hunkering down + planning

i've decided to spend the day planning next year's garden and planning our advent calendar activities.  weird, i know.  i think i have a bit of a cold and still have morning sickness combined with nesting.  so i have to make the best of a stupid situation. i may or may not make dinner. also, i am excited for my new glasses that are supposed to come today.  in the meantime, make yourself some oatmeal...

pumpkin pie oatmeal

1/4 c. of canned pumpkin

1 generous T. of brown sugar

generous sprinkle of baking or pumpkin pie spice

1/2 c. of oats

1 c. of water

combine ingredients in small pot and cook on med until cooked through.  about 5 minutes.

getting in the groove

weeks 13 and 14 of this pregnancy were a bit rough as far as the morning sickness goes...i've had morning sickness since about 5 weeks so i'm kind of over it.  plus, i'm now in this weird morning sickness + nesting phase which leads to a lot of unfinished projects, a house that looks like a bomb hit, and a grumpy mommy at the end of the day.  i also have not done much cooking or meal planning for the past two months.  see the empty slots on our what's for dinner page for proof.  i'm not promising that i'll be getting back to that anytime soon, either.  however, i did more cooking and prep this past week/weekend then i have in a long time.  yesterday i cut up a bunch of fruit for the week, hard boiled a dozen eggs for snack times, made granola for my morning yogurt, made a pot of black eyed peas (i froze some and saved some for my favorite 101 cookbooks recipe), doubled our dinner so that i could put some in the freezer, and made these cookies with hendrix.  oh, and i made breakfast instead of making mike take us out. for the first time, in a long time i feel like i have a head start on this week's meals and snacks.  this pregnancy has me craving protein like crazy and eating small meals throughout the day does better for me.  so, if i have no quick snacks then bad things happen and i get sick. hopefully, this week is a little better and my prepping helps out.

here's what we're having for dinner this week...

chile colorado burritos with yellow rice and pineapple
tartiflette with green salad
black eyed peas with leeks (adding beef kielbasa for mike)
venison chops with mashed potatoes and sauteed collards with mushrooms
mushroom meatloaf with roasted brussel sprouts and cheddar squash muffins

{check out amy's meatless mondays for great ideas or a whole month of meatless mondays.}

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if you are in the omaha metro area and are wanting to help make thanksgiving special for folks in need then please consider joining the dessert drive that the heart ministry is hosting this week.

if you'd like to help the folks and small businesses in NYC that were affected by sandy then check this site out.

whoa baby. here we go again.

hendrix made this in preschool

well, it's official.  we're expecting.  for those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile you know that i have been baby crazy since about hendrix's first birthday.  i am happy to say that shortly after hendrix's fourth birthday in march we will be saying hello to another baby.  baby #2 is due may 7th.   i'm getting pretty excited now that the morning sickness is starting to go away and my energy is coming back.  also, if your morning sickness is real bad....zofran is your friend. for reals. hendrix is pretty pumped too and has been pretty great on the days i am feeling especially gross or tired.  mike is like a deer in headlights, but what can you expect?
which brings me to the story i promised to tell all of you...the one about how we brought hendrix home and we had no food in the house.  hendrix was born about 2 1/2 weeks before his due date and i was on bed rest the week before he was born. silly me thought you actually went around your due date and that i had time.  i did not.  also, mike can not be trusted at the grocery store.  i remember coming up with a list of a few things for him to get based on a few quick meals i figured i could throw together.  he came back with cans of chef boyardee. gross.  see why i insist on giving new parents food, slow cookers, and recipes? i did, however, have my slow cooker that my girlfriend, becky, had given me at my baby shower.  becky has five boys...i think she understood the need for a momma to have some arsenal and how great it is to receive something non-baby related at your shower.  because really...how many blankets and hats does one baby need?  i broke that slow cooker out and used it all the time.  it was a few weeks though before i could really come up for air and go to the store for what i really needed....easy snacks + meals. let's face it, actual meals don't always happen in the first few weeks. so, that brings me to what i think you really need to stock your pantry, fridge, and freezer with before the baby arrives....

snack time!
granola (loose and bars)
yogurt
applesauce
hummus + pita chips
black beans, shredded cheese, and tortilla chips
cut veggies
oatmeal
fruit
dark chocolate

homemade freezer meals!
lasagna
pizza dough
marinara
pizza pockets
runzas
quiche
sliced meatloaf for sandwiches
pot pies
rainbow soup
quinoa pancakes
whole grain muffins
chicken hand pies
enchilada's
burritos

store bought freezer meals!
ravioli
trader joe's gyoza dumplings (so good!)
trader joe's burritos
.....

