Joanne Heim

Dear Pioneer Woman, I need your address so my husband can mail you a thank-you note

Yes, my husband wants to write you an actual hand-written thank-you note and put it in the actual mail. The kind with envelopes and stamps.

My husband who has let me handle all the thank-you note writing ever since we got married 19 years ago and received 247 candlesticks, 319 Christmas platters, 462 picture frames, and one really large statue of Santa kneeling before the baby Jesus in his manger.

Yep, that guy.

My mother gave me your cookbook for Christmas and since then, I've made a huge batch of cinnamon rolls (that's when he first asked if he could write you a thank-you note), baked a pan full of comfort meatballs and mashed potatoes ("Now this is COMFORT food!"), and  last night my daughter and I made the potato leek pizza ("This is the best pizza I ever had. Ever.")

Now I'm no kitchen lightweight--in fact I like to cook and cook good food often. But your cookbook is clearly speaking his food language. So thanks from me too--you're making me look like a rock star. And I'll go ahead and be honest and say I pretty much like that.

So as soon as I get your address, keep an eye out in your mailbox. There's a thank-you note coming your way. It'll be the envelope covered with splotches of meatball sauce or finger prints in bacon grease or perhaps a smear maple frosting.

Popcorn showdown

My brother-in-law makes the best popcorn ever. Really. Every bit as good as the movies. And actually even better, because you actually know what's in it.

I love having movie night at their house. Not just because their television is bigger than my king-sized bed, not just because I get to snuggle with a baby, laugh with my niece and nephew, or hang out with my super-cool sister. Yep, those are all good.

But the popcorn? Well, wow.

I've thought that Wade possessed some magical popcorn-making skills, some super-secret pop secret, perhaps a spiritual gift for things kernel.

Until now. Under the tree for me was this:

The Whirly-Pop. The secret of popcorn prowess and perfection.

Now? My popcorn is every bit as good as his. But perhaps we need a showdown to double check. I'll take any excuse to pop some more.

You can get one here.

Sweet potato pie recap, Memory Monday, Christmas is coming!!

So I made sweet potato pie this year for the first time ever. Yummers. Seriously. It's very much like pumpkin (so if you don't like pumpkin pie, don't bother making this), but lighter and fluffier and--hey, it's still a vegetable--so it doesn't count as dessert and you can have pecan pie too. Which I also made but with 3+ cups of pecans rather than the 1 cup the recipe called for. Because, c'mon--it's PECAN pie. Let's load 'em in there.

We spent Thanksgiving with my parents (my sister was with her hubby's side of the family) and the day was quiet and lovely. I am very, very thankful for my parents, so spending Thanksgiving with them is a joy.

I totally lucked out on my parents. (Okay, I know it's not luck!) They are wonderful and everything parents should be. And while you're wondering, we definitely had some rocky times, but we're all good now.

Please, please don't think I'm bragging. Because I know so many people who don't have the kind of relationship with their parents I have with mine. Every time I think about them, my breath is sort of taken away with the blessing of it. They are a gift from God--one I don't take for granted.

And if you know them and need some parent-like people in your life, I am totally willing to share. It was a hard lesson for me to learn, but I finally got it. With some struggle. But when I say I'm willing to share, I mean it. Gladly.

Because all gifts that God gives us are meant to be shared--and are usually better somehow when we do. Time, talents, skills--not to mention our finances. Giving and sharing our blessings is a good way to ensure that they last.

***

Up next? Memory Monday. We're adding the next section to Philippians 2:5-11, which I'm happy about. Because I love the part about "every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Whew. That always makes me feel sorta goosebump-y. 

What are you learning this week? If you need an idea for December, one year I learned Mary's Song from Luke. It's a good one.

***

Okay, what else? Christmas is up. The tree is now officially a Christmas Tree rather than a Thanksgiving Tree. I'll post some pictures and such soon, but this is getting kinda long.

Hope your Monday has been great. I love you all dearly--you are a blessing to me and I thank God for you whether I know you by name or not, you can bet he does. And is delighted with you. Enthralled with your beauty, actually, according to Psalm 45.

Don't doubt it. Just accept it and rejoice...

Let them eat cake...WITH fresh orange sorbet

Like I said, I've usually served the super heavenly chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. But after this past weekend? No more! Fresh orange sorbet it will be from here on out. To infinity and beyond, as it were.

No pictures--unless you want pictures of an empty bowl or sticky chins from licking the ice cream scoop. Which is pretty hard to do neatly.

This is a double batch for my big ice cream maker. If I were to use my little Krups one, I'd do half.

Fresh Orange Sorbet with Bittersweet Chocolate

3 cups fresh orange juice
1 cup sugar
6-8 oranges, sectioned
2 cups water
2 ounces (or more, yep, definitely more) bittersweet chocolate, grated

1. Combine juice and sugar in a large bowl. (Or the ice cream container thing that goes in the maker. Save yourself a dish to wash!) Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add oranges and water.

2. Freeze according to the directions for your ice cream maker. Stir in chocolate.

Try to serve it in a pretty bowl. Or on top of the chocolate cake. But you know you're going to eat some straight from the ice cream maker. (It's okay, you're not alone. I did it too. And don't worry--it's basically just frozen orange juice--so it's actually not really dessert at all, right?!)

If you have leftovers (HA!), you can freeze them, but it's really best fresh and a bit soft. 

 

I'm going to go out on a theological limb and say with absolute conviction that there will be chocolate cake in heaven

Perhaps something like this one. (And if not, I'll volunteer to bake them.)

Heavenly Chocolate Cake

(WARNING: You will groan--quite literally, out loud and without shame--with pleasure when you eat this. Be prepared for all kinds of strange noises from people when you serve it. This is moist, rich, and almost souffle-like but in a dense and intensely chocolate-y perfection of chocolate dessert-ness. You think I'm exaggerating--but you just try it and see!)

10 oz. bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped (spring for the good stuff--it matters!)
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces 
5 large eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
5 tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 325.

Butter a 10-inch springform pan with 2 inch sides. Flour the pan--but use cocoa powder so the cake doesn't have white flour dust all over it when it's done. 

Stir chocolate and butter in a double boiler over low heat until melted and smooth. I use a whisk to get it super smooth and glossy.

Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until well blended and beginning to thicken. Sift flour and baking powder over eggs and gently fold in.

Gradually fold in chocolate mixture and transfer to prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 20 minutes, then carefully cover with foil. Bake an additional 40-45 minutes. Uncover cake and let cool in pan. 

Cut around pan sides to loosen the cake. Sift powdered sugar over the cake and serve with something yummy--like raspberry sauce or fresh orange sorbet with bittersweet chocolate. (I'll post that recipe too!)

Note: The cake will rise and then fall with great enthusiasm. Don't worry--it's supposed to do that!

Happiness is a freezer full of breakfast burritos

When we go camping altogether--my parents, us, my sister and her family, plus all of her in-laws--"Uncle" Brett always makes breakfast one morning. He's not really my girls' uncle, but we call him that anyway. He somehow knows exactly what my girls will love for Christmas, taught Audrey how to swing when she was little, and makes the best breakfast burritos ever.

In fact, they are so good, that I long for them between camping trips. And while we were at Rocky Mountain National Park earlier this summer, I asked him for the recipe. And here's what he told me.

Uncle Brett's Famous Breakfast Burritos

1 pound bulk sausage (today I used pork and bacon sausage--yum)
1 dozen eggs
1 package tater tots 
1/2 pound grated cheese (I usually use monterey jack)
1 can green chile
24 tortillas 

Cook the tater tots according to the package directions while you brown the sausage. (I cook the tots until they're nice and crispy.) IN THE SAME PAN (he said this is important!), scramble your eggs (I mix mine up with milk, salt, and pepper before pouring them in). Then add the tater tots.

