Election Night Menu: Lamb Winter Stew over mash and Patriotic Dessert Pizzas

So we are finally here. Election night 2016. No need to get into politics here but it's been a nasty campaign cycle and so many of us are nervous and anxious to get the results for a variety of reasons.
I decided to forgo what I already had planned for dinner tonight (I plan my meals a month at a time which I will post about another time!) and go with some comfort food. And you know me: I always share! ** I will update with photos later tonight**
This recipe has morphed and changed over the years. I first started playing around with a lamb stew recipe after I got home from an amazing trip to England, Ireland and Scotland with a girlfriend, pre-kids. I could have basically lived on lamb stew while I was there. Oh wait...I did! This is the perfect recipe when it's getting cold out or you just want to feel good. Plus my kids eat it by the pound. It calls for a sour cream-flour thickener which gives it that thick, creamy consistency that you really want in a stew like this.  The only thing you want to keep in mind when you using sour cream or creme fraiche as a thickener is to not boil it because it will break the sour cream. It will still taste okay but it will look curdled.
So without further ado here you go
Maria's Winter Lamb Stew
Ingredients
Oil
1 pound lamb stew meat
2 cups beef broth (If you want a stew that is less chunky and more liquid you can up this to 3)
1 cup red wine
2 cloves minced garlic
Fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
2 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash
1 cup peeled cubed yam
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup peeled, cubed potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons flour

Brown the lamb stew meat on all sides in the oil. Stir in the beef broth and the wine. Season with garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the vegetables: squash, yam, mushrooms, potatoes and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer for another 30 minutes or until your vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile in a small bowl combine the flour and sour cream to make a paste. Now here's the key: Add 1/2 a cup of the stew into your bowl of sour cream paste NOT to the stew. It will be less of a shock to the cream. Mix it together. Add another 1/2 cup. Once it is combined well in your bowl, add it to the stew. Make sure it does not boil. Cook until thickened.

Now for me, you can't make a stew like this without mashed potatoes. You can mix mashed potatoes with all kind of things: roasted garlic, goat cheese, you name it. But my favorite is sour cream. Stick with me here. The combination of the tang of the sour cream is a great combo. The sour cream keeps the potatoes very moist which is great for pairing with this soup.

3 lbs russet potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks
1 cup milk (whole is best for creamy mashed potatoes but it's your call)
1/2 stick unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup sour cream

Boil your potatoes. But not to the point where they disintegrate. You should be able to stick a tip of a knife all the way through. Drain but keep them hot. Make your milk and butter mixture on the stovetop. Season with salt, pepper. Mash your potatoes. Slowly add your milk mixture to the potatoes. Then add the sour cream. Voila!
Serve by putting the mash in the bowl then generously cover with your stew. Snuggle on the couch and watch the returns roll in and wait for the pundits to bring out a 3d model of George Washington talking about the danger of political parties or something ;)

While we wait for our stew to do it's thang we will be doing our electoral college maps found here or if you want one with the numbers you can play with Cspan's.

Now dessert!

We will be making dessert pizzas from Martha Stewart's recipe. The girls are over the moon! Dessert and pizza together??! Minds. Blown.

Ingredients:

4 fajita sized flour tortillas (6 inch)
1/3 cup seedless raspberry all fruit jam
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blackberries
1 cup strawberries hulled and halved
1 cup blueberries

• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tortillas on a baking sheet and top each with a tablespoon of jam, spreading it almost to the edge. Bake until tortilla is crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature. 

Spoon 1/4 cup of ricotta over each tortilla, spreading it almost to the edge. Divide the berries among the tortillas, making alternating rows of raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries. Brush tops with remaining jam. Serve immediately, cutting into wedges like a pizza.

Drinks
I will be sampling a Nasty Woman ;)
2 parts silver tequila (for my bad hombres)
2 parts cherry juice
1 part lime juice
Pour over ice and cover with sparkling wine or sparkling limeade

Italian Pot Roast

Ahhh pot roast. Pot roast can be dreamy or it can be a dried out mess that more closely resembles a fossil sitting out in the sun for eons. Not much in between, sadly. Trust me, I've screwed up a lot of pot roasts. But not this one lady and gents!
 This is the perfect recipe as the weather here in California is (finally!!!) turning chilly.

