Jan 13, 2011---Days all off, but what's new?

So yesterday officially was curried chicken day, so how did our little eating-in household celebrate? With deep dish pizza, of course!  Apparently I got my days confused, and made the MOST AWESOME deep dish pizza (most awesome mostly because 1) it was my first attempt EVER and 2) it was more than edible;)

I used an iron skillet (which we rarely use---mostly for camping and things on the grill).   It wasn't the lightest meal, so I paired it with some spinach salad and some peaches.

         The End Product......

I will say that I probably won't make this on a school night again, as it was time intensive when my children were being....intense.  It was literally a miracle that dinner was done at 6, and on any other night of the last year I would have just said "whatever" and gotten take-out. But, I'm holding strong! 

I used this recipe (http://www.food.com/recipe/pizzeria-uno-chicago-deep-dish-pizza-205279) except I altered it slightly (due to what I had and recipe recommendations from the feedback).  I used only 3 1/2 cup flour (and I used bread flour), and I didn't use basil, but canned tomatoes with basil already in it, and 

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (mine was salt-free). 

Tonight we're having crock pot curried chicken, as to help with the time in the kitchen at inopportune times.

On a side note, today is Peach Melba Day, so those of you participating, oh Happy Day to you!  

A well-fed Wondermom

Jan 11, 2011---Milk Day continued...Yogurt Promo

The dairy industry wants us to get our calcium!  I love it when I get things for free:)  So, it's a win-win when we get offers for free yogurt!  Got to http://www.yoplait.com/calcium and Yoplait will send you a coupon for a free yogurt!

Happy Milk Day!

Wondermom

Jan 11, 2011---Breakfast Smoothie

So, what do you do when you find berries on sale? Or do you ever venture out to a patch and come back with oodles of berries? Or do you grow your own?  I don't grow my own berries, but a few times of a year I find myself with a plethora of berries so I freeze them.  I started out by just freezing blueberries.  I had grandiose ideas every June to pick blueberries with my darling children and didn't know what to do with the extras after making everything blueberry, so I just froze them.  No cookie sheet and no additional muss or fuss, I just threw them in the freezer (ok, they were still in a bag not loosey goosey traipsing around the freezer).  Then I started freezing other berries and bananas (with the skin).  And now, in the dead of winter, I can have smoothies with berries!  My kids lap them up for the sweet (but healthy) treats they are!

Here's my Oh-So-Simple Smoothie Recipe. It takes 5 mins (or less) and uses one of my favorite love/hate appliances, the blender (the one in the pic is pretty sleek---maybe Santa will bring it to me next Christmas!)

1.  Berries---anything ya got
2.  Bananas
3. 1 container yogurt
4. Water

Prepare berries (wash 'em if you need to) and prepare banana (u n p e a l).  Put berries in blender. Add water.  Put on ice pulse function to chop 'em up a little.  When smooth enough to blend and not kill your blender motor, add banana and yogurt.  Insto presto breakfast o.

Add whole grain english muffin, toasted with peanut butter and banana slices for a yummy and quick, fast, and wholesome breakfast.

(ok, these have some leftover Cool Whip from the Heath Pie dolloped on top).

Jan 11, 2011---Milk Day continued...Milk Promo

So check this out!

http://www.whymilk.com/pouronemore/

Enter to win free milk for a year, and if you don't win, then you get runner-up prize....of a coupon!  I got a coupon for a free half gallon of chocolate milk with any gallon purchase.  No problem!  We drink 4 gallons of milk/week in this house!

Jan 11, 2011---Milk Day

Lap it up, it's Milk day!  Essential with a great plate
of hot chocolate chip cookies, I am going to use milk to soak my shrimp tonight.  As I don't live on the coast, I use this technique to make the shrimp taste fresher.  Soak for an hour before cooking and ...voila!  I'm finding that eating in isn't such a chore when I cook mah-velous food...and my family doesn't complain!  I cook for a picky crowd sometimes and it's disheartening when I hear growns; it makes me growl!  So enjoy it how you take it, because it does the body good---pass it on!

Wondermom

Jan 10--National Bittersweet Chocolate Day (and other gifts from God)

So, today is bittersweet chocolate day.  In honor of one of God's greatest gifts, I'd like to submit a haiku, for your pleasure.

love my lovely heart

dark chocolaty blissful treat

fill my saddened soul

Beautiful in every which way, just like deep, dark, rich chocolate.  Chocolate truly is a matter of taste.  In this life of ours, there are :the few, and the disturbed, who do not like chocolate, the unfortunate souls who are allergic to chocolate,  those who are distinctly dark chocolate lovers and then there are milk chocolate aficionados.  Like a part of our personality, it is a marker that sticks with us like a tattoo.

If you haven't figured out which chocolate you are, just know that dark chocolate has awesome health benefits (Google flavinoids).

I made this goody for a baby-shower.  It's actually Rice Krispie treats (the bottom layer is peanut-butter, the top is white-chocolate (the fake chocolate) and raspberry).  The bottom layer is covered with a dark-chocolate ganache and the top layer is toped with white and dark chocolate swirls.

