It's Been Awhile

Alright, first off I must apologize for the long stretch between posts. It's been a busy few months for us with some major changes going on. After some serious planning and doing, I'm glad to say we've now moved to Australia! Yes, "we come from a land down under" <hehehe>

So you can see why it's been so long since I last posted. But now that we've gotten a bit more settled I'm going to get back to posting more frequently. So to start things off on a good note, and to beg forgiveness, I'm coming back with a sweet treat.

One one of our excursions we visited Dandenong Market. I can't begin to tell you how awesome it was, so you'll just have to check it out yourself (link). I spaced and didn't take any pictures of the market itself, but here's a snap of the minions enjoying the experience.

Ok, back to the food... While we were shopping I decided to go out on a limb and picked up 2 bunches of rhubarb. I've always wanted to try to make rhubarb pie, but always found a reason to wimp out. But at $2 I couldn't resist the pull so I decided to finally go for it.

Like I said, I was planning to make a pie, but after a certain set of little people ate half the strawberries I decided to try something else. We had a few mangoes that were super ripe plus some oranges so after some mixing and mingling, I ended up with a mango rhubarb crumble.

The consensus was that this is definitely a keeper! The tangy rhubarb paired wonderfully with the sweet mango. And the crispy crumble was literally the icing on the cake. Unfortunately we didn't have any ice cream so we made do with chocolate covered granola bars *yum*

So give the recipe a try, even if you don't have rhubarb. Just use any of your favorite fruits and be ready to indulge in a warm bowl, or in my case a cup, of yummy goodness :)

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Mango Rhubarb Crumble

Ingredients

For the crumble topping

     1-1/2 cups oats
     1/2 cup sugar
     1/3 cup flour
     3/4 tablespoons cinnamon
     pinch of salt
     5 tablespoons olive oil, or canola oi

For the fruit filling

     1 bunch rhubarb, diced
     1/2 cup sugar
     2 oranges, juiced and zested
     3 mangoes, diced

Directions

In a large bowl, stir together the oats, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the oil until you have a crumbly mixture.

In a large saucepan, mix all of the filling ingredients. Cook over a medium flame until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes or so. While the filling is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 deg F (180 deg C).

Pour the fruit into an 8"x8" baking dish and sprinkle crumble evenly over the top. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the crumble is a golden brown.

Serve warm with ice cream or custard...or even granola bars. Enjoy! 

Well Beginnings

Ok, not sure if I ever mentioned this, but a while back I signed up to be a Mom Ambassador for a really cool program called Green Moms Meet. As an Ambassador, I get the opportunity to sample natural/healthy products as well as share said samples with friends. In return, I just have to provide feedback on the products. Not a bad deal if you ask me. It's a win/win for everyone!

So, for this particular sampling opportunity I was chosen to write a blog post about my experience with the Walgreens Well Beginnings line. My kit included Size 4 Jumbo Diapers, Sensitive Wipes, Baby Wash, & Pediatric Electrolyte solution. We had a chance to try the diapers and wipes, but not the baby wash or electrolyte solution. I tend to buy baby wash in bulk so we're still going through a rather large bottle. Based on everything I've read about the Well Beginnings baby wash & our experience with the other products, I think we will like it as well. As for the electrolyte solution, hopefully no one is in need of that too soon, but it's always good to have it around just in case.

