Big Blue Pot ~ Feeling Lazy

Ahhhh, we made it through the Christmas celebrations and my husband's birthday (which he notes is the reason for the season) unscathed.  After polishing off Patrick's birthday cake (Barefoot Contessa's Mocha Icebox cake)  on Sunday night, I felt the warm and heavy weight of fatigue start to settle in.  I didn't think I would ever want to cook again or eat for that matter...let it be noted that I would make an exception for the cake as it was damn good...but I digress.

Thinking ahead to my work week and meal making for my family left me a bit uninspired.  I decided to go with my lazy outlook and plan some meals that were easy.  Let me introduce to you Baked Vegetable Rice.  Wait, wait, before I introduce you to the main dish, let me first pay homage to the Big Blue Pot.  Doesn't she look lovely out there in the snow on our back deck?  I placed her so because I have discovered that I really have a crappy camera when it comes to indoor picture taking.  Anyway, here she sits all big and blue.  I used to dread the sight of the Big Blue Pot growing up.  Whenever my mom would pull it out from the cabinets, I would respond by rolling my eyes and quickly trying to steal a snack so I wouldn't be hungry come dinner time.  My mom would use the offending pot for coq au vin and beef bourguignon and other such dishes repugnant to a teenager.   I think my sister also shared my dread of the Big Blue Pot which makes the fact that she gave me one for Christmas a few years ago all the more curious.  Did she do this because she loves me and knew I would appreciate it with my more adult palette or was it some sort of evil joke akin to her "fun" games of holding me down and spitting on my face and other various forms of torture from growing up?  Oh, but I am getting off track again.  Let me get back to the Big Blue Pot.  I now love her and use her great ceramic cooking talents quite often.   I knew she would be just perfect for the veggie rice.

Pizza Pockets

Wow, I feel I've neglected our blog...and so soon.  I apologize.   I've been a little under the weather with a cold that hung on for over 26 days and well.....(guess this would be an official announcement) with this new little one on the way my appetite has been severly under the weather.  With all this said, cooking just hasn't doable.  With all the aromas that are a product of cooking, I would have spent more time in the Loo than in the kitchen had I even tried to attempt it.  And lets be honest, cereal is yummy!  Brad was a trooper, cooking what frozen left overs we had stockpiled and improvising other nights, he kept himself and Lizzie satisfied.  But, I'm back to it now and am sure Brad is glad to hand the kitchen back over. And what did I get back into the groove with?  Pizza Pockets - one of our go-to recips for weekly dinners.  I always have homemade pizza dough in the fridge and the other ingredients are staples in our household.  If I don't have arugula, or can't seem to find it on its own (vs. mixed with radicchio and frisee) I use baby spinach.  These pizza pockets are fun, easy and very good with many meats.  I used Italian chicken this time around, although the recipe calls for Italian ground Turkey.  But if you really want to know what i use most frequently, its ground italian venison which makes the ultimate healthy organic and lean pizza pocket.  And this meal, comes with a side of dipping marinara and what kiddo doesn't like to dip their dinner?!?!  This recipe feeds 3 adults so double if making for more or if you want leftovers.  They can easily be reheated in the toaster oven! 

Moosewood Restaurant's Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

The final product.

I have been struggling with Jude's recent food habits.  He has always been a super eater as is evidenced by his perfectly round cheeks (both high and low).  He would gobble down most anything put in front of him.  Scrambled eggs with tomatoes and shallots - mmmmmmmm.  Spinach, apple, lemon and ginger juice - gulp.  Chicken stuffed with garlic goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes - no problem.  Pureed kale and yogurt - more please!  Lately, my man has become more picky.  I have found myself being really invested in whether or not he cleans his plate (or even tries one bite).  I am sure that the build up I have created for myself, and for him, is quite palpable at the table.  I don't blame him for pushing his plate away under my watchful stare.  I guess I have been a little intense.  Ok, maybe more than a little.  I really take pride in feeding my family.  I love being in the kitchen chopping and stirring and creating something for us all to enjoy together.  As much as I try not to take it personally, when Jude refuses to eat I feel like a bad mom/provider.  I also worry...will he wake up starving in the middle of the night?  Will he ever eat anything ever again?  Will his growth be stunted?  Is he going to report me to DSS for underfeeding him?  Will this impact his college options? Then I snap back to reality and realize that a dinner of a roll or apple sauce once in a while (or for 2 straight weeks) is ok. It has to be ok.
When I was planning out this Tuesday's meal, I did have Jude in mind.  The boy loves burritos.  I was hoping he would eat dinner with us, but promised myself I wouldn't be too tied to the outcome. 

