Two recipes, a sweet 23 month old and a kindergarten project

Please excuse my hiatus! 

Life comes fast and furious with three children sometimes. My two boys are in a great school this year. They are busy learning everything set in front of them, but with kindergarten and 2nd grade that means my afternoons are spent looking at phonograms, reading books, and checking math problems. 

You would think I'd get more sleep now and have more energy. 

Not so...so with that said, I decided to give Whole30 a try. 

I had tried to start jogging when Madeleine was a baby, but my feet quickly gave me problems. 

I thought it was medication, not stretching etc., so I stopped. 

A friend of mine started Whole30 in January and I quickly thought I really need to try something. My clothes are tight, my mood is yucky, I don't feel well, and my feet hurt.

I'm on week 3 and can I just say, AMAZING!!!!! The knot in the arch of my foot is gone. The pain is gone! I'm sleeping better, my energy level is better, and my clothes are loose!!!

With Whole30, you take out a lot of foods--foods that cause pain, inflammation, stomach illness, etc. So, I stopped eating nitrates, sugar, dairy, wheat, grains, and more. I took my favorite recipes and tweaked them to be compatible with Whole30. Our meals are full of protein, vegetables, and fruits. I can still eat many of the foods I always ate, just a healthier version of it. And pretty much anything looks great on Polish Pottery. My mom gave me a couple of these plates for Christmas. I keep adding to my collection as my pants get looser:)  It's a great incentive to keep doing things right.

So here are two recipes...

Squash Fritters

Let me first say, these were soooo good. I loved fried squash when I lived in Romania...dredged in flour and milk and eggs...so I decided to semi recreate it to satisfy my taste, but limit the wheat and dairy. You could do just yellow squash or just zucchini. The yellow squash does give the fritter a beautiful natural sweetness. I didn't miss the flour or milk at all!!

1 yellow squash, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

3-4 eggs

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp parsley

salt and pepper

In a large bowl, whisk your eggs. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. In a large saute pan,  heat up some olive oil. Spoon in each fritter. Fry on one side til golden, then flip. These are a bit messy and can tear apart easily. Make sure the fritter is done before you flip it. 

Here is my sweet miracle girl. She will be 2 next month and I can hardly believe it...or catch my breath for that matter. Her favorites things are playing with chalk on the sidewalk, eating dinner with her daddy,  and playing with her brothers. She loves church, monkey (Curious George), and her babus (brothers). She is a bundle of joy and energy and one of the main reasons I decided to start my Whole30 journey. I need to be able to keep up with her!!! 

  Did I already tell you how much I LOVE my sons' school? Friday is their Literary Read-a-thon. They can wear a costume portraying a character in a book they have read. 

The books must be classical, on their reading lists, or the supplementary lists or just a classic that their teachers said is ok. No pop culture. 

So my sweet Andrew, who is in kindergarten, chose to be the letter A in Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. We enjoyed cutting, painting, and gluing his costume for Friday! My second grader has read a book of Fables and is portraying the Poor Old Dog, who wears a furry green coat and found a lost gold ring. 

Chicken Salad

2 chicken breasts cooked

1 bunch of green onions, sliced on the diagonal

2-3 stalks of celery, sliced on the diagonal

1 granny smith apple, chopped

1 handful of pecans

1 handful of sunflower seeds

1 cup (give or take) of homemade mayonnaise

salt and pepper

1 tsp garlic powder 

1 tsp parsley

To make homemade mayo (no dairy, no sugar), in a small bowl, put in a squeeze of yellow mustard and an egg yolk. Start mixing with a whisk. Add a stream of olive oil and stir until you like the amount. You want it to emulsify, so keep stirring. Add salt and pepper  to taste.

For the salad, combine all the ingredients and keep in the refrigerator until ready to eat. I served my salad with avocado and half a grapefruit. You could put it on top of salad greens too. Enjoy. The mayo lasts about 3 days in the refrigerator.

As I continue my journey, I hope to post many more tweaked recipes. Recipes I love and hope you will love and enjoy too.

I'm joining in...

Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday

Sawdust Pie and a Thanksgiving table

I made a couple recipes today to share with family tomorrow. I found both of these on pinterest. I'm hoping the Sawdust Pie is similar to a pie I've eaten at a tearoom here. I haven't been there in years and when I saw this recipe, I thought I had to try!

Sawdust Pie

and 

Orange Cranberry Sauce

After I zested the oranges (two small clementines), I added the segments to the sauce.

Here is our table. I may or may not use the red bowls. One guest isn't coming and she usually makes a salad that many eat separately. We are hosting 10...my parents, brother, uncle, and family friends. My boys reminded me that next year we will have to add another chair for the baby. My cup runneth over!

I used chargers from Walmart, Italian Countryside Dinner plates, mixed silverware, and more. 

  Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm linking up with these blogs

Cuisine Kathleen

Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday

RattleBridge Farm Foodie Friday

Herbed Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad

Sorry for the hiatus, I'm 17 weeks pregnant and have been very, very sick. So smelling foods and cooking fun recipes has not been on the top of my priority list. Taking pictures was definitely not on my list!

