Miss you guys...

So, I hope the Christmas dinner was as good as it sounds, Duke! All my Block sisters (except Cha) are in Hillsboro, and I miss ALL of you guys! See most of you soon! Cha, baby, I miss you! Merry Christmas!
love kak

Christmas Dinner

Hello Ladies!
I thought I would post what I was thinking of for Christmas dinner!
Brisket with gravy (thepioneerwomancooks.com)
Mashed potatoes with roasted garlic and mushroom sauce (Better Homes and Gardens Nov. 2008)
Corn and Wild Rice Pudding (thepioneerwomancooks.com)
Mom's cranberry relish
Homemade rolls ? (thepioneerwomancooks.com)
Roasted Brussel Sprouts (BHG Nov. 2008)
Green Bean casserole ?
DESSERT
Peach Cobbler with Maple Cream Sauce (thepioneerwomancooks.com)
Miriam's Tiramisu--quite delicious!
Maybe some other pies--Sare??

Do you ladies have any thoughts or additions to this? Let me know what you think! I can't wait.

Amazing Book Series

Well, even though Will and Hallie are currently driving their bikes across the pile of laundry I'm supposed to be doing, I had to sit down and write this book review RIGHT NOW! :)

The series is four books by Liz Curtis Higgs. They parellel the story of Laban, Jacob, Rachel and Leah, but set in 18th-century Scotland. They are AMAZING! I haven't read such a good series since Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion series. The books are:

Thorn in My Heart
Fair is the Rose
Whence Came a Prince
Grace in Thine Eyes (which is actually the story of Dinah from Gen. 34)

These are the first books I've read by this author, and I can't recommend them enough. I have been caught reading at several inopportune times lately... and I'm just about to start the last one (which for me is Prince; I read Grace first, b/c I was getting them from my mom when she would finish one.)

Anyway, if any of you ladies feel like a good read between now and Christmas, I'd love to talk about them with you when we're together in a week or so!

Stir-fries and yogurt

Tonight I made a yummy dinner that was easy as well: good ol' stir-fries. Now I know that everybody and her brother knows how to make stir-fries, but this was a particularly good batch.
1) I heated up about a tbsp of olive oil
2) Added cut up veggies: broccoli, zuccini and carrots at first, then cabbage, green, red and white onions, garlic, yellow pepper (a great way to use up those slightly wilted peppers), then at the end so they still stay crunchy, sugar snap peas (a little pricey, granted, but if you only buy a small amount for stir-fry, they're not too bad and they do add a delicious crunch).
3) Stirred until almost done; added about a cup of cooked brown rice and half a can of black beans, and voila! dinner is served. (For those of you who might not know this little tidbit, beans and rice make a complete protein when served together.) I seasoned it with Trader Joe's Island soyaki: delicious.
I topped off the dinner with chocolate yogurt: a few squares of chocolate melted and mixed w yogurt.
I was grateful to have an easy dinner to fix as I'd spent the entire day in the basement (minus an hour's freezing walk with Dad) pulling out the old insulation (and accompanying debris), putting in new and then cleaning up the colossal mess. It looks great now, and it's nice to know that as much as possible I've closed off any snake holes (not to mention breeze holes).

Cranberries...

I know no one checks this blog anymore now that Jonny's taken over the Block Family blog with his political satire, but I wanted to mention something food related that I've discovered that I LOVE.

I have found cranberries! Obviously, it's the season for them, etc, but I've never used them besides cranberry sauce from a can or cranberry juice. Anyway, the other day, I bought a bag of regular cranberries, followed the directions on the back (which consists of boiling and adding sugar; really easy!), and voila! I had instant cranberry sauce to add to whatever I wanted! I used it on oatmeal, mixed it with applesauce for both Caleb and Matthew, and as a side at dinner (although John refused it--big surprise--because it was too bitter). Next time, I'd probably add more sugar when I boil it to make it just a little sweeter and more palatable. I'm loooking forward to buying more, boiling them, and using them in breads and muffins.

Today, both boys have been having diarrhea and vomiting, so I went and voted early, but then canceled everything else (Caleb's school, I was supposed to pick up 2 hrs at work, and have a friend over for lunch..). We're all home today instead, and the house is airing out from that lovely smell of vomit. :) They're both FINE now....

And, one more thing--it's GORGEOUS WEATHER! So while we're home today, maybe we'll go for a bike ride or something--we've got to take advantage of this weather while we can!

love you guys...
kak

This morning...

