JAM- getting an early start...

 Last year was my first time making jam.  It was a lot of work, but I loved making it.  

There is nothing like opening a fresh jar of homemade jam.  I wanted to stock up a little earlier this year especially since we ran out of homemade jam way back in December.  

We made strawberry and blackberry again.  Blackberry was my favorite last year so of course I had to make more.  I feel like strawberry is just a given.  

I started way later in the day than I had anticipated.  I didn't even start until after I picked the kids up from school.  

Andy ended up helping when he got home from work.  We made 2 batches in the afternoon and one more after getting the kids to bed.  

I finished cleaning up around midnight.  I made smaller batches this year because last year we kind of burned one batch. I think it was just too much in one pot.  

So just as a reminder to myself, I made batches of 4 pints of strawberries.  

This pretty much made 4 pints of jam with just a little extra to put in the refrigerator.  YUM!  This year I used the low sugar pectin.  It worked great and the jam is just as yummy with about half the sugar.  I used the recipe that is in the Ball jar recipe book and just adjusted the sugar with the pectin.  I put 2 1/2 cups of sugar for the 4 pints of sugar.  I might try a little less  next time.  I was just worried it wouldn't gel, but it did.  

I want to try a couple of different fruits this year also.

Doesn't apricot sound delicious?

Salsa Bar

I realized a little while back that I have never posted the recipe to one of my favorite salsas.  

I like to think of this blog as a family recipe book also, so this recipe definitely needs to be here.
We make it often and love it.  I got the recipe from my brother and sister and law.  Thanks guys.

Tomatillo and Arbol Salsa or The Good Stuff
(I'm not really sure what the name is, so this will do)

10-15 tomatillos (husked and rinsed)
15-30 dried arbol chili (depending on how hot you want it)
2-3 garlic cloves
salt

1. Boil the tomatillos until they start changing to a pea green.

(see in the picture how the under side is a different color of green)

2. Meanwhile break stems off of chilies and toast in a pan without any oil.  Turn when they begin to blacken.  I usually throw the garlic and toast it a little also.

3. Remove about 5-6 of the tomatillos and and blend with the chilies and garlic until smooth.  

4.  Add the rest of the tomatillos and pulse leaving chunks of tomatillo for a chunky consistency.  

5.  Add salt to taste and stir with a spoon.

The last time I made this salsa was over the past weekend when it was cold and rainy so I decided to make our own little salsa bar.

Here are two of our other favorite salsas.

 (I forgot to get the avo in the picture)

This has really similar steps as the last salsa and it makes it really easy to make together.

Salsa Verde

10-15 tomatillos (husked and rinsed)

2 serrano chili

1 small bunch of cilantro (rinsed and taken off of stem)

2-3 garlic

1 avocado

salt 

1. Again boil the tomatillos until they start to change to that pea green.

2. Toast the garlic in a pan just until it starts to smell really yummy and slightly brown.

3.  Transfer 4-5 tomatillos to blender and blend with the chilies, cilantro, and garlic until well blended.

4. Add the rest of the tomatillos and the avocado and pulse leaving chunks for a chunky consistency.

5. Add salt to taste and stir with a spoon

Ok, last up.

Pico de Gallo

3 tomatoes

1/2 of an onion

1 large bunch of cilantro (rinsed)

2 serrano chilies

juice of 2 lemons

salt

1. Dice tomatoes, onions, and cilantro.

2. Mince serrano chilies.

3. Mix all in a bowl with the lemon juice.

4. Salt to taste.

This one tastes best after if it marinates for about half an hour.

That's it!  

You should have plenty for now and later.  I think chips and salsa count as a meal in itself, right? 

There are a lot of veggies in there!

Have fun mixing it up.

Potato Tacos - my pick

 Tacos, yes, I do love tacos!!  

We all love Mexican, but I think I would have to say Andy is the biggest fan.  Any time we are going out to eat, Mexican is his first choice.  Occasionally we can sneak over to get a little sushi, which we all love also, but usually it's Mexican.  I'm not objecting over here.

My go to item has always been the burrito.  I don't know, something about all of the different flavors wrapped up and melted together in a warm soft tortilla just does it for me...but lately things are shifting a little.  

Tacos.  That hard crunchy shell. YUM!! 

 Don't get me wrong, I still love my burritos, but the taco is it right now. 

 I grew up with my mom, grandmas and all of my aunts making tacos with the fried corn tortilla shell that is all crispy and crunchy.  A little greasy, but oh so good!  Those were some good tacos.  

Well, I have never made a taco shell before in my life.  There I said it.  I buy TJ's taco shells.  I don't know why.  I think part of it was because of the mess and they certainly aren't healthy, but I think mainly because burritos are just way easier.  I think I also forgot just how yummy they are. 

