Blogging, a new world

Well, this is my third post in as many days! I have to say, I am enjoying taking the time each day to sit and write. I used to write in journals and used to write some poetry back in the day, so this is fun for me. However, I do feel a little odd writing about myself so much in a relatively public forum. I wish it was more interactive and that I was hearing more about you and your worlds as well as your cooking. I learn from my friends and family each and every day about everything - life, thoughts, values and of course about cooking. So, please share in the comments section or in any other forum. I don't want to feel alone here! I think the comments section might be difficult to navigate. Technology is great until it doesn't work....then it is supremely annoying!

I find that I spend too much time with technology these days. I am so, so guilty of this, especially as I sit and write a blog! I find I am on my phone too much (especially now that I am not working outside the house) and I am aiming for some time away from that aspect in my life. The iPhone or any other phone for that matter is so convenient - you can do so much work from the palm of your hand but I can lose so much of life in the process. A goal.

So, in light of what I said above, I had this bittersweet feeling last night. We are down to one car right now while the other one gets fixed from the ice storm damage a couple of weeks ago. Sosie came with me to pick Kel up from work. We had this really good conversation - one of a few we have had recently. It made me so happy to have this real time with Sosie to talk about real things, but also so sad that she will be out of the house in 6 short years. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone and how special and cherished it is. It makes me want to bottle this time and yet I have really enjoyed each stage of Sosie and Sage's lives. This is not to say that the kids aren't hard or that I don't want to scream at times. It just means when I think of the big picture of our lives as a family, I feel so incredibly lucky and grateful. I don't want this time to end but I want them to continue to grow and thrive.

Ok - song of the day.....Wildfire by John Mayer. This is from his new album. The whole thing is worth the download really. So put it on and get cooking.

Since Kelley and I have moved, we have become obsessed with tomatillo salsa. We absolutely love it and I start to get panicked when we run low, in the same way I panic when we run low on wine, milk and cookies. We find a way to put it on just about everything!  Kelley has become the master at egg sandwiches and egg burritos and tomatillo salsa is the key ingredient. I have a recipe to make it from my friend Becke and that will be shared soon but in the interest of time, Trader Joes makes a great one and since I don't have Traders nearby, we use Herdez. This is a great brand. And yes, I am panicking because it is only half full.....

The recipe I am going to share comes from Bon Appetit in April 2008 via my incredibly talented sister in law. We made this last night. It does make a lot so is a good one to make when you have guests. The recipe calls for pork but lately I have been using chicken-breast or thighs or a combination. To make kids happy, you can always add cheese to tortillas when warming them but we didn't use cheese last night and the kids ate them fine! We use lots of avocados and cilantro and if you have leftover cilantro from the Asian salad recipe, all the better!

The best part about this recipe is that it is really easy, and really quick preparation.......

Slow-Cooked Carnitas Tacos

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1/2 large onion or 1 medium, cut into 4 pieces
1 avocado, halved, pitted and sliced (I use more than one)
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Sliced red bell pepper (optional but we do this and can use other colors for prettiness factor)
Tortillas (corn but we used whole wheat last night)
Tomatillo salsa (lots!!)

Toss pork in bowl of slow cooker with salt, pepper and dried oregano to coat. Place onion pieces atop pork. Cover slow cooker and cook pork on low setting until meat is very tender and falling apart, about 6 hours.

Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to cutting board.  Discard onion pieces. Using fingers, shred pork; transfer carnitas to platter.  Place avocado slices, cilantro sprigs, and sliced red peppers alongside. Wrap corn tortillas in damp kitchen towel; microwave until warm, one minute. Serve carnitas with warm tortillas and tomatillo salsa.

Serves 4.

Notes: As I said, I used chicken breast and have used breasts and thighs (as well as pork) in the past. I shred the meat in the slow cooker (it falls apart) and I put the makings in separate bowls. We also made frozen corn and I put some cilantro in it too. The kids made it part of the taco and I ate mine on the side. I also do not discard the onion pieces. Side note: The onions are made mostly of water. They provide the juice in the slow cooker - though I tend to add a bit of water too just to make sure there is some juices in there.

Before and after shredding

 

Above are some of the fixings and below is Sage's tortilla before wrapping....

Well, that is a wrap! Ha!!

Enjoy the day!

