Showing posts with label crockpots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crockpots. Show all posts

Friday, February 3, 2012

planning to be snowed in

photo: design mom
ever since the winter of '09 we have gotten real good at planning to be snowed in...even if we, ourselves, can get the drive plowed that doesn't necessarily mean that the county will come plow the road.  being that there are only three houses on this road for three miles and no businesses. 
sooooo...i always make sure to have plenty of food, milk, booze, diapers, and projects.  although, my whole house is one giant project so that isn't too hard.  and mike just plans on moving snow. secretly, i love being snowed in...except in 2009.  i did not love that because hendrix was 9 months old and had a fever of 103. scary stuff.
this weekend i am all stocked up.  here's what we will be doing to keep warm and busy....
we hope you all enjoy the snow this weekend. check back here next week for ideas on container gardening, ways to be involved in the local food movement, and to hear about hendrix's birthday party theme. here's a clue: build.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

thankful + recipe

today is much chiller and much more fall.  it is reminding me that with fall, we have harvest and with harvest we have the feeling of gratitude.  here is what/who i am thankful for today. . .

my lovely hendrix in all of his two year old glory---it is really a glorious age
blocks, tractors, and playdough littering my house---it means there is life and love here
tazo tea with honey and milk
mike---who makes all of my dreams come true
my mom friends, andrea + summer---they keep it real folks
fall clothes
pretty blogs and pinterest
melinda + gma---huge helpers while mike is out of town
constant change---it keeps us on our toes

this chili recipe. . .
anna's chili for mike
1 lb. ground meat, browned
2 cans (28 oz. total) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can tomato soup
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 c. chili powder
2 T. cumin
1 onion, chopped
mix this all together and add up to one can of water, if need be.  cook on low in crockpot for 6-8 hours.  (i had frozen tomatoes from the garden, frozen homemade tomato soup, and frozen, cooked beans on hand so i used that today - just use what you have and adjust measurements)
serve with cheddar, sour cream, and cornbread.  enjoy!

i hope you are feeling thankful today. xoxo!

Monday, April 18, 2011

prepping din-din

if i ever came across as a judgy, a-hole to the working parents. . .i am sorry.  ever since, mike started his job and our farming season started i have been floundering in the dinner department.  i know i got it good.  i don't work normal hours.  i have a nanny who comes to my house twice a week.  my aunt watches hendrix another day of the week.  blah, blah, blah.  i know i got it good, but on tuesday, wednesday, and thursday of every week it is a feat of epic proportions to get a real dinner on the table.  i now fully understand why people get take out, have pizza delvered, and drive thru fast food joints.  i still think it's gross, but i get it.  parenting is hard work.  having a real deal job, taking care of the household, and being a parent is even harder. so when it takes every fiber of my being to get dinner on the table i just remember* what mark says in his book, "it takes the same amount of time from start to finish to make noodles with butter, sage, and parmesan as it does to make a box of mac & cheese.  and the noodle dish is much better."  i agree and it is real, actual ingredients that everyone can pronounce.  so mondays are the day that i prep as much as i possibly can for the week's meals.  especially the dirty three (tues, wed, thurs).  then when 3:00 pm comes, i don't have a panic attack.  i have an iced chai instead because caffeine was meant to be abused by mothers.

here is this week's menu and how i prep for it:

mon: beef stew with mushrooms (reinvented pot roast) - farm taxes done, signed, & mailed
chop veggies & meat
tues: pizza pockets with salad - intern growers all day/swim lessons at night
make pockets and bake until almost done 
(25 minutes, cool completely and refrigerate, wash & chop greens)
wed: ruebens with sweet potato fries - field all day
um, just put that corned beef you bought on sale in the crockpot with a bottle of guiness, assemble & toast sandwiches while baking fries, fries can be bought or cut in advance)
thurs: sweet & sour pork (or shrimp) with fried rice - birthday at DG/office work
wash & chop veggies, premake rice (premade rice is easier to fry)
fri: shrimp & grits - provision subscriptions emailed
(this is so fast - 20 minutes - it takes no prep)
total time prepping: 1 hour for 5 meals
total time & sanity saved: priceless

*i also have been known to bow to the crockpot.  it is the best thing that ever happened to mothers. besides their children

