Tuna Noodle Casserole

This makes a LOT but it also freezes well.

Box of noodles, whichever are your favourites, cooked for about one minute less than the box recommends for al dente. It will cook more in the oven.
1 can of cream style condensed soup. I usually use mushroom as it is frequently the cheapest.
½ c milk
¼ c miracle whip/mayonnaise/creamy salad dressing(ranch)
½ t dry mustard-not essential but adds a really nice bite
1 c shredded cheese-use the stinkiest cheese you can afford
1 can tuna/salmon/crab whichever you feel like, drained and flaked
½ c to 3 cups chopped vegetables. I like to use frozen veggies because they are easiest and you can get some awesome blends. I heat them first so the casserole will cook faster.

In a big bowl, mix everything but the noodles together thoroughly.
Fold in cooked noodles(folding means gently stirring them in from the top to the bottom, not around the circumference of the bowl)
Turn into(dump into) a large casserole dish/ big cake pan/roasting pan and bake uncovered until heated through, 45-50 minutes.

Things you can fiddle with-the amount and kind of cheese, the fish you put in and the amounts, add spices and herbs as you like. It is a somewhat salty dish, so I like to rinse the fish and use low sodium products as much as I can. If I want onions, I tend to cook them thoroughly in a pan/microwave for a richer flavour. This does not lend itself nicely to beans and legumes.

hubby's sore mouth

DH had some dental surgery last Friday, and he is supposed to eat soft bland foods for the next little while as it heals. It has had an impact on what we are eating, which is too bad. The last few days have been awesome BBQ weather days, Thanksgiving is coming up, and well having to eat bland food has meant none of our standard fare-curries or chilies. Boo.
So far, we have had several different kinds of soup-cream of broccoli, pea soup and potato-corn soup, stuffed shells, texas hash, noodle-salmon casserole and last night we had green eggs and roasted vegetables. It should have been green eggs and ham, but DH cannot eat even sliced ham. I suppose I could have made the green eggs as a quiche, but then I would have had to make a pie shell from scratch. Not when the kids are grousing about, "I'm hungry."

Green eggs

1/4 c milk
1 c chopped spinach (I used fresh)
6 eggs
about 2 oz of cheddar
1 medium minced onion
1 t oil

Beat eggs and milk together in med bowl.
Heat oil in favourite non-stick skillet, saute onions till they are just the way you like them. Add the spinach, stir until wilted.
Add egg mixture, stirring often. When most of the egg has cooked, but it is still slimy (for lack of a better word) add the cheese, stirring it in as well. I suppose you could cook the egg a bit more and then just lay the cheese on top, but I like my eggs to be cheesy and I didn't want the kids to pick off the cheese and only eat that.

Served with roasted squash potatoes sweet potatoes and roasted garlic, it was a very colourful meal.

pasta pie

On the menu plan for tonight, it was supposed to be a veggie stir fry and rice. Then I looked in the crisper, and the main veggies for the stir fry were the same four that I had used in yesterday's meal and Monday's meal. The kids had already seen them twice and I wasn't taking any chances for rejection. I changed tonight's meal at 6 and it was on the table at 7, served with salad and crudites for the kids.

1 350 g WW spaghetti or other favourite pasta shape
1-2 c water
1 c chopped summer squash
1 c chopped carrot
1 c chopped green beans
1 c broccoli
1 c chopped fresh tomato
1 c cottage cheese
1 c shredded cheese
3 eggs
2 T bread crumbs

While the water was coming to a boil for the pasta, I started chopping up my veggies and throwing them in the pot with 1-2c water.
I put the noodles in the boiling water and started preheating my oven at 350F.
When the veggies were cooked enough that I could blend it up, that's what I did, with my handy dandy immersion blender.
As luck would have it, the veggies, noodles and oven were ready at the same time.
I drained the noodles and tossed them in the hot pureed veggies, then dumped the coated noodles in my 9*13 casserole dish. I could have greased the pan, I suppose, but it's a gorgeous ceramic dish that just doesn't burn.
In a separate bowl, I mixed the eggs and cheeses, then dumped that on top of the hot noodles and quickly stirred them together.
I sprinkled my crumbs on top to curb the "but mommy, I don't like crunchy noodles" crew and placed it in the oven for 1/2 an hour, uncovered.
I took it out of the oven and let it set for about 10 minutes.
It made enough for all five of us to have seconds, three of us for lunches tomorrow (at their request) and one extra serving for some lucky man's breakfast:)

