Roasted Vegetable Primavera

I just ran across a new vegetarian recipe in a book my mom sent me that is awesome and easy. I thought you ladies might want to try it on the family so here it is.

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2" pieces
3 carrots, sliced into coins
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 red and 1 green pepper, cut into 1/2" pieces
4 roma tomatoes cut in half
1 large container of mushrooms, cut in half
(sweet potatoes and broccoli might be good, just use what you like and have on hand if need be)

Put them all on a shallow baking dish and toss with olive oil, seasoned salt and any kind of mixed herb bled you might have. A little oregano and rosemary would do too.

Roast at 400 for 1 hour, turning and mixing a few times. Turn the broiler on for the last few minutes to brown things up.

Take the tomatoes, pull off the skins and put in a blender with 1/4 cp olive oil, 1/4 cp raspberry vinegar (or you can just use that Brieanne's dressing which is what I did), 2 tsp mustard, salt and pepper and puree it.

Toss the veggies with prepared fettuccine noodles and pour the sauce over top. Stir to combine and garnish with parsley if you have it. WALA! SO easy, SO seasonal, and pretty darn healthy!

Simple Weekend Treats

We made mini cinnamon rolls last weekend. They kids did them completely by themselves and were so proud. Try them with your little guys, they are easy peasy!




Mini Cinnamon Rolls

• Crescent Rolls
• Butter 
• Cinnamon
• Sugar
• Maple Syrup
• Powdered Sugar

Unroll the Crescent rolls and pinch together all of the seams. Brush melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll them up starting at the long end. Slice and put them sideways into a mini muffin pan. Bake as directed on the package maybe for just 8-10 min.  Cut in 2 Tbsp butter into 1 cup powdered sugar, add about 3 tbsp maple syrup and then milk to make it smooth. Spread the icing over top while they are still warm. Walla!

Veggie Recipe!

I was looking last week for non-dairy/ vegetarian recipe ideas. No we aren't vegan. We just eat free-range (which is expensive) and we are cutting dairy (because we think Aeneas might be allergic). AND I am getting tired of my recipes and am ready to purge my collection and start trying some new things. This week I started with this recipe and then adapted it for what suited my tastes and the crisper drawer. Here is what I came up with.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• Bring the broth and quinoa to a boil, cover and simmer until water is absorbed.

1 cup frozen corn

Simmer in water until done. Drain.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 3 cups black beans, rinsed and drained
• Heat the oil in a saucepan adding the onions first, then the garlic and zucchini. Saute until tender. Add the beans, corn and quinoa. 

Season with:

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 
  
• Garnish with:
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Chopped avocado
• lime juice squeeze

Serve over tortilla chips...or wrap with lettuce in a tortilla, or serve over salad with crumbled chips and jap-ranch dressing or make a quesadilla with it as the filling. So good and a nice healthy leftover for Mama for the next few days!

The straight "poop" on poop! Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Well that is what our Doctor friend Kip Boyd told me on the phone the other day. I know so many of our little guys are struggling with the big "C" these days. I know because I have spent enough time with all of them to experience it first hand. I've complained about it enough to our pediatrician that she has finally talked me in to trying a no Dairy/ no Soy diet on Aeneas to see what happens. Yeah, we've tried the Metamucil and we've tried the MiraLAX as well. But both have been hard to hone the dosage (which refers to my remembering to give it as well as the amount) without the risk of stomach aches. As a baby we actually switched him to Goat's milk for a time and even though I don't recall exactly, she says in his chart that I reported that it seemed to make a difference.

Ugh! Milk?!? Really? And with that goes cheese and butter? and since we are almost vegetarian, there goes tofu, soy sauce and edamame!!! We go through 3 gallons of milk a week almost! And our favorite snack is cheese! Impossible. What the heck are we supposed to eat? But it was only for 3 weeks and then we will start introducing foods back into the diet. Justin and I have both grumbled that we hope it doesn't work. Well something has. And now I'm hoping it's not the milk or the soy at all but that the cheese is the culprit. That we could deal with I think. We will see.

