Goodbye, Cookbooks

Dear Rachael Ray Cookbooks,

I think it might be time for us to part ways.

This is a hard thing for me to confess. I credit my being able to cook on watching 30 Minute Meals as a teen and college student. Yes, Rachael’s voice was always that aggravating, but her method spoke to me: simple, fresh, quick. I’m not saying I’ve made all or even many of the recipes in these books; in fact, half of them are so full of spicy ingredients, fresh tomatoes, olives, and bleu cheese that I’m surprised I even still have you. (Let’s be honest: I would eat most of the not-spicy recipes in you, but when your husband doesn’t eat mushrooms, squash, asparagus, cream cheese, sour cream, Ranch dressing, Brussels sprouts, greens, and more … it limits the options.)

Still, No Repeats was my favorite cookbook once upon a time. A time before we had kids, when I could make Chili-Sweet Potato Hash, Black Bean and Corn Salad, Jambalaya Burgers, or Smoky Chicken Patties without any complaining and starting a riot.

I know, I know. I should just make these things and expect my kids to eat them. Is it enough to promise that I do serve them vegetables? But one can only spend an hour cooking dinner (’cause we all know 30 minutes isn’t actually going to happen, especially with a toddler hanging on your leg) just to have it rejected by two-thirds of the family so many times before one feels like she is completely losing her mind.

I blame it on the dining hall, somewhat. Even though it feels like everyone else’s kids happily eat a variety of foods there. But we eat at the dining hall for dinner at least 75% of the year, and my children are so used to being presented with ALL THE OPTIONS. Usually including French fries. Even after summers of seeing it isn’t so, they still can’t understand most kids don’t get a choice on what they eat for dinner.

I’m sorry, cookbooks. I’m sorry, Rachael. I feel like I’ve failed you. But it’s time I stopped pretending I am going to get to cook more than two or three recipes from your pages for the next 10 years. I haven’t watched the Marie Kondo series, but I have read the book, and I know you are just not sparking joy anymore. You’re sparking defeat and self-loathing. Perhaps someday we’ll be reunited.

Until then, please ignore the boxes of generic Hamburger Helper that I’m making for dinner tonight. Yes, normally I would cook this from scratch at least, but when after-school seems like a giant mess, a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do.

With much love,

Jessie, Former Eater of Good Things and Current PBJ Chef

Let It Rise

I love bread-baking. I think it’s the simple act of creation: watching a messy pile of flour, liquid, salt, and yeast meld together and then rise, a little miracle in and of itself.

source: torontorob

My first memory of bread-baking is from the mid-90s, when my mother bought into the bread machine craze. She would make a Hawaiian bread, flecked with pineapple and singing with almond extract, that smelled so amazing when it rose we didn’t care that half the time it hit the lid of the machine and fell.

One of my greatest pleasures in being a stay-at-home mom is having the lengths of time it takes to make foods like bread or homemade broths. I may have attempted a loaf here and there when I worked, but not with any regularity. Not enough time to be close to it, carefully evaluating: has it risen enough? do I have time to let it rise AND bake?

Yeast can be a tricky substance, though. If your liquid is too hot, it kills the power of the yeast. If it's not warm, the yeast might not react.

One of Jesus' shortest parables is about yeast. Matthew 6:33 says, "He told them still another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.' "

That's it. The whole parable.

I think it was just assumed that the people He spoke to knew how yeast worked. Bread was probably part of their daily diet; bread-making as familiar as it was in the early 20th century in America.

In a big bowl of flour, yeast is just some tiny granules, a miniscule percentage of the whole. And yet without it, we get flat bread. Make the yeast angry and you've got a clump of useless dough. It might look OK. Sure, the dough didn't get quite as puffy as it should. But maybe it will bake right anyway!

Nope.

The image of the kingdom of God being stirred into a giant vat of flour is beautiful to me. We are in a giant world with billions of people. What can we possibly do to change the world for Christ?

But just like yeast, we ... no, not we. The Word of God, the Spirit IN us is so powerful that it can affect everything around us. If we empty ourselves out and let Jesus live through us, we can show others how to rise.

That's why I feel like it's a miracle each time I make bread.

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Healthy Strawberry Popsicles

This month for the Secret Recipe Club, I was given This Mama Cooks (On a Diet!) as my assigned site. If you're new or have forgotten about Secret Recipe Club in the midst of all the reading around here, it's a "club" where bloggers are each assigned another blog from which to make a recipe.

This Mama Cooks was started in 2004, which makes it ancient in blog world! Anne-Marie is a professional blogger and social-media professional, also working for giants like Mom Central and CafeMom.

I decided to take inspiration from her recipes for popsicles. She's made Orange-Coconut Popsicles (YUM.) and Green Apple and Flaxseed Popsicles, among several others. I sort of adapted the green apple popsicles to accommodate what I had in the fridge and cabinets, as well as the fact that my daughter won't eat whole fruit except peel-less apple slices and bananas.

I found that she will HAPPILY suck down a popsicle that is made entirely of fruit and fruit juice, even if she won't eat those fruits by themselves. So I think I'll be making a whole lot more popsicles in the future. I didn't sweeten these at all, and they are slightly tart, so you could add a little honey, sugar, or other sweetener if you so desire.

