soupy seconds

Sometimes it is just too much to think about going to the grocery store with an infant. (Melt down in aisle 12!) This always seems to happen just as I run out of food. Go figure. I have become quite resourceful, however, at scouring my cupboards and creating something. A little of this, a little of that and hey, what do you know - I made lunch and saved myself from going to the store yet again...or at least from going right away and being hungry while I am shopping! This sensational soup is my latest secondhand find. I used a bit of leftovers from a lot of things we had recently and created a first class dish.

I started with some veggie broth - which is inevitably in my fridge. To that I added some chickpeas I had leftover from a greek wrap. Next I chopped up two small red potatoes that had been destined for hashbrowns that were never made. I also tossed in a handful of campanelle pasta that was used in a pesto side dish the night before. I also had some spinach leaves that I thought would be good in a salad til it got so cold outside. I sauteed them in a bit of oil and salt and tossed them in too. I let is all meld together with some salt and pepper while the taters got tender and the pasta became al dente. Once ready I topped it with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese we had used on spaghetti too.

Who knew I had such an amazing dish laying around in a bunch of leftovers? Take a look around your own kitchen before you run out to the store. See if you can come up with something without spending a dime. I'm certainly glad I did! (And the carnivore is glad I managed to cut the grocery budget too.)

P.S. I am entering this in the Charity Souper Bowl in honor of Miss Kitty.

easy A

I like cooking as much if not more than most people. But just like everyone else I am crunched for time during the holiday season. Between shopping, wrapping, and getting gussied up for various get-togethers, I just don't have the hours in the day in the kitchen that I would like. This doesn't mean, however, that I can't find time to make dessert. There is always time for dessert, people. This super simple apple pie is easy to make and delicious too. Also, its a great way to sneak some fruit in your carnivore. Adapted from Recipes from the Heart Cookbook, you will need the following:

Filling:
1 premade pie crust
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
2 tblsp of flour
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
4 1/2 cups of peeled and sliced apples

Topping:
1/3 cup of flour
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tblsp of rolled oats
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
3 tblsp of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place pie crust in 9 inch pie pan. Crinkle edges. Mix together filling ingredients in large bowl. Add to pie pan. Mix together toppings in medium bowl. Sprinkle over pie. Cover edges with aluminum fol to prevent browning. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 20 minutes longer. Top should be golden. Cool on wire rack for about five minutes. Serve while warm. Wonderful a la mode too.

So make time to make this easy dessert. You will be glad you did. Happy holidays from our family to yours!

how many fingers am i holding up?

I am certain as baby omnivore gets older I will have battles over his food. While I do hope he will have my expansive palate, I am sure there will be times when he won't want what I put on his plate. Lucky for me I already have lots of practice cooking for a picky eater - the carnivore.  And I know this will be hit. It is my take on a fast food favorite - chicken fingers.

You will need:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 package of chicken tenders
olive oil for drizzling
1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup of italian bread crumbs
1 tblsp of dried parsely
salt and pepper

Drizzle a large skillet with olive oil. Heat on medium. Next to skillet place shallow bowl with cheese, bread crumbs, and parsley mixed together. Next to that place shallow bowl with egg. Salt and pepper the tenders. Then start the assembly line. Dip in egg. Cover in breadcrumb mix. Place in pan. Heat on each side about four minutes. Wait til tenders pull away from pan on their own (not when they are sticking. Each side should be golden and the juices should run clear.

I mean, who doesn't like chicken fingers? Well, except for the vegetarians in your lives. But other than us, this will be a crowd-pleaser for the young and old alike in your life - even the picky ones.

menu ideas:

I served these with rice that I popped in my wonderful rice cooker. I also heat up some english peas. And for my main dish, at the same time I was cooking the chicken I had broccoli and mushrooms in another skillet sauteeing in olive oil and similar seasonings - parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, etc.