Monday, January 31, 2011

new ideas leads to a split personality

whew! it has been a busy one around here. i have been recruiting interns, hiring the operations assistant from heaven (caitie!), planning cooking lessons with elle, and trying to build a damn website. AND peddling veg boxes, scheduling meetings with potential new restaurants, placing seed orders. . .all very exciting!
oh, and i am the mother of a two year old and i keep forgetting that i need to plan me and mike's wedding.

now for the only time i will ever use this. . .OMG WTF!?

and i have fallen in a dinner rut. i mean a RUT, people. i am sick of braised meat, potatoes, crockpot stews, and spiced anything. over it. so i went searching. . .and i came back to one of my greatest loves, dinner a love story. run, don't walk, to this blog. remember cookie magazine? yeah, one of those gals started this blog. so fantastic.
which leads me to my dinner menu for tonight. . .it is one part spring and one part winter. fish and chips with coleslaw and bread pudding. for some reason, fish and chips remind me of rainy spring weather, lent, and light beer. all good things if you're me. and bread pudding is so a "hunker down" sort of dessert. at least i think so. a little split personality, but for the first time in weeks i am pumped to eat dinner tonight. and i made the bread pudding in the crockpot. yes, the crockpot.
my menu for this week is below with the links and the crockpot bread pudding recipe, too. if you are in rut, i hope it helps cure it.

1. lamb chops with quinoa salad (or use a rack, and cut it up, they are WAY cheaper)
2. fish sandwiches with sweet potato fries and coleslaw
3. meatball subs with coleslaw
4. chicken sausages & latkes (sausages from trader joe's)
5. peanut noodles

crockpot bread pudding
1 1/2 baguettes, cut up (or similar)
2 cups of milk
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla
1 T. baking spice (or similar)
4 eggs
1 c. raisins
1/4 c. butter, melted and slightly cooled
mix the bread and raisins. pack into your crockpot. whisk remaining ingredients together. pour over bread, fully saturating. cook on high for about 3 hours. or until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. enjoy!
REVISION: serve this whiskey cream sauce on top of the crockpot bread pudding.
and if you are really in a rut AND have cabin fever. . .go to THIS!

Monday, January 10, 2011

what you need on a snow day

a snow day on the farm is beautiful and wonderful. . .as long as you are prepared and have plenty of food. here's what you need to enjoy it:

hot cocoa and marshmallows
a sled
snowmen materials
some soup in the crockpot
booze (for when the kiddos finally go to sleep)

hope you are enjoying your snow day! if you're not. . .spring will be here before you know it!

easy hot cocoa
1 part cocoa powder
2 parts sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. hot milk
mix dry ingredients and stir into hot milk. don't forget the marshmallows! enjoy!

Monday, November 1, 2010

holidays

halloween was a success! hendrix was a monkey. a darling monkey who snorted like a pig. he has a cold. we never quite got the pumpkins carved, but we did go trick or treating. hendrix had a hard time understanding why we were not going into everyone's house who gave us candy. he wanted to make some new friends, i guess. on saturday, we had a big family supper at the house and my cousin joined us. we ate jambalaya, kielbasa with spinach & roasted squash, and chocolate chip pecan pie. it was delicious. now onto thanksgiving. and then christmas! for some reason, i am really looking forward to christmas this year. i think because hendrix is at the age were he truly appreciates everything. including gifts and sweet treats. i got a few hours to myself this saturday and got all of my cookie tins, a new christmas tree, and a few decorations at new life thrift's holiday store. that place is amazing. hopefully, you all are enjoying getting ready for the holidays. be sure to sign up for craft night on november 19th and you can try my pumpkin chocolate tiramisu.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

a revelation

why this took me so long to figure out. . .i don't know. i could of been. . .USING THE CROCKPOT FOR LUNCH!!! right now, i have asian chicken wings in the crockpot. i'll be serving them with premade quinoa and wilted spinach. amazing. if i wanted to get crazy i could have one crockpot going for lunch and another for dinner. but i prefer to make pot roast in the oven. i'm thinking this fall & winter, i will be making soups, dips, and meat for tacos & wraps for lunch. anything, would be better than the mac & cheese with hot dogs i succumbed to yesterday. yes, even i, have fallen prey to the most evil of evil lunches. all you gotta do is combine your ingredients in the morning and turn the sucker on high. and voila! . . . LUNCH! lunch was turning into my nemesis. no more. thank you, once again, crockpot.