So today, whether you curl up with the movie Chocolat, or open a a big old box of Godiva Chocolates, just know that it is a delicious treat...to be shared!

So, which chocolate team do you root for? 

Wondermom

Jan 9---Leftovers on a lazy wintry Sunday

Winter is here...again. Apparantly it never left, but rather it took a siesta. We've been having milder weather here until this morning when we awoke to a dusting on the rooftops of snow. Of course my beautiful children declared it was time to make a snowman (even though there was all of 2 cm of the white stuff).

On that note, I'm going to take cues from Father Winter and eat on the bounty from last night's dinner.

I used beef from Sat night's dinner for half of the meal and chicken for the other half. I basically made the following...also known as my distorted representation of Mexican food.  A few things to note about my cooking. #1 Casserole generally equals some sort of addition of "cream-of" soup.  #2 I'm a lazy cook and want food done quickly as to reduce the crazy-level in my house---so I will do as little as I can as quickly as I can, but of course I expect an awesome product.  I know there is a flaw in my reasoning somewhere.  #3 I also try to use as few ingredients as possible---less to measure, less to prepare, less to buy?!??!;) 

Mexi-Casserole
3/4 bag fresh Spinach
5 cloves garlic (microwave for 30 sec with skin on, remove from microwave, remove skin, and slice in half)
1 1/2 lb chicken
4 tortillas
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 c cheese
cream sauce
1/2 can cream of chicken soup
4 oz brick of cream cheese
1 tsp powdered garlic
1 can milk (i.e. use the cream of chicken soup can....twice)

1.  heat olive oil and garlic in a med-hi skillet
2.  add chicken and brown
3.  when chicken is done, add spinach.  cover skillet with lid and let spinach soften (it's like 1 min)
4.  shred in food processor (or chop with knife )
5.  for sauce stir all until creamy on med-hi heat
6. put two tortillas on the bottom of a 9x11 casserole dish, add 1/2 of chicken/spinach mixture sprinkle cheese, add two more tortillas, more chicken/spinach mixture, more cheese, cover with sauce generously.

For the beef version I actually used a chopped jalapeno, sauteed it, added the beef (it was about 1 1/2 c med-rare/med), warmed the beef in the skillet, added a recipe of the cheese sauce, and about 1 cup rice.  I proceeded to make two layers of casserole.

Ta da.

Wondermom

Jan 8---Project eat-in. How do you stay in?

Marketing experts may know our drivers of why we eat out.  My experience dictates we eat out because of boredom, laziness, a mentality that eating out is cheaper than making the food at home, variety, and for social purposes.  We eat out for convenience.  We get take out for convenience. But is it really more convenient? 

When did making meals become a chore instead of an enjoyable activity?  When we order our food from a billboard, do we not take something away from the sacredness of breaking bread with our families?  And really, does it take longer to prepare a meal than to acquire take-out or drive to a restaurant?  Honestly?  I have quick recipes and a crock pot and I have no excuses left.  I can do this! 

How do you stay in?  And how do you find the drive to overcome all of the internal and external temptations? 

Wondermom.

Jan 8---Happy English Toffee Day (and the adventure known as life

To celebrate English Toffee Day we made Heath Pie (apparantly like they serve at Perkins).  I googled and found the recipe here, but the verdict is still out.  I am wanting something well-set, almost custardy, and am afraid of glop come dinner time.  I did have fun however divulging the deliciousness to my fam; oh, how I love Heath bars!!

I'm also going to entertain the idea of a jalapeno cream cheese sauce for mexi-night!  I've eaten at a chainy (but local chain methinks) restaurant that has a jalapeno cream cheese sauce...and I think they put it in a broiler (or salamander I think they are called), because it comes out delicious and ooey and gooey with a slight brown on the cheese.  Perfection!  I'm also not really one for spicy foods (which might be a problem come hot and spicy food day), but this is tinged with a jalapeno flavor.

Wish me luck!  I'm just trying to keep things new and interesting---I have a while to go (357 days, 11:30:22...not that I'm counting)

Wondermom

Jan 7, 2011--National Tempura Day

Tempura (天ぷら or 天麩羅 tenpura^?), is a Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried. (thanks Wikipedia---why weren't you around when I was in 7th grade writing boring essays? On a sidebar, I wonder if Mr. Wilhelm is still assigning boring essay assignments to slackey 7th grade students.)


I've avoided getting a fry daddy for years, mostly because....well it's a long story.  Here are the Cliff's Notes:  my husband lived with 3 other bachelors in college.  They were about to move, and as the loving girlfriend, I came over and helped clean.  Needless to say----g r o s s.  Also not recommended? Dropping by unannounced only to find that one of the roommates traded out dish soap for dishwasher detergent.  If bubbles are like clouds then their kitchen was like heaven;)


So, no fry daddy for me (oh and the implication that I'd be intentionally cooking in that much grease.)  So happy National Tempura day to those of you who celebrate.  Maybe I'll be brave next year, but tonight we're going to have have some red meat and greek potatoes.

On a semi-sidenote, do you have problems eating in?  How do you overcome this problem?

Wondermom