Homemade Dog Treats (it's easier than you think!)

We adopted a little mutt named Brody last year.  He's loving, sweet, a little hyper, and (perhaps) the only one in the house who actually listens to me the first time.  As such, I spoil the little guy.  I'm convinced he eats better than most humans and, well, I started baking him homemade treats.  They're super easy to make and he just loves 'em.  The peanut butter ones are his favorite.  In fact, we baked them for all his little doggie friends during the holidays.  (Yeah, I've become one of "those" dog owners.)

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray or parchment paper
2 cups whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup low sodium turkey broth
1 cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Spray a heavy baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats and baking powder. Stir in the broth and peanut butter until the mixture forms a crumbly dough. Press the dough together to form a ball.

On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough for 30 seconds until smooth. Roll out the dough into a 10-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. Using whatever shape cookie cutter desired (I usually use a round one but a bone-shaped one would have been cute), cut out treats and place on the prepared baking sheet (any scraps of dough can be formed into a ball and re-rolled).

Bake until light golden, 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

**Using a 2-1/2" round cutter, I get between 50 and 60 treats out of this recipe

Looking for a good "make ahead" Sunday morning breakfast or brunch? How about my Breakfast Bake?

MDG's Breakfast Bake (serves 8)

3/4 lb. bulk breakfast sausage
1/2 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1-1/2 C frozen hash browns (I like the Alexia yukon gold ones)
3/4 C grated cheddar or swiss cheese
1/2 C flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 C milk
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a square baking dish and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, cook the sausage, onion and pepper, breaking up the meat, until the meat is cooked (7 to 8 mins.)

Transfer the meat mixture (including the fat) to the casserole dish and stir in the frozen hash browns and cheese.

In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the milk and eggs until well combined. Pour over the sausage mixture, ensuring even coverage.

Bake uncovered until light brown on top and around the edges, about 35 to 40 mins. (If you want your casserole extra cheesy, you can sprinkle another 1/2 C of shredded cheese on top and bake for another 2 minutes.)

Enjoy!

(Weight Watchers note: If you use 1% milk and don't add the extra cheese, this comes to 7 WW points per serving)

Ranting About Yesterday and Today

This week, my employer has been the "host organization" for our industry's largest annual professional conference.  While it's been great to actually get to attend one of these events (tickets are upwards of $700 for 3 days, plus travel, meals, etc., so it isn't something I'd be able to attend if it weren't happening in our city and if we weren't hosting), it's been a little stressful.

I spent the full day Wednesday at the conference site, walking around, checking out the vendors, making sure my intern was set up with our volunteer coordinator, etc.  Nothing too crazy.  Well, according to my pedometer, I walked over 3 miles inside.  That's kind of crazy.

Yesterday, though...  I needed to be there by 11am for a seminar.  Naturally, I received a panicky email from a coworker about needing to finalize some foreign transfers.  I was promised they'd be ready for review by 8am, 8:30 at the latest.  

So, stupid me, I arrive at the office for 8am and... wait... and... wait... and... wait.  

Naturally they weren't ready until 9:45am.  Yeah.  At least I was able to use the lag time in between to finalize a few reports for my boss, so I wasn't just sitting around.  Apparently the traffic gods were on my side because I managed to get over to the convention center (about 4 or 5 miles away) and find parking (not always a "given") in about 25 minutes.  Whoo-hoo!  I then spent the rest of the day attending seminars and getting to know people.

Then I get home, which is when I remembered that Friday (today) is the last day of school and that DD#4 probably needed a thank you gift and note for her teacher.  So, we ran out, bought a box of gourmet chocolates (her teacher is a HUGE choco-holic), treated ourselves to ice cream for dessert, went back home, made a card (and DD#4 included a very nice letter of appreciation), and I was ready to crash. 

