It's Breakfast Week!

Welcome to a week of breakfast features here at Tummy Treasure. I love breakfast, and I thought it was high time to do some blogging about breakfast. In thinking about this week's blog posting, I was thinking about all the breakfasts I enjoy, and I wondered if there is a blogger out there doing just breakfast. I haven't found one yet, but if someone knows of one, please share, I'd love to check it out. Of course, while looking for breakfast blogs, I found so many more new-to-me food blogs, so watch for updates to the blog roll in the days to come. So many great food blogs, so little time. :-)

So for today's breakfast post, I thought I'd share a trio of recipes. Three recipes that are all slight variations of the breakfast delight known as quiche. Quiche gets a bad rap for being pretentious and snobby, when really it's so simple to make, and as an added bonus-it freezes very well. The key to quiche is in the eggs and milk, the proportions must be just right- the perfect blend of egg and milk or cream to make the eggs custard like- and not like baked eggs. In addition, quiche is one of the few things that I will willingly purchase pie crust for. I don't know why that is, but I prefer my quiche in a pre-made crust. Either refrigerated or frozen works just fine here. And the fillings are limited only by imagination.

There's the traditional Quiche Lorraine, made with Swiss cheese and ham. I've also seen some variations that include spinach as well, but my recipe is just the ham and cheese. And mustard. You must add dry mustard to the eggs as well- without the mustard you just have quiche. But with the mustard you have Quiche Lorraine. Slightly nutty from the cheese, slightly salty from the ham, it's the epitome of perfect quiche. Be sure to note the freezing instructions- it works beautifully, you'd never know this puppy came out of a freezer!

Quiche Lorraine
1 1/2 cups grated natural Swiss cheese
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup finely chopped cooked ham
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 unbaked pie shell -- (9 inch)

1.Preheat Oven to 375ºF.
2.Combine the cheese and flour and sprinkle into the pie shell.
3.Spread the ham evenly over this.
4.Combine the eggs, milk, salt and mustard.
5.Beat until smooth and pour evenly over the cheese and ham.
6.Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until the custard is set.
7.Serve warm, garnished with chopped parsley.
8.To freeze: Prepare recipe through step 5. Wrap well with saran wrap and then foil. Freeze.
9.To serve: Thaw in fridge overnight. Bake as directed.

But perhaps you're in the mood for a more manly version of Quiche Lorraine? I submit to you the humble Rochester Quiche. I pulled this recipe of Recipezaar quite some time ago when I was looking for something a little different. Instead of ham we have bacon, and instead of milk we use a richer half & half. Mushrooms and onions are sauteed in bacon fat before adding to the quiche, and a tiny scattering of bleu cheese really brings it all together. This one I haven't tried freezing, but I don't see why it wouldn't work the same as the Quiche Lorraine.

Rochester Quiche
1 deep dish pie shell -- prebaked
6 slices bacon
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup onions -- chopped
3 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
3 tablespoons blue cheese -- crumbled
1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese -- shredded
Preheat oven 425F degrees.

In skillet fry bacon til crispy, drain on paper towel.
Remove most fat from skillet then saute' mushrooms and onions til browned.
In bowl combine eggs, half and half, pepper.
Crumble bacon onto bottom of prepared pie shell.
Then add the onions and mushrooms.
Sprinkle crumbled blue cheese over all.
Top with the grated Swiss cheese.
Place your pie plate onto a baking sheet to catch drips and to aid in moving quiche to the oven.
Pour egg mixture carefully over contents.
Bake at 425' for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350' bake another 20-25 minutes til center is set and knife inserted in center comes out clean.

And finally today, a third recipe for a different quiche- Cheese and Sausage Quiche. I like this one for several reasons. The first is because of the sausage. You can use any kind of sausage you like, and by changing the sausage, you completely change the quiche. While standard breakfast sausage is awesome, you could easily use Italian sausage for a fun twist, or Polish sausage for yet another flavor. Let your sausage guide you. The second thing I like about this quiche is the evaporated milk instead of cream. You can use a reduced fat evaporated milk to lower the fat content while maintaining the richness evaporated milk contributes. This one also freezes well, but you do need to watch the bake time- I've had this one take longer, I suspect because of the moisture content of the peppers.

Cheese and Sausage Quiche
1 lb ground sausage
1 sliced onion
1/3 cup green peppers -- chopped (optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon flour
2 beaten eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 unbaked pie shell

Brown the sausage and remove to a mixing bowl. Remove most of the sausage drippings from the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon of drippings in pan.
Place sliced onion in drippings from sausage and cook until onions are translucent.
Mix browned sausage and cheese with green pepper. Add flour and mix until coated with flour.
Place in unbaked pie shell.
Place onions on top of of sausage mixture.
Combine eggs, evaporated milk, parsley, pepper, seasoning salt, and garlic powder. Mix well.
Carefully, pour egg/milk mixture evenly into the pie shell.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until quiche is set
Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

And finally, to me the best thing about quiche is that it is a fantastic make-ahead dish. It microwaves with little to no loss of integrity, so you can bake it up on the weekend when you have time, and serve yourself slices of quiche all week long for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Someone who may be into once a month cooking could assembly line several quiches in a row up to the point of baking and freeze them. It wouldn't take much to line up 3 or 4 pie shells and fill them up with ingredients. Impressive enough for company, cozy enough for a breakfast for two. Quiche, it's a great thing!

Just For Fun

**Reminder! Next week is Breakfast Week here at Tummy Treasure. Get your breakfast recipes and links to me at tummytreasure@gmail.com to get in on the breakfast fun.

This week at the grocery store I found the Christmas Cookie special interest publication from Better Homes & Gardens. This is the one cookie magazine I buy every year because it never disappoints. There are several promising looking recipes this year, and I decided to make one up the other day, just because it looked like fun.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers are not biscotti, but they look like it. They are baked in a bar form, sliced, and then baked again. It's a fairly basic chocolate chip cookie dough recipe, and I'm sure you could play with the proportions a bit if you'd like. One thing I would do next time is add a pinch of salt. I'm not usually one for salty/sweet, but it really needed the salt to balance out the sweetness. They were easy enough to bake up though. Essentially, a cookie dough is mixed together, baked in a pan, allowed to cool, and then sliced and baked up one more time. The result is a very crispy cookie stick that resembles biscotti. They're fun! I baked mine up in an 11x7 pan and got 14 cookies, so I'm not sure where BH&G got 18 out of a 9x9 pan. I cut the slices as thin as I dared, and had a few try to break on my when I flipped them during baking.