Dr. Boyd has sent me some really good information on the topic that sheds some light onto the subject. And I've received some info from my doctor about the nutritional aspects of Cow's milk and dairy in general and how to get it in other places. So if you are interested, leave me a comment and I will forward them both to you. It might be worth a try. Not that only cheese is the culprit for us, but maybe trying the cheese alone could make a big difference in the lives of your little guys.

On this little adventure, I have found that coconut milk in the can adds some really good flavor and isn't a bad substitute to butter and milk for things like cookies, oatmeal and pancakes. Here is a modified recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies that doesn't use butter, margarine or even shortening. This isn't exactly low fat but I bet it cuts the saturated fat content of the traditional cookie in half. So give it a try!



No Dairy Peanut Butter Cookies
1/2 cp peanut butter
1/4 cp almond butter (or some other nut butter)
1/4 cp coconut milk
1/2 cp white sugar
1/2 cp brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cp flour
granulated sugar

Cream nut butters and milk, add sugar, sprinkle in the soda and powder. Add egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour. Scoop dough, roll into balls and then into sugar. Put on baking sheet and press with a fork. Bake at 350 for about 10 min.

Ossie Mae and Chicken and Dumplings to die for!

Not many people can say they were blessed to grow up with all four of their grandparents, much less any great-grandparents however my family has been an exception to the rule. I was so lucky to have spent lots of time with both sets of my grandparents and especially blessed to spend so much time with my Great Grandmother, Big Mama, too. All but 1 of the 5 lived long enough to even meet my own kids if you can believe it. Big Mama was our lifeguard at the pool, and my bed partner all of my childhood. (I was a kicker so I'm not sure she liked that arrangement when she came to visit) but I was sure she had chosen me! And she could crack the whip on behavior like anyone.

She was happy to let us skip naps but it meant watching her "stories" with her. Most of us grands and great-grands decided naps weren't that bad after all! Watching stories was a deal breaker of the highest order and we could think of nothing more mundane. Staring at the black of the inside of our eyelids was entertaining under the circumstances! Our favorite family foods that came from her were her delicious Fried Apple Pies and Chicken and Dumplings. I am realizing that these old family favorites that my generation found as a delicacy, were merely a way for a family to survive during the tough times of the depression back in their day. Grandma McBrayer's "Lumpy Soup" was made with what they had on the farm in abundance, eggs, milk and flour. Chicken and dumplings wasn't much different. It was made with a whole chicken, boiled and picked to the bones, water and flour.

Growing up on a cotton plantation, I have heard how sad my great great grandfather was to have Ossie married off. Said he was losing his best cotton picker. They lived through some slim times, like everyone of that era.

Top: Ossie Mae in her 20's. Bottom: Big Mama on the right (clockwise) Aunt Barbara, Betty (my grandmother we called Nana), Grand (whom I never got to meet) and Uncle Jack.

I still remember the phone call like it was yesterday when I was old enough to take down the recipe for Chicken 'n Dumplin's. I remember making sure I had a pen and paper to write down the measurements. Here is how the explanation went:

"You take some flour, in a bowl, add a little bit of salt and then start addin' water, doin' yer hand around to mix it 'til it looks right. Then you roll it out to the right thickness, cut 'em in strips and drop them in your chicken broth while it's boilin'. They only need to cook a few minutes 'til they done, you know."

Needless to say I never wrote anything down. So it must be in my blood. I can make some mean Chickin' 'n Dumplin's! Here's how. 

Get a whole chicken and cut it into it's pieces. Boil until cooked through. Pull out the chicken pieces, allow to cool and then pick all of the meat and chop. Freeze half of it since you really only need half of it for the soup. Allow the broth to cool and then separate the fat off the top, strain and return to a big pot. I throw in chopped celery, onions and carrots or whatever I have on hand even though Big Mama's never had any of the extras. Simmer the soup while you make the dumplings.

Take about a cup of flour, add salt and pepper and mix it together really well. Run the water "doin" your hand around until you get a soft dough that's not too sticky. 

In the good old days, Big Mama would roll the dumplings out with a rolling pin. There came a time when the family told her she would throw her back out rolling them out and would no longer allow her to do it. At the time I rolled my eyes thinking they should let the poor old lady roll her dumplings if she wants to! It only took me once to realize they were right! It could throw out your back, your neck and everything if the dough isn't soft enough. So I cheat and run batches of it through my pasta maker until it's smooth and thin enough, roughly 1/4" to 1/8" thick.

