Hot Chocolate & Peppermind Marshmallows

Another year of homemade gifts. This year's projects included an especially delicious treat. Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows and Hot Chocolate on a Stick! This year, a group of girls I had coffee with were talking about gift giving. And so we made a plan together to make food gifts together. It was a blast! We scoured the internet (thank you pinterest) and thought peppermint marshmallows and hot chocolate on a stick sounded like a fun combination. (We used recipes on the above links above, but increased the sugar in the hot chocolate, and decreased peppermint in the marshmallows.) If you plan to make these one day, let me know. It was a pretty big project, and I have some tips I could share with you!Cutting, Dipping in extra chocolate, getting ready for their packages!My list of recipients is growing - More teachers, more neighbors, more relatives, more friends! And I packaged these up several ways for a variety of recipients.

Thankfully, I found these free downloadable labels online too! Hooray!

Here are 2 other cute packaging ideas if you decide to try this on your own! Here and here.

CSA 2011, Week 10

It's time for lots of cherry tomatoes! Here are some recipes that I'm going to be trying out soon. Last year, I roasted cherry tomatoes and froze them in small batches. Then, I added them to baked potatoes. Yum!

Here are some cherry tomato recipes I plan to try in the coming weeks:
Bowtie Caprese Toss
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Roasted Cherry Tomato & Basil Pizza
Roasted Tomato Tart (I've made this, it's good!)
Cherry Tomato Pizza Margherita
Angelhair Pasta Alla Checca (from the "Family Dinner Cookbook")

And I'm also going to try this recipe for Dragon Tongue Green Beans.

Cabbage Rolls

(pictured above, before cooking & adding the sauce on top.)
This is, hands-down, my favorite thing to do with cabbage. Cabbage Rolls are delish, although a few years ago, I made Bierocks, which also ranked up there!

Tiger Nuggets

This is another attempt in my quest for child-frendly-and-healthy-proteins. These are Jessica Seinfeld's Rice Balls. Her recipe includes either spinach, broccoli or butternut squash puree. I used spinach, which tinted the nuggets green. If I were to do it over, I would use the butternut squash instead. These were actually very good. However, my kids wouldn't eat them until we declared that they were TIGER FOOD!...AND THEY WERE THE TIGERS! Here are my tigers.

Nan's Veggie Tuna

When most Southerner's wax nostalgic about their mother's cooking, it typically involves delicious casseroles, fried chicken or tasty pies. Not me. My lunch bags were packed with avocado & sprout sandwiches, and I came home to dinner of lettuce wedges topped with "Nan's Homemade Ranch" (yes, I have that secret recipe!) This was one of my favorite things my mother made for me. Here's a recipe, although I'm a bit intimidated to make it. It's called "Veggie Tuna," although there is no tuna or meat otherwise. It is given the title because it's very close to a tuna-like consistency. Although I've never made this, I thought I'd share it with you!

Using pulp from juicer: 5 lbs. of carrots run through juicer. Drink the juice and save the pulp for the recipe.
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 bell pepper, chopped fine
1 small red onion, chopped fine
1 large tomato, chopped fine
½ c. Vegenaise
2 tbsp. soy sauce (or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)

Using food processor (makes a smaller quantity)
2 c. processed carrots
½ bell pepper, chopped fine
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
½ small red onion, chopped fine
½ tomato, chopped fine
¼ c. Vegenaise
1 tbsp. soy sauce or Bragg’s

Juice the carrots in an electric juicer. Save the pulp. Finely chop the celery, bell pepper, onion and tomato. Add the pulp of the carrots to the chopped vegetables. Add the mayo substitute to the mixture. Then add Bragg’s or soy sauce. This is great as an open faced sandwich on hearty whole grain bread, topped with a thin tomato and cucumber slice.