We went to Lowes and built skeletons...



Joel Sent from my iPhone

Natalie's Haircut, Part II: Now you see it...now you don't

Natalie's Haircut, Part I (try again): Now you see it...

Natalie, the apple of her Daddy's eye, got her first haircut last week. (written by her Daddy)

Nattie Kate's Haircut, part 1: Now you see it...

Natalie got her first haircut this week.



Sent from my iPhone

a quick addition to the recent beer cheese soup recipe: (I noticed my notes in the margin after I'd posted it...)
1- you really only need to add one bottle or can of beer
2- to thicken it (I thought it was a bit thin) and to add protein, I added 2 cans white beans (you could probably use any kind).

I think that's it for food, now for books:

In the last five weeks I've read 5 books, as follows:

Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult--not her best, I thought; about a little girl who begins to manifest the wounds of Jesus after her father leaves her and her mother. It's more of an exploration of the topic of stigmata and faith than anything, but doesn't come to any conclusions, rather unsatisfactorily so, I thought.

The Saturday Wife by Naomi Ragen--again, not one of her best books either. It's really a spoof on Orthodox Judaism (written by someone who I assume is Jewish, which makes it more acceptable, I thought) and the hypocrisy of those who "strain at gnats" (keeping scrupuously kosher) while "swallowing camels" by being shallow, materialistic and just generally snotty.

Steve and Me by Terri Irwin--the story of Steve and Terri Irwin (he was the crocodile hunter on Animal Planet-guy with a great Aussie accent). An excellent and sadly moving book! I replayed it in my mind dozens of times after I read it. Definitely worth reading.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer--the story of the young man who hiked into the Alaskan wilderness, never to be heard of again. Jon researched what actually happened to the guy, and it makes a fascinating, if sad, story. Worth reading.

A Safe Haven by Dave Hunt--I'd like to read more by this guy. A good read, exciting and God-honoring story line and just enough facts and present-day info to make it credible. A modern, atheistic revolutionary is kicked out of his home country and ends up in Israel, and nearly perishes there.

Now I'm reading Joe's Law--a book by Joe Arpaio, the sheriff of Maricopa County in AZ who is notoriously tough on illegal immigration. So far it's fascinating and is a real eye-opener to the whole issue of illegal immigration.

What have you ladies read? THis has been a bit of an unusual time in my life- feels like a rewind back twenty years, only I'm not trying to homeschool as well as run a house and raise kids so it's a bit more peaceful. (And I probably have more time to read than I normally do...) I'm actually enjoying being a "mom" of little kids again for a while.

OK, so here's the famous Best Beer Cheese Soup Duke was looking for. We made this for Dan; personally I thought it was a bit salty, but that could have been because while it called for two bottles of beer (yuk!) I actually used one normal beer and one extra strength by mistake. Dan, however, liked it and that was the important thing at that time...

5 slices bacon
2 tbl butter or marg
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 tbs flour
2 c chick broth
2 12 fl oz cans or bottles beer
1 lb processed cheese, cubed
1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 tsp garlic pwdr

Cook bacon in a large deep skillet; drain on paper towels; crumble.
Melt butter over med heat, cook onion, carrot and celery until soft, 7-10 min. Add bacon, basil, oregano and green onions; cook and stir for 2 min. Stir the flour into the mixture until completely dissolved; pour in the chicken broth and beer; cook until heated through. Melt the cheeses in the mixture in small batches; season with the garlic powder and serve.

Hope you all enjoy it; it's a good, hearty soup. Today we're trying a creamy chicken and wild rice since Dan had some from BreadCo and loved it. (Oh, to be so spoiled!) It's from allrecipes.com and it's called cream of chicken soup with wild rice. We'll let you know how it goes; it got rave reviews. (Pretty good, hunh, looking up recipes on allrecipes.com and all?)

Just a funny note: Sarah reported on her blog that she and Anna and I ran a 5k race the other day. She mentioned that Anna did quite well, actually winning 3rd place in the 15-19 year old category. What she didn't mention was that she and I also medaled; she in first for the 20-29 year olds and me in 2nd for the 50-59 year olds. And this despite our 40:30 time! (There were no others in the 20-29 year olds and only two of us in the 50-59s...) Anyway, it was fun! We were pretty stiff the next day though!

Miriam's Shrimp Bisque

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (1.25 ounce) envelope hollandaise sauce mix
• 4 cups half-and-half, divided
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning TM
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 pound fresh Shrimp
• -->We bought a pound of fresh shrimp at the seafood counter and had them steam it for us. We refrigerated it when we got home, and then de-shelled it when we were ready to make it. I think you could definitely use frozen shrimp too.
  