Well Beginnings Sampling Kit

First up, the diapers. You might be wondering why I got a package of size 4 diapers. Well, long story short, a certain little man is diligently resisting potty training & cloth diapers are no longer an option since he eats like a grown-up so we have to buy disposable diapers now. To be fair though, he's getting better & there are days where he will keep his diapers dry for the whole day so maybe there is hope for us after all. Back to the Well Beginnings diapers though. The first thing I noticed about the diapers when we put them on was the excellent stretch through the sides. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to put on a diaper & pulled the  tabs only to have them rip right off. What a waste of a perfectly good diaper *sigh*  But we've gone through about 15 so far & not a one has given me a problem *yay* On top of the stretch, the diapers feel very soft. I've tried some other brands that literally crunch when you squeeze them. All I can think is how uncomfortable that would feel rubbing up on my bum *ouch* We even experimented & little miss used a few of the diapers with no ill effects. Despite me having to fold them in half so they'd stay on, she had no leaks or anything after a full night's rest. Which to me is amazing as I've seen her completely soak through some other brands of diapers before. On top of that, we had no diaper rash or anything. This makes Well Beginnings the third brand of disposable diapers she can wear now. Hooray for more choices!  Did I mention that the regular price for a 31ct package of size 4 diapers is $8.99? Compare that to some of the other name-brand diapers & it's definitely a cost savings. So, throw that in on top of the quality of the product, and Well Beginnings diapers are definitely an option we'll be looking at next time we have to stock up on diapers.

Since we tried the diapers I figured we might as well try the wipes. I've had a container of "inexpensive" wipes that we're working our way through & the Well Beginnings wipes surpass them in every way possible! The wipes are so nice & soft that the first time I used them on little miss she actually stopped squirming for a change. It was like she was thinking, "What is this wonderful sensation I'm feeling?" <hehehe> They're nice & thick so cleaning up messes was not a problem. Unlike my other wipes where I have to use 2 or 3 for a single diaper change, I typically only use 1 Well Beginnings wipe per diaper change. It also helps that they're hypoallergenic & alcohol free so there's been no irritation for little miss. She's quite sensitive when it comes to anything that touches her bum so I'm always on the lookout for products that agree with her. At $2.39 for a 72ct package, it's definitely worth it.

All in all, I had a good experience with the Well Beginnings line. I can honestly say that had it not been for this sampling opportunity I probably wouldn't have tried these products. You know what they say, ignorance is bliss. But now that I know how well they perform, I'm planning on purchasing them in the future. Hooray for economical options!

So, that's it for my first Moms Meet blogger review. I hope you enjoyed the honesty & learned something new!

Oh, before I forgot...here's the requisite disclaimer. Gotta love the legal stuff ;-)
I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meets blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Another birthday...another birthday dinner :) Li'l man was on a roll with his birthday requests this year. 

     Me: "What do you want for your birthday dinner?" 
     Him: "Cake!" 
     Me: "Well you can have cake for a treat, but you need to have some real food first. So what do you want to eat before the cake?"
     Him: "Hmm...how about crackers cheese & jam?" 

Yeah, I convinced him to have pizza instead ;)

Well that was actually the pre-birthday celebration so I was racking my brain to see what special dish we could have for the actual birthday dinner. Thanks to Facebook (and Aunt Tony) I was inspired to try a recipe for brown sugar garlic chicken. I tweaked it a bit and came up with some finger-lickin' good chicken. Both boys had seconds and li'l miss kept trying to steal chicken off my plate. This meal was definitely a WINNER, WINNER...CHICKEN DINNER!!!

Happy Birthday

The brown sugar made for a nice crisp skin on the chicken & the pan sauce was so good I used it as a dip for the potato chips. And yes, those are homemade potato chips. Mommy went all out *yay* Top that Wendy's nuggets & fries...yes, that was his request too <hehehe>

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Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried herbs (I used a rosemary mix)
1 teaspoon olive or canola oil*
2 chicken leg quarters

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375deg F.

In a small bowl, mix the garlic, sugar, herbs, and oil to make a rub. *If it seems a bit dry, just add a little more oil.

Place the chicken into a roasting pan or baking dish. Rub the mixture over the chicken, making sure to coat both sides. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until the juices from the chicken run clear.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

"Can we have pancakes?" That's the question I hear every birthday weekend from a certain little sir; and like a doting mommy, I always make said pancakes & cut them into cute shapes. Not sure why though as no one ever notices that they've just inhaled a teddy bear or a star. In any case, this year I decided to try something different. I had 2 sweet potatoes on the counter & that got me to thinking, "hmm, I wonder if he'd like sweet potato pancakes? Hang on, is there such a thing as a sweet potato pancake? Surely there must be." So after searching through my cookbooks & the usual websites, I did some combining & came up with an awesome pancake. 

