odds and ends and ice cream

i am all over the place today.  so bear with me...

first of all, i want to publicly brag on myself for getting both kids out the door, dressed for picture day, and to school in time to take sibling photos before class began yesterday.  in the rain.  it might not seem like much of an accomplishment, but i was so proud of myself.  so.  proud.

i mean, really, who else can i brag about that to?  my husband was up and out of the house by 5:30.  in the pouring rain.  so for me to tell him about my great feat of getting out the door at 8:30... well, you get it.  so thank you, blog.

and yesterday stayed rainy all day long... savannah was quite the peach and decided that she wanted to watch her favorite princess, ariel.  it was so sweet... she had the figurine in her little purse.  and she had the little board book... when i sat her on the couch and she was still in the same place 20 minutes later, i decided i needed to take a picture.

i could eat her with a spoon.  sweet girl.

and then after dinner, as a family we watched toy story 3.  i cried {this happens every time} my eyes out at the end.  so much that ethan decided that i needed snuggles.  oh, toy story.  you get me every single time.  your ending turns me to mush...

after the babes were in bed we finished season four of dexter.  and i had strange dreams all night long.  do you watch dexter??  do you have strange dreams???  ahhhh!  so good, yet so disturbing! 

and then i skipped bible study this morning.  savannah woke up clingy.  ethan doesn't like going to the childcare there.  and i had yet to accomplish my "homework" that isn't mandatory... but sort of is...

and i still needed to get dinner in the crockpot.  {beef vegetable soup}

soooo... we skipped.  and the kids played in their pj's all morning.  and at one point i was certain that every toy had been taken out of its proper basket.  oh well.  once i finish up here, i have matchbox cars to corral.

but today is beautiful.  a little cool... sunny.... windows open.  but very muddy outside.  thought about taking the misfits out, but decided that i didn't want to fight the mud.  call me a wimp.  but seriously, the playground i like to go to becomes a super swamp when it rains... oh, the laundry!

instead ethan has enjoyed his legos.  these tiny pieces are the bane of my existence.  but he loves them... and they are good for his tiny fingers to master...  but can we say choking hazard??  ever since my friend's son swallowed a sequin and to have it surgically removed... i am a bit paranoid to say the least.  you would be, too.  i remember all that... i think i was pregnant with ethan and i thought, "how on earth does that happen?"  well folks, after savannah was born, i realized pretty quickly that when your older children have toys with little pieces... it could happen in an instant.  not to mention that my attention is split... sooo... those pesky legos...

but he does love them.

and one other reason holding me indoors?  this is the fourth consecutive day of no contact lenses.  now, you can really call me a wimp.  i just hate wearing my glasses.  i feel like i am about to go to sleep.  seriously.  and i don't have prescription sunglasses.  so i get all squinty.  in fact, in general, my face has been all pinched up lately... the glasses aren't helping things.   i had an eye infection... and seriously, i think this will be the longest time i have gone without my contacts since the 7th grade.  i must admit, my eyes look really white.  such a stark contrast to the normal bloodshot appearance...  when i go out and about, i pray that i don't run into anyone of real importance!  i feel so "undone."  i always wonder why i don't pull off glasses like other people do...i keep telling myself it is all in my head... but i dunno.

anywho...  ethan and i made ice cream this afternoon.  and i made up my own recipe.  because i only had milk and 1/2 c. half & half.  most of the recipes call for heavy whipping cream.  perhaps i can call this "light" ice cream??  :)

i received two tea kettles for christmas... you know, both my mother and mother-in-law wanted to increase the likelihood that i would successfully make iced tea without scalding myself.  so, one tea kettle went back to williams sonoma... and i got an ice cream maker in return.


folks, you've got to get one of these.  ice cream in 20 minutes!

today's recipe:


Light Berries and Cream Ice Cream

ingredients:

1.5 c. frozen berries
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. half and half
1.5 cups whole milk
1/2 T. vanilla extract
dash of salt


directions:

chop 1.5 c. frozen berries with food processor.
dissolve 3/4 c. sugar in 1/2 c. half and half and 1.5 cups whole milk.
add 1/2 T. vanilla extract
add dash of salt.
add berries and mix
pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.