I will be making these again. They're fun to look at- especially drizzled in chocolate, and they're a huge hit with the kids. I could see these placed in a glass like little soldiers and dressing up a table at a dinner party. Next time I may cut each stick in half, so I'd have 28 cookie sticks that are 3 1/2 inches long instead of 7 inches. Seven inches of cookie is quite a bit, and I found my sweet tooth satisfied about halfway through. With a glass of milk, these are the perfect little pick-me-up and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers will thrill adults and kids alike.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dunkers
from Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Cookies- 2007

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon shortening

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan; set pan aside.

Beat butter and 1/4 cup shortening in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and baking soda. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir any remaining flour. Stir in miniature semisweet chips and if desired, nuts.

Press dough evenly on bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until evenly golden brown and center is set. Cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF.

Use foil to lift baked mixture out of pan and to a cutting board. Remove foil. Cut baked mixture into 9x1/2-inch slices using a serrated knife. Place slices, cut side down, 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until crisp, turning carefully halfway through baking time. Cool completely on the cookie sheet on a wire rack. Trim ends if desired.

Microwave chopped chocolate and 1 tablespoon shortening in a small microwave-safe bowl on 50% power for 2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring twice. Brush or spread one end of each cookie stick with melted chocolate mixture; let excess drip down sides of cookie. Place cookies on parchment paper or waxed paper; let stand about 1 hour, or until set. Makes 18. Posted by Erika W.

A Little Disappointment

I decided that last night was going to be Mexican flavor night at our house. That's a great meal to have on a busy dance night, because everything can be done ahead of time. All the vegetables can be chopped and in the fridge, the cheese can be pre-shredded, and any meat only needs to be cooked earlier in the day for a quick zap in the microwave when it's time. But I wanted something new and different to accompany our tacos, and I wanted something with beans.

I got it in my head that I wanted to make empanadas, and that they should have a black bean filling of some kind. So I did a little hunting and found a recipe on Recipezaar that I thought I'd try and make. The big change I wanted to make was to bake the empanadas instead of deep-frying them. So I inquired on the CLBB as to whether that would be possible, got a great response, and forged ahead. The filling came together quickly, the dough came together quickly, and overall the whole process, while tedious, went fairly quickly. By biggest concern came when I tasted the filling. It was much too salty, so I added some leftover brown rice that was in the fridge to try and cut the salt a bit. It worked a little, but it was still a little salty for my taste.

After the empanadas were all assembled, I gave them a brush with egg wash and tossed them in the oven- my perfect little golden orbs of goodness. 20 minutes later, the house smelled great, I opened the oven to find that just about every single empanada had its filling oozing out from somewhere. Some where oozing at the seams (which I can understand) but most of them had burst out the back of the empanada. There was very little filling left in the empanadas, and I guess I'm at a loss as to why that happened. The flavor was there, and dunked into some salsa and sour cream these would have been great had they kept their filling. Are there any experienced empanada makers around? I'm wondering if I should have pricked the tops with a fork a few times to let out steam. While they came together easily, they were a bit tedious for a weeknight, and I feel like a lot of work went for nothing, because while we ate a few, most of the empanadas went in the garbage. That's just sad. Here's the recipe I used for Black Bean Empanadas, maybe someone out there can shed some light for me. Oh, and next time I'd add a handful of chopped cilantro to the filling as well.

Black Bean Empanadas
from the CIA's Breakfast and Brunches

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced onions
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup crumbled queso blanco or cheddar cheese
Dough
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup masa harina
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
egg wash
3 cups oil (for frying)
kosher salt, as needed for garnish

1. To make filling:.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan over med-hi heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until tender, stirring frequently to prevent garlic from burning.
3. Stir in the cumin and oregano and cook for 30 more seconds. Add the beans and salt and pepper.
4. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Place beans in a blender and puree. If they are too stiff, add the water as needed to make a smooth puree.
5. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the cheese.
6. The filling can be prepared ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
7. To make dough:.
8. Combine the flour, masa harina, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Toss to mix. Add oil and stir with a wooden spoon.
9. In a liquid measuring cup, mix together the eggs and water. Add gradually to the flour mixture until it is all incorporated.
10. Turn dough out onto a board and knead until it is very pliable - about 3 minutes. Add more flour or water if needed.
11. To assemble:.
12. Roll the dough out very thinly, about 1/16 inch thickness. Cut using a 3 inch round cutter. You should have 24 circles.
13. In a small bowl beat together 1 egg and 1 T. water to make an egg wash.
14. Place 2-1/2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each circle. Brush edges with egg wash and fold in half. Seal by pressing together with a fork. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
15. You may make these ahead and chill, covered, for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 3 weeks.
16.** Heat oil in a deep fryer or skillet to 350 degrees. Fry until golden brown and crisp about 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt before serving.
17. Serve with sour cream, salsa or guacamole.

** I baked in a 425ºF oven for about 20 minutes after brushing the tops with an eggwash.

Next Week Is Breakfast Week!

Last night was breakfast for dinner at our house. Every time we have breakfast for dinner, we all say that we don't do it enough. Why is that? I know for us, my kids are not nuts about eggs, so making dishes like quiche or strata for dinner would result in hungry munchkins. But there are so many other options! Breakfast is usually hearty, comforting, and all-around delicious fare, and it doesn't get enough star treatment around here, that's for sure.

So next week, all week long on Tummy Treasure, I will be featuring breakfast recipes. And here is where you come in. Each day I will post my breakfast recipe, followed by whatever you would like to submit. If you are a blogger it can be a new post, specifically for Breakfast Week, or it can be an old archived post. Either way, send me your links to tummytreasureATgmailDOTcom, any time between now and October 13. As the links come in, I'll be posting a daily round-up, and hopefully by week's end we'll have quite the compendium of delicious breakfast favorites. If you are not a blogger, you can participate too by e-mailing me your recipe to tummytreasureATgmailDOTcom, which I will then put on my own site.

How you define breakfast is completely up to you. Is it a bowl of oatmeal? Or maybe you prefer biscuits and gravy, or my personal favorite, a bowl of cheesy grits with a fried egg on top. Yogurt parfaits count here too, as well as a bowl of luscious fruit salad- maybe even that bowl of fruit crisp leftover from last night's party. In that vein, I suppose we ought to count in those slices of leftover pizza from the college days as well, but only if you have a recipe for it. I can't wait to see what everyone has to contribute.