Breakfast Fit for a (Little) King

Add some cheesy scrambled eggs & brown sugar bacon, and you have an amazing Sunday breakfast. Heck, this would make a good dinner too. Leave off the bacon, like I did, an it's a perfect Meatless Monday meal. So give it a shot & let me know what you think!

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Sweet Potato Pancakes

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, grated

2 tablespoons flour (I used whole wheat to make it a bit healthier)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

oil for frying

Directions

Place all of the ingredients, less the oil, in a large bowl & mix thoroughly.

Heat 3 - 4 tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.

Add a heaping tablespoon of the potato mixture to the pan and flatten into a thin patty. Fry for 5 minutes per side, until pancake is crisp and golden brown. 

Place the pancake to drain on paper towel lined plate. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture.

Let the pancakes cool slightly and serve warm. 

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Kedgeree, or Mikie's Version Anyway

You're probably wondering what exactly is kedgeree. Here's a description courtesy of Wikipedia, my go-to knowledge-base repository. Yes, I said repository...I'm making use of those SAT word lists every day ;-)

Alright, back to the kedgeree. As usual I was trying to think of a quick meal for a manic Meatless Monday, because although I have monthly meal plans there are days when I'm just strapped for time courtesy of the minions keeping me busy all day long. In any case, I went through all of my cookbooks & came upon this simple recipe. Rice, eggs, and seasoning...what more could you ask for! Well, there was some fish involved, but since a certain island boy doesn't eat fish that gets omitted by default.

I'm happy to report that the meal was as quick as the cookbook's title suggested, "The Best Ever 20 Minute Cookbook." I tweaked it a bit of course, but the end result was very yummy. There were no complaints from the penny section and the boys even had seconds. So all in all, I'm giving this one a thumbs up!

My Kedgeree

P.S. - Please pardon the picture. I wasn't going to blog about this one, but then I changed my mind so I took a quick snapshot after I had it in a bowl to go in the fridge. Better that than no picture at all though, right...right? :-)

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Kedgeree
Ingredients
2 cups brown rice
4 cups water
1 chicken bullion cube
4 eggs
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp Chinese five spice
salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions
Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot. Once the water is boiling, add the bullion cube and rice. Stir and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow the rice to cook for about 45 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed and it is cooked through. Make sure to keep the lid cracked so you don't have a boil-over. (Just trust me on that one.)

Alternately, you can cook 2 cups of your favorite rice using whatever method works best for you.

Meanwhile, place the eggs in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Cook for 6 - 7 minutes. Once the eggs are done, drain the water from the pot and fill up with cold water. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, shell them and cut into a large dice. (Don't worry too much about an exact size.) Set aside.

After the rice is finished cooking, melt the butter in a small pot (or microwave-safe bowl) and add the spice, salt, and pepper. Add the butter mixture to the rice and stir to combine. Next add the eggs and stir gently, taking care not to mash the eggs. 

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Ballin' on a Budget

Although today's post isn't a recipe, it does tie into the food aspect though as I'll be sharing how I  feed this family of 4.5 on a budget of $250 per month. (Yes, I count little miss as .5 since she's only now starting solids so she's not eating everything just yet.)

The first thing I do is come up with a menu plan. That usually means I'm all over the internet on my favorite sites, looking for recipes I want to try out. Some of the sites I've been frequenting lately are Once a Month Meals, Six Sisters' Stuff, and Smitten Kitchen. Once I have all of my recipes picked out, I throw them into my meal plan spreadsheet. I was doing themed nights earlier this year, but this month I decided to just do whatever struck my fancy. It just depends on how I'm feeling when I'm looking at recipes.

