tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29644611063690304622024-03-13T16:07:43.414-04:00Confessions of a Culinary MomBeing the ravings of a frustrated chef trying to add culinary variety and nutrition to the diets of an Irishman and two young boys.LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-3393900615847012822011-10-08T08:17:00.000-04:002011-10-08T08:17:43.165-04:00Henry's dental work expands my soup repertoire<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Poor Henry. Last week he had to get an expander installed in his mouth, a coiled wire that pushes out on his upper palate to create more room for his crowded teeth. He's been miserable and unable to chew anything because his teeth ache so much. We've tried puréeing solid food for him, but that's just wrong. To provide Henry with some options, Mike got some Carnation Instant Breakfast (rebranded for the new millennium as "Carnation Breakfast Essentials") for him and I've been creating soup recipes.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Io4Kss5wicU/TpA6_SApd_I/AAAAAAAAANU/5TAo92eVYiA/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Io4Kss5wicU/TpA6_SApd_I/AAAAAAAAANU/5TAo92eVYiA/s320/photo-2.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegan Cream of Spinach Soup. Want to know what <br />
Cream of Carrot Soup looks like? Same thing, but orange.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Of course, the challenge is to make a soup that is as nutritionally balanced as possible while also being liquid enough for Henry to eat. So I've been creating some vegan soups for him that he enjoys eating that have a full compliment of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and all that good stuff. <br />
<br />
But not every recipe is a winnah. I showed him the black beans I'd bought for a recipe and he ruefully informed me that he doesn't like bean soup. Neither does he like refried beans. OK, then, short of getting some kind of bulk-up powder from GNC, how am I gonna include protein in his diet?<br />
<br />
My secret ingredient has been silken tofu. It blends beautifully into the soup, creating a "cream of" style of soup without the cream, which would add fat and calcium but not much else. Silken tofu absorbs the flavors of the other ingredients and blends into a smooth liquid, rendering it virtually undetectable.<br />
<br />
So far, I've developed two soups for him, and he likes them both. Here are the recipes:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">Vegan Cream of Carrot Soup</span><br />
1 onion, chopped<br />
3 cloves garlic, sliced<br />
2 t freshly grated ginger<br />
3 stalks celery, sliced<br />
5 carrots, roughly chopped<br />
1T vegetable oil<br />
2T <a href="http://www.bragg.com/products/la.html">Braggs Liquid Aminos</a><br />
2 quarts water<br />
1 block silken tofu<br />
<br />
In a soup pot, sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, celery, and carrots in the oil over medium heat until things have browned a bit. Pour in the water, turn the heat to low, and simmer until the vegetables are soft. Use an immersion blender to purée everything in the pot. Add the silken tofu and purée until blended in. <br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">Vegan Cream of Spinach Soup</span><br />
1 onion, chopped<br />
3 cloves garlic, sliced<br />
1 T vegetable oil<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YPVvEcgs8Nw/TpA-0HVF3zI/AAAAAAAAANY/K3csxOaTAOQ/s1600/photo-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YPVvEcgs8Nw/TpA-0HVF3zI/AAAAAAAAANY/K3csxOaTAOQ/s320/photo-3.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The box has pictures of vegetables on it and I<br />
picked it up in the soup aisle. Therefore, it<br />
must be vegetable soup stock, right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>2 quarts water and powdered vegetable stock/bouillon* OR 2 quarts veg stock<br />
1 large bunch spinach<br />
1 block silken tofu<br />
<br />
In a soup pot, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil over medium heat. Once the onions are soft, add the water and powdered vegetable stock or the premixed vegetable stock. Turn the heat up to high and boil briefly until the spinach is limp. Remove pot from heat, then purée with an immersion blender. Add the silken tofu and purée once more until the soup is smooth.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you don't have an immersion blender, add meaning to your life by purchasing one immediately. In the meantime, you can purée the soup in batches in a conventional blender.</div><br />
<br />
<i>*I got my powdered vegetable stock from H-Mart, an Asian grocery store. Unfortunately for me, the label was printed in Japanese, so I didn't know how many packets went to a quart of water. I winged it, and the results were fine. Bouillon generally is very high in sodium, so you probably won't need to season the soup too much.</i></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-58648212185192292912011-07-26T18:50:00.003-04:002011-07-26T21:51:20.436-04:00Henry Cooks Beef Stew<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633804045705975682" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZSVbnpLEcM/Ti9K7i52l4I/AAAAAAAAANQ/xXZP-s-NrLA/s400/csr_stew.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 300px;" />It's been a while since my last Culinary Mom post. In the interim, I have served dinners that were colossal failures, such as the made-from-scratch ravioli with fresh garden sauce prepared during a heat wave that raised the temperature of the kitchen to about 85° and which everybody hated. Except me, of course. I have also served up some winners, such as the tried and true Taco Night, American Chop Suey, and the ever-popular Ordering Out for Pizza. And earlier this month Henry laid his thumb open by not using the claw grip on some scallions he was chopping (luckily, a butterfly bandage we had on hand closed it up and we avoided a trip to the emergency room).<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span">But today is Henry's birthday, and he wanted to make beef stew because he had made it last week at Cub Scout camp and thought it was delicious. Always one to seize the opportunity to get the kiddos involved in the kitchen, I agreed heartily. Mike found some no-sodium beef bouillon at the store, which was miraculous since </span>bouillon <span class="Apple-style-span">usually has about a million times one's recommended daily allowance of sodium. And of course we needed beef, so I splurged and picked up some sirloin that went for about $6.50/pound. Since Mike really hates celery, we omitted that.</span><br />
<br />
Henry and I got cooking, and I started by sautéeing the onions I had chopped the night before but hadn't been able to use because the power went out just as I was about to put them into the pan (which led up to Sandwich Night). Then I supervised him as he cubed the beef and was about to add it to the onions when he said that he'd meant <i>ground</i> beef. Oh well, at least now I'd know exactly what was going into our hamburger this time. We ground the beef using my trusty 114-year-old meat grinder, which both boys love to operate.<br />
<br />
Jack cut up the potatoes and a carrot. At first I had him using a serrated plastic knife so that he wouldn't hurt himself, but he was having a tough time getting through the vegetables. So today he graduated to a sharp knife, a small paring knife with a three-inch blade. At least Jack remembered to use the claw grip!<br />
<br />
We added the rest of the ingredients and a half-hour later the stew was done! It was a little bland for my taste, but Henry woofed it up like crazy. Jack didn't like it much, so Henry had his first experience of people not liking his cooking. But that didn't bother him at all. Maybe I should take a page from his book.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-size: 21px;">Camp Split Rock Beef Stew</span><br />
<div>1 onion, chopped</div><div>1 T vegetable oil</div><div>1 lb. ground beef (or ground filet mignon if you're feeling wealthy)</div><div>2 potatoes, cubed</div><div>2 carrots, cubed</div><div>2 stalks celery, sliced</div><div>1 packet no-sodium beef boullion<br />
1 t. Italian seasoning</div><div>1 3/4 c. water</div><div>Black pepper, to taste</div><div><br />