Loving our monster popsicle molds! They make smaller popsicles for little hands

Healthy Strawberry-Orange Popsicles

Makes 4-6 popsicles, depending on size of molds

2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered (half a quart container)
1 can mandarin oranges in 100% juice
juice of 2 small or 1 large orange

Add all to blender, blend until very smooth. Add more juice or water if mixture is too thick.

Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

To get out of molds once frozen, you can run them under hot water or let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

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Since I don't really want to write another, separate post for my 31 days series and I make the rules around here, I thought I'd talk about cookbooks briefly. They are books. Right?

Here are some of my favorite cookbooks:
Rachael Ray 365
Betty Crocker Cookbook (although I prefer the 70s version!)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Barefoot Contessa at Home

Let's be real, though? At least ninety percent of the recipes I make come from the Internet; many I find on Pinterest.

Do you still use cookbooks, or do you just glean from the Internet?






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Food for the Freezer

Every now and again, I get the urge to stock my freezer with meals. When the urge comes, I am afraid to ignore it lest it never revisit.

After having it since its release (SHAMED!), I finally opened Survive Before 5, my cousin Tricia's ebook for cooking toddler meals. As I should have expected, it's absolutely amazing. There are recipes for breakfast, lunch, and snacks; and Tricia thought of absolutely everything to help moms plan meals, cook them, and even let your toddlers help in the kitchen!

The recipes all show measurements for 1, 2, 4, or 6 kids; there are "toddler tasks" on each recipe card; and a grocery list, instructions, and labels all accompany the recipes. Not to mention sweet pictures of Isaac and Tessa, my cousins-once-removed. (Right? Never can remember the technical term there.)

I am really not an ebook person, honestly, and I don't promote them much. But if you have toddlers and would like to have simple meals on hand that they will probably eat, you NEED Survive Before 5!

I am making a majority of the recipes from the cookbook along with a few other things to stock our freezer and deliver to friends. I thought I'd share our plan in case you're searching for a good freezer meal to make.

(And yes, keeping the oven on all day when it's 100 degrees is ridiculous ... but I am hopeful this will save me from turning it on for the rest of August!)

From the ebook:
toddler french toast sticks
homemade spaghetti o’s
individual mac & cheese cups
corndog muffins
homemade cheesy rice
apple chicken nuggets
individual pizzas
homemade yogurt
peanut butter banana yogurt pops
peanut butter granola bars

And a few more things:
Batter-Dipped Chicken Sandwiches

Source: parentingmiracles.net via Vanderbilt Wife on Pinterest

Slow Cooker Jambalaya
Easy Taco Bake (ate one, one for freezer)
Carrot Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
Bacon and Egg Biscuit Cups
Summer Vegetable Chowder (with kielbasa instead of hot dogs)
A pork loin recipe from How to Cook Everything

I am hoping all of this will fit in my little above-the-fridge freezer!

Have you done any freezer cooking lately? What are your favorite recipes for freezing?

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Cooking with Kids and The Motherhood

You might remember that on June 15, I helped co-host an online cooking class with The Motherhood about cooking with kids. You can find a complete recap on their site. 

Here are some of the highlights if you couldn't make it to the class:

When the school year ends, most kids want to use summer vacation for playtime and forget about “learning” for a while.  But learning doesn’t need to be about sitting still, reading books and doing homework – interacting in the kitchen can make learning FEEL like playtime.

“We use cooking as a teaching opportunity in many aspects,” acknowledged Stacie, The Divine Miss Mommy.

Ways to incorporate learning into fun kitchen time:

Practice reading and comprehension: Ask your child to read the recipe and help you follow it to prepare the dish.

Practice math skills: All recipes use basic math like counting, measuring and following step-by-step instructions.

“I love teaching my daughter about measuring since they are covering that in school. It kind of sticks in your head easier when you understand 1/4 or 1/2 cup, etc,” said Tammy, Tammy’s Two Cents.

“Even my 2-year-old can work on her counting! ‘We need 2 cups of flour...’” added Jessie, Vanderbilt Wife.

Kids can start helping in the kitchen from a very young age – it’s just about assigning age-appropriate tasks.

Toddlers can help by snapping green beans in half, tearing up lettuce or helping you mix batter by hand. Grade-school kids can begin measuring dry and liquid ingredients, cracking eggs, juicing lemons, etc. Work out a progression of skills in the kitchen as your children grow.

“Fruit kabobs, veggie kabobs are great for little hands to assemble, or a good teriyaki chicken kabob can be assembled by the older kids,” noted Vanessa, The Sew*er, The Caker, The Copycat-Maker.

“My toddler loves dumping things into a mixing bowl (coordination!), counting, stirring, placing items (like on a pizza),” suggested Jessica, Vanderbilt Wife.

Jenna, A Mom’s Balancing Act, added, “My 3 year old loves helping wash the vegetables.”

And rounding out the toddler skill set, “When my youngest was two, she could set the table, hand us utensils and we even let her stir. She loved it!” said Stacie, The Divine Miss Mommy.

