My Miracles

That being said I tend not to try a lot of new recipes in the summer. I get more inspired in the winter!  I do have a few recipes to share though!  Hopefully I can get them up in the next few weeks!  

This was a simple and healthy version of fried rice that came out of Annabel Karmel's First Meals book. I made probably 70% of Anna's baby food and that book was such a great resource!  It's got some great recipes and snack ideas as they get older too!  Definitely a good investment!

Egg Fried Rice with Chicken and Shrimp

1 C. Basmati Rice
3.5-4 T. Vegetable Oil (this is the one ingredient I want to play with a little, she calls for 4, I think you can use a bit less)
1 Small Onion peeled and finely chopped
1/2 C. Red Pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
1 Egg, beaten
1/3 C. Frozen Peas
1/3 C. Frozen Sweet Corn
1 Large Green Onion, sliced
1 Chicken Breast, cut into thin strips
1/4 lb. cooked shrimp
1 T. Light Soy Sauce

Cook rice according to package directions. (if you have cooked Basmati before then you know this is different from regular rice)

Heat half of the oil, in a large frying pan or wok (I use the Pampered Chef family skillet), then add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes, add the red pepper for another 7-8 minutes. 

(I did this different from Annabel's recipe) Season the egg with salt and pepper and make a well in the middle of the veggies. Pour the egg in and cook it until firm breaking it up like scrambled eggs but into tiny pieces. Once it's cooked all the way remove the pan from the heat to make sure it doesn't overcook or burn while you break up the egg to be sure there are no big pieces then mix it together with the veggies. 

Return the pan to the heat and add the corn and peas to cook until tender. Remove veggie/egg mixture from pan and set aside. 

Add remaining oil and sauté green onion for a minute then add the chicken and cook until no longer pink and season with salt and pepper. 
Add the cooked rice and toss on high heat for 2 full minutes. (I think this helps to dry out the rice to absorb all the flavors. It was kind of fun to do, you definitely need to keep stirring though!), then add shrimp (my shrimp usually needs to be cooked, I just cook it with the chicken and leave it in there for the rice part, no big deal). Return the egg/veggie mixture to pan, add soy sauce and toss together until heated through. Serve and enjoy!!


Note:
Even though the first word in the title of this recipe is "egg," neither Chad nor Anna like egg and they both still gobbled it up. There is so little that you don't notice it. It's not a big deal, however it is easily skipped for an egg allergy :-)

Don't even ask me how to pronounce this recipe, all I know is that it was yummy!! LOL I saw this on the TLC show "The Kitchen Boss" a couple of months ago and thought it looked really good so then when I saw it again recently I decided to make it. It came out so good and it wasn't really hard! Even Anna really liked it!

I'm not sure I have many notes on this recipe, I made it according to the directions and it came out. The online recipe does call for water but someone commented that in the episode he used chicken broth and that sounded a lot better so I did that and that is reflected in my ingredient list. The only other thing I did different was I didn't use the optional Parmesan rind.

Pasta e Lenticchie
1 Tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
2 slices extra thick cut bacon, cut into dice (I used 3 slices of Oscar Mayer thick cut)
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine
salt
2 plump garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 cup brown lentils
1- 14.5 oz can plum tomatoes with their juice cut or torn into pieces (I just bought crushed plum tomatoes)
5 Cups chicken broth
Chunk of Parmesan rind (optional)
1 cup just undercooked (or cooked al dente), drained and rinsed (to stop the cooking) ditalini, or other small pasta shape (one cup before cooking)

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and bacon and stir to coat bacon in oil. Allow to cook until softened and some fat is rendered. Add the celery, carrots and onions and stir to coat. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and saute until softened. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Next add the lentils and just stir to coat then stir in the tomatoes, water, a pinch of salt and Parmesan rind (if using). Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20-30 minutes until lentils are just tender. Add the pasta and continue cooking another 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked to taste. Adjust the seasoning with salt and serve.

