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Rosemary and Garlic Slow-Roasted Almonds

May 31, 2012 by 13 Comments

My friend Lisette is a good person to befriend. She’s funny. She’s charming. She has exquisite taste. And wherever she goes, she has snacks.Good snacks. She has bags of granola bars, homemade energy bars and her signature Rosemary Garlic Roasted Almonds.

My children hover around Mrs. Heckathorn on field trips with their best “I’m starving!” faces on in the hopes that she’ll break out her stash of almonds and offer to share. Is it because I don’t bring food? Or they don’t like what I have? No. It’s just that a.) they love Mrs. Heckathorn and b.) they love those nuts. Big time.

 

Why?

Lisette slow roasts raw whole almonds (overnight!) in a very, very low temperature oven with just enough garlic, rosemary and salt to make them utterly habit-forming. The fragrant, piney rosemary flavour amps up the sweetness of the almonds. The garlic roasts down to a mellow, mild garlic presence and the salt. Well, what isn’t better with a little salt?

These nuts aren’t just delicious, they’re simple. Oh my goodness. You have no excuse (other than forgetfulness) not to have these on hand. The most work of the entire process is peeling and mincing or pressing a garlic clove. Slap ‘em on a pan and let them slow-roast to pure savoury perfection while you snooze.

If you’re a little nervous about letting your oven go overnight (even at such a low temperature) you can use a dehydrator if your dehydrator has an adjustable thermostat. Just set it down around one hundred and seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Ta da!

Not only are they crave-able and simple, but they’re oh-so-good for you. In a one-ounce serving of almonds, you get a full twelve percent of your USRDA of protein with zero cholesterol, thirty five (35!) percent of your daily allowance of vitamin E, and about as much calcium as one-quarter cup of milk. (Plus, you don’t have to drink milk. SCORE!*)

*I know, I KNOW. Milk is good for you. I just don’t like to drink it. Never have. Ask my sister who -when we were children- kindly managed a switcheroo with me so she would drink my milk and her own and I wouldn’t have to touch it.

Make yourself nuts today! In a good way!

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Rosemary and Garlic Slow-Roasted Almonds

Rosemary and Garlic Slow-Roasted Almonds

These fragrant and toasty rosemary garlic almonds slow-roast in an ultra low oven overnight (so as not to destroy all those good fats that almonds contain) while you sleep. When you wake, you are in possession of one ultimately sustaining and habit forming snack. Make yourself nuts today! In a good way!

Ingredients

  • 4 cups whole, raw almonds (out of the shell)
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon whole dried rosemary, crumbled between the fingers to break it into smaller pieces

Instructions

Toss all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl until everything is evenly dispersed and the nuts are evenly coated with oil. Pour the nuts onto a rimmed baking sheet and spread them into a single layer. Put in a cold oven and set the temperature to 170°F or thereabouts. Roast overnight (or 8 hours) or until the oil is absorbed and the nuts appear matte. Remove from the oven, cool completely and transfer to a canning jar or another container with an airtight lid. The seasonings may fall off of the nuts. That's okay! Just transfer the seasoning to the jar as well!

These are good for up to a month, kept tightly covered, at room temperature. I seriously doubt you'll be able to keep your hands (and mouth) off of them that long, though!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/05/31/rosemary-and-garlic-slow-roasted-almonds/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Comfort Food, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, kid food, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Snacks, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Lemon Lime Curd (Easy Blender or Microwave Method) | Make Ahead Mondays

May 28, 2012 by 16 Comments

Many moons ago, when I was the mother of only a couple tiny kids, I had a very scandalous, very obese, very, very big dog named Hambone. Hambone was known for his lightning speed consumption of all food before him, whether it was intended for him or not. There was no food safe around Hambone.

Hambone ate his food. He ate his dog-compatriot’s food. He ate the cat’s food. He ate a pound of butter (still wrapped). He ate crayons, garbage, and -in short- anything that held still long enough for him to figure out how to get it down into his gullet. He was not discerning.

On a cold winter’s day, I laid the kids down for a nap and got to work on the snack I was supposed to bring to Bible study that evening. It was my turn and I decided to bring something indulgent, spectacular, unique… I settled on scones with lemon curd and clotted cream. The clotted cream I bought, the scones I made, and then came the lemon curd… I followed the time-honoured tradition of hand squeezing the citrus.

Lots and lots of citrus.

Then I set to whisking over a double boiler- whisking, whisking, whisking- until the egg yolks and sugar and lemon juice thickened. Then I dropped in the butter bit by bit and whisked even more until each little cube of butter was melted and incorporated. Now, I’ve been me a long time, and I’m consistent, so you may know what is coming next. I was making a quadruple batch. Of course! Why wouldn’t you make a double batch if you’re already going to so much trouble? This means I stood whisking for quite some time. In fact, I whisked my way through all of that precious nap time. My little fellows both woke or set to squawking at the same time… just about when that curd was finished.