• if you are still building your pantry, check out my pantry checklist.  to spread the cost out when building your pantry just add a few items every week to your shopping list.  you'll get there in no time. 
• to see more tips on prepping food for a new parents, check this post out. 
• to see what supplies i think a new baby and parents actually need...check this post out. 

anything i am missing? let me know.  be kind, though.  remember i have pregnancy brain.

slow cooker cabbage rolls

'tis the time of year for the cabbage roll.  it is pretty damp and cold here this morning so i thought these cabbage rolls would be perfect for dinner.  they are one of mike's favorites and hendrix needs to go to cabbage eaters anonymous.  seriously.  he asked for a bowl of cabbage for breakfast.  not a bad thing, i guess. did you know cabbage is high in vitamin K and C? so, you see...it's perfect for the cold & flu season.  i'll be honest.  i, too, love cabbage but the idea of cabbage rolls grossed me out.  mike leans towards "old fashioned", farmer food and sometimes it's gross.  he ordered cabbage rolls once at a small town diner and couldn't stop talking about them so i decided to make them.  turns out.  he's right.  they are delicious.  we usually eat them with mashed potatoes. for non meat eaters, like hendrix, the meat & rice can easily be replaced with quinoa, shredded veggies like carrots or zucchini, some beans for extra protein and the proceed as directed .  here's the traditional recipe...
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cabbage rolls
1 small head of green cabbage, you need the outer leaves
1 lb. of ground meat
1 small onion, very finely chopped
3-4 dashed of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. of quick cooking rice
1 large can of tomato juice
in a bowl, combine meat, onion, Worcestershire sauce, rice, and 3/4 cup of tomato juice.  carefully peel 5-8 cabbage leaves from the head, depending on the size of your cabbage leaves, then make an inverted “V” in the base of each leaf to remove the steam. divide mixture and using the greens, roll into “burritos”. place rolls in crock pot.  at this point, i usually shred a bunch of the leftover cabbage and place on top.  pour tomato juice on top, covering rolls, and cook on low for about 6 hours.  serve rolls with mashed potatoes and "sauce" from the crock pot. 
 

mike's chili...vegged out

it's been quiet around here, i know.  halloween and life got the better of me.  ha!  we had a wonderful halloween with my brother and his family.  i hope you all did, too.  for those of you on the east coast, i hope life gets back to normal sooner than later. xo!
in the meantime, here's a recipe from the top ten slow cooker recipes that i have "vegged out" for those of you that were wanting less meat-focused slow cooker meals.  also, here's the list of my favorite slow cooker vegetarian meals.  mike, my husband, is a big meat eater and our son is not...so it can make slow cooker cooking interesting.  sometimes if i am making meat stuffed peppers or cabbage rolls, i just stuff one or two with a grain, bean, and veg mixture for the kid & me.  things like chili can be a little tougher, though.  so if i am sure hendrix is not going to just eat the beans or i feel like we have been lacking on the veg consumption then i just add some veggies and cut the meat.  mike usually doesn't notice.
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mike's favorite chili - vegged out
1/2-3/4 lb of ground meat, browned
1 onion, chopped
1 T. minced garlic
2 cans of kidney beans, rinsed
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato soup + 1 can of water (if too dry looking)
1/4 c. of chili powder
2 T. cumin
1 handful of shredded carrots or zucchini
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 small bunch of kale or spinach, chopped very fine
combine everything but the greens in the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  before serving, turn crock pot to high and add greens.  cook until wilted.  serve with your favorite chili toppings. 

diy hot cocoa

it was the para-teacher's birthday at our preschool this week.  so hendrix and i put together a quick, season appropriate gift for her.  i typically give hot cocoa to our friends and family during christmas.  usually i do it in brown bags or waxed bags tied with baker's twine and a tag with the prep directions. this time, since i was only doing one, i took a cue from pinterest and used a mason jar and added some marshmallows.  this recipe makes about 1 1/2 pint jars.