I served with a bit of shredded Parmesan on top and some good Italian bread on the side. (Buddy also recommends a drizzle of good, fruity olive oil and fresh grated black pepper on top)

Original recipe as found on the Kitchen Boss TLC website:
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/pasta-e-lenticchie-recipe.htm

Not a baking blog... However, yesterday I decided to try my hand for the very first time at some made from scratch brownies and they came out so good that I had to share! I do also have a great Sicilian pasta dish for you too but for now, some fantastic (and not hard) brownies!!

If you like cake-like brownies, you may not like these. These are a bit more of a "fudgey" brownie, but not overly dense and chewey. They are really soft and moist! I used Ghiradelli cocoa, highly recommended but ultimately cocoa is something that does matter, just like when you buy a chocolate bar to eat, would you rather buy a delicious ghiradelli chocolate or a store brand chocolate bar? Same with cocoa, it does matter in the end product...

I doubled the recipe and made it in a 9x13 pan but did not double the frosting and there seemed to be just the right amount of frosting on top so my guess is that making the recipe as is would make a pretty thick layer of frosting on top (which some may like!). The frosting does add a nice touch! Another tip on the frosting, the original recipe said to just used softened butter but in reading the comments on the recipe (which I have linked at the end) I melted it completely, which was the right choice, also, I added just a bit of warm milk to make it a bit more spreadable but you want to gently and slowly spread it on the brownies as soon as they come out of the oven and that will help you to spread it so it doesn't need to be really thin, it can be thicker than you might think as the heat will help you spread it.


Best Brownies Recipe

1/2 Cup butter (1 stick)
1 Cup sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder (don't go cheap here)
1/2 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Meanwhile beat Eggs well in a small bowl. Remove butter from heat when melted, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder, stir for about 50 strokes or so with a wooden spoon, you don't want to overmix but you want to get everything well mixed and smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake! If you know your oven tends to overbake things then set the time for 20 minutes and check it (I had set my timer for 20 minutes with the 9x13 pan and it took about 25 minutes to be done) Take it out when the toothpick is just about clean. While baking mix together all but the butter of the frosting and just melt the butter and add when the brownies have a minute left.

Frosting:
3 Tbls butter
3 Tbls unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbls honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Cup powdered sugar

Blend all ingredients together with a fork. Slowly incorporate a small amount of warmed milk until it's just smooth enough to be able to spread (but still thick). As soon as it's ready and the brownies are out of the oven, slowly and gently spread it on top of the brownies (watch your hands on the hot pan!). The heat from the brownies will help you spread it the thick frosting.


This recipe came from Allrecipes.com
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/best-brownies/Detail.aspx

This is an easy weeknight dinner that came from the Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook. I first made it probably a month ago and it is already a favorite! I haven't adapted it too much yet except some of the methods, not many of the ingredients yet (but I'm sure that's coming). It's just too yummy to not share though! Very family friendly!
This tastes a little like a homemade (MUCH healthier) version of hamburger helper. I love this because it has that yummy, comfort food taste and feel but with the addition of fresh ingredients and vegetables!
You'll find that I use a lot of ground turkey, because I can not eat beef. I will write my recipes with ground turkey but note when the recipe called for ground beef. This is one of those cases. Most of the time this substitution works out absolutely fine and is almost not even noticeable. Sometimes I add extra seasoning because I am using ground turkey because it is not as naturally flavorful as beef is but I don't think that is necessary in this case.

Enjoy!

Nacho Mac and Cheese

3 Cups of Gemelli or Spiral Pasta (any pasta is really fine, I used elbows last time)
1 Pound Ground turkey (recipe called for beef)
2 Cups sweet red peppers (this is about 1 and a half)
1/4 Cup butter, cubed
1/4 Cup all purpose flour
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/4 Cups milk
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 Cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips

Cook pasta, drain and set aside.

Cook ground turkey and red peppers until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Add butter and once melted, stir in flour, taco seasoning and pepper until blended.

Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes until thickened. Lower heat. Stir in cheese and corn until cheese is melted.

Add pasta and stir to coat. Top each serving with crushed chips.