Feasting on Fresh

Last night we hosted a potluck dinner with some friends from church called "Feasting on Fresh." I adore potluck dinners, but always leave feeling so weighed down. So this time, we asked people to bring food inspired by whole, unrefined foods. I didn't want people to get weighed down by "rules" of what they could or could not bring, but just bring something in the spirit of the evening. We had such a great time, and the most amazing food!!! (See picture below: Please note that this is too many lemons. I could have added some sugar and called it lemonade.)The party started at 5. All afternoon we delayed the setting up, due to a 10% chance of rain. Finally, at 5:00 (as guests started to arrive), we decided to move indoors. It was a little kink in our plans, but it worked out just fine. We ate quinoa salad, russian carrot salad, collard greens & cornbread, wheat berry salad, kohlrabi/apple slaw, coleslaw, kale & white bean soup, cucumber & tomato salad, yellow squash & goat cheese custard, radish dip & crackers, cowboy caviar, asparagus, fruit salsa & chips, orzo & broccoli salad. And I'm probably forgetting some other delicious foods!! Dinner was topped off with some amazing cupcakes, cookies, pie and freshly whipped cream!
I made radish dip (I can't find the recipe online, but it's radishes, cream cheese, & green onion) and also summer squash goat cheese custard (pictured above).

Are you a church friend who would enjoy "Feasting on Fresh"? We invited people we thought would enjoy it, but we hope to do this again! If you would like to join us next time, let me know. We'd love spending time with you!!

Chicken Apple Nuggets

I am trying to perfect a homemade version of the chicken nugget. So far I've tweaked these 2 chicken apple ball recipes (here and here). To the below recipe, I add a little ground flax seed, which helps it stick together while adding lots of nutrients. Here's the recipe, which makes 20-30 nuggets, depending on your size.

2 tsp Light Olive Oil
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 large Granny Smith Apple, peeled, and grated
2 large Chicken Breasts, cut into chunks
½ tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 tbsp Fresh thyme or sage, chopped
1 Chicken stock cube, crumbled (for children over 12 months)
50g Fresh white breadcrumbs
1 pinch Salt, (for children over 12 months)
1 pinch Pepper, freshly ground (for children over 12 months)
1 dusting Plain flour, for coating
1 tsp Vegetable oil, for frying

Heat the olive oil in a pan and saute half the onion for about 3 minutes. Using your hands, squeeze out a little excess liquid from the grated apple. Mix the apple with the cooked chicken, and remaining raw onion, herbs, stock cube (from one year) and breadcrumbs and roughly chop in a food processor for a few seconds. Season with a little salt and pepper (from one year). With your hands, form into about 20 little balls, roll in flour and fry in shallow oil for about 5 minutes until lightly golden and cooked through.

On a whim, I decided to change these into Chicken Apple Nuggets. How did I do that? I squished them. I thought I'd do an experiment to see which "tasted better." The result? Lance & Ethan went STRAIGHT for the nuggets. Katie Belle preferred the chicken balls. Everyone definitely had a favorite though, although they were exactly the same. These don't have a crunchy nugget exterior, but I will definitely make some this way from now on.Bite-Sized - I've learned that's one of the best ways to get a little one to eat. Here are some more of my favorite proteins for little hands. I've frozen all of these (except the tofu & salmon). They are all great the second time around!

Salmon Fingers - I even did these when E was egg/dairy-free. My Replacements: Milk-free stuffing, Follow Your Heart Grapeseed Oil Vegennaise, and Flax Seed egg Replacement instead of eggs.
Black Bean Burgers - We used to eat a ton of these. For the kids, I just made small round meatball-sized 'burgers,' which are easier to eat.
Porcupine Meatballs - A great egg-free meatball.
Baked Tofu Sticks - Serve with some marinara dipping sauce, and they look just like french fries! Plus, they are very easy to make & have little hands help with.
Chicken, Quinoa & Apple Patties - I don't love these as much as they chicken apple balls, but it's a nice variation for those who have wheat allergies or want to try to get some quinoa in their diet.
Jessica Seinfeld's Rice Balls (can do with or without chicken) - these were delicious. Also very time consuming.

