Terrific Tuesday!

Woo Hoo!  That means I have three more work days to maintain sanity before reaching the goal of 10 days of winter vacation. 

Early on duirng winter vacation I plan to spend an entire day in the kitchen cooking, prepping, and freezing meals for a month.  It saves me a lot of time and money to have those meals at my finger tips ready to go.  All of the major mess and fuss is behind me, and after working all day I can pull a nice meal together in a matter of minutes.  No more wondering what to fix for dinner, it is alreadey planned out and ready to go.  I don't use any special books or recipes, I use what I know we love and will eat.

The benefit of having all of those meals in the freezer is that if you get sick, like I did, there is still a meal waiting in the freezer for the guys in the house to eat, without you having to fuss over it.  It is also helpful when you've been sick and your hubby volunteers you to fix a pot of chili for the local snowmobile club winter cookout and you already have it made and in the freezer. 

My favorite weapon of choice to pull off these all day cooking events, FOODSAVER!  If there is one piece of equipment every kitchen should have,  it is one of those beauties.  Mine is rather old, but still gets the job done.  I also know that if this one fails, Ashley has her brand spanking new one stored at my house and it will come out from hiding and be put to use. 

After I get all my meals in the freezer that will leave me a lot of days to spend in the soap room playing in the bubbly fun!  I can harldy wait!  :)

Behold The Dutch Oven!

I have many kitchen utensils and all sorts of gidgets and gadgets that I've collected over the years.  But, it wasn't until Ashley left her dutch oven at my house before I had the pleasure of using one.  I was immediately in love!  I dropped a very "not so subtle hint" that I really NEED Santa to bring me one of those dutch ovens for Christmas this year.  Imagine my excitement when Ashley, my little cupid, brought me a beautiful cranberry color dutch oven for Valentine's Day!  I guess my "not so subtle hint" worked!  :)   Of course, I have always been in love with cast iron, but sadly have set them aside because they are not safe to use on the glass flat cooktop and only haul them out to use on the gas burner on my gas grill in the summer. Imagine my excitement in finding out that these beautiful enamel covered cast iron beauties can be safely used on my stovetop!  

 

Grilled Potatoes

One of my favorite dishes for the summertime is a recipe I posted last year ~ Jamaican Jerk Chicken. Today I would like to share with you a side dish that I serve quite frequently throughout the summer ~ Grilled Potatoes. You will need aluminum foil, potatoes, onions, spices of choice, and a fat of choices (olive oil, bacon grease, butter, etc.), pan spray, hot grill, grill mitts, and a hearty appetite.

You can make small individual packets, or a couple large packets if preparing for a large group.

Wash the potatoes and slice thin ~ skin and all! If you aren't into eating the skins, then peel them before slicing. Put potato in bowl. Slice onion (if you dice they will over cook too fast) and add to potato. Add spices of choice (now would be a good time to add salt & pepper, too). I prefer Mrs. Dash because it is salt-free and I strive to limit my sodium intake because of hypertension. Add fat of choice (olive oil, bacon grease, butter, etc.) and mix together.

I prefer to spray the tin foil before placing potatoes and forming packets. HINT: Shiny side of tin foil IN helps radiate the heat through the food. :) To form packets I place one sheet of tin foil shiny side up, spray with cooking spray, add potatoes, place another sheet of foil shiny side down that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Then I begin to fold in sides until the packet is sealed up nicely. Smaller packets will take less time to cook than larger packets.

After all of the packets are ready, it's off to the hot grill (I prefer the old fashioned charcoal grills, not the gas grills but you can achieve the same results on a gas grill with a little tweaking). You will want to turn the packets every 10 minutes. These cook up relatively quickly ~ 20-30 minutes. I pull a packet off the grill and give a gently squeeze with the mitts to see if the potatoes are soft yet. These packets can be set aside while you cook the meat of choice.

You can add other veggies to the potatoes (peppers, peas, etc.) ~ experiment and have fun! I have found that cheese melts and holds up better when sprinkled as a garnish after the spuds have been cooked. Cooking the potatoes this way keeps the heat out of the kitchen, and you can personalize each packet for individual preferences (ie: onions or no onions).

Happy Grilling!

Monster Cookie Recipe

I apologize for not putting this recipe on my blog sooner. The week has gotten away from me. It's vacation week for Ms. Moo, and I am holding my daughter's baby shower this weekend, so there has been the meticulous cleaning, decluttering and all that good stuff going on. Spring cleaning early, if you will...only it sure doesn't look or feel like spring up here in Vermont at the moment.

MONSTER COOKIES
Yeild: A LOT (if you don't eat all of the cookie dough)!!!

