Fermenting

My parents got me a fermenting kit for Christmas.  It had been on my wish list for a very long time.  I have some old crocks that were my great grandmother's, but they have dangers of lead paint, so they no longer recommend these for fermenting.  This method is safer, plus it prevents mold from becoming an issue.  I took this picture right after I filled it up:

My first attempt was sauerkraut.  Sauerkraut is excellent for digestion, and is loaded with good bacteria for the gut.  I took at least a week for it to get the flavor I wanted.  Once it did, I capped off the top and moved it to the fridge. 

The boys love this.  Who would've thought?  Readers, do you have any good fermentation recipes for me?

Zoodles

A few months ago my mom gave me a vegetable spiralizer.  I kind of forgot I had it and then one day I was trying to figure out what to do with all the squash I had, and decided I would try making zoodles (zucchini noodles).  It turns out the spiralizer is super easy and quick to use.  I made the zoodles and then went to work cooking a red sauce.

The zoodles cooked rapidly - it only took about 3 minutes to sauté them.  Much faster than pasta! 

Everyone in the family really liked the zoodles except for Reid.  He complained a bit, but maybe if I make them more often, they will grow on him.  What an easy way to use up excess squash!

Cast Iron

With my Christmas money last year I bought a couple of cast iron skillets.  I hung them on the wall by the wood stove.  Not everyone has cast iron hanging in their living room, but I do.

This summer, I made the mistake of taking Pierce to a yard sale with me, and I seem to have created a monster.  Now he wants to go to ALL THE YARD SALES.  So every Saturday we seem to be going to yard sales.

At one yard sale, a guy had three brand new cast iron skillets in a box, unopened.  He sold them to me for $5.  They aren't as high quality as my others, but it will be nice to have some smaller options in size if I need it. 

Do I cook with my cast iron?  Absolutely.  I've done cornbreads and frittatas and fried eggs.  Once I made German pancakes.  Just last night I did an egg, potato, and kale torte.  It was delicious.

Nope.  I don't really mind if Pierce drags me to yard sales every Saturday.  There are usually good finds to be had.

Making Flour

Last winter my in laws gave Paul and I a spare Vitamix they had, which we have really enjoyed.  They sent us an attachment to grind flour from wheat berries, but I hadn't had a chance to use it because I had a hard time finding the hard white wheat berries in small portions to give it a test run.  I finally tracked some down at a health food store and tried it out.

It only took one minute to grind a couple of cups of flour.  Once I figured it out, it was so easy.  Smelled really nice too.  I made some bread with this.  I used my typical bread machine recipe but it turned out rather dense, so I'll have to play with that some.  Everything seems to have its own learning curve, but it's fun to travel those curves.

Readers, have you ever tried to make flour?

The Roanoke Weiner Stand

We didn't eat out a ton in my family growing up, so when we did it was always a special treat.  I have fond memories of when my Dad would surprise us by coming home from work with a big white paper bag filled to the brim with hot dogs from the Roanoke Weiner stand.  I think it's where I first learned to love hot dogs topped with mustard, chili, and onions, because even today this is my preferred method of topping a hot dog.

The Roanoke Weiner Stand in downtown Roanoke has been around since the mid 1920s.  I remember years ago when Paul and I first moved to Roanoke from Houston, we took a break from unpacking boxes to head downtown for the beloved hot dogs that I remembered so well from my youth.  When they recently started renovating Center in the Square, the Weiner Stand closed briefly.  It was missed by many locals.

 Now, it has reopened, and in a new spot, just a couple of storefronts down from the original.  The new location is brighter and shinier, and the only thing missing are the old black and white photos on the walls (I read in the paper that these will eventually be rehung).

 One thing I love about the new location are the tables and booths.  Often in their old spot, there was nowhere to eat.  Now, the Roanoke Weiner Stand is much more family friendly.  In fact, Paul and I took the twins there for lunch.

 While they didn't go for the chili and onions on their hot dogs, they certainly did enjoy theirs with mustard and ketchup.

As for me, I was thrilled to order my usual "all-the-way" hot dog.  I love their zesty chili.  And the fries are just the right crispness.  While they are lacking in salt to my Southern tastebuds, they handily provide salt shakers on the tables so that you can salt to taste. 

