Easy (but not quick) Cinnamon Rolls

We arrived back from California on Monday. By Wednesday, I noticed the can of storebought cinnamon rolls in my fridge (btw, Aldi has THE BEST) was approaching expiration.

Cinnamon rolls on Wednesday morning it was. Benjamin wasn't complaining and let's be honest, me neither! We had leftover rolls on Thursday for breakfast as well.

Today's Friday. Benjamin distinctly told me he wanted "roller coasters" for breakfast. Cutest thing. How could I not deliver?

I told him we could go to the store if he really wanted some badly (knowing he would never willingly go there!). He told me I could go, like alone. Not in time for breakfast, but I decided to make some of my own.

I set the kids up with Greek yogurt frozen pops (post breakfast) and flubber on the deck and went at it. I used the Minimalist Baker's recipe. Sure, easy, but not quick. And messy. But I expected no less, having made rolls once before while we were living in Germany (they were terrible and I blame the vanilla tasting like perfume).

So just in time for lunch (ha!), I had these homemade rolls fresh and ready. Breakfast is made for the weekend! These were also made vegan by using Country Crock (which I buy because it's calcium added for my non-milk drinking kiddos) and almond milk. This was actually the recipe design to be vegan, but it wasn't my intention to keep it that way... just so happened those were the ingredients I had on hand. I suppose I could've used regular butter which I also have in abundant amounts, but you can't tell the difference.

If you're new to baking, a huge tip is to buy your yeast at Costco. It's less than $5 and 2 pounds worth. That's A LOT of yeast. Yeast in the grocery store is insanely expensive. I keep this in the freezer and allow it to reach room temp before activating it. It will last you years. Just 2 1/4t is equal to a packet you buy at the grocery store. And it costs you pennies. I used it to whip up these cinnamon rolls and pizza dough for tonight's dinner.

I always put my rolls on a cookie sheet instead of in a tight-fitting dish. They look cuter all together in harmony, but I find that they cook quicker and more evenly without any soggy ones in the center to worry about. Homemade ones unravel a bit, but stick them near the edge and you're good to go. A good pinch will do the trick if you leave the dough a little sticky. Plus, they end up looking better when you remove them for plating because they don't pull apart or stick to one another.

Worthy of praise, these "roller coasters."

                       

                           

                           

Recipe (with few modifications) from Minimalist Baker
Ingredients
2 1/4t active dry yeast
1c milk
1/2c butter, divided
1/4t salt
1/4c + 1T sugar, divided
3c flour
Cinnamon (I don't measure that!)

Steps
1. In a large microwaveable bowl, warm butter and milk until butter is melted but not boiling (don't kill the yeast!).
2. Sprinkle on yeast and let it activate for 10min or until frothy looking. Sprinkle on 1T sugar and salt.
3. Add flour slowly. I use a fork to stir. Once mixed, mix with hands and knead just a bit to get it into a nice, medium-sticky ball. Coat the ball with a little oil. I used Grapeseed. Leave the ball in the bowl and let rise in a warm place for 1 hr.
4. Roll dough into a large rectangle onto floured surface and pour on 3T melted butter, sprinkle 1/4c sugar and liberally sprinkle cinnamon to your liking. I just sprinkle straight out of the spice container. My husband told me once you can never have too much cinnamon. While I disagree, cinnamon rolls would be the place to be generous with it.
5. Roll the dough somewhat snug, seam down into a big log. Use baker's twine or a serrated knife to cut about 1-2 inch rolls. Place them on a well buttered cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 350 degrees until slightly browned (check often), about 12 minutes... at least for me.
7. If you want icing (of course you do), add about 1/4c powdered sugar to a bowl and just a splash of milk. Stir and top on warm rolls. If the icing is too thin, add more sugar. If too thick, add a hint more milk. You can add a bit of vanilla if you'd like, too.

Citrus Wild Blueberry Compote

I recently purchased an enormous bag of chia seeds. I've been incorporating them into smoothies, grinding them into a powder for pancake mix and adding them to yogurt. I'm always trying to think up the next way to get those little extra proteins and omega 3's into foods we eat often. Both of my kids eat fruit.

New idea: compote. 

Wild blueberries are one of my favorite fruits because they can be purchased frozen at a great price (and therefore used all seasons!), are rich in color, flavor, antioxidants and they're adorable. Okay, that last one is true but totally not a prerequisite.

Wild blueberries + chia seeds come together in this recipe to soften the seeds and fruit and marry them both together in perfect harmony. Bam. Power food that the kids might actually eat. The citrus adds a sophisticated flavor that even adults will totally dig.

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen wild blueberries

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup agave nectar

1 tsp. vanilla

zest of 1/2 orange

Method:

In a small saucepan, add the ingredients and cook down on low until the fruit has completely softened and most of the moisture has evaporated. The fruit should remain in a somewhat whole state, but if you'd like it more preserves-style, cook down and smash the fruit a bit. I like it somewhere in between with some whole fruit pieces and some pureed in. Chia seeds thicken the mixture so if you leave little liquid in your cook down, it will resemble more of a pectin-based preserve (without the pectin) when cooled. Store in a mason jar in the fridge.

Substitutions:

Agave for honey, pure maple syrup, sugar

Orange for any citrus (lemon, lime, clementine - I actually used a mineola)

Chia seeds for flaxseed

This makes a great topper and mix-in for so many things. I've tried it on waffles in the place of syrup and my one-year-old gobbled it up! I've also mixed it into plain Greek yogurt. 

More possibilities: ice cream topper, replacement for pancake syrup, incorporated into pancake batter, smoothie addition, oatmeal topper, replacement for jam/jelly/preserves on toast or in sandwiches, by the spoonful even. It will totally jazz up a brunch spread in that cute and totally trendy mason jar.

Kitchen Cobwebs + Graham Cracker Recipe

My kitchen gets used all the time. Nonstop, really. It's the hub of the house and I wouldn't have it any other way. I literally just spent 30 minutes cleaning it as there was mail strewn on the island, milk spilled on the floor and dishes galore.

