It’s my birthday and also Cinco de Mayo. So, I’ll be going out with my family and enjoying a margarita.
Here are a few of my recipes to make salsa at home. First one is a chunky guacamole, the second a quick tomato salsa, and last is mango salsa.
http://www.mykidsreallyeatthis.com/a-simple-way-to-make-a-delicious-avocado/
http://www.mykidsreallyeatthis.com/quick-salsa/
http://mykidsreallyeatthis.tumblr.com/recipes
I just got back from a wonderful few days in NYC. I was one of 5000 bloggers at the #BlogHer12 Conference. It was humbling, inspiring, exhausting, fun, a learning experience but the best part was that I’ve come away with new friends, contacts and a realization that I have a lot of work to get my blog looking the way I really want it to.
I didn’t leave my husband with any pre-cooked meals, frozen ready-to-cook meals or instructions. He’s a chef and I figured the meals were the least of the problem. I did forget to tell him to water the hanging petunias on our front porch but I think they’ll recover. I was not shocked upon my return that the laundry was undone or the kitchen floor disgusting… hey, I barely ever get the laundry folded and away and I’m not a constant-enough mopper (though I do sweep daily). It was nice to feel appreciated; my husband said he realized why I hardly ever get the laundry completed. Though, really is it ever really finished?
So, before I left I did make what I thought was an awesome meal on a sticky humid evening. I’d bought a gorgeous looking cod filet (over 1 pound) and knew that I wanted to grill dinner on the hot and humid night. Who wants to cook in a hot kitchen in the dog days of summer? So this is how I grilled it:
Summer “Grilled” Cod
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
juice of one lime
palmful chopped cilantro
handful quartered cherry tomatoes
1 chopped scallion
1 chopped garlic scape (the center stalk of fresh garlic— good pic here)
salt and pepper
I took the filet of Cod and wrapped it in tin foil. Before closing it up I sprinkled the spices on it, added all other ingredients on top then placed on grill for about 10 minutes. While it was cooking I also grilled some zucchini, squash and eggplant. I did cook the snap peas inside, but they only take 3 minutes in a small pan of boiling water. I used my frozen TJ’s Org Brown Rice— 3 minutes in the microwave. I could have set my rice cooker before we left the house that morning but I didn’t know what I was going to see in the market. And since I knew not all my kids would eat the grilled vegetables, I made a plain green salad with avocado. Overall, a delicious and awesomely nutritious dinner.
Even Rosie thinks it’s hot tonight.
All three of my kids, weren’t as in love with the fish as I was, but still ate most of it. It was my middle son who ate the most. He also ate the zucchini but refused the eggplant. My youngest loves snap peas and salad, so success all round. 
I just got back from a wonderful few days in NYC. I was one of 5000 bloggers at the #BlogHer12 Conference. It was humbling, inspiring, exhausting, fun, a learning experience but the best part was that I’ve come away with new friends, contacts and a realization that I have a lot of work to get my blog looking the way I really want it to.
I didn’t leave my husband with any pre-cooked meals, frozen ready-to-cook meals or instructions. He’s a chef and I figured the meals were the least of the problem. I did forget to tell him to water the hanging petunias on our front porch but I think they’ll recover. I was not shocked upon my return that the laundry was undone or the kitchen floor disgusting… hey, I barely ever get the laundry folded and away and I’m not a constant-enough mopper (though I do sweep daily). It was nice to feel appreciated; my husband said he realized why I hardly ever get the laundry completed. Though, really is it ever really finished?
So, before I left I did make what I thought was an awesome meal on a sticky humid evening. I’d bought a gorgeous looking cod filet (over 1 pound) and knew that I wanted to grill dinner on the hot and humid night. Who wants to cook in a hot kitchen in the dog days of summer? So this is how I grilled it:
Summer “Grilled” Cod
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
juice of one lime
palmful chopped cilantro
handful quartered cherry tomatoes
1 chopped scallion
1 chopped garlic scape (the center stalk of fresh garlic— good pic here)
salt and pepper
I took the filet of Cod and wrapped it in tin foil. Before closing it up I sprinkled the spices on it, added all other ingredients on top then placed on grill for about 10 minutes. While it was cooking I also grilled some zucchini, squash and eggplant. I did cook the snap peas inside, but they only take 3 minutes in a small pan of boiling water. I used my frozen TJ’s Org Brown Rice— 3 minutes in the microwave. I could have set my rice cooker before we left the house that morning but I didn’t know what I was going to see in the market. And since I knew not all my kids would eat the grilled vegetables, I made a plain green salad with avocado. Overall, a delicious and awesomely nutritious dinner.
