Fruits of Summer

I have always had a love/hate relationship with summer. Summer is just plain hot and I really don't like being hot. Sweating is not something I cherish. I spent all my summers during college at a camp in Alabama so trust me when I say I know hot. And humid, too. Oh, it's humid here. We tried to have a picnic at the park today but it was just too hot to stay more than 30 minutes. The kids weren't thrilled about having to leave but Mama couldn't handle the heat any more. So we took the picnic home.

On the other hand, there are the wonderful fruits of summer that I just love. Blueberries, strawberries, plums, tomatoes, blackberries and peaches. Of those, peaches are, by far, my favorite. I have fond memories of driving down the interstate to get to the closest peach orchards. We'd stop at the farm stand and get their fresh, homemade peach ice cream. Oh, it was heavenly. And our local farmer's market always had lots of Chilton County peaches that I still prefer to any others. (I realize there is much debate about who grows the best peaches but I'm an Alabama peach fan.)

So when my in-laws stopped in South Carolina on their way down here and purchased a boat load of peaches, I happily took some of them off their hands. Oh, were they good. (Not as good as Chilton County peaches but close.) A friend of mine called them "back porch fruits" because they were so juicy that you had to eat them on the back porch to keep from making a big mess inside.

I found a recipe for a peach pie and knew these delicious fruits were destined to be baked in a pie, surrounded by caramel, encased in a buttery, flaky pie crust. I had enough peaches to make the pie with some to spare. Those were cut up and served with breakfast the next morning. There were no leftovers.

Dinner For Two

Last night, S and I had the pleasure of dining at home sans children. We dropped the kids off at Gran and Granddad's where they spent the night. While we could have gone out, we opted to stay in and cook some wonderful food. On the menu:

Mixed greens salad with warm goat cheese, balsamic reduction and olive oil

Peppercorn encrusted beef tenderloin with a mushroom cognac cream sauce, served with a side of steamed asparagus

It's a good thing we didn't have anything planned for dessert!

Souptacular 2008

Since I did this last year, I thought I'd do it again!


Turkey Chili

1T olive oil
1lb. ground turkey
1T garlic, minced
2½ t ground cumin
½ t salt
½ t pepper
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can corn
½ C uncooked rice
½ C green salsa
1C onion, chopped
½ T cilantro

Heat olive oil in large skillet or pot. Add turkey, garlic, and onion and cook until meat is no longer pink. Add cumin, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add chicken broth, black beans, corn, rice, and salsa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add cilantro. (If you don't like the flavor of cilantro, substitute flat leaf parsley.)

Serve over chopped lettuce and top with sour cream, salsa, tortilla chips and grated cheese.

Of Deodorant, Football, Pizza and Coffee

Ready for some random thoughts by Mama? Here they come.

1. I had to buy deodorant the other day. Since I had to go to the grocery store anyway, I thought I'd just get it there. The kind I had been using was $4.93. I'll give you a minute to recoup from that. Yes, it was almost $5 for a small stick of deodorant. I can assure you I didn't pay that much for it when I first bought it. And I didn't pay that much for it this time, either. I went for the old standby, the one I've used on and off for years. It was much cheaper. When did deodorant become so expensive?

2. Auburn football (yes, Sporty Mama, I'm going there). It's a pitiful sight when you lose to Vandy. I don't care how good Vandy is and how bad Auburn is playing, you don't lose to Vandy. I'm going to stand behind my Auburn Tigers through thick and thin and this is definitely thin. We've got to do something about this offense if we're going to make it through the rest of the season. Let's just say it was bad enough that my fellow Auburn friend here in town called not once but twice during the game. We only talk if Auburn isn't doing well.

3. I finally found a pizza crust recipe that I really like. It's crispy, has great flavor and this method of cooking it makes it even better. This is the reward I get for getting up with H on Saturday morning and watching TV.

4. We lived in this small town for two years before we got one of these stores. That would mean it didn't arrive here until 2005. We are now getting a second one closer to my house, complete with drive-thru. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing given my new love of coffee. And going up just down from that one is one of these. I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be good for my waistline. (We currently don't have one of those particular fast food places even though we have every other one known to man. Well, except for this and we can't seem to get them east of the Mississippi.)