Two days in a row and Sage's favorite....Alfredo

As I look out onto the grey day outside, I keep thinking about Mexico......

The water was so blue there and matched the sky in such a lovely way. The warm breezes were wonderful and the green grass and flowers were appreciated in their wonder. Aahhh.......it feels like a dream ago. Spring is coming though.  When we moved to Augusta, we didn't know what to expect in terms of our seasons, except for summer - we pretty much know what summer will be (yikes!). In the fall, leaves did come off some trees, grass went dormant and it did get cooler. Now though, daffodils and forsythia are blooming, camellia flowers are out and there are even some magnolias and cherry blossoms. The air is spring like too with variable temperatures - 40s and 50s one day and 60s and 70s other days. I am a little turned around of course being used to Boston weather and it is only February. This weather makes me hopeful that spring will come to everyone soon. What a winter it has been!

 

Simple moments. I think about certain times of the day that I truly love. The moment in yoga when I sit up right before class ends and you are done with savasana.  My mind is never more open and clear and calm than at that point. Or the moment when I pick the kids up from school. I do the car line thing now at Augusta Prep, where the girls go to school.  I pick Sage up at 3 p.m. and then Sosie after or later depending on sports and other activities. I wait in this incredibly organized car line and Sage is walked to the car with a smile on her face every day. I long to see that smile and that face. She hops in the car and either tries to climb up to give me a hug or her shoes (and socks) come off, her backpack opens and she starts her homework, before we are off school property. For many weeks when we first arrived, I would take the kids various places for cookie snacks after school. A fun tradition. We don't do it as often but it sure is fun!

Yesterday I shared the blog news with the girls. They were very cute and Sage especially was filled with ideas, including recipes. So, today I will share one of her very favorite recipes, Alfredo sauce.  I got this from a dear work friend of mine. As she says, it is a very flexible recipe. I like to cook it with a pasta that has lots of grooves and pockets for the cheese to get captured, or you can use a thicker kind of Cipriani, which is a beautiful and delicious pasta. Ina Garten talks about Cipriani a lot in her books but I never found it until we moved here. It is more expensive but worth every single bite.

In terms of the recipe, I like to add tomatoes and peas at times, reminiscent of another recipe I will share at some point called Straw and Hay. I usually serve with some sort of roasted vegetable, like broccoli and a simple salad. For broccoli, I will cut into little trees, put into a baking pan, put some olive oil, kosher salt and pepper and roast on 375 or 400, depending on my mood, I like when they are pretty crispy and carmelized, maybe 15-20 minutes? Maybe longer? Just keep an eye on them and when they look good to eat, take 'em out!

I didn't grow up with bottled salad dressing. My grandmother used to make this awesome salad with Sunday chicken dinner. I crave it to this day. My dad and mom also made their own vinaigrette with dinner so I do too now. Amazing how that stuff gets passed along. Anyway - I mix olive oil and vinegar (sometimes it is balsamic, sometimes it is apple cider vinegar, or red wine or even champagne vinegar). Sometimes I will just do lemon juice and olive oil. It all depends on the salad. It used to be 2 to 1...I tend to do more like 1 to 1....I put olive oil in and then the vinegar to taste. I do like a tang sometimes and sometimes I want the dressing to be more mellow. Then, salt and pepper. You can be creative and add garlic or Dijon mustard too. Again, it depends on your mood and on the salad and the rest of the meal.

OK - time to put on the song, Timber, by Ke$ha and get cooking. That song was the theme of our vacation with my brother and sister in law. It makes me smile when I hear it.

Alfredo - for 8 oz (so keep in mind - you may need to double)

1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parm cheese (though I cheat on the freshly grated more often than not)
1/4 cup parsley
pinch of nutmeg (fresh or not)
freshly ground pepper

Melt butter with garlic in a medium saucepan (enjoy that smell!) over medium low heat. Add cream and bring to a simmer, then add cheese and whisk quickly, heating through.  Stir in pasta, parsley, nutmeg and pepper.

As my friend said, you can add mushrooms, chicken, shrimp, or veggies......

Don't freak out because of the butter and heavy cream.  Everything in moderation. Indulge and live a little and add lots of veggies to the meal. While I have not done this, as she suggests, you can use evaporated milk for a lower fat version. Yum!

