We started with the best intentions. And it was fun! It really was! But documenting everything was taking too much time and effort. It's the lament of many parents, I'm guessing. Therapies, social groups, workshops, IEP meetings, and eventually pre-school ate up our energy.
The good news is that we're still cooking! We're not doing the alphabet schtick, mind you, but we continue to make really good home-cooked meals. And be we, I mean Mary. We joined a CSA, so a lot of meals are planned around whatever we're getting for the week from local NC farmers. Mary got a rice cooker for Christmas two years ago, and Quinoa has been putting in a favorable showing recently, alongside a lot of other rice dishes.
We also restored her great aunt Johnny's iron skillet and have been cooking with it a fair amount recently. We looked up the stamp on the bottom, and found that the company that made it went out of business in the 1920's!
I'm sorry we abandoned our blogging, but thank you (Patricia especially) for your interest! Maybe we'll do something like this again in the future, when we're not so plowed under. Keep cooking!
Jan 31, 2013
N
Noodles made of poodles with a slice of garden hose, and Nish Nobblers
Mary has a funny cookbook called Roald Dahl's Even More Revolting Recipes. It has dishes that reference Roald Dahl's many surreal stories. And the two we chose weren't too hard.
The noodles weren't really made from poodles or garden hose. But Mary did make noodles from scratch, which is a first for us. Half were regular, and half were heavily infused with parsley. We hung them from coat hangers to dry before cooking them. Our flour was on the stale side, but seemed to work okay. We ate them with packaged meatballs, olive oil, and parmesan.
The Nish Nobblers were simply molded chocolate. Except the mold was bubble wrap. We tempered some chocolate and then spread it over the bubbles before putting it in the fridge to harden. Really simple, and really cool. We started looking for silicone candy molds for the future, since the process of tempering chocolate seems to be pretty easy.
Mary has a funny cookbook called Roald Dahl's Even More Revolting Recipes. It has dishes that reference Roald Dahl's many surreal stories. And the two we chose weren't too hard.
The noodles weren't really made from poodles or garden hose. But Mary did make noodles from scratch, which is a first for us. Half were regular, and half were heavily infused with parsley. We hung them from coat hangers to dry before cooking them. Our flour was on the stale side, but seemed to work okay. We ate them with packaged meatballs, olive oil, and parmesan.
The Nish Nobblers were simply molded chocolate. Except the mold was bubble wrap. We tempered some chocolate and then spread it over the bubbles before putting it in the fridge to harden. Really simple, and really cool. We started looking for silicone candy molds for the future, since the process of tempering chocolate seems to be pretty easy.
M
Matzo Ball and Meatball Soup, Macaroons, and Malbec
Spring is upon us, as are the religious holidays of Easter and Passover. We decided we'd give Matzo Ball soup a try. I'm not Jewish, so it was news to me that leavened bread was forbidden during Passover. What I find hilarious, however, is that Matzo meal is essentially unleavened crackers (water and wheat flour, baked before it can rise) that is ground back into something resembling flour. Then, suddenly, you can put baking soda or baking powder into it, and get fluffy, puffy Matzo Balls in your soup, and everything is kosher! Well, kind of. Apparently there are eastern-european Jews who think it's okay, and other Jews who don't.
Anywho... the soup was good. I can see where it fits into the spectrum of comfort foods. We added little beef meatballs to ours for some body, and it seemed to work out well.
The macaroons were sublime. I have eaten store-bought macaroons before, and they were okay. But to eat them fresh from the oven, all light and puffy, is another thing entirely. The texture was amazing. Mary did a great job.
We added a little bit of Argentinian Malbec (Xploriador), and things were rosy. Well, at least until the morning, when the sulfites in the wine gave me a headache.
Spring is upon us, as are the religious holidays of Easter and Passover. We decided we'd give Matzo Ball soup a try. I'm not Jewish, so it was news to me that leavened bread was forbidden during Passover. What I find hilarious, however, is that Matzo meal is essentially unleavened crackers (water and wheat flour, baked before it can rise) that is ground back into something resembling flour. Then, suddenly, you can put baking soda or baking powder into it, and get fluffy, puffy Matzo Balls in your soup, and everything is kosher! Well, kind of. Apparently there are eastern-european Jews who think it's okay, and other Jews who don't.