Making this again, I would probably sub 1/2 the shredded cheese for a romano or parmesan; and added a cup of onions and a few cloves of garlic to my veggies pot. I may put in 1/2 a teaspoon of thyme and a pinch of rosemary and a few good twists of pepper next time as well.
Our cottage cheese was 1% mf and low sodium, and I don't add salt to my pasta water.

squash

It's that time of year when we seem to get more squash than we know what to do with. Thanks to Bryson's we generally get patty pans, crook necks and other super incredibly delicious little squashes each week in the summer. There are many recipes for squash, but our favourite is the easiest...

3 c sliced squash of your choice
1 med onion, sliced
1 T butter

Melt butter in medium skillet at medium heat. Add squash and onions. Stir occasionally, cook until desired doneness, about 10 minutes on medium low heat. I like al dente, BD prefers the squash a bit softer.

The kids still aren't big fans, but DD will eat the onions as they are 'sweet' coooked this way.

chocolate zuccini cake

Was given a large zucchini yesterday and wanted to make a cake with it. Decided on the traditional wacky cake with a twist. For those who don't know, wacky cake is one of those batters you can lick without fear-no eggs or dairy. Delicious.

my version...

preheat oven to 350F, line/grease and flour 9x9 cake tin

1 c flour
1 c ground flax
3/4 c sugar
4 heaping T cocoa
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

1 t vanilla
1 T cider vinegar
6 T vegetable oil
3/4 c water
3/4 c grated zuccini

combine all the dry in largish bowl.

combine all the wet in a medium bowl.

add wet to dry, until just mixed, dump into prepared cake tin and put into preheated oven. Give small children the bowl and spatula to lick. This is not a batter that sits well on the counter waiting to go in the oven, it tends to not rise well when that happens. 35-40 minutes later, a moist, dense flavourful cake will be ready to come out.

cauliflower

I had a head of cauliflower in the fridge and wanted to include it as a vegetable for last night's meal (pork roast, kale, salad). The other four members of the family like cauliflower soup, and can choke down one small floret if they have to. Other than that, they just don't like it. I got around it last night, though. Everyone had seconds, and a few (other than me) even had thirds!

1 head cauliflower floretted (means cut into florets)
1/2 c shredded marble cheese
4 T pesto from a jar

I steamed the cauliflower. It's one of those vegetables that will get really yucky when overcooked, so just after it was to the teeth/al dente cooked, I removed the florets from their pot and plunked them into a medium sized bowl.

Using my handy dandy pastry cutter, I mashed it to a granola type texture. I find mashing with a potato masher releases too much water and it just isn't as nice.

I added the cheese and pesto and stirred until it was evenly distributed through the cauliflower.

At this time, I suppose I could have put it in a casserole dish, sprinkled some more cheese on it and broiled it. That would have been fantastic, but I just brought it to the table in the bowl.

yeah baby, that's it. and they ate it!!!

basil dumplings

I love soup. When I make a broth based soup, I usually accompany it with bread, biscuits or dumplings. These dumplings are a family favourite. Last night, DS had three bowls of soup and dumplings, DD had two servings and BG just one.

I found the bones of this recipe in a magazine about a year ago. I've since altered it to reflect our preferences and this one goes very well with turkey vegetable soup...

1/2 c white flour
1/2 c whole wheat
1 t dried basil
1/2 t salt
3 eggs
4 T veg oil

In med bowl, combine the dry ingredients, stirring well.

In small bowl, beat together the eggs and oil until creamy.

Add wet to dry, stirring until smooth and sticky.

This part is important: drop by spoonfuls into BOILING soup. If the soup is not boiling, the batter will dissolve into the soup, resulting in a disgusting mess. trust me. Makes about ten T sized dumplings.

Cover and steam for 3-5 minutes.

Serve out in a bowl with the soup.

These are also fantastic with an Italian herb blend in a minestrone soup.

quiche

I love quiche. It is a great way to use up leftovers, sneak in some vegetables, have a meat free meal, have pie, get creative with your cooking. DH loves quiche. DD, DS and BG loooove quiche. It can be time consuming or a quickly whipped up meal. Really, how can you go wrong?

