Beginning a New Year, even if it is only November

Who doesn't love some delicious ice cream?

I will admit, this picture is the reason for this post, for this decision, and for this life change.

Read on.

Jason and I do a pretty good job feeding our family healthy options, but sometimes, we fall into the fast food trap. If we're running late or Noah has soccer, we've been known to just pick up something on the way home. Our biggest weakness is usually pizza, which isn't horrible, and we always have a salad, but I've been known to treat the boys to McDonalds or another fast food place on occasion: maybe once a month. Everything changed when I saw this picture.

Jason handed me his weekly Newsweek and told me to look at the picture and read the caption. This in the picture is not ice cream, but rather, this is the "chicken" in the McNuggets..Yes.. it's true. Along with all of the other organs and disgusting parts that Jamie Oliver shared on his show, Food Revolution, these McNuggets are bonafide trash... and I had been feeding it to my kids. It all made me begin thinking about food, and the trash we put into our bodies, which inspired this idea:

I am beginning a *Year Without Fast Food* challenge. For one whole year, starting tomorrow, we will not buy any fast food. If we cannot sit at the restaurant and be served, we cannot eat it. If it came from a bag (aka, Taco Bell meat) it will not go into our bodies. Food also cannot be purchased from gas stations, or any other "quick" type experience.

Why? Why not!?!? Food is love, and I love my family enough to stop feeding them crap!! Another facet- eat at least 4 fruits and vegetables a day and drink enough water. How many of you meet that requirement in a day? I want to see, in a year, how much we've been missing by not eating this food, and also, will we miss it? Hard to say, but I definitely think it's worth a try!

And believe me... if you stare at that picture for long enough, you may be taking the leap to no-fast-food as well!

To Warm Your Belly

It's been a wee bit busy around these parts. I will admit that some nights, the kids get a grilled cheese, a vegetable, and a fruit, and we call it good. But, as in any home, the key to being a good "at home chef" is organization. That is why every Sunday I go to the store and plan meals for the whole week. Then, later in the week, I, like any good parent, forget what the hell I planned for that evening's meal.. It's a vicious circle.
This meal was made a LONG time ago and has been axiously awaiting being posted. Growing up, I hated chili. Everything about it was disgusting to me except for the beans. Oh, and the cheese. Jason is a chili lover, so I agreed to try to find a recipe that I would like so that we could have Frito Chili Pies. So, I began searching online, and found this website. The recipe is called "Best Chili Recipe." It's quite confusing, however, because the name of the website is "Good Chili Recipe." I made this chili and fell in love. Jason and I cannot get enough, and I'm almost certain that I could double the recipe and we'd eat every last drop. So- here is my modified "Good/Best Chili Recipe."

Good/Best Chili Recipe

Brown 2 pounds of lean ground beef and drain all the grease off and add to the pot.

Now add one 14.5 ounce can of beef broth and one 8 ounce can of salt free tomato sauce.

Add 1 hot pepper WHOLE (Serrano, Jalapeno) of your choice to the and bring to a boil. When the boil starts add drop 1.

Drop 1:
1 Tablespoon of onion powder
2 Teaspoons of garlic powder
1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder

Cover the pot and reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour. Remove the pepper and crush the juice into the pot. Now its time to add Drop 2 to the pot.

Drop 2:

2-1/2 Tablespoons light chili powder
2 Teaspoons cumin
1/4 Teaspoon black pepper
1/4 Teaspoon white pepper
1/4 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cube beef bullion
1/2 cube chicken bullion
1/2 Teaspoon brown sugar
1 pk Sazon Goya

2-3 cans of Red Kidney Beans, depending on how beany you like it.

Continue boiling with lid on for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes add the last drop.

Drop 3:

2 Teaspoons Mexene Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon cumin
Salt to taste

Cover it up and simmer for 15 minutes more, then serve over Fritos, a Baked Potato, or just straight.. With some sharp cheddar, but of course. I promise you that you will NOT be disappointed. This chili is good every time!

Comfort Foods

To me, food is love. I love my family enough to cook good food (except for tonight, when we're getting good pizza) and hopefully they'll love to eat my cooking! When Jason and I were first married, I was on a mission to impress him with my cooking. I went to my local library and checked out every Rachael Ray book I could get my hands on. I'm busy- I don't have time for real cooking- only Rachael Ray! I checked out a bunch of books, copied a TON of recipes, and only found a few that we all really liked. Thankfully, we found this one: Quick Cassoulet Stuffed Bread Melts. Jason loves Italian Sausage, so I was desperately seeking recipes that made it taste good to me, and I definitely love this dish. For us, it's a big bunch of goodness that you put in bread and cover with cheese- how can you go wrong?



