Refrigerator Pickles

Our CSA has included a lot of cucumbers. I'm not really much of a cucumber person. John has made a valiant effort to eat them in salads and sandwiches, but I'd rather not.

I do like pickles though. I'd love to try canning them, and someday I will. But I don't have the time or equipment now.  Nevertheless, refrigerator pickles turned out pretty awesome and quick.  I used this recipe from Rachel Ray. Give it a try!

CSA and Greens

This is our first year to participate in a CSA with Rose Creek Village. I love buying local, and even more I love buying food from a family who grew food with their own hands. It's been a really exciting experience so far. They send us an email each week, telling us what we'll be getting and with some recipe ideas, and keeping us up to date on how the crops are doing.

My biggest worry was whether we'd be able to eat all the produce each week - especially with all the greens. We like salad, but John and I both tend to be wary of cooked greens. I have to admit, despite all the kale love floating around in recent years, I still hadn't tried it. I eat spinach - isn't that enough? Nevertheless, we found some recipes, and I'm totally digging both kale and swiss chard.

Swiss Chard with Garbanzo beans and fresh tomatoes

I'm loving comparing tomatoes and trying new things. In our third week, we've already tried about 6 new recipes. It would be a safe guess that I'll have lots of veggie recipes this summer. 

Non-photographers, such as myself, should really avoid taking pictures of certain types of foods - it's not doing anyone any good. So use your imagination for this one: this White Bean Soup with Kale (and bratwurst from our CSA) has been my favorite new recipe thus far.

Funny Food

I love the idea of bento boxes, but I think my kids are still too picky. Still, I've been trying to arrange their food in cute ways, to cut down on all the pre-eating fussing. I only use foods that they will actually eat, and I'm still careful about which things touch. And, L is quite delighted. (J  doesn't need motivation to eat.)  Here are some of our recent hits:

PB house, with broccoli tree, and a little dressing pond.

Egg Clock with sliced hard boiled eggs and cheese hands.

Sugar snap pea smile with PB hearts

(from cookie cutters - my lunch plate was less pretty with all of the scraps)

scrambled egg squares

Pureed bean chili (so there are no chunks),

with corn chips, cheese, and spoon.

They actually ate the chili, so this was a win.

PB butterfly, with cheese stick and sunflower seeds for eyes.  

I should have realized this would require a side dish of sunflower seeds.

Rice balls!  I said they were bird eggs, 

and the one who eats lettuce also got a nest.  

These are filled with peas and carrots, 

and I honestly can't believe how well the kids eat them. 

 

regular food, just arranged decoratively.  L wasn't happy

with it just being pretty, she wanted it to BE something.

She rearranged hers into a flower.

Garden Stock

Every summer, I have grand visions of growing tons of food and canning it for the winter.  The reality is that my seedlings all dried up, and I'm still forgetting to water the tomatoes.  Nevertheless, I usually manage to learn a little every year.  This year, my great triumph was garlic.  My bulbs grew beautifully, I probably harvested them a little early, but I figured better safe than sorry.  Next year, I want to try my new love: acorn squash.  :)

Using stuff from my garden, a friend's CSA and our regular grocery veggies, I did make a pretty nice stock this summer.  This is a good guide.  Canning was more than I was prepared for this year (ah, yet again), so I froze mine in ice cubes. Once they're frozen, pop them out and put them in baggies. Super easy!

Doughnuts, gob style

I've been experimenting with the Artisan Bread in 5 minutes A Day book all summer.  The texture of the bread, and the rise all work out so beautifully.  I still seem to be struggling a bit with getting the same yeasty flavor, but I'm persevering because this method is so so practical.

I was reading my old Beard on Bread the other day looking for a doughnut recipe because my kids are really into doughnuts right now.  I noticed the recipe for Dough Gobs, which is essentially fried bread dough.  He says traditionally mothers would take a bit of the dough they had left to rise over night, fry it and serve it with maple syrup for breakfast.  I love the old-timey practicality of this and though it would work nicely with the 5 Minutes dough made from their master recipe that I already had in the refrigerator. 

