MommyCoddle

Grand Champion

I swear, this will be my last post about chocolate sauces for a very long time. But, I just couldn't let this go. I owe it to you all, loyal chocolate-loving readers. 

Over the weekend, my grandmother's Chocolate Chewy Sauce recipe was finally found. For dinner at my Dad's house Friday night, we made up a batch with her recipe. We felt it our duty. It was an act of research. All in the name of science and foodology. Science served up over locally-made peanut butter ice cream.

Mom, I'm sorry. Meemu's sauce recipe is not only superior, but I might be bold enough to say extremely superior. I grew up on your recipe, so I can only think that something has somehow failed in translation from my kitchen to yours. I blame myself. 

However, in the meantime, I feel it my duty to share this recipe, awarded Grand Champion among all those involved, by a talented, highly-experienced panel of judges.

Some notes before I begin....

I did not melt the chocolate in a double-boiler as the recipe suggests. I do however highly recommend you make the sauce in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Otherwise, during the boiling, you really run the risk of burning or over-boiling the sauce. We don't want that to happen. The recipe calls for vanilla. I do not add it per a little note at the bottom of the recipe that says "no vanilla". I remember now, that my grandmother did not like vanilla. So feel free to add if you wish. 

MPM's Chocolate Chewy Sauce

In double boiler melt 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate. Add 2 tablespoons of butter. ( I add these at the same time.) Stir and blend well. Add 2/3 cup boiling water. 

Stir well and add 2 cups of sugar and 4 tablespoons of light corn syrup. 

Boil readily for 8 minutes, without stirring (Don't do it! You'll want to, but don't do it!) over direct heat. Remove from heat. *Just before serviing add 1 teaspoon vanilla.

*Original recipe is edited and says, "no vanilla".

Enjoy, my friends. Next week I'll share my recipe for a really great veggie tray, I swear. :)

 

For you crazy ones: Chocolate Chewy Sauce

Have you ever gone to a movie, loveloveloved it and then totally hyped it up to someone before they went to see it? And then you thought, "Oh. Maybe I hyped that a little too much and they'll be disappointed." 

Well, I hyped up this recipe a bit back there, didn't I ? But I have to admit, (though pride cometh before the fall)...I don't think it will disappoint. 

I also have to say upfront that I feel a bit like I'm letting you all in on a family secret. I mean this is the Chocolate.Chewy.Recipe. This is the one we pull out when we really want to impress the people we're having over for dinner for the very first time. It's a dessert that says, "We're fun! And we like to get a little crazy in the dessert department!" We serve up the bowls of plain old vanilla ice cream and then turn away from the table to the stove, appearing again with the big heavy saucepan clenched in our hot-padded hands. "What?! You've never had chocolate chewy sauce?!? Oh, you poor deprived human. You are in for a treat! Let my family's secret recipe enlighten your palette!"

 So let me officially welcome you to the family.

Okay, seriously. That's enough hype. This stuff is good people. In a fun way. In a pull out your 8 year-old's loose tooth way. In a soak the bowls to get the remaining sauce off way. In a probably not for people with braces way. In a no one will be talking during dessert way.

There are two versions of this recipe floating around the family archives. My grandmother's recipe and  my mother's recipe. Both versions equally good with the exact same results. And because my mom, upon my phone call two nights ago, could put a finger on her recipe immediately "I think I file it under sauces.", and my grandmother's version is currently MIA, the recipe below comes from my mother's kitchen. She's a pro at this stuff.

Chocolate Chewy Sauce from the family vault 

2 one ounce squares unsweetened chocolate (to which I said, "Really? Unsweetened?" To which my mom replied:

"It will make sense when you hear the next ingredient.")