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, blend flour and hollandaise sauce mix with 2 cups half-and-half.
2. Melt butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add hollandaise mixture, stirring constantly until thickened. Add remaining half-and-half, Old Bay and whipping cream. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Add shrimp, stirring gently until warmed through. Serve immediately. Blend in blender if desired for bisque.

The Old Bay Seasoning we found in the spice section and it is a seafood and chicken seasoning. It really adds great flavor to the soup and can be used for other recipes later. Let me know what you think.

Hello, Ladies. Ironically, the last post was posted by Shelley the night before Danny's wreck. There hasn't been much action since then...I wonder why. It's all Danny's fault.

Anyway, I loved the topic of soup, and since I was going out to see Danny I printed a bunch of yummy soup recipes, hoping he would eat them and quit wasting away. And, he really enjoyed most of them. One of them was a beer cheese soup recipe, that I can't seem to find the recipe for. So, Sarah, if thee still has the recipe there, will thee post the link to it? I believe I found it on allrecipes.com

Another soup I made was a cream of crab soup, that I substituted fresh shrimp for instead, and after it was done, I pureed it. It was delicious! I will definitely be making that again this winter. It had a hint of spiciness from the Old Bay Seafood Spices that you add, I did not add the sherry, celery seed, or dry mustard, and I still turned out great! I think it was better pureed, because then the shrimp/seafood flavor was well distributed, rather than pieces of shrimp in the creamy soup. I think this soup would also be great as a sauce for noodles (aka fettucine alfredo with shrimp)--yes it's that thick and creamy. Here's the link to the soup, remember, I really made a cream of shrimp. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Karyns-Cream-of-Crab-Soup/Detail.aspx
If this link doesn't work, you can go to allrecipes.com and search for cream of crab soup, and it's Karyn's Cream of Crab soup.

I also made a potato and ham soup that was good. But the other yummy soup I made was this one from The Pioneer Woman's blog. Here is the link to the recipe: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/lizs-black-bean-chowder.pdf
If this doesn't work you can go to her blog: thepioneerwoman.com and click on cooking then DAIRY, then find her black bean chowder. It was really delicious chunky or blended. On this one, I also made some modifications. First, I used canned black beans. Second, i chopped up fresh ham and added it instead of using a ham hock. Third, for the yogurt sauce, I didn't have any cilantro on hand, so I added a tiny bit of fresh basil, but it was delicious anyway. I didn't ever actually eat the yogurt sauce on top of the soup, so I can't comment on that taste combo, although I'm sure it would be really good! The curry really added a pleasant flavor, several people commented on that.

With soup, I usually serve it with some form of bread or rolls and a salad or vegetable and that's it. Soup is the main course when I make it. I would love to hear your soup ideas as well. I also made a delicious pumpkin soup last year that I would be happy to find the recipe for and post if anyone is interested. What kind of soups are your favorites--vegetable, broth-based, cream-based, chicken, with beans, thick, thin??

Hope all you ladies are doing well! Much love to you all! P.S. YAY for Shelley who is getting her walking boot off this week! I know that was a long hard 6 or so weeks for you; I'm glad it's over!

Bat Girl!!

These days Natalie loves dressing up; unfortunately all of our dress up clothes are of the male variety, so she alternates between cowboy, football player (with a helmet that must weigh as much as her head!!), pirate, and my favorite, batman/girl. Right now she has on a pirate bandanna and wants me to put one of Noah's cowboy boots on her. She can only walk with one of the boots on--if you can call it walking!!

Anyway, during my recovery, I have been able to catch up on some of the reading I've been wanting to do. I just finished John Adams by David McCullough, which was excellent--it really is history that reads like a novel. We also rented the mini-series, which I also highly recommend. I've also recently read Mozart's Sister, which is fictionalized history by Nancy Moser. I believe that there are other titles in this series maybe about Jane Austen and Martha Washington.

I, obviously, haven't been doing much cooking lately, but I'm looking forward to fall and was wondering if you ladies have any favorite soup recipes. I LOVE soup! When you serve soup, do you serve it as a meal by itself --or with bread-- or sort of as a first course?

want to know more about God?