Mash this together. And then add the grated cheese and green chile.

(If you don't like green chile, you will need to add something to give it some moisture, otherwise they'll be too dry. Mushroom soup works, and I'm wondering about using cream cheese for the next batch.)

Add about 1/3 cup of filling to each tortilla, rolling it up burrito style (sides in, then roll), and wrap in foil. Freeze. 

Alternatives: With chicken and apple sausage (I buy mine at Sprouts) I add cheddar cheese and then a can of cream of mushroom soup instead of the green chile. Brett also makes this with chorizo, which Toben loves, but it's not my favorite and since I'm making them, I make the kind I like!

To cook them, thaw and bake until warm. Or thaw and cook over the campfire in one of those grill basket thing-ys. Or unwrap, put the frozen burrito on a plate, defrost it in the microwave and then heat for one minute.

Breakfast perfection! Sorry, no picture of one on a plate. I ate mine too fast this morning. And I'll just go ahead and admit that the weekend Toben and the girls were gone and I was home alone, I ate one for every meal.

Joanne's Chicken Noodle Soup

I loved all your responses about secret recipes and tapioca. Which I am totally craving though it's not even 6:30 in the morning!

So, without further ado and without any real measurements...

Joanne's Chicken Noodle Soup

Onion, carrot, and celery (the trifecta of soups)

Garlic (I use lots)

Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
Lemon pepper 

HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK!!
(Toben told me I needed to come back and put this in huge red, flashing letters. "There's no point in even trying if you don't use homemade stock," he said. "It will only be as good as the stock they use!" I don't know how to make the words flash, but there's the red and a couple of exclamation points for good measure.)

Chicken

White wine

Fresh herbs

Flour, oil, water, salt, pepper, herbs

Fresh herbs

1. Chop onions, carrots, and celery. Cook in heavy pot in olive oil until browning. Add chopped garlic and salt and pepper, lemon pepper, and Italian seasoning toward the end. Sprinkle a little bit of flour over the cooked mixture. This will thicken your broth some.

2. Next, add homemade chicken stock. Sorry, canned stock won't cut it--your soup will not be nearly as flavorful. Homemade stock is easy to make. See here.

3. Bring to a boil. Add chicken. I put the chicken in frozen and let it cook in the soup. Put the lid on, reduce the heat, and let it simmer. When the chicken is done, remove and cut into bite-sized pieces and return to the pot.

I usually do up to this part in the early afternoon and let it simmer for a couple of hours. Or even just turn off the heat and leave the lid on. It makes the house smell really, really good. Especially if you put an apple pie in the oven in the meantime.

4. Next add an entire bottle of white wine. I use plain old cooking wine. This is what did it last weekend--the secret ingredient that made all the difference. It makes the broth so rich and round and wonderful. Bring it back to a boil, which removes all the alcohol so you don't get your kids drunk on chicken soup.

5. While that's cooking, make your noodles. Put flour in a bowl and add salt and pepper and some more Italian seasoning. Mix in some olive oil, stirring with a fork. Then add water until you reach a doughy consistency.  Now you can chose a few options.

You can roll out the dough (pretty thin--it will poof when it cooks!) and cut out shapes with small cookie cutters. We like stars and pumpkins and circles and flowers. This is the girls' favorite part of making chicken noodle soup.

You can roll out the dough and cut long strips--either thin or thick. Long or short.

You can just chop the dough into little bits with a knife.

6. Then add the noodles in whatever form you've chosen to the boiling pot. Be sure to add them a few at a time so they don't stick together. Let them cook for 10-15 minutes or so.

7. Add a handful of whatever fresh herbs you have growing. This is going to be a problem come winter! This past weekend, I used parsley, basil, oregano, chives, rosemary, and thyme--chopped up altogether. Throw it all in the pot and give it a last stir.

That's it! Serve with yummy, crusty hot bread to dip into your bowl of delicious, cold-fighting, super-power giving chicken soup.

Secret recipes

I made the best chicken soup--EVER--in the whole history of chicken soups--on Saturday night, outdoing my previous best. And I have to say I do make really, really good chicken soup. Homemade stock and homemade noodles being key parts of what makes it so good.

But Saturday? A whole new level of chicken soup nirvana.

I mentioned it on Twitter/Facebook and received some requests for the secret. And here's my dilemma: Do I share it? Do I keep this one recipe as my specialty, my super-duper secret recipe? Or do I give it to the world? (Or those of you who read my blog, as the case may be.)

Of course, it would be more of a set of chicken soup guidelines, because I just make it and don't ever measure anything in the process.

Maybe I'm wondering because I watched New in Town the other day--and there's a secret tapioca recipe in the movie. (BTW, I love tapioca. Can't remember the last time I had it, but YUM.)

So here's my question: Do I keep a secret recipe? Do you? What is it? (The recipe, not the secret.) And how do you feel about tapioca? Love it? Hate it? (Seems like it's either one or the other--no in between.)

Okay, so that's more than one question. Waiting to hear...

As requested...Audrey's Chicken Pot Pie

Here's the recipe for the chicken pot pie that Audrey made the other night. We modified it from the cookbook some to make it better. I've included our changes.

Audrey's Chicken Pot Pie

Butter
Flour
2 1-lb. bags of frozen vegetables (we used a mix of corn, carrots, and green beans)
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped into bite-size pieces
2 cups chicken stock (Use homemade--it really makes a difference! Directions here.)
1/2 cup milk
Herbs (We used fresh and dried--parsley, thyme, sage--whatever's on hand)
Chopped garlic
Lemon pepper
Salt
1 package refrigerator biscuits

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a heavy pan. (We used my grandmother's dutch oven and just put it in the oven. Or you could later transfer the chicken and vegetable mixture to a casserole dish and bake it in that.) Add vegetables and sprinkle with flour to coat. This will help you get a nice, thick gravy.

Pour stock and milk over vegetables and heat to boiling, allowing mixture to thicken. Go ahead and add the chicken, garlic, and the herbs you chose. Season to taste.

Put the biscuits on top and cook at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until biscuits are done and browned.

Serves 6-8.

 

Serve with a simple salad, dressed with a vinaigrette.

That's it!

 

The joy of cooking

When we got married, we registered for pots and pans. Boring, shiny pots and pans--just like everyone else's. And while I've wanted new ones over the past almost 19 years, I don't really need new ones. Mine still work fine and look like new.

But a day or two after we moved back to Denver, my mom called and asked if I wanted some she wasn't using anymore. My grandmother's Magnalite.

I said "YES!" before she was even done asking.

 

I love that I've eaten countless meals prepared by my grandmother in these--even if what was cooked in them was occasionally lima beans or butter beans or black eyed peas. (My grandmother lived in the South, and though it's my heritage, I just can't do them kind of beans. YUCK!)

Knowing they were hers makes me smile every time I use them. Somehow the food just tastes better when there's a history to go with them.

And I will say, the big dutch oven worked perfectly for the delicious chicken pot pie Audrey made for dinner last night.

 

 

 

Company

This is me popping in to say a quick hello before our first overnight guests arrive. They're coming from Arizona where it's currently a bazillion degrees, which makes the mid-90s of Denver today seem downright balmy. Of course, we do not have AC here, but the sky has clouded over, it's cooling off nicely, and since we're grilling burgers, I think we'll eat outside and it'll be just about perfect.

I still haven't found the cord to connect my camera and computer. So I'm waiting for my sis to come take pictures. She promised, but it might be after our camping trip next week. We'll just have to wait and see.

So Audrey's making potato salad for the dinner tonight, and Emma and I have put Mr. Beebe's world-famous, best baked beans ever in the oven. Wanna know what makes them the best? BACON. A whole package criss-crossed over the top like a pie top. Oh, and lots of onion quartered and mixed in with the beans to get all soft and golden-y and buttery. YUM.