Mix in large (I'm not kidding when I say large) pan in order given

1 pound soft margarine (Ms. Moo prefers real butter)
2 pounds brown sugar
4 cups sugar
12 eggs
1 Tbsp. Corn Syrup
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
8 tsp. baking soda
3 pounds peanut butter
18 cups rolled oats
1 pound chocolate chips
1 pound M & M's
(Ms. Moo also adds 1 pound chopped walnuts)

Variations: You could put raisins, dried cranberries, or any kind of baking chips - butterscotch, peanut butter, broken candy bars, etc.)

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 12 min. Cool on pan for a couple minutes before cooling on rack. Freeze baked cookies in airtight containers. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Brownies

3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. water
1 (12 oz) package chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In small bowl mix flour, baking soda and salt.

In small saucepan heat the butter, sugar and water just to a boil. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup of chocolate chips and vanilla, stir until the chips are melted and are smooth.

Put melted ingredients in large mixing bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Blend in the flour mixture.

Stir in the remaining chocolate chips and nuts. Spread in a greased 9 inch pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.

Tough Buzzard Not Open for Any New Ladder Tricks

The fog in my head is subsiding, I am able to focus a bit clearer and the headache is beginning to subside...unless I'm getting used to the pain. The stitches on my head are beginning to drive me batty but my kids will tell you I was already batty, so...

Thankfully there are no broken or fractured bones to speak of. I've been told my bone density is excellent for my age, which is reassuring. Or perhaps that means I'm just a tough buzzard? The pain in my hip persists and I'm looking at physical therapy but I've chosen to at least hold off until the stitches are removed on Monday(hoping the pain will let up).

Did I mention there won't be any more WWE ladder tricks for this chick? If I can't reach it from the floor, it ain't gonna be reached! And that doesn't lend much distance considering I'm 5' 2"! Someone taller and/or much braver than I can do the ladder tricks.

Fortunately I was able to bring paperwork home to make final preparations for the new school year. Much quieter at home, less distractions, anyway. The Intenet is a wonderful tool linking home to work in a matter of a few clicks. Amazing!

The menu planning for the first month of school took longer than normal as more of the 2005 dietary guidelines are implemented and taken into consideration ~ lower fat, sodium, sugar and higher consumption of fresh fruits, veggies and whole grains AND targeting specific nutrients and vitamins to ensure they are being served the appropriate number of times per week. I spent two days earlier last week in training classes to help create this menu. This menu will be compared to the menu I had planned for September 2007 to see how well I have "changed" my menu planning techniques. More time and thought was put into this menu plan but now that it is finished I will be able to copy and paste (for the most part) and eventually put these daily items into a "cycle" menu in a creative way so it doesn't appear to be as such.

The Pig Review

The Whole Hog BBQ & Music Festival in Haverhill, NY is one of 60 sanctioned Memphis BBQ Network contests in the country, and the only one in New England. The overall winner of the contest will receive an opportunity to compete at the MBN (Memphis BBQ Network) World Championship in Memphis in 2009.

This past Sunday hubby and I attended the Whole Hog BBQ and Music Festival with enthusiasm and big appetites! Live music was great, and we enjoyed the day until taste testing time when the skies opened wide and we were soaked from head to toe. We weren't alone, hunderds of other spectators stood in the long lines to sample every entry and place their vote for the People's Choice Award.

Having watched the Memphis BBQ Network contests on TV, it was a thrill to be present. Someone commented that the portions weren't very large at each tent. Ahem...2 ounce portion cups, multiply that by NINE participants...and you gotta figure if you visit every tent, you will have consumed over a pound of pork in samples...hardly a cause to cry world famine! Just goes to show you that you don't realize how much food you consume when you "graze".

And now, on to the highlights before the skies opened wide with rain....

Decorating the pig in anticipation of the judges arriving...


There we are, all decorated and pretty for the judges...


A good thing to display so the judges see...


Judging Time...


And finally, the judges get to do the taste test...


Who won? We don't know yet...we left because we were cold, soaked and in need of dry clothes and warmth. LOL

I Will Never Bake the Same....

I had the pleasure of baking alongside the most interesting lady today. Her name is Susan Miller, and she is in charge of the Baking School at King Arthur Flour. I learned so much valuable information about baking with whole wheat flour and whole grains. Good bye hockey pucks and door stop wheat breads, and hello tender and fluffy wheat breads. I'm kinda short on time today but I promise I'll blog about the experience in more detail with tips I took away from the experience. Today's class has inspired me to experiment and bake with whole wheat flour and whole grains with renewed techniques and interest.

30 Recipes ~ 2 1/2 Day - Part 2

More Highlights from the Healthy Cuisine For Kids Class. If you missed Part 1 - Veggies - you can find it here.

Chicken Salad

Beef Stirfry

Taco Bake (made with ground turkey)

Breads and Grains will be next, so keep watching for those delicious treats! OH...and my Birthday is coming right up so I feel another blog contest coming on.....

Chef Coats and Hats Return...