Cut the dough into strips (place them between wax paper and put in the freezer keeping everything dusted with flour to prevent sticking while you are working on the other batches.) When they are all ready and your veggies are soft, you can drop them into your simmering soup. Allow them to cook for about 5 minutes and that's it!

If you ever had Big Mama's "Chickin' 'n Dumplin's", then do yourself a favor and make these for your family and pass along a long standing tradition of good ol home cookin' at it's finest! You won't be disappointed and there is no doubt you will curl up with your bowl and not only relish in the sweet culinary reminder of the past generation but remember the extraordinary woman that chose to share her legacy with us. 

Now to dig that Fried Apple Pie recipe out of one of the family members...

Bird Food for Dinner

Justin has always called me crunchy granola. And I would agree that yes, I have those tendencies. I wear a lot of 2nd hand clothes (nice looking ones), I don chacos most every day it is above 50 degrees outside (because they give my feet freedom), gave natural birth to both my kids (although begged for an epidural and was denied on account of the speed of things), nursed them to close to a year (promising that once they could call it by name they were through), ride my bike as much as I can to do errands and I serve the family mostly vegetarian meals (because free range is expensive and we still have to eat).

However, I don't live in a commune, I don't have a garden, I take a shower most every day even and I don't (thank goodness) wear patchouli oil fragrance. Therefore I only count myself as having tendencies and not a card carrying member.

The other night I made dinner and as I was taking the plates to the table I realized I had gone way too far. Off the deep end. Colorado is wearing off on me!

Here is what we had:

Vegetarian Beet and Millet Burgers

Sweet Potato Fries

Broccoli Slaw

I always thought that once you started eating bird seed, it was all over from there on out. I made BEET and MILLET veggie burgers. And totally LIKED it!

I won't pretend that any of you will actually want this recipe, but if you decide you are brave enough to try something totally out there and completely granola, shoot me an email and I will gladly share it.

Lumpy Soup

There is something about the recipes and food that our parents and grandparents grew up on that has always fascinated me. A few generations before us, the majority of people were still living on farms and working the land. And although I never met Justin's grandparents, the stories of them are endless at the gatherings of family over holidays and vacations. But both with my own great-grandparents growing up in rural Georgia and Justin's South Dakota grandparents, there were so many things that were similar.

It was natural to feed your family with what you had, what you grew, and what you could harvest off of your own land. And with 9 kids, like in the McBrayer family, there were always hungry mouths to feed and little to go around. So for them, lumpy soup was the staple. You could use what you had on the farm and make an enormous batch to feed a crowd. 

I poked around the family looking for pictures and the recipe for this "delicacy" so that we could share with the boys (and you!) what their families in past generations grew up eating. And just like you might imagine, there isn't a recipe. It's the thing you learn leaning over someone's shoulder in the kitchen. There's a lot of  talk that goes like this: Well you use some of this, a handful or two of that and then add water until it looks about right. Well if you weren't there it's difficult to figure that out so I did my best. Here's what I figured out for lumpy soup in case any of you were dying to try it for old times sake.

Grandma (Jeanette) McBrayer

So here is what you will need. Four, eggs, milk and salt! To feed four people I figured you would need the following:

4 cups of milk

1 cup of flour

1 egg

salt to taste.

Add the salt to the milk and warm it on the stove without scalding it. Throw a cup of flour and an egg into a bowl and mix it together to make lumps. Adding more flour until you get something that looks like what you see in the picture. (I broke the lumps out as dime sized pieces and then tossed them in more flour so they wouldn't stick together.)

Then, with the milk close to boiling, drop the lumps into the soup. Let it cook for 5-10 min. 

 
What would go better with lumpy soup than some biscuits (more flour and milk!) cut with one of Grandma McBrayer's actual biscuit cutters (one of my most treasured kitchen tools) that Aunt Peggy gave me as a wedding gift?!?

There you have it! The Boys loved it. What little kid wouldn't? Stay tuned, the next post will be about my Great-Grandmother's Chicken and Dumplings! Another old time favorite.

