New Mama Energy Bites

It's a funny thing that happens when you have a newborn living in your house. All of a sudden you revert to your college ways where it's acceptable to partake in midnight dorm room relay races, sing rowdy songs, and eat {or drink} at all times of the night. Only now you're bouncing on an exercise ball at 2am, hoping your singing and someone's crying don't wake the neighbors, and waiting for the arrival of milk-drunk sleep.

Although I still hold that our little one is a relatively easy baby, as far as babies go, I definitely underestimated a few things about motherhood: 1) sleep deprivation is a serious - and scary - thing. I'm sure we'll laugh about it later, but for the first few weeks I hallucinated {dreamt?} about nursing on such a regular basis I had to start writing down our feeding times so I knew what was real and what wasn't. One minute you think your infant is in your arms and the next your baby morphs into a pillow - it's quite traumatic and not what your new-mama-heart can handle at the moment. And 2) nursing = hunger. Serious hunger pangs at 2am.

Mason Jar Oatmeal, To-Go!

I know mason jars have been around forever, lining our grandparents pantries with everything from jelly to pickled watermelon (yea, that's a thing!), and for good reason: they're practical, simple, and let's face it - pretty darn cute all in a row. It's no wonder they've resurfaced in recent years as a popular Pinterest topic for wedding decor, creative domestic storage, gift-giving containers, and more. All that aside, I still surprised myself when I came up with this mason-jar usage the other day. Sure, it's nothing new and a quick google search will show my idea is not original, but my discovery came out of simple necessity one busy weekday morning.

I love breakfast. Lingering over a warm bowl of oatmeal is my idea of a good morning (or waffles, eggs, yogurt and granola ... yum). But on a hurried weekday morning, I rarely have time to do much more than gobble it down in shifts while running around the house fixing my hair, packing a lunch, sifting through the clean clothes for a lost sock ... you know how it goes. One morning I had my oatmeal all cooked and waiting in the microwave when the clock hit that point where I have to get out of the house, or else--  so I grabbed the nearest container, transfered my oatmeal, tossed it in my bag, and head to work. To my surprise, that little mason jar kept the oats nice and warm (since it's glass), and the milk I added at the end had time to absorb, creating the perfect oatmeal consistency. And bonus: no worry about leakage since the jars are known for their seal! Now I'm making my mason jars to-go five times a week and love having time to enjoy my breakfast while I sift through emails at work. Sometimes I'll even pack a small jar of OJ as well - you can trick yourself (and coworkers) into believing you're drinking freshly squeezed juice!

Here's my step-by-step process to creating the perfect oatmeal to-go:

Half a cup of oats

Add a little less than one cup of water, and toss in a few raisins/craisins if you'd like (they turn nice and plump when cooked).  Diced apple slices are also tasty.

Cook for 2.5 minutes in the microwave. I stir in a little bit of brown sugar.

Transfer cooked oatmeal into mason jar and add some nuts

Add a glug of milk

Screw on the cap and you're ready to go!

By the time you get to work, the milk will be mostly absorbed, but you can stir it around a bit for a nice creamy consistency.

Enjoy!

You can also try steel cut oats (longer cooking time) or any other hot cereal. I like steel cut with cinnamon, honey and yogurt.

Note: Washes easily in the dishwasher and you don't have to worry about BPA from eating out of plastic. On cold days I sometimes hear the top of the mason jar pop as I drive to work - the temperature change must cause a natural seal. 

Election Night ... and Quiche

For all the debating, side-taking and downright hatred that comes out during election season, the tone of election day itself provides a nice balance. When we take to the polls there's this camaraderie, where we stand in line bracing the cold, meet up with family members or friends in the parking lot, proudly place that sticker on our chest, and then hunker down in front of the TV for a good portion of the night. Despite the fact that the country is divided and we're on opposite teams, the ritual of voting brings us together as Americans.

