Category Archives: Food

Monday Menu

Posted by Melissa in Food, Kids, Monday Menu and tagged with , , , , , , ,

Yeah, yeah, I know it’s Tuesday. But yesterday was a holiday and we treated it as one, puttering around the house. (Mostly, I tried not to leave the house so I could ignore the oppressive heat and humidity. Fall, I am ready for you.)

Though the big kids have been in school for more than a week, this week marks the beginning of most of their extracurricular activities. Three nights a week we have two activities, with dinner sandwiched in between. On those three nights I will have to make dinner ahead of time, because there’s just enough time to eat and run, but no time for prep. I won’t lie–I’m a little anxious. We’re a family that needs our down time. And we still need to squeeze homework into the equation.

Monday: We received a bounty of garden veggies from Aunt Karen, so we had BLTs for lunch, and Moosewood Country Style Moussaka for dinner (2 out of 3 kids were not thrilled, but we made them eat it anyway).

Tuesday: Chili and cornbread (make ahead and reheat between piano and karate)

Wednesday: Asian Cabbage Salad (more garden veggies to use), grilled chicken and potstickers

Thursday: Pan-fried pollack and fried green tomatoes with avocado mayonnaise, Cumin seed roasted cauliflower

Friday: Pasta pesto

I’m also hoping to make a streamlined version of this Pasta and Chicken Gratin (using extra grilled chicken) and freeze it for next week. And if we have any leftover chili, I plan to freeze it immediately and use it later (maybe there will be enough for chili dogs).

How do you manage dinner when there are multiple evening activities to juggle?

 

A big party doesn’t have to be a big headache

We hosted a potluck party over the weekend for about 40 people from the community chorus that I sing with. Though we intended to have the festivities in the back yard, it rained steadily all day long. Despite the deluge, everyone enjoyed catching up with friends and sharing good food, and the preparations were not that difficult or expensive. If you have the space at home, don’t be afraid to invite a crowd the next time you feel like celebrating!

Here are my top six tips for hosting a fuss-free party at home:

  • Keep it casual! If your budget won’t allow for a huge spread for 50+ people, plan a potluck. You can either assign groups of guests a category (side dish/appetizer/dessert), or just take your chances that you’ll have a good mix of dishes.
  • Borrow supplies from your friends and neighbors. We borrowed a tent and tables from a friend of the chorus, more tables and chairs from a neighbor, two beverage coolers from another neighbor, and buffet plates and flatware from yet another friend. My parents loaned us their slow cooker and chafing dish.
  • You don’t need to spend money or time on decorations (unless you really enjoy it!). We cut flowers and greenery from the garden and put them in glass jars for centerpieces. We used our regular, mismatched tablecloths to cover the folding tables–it looks homier than color-coordinated plastic table covers.
  • Choose a main dish that you can prepare ahead. Some people like to grill, but I think it’s difficult to coordinate for a large crowd. I made pulled pork a couple days ahead of time and kept it warm in several slow cookers during the party. Buns, cole slaw, pickles, and some homemade macaroni and cheese were my contributions. The slaw and mac-n-cheese were also easy to make ahead of time, so the day of the party I could focus on setting out all the supplies, and guests didn’t need to wait long for the food to be served.
  • Have separate stations for plates and utensils, food, and drinks. Don’t try to fit everything on one table–you’ll have a traffic jam when people try to serve themselves.
  • Designate areas for dirty dishes. Clearly label garbage and recycling containers, or bins for dishes and glasses. If you invite the right people, they may even load the dishwasher for you!

Have you hosted a large party at your house? What was the occasion?

Back to school baking

Posted by Melissa in Baking, Food, Kids, School and tagged with , , ,

It’s the first day of school for my fourth grader and second grader. (Little Four has a couple more weeks before Pre-K begins.) You might be under the impression that their lunches are lovingly crafted, homemade works of art, but you would be mistaken. Today their lunchboxes contained applesauce, orange juice, animal crackers, and a thermos of spaghetti and meatballs from a can. They had goldfish crackers and water for snack. Not the best, but not the worst, either.

