Awwww...

We're pulling into the parking lot at the bagel place after gymnastics class and lunch with Grandma & Grandpa. From the back seat, Munch announces, "I'm happy." I turn to ask her, "What are you happy about?" "I'm with my mommy," she says. I love that girl!

When Life Gives You Lemons

I've been on a lemon kick lately. It started with the buttermilk lemon scones at the coffee place around the corner from school. Then came the batches of lemon bars that would appear when various teachers had kitchen duty (yes, we rotate cleaning the kitchen...and our holiday party is potluck- keep that in mind this season when people are bemoaning company cutbacks to the party budget!) Anywho, back to lemons, I thought it was time to share my favorite lemon bar recipe. The biggest difference is in the crust- this one uses powdered sugar instead of regular to create a very tender shortbread base. It also calls for a lot more lemon than other recipes I've tried (I prefer my lemon bars more tart than sweet). Unfortunately, I killed my lemon trees (extreme neglect) so I'm not enjoying fresh lemons from my own trees this winter.
The recipe is from The Bake Sale Cookbook.



Crust:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
pinch salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Filling:
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
zest from 1 lemon
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Place the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse to combine. Turn the food processor on and add the butter a little at a time until it is all mixed in and the dough is starting to clump together. Press the dough into the prepared pan and bake until light golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Set aside while the filling is prepared:
Combine the eggs, sugar, and flour and mix well. Add the salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combine. Pour filling over the crust and bake about 15 to 18 minutes until the filling is just set and a light golden brown. Watch it closely and do not overcook. Cool on a rack to room temperature and then refrigerate at least an hour (I just store them in the refrigerator and pull them out a little before serving so the filling is firmer). Cut into bars and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

What's On Your Plate?

I was watching an episode of Oprah recently that's stayed on my brain. She had a woman on the show roasting a chicken and talking about the numerous things that you could make from the shredded meat. Viewers were cooking along with her in their kitchens via Skype. What's lingered with me since watching that episode was the tone of amazement from Oprah & some other women that sticking a chicken in the oven was a major deal. And then to make chicken pot pie or enchiladas from it? You'd think we were in Martha Stewart territory here! (Speaking of, have you checked out the show, Whatever, Martha? It's a hoot!)

I've really never considered myself anything more than competent in the kitchen. I know I can feed my family nutritiously and fairly inexpensively. But I certainly have my comfort zone. I stick to the basics- meatloaf, pot pie, roasted chicken (my all-time favorite!), and every so often, a pasta dish (the carbs make my BG levels skyrocket). For the most part, I leave the complicated stuff to the real chefs (for example- REAL story, back in my Williams-Sonoma days, I was mulling over what to make for dinner towards the end of my shift. A co-worker, in all seriousness, suggested ravioli- to be made fresh from hand-made, rolled out sheets of pasta. I think he recommended filling them with crabmeat, which I would also need to cook, clean, and crack. Needless to say, it's a meal I did not prepare.) I cannot stand when a meal takes considerably more hands-on prep time than it does to eat, although Munch's slowness at the table may result in expanding my repertoire. And, other than the occasional REALLY delicious entree from the Trader Joe's freezer, we don't do much prepared food. Fast food? Only when we're on the road on vacation.

But come on, do people really NOT cook anymore? Are the masses really doing the heat & eat, pulling up to the drive-thru thing most nights? It wouldn't seem so from the number of food related blogs & sites on the web. I know I'm one who loves seeing what dishes other people are bold enough to tackle- just see my blogroll! Now, I know these aren't usually your everyday home cooks. So, I'm curious, what are YOU all putting on the table at night? (You ARE sitting down together as a family, aren't you?) Maybe it's time to do a series of posts of basic family favorites...here's what was on our plates tonight-nothing fancy, but certainly simple and satisfying.



Quick Beef Stroganoff-
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz. mushrooms, chopped (I buy the package of pre-sliced, then just run my knife through it a couple of times)
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. pepper
garlic salt, to taste
1 can beef broth
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. white wine
1 c. sour cream
1 pkg. egg noodles, cooked according to package directions

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crumbly and the pink is cooked away. Drain the meat if needed, leaving just a tablespoon or so of fat in the pan. (I use a fairly lean ground beef, and don't need to drain out the fat.) Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan and cook until onion is translucent. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook, stirring every so often, a few more minutes until mushrooms begin to soften and release their juices. Sprinkle the meat mixture with the flour, pepper, and garlic salt. Stir to coat the meat and cook a couple of minutes. Pour in the broth, milk, and wine. Combine well and cook until the liquid thickens, about 5-8 minutes. Mix in the sour cream and heat through. Add the cooked egg noodles, toss gently to combine, and serve.

What's For Dinner?

My new favorite meal comes from Real Simple (how, I love that magazine!) It has everything my family loves (kinda reminds me of the Peters family in one of my favorite children's' books, The Seven Silly Eaters) so everybody's happy: gnocchi for AudioDad, green beans and pesto for Munch (I told you she adores green food!), and ricotta cheese for me. Now my dish doesn't look nearly as pretty as the one on RS's site because I like to add more ricotta (about 3/4 c.), give it a gentle toss, and heat it briefly so I don't have cold clumps of ricotta in my pasta. Instead, here's some pics of my very adorable sous chef. Her job was to snap all the green beans-



then she helped wash the dishes-



Hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do!

Roller Coaster (of Love)

There are few things more glorious than a beautiful November day in California. It was clear skies, warm sun, and temps in the 80's. So off we went to Six Flags, since Daddy hasn't been with us yet this year (and he can take Munch on all those slow-moving, spinning rides that make me so nauseous).

We started off petting the humongous snake that was at the entrance-


and a quick cuddle with the holiday bear-


Next we headed to the rides (starting with the Daffy Duck sub because of Munch's adoration of the Beatles' song, Yellow Submarine) and the butterfly house-

Unfortunately, my camera batteries went dead as we were checking out the dolphins. These outgoing, personable dolphins would come right up to Munch and nip and nuzzle against the glass. She was delighted!

Before we left, we made sure to catch a Shouka show. I wanted Munch to be able to see the animals up close, but she sure was surprised when she got a huge splash! Nothing a little shaved ice couldn't fix!


I think she preferred the elephant show, though. It was a lot more low-key, quiet, and dry! One last trip to the carousel, and we were all ready to call it a day!