I Need A Detox

Don't worry, I gave up liquor a long time ago. I can't even handle one lemon-drop martini, but that's another story for another day. No, believe it or not, I need a detox from food. This weekend we had an amazing celebration with lots of family and friends. My in-laws were able to dedicate their vocational training center for disabled adults. This weekend was the culmination of many hours and months of hard work, fervent prayer, and a vision.

We had many family members travel to York from: Ohio, Colorado, Minnesota, and Iowa. It was so great to spend time together celebrating and having a fun time. I knew my mother-in-law would be crazy busy with all of her other responsibilities, so I was very happy to make some food for all of us to enjoy for the weekend. I made very easy things that would be durable enough to wait in the refrigerator until needed. I worked steadily for a day and was honestly pretty embarrassed with the attention it created.

Unfortunately, I must have been eating McDonald's soft-serve ice cream, Wal-Mart red velvet cake, and Martins kettle-cooked potato chips instead of taking pictures. I did take a few of Friday evening when we enjoyed:


loaded mashed potatoes (four words, people: BJ's thick cut bacon)



beef brisket
steamed green beans
caesar salad
balsamic bbq chicken
broccoli-cauliflower salad
ice cream cake


I don't know if I'm unusual, but I notice when I eat food loaded with additives - my skin and hair totally pay the price. I feel sluggish, greasy, and smelly. It's gross. I try to keep healthy choices in our kitchen, not only for my family, but also for my lack of self control.

And, so, after this weekend of eating:

Thursday: baked rigatoni, cheesy garlic bread, mixed greens (with roasted asparagus, goat cheese, and pine nuts), fresh watermelon, and key lime pie

Friday: see above

Saturday: chicken salad sandwiches, potato salad, pasta salad, fresh fruit, leftover brisket, tossed salad, and assorted cookies, ice cream, and cake

Sunday: sausage sandwiches, leftover everything

With the exception of a whole lot of starches, most of these foods are relatively benign. The problem, for me, was all of the other extras [in which I was not in control of the ingredients]. I won't even admit how many helpings of soft serve ice cream, bags of chips, and pieces of cake.

Sunday evening I was already starting to feel a little yucky. I took a two-hour nap and woke up with a craving for fiber and color. I headed to Giant and picked up a few things for a light-ish dinner.

Yes, that's butter on a steak, doesn't that suggest light and detoxifying? Okay, so I started off a little slowly on the whole detox thing.



We also tried this. I happen to really enjoy Kashi products. I would have chosen a different version of their pizza, but I knew I should pick something pretty tame for Rob to get on board with a frozen pizza. The verdict? The crust was a little cardboard-like, but all in all, it wasn't too bad.




Then, there was this. A spinach salad with goat cheese, raspberries, and pine nuts. And, Joshua made this little gravy boat for me, isn't it cute? I made a simple dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a splash of orange juice.



Fast forward to Monday. Mondays are usually designated "the first day of the rest of my life". Yesterday was certainly no exception.

If you haven't tried this, I totally recommend it. It is really delicious, especially with fresh fruit and skim milk.



We enjoyed spaghetti squash for dinner. I mixed it with turkey sausage, sauteed peppers and onions, roasted tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. I'm sure you've noticed, I am fanatical about fresh mozzarella. It is extremely buttery and fresh tasting and adds a unique flavor to just about anything.







How about you? Do you struggle with self-control? Do you notice your body rebelling after eating a bunch of bad things? How do you succeed at detoxing?

Berries With Zabaglione

We had this for dessert last night.

I always feel a little guilty bringing home amazing ingredients to cook delicious food - for other people. Often my kids will ask, "is that for us"? Lately, more often than not, I've had to tell them no. I decided to buy a few extra ingredients yesterday and make us a special dinner, too. We had steak with crusty rolls (the amazing ones you get at restaurants, courtesy of BJ's), broccoli, steamed peas, and delicious berries with zabaglione.





Today I prepared food for a Christening Celebration.



