A different kind of meal

okay, seeing as my spare time the past few days has been spent making food for my 6 month old...i thought i'd post some pictures of his first batch of food...as well as a pic to show his sheer LOVE of real food finally. His favorites are the pees, along with butternut squash, sweet potato, green beans, and applesauce. i steamed most of the food and then pureed it in my food processor. i got the little glad containers from walmart and they are the perfect size for one feeding!

Simple Gourmet

It seems I've said 'yes' to everything that's come my way in the last few months. As a result, I've been relying on some very simple recipes to enjoy yummy dinners without a lot of work in the kitchen. By far my greatest culinary discovery in the past year has been these handy Thai curry pastes. I bought them at a Chinese grocery store for less than $5 each. Cheap and they will probably last for the next 3 years. On the container is an easy recipe calling for coconut milk, eggplant, a teaspoon of paste, meat of your choice, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass (these last 2 can also be found at a Chinese grocer). With a little experimentation (aka - we don't have any coconut milk, what to do?!?!) we have discovered different variations that have all tasted good. Coconut milk can be substituted with a tin of tomatoes (which makes the curry way less spicy). Go veggie with Tofu. Add more liquid and you have soup. Mix and match your favorite vegetables. And then there is the lentil version.

A nice dish to serve with this would be a mango salad. To make it slice veggies (mango, celery, carrots, red onions) into long thin pieces. Mix with bamboo shoots, cilantro, crushed peanuts. Squeeze lemon over top.

And of course some lovely basmati rice on the side!

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Last night we came home from church. It was late and we were hungry. So we whipped up a batch of IHOP buttermilk pancakes. They are quick and easy and taste oh so yummy! I like to double the recipe and freeze the extras. Then we can take them out of the freezer in the morning and pop them in the microwave or in a skillet to heat. Make sure your baking powder is fresh too! It helps with the flufiness of the pancakes!
Here's the recipe

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 egg
1 1/2 c buttermilk ( or use regular milk )
1/4 c sugar
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat sillet over medium heat. Use a pan with a nonstick surface or apply a little non stick spray. ( I use a cast iron griddle pan)
2. In a blender or with a mixer, combine allof the remaining ingredients until smooth.
3. Pour the batter by spoonfuls into the hot pan, forming 5" circles.
4. When the edges appear to harden, flip the pancakes. They should be light brown.
5. Cook on the other side for same amt. of time.
Makes 8-10 pancakes.

HUMMUS

Try this hummus. It is super easy and really yummy. I have adapted this from an epicurious recipe. It always gets lots of compliments and Canaan can eat a whole batch! I serve it with chips and carrots.

4 garlic cloves (or minced garlic)
1 teaspoon salt
two 1-pound 3-ounce cans chick-peas, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/2 cup olive oil, or to taste


On a cutting board mince and mash the garlic to a paste with the salt. In a food processor or blender (I like to use a blender for extra creaminess) purée the chick-peas with the garlic paste, the yogurt, the lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of oil, scraping down the sides, until the hummus is smooth and add salt to taste. Add water, if necessary, to thin the hummus to the desired consistency and transfer the hummus to a bowl. The hummus may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Sprinkle with paprika before serving.

Makes about 4 cups.

Here are the quiz results for the Apron Swap....( I am still waiting on a few more)

Marisa Foltz

What are your favorite colors? I'm really into brown these days, and that brown and light blue combination. Also love pink and red.

How have you decorated your kitchen? lots of red, and some tan. Right now we're in a temporary (5 months only) apartment . . . so its not how I would normally like to have my kitchen.

If you are at the airport waiting for the plane, which two magazines would you buy to read? (types or names) "Real Simple" and "People" or "In Syle"

What are your 2 favorite stores to shop at and why? Target (you can get everything there . . . love it!) and I love "Anthropology", but can't afford it! :)

Favorite meal? Anything Italian!


Mindi Jentes

What are your favorite colors? Bright Tropicals (any) and of course, black (it’s slimming!!!)

How have you decorated your kitchen? Italian Renaissance (mottled, antiquated tans & greens, stainless steel appliances, natural cabinets with black pulls, rustic floor tiles with tans, rusts, and greens)

If you are at the airport waiting for the plane, which two magazines would you buy to read? (types or names) People Magazine & Decorating Magazines

What are your 2 favorite stores to shop at and why? Banana Republic (love to buy their clothes for my honey) and Barnes & Noble (love to grab some coffee from SBUX and check out new reads)

Favorite meal? Almond crusted Mahi Mahi with a blueberry glaze, garlic mashed potatoes, wilted spinach w/ bournaise sauce served with a fantastic imported Italian Pino Grigio!