</div><div>In a stew pot on medium heat, sauté the onion in the oil until it is translucent. Add the beef and cook until there are no pink bits left. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the stew simmer for a half hour or until the vegetables are soft.</div></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-43581728158404205482011-04-03T11:18:00.001-04:002011-04-03T19:47:08.631-04:00Vegetarian Dinner Fails to Win Fans<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My cousin and her family are vegetarians, so when her family came overfor dinner I had a complete, meatless Mexican menu planned. I had read one of the cookbooks by Jennifer McCann, author of the </span><a href="http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Vegan Lunch Box</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> blog, that had a recipe for black bean tamales. So I hinged my hopes on making them for dinner, unaware of the obstacles that lay ahead. Chief of which being that corn husks are in very short supply in Central Massachusetts.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Since hope springs eternal, I started by calling the supermarket down the road from where I live. The grocery manager was incredulous that such a product exists, then he looked up and down the International aisle looking for them, with no luck. And when I asked him for masa</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">harina, the superfine corn flour that's used to make the tamale dough, he told me that they sell cornmeal but that was it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I asked a friend if she knew where to buy corn husks, and she suggested buying some fresh corn and using the husks to wrap the tamales. This was an excellent suggestion, but I didn't feel like eating dry, out-of-season corn just to get the husks.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A Web search didn't reveal any bodegas in Worcester, so I drove to Fitchburg because I knew of one there. When I arrived, I found that it had gone out of business. Then it was on to the</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Fitchburg Market Basket -- my last, best hope -- and struck out. They did have frozen tamales, however, which I bought. I also picked up the fixings for enchiladas and a box mix for little cheese breads.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I worked on dinner for about 90 minutes. Here are the stats:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 207px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0znt4THmYbQ/TZkGxCEOwvI/AAAAAAAAAMw/YtExtAE6ZKQ/s400/veg-meal-matrix.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591507851795153650" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Dinner was such a huge failure that Mike made quesadillas with customized queso for the kids: Olivia's had no cheese, only refried beans; Eli's had a microscopic layer of cheese; Henry's had a good amount of cheese; and Jack's also had turkey.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Oh, and I forgot to serve the tamales. Not that it would have mattered, I imagine.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So if you're ever entertaining some vegetarian adults, here's how you can wow them with dinner:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Vegetarian Enchiladas:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1 T. vegetable oil</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1 onion, chopped</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3 cloves garlic, minced</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2 potatoes, peeled and cubed</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1 c. vegetable broth</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1 packet </span><a href="http://www.goya.com/english/product_subcategory/Condiments/Sazon-Bouillon"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Goya Sazón</span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1 t. </span><a href="http://www.goya.com/english/product_subcategory/Condiments/Adobo"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Goya Adobo</span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1 c. </span><a href="http://www.bobsredmill.com/tvp-textured-veg._protein.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Textured vegetable protein (TVP)</span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1 26 oz. can crushed tomatillos</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">12 corn tortillas</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1 c. grated cheese (leave out for the vegan option)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pFJvn0ujoGM/TZia86a5M6I/AAAAAAAAAMo/N8Rkn-uaR9E/s320/veg_enchiladas.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591389308645356450" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Preheat the oven to 350°. Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the onions and garlic over medium heat until soft. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, broth, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover the pan. Cook until the potatoes are done but not mushy (I left it about 10 minutes; check often.) Take the pan off the heat, then stir in the TVP, cover the pan, and set aside until the TVP has absorbed most of the liquid.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Pour about 3/4 c. of tomatillos into the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish. Microwave the tortillas for 30 seconds to soften them up. Fill each tortilla with some of the TVP mixture, roll it up, and place it seam side down in the baking dish. When done, pour the rest of the tomatillos over the enchiladas. Top with the grated cheese, if using. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Cover the pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, turn the oven up to broil, and leave in the oven until the cheese is browned, about five minutes more.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you're trying to please two vegetarian kids and two omnivores, I suggest Frosted Flakes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-30157836232805821632011-03-02T07:35:00.001-05:002011-03-02T07:57:08.593-05:00The Easier It Is to Prepare, the Less the Kids Like ItJack really, really, really likes shrimp. So when I found a recipe on <a href="http://www.cooks.com/">Cooks.com</a> for 10-Minute Shrimp I was over the moon. Because nothing says "weeknight dinner" like "10-minute" in the title. And I figured that I was covered by substituting cannellini beans for the shrimp to satisfy on-again/off-again vegetarian Henry. <div><br /></div><div>Alas. The beans failed to tempt Henry's taste buds.</div><div><br /></div><div>The shrimp, however, was a monster hit and, as ever, I loved them both. So here are the recipes:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">10-Minute Shrimp Scampi</span></span> (adapted from <a href="http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1645,134182-248194,00.html">Cooks.com</a>)</div><div><br /></div><div>1 lb. frozen shrimp</div><div>2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced</div><div>3 T unsalted butter</div><div>1 fresh lemon</div><div><br /></div><div>Place shrimp and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high until the shrimp are hot, 3-5 minutes. Drain the liquid, then add the butter and parsley and cook on high for 1 minute or until the butter has melted. Remove from microwave and squeeze lemon juice over the shrimp to taste. Serve over spaghetti with lots of grated cheese.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2R-YX7oonpM/TW48kcG5l-I/AAAAAAAAALM/5psydFfRXWg/s1600/shrimp_scampi.JPG"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2R-YX7oonpM/TW48kcG5l-I/AAAAAAAAALM/5psydFfRXWg/s320/shrimp_scampi.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579463585076713442" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kKW6NRylbhQ/TW47rDxCJfI/AAAAAAAAALE/kgLEdyStjZU/s1600/bean_scampi.JPG"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kKW6NRylbhQ/TW47rDxCJfI/AAAAAAAAALE/kgLEdyStjZU/s1600/bean_scampi.JPG"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kKW6NRylbhQ/TW47rDxCJfI/AAAAAAAAALE/kgLEdyStjZU/s1600/bean_scampi.JPG"></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><i>Mmmm, bwah, don't that look good?