Unfortunately, it's not seeing a lot of creative love lately. I still cook some nights (and other nights are eating out or freezer hunting... I'm not ashamed) and the dishes never seem to end. Like the laundry. I swear they get together and talk about how to be ultimate time suckers.

When my friend Brie posted on IG about making homemade graham crackers, I didn't contemplate making them but got right to work! Some things just warrant dusting off the pots and pans for immediate attention. I also made my favorite Spanish rice recipe for a teething Benjamin. He loves rice and the more fat I can add, the better. This is the ultimate comfort food for a Mexican-food-loving girl like myself. So naturally, I pass on these traits to my rice-loving toddler.

Back to those graham crackers though. Amazing. Six ingredients, quick to bake, no eggs or sugar and you most likely have all of the ingredients on hand. And really, there's nothing like taking a bite out of them fresh out of the oven. I recommend it.

Recipe from its source.

2 c wheat flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 c honey
1/2 c butter, melted

1. Mix dry ingredients. Set aside.
2. Mix wet ingredients, then add to dry ingredients. I used a fork.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Press cracker mixture onto 12x17 cookie sheet. I used my mini roller for this. Make fun fork marks just for cute factor.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes. I baked for 8.5 minutes and would not go over that for my oven. After 8 minutes, watch them. They will be soft but harden as they cool... though I wanted them to remain slightly soft.
6. Cut immediately from oven. I used a pizza cutter and a butter knife to finish off the edges that the pizza cutter could not get to and then put them on a drying rack. Not sure if the drying rack was necessary.

I bow down to the maker of this recipe. Delicious.

Foodie Resolution #ihavenoidea: Greek Yogurt Pizza {Dough}

I am a serious slacker. I can blame that on a few things, but most notably one thing:

MY TODDLER.

Lord, this child never stops moving. Although he's always busy, much of the time it's spent bringing me books, making a mess I have to clean up, or begging for me to pick him up.

This leaves little time for creativity in the kitchen. And even when I am creative, I am so distracted that I forget to take photos! I'll start with a few recipes and the commentary of things I've made recently-ish.

Spanish Rice: If you ever want a recipe for rice that tastes just like those Mexican restaurants, this is your recipe. A word of warning; have a glass of wine before adding all that oil because omg. This is a great recipe to make for large crowds, that way you can have a bit but not feel like you have to eat all that unhealthy deliciousness by yourself. I doubled the recipe because I had lots of {BLM} friends over for dinner and still had leftovers. But yeah, this recipe was amazing.

Asian Coleslaw: I love coleslaw, but without mayo. Any other kind, really. I made this recipe for a large crowd and cheated by buying two bags of that ready-cut stuff in the produce section. I received rave reviews and personally had like 3 servings because I loved it so much, too! Again, not the healthiest, but so tasty.

I also made a few chicken and egg salads I'd never made before along with Pioneer Woman's broccoli cheese soup while my friends were in town. All were fine (I hear), but what really received great reviews was the avocado chicken salad I threw together with the help of my awesome husband. It was 1/2 rotisserie chicken (shredded), 4 smashed avocado + juice from 1 lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Instead of the mayo, people were gobbling this one up!

Now for tonight's dinner. Two ingredients: self-rising flour and Greek yogurt = pizza dough. I used the full-fat version because that's what I buy and have on hand for Benjamin. I'm not sure if fat-free would work, but I can't see why it wouldn't.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of self-rising flour + 1 cup of Greek yogurt. I added this to my Kitchenaid bowl and let it mix with the pastry hook. I added flour over the course of about 5 minutes until it wasn't quite sticky anymore. You end up adding a lot more flour, and honestly, I didn't measure. I spread it out on a pizza pan, topped it, and popped it in the oven at 350 degrees until the cheese was browned.

A few things I would change:
- Buy toppings! I was working with what we had in the house... not much. I had to get a bit creative. I made 1/3 pesto with sundried tomatoes, 1/3 BBQ sauce base with black beans, 1/3 tomato sauce + Italian seasoning + 2 cubes of frozen spinach (thawed) for added veggies considering we had few in the house to use. I actually always use spinach in our spaghetti as a puree and now in pizza sauce.
- Allow a little rise time. Silly me, I assumed that it needed no rise time. Or maybe it doesn't rise? I can't explain the chemistry here... mostly because I don't care enough. It did not rise at all, but it was quite substantial anyway. Didn't feel like thin crust, but definitely wasn't deep dish.
- Cook the crust like I do with other homemade doughs for about 5 minutes before adding sauce/toppings, then finish it in the oven until cheese is turning brown. I forgot this step, but honestly, the pizza was not crunchy and yet not terribly floppy either. We thought it was really good and loved the added protein! We could not taste the Greek yogurt at all.

And the best part? Benjamin ate like 15-20 bites! That's enough to make me want to make it again. I may be trying this later this week with the rest of that yogurt container. Looking forward to it!

Foodie Resolution #14 of 52: Mexican Corn & Quinoa Salad & General Updates About Life

I'm what we call a huge failure when it comes to keeping this resolution. Fourteen measly recipes in 5 months? But, considering these are the least viewed of all my posts {sad posts about Andrew are always read & commented on heavily, just in case you were curious}, I don't think you're all too sad. But I do have a few loyalists and I'm pretty loyal to eating, so at least we've got that synchronized.

Dresser project #2 (aka: bane of my existence) will be done tomorrow if the weather doesn't dry the polycrylic faster than I can move my brush. I also owe you guys a bedroom makeover reveal and that's only being held back by my laziness to take photos and write out a blog. I blame the baby who walks over with approximately 241 books that he fully expects I read multiple times immediately.

Other things that have happened recently at Casa de Wilson: 2 trees got the ax. They were too close to the house. We chopped the majority ourselves and are having a tree guy come next week to stump grind them and pare down another tree. I freecycled our play yard/swingset and our yard looks so much bigger! They guy came and took it apart and hauled it away. The deck is getting a facelift soon and tons of yardwork has been done.