Going beyond quality time and healthier eating, there are a whole host of benefits to cooking with your kids, and you can find many of them in this article from Web MD: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/cooking-with-your-children

Additional tips for cooking with kids (shared by Jessica, Vanderbilt Wife): http://onceamonthmom.com/top-ten-tuesday-cooking-with-kids/

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I would definitely encourage you to attend one of the cooking classes at The Motherhood if you're ever able. I always enjoy chatting about food, everyone gives great suggestions, and the sponsors chip up some fun prizes! There aren't any scheduled right now that I can tell, but keep a lookout.

The Motherhood chat was sponsored by ConAgra, and I was compensated for my time.
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Why I Don't Want to Cook Dinner Anymore

If you're visiting from a search engine and need some simple recipes because you really don't want to cook, may I suggest the following?

• Feta Pasta with Bacon
• Balsamic Chicken and Tortellini
• Tater Tot Casserole

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It seems that over the last few weeks, I've lost my knack for cooking.

Everything burns: fried rice, chicken, bread, vegetables. Scrambled eggs have too much milk. Pancakes cannot be flipped correctly. Breads don't rise. Potatoes don't brown. I forget to make side dishes. Recipes that sound delicious flop. I set the smoke detector off 5 days out of 7. I wish I were joking.

Something that was once a joy has become worse than a chore; it's a feeling of letting down my family each and every night. It's embarrassment over that beeping noise again and smoke filling the kitchen again.

I consider myself a decent cook, or at least one who can usually look at a recipe and decipher whether or not it will be good. It's so disheartening to bring fork to mouth and taste disappointment once more.

Perhaps it's something to point me back to my beginnings as a cook, or maybe just a sign that we should be eating more raw foods. I now know what my friends mean when they say they can't make pasta without burning it. And I don't like it one bit.

One more cooking disaster and I'm afraid our menu plan will be ramen noodles, every night.

At least that would be cheap.

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I'm planning to spend this weekend off the computer and concentrating instead on the holy sacrifice of Jesus. Have a wonderful Easter weekend.

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Whole Foods in a Hurry: The Grand Finale

Last Saturday, I cooked my entire Whole Foods in a Hurry menu. Without a partner, except for my husband who pitched in when Libbie was asleep. (He watched her the rest of the day--that is definitely helping as well!)

We've already started eating through many of the meals. Some have been great; some I'm disappointed with. I think that's the case in any big cooking project--not everything is going to be an A+. I thought I'd do a recap of each recipe with notes on taste if we've had it already. Hope this helps!

But first, here's me about an hour in. Scary, aren't I?

Apricot Breakfast Bars: I think I actually only used half the butter I was supposed to. Oops. But they are still amazingly delicious. I will be repeating this recipe for a long time!

 

Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake: I haven't defrosted one of these yet, but I've had them from frozen before and they were great. Can't wait to dig into one soon! As I mentioned in the video, the batter is super-duper thick. That is normal and what makes it so tasty! I mixed in the berries with my hands to make sure it was really incorporated, and then pressed it into the pans with my hands as well. I made one blueberry and one mixed berry (both with frozen berries). (Picture is on the way into the oven.)

Christmas Eggs: My husband made these. Please scrub your egg pan out immediately if you don't want to do battle with it later. :) Libbie and I had them for breakfast, and sadly being frozen made the eggs a funny texture and very watery. While I would make the recipe again, I don't know if I would freeze it. Oh well!

Sloppy Joes: No notes here. Tasted good upon sampling! 

Make-Ahead Wraps: I was frightened by how watery the rice still was when it was done, but when I let it sit and cool it thickened considerably, and--like the author said--once I mixed it all together it was a perfect consistency. Sadly these are REALLY spicy for me. My husband loves them, of course. I am super sensitive to spicy foods and if I made them again I would make them without the cayenne pepper. But live and learn! [Also note that the author said to use a package of Southwest seasoning. I used a recipe for Emeril's Southwest Seasoning to try to keep it more 'Whole Foods.' So her seasoning may not have been as spicy.]

Pizza Pockets: The longer the dough sat, the easier it was to work with. I LOVE the flavor of the flaky dough and the pockets are delicious! Love that they can go straight from frozen into the oven for a quick lunch. They probably did take the most time, though, with the assembly factor. Also a learning curve! It took me a while to get them so the filling didn't all spill out.

Baked Chicken Burgers: The easiest of easy! I forgot to add the onion when freezing, so I just sprinkled in some dried minced onion before I mixed in the mayo to cook them. They were absolutely divine on these homemade buns.

Before we get into dinners, want to see how I looked 4.5 hours into the cooking?

Gnocchi with Sausage and Swiss Chard (Rachael Ray 365):  While this is a recipe we love normally, it wasn't great for the freezer. The red chard dyed the whole thing red, it leaked through my freezer bags upon defrosting, and the long sitting time made it more spicy (not a good thing for me!). AND I made 4 servings. Hm. Also, I paid $3.99/bunch for my red Swiss chard--yikes! If you used spinach or another green instead, I wouldn't blame you!

Taco Bake: While we haven't tried one from the freezer yet, I know this is a recipe I really like and I've been assured it freezes well.

Italian Cream Cheese Chicken Casserole: As I mentioned in my menu plan this week, I was a little disappointed on how this froze. I tasted the sauce before freezing and it was so delicious and creamy. Sadly, when it defrosted and cooked it lost a lot of the creaminess. Maybe adding some cream or milk and stirring before heating it in the oven would help. The flavor was still nice.

