Just add water! Ployes.

Hopefully this blog dispels the common thought that I am some incredible cook who is constantly coming up with new recipes. PLEASE.
What I would like to inspire, are more people to take on cooking simply because you can do it and should not consider it a chore but a nice way to unwind from the day. There is a learning curve. Many working folks, after a long day, don't feel like they could take on the additional challenge and the alternatives are far easier, especially living in the city. There are many days I feel like that.
Since my recent full-time job is child-rearing, I find my everyday thoughts are involved in his day and how things revolve around his activities and nap (off-and-on, nowadays). While Andrew plays more independently for longer and longer periods of time, I find myself catching up on, well, "me" things, cooking one of them. I'm a bit rusty and it's a natural progression so hopefully you will see that here.
For now, and in our tough economy and in a single income household, the importance is getting something decent on the table, without spending a boatload of money on takeout or prepared foods.

This one is simple:
Buckwheat pancake mix, maple syrup, frozen blueberries and bacon.

"Ployes" http://www.ployes.com/ are made from Buckwheat flour. Buckwheat flour is gluten -free, high in complex carbohydrates, potassium, phosphorous, iron, calcium, protein, and fiber. It contains twice the amount of B vitamins as wheat flour.

I found the mix at a Hannaford's supermarket in Augusta, Maine, but after looking at their website above, am happy to learn that they sell their product in many stores, most locally at the Waltham Hannaford.

For Andrew and I (Daddy was already off to work and generally prefers a more protein-rich breakfast), we used 1/3 cup of mix (makes 3 pancakes) and the same measure full of water plus another 1/3 of water added to the bowl. Mix out all the lumps and let sit 5 minutes while your skillet preheats (with a drop of butter). Basically, I am explaining what the package says. It's super-easy.
For convenience I microwaved Oscar Mayer precooked bacon for 45 seconds. This stuff is great, used in a pinch. It is also overly expensive so I only buy it on sale and use it sparingly when I don't have time for stinking up the kitchen with the real thing.

I like to keep frozen blueberries on hand. Wyman's are delicious and come in a convenient resealable package. They seem to last a long time in the freezer, too!
Pour some in a cup (I use a measuring cup since it has a spout) and add desired amount of syrup. Microwave to thaw the berries and heat the syrup, around 2 minutes. The liquid of the berries extends the syrup nicely and it's not so sugary. Please don't short your taste buds and buy the fake maple syrup.
I told him this is what we're having and he jumped right in his seat! He actually referred to them as pancakes for the first time (not the oft-repeated. "cupcakes").
Note the dramatic forkful. He loved it and is a ham for the camera!

Easy Chicken Bake

There was not much thought for dinner tonight! Is that the norm lately? It was a busy day including a little Christmas shopping. Good thing my little tantrum scene-maker passed out in the car before said shopping or else it wouldn't have happened (it was for him)...

Geeez, it's not even Thanksgiving yet. I am on a big Christmas kick this year. Andrew knows about Santa and what he's bringing... We've been playing "Seasonal Favorites" (aka Christmas) music channel on t.v. and now I'm thinking of what cookies and gingerbread houses to make and when....

Anyhow, on to stuffing! Store bought! Low sodium is the way to go. Or else you will die. Haha, kidding; I tried the sodium-laden stuff and it was, well, too salty (this coming from one who salts pizza and butter-on-bread).
I learned from making this fabulously simple box mix twice already and likely having unused leftovers, just divide the mix in half. The recipe on this box is for the uninformed cook. Please, try not to use canned condensed Campbell's soup in recipes. Gross. Just learn how to make a roux.
Before that, cook your chicken. Even better if you have some leftover cooked chicken on hand. I used a large frozen breast, thawed on low in the microwave for 15 minutes then plunked in some simmering Swanson "organic" chicken broth from a carton. I used all but 1 cup of the carton and promptly bagged and froze the unused portion. Cooked the breast, covered, for 15 minutes. Halfway through (since it still seemed frozen in the middle when I put it in) I cut it in half, then quarters to help it along.
Chicken out of broth, onto cutting board. Half of broth removed to 1 cup measure (which I let cool then also froze) and remainder poured into a bowl.

