Many nights, I make quick and easy dinners that I know everyone will like. Sure, I mix it up a bit, maybe modifying the seasoning on my roast chicken, or serving chili with rice instead of corn bread, or making mashed potatoes instead of baked with steak. And I have to admit that for the most part, my family greatly appreciates and enjoys what I cook. Then there are nights that I spend an hour or more chopping, braising, and sauteeing, and someone complains, and I feel so under valued.
When Noah was younger, we ate a lot of salmon with pasta and steamed vegetables. Besides chicken, it was his favorite protein, and Greg and I like it too, so I'd try it one night with dijon mustard, another with a pineapple mango salsa, and other nights just with basic seasonings and herbs. Then for a while, he stopped liking it and we fell out of the habit. I'd try trout or tilapia and he and/or his siblings would protest, and so we fell into a rut of chicken, ground beef, pork (usually pulled or ribs), and occasionally a steak.
Fairly recently I started thinking about how nice it is to have a fresh piece of fish in the summer with herbs from the garden, and a light and easy side dish like a bean salad or cole slaw, and resolved to start eating fish more often. Last week when I was at Whole Foods, I picked up a package of tilapia (I think farm raised is what they sell, if that's the "safest" in terms of mercury contamination).
As I started to think about dinner this evening, I contemplated how I could make the fish so that everyone would like it. I knew I wanted it to stay very moist, and to be able to make the vegetables in the same pan. So, I raided the crisper and came up with mushrooms, a green onion and grape tomatoes (so happy that Publix was selling organic tomatoes for only fifty cents more than regular--Ava loves to eat these all day long). In the fridge I found a half eaten jar of artichokes, and green olives. I chopped all of those and placed them on top of the tilapia, then drizzled everything with a little olive oil and sea salt. The meal was delicious and everyone pretty much cleaned their plates. Greg and I are mostly following a low/no carb diet now, so we had the fish alone, but the kids had pasta.
Next up on the menu will be salmon, and I'll probably prepare it the way Noah always used to love it, with a paste of dijon mustard, mayo (I'll use Veganaise), salt, pepper, and some type of herb--maybe parsley. The health benefits for wild Alaskan salmon are so plentiful, that I'd love to get this back into the rotation weekly. Wish me luck!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Spring
Luke's birthday is on the first day of spring, and ever since he was born, I've had such a love of all things spring. I remember coming home from the hospital with newborn Luke, and seeing that all of the tulips in my garden had bloomed while he and I were in the hospital.
The past few years I lost my enthusiasm for planting bulbs in the fall, but without fail, every March those gorgeous tulips grow and bloom and make me happy.
Last week I decided that since the tulips were almost on their way out, I needed to add more color to our front yard. So far I've been to http://www.pikenursery.com twice, a small local nursery once, and Home Depot twice in search of the perfect plants, flowers, seeds, and vegetables.
Yesterday the family and I headed out after breakfast and started weeding, laying mulch, planting flowers, and at times, riding bikes. There is so much still to do, but my petunias and marigolds have been planted by our mailbox, as well as a few special surprises (ok, I'll tell you...I planted dill, cilantro, and lavender seeds there too; I was thinking it would be nice to smell them each time I pull into the driveway) that I hope do well in that partially shady spot. I also planted cucumbers and red and yellow peppers in one of our garden boxes, and put basil and dill in pots. My mint (three types, what was I thinking?), oregano, and parsley survived the harsh winter, so those are ready to be used.
Today Ava and I made another pit stop and I picked up salvia and beautiful purple blue hydrangeas. Still on my list are organic tomatoes, either plants or seeds, and more cucumbers.
Next weekend we have our last big job, moving our bigger/deeper garden box to a sunnier spot. Because the bottom is made of weed cloth, we have to remove the dirt before moving it, which involves lots of shoveling and wheelbarrowing. The goal is to plant carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, onions, and white potatoes in that box.
I can't wait for all the new additions to our garden to start blooming, and to harvest vegetables this summer!
The past few years I lost my enthusiasm for planting bulbs in the fall, but without fail, every March those gorgeous tulips grow and bloom and make me happy.
Last week I decided that since the tulips were almost on their way out, I needed to add more color to our front yard. So far I've been to http://www.pikenursery.com twice, a small local nursery once, and Home Depot twice in search of the perfect plants, flowers, seeds, and vegetables.
Yesterday the family and I headed out after breakfast and started weeding, laying mulch, planting flowers, and at times, riding bikes. There is so much still to do, but my petunias and marigolds have been planted by our mailbox, as well as a few special surprises (ok, I'll tell you...I planted dill, cilantro, and lavender seeds there too; I was thinking it would be nice to smell them each time I pull into the driveway) that I hope do well in that partially shady spot. I also planted cucumbers and red and yellow peppers in one of our garden boxes, and put basil and dill in pots. My mint (three types, what was I thinking?), oregano, and parsley survived the harsh winter, so those are ready to be used.