In fact, my only disappointment in the new location was that there weren't many folks there, even though we were there during the lunch hour.  Perhaps not many people have realized they have reopened.  Hopefully they will see more business soon.

How about you, readers?  What restaurant do you remember fondly from your youth?  Is it still around?

Special Dining in the Rainforest with Bertolli Roasted Chicken and Rotini Pasta Soup

Bertolli has a variety of new restaurant quality soups out. They are prepared on the stovetop in about 5 minutes.  Each one is individually flash frozen at the peak of freshness for maximum flavor.  I was excited to try the soups with my family and prepare a special meal for them - with less than one hour of prep time.  I decided to go with a rainforest theme - my boys just love animals.

First, I used my bread machine to make a dough.  I used a dough recipe for challah and added 10 drops of green food coloring.  This took about 5 minutes of prep time.  Then the bread machine took care of the rest.  Once the dough was ready, I took it out and stretched it and shaped it around some custard cups.  Then I transferred it to a greased baking sheet and let it rise an hour.  Total active prep time on this about another 5 minutes.  (If necessary, you could make the dough the day before, and place it in the fridge until ready to bring out for shaping and rising). 

I added raisins for eyes and pepperoni cut to a forked tongue shape before baking the bread at 375* for 25 minutes.  I left the custard cups nestled around the bread to help it hold shape.  I then tossed together a prepared Caesar salad and started pulling together the table.  I used blue cellophane and floral moss to create the Amazon river down the middle of our table.  I used family silver and blue laced napkins to add a little beauty.  Small, red votive candles were also a nice touch.  Then I started the soup.  Cort was impatient and got in his chair before dinner was ready.

The boys had monkey plates, bowls, and cups on bamboo placemats.  Small stuffed animals from the rainforest came to dinner too.

Paul and I had butterfly themed plates and bowls, with blue goblets for our drinks.  I had a frog eating beside me for the evening.  Can you see the slight green tinge to the snake bread?

Cort really approved of the soup!  Actually, we all did.  I'm not a huge fan of canned soups or microwave dinners, so I was a little skeptical at first.  But the soup tastes homemade.  The veggies are tender crisp with lots of flavor.  And the chicken isn't all rubbery without flavor like so many frozen meals - no, the chicken was tender and tasted as though it had just been baked fresh in the oven.  Overall, it was a delicious meal, and I think took me about 45 minutes total in prep time to pull together a fun themed meal for my family.  They loved the special settings and I think having more formal circumstances helped them to eat more enthusiastically.  Cort took his first bite and exclaimed, "YUMMY!"

For more fun and easy meal ideas, you can check out Bertolli on Facebook, twitter, and of course, the Bertolli website.  The website is very user-friendly, and I found it helpful in locating a nearby grocery store that carried their soups. 

How do you make meal time special at your house?

Disclaimer: I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge.  All of the opinions stated above are entirely my own (and my family's). 

DAAAAD!! Mom's Feeding Us Seaweed Again!

You all know I like fruits and vegetables.  Probably more than the average person.  I've always been that way.  Anyhow, I'm laying the foundation here for my new favorite snack.  Because you are really going to think I've lost my marbles over this one.  I can't seem to stop!  I absolutely love Trader Joe's Roasted Seaweed Snack.  You can eat the entire bag (which is 2 servings) in just 60 calories.  I apologize for the smears on my pictures.  Apparently little fingers got ahold of the camera.

 

Cort said, "NO WAY.  Get that green stuff outta here".  Reid, who eats anything, said, "Mmm, tasty"

Huh.  Turned out he liked it.

Uh oh.  He really likes it. And we don't have a Trader Joes anywhere close - it's a 3 hour drive!

I really didn't want to share all of my roasted seaweed.

The only drawback is that it does tend to get stuck in your teeth in funny ways...

Do you have a snack that you love that's a little bit off the beaten path of normal?

Please stop by to enter my giveaway for fun beauty supplies here! 

Farm Update - Eats from the Garden!

Time has gotten away from me - I've been meaning to do a garden update for a while now.  Each week I take new pics and each week time slips away from me.  So here is a post with the results of a few weeks of good home garden cooking!