2 cups granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon butter

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Over medium heat, slowly melt and combine all ingredients but vanilla. Once they have melted completely, bring to a boil. Cover and continue boiling for two minutes. Remove lid (still boiling) and continue boiling until sauce reaches soft ball stage*. (This usually takes another minute or two.) *Note: If you have a candy thermometer, you can use this to test for soft ball stage (235 °F). The method I use is to keep a clear glass of cold water at the stove. Drop a few drips of the sauce into the water, if it holds together in a loose, "soft" ball, you've achieved soft ball stage. If it falls apart like a cloudy mess to the bottom of the glass, you're not there yet. You know what comes after soft ball stage? Hard ball stage. You don't want to get there, unless you plan to never reuse the dishes you serve the sauce in. However, reaching a good softball stage is key to the sauce having the right consistency. If you err any way, err to the side of hard ball. Don't under do it, or you won't get the chewy factor. But go to long and you'll get a more brittle sauce. No pressure, huh? I promise, it's not as difficult as I just made it sound.

Once you reach soft ball stage (Phew! You made it!) remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla. At this point, you can either let it cool to re-heat and serve later in the day, or keep it warming on the stove until dessert. Serve over vanilla ice cream, or if you want to get a little daring, mint chocolate chip. Leftovers? Jar them up and warm them again the next day. And the next....

Enjoy! I am not responsible for the extra five holiday pounds these last two recipes have caused you. Nor am I responsible for any damage to dishware, flatware, dental paraphernalia or lost teeth. (No honestly, it's not that chewy. Usually.)

 

Give the gift of chocolate (the less dangerous variety)

My family has a special well-loved by many generations recipe for something called Chocolate Chewy Sauce. It's killer. The moment the warm chocolate hits your cold ice cream it gets all thick and sticky and ohhh man, so good. 

A few weekends ago, when my sister was in town, we decided this would be the perfect thing for dessert that night with our families and brood of children. But for some odd reason, the recipe was MIA from my box. Though mildly distressing ( I haven't put out an all-out search for it, so I'm not worrying, yet.) I found another version of chocolate fudge sauce in my box that I've stored away for years. 

I heard about it from a college friend. And it is just as rich, not overly sugary sweet, and chocolately as the chewy stuff--but minus the chewiness. And as I was making a batch up, I realized that this hot fudge sauce would make a great holiday gift. The chewy sauce isn't for everyone. If you didn't grow up on it, you might not appreciate the jaw-clenching fun of our family's warm fudge sauce. You might not appreciate the work it takes to scrape every last bit of chocolate from the sides of your bowl. Or the fact that you must soak the bowls in hot water in order to remove the last bits of chocolate from their sides. 

And who wants to be responsible for giving that kind of chocolately madness to a neighbor, co-worker or your daughter's preschool teacher?

Enter my much less dangerous, but still just as delicious version of hot fudge sauce. I can vouch that this recipe, once prepared, can be poured into cute little canning jars, or my personal favorite BonneMamam jars, with their red and white checkered lids. It can be refrigerated and then warmed in a pot of simmering water while you eat dinner and be perfectly ready for the dessert hour. I'm thinking the neighbors will each get a jar this year. It is easy to make, easy to store and something completely different from my usual plate of sugar cookies....Who doesn't love a good warm, fudge sacue over vanilla ice cream? Not many. 

*FYI: Sauce in the picture is straight from the fridge, it will not be that thick once warm.**

HOT FUDGE SAUCE

5 squares unsweeted chocolate

1/2 cup butter

1 can evaporated milk (12 ounces)

3 cups of powdered sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Melt chocolate and butter. Remove from heat. Mix in sugar and milk (alternating the two ingredients as you add them.). Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Continue to boil for 3-5 minutes so that sauce will thicken. Remove from heat stir in vanilla. Serve warm over ice cream. Leftover sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to....it won't last long enough to worry about that. 

Little things

It's Thursday. I sat down to write this on Monday. Hmmm. (Not that I've been sitting at my desk that whole time, but you know how it goes.) I have many things on my mind that I want to write about, but for now you'll have to put up with a brain dump of little things that I think are important to share. 