(I don't have a recipe, just going by what I remember him saying when I ate them and nearly fell on the floor at how good they were. Cook 'em long and slow is what he said, so I am. And then I'll turn up the heat if the bacon's not quite crispy cooked enough on top.)

I'm so excited to have a guest room. In fact, I even added a "company" category for the blog. We haven't had a guest room in ages. Since we lived in Monument, in fact. Which was like eight years ago.

 

So who else wants to come stay?

(Hmm...think I need a more vintage-y looking clock. Maybe the kind with bells on top...)

My favorite answer to "What's for dinner?"

This recipe is adapted from one given to me by my friend Yvette (Hi Yvette!). And if you're a strict measurer when you cook, I'll go ahead and warn you that this recipe will drive you crazy. Because I just sorta throw it together each time and have no idea where the original recipe with all the exact measurements even is! 

This is a meal you can adapt for two or three or a huge crowd. So just go with it!

Heim Family Favorite Carbonara

Bacon, at least 1 pound
Green onions
Chopped garlic
Sliced mushrooms or peas or neither
2 eggs
Parmesan or cheddar, we like both but have been using shredded parmesan lately
Spaghetti

First, fry the bacon. I cut it up with my kitchen shears and cook it until done. This way you can cook it all at once. While you're doing that, boil the water for the spaghetti and cook it and drain. Keep it hot! (That's not too hard, this is one of those meals that all comes together in perfect timing.)

 

Next, drain the bacon, leaving some yummy bacon grease still in the pan and add peas (which my family hates, but I love and I had some, so I used 'em and they survived) or mushrooms or neither. Then add sliced green onions, a little garlic, whatever else sounds good and cook until looks "done."

 

After you drain your spaghetti, beat two eggs and pour it over the hot noodles, tossing it to coat and let the egg cook from the heat of the noodles. Then pour your bacon mixture over all that, then toss with pepper. (The bacon makes it salty enough not to need any extra.)

Finally, toss with shredded parmesan and serve.

Voila! Delicious, fast, easy, and I usually have everything on hand.

 

Seems like some of you probably have a quick and easy favorite answer to this question--so do share with the rest of us. (And, yes, I think take-out is a perfectly good answer too!) Leave a link to your recipe or use the comments!

(And, nope, this isn't what's for dinner tonight. We're going with comfort food. Tummy eggs, bacon, and blueberry muffins. Didn't quite make it to the grocery today...though I do have all the stuff

Pudding pops!

Emma whipped up a batch of pudding pops this morning before school. Audrey assisted her in the kitchen as sous-chef. They even cleaned up the kitchen. Sort of. If clean means mostly cleaned up with smears of chocolate pudding on the counters and in the sink.

 

Emma's Pudding Pops

1. Make instant chocolate pudding according to package directions.
2. Fill plastic dixie cups with a layer of colorful sprinkles. This is very important.
3. Pour in pudding.
4. Cover with foil and stick a popsicle stick down through the foil.
5. Freeze & enjoy!

The entire bottle of wine?

In response to a number of questions about how much wine to use in the boeuf bourginon...

Well, it depends on the size of the bottle and how much beef. Here's a rule of thumb: Make sure that to start, the wine comes up to cover all of the beef. How's that? Helpful enough?

And really, if it's too saucy, you can serve it with a slotted spoon.

And all the references to Julie and Julia? Will you be horrified if I tell you I've not seen it? I know! It's on the someday list, but there are too many other things ahead of it for now...

Boeuf bourginon it is!

Thanks to Susan for reminding me what recipe I promised to share! 

(I love Susan. Some day we are going to meet in real life!)

Anyway, boeuf bourginon. You'll notice there aren't many measurements. That's just not how I cook. Bake? I'm all about exact measurements, but making dinner is more of an eyeballing thing until it looks/smells/tastes right for me. 

Here's what you need:

• crock pot
• beef (I use round steak, stew beef, or sirloin steaks), cubed
• onions, chopped
• flour, salt, pepper
• garlic, chopped
• burgundy wine
• beef stock, if necessary
• mushrooms, if you like them

And here's what you do:

• Put the beef and onions in the cold crockpot. Sprinkle with flour, salt, and pepper, Stir around until the beef is coated.
• Pour in the bottle of wine and add a bunch of chopped garlic. (I use almost a 1/4 cup.)
• Add mushrooms if you like them.
• Turn on the crock pot to low and let it cook all day.
• If you need more liquid as the day goes, add some beef stock.

We like it over mashed potatoes. Mashed kind of chunky and with the skins on, made with sour cream and thyme.

That's it!

Teaching the kids to grocery shop

 

We're doing a new thing around here in the new year. Audrey and Emma are doing their own laundry (can I get an Amen?) and they are both planning and shopping and cooking a couple of meals a week.

They're really excited about it. Well, about the menu planning, grocery shopping, and cooking. They're not convinced that laundry is fun. Yet.

Here's what we're doing. 

The girls flip through their cookbooks (Emma got a stack from Gran for Christmas) and pick out what they'd like to cook. A breakfast, a lunch, a dinner, and a snack.

They make a list of those recipes, noting which cookbook and page it's on. And they make a grocery list of ingredients they'll need. (After last week, they've decided to organize their lists--all the produce together, all the frozen food together, etc. Let's just say we did a lot of back and forth-ing!)

On the day we shop, they first shop at home, crossing off anything we already have. Then they each get their list and a pencil, their own cart, and off we go!

 

 A couple of things:

• I do review what they want to cook to make sure we have a balanced meal. But I don't review their lists. That's up to them. If we have to go back because they forgot something, we have to go back.
• This is fun if you decide it will be fun. Except for getting run over by their carts. I HATE getting hit in the back of the heels with a grocery cart. Ow!
• It's going to take more time. Lots more time. Especially the first couple of trips. So expect that and it'll help with deciding it'll be fun.
• After last week, the girls learned to organize their grocery carts, how they put stuff on the conveyor belt, how to put all the bags back in the cart, and how to pack the car. (Bread goes LAST! Heavy stuff goes FIRST!)
• And, yep, part of grocery shopping is putting the groceries away when you get home.

Here's their stack of cookbooks:

 

You can sort of see which ones they use if you click on the picture to make it bigger. There are loads of kids cookbooks out there--check places like libraries, Goodwill, and used bookstores. Ones with pictures are great. And ones with simple recipes with clear, easy directions.

Perfect turkey. Every. Single. Time.

I love turkey. And I have to say, it's easy as pie to roast one to perfection. Easier than pie, actually. No basting, no checking on it, no burning--just perfectly browned, moist turkey. Every single time.

Here's my fool-proof recipe, thanks to my mother.

Perfect Turkey

Whole roasting turkey, whatever size you want
Disposable foil pan
2 paper grocery sacks
Vegetable oil

 

1. Prepare your turkey how you usually would. I put mine in the foil pan, rub with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and herbs (I like sage, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, lemon pepper). Not to mention a big spoonful of chopped garlic inside the turkey or under the skin. And maybe an onion half or two. And perhaps a lemon. Whatever I have, really! This year I poured a couple of cups of white wine into the turkey too. It made the gravy amazing.

2. Slide the foil pan into a paper grocery sack from one end, then into another so the open ends of the bags overlap. Clip shut--either staple it down to the foil pan or use binder clips. Both work.

3. Rub the bag with vegetable oil--on the top and sides.

4. Place the whole thing onto a cookie sheet.

 

5. Cook according to the turkey package directions. (Check before you throw away the wrapper!) Whatever temperature they say for however long the weight of your bird requires. Set the timer and leave it alone. Take a nap, a bubble bath, read a book, or make the rest of your meal.

6. When the time is up, cut the bag open and be amazed. A beautifully browned, perfect bird. Not dried out, but moist and delicious and perfect. Every single time. Scouts' honor!