Old Fashioned Simplicity

My great-grand mother, Ossie Mae Snellgrove, whom we referred to as "Big Mama," was known far and wide for her pound cakes. I grew up with pound cakes cooling on the kitchen counter of both Big Mama and my Grandmother, Nana's kitchen my whole life. It's by far my favorite cake in all the world. And although I have been baking my own delicious versions of the family staple, I only recently took the time to realize just how easy they are to make. When I see all the packaged cakes and cookies in the stores I honestly don't understand why anyone would bother when it's not that difficult to make something so simply delicious and beautiful from scratch. It takes close to a pound of each of 6 ingredients that you most likely have on hand.  So here goes...

Take 3 sticks of butter and an 8 oz. block of cream cheese and cream in your mixer until well combined. Add 3 cups of sugar, mixing well after each addition. Crack 6 eggs into the running mixer and combine completely. Slowly add 3 cups of sifted flour and mix well. Add 2 tsp of vanilla. Scrape off the beater from your mixer with a spoon. Hand the beater to your kids to finish cleaning.

Scrape the batter into a greased and floured tube pan. (Or you can spray the pan with Baker's Joy. What an amazing invention!) Then lick the spoon if you can manage without your kids seeing you. Put it in a preheated oven (325 degrees) for roughly 1 1/2 hours checking after an hour to keep it from over baking.

Take it out of the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack. Serve it with berries, ice cream, chocolate sauce or just with a napkin and a glass of milk as you walk out the door. And never look back!

Harmony Bowls

Any time Crystal comes to visit we eventually end up talking food. She said that her friend Kara makes what's known as "harmony bowls." So I investigated a bit and found that there are entire restaurants dedicated to such a thing. Kara sent me the quick and dirty on creating them (I put them in here verbatim) and two dinners into it and the family is loving them. I also found that Kara is a ridiculously good cook so head over to her blog and search the tag food to see a whole host of delicious meal ideas.

You start with Tempeh but you could use 
tofu or chicken as a substitute.

Mexican Harmony Bowl

·         Tempeh – 1 package, sliced thin and sautéed in olive oil until browned, I cut it smaller for the kids after cooking it.

·         1 can black beans

·         Veggies of your choice – I normally slice up a red, yellow or orange bell pepper, add some thawed corn or even zucchini

·         Taco or enchilada sauce (salsa also works)

·         Brown or white rice

·         Cilantro

·         Avocado

·         Shredded cheese

Cook rice according to instructions. Heat the beans in their juices until warm and soft. Slice up your veggies and stir fry them a bit so they’re cooked but not soggy.

Grab 4 bowls, add the rice first, then the beans in a little of their juices, then the veggies, then the tempeh (make sure it’s still warm) – about 4-5 slices in each bowl.

Top with the fun stuff – cilantro, sauce, sliced avocado and cheese.

 

We had this one last night with a peanut sauce I made from scratch.

Stir Fry Harmony Bowl

·         Tempeh – 1 package, sliced thin and sautéed in olive oil until browned

·         1 can white beans

·         Veggies of your choice – I normally use broccoli, carrots, squash and zucchini

·         Brown rice

·         Asian peanut sauce or soy sauce

Same instructions as above (just a few less ingredients).

Peanut Sauce

·         1/4 cp peanut butter

·         3 Tbsp brown sugar

·         2 Tbsp rice vinegar

·         2 Tbsp soy sauce

·         1 Tbsp sesame oil

·         2 minced garlic cloves

·         1 tsp red pepper flakes

·         1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

Whisk it together (heating in the microwave will help it combine) and drizzle over your bowl.

Thank you Kara! You're the best!

\\

Dinner-time from the Kitchen of P-Diddles

Yep. You heard it ladies and gentleman. It's another month and it's time for the infamous chef to once again awe us with his insurmountable talent. With the menu this past weekend, we were graced with the following:

Spinach, Strawberry and Mandarin Orange Salad topped with Breanne's Poppyseed dressing.

 Sesame Teryaki glazed wild caught salmon

 Wild rice with pecans and dates

And for dessert we had a Magic Vanilla Puddling Cake where you dump syrup on the top of the batter before baking and it magically sinks to the bottom, mixing with the batter and results in a floating cake a top a sea of brown sugar pudding! Double yum!