Sweet Aromatic Chicken: All kinds of yum. The easiest dump recipe ever, and super duper exquisitely tasty. I don't know if the fact we used free-range chicken made a difference or not, but the chicken just fell right off the bone and we gobbled it right up.

Tuscan Lemon Chicken: Haven't tried this one yet, but I love lemon and garlic and am looking forward to it!

Pulled Pork with Lexington Red Sauce: I made the mistake of using a picnic roast instead of a Boston Butt, and it didn't fall off the bone like it usually does. Still got a good bit shredded and sauced and hoping it's still delicious!

Unstuffed Cabbage: We had the most trouble with this recipe. I think I've amended the directions enough that you shouldn't have the same problems. I hope! I did find it rather bland when I tasted it so add some extra salt or some other spice you like. Libbie and I are trying it tomorrow night and I'll let you know how it goes.

Tilapia and Pepper Packets: Easy to assemble. Again, I wish I had left out the cayenne pepper because I didn't like the spicy flavor mixed in with the other tastes. We used frozen flounder and it worked well.

So there you go. It's definitely been a wild ride and I have much more appreciation for what Tricia does each month! It was a ton of work, but I am SO GLAD to have my freezer stocked with meals. It's already made a huge difference in that busy time of evening. We're able to really enjoy each other's company once Mr. V gets home rather than me battling Libbie out of the kitchen and trying to get everyone fed before her bedtime.


Have you tried any of these recipes yet? Would love to hear your experience!

If you've missed any of the posts in this series, they're all labeled as Whole Foods in a Hurry. <-- click there!

Added to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

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Whole Foods in a Hurry: Week 4--Reflections and Instructions

Oy vey! I just added up all the groceries I bought for this challenge. I knew it would be higher than doing a "normal" OAMC and my goal was to keep it under $200. I did, at $184.14 (this does not include items I already had on hand).

So that's good, right? Well, except that I didn't buy all grass-fed or free-range meats, organic dairy or veggies, etc. My chicken thighs, as mentioned, were organic; my beef was the Publix GreenWise ground chuck, which is raised without hormones or antibiotics and is organic. I did buy organic ketchup since regular ketchup has HFCS and other icky stuff, and I bought cage-free eggs (but at Wal-Mart, and honestly I don't really trust their brand).

The rest of the chicken, the pork, the vegetables--none of it was "up to par" in what many would call "whole foods."

But you know what? It's still a big leap for me, and I'm working my way across the ravine. Using all whole grains, very few canned items, no HFCS, no soy--it's definitely a vast improvement! And I'll keep working until I can get to a place of being able to store that half a cow in a freezer and have beef for $3/pound. As it warms up, I'm excited to scavenge the farmer's market and seek out some local farms for real cage-free chickens and eggs.

I hope some of you are planning on cooking this great menu! I've already done some taste-testing and I'm excited about digging into the rest of the items in my freezer. It's VERY stocked!

Here are the recipes modified for your Big Day and here are the instructions. Here is the grocery list if you need that, too!

Next week, I'll share with you how my Big Cooking Day went--including vlogs of me (with icky hair...in t-shirt...no make-up...and exhausted! Aren't you lucky?).

Missed a week? Here's the Why, the Menu, and the Budgeting.

The time for submitting your freezer menus to Once a Month Mom is up, but you can still compete in the Cook-Off if you want to win some awesome prizes! Tricia revealed the three top menus we chose on Friday, and you can vote on which one you want to be the March menu every day at Once a Month Mom.

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Whole Foods in a Hurry: Week 3--Budgeting

Disclaimer: This post included Amazon affiliate links. 

Although I've collected a few items from my grocery list here and there (whole wheat gnocchi from Amazon, canned beans from Aldi), spending the amount of money needed for cooking a whole months of whole foods has scared me and thus I've avoided doing much shopping.

The last (and only) time I did once-a-month cooking, Meredith did all the shopping and I wrote her a check. Have I mentioned that I love her? It was easy-peasy. So far on this adventure, it's all me. No partner. Eeek. 

There aren't a whole lot of coupons out there for organics and the kind of foods I'm trying to find: whole fruit and vegetables, hormone-free meat, and so forth. (They DO exist. Here's a great article on finding them.) And since I'm fairly new at this whole foods endeavor, I just don't know what the cost will be.

So I went on an informational trip to our local health-food store, Greenlife, Monday afternoon. I wanted to investigate prices on meat, dairy products, and bulk items.

I was very happy to find bone-in chicken thighs for $1.99/lb. I bought eight for the Sweet Aromatic Chicken, which for us will make two dinners.* I skinned them and trimmed some fat off before separating them into Ziploc gallon freezer bags and going ahead and freezing them. On my cooking day, I won't let them thaw; I will just mix the other ingredients and dump them on top of the chicken in the bags.

The least expensive ground beef I could find was $5.99/lb. It is, however, grass-fed and local beef, which made me happy. I am going to try it out this week for the Cheddar Ranch Burgers and see how I like it as compared to conventional. I am still undecided on whether I will buy this beef or the hormone-free GreenWise beef from Publix.