But right now? It's food time.

The other night I actually made a real dinner. One of the accompaniments was this salad that we really enjoyed. It just so happened I had the vegetables and ingredients all in my fridge. If there's one thing I hate, it's letting food spoil. So, I whipped this up and our bellies were pleased. I didn't add the jalapeno (because I used it all in my salsa... oops) or cotija because I didn't exactly have that obscure cheese just on hand, but the result was pretty spot-on. Raw corn just cut from the cob. True fact: Even with cooked or grilled corn on the cob, I cut it off the cob before eating it. I hate getting it stuck in my teeth and food on my face.

{Inspiration}

p.s. Thank you so much for the comments, suggestions, overall sympathy and empathy from my pathetic mama post about B's crappy eating habits. I really did learn some good gems of info. And for those who asked what my smoothie recipes are... I have none. Bananas, whole milk and peanut butter almost always make it in, otherwise the rest of the ingredients are a mixed bag. I fully intend to try some of those suggestions, so thanks. This is why blogging rocks so much. Complete strangers read and comment with their honest thoughts and we all help one another. I'd give you all a beer and have a toast if you weren't so... virtual.

Rainbow Friends & Foodie Resolution #13 of 52: Hummus

We recently had a visit from a fellow BLM to the Chi suburbs. She brought along her daughter and Benjamin had a playdate with a little girl his age! It's not often little girls come around, as our suburb is saturated with little boys Benjamin's age.

I've been totally slacking on my recipes lately and I have about 400 excuses why I haven't posted any, but I still have the desire to complete 52 new recipes this year. We'll see about that when I have more time. This dresser refinishing and traveling paired with the husband being out of town a lot has really cut down on my free time.

But, when Teresa came over, I did make some caramelized onion & Weber BBQ sauce grilled cheese sandwiches with a parmesan crust on French bread. So I mean, I'm still eating well. That's not a concern. Though the stock of frozen pizzas in our freezer is getting dangerously low and that's usually is a tell for how busy we've been.

While Teresa was here, we talked about food because she's also a foodie like me. She mentioned they make hummus frequently. I told her I'd never made hummus. Hours after she left, I was in my kitchen giving it a go.

Success. First pictures of babies, then food. In order of importance and deliciousness, clearly.

Hummus recipe was straight from the Blendtec recipe book. It just so happened that I had all the ingredients!

It was tasty! The consistency was quite thick, which is how I like my hummus. The entire batch had only 1 TBSP of olive oil, so it was quite healthy as well. Next time, I might experiment with roasted red peppers as an addition, and I'll definitely make the tahini first, because I can still see a few sesame seeds that were not ground completely in the blend.

Foodie Resolution Week #12 of 52: {Lowfat} Broccoli Cheese Soup

Because they should be paying me to lavish them with praises by now... this is a Blendtec recipe but can easily be done with a high powered food processor. I receive Blendtec emails and follow them on Pinterest {they have giveaways for blenders! follow them!}, so sometimes I pin a recipe or two I definitely have to try.

Broccoli cheese soup was easily on the list when I read it had seven ingredients, most of which are optional. No cream in this soup, and it can easily be made vegan if the cheese is omitted. Frankly, adding the cheese inside was pointless because I didn't taste it over the broccoli. Instead, I'd just add it to the top and serve with grilled cheese (like I did) to really take advantage of the cheesy goodness.

I liked it, but it's obviously not the fatty Panera Bread kind. Though if you want that, just add cream, right? It was a great way to get in those veggies and a yummy dipper for my grilled cheese. I made this exactly on recipe and added 1/4 tsp. of dry mustard because I have a slight obsession with it.

Oh, and because the kiddo was napping, I totally schlepped my blender of broccoli + other ingredients down to the basement so I wouldn't wake him. I'm one of those moms now. I guess the basement is good for something... being a buffer zone for high-powered blenders that sound like lawnmowers.

{recipe here}

Foodie Resolution Week #11 of 52: No Bake Energy Bites

Sometimes I make simple things way too difficult.

This would be one of those cases. I have an obsession with using up things in the cupboard. Maybe I have a slight case of OCD because I just hate seeing almost finished containers of anything. We had barely 1 cup of almonds left in a large bag and I figured I'd use those almonds, make a quick almond butter and use that in the recipe. Never mind that it called for peanut butter... of which I have an enormous jar of Whole Foods PB in the fridge. 

Yeah. Except, less than a cup of almonds isn't enough to make the butter, turns out. Instead, they were blended until fine and then pushed away from the blade in my Blendtec. Note to self (and you all). If you want to make nut butters, go for around 2 cups of nuts. Angry fist.

I had to buy oats because I only buy steel cut and this recipe called for rolled oats. I chose easy oats just in case I hated these bites and needed an alternative to finishing the enormous container. I didn't have regular unsweetened coconut, but I did have a bag of sweetened in my bakery cabinet that worked just fine to both toast and taste in this recipe. In fact, I love this use for the rest of the sweetened coconut I have. Must. finish. that. bag. of. coconut. immediately.

Anyway, the story with this recipe is that you put all the ingredients in a bowl, stir, roll into balls and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. That's it. 

After that nut butter debacle that finally had me scrounging for peanuts to add to the almond butter that wouldn't blend in my blender, I was over this recipe. I stuck them in the fridge and came back to check on them. I ate one. Then I ate another. They were like crack.

I nearly forgot the trouble they caused me. It's all her fault. She made them first and raved about them. She even told me to make a double batch and I didn't listen. What a fool.

