One of our family resolutions for the New Year is to eat out less. Much to my childrens' chagrin. We found we were spending an obscene amount of money on McD's, takout, pizza delivery, etc. All due to a mere lack of organization and foresight on our part.
This simply means more planning beforehand. Here is what is working for us:
Did you make a resolution to lose weight in the New Year? Yeah. Me, too. In my house, I employ the old Weight Watcher methodology of decades ago – set your target for 10% of your current weight and don’t put a date to it. Slow, even progress works just fine. No one says you need to drop 20 lbs in 4 weeks. But you do need to move. Can’t lose weight eating Lean Cuisine on the couch all day. Sorry, it’s a fact.
Plus, in my world I need my own pace and goals. I can’t have a celebrity fitness instructor shouting at me from behind the flat screen TV. That doesn’t motivate me. It makes me hide in the bathroom.
So, in my quest to lose the few extra pounds that snuck back on the last time I successfully lost some weight, I started hunting for fun and healthier recipes and ideas to keep peace in the house while Mama empties the cupboards of sugar, fat and sugar.
I try to find the humor in it but trying to get your kids to eat a healthy meal when all they want is junk food is not very funny either.
If you have little ones like I do, you know that most kids don’t want to eat what you put in front of them. Even if they ate the darn meal the night before, even if you prepared a brand new meal and it wasn’t the dreaded leftovers, there’s a good chance they’ll turn their nose up at it. Frustrating? Just a little.
Continue reading "Food fight - how do you get your kids to eat?" »
It is a cliché, I know, to eat lobster in the Northeast. But it’s what we do, even if that means feeding into the stereotype.
I have a confession to make, though. I’m not a native New Englander. I’m a transplant. I grew up in the great state of New Jersey: home of big hair, shopping malls and Bruce Springsteen.
My parents, on the other hand, were born and bred in a rural cow-tipping-is-a-sport town in Maine. . .
Latkes. Yum. Love them. Here are my recipes for both plain potato pancakes and curried sweet potato latkes. You'll love them. Honest!
Continue reading "You want applesauce with that? Totally lovable Latkes" »
In Israel it is customary to make doughnuts, aka Sufganiyot, for Hanukah. Because doughnuts are fried in oil, they make a perfect treat for hanukah, especially after a nice big latke dinner where you're stomach is groaning already from all those potatoes fried in oil. Here are a few recipes I've used over the years, but the most popular, in least in our house, are jelly donuts.
Here is Joan Nathan's recipe for Sufganiyot from The Jewish Holiday Kitchen and after the recipe is her note on the history of the Sufganiyot.
I love rye bread. Love, love, love it. Love the tang that it has, love how it tastes when it's toasted, love it when it has roast beef or ham or a Reuben (mmmmm, Reubens) on it. Love rye bread.
However, I suck at baking it myself.
Today I thought I'd attempt it once again. Usually, I modify a white bread recipe, which may be part of my problem. I can't leave well enough alone, I have to try to tweak other recipes. I took on a sacred cow today - Julia Child. *gulp*
Here's Julia's original recipe, with my modifications in parentheses.
Continue reading "Julia and Julia: how Julia Child helped me conquer rye" »
(A quick recap: this is my second season belonging to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture---basically I pay a farm upfront for a share of their season's harvest). Every week from now until October, I'll drive to my farm's pick-up spot and get my share of whatever is in season. When I remember, I'll take a photo of the week's bounty, tell you what I got and what I did with it. Hope you enjoy this ongoing project).
Weeks 8, 9 & 10
Over the past few weeks, our shares have only gotten bigger, as the motherload of squashes, cucumbers and eggplants ripen.
Week 8:
Week 9:
Week 10:
And, we now have tomatoes. Oh, the tomatoes! I wait all year for these suckers.
Do you see the big yellow one in the last photo? Last year, Farmer John sent out a newsletter that said, in a nutshell, "Eat the yellow tomatoes! " Apparently, a shareholder had assumed these yellow versions were not ripe and had left them on the kitchen counter to turn red. After a few days, all she had were moldy yellow tomatoes.
I like these yellow ones the best. They are meaty, juicy and mild. Perfect with just a sprinkle of salt. And since my husband thinks that tomatoes are god-awful, horrendous, disgusting things, they are all for me.
I know many of you are drowning in zucchini and cucumbers now, but that's not the case here. For me, it is patty pan squash. So cute to look at, too many to eat. Thankfully, I received an awesome cookbook from my awesome sister. The Squash with Pasta, Capers and Goat Cheese was awesome.
