizza sauce, spread a layer of veggie mixture, and top with cheese. Heat pizzas in a toaster oven or your regular oven until cheese is melted. I hope your kids enjoy it as much as mine did. If you want to use the bite size pitas there is no need to warm them ahead of topping them.  If you want to use the tortilla, cook your pizza in a 400 degree oven for 8 to 9 minutes in order to get the tortilla a bit crispy.

I would also suggest using Dr Praeger's California burger in other ways. Get creative; this is an easy way to add veggie to many different meals. Another success I had with these veggie burgers is making a veggie tortilla wrap.

Veggie Tortilla Wrap

Ingredients:
• Tortilla
• Olive oil (you would be hard pressed to find recipes I put together without this golden liquid from heaven -- well, that is just what I call it)
•Dr. Praeger's California burger
• Cheese of your choice
• You could even use ham or turkey or any deli meat you like (if you want to add meat)

Directions:
Heat olive oil and California burger in a pan. While heating veggie burger break it up into a veggie paste consistency. Warm tortilla. Once veggie mixture is ready, it is time to put the wrap together. Take tortilla add cheese, meat if you want, add veggie mixture --- then roll the tortilla into an easy to eat kiddie wrap. It is yummy, warm, healthy, and filled with tasty veggies (with a texture that hides from the kids).

Lastly, I would say I have also been successful adding that same crushed up veggie burger to pastina (any kind of small pasta). I make the pastina. Once boiled and drained, I add a bit of butter, a dribble of olive oil, some Parmesan cheese, and the crushed up veggie burger. This adds some veggies to a simple buttered noodles and cheese lunch or dinner.

And the kids enjoy all of these variations to the veggie burger. It is very versatile -- I am sure you can come up with other ways of incorporating this easy to use veggie burger into dished you already make that need a little veggie addition. Oddly enough, I have never served my kids this veggie burger as a burger --- go figure. Now go out there and get creative with this veggie burger. Here is my veggie pizza cut in half and decorated to look like a monster.  Have fun with your kids food.

No Cream - Cream of Potato Soup

Cream of whatever soup is my husband's favorite soup.  You got it -- it almost doesn't matter what the soup is -- it will get his attention if the word cream is in the soup title.  The first time I made artichoke soup (which I will share some other time - it is so good), my husband was convinced it was cream of potato.  It was creamy (yet had no cream), and it was potato colored.  Ever since I made that soup -- he has been asking me for cream of potato soup.  I am somewhat against making cream soups.  I feel like it is my assigned task as Sole Keeper of the Family's Health to cook as healthy as possible for my family.  Because it is a free-for-all of food choices the second we eat out.  Hence I have maintained a no-cream-soup-zone in our home for the past eight years.  But that era has come to a close.  I finally made MY version of cream of potato soup. It has a splash of half and half, but even that was a last second toss in, and I don't believe it MADE the soup.  So if you don't have it in your frig -- don't go to the store to buy it. I would say if you were unwilling to make a cream soup before -- try this version of cream of potato -- it may just change your cream soup free home - like it did mine. 

No Cream - Cream of Potato Soup

3 tablespoons butter
1 or 2 onions thinly sliced
salt / pepper
5 potatoes (keep them whole or half them)
1 box of chicken stock
2 cups water
2 bullion cubes
salt / pepper
1-2 tablespoons of corn starch

1 1/2 x 4 inch chunk of cheddar cheese cut into cubes / or 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
a splash of half and half (optional -- I added it because it was in my frig for my morning coffee)

In the bottom of a stock pot, add 3 tablespoons of butter, onions, salt and pepper on low to med heat. Once onions are softened, add potatoes (* hint they should all be about the same size), chicken stock, water, bullion, a bit of salt and pepper.  Let potatoes cook -- about 20 minutes.  Then when potatoes are cooked, pull some potatoes out and cut into bite size chunks - leave them out of the pot. Use your immersion blend to blend soup (cream). Start out with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a mug with some cold tap water - not a lot - just enough to dissolve the cornstarch. Mix together until there are no lumps.  Slowly add mixture back into boiling soup (soup must be boiling or you will get lumps).   Add cheese chunks, a splash of half and half (if you don't have this in your house -- forget it -- you will not miss it).  If it is not to the thickness you like, repeat cornstarch step. Add potatoes back in the soup.  Serve. If you want, you can add a bit of fresh chives to the top of the soup in each serving bowl -- and/ or a few chunks of crusty toasty hard bread.  Enjoy your no cream cream soup.

T-Rex or Firetruck Birthday Cake

Both of my kids have summer birthdays.  My son turned three this summer.  I asked my son to pick a theme for his third birthday party -- he said,  "T-Rex driving a wee-wee party."

A translation is needed at this point.  I often have to translate Aidan speak to English for people.  As many moms have to translate for their children. 

A wee-wee is not what you might think it is -- it is the sound a firetruck makes -- weeweeweewee.  Hence he calls firetrucks wee-wees -- makes sense doesn't it -- almost a convincing argument to change the name of firetrucks to wee-wees.

Anyway back to the theme dilemma.  I told him to pick ONE theme either T-Rex or firetrucks.  He is obsessed with both.  He said, "I want a T-Rex driving a wee-wee party." I let it go- we had all summer to figure it out.  And during the weeks leading up to his party every once in awhile I would ask him about his upcoming party, and he would always say --- T-Rex driving a wee-wee party.  I looked online, and if it is sold.... it is sold online,  they don't make party plates with that particular theme.  Shocking right?  Then I came up with a reason we couldn't have the party --- a reason even a three year could understand.  I simply told him a T-Rex is too big to drive a wee-wee.  He calmly went over to one of his many firetrucks and took one of his many T-Rex toys and placed the small T-Rex in the firetruck's cab and said,"T-Rex driving a wee-wee."  I couldn't fight him anymore.  It was clear what his expectations were for this party.  It was going to be a T-Rex driving a wee-wee "firetruck" party. I made the firetruck and placed small T-Rex statues on the cake.  It was as close as I could get to his three year old request.

T-Rex and firetruck cookies were given to guests as their take home treat.

I also had a small play date birthday party for him with a few of his friends.  The birthday cake I made for  him for that day was a T-Rex. I cannot wait to hear what he wants next year.  You have to love how kids think.

They say we need to eat more fish.... (Salmon and Beans)

I am not a big fish eater -- but they say we should eat more fish.... the people in charge say this.  So I try to eat more fish.  This is an easy fish recipe.  The best parts of this recipe are it is easy, fast -- you can put it together literally 20 minutes before you eat, and it is very healthy -- beans and fish -- the foods we should eat more of.

I usually use salmon because of its high omega-3 fatty acids and high vitamin D content. But you can use any fish. 

Salmon and Beans

2 medium sized leeks
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
2 cans of Cannellini beans
salmon (2-4 pieces)
salt / pepper to taste

serve over rice


Directions:
Start making your rice -- that is the longest part of this meal.  In a medium sized pan with a lid, saute leeks (only use the white part - toss out the greens) in olive oil and lightly salt and pepper. After about 3 -4 minutes add the garlic for about 1 minute.  Then place salmon in the pan.  Drain both cans of beans and place them in the pan. Put olive oil and salt and pepper over entire dish and cover.  Let salmon cook for five to seven minutes on one side then flip and cook for another five minutes. It is done! -- Yes, it is that easy and fast.

Making Baby Food

I made all my son's and my daughter's baby food.  I gave Aidan store bought peaches and apples once.  He wouldn't eat it.  I guess you just get used to what you get used to.  Madeleine has never tried purchased jar baby food.  Not because I'm one of those moms who cannot trust the baby food out on the market -- I know there are all sorts of natural organic choices.  But I just wanted to make it.  I loved making it for him. All kinds of veggies and fruits.  I also made chicken soup and lentil soup for some protein choices.  Now I have to say that I tasted all the food I have made, and I know that my chicken soup puree is better than the ridiculous excuse for chicken puree in the stores.

Making their baby food gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride.  My son is almost three and to this day I still make, store, and freeze extra applesauce, chicken soup, and lentil soup for him.  We usually have family dinners, but when my husband and I go out for dinner or don't feel like eating at 5:30 these frozen meals help me feed the kids when I am not sure what to give him for dinner. I can always defrost 7 cubes of homemade chicken soup.

