Like

Well, short of a recipe, we might as well talk food. I have racked up quite a few "likes" lately, so I'll share here:



This yogurt tastes pretty dang heavenly. It is made with whole milk (yay!) and the coconut flavor is...yum! (I can only find at Kroger, however.)

 It's actually a little sweet so I add a couple tablespoons of regular greek whole milk yogurt to bring back the tang.

I admit I eat it for lunch almost every day. 

And I add these yummy little nibbles of fruit and nut for a little crunch. Yum!

I prefer the blueberry, but the strawberry is yummy, too.

When I'm not eating yogurt and crunchy fruit and nut nibblets for lunch I'm eating fresh sprouts.

My oldest son bought me this clever gadget for my birthday.

I can start new sprouts every day and have them just when I want them. So far, I have only grown alfalfa sprouts, because they are my favorite, but I want to try some mung bean for stir fries.

This was my first batch. 

And my favorite way to eat them is on a toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese, out on the deck. With a pickle on the side. Total yum!

I guess I should have titled this post "Yum!"

A busy week for Catholic mamas

The triple whammy of All Hallows' Eve, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day always leaves me needing a vacation. We didn't even do very much, and I still feel wiped out.

Today we enjoyed our Soul Cakes, a day or two late. Definitely better late than ever. How are you recovering on this first November Saturday?

Ask and you shall receive

Some people in this world are just too good. It's as if they are trying to make up for all the bad. Not that it's possible, but their effort is so above and beyond the normal that it makes you wonder if...maybe...

If all the people in the world had just a fraction of the selflessness, we'd be in great shape. As it is, people like that are just bright, shiny gems in our lives.

I have a very dear friend who is going through a hard patch right now. I mentioned her last week. She had a surgery this week, will be having continued treatment for breast cancer, and in the midst of her trials, she did something so kind for someone else. Probably more than once or twice, but I can only say what she did for me.

She started my collection, with a bright shiny green pot.

She's beautiful (the friend and the pot).

And her maiden voyage, per se, was a pot of Wedding Soup, to deliver to the giver.

This pot is from Le Creuset's enamel-on-steel line and I love it. It's so very light compared to those heavy cast iron pots, and it heated up the broth very quickly. It also cleaned up perfectly.

I need to sort through the pots and see which one should go now, but for the moment, she (the pot) is perched up on top of the fridge, just I can gaze upon her lovely greenness.

Hello, again

Imagine me singing Neil Diamond to you. Is that entertaining?

 I haven't talked in a while, so today we'll just have a foodie chat. Ya know, I hate word (foodie) so I won't use it again. But I am not editing today so we are stuck with it for now.

 I am blogging on my Kindle which means typing in the html option. No editing. I love my Kindle for everything except blogging.

 So...let's chat. I decided to go off wheat again.

Not to the degree I did before. If my family wants to go to Skyline for a rare treat, I won't not eat. Or if I am at an event, I don't need to check if there is wheat in my meal. But I don't need it. It's not a nutritious food. If I choose toast for snack, it replaces a more nutritious (and more satisfying in the long run) food. I ate better without wheat.

 I don't intend to bake gluten free. If I want to bake cookies and I really want to eat one, I will. But, I am the kind of person that just needs to cut it entirely to avoid it. Otherwise I am faced with too many choices all day. I over-think everything. Should I have pumpernickel toast for snack or an apple with a few almonds. A biscuit with honey (I have such a weakness) or yogurt and blueberries?

I really didn't miss it once I found some good alternatives. And I had much better food in the house without wheat.

 I am starting after the weekend. There are good meals coming this weekend. On Sunday, my aunt and uncle are coming from Cincinnati and I am making fresh mozarella and a big antipasto (no wheat!), Steak with Pebre Sauce and avocado, crash hot potatoes, roasted veggies and Hot Fudge cake. On Monday, we are celebrating my father-in-law's 75th birthday with Jamie's Wicked Kabobs and Texas Sheet cake with homemade ice cream. My husband's family is filling in the gaps there. I am planning to put 75 candles on the cake! Such fun.