</i></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">10-Minute Cannellini Scampi</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>1 14-oz. can cannellini, drained and rinsed</div><div>2 t vegetable oil</div><div>2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced</div><div>3 T unsalted butter</div><div>1 fresh lemon</div><div><br /></div><div>Place cannellini, oil, and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high until the beans are hot, 2-3 minutes. Drain any liquid, then add the butter and parsley and cook on high for 1 minute or until the butter has melted. Remove from microwave and squeeze lemon juice over the beans to taste. Serve over spaghetti with lots of grated cheese.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OSOklpx9iMo/TW49Tc4z4NI/AAAAAAAAALU/k9kZItZ3VMA/s1600/bean_scampi.JPG"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OSOklpx9iMo/TW49Tc4z4NI/AAAAAAAAALU/k9kZItZ3VMA/s320/bean_scampi.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579464392739905746" style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Oh boy, when do we eat?</i></div><div><br /></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-29958305822017106302011-02-07T21:11:00.000-05:002011-02-07T21:25:59.460-05:00Can You Fall Off a Log? Then You Can Make Granita!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/TVCponug8FI/AAAAAAAAAK0/YN693vS2NFY/s1600/granita.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/TVCponug8FI/AAAAAAAAAK0/YN693vS2NFY/s320/granita.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571139254381244498" /></a>I first saw a recipe for granita in <i>Cooks Illustrated</i> a number of years ago. I blew it off, thinking that it being a <i>Cooks Illustrated</i> recipe it would take a long time to make. (No offense, <i>Cooks Illustrated</i>, but the Mom version of me just doesn't have the hours to devote to cooking as much as the Pre-Kid version of me.) Then, when I was looking for a way to use up a pot of coffee that hadn't been drunk, I came across a recipe for Coffee Granita from Alton Brown. Basically, the recipe called for freezing sweetened coffee. It was cinchy and delicious! But it wasn't something I wanted to feed the kiddos just before bedtime, since I tend to brew me a pretty strong cup o' joe.<div><br /></div><div>Now, all granita is is frozen liquid, agitated once in a while so that it doesn't freeze as solid as a brick. It's fat free, vegan, and appealing. It's as easy to make as boiling water, and the kids can't get enough of it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Need I say more?</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Super-Easy Granita</span></span></div><div>Ingredient: Your kids' favorite juice</div><div><br /></div><div>In a 9x13 baking dish, pour enough juice so that it comes up to a depth of about 1/2". Put the dish in the freezer and wait a couple of hours. Take the dish out of the freezer and break up the ice with a fork. Put it back in the freezer, wait about another hour, take it out, and scrape the crystals again. Keep doing this until the juice becomes granulated and kind of fluffy. Tell the kids it's ready, then get out of the way!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Note: Tonight, Henry and I wondered what you would serve V8 granita with. He suggested carrots.</i></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-19532860789104626842011-02-06T20:06:00.000-05:002011-02-07T21:35:36.839-05:00Unacceptable Chicken PattiesHenry has taken the specialization of his dislike for chicken to a new level. He tells me that he only likes Japanese chicken (whatever that is...he keeps referring to a long-forgotten dinner we once had) and the chicken patties they serve up in the school cafeteria. So I thought I'd create some chicken patties of my own that would win his heart and mind.<div><br /></div><div>I had some leftover cooked chicken breasts, so I put them in the Cuisinart along with an egg, a little flour, and some salt. I puréed the crap out of it until it formed a little homogenous ball in the bowl. Then I formed these into little patties about two inches across, which I breaded and fried to a beautiful golden brown.</div><div><br /></div><div>As experimental dishes go, I had a decent hit rate: 75% favorable, with Mike, Jack, and me declaring them "yum." Henry, on the other hand, didn't think they were anything like the school chicken patties and gave 'em the thumbs down.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm still very happy with this recipe, because using wholesome ingredients I was able to approximate something that resembled an institutional chicken patty, but without the laundry list of unpronounceable chemicals and weird fillers that are usually added. I created a healthful dish that pretty much any kid would enjoy. Any kid but Henry, that is. </div><div><br /></div><div>But I'll soldier on, as I always do. The other day I resubscribed to <i>Everyday Food</i>. The boys won't know what hit them when I start laying the new recipes on them!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Close-to-Institutional Chicken Patties</span></span></div><div>1 1/2 c. cooked chicken</div><div>2 eggs</div><div>1/2 t salt</div><div>1 T flour plus 3/4 c. flour</div><div>3/4 c. breadcrumbs</div><div>1/4-1/2 c. vegetable oil</div><div><br /></div><div>In a food processor, purée the chicken, one of the eggs, salt, and 1 T. flour until the mixture forms a ball. Form the mixture into patties about two inches across. Beat the second egg in a small bowl, then put the remaining flour and the breadcrumbs into two separate bowls. Bread each patty by first coating it in flour, then dipping it in the egg then the breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a skillet (it should come up to a depth of about 1/4"), then fry the patties until they are golden brown on both sides.</div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-78613191812005816322011-01-05T20:32:00.000-05:002011-02-07T21:39:21.013-05:00Toasted Kale? What Th'...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/TSUf1OKuGlI/AAAAAAAAAKg/hJ816rhPC8U/s1600/roast_kale.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/TSUf1OKuGlI/AAAAAAAAAKg/hJ816rhPC8U/s400/roast_kale.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558884314255333970" /></a>Today I noticed a recipe in <i>All You</i> magazine for toasted kale. "It tastes just like potato chips!" gushed the author. So since I just happened to have a bunch of kale lying around, I decided to take her up on her dare. Jack helped me to tear the kale into smaller pieces, but he let me coat it with olive oil so that he could keep his hands clean. Then he sprinkled the kale with salt, and we roasted it until it was dry.<div><br /><div>Man, oh man, was it ever GOOD! I couldn't stop eating the stuff! It didn't really taste like potato chips, but the crunchy little beggars were very good and loads better for me than potato chips.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jack, being the game guy that he is, tried one and immediately rejected it. Henry, however, really dug them! At least at first he did, then he gave the rest to me because he told me it had lost its flavor.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just to let you know, I found this Web site that tells you how many nutrients are in a cup of boiled kale with salt (not quite the same, but close). How does 354% of the USRDA of Vitamin A sound? How about 89% of your Vitamin C? And just one gram of fat? Well, admittedly there's more in kale chips since they're roasted in olive oil. But that stuff's pretty good for you, too! <a href="http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2865/2">Full nutrition data for one cup of boiled, drained kale with salt</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Compare this to an 8-ounce bag of potato chips. Surprisingly high in Vitamin C, these little slices of Heaven pack 131% of the USRDA of fat into each bag, plus loads of other stuff your body could do without. <a href="http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/snacks/5627/2">Full nutrition data for potato chips</a></div><div><br /></div><div>All in all, this recipe was a great find! I could picture myself eating a whole head of kale cooked this way. And with Henry kind of liking it, well that's a bonus.