Ina's Mac and Cheese.

So, I was home with a pseudo sick kiddo on Friday, and found myself watching all my favorite gals mid afternoon: Ina, Rachel, Giada, Sandra, and Paula. Watching these five makes for a great day - because you get such a wide perspective of styles: French gourmet, fast yet stylish, fresh and light Italian, an emphasis on entertaining, and good-old-fashioned-home-style. Awesome. It totally got the foodie juices flowing.

Ina's episode was about a housewarming party she was cooking for. In it, she made this wonderful mac and cheese. Now, I don't know about y'all, but I LOVE macaroni and cheese. It's really one of my all-time favorite foods. And when I say "mac and cheese" - I mean GOOD HOMEMADE mac and cheese. None of this box stuff will do. Ina's recipe made me want to jump through the TV and join the party. When they spooned it up, you could see the stringy melted cheese goodness.

So, clearly, I went to the store that afternoon and bought all the ingredients!

Ina Garten's take on Macaroni and Cheese

Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 quart milk (That's four cups!)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided (only 6 T if you take my suggestion below)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil the noodles as directed in a pot with olive oil and salt. Drain and set aside.

Heat the milk on low in a sauce pan. DO NOT boil it! Scorching = nasty milk.

In yet ANOTHER pan (yes, this makes three, and yes, it's worth it), melt 6 Tablespoons of butter. When melted, add the flour, and whisk steadily while cooking over low for two minutes (if you let up - the butter could burn!)

Once the flour/butter is cooked, add the milk (still whisking), and cook until it's thickened up. It'll just turn into a heavy cream consistency - don't expect gravy! Add a tablespoon of salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat.

If you have a food processor, now is the time to use it to grate the cheese. If not, you can do it by hand. If it's by hand, I would recommend grating it before you start (as it will take a bit!). In my case, the Gruyere was too small, but I had plenty of cheddar, so I just went for an overall volume of cheese (6 cups). My mac and cheese was probably a little less pungent, but that was probably better for the kiddos. Now, for those of you put off completely by the Gruyere (I am generally not a fan) - it does not overpower in the dish! It just adds a smoky flavor. If you're nervous about it (as I was) - I would flip the proportions and put in more cheddar than Gruyere.

When the cheese is grated and ready to go, add it to the milk mixture. Do not expect (nor try to force) the cheese to melt. It will do so in the bake.

Place in a 3-quart baking dish. Cover with tomatoes. For the breadcrumbs, this is what Ina says to do:

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top.

I omitted this step, and just sprinkled packaged breadcrumbs. I also topped with paprika for color.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cheese is all bubbly and the top is turning brown. While eating, try not to turn into a 5 year old again while you're children are watching.

62 days?!? How about some Apple Butter?

62 days? How on earth has 62 days come and gone without so much as a hint at my blog?

It has been a busy fall at our house. Thankfully, it has also calmed down a great deal. I was tutoring in the evenings twice a week. While the money was nice (really nice, in fact) - I can see now that it just wasn't worth it. My kids still ask me, daily, if when I pick them up we're going home or to meet Dad so I can go tutor. I tell them - EVERY DAY - Mommy isn't tutoring any more. It's like they're traumatized. They jump up and down, whooping their arms, when I announce that Mommy is taking them home. Causes a little bit of remorse, you know?

The children aren't the only one showing signs of neglect. For the first week or so after tutoring ended, my husband told me several times each night: "I'm happy that my wife is back, I was tired of spaghetti." Okay...okay...I get it. Mommy doesn't get to work additional hours. It may not be a "woman's" place - but the home is certainly MY place. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching - and it enriches my daytime. It's just that half the reason that I got into teaching was the schedule. I had forgotten that motivation, and got a little greedy. It's not all bad though - I socked enough money away to get family annual passes to Universal Studios!

Whatever the fall was like, winter is looking better. My house is clean, I'm caught up in my classroom, and I'm finding time back in the kitchen again. Upon urging from my husband, and a few loyal, neglected, readers, I thought I should return here as well. Refreshed, renewed, and ready for THE season!

I have some goodies coming in the weeks ahead - my annual fudge, bar cookies, and this year I will be trying peppermint sticks! I have some tried and true recipes, a few new finds, and some carrots screaming to be made into a cake. But this is all "planned" not created. In other words, there are no drool-worthy photos or treats to share...today.

What I DO have, friends, is apple butter. Yummy, yummy, apple butter - made easy. In a crock pot. Now, the downside is that you do have to devote the day to apple butter making. But, it's low mess, low energy, and high YUM factor!
Got this here.

