Birthday Bash(es)

The days keep rolling by, and Amy, my friend/houseguest has been here almost a month now. It's been an adventure in keeping house and domesticity. Amy has been so easy to live with and I know being here has been kind of a mix between drinking from a fire hydrant and having cold water thrown on you first thing in the morning. Life with three little ones is busy, and she has taken to it well. Having another woman in the house has been fun for me, although it's meant a lot of talking so by the time I sit down to blog I feel sort of word-less. Hence the lack of posts.

Last week we celebrated Sweet A's birthday- I can hardly believe she is already three years old. Her middle name is Prentiss, after Elizabeth Prentiss, although she still thinks it is "Princess" and plays the role to the hilt. Her transformation from toddler to little lady is a delight to watch! Her family party was last week...pictures below.

Tonight we are having a birthday party for my two sisters-in-law, who also happen to have birthdays on the same day as my daughter. We are doing a Thai dinner, a replica of a Gourmet Club dinner we hosted way back when. Many ethnic recipes are perfect examples of whole food meals, because they don't include the processed foods we have here. I've included the recipes in today's Whole Food Recipe Review (ETA: which may be a Saturday post).

Starting the day with Homestead Creamery Strawberry Milk (all natural, I'm sure...)

Opening some family presents...Playmobil in her own pink box. I think she likes the box more than the toys!
A morning of dress up...my wedding shoes are her favorite accessory

An extended family party, shared with Granddaddy

Our friend, Amy who carries a great toy with her all the time


Off to do some birthday decorating...will post some Thai recipes soon.

Friday Whole Food Recipe Review

Today I have one lone recipe, and no thanks to me because this week was absolutely crazy (but good- I hope to write something else this afternoon with details). It's actually two-three recipes that make up one dish. My good friend, Sarah, sent this my way. I was in a Gourmet Dinner Club with her before we moved so her recommendation carries more weight in my book. Here's what she has to say about it:

Speaking of the food reviews I tried a new More with Less recipe recently that we really liked. It was Creamed Chicken with Corn Bread Dressing, pages 186 and 187 in my edition. I used crumbled whole grain bread in place of croutons in my version. I really like dressing but tend not to make it except for "special" occasions, this one was so easy though and the crunch of the walnuts just put it over the top in my book. It caught my eye 'cause I happened to have half a pan of leftover cornbread and some chicken breasts on hand that day. I think I'll start a little leftover bread bag in the freezer with any bits and pieces of leftover bread we end up with to have on hand for this recipe.

Enjoy!

Whole Food Recipe Review

Creamed Chicken with Corn Bread Dressing
(Original Recipe Source: More with Less Cookbook)

Combine in a saucepan:
About 2 lbs. giblets and bony chicken pieces
1 qt. water
seasonings as desired
Cook 1 hour or until meat is tender. Remove chicken and take meat from bones. Reserve meat and broth.

Dressing:
Combine in a large bowl:
4 cups cornbread, crumbled
1 3/4 cup croutons (see below)

Melt in skillet:
1/4 cup butter
Add:
4 stalks celery
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 cup minced parsley
salt and pepper
Saute until tender and add to bread mixture.

Brown in skillet:
3 oz. pork sausage

Add to bread mixture along with 1 cup of reserved chicken broth. Combine and turn into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with sausage drippings. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Use reserved chicken meat and broth to make Creamed chicken. Serve over dressing.

Creamed Chicken

Heat in skillet or heavy saucepan:
1/4 cup butter or chicken fat skimmed from broth
Add and saute just until soft:
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
Add, stir, and cook until bubbly:
1/4 cup flour
Add:
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk (I'm guessing you could substitute broth for the milk)
salt and pepper to taste
Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened.

Add:
2-3 cups diced cooked chicken
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
Heat through and serve over cornbread dressing.

Croutons
No real recipe here, but I just dice up old bread, drizzle lightly with olive oil, and toss with garlic salt, italian seasonings, or whatever I have on hand. Spread on a baking sheet (cover with parchment paper if you want easy clean-up), and toast in the oven for 10-20 minutes.

Exchanges

I'm sticking with a theme here today. They say life is a series of exchanges and if so, it certainly describes my week. Mostly I've exchanged sleep for throw up, going out for reading books to coughing kids, and relative peace for whining. However, in the spirit of thankfulness, now that it's the end of the week we've exchanged most of that for health. We've exchanged cool days and jackets for hours of sunny play outside. I got a haircut that helped me trade out my unruly-starting-to-get wavy/curly-post-pregnancy hair for a cut that works with those waves. On the table is a consideration to trade our rental and purchase a home to renovate. I exchanged my nap for hours of pouring over old Cottage Living magazines to help me as I drew up some ideas for those renovations. I'd forgotten how much I love those magazines. So, not a lot of "normal" over in our corner of the world, but God is good all the time.

