Out of the fire, and into the frying pan.

Well, we’re all slowly recovering from the weekend de flu. The ball and chain found himself roasting from the insides on Monday morning, as did my pretty little 3 year old. Somehow, the young man of the house has avoided this. I am thankful, as he is the one with the nasty asthma secondary to RSV.

So today, my first day back at work since Friday, seemed like a great day to make the fam something tasty from the kitchen. Aside from reheating and pressing “go” on the coffee pot, I’ve not been domestic in nearly a week. I feel like I’m going through withdrawals.

A cold front just pushed through down here, and while it’s sunny and beautiful, it’s also COLD. When you’ve been living in the 101-102 range all weekend, and you find yourself in the “normal” range of the 97’s, cold just seems colder or something. I wanted something hearty, stick to your ribs, and flavorful enough to penetrate my stuffy nose.

Ah…a curry for the non curry lovers – Massaman.

I first discovered it at my best friend’s house. She insisted that I try their favorite Thai dish. I happily ordered my Pad Thai, but then gave the Massaman a whirl. I was set to hate it – I’ve hated all curry that I’ve ever tried. But Massaman is different. Smoother, less pungent. Sort of sweet, but savory enough to feel like a real meal. The spices make your nose and mouth happy all at the same time.

Because of this love of Thai, I really wanted to master my favorite dishes. Curry was the first (and only, thus far) that I have been at all successful with. It seems exotic and scary, but it’s basically a stew with coconut milk.

2 - 2½ cups diced protein source (chicken, beef, pork, or tofu. Traditional is beef)
3-4 ounces of massaman curry paste (just less than a can). This is totally to taste, and the variety of paste you use. If you like things more flavorful, add more, if you like subtler Massaman, add less. I prefer less.
1 small onion, finely diced/minced
2 small-medium cloves of garlic diced/minced
1/8 cup vegetable oil
4 small potatoes, peeled and diced.
1 ½ cup peanuts
2 T. Lemon juice.
2 T. Sugar
Salt (original recipe calls for 2 T., but I found that to be WAY too salty. I would stick with no more than 1 T.)
2 Cans of coconut milk (full fat has more flavor, but light is okay if you insist).

In a soup pot or Dutch oven on the stove: Begin to heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and paste. Let cook for 5 minutes, reduce heat if necessary to prevent burning. Add oil if it gets too dry.

Add Lemon Juice, sugar, and protein source (raw). Cook until done.

Add coconut milk, peanuts, and potatoes. Cook together until potatoes are soft.

Add salt to desired taste.

This is most traditionally served over Jasmine rice. You should be able to find that in any grocery store.

The above batch is LARGE; it will make at least 8 meals (and those are 8 big meals with the rice). I make them big because (a) we don’t eat meat so I don’t worry about the meat going bad before we eat the leftovers and (b) Massaman gets better the day after. I had a wonderful dinner, and I now look forward to lovely lunches today and tomorrow! I’ve never tried freezing this, I might if I have too much and it’s getting ready to go bad. I’m not sure how the coconut milk and potatoes will hold up in sub-zero temps.

So, the idea above is that if you want a smaller batch to try, go ahead and half the recipe. It should divide out just fine.

The best laid plans....

So, last night, about 5:15 I started to feel weird. Shaky, tired, just off. Earlier in the day, I'd noticed a wheeze, but blew it off as nasty yellow pollen. My husband's ears have been so bad he hasn't been able to fly. However, as I started to feel so awful, I realized this was NO allergy.

So, instead of heading to the grocery store, I sacked myself out on the couch and watched the latest episode of Lipstick Jungle and Big Shots (TIVOed from AGES ago). My temp was slightly elevated, but not too bad. At bedtime I took my shot of NyQuil and passed out into never never land. At about 3 or 4 AM I started to get really cold, and at 7 AM my husband points out that I am now "radiating heat." Two Motrin and two more hours of sleep, and I am feeling good enough to make a smaller run at the grocery store for the necessities.

Alas, my grand plans of Strawberry Jam and Eggplant galore are dashed. C'est la Vie. No, C'est la FLU.

So, this weekend I get to go through my magazines, think up plans for NEXT week, and do a few more lazy-woman jobs.

I do want to say how HAPPY I am that I froze all those meals! I so don't want to stand for hours, so instead I whipped out a bowl of frozen chili and spicy black beans. A little rice, and we'll be good to go! I might even have J try to whip up some Chipotle Basmati rice to go with the beans. I found it on an Internet forum that I frequent. VERY tasty!

1tsp Vegetable oil or butter
2 tsp fresh cilantro
2/3 cup white basmati rice
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 lime
In a 2 quart heavy saucepan heat oil or butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Add rice and lime juice, stir for 1 minute. Add water and salt, bring to a full rolling boil. At boiling, cover, turn down and simmer over low heat until rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 25 minutes.