I've also made a Yellow Squash and Corn recipe, and the Master Recipe for Grilled Eggplant which is quite possibly the best and easiest way to prepare eggplant.
Separate from our CSA, we have also been blueberry picking twice. In an hour, we can pick enough blueberries to freeze a bunch, bake some into muffins, and eat enough to make our bellies hurt.
(yes, she does dress herself and this is what she chose to pick blueberries in on an 80 degree day; shortly afterward, she was changing into shorts and a tank top in the parking lot)
The Busy Bee is a diner. Not a fake, Johnny Rocket's type diner. A real live, old fashioned, corned beef and cabbage, pot roast dinner with mashed potatoes diner. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, the Busy Bee is one of our absolute favorite restaurants. The food is good, the atmosphere is amazingly nostalgic, the staff hilarious, the menu extensive, and the prices are unreal.
The Busy Bee is located right outside of Audobon Circle on Beacon Street, right on the Brookline-Boston Line. It is essentially in a BU neighborhood, but so many old neighborhood types frequent the restaurant that you would never know it's so close to a major university.
I discovered the Busy Bee when I moved to Boston for graduate school in 1976. I lived right around the corner from this dingy looking place, but my roommates told me it was absolute gold inside. Once I ventured in, I was hooked. It's cheap, dirt cheap. The food is all home cooked right on the premises. It's delicious food and the atmosphere... well, if you're older than dirt you'll remember the John Belushi "Cheeseburger cheeseburger" routine on the original SNL. That's the Busy Bee. It's a family owned place. The family is Greek. They yell at each other. The same customers have been coming in since the beginning of time. Everyone is friendly, but the waitresses can be a bit brusque if you take too much of their time.
Yelp says: This is a breakfast spot/diner with an extensive menu at dirt-cheap prices. Get past the nondescript exterior to find an establishment that has been doing business for decades. Service is fast and swift, so it is a great place to head for one of those quick-yet-satisfying meals. Regulars have been returning here; some for decades; for heart-stopping breakfast platters and lunch and dinner specials that are easy on the wallet, if not the cholesterol levels. Does not accept credit cards; accepts cash only."
That's exactly right. They got the entire essense of the Busy Bee on one little paragraph. As a long time customer, I can remember when they only used those cone-shaped cups that sat inside a silver holder. Now when was the last time you saw those? And the plates? They are divided into portions. It's 1958 all over again. But this isn't nostalgia happening. This place just never changed. A few booths, some seats at the counter, old dusty plants in the window... it could be anyplace in America.
The food? Thick potatoes with onions and all the good stuff for the homefries. Eggs made to order and made to perfection. Ohhh, the hash. A delightfully fattening mix of corned beef, potatoes, peppers, onions, and about a half-pound of butter, probably. Get the Fresh Fruit Bowl to-go, which for $3.25, it's brimming with pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, grapes and melon.
Besides the $5 breakfast....my other favourite aspect is that all the waitresses yell at you in their thick New England accents. Having someone yell "WADDYA WANNT? WHITE OR WHEAT?? I AIN'T GOT ALL DAY" in regards to what sort of bread you want toasted, is the most delightful way to start the day. The waitresses are always available with a "Hi Hon" or "Sure Dear" (albeit somewhat snarky - picture Alice, Vera and Flo from Mel's Diner) to start the day.
From Peter screaming for French Fries behind the counter to the cranky waitresses with a heart of gold, the entire staff oozes authenticity. Try the Cheeseburger Deluxe (still under 4 bucks I believe) or any of the great daily specials. Best cole slaw in the city and the fries are deep fried just right.
I've been going here for about 30 years. I remember when the staff, (mostly family members) would be fighting with each other so loudly, I fully expected fisticuffs. Didn't make for casual dining although now it's quieter even with same waitress though She's "a doll" and quickly makes you feel like a regular by berating your ability to place your order in a timely fashion. She's just kidding though.
I had to think long and hard to decide whether or not I wanted to share this Hidden Gem. But my daughter, who is a huge fan of their corned beef, said it would be wrong not to. So go, but if you see me there and it's crowded, thats MY booth you're sitting in.
