Breakfast at our House

Don't you love days when you have time to make and eat a good breakfast? L and I are both breakfast eaters. I've heard her say many times that she can't believe how many kids at school don't eat any breakfast, and how in the world do they make it until lunch? Although I don't do new year's resolutions, I did work last year on going to work later---which had the added benefit of giving me time to make a more substantial breakfast many days. I like the idea of my little baby girl (don't tell her I said that) running off to the bus with a full tummy. And since I've become a whole wheat pita nut, nothing is easier than throwing an egg inside along with some lettuce and tomatoes and whatever else---but always with a good shake of Cavendar's Greek Seasoning. Today's filling was chopped up Morningstar Farms "sausage" patties and fried eggs, mixed up with lots and lots of Dijon and Spicy Brown mustard. We each had a clementine with it.

You know what they say: The most important meal of the day.

'Tis the SEASON

Ahhhhh. The car is dug out of its blizzard-ness, and so are we. Lucy is cruising around Soho with a couple of friends and her camera (at least, I guess she is...she was supposed to text me when her train got to the city...hmmmmm), the robot is vacuuming, and the vegetables are roasting in a 425 degree oven. Surely all is right with the world. The initial idea with the butternut squash was to roast it with some spices and red onion, and then make soup. But who am I kidding? Now that I smell it, there's no way I will puree any of the roasty, carmelized goodness that will come out of the oven. I LOVE any kind of roasted veg by itself; over a whole grain like bulgur, whole wheat couscous, or quinoa; over whole wheat pasta with a fresh grind of black pepper and parmesan cheese; and two days later for lunch in a whole wheat pita along with a smear of tahini-free hummus and whatever else happens to be left over in the fridge.
I almost was going to give you the specific low-down on how to roast the cauliflower, but I did that on an earlier post and don't want to show the full level of my dementia by repeating. Although, if ever there was anything to repeat about, it's roasted cauliflower. Ever since Melissa started making this a few years ago, it's one of the things I crave and can't get enough of its nutty deliciousness.
Since this post is supposed to be about seasoning, just let me say two things about the salt and pepper that flavors the cauliflower. 1. If you don't already have it, stop what you're doing and go to the grocery store and buy KOSHER SALT. Use it EVERY time you salt something (unless you use sea salt, but that's lots more expensive), except for baking; it's preferable to use Morton's plain-old salt for baking. But Kosher salt is waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy better for all your other cooking---a significant flavor bump you'll come to appreciate. 2. Use FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER from a pepper mill for all your cooking. Just do it. I keep a one-handed pepper mill at the stove to make life easier, and I use my Pampered Chef silicone funnel to re-fill it, or otherwise I have a huge mess on my hands and little peppercorns everywhere.
After Thanksgiving I made a little business trip to Hartford CT and found myself near a Penzeys spice store, where I bought one of their new spice blends, Arizona Dreaming. The ingredients label reads, "spices (must be the secret part), ground ancho, onion, garlic, paprika, citric acid, lemon peel, chipotle pepper, red pepper, jalapeno, cocoa, natural smoke flavoring." I've been using it on everything where I want a little kick, and my butternut squash will be particularly tasty.Speaking of which....in the time it's taken me to write to you, both the cauliflower and the squash are out of the oven. You know it's a good day when I have two Pampered Chef bar pans full of roasted goodness calling my name. Go roast yours.

Trail Mix Cookies

A while back Leslie gave me what Lucy and I have dubbed "The Magic Cookbook," because EVERY recipe you make from it is guaranteed to be super-successful (read as absolutely delicious.) We LOVE that cookbook. Well, for my Christmas Miss Lucy outdid herself when she located the new HEALTHY version of this cookbook. We were both so excited to have it....YIPPEE! There is even a recipe for the incredible Tarte Tatin that Leslie makes from the other book, with pears from her own trees. I've spent the last few days snowed in and reading every single recipe. So, why did I choose a cookie recipe as my first thing to try? There are tons of recipes for healthy grains, soups, and stir-fries, but I had to start with COOKIES after pigging out on sweets galore for the past two weeks. Well, they are delicious.

Trail Mix Cookies

1 cup (3 oz. if you weigh instead) old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup (2 3/4 oz.) whole wheat flour

1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz.) all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp baking soda

5 TBS unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup (7 oz) packed brown sugar

1/2 cup dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins

1/2 cup unsalted sunflower or pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup peans, walnuts, or almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk oats, flours, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda together in a bowl.