I tend to make several at a time, because I am lazy and prefer to buy my pastry instead of make it myself, and the pie shells come in either a smallish size or in a box of two. I buy the ones made with veg shortening instead of lard. I know, I know, higher in bad fats, blah blah blah but I frequently make them for vegetarians, so I like to make sure they'll eat them when all is said and done.

3 pie shells
10 large eggs
1 c milk
1 1/2 c older cheese (cheddar, swiss, whatever you have that will melt) diced
1 T butter. mmmm butter
1 head of kale cleaned, or frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (lots easier, more bland)
1 onion med fine chopped
1/2 c mushrooms prepared the way you like them
1/3 c cooked ham(per quiche for omnivores)
salt and pepper to taste

I'm a weirdo and I dice my cheese for quiche. I find the flavour and appearance of the quiche when cut are enhanced by something bigger than a grate and smaller than cubed. I don't get a cheese layer in the quiche-I get this beautiful look of orange and yellow marbling.

I preheat the oven to 375, prick my thawed pie shells all over and put them in the oven for about ten minutes-when they look about half done. They aren't pasty looking anymore and you can start to see the bubbles of flakiness. I avoid the worry of a mushy crust this way, and the quiche filling is more likely not to leak into my crust. blech.

I grab my nice big cast iron pan, turn on the stove to medium or so,throw in the pat of butter and let that melt. I toss in the onions for about two minutes, just until soft and hot, add in the kale(if I'm using it). I stir it some, put the lid on and let it cook while my crust is browning. If I'm doing the spinach,I let the onions brown a bit more before adding the spinach. The quiche cooks much faster if the veggies are hot as it goes into the oven.

I crack the eggs into a medium bowl and add the milk, salt and pepper. I whisk it all together and put it to the side. I check all of my hot spots to make sure nothing is burning.

I pull out the precooked pie shells and put them into a shallow, lined cookie pan. I have had a few overflow issues, so using a tray like this keeps the mess from burning to my oven. Lining the tray means I don't have to try and scrape off the nasty burnt egg stuff. In general, I can fit two shells to a cookie tray.

First in are the vegetables-onion, greens and chopped mushrooms. then the ham and cheese. Depending on who is at dinner will determine how many quiche get ham. Usually at least one for my omnivores. Then doing my absolute best at being careful and fair, I pour the egg mixture into the filled shells. I give the filled quiche a gentle shake to make sure the egg mixture goes all the way to the bottom. If I have leftover filling, I make an omelet. If I see I need more filling, I mix an egg and a T of milk to top up the less full one.

Carefully, so as not to spill the quiche, I put them in the oven. I use the middle racks, and do two up, one down. I close the oven and set the timer for thirty minutes. When my timer dings, I check for doneness with a knife. The cheese may melt to it, but it shouldn't be goopy and jiggly. Think of a nice soft omelet; like that, fluffy not tough; moist not dry. Take it out and let it finish setting.

The beauty of quiche is all the different temperatures it can be served at, making it perfect for dinner, lunch, breakfast and brunch, or for those days when getting the kids to the table takes forever.

Fillings I have used instead of kale:
leftover roasted vegetables
broccoli
cauliflower
asparagus
odds of frozen vegetable medley bags
corn
bell peppers
leftover sweet potato and parsnips

bd's favourite potatoes

Every week, we get a delivery from Bryson's Organic Farm in Shawville. We've signed up for a two person basket, even though there are five of us, because we like to ease the children into new things. According to research I've read, it can take up to 20 tastes of a food before a child will tolerate the flavour of a new food on a regular basis. Kale took us a year and a bit. We are still working on cooked zuccini.

Anyway, we only get a two person portion of potatoes every week, so I save up the potatoes and we try to have this every two weeks or so...

8 medium potatoes, coarse chopped
2 largish onions, quartered
1 T safflower oil
1 T olive oil
5 grinds of the salt mill (1/2 t?)
2 grinds of the pepper mill (1/8 t?)
1/2 t dried basil leaves


I don't usually peel my potatoes, just cut out the yucky bits and green spots. It is an advantage to organic produce.

