Summer Fondue Night

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Laura

Confession: this heat turns me into a whimpering baby. I don’t want to eat, I don’t want to move, I don’t even want to think. Today, the heat index was 103, which I realize is no where near as bad as it is where my college roomies live in Oklahoma and Arizona, but for this Ohio girl who loves her snow, I felt like I was suffocating. We came home from a birthday party and I realized that I needed to feed the kids and nearly broke down in tears. I made an off-handed comment about just wanting cheese and crackers for supper to Matt and he asked why we couldn’t do that. Lightbulb!

Veggies, cheese, meat and dip platter

We eat a lot of fruit in the summer. Tonight, the four of us put away a quart of strawberries, several cups of watermelon, bananas and cucumbers (which I do realize are not a fruit, but at 96% water, they made the dinner plates for a reason.). I wanted some protein so I sliced up some local cheese and pepperoni to eat with a quick dip for the cucumbers. And graham crackers. We eat a LOT of graham crackers in this house. Everyone gobbled their meals down and I had some leftovers to keep for snacking. Yay!

Peanut Butter Fondue, fruit and crackers

Peanut butter fondue

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
8 ounces Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. strawberry jam

Whisk together until smooth and fully incorporated. Serve as a dip with various fruits, crackers or even carrots.

Thankful

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Laura

Oh he’s thankful, alright… for PIE!!

Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving with my in-laws. This story is proof positive that you can throw a dinner party 18 hours after confirming the date/time and still get a decent night’s rest. I loved that part… the whole in-bed-before-1030 part. I was tired. I was still tired the next day, so there are photos missing from our adventure that which bothers me, but I guess I’ll survive. I’m going to give you a little run down of how I did our day, our menu and then share the recipes throughout the week. I realized that I don’t cook turkey’s nearly often enough so at some point I’ll do another so I can have a cooked bird photo for you!

Swoon… I just love my turkey: bacon, rum and Ohio maple syrup… it doesn’t get much better!

Menu:

Maple-Rum Glazed Turkey (recipe below)

Stuffing

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Brussel sprouts

Roasted sweet potato slices (made for Sylvia so she could participate)

Mashed Potatoes

Pumpkin Pie

Nutmeg Maple Cream Pie (Recipe from here. Go there right now and make it. You’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven. I promise.)

I purchased our turkey on Thursday night. I knew I wasn’t scheduled to entertain this week, but I really, really wanted to cook a turkey because people like the Pioneer Woman were posting these recipes for the turkey leftovers that motivated me enough to go to the store at 830 at night to find a turkey. It was the smallest of the turkeys that didn’t have anything extra (preservatives, colorants, etc.) and it still weighed 17.33 pounds. And it was frozen solid.

The pretty brine, pre-turkey

Friday afternoon, we confirmed our lunch date for noon on Saturday. I had the turkey in the fridge, but didn’t get a chance to actually start thawing it until around 5. I followed instructions I found online to “emergency” thawing a turkey. Every time I changed the water over the next 5 hours, I reminded myself that this is why I like to plan ahead: so I’m not wrestling a giant, half-frozen bird to drain the sink and washing my hands up to my elbows 27 times. Once the turkey was almost completely thawed, we put it in for a last soak in the sink and I set up the brine. I’ve made 3 turkeys and brined all 3. I will probably never do one without one. My brine consists of: 1 cup coarse salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. red pepper flakes, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. ginger, 2 tsp. whole peppercorns, 1 tsp. dried thyme, 1 gallon chicken stock and water. We have a small cooler that is the perfect size to put a turkey on it’s side and fill with the brine. First, I put in the chicken broth and then the bird. Then, I sprinkle in the salt, sugar and spices. Finally, I put in enough water to cover the whole bird, shifting it around so that the whole cavity is filled with the mixture. We put the lid on and then stored it in the garage. It was below freezing out over night, but since everything was in the cooler, I wasn’t worried. Alton Brown did an episode on brining and just left his on the “back porch”. I don’t. There are too many wild animals around here to risk something like that the night before we have company. I should also note that I made the pumpkin pie and the mashed potatoes the night before while I was waiting for the turkey to thaw and had a tart pan prepped with crust for the Maple Cream pie. And I was in bed at 1015.