if you don't have an ice cream maker... mine is on sale.  with the extra bowl.  just saying...


xoxo, s

jumbo gumbo - my favorite gumbo recipe

it is sort of gray out.  rainy and gray.  and really, i haven't minded all that much.  not that i don't love sunshine, but i haven't felt 100%... and i certainly feel a little pissy when i miss all the good weather because i felt gross.  i mean, it's not florida.  we don't get an indefinite amount of 70 degree days.

anyway... feeling crappy and running errands in the rain is something i could do without.  and really,  i could do without the kind of errands that involve work on the car while i entertain offspring in a waiting room.  today was round 2 of fix-the-tire.  and after a couple of phone calls and a long wait where a trashy lady gave me an unsolicited parenting scolding {i must add, she told me that she never negotiated with her children when they were the age of mine.  it took every bone in my body to conduct myself respectfully so i did not set a bad example for the children.  i did tell her that we all have different parenting styles and i would appreciate it if she kept her commentary to herself.  my children were even being quiet and sitting nicely -- although that might have had something to do with my french fry negotiation}, i came out of the battle with a new tire, a mere $760+ ahead of what NTB told me it would be.  word to the wise... a second opinion is critical.  and take that NTB.  and i will never go back to NTB again.  granted, it still needs a little more work {something with the hub??} and the wheels aligned... anyway, for all the mucking around, it was worth it! 

so, with the weather like it is, and faustino's love for duck hunting, it was the perfect time for gumbo round 2.  i miraculously managed to find the handwritten recipe... but had a moment where i didn't know for sure where it went... so, for my own records most of all, i am blogging it.  but really, you should make it.  fantastic gumbo.  and equally fantastic the next day or two... especially when the weather is cold and gray.


do you remember the the first time faustino made his gumbo?  this time was just as delicious.  please let me know if you make it.  sooooo yummy.  even the kids loved it... ethan calls it Jumbo Gumbo.  and last night it was heart warming to watch ethan pick out the shrimp and spoon feed savannah.  so sweet.

and gumbo isn't the prettiest food... but i have to post a picture.  here is my bowl of gumbo for a gray day...

Gumbo Recipe

Ingredients:
-  oil of your choice to cook duck and vegetables, as needed.
-  4 duck breasts, chopped into small pieces {1 cm sq.}
-  2 T minced garlic
-  3 cups chopped onion
-  3 cups chopped celery
-  3 cups chopped peppers {combination of red, green, and pablano}
-  1.5 lbs. andouille sausage
-  1.5 lbs. shrimp {shelled and devined}
-  3 cans chicken broth {small cans or equivalent}
-  1 can tomato sauce {14.5 oz can}
-  3/4 cup red wine
-  tony chachere's and cajun breakdown spices to taste
-  tabasco {few dashes}
-  1/2 T fresh chopped oregano
-  kosher salt to taste
-  1 T blackening spice
-  3/4 cup vegetable oil
-  3/4 cup butter
-  flour as needed to thicken roux

Directions:
-  saute duck pieces with oil and 1 T garlic, set aside
-  broil sausage on low, when finished, slice into rounds 1/4" thick
-  saute vegetables in oil in stock pot until tender
-  while vegetables are sauteing, make roux {3/4 cup vegetable oil, 3/4 cup butter, and flour to desired consistancy (separates with a spoon) and color (carmel)}
-  add tomato sauce, wine and chicken broth to vegetables and bring to a simmer
-  add spices and herbs
-  add shrimp and sausage
-  slowly add roux.  it will start out thinner and slowly get thicker.  thin with water if needed.

-  serve over rice and garnish with fresh parsley

will you please, please make this and let me know what you think???

xoxo, s

Blackberry Margaritas

earlier this week, i posted on facebook that i was drinking a margarita... except it was after midnight.  i haven't been doing very well on the whole go-to-bed-early thing.

there is always next week.

anyway, i feel compelled to share the recipe...  if you don't scrimp on the berries it is amazing.  if you do... well, it is still amazing, just more of a hint of berries instead of a crazy berry blast.  and the recipe is for a pitcher of margarita.  because, seriously, who makes a lone margarita?

and as far as the ingredients go, i know it would probably be better with fresh lime juice and simple syrup.  but people, i have little kids.  and juicing limes takes time.  so if you are a purest, i completely understand.  at this point in my life, i will go with minute maid.  glad we cleared that up.