Today Ava and I made another pit stop and I picked up salvia and beautiful purple blue hydrangeas. Still on my list are organic tomatoes, either plants or seeds, and more cucumbers.
Next weekend we have our last big job, moving our bigger/deeper garden box to a sunnier spot. Because the bottom is made of weed cloth, we have to remove the dirt before moving it, which involves lots of shoveling and wheelbarrowing. The goal is to plant carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, onions, and white potatoes in that box.
I can't wait for all the new additions to our garden to start blooming, and to harvest vegetables this summer!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Baked ziti
The other day I was feeling industrious, and decided to make a dish that I don't make often, due to Ava's food allergies. After popping into Whole Foods for the ingredients needed, I set to work making fresh ricotta cheese (recipe below)and tomato sauce. Both are so easy and they elevate any recipe. Each time I make tomato sauce it's slightly different, but that day I added fresh parsley and basil from my garden, lots of kosher salt and cracked black pepper, a few red pepper flakes, and some minced garlic and onions that I sauteed in olive oil.
Normally ziti is a meatless recipe, but my crew loves fresh sausage in just about anything, and I've been trying hard to protein load, so I got a few links of mild Italian sausage and sliced them thinly, then sauteed them with fresh spinach and some of the minced garlic and onions that I made for my sauce.
While I'd love to say that I made the pasta from scratch, I definitely did not! I did get fresh mozzarella, which is honestly one of my favorite foods in life, and cubed most of it and grated some too, trying hard not to eat the majority of it before putting it into the pan.
When each component was made, I layered all the ingredients like this: sauce, pasta, spinach, sausage, ricotta cheese, sauce, and mozzarella, both the cubed and the shredded. I baked it for about fifteen minutes and watched the boys and Greg go nuts for it.
Ava had Tinkyada brown rice spirals with sauce, spinach, and sausage, and she really enjoyed hers too.
My recipe made quite a bit of ricotta, more than I needed for the ziti dish, so for a few days after I'd eat it off the spoon plain or with a slice of pear. So delicious! It's also really great on a toast point with a basil leaf or even plain. Try it, you'll be glad you did.
Creamy Ricotta
Active: 20 Minutes
Total: 3 Hours
Makes about 3 1/2 cups
2 quarts whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3T white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
In a medium pot, warm the milk and cream over moderately high heat until the surface becomes foamy and steamy; don't let the milk boil. Remove the pot from heat. Add the vinegar and gently stir for 30 seconds; the mixture will curdle almost immediately. Add the salt and stir for 30 seconds longer. Cover the pot with a clean towel and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
Line a large colander with several layers of cheesecloth, allowing several inches of overhang. Set the colander in a large bowl. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the curds to the colander. Carefully gather the corners of the cheesecloth and close with a rubber band. Let the ricotta stand for 30 minutes, gently pressing and squeezing the cheesecloth occasionally to drain off the whey. Transfer the ricotta to a bowl and use at once, or cover and refrigerate.
Fresh ricotta can be refrigerated up to 3 days.
Normally ziti is a meatless recipe, but my crew loves fresh sausage in just about anything, and I've been trying hard to protein load, so I got a few links of mild Italian sausage and sliced them thinly, then sauteed them with fresh spinach and some of the minced garlic and onions that I made for my sauce.
While I'd love to say that I made the pasta from scratch, I definitely did not! I did get fresh mozzarella, which is honestly one of my favorite foods in life, and cubed most of it and grated some too, trying hard not to eat the majority of it before putting it into the pan.
When each component was made, I layered all the ingredients like this: sauce, pasta, spinach, sausage, ricotta cheese, sauce, and mozzarella, both the cubed and the shredded. I baked it for about fifteen minutes and watched the boys and Greg go nuts for it.
Ava had Tinkyada brown rice spirals with sauce, spinach, and sausage, and she really enjoyed hers too.
My recipe made quite a bit of ricotta, more than I needed for the ziti dish, so for a few days after I'd eat it off the spoon plain or with a slice of pear. So delicious! It's also really great on a toast point with a basil leaf or even plain. Try it, you'll be glad you did.
Creamy Ricotta
Active: 20 Minutes
Total: 3 Hours
Makes about 3 1/2 cups
2 quarts whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3T white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
In a medium pot, warm the milk and cream over moderately high heat until the surface becomes foamy and steamy; don't let the milk boil. Remove the pot from heat. Add the vinegar and gently stir for 30 seconds; the mixture will curdle almost immediately. Add the salt and stir for 30 seconds longer. Cover the pot with a clean towel and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
Line a large colander with several layers of cheesecloth, allowing several inches of overhang. Set the colander in a large bowl. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the curds to the colander. Carefully gather the corners of the cheesecloth and close with a rubber band. Let the ricotta stand for 30 minutes, gently pressing and squeezing the cheesecloth occasionally to drain off the whey. Transfer the ricotta to a bowl and use at once, or cover and refrigerate.
Fresh ricotta can be refrigerated up to 3 days.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)