Help In the Kitchen

It was time to start dinner. I was tired. The Offspring were tired. We were rusty and not quite ready for The Old Grind of going back to school.

The Girl was in the bath. Playing. Chattering. Singing.

The Mr. had yet to arrive home for the evening.

I asked The Boy if he wanted to help make dinner. He's quite natural in the kitchen, but on busy weeknights I often shoo him away. At times he's underfoot and I just want to get things on the table.

This night was different.

We started talking. First about food.

How did you learn to cook, Mom?

Why do you do it that way?

As I chopped the onions, my eyes began to water.

I told him about being a little girl and sitting on my Nene's counter while she chopped onions. They were strong and burned my eyes. They made me cry.

He informed me that he didn't like onions.

Yes you do...you just don't know it yet.

We added them to the skillet and I let him brown the meat.

He asked me if we ever stop learning stuff.

No. Not if you're smart.

He wants to take an art class. He wants to get better.

I think that's fantastic. You have a real talent.

Too often me and The Boy butt heads. We are so very similar.

Strong-willed. Outspoken.

But this night we worked together.

We listened.

We shared.

We learned from each other.

We both agreed that it was the best meal we'd had in ages.

Baby It's Cold Outside...

If you have seen the national weather reports, you know that the country is in the throws of a deep freeze. Houston is no exception.

In a quest to bring warmth to our insides, I have been in the kitchen cooking warm, creature-comfort foods. Earlier in the week I fixed a tasty soup that I have been enjoying for lunch every day since.

Next up was a cheater beef stroganoff. What makes it a cheater stroganoff?

Instead of the usual sliced tenderloin or sirloin I use ground bison. Our family is a big fan of the bison. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it.

It's very low in calories and fat. It's even leaner than chicken. And it doesn't taste "gamey".

This cooks up quicker and there's no slicing. Gotta love that.

The other cheat? Pre-sliced mushrooms and bottled minced garlic (the roasted variety has a much better flavor). It costs a bit more but it's worth it.

Throw these in the skillet with a chopped onion and your foundation is complete. Cook until the onions are soft.

The sauce is just as simple. A carton of lite sour cream, a couple tablespoons of whole wheat flour, and a few teaspoons of beef bouillon granules. Stir to combine and add to the beef. Simmer until heated through and the flavors blend.

I served the stroganoff with some whole wheat egg noodles and roasted green beans.

Really. Really. Good.

The next night I made a split pea and bacon soup that I saw at Mixing Bowl Kids. The links are here in the menu.

I baked the bacon in the oven. 425* for 20 minutes. No mess.

Whoever came up with this form of bacon preparation...brilliant. Truly brilliant.

This was insane. I mean...it had bacon. That alone scores points.

My house had the aroma of a French bistro. Earthy. Smoky. Rich.

I served the soup with a side of very crusty beer bread sprinkled with some Parmesan.

Dip this into that soup and you have a true taste of heaven.

These meals were so good and plentiful that we had enough for leftovers tonight.

Double bonus.

Microscopic Crochet

It's maddeningly addictive, I tell you.

You take an itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny hook.

This picture does not do justice to its minute size. It's freakin' small.

Add some thread-like yarn.

Put them together, along with a dash of patience and a big dose of good lighting, and you get a set of these pretties.

I found the patterns here and in this magazine. Jewelry made from crochet thread is all over Ravelry, with many free patterns to choose from.

I made a cuff as well. WREN handmade was kind enough to post her pattern here.

Thank you, Wren. You are a peach! I've had serious crochet-daydreams about those cuffs.

Throw in a pair of the earrings and you have a sweet little set.

I am so loving this right now.

That would explain the obscene amount of crochet thread that will soon be delivered to my doorstep.

This Soup = Amazing

Last night I made Lia's soup.

Oh. Me. Oh. My.

It's amazing. I had to keep reminding myself that cauliflower is the main ingredient.

Since you can't really enjoy a bowl of soup without bread, I mixed up a loaf of beer bread.

Once the bread was in the oven I started on the soup. See? There's that cauliflower. A whole pot full.

The Mr.'s belly would not be sated with a simple bowl of cauliflower soup. I added a side of sausage to make the meal more substantial. This paired nicely with some spicy venison sausage we had in the freezer.

About the time the bread was done...

...it was time to put the hand blender to work. Mmmmmmm.

I sprinkled a bit of parm on top. Just because.

So be brave. Get over your cauliflower phobia and make this soup.

What's For Dinner?

It's back to the grind this week. Boo.

It is also going to be rather chilly, at least by Houston standards. That can mean only one thing: soup! There are a few soup nights on the menu along with some other cozy-comfort food. Enjoy.

Sunday: Lia's soup, sausage, beer bread

Monday: cheater beef stroganoff, whole wheat egg noodles, roasted green beans

Tuesday: split pea & bacon soup, beer bread with cheese

Wednesday: fish tacos, black beans, guacamole, fresh tomatoes

Thursday: white chili, cornbread

Friday: hamburgers, oven fries

Saturday: chicken, spinach, & black bean quesadilla pie, black beans, guacamole, fresh tomatoes

I have a sweet treat in the works. I'm keeping it under wraps for now. Stay tuned for the post.

