Favourite Thing Friday

Here in the great state of Pennsylvania it's not quite Friday yet, but tomorrow I'll be busy getting ready for Kate's birthday party!  She turns 9 years old tomorrow night at 11:43. 

So, my favourite thing is our middle daughter, Kate Clair! 

When our oldest child, Joshua, was almost four years old, we welcomed Kate Clair into the world.  We were so thankful for her robust health as she tipped the scales at 11lbs 4oz. 

our doctor, a good German, suggested we name her "Brunhilde"

Kate is very unique. 

She's beautiful.

She's smart as a whip.  She was born for public speaking or teaching.  When she was two years old, she performed two children's songs with her brother and cousin for a memorial service.  When they were finished she said, "now I want to sing by myself".  She is a performer - I foresee her in theatre (heaven knows she has natural "emotional talent"). 

She's a born mother - this girl has been bouncing baby dolls on her hip since she was two.   She's even better with real babies!

She's mature.  She's nine going on thirty-two.  

She's fun.  She loves to laugh.

She's athletic.  She enjoys soccer, basketball, and playing outside.  

She's a best friend - to her sister.  I've never seen girls who are closer. 

 

Kate is so excited for her birthday!  We've been counting down the "big day" for weeks now.  We'll be  celebrating with family tomorrow night.  Kate picked the dinner and dessert menu.  My mom took her to get her nails done at a salon today.  I bought her a special outfit for her party.  Her classmates requested chocolate chip cookies. 

Kate loves life.  We love her.  Happy Birthday, Kate Clair! 

41 degrees

and rainy.  Such describes our current weather.  I'll admit, it's a little disheartening.  What to do?  Why, eat of course! 

I was starving for some good old comfort food.  Roast chicken, roast potatoes, and frozen green peas. 

My dad and I met my sister for a fun time in her home city of Philadelphia.  When I came home at 3:30, I made lemony garlic roast chicken.  When I came back from the bus stop I put some cubed yukon gold potatoes onto a baking sheet with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Right before the potatoes were finished I steamed the peas.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.  And, oh so comforting.  It's still 41 and rainy, but now we have dessert to look forward to. 

a black and white cookie from the Famous Fourth St Jewish deli, Phila

Where We've Been...

The easy answer is - we've been here.  The hard answer is: I've been grumpy and we've been eating crappy food. 

I have had a series of epic fails in the kitchen - with the exception of my beloved porchetta.  Meat has never tasted better than after ten days of not eating it.  

And then the rest of the week - a total bust. 

We started with macademia and almond crusted cod/tilapia.  Yuck.

 

The crust itself tasted really good - the idea was to marinate and then cook the fish in lime juice and coconut milk and follow by baking the concoction and browning the crust.  The fish just tasted fishy - no hint of coconut and downright disappointing. 

Then we moved on to dry grilled chicken, tasteless bean soup, and dry banana cake.  I clearly "did not have it" last week.  I'm hoping this week is better. 

We're looking forward to a birthday party for Kate on Friday night - I'll take lots of pictures!  Her only requests were for pork tenderloin and egg noodles. 

Tomorrow my dad and I are headed to the Reading Terminal Market to pick up some fresh fish.  My sister bought me Vefa's Kitchen (classic Greek recipes) for my birthday.  After perusing through the recipes and pictures, we decided we wanted to try some seafood recipes.  Our seafood selection is decent, but Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market selection is amazing.  I'll keep you posted on what we decide to make - but I know it will involve octopus. 

I'm hoping I have better results to post - stay tuned!

The Lone Winner....

Well, the good news is that we survived eating a meatless diet for ten days.  The bad news is that most of our meals were a huge disappointment.  I tried a few new recipes and there was one lone winner.

Veggie Enchiladas.  I mixed brown rice with sauteed portabellos, red peppers, jalapenos, and onions.  I mixed in lots of monterey jack, salsa, and cilantro.  I added smoked paprika, garlic powder, and diced chipotles.  The result was a spicy, creamy, and very satisfying meatless dinner.

I topped the stuffed tortillas with monterey jack and adobo sauce before baking

our toppings of choice were salsa and sour cream

We ended our meat fast on Saturday night.  Grilled flank steak has never.tasted.better.  I ate at least a half of a pound of beef and I loved every second of it.  Rob said to me, "I thought you didn't miss meat".  My response, "I lied".

Fastnachts

Today is Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, or the day before Ash Wednesday - the beginning of Lent.  Here in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, it's Fastnacht Day.  Traditionally, lard, sugar, butter, and potatoes were given up for Lent - so the Fastnacht was born (to use the last of these items before Lent).  Here is some additional info from wiki. 

I made fastnachts last year, but they were not as great as some I've tasted over the years.  Not many people still make them here, but I refuse to let tradition die.  I'm proud of my heritage - rustic, hard-working Germans who came to the US for a chance at the American dream.  We love potatoes, bread, butter, and noodles.