Today I am headed off to teach the "Healthy Cuisine for Kids" to other School Food Service Personnel around the state. I will be driving back and forth each day, even though the price of gas is through the roof. It was still cheaper for me to drive to and from than it was to pay for a hotel room and meals. I don't mind driving the haul this time of year, the mountains are amazing to look at and that helps to pass the time.

Back in February I took the course (read more here). We've worked hard to scale back the number of recipes to make the experience more meaningful to those taking the class. We sorta felt like we were on Iron Chef when we took the course, and didn't want the students we will be teaching to be overwhelmed. We have been divided into teaching teams, and holding the classes regionally across the state this week.

I will take pictures of the healthy, nutitious food everyone makes over the next three days and hopefully blog about it later this week.

School Nutrition

Despite all of the bad publicity taking place in the media over school lunches, there are some noteworthy good news that doesn't necessarily make its way into the media.

Vermont is one of the leaders in change for nutrition in schools. There has been a strong movement in bringing local foods to the cafeteria trays for several years now. We have a great group of "movers and shakers" that are increasing the whole grains, adding more fresh fruits and vegetables, and getting away from processed foods. Of course, the only way to make your budget float on very small shoestring budget, we have to serve some of the more popular processed meals to keep up the student participation.

Example: Chicken Patty on Bun is one of the more popular meals with my students. I've sought out purchasing a chicken patty that has whole grain breading, and serve it on a whole wheat bun. Had I presented a meal like this when I first took over the position of Food SErvice Manager, I might have been lynch mobbed and strung up the flag pole. Change is hard, and takes time. I try to focus my attentions on the younger, more impressionable students. By the time students reach middle school, they have already gained their strong opinions about food and nutrition. Changes I am making to the program today won't be seen as a widespread change for at least another 7 years.

I work in a K-12 school. What appeals to younger students doesn't necessarily appeal to the older students and vise versa. Trying to find balance and targeting both sides of the school can be extremely challenging at times. Sometimes I've had to create different versions of meals to appeal to the different age groups.

When the Jr & Sr. High students had exams in January, I held a beach day for the Grade School Students. They brought in sunglasses and beach towels and we had sack lunches and a rare ice cream treat for everyone. We played beach music, and had a lot of fun. As it turned out, the weather was really awful but the anticipation of fun at lunch time erased any ugly feelings about what was taking place outside.

Here are some great links about school nutrition. I would encourage you to become involved with your School Food Service Director. Find out what their needs are. Oftentimes those who are running the programs are made to feel as though they are dangling out in left field by themselves. Your help (small or large) just might be what your school food service program needs.

School Nutrition

Team Nutrition

Training Grants

Vermont focus

Take Action

Gourmet Feast

There are those (I won't mention any names, but I commonly refer to him as DH) who thumb their nose up to the idea of healthier meals in schools. He is of the opinion that people should have the choice of what they want to eat and no one should be forcing them to eat healthier. Part of my job is being creative with the healthier food options. I have many healthier options that look appealing and taste great so the challenge to prove him wrong went into full swing today.

Fresh Garden Salad made with fresh greens purchased at the Farmer's Market. After having to buy lettuce in the grocery store all winter long, fresh baby greens hit the spot!

Due to technical difficulties, there is no photo of the pasta salad made with whole grain pasta. Does not change the taste, and the slight color variation of the pasta isn't noticeable. I mixed in peas, red onion, white albacore tuna, a bit of mayo, and garden seasoning with no salt.


Jamaican Jerk Chicken hot off the grill. Made with boneless skinless chicken breast. Always a hit when I make it. I love cooking extra so I can add some of the leftovers to a Garden Salad for lunch. A vegetarian option - the jerk spice mixture would be awesome on a piece of firm tofu then grilled. YUM!


And what EVERY Gourmet Feast should have...Rich Dark Chocolate cupcakes with Whipped Icing. I seriously don't know what happened to the first two or three cupcakes. I certainly didn't go "healthier" on the dessert, although I do have a recipe for chocolate beet cake that is excellent and no one even knows they are eating veggies! I figured I best just break him in "slowly" with the healthier options. After all, he had baby beet greens in the salad and he didn't know what it was.

DH had no complaints, but the look on his face was priceless when I told him today's healthier food experiment worked. He really didn't notice anything different about the baby greens (won't tell him about the beet greens) and the whole grain pasta went unnoticed. It has made him think twice about his earlier opinion.

Chocolate Cupcakes

This afternoon the scavengers were pounding their feet to the kitchen for the cupcakes before they were officially cooled, never mind decorated. I grabbed the chocolate icing and start slapping it on with the spatula...sigh! Too plain and simple, but that didn't seem to bother the masses, they were gone in record time. Gotta get out my copy of The Cake Bible this week and find some new cake recipes to test out.