clementine's hot cocoa mix
1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c. sugar
1 heaping teaspoon of salt
whisk and combine thoroughly.  store in an container.

to prep...
1 tablespoon of hot cocoa mix
8 oz. milk
warm in pan until hot and mix is dissolved. ENJOY!

rainbow soup

garden tomatoes from earlier this year.  now my garden looks like the apocalypse hit .

when i posted the top ten slow cooker meals, i heard from a lot of new mommas and soon to be new mommas.  (remind to tell you all about the time i came home with a new baby and no food in the house. it was my first and i apparently thought i was going have time to cook.)  this recipe is for you ladies...it's easy to make, freezes well, can be made in the slow cooker or on the stove top, is super healthy for growing babies in the belly, super great for recovering new mommies, and if you use a little clever marketing...a toddler might like it.  hendrix calls this rainbow soup and loves it.  oh, it's pretty darn cheap to make too! i posted about it a few years ago, but i figured it was worth sharing again. it's basically a very versatile minestrone recipe.  feel free to add some cooked, sliced italian sausage if you like. always add parmesan cheese. xo!
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i love this twist on the traditional minestrone. it is so colorful, versatile, and delicious! don't have butternut squash? use potato. or sweet potatoes.  don't like yellow squash? use green beans or zucchini. you can use kale or spinach instead of cabbage, too. cannellini beans, pinto beans or chickpeas would work in place of the kidney beans, as well. get creative!  this works especially well if you froze any of your garden's bounty earlier this year. 

anna's minestrone
3 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 -2 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. minced fresh rosemary or 1/4 t. dried
coarse salt and pepper, to taste
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained (or fresh, chopped)
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 lb. shredded green cabbage
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 c. yellow squash, chopped
1 c. green peas, frozen
1 minced garlic clove
7 c. water
shredded parmesan for serving


STOVETOP: in large pot, heat oil over medium - add onion, carrots, celery, red pepper flakes, rosemary, s&p (to taste) - cook until onion begins to turn golden (5-8 mins.) - add tomatoes, cook 1 minute - add butternut squash, cabbage, beans, and 7 c. water - bring to a boil  - reduce to a simmer and cook until all veggies are tender (15 minutes) - stir in peas and cook 5-10 minutes - season with s&p, stir in garlic - serve with parmesan on top - enjoy!
SLOW COOKER: omit olive oil.  combine everything BUT greens and peas.  cook on low for 6-8 hours.  before serving, turn to high and add greens and peas.  cook until greens are wilted. - serve with parmesan on top - enjoy!

mondays + breakfast

i didn't do much cooking this weekend.  mike's mom is still in the hospital and is kind of having a tough time. much of the weekend was spent shuffling hendrix to one place or another so that i could make it up to visit her. so please keep sending her good vibes. 
i did eat some of these mind blowing pumpkin cinnamon rolls courtesy of my friend summer.  i also made this rueben bake on saturday night.  so easy and so delicious. on thursday, i made this roasted beef, mushroom, and barley stew.  huge hit with hendrix!
finally, here's 5 minute breakfast for you all...
......
apple pie oatmeal
1 peeled, chopped apple
1 generous TABLESPOON of brown sugar
generous sprinkle of baking spice
1/2 cup of oats
1 cup of water
combine ingredients in a small pot and cook in med to med high until cooked through and thickened.  about 5 minutes. serve with milk.

top 10 slow cooker recipes for parents

i've been doing this thing for awhile now.  when folks have a new baby, or when i remember to do it, i send them a word document of my top 10 slow cooker recipes.  these are the recipes that i mostly have memorized and often make at least once a week. as many of you know, i fricking love the crockpot.  sure, i love my dutch oven and braising, but when i was a new mom, being able to throw dinner in the crockpot in the morning was a godsend around 5pm later that day. mornings were the only time i could get a little household work done and they still are...by the afternoon i am usually so tired all i want is a latte and a nap. however, i have since figured out that all of us, parents or not, could benefit from the glory of the crockpot.  so, if you would like to fall in love with the crockpot this fall and winter...go here to get the top ten slow cooker recipes. check out one of my favorite blogs of all time, dinner a love story, and see what jenny has to say about the korean ribs she made from my top 10 list.  she's pretty awesome in the kitchen so i am sure she found a way to make these even more killer.

