Time

At 50 I think about the fact I won't have any more kids. I'm cool with that. Chances of my family expanding with nieces and nephews comes to a close. I guess I'm ok with that. When my dad died it made me think about my family size and that rather than growing it was shrinking. At the time my favorite son had no girl on his arm. The daughter being only a high school senior wasn't anywhere near (and still isn't) making the family tree grow fuller. However the last year in a half has brought changes. Son has girl. Girl has son. Daughter has another BF in college. I'm not good at math but I can add and I'd say my family is beginning to swell. I'm diggin' it!

 

I've gained what many long for, dream of and work toward. I have time. Time like I haven't had in a long time. Do some days seems too short? Oh yea. Do I seem to runout of time? I do. Maybe it's cause I've learned to prioritize. Maybe it's because I have less to do? Maybe I've kicked guilt in the teeth. It is all of the above. I've learned that I handle Monday through Friday better when I do what I want every once in a while. I'm calmer, less stressed, happier and more satisfied. Could I have been like this at 26? 32? 45? I doubt it. I think it's one of those things you earn. You mature into it.

There. My two cents on time, satisfaction and the size of my family.

Can't have a food blog without...

Roasted tomato mayo. Refer back to previous post on roasting tomatoes with garlic. Now take a scoop of mayo and stir in the same amount of roasted tomato. You have a delicious spread for BLTs or any sandwich for that matter. Eat something that makes you feel good. It's worth your time.

 

 

I Can Make This at Home

I spent the last 144 hours in the great city of Chicago. There are many things that make the city great: food, drink, architecture, colleges, art, museums, good public transportation but the greatest thing is it's the city my daughter calls home. I don't call it her home yet but rather the place where she's a college freshman. There is an interesting dichotomy there. People walk, a lot. They walk to work, school, shopping and to the train. They carry groceries for blocks, in the cold. Some people run. Real running. Like exercise in the snow! All this exercise should make them healthy right? But no. They also smoke. While my lungs heave from climbing train station stairs and trying to keep up with my husbands faster than me pace in exceptionally cold air they inhale tar and nicotine. Gag. Why? Every time we do this kind of trip I think to myself, "I'm half way to being in better shape just because of all the walking we've been doing so just keep doing that at home." I'm a slacker and do not like exercise. If it weren't for walking and stairs at work I'd be considered pretty sedentary. I suppose standing for hours on end cooking fattening food doesn't count for much? Speaking of food I must tell you about my Chicago food adventures.

Guinness, espresso, beer, cookies w/ salted caramel, croque madam, espresso/latte, Creme brûlée, French food, dive bar, chocolate croissant, waffle sandwich w/ Burrata & prosciutto, ribs, pickles, chips, beef sandwiches, braised greens, mac 'n cheese, sweet potato fries, pork belly (no trip is complete without pork belly)

If I did the #thing I guess I'd have # in front of each of the items above. That is my "off the top of my head" list of what I consumed in 144 hours. Several of the items I did more than once and to be honest more than twice. Basically we were able to consume 2 meals a day. Prince Charming and I have little discipline when it comes to ordering small or sharing even when we know we should. I'm the lucky type that sleeps best on a full stomach. Not so much for him. I don't have to eat much to be satisfied. Let's just say I was more than satisfied this trip. (As a side note: I thought it was funny how all our leftovers made it into doggy bags and aforementioned daughter and friend ate very well for several days.) A few bites of something is enough as long as I get to talk about it with someone. I suppose this is where you come in. I'm a simple person. I really only think about a few things each day. I got to experience all those things to the highest level of satisfaction in the last 6 days. Who could ask for a better life?

I think the only thing on the list above that we don't or can't make is Guinness. Ok, I've never tried to make Burrata but its on my list of things to learn. I'm fine with that. Mostly I look at restaurant food as a challenge to be conqured. My montra is "I can make this at home." I'm not trying to be a snob. I really think its true. Because food is one of my passions I want others to share it. Think about something you're passionate about. You want to share it with others right? Because some of my closest friends (Barb, Lori, Debbie S.) think making some of the stuff I do is over their abilities (which it is not) I want to explore making something tasty, not too difficult and high and fluity sounding with you.

Croque Madam.

It's basically a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a sauce and fried egg. That doesn't sound too hard right? Like all good food it's about the ingredients. Thick sliced bread, good thin cut ham, Emmentaler cheese. The sauce is easy. Butter, flour, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. You can put simple things together and get fantastic results. You need to make this. Just think, when you do you get to announce to anyone who'll listen that you made Croque Madam. Say it with your best French accent and people will be even more impressed by you than they already are. Want to know a little secret? That dive bar mentioned above. It had something in it that I've never seen anywhere in any bar or pub in any country. It was a little shocking to be quite honest. Because you read this far you get to ask me about it when you see me next. Now go and cook something please then share the experience with me.

