Berlin's Whimsy

Dinner Tricks.

 

I'll admit it, I pass off some fairly child "unfriendly" meals from time to time. I have my reasons: I like to experiment; I believe in exposing kids to lots of tastes and textures and I don't believe in the standard "child friendly" fare of high salt and high fat processed foods (though we eat them occasionally---I'm not a complete ogre, just half); I believe children who grow up with healthy food will return to their roots as adults;  and I can pass off some of my more healthy or gourmet dinners with a few tricks.

Dinner Tricks. Shhhhh, don't tell my kids but I have a few tricks when it comes to sneaking in healthy meals. I'll also add here that I don't play short-order cook at meals. We all eat the same meal together----yes, I'll pick off this or that from their plates (tomatoes for my son, red peppers for my daughter).

When putting dinner together, I look at our meal not only from a dietary standpoint but also with an eye for what I know my kids will like and eat. If they receive one dish they really like, they'll often eat the other stuff that they might not necessarily like as much. For instance, this meal in the photograph. Yes, we had tofu steaks again and they do love them but we also had a salad, which they don't always enjoy, especially when it includes arugula. I reviewed this meal and knew it needed that little something that would pass their acceptability test-----one of my stand-byes is applesauce. They love applesauce and it balances out almost the worst offender.

Back to that salad. Unfortunately, my kids don't enjoy salad much. But we have salad often, especially in the summer months. I've found one trick to make salad more palatable: homemade croutons. They are easy to make and are useful in a "whole kitchen" philosophy of using every little bit, transforming it into something else, if needed. Here's what I do:

Homemade Croutons

• half loaf of stale bread, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1/4 C. olive oil
• seasoning blend of your choice. Ideas: 
  • This homemade garlic salt
  • finely chopped rosemary & salt
  • a blend of garlic salt, dried basil, oregano, thyme
  • salt & fresh ground pepper
  • Fresh Garlic Oil: my favorite seasoning. Coarsely chop three cloves garlic and heat in saute pan in the 1/4 C. olive oil until the garlic just begins to sizzle (do not allow it to brown). Pour the oil through a fine sieve over a bowl. Discard garlic bits but use the oil to season your croutons. You can also toss Parmesan with the croutons, too.
  • Pizza seasoning: 3 T. finely grated Parmesan, dried thyme,basil, oregano, and fennel.   
• salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss croutons with the oil and the seasoning of your choice. Spread out on a quarter sheet pan and sprinkle with salt. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes or so. Let cool. For extra crispy croutons, leave them in the oven to cool with the door ajar. They become crisp upon cooling.

What are your dinner tricks?

Hope, Relief & a new Favorite

The tiniest bit of relief and hopeful thoughts are creeping into my life. And more than a smile, it brings tears of relief and even a bit of empathy for myself (almost a third person observation) for what I have gone through-------I wouldn't wish this past year on anyone. I realize there are people going through far worse situations the world over but it's been tough all the same. I haven't shared most of the gory details here but suffice it to say I didn't realize how the continuous bad news and let downs had settled upon me like a dreadful cape, something I expected. How sad is that.

Ah, but I prepared a new recipe for dinner tonight. It was a quiet sit down, just the three of us, and I couldn't share with my kids what was on my mind----nor can I here. But the wheels are slowly turning forward, propelled by time and differing motivations, and for the first time in a long while I see the top of this grueling mountain I've been climbing----the mountain that is ugly divorce. It's a long way off, and I'm not sure what I'll find on the other side, but I'm hopeful. Hopeful again.

On a lighter note, what is my new favorite recipe? Green Eggs and Ham-----or Pesto crepes with ham (pictured here). They are from Nigella Express. I'm a huge fan of both savory crepes and Nigella.

Have you checked out her book yet? If not, you must. It is full of fun antidotes and great family-friendly recipes----party popcorn, homemade pancake mix, granola bars, and lots of avocado... Mmmm! The pesto crepe recipe alone is worth the price of the book. It's simple, easy, tastes fabulous and kids love it!

My kids were skeptical when they saw this presentation of dinner tonight. I recognized the look: "Oh boy, Mom's trying to force us to eat another gourmet (pronounced "gor-met")/weird meal!!" They reluctantly took one bite and kept right on biting!

Simple pleasures.