{Recipe}

In other food news... we were waiting at O'Hare airport baggage claim around 11 p.m. the other night (where our bag never showed up, but that's another story) and I went over to Starbucks to grab a quick sandwich because I hadn't eaten dinner yet. No veggie options, of course. Instead, I grabbed a salad. I think it was called Southwest Chickpea Salad and the ingredients were super simple from what I can remember: chickpeas, red onion, tomato, garlic, salt, pepper and lime. I'm just guessing on some of those. There was like 1.5 grams of fat in the whole salad. I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo, but needless to say, it was delicious and I've been thinking about it ever since! If any of you find one at your local 'Bucks, can you take a picture for me? I'm going to try and re-create it myself. I called the local store and they told me they are trial salads and may not make it to all Starbucks or ever again for that matter.

Foodie Resolution Week #10 of 52: Butternut Squash Ravioli

I posted on Instagram this week that I bought a butternut squash and didn't know what to do with it. I've eaten it many times, but never cooked it myself. Instantly, the ideas came pouring in.

...hash, stuff it, french fries, add to pasta, eat in chunks, smash it, salad topper, soup, risotto, homemade ravioli, casserole...

Needless to say, I had a few ideas. The one that intrigued me most? Ravioli. The idea was to use butternut squash as the filler and use wonton wrappers as the pasta! Hey, Pioneer Woman does it, too. They're a perfect size... and even more perfect? I had some in my freezer. I grabbed those out, opened the package and put them in a damp kitchen towel to re-hydrate them from being in the freezer. I seeded and cut the squash in quarters, threw it on a cookie sheet and cooked it for nearly an hour at 350 degrees. I skinned it, mashed it (with my Blendtec, obvi!) and added 1 whole diced & caramelized onion, 1/4 teaspoon sage and a few cloves of finely chopped garlic.

That left me with the {above} mashed squash. It was dense like mashed potatoes and I knew it would be a great filler. I then laid out the wonton wrappers on a wax-paper covered cookie sheet (probably unnecessary), added a heaping tablespoon to the center of each and sealed them by creating a frame of water around the bottom and top parts (like sealing an envelope) while making sure there wasn't much air trapped inside. You want the filling to be nice an snug in there.

Once all of them were filled, I put the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes until they were frozen. This helps keep the wonton together when you're boiling them. I don't know that this is a required step, but I know that for other recipes, this does the trick. It worked this time, too.

Boiled up some water, added salt, and boiled these until they were warm. I used a slotted spoon and scooped them right onto each plate and added the "sauce" of caramelized onions, sage butter, and crackled black pepper.

Butternut squash, you don't scare me anymore.

Foodie Resolution Week #9 of 52: Peanut Butter

How is it possible that we're nearly 20% done with this year? Crazy.

My creations for this foodie resolution project have been a little simplistic and I fully intend to step things up after we get back from our vacation to St. Kitts. I do cook a lot and make a lot of my own recipes, but none of them are recipes I planned to make from pinterest... which was the whole point of these posts. This weekend I did make veggie enchiladas using a bunch of veggies/ingredients I had on hand: carrots, potato, bell pepper, jalapeno, green chilies, chipotle peppers in adobo, mushrooms, olives, 1/2 cup of sprouted pinto beans, corn tortillas, store-bought enchilada sauce, and cheddar cheese served with lime rice, homemade salsa & homemade guacamole. And last night, butternut squash ravioli... I'll blog about that next week.

This week is just another 1-ingredient recipe. Simple, but man have we been eating some delish peanut butter this week. Benjamin's first taste of peanut butter ever was from this batch... and the whole batch was about $1.99, yielding about 2 cups of butter! B has been eating peanut butter everyday since and has loved it. Just after whipping up this batch, I made my favorite peanut-lime pasta with veggies for dinner. I make this a few times a month with whatever veggies I have on hand and love it every time. If you make it, double the water... otherwise the sauce is too thick.

Now onto the peanut butter.

I used lightly salted dry roasted peanuts and roasted them again for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees. They didn't change color much, but I could tell they roasted just by scent. Similar to the almonds, they were poured into the Blendtec blender, started on speed 1 for about 45 seconds, then speed 5 in intervals until they were smooth to my standards. If you have a good food processor, it's worth a shot in there if you don't own a Blendtec or Vitamix. And if it doesn't work? Add the grounds into cookies or some of those popular no-bake energy bites (still on my list) my friend Caroline likes to make. Nothing will be wasted.

I don't know if any of you watch Shark Tank, but last Friday they featured a peanut butter company that adds extras into their butters, like flaxseed for extra protein. I'm thinking of adding that to my next batch so Benjamin can have even more protein packed in this superfood. Anyone ever made a fun combination with nut butters? I'm a little hesitant to get too crazy because I feel peanut butter is one of the most perfect foods on the planet. But, I might be a little adventurous if there's a good combo out there I've never tried!

Also, I just went down to the basement and took photos. Now it's just to organize them and figure out how to write the post. A few days and it's coming.

Foodie Resolution Week #7 of 52: Almond Butter

I opened up our pantry and realized I had a bag of almonds in there that I was just not going to eat. Costco manages to sell things I love that become things I'm so tired of after the 30th serving. The gift that keeps on bloody giving, you know? That's how I felt about this bag of almonds. They're cheap. I think around $10 for about 3 pounds (~9 cups) and cheaper than peanuts! I also like how they're not salted. Because if there's one thing I love, it's definitely salt. And the very last thing I need are salted nuts by the caseload.

So that big bag of almonds that had about 4 cups left? I made almond butter. And it was so. unbelievably. amazing. that. I. may. never. buy. jarred. nut. butters. ever. again.

Expect plenty of photos because it is well deserved. Here's where I get all annoying about my amazing blender aaaaagain. I also went through the Blendtec recipe book and pulled about 10 more recipes that I intend to show up on my resolution blog posts because I'm so stinking obsessed with my blender. I might also add, that this will work with other food processors or blenders, but probably no less than a Ninja. And even then, I would start with about a cup of nuts at a time. You'll have to blend for much longer, but it will work.