Banana Nut Bread

This afternoon I walked into my favorite little neighborhood store, which happens to be run by some of the BEST neighbors anyone could ever ask for. The store is very small, but they offer THE best deli meats; their hand cut and trimmed steaks are by far the best I've ever had. They recently remodeled the store to include a great salad bar. Their customer service is outstanding, and while their prices aren't always the cheapest, I don't mind patronizing my neighbor. Today they were about ready to throw away some very ripe bananas and jokingly one of the young men asked if I wanted them for a cheap price. Homemade banana bread...YES! I made no haste to get home so I could get to work in the kitchen. So my husband often reminds me ~ cooking is the OTHER use for our kitchen. LOL With both of the girls gone this week, I had two very willing and eager male taste testers that couldn't wait for the bread to cool down. I'm surprised you don't see the steam rolling out of the loaf of bread after I cut it and took a quick snap shot.

Potato Salad on my Plate

There's nothing like a good old fashioned picnic. One of my favorite picnic foods is Potato Salad. Not your ordinary Potato Salad with Egg and mayonnaise. While I enjoy eating Potato Salad made that way, my favorite Potato Salad heralds from my Paternal Grandmother that immigrated to the United States when my father was 11 years old.

My father was 2 years of age when his parents fled their homeland of Latvia after the Soviet Union took control of their country. They left behind 2 much older sisters that had married Soviet officials and had families of their own. For the next 9 years they lived in the sub-standard conditions of DP (Displaced Persons) Camps in Germany. A third sister, 16 years older than my father and closest in age, immigrated to the US about the same time.

My Grandmother passed away when I was a mere 7 years old. I have no recollection of ever cooking with her, but I do have fond recollections of sitting in large Daisy patches watching her pick the daisies, then twist the stems to make Daisy Crowns. When the crowns were finished, she would place one on my head and tell me I was a Princess.

I am fortunate in that I had a wonderful Aunt who preserved my Grandmother's recipes and passed them down to the rest of us. I don't know as though this is traditional Latvian style Potato Salad, but we've called it that since I was old enough to know what potatoes were. I find this Potato Salad to be very refreshing on a hot summer day. Not heavy like the ones made with mayonnaise.

Latvian Potato Salad
5 Pounds of Red Potatoes
1 Large Onion
1 jar Polish Dill Pickle Spears
1 Container Sour Cream
Fresh Dill

~ Boil Potatoes until tender, drain and chill overnight. Peeling off skins is optional. Cube Potatoes and put in Mixing Bowl.
~Diced Onion Fine and Add to Mixing Bowl.
~Reserve Juice from Pickles...Chop Pickles (entire jar) Add Pickles to Mixing Bowl.
~Finely Chop Fresh Dill (about 1-2 Tbsp.) and add to Mixing Bowl.
~Add Sour Cream to Mixing Bowl and begin mixing ingredients. Add some of the reserved Pickle Juice to loosen up the sour cream to make it easier to incorporate. I find that most of the time I end up using all of the juice, depending on the thickness of the sour cream.

Cover and chill several hours, toss before serving.

Healthy Cooking

I love to collect recipes and have been attempting to rebuild my collection after water damage ruined many of my cookbooks prior to our move to Vermont. I was so anxious to test out a few of the recipes from the newly renamed Healthy Cooking Magazine by Taste of Home. Their slogan is "eating right never tasted so good!" I think it is inspiring and helpful when a magazine commits to writing and rewriting recipes that will include certain ingredients subscribers just can't leave out of the recipe. Little changes to make the recipe healthier, but still tasty.

Moderation is the key. It is the message I try to instill in my kids at school. It's OK to have that piece of cake once in a while, but eating a piece of fruit is Nature's Dessert because it provides nutrients & vitamins, no added sugars, no added salt, and no added fat. In other words, you shouldn't make a meal out of cake...although it is a nice treat once in a while! LOL

Since I was diagnosed with hypertension last year, I have been making a more proactive effort to cook more meals from scratch and looking for healthier options for fat & sodium content.

I flipped open the current issue ofHealthy Cooking Magazine and wrote out my shopping list and then went shopping for the week. Tonight it was Baked Mostaccioli...you can never go wrong with that! Ground beef in pasta never does it for me so the thought of ground turkey wasn't going to cut it for me. Italian Sausage speaks my language but I was a good girl and purchased a chicken sausage instead of pork sausage. And I settled for the lowfat mozzarella cheese instead of my fav artisan whole milk mozzarella. It turned out fabulous, along with a nice bowl of baby greens topped with a mountain of fresh veggies and topped off with a reduced fat/low sodium Raspberry Vinegarette Dressing, and a nice thick hunk of homemade garlic bread where I indulged in real butter but opted to sprinkle with parmesan cheese instead of oozing with the much preferred whole milk mozzarella cheese. My family didn't seem to notice it was a healthier version. I consider the first meal a success.