(Sorry not to link to those recipes but I don't have time to write code. You can plug them into my search box in the sidebar and you'll find them all here.).

 On a different note, I told my mom "all I want for Christmas is a pot." I want to replace my cookware (a mishmash of brands) with Le Creuset. Not all at once, it's very expensive. Maybe over five years. I think I like the green. (Sorry again I can't link). I have never had a "set" of cookware. Mostly I use All-Clad, but I have lots of other pieces from other manufacturers. What do you use? Or do you have a mishmash too?

By the way, I figured out how to change my blog title color. It wasn't me at all. Or Blogger for that matter. It was Google Chrome. When I went to the customize options on my Kindle they were all there (on my Kindle I use Dolphin to browse). When I went to my Mac and used Chrome, there are no options to customize my design. Which is absurd because Google does both Chrome and Blogger. Stupid Google.

it works! II

I had every intention of posting this idea last week right after the last one. But these people, called my family, have these expectations that I should cook, clean, launder for them, shuttle them places, and, uh, school them, of all things. I tease because I don't really mind, but it really cuts into blogging time. I often head for the computer, but am sidetracked by someone or something. I feel like Batman and Robin, "Foiled again!"

I saw this idea at the Daily Buzz along with the strawberry idea below. I always knew you could pop popcorn without special gadgetry but didn't know that it was quite this simple. Popcorn and a brown paper bag. That's it. Easy peasy. Even the kids can do it, though there was one burned popcorn incident at 1 a.m. with a particular 19 yo boy (did you know the smell of something burning can wake you from a dead sleep?). Just don't recook the old kernels.

I used a jumbo size brown lunch bag and about 1/3 cup popcorn. As you can see below there was plenty of room left in the bag for more popcorn, but the kids each had their own bag, so 1/3 cup was plenty. We have a popcorn setting on our micro -- I think most do these days -- but if you don't just micro on high until the popping slows down.

We added a tablespoon of melted butter and salt after the popcorn was popped. Shake and serve.

it works!

Here's a question for you (unrelated to the post title): why is it that when I use my oven timer with the oven on, the timer doesn't shut off when I turn the oven off? Don't answer that. I know the answer. It's just a constant source of frustration for me.

Anyway...I saw this great suggestion yesterday on the the Daily Buzz. I just happened to have strawberries planned for dinner last night (to go with Eggs Benedict) and it works! So easy. And for fun you can put a strawberry on the straw for the kids to use in their juice or smoothie. Or even chocolate milk.

Iced fruity green tea

How odd that I should blog about iced tea in the middle of winter. I normally keep my cold hands wrapped around a mug of something super hot and toasty all day long. A few weeks ago, however, I drank my first iced green tea at Panera, with my lunch (it was my first iced green tea ever, not just first one at panera) and I can't get it out of my head. I have since tried two other brands and was disappointed with both -- too acidic for me.

I did a little online research and found out that Panera makes their tea from a mix produced by Republic of Teas and it's not available to purchase. Pft. Republic of Teas sells black tea with papaya and passion fruit, but not green. I like having green, if for no other reason than reduced caffeine.

I found and ordered some Tea Nation Green Tea with Papaya and Passion Fruit and it arrived today. I brewed a double strong cup, added 2 tablespoons of sugar, and poured it over a full glass of ice. It's pretty good. Not quite as good as Panera's but at $2.79 a pop (and NO refills), I think I'll find a way to make it good. It might need some honey, and maybe just a tiny bit of lemon.

Tell me, do you have a favorite item that you'd love to be able to make at home?

NOTE: After trying the Tea Nation a few times, I have decided I don't like it. It has an off taste. I am still on the hunt.

Everyday simple food

This is one of my favorite lunches -- poached eggs on toast. Such a simple pleasure. Good bread is nice but not crucial. Salt and pepper are crucial. That's all -- bread, butter, eggs, salt and pepper. This dish gives me carbs and protein for a little staying power.

One of my favorite breakfasts is cream of wheat made with low fat milk, and topped with a bit of white sugar and cream. I often think I should have fruit and yogurt or a smoothie for breakfast, but when I get up in the morning I want grain. No matter how hard I try I can't talk myself into anything else. Even in the summer I prefer a hot bowl of grain to almost anything else.