This morning on the radio a caller told a story about how, back in the 90s, she volunteered to drive voters to the booths. She came to a high rise and was surprised to find a group of older women dressed to the nines. Turns out they were around in 1920 when women could vote for the very first time, so to them voting wasn't just a civic duty but a women's rights act as well. And it gave them a reason to come together and remember. There's so many patriotic stories on election day. I heard my sister's boyfriend drove home to New Jersey from upstate New York so he could ensure his vote didn't get lost in the absentee black hole. That's a whole day of driving for his one--but very important--vote.

Even though the country is divided, in many ways we're on the same team. In an article the other day, I read John Kerry's parting words after he lost the election: "In an American election, there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning we all wake up as Americans." And although there's much to disagree with throughout the election, I do believe and respect that both candidates--and parties--are doing what they think is best for the country.

I'm not generally a very political person, at least not upfront. Those who know me at work and even closer family members could attest to the fact that I don't readily speak out when it comes to politics. But I am a conscientious citizen, tune in to MPR on my way to work, visit CNN over my lunch hour, and engage in political discussion on occasion. I used to think it's not a big deal if someone doesn't want to "be political." Maybe it's just a passion you either have or you don't, and honestly, it doesn't come to me naturally. But more recently I've come to believe that being current on the state of our country is an issue we all need to care about. In many ways this approach to politics mirrors the way I view the environment. I've never been able to understand why people don't take climate change seriously and pull their weight in turning it around. I understand it's a complicated issue and discussion, but no matter what you believe, the ramifications impact us all ... and same can be said with politics. That's why I've made an effort to get more involved in the last year, listen to the issues and get involved in the discussion. It's not always easy for me, especially at times of the year when we aren't in the "heat of battle." But it's definitely been worth it, and I can only hope that everyone else does the same.

I'm off to watch the election coverage on TV and enjoy a late-night dinner: Quiche. (Or as Evan used to call it, quitchee.) Evan works at the airport tonight, his second-to-last shift ever, yippee! So I'll be home alone for a few hours ... which probably means I'll whip out the paint brushes and finally start tackling the upstairs. Sounds like a good thing to do while watching the election, right?

In case you're in the mood for some quiche, here's the recipe (adapted from this quiche and this crust recipe). How is this fitting for election night, you ask? I really don't know. Perhaps it's simply that you mix a lot of ingredients together, throw it in the oven and hope for the best? In any case, it's a somewhat time-intensive weeknight meal (unless you buy the crust) but it yields great leftovers for lunch!

Whole Wheat Crust

You can use a store-bought crust, of course, but I hear you increase your chances of a soggy quiche)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced

1/4 cup ice water (actually use ICE water!)

Combine flour and salt, then cut in butter chunks until mixture is crumbly. Stir in water little-by-little until mixture forms a ball. It seems pretty dry at first, but as you work with it, it gets better. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour (although the original recipe says 4 hours or overnight!) Roll dough to fit in 9" pie plate. I just open up the siran wrap, press the dough out with my fingers, then make it into a ball and press it out again (doing it twice is supposed to help with the elasticity). I then flip the whole thing into the pie pan and peel off the siran - no rolling pin whatsoever. Then push the dough around and up the sides as needed.

Quiche Filling

olive oil

half an onion

teaspoon minced garlic

1 head chopped fresh broccoli

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or mixture of cheddar and mozzarella)

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon butter, melted

a few strips of bacon, chopped

Preheat oven to 350.

Put about half a cup of the shredded cheese in the bottom of the pie pan - this should help keep the quiche from getting too soggy.

Saute onions, broccoli and garlic in olive oil until tender. 

Add veggies and chopped bacon to pie pan, and top with the rest of the cheese.

Combine eggs, milk, melted butter, then pour over contents of pie pan.

Bake for 50 minutes or until center is set.

Pistachio Citrus Couscous

Pistachios are a powerful little nut with lots of memories tucked under that shell. From Christmas-time snacking and pistachio-crusted chicken to green-flecked ice cream on the streets of Trinidad, the pistachio has woven itself into my life.