 

Thanks to a friend's visit, we have a new tradition at dinnertime, just the three of us. We take turns reflecting on the best and the worst parts of our day. I was pleasantly surprised when my daughter's new friend shared her family tradition with us at dinnertime because it fit so perfectly into our lives right now. It fit because we need to reflect on the good things, and discuss the bad ones, too. Vocalizing the bad parts of our days helps us put it all in perspective and to gain the feeling of togetherness.  

Today, after a long pause while trying to come up with my "worst" part of the day to share, I eventually settled on too many dishes to do----- in my life right now, it's a good day when too many dishes to clean is the worst event of my day. And my best? Oh, there were so many. Right up there on my list was running into people we know and enjoy at every single stop throughout the day.... Such a pleasurable happenstance.

Within my son's favorites of the day was this dish----which, in turn, became another of my day's favorites because it's not only very simple, cheap, fast, and healthy, but my son actually ate all of his dinner! (He's become quite picky at dinner lately)...

I don't know if this would be as popular with your family as with mine (we're huge tofu fans) but I'll share it because I was apprehensive at first, too, and it turned out to be such a hit! It seems a little silly to write it out as a "recipe" as it's more of a method. The method/idea came out of one of my favorite healthy living books, Mariel Hemingway's Healthy Living From the Inside Out. 

Choose a good quality firm tofu-----my favorite is produced by Wildwood Organics and I find it at Safeway and Whole Foods.

Tofu Steaks

• 1 pkg. Firm Tofu
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• salt to taste

Method: Slice the tofu into 1-inch thick "steaks." You can either slice the tofu long-ways or short-ways depending on the desired serving size.

Heat a wide frying pan over medium heat. (I don't use non-stick pans very often and I like the "crust" that forms on the tofu in this dish but to loosen it from the pan, you will need a metal turner---it WILL stick!).

Add the olive oil and sesame oil and heat to shimmering. Add tofu slices and sprinkle the exposed side with a little of the soy sauce. Do not crowd the slices in the pan. Saute each side for approximately five minutes, adding soy sauce to each side. When a browned crust forms, the tofu is done. That's it!! So fast and simple!

Summer Savory Rhubarb Soup.

Our rhubarb has reached its full glorious potential.

We made rhubarb pie and I plan on making something with one of my favorite flavor combinations, strawberry & rhubarb. But the other day, I wondered about savory rhubarb recipes. That's where the May edition of Cooking Light proved quite handy. Not only did it contain a version of the recipe below but it also contained instructions about freezing rhubarb. 

I realize it is summer and it might be way too hot to even contemplate soup right now, but if you can stand to turn on your stove-top long enough to whip up this soup, it makes for a nice cool soup with a dollop of yogurt or creme fraiche. A lovely evening meal outside when the heat dissipates.

Lentil-Rhubarb Savory Soup

• 1 1/2 C. boiling water
• 3/4 C. lentils

Soak the lentils in the boiling water while you prepare the remaining ingredients:

• 2 C. chopped carrots
• 1 3/4 C. chopped celery
• 1 1/2 C. chopped onion
• 1 C. finely chopped rhubarb
• 4 C. water
• 2 T. Better-than-Bouillon Chicken Base (or vegetable base)
• 1 T. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 C. parsley--divided
• black pepper to taste
• 6 T. sour creme, yogurt, or creme fraiche

Mix the 4 C. water with the chicken base and whisk to combine-----if you don't have this base, you can use chicken stock or just plain water. Note: I love this base because it's handy for the times I don't have homemade chicken stock in the freezer and it tastes much better than canned stock. It comes in various flavors and organic versions, too.

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and add 2 T. olive oil. Saute onion, carrot, and celery for about 4 minutes, or until a little soft. Add the rhubarb and half the parsley and continue sauteing for a bit longer. Drain lentils and add them to the pan. Add the chicken base and salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

Cool the soup a bit and serve with a sprinkling of parsley and a dollop of yogurt, sour creme, or creme fraiche.

Happy weekend!

Family Talent.

I wonder if this happens in other families----you're a good baker so each time a cake is in order, you're the one to bake it. That's me----but I don't complain, because I love baking! In addition, I'm the go-to dinner cook, as well. Cooking & Baking: some of the talents I'm known for in my family.

But I recently wondered what other people's talents are within their extended families?

