Congratulations, Jen!

To my dear "follower," but dearer friend Jen:

Congratulations on your engagement! I am so happy for you. Although I have never met James, I have face-book stalked him a little, and he seems to be a very nice man (and also very good looking, go girl!)
Love you and miss you!

PS I made these cookies in honor of your engagement and since you sadly could not enjoy them with me I ate one for you... and one for him as well.

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Butternut Squash, Black Bean, and Red Wine Soup

So here's how my day went down:
I woke up this morning with a runny nose and stuffy sinuses. Not like a cold, but like allergies. This keeps happening to me, and I have finally decided what it is: I'm allergic to Vancouver.
I grew up in a really neat part of Southwest Portland, and then I moved to Corvallis for college, which is a really eclectic, fun little town... and now, I live in the suburbia of East Vancouver.
It's nothing against the people. They are all wonderful and kind. There are a lot of families here, which was one of the reasons we moved here originally. But, it just isn't us. We have been trying to make our escape for a while, but no success so far. And I feel like I need to get out.
Anyway, it was in this state of self-pity that I started my morning. Pretty pathetic, huh?

To cheer myself up, James and I went to our favorite coffee shop, where he downed with impressive speed a 6 oz 1/2 milk 1/2 chocolate milk. Then we delivered a hot coffee to Lane at work (or at least, outside at the gate, since we can't go in without a badge because we might be spies). Then we went to the grocery store (which is my favorite place in Vancouver, hands down).

At least, we tried to go to the grocery store.
I kind of forgot that it is two days before the biggest cooking day of the year, and that today is Senior Citizen Discount Tuesday at Chuck's. So, we circled the parking lot many times, but there were no spots to park. To make matters worse, I had to pee so bad. (Which is ironic, becuase I didn't order anything at my favorite coffee shop so that I wouldn't have to pee. I guess the two cups I had before we left the house didn't help.) Anyway, we ended up going home with no groceries. We had a pretty bare fridge at home. Ah ha! Time to get creative.

This morning, I had planned to make some sort of chicken noodle soup for dinner, but we had no chicken and very little noodles since I didn't go grocery shopping. I wanted to use some left-over squash, and also some left over oregano (I hate wasting herbs since they cost about five dollars an ounce). I grabbed a can of black beans from the pantry for protein. The rest just sort of came together as I went.

While the soup simmered on the stove, James and I waited for Lane to come home. We felt like we needed to put up something festive, so we hung some twinkle lights which, we decided, are not a Christmas decoration if they are white.

Lane came home and we enjoyed our warm, comforting soup under the soft glow of the twinkle lights.

It turns out, life in the 'Couv isn't really all that bad.

Squash, Black Bean, and Red Wine Soup
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 white onion, chopped
1 c broth
1 c water
2 c* butternut squash, roasted or steamed
1 15oz can black beans
1/4 c fresh oregano, stemmed (de-stemmed? un-stemmed?), plus more for garnish
1/2 c red wine

Pour olive oil in a dutch oven or large sauce pan, turn heat to medium-high. Add onions and garlic and saute until they are browning. Add broth and water, and turn down to a simmer.
Place cooked squash, black beans, and oregano in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Add the puree to the broth mixture, whisking until smooth.
Add the red wine, but don't let it get above a simmer so that you can preserve the flavor of the wine.
Serve hot with oregano leaves on top. Enjoy.
*That is, 2 cups before it is cooked, so it will cook down to more like 1 1/2 cups.

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Pear, Pecan, and Blue Cheese Salad with Cranberry-Ginger Vinaigrette

This was one of those weekends that I need a weekend to recover from. Saturday was busy with "work" and a housewarming party (sadly, not our housewarming), Sunday we tried out a new church and then I co-hosted a baby shower.
Needless to say, there wasn't a lot of time for cooking. Conveniently, I have been craving my favorite salad combination, so we ate a lot of these salads over the weekend.

This salad always reminds me of Thanksgiving because, in past Thanksgivings with my in-laws, I have been asked to bring a green salad. I think this because I married into a family of fabulous cooks, and so they know how to prepare all the main dishes really well. Therefore, I get stuck bringing the boring green salad.