Stephanie's Blackberry Margarita

in a blender, combine the following ingredients:

2 cups blackberries {fresh or frozen}
1 can frozen limade
3 cups water
1 cup silver tequilla
1/2 cup triple sec

strain through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher

serve over ice garnished with key limes, fresh mint, and whole frozen blackberries.


tell me what you think... i adapted it from, like, 6 or 7 different recipes.


and by the way, i could totally bring a pitcher or 2 {or 3 or 4} to your Fourth of July celebration... seeing as how i don't have plans yet   ;)

no, seriously, i have these in my freezer now.

Carrot Soup

Saturday morning, my dear husband and son played outside... ethan "mowed" the bare garden, {in a shameful outfit that consisted of pajamas, rain boots, and a winter coat that i was too embarrassed to record in photographs.} While ethan mowed, faustino harvested our carrots.

we've harvested some here and there, but by far, this was the largest batch of them.  2 lbs!  these are fingerling carrots... they are small, and tasty.  pretty sweet.  but i must tell you that cleaning them was a labor of love.  little carrots aren't easy to clean.  and carrots are really dirty.  so dirty that from now on, i think i will make sure to only buy organic carrots. 

but back to the soup.

i had a bit of an Eeyore attitude this weekend.  so soup sounded like a mood lifter.  but i am also a procrastinator, so i didn't start on the soup until the weekend was nearly done.  anyway, when faustino asked what i was going to do with the harvest, i told him soup.  i figured it wouldn't be too hard, and i was correct!

and then i happened upon a carrot soup recipe in my google reader.  it was meant to be.

except i wanted more spices.  and garlic.  and i didn't want to shred my carrots.  but i liked the potato idea...

so here is my soup recipe, that is on my "make again" list.


Fingerling Carrot and Potato Soup

Ingredients:  
2 lbs baby carrots
1 lb white potato
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
vegetable stock carton
bacon {optional, but why not???}
salt
pepper
garlic salt
nutmeg
cayenne pepper
heavy cream {optional, but such a nice touch}


Directions:

wash and scrub your carrots, trim {these are pre-trimed}


saute diced onion and minced garlic in olive oil, until soft but not browned.


while onion softens, grate potatoes


add potatoes and carrots, cook for 5 minutes on medium.  add carton of vegetable stock and cover.  cook until vegetables are soft.


puree in batches in blender, and then transfer to pot. 


season to taste.  i am a horrible judge of salt, because i like salty things... and the garlic salt was a nice touch.  and the black pepper was wonderful.  i only used 2 - 3 pinches each of the nutmeg and cayenne.  i might have done more, but didn't want to risk it...


fry bacon.  i like to cut it up before hand, but you could just fry it up in whole pieces and then crumble.  i made extra bacon... i ate a lot of bacon.


serve with some cream and bacon on top. 

what a treat.  seriously.

and the owner of these chubby legs loved it too.

cranberry apple butter

hmmm... so i don't have the "scheduled" feature quite mastered on blogger.  par for the course...

i meant to post this on tuesday... but here it is on thanksgiving... oh well 

anyway, last week, while i was having fits about possibly losing my milk, i decided that it would be great to do some home canning.  am i on drugs?  {well, technically, yes.  but not the illegal kind.}  i always seem to take on an endeavor like home canning, when i am frankly, not up to it.  whatever.  it was tasty on an english muffin, and i know it made ethan's day.  that's reason enough, right??

anyway, i needed to make some cranberry apple butter to take to an event... but i also wanted to see if my idea was any good, and if it was, i could make another batch for gifts.



did i take photos of the process?  no.  i was doing good to get it done.  but i did take a picture of my apples.  i used several types... my favorite Honey Crisps and some Galas and a few Granny Smiths... and i think a few more of another kind, but i don't remember.