 

Making stock

I've been making stock like a madwoman the past few days. I had five rotisserie chicken from a dinner party last week--16 cups of stock each.

A rotisserie chicken is $5. A meal for four. And then I figured that a good price for a can of chicken stock (which is 2 cups) is 50 cents. So 16 cups of stock = 8 cans = $4. Practically free!

Not to mention the turkey carcass left from Thanksgiving that yielded 32 cups of stock. And my 15-pound turkey was FREE since I spent enough at the grocery.

Do you make your own stock? It's so much better than the stuff you can buy and easy as anything.

Here's how:

1. Pick all the meat off the chicken or turkey, put all the bones and skin and giblets and such in a freezer bag until you're ready to make stock.

2. When you have a couple of hours, put the frozen contents of the bag in a stock pot, add an onion (I don't even peel it, just cut it in half), a few carrots, some garlic, maybe some celery, a bay leaf or two, and any leftover vegetables you're not going to eat. Cover with water and boil.

3. Turn the heat to low and let it simmer for 3-4 hours. Your house will smell AMAZING!

4. Then let cool, strain, and freeze. I freeze my stock in freezer bags (just use the same one you used before). I lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet to freeze and then stack them in the freezer. They don't take up much room that way.

Your soups and pot pies and whatever else you use stock for will taste incredible and you'll save yourself some money to boot!

So $25 of chicken + a free turkey = 112 cups of stock, dinner party for 19 (I'll blog that recipe later!), Thanksgiving dinner for six, leftover turkey sandwiches, chicken and dumplings (because there was chicken meat leftover from the dinner party), and a huge turkey pot pie.

Hmmm...maybe I should be giving my friends chicken stock for Christmas!

Chicken tacos for a crowd

So here's your list:

Frozen chicken breasts
Big thing of salsa

Cook together in the crockpot, shred chicken meat and drain if too soupy. 

Corn tortillas

Heat skillet and cook tortillas on both sides until browned and a little crisp.

Avocados, sliced
Limes, quartered
Radishes, sliced
Cilantro, washed and cut 
Red/purple onion, sliced into strips
Crumbled feta, optional
Kosher salt, for sprinkling over tacos

Set these ingredients out for people to add to their tacos according to their preference.

Tortilla chips
Salsa for chip dipping

Watermelon is the bombe

Audrey wanted a watermelon bombe for her birthday cake this year. Good choice given that it's a million degrees here (and, no, I'm not exaggerating)!

Watermelon Bombe

1 container raspberry sorbet
1/2 bag chocolate chips (for a "seeded" watermelon)
1 container lime sorbet
red and green food coloring
2 bowls, 1 large and 1 small

To make the inside of the watermelon: Soften raspberry sorbet and add red food coloring, stirring until you get the color you want. Add chocolate chips and fill the smaller bowl. Cover and freeze until hard.

When the inside is set, soften the lime sorbet and add green food coloring, stirring until you get the color you want. Spread on the bottom and sides of the larger bowl. Don't worry if you don't get it all the way up the sides.

Place smaller bowl of raspberry sorbet in a sink of hot water to loosen sides. Unmold and then push down into the lime sorbet, smoothing the top. Cover and freeze until hard.

To serve, place the big bowl into a sink of hot water to loosen. Turn upside down onto a large plate or round platter with sides. Refreeze or slice immediately with hot knife and enjoy!

A little housekeeping

Seems like an appropriate title since I'm thinking that Saturdays are going to be laundry/housecleaning day around here. I just can't do it on Monday and do the homeschool thing too.

Speaking of, my inbox is full of so many great ideas, advice, and comments from you homeschool moms out there. And a bunch of other comments too. I want to write back to each one of you personally, but I can't! And that makes me sad.

Let me see if I can do it here instead.

Bikes.

Emma's bicycle is an Electra. Check out their website here. I have a pink/green Hawaii cruiser; Toben rides a Townie.

Audrey just got a new bicycle for her birthday. We looked at Electras, but she fell in love with a Nirve. Pictures coming soon.

Dinner.

When we had company for dinner the other night, I made this and this. Added cilantro-lime rice and a loaf of homemade sourdough bread. 

For the chicken. I marinated chicken breasts instead of thighs and Toben cooked them on the grill. I kept the marinade and cooked it on the stove to reduce it for a sauce for the rice. I've made it as the recipe instructs and it was good, but I prefer boneless breasts to to thighs.

I started taking pictures of dessert as I was making it, but forgot to take pictures of the finished product in my rush to eat it! So I'll do a post on napoleons next time I make them. Which should be soon!

Books.

I loved hearing from so many of you--here and on Twitter and on Facebook--about the books you're reading. My library list is good and long. Thanks for all the recommendations.

Homeschool.

I'm amazed that so many of you have such a short homeschool day. The quickest we've made it through everything is about five hours. We start at nine, take half an hour for lunch, and end between two and three o'clock.

Are your kids doing more work independently after your three or four hours? How does that work? 

Everyday we're doing Bible, history and geography, science, math, writing/language arts, reading, a read-aloud book, spelling, and writing in a journal.

It's funny--I always thought that homeschooling would take less time than a normal school day, but for us it feels like we're learning so much more. I'm surprised at the length of our day. But we're having so much fun that it's flying by so I don't really mind. 

Okay, specific questions.

Bethany: I asked what curriculum others use and what they liked about it. We chose Sonlight because of all the great books you read around the core curriculum. And, yes, I bet they are the same flip flops!

Lea: I loved your email and hearing about your life. And if you're ever in the States and in Phoenix, yes, coffee, definitely!

Sandi and Lisa notes: So glad you're joining Memory Monday!

Sarah: Are you LOVING Guernsey? Can I come to your book club that meeting? Miss you!

Treencee: Love the travel pack idea!

Annie: Way to go with school. Finish strong!

Angela: Yep, I'm realizing that with teaching I'm "working" a 30-hour a week job!

Tiffany: Love you back. And looking forward to the day we end up in Denver at the same time!

Heidi: I saw all the Deeper Still photos and videos. Looked amazing! It's in Denver next June...

Brenda: Thanks for the planner link!

And all of you who de-lurked about homeschooling or Settlers or the bike or anything else recently: I'm so glad you did. I love hearing from you and getting to check out your blog (if you have one). It's great to "meet" you!

If I forgot to answer your question, I'm sorry! Leave it again and I'll get to it!

Have a great weekend!

Joanne

Iced tea

When it's hot, iced tea is what I want to drink. I grew up drinking sun tea, something that horrified our friends when we lived in England. I'll never forget Mom's bringing some to a church picnic and someone SPITTING IT OUT when they tasted it. 

When we had our first company for dinner last week, I thought I'd make a big batch, but realized I didn't have a thing to put it in. (Yep, I'm still finding things, or rather NOT finding things I wished I'd brought along to Arizona.)

Off to the Walmart.

I found a big glass cookie jar type thing-y that holds about two gallons for $12. Perfect for tea.

I fill it halfway up with warm water, add six or seven tea bags and about half a cup of sugar, and let it sit. Then about half an hour before everyone shows up, I fill it the rest of the way with ice. 

If I had a barrel of mint growing outside (which I hope to once it's cool enough for anything to grow out on the patio), I'd add a bunch of fresh mint to the jar.

Other things to put in it?

Lemon tea with lemon slices and mint
Lemonade with sliced strawberries (and my friend Ali adds cucumber to hers too)
Water with cucumber slices and mint
Water with orange, lemon, and lime slices
Limeade with lime slices and mint

I set out a ladle to serve it. Which takes a long time, so for the first round of filling glasses, I use my glass two-cup measure. Not pretty, but effective. Then I use the ladle for refills.

Do you have any other favorite cold drink mixes?

Homemade popsicles

We made these homemade popsicles the other day. And trust me when I say you want to go whip up a batch right now. Really.