This is a recipe that I have adapted from Ladies Home Journal that takes about a half hour to make, it's a great meal to prep in advance (cut the onion and zucchini) and throw together in 20 minutes! Chickpeas are a great source of vegetarian protein and are a good food for lowering cholesterol. They're also a good source of zinc, folate, and magnesium! Add in peas and zucchini and this is a really great weekday dinner. Anna loves it too! The recipe calls for vegetable broth, which would make it truly vegetarian, but I often don't have any on hand so I use chicken broth and it comes out just as good!

Curry Chickpea Couscous

1/2 medium red onion, chopped
2 small zucchini, diced
1.5 to 2 Tablespoon Curry Powder (depending on your preference, we like a bit more flavor, you might like a subtler flavor)
1/2 Cup Frozen Peas
16 oz Can of Chickpeas, drained
3 Cups Vegetable or chicken broth
1.5 Cups plain Couscous (this is one regular size Near East box)

Saute onions and zucchini in olive oil until soft, salt to taste. Add remaining ingredients except couscous and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes. Enjoy!!

Not a gourmet cook by any means but I love to cook!! There is a huge difference between what I make and what you will get in a restaurant but I like to think I am a good cook. I aim to cook my family fairly healthy foods that taste good and we eat a pretty wide variety of things.

Having said all of that, my blog is changing. I will likely still say things about Anna (I can't help it!) but I am going to devote my blog to what has become my favorite hobby: home cooking. In the next few days I hope to change the look of the blog to reflect that and I'll post a few recipes to get started. After that I'll post new recipes or ideas as they inspire me (which is fairly frequently, I try to try at least one new recipe every 2 week grocery shopping cycle). I'll also share my favorite meal planning ideas and cheap meals as I think of them! Keep watching and eat well!!

I've had enough! We all have... I know! I also know it's been way too long since I blogged!!

First, soooo many times this past week I have wished I could breastfeed Anna again, is it weird that I feel like it would almost be like a medicine to her? Unfortunately, that is just not possible anymore! LOL!! Anna has been more sick over the past almost week and a half than she has ever been in her 16 months of life! It's such a heart wrenching feeling to watch your little one be so sick and not be able to do anything!

We took her to the doctor on Friday with a 102.5 fever which came back down on Saturday afternoon but her "cold-like" symptoms continued to get worse. We did not go to church on Sunday, had to skip playgroup Monday and then Tuesday morning her temperature was higher again. By 11:30 it was 101.2 and she was feeling yucky so I gave her Motrin, she ate lunch, had a normal afternoon and went down for her normal "rest time" at 5, when Chad went to go get her she was shaking. I took her temp and it was up to 104.1 and she was trembling!! Poor thing!! I gave her Motrin immediately and the trembling did subside soon but she was almost completely lethargic. She was whining initially but then she didn't even have the energy for that. She just laid in my arms and occasionally would cough and drink a little from her cup (thank goodness she was still drinking!!). It was the scariest thing! Chad called the nurse on call and she asked a million questions and didn't think the ER was necessary but we ultimately decided to bring her. When we got there, Anna vomited (because she coughed) which caught me off guard (it was the first time she has ever thrown up in her life!) When they took her, her fever was only down to 103.3, they gave her Tylenol (2 hours after Motrin), which brought it down to 102.3. Ironically, about an hour before both meds were due to wear off her fever completely broke on it's own and hasn't come back since! By 11:30 in the ER she was doing a lot better (still sick, but not lethargic). The next day, anytime she was awake she was crying, it was awful! Luckily, she slept a lot! Thursday, she woke up late, then took a 4 hour nap (from which we had to wake her up!). Friday she was getting a lot closer to normal but still definitely a sickie. Last night she fought falling asleep and then was awake for 2 hours in the middle of the night so this morning was miserable but once she woke up from her nap she was like a new baby! She has been totally herself all day since then!! I have my Anna back!! Yay! We are hoping this trend continues! She did take an extra nap this evening that she doesn't normally take, so that tells me that she will still need a little bit of extra sleep but we are almost there!

I know this is not the last time we will have this kind of illness but it was the first time and we have learned a LOT!