To give you a small taste of what you'll see next week, be sure and check out this week's article at Kids Cuisine. How something so simple and basic could be so good...check it out, you'll love it.

Desperate Dinners

My friend Janelle at Talk of Tomatoes calls them Default Dinners, sometimes though, I call them Desperate Dinners. The dinners that you make because they're quick and easy. The dinners that come together because you have a bit of this and a bit of that in the fridge, and it's still two days until payday, so you better use what you have on hand. And while I may not be entirely proud of the contents of some of my desperate dinners, sometimes they just fit the bill perfectly- both in taste and in how quick they come together.

Take, for example, what my sister and I affectionately call my "white trash cheese sauce." One can of cheddar cheese soup, undiluted; 1/2 cup of milk; and one small block of Velveeta combine to make a delightfully creamy cheese sauce that works in so many applications. Use it for pasta for a quick mac and cheese. Use it to top vegetables and you have cheesy broccoli that the kids will inhale. You could even use it as a quick sauce to bake some chicken breasts in. It's versatile I tell you- and if you can pretend away the ingredients, it tastes great as well.

My favorite use for this cheese sauce, by the way, is a casserole. Normally, I don't like casseroles. I'm coming around on a few, but for the most part, casseroles are a no-no to me. But this cheese sauce makes miracles. Just the other day I made a casserole that the whole family enjoyed- and accompanied by a fruit salad, we needed nothing else to round out the meal. I had a piece of smoked sausage to use up, so I cut it into chunks and tossed it with some leftover egg noodles. I added a package of frozen broccoli and cauliflower, and then tossed it all with my "white trash cheese sauce" and some black pepper. We could have eaten it freshly tossed, but I opted to bake it up a bit, topped with some crushed potato chips, and that really allowed the cheese to permeate the pasta, sausage, and vegetables. It really was good. Abigail and Zander cleaned their plates, and I think Andy surprised himself by having seconds.

So I want to know today, what's your desperate dinner? Is it a frozen pizza? Is it leftovers? Or is it cereal all around-do share, I'd love to add more options to my desperate dinner repertoire.

The End of The Pears

My parents are touring the country of Israel right now. Just before they left, my Dad dropped in with a gift- a bag full of the strange mutant pears from one of their pear trees. These are an odd sort of pear. We lovingly call them the Lemon Pears, because they look like a pear, smell like a pear, but they taste like a lemon. They are very unique and come from just one off-shoot of the seckle pear tree. Like I said, a mutant. But since they were going to be gone for 10 days, there was no way they'd have time to enjoy these strange pears, or do something with them. It was up to me. What on earth could I do with these strange lemon-flavored pears?

Well, having been sick for an entire week, I forgot about these pears, to be honest, but spying the pears out of the corner of my eye, I could just see my dad's disappointment when I informed him that the pears did not find a purpose. So I thought of a purpose. It struck me that there could be nothing better for these lemon-flavored pears than a long slow simmer into pear butter. Even better- a spiced pear butter. I cut the stem and blossom end off the pears, chunked them, and tossed them into some apple cider. I went to add some whole spices, and didn't find what I wanted, so I headed to the freezer, sure I had something. Well, I spied a package of whole mulling spices from Penzey's, and I thought that would be perfect, so a few scoops of that went in the pot, along with some fresh gingerroot and a few cardamom pods to play with the lemon flavor.

I simmered this away for about 45 minutes before pressing the pears through a chinois. By using the chinois I eliminated the step of peeling and coring the pears- saving a whole bunch of time. After the pressing, I put the pear juice mixture back into the pot with some sugar and spent a long afternoon waiting for it to thicken up. No kidding, it took about 3 hours before I was happy with it. But oh boy, is it a delicious pear butter. Full of warm spices and sweet pear flavor, it will make an excellent treat this winter smeared onto homemade biscuits, waffles, or pancakes. And just check out the color! Somehow the pear butter ended up a deep dark blush color- it's gorgeous, and I daresay, a fantastic use of some otherwise strange pears. I think my dad will be happy with it, and I'm feeling pretty good about putting all three varieties of pear into my pantry. That's not to bad in my book.


I have the recipe for Spiced Pear Butter I've modified in the Recipe Trove for anyone interested. And in an interesting bit of trivia day, today is World Vegetarian Day, so if you're thinking about making a recipe honoring the vast array of fruits and vegetables available to us, today is the day to do it.

On The Mend

Thanks everyone for the well-wishes. I can't believe I've lost a whole week! I've had a particularly awful sinus infection that really knocked me out- Tuesday in particular I can't remember much. But I've been going to bed very early every night, resting most of the day, and eating my fill of turkey soup. The kids have been awesome. Zander's been very patient with mommy, and very snuggly. Abigail has shown her concern several times, but really steps up to help her brother when he needs it too. Andy's also been helpful- trying to keep the laundry and dishes maintained and doing what he can while he's home to help. Just this morning he offered to get out of bed and take care of Abigail this morning, which I readily agreed to. But then after thinking about it, I imagined the lunch he might pack...and the snack he'd likely forget to pack...and then I thought about her hair and how that would turn out...and well, I got up anyways.

Yesterday during a brief moment of energy, I was thinking about Abigail's lunches this week and the fact that I was out of cookies and other treats for her lunch. The easy solution would have been to stop at the store and pick up a package of Oreo's. With Zander's help, I tackled a really easy cookie recipe that is one of our favorites. Mocha Truffle Cookies are one of the easiest cookies I've ever made. It's a simple drop cookie, but the secret is in the baking. Bake them just for ten minutes and they have a texture that's reminiscent of a truffle. Over bake them, and they're not quite as decadent. Either way though, they really are delicious, and everyone in the family loves them. This time around I made them with mini chocolate chips which I thought worked fantastic! I also use my small cookie scoop to give them the look of a truffle.

This also happens to be one of the very first recipes I posted on my blog. I thought it was high time to post them again.

Mocha Truffle Cookies
shared by missindi on CLBB

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour, all-purpose
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Melt butter and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Add instant coffee and blend well. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Add sugars, eggs, and vanilla to coffee mixture. Add dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon on greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Do not overbake.

Yield: 3 dozen

Be Back Soon...

Sorry, I've not been feeling well. So there hasn't been cooking, not much eating, and sitting in front of the computer makes the room spin and turn funny colors. Hopefully I'll be back posting soon.

