Themed Meals

When I became a mother I never dreamed I would be cooking monkeys, claws, and even dinosaur eggs. Oh wait, does that sound odd? Welcome to the world of themed meals. When we have a special event, William has come to expect a themed dinner. Sure, one may expect to make themed Halloween or Christmas treats. In fact, there are entire cookbooks dedicated to such things. But for the every day? It gets a little more challenging.

One of my past efforts include monkey pizzas after a day of playing hookie at the zoo.

Another evening involved a dinosaur meal to wrap up dinosaur week at his day care. We dined on dino claws, spines, legs, and tortillas with lava dip as well as dinosaur eggs.

So the latest effort? We discovered we have a free preview of a movie channel over the next year and one of the movies showing is Planet 51. William didn't think he would be interested so I did what any good mother would do - I bribed him. I told him we could have a fun night with an outer space meal if he would watch the movie. And guess what? He loved the movie and the food too.

But to get to that point, I put on my thinking cap and tried to think about what I had around the house that I needed to use. I somehow fell into a surplus of tortillas so my mind went to UFOs. I cut rounds out of the tortillas, spread a dollop of refried beans in between, and topped with a second tortilla, cheese, black olives, and cherry tomato halves to try an make them look like UFOs. Then I remembered that in my set of cookie cutters I had a mini star in my Christmas set and a mini moon in my Halloween set so I cut stars and moons from potato slices. These were simply roasted with a smidge of salt and Mrs. Dash onion and herb. Love that stuff! And what would any outer space meal be without a few meteorites (or meateorites if you will)? I combined some ground chicken, celery salt, and buffalo sauce to make meatballs then drizzled it with more buffalo sauce for molten meteorites.

So here are the final products:

So what's the lesson here? Some of us dream of having our own show on Food Network or even earning the title of chef. But most of us are every day cooks and when you have kids you learn to be creative. Sometimes you have to so they will eat but the most important reason is because your kids become grown ups in the blink of an eye. Matt tells me I love people through food. This is one way I love my son. We share experiences and the enjoyment of those experiences is reflected in our food. So enjoy your kids and have fun with your food.

I love when I knock it out of the park

At the beginning of my day I had no clue what I was making for dinner. I had purchased some cleaned, sliced mushrooms earlier this week and knew I needed to use them for something. You see, I didn't have a plan for them when I bought them but they were on sale and you don't pass by mushrooms on sale right? So I started thinking of what kinds of meat I had in the freezer. I hadn't even gotten anything out to thaw before leaving for work this morning. My quickest options were chicken breasts and a pork tenderloin. I don't know how many of you have schools/churches that participate in Market Day but our school does and, so far, I have ordered monthly. My favorite item is the pork tenderloin. Compared to what I find in the grocery store, it is cheaper yet more tender and flavorful.

So I thought - mushrooms and pork loin...I can make that work. But what to serve with it? We've had a lot of rice lately so I didn't want that. And I didn't have the right ingredients to make a pasta that would make sense to that left me with potatoes. Potatoes are my nemesis. Unless they are drowning in fat, I can't figure out how to make them taste good. Baked? Boring! What to do? What to do? Oh, and did I mention the boy child is not a fan of most potato dishes? Alas, I remembered I had fresh chives in the refrigerator so I opted for mashed potatoes with chives. Sounded flavorful enough considering we weren't having gravy. But what about my lonely pork loin? What happened to that guy?

He got a good kosher salt and pepper massage then a hot sear in a little oil to get a good crust on the outside. It only took about 2 minutes per side until we had a nice golden brown crust. I then placed said loin in a baking dish and spied a bottle of white wine in my rack. I had forgotten about my pale friend. I am not a big white wine drinker but I usually keep a bottle around for cooking and drinking with lighter meals. So my friend Clos du Bois chardonnay and a splash of chicken broth gave my loin a nice little sauna to steam in. I then tossed in a good amount of the mushrooms and popped it in the oven. Now, let me tell you, the best investment I ever made was a meat thermometer that I can insert in the meat and leave there while it cooks. 160 degrees F is medium for pork. Yes, it is safe to eat pork when it is cooked to medium. Overcooking pork is bad bad bad. Now repeat that 15 times. So I set my thermometer for 155 and let it come up to temp out of the oven. Meat will continue to cook out of the oven and the internal temp will raise 5-10 degrees. Handy thing to know as I reiterate overcooked pork (or any other meat) is bad bad bad.