WV Treasure's yellow squash casserole with German green beans - both from the garden.

The most gorgeous pie I'd ever seen.  Took me forever to make it but I couldn't believe when I took this green bean and mushroom pie from the oven.  It's so pretty.  Unfortunately, the boys didn't like it.  But I love green beans and got to eat it mostly myself.

Sweet yellow squash pickles.  The type you marinate in the fridge for four days then dig into.  So good!

In the garden we've got teeny baby watermelon.  I hope these little guys keep growing!

Tomatillos on the vine.  Inside the husks they are still small, so they also have lots of growing to do.

Hello turnip!

This fellow was ready to eat.  I made scalloped turnips - just adapted a recipe for scalloped potatoes.  

And I've been putting many zucchini in the dehydrator.  They make wonderful chips if you lightly salt them before dehydrating.

Marinated veggie kabobs for the grill.

Zucchini dill relish (thanks to the Texan for the recipe!) which is incredible on hot dogs, sandwiches, and burgers.  Even the boys adore it.

Love how drastically my grocery bill was cut this month, thanks to all this garden goodness!

And since I'm talking about the farm, I'll just quickly update you on the chicks too.  

We have 5 chicks now (one got eaten by a black snake when it was small).  The chicks are in the awkward teen stage.  Two of them have these rebellious mohawks going on.  What next?  I'll go out to find them in leather jackets with wallets on chains, won't I?

I hope your animals are behaving themselves today!

I've Been Doing Shots and it's Not Whiskey

Did you know that I used to be vegan?  For three years.  I started eating nonvegan foods at the end of 2004, but I still appreciate many vegan dishes and treats.

When I saw Wheatgrass on clearance with the salads at Kroger this week, I couldn't resist picking some up.  It's been ages since I've done a wheatgrass shot.

Wheatgrass is proclaimed as a superfood; many believe it is instrumental in fighting disease, particularly cancer.

All I know is that after you take a shot of it, you feel a delicious energy.

So I dusted off our juicer.  Which hasn't been put to use in a very long time.  In fact, I wasn't sure I remembered how to use it. 

The wheat grass got a hair cut.

Ideally, wheatgrass wouldn't have so much yellow in it.  I supposed that's why it was marked down.  Must've been raised in a greenhouse - it is January after all. 

I didn't have enough for a full shot, so I added in 1 carrot and 1 kiwi and juiced those too.

The result: 

It's certainly an acquired taste. 

Kind of reminds me of horse breath.

And mowed summer lawns.

Let the energy begin! 

Happy Thanksgiving, and Ideas for Leftover Cranberry Sauce

Happy Thanksgiving!

This morning my family will be running in a local 5K to start off the day.  It'll be my first race pushing the twins in the jogging stroller, so it won't be a very fast one for me!  I'll post a race report later.

So being that it's Thanksgiving, I want to talk about cranberries.

I used to hate them.

Wouldn't touch them.

I think it's one of those tastes you grow into with age.  Because all the sudden one day I had a deep appreciation for cranberries.

But. (Isn't there always a but?)

They must be homemade.

I don't like canned, and I don't really like the jellied type.

So I follow the recipe on the bag - 3 cups cranberries to 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar.

You boil them for 10 minutes.

I love hearing them pop open as they cook.

I use a potato masher to squish them a bit at the end.

Let it cool, and it solidifies some.

Cranberries are such a powerhouse berry!

I make a triple batch - one to take to Thanksgiving and two to freeze (it freezes quite well).  Because cranberries are good in all sorts of situations.

Try the sauce:

stirred into oatmeal

over pancakes instead of syrup (our favorite treat)

on ice cream

on a sandwich with peanut butter

stirred into apple pie before baking

So don't throw away the leftovers!  Embrace the cranberry :-)

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Activities

We've broken out all things Thanksgiving at our house. 

One of the books we really like is Off to Plymouth Rock.

Our copy is a board book, so it's even twin-proof.  At least so far.

I particularly like the pictures, which are very colorful and cute. 

We wanted to tie in the book with some activities this week.

Last year after Christmas I bought one of those cookie painting kits on clearance.