GSW {menu plan} :: 14

cute kitty photo of the day

it's feeling very indian summer like around here.  did you know that indian summer by the doors is the song our family walked down the aisle to when we got married?  it's true.  except it wasn't really an aisle.  mike, hendrix, and i just sort of entered the room where everyone was waiting and then the ceremony began.  what is true is that i love mike best.  better than all the rest.

now.  onward with the menu plan!  i'll be honest...i couldn't get away with serving all of the dinner ideas, i post on these menu plans, at my house.  mike and hendrix would be disappointed or disgusted.  i would eat all of the dinner ideas and love every bit of it.  those two? not so much.  so this week's menu is still seasonally influenced, but is actually what we will be eating next week. i'm hitting two birds with one stone you might say....

1. emily's meatloaf with roasted butternut squash and a cherry tomato salad
2. sausage, bean, and kale stew with crusty bread (except with chard)
3. roasted chicken drumsticks with peach bbq sauce and potato salad
4. best {eggplant} sandwich ever with oven baked french fries
5. grilled italian sausages with butternut squash latkes

weekend lunch & double it for the freezer....
tomato soup with grilled cheeses

prep ahead for snack/treat time....
homemade animal crackers

back to school dinner

on monday, we had a back to school dinner for hendrix.  i put out the white tablecloth, used name cards, and printed out BE BRAVE signs.  i put together a little gift bag filled with flashcards, white boards {to practice writing}, eraseable makers, and a superhero cape.  we talked about school and what it meant to be brave. 

i had read about this back to school dinner tradition in a few places and really liked the concept.   i think it is so sweet and gives adults the chance to get excited about back to school, too.  did you get pumped for the first day or were you like mike and dreaded it?  i absolutely loved the first day of school, buying school supplies, and talking about summer at recess. 

for dinner i made slow cooker korean ribs with rice and red cabbage.  just make the rice according to package directions and saute your thinly sliced red cabbage in olive oil and sesame oil.  season the cabbage with salt and chinese five spice.  it's also great with bok choy or carrots.  to make the ribs...

slow cooker korean ribs

3 lbs country style pork ribs or beef short ribs

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. water

5 - 10 whole jalepenos

combine ingredients in slow cooker (meat can be frozen which is a bonus) and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  serve over rice with veggies on the side.

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i'll be back soon with a menu plan for next week.  in the meantime, don't forget to check out our what's for dinner page for dinner ideas.



homemade animal crackers



mike came home with the cookie cutters that his grandmother bought at the town grocery store in the 1930s when she lived in this house we now call our home. mike's mother had made cookies with her mother, in this house, with those exact cookie cutters.  then he made cookies with his mother and grandmother in their house in another town.  now the cookie cutters made their way back to this house.  i was so awe struck with the bag of cookie cutters that mike's mom had saved all of these years.  there are ones for every holiday.  i knew which one hendrix would like the best.  an ax shaped cookie cutter.  so hendrix and i made animal crackers with the lion, owl, bird, horse, dog, and alligator shaped ones.  and the ax shaped cookie cutter. 
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homemade animal crackers
yield 2-3 dozen depending on size of cracker

1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 heaping teaspoon of baking spice
1/8 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1/2 cup of rolled oats (can grind them up if you like)
1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of all purpose flour

cream sugar and butter.  add egg and vanilla, mix well. in a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.  add to sugar mixture and mix well.  form dough into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight. 
preheat oven 350 degrees.  take a hunk of dough off your dough ball and warm up with your hands.  roll out onto a floured surface.  cut out shapes and bake on parchment lined baking sheet for 5-8 minutes.  store in an airtight container at room temp for up to one week.