So, for this week's WHOLE FOOD RECIPE REVIEW I have some small offerings in the form of exchanges.

Homemade Baking Powder

This is a great way to avoid the aluminum in traditional baking powder. I was delighted to run across this as a culinary improvement vs. a health benefit, although it serves both purposes. I didn't know that much about cream of tartar before searching the internet but a cursory search didn't pull up any red flags when it comes to health. I did find a lot on the benefits of cream of tartar, but here is some basic wikipedia info for you.

Arrowroot in place of cornstarch

If you are avoiding corn products, this is a good natural substitute for the traditional thickener. Funny- I'm referring to cornstarch as the "traditional thickener" but arrowroot is actually the more traditional choice. Crazy mixed up world we live in.

General list of substitutes

There is a lot of junky stuff on this list that would never qualify as a whole food, but also some useful info...use at your discretion.

The best exchange of the week...remember last week when I mentioned these?

Homemade Mounds Bars and Peanut Butter Cups

I was dubious about a sugar-free chocolate dessert, but they were just as good as everyone suggested! After reading through some of the comments, I decided to make them in mini muffin tins and even that size was a little too much to eat in one sitting. That's what I love about real, quality food: most of the time it is so satisfying you don't need to eat a lot of it. I also made some peanut butter cups by mixing up some real peanut butter with a little coconut oil and honey, and layering the chocolate, pb, and then chocolate. I'm going to make them again today in actual peanut butter cup molds which will provide a smaller size (and the ridged edges so everyone will be fooled). The only other thing I should mention: they are messy!

I'll leave you with these...

trying to make a sick baby happy

trying to play Battleship (it occupies them for a long time, and they have no idea what they are supposed to do)

happy to be outside

growing up too fast

Carb fest

FRIDAY WHOLE FOOD RECIPE REVIEW

Here are a few of my favorite pasta recipes- hope you enjoy them, and the ensuing jog you will need to take afterward.

Spinach Pesto
(Original recipe source: GillianB.)

3 cloves garlic
3 T. walnuts, pine nuts, whatever you have on hand
1 teaspoon (or more) dried basil (fresh is great if you have it, too)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained well (again, fresh equivalent is fine, too)
2 lbs. fettuccine, cooked

Mix garlic, walnuts, basil, cheese, and salt in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add spinach. While motor is running, add olive oil. Serve over hot pasta and mix well Serves 8-10 as a side dish or 4-6 as a main dish.


White Beans w/Tomato, Basil, and Parmesan
(Original recipe source: Christine E.)

1 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups cooked white beans (navy, great northern, cannellini)
1 large tomato, chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
1/4 cup fresh basil or parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. lemon juice
basil leaves (optional garnish)
Fusilli or penne pasta, cooked

In a skillet, heat the oil over low heat. Add the garlic until lightly brown. Stir in beans, tomato, basil, and cook for 7 minutes, or until heated through and tomato has released its juices. Stir in cheese and lemon juice. Serve hot or cold. Garnish with basil if desired. Serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as a side dish.)

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I'm currently putting together the Pioneer Woman's Lasagna, which is my favorite recipe for lasagna with meat. Using a little spicy sausage really adds a kick. We've mostly quit eating pork products unless we can find them nitrate-free. We are able to get sausage from a local source and it's just a little more expensive than standard sausage. I used to get fresh ground, nitrate-free ground sausage from Fresh Market for about $3/lb. When we eat sausage it's typically not massive quantities (a little thrown on a pizza, in a quiche, etc.) so a pound goes a long way. I should note that this lasagna recipe always makes one 9x13 pan and one 8x8 pan. If I try to put the entire recipe in one pan it's WAY too much. But it works out because I have one to eat/serve and one to stash in the freezer for a meal to give away. One other alteration: I don't use sliced mozzarella (it typically has extra ingredients) or canned Parmesan cheese. It has paper (cellulose) in it. Just ask my kids. They will ask, "Is this the cheese that has paper in it?"

I have a good veggie lasagna recipe my Mom used when I was growing up, but my husband enjoys beef so we stick with PW.

