A Place at Our Table

Because decorative gourds are cute

I was innocently looking for some dinner inspiration while meal planning last week when I fell down the pinterest rabbit hole and found the blog Living Well Spending Less. The specific post I found intriguing was this one. I know that several friends have taken on the challenge of foregoing non-essential purchases for a month, but I'd never really considered groceries a non-essential. Until I really thought about the incredible amount of food and meal possibilities I have languishing in my freezer(s) and pantry. Starting this last week through the end of October, I'm making an effort to meal plan based on what I already have. (duh, right?) I'm still going to be buying milk, yogurt, some produce and other fresh foods, but the idea is just to start making a dent. Also, I may have felt incredibly guilty after watching A Place at the Table.

Saturday afternoon I went through the bottom drawer of the stand-up freezer, which was where I'd relegated all of the meat that needs to be used first when I was putting away the half-beef. I pulled stew beef, flank steak, chicken breasts and a package of ground beef and put them in the refrigerator to thaw and be used throughout the week.

Yesterday I thought about poaching the chicken to shred and add to a salad, but then I saw a chicken pot pie on the cover of a magazine in the check-out line when I was buying milk (and candy corn...so much for non-essentials) and knew that I already had everything to make a stellar one, so I'd be saving those chicken breasts for later in the week.

When I got home, I still didn't have plans for dinner, J had just gotten home from work, and the clock was striking the ominous four o'clock witching hour. I quickly summoned the powers of pinterest and searched for salads with arugula (to avoid the giant tub of it turning into a green slime wasteland) and quinoa and found this goody; an arugula salad with quinoa, chickpeas (which will always be garbanzos to me), feta and some crunch lent from carrots, celery and almonds. I hate when people say, 'I followed the recipe except...' and then list a novel of changes, but I'll do it anyhow. I used the base of arugula, quinoa, feta and chickpeas, but then got the crunch from a bell pepper and omitted the rest. The lemon dressing was simple, and a big ol' plate was filling without being heavy. I had planned to just make pbj for the kids, but then nixed the idea and served the salad to everyone. Charlie was thrilled it wasn't soup, Henry was excited about the garbanzos (I'd forgotten he loved them at the Farm to Table tasting for them earlier in the year) and Jack ate as much as he would have of anything. Boom. Dinner done. And I'd even forced myself to unload and load the dishwasher while the quinoa was cooking, so clean up was a breeze.

Speaking of freezer clean-out. I feel like every time the fall/holiday baking season comes around I stock up on every variety of chip known to man, only to come home to a freezer full of last year's spoils because one simply cannot make enough Oatmeal Scotchies to validate a purchase of 400 packages of butterscotch chips. After seeing Kate Jones' instagram of cookie dough at 6:30am, I felt compelled to make a batch of Our Best Bites Giant Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. I used half semi-sweet and half butterscotch chips, which eliminated another collection of quart freezer bags filled with half-used packages of chips. They were absolutely as good as they claim-that big douse of vanilla (I used my own, and it's so good) and lack of cinnamon make them perfect.

Then, because I felt just so efficient in my clean out efforts, a couple days later I made these Banana chocolate chip muffins. I had four brown bananas to use, so doubled the batch because the recipe said it only made a dozen. It does not. I easily got three dozen plus out of the double batch. I added diced walnuts because it makes them delicious, and it was another freezer bag emptied. The kids have loved having both treats in their lunches. I may have also let them have oatmeal cookies for breakfast on Sunday because, well, it's oatmeal.

I'm starting to see a little light where there may actually be some room in Mr. Freeze to get some dinners prepped and ready before baby girl's arrival, which is now officially scheduled for December 4th. 

Do you stockpile food to a certain extent and then 'forget' to use it? What are some of your tried and true use-what-we-have inspiration starting points? 

Manic Monday

This Monday was similar to all Mondays where you feel just a little bit behind all day long. Armed with coffee, I dropped the kids at school then came home to get ready to host my first 'baby' playdate. It was so quiet. I had forgotten how much noise the younger set doesn't make. It was kind of blissful, actually.

This week, I've decided to get serious about using up some of the older freezer meals that I have stored. Things like soups and meat store for a long time which can be good, but it can also be forgotten.