Taking advantage of the cold weather, I set the bowl out to cool, covered with a screen, on a table on the porch. I did what moms do with freshly napped munchkins. I read, I snuggled, I tousled hair, I provided snacks. And then I heard a sound. A clatter. A sound that sounded like THE CLATTER OF A METAL BOWL SKITTERING ON A WOODEN PORCH. Empty. I had forgotten that the notorious Hambone was outside. He had eaten every last bit of my lemon curd from the bowl. It looked as clean as it had when I had taken it from the cupboard. I threw the bowl at the dog, locked the door, sat my sweet kidlets down in front of a Beatrix Potter movie and made another batch. A single one.

The dog was too full even to scratch at the door to be let in, and it’s a darned good thing because I was in no mood to let that beast into our warm abode. I got on the phone with my mom to complain and she said, “Oh no! I wonder if he’s in pain!” I responded, unkindly, that I hoped he was. Big time.

Time passed, Hambone had other memorable transgressions in the kitchen and I learned a few lessons.

  1. Never leave food near a dog under any circumstances. They’re just not built to resist the temptation.
  2. Lemon curd is far easier to make than I ever thought.

That second lesson is the real kicker. I learned that lemon curd does not need to be an exercise in self-flagellation. You need not whisk ’til your arms fall off. It is as easy as a burly blender or a microwave. Of the two methods, I prefer the blender method because you pop everything in, set it to high and walk away until steam billows forth from the top. If you don’t have a sturdily built blender, though, the microwave method is a vast improvement over the French galley-slave approach to lemon curd making.

Once I got the quick-curd methods under my belt, I started playing around a bit with ingredients. My favourite curd (which is really a very unappetizing word for what amounts to creamy citrus custard sauce) these days is a bright, light combination of lemon and lime, using the juice and zest of both citruses. Lemon and lime compliment each other beautifully… Where the lemon is all brightness, the lime has depth. The sugar softens up the sharpness of the citrus while the egg yolk makes the custard creamy. “Mouthwatering” is greatly overused when discussing foods, but there is simply no substitute for it here. Lemon Lime Curd truly makes your mouth water.

Even though you can quickly make curd just about any time using these quick methods, it’s nice to have it on hand ready to go at the smallest inkling of a craving. Lemon Lime curd can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If you’d like to make it last longer than that, simply freeze for up to a year. Not that it’ll ever last that long.

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Lemon Lime Curd (Easy Blender and Microwave Methods) | Make Ahead Mondays

Lemon Lime Curd (Easy Blender and Microwave Methods) | Make Ahead Mondays

Step away from the double-boiler! Sour lemons and sweet limes come together to be made into the simplest curd ever made. Using your blender or microwave you are just 5 minutes away from a perfect dessert spread that stores for two weeks in the refrigerator or a full year in the freezer! You need never be without this tart, sweet, velvety-smooth dessert maker ever again.

Dollop Lemon Lime Curd on angel food cake or pound cake and top with whipped cream for the ultimate quick dessert. Spoon it over ice cream or on pancakes or waffles. Spread it between cake layers. Or make like me, pucker up and eat it straight from the spoon!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice (I used about 4 lemons and 5 limes.)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 9 egg yolks
  • the zest of 2 lemons and 2 limes (use zest from the lemons and limes you squeezed.)

Instructions

The Blender Method (I use my Vitamix blender . Be sure your blender is well-built enough to run on high speed for 5 or more minutes without burning out the motor!):

Add the citrus juice, sugar, butter and egg yolks to the work carafe of your blender. Fix the lid firmly in place. Start the blender on low and slowly increase the speed until you reach the highest speed. Let the blender run on high until steam is pouring out of the top of the blender. Turn the blender off and -wearing oven mitts- remove the lid carefully. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature of the curd. It should be at or above 170°F. (If you don't have an instant read thermometer you can test the readiness with a spoon. Dip a spoon into the hot curd. Carefully draw your finger through it in a line. When the line stays for about 5 seconds before the curd comes back together it is ready.)

*Remember the curd will thicken as it cools!

Stir in the citrus zest and immediately pour into clean jars or heat-proof containers with tight fitting lids. Let cool slightly before storing in the refrigerator. If desired, once the curd has cooled slightly, you can lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent skin from forming on it. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 1 year!

The Microwave Method:

In a microwave safe bowl that is large enough to comfortably hold all of your ingredients, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they are smooth. Whisk in the lemon and lime juice and butter until smooth. Microwave on high -uncovered- for 5 minutes, whisking well after each 1 minute mark until you reach 4 minutes. In the last minute, whisk well every 15 seconds, until the mixture has reached at least 170°F on an instant read thermometer. (If you don't have an instant read thermometer you can test the readiness with a spoon. Dip a spoon into the hot curd. Carefully draw your finger through it in a line. When the line stays for about 5 seconds before the curd comes back together it is ready.)