The cheater beef stroganoff is a possible post as well. It's first-rate comfort food...but it doesn't photograph well, so be warned.

I have been obsessed with food blogs the past few days. I even added a couple to the "talented sorts" section in the sidebar. Like craft, there are so many out there that it makes me a bit dizzy. Do you have a favorite food porn site?

Also, I am looking for a good cornbread recipe. Whole Foods has stopped carrying their amazing mix that is more like corn cake instead of cornbread. They drive me mad.

I have tried five or six mixes and they have all been flops. I prefer a sweeter cornbread, hopefully on the healthier end of the spectrum. If you care to share I would be most appreciative.

Until next week...

Nothing Says "2010" Like Coasters

Yes. Another freakin' post about coasters.

This was my little go-to gift this year. They take minimal supplies and I can whip up a set of six in just a couple of hours.

I gave a set to The Boy and The Girl's teachers along with a gift card.

I let them pick the yarn. I now question that decision.

The Boy chose camo yarn. Since it was a brown camo it didn't look too Rambo-esque.

The Girl chose a very bright variegated rainbow colored yarn. I tried to tone it down with a yellow border.

God bless her teacher.

This is the set I made for my room mom. She did an excellent job planning the holiday party and gave me immense support when I was out with the swine flu.

She really deserves an afghan, but I don't have the best track record when it comes to finishing afghans.

I used environmentally friendly yarn for this set. It had a nice feel and the weight was substantial without being too heavy. They should wear well.

This last set has yet to find a home. The color scheme should look familiar. If I can't find a taker I just might keep them for myself.

You might notice that I stumbled upon a couple new coaster patterns.

The Rambo coasters can be found here.

I found the pattern for The Girl's rainbow coasters and my room mom's coasters here. This is a really simple pattern. Perfect for a beginner.

I used my all-time favorite coaster pattern for the other two sets. I have it memorized. It is timeless. I wish I could give credit to someone, but I found it in an old "How to Crochet" book circa 1984 that my grandmother passed on to me years ago. I can't claim it as my own, but I will gladly share it.

Timeless Coasters:

materials-
100% cotton worsted weight yarn, crochet hook size H (5.00)

Ch 3, join with a slip st to form a ring.

Rnd 1 (right side): Ch 1, 7 sc in ring; join with a slip st to first sc

Rnd 2: Ch 2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in same st, 2 hdc in each sc around; join with slip st to first hdc: 14 hdc.

Rnd 3: Ch 3 (counts as first dc, now and throughout), skip next hdc, (3 dc in next hdc, skip next hdc) around, 2 dc in same st as first dc; join with slip st to first dc: 21 dc.

Rnd 4: Slip st in sp before next dc, ch 3, dc in same sp, skip next dc, 3 hdc in next dc, skip next dc, *2 dc in sp before next dc, skip next dc, 3 hdc in next dc, skip next dc; repeat from * around; join with a slip st to first dc: 35 sts.

Rnd 5: Ch 1, sc in same st and in next 2 sts, 3 sc in next hdc, (sc in next 4 sts, 3 sc in next hdc) around to last hdc, sc in last hdc; join with slip st to first sc: 49 sc.

Rnd 6: Ch 3, dc in next 2 sc, hdc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc, hdc in next sc, *dc in next 4 sc, hdc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc, hdc in next sc; repeat from * around to last sc, dc in last sc; join with a slip st to first dc, finish off.

Weave in yarn ends.

A New Decade Begins

This year's celebration not only rang in a new year, but a new decade.

In the past ten years I have...

met a boy and eloped

given birth...twice

put trust in my body to nourish two babies

learned that being a mom is all encompassing

bought a house, sold a house, bought another house

taught many children to read

favored contacts, favored glasses, favored both

perfected the making of peach cobbler and guacamole

learned to appreciate a really comfortable pair of shoes, and to ignore the price tag that accompanies them

tried sushi for the first time

gained friends that are like family

reconnected

picked-up an old hobby

discovered new passions

had really short hair and not-quite-so-short hair

found greys

found a great colorist

evacuated for two hurricanes and dealt with the aftermath of one

favored straight jeans, baggy jeans, skinny jeans, and boyfriend jeans

narrowed down "my style"

cheered the Spurs to three championship titles

savored a Longhorn's BCS Rose Bowl win

become obsessed with spicy Thai

drank 3,650 Dr. Peppers...at least

finished off God knows how many bottles of ketchup

watched Springsteen, Wilco, Spoon, Slobberbone, Yo La Tengo, Elliott Smith, & Neko Case perform their magic, just to name a few

gave a final salute to Guided By Voices

weathered storms, sailed smooth seas

been disenchanted, heartbroken, renewed

gained a stronger sense of self


I'm looking forward to the journey the next ten will bring....

Happy 2010!