(The pictures aren't the most flattering... trust me- It's good.)

Quick Cassoulet Stuffed Bread Melts

• 1 loaf of bread- not sliced bread, but Italian or a baguette. We always use Italian.
• 1/2 lb of sausage (I buy the uncased Mild Sausage.. much easier and less messy.)
• 2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 t of dried thyme
• 1 can on cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup of white wine or chicken stock
• cheese- we use swiss, but you could use Gruyere, gouda, fontina, or whatever strikes your fancy

1. Preheat the oven to 200 F.

2. Crisp the bread in the oven, remove and cut into pieces, then cutting out the center of the bread to make a boat. You can do it length wise, or just chunk it like I did (check out the pictures.)

3. Add the EVOO to a skillet over medium high heat and brown the sausage. If you are using cased sausage, uncase them and break the sausage into small bits. Kind of like ground beef.

4. Add the carrots, onions, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme- cook for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.

5. Add the beans and stir to combine.

6. Season with salt and pepper- I always add more thyme as well.

7. Deglaze the pan with the stock or wine- scrape all the good sausage bits off the bottom.

8. Reduce heat and let it simmer over low heat. Rachael suggests just letting it simmer for a mere 2-3 minutes. I'm a busy woman, Rachael, and I've got things to take care of, so I'm gonna let this simmer for anywhere from 5-25 minutes. That's right.

9. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more wine or stock.. I like it a little juicy..it makes it better for heating up the next day.

10. Turn your oven to broiler. Take your bread boats on a cookie sheet (or broiler sheet) and fill them with the cassoulet. Cover the deliciousness with your choice of cheese, and put the sheet in the broiler. Let the cheese melt under the broiler and enjoy. Depending on how crisp your bread is, you may need a knife and a fork.

I will confess that every dinner I make must last for two days. We're too busy and have way too many children to be cooking a fresh meal every night. So, I double this recipe and double my pleasure. Though there are a lot of steps, it really is quite simple, and after you make it the first time, it gets easier every single time. Enjoy!

Things that make you go mmmmmmmmm.....

You ever have one of those dishes that just feels like a big pan of love? This is one of those dishes for me. It started quite simply. Lindsey (Jason's mom) would talk about visiting Colorado and her sister prepared this Potato Basil Frittata. Now would be a good time to introduce you to the woman who created this dish for us. I like to call her my soulmate, but most people just call her the Barefoot Contessa. If you haven't heard of her, you haven't lived. This dish contained many ingredients that I was clueless about near the beginning of my marriage... Gruyere? Fresh Basil? And more than that, I'm going to bake eggs? But Jason and I made this dish together the first time we tried the recipe, almost three years ago, and we're still loving the goodness out of it. And as far as frittatas go, it's fairly easy. Everything takes a little bit of time, but if you're a planner like me, I'm sure you'll have all the ingredients waiting in the fridge for showtime.

I served my frittata with sautéed zucchini as a side dish, but you could do anything from a salad to some sausage. Or, even better, make these delicious hashed browns which are also featured in BFC's book, Family Style. (If you're really daring, buy the book and make the blueberry muffins. Oh.my.god. Or just wait until I make them and post the recipe!)

Potato Basil Frittata

Ingredients

-8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
-2 cups peeled and 1/2-inch diced boiling potatoes (4 potatoes)
-8 extra-large eggs
-15 ounces ricotta cheese
-3/4 pound Gruyere cheese, grated
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
-1/3 cup flour
-3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch ovenproof omelet pan over medium-low heat. Add the potatoes and fry them until cooked through, turning often, about 10 to 15 minutes. Melt the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter in a small dish in the microwave.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, then stir in the ricotta, Gruyere, melted butter, salt, pepper, and basil. I use about 1/2 fresh and 1/2 dried basil. It's all up to you and your preferences, but be sure that if you're using dried basil, use less than 3/4 a cup- dried basil packs more of a punch than fresh. Sprinkle on the flour and baking powder and stir into the egg mixture.

Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and place the pan in the center of the oven. Bake the frittata until it is browned and puffed, 50 minutes to 1 hour. It will be rounded and firm in the middle and a knife inserted in the frittata should come out clean. Serve hot.

Fresh basil, Jason's favorite

Whatever you do, don't pronounce this gooey-air.
That makes French people cry.

piepiepiepiepie

I've never been very daring in a culinary manner. Growing up, we ate what my husband lovingly refers to as geriatric food, which is food completely devoid of any sort of flavor. Honestly, I didn't know what basil was until college, and even then it came from a bottle. It seems completely appropriate, then, that I would marry someone who enjoys, nay, requires massive amounts of flavor on all his food. The first year of our marriage was tough- we tried to find a happy medium, but I will admit, he won out. We are a flavor loving house now, but rest assured, I put up a good fight.