The pretty brine, with turkey

The next morning, I got up and made the Cream Pie and prepped the turkey while the pie was cooking. My turkey is a little different that other people’s in that I swaddle it in bacon. I know. I’m all about the healthy foods and then I go and do something like that?! Just stay with me for a minute. I put the bacon slices on the body of the bird and then also on the legs. I then throw some onions, parsley, salt, pepper and any extra bacon I feel like into the cavity of the bird. The next step is to heave a roaster with the bacon covered turkey into the oven and cook it at 500 degrees for 45 minutes. Then, I take it out (rather, Matt takes it out), cover it in foil and lower the heat to 350. I put the bird in the oven at about 945, lowered the temperature around 1030 and went to take a shower.

The bacon swaddle

Around 11, I returned to the kitchen, showered, relaxed, hair and makeup done. I got the mashed potatoes out of the fridge and diced up a loaf of French bread for my stuffing. Once the bread was diced, I spread it on a baking sheet and popped it into the oven on the rack below the turkey. I spent the next 15 minutes, getting the rest of my stuffing ready (recipe tomorrow), cleaning up what I could, setting the table and prepping the glaze for the turkey. We took the turkey out of the oven at 1130 (temperature reading 168 degrees). I removed the foil and the bacon. The bacon gets set aside for the dogs… they should get to celebrate too! The turkey is almost fully cooked, but has no color. To remedy this, I spread on my glaze which consists of equal parts dark rum and maple syrup. I usually start with 1/3 a cup of each and see where that gets me. I covered the turkey with the glaze and then popped it back in the oven for 10 minutes. I glazed it again and returned it for another 10 minutes. By then the temperature was 175 degrees and considering that the internal temperature would continue to rise, I skipped the 3rd glazing in favor of not having a dry bird and took it out to rest. It was about 1150, so I put the stuffing, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese in the oven.

My little half pint post mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes and stuffing. We’re big into the tactile experiences in this kitchen.

I fed Sylvia and was ready to carve the turkey by the time my in-laws got to the house. We served lunch officially around 1, but only because it took forever to carve the giant bird and get the kids set up. The turkey was amazing. The bacon and tin foil serve to keep the meat moist while flavoring it. The turkey wasn’t as dark as it has been in the past, but only because it cooked a little faster than I had anticipated. We all ate until we were stuffed and yet I wasn’t tired enough of the turkey a few hours later when I made myself a turkey sandwich on some leftover French bread. We had a wonderful day and was able to relax and enjoy the time with our children and my in-laws. Of course, my kitchen still looks like a bomb went off in it, but it was well worth the mess. After, it is our family and these moments we are most grateful for, isn’t it?

Why yes, yes I can!

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Laura

I started canning the summer after I got married. I had been on a mission to learn how to really cook food and somehow, canning my garden’s bounty seemed to fit into this. That first year really all I canned was salsa, tomato sauce and tomatoes. The tomato sauce was a disaster; thin as water and over seasoned. The tomatoes were so insanely time consuming and I hardly got any jars for all the work I put in. The salsa was edible, though. That salsa was what told me the next year to go back to the farm stand and get more tomatoes and try again. 2008′s harvest left me with a freezer that was stocked, shelves filled with my home canned goodies and confidence.

I didn’t can a darn thing in 2009 under the misconception that I wouldn’t be able to do anything with a newborn. He was colicky for sure, but I just didn’t know yet how to manage my time. Last year, I did everything I could, and was really proud of myself. I didn’t meet my goals for the year, but I still enjoyed opening my cabinets and seeing the product of my work. This year, I made my canning goal list out before Sylvia was born and with my guide to the Ohio produce availability, marked out my plan on my calendar and made my plan. I’ve managed to pass my goals in everything and I even learned how to operate a pressure canner without terror. The only left for me to do is figure out how much Sylvia likes applesauce and work accordingly.

I can for several reasons, not the least of which being that I know exactly what is going in my family’s bodies. I know where all my food came from since I either picked it myself or know the growers. The food is fresh when it goes in those sparkling clean jars made from glass… no chance of BPA there! Every year, I reuse what I had from prior years and add to the stash as needed. I recycle my jar lids (and the rings as needed). It would be a lie to say that I don’t get sad as I watch my stash slowly dwindle through the winter and early spring. I love that my grocery bills are low through the winter because when I need diced tomatoes, just head to the basement and draw on what I’ve already done.