Even Rosie thinks it’s hot tonight.
All three of my kids, weren’t as in love with the fish as I was, but still ate most of it. It was my middle son who ate the most. He also ate the zucchini but refused the eggplant. My youngest loves snap peas and salad, so success all round.
This gallery contains 5 photos.
Love it when they love it! Close to Cinco de Mayo (which is my birthday, so I was away on the 5th with friends) I made a ceviche-inspired fish dish. I bought some sole that looked good but I wasn’t … Continue reading
This idea is so simple. Take some favorites and combine them into an awesome meal. I can practically guarantee that your kids will eat it. I suggested dinner’s ingredients to my husband because I knew we would all like it. Of course, I don’t have to tell him how to make it, but I also know it will be great— and different than the way I’d make it. (Actually when we discussed the recipe, I found out how differently I would have made it!)
I was off dinner duty as there was a typical huge mound of laundry to fold/sort and my husband was luckily not disagreeable about cooking (sorry, I mean, I didn’t feel guilty about asking him to cook dinner when he’s off work from cooking). He’s usually always agreeable about cooking, I just don’t want to have him regret it.
Chicken Mushroom Bacon Pasta
Boneless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
5 bacon strips, diced
1 quart shiitake and/or crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 leek, cleaned and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 handfuls baby spinach
1 plum tomato, chopped
½ cup chicken stock
¼ cup white wine
½ cup heavy cream
pasta of choice (we used fusilli)
Salt and pepper
Sauté the bacon until about halfway done. Add leeks until the leeks are soft then add the garlic until done. Leaving fat behind, take out bacon, leeks and garlic. Add wine to fat and reduce for a couple of minutes. Add the cream and reduce until thicker. Add chicken, stock and mushrooms— cook until mushrooms are soft. Add tomatoes. Cook another minute then set aside. Cook pasta and drain. In the larger pot add spinach in with pasta then throw in rest of mixture. Toss until well coated.
So, the dinner was delicious and the kids loved it! I love getting a meal where they all like it, eat it all and not one complains. Pasta, chicken, bacon, leeks, mushrooms, cream…as my eldest said “Everything’s better with bacon”. Funny thing was that my middle son said at one point, “But I don’t like mushrooms” so I reminded him that he’s said before that he likes mushrooms when in a cream sauce with chicken. “Oh, yeah.” He continued to eat it all… mushrooms included.
Portugal has been known for its wonderful cuisine and great wines for centuries. I imagine Portugal’s proximity to the spice regions as well as its history (who the Portuguese conquered and who conquered them), vast exploration and trade explain many influences on its food, especially the spices used. This dish has very distinctive Moroccan influences. If we make it with clams (yes, clams) and chouriço or linguiçasausage it is uniquely Portuguese. This time, I’ve added Spinach to make it a more balanced meal for the kids.
Portuguese Pork Stew with Spinach
1 pound Pork shoulder or butt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper (usually roasted but I felt like adding raw), chopped
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
6-8 threads of saffron
2 bay leaves
¼ cup white wine
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 lg can tomatoes, chopped
handful parsley, chopped
handful cilantro, chopped
1 pack baby spinach, rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
You could also add potatoes and chickpeas to this dish.
Take the saffron threads and crush them in your fingers into a small amount of hot water, set aside. Over medium high heat brown the pork in olive oil and set aside. Sauté the onion for 2 minutes, add garlic and continue until onions are clear making sure you don’t brown the garlic. Add the paprika and stir for a minute before adding the pork and red pepper. Add saffron, wine, broth, bay leaves, and tomatoes. Bring to simmer, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 25 minutes and stir in herbs. Add spinach and continue to cook until wilted. Served over brown rice. It can be made in a slow cooker to cook for 6-8 hours if you prefer.
My youngest son was in a bad mood when he got to the table and initially refused to eat saying he wasn’t going to eat it because it was “yucky” but once he had cuddle from mommy and a taste he happily ate it. My middle son didn’t even make a fuss (he’s normally the one who complains when he sees dinner). My eldest was eager to try it and deemed it “delicious” when asked his opinion of the dinner. 