I kind of forgot about it in the pantry.

But turns out it hadn't expired yet, so we decided to make some Thanksgiving cookies to go with the Plymouth Rock book. 

We have 3 appropriate cookie cutters - a leaf, a turkey, and pilgrims.

Pierce really enjoyed painting them - the kit included 2 color templates that are used similar to watercolors. 

After cookies, we decided to make a little turkey craft.

Take a coffee filter and have your child draw on it with markers.

The more colors, the better it will turn out.

The fun part is that after coloring, have your child use a spray bottle to mist it with water.

This blends all the colors together.

Hang it up to dry. 

Once it's dry, use a clothes pin to make your turkey: 

Now, who wants some pilgrim cookies?

This post is linked up with Read, Explore, Learn - go visit here:

Dear Trader Joes, A Love Letter

Dear Trader Joes,

I've become increasingly restless with our long distance relationship.  Three hours each way is too far for me to have to travel each time I want to see you.  I'm not saying you're not worth the drive, and the gas, but my life just won't feel complete until you move closer.

I know that you have many other admirers.  I know that other cities need you too.  But here in Roanoke, we need you more.  If you came to Roanoke, enthusiasts from all over southwestern Virginia would drive in to shop with you.  There's already a facebook fan page called "Bring Trader Joes to Roanoke".  You would be so well received. 

Some days, I can barely make it through the day, because I am overcome with cravings.  Oh mango mochi balls, peanut butter filled chocolate pretzels, garlic fries, European mocha yogurt, sparkling wine and balsalmic roasted veggies.  Where are you in my time of need?  A 3 hour drive each way, that's where!  And now, here we are close to the holidays, and my shelves are empty of peppermint joe joes.  What's a girl to do?  How will I survive?

Oh, Joe (you don't mind if I call you Joe, do you?), please move to Roanoke.  I realize that other cities may be more glamorous than us.  But we're really friendly down here.  We have that whole southern hospitality thing going on.  And you'll never grow tired of the beauty of our blue mountains.  Joe, if you come to Roanoke, I pledge to review one product a week on my blog for an entire year!  That's how much I love you.  Won't you consider it?  Pretty please?

Forever Yours,
And Shriveling Away Without Your Hummus,
Lisa

You Can Take Your Green Beans and...

Every night I cook dinner.  It's generally well balanced and varied.  Most of the time, it's even healthy.  Paul mostly eats whatever I cook without complaint, and without comment.

Pierce usually picks at his food and eats one or two things.

Cort generally eats the fruit, if there is any, and screams and throws everything else to the floor.

My dear, dear Reid eats everything on his plate, every time.  And he doesn't object to seconds.

There is one thing, though, that Paul does.not.like.

Every time I make it, he comments about it.

And I say, "I know you don't like it, but you don't have to eat it".

And he says, "Well, it's just not my favorite"

The thing is, I just love it.  So two or three times a year, I make it despite how Paul feels.  Just so I can eat it.  Comfort food.

What is this dreadful, despised dish?

It's your standard green bean casserole.

That's right folks, in this case, green bean casserole does NOT mean love:

I can understand why he doesn't like it.  In fact, I don't know many people who are as enamoured by green bean casserole as me.  Actually, when I think about the ingredients, it does sound kind of gross.  But I adore green beans, and the casserole just pulls green beans into a sort of comforting goodness.  Perfect for crisp fall days. 

Lucky for Paul, I only torment him with the dish a couple of times a year.  And, in every case, there are other options on the table for him to eat.

Do you make any meals that you know your spouse hates, or am I the only one?

Don't Eat the Chia Pet

When I think of Chia seeds, I typically think of those Chia pets you can buy.  You know the ones.  The little sheep.  The goofy faces.  Those.

The Chia seeds I'm talking about today are the same Chia seeds, but better.  They're for eating! 

Every single morning, for the past year or so, I've been eating oatmeal for breakfast.

I doctor it up.  In fact, I doctor it up so much that my oatmeal comes in at around 500 calories a bowl.

Two servings of oatmeal made with water (I don't like milk), a spoonful of peanut butter, about 10 dark chocolate Ghiarardelli chips, a tablespoon of flax, and a tablespoon of Chia seeds.