Once I've chopped the potatoes and onions, I put them in my round roasting pan with the lid. You know, the black enameled kind your grandmother probably used? That kind.

I rinse the veggies with cold water, in the pot, so there is a bit of water left on them, but they aren't sopping wet, then add everything else and stir it up.

I start up the BBQ and put it off heat. For those who don't know, that means I put it on the side that doesn't have the burners on, creating a bit of convection and reducing the chances that the bottom will burn before the potatoes are cooked.

The length of cooking time will vary, depending on the type and size of the potatoes, the ability of the Q you have and what else is on the grill. I generally leave it on for about an hour, shaking the pot and checking them every twenty minutes or so. They tend to caramelize nicely.

stuffed shells

On the weekend, I cooked to celebrate some family birthdays. My mother very kindly hosted, which made the seating thing much easier as there were 15 of us. The shorter children sat in the summer kitchen(sunny mud room)(5 kids there) at the bar and the rest of us sat in the dining nook at the large square table. There are two who don't eat meat, three who don't eat squash, four who don't eat greens, several who said they don't like tofu and one who would eat only meat if you let her.

We had a pork roast, a buttercup and butternut squash mash, a steamed kale, chard and broccoli medley, herbed french bread, a tossed salad and

Stuffed Shells
1 box large pasta shells
500ml tub of soft plain tofu
500ml tub feta, crumbled
package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
250 ml jar of basil pesto
can of tomatoes


Boil noodles according to the directions on the box. I generally do set the timer for one minute less than the box says so that my noodles are firmer when I'm using them and don't go to mush when they are being baked. drain and rinse under cold water to stop them from cooking.

Combine tofu, feta, spinach and 1 cup mozzarella in a medium bowl.

Get out your favourite 2 quart casserole dish or baking pan.

Using a blender, combine tomatoes and pesto until smooth. pour a bit (1/3 of a cup or so)onto the bottom of your dish and spread it around so your shells won't stick when you start putting them in.

Using a tablespoon, scoop a generous amount of tofu feta spinach mix into each shell. Place them filling side up in your casserole dish.

When your shells are all full and arranged attractively, pour out some of the blended sauce ontop of the stuffed shells. You don't want your noodles swimming in sauce or they'll overcook and but you need to have them covered enough that the tips won't burn, so about half covered, making sure you pour it over the points of the shells, if that makes any sense. It is quite all right to have sauce left over. If you have to reheat for any reason, the extra sauce will come in handy, also useful if you are going to be freezing some stuffed shells for later. the sauce will help the reheating process.

Sprinkle remaining shredded mozzarella over prepared shells.

Cover with foil or lid. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, remove cover and bake ten more minutes to brown the cheese. Remove from oven and let rest for ten minutes or so. This step helps set the cheese and gives it time to maybe not burn the roof of your mouth when you serve it:)

It seemed to be greatly enjoyed and we had very, very few leftovers. A bit of squash and a few stems of greens and three slices of bread and some salad.

meatball soup

Usually, when I think meatball soup, I think of Italian Wedding soup. I really don't like Italian Wedding soup, but my three children LOOOVE it. I can't stand the smell of it. It actually triggers a gag reflex. Not good.
This Friday, I invited a friend over and said I'd make lunch. Soup is fast and easy. I went to grab my go-to bag of frozen broccoli and cauliflower and well, there wasn't quite enough. So...

1 c froz broccoli/cauliflower
3 c froz mixed vegetables(peas, carrots, corn, lima beans and green beans)(the inexpensive ones)
2 onions chopped
2 c sodium reduced chicken broth

2 c leftover burrito stuffing
1 c salsa
1 1/2 c frozen mini meatballs

I brought the first 4 ingredients to a boil, simmered for I think about 8 minutes. Then, I used my friend the immersion blender to buzz through the soup. I pulsed the soup instead of fully blending it, as I wanted to see pieces of the vegetables I was eating. Also for the eye appeal-green veggies plus orange veggies blended make brown soup. Brown soup is not very appetizing(unless it is a french onion soup mmmmm).

I added the next three ingredients and heated thoroughly. The burrito mixture of beans meat and spices added some thickening to the soup, the salsa added a bit of spice and colour and the meatballs a bit more spice and eye interest.