Last night was book club, so I wanted to have dinner ready and cleared well before it was time for me to leave. At about 3pm, I pulled a bag of Our Best Bites' Black Bean and Sweet Potato Turkey Chili that had been fully cooked when we originally had it for dinner (several months ago) and frozen flat with all air removed in a gallon ziploc bag. I thawed it for about an hour in a sink of lukewarm water and then let what liquid was fully thawed come to a simmer and left it simmering, stirring occasionally until warmed through. It was still just as good as the day it was made, so good! This meal is very filling and with both pumpkin and sweet potatoes, you kind of don't even need a side veggie.

I grated some jack cheese and sliced a couple avocados for topping options and everyone got to serve themselves.  Along with a fresh batch of cornbread, it was a full meal. For whatever reason, if my kids get to top their food themselves, they're much more likely to be excited about eating it.

These stacking mugs from World Market were way too big for anything other than the occasional giant latte, but they're perfect for soup!

While Charlie was showering after dinner and Jack was tucked into bed, H got some much-needed one-on-one time with J for a round of Battleship and I got to finish the ears and weave in ends on my Burton Bear Cowl. I can't wait to see it on the little girl whose mama asked me to make it, it's going to be adorable. Speaking of little girls and the Burton, check out my growing knitting buddy.

A few of the new patterns I have been working up require fun, chunky buttons. I took the chance to finally search for a way to brand my goods and landed on these really fun custom buttons from Remember Wynn on etsy. I used the font from my logo on the tiny ones and the typewriter font from part of the logo for the others. I love the tiny ones for things like the Julia Boot cuff by Pepperberry Knits, which I plan to make a boat load of in the upcoming months, and the bigger one for some of the hats and cowl patterns created by The Velvet Acorn which, along with Shannon Cook are some of my favorite pattern designers right now.

Speaking of colors and fonts and design, I've been working with etsy shop Jojo studios to create a new template via blogger so pretty soon the blog will have a whole new, custom look and I'm so excited to see it completed! Now, I need to get dressed and ready to meet with Leslie 'The Punisher' at the Y so I can feel extra blissful in the chair while I get my unintentional ombre taken care of. I love that our local Y makes having a personal trainer incredibly affordable, because guess who wouldn't be doing walking lunges across the raquetball court on her own? 

What do you have on the menu this week? Are you working on eating from your freezer or pantry? Up tonight is taco soup because it's dead simple and I have leftover sliced avocado. Also, Taco Tuesday.

A Day of Rest

This is a drill weekend for J, so I've been flying solo since Friday and can I just reiterate that I'm so pleased my kids are not exceptionally talented in the soccer arena? Being able to adjust our schedules to my current energy level so that I'm the nicest mom possible has been a gift in the last trimester of this pregnancy, both to my kids and to myself.

Laundry folded and put away, clean sheets for everyone, and even time to sit and enjoy the beautiful fall (still summer) sunshine to knit while the kids played outside before a play date that ended in a gushing bloody nose for H, I was ready for an easy day today. Early to bed has made the early to rise of late not quite so punishing. 

Don't mind my fat finger in the corner.

This morning I gave the kids a quick breakfast at quarter to six, noting with a little wistfulness that it was still dark outside, and promised a more hearty, traditional Sunday morning meal for second breakfast. What, doesn't everyone have second breakfast on the regular? 

After two cups of coffee, an almost-nap for Jack and then a second wind, a Bath and Body Works Pumpkin Cinnamon Bun candle brought H wandering out to the kitchen asking if I had already made the treat.

I quickly searched pinterest and found this Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancake recipe on Thriving Home so that our treat could also be a relatively healthy meal. I said relatively. Using whole wheat flour, pumkin puree and coconut oil, they really aren't a terribly unhealthy option for a carb-o-licious sunday breakfast. I omitted the brown sugar because I don't ever add sugar to pancake mix. If you're going to eat them without maple syrup (an abomination if you ask me, and probably against a state law in all of New England) then by all means add the sugar. Also, stevia? Still not a fan. The only other change I made was to add some chopped pecans for a little texture.

Hot off the griddle, the kids gobbled them up and then I shoo'd them away to play with legos while I enjoyed every last bite of my still-warm trio. Slicked with Kerrygold and pure maple syrup, these aren't super pretty to look at in the photo, but they tasted beautiful. 

Good Common Horse Sense

The boys have thus far not shown a ton of interest in organized sports. They like them, but haven't found one that they love yet. They both like to do a lot outdoors, but they're not the next Beckham or Brady, and the amount of time and energy spent racing them around to practices and games for something they don't truly enjoy is simply not worth the stress, so the search for a fun activity continues.