My first Thanksgiving with the new family, I decided I was going to wow them with a salad that, although it met the "green salad" specifications, was also creative, delicious, and pretty. This was when I stumbled upon a pear, walnut, and blue cheese salad with cranberry vinaigrette from Cooking Light. After doing a bit of tweaking, I brought a salad that I thought could not fail. I thought for sure by the next year I would be asked to bring the turkey. I had forgotten that fruit, cheese, and salad greens together are not a favorite combination among my in-laws. Oops.

This year, I have insisted on not bringing the green salad (but I still need to figure out what the heck I am making). I have volunteered to bring some sort of green vegetable dish, a dessert, and Lane is making cranberry sauce. For the dishes I am making, I am thinking perhaps something like this and this.

If your family, friends, and/or in-laws ask you to bring a green salad to your Thanksgiving feast, I highly recommend gracing the table with this one. It is sure to be a hit. Unless, of course, they don't like fruit in their salad, in which case you can keep the salad all for yourself.
(But watch out, or some little person may try to steal the salad toppings while you are taking pictures of it:)

Pear, Pecan, and Blue Cheese Salad with Cranberry-Ginger Vinaigrette
Makes 2/3 cup dressing and about 6-8 side salads
For the Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup cranberry sauce
juice of 1 orange
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp grated or very finely minced ginger
pinch salt
For the Salad:
1 head of romaine lettuce (about 8 to 10 cups)
2 pears, sliced and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1/3 cup blue cheese (try to get the least-smokey one you can find)
1/3 cup toasted pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
To prepare the vinaigrette, whisk the ingredients together.
To make the salad, divide all the lettuce up equally between the plates, then evenly divide toppings. Top with vinaigrette just before serving. Enjoy.

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Cranberry, provolone, basil, turkey paninis

Last night James and I received the sad news that our play date for today was not going to work out on account of pink eye (yes, please stay home, we will catch up with you once the antibiotics have kicked in) and we realized we were facing a whole day with no plans at all. Worse than that, a rainy, cold, windy day with no plans at all. So, we deemed today would be an eating-cooking-baking day. Those are the best kinds of days anyway.

We changed out of our pjs and into our comfy pants (cute little Addidas warm-ups and yoga pants, respectively), and we vowed to leave the house only once to go to the store and collect more eating-cooking-baking supplies.

All I had to show for myself at the end of what was going to be a super-productive-in-the-kitchen day is one loaf of whole-wheat chocolate chip walnut pumpkin bread for moms group tomorrow (already wrapped and out of sight on top of the fridge, don't tell my husband) and dinner, which was paninis made on homemade whole wheat foccacia bread.... Oh wait, scratch that, the foccacia bread stuck to the baking sheet. (Am I repeating myself? Has this happened once before? Maybe twice? Perhaps it is time to invest in better bake ware?)

So we used store-bought ciabatta. Oh well. 

I really love paninis. Like a lot. I mean cheese melted on bread with other good stuff in the middle and then brushed with olive oil and grilled, how could you go wrong? 

This particular combination comes from a cafe I worked at in college. I love basil a lot too, and it is perfect during the holidays when paired with the sweet-tart of the cranberry sauce. I am already planning to stock up on basil so that I can make the ultimate after-Thanksgiving panini with left over turkey, my husbands amazing cranberry sauce, and plenty of cheese. Maybe a little garlic mashed potato pile on the side for dipping? After all, tis the season.

Cranberry, provolone, basil, turkey paninis
(Does this really need a recipe? I am copy-and-pasting from the last panini recipe I posted.)
loaf of good, fresh, artisan bread (I used ciabatta), cut into thin slices
olive oil
turkey lunch meat (I used peppered turkey)
provolone
basil leaves
cranberry sauce (I used the canned kind, what a cheater)
Turn a pan or stove-top grill to medium heat. Lightly brush one side of a slice of bread with olive oil, then set it down, oiled side down. Layer meat, then basil, then cheese on top. Slather another slice of bread with cranberry sauce, then place it over the cheese, and lightly brush the side facing up with oil. Place on grill, then press down with another pan on the top of the sandwich. Grill about three minutes, or until grill marks are present and cheese is melting. Flip and grill, pressing down, on the other side about three minutes. Enjoy.