GSW {menu plan} :: thirteen

elegant dinner at our house



1. grilled chicken with avocado & grilled corn salad

2. pork ragu over noodles serve with green salad topped with apples, almonds, and bleu cheese tossed in a simple vinaigrette {weekend dinner alert!}

3. salmon with chickpea, feta, and parsley salad {salad keeps well in fridge for lunches or snack time}

4. grilled pork tenderloin with peaches

5.  black bean stuffed peppers

going to a party? bring dessert and a hostess gift...
fruit crisp + place mats

put aside cleaning your house and freeze some tomatoes...
how to freeze tomatoes
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we'll be finishing our {play}barn this weekend and hoping for rain.  thankfully, our friend, tony, is coming to help and his daughter will be here to play with hendrix.
if you are looking for something to do this weekend in the omaha metro, try...millard days, shopping the furniture sale at oh darling!, dundee day on saturday, take a road trip to the nebraska state fair, or go to the world O! water festival at chalco hills on saturday.

wild plum + peach crisp

when in doubt.  make a crisp.  in doubt about anything.  a crisp is always the answer.  also, always double to crisp topping.  a crisp is just as easy as the one cup cobbler.  don't have enough to make jam?  not in the mood for chutney?  make a crisp.  put yogurt on it...it's practically breakfast. i believe in the power of the crisp so much that this recipe is written on the inside of my cupboard, like my all purpose crust.

before the good stuff happens



i use the crisp recipe from the wednesday chef, but double the topping or triple it, depending on how much fruit i am using. for this one, i used an 8x8 dish and doubled the topping.  it was perfect.  the peaches cut the tartness of the wild plums.  the best part?  the thing takes 30 minute to bake and less than 5 minutes to prep.

fruit crisp
2/3 (mounded) cups of rolled oats or muesli mix
2/3  cups of packed brown sugar
6 T. butter, softened
2 T. flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 cup of nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts)
fruit of your choice, (peeled, cored, chopped) enough to fill pan

grease dish, preheat oven to 400.  fill pan with fruit.  combine dry ingredients and then with your fingers, work the butter into the mixture until it clumps up.  sprinkle topping mixture over fruit.  bake for 30 minutes. 

garden updates



our garden is becoming very bountiful these days.  the eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, onions, peppers, chard, kale, collards, green beans, potatoes, and herbs have been providing pretty regularly these past couple of weeks.  it is really great because we have been able to share with our family and friends and still have plenty.  i hope the regular summer temps hold so that i can {comfortably} get some canning done this week.  i realized that i did not feature a garden last week, so while hendrix and i are on an adventure today, i will track an awesome garden down for {garden}REVOLUTION.  in the meantime, do have an overabundance of veggies in your garden or did you get something new in your co-op that you need to some cooking tips for?  email me at clementinespandp@gmail.com, leave a comment on this blog, or on facebook.  i'll send you some of my best ideas and we can share them with everyone right here.  i was lucky enough to work for almost three years in a restaurant where everything was made from scratch and seasonal ingredients...and the cooks were generous with their knowledge.  not everyone is, so let's all share our knowledge and tried & true tips.

signature dish

picture by andrea from her DALS book



andrea texted me yesterday to tell me that i had been published.  it seems that my kale, sausage, and bean stew recipe, that won a contest over at dinner a love story blog,  had now been published in the dinner a love story cookbook.  and let me tell you...that made my day!!  i have a huge crush on DALS and what jenny + andy talk about over there...so to have my go-to dish in jenny's book made me more than happy. a few asked for it yesterday, so here it is, my signature dish. also you can go here to see the recipe at dinner a love story. if you aren't already a regular reader of the DALS blog, i suggest you become one today.

sausage, bean, and kale stew 
 2-4 italian sausage links, cut
1 onion, chopped
2 T. olive oil
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped
32 oz. of chicken or vegetable broth
salt
pepper
crushed red pepper
shredded parmesan
crusty bread
in a pot or dutch oven, heat oil and add sausage and onion.  cook until onions are soft and sausage is cooked through.  add garlic and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds.  add broth, tomatoes, and beans. bring to a boil, reduce heat, and begin to add kale.  cook until kale begins to wilt and becomes bright green.  simmer for about 15 more minutes.  season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste.  serve with parmesan and crusty bread.  enjoy!