While the meat rested, I mashed my potatoes with a smidge of margarine, milk and chives. Then I began reducing the sauce for the pork. Since I added wine and broth to the baking pan I had a good deal left over. I put that with the mushrooms in a skillet and let it go on pretty high heat. While it was reducing I heard William call from the other room, "Sure smells good in there!" When all was said and done, each of us had a generous pile of potatoes, some corn, and perfectly cooked slices of pork tenderloin on our plate with a reduced white wine and mushroom sauce (finished with a bit of butter). William is the exception. He won't touch a mushroom. I wouldn't either at his age so I don't argue. I just wanted him to eat a decent amount of food. If it's not pasta or pizza I usually hear a lot of protest and plan to sit at the dinner table for an hour cajoling him to eat.

Well, folks, I had filled his plate to let the food cool and by the time I had plated Matt's and my dinners I looked over and he had devoured his mashed potatoes and most of his corn was gone. As I was sitting down he shoved 5...yes 5 bites of meat into his mouth and was chewing for all it was worth. I had barely touched my food and he was asking for seconds. I commented that perhaps I need to make this dinner again sometime and both of the "men" in the family gave me a full mouthed "Mmm hmm!" YES!

Matt cleaned up every last scrap of meat and potatoes, William has his fill of seconds, and I took great pride in making my family happy by throwing together a meal that I had no plans for earlier in the day.

Dreaming

Ultimate dream #1- to publish a successful cookbook. Dream #2 - to cook along side Bobby Flay on Grill It! with Bobby Flay. My ultimate Food Network crush is Tyler Florance but I feel like I get Bobby's culinary perspective more. He does what I dream of...cook with spice. I love spice. Oh, how I love it. But my body betrays me and I am allergic to hot peppers. Alas! I do rebel from time to time and throw caution to the wind. I cook with peppers. I eat them followed by Benedryl.

But, holy cow, what would I give to have an Iron Chef give me the time of day???? I am so torn. Beef seems like the ultimate grilled food yet I think pork tenderloin could be my coup de grace. But it really is all just a dream. I can't plate, I would probably giggle if Matt tried to record me, and I'm not sure I have the confidence. I can't imagine anyone thinking I'm worthy of being on national television with a Food Network icon so I will sit back, watch, dream, and make my family culinarily happy. As my friends know me to say - le sigh. Let's hope spring comes soon and my best friend uncovers herself soon so I can make my family happy and get the small bit Mmmmm I dream of.

I couldn't decide what to make

So this morning I did a reconnaissance and found a beef roast, a pork loin, and chicken breasts in the freezer. I was stumped. Mainly because I'm low on sides and I want to keep things like roast for weekday crockpot meals. Mind you, I just read a book that makes me appreciate food all the more so I'm determined to make the best of what I've got. But, really, is there a shortage in today's world? No. I also found some andouille and my mind was made up. For dinner tonight we are saying to heck with calories and I'm making chicken breasts stuffed with diced ham (also found in the fridge) smothered in andouille gravy with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli. If my family is displeased they can go to be hungry. Savages. ;)

Wishing you a tasty New Year!

We are homebodies on New Year's. It's not worth the hassle of crowds when we can eat and drink merrily at home. Plus December means William's birthday, Christmas, and our anniversary so we are usually pooped by December 31st.

Normally I am very seafood heavy on New Year's Eve but I am taking a different approach this year. I found this recipe weeks ago and have been dying to try it. However, I am not a fan of orange on my food so instead of the paprika sauce I am going to season the meat with smoked paprika and am creating a balsamic reduction in place of the sauce. I've been told goat cheese and balsamic is a perfect marriage. In addition, I am making my annual blue cheese and walnut stuffed mushrooms. Before you say "I don't like blue cheese (or walnuts)" you need to know my husband is not a fan of either but he devours these. They are simple and delicious. And because I'm feeling generous here is the recipe:

1 lb. medium-sized fresh whole mushrooms (about 40)
1 (8-oz.) container soft cream cheese with chives and onions
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
Chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Brush mushrooms or wipe clean with damp cloth. Remove stems from mushrooms; discard stems or reserve for another use.
2. Place mushroom caps, stem side up, in ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. In medium bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except parsley; mix well. Spoon about 1 teaspoon mixture into each mushroom cap.
3. Bake at 350°F. for 15 to 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with parsley.

This recipe is easily halved or even quartered.