We used vanilla yogurt and added strawberries to the mix too, then froze them in 3 oz. plastic cups with popsicle sticks. 

Yum.

Yum!

YUM!

And since they're really just yogurt and fruit, it's entirely appropriate to eat them for breakfast.

Dear Everyday Food Magazine

Today I made your peanut butter sandwich cookies. The recipe was easy to follow and they baked evenly and crisply. The filling is delicious. And the recipe made more like 40 sandwich cookies than 30.

But after mine were made, I dipped them in chocolate. Because...well, WHY NOT dip them in chocolate?!

See...?

Strawberry jam

Another great thing to make with all those strawberries...Here's the recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food.

It's delicious on homemade bread (something I've been doing again) or straight from a big spoon!

Strawberries were $1 a pound

And so we've been eating things like this for breakfast...

I love shortcake. 

I'm a biscuit-y shortcake kind of a girl. Not angel food cake or those flavorless sponge things you can buy at the grocery store. Uck.

Nope, it's sweet biscuit shortcakes for me, right of the Bisquick box. With some turbinado sugar sprinkled on top. And no ice cream or whipped cream, either. Just milk.

What about you?

I invested $14.95 in my marriage

Some of you may remember reading something in Living Simply about needs vs. wants. And about how Emma yelled for me one day to come watch an infomericial for some spinny kitchen storage stuff that she was certain we NEEDED. And how I kind of mocked it.

Look what came home with me the last time I was at Wal-Mart:

I was in desperate need of some new containers--where do they all go?--and saw this and bit the bullet and got it.

You see, Toben and I don't fight a lot, but when we do it's usually about something small and, well, stupid. 

Like the cabinet where all the Rubbermaid is stored. Do lids get stored with the container, or in a separate section? Do all the round ones get stacked together, or do we mix shapes and go with sizes?

Lots of important questions.

Questions we answer differently.

Which is a problem, because I put leftovers away and Toben puts dishes away. So I'd organize everything MY way, and he'd put it all away HIS way. Conflict, conflict, conflict.

So now, we have this. They stack neatly, and just like Emma said years ago, "It spins!" Totally worth $14.95. And so much cheaper than counseling.

Creme Brulee French Toast

(There really should be little accents in the title, but it's too early to try to remember how to get them over those "e"s and the "u"...so just know that I know they should be there. My French degree is safe!)

::imagine a picture::

I wish I had a picture to share, but we ate it all too quickly yesterday, so you'll just have to use your imagination and trust that yours looks perfect.

Creme Brulee French Toast

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 tbsp. corn syrup

1 loaf French bread or challah or even sourdough, sliced (I like thick slices)

5 eggs

1 1/2 cups half and half (I used the fat free kind yesterday and it was fine)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

Melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup together until blended. Pour in the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish, making sure the bottom is covered. (I was in a hurry the other night and melted the butter right in the casserole pan in the microwave and then stirred in the sugar and corn syrup. It worked perfectly and saved me from washing a saucepan.)

Arrange the bread slices in the pan over the syrup. (Mine don't usually end up in a single layer, but more overlapping each other a little. I like it this way, because then the bottom of the bread is all gooey and yummy and the top is a little more crunchy.)

Whisk together the eggs, half and half, vanilla, and salt. Pour over the top. 

Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down to make sure the bread soaks up all the cream mixture. Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

Bring to room temperature and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Serves 6. (Or 4!)

I've put it in the freezer instead of the fridge and baked it from there--turns out perfectly. I've also added peaches or blueberries to the recipe. And I suppose you could sprinkle the whole thing with powdered sugar and raspberry sauce too. It's best served with lots of bacon, in my opinion. Because, well, who doesn't love bacon?! And it's a nice salty contrast to the sweetness of the caramel in the French toast.

Frugal Friday: Mocha, anyone?

I think it's always nice to get or give a Starbucks card for a coffee treat from time to time, but even $5 gift cards can add up for friends and neighbors and teachers. 

Giving homemade mocha mix is much cheaper and a jar of this mix is the equivalent of many, many mochas at Starbucks (which are sometimes too syrupy and sweet).

My mom has always had this mocha mix on hand and I've loved it since I was a kid. (She'd make it with decaf coffee so Kristen and I could have some too!) 

In fact, I have lots of memories of sitting around a table (in the camper, in a condo in Breckenridge, in the kitchen, at a campsite), drinking mocha, eating Mom's Cookies, and playing Rummy 500.

I keep my mix in a big pickle jar--so I always have lots on hand.

I made small jars (I was out of big canning jars) of this mix for all my Girl Scout leaders at school. I cut a circle of Girl Scout scrapbook paper to cover the top of the canning jar (then put the ring on top) and made a label with ingredients (so recipients know what's in it in case of allergies) and directions.

Quick, easy, economical, and much appreciated!

Mocha Mix

(I usually make HUGE batches of this in my stock pot, so I've put larger quantities in parentheses if you want to quadruple the recipe)

• 1 cup (4 cups) unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups (8 cups) sugar
• 2 cups (8 cups) nonfat dry milk powder (I've also used lactose free powder)
• 2 cups (8 cups) dry nondairy coffee creamer (you can also use a flavor like vanilla or hazelnut!)
• 1/2 cup (2 cups) instant coffee (regular or decaf--up to you!)
• 1 (4) vanilla bean, cut up (I sometimes leave this out--it's expensive!)

Stir together, mixing well. Store in jars and let sit one week before using. 

To make mocha, add boiling water to 2 or 3 tablespoons of mocha mix in your favorite mug. Enjoy!

P.S. Save those jars--jam, spaghetti sauce, salsa, and so on--and you'll have all the containers you need by Christmas if you want to make this for teachers, neighbors, and friends!

Mom's cookies

We made cookies the other day, using the recipe my mom has always used. Always. And still does. I think I had these in my lunch everyday until I graduated from high school. And then they arrived at Whitworth in care packages.

So even though this recipe came from Mrs. Keating (who was a very nice lady as I recall), they are really "Mom's Cookies."

Mom's Cookies

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp. molasses

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups quick oats

2/3 cup raisins

1 cup nuts

1 cup chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugar; add eggs, molasses, and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, and baking soda; add to creamed mixture. Stir in oats, raisins, nuts, and chocolate. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Makes six dozen.

So that's what the recipe says--from the 1976 church cookbook in Redondo Beach where we lived until I was six. (My copy belonged to my grandmother; I love that it has her handwriting all throughout it.)

But here's the thing. They turn out differently for me than they do for Mom. And sometimes hers turn out differently from each other--depending on the weather, the day of the week, whether you use butter or margarine, or some such thing. And I never get the same amount--maybe because I'm not real consistent with cookie size.

But they're always good.

We used coconut, raisins, dark chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips yesterday. We left out the nuts since the girls go to a nut-free school.

You could use dried cherries, cranberries, apricots, or golden raisins. Walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts. White chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, swirl chips. Whatever you have on hand will work.

You will love them. I promise!

EDITED TO ADD LATER:

Jenny: I tried to respond to your comment, but it was sent back to me--I don't have your email address. Anyway, here's what I tried to send you!

Now that you say that, I think I remember your mentioning that before. We lived just up the hill in Redondo Beach on Via Calousa. I have great memories of being pulled along in my wagon with my sister, tucked in with pillows and blankets, on evening walks with my parents.
    Wave at the ocean for me—I miss seeing it everyday like I did when we recently lived in San Diego!

Joanne  

Frugal Friday: Shopping at home

Having an overflowing fridge and pantry makes me happy. Not sure why. But having a full cupboard makes me feel secure. The truth is, it's not really necessary. 