Cranberry Apple Butter

14 peeled, cored & chopped apples

1 bag of cranberries

1/2 C cranberry juice
2 C white sugar
1.5 C light brown sugar
2 T cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t kosher salt

Place all ingredients in crock pot and stir to coat apples and cranberries. Cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce to LOW for 8 to 10 hours; stirring occasionally.  Pulse in blender in batches.  Return to crock pot and cook on low additional 2 hours.

Can in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  Yields 4 pints.  

it tastes like regular apple butter with a cranberry kick.  so the verdict?  i'll be making another batch for gifts {and myself...}

Teeth for Savannah and Brownies for Me

someone has been thoroughly enjoying bouncing.   i could just squeeze her to bits!!!!

and breaking news -- savannah will no longer have a gummy smile.  my baby is getting her two bottom teeth.  i noticed them after her nap wednesday... so maybe this is why she has had a horrific diaper rash?  who knows.  she got teeth a bit later than ethan -- he got them one at a time a week apart from each other at almost exactly 5 months.

can you see them?  cute little teeth... this was taken on wednesday, but they were even bigger today!


can you also see the nasty bumpy rash thing on her cheeks?  it is also on her torso.  i SWEAR i think it is the formula.  she didn't have it before saturday... let's see if it clears a few weeks after she goes back to breast milk.  if we were staying on formula i would be shopping for a new one... yikes.  i hear that finding the "right" formula can be tricky and exhausting...

and my thoughts on formula {as if you cared}:  it is for the stinkin' birds.  this stuff costs a lot of money, smells bad, and it produces lots of dirty dishes.  i'll keep my other opinions to myself, but holy smokes i will be ready to drop the whole routine of bottle feeding and then pumping and then the worst part -- dumping.  to say that this routine has been occupying a lot of my day is a bit of an understatement.  it has thrown me for a loop.  savannah is thrown a little too, and hasn't been napping as well.  one more day of medicine and then another to get out of my system... i'll nurse her on sunday evening!!!!  i can't tell you how ready i am to not be tied down to a bottle.  isn't that so funny?  most people say that nursing ties them down, but i feel all freed up by doing it!  to each their own... i know that breastfeeding isn't the best option for everyone...

and to console myself??  i have eaten quite a few of these: 


cream cheese brownies.  SOOO easy to make.  i made them with one hand while holding savannah.

you need:
chocolate cake mix
stick of butter
nuts {optional}
3 eggs
package of cream cheese
16 oz box/bag powdered sugar
9x13 metal baking pan

preheat the oven to 350.  melt butter and pour in pan.  sprinkle cake mix on top.  sprinkle nuts.  beat 1 egg and pour in to pan.  stir everything together.

in a separate bowl {or your kitchen aid!} cream together:  cream cheese, sugar and remaining eggs.    pour evenly over first layer.

bake for 45 minutes.

they are highly addictive and taste much more complicated than the 5 - 6 ingredients that they are...


if you make them, let me know what you think.  have a good weekend... i'm going to go eat my plate of heaven while i have a date with my medela pump in style {seriously, why did they think this was a good name???}

xoxo, s

Best Chili Recipe

the leaves are finally falling.  it's still warm, but they are falling.  last week i made chili, even though i was wearing shorts and flip flops.

do you have something that you prefer your own to than any other version?

i do. well, really there are two things: iced tea and chili.  {but iced tea isn't really cooked...}

i won't bore you with how make iced tea, but i will share my perfect chili recipe with you. it isn't an exact science, just so you know before you get started. i now understand what my grandmother means by not following a recipe and doing it on how it feels {she makes really wonderful chicken and dumplings this way}

this is a venison chili recipe with beans. and ground meat. you could definitely use beef if you didn't have venison, and use your grinder to grind up a leaner cut so that you don't have lots of fat from the ground beef you buy at the store... or you could cook your beef separately and then drain the fat... i don't have to really worry about the fat with venison, because there really isn't any. {also, when my husband kills a deer, he processes the meat (and my MIL and I wash/wrap it) so that we know that we are getting our meat (not some other deer) and that we know how it was processed. i used to think this was CRAZY because of the addition of work involved (everyone else seems to just take it to a processor) but then my husband explained why, and then i watched food, inc. so now i am super proud of our self processed venison} the only bummer is that yours truly has to grind it EVERY TIME i am ready to use it.