My favorite Chia seeds are Ruth's.  Pictured you see the apple flavored:

Now, truth be told, I like the chocolate flavored best (imagine that) but last time I went to our local natural foods store, they were out.  So I've been making due with the apple almond cinnamon, which are also good.  A bag runs around $7 but if you use it as an oatmeal topper, it lasts a long time.

Also, if you've read Born to Run, you know that Chia seeds are a super health food, and an excellent source of fuel for workouts.

Give them a try!

A Restaurant - Memory Lane Friday

Memory Lane Friday is a weekly blog carnival where you can blog about your memories and link up.  More importantly, it's a time for me to preserve my memories for my family.  This week's theme is a restaurant.

I sure had a tough time with this one.  I really love food!  And I've eaten so many wonderful places.  Brennan's in New Orleans, The Crazy Crab in Hilton Head, Buzzard Billy's in Waco, Chuy's in Houston, and so many more that I know I'm forgetting.  Not to mention the national chains I adore - Macaroni Grill, P.F. Chang's, Silver Diner, Carabba's.  Mmmmmm.  And then there are restaurants that stick in my memory, yet the names of them are long lost.  Like the little barbecue stand Paul and I ate at on the side of the road coming back from the dinosaur footprint river in Texas - sawdust covering the pavement and the best bbq ever.  Oh dear, I'm just overwhelmed with all the choices!

So I decided on Blue Heaven.  Not because it's the best food I ever had (although it is tremendously good).  I picked it because I love the atmosphere of the place.  And the history of it. 

You go through the gates into a back courtyard, full of tropical trees and rustic benches.  Blue Heaven is in Key West, and used to be a spot where Hemingway watched boxing matches.  Today, they often have live music, and chickens and cats lounge about the place on dirt floors.  The menu includes vegetarian, Caribbean, and American cuisine.  Oh, and Mimosas.  Mustn't forget those.

I've been there twice with my family.  It is such a treat to sit down in the middle of January and enjoy warm weather, tropical breezes, and some really wonderful food.  Of course, key lime pie for dessert is a must.  Hopefully one day I'll get to take the boys there, so they can experience Blue Heaven for themselves.

Want to participate in Memory Lane Friday?

Here's the link.

And come back next week!  The topic is "New Shoes". 

The Four Letter D Word

I'm fortunate in that I like to run, because in general my body keeps me at a healthy weight.  I don't have to think about it a lot.  While I was breastfeeding the twins, my body was hanging out at a higher weight than usual - about 9 pounds higher.  Some people say they get really skinny while breastfeeding, but not me!  I don't think it's good for your baby(ies) to diet while breastfeeding.  So I just let my weight do it's thing, even though I wasn't happy with the pooch that was my belly (it seemed that all 9 pounds was centralized in the belly, and my clothes really weren't fitting correctly as a result).  Certainly, I was still in a healthy weight range for my height, but it was not a weight I was happy about.  Now that the twins are weaned, and it's time to get to business.

I put myself on a diet.  That's right, the four letter D word.  I don't normally have to diet.  I eat healthy, for the most part.  And I don't have that much to lose.  So I gave myself the generous 1800-2200 calorie range and decided to just focus on healthy foods, and counting calories.  I realize that this seems like a lot of calories for a 'diet', but since I'm running 35+ miles a week right now, and I'm 5'8, this is a fitting target range for me.  And coming from someone who is used to munch, munch, munching throughout the day, it takes a great deal of willpower for me to stick to the plan.  In fact, I have to write down what I eat, otherwise I would definitely "accidentally" cheat.

I'm thrilled to report that it's been working splendidly.  I'm down 5 pounds, and only have 4 more to go!  And already my running feels so much lighter, and my joints recover from my long runs much faster.  My hope is that I can get down to my prepregnancy weight (which also happens to be my happy marathon weight - the weight at which I feel strong for marathons, yet light enough that I don't carry a lot extra into the race) by Halloween.  Why by Halloween?  Because if my weight is stable in the happy zone by then, I can indulge in some of those Reeses miniature cups that I love so dearly.  Without guilt.

Bring it on.