*Remember the curd will thicken as it cools!

Pour the hot curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any curdled egg bits. Stir in the zest and pour immediately into clean jars or heat-proof containers with tight fitting lids. Let cool slightly before storing in the refrigerator. If desired, once the curd has cooled slightly, you can lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent skin from forming on it. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 1 year!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/05/28/lemon-lime-curd-easy-blender-or-microwave-method-make-ahead-mondays/

And heads-up. You’ll want to be back here next Tuesday when I show you how to use your Lemon Lime Curd to make THESE:

 

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Comfort Food, Component Foods, Desserts, Freezer Pleaser, kid food, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,

Mom’s Grilled Cheese and Sweet Onion Sandwiches

May 25, 2012 by 6 Comments

Today’s post is powered 100% by nostalgia. My baby brother is getting married this summer and it has totally sent me into a “This is Your Life” tizzy.

My mom was the room mother in my fourth grade year (and my first, second, third, and fifth grades, but I’m talking specifically about year four here…) She was responsible for games for our party days (and I’m fairly certain she volunteered for that duty. My mom is the Queen of Party Games.) The game she had planned for my class on one party day was a game where she wrapped food in pieces of foil and put them in paper bags at the end of a race course. There were two teams of kids. One kid from each team would run to the end of the course, grab a piece of foil wrapped food, unwrap it and eat whatever was in there. Everything was edible and tasty (at least to my mom.) Now here’s where it gets a little complicated. All the little boys in my class (all nine of them*) had a near debilitating crush on my mom. How is that a problem? One of the foil wrapped foods was a slice of Vidalia onion (a delicacy in our home, to be sure!). One of the little boys with a debilitating crush on my mom was evidently mildly allergic to onions. Before I say anything, you all know which packet this little boy picked right?

*Yes. There were only nine boys in my class. That is due in no small part to the fact that there were only eighteen kids in my class all together. As in, in the entire school. I did tell you I grew up rural, didn’t I?

Obviously he picked the onion.

Any sensible person would raise their hand and say, “Excuse me, but I’m allergic to onions. Could I pick another food?” But there’s no such thing as a sensible fourth grade boy with a crush. The kid ate the onion then ran from the room to toss his cookies. Or rather, toss his onions.

That day was memorable for more than one reason. It was the first time I’d seen someone do something stupid for love. It was also the first moment I realized that not every household ate raw onions like apples.

One of my favourite foods from those years (and one that I’m happy to say my kids love now) was a big, gooey grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with thick, crisp slabs of sweet onion, toasted to that perfect rich brown with little rivulets of cheese escaping the sides of the bread. Oh heavens.

Can you even think of something that sounds better or more comforting than that?

Grilled cheeses ruled my world as a kid. And both of my parents make a mean one. My dad always added a ritual to the grilled cheese making. Half of the fun of a grilled cheese with dad has been and remains the “Thwapping of the Cheese”.  We would each unwrap a piece of cheese, hold it by the bottom edge and then swing it up to smack it against our tongues, making a satisfying THWAP sound in the process. Here, my third born demonstrates the manoeuvre.

  1. Here’s the wind-up folks. Note the open mouth and the angle of the cheese slice.
  2. He’s going for it! Looks like he judged the distance just right!
  3. And he’s home. THWAP!

It’s hard to explain why the “Thwapping of the Cheese” is as amusing as it is. Uproarious laughter is the almost inevitable result. When you couple my dad’s cheese thwapping with my mom’s specialty grilled cheese with sweet onion, you’re sure to end lunch with as big a smile as the one you had when you started.

This is, in my book, the perfect grilled cheese. Choose your favourite bread and your preferred onion, but there simply is no substitute for the melty, gooey, drippy cheesy goodness you get from Kraft Singles. Whether you choose the yellow or the white (my family’s favourite) you’re sure to love this grilled cheese as much as I do.

Disclosure: As part of the DailyBuzz Moms Featured Publisher Community, I received a coupon for free Kraft Singles and a stipend to help pay for additonal ingredients, but all opinions expressed in the post are my own. It is my promise to you that I will not write sponsored posts for any product that I do not or would not use myself.

 

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Mom’s Grilled Cheese and Sweet Onion Sandwiches

Mom’s Grilled Cheese and Sweet Onion Sandwiches

My mom's version of the classic grilled cheese is my all time favourite way to eat it. Deep, toasty brown bread topped with melty, gooey cheese and crisp, just-heated-through slabs of sweet onion. On any given day at any given moment, I'm hard pressed to think of something I like to eat more than this.

Ingredients

    Per Sandwich:
  • 2 slices of sandwich bread (I like potato bread or oatmeal bread best.)
  • 2 slices Kraft Singles, unwrapped
  • 1 (1/8- to 1/4-inch thick) slab sweet onion, peeled and separated into smaller rings or half moons
  • 1 tablespoon softened butter

Instructions

Preheat a griddle to 300°F (or put a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low to medium heat on the stove top.)

