June 27, 2015
by Ashley
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Chicken Tikka Masala

Indian food, or I should say Indian inspired dishes, I didn’t discover or even think to try until I was in my early 20s. I definitely am a child of the midwest; roasts, grilled chicken, steaks, mashed potatoes and corn. I still make all of these comfort foods from my childhood, but am incorporating new items into our daily menus as well. My craving for this spicy, creamy sauce has changed my menu planning, and found its way into my kids lives. Finnegan begs for this meal, asking me to make him the “orange” sauce.

Pictured here is Tikka Masala, grilled veggies (peppers & onions) and Tofu Balti. I usually make a mild version of the Tikka Masala when I make spicier dishes for Paul and I. Then the kids have something to eat that is a similar style dinner to ours.

Chicken Tikka Masala

1 cup yogurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp cayenne pepper (I skip this when I make this for the kids)
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp minced ginger (fresh or jarred)
2 tsp kosher salt
6 – 8 boneless chicken tenders or 3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sizes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 habanero, except ribs & seeds (skip if for kids)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
8 oz crushed tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream (I sometimes substitute with milk but cream is much better)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, peppers, ginger and 2 tsp kosher salt. Mix this in with the chicken. Cover & refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat high sided saute pan. Lightly oil pan and saute chicken, carefully spooning out marinade as it cooks off of the chicken. Once chicken is cooked through, transfer to a dish and set aside covered with foil.

Add in butter into saute pan and saute garlic for a minute or less. Careful not to burn the garlic. Add in the habanero, cumin, paprika and salt and saute another minute. Add in crushed tomatoes and cream and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cooked chicken back to sauce and simmer until thickened; about 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with basmati rice.

June 20, 2015
by Ashley
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Strawberry Prosecco & Lime Jam

It is June in Wisconsin! This means strawberry season is finally here! We have been waiting for the strawberries to ripen, so we could make more jam. The kids ate all of my last years batch, so I made them eat plum jam while we waited patiently for strawberry season to arrive.

I took the kids strawberry picking at a local farm with some of our friends. It was pretty fun and an experience I think they will remember. I have fond memories of picking fruit with my grandparents and going back to their house to enjoy the “fruits” of our labor. This time, we came back and enjoyed the strawberries Isla picked, and then as the kids played in the pool, I hulled all of the strawberries I picked. Finnegan was a help, but didn’t seem as interested in the picking process.

Once I had washed, chopped and measured…I was ready to start the boil. So I ended up making three batches of jam. Here is my recipe, decreased by three. It makes a lot, but hopefully will keep us fully stocked with strawberry jam until this time next year.

Strawberry, Prosecco & Lime Jam

5 cups chopped strawberries
1/2 cup prosecco
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp butter
1 box of pectin
7 cups sugar

Chop strawberries and place into a dutch oven. Add in prosecco, lime juice, butter and pectin. Stir well to combine. Bring to a rolling boil for 1 – 2 minutes. Measure sugar out before adding. Add in sugar slowly while carefully stirring. Stir well and bring back to a rolling boil. Boil for exactly 1 minute (I set a timer). Turn off heat and get clean jars set up. Fill clean jars with hot jam. Carefully wipe the top of the jars off and place canning tops and rings. Process for 10 minutes in boiling water. Let set over night and check tops to make sure jars are properly sealed.

I use an iodine solution to clean my jars (like my husband uses to clean his brewing equipment) but make sure to properly clean your jars before you begin. There are many websites out there describing the canning process. I want to keep my jam safe to eat, so I take great care in keeping everything clean before I begin my canning.

Also another hint…when boiling water to process jars, add a little white vinegar to the water to help keep the jars from clouding.

This is definitely a process, but totally worth the work.

June 18, 2015
by Ashley
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Pizza Roll

Here is a play off of a calzone. I was trying to come up with something different, yet awesome for our picnic dinner last week and thought of this little beauty.

Pizza Roll

1 roll Pizza Dough
1/4 cup onion
16 pepperoni
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 450°F. Roll out pizza dough into a rectangle. Place onions in a line along the lower middle of the dough (see picture). Top with pepperoni and then cheese. Finish with tomato paste sprinkled with garlic & basil and then drizzle olive oil. Fold over dough and cinche sides so closed. Pop in the oven for 15 minutes. Check to see if browned on top…bake longer if needed. I was intending to cut this into rolls, but ended up cutting in half and wrapping the halves in foil to stay warm. I served this with pizza sauce to dip. I will definitely make this again.

June 17, 2015
by Ashley
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Homemade Mac ‘n Cheese

I have made this mac n’ cheese for many years now. My kids seem to love it and it is a little better than a boxed version. I use any type of pasta I want and flax seed to thicken it.

Homemade Mac n’ Cheese

8 oz cooked pasta
1/2 cup 2% milk
2 tbsp milled flax seed
5 sliced american cheese

I cook the pasta and drain while I make the cheese sauce. My kids love american cheese (I should use mild cheddar but they don’t like the stringiness of it). Pour in the milk into sauce pan and add in the cheese. You can use a little more cheese if it doesn’t seem cheesy enough. Stir slowly together over medium heat and wait for cheese to melt. Add in flax seed to thicken sauce. Add in cooked pasta. Serve.

I usually thrown in a handful of frozen peas with the pasta cooking to add something green. If you have leftover baby food you need to use up…this is a great application for it as well. Use less milk and add in babyfood veggies and meat mixtures. Then add cheese. You can probably skip the flax seed if it is thick enough.

