Some (belated) Thanksgiving treats...

 We had an overabundance of marshmallows in the house left over from various scouting events this summer and fall, and knowing that they won't keep until spring (not and remain soft anyway), we needed some ways to use them up.  Chris wanted to make a contribution to the Thanksgiving sweets selection, so he used one bag to make some cereal treats, using a corn cereal instead of rice crispies (Hey, ya gotta use what you have).  You can't tell it from this action shot, but the marshmallows Chris microwaved to soften became HUGE...which got us to wondering what would happen if we nukerated the fist sized marshmallows we had in the pantry from Grandma S...we've yet to try that :-)

 All set and ready to cut...

 Chris cutting them up and stacking on a plate...and yes, he does have a cheek full...

 Yum yum, and a nice change from the ubiquitous rice crispies...

 I made pilgrim hats cookies last year for the November Cub Scout pack meeting and had been requested to do it again, so that was good for another two bags.  The first step is to "glue" the marshmallows to the fudge stripe cookies with a bit of chocolate frosting (or vanilla)...

 We also had chocolate bars left from the summer so I used those to make the coating; you could use chocolate chips.  Run a heavy knife over the chocolate and place in a microwavable bowl with a good glug of cream.

 Microwave at 50% power for two minutes and then stir until all the chocolate bits are melted.

 The cookies were placed on cooling racks over waxed paper.  Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies to cover completely; the excess will drip below and leave a nice finish on the cookies.  Leave the cookies for a few hours and the chocolate will firm up again; albeit, not quite as firm as the original chocolate since a bit of cream was added, but it is the cream and the tempering of the chocolate from the stirring that gives it the glossy look.

 Once the cookies were firm I scrapped the chocolate from the waxed paper and microwaved to use it again.

The finished pilgrim hat cookies...I thought I had bought a small tube of yellow icing to pipe on buckles but found that I had instead bought gel (fail! as Christopher would tell me).  The cubbies had just wrapped up their popcorn sale for the year so I popped some scout corn and used the kernels as the buckles, using a bit of frosting as glue again.  The leftover chocolate?  The remelted chocolate was drizzled over graham crackers and dusted with sprinkles.  So easy, but these things were devoured.

I'm back from camp and cooking again...

BBQ Chicken, Southwestern Rice,

and Cucumber Salad

We are all home and relaxing, me and my three guys from an exhausting week at scout camp, and Nicole, from her adventures inPrague.  Except for a crockpot meal on Monday night, not much cooking has been happening,and Nicole was lamenting the lack of leftovers in what is normally a full fridge.   Split breasts on sale at Kroger for one dollar a pound meant BBQ chicken for dinner, and the contents of a veggie drawer that needed to be used lead me to an accompanying rice dish and cucumber salad.  Dinner on the deck with fresh limeade all around (with a bit of tequila for the grownups :) made for a great night at home on the deck.

Ben is a proud grill master and snapped this photo of "his" chicken after he pulled it off the grill.  The unsauced breast to the right is intended for this evening's dinner- this huge breast is nearly a pound on its own, and when we go back to Kroger today for Father's Day steaks, I'll be picking up more of these for the freezer.

Cub Scout day camp...

No more bananas, please...

Christopher making a batch of banana bread.

For the scout training event we had weekend before last, I had purchased enough fruit for 40 adults.  This was great, except that they forgot to set it out for breakfast and BUNCHES of bananas ended up coming back home with me. I ate bananas every day until I felt like I had them coming out of my ears.  Come Saturday and there were still 16 (!) on the counter, and their state of ripeness dictated that they had to be used NOW.  Christopher wanted banana bread so I found a recipe that would use six (the most I could find) and set the boy to work making the bread himself.  Chris did a fine job, doing everything himself and loved the results all the more for having made the bread himself.  The bananas we had left I froze and will use in future smoothies (also one of the boy's favorite things to make).

Banana Bread

adapted from the Pfaltzgraff Collector's Cookbook

 1 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten

6 ripe bananas, mashed

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional, we did not use)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Thoroughly mix the wet ingredients, to include the baking powder and salt.  Add the flour and mix to just combine.  Pour into 2 greased loaf pans ans bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the loaves test done.

Kitchen Tip...

Did you find bananas on sale dirt cheap, or just have a few too many around that you don't want to spoil?  Peel the bananas and freeze individually on a lined baking sheet.  Once frozen solid, just pop them into a freezer bag for future use.  Thaw and mash as many as you need for your favorite recipe, or use frozen in smoothies.