But seriously....put this in your slow cooker rotation. You won't be sorry. This is absolutely a company worthy recipe as well. It makes a lot but there are never any leftovers in our house :) But if you did, this would make some killer roast beef sandwiches. I actually caught Lucia licking the bowl. If that isn't a resounding success I don't know what is! So go ahead and add these items to your grocery list. I'll wait.
Look you guys! I actually remembered to take photos while I cooked this one!
Some things to keep in mind about pot roast:
1) Your choice of meat is crucial. You have several options but chuck roast is the best in my opinion. It is a piece of meat that has a lot of connective tissue but fantastic marbling through it. Marbling means flavor, juice and tenderness if you do it right.

2)  Don't skimp on the cooking time. Chuck roast is a tough cut of meat so it needs lots of time to break them down and turn them into the melty goodness that it should be. Don't get nervous about the time. If you check it after 8 hours and it's not falling apart when you try to pull it apart with two fork cook it longer! I know it seems counter intuitive but trust me!

Even though the slow cooker’s heat distributes fairly evenly, there’s often a hot zone at the bottom or around the sides. Shield your meat from those spots. Use vegetables—onions, especially—to insulate the meat, making a bed of vegetables, then sticking the meat right on top, in the center. Onions work so well as a first layer because they give sweetness to the dish when their juices release.

Tender, beautiful meat!

Also useful for torturing animals. Poor Milo!

Happy Lucia approves of this pot roast!

Italian Pot Roast

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1 8 ounce package of baby bella mushrooms sliced
1 large yellow onion cut into rings
2 carrots sliced
4-5 fingerling potatoes chopped
1 (3-4 lb) boneless chuck roast
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbs olive oil
1 (1 oz) envelope dry onion soup mix
14 oz beef broth
1 8 ounce can can tomato sauce
3 Tbs tomato paste
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
2 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs water
Mashed Potatoes
3 lbs russett potatoes peeled
4 Tbs butter
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream

Place mushrooms, onion, carrots, potatoes in a lightly greased 5-6 qt slow cooker.
Sprinkle roast with pepper and rub with garlic. Cook roast in hot oil in a large skillet over medium high heat 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned.
Place roast on top of veggies. Sprinkle onion mix over roast. Pour beef broth and tomato sauce over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork.
Transfer roast to a cutting board and cut into large chunks removing any large pieces of fat. Keep warm or let your kids eat the meat while you prep the rest like me ;)
Stir in tomato paste and Italian seasoning into your slow cooker. Stir together cornstarch and 2 Tbs water in a small bowl until smooth. Add to juices in the slow cooker, stirring until blended. Increase slow cooker temp to high. Cover and cook 40 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Stir in roast pieces.

While the second cooking is going on with your gravy make your mashed potatoes. This seriously takes the roast to new heights of comfort food.  It's your basic mashed potatoes recipe with the addition of sour cream. Chop up your potatoes, cover with cold water and add salt.  Cook until they can be pierced easily with a fork transfer to a colander and let them rest for 5 minutes. Put in your mixer with butter, milk, sour cream and some pepper to taste. Mix up some smooth delicious magic. I love the addition of sour cream. The tang really compliments the roast beautifully. Alternatively you could serve over egg noodles and it would be great too!

Dia de los Muertos Menu

This is a long one so hold on to your hats! 
My oldest daughter, Callie, has recently started kindergarten in a bilingual immersion program. It has been a steep learning curve for all of us but a huge upside has been some fantastic conversations about what she is learning like the importance of Dia de los Muertos. When she first came home talking about it I got a little twinge in my stomach. How was I going to explain this? Was she going to come home with enough information to understand this different mind set about death? Her only interactions with death was the passing of her Great Grandfather several years ago and more recently our cat of 18 years. I have been so pleasantly surprised that I didn't need to feel nervous about it at all! She gets it way more than I anticipated. "Mommy, did you know that there are two days of Dia de los Muertos? The first day is called Dia de los Innocentes." My jaw was on the floor. I had only recently learned that myself!
So that opened the gates for me to add another celebration to our house and a way to talk about other cultures.

