Take Two

Well, it would seem that we need to have another shot at making yogurt. I just know I did something wrong - perhaps the temperature wasn't right or I added something at the wrong time because our fabulous homemade Greek yogurt was just a bowl of thickened milk this morning. It smelled faintly of yogurt but wasn't nearly fermented enough and it didn't have the thick and creamy consistency I dream about.

We will try it again. And, if you think about it, that bowl of thickened milk allows for more quality time in the kitchen with my little ones. So, all is not lost.

Happy To Help

After a conversation I had with my good friend Lindsay last week about various recipes and her amazing find, Fage yogurt, I was inspired to make my own Greek yogurt. I had actually been wanting to try it since I read about it in French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Giuliano and thought this was as good a time as ever. Crazy I know, but the process didn't seem difficult - just time consuming. What is great about homemade yogurt is that it is a lot cheaper to make than to buy, and I was able to have my son help.

Boy did that make his day!

In fact, as soon as I asked him if he would like to help me he grabbed his stool and positioned it so he could see over the counter. He found great joy in pouring the milk into the pot (he even convinced me to pour some milk into his sippy cup!) It isn't finished doing its thing (whatever that is) but it will be a fun treat to try out our yogurt tomorrow morning, and hopefully it will convince me that it is worth the effort. Of course, his happy giggles and enthusiasm made it rather worth it already.

Cold Feets, Hot Treats

It's surprising that since I live in the high desert, last night was the first significant snow fall this season. And that means the kids were begging to go out sledding. Technically, there wasn't enough snow on the roads for a good morning of sledding, but that didn't stop us from having some fun!

A daddy's job is to pull the sled when there is insufficient snow.

A walk in the woods is perfect for making bootprints.

Even if it is cold outside, one can always avoid those pesky sister cooties!

One good sled down the hill was worth the effort ...

... even if that means you fall down and go BOOM.

Then probably the best part of an hour in the snow is the homemade hot cocoa that the kids helped to make!

Homemade Hot Cocoa (from the Hershey's 100th Anniversary Cookbook)

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
dash salt
1/3 cup hot water
4 cups milk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

In medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa and salt; stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat with rotary beater or whisk until foamy. Serve with marshmallows, sweetened whipped cream, or for a minty treat ... candy canes!

Enjoy!

My New Go-To Meal

If I may whine for a moment ... it is really hard to find things to make for dinner that the whole family will enjoy. What my son will eat, my daughter won't and vice versa. I like more exotic foods while my husband is a meat and potatoes kind of a guy.

And realistically, it is unhealthy to eat macaroni & cheese every night.

Recently my mother-in-law e-mailed me this recipe for an easy shredded chicken taco, and boy it really is easy! The essential thing here is a slow cooker.


Lynne's Easy Shredded Chicken Taco

4 large chicken breasts
1 can Mexican tomatoes with green chilis
1 packet taco seasoning

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. To pot add taco seasoning and canned tomatoes, stir together. Add chicken breasts.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Shred chicken and use in tacos, adding your favorite ingredients (i.e. lettuce, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, etc.)


My family loves this and we can all make our tacos to our own specifications. I've already made it twice in two weeks and I know this will be the perfect go-to for future meals.

My House Smells Like Soup

I find comfort in the smell of soup cooking on the stove. There is something very "homey" about the many flavors coming together. And when I make my own chicken stock, my house smells like soup.

I like to make my own chicken stock because I freeze it and use it for things from soups to risotto. At the suggestion of a friend, I buy a rotisserie chicken, remove all of the desirable meat from it and use the remainder in the stock. Perhaps my favorite thing about making the stock is that I don't have to do much to the vegetables beforehand. I wash my veggies, but otherwise just stick the whole thing in the stock pot - skins, leaves and all.

Homemade Chicken Stock

2-3 carrots, washed and cut in half if necessary
2 parsnips, washed
4 celery stocks, washed and with leaves attached
1-2 large onions, cut in half
1 bulb garlic
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1/4 cup salt
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh parsley
1/2 bunch fresh dill
3/4 cup cooking sherry (white wine or vinegar would work too)
1 rotisserie chicken, desired meat removed

Place all of the ingredients into a large stock pot and cover generously with water. Simmer for several hours, stirring occasionally. Sometimes I will add a few teaspoons of chicken bouillon to deepen the flavor. After the stock has simmered for several hours, let it cool. Strain through a colander over a bowl to catch all of the vegetables and chicken. Strain through a finer sieve a few times until stock is free of bits.

Divide stock evenly into freezer containers (leaving room for expansion) and place in refrigerator to cool completely. Before transferring to the freezer, skim the fat off the top.

