Tuesday: Red Lentil Soup with Pitas
Wednesday: Portobello Sandwiches topped with Bruschetta
Thursday: Sicilian Fish Stew, Salad and Popovers (I may be addicted!)
Friday: Pizza and Salad
Saturday: Nachos and a Hockey Game
Sunday: Working Girl's Pasta
Leftover Tamale Pie
There was only decaf coffee this morning...I think that may be all I need to say. I spent the day in a total funk and I think it rubbed off on the girls. We need a do over tomorrow because this day pretty much sucked! On the up side the girls are asleep (despite the nap that Harper had at Hannah's skating lesson?) and Dave and I are about to watch the hockey game - I'm not entirely convinced that I'll be able to stay awake for the entire game.
Recipe
There was a lot of Tamale Pie leftover from the other day, which I had stuck in the freezer and was very relieved that I had today. It was even better today.
Red Lentil Soup with Pitas
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| Hannah dressed as Angelina Ballerina for dance class. |
We were suppose to have broccoli with this meal but when I took it out of the steamer there was a little tiny worm on it - eeeewwwww! Dave promptly looked up broccoli worms and I promptly threw the broccoli in the garbage (wasteful I know, but I just couldn't after seeing that sucker). Apparently, broccoli worms are quite common, they stick really well to the broccoli and don't often come off even if you wash it really well - I guess steaming it does the trick. The site went on to say that really if you've ever eaten any kind of processed food before, you've eaten much worse (just a little plug for cooking fresh as often as you can). Really when you think of it, we probably consume lots of pesticides and chemicals these days without even knowing it and I'm squeamish at the thought of a worm, it doesn't really make sense does it? When Hannah asked where the broccoli was and we told her what happened she said, "You threw it out, why didn't you put it outside with it's friends?" (meaning the worm) I explained that it was dead and she responded with, "Probably that worm would be happier if it was alive." Probably...
Recipe
Despite the broccoli incident (for some reason I feel like I can't use the w word in the recipe part of the blog), dinner was delicious. I love this soup because it's yummy, quick and easy and Hannah kept asking for more of the green stuff. It's from Moosewood Simple Suppers.
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 mustard seeds (optional)
1 1/2 tsp anise or fennel seeds
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground ginger, or 2 Tbsp grated peeled ginger root
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
4 cups rinsed, drained, and chopped fresh mustard greens, Swiss chard, or spinach (I used some arugula that I needed to use up)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup coconut milk
Rinse the lentils and drain. In a soup pot, bring 5 cups of water, the lentils, and salt to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, about 30 minutes.
While the lentils cook, warm the oil in a saucepan on medium, heat, add the mustard seeds, and cover until they pop. Stir in the anise, red pepper flakes, ginger, and garlic and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Add the greens and the salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the greens are just wilted. Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for a minute. Remove from the heat.
When the lentils are soft, stir in the greens and coconut milk mixture and add salt to taste.
The sun came out for the first time today when we were picking Hannah up at the bus stop. Hannah and Harper were all ready to go play out in the backyard when we looked out the back and saw a very black sky...but it was still sunny in the front and so we hoped for the best and they went out and played. It started to rain lightly but they seemed happy and so I went to change the laundry over. When I came out and looked it was sleeting and getting stronger, the girls were hiding in the playhouse, their little faces peeking out the windows. I called them in (it was a bit of a fight to get them in) because it was coming down so hard (and shortly after there was some thunder and lightening). It later let up and the girls excitedly donned their winter boots, jackets, hats and mitts and went and played out in the snowy ice.
Recipe
These were really good, and although the mushroom and bruschetta seems like more of a summer meal we all enjoyed it.
4 Portobello mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp Balsamic
2 Cloves of garlic
1/2 loaf of ciabatta cut crosswise and then in half to make four squares
olive oil
8 thin slices of Brie cheese
Grill bread with a little olive oil and then melt two pieces of brie on each piece of bread. Add the mushroom and then top with bruschetta.