So what is Dia De Los Muertos?
The tradition of Dia De Los Muertos is that on Nov. 1 and 2 people celebrate the lives and memories of friends and family who have passed. Families gather to take a picnic to the cemetery, or gather in their homes, with the favorite foods, drinks and items of the dead family members, making an ofrenda (offering) that might include photographs and treasured items. The families spend the day together, playing music, telling memories of the person, and celebrating their life. Pan de muertos (bread of the dead) and marigolds are commonly seen adorning these offerings. Sometimes there are toys for the children who have passed, or tequila for adults.
There is another part of the tradition in some places, where a child dressed as a skeleton is carried through the streets in a wooden casket. The children carrying the casket will shout for candy which neighbors will toss into the casket.
It might sound a bit morbid but Dia de los Muertos becomes a good opportunity to teach that life is temporary and to treasure the days that are shared together, and to understand that death is a part of life. Dia de los Muertos really is a way to keep the people we have loved alive in our memories, so that as long as we continue to remember them to future generations, they are still part of the family.

We spent some time talking about the people that we have lost that we would love to welcome back. Sadly we weren't able to finish our ofrenda but it will be done for next year! We talked about our happy memories of each person: Grandma Ryan, Grandpa Allen, Uncle Jim, Grandpa Bunt and Jessica Tyler.

I started small with some sugar skull coloring pages and they couldn't get enough! This is the current favorite. But the flower one is great too. We also watched this award winning short which we all fell in love with. It tells the story of a little girl and how she is dealing with the death of her mother and how Dia de los Muertos became a support for her grief and a new way to celebrate her mother. We also checked out The Book of Life and they haven't stopped watching it yet. I had to buy the soundtrack too :) Totally worth it for the Cheech Marin and Biz Markie duet alone!

Then I set my sights on my menu. That is after all why you're here right ?! As usual, I bit off a little more than I could handle. I had a rare experience of pretty much everything going sideways in the kitchen. To say it was a humbling experience is putting it lightly. There were no tears but several four letter words being sputtered about. The real problem was a recipe for Pan de Muerto that was a hot mess. In fact I won't even link you to the site it was such a mess. They left out key directions to make the yeast interact so there I was staring down a yeast combination trying to will it to foam and bubble. Long story short, it didn't work! Thank goodness I have a beer brewer in the house that helped me out ;) Bread is always my achilles heel. Me and dough just do not jive! But I knew that pan de muerto is key piece to any Dia de los Muertos celebration so I went for it.  So here it is: the fixed recipe

Pan de Muerto
This will make 2 loaves. Serve with coffee or champurrado (more on that later). It is a lot of work but it is so worth it! 

Ingredients 

For the bread: 
1/2 cup whole milk 
2-3/4 oz. (5-1/2 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 
Two 4x1-inch strips of orange zest (use a vegetable peeler; avoid the white pith) 
1 Tbs. orange blossom water 
3 large eggs, lightly beaten 
1/4 oz. (1-3/4 tsp.) active dry yeast
Sugar (to add to yeast)
15-3/4 oz. (3-1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more as needed 
1/4 cup granulated sugar 
1 tsp. kosher salt 
Vegetable oil as needed

For the topping:
4 Tbs unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar 

Put the milk, butter, and orange zest in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir until the butter melts, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool until warm. Discard the orange zest, add the orange blossom water, and whisk in the eggs.

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water (no hotter than 110°F) add sugar for it to activate. Let stand until the mixture bubbles slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. (If the yeast doesn’t bubble, discard it and start again with new yeast.)

Mix the flour, sugar, and salt on a work surface. Make a well in the center. VERY SLOWLY pour the yeast mixture and the milk mixture into the well while mixing with your hand . Knead until you have a nice, uniform dough, about 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth but still slightly sticky. If it seems too sticky, add more flour as needed.

Put the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and leave in a warm place (about 70°F) until doubled in size, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Shape the bread

Cut off a piece of dough about the size of a lemon and reserve. Divide the remaining dough in half and shape the pieces on a lightly floured surface into 2 rounds. Lightly oil a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet or line it with parchment; put the dough rounds on it and flatten the tops with your hands.