I recently researched some different recipes and planned to test two different ones, but I liked the first one so much that I never went any further.  The recipe is simple - no yeast, no rising time.  A key component of the fastnacht is mashed potatoes - sounds weird, but it is key in this treat.   I found this recipe on the internet, and it is courtesy of Alice Faust of Berks County, Pennsylvania - thanks, Alice!

My sister lives near a farmer's market where the Amish have a stand.  My sister asked her if they were going to have fastnacht's today - the "Amish" girl didn't know what they were.  We're pretty sure these people are "fake".  If you live here and you're Pennsylvania Dutch - you know what a fastnacht is.

Here's how I made them:

You need 2 1/2 cups of mashed potatoes.  The recipe suggested putting potatoes in the microwave.  I microwaved three potatoes and mashed them with a fork into 2 tablespoons of salted butter and 1 tsp of  kosher salt.

I used my hand mixer to incorporate 2 cups of sugar.

and three beaten eggs (you should be able to just peel the skin off of the potatoes (I used Yukon Gold).

I know this sounds like a lot of baking powder, and it is - but it is the secret! 

Slowly, add the five cups of flour - you may have to switch to hand-mixing, you don't want the dough to become tough.  Get ready for some elbow grease!

Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness on a generously floured surface.  Using a biscuit cutter, make desired size and pierce the middle with a sharp knife.

Fry in hot canola oil.  I used my outdoor gas grill - which has a side gas burner.  I don't really like my house to smell like a Fry Daddy. 

Drain on paper towels. 

The last step - share!  This recipe makes about three dozen.  I packed these up and delivered most of them before we ate them all! 

We eat ours warm with powdered sugar.  Some people split them in half and spread molasses over them.  Still others like a glaze covering their fastnachts. 

Alice Faust's Fastnacht Recipe

2 ½ cups hot mashed potatoes
1 cup milk
3 beaten eggs
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder
5 cups flour

Mix everything together except flour. Mix flour in slowly.
Divide the dough in half. Roll ½ inch thick. Cut with a donut cutter or use a knife to cut into triangular shaped pieces. Deep fry in hot fat or oil until done. Serve with sugar or molasses.

About Being Meatless....

So, I started reading this blog.  It will remain nameless - but the author is a vegan.  She makes all kind of vegan treats - baked goods, savory dishes, and juices (hence my inspiration for this juice).  Her views made me curious.  I wanted to see what would happen if I lived a mostly meat-free existence. 

The kids have been good sports - and only our evening meals for them are meat-free.  The girls still eat turkey sandwiches for lunch and Josh eats whatever it is the school cafeteria calls nourishment. 

Like any lifestyle, there are pros and cons to a vegetarian lifestyle.  First, let's start with some qualifiers : I'm eating fish, and I've only been meat-free for a week or so.  Also, I used a ham bone to make our soup last night.  Rob thinks I've gone bonkers, but really my motivations for doing this included simple curiosity and trying to pass the time [while he left on a skiing vacation for ten days]. 

Our meals - well, I'll be honest - they're nothing special.  Tuna-noodle casserole, anyone?  I still remember the first time I tasted tuna noodle casserole - it was at Emily Anderson's house in fifth grade and her mom put potato chips on top.  I remember it tasting way better when I was ten. 

Then there was this - some sort of orzo and broccoli-cauliflower mix with cheese. 

 

It was okay - it would have tasted a little better with chicken, maybe?  Here's the thing about a meat-free existence - you eat a lot of carbs. 

Last night's meal was a little better - but not any more impressive.

 

I made pizza and bean and swiss chard soup.  The soup would have tasted like nothing without the ham bone, though.  I think that's what has become evident to me.  Meat flavors things.  I know - you're saying in your head, "duh".  We went out for dinner with my parents on Friday night - I had veggie stromboli (more carbs).  It tasted like nothing.  I like vegetables as much as the next guy - but sometimes I think they need a little help. 

I'm not giving up, though - I promised you a full ten days and that's what I'll give you!  Tonight is veggie enchiladas.  I'm cautiously optimistic. 

Lest you think that there is no upside to a meat-free existence......my skin and hair look amazing.  I don't really need to wear deodorant.  Isn't that weird?  I feel more energetic.  Okay, Rob I know you're rolling your eyes right now and I don't care - you're in Vail and you had baby-back ribs last night - you stink. 

I'm not finished with my challenge yet - but I will go back to eating meat.  I don't know if I feel like I want to eat large slabs of it - but it is about the best flavoring around.  And, my family would have to somehow like beans [a lot more] to adopt this kind of lifestyle on a permanent basis. 

Guess What I'm Making?

I'll give you a hint - I live in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country and Fat Tuesday is in three days.....