A few nights ago during dinner, my husband mentioned that I was upping my cooking game, lately. Of course, he qualified this statement, by saying, “Your meals are always good.” 

It was black bean burgers that evening – something I had prepared before, so I wondered what it was I had been doing differently. 

I thought back to earlier in the week, when I had heard a similar sentiment. It was the night I served Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Mint and Onions alongside sausage dogs. Typically, it would prepare frozen waffle fries to serve alongside the dogs, but on that particular night I wanted something a bit healthier – and fresh – as a side dish.

I realized that maybe I was doing something differently. It wasn’t necessarily the quality of the results, rather I think it was more about ‘what’ I was preparing. With our oldest off in college, I have had the opportunity to prepare ‘different’ offerings. When he is here, I walk the tightrope of trying to accommodate his request for meat, and the rest of the family’s request for a bit less meat. To do that, I found myself in limbo – trying to find recipes in which meat was not the centerpiece of the meal, while giving him the impression that there was meat on the table to satisfy his cravings, and giving the rest of us options to eat less meat.

It’s been almost 2 months since he’s been away at college, and I think I’m getting into the groove of preparing new recipes that are either fully meatless, or use less meat. And I realized that we’ve all been pretty much satisfied. 

That’s not to say we never eat any meat, but in lesser quantities, or fewer times a week. And when I do prepare a meal with a meat protein, I find myself being a bit more creative with it (serving it differently than I had done in the past). Last evening I served up a lemongrass beef and instead of skewing the meat and serving with a starch and a side of vegetables, I decided to slice the meat and marinate, then cook up quickly in a wok, and plate it up in lettuce cups filled with rice, fresh cucumbers, scallions and cherry tomatoes. 

Sometimes it takes a change in our lives to look at things differently. This time around, it took my son leaving for college for me to get a new perspective on mealtime. I hope he enjoys our latest mealtime offerings when he comes home for Thanksgiving break!

Here is the Black-Eyed Pea Salad recipe:

• 1 lb black-eyed peas, or 4, 15-ounce cans, drained
• 3 green onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 cup mint, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 cup greens, such as spinach, baby kale, or sweet dandelion, chopped
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, optional 

dill, optional for garnish

If using dried black-eyed peas, cook in preferred method until peas are tender. If using canned beans, drain then heat on the stove over medium heat.

While the black-eyed peas are still hot and steaming, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, tossing to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with dill, if using. 

Serve warm or cold.

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This week, one of my girls independently decided that she would not be eating meat for a week. Of course, she didn’t apprise me of this until I purchased $50 worth of skirt steak for our anniversary dinner with the family.

I was happy to hear of her efforts. I’ve been actively trying to switch from meat as the centerpiece of meals, to highlighting more veggies, grains and the like. It is not as if we are going fully meat-free, we’re just in the process of cutting down on our portions, or simply not eating it every night. That translates to more soups, stews, and grain-based meals, with smaller portions of meat, or simply no meat at all. We’re all into this change – well, almost all of us. Our oldest continues to wrinkle his nose on the nights when we go ‘meatless,’ so it has been a challenge to prepare something that will feed everyone’s needs.

It’s All in the Delivery

Aside from the process of finding satisfying recipes that use less meat or serve as hearty meat-free options, I realized that it’s the words I use that make or break the perception my son has of my meatless options.

For the past few years , when Monday rolled around, I’d announce that I was serving up a Meatless Monday meal. My son quickly caught on to the fact that Monday meals would not be something he wanted to partake in. He no longer would ask, ‘What’s for dinner?” but rather, “Is this another meatless meal, Mom?”

I have to say that it has been a bit of a struggle. I’m juggling the likes and dislikes of each person and trying to accommodate everyone’s needs, just so we can have an enjoyable mealtime. 

But lately, I’ve removed the ‘meatless’ from my mealtime explanation. Rather than naming my mealtime choices as ‘meatless’ I’m simply moving forward with my efforts, and It is serving me a bit better. By focusing more on what is on the table, rather than what isn’t, I’m finding greater acceptance of my efforts – even from my son.