So with that done then it's time to put together a grocery list. Once I know what I want to buy, I look at the sale circulars to see what's on special for the week in which I'll be shopping. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I only go shopping once a month. I know it may seem odd, but the 3-4 hours spent in a single day is worth me not having to go to the store every week. Plus this way I can get in all 4 or so shops in a single day. Being the planner I am, I use a spreadsheet to do a per-unit cost comparisons so I can make sure I'm getting the best deals. It took me a few tries to come up with a format I like, but here is what I've been using for a long time now (Cost Comparison).

Once I have all of the numbers, then I can pick the lowest cost items & firm up my list. I used to print out a copy of the cost comparison & take that shopping, but I've found a really cool app that I use instead now. Out of Milk lets me create shopping lists, note whether I have coupons, and they also have an updated database of specials for various stores so I can sometimes find unadvertised savings. I'm sure there are other apps out there that work just as well, this just happens to be the one I stumbled onto.

Oh, i almost forgot about coupons. Now I am by no means into extreme couponing, but I will use coupons for the things I was planning on buying anyway. I load digital coupons onto my loyalty card so they're accessible when I swipe the card at the checkout. I also get a few coupons in the mail from various stores due to the loyalty programs & my shopping habits. Once in a while I'll also clip coupons from random magazines, but the majority of my savings really comes from planning. 

So with all of that in mind, here's what my April shopping looks like.

Dillons - $82.98

Dillons (cont'd)

Walmart - $53.34

Walmart (cont'd)

Natural Grocers - $14.72

Sam's Club - $74.24

I also bought some snacks from Dillons for $7.03, but forgot to take a picture.

That makes a grand total of $232.31 for all of my groceries this month. I'll probably end up spending the remaining $17 on milk, fruits, and miscellaneous snacks. I normally shoot for $200 for the groceries so I can have a $50 cushion to top-up as needed, but since we'll be out of town for 10 days this month it works out well.

Well, that's pretty much my process for feeding the family & staying on budget. Not bad huh? If you want to give it a shot & need some help let me know. I'm always happy to help :)

Happy Pi Day!

As any engineer will tell you, March 14 is Pi Day. Why you ask? Well Pi is 3.14...get it...3/14...March 14. I know...lame, but we engineers take the laughs where we can get them ;-) 

In any case, on the ride home from nursery Gabe informed me that it was Pi day, "But not the kind of pie you can eat." So of course mommy asked, "Well would you like to have pie you can eat?" To which the answer came back, "YES MOMMY!!!" (In stereo I might add as Gianni is all about good food.) 

After realizing that I had set myself up to make pastry, which we all know is not my strong point, and also realizing I had nothing to make a dessert pie with I decided to cheat a bit and make beef patties. Yes, I said patties and not pie...but isn't a patty just a meat pie in a different shape? Right, right? 

At first I thought of making Guyanese patties which have a shortcrust pastry and mixed veg in the filling. Of course after talking myself up, I realized I didn't have any mixed veg in the freezer. Drats! On to Plan B then, Jamaican beef patties! 

Now I tried this once with so-so results and that put me off from trying it since, but I was feeling lucky so I decided to give it another shot. I followed mommy's advice and made the dough by hand instead of in a food processor (aka the quick way). It took FOREVER (maybe not forever, but I did have a cramp in my hand by the time I was done), but it was well worth it. Greg complimented me on having a flaky pastry. He even dubbed it as the best pastry to date. Yay!

Patty Perfection

Needless to say this one was a keeper. The boys, big and little, ate every crumb. I even remember some singing at the dining table <hehehe> You know it's a good meal when everyone breaks out into random song and dance ;-)

A Perfect Meal - Beef Patty, Plantain Chips, Gazpacho

So give it a shot and let me know if your effort elicits a party at your dinner table!

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Jamaican Beef Patties

Ingredients
Dough
  2 cups all-purpose flour
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (or curry powder)
  10-1/2 tablespoons butter
  1/2 cup ice cold water (plus more as necessary)
Filling
  1 pound ground beef
  1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  1 small diced onion
  1 tablespoon jerk seasoning*
  1 tablespoon ketchup
  1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
  salt to taste
  1 cup water
Egg wash
  1 large egg
  1 tablespoon water

Directions
To make pastry dough, mix flour, salt, and turmeric in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour mixture, until it resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in 1/4 cup water and mix with your hands, adding more water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

To make the filling, eat the oil in a skillet until hot. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, cooking until the meat is no longer pink. Break up any clumps as the meat cooks.