We eat with our eyes, and this was interesting to look at. The different reds of tomato and kidney beans, carrot orange, the different greens in the peas, salsa peppers and green beans and the shape of the meatballs meant each mouthful was beautiful.

An awesome soup for warming up.

menu planning hiccup

So I had the week all planned out, then...BG got sick. The kind of sick where the thought of food is triggering gag reflexes. Also, the kind of sick where she spends most of her time in arms nursing, trying to replace lost fluids. Also found out that the vegetarian inlaws were coming over for dinner on Saturday, the day I had planned to have chicken and rice bake so...
amended menu plan

Tuesday, store bought rotisserie chicken with squash, broccoli and biscuits (veggies prepared at home)

Wednesday, chili (not the cabbage roll casserole)

Saturday, cabbage roll casserole, the veg'n kind with TVP, barley and lentils. It sounds odd but it is just as yummy as can be. First time I made it this way, DH didn't even realize there was no meat!

Oh, and to clear up... once the cards have been chosen for the week, I get to decide which meal gets eaten when, it's not a first card=Monday kind of thing. Gives me better control over when to shop and when to plan for leftovers.

OH yeah, there were actually 30 meal cards that we came up with. I may make up a few to cue me to go to a recipe book and get something new. I also included breakfast for dinner cards like pancakes and quiche, and things like sandwiches that can be part of a healthy diet.

menu planning

I sometimes have a hard time coming up with something yummy for dinner. I know menu planning can make it easier. I have read this many times, in many different places. I have come up with a plan. I'm not sure how well it is going to work, but I'm willing to try.

step 1) get out the blank recipe cards. I have many of them in many different colours because I am a pack rat.

step 2) write out the names of all mains on the top of the card, not bothering with ingredients. Include two "get out of the kitchen free" cards so dinner out is planned and I have something to look forward to. Maybe use different colour for things like main salads for summer months.

step 3) get DH to go through the cards to see if I've missed any favourites or if there are any doubles.

step 4) shuffle cards and put them away until Sunday when I turn the page in my calendar/planner book

step 5) randomly pull out 7 cards to write them into the book, organize them as they match up with planned events-quick meals on busy days, favourite meals on special days.

step 6) verify that I have the ingredients. These are my favourite, regular meals, so I usually have the things I need at hand. Put the ones I don't have on the grocery list. Move the meals that need something to later in the week so I will have a chance to get to the store.

We'll see how this works. Luckily, I have two other tools to fall back on. One is a calendar from http://nicelynourished.com/ and the other is a cook book with complete recipes for the evening meal (includes desserts!) by Penny E. Stone called 365 Quick, Easy & Inexpensive Dinner Menus.

This week's menu...
Monday Chicken Noodle casserole (lots of veggies hiding in there)
Tuesday Chili (still ruminating on its depth and tones-TexMex? Curried?) biscuits
Wednesday Cabbage Roll Casserole mmmm cabbage. with meat or without?
Thursday (DD's #4 Bday!!!) Chick Pea Curry. It's her birthday. She gets meat. and kale
Friday Burritos. This is a tradition in our house. crudites
Saturday Baked Chicken and Barley in mushroom soup. a lazy day kind of meal. corn? broccoli?
Sunday Lasagna. eggplant or noodles? cottage cheese or ricotta? meat or veg'?

Let me know if there is a recipe you would like and I'll make sure it gets on here.

lasagna

We had friends over for dinner the other night. I thought I'd make pasta. I like pasta. Almost as much as I like cabbage, but I generally won't sunject friends to that! I had lots of time and it was a nice day, so got a bit creative...

1 eggplant, cubed
2 onions, sliced
6 small beets, diced
5 small carrots, chopped
2 T olive oil

350 g tub of quark
2 t pesto
1/2 c shredded marble cheese
1/4 c romano
2 eggs

tin of sauce (I was feeling lazy)
box of lasagna noodles

1/2 c grated cheese

I combined the first 5 ingredients in my big roasting pan, covered it and put it in the oven at 400*F for 50 minutes.

Boil the water for the pasta. I use the kind that needs to be boiled as I find the ready to use stuff gets pasty if the consistency of your sauce isn't perfect. I get annoyed when that happens. The boil yourself noodles are a lot more forgiving. slightly more work but worth it.