The Big Bird

You know, we don't make turkey very often, which really is a shame. Turkey is a fantastic food and a great way to stretch a budget. Because of their size, a turkey can feed a family of four for quite a while- even a smaller turkey. We make turkey about twice a year- once at Thanksgiving, and once another time. This past week I decided that I was in the mood for turkey, and I figured that Sunday Company Dinner was the perfect time to do so. We'd have help eating that big bird, and I think that most people enjoy eating roasted turkey, so I picked one up.

As it thawed in the fridge for a few days, I went back and forth on how I was going to roast it, and what I was going to season it with. There really are endless possibilities when it comes to a turkey. I finally decided to settle on Fennel Spice Rub from Michael Chiarello. Andy's absolute favorite baked chicken uses the rub, so I thought it was worthwhile to try it on turkey. I seasoned and rubbed, and drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil, and then seasoned a little more. I took one carrot and one celery, cut them into chunks and stuffed the cavity, and tossed the bird into the oven. At the same time, I had pulled some turkey stock out of the freezer from the last turkey making adventure and thawed that for basting with.

Using the turkey stock to baste with was the best decision I could have made. I had about 4 cups total, and used 2 cups to baste the bird from time to time. It was a 13 pound turkey and took just over 3 hours to full cook. Using a flavorful stock to baste added an extra layer of flavor, and also provided fantastic drippings as a base for gravy. After the turkey rested for 20 minutes, I carved it up and used the remaining 2 cups of stock to finish the gravy. It was rich and flavorful, and didn't need any seasoning other than a touch of black pepper if you can believe it. The whole process was perfect for company. I had the turkey carved and on a sheet pan, the carcass in a pot already for stock, and the gravy made before anyone walked in the door. When it came time, a quick re-heating in an oven perked the turkey back up, and we weren't all standing around wondering when it was going to be done.

The turkey stock has been simmering all night, and part of it will make some turkey noodle soup for dinner, the rest will be frozen for later use. Leftover turkey meat will be portioned and frozen, and we probably have about 3 more meals out of the meat- and what was with other people helping us eat the turkey last night! I can't recommend turkey enough,we love it, and should really remember to eat it more often.

Michael's Fennel Spice Rub

1 cup fennel seeds
3 Tablespoons coriander seeds
2 Tablespoons white peppercorns
3 Tablespoons sea salt (preferably grey) ** I tend to agree, grey salt is a great splurge.

In a saucepan over med-low heat, toast the fennel, coriander, and peppercorns. Toss them frequently, and toast until golden brown and fragrant. Pour onto a plate to cool completely.

Combine toasted seeds with sea salt in a blender and grind. If making a half recipe, you can use a spice grinder. When using the blender, make sure to pause and shake the jar a few times to evenly distribute the ingredients.

Fennel spice rub will keep for about 6 months tightly sealed in a spice jar. (But I bet it won't last that long)

The Perfect Fall Day

Really, what could be better than this? The weather was perfect-bright and sunny, breezy, not hot, not cool. It really was perfect- and the perfect day to spend some time at a nearby park before heading to the apple orchard.




We brought home about 40 pounds of McIntosh apples. And while I suspect that a good majority of them will be eaten out of hand, it should be fun to find ways to use them up. Next weekend we'll be picking up the "seconds" of apples to turn into applesauce, so these will be put to eating use...and more eating use...maybe a pie...maybe a crisp. The mind reels with all the possibilities. With all the different seasons of produce, apple season is our favorite. Happy Fall everyone!

Can't Say I Didn't Try

With Andy's job future uncertain, I've been revisiting trimming my grocery budget. This is something I tackled heartily a year ago and I have to say I ended up doing very well. I managed to get my grocery shopping under control by being careful what I shopped for, shopping sales, and choosing carefully where to shop. The last few weeks I've really been feeling the urge to start the trimming again. We're unsure how much longer Andy's employer will have work for him, and while he is exploring his options, it's best to be prepared. Basically I've been trying to stock up a little here and there. If I find beef roasts on sale I pick up two, while I'm standing in the veggie aisle I'll add an extra can of tomatoes to the cart for the pantry. Nothing hard core, but preparative all the same.

Then while reading a few things online, and while searching for healthful recipes that are also budget stretchers, I stumbled on a conversation on a bulletin board about this very thing. One of the suggestions was to change grocery stores. In particular, many people seemed to recommend the chain Aldi as a place to really save a few bucks while shopping. I've never been to Aldi's, but have always avoided it because I heard it was literally a generic grocery store- off brands and black and white packaging. That kind of creeped me out. But I checked them out online, and they seemed genuine-they're trying to save people money at the grocery store, and I decided to suck it in and go for it. What did I have to lose?

I made my grocery list for the week. I knew I would still have to go to my regular haunt (Woodman's for you Wisconsinites) for a few things like Andy's Silk for his coffee, but I was actually getting excited. Just thinking about the prospect of doing my grocery shopping for far less $$ was thrilling to me, and I was looking forward to the adventure. I was looking forward to embracing that which I'd eschewed before.

Turns out I had good reasons to eschew before.

I'm sorry. I tried, I truly did. I walked in with an open mind, I plunked in my quarter for a shopping cart and made my way into the store. My first shock was the size of the building. It was small- I mean truly small, and you could see the whole thing with a glance around the room. I headed down the first aisle and was carefully looking at the items offered and the prices clearly posted above. My second shock- there was no shelving, everything was just in cardboard cases and stacked up tall. But the prices... where I expected bargains, they just weren't there. A five pound sack of flour was $1.09- I regularly buy a five pound sack of flour from an excellent flour mill in the Dakotas for .89 at Woodmans. I got to the dairy case and first off, they didn't even offer 1% milk- which is what we drink, but the 2% and whole milk were no cheaper than anyplace else.

Then around the bend I spied produce...if you can call it that. I shudder just thinking about it, celery, grapes, a few anemic apples, just sitting on a shelf (yes- there was a real shelving unit here) with no refrigeration in sight. They had yogurt in vibrant neon colors that you know had to be full of chemicals and sugar. Everything at Aldi is off-brand except for a few "bargains" but the off brand deals didn't even match up with what I can get up the road at Woodman's. I ended up buying a box of their generic Frosted Flakes, a box of Iodized salt, and a jar of applesauce. I saved 2 cents on the salt. The checkout was quick- I give them that. With no checks or credit allowed, everyone hands over their cash and it's very quick. The groceries go from your cart to the conveyor belt and then back into your cart. Then it's up to you to move to the "bagging area" and bag your own purchases in bags that you've brought from home- or you can buy theirs at a nickle apiece. Finally, you return your cart to the corral, where if you've hooked up your cart correctly, your quarter is returned to you.

