Call it whatever you want...my KID ATE IT!
Apparently, my food is coming up roses. Or…pigs
are flying…or hmmm…I ran out of or’s. My KID ATE MY MEAL…AND LIKED IT. Oh, I
really fooled him. I pulled the wool over his eyes. All night long while I was
cooking this amazing Cauliflower fried rice dish, I referred to the cauliflower
as rice. Even in the raw state. I called it rice. “Look, mamma is making rice.
Oh yum, mamma loves rice.” It’s all in the presentation with my child. By the way, and
this is off track a bit, please don’t invest your time or money in buying an Oyster Food Processor.
I returned the processor once and now I will have to return it again. My husband
helped me assemble it the first time. We pressed the button and the machine
didn’t turn on. Thus, I returned the product. Well, I put together the second
one and this time it came without a“top stopper.” At least, that is what I call
it. You know the chute thing that you push the food down into? Well, someone
stole the stopper to cover up the shoot so you wouldn’t have to use your hands
and wonder if they would be chopped off in the process. Hopefully, you
understand what I’m saying. Anywho, I made due and made some killer cauliflower
fried rice because of it.
The recipe only called for onions and this gal likes color and vegetables in her
dishes. So, I added some extra’s. My intention was to add some edamame but for
some reason I always forget that I have those. Either way, the dish was amazing.
It turned out like it was supposed to. Good. I had plenty for leftovers the next
day as well. I always think though that anything with soy sauce in it is pretty darn good.
The soy sauce I have is reduced sodium for one main reason. I like soy sauce a little too much.
Sometimes I add more than what is called for. I will let your mind wander now
and think about if I added more. Your guess is as good as mine.
are flying…or hmmm…I ran out of or’s. My KID ATE MY MEAL…AND LIKED IT. Oh, I
really fooled him. I pulled the wool over his eyes. All night long while I was
cooking this amazing Cauliflower fried rice dish, I referred to the cauliflower
as rice. Even in the raw state. I called it rice. “Look, mamma is making rice.
Oh yum, mamma loves rice.” It’s all in the presentation with my child. By the way, and
this is off track a bit, please don’t invest your time or money in buying an Oyster Food Processor.
I returned the processor once and now I will have to return it again. My husband
helped me assemble it the first time. We pressed the button and the machine
didn’t turn on. Thus, I returned the product. Well, I put together the second
one and this time it came without a“top stopper.” At least, that is what I call
it. You know the chute thing that you push the food down into? Well, someone
stole the stopper to cover up the shoot so you wouldn’t have to use your hands
and wonder if they would be chopped off in the process. Hopefully, you
understand what I’m saying. Anywho, I made due and made some killer cauliflower
fried rice because of it.
The recipe only called for onions and this gal likes color and vegetables in her
dishes. So, I added some extra’s. My intention was to add some edamame but for
some reason I always forget that I have those. Either way, the dish was amazing.
It turned out like it was supposed to. Good. I had plenty for leftovers the next
day as well. I always think though that anything with soy sauce in it is pretty darn good.
The soy sauce I have is reduced sodium for one main reason. I like soy sauce a little too much.
Sometimes I add more than what is called for. I will let your mind wander now
and think about if I added more. Your guess is as good as mine.
I nailed it.
Soup, soup…everybody get your soup! It’s fall and like any other
blogger would say at this time; I am so glad that I can eat soup and not get
sweaty from it. It’s the perfect food to pair with the perfect fall weather we
are having. I decided to think outside my box and try out Butternut Squash soup
(aka, baby food). I loved it. What most people who look at this soup don’t understand is; you
can make it to your liking. If you like the picture of your soup to be runny, then add more stock.
If you like it to be thick (like baby food) then don’t add as much stock. I prefer thick.
The hardest part about making this soup was the cutting of the
squash. OMG. You should probably lift weights before you do this. Just kidding.
I am thankful that my hubby was there this night because he had to do most of
the beginning of cutting the squash. I did the end part and cut the pieces into
cubes. Also, another hard part is if you like raw carrots. Oh, this is defiantly
a weakness of mine when any of the recipes all for carrots of any kind. I LOVE
carrots!! Celery isn’t bad too, but not the best eaten in it’s plain form.
So, here is another story about my kid hating what I cook. I told my son who is 3, that we are
having soup tonight. Oh, he loves soup…um…before mommy went all healthy.