Football and BBQ

Patrick chose BBQ ribs, white bread and coleslaw for his last Daddy and Son cooking lesson. And there's nothing that goes better with BBQ than some football. So it was one recent Sunday afternoon that we did just that. Of course we had to play in the snow, under the beautiful blue skies before we could possibly sit down to the TV. Thanks buddy for taking me back to the South! Maybe you can take a lesson or two from your Deda and Uncle Zeebee to learn to do some REAL BBQ one day. I will gladly buy you a smoker in return for it!

2 Nights of Dinner: Stuffed Poblanos

I was visiting a friend a few weeks ago and I watched her take last night's dinner, dump it into a blender, add some broth to it and serve it to me for lunch. It was some of the best soups I had ever had and she just whipped it out just like that. She said it was a recipe from Martha Stewart called Stuffed Poblano Peppers. It was so good, the kids scarfed it two nights ago when I served it over rice with a salad and then when I blended the leftovers in the blender for soup and cornbread the next night, they scarfed that too. Keep your eyes out for Poblanos and try it the next time you want something easy, quick and delicious, two days in a row! They are spicy but  mellow out when cooked to something the kids could handle. Justin said he would have liked a little more cheese but with just a cup in the recipe it makes it pretty healthy as it is. I didn't miss it and thought it was the perfect amount. Let me know if you like it.

REAL SIMPLE and delicious

Real Simple had a recipe a while back that was so good and easy I thought I should share it with you. After trying it a few times, I think I have sufficiently altered it enough to make it just right! Here is a link to the original if you are a purest or if you just want to see the picture of it. (The original had too much meat, and grease and not enough noodles in my opinion). It's a true 30 min meal! It would be really good with an Asian Cabbage Salad. Maybe I will post that next.

Thai Pork and Noodle Soup
1/2 lb ground pork 
(you can get free range from the natural food store for $5/lb, spice the other half for a pizza, soup or eggs for the next night!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2-4 scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1/2 lb shitake mushrooms, although button are cheaper and work jut fine
4 cups broth
1 Tbsp soy sauce
20 wonton wrappers, cut into 1/2" strips
2 Tbsp lime juice
Sliced red chili pepper or you can spice it up with Siracha, an Asian red chili paste
Cilantro

Brown the pork, breaking it up with a spoon. Once completely cooked, add the minced garlic, ginger and the whites of the onions. Cook 6-8 min


Add the mushrooms and 1/2 tsp salt, cook stirring for 2-3 min more.


Add the broth, soy sauce and 2 cups water to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the wontons one at a time, reduce the heat and simmer for another 2 min or so.


Add the lime juice.


Serve with the sliced chili peppers, cilantro and green onions.

Pantry Soup

We got back home from a week out of town for Zeb's wedding and just as usual, I'm faced with the whole "What's for Dinner" task. The pantry is empty so you use what you have. Here's a recipe for Marinara soup that I fond this week to be a lifesaver. Hannah, you're gonna love this one!

Easy Marinara Soup

1 chopped onion

3 large chopped carrots

1 crushed garlic clove

1 can Great Northern beans (or what ever you have) drained and rinsed

1 jar of marinara

2-4 cups of broth

1 cup of small sized pasta, shells, penne, macaroni, orchette. I used a combo.

Saute the onion, carrots and garlic in oil until soft, add the beans, marinara, broth and cooked pasta. Heat through. That's it! Whip up some of Nina's famous drop biscuits and you are all set.

Cheap. Fast. Vegetarian.

Redressed Chicken Salad

I don't buy chicken often but when I do it's typically for company and even then, I buy it whole and use every last scrap of it to make it worth while just like my great-grandmother did during the depression. A free range chicken here is about $12-14 so it makes sense to make use of as much of it as you can. With that being said, here's what we did with our feathered friend last night.

I quartered it, and boiled the breasts, the back and wings in water with some onion, black peppercorns and carrots. The thighs and legs, I put in a freezer bag to jerk on the grill another time.

I removed all the meat from the breasts, wings an back and chopped into 1/2" pieces. I boiled the broth another 20 min to reduce it some, chilled it, separated the broth from the fat and then froze for a yummy stew in the upcoming weeks.

The cubed chicken, I added to a bowl along with crisp steamed green beans cut to 1/2" pieces, slivered almonds, craisins, and shredded radishes.