2. In a large bowl, whisk melted butter, egg, and vanilla together. Stir in sugar until smooth, smearing any remaining clumps of sugar against side of bowl. Stir in the oat mixture until just combined, then stir in cherries, seeds, nuts, and chips.

3. Working with 1 heaping TBS of dough at a time, roll into balls and lay on parchment/pan, spaced 2 inches apart.

4. Bake one sheet at a time, until edges are set and beginning to brown but centers are still soft, puffy, and underdone, 12 to 16 minutes; rotate halfway through baking. NOTE: On my metal baking sheet with parchment, I baked for 8 minutes, rotated, and baked for 5 minutes more. On my Pampered Chef stone bar pan without parchment, I baked for 8 minutes, rotated, and baked for 8 minutes more.

5. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. NOTE: You should have seen Lucy's face when I brought her a plate of two warm cookies and a glass of milk!

Because lower-fat cookies don't store well, I baked a little more than half the dough and shaped the rest into balls and froze them on a baking sheet, then transferred them to a zip-lock freezer bag labelled: "Trail Mix Cookies #10. Do not thaw. Bake 12-16 minutes at 350."

Don't you love having your own home-made cookie dough in the freezer?

A Most Beautiful Sight

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the scene outside my kitchen window is lovely after 16 inches of snow (I was pretty much awake from 2 to 4 a.m. due to the 50-mph winds---just like a noisy tropical storm in Houston, but with snow swirling like crazy for a total white-out, a little scary) but the beautiful sight I'm referring to is the remains of a bag of beautiful peppers I bought at Costco last week, spied when I opened the refrigerator to get my egg for breakfast. While I cooked and ate breakfast, I used my fridge, freezer, and pantry to make dinner----inspired by these beautiful peppers that need to be used before long.
I split the peppers in half lengthwise, clean out seeds and membrane, and throw into my microcoker with a bit of salt and a splash of water. The stem is left on just 'cuz it looks purty. If you don't cook the peppers a bit before you stuff them, they'll be too "toothy" and, to me, a quick steam in the microwave is by far the easiest way. Cover and microwave for around 2 minutes, just enough to soften them up a bit.
The perfect pepper stuffing is whatever you happen to have on hand. For me today, that meant leftover brown rice, a handful of frozen corn kernels right out of the freezer bag, a can of the ubiquitous Ro-tel that is ALWAYS in my pantry now that I can actually buy it in New Yawk, and a bit of shredded cheese.
Since we're a mostly meatless family (otherwise, I would have added ground beef or a bit of browned sausage to the filling) I toasted a few pine nuts in the skillet, to add more flavor and a bit of texture.
I used to stuff the whole pepper and stand them up, but I've found that a half-pepper makes the perfect balance of pepper and stuffing.
Dinner already made, waiting in the fridge or freezer for a warm-up...A Most Beautiful Sight.

A Very Cherry New York Christmas

We bought these beautiful cherries on the street in Chinatown last night, after dinner at Joe's Shanghai.
Lucy realized at dinner that she was wearing a lot of pink, for her.
We wish you all were here with us....

...but we would have had to wait even longer for a table.

A visit to "The Tree" at Rockefeller Plaza on the way to see an excellent play at Lincoln Center (with Stockard Channing, Stacy Keach, and Linda Lavin---Lucy didn't even come close to falling asleep!) all made for a very New York Christmas.

The Time Warner Building, Bank of America Tower, and of course the swanky stores on Madison and 5th are all decorated beautifully. And although most of the theatres were dark for Christmas, there were still tons of people in a very cold Times Square at 11 pm---what's that about?

Today we're snuggling in---Lucy with her iPad and me with two new cookbooks I can't wait to devour and tell you more about---amidst two-day blizzard warnings, with the snow slated to start at noon and add 30- to 40- mile winds this evening.

Tonight is supposed to be Lucy's "Red Carpet" affair in Manhattan but it looks like Mother Nature may have other plans for all those 16-year-olds. Happy Boxing Day!

A Happy Christmas

MaMere--we did good!

Merry Christmas from The Family

My lazy-day Christmas Eve project is to figure out how to share a favorite Christmas carol, before I get too deep in the 'nog. This is for "The Family," including YOU---click and have a ho-ho listen!

Melissa's Holiday Eating Tips

Eating Tips for The Holidays

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can and quickly. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an "eggnog-alcoholic" or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it!!!! Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand-alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello???

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, pumpkin and mincemeat - have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert?
Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips: Start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Remember this motto to live by:
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well
preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO what a ride!"