Frankly, I just don't get it. At least here, in Green Bay where I shop regularly. I can see Aldi and places like it working where maybe there aren't so many other options. But literally, just a mile away from this Aldi is a grocery store with much better prices and an amazing selection. It struck me that the people who were shopping at Aldi today were people who needed to shop there. And I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean people who, like me, were trying to stretch their grocery dollars in the best way possible. I just wanted to shake these people and say "what are you doing! Woodman's has apples from a local orchard that were just picked this week! And they're half the price of these horrid looking red delicious apples!" I just don't know. Judging by my experience today, and by the glowing praise Aldi's gets from other people in other parts of the country, it just has to be better in other places. Or maybe I've just got it good where I do the bulk of my shopping.

The only thing that I can see working is that because the selection is so limited, and there aren't several brands to rummage through, that people wouldn't be swayed by the fancy new brand of ketchup, or the new promotion tied in with that cereal. If you are an impulse shopper, maybe this would be a place to shop for awhile to tame that impulse beast. Oh! And I liked the self bagging. I wish more places did that, as it would ensure that my bread did not get squished for the 8,000th time, and it would prevent those soft luscious peaches from ending up underneath the sack of onions.

Anyway, a lesson was learned today. And I'm proud of myself. In my effort to pinch every penny that goes through our household, I swallowed my pride and tried something new. I am sad with how it turned out. I really thought I was going to discover a whole new way to shop. And I did... it just doesn't make any sense to me. I would love to know if anyone reading this does their shopping at Aldi, and I also would love to know if it's different in your part of the country.

Chutney, Chutney, Chutney

I've never made homemade chutney before. And in fact, I've only eaten chutney a few times in my adult life- and that is always with Indian food. I've bought a few jars of mango chutney in the past, and while good with the curries...really, imo, nothing spectacular.

But yesterday, I received an e-mail from my mom that she had a tree loaded with seckel pears, and did I have any ideas? First of all, you need to understand that these are very small pears-about golf ball size. So committing to doing something with seckel pears is a commitment of time. So I flipped through my Ball Blue Book, looking for anything to do with pears. There's not much. We already have quarts upon quarts of canned pears, so I didn't want to do that. A pear preserve sounded promising-and with seckel pears, you preserve them whole, but then I saw Pear Chutney. I had all the ingredients on hand, and I was just plain intrigued. So I started to peel, core and finely chop pears.

And then I peeled, cored, and finely chopped pears. After a while I looked at my bowl of chopped pears and eyeballed the recipe, and determined that I needed to cut the recipe in half. Since it wouldn't do to make 7 pints of chutney if I didn't like it. (Hey whatever it takes to rationalize NOT cutting up all those tiny pears.) I added the onion, hot pepper, raisins, mustard seeds, brown sugar and vinegar and set the chutney to simmering. It took just over an hour for the chutney to simmer down to a lovely thick and chunky sauce. One taste, and the possibilities were running through my head as I lovingly ladled this stuff into jars. This would be amazing aside a simply roasted cut of pork. It would be phenomenal atop a bowl of butter chicken and rice. I wondered how it would be next to my Thanksgiving turkey. In short, I'm in love. This chutney is nothing like the stuff you buy in a jar. It's amazing- sweet, tart, slightly spicy from the hot pepper, it's a bite of flavor. I can't wait to use it.

And I'm thinking about all those seckle pears still on the tree. I wonder if I can convince my husband to climb up into that tree and pick me some more? Here's the recipe for Peach or Pear Chutney. Obviously I made it with pears, but I do wonder about the peaches, which also makes me think this chutney would be good with ham too...

Peach or Pear Chutney
from the Ball Blue Book

Yield: About 7 pints

4 quarts finely chopped, peeled, pitted peaches or pears (about 20 medium)
2 to 3 cups brown sugar
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
1/4 cup mustard seed
2 tablespoons ginger
2 teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 hot red pepper, finely chopped
5 cups vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot. Simmer until thick. (This could take anywhere from 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.) Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Ladle hot chutney into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Recipe variation: For a milder chutney, remove seeds from hot pepper.
Note: When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned.

Today's Garden Update

But first, check out my portrait! I made it at Portrait Illustration Maker. It's remarkably similar to how I actually look in real life. I couldn't find hair that was accurate, but this one is close on a humid day. I've been meaning to put a picture in my profile...I like the cartoon drawing. (Hey, it was that or my Simpson's character.)

The garden has been...a learning experience. I'm learning all kinds of things that I have done wrong and will have to either correct for next year, or just remember for future gardens. The biggie being the soil. I didn't work it enough. My root vegetables have not been able to grow down- beets and turnips poke out the top, which is great for knowing when they're ready, but they really need more root room. The carrots in Abigail's garden have grown very fat- but not very long. There's still a few out there and she'll pick one every once in a while for a snack. Last night we did enjoy broccoli with our dinner. My problem with the broccoli is timing. I should have waited just a little while before planting. The broccoli was ready to push heads just as the big heat wave of summer hit, so they suffered a little. Now I'm getting some broccoli, but it would have been better to wait another month before planting. Same with the brussels sprouts.

I'm not even touching the sprouts until it frosts several times and everything else is dead. That's when brussels sprouts are best- but it just doesn't look like they're getting very big. My late planted butternut squash is dead- my zucchini at the very end had the dreaded SVB, so I wonder if it spread before I pulled the zucchini. I did plant the butternuts pretty late though- next time I'll do it earlier. Right now what I still have growing is turnips and the second round of beets. The greens suffered with the heat, but the turnips and beets will be a welcome way to finish the garden this year.

Total I think we ate 5 baseball size cantaloupe. The rest of the melon patch did awful, and the cucumbers planted with the melons produced enough cukes for about 10 jars of pickles before dying. Not as well as I'd hoped. Turned out I had ground squirrels underneath that patch eating all the roots. When I finally ripped the plants out, there was nothing left and dozens of tiny burrows. We did manage to eliminate the ground squirrels, and if someone needs help getting rid of them, let me know and I'll send you an e-mail.

Peppers did very well in pots- that surprised me. I have five jars of pickled peppers in the pantry, but the peppers had been intended for salsa- which is made with tomatoes. The tomatoes did not do well in pots. At all. And they were even potted varieties of plants. I won't do that again. Maybe cherry tomatoes or the tiny yellow pears, but the tomatoes that did come off the potted plant vines are very small- like golf balls. My basil has done very well in a pot as well. The rosemary not so much, but I planted them together in one pot, and the basil just took off. So next year all my pots will be for peppers and herbs. I love having the fresh basil and rosemary right out my patio door.

