Summer Stew

The Food section this morning featured this cafe dish, which seems to embody the light, flavorful, and vegetarian cravings that are so common in the summer months.  I know that's the kind of food I've been jonesing for lately.  Actually, meat is taking less and less of a center stage for me in general.  I just can't seem to get enough of the veggies.  My mom must have done something right!  Anyway, if this dish is as easy to make and delicious to eat as it looks, I could see it becoming a summer staple.  Let me know if you try it!

Tunisian Chickpea Stew (Serves 4 to 6)

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 diced, seeded jalapeño pepper
2 chopped cloves garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
1½ cups diced potato
2 cups cooked chick peas (garbanzo beans)
4 cups diced tomato
1 cup fresh arugula
3 cups vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in large saucepan. Add onion, carrot and jalapeño and sauté for 5 minutes. Add fresh garlic, cumin, chili powder and turmeric. Sauté an additional 30 seconds. Stir in potatoes and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Serve with couscous or steamed rice.

Garnish options: Toasted almonds, sun-dried apricots

Photo via The U-T

Good Gumbo

I'm not sure if it was our stroll around New Orleans Square a couple of Sundays ago or the freezing cold nights we've been having (high forties/low fifties is freezing for a SoCal wimp like me), but the H was inspired to make some hot and spicy seafood gumbo the other night. There's nothing like being warmed up from the inside out.

Cookie Monsters

When life gives us a really messy house and a really killer cookie recipe, we choose bake cookies over clean house any day. Too many cooks.
Chocolate chips go in. Chocolate chips come out.Caught red-handed!After only one semi-panicked phone call to Jora- tada! They took eighteen minutes to reach chewy, gooey goodness in my oven, so be prepared for some experimenting here. And note to self: Buy some sweetened coconut alreadyThese bowls didn't stay full for long!

Playdough Intentions

I keep meaning to make this. Maybe posting about it will be just the push I need. Or maybe I'll go to Target. But doesn't this homemade playdough look easy to make and fun too?

Homemade, All-Natural Playdough

2 cups flour (for a gluten-free playdough, use rice flour)
1 cup salt
2 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups water

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the consistency of playdough (roughly 5 mins). Divide dough into as many parts as desired to make separate colors. Use food coloring to color each portion of dough (just a few drops). Store in air-tight containers and it will last for years.

Photo credit: Buzzle

Instant Satisfaction

When I saw this cute, new box of instant vanilla pudding at Trader Joe's the other day, I instantly grabbed some. For the kids. Part of me felt a little bit guilty. Like, here we go again. It's a box, it's a microwave, it's Super Mom! But before I could work my magic, such as it is, the H worked his.

With a little Food & Wine inspiration, he elevated my humble box of instant pudding to monumental heights with a twist on their banana pudding with vanilla wafer crumble, adding fresh bananas and pure maple syrup. It was creamy, crunchy awesomeness in a bowl. Wonder what he could do with chocolate. Picking up a box first chance I get.

UPDATE: THE H JUST INFORMED ME THAT HE MADE HIS PUDDING FROM SCRATCH. (WHO DOES THAT?) I SPECIFICALLY ASKED HIM IF HE USED THE TJ PUDDING AND THOUGHT HE SAID YES, BUT APPARENTLY THERE WAS A MISCOMMUNICATION. AND SURE ENOUGH MY TJ PUDDING IS STILL SITTING RIGHT WHERE I LEFT IT ON THE PANTRY SHELF. OH WELL. MORE PUDDING FOR ME. I MEAN THE KIDS.

Pudding photo credit: Food & Wine

Smoky Shrimp-and-Chorizo Soup

Fall is finally here! But we're still in transition. So the H served up this soup this evening. A nod to fall for sure, but still light and brothy enough to let summer know she isn't completely forgotten. Even the kids had seconds. I'm going to have thirds (and probably fourths) tomorrow afternoon and call it lunch.

Photo credit: Food & Wine

Get In My Belly

My coworker brought these insanely delicious (and perfect for fall) pumpkin cupcakes into the office this week. I seriously thought about hiding the whole tray under my desk.

PUMPKIN CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

For cupcakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

For frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Credit: Gastronomy

Apple Crisp

Snook brought home the apple crisp recipe that her class made during Apple Week last Wednesday, and we were quick to bake it up ourselves. It wasn't as kid-friendly as I'd hoped with all the peeling and slicing of apples. (She said her school has a peeling/slicing machine.) I made up for it, though, by letting her do all the measuring, which is why we ended up with more powder than crisp. I also wasn't sure what the difference was between rolled oats and the oatmeal you buy in a canister. So there were some random oatmeal flakes scattered throughout as well. But it still turned out surprisingly okay.APPLE CRISP WITH OATMEAL TOPPING

4-6 apples sliced
1/3 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 c. rolled oats
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon

Place fruit in buttered shallow baking dish. In small bowl, mix until crumbly all remaining ingredients. Spread over fruit. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until fruit is tender.

If you're looking for a fall dessert that is less preschool and more edible, you should check out Molly's latest post on her Plum Crumble. I really hope the H is reading this one.

Tuesday is the New Monday

You may remember all the lamenting I did over here about the end of Monday-night-grown-up dinners at our house until after football season is over. Silly me. We just moved them to Tuesday night.Last Tuesday night's fare was chicken with apple and rosemary puree, haricot beans, and lobster mushrooms. (I gave up trying to find the recipe, but the H found it in here.) The chicken, it was moist and tender. The beans, they were fresh and firm. The mushrooms, they were earthy and wholesome. The whole meal, well it was perfection. And then my plate was clean. Hard to believe something so orgasmic could be so anti-climactic.

Easy Fudge

You won't believe how delicious this fudge is, considering how easy it is to make. Thanks go again to my grandmother-in-law. Here's the recipe:

EASY-EASY FUDGE

1 (12 oz.) prepared chocolate cake frosting
1 jar (16 oz.) peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

Grease 8" microwave-safe pan. Spread frosting in pan and smooth top. Add peanut butter. Cover. Microwave at high 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Watch carefully. Remove from microwave and stir well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cut into small squares. Enjoy rapturously good fudge!

Haystacks

A cookie party invitation arrived in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago. One of those parties where the invitees are asked to bring three dozen cookies to exchange. Well, the big day is coming this week, and I had absolutely no idea what type of cookie I was going to bake, or, more importantly, when I was going to bake them. Until this afternoon that is, when we visited my grandmother-in-law, and there on her counter were the cutest, yummiest-looking little confections I've seen in a long time. She said they were called "haystacks," and they took my brother-in-law all of about ten minutes to "bake." I tasted one, fell in love, and knew my problem was solved. Here's the recipe:

CHOCOLATE "HAYSTACKS"

1 (6 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 (3 oz.) can chow mein noodles

In 3-quart casserole or large bowl, place chocolate pieces. Cover with lid or plastic wrap. Microwave at medium or low 3 to 4 minutes until melted. Stir chocolate smooth; add noodles and using two forks, toss to coat well. On strips of foil or wax paper, form into 1 1/2 inch clusters. Cool to set. Makes about 24 (1 1/2 inch) "haystacks."

You can also apparently add such ingredients as butterscotch, caramel chips, marshmallows, peanut butter, or any type of nut to these little babies, and they'll turn out even better. You can also use white chocolate. YUM! Or even sprinkle coconut on top to make them really festive.


I'm hoping for a masterpiece! And really looking forward to that party! Phew!