Hi ladies!
I wonder why the blogging on this site has slowed down...(says me, the great blogger!)
Just wanted to bring to your attention a marvelous book I read while at Joel and Shelley's last week. The Shack; maybe some of the rest of you have heard of it or read it. It's the best theological presentation of God I've read maybe ever, and you guys know that I'm pretty conservative when it comes to things like this. It starts off pretty gruesomely, with the abduction and murder of the protagonist's little daughter, but that is just to set the scene for the worst thing that any parent could imagine, and the rest of the book is how God sees that circumstance. For anyone who has grappled with the questions of "what kind of a God are you anyway that could allow things like that to happen?" this is a good book to read. I highly reccommend it and would be very interested in others' opinions.

Naptime and a good book.

Another (short--because both boys are sleeping) post:
I read Water for Elephants and it was really, really good.
I recommend it.

Shelley, I'm thinking of you as you recover!
kak

another good book

Congrats to mom for posting! Yay! That cake actually looks good, too!

Here's a post from my blog about a good book that I just read:

In other news, I just finished a book called A Good Indian Wife, by Anne Cherian. It was a fictional novel that delicately explored arranged marriages and the Indian traditions behind them. I found it fascinating for a few reasons:

1) Duke and I witnessed an arranged marriage ceremony when we were in highschool. An Indian friend of my parents, in India, arranged the marriage for their oldest daughter (who was Masters trained, upper 20's), and we were all invited to Madras/Chennai for the wedding. My dad, Duke and I went, and we witnessed the engagement ceremony, and the wedding ceremony, all held in the same day. That had a huge impact on me. How could someone trust their parents enough to let them arrange their marriage? Their future? Fascinating topic. (Duke and I went back to India, years later, just the 2 of us, and we happened to have supper with the parents of the bride, who are my parents' age. They have been married for 35 yrs, and their marriage was arranged. They said that they got married and learned how to love each other later, as opposed to our western way of doing it--fall in love then get married. Like I said, interesting topic.)

2) The other reason why I liked the book is because the American side of the story took place in San Francisco. John and I LOVED San Fransisco, and almost moved there. It was either SF or Dayton, OH... SF or Dayton (picture my hands in the air, weighing the two different cities).. MMmmm, let me see. Dayton!! (Actually, Dayton gave us a job, while SF would have been a harder life for us, I would have been the bread winner, working a lot, we would have just had a baby... We wonder, sometimes, though, what it would have been like had we moved to the Berkely/Bay area.)

So, here I am finally, posting on the Blockladies blog. Yay! (Thanks to Miriam and Corey who have spent much time helping me get to this point!)
I wanted to share this chocolate cake recipe with you ladies; we had it when Duke and Cor were here recently and they loved it. It's low fat, in case anybody's interested in such things. Here goes:
3/4 C flour
3/4 C white sugar
1/3 C and 1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp instant coffee granules or powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C low fat milk
1 tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 2/3 C boiling water

oven: 350; nine inch square baking pan; spray with non-stick spray.

Combine all dry ingredients. Combine milk, vanilla and butter; pour into dry mix. Stir until just blended, pour into baking pan. May be thick and lumpy; that's okay.
Combine brown sugar and 1/4 C cocoa and sprinkle over batter; gently pour boiling water in a zig-zag pattern over top; do not stir. Bake about 35 minutes. Top will be cake; bottom like pudding. Great with whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy!

Corey's comments on Ex Mex

Corey just posted his comments on Ex Mex: From Migrants to Immigrants by Jorge G. Castaneda on his blog.

Check it out here

I found his comments very informative. He thinks a lot like me.

More Stuff from me

I thought that I'd post a simple recipe that I've made a few times lately. The original recipe has proportions, I'm sure, but I've long since gone to just throwing it all in a bowl and mixing it together! (Unless I am making it for our main course, which I have occasionally. Then I will layer each ingredient in each person's bowl, making it look nice(ish).)

Southwest Salad
romaine lettuce
black beans
canned corn
shredded cheddar cheese
salsa
crushed tortilla chips
ranch dressing

Put the lettuce in a big bowl, or if making individual salads, in each person's bowl. Dump or sprinkle black beans and corn on top. Toss on some shredded cheese. Add a couple big plops of salsa in the big bowl, or a few spoonfuls on each small bowl. Add some crushed tortilla chips on top, and when you are ready to eat, drizzle some ranch on top (I use peppercorn ranch for the extra kick), mix it all together, and eat! This salad is super yummy (even my kids will eat it!) and e-a-s-y to throw to together. If anyone tries it, let me know what you think!