Overall, it was a so-so year for the garden. I learned a lot about pests- from the cabbage leaf moth to ground squirrels. I was able to get rid of most of the cabbage leaf worms thanks to the birds in the area. It didn't take long for the birds to discover the feast I had in my garden, and every day a whole flock would descend on my broccoli and brussels sprouts and feast on worms. It was great. I had a plenty of zucchini. Ugh. Too much zucchini of course, but I have tons of it shredded up and in the freezer for zucchini bread throughout the year. Next years garden I plan on trying completely different vegetables. It's a learning process, and I'd like to learn what grows really well in this area, and what it's quirks are to growing it. As an example, this year I did bush beans, which the kids love, but it takes a lot of plants to get a substantial amount of beans. Next year I'm going to do pole beans- which are supposed to be very prolific. I also hear that tomatillos are very easy to grow, and that fennel bulb does surprisingly well. Swiss chard will go in, as well as succession planting of salad greens, so we can enjoy them longer.

Anyway, that's it for the 2007 garden. I'll be hitting the farm stand in the next week or two for my butternut squash, pie pumpkins, and potatoes and carrots.

That List of Tried and Trues

So how often do you actually go back and repeat? So often I'll try a new recipe and we'll love it, and then I'll never make it again. There's just so many recipes out there to try! One of these days I should really just sit down and rack my brain and see how many dishes I consider standard fare. With a rather large cookbook and magazine collection, it's easy to forget one or two, but lucky for me, I have Andy. Sometimes he will manage to remember a recipe from way back and ask me why we haven't made that in a while. Good question, let's do it.

So this weekend he did just that and reminded me of a Dilled Pork Stroganoff from Cooking Light that is easily one of his favorite dishes. In fact, I do recall making it for his birthday a few times in the past, so obviously it's a favorite. The reason I don't make it very often is that it contains mushrooms and onions in vast quantity- two things my kids don't like. They'll eat onions in something like stew or soup where you can't see the onions, and mushroom flavored things, but if they spy the mushrooms and onions, it's game over.

I'm certain I've posted this recipe before, but since it's a favorite, it is well worth repeating. This time around I also took a large carrot, sliced it very thinly, and added it to the mixture. I loved the color it added to an otherwise bland looking dish. In fact, it has me thinking that next time I'll add the thinly sliced carrots, and perhaps some snapped green beans as well to add more color. Another note about this dish is that it is also a budget stretcher. It isn't very often that a single pound of pork will feed a family of four- plus. This is a great way to take that pound of pork, thinly slice it, and stretch it out. All four of us ate, and we had one portion leftover for lunch, so it could serve five with a nice salad to accompany. In this case, I bought two pounds of pork on sale for $3.00 (really, any cut of pork will work here too), one package of wide egg noodles for 59 cents, mushrooms were $1.50, and everything else was a pantry staple- so quick math shows me that this entire dinner (plus one lunch) cost me less than $5.00- even if I add the staples like onions and sour cream.

Dilled Pork Stroganoff
Serving Size : 4
3 cups egg noodles -- uncooked
1 pound pork tenderloin -- trimmed and cubed
1/2 teaspoon salt -- divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons butter -- divided
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cups sweet onion -- chopped
8 ounces mushrooms -- sliced
1 cup low-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh dill -- chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Sprinkle pork with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Melt 1 1/2 tsp butter in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over med-high heat. Add pork, saute 4 minutes, or until no longer pink. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add broth to pan; cook 30 seconds. Add 1 teaspoon butter, 1/4 tsp. salt, onions, and mushrooms; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned. Remove from heat.

Combine sour cream, dill, mustard, and flour in a small bowl. Add pork and sour cream mixture to pan; stir well. Serve over noodles.

Source: Cooking Light March 2002

Cheesecake Anyone?

This week for Sunday Company Dinner it was lasagna night. I whipped up a standard lasagna, planned for a salad and garlic bread, but needed a dessert. What could be better with Italian flavored fare than cheesecake? It's been a very long while since I made a cheesecake, and I was reminded over the last two days that I should think about making it more often. It's really easy to put together.

This particular cheesecake is a recipe my mom shared with me- and I think she found it in Woman's Day magazine. The original called for fat-free cream cheese and was essentially a low fat cheesecake. As fat free cream cheese tends to taste pretty awful to me, I opt to use the less fat cream cheese, also known as Neufchatel cheese. I think the choice of cream cheese is purely personal preference. I happen to prefer Neufchatel because I like that it whips up nicely straight out of the fridge- no warming to room temperature required if you're time crunched. As an added bonus, it's less fat, so I don't have to feel so bad about eating that slice of cheesecake.

In addition to changing up the cheese, I also decided to add Oreo's. I wanted something a little fun and a little different, and Oreo's just sounded like the perfect addition. It worked very well. I changed the graham cracker crust to a chocolate graham crust, folded Oreo's into the batter, and then gave the cheesecake a decadent topping after it chilled. Topping cheesecake is a no-brainer, as it eliminates the need to worry about cracks in the cheesecake. Just give it a topping, and no one needs to know.

One last note about this cheesecake. It really needs to chill overnight in order to achieve maximum set. I chilled it and then topped it a few hours before serving. It really was very good, and I think everyone enjoyed it. It's slightly lighter in texture than what I normally think of when I think cheesecake, so if you're looking for a dense and rich cheesecake, this isn't the one for you. Still. Cheesecake, crushed Oreo's, fudgy topping, how could you go wrong? Oreo Cheesecake is a great thing!Oreo Cheesecake
Crust:
1 package chocolate graham crackers, crushed
2/3 cup margarine, melted
1 tablespoon sugar

Filling:
3 packages (8 ozs) Neufchatel cheese
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 cups crushed Oreos (about 1/2 a package)

Topping:
Hot fudge sauce
1 cup crushed Oreos
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff stirred with 2 tablespoons milk to drizzling consistency

Preheat oven to 325ºF.
In a small bowl, combine crust ingredients. Press into the bottom of a springform pan. (I used a 10-inch springform pan.) Set aside.

Using a hand mixer, beat together Neufchatel cheese and sugar until well combined and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. Gently fold in the Oreo crumbs and pour the cheese mixture onto the crust. Smooth the top evenly.

Bake in a 325ºF oven for 45 minutes, or until the edges of the cheesecake puff slightly and the center still jiggles slightly when shaken. Turn the oven off, and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool completely.