Make the condensed-soup alternative: 2 TB butter, melted on medium heat. Whisk in equal amount of flour (I probably used less).
Cook, stirring constantly. The flour should not turn too brown, just bubble for a bit.
Pour in the broth. First a splash, then whisk, then another splash, whisk, then you can add the rest without risk of it clumping up.
I know I didn't use enough flour so I turned up the heat to boil it down. The ratio should be 1Tb butter :1 TB flour :1 cup milk (or broth).
This was not a problem since I needed to cook those frozen veggies! The boring box recipe calls for cooking then adding them. So they turn to mush?
I also tried adding sour cream. You don't want to do this when the mix is boiling or close to that point or it will clot up. I used a heaping small spoonful. This added a nice tang. You might also want to try plain yogurt.
While things calmed down for a bit, Andrew helped sprinkle in some seasonings. The rosemary shaker is nice and slow-dispensing.
These were tonight's seasonings of choice (and ground pepper).
Topped with the prepared stuffing then a small amount of cheddar left in the fridge.
400 degrees, 15 minutes later. Everything in it is already cooked so the point is that you want it to brown and melt the cheese. Allow to cool for 10 minutes or else serve to your plates then cool.

Mom's "spicy" tuna sandwich

It's pretty basic and quick and hits the spot, many lunch-after-lunch.
Can of tuna. In this case, packed in olive oil. This means less mayo.
Hellmann's mayonnaise. Use low fat, I swear you won't notice the difference.
A generous forkful of hot pepper relish. Ohhh Yeah! I love this stuff!
Andrew remarked it was "spicy", hence the name.
Toast 2 slices of scali bread. This is a delicate white bread so watch that it doesn't burn.
The slices tend to be oversized, perfect to split with a toddler!
I put extra American (Land O Lakes is the only way to go) cheese on his half, layered with sandwich dill pickles then topped with tuna. It was a thick sandwich (one can of tuna is always a tad too much for a sandwich) so I sliced it (for Andrew) in such a way that the innards were wider that the bread slice. It's always good to make things smaller for the little guys.

"Andrew, time to eat lunch!" Muno (the red guy) oversaw things.

Unfinished scraps for mommy to eat (I couldn't let the tuna part go to waste!).

Pizza Taste Test: Dr. Oetker Grade: C+

I first spotted this pizza advertised on the side of a T bus while we were stopped at a red light. "From Germany" "Italy's Favorite Frozen Pizza"
I had to try it.
Even more tantalizing, the local super had samples of it but I *just missed* the last slice. $2 off coupons. That's it! I am a sucker for a good coupon.
Back home, since it was football night (and we probably should have been making chili but were tired and lazy since we'd had a long day), fired up the oven. A sign of laziness it that we left the pizza stone in it, underneath the grate upon which we cooked the pizza. And why did we heat the big oven when we have a perfectly sized, more predictable toaster oven?
First bite it was... still frozen. Humpf! I'm hungry! Plunked it in the toaster oven and pressed "toast", moved on from there.Alex hated it: "Flaccid crust, devoid of flavor. It sucks."
He's just spoiled.
I thought it was a decent pizza, for frozen. Reminiscent of the evil Celeste (am interested in comparing the lack of health value). Yet more sophisticated. Still, we would have been better off making our own pizza. The $3.99 price (using the $2 off coupon) made everything feel alright.
They have other pizza toppings which I am interested in still trying (two more coupons to go). Next time I'll just use the toaster oven and share with someone other than Alex ;D
We split the leftover salad. Funny, where's the other half of cheese topping on this slice? Did Andrew eat it? Just something to be aware of..

Is breakfast ready yet?

Someone in the background was clamoring for attention since we slept in! Daddy was put on duty at this point.
Breakfast today involved digging into the freezer and using up those nearly freezer-burnt Ore-Ida hash brown potatoes! I cooked per greasy package directions, using foil to cover the pan since we don't have a lid for it.
When I am not so lazy I do like using fresh potatoes. Someday a post about that.
After the potatoes were nearly done, I put a spat of butter in and softened 2 large rings of chopped onion. Once they were sufficiently cooked, the potatoes went back in and I seasoned with a drop (maybe 1/2 tsp) of dried thyme leaves (rubbed it between my hands to break it up) and a good dosing of Frank's Hot Sauce. I feel that hash brown potatoes should always be seasoned with a vinegary hot sauce. I usually do this while Alex is not looking.

These eggs are the best! They never fail for being fresh with deep colored yolks. I like that they're also local. Find them at Russo's. On a side note about eggs, I definitely have opinions. Unless I buy these, I just get store brand. For years be bought all organic and "omega-3" eggs.
Some of those eggs are often fishy-tasting/smelling, yuck, I like fish but not in my eggs.
Store brand is fine. And the eggs are often more fresh- and $2 less! The Chip-In eggs are $2.49, not too bad.