breakfast of champions



last week i mentioned that breakfast was my nemesis.  it used be lunch but now it is breakfast.  hendrix doesn't do well with a bowl of cereal and milk.  meaning...he won't eat it.  he will eat eggs.  eggs for days.  and i am over it.  so we are mixing things up.  here's what i came up with...with a little help from my friends. 
.....

these should all take about the time it takes for your coffee to brew.  or your tea to steep.

julie's almond butter + banana grilled breakfast sandwich
{optional: add mini chocolate chips &/or dip into a french toast batter before grilling}
the how to: smear bread of choice with almond butter and add some sliced bananas...grill & eat.

whole wheat bagel with cream cheese, tomato slices, and baby greens
the how to: toast bagel, smear with cream cheese, add baby greens and tomato slices. eat.

homemade granola with greek yogurt, honey, and fruit
{prep ahead: make a batch of granola weekly and keep in the freezer to preserve the crunch.  you can even make your own greek yogurt}
the how to: mix granola with yogurt.  top with honey and fresh fruit.

hard boiled eggs with "toddler" muffins (this is a running out the door breakfast)
{prep ahead: the muffins can be made ahead and frozen for up to a month.  the eggs can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a week}
the how to: throw in it in your bag and eat it in the car.

quinoa pancakes with nut butter and fruit
{prep ahead: the pancakes can be made ahead and frozen for up to a month}
the how to: reheat pancakes in your toaster.  smear with nut butter (peanut, almond, whatever) and top with fruit. eat.

the tofu scramble
{prep ahead: save the bits of last night's veggies to throw into this scramble in the morning}
the how to: scramble your veggies with tofu just as you would with eggs. season well and eat.

cottage cheese with tomatoes, basil, and pepper
the how to: add chopped tomatoes and basil to cottage cheese.  mix.  top off with black pepper. eat.

these are for a more leisurely morning.  you can make all these while you drink a couple cups of coffee. or whatever your poison is.

julie's breakfast hash
{prep ahead: chop veggies up and keep in fridge for up to a week.}
the how to: shred a potato or a sweet potato (for each person) in your food processor, saute in a skillet with olive oil.  add veggies and cook until everything is softened.  season.  add an egg on top, if you please.  eat.

egg quesadillas
the how to: i'll let heidi of 101 cookbooks direct you on the ways of the egg quesadillas.  they are delicious.

GSW::seven



peace love ice cream buy here





somehow i was under the impression that it was not thursday.  i don't know what day i thought it was, but it wasn't thursday in my head.  holidays in the middle of the week really throw a momma off.  i sure hope you all had a good one.  now i am here to give you a plan for next week's dinners.  all of the dinners are quick, veggie heavy, and have some element that can be prepped in the morning or the night before. 

1.  fish tacos with cabbage and confetti salad
{to make the salad combine 1 can of rinsed black beans with 2 ears of roasted corn (kernels cut off the ears), 1/2 a red onion ( chopped), 1 red pepper (chopped), the juice of 1 lime, salt, and a handful of chopped cilantro. this salad keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge.}

2. italian sausage topped with roasted red peppers and onions served with coleslaw
{roast one red pepper and one onion in the oven for about 30 minutes at 425 degrees.  once skins look blistered, remove and put in a ziploc bag for a few minutes.  carefully open and peel off the skin of the red pepper and onion, cut into strips.  can be done up to one day on advance. the coleslaw should be made the night before. grill sausages and top with peppers and onions in a hoagie bun.}

3. grilled chicken* with a blt salad
{*DALS is pretty much the authority on grilled chicken so just go with whatever looks good over there if you need an idea for your grilled chicken*.  if you are going with a marinated chicken, prep the marinade in the morning and let the chicken steep all day. for the salad...cut up romaine lettuce and arrange a thinly sliced, sweet onion on top with some halved cherry tomatoes. in a skillet, fry 1/4 lb. of bacon until crispy.  add 1/2 c. of cider vinegar and 1/2 c. sugar in the skillet with the bacon, bring to a simmer.  cook until sugar dissolves.  immediately pour over lettuce and onions, combine and serve immediately.}