Here is a picture of what the cubes look like in the freezer bags.  I have bags upon bags in my freezer. I will miss having these cubes for a quick meal for the kids. 

Get-well-soon-and-I-love-you-in-a-bowl-soup AKA Chicken Soup

It is a cold damp spring day -- it is perfect weather for chicken soup.  But when you are a soup person, any day is a good day for soup. My husband and I -- and now our 2 year old son -- we are soup people.  I make a lot of soups.  I used to think I wasn't too good at making chicken soup.  I mean my husband liked it -- and my son LOVES it.  He will eat bowl after bowl of it; it is the only way he will eat chicken.  But overall, I thought my other soups were just better.  And I guess I didn't give much attention to my chicken soup -- but I've received some rave reviews lately -- so I guess my recipe is worth sharing..

Recently my girlfriend Casey's little girl was quite sick (very sad -- but she is all better now), so there wasn't much cooking going on in their house -- there is no time for that when your baby is really sick.  Their time and energy was going into helping her get better.  So I thought I would make Casey and her family some chicken soup.  The only reason I chose chicken soup (even though I thought it wasn't my best) is you always hear about the healing properties of the classic chicken soup.  I don't know if it is the boiled chicken or the idea of the chicken soup that makes you feel better.  But who am I to challenge this time held belief in this healing elixir - chicken soup.  So I made it.  To my surprise, they loved it.  I mean they LOVED IT!  It turns out they are soup people too.They were more than kind with the compliments.  So their attention to my ordinary chicken soup made me revisit my impression of this soup and take the time to document how I make this soup.  And it appears that my ordinary chicken soup is not so ordinary after all -- they think it is special -- they felt the love -- and in the end that is all that is important -- isn't it?

Hence I thought I would share the recipe.

Get-well-soon-I-love-you-in-a-bowl-soup AKA Chicken Soup

4 carrots (2 chopped tiny and 2 made into chunks)
1 onion
2 celery stacks
2 cloves garlic
Olive oil
1 box (4 cups) organic chicken stock
10 cups water
3 medium potatoes or 4 small potatoes
2 breasts of chicken (chicken on the bone adds flavor, but it is ok to use boneless and skinless)
1 or  2 bay leaves
 8 chicken bullion cubes
half pound digitali pasta
salt and pepper to taste

* Mommy hint -- If you have a chunk of cheese rind, toss that in too -- it puts a nice salty flavor in the background of your soup. But it is not necessary.

Start by chopping two carrots, celery, and onion -- all should be chopped up fine.  Put in a stock pot with olive oil on the bottom add some salt and pepper to help the veggies sweat. Cook until soften and onion is translucent.  Add two cloves of garlic, stir, and wait a minute for flavors to come together.  Pour in a box of chicken stock and ten cups of cold water.  Cube up the pealed potatoes and other two carrots into bit size pieces - add to pot. Lastly, add in two chicken breasts, bay leaf, and eight chicken bullion -- and cheese rind if you have one. Simmer on low with cover off for one hour and a half. After chicken is cooked, take chicken out of pot and shred it using two forks.  Keep chicken out of pot while you boil noodles.  I use about a half a pound of digitali (it is my family's favorite for chicken soup).  Once noodles are done, take soup off flame and add chicken back in.  At this point, taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  It is ready to serve.  Enjoy the healing bowl of love!

* Mommy hint -- If you use too much pasta, it sucks up the liquid after it sits in the pot for awhile.  Sometimes it sucks up the liquid after you put the leftovers in the frig.  You can add a bit of water or some chicken stock to bring it back to life.

 
*My closing Mommy thought - If you have a friend who is sick or the friend has a sick person in the family she is nursing back to health, there is nothing that says I am thinking about you and care about your struggles like a pot of chicken soup.  No matter how you make it and what ingredients you use, love is always felt -- it is the most important healing property of the soup.

P.S. Bring it to their house in the same pot you cooked it -- it screams homemade, and I love you -- more than Tupperware does.

Monkey Cake and Train Cake

I love the idea of making birthday cakes for my kids. 
As a mom, we all create traditions for our family.  Some of those traditions come from our childhood homes and the traditions that were started way before we had kids. And some traditions we develop on our own. It is traditions that create a sense of home and family and safety in our children's lives.  I don't think it matters what those traditions are, but I think it is essential that traditions exist.  It gives kids something to look forward to --- something to come home to when they are all grown.  One of my traditions is the birthday cake.