Do you have any favorite protein recipes that your little ones love?

Roasted Chickpeas

For the last 2 years (or what feels like it), I've been trying to cook up my freezer & pantry goods. I'm read for a clean slate!!! This week, we made Roasted Chickpeas for a little snack.

Here's the real question though: But did they eat it? Katie Belle loved them, Ethan...not so much. I liked them. Lance thought they were okay. And there's the whole story. But at the end of the afternoon, they were all gone!!!

In Season: Peas

It is almost time for fresh pea season! I love this time of year. I hope I can get Ethan & Katie Belle to help me shell peas again this year. I keep hearing that if you can't eat peas immediately after they are picked, you should go with frozen peas. They apparently lose their flavor & nutrients very quickly.
Simple is Best! I love my veggies easy and unfussy. Here's how to make the peas.

SIMPLE PEAS: Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. While the water is heating, remove the peas from their pods and place in a bowl. When the water reaches a boil, add some salt and the peas. You are just going to cook them for a very short time. Don't leave the stove. Somewhere between ten and thirty seconds. You want them just barely tender, so they still pop in your - mouth, no mushy overcooked peas please. Quickly drain. Return the peas to a bowl with a dollop of butter and a sprinkling of salt.

Here are some others worth trying:Pea & Mint Soup (there are lots of minor variations of this recipe online), Carla's Peas, And from Martha Stewart Kids: Roasted Pea Puree, Pea Gnocchi, Pea Fritters, B.L. Pea Sandwich, & Pepperoni Pea-zzas

Here's the rundown on why you should love peas.

Put a Lime in the Coconut

Well, it looks like Ethan is allergic to coconuts. Bummer. Remember when we had coconut milk? He was totally fine. But this time, we decided to crack open a coconut and eat the meat. It was fun. We watched this little video and things were going swimmingly until Ethan's eye and ear got red and itchy. Rats. But we took a little Benadryl and he was all better. Could've been worse.

Guide to Spring Cooking

I'll be checking this out in a few weeks when the CSA starts. Stuff to eat right now that's easy to find around here: Asparagus, Ramps, Garlic Snapes, Rhubarb, Arugula! Check out these & other recipe ideas on thekitchn.com.

If I had my Way, I'd give Coconuts to Everyone.

Sometimes my husband rolls his eyes at me. Sometimes, when I bring home something like a coconut, and tell him I have no idea how to cut it open. But my wonderful husband does it anyway. This time he got a "new" drillbit, and got it open. Doesn't this look good?Coconut is full of electrolytes. In fact, these guys say it's "Nature's Sports Drink." I think they all liked it! I did have some left over. I used it instead of water for our steel cut oats (our daily breakfast). I get way too excited about food, I know.

Seasonal Spotlight: Asparagus

This morning, we picked this asparagus right out of our yard! I've been waiting for this moment - you aren't supposed to eat your asparagus for 3 years after you plant it. (Anyone know why? Anyone know what will happen if you do eat it early?) I can't remember exactly when we planted it, so I'm hoping we're on year #3. It popped up last April looking very tasty, but we didn't get to eat any. This year, Ethan has been eating it raw out of the garden!
Tonight it's going on our dinner plate though. Here are a few recipes that look great, and easy. Right up my alley.

Simple Steamed Asparagus.
Steamed Asparagus with Lemon Butter
Grilled Asparagus
Roasted Asparagus

And here are some of the reasons we should love asparagus. Want it in your yard too? It comes back for 15 years! Check it out!