First and foremost, my blogging friend from Babycenter, Kami, just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Afton. Afton was born 3 1/2 months early and weighs a tiny 12 OUNCES. Kami is recovering after her emergency C-section and Afton is a fighter, but of course, Kami, Afton and her family could use all your prayers and wishes of strength and encouragement. There is a long road ahead. 

There's really no good segue here, but....

✳ I'm sharing what I consider to be one of the blogland's best kept secrets on MommyCoddleLIKES. You must check it out (and be sure to subscribe while you're there!)

✳ Internet sleuth and master-googler that I am, I've collected 12 Strange, Weird and Oddly Fascinating facts about Thanksgiving on 4KidsorMore. If you've ever wondered how to tell if a cranberry is ripe, what Mary Had A Little Lamb has to do with Thanksgiving, or what Indonesia has to do with turkey, you'll want to check it out. Makes for good dinner conversation and a way for your kids to impress the grandparents. 

✳ I know I may be biased but habit is awesome this month. (A lot of work for me and emily, phew! But so amazing.)

✳ I just found out two days ago that I'm representing Babycenter in New York City for a Disney/Dreamworks-hosted red carpet premier of War Horse. I'm beginning to think that my editor-friends thought it would be fun to plop the farmgirl in the middle of the city for an event whose dress code has been described as "glamorous." Excited. Freaked out. Excited. Stressed. Thrilled. All of that. But mostly excited. Check out the War Horse trailer. Animal drama? I know I'm going to cry. 

✳ And finally, Snickerdoodles. What a great way to end a post. I asked my friend if she'd share her recipe-thinking it might be some valuted family secret. But. She shared. And it's good. So so good. (Ask Birdy, she's succesfully inhaled three while I've been sitting here distractedly typing away. ) 

Happy Thursday! More tomorrow, I hope!!!

My version of freezer cooking

Two weekends ago, I made the "mistake" of listening to a Homefries podcast while folding loads of laundry. Tsh was talking to Jessica from Life as Mom, and the topic of freezer cooking came up in their conversation. Jessica is a champion freezer cooker. 

And suddenly, listening to that podcast, it was like someone had proppelled me into a crazed state of freezer cooking madness. 

I know there are tons of resources on the internet about freezer cooking. People have mastered it. Freezing meals, casseroles, soups, pies, the insides of pies. Doing all their cooking for the year in one afternoon. (slight exaggeration).

And while I really want to be one of "those people", I've always been overwhelmed by the idea. Buying all that food. Finding long stretches of uninterrupted time in the kitchen. The freezer space required. The supplies. The know-how. The mess. The dishes.

But last Saturday, I decided for my growing family who seems to be consuming more and more volumes of food at every meal, I needed to give this a try. 

I spent the next hour or so with roughly every blog post Jessica has ever written on the topic opened in tabs on my browser. I began scribbling down notes, making a shopping list and getting even more inspired. 

I decided that I needed to tackle this new project in manageable chunks. I didn't google anything or search for more ideas, but decided to only use Jessica's blog as my resource so that I wouldn't be overwhelmed by information overload.  I knew I needed to stick with a few basics and go from there. 

I decided on three goals:

Cook and freeze a large batch of shredded chicken.

Try her "lawnmower taco" recipe.

Make one casserole during the week that I could double. Make one. Freeze one.

I went to the grocery store that afternoon after scanning circulars for a good deal on chicken. That evening after dinner I put all the chicken in my crockpot with some water and chicken base (I love Minors) and set it on low. In the morning after it had cooled somewhat, it was tender and easy to shred and package up for the freezer once it came to room temperature. (an important tip!)

Last week when I was making dinner, it was easy to make a double-recipe and freeze another whole casserole for some other night when I'm not in the mood to cook or feeling totally uninspired.

Over the weekend, I made her lawnmower taco recipe, which was so simple, good and demolished by my family. And I browned extra meat and froze a portion of it for later.

Seriously, I think I could get into this. I absolutely do not see myself as someone who will do month's worth of prepping and freezing, but this little experiment opened my eyes to the fact that there are great ways to take on this idea in manageable ways. It was so easy to cook the chicken. overnight, in the crockpot. So easy to double a recipe. 