My fried egg cooking technique: crack them in once a spat per egg of butter (not too much, this is a nonstick skillet) sizzles and subsides. Season lightly with salt and more with pepper. Once they are all jiggly and happy (don't cook them on much more than medium heat), I flip them and basically count to ten, then they are ready. Today I let them go for more like twenty seconds. It's something you have to gauge based on your pan and how the eggs look.
Breakfast is never complete without some form of meat. In this case it was the highly fatty Hillshire Farms CheddarWurst sausage. 240 calories and 40% a daily "allowance" of saturated fat. A great way to start the day! Usually we split one (and Andrew gets some of my portion) but it's a weekend morning, after all.
We split a slice of buttered toast, cut in wedges. Always love the Arnold 12 grain.
We joke, certainly Andrew ate mostly forkfuls of ketchup (aka "chup") for breakfast, requesting more (even though there was still plenty) and becoming psychotic if he didn't immediately get some. Well, he'd already had a banana and rich chocolate milk (think melted ice cream).
The same went for lunch. Good thing we didn't buy him an entree. That damn chup is addictive!! If possible, I like to hide the bottle when we are out to eat.

Fresh Ravioli and a salad with homemade Italian dressing

It is always a joy to shop at Russo's in Watertown, MA http://russos.com/. They carry, among lots of other goodies worthy of many more blog entries, the best fresh raviolis I have found! For $6 I was able to purchase 10 of these beauties. We ate them all, 4 each for the adults, 2 for Andrew (and this is why I am gaining weight, eating his leftovers).
For the sauce, from the freezer I pulled out 2 small (1/2 cup?) containers of Emeril's (formerly jarred) Vodka Cream Sauce. I popped it into the 1 quart sauce pan and let sit to melt a bit while prepping the salad dressing and salad. I nearly always freeze a leftover pasta sauce or else it goes to waste.
I usually just buy a packet of "Good Seasons" Italian dressing mix but the past couple times have made it with my own stash and it's very satisfactory. Unless you buy that dressing mix on sale, it's $2 for one packet. This is a fraction of the price.
The inspiration: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Italian-Dressing-Mix/Detail.aspx.
I scaled it down by 1/3 or so and just use a 1/2 teaspoon measure which is easy to dip into spice containers. A handy fact: 3 teaspoons= 1 tablespoon.
The easier you can make it on yourself, the better.
That recipe calls for a whopping 2Tb of salt, which I do not use. Also, I would never buy dried parsley.
I used a scoop each of garlic powder, onion powder, 4 scoops of Penzey's "Italian Herb Mix", a dash of celery salt and a grind of salt and a bit more of a grind of pepper. All went right into the Good Seasons cruet. It has handy dash marks indicating how much vinegar, water and oil you need. The spice mix takes up room on the bottom or the cruet so I guess the levels a tad higher.
I love this store: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html
At first we received their catalog but a couple years later they opened a store nearby in Arlington, MA. What's fun is that their quarterly catalog always has a free coupon for a jar of spices. In this case, it was the Italian herb mix. It contains Turkish oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme and cracked rosemary.
Their prices are a fraction of McCormick/supermarket spices. One thing I find annoying is that their products do not have "best by" dates. I mark the bottles with the date purchased.
The salesperson explained that you can tell if your spices are good by smelling them.
I guess this makes sense. But I like to know if something's been in the spice cabinet for 10 years!
Salad prep: mixed baby greens (there are some in the garden but I didn't feel like washing it all tonight), thin sliced red onion, quartered tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, and shredded carrot. In action below is a nifty carrot shredder purchased a while back at Crate & Barrel (no longer available).
Now I heat up the sauce pan and get the ravioli water boiling. The frozen sauce is at first very watery and needs to be stirred often and reduced to a nice spattering-over-the-pot consistency.
The cheese raviolis cut apart, ready to take a dip in the boiling water! You have to guess how long to cook them. 8 minutes seems to be the best time. They are fragile and need to be handled gently to prevent bursting open. I separate them using a knife (oh well, jagged edge). I've tried pulling them apart in the past and almost always that weakens them and there is breakage while boiling. Not this time!
Also, I used to drop them in by hand (ouch! splashing hot water!) and learned my lesson to use a slotted spoon, gently lowering them in, one by one. This was also the tool to use for removing them, directly to a dinner plate.