Here's how I went through the process:
1. Roast 3 cups of almonds on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. {This aids in softening and bringing out natural oils for blending as well... in addition to smelling/tasting amazing and cutting down the need for much added salt}
2. Pour them into the Blendtec.
3. Press UP arrow to 1 for a strong, slow grind to get things started. Lasted about 45 seconds.
4. Use spatula to get all the almond pieces back down because it gets a little excited.
5. Press UP arrow to 5 and let it run its course (about 48 seconds). Do this about 3 times for a total of ~3 minutes. Use spatula as needed.
6. Add a pinch of salt. I'm not kidding... that's all I added. Nuts and a pinch of salt. For 3 cups of almonds!
7. It was ready at this point, but I wanted it so creamy that I could pour it, so I hit the Press UP arrow once more for another 48 seconds, and also to mix in that salt thoroughly. Makes just shy of 2 cups of almond butter.

Once it was done, it was still nice and warm from the oven and grinding. It was so good that we ate a few spoonfuls each. There's no question this will be on my list on a regular basis. And yes, that bread above is my favorite bread recipe that I make about every two weeks now. I freeze half and eat half. It makes an enormous loaf.

Foodie Resolution Week #6 of 52: Vegetarian Chili {with two secret ingredients!}

Super Bowl Sunday meant a few things:

1. Cheering on the Ravens to win the Lombardi Trophy.
2. Cooking chili.
3. Heading over to celebrate/watch the first half of the game with many of our friends with said pot of chili.
4. Finishing day 23 of the Shred. Is it over yet? Try that with a belly full of chili. Belch. Ick.

B has a track record of 100% wins while wearing his Ravens onesie. He's kind of a big deal. And if you're paying close attention, that undershirt has footballs and helmets on it. Thrift score!

Our friends invited us over to their new house for a Super Bowl party, complete with lots of chili options. Selfishly, I knew that if I didn't make a veggie chili, I wouldn't be eating any chili... so vegetarian it was. I don't usually follow a recipe, but I decided to search for more unique recipes and found one that had a couple unique ingredients that I'd never seen on a chili ingredient list before. I followed this recipe exactly, but also added a small Roma tomato because I had one on hand.

Secret Ingredients?

Unsweetened cocoa and a couple splashes of soy sauce.

Unsweetened cocoa tends to have a coffee aftertaste to it, and though it was very mild, you could taste it at the end of your palate when you took a spoonful. However, I don't know you'd be able to decipher the taste if you didn't know it was present. Overall, it was good but not out-of-this-world like I was sort of hoping it would be. I was just happy there were plenty of Fritos to add to my bowl. And because there were 4 other chili pots, all with meat for these Midwest carnivores, mine was hardly dabbled... which is just fine by me because that means we have dinner for tonight. Chili fries score.

Inspiration

Foodie Resolution Week #5 of 52: Vegetable Tamale Pie

I like polenta. I just don't love it. But I still continue to try and try to make the perfect polenta recipe that just knocks my socks off. This one wasn't it.

It was good, but not amazing. I'd eat it again, but... you know.

But in true not-gonna-waste-food-because-there-are-starving-kids-in-Africa Brandy style, I will finish the rest of that bag of polenta. Now send me your recipes. I need inspiration. And here was dinner tonight:

I used some of the sprouted pintos I'd frozen from a couple weeks ago in the recipe. Benjamin's was made without cheese because we only had pepper jack and he doesn't appear to love cheese just yet. That'll change. We all know.

Some additions/changes I made:

• Added diced poblanos & green bell pepper
• Didn't have canned tomatoes, so I used 3 small roma tomatoes instead
• Pepper Jack cheese only
• Added crushed tortilla chips because I thought it needed a crunch {and I liked it}
• Instead of sour cream, I used about 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt + a touch of taco seasoning & finely diced cilantro. I think it would've been better with pureed cilantro, but it was definitely good and considerably healthier than sour cream. 

I had leftover filling that I'll use in enchiladas at some point. I froze the filling to use later. This recipe was done entirely while either holding a little boy or watching him whine at my feet. 

Inspiration

There was a cute point where I was holding him while the polenta was low boiling and making bubbles on the stove that sounded a little like a clucking sound. He noticed the sound, smiled, chuckled a bit and then started to cluck to emulate the noise he was hearing and seeing in the pot! Boy is it fun watching him grow and develop. 

Next week's recipe will be for Super Bowl Sunday and I'm pretty excited about making it. Until next week.

Foodie Resolution Week #4 of 52: BBQ Salad

This recipe was adapted from two different recipes I found. Things are pretty pathetic around here, you guys. My body wasn't made to handle the heart of winter where wind chills are below zero. I'm a wuss. I'm not trying to be strong. As a result, the thought of putting Benjamin in his snowsuit and driving 1.5 miles to the grocery store is literally a daunting task. Hence the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables in our house... which makes this whole goal of trying a new recipe each week challenging.

Enough complaining. I made it happen. I went out today in the snow and bought vegetables. Let's just not talk about my carbon footprint on those veggies because I just know they were not being grown in the Arctic where I live here in the Midwest.

Lowdown: The recipe I wanted to make was a "healthy" chicken taco salad. I don't know how healthy the salad was with mayonnaise as a dressing component, but anyway. Greek yogurt has changed my world. I won't buy sour cream anymore and love the extra protein Greek yogurt has. It's such a secret superfood. I selected a dressing from another salad I'd been meaning to try from Iowa Girl Eats instead. She uses the dressing to top her BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad.

My modifications:

• Spinach and finely shredded cabbage instead of iceberg lettuce. Spinach and cabbage are super high in nutrients and iceberg isn't nearly as much bang for your buck. I love the crunch of cabbage that sort of emulates what you love about iceberg. Speaking of bucks... why on earth is iceberg so expensive in Chicago? Absurd. Cabbage and spinach are pennies compared. And better.
• Added roasted poblano in with my roasted corn. I grilled both on my stovetop reversible griddle pan. I also used my new olive oil sprayer and it worked great!
• Different dressing: 1/3 cup Greek yogurt + 1/3 cup BBQ sauce coated a large glass bowl of salad perfectly without being too soggy.

