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I don't want to debate the merits of homemade playdough v. store-bought. I do both, but when all that's left in my house is this: and I have neither the time nor the inclination to run to the store (where I'd spend way more than the $4 I'd spend on playdough), here is how I make it: Play Dough Bring 1 cup water, 1 tbsp oil and the food coloring of your choice to a boil. Add in 1/2 cup salt and stir for 1 minute. Then add 1 tbsp cream of tartar and 1 cup flour. Mix well over low heat until it firms up, then put the lump on a plate and knead it until smooth and cool enough for your children to handle. This is a very forgiving recipe-- you can actually add the ingredients in any order, but I find the color comes out better when I do it this way. Also, I used kosher salt one day and ended up with large grains still in the dough. So maybe use iodized (small grain) salt. Just for fun, let's pan out from the play dough photo to show you what the kitchen really looked like... But wait-- there's more: Now you know what I'll be working on while the kids play with play dough. Blessings to you today! |
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Let me preface this post by saying that breakfast is a hard meal for me, both to eat and cook. But there are a few recipes I really enjoy for the morning-- Stacy's breakfast burritos, Kendra's Baked Oatmeal-- that I use over and over. Last week, I wanted to make breakfast burritos, but what I had on hand was slightly different. So, using Stacy's recipe as a guide, I sauteed 2 lbs of bacon, then 18 eggs, then a quart of fingerling potatoes with some diced onions. I sauteed (all in the bacon fat-- don't tell my cholesterol!) some red peppers and onions as well. Then I mixed it all together in a ginormous bowl, and put a scoop on a tortilla, covered it with cheese, and wrapped it to freeze. These are very different from Stacy's, but very delicious too. Now, if I could only get the kids to eat them... |
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Is it roasted, or roast? I'm not sure. ROASTED TOMATO AND GARLIC SOUP Put as many tomatoes as you can in a 9x 13 (or bigger) pan, and wrap a four cloves (or more, if you prefer) of garlic in foil. Roast them at 450 for about 45 minutes. Squeeze the garlic out of its peel into your food mill with the tomatoes. I left out the tomato juice that dripped out into the pan. Run the tomatoes and garlic through your food mill (or blender) until smooth. Add 1 tbsp fresh basil. I used a cube of basil in olive oil I froze back in August. At this point, you can freeze it, or refrigerate it until you're ready to serve it. To serve: heat to boiling, add milk (I like about 2 parts soup to 1 part milk) and serve with croutons or goldfish crackers, depending on your audience. This soup satisfied my craving for canned tomato soup-- it's been about 2 years since I bought tomato soup, and I was missing it! Now my freezer is full of it. I'll let you know how long it lasts me... Thanks to my friend Season for this recipe! |
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Wow! Y'all came out of the woodwork to support me after my desperate post-- thanks so much! It turns out I'm not the only one who has days (or weeks) like this! And maybe you're not the only one either... Ok, now for something completely different. Let's talk pumpkin butter. Specifically: yummy deep orange pumpkiny goodness that spreads so thickly on your toast... Maple-Pumpkin Butter Combine 1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey) per 2 cups pumpkin puree. Add 1 tsp lemon zest and 1 tbsp lemon juice to each 2 cups pumpkin. Add all your favorite yummy fall spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice. You can cook it several different ways: stovetop (stir almost constantly to keep the bottom from burning) or in the over at 300, or in the crockpot (my favorite), until it's thick and spreadable. I put it in sterilized, hot jars and process it for 15 minutes (5 minutes at sea level). |
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...to post on Nectarine Upside-Down Cake. I made it tonight for dinner, and it was sooooooo good, I thought I just had to post the recipe. But of course, I posted it last year. You can read it here and then you should go make it. It's even better with plums. Yum. Now back to your regularly scheduled break... |