About 8pm, I remembered DD#3 is supposed to attend a Science Olympiad team dinner Friday (today) and she promised to bring brownies.  Of course, I remembered that DH promised that he would make them with her after school and, well, that totally didn't happen.  So, last night, when I should have been preparing for the last day of conference today, I baked 2 batches of homemade brownies.  And made a pitcher of homemade lemonade because DD#4 asked for some.  (I mean, at this point, why not?  It's not like I was getting to do anything for myself, right?  lol)

Today, though... today was supposed to be the "easy" day.  I needed to be at conference (final day) at 8:45am.  But DD#2 needed to be dropped off for work on my way.  Okay, not too bad, as I wasn't running too late.  Hit a bit of traffic.  Not too bad, it gave me a chance to mentally prepare (today's seminar was totally about my field of work and promised to be good.)  I get into the convention center about 20 minutes early and the security guard wants to talk about how awesome this event has been and how much he loves my employer organization. Nice to hear but I need to get to session, dude, please wrap it up.  (My mom raised me to be too polite to just cut him off.)  Finally I manage to get to the conference room exactly on time.  Whoo-hoo!  Then I spent the next hour and a half, listening to the presented proceed to rip apart the major parts of my job.  I mean, she literally said that it's a no longer necessary part of finance for non-profits and that it's a waste of time and money.  WTF?!?  I didn't walk out because, well, I was hoping she was going to change her tone a bit.  But nope.  Just more talk about how it's a totally outdated model.  (Which it isn't, BTW.  In fact, it's pretty common at all levels of non-profit organizations.)

I finished up that seminar and came back to the office.  After filling in my boss with the update that our work is for nothing (and her having the same WTF reaction I did), I decided that today was not going to be my most productive day and that I should plan on just cleaning up my office, answering emails for the past week, and that's about it.

In the meantime, to the seminar presenter who so thoroughly crapped on my work for the past (almost) 5 years... bite me.  My particular area is something that is very much needed, it's not a waste of resources to allocate funds to this area, and we (actually accountants and finance personnel) probably know it better than a consultant who's never worked in our field. 

Oh, and her calling fundraising "sales just tarted up with cheap lipstick and perfume" generated a ton of laughs from our philanthropy department.  I think they dislike her almost as much as I do.

There... rant off.

Have a good rest of Friday, everyone!

Homemade pizza... it's easier than you think

Friday nights in our house is "pizza night." Typically this means that we order in because, well, that's my usual night off from cooking dinner. However, because we live in Ohio and it's hard to find good pizza (we've found one place that comes close to what I remember from Italy and living in New York), I occasionally make my own homemade pizzas (dough recipe to follow below in comments) for dinner.

The top one is roasted red pepper, fresh tomato, garlic, pepperoni, and cheese, and the bottom one is just pepperoni. Yum!

1 package dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp.)
1 - 1/2 C lukewarm water
3 - 3 1/2 C unbleached flour, sifted
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Let sit for 10 minutes until it begins to be foamy. Add 1 cup flour and stir well. Add an additional 1 1/2 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of water and mix again. Mix in 1 tbsp. of olive oil and the salt, 1/2 cup water, and an additional 1/4 cup of flour. The dough should form a ball and be a little sticky. Add more flour or water if it's either too wet or too dry. By this point, you'll probably be using your hands to mix it.

Sprinkle some of the remaining flour onto a board and knead dough on it 8 - 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Form dough into a ball. Oil a large clean bowl with 1 tsp. olive oil and place dough in it, turning so all sides are lightly oiled. Cover with a towel and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Punch down dough with your fist, turn onto floured board and knead 1 - 2 minutes. Form dough into either 2 or 4 evenly sized balls, depending on what size pizza you wish to make (either 2 - 12" or 4 - 8" pizzas.) You can freeze the dough balls up to a month, individually well wrapped in plastic.

Homemade Brownies (2 ways)

Looking for a way to treat your kids as they finish up the school year?  Heck, looking for a way to treat yourself?  How about brownies?  No, not that stuff that you buy from a bakery or that you make from a box of who knows what.  Real, homemade brownies.  Here are 2 different recipes that turn out the most fabulous little treats you'll eat this week.  So, whether you like cake-like or fudgy brownies, MDG has you covered.

HOMEMADE BROWNIES (original - more cake-like)
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter
Mix sugar, cocoa, eggs and vanilla; gradually add flour and salt. When that is mixed, blend in butter. Spread in a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.

HOMEMADE BROWNIES (revised - more fudgy)
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C Hershey's chocolate syrup
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter
Mix sugar, cocoa, eggs and vanilla; gradually add flour and salt. When that is mixed, blend in butter. Spread in a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.

Both are awesomely good!