I'll perfect the recipe and add it soon so check back so you can make it too.

 

Cream Cheese Monkey Bread

OH BOY!

I'm not a huge fan of sweets. They don't tempt me and I don't crave them. I know plenty of people who have a sweet tooth. I have a cheese tooth. However in the interest of mixing things up I've had my eye on a tempting looking sticky pull apart with cream cheese that I repinned awhile back. This morning I made it. I think I feel my sweet tooth coming in.

This recipe was delayed by several days because I couldn't find my bundt pan anywhere. Not anywhere! FRUSTRATION! The husband looked. I looked. We looked using flashlights. He checked the garage. We discussed if perhaps the daughter snuck it back to college. (She denies it) Had to borrow the son's girlfriend's pan.

Cream Cheese Monkey Bread

2 cans big dinner biscuits, my cans had 8 biscuits each

3/4 cup butter, melted

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1 tablespoon cinnamon

8 oz cream cheese

Heat oven to 350 F. Spray bundt pan with non stick spray.

Combine sugars and pecans. Sprinkle a small handful into prepared pan.

Cut cream cheese into as many cubes as biscuits. Flatten biscuits in your hand and put cream cheese cube inside. Pull dough up around cube. Put 1/2 of the biscuits, opening side up, evenly placed around pan.

Sprinkle 1/2 the sugar mixture over biscuits. Pour 1/2 the melted butter over. Repeat with remaining biscuits, sugar and butter.

Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully invert onto serving plate. Enjoy!

Now, if you know where my bundt cake pan is can you let me know please?

 

The Easiest Dinner Ever

I don't miss work often because I'm sick but today was one of those days. Whatever my sickness is it hasn't curbed my appetite so while lounging around today I knew I'd want dinner and so would Prince Charming. I surfed the World Wide Web for recipes for easy dinner stuff. There is a lot of yucky sounding junk out there. My immediate thought when it comes to food in cans is ick. But, I read reviews on this soup before I read the ingredient list and was so impressed on what people had to say I had it in my mind that we were having it this very night. You can make this your own in so many ways. All who passed through our kitchen tonight liked this. I liked this. You'll like this.

 

8 Can Mexican Soup

1 can of each of the following. They should all be similar in size. I used beans with green chilies or jalapeños added and spicy taco seasoning so ours was what I would call medium spicy. If you want mild just don't use spicy stuff. The cream of soup gives it the creaminess.

Black beans, drained and rinsed

Pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Diced tomatoes, drained

Corn, drained

Green enchilada sauce

Chicken broth

Cream of chicken soup

Taco seasoning package

Chicken, leftover cooked or a can will do

Garnish with chopped cilantro, cheese and sour cream if you like.

Stir everything in a large pan. Heat until bubbly. Eat. Told you it was easy.

 

Roasted Tomatoes

I love tomatoes. I love them raw, stewed, fried and one of my favorite ways is roasted. So simple to do and endless ways to use them. It's a great way to use tomatoes that are beginning to get a little too soft for slicing on a sandwich or cutting for a salad. Their flavor is intensified after roasting somewhat like a sun dried tomato. Roasting however doesn't give you a "dried" tomato it gives you a smooth luscious flavorful almost spread like consistency.

How do you use roasted tomatoes? Great question. The way I use them most often is spread on some kind of bread. I like the way it mingles with mayo on a sandwich. On an English muffin topped with a poached egg makes my mouth water. Mix it into cooked pasta. Mash it into a smooth paste and use it as the best dipping sauce for fries you've ever had. Stir it into a vegetable dip to take it to a higher level. Be creative and brave and try it with just about anything except chocolate. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't taste good with chocolate.

Here's what you'll need:

• Tomatoes, how many is up to you
• Olive oil, amount will vary depending on how many tomatoes
• Salt, I like kosher but any will do
• Garlic cloves, if you have them
• Rosemary sprig, if you have it but you know it grows everywhere right? Steal it from the neighbors yard. A sprig in my mind is about 4 inches long.
• Dish to roast in. Big enough to hold tomatoes in single layer without too much extra space. Could be glass could be ceramic.
• Oven set at 325.