At story time in the library yesterday a mother mentioned she never cooks because she doesn’t have time. Instead of saying I completely understand because my time is crazed right now and I have no time, I told her she could try some recipes I’d just cooked. One I told her, took as long as boiling the pasta to make. Her interest was piqued. Now, I probably should have told her that I was up until 1:30 last night sorting and folding laundry because I’d let it go to the point of digging socks and underwear out of the mountain filled baskets, but I didn’t want to tarnish my super-mommy image (actually nobody who knows me thinks I am supermom, because I am usually honest about how messy my house is and how I just can’t do it all). Ah, but one can dream and pretend for a day.
I know that some people choose to keep a tidy house over cooking meals for their kids and I do have some friends that have tidy homes and cook great meals (even a couple that hold fulltime jobs) but they’re just much more organized and less ADD than me! I have a cluttered office, an over abundance of toys to weed through, a laundry situation that constantly eludes me, and a back yard that will soon win the WT award. Cause truth is I’d rather be cooking than cleaning, I’d rather be writing than cleaning and I’d rather have an over scheduled schedule than cleaning. Now, if I start making more money I can hire someone to come clean regularly… ooh, and if I make tons I can hire someone to do my laundry. Well, that means getting more clients and that takes a lot of time. But, for now, messy house and laundry up the wazoo.
Back to the food… Here is one of recipes I told her about. It took about 10 minutes.
Shrimp Bianco with Spinach and Tomatoes
1 pound frozen de-veined shrimp
1/4 onion (or 1 shallot) finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
handful parsley, chopped
baby spinach (I used what I had from my CSA about 2 cups)
handful cherry tomatoes, cut in half
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup white wine
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 pound thin spaghetti
Run cool water over shrimp to thaw, set aside. Put salted water on to boil. Chop the onion, garlic and parsley. Heat olive oil and sauté the onions then add garlic, making sure neither get brown. Add shrimp and when they’re just turning pink add wine, cream, parsley. Stir for 30 seconds then add spinach and tomatoes and salt and pepper. As soon as spinach is wilted, strain spaghetti and toss with shrimp mixture. Serve.
My kids loved this dish. I loved that I made it so quickly. I was seriously considering getting a pizza, but managed to save money and give something a little more nutritious in less time than it would have taken for the pizza delivery person to drive over here. And there was not a single whine at the dinner table! 
Unfortunately because it was so quick, I didn’t have my camera ready during the cooking process. Next time!
Honestly and truly I thought I would have had more time on my hands when the kids went back to school, but I can’t seem to keep up some days! I don’t know what I was thinking! After getting three kids fed breakfast, helping them get dressed and two eldest on the school bus then the youngest three days a week to preschool, I run around doing errands, checking in on client portfolios and requests, and hope to get some housework done especially the never ending laundry, pick up one from preschool, help two with homework and drive to/fro after school activities… but what about dinner!?! On the weekends there’s cub scouts, soccer, church, and a husband who’s worked every Sunday for the past month— he already works on Saturdays (just has one day off a week). Oh, I also need to finish hours at the farm for my work-share and am volunteering for a PTA event and local library art show. And the classroom volunteering hasn’t begun yet. I am just a bit stressed at times and have had no time for writing. I need to say no every so often, but I honestly like to help out.
I think I will be freer once PTA event and art show are over. Then we’ll be into the holidays. I did make a big change with our schedules and took my middle son out of a great magnet school in another town. It was too much. He was out of the house at 7:30 am but didn’t start school until 8:55 and then got home at 4:20. He’s only 6. And I had to drive him to a bus stop even though the bus went past our house. We are already a part of the local school community which the other two are in. My son also asked daily to return to his old school. I will regret having him miss the wonderful opportunity of immersion Spanish, great international teaching and diverse atmosphere. But it was best to take him out. Our local school is great too.
So, I am now taking this time to write before I run off to the farm and then hopefully get some housework done. We haven’t exactly had slow cooker-weather, but I have used mine because it has been a huge help to retain my sanity. I actually have tonight’s dinner started in my slow cooker (crock pot) right now. The other day I made a killer chicken chili using it and had them eat early and ready for bed before I had to go to Open House at school. I also put the brown rice in the rice cooker and used the timer so it was ready at 5.
The funny thing is that I just got my crock pot two years ago and barely used it for the first. Now, I’ve figured it out— I think it takes a while to know what’s possible and how things turn out, to feel confident enough to use it often.