Add the jerk seasoning, ketchup, barbecue sauce, and salt to taste. Pour in 1 cup water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and the remaining liquid has reduced to a thick sauce, about 10 minutes or so. Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool completely. Once cooled, divide the filling into 12 equal portions.

To make the egg wash, beat the egg and water together in a small bowl.

To assemble the patties, preheat the oven to 350deg F. Flour a work surface and rolling pin. Working with one piece of dough a a time, roll it out into a circle. Place a portion of filling onto half of the circle. Brush the edges of the pastry with water and fold over the other half, making a semi-circle. Press to seal, then take a fork and crimp the edges. Place the patty onto parchment-lined baking sheet(s). Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling.

Once all the patties are formed and on the baking sheet(s), brush each with the egg wash. Place the sheet(s) in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool  the patties slightly before serving.

*Jerk seasoning is a mix of spices so if you don't have it or can't find it in the store just make your own substitute. Here's another substitute you can try.

Happy Anniversary!

This past weekend I went all out for some pre-anniversary goodness. Nothing says love like a home-cooked meal! So in honor of our 10 years of marriage (can you believe it?!?!), I decided to make Greg's favorite breakfast...ackee & bacon. No, you read that right...someone has an issue with saltfish so ackee gets cooked with bacon in this house. It's not that weird once you get used to it. 

Breakfast of Champions

Unfortunately the plan to make an awesome lunch fell short since I took a nap after being up most of the night with Stormageddon, baby overlord...and yes, that is her new nickname <hehehe> But I managed to pull it together for dinner & we had roasted leg of lamb with warm potato salad, capped off with a dessert of cupcake bread pudding. Oh yes, nothing goes to waste in this house so last week's leftover Mountain Dew cupcakes became this week's new dessert!

Fresh Out of the Oven

Main Course

Sugar-Dusted Yumminess

A Slice of Goodness

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Ackee & Bacon

Ingredients

1 can ackee

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces*

1 medium onion, diced

Scotch bonnet pepper, to taste (or pepper flakes)

1 medium bell pepper, sliced

2 cloves garlc, minced

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or a few sprigs of fresh thyme)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

salt, to taste

Directions

Place the ackee in a colander and place the colander in a bowl. Fill the bowl with boiling water and leave for 5 minutes. Remove the colander and allow the ackee to drain.

Place the bacon pieces in a cold skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until it is crispy. Remove the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon. Drain all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet. Add the onion, garlic, peppers, thyme, and black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion softens up.

Add the ackee and bacon and toss  gently, taking care not to break apart the ackee too much. Leave the mixture to cook for another 2 or so minutes, until the ackee is heated through. Taste and add salt to your liking.

Serve warm with fried plantain, fried breadfruit, boiled green bananas...whatever reminds you of a good back-home breakfast!

*You can also use turkey bacon, even though Greg reminds me that it's not the same as real bacon. You'll have to add oil to the pan prior to cooking the turkey bacon though as it doesn't have as much fat as regular bacon.

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Warm Potato Salad

Ingredients

8 large potatoes (I used red, but whatever you have on hand is fine)

a large pinch of salt

a large pinch of sugar

1 cup Italian salad dressing (or any vinaigrette-type dressing)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

cayenne pepper, to taste (or you can use red pepper flakes)

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

Directions

Chop the potatoes into chunks. Put them in a pan, pour in water to cover, and add the salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to boil gently for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander and leave to cool.

In a large bowl, mix the salad dressing with the brown sugar and set aside.

Place the mixed vegetables in a medium-sized microwave-safe container and microwave for about 3 minutes, just until heated through. 

Add the potatoes and mixed vegetables to the dressing. Mix well and serve.