But hey, now that they’re out of my hair for 6.5 hours each day, I can take a little time to bake something healthy. Our school district has banned all peanut and tree nut products from snack time (which is eaten in the classroom), so I need to pay a little more attention to what we pack. I used up some bananas in banana-chocolate chip muffins (using half whole wheat flour, half all-purpose flour, and a good dose of wheat bran), and then tried something called “breakfast cookies.” I was going to make granola bars, but Miss Seven has a mouthful of orthodontic appliances and shouldn’t be eating sticky foods.

These cookies are 100% whole grain, mildly sweet, nut-free, and full of fiber. I think they are little more like tea cakes or hearty scones than cookies, but they’re yummy. If you can’t find quinoa flour (or don’t want to pay the outrageous price for it here in the U.S.), just use a cup of cooked quinoa and omit the milk (as in the original recipe).

Whole Grain Breakfast Cookies

adapted from Dinner: A Love Story

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup quinoa flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds

1 cup raisins

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugars together with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and milk and beat until thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes.

Mix flour mixture into butter mixture 1 cup at a time. Stir in oats, sunflower seeds and raisins. With your hands, roll dough into balls about golf-ball size and then flatten into 1/2-inch thick disks. Arrange 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.

Does your child’s school have a ban on nuts to protect those with allergies?

Monday Menu

Posted by Melissa in Food, Monday Menu and tagged with , , , ,

School starts this week, and this weekend we finally made an attempt to get back to the school year routine. We got everyone up early and out the door for church. It was still early when we got home, so we enjoyed some time with the newspaper and a second cup of coffee on the patio. The Hub took charge of making the menu and grocery list, and while he was out grocery shopping, I clipped coupons from the circulars that have piled up over the past few weeks. It has the makings of a nice Sunday morning routine.

This week relies heavily on an oldie-but-goodie, The Frugal Gourmet cookbook by Jeff Smith. The Hub reminded me that I should consult it more often.

Sunday: Turkey meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes

Monday: Broccoli and Chicken Salad (The Frugal Gourmet, p. 97)

Tuesday: Pasta with Onion Sauce

Wednesday: Pot-Sticker Pockets (Rachael Ray)

Thursday: Eggs in tuna sauce (The Frugal Gourmet, p. 410), soup and salad bar

Friday: Sweet corn pancakes (some of us will eat them savory, with sour cream and tomatoes)

What cookbook do you return to again and again?

Monday Menu: the lazy edition

Posted by Melissa in Food, Monday Menu and tagged with , , , ,

We just sadly bid goodbye to our good friends who trekked down from Canada with their two small children to spend some time with us. We had a great weekend, but now the house is eerily quiet. My husband is doing a wee bit of business travel this week, and after feeding a dozen people several meals over the past few days, I am unmotivated to exert any more effort than necessary. The kitchen is all cleaned up, and I’d like to keep it that way. Fortunately, I have fridge full of leftovers and I’m not afraid to use them. If I buy anything at all, it will be bacon. I don’t think I need to expound upon its transformative properties in the kitchen, do I?

Monday: Leftover turkey burgers and corn on the cob

Tuesday: Asparagus, goat cheese and lemon pasta (ours is leftover, but making this from scratch is so easy it counts as lazy)

Wednesday: Pancakes (and bacon)

Thursday: Mexican Sweet Corn Cake, leftover pork carnitas and slaw

Friday: Bacon corn hash and eggs

 

Last week on Home Baked

Dust-free drapes

Monday Menu

The week in review

Posted by Melissa in Baking, Cleaning, Food, Garden, Recipe and tagged with ,

How is it Friday already? This week flew by in a whirlwind of gardening, doctor’s appointments, buying school supplies, and watching the Olympics. And playdates. Lots of playdates. So here it is Friday (I swear I thought it was Thursday when I woke up this morning), and the blog posts in my head are as yet unwritten, unpublished.

So here’s a quick summer-is-winding-down summary of my week for you:

Garden:

As a result of the drought this summer (and our neglect while away on vacation), we are now performing triage on our ragged lawn and garden. Our efforts to water the front lawn seem to be making a difference (let’s just agree not to talk about the weeds or the layer of pine needles). I have been hacking away at the wilted brown daylilies and miles of weeds that have overtaken the flower beds. My doctor told me I need to do more cardio, but I think my daily hour (or three) swinging a hoe is going to count this week. I planted some mums, spread some mulch, and have created many piles of yard waste to bag for pickup next week. And in a feat of superhuman strength, my husband single-handedly chopped down two-thirds of our overgrown hedge. Next week: more weeding, more mulch.