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Velvety Butternut Squash Soup and Grandma's Biscuits

(really poorly lit photos courtesy of daylight savings time, since we don't eat dinner at 2 in the afternoon)

Christmas music came on by accident in our house this morning.
I'm serious. It was completely unintentional. I was innocently listening to a Nat King Cole Greatest Hits album on Spotify, and The Christmas Song came on (you know: "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..."). Which, as we all know, is the ultimate Christmas song, especially when sung by Nat.
It instantly brightened my mood and I knew that, although it really isn't legal yet, I must start listening to Christmas music. After a full album of Nat's Christmas songs, James and I indulged in the instrumental version of Charlie Brown Christmas (instrumental Christmas music before Thanksgiving is only half cheating). Can I just say, it warms the heart, like soup on a cold rainy day...

Which brings me -really stretching the segue here- to dinner last night...

This soup can be made with a rosemary and garlic infused olive oil* which my mother-in-law makes and let me borrow a little (must return the jar so she will replenish my supply as a stocking stuffer), or you can add the garlic and rosemary to the veggies while they roast. I did both just to be on the safe side.

The biscuits are my Grandma Rose's recipe. I can remember "helping" her make them numerous times in her cozy kitchen when I was young. I have made a couple adjustments to make them a little more nutritious, but they are still crunchy on the outside and soft and flaky on the inside, the perfect accompaniment to soup.
* to make garlic infused olive oil: fill about an 8 oz bottle with 2 peeled cloves of garlic and 4 sprigs rosemary, fill the bottle the rest of the way with olive oil

Velvety Butternut Squash Soup
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds scooped out, and cut into 1" cubes
1 yellow onion, cut in half, then cut into four parts per half, layers separated
1/4 cup of rosemary-garlic infused olive oil or 1/4 cup olive oil and:
1 clove garlic and 4 sprigs rosemary
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp (25 grinds on the mill) freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt

If not using the infused oil, peel the garlic clove and cut in half, rub the cut half over a rimmed baking sheet and discard the garlic. Put butternut squash and onion on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil. Toss the veggies in the oil and evenly distribute on the baking sheet. If you are not using the infused oil, put the sprigs of rosemary around the baking sheet. Bake the veggies at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then toss and bake another 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, discard rosemary, and puree in a blender or food processor until creamy. Add broth, salt, and pepper and puree until smooth.

Grandma's Biscuits
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp applesauce
1/4 cup canola, olive, or safflower oil
2/3 cup reduced fat milk
canola cooking spray

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry, mix until just combined, do not over mix. Drop heaping spoonfuls on greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes.
Serve with Butternut Squash Soup. Enjoy.

P.S. I made whole wheat bagels using this recipe, and substituting whole wheat bread flour for white bread flour. They were surprisingly easy and, although not pretty, very delicious.

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Peppery Thin Wheat Crackers

I have discovered that snacks disappear much faster when you make them yourself.
For example, the pan of granola bars I made only Saturday are mostly gone (recipe coming soon when perfected), although the Costco box of Nature Valley bars has been sitting in our pantry for at least a month and is still over half full.
Perhaps this is because we know what goes into our homemade snacks, and so we feel better about eating them. Or possibly because we don't have to open a bunch of packaging (and glance over the horrifying nutritional panel) to get to them. But honestly, I think it is actually because homemade snacks are so much more delicious than their store-bought counterparts.

And, of course, much more labor-intensive.

The recipe I adapted is from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book which, for some reason, was the last place I looked for a whole-grain cracker. Sometime last spring I made these cheese crackers for James from the online encyclopedia of all things delicious: Smitten Kitchen. Although I love all of Deb's recipes (I like to imagine that we are on a first name basis) and the crackers were fabulous tasting, they were also a bit greasy, heavy, and guilt-inducing, not what I wanted from a snack cracker. The King Arthur crackers, however, were light, thin, and crispy. The only reason I felt guilty from these crackers was because I ate half the batch. Not kidding.