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Roasted Leg of Lamb

Ingredients

a 5-6lb bone-in leg of lamb

2 bunches green onions, coarsely chopped

1 small onion, chopped

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)

2 - 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated (or 2 - 3 teaspoons dried ginger)

2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup paprika

2 tablespoons cumin

1/8 cup olive oil (or canola or vegetable oil)

Directions

Score the lamb by making 6 or so 1/2-inch cuts all over the surface. Place the lamb in a non-aluminum pan and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the green onions, onion, garlic, thyme, ginger, sugar, paprika, and cumin into a paste. Add in the oil and stir to combine.

Pour the marinade over the lamb and rub it in. Cover and refrigerate the lamb for at least 4hrs, preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400deg F. Take the lamb out of the fridge & place it in a roasting pan.  Place the pan in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350deg F and continue to cook for about 2 hours longer for medium, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers about 140 - 150 deg F*. (Be careful not to let the thermometer touch the bone or your reading will be off.) Remove the pan from the oven and allow the lamb to rest for 10 - 15 minutes before carving.

*Check out this link for a handy guide to roasted lamb temperatures.

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Cupcake Bread Pudding

Ingredients

6 - 10 leftover cupcakes

2 tablespoons melted butter

1-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk

2 large eggs

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

powdered sugar, to garnish

Directions

Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish. Break the cupcakes into chunks and place in the baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture over the cake pieces.

Preheat the oven to 325deg F. Bake the pudding for 30 - 40 minutes, until the top is browned nicely and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Empanadas!

Is it just me or does everyone else run out of ideas for dinner by the time Friday rolls around? Even though I have a monthly menu plan I always end up pulling something out of the air come Friday; maybe it's because I'm secretly hoping to get out of cooking. Junk food Friday anyone ;)

Well this particular Friday my menu said pizza rolls, but I wasn't in the mood for pizza so I decided to go digging through my cookbooks & magazines for something to try. After about 10 magazines, I came up on a recipe for beef brisket empanadas in Saveur. The picture looked so good & the description sounded so delicious that I decided to give it a shot. It also helped that Little Miss was sleeping & the boys were playing a no-mommy-required game. So with the window of opportunity open, I dived right in.

First things first, I made the dough. Now I despise making pastry dough, not sure why...I just do. But this dough was easy enough & I managed to pull through. Maybe there's hope for me yet :)

Next was the filing. Seeing as I started this experiment about 4pm there was no way I was making brisket, not to mention the fact that I didn't have brisket anyway <hehehe> So I dug through the fridge & came up with 3 different fillings: pulled chicken, guacamole, and pepper jam. Why 3 you ask? Well I didn't have enough of any particular one to use up all the dough. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention!

Chicken

Guacamole & Cheese

Pepper Jam & Cheese

Well, after a massive rolling, filling, and frying session, I ended up with 24 empanadas. They were all tasty, but the grown ups liked the guacamole and cheese the best. Surprisingly so did the boys. I think the least successful was the jam/cheese combo, but that's mainly because frying jam makes it melt so it was a molten mess inside. I reiterate, MOLTEN...if you opt for a jam filling, make sure you let them cool before eating one. Just trust me on this...

So now that you've heard all about my experiment, give it a shot & let me know what fillings you come up with. Enjoy!

All Done

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Empanadas
Ingredients
4 cups flour
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
1½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1½ cups warm water
Fillings of your choice (shredded chicken, taco beef, cheese, etc.)
Oil for frying

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, butter, and salt. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour mixture until pea-size crumbles form. Add the warm water and stir until a dough forms.* Knead the dough in the bowl until it is smooth, about 4 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Once your fillings are all set, take the dough out of the fridge & divide into 24 balls. Place the balls on a work surface and flatten each ball into a 5in disk, using either the heel of your hand or a rolling pin. Brush the edges of each disc with water and place 2 tbsp. filling in the center. Fold the disks in half to form half-moons and seal edges together using the tines of a fork. Refrigerate the empanadas for at least 1 hour. (I didn't refrigerate mine because like I said, I was under a time crunch.)