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Wake up, morning glory

Somehow she doesn't look quite ready for her 9 am mani/pedi. Trust me, it will be a different story tomorrow morning....Lucy is the notorioiusly early riser on Christmas morning. I used to have to send her back to bed when she would come running in to physically lift my eyelids up before 5 am. The teenage sleep years have helped that situation a bit, as I think last year it was closer to 7:30 am. OK, off for some pre-Christmas pampering for us. May your day be merry and bright!

Penny's Brown Rice

Penny is a trendsetter. She ate brown rice and whole wheat pasta long before anyone else did. I used to couldn't stand (sorry, poor grammar on my part there) either one of those things, and now they're staples in my pantry---much preferred to the white versions. Of course, that relationship was cemented once I realized that on myWeWa eating plan, brown rice and whole wheat pasta both have ZERO points, and their white cousins have a zillion points. But I digress.

I sent Penny a box of Pampered Chef goodies for her new kitchen---What was I thinking? She doesn't cook!---including a microwave rice cooker. Penny, I promise you it will be a life-changing thing if you just cook up a pot of brown rice once a week, eat part of it, save the rest in the fridge, and then a couple of days later make yourself a yummy stir-fry.....in ten minutes! These step-by-step directions will give you perfect brown rice---super cheap, super nutritious, and you don't have to leave your house to go pick it up: you make it yourself. See, that's what cooking means, darlin'.

1. Measure out 1 cup of brown rice (NOT instant or minute rice, just regular long-grain brown rice.) Put it in the bottom of your rice cooker, and then add about 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 1/2 cups of cold water.

2. Put the white/clear inner lid on top of your rice cooker---be sure the edges/ridges are on the top. Then put the brown lid on top of that, and lock the sides in the up position.

3. Put the cooker in the microwave. You want to set

it to cook as follows: first, cook it for 10 minutes on HIGH power, then for 25 minutes on MEDIUM (50%) power. Your microwave will probably let you set them both at one time, so you don't have to re-set after 10 minutes. (Push 10:00, power, 10; then push 25:00, power, 5; then START).

THAT'S ALL! After it cooks, take it out and let it set for 5 minutes before you take off the lid. Be careful, there will be some steam.

Here's what it will look like when you take off the lid, with little holes in it.

This is after you fluff it with a fork.

Because I needed to make some rice to take these pictures, Lucy and I had this for dinner: brown rice topped with fresh spinach sauteed in garlic-infused oil, salt, and pepper; and topped with parmesan cheese and tomatoes. It was tasty.

I have 2 cups of rice in the fridge now, for a meal later in the week. One of Lucy's favorite dinners (she can make it herself, so you SHOULD be able to as well, Penny!) is to make a quick stir-fry. She heats a little oil in a skillet, throws in a little fake chicken or tofu (or nothing if she wants just veggies), adds a package of stir-fry veggies from the freezer, stirs them all around for a few minutes until almost done, adds the cooked rice to the skillet, then pours in some Thai Peanut Sauce or Ginger-Wasabi sauce (I think I sent you both) and heats it all through. There's not an easier, quicker dinner to make----and it's as good as Pei-Wei without ever leaving home. You can even buy some chicken tenders to cook in there, or a little pork cutlet that you chop up---they cook so quickly, just do them first in the oil, then add the frozen vegetables.

Am I kidding myself, or might Penny actually start to cook her own brown rice? Stay tuned, for the next portion of "As the World Turns." I love you, Peeeeeeeeeeny!

'Twas the Night Before Baking

Is holiday baking one of your favorite things?
I guess it's one of mine, based on how much I do.
This year's has included Leslie's cheese straws (well, technically Trish's, but Trish never made them for me and Leslie has made me hundreds of them), Sister's chocolate-peanut clusters, blondies (they're actually the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the bag that I make in my big bar pan due to laziness; when I give them to people, they say, "I love blondies," so I figure maybe that's what they are), Nigella's breakfast bars, the Pampered Chef's Triple Layer Brownies (Libby made these one time and they were so good, I've always wanted to make them), and my Aunt Ruth's caramel layer chocolate squares. I think there was something else, but my mind is too sugared-up to remember it. I have the stuff to make Melissa's Toffee Candy (1 pound butter, 2 cups brown sugar, and 6 Hershey bars---what's not to like?) but it will have to wait until tomorrow night, once work is finally done. Here are a few photos for your eating pleasure.

And a tip: at some store near you, Land of Lakes unsalted butter is probably on sale this week for $1.99, like at the A&P here in New Yawk. Keep an eye out and stock up on several pounds for your freezer. I try to only buy butter at that price, and I find it's always on sale right before big holidays.

Happy Baking!