With some of the reserved dough, form 2 balls the size of large marbles; set aside and cover with plastic. Divide the remaining dough into 6 pieces and roll them with your hands from the center out, making ropes that are slightly longer than the width of the loaves. As you’re rolling, press with your index and middle fingers spread about 1 inch apart to make knobs that represent bones. Arrange 3 of the ropes on top of each dough round, overlapping the ropes in the center. Cover loosely with a cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Dab a little cold water on the top center of each round where the ropes meet and put the reserved dough balls on top, pressing slightly so they adhere. Bake until the loaves have an even golden color, about 20 minutes. Cover the loaves loosely with foil and continue to bake until their bottoms are browned and the internal temperature is 190°F, 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes on a wire rack.

Top the bread

Brush the loaves all over with some of the melted butter. Holding one from the bottom (if it’s too warm, use an oven mitt or a piece of cardboard), sprinkle half of the sugar all over the top, tilting the loaf slightly to help coat it evenly. Repeat with the other loaf and remaining sugar. Cool to room temperature before serving. The bread is best eaten within a day of baking.

Make Ahead Tips

The baked loaves can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 2 months

Any extras could be made into bread pudding but we didn't have any. It was that good! 

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While you are waiting for your bread to rise, make some paper marigolds in all kinds of colors to decorate your ofrenda (altar) or just to entertain the troops :)  Orange and yellow hues are traditional but have some fun with it!

Why marigolds?  It is believed that the spirits of the dead visit the living during the celebration of Dia de los Muertos. Marigolds guide the spirits to their altars using their vibrant colors and scent. Marigolds, or flowers in general, also represent the fragility of life.

Speaking of marigolds, we made a marigold cocktail for the adults. Also for the lady that was cussing in the kitchen...

Marigold Muerte Cocktail
Be careful, this one is smooth so it can be dangerous!

We also had the kids decorate some sugar skull cookies. They had a blast!

Ingredients:
Sugar
Water
Marigold petals
Vinho Verde Sparkling White Wine
Limencello

Make a marigold simple syrup by heating equal parts water and sugar. Add in your clean marigold petals. Heat it until the sugar dissolves.  Remove from the heat and let the petals steep for several hours; up to 24 hours. Remove the petals and story the marigold infused syrup for up to two weeks.

Put ice in a high ball glass. Add 1 ounce of simple syrup and 1 ounce of limoncello. Fill to the top with Vinho Verde. Stir gently and serve. 
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This next recipe is not traditional at all but was a welcome addition to our table. Especially given that we were celebrating my bff's Californiaversary and what better way to celebrate than guacamole! California avocados. Mmmmm.

Fall Guacamole Recipe 
From Nancy Foster @ SheKnows

Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados mashed
1/2 lemon juiced
2 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
2 tsp fresh sage chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme chopped
1 Tbs chopped cilantro
1 Roma tomato chopped
1 jalapeno seeds removed chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs pomegranate arils

In a medium sized bowl add all items and mix together.

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Okay, time to stop noshing and get to the main dish. This one is a slow cooker recipe which is the heaven's gift to moms and other busy people everywhere! Which thank god because with all the drama and cursing because of the bread recipe from hell we would have been getting take out!
This recipe is from The Mexican Slow Cooker by Deborah Schneider.  Mole is more of a traditional meal to eat for Dia de los Muertos but my kids are seriously spice phobic. Hopefully we can work up to that one! Instead we opted for a Pollo en Crema

Pollo en Crema
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Ingredients:
6 bone in chicken breasts
1 cup water
2 tsp salt
yellow onion
1 Tbs olive oil
*1 jalapeno stemmed, seeded and cut into strips
*1 poblano chile stemmed seeded and cut into strips
1 red bell pepper stemmed seeded and cut into strips
1 large roma tomato diced
3 Tbs minced garlic
*1/4 cup chopped chipotles in adobo
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup heavy cream
Beans, rice, avocado

Place the chicken, water and 1 tsp salt in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours turning once.
When the chicken is cooked remove from the slow cooker leaving the broth in the crock. Remove the bones and skin and return the meat in large pieces to the slow cooker.
Peel the onion and cut into rings. Heat the oil in a large skilled over medium high heat. Add the onion, chiles, bell pepper, tomato, garlic and cook until the vegetables begin to soften; about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat slightly and continue to cook until veggies are just tender but still have some bite. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Add the cream mixture to the chicken in the slow cooker. Cover and cook 1 hour on low. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving with beans, rice and avocado slices.
*For a milder flavor or if you have wimpy kids like me you can leave these out and it is still delicious!
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And last but certainly not least is the Champurrado (Mexican Hot Chocolate)
I will freely admit I was nervous about this one. Hot chocolate with corn flour? But I am a believer! This is one is definitely a keeper.