I'm excited to slowly add more things to my freezer (which I also cleaned out that morning, too. Seriously. I was inspired!) Last week, I pulled out some shredded chicken at the last minute and made Sarah's Chicken and Dumplings, which usually require me to be much more prepared and have started the recipe mid-day. 

My only issue now is knowing when to use the things I've frozen. Is a regular old weeknight dinner a good excuse to break out something frozen? Or do I keep them only for the nights that life is crazy or I'm just completely uninspired and unprepared for dinner that evening? I think if I continue to watch for good deals and try to double at least one thing each week, I'll feel more satisfied with my stash and won't feel so panicked when I dip into it. 

This week, I want to freeze some cookie dough. And I want to try chicken pot pie--one to eat, one to freeze. 

Yeah, I'm kinda in love with this whole concept. (And with my organized freezer full of options.)

And you? Do you freeze? Tell me more! I'm dying to hear more ideas and inspiration! Talk to me.

**(And yes, there is something new....it's coming. I'm just behind. As usual...)**

Best snack ever

In my opinion, this is one of those recipes that if you're not doing it, you need to drop everything and do it now. You know I have a history of getting on "kicks" in the kitchen and this one, I'm happy to say, is much healthier than my last one. 

Have you experienced the salty, crunchy, addictive goodness of roasted garbanzo beans? Yes, garbanzo beans. Chickpeas. From a can. Roasted up. Yum.

They go extremely well with a beer, I must say. But also serve well, sitting in a bowl in the middle of your kitchen table for your constant snackers. (I have four. Technically, three and a half.) My kids hover when they are in the oven and stand over the cooling cookie sheet waiting for them  to be just cool enough devour.

The recipe is ridiculously easy. Trust me, double it. And bake them longer than you think you should. Otherwise you'll end up with beans that are pasty and soft on the inside. We're going for crunch.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans, best snack ever.

Drain and rinse well one can of garbanzo beans. There will be a few stray "skins" from the beans. If they gross you out, you can remove them. I don't bother.

Lay the beans out on a cookie sheet and with a paper towel, pat dry any excess water.

Drizzle with olive oil and jiggle the pan to coat all the beans. (Or use your hands. My method of choice.)

Sprinkle with a coarse salt (Or other seasonings that inspire you.)

Roast at 400 ° for roughly 30-40 minutes--until deep brown and crunchy. Some beans will even begin to crack open. My children tell me, these ones are the best. I concur.

Garbanzo beans are now a staple in my kitchen pantry. But be warned, they are highly addictive.

 

Breaking tradition in the form of pumpkin bars

It almost feels wrong to post this. I mean, there's a tradition to maintain on this blog. It is this recipe that marks the beginning of cooler temperatures and sleeping with the windows open. I post it every.year. 

But this week was Dan's birthday, and in his usual style, we needed a birthday cake that didn't fall in the super-sweet or super-chocolately category. He's more of a cheesecake, apple crisp or shortbread kind of man. 

That's when I remembered this recipe. Clipped from a farming newspaper way back when we lived in Illinois. I wasn't even sure I still had the recipe--that little slip of newsprint, fragile and folded, tucked away somewhere. 

But on his birthday afternoon, when I opened my old recipe box, to see if I could dig it out among the other recipe artifacts, there it was. The very first recipe in the box. Waiting for me. 

The cake isn't super-sweet and bakes up like a sheet cake. And the cheesecake frosting? Well, it's the frosting on the cake, of course. 

Try this. It won't disappoint, and then be sure to break out that pumpkin bread recipe some time, too. It's tradition.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting clipped from the pages of The DuPage Farmer

4 eggs

1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar

1 cup cooking oil

1 16 ounce can pumpkin

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspon baking soda

For the frosting:

1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter, softened

2 cups sifted powdered sugar.