Tortellini with Pancetta & Gorgonzola Cream (serves 4)

Looking for a recipe that's super delish and easy to make?  Oh, and looks like you've spent hours in the kitchen?  Then, try my tortellini with pancetta & gorgonzola cream sauce.  It takes about 30 minutes, from start to finish, and is as perfect with company for dinner as it is on one of those "Oh crap!  I forgot to take something out for dinner!" nights.

Enjoy!

2 packages of refrigerator tortellini (or 1 bag of frozen) 
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Garlic, chopped
½ cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup Gorgonzola cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Pancetta, cooked, chopped

Cook tortellini as per the package instructions.  Drain and set aside.

In a sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and sauté till it begins to turn light brown.  Add white wine and deglaze pan.  Add heavy cream, Gorgonzola cheese, and Parmesan cheese.  Reduce heat to a simmer until cheese melts and ingredients are all incorporated.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Add tortellini to sauce and stir to combine. 

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with pancetta.

Looking for a fancy, restaurant-quality recipe to serve at home? Try this... Ravioli al Forno

2 Cup Alfredo Sauce (see recipe below)
1 lb Cheese Ravioli, cooked
½ Cup Bread Crumbs, toasted
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 oz. Pesto Sauce
2 oz. Marinara Sauce

Preheat oven to 350⁰.

In a large casserole dish, place 1 cup Alfredo. Top with ravioli and remaining cup Alfredo. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Place dish in oven and bake until sauce bubbles (approx. 15 minutes). Remove from oven. Top with pesto and marinara in a stripe pattern if desired.

Alfredo Sauce
3 Tbsp. butter
8 oz. heavy cream
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 Cup grated Romano cheese
Salt, to taste
1 egg yolk

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add heavy cream, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, nutmeg, grated Parmesan cheese, and grated Romano cheese. Stir constantly until melted. Mix in egg yolk. Simmer over medium low heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

Bacon Potato Salad (and it's Weight Watchers friendly! Seriously.)

I made this over the weekend and OMG! Super yummy, rather light (only 4 WW points per serving), and a nice side dish for the impending summer barbecues you're bound to either be hosting or attending. Enjoy!

Bacon Potato Salad

1 lb. small potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small chunks
3 slices bacon
5 scallions, trimmed and sliced
1/4 C mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Cook the potatoes in lightly salted water until just tender. Drain and cool.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon until it's crisp. Drain the cooked bacon on paper towels, to absorb the grease. Then cut or crumble into small pieces.

In a serving bowl, combine the mayonnaise and vinegar. Then add the potatoes, bacon, and scallions, and toss until well coated.

Chill at least an hour before serving.

Serves 6 "side dish" portions

An "open letter" to Walmart

You'd think that a woman standing by herself at the counter in the hardware... uh, sorry, "Do-It-Yourself" dept., looking around for help would have been like throwing up the Bat Signal and would have resulted in at least ONE employee coming to help. And you'd be wrong.

Seriously, I spent TEN MINUTES looking for help on the sales floor before finally finding a Customer Service Manager up front who told me there didn't appear to be ANY employees scheduled for that dept. and that there really wasn't anyone else who could check to see if there was in back an unopened package of replacement box cutter blades.

Since the only package I was able to find in the DIY section was already open and one blade missing, she did offer to sell me the package at 1/2 off.

I have no problems with this particular CSM. In fact, she was extremely helpful; however, I cannot believe you would condone such lousy staffing. What would have happened if I was looking to purchase a couple of gallons of paint (which would need to be custom mixed at the same register/counter I previously spent 10 minutes waiting at, ignored)? Walmart would have been okay with me driving less than a mile down the road and going to Lowe's Home Improvement, thus giving Lowe's the sale? Honestly, if it was for more than a package of replacement blades, I would have done that.

Signed,
A Disgruntled and Unhappy MDG

Homemade Bacon & Egg Ramen

Here's a recipe that I'm sure is DH's idea of a perfect meal - homemade ramen with bacon and egg. It's kind of similar to one he tried at an Asian restaurant a couple of months ago. (I was a little more adventurous and went with a Bahn Mi sandwich with Srirachia sauce.)

1 quart homemade or low sodium chicken broth
1" inch fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic
3 ounces smoky slab Bacon
1 piece about 2" from a stalk of lemongrass
1 package of ramen noodles (toss the soup packet)
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon black vinegar
2 eggs
1 handful chopped scallions
1 drop Srirachia or your favorite hot sauce
2 more cloves of garlic
1 handful julienned mustard greens, baby spinach leaves, or kale

Place bacon, ginger, garlic & lemongrass in a pot. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.