And finally, a dessert: Homemade Mounds Candy Bars

I will let you know how they turn out next week. They will be our Sunday dessert but I think I'll make them today just in case I have to resort to Plan B.

Spring Restoration

Our days have been somewhat abnormal this week, as our new houseguest and friend (for the next month) settled in. Learning routines, getting the kids accustomed to having someone else around, and some reorganization of space. I'm not admitting any official Spring Cleaning, but most of our closets and cabinets have undergone some reordering. I dumped a bunch of meds in our bathroom closet after reading this article. We really only use a few things anyway; I had stuff in there I brought into the marriage! Ick. Papers were thrown out, office supplies found a new home, and my longtime spice frustration has seen resolution. I now have rest and peace.

The kids even got into the action, detailing their bikes:


Glass jars sunning in preparation for the Spice Project:


Bulk spices used to find there home here (disgusting, I know):


the others lived here:

Now most of them live here:


Meanwhile, on the Transition the Baby into a Big Bed Way Too Early front, we're finding ourselves creating a timeline (e.g., we can survive Baby T transitioning for about one more week, and then he's in the pack and play for a while). Turns out he's a very restless sleeper. In his crib he could wake up, cry for a few minutes, and put himself back to sleep with no attention from us. Now we wakes up and GETS up. Wanders around crying. Several times a night. And from about 5am on. We're getting desperate. But he does look pretty cute in his big boy bed. And he totally knows he supposed to stay in it, it's just a new freedom too tempting to resist.

Then and now

What a difference a year makes!

The (mild) spice of life

I only have about 15 minutes to type all this out so don't except gourmet. :) We are leaving this afternoon for a weekend with my inlaws; I'm going to have a sewing extravaganza so I need to get packing. Without further ado...

FRIDAY WHOLE FOOD RECIPE REVIEW

We love Mexican food around here (although I've been to Mexico and what I make at home is not Mexican, so I should come up with another name) so this week's recipes are along that theme. All three recipes are quite mild- you'll have to add your own kick in the form of extra spice or hot sauce if you really want the heat.

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
(Original recipe source: Cooking Light)

If you had a chance to make yourself some whole wheat tortillas, you can use them in this recipe. I used beef instead of chicken this week, because that's what I had on hand, but both are good. The brand of salsa verde they recommend is great because it has no preservatives or extra ingredients you don't want. Homemade salsa verde will be nice once everything turns green again (won't be long!). My sister-in-law passed this on to me, and I don't use low-fat products, so I've adjusted the recipe accordingly. You can follow the link if you'd like the original recipe.

1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (7 oz.) bottle salsa verde (such as Herdez brand)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (or beef)
1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese
1 cup chicken broth
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas (or wheat if you like)
1/4 cup (1 oz.) crumbled queso fresco (I used Monterrey jack, and didn't measure, but I'm sure it was more than 1 oz!)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
4 lime wedges
cilantro sprigs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a blender, process until smooth. Combine chicken and cream cheese in a large bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa mixture. Reserve remaining salsa mixture.

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium skillet. Working with one tortilla at a time, add tortilla to pan; cook 20 seconds or until moist, turning once. Remove tortilla, drain on paper towels. (I skipped this step when using my homemade tortillas...they were already pretty soft.) Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of tortilla; roll up. Place tortilla, seam-side down in a greased 11x7 inch baking dish. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, broth, and chicken mixture.

Pour remaining salsa mixture over enchiladas; sprinkle evenly with cheese and chili powder. Bake at 425 degrees for 18 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro garnish. Can be prepared a day ahead and cooked right before serving.

Mexican Rice
(Original recipe source: Allrecipes.com)

1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 cup brown rice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
6 oz. diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups of water (or a little more if you used fresh tomatoes with no extra liquid)

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Sitr in onion and saute. Pour rice in pan- stir to coat grains with oil. Mix all other ingredients in pan. Cover, bring to a boil, then simmer 45 minutes until rice is tender.

Southwestern Dressing
(Original recipe source: Laura S.)

1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon xantham gum (I really don't know the health benefits/risks of this...I didn't use it. Leaving it out just requires you to shake well each time before serving.
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 T. olive oil

Mix all together and serve over a salad of mixed greens, avacado, carrots, black olives...etc. etc. etc.

Here are two other recipes I ran across this week, both of which I'd like to try...
Bacon, Egg, and Avocado salad
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

Is anyone cooking anything new for Easter? Old favorites?

Best April Fool's post I read today

Tutorial: Girl's dress to man's shirt