I’m glad my frustrations didn’t keep me from continuing my efforts to reach my goal. While we may not be finished with our journey to eat less meat, but at least were taking small steps needed to accomplish our goals. 

The post (Shh) It’s Meatless appeared first on Family Eats.

On a recent Sunday morning I took my coffee standing up. Rather than brew my Sunday morning coffee, then taking the time to sit alone in the quiet of the house, brainstorming, thinking, meditating, I remained standing in the kitchen. 

The reason: a Saturday evening delivery that led to Sunday morning reorganization.

The Puzzle 

To put it simply: Kitchen organization is a puzzle. I’m always trying to fit all the pieces together – pots, pans, baking molds, silverware, roasting pans, serving pieces  – so I can enjoy seamless movements while I’m cooking or baking. I dream of the day when all pieces are put together in a logical way that speaks to the way I maneuver throughout the kitchen. But, because our kitchen is in need of a major rehab, my kitchen tools, gadgets and cookware aren’t always housed in a way that keeps me from digging around for something when I need it.

This week I had enough of some of my frustration and decided to make a change. Nothing major, just one simple change. But that change led to a Sunday morning kitchen reorganization that lasted for hours.

My Spice Collection

It all started with the spices. We had been housing them in the lower shelf of the cupboard just to the left of our stove. It was so hard to find anything. We’d have to move the spices in the front down onto the counter, in order to locate something behind it. Then, as we shoved them all back in, nothing seemed to fit perfectly, so we stack and move things elsewhere – making the search even more complicated the next time around.

My drawer organizer came to the rescue. But, now that the spices were in the drawer, I had to relocate all those oversized kitchen tools elsewhere. And, when I did that, I had to move the items from that drawer into another – and so it went, for the next several hours. 

As the family rose for the day, and we all jockeyed our way through the kitchen, trying to find counter space to do our usual kitchen tasks, I continued on my kitchen reorganization. Rolling pins here, cutting boards there, pan lids under there . .  well, you get the picture.

While a good portion of my morning was taken over by reorganization, I did get rid of a few things ( and, discovered duplicates – even triplicates – of many spices). Kitchen reorganization is always a work in progress – and I’m still hoping to deal with the cupboards under the counter. But not this Sunday. I’m going to endure a bit of disorganization in the kitchen, because  I want my quiet weekend morning back.

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Makes 16-17 ounces, enough for 1 batch of French Bread.

• 1-1/8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (5 oz)
• 1-1/8 cups unbleached bread flour (5 oz)
• ¾ tsp salt
• ½ tsp instant yeast
• ¾ cup to ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp water, at room temperature

Stir together the flours, salt and yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in bowl of an electric mixer). Add ¾ cup of the water, stirring until everything comes together and makes a coarse ball (or mix on low speed for 1 minute with paddle attachment). Adjust the flour or water, according to need, so that the dough is neither sticky nor too stiff. (It is better to err on the sticky side, as you can adjust easier during kneading. It is harder to add water once the dough firms up.)

Sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Knead for 4-6 minutes (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook for 4 minutes), or until the dough is soft and pliable, tacky but not sticky. The internal temperature should be 77-81 degrees F.

Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for 1 hour, or until it swells to about 1-1/2 times its original size.

Remove the dough from the bowl, knead it lightly to degas, and return it to the bowl, covering the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight. You can keep this in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze it in an airtight plastic bag for up to 3 months.

Note: You can use this on the same day that you make it, if you ferment it at room temperature for 2 hours, instead of refrigerating it. Author prefers to give it the overnight treatment as it seems to bring out even more flavor.

Source: The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, by Peter Reinhart. Ten Speed Press C 2001

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This past weekend our resident Breadhead was in the kitchen making his weekly loaves of bread for the family. Hands down homemade bread is one of our favorite creations here. It’s one that allows us to reap so many benefits – monetarily, nutritionally, and emotionally.