Prices around here have gone up dramatically. Even store brand canned corn is over a dollar a can and it’s rarely on sale. Last week, canned tomatoes were on sale for 69 cents. Regularly, that brand of tomatoes sells for $1.19. I bought a bushel of tomatoes for 10 dollars and 36 pints of tomatoes. This breaks down to 28 cents a pint. And I didn’t clip one coupon. My pickled peppers? 19 cents a pint. By taking the time and the effort over the summer to save money, I can then take that money I would have spent on canned goods and put it into buying more organic and natural products for my family.

I can because I save money. I can because I like to use a skill I possess. I can because it’s healthy for my family. But most of all, I can because I feel like I get to do a little something extra for my family with each jar that I put on the shelves in the basement. I love to make peanut butter sandwiches with my own jelly. I love to know that when I feed people I actually did it all by myself, standing in the heat of my kitchen, scrounging up those precious nap times so I could be productive. Last week was hard, but I know that come January when I still have shelves full of the summer’s produce, I won’t begrudge one bit the tomato stained finger nails and late nights. Instead, I will open each jar and savor the moment as I remember this summer and all I learned about myself.

A Peck of Pickled Peppers

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Laura

As I mentioned in my last post, I had some hopes to get peppers and tomatoes done in the next few weeks. That was Monday morning’s ideal. By yesterday afternoon, I was just hoping to get through the next hour in one piece. Since Monday afternoon, 3 bushels of tomatoes and 2 pecks of peppers have made their way through my kitchen to either be canned or froze. Both of my kids decided to make this the week they didn’t want to have any independent play time, so I did what I could during the day and wound up working until 11 or 12 every night. Eh. I only lost about a peck worth of tomatoes because I didn’t get them peeled and diced soon enough. I am only 1 person, so I let it go.

As crazy as the week was, I have to say that I am finally getting to see how much fun Liam and I will be able to have next year with our garden. He was very interested in all the vegetables that came into our kitchen, going so far as to choose some of the peppers we picked up for freezing. He wanted very badly to help me, so when I did the canned peppers, I told him to get a chair and dig in. He was thrilled and actually wound up being a great help for a dozen pints. Pickled peppers turned out to be the easiest thing I’ve canned next to peaches. The longest part for me was the slicing of all the peppers, once that was over with, Liam and I packed the jars and I sent him off to play while I poured in the hot liquid and processed them. 18 pints of pickled peppers from 1 peck of sweet banana peppers; bring Peter Piper!

Pickled Pepper Rings

Peppers of your choice (I used sweet bananas in most of my jars, but I did throw a few hot ones in for Matt’s sake.)
Minced garlic
Salt
Water
White vinegar

Boil equal parts water and white vinegar. Slice up the peppers into rings and pack them tightly into sterilized pint jars. Add 1 tsp. of minced garlic and a scant 1/2 tsp. salt to each jar. Pour the boiling liquid over the peppers, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Wipe the rims and screw the caps and rings on tightly. Process for 10 minutes. Allow jars to rest until cool and store in a cool, dark place until ready to use. Pepper rings should be refrigerated after they are opened, if you have any left in the jar, that is! We use our rings on pizzas, in pasta salads and sandwiches and just for snacking. Enjoy!

Toddlers in the Garden

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Laura

Welcome to the May Carnival of Natural Parenting: Growing in the Outdoors
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how they encourage their children to connect with nature and dig in the dirt. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
***

I grew up in the garden with my parents. Every year what we weren’t able to grow in our own garden, we picked at local co-ops or bought from farm stands. I dreamed of being able to do this with my own children someday and last summer, when Liam was finally old enough to care about spending the day outside, we did just that. He was just barely 1, but he certainly enjoyed sitting in the middle of my plants and getting his chubby little hands dirty.

This year, Liam is really into “helping”. He has his own little spade and rake to use in the dirt. We moved in the Fall, so our yard is still a blank canvas. This year, we’ll be doing mostly container gardening while we prep the ground for a real planting next year. Those containers will be just his height to help water every night before bed. We have strawberries and raspberries waiting to be put in the ground this weekend and I’m excited to let him help dig the holes for the canes.