In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and cook ramen noodles according to directions. Drain and set aside.

Remove bacon, lemongrass, and ginger. Reserve the bacon for later. Add in greens (unless using baby spinach), soy sauce, and vinegar. Taste and check for salt, then add salt and pepper to taste. Slice the bacon.

Add sliced garlic cloves to a pan with the bacon, and fry both until crisp.

Drop eggs one at a time into the stock. (if you crack them in a bowl first, it is less likely that you will accidentally get a shell in your soup.)

Place ramen noodles (and baby spinach if using) in a bowl. Carefully remove the eggs before they are completely cooked (a slotted spoon works best). Ladle the hot broth over the eggs and noodles. Cover with Bacon, fried garlic, and scallions. Garnish with a squirt or two of hot sauce.

Knock-off Starbucks Lemon Pound Cake

Someone shared a knock-off recipe of the lemon pound cake from Starbucks. As that's my favorite thing on their entire menu (drinks included), I just had to share!

Pound cake ingredients:
1-1⁄2 C flour
1⁄2 tsp. baking soda
1⁄2 tsp. baking powder
1⁄2 tsp. salt
3 eggs, room temp
1 C sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon extract
1⁄3 C lemon juice
1⁄2 C oil

Icing ingredients:
1 C powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
1⁄2 tsp. lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar, then add eggs, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon juice with a mixer until blended.

Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and blend until smooth. Add oil and mix well.

Pour into loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool in pan on a rack.

Making the icing: In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk and lemon extract with a mixer until smooth.

When loaf is cooled, remove from pan and frost top with icing. When icing has set, slice loaf into slices (should get about 8 good slices).

This weekend is the unofficial start of summer? Bikini ready? No... well, here's a great chickpea salad to help you get there!

Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad

Serves 4

6 WW points per serving

3 sprays olive oil cooking spray
1 large whole-wheat pita, split open
3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp. ground cumin, divided
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. water
1-1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 C canned chickpeas, rinsed & drained
2 C halved or quartered grape tomatoes
1/3 English cucumber, cut lengthwise, sliced into 1/2" thick pieces
1/4 C diced red onion
1/2 C coarsely chopped fresh parsley
6 C thickly shredded romaine lettuce

Place oven rack in middle position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Coat both sides of the pita with cooking spray; place rough side up on baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with 1/4 tsp. each salt and cumin. Bake until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, water, oil, remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, remaining 1/4 tsp. cumin, and pepper.

Add chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and parsley; toss to coat. Let stand, tossing occasionally, at least 10 minutes for flavors to blend.

To serve: line each of four plates with 1-1/2 C lettuce; top with slightly heaping 1-1/4 C chickpea mixture. Break 1/2 of each pita into small pieces over each salad. Drizzle any dressing left in bowl evenly over salads. Serve.

Need something to bring to a picnic? How about homemade cole slaw?

It's almost picnic season. I love, love, LOVE cole slaw but have never attempted to make it myself. That is, until I found this recipe. Guess it's time to give it a shot.

8 C finely diced cabbage (about 1 head)
1⁄4 C diced carrot
2 Tbsp. minced onions
1⁄3 C granulated sugar
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄8 tsp. pepper
1⁄4 C milk
1⁄2 C mayonnaise
1⁄4 C buttermilk
1-1⁄2 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 1⁄2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Finely dice the cabbage and carrots (easiest way to do this would be using the fine shredder disc on a food processor.) Pour cabbage and carrot mixture into large bowl and stir in minced onions.

Using the regular blade on a food processor, process remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over cabbage mixture and mix thoroughly.

Cover bowl and refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.

NOTE: I've been told that you can substitute a bag of cole slaw mix from the produce section for the cabbage and carrots and get the same results. This cole slaw is supposed to be very much like the stuff from KFC.

Is It Odd for a Recovering Alcoholic to Share Alcoholic Drink Recipes? Nahh.... Here's Strawberry Margarita Jell-o Shots!

It's not weird that a recovering alcoholic (almost 9 years sober!) is sharing a recipe for Jell-o shots, is it?  Nahhh... I didn't think so!  (And, no, I haven't tried these personally.  However, the person who shared the recipe swears they're the best thing ever.)