These are half wheat and rolled in powdered sugar.  I fried mine in coconut oil, partially because I love the sweet flavor of it, and partially to make myself not feel so bad about serving my kids fried bread for breakfast.  I thought they turned out excellent, and went nicely with strawberries.  I see lots of serving variations in my future (cinnammon, chocolate, raspberry sauce?)   Plus, I like that I can serve them to my vegan friends, too, because they're nice to have around.

Hmm, I think I'm going to go make some now...

Glazed Acorn Squash with Onions

Hello, friends!

This summer my newest love is Squash. Yes, who knew? You did, I guess, but not me. I was a picky eater as a kid, so certain vegetables are only just entering my diet. We picked up a friends CSA for a week, and necessity being the mother of invention and all... Here's my new favorite recipe - it's yummy.

The recipe calls for acorn squash, but I started with patty pans, and I think it would work with many kinds [ahem*] of squash.  Cut them in half and scoop out the seeds. 

Bake 35 minutes at 350º cut side down.

Meanwhile mix:
1/2 cup almonds or walnuts
1/2 cup onions
2 TBSPs margarine or butter
2 TBSP maple syrup
Dash of salt and cinammon

After 35 minutes, turn the squash over, fill with filling, and bake 25 minutes more.  That's it!  It bakes a while, but it is pretty easy to put together, and the result is a veggie dish that definitely works as a main dish rather than a side.  And did I say, it's yummy?  

I also found some exciting things to do with Butternut Squash - like these pasties.  Give it a go, you won't regret it. 

*okay, you got me.  The big one is a cucumber.  That was a surprise. I'd stick with the squash.  :)

Comfort Food

I've been thinking about the food I eat pretty intensely since I watched the documentary Earthlings (available to watch free online).  I realize that living in modern America I have the luxury of eating food as it pleases me, for my own comfort, rather than viewing food as a source of nutrition and survival as people of other places and time have had to. 

The thing that really frustrates me is that my primary reason for killing animals is comfort.  Somehow, we have separated the acts of killing and eating, but that doesn't make them any less connected.  Certainly, I shouldn't gain comfort from killing, right?

I don't claim to have anything figured out.  Seriously.  But I want to move in the direction of compassion and awareness.

So to do my tiny little part today, I'm sharing with you two things.  First, the recipe for my new comfort food- it's healthy, yummy, and plant based.  And for a limited time, a 40% discount in my shop when you use the code EARTHLINGS.  Most of my patterns are animals, and I think if we're going to teach our children to love animals, we should mean it all the way, right?  Ideally, I'd love for you to go watch the movie before you use the code, but I'll leave that up to you.  Or if you've already gone vegan, take it as my hat tip to you. :)

"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites, or women for men." - Alice Walker

Fried Rice
To make fried rice it's best to use leftover rice.  I make a large pot of rice at the beginning of the week, and use portions throughout the week.  I don't have exact measurements for the rice, or any of it, come to think of it.  Making the rice ahead of time, makes this a healthy, plant based meal that comes together in under 10 minutes.  Here's what I do:

Heat a TBSP or so of oil in a skillet and sautee minced garlic, minced ginger, and chopped onions.  Add any of the following veggies:  sugar snap peas, diced carrots, frozen peas, sliced red or orange peppers, mushrooms, bean sprouts, broccoli, or whatever else you like.  (When cooking with the kids, I often omit the onions and only use kid-friendly veggies like peas and carrots.)

When the veggies are cooked to your liking (not over cooked), add the cold cooked rice to the hot pan along with some soy sauce.  Stir, and then let it sit still a minute so it gets crispy on the bottom.  Then stir some more and repeat.

Presto! Serve it to toddlers with a spoon for less rice on the floor. :) 

Vegan Valentines

 I've been trying out a some vegan fudge recipes like this incredible one, meaning to give them as gifts this year.  Unfortunately, they all turned out too soft for giving away (or is that fortunate since I get to eat them?), so I ended up making this Peanut Buttercup Caramel Popcorn at the last minute.  I think I used all the pots in my kitchen twice today, and I was very grateful for my candy thermometer.  But I ended up with a nice valentine basket.

eta: I had to update to add a picture of my fudge that did eventually set after 24 hours.  It turned out great, maybe a little gritty from the raw sugar.   I've never made fudge before, so I think it will only get better from here. 