Seafood Quiche



Grilled Veggie Sandwiches with Pesto and Fresh Mozzarella

Fresh Fruit (with Ham and Cheese Pretzel Sandwiches in the background)

Caesar Salads in Frico Cups


The family I cooked for is a really nice family from our school. What I found adorable is how excited the kids at the party were [for the food]. I was astounded at their delight with the grilled veggie sandwiches! I think it is so cool when kids have mature tastes. Last week one of my mom's good friends dropped off a batch of watercress soup. I wanted the kids to try it and they loved it. I like to have my kids try different things, sometimes they like them and sometimes they don't. In this case, I asked Joshua how he managed to get his bowl so clean. He licked it. How cool is that? I'm still waiting on the recipe. Hopefully I'll be able to share it soon!

Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Helpless

For whatever reason, I have found myself accomplishing a lot more in the day than over the winter. I do suspect that I have a touch of seasonal mood swings, but I am happily noticing that my productivity is reaching an all-time high. For the past few weeks, I have started my day around 5:30 with a 45 minute run. Maybe it's that kind of start to my day that provides me with the energy I need to stay focused.

In the past, I have tended to struggle with keeping our house orderly (which therefore spun me into a horrendous mood). The difference? I have expected others to help me. Wrongly, I justified my serving my family with the reasoning that I don't work outside the home. Even though that may be true, I realized that I'm not doing anyone any favors by being a servant. I certainly don't mean that I haven't been serving my family, but I refuse anymore to be a slave, and the only one that works to keep the house running smoothly.

I am beyond thankful to be able to stay home full-time with our children. I am grateful to my husband that he works so hard to support us so comfortably. I love him, but let me tell you, my friends - he is helpless. I hope you don't think I'm being unkind, I'm just being honest. I'd like to think that if he wasn't so overwhelmed with work that I could train him to be helpful around the house. Naturally, though, he does not see what needs to be done, cannot cook anything (!), and has cleaned a bathroom one time in his life. Seriously.

Now, please let me say that I love my mother-in-law. She is honestly one of the most gracious people I know. She did a great job raising four kids (one with severe special needs), but maybe she erred on the side of doing too much. I'm not sure that he was ever expected to help with general household work (mowing the lawn notwithstanding).

Does anyone else struggle to find the balance in serving your family but also expecting them to help? I have found myself starting with some small things, but I'm encouraged. I now expect my kids to clear their own plates and load them in the dishwasher. We've also started tackling the housecleaning on Saturdays. They clean their rooms while I clean the house. I do have to put aside my preferences a little on the room cleaning. They certainly don't do things the way I do, but I have to accept a little more clutter and a little less perfection. Lastly, they have started to put away their own laundry. They each have a laundry basket in their room and when it's filled I wash their clothing and return their folded, clean clothes [which they then put away].




I have discovered that not only are they capable and somewhat willing, but that they seem to take pride in their work. They tend to keep their rooms cleaner for longer. I certainly have more to teach them, but at least we're getting started. I would love to hear your ideas for training your kids to be self-sufficient. Please share! With summer quickly approaching, I'd love to keep making progress.

I'm Back...Kinda

I hate making a liar out of myself. One of the hard things about chronicling my thoughts and very boring life is the fact that my written words are immortalized. Okay, I realize that this is pretty dramatic, but do you remember when I said I wanted to houseclean my house before the end of school? Do you remember when I told you I hate the word "busy", as in the context of, "I'm so busy"? Well, I lied on both accounts. I've been "busy". And, I'm not done housecleaning my house yet. I'm sure none of your lives have been disrupted at all by my lack of posting, but I feel a twinge of guilt every time I open my mozilla icon and see that same picture of chocolate pudding pie.

So, here goes - I've been kinda busy these last few weeks. I did tackle some projects around the house. We decided to move some furniture around, giving the girls our dresser, giving their dressers away and inheriting a dresser from my mom's house [for our bedroom]. I also cleaned our bedrooms rather thoroughly and generally de-cluttered the house. I have thrown away bags and bags of things we don't use anymore. As an aside, there are few things in life I love more than throwing things away. With each bag of garbage my mind clears [a little more]. Honestly. I cannot think clearly with clutter.

Here are the results for the girls' room





Here is Josh's room



How do you like this vignette of an 11-yr old's room? Ammunition, football, and the American flag!






I've also been busy cooking [for other people]. I have prepared food for two brunches, a graduation reception, and will be preparing food for a Christening tomorrow. Next week we'll have family visiting and I am planning to prepare food for the four days they will be here. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of my work, but some projects were much more relaxed than others.