Now, I know I have only had two birthday parties so far.  My son is 2 1/2, and my daughter is 8 months.  They both have summer birthdays.  So this summer I will be creating my son's 3rd cake and my daughter's first cake.  So I don't claim to have a lot of experience in this area, but I am excited about the concept of creating birthday cakes for my children.  My heart is definitely willing; even though my experience is saying buying cakes is much easier.

My son's first birthday party had a monkey theme.  Here are the cakes. This cake hinged on my flimsy
art skills.  I drew the monkey on the cake by pipping small stars. I based the monkey face on a small rug (I bought from Bed Bath and Beyond) in my son's bathroom bath.

My son's 2nd birthday party had a train theme.  Here is that cake.  The train cake was tons of fun to make.  And Aidan, my son, loved eating it. I filled the train cars with pretzels (log car), M&Ms (because they are colorful and cute), animal crackers (zoo car), and crushed Oreos (coal car).

I have not come up with the theme for his 3rd birthday yet -- or my daughter's theme for her first birthday. Let me know if you have any ideas.  Remember I have very little artist ability, but I make up for the lack of ability with a wiliness to try anything.

Crock Pot Chicken Chili

My neighbor Kristy doesn't love cooking.  She likes it --- and she loves the idea of cooking for her family.  She knows I love cooking, so she asked me to give her some ideas for good family dinners.  Now let me start off by saying that her crew isn't the easiest to cook for -- they have some food -- shall I say dislikes.  They don't like eating vegetables.  And Kristy is endlessly trying to get veggies in their tummies.  They are a meat and potato family. But I told her that the vegetables and beans can always be hidden in the meal. Last week she asked me to come by and cook dinner with her.  I thought I would show her an easy chicken chili recipe.  This recipe has a bit of sweetness to it because of the marmalade, and it can have as much heat as you can take. 

What is great about this recipe is it is easy and when I say easy, it is EASY.  This is a great meal to go to when your day has been too crazy to even make yourself and peanut butter sandwich. There is nothing better than smelling a crock pot dish coming together.  The end result is warm and fills your belly.  The crock pot allows the flavors to become fully married, and oh the best part -- only one pan to clean up after dinner.


Chicken Chili -- (with Mommy hints)

2 -3 chicken breasts
1-2 Tablespoons of taco seasoning (Mommy hint -- use your favorite kind -- if you want more heat use 2 Tablespoons -- my  favorite is La Preferita)
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup of salsa (Mommy hint -- use your favorite -- my favorite is Newman's Own all natural medium salsa.  If you want the chili to be spicier -- use a hot salsa)
1/2 cup orange marmalade (Mommy hint --  if you don't like orange marmalade don't worry - you don't taste the orange - all you taste is the sweetness in the background.  My husband hates orange anything -- and when I tried to make it with another preserve for him, he didn't like it as much -- the marmalade is the best of the different fruits that I have tried.  But take a chance and change it up with any fruit you want)
1 can black beans (Mommy hint -- my neighbor's husband doesn't like beans, so we pureed the beans.  We were able to keep the nutrients and fiber and hide the scary beans from Mike)

Directions:
Brown cubed chicken in a saute pan with olive oil, taco seasoning, and garlic. Once browned place chicken mixture in crock pot.  Then deglaze pan (Mommy hint -- get all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pan) with salsa and marmalade. Once deglazed, place mixture in crock pot with chicken. Cook on low for 2 - 3 hours.  Mommy hint -- don't put beans in until last half hour before serving. 





I like to serve this over noodles. Use a short fat noodle.

Mommy hint -- If you don't want to use the crock pot, and you want to go from refrigerator to stove to table quicker, you can.  Do this whole process in one pot.  Cook on low for 45 minutes and serve. 

Soft and Fluffy Pancakes

I have been playing with different pancake recipes for years now.  I try a recipe and tweak and tweak
it.  Then I try another -- but I have finally found the perfect combination of ingredients and tweaking.  These pancakes turn out fluffy and tasty every time.  It is not worth my time or calories to make any other pancakes -- this pancake recipe has been perfected.  I hope you try them and you enjoy them as much as my family and I do.