"Mangia, mangia!"

Andrew kept requesting, "More cheese?"
Just before dinner was served and no one was paying attention, much like a sneaky cat, he found the opened bar of parmesan on the table and started taking bites from it! I cut his "contaminated" bit pieces off and he snarfed them down, wanting more. During dinner, we had to grate (hefty amounts, I might add) 3 times! I then realized his raviolis needed to be cut down further than 6ths so he could enjoy them more. Oh well. Someday he'll learn to use a knife!
Alex also pointed out we forgot garlic bread! It is a nice accompaniment for a hearty appetite and we keep some slices on hand in the freezer. As it turned out, we ended up sharing 1 salad and putting the other in the fridge for later.

Tasha Tudor's Meat Loaf with Parsley Baked Potato and Mixed Vegetables

Tasha Tudor is a famed children's author/illustrator who passed away last year at age 92.
She's a fascinating woman. Her biography:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/20/books/20tudor.html
"Ms. Tudor frequently said that she was the reincarnation of a sea captain’s wife who lived from 1800 to 1840 or 1842, and that it was this earlier life she was replicating by living so ardently in the past."
I love that the end of the obituary reads, "She told The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk in 1996 that it was her intention to go straight back to the 1830s after her death."
I began making dinner by picking and washing the parsley then prepping the potato.
This is an easy way to make a baked potato for two. A single potato is usually much too big for one so this makes perfect sense. The parsley is, of course, optional.
I discovered this technique in The Gourmet Cookbook.
First, heat the oven to 375. Put a couple of dabs of butter in your baking dish and melt. Since I cook these in the toaster oven, I just press the "toast" button and the butter melts while I cut the russet potato in half. Turn the potato on its side (usually it would rather lay flat) then cut it in half, on a diagonal. You could just cut the thing in half, but the diagonal is to show off the parsley presentation. Stick a leaf of parsley (or any herb, perhaps rosemary) on the surface. Sprinkle with salt (I grind coarse sea salt set on "fine" in a grinder). Place parsley side down in the butter.
Once prepped, I wait until the meatloaf has been baking 20 minutes or so before I pop the potatoes in the oven. 375 for 45 minutes.
Make the meatloaf mix:
In a large bowl, combine (approximate measurements)
a squeeze of half a lemon (and pluck out those seeds),
2 TB chopped parsley (we are lucky to have some outside),
an egg yolk, and, as illustrated here,
fresh bread crumbs. I use a fork to scrape them off. The recipe calls for 1 TB but I think more is better.
Add 1 tsp (more like 1 TB or more) of chopped onion. If I have time I sautee it until soft in 1 TB butter. If you skip the sautee step,
also add 1 TB soft butter to the mix.
Grind in some pepper. I omit salt since the evil MSG containing beef broth (used for gravy) has plenty in it. (I WILL make my own beef stock, someday soon!)
Dump in 1/4 lb of ground pork and 3/4 lb ground beef. Usually the packages we purchase at the supermarket are twice that quantity. I just freeze the other half and label it "meatloaf mix".
Many meatloaf mixes call for veal. Baby cows! No thank you.
The only thing I don't like about making this recipe is getting my hands coated in raw meat! Really, the only way to do it is use your hands and blend it all together. Step up, disposable gloves!
After the loaf is formed, pour over the (hopefully not MSG laden) beef broth. Use 3/4-1 cup.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour. I neglect to baste it, which is fine. Feel free to, if you think of it. I find that the gravy is a perfect moistener anyhow.
Below, is Tasha's recipe.
Once out of the oven, I use a big spatula to transfer the meatloaf to a serving plate. The leftover juices then get poured through a sieve (to get rid of the gunk) into a small saucepan. Heat on medium low and toss in a TB or so of flour, whisk, and a drop of sherry. Bubble away until thickened nicely, about 5 minutes or so.
While this is going on, the potatoes should be done and cooling and the mixed frozen veggies should be cooking in the microwave. I poured 1/2 a package of them in the rinsed out baked potato dish, added a splash of water and pat of butter. Microwaved 4 minutes. Birdseye bagged veggies are priced right when on sale: $1/bag is a nice buy! Andrew loves and devours them....
They are also easy enough to zap in a small dish for a healthy toddler eat. This mix does not contain the "dreaded" lima beans ;D