It's a great snack for late at night - keeping both your mind and your fingers nimble, and the perfect sidekick to almost anything. Like oranges.

I came across a simple couscous salad earlier this summer over at wholefoodsmarket.com, and it's been a staple ever since. My sisters and mom have already made it a handful of times too.





The best thing about this recipe is it's super adaptable to your tastes or whatever you have on hand. My sister has made it with apples and walnuts instead of the pistachios and oranges - something I'm looking forward to trying this fall. Actually, the original recipe calls for nectarines, but since those aren't typically in season and I don't have the patients to wait for them to ripen when they are, I opted for oranges as my standby fruit. You can see the original recipe here - I've changed a few other things like the type of greens and couscous, since I don't typically have watercress on hand and I find parmesan couscous offers a lot more flavor than plain. But for the most part it's the same Whole Foods creation.

When I made this earlier this week, we ate it alongside some brats (without the buns). Ever since I started eating brats sans buns I've been enjoying them much more. You just eat it like a sausage and dip it in mustard! Since this dish is great warm or cold, I like to bring leftovers in my lunch. I'll usually throw in a fresh handful of greens to up the salad-couscous ratio.

Let me know if you come up with any other fun adaptations!

Pistachio Citrus Couscous

Ingredients:

1 box of parmesan couscous
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 orange, peeled and diced
handful of greens (watercress, spinach, spring mix, etc) - stems removed and leaves sliced
1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallot

Directions:

Cook couscous according to box directions (takes approx 5 minutes), then fluff with fork and pour into large bowl. Meanwhile, chop pistachios, slice shallots, dice orange, and add them to the couscous along with the greens. Whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, and olive oil (I usually put it all in a small container with a lid and shake it), then toss it with the salad.

Great warm or cold!

Pancakes with the Sisters

If you've been wondering why it's been a little quiet over here as of late, it's because I've been busy over on our new sisters blog!

Go check out my newest post about Saturday Morning Pancakes! (recipes included!)

Home-improvement update: I think we have a problem on our hands. Our sink is leaking, majorly. Let's just say someone has the kitchen-renovation bug!

E&C Food: Veggie Millet Soup

I love soup. It's kind of like cereal, only warm. Like Jerry Seinfeld says about his obsession with the popular breakfast item, "I love the idea of eating and drinking at the same time with one hand without looking.

Enter Veggie Millet Soup, the slightly-more-nutritious dinner version of cereal.

Would you believe me if I told you my grandparents traveled all the way down to the Southwest (not sure exactly where) from South Dakota to bring back this golden recipe? Well they did. Kind of. Last February they went on a guided food tour where they visited with famous chefs and foodies and sampled tons of glorious food ... and I believe there was some Julia Childs in there as well because my Grandpa has now added beef bourgeon to his repertoire. On this trip they attended a Suzanne Landry cooking class (in Santa Barbara?) where they left with an electronic cookbook -- which they naturally shared with me! So far I've tried out a few of the recipes and every one is fabulous. But this simple soup recipe keeps me coming back for more!

If you've never tried millet before, this is the perfect recipe to branch out. Millet really just tastes like rice. But as Landry points out, there's a lot more to it: "It is the most alkalizing grain. It is easier to digest than rice. It is good for people wanting to lose weight and for people who have an overly acidic blood condition. Millet has a calming and warming effect, therefore it is a good grain to eat in the fall and winter. In the summer, I would eat it as a grain salad by adding some lightly steamed vegetables in a vinaigrette dressing." But as I said before, in this soup it really just tastes like rice -- so have no fear. Nothing too scary here. The hardest part of this recipe is probably just chopping the squash, which I've had my share of practice this year (I think I've chopped at least five so far this winter).

Suggested serving with Whole-Grain Skillet Corn Bread, which I made here in a muffin tin (although I'm sure it's better in a cast-iron pan). The whole-wheat flour gives it a nutty taste and the buttermilk keeps it light and fluffy. Great with honey! (I often just add lemon to milk to make my own buttermilk since it isn't something I use enough to keep on hand.)