Here are some pictures from one of the brunches I prepared for:






Yesterday I cooked at my mother-in-law's house for their graduation reception. I fed approximately 180 people. I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

I usually don't feel stressed in cooking for other people because I methodically plan each and every minute of the preparation and serving. I think (okay, I know) that I completely underestimated how many people that actually is. And how much food 180 people can actually eat. The food was disappearing at alarming rates. Really. I'd say all in all the day was a success, but I wasn't prepared for the emotional response I'd have to the panic I felt. I was sure we were going to not have enough food. At the end, we had some leftovers and my overall impression was one of accomplishment - but I'm just not used to being so frantic. And, I realize that I need to accept help. To think I can successfully feed so many people in such a short time with little help is delusional. I cook because I enjoy it and to keep the joy in my work is to realize that I need help. And the worst part? I was too frantic to take pictures.

I'm sorry I don't have pictures, but here is what I made:

for 150-

bacon-wrapped scallops
broccoli and cheddar mini quiches
asparagus and red pepper mini quiches
chicken salad croissant sandwiches
roast beef sandwiches with horseradish mayo, cheddar, and spinach
veggie tray
spinach and artichoke dip
fruit tray
cheese and cracker tray
mini key lime pies
sugar cakes
cowboy cookies
molasses cookies
coconut macaroons
chocolate mint brownies

additional food for 30:

grilled soy-lime ginger shrimp
crab-stuffed mushrooms
pasta salad

Lastly, I planted a garden! I have been thinking about having a garden for quite a long time. For some reason, I find a sustainable lifestyle so romantic. I picture Rob and I spending our retirement on a farm in rural Iowa and simply working the land. I sincerely hope that at the end of this growing season I still want to do that.

Rhubarb

Fig Tree

Raspberries

My Herb Pot (Chives, lavender, basil and parsley to appear...hopefully)

Mint and Tomato Plants

Our official garden: carrots, green beans, beets, sugar snaps


Blueberries


I also planted lettuce and swiss chard, but I have yet to see evidence of it. I think our local bunnies have discovered the tender leaves sprouting up in our "main garden" so I made a fence with chicken wire and posts. I keep having visions of Peter Rabbit and Mr McGregor. I'll keep you posted with the results of our plants and if I can successfully keep the bunnies away!

Chocolate Pudding Pie

I have loved this chocolate pudding pie since I was in elementary school. My mom had a cousin who seemed to live a charmed life and she always brought it to family picnics. Why was her life so charmed, you ask? Well, let me just tell you - her husband always wore those short, corduroy, "op" shorts, remember those? They had a really pretty house with a beautiful black pool in the backyard. And, she made a mean chocolate pudding pie.

I still remember the summer day, though, when she called my mom to tell her that her husband was leaving her for someone else. I'm not sure what would be more humiliating, having to bear that or having to call everyone and tell them, over and over. It's so interesting to me how I still remember that day even though I was probably eight years old. I guess it was reality encroaching on the naive mind of an eight-year old.

My mom very graciously allowed me to keep raving over this chocolate pudding pie for years and years until she finally broke the news that the pie was not all that exotic: packaged oreo crust, instant pudding, and cool whip. Talk about a reality check. My mom was busy slaving over homemade everything, while this lady with the
"charmed life" threw together a pie in five minutes, and I was adoring her and her dessert.

I have to admit, it is a really great concept; crunchy cookie crust, rich chocolate filling, and a creamy topping. For some reason, I had been craving this pie and decided to see if I could replicate it adequately. I did. The great thing about this pie is that it could be delicious served chilled or frozen. With the exception of the crushed oreos, the ingredients were something I could control. I'm certainly not advocating this much sugar or heavy cream on a daily basis, but it made for a decadent treat. We loved it.

Chocolate Pudding Pie

crust:
2 cups oreo crumbs (remove the filling or buy oreo crumbs in the baking aisle)
5 T butter, melted

pudding:
1/2 cup sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla

whipped cream topping:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
4 T sugar

1. Mix oreo crumbs and butter. Line a pie plate with crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
2. Make pudding. Stir all ingredients (except vanilla) in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for one minute.
3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour pudding into crust. Refrigerate until crust and pudding are cooled.
4. Whip cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Top pudding with cream, add chocolate shavings, if desired, and refrigerate for an additional hour before serving.
5. For a little throwback to the Bill Cosby jello-pudding pops, freeze and serve.

My Day So Far....