Butter one side of each slice of bread, using half of the butter on each slice. Lay one slice of bread, butter side down on the hot griddle, immediately lay down one slice of the unwrapped Kraft Singles, top with as much of the sliced onion as you can get to stay on the bread, the other slice of unwrapped cheese and the last piece of bread, butter side up.

Let it toast slowly until the under-side of the bottom piece of bread is a deep golden to rich brown, taking care not to let it burn. If necessary, you can reduce the heat to prevent scorching. Carefully flip the sandwich, using your hand to hold it together as the onions tend to make it fall apart a little more easily than the average grilled cheese.

Toast the second side until it is a rich brown and the cheese is completely melted inside the sandwich. Transfer to a cutting board and cut it in half on the diagonal. Yes. It MUST be on a diagonal. Sandwiches just taste better that way.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/05/25/grilled-cheese-and-sweet-onion-sandwiches/

Filed Under: Comfort Food, kid food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,

This is not food. This is just plain adorable.

May 24, 2012 by 13 Comments

Way back in January, my now twelve year old son was offered a choice of birthday presents; a video game (immediate gratification) or live ducklings when our feed mill got in the spring shipment (delayed gratification.) Once more proving that my second born is my dad (That’s Mr. Delayed Gratification.) redux, he opted for the ducklings.

It was a long wait, but it was totally worth it. Just look at his face.

When the little critters arrived last week, we realized we knew nothing about ducks aside from the fact that they’re so darned charming.

As it turns out, there really isn’t much to keeping ducks other than a willingness to frequently clean out the brooder ’til they’re old enough to be outside. By frequently, I mean FREQUENTLY.

Today was an especially exciting day for our young duck owner. He helped his ducklings have their first supervised swim. I thought I’d share the video here. Please excuse my dorky honking voice cooing over the ducklings. What can I say? Their cuteness power is unparalleled. I challenge you to look at these without an “Awwwwww!” escaping at least once.

As my mom used to say to us when we were cranky, “Don’t SMILE!”  Just try to resist.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6qsugn9oUw[/youtube]

Filed Under: Rebecca, Uncategorized

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

May 23, 2012 by 10 Comments

In a world full of uncertainty, there are a few things you can count on beyond death and taxes.

  • Every time we think our schedule is now clear, it will fill up. Overnight.
  • Johnny Depp may be weird, but he’s easy on the eyes.
  • Shortly after you take delivery of seventeen chicks and five ducklings and get them situated in your dining room, your husband will be called out of town for a week-long business trip.
  • When your child enters a room -dripping wet- from a room where there is no faucet but there are seventeen chicks and five ducklings, you will want towels. And probably bleach.
  • And ibuprofen.
  • And a Johnny Depp movie.
  • If you serve cheeseburgers to your five sons for dinner, you automatically win.
  • If you serve bacon for dinner, you automatically win.
  • If you serve pasta for dinner -unless it is a frou-frou concoction with artichoke hearts, brined olives and slices of garlic*- you automatically win.
  • If you find a way to combine cheeseburgers, bacon and pasta, you not only automatically win, but you are the Queen of the World, the Best Mom Ever In the History of the World, and the Prettiest Mom Who Smells Like Bacon and will be told so in no uncertain terms.
  • It’s nice to be The Prettiest Mom Who Smells Like Bacon. I can live with that title.

*Don’t get me wrong. I would like that. In fact, I’d eat the heck out of that. I’d probably even hide the last little bit in an ugly bowl in the back corner of the refrigerator so no one else would get it, but it would not be a universally pleasing dish. That’s all I’m saying.

We are talking about comfort food writ large as a one-pot wonder. Yes. Let’s take a deep breath together and think about that beautiful thought for just a moment. It only dirties one pot.

Does anyone else get weepy when they only have one pan to wash after dinner? Anyone? Please?

This pasta, though… It is all that is good about cheeseburgers, bacon, pasta and comfort food all rolled into one. The crispy bacon and browned ground beef filled cheesy tomato sauce seeps into the spaces of whichever pasta you choose, so I recommend one that can hold a little bit of everything; we prefer to use small shells for maximum sauce hold-age. Elbow noodles will do just dandy, but the shells are like little tiny pasta cups full of goodness. (I will not be winning a James Beard food writing award for the preceding sentence, but it’s been a busy week. Where’s Johnny Depp? I’m fairly certain he’s in the South of France and he’s probably not mopping up duck poo. Oh dear. I’d best stop whilst I’m ahead. At least I hope I’m still ahead.)

Even if your menu is planned for a month solid, I encourage you all to lay the ingredients for this dish in your pantry as insurance against traveling spouses, busy weeks, standardized testing (yes, we’re doing THAT this week, too), field trips, and juvenile poultry. I guarantee that one of these nights you’re going to be so glad you have it available. And when you do make it, it’s going to knock everyone’s socks off. Who loves you? I do!