On to books. I just finished Culture Warrior by Bill O'Reilly. It's probably more along the lines of something "Carissa" would enjoy, but it made a lot of very good points and valid arguments about the war that secular/progressive people are fighting against the traditionalists in our country. I also finished Chains Around the Grass by Ragen. It was my least favorite of her books-- I don't really recommend it. It was sort of depressing!! I'm reading The Covenant right now, and I have Atonement, by Ian McEwan lined up next. (I heard a lot about the movie, but not much about the book. Has anyone seen/read it?)

Well, I guess that's it from me for now. I hope you guys are enjoying the rest of your summer!! Before we know it, it will be gone... *sigh* :)

Books and other misc. news.

First, I am reading The Covenant. It, like most other Naomi Ragen books, is gripping and can be mentally exhausting (I've read a few of hers in a row.. I think I'm ready for a light read, like a Jan Karon read...).

Secondly, John just read Caleb a Lois Lenski book about trains. Lois Lenski does the "Small" series, and Caleb loves them! After John finished the book, Caleb went back through it and "read" it out loud to himself! It was so fun to watch! I love how he's putting words and thoughts together (although this time it was just mostly noises). Does anyone else have any great book suggestions for a 2 almost 3 yr old who loves trains, and trucks?

Third, I love this blog. It makes me feel much closer to my sisters and sister-in-laws...

Fourth (and this just in!!): Caleb just went potty in the toilet! I heard "WOW! You did it!" and "Bye Poop!" all in the same few seconds... :)

Movies I want to see

Okay, I have several posts to make. But I thought I would just do a quick one outlining the movies that are on my "To See Wish List". Let me know if you've seen any of them. We just saw 27 Dresses last night which was pretty cute.
Autumn Hearts
Other Boleyn Girl
P.S. I Love You
Love In The Time Of Cholera
Becoming Jane
The Jane Austen Book Club
The Bucket List
The Bourne Ultimatum
Vantage Point
All In

P.S. I made the recipe of the week--Chipotle Chicken Salad and it was delicious! I'll write more on that later. Also, I made the Mexican burgers again, which we really enjoyed and the same night as Sarah, I too made Peach Crisp with Maple Sauce which is wonderful. I'll write more later, because I tweaked all of the recipes I made.

New Recipes

*Ahem* So I didn't actually get around to getting the ingredients for our other mexican dish this week. I just.... didn't. But I still want to! I did make a yummy dinner tonight consisting of:

Broccoli Quiche (made with broccoli from the local farmer's market)
sliced tomatoes (topped with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and basil, also from the FM)
Lipton noodles (ok, so I cheated here ;))
and for dessert, on Duke's recommendation...
Peach Crisp with Maple Cream which was realllly good.

I love this quiche recipe-- it's super good and easy. I usually use all cheddar (or half ched, half mozz depending on what I have) and it turns out great every time. Gotta love a recipe like that. :)

Do you guys have any stand-by, "oops I have no idea what to make for dinner" recipes?? I'd love to hear your ideas.

Fun Picture

I thought this was a fun picture of most of the Block ladies. :)

Books

Wow! I'm a posting fiend these days! :)

I just read "The Saturday Wife" by Naomi Ragen. It was good; if anyone else reads it, I'd love to discuss/email about it. I'm still mulling it over in my head. Very interesting, on many levels... Has anyone else read it?

love kak

Recipe Results Part II and A New Recipe

I made the Mexican burgers last night with a few minor modifications. First of all, based in part on Sarah's post, I cut back on the cilantro. Joel is a fan of cilantro but me--not so much. Then I threw in some basil and a beaten egg. ( I added the egg because we bought some grass fed beef from a local farmer's market, and the man selling the meat recommended an egg!) In the burgers I substituted a chipotle chile for the jalapeno. (I'm not sure how these compare in terms of spiciness; any ideas?) Since we were having company for dinner, we also grilled some plain hamburgers and some brats. The kids only ate the brats/plain hamburgers. Joel really enjoyed the burgers, the salsa and the guac but didn't try the mayo. I put everything on my burger and thought that some bites were a bit too spicy. I'm not sure why some bites seemed spicier than others; perhaps I didn't get the chile chopped up finely enough and mixed in the burger well enough? Or, maybe some bites had more mayo, etc? Overall, I really liked the guacamole and the salsa and thought the hamburgers were pretty good--I might try them again with some changes. I will definitely make some of the sides again. I really liked the guacamole on the burger.