I have successfully doubled the recipe, but when I tried to quadruple it, I burnt the bottom of the rice. I also usually end up adding a little bit of water towards the end, as I find the water dissipates before the rice is cooked.

Very good with some spicy black beans. Orangette (gosh, I just LOVE her) has a great "in a hurry" version. I will save my full batch for another day!

Here comes the weekend!

So, if there's anything a working mom looks forward to, it's the weekend. A little extra time with the hubby, playtime with the kiddos, and (in my case) a little extra time in the kitchen.

Most weekends, I have a pretty grand plan for what will be going on. The problem is, we're pretty stocked. Busting even. I have ziti, beans (garbanzo and black), lasagna, and chili in the freezer for quick meals. I have probably 5 dozen muffins left, and two different kinds of pancakes. Not to mention all the vegetable purees for my Deceptively Delicious recipes (and those inspired).

So, Now what?

Well, it's Strawberry Season. That means it's time to get on my Jam making for the year. I hate store bought jam. I was spoiled on homemade in the beautiful Pacific Northwest Berry Heaven. Smuckers is just crap when you're used to an assortment of jams made of fresh fruit.

Although Strawberries are part of the uneatable "Dirty Dozen," we simply cannot afford to buy organic for jam. Not to mention I've never been able to find a batch that is mold-free. So, I instead follow the lead of The Omnivore's Dilemma, and buy local. At least there are fewer preservatives. I always end up making Freezer Jam, as I love the TASTE. It's just berries and sugar - YUM!

I also noticed that Eggplants are on sale at Publix. So, I perused a few recipes and found a 2 that perked my interest. Truthfully, I have never LOVED Eggplant Parmesan. However, I found a nice recipe for a middle eastern eggplant dip. I also got the idea for making Curry from a web board I frequent. I have some massaman paste and coconut milk. So, we'll see what I can share come Sunday or Monday!

So, what do YOU plan to do this weekend? Why don't you take a step to de-preservative your life and make something HOMEMADE? It's really not that scary! It can be as simple as making pancakes for your family, from scratch (no Bisquick or Krustez allowed!) Then make a double batch, and freeze everything you don't eat. Or, make a double batch of muffins, and do the same. Make an extra big pot of chili, and freeze half. Then use it on a day you would otherwise go out or eat some ready-made meal. Go on. Make some plans...you DO have the whole weekend!

Fresh spices on the double.

So, I'll admit....as much as I like to pretend...I am NOT a purist.

I mean, I really don't have the time to cut up all these fresh herbs. It just takes FOREVER, and when I'm in a hurry, I just can't be bothered. Not to mention the fact that herbs always seem to go bad in my fridge. I do have grand designs on an herb garden out back...but then again...there's the time aspect.

So, I started buying these tubes of herbs from Gourmet Garden. I just LOVE them. So quick and easy, and they keep GREAT in the freezer. I wouldn't really use them as a garnish (like basil in a caprese or cilantro in a salad), but if you plan on adding it to something that a paste would do - these are great.

My favorite applications are cilantro in lime rice or garlic in just about anything!

Who doesn't love pizza...

Aren't toddlers FUN? I mean, who DOESN'T love being tied to a list of 4 meals that the children will eat at any given moment in time. Hello? What rational human being can't sustain themselves on chicken nuggets, pizza, mac and cheese, and PBJ's?

I really wish my kids would eat something other than their "pre approved" list of edible delights. I really did try to expand their horizons. Aside from safety concerns, I never kept any foods from them. My son was breastfed, and I heard from some that the natural changes in flavor of the milk were supposed to support a healthy set of taste buds. Both kids started out loving most foods, but even my easy going guy has become picky as of late.

So, that brings me to pizza. My kids DEVOUR this stuff. My son actually asks for it the moment he wakes up in the morning. So, herein lies my issue.

My kids love pizza...and frozen pizza...wellllll...just doesn't meet my standards for the kiddies. Plus, they're ridiculously expensive. We started buying stacks of tombstone mini pizzas, but our local grocer stopped carrying them. So, I tried a similar looking variety, but figured out the cheese was fake and stopped there. This leaves us with Red Barron, which is good, but not HOMEMADE good.

So...I was talking to the ball and chain one night, and he insisted that he didn't like homemade pizza. If that isn't a challenge, I don't know what is.