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Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

This pure, unadulterated comfort food is pasta simmered in a bacon and burger filled cheesy tomato sauce. It doesn't get better (or easier) than this!

Adapted, with thanks, from Melissa who adapted it from [Ezra Pound Cake . Thank you ladies!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound sliced bacon
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 onion, peeled and very finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and pressed or finely minced
  • 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder (preferably granulated onion)
  • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder (preferably granulated garlic)
  • 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste depending on heat tolerance and preference.)
  • 1 pound dry small shell or elbow pasta
  • 2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated
  • Optional, but tasty:
  • thinly sliced green onions for garnish

Instructions

Stack the bacon strips and cut down through the stack at 1/4-inch intervals. When done, you should have a pile of thin bacon strips. Put these into a large stockpot over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the bacon is crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crispy bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Pour the remaining bacon grease out of the pan (and hopefully into a jar to use in tasty things later.)

Return the pan to the heat, break up the ground beef over the bottom of the pan and add the onions to the pot. Use a sturdy wooden spoon to continually break up the beef and work the onions into the meat until the meat is no longer pink but brown. If there is a great deal of fat in the pan, carefully pour most of it off. If there's just a small amount of fat in the bottom of the pan, keep it. It's full of flavour! Return the pan to the heat again.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, tomato paste, ketchup, beef broth, water, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and onion and garlic powders. Pour this over the browned beef. Stir well, raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. When it is boiling, gently stir in the dry pasta, add a lid to the pan and drop the heat to low. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes to prevent the pasta from sticking. When the pasta is tender, turn off the heat, add all of the grated cheese and the the crispy bacon and stir gently until the cheese is melted in completely and the bacon is evenly distributed.

Serve hot or very warm.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/05/23/bacon-cheeseburger-hamburger-pasta/

Filed Under: Comfort Food, kid food, Main Dish, Meat, Pasta, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Lazy Sushi Bowls (a.k.a. Scattered Sushi) | Make Ahead Mondays

May 21, 2012 by 4 Comments

I’m really excited about today’s post. Why? It’s another one of those things I’ve been making for years and I’m just getting around to sharing it with you. I always feel a mixture of thrill and guilt when I share these perennial favourites. Thrill because I’m giving you something we love so much and guilt because it took me so darned long to finally give you the recipe.

And then there’s the fact that this is hardly a recipe at all so much as it is an idea. A formula. A how-to, if you will. It seems like these are always the last things I think to put here because, well, they’re so simple it’s almost embarrassing. Every now and then I pull up short and have to remind myself that it is just those kinds of things that I should be sharing! Good grief! Get with the program, self!

Without further ado, I present to you Lazy Sushi Bowls (also known as Scattered Sushi). This is a riff on the honest-to-goodness, real-deal Chirashizushi (scattered sushi) that is served in various regions of Japan. Chirashizushi is loose sushi rice (cooked rice tossed with seasoned rice vinegar) in a bowl topped with seafood and garnishes. It’s a riff because most of the time, the real thing is served with sashimi (raw fish or seafood) and frankly, I’m way-hay-hay too far from any ocean to feel good about serving any kind of seafood I can buy around here raw. Beyond that, though, is the wacky toppings I prefer on my Lazy Sushi. My method is a very culinarily mixed metaphor. On top of the seasoned sushi rice, I pile Asian Marinated Cucumber Salad (or cubed English cucumbers), Asian Style Pickled Carrots, flaked (canned) Albacore tuna, cubed or sliced ripe avocado, cooked shrimp, sliced green onions, tiny cubes of cream cheese (thanks a million times over to Rebecca’s sister, Jennifer, of Ezra Pound Cake for the brilliant homage to a Philadelphia roll for this idea!), torn seasoned nori (or Furikake), pickled ginger (when we have it), soy sauce, wasabi paste, and toasted sesame seeds. Does this mean you need all of that on hand to make this dish? The answer to that is a most emphatic no! We make these with as many or as few of the ingredients as we have or want.

I mix up a big batch of the Sushi Dressing (and really, it only takes seconds), store it in the refrigerator and then have it on hand for whenever we get the craving for Lazy Sushi (which is a pretty common occurrence.) So maybe I’m stretching the Make Ahead Monday theme a bit,  but I’ve waited so long to share this, I couldn’t wait any longer!

Why do I call it Lazy Sushi when there are so many components? Let me break it down. The rice is cooked, tossed with the dressing and set aside to cool to room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients. If you have some leftover Asian Marinated Cucumber Salad, your cucumber portion is ready and waiting. If not? Roughly chop or cube an English cucumber (seedless cucumber). Their skin is tender, so no need to peel ‘em. How simple is that? Thaw some fully cooked shrimp and remove the tails. If you have Asian Style Pickled Carrots on the shelf, you need only pop open a jar. If not? Shred a carrot on a box grater or use a vegetable peeler to get thin strips. Open and drain a can of Albacore tuna. Halve, pit and slice an avocado. Tear a sheet of nori or pop open your furikake. Wash and slice a couple green onions. Fish your bottle of soy sauce and your tube of wasabi from the back of the refrigerator. Cut some little cubes from a brick of cream cheese. Give everyone a bowl and you are off the hook. Proverbially and colloquially. Stand back and let everyone assemble their own dinner.