5 1/2 pounds Granny smith apples
4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ginger

First, prepare the apples. Loyal readers will remember my list from awhile back. I got an item on my list early - in preparation for Thanksgiving pie making. The peeler/slicer/corer made quick work of most of the apples. I just had to run a knife through the slices for a good chop. It was a pretty rough cut, I didn't take too much time chopping the slices - and they were not in pretty, uniform pieces.

Then, in a BIG bowl, mix everything above together. I found two clean hands worked best for this job.

In a crock pot (no small ones, a medium to large), set on high for one hour. Then on low for 9 - 11 hours. Stir occasionally, more as the apples break down. Over time, you will see the mixture go from apple pieces, to a sauce, to a smooth apple sauce. Use a whisk to assist in this process of making things smooth and spreadable. Then, as you cook it longer it will turn that lovely brown, apple butter color. Might I suggest that you consider tasting it once the apples break down into a smooth sauce. I really thought this apple butter needed a bit more spice. If you like it more apple-like, then this will be just fine.

It makes a real lot, so canning, gifting, or freezing will likely be in order. Unless you have a big family, or REALLY like your apple butter!

Consider serving with french bread, either warm and fresh, or day old and toasted with butter. It's perfect either way!

My bread, in use.

If you scroll down to yesterday's post, you will see that I successfully modified a French Bread recipe for sandwich bread. However, how can I measure the success of a recipe until I use it? Sure it TASTED good, but what kind of sandwich did it make?

The first effort was the most important - Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich for my young (picky) children. I got this great set of cookie cutters that has about a zillion shapes. I wanted to try a larger one and a smaller one. My batch cut up as easily (if not a little easier than the sore bought bread). Moreover, from the bite that I grabbed, I thought it tasted better. The spongy nature of the bread gave lots of places for the honey and peanut butter to hide!
How did it go for the real judges - my children? Well, my son (who usually only picks at his PBJ's) DEVOURED it. My daughter ate it as quickly as she normally does.

Verdict: The sandwich bread works for the kiddos.

Now, onto a more "grown up" sandwich:
Chickpea Salad:
Mash up a scant 1/3 cup of chickpeas
add: 1/8 - 1/4 of a diced onion.
1 clove of ultra mashed/minced/grated garlic
1 teaspoon of DILL relish (or chopped up dill pickle)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard (or Dijon, if you prefer).
1 Tablespoon of mayo or mayo alternative.
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together in bowl. It should clump together, but not be over done with mayo.

Spread over bread, put the other slice on top, cut, enjoy!

Verdict: The best chickpea salad sandwich, EVER.

If you're avoiding extra carbs, I have been known to put this salad over a bed of greens and enjoy that way too. It's really very versatile. But then again, why would one want to avoid carbs with this kind of bread hanging around?

French Bread Variation.

At the beginning of the summer, I stated that I was going to learn a "sustainable recipe" for homemade bread. As in, one that didn't take several hours or a lot of effort to make. One that I could use for PBJ's and other like meals. I thought I had hit the jackpot with my French Bread recipe, but I was discouraged by the first couple of efforts to modify it into traditional sandwich bread. First, I discovered that my load pan was just too small. Traditional pans a great for banana bread, no so much for a good hearty sandwich. With such a small loaf, it is difficult to cut the bread into thin slices. The next try (with larger pans) made me fully aware of the importance of a sharp bread knife. My bread was mangled, and the good slices I could get out were far too thick to eat as a sandwich. Moreover, half the batch (which makes a free form loaf beautifully) was too little for the big pan. The whole batch was too much.

But THIS time...well...I will let the results speak for themselves.
French Bread modified to sandwich bread:

(1) Go buy yourself some big 'ole loaf pans.

(2) You need to "half again" my French Bread. For you non math peeps - that means take each amount, and multiply by 1.5. That makes:
3.75 cups of warm water
3 Tablespoons of yeast
3 Tablespoons of sugar
1 Tablespoon of salt
8 1/4 cups of Bread Flour (you definitely want a heartier bread, so don't use all purpose unless that's all you have)

When I use bread flour, I've noticed I have to knead the bread a few times to get the flour incorporated correctly. The extra gluten in the bread flour just requires a bit more coaxing. Sprinkle a quarter cup or so of flour over the top before the first rise, it will allow you to to get it out easier.

(3) Let rise 15 minutes, as the original calls for. Cut in half with a knife, and mold into lightly greased loaf pan. Because this is such a wet dough - you don't need to worry about getting it into the pan all nice and neat. In fact, if you realize you "misjudged" what half was - go ahead and pinch the excess off of one loaf and sort of pat it into the other one. It will incorporate during the second rise. This is really a forgiving recipe (hence the sustainability).

(4) Rise 15 or so more minutes. Until you've got a nice dome going over the top.

(5) I baked at 375 for I would say around 30. You want a nice pretty golden color, like my first picture, on the top. If you like a crispier crust, bake a little longer. Keep an eye on it until you get a feel for your oven.