So those are the stars of the show but I also found some really pretty shrimp while shopping so I am serving shrimp cocktail (in martini glasses for a fun flair) along with a smoked salmon, cream cheese, and chive puree on endive leaves. These will keep us munching into the long evening. To wet my pallet I chose a prosecco which is tasty so far. ;)

We are planning dine after William goes to bed so we can have a nice relaxing meal. As for William, he has already had his "party" plate of Baby Bel cheese, baby dill pickles, bagel crisps, and a cookie. He also wanted to try sushi so I bought him a California roll but when push comes to shove he seems to be losing interest. Lunch for me tomorrow perhaps? Health is clearly not our focus tonight.

Tomorrow I am embracing a southern tradition and serving black eyed peas. I plan to make a soup of the black eyed peas and ham. I will probably also pull out the bread machine and make some homemade bread on the side as well.

Have a safe, fun, and tasty new year!

Happy Anniversary!

Well, folks, it's mine and Matt's anniversary. 8 years and still kickin'. While William was in day care, Matt and I used to take the day off and have a lunch date each year. We chose that option after our second anniversary when William was 22 days old (I honestly don't remember our first anniversary). I was desperate to get out of the house but William couldn't be left with anyone yet as I was still nursing and often. So we chose Applebee's car side to go and I had the honor of picking it up. It got me out of the house for a whole 15 minutes or so. LOL Then we settled in so we could eat and William decided it was time for his vittles too. So our first anniversary post-child was spent with me trying to eat over the head of a nursing baby.

After that, we decided a lunch date was the most practical. Well, this year William is in kindergarten and there is no day care anymore. He's home with me all day and Matt worked today. But something had to be done so I decided to make a special dinner. My choice...rib eye steaks, twice baked potatoes, and corn. We enjoyed this along with a bottle of Clos du Bois that my dad bought me for Christmas.

Let me tell you a little about my twice baked potatoes. I think I found the original recipe for these in Gourmet magazine. Of course, I had to tweak it and, while I'm happy to share how I make this, once again keep in mind I don't measure. So this is close to the original but I use more or less of some of the ingredients (mostly more). To Matt these are the only twice baked potatoes and steak is not the same without them. Without further ado...

Rena's Special Twice Baked Potatoes
2 medium to large potatoes (I prefer red but russet would work too)
4 oz. white mushrooms (crimini are also yummy), brushed clean, stems removed and rough chopped
2 green onions, chopped
3 T. butter, divided
2-3 oz. cream cheese
sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste (I prefer kosher salt)
French fried onions, optional

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Bake the potatoes using whatever method you prefer. Personally, I "bake" them in the microwave to save time. While the potatoes are baking, melt 1 T. butter in a small skillet. Add the mushrooms and saute until browned. Salt and pepper as desired. Add the green onions and saute 1 minute or so until you start to smell the onions. Take off the heat.

Place the remaining 2 T. butter in a medium bowl. Cut the potatoes in half length-wise and scoop the pulp into the bowl. Leave about 1/4 inch of a "shell" in each potato peel. Mash the potatoes and butter together until the butter is incorporated. Add the cream cheese and at least a serving spoon sized dollop of sour cream (enough to make the mixture moist and fairly smooth). Stir in the as much cheese as you like and salt and pepper to taste. Then add the mushroom mixture and stir.

Divide the mixture evenly among the potato skins. Bake for 30 minutes. If desired, sprinkle French fried onions over the top for the last 5 minutes of baking.

You will never buy pre-made twice baked potatoes again.

Let the Christmas baking begin

I actually feel a little behind this year but I think that is because I am scaling back so I'm not starting as soon as I normally do. There year there will be no Christmas candy. I'm not that good at making it and we rarely eat all of it. My speciality is cookies and I've narrowed that down to a handful of our favorites. Matt will get his favorite chocolate star cookies and, of course, William will help bake some sugar cookies for Santa. Don't worry, there will be plenty for everyone though and they will have lots of icy and sprinkles. My guys love their sweet icing. To a few of those I plan to add some cocoa to make chocolate reindeer. And a sleeper hit from Christmas past will be eggnog cookies which, ironically, contain no eggnog. When I first made them Matt was skeptical but he ended up loving them.

Also on tap is a gingerbread cake with a cream cheese topping, pecan "surprise" pie, and perhaps a pumpkin pie just because we all love pumpkin pie.

Later I'll get into Christmas dinner. And our weight loss plan for 2011.