Four open jars of salsa...really?

Stacked Enchilda

After bringing home the leftover food from our scouting double header last week, I was left with four assorted open jars of salsa (and tons of bananas, but that's another post).  What to do with this salsa?  I didn't want to keep it around too long, as my fridge is so full of miscellany that I sometimes lose things in there, and they were all "mild," and we prefer something a little warmer.  My bargain purchases for the week had included corn tortillas, canned refried beans, and a rotisserie chicken, so my thoughts took a culinary trip south of the border. 

A while back, Memoria, of Mangio da Sola, had written about her stacked enchiladas.  While obviously not using homemade tortillas or enchilada sauce, I thought I would do something akin to hers, but as a Semi-Homemade version.  I dumped the jars of salsa into the blender and found that I had roughly 3 cups.  I pureed the salsa until smooth and had a taste- it tasted very fresh, but lacked a depth of flavor and any heat, so I dropped in 2 cubes of Knorr Chipotle Seasoning and gave it another whirl.  This was perfect, but not so spicy that the little guy couldn't eat it. I layered up the enchiladas, using the bits of shredded jack and cheddar cheese I had in the fridge, popped then in the oven and presto, an easy, quick, and tasty dinner (and 4 glass salsa jars in the recycling bin :).

Stacked Enchiladas

24 oz. (about) salsa, whatever you have on hand

2 Knorr chipotle cubes, or 2 canned chipotles (optional)

15 corn tortillas

1 15oz. can refried beans

3 cups (about) cooked and shredded chicken

shredded cheddar and/or jack cheese about 2 cups (or more if you like)

To serve: sliced scallions, shredded lettuce, pickled jalapeño slices, cubed avocado, and sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Puree the salsa in a blender until smooth, taste and then blend in the chipotle if desired; set aside.  Spray a baking dish (or two) with cooking spray, using whatever size(s) needed to accommodate five tortillas.  Spread a small amount of the pureed salsa in the bottom of the dishes.  Spread 5 tortillas evenly with the refried beans and lay in the dishes.  Sprinkle with a small amount of cheese and and layer with another tortilla.  Spread the shredded chicken over the five stacks- it will seem like a lot and some may spill down the sides, but don't worry.  Sprinkle with a bit more cheese and top with the remaining tortillas.  Spoon the remaining salsa over the stacks and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes or until hot and the cheese has just started to brown.  These are even better the next day.

 I wasn't thinking and used the jack cheese inside and the cheddar out; it would have been much more appetizing the other way around.

Am I ever tired (and the weekend's just started)...

Traditional Three Bean Salad

It's Friday evening and I am tired.  As I have mentioned before, I am heavily (the whole family actually) with Cub/Boy scouts, at the local (pack) level, as well as the district and council levels (Butler County, Ohio and a huge swath of SW Ohio and NW Kentucky).  I have spent the last two days preparing for what is in essence, a double header.

This evening the district (Ft. Hamilton) is running an adult training out in the sticks, otherwise known as the western and rural portion of Butler County.  Ten instructors will be teaching 30 scout leaders outdoor leadership skills for scouting.  While I may have made the arrangements, purchased the food, and helped set up the lodge (including hauling firewood- thanks for the help there Ben, not), I am not on the instructional staff for this one.  This gives me the night at home to rest up for Saturday and Sunday.

Back to the sticks with me tomorrow evening (with the Christopher in tow this time).  As the training wraps up, we will be getting ready for a cookout and campfire ceremony for our pack at the same location.  I'll be cleaning up from one event, to turn around and set up for the next.  I am really looking forward to this gathering- there will be 120 people (scouts and families) gathered for food, fellowship, and a cool fireside program that will include the boys "crossing over"- this is where they move up in rank.  After the festivities, it's off to our individual campsites for the night.  I'm really excited for this too, as it is our first chance to camp this season, and the weather is supposed to be fantastic for the rest of the weekend (it is however, rainy today, another reason I'm glad to be home tonight).

One of the lovely fun things I have done for the weekend (besides buying a TON of food), is making burger patties from ground beef donated to the pack by a local grocer (no names to protect the innocent).  This was not an experience I wish to repeat, EVER.  We have only ever bought ground chuck or sirloin, never the mysterious "ground beef."  These packages did not even list a fat to lean percentage as I am used to seeing, but in the end, I managed to transform 20lbs. or so of fat into 64 burger patties (it will be exciting to see the fire these start on the grill).