Making bread serves as a bit of therapy, giving us a quiet, calming, almost meditative feeling when we make it. Aside from the calm it provides, homemade bread saves us lots of money, and is more healthful than store bought, giving us the comfort of knowing just exactly what ingredients are in our bread.

Bread baking is once again finding its way back into American homes – despite nearly 2 decades of teaching us to fear carbs. The romance, the flavors, and versatility (from no-knead versions, to those with fermenting time), are ensuring bread baking is definitely back in fashion.

And, if you thing baking bread is a challenge, think again. Of course it will take  a bit of trial and error, but it isn’t to complicated. You just need to find a slice of time in your week to make and bake it! (yes, I meant that pun!)

The Power of Touch

You may have made bread using a bread machine, or a stand mixer to knead your dough, but think about it, the power of touch is unmistakable. That’s why baking bread by hand (and not a machine) gives us so much pleasure. When we use our hands to knead the dough, there is a sensual connection with the dough, and our brains are activated. Making bread serves as a bit of therapy for us.

Engage yourself in the process of making dough – fully by hand. It may not be the way you choose to make it every time, but once in a while, indulge in the hands-on method that provides you with the benefits of touch.

As I await our family Breadhead, Greg, to make our next round of sandwich loaves this weekend, I feel it is time to get back into the kitchen and make something different than muffins for snack. This time around, I’m thinking it will be Cinnamon Raisin Bread – a sweet afternoon snack that will help fill the hunger gap between lunch and dinner. After that, I’ll be on to rye bread, so I can spread it with some delicious butter, sprinkle with salt, and reminisce about the times I sat down Grandma to do the same thing.

Go ahead, put on your breadhead this weekend, and start baking. Then post them on social media and share them with Family Eats, tagging #breadhead !

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Last week it was all about Sunday Meal Prep as I readied to leave for Cleveland. I prepped the meals, snacks and in-betweens for the family, so all they had very little prep, and mostly just heat-and-eat meals while I was away. (you can read my Sunday Meal Prep post here).

This week, it is all about what I call Eating Down – the process of eating what we have in the house, and buying very little so that when we leave for a trip, we don’t have a fridge full of food that will go bad. So, as I readied to leave town with the family, I focused on  preparing meals from what I already have on hand. What helps me be successful in this effort is my pantry, which is stocked with a variety of grains, beans and other ingredients that help create meals that are exciting to the family.

Exhausted from my last trip and the busy weekend, I just didn’t find the energy to create a week’s full or recipes. Instead, I took a day or two to take stock of what I had on hand, and eventually came up with how best to use it before we headed out again. 

I began my weekly Eating Down menu with a whole chicken, which I bought and roasted, adding veggies and a starch which I had on hand. The chicken kept on giving after the first meal. Greg made broth after dinner, and I added the leftover chicken, along with any wayward veggies I had in the fridge – celery, carrots, and onions. To give it a bit more substance, I added some barley from the pantry. I made Roti Bread Buss up Shut) and we had a tasty and nutritious dinner the following evening, that everyone loved.

With some whole milk in the fridge, I made scones early in the week for breakfast and snacktime. I then used the remaining whole milk, along with the cheddar cheese for  homemade mac and cheese for dinner one evening, and the  kids finished it off for lunch the next day.

I had a healthy dose of bok choy on hand, so I sautéed it and added it to the leftover soup for lunch the following day.

By the time our lat evening in town arrived, I realized that  we did such a good job of Eating Down during the week, that there wasn’t enough food for a full meal, so we opted to order out Chinese.

For breakfast on the day we left, Greg made bacon eggs and toast – using up the last of the homemade bread, most of the eggs, and the bacon.

Road Food

To keep us from spending a fortune to feed six of us in the airport, or on the plane, once again, it was a decision based upon what was in the fridge and pantry.