He likes the tomato soup you can buy in a can and then he loads his bowl up with so many crackers
that you can’t even recognize the soup. It just looks like red crackers. Well, the Butternut Squash soup that I
made that night he did not understand how that soup could be called soup. He
stared at his bowl and frowned. “Maaaaawm, I want soup.” He said. I said “That
is soup.” He looked down at his Thomas the Train bowl and snared. He looked up
at me and said “I want Cheerios.” Um, no. I told him he had to have at least one
bite of the soup. He cried. I loaded up my spoon and while he was placing his spoon full of
Cheerios in his mouth I quickly forced in a lil bit of the squash soup. He started crying. He said with his mouth
open and tears running down his face that he didn’t want to try the soup and he said he was going
to spit out the dish. I said “Ok, off to bed then.” Quickly, he swallowed the Cheerio Squash soup. He just sat there
staring at me. No more tears. I think he was in complete awh that I did that to him. I made him eat my
creation. After that, he just went on eating his Cheerios and said “don’t do that again mom.” Oh, I will.
He will have to at least try one bite of everything I make. I think he is starting to understand
that. Well, the rest of the family enjoyed the soup. I even plan on bringing some to work since the batch turned
out so big. I think they will like it just as well.
blogger would say at this time; I am so glad that I can eat soup and not get
sweaty from it. It’s the perfect food to pair with the perfect fall weather we
are having. I decided to think outside my box and try out Butternut Squash soup
(aka, baby food). I loved it. What most people who look at this soup don’t understand is; you
can make it to your liking. If you like the picture of your soup to be runny, then add more stock.
If you like it to be thick (like baby food) then don’t add as much stock. I prefer thick.
The hardest part about making this soup was the cutting of the
squash. OMG. You should probably lift weights before you do this. Just kidding.
I am thankful that my hubby was there this night because he had to do most of
the beginning of cutting the squash. I did the end part and cut the pieces into
cubes. Also, another hard part is if you like raw carrots. Oh, this is defiantly
a weakness of mine when any of the recipes all for carrots of any kind. I LOVE
carrots!! Celery isn’t bad too, but not the best eaten in it’s plain form.
So, here is another story about my kid hating what I cook. I told my son who is 3, that we are
having soup tonight. Oh, he loves soup…um…before mommy went all healthy.
He likes the tomato soup you can buy in a can and then he loads his bowl up with so many crackers
that you can’t even recognize the soup. It just looks like red crackers. Well, the Butternut Squash soup that I
made that night he did not understand how that soup could be called soup. He
stared at his bowl and frowned. “Maaaaawm, I want soup.” He said. I said “That
is soup.” He looked down at his Thomas the Train bowl and snared. He looked up
at me and said “I want Cheerios.” Um, no. I told him he had to have at least one
bite of the soup. He cried. I loaded up my spoon and while he was placing his spoon full of
Cheerios in his mouth I quickly forced in a lil bit of the squash soup. He started crying. He said with his mouth
open and tears running down his face that he didn’t want to try the soup and he said he was going
to spit out the dish. I said “Ok, off to bed then.” Quickly, he swallowed the Cheerio Squash soup. He just sat there
staring at me. No more tears. I think he was in complete awh that I did that to him. I made him eat my
creation. After that, he just went on eating his Cheerios and said “don’t do that again mom.” Oh, I will.
He will have to at least try one bite of everything I make. I think he is starting to understand
that. Well, the rest of the family enjoyed the soup. I even plan on bringing some to work since the batch turned
out so big. I think they will like it just as well.
Homemade mess.
Well, I proved it. I am not a professional cook. I definatly need practice. My son joined me in my
spaghetti sauce making endeavor. He was thrilled to use our new hand held
chopper. Don’t worry, there is a safety cap on it. I watched him like a hawk. We
as he said “smushed some rots and cerarie.” I just love the way his words sound.
So innocent. The whole time we were creating this meal, I thought to myself,
maybe this will work. Maybe this will be the breaking point for my child to
finally like vegetables. Heck, the gal who came up with this recipe on“100 days
of real food” said that her children wanted seconds. Well, my child is like any
other child. He doesn’t like healthy food. So, I had high hopes for this dish.
Meanwhile, we blanched the tomatoes (three because my hubby decided he would
have a snack before the meal and accidentally snacked on one of the tomatoes).
So, I kinda figured that I didn’t have enough tomatoes now; which would turn out
to be true in the end.
I followed the recipe until…I didn’t. Well, here is where I spit the
truth. I am the worlds WORST recipe follower. I read the directions over and
over and over. Then, I think my mind was so fixated on the fact that I didn’t
have enough tomatoes that I decided to add the olive oil in the beginning of
cooking the dish on the stove. Um, yeah that didn’t help me out. The entire time
I was cooking the dish I was distracted. Distracted by the phone, my child, my
hubby and the television that was up waaaaaay to loud in the kitchen; one of us
needs a hearing aid and it is not me.