Does your family request something from you? Do you have a talent that you are known for within your family? Something you are always expected to provide?

Oh, and my kids? Well, so far they're expected to lick the bowl...Their work is pictured at the top of this post----pretty talented aren't they?!

Picnics & making.

We enjoyed a little picnic last weekend. My daughter is always the impetus for a picnic----I cannot count the number of times she asked to go on one last winter when we were experiencing frigid winds and frost on each blade of grass. She settled on enjoying a picnic in the livingroom instead. 

On this outing, however, we brought along our favorite frisbees, a few sandwiches, and our craft supplies. I promised my kids I would teach them to crochet.

My daughter fell in love immediately----the single hook seemed so much more manageable for her hands than knitting needles. Before long, she had crocheted this little dish scrubbie. My son still prefers his needles to the hook and went on to make some dish scrubbie puppets and other shapes after learning to increase and decrease.

The day was wonderfully bright and sunny and I had to sit back and soak up not only the beauty all around me but the beauty before me in my kids. They're growing up so fast and it's wonderful to witness.

We didn't bring along gourmet food on this trip. We had our peanut butter and pickle sandwiches and watermelon. Unfortunately, I didn't make this pasta salad that day but it's a wonderful addition to a picnic. I also enjoy it on a bed of greens.

I hope you find the occassion for a picnic this weekend, too----to slow down a bit and soak up life.

Smoked Salmon Orzo

Ingredients:

• A little wedge of smoked salmon, flaked
• 1 C. frozen petite peas, thawed
• 1/4 C. chopped fresh dill (needs to be the fresh stuff)
• 3 scallions---the green part only, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 C. mayonnaise
• 1 package Orzo pasta
• Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

Method: Cook the Orzo in salted boiling water according to package. Drain and rinse under cold water. Add to pasta bowl. Add remaining ingredients to pasta and stir until thoroughly mixed. Check seasoning and adjust. Chill and serve cold.

After so much rain (for here), a weekend full of golden light and just warm enough temperatures soothed our ailing moods.

We walked along the river in the spring's tall green grass and glimpsed a Canadian Goose family with ten goslings peering up out of the reeds...

And our old dog even felt it necessary to take a dip in the cold snow run-off that fills the river this time of year...

And what better end to a late spring day than a dinner with coleslaw?! Well, that's true at least for me-----coleslaw is a favorite of mine. I posted this recipe last year, but I'm doing it again because I love it so much. I use the dressing (without the poppy seeds) on other summer salads, too, including a broccoli salad of fresh broccoli, shredded cheddar cheese, raisins, and crumbled bacon....

Coleslaw Dressing

• 1 T. dijon mustard
• 1 T. apple cider vinegar
• 1 T. fresh lemon juice
• 2 1/2 T. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 C. mayo
• 1/4 C. sour cream or plain yogurt
• 2 T. poppy seeds (optional)

Mix the ingredients all together with a whisk and pour over one head of shredded cabbage. Mix together completely and let sit just a bit before serving.

Winner and sharing an idea.

Bare with me, this is a long post!

Gosh, peanut butter must be one of the most versatile foods out there! What a lot of interesting food combinations you all shared. Thank you so much for sharing and providing some fun reading over the weekend. Some of your comments provided more food combination ideas and others, well, I'll leave them for you to enjoy...! I was also pleased to hear from so many of you----hi!

I used the trusty Random Numerator to come up with comment number 24: Jessica. Jessica shared her husband's love of peanut butter and onion... Hmmm, that's another one I must leave to his own enjoyment! Nevertheless, congratulations, Jessica!

***And here's a bit of sharing. The prizes in this drawing are a little part of a larger project I'm only now embarking upon. Perhaps it will be a book, perhaps a mail-order series... I'm not sure yet and I'm truly thinking out loud here.

Even so, I feel that all of the ideas that have been flittering about in my head these past few months have come a little closer together with an embrace of recreating the vintage family kitchen in crafts & cooking.

The project includes: favorite family-friendly recipes; baking hints, resources, and ideas; my own vintage-inspired embroidery designs with linen projects; an apron design I'm working on; knitted projects for the kitchen; pyrex & vintage kitchenware collections with recipes for your treasures... and hopefully much more! Though I don't know where this project will take me, I hope to share these ideas with you in one form or another.