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Toasted Kale</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"></span></span></div><div>by Lindsay Benjamin, <i>All You</i> editor</div><div><br /></div><div>Fresh kale</div><div>1T olive oil*</div><div>Salt</div><div><br /></div><div>Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Tear the fluffy part off of the "stem" of each leaf of kale into potato-chip sized pieces and put them on the cookie sheet. Pour on the oil, toss to coat, then sprinkle with salt. Roast at 375° for 12 minutes or until dry. Drain on paper towels then serve.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Note: Ms. Benjamin originally called for 2T oil, which made the kale a little too greasy for my taste. Try it both ways to see which way you like best.</span></i></div></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-32988963677101817202010-12-08T20:07:00.001-05:002010-12-09T04:09:10.414-05:00Another Failed CasseroleWhat's with my kids? They must be the only kids in the whole United States of America who don't like casserole. I guess it's too many flavors packed into a single bite. I don't know. All I'm sure of is no matter what kind it is, the kids eat it only reluctantly and with the promises of desserts ahead. Oh well. <div><br /></div><div>I thought it was dynamite. Mike hasn't tried it yet, but I'm confident he'll like it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I got the recipe from <a href="http://kidscooking.about.com/">About.com Cooking for Kids</a>, and I of course tweaked it a little. Best of luck to you. To those about to make a casserole, I salute you.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">Mexican Rice Casserole</span></span></div><div><i>(adapted from About.com Cooking for Kids)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>1 c. rice</div><div>1 1/2 c. chicken broth</div><div>1 14-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed</div><div>1 8-oz. can tomato sauce</div><div>1 t. cumin</div><div>1 t. coriander</div><div>1 packet <a href="http://www.goya.com/english/product_subcategory/Condiments/Sazon-Bouillon">Goya Sazón</a></div><div>1 t. <a href="http://www.goya.com/english/product_subcategory/Condiments/Adobo">Goya Adobo</a></div><div>1/2 c. chopped onion</div><div>1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper</div><div>1/2 c. chopped carrots</div><div>1 c. pre-cooked, shredded pork</div><div>1/2 c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese</div><div><br /></div><div>Preheat the oven to 375°. Bring the chicken broth to a boil. Spray a covered casserole dish with cooking spray. Combine everything but the broth and the cheese in a bowl, then dump it into the casserole dish. Pour the chicken on top, cover with the lid, and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover the casserole, sprinkle with cheese, and put back into the oven for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts. Serve with hot sauce on the side.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Note: This came out of the oven pretty soupy, but the rice absorbed the extra liquid after a while.</i></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-78101351896499571942010-11-23T19:09:00.000-05:002010-11-23T19:16:28.571-05:00Fail.Hope Springs Eternal Crockpot Chicken hit 75% on the Foley Fail meter. The good flavor of the dish saved it from a 100% Fail, but its other attributes dragged it down:<div><ul><li><b>Flavor:</b> Great! High fives all around.</li><li><b>Consistency of Sauce:</b> Decent, after I added a roux and boiled it in a pot on the stove. I fixed the recipe to include this step.</li><li><b>Consistency of Chicken:</b> Awful! It suffered the Crockpot Paradox: it came out dry and fall-aparty after cooking in sauce for too long.</li><li><b>Remedy: </b>Save the sauce to put on noodles or rice. Reimagine the chicken into something edible.</li></ul><div>So tomorrow's project is to transform the chicken into chicken nuggets using a food processor, eggs, and maybe some mayo to add some moisture. I'll let you know how this little caper unfolds.</div></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-1659271195838189492010-11-23T10:43:00.001-05:002010-11-23T19:09:38.091-05:00Hope Springs EternalToday I decided to dust off the ol' crockpot and play dinner roulette. This is how the game is played: I put good, decent ingredients into the crockpot, stir them up, put on the lid, and wait six hours. At dinnertime, I lift the lid off of the crockpot. An enjoyable meal that doesn't cause too much grousing = I live to cook another day. On the other hand, if I am the only cheerleader of the meal and nobody wants anything to do with it = well, you know.<br /><br />I've played and lost many times before. Here's a photograph of Hoppin' John from <span style="font-style: italic;">All You</span> magazine:<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/TOvlX6q83tI/AAAAAAAAAKM/9aZC-LRvQSk/s1600/hoppin_john.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/TOvlX6q83tI/AAAAAAAAAKM/9aZC-LRvQSk/s400/hoppin_john.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542775965458685650" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Boy, howdy, doesn't that look good?<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">And here's a photo of how it turned out at Chez Foley:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/TOvlqoDIcMI/AAAAAAAAAKU/C-sfVG2nl3I/s1600/hoppin_yuck.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/TOvlqoDIcMI/AAAAAAAAAKU/C-sfVG2nl3I/s400/hoppin_yuck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542776286877348034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sweet Mother of Mercy, where did I go wrong?</span></div><br /></div></div>I swear, I followed the recipe word for word. But even <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> couldn't muscle this mush down.<br /><br />This weekend my family and I went to McKinnon's Market in Somerville, Massachusetts, which is one of those butcher shops where they're practically giving it away. A chicken-leg-quarters-for-59¢-a-pound kind of place. We loaded up on chicken breasts, so today I found a dead-simple recipe at <a href="http://www.cooks.com/">Cooks.com</a> for crockpot chicken. I've added a few tweaks; we'll see how it goes. Here's the recipe, just in case it turns out well:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Hope Springs Eternal Crockpot Chicken</span></span><br />1 can Cream of Onion Soup<br />1/2 c. water<br />1/4 c. white wine<br />1/4 t. black pepper<br />1/2 t. paprika<br />2 carrots, sliced (I used a crinkle cutter. <span style="font-style: italic;">Marketing!</span>)<br />1 small onion, diced<br />2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts<div>2 T. flour<br /><br />Mix everything but the chicken together in the crockpot. Add the chicken and moosh it around until the chicken is covered in the sauce. Put the lid on the crockpot and cook on low for four hours or until done. </div><div><br /></div><div>Remove the chicken from the sauce, then pour the sauce into a pot. Mix the flour with enough water to give it the consistency of heavy cream. Bring the sauce to a boil, then stir in the flour and water mixture, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat when the sauce has thickened.</div><div><br /></div><div>Serve over rice or noodles.</div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-52213614886491185722010-08-07T08:29:00.001-04:002010-08-07T08:47:07.350-04:00Peeled Zucchini...Your Secret AllyWho doesn't like zucchini? Well, it turns out the answer to that question is "Everyone in my house except me." I don't understand these people. It's green, it gets squishy when steamed, it's bland...oh, now I get it. But it got me thinking: with these qualities going for it, zucchini could be my secret ingredient in a lot of dishes, lending its nutritional value without standing up in the middle of the dish yelling "I am zucchini! Hear me roar!" Except for one thing, that telltale green skin.<br /><br />You know where this is going, right?