Combine the next group of ingredients. Usually I use cottage cheese, but I made the mistake of looking on the ingredients list and couldn't make myself buy it this time. The quark had ingredients I could pronounce and find in my kitchen.

In my beautiful 9x13 red ceramic casserole dish I layered
sauce
noodles
cheese mixture
noodles
vegetables
noodles
cheese mixture
noodles
sauce
noodles
vegetables
noodles
sauce
grated cheese

I put a few toothpicks through the centre line to hold up the tin foil, put tin foil on to cover it and put it in the oven for 1/5 hours at 350*F. Took the foil off for the last 10 minutes to brown the cheese.

If I make this again, I would probably mix the veg in the sauce and use more cheese as a binding agent.
It was delicious nonetheless!

burritos

We have declared that Friday night is taco/burrito night. We tried sandwiches for a while, but for some reason, the cost of that went throught the roof. Everyone wanted their own fillings and well, there was just too much detail. This is a home, not a restaurant! We have a standard recipe that gets used for both tacos and burritos. When I'm feeling cheap or running behind, it is meat free. And well, Friday is supposed to be meat free anyway.

1-2 T vegetable oil
1 lb of lean ground meat, if using
1/2 c TVP with 1 cup veg broth if not using meat and your dinner companions like to think they are eating meat.
1 can kidney beans, drained andvrinsed
1 can lentils, drained and rinsed
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 chopped onions
1-2 cloves garlic minced/chopped whatever your preference, really
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t chili powder
1/2 t basil
1 cup salsa

In large frying pan, heat oil, brown onions, garlic and meat if using. If using TVP, wait until onions are browned, then add in TVP.

Add spices, cook till you can actually smell the spices in the steam.

Add beans and salsa. If it is not moist and looks kind of dry and in danger of burning, add more salsa/veg broth/v8/tomato juice, whatever you have handy.

Because your spices have cooked into the base, you can actually adjust your spices at this point. Me, I usually add more cumin, as I LOVE cumin.

Cover and simmer while you set the table, heat your shells or wraps, put out the grated chees, guacamole, sprouts, lettuce, a favourite hot sauce, yogurt....

We usually scoop the filling into a nice bowl and bring it to the table to serve out.

This usually makes 2 for me, 5 for B, 3 for DS, 2 for DD and one for BG, with some left over for a lunch in the next week.

chick pea curry

Tonight, B and I are going to donate blood and we're leaving the kids with my BIL, a vegetarian. My two BIL's come over fairly frequently, at least every two weeks and neither one eats animal flesh. As a matter of course, I serve meatless meals every few days anyway, but their visits really force me to think about a balanced meal.

Tonight, it is chick pea curry with barley/rice pilaf. Thanks to the wonders of
http://www.brysonfarms.com/ I get all this awesome produce I have to throw in it. Tonight's curry

1/2 t cumin
1/2 t curry
1/4 t turmeric
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t dried basil
4 T olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots diced
2 sweet potatoes, diced
1 bok choi chopped
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped
1 small bag fresh mushrooms, chopped
4 cans chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 can mushroom soup
1/3 can left over spaghetti sauce

in large pot on med heat, pour oil and add spices. let cook a minute or two, till really fragrant
add onions. cook till half way soft
add carrots. cook until med soft
add sweet potato. let cook three minutes
add rest of ingredients, stir somewhat vigorously-not so hard you mush the vegetables.
cover and simmer till veg are soft.

delicious

morning oatmeal

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. B makes fun of my morning ritual of oatmeal making, but I really like it.

My Oatmeal in the morning

100ml of oatmeal -I have a measuring cup in the oatmeal tub, it's the only way I can be somewhat consistant with my portion sizes. It's the takes ten minutes to cook style.
1 T pumpkin seeds
1/2 t flaxseeds
1 t sunflower seeds
1 T dried cranberries
1/2 t cinnamon
2-3 T organic Meadows 2% yogurt

Boil water in kettle,
Combine oatmeal, cranberries and seeds in microwaveable cereal bowl.
Add enough water to cover.
Stir and nuke for 3.33min at 60% power. I know odd level and timing, but it's the only one that'll cook it just right without overflowing the bowl and spewing all over the microwave. That annoys me to no end.
Remove from microwave.
Add cinnamon and yogurt.
Stir and eat.