What are your simple pleasures? Favorite breakfast and lunch?


PS I so appreciate your comments, but because the pharmaceutical spammers have been out in force I had to turn on moderation, so your comments will show after I release them.

Summer Cookin'

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The change of seasons is always an exciting time for me. The change of seasons means a change in cooking style and available foods. You know how comforting stews and casseroles are to prepare and eat in the winter.  Grilled meats and fresh salads taste just as good in the summer.

In the past few weeks, I've been cooking more summer foods and I've noticed an unfortunate thing...it seems to me that summer foods require more time in the kitchen and I'm trying to figure out why. Maybe it's the meals my family loves to eat in the summer and less about the actual season, but I have noticed that summer foods seem to require more advance prep than winter foods.

While in the fall and winter I might have to start a winter stew or casserole an hour or two before dinner time, I can pretty much throw all my foods in a dish or pot and forget about it until dinner time. But pasta and potato salads require advance preparation to allow for them to be chilled, and grilled meats usually require some sort of early-in-the-day fussing over marinade or rubs.

Today I made a Bacon and Onion Potato salad and some Strawberry Gelato to take to a cookout and I spent quite a bit of time early this afternoon prepping in the kitchen -- not what I wanted to do today.

So my questions to you today are these: what are your favorite summer meals? And do you find that you do more or less meal prep in the summer vs. the winter?

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If you need some alone time...

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...try doing the dishes.

Haha -- that's a funny saying, but it sure is true. Whenever I ask for help with the dishes, my kids, who just moments before may have been bored to tears, always find something to do.

We recently purchased a new dishwasher and I am thoroughly enjoying loading and unloading -- two jobs I admit I never enjoyed before. During the long season of Lent, I was washing every dish, so loading and unloading seems like a breeze now.

At the start of Lent, I had decided that I would try very hard not to make any unnecessary purchases. That was before the dishwasher died, for the umpteenth time. After having repaired the darned thing half a dozen times over the past two years, my husband said he wasn't spending another nickle to fix it. He said, "Buy another." I, however, knew in my heart of hearts, that a new dishwasher is not a "necessary purchase." I can not physically heat the oven or cool the refrigerator, but I can wash a dish. Urg. And wash I did.

For all of Lent I went through the process of cleaning up after meals the way my mother (in her younger days) and my grandmother and their mothers before them -- the methodical process of efficiently rinsing, washing the least dirty items first, and then the messy pots and pans. I actually didn't mind the whole process, but I admit I am enjoying my new dishwasher (a Kitchen Aid Classic Series).

When I was washing the dishes several times a day, however, I did a lot of thinking about dish soap (what else do you think about when you have in sudsy water much of the day?). I always had a favorite dish soap, Palmolive Oxy. But I got a little bored with it and switched around a bit. Unfortunately (or fortunately for Palmolive) I never found another soap that made as many bubbles. It may not be indicative of cleaning power, but I do like a lot of bubbles.

Eventually I went back to the blue Palmolive, but the other day at Target I picked up a bottle of JR Watkins natural dish soap and I'm going to give it a try.

Anyway...the point of this post was just to ask what dish soap do you use? Do you like it for its cleaning ability, its scent, its ecological factors? I admit my college son has me thinking more about what chemicals are in my soaps and that's why I am trying the Watkins. What is important in a dish soap for you?

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Thank you

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Yesterday when I posted that I was considering deleting my food blog, I sincerely thought that I would publish that post, think on it for a few weeks, and then delete it. I never, ever dreamed that there was any one, much less more than one person, who stopped by every day, or at least every time I post.

I told you that when I created this blog I imagined regular chats with a few regular readers. I never had images of becoming a "Pioneer Woman" who regularly gets hundreds of comments on each post, but I did imagine that a few women would become my online friends, and that they would pop in for a recipe and a little "conversation." What happened was that I became a better cook, a more creative cook, and I enjoyed sharing my recipes. What didn't happen was the conversation.