Are you ready for the bonuses? Because there’s more. This is good for you! (Especially if you use brown rice.) This makes a killer brown-bag or picnic lunch. Finally, the biggest bonus is that The Evil Genius and I can have bowls piled teeteringly high with every single ingredient our gluttonous little hearts desire while the no veg contingent is content with a bowl of rice topped with a couple shrimp and soy sauce. It’s almost endlessly customizable and as all you parents (or spouses) out there know, the ability to make a dish that everyone can love is worth more than its weight in gold. This is another Unicorn Dish in our household.

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Lazy Sushi Bowls (a.k.a. Scattered Sushi)

Lazy Sushi Bowls (a.k.a. Scattered Sushi)

Lazy Sushi -seasoned sushi rice topped with your favourite sushi toppings- is great for fun family dinners, entertaining (because EVERYONE loves it), movie nights and those hot, steamy summer nights when the mere thought of cooking makes you break into a sweat.

These are also great for picnics and brown-bag lunches. Just store the rice outside of the refrigerator (or cooler) and keep the remaining ingredients chilled. Assemble and eat!

Ingredients

    For the Sushi Dressing:
  • 1 cup plain rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons raw sugar or white granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
    • For each serving of Lazy Sushi:
  • 1/4-1/2 cup uncooked short grain rice (preferably sweet brown rice, but short grain white rice is good, too.)
  • 1 tablespoon Sushi Dressing (see above)
  • Optional:
  • 1/4 of a ripe avocado, (peeled, pitted and cubed), tossed with a little rice vinegar to prevent browning
  • 1/4 cup Sweet and Spicy Asian Style Pickled Carrots or 1/2 of a carrot, grated or peeled into thin strips with a vegetable peeler
  • 1/4 cup Asian Marinated Cucumber Salad or about 2 tablespoons of finely cubed English or seedless cucumbers
  • 1/2 of the contents of a drained can of Albacore tuna, flaked
  • 2-4 pieces of fully cooked shrimp (cleaned with the tails removed)
  • 3-4 small cubes (about 1/4-inch or so) cold cream cheese
  • thinly sliced green onions, to taste
  • wasabi, to taste
  • soy sauce, to taste
  • torn or cut nori (or furikake , to taste
  • toasted sesame seeds, to taste

Instructions

To Make the Sushi Dressing:

Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a microwave safe bowl (or in a small saucepan), heat until very warm and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour into a canning jar or other heat proof container with a tight fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for up to one month, using as needed.

To Prepare the Lazy Sushi Bowls:

Cook the rice according to package instructions (I prefer to use my rice cooker.) When the rice is done, turn it into a large-ish mixing bowl, fluff it gently and pour the appropriate amount of Sushi Dressing over the top. Fold the dressing in gently, taking care not to smash the rice. Lay damp paper towels over the surface of the rice to prevent it from drying out and let the rice cool to room temperature.

When the rice is cool, divide among serving bowls and let the diners assemble their own Lazy Sushi.

To Pack for Lunch or a Meal Away from Home:

Pack the rice in a container with a tight fitting lid and a great deal of room between the rice and the top of the container. (This is to accommodate the toppings once added.) Pack the toppings in separate containers, combining those items which need refrigeration (such as the fish, cubed avocados with rice vinegar, cream cheese, etc...) Store the rice outside of the refrigerator (preferably in a cool-but-not-cold, dark place) and the remaining ingredients in the refrigerator (or cooler). Assemble just before eating.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/05/21/lazy-sushi-bowls-a-k-a-scattered-sushi-make-ahead-mondays/

 

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Comfort Food, Fish, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, kid food, Main Dish, Make Ahead Mondays, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars, Vegetarian

The Unsophisticated (Chilled Two-Wine Spritzer)

May 18, 2012 by 7 Comments

A little housekeeping:

Unfortunately, I got a little education this week when I learned about Scrapers. Am I the last person alive to  hear about these folks? What they do -in a nutshell- is steal the RSS feed from a blog and republish it for whatever reasons they have to doing so (getting hits, pilfering audience, what-have-you…) Evidently someone(s) have been doing this with my posts for quite some time. My band-aid fix is to truncate my feed to an abbreviated one. I do apologize to those of you who liked getting the entire post in an email, I hope you’ll stick with me until I can figure out another way to defeat these content thieves. I love  y’all. Even the scrapers. Love the scraper not the scrape, right? Now… onto happier subjects.