And can I ask, what do you think? Are you interested in seeing a project like this? I'd love to hear from you either via a comment or email: berlinsmith AT yahoo DOT com.

From "Ewww!" to "Mmmm" Giveaway

A LITTLE GIVEAWAY: The kids & I are heading to the Oregon coast for a few days of visiting with long lost friends and rubbing our toes in our familiar sand... So, I'm leaving you with this post... The giveaway details are at the end...

One of our steadfast lunchtime sandwiches is the peanut butter and pickle sandwich. I grew up eating them and have never given them a second thought. That was until my kids started bringing them to school and the other kids started exclaiming, "Ewww!"

Luckily, my kids weren't swayed. They are PB & Pickle fans. And I am, too. Usually, I make our sandwiches with dill pickles but a shopping oversight resulted in a jar of sweet pickles sitting in the cupboard for far too long. In desparation one day, I decided to use that jar. And even my "Ewww" reaction to sweet pickles turned to "Mmmm" in the sandwich with peanut butter. I still prefer dill but the sweet is a nice mix up.

Recently, our family discussed our "weird" food combinations. I remembered my Dad slathering up a peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich while I sat looking aghast. I don't think it was the taste combo as much as the texture that repulsed me.

During our discussion, my sister-in-law told me about the peanut butter and sprout sandwich. I immediately thought "Ewww" until she pointed out the similarity to the Thai food flavor combination so I tried it and it turned to a "Mmmm" (I used mung bean sprouts, following the Pad Thai combination).

And then there is my early strawberry season recipe: balsamic vinegar reduction sauce over strawberries and ice cream. "Ewww! Vinegar?!" I initially thought. But then I tried it!

It's a great way to use the early season strawberries that lack the flavor of our local Oregon berries (yes, I'm partial). All that is required is reducing 2 Cups of balsamic vinegar (I like the Costco brand for this recipe---don't use expensive balsamic!) over a low simmer until it is thick and it coats the back of a spoon. Cool just a bit and then spoon the sauce over sliced strawberries and vanilla ice cream. "Mmmm!"

***GIVEAWAY: I want to hear about your flavor combos, recipes, or stories of food items that might seem weird to today's palate but you still enjoy... OR your family's traditional recipes that might not be 'en vogue' today (I'm thinking pickled watermelon rinds and that sort of thing). What "weird" foods do you like? And if you don't have anything of the sort to share, just post a comment and you'll be entered in the drawing... I will choose a random comment next Tuesday.

The prize? Four embroidered linen "Doily Napkins" (it's a fun little pattern of mine that I've been enjoying---pictured above) and an itty bitty cookbook (made by me) that includes a few of my favorite recipes along with related stories...

Have a great weekend!   

Mango Coffee Cake.

Coffee & Coffee Cake anyone? C'mon over!

This scrumptious recipe comes by way of one of my Mom's friends at work. After sampling a few scraps of cake that my Mom was so kind enough to share with us peasants at home (ha!), we knew we had to go to the source for the recipe.

When I asked my daughter to help me with making the cake, she asked me if it was a cake kids could eat. I wondered at her question for a bit and finally asked her why she thought this cake wasn't appropriate for kids? "It's COFFEE cake! We don't drink coffee!" Ah yes, I think I remember wondering this same thing as a child. Even as I tasted coffee cake, I wondered how the coffee flavor was somehow hidden within its sugary depths.

Well, once I explained the coffee cake terminology and added the key ingredient to this particular cake----mangoes----my daughter was sold. Mangoes are her favorite!

This cake is not for the sugar wary-----it's packed with the stuff and I think it would probably be just as yummy with less sugar but for this batch (my first) I followed the recipe as written.

Mango Coffee Cake

Makes 12-16 servings

• 2 C. all-purpose flour
• 2 C. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 C. butter, cut into pieces
• 1 C. buttermilk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 C. coarsely chopped, seeded and peeled fresh mango (about 3)
• 1/3 C. sugar (for sprinkling)
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• Whipped cream for serving (optional)

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 C. sugar, baking powder, soda nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture all at once and stir just until moistened. Fold in the chopped mangoes. Spread in prepared pan.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top.

Bake for40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Mango pieces will sink towards the bottom of the cake). Cool a bit before serving.

Have a wonderful weekend!