<br /><br />Yep, peeled and grated, zucchini fades into the surrounding ingredients and takes a back seat to stronger flavors. And I know for a fact that it's undetectable because I've included it in a number of dishes lately and my supertaster husband, Mike, <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">hasn't noticed it at all. </span>I know that he reads this blog, so I'm only going to reveal the recipe for one of the zucchini hiders. Mike, I love you, man, but sometimes it's better that you don't know. I'm doing this for your own good. Really. Did I mention that I love you?<br /><br />Try it for yourself, and you'll see that it works. But for goodness sake, get rid of those incriminating peels and zucchini ends before somebody sees them!<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >Garden Sauce for Pasta</span><br />1 onion, diced<br />2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced<br />4 tomatoes, seeded and diced<br />2 bell peppers, seeded and diced (use red bell peppers for maximum invisibility)<br />1 c. zucchini, peeled and grated<br />1 T fresh herbs, minced (parsley, oregano, basil...whatever's handy)<br />Salt and pepper to taste<br /><br />Put everything except for the herbs in a pot, cover, and cook over medium heat until all the vegetables have softened, stirring occasionally. Using an immersion blender, purée the vegetables until smooth. If the sauce seems too thick, add water to thin it out. Add the herbs, salt and pepper. If the kiddos don't like leafy green things, you can add the herbs before you purée the sauce.LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-57024072647235260252010-07-30T09:09:00.000-04:002010-07-30T09:46:39.567-04:00Le Pièce de Résistance<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/TFLXoKPd3UI/AAAAAAAAAJw/AuUZEsUyWZ0/s1600/le_piece_de_resistance.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 162px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/TFLXoKPd3UI/AAAAAAAAAJw/AuUZEsUyWZ0/s400/le_piece_de_resistance.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499695179916762434" /></a>There's nothing like a buffet-style dinner to bring out the creativity in the kids! Recently here in the Northeast US we had a heat wave, so naturally I didn't want to heat up the kitchen by cooking. So I thought a savory salad would do the trick. I put a dry rub on a piece of steak, then cooked it up on the grill. The kids and I went out to the garden to pick some fresh lettuce. A couple of sliced peppers, cheese cubes, tomatz, and a drained can of beans later, dinner was done.<div><br /></div><div>Henry surprised the heck out of me by piling on the veggies, then drizzling the ranch dressing around the rim of the plate like a sous at Babbo.</div><div><br /></div><div>He wanted to make a video of his masterpiece, so I let him. Here it is:</div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzMwv7pqjT2iPlq-MEo0ercpc6LnxQ-ofSUgYxwRiyhjjUpESWqu0AnAmsDHYd-BMfHJ8RSu2XvBWbTGNL66Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-49266045749322285082010-07-19T21:46:00.001-04:002010-07-20T07:20:56.273-04:00Looking to Video Games for InspirationThis spring, I became one of those parents who downloads a boatload of little-kid apps for the iPhone to keep the rug rats happy during long waits. One of the apps I bought is Cooking Mama, a fun little game where the idea is to succesfully to prepare a variety of meals. The player performs kitchen tasks -- stuff like chopping vegetables by dragging his finger across the screen and sautéeing things in a pan by shaking the phone around -- in order to complete the recipe. The kids and I all love this game, so one day I decided to prepare one of the Cooking Mama recipes, Hamburgers Cooked in Tomato Sauce. <div><br /></div><div>At first, my idea was to involve Jack and Henry in the food prep so that they would see how the various things they did in the video game translated into real life. But when it came time to cook they had better things to do, so I prepared the recipe myself. </div><div><br /></div><div>And boy, did it turn out great! The burgers were mild enough to be very accessible to both boys while having enough flavor for me. Henry and Jack really scarfed them up, giving the big thumbs up when I asked them how they liked it. I can't wait to try some of the other recipes that Cooking Mama taught us!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC0000;">Cooking Mama Hamburgers in Tomato Sauce</span></span></div><div>1 onion, chopped</div><div>1 T vegetable oil</div><div>1 lb. ground beef</div><div>1/2 c. breadcrumbs</div><div>1 egg</div><div>1/2 c. milk</div><div>salt and pepper</div><div>1 14 oz. can tomato purée</div><div><br /></div><div>Sauté the onion until it is soft, not brown (or Cooking Mama will get fire eyes and you will FAIL). Put the onion in a large bowl, then add everything except for the tomato purée. Knead this mixture with your hands until it is completely blended, then form patties. Sauté these on both sides in a large skillet, doing this in two batches if necessary, until the patties are almost cooked through. Drain any accumulated grease from the pan, then pour in the tomato purée and cook, covered, for about five minutes. Serve the patties with the sauce from the pan.</div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-49594419349606346742010-06-10T12:07:00.000-04:002010-06-10T12:19:12.209-04:00Mom Hates Something, TooEver since I'd heard about it on <span style="font-style: italic;">Iron Chef</span> (the original Japanese version, thank you--there is no other kind), I had wanted to try natto, which is fermented soybeans. Apparently, it's all the rage in Japan and has been for centuries.<br /><br />Last week I was on a business trip to Denver, so I decided to have some sushi. There was a natto roll on the menu, and I ordered it. The sushi chef asked me hesitantly if I was <span style="font-style: italic;">sure</span> that's what I wanted. "Yes!" I confirmed.<br /><br />Long story short, it sucked.<br /><br />First, the smell was very off-putting. Sometimes when things are fermented better things result from the process. Think beer, wine, and cheese. But fermented soybeans just aren't an improvement on the original.<br /><br />Then there was the texture, or "mouthfeel" for all you foodies. The natto made everything except the outer nori wrap slimy. It was a real exercise to keep on chewing.<br /><br />I was able to eat five out of the six rolls. I figured by that point I had proven to myself and to those in my immediate vicinity that I was a brave soul, someone who walks the "just try it" talk. It was hard, but I dood it.<br /><br />I will never. Ever. Ask my family to eat natto. Sorry, <span style="font-style: italic;">Iron Chef</span> and any Japanese people who may be reading this blog. I'm sure I've offended at least one person who grew up savoring the rich, unique flavor of natto. Well, if it makes you feel any better, go ahead and rag on something I adore eating. Here are a few to get you started: oysters, deviled eggs, stuffed cabbage, and lychees.LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-20963334564379596792010-05-21T09:39:00.000-04:002010-05-21T09:48:17.373-04:00Modified Shepherd's Pie a Complete FLOPSince Jack has declared mashed potatoes unfit for human consumption, I decided to try a modified Shepherd's Pie using white rice as the topping instead of mashed potatoes. I used a great product from the King Arthur Flour Company, <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/vermont-cheese-powder-8-oz">Vermont Cheese Powder</a>, which I mixed in with the rice, thinking that it would make it tastier. Well, for me it did, while the kids thought it was extra-disgusting. <div><br /></div><div>As ever, I thought the dish turned out spectacularly, while the boys thought it was worse than field rations. They only finished their meals after I threatened to cut off their ice cream supply for the night. </div><div><br /></div><div>For what it's worth, here's the recipe:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Laura's Failed Shepherd's Pie</span></span></div><div>1 lb. ground beef</div><div>1 chopped onion</div><div>1 clove garlic, minced</div><div>1 c. cooked corn (I used fresh; you may use canned or frozen)</div><div>1 can condensed tomato soup</div><div>1 1/2 c. cooked white rice</div><div>1/4 c. <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/vermont-cheese-powder-8-oz">Vermont Cheese Powder</a></div><div><a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/vermont-cheese-powder-8-oz"></a>1/2 c. shredded mozzarella</div><div><br /></div><div>In a large skillet, sauté the beef, onion, and garlic until the meat is no longer pink and the onion is soft. Drain off any accumulated fat, then mix in the corn and soup. Put this mixture into a casserole. Combine the rice with the cheese powder, then put this on top of the meat mixture. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the top, then broil until the cheese melts and browns a bit. Serve to the undying adulation of your grateful family. Or not.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-88926505262916306172010-04-12T17:07:00.001-04:002010-04-12T17:25:18.024-04:00Jack and Henry's Redeeming QualitiesI spend a lot of time ragging on my kids on this blog, when in fact they are pretty good eaters. As Krusty the Clown once said, "I kid because I love." Why, just last night Jack volunteered to try a little broiled cod after he saw Henry's friend eat some. "Not bad," he said just before frantically reaching for the milk to wash it down. "I was tricking you," he explained. But at least he ate it! And I didn't even have to ask!<div><br /></div><div>And last week at the grocery store he asked me to buy some kumquats. Now, when I was a little girl, my gourmet fancy-pants uncle gave me a taste of candied kumquats. Which, to his horror, I spit right back into the jar. So I didn't have high expectations for these regular, unsweetened ones. The label on the package instructed us to squish the little beggars between our fingers to get the juices going and make the flesh nice and pulpy. On the count of three, we both took a bite. "One...two...three...HOLYMOTHEROFGODTHESESTILLTASTEAWFUL!!!" Into the trash they all went.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another thing my kids eat that other kids don't is seaweed. They love the dried seaweed (nori) used to make sushi. And they <i>especially</i> love the Korean kind because it's roasted and salted and it tastes great. The whole family can't get enough of it. But the kids at Henry's school were giving him the business because they thought he was weird for eating seaweed. I asked him to ask his buddies if they liked yogurt, chewing gum, and salad dressing. After the big setup, he was to tell them that all of these things contain...seaweed! Ha! Eat <b>that</b>, nay-saying gradeschoolers!</div><div><br /></div><div>So, yeah, I complain a lot even though I have much to be thankful for. But let's face it, would anybody be interested in reading about how every single thing I cooked was a smash hit? Nah, disagreement creates drama, which is interesting. </div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-20172738444660015502010-04-07T09:06:00.000-04:002010-04-07T09:24:32.140-04:00"Mom, I HATE This April Fool's Joke."<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/S7yGW3NLv_I/AAAAAAAAAJE/0NheCpQm0rg/s1600/IMG_0195.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/S7yGW3NLv_I/AAAAAAAAAJE/0NheCpQm0rg/s400/IMG_0195.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457384575800688626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I can't believe this.</span></span> </div><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><br />This April Fool's Day, I thought I'd surprise the kids by serving cupcakes for supper! Ha ha, they're really meatloaf cakes with mashed potato frosting! Big laughs. Well...not really.<br /><br /><div>Henry thought they were a riot, and gamely posed for his picture before wolfing his "cupcake" down.<br /><br /></div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/S7yGX31sB0I/AAAAAAAAAJU/PI0E0k3mrhI/s1600/IMG_0199.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/S7yGX31sB0I/AAAAAAAAAJU/PI0E0k3mrhI/s400/IMG_0199.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457384593150445378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Oh, Mother, you're a real card!</span></span> </div><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><br /></div></div><div>Jack, on the other hand, was not amused. He thought he was going to get actual cupcakes and that, coupled with his newfound aversion to mashed potatoes, put the nail in the coffin of this joke.<br /><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/S7yGXfY4ESI/AAAAAAAAAJM/NT8cJYFbZEc/s1600/IMG_0203.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/S7yGXfY4ESI/AAAAAAAAAJM/NT8cJYFbZEc/s400/IMG_0203.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457384586587148578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Mom! I thought you meant <span style="font-weight: bold;">real</span> cupcakes!</span> </span></div><br /></div><div>Incidentally, cupcake-sized meatloaf cooks a lot faster than one huge meatloaf and automatically creates individual portions, so I'll probably use this method of cooking it in the future. The instructions called for foil muffin cups, but I didn't have any so I just baked the meatloaves in the muffin pan and placed them into paper muffin cups after they were cooked. These splayed out and didn't really sell the gag. Plus, cleanup was a real drag. </div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-75758283441730587692010-03-31T21:00:00.000-04:002010-04-01T18:20:33.710-04:00Jack's Wild ImaginationLast Sunday, Mike's Irish mom prepared a corned beef dinner for everyone. Much to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">everyone's</span> surprise, Jack was woofing it down like there was no tomorrow! So, since tonight was Leftover Night, I figured that Corned Beef Part <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Deux</span> would be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">nuthin</span>' but net. But once again, I learned that I should never assume...<div><br /><div><b></b></div><blockquote><div><b>Jack: </b>What's for dinner?</div><div><b>Me:</b> Dad, Henry, and I are having mac and cheese, which you didn't like. But you get to have the corned beef!</div><div><b>Jack: </b>I don't like corned beef.</div><div><b>Me:</b> What are you talking about? On Sunday you were woofing it down like there's no tomorrow.</div><div><b>Jack:</b> My imagination told me to like it. But I punched my imagination and now it went away and now I don't like it.</div><div><b>Me:</b> You control your imagination. Why don't you imagine that you like corned beef?</div><div><b>Jack:</b> No.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately for him, my imagination told me to serve him the corned beef anyway. He managed to eat it all, with the help of the King's Condiment, ketchup.</div></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-59874863753935479352010-03-11T21:14:00.000-05:002010-03-11T21:26:29.259-05:00iCarly provides inspiration for tonight's mega-hit dinnerMy son Henry likes to watch iCarly on occasion, and I have to admit I like it too. One of the characters invented Spaghetti Tacos, which Henry thought would make a great dinner for the Foley family. My first thought was to enclose the spaghetti in a tortilla and wrap it up like a burrito. But I quickly realized that it was hard taco shell or nothing at all, since both boys have told me in the past that they hate flour tortillas.<br /><br />So we had Spaghetti Tacos, with veggie sticks on the side to give the meal at least a slight nutritional value. As you can see from the pictures, it was thumbs up all the way!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/S5ml_W_0G2I/AAAAAAAAAHw/lIvehiJAApc/s1600-h/Henry+spaghetti+taco.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/S5ml_W_0G2I/AAAAAAAAAHw/lIvehiJAApc/s400/Henry+spaghetti+taco.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447567732204903266" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Spaghetti. Tacos. So. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Good!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/S5ml-wlV0YI/AAAAAAAAAHo/RR5KzOS8dwU/s1600-h/Jack+spaghetti+taco.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/S5ml-wlV0YI/AAAAAAAAAHo/RR5KzOS8dwU/s400/Jack+spaghetti+taco.