Champurrado
From Yvette at Muy Bueno Cookbook

Ingredients:
3 cups of water
2 cinnamon sticks
1 anise star
1/4 cup masa harina
2 cups milk
1/2 disk mexican chocolate chopped
3 ounces piloncillo chopped or 1/2 cup brown sugar packed

It was awesome with the Pan de Muerto. Shockingly everything came out so wonderfully!

Okay that's it! Until next year when we will have a legit ofrenda because I won't be cursing at yeast. Fickle little buggers...

Back from the dead! Plus Soup...Minestrone to be exact

So it's been a dog's age since I posted here. Sorry sweet friends! But I'm back and feeling the need to update this space so get ready for some new recipes!
Hard to believe I never put my minestrone recipe up here. This is in HEAVY rotation in my house. It is pretty quick to put together, fantastic on cold nights or when you're sick. Plus my youngest, Lucia, eats it by the truckful. Ha ha! You ate vegetables you silly girl!  Bwahaha! Victory is mine!
Anyhoo, this is a recipe that I kept searching for and never liked what I found. I'm pretty picky about minestrone. Italian thing probably ;) So I combined what I liked from at least 5 different recipes. 
This is one of those recipes you can tinker with and it's almost always good so have fun with it!

Maria's Minestrone

Ingredients
Olive oil
Minced garlic
Salt
Carrots (I usually use 4 because my girls loooove carrots)
1 Zucchini cut into small slices
Half a sweet potato/yam cut into small pieces
Handful of green beans
2/3 cup white wine
2 cans cannellini beans (these are white kidney beans. If you can't find them use Great Northern or Navy beans)
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
bay leaf
Parmesan cheese rind: don't skip this! This is where the magic happens.
Herbs of your choice: basil, sage, oregano, rosemary
*Pasta: optional

Heat up some olive oil in a deep pot. Add minced garlic and cook for a few seconds- a minute. Add your vegetables with some salt. Cook for about 5 minutes or until they get nice and sweaty. Meanwhile, work on your beans. Take one can of your beans and drain/rinse them. Put them in a bowl with half a cup of water and blend them with a stick blender to make a paste. This is your thickening agent.  Take your other can of beans and simply drain/rinse. Once the vegetables are sweating add your wine. Add herbs, beans, bean paste, tomatoes, parmesan rind and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes or more depending on your desired consistency.

*A note about pasta. I for one don't use pasta in mine. Mostly because if you are having leftovers the pasta will soak up a lot of your liquid. But if you choose to, cook it separately and then add it in at the end.

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Mother's Day Picnic Recipes

Bill, Callie, Lucia, Mom and I enjoyed a lovely picnic at Central Park yesterday and thought I would share my recipes since the weather is starting to become picnic/bbq weather. I made lemon bars, curried chicken salad and blackberry limeade. And of course, I packed watermelon and other Callie-friendly snacks:)
I decided somewhat out of the blue that I wanted to try to make curried chicken salad. I have no idea why. I don't usually like it because it has mayo in it and I pretty much detest the stuff. But I came across a cooking light recipe that used greek yogurt instead. I threw together a lot of items, hoping that they would sort of come together well and I think they did. I will admit that it is still missing some oomph so this one will be a work in progress but here is where I started. Obviously, if you are going to share this with your kids, omit the white wine since it isn't going to be cooked off. I knew Callie wasn't going to touch this with a 10 foot pole so I decided to add it in.

Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients
3 chicken breasts

Dressing:
1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 tsp curry powder
⅓ cup white wine
2 tsp honey
2 tsp minced ginger

apple peeled, diced
⅓ cup celery diced
red grapes, halved


Marinade for grilled chicken:
½ cup honey
¼ cup lemon juice
3 T orange juice
3 T lime juice
2 green onion finely chopped
2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Bourbon (optional, but in my opinion, the flavor really makes the marinade!)