One of my favorite things about toddlers is their contagious enthusiasm. He loves to grocery shop with me because I let him pick out the carrots or the asparagus. We practice our color identification and we count apples. Because I love food so much, he loves to grocery shop and cook with me. This year, I’m excited to teach him about tomatoes and show him the plant before during and after the tomatoes sprout. I can’t wait to put that first garden-fresh tomato in his hands and let him taste it. And I can’t wait to hear him say “mmmmmm!” as the juice drips down his chin.

**Of course, our littlest family member will also be along for the ride, but her first real introduction to our gardening life won’t be until this Fall when we begin Baby Led Weaning as a way to introduce her to solid foods.

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon May 10 with all the carnival links.)

Get Out! — Momma Jorje gives reasons she doesn’t think she gets outside enough and asks for your suggestions on making time for the outdoors.

How Does Your Garden Grow? — The ArtsyMama shares her love of nature photography.

We Go Outside — Amy at Peace 4 Parents describes her family’s simple, experiential approach to encouraging appreciation of nature.

My Not-So-Green Thumb — Wolfmother confesses to her lack of gardening skills but expresses hope in learning alongside her son at Fabulous Mama Chronicles.

Enjoying Outdoors — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine describes how her children enjoy the nature.

Five Ideas to Encourage the Reluctant Junior Gardener — For the rare little ones who don’t like to get their hands dirty, Dionna at Code Name: Mama offers tips for encouraging an early love of dirt (despite the mess).

Connecting to Nature — Mamapoekie shares how growing your own vegetable patch connects your child to nature and urges them to not take anything for granted.

The Farmer’s Market Classroom — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction shares how the Farmer’s Market has become her son’s classroom.

Seeds — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment‘s hubby Ken shares his perspective on why gardening with their kiddos is so important . . . and enjoyable!

Toddlers in the Garden — Laura at A Pug in the Kitchen shares her excitement as she continues to introduce her toddler and new baby to the joys of fresh veggies, straight from the garden.

Nature’s Weave — MJ at Wander Wonder Discover explains how nature weaves its way into our lives naturally, magnetically, experientially, and spiritually.

Becoming Green — Kristina at Hey Red celebrates and nurtures her daughter’s blossoming love of the outdoors.

Little Gardener — Rosemary at Rosmarinus Officinalis looks forward to introducing her baby girl to gardening and exploring home grown foods for the first time.

Cultivating Abundance — You can never be poor if you have a garden! Lucy at Dreaming Aloud reflects on what she cultivates in her garden . . . and finds it’s a lot more than seeds!

Growing in the Outdoors: Plants and People — Luschka at Diary of a First Child reflects on how she is growing while teaching her daughter to appreciate nature, the origins of food, and the many benefits of eating home-grown.

How Not to Grow — Anna at Wild Parenting discusses why growing vegetables fills her with fear.

A Garden Made of Straw — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy shares tips on making a straw bale garden.

The Tradition of Gardening — Carrie at Love Notes Mama reflects on the gifts that come with the tradition of gardening.

Gardening Smells Like Home — Bethy at Bounce Me to the Moon hopes that her son will associate home grown food and lovely flowers with home.

The New Normal — Patti at Jazzy Mama writes about how she hopes that growing vegetables in a big city will become totally normal for her children’s generation.

Outside, With You — Amy at Anktangle writes a letter to her son, a snapshot of a moment in the garden together.

Farmer Boy — Abbie at Farmer’s Daughter shares how her son Joshua helps to grow and raise their family’s food.

Growing Kids in the Garden — Lisa at Granola Catholic shares easy ways to get your kids involved in the garden.

Growing Food Without a Garden — Don’t have a garden? “You can still grow food!” says Mrs Green of Little Green Blog. Whatever the size of your plot, she shows you how.

Growing Things — Liz at Garden Variety Mama shares her reasons for gardening with her kids, even though she has no idea what she’s doing.

Moments — UK Mummy Blogger explains how the great outdoors provides a backdrop for her family to reconnect.

Condo Kid Turns Composter and Plastic Police — Jessica from Cloth Diapering Mama has discovered that her young son is a true earth lover despite living in a condo with no land to call their own.

Gardening with Baby — Sheila at A Gift Universe shows us how her garden and her son are growing.

Why to Choose Your Local Farmer’s Market — Naturally Nena shares why she believes it’s important to teach our children the value of local farmers.