I made a dressing from olive oil, wine vinegar, apricot jam and dijon mustard and tossed over the top. We served the salad on croissants with Arugala and Nina's famous baked tomatoes and it was delicious. It served 4 adults and 2 kids and we have the rest of the chicken in the freezer to contribute to two more meals down the road!

Come to find out, the recipe I used was something I scratched down on a note card forever ago, but after having Googled the recipe, I found that it came from Martha Stewart and I prepped it in a different way altogether. All that to say there are some other ways to serve this. So here is the link to the original recipe.

If you were to boil the chicken instead of sauteing it, and served it on something other than croissants, it actually makes for a pretty healthy dinner. Sorry I didn't manage a picture. I thought it might be awkward with company watching...

When Camping Food Meets the Dinner Table

Why is it that food on a camping trip always tastes gourmet but when at home you would never think to put it on your shopping list unless you were stocking your pantry for the end days or something of the sort? I said goodbye to Ramen and canned chicken 10 years ago when I walked across the stage to receive my college diploma. However, the stuff still tastes good in the woods for some reason.

Well, you can leave it to our friends, The McAlvanys to break the rule on camping food. They somehow manage to cook things on camping trips that when made in the comfort of your own home taste every bit as delicious and not surprisingly, gourmet.

David stokes the fire at Mineral Creek while Dashel looks on.

Depending on where you are making it, this recipe goes by two different names.

Hearty Camping Grits OR Gourmet Dinner Grits

• Cook grits as directed on container using half milk and half water for the liquid measurements.
• Crack two eggs, whisk them in a bowl and drop into the thickened grits while stirring quickly.
• Drop in a fistful of shredded cheese (cheddar, parmesean, etc.) and stir in completely.
• Drop in a fist full of sliced green onions allowing them to cook for a minute or so.

That's it! It's so good, we're planning to have these next week for dinner except I think I'll add a few sauteed shrimp on top. Breakfast, dinner, home or the woods. You'll love it.

One pot meals

Wow. We really eat a lot of veggie dishes these days. During the summer, I hate to be over the stove and since we are without a grill, I have to figure ways out of the kitchen. So one pot meals is one way to go. Here is a recipe that I tore out of the Cooking Light magazine while sitting in the Dr.s office one day. It's delicious, easy and pretty good for you. The kids scarfed it. Even Aeneas, who doesn't care for peas cleaned his plate. Check it out.

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr

Ingredients

• 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
• 3/4 cup frozen green peas
• 6 tablespoons grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• 1. Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan; keep warm over low heat.
• 2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add rice; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Stir in 1/2 cup broth; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes).
• 3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic and 1 teaspoon thyme; sauté 1 minute. Set aside.
• 4. Stir mushrooms, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, peas, 1/4 cup cheese, and pepper into risotto; cook 3 minutes. Spoon about 1 1/4 cups risotto into each of 4 bowls; sprinkle each with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese.

Laraine Perri, Cooking Light MARCH 2010

"I don't like Mac and Cheese anymore...

I just like popstickers all a time now!"

That's what Aeneas said after dinner tonight. I haven't made potstickers in a long time but they are so fun and delicious I thought I'd share the recipe. And they aren't that hard to make.

Make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate for an hour or so.

Fill the wonton wrappers, using water and a fork to seal.

Little precooked pockets of goodness.

The pockets get browned in oil, then steamed until the water evaporates.

Then they cook long enough to crisp up again. When you put them in the pan, flatten them down a bit so they stand upright in the pan.

Here's the recipe:

Asian Potstickers

1/2 lb ground pork (look for it in the natural foods store in the free range variety or substitute it with ground chicken or turkey, Merritt, if you like)

1/2 medium head of cabbage, finely chopped

2 green onions, finely chopped, green and white parts

4 sliced of fresh ginger root, minced

4 minced water chestnuts

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

14 oz pkg wonton wrappers

veg or olive oil to saute

3/4 cup water

Mix the above ingredients and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. Use about a tablespoon to fill each wrapper, fold over, seal with a little water and crimp with a fork. Keep them under a damp towel so they don't dry out while you are fixing the rest of them.