Hannah Johnson

> What are your favorite colors? Browns, creams, pinks, and reds
>
> How have you decorated your kitchen? the walls are "mudslide" chocolate brown with a "coffee" theme
>
> If you are at the airport waiting for the plane, which two magazines would you buy to read? Health & Fitness and some type of home decorating

> What are your 2 favorite stores to shop at and why? I love a store called "Home Goods" because they have a little bit of everything for the home, from bathroom towels to kitchen utensils. My other favorite is "Henry's" which is a whole foods grocery store, they have cheap produce, organic meats, essential oils, and homeopathic meds.
>
> Favorite meal? It's a close tie between anything Mexican, bbq pulled pork sandwiches and bbq ribs.


Megan Smith

> What are your favorite colors? Can I say, "all colors" :) I love black and white, shabby chic colors, browns, blues,...I'm useless at these things!
>
> How have you decorated your kitchen? We re renting so it isn't my "ideal" kitchen. Nonetheless, I like an eclectic look. Some antique, some new. I love white ironstone dishes.
>
> If you are at the airport waiting for the plane, which two magazines would you buy to read? People Magazine and Country Home (I also LOVE Domino magazine and Cookie)

> What are your 2 favorite stores to shop at and why? Anthropologie b/c of the funky housewares and great ideas for home decor. IKEA--because, who doesn't love IKEA :) These are 2 stores that Mike and I love to shop at together. He's a great shopper!

> Favorite meal? Boy this is hard....why did I come up with these!! I guess it would be a really simple pasta dish with a glass of red wine. Also a great lobster bisque is yummy!

Kristie Harris

What are your favorite colors? Coral/burnt orange, brown, greens, blues

How have you decorated your kitchen? I would say, “fresh.” Kind of on the bright side. I have orange and green in it.

If you are at the airport waiting for the plane, which two magazines would you buy to read? (types or names)
Any parenting magazine—since that’s my life these days, and I need all the help I can get, and after that I’d pick up a home decorating or creative/crafty ideas or organization magazine.

What are your 2 favorite stores to shop at and why? For practicality, it’s Target. I can find just about anything there. It’s clean, nicely laid out, Sydney loves it—and I can splurge once in a while and drink a peppermint mocha from Starbucks while I shop. I love Anthropologie too—but I’m not quite cool enough to shop there or pull it off. J

Favorite meal? Oh my goodness… I love everything, but my all time favorite is TACOS.

Sondra Clark

* My favorite colors are red and yellow
* Haven't really decorated but the walls are squash and when the counter tops are refinished they will have browns, creams, coppers and yellows. I have a few funky little clay veggies with faces that Mike hates because he thinks they are evil or something, and a few copper pots.
* In the airport, I would read Southern Accents and Traditional Home to dream about the house that I would have to win the lottery to have, Travel for the same reason on vacations and Gourmet to get some new ideas.
* For home, I like to window shop at For Friends because I really can't afford real shopping there, and at My Favorite Things I love to by presents and pottery. For clothing I like AJ's Casuals (but only during a sale) and Peppermint Palm because I like the nice beachy colors and styles since I spend a lot of time at the pool and at swim meets all summer.
* My favorite meal is a hard one.......I like so many, so much... lets see...summertime on the berry farm: a picnic of baked chicken on bread with brie and some of the warm farm berries; dinner on the patio: calamari slaw and a glass of Riesling; summer Sunday dinner: fries chicken breast, farm fresh corn, garden tomatoes that are still hot from the sun, with sweet tea and peach cobbler for dessert (can't tell I'm from the south, Ha); Fall: baked turkey and dressing and stack cake for dessert....I could go on and on but I will spare you.

I don't remember where I found this recipe online, but I've also had it at our local Ohio's best seafood restaurant: R.J. Snappers. This is my very favorite dish on the planet!!!

Macademia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi with Blueberry Glaze
1.5 lbs. Mahi Mahi fillets, cut into 4-8 servings
1.5 cups diced Macadamia Nuts (you can use pecans or almonds too)
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. fine sea salt

Mix macadamia nuts with ginger in small flat bowl. Pat fish dry. Coat each piece of fish completely in remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roll fish in nut mixture coating entire piece of fish. Place fish fillets on sheet pan and bake at 380 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until nuts are golden brown and fish is flaky. Drizzle blueberry glaze (below) over each filet, when serving.

Blueberry Glaze:
Leave plenty of time to make this glaze!

1 pint (2 cups) blueberries
1 cup red wine
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup Dijon mustard

Bring ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan.
Reduce heat and simmer for up to 1.5 hours.