June 14, 2015
by Ashley
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Chocolate Pudding

Isla is my little sugar hound. She loves to eat sweets, play making sweets and even to pretend eating sweets. So she has been “making pudding” for days. She says she is mixing the ingredients and brings me a princess cup with a baby spoon and pretend pudding ready to eat.

Since she has been playing “pudding” for so many days, I decided to make some for her. We are planning on going on a picnic dinner with some friends at a local brewery, so I thought that the pudding would be a great dessert for the kids. I have these really handy silicone tubes for just this type of thing.

Isla helped make the pudding and really wanted a picture with the tubes we are going to put it in.

Almost done!

Our extra pudding, leftover after filling our silicone tubes.

Chocolate Pudding

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 cups 2% milk
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large sauce pan with high sides, whisk together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Slowly add in milk and turn on heat. Constantly whisk until pudding comes to a full boil. Let boil for 2 minutes and turn off heat. Add in butter and vanilla; whisk together until well incorporated. Carefully pour into serving dishes and let cool. If you don’t like the hard skin on the top of pudding, you may put plastic wrap over touching the tops of the pudding.

June 12, 2015
by Ashley
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Homemade Lemonade

Lemonade is one of those things the kids beg for in the summer. It is also super easy to make, if you have the lemons. I can’t seem to find a good frozen lemonade that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup…except for one at Trader Joe’s. I really like the taste of homemade lemonade the best.

Lemonade

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2/3 – 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 – 5 lemons)

4 cups water
3 cups ice

In a small sauce pan, heat up the 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to make a simple syrup. Once the sugar has been desolved, take off the heat and let cool. Squeeze lemon juice from lemons into a pyrex measuring cup. This way you know how much juice you are getting and can measure correctly. Combine juice and simple syrup in a pitcher and add ice and additional 4 cups of water.

I like my lemonade a little less tart, so I use less juice. You can add up to 1 cup of lemon juice to your taste.

Enjoy the summer!

June 11, 2015
by Ashley
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Maple Chocolate Chili Nuts

It is time for more nut recipes again! I am trying to come up with some healthy snacking options for us, so decided to try some new flavored nuts.

This is one that I found online, and used different nuts and a little more maple than suggested. Here is my version yet you can find the original recipe at the link below.

Maple Chocolate Chili Nuts

3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoon pure maple syrup, Grade B for baking
2 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
2 cups pecans, almonds and/or walnuts
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon chipotle powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Mix everything but the nuts together. Toss with the nuts and then spread out on a baking sheet covered with a silpat or greased. Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes. Toss nuts and bake another 5 minutes. Pull out of oven and let cook on sheet before moving them.

Found original recipe at http://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/chocolate-chili-spiced-pecans/

June 3, 2015
by Ashley
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Greek Yogurt

We make our yogurt quite often, but you can do this with store bought yogurt as well.

Line a paper towel or cheese cloth over a large sieve. Set the sieve in as large bowl. Pour the yogurt into the lined sieve and set back into the fridge. Let sit for at least 2 hours. The longer you let it sit, the thicker it will become. The “water” that drains off will be greenish. This is the whey. You can use it in smoothies if you wish, but I usually end up throwing it away.

The remaining yogurt I put into a container and cover. This can be used in many different ways. Dressings, dips, replacing sour cream… or just eaten as is with a little honey or jam.

June 2, 2015
by Ashley
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Brussel Sprout & Veggie Soup

My latest creation. I was going to make a Kale & Turkey Soup…and ended up making this instead. When I start a soup for lunch, usually I have a plan in mind, or everything that is in the fridge gets added. This is one of those types of soups. Everything must go, but must be good as well. If you don’t have one of the ingredients below, feel free to substitute.

Brussel Sprout & Veggie Soup

1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups frozen brussel sprouts, deforsted & chopped
8 carrots, peeled & chopped
3 potatoes, peeled & diced
2 onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups white beans, cooked
6 cups water
2 tbsp chicken base or 4 bouillon cubes
1 tbsp beef base or 2 bouillon cubes
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp parsley
2 tsp thyme
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

Peel & chop all ingredients. Add brussel sprouts through beans into dutch oven and saute for 10 minutes. Add in vinegar and cook another 1 minute. Add in everything else and let come to a boil. Take out about half of the soup (making sure to get the big chunks) and puree. Add back to soup and return to a boil. Cool and serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

June 1, 2015
by Ashley
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Breakfast Portabellas

Sometimes breakfast can get a little repetitive. My kids would like to eat pancakes or crepes everyday. They don’t seem to get sick of it. But I am a person who need variety. Even if a recipe has the same exact ingredients, I will rather have it plated in a different way then the same everytime. I have also been trying to cut down on the amount of bread I consume. Not completely, because bread is one thing I can’t live without, but just not at every single meal. I came up with these recently, trying to use up what was in the refridgerator and they turned out really well.

Portabella Stuffed with Baked Egg

2 portabella caps
2 tbsp water
2 eggs
salt & pepper to taste
3 tsp shredded parmesan

To help baking time, I precooked the portabella in a saute pan with a little water covered for about 3 minutes. Just to soften the mushroom. Then transfer it to a baking dish and crack an egg in the portabella. Salt & pepper to taste. Place in the oven on a rack 6 inches down and broil on high. Check frequently. The egg cooks in about 5 minutes. Shred a little parmesan on the top and you have a fancy breakfast.