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Creamed Zucchini over Mostachiolli Saute together: 3 T olive oil and 3 T fresh garlic (crushed or minced) Add 5 cups grated zucchini, 1 cup fresh basil (torn), 1 cup white wine, 1 cup fresh parsley and cook until soft. In the blender: blend 4 T butter and 1 cup paremsan cheese until smooth. Add in zucchini mixture, salt and pepper to taste, and (if you like) 1 package silken tofu. (I left this out.) Boil pasta and mix with sauce. We served it with grilled chicken over the top. |
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This is a recipe I love to make in the spring... or the fall or the summer, really. It's nice and light and is a little different from your standard salad. But it whips up quick. Enjoy! Spinach, Couscous and Feta Salad (serves 8-10) Prepare 1 box couscous according to package directions OR 2 ¼ cup water + ½ tsp salt + 10 oz couscous Bring water and salt to a boil, then add couscous. Turn off heat and let sit for 4-5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. While couscous is resting, whisk together: 1/3 cup olive oil + 3 tbsp lemon juice Pour over couscous when couscous is done. Combine: 4 cups torn fresh spinach + ¼ cup sliced green onion + 3 tbsp snipped fresh dill (if using dried, use 3 tsp and combine with oil & lemon juice) + 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (or chevre) Toss everything together; chill. Serve with lemon wedges. |
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For my third job, I was a traveling popcorn-sample girl. I was 16. Each week I drove to a different local supermarket, rolled my popcorn cart in from the back of the store, and popped fabulous popcorn all day to entice people to buy bags of it. It was delicious. Mostly people took a sample and asked me where the tampon aisle was. Well, since that time, I'll admit I've been a little bit of a popcorn snob. I stopped bothering with microwave popcorn for awhile, and then I realized I could just throw some popcorn in a bag and pop it that way. Here's my recipe: Put 3 handfuls of popcorn in a brown paper lunchbag. Put it in the microwave for 2 minutes (but always watch your popcorn or your whole house will reek of burnt popcorn). Sometimes I melt a little butter and pour it over the top at the end. My friend sprays Pam on hers and then salts it. Ta da! The cheapest organic snack you can imagine. (If you skip the butter, it's only 35 calories per cup!) |
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Okay, it sounds like a bizarre combination, but it was great. All the kids ate it-- and two asked for seconds. It began as a plan for a chicken potpie... but then it was two days before our farm vegetable pick-up, and I had no onion, no carrots, no peas or corn frozen (secondary to the freezer debacle)... I had some leeks, a butternut squash, and some potatoes. And cooked chicken. So I sauteed two sliced leeks in 1 tsp butter until the leeks were clear. I added 1 tbsp flour and cooked it for 4 minutes (until the flour just started to brown) and added 3 cups chicken broth. I cooked this for 2-3 minutes until it thickened. Then I added 1 peeled, seeded, chopped butternut squash, 4 medium potatoes (peeled and chopped), 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp chili powder, and a loose handful of raisins. I simmered it (uncovered) about 30 minutes, then added in the chicken. I put the whole thing in a pie crust and covered it with pie crust, and baked it at 375 for 40 minutes. I think I'll be making it again-- on purpose. |
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One of our favorite recipes is Arroz con pollo (literally, rice with chicken). My husband lived in Arroz con Pollo 5-6 chicken thighs, skin off 2 tsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped coarsely 1 green pepper, chopped 2 cloves garlic 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp dried thyme 2 tbsp chopped parsley 1 26oz can of tomatoes (whole or diced) 4 cups chicken broth 2 cup brown rice (uncooked) Use a big stockpot (I use my Dutch oven) for this from beginning to end—something that can go on the stove and into the oven. Brown the chicken in 1 tsp of oil. Remove it to a plate while you cook the other ingredients. Add 2nd tsp of oil to the pan. Saute the onion, green pepper and garlic in the oil until the onion is clear. Add the rice, tomatoes, broth and spices and simmer (covered) about 30 minutes. Add the chicken back into the pan and cover it with the rice mixture. Put it in the oven at 350 for another 30-40 minutes, until the rice is cooked and the liquid absorbed. |