H has expressed a ton of interest in horseback riding, but finding a stable that provides lesson horses in an area with a lot of ranches and farms has been challenging as most people have their own horses when it comes time to learn.

I felt like I won the lottery when I found a woman who not only gives great lessons, but prefers to use her own horse. And what a beauty he is. Tall, strong, gentle and a mere twenty-two years old, O will ease my kids into the horsey world with style.

Last night was their first lesson and they both had a great time. At 17.3 hands high, I was worried that Charlie wouldn't want to get on, but he actually did really awesome, following the teacher's commands, learning great posture and how to keep his seat. H was a little bit more reluctant to keep his hands off the horn, but the teacher is adamant about learning how to sit properly and not handicap yourself by relying on the reins or saddle, so it's a great combination of calm reassurance and strict insistence on good form.

I'm looking forward to seeing how they improve and also for the respect and discipline that comes from interacting with an animal (especially one so large in comparison to yourself.) And, of course, the biology lessons that come from being around farm animals are awesome. Why yes, children, horses' penises do get really long when you're brushing them down after unsaddling and they finally relax. And so it begins...

Festivities and Fajitas

This is seconds before the words 'stop being weird' flew out of my mouth.

Yesterday we celebrated H's ninth birthday...a month late. Don't get me wrong, we had a fun day on his actual birthday, but his friend group is kind of small so planning his birthday party this year was a little tricky with summer vacation schedules and J's schedule to work around.

The whole summer I've just felt behind the ball. H requested a red velvet ice cream cake for his birthday, and I'd found the perfect recipe followed by a serendipitous posting by Our Best Bites for cheesecake ice cream. However, it slowly devolved from ice cream cake, to red velvet cupcakes with ice cream on the side to a very first for me; ordering the cake from a bakery for his party, which I felt needlessly guilty about. And you know what? We all enjoyed the cake and nobody will end up in therapy. Phew, glad I finally had that revelation.

Love the cake server? Check out ASpoonful and support a local mama-owned small busines!

My parents and sister came over for the party with my nieces yesterday and joined us for lunch beforehand. As I was putting away the leftover Papa Murphy's I spied the thawed flank steak that should have already been in the crock pot to be our dinner. Shoot! I groaned and debated for a few seconds just saving it for dinner the next night, but knew I'd come home from the party after four o'clock and be very sad that I hadn't taken the time to make a real dinner and we'd have crappy cereal or something. No judgement, but that's just been happening all too often this summer.

I quickly pulled out the crock pot, mixed up the seasonings, patted both sides of the flank steak, drizzled in 2T of soy sauce over the steak, chopped four bell peppers and an onion and added those to the pot and turned it to high for 4.5 hours, thinking it'd at least be ready for J and I to eat with the big boys after putting Jack to bed. 

When we pulled back into the garage after the party, I was so glad I'd taken the time to throw dinner together because it smelled delicious and I didn't have to think about dinner as J and I sat and stared into space nursing cake-overs and H and Charlie happily built the new lego spoils.

I love all the sunlight we get being direct west-facing in the evening, but it makes taking a decent photo a little challenging at the dinner table.

Fresh from the crock pot

I forgot to add the garlic and jalepeno in my rush, but it was all good, because I cracked open a can of last fall's green tomato salsa as one of the toppings. On corn tortillas with salsa, cilantro, avaocado and the meat/pepper mix, these were so good and, again, really filling. This would be a great addition to any week night rotation with busy days abounding now that school is back in session. These are definitely more 'pot roast' in flavor and texture than traditional steak fajitas, but still outstanding.

Slow Cooker Flank Steak Fajitas

100 Days of Real Food

1 ½ lbs flank steak, preferably grass fed 

1 ½ teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably the low-sodium variety

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 – 5 bell peppers, any color

1 onion

Optional: whole-wheat or corn tortillas, grated cheese (I didn't use any cheese), avocado, cilantro, lime, greens, sour cream, salsa, etc.

Mix together the dry spices with a fork including the chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Rub the spice mixture over all sides of the flank steak and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle the soy sauce on top. Top the flank steak with the diced jalapeno and minced garlic. Slice the bell peppers and onion and throw those on top of the steak as well. Turn the slow cooker onto HIGH and cook for 5 – 6 hours or until the steak can easily be shredded with two forks. Drain the meat and peppers well then serve with the recommended fajita “fixings” (listed above). 