Yes, it's a good idea to have some food on hand for last-minute meals (but really, we plan our menus, so that's not all that necessary) and for days when we're sick (a can or two of chicken noodle soup--or better yet, a batch in the freezer), but I don't need 20 packages of ramen noodles or 3 cans of coconut milk or 6 jars of spaghetti sauce. Things get lost in the back of the pantry shelves, food goes bad even in the fridge, and we end up with waste.

I end up spending more money on groceries than I need to--all because we "might" need something.

So I think it's time to start grocery shopping from the pantry as we plan menus and to use more of what we have and buy only what we need.

I'm still going to buy in bulk when it makes sense to do so, but I think this will help us be more aware of what we're buying and consuming.

So, what do you buy in bulk? What's in your pantry or fridge that you can use this week?

Here's what we buy in bulk:

• beef (once a year from South Dakota)
• chicken breasts from Costco
• toilet paper and tissues, also from Costco   

That's about it, I think. I will buy larger bags of things like rice and hashbrowns if it's cheaper to buy that way. Or grab an extra of whatever it is if it's buy one, get one free. But I'm going to be more careful of buying things only because they're on sale, or look good to me as I walk through the store with a growling stomach. (Being hungry is the worst when you're shopping for food--my mom taught me that when I first got married!)

Here's what we can use that's in the pantry and freezer:

• lentils
• cellophane noodles
• coconut milk
• pasta 
• tomato soup
• hamburger helper
• chili seasoning 
• ramen noodles
• a giant turkey in the freezer

This is a great recipe site--I love that you can select ingredients that you have on hand and find recipes that use those ingredients.

And I just saw this link on Facebook the other day. It lists the top ten most economical ingredients and then has links to recipes. Some new things to try as you're planning next week's menu! Thanks, Jen!

Pumpkin Muffins

As requested and promised, here's my recipe for Pumpkin Muffins. I've multiplied the original recipe--if I'm going to take the time to cook, I'd like more than 12 muffins when I'm done--especially since I'll eat at least two right away! (And if I don't multiply the recipe I end up with leftover canned pumpkin, and what are you going to do with that?)

These freeze beautifully, so making extra is no big deal. Just put them in the freezer to enjoy another day!

Pumpkin Muffins

4 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

6 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. nutmet

1 1/2 cups milk

1 can pumpkin (use the big Libby's can)

3/4 cup butter, melted

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients until dough forms. (Do not overmix or you'll end up with tough muffins.) Pour into greased muffin tins. Bake 20 minutes. Makes about three dozen muffins.

I don't have a picture of these muffins, but here's a picture of the other little Pumpkin at our house who is growing like a weed!

She's inside her kitty tunnel made for her (for Emma!) by my friend Emily. This is the pattern found in Amy Butler's In Stitches book. It turned out pretty big, so it would easily fit a big cat too--or even two cats at once. Pumpkin loves it!

Morning Glory Muffins

My aunt gave me this recipe when I was in Seattle almost two years ago and I finally made it for the first time last weekend--and have been wondering why I waited so long ever since! 

Morning Glory Muffins

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 cups flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup raisins

2 cups grated carrots

1 apple, grated

1/2 cup whole pecans

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients, Add coconut, raisins, carrots, apples, and pecans. Stir well. Add remaining ingredients, stirring only until blended. Spoon into greased muffin tins (filling 3/4 full) and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 18 muffins.

I put all of the muffins in the freezer and have been enjoying them in my lunch every day at school. (Just take out a frozen muffin in the morning and it's thawed by lunchtime.) I can't send them with the girls--they go to a nut-free school--but I suppose you could leave the pecans out of the recipe. I probably won't though, because whole pecans are so delicious!

(I also made some pumpkin muffins--the girls love those, so they are getting some home baked goodness in their lunches too!)

I used golden raisins, and though I didn't this time, you could substitute apple sauce for the vegetable oil.

Using the whole orange

I pulled this out of a magazine years ago, drawn by the combination of chocolate and orange--always a good one. And while I did dip them in chocolate for the Christmas tea in 2002 (as noted on the recipe), I keep them plain (well, dipped in sugar but not in chocolate) to put in cookies and scones.

Here's how to make them in case that type in the picture is too small.

First, cut the orange peel into strips and bring to a boil in a saucepan of water. Then set aside while you create a sugar syrup, by combining 1 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup of water and bringing to a boil.

Add the strips to the sugar syrup and simmer for 30 minutes. Then drain and set out on waxed paper to dry. While they are still tacky, sprinkle with sugar. I let them dry a bit longer, then put all the strips and sugar in a plastic bag and shake to coat completely.

Let dry and then store in a sealed container. Chop and add to scones and cookies as desired. (Here's my favorite scone recipe. Try the candied orange peel, chocolate chips, and pecans as your add ins. Mmm...)

There's a lot about not wasting things in The American Frugal Housewife. And while I'm not going to chop leftover meat and vegetables to make into mince meat or meat pie, I am going to be more aware of what I'm throwing away. Am I "using the whole orange" as it were? Does whatever it is have further use? Am I throwing it away out of laziness?

In the kitchen, that makes me think about using the whites or yolks of eggs if a recipe only calls for one. It means making stock from leftover chicken, turkey, or beef bones (something I've done for years and is really very easy). It means eating the leftovers from dinner for lunch instead of letting them hide in the back of the fridge and then throwing them away.

In the rest of the house, it makes me think about boxes and tissue paper, bubble wrap and paper. About rubber bands and paper clips and safety pins. 

I certainly don't want to hoard junk, but at the same time, how often do I go buy something because I threw away the one I had? And even if I don't have use for whatever it is, does someone else? (Think toilet paper rolls and egg cartons and kindergarten classes and preschools.)

So, how do you "use the whole orange"?

Planning menus and grocery shopping

I mentioned before that EVERYTHING goes on the family calendar. Including what we're going to eat for dinner every night (and where the recipe is located). Because my least favorite question in the world is "What's for dinner?" (In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's my most hated question!)

When I don't have an answer right away, the first thing out of Toben's mouth is "Let's go out for dinner!" And while I enjoy eating food someone else has made, it gets expensive awfully fast. And it just doesn't work on school nights very well.

My mom taught me to plan menus and make grocery lists. Her advice, "Never buy something that's not on the list." That and don't go to the grocery store if you're hungry!

I try to plan menus for the upcoming week on Saturdays, making my grocery list as I go along. That way it's all ready to go on Monday, which is the day I shop. (I also have a wipe board on the fridge--for keeping track of random things I run out of like lemon pepper or dijon mustard.)

I don't usually plan for breakfast and lunch. During the summer when we're all home, I will come up with lunch options--and make up a list that everyone can choose from each day. But during the school year, I just keep things like yogurt and string cheese and fruit and crackers on hand.

Mostly I sit down with a pile of cookbooks and flip through until something sounds good. I also ask everyone if there's something they're really craving. Then it goes on the calendar. 

I put all the ingredients on my list--unless I know for sure I have what I need. If I'm not sure, it goes on the list. The last step is checking the pantry, freezer, fridge and taking off those things I have that I wasn't sure about.

Pretty simple.

As I plan, I take into account what's going on during the week. For example, on Monday, we have an all-school Girl Scout meeting and I know I won't be home until at least 5:00. I will be tired and I won't want to cook. So that's a good night for something quick and easy or a crockpot meal. Not the night to try anything complicated or something like risotto that requires, say, constant stirring and standing at the stove for an hour.

I also try to vary what we eat. Beef, chicken, pasta, soup. As well as kinds of food. Asian, Italian, French. 

And I take into account what we already have on hand. Since our beef was delivered (thank you, Kurt and Sharon!) on Wednesday, that means we have plenty of beef available. And since I just went to Costco and stocked up on chicken, we have lots of that too.

