When I was growing up, I remember my mom spending one entire weekend day each week in the kitchen. She loved to cook and she made everything from scratch, including all of our bread. She was also a single mom to me & my sister and we didn't have a lot of money. At one point in my childhood she held down 3 jobs. I imagine that part of the reason for the weekly cooking fest was related to necessity - there was no time to cook during the week. We lived in North Dakota and the weather was brutal at times, so we always had a deep freeze stocked with plenty of food for when a blizzard struck. These memories have stayed with me and to this day I always have a fully stocked pantry.
So when talk of a blizzard started yesterday, I could feel the kitchen itch coming on. It's hard to spend the day cooking the way I used to, but Silas & Zoe were very cooperative today. Now that Silas is walking, the two of them have so much fun playing bumper cars with their push toys and toodling all over the house! As I write this, the kids are fast asleep and I am getting together Spaghetti Pie for dinner and listening to my favorite winter album, December.
Earlier today I cooked S&Z a frittata. This has become a lunchtime staple for us - both Derek & I make them and we each put our own spin on it, depending on what we have on hand. We typically use 4 eggs and this turns into the lunch main course for 3-4 meals.
S&Z's Favorite Frittata
4 large eggs
A handful of frozen chopped spinach
A handful of chopped onion (I always have frozen chopped onion on hand)
A handful of chopped peppers (we use Trader Joe's tri-color frozen peppers)
A handful of shredded cheese of choice
Salt and pepper
1 T. Olive oil
Pureed cauliflower (optional). More on this below.
1. Adjust oven rack to top position and heat broiler. Whisk eggs, pureed cauliflower if available, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper in large bowl.
2. Heat 1 T. olive oil in large ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add spinach, peppers and onion and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add egg mixture and cook, stirring with rubber spatula, until large curds form but eggs are still very wet, about 2 minutes. Shake skillet to distribute eggs evenly and cook, without stirring, until bottom is set, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top.
3. Broil until surface is spotty brown, 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Flip frittata over onto cutting board and cut into 1" pieces for the enjoyment of little fingers. Let cool before serving.
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Later in the afternoon I made what are essentially tuna burgers. This recipe started out from Paula Deen's Salmon Croquettes, and has morphed over time.
Salmon/Tuna Patties
1 can tuna or salmon (we use Trader Joe's), drained
Handful of shredded carrot or zucchini
1 egg, beaten
2 green onions, finely chopped
3 T. grape nuts (or breadcrumbs), finely ground in a spice grinder
1 T. olive oil or vegetable oil
In a large bowl, mix together salmon/tuna, green onions, shredded veg, beaten egg, and grape nuts or breadcrumbs. I use ground up grape nuts instead of breadcrumbs or crackers to get an extra pack of iron; I add finely shredded vegetables to everything imaginable (Zoe is showing the initial signs of pickiness). Zucchini adds some moistness, so this is my veg of choice for recipes like this. Form into patties. I often refrigerate for 20 minutes or stick in the freezer for 5-10 minutes in order to set before cooking. Heat oil in a skillet and cook the patties until golden brown on each side.
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I allude to one kid trick in each recipe. In the frittata recipe we add pureed cauliflower. This is a general theme in the awesome cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld. The other trick is adding finely shredded vegetables to anything and everything. I use zucchini and/or carrots in the salmon burgers, and I do the same for turkey burgers. This is one way to know that there is a veg being eaten, in the event that the straight up side of broccoli or peas is being refused :)
-----------------
Roasted Potatoes
This is great finger food so I roast up veggies every week. Today it was simple,
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1" dice
2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1" dice
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, drizzle potatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast vegetables for ~ 35-45 minutes, until they can be easily pierced. Let cool and serve.
-----------------
The spaghetti pie is out of the oven and I'm exhausted - all this food thought is making me hungry!
Note, 12/29/10
S&Z LOVED the spaghetti pie, here's the proof!
So when talk of a blizzard started yesterday, I could feel the kitchen itch coming on. It's hard to spend the day cooking the way I used to, but Silas & Zoe were very cooperative today. Now that Silas is walking, the two of them have so much fun playing bumper cars with their push toys and toodling all over the house! As I write this, the kids are fast asleep and I am getting together Spaghetti Pie for dinner and listening to my favorite winter album, December.
Earlier today I cooked S&Z a frittata. This has become a lunchtime staple for us - both Derek & I make them and we each put our own spin on it, depending on what we have on hand. We typically use 4 eggs and this turns into the lunch main course for 3-4 meals.
S&Z's Favorite Frittata
4 large eggs
A handful of frozen chopped spinach
A handful of chopped onion (I always have frozen chopped onion on hand)
A handful of chopped peppers (we use Trader Joe's tri-color frozen peppers)
A handful of shredded cheese of choice
Salt and pepper
1 T. Olive oil
Pureed cauliflower (optional). More on this below.
1. Adjust oven rack to top position and heat broiler. Whisk eggs, pureed cauliflower if available, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper in large bowl.
2. Heat 1 T. olive oil in large ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add spinach, peppers and onion and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add egg mixture and cook, stirring with rubber spatula, until large curds form but eggs are still very wet, about 2 minutes. Shake skillet to distribute eggs evenly and cook, without stirring, until bottom is set, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top.
3. Broil until surface is spotty brown, 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Flip frittata over onto cutting board and cut into 1" pieces for the enjoyment of little fingers. Let cool before serving.
-----------------
Later in the afternoon I made what are essentially tuna burgers. This recipe started out from Paula Deen's Salmon Croquettes, and has morphed over time.
Salmon/Tuna Patties
1 can tuna or salmon (we use Trader Joe's), drained
Handful of shredded carrot or zucchini
1 egg, beaten
2 green onions, finely chopped
3 T. grape nuts (or breadcrumbs), finely ground in a spice grinder
1 T. olive oil or vegetable oil
In a large bowl, mix together salmon/tuna, green onions, shredded veg, beaten egg, and grape nuts or breadcrumbs. I use ground up grape nuts instead of breadcrumbs or crackers to get an extra pack of iron; I add finely shredded vegetables to everything imaginable (Zoe is showing the initial signs of pickiness). Zucchini adds some moistness, so this is my veg of choice for recipes like this. Form into patties. I often refrigerate for 20 minutes or stick in the freezer for 5-10 minutes in order to set before cooking. Heat oil in a skillet and cook the patties until golden brown on each side.
-----------------
I allude to one kid trick in each recipe. In the frittata recipe we add pureed cauliflower. This is a general theme in the awesome cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld. The other trick is adding finely shredded vegetables to anything and everything. I use zucchini and/or carrots in the salmon burgers, and I do the same for turkey burgers. This is one way to know that there is a veg being eaten, in the event that the straight up side of broccoli or peas is being refused :)
-----------------
Roasted Potatoes
This is great finger food so I roast up veggies every week. Today it was simple,
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1" dice
2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1" dice
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, drizzle potatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast vegetables for ~ 35-45 minutes, until they can be easily pierced. Let cool and serve.
-----------------
The spaghetti pie is out of the oven and I'm exhausted - all this food thought is making me hungry!
Note, 12/29/10
S&Z LOVED the spaghetti pie, here's the proof!
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