3 Ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 Handful of chopped fresh basil
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 Tbsp red onion, chopped fine
salt to taste
Mix all ingredients together and let sit for at least half an hour to an hour.
For the veggies, I just roasted (at 400F) whatever I had left in the fridge with a little olive oil.
Sicilian Fish Stew, Salad and Popovers
I missed the registration for swimming this year and so Hannah was put on a waiting list for lessons. This was very disappointing because she loves swimming so much and because I feel like it's so important that she learn to swim, so it was stressing me out a little. They called yesterday to tell us that a spot opened up Thursdays at 4:30 which was a little disappointing because it means that we now actually have to go to swimming lessons Thursday at 4:30. Hannah is very happy though and I feel a little better about her not drowning.
As I was getting ready this morning there was a very sad face with a very large sticky out lip at my door, "Hannah won't wet me in her woom." So Harper climbed up in our bed while I finished getting ready in the bathroom and I could hear her playing I spy with herself. "I spy with my wittle eye something tat is wed. Is it the book? Nooo. Is it the cup?..." Once she finished her turn she then took her turn - she's so funny (don't worry I came out and played with her).
Recipe
My parents came for supper tonight and we had this stew from Moosewood Cooks at Home.
1 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed
pinch or crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp marjoram
2 cups bottled clam juice*
3 cups undrained canned tomatoes, chopped or crushed (28 oz can)
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 lb scallops, rinsed
1/2 lb shelled shrimp
Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
Ground black pepper to taste
Capers (optional)
Black olives, chopped
*I couldn't find clam juice and so I used Clamato it was very tomatoey but still tasty. Dave didn't think too tomatoey, I would like to try it with clam juice or maybe using fish stock instead of Clamato. I did later find it at Safeway.
In soup pot, saute the onions in the olive oil on high heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the celery and bell peppers and saute, stirring for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne, oregano, basil and marjoram. Lower the heat, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the clam juice, tomatoes, and wine. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the scallops and shrimp, and cook until the scallops are no longer opaque and the shrimp are just pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with pepper to taste.
Top each serving with capers and olives.
I served it popovers from this post, to which I may be a little addicted.
We also had a salad of mixed greens with toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, cranberries and pears drizzled with olive oil, balsamic and maple syrup.
For dessert we had pear crisp from Bake Me Blush, except I made it in a large dish instead of in little ones (although so cute I didn't have them).
6 pears, cored and sliced
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
2 tsp cinnamon
Sprinkle of nutmeg
2/3 cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 375F.
Put the pears in an 8x8 baking dish.
In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and melted butter. Cover the pears with the mixture and press down. Bake for 30 minutes until top is golden brown and bubbling around the edges. We had ours with frozen yogurt.
Pizza and Salad
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| Don't worry it's not done yet! |
Hannah can be a very unique little girl (really, aren't all five year olds?). Last Halloween she had her heart set on being a pumpkin, which is actually a really hard costume to find for a four year old (easy if you're looking for a one year old). I was beginning to think...actually dread that I was going to have to try and make something, when we found this very funny costume at a second hand store that was warm and a pumpkin - Hannah fell in love with it and I was grateful that I didn't have to try and make something. This year when we asked her what she wanted to be, I kind of thought that since she was in school it would be something very popular that all the little girls were wanting to be, a princess? Strawberry Shortcake? Fairy? Dorothy? She chose a cake, she said birthday cake but as the explanation continued on she described a tiered wedding cake. Shit, I'm going to have to make something. My Mom and Dave both found one online to make that looked rather simple, and I kind of thought that Dave was going to make it but he was able to hold out longer and so I drank wine with my very good friend and cut and hot glued foam (my fingers once or twice) and cardboard to make what Hannah has decided will be a Halloween cake. I am very proud that I didn't wait until Sunday night. Although it has not yet been painted or decorated, there's still lots of time to procrastinate.