5:38 am
Our alarm was set for 5:30, and we finally dragged ourselves out of our warm bed. Rob has a board meeting this morning and I had made breakfast for him to take. I had made rhubarb coffee cake, quiche, and raspberry oatmeal swirls last night, but had to pack everything for him.

6:05
I called Starbucks so Rob could pick up a traveler on his way to his meeting.

6:15
I helped Rob load everything into his car, waved and trudged upstairs.

6:25
I hear Josh turn the shower on.

6:30
I pour myself a cup of coffee and shake the cobwebs from my brain.

6:45
Josh finally turns the shower off.

6:50
Josh screams like a little girl and I realize he probably caught sight of the huge (!) "thousand-legger" I'd seen a few minutes earlier. Poor little guy, didn't have his contacts in and all he saw was a big, furry creature right by his feet. The bug was so big, it had stripes. He was hiding under the scales until I squished him.

6:51
The girls are wide-awake. I bring them drink boxes and cinnamon-sugar toast [after carrying each of them into our bed and turning "imagination movers" on].

7:00
The girls are grumpy, big-time.

7:10
I finally slide the last two (of five) flans into the oven for the middle-school multi-cultural fair (I made them last night, while burning the heck out of my finger and breaking a glass in the process....I really need a bigger kitchen).

7:30
The girls discover old pictures in our blanket chest. I come into the living room to find piles and piles of pictures. grrrr...

7:55
We're getting ready for the bus. Emma is sobbing. I have to talk her down "from the ledge" for the next ten minutes.

8:15
On our way back from the bus stop.

8:26
I return a phone call (for another cooking job) while unloading the dishwasher.

8:35
I feel the cinnamon and sugar on my sheets and immediately strip the bed and wash the sheets.

8:45
Emma is finished playing with her Barbies. She asks for her morning snacks: string cheese, mott's natural applesauce with blueberries, and a granola bar. Time to watch "Dinosaur Train" for fifteen minutes (yes, those are naked Barbies in the background).



still to come....
my mom is coming with a load of fertilizer for our new garden (!)



I need to deliver above-mentioned flans

I need to put all of this away (yes, that's a huge pile of laundry).



How is it this early and I'm already wiped?

I'm moving on

As you've probably noticed, I become obsessed quite easily. I'll try a new recipe, fall in love, make it like a thousand (or usually four) times, and then move on to something else (once I'm officially sick of said food).

My obsessions have been many: greek spinach pie, parmesan-artichoke topped tomatoes, porchetta, hog maw, and biscuits, to name a few.

First there was this…..
Rhubarb Custard Pie




Then there were these…
Oven Roasted Tomatoes



But, I’m moving on.
I am loving these…
Raspberry-Oatmeal Swirls




Oh, am I ever loving these. So simple. So delicious. So fresh-tasting.

I first saw this recipe on a “Nigella Eats” episode. I was preparing a brunch for 35 people on Monday, and just knew I had to make these raspberry-swirl yogurt parfaits. The recipe calls for greek yogurt, but I simply drained vanilla yogurt until I had the consistency of greek yogurt. The yogurt is layered with pureed frozen fruit. I pureed frozen raspberries in a blender with confectioner’s sugar and layered the raspberry mixture with the yogurt, lastly topping with crumbled oatmeal cookies. The result: creamy, rich and flavorful deliciousness. Certainly worthy of an obsession. You could certainly purchase the cookies and crumble them, but for investigative purposes I made my own cookies and crumbled them. I simply used the Betty Crocker recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies, omitting the raisins. I also topped with a few fresh strawberries and blueberries.

Oatmeal Cookie Recipe:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup stick butter, softened
½ cup shortening
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup flour

1. Mix all ingredients except oats and flour.
2. Refrigerate mixture for at least four hours or overnight.
3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment-paper lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until browned.

I'm sure the possibilities are endless with this recipe. I would imagine that pureed frozen strawberries or blueberries would also be delicious (I am partial to red raspberries, as they are among my favorite fruits). I think granola would also be tasty, I rather enjoyed the simplicity of the oatmeal cookies, though. Here is the original recipe. Please feel free to improvise, but honestly, this recipe is a keeper. Certainly as good as the rhubarb custard pie, the oven-roasted tomatoes, and the above-mentioned foods. I don't take my obsessions lightly, they have to be quite exceptional to reach that status.