Once cool, cover with foil and place in the refrigerator overnight- this is important, don't skip the overnight refrigeration.

A few hours before serving, run a sharp knife around the edges to release the cheesecake from the pan. Top the cheesecake with the hot fudge sauce, followed by the remaining Oreo cookie crumbs, followed by the marshmallow drizzle. The topping is all optional, but really makes for a stunning presentation.

Makes about 16 servings when made in a 10 inch pan.

As Promised- Orange cake

I did go with the recipe posted below. Essentially, yes, it is a doctored cake mix. The only problem I had with making it is that there was no such thing as an orange cake mix at the store- so I had to go with a yellow mix. I really wondered if I should add some orange extract or orange oil or something, but I went ahead without after dumping in the Jello and seeing a lovely orange cake batter. The batter itself tasted like a Dreamsicle, so I had high hopes for this cake.

Right before it came out of the oven I decided I should make a simple syrup of orange juice and sugar and drizzle that over the hot cake, so I got that going and took the cake out of the oven. I used a skewer to poke holes all over and give the syrup a place to go. I started drizzling the cake while it was in the pan, and stopped when I became concerned about the integrity of the cake- after all, it was based from cake mix. So I let it cool a bit before turning it out onto a platter. After it cooled completely, I drizzled it with a simple glaze made from orange juice and powdered sugar. I couldn't wait to dive into this cake!

The results? Meh. The orange flavor really doesn't come out. It's there- but it's very light. I've determined that the mistake I made was to bake it in a bundt pan, I should have gone with the 9x13, and then the sugar syrup drizzle would have been much more effective. Despite that, I did still manage two slices, but I'm still looking. I'll be checking out the recipes recommended previously and seeing what I can come up with. I want a cake that smacks of orange- almost like orange sherbet. Hmm. I wonder if there's a cake that uses sherbet?

Winning The Battle

I promise- I will get to that orange cake today, and if I don't get around to posting it today- it will be posted tomorrow. But today a comment in my Lunch Lady post sparked a reminder that I wanted to post about my kids today. Lia from the amazing blog Swirling Notions reminded me that I am winning the food battle with my kids and I thought it important to post about it, to encourage other parents out there who may be ready to give up on the battle altogether.

Sometime over the summer there was a shift. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was and when it was, but one day over dinner, I noticed that Abigail was eating everything on her plate. Not necessarily all of the food- but a little bit of everything. Sampling it all and enjoying what she really liked, but still eating some of what she didn't care so much for. And just the other day, I reheated some Navy Bean Soup and she inhaled it. And then I looked over at Zander, who complained about the beans in the soup, but watched his sister. And while he may have picked a lot of the beans off his spoon, he still ate the broth, ham, and other vegetables with gusto. Just last night we had Chili and prior introductions to Zander have resulted in PB&J to him. Last night he picked out the beans and went to town. Abigail requested chili for her lunch today.

Why is this? Well, I can't say for sure, but I really think the key here is both persistence and flexibility. How is it that both go hand in hand? I've been persistent in my food offerings. When Abigail was four we instituted the two-bite rule- that everything on her plate needed at least two bites. Over time we were able to distinguish what she really despises from stuff that just isn't her favorite. She despises Brussels sprouts, and I'll no longer even serve them to her. She doesn't care so much for scalloped potatoes, but she'll eat them anyways. Just when I think it's time to give up and pull out the chicken nuggets, she will surprise me and eat fried fish and swordfish. By being persistent in offering nutritious food, I am winning the food battle.

The other key is flexibility. I have never, ever, made food an issue. Even when Abigail was a toddler, if she didn't want to eat it, she didn't have to. While I may have strongly encouraged her to try something new, ultimately it came down to her choice. Her decision whether or not to put something into her mouth. In order to expand your child's eating repertoire, it must be their decision to eat it. If she didn't eat dinner and was still hungry, I always offered a bowl of cereal or a PB&J. I truly believe that one of the single worst things a parent can do to a child is force them to eat something they don't want to. Honestly- that one bite of broccoli is not going to make a difference in the grand scheme of things. If you're genuinely worried about their nutrition- that's what vitamins and your pediatrician are for. My children determine when they are full. With Zander we still double check, and occasionally he will go back for another bite or two, but when Abigail says she's full, regardless of what's on her plate, I believe her.

Abigail just turned seven years old, and I can honestly say that we've won the food battle with her. She's open to trying new things, and also understands nutrition and what is good for her. Yes, she still likes pizza and chicken nuggets and french fries, but come on here- who really doesn't like an occasional slice of pizza? Zander is three-and-a-half, and I can't tell you how beneficial it is to have an older sister to model after. Sometimes I think he is more open to trying new things than his sister is. When he was old enough to understand (probably a year ago) we instituted the one-bite rule for him, just to open him up to new ideas. Now that he's older we've upped the bites to two. He's still got a long list of things he doesn't care for- potatoes, dried/canned beans, sweet potatoes to name a few, but we're working on it. He recently discovered that he actually does like mashed potatoes if it has melted butter on it, but I need to remind him of that every time.

This post is getting long, but I do think it's important, and I see firsthand with my eyes how it actually does work. I remember when Abigail was a toddler getting so discouraged when she would eat so little, but I am here today to say that it truly is okay for your toddler to walk away from an unfinished plate. Children will not starve themselves. When your child comes up to you an hour later and tells you that they're hungry- that's an opportunity for you. An opportunity to explain how eating a good dinner is important, and then you offer them a bowl of cereal or an apple instead of the cookie they were eyeing up. And yes, you're going to have to have that conversation a hundred times- but it's so worth it! I also remember when Abigail was a baby reading that sometimes new foods needed to be introduced to a child at least ten times before they would even try them. It may have taken seven years, but now my daughter will eat a salad that has lettuce other than iceberg in it. Beet greens being one of her favorites!

One other issue that I think I need to address. I know I've been guilty of it myself from time to time, but one thing that I've tried really hard to stay away from is rewarding my child for eating well. You know what I speak of- the "if you eat four more bites of beans you can have dessert" routine. I confess that line does come out from time to time. But the reward for eating a good and healthy dinner should not be junk food. Yes, dessert from time to time, but even Zander understands that when he eats healthy food it helps him grow big and strong. He will ask for a glass of milk, drink a portion of it and then come to me to measure his muscles. Then he'll dash back to his cup, drink some more, and then measure his muscles again. By the time he's finished his milk, he's convinced that he's much stronger than he was before. In our house, dessert is a part of the meal. Even if they don't eat much at all for dinner, they are still offered a slice of pie or a piece of cake. I think it's building a solid foundation that food is not a reward system- that sweets can be a part of a healthy diet from time to time.