favorite things

The carnivore and I try every year to limit how much we spend on each other. In an attempt to accomplish this goal this year, we tried to just give each other stocking stuffers. Well, needless to say we have yet again failed to restrain ourselves as the pile of presents that don't fit in a stocking under our tree prove. Oh well, its not too late for you. And if you are looking for some great gadgets (I have written about all of these before) that do fit in a stocking, here are a few of my favorite things:

mini whisks - perfect for whipping up scrambled eggs on a slow Sunday morning

collapsible measuring cups - wonderful space savers

magnetic measuring spoons - never loose that 1/4 tsp spoon in the back of a drawer again

silicone muffin cups - slide off your blueberry or apple spice muffs with ease

grapefruit spoons - the only way to eat a ruby red

spaghetti tongs - if you eat pasta you have to have these

working mat - great for big batches of cookies or rolling our dough for calzones

zester - lemon, lime, orange, garlic, nutmeg...the list goes on

bamboo utensils - eco-friendly and durable, win - win

reusable bags - take them with you to the store or farmers market to get all you goodies

clip-on spoon rests - keeps your utensils safe and your counters clean, what's not to love?

butter boy - the best corn cob related invention ever

toast tongs - no electrocution scare here



Click on the any of the above to get your own or fill the stocking of your favorite foodie. Got more ideas for great gadget gifts? Let me know below. The carnivore checks here occasionally and I am sure he would love some suggestions!

quite a pear

Sometimes I ask the carnivore to pick up an item or two from the grocery store on his way home. I know this means a couple of things. First, I can bank on him coming home with at least three things I didn't know existed much less asked for (think pretzel ice cream cones). It also means, I will likely get at least one phone call from him at the store with a question of something that seems obvious to me (like, do we need pretzel ice cream cones - um, no). So, the other day I asked the carnivore to get a few pears so I could make baby omnivore some purees. I never thought he would go to Costco and get me a million pears. Oh well, time to find something to do with the rest of those pears...how bout muffins?

This recipe is adapted from the 500 Cupcakes cookbook
You will need the following:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups of sugar
4 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp of cinnamon
4 tblsp of vegetable oil
1/4 cup of melted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup of milk
2 large pears, pealed, cored, and diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your muffin pan. Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. In your mixer add in your wet ingredients and mix slowly. Fold in the dry ingredients. Finally, toss in the pears and mix thoroughly.  Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes til golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and continue to cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy while warm. This should yield about 18 muffins.

This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I asked for pears, but my better half and his strange shopping habits made for a perfect breakfast for both of us. We are quite a pair!

pulling a rabbit out of your hat

I had a roommate in law school that was from Italy. His mother did everything (and I mean everything) for him, including cook. He thought anything that happened in the kitchen was magic. The poor boy lived on cup of noodle unless I fed him. And anytime I made dinner, you woulda thought I was David Copperfield. Now when I make ramen noodles I think of him and his meager noodle cups. And while the carnivore may not be as enthralled with my cooking abilities, he does like this dish.

Start with two packages of ramen noodles. Throw out the seasoning packs - yuck! Boil the noodles in water until they float to the top. In the meantime, get out two skillets or woks. In one saute chicken tenders and snow peas. In the other cook mixed frozen veggies and extra firm tofu that the liquid has been thoroughly removed. I like to use a mix of Asian flavors including sesame oil, soy sauce, teriyaki marinade, and chili paste. Feel free to experiment here with your own concoction. Once everything is ready, pile up the ramen in two large bowls. Top with the respective stir fries and enjoy.

Look, it might not be magic, but you won't believe how good it is (and how easy too).

its beginning to look a lot like christmas

By now if your house is like mine, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, the tree has been decorated, and a few presents may have even been purchased. If you are also like me, your to do list seems to be growing as the days til Christmas are dwindling. That means I like to make meals I can eat on for days. This Christmas quiche is just that sort of thing.

You can find my original recipe for a simple cheddar quiche by clicking here. Start by switching the cheese to cheddar jack. Then to this just add a 1/4 quarter of a cup of roasted red peppers (remove as much of the liquid as possible if you get them from a jar) and 1 cup of spinach leaves that you lightly saute in a drizzle of olive oil and kosher salt. Finely chop these ingredients up and stir them in with the other ingredients and bake as usual.

 It is simple and delicious. Plus, the red and green colors are just appropriate this time of year don't ya think? I am considering whipping up another one for Christmas morning so we can all enjoy it together as we dig into those stockings and stare at that tree and open a few gifts. Now back to that list...