You know what it's like when you talk to your kids and no one responds, and you feel like you're talking to a brick wall? Well, that's what it was like posting recipes. A few folks kindly said, "Hey that looks good," or, "I tried this recipe and my family enjoyed it." And I do really appreciate all those comments. But I was looking for more conversation -- really about anything. "Hey, I love that spice -- do you have any other recipes using it?" or, "I'm in a chicken slump, any ideas?"

When the comments stopped coming almost completely, I had decided that I had veered off the path of interest for you and my blog was just another Google hit for most folks.

Your comments really, really touched my heart. I truly had no idea you were there.

I love that you come to my blog when you're looking for a recipe because you know what I have here is likely to work for you. I love that you like the stories about my family, who likes what, and what was a huge hit at dinner. I love that some of my favorites have become your favorites, too. I just love knowing that you are there, when I didn't know you were.

I don't need to consider this change more than I have in the past 24 hours. Your lovely comments convinced me to keep this blog, and continue writing. It's not too much work, at all (I cook every day anyway!), but it is a labor of love and not one I was willing to labor for just random Google hits. This blog may not be what I imagined -- lovely conversations with friends of the heart, but God often takes us down the paths we least imagined. Maybe my path is not that of lovely conversation across the Internet miles, although I will still be hoping for that lovely conversation.

You see, to me, blogging is not about quality, but quantity. I would rather touch base with five online friends in a day than to read 30 fabulous blog posts. To me, popping into someone's blog is like popping over to visit them at home. I like to read each post with interest and linger over each "conversation." That's obviously not what blogging is for every one -- I certainly understand that. We're all very busy in this day, and lingering is not always possible, especially at a food blog. Sometimes you just need to pop in and get that recipe you saw a few weeks ago.

But, I do hope that you'll bring your hot cup over to the computer once in a while, and stay, and chat.  I want to know about you, what your family likes, what you like to cook. I do so want to be your friend, please know that.


PS I don't use Google Reader myself, so that's another reason why I had no idea you were there -- if you didn't show up on my Traffic Feed, I never imagined you were any where else. ;-)

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Under consideration

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When I started this food blog I had thoughts of sharing all of my favorite recipes, becoming more creative in the kitchen and sharing my successes, and exchanging thoughts with a gathering of like-minded women -- sort of like hanging out at the clothesline and yakking about what we all made for dinner last night.

I have shared many favorite recipes, and I have become much more creative in the kitchen, which is really a good thing. What I have not done, however, is made very many online friends here. In fact, if I have any regular followers at all (other than my dear Georgia peach Sara) I really have no idea who they might be.

As a result, I am seriously thinking of closing this blog. I can find recipes online without it, and I can create in the kitchen by myself. The blog is really only helpful for sharing, and from my stats, it looks like I'm just another stop on the Internet railway. I'm glad people find me when they are looking for a Cheryl's Sugar Cookie recipe, or a recipe for Caramel Puff corn. But those folks don't want to stop and chat, and that's really what it was all about.

I  plan to think about it for another week or so, but after that, this blog might just disappear.



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Yogurt Maker

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It's been a little over a year ago that I learned I could make my own yogurt. I love homemade yogurt, love knowing that there is nothing in it but pure milk and yogurt cultures, but I admit I am not always successful in making my own. The last couple of times I made it -- it's been a few months -- it was a flop. I suspect it was my heating pad that was causing problems. I noticed when I was using it for an injury that it would alternately get very hot and very cool, and I'm sure the fluctuations in temperature were not good for growing yogurt.

After a few months of alternately not eating yogurt and then eating sub-par grocery store yogurt, I finally decided to buy a yogurt maker.

 

I have made two batches so far and am very happy with it. I like the glass jars, and I like not wasting so much plastic. And as silly as it sounds, I like being able to watch my yogurt while it grows. That was a problem with me and the hot pad -- I couldn't peek! 