 

Do you have any great hints for maintaining your lawn and garden in the worst of the summer heat?

Cooking:

In the kitchen, I’ve been keeping things simple. Sunday night we were so wiped out, we ate popcorn for dinner. I jazzed up the popped kernels with a generous handful of grated cheese, leftover bacon, melted butter and salt. Mix it up and bake on a rimmed cookie sheet at 250 degrees for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese melts. Serve with Chocolate Banana Milk Shakes (from Mollie Katzen’s kid’s cookbook Pretend Soup).

Cheddar Bacon Popcorn

I also tried one new recipe from Kim Boyce’s Good to the Grain. With the illicit stash of cheap quinoa flour that I brought from Ecuador in my suitcase, I made the Banana-Walnut cake. My kids often say they don’t like nuts, but they sure liked the cake. It was lovely with a tall glass of iced coffee while catching up with a good friend. (It’s a super moist cake and keeps really well for a few days–two, at least!) I’ve got some amaranth flour to try next. Next week I’ll share a recipe for a cool Avocado Shrimp Roll–wonderful for a summer lunch or light supper. I need to make it one more time to get it just right…

Cleaning:

HAHAHA!!! By that I mean that things are getting pretty dusty–possibly even sticky–around here. The daily laundry routine has helped me keep on top of the dirty clothes, and I’ve managed to make the bed and do the dishes every day. I even broke out the vacuum and attacked the family room rug (and then issued one of my frequent bans of food in the family room–frequently broken by everyone, including me). But any serious cleaning is going to wait until next week. We’re expecting houseguests again next weekend, so I’ve divvied up my cleaning tasks throughout the week on my list at TeuxDeux.com. I love TeuxDeux because I can’t misplace my list! It automatically moves any items you haven’t crossed off onto the next day’s list–so easy.

How do you prepare for houseguests? Mints on the pillow?

Monday Menu

Posted by Melissa in Food, Monday Menu and tagged with , , , , ,

After a month of travel to South America (kids, too!), it’s good to be home. The suitcases are unpacked, but I think we’re all looking forward to getting back into a familiar routine again. I plan to share some of our adventures with you soon, but first things first: We need to eat this week! The weather is soooo much hotter than it was in the Andes that I’m drawn to lots of vegetables and not much cooking.

Monday: Meatballs, hummus and pita; spinach salad

Tuesday: Avocado Shrimp rolls with avocado dressing (based on this recipe)

Wednesday: Something grilled and Chopped Salad with Feta, Lime and Mint

Thursday: Fettuccine with Guiltless Alfredo Sauce and lots of veggies (cook them right in the pasta water!)

Friday: Dinner out!

 

Last week on Home Baked

Weeknight Pad Thai

 

What have you been cooking during this hot summer?

 

Weeknight Pad Thai

Posted by Melissa in Food, Recipe and tagged with , , , ,

We don’t get takeout very often, but if we do, it’s likely to be Thai food. And though I love a good curry, there’s something so comforting about a container of Pad Thai. Salty, savory, sweet, sour, crunchy–a little bit of everything, without any one flavor dominating the others. Now that our kids are past their toddler years (and Mr. Nine has declared himself Too Old for the kids’ menu), even takeout is no bargain–one meal can easily equal a week’s grocery bill.

But with a short trip down the Asian foods aisle of your local market, you can stock a few ingredients for a reasonable homemade Pad Thai whenever the mood strikes. You’ll need fish sauce (nam pla), rice sticks, and tamarind concentrate (but if you can’t find this your noodles will still be yummy–just add more lime juice). The rest are easily recognizable ingredients: brown sugar, green onions, limes, garlic, peanuts.

This recipe makes a large batch, enough to serve six as a main course. We ate a little more than half for dinner, and had several servings leftover for lunch. Sure beats another sandwich.