Although there are countless adaptions to this recipe (added herbs, honey instead of sugar, garlic and parmesan, cinnamon and sugar...) I kept the recipe simple so that I could see how I liked the results, and go from there. There should be many more interesting adaptations to come.

Peppery Thin Wheats
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracker peppercorn
3 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c water
canola oil cooking spray

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and cracker pepper. Cut in butter and drizzle mixture with oil. Use your hands (or a pastry cutter, but hands work better in my opinion) to thoroughly blend the fats into the flour mixture. Add the water, mix in with your hands.
Divide the dough into four balls. Keep the balls you are not using covered with plastic wrap (I don't know why, bit it is what the recipe says, I assume for moisture reasons). Roll each ball out to 12 inches square. (Now, this is the part that really confused me. It is impossible to roll 1/4 of the dough out to 12 inches by 12 inches. That is why it says: "12 inches square," meaning 6 inches by 6 inches. I am not a math major.) So, each side should be 6 inches. Cut off the excess dough (later roll all the excess out and cut into crackers). The crackers should each be about 1 1/2 inches wide. Bake the crackers on a lightly greased baking sheet for about 7 to 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Watch the crackers closely. You want them to be a golden-brown color and crispy all the way through, not light or dark brown. Let them cool on a plate, then immediately store them in a Tupperware so that you don't eat them all. Enjoy.

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Pumpkin-Pecan Waffles

I wholeheartedly believe that living well and eating well are intricately linked.
Good, real, well-prepared food makes me a happier person. Cooking fresh ingredients (especially with a loved one, or two, in the kitchen), and then sitting down to a delicious meal nourishes both the body and soul.
This weekend has been the very definition of living well (in my opinion): plenty of good food, out door fun, and family time.

Last night Lane (who is a little nervous after my last blog post and spent a lot of yesterday evening Google-ing the ingredients in many of his favorite packaged food items to see if they met my "five-or-less" rule) prepared a homemade barbecue sauce, and then marinaded and grilled a couple of chicken breasts to perfection. Meanwhile, I tossed some sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, coriander, oregano, cumin, and cinnamon, then roasted them until they were crispy. (I would have also added some red pepper flakes but I skipped those so that the munchkin could eat them. His sweet potatoes ended up in Sadie's belly. What a waste.)

This morning- despite my very thorough and rational explanation to James that daylight savings time meant we were waking up at 5:30 am and he should go back to bed- I was up well before my husband. This gave me plenty of time to make a large pot of coffee, chase James around the dining room table on my hands and knees, and research a dish I had been dreaming about all night: pumpkin-pecan waffles.
I am a little pumpkin-obsessed during the fall months, and into a good part of the winter also. Once September begins, Lane starts to eye suspiciously anything that has an orange hue to it. This season, I have already enjoyed pumpkin cookies, cake, oatmeal, and pancakes. It was time for waffles.
I usually shy away from waffles because I am not patient enough to separate egg whites from the yolks, beat them "until a stiff peak forms", and then gently fold the foamy whites into the rest of the batter. I knew that whatever recipe I decided on, it would have to only require two bowls and no electric mixer.
I decided to go with a recipe I found on the Cooking Light website, but I pretty much overhauled it and made up my own, copying only the amounts of wet to dry ingredients that were used. The pecans and the freshly grated nutmeg are what really make this recipe. I always buy my pecans in bulk so that I can purchase just the amount I need and not spend a fortune. I believe that whole nutmegs are also sold in bulk, but lucky for me my mom continually replenishes my supply.

Pumpkin-Pecan Waffles
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
hefty sprinkling of cinnamon and of freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1/2 c milk
1/2 c greek yogurt
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp real maple syrup (plus more for drizzling)
1 egg, lightly beaten
heaping 1/2 c pumpkin puree
1/4 c chopped pecans (plus more for garnish)

In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together the next six ingredients (milk through pumpkin). Add to dry ingredients. Sprinkle with 1/4 chopped pecans, then stir all ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix. Cook waffles on waffle-maker. Drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with chopped pecans for serving. Enjoy.