Mommy Tips-----
I think there are a few key steps that make this recipe.  First it is important to warm the milk slightly.  The milk shouldn't be hot, but it cannot be cold from the refrigerator.  If it is cold, when the milk and the melted butter touch each other, the butter will start to reform and form crystals.  When the milk is slightly warm, the wet mixture remains smooth and silky.  The next key to this recipe is the egg white.  You really have to beat them until they form beautiful peaks.  If you are saying, "I have never beaten egg whites right -- I don't know how to."  You are not giving yourself a chance.  You just have never beaten egg white long enough.  Trust me -- I used to feel this way about egg whites --- UNTIL -- I did it long enough.  You will know when you have beaten them long enough, because once you create those beautiful stiff peaks, you will never forget how to do it.  The last key is the mixing -- don't over mix the wet and the dry ingredients.  And ever so gently mix the egg whites into the batter.  You must maintain the fluffy aspect of the egg whites.  This is why the pancakes are so fluffy.  These little steps make all the difference.  You will never make pancakes from a mix again.

Make it homemade; you are worth it.

Soft and Fluffy Pancakes
* 1 cup flour
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 egg yolks
* 3/4 cups skim milk, more or less (warm 30 seconds in micro)
* 4 tablespoons butter, melted
* 2 egg whites
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon or a bit more vanilla

Directions: Place first three dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, salt,baking powder)mix together. In another bowl, mix the yolks, milk(with the chill taken off it), melted butter, and vanilla together until smooth. Next, make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the mixed wet ingredients all at once. Stir until just combined. DON'T OVER MIX. Beat the egg whites until light and fluffy. Add the sugar toward the end of the beating process. Fold the egg whites gently into the batter with a spatula.  Pour onto a buttered grill, cook your pancakes, and enjoy.

Slowly incorporate egg whites into the batter.

Here are the pancakes moments before my family ate them for breakfast.

What a cheese ball

Ok, I know this sounds so 1950s, but I make a great cheese ball. I used to make all sorts of appetizers for parties. It didn't matter how difficult the recipe was; now I have two kids -- two years old and 5 months. I still like to cook, but sometimes I have to think about the time it takes to make something. If I am going to spend a lot of time on the dinner and dessert, I have to cut back on the time it takes to make appetizers. Here is one of my go to appetizers that always gets lots of oohhs and yummms, but it is super easy.

Goat Cheese Ball with Pistachios

1stick of room temperature unsalted butter
1 10 oz stick of room temperature goat cheese
3/4 cup of pistachios (and a bit more reserved for decoration)
2 cloves of garlic (make a paste using some sea salt)
use fresh chopped scallions or chives to decorate the cheese ball the day you serve it


Whip room temperature butter, room  temperature goat cheese, and garlic/sea salt paste together. Then mix in chopped pistachios. Reserve some chopped nuts for decoration. Now for the cheese ball part -- it is really more of a half dome. Use a bowl that is the size of the half dome you want to create. Place plastic wrap in the bowl with enough extra wrap to over the cheese once it is in the bowl. Spray the plastic wrap with Pam Cooking Spray (this will help you invert the cheese dome and uncover it). Place cheese in the plastic wrapped bowl -- press cheese into bowl to insure the cheese takes on the form of the bowl. Cover the cheese with the remaining plastic wrap. Put in the refrigerator to set. This can be done the day before the party.

When getting ready for the party, invert the half dome (bowl) onto your serving platter. Take plastic wrap off. Use the remaining nuts to decorate the cheese ball. Lightly press the nuts into the cheese ball. Also use some chopped scallions or chives to decorate cheese ball and platter. Serve with crackers.

This is the key to the success of this cheese ball -- you MUST take it out 1 hour before you want to serve it. It has to soften or people will not like it as much. Trust me, it is the difference between having very little of the cheese ball leftover and having most of the cheese ball leftover.

Enjoy!

Yummy French Toast

I have made French Toast for years.  And I am sure you have too, but I have finally landed on my perfect mixture of flavors that makes for the best french toast ever. My husband and my son love it; I hope you will too.  However my picky son doesn't like the leftovers warmed up the next day.  So it is a good thing that it is easy to make this fresh on demand.  I am posting pictures of my french toast and maple sausage links from this morning.  Here is the recipe I have come up with.