Anywho... the soup was good. I can see where it fits into the spectrum of comfort foods. We added little beef meatballs to ours for some body, and it seemed to work out well.
The macaroons were sublime. I have eaten store-bought macaroons before, and they were okay. But to eat them fresh from the oven, all light and puffy, is another thing entirely. The texture was amazing. Mary did a great job.
We added a little bit of Argentinian Malbec (Xploriador), and things were rosy. Well, at least until the morning, when the sulfites in the wine gave me a headache.
L
Lychees
We were totally uninspired and out of energy for our L-meal. Mary picked up some Lychees and put them in shrimp fried rice. It was passable. The fried rice and shrimp part was good. Sadly, that's about all I can say for this one.
We were totally uninspired and out of energy for our L-meal. Mary picked up some Lychees and put them in shrimp fried rice. It was passable. The fried rice and shrimp part was good. Sadly, that's about all I can say for this one.
K
Kale and Kielbasa Stew, with Key Lime pie for dessert
We thought about Kolrabi, but decided instead on Kale. We don't eat a lot of greens - mustard, collard, or what have you - but that's not because we have anything against them. This is something we're trying to change about our eating habits, so Kale seemed to be a good choice. And all good "greens" recipes have bacon or ham in them for flavoring. The one's I've tasted, at any rate. Kielbasa seemed to fit the bill, and Mary found a good recipe online.
I have to admit, we totally cheated on the Key Lime pie. Mary already had the ingredients for Kheer, a sort of rice pudding, but when she was at the grocery store on the day of our meal, she saw a pre-made key lime pie, and couldn't resist. I love key lime pie (it's worth taking two Lactaid in order to eat it) and was happy with her decision.
This wasn't the most elaborate of meals, but it was tasty, had lots of good greens in it, and ended with pie. I like pie.
We thought about Kolrabi, but decided instead on Kale. We don't eat a lot of greens - mustard, collard, or what have you - but that's not because we have anything against them. This is something we're trying to change about our eating habits, so Kale seemed to be a good choice. And all good "greens" recipes have bacon or ham in them for flavoring. The one's I've tasted, at any rate. Kielbasa seemed to fit the bill, and Mary found a good recipe online.
I have to admit, we totally cheated on the Key Lime pie. Mary already had the ingredients for Kheer, a sort of rice pudding, but when she was at the grocery store on the day of our meal, she saw a pre-made key lime pie, and couldn't resist. I love key lime pie (it's worth taking two Lactaid in order to eat it) and was happy with her decision.
This wasn't the most elaborate of meals, but it was tasty, had lots of good greens in it, and ended with pie. I like pie.
J
Jambalaya, Jicama, and a Jelly Roll
Jambalaya was an easy one to choose for our J-meal. Mary made up a batch of the special seasoning in a jar, so I'm pretty sure that we'll have this one again. Or something that tastes the same, at any rate. The only really odd thing about this dish was that we made it in our crock-pot bowl, but actually cooked it in the oven instead of letting it slow cook all day. It took a little longer than we expected, but the end result was perfect.
Jicama was the mystery ingredient this time. Neither of us had ever eaten any, so we weren't sure what to expect. My impressions : crisp like an apple, or possibly a pear. Not mealy, though, and not sweet. In fact, not much of anything except crisp and hydrating. If you were in the desert and dug one of these up, you would be refreshed by eating it. We soaked slices in lime juice, then dusted them with cayenne pepper. The lime juice added sweetness and tang, and the cayenne woke us up. Pretty decent, overall.
The real triumph was Mary's Jelly Roll. Yet another recipe that we'd never attempted, but that turned out wonderfully. The best thing about it was that it involved no oil or milk products. It turned out light and sweet, which was excellent after some heavy, spicy jambalaya.
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