Have a happy Monday!

Served with a Side of Mediocre

I have not one but two fabulously mediocre things to tell you today.

The first fabulously mediocre item is about my new love. Coffee. I know some of you are in complete shock right now as I have been staunchly anti-coffee for many, many years. But a few weeks ago, when I got together with some friends for brunch (a rarity for us), I had a sore throat and wanted something hot to soothe it. I'm really not a fan of hot drinks but it sounded so good. In the past, I've had coffee with a little cream and sugar so I decided to go with that, just enough to take away the bitter taste but not too sweet.

Y'all, that cup of coffee tasted so good that I went back for a second cup. That got me hooked. So two days ago, I bought a coffee grinder and some whole bean coffee and ground my own at home. Oh, the smell was so inviting! My father-in-law, a coffee fanatic, gave us a coffee maker years ago so that he could have some java when he was visiting. I had to figure out the auto feature so I could wake up to a freshly brewed pot in the morning. Oh, it was heaven waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

This hasn't gone over very well with S, who is still staunchly anti-coffee. But he's learning to love the new me.

The second fabulously mediocre item involves pimiento cheese. It's a completely Southern dish that I love, love, love. A few months ago, Nana brought me some pepper jack pimiento cheese from a little deli near her house. Since said little deli isn't here, I figured I would have to learn to make my own. I got a recipe (thanks, Bunny!) and tried it, substituting the sharp cheddar cheese for pepper jack cheese. It was fantastic. If you like spicy stuff, this will hit the spot. I even added some chopped jalapenos to add a little more heat. It is totally and completely addictive.

And I can't resist this picture of my friend's new puppy. Too cute!

Crowd Pleaser

Last night I hosted Bunco at my house. For those who don't know, it's a game played with 12 people and involves rolling dice. Honestly, if you can roll dice, you can play this. Everyone in the group takes a turn hosting, providing dinner and drinks for the entire group. Since you only do it once a year, it works out pretty well. This is my one night a month I can forget about everything going on in my life and just have fun.

(This would be, by the way, the reason I've not been blogging much this week. I had to get my house ready and make all the food for these ladies. Plus, it was my first time hosting so I had to put my best face forward.)

On the menu:

• Vegetables with hummus
• Whole grain chips with spinach dip
• Ham and cheese rolls
• Chicken satay with a spicy peanut dip and BBQ sauce
• Spinach salad with roasted garlic vinaigrette and spicy pecans
• Crostata with mushrooms, bacon, and fontina
• Whiskey Sours

The theme was a cocktail party so I tried to do lots of little things that you might find at a party, only punched up a bit. Almost everything got eaten and we all had such a fun time. I wish I had taken pictures of all the food but it got eaten too fast!

The biggest hit was the crostata. I've never made one before and now I'm hooked on them. It was so, so easy and extremely yummy. You really can't go wrong when mushrooms, bacon, and cheese are involved. And I'm not a homemade crust maker but this was so easy and turned out great. You will not be disappointed should you decide to try it!

Quinoa

Have any of you ever tried quinoa? I first heard of it right after S and I got married. A friend's mother found she was allergic to gluten and had to go on a gluten-free diet. She (the friend) brought leftover quinoa to work one day. It's a grain very high in protein and perfect for those who have wheat or gluten allergies. I bought some a while back and decided to try it at home.

It's easy to prepare, pretty much like cooking rice. You can do a lot with it, too, even substituting it for rice in some cases. It has a much nuttier flavor than rice, almost an earthy feel with its golden wheat color. I fixed it last night with some cheese to appease the children, praying they would be open to trying something new.

Believe it or not, they loved it. Even H wanted seconds. I slightly overcooked it and it had just a slightly rougher texture than grits. Since H loves grits with cheese, he loved it and fussed until I got more in his mouth. The girls ate it, too, although not as willingly. L was the most timid and usually is about trying new things. In the end, she ate all that was put on her plate and not a grain more.