Jason came home a couple weeks ago with the story of a coworker, Jill, who had visited the Webb City Farmer's Market. She stopped at a booth and purchased an onion pie for lunch. When she sat down to dine on her pie, she found the pie had bacon on top, and since she was a vegetarian, she couldn't eat it. Jason told me this story and two things crossed my mind: 1.) Poor Jill. 2.) What in the heck is an onion pie? So, I did some research, and I found a delicious recipe... and just to make someone's day, I prepared an onion pie for Jill as well (hold the bacon.)

Onion Pie

Ingredients

• Crust:
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup cold all-vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • Cold water
  
  Filling:


• 1/4 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon water for egg wash
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 pounds Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated Parmesan
• a few slices of bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbly. I use pepper bacon, for extra flavor.

Directions

For the crust:

• All ingredients should be cold. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add shortening and butter. Using a pastry blender cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
  
• Drop by drop, add cold water. Mix in with the fingertips, not with the hands as the palms will warm the dough. Continue mixing water in until the dough begins to hold together without being sticky but not crumbly.


• Place dough in plastic wrap. Fold over plastic wrap and press down to form a disk. This will make rolling out easier after chilling. Finish wrapping in plastic and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.


• Lightly spray a deep 9-inch pie pan or an 8 1/2-inch fluted flan pan. Roll out dough and place in pie plate. Return to the refrigerator until filling is ready. Makes pastry for a 9-inch single crust pie.


• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

For the filling:

• Brush egg wash on the inside of pie crust. Return to refrigerator until filling is ready.
• Over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and saute until translucent. Do not brown.
• Combine eggs, sour cream and flour. Add onion mixture. Season with salt and pepper and pour into chilled pie crust.
• Top with Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Add crumbled bacon on top of pie.Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F for the last 25 minutes or until center is set.

This is a fantastic summer meal with a fresh salad on the side. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Old Fashioned Granola.....yum

Granola is big in our house. Townes loves his granola made with love by his Nomi (Jason's mom), Jason eats a granola bar daily, and I.... well, until recently, granola and I had been on speaking terms, but not really fostering a relationship..... until now.

Like I said, Jason's mom used to make Townes granola about once a month, and we would use it sparingly for Townes' meals. Townes is allergic to peanut and egg, so that pretty much rules out every store bought granola bar. One day,I tried this Nomi-made granola, and it spoke to me.. sweet, chewy, yum. I finally bribed her into sharing the recipe, so now I can make the granola whenever I feel inspired.

Yesterday, I felt inspired.

Homemade Granola

• 5 cups of Quick Oats


• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar


• 2/3 cup honey


• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted


• 1/2 cup unprocessed bran


• 2 tsp vanilla extract


• 2 tsp cinnamon


• 3/4 cup dried cherries, blueberries, raisins, or whatever your little heart desires.... You could even use (dare I say it?) chocolate

1. Preheat the over to 325. Combine oats, brown sugar, honey, melted butter, bran, cinnamon, and vanilla into a large bowl. Stir until all is coated and looking delicious.


2. Spread mixture onto a lightly greased jelly roll pan (aka, baking sheet with sides.)


3. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring once.


4. Remove from over and stir in dried fruit while granola is still warm.


5. VERY IMPORTANT. Press granola into the pan with a spatula. This will not only create a flatter granola, it will also encourage it to stick together.


6. Cool completely. Break apart and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

My first go-round with the granola, it didn't stick together, which prompted the push-technique with your spatula. Have no fear! If you forget to push the granola and it, like mine, doesn't stick, you'll have delicious cereal in the morning. And if you happen to try the "dough" raw, be warned, it's fantastic... you may not want to cook the granola!

why?

I know what you're thinking... why in the world would I be starting a cooking blog when I'm a full time student with a husband and three children want to start a cooking blog and further her insanity by scheduling blog time? Simple- I love to cook, and I think it is so important for our children to eat home cooked meals, no matter how busy we are. It's important for us to have healthy food made with as much love as possible. It's important for our son to get food he can actually eat without worrying about his food allergies. And finally, it's important to eat, because we love food.

My sister was truly my inspiration here. She recently added another child to her family dynamic, and cooking definitely got a little more difficult in good old California. I view this as a good old recipe swap, without postage or a plane ticket...

So, enjoy some recipes, enjoy some pictures, and hopefully enjoy cooking!

(And while I have your ear, I would like to clarify the title of the post. I came up with this name, and then, voila, heard some annoying guy use it on the Food Network show "The Next Food Network Star." I did not get the name from him, nor am I rooting for him to win the show.)