I strained half of the first batch for Greek style yogurt, and I'll probably strain most of the second batch -- I love that thick creamy style. I use 2% milk because I like a little bit of fat in my yogurt and I think some dairy fat is good for us, and I used Greek Style yogurt for my starter (you use store bought yogurt the first time but then use your own yogurt after that). The first time I let it grow for about six hours, and the second time I only let it go a little bit longer because I was afraid the power would go out with the ice storms we've had. But it is pretty firm even after six hours.

If you are a yogurt lover, I would highly recommend looking into a yogurt maker. With 42 ounces of fresh milk -- about $2 -- you can make about 48 ounces of fresh yogurt. In no time at all this machine will pay for itself. You still heat the milk to 180 degrees and cool it off before adding your yogurt, but once the milk mixture gets poured into the little pots, your work is done.

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More Wheat

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Thank you for your comments on my "Wheat" post below.

As I thought, substituting for wheat is usually either unsuccessful or expensive. I didn't think I would be happy  baking with other grains, and I appreciate that you saved me a lot of money and time trying. ;-)

I think the solution to cutting back on gluten is eating other foods. While I do think that grains are important (I have been raised on the four food groups), I think that we don't eat enough of the other groups and we need to try harder. I need to be more creative in getting my kids to eat fruits and vegetables. While I am perfectly happy eating a large tossed salad, or a clementine, a pear and a banana for lunch, my kids generally are not. I have to suggest them and make them available in edible forms. Having foods like cut carrot sticks, homemade salsa, yogurt with chopped fruit available for snacks will help, I just have to continue to think of new ways to offer fruits and veggies. I think using whole grains helps too -- we are more apt to eat less if we eat whole grains because they are more satisfying all the way around.


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Wheat

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My second oldest son Joshua was recently tested for celiac disease. We are very fortunate that he does not have it -- the doctor called yesterday. But the funny thing is, even though he doesn't have it, the doctor still suggested we cut back on wheat. "We really eat way too much," he said, meaning we as a society.

During the days while we were waiting for the test results I started thinking about what would be involved in cutting wheat out of my son's diet and I was really startled at how drastically our meals would change around here. Because of Noah's tree nut and peanut allergies I am accustomed to reading labels and being careful, and as scary as potential accidental ingestion is I always feel that peanuts and tree nuts are a pretty easy allergy -- just avoid peanuts and tree nuts. But wheat? Wow! That is a life altering adjustment, like avoiding milk and eggs and soy. I would have to really limit the foods I could buy and prepare.

I am relieved that he does not have celiac disease, but I am also going to attempt to cut back on wheat. My personal philosophy on food has always been "everything in moderation." A few years ago I started reading about soy, and not being one that thinks soy is healthy I started reading labels more carefully. I realized I would have to cut soy out of our diets in order to eat in moderation -- it's in everything! But I never thought of wheat as being a bad thing, in fact, I thought of it as a good thing, not realizing that we were not at all eating it in moderation.

So I ask you -- if you eat gluten free or cook for someone who eats gluten free, how do you do it? Or even if you just cut back for health reasons -- do you substitute other grains, or just cut foods that include wheat? I know that I don't want to just straight up substitute one grain for another because that would defeat the purpose of cutting the wheat in order to eat it in moderation (because then we would be eating another grain in abundance). But I don't think I can convince my kids to give up as much of their favorite foods as we probably should. Just curious...what are your thoughts?

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Food for thought

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A phrase my father used about the words people say was, "You draw more flies with honey, than you do with vinegar."

I have always loved that phrase, and try, try to always remember (but don't always succeed).

Lisa, at My Own Sweet Thyme, gives more thought to our words, and just how they would taste in our own mouths.


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Julie & Julia, the book

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A few weeks ago I told you that I had been to see the movie, Julie & Julia. I enjoyed it. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD -- I think I'll own it (a rarity, I assure you).

Because I so thoroughly enjoyed the movie, I decided to reserve the book at the library. I started it about a week ago, and today, as I reached page 147 out of 307 pages, I quit. I will read no further.

There are a variety of reasons, and because my mother taught me that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all, I won't bash the author. Let's just say that the character portrayed in the movie by the cute, perky, virtuous Amy Adams, is nothing like the real deal.

