-
Growing Older in Mom’s Arms
A journey is coming to an end as a new one begins for this mom. Baby Boy *L* is a year old. It is amazing the transition that comes at about this age; from sleep deprived confusion full of unknowns -to- frenzied chaos as I try to stay just one step ahead oh him. So I sit here in this stage of reflection (well… quite honestly I don’t do much sitting lately). I am holding dear what I loved about the baby-boy and now watching him turn into a toddler. Remembering the sleepless nights as I now enjoy the 7AM wake-ups. Cherished are the sleepy cuddles, breastfeeding moments and the ‘drunk-baby’ look as he drifted off to sleep.We…
-
We Are Grilling to Stay Cool!
It is hot, so we decided to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible at dinner time. Avoiding use of the oven will certainly keep the house cooler and keep that electricity bill down a few cents. So, with some fresh green beans picked from the garden (1.5 cups with ends picked off), a yellow onion sliced thin, olive oil, four chicken breasts, some “Sweet Baby Rays” sauce and some herbs (basil, parsley and rosemary) mixed into the sauce I headed out the door to the grill. Deb did make some very nice garlic potatoes on the stove but it was an on and off quickly. The chicken…
-
Eat With Your Family Day
Today is ‘Eat With Your Family Day’. Who knew?! It is interesting the search terms that bring folks into our blog. Most of them are quite applicable, but some make us scratch our head. Last night we had visitor from Lahore, Punjab looking for “eat with your family day 2011”. This peaked my interest, because quite frankly I find dinner time to be the most important time to connect. Apparently this little known date is a day in Singapore: May 27, 2011 is the date to mark on your calendar for Eat With Your Family Day. This annual event encourages organisations and education institutions like kindergarten, schools and tertiary institutes to…
-
Tasty Tuesday Hungarian Chicken
Hungarian food is rich in tradition and paprika! Creamy, red and spicy food that fills the need for a hungry family. Hungarian chicken makes a rich sauce that compliments pasta and vegetables. This meal just asks for time to linger at the table and share the highlights of everyone’s day. The aroma whets the appetite before the table is set! Try this on a cold night served with noodles tossed with butter and crisp croutons. Beautiful!This recipe is revised from the one in the James Beard American CookeryHungarian Chicken3 large skinned chicken breasts1 c flour1 T paprika1 t kosher salt1 t dried parsley1/2 stick butter (4 T)4 T olive oil1…
-
Creamy Pepper Pot Soup – Tasty Tuesday
Magic ingredients can turn a overflow of peppers into a tasty filling lunch that can be cooked up from scratch in 30 minutes. The magic isn’t quite Disney, or David Copperfield, but still transforming from counter top or refrigerator extras to steamy bowl full of goodness! And, this soup is for two, not twenty! Substitutions are allowed and encouraged when making your very own homemade from scratch: as you know where the senses are! Should you have the urge for some extra heat, use hotter peppers. A child sharing that pot with you… mild jalapenos and NO Hungarian Wax peppers are the key. I like to walk the fence… just…
-
Comfort of Cheese Ravioli with Pesto
I love basil. Our garden if still full of the plants. It will take a hard frost to finally have the curtain call shut them down. I dry the leaves, even pick long branches with dark purple flowers for a vase full in the guest bathroom. I use pesto when ever and give it away as a hostess gift in cute jelly jars. Basil and I are friends to the end. Here is another use of pesto that wakes up a cheese ravioli and packs it with a nutty punch. Pasta is a comfort food, and with the awakening of autumn, the coming of the major busy holidays, pasta is…
-
Pan Seared Steak with Horseradish Mashed Spuds
I was never sure about horseradish. It is oh so strong. I like hot peppers, but there really is nothing similar other than a strong taste. I love zippy salad dressings… again the strong taste. Then we were in Nashville and I had an order of fried green tomatoes with a horseradish dip. Whoa! Oh so good! So, I began to experiment with this new taste sensation. Mashed potatoes was the perfect playground. And with potatoes comes steak… my man is a fan!This menu is for two… a beautiful night if you can manage adds so much to the event. 🙂3 large potatoes (I prefer Yukon gold, but any large…
-
Up North Shrimp Gumbo
Creative instincts can be great… can get you into trouble… and open doors, or in this case a pot lid. We lived in all 4 corners of the US (CONUS). We savored some great taste sensations. We learned to like produce, fish, fruits that we not on our plates as children. Some were fantastic and some… we just couldn’t invite back again! Legumes (any sort of dried bean or pea) are just not my friends! And on that no fly list in capital letters, is okra. Tried it, and believe we are incompatible. Both Dale and I can live with that. But then there is gumbo. I love the idea.…
-
Menu-Planning Monday: *E’s* Homefry-Potatoes
I have to admit … I LOVE that my 7 year old loves to help me in the kitchen. Around dinner time I can ask if anyone wants to help me cook and 80% of the time I get a big-resounding “ME!” 5 year old, *C* is just getting into it too but at this point in life *E* is my biggest kitchen-help. Whenever I make potato ‘wedges’ he is very excited, and can do most of the work … therefore they are dubbed “*E*’s Potatoes”. (I basically just do the slicing.) If you are looking for an easy side-dish, for the family or a group, this is an easy one.…
-
Tasty Tuesday: Tarragon Potatoes
Thinking about which spices to plant in your herb garden this year? Stake out a square foot for some French tarragon. You will love the scent, the taste and this recipe. It truly is a favorite and a most requested recipe.Tarragon is a French herb with a horrible second name: “Dragon wort”. Not my first choice of a dinner ingredient. Tarragon is related to wormwood… my goodness it gets worse and worse! 🙂 But… leave the names behind and look at directly at the plant. French tarragon has slender branched stems, similar to rosemary. Because the plant does not have flowers, it cannot be grown from seed, therefore a trip…