Here it is in a cake pan (I need to get me a cast-iron skillet!)

Make this soup this weekend - you'll have leftovers for lunch next week!

Veggie Millet Soup

(serves 4-6)

1 Tbs unrefined oil

1/2 cup onions, sliced

1 cup carrots, chopped

1/2 cup winter squash (butternut works well)

1 ear fresh corn or 1/2 cup frozen

1/2 cup millet

5 cups water or veg stock

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried parsley

Optional (and highly recommended!): Add 1 cup precooked, drained beans, such as kidney or garbanzo (Note: I've tried both and prefer the garbanzo since the kidney discolor the soup a bit. And I just love me some chickpeas. Kidney beans might have more flavor though)

1. Wash millet thoroughly and drain, set aside (I sometimes skip this step)

2. Saute onion in oil for 2-3 minutes. Peel, deseed, and cut squash into cubes. To the onions add carrots, celery, corn, and squash, saute another 3 minutes or so until the veggies are beginning to look tender.

3. Add millet, water, salt, and herbs. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Serving Suggestions: To increase protein, add precooked beans.

Variations: For a change, replace herbs with 1 tsp. curry and 1/2 tsp. dried ginger.

PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION HERE

***Tonight I tried a new recipe from The Culinary Couple blog: Thai Chicken Wraps. Delicious! And really quick and easy to make, too. Evan was a little nervous about the bean sprouts, but when all wrapped up with the peanut sauce and chicken, they really just added a nice crunch. Looking forward to eating leftovers for lunch this weekend (it uses a panini maker, so hard to bring to work).


What have YOU been cooking up for dinner this week? Send me a link, I love trying out new recipes!

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly, a family tradition

Would you believe me if I told you this jelly is made out of alligator tails? No? Good, because it isn't. But wouldn't that be cool?!

The story to Anitra's Jalapeno Jelly starts along the shores of Green Lake in the little town of Spicer, Minn. at my great-aunt Anitra's home. The very lake where my family used to gather from all corners of the country to share in some inner-tube floating, off-the-dock jumping, long games of dominos, and some great hors d'oevres (or "horsey douvers" as we liked to call them).

Since moving to Minnesota (I'm originally from New Jersey) I've had many more opportunities to sit lakeside, and family gatherings have shifted to the colder month of November where we've bundled up to play ladder golf after another Turkey dinner.

Some crazies (ahem, Kirsten ...) still can't resist a dip in Green Lake.

Although we've all gotten older and our days together now come in bursts and spurts instead of endless summer days, we still carry on the hors d'oeuvre tradition.

Anitra's Jalapeno Jelly is one of my all-time favorites. It's surprisingly simple to make, and once you have some cans stocked up, all you need is a little cream cheese, some simple Ritz crackers (and maybe a Corona), and you are set.

Don't be fooled by the scary green color ... no it doesn't have any ingredients found in Green Lake, as the title below suggests.

Be prepared for a little tang on the tip of your tongue, but paired with the cream cheese, I wouldn't even call it spicy. The 5 cups of sugar (yea, you heard me right!) really tone down the jalapenos.

Anitra's Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
Makes 5-7 1/2 pint jars

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup vinegar
2 Tab lemon juice
1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
1 cup jalapeno pepper, diced (seeds removed!)
5 cups sugar
1 6oz package Certo (liquid pectin) - for me this was both bags in the box

Directions:

Combine first four ingredients in blender or food processor. Pour into large pan and bring to a boil. Add sugar and simmer 10 min. Turn off heat. Stir in Certo (it will begin to thicken quickly). Pour into jars (we used a funnel to help control the mess, but once it started getting thick I don't know if a funnel was necessary).

Enjoy with Ritz Crackers and cream cheese.

Now go grab some crackers and a good friend (or your entire extended family) and enjoy!

***

Thanks Anitra for the jalapeno pepper jelly, the french toast, the dominos, and all the good times! See you soon!