You really can do a lot with it and there are even some recipes in the box just waiting to be tried. I encourage you to try something new, some new food that you've never had before. You may end up really liking it!

All of the Taste, None of the Guilt

Many of you know that I started exercising regularly in an effort to get healthy. I've also changed my eating habits to go along with said exercise so that I'm not eating 5,000 calories in desserts yet don't feel guilty because, you know, I went to the gym. And then I feel guilty the next day. It's a vicious cycle.

So I saw a cooking magazine in the grocery store and thought I'd check it out. Now you must know that when I read magazines, I start from the back. I don't know why and don't really know what purpose it serves but I do. This time, I was rewarded with this fantastic recipe. And while I'm not supposed to have tons of carbs, I felt this was a good one in which to indulge my sweet tooth. I did substitute whole wheat flour for the all-purpose and used non-fat buttermilk, making it that much more wholesome. And if you don't like blueberries, any berry would do and taste just as good!

The Curse of the Roasted Chicken

S is a great cook but has one nemesis in the kitchen: the roasted chicken. Here is the evidence:

• the time he roasted a chicken that had been in the freezer forever and it turned out to be bad. We had to go out for lunch that Sunday.
• the time he roasted a chicken with marsala wine in the roasting pan the oven door blew open
• the countless times he roasted a chicken to be done at dinner time but it took at least an hour longer

Well, it must run in the family. A few weeks ago, I found a fantastic deal on whole chicken breasts. Basically, it's the roaster without the legs, thighs, and wings. It was 99 cents/pound and since it was small, it cost a whopping $2. I realize that it wouldn't exactly feed an army but it would feed our family just fine. So I defrosted it yesterday and cooked it last night.

It was wonderful once it was done. 45 minutes after I had intended. Let's just say the kids had a fantastic dinner of mac & cheese and broccoli without the chicken!

A Much-Needed Break

My mother-in-law (Gran) and I are providing the Wednesday night meal for our church tonight. Since I spent the majority of Thursday, Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday cooking, I decided to take a computer break yesterday. I didn't check email, log on to the internet, even look at any blogs. I really didn't have time but when the opportunity presented itself yesterday evening, I found that I didn't even want to. I just wanted the day off.

Most people who know me know that I'm an email junkie. I love email and checking out blogs daily. By the time I got to sit down last night, I was exhausted and had zero desire to stimulate my brain. I needed some down time.

I'll be back tomorrow with a really fun post so I'll see you then. In the meantime, if you're in need of yet another recipe, here's my recipe for Kitchen Sink Cookies.

Kitchen Sink Cookies
1/2C (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2C shortening
1C packed brown sugar
1/2C sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1tsp vanilla
1-1/2C flour
1tsp baking soda
1tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp allspice
3C oats, uncooked (I use the quick-cooking, not instant)
1/2C raisins or sweetened, dried cranberries
1/2C white chocolate chips
1/2C chocolate chips
1C pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and allspice. Set aside. In another bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add flour mixture to the sugar mixture slowly, so as not to create a cloud of white on your face and counters. Mix until just combined. Stir in oats, raisins, white chips, chocolate chips and pecans. Drop by tablespoonful on to ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes (mine took 12). Allow to cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Yield: 4 dozen.

Swedish Pancakes

S loves to make breakfast on the weekends. He has only a few menus in his arsenal, which is odd because he likes to experiment in the culinary world. However, his few menus are ones that all of the children will eat, including H.

This morning's breakfast was Swedish pancakes. They are similar to crepes but the batter isn't quite as thin and they are made in a special cast iron pan resulting in small, 2"-diameter pancakes. Traditionally, they are served with lingonberries or with a squeeze of lemon juice and a touch of powdered sugar. We serve them with various types of jellies and jams, whatever we happen to have in our fridge at the moment. They are also delicious with fresh fruit or berries. You could even add whipped cream for a real breakfast treat. Both K and L love them because they are small and L has been known to eat more of them than I.