Lots of cheap meat.

64 patties ready for the grill.

Not for those with weak stomachs- the fat left filling in the ridges of my

pattypress when I was done (yuck!!); my hands were left in a similar state.

On a more appetizing note, I also prepared a huge bowl of three bean salad to take along.  I have made this recipe, pretty much unchanged, for 20 years (that would be before I could really even cook).  While I don't usually use canned veggies, I do for this salad- this is the way I have always made it, and this is he salad that I am always asked to bring to the big family cookouts.  This recipe can easily be doubled. tripled, or even quadrupled (as I did) for large gatherings.  This is one of the easiest recipes to make, but my mother refuses to do it, claiming mine tastes better (?).

Traditional Three Bean Salad

1 15oz. can cut green beans, drained

1 15oz. can cut wax beans, drained

1 15oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I use the dark red ones)

1 8oz. can mushroom pieces, drained

1 small onion, quartered and thinly sliced (I used red this time, but Vidalia is really good)

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 tsp. dry basil

Combine the ingredients at least a day before you wish to serve it.  Refrigerate, tossing occasionally.  This salad is great to take to picnics since it does not contain mayo.

Happy 100!!!

This is my 100th post, and I have to say that I really admire my fellow bloggers who manage to post every day.  As much as I would like to emulate this, it seems that there are just days (sometimes days on end) that I can't get done everything that needs to be done.  But, I won't be too hard on myself, because I started this whole project to have fun, not make more work for myself.

So what have we been doing around here?  Scouts, scouts, and more scouts for starters; I'll be glad to give up some of the many hats I wear this fall, but I suppose I am just replacing that time with school, so I'll still be a busy gal.  The weather is grand, so I have been busy weeding, trimming, planting, and hauling (and spreading) what seems like endless bags of mulch.  I have my big pot of basil planted, varigated sage and thyme in the kitchen window box amongst the flowers, and containers of tomatoes and bell peppers planted.  We got the cluttered (scary) basement cleaned and sorted this past weekend, much to the consternation of our garbage man.  And finally, my dear friend Chris is starting a new organization to provide clothing to needy Hamilton school children, so we are busy getting this up and running; it's called The Caring Closet and I'll be sure to write about it more in the future.

So, if I'm not around for a few days, please don't think I've forgotten about you, I'll be back.  In the meantime, here are a few pictures- these were taken on 4/30 and things have grown even more since...

The narrow bed between the house and our service walk on the north side of the house.  You can't see it all, but the bed contains:  arborvitae, climbing hydrangea, azalea,  hosta, astilbe, day lily, peony, catmint, and since the photo was taken, impatiens.

The walk from our driveway that turns and leads to the front door.  What you can see here is arborvitae, catmint, daylily, groundcover sedum, iris, boxwood, and the sprouts of hardy purple mums.  The iris are now in full bloom, in a color very similar to the catmint, and the daylilies (Stella de Oro) have started opening their pretty yellow trumpets.

The "monster rose" (that I had cut back nearly to the ground back in March) is just about to burst into vibrant pink bloom just outside the front door.  I'll be sure to post another photo once it does.  That is a weeping pussy willow blocking the view.  we planted the willow to replace a white dogwood that we lost to a bad windstorm last year.

Some (foodie) things that make me happy...

I have been really busy with scouts and working outside, so the dining the last few days has consisted of leftovers, and last night we ate at the Texas Roadhouse, an inexpensive and kid friendly chain that Christopher loves to eat at.  Today I thought I would share some things that make me happy (at least as it relates to food).  These are in no particular order, but let you know a little about me...

 

 Christopher loves to help with the cooking when we go camping...

and he makes the best veggie soup and chili :)

 

Salsas Picantes...

I usually have 8 to 12 different hot sauces around at any given time.

 What is better than to sit at the end of the day
and drink wine with friends...James Joyce

The wine rack was a wedding gift, and 

Ben gave me the wine fridge for our last anniversary.

Avocados, chilies, limes, and tomatoes...

Some of the best fresh veggie ingredients.
 (just need to add summer corn, red bell peppers, sweet onions, and tomatillos)

Coconut
This is toasted coconut on a Pastel Tres Leches I made.