asian chicken wings
3 lbs. chicken wings, browned
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. ketchup
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 c. dry sherry
1/2 c. hoisin sauce
1 T. lime juice
3 T. toasted sesame seeds*
combine everything except lime juice and sesame seeds. cook on high 2-3 hours or until no longer pink. before serving thoroughly coat wings in sauce and drizzle with lime juice and sprinkle sesame seeds.
*to toast sesame seeds just heat a small amount of oil in pan and toss around for a minute or two until you smell the goodness.

and if breakfast is your nemisis. . .

andrea's healthy pancakes
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
couple dashes of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt (she cut this to 1/2 tsp)
2 eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1 3/4 cup milk
couple swirls of honey for good luck
makes 15 five inch panckes. which are way more filling and healthy! and cheaper than the store bought ones! andrea makes a batch, freezes the leftovers, and then heats them up for the kids. brilliant!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

the red guy is coming.

the holidays are approaching. quickly. after halloween. . .there's thanksgiving. then CHRISTMAS. i'm still debating about weather to be a scrooge or excited. but i do know what you all get your loved ones. or your hairdresser.

1. my friend, summer, makes amazing marshmallows. i mean these things are handcrafted, artisan, crack-injected puffs of deliciousness. she has a big holiday promo going on. place your orders people and get all your stocking stuffer, random service people, neighbor shopping done.

2. or you could go to the nomad this sunday, october 24th and bid on some silent auction items. there will be some artwork up for bid or clementine's p+p will be donating a six month veg box subscription. wouldn't you love to receive that for a holiday gift? 6 months of weekly organic produce deliveries!! and all the money raised will go to the avery clare latham education fund. two presents at once. you can't beat that.

3. or you could come to the farm on thursday night from 6:30-9:00 pm and participate in our first snack 'n swap night. just bring a snack to share with the group and 8-10 items to swap with other participants. it's going to be a blast.

i hope some of this information inspires you to give meaningful, cost efficient, delicious presents this holiday season. and, more importantly, to enjoy one another's fine company. xoxo

Friday, October 15, 2010

winging it

a few weeks back, i woke up with the cold from hell. it lasted about ten days for hendrix and i. it lasted about 21 days for mike. did i mention he has the immune system similar to a newborn? anyway, i woke up wanting two things. hot tea and homemade chicken noodle soup. the kind of soup that has the big, thick noodles. real chicken. and chunks of carrot and celery. i am a purist when it comes to chicken noodle soup. mostly, because i've only had actual, real chicken noodle soup twice in my life as opposed to the campbell's can my mother would feed me. gross. i set out to make it in the crockpot and it was beautiful and delicious. i totally winged it with the items in my freezer and pantry. what a satisfying thing. . .to provide a delicious, soul warming, comfort food for my sick family.
a week or so before the cold from hell, i woke up wanting bohemian cafe's sweet & sour cabbage. lucky me, i had a head of cabbage in the crisper drawer. and caraway seeds. people, i nailed that recipe. i fried up some pork schnitzel, made some sour cream mashed potatoes, and saved mike a 25 minute drive downtown. mike was so impressed. my next goal is to make the hungarian goulash that they serve there. it's mike's favorite.
was i always able to wing it? no. about 8 years ago my cousin had to teach me how to let eggs cook slowly instead of burning them. my "specialty" was spaghetti with a can of ragu and 1/2 container of parmesan added to it. as i grew older, lived on my own more, and became friends with cooks i decided that i needed to learn how to cook more stuff. someone once told me that my grandmother read cookbooks like they were novels. this is a great way to learn what flavors go together and techniques. getting a job at buvette opened even more doors for me since you are immersed in the kitchen and all that goes with it. now i would never buy parmesan in a container or a jar of tomato sauce. why? some would say because i am a snob. i say because it is cheaper to shred it yourself, the sauce tastes better when you make it in your pan, and the meal is that much more satisfying. a little practice goes a long way in the kitchen.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

i heart crockpots

i love my crockpots almost as much as i love mike, hendrix, and coffee. i got one at my baby shower and let me tell you. . .best baby shower gift idea ever. thank you, becky. no one is too busy to cook with a crockpot. korean ribs, ratatouille, thai curry, chili, baked pork chops + apples, white bean + kale soup, lasagna. . .the possibilities are endless. with about 15 minutes of prep time, you can come home after work, errand running, kids' appointments, whatever. . .and eat a home cooked meal. it's brilliant. do you love your crockpot? do you own a crockpot? what's your favorite meal to make in the crockpot?