I was originally going to make the chicken gumbo I’ve wanted to make for weeks, but again, I had so many tomatoes, I changed dinner on the spot. I made this recipe based on a friend’s chicken chili. She makes a really delicious one with cinnamon in it. I didn’t use her recipe, but adapted how I normally make beef or turkey chili to include cinnamon. So good and easy to make with the slow cooker.
Chicken Chili
Mix 1 Tbsp chili powder with cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cut chicken into small pieces and coat with spice mixture. 
Set in refrigerator while prepping onions, garlic, pepper, okra. Blanch the tomatoes to remove skin and put in slow cooker. I use my hands to crush the tomatoes into smaller pieces, you can use a knife. 
Sauté onions in olive oil for 2 minutes over med-high heat, then add garlic, pepper and okra. (I added okra later as an afterthought). Sauté until lightly cooked but careful not to brown garlic. Add to slow cooker. Add about 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp ground pepper. In same sauté pan, brown chicken with little more olive oil over med-high heat. Spices need to open over the higher heat of pan. Once browned all over, add to slow cooker. Stir in beans and oregano. 
Cover and cook on low for at least 3 1/2 hours. Check seasoning about an hour through (if possible) and add more salt and pepper if needed. Or adjust before serving.
It rocks! The kids loved it. 
My middle son whose most sensitive to spices added more rice to his dish and drank lots of milk.
It was fabulous for left-overs too!
Like I’ve said, we have so many tomatoes right now. I still haven’t had a moment to can any but I did have a few minutes to create a yummy salsa. It’s really just a couple of minutes. My brother was there and he thought it was amazing to watch how easy it is.
As far as my kids go: my eldest will eat salsa, but my other two won’t. At least not yet.
Quick Tomato Salsa
Throw them all in a food processor and pulse several times, stirring to make sure it’s evenly chopped. You can adjust the time you’d like to chop it based on your preference of texture. If you want a really chunky one, it’s probably best done by hand, but then you extend the time by hand chopping everything individually.
This is so easy and quick. But I still didn’t get any laundry put away.
I have way too many tomatoes right now so I keep using them in recipes. One confession to make: sometimes I end up throwing them into the compost. It’s not my preferred method of using them, but I just have too many for me to get to. So, today after putting in some time at the farm where we get our CSA I learnt that you can freeze tomatoes to use in sauce (ok, I just have never done it, nor thought that it would be that great) but I decided to go the other route— canning. I have bought some mason jars and other supplies. I remember making jam as a kid and preserving it, so if I could do it then, I’ll try it now.
In the meantime (I just bought the stuff today, give me a day or two), I made some salsa on one day and pizza with the tomatoes as base another. I also used some cherry tomatoes in a killer I-have-no-idea-what-I’m-making-for-dinner-now-because-I spent-too-much-time-chatting-on-the-playground-oh-yea-I-can-make-THIS-pasta. (I was going to make chicken gumbo, but that keeps getting pushed back due to time). I used to throw together these great chicken and pasta dishes that are like my version of stir-fry…whatever vegetables I have in stock that actually go together will go into the dish with chicken, garlic, basil and tomatoes. I try to make it with mushrooms, because they’re perfect here, but I had none.
I used a bit of kale, corn, broccoli, onions, zucchini, orange bell pepper, and carrots. Fussili pasta is perfect, but ziti or farfale will go nicely too. It takes 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook (using chicken breast)— if you don’t have to interrupt for looking over kids’ homework or refereeing a squabble.
Chicken and Vegetable Pasta with Garlic and Tomatoes
Put pasta on to cook according to instructions. While that’s cooking: sauté onions then garlic in pan. Add chicken and lightly brown on all sides, careful not to burn garlic. Add wine and stock. Cook for few minutes and add vegetables that take longest first (kale, carrots, peppers) then others (mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, corn). 
While stirring, cook another couple of minutes then add herbs and tomatoes, salt and pepper. Mix gently and cook for 2 minutes until tomatoes are warm but not disintegrated. Toss pasta so well coated with sauce and veggies. Serve.
This is always a winner with my kids. Not everyone will like every vegetable each time, but it hardly ever elicits a protest because there’s pasta. It’s great to get rid of left over vegetables and perfect for lunch the following day. And, it uses up some of those tomatoes.
The tomatoes give it a fresh sweetness that goes so nicely with garlic, basil and pasta. You can also substitute shrimp for the chicken. 