Recipe
A little while back I said I was going to try and find a really good pizza dough, there's one problem that I've realized about this quest, I hate making pizza dough. I'm not sure why, maybe because it's always Friday night and I'm tired? I don't know, but I hate doing it and so I've called off the quest and asked Dave to pick some up from Dianna's Pizza tonight.
For the salad I chopped up red onion, tomatoes, olives, cucumber, feta cheese and let it all sit together sprinkled with a little salt, pepper and oregano. I let it sit for about an hour at room temperature and then tossed in a little lettuce just before eating.
Nachos and a Hockey Game
We have a sick little one and so Harper and I laid pretty low today. She spiked a fever last night and seems to be on the mend with a very low grade fever today which means we read a lot of stories. She had a nap this afternoon while Hannah and Dave went out to get the Halloween candy and pumpkins and so I stayed in bed with her and read. By the time dinner was ready and the game was about to start she was sitting on the couch calling, "Pre-Game! Pre-Game! Go Jets Goooooo!" waiting for Dave to turn the game on. So I'm hoping for the best for tomorrow.
I just hope she's not sick for Halloween because she's so excited. In our house we buy the kid's candy (which I think is becoming quite common in lots of households) and then they can go by a toy with the money. The concept behind this is obviously so the kids don't get candy for a week, but in reality at this point it saves me and Dave. We would end up rationing the candy to a couple pieces a day for them and in the meantime we would eat it all. When I explained to Harper that she would get to go shopping and buy a toy her eyes lit up and she gave me the biggest bear hug! I hope she's well.
Recipe
I'm not entirely proud of this dinner for health reasons, but every once and awhile we have nachos for dinner and it's just so good and feels like such a treat, especially accompanied by beer and a hockey game.
The key to nachos is to do them on one layer or layer them, not dump a pile and then dress the top because you miss out on some serious good stuff. I made two single layered cookie sheets, one for us with hot peppers and one for the kids, each side tailored to them.
Preheat oven to 400F.
We used 1 bag of multigrain tortillas and topped it with the following:
Black olives, chopped
Pickled banana peppers
Black beans, rinsed and drained
Red onion, chopped fine
Cheddar cheese, grated
Mozzarella cheese, grated
Red pepper, chopped
Cilantro, chopped
We had salsa verde, refried beans and sour cream on the side for dipping.
Bring your own beer and find your own hockey game.
Working Girl's Pasta and Salad
Well, I'm really feeling like a bad mom for the nacho supper because Harper woke up this morning, had breakfast and has been throwing up since, and the last thing that nourished her body was nachos!!! On, dear. She's spent most of the day sleeping on the couch while Dave, Hannah and I have been getting ready for Halloween. Mostly by decorating Hannah's costume and carving the pumpkins. The costume is all ready to go, we're waiting and hoping that everybody's healthy tomorrow.
Recipe
This is from Jamie Oliver: Jamie's Dinners. It calls for anchovy fillets which I couldn't find at our regular grocery store and didn't make it to the market to pick some up. We had it without and quite liked it but I'm sure they add a nice salty flavour. The actual translation for this dish is Whore's Pasta, as many of you know or guessed, but maybe you don't put that title in a family cookbook and that's why he changed the name. I can just imagine what the conversation would have been tonight. "What's this called?" "What's a whore?" as Harper repeated the new word she learned, whore, everywhere and anywhere for the next week or two - yes, taking whore out of the name was probably a safe decision.
1 handful of fresh basil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
zest and juice of 1 lemon
olive oil
2 - 8 oz tuna steaks, chopped into bite size chunks or 2 cans of good quality tuna, packed in oil, drained
14 oz penne or spaghetti
8 anchovy fillets
2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
2 handfuls of soaked capers
1 handful of black olives, chopped
1 - 3 small dried chillies, crumbled to your taste, or 1 fresh red chilli deseeded and finely sliced
2 handfuls of really ripe tomatoes. finely chopped
optional: a swig of white wine
a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Smash the basil to a pulp with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the lemon zest and juice and 2 good gluggs of olive oil. Mix this up and either rub over your chopped fresh tuna or mix with your broken up canned tuna and allow to marinate.