I also printed these adorable Valentines to make with L.  I wasn't sure how into it she'd be, but she loved it.  And I love it.  I recreated the idea with a red crayon for the little tags on my popcorn bags.  They're designed by Brooke Reynolds at Inchmark.  I just love all of her simple and beautiful designs.  Her Valentines for this year are even more wonderful, and I'm just giddy with love for it.  Go, love her, too.

Olive Fougasse

I got Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for Christmas, and I'm on my fourth or fifth batch now.  It took a little adjusting to the idea of wet dough, but once I got the consistency right, everything has turned out excellent.  I love baking bread, but I can appreciate the time saving factor anyway, because it makes it so easy to make something every day.  The only drawback is that it makes me want to buy a bunch of stuff: a larger container so I don't have to keep making new batches, a pizza peel and baking stone (which I should probably have anyway), new flour canisters, cut bread serving platters...  Okay, maybe that's just me.

I made the Olive Fougasse from the olive oil dough.  It is excellent and beautiful, and even easier to make than some of the other breads.  It is basically focaccia bread with olives mixed it.  I took it to a gathering, and felt like a heel every time I said, "fougasse," but everyone liked it anyway.  

No Knead Bread

I know every time I post about bread, I say something like, "this is the best bread ever!"  So maybe I'm overdoing it?  But I recently tried this No Knead Dutch Oven Bread from Mother Earth News, and it is pretty awesome.   The inside is so moist, it's almost "eggy" - except there are no eggs in the recipe.  The outside is a gorgeous and crusty.  The only drawback I can think of is that you're limited to the round shape.  But I cut mine into fourths and then sliced the fourths, so it made nice triangular sandwiches. 

I've sort of ignored the no knead stuff for awhile, because I don't really have any problem with kneading.  It was interesting, and easy to do, so that was good.  But the dutch oven is the real cool factor. 

The recipe is basically a french bread recipe, and the dutch oven creates a similar steamy-heat environment of a bakers oven, so this made the best french bread that I've ever made, and perhaps the best bread altogether?

I'm planning on making all my bread in the dutch oven now.  You should too.  Here's a good video of Mark Bittman talking about no knead bread. 



you tube:

Sprouting

John and I decided to give sprouting a try after he watched this you tube video:

We've been doing it about two months now, and it's super easy. I'm kind of amazed at how simply adding water to some very cheap lentils, you can triple their volume and their nutritional value, plus grow a fresh and tasty veggie - right on your counter!

Give it a try, but read a little first - sprouts from some beans (like kidney) can be toxic. Eek! All you need is a mason jar and a sprouting lid like the one here. They're pretty inexpensive, but if you don't have a health store around, the shipping is not really worth it. So you can make one following these directions (like we did).

They're great on salads, sandwiches, and - my favorite - burritos!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Another attempt at meals all three of us can eat during the day. I got this one from Wholesome Baby Food. There website is a great resource for baby food recipes, as well as good information about when to introduce what foods. Most of the information is available free on their website, but you can also buy a downloadable cookbook, which I think is a much easier way to browse and save the information.

This one was exciting for us, because J has just started eating wheat, which is making our lives much easier. L and I had ours with cinnamon and sugar on top, and we just ate them with our fingers. Awesome. The recipe is meant for baby, so if you wanted to make it a family meal, you'd need to double or triple it. As is, it made about 10 cookie sized pancakes.

You'll find the recipe on this page if you scroll down a bit. We haven't introduced eggs or dairy yet, so I used substitutions for those. Their book also has lots of information on varying recipes based on your child's needs, with a long list of egg substitutes for different needs, as well as chapters on other common food intolerances.

Garlic Bread

John likes this Garlic Bread Sprinkle he buys at the store, but I like to make my own. So, okay, I cheated a bit, and read the ingredients of his little bottle before I mixed up mine. His had corn syrup and vegetable oil solids that I was happy to exclude.

Here's my version:
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp turmeric
Add ingredients to small bowl and stir.

Don't you just love learning new ways to use seasonings? I usually only use turmeric when I make fried rice or Indian food. But this was really great. And it made it a pretty yellow, too, which doesn't hurt.