Well, we finished up the dish and cooked the noodles (Barilla Whole
Wheat Omega 3 Noodles). I stirred the noodles in with the sauce and right then
and there I knew my intuition was right. Not enough tomatoes. The consistency
was way to thick. I had to add quite a bit of salt and even pepper and then some
Italian seasoning which did the trick. I liked the vegetable consistency. My son however
was not pleased. I had to tell him that he had to eat it or the television and his milk were off
limits for the night. That didn’t even do it so I had to mention that he would
go straight to bed if he didn’t eat. THAT DIDN’T EVEN DO IT! I told him that he
would not go to school tomorrow. That was the kicker. He caved in, took a bite
and spit it out. Well, here’s to trying. I WILL make this again. I WILL have the
correct amount, if not more of tomatoes. It will be a hit and you bet I will be
writing again about this dish.
Persistence!
-love B
spaghetti sauce making endeavor. He was thrilled to use our new hand held
chopper. Don’t worry, there is a safety cap on it. I watched him like a hawk. We
as he said “smushed some rots and cerarie.” I just love the way his words sound.
So innocent. The whole time we were creating this meal, I thought to myself,
maybe this will work. Maybe this will be the breaking point for my child to
finally like vegetables. Heck, the gal who came up with this recipe on“100 days
of real food” said that her children wanted seconds. Well, my child is like any
other child. He doesn’t like healthy food. So, I had high hopes for this dish.
Meanwhile, we blanched the tomatoes (three because my hubby decided he would
have a snack before the meal and accidentally snacked on one of the tomatoes).
So, I kinda figured that I didn’t have enough tomatoes now; which would turn out
to be true in the end.
I followed the recipe until…I didn’t. Well, here is where I spit the
truth. I am the worlds WORST recipe follower. I read the directions over and
over and over. Then, I think my mind was so fixated on the fact that I didn’t
have enough tomatoes that I decided to add the olive oil in the beginning of
cooking the dish on the stove. Um, yeah that didn’t help me out. The entire time
I was cooking the dish I was distracted. Distracted by the phone, my child, my
hubby and the television that was up waaaaaay to loud in the kitchen; one of us
needs a hearing aid and it is not me.
Well, we finished up the dish and cooked the noodles (Barilla Whole
Wheat Omega 3 Noodles). I stirred the noodles in with the sauce and right then
and there I knew my intuition was right. Not enough tomatoes. The consistency
was way to thick. I had to add quite a bit of salt and even pepper and then some
Italian seasoning which did the trick. I liked the vegetable consistency. My son however
was not pleased. I had to tell him that he had to eat it or the television and his milk were off
limits for the night. That didn’t even do it so I had to mention that he would
go straight to bed if he didn’t eat. THAT DIDN’T EVEN DO IT! I told him that he
would not go to school tomorrow. That was the kicker. He caved in, took a bite
and spit it out. Well, here’s to trying. I WILL make this again. I WILL have the
correct amount, if not more of tomatoes. It will be a hit and you bet I will be
writing again about this dish.
Persistence!
-love B
Sweet Potato and Zucchini Skillet
Wow! I didn't think the flavor would be that noticeable, but I just loved all the ingredients in this dish. The best part is that there really aren't very many ingredients. I added some green onions to this dish. It seems lately that anything I eat has to have green onions in them. It just makes the taste zap in your mouth and brightens up the bite a bit more. My husband enjoyed this even more than the eggplant bake I mentioned in my previous blog. We cooked this dish then microwaved some chicken. Both of us made our homemade honey mustard sauce and doused the chicken with that. It's funny because I had been dreaming all day about this dish. I could smell how great it was going to be even before I made it. I had some leftover sweet potatoes from the biscuits that I had made and was pondering what to pair it with. I think my next feat is to make soup. I have never made homemade soup and this time of year is a perfect time to start. I just have to decide what ingredients I need next. Enjoy your night and eat well.- love B.
Zucchini bread that melts in your mouth...not in your hand.
I just wanted to see this picture again. It turned out beautifully. Let me tell you what went wrong with the first time at baking Zuke bread. Ok, so the ingredients say to grate the zucchini. I decided to grate it over the wet ingredients so it would just drop right in and I wouldn't have to use another bowl. I held the zucchini over the bowl and after three swipes through the grater the zuke slipped out of my hand in landed into the bowl and the rest of the wet ingredients landed all over my clothes and the counter top. Ah, you say...I probably learned my lesson. I cleaned off the zuke and again began to grade it over the wet bowl. Yet again, it slips and falls into the wet ingredient bowl. Ah, you say...she must have learned...NO. I did it again. I was determined to do this. I dug my nails into the zuke and carried on. I mixed all the ingredients into the bowl and the rest is history. This is easier than I thought. I think I started off to hard with the sweet potato biscuits. I should have maybe tried this before hand. The bread when you are done cooking it should come out and be kinda like a sponge. It should smell like you've been baking for days in your house. One thing I like about bread is that the aroma stays around for a long time in my house. I can't say enough good things about this recipe. Enjoy! - B.