What else can I say. It works. It's paying off- as I watched my son polish off his meatloaf the other night, I knew I was doing something right. Or when we walk through the grocery store and the kids are begging for fruit and vegetables instead of candy. When my children choose Lo Mein noodles laden with vegetables over a chicken nugget happy meal I know I'm doing something right, and I can only look forward to the days ahead when we can truly do some food exploration together as a family.

Orange cake?

I will be back later today. I have it in my head that I want to bake an orange cake. Is there such a thing? I guess I'll find out...

Update: here's the recipe I found, I'm just not sure I'll have the time to get to it today, and I can't say I've ever seen orange cake mix either. Stay tuned.


* Exported from MasterCook *

Orange Cake

1 package orange Jell-O -- (3 ounce)
1 package orange cake mix -- (18 1/4 ounce)
2/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup water
4 large eggs
1/3 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups icing sugar


Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease a 9 x 13 cake pan; set aside.

Place all ingredients except juice and icing sugar in a large bowl.

Beat thoroughly with an electric mixer at medium speed.

Pour into pan.

Bake 35- 45 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched in center.

Leave cake in pan and pierce entire surface with fork.

In a small bowl, blend juice and icing sugar thoroughly.

Spoon evenly over cake.

Lunch Lady Land

I think I am not going to win the lunch battle. :-) It may be too soon to say for sure, but when Abigail comes home on the fifth day of school saying "Mom, you made me miss pizza day," the signs are not good. Couple that with a bit of something different in her lunches than normal, and I fear I am not winning the battle. While she hasn't been a fan of either of the lunches I have to post today, she is a fan of fresh fruits and vegetables- something she doesn't get much with school lunch. So as long as I keep those up, she may continue with the from home lunches.

I had actually decided to not post these lunches, because Abigail didn't care for them. However, I thought they were just fine, and maybe if your child is open to a little variance, then these might be lunches for you.
Here to the left we have last Friday's lunch. In the front are fresh sliced strawberries (always a hit), some puffy-corn things, and behind those are some homemade mini sugar cookies- a requirement for the first week of school. But what I thought stood out here is the sandwich. Made on white bread, it's got peanut butter on one slice, lightly sweetened cream cheese on the other slice, and sliced Paula Red apples in between. I had a sandwich very similar to this at a PBLoco near us this summer, and I swear it was the best PB sandwich I ever had. This sandwich was also delicious, as I made one for myself too, but in Abigail's words: "you should not have packed that sandwich."

Here to the right is another lunch that I'm baffled about. One of Abigail's favorite sandwiches is ham and cheese. So I thought I'd make one on pita bread. We all like pita bread, but usually Abigail eats it plain along with some Greek food, or cut up and toasted into chips. Apparently she doesn't like it as a sandwich bread, because she took a few bites but told me "Mommy, you should not have packed pita bread." Accompanying the pita bread are a pair of mini chocolate cupcakes, some pretzels, and in the container on the top is some fresh green beans and red bell pepper strips with Ranch dressing for dipping. She loves green beans and was very excited to find them in her lunch- even asking for more for an after school snack.

The surprise hits this year so far have been the tomato soup and grilled cheese and the macaroni and cheese. Both were packed in her thermos- I was really surprised about grilled cheese. That's one of those things that are better still warm, but she ate the sandwich, dunking happily into the tomato soup with each bite. The macaroni and cheese was homemade, coupled with one of the first good-looking oranges we've seen in a while, she had a great lunch that day. Today's sandwich is a plain ham and cheese, a sliced kiwi, red bell pepper, carrots, and more mini cupcakes.

And finally today, I have to share a link that someone shared with me over on Kids Cuisine for Lunch In A Box: Building A Better Bento. This site is amazing! So many ideas for lunches for kids and adults alike, I am totally inspired by the site, and am now on a quest to keep my eyes peeled for more lunch kits. It seems that different shapes of bento kits would each have a different purpose, so I'll be keeping my eyes open while running around. It seems Biggie finds a lot of her kits in unusual places, like the Dollar Tree.

And if lunch isn't your thing today, I'm planning a week of breakfasts coming up. I spend so much time focusing on dinner meals, desserts, snacks, and the occasional lunch, that I never talk about breakfast, so coming up, (dates yet to be determined) there will be lots of breakfast going on around here. But in the meantime check out today's article on Kids Cuisine for a really easy baked oatmeal that everyone will love.

Eight Years Today!

Andy and I have been married for eight years as of today. That's a little bit of time! That also means that we've been together for just over nine years of our lives. And nothing says I love you on this special day like a full-blown cold. Yeah...well, it had to be something I suppose.

Since I haven't been feeling well the last few days I don't really have much to share food-wise, so I thought I'd tackle a meme that Mimi from French Kitchen In America tagged me for. It's an "about me" meme where I take each letter of my name and share something about myself that corresponds with that letter. I have to confess, I have a few tricky letters, but we'll see what I can come up with.

E- I think E would best be described as "eclectic". I like a little bit of everything- I don't have any hard-core hobbies(well, except cooking), but lots of them that I like to do some of. I don't have a specific favorite cuisine, I love them all in bits and pieces.

R- Resourceful is a good one here. I learned very well from my mother how to make a feast out of nothing. I know how to take a dollar and pinch it in many ways to make it ten. It doesn't mean I always do it, but I can if needed to.

I- I is for Idyllic. I tend to get ideas in my mind of how I want things to be- and Idyllic would be the best way to describe those ideas- not always attainable, but something to shoot for.

K- Well, the K hasn't always been here so that's something. I was born with a C in my name, and just before I went into sixth grade my mom asked if I wanted to change the spelling of my name- that she'd thought of the k but went with the c. I jumped at that, and when I got married the K became legal spelling.

A-Hmm...well, I suppose A could be for alto. When I sang in high school I liked singing alto, but my senior year my choir director needed a high soprano who could read music so I was moved. I still always liked alto the best, and my high C could never compare to my sister Liz's.

Okay, those letters were harder to fill than I thought they would be. I really had to dig for a few of them. If you read this and you have a blog- consider yourself tagged. :-) Let me know if you do it.

Tomorrow I'll have a few of Abigail's lunches to share, so come back for some lunchy inspiration.