Roasted Pea "Pea-zzas" from Martha

I finally got around to making these "peazzas" that I cut out of Martha Stewart Kids magazine about 7 years ago. (What ever happened to that magazine anyway?) We enjoyed them! Keep out the Parmesan and it would be easy to freeze small portions of the pea puree at a time, and throw it in chili, or dark soups for a little added nutrients!
ROASTED PEA PUREE
1 c. fresh shelled or thawed frozen peas
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
4 oz spinach, blanched & wrung dry (about ¼ c)
¼ c low sodium chicken stock
½ c freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350. Toss peas w/oil, season w/Salt & Pepper. Spread on rimmed baking sheet, roast 15 minutes. Remove from oven & cool. Transfer to food processor. Add spinach, stock, cheese. Process unitl mixture is smooth & spreadable.
PEPPERONI PEA-ZZAS
Roasted Pea Puree, 4 pita breads, 1 1/3 c mozzarella, 1 two-inch-long piece pepperoni, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 450. Spread ¼ c pea puree on top of each pita. Sprinkle with cheese, top with pepperoni. Place on baking sheet; bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, cut into wedges, serve.

Maple Tangerine Carrot Coins

These Maple Tangerine Carrot Coins are in heavy rotation in our house these days. This recipe serves 8, so I often halve it. You can also use orange juice. Also, I usually omit the chives, but they do add a lovely little color to the dish!

4 c (1/8” thick) slices carrot (about 1 1/2 lb)
1/2 c fresh tangerine juice (about 2)
1/2 c fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon butter
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large nonstick skillet; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes. Uncover and cook 10 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally. Stir in chives, salt, and pepper.

Ethan's Star Wars Birthday Party

Ethan's 5th Birthday party was a huge success! I started thinking about his party before the baby arrived in October. After she arrived and the back-to-back holidays, my brain shut down until January.I ordered my invitations from PoshPaperGals, who let me edit her text a little bit. And began making jedi robes for each of the boys. This was the trickiest & most time consuming, trying to figure out sizes for our 14 guests. It was also the main expense. I used roughly 32 yards of fabric, but you can go to Joann's on a good day and find a great buy. Oh, yeah...the $40 matcha green tea powder - YIKES!Treat Bags? Um...no, that would be me making the custom Jedi Robe. But they did get a Green Tea Yoda Oreo, a light saber, and a Certificate of Jedi Completion.Fortunately, having a birthday right after Christmas was a great thing, because we had friends and family save wrapping paper rolls for light sabers (plus painters & electrical tape). If you had a summer birthday, you could make these out of pool noodles. We brought all our collapsable tunnels, huts, bikes & balls, to keep little boys occupied, along with some planned Star Wars themed activities. A tent and a big box were our "Imperial Empire Command Center" and "Rebel Alliance Command Center." The biggest hit of the party was Lance's pod racers, which he crafted out of a moving cart, a couple of boxes, dryer vents, flower pots & some spray paint. We had a short obstacle course (pod racing, bean bag toss with a cornhole set (asteroid toss), and taking a whack out of Darth Vader's pinata head. At that point, they were ready for to graduate and receive their light saber. Then, guess who arrived? DARTH VADER. They all took off running and pummeled him with their light sabers. So awesome. I decided to forgo some of the awesome food ideas on the internet, and opt for pizza & water (removing the label & replacing it with Star Wars wrapping paper - my new favorite trick). Oh yeah, that plus Carbonite Jello (Hans stuck in Carbonite). My sister-in-law, Libby makes amazing cakes (and also sells them!) and made the light saber cake. Never in a million years did I think I'd have such fun planning a Star Wars birthday party. But it was a blast. Happy 5th Birthday Ethan!!!

Check out my post here for how-to's on these & other great ideas from the fabulous internet.

Star Wars Party Inspiration

Getting Ready for our Star Wars birthday party this weekend! I have been up to my ears in "research" for the big event. Boy, there are some cool parties out there! I thought I would share some of my favorite ideas.CAKES: Here are some cute ones, as well as tons here on flickr. And if that's not enough, a simple google image search shows countless cake ideas. (Pictured cake found here.)

STAR WARS ON ETSY:
An etsy search, with the words "Star Wars Party" has lots of other inspirational ideas.
Like the cookies below (found here). Or these fondant cupcake toppers. And these cute downloadable party displays here. And what cute goodie bags!