Pumpkin Millet Muffins

I know, it isn't officially fall yet, but we had frost this morning, so I think now is a perfectly suitable time to whip out your comfy vest, fall boots, and your pumpkin puree. 

Now, let me introduce you to my friend Pumpkin Muffin. Well, more specifically, Pumpkin Millet Muffin. This millet muffin is much like it's cousin, regular pumpkin muffin, but with a little added CRUNCH.

You start by toasting the millet in a skillet until it starts to pop, and then you whip up the rest - easy as pie muffin? Ok, that was beyond corny. Or millet-y perhaps?

You see, this is what this type of fall treat can do to a person - cut me off now!!!

Ok, just one more bite ....

Pumpkin Millet Muffins

(from wholefoodsmarket.com)

1/2 cup millet

1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk (preferably whole)

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1 can pumpkin

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tin.

Heat large skillet over med-hi heat. Add millet and toast, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and just beginning to pop (3-4 min). Transfer to plate.

In a large bowl, whisk egg, sour cream, milk, butter, pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar - set aside.

Whisk flours, baking powder and soda, salt, cinn, etc. and cooled millet in medium bowl, then fold into egg mixture until combined. Spoon into muffin tins.

Bake 22-25 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to rack.

For a little behind-the scenes action, here's the baker of these wonderful muffins. As you can see, he is a little excited as well. ... I have a feeling we'll be eating these again soon!

Peach Pie

As you already know, I *love* peaches. And everything made with peaches. And since peach season is just about over, my sister Sarah and I decided to make a pie! 

We already had a frozen crust in the freezer, otherwise we may have attempted to make one from scratch. But this one worked just fine as a temporary little home for our peaches before we sliced her up nicely devoured the entire thing.

Notice how we still wove the pieces together to make it look more rustic and homemade? Tricky tricky. If you're wondering what that dark stuff is going on in our pie, it's blueberries. We didn't have quite enough peaches to fill 'er up (not because we "sampled" some of the peaches earlier, no, why do you ask?) so we tossed in a handfull of blueberries from the freezer. Worked well and gave our pie a little more color! 

This is where I got inspired to make a peach pie. Definitely didn't do the homemade crust (shhh!) but I followed her directions for the filling. We'll tackled the from-scratch crust next year ...

Here's what we did:

2 frozen pie crusts (or go for it, and make one from scratch!)

Filling:
5 cups sliced peaches (about 3 large ones)
1/4 cup sugar
1.5 tbsp cornstarch
juice of one lemon
pinch of ground cinnamon


Put one of the crusts (dough) in bottom of pie pan (roll it out a bit if you need), and prick the bottom with a fork.

Peal peaches (trick: drop them in boiling water for 10 seconds and the skin will just fall off!), slice peaches in half, remove pit, then slice again.

Mix up the filling in a bowl and pour filling into pie pan.

Cut strips out of other pie crust dough (using a pastry knife if you're fancy, or we just used a regular ol' knife). Place on top of pie one at a time, trying to weave it all together. Trim edges.

Brush some egg whites on top of the finished lattice-top and sprinkle with more cinnamon.

bake at 400 for 34 min. or until golden brown.


What is your favorite kind of pie? Are you a berry and fruit lover like me, or perhaps you crave the whipped topping variety, say Banana Cream Pie? Evan made a Key Lim Pie a few weeks ago when we had some friends over, and it was dynamite! I'll have to include that recipe soon.


Sick of peaches already? Bring on the apples! (I promise, this is the last peach post of the season!)

Jersey Peach Salsa

Did I ever tell you I love peaches? They are hands down, my favorite fruit of all time. Raspberries do come in second, but when peaches are in season, there is nothing quite like their succulent perfection. Come August I often find myself eating peaches morning noon and night. I feast on peaches.

peaches

peaches

peaches

I love them sliced in yogurt, cream of wheat, on a salad, in a pie, and topping my ice cream, but my favorite is probably just eating them plain because they are that good.

Just peachy.