Sunday Breakfast

Sunday breakfast is when I usually roll out the big guns; cinnamon rolls, donuts, bacon...all things in the goodness of gluttony category.  The promise of donuts after church is sometimes the only thing that makes my kids sit through mass.

Today, I changed tact with a breakfast casserole from 100 Days of Real Food. With very few ingredients, this breakfast came together quickly and was really, really filling.

Start with a pound of good quality breakfast sausage (I used turkey sausage) that's already 'loose' or with the casings removed, and brown in a skillet on the stovetop. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of olive oil, which I omitted because I don't ever use oil to brown ground meat in. Dice a bell pepper (I chose yellow so that my kids were less likely to notice it in the midst of the egg yolks; tricky, tricky.), and when the sausage is browned, add that to the skillet and cook for a few minutes more until the pepper is tender. Because sausage is already pretty heavily seasoned, I'd urge you to refrain from adding salt and pepper until it's done baking, I didn't feel like it needed anything more, and the recipe doesn't call for any.

Transfer the sausage/pepper mixture to a greased 9x13 pan, spreading evenly on the bottom, and sprinkle with a half-cup of grated cheddar (or swiss). I used closer to a cup because I'm a rebel like that. Lastly, crack a dozen eggs over the top of the mixture covering as much of the surface as you can, and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the eggs are set.

Love the horrid lighting in my kitchen; it's why I usually turn the lights off to photograph :/ Using a full block of cheese to freshly grate ensures that you aren't getting any additives that pre-shredded cheeses generally have as an anti-clumping agent.

lights off; better

To add some greenery, I wilted a handful of arugula for each of the adult plates, and gave everyone a slice of whole wheat toast. Even my little hobbits who eat copious amounts at the breakfast table were full after one serving. It's flavorful and filling and will definitely carry you over until lunch. Also, because of the limited amount of prep time, and the fact that you don't even have to dirty a bowl to pre-scramble eggs since they're cooked whole, this would be a great option for a school morning breakfast. It could also easily be made portable by wrapping the mixture up (including the arugula if you're so inclined) in a whole wheat tortilla.

If you've purchased the cookbook, have you tried any of the recipes yet? Tonight, we've got the Slow-Cooker Flank Steak Fajitas on tap.

100 Meals of Real Food

One hundred days, three meals a day (plus snacks), that's a whole lotta planning. I decided instead I'd try for 100 days of at least one meal a day that consisted only of 'real food'. Tonight, it was dinner. Actually, lunch was as well because I ate dinner leftovers, so I'll rewind to last night. First day of school meant falling back into schedules and routine hence; Taco Tuesday.

H 'invented' a taco soup that is dead simple, but surprisingly good. Brown two pounds ground beef* (or turkey or chicken or whatever protein you want); add taco seasoning (make your own with this quick recipe that you don't have to mix up in advance), a quart of good beef stock, and simmer for about 15 minutes to bring it all up to temperature and at the last minute throw in some corn (I cut the kernels off the cobs of two leftover from the previous night's grill-out). If the corn is frozen, obviously do this more than a minute from the end so it's not still frozen. My kids like this as is with some grated cheese on it (which is where H's rendition ends), but I garnish mine and J's with sliced avocado, cilantro, a little cheese and (if I have the foresight) the chili-lime crunchies from this Iowa Girl Eat's burger recipe. If you don't include the corn crunchies, as I did not last night, it's still a good and really filling soup that takes no time and the whole family likes it.

As I was making my meal plan for the week on Sunday night, I asked J if he had any requests for main dishes or sides and he mentioned a bread salad I'd made earlier in the summer. While waiting for my car to get washed I'd seen it in O magazine and snapped a photo of the recipe, made it that night and we loved it, but just kind of forgot about it after that.

September means an overwhelming abundance of garden tomatoes and basil, so this was the perfect suggestion. Instead of a sourdough or white baguette I used a loaf of whole wheat bread, but otherwise the recipe is perfect as is. In order to make it a full meal for my family I heated a package of Aidell's chicken and apple sausages  (thank you Costco for carrying these in bulk!). My kids don't love the salad, but they still ate bites of it, but they do really, really love the sausage plus a straight up piece of the bread. J and I? Love the salad. With one of the sausages it's a full meal without feeling heavy. Let me know if you give it a try!