i love my kitchen aid and the grinder attachment.  LOVE it.  i use it all the stinkin' time.  we eat a lot of venison...

but back to the recipe:  {this is the DOUBLED recipe.  it makes a ton! which i love because i can feed a crowd or i can feed my family with leftovers and freeze half of it!  and having food ready to heat in the freezer is half the battle to avoiding take out/calories/extra money/high processed foods.}



Best Venison Chili

start with your big stock pot.  mine is a bit too big, but beggars can't be choosers.  heat up some olive oil while you get these.

then chop your onions.  i use sweet yellow onions, and for this extra large recipe i used 2 large and 1 medium onion.


then add them to your your hot oil in the stockpot and saute over medium for a while.  add your chopped garlic.  use a couple spoonfuls from a handy jar like this.  or be an over achiever and chop or press or whatever you like.


while the onions and garlic are cooking, chop your peppers.  these are green and purple peppers from my garden and are slightly dwarf sized because of the MASSIVE heat this summer {and truthfully, this fall as well} so if you were not picking from your north texas garden, but from your grocer's produce instead, use 3 large green bell peppers. 


and chop a poblano pepper.  again, these are tiny poblano's from my garden {and they are way hotter than most you would find at the store! yikes!!} so i used more of them.


and add these to the pot.  and then {if you like heat, and i do} add a chopped jalepeno with the ribs and seeds removed.


while all of this cooks, lets move on to the meat.

see above for my blurb about the venison.  but basically, i think this is about 3 pounds of meat.  maybe 2 and a half... but i think closer to 3.

the meat {make sure you rinse it}


and the grinder


equals ground venison!


so brown your meat while you gather the rest of your ingredients {i know that martha would cringe because i am failing with mise en place} 

once your meat is browned, add whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. {the big cans} or if you are like me, and our fresh out of crushed tomatoes, use a can of diced with a small can of sauce.  break up the whole tomatoes {either in the can with kitchen shears} or in the pot with the wooden spoon.


it should look like this:


then add your beans.  drain and rinse first...  i added three kinds:  black, kidney and pinto.  add your favorite...


it is really pretty, now, isn't it??


then i added the spices {and this is so easy that it is CHEATING} two boxes of "2 Alarm Chili Kit"  but don't add the masa until the very end.  and let it sit for awhile.  go do something else.  watch a tivo'd soap opera.  or dust.  or both.  let it sit AT LEAST half an hour.  or more.  on medium low.  and then taste it.  my husband tasted it and added more salt.  and then he added half a bottle of beer



-- at this point i mixed up a box of jiffy cornbread {replace the 1/3 c. milk with 1/3 c. of sour cream!!} right into the pan {less dishes!} to cook while the chili finished --


and then mash it up with your masher... because it gives it a nice uniform texture.  {as faustino put it -- no one likes a big tomato in their chili... i beg to differ...}


last, add your masa packets from the chili kits.  then i simmer it until the cornbread is done.

serve with grated cheddar, sour cream, avocado, chips/crackers/cornbread, or just by itself.

am i being terribly un-humble if i tell you that it was excellent??!!  go make some chili this weekend!

the truth is...