This is as easy or complicated as you like. Turn oven on. Cut tomatoes in half across their middles, so there is a top and bottom half. Squeeze or scrape out seeds if you like. I DON'T. You can cut out that stem part if you like. I DON'T. Take skin off garlic cloves if you are using them. (Let's just say you were using 10 tomatoes. I would probably use 4 garlic cloves but you don't have to use any) Put the tomatoes and garlic in your dish cut side up. Sprinkle with salt. Not too much but it does need some. Now drizzle olive oil over. How much? Maybe 1/2 teaspoon for each tomato half? You can't get too much. With your hands toss the tomatoes around until the whole thing is well oiled. Now turn all the tomatoes cut side down. Work in the rosemary turning it a couple times to coat with oil. Slide the whole thing into your oven and come back in 1 hour. My oven cooks unevenly so I have to rotate the pan at the one hour mark. In another hour turn the oven off. If your tomatoes look dark remove the pan and allow to cool. I leave mine in the oven with it off for a while. If you do this try not to forget about them like I have. When cool enough to handle but still warm I remove the skins that easily come off and forget the others. Throw the rosemary away. This is when I remove the stem part if it's big enough to get my attention or if it bugs you. I just eat them.

 

Now try not to just eat all this goodness without a purpose. I store them in a glass jar and add a little more olive oil on top and put in the fridge. The oil will solidify some but it quickly melts back to liquid at room temp. If for some reason you haven't eaten all this yumminess in a week I'd check to make sure there is no mold. No mold eat. Mold, find a home schooler who needs a science experiment.

 

I'd love to know if you make these and then how you ate them. Now go to Costco and buy tomatoes to roast like I am today.

 

Eat Your Veggies part 1

I love cauliflower. Fresh cauliflower only. Keep that water-logged junk found on the freeze aisle away from me. I don't believe anyone likes it. Did you know cauliflower is really good for you? That is not why I love it but I'm happy to report to anyone who wants to know that I do indeed love veggies, if they're prepared in a delicious way. Cauliflower can slow the growth of cancer cells but boiling it just 5 minutes reduces its benefits 20-30%.

Roasted is one of the ways I like it best. Tossed with olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper then into a hot oven. It begins to brown and smell toasty. Too bad all things that are so yummy aren't also good for you.

Cauliflower grows purple, green. yellow, orange and white. I'll post some pictures when I find all the colors. Now go eat some veggies.

 

Sad (as in strange) Eatings

I know a lot of kids leaving home and off to live on college campus's all over this country. I've already heard of some interesting food consumptions going on. When I went to college, a very long time ago, I didn't live in a dorm. I lived in an apartment so I had to cook for myself from the get go. My mom put dozens of little baggies with strange and familiar herbs and spices with twist ties in my bare kitchen cupboards. I think they cleaned out the camper of all the cooking stuff and gave it to me. Not quality stuff but what did I know? Not much. I remember one of those baggies was marked "Marjoram." Mar what?

Channeling my inner college student I've stooped to a new culinary low. Worse than Top Raman, worse than boxed Mac and cheese. Popcorn tossed with a can of anchovies. You read that correctly. I'm in Northern California helping my mom move to Southern California. When I arrived the refrigerator was already gone. There was some fish in a cooler but I wasn't feeling super great about the amount of time it may have been on ice or in cool ice-chest water. For dinner I had a hard boiled an egg, a piece of toasted white sandwich bread, salt and pepper. By bedtime I was h-u-n-g-r-y. What to eat, what to eat? Looking in cupboards; Found 1/2 jar full of salsa in the pantry area. Hum? No. Flour that any good elementary science teacher would be envious of. No. Microwave popcorn. (I do not like popcorn) Ok, popcorn with cheese sounds promising. No cheese. Then I see it, the can of anchovies. I think savory, salty and protein. Those are the things that help me sleep best. So what if I put the two together? I mashed the anchovies into a paste and tossed it into my hot popcorn. Actually not too bad. The ratio of grain to fish could have been better but that's a lesson learned I suppose.

This morning I was hungry again. "Oh no," you might be thinking. I was thinking that too so I borrowed mom's stuffed to the windows car and headed to the grocery store. What I wanted was a bagel but I don't know if they have a bagel shop in this town. Because we're in farm country the abundance of produce greets you in giant bins outside the store doors. In a subconscious effort to redeem last night I instinctively reached for a giant naval orange and an equally sized peach. Then I saw rows of bagels hanging on pegs inside a case. I learn they all cost .99 ea. and they have a toaster in their coffee bar area AND they throw in cream cheese for free. Jackpot! Bagels weren't marked but they're big and smell good. Several look to have cheese so I naturally know my choice will be one of these. Last time I had a jalapeño cheese bagel it was so spicy I couldn't enjoy it so that's out. In my greed I make my decision based on size. The first bite reveals I've chosen a pizza bagel. Ug. Whatever. For lunch I ate 2 chili cheese dogs. I think the old saying, "Going to hell in a hand basket" must have been directed at marginal food. I need to get out of food hell. Have a desperate food story? I'd love to hear it. Please, it will make me feel better about my strange late night choice.