Here's a suggestion for another weekly recipe idea. It's Mexican again, so if we want to wait on it for a bit that's fine with me. I made it this past week and will probably make it again soon. It's very summery, easy and flavorful.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1215905

A Block Family Blog?

Is anyone interested in contributing to a Block Family Blog so that we all can be updated on each other's comings and goings? Joel and I were talking about this very thing yesterday morning.

We know you guys read this... why don't we create a place where everyone can share--not just the Block ladies!? :)

love you all-
kak

Library adventures.. and other news.

No new recipes. No new book reviews. Just a recount of my evening last night. :)

So, last night, I stopped at the library on the way home from a bbq. I really wanted to get the new Jodi Picoulte books, or the new Naomi Ragen books that thee mentioned, Sare. I knew Caleb had a poopy diaper, but I went anyway. I have no idea how to use the Dewey Decimal system, but I knew how to locate authors by their last names, etc. So, I have both boys, Matthew's fussy, Caleb's waddling beside me, saying, "I'm poopy! I'm poopy!" while I'm looking fast and furiously for "P..Pi...Pic..." No such luck. Then I start looking for "R... Re... Reg...." We're in luck! I grab the three books by her and make our way over to the kids section, at Caleb's urging: "Me read it? Read it bus? Read it choo-choo? I'm poopy!"

So, we hurry over to the kids' section; I'm carrying the car-seat with a crying baby, Caleb's waddling, saying, "I'm poopy! I read it!" Again, no idea how to use the dewey system, so I grab the first few books that Caleb grabs (by Woodie Guthrie, of all people!) and head to the desk, then out the door.

The evening is full of tears for both boys; Matthew's just plain fussy and fusses himself to sleep, and Caleb's bottom hurt, so I bathed him, much to his chagrin. But, whew! Once they were both ensconced in their respective sleeping arrangements, they were quiet for the night. :)

Oh, and yesterday, there was a sunbeam on the kitchen floor that Caleb had to jump over each time we went back and forth to the sink, etc. I thought of a title for a future book of mine: Jumping over Sunbeams and Other Adventures of Motherhood.

That's it for now. I haven't tried any new recipes or anything, but I look forward to seeing Shelley and Joel next week! :) Caleb's been talking about you guys non-stop. He's been talking about all the cousins, for that matter. :) Every time he puts his shoes on, he heads to the door to "See Doot?" :)

Love you guys--kak

Recipe Results!

Ok, so I made the Mexican Burgers for dinner tonight. I pretty much followed along with Duke's changes, except I added chopped onion & garlic to the guac as well.

The results were (unfortunately) mixed. I thought it was ok.. I am not a huge cilantro fan, but I couldn't find fresh basil today, so I just went with it. I loved the guac and salsa. I think I ate half the guac myself! Tristan ate tons of guac as well. W & H tried it, but weren't too impressed. Will ate 1/2 a burger, but Hallie just poked at it.

Dan thought it was very good, but wished I had made some sides to go with it. To my way of thinking, the burgers, guac, salsa & lime mayo were enough for a dinner, but... Duke, did thee make sides with this? Dan is definitely a "full meal" type guy, meaning preferably meat, 2 sides, bread and dessert type of thing. I definitely lean toward the "one dish" meals, and this was sort of up the middle, in my opinion. I guess I could have thrown together a salad or something too. (And the first thing he asked for before I sat down was A1 sauce... ugh..)

Anyway, I don't know if I'll make this again. It was not too bad on the prep (I have an old grater, so the lime peel was tedious) but the rest was easy. Maybe next time I'll have fresh basil and I'll be able to sub that in for the cilantro and my "problem" with cilantro will be solved. :) Or maybe we'll be in our house by then and I can pick my own basil!!! :)

More on Books and Movies

The other night Dan and I watched Fool's Gold, the new Matthew McConaughey/ Kate Hudson chick flick. It was ok but not really that great. Not that there was anything bad... it was just kind of lame. So I don't really recommend it.

I was looking online for the author that most of us have read, Naomi Ragen, (Sotah is one of hers I think we all have read,) and I saw that she has a lot more books that I haven't read yet! (Yay! :)) I'm listing all her books below, in case any of you want to request them at your libraries or order them. (I use half.com for buying a lot of my books; unless it's a brand new book, you can find most titles for around $5-8.)

Sotah (1994)*
Jephte's Daughter (1995)*
The Sacrifice of Tamar (1996)*
The Ghost of Hannah Mendes (1998)*
Chains Around the Grass (2002)
The Covenant (2005)
Women's Minyan (2006)
The Saturday Wife (2007)

* I own these, and if you are interested in borrowing one or more, let me know before our next get-together and I'll bring it along!