Inspirations here and here.

Foodie Resolution Week #3 of 52: Sprouted Pinto Beans

This might go down on the record as longest recipe creation ever. For me anyway. I started this on Saturday afternoon around 1 p.m. and finally sat down to eat on Tuesday evening. I highly doubt I'll be recreating these again. I see crockpot refried beans in my future. My full intention was to make refried beans out of the sprouted pintos using coconut oil, onion, fresh garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt & pepper. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to really devote to doing it properly and just ended up eating them slightly smashed with spices unmeasured. I think I was just over it by then, honestly. If you think baking your own bread is too demanding, sprouting pintos is definitely not for you.

Why sprout beans? They're said to have better digestive qualities, increase protein, essential fatty acids and vitamins and minerals. It turns something good for you into something better. I admit to being a smidge granola, so this seemed like a fun little science experiment, while also boosting the good stuff in a food I eat so frequently.

Lowdown: The process included soaking overnight for 10-12 hours, then draining and placing in a warm place (oven with the light on) for a few days. They can sprout in 1 day or take up to 3 days. Each day, you rinse and drain them 3 times and put them back. Once they are sprouted, you cook them on the stove covered with about 1 inch of water over the top for about an hour, until they're soft. At this point, you freeze, eat, or smash them yourself and add the additional ingredients. I froze the equivalent of 4 cans of cooked pintos to eat at a later date/turn into refried beans.

The process was just too long. The pintos smell like they are fermenting and I found that totally unappealing. Two days of waiting for beans to be ready is really too long for me. And to make matters worse? I put the lid on my dutch oven during cooking and didn't leave an air vent... went upstairs to read books with B and my entire stove was covered in yucky bean water. I was definitely over it at this point.

Inspiration

Anyone else ever sprouted beans? What was your experience? Where did I go wrong? 

Foodie Resolution Week #2 of 52: A Smörgåsbord of Deliciousness

This week was nuts. I mayyyyyybe went a little crazy in the kitchen getting all excited about my new foodie challenge. I possibly neglected my husband and kid on Sunday because I was in the kitchen for three hours straight. It could've happened. From the pictures below, I'm sure it will be proof enough that I should've cut out something and spent more time with the boys...

Skin-on, Stovetop Applesauce

Lowdown: Used organic apples, so decided to wash well and leave the skin on. Turned out perfect. Except the part where I put them in my Blendtec to make sure those skins were pureed enough and pressed the pulse button one too many times, ending in quite the scene on my cabinets. 3lbs of organic apples + 1 spoonful of cinnamon + 1/2 cup water  + 30ish minutes on low heat = about 2 quarts of applesauce

Inspiration

 Repeat Recipe: Pretzel Rolls (so good that it's worth sharing)

Lowdown: These are phenomenal. I made them a couple weeks back and those who follow me on Instagram know all about them, but if you don't, these might be new to share. I've made pretzel bites before and we almost ate every single one while they were still warm. So, I thought I'd try my hand at pretzel buns because we love them just the same. And of course I decided to skip the egg wash on top (ick) and instead add butter (yum) so they'd taste like Auntie Anne's. I mean... why not?

Inspiration

 Sweet Potato Cakes

Lowdown: Pinterest says I pinned these 44 weeks ago. It's about time I get around to them. They were more labor intensive than I like for something that seems so simple, so I probably will just stick to my sweet potatoes as fries from now on. Also, this calls for pan frying them in lots of oil/butter. I wasn't down with that, so mine came out still soft with more fat. Meh. Taste was great. I didn't add sour cream to the top or the black bean salsa, but instead added the black bean salsa to the inside by adding cilantro, black beans, red onion, and 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce to the mix. Aren't sweet potatoes ugly? Finished product wasn't photographed, but they are pretty tasty.

Inspiration

 Grilled Romaine Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Lowdown: We had friends over for a raclette dinner and started the dinner off with a grilled romaine salad with homemade balsamic vinegar & shaved parmesan. The picture is terrible, but I loved it! It also looks super fancy on a plate and so simple to throw together. I'll definitely be making this again.

Salad Inspiration & Dressing Inspiration

More randomness in the photo below: 

• I finally bit the bullet and bought a big bag of pinto beans. I do believe next week's recipe (hopefully just one!) will be homemade refried beans. And no, Alison, I cannot and will not use bacon fat {Nic told me... gross me out!}. 
• My mom recommended this English cheddar with caramelized onion and we used it with our raclette in addition to the traditional raclette cheese (also from TJ's, seasonal). I liked it, but I'm not a huge English cheddar fan. The onion is delicious though! 
• My first ever can of chipotle peppers in adobo below... and what I did with the extra! Excited to have that in the freezer to use in recipes to come. Anyone use these in their cooking? What do you put them in?

 Basic, No-Knead Artisan Bread

Lowdown: Favorite. Love. OMG. 

I grabbed my big ol' bag of Costco Active Dry Yeast (um, cheapest place ever to buy yeast, people!) out of my freezer and mixed the 4 required ingredients together, covered with plastic wrap for 18 hours, and came back to a nice, easy dough in the morning. Flipped it out of the bowl onto a well-floured cotton towel, covered again, let rise for 2 hours, then flopped it into my Le Creuset dutch oven, put the top on, and baked that baby for an hour. Results below. You can probably smell it through the computer. It was that amazing. Also, I subbed 1/4 cup regular flour for rye & 1/4 cup for wheat as well. I love the bite rye gives bread and the wheat for added nutritional value.

Inspiration

 I mean... honestly.

Phew. I'm tired. Until next week...

Foodie Resolution Week #1 of 52 : Parmesan Crusted Pesto Grilled Cheese

It's no surprise that this will probably be the easiest of the resolutions I have to tackle. Jillian is on her way via Amazon and I'm honestly scared. I almost want it to be lost in the mail. My husband thinks I sounded crazy referring to Jillian and The Shred as something so nonchalant and obvious... like everyone knows what I'm talking about. From the comments on my last post, you people do know Jillian and her Shred. Eat your words, husband!