First Day and Asian Chicken and Cabbage Salad

Ok. So today I started a blog. Why today?? I'm not sure! Over the course of several months friends and family have suggested I start a blog related to moving to Augusta, GA from Needham, MA as well about cooking for families since I post about food a lot on Facebook. Today I was feeling a little down and this prospect got me excited and the juices flowing. I am also more spontaneous in nature so...why not?!

I am not going to spend tons of time editing my writing in this blog. I hope that is ok. I am learning that perfect is the enemy of good and if I spend all my time making this perfect, it won't get published and it won't be the real me in the end.

The truth is that I love to cook. I would not call myself talented. I am fortunate to know some extremely talented cooks and bakers. I often call upon them for recipes and advice so this is their work. I love to cook though. I find it relaxing and I enjoy seeing a meal from start to finish. It allows me to be in the moment and to just be and those are moments I seek every day.

I love whole foods. I love simple foods combined to make complex tastes. I say all of this but the every day world does not allow for hours spent cooking in the kitchen. For the first time in my life, I am not working outside the home. It has given me the ability and the time to appreciate cooking more and for that I am extremely grateful. More on not having an outside job another day!

In terms of meal planning, I do like to plan my dinners each week. I may not make dish A on it's designated day but it gives me structure to the week and I find it cuts down on trips to the store and on money spent. I have a great paper tool that I never used in Needham but use every week here. I map out the week with meals and activities. When I create a new one, I use the old one for the grocery list. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Yes, I am sure there is a handy app that would allow me to put everything online but...I am still old fashioned. I still balance my checkbook in pencil to the penny and I use this paper organizer, in conjunction with my iPhone calendar!



Meal planning. Like many friends and family, each week I usually have a night of Italian, Mexican, Asian and then American or something else of some sort and pizza. I do try and have a vegetarian night once a week at least. I always have lots of veggie options with meals.  We have a weekly tradition down here of eating out for dinner on Fridays.

There are many nights where we eat frozen pizza or pasta and sauce with frozen meatballs. I love those nights too. I miss Trader Joes and their mini beef tacos. I would get those, their guacamole, canned corn, make a simple tomato, pepper, cilantro, onion, lime salad. Serve with the tacos, corn, guac and you've got a great meal. Dinner can just be dinner too. We are all busy with lots of activities. No need to ever feel badly for that!

Everyone has a food they love and would love to eat every day.  For me it is Italian. I love it so I do try to make sure I have 1-2 Italian meals each week!

Are the meals kid friendly??? I think so. I feed them to my kids. Many years ago I asked our pediatrician if we should make separate meals for our kids. His response was to feed them your meal. They won't starve. They will learn to eat what is for dinner. So....for better or worse, they eat our meal. The rule is that they have to try it 10 times before they say no, and sadly for them, I might still make it (as in the case of last night's dinner).

Ok. So the first dinner I will share is one my sister in law gave to me. It is from the May 2013 issue of Bon Appetit. I love this recipe and I make this often. I cut down the work on this one to make it even faster. It is filling, fresh and yummy and I am making it tonight. Last time we made it, Kel brined the chicken breast before grilling. It was delicious. I need to look online for the brining recipe he used. This dish does have cilantro. If you feel like cilantro tastes like soap it means you likely have an allergy to it. Substitute with parsley or nothing!

Go put on Pharrell's, "Happy" and get cooking!!

Asian Chicken and Cabbage Salad

1 jalapeño pepper with a few seeds, chopped (I omit or use milder pepper)
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (always fresh squeezed)
2T reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. light brown sugar
1 tsp. fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
1 tsp. peeled, grated ginger
Kosher salt
1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced, about 5 cups
3/4 cup shredded carrots (for last two I buy bagged cabbage, broccoli slaw, carrots-much faster)
4 scallions, white and green parts only, thinly sliced
3 cups shredded roasted chicken breast (or brined and grilled or rotisserie for a super fast meal)
1 cup baby spinach, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts (omit or substitute per allergy)
1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Whisk chili, oil, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, fish sauce and ginger; season with salt if necessary. Can be made ahead.

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, spinach, scallions and cilantro; toss to combine. Can be made ahead, covered and refrigerated.

Pour dressing over salad and toss; add chicken and toss to coat. Top with peanuts and sesame seeds.

Serves 4.