Pour about 2in of oil into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350°. (If you don't have a thermometer then do like I do and drop a small piece of dough into the oil. If the dough starts to fry, then the oil is ready. If not, wait until the dough starts to fry before adding your empanadas.) Fry the empanadas in batches until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes per batch. Drain the empanadas on paper towels before serving. (Or if you're a hippie like me you can use old paper bags instead of paper towels and then toss them in the recycle bin. Yep, we're making the kitchen experience green one recipe at a time!)

*Alternately, you could make the dough using a food processor or a stand-mixer. If you're using a food processor, add all the dry ingredients to the bowl & mix. Then add the butter and mix until crumbles form. Add the water and pulse the mixture until dough forms. Make sure you pulse otherwise you'll overheat the dough and melt the butter, making it very sticky and hard to work with. To make the dough in a stand mixer, add the dry ingredients tot he mixer bowl and stir together. Next, add the butter and mix on low until crumbles form. Add the water and mix on low just until the dough pulls together. Once you have the ball of dough, knead by hand until smooth and continue following the directions above.

Cornbread...Sort Of

Ok, so I know I promised to make a go of this & I've been MIA for a bit, but I have very valid reasons. Between online teaching, kids, and prepping for another major change, it's been rather busy. But never fear, I am back w/ some more food randomness :-)

So the other day I wanted to make cornbread, but then realized I was out of cornmeal. Had it not been for the polar vortex gripping the city I would have loaded up the 3 amigos and gone to pick some up. Instead I searched through the cupboards to see if there was anything else I could make. After lots of hemming and hawing, I decided I would make that cornbread...but with grits instead of cornmeal. Grits are corn so why not right? Well I broke out the cornmeal container to get my trusty recipe & just substituted grits for the cornmeal. 

Batter and Mix-Ins

What a wonderful idea! The bread had a nice bite to it, plus the grits played nicely with the cheese and chicken in the mix. Yeah, my cornbread is never simple ;-) So give it a shot & let me know how you like it!

Yummy Muffins

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Gritbread
Ingredients
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup grits (I used quick grits)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or herb of your choice)
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or cut

Directions
Heat oven to 400 deg F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch pan. 

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the milk, oil, and egg, mixing until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the cheese and chicken, stirring to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Note: You can also use make corn muffins instead. I find the boys will eat most anything in the shape of a muffin. Just a thought for those of you with little ones.

Free & Easy

Alright, this is going to be a two-for post so let's get down to business. First the "free" part. Did you know Dillons (actually all Kroger stores) offer digital coupons every Friday for a free item? It's usually new products they're trying to promote, but hey...you can't beat free right! So last week I finally cashed in on my 3 free coupons I had loaded onto my shop loyalty card & here's what I was able to get. Oh, I should also mention that I picked up a few clearance items as well.

The Haul

So in the end I paid $1.59 for the 6 items pictured, a savings of 68%! We ended up eating the yogurt & pretzel chips for snacks then I had the Aquafina later on. I'm still holding on to the Mountain Dew for a cake experiment. Yes, I said cake... don't worry, I'll post the results when I do try it :-)

Alright, now on to the "easy." The other day I was trying to figure out a quick dinner as all 3 minions were in full-on "I need mommy" mode, not to mention I was pulling single mom duty as a certain some one was traveling for work. I mention no names, but he knows who he is ;-) The first thing I thought of was macaroni & cheese since that's usually a sure-fire hit with the boys. The prospect of making a roux & cheese sauce did not fit into my easy box though so I started looking around online for inspiration. I did the Google thing & stumbled onto a recipe for homemade hamburger helper. Of course I "Mikied" it up a bit to make it my own. Hmm..."Mikied"...I like that :-)

In any case, it took a total of 20 minutes & I had a potful of delicious cheesy mac ready to go. The boys had 3 servings a piece so I'm going to call it a winner! Next time you're in a hurry, give this one a shot!