Since the homemade bread was used up, we turned to the last few tortillas, and made rollup sandwiches, using the last bits of lettuce, lunchmeat and cheese. I packed up leftover take-out from the night before, and cut up apples that didn’t get eaten from someone’s lunch the day before and packed them in our Stasher Bags (our favorite bags for on-the-go).

Any leftover vegetables that I felt might turn bad before our return were promptly placed in our freezer bags to be used for homemade vegetable stock down the road.

By the time we were ready to leave for the airport, our fridge had very little excess in it – a bit of cabbage that would withstand the week away, some eggs to fortify us upon our return . .  Nothing else left to wilt, grow mold, or turn sour.

I make this process of Eating Down a habit whenever the family is headed out for vacation. But I also schedule an Eating Down week every couple of weeks, so that I can ensure there will be a lot less food waste. Here are a few ideas on how to make it happen.

Tips for Eating Down

Make soup your friend. A great way to add bits and pieces of leftover vegetables, and then dig in your pantry for grains to add.

Fritattas are a great way to use of the eggs, and those vegetables. Serve with a smattering of potatoes you may have on hand.

Leafy greens – saute bok choy, chards, kale and top with an egg, or add them to ramen for lunchtime.

Smoothies for breakfast or snack is a great way to use up fruit that may be just past its prime and no one will eat it

Muffins or scones – for using last bits of opened milk, apples that may be going soft.

The post Eating Down: Cutting Down on Food Waste appeared first on Family Eats.

As I lightly dust the counter, a small plume of flour creates a momentary cloud of dust in the air before settling on the counter, the floor, the front of my apron. I’m blocking out the commotion from the day, seeking a meditative moment that will help relieve some stress, calm my mind and create something delicious for the family.

Hands down, bread baking is a favorite tradition in our household. It’s one that allows us to reap so many benefits – monetarily, nutritionally, and emotionally. It’s the emotional benefit I’m thinking about — from the aroma and taste of freshly baked bread, to the tactile sensation I experience when making bread.  And it is the tactile sensation that truly pulls me in. 

The Power of Touch

The power of touch is unmistakable. Using our hands activates the brain, enhancing our attachment to who, and what, we touch. It provides a sense of connectivity, activating the brain . So, when we are kneading, we activate the brain, creating a sensual connection with the dough.

Of course you can use a stand mixer to knead your dough, but think about it, when we make things with our hands, we feel effective, a sense of pride and satisfaction. Most of our meals are made from scratch, but it is our bread baking that brings the biggest benefits. 

Engage yourself in the process of making dough – fully by hand. It may not be the way you choose to make it every time, but once in a while, indulge in the hands-on method that provides you with the benefits of touch.

Here is one of our most-used recipes for bread.

White Loaves

This is our sandwich bread, our toast bread, our snack bread . . . we love it! The recipe is from Baking with Julia, a well—used cookbook by Julia Child. Her recipe includes instructions for using a stand mixer to knead the dough, we have modified to knead by hand.

• 2-1/2 cups warm water
• 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 7 cups bread flower, or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp salt
• ½ stick unsalted butter at room temperature

Pour ½ cup of the water into a large bowl, sprinkle in the yeast and sugar, and whisk to blend. Allow the mixture to result until the yeast is creamy about 5 minutes.

Add remaining 2 cups water and about 3-1/2 cups flour to the yeast, and begin incorporating together with a wooden spoon.

Slowly add additional 3-1/2 cups flour, kneading after each small addition. If dough does not come together, add a bit more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until it does.

Add salt and continue to knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

When thoroughly mixed, add the butter a tablespoon at a time, and knead until incorporated. The dough may come apart with the addition of the butter, kneading will bring it back together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a ball. Place it in a large buttered or oiled bowl, turn dough around to cover the surface with the butter or oil, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest at room temperature until it doubles in bulk, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Butter 2 loaf pans and set aside.

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half and work with one piece at a time. Using the palms of your hands and fingertips, or a rolling pin, pat the dough into a large rectangle about 9 inches wide and 12 inches long, with a short side facing you. Starting at the top, fold the dough about two-thirds on the way down the rectangle and then fold it again, so that the top edge meets the bottom edge. Seal the seam by pinching it.

Turn the roll so that the seam is in the center of the roll, facing up and turn the ends of the roll in just enough so that it will fit in a buttered loaf pan. Pinch the seams to seal, turn the loaf over so that the seams are on the bottom, and plum the loaf with your palms to get an even shape. Drop the loaf into the pan, seam side down and repeat with the other piece of dough.

Cover the loaves with oiled plastic wrap, and allow them to rise in a warm place until they double in size again, growing over the tops of the pans, about 45 minutes.

While the loaves rise, center a rack in the oven and heat to 375 degrees F.

When the loaves have fully risen, bake them for 35-45 minutes, or until they are honey-brown and I instant read thermometer plunged into the center of the bread, measures 200 degrees F.

Remove the loaves from their pans as soon as they come from the oven and cool on racks.

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I’ve had a love/hate relationship with cooking these past few weeks. Perhaps fueled by the exhaustion I have from cooking on a camp stove for 10 days, coupled with the lazy days of summer here at home.
It was mid-week when I finally jumped into gear. We got word that there was an opening for the girls to participate in CupKAYke Wars on Friday, a fundraiser for a local park (Kay Park, hence the CupKAYke). The girls were excited and immediately began planning what kind of cupcake to bake, creating a timeline to get it all finished.

After a bit of brainstorming, they decided that it would be a vanilla cupcake, raspberry filling and white chocolate frosting (eventually named Raspberry Cloud Cupcake). Keely made the cupcake, Nicole the raspberry filling, and Addie the frosting. I stood in the wings, giving them insight on how to prepare their part.

In the end, they didn’t win best decorated, best tasting, or fan favorite, but their cupcakes raised about $100 for the fundraiser. That evening as I tucked them in for the night, I congratulated them on creating such a delicious cupcake, and asked each to share with me something they learned.

Keely liked the advice I gave her on mixing the batter by hand, “Figuring out when it was blended and fluffy enough,” she explained.

For Nicole, who made the raspberry filling, it was learning how to tend to the fresh fruit as it was boiling in the stove, and then straining out the seeds. “I never knew how easy it is to make a filling from scratch!”

As for Addison, the frosting gave her the opportunity to find the proper texture of a frosting, “I love how fluffy it is!”

For me, it as the joy I experienced as I listed to the girls complementing each other, supporting themselves in their endeavors.

Win or lose in the local competition, we all knew they were winners.

From this, I’m reminded of how I feel when I make something for the family, and I’m back in the kitchen, getting down to the business of feeding the family.

Have fun this week — get the family involved in making a new recipe and feel the joy!

Here is our recipe for the Raspberry Cloud Cupcake – a winner in our family!

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Recently, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit, and we thought that making ravioli would be a great way to keep Grandpa busy with the Addie and Keely. It was a fun afternoon that resulted in 110 individual ravioli, along with 2 extra large raviolis made once Nicole arrived near the end of our ravioli-making production line. We used our Marcato Atlas pasta maker, the Marcato Ravioli Tablet, and the Atlas Dispenser for sprinkling flour onto the dough.

Since our 10-year-olds had such a great time, I asked one of them to each write a bit about their time in the kitchen with Grandpa. Here is what Addison had to say about it.

Homemade Ravioli with Grandpa by Addie

I made this delicious recipe for ravioli with my grandparents when they were here! We had so much fun making it, and it was only our first time doing it by ourselves — and it turned out great!

Making ravioli with Grandpa was awesome! My sister and I took turns doing each part. For one batch, I would do the crank and Keely did the filling and pressing. For each station we would then switch and do the next.

My favorite stations was when I took the thin dough and I placed it on the cutter and put the filing in. I felt like a real chef!

The Process

This is an easy recipe for ravioli that I made with my grandpa, and you can, too! It is easy, fun and delicious. What we did is make the dough with a few easy ingredients, and kneaded them together to make a dough that we could work with.

I turned the pasta maker to 1, and we rolled it through about 6 times. (Note: our old Atlas does not have a ‘0’ setting, as noted in the Marcato video tutorials). Once it was thinner, we rolled it though stages 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Then we powdered it with flour and took it over to the ravioli maker and measured its length, and cut. We then laid the dough down over the cutter.

And, here is a tip:

Addie’s Tip for Making Ravioli

“Go into your fridge and take an egg. Instead of using your thumb, gently press down the dough with the egg into each cup dent (of the ravioli maker) to make room for the filling.

Then you take whatever filling you choose and fill each about up to the top, but not more because it could rip.

For our recipe for pasta dough, click here.

You can visit the Marcato YouTube channel for some easy-to-follow video tutorials.

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Crazy busy as our lives are, I manage to get homemade meals on the table every evening (with the occasional, opt out).

What is essential in ensuring this happens is my meal planning. Part of my weekly ritual, my meal planning gives me the opportunity to shop for all the weekly essentials at one time, while easing the stress of figuring out what to have for dinner every evening. This is especially helpful while I’m in the midst of ensuring everyone is where they need to be in the after-school hours.

Admittedly, even with a homemade meal, we don’t always eat dinner together during the week. Addie’s late swim practice means she doesn’t arrive home until after 7 pm. This, however, gives her the chance to eat with her Dad, when he arrives home from work.

As they sit down, and I’m busying myself with tidying up the kitchen and making sure everyone else has has homework completed, I hear the two of them chatting away.

“How was your day, Daddy?” she asks of him. She then offers up a play-by-play description of her day, including every set she swam at the pool. The other kids pop in and out of the discussion, making it, at some times, a bit of a circus, as they try to capture a bit of Dad’s attention before they’re all herded off to bed. At times it seems hectic, but at least there is some connection and conversation between dinnertime — even if we don’t always eat together.

Then there are the days when mealtime is a bit less harried – Sunday.

A few weeks ago, our Sunday Supper was particularly lively. Not only did we each have something to share with the family, but it was the happenings during the day that made the dinner even more fun.

It was homemade pasta night.

We’ve been making pasta on and off since receiving a Marcato Atlas 150 for our wedding, nearly 14 years ago. When the kids were old enough, they happily participated in the process, helping crank out strand upon strand of fettucine, cappelini, and pappardelle.

This time, however, we were venturing into new territory – ravioli!

The Marcato Ravioli Tablet, was a recent addition to our kitchen. I was excited about giving it a try – but honestly, less than excited to have a cacophony of “can I helps” in the kitchen with me. My pasta making isn’t always perfect — I needed to focus, and get the hang of it myself, before I welcomed a bit of mayhem, and “I want to try,” into the kitchen.

In the end, there was too much excitement about the ravioli making, that I couldn’t banish everyone from the kitchen. So I took to the Marcato YouTube channel for some inspiration, and found a wonderful collection of videos to choose from, so I quickly got down to making it.

It was an assembly line at our table. The twins took turns cranking out the pasta sheets, while the other helped place the sheets on the form, and place the pork ragu filling inside. Then, came the rolling out of the shapes. Oh, they couldn’t wait for dinner.

When dinnertime arrived, the family was abuzz with excitement over how delicious the ravioli would be. During dinner, the conversation was quite lively as they all recounted their own method for making the ravioli. In the end, the kids began questioning each other how many they had eaten, as they were readying to claim those still on the serving platter. With only a few more on the table, Grayson tried to quietly slip two more onto his plate. That brought about screams of “no fair!”

Aside from this minor “food fight,” the discussion turned to what we should fill ravioli with next time we made it – cheese, squash, or spinach, all interspersed with a bit of knock knock jokes, updates on test grades, and a rundown of what happened in class this past week.

Sunday dinner is always a fun time to talk about everything that happened during the week, and it appears as if it is also a great time to discuss everyone’s methods of cooking the Sunday Supper.

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