Strawberry Margarita Jell-o Shots

30 strawberries
1 box strawberry Jell-o
1 C hot water
8 oz. tequila
6 oz. cointreau
1/4 C cold water
Salt

Clean, hull, and hollow out approx. 30 strawberries.

Boil one cup of hot water in a saucepan, then add in Jell-o powder and whisk until powder is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

Measure out 1/4 cup of cold water and set aside.

Combine tequila and Cointreau in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Add liquour mixture to cold water and stir to combine. Then add cold liquour mixture to hot Jell-o mixture and stir to combine.

Pour final Jell-o mix into strawberries and chill overnight. Dip your finger in water, to wet the edge of the strawberries. Dip and rotate the strawberries in salt to rim.

Top with a small wedge of lime and ENJOY!

Inappropriate, childish moment at work

You know you still have a childish sense of humor when you're in a meeting, discussing various funds who contribute to the not-for-profit organization you work for, a colleague mentions documents relating to a specific fund by the name of Clapp, and another colleague says, "Yeah, you already gave me the Clapp"... and omits the rest of the name. Lucky for me, everyone knows I've had allergy issues for the past month and didn't find it weird that I "sneezed" (a/k/a stifled the giggle) when I did.

I'm thinking it's time for a well-deserved tea break.

What's for Dinner? How About Mexican Chorizo Skillet?

8 SERVINGS

1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 C sweet potato (peeled & diced)
1/2 C onion (diced)
1 lb. chorizo sausage
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 C black beans (drained & rinsed)
1 C short-grain brown rice
1-1/4 C diced tomatoes with green chiles (equals 1 can RoTel)
1-3/4 C reduced fat/low sodium chicken broth
1/4 C scallions (diced)
1 C 2% cheddar cheese (shredded)

Directions
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add sweet potato and cook about 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Add onions and chorizo to the skillet. Cook stirring occasionally until sausage is cooked through (no longer pink) and onions are translucent.

Add garlic, black beans, and rice and stir to combine. Add tomatoes and chiles and chicken broth and stir gently to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 40-45 minutes or until rice is tender.

Remove from heat, fluff rice, and stir green onions into the mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top and return the lid. Allow to sit until cheese is melted and serve.

Recipe of the Day: Italian Chicken and Pasta

1-1/2 lbs. boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/8 C Italian seasoning (or you could use a mix of fresh basil and oregano, if you got it)
1 can Cannelli beans, drained and rinsed
3 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces
1 quart of homemade spaghetti sauce
1 C shredded Italian cheese blend (I used Sargento's 6 cheese Italian blend)
Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 lb. cooked pasta (I used fusilli, but you could use anything)

Brown the chicken in the olive oil, and cook until done. Add onion and garlic, cook for a few minutes. Stir in tomatoes, seasoning, beans, and bacon. Cook until everything's warmed through and hot. Stir in sauce, cheeses and salt & pepper. Cook until hot, then toss in cooked pasta. Serve with garlic bread and olives on the side. (You could add the olives to the chicken and pasta as well, but one of my kids prefers the olives plain.)

Dessert: Key Lime Pie

This could be the easiest recipe for Key Lime Pie anywhere... and it's so good! Enjoy!

2 C sweetened condensed milk
6 egg yolks
2⁄3 C key lime juice
1 graham cracker pie crust

Garnish:
whipped cream
thin lime slice

Preheat oven to 325*.

With an electric mixer, combine sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and lime juice. Mix just until ingredients are well-combined.

Pour filling into graham pie shell and bake on middle rack for 20 minutes or until filling jiggles only slightly when shaken.

Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Then, cover and chill in refrigerator for at least a couple hours before serving.

Garnish with whipped cream and lime slices, if desired, before serving.

PLEASE NOTE: It's VERY important, as with any key lime pie, to use actual key limes or key lime juice, as the flavor is quite different than regular limes.

Today's Rant: Bagels in the Midwest

What is it with people around here and their insistence on toasting bagels? I was just in Panera and you would have thought I asked for the woman's first born child when I told her to NOT toast my bagel. Oy!

Quick Tip: Flash freezing blueberries

We're just about to hit blueberry season in my area, and I love to stock up on them. Not only do I use them fresh, I flash freeze a bunch for use later in the year.

For those that don't know, flash freezing is super easy. Just simply wash the blueberries, remove any blemished berry or errant stem, dry them a bit (if you have a salad spinner, use it and you'll cut your drying time down to almost nothing!) Then just place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze until the berries are partially frozen and kind of firm (approx. 10 - 15 minutes.) Remove from freezer, place in freezer bags, label with contents & date frozen, and pop into your freezer.

That's it! Oh, and the best part? If you're baking muffins or making smoothies, you don't even have to defrost the berries. Just scoop out as many as needed and go. Doesn't get much easier than that! grin emoticon

This method can be used for almost any type of berry, too, so don't think if you see a great deal on strawberries, that you're stuck either with making jam or risk wasting the berries because you couldn't use them before they went bad.

What's for Dinner? Maple Mustard Grilled Chicken

Broiled maple mustard (and bacon!) glazed chicken and salad with maple-balsamic dressing.

(And a mental note to remember to refill the tank on the grill, so I can grill this next time.)

3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided 

2 shallots, diced
⅓ C maple syrup
3 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 tsp. sea salt, divided
1 slice of bacon, cooked and diced
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil and saute shallot until translucent. Add maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, garlic, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, and 1/8 tsp. salt. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until glaze just comes to a boil, then remove from heat. Stir in bacon pieces.

Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Brush both sides of each piece with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and season both sides generously with remaining salt and pepper.

Brush grill grates with remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Place chicken on the grill over medium high heat, cover and cook undisturbed until grill marks appear, about 2-3 minutes. Turn the breasts over and brush with some of the glaze. Cover the grill and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through. Turn again and brush with more glaze just turning off heat. Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately, with remaining glaze on the side.

Salsa Fresca!

This weekend, one of our local grocery stores had a HUGE sale on fresh tomatoes. So we made SALSA FRESCA! (Which I then spent pretty much all weekend eating.)

12 plum tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 C lightly packed fresh cilantro stems and leaves, coarsely chopped
1-3/4 tsp. coarse salt
2 Tbsp. red-wine vinegar
2 tsp. sugar

Stir together tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, salt, vinegar, and sugar in a bowl. Refrigerate, covered, for an hour or two. Enjoy!

Musings on Daughters Growing Up

Walking with DD#4 the other day, I went to grasp her hand while crossing a parking lot. In that moment, I realized how she no longer has "little girl" hands and that she is no longer my "little girl", that she's 9-1/2 years old and that she is growing up. I'm not sure I'm ready for that.

I think I'm going to miss the "little girl" stage of my kids' development the most. This is when it's still okay to hold Mom's hand, bedtime snuggles are required (to ward off bad dreams), and they're not embarrassed to hug and/or kiss Mom in public. They start showing some independence... but still need Mom nearby "just in case." Where they can't wait to tell you everything they did during the day and are proud to read a bedtime story to you, instead of just letting you read to them. The only clothing battles are when they want to wear capri pants when it's snowing outside or when they insist on wearing the same pair of black leather "motorcycle" boots every day, no matter how warm outside. (Our current battle - lol.)

The next stage, where DD#3 is securely ensconced, is "pre-teen girl". It's a source of mood swings, eye rolls if Mom even tries to hold their hand, battles over why I refuse to buy her ripped jeans or tops with skinny spaghetti straps (because they won't pass the school's dress codes), or how it's the *end of the world* because I still won't let my almost 12 year old have a Facebook account even though "EVERYONE ELSE at school has one."

Oh, don't get me wrong. This stage still needs Mom but mainly it's because she needs help with her unruly wavy hair or she needs a ride to after-school activities or a shoulder to cry on when she's feeling left out because two of her friends hung out without her. But it's not as needy as the "little girl" stage.

This is the stage where independence starts showing up. I mean, it's not as bad as "teen girl" stage, where you really have to learn to pick your battles, nor as bad as "young adult woman" stage (DD#1 and #2 are here), where you bite your tongue, hope that you raised them right and that they'll use the moral compass you helped them develop to make the right choices. And if they don't? Well, you have to be there, NOT say "I told you so!", help them pick up the pieces and muddle through. However, no matter how much you want to, you can't be the one to "fix" their problems. They have to do the fixing by themselves.

And that, my friends, is the hardest part of parenting for me. Recognizing that, even though I will always see them as those tiny little bundles of joy and wonder brought home from the hospital all those years ago, they are independent young women. That they are now independent, capable, strong, smart, fierce young women. (And sitting in disbelief that I actually had something to do with that!)

