Friday, September 07, 2007

More Food Talk!

Ok, this is quickly turning into a food and hiking blog, with a smattering of kiddo every now and then! As that is not my intention, I decided to keep posting our weekly eats, but I am also going to mention how Margot "helped" make the dinner! I can remember putting around in the kitchen with my Mom from the time I was little, and I still love sharing a kitchen with her. It is a good time to chat, steal a snack and just have fun together. So now, I am going to start making those memories with my own daughter, and hopefully teach her to love her kitchen, to be confident in her skills and enjoy cooking!

Monday: Labor Day! Since I was home all day, we made a large pot of pinto beans with Cornbread. The recipe can be found here. It was delicious, except for one tiny little thing....

*When shaking the Tabasco bottle, make sure the little plastic piece that controls flow is in place.

I accidentally added about a half CUP of Tabasco, instead of 6 or 7 shakes. Let's just say that Margot cried when she tried a bite, I almost cried, and Ben loved it. Great. But Margot did help me cook! She helped pour the beans in a bowl, filled up the bowl with water and helped me pick out the bad ones. She then helped measure out the cornmeal and salt. We will definitely make this again, as it was delicious; Just a little too hot for my taste!

Tuesday: Pork carnitas Quesadillas with mexican rice. Yum. For those of you who live near a Trader Joe's, the pork carnitas they sell are amazing. Put them in a tortilla with cheese and blister on the stove. You will not be sorry! For the mexican rice, I use this recipe, and it is always delicious. Margot helped by pushing the pulse button on the Cuisinart, and grated cheese. She did however try to eat all of the cheese, but it was still helpful.

Wednesday: Sweet Potato Curry with Rice. Margot helped pour the chutney, grabbed handfuls of raisins from the big bag and measured the rice. She is actually pretty good at measuring, and loves to pour! Here is the recipe for the Curry:

In large skillet, heat about 3T veg oil. Put in two peeled, chopped sweet potatoes. Cook for a few minutes, then add 3T curry powder and 1/2t Paprika. Saute until a good color develops on the potato and the curry gets fragrant.

Empty out the taters onto a plate and throw in an onion. Saute until soft, then add 1T flour. Cook for a few minutes, then add 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock. Kind of whisk a bit, until the sauce begins to thicken. Then, add about 1/2 cup of milk or cream. I used half n half, and it turned out fine.

Once your sauce is going, add 1/4 cup of Mango chutney, and 1t salt. Throw the taters back in, along with a handful of raisins and half a bag of frozen peas. Simmer until the taters are tender, and turn off heat. Then garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve with rice.

Thursday: Leftovers. No help needed here!

Friday: Ritzy Chicken nuggets. This is a Nigella recipe, and the first time we made it, kind of blah. But after I figured out that I left about half of the ingredients out, we are willing to try again. They are baked chicken breast that has been marinated in buttermilk and rolled in crushed Ritz with a few other things. Margot will pound out the Ritz with the rolling pin, and help stir up the veggies we will serve with it.

Ok guys, hope everyone had a great week and is ready for the weekend! I will post a few pics after this weekend!

1 comment:

kalurah said...

hey, it's okay!
my blog is turning towards food, too.
it's the best way for me to keep my mind off of how much I miss my little girl while she's gone for the day.
I bake delectable treats for her and lovingly cram them down her when she walks in the front door!
she will weigh 80 lbs by the end of the school year!!!