In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. ( FYI: I did all mixing by hand, to save breaking out the major appliances.) Sift together the dry ingredients (if you want to be an over-achiever) and add to the wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Spread batter into an ungreased 15 x 10 x1 inch cookie sheet (aka jelly roll pan). I lined mine with parchment. (I am an over-achiever.) Bake at 350 ° for 25-30 minutes. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting. 

snack break #15

Since my children are on snack break number fifteen of the day, I figured I slip over here to share a few things with all of you while they're stuffing their faces with cheese, grapes and nutella toast. 

*If you sneak a peek at my top right sidebar, you'll see a new little button--I have been nominated over at Parents.com for Best All-Around Mom Blog. And I'm holding steady with my one vote that nominated me. Have a moment? Will you click on over and vote for me? 

Or click on the button below:

By Best All-Around Mom Blog

*First of all, a question: Can someone please tell me what to do with my lovely lavender up there at the end of the season? Cut it back? Let it go? I generally go with the "do nothing" plan, but I love it and I'd love to see it thrive despite my ignorance.

*I'm over on 4Kids or More talking about marking time with family portraits.

I feel like it's been awhile since I've shared some good stuff from blogland. I've been a pinning fool lately. Are you on pinterest? (Make sure you let me know in the comments!). It's one of the most inspiring time-sucks on the internet. 

Recently pinned:

*Mariah Bruehl has a great list of online learning resources and inspiration for children on her website--categories like nutrition, music, math, art, child-safe online searches, writing, organization...great, great lists. 

*I think my kitchen could handle a Big Chill.

*Emma's been asking me to teach her how to "type for real". Dance Mat Typing might be just the thing.

*This feather bangle is beautiful and budget-friendly.

*I really need this Crumpler. Badly. Because as much as I love my KellyMoore bag, I'm not that fancy every day. Sometimes, I just need to throw my DSLR into my every day bag and know it won't get smashed among the diapers and bunny crackers.

*These pillow case cushions for kids are pure + simple genius. 

*I had a plastic version of this in fifth grade. It was my most prized possession atop my school desk. 

*We have serious ponytail holder issues in this house. As in we can never find any. This is an excellent idea.

*And for dessert? Make your own magic shell. Be still my heart (or stomach....)

blueberry buckle

After riding at the barn the other morning, Emma came home with two quarts of blueberries.

Birdy prefers them straight out of the box. But this also means that I am stepping on blueberries rolling around my kitchen floor for the rest of the day. A small sacrifice for her blueberry joy, but still....

I have a strange like/disklike of blueberries. I like them in things, I dislike them straight out of the box.

Smoothies and Buckles. That's my thing.

We were discussing the origns of the "buckle" over dessert the other night....Mary wanted to know why the dessert was called a buckle. I suggested that it might be because the topping of the cake "buckles" and cracks as it cooks. Dan suggested that it gets its name from the fact that one must "loosen their buckle after having several pieces."

Everyone probably has their version (or the exact same version) of the blueberry buckle. I have to apologize that I have absolutely no source for mine. It is scribbled on a notecard in my recipe box and I've been baking this version for the past three summers. And it's a total winner. I recommend it for dessert, then breakfast and lunch the next day. 

Blueberry (Loosen Your) Buckle

3/4c.sugar

1/4 c. butter, softened

1 large egg

1/2 c. milk

2 c. flour

2t. baking powder

1/2t. salt

1 1/2c. blueberries

Cream sugar and butter. Add egg. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients and stir into the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk. Fold in berries, and pour into a greased or parchment-lined 8 x 8 inch pan.

Crumble :

1/2 c. sugar

1/3 c. flour

1/2t. cinnamon

4T butter, softened

Mix together and sprinkle over top of buckle. Bake at 375˚ for approximately 25-30 minutes.

county fair cake

I am home from a whirlwind 36-hour trip to Bellport, NY over the weekend. Dan manned the homefront, while I slipped off to an exhibition about my great-great-grandmother at an historical society in Bellport. I'm still sifting through photographs and trying to digest my weekend. Not to mention the enourmous amount of recovery that seems necessary after a short weekend away. 