Spoiled Rotten Weekend Part II

After a long day of eating delicious food and shopping, my mom and I thought it would be fun to see a movie. We chose to see Julia & Julia. This film depicts events in the life of chef Julia Child as she learned how to cook French cuisine in Paris in the 1940s. It's also about a girl, Julie Powell, who aspires to cook all 524 recipes from Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I LOVED this film! What was not to like? France, humor, cooking, blogging, a Nora Ephron film, beautiful scenery and seeing it with my mom = the perfect combination.

What is probably even more special than the experience of seeing the film is that I inherited my own copy of Julia Child's famed cookbook. The 1961 edition was my grandmothers who gave it to my mom, who gave it to me. And some day, I will pass it along to my daughter. I am a sucker for all things sentimental, and I feel honored to have this book in my possession. Thank you Mom!

I have already started to look through it, drooling over the desserts such as "Crêpes Fourrées, Frangipane" or Crêpes with Almond Cream, but quite turned off by some of the more exotic sounding dishes like "Foies de Volaille en Aspic" or Chicken Livers in Aspic (if you don't know what aspic is ... see the movie!) Some of the ingredients are a little foreign to me like "arrowroot" but on the other hand I think it just makes me curious enough to find out what it is. I am not, however, very curious about how to cook brains.

Green Blades of Goodness

Last year I bought a pot of herbs and thought that was the last I would see of them. Much to my delight, the chives came back in great abundance! I find something so satisfying in heading out to my back yard with my kitchen shears in hand and snipping off a few blades. They taste great on potatoes, in cream cheese, I am much more inclined to eat eggs if there is a handful of chopped chives mixed in.

Hmmm, I wonder how some thyme would do in my backyard ...

A Big Bowl of Comfort

It has been snowing off and on for the last couple of months. And with the exception of a few days it has been very cold. So, it is natural for my thoughts to turn toward comfort and warmth.

A toasty blanket, a good book (or in my case, knitting project) and a hot bowl of soup. Mmmmm, what could be better? Fortunately, I have a great recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup that even my two year-old likes.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 Tbs olive oil

2 medium onions, sliced

salt and pepper

5 cups chicken broth (homemade is best if you have it)

2 cups water

2 jalapeño peppers, cut in half and seeds removed

1/2 - 1 cup tomato salsa (I like medium salsa for a little kick)

2 fully cooked chicken breasts, sliced into bite sized pieces

1 can of mexicorn

2 Tbs heavy cream (optional, but I like a creamier soup)

In skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and salt and pepper, and reduce heat to medium-low and cook onions for about 20 minutes or until they are well caramelized and golden brown. In a soup pot, simmer jalapeños in the chicken broth until peppers are a dull green color, then remove peppers and discard. Add water to broth. In a food processor, combine onions and salsa and pulse until ingredients are at a fine consistency. Add to broth along with the chicken, mexicorn and heavy cream. Simmer for a few minutes to combine flavors and heat through.

The jalapeños add that spicy flavor but without too much heat and the mexicorn gives it great color and a pleasant sweetness. A perfect garnish for this soup is homemade tortilla strips, tortilla chips, or my favorite (and it may sound strange) ... Fritos! Anything is good with Fritos! Cilantro and a dab of sour cream would be delicious too.

An Ode to Bessie

I never knew my great-grandmother, Bessie. My mom has good memories of her and I wish I could have known her. It would have been fun to visit her house because she would often have bowls of Hershey's Kisses set out; can you imagine how pretty that must have looked? Bessie made good food. Comforting food. She made the best toast, and would let my mom have coffee at a young age - of course it was mostly milk.

A few months ago I bought a fantastic piece of cookery: a Le Creuset French Oven in cobalt blue. Since I tend to be in a habit of naming inanimate objects, I was trying to come up with a good name for my new pot. All I could think of was "Bessie". I think it is fitting to name it after my great-grandmother. It is used to make comfort foods like stews, soups, cassoulets, and pot roast; it is beautiful, classy and meant to last a lifetime - much like the memories that my mom has of her grandmother.

Since purchasing the pot I have used it to make many wonderful meals. My favorite is Beef Bourguignon which is a traditional French beef stew made with red wine. Another favorite dish is chili. I found this recipe in InStyle magazine of all places. It is fast, easy and healthy. I thought the ingredients sounded a little odd together, but this stuff is really good! It is kind of a sweet chili, but you can always add more spice if you want more of a kick. After making it a few times I have modified it a little and came up with this:

Healthy Chili

1 lb. lean ground beef (I use ground angus beef)

2 Tbsp. chili spice

3/4 C. water

1 20 oz. can vegetarian baked beans

1 15 oz. can petit diced tomatoes

1 15 oz. can kidney beans

1 15 oz. marinara sauce

Sauté meat in pan until brown. Drain excess juices. Add water and chili spice; simmer 5-1o minutes. Mix remaining ingredients in separate saucepan; add sautéed meat, and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

Every time I use my pot I think of Bessie, and if she were still here today I hope I would make her proud.