  These fish tacos left me craving tacos, so I decided I have lived long enough without making my own taco shells.  The kids were game and wanted to help so we made potato tacos.

This is how we made them.

 Throw diced potatoes and onions into warmed olive oil.

 Season with salt, chili powder, cumin and pepper.
(And if you accidentally add a couple of dashes of ginger because you thought it was cumin, because you were a little distracted with a question about would I want a white cat that is fluffy or a black cat that wasn't fluffy or something to that affect, don't worry, it still turns out great.)

 Get your assembly line ready.  Ella was on the cheese.

 Julian was on the tomatoes and avocado.  No not on his own.  I helped him.

 Remove potatoes when they are done and wipe out any bits because you don't want them to burn.  If you are lazy like myself and want one less dish to wash, use the potato pan to make the taco shells.

Heat some more olive oil and when it's hot start making your tacos.  I was a little skimpy on the oil only because I don't really fry things and I didn't realize just how much you need.  It made way less of a mess then I expected.  I had the kids about 15 ft away because I thought it was going to be popping all over the place.  Not so much.  OK, so this is important, make sure they get nice and crunchy.  I had to test one to make sure I had the right crunch.

Let them sit on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess grease then stuff them with all of your toppings.  I just happened to have some of the our favorite salsa on hand.  My brother and sister-in-law gave me the recipe to a tomatillo and arbol chile recipe and it is the best.  I always make a ton when I make it because I know it won't ever go bad in our house.  I thought I had posted a recipe at some point, but I guess I haven't.  Some day.  

Mac N Cheese...their pick

One of the things I have been trying to incorporate into our lives is having a night where we can cook together as a family on a regular basis.  I touched on it a little here, but with the holidays we haven't really had a chance to do it very often.  With the start of this new year, my goal is once a week.

While the kids were out of school for the holidays we did have quite a few nights where they were able to cook with me.  They both love it, but Ella is the one who has really taken to it. 

This past week, almost every night she has asked if she could help me cook.  

I LOVE it!!

Last week I told them they could pick what we were going to cook and they picked Mac N' Cheese...ugh.

I did say they could pick.  

We used this recipe...kind of.  We had to change it a little here and there because we didn't have all of the ingredients.

 Yikes, look at those hang nails!

He really loves the grinder.

 They were a good team.

Why doesn't ours look like Pioneer Woman's?!!! 

We never got around to baking it because as soon as we mixed it, the kids were ready to eat it.  We should have made just a little more pasta.  We did have plenty of sauce though!!

I think that means he liked it!

Family Cooking Night

With the evenings getting a little chilly and the days a little shorter

 we have already started spending a little more time indoors in the evening.  

I have been trying to think of some activities we can do as a family in the evening.  

I love the Soule family's Family Writing Club idea.  I don't think we are quite there yet.  

We have had game nights, 

drawing nights 

and Ella is always a fan of dance party nights, 

but we haven't really established a consistent routine with any of these activities.  

This fall/winter I want to establish a little more of a routine. 

Last week I thought it might be fun to have a night where we could all cook dinner together.  

Sunday seemed like the best night for that so last night we tried it out.  I'm not great at planning ahead for meals so we kind of just winged it. 

 I'm hoping to get a little more organized so that I have our meal planned out ahead of time next Sunday.

This is what we made last night.

I jumped on pinterest and found this recipe from Pioneer Woman.

YUM, right?

Well, since I didn't plan ahead I didn't have any spinach or artichoke hearts, 

so I substituted red bell peppers and olives. 

 It turned out really good. 

 I will have to try it with spinach and artichoke hearts soon, because it looks so yummy.  

I made dinner while Andy and the kids made dessert.

 I had some pumpkin on hand so they made pumpkin bread.

This is the only picture I took from our first family cooking night.

I actually took this pic this morning, ha!

The pumpkin bread was really good with my coffee this morning, especially since I added a little spiced cream cheese frosting on top.

Here is how I made it...

Since I was just making a small amount for my slice and a little left over to spread on the top of half of a loaf, I didn't measure any of the ingredients, but it is really all to taste.

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

whipped cream cheese

brown sugar

vanilla extract

nutmeg

I really enjoyed all of us being in the kitchen together.  

We only had one little mishap with Julian. 

He didn't like the smell of the raw pumpkin and he has a really sensitive gag reflex...

well you can guess what happened after that.

It was pretty funny.

Here are a couple of other pumpkin recipes that I came across yesterday.