Swedish Pancakes

3 eggs

1-1/4C milk

3/4C flour

1Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2-3 Tbsp melted butter

Beat eggs until thick. Add milk, flour, sugar, salt and melted butter. Mix until smooth. Spread or pour batter unto hot buttered pan. Spread batter evenly to make thin pancakes the size of your frying pan. Turn when underside is light brown. Yield: 6 large pancakes.

This recipe is courtesy of a family friend

Beignets

We are, quite unexpectedly, off of school today and it's raining so outside play isn't in the cards and the girls are getting cabin fever.

One fun thing we did this morning was make beignets. If you've ever been to New Orleans, you've heard of Cafe Du Monde. Oh, that place brings back such good memories. It's one of the best spots in the Quarter to people watch. The beignets are wonderful pillows of dough, fried to perfection, and covered with a mound of powdered sugar. Couple that with their chicory coffee or a cafe au lait (for those of you who drink coffee) and you've got a really special treat. You can now purchase their beignet mix at many grocery stores and they are really easy to make. We don't do it often as they are so sugary but it's really fun when we do.

If you find yourself in New Orleans, here are a few tips for eating beignets at Cafe Du Monde:

1. You will, inevitably, wear black the day you decide to have these little treats. Lean way over your plate to avoid a massive powdered sugar spill.
2. You will, without a doubt, get powdered sugar on you at some point. Just be prepared.
3. Do not, I repeat, do not inhale when opening your mouth to take a bite of the beignet. You will choke on the powdered sugar.
4. When you look at the menu and notice that there are only 3 beignets in each order, do not order one for each person. The 3 are plenty for two people to share unless one of you is pregnant and having one of her cravings.
5. If you find yourself in need of a beignet at, say, 1:00 AM, have no fear. Cafe Du Monde is open 24 hours.
6. Finally, no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to make beignets at home that taste just like the ones in New Orleans. Ambiance does a lot to the taste.

Lessons from the Kitchen

Do not, under any circumstances, add marsala wine to a roasting pan to give a chicken flavor. It will cause your oven door to blow open.


Leave ricotta gnocchi to the professionals. There are some things that shouldn't be attempted at home.


When warming hot fudge sauce in the microwave, be sure to use pot holders to remove it from said microwave. Failure to do so can cause burns on the skin and hot fudge sauce to land on the cabinet above the refrigerator.


Double bag the turkey when you brine it. This is the best way to avoid brine on the ceiling.


When you fry anything, make sure your pan is plenty deep. Shallow pans are not good to use in frying situations.

When slicing onions, or any vegetable for that matter, it's best to cut only the onion and not your thumb.

Always, ALWAYS, measure a pan before you try to bake a cake. 10" looks just like 12" to the naked eye.

Don't let your husband attempt to flambe anything. This sets off the smoke alarm and scares the children.

Let your children help in the kitchen. This is the best way to teach them and it gives you time to do important things like painting your nails and pottying. Plus, it helps them master the art of cooking and you can enlist their assistance when they are older to cook dinner for you instead of with you.

Buy a food magazine, such as Bon Appetit, and pick out one recipe to try, preferably something you would never attempt in a million years. You really learn a lot that way and end up with some really good food in the end (or not, as in the case of the ricotta gnocchi).

If your husband loves his mother's cooking, ask her for a few of her recipes and surprise him by making them. He'll appreciate the effort even if it doesn't taste exactly like hers.


Invest in two things for your kitchen: really good cookware and at least one really good knife. This is money well spent and these items last for a lifetime.

Finally, when in doubt, order out.

Dinner & A Show

I have two things to talk about in this post: our dinner last night and the show both before and after the meal. First up: the dinner.

S created a fantastic meal last night. He baked chicken breasts with a wonderful combination of spices and no added fat. Don't ask what was in the spice rub because I asked and he can't remember everything. I know cumin, salt, cayenne pepper and a touch of brown sugar were included because I could taste those. But there were other things in there. To go along with the yummy, yummy chicken, S roasted mixed vegetables (red and yellow peppers, asparagus, onions, yellow squash, zucchini) with garlic, salt and a touch of olive oil. He served those on top of lentils cooked in chicken stock. Even H ate the lentils!