Place chicken and liquid in the bag. Keep refrigerated for 4 to 10 hours. Turn after several hours to baste liquid through all chicken meat.
Remove chicken from marinade. Pour marinade in sauce pan and heat on stove top for 3 minutes on medium heat, to blend flavors, and cook chicken juices. Just before grilling add salt and pepper to season on both sides of chicken.

Brush chicken with marinade and grill until the internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees. Allow chicken to cool before dicing.

Make dressing and mix with a whisk. Add grapes, celery and apples. Add chicken to mixture and refrigerate for several hours to combine flavors.

Serve on whole wheat bread as sandwiches or on crackers.


The lemon bars are definitely my go-to desert recipe in the spring/summer. It is adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe that I got from a friend. It is ridiculously easy. You might not ever pay for a lemon bar at a coffee shop ever again!


Lemon Squares 
Adapted from Betty Crocker’s Cookbook

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, butter and powdered sugar. Press in ungreased square pan (8x8x2” or 9x9x2”) building up 1/2-inch edges. Bake 20 minutes. Beat remaining ingredients about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Pour over hot crust.
Bake about 25 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched lightly in center; cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares (or whatever size square you want!)


And last, but certainly not least, the blackberry limeade. I found this on Cooking Light. We (and by we, I mean Bill) discovered that this makes a killer nectar to use with champagne for a lovely mimosa! We kept them separate so Callie could have some and she went NUTSO  for it. We had to cut her off:)

Blackberry Limeade

Cooking Light JUNE 2007 
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients 

6 cups water, divided 

3 cups fresh blackberries
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
8 thin lime slices
Fresh blackberries (optional)

Preparation

Place 1 cup water and 3 cups blackberries in a blender; process until smooth. Press blackberry puree through a sieve into a large pitcher; discard seeds. Add remaining 5 cups water, sugar, and juice to pitcher; stir until sugar dissolves. Place 1 lime slice and a few blackberries, if desired, into each of 8 glasses; pour about 1 cup limeade over each serving.

Roasted Tomato Soup and Garlic Bread

Since my hard drive on my computer crashed and I lost the majority of my recipes (BOO!),  I will most likely be putting a lot more work into this blog so I don't lose them again!

Speaking of recipe storage, how do you store your recipes, kind reader? I'm looking for ideas that will be safe yet not too labor intensive. I.e. not writing them out on notecards! If you have any ideas I am all ears.

Anyway...

My toddler is feeling a little under the weather and she loves tomato soup so that is what I am making today. Luckily today is one of those days where Callie's papa is around the house so cooking is pretty easy today. But even if he wasn't this one is pretty simple anyway!

Here is what you will need:

2-3 pounds of tomatoes, use any combination you want: heirloom, roma, vine. I prefer the clustered tomatoes on the vine
6 cloves of garlic peeled or you can use minced garlic if that is already in your fridge :)
1 yellow onion sliced
1/2 cup or so of olive oil
1/4 cup or so of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
4 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
**Optional:
-Other herbs like sage and rosemary or even mint. Sounds weird I know, but it adds a nice touch.
-Half and half to make a cream of tomato soup.
-Extra vinegar or red wine for some tang. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic and onions onto a baking tray. Drizzle with  olive oil, vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized. (Oh and don't be like me and accidently change the time on the oven instead of the kitchen timer! Luckily I didn't stray far this time!)
Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot. Don't just pour the entire contents of the baking sheet into your pot, it will be too oily. Trust me, I've tried it!
Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third. While cooking feel free to adjust seasonings. For example, this last time I added a dash  more vinegar to give it some tang (the chicken stock was coming on too strong for my taste) and a sprig of rosemary from the garden.
Wash and dry basil leaves and add to the pot. Remove rosemary if you used it. It just gets slimy after a while. You can also add some half and half if  you want a creamier soup. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat,  and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

I was thinking tonight that this might be a good candidate for a frozen meal. I never seem to have much left over though! Maybe next time I will make a double batch and freeze half in ziplock bags for those inevitable nights when I just can't get my act together and cook dinner:) I know they are coming! 

And what goes better with tomato soup than bread? Or perhaps grilled cheese? Tonight I opted for garlic bread.
If you've never made your own garlic bread you will be shocked at how easy it is!