You can bet we will be trying these very soon.

 source

source

source

I am already looking forward to next sunday night!

pizza night!

i love pizza!! LOVE it!!

we have homemade pizza here at home about once every 2 weeks...probably more.
it's easy, yummy, not too bad for you and the kid's love it also.

trader joe's pizza dough is just another reason why i love that store.  i have thought once or twice about making my own dough, but that would just be silly of me.  i have a trader joe's right down the street from me and it is so good.

if you haven't tried it, go try it and then come back and thank me.
my favorite is the herb dough.
the key to this dough is let it sit out for a bit before making your pizza.  i let it get back to about room temperature.

pizza night is a good time to throw in a bunch of veggies.

spinach, mushroom, and olives

tomato, mushroom and olives

yummers!!

Tomato Soup in a Bread Bowl

 bread bowls!!

this always reminds me of disneyland.  

i think i had my first bread bowl experience at disneyland.

 this is my favorite way to eat soup...scooping some of the bread from the inside with your bite, YUM!!

it doesn't get much better than that.

so here is a tomato soup i made last night to fill my bread bowl...

heat 1- Tbsp olive oil over medium heat
add 2-3 minced garlic cloves and 1/2 diced onion and cook until onion is translucent.

add 15-20 chopped tomatoes and a handful of basil chopped.
reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.
add 1/4 cup cream.
blend in blender in batches or use an immersion blender.
add salt to taste.

ladle into your bread bowl and top with parmesan cheese crisp.
(to make parmesan cheese crisp place a small handful of parmesan cheese onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake until melted and slightly crispy)

ENJOY!!

Artichoke and Bean Bruschetta...separated

OK so I have some BIG news!!...
are you dying to hear it?...

no, I am not pregnant...ha, ha.  did I scare you Andy? sorry that was not funny, ha, ha.
see, reason number 47 why I blog...it's midnight, everyone is asleep, the house is quite and I'm crackin' myself up...but no, i am not pregnant, it would be a miracle...

so the news: I am not pregnant but you would THINK I am...I have been craving Mediterranean food like crazy.
ok so not really big news but here is some yummy food

Ella loves artichokes (Julian just likes to say 'you can choke Arty but you can't choke me').
she picked some out at the store today...so that is where my dinner plans started.
I was thinking of steamed artichokes with a lemon aioli sauce for dipping and couldn't really think of much beyond that.

I found a recipe for Artichoke and Bean Bruschetta in this cookbook.
it sounded yummy...but I really wanted steamed artichokes so I decided to just leave the artichokes out of the recipe and have them separate.

the recipe called for cannellini beans, basil, ramano cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
I did didn't have any cannellini beans, basil, or ramano cheese, that's ok, I know how to improvise.
I did have garbanzo beans, fresh shredded parmesan cheese, and tomatoes...so not so close.

I closed the book and made a modified version of the hummus I usually make.
This is what I did.

MODIFIED HUMMUS

1 can garbanzo beans, mostly drained (I didn't want to add any oil)
1 clove of garlic
5 kalamata olives (I couldn't help it, they were just staring at me when I opened the refrigerator)
lemon juice of half of a lemon
(so I left out tahini, olive oil, and salt and added the olives)

I pulsed it in the blender leaving it with a little more texture than usual.

I spooned this onto my warm par-baked panini rustic rolls from TJ that I had just removed from the oven. Topped each one with tomato slices and shredded parmesan cheese and popped them back into the oven on the top rack until the cheese melted.

I could have left them in a bit longer until the cheese browned just a little more but my kids are going through a growth spurt or something because they are eating like teenagers and were asking every 2 minutes when dinner was going to be ready...or maybe it's just because they jumped around at Bounce U for a couple of hours, then rode their bikes, played on the slip and slide and then rode bikes for a couple more hours on a hot sunny day, hmmm?

anyways, our dinner made a right hand turn down Mediterranean lane...YUM!!
(sorry Andy, another meatless dinner...but so yummy right?)

Greek Turkey Burger Sliders

so there has been a request for some meat around here the last week.

i'm not a big meat eater.  i can do turkey or chicken off the bone and minus all of the skin and funky things like that, but that's about it. so since i do most of the grocery shopping and cooking around here there usually isn't too much meat in our diet.  for the most part there usually isn't any complaints but like this past week Andy was really over my meatless dishes.

so this is what i made 

Greek Turkey Burger Sliders

i know he would have preferred a big steak or something like that but i honestly don't even know how to pick out a piece of meat or how to cook it, so i went with what i know.

i love pretty much all mediterranean food and that was what i was craving so i turned a Greek salad into a burger.

i like making sliders because they are sized a little better for the kiddos...

(they are not big fans of burgers)

 i added feta cheese, sun dried tomatoes and seasoning to the meat.

i topped the patties with fresh mozzarella.

we topped the sliders with 

caramelized onions

chopped kalamata olives

baby spinach

and marinated artichoke hearts.

YUM!!

it was pretty tasty...