Up until this summer I didn't realize Minnesota had good peaches at all. I grew up in New Jersey (which is dubbed The Garden State, btw, and for good reason) where peaches abound and you can pick them up with the rest of your local produce at farmer's markets and farm stands. Or right off a tree. I didn't realize when I moved to Minnesota (aka the frozen tundra, for the majority of the year) that I'd be giving up my favorite summertime treat. Last summer I remember biting into a plain ol' peach I bought at the store and was disgusted by the pulpy, dry, and downright tasteless experience. So much so that I threw it away and swore off peaches in Minnesota.

Enter: Colorado Peaches.

This summer I discovered that if you shop a little more carefully, you can select the special Colorado Peaches, which miraculously taste everything like a Jersey Peach. Sweet and succulent, yet firm and meaty. (did I just say meaty to describe fruit?). When you peel a Colorado Peach (or any other "good" peach for that matter), there is a little pull, some weight behind the knife. The skin comes off in nice sheets and you are left holding a golden ball of perfection.

Since I made this discovery a couple of weeks ago, I think we've gone through about 10 peaches so far. I've been eating them in my yogurt, my cream of wheat, and we even made a pie, just like I used to do back in Jersey. But one item was still missing from my childhood: Terhune Orchards Peach Salsa. I swear, we sometimes ate this for dinner.

Terhune Orchards is right up the road from my parent's house and was conveniently on the way to school, so we'd often stop on our way home for an Apple Cider doughnut, apple cider slush, and of course, fresh fruit.

Me and E, plus my three sisters (Kirsten, Karrin, and Sarah) and Karrin's bf Mike, summer of 2009.

This is the first summer *ever* where I haven't gone home to Jersey, so I'm missing my Terhune salsa (and the ocean too, of course). So I called up my mom who of course had a trusty Terhune's salsa on hand, and had her read me the ingredients ... and then I went and made up the rest!

And it was good.

Here's what I did:

Note: I kind of just added ingredients to taste, so the measurements are estimates. And I was working with just one peach, so I didn't make a huge batch. Have fun playing around with different proportions to fit your taste. Evan isn't huge into the spice, so I kept it pretty mild)


Peal one big peach (I've heard you can plop it in boiling water for 10 seconds and then the skin will just fall off). Slice in half, remove pit. Chop up peach into itty bitty bits. Save any and all juice.

Chop up some jalapeno (about 1-2 teaspoon), sweet red pepper (about 1/4 cup), and half an onion (1/4 cup), and add to peaches.

Chop up some lime (w/o rind) and add (about 1 tbsp), then squeeze in more lime juice. Squeeze some lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I happen to have a cilantro-hater in the house (I've heard you either love cilantro or hate it) so I left that out, but the original Terhune Orchards version includes cilantro. The only other ingredient on their container I couldn't include was ascorbic acid, which my mom and I guess just brings out the juice?

Eat some right away with chips (or on fish!) but it will taste better if it sits in the fridge for a while and gets a little soupy.

RECIPE

Jersey Peach Salsa

Mix together:

1 Peach, chopped into tiny bits, with as much juice as possible

1T lime (and then squeeze some juice)

lemon juice

1/4 cup onion

1-2 tea. jal. pepper

1/4 cup sweet red pepper

salt and pepper to taste

optional: cilantro

Let sit for a little so juices combine. Enjoy with chips or fish/meat.

Note: On Day 2 my salsa started tasting a bit bitter (from the lime?). Any suggestions on how I could tweak this recipe? I added a little sugar today to try and sweeten things up again, but I know the original recipe from Terhune's didn't have any sugar and theirs stays fresh and sweet for days ... although it never lasts that long so I guess I don't really know!

Do any of you have a go-to salsa recipe? What's your favorite way to eat a peach? Are you secretly (or not so secretly) a fan of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and think about "Do I dare disturb the universe ... do I dare to eat a peach" (line 122) every time you eat a peach? Am I the only English nerd out there? Come on now ... ; )

Credits: first basket of peaches image from here, Jersey Fresh Farm stand sign from here, all others from me or other people in my family.