4. egg salad sandwiches with cucumber salad
{make the salad the night before and the cucumber salad in the morning.  and, yes, this qualifies as dinner when it is 1000 degrees outside and/or you have 1000 million things to do...or you have a lot of eggs and cukes.  plus, it is faster, cheaper, healthier, and better than takeout/fast food.}

5. french bread pizza stuffed with summer's bounty
{go to the store and buy a loaf of french or italian bread from the bakery section.  cut in half, lengthwise.  hollow out the slices a bit.  shred or thinly slice some garden or farmer's market goodies...zucchini, kale, onions, eggplant, swiss chard are all good options.  saute in a pan with a bit of garlic and olive oil.  add mushrooms or ground sausage, if you like. you can prep the filling the night before.   spread some marinara or pizza sauce on the bread and top with your fillings.  top with mozzarella and bake for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  or until the cheese is melted.}

cool treat AND a boredom buster...
make ice cream in a ziploc bag

it's still hot. have a cool drink...
minty orange iced tea

hello, july!



art by katie rodgers of paper fashion found via pinterest





hi, friends.  it seems like july just appeared out of nowhere, doesn't it?  maybe it is just me. we had a nice relaxing, yet productive, weekend.  on sunday, we had hendrix's cousins and friends over...there were 6 children under six...for supper, swimming, tie dye, and watermelon eating.  hendrix had a blast.  however, our poor kitty, whitey, started getting sick over the weekend.  i thought she was really sick, but thankfully it is just some bad teeth. she is in surgery right now and hopefully will be home later today.  we've been surviving the heat wave in our non-air conditioned house, but i am looking forward to a break in the heat.  tomorrow is the fourth and we are planning on laying low perhaps we'll try to hit the ralston parade and, for sure, the fireworks. we'll try to get some swimming and eating in, too.  i think i am going to make this red, white, and blue salsa.   i'll be back soon with a weekly menu plan and more.  whatever you do for the holiday tomorrow...i hope it is grand and spent with all those that you love. xo!

GSW:six {holy moly, it is hot!}

alright, it is officially summer which means that our farmhouse is officially hot.  you know, because we do not have air conditioning. well, we do.  we have one window unit. see here for the explanation.  so this week's menu is all about doing as little cooking as possible...meaning avoiding turning the oven on at all costs. i found have written about this at length when i reviewed the archives.  it is not all bad, though, since hendrix and i have already snacked on four tomatoes from our garden this week!!  good times, good times. onward, we go....

shrimp + sausage kabobs with a green salad + rice pilaf
{boil some extra potatoes to make a potato salad with for dinner later in the week. see what i did there?  saved you some time, is what i did. you're welcome.}

grilled lemon + dill salmon with best potato salad
{this will take you less than 15 minutes to prepare if you make the potato salad in advance}
for the salmon just brush them with a bit of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and lay lemon slices and fresh dill on each piece.  wrap in foil and grill for about 5-8 minutes depending on thickness or broil in the oven.  serve with potato salad}

japanese pizza
{this looks delicious! if you recieved a cabbage from us this might be just the thing to use some of it for...read this lovely article for more thoughts on the forgotten vegetable, cabbage}
if you live with a man like my husband...i would just add a nice grilled piece of meat to this and i would just eat the pizza as it is.  we all have to compromise in life.

slow cooker chili colorado burritos with rice + beans
{listen here and listen good: the crockpot is your friend even when it is summer.  i'll make an exception for these and turn on the broiler just long enough to make that cheese melt.  throw some cherry tomatoes on top of these burritos, too!}
i really like the VIGO brand of rice and beans for convenience.  they come in flavors like red beans and rice, saffron, black beans and rice, etc.. almost all grocery stores carry them and they can be found in the hispanic foods aisle, usually.  serve any variety with these burritos and you will have a happy belly.

zucchini boats with grilled italian sausages
{hendrix will go to town on this dinner and will really love me if i add some fresh fruit as a side.  also, super easy to prepare, less than 30 minutes}
these zucchini boats are a perfect way to use those cute little zucchini we are already seeing in our neck of the woods/  throw some sausage on the grill and call it dinner!

and you know what?! it's effing hot. so make some of this, too....
raspberry pomegranate sorbet

and as far as healthy snacks go...please read this and consider making a donation to an organization that is near and dear to my heart.