The one thing that I was thrilled to find was sucanat for $1.79/lb in the bulk bins. Sucanat is non-refined cane sugar and often touted by Heavenly Homemakers, Jo-Lynne, and Naturally Knocked Up. While no sugar is good or especially nutritious, sucanat is at least not refined. The only place I had ever seen it was on Amazon, where you have to buy 12 pounds for $42.46, making it $3.54/lb. Buying less than a pound for a little more than a dollar and a half made me much less intimidated to try it out!

I am still working things out monetarily. I am hoping to spend less than $200, since our budget for grocery and household items is $240/month. I do fiercely believe, though, that eating a whole foods diet will decrease doctor bills and prevent disease, so I am willing to trade other "wants" for this "need." We'll see what it all works out to and I'll be sure to tell you! I am still positive it will be less than cooking this type of food week-to-week.

It does make me wish for a chest or extra freezer to store a half cow in, as many people have. One reader told me buying it this way she has a whole freezer of beef for $3/lb--all cuts, grass-fed. Unfortunately I have absolutely no where to put an extra freezer right now and so we will make do with what we have!

Stay tuned next week for the recipe documents and instruction list! (EEEEK!)

Did you miss a week? Here's Part 1: Why? and Part 2: The Menu.

The time for submitting your freezer menus to Once a Month Mom is up, but you can still compete in the Cook-Off if you want to win some awesome prizes!

*The recipe calls for 8 thighs for one batch. We will be quadrupling this base recipe because in my mind 8 thighs feed 4 people. Since we only have two adults in our house, though, I just did 4 thighs per recipe for us.

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Sweet Valentine's Menu

I got such wonderful feedback when I did a complete Christmas dinner menu that I thought I would throw together a great Valentine's Menu for you.  If you've been reading me for a long time, you might recall that I don't really like Valentine's Day. But I do like having an excuse to cook an exquisite meal for my honey. (And I really like making up menus, in case you couldn't tell!)

Appetizer: Crawfish (or Crab) Fondue, Tasty Kitchen


Bread: Olive Oil Cakes with Lemon and Thyme, The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Entree: Roasted Garlic Chicken, Simply Recipes (although making a really good steak is always a man-pleaser in my house!)

Sides: Asiago Sweet Potatoes, Fresh 365; Roasted Vegetables, Home Ec 101

Dessert: Brownie Pudding, Ina Garten*

Here's a printable grocery list for the menu to make it as easy for you as possible. You DO have to do the cooking, though. Enjoy!

*I saw Ina make this recipe on Barefoot Contessa yesterday. It's what I want and I ain't budging. But if you're not all about eating something full of chocolate and butter (huh??), there are plenty of other dessert recipes here and here.

Photo used with permission of Flickr Creative Commons license. Click on picture to see it on Flickr.



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Whole Foods in a Hurry: Week 2--The Menu

Tricia's done such a good job outlining how to make a once-a-month-cooking menu there's no way I need to repeat her here! I used many of her steps in creating my Whole Foods in a Hurry Menu.

Here's what I took into consideration, though, that she doesn't: I wanted as much as possible to be fresh and unprocessed. No cream of mushroom soup. No canned crescent rolls or jarred pasta sauces. (Not that Tricia uses a ton of recipes with these. Many of her menu recipes are whole-food happy!)

Once I got into it, I found the hardest part was picking meals that would not be too labor-intensive on your Big Day for cooking. I wanted to bake too many things. Have too many pots on the stove.

So you will probably notice there is a lot of ground beef and chicken in this menu. That's for two reasons: it's just easier to brown a LOT of ground beef at one time and split it up, and those are things that most people like. Like I mentioned before, I probably won't be using grass-fed beef or free-range chicken unless I can find a great deal on it. But you're welcome to do so!

So without further ado, here's the menu I'll be cooking at the end of the month! And I hope you'll be right in there with me, cooking up a storm.

Breakfasts:
Apricot Breakfast Bars
Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake (Blueberry or Raspberry)
Christmas Eggs

Lunches:
Sloppy Joes
Make-Ahead Wraps
Pizza Pockets
Baked Chicken Burgers

Dinners:
Gnocchi with Sausage and Swiss Chard (Rachael Ray 365)
Taco Bake
Italian Cream Cheese Chicken Casserole
Sweet Aromatic Chicken
Tuscan Lemon Chicken
Pork BBQ with Lexington Red Sauce
Unstuffed Cabbage
Tilapia and Pepper Packets

Some of these recipes will have slight adjustments for ease in the kitchen, but that gives you the basic idea! And if you want to start shopping, here's the grocery list I've compiled. Which is hopefully correct ...

Remember that you only have until Monday, February 15 to submit your own menu in the Once a Month Mom & DOLE Frozen Menu Contest for a chance to win $250 cash and some great prizes!

Stay tuned next week for how I'm going to budget this ... dun-dun-duh!!

For the first post in the series, see Week 1--Why?

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So, I Met the Pioneer Woman: Part I

Also known as ... the saga of one Tuesday night.

I'd known about the Pioneer Woman book signing at Davis-Kidd, a local bookstore, pretty much since it went on her Road Map. But for some reason, I just didn't think I would go. I'm on my own with Libbie, it's just too hard, I'm not a book signing kind of girl really. Even though I am a HUGE fan of hers, I am not like a stalking kind of person who would go ga-ga over having a cookbook with her signature in it.