(6) Wait until it is cool before slicing to get the best slices. Oh, and make sure that knife is SHARP!

This makes a really spongy, soft, bread - which I love (all the spreads go into the little holes). If you like a denser bread - this might not work for you.

If you like the idea of making all of your family's bread - I would suggest buying yeast in bulk. Amazon has it for a great price, and I saw it at my local Sam's Club as well.

A Vegan Alternative to Sloppy Joes.

I recently purchased the cookbook Veganomicon, and finally got around to trying one of the recipes - Snobby Joes. It is a vegan take on the beef favorite. I have to admit. It was excellent. Instead of using a "fake meat" - you create the substance with lentils. It is a fairly quick meal and reheats well. It's also VERY pantry friendly, as the only fresh veggies are onions and green peppers.

Lentil Sloppy Joes - Inspired from the very wonderful cookbook Veganomicon.

1 cup uncooked lentils
4 cups of water
1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like heat)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 small can of tomato paste
1/2 regular can tomato sauce.
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
bread from French bread, toasted if made the day prior.

(1) Boil the water and add the lentils. Cook until soft, 20 minutes or so.

(2) Use a bit of oil and cook onions and peppers until they start to soften. Also cook garlic if using fresh.

(3) When vegetables start to soften, add oregano, salt, garlic if using powdered, and cayenne pepper. Stir for just a moment, then add the sauce and paste. Let simmer on low for 10 minutes.

(4) Add the cooked and drained lentils. Let simmer on low for 10 or so.

(5) Add the syrup and mustard, let heat through.

(6) Slice bread in chunks, and then through the middle to get the bread like the picture.

Tastes even better the next day!

Laptop Lunches

Instead of buying my daughter a beautiful new Princess lunch box, and my son one adorned with race cars, I invested in Laptop Lunch's Lunch box bento. These appealed to me for several reasons:

(1) They are made entirely from "safe" plastics. (Marked with recycle #5)

(2) The plastic has all been made in the USA.

(3) They're dishwasher safe plastics that can be used over and over (instead of tossed away like a plastic bag).

Here's the average lunch I pack for the family The first is for the kids, the second is a picture of my husband's lunch.


And this is of a yummy granola bar chock full of fruits and nuts for the husband.

I was expecting to use fewer plastic bags and feel good about the choices I was making for my family, but I also sort of expected my pre school to get a little annoyed with me. I'm used to being "that lady" at the grocery store with my reusable grocery and produce bags. But I have to live with the people at my fabulous pre-school. I've watched them take out individual snacks at snack time, and I worried that the compartments (instead of bags) would be an issue. On the first day we had them, I went into school and pulled my kids' teacher aside. I showed her how to open it, as some compartments don't have lids. You simply must sit it down before opening. I braced myself for an exasperated sigh, but instead I got "wow, that's SO cool!"

Huh?

Apparently, everyone at the pre-school loves them so much, that I had to give the name out to all the teachers and the owner. AND, they plan on giving out the information to other parents who may be interested.

So, long story longer, these are a huge hit for the kids, their school, and us too. We hardly even look at our plastic bags anymore. It's also nice to set out 4 boxes (one for each of the kids, and one for each of the adults) and just get lunch done for everyone all at once.

As a little note, the cooler bags and plastic thermoses in them are NOT made in the USA nor are they "chemical free." I weighed the costs and benefits, and decided that the food never touches the bag, and I need a bag capable of keeping their food cold while at school, so I purchased the lunch bag on the Laptop Lunch's website. I do not, however, use the associated thermos.

Pizza, undone.

So, in February I posted about my pizza making escapades. While that pizza was good, I have since discovered what is most easily described as spectacular pizza. And these are not my words.
Several weeks back, a good friend of the ball and chain came down for a little visit. Since we have taken up vegetarianism, cooking for company has become...well..interesting. How do you cook for good friends, without them feeling like they went to visit the health nuts?

So, I decided to make individual pizzas that we all could top ourselves. That way, J's friend could add the pepperoni or not. I then had to decide how we would cook the pizzas. The oven would be difficult (I only had one large pizza stone). So, I decided to attempt a trick that I had seen on Food Network ages ago: pizza on the grill. As I brought all the ingredients out, I warned J's friend that we'd never tried this before. J was nervous about making his friend a guinea pig. I assured him that if all else failed - we would be ordering in! Turns out J's friend was ready to invest in our new pizza venture. He liked the pizza so well, he made it at his next get together.

The nice thing is, all the ingredients are the same, the process is just different.

Detailed instructions for making pizza on the grill.