Hash...of awesomeness.
Wikipedia says this is definition: “Hash is a dish consisting of diced meat, potatoes, and spices that are mixed together and then cooked either alone or with other ingredients such as onions.[1] The name is derived from the French verb hacher (to chop).”
Now, normally I believe that Hash is made with corned beef. That is not the best food for yah, so I have made it with hamburger meat (actually, mine was 80% deer and 20%BACON, but who’s taking score here).
This meal is made for the kiddos of the world. It's easy and I guarantee your kid will eat it. It has potatoes and hamburgers. What is a kid not to like?! You can also substitute the hamburger for turkey burger or chicken. It's so versatile for a dish that is made in about 15-20 minutes. The only problem I have with this dish is I am a "trier," I try all my dishes before I serve them. What? It's gotta taste right. ;)
Now, normally I believe that Hash is made with corned beef. That is not the best food for yah, so I have made it with hamburger meat (actually, mine was 80% deer and 20%BACON, but who’s taking score here).
This meal is made for the kiddos of the world. It's easy and I guarantee your kid will eat it. It has potatoes and hamburgers. What is a kid not to like?! You can also substitute the hamburger for turkey burger or chicken. It's so versatile for a dish that is made in about 15-20 minutes. The only problem I have with this dish is I am a "trier," I try all my dishes before I serve them. What? It's gotta taste right. ;)
Sweet Potato Biscuits...with love...and some hate...and...butter.
Ok, so I admit...I am a newbie at cooking. My hubby is usually gone traveling so basically it is me and my son. Peanut butter sandwiches and hot dogs are ok....right?! I recently saw in a magazine a beautiful picture of some buns (not Chaning Tatums) and I thought...I can do that. I can cook these. Well, I can but not without heavy swearing. I don't know the first thing about buns. The bread, not the toosh. So, I decided to look at the ingredients and buy them at the grocery store. I came home, set all the ingredients out and re-read the instructions (or as I like to call them destructions because I tend to destroy some part of the recipe). Um, yeah...I don't have a rolling pin nor parchment paper (whatever that is) AND I DON'T HAVE A COOKIE CUTTER. I would like to put this out there, for all of those people who know what they are doing when they write a recipe. Can you PLEASE add "tools" or "utinsels" needed on the list? I can't tell you how many times I go to cook something and wallah, I can't cook it becuase I am missing the thingamagiggie that I use to make the things. So, in this instance for a cookie cutter I used a can of rib spread. Yep, a can of rib spread. I dumped out the seasoning inside (which I am regretting to this day) and used the can that looked like the thickness of a biscuit to make the biscuit shape. It worked. Now, onto the rolling pin that I didn't have. I tossed that out the window. I didn't knead it. I just patted it said "good boy" and called it good. It worked! The biscuits were delicious (with some sweet potato chunks inside). My hubby and his family ate them all. They all gave them a thumbs up for approval. So, I am calling this a winner. Who needs parachute, I mean parchment paper anyway. Oh, and by the way...don't ever use wax paper in place of parchment paper. I had to make a "phone a friend" and call my sister to help me answer this question: Is parchment paper wax paper? and can I put it in the oven? The answer is a strong no. Later tater tots...keep cookin!
Tomato and Eggplant Heaven with fairies and wings and stuff...
Wow, I think I have gone into a food coma. This dish is simply good. I always say I have a four limit ingredient in my house when I cook (which I obviously don't) and this takes the cake. It's healthy I think. I added meat to this dish. I really wanted more depth to the dish (oh, I'm all fancy with these fancy words). When I started the process, I had WAY too much eggplant. So, when I sliced the dish and added it to the pan, the pan was too small. I didn't fret. I figured as long as I cooked them somewhat the dish will turn out ok. It's not like I was cooking meat. I didn't have to cook it all the way through. Then, while I was cooking the eggplant I got this brilliant idea to add meat to the dish. Almost like I was channeling my husbands thoughts because if the dish doesn't have meat then it isn't a dish...in his terms. I grounded some hamburger in a seperate pan and began the process of making the best meal I had made in a while. I didn't really measure out the parmesan. I didn't feel like I needed to. I just threw some sprinkles on each layer as I went. I baked it accordingly and let the chips fall where they may. My husband took the first bite and said "wow, I am gonna eat the rest...is that ok?" I of course said ok. He talked about that dish for a while that night. Not only was it a healthy meal but he ate 3/4 of the WHOLE dish. I think this one is a keeper.