It's a party in your mouth-crunchy, chewy and smooth all at the same time.

un-cream of caulifower

When I go to the grocery store, I like to check out the remaindered vegetables. If there is something there that's a bit spotty or less than perfect, and discounted by 50%, and I can use it in a soup, I'll usually talk myself into buying it. I like the cruciferous vegetables, especially broccoli and cauliflower for this. For whatever reason, I won't spend full price to make a soup out of a vegetable, even though I won't have to work as hard for it.

Anyway, cauliflower was in the stack at the RCSS. Two for the price of one! A few brown spots, but otherwaise in fair condition. Not too wilted or slimy. I bought them both. I brought them home and promptly forgot about them for a week. They were still good a few days after that. Whew.

It was lunchtime on a schoolday, which means there was only me, H and K. H wanted noodles. I can do that. In the time it took the noodles to cook I made soup(ish).

1 head of cauliflower, sliced thinly
2-3 cups of water
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 T dried onions
2 T bulk Barn dried veg medley
1 T Vegeta ( I know, it has lots of salt, but if this is all I put in, that's not bad)
2 T whole wheat flour

In a big pot, covered, bring water and cauliflower to a boil on med-high
Add everything else but the flour. cover and let boil for about two minutes, maybe three.
Remove from heat.
Use handy dandy immersion blender and blend the soup to a fine puree. It will be kind of thick-thin, a thick layer of veg, a thin layer of water.
Add the flour and blend again.
Return to burner on med-low. Give it a minute or two to thicken and serve.

Really. That's all it was. I started the water for the noodles and the soup at the same time. The soup was done before the noodles were. OK the noodles were whole wheat alphabets, but still. H and K each had a bowl of veg before they got their noodles and sauce(more soup).

cabbage

MMMM. I like cabbage. raw, cooked doesn't matter. It's just sooo yummy. It also makes you toot! How can you go wrong?!?
I have a few favourite cabbage recipes, but if I don't write down last night's it'll fall out of my head and I may forget how I made it. That would be sad as B liked it enough to take it as leftovers today. That's a rarity. B does not like cabbage as much as I do, but then again, can anybody?

1/2 shredded green cabbage
8 cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 T veg oil
1 T cornstarch
1 T rice vinegar
1 t honey
1-2 T dark mushroom soy sauce
1 glug fish sauce
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4? 1/2? c water

heat oil in skillet. I always start my cooking on medium and adjust from there. Sometimes pots distribute the heat differently, just to annoy me, I think.
I used my cast iron because I worry about how much iron we get in our diet.
I added the cabbage and mushrooms, tossed it lightly to coat with oil and put the lid on for a few minutes to steam the cabbage a bit.
I wandered away, put away some playdo, came back, tossed the cabbage a bit more. It was wilting nicely but still not perfect. I couldn't smell it yet.
I took the ham out of the oven, mashed the potatoes(saving the water for my sourdough starter)
Oh, starting to smell a bit sticky, like it was thinking about burning, which is just about perfect, stir, stir, stir.
I mixed up the other stuff in a lidded jar and dumped it in, stir, stir, stir. The first addition was too thick when the heat hit it, so I added more water. Had I had it, I would have used veg stock to round out the flavour, but I didn't. maybe next time.
I put the lid back on, reduced heat to low and let the starch cook down, about 3 minutes I think. stirring about once a minute.

the beginning

A dear friend has recommended that I begin keeping track of our family's cuisine. Some days we eat better than others. Some days I wonder what the heck I was thinking. Some days are better than others.

Yesterday for lunch we had a, well, food?
box of ww rotini cooked and drained.
can of cream of celery soup
can of water
6? 7? pieces of leftover breaded cod. It didn't brown well and was kind of dried out and overcooked.
scoop of grated parmesan
squirt of vidalia onion salad dressing that no-one really liked.
a few twists of the pepper mill
a dash or two of garlic powder.

I mashed up the fish, added the soup and stirred til smooth, added the water and everything else till it was a nice texture, then dumped the hot noodles on top. I stirred til the cheese was looking melted, served in bowls with salad on the side. It was yummy.