In addition to dealing with the end of "little girl" years and DD#3's "pre-teen girl" issues, I also have DD#1 finishing up her second year of college and DD#2 her first year. DD#2 just returned from her first vacation with her boyfriend and his family (they're been dating almost 3 years now) and she's working full time for the summer. This weekend, DD#1 will be leaving to spend the entire summer with her bio-dad (my ex-husband) approx. 1,500 miles away.

In June, DD#3 & #4 will be away for a week of sleep-away summer camp. That will be the first time in a VERY long time that I'll be completely child-free (DD#2 will be working and spending every free moment with her boyfriend, while she contemplates transferring to a school halfway across the country, away from us and him.)

It'll be as close to an "empty nest" as I've had in the almost 20 years since I've become a parent. I'm not sure what to do. I mean, it'll be nice having time alone with DH (and the dog) but not having to make breakfasts or pack lunches for anyone other than us. Not having to play "Mom Taxi" for a week. It being okay if I don't want to cook dinner and, instead, have a bowl of oatmeal with a piece of fruit. While I'm thinking about it, what *do* people my age do, when they don't have kids under foot?

I'm sure I'm going to miss the chaos that is my normal, everyday life. I'm thinking that that particular week will be a sneak-peek of what my life will evolve into in about 9 years, when DD#4 starts college, DD#3 will be a senior in college, DD#2 and DD#1 will (hopefully) both be on their own and not living with Mom and Dad. (Yes, I know DD#1 is an art major and there's a pretty good chance that she may still be living with us. But let me just "go" with this one, okay? lol) We're in the single digit years until all this happens and that is a scary thought.

In the meantime, I'm going to check up on my sleeping little girls and my older girls, who are just hanging out and getting ready for sleep. Soon enough, I won't be able to do this with as much ease as today, when I can just walk down the hall to their rooms. I'm going to enjoy this while I can.

It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Super Nachos!

Super Nachos... my kids' favorite meal.  Seriously.  And it's the easiest thing to make!

1-1/2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 can fat-free refried beans
1 envelope taco seasoning (or 1/4 C of my homemade taco seasoning - I'll post that recipe soon enough)
1/2 C water
1 C salsa
1 bag of Trader Joe's frozen bell pepper mix (or approx. 2 bell peppers, cut into strips)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed

Toppings:  Sour cream, olives, shredded cheddar cheese, extra salsa

Brown ground beef and onion in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Drain off excess fat.  Stir in remaining ingredients (except toppings.)  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, reduce heat to low, and cook until peppers and beans are softened.

And... serve.

We typically serve this over brown rice, with the toppings on top and a side of tortilla chips.  Super healthy dinner, not too bad on WW points (I think it's around 7 for a cup of the filling plus whatever you serve it with), and it REALLY fills you up.  Oh, and it freezes really well, so this could be "freezer meal", too!

Enjoy!

Today's Ramblings

Today's Ramblings...

Do I go to Weight Watchers today or not?  I'm on "maintenance", so I only need to weigh in once a month (and I've already gone the previous weeks in May.)  Since it's in the building next door, "going" means I get to eat lunch away from my office, something I almost never do any other day of the week.  "Not going" means I won't know if my slacking off on working out this week has caused an upswing in my weight.  Hmmm...

I'm in the office but I wish I had thought to take today and tomorrow off instead.  Of course, it's too late now (I'm covering for two other people the rest of the week) and I guess I need to just suck it up.

I have an intern "shadowing" me at work for 7 weeks, starting next week.  I still have no idea what projects to give her to do.  Maybe I should pull some stuff together, so we're not wasting having an extra set of hands around.  Oh, I need to check and see if my boss wants me to send an email around to the rest of the department and/or organization about her being here.

Why am I craving mashed potato pizza from Willoughby Brewing Company?  Oh, it's because I'm debating my weekly Weight Watchers meeting.  Perhaps I should go today, after all.

Maybe I can figure out a healthy, Weight Watchers friendly way to make mashed potato pizza at home?  I mean, it's just a really good pizza crust, covered in mashed potatoes, cheese, bacon, and topped with sour cream and scallions.  It can't be too hard to do that, right?  Okay, that's now on my "recipes to try out" list.