Step One: Crust

Knowing next to nothing about baking these - I went ahead and turned to my internet cooking bible and found Jay's Signature Pizza Crust

The thing you have to note about yeast is that it is ALIVE. That's why expiration and the right water temp are important. I have found that taking hot water out of the tap into a room temperature measuring cup, and then pouring that water into a bowl, makes everything about perfect. The thing I hate about bread is that you never know if your loaf is rising until it's too late - not true with this crust. You let the yeast sit in the water with the brown sugar for about 10 minutes. You can actually see the bubbles from the yeast rising.

This makes a nice, bready, fresh crust enjoyed by all! If you are feeling adventurous, you can brush the non-sauced edge of the crust with garlic butter, or toss in some sort of herb.

Step Two: the sauce.


This is where things get fun, because the sky's the limit here.

I typically make a tomato-based sauce for the family. Start with some onion (minced) and some garlic (you can leave out the garlic if you don't like it, but come on, who doesn't like garlic?) Fry it in some olive oil until it’s all blended, translucent, and flavorful. Add the tomato sauce (just a can of the plain old stuff). Plus some paste. I like to add some Oregano, maybe some basil, and a touch of salt. Really, YOU add what YOU like as a family. Think sphagetti sauce, but a little thicker. Whatever flavor makes you want MORE.

What I really love to do is make EXTRA sauce (like I did tonight) and freeze it so it's faster the next time I want to make pizza. I went ahead and whipped up two cans of sauce, leaving me enough for 7 lightly sauced pizzas.

Not a fan of the red sauce? Got someone else in your family besides a toddler petrified of anything green? Orangette's amazing pesto is another great idea. I have not tried this myself, but top the pizza with a little goat cheese and I'm sure it's amazing

You can also try alfredo if you like white pizza. Maybe some chicken breast, or spinach...

Really, I could go on and on.

Step Three: Toppings

Repeat after me: I will not be afraid of trying something new.

Take a gander in your pantry and your fridge. What do you have that looks YUM? Veggies that need to be used? Leftovers that need to be recycled? There is not a combination that isn't (at least) edible on a pizza. Tonight, we made it standard. Just mozzarella on one side, mushrooms, olives, peppers, and fresh tomatoes on the other. When you top, make sure cheese is always the last thing you add.

While on the topic of cheese, while mozzarella is the most commonly used there are many others that are divine! Jack cheese with some different spices could make a Mexican pizza. Goat cheese with maybe some pine nuts and spinach? Really, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

Step four: Bake



I make this pizza by placing the dough on a pizza stone, and baking for between 15-20 minutes as the pizza recpie instructs. I like the evenness that a stone brings, but I don't do anything fancy like make the pizza on something wooden, artfully sliding it onto the hot stone. I make the pizza right on the stone, putting the whole thing in the oven to cook. I make sure to spread a good one-third cup of cornmeal over the stone to prevent sticking (you're not supposed to use flour for a stone) BEFORE spreading the dough around on the stone.

Step five: Eat

Really? You need instructions for this? :)

Genesis

I'm a math teacher. I think it terms of the rational and absolute all day long. I live and breathe rules, expectations, procedures, and structure.

This is why I have a love affair with my kitchen and all things creative.

A person cannot live on bread alone. While Algebra is some pretty kick-ass bread (I know, all you math phobics are wretching) - I still need something to work the other half of my brain.

For the last several months, I have renovated my pantry, cleaned out the freezer, and completely changed my family's eating habits. I started by throwing out just about anything in a box, and replacing it with an extra bag of flour. Then I tackled the refrigerator and freezer. Why should I buy someone else's product when I can make my own that's (a) cheaper, (b) better, or (c) both? Oops. Multiple choice. There I go again....

Whatever, as I whittled away my processed foods I found myself full of pride. I tossed the eggo's for homemade pancakes. Out with the Stouffer’s meals and in with frozen Ziti and Lasagna. No more Atheno's hummus, I've got "Save Your Marriage" hummus.

My husband thinks I'm nuts. Especially in light of the fact (by his report) he was the best cook out of all his previous relationships. Scary. Still, as we sit amongst the natural goodness that is now our diet - he can't help but smile as he snidely calls me "Mary F*&K*$# homemaker".

Nice, eh? It's said with love, believe it or not. The muffins disappear way too fast for it not to be a compliment.

So, here I rest. I may be talking to myself, or people may come across my blog and find it helpful. I'm hoping that I can lend a hand to other Moms who are tired of this world full of preservatives and harsh chemicals. No doubt that I'll toss in some other household-related items outside of the culinary world. I also love scrapbooking (okay, maybe LOVE isn't the word....obsession might be a more accurate description) crafts, and do it yourself home projects. Plus I do the whole "socially conscious save the world" crap that every other child-of-a-baby-boomer tries to do. All-in-all, I try to be a younger Martha Stewart gone Green. Avoiding the whole jail thing might be cool too.