In the meantime, God must have heard my pleas for relief as cool 70-degree winds are blowing through my windows this morning. This is my kind of weather. 

The weather break also meant that I had the motivation to fire up my oven and bake something. Emma, slightly dramatic and upon her first bite into the cake, "I haven't had something homemade of yours in YEARS!" 

So while I spend the day recovering, do yourself a favor and revisit this post. There just might be a county fair cake in your future today, too. 

a recipe for sweet relief

Prepare yourself. Now begins the season where I need to discuss the weather constantly. Good-bye Maryland Spring, hello Maryland heat and humidity. We obviously have no air conditioning in this little gem of a farmhouse. I find myself relentlessly checking the weather, the weather maps, the hourly forecast, hoping for a break in temperatures, a drop in humidity, a good strong storm. (And dream about slipping off to an air-conditioned condo in the city. I've said that before, haven't I ?) 

So we learn to make-do and deal with the heat. 

As little Jane Fonda here can attest, it has been pretty wicked the past several days. I'm in survival mode. I'm not above a sno-cone break in the middle of the afternoon. Cereal for dinner when it's too hot to cook or even eat. 

But one good thing that has come from this recent heat wave is my adaptation and (near) perfection of my grandmother's iced tea recipe. 

You must know that the rule in my grandmother's house was that you had to be 13 to drink the tea. It has twice the caffeine and all the sugar, so you practically need a license to drink it. But a glass of that tea, full to the brim, overflowing with ice, is enough to momentarily keep even the worst hazy humidity at bay. 

Now my grandmother had 15 children. Her version of this tea was brewed on the stove top, and poured into a giant stainless steel pitcher in her industrial-sized refrigerator. With the constant flow of children (over 13), visitors and guests, she always kept two pitchers going at the same time. 

Well, my family, with only 2 of-age drinkers, doesn't quite need the same volume of iced tea. 

I also didn't want to boil water. I'm that lazy in this weather. And I wanted to see if I could make a small concentrated version as my starting point. 

So my recipe is your recipe. You can thank me later. 

ICED TEA FOR THE OVER 13 CROWD

Fill a quart canning jar with cold water. 

Add 3 large tea bags. ( I generally use Lipton and the bags I used are the jumbo-sized ones about the size of your palm. But any bag will do, you'll just have to tweak the amount.)

Screw the lid on the jar, securing the bags and set in a sunny spot outside.

Let your tea get a good sun tan. No really, a long steep is critical to this tea. I put mine out in the afternoon and bring it in the next afternoon. Almost a full 24 hour steep. You want it nice and dark.

Remove the bags and dump your tea concentrate plus 2 more quart jars of cold water into a pitcher.

Add 1/2 cup of sugar

Add a generous 3/4ths of a 12 ounce can of frozen lemonade concentrate**

Stir well.

Get a large glass of ice, a sprig of mint and thirst be-gone!

**I hate to waste that last little bit of lemonade concentrate in the bottom of the can. Dump it into your quart jar, fill it up with cold water. Put the lid on and give it a good shake. And take it out to your husband--who's dripping in sweat while chopping wood for WINTER!

the hesitant gardener

Our garden is going in. Each night a few more things get planted. Each weekend, I stop at The Mill for a few more packets of seeds.

I have to admit, I'm not doing much gardening. Dan is the master-gardener in this house. My main job is chief errand-runner, chief "what to plant" decision-maker.

My work doesn't really kick-in until mid to late summer when things start appearing, needing to be harvested and cooked up and frozen and canned.

I'm guilty of being very ambitious in the cool, crisp days of Spring when anything feels possible and enthusiasm is at its peak. Unfortunately when my work really begins to matter we are in the dredges of hot, humid, sticky summer days when the last place I want to be is bent over a steaming pot in my sticky, non-air-conditioned farmhouse kitchen. Summer tends to suck the life out of me.