As you may have heard, there is a lot of language in it. The majority of which is the F word. Blech.

There is also a lot of Republican bashing. And I'm not talking about jokingly. I'm talking serious hate. There's just no reason why I should continue to subject myself to it voluntarily, and on page 147 I decided I just couldn't read another word when I read this sentence: "Aunt Sukie is a schoolteacher in Waxahacie, Texas, and one of those smart, kind people who nonetheless mystifies you by continuing to vote Republican."

Another disappointment was the lack of quantifiable information about Julia Child. Most of the information about Julia in the movie must have come from the screenwriter's researchers because maybe three percent of the book, at the very most, was about Julia directly.

I will sum up the tone of book with the author's own statement about herself. I think it says everything you should know before you read it. It might be confusing as she is referring to one of her best girlfriends before she makes the statement about herself in parenthesis.

"It's not as if Gwen is some uncontainable libertine, Falstaff personified as an impressively bitter, petite blond with fashion sense (and I say this as a person with nearly depthless reserves of bitterness)."

As bitter as a square of unsweetened baking chocolate, I'd say.

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Julie & Julia

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Last evening I snuck out during the football game to meet a friend for a movie. Because this was such a foodie movie, I thought I'd post my thoughts here.

I really enjoyed it.

Except for the gratuitous s*x. Why do they do that? It was so unnecessary. There was a child (roughly age 12) in the row behind me and all I could think was what that child was seeing. What do I care, you ask? It's not my child. I can't help it.

Anyway, other than that, I really enjoyed it. I loved Amy Adams as Julie, and as much as I avoid Meryl Streep movies for her political outspokenness, she made a fabulous Julia.

First, the food. Well, if you have seen this movie you know what I mean. This movie made me hungry for really good food and I was not actually hungry. Artichokes and hollandaise, red wine, yellow cake with chocolate frosting, heirloom tomato bruschetta, red wine, crusty French bread and creamy French cheese, red wine, and, of course, boeuf bourguignon. I "Mmmmed" through the movie. If you have not seen it, don't see it on an empty stomach.

Second, the blogging. I found it mildly uncomfortable watching a movie about blogging. I can't explain why. Possibly, I was afraid I would see something negative that would cause me to think twice about blogging. Fortunately, not so. I found it interesting that Julie wrote her blog in very much the same way as we all do. And she agonized the comments, like I suppose we all do to some degree.

Third, the love. Julie's relationship with her husband was nice. They seemed to be well-matched, but the intricacies were not revealed in the way those of Julia's relationship with her husband were revealed. Seemingly (much of this was supposition) they had a fabulous relationship. I loved how he sat in the kitchen just to be near her, something my own husband has never done. Maybe that has something to with how pleasant she was to be near while she cooked and how not as pleasant I can be in my own kitchen. I think I need to drink more red wine while I cook. Or maybe it was because there was no 24/7 sports channel on television and so, he had no alternate activity.

While much of the focus of this movie was food, most of the depth was brought by relationships. There was not as much actually cooking as I thought there would be. One hysterical scene in which Julia is practicing chopping onions, so as not to be outdone by her fellow (male) students at Le Cordon Bleu, had me in tears I was laughing so hard. I really enjoyed the scenes of her at Cordon Bleu and I enjoyed the scenes of Julie cooking in her own tiny Queens kitchen. I wish that there had been more cooking. But then, I'm a foodie.

I thought that I would leave the movie feeling very motivated to bone up on some French cooking techniques; to try my hand at some complicated French recipes. Alas, I am not at all. I pulled out my only Julia Child cookbook when I got home (one that I promised I'd send to my friend Margaret) and flipped through it while I sipped some hot water and honey. I was actually seeking something to inspire me, but no. Not inspired. It will be in the mail this week Margaret. Go at it.

What I was inspired to do by this movie is cook for those I love, which I do now. We all love our favorite people in different ways, and some of us do it with food. That I can honestly say I have in common with Julia Child. Food is love.

By the by, if you've seen the movie or read the book, yet have not found the blog, the first day can be seen here. Click on the calendar to get to each consecutive day.

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