Carnitas...
Carnitas is a food group all on it's own...
( although al pastor is pretty darn good as well :)

A pairing of wine and cheese...
(but, oh, let me tell you about red wine and dark chocolate...)

When my darling husband cooks for me :)

Grilling...
Ben does the charcoal or wood fire grilling, but
I probably cook on the gas grill as much as he does.

Leftovers...

More often than not, I will cook with the intention of having leftovers.  These provide not only ready lunches and frozen meals to share with my grandfather, but provide endless opportunities to "re-purpose" the leftovers into new meals.

Sunday is my favorite day of the week...

 Sundays, are by far, my favorite day of the week.  We tend the have some sort of activity on Saturdays (I had cub scout training events that kept me out of the house for much of the day the past two weeks), but Sundays are usually just for us.  There is not usually anything we HAVE to do, and after sleeping in (if 7:30 can be considered sleeping in), Ben and I can spend all morning reading the news (or whatever).

Sundays for us also usually involve an actual cooked breakfast, instead of our usual bagels and cereal, and often a Sunday dinner too.  Ben made breakfast yesterday, making one of his hash and egg creations, which is always welcome (both the hash and Ben doing the cooking).  Last Sunday Chris really wanted sausage gravy and biscuits, but Ben really wanted baked eggs, so he told the boy that he would run to Micky Dees and get him an order.  Chris agreed, so Ben got his eggs.

I first made these eggs from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris cookbook a few years ago, and they have adapted over time to our individual tastes (more cheese and herbs and a more "well-done" egg). Both versions are delicious, and you can't go wrong with this easy breakfast dish that is so rich that it will seem like you slaved away in the kitchen.   Here is Ina's original recipe and you will find my adaptation below...

Grocery Challenge, Week 4

Here's the tally for Week 4:

3/15   Kroger      $44.05
3/16   Wal-Mart  $26.14
3/19    Kroger     $41.79
3/20   Kroger      $28.50
                          _______
                          $140.48

$9.52 under, and again, there were purchases that could have easily been cut had it been necessary (isn't it lovely to have a nice bottle of wine with dinner though?).

The last trip to Kroger was Ben's, and one that made me so happy.  I left the house yesterday at 645 am and did not return until almost 6pm (but I am now a certified trainer for the Boy Scouts of America, for whatever that is worth :).  I arrived home to the most wonderful smell of burgers on the grill- my sweetie had not only shopped, but was making dinner for my arrival home.  Ben made the tastiest Bacon Blue Burger I think I had ever had.  He made thin patties of ground chuck, sandwiched a layer of blue cheese between two patties and then sealed them around the edges.  He topped the burgs with some bacon, more blue cheese, and a slice of Swiss to melt and hold it all on top.  OMG, burger heaven!!  I am so sorry that I don't have a picture, but we were so hungry, and they smell so good, that we just ate them right up :)  To make up for a lack of picture, I'll give you one of my handsome young Webelos Scout instead- after all, it was to be able to train the leaders of these boys that I spent the day away from home anyway...

No time to cook (much)...

Jury duty and scouts on Monday, and scout activities of some sort all day yesterday have not left much time for cooking.  Monday night I cooked up some pasta and tossed a salad to accompany the leftover spicy stuffed peppers, while last night we had our own version of the Double Decker Taco, accompanied with a simply seasoned rice.  Ben did note that he really liked the "taco meat."  I used ground pork instead of the usual ground turkey and he thought it more flavorful (although Chris said he liked the "regular" meat better).
With not much real cooking happening here I am going to share an old favorite that I really want to get in the recipe file, Shrimp and Grits. This southern comfort food combines shrimp and bacon over a creamy base of super rich grits...who could ask for more?  Look soon for another southern favorite, Low Country Boil.

A day to relax...

I needed to relax yesterday...

On Saturday we had our Cub Scout pack"s Blue and Gold Banquet, and it was truly wonderful this year, as is befitting the 100th year of scouting celebration.  We started loading the family truckster for set-up at 10am and were home and unloaded at 9pm...did my feet ever hurt.  Cooking for 150 people is truly an experience (not quite sure if I can recommend it), but I truly owe a debt of gratitude to Michelle, Marilyn, and Kristy who helped me in the kitchen, and with all the fun cleanup, and to Stacey for running interference as I shuttled hot pans of food from the kitchen to replenish the buffet line.