Here is what you will need:
1 loaf of bread; I prefer sourdough over french but that could just be me...but if I'm feeling traditional I will opt for french. Tonight I was not feeling traditional:)
1 stick of butter
4 cloves of garlic minced
grated parmesan
paprika
pepper

Preheat your broiler.
Melt the butter and mix with the garlic. Cut your loaf of bread lengthwise and place them on a cookie sheet. Brush each side with your butter garlic mixture. Or you can just use your hands, which is what I usually end up doing. Sprinkle each side with parmesan, pepper and paprika. Paprika may seem an odd choice but I love it. It gives a nice dash of color to your bread and some great flavor without overpowering the garlic, because, come on, you want to taste garlic in your garlic bread, right??
Place cookie sheet in oven and watch it like your life depends on it. I can't tell you how many times I have ended up with blackened garlic bread. And that is a sad sad thing. So don't do anything else. Don't check your email. Don't answer the phone. Ok, you can pick up a screaming baby but that is about it. 
It should be ready in less than 5 minutes. Cut into slices and enjoy!

The Rules for Bringing Food To A New Mom

Since my best friend just had a baby, there are probably going to be a few "new baby" related posts for a while. I'm sure you'll forgive me, kind reader.
If and when you are invited to visit a new mom at home there are most definitely unspoken rules. First things first: for the invitation, feel free to email/text (be careful of ringing phones. There is nothing worse than working for half an hour to get a baby to sleep only to have a doorbell or phone wake them up!) and ask when you can come over sometime and bring them some food. We would get so excited to get one of those texts!  Of course you can come over! Phew, we don't have to order pizza. Again.
Rule #1: Thou shalt not enter the home of a new mom WITHOUT food.  New parents are barely functioning adults and by the time 5 or 6pm rolls around you think to yourself "Oh crap. I guess we should eat something." Having a home cooked meal (in someone else's home. Don't you dare ask to use their kitchen to cook dinner unless its just to reheat. Or if you do, you best make sure that kitchen is sparkling when you leave) is heaven to a new mom and dad.
I will always remember our first night home from the hospital. I was a mess. In pain, exhausted and delirious and my mom came over with this gorgeous dish of chicken and rice. I don't even know what she did to that chicken but it was glorious. If I was more mobile I would have knelt down and kissed the ground she was walking on. That is how important food is to new parents so don't leave your home without it. That being said, it can be take out too. Just ask the parents what they like. Some parents, like us, used a website to coordinate meals. There are quite a few out there. My favorite right now is called Meal Train.  One of the great things about this website in particular is that you can just send the url to interested parties. No passwords needed like some of the other sites. Another great thing is the website will send people who have signed up to bring meals a  reminder email and you can even add the "event" to your iCal or Google Calendar.

Make sure you ask them what time to come. Don't just show up. If they give you a time, don't be early or late. They are telling you a specific time so they can time feedings and don't have to be half naked in front of you. So there you have it, Rule #2: Thou shalt not be late or early.

So what should you bring? Think comfort food but nothing too too heavy. There are a lot of options, but make sure it is something that can be reheated and bring a lot of it! Rule #3: Thou shalt bring copious amounts of food, whatever it is. Try to figure out if the mom has any food aversions or dislikes. Again, an easy way to solve this is through websites like Meal Train. The new parents can list your favorite foods, least favorite foods, favorite spots for takeout, and any instructions for people bringing food (such as come at 5pm and don't ring the doorbell) .

Don't bring anything that can create gas in mom or baby. Gassy baby = very unhappy household and NO ONE sleeps. Rule #4: Thou shalt not bring any food with lots of onions, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, cabbage, corn, peanuts or anything too spicy. Some breastfeeding moms have even more restrictive diets, make sure you know about them before you start cooking.