After such a great meal, we took the uneaten chicken and vegetables and added them to the remaining lentils, creating a soup. I call it Leftover Soup. It's very good but I don't know that we'll ever be able to repeat the recipe.

Now on to the show. K and L went to a birthday party yesterday afternoon, a ballerina birthday party for one of their good friends. It was such fun to see all those little girls in their ballet attire, flitting around the living room of our friends' house. Unfortunately, my camera was at home.

After we got home from the party, we were all in the living room attempting to get a second wind going for dinner and the rest of the evening. L decided to put on a show. She dances around the living room singing all the songs she knows: Itsy Bitsy Spider, Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children. When she's done with the song, she expected applause and bravos and then took a bow. Then K took her turn. And so on and so forth until dinner time. Once dinner was over, they returned to the living room for their respective encores.

The funny thing was L making sure that everyone was watching. She would start and then notice that someone wasn't looking so she'd stop, call that person out, then start again. It took about 10 minutes to make it through Jesus Loves Me.

Who needs a movie when you have a show like that?

I Have Died and Gone to Heaven

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a not-so-secret love of all things chocolate. I have inherited this, strangely enough, from my father. My mother, while liking chocolate, prefers caramel and fruit desserts.

Actually, I inherited my father's sweet tooth, which he got from his father. But that's getting into a whole different subject and I NEED to talk about chocolate right now.

I've found that I really prefer homemade brownies. In a pinch, boxed will do but only one kind: Ghirardelli. They are, by far, the best boxed brownie mix that is readily available. And they are easy to make and will satisfy any chocolate craving you could possibly have.

While at the store the other day, however, I found something that tops the "regular" Ghirardelli brownie mix I've been purchasing: Ghirardelli Ultimate Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Fudge Topping and Chocolate Chips. Now if this doesn't put you into chocolate overload, I don't know what will.

Here's where it gets tricky. The "Easy Directions" tell you how to mix, pour, and bake these little devils. They even tell you to warm the fudge topping so that it will be easily spreadable. Here's step #5, word for word: Cut top off fudge topping pouch and squeeze onto warm brownies. Gently smooth over top. Cool completely before cutting. Makes 16, 2-inch brownies.

Hello!?! Cool completely? Do they know who they are talking to? I don't know of any woman who can patiently wait for brownies to completely cool before cutting into them. The agony! And 16, 2-inch brownies? Maybe that would work if I were having some sort of formal tea party and no one wanted to scarf down a huge brownie in front of a bunch of people. But you know that when they get home they are eating the four brownies they stuffed in their purse when no one was looking.

All this to say that I haven't actually tried these brownies but when I do, I'll be sure to report back after I wake up from my sugar coma.

Add This to Your List of Christmas Treats

These things look awesome. I haven't made them myself but have had something very similar. My guess is that I would have a hard time turning one of them down...

Edited to Add: I made these this morning before church. They are heavenly and were devoured by all in our family who are currently eating solid foods.

Soup-Tacular

I found this link on BooMama's website and thought it was a fabulous idea. Even though it's not that cold where we live, it's definitely soup season. I'm posting two recipes that I love. They are both hearty and delicious although one is a little, um, richer than the other. Enjoy!

Beefy Lentil Soup

1lb ground beef
1C dried lentils, rinsed
1C sliced carrots
1C sliced celery
1C diced onions
1C cut up cabbage or green beans or corn or any veggie you want
1C finely chopped green pepper
1pkg beef ramen noodles-discard flavor pack
2 lg beef bouillon cubes or 2Tbls "Better than Bouillon"
46oz V-8 juice
4C water
1bay leaf
Salt & pepper to taste

Brown ground beef. Add chopped veggies & cook until soft. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on high until mixture boils about 10 minutes. Reduce heat & simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Note: You can use ground turkey in place of the beef and it's just as good.

Chili Blanco

1 pound great northern or navy beans, soaked overnight
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, poached and shredded
6 cups chicken stock
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
2 (4oz) cans mild green chiles
2 tsp cumin (or more to taste)
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups Monterey Jack, grated
1 cup sour cream

Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent. Add drained beans, stock, garlic, chiles, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper. Cook at a simmer until the beans are tender (this can take several hours).