I woke up Sunday and did not feel like doing a thing (and I think I deserved it too), and since the only thing on the calender was a birthday party in the afternoon (Happy Birthday Seth!!), I didn't.  For an (almost) effortless lunch I sliced a cantaloupe nice and thin and wrapped it in some Prosciutto  I had in the fridge.  I also found a variety of cheeses to set out: Manchego from Spain, Gorgonzola dolce from Italy, and Dubliner from Ireland.  It was a completely accidental grouping of cheese, but they went beautifully together.  I also put out some hummus and a selection of whole grain crackers.   The only thing missing was a bowl of nice olives.  This is actually a fairly common way for us to lunch on the weekends, and one that I would highly recommend you give a try.

Prosciutto and Cantaloupe

Halve a ripe cantaloupe and scoop out the seeds.  Place cut side down and slice into 1/4" slices; remove the peel from the slices.  Lay out a paper thin slice of Prosciutto, top with a melon slice and wrap it up- it's as easy as that and so delicious.

Grocery Challenge, Week 1

 Here it is, the tally for week 1, and yes, I do shop a lot.

Feb 21  Wal-Mart      $18.99
Feb 22  Kroger          $36.66
Feb 23  Target           $13.67
Feb 25  Kroger          $35.99
Feb 26  Aldi               $8.07
Feb 27  Aldi               $7.14
Feb 27 Minnich's       $11.00
                                ______
Total Week 1            $131.52

I had no large shopping trips, but as you can see, those little trips add up pretty quickly. I did however, meet the goal this week and stayed within the budget.

During the Feb 25 visit to Kroger I kept track of how much I was spending, and when I got to the checkout I was only off by a few cents (I didn't account for the tax on a bottle of wine).

On the 26th I was in Aldi to buy meatballs (30lbs. worth!!) for our cub scout pack's Blue and Gold Banquet on Saturday.  Whilst there, my eyes were drawn to 8oz. packages of Dubliner cheese for only $2.69 each.  I bought three for the price that one package would have cost elsewhere.  Sometime in the next week or two the family shall dine upon burgers made with Irish whiskey (it's in the meat!), onions carmelized with Irish whiskey, and the whole wonderful mess topped with the Dubliner cheese (I can't wait!).

  We like Jameson Irish Whiskey

A day for nothing...

Here it is Friday and a day to kick back and do absolutely nothing (of consequence anyway). I have spent the day hours this week doing all kinds of cub scout record keeping, and for myself, the preparation of materials for a graduate school application. I'll have to keep you posted on how that goes- I'm only applying to one school (always a risky move), but hopefully this fall I'll be sharing with you quick and easy recipes and tips :) Tuesday evening was the monthly pack meeting for all of our cub scouts- there were cubbies crossing over to become boy scouts, pinewood derby and popcorn sales prizes to be had, and many awards for our hardworking boys. Wednesday evening was the cub camping rally at the scout achievement center. Yesterday was my birthday and my husband surprised me with a wonderful dinner out at Carlo and Johnny in Montgomery, Ohio. I would certainly recommend this restaurant for a nice evening out and am including the link so you can check it out yourself. I had the fish, Ben had steak, and Christopher, the little gourmand, elected to have sushi for dinner, this evening adding the spicy tuna roll to his repertoire.

http://www.jeffruby.com/carlojohnny.html

Not much cooking happened this week- Monday evening Chris helped me make peanut butter cookies (he claims his fork marks were better than mine), and Tuesday I baked brownies. Both were taken to the pack meeting and devoured by the cubbies and their sibs. Chris complained at first that "his" cookies weren't disappearing as quickly as the brownies, but ended up complaining that there was nothing left. Dinner Tuesday evening was simple since we had to head out for the evening- I made my mother in law's salmon again, but substituted the lemon juice and slices for lime, and the dill for cilantro. This was perfect with leftover Mexican rice with black beans from an earlier meal. Wednesday I cooked nada- we ate at the camping rally, and again nada on Thursday.

Tonight however I am going to try something new. Chris asked at dinner last night if we could make sushi at home and I told him no, that making sushi took a lot of culinary training, but I was shopping at Meijer this morning and ended up buying Japanese rice, nori sheets, pickled ginger, sushi vinegar, and wasabi. What the heck, I'm game, and I'm going to give it a shot- I mean, how bad could it really be (not so pretty maybe, but bad?). We will have our sushi with noodle bowls made with Monday's leftover roast pork. I'll let you know tonight or tomorrow how it all comes out...