I fix my garlic bread like my mom taught me:
Place french bread on foil and slice. Brush each slice and the top of the loaf with a little olive oil (or butter), then sprinkle the garlic seasoning on each slice. Wrap it up in the foil and place in oven around 200. Leave it until your dinner is ready and then it's hot and ready to serve.

Rosemary Garlic Apples

During the last 48 hours, J has had a peanut butter sandwich, fish sticks, and chocolate chip cookie in her mouth. She's 8 months old.

After, a big sigh of relief that she didn't explode with some kind of deadly allergic reaction, I've taken this as a prompt to be a little more vigilant parent. With one very mobile baby, and a toddler who is very eager to help, I also have decided to try to fix more foods that are safe for both children to eat. I thought I had posted my favorite breakfast before, but can't seem to find it. But basically it's this:

Rosemary Garlic Apples (And Sausage)

Slice apples and saute them in a pan with minced garlic and rosemary (I used dried). When cooked, take them out and cook your sausage as usual (I prefer smoked, but you can use any kind) with a little apple juice. Once the meat is cooked, add your apples back to the pan, and heat through. Then serve hot. Or skip the sausage all together and just serve the apples.

This makes the best savory/sweet breakfast combo, yes, even better than chocolate meat. I made this for L and I recently, and decided to let J try the apples. She has been the most eager eater, and these apples are definitely her favorite. I've taken to fixing the apples alone, as a quick meal for the three of us.


I was recently asked somewhat incredulously, "You make all J baby food, don't you?" And it caught me a little off guard. It's a little odd to me that even though most people "make" most of their own food (by make, I mean prepare, of course), it's so unusual for someone to make baby food. So, let me just clarify. I don't slave away, pureeing lots of little jars of goo. At dinner time, I make sure I include something in our meal that J can eat. And when we sit down at the table, I take some lima beans out of our soup, or rice from our stir fry, or apples or carrots or whatever, and drop it in the little baby food mill, and voila.

This does mean, that she gets seasoned food, which is fine by me. I don't give her anything too spicy or salty, but the girl loves garlic. Of course, we are also big fans of those puffs that dissolve in your mouth - which is so convenient when you go out. I'm not opposed to pre-made baby foods, but I definitely think this simple little food mill is worth more than it's very low price. (Thanks, Tara!)

Taco Salad

We tried a new variation of taco salad last night because we didn't have our usual ingredients around - it turned out really nice, and pretty healthy, so here it is. Sorry no measurements, just handfuls of this and that.

heat 1 can of black beans in skillet with a little garlic and taco seasoning. Let it cool a little, then toss with the rest of the ingredients: tortilla chips; fresh spinach (we always use spinach instead of lettuce now - it's easier on our tummies and healthier, too); diced fresh tomato, onion, green pepper, and a half to whole avacado; and a nice handful of chopped fresh cilantro. Top it all with a red french dressing.

You could probably make lots of substitutions here, but don't skip the fresh cilantro or french dressing. They pretty much make it. It would be even healthier if I made my own french dressing, which I'm considering - we just don't use it that often. Although if I could make a very small amount, then it would be better that having to keep it on hand.

Also, did you notice my sweet new orange bowl? I got a nice set of vintage Pyrex mixing bowls in yellows and oranges at our latest Associates Sale (a local rummage sale) for a steal. Gorgeous!

Beer Bread

I've got some sourdough starters going (more details later), but since I won't be able to make bread from them for awhile I thought I'd give this a try. I googled around for recipes, and no matter where I looked they were pretty much all the same:

1 12 oz beer
3 Tbsp sugar
3 cups self-rising flour

mix dry ingredients, then add beer. Stir with wooden spoon, then your hands. Bake in a greased loaf pan at 425 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

I got this bottle of imported Belgian beer because I was told it's a really good beer, and I love good ingredients. The whole thing mixed up in just a few minutes, and since I baked mine in my iron skillet instead of a loaf pan, it only took about 30 minutes to bake. It has a great yeasty smell and wonderful flavor. It's hard on the outside and really soft and moist inside. It was great toasted with butter. All in all, it was a really easy to make and turned out incredible. So my first completed alternatively-leavened bread is a big success!