Warm Bread Salad with Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed but kept whole
• 4 cups torn baguette pieces
• 1 cup 1/2"-diced red onion
• 4 cups 1/2"-diced tomatoes, divided
• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 bunch fresh basil, stemmed
• 1 Tbsp. capers
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper

Directions

Total time: 30 minutes 

In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add baguette pieces and sauté until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low, add red onion, and sauté 1 minute, then add 2 cups tomatoes. Add vinegar and remove from heat. Add basil, capers, and remaining tomatoes and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with basil leaves and serve immediately. 

Adapted from I Love New York: Ingredients and Recipes 

What changes (if any) are you making to inject a little change into your ho-hum menus? What do you have planned for this week?

*I'm so glad we invested in the half of a cow from my cousin and his wife this Spring. While our freezer was almost overwhelmingly full of beef at first, it's gotten to a manageable level after a summer of grilling burgers and steaks and I have room to start making some freezer meals again. If you're interested in purchasing bulk meat, one thing to consider is the huge savings you'll get on the premium cuts: a big 100% grass-fed, organic Prime Rib for under $4 a pound? Yes, please!

Seamless Transitions

I wrote this post yesterday, because as you're reading I'm probably busting around the house, packing the lunch I'll likely forget to pack tonight and trying to get my new third grader out the door on time and stress-free with photos taken, backpack remembered and kisses placed tenderly on forehead. My kinder has another week before he starts, so this is just my warm up. Happy Fall y'all!

Remember what I said about hating seaming? This sweater was started during last summer's SSKAL (summer sweater knitalong) hosted by VeryShannon. I took a hiatus from it because I got chosen to be a test knitter for her Antrorse sweater which was SO much fun to knit and required no seaming. Bliss.

I kept picking the sweater back up and would work on a few rows at a time, but life happens and this pattern was like picking a novel with too many characters back up after a month, so by the time you're up to speed you've spent your allotted time on it. Anywho, the SSKAL for 2014 rolled around and I decided I was going to finish my sweater for reals this time.

The front and back are knit separately and then a three-needle bind off along the tops of the live arm stitches (right sides together) seams them effortlessly.

Still love my purty spindle.

'All' I need to do is seam the underarms

The horseshoe cables and pretty orange color scream 'fall'. Now I just need a PSL to sip while wearing it.

I'm happy to report that there are no longer any live stitches in sight and all that needs to be done in order for me to finish the sweater during this year's time period is to seam the underarms on each side. Right, there's the catch. I have until September 24th to create two approximately three foot lengths of stitching. Simple, right? Who wants to place a bet that I'll be sweating it out on September 23rd creating said seams? Me. I'm the world's worst procrastinator, especially when it comes to tedious tasks that I don't wanna do. There are so many other things I'd rather be doing. Like cleaning the toilets. Folding loads of cloth diapers. You know, the really enjoyable tasks in life. Stay tuned to see if I get 'er done and photographed in time to be included in the 'Featuring You' post at the end of the knitalong this time around!

Over the River

A friend saw a photo that had been repeatedly popping into my newsfeed as well, of a hooded cowl that was full of cables, ribs and button detailing. She tagged me and asked if I could make it for her. When I clicked over, it was a kit on craftsy that had been sold out, but reading through the comments the pattern for Through the Woods was available on ravelry for only four dollars.

The construction was intriguing to me, and it was knit with Cascade Eco+, which I'd been wanting to try for some time. At $26 a skein for bulky yarn, I wasn't expecting to get so much yardage (478!); definitely a great value for 100% wool.

After finishing I can say this; the construction is a little fussy (and it's not a quick one to two evening knit like most cowls) because you're seaming the cast-on edge together, then picking up stitches along the new top and bottom to create the ribbed bands. The plackets are then knit separately and seamed onto the sides of the hood. Have I ever mentioned that I hate seaming? Most knitters do, but this project certainly reminded me of that fact. However, I have learned to embrace it, because most garments will require at least an underarm seam and, well, practice makes perfect. Also, it's kind of like doing dishes or folding laundry; you waste more time dreading it and thinking about it than the two minutes it actually takes to sit down and do it.

seaming the cast on edge from the inside changes the direction of the cables

stitches picked up and knit along the inside of the hood to make the ribbed band that will fold over

stitches picked up and knit along the bottom for the ribbed edge

awaiting the button and flat plackets.

Now that it's on the blocking mat I can say it was worth the tedium because it's really pretty. After it dries, I just need to affix the buttons and it's ready to go!