So each year we try to make a few adjustments to what we plant. Last year, we (probably me) made the mistake of putting in way too much corn. Even with staggered planting it was too much. In summer's heat I was never very enthusiastic about a large pot of water boiling in my kitchen and I lost all enthusiasm for slicing corn off ears, blanching and freezing.

So this year, there's no corn. I'll simply get what I want, when I want it, from a local farm stand.

This year there are more grean beans. More onions. More potatoes. There will be tomatoes, despite last year's disastrous crop that was almost a complete loss. There is spinach. And cabbage (for my cole-slaw loving child), and brooccoli.

I am no green thumb. In fact, I wear green gardening gloves just so that I can pretend to have one. Each year, we learn something new. Adjust, change our plans, make vows for next year's garden.

And I silently stand back and pray for a miraculous cool breeze blowing through my kitchen on the day that all the green beans are ready to harvest.

That's not too much to ask, is it?

What's going on in your garden these days? I'd LOVE to hear.

a recipe journal

I've talked on here quite a few times about recipe boxes and my desire to have one long-lasting recipe box that I envision being passed down and around, among my children. (Although for this to truly happen, it would probably be a good idea if I started following a recipe instead of always "winging it" in the kitchen.) 

Anyhoo, leave it to Lotta to come along and inspire me some more, and to get my wheels turning once again when it comes to documenting, savoring, and saving my "work" in the kitchen.

If you have not yet cracked the pages of her Handmade Living book, do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy. In fact, if you're anything like me, I should have simply purchased the book to begin with instead of paying all fines for the multiple times I have checked it out of the library....

Every page is full of inspiration and ideas. 

But one that has stuck with me these past few weeks is her recipe journals--clipped recipes, hand-written notes, ideas, sketches. I love everything about this idea. And I love the idea of a shelf full of years of kitchen journals.

What about you--do you keep something similar to this? How do you record your work in the kitchen?

livin' on love

I'm singing the same old, tired tune I've been singing on and off for what feels like years, "money's tight". We sit and talk about all the "unexpected" things, the fuel bills that make me cringe every time I hear the thud of the furnace kicking on under my feet in the dark, damp basement, the repairs, the bills...blah, blah, blah. Blech.

We are fortunate though. We are blessed. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

But for now, we are having to cinch our belts so tight, it is sometimes painful. 

As the main spender in this family, the person who basically controls where, when, how and on what our money is used, I've had to step up and tighten my belt the most. 

And so, the grocery budget is the primary place that I've made major changes. 

To be honest, I can't even remember the last time I went to the grocery store and did a major, formerly-typical shop. I think it was sometime around new year's day. I have been forced to get seriously creative in the kitchen. If I've been to the store, I've been able to carry all my purchases in, with one trip. No loading, unloading, unpacking.

I am using what I have on hand.

I am digging deep, very deep into my pantry shelves.

I'm pulling out cans and boxes and bags of things that I usually pass by and am "not in the mood" for. 

I've forced myself to figure out how to cook up cuts of meat that have been sitting in the bottom of my freezer, looking at me with intimidating eyes.

I've found forgotten goodness stashed in bottom freezer drawers, in the backs of cupboards.

I've discovered that if we want it, oftentimes, I can make it from scratch. Soft pretzels? I have a recipe for that. Warm rolls? I can handle that. Cereal? How about a batch of granola?

I've learned to make the mundane special. Candles at dinner. Cream for oatmeal (again) in tiny pottery pitchers. Dinner tables set with nice dishes and linens.

I've learned to use less meat. To use it for flavor and protein instead of bulk. 

I've learned to make my grocery list and then examine it again. What really is necessity?

I've learned that flour, sugar, butter, milk, cheese, eggs and beans go a long way for a little money.

I've learned that we really need a milk cow.

I've learned (again) that soup makes a great meal and can have so many variations it doesn't get old. Especially with good homemade bread or biscuits.

I've learned that if you let your children get hungry enough, everything looks and tastes good to them!

It's funny, when we first were married, my husband was the best person to cook for. He'd moan and groan and 'ooh' and 'aaah' about my cooking. But over the years, his exclamations have quieted a bit. (He forgets how good he has it.)