Chicken Paprikash over Spaetzles

I decided to share my Great Grandma's Chicken Paprikash and Spaetzle recipe this week!  Absolutely Autumn worthy!  Hearty with a sour cream base and aromatic with paprika - 2.5 Tbs worth, and last but certainly 1st on my list, very Eastern European.  And hey, I'd be up for a trip to the Czheck Republic right about now - wouldn't you? 

Lizze, my enthusiastic kitchen accomplice, was ready at the helm on this one.  She watched me wash and pan my two 3.5 lb organic chickens with onions, carrots, celery, and garlic cloves.  We started with the roasting of the chickens on Monday.  The recipe below does not include this step, you can totally roast or boil the chicken the day of, but I'm funny about wanting to make my own broth and wanting to skim ALL the fat off and skimming fat is much easier after a nights rest in the refrigerator.

Spicy Turkey Meatballs & Spaghetti

I love Ina Garten.  LOVE her.  I recently received my autographed copy of her new cookbook - Barefoot Contessa how easy is that? http://www.barefootcontessa.com/books/index.shtml  I curled up in bed and started planning some meals.  There were too many things to consider.  Should I make the sausage stuffed mushrooms first or should it be the french toast bread pudding?  Then, I flipped to the recipe for spicy turkey meatballs and knew it would be my next Tuesday Night Swap.  After purchasing more meat than I consumed all summer, I jumped right in.

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Penne Pasta (Brown Sugar Cookies)

We've had a string of autumn like mornings and days and hey, its butternut squash season so I'm going to take full advantage with this Butternut Squash and goat cheese Penne Pasta.  This is one veggie I don't prepare unless it's in season and it is one of my favorites!  (I'm sure we will get to soups at some point again and I'll share a butternut squash and blue crab soup recipe ) 

A neighbor has a mother load of butternut squash and this is a recipe, note to self, that I have gotta share with her too!  And it is so easy too!  The oven does all the work plus a pot of boiling pasta water - what's easier than that?!?!

Vedure al Forno with Grilled Buttermilk Chicken

So, the temps have changed by about 15 degrees and Meghan and I have decided to bring in the new autumn season with one pot dishes.  Move over Sandwichs and bring in the hearty, earthy, feel good dishes of Autumn!  Although, this week, I cheated a little.  I was anxious to try the Vegetable al Forno recipe I found, using the last of the summer season's Farmer's Market zuchinni, but added the delicious Buttermilk Grilled Chicken to round out the meal and make it more hearty and filling.  ( the only adaptaptation I made to the chicken recipe was that I used only thigh/leg quarters) Brad and I had sampled the chicken recipe before and it has officially made it into the Old Standby's of my recipe box.  That is the most moist grilled chicken we have ever had - guess that is due to the sublime powers of a buttermilk bath!  The Vegetable al Forno was no disappointment either, but I'm not sure you can ever go wrong with that much cheese?  Fontina, Mozarella, Peccorino Romano, ooey cheesy goodness!  I will admit however, that the breadcrumbs are on top of each layer of this three layer dish which seemed a little strange.  I assume they were there to add a thickness to the sauce although they didn't quite cook up like I would have wanted.  (still seemed a little raw)  It is important to mention though that the second day around, after reheating in the toaster oven on 350 for about 20 minutes, this dish was even better, including those lower breadcrumb layers. 

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Yogurt Sauce

While Daddy and I were having Meghan's yummy Ham and Swiss Puffs, little one was chowing on these tasty cakes.........for those of you that know what a REAL Tasty Cake is, no these were not like those yummy childhood chocolate confections from "up north", but they were good and so worth the effort.  Healthy and hearty and the wee one loved them.....ok - i admit, not on first pass, she was skeptical, but we were a go on introduction #2!  Hey - that is what being a mommy chef is about - you never  give up on offering foods. It can take something like 15+ introductions before a taste is acquired for a certain food.


You'll soon learn, if you read and stick with this blog, that I have a slight.......ok, complete girl crush on Giada.  And yup - this recipe is from yours truly.  The only thing I altered was I used [insert me wincing] canned salmon.  Sorry, that's is what i had on hand, and sometimes, that has to be good enough or else you'll stress yourself out.  I find that I have to allow myself to be flexible while cooking.

Ham and Swiss Puff

I am just going to jump right in to this whole thing.  When planning for this Tuesday's meal, I was secretly hoping for some cooler weather.  It has been a seriously hot summer.  Like a near record setting kind of summer.  I have really enjoyed our fresh tomato and pesto sandwiches and our strawberry and brie panninis and our BLAT's, but I am very ready to bite into something more cozy, more earthy, more gooey.  I strongly associate food with seasons.  As much as I love a big pan of wild mushroom lasagna or a hearty potato leek soup, I just can't stomach them when it is 95+ degrees outside.  So, in my attempts to call forward my favorite season I threw open the windows and went outside to crunch some leaves while playing with my little man.  In the meantime, I started to thaw out a couple sheets of puff pastry.