1. Start the water-yeast-sugar mixture on the dough. Set aside.

2. Dice 1 onion and 1-2 cloves garlic. Add to 1/8 cup warm olive oil in medium pot. Cook until onions are starting to turn translucent.

3. Add one can diced (unspiced) tomatoes. Bring to a vigorous simmer and reduce heat (you don't want to burn it, but a small bubble is still good. We are looking to cook down the tomatoes and evaporate excess water).

4. Finish crust. Set aside to rise.

5. Add one can of tomato sauce to the cooking pot, bring to a boil. Use immersion or regular blender to whip and blend sauce up. Return to heat, bring to boil, and simmer to reduce/thicken. Salt as needed (but be careful - it won't need much if any!) Watch closely over the next hour to determine when it is thick (creates a nice thick film on the back of the spoon). You also want to get as much of the water evaporated from the sauce as possible, without turning the darn thing to paste.

6. As the sauce finishes, let the dough rise for the required hour. Remove sauce from heat when necessary. This is a great time to get everything else together, like toppings, plates, and tools. I like to take everything outside with me so fellow eaters can partake in the topping and cooking process.

7. When the crust is done, cut it into 4 equal pieces. I do this right in the bowl, cutting into quarters as best I can visually. Place pieces on large, oiled, cookie sheet in mounds. Work dough as little as possible in this process.

8. Prepare grill. Heat high to clean grill. Reduce heat. Optimal cooking temperature is 400-500 degrees. Spray grill with oil.

9. Quickly work dough to a loose circle. Perfection is not necessary. Imperfection will add to rustic feel. Toss onto grill, and close. Until you get a feel for this, do just one pizza at a time.

10. When the dough is two-thirds done (think a pancake), turn with a pair of tongs or a spatula. Spread some sauce (to desired taste), toss on the toppings, saving the cheese for last. While you can top with the typical mozzarella generally used, I really recommend fresh from the deli (sold in little balls). Just slice up and toss on in chunks. Our favorite pizza is basic: Fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, topped with fresh mozzarella. When topped, close grill and wait for cheese to melt. If extra water is forming on the top, you can tip the pizza to allow it to run off. This can come from the mozzarella or the tomatoes if enough water hasn't evaporated from the sauce.

11. Optional step: after you spread the sauce and top, you can paint on a layer of olive oil and spices around the edge of the pizza (on the exposed edge of the crust). All you need to do is whisk together olive oil, mashed/minced garlic, and whatever additional Italian spices float your boat (basil or oregano). It will make the edges yummy like bread sticks. This mixture is also fantastic to paint over unusable crusts (I always have one of these each batch). You know, a crust you turn to early and crumbles. One that gets a hole in it and is unable to be sauced. Makes a creat nibbler. Just let it finish cooking (in whatever state it's in), and paint the crust with this mixture.

12. Shimmy off the grill with the tongs and a nearby plate, and slice up however you prefer.

This is our pizza: This if for the kids (I use regular shredded mozzarella):

Really, the grill does such a great job of cooking the crust perfectly. It's crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside. The only problem I have encountered is some water forming on the top of the pizza, but if you are vigilant about reducing the sauce in steps 5 & 6, it will come out better.

We made this just last night for baby boy's 2nd birthday. The nice thing about this, is that it is easy enough for a weekday night (provided you can get the crust done). You can easily cheat with store bought dough in a pinch. Such fun and so yum.

Eat your veggies!

Awhile ago, I got the book Deceptively Delicious. It has a few good recipes; enough to link to it on this page. However, the real amazing thing was that it opened my eyes to a new way of cooking - adding in veggies wherever I could.

Basically, you make a bunch of vegetables into baby food. Then you add wherever. Cauliflower to scrambled eggs, squash to noodles, sweet potatoes in tomato sauce. You name it, I've probably done it.

One of my most favorite tricks is putting something in the kid's cheese sauce for Mac and Cheese.

First, I take a box of store-bought quickie stuff. In theory, I would be making homemade and freezing it. Unfortunately, my kids are wise to this trick and will not eat it. So, I'm forced to used boxed. The compromise is that I buy the all natural stuff. You can get it in bulk - for a good price - at Amazon.com. Especially considering that you get free shipping for anything over $25.00.

Go ahead and cook the noodles as instructed, drain, return pot to hot stove.

Add a teaspoon of butter, a tablespoon of milk, one half cup of vegetable puree, and the packet of cheese. Whisk together until bubbly and creamy. Add noodles, stir for about 30 seconds and take of burner.

As far as the kind of vegetable - think thick and cheesy. I've tried cauliflower and sweet potato with good success. Green, overpowering, and watery vegetables probably wouldn't work as well.

My kids eat this down as if there was nothing in it. Would it be better for them to eat vegetables on their own? Sure, but this is a sneaky way to get a few extra down!

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? :)