Get a large pan of salted boiling water on and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. As soon as you put the pasta on, put 3 or 4 good gluggs of olive oil into a large frying pan and put on the heat. As the pan starts to get warm, add your anchovy fillets and allow them to melt. At this point add your garlic, capers, olives and chilli and stir around for a couple of minutes. If you have used fresh tuna, add it to the pan now with all of the marinating juices and sear it on both sides. When done, add the tomatoes and a little swig of white wine if you have some. If you have used canned tuna, add it to the pan at the same time as the tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then simmer for around 5 minutes, stirring regularly, breaking up the tuna into smaller pieces. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper.
The pasta should now be ready, so drain it in a colander, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Toss the hot pasta with the hot tuna sauce, add the parsley and mix well. you may need a few more gluggs of olive oil and a spoonful of cooking water to make the sauce nice and loose.
May the sun shine down on you this week and may you have a Happy Halloween!
Well, I'm really feeling like a bad mom for the nacho supper because Harper woke up this morning, had breakfast and has been throwing up since, and the last thing that nourished her body was nachos!!! On, dear. She's spent most of the day sleeping on the couch while Dave, Hannah and I have been getting ready for Halloween. Mostly by decorating Hannah's costume and carving the pumpkins. The costume is all ready to go, we're waiting and hoping that everybody's healthy tomorrow.
This is from Jamie Oliver: Jamie's Dinners. It calls for anchovy fillets which I couldn't find at our regular grocery store and didn't make it to the market to pick some up. We had it without and quite liked it but I'm sure they add a nice salty flavour. The actual translation for this dish is Whore's Pasta, as many of you know or guessed, but maybe you don't put that title in a family cookbook and that's why he changed the name. I can just imagine what the conversation would have been tonight. "What's this called?" "What's a whore?" as Harper repeated the new word she learned, whore, everywhere and anywhere for the next week or two - yes, taking whore out of the name was probably a safe decision.
1 handful of fresh basil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
zest and juice of 1 lemon
olive oil
2 - 8 oz tuna steaks, chopped into bite size chunks or 2 cans of good quality tuna, packed in oil, drained
8 anchovy fillets
2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
2 handfuls of soaked capers
1 handful of black olives, chopped
1 - 3 small dried chillies, crumbled to your taste, or 1 fresh red chilli deseeded and finely sliced
2 handfuls of really ripe tomatoes. finely chopped
optional: a swig of white wine
a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Smash the basil to a pulp with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the lemon zest and juice and 2 good gluggs of olive oil. Mix this up and either rub over your chopped fresh tuna or mix with your broken up canned tuna and allow to marinate.
Get a large pan of salted boiling water on and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. As soon as you put the pasta on, put 3 or 4 good gluggs of olive oil into a large frying pan and put on the heat. As the pan starts to get warm, add your anchovy fillets and allow them to melt. At this point add your garlic, capers, olives and chilli and stir around for a couple of minutes. If you have used fresh tuna, add it to the pan now with all of the marinating juices and sear it on both sides. When done, add the tomatoes and a little swig of white wine if you have some. If you have used canned tuna, add it to the pan at the same time as the tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then simmer for around 5 minutes, stirring regularly, breaking up the tuna into smaller pieces. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper.
The pasta should now be ready, so drain it in a colander, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Toss the hot pasta with the hot tuna sauce, add the parsley and mix well. you may need a few more gluggs of olive oil and a spoonful of cooking water to make the sauce nice and loose.
May the sun shine down on you this week and may you have a Happy Halloween!
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