Just before serving, add the chicken, cheese and sour cream. Mix well and continue cooking until the chicken is warmed through.

Serve with fresh cilantro, salsa, sour cream and cheese.

Note: You can use two cans of drained, rinsed white beans if you don't want to deal with dried ones.

Fruit Muffins and Baked Oatmeal

Over the weekend, S made two things for breakfast that were just wonderful. One is a family recipe that we've made many times before and they are always a hit. The other is a new recipe found in a church cookbook. I thought I would share both with you. The muffin recipe is ours but the oatmeal recipe is from the A Taste of Trinity cookbook. I've never even been to this church but they have some wonderful recipes! Maybe one of these will inspire you to make something yummy.

Fruit Muffins
(I would call these blueberry muffins but you can use any berry you like and I prefer raspberries)

3C flour
2C sugar
1Tbs baking powder
1/4lb (1 stick) butter
2 eggs
1C milk
2C fruit

Preheat oven to 350º. Mix together flour, sugar, and baking powder. Cut in butter until a fine meal is formed. Measure out one cup of the mixture and set aside. Add the eggs, milk and fruit to the remaining flour mixture. Place in muffin tins lined with paper liners. Top batter with dry mixture that was set aside, evenly distributing the entire amount. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Makes 20-24 muffins.

NOTE: Frozen fruit works best in this recipe, as fresh fruit tends to break up more easily in the batter. You can also add the zest of half a lemon to brighten up the flavor.

Baked Oatmeal

3C oatmeal
2tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1C milk
1/2C oil
1C sugar (half was plenty for us or you can do half sugar, half brown sugar)
2 eggs

Mix together oatmeal, baking powder, salt and milk. Add oil, sugar and eggs. Pour into greased round or 8-inch square pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes (until firm and lightly browned). Serve with milk.

What's For Dinner?

Is anyone else in a cooking slump? I would say that I am except that I haven't really had to cook too much lately. This week has been filled with some really wonderful dinners cooked by my loving husband, who is a much better cook than I. I'm the baker, he's the cook.

We've also discovered a new vegetable: sweet potatoes. Now, before you go nuts and say that this particular vegetable has been around for ages and many a child has loved this sweet root, I would not be one of those people. Yes, I'm Southern and should love them as they are a staple in the Southern kitchen. However, I have never really liked them except when my stepmom PJ makes them. I don't know what she does but they are good. Well, S made baked sweet potatoes and I mashed one of them up to give to the girls. L could not get enough and wanted more when there was no more to give.

For those of you familiar with our family, you know that L is quite a picky eater. She isn't required to finish the food on her plate but doesn't get any options other than what is put in front of her. Anyway, the discovery of the sweet potato as a viable vegetable has been wonderful.

So, what did you have for dinner tonight? Anything good? Just so you know, S prepared steak, cottage potatoes (provided by his mom before she left) and green beans. It was all so yummy, especially since I didn't have to cook it!

Friday Family Fun

Ever since school started, we've been having Friday Family Fun night. This is, typically, pizza and a movie. While this wouldn't thrill most of you, it's such fun for the girls and S and I have fun with them. We rent a movie that all of us will watch (which isn't always easy) and we have pizza.

But the pizza we eat is no ordinary pizza. Instead of ordering from a chain, we make our own, which makes the night even more fun. The girls get to make their own pizzas (K, cheese and mushroom, L, plain cheese) and S and I get to be creative.

This week, I created what I think is my new favorite pizza. We start with store-bought crusts that actually taste very good. My pizza had goat cheese, caramelized onions, fresh mushrooms, fresh basil (from our herb garden), and fresh mozzarella. Yum! For those of you who need meat on your pizza, try adding a little prosciutto. S did that and it was really yummy.

I encourage all of you to get in the kitchen with your kids. We have a great time together and there are plenty of things that both K and L can do to help. I have vivid memories of my mom letting me help her in the kitchen and I think that's why I like to cook today. And let them help clean up, too!