I'm going to attempt to post the one recipe I try each week on here. I really want to succeed at this, people!

Here's the first installment of my foodie revolution resolution. No guarantees on this being diet food, either. 

Found here

Verdict: Amazing on all accounts. I used light rye, sharp natural Tillamook cheddar, jarred pesto, butter on the outside and sprinkled on some shaved & shredded fresh parmesan. I don't think I'll ever make a traditional grilled cheese ever again.

Little Foodie

One of my friends recently emailed asking about what I've been feeding B lately. It seems to change like the wind as he seems to be growing like a weed. He managed to start crawling (no army, folks), clapping, pulling up, and talking massive amounts all in the course of 10 days.

The answer to the food question is, whatever is healthy that I can get down his throat. He feeds himself lately and his pincer grasp is pretty stellar, so that's helpful. However, now that he feeds himself, he's less inclined to allow us to feed him which means less is making it down the hatch. I have definitely been found on any given weekday feeding B as he's crawling across the floor or pulling himself up somewhere. Calories in are most important for me sometimes. Yes, I know kids won't starve and they'll let you know when they're hungry, but sometimes I want him to have some kind of a schedule to eat at a specific time. I may also be a little sensitive about having a small fry still. He's up at the 25th percentile now according to those stupid CDC charts, but it doesn't mean my mom ego hasn't been bruised plenty.

{Spoon}

If we want B to eat something off a spoon that we feed him, he needs some distractions. We often give him his own spoon while we attempt to use our spoon to feed the calories. He also loves chewing on straws and those allow us to shove more food in his mouth because they take up less real estate. I also alternate finger foods for him and a spoonful of what we're feeding him next. For example, we'd give him a sweet potato piece and then shovel in some pea soup between bites. We're faster than him, still, but it's all about trickery in our house. It's a messy process of feeding, but sometimes we just have to get the job done.

Here are some of the things we spoon fed him recently: split pea soup, peas, beans, rice, meat bites (small!), lentils, lentil soup, quinoa (usually mixed with a binding agent like pureed carrots), scrambled eggs, avocado, oatmeal, hummus...

He eats basically everything we eat, so these lists are in no way comprehensive, but more because I'm speaking on lately and what I have from memory to work with.

{Finger Food Meals + what to do with leftover purees?}

He's done with purees. But, funny thing. We have plenty I'm still working through from our freezer, but I've found some creative ways to use them in solid foods he can feed himself.

• I make pancakes a lot for breakfast because they're easy for him to feed himself and I can also eat some! I can also hide a lot of pureed goodness in them that he wouldn't normally allow me to feed him with a spoon easily. Some recent concoctions:

Avocado pancakes: (about 1 cup pancake mix prepared + 1/2 avocado)
Sweet potato, spinach & cinnamon pancakes: (2 cup prepared pancake mix + 5 cubes sweet potato + 2 very small cubes spinach + cinnamon)

Batch of sweet potato/spinach cakes this morning - lighting is poor-- working off the flourescent hood lighting. Eek!

I often make a batch and have breakfast ready for a couple days. I even feed them for a quick lunch sometimes. He can feed himself and it's not super messy. I made a batch of 10 sweet potato/spinach pancakes this morning and froze them. Now I can pull one out each morning for his breakfast.

• I also use the purees in his oatmeal. He loves oatmeal with mix-ins and also really loves oatmeal with banana and cinnamon. I mean, who doesn't?
• I even took a spinach cube from the freezer last night and stuck it in our spaghetti sauce. We all benefited from that little trickery and I didn't even have to taste it! {Spinach is one of those things I eat because I know it's good for me-- yay leafy greens-- but not because I find it particularly delicious.} This sneaky mom move might continue on well into adolescence as I have a sneaking suspicion that spinach or vegetables in general won't be on the top 10 list of things teenagers like to eat.
• I make quesadillas often with squash & spinach purees, but I'm having a hard time cutting them where the contents don't completely escape. I use a pizza cutter and that works well, but it's not perfect. Some quesadilla contents: a small amount of cheese as a binder, hummus, smashed peas, beans, shredded chicken, spinach... basically whatever I can get in there!
• Smoothies - he likes these, but doesn't drink them super fast, so I usually only entertain the idea when I'm making one for myself. All the fruit purees work well. I suppose spinach would... but I detest the idea of ruining my perfectly delicious smoothie by adding that beast in there.

{Finger Food Snacks in between meals}

As a snack, B usually gets a number of things to feed himself: sweet potato baked fries, Cheerios, puffs, and these things that we've recently started buying from our produce aisle. He's had graham crackers and obviously loves those, too. To feed him hummus, I sometimes stick it on the end of a carrot and he shoves it in his mouth. He won't eat the carrot, but the hummus is eaten! Trickster, I know.

{Hardware}

Finally, the hardware. We use some Ikea dishes, nothing exciting there. But the utensils and his sippy cup?

Utensil set: Boon Adaptable Utensils (will be able to feed himself with soon!)

Spoon: mOmma spoon (sits up on its own and fun to chew on)

Sippy cup favorite: Playtex First Gripper Trainer (still loving this one!)

{Help: Question for YOU}

Now I have a question for all of you. We're planning to transition B to milk around a year and we'd like to know what you're giving your kiddos. Our pediatrician recommended we give B whatever we drink (none). She said whole milk is out and skim, 1% or 2% is in. I'd want it to have some fat content, but I don't think whole milk is necessary for him. Also, I'd love to have the milk to use in recipes, and I cannot bring myself to use whole milk. What about the rest of you? What have you been using or plan to use?

I'm also genuinely nervous about how we're going to handle milk in the sippy cup. What happens when I'm done breastfeeding and he wants milk at 5 a.m.? How does that work? #nervous

I Bet You've Been Wondering if we Still Eat

I mean, it has been awhile since I've posted about food. Which is abnormal. And unacceptable.