I started working on a post about my last jar of salsa... a post that i had in my drafts that was originally about my first jars of salsa.  but let's be honest here, i feel like this past week has EATEN ME ALIVE so, if I just posted about salsa, i would be putting on a bit of a front.

but just to be clear, this past week wasn't bad, i was just a few steps behind all week. and I took no photos.

we did some fun stuff... we had 2 playdates, we went to the farmers market, i made more pickles, we went to a birthday party, i went grocery shopping solo, i went to happy hour with girlfriends, faustino and i went to the lake with his colleagues,  i did so much laundry.  and dishes!! {since i had hot running water in the kitchen}.  I also made quite possibly the best pasta sauce of my life {not to sound boastful, but mine is always pretty good.  this was just especially wonderful} and faustino and I discovered just how wonderful netflix online is...{movies! movies! everything you ever thought about seeing at your fingertips!!}

yet, i never felt like i was really in control of the week.  it felt more like a runaway train I was chasing after.


but back to the salsa.  this is my last jar.  I am so, so sad.



and let me just say, the salsa was a labor of love.  remember this week?  where everything ripened at the same time?  i didn't really complain in that post, but it beat me down... researching the recipe, prepping, canning, etc.

anyway, the salsa was excellent.  so much so, that we ate all 9 jars - wait, 8 jars, because I gave one away... {as a token of thanks for borrowing this dress}

anyway, salsa is a tricky beast.  I had to really research it, because it is a mixture of low acid and high acid ingredients, and needs to be in a certain ratio to keep it from spoiling on the shelf.  sheesh!  what did our great grandmothers do without pages of posts on a forum to sift through to learn about this??

so i finally found the recipe, and made changes {that didn't affect the ratio of acid} but still don't think I have it exactly like I want it.  I think there are a few things that I could tweak in the heat department.  but really, i must say, this was shockingly good for my first attempt.  I mean, it was like what you would buy at central market.  and that is why i am so sad about it being the last jar.

so here is to hoping that the fall crop of tomatoes affords me the opportunity to try again.

this is the work in progress salsa recipe:


Stephanie's Salsa {mild}:
8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained {folks, this is a lot of tomatoes - 8 cups sans tomato goo}
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
3 – 5 chopped jalapenos (not to exceed 1/4 c.)
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp pepper
1/8 cup canning salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup lime juice (bottled)
3/4 cup vinegar
16 oz. tomato sauce
16 oz tomato paste

Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes.
Pour into hot pint jars, process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Makes 6 pints

simple food

do you cook dinner for your family?  I haven't had to for the last month.  between the miracle of a care calendar, where yummy food shows up on your table 3x a week, and a mother-in-law that knows how to make good stuff to eat... and a sister-in-law that has had us out to her house on two separate occasions for dinner... well, you get the picture.  we haven't been hurting for food.

but tuesday night, i cooked.  however, i cooked simple food.  I chopped and prepped the minimal ingredients during a rare everybody-is-sleeping moment... and then prepared it a little later...  i don't know where the recipe came from... and i know that i changed it up as well-- i don't remember what it was really supposed to be.  but it is easy, and good.  and the leftovers {if you have any} are wonderfully tasty...  So without further ado, my recipe for Simple Sausage, Peppers and Potatoes.

Step 1 -- very roughly chop:  3 bell peppers, 3 small-medium yellow onions, and 6 or so red potatoes


Step 2 -- brown 1lb-1.5lbs italian sausage and drain {my sausage is homemade but any italian sausage out of casings would work... and my sausage is super low fat... so lucky me doesn't need to drain it!  in fact, i actually add a little olive oil...}


Step 3 -- add onion and peppers, cook covered over medium until vegetables begin to soften


Optional additional step -- give screaming babeikin a paci over and over again to attempt to calm her down... try to do this before toddler does the same thing in a more rough fashion...




Step 4 -- add potatoes, cover and cook until tender... this is what it should look like when it is done... it makes its own gravy...


Step 5 -- add cheese to taste and serve.  the best is parmigiano reggiano... but Braum's only had the italian mix... so, that is what i went with...


Super easy.  I wish I could say that our peppers were from the garden.  They weren't -- ours are still growing.  I bought these at Braum's.  Faustino did come in and add a small lilac pepper from the garden.  it is a very pretty dark purple.  too bad I didn't photograph it raw... it looks green when you cook it.  {I am sure that is a bummer to TCU fans thinking they could sport their school spirit with their cooked purple bell peppers.  sorry, folks.}

I also cooked these lovelies... they were quite tasty.


I am sure that you could add things to the recipe to make it more complex... but there is something so nice about food that is easy...  let me know what you think about it if you decide to cook it...