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447567721893319042" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't bother me, can't you see I'm eating?</span><br /><br /><br />I'm not going to provide a recipe for this post. If you can't put two and two together on this one, I really can't help you!LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-2627539269557334082010-01-08T16:21:00.000-05:002010-01-08T16:46:26.549-05:00Ham Chokettes, or "Favorite Food + Favorite Food ≠ New Favorite Food"When I was a kid, one of my favorite meals was Chicken Croquettes. My mom used to cook them in a deep-fryer that had belonged to her father, and they were little slices of heaven. Of course, in these modern, fat-free times I hesitate to deep fry anything. Yet somehow, I can get behind "shallow frying" things in a pan that has about a 1/4" of oil in it. Basically it's the same thing, but it takes a little longer because the morsels aren't being cooked on all sides at once as they do when they're suspended in oil. Hey, I sleep at night.<div><br /></div><div>After Christmas we had an abundance of leftover mashed potatoes and ham. <i>(Note to self: From now on always buy spiral-sliced ham.)</i> So I thought that since the kids both like mashed potatoes and I could kind of sell the ham to Henry (Jack loves ham, so no problem there), what could possibly go wrong with combining the two into croquettes?</div><div><br /></div><div>Plenty.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Mooooommm, what is this?"</div><div><br /></div><div>"Mom, what kind of meat is this?"</div><div><br /></div><div>"I don't like these!"</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, Mike and I both chowed down like there's no tomorrow. They came out just fine, but the boys' underdeveloped palates couldn't make the intellectual leap into novel flavor combinations. At least that's what I keep telling myself.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Ham Croquettes</span></span></div><div>2 c. leftover mashed potatoes</div><div>1 c. diced ham</div><div>1 egg</div><div>1/2 c. leftover gravy (optional)</div><div>Salt and pepper to taste</div><div>1 more egg*, beaten</div><div>1 c. breadcrumbs</div><div>Oil for cooking</div><div><br /></div><div>Combine the first five ingredients until well blended. Form mixture into smallish patties. Dip each patty in the beaten egg, then in the breadcrumbs to coat, putting them on a plate as you go. Refrigerate the patties for at least an hour. <b><i>Do not omit this step! </i></b>If you do, the patties will fall apart in the hot oil, guaranteed. Been there, done that.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a deep skillet, heat 1/4" oil until just about smoking. Cook the patties a couple at a time, turning once when they have browned. Drain on paper towels and serve with whatever sauce will keep your little rug rats happy.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-style: italic; ">* Don't you hate it when a recipe calls for a certain measure of stuff, then halfway through the recipe you find that you were supposed to have used only some of it in an earlier part of the recipe, saving the rest for a later step? Me too! That's why I've put eggs on the list twice. You're welcome!</span></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-67489049617588074552010-01-01T14:25:00.000-05:002010-01-01T14:40:08.124-05:00What They Don't Know Won't Hurt 'EmHenry's on this "I'm not hungry" kick when I ask him what he wants for breakfast, to which I always reply, "You have to eat breakfast, that's what gives you energy for all the stuff you're going to do today," blah blah blah, static static static. Anyway, sometimes I can get him to drink a fruit smoothie at these times, which satisfies my desire for him to have something nutritious to start the day.<div><br /></div><div>So the other morning, I blended some frozen raspberries, frozen peaches, strawberry yogurt, and some water to thin it out. After it was done I had a taste. Swa...swa...SWEET! I couldn't serve him that in good conscience. How could I bring this beverage back from the brink of disaster? Easy...silken tofu.</div><div><br /></div><div>This bland food is much softer than regular tofu. It's great for sauces, dips, and spreads because it takes on the flavors of whatever it's combined with. So, I figured, why not smoothies? As it turned out, it worked perfectly. Not only did it cut the sweetness of the smoothie, it was virtually undetectable and added protein. Both Henry and Jack guzzled it down. Score one for mom!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Fruit Smoothies with Silken Tofu</span></span></div><div>1/2 c. frozen raspberries</div><div>1/2 c. frozen peaches (about 5 slices)</div><div>1/2 c. strawberry yogurt</div><div>1/2 c. water</div><div>6 oz. silken tofu</div><div><br /></div><div>Blend. Serve. Give yourself a high five.</div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-79068906258758566162009-12-29T19:17:00.000-05:002009-12-29T19:31:40.672-05:00An Aptly Named Dish<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>We hosted Christmas dinner over at my house this year so now we have lots and lots of leftovers! Let me say for the record that this was the first time I've ever bought a spiral-sliced ham, and it was AWESOME! Serving it was as easy as falling off a log, and I've been throwing ham into just about everything we've eaten since. But Mike grows weary of the ham, so tonight I decided to use some of the leftover turkey in a dish I like to euphemistically call "Stuff on a Shingle."<div><br /></div><div>Now, I know what you're thinking: "That's not what it's called!" Well, before you tweet about what a know-nothing idiot I am, remember that I'm selling this stuff to a four-year-old and a seven-year-old. What you call it is your own business. I call it Stuff on a Shingle.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's your basic recipe: white sauce, turkey, some frozen peas, a little salt and pepper and that's it. I purposely made it bland. I had made a loaf of whole wheat bread in the bread machine earlier today, so I toasted up some slices and poured that lovely concoction on top. Brilliant! Add a salad and you have a meal...</div><div><br /></div><div>...that nobody liked. Jack actually stabbed himself when his fork skidded off the hard crust of the toast! </div><div><br /></div><div>Come on, it's not like it was battery acid or anything. Take a look:</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/Szqd1LogBKI/AAAAAAAAAHc/hocK9w58wa0/s400/stuff_on_a_shingle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420818638475101346" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Mmmm, I've never seen anything so tasty looking!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another triumph! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm having it on a baked potato tomorrow for dinner while the kids eat hamburgers. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Stuff on a Shingle</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">2 T butter</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 T flour</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 c. milk</div><div style="text-align: left;">Salt and Pepper</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 c. chopped meat (turkey, ham, beef, pork, etc.)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 c. frozen peas</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and mix it in until it forms a roux, a sort of paste. Cook this for about a minute, then add the milk a little at a time, whisking after each addition to avoid lumps. After all the milk has been added, continue cooking and stirring until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper, then add the meat and peas. As the peas thaw the temperature of the sauce will reduce so that you don't burn the roof of your mouth with your first bite.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Serve on toast or a baked potato. Bask in the praise of another magnificent meal.