And then the Tuesday of the signing came. About 3:30 in the afternoon, I started to panic about it. Would I regret not going? Was I insane? What if I missed her singing Ethel Merman? I sent a few panicky e-mails to Mary, my sweet bloggy friend, who had seen PW in Kansas City. We even exchanged our very first phone call where she assured me yes, it was worth it, and PW would not care if Libbie was whiny and insane.

So make a long and sad story slightly shorter, I got drenched picking up Libbie from her babysitter's house as it was absolutely pouring sheets of rain. I was (stupidly) wearing suede shoes and just ruined them. By the time I managed to get Libbie, the stroller, a now-defunct umbrella, the diaper bag, my purse, and myself into the door of Davis-Kidd, I was soaked to the bone and knew if I were going to make it a few hours I needed some dry clothes.

First on the agenda was getting the cookbook and ticket for the signing. I was in group 13, whatever that meant. Then I hopped over to Macy's and bought a sweater and pants and to Dillard's for my very first pair of Crocs (because no matter how comfortable they were, I couldn't shell out $130 for these divine Josef Siebel shoes). And to prove myself as Worst Mother of the Year, I fed Libbie an Auntie Anne pretzel and headed back to the bookstore.

Where there were now officially a gazillion people.

Picture courtesy of Karen at Our Crazy Blessed Life

To be continued …

Pantry List, Part Deux

This is what my pantry looked like when we moved in, July 2006. Oh how times have changed.

Way back in June 2008, I posted this list of everything in our food receptacles (pantry, freezer, fridge). I wanted help making meals of what I had.

However, being that the only people who read the blog at the time were a handful of relatives and friends, I didn't get a lot of suggestions. In fact, I only got one suggestion (thanks Kelly!).

So here, I'm going to try it again. With the whole moving-in-about-a-week thing, I'm eager to use up as much of what we have as possible. I'd love to have your suggestions on how to go about that! Obviously I'm very low on fresh things and am willing to make a small grocery trip if it will help use up what is there!

PANTRY

Baking staples
oats
whole wheat flour
white flour
coconut oil
quick grits
peanut butter
panko
powdered sugar
1 package onion soup mix
1 package vegetable soup mix
sugar cookie mix
self-rising cornmeal mix
sunflower seeds
honey
1 can evaporated milk
1 package tomato/basil/garlic marinade
normal assortment of cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, etc.
every kind of vinegar you can think of!

Starches
instant mashed potatoes
1 lb. farfalle pasta
1/2 c. cheese tortellini
instant/boil-in-bag brown rice
jasmine rice
whole wheat couscous
1 box Rice Krispies
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
TJ's 12-grain crackers

Canned
1 can cream of celery
1 can cream of mushroom with garlic
1 pouch tuna

FRIDGE

Condiments
ketchup
mustard--regular, dijon, grainy
oyster sauce
Worcestershire sauce
pickle relish and dill slices
strawberry jam
tomato paste
A1 sauce
A1 marinade
BBQ sauce
teriyaki sauce
soy sauce
maple syrup
Ceasar, Italian, 3 cheese Ranch, and Asian sesame salad dressings
Tabasco

Staples
milk
orange juice
half and half
butter
garlic
chicken stock (homemade)
natural peanut butter
bread dough--enough to make 2 loaves or equivalent rolls

Other
garlic hummus
English muffins
hamburger buns

FREEZER

Meat
Island Pork Roast - I think we'll have this tomorrow
1 package chicken thighs
turkey lunchmeat
chicken and apple sausage
sun-dried tomato chicken sausage

Prepared
3 Hot Pockets
2 servings spaghetti with meat sauce

Other
walnuts
whole pecans
1/4 c. pecan pieces
bulgur
TJ Harvest Grains mix
chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
diced hashbrowns
chopped bok choy
shredded Parmesan cheese
strawberry buttercream (hmm, been in there since about April, perhaps I should throw out!)
butter beans
1 banana


I'm sure this is overwhelming, but if you're into this kind of thing, go to town! What should I make with all this mess?

Freezer Cooking Day, A Little Late

For several months in a row, I've watched Twitter overflow with tales of Baking/Freezer Cooking/Once a Month Cooking day (#oamc). Jealously I seethed as I sat at my computer desk, unable to participate because of this inconvenient thing I call working outside the home full time.

It dawned on me, however, that I don't have to do it that day to participate. No, I don't get to live Twitter and blog with the other participants, but it doesn't mean I can't stock my freezer a little!

This afternoon, I made out a list of meals that should last us until Christmas, given that Mr. V is not coming home next weekend so mostly it will be me and the baby. I mainly surveyed the pantry, freezer, and fridge and went from there.

Here is my menu plan until Christmas:

Hamburgers, French Fries, Baby Carrots

Mettwurst [similar to kielbasa, found on clearance and froze] on Buns with Peppers and Onions, Sweet Potatoes, Beans

Spaghetti with Butter, Bacon, and Parmesan

Baked Pineapple, Sausage, Eggs, Hashbrowns

Islander Pork Roast (already in freezer), Rice, Bok Choy

Grilled Cheese, Soup

Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese Casserole (henceforth known as CBCC)

Pancakes, Eggs, Grits, Sausage

I also needed to make some treats to take into the office. So here's how it went.