When I first started planning menus, I went so far as to have a set schedule. Monday was chicken. Tuesday was pasta. Wednesday was soup. Thursday was beef. Friday was seafood. And so on. While I don't stick to that anymore, I will go back to that periodically--especially when NOTHING sounds good to me as I flip through cookbooks!

In addition to putting the main course on the menu, I plan side dishes. Rice, potatoes, salad, vegetables. I keep sides really simple and try to be as specific as possible, though sometimes I'll just put "vegetable" and wait to see what's on sale at the store or what looks good. (I hate it when I plan on asparagus and then the stuff at the store isn't very nice looking!) So sometimes the grocery list has something like "vegetable to go with roast chicken" on it.

I don't know about you, but I shop at the same store every week. (Costco is a once-a-month trip around here.) I don't really care if another store has something I need on a better sale. It takes me too long to find everything else I need to be worth it!

Because I know where everything is at my store, I organize my list according to the path I take, grouping like items together. And since my list is on the computer, I can cut and paste pretty quickly. But even when I used a paper list, I'd rewrite the list because it saves so much time.

So fruits and vegetables are always listed first, followed by deli items, dry goods, canned goods, and so on until I get to the milk. That way I avoid walking back seven aisles for something I forgot. (Well, most of the time anyway!)

I organize my cart as I shop too. Something that caused Toben to mock me incessantly last Monday when he went with me. Ya'll think he's nice, but he was so awful that he's now banned from going to the store with me. Forever. And ever.

Anyway, I keep like items together in the cart so they get bagged together. That makes putting everything away much easier and faster. (Have to say, I sure wish they'd teach the baggers at the store how to do that and not put my eggs on top of my lettuce, or the bag of canned goods on top of my produce bags. I'm always happy when there aren't enough baggers and I get to bag my own groceries!)

I know some of you have blogged about how you do this and there are all kinds of resources out there for menu planning and shopping. What works for you? And if you've blogged about it, be sure to put a link to your post in the comments.

La Baguette's French Onion Soup

 

La Baguette's French Onion Soup

Serves 8

6 cups sliced yellow onions (about 2 pounds)

5 tbsp. unsalted butter

pepper

10 cups boiling chicken stock (get the good stuff!)

1/2 cup dry white wine

French bread

grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese

Cook onions, covered, in butter for 20 minutes on medium-low heat until onions become transparent, but not brown. Uncover, raise heat to medium; cook 45 minutes more, stirring frequently, until onions carmelize and turn a dark golden color.

Add boiling chicken stock and white wine; cook two hours with lid partly ajar.

Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight (to keep stock from souring). Remove congealed butter two to three hours before serving, then cook soup again for an hour and a half. 

To serve, fill boiler-proof bowls with soup; top with rounds of French bread and cheese. Broil for five minutes, until cheese is bubbly and turning a little bit brown.

This looks like a lot of work, but it is worth every minute. You will LOVE it. I promise!

Brought to you by:

Green tomato pickles

There were lots and lots of green tomatoes on the bushes when I cleaned out the garden on Saturday. I didn't want to waste them, so I thought Pickles!

I packed them in the jars this morning along with garlic and fresh dill--it smelled wonderful. And looked so pretty.

But then I added the brine and canned them, and now they don't look so pretty any more. 

I packed the jars full (or so I thought) but now they have lots of room in them. And my liquid is cloudy--because I used regular table salt instead of canning salt. But the recipe didn't say that! Urgh. I only discovered the reason after it was already done and I did some searching. Hate that.

My friend Wendy came for lunch and I sent a jar home with her--with strict instructions to wait a couple of weeks and not to eat them until I tell her it's okay. I hate giving people food I've not tasted for myself!

Even though they don't look pretty anymore, I'm hoping they'll taste good. I'll let you know in two or three weeks once they're all pickle-y.

Sweet friend

Emma walked in the door the other day after school with a present for me all wrapped up in calico. My sweet friend Yvette sent it to school with one of her daughters and home with one of mine.

Just look what was inside:

Look! Recipes! and excerpts! and illustrations!

So, naturally, I made apple pies yesterday. Turnovers for a meal for a family at school and a pie for us. There was one extra turnover and I wanted to make sure it tasted okay, so this was lunch yesterday:

The girls and I had apple pie for snack yesterday after school, for dessert last night after dinner, and again for breakfast this morning.

I love autumn.

Some giggles and a sandwich just for Susan

My little girlies are up in the tub together, giggling and splashing, so I thought I'd take a few moments to say hello.

Hello!

I met today with someone from church for my seminary application...things are rolling right along and I'm so excited. I wore my penny loafers last week and think they'll get even more wear come January. I figure I wore penny loafers most days at Whitworth and I did pretty well, so I might as well wear them for seminary!

We had dinner tonight with my sister and her kids. We're both without husbands tonight so we decided to pool resources--her leftovers plus my dessert equaled a pretty yummy meal. We talked a lot about her trip to New York to house hunt later this week. If you think about it, pray that she and Wade would find the area that's just right for their family.

Oh, I probably haven't mentioned before that they're moving to New York. They are. For three years, and then they'll be back. They're super excited and I'm super excited for them. Yes, I'm sad they won't be just down the road for a while, but New York City is a pretty great place to visit, so I'm consoling myself with that.

My tomatoes are doing great--we had fried green tomato BLTs last week (YUM!) and I've been eating tomato sandwiches almost everyday for lunch, which makes me think of my friend Susan. Yesterday I invented a new tomato sandwich that made me have to call her this morning just to tell her all about it (and talk about how we have the same fridge).

The Caprese Sandwich

Everything bagel (preferably from Panera--Emma's certain they're the best)

Fresh mozzerella

Fresh tomatoes

Basil

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt

Pepper

That's about it. Put it all together and then watch how fast it disappears. The bagel sops up the oil and vinegar and an everything bagel means little bursts of onion and garlic in every bite too. Double yum.

(Don't you love my little artistic splashes of vinegar on my red plastic plate? There's a few on my shirt to match!)

And I just have to say that THERE IS NOTHING ON THE CALENDAR FOR TOMORROW! Yes, I totally meant to yell that. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.

Later, Gators. (That's for Susan!)

See ya 'round--like a donut. (That's for Aunt Susan and Emma.)

See ya 'round--if you don't turn square.

Clearly, I need to stop now.

Good night!

Chicken and dumplings in the crockpot

Ask and you shall receive!

I got the basics for this recipe from Cooking Light, but I've changed it a little to cook in the crockpot.

Chicken and Dumplings in the Crockpot

1 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, chopped (I use more like 2 tbsp.)

1/4 to 1/2 cup dry sherry

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans chicken stock (or 4 cups homemade stock)

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

3-6 chicken breasts (depending on the crowd)

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp. cornstarch

2 cups baking mix (I use Bisquick)

2/3 cup milk

Chopped parsley and other herbs, such as sage, rosemary, thyme--or whatever you have on hand

Put onion, garlic, sherry, salt, pepper, chicken stock, and cream of mushroom soup in the crockpot. Mix with a whisk to combine. Add chicken breasts (I put them in frozen). 

If you're cooking for a crowd, add more stock and sherry so the liquid totally covers the chicken.

Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.

Remove chicken from crockpot. If you want to serve this as more of a stew, cut the chicken into pieces. Or leave whole if you prefer. Set in the oven or microwave to keep warm.

Mix water and cornstarch; pour into crockpot and set crockpot to HIGH.

Combine baking mix and milk and drop dough by heaping spoonfuls into the crock pot. Cover and cook an additional 20-30 minutes while you set the table and make some vegetables (we like green beans!), until dumplings are cooked through. Stir *carefully* occasionally.

Just before serving, add chopped chicken (or serve the chicken breasts whole, with dumplings and gravy on top) and fresh chopped herbs. Season to taste.