(A quick recap: this is my second season belonging to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture---basically I pay a farm upfront for a share of their season's harvest). Every week from now until October, I'll drive to my farm's pick-up spot and get my share of whatever is in season. When I remember, I'll take a photo of the week's bounty, tell you what I got and what I did with it. Hope you enjoy this ongoing project).
Week Seven
It's a good week:
Pictured are: (sorta-kinda clockwise starting at top left) String Beans, Swish Chard, Patty Pan and Yellow Crookneck Squash, Flat-Leaf Parsley, Scallions, Giant Zucchini, Asian Eggplant, Slicing Cucumbers, Pickling Cucumbers, Green and Hot Peppers, Broccoli, 3 Heads of Lettuce
I'm going to start my recap with last Sunday, two days before the pickup pictured above. On both Sunday and Monday, I tried new recipes that are worth mentioning, even though I feel differently about each.
First, if you like to grill vegetables and like things a little spicy, you must try this recipe for Spanish -Style Grilled Vegetables. This is a very flexible recipe---just throw together any vegetables you like to eat grilled. Regarding the ingredients, Panko is probably found in the "Asian" section of your supermarket. We always have it on hand since the Sushi Chef brand is milk-free and makes a nice crunchy topping without a lot of heavy seasoning. Also, I did not have any Sherry Wine Vinegar on hand, so just substituted Balsamic Vinegar.
The next recipe looked so promising since it allowed me to use both my Swiss Chard and Kale (although it doesn't call for Kale, per se) and could be made vegetarian by making an easy Garlic Broth. The soup and broth's reviews were also (mostly) glowing which gave me confidence.
Well. . .I don't know what I did wrong, but my experience with the Bean and Swiss Chard Soup was just "eh". Personally, I think it was the Garlic Broth that did it in; using Chicken Stock would probably be a better idea for those of you who can go that route.
On Tuesday, I threw some chicken breasts on the grill for that meat-eating family of mine, steamed the gorgeous green beans and made a basic salad with cucumbers and lettuce from the farm. I have a confession: I hate cucumbers. I love pickles and don't mind cucumbers when sliced very thin in vegetable sushi or spring rolls, but I cannot, for the life of me, eat one plain. Thankfully, my oldest took a bite and declared that cucumbers are her "Favorite Vegetable Ever". Phew. She can have my share.
Wednesday morning, my 3-year-old son helped me make zucchini bread with the "club" of zucchini I had tucked in my refrigerator (if you end up with a huge zucchini, turn it into bread or some other baked good; they are not as good grilled or steamed as the smaller ones are). I have no idea where my mother got this recipe, but we've been making it for years. I do not have two loaf pans, so I just made one loaf and six jumbo muffins (mixed raisins into the muffins).
Zucchini Bread
3 Eggs
3/4 cups Oil (Canola, or other mild tasting oil)
2 cups Sugar
3 cups Grated Zucchini
2 tsp Vanilla
3 cups Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
3 tsp Cinnamon
Beat eggs until light. Add oil, sugar, zucchini, vanilla and mix well.
Mix dry ingredients together and then add to wet mixture.
Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Flip out of pan and cool. (I always store my uneaten bread in the refrigerator or freezer)
Later on Wednesday, I turned to Rachael Ray's "30 Minute Meals" program for inspiration. Say what you will about Ms. Ray (yes, some of her catch phrases make me nutty), but, when I have just a little time to get dinner on the table, her recipes often pull through (nothing makes my head explode with a little "POP!" more than getting everything ready to make a dish for dinner, and then reading, "marinate for 4 hours, or up to overnight".
This Stuffed Cabbage Stoup (I'm assuming Stoup is a combo of Soup and Stew) from Ms. Ray used up one of the many heads of cabbage I still have and even called for some of the lovely dill I received last week. I replaced the 1 1/2 pounds of meatloaf mix with 3 pouches of Boca Crumbles, and the chicken stock with vegetable stock with no problems. I ran a little shy on Paprika so just added a little Cumin and Cayenne in its place.
Thursday was killer hot, and I knew we wouldn't get home from the beach until about two minutes before the kids melted down from hunger. So, I actually planned ahead (imagine that!) and made a recipe for Freezer Salsa* which used both hot and green peppers. Cooking salsa was a little weird for me, but once it was cooled in the refrigerator, it was pretty tasty with the hastily made cheese quesadillas.
And, that is all I have for this week. Off to research recipes for the rest of my yellow squash.
*from Home Education Magazine, which requests you purchase the issue for the recipe; there are also dozens of recipes online that you can try.