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Real Food Only

In the past, I have applied the same philosophy to nutrition that I use for environmental friendliness and exercise: "Do what you can, when you can." Lately, however, my views are changing.

This may have to do with motherhood and the fact that James' health is primarily the responsibility of Lane and I. But it may also be that I see and personally know more and more people becoming sick with diseases that may have been preventable through better nutrition. I studied (for six long years) the things we put into our bodies- what food is made of and what it does to us. If I cannot be a role model for good health, how can someone who has less knowledge on the subject be expected to eat healthfully? If I truthfully believe that what we will get out of our bodies-how they function and how they stay healthy- relies on what we put in, then why am I not doing all I can to make sure that what my family and I put in our bodies is completely good for us? I have always made the excuse that I feed my family healthy food... mostly. 

But right now I am pledging to feed them healthy food always. 

By "healthy" I do not mean fat-free or low-carb. I mean that I want my family to eat food, and not the chemicals and additives that are filling the shelves of our grocery stores. My definition of healthy includes (but is certainly not limited to!) the following:
- real food only

- balanced meals

- non-packaged foods (mostly, see next bullet) 

- if packaged: less than five ingredients, and all ingredients are real foods

- foods that would be found in nature

- nothing that was made in a plant

These may seem like obvious guidelines to abide by, but I think we would all be surprised to really look at our diets and see how many foods we eat each day that are opposite from the attributes listed above. 

Some of the hardest things for our family to give up will be:

- cheerios

- crackers

- granola bars

- pre- packaged bread

- tortillas and tortilla chips

So carbs, mainly. I can make bread and granola bars at home, and hopefully find some good cracker recipes. The cheerios will be greatly missed by the whole family. 

I have started carrying out my new philosophy this week, a little bit. We have been eating a lot of roasted veggies, salad, and seasoned proteins (lentils, chicken, etc). This evening was no exception. We had lemon-oregano salmon (thanks to a co-worker of Lane who brings it in fresh), inspired by this recipe, and red potatoes and brussel sprouts roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary. 

Something tells me that this won't be a hard as it seems, and we will benefit greatly.... stay tuned. 

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Things that make me smile lately...

Listening to James' toy tractor play "Old McDonald" about a thousand times a day (the ironic thing- I bought it from a consignment sale because I thought it didn't make noise)

Going to the pumpkin patch with James and not having to prop him up among the pumpkins because he refused to wake up (like last year)...

Apple crisp with vanilla ice cream in front of the fire with my husband

James beginning to use a spoon as a spoon and not a food-catapult...

Knowing Christmas is coming (don't judge me, it is the most wonderful time of the year)

Watching James read books (almost always upside-down) out loud to himself, and sometimes to Bear...

James as a cow...

Really feeling like each day is being lived to its fullest potential- not rushing life, or waiting for the next step, or trying to make my life something that it is not- but just living and enjoying the ride, one experience at a time

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One Bowl Banana Bread

This bread is a recipe I developed by combining several recipes, including one from Jessica Seinfeld's book, "Deceptively Delicious," and also adding a few of my own ideas.
I make it almost every week. It is super-easy, mostly-healthy, kid-friendly, portable, and tastes really good. Add chocolate chips, pecans, or both for extra deliciousness. Or make it plain and slather with peanut butter or cream cheese. You really can't go wrong.

One Bowl Banana Bread
3 medium bananas*
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or trans-fat free margarine, softened; or vegetable oil, or combination
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg + 1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose four
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
large sprinkle of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg and allspice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the first four ingredients using a wooden spoon or potato masher, if necessary. Stir in vanilla and eggs.
Sprinkle flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices evenly over top of wet ingredients. Mix until just combined, do not over mix.
Pour batter into a loaf pan greased with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 40 minutes, then cover with  aluminum foil and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool in pan a couple minutes before turning loaf onto cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy.

* I put bananas that are beginning to brown in the freezer to use when I make this bread. Then I take them out of the freezer and thaw them in a sink full of warm water. Be sure to peel them over the mixing bowl, the bananas are pretty much liquefied after freezing!

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