Weeknight Pad Thai

1 lb. Thai rice stick noodles

2 Tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 lb. ground pork (or choose shrimp or thin strips of chicken)

1/2 lb. firm tofu, diced in 1/2-inch pieces

5 Tbsp. fish sauce

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. tamarind concentrate

5-6 green onions, sliced diagonally in 1/2-inch pieces

3/4 cup finely chopped peanuts

2 Tbsp. lime juice

Other additions: bean sprouts, chopped cilantro, scrambled egg, fresh or dried chilis

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add rice sticks and cook for 7-8 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the fish sauce, brown sugar, tamarind concentrate and lime juice.

Heat oil on medium-high in a wok or large sauté pan, and add the garlic. Stir fry for a few seconds, just until the garlic begins to color. Quickly add the ground pork, raise the heat to high, and fry until all pink is gone. Add the noodles and mix well. Pour in the fish sauce mixture, tofu, green onions and 1/2 cup of peanuts (and any of the other additions you might have–if using egg, just push the noodles to the sides of the pan and scramble the egg right in the well). Keep tossing mixture until all the noodles are coated and everything is heated through, 4-5 minutes.

Serve immediately with lime wedges and a sprinkling of peanuts.

Monday Menu: Planning for houseguests

Posted by Melissa in Food, Monday Menu and tagged with , , , , , ,

Summer always brings much-anticipated visits from friends and family, but if you don’t plan ahead, you can get overwhelmed and stressed out trying to feed all those extra mouths. I like to plan meals that are mostly made ahead (I don’t want to be in the kitchen while everyone else is having fun!), with lots of built in flexibility so everyone can personalize their plates (especially important when there are a bunch of kids in the mix). With a fridge stocked with plenty of beverages and healthy snacks (yogurt, fresh fruit and veggies), and a good stash of homemade cookies, you’ll be ready to enjoy your visitors!

Arrival day: Homesick Texan Carnitas, slaw, guacamole, and Dulce de Leche Ice Cream

Panini Night: 2 kinds of good sliced bread, 3 cheeses (I like cheddar, provolone and Havarti), some sliced deli meat, thinly sliced tomato, arugula, maybe a jar of roasted red peppers or some caramelized onions. Set everything out in little bowls and let each person assemble their own sandwich. I don’t have a fancy panini press; I just toast them on the griddle and press them down with a cast iron skillet. Add a salad and some chips!

Pasta Night: Asparagus, goat cheese and lemon pasta (I realize this menu leans heavily on Smitten Kitchen recipes, but they’re always reliable!). Cook extra pasta and leave it plain for the pickier kids who want plain marinara or just butter and cheese. My kids like the goat cheese but pick out the asparagus. Garlic bread (use a big 1-lb. loaf of soft Italian bread to feed a crowd) and a simple tomato salad.

Breakfast ideas: Doughnut Muffins (that’s what my kids call them because I make them in regular muffin tins) and smoothies; Spinach and cheese strata or Baked French Toast and bacon; Overnight Orange Rolls and Velvet Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Herbs.

Last week on Home Baked

Unclogging the sink

Stenciled Star Wars Cake

Monday Menu: Vacation at the Cottage

Stenciled Star Wars Cake

Posted by Melissa in Baking, Food, Kids and tagged with , ,

You guys know I don’t have any actual training in cake decorating, right? Whatever I do is self-taught, and I’m always looking for ways to simplify. So when my best friend asked me to make a small cake for her Star Wars loving son because she couldn’t find one at the grocery store bakery, I gave it a shot. I scrolled through pages and pages of Star Wars cakes on Google Images, many of them elaborate sculpted R2-D2s or giant Millennium Falcon models. I knew I wasn’t going to drape anything in fondant or pipe complicated patterns. (Have I said this before? I don’t like how fondant tastes, so I don’t use it.) Then I saw this cake and this cake. I decided the cake needed to be blue and say “Star Wars.” Anything else would be the proverbial icing.

Luckily, I had some of this food color spray left from another cake, and I decided to experiment with a stencil. I printed out the Star Wars logo and cut it out with a craft knife. I laid it gently on the frosted cake, sprayed a couple light coats of blue, and very gently lifted off the stencil. We found a Darth Vader candle at the party store and called it good. (Oh yeah, there’s some sparkling sugar scattered there as “stars.”)

 

If you can find a graphic that you can cut into a stencil, you can put anything on a cake to fit the birthday boy or girl’s interests. Don’t trust your piping skills (or lack thereof)? Stencil it!