Wednesday night, I made Toddler French Toast Sticks for Libbie (which she loves. But that doesn't mean anything, since two weeks ago she loved these muffins and now she won't touch one). That took about an hour. (Note: grease your pan really well, mine stuck badly.)



Then today (Saturday), I spent an hour and a half in the kitchen and did the following:

--Made a double batch of Rice Krispie Treats
--While the butter melted for those, cut up green peppers and onions and put them in a freezer bag for the Mettwurst Sandwiches
--While the marshmallows melted, partially cooked the broccoli for CBCC in the microwave
--Cooked the chicken in a skillet with olive oil and set aside to cool (for CBCC)
--Cut up and cooked bacon in the same skillet for Spaghetti
--chopped bok choy and froze
--Made bread crumbs and cream sauce for CBCC and put the dish together
--Mixed group beef with Worcestershire sauce, shaped into patties, and froze
--Dipped/spread Rice Krispie Treats with melted chocolate



While this won't be everything needed for the month, I think it's a good deal of work for an hour and a half! And I'm having to have a delicious treat to share with my work team in lieu of presents.

I'd also like to make pancakes, sugar cookies, and peanut butter cookies either tonight or tomorrow.

Linked to Baking Day and Menu Plan Monday.

Family Recipe Fridays: Beef Stew

I've posted this recipe before, but since most of you probably haven't found it out there in the VW archives, I thought it needed a second take here for Family Recipe Fridays. With the nippy weather this week, I'm definitely itching to make stews and soups.

This is our very favorite beef stew in the whole world. The first time I made it, scoured from the pages of my Stuffed Cougar cookbook, Mr. V declared it was "better than his mama's." Have you ever met a Southern man? THAT IS THE ULTIMATE COMPLIMENT!

The simple ingredients meld together for ultimate yumminess. Try it! I don't think you'll be disappointed. And let me know if you do! Also, my friend Meredith made this after I posted the recipe originally. She subbed tomato juice for the wine and she said it was still great. A little mix of red wine vinegar and beef broth would also work.


Little League Stew
adapted from The Stuffed Cougar

1 lb. stew beef, cut into small pieces
4 potatoes
4 carrots
1 onion
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 c. red wine
salt and pepper

Peel potatoes (if needed) and dice potatoes, carrots, and onions. Mix all ingredients together. Either cook in a slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours or in a 300 degree oven for 4 hours.

Serve with a crusty bread or grilled cheese. Be all warm and tingly inside.

Heaven and Fall in One Little Cookie

When my husband and I were dating, he introduced me to this, his favoritest cookie in the whole world. And my Mr. V, he is a COOKIE MONSTER. So saying it is his favorite is no small thing.

These cookies scream of Fall and I can't wait to make my first batch soon.

Pumpkin Cookies

makes about 3 dozen cookies

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shortening or butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Sift the first five ingredients together (flour through salt).

In a separate bowl, cream sugar and shortening. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Beat well.

Add dry ingredients all at once and stir gently to form a smooth batter.

Drop by teaspoonful on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 350.

Frosting:
3 T butter
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla

Combine butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil slowly and let boil for two minutes, stirring constantly. Cool completely.

After cool, stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.

One and a half recipes of frosting will ice two recipes of the cookies.

(Ice the cookies once they are slightly cool. Don't put away until icing is well set.)

Family Recipe Friday posts:
Yellow Squash Casserole at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
Smoky BBQ Brisket at Cozy Kitchen by the Sea
Creamy Cabbage at The MawMaw



Recipe submitted to Share Your Life at Kelly's Korner, What Did You Bake Today?, and It's a Blog Party.

My Attempt at Being the Pioneer Woman

... and also at healthy-ing up a dish, somewhat.

Poppy Seed Chicken is a Southern favorite. But it's usually made with sour cream AND cream of chicken soup. Add a whole sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers to the mix and you have your fat for the day in a small dish.

I was feeling creative Saturday night but didn't have much in terms of food to work with except a package of chicken breasts. So I decided to put my own spin on Poppy Seed Chicken and see how it worked out.

I only cooked mine for 30 minutes, which was a mistake. The sauce needed to thicken up more and the chicken needed to cook through slightly more, I think. It was pretty done but not quite as done as I like my poultry.

Without further ado, here is my Pioneer Woman-esque recipe. [For any of you who don't know what that means, it's just that it has step-by-step pictures.]

Poppy Seed Chicken with Havarti
a Vanderbilt Wife original

In a large saucepan, melt three tablespoons of butter.



When the butter is completely melted, whisk in three tablespoons of flour (I used whole wheat). Whisk continually for about a minute.



Whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk. Continue whisking until your sauce thickens. This took about 5 minutes for me on medium-high heat. You want to be able to have your sauce coat a wooden spoon, like this:



Sprinkle in a little salt and freshly ground pepper and about two teaspoons of chicken base or boullion. Then remove the pot from the heat. Chop up three boneless, skinless chicken breasts and about 3 ounces of Havarti cheese (if you are too lazy to find your cheese grater, dicing the cheese is fine).