I know Duke mentioned this already, but if anyone reads a good author, please post about it. I am always looking to expand my author horizons. :)

Recipe of the Week

I was wondering if anyone had a good idea for the Bimonthly Recipe test. I thought Sunday would be a good time to post, so that we can plan it into our menu and grocery list for this week or next. If we like this idea enough, maybe we can move to weekly recipe tests, and if you can do it fine, if not, we'll catch you next time? What do you ladies think? In my opinion, the recipe can be anything--dessert, main dish, or side. For some of us who don't like to or have time to cook desserts as often, perhaps when we offer a dessert recipe, we can also offer a main or side dish recipe. I propose the Mexican burgers, as they can be grilled and are summer friendly. You can just make one side (I would suggest if nothing else, the lime-jalapeno mayo--I think even Joel would enjoy it, and it's not spicy). What are you propositions for this first one, I'm game for anything!

Mexican Burgers

I made these burgers and Jalapeno-Lime Mayo, Salsa, and Guacamole last night and they were so delicious. I am usually a ketchup (and lots of it) kind of girl with burgers, but with these, I just used the mayo, which was delicious, as well as the salsa and guacamole! Wow, these really have a great, intense flavor! The prep is mostly chopping, but it's well worth it! I hope you enjoy. Feel free to ad lib with the recipe, for instance, I added garlic powder in addition to the minced garlic, and I used a fresh jalapeno, seeded and deveined so that it didn't carry much heat, just flavor. The lime peel adds great flavor. We skipped the cheese.

1 1/2 lb. ground beef chuck (80% lean)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
1 pickled jalapeño chile, finely chopped, if desired
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 slices Monterey Jack cheese (we didn't use cheese)
4 Kaiser rolls or Mexican bolillo rolls, split (we didn't use buns, either)


1. In medium bowl, gently mix together beef, cilantro, green onion, chile, garlic, chili powder, lime peel and salt. Shape into 4 (4 1/2-inch) patties about 3/4 inch thick.

2. Heat grill. Place burgers on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium coals; cover grill. Grill 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink in center, turning once. Top each burger with 1 slice cheese; grill 1 minute or until cheese has melted.

3. Spread each roll with 2 tablespoons of the Jalapeño-Lime Mayonnaise. Top rolls with burgers, salsa and guacamole.

Jalapeno-Lime Mayonaise
1/2 cup mayo
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 tsp lime peel
1 Tbsp finely chopped pickled or fresh jalapeno

In small bowl, stir together ingredients.

Salsa
1 large tomato, diced
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
2 Tbsp diced canned green chiles, or fresh jalapenos
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Mix ingredients together in bowl. I added Fresh lime juice to this as well and added different proportions of the ingredients based on taste. Also, we made a bigger batch than this, so that there was plenty for all. Be free!

Guacamole
For the guac, I smashed up 4 avocados (for three adults and Abby, but we LOVE guac) and added some of the fresh salsa and a little bit more lime juice and salt to it. It was perfect!


4 sandwiches

mom block is in the house

Hi ladies, my fabulous son in law just walked me through how to get on this blog...hopefully I'll remember all the details for next time. Love to you all!

Blueberry Smoothie

I saw this recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks! yesterday, and it looks yummy and easy. I really want to pick a bunch of berries this summer and freeze them so I can make blueberry pancakes, smoothies, etc. all winter long! My "plan" is to get up around 6 two days a week, and go pick for an hour before Dan has to leave for work. We'll see if it happens. :)

My Blueberry Obsession

Ok, so you ladies are all well aware of my blueberry obsession, or as Joel calls it LOBO (late onset blueberry obsession.) After enjoying the wonderful berries we bought at Sam's in PA, I bought some at the Sam's here and was sadly disappointed in the color, texture, taste, etc. Since they really weren't very good to eat plain, I decided to use them for cooking. Wednesdays are the days my grandma usually comes over to spend the day with me, and we often cook/bake together. One of her specialties is the cream pie, so today we improvised and made a blueberry cream pie, which got rave reviews from the gang here. (Disclaimer: some of the children may have inherited my malaise: they seem to love anything blueberry, so the pie really may not be that good.)