NOTE: If you want to serve this as a stew, you can also add chopped mixed vegetables (frozen ones make it easy!) to the gravy and cook them in the crockpot too just before you add the water/cornstarch to thicken the gravy. I've done it both ways, and prefer chicken and dumplings alone, with vegetables or salad on the side.

Ice cream, comments, and mulch

The girls and I made some homemade ice cream yesterday--WOW. You have to go get this recipe--the cards to download are just darling and the ice cream was out of this world. Really. Go download the recipe now, buy some ice, and get crankin'. I may even have some for breakfast.

Ya'll left such sweet comments yesterday and I really want to sit down and write back to each one of you. But I need to go help Toben out back. We're having truckloads of mulch delivered tomorrow and we need to go lay plastic stuff down before it gets too hot.

We have weed-filled flower beds that run the whole length of the backyard that will be beautiful by the end of the weekend. We took out some gross, prickly, dying evergreen shrub things last summer and planted some snowball bushes (LOVE THOSE!) earlier this summer. (And planted some honeysuckle to climb over that arch.) Now we just need mulch to complete the beds and make it look neat.

An exception to the rule

In general, sandwiches made by others always taste better than any I make myself--with one exception.

(Note I am NOT a food stylist; this was the best I could do!)

Bagel and Vegetable Sandwich

Toasted bagel (this one's plain, but I especially like an everything bagel)

Cream cheese

Sliced carrots (essential for a good crunch)

Sliced cucumber

Sliced tomato

Sprouts

Sliced olives

Sunflower seeds

Sliced avocado

Kosher salt and pepper

That's it! Layer it all together and squish it down--otherwise it's too tall to eat! Toben likes his with a slice or two or four of honey ham and Audrey always wants a slice of swiss on hers. Emma just wants extra sprouts and avocado with some Lays potato chips on the side.

But in my opinion, you can't beat okra pickles on the side!

Mexican chicken

From Ericka:

What is your favorite recipe (I am always looking for good ones and the minestrone soup one you had was great)?

I got this recipe from my friend Marla--and I always keep it on hand for enchiladas, tacos, and burritos.

Mexican chicken

Put as many frozen chicken breasts into your crockpot as can fit. (Nope, I don't thaw them first, though I suppose you could fit more if you did.) Pour a big thing of Pace picante sauce over them and cook on low all day long. Shred the chicken with two forks.

That's it!

I freeze the chicken in small batches and thaw as needed for a quick weeknight supper. My favorite is enchiladas.

Enchiladas

Fill tortillas with mexican chicken and place into a greased casserole dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the whole thing--I like lots so my enchiladas will be nice and saucy. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and hot. Remove from oven and cover with grated cheddar. Put back in the oven until the cheese is just melted. Enjoy!

He is risen; he is risen indeed!

Happy Easter!

As soon as the girls come downstairs this morning we'll unseal the oven and break open our Easter Story cookies--which will be hollow and empty just like the tomb. The tomb is empty, because Jesus conquered sin and death and is alive!

Easter Story Cookies

1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 eggs whites (room temperature)
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
a Bible

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Place pecans in a baggie and let your children beat them with a wooden spoon to break them into small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested, Roman soldiers beat him. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into a mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to the vinegar.
Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it, then brush the rest into the bowl.
Salt represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients aren't very appetizing. Add 1 cup of sugar.
The sweetest part of the Easter story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants to us to know him and belong to him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high until mixture turns white and stiff peaks form.
The color white represents the purity of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto a lined baking sheet.
Each mound represents the rock tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the baking sheet into the oven, close the door, and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

Go to bed.
Explain that they may feel sad to leave cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were sad when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20-22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow!
On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read John 20:1-8.

Welcome home, Toben!

Just because he's home again...

I had high hopes given this recipe, but it wasn't the best chocolate cake ever. It did look pretty though.

Maybe if it was made with real chocolate, instead of unsweetened baking chocolate. And maybe if it used butter instead of shortening. The texture was perfect, even if the taste wasn't the best. Not bad, just not the best.

Before dessert, we had T-bone steaks, baked potatoes, mushrooms sauteed in sherry, and steamed broccoli. Mmm...

P.S. See, John, I take pictures of food for my blog too!

Miscellaneous

I'm not feeling very creative and am having one of those days where I have NO IDEA what to write about. So, as requested...

Erin, I didn't forget that you asked for my pecan pie recipe. No picture--it was eaten way too fast!

This recipe came from the Junior League cookbook in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Susan, here are my party plates!

Off to read to the girls and hang out with Toben, who came home from Portland a little bit ago. Goodnight!

Breakfast on a cold morning

I love oatmeal...so perfect on a cold winter morning.

To 1/2 cup quick oats, add:

diced dried pears
a handful of pecans
shredded coconut

or

dried cherries
a handful of pecans
shredded coconut

or

raisins
walnuts
a sprinkle of cinnamon

a spoonful or two of brown sugar
1 cup boiling water

Stir and let sit for a minute or two. Enjoy!

Tea and scones

My friend Kimberly came for tea this morning with her sweet little boys. We drank Yorkshire Gold tea, sat on the floor and played with all the Little People I keep around for Ava and any other little people who come to visit, and ate scones.

Can't remember if I've shared this recipe before (if I have it's been a long time), so here's my standard scone recipe:

Buttermilk Scones

In the food processor, pulse together:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled

Then mix together and add to the flour mixture:
1/2 cup buttermilk (I often use powdered buttermilk for this--it works great)
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Then add whatever fruit, nut, chocolate combination you like. My favorites include:
dried pear, white chocolate, walnuts (today's combination!)
dried cherries, pecans, dark chocolate
dried cranberries, pecans, candied orange peel

Knead on a floured board, shape into a flat circle, and cut into 8 wedges. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees. Let cool for a few minutes, then recut and serve. Makes 8 scones.

(These make BIG scones. You can divide the dough in half and make two smaller circles to make 16 smaller scones--something I often do.)

Make these plain for a super strawberry shortcake base. Mmmm...

Our evening, in which supper goes down the drain and Chipotle comes to the rescue

I tried a new soup recipe tonight that looked and sounded really good. I followed the recipe and tasted it. I added some additional ingredients and tasted it again. I had Toben taste it and added a few more ingredients. We both tasted it once more. And then I poured it down the drain.

Life's just too short.

Luckily, there's a Chipotle almost across the street and Toben will be back any minute with a steak burrito for me and Audrey to split, Emma's steak tacos, and his carnitas bowl. Not to mention chips and guacamole.

We've set the table, lit the candles, and will have a lovely family dinner--despite soup down the drain.

I love that family dinner can be salvaged when things don't turn out right. That family dinner doesn't have to mean a dinner that I've cooked. After all, family dinner is about more than what you eat. Family dinner is about being a family.

I hear the garage door going up...

Z is for zucchini

It's the end of the warm weather, the end of the alphabet, and just about the end of my garden. So here's a great recipe (modified some from Cooking Light) for all that shredded zucchini and ground beef in my freezer. Enjoy!

Layered Zucchini

6 cups shredded zucchini
1 pound ground beef
2 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 jar spaghetti sauce (whatever brand is your favorite)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
1 tbsp. dried parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Brown ground beef in a skillet until cooked through. Add spaghetti sauce and herbs; cook one minute. Remove from heat.

Combine cottage cheese, parsley, and eggs in a medium bowl.

Coat 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Add zucchini. Sprinkle zucchini with half of the breadcrumbs, top with half of the cottage cheese mixture, then half of the meat mixture and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Repeat layers with remaining bread crumbs, cottage cheese mixture, and meat mixture.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cup of mozzarella and bake additional 5 minutes, until cheese melts. Yield: 10 servings

This will serve a LOT of people. So if you're family is smaller like mine, divide into two smaller pans and freeze half. (It does freeze well.) This is a lot like lasagna--without the noodles. Yummy and perfect for a cool, autumn night!