Unfolding into Nature — At Crunchy-Chewy Mama, Jessica Claire shares her desire to cultivate a reverence for nature through gardening, buying local food, and just looking out the window.

Urban Gardening with Kids — Lauren at Hobo Mama shares her strategies for urban gardening with kids — without a yard but with a whole lot of enthusiasm.

Mama Doesn’t Garden — Laura at Our Messy Messy Life is glad her husband is there to instill the joys of gardening in their children, while all she has to do is sit back and eat homegrown tomato sandwiches.

Why We Make this Organic Garden Grow — Brenna at Almost All The Truth shares her reasons for gardening with her three small children.

5 Ways to Help Your Baby Develop a Love of the Natural World — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama believes it’s never too early to foster a love of the natural world in your little one.

April Showers Bring May PRODUCE — Erika at NaMammaSte discusses her plans for raising a little gardener.

Growing Outside — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante discovers how to get her kids outside after weeks of spring rain.

Eating Healthier — Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey talks about how she learns to eat healthier and encourages her children to do the same.

The Beauty of Earth and Heavens — Inspired by Charlotte Mason, Erica at ChildOrganics discovers nature in her own front yard.

Seeing the Garden Through the Weeds — Amanda at Let’s Take the Metro talks about the challenges of gardening with two small children.

Creating a Living Playhouse: Our Bean Teepee! — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings shares how her family creates a living playhouse “bean teepee” and includes tips of how to involve kids in gardening projects.

Grooming a Tree-Hugger: Introducing the Outdoors — Ana at Pandamoly shares some of her planned strategies for making this spring and summer memorable and productive for her pre-toddler in the Outdoors.

Sowing Seeds of Life and Love — Suzannah at ShoutLaughLove celebrates the simple joys of baby chicks, community gardening, and a semi-charmed country life.

Experiencing Nature and Growing Plants Outdoors Without a Garden — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares some of her favorite ways her family discovered to fully experience nature wherever they lived.

Garden Day — Melissa at The New Mommy Files is thankful to be part of community of families, some of whom can even garden!

Teaching Garden Ettiquette to the Locusts — Tashmica from Mother Flippin’ (guest posting at Natural Parents Network) allows her children to ravage her garden every year in the hopes of teaching them a greater lesson about how to treat the world.

Why I Play with Worms. — Megan of Megadoula, Megamom and Megatired shares why growing a garden and raising her children go hand in hand.

The one in which I divulge my favorite vegetables

Posted on October 16, 2010 by Laura

I am a vegetable girl. Generally speaking, I like them best when they are fresh from the garden and raw. I just need a little salt and we are on our merry way. And although a dash of salt is my favorite way to enjoy seasoning on these gems of the garden, I’ve also learned to branch out and try new things. Tonight was such a night. After a rather leisurely day, we decided to spend the afternoon in the apple orchard and take a hayride. While I was on this hayride, listening to a mother nag and belittle her children for the entire 15 minutes we were together, I began to think of my favorite things. I tried to order my top 5 favorite vegetables, but just can’t. So here in no particular order are my top 5:

Lettuce
Cucumbers
Asparagus
Green Beans
Brussel Sprouts

(I also wanted to include Broccoli, but when it comes down to it, I prefer Green Beans. Namely raw, so since I’m not a big fan of raw broccoli except for in rare cases, the Bean won.)

While I was on this hayride, it occurred to me that I had some brussel sprouts in the crisper and it’s been a long time since I had them last. For Thanksgiving last year, my Uncle prepared them, sliced and sauteed with figs. I was the lucky one who got the leftovers! The weather is changing my friends, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so I was feeling festive. I’d have to say this preparation of Brussel sprouts is now in close completion to this one.

1lb fresh brussel sprouts
3-4 slices bacon
1 small onion
salt and pepper to taste

Chop the bacon into small pieces and cook in a pan until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain. Leave the initial drippings in the pan, though. Quarter or slice the brussel sprouts and dice the onions. Carefully place them in the pan with the bacon grease, being sure not to splash yourself, and cook. You’ll need to stir them frequently so they don’t stick and burn to the bottom of the pan. I cooked mine until the onions were softened, but the sprouts where still slightly crisp and bright green in color. Toss the finished brussel sprouts and onions with the cooked bacon and season as you see fit with salt and pepper.