Too Many Recipes!

I have a problem. I cannot help myself when it comes to collecting recipes. I clip them from magazines or newspapers, get them from friends and coworkers, and print so many off the web. They are tucked away into piles and binders and envelopes all over the house. And I haven't yet mentioned the many back issues of Martha, Bon Appetit, Cook's Illustrated, and so on- I CAN'T just toss them- what if there's a recipe I might want? But finally I had to face it- my "cookbook" had become too unwieldy, too full for any more recipes. I guess I've been tackling this project for a while now. About a year or so ago I cancelled all subscriptions- no more was allowed to come in until I got a handle on what was already here. Then I started working through the little stacks of magazines and clippings that were squirreled away all over the house. This week I looked through my binder and decided I needed to separate the good stuff- my tried and true favorite recipes- from the stuff I hadn't even tried yet. Out of my recipe binder went clippings for everything that I'd never cooked- many actually ended up in the trash since I found I was no longer interested. Everything I still wanted to try got transferred into 2 smaller binders to flip through for when I'm in the mood for something new. The result is this-(I'm thrilled that the covers actually close!!!)
and this-because I told myself if it was going in the "to try" binder, I really had to do it. These cupcakes were inspired by the delicious passionfruit cupcakes I get from Kara's. Gina kindly brought me a couple jars of passionfruit jelly, which I made into a curd-which I used to fill a yellow cake recipe clipped from Martha Stewartand I frosted it with a meringue buttercreamThe verdict? The passionfruit filling turned out perfectly! I now can use the same technique to make fruit curds from jellies if the primary juice isn't readily available. The cake recipe is nice, but not necessarily a keeper- I think I'll keep looking for a basic vanilla cake recipe- I have a few others in my to-try binder. Making a buttercream from sugar syrup was easier than I thought, and it made a nice, not-too-sweet frosting, but it still wasn't better than my white chocolate buttercream. Because ultimately there IS a method to the madness of my recipe clipping- I don't have a wide-ranging repertoire of things I like to cook and bake, but I AM determined to find the best recipe for those few items.

Long Time, No Post...but the New Camera is Finally Here!

It's been almost a full two weeks since my old camera got sent out for repairs. I felt strange not having it around for those impromptu shots throughout the day. And I just about panicked not having it for all the great activities we've been doing. It's been quite a pendulum swing I guess- there are hardly any photos from the early years of our marriage- it was such a bother to pick up film, get it printed, and then deal with all the prints afterwards. I remember being apprehensive about the cost of a digital camera when they started becoming more common- would it be worth the cost, especially if we weren't "picture-taking people"? We finally got a digital camera shortly before Munch was born, and of course I feel in love with it- the whole instant gratification of being able to see your photos right away just reeled me in! But as I started keeping my camera on hand more frequently (ok, ALWAYS), then came another concern: was I missing out, not being fully present, because I was busy taking pictures? But that concern was resolved during these last couple of weeks. I'm finding that there isn't a big difference to me "in the moment"- and if anything, I'm MORE aware and involved (me and my short attention span...) when I'm keeping an eye out for those "Kodak moments". And without pics, I was SO uninspired to blog (hence, the long span without a new post). So I was thrilled to get my adorable little replacement camera-it's significantly smaller than my old camera, it's waterproof, and come on, the green is fabulous!
So, what have we been up to?
-Last week, I stumbled across some beautiful zucchini blossoms at the farmer's market. I've always wanted to try stuffed zucchini blossoms, so I grabbed a bunch to try. They were incredibly delicious and so much easier to make than I was expecting. I served them for dinner with some bruschetta (those cherry tomatoes out of my garden) and chunks of watermelon:
The recipe I used came from Taste Buddies and it includes a great step-by-step photo tutorial.
-I finally got myself a proper popover (say that three times!) pan after enjoying them so much lately, but not getting nearly the rise when I baked them in a muffin tin. I was thrilled to see the huge puffy domes coming out of my oven!
We've been making popovers quite frequently ever since!
-Munch and I are continuing our letter of the day activities, but I've also been busy making some other fun things:
I printed out wallet-sized photos of some of our family and friends and hung them in a small pocket chart with name cards so that Munch would start to recognize people's names. I've been so happy to find her comparing beginning sounds, mixing cards up, re-matching them, and even trying to sound them out.
Since she's really been curious about letter sounds, I also ordered her this mini pocket chart from Oriental Trading Company. It was a great deal at $7.99 and Munch can work on it fairly independently, which has given me time to tackle all the cupboards and closets that need cleaning!

Today being T day, I busied myself making some apple counting trees out of felt glued onto poster board.
But my favorite project so far is our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom inspired t-shirt. I painted a tree-trunk onto a shirt and used Munch's handprints for the leaves.
After letting the tree dry overnight, we used alphabet sponges to stamp Munch's name down the tree trunk-
and the finished shirt is just adorable! I'm glad I used a brightly colored shirt- it's much cuter than if I'd used a plain white shirt-

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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!