DD#1 leaves Saturday for the summer (she's spending it with her bio-dad.)  She's not going to be here for her 20th birthday.  This will be the first time that she hasn't been here for her birthday.  I'm really not liking that but I guess the day had to come, right?  And I'll be calling her anyway.  We can celebrate early with cake tomorrow night (we already did the celebratory "going out to eat" party last week.)  Of course, she still has to wait until her actual b-day to get presents from me.

Next week is the last week of school for DD#3 & 4.  Yay.  I think.  I mean, other than a week at sleepaway summer camp, I'm not sure what else we're going to "do" with them.  DD#3 wants to go to summer orchestra camp but I have no way to get here there and pick her up every day, for 5 weeks, as it's only 2 hours a day.  Plus, summer camp runs right in the middle of it.  Guess that's going to be a "no" to summer orchestra.

Since we're not going anywhere this year for vacation, I'm wondering if I should take a full week off or just take a bunch of 3 and 4 day weekends instead.  I don't want a repeat of last year, where I "forgot" to use my time and ended up taking every Friday off for the last 3 months of 2014.  I think I drove my boss nuts with that (work in the office Monday and Tuesday, work at home Wednesday, work in the office Thursday, and off Friday.)

I gave up diet soda about 3 weeks ago and I'm really excited that I don't miss it.  I, also, gave up the majority of caffeine in my diet at the same time.  I haven't had any caffeine today and, yet, I'm feeling really jumpy.  Why?  Uggh!

I hope I get an email for something I'd actually use from ILoveToReview.com today.  The last couple of emails have been for stuff I really have no interest in, and I'm starting to miss getting deliveries from Amazon.  Of course, I could use the time to update my other blog (maryreviewsstuff.blogspot.com) with stuff I've been received from ILTR, that I reviewed on Amazon but haven't posted yet.  (Does that sentence even make sense?  Oh well, I'm leaving it "as is.")

Perhaps I should stop posting and get my butt back to work.  We have auditors in the office (still) and I'm sure they're going to hit me up for more reports, audit confirmations, etc. soon enough.

/rambling done... for now

Freezer Meals - Mongolian Beef

This is my American take on one of our favorite beef stir-fry recipes. I don't usually precook this recipe. I put the prepared beef and seasoned sauce into a Ziploc bag, and freeze it. When I'm ready to use it, I take the bag out of the freezer, empty it into my Crock Pot (if you like, you can move it to the refrigerator the night before and it'll come out of the bag easier), and cook on low all day. When I get home from work, I add a bag of frozen broccoli to the beef which cooks while I'm cooking the brown rice I serve it over.

1-1/2 lbs. beef flank steak, sliced into thin strips
1/4 C cornstarch
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 C soy sauce
3/4 C water
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C carrot, shredded
2 green onions (scallions), sliced thinly

Coat flank steak in cornstarch. Combine remaining ingredients and place into a Ziploc freezer bag. Add steak to indicated number of freezer bags. Label and freeze.

To cook: Put contents of bag into a Crock Pot, and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours.

Today's Rant: Going Grey

My hair started going grey when I was 16, so I'm not "new" to the whole grey/white hair thing but I've gotta say, applying mascara today and finding TWO white eyelashes made me feel extra old this morning.

I'm BACK!

After forgoing my blog for a Facebook group, I've decided that I'd rather be here.  I may not get as many readers here but I don't really care.  I like the flexibility of a blog.

In the time since I last wrote, DD#1 decided to change majors... and moved back home.  DD#2 graduated high school and... decided to not go away for her freshman year of college.  So, yes, both of my college-age kids are back home.  :\  DD#3 joined her middle school's Science Olympiad team... and they went to Nationals (came in 23rd) this month.  And DD#4 may be ADHD... just like everyone else in our family.  (No big shock there.)  DH is still the same goofy, happy guy he's always been.

And me, well, I rejoined Weight Watchers and lost 50 lbs. in less than 10 months... and kept it off for almost a year.  *fingers crossed*

Actually I can't afford to gain the weight back.  I gave away all my old clothes and I've spent WAY too much money on my new, cute wardrobe.

Anyway, I'm back and am still cooking, cleaning, and trying to keep my sanity.  Well, whatever little bit of sanity I ever had but still, I'm not really ready to give it up.  lol

Look for lots of food posts.  Since I'm on Weight Watchers, I've become obsessed with finding healthier alternatives to my beloved fatty, highly caloric foods.

Oh well, gotta get some sleep.

M