Cream Pie Filling

1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks--beaten
3 cups milk--whole works best but you can use reduced fat
2 tablespoons butter
Mix first five ingredients together. Add egg yolks and stir to make a paste. Add milk while stirring. Cook over medium heat until filling boils. Add butter and vanilla--to taste.

To this basic recipe we added about 1 1/2 cups blueberries while the pudding was still hot.
You can also add raisins, cocoa, bananas, coconut, or pineapples for other variations.

Pour filling into baked pie crust.

Tamale Pie

This recipe takes a little bit of time (with simmering, etc) but is worth it! We really love it! We like to add sour cream, salsa or taco bell sauce, and fresh pico de gallo. This dish is medium on the spicy scale, if you're worried about it, I would decrease the amount of chili powder. My kids will eat the casserole as is, as long as I add sour cream.
I made this for company and they both had seconds, so I guess that's a good sign. Let me know what you think.

Filling:
2 Tbsp olive/canola oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic (I usually add more)
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I usually do only 1 lb)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup crushed tomatoes in puree
1/2 cup diced fresh green Anaheim or jalapeno chiles (1-2 chiles)
I combine the tomatoes and diced fresh chiles and use 1 can of rotel instead. Again, if you're looking to decrease the heat, you can just use one can of diced tomatoes.
1/4 cup masa harina (finely ground white corn, I bought mine at Aldi)
1 tbsp cider vinegar

Topping:
2 Tbsp Butter, melted
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup sour cream
1 8-oz can creamed corn
1 Tbsp baking powder

Directions:
1.Spray 13x9 inch glass baking pan with cooking spray. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. j Cook and stir onions 4 minutes or until soft. Stir in garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds or until fragrant. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in chili powder and cumin; stir 1 minute or until onions are well-coated and spices become fragrant.

2.Stir in beef, salt and pepper, breaking up with side of large spoon (try to keep it in 1/2 inch chunks). Cook 5 minutes, stirring gently. Add broth, tomatoes and chiles. Increase heat to medium-high; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 20 minutes.

3.Combine masa harina, vinegar and 1/2 cup of the liquid from meat mixture in small bowl. Stir into skillet; cook 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened. Place in baking dish. (Recipe can be made to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

4.Heat oven to 400F. Pour melted butter into medium bowl; stir in 1 1/4 cups of the cheese and all remaining topping ingredients. Spread topping over filling; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup of cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden-brown.

5. Eat and enjoy. For fresh pico de gallo, I chop onion, cilantro, and tomatoes and toss them together--you can add salt or lime juice if desired.

Recipe of the Week Idea

Ladies, what do you think of doing a "Recipe of the Week" (or of every other week) and we all try that recipe at some point during that time period and comment on it, or tweak it, etc? Maybe this should be a new recipe for all of us, even the one who submits the idea, or maybe the one who submits it has tried it several times. What do you ladies think? I am super excited about this blog!

A Great Movie and Book

Last night Dan went out quading with Anj and a friend, so I decided to catch up on laundry (5 loads!) and watch a movie. I watched Les Miserables (the 1998 version w/ Liam Neeson and Uma Thurman) and I really enjoyed it.

I've never read the book or seen the play (or seen any other version of the movie!) so it was totally new for me, which was fun. I really recommend it. The story is of a ex-convict and his parole officer and takes place over about about 30 years. I found myself thinking several times during the movie that I had no clue how it was going to end! So big props for that movie-- it was clean and very well done.

I also just re-read The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. I am not a huge NS fan, (the sex scenes and occasional swearing irk me) but this one is one of my favorites, and if you are looking for a fun, easy, clean summer read, I recommend it highly. :-)

Grilled Salmon with Dill Sauce

Hey, ladies--

Thanks SO much, Corey, for setting this up for us! That was done in record time!
I have a recipe that I wanted to share with the group (and anyone else who cares)...
I love you guys!
kak

Salmon on the grill with dill sauce (super easy; we are huge fish fans around here. Fresh is best, if you can find it without spending a fortune. Even Caleb eats it!).

1lb Salmon (atlantic is best)
tin foil
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
a few sqirts of mayo
1 dash lemon juice
1 tsp dill

preheat grill until hot
spread tin foil out..
dash olive oil on tin foil with dash salt & pepper

rinse salmon under water to remove errant scales, etc.
place on oil/salt and pepper/tin foil, skin side down

Dill/Mayo spread:
Tbsp of mayo
1 dash lemon juice
1 tsp dill
Mix together, spread evenly on salmon

Place salmon on grill. Close grill. Cook until salmon is white, flaky.