In two batches, depending on the size of your pan, saute the pockets in oil for a min. Pour in the water, cover for 2 min and let them steam. Remove the lid and allow the water to sizzle out completely. Add a couple more tsp of oil and allow them to crisp up.

Serve with sweet chili sauce, peanut sauce and soy sauce. YUM!

We LOVE Sushi Night!

We love love love sushi. It took until my late 20's to begin liking it AND moving to a town with a terrific sushi place that has a killer happy hour deal to really appreciate it. When we set foot in Durango 3 years ago for the first time, we walked to Sushitarian for lunch and what is now one of our favorite places in town to eat. We frequented it often over the time we've lived here, introducing the boys slowly by filling them up on edamame and then letting them taste our rolls as they asked for it. Before we knew it, they were eating so much, that it left us hungry when it was time to go. With the exception of the Nori and the actual fish, which you can find at any natural foods store and sometimes Kroger etc., Wal-Mart carries the rest of the stuff you need.

We figured out recently that it is actually really easy to make at home, relatively cheap and a fun social evening with friends. SO don't be afraid. Check out the steps below and plan your own sushi night soon! You won't be disappointed. And do yourself a favor, don't make PBJ for the kids. Get them trying it now. They are never too young.

You will need to get a bamboo sushi mat to make your rolls.

Not all sushi Nori is the same. Some of them are chewy so try some different brands to figure out what you like. Eden makes a decent one. Place a sheet onto your bamboo mat.

Sushi rice is sticky (recipe to follow) so get your hands really wet before digging into the rice.

Get a big handful of the rice.

Sprinkle the rice over the Nori, spreading and pressing it hard into a packed, even layer as you go.

We really like toasted sesame seeds on the outside of our sushi but it's optional. Just sprinkle them over and then press them into the rice.

Flip the whole thing over on your mat and then begin to line up your goodies on one end. You never need as much as you think you need. Cucumber, avocado and tuna are staples at our house but imitation crab, salmon, and Unagi (BBQ eel) is so delicious.

Using the mat to hold everything together, begin rolling your filling into the Nori.

Work the roll up the mat, squeezing a bit to tighten the roll as you go.

Get a really sharp, clean knife to cut the roll in half.

Rinsing your knife as you go, flip one side around and slice the roll into bite sized pieces.

Note: You can always make your sushi with the Nori out too. Just don't flip it and leave a little bit of the Nori exposed from the rice to allow for a seal with some water. Also, 1 lb of fish (not including anything else) is plenty for 4 adults with some left over even. Get good quality fish, in fact ask for sushi grade to be safe and despite it being a little more expensive, it ends up being reasonable because you only need a little bit.

Serve it with steamed edemame, pickled ginger, wasabe, soy sauce and Sake. Sweet chili sauce and Sriracha Hot Chili sauce is a fun addition as well. We put it inside the rolls or just dab some on top. It's fun to see what rolls your guests will come up with and it becomes a competition over who makes the best rolls.

Things you will need:

• Bamboo sushi mat
• Sushi Rice (Nishiki)
• Nori
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Avocado, sliced into thin strips
• Cucumber and carrots, sliced into thin strips
• Sushi grade tuna
• Sushi grade salmon
• Imitation Crab
• Soy sauce
• Wasabe
• Rice vinegar
• Sake (to drink if you are really adventurous)

Sushi Rice (Nishiki)

3 1/2 cups dry rice

1/2 cup rice vinegar

6 Tbsp sugar

2 1/2 tsp salt

Rinse the rice until the water is clear and then cook according to package directions. Heat vinegar, sugar and salt over medium heat until everything dissolves. Dump your rice into a large bowl and then get some kind of room fan blowing directly over the rice. The idea is to cool it as quickly as possible. Slowly pour the vinegar over the rice while cutting through the rice with a wooden spoon, folding gently to mix. You can use the prepared rice warm or cold although room temp or a little bit warm is best.

A special thanks to my lovely husband who modeled for this post.

And a special thanks to Dad and Vicki who gifted us beautiful sushi dishes made by a local Savannah artist, 10 years ago (they are finally getting the attention they deserve) and a sushi feast sent FedEx to our door for Christmas! We are still eating it and we've managed half a dozen meals out of it although the squid salad and Unagi was the first to go! Party in a box! What could be better?