One of the other tough things about figuring out what to bring is "Are they going to get 43 lasagnas?" That's the other nice thing about meal train and programs like it, you can see what other people are bringing and when, as long as the people signing up don't write something down like "a yummy dish." Ya, that's super helpful. And yes, that was sarcasm.
What I did this year at my friend's baby shower was to make her a certificate that was good for a home cooked meal (my specialty meals, the ones I am most proud of and reheat well) and gave her a few options. For me those options are: Italian sausage and mushroom lasagna, minestrone, apple and pork stew, beef and butternut squash chili, roasted tomato soup or eggplant parmesan. Normally I would say no to eggplant parm because it can get soggy, but the recipe I have calls for baking the eggplant so they stay pretty firm, plus its nice to have a veggie option. I will do some other posts on these recipes later so you, kind reader, can make them too!
Lasagnas are a good choice because they will reheat well, but again, a lot of people make lasagna so just make sure they aren't going to be sick of lasagna. Anything you bring should have some sort of protein and vegetables. The nursing/new mom needs a lot of fuel. Breastfeeding moms burn 500-1,000 calories just by producing breast milk. Compare that to the meager extra 300 calories that pregnant women need! So don't just bring a big bowl of pasta. Carbs are good and all but they need good nutrition too. Chilis are a good choice as long as they aren't too spicy. Stews and soups of all kinds are good too. As are quiches or fritattas (as long as the new mom or baby doesn't have an egg allergy).

When we go over to a new mom's house we usually bring a whole meal. So not just the lasagna or minestrone, but also a salad, some sort of vegetable and a dessert. For desserts, think of things that will stay good for a few days and that are easy to eat with one hand. Brownies, lemon bars, that sort of thing. One of my favorite meals that a friend brought me was a giant cobb salad. I was so desperate when she walked in the door. My husband was at a bachelor party, for which I will never let him forget, so I was on my own with a colicky baby. Luckily my mom came over to help or I probably would have been admitted to the psych ward. I will never forget that beautiful salad. I had never actually had cobb salad before and it was amazing!! Good protein, great lettuce, bacon, some mild cheese. Oh it was just wonderful.

Another thing that we do that is VERY well received is to bring some snacks and other items they will need. If the mom is breastfeeding or at least trying to, bring some packages of oatmeal, some lactation cookies, mixed nuts for some easy protein (and its very portable no matter where you are feeding the baby), usually some bagels for the mornings. Some other staples for them to cook on their own when they get back on their feet is also very helpful. This is something that a good friend with three kids did for us and it was awesome! Things like packages of fast cooking rice (brown rice is a good bet), pasta sauce and pasta, frozen stirfry vegetables and simmer sauces.

What to put the food in? Rule #5: Thou shalt not put the food in any containers you NEED  returned. New moms and dads can barely find two matching shoes let alone remember who brought what plate to their house. Check out the baking aisle at safeway. They usually have some aluminum throwaway dishes that are specifically made for casseroles/lasagnas or gladware containers. They sell some nice big ones these days.  
One of the tricky issues with bringing food is do you stay? We treated these visits as dinner and a chance for our friends to see the baby (plus, they can hold the baby while you eat with two hands, an incredible luxury!). But some new moms and dads just want the food and can't really deal with visitors. The best thing you can do is ask. And if they say we'd like you to go, don't take it personally, every new family is different.

Some other miscellaneous things to keep in mind: if you have small children you probably want to leave them at home with another caretaker, unless the new family has an older child as well that might like some entertainment from other children. If the family doesn't have someone (like a grandma) who is helping them, if you see dishes in the sink wash them and put them away. If you see laundry to be done, go ahead a do a load. Insist on it. Don't ask "Is there anything I can do for you?" Instead, say "What can I do for you to help?" Most moms are reluctant to ask for help, but if you tell them you are here to help they might just feel better about it. It might seem weird, but it really does help. Especially if you are very close friends with them. Make her some tea and have a chat if she is up for it. I always liked hearing about what was going on outside our four walls. Sometimes it is tough to keep up on events with a new baby. We were pretty desperate for visits so we relished these nights of catching up with our friends and enjoying a meal with them, even if we didn't cook it. If you are able to come by during the day that can be helpful too. Offer to watch the baby while the new mama can take a shower or take a nap. Keep your visit on the short side, say an hour unless you are really close friends. When we brought my daughter home, she was feeding every hour and a half, so an hour was just about perfect. Keep the advice to a minimum unless the new mum asks, especially about breastfeeding, it can be a sore subject (in more ways than one!). Watch the perfume and lotion before you arrive, you're not going on a date for goodness sakes. Some babies and new moms are very sensitive.

Any other tips out there mamas?Add them in the comments!