Stir the cheese and chicken into your sauce. Add 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds. (I only had about half a tablespoon on hand, so my sauce was not very poppy seed-y.)


(oops. blurry sauce. sorry!)

Stir until the cheese is all melted and incorporated into the sauce. Fold in 1/3 cup plain yogurt. Pour the mixture into a medium-size casserole dish (about a 2qt or an 8x8 cake pan).

Next, you need some bread crumbs. I usually have a canister on hand, but I didn't for this, so I made my own for the VERY FIRST TIME EVER. Then when I went to buy some today, I looked at the list of ingredients on the can of bread crumbs and just about died. It's bread! Crumbed! How can there be corn syrup and red #67 in it? Decided from now on I'll just make my own. I used half a hamburger bun from the freezer and it worked fine. Just processed it in my mini chopper.



Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the casserole (this is probably about 1/3 cup). Dot with butter so the crumbs will get nice and golden. (About another 1 1/2 T of butter, cut into very small pieces.)

Pop it in a 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or until bubbly in the middle. Serve over rice or egg noodles, something to sop up all the yummy sauce.




And the simplified version.

Poppy Seed Chicken with Havarti

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 oz. Havarti cheese, diced or shredded (could substitute Swiss if you can't find Havarti at a good price)
4 1/2 T butter, divided
3 T flour
1 1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. chicken base or boullion
salt and pepper
1 T poppy seeds
1/3 c. plain yogurt
1/3 c. soft bread crumbs

Melt 3 T butter. Whisk in 3 T flour. Whisk for one minute or until bubbly. Whisk in milk; stir continuously for 5 minutes or until thickened. Add salt, pepper, and boullion. Remove from heat.

Stir in chicken, cheese, and poppy seeds. Keep stirring until cheese is all melted. Fold in yogurt. Pour into a casserole dish.

Top with bread crumbs; dot with butter. Cook at 350 for 40-50 minutes. Serve over rice or noodles.

Joyfully submitted to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, and Friday Feasts.

Visit Kitchen Stewardship for more Un-Processed Foods Recipes as part of the October Fest Carnival of Super Foods. Next week’s theme: “Healthy Fats.”

Menu Plan Monday

I've felt very off-centered the last few weeks without my trusty menu plan to guide me along. Mostly, I've cooked if I felt like it. That's not the best plan for our health or finances, and not good now that Libbie is eating mostly table foods. (If eating is the right word there. Mostly she puts stuff in her mouth, sucks on it, and spits it out. Sigh.)

So I actually went to the trouble of writing up a menu plan for this week. It helps that Mr. V will be here for all but three nights (I think...might have to make him take it with him tomorrow [Monday]).

Happy Labor Day to you, and here's some lovely recipes to entrance your tastebuds tonight.

Monday: Pork Steaks with Sweet Potatoes, rolls (using Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day)
Tuesday: Baked Polenta with Sausage (definitely only a half recipe and adjusting recipe slightly)
Wednesday: church (taco salad)
Thursday: Italian Meatballs on rolls, veggies (from Betty Crocker Come Home to Dinner cookbook)
Friday: Enchiladas, salad
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Pancakes and eggs

For more delicious menu plans (300+!), visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Family Recipe Fridays: The Best Pizza in the World

My friend Megan came over Tuesday night, and I am officially declaring what we made The Best Pizza in the World. I just had it for lunch today, validating that title. It is ah-mazing.

Pizza is, of course, completely customizable, so it almost seems silly to post a recipe. But this combination is exceptional. Especially for a girl whose hubby would not touch this with a ten-foot pole. Hey, there are some merits to having him away. (NOT worth it, by the way. Miss him terribly.)


The Best Pizza in the World

1 recipe pizza crust--make your own or buy dough somewhere. We used an herb crust from Trader Joe's and I may never go back
Homemade Pesto (recipe follows)
1/4 onion, cut into rings
1 small Japanese eggplant, sliced thin
1 roasted red pepper, diced
10 small grape tomatoes, halved
1 handful spinach leaves
6 slices fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 T freshly grated Parmesan

Grill the onion rings and eggplant after brushing with olive oil until well done (on a grill pan, or you can roast them in the oven).

Roll out dough into a large oval on a pizza stone. Spread pesto over the top to within an inch of the edges. Place onion, eggplant, roasted red pepper, and tomatoes over the sauce. Top with spinach leaves and goat cheese. Lay mozzarella slices evenly over the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake at 425 for about 18 minutes or until the crust is crispy. Enjoy this special treat!

Homemade Pesto

1/2 cup basil leaves
2-3 T minced garlic
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
a handful toasted walnuts or pine nuts
extra virgin olive oil

In a mini-chopper, food processor, or blender, process all ingredients except oil. Stream in some oil, process again. Keep adding oil until the mixture moves freely when you pulse it. (This video does a pretty good job of showing what I mean).

Taste and see how you like it. You can always add more of something to make it to your taste!

Join the carnival! Write a post about a family recipe you have, click on MckLinky and add the PERMALINK to your post, and then click around to visit the other recipes here. What a good start to the weekend! If you don't have a blog, feel free to add your recipe in the comments.