I am not a fancy person. When my husband and I were engaged, we didn’t register for silver or china or those other grown up things. I’m not sure we registered for anything at all. The way I’ve always looked at it, if you have canning jars you are good to go. Plates and cups are nice and pretty, but strictly optional.

If you come visit me, you might find yourself sitting on the ground (on a nice blanket, of course) out in the yard balancing a plate on your knee instead of around the table with matching service. Okay, chances are very good that’ll happen. And if we’re at the table, your plate and mine are -in all likelihood- going to clash. You’ll have banged up forks and spoons and knifes and there just might be a chip or two out of the bowl, but you know what? You’re going to be so welcome here.

My Grandpa used to say, “You can put lipstick on a pig and it’s still a pig.” I apply that everywhere. I am what I am. And what I am is happy to see you but I’m still a piglet. I’m alright with that. I like our crazy home filled to the brim with boys and chickens and dogs and ducks and cats and musical instruments and tools and widgets and paper Viking ships and books and so on. It’s wacky, but it’s us!

When it comes to my summer beverages, I’m pretty equally simplistic (or simple, depending on who you ask.) I just want something refreshing and quick. It has to be something that I can bang out in time to sit on the porch and watch the kids ride their bikes around the driveway while the sun sets. It had better be able to be whipped up in a jar and it can’t be anything too potent. You’re looking at a lightweight here folks.

If you are elegant and sophisticated you may wish to look away for a moment. Otherwise, I have just the thing for you: it’s a three-ingredient mixed drink that is served over ice (HORRORS), needs only the most common ingredients (EGADS) and takes about as much time to throw together as it does to put on a coat of lipstick. Pig or not. Par-Tay!

It’s sparkly, it’s fresh, it’s light, it’s icy cold and it’s simple. This is almost summer, after all.  Come on over. I’ll whip one up for you. It’ll probably be in a jar. Is that alright?

Print
The Unsophisticated (Chilled Two-Wine Spritzer)

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 2 minutes

Yield: 1 spritzer

The Unsophisticated (Chilled Two-Wine Spritzer)

A refreshing, light, icy cold, sparkly, warm-weather drink that may not be sophisticated, but still manages to hit all the right notes.

Ingredients

  • Crushed or cubed ice
  • 3 tablespoons plum wine
  • 4 ounces (1/2 cup) Pinot Grigio or any semi-dry to dry white wine
  • Chilled plain seltzer water

Instructions

Fill a tall glass (at least 10 ounces in capacity) with ice cubes. Pour the plum wine and then the Pinot Grigio over the ice. Fill the remaining space in the glass with seltzer water. Let the seltzer water settle a bit and give the glass a quick stir with a chopstick or (if you're better stocked on bar supplies than I am) a swizzle stick. Sip happily!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/05/18/the-unsophisticated-chilled-two-wine-spritzer/

 

 

Filed Under: Beverages, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , ,

Best Buttermilk Pancakes and Make Ahead Mondays Breakfast Highlights

May 14, 2012 by 8 Comments

Yesterday was Mother’s Day and I’m still in a glow-y mood. The boys treated me to a cup of tea in bed (that mercifully stayed in the vessel before reaching my mouth), French toast once I was downstairs, a day full of (mostly) getting along beautifully, and a clean kitchen (for most of the day.) I know this post is coming late in the day, but it’s worth it! I promise.

Today, for Make Ahead Mondays, the spotlight is on some of our favourite make-ahead-friendly breakfast foods that have been here on Foodie With Family. You all know I’m not functional until I’ve had a cuppa tea or two under my belt. By that, I mean that I’ve consumed it, not worn it… And to complicate things,  I absolutely despise paying mucho bucks for boxes of cereal that last a day or two at most around here. Therefore, the hot and/or homemade breakfast is the preferred method of morning fuel in these parts.  So the equation looks like this: Bleary-Eyed Mom + Hungry Children in the Morning = Creativity. I need food that is made or mostly made to serve them because folks? They’re not patient when it comes to food.

In no particular order, here are some of the greatest hits from our household:

Six Week Bran Cereal Muffins

These muffins are delicious and nutritious, to be sure, but there are two more, equally compelling reasons to make these. 1.) You make the batter and it stores in your refrigerator where you can bake as few as one or as many as you’d like daily for SIX WEEKS. I’m not kidding. Six weeks. How can you beat that? 2.) You can add in whatever stir-ins you like the day you bake. Chocolate chips, apples (dry or fresh), peaches, raisins, nuts, apricots? Yes, yes, yes and infinitely more yeses. Can I hear an Amen? Or at least a yum? Because you’ll rate a bunch of each when you have these for breakfast.

Baked Maple Oatmeal

 

Just look at that, wouldya? That is what oats are supposed to look like… This is as far from the grey, mucilaginous (yes, I said it again), soupy stuff that most people think of as oatmeal. It’s sweet, chewy, almost nutty in flavour, and smells good enough to make you turn inside out in anticipation. I make two huge pans of this unadorned (sans fruits, nuts, etc…) and leave it covered in the refrigerator all week. The kids, when hungry, take a serving sized scoop, heat it in the microwave and then add whatever they prefer. The favourite toppers in our home are frozen blueberries, fresh cream, or my homemade pie filling from the pantry. In my book, that counts as fruit!