INSPIRING PARTIES YOU'VE GOT TO CHECK OUT:
Just Jenn Recipes has super-duper cute food!
The Laws of My Life has a great idea for "Making your own R2D2".
Geek Mom features food & game ideas.
Country Cottage Needleworks has some really cute decorations, including a life sized R2D2. Her husband is so crafty!
Blissoff has some more cute decorations & food ideas.
My Creative Stirrings has cute R2D2 cups, light saber knives, and Ewok huts.
Aimee Austin has more good game ideas.
Make & Takes has more good game ideas, how to's and easy food ideas.

OTHER FUN DETAILS:
And I think a Death Star pinata would be awesome (here's an easy how to!), I figured the kids would rather have a whack at Darth Vader's head. Here are some more awesome Star Wars pinatas on etsy.
Here are some light saber "how tos." This and this one out of wrapping paper rolls. And this out of pool noodles.
Free Downloadable Star Wars Masks
a Jedi Robe pattern (I used around 2 yards of fabric per kid). If you used felt, it would save some time (you don't have to hem), but it would be more expensive.
Downloadable Coloring Pages
Invitations
Star Wars Sandwich Cutters and Cookie Cutterslight saber pretzels
I also had the idea of serving edamame (Yoda Ears) and some pineapple stars and grapes on skewers (inspired by Edible Arrangements), but I ran out of time and energy.

Here's how it all turned out!

How To Make Soup

File this under brilliant. How to make soup. No list of ingredients, just a basic "how to" from things in your refrigerator. If only I listened to my mother better, I would be an expert in this. She can also just "throw together" soup from things in the fridge. She would even throw in aging salsa or the remainder of a ketchup bottle! Photo and recipe from Hey That Tastes Good!

Things from the fridge soup: This is not a recipe but a process. Use whatever you have left in your fridge! (I abbreviated her process below. Please see her website for the full instructions!)

1. Thaw stock, if frozen
2. Chop all your vegetables.
3. Cook meat, if using
4. Saute veggies.
5. Once vegetables are soft, add tomato if you are using tomatoes.
6. Add salt, pepper, spices.
7. Add the stock. Maybe water. Simmer.
8. Add whatever starch you are using (unless you're using pasta).
9. Add cooked meat back to the pot. If using pasta, add it now. If you're using tofu, add it now.
10. Dump in all your greens, if using. Cook just until wilted.
11. At this point, you are done!

Cherry Tomato Tart

Between my garden and the CSA, I had lots of cherry tomatoes floating around here! So on Monday, I made this Cherry Tomato Tart (recipe from Food & Wine Magazine). Oh....It was Delicious. I highly doubted my husband would eat it, because he rarely likes straight-up tomatoes. I thought about going the route of a tomato pie, full of cheese & mayo, which would have been an effort to ensure that the husband ate it. But I'm glad I didn't. He went back for thirds!!! I followed the recipe exactly, but instead of a tart pan, I used a pie pan. Worked beautifully. And 2 days later, I'm already accumulating another mass of cherry tomatoes (and Tommy Toes, thanks to Karina!) This is on the list to make again shortly.This morning, I've got a pot of homemade spaghetti sauce on the stove, thanks to even more tomatoes that have been piling up in my kitchen!.

Canning Tomatoes

Now look...It is not my goal in life to be cool. I would much rather start a quilting bee with girlfriends than go out for a night out on the town. I don't know why I like old-fashioned things, I just do. So that is why I get excited about things like learning to can tomatoes. It was tons of fun. My friends Nancy & Marge came over, as well as some other girlfriends who enjoy this kind of thing & we canned tomatoes! We also ate some delicious seasonal local foods, like squash casserole, green bean and tomato salad, fried squash, tomato sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches (from local chickens) with homemade pickles, blueberries and blueberry banana bread, homemade blackberry cobbler & homemade ice cream & fruit tarts.
It was crowded but fun! I hope we can do it again, because I'm so sorry that there were several people who really wanted to come but couldn't.