</div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-57976836025268579062009-12-29T18:33:00.000-05:002009-12-29T18:54:52.672-05:00I've Met The Only Kid Who Hates American Chop Suey<div style="text-align: left;">Last night a bunch of little kids ate over at my house. Naturally, I decided to serve the slam-dunk meal for kids: <a href="http://culinarymom.blogspot.com/2008/03/oldie-but-goodie.html">American Chop Suey</a>. Word on the street was that two of the kids hated onions, so Mike, who was acting as the evening's prep cook, puréed the crap out of them until they were undetectable in the final product. Yay, Mike! When it was served, four of the five kids lay into it like starving jackals.</div><div><br /></div><div>But there was this one kid--let's call him Max--who absolutely hated it. He literally spat his first bite back into the bowl right there at the table! There were extenuating circumstances--his mom had just left him in his aunt's care for a few days--so we decided to coddle him just a little bit. I did something I'm not proud of but that I will lay odds that every mother has done at least once in her lifetime: I rinsed it off.<div><br /></div><div>Now, this is not the first time I've ever rinsed off food to placate a kid who just can't stomach all those darn flavors. This summer I sprayed the seasonings off of a perfectly good macaroni salad. Here's the photographic proof:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/SzqUVSq056I/AAAAAAAAAHU/vcWpbzI0Pmk/s400/mac_salad_before.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420808195003443106" /><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Before:</b> Macaroni Salad. Yum yum!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/SzqUVD1O6fI/AAAAAAAAAHM/ZikltC9XQIs/s400/mac_salad_rinse.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420808191020558834" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>After:</b> "I can't believe I'm doing this."</i></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So, I rinse off the American Chop Suey, right? Then I set it before Max, who stares at it uncomprehendingly. I asked him, "Would you like some ketchup?" He answered yes, so out came the King's Condiment, which he proceeded to load into the bowl. Well, if you rinse tomato soup concentrate from the American Chop Suey then add ketchup, you've basically replicated the recipe. Which Max discovered with the first bite.</div><div><br /></div><div>His aunt's no dummy, so she asked him, "Max, how old are you?"</div><div><br /></div><div>"Seven," answered Max.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Then take seven big-boy bites." Ooo, snap!</div><div><br /></div><div>Max took seven of the lamest bites that could have been characterized as "big boy," then was mercifully excused from the table.</div><div><br /></div><div>Guess you can't please all of the people all of the time. </div></div></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-70732212416520432062009-12-04T17:44:00.000-05:002009-12-04T20:08:13.889-05:00Obtaining Buy-InMy idea to create dinner table harmony worked like a voodoo charm! Here's what went down.<div><br /></div><div>On Sunday, I called a family meeting to discuss all of the stress that's been visiting our dinner table lately. I told everybody how depressing it was to try night after night to feed them a wide variety of nutritious dinners only to have them gag and retch at the very thought of putting it into their mouths. I equated what I create (dinner) to things that the boys create (artwork, LEGO sculptures, etc.), and asked them how they would feel if I didn't even want to <b><i>look</i></b> at their drawing/LEGO/whatever because I'm <b><i>sure</i></b> I didn't like it even though I'd never seen it before I just <b><i>knew</i></b> that I'd hate it. I think it sunk in a little bit when I explained it like that.</div><div><br /></div><div>After working on the emotions, I gave everybody an assignment. I spread out the cooking magazines and kid cookbooks all over the dining room table. Then I told everyone to pick three dinners they like to eat. The only restriction was that it couldn't be pizza or macaroni and cheese. Since all of the publications feature full-color photos of the food it allowed everyone, even pre-reader Jack, the opportunity to have his say.</div><div><br /></div><div>I gotta tell you, it worked. Not only did we come up with a comprehensive list of non-gagworthy dinners, that night Henry himself helped cook the lasagna he'd found in one of his cookbooks! But it couldn't be a Foley dinner without a twist ending: Jack declared at the table that he <b>hates</b> lasagna. Of course you do, Jack, that's why four hours ago you said how much you love it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's what we came up with and our success rate so far:</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/SxmyZ-tJ7EI/AAAAAAAAAHE/LhpKF44jzo4/s1600-h/dinner_table.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BI6GzeyLnOA/SxmyZ-tJ7EI/AAAAAAAAAHE/LhpKF44jzo4/s400/dinner_table.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411552586661227586" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 170px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm going to convene this family meeting once a month from now on. The results speak for themselves!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2964461106369030462.post-42290816342045410862009-11-29T07:35:00.000-05:002009-11-29T07:58:53.272-05:00I'm Tired...Tired of Playing the GameOh, man, the family wore me out this month.<div><br /></div><div>Last night, Jack literally cried when faced with the prospect of eating my wretched Chicken and Turkey Pot Pie. Henry muscled through half of it, since now he's at the age when he can see that a) it upsets me when people don't like my cooking and b) he'll get dessert if he puts in a "good, honest try" as they used to say around my own dinner table as a child. Even Mike chimed in. "What is this I'm tasting? You didn't put tarragon in here, did you? (I know he hates tarragon.) Did you put celery in this? (I know he hates celery; see "<a href="http://culinarymom.blogspot.com/2008/01/cream-of-yuck-soup-part-two.html">Cream of Yuck Soup</a>.")" Well, since I made two and froze the other one, I have an emergency covered dish to give to some ailing family that lacks taste buds. Or I can give it to my mom. She'd eat it. She'd <b><i>love</i></b> it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Two weeks ago I poached some chicken breast, then made a creamy chicken and rice casserole topped with panko. Errrrrrgh! (That's the sound of the "wrong answer" buzzer on a game show.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Later that week, to use up the chicken I made Chicken Pasta Alfredo using Trader Joe's Alfredo sauce, frozen veg, and little wheel-shaped pasta. Errrrrrgh!</div><div><br /></div><div>I think I've got it figured out. My family's enjoyment of dinner is in direct inverse proportion to the effort I put into it. All three of these dinners took just minutes to make. And seconds to criticize. Coincidence? I don't think so.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, the month wasn't a total wash, foodwise. Last Saturday, I shopped at a fabulous supermarket new to the area, <a href="http://www.hmart.com/">H-Mart</a>. It's laid out like a Western supermarket, with a huge building, wide aisles, and it's clean (No offense, <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?client=safari&rls=en&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=c+mart+chinatown+boston&fb=1&gl=us&hq=c+mart&hnear=chinatown+boston&cid=12895865218891702722">C-Mart</a> in Chinatown, but your bathroom would gag a maggot.). It sells food from all over the world, with a focus on Korea. There's a whole kimchee section (!), and you can buy pre-marinated meat that you just grill up and you've got Korean barbecue. I was in foodie heaven! But guess whose kids don't like Korean barbecue? Oh well, at least they liked all the shumai, edamame, and seasoned seaweed I got. I guess things aren't as bad as they seem.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, today I'm going to call a family meeting. I have a scheme to get everybody on board with the meal planning. Check back to find out how it went...</div>LauraMFoleyDesignhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02476010349227734622noreply@blogger.com0