Perhaps it's a certain little nugget of love that's been keeping me away from the kitchen. He's trying. He crawls multiple rooms using only the sound of my voice and proceeds to pull himself up using the slack of my pants. Then he stands in between my legs and whines until I pick him up.

Food critic, maybe.

Two items on the menu tonight. We didn't actually get to the salad, but since we've had it three times this week and my husband is probably screaming, "Alright already!" I figured I'd share my recipe. The other is what we had for dinner. Like an hour ago.

First up, cabbage salad. I'm the type who really does try to save money and buy in season. I also like fresh produce, and honestly, produce in the Midwest can be a little sketchy especially if you shop at Jewel and buying what is in season is your best bet at getting produce that isn't hours away from spoiling. Cabbage is either in season, or particularly cheap these days. It appears fresh, so I bought a couple heads of it recently.

Ingredients:
1/2 head green cabbage (red works, but it bleeds and isn't as pretty when that happens), sliced thin
1/4ish red onion, sliced thin
Handful of carrot matchsticks
Handful cilantro, roughly chopped
1 inch ginger, grated

Dressing: (It's basically the recipe on the back of TJ's rice wine vinegar)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
Spoonful sesame oil
Dash of soy sauce
Red pepper flakes to taste

I buy in bulk and freeze it. I love ginger and always have it on hand + it's easier to grate when frozen.

 It's even better 2-3 days later after marinating through, but it can be eaten immediately.

I saw a recipe on Pinterest that looked so good, I bundled up the nugget and headed out to the grocery store just for taco shells. I could've made them myself, sure, but I didn't have the tortillas for that either. And I guess I could've made my own tortillas, but gah. I just wanted the boxed kind, okay? And here you have, oven tacos. The mix should be thick and not saucy at all for either meat or vegetarian filling.

Ingredients for meat filling:

1/4 lb taco meat, cooked & seasoned how you like it

1/4 can refried beans (or if you are better than me and avoid the BPA, 1/4 cup of your own)

1/4 cup salsa

Ingredients for vegetarian filling:

If you eat crumbles or tempeh (I don't), use those here... but I used...

1/2 cup refried beans

1/4 cup salsa

1/2 cup quinoa, cooked

Fill taco shells with filling of your choice, top with cheese & bake for 10ish minutes at 400 degrees. When done, top with your favorite taco fillings. Honestly, we thought these were delicious. Like, YUM. Something about the baked shells being sort of crunchy and sort of soft. We will be making these again. I can see myself making these for years to come, especially with kids. The binding of the ingredients means no more crumbly meat on the floor! Well, unless you have a 9-month old and miraculously, everything is always on the floor no matter what.

I love those Crate & Barrel dishes. My food is never tainted by meat juices. I recommend it for long, happy marriages for those vegetarians married to carnivores. The usual suspects: cheese, cilantro, spinach, olives, avocado. Sour cream, salsa, hot sauce are all good things, too, but I didn't include them.

Ready for the oven.

Ready to top & eat!

More depressing posts to come, but until then, how about a happy post all about food?

Mmmmmmmmm.

General Updates and Such

• I'm making cabbage rolls tonight. Never made them before, and I'm following about 3 recipes that I'll morph together, plus a little creativity on my part. It's also a clean-out-the-produce-in-my-fridge meal, so it will be unique.
• I bought a bunch of cabbage at the store last week and have been making a cabbage salad every few days. 1/4 head of cabbage sliced thin, 1/4 red onion sliced thin, handful of cilantro roughly chopped, handful of baby carrots sliced thin (or julienned), 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, dash of soy sauce, 1 tsp grated ginger, salt & pepper (make dressing separately). It gets even better after a day or two. Mmmm.

• Also made dragon noodles recently and loved them so much, I made them again the next day! I made with different noodles each time and omitted the egg because I think they're gross. And also, I don't buy them.
• B has his fourth tooth officially. I've felt it since the weekend, but I can now officially see it well enough to confirm that it's broken through.
• Thank God. 
• The cold is still here and in full-force. My Nose-Frida is taking her sweet time getting here and I'm getting impatient. 
• B is also getting up on all-fours and rocking a bit, but he still does the airplane and gets pretty pissed that doing the airplane doesn't actually make him fly. He manages to scoot all over the map though with his roll and 360 degree turn technique.

New hat! Thanks Ceil & Helen!

• We took B to vote with us last night. Why I had to use a half-dried up pen to bubble in my choices like a scantron as opposed to the punch stamps like past elections? I felt like I was voting in a fake election. And they were out of stickers? I mean... really.

• We're like this close to finishing our basement. We took a pilgrimage to Home Depot last night after voting to buy paint. The light is finally seen at the end of the tunnel. Good heavens. Hooray. Renovation post to come.
• Every night for the past few months (+ randomly over 1.5 years), Ray has been going down into the basement after B goes down to bed for the night and working until midnight and later. I've been joining him once the primer/painting started up. 
• And bonus, B decided to start waking up randomly (dang cold!), making for a sleep-deprived family.
• We scheduled to have our floor epoxy done the week of the 18th! We've never been more excited to spend thousands of dollars on flooring. Hah. It will look similar to this. We chose the brown.
• We bought a mattress for the basement and plan to buy a mattress encasement so it stays moisture free. Our basement is the cleanest basement around, so I'm not too worried, but I like peace of mind. We're also thinking about a metal bed to hold said mattress and we like this one for an affordable, yet classy option. 
• We also really want a treadmill for the basement, but we don't want to spend the cash right now. Anyone have one and love it? We're runners (albeit slow), so it would have to be durable.
• Ray just finished the Steve Jobs Biography and I'm excited to read it. 
• I'm gonna need a Halloween candy eating intervention. We have gone through like 50 various chocolate items in the last week. I'm averaging 3+ a day, people. 
• It's Wednesday and nap #1 of 2 is fleeting. Off to accomplish!