I've been a lot better for the past 3 weeks, so I'm hoping the worst is over.

We are beyond thrilled to add a third little one to our family and can't wait to meet him or her in April. I'll find out next month. I'm too much of a planner and with nothing pink in my house, I need to be prepared if God gives us a girl!

As a cook, I don't look forward to the time in my pregnancy when I gag at food smells, food textures and food tastes that I normally love. 

In the fall, I love to use fall flavors and herbs. To this chicken salad, I added dried cranberries, pecans, sage, and thyme. It's not your average salad, but it was really, really good!

Herbed Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

1 cup of peas (I used frozen)

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped pecans

mayonnaise (about 1/2 cup)

1 healthy squeeze of spicy mustard

juice of half a lemon, plus zest

salt 

ground pepper

parsley

thyme

sage

chives

garlic powder

poultry seasoning

For the dressing, I combined the mayo, mustard and lemon. Add chopped fresh herbs if you have them. I used 4 sprigs of thyme, 5 sage leaves and a small bunch of chives. Chop them and add them to the dressing. I added at least 1 tablespoon of dry parsley, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder and poultry seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix dressing well and add chicken, peas, cranberries and pecans. Refrigerate til ready to eat. Serve with toast or crackers.

Enjoy!

I'll be joining these blog parties!

Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

Hot Hot Hot! Dinner and Candied Jalapenos

Candied Jalapenos (and serranos & habaneros)

I found this recipe on Pinterest. Sweet and Spicy!

 With an abundance of jalapenos, serranos, and habaneros and a lack of tomatoes, I have not canned as much salsa as last year. I've been buying tomatoes and making fresh salsa when needed.

Last night, we had my cousin's husband over for dinner. He moved here at the end of May for a job and is waiting for my cousin and his children to sell their house in Pennsylvania and move down here to join him. We at pulled pork tacos, slaw, grilled corn salad and salsa. 

 My sweet baby is now 3 1/2 and thus I have not blogged as much as last year. He is a pistol, spitfire, free spirit...you name it, but I wouldn't change his crazy little personality for anything! He keeps me more than busy, so this is what the table looks like nowadays...picture taken quickly before I even got the forks and napkins laid out. Such is life as a mommy of a very busy 3 1/2 year old boy!

I simply used my pottery from Tested by Fire for the food, a pretty platter to host the chips and salsa, and Blue Willow. My mom made the runner a few years ago.
I'm joining

Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish

Miz Helen for Full Plate Thursday

Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday

Easter Brisket turns to Carne Guisada

 I will be the first to admit when I don't like my own cooking. Texas Barbeque masters do amazing things to a hunk of brisket by smoking it low and slow. I don't have that talent. I personally thought half of the brisket I made for Easter was too dry. There was a lot of moist meat, so I left the driest part away from the buffet and wondered what to do with a big hunk of meat. 

Carne Guisada. Perfect. 

In a dutch oven, with a bit of EVOO, I sweated an onion and a handful (read 5-6) small sweet peppers, sliced. I added 3 cloves of chopped garlic, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce and about half a box of Organic low sodium chicken stock. I added my own salt, pepper, and parsley. Bring it to a boil and then stick in in your oven at 275-300 degrees until it falls apart. My dry brisket became a moist and tender, beautiful meal, perfect for tacos.

 The boys loved it! I topped theirs with sour cream and cheese. I added avocado to mine. YUM! 

Thank God for second chances!

Corn Avocado Salad

This was heavenly with our tacos tonight. I usually make this salad with black beans and spicy peppers, but I didn't have either, so I tried something a little on the sweeter side.

2 large avocados diced

Juice of 2-3 limes

1 bag of frozen corn, thawed

4-5 small peppers sliced

3 green onions sliced

garlic powder

parsley

salt and pepper

Mix together and enjoy!

Chicken Gyros

 I saw this on Pinterest, and decided it looked good enough to try. It was. 

I marinated my chicken a little different.

In a large plastic container, I added

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime (that's what I had)

Olive oil (about 1/4 cup)

salt and pepper

1 T dried oregano (maybe a little more, it's what gives it the beautiful Greek grilled chicken aroma)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 T dried parsley

I stored it in the refrigerator for 5 hours, let it sit for about 20 minutes before I started grilling.

Get your grill pan really hot, turn down to medium and grill chicken til done. Let sit at least 5 minutes before slicing.

My layered hummus dip is here and the tzatziki sauce is sour cream, cucumber, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic, lime juice and dill.

Please forgive me for not posting a lot right now...I'm potty training Andrew, so I'm quite occupied! Once he conquers this, we'll be back to regular postings. This recipe tonight...pure stress reliever. 

I'm joining these blogs!

Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Rattlebridge Farm

Christmas Eve and Holiday Recipes

 

 Tonight, we are hosting my parents and brother for Christmas Eve. I used a quilt topper my mom made. I love the simple colors in it and how well the plates, candy poppers and centerpiece marry with it.

I used two sets of plates, since there are seven of us. All the salad plates are from Cracker Barrel from 3 and 4 years ago. I've had the red glass plates and poinsettia napkins forever. I used an eclectic mix of silver, stainless and red handled flatware.

Each plate is adorned with a chocolate ornament or Santa with a couple thrown around the centerpiece for those who've been extra good!

   

Walnut Snowball Cookies

These were heavenly. I made them for a cookie exchange I hosted Saturday. I doubled the recipe and it made 40, plenty to share and keep for my boys. They remind me of cookies from Romania, so my husband was overjoyed!

Each lady brought 2 dozen cookies, so everyone took home a couple of each.  I served a couple appetizers and wassail. The Greek Feta Dip was long gone before I took of picture, but if I make it tonight or tomorrow, I'll snap a photo...it was a simple mix of pesto, feta cheese, kalamata olives and grape tomatoes. Serve with pita chips. I also made a cheese ball.

I also made Texas Jalapeno Jelly with my October surplus of jalapenos. Another huge hit, I gave this to family, church friends and my husband's coworkers. It made everybody happy!

May your days be Merry and Bright!

Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish

BNOTP

Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

Breakfast Quesadillas

 This morning we had some hearty breakfast quesadillas. 

Usually, I buy homemade tortillas. I can get them at my local HEB grocery for less than $2 a dozen and every Tex Mex restaurant here will sell them to you in the drive thru. Trust me, I'm not lucky, it just means I have to hit the gym that much more!

 I bought a package from Costco because my boys aren't tortilla snobs like me. I usually buy 'cheap' tortillas for quesadillas because a little butter and a skillet can make any 'cheap' tortilla taste amazing.

I made 3 slices of bacon and then cooked hash browns in the grease. In another skillet I made scrambled eggs. I pulled cooked sausage out of the freezer. I cook the whole pound, then store it in the freezer to use as needed.

Once everything was cooked, I got started. 

Tortilla, cheese, eggs, bacon, hash browns and sausage. Add a tortilla on top. Butter the pan and the tortilla on top. Let it cook and flip. Cut in half and then in thirds. My boys ate theirs with apples on the side.

I'm joining these recipe swaps!

Homemade Tomato Bouillon

Tomato Bouillon
20-25 Juliet tomatoes (small Romas)
olive oil
salt & pepper
parsley flakes
garlic powder
water

I coated my dutch oven with about 1 tablespoon or so of good Olive Oil. Added the tomatoes and about a cup or so of water, just enough to cover them. Add the seasoning, bring to a boil, then simmer til done. It's in a mason jar, but I didn't can this because I am using it within a week.

I made this rather mild because I want to add heat and garlic to it for one recipe and leave it plain for another. I'm making Romanian cabbage rolls tonight and they require plain Tomato Bouillon. If I want to make a spicy Mexican taco soup, then I can add to the bouillon.

enjoy!

Pesto Pizza with Figs and Goat Cheese

 Throughout the summer, I picked basil from my mom's garden. It was overflowing, so I gave tons away and decided to make pesto...almond pesto.

It was amazing!!!

  To make the pizza, I spread the pesto (a generous amount) all over the crust, and added toppings to please everyone in our family. I like figs and goat cheese, the boys like salami and cheese, and my husband likes tomatoes and kalamata olives! It was a hit for everyone!

 The pesto is a TON of basil, parmesan, almonds, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil! So easy mixed in a food processor til you like the consistency. I made a past dish for a church supper simply by tossing pasta with pesto and homegrown tomatoes!

I'm joining

Miz Helen for Full Plate Thursday

Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday

something for everyone...

 Egg salad in a Toast Cup

So my husband loves deviled eggs, but egg salad, not so much! Who knew?

I watched an episode of Jamie Deen's new show on Food Network the other day and he made Chicken Salad in Toast Cups. I had already boiled eggs, so I made egg salad first. The chicken is cooling in the refrigerator now, and I will definitely try his recipe!

Toast cups are simple...butter your bread and squish it in a muffin tin, bake at 350 until golden. Add your filling and enjoy. I made scrambled eggs and cheese for my boys. You'll see that post next Monday!

Egg salad

3 boiled eggs

1/4 c Duke's Mayonnaise

1 Tmustard with horseradish or whole grain mustard

celery, sliced and cut thin

green onion, sliced

salt & pepper

celery seed

parsley

paprika

Mix and chill til ready to serve.

 My husband got sent to work with 'street tacos', 
homemade salsa in the little bird, apples, 
and spinach salad with the last tomato:(

               

  Park fun Bento

I saw a couple bentos like this, 
so I tried my own deli ham, salami, muenster and havarti roll ups. 
The bottom layer had red grapes. 
My big boy shared this with me!

Used in this lunch


I'm joining 
Miz Helen for Full Plate Thursday
Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday