It's Summertime!

And here in the South, that means PEACHES.

As a displaced Northerner, the idea of picking peaches is a new one to me.  And having lived down here for a measly... erm... 14 years and never gone peach picking... well, that's just downright sinful.

So, next week, we're going peach picking.

I think.

:P

In the meantime, I'll hit all of the $0.88/lb sales of deliciously ripe, locally grown peaches going on at the neighborhood grocery stores....

In order to make THIS:

PEACHES AND CREAM PIE

3/4 c sugar
3 tbsp flour
3/4 c whipping cream
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Approx. 3 peaches, peeled and sliced (in half or thinly... either way works)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Mix flour and sugar.
Roll out pastry for one 9" crust into a pie crust plate, or 8"x 8" glass pan. (I used a 7"x 11" glass pan)
Pour half of flour/sugar mixture into pastry.
Arrange peaches on top. Do only one layer!
Sprinkle rest of the mixture on top.
Pour the whipping cream evenly over all.
Sprinkle the surface with cinnamon.

Cover the edges of the crust with foil.
Bake at 450 for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350, bake for another 30 minutes.

Before serving, make sure to let the pie cool.  It will not be set when you take it out of the oven.... and you don't want to serve soupy pie!

Be prepared for some insanely amazing smells to emerge from your oven.

Also, expect some wrinkled noses at how this dessert *looks* after it's baked.  My nephews roundly turned their noses up at the sight of it, but then polished off both pies after having one taste.

:P

Oh, how I love summer baking!!

:)

I MUST Be Feeling Better!

Dinner tonight is EGG ROLLS.

These are a Nutty Family Fav.  Everyone loves them, all of our friends rave about them, and I'd rather stick my head in a food processor than make them.

They are a lot of work.

Luckily, you have to spread the work out over two days, so that by the end of it, it doesn't seem so bad.  But at the beginning, when you know you'll be working on these things for two days?  Yeah, suddenly you aren't really up for it.

I got this recipe from a friend of mine.  It's her mom's recipe, and famous among all of my IRL friends.  I think I may be the only one crazy enough to attempt these on a regular basis.  But let me tell you, it is sooooo worth it!

So, without further ado (or daunting predictions...)

BECKY'S EGG ROLLS (read the parenthesis! very important!)

3lb ground beef, browned (make sure there are no big chunks)
9 T sugar (use the soup spoon, NOT the measuring spoon on these)
3 T salt
1 T black pepper
3 eggs + 1 yolk (save the extra white... you'll use it to seal the egg rolls)
1 onion, chopped fine (I chop the veggies in the food processor)
7 carrots, chopped fine
1 turnip, chopped fine
8 oz. bean thread noodles (soak for 25min in warm water)
3 pkgs. spring rolls (25 count each)

~Brown the ground beef, chop the veggies, and mix all together with the sugar, salt, pepper and eggs.  When the noodles have softened, cut into 2" long threads with kitchen scissors.  Add to ground beef mixture and stir in well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Do NOT skip that step.  The flavors need to meld)


Now... this is where it gets fun!
:)

You will need a deep fryer.  And tons of vegetable oil.  Heat the oil to about 300 degrees. While it's heating, take out your spring roll wrappers.  They need to thaw for about 15 min.

This is how your "work station" should be set up:

Separate a wrapper and place it on a plate. Spoon a portion of your filling into the bottom corner of the wrapper.

Start rolling.

Fold the edges in.

Continue rolling. Then spread some egg white on the top corner.

This will seal the egg roll.

Place it in the deep fryer.  And fry until golden brown.

Take out the egg rolls, and let cool on a wire rack.  This is very important!  Drying them on paper towels alone will make them soggy, not crispy.  We like crispy!

And voila!  This is about 1/4 of what you will make when finished.

Serve with sweet-n-sour sauce, or (my favorite!) duck sauce.

This recipe should get you close to 70 egg rolls.  You can keep them covered in the fridge... (Maybe even freeze them?  I don't know, never had to!)
To re-heat, just place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and put under the broiler for 5 minutes, turning once.  They'll still be crispy!

Enjoy!
:)

Hiatus

And so I am here today to state the obvious.

I'll be taking a little break from food for awhile.

:P

Yes, I know I have to eat the stuff, but I certainly don't have to think about it, much less do elaborate blog posts on it until I feel better.

Like, maybe in 4 weeks? (I hope!)

Right now I'm making dinner with my setting on"automatic." What, you don't have this setting? It's awesome! A definite must-have setting for a busy Mama, or at least one who is in the throes of First Trimester and cannot even look at raw meat without retching.

Think Irona from that inane cartoon Richie Rich:

1. In monotone, with no thinking or emotion at all, select a package of meat from your freezer.
2. Grab the meat and throw it into the kitchen sink to thaw.
3. When thawed, throw meat into skillet with olive oil. Cover immediately.
4. Dump various spices on top of meat, and start rice cooker.
5. Check meat (while breathing through your mouth) turn if absolutely necessary.
6. Chop up veggies. Cooking them is optional.
7. Set the table, hand out milk and quickly serve food.
8. Pour granola and milk into your own bowl and go eat in the livingroom.

No, no pictures. No autographs either, sorry. I know it's pretty amazing, these dinners I can throw at my family whilst imagining I am on some deserted island where there is no food at all.

Talented, that's what I am.

And so, until I can be a bit more... inspiring? I'll be taking it easy.

Doing my duties with love, of course, even though the joyful zeal may be lacking.

:P

Smoothie Heaven

So, this latest development in my life requires that I eat every two hours.. at least.
This is to ensure that:
(1) my hands don't start shaking uncontrollably
(2) my gastrointestinal track stops doing flips
(3) my stomach can begin to expand at an alarming rate

Peanut Butter on toast gets kind of old after awhile, so I called out the reserves. Our Lenten "snack/dessert".

Smoothies

2 cups frozen fruit (mixed berries)
3 cups milk
1 cup yogurt
1 3oz package jello (berry blue)

Dump it all in and give it a whirl.

If I have it, I will toss in a few tablespoons of wheat germ*, just to make me feel better about having an entire! packet! of jello! entering my system in one fell swoop.

I mean, that's enough jello mix to fill a 9x13 pan, y'all.

That's if I don't share. This does make enough to fill 5 tall glasses with a bit leftover. And trust me, you don't want any leftovers. What with the amount of jello mix and all? Your leftovers tend to....
solidify.

So, drink up!

:P

(I also use rBGH-free milk and organic yogurt... no, I am not pulling your leg. Dairy is one area where we have changed our ways)

Oh The Irony...

... of starting a cooking blog whilst unknowingly in my first trimester?

God surely has a very keen sense of humor.

:P

Still, I am joyful and extremely hope-filled...(1) that I will carry this little peanut to term, and... (2) that I'll still be able to stand the sight of food just enough to maintain this blog.

Thanks in advance for your prayers!

:)

Confession

I am not the most original cook in the world.

I copy-cat meals from many places.

The first place was, of course, from my own upbringing. As a newlywed I would constantly be calling my mother asking for her recipes. Chicken soup, pie crust, beef stew, spaghetti sauce, meat loaf... all of it became a huge part of my repertoire. In fact, I am sure it was my repertoire for at least the first 3 years of my marriage.

There are many other sources I use for our weekly menu planning. Some of them are more reputable than others.
:S

The one I use frequently and am ashamed to admit I do so... is the Kraft Food & Family Magazine. Talk about non-crunchy! Eeek. Every single recipe is loaded with kraft food products. Not really what any gourmet food connoisseur would want to admit.

Luckily, I am none of these things.
:P

Here is a sure-hit winner winner chicken dinner* recipe.

Almond Chicken

Chicken thighs
Italian dressing
Chicken bullion
Rice
Green beans
Slivered almonds
(No exact amounts, sorry. Just eye it for your own family size. The ratio of bullion to dressing is about equal... and however many thighs you use, you want the liquid to cover them at the simmering stage.)
~Brown the chicken thighs in the Italian dressing. Add chicken bullion (with water) and simmer. Cook the rice and green beans separately.
~The great thing about this meal is that you have the option of serving every part of it separately (again with the rice! touching! the! green! beans! problem) or you can create a lovely platter by layering the rice, then chicken (with the sauce) then green beans, and finish it off by sprinkling the slivered almonds on top.

Every one of my kids loves this dish. I never have leftovers.

Enjoy!

:)



*This awesome quote brought to you by our family's favorite Food Network dude... Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

Where to Begin?

How about with dinner tonight?

(This picture was taken this past summer at my parents mountain home... I was cooking for an army. No need to get this carried away in your own kitchen!)

Our "new" favorite Friday meal is Fish Tacos.

What?!? you ask. That's disgusting. Fish are not meant to be paired with flour tortillas.

Yeah, I thought so too, once. Until I tried them.

All of the credit for these goes to Farmer in Wisconsin.

The beauty of this meal, besides its extreme yummy factor, is how quick and easy it is to make.

You need:

Tilapia fish. Preferably crusted with lime cilantro or other in-store crustings.
If you cannot find them already crusted, simply thaw them ahead of time and drench in lime juice before dipping them in bread crumbs.

Salsa. Can be homemade or store bought. Entirely up to you. I make my own.

Coleslaw. I buy the "kit" from the store. Easy peasy.

French fries. Freezer section. :)

Flour tortillas. Keeping our cholesterol in mind, I go for the low carb variety. Any kind will do.

~Assemble your coleslaw mix and put in the fridge.
~Throw the french fries in the oven. Sometimes we will deep fry them but let me tell you, it totally disqualifies this meal as suitable for Lent if you do. :P
~Take the tilapia and pan fry it... making sure not to overcook. Depending on thickness, I'd say to give it 3-5 minutes each side.
~Warm your tortillas. I usually wrap them in paper towels and put them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Keep wrapped until ready to use.

These tacos are best made at table. Simply take a warm tortilla, place some fish in the middle, cover it with coleslaw, then salsa... wrap it up, and eat! Serve the french fries on the side. The hot fish and the cold coleslaw bring out the many different flavors present in both. These are surprisingly filling, and can easily be served separately for those kids who do not want their fish touching their coleslaw!!!

Not that I would know anything about that.

;P

Nutmeg's Cooking Philosophy

(Mary Englebreit's Recipe for Happiness print)


Welcome to the Nut-House Kitchen!

Here you will find the "keepers" of the Nutty Family Dinner Repertoire.

These meals, snacks and treats have been given two (or ten) thumbs up by our resident peanuts, and are Mama and Papa approved.

However, I must warn you...

I must tell you what you will not find here.

You will not find gourmet food.

Nope, not a whit. Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against moms who whip up amazing gourmet dishes for their charges... I just think they may be certifiable.
:)

I would love to be able to concoct magical dishes with exotic foods and have it be palatable to my children. It is just not possible for me on so many levels... time and money being some of the inhibitors. The palates of some of my children being the biggest one.

Someday, maybe...

Right now, though, I need economy, quality, and quantity. Much of what I will post here is guest-servable. Especially to those with children. And it is economical. For the most part. I will foray into the worlds of $11/4oz cheeses and Italian goodies like pancetta every now and then. But overall I'd say I'm a meat-n-potatoes kind of NY-Irish gal.

You will not find organic recipes.

I am sorry, but our budget won't allow it. I know you can substitute much of what I will post here with organic ingredients... like the meat and vegetables and such. I think that's awesome. Please do it if that is how you cook. But please don't tell me we are all going to die slow agonizing deaths if we don't. We have made a few changes to our diet (like our milk choices and such) but we simply cannot afford to make the full switch.

So, what will you find?

Comfort food. The kind you can multiply and freeze and that will simultaneously please the palates of children and adults alike.

Economically frugal meals. Lots of chicken and ground beef recipes. Lots of potatoes and pastas and such.

Extreme yumminess. Yes, that is a word. Just ask my kids.
:)

Lots of sweets! I know, it's Lent. So I'll spare y'all the agony and wait until after Easter... or at least until Holy Week, as we prepare for the great feasting of Easter. But I have to warn you, the husband of one of my friends always insists that I bring dessert when coming over... and he's got a wicked sweet tooth. If that isn't an endorsement...
:P

In the South they say that the heart of the home is the kitchen. It's where the ladies gather to chat while cooking and cleaning. We talk out heartbreaks and rejoice the triumphs... all while our hands fly in preparing sustenance for our families.

Thanks for joining me here!

:)