As always the measurements are flexible-- cooking is an art not a science.

Yummy French Toast
(These measurements are approximate for 6 pieces of thick bread)

Start with preparing the honey so it will cool off by the time you put it in your mixture

1 Tablespoon honey(microwave it for 20 -30 seconds in a glass bowl this will make the honey thinner and easier to mix with your other ingredients -- remember you don't want to put plastic in the micro -- let it cool off before adding it to the other ingredients)

 4 large eggs
a splash of milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cap full (about 1teaspoon) vanilla
a pinch of salt to balance the flavors

thick Italian bread
butter
powder sugar for decoration

Directions:

Mix ingredients adding honey when not so hot.  Place bread in a shallow dish and pour mixture over the bread.  Flip bread to get bread fully saturated with yummy mixture. Let sit for as long as need.  Warm up your pan on medium heat and melt some butter (real butter is key at this point -- if you use real butter in the pan, you will not have to put butter on the french toast once it is finished) to coat the pan for use. Place bread in pan and turn after about 2 - 3 minutes depending on thickness of bread.  Place cooked pieces in a 200 degree oven to keep warm.  Once finished with all your toast, sprinkle with powered sugar and serve. It will be yummy and soft.

Big A** Meatballs

Big A** Meatballs - so, that is what my husband used to call my meatball dinner BEFORE we had kids.  This is one of my husband's favorite dinners that I make -- you know a stand-by dish. They are flavorful meatballs that have been cooked in tomato sauce, which makes the meatballs soft and tender.  I serve the meatballs and sauce over rice with a side of fresh green beans.  But what do we call this dish now that we have a two year old?  We certainly cannot call it Big A** Meatballs anymore.  Can you hear my two year old at preschool saying it -- I can.  So, I told my husband we have to rename this dinner.  We decided the easiest thing to call it is Big Meatballs -- I know this seems obvious and easy, but it was as hard as changing your child's name.  So what does my husband call it -- Big (long dramatic pause) Meatballs.  It sounds so ridiculous.  And the sad part is I call it this too.  At some our kids are going to repeat this with the dramatic  pause.  And no, they will not be cursing.  But they are going to sound odd -- I love mommy's Big (wait for it) Meatballs.

Here is the recipe -- Mommy Tip call it whatever you want, but remember you will be stuck with whatever you select. 

Big Ass Meatballs

(a bit more or less of these ingredients will not matter - cooking is an art not a science)

1 package of ground sirloin
1 onion chopped
1- 2 cloves of garlic minced
salt
pepper
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup graded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup more or less breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 Tablespoons olive oil (additional for browning meatballs)

flour
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
water

rice
green vegetable (green beans go great with this meal)


Place all of the ingredients: ground sirlion, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, ground cinnamon, graded Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, egg, olive oil
into a bowl.  Wet your hand (this is key -- meat doesn't stick to wet hands, so you have a few minutes to mix ) and mix the ingredients with your hands.  Don't over mix so to keep meatballs soft -- just mix until ingredients are incorporated.

Create 4 to 5 Big Ass Meatballs. (Mommy Tip -5 meatballs means my husband and I have two meals.  My son has his own meatball, which I mix with the rice and sauce and split up into several meals)  Flatten the meatballs some so they are more like puffy hamburgers. Dredge meatballs in flour (this too helps keep meatballs moist and tender).  Place olive oil in a high sided skillet that you have a cover for.  Heat the oil on medium high.  Once oil is hot, place meatballs in pan - don't move them for 2 - 3 minutes to create a nice crust. Then flip them for about 2 minutes. Turn heat down to low.  Then pour tomato sauce over meatballs.  Fill the can half way with water and pour that in the pan. Stir sauce and water around and cover.  Cook for 25- 30 minutes -- flip over once half way through the cooking. Sauce will thicken with time.

In the meantime, make some white rice. And start your green vegs.  Once meat is finished, place some rice on your plate with a meatball half on and half off the bed of rice. Take fork and slightly break meatball open and pour sauce over meatball and rice. Plate green beans Enjoy!