But these past few weeks, when we are eating on a shoestring, when I'm putting together meals that are made up strictly from the things I'm finding in my cupboard, those moans and groans have returned. When things are pieced together, whipped up with less, suddenly everything tastes really good. And I have to admit, I've made some pretty good meals, I might even dare to say a few of our best. We sit down at the table and say, "Look what we did with almost nothing!"

I've pushed myself. I've changed my perspective. When I go to the store--we still need milk, cream for coffee and some fresh fruit and veggies now and then--I look at what I buy so differently. Before I buy something I think about how flexible it is, how many meals I can get out of it, how far I can stretch it. 

But don't be fooled, it isn't this daily great experience. I don't go skipping into my kitchen each afternoon, ready to tackle another creative dinner. There are days I'd trade my youngest child for takeout. (kidding! she's too cute and she doesn't add much to the grocery bill.) There are days I stand in front of my open cupboard doors and want to scream, "I'm so sick of this!!!!!!" But in general, I've been up for the challenge. 

I don't know how much longer we'll need to live like this. The state of our cupboards, freezer and refrigerator is pretty Old Mother Hubbard-ish. Eventually, I'll need to replenish. But like I said, there is light at the end of the tunnel. But I need to hang on for a little bit longer.

The good part of all this, is that I feel like my perspective has changed. I've learned a lot about my grocery shopping habits. I've learned that I can do a lot with less. I've learned that we can survive. 

And I've learned that we are rich in so many other ways.

on a kick in the kitchen

I'm the kind of person who gets on "kicks" in the kitchen. Last winter I was on a "chicken and dumpling" kick, there was the shortbread kick during Summer of '09, tomato-basil-mozarella-balsamic this summer, again. 

 Once I get to the point of being able to make something without any recipe, and I'm making it more than once-a-week, I officially declare it a "kick". This fall it is chocolate chip meringues. 

Really, I blame my sister. She introduced them to me over a year ago. And upon first taste they got stored away on that list of "must figure out how to make" in my brain. 

Of course, when I was ready to make them I couldn't get her on the phone, so I had to go to the internet for research. And I found this recipe at smitten kitchen. It was my starting off point, and now that I'm feeling like a seasoned meringue-maker, I've been bold enough to eek back the sugar and go with the flow. 

Seriously, do yourself a favor and whip up a batch of these. Don't be intimidated by egg white stiffness or foaminess, or perfect meringue done-ness. 

Even better, they're low-fat. Right? Right!

Molly's Mini-chip Meringues (with a nod and tip of the hat to my sister, and 'smitten) :

2 egg whites, room temperature (or straight from under the hen's rumpus in our case)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 ounces mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Put two egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until foamy. Add salt, cream of tartar and vanilla and continue to whip until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and whip until it holds stiff peaks. Fold in mini-chips.

On a parchment-lined baking sheet, drop spoonfuls of the sticky white clouds onto your baking sheet. Bake at 300 for approximately 30-35 minutes. (there are also long-methods for making meringues, which I've never tried. but this is what I've been doing.) Personally, I check the meringues as I near the end of the baking time. Once they begin to get firm on the outside, I remove them from the oven. They will continue to crisp up a bit more as they cool. 

When you are done, you'll little pockets of goodness, crispy on the outside, a bit chewy on the inside. Whatever doesn't get eaten in the first feeding should be stored in an air-tight container. 

Enjoy!

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Did you know, I'm back over on the MOMformation blogs again? They've done a complete make-over and there is some pretty good stuff happening. They've added lots of great bloggers to the already standard favorites, like Jon and Sherry from Young House Love, Kristen Chase from CoolMomPicks, Alison Czarnecki from Petit Elefant --just to name a few...

I'm part of the Products & Prizes channel, and I'm writing a weekly article about great finds for your kitchen. (how fun, huh??!) And I'll soon be adding some regular posts on children's music, as well as product reviews and giveaways (some GREAT giveaways). 

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