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches

Are you playing for a more savoury audience? This is the bees-knees… We’re looking at a sausage patty, baked egg and cheese all warm and melty on a toasted English muffin. Even better is the fact that these are pre-made, frozen and ready for action whenever needed. We reheat them, toss on a fistful of arugula or greens (for those who are so inclined) and hot sauce to round everything out. Life is great when these are in the freezer.

Homemade English Muffins

You had to know I was going here. Right? There is no better way to have a Sausage, Egg and Cheese Breakfast sandwich than on a homemade English Muffin. Just look at those nooks and crannies. They’re crying out for butter and jam, too! And added to the fact that these are as easy to make as pie -No, easier than pie!- is the fact that they freeze like a dream after being baked and cooled. Ta da!

Homemade English Muffin Bread

Do those English Muffins still look like a bit too much fuss? I have just the thing for you! English Muffin Bread. And let me tell you, this stuff is habit forming and easy to boot. Each batch makes three large loaves, so eat one, wrap the other two and freeze for those days when you just don’t have time to bake. …While we’re discussing English Muffin Bread, how about something else that you can whip up to keep in the freezer that uses this bread as a base?

Supreme Spinach and Egg Breakfast Sandwiches

You can never have too many eggy type recipes if you ask me. Eggs are nearly the perfect food. Heavy in protein and all sorts of other goodies, they’re just the thing to use to start your day right and keep you full until lunch.  I like to make the Spinach and Egg Breakfast Bake, slice, freeze and then reheat to serve on freshly toasted English Muffin Bread. This also makes a great, hearty after school snack. Whichever time of day you serve it, you’ll be so happy you did!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

This is one of my best successes in mommy-trickery of all time. See that gorgeous, moist, cinnamon swirl? Don’t tell my youngest child, but that’s *gasp* ground up raisins. I’ve had emails from people all over telling me that either they or their kids disliked raisins as a rule, but adored this bread. It’s happy food, my friends. And happily, it freezes very well. A loaf or two of this in the freezer can make the difference between an okay day and a great one. And if you -whoopsie- don’t eat it all before its prime, it makes the most incredible French toast you can possibly imagine- but better.

…And finally!

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

I am willing to bet that most of you -even those who have been with me for a long time- haven’t seen this recipe. Why? Because this comes from one of the first recipes I ever posted here on Foodie With Family in 2008. Wowza. So much has changed between then and now, but one thing has not. We still rely on these pancakes because of their flavour, ease of preparation and the convenience of being able to keep a bucket of this batter ready in the refrigerator for up to three days after mixing it. Double bonus: you can griddle fry all of your pancakes, cool them on a rack, store them in a Gladware container or zipper top bag with wax paper between each layer, and freeze them for even greater convenience. In the morning, grab the desired number of flapjacks and microwave them ’til piping hot. And triple bonus! This recipe is so old, I didn’t even know about printable recipes, so I present to you, today, a printable version of our Best Buttermilk Pancakes. Hooray! Hoorah! Now go forth, and make breakfast!

Print
Best Buttermilk Pancakes

Fluffy but thin, tangy, delicate Best Buttermilk Pancakes whip up with ease! The batter stores well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but the griddle fried pancakes also freeze well for added convenience.

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 cups buttermilk (or 1/4 cup cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice added to 3 3/4 cups with milk, stirred and nuked for 45 seconds)
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2-4 Tablespoons sugar, to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in your blender and process until smooth. Or you can do as I usually do adding all ingredients to a large pitcher and combining them with my stick blender. It’s the cheater’s way! The batter needs to be smooth. No one likes pockets of dry flour in a pancake! The consistency of the batter when I make it is about that of ketchup because we like thinner pancakes. If you like a fluffier, loftier pancake, you can add a couple tablespoons of flour to the batter, but make sure it’s still pourable!

Heat your griddle or frying pan until water sizzles on it and carefully butter or oil the surface. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the hot pan for each pancake, leaving room for it to expand. You can flip the cake when the bubbles that show up on the top pop and don’t fill back in. The second side will cook much faster than the first side, so DO NOT WALK AWAY!

Serve hot! To really ease the morning time crunch, you can also cool these off on a wire rack, stack them separated by waxed paper, and seal in a bag in the freezer for up to a month. To reheat, remove desired number of flapjacks from the freezer to a plate and microwave for about 30 seconds-1 minute, depending on strength of microwave.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/05/14/best-buttermilk-pancakes-and-make-ahead-mondays-breakfast-highlights/

 

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Comfort Food, Component Foods, Eggs, Freezer Pleaser, Happy Healthy and Wise, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,
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