Cheeseburger Skillet Pasta

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Cheeseburger Skillet Pasta
Ingredients
1 pound ground meat (I used ground turkey since that was all I had)
16 ounces dry pasta (macaroni, penne...your choice)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups milk
2 cups cold water (or just enough to completely cover the pasta)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions
Brown the ground meat in a skillet until it is cooked through. Add in the onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add in the remaining ingredients, except for the sour cream & cheeses. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover skillet, and simmer until the pasta is done, about 10 minutes. Don't forget to stir occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick.

Once the pasta is done, remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Adjust seasonings to your liking. Let skillet sit for a few minutes to let sauce thicken. Enjoy!

Note: You can leave out the Parmesan cheese if you don't have any, but I found it made the dish a bit more cheesy & added a nice finishing touch. And if you're avoiding meat you can always sub some veggies in, sweet potatoes are really good in a cheese sauce or even broccoli. The idea is to get a meal on the table in no time at all so use whatever you have on hand! 

Of Tarts & Quiches

Ok, so the plan for Meatless Monday was to make leek & potato bake. As the name suggests it's leeks & potatoes "baked" in a slow cooker with cream, cheese, & seasonings. Well of course I got distracted & never  got around to setting up the slow cooker in the morning. So at 3pm it dawned on me that there was going to be no slow cooking going on so I had to find an alternative. I thought about making the bake in the oven, but the idea wasn't very exciting so I started considering my options. The first thing that came to mind was to make a leek & potato tart that I'd seen on The Chew so off I went to find the recipe. Since I didn't have a pre-made pastry crust I'd have to make one from scratch & with 3 small people that was not going to happen. "What about a potato crust?" I thought. Surely in all the web there should be a tart/quiche recipe that uses a potato crust. After lots of Googling I stumbled upon a potato-crusted quiche recipe at Food Network. So armed with the two recipes I came up with my own version...leek tart with sweet potato crust. 

The first thing I did was slice the sweet potatoes on a mandolin & toss with canola oil & seasoning. Yes I know olive oil would've been better, but you have to use what you have. After a thorough seasoning. I baked the potatoes and then lined an 8x8in baking dish with them. The original recipe called for a 9in pie plate, but I figured the deep dish would serve more people. And trust me, there are days when the little people eat like grownups so the more food available, the better.

Sweet Potato Crust

Next up was the filling. I fried up the sliced leeks in a bit of oil with some seasonings. If you've never cooked with leeks before, fear not..here's a  tutorial on how to prep them. 

Fried Leeks

I mixed the custard (aka milk & eggs), then stirred in the leeks plus some shredded cheese for extra oomph.

Filling Mixed & Ready to Go

Then it was time to bake & wait for the goodness to be done. Here's the final product.

Delicious Tart Goodness

So there you have it, my leek tart with sweet potato crust. The potatoes were crisp and caramelized in some places so that made for a tasty base to the rich eggs. We had it with a tomato salad on the side, but I'm sure some crusty bread would be a good addition as well. In any case, the munchkins cleaned their plates as did the grown-ups so it's definitely a keeper. I hope you try it & if you do, let me know what you think!

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Leek Tart with Sweet Potato Crust
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons oil (olive, vegetable, canola...whatever you have is fine)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 large leek
6 eggs 
3/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1 cup grated cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Slice the potatoes into thin ovals. I used a mandolin, but a sharp knife would work just as well. Toss the potatoes with 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp paprika, salt and pepper. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a large baking sheet, or 2 if necessary. Bake for 15 minutes. Line the bottom and sides of an 8x8in baking dish with overlapping potato slices.

Slice the leek as shown in the linked tutorial. Heat a pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp oil. Add the sliced leek and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp paprika, salt, and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375deg. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk then add salt and pepper. Stir in the leeks and cheese. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the eggs are set in the center. (I bakes mine for 30 minutes originally then sliced only to have a runny mess so I put it back in the oven for an extra 20 minutes.) Cool for a few minutes before serving, 5 - 10 should be fine.