Family Bites

Bad Apple

 

I'm on borrowed time and a borrowed computer this morning as I quickly write to let you know that posting will be on a temporary hiatus for the next week or so, while I deal with a bad Apple.  Not the edible kind, of course, but rather the technological Apple, or more specifically my MacBook.  It seems that the cup of tea I spilled on my keyboard last winter has decided to form a yucky mold on my logic board causing the computer to officially die.  And I'm in mourning.

But in true Jan fashion, I'm trying to see the bright side of things and have decided to take this opportunity to ask you a few questions.  What would you like to see more of here on Family Bites?  Recipes?  Tips?  Book reviews? Product Recommendations?  Event Planning Ideas?  Parties? Food for parties?  Is anything missing or could anything be improved?  I'm really curious what you readers think and would love to hear from you. 

Thanks for your time and your input.  I look forward to seeing you here again next week.....

Pasta a la Mama

It's the season of being cozy and comfort foods reign supreme at this time of year. For my boys, this equates to pasta. Some kids like pizza, hamburgers, and even French fries to soothe their soul, but for them it's all about the pasta.

Our pasta recipe has evolved over the years, just like them.  It began years ago with ditalini noodles and grated parmesan cheese and matured ever so slightly to include green peas and diced ham.  Eventually we upgraded to tomato sauce, then bolognese and finally a vegetable-flecked meat sauce topped with torn bocconcini. While it sounds incredibly sophisticated it's nothing more than what's known as Pasta a la Mama in our house.

This recipe freezes brilliantly, and while it does require more than an hour's worth of simmering, it's not exactly hands-on time which means you can help with homework, answer burning questions related to all things growing-up or maybe even talk to your husband about your day.  I'm more inclined to make a big pot of this on a Saturday or Sunday morning and then we have it ready to eat during the week.

Pasta a la Mama

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 small onions, finely diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground turkey or beef
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 tin crushed tomatoes (or 5 medium tomatoes diced and pureed)
• 3 large handfuls baby spinach, chopped
• 4 bocconcini balls
• Spaghetti or linguini, cooked al dente

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over med-high heat and cook the onions until they are translucent and slightly browned. Stir in the garlic, then add the meat, cinnamon sticks, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and rosemary.  Sautee for 8-10 minutes until the meat is browned.

Add the wine and cook for five minutes or until it begins to evaporate. Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes longer.  Add 1/3 cup of water, stir it in completely, and allow to simmer for 60 minutes or so until the sauce has thickened.

Add the spinach and cook until slightly wilted.  Serve over cooked pasta and top with  torn bocconcini.

 

Setting the Family Table

 

My reasons for getting a good family dinner on the table each night aren't just about the process of eating together.  While that's certainly one of the biggest benefits, it's definitely not the only objective. I see family dinners as way for all of us to join forces and work together towards one common goal.  We all love to eat, so dinner seems like the most obvious place for this to happen.

The boys have a role in the process as well.  While they enjoy helping out in the kitchen now and again, their main duty at this point is to set the table.  They alternate weeks, and while I do appreciate that they assist with our family dinners, I have to say that their table setting skills have been really lacking lately.  So, I created the above guide, which Rob convinced me to share with you.  I think he's looking for witnesses to my insanity, but if it happens to be helpful or inspiring to anyone else, then it's worth being perceived as a tad loony, I suppose.

I've drawn and labelled two basic place settings.  These are the ones we use most often.  Regular dinner encompasses anything that isn't soup.  The soup dinner is...well, soup.  We're not fancy and only use the items we really need.  In addition to the drawings, I've also written a small list of what it required and included a few helpful tips I thought they could use.  Jackson insists on folding his napkin with a "hotdog" fold versus the traditional "hamburger", which is fine with me, so long as the fold goes along the plate and not opposite it.

So there you have it.   My technique for helping my kids learn to set a proper table.  Crazy or not.

 

Halloween Candy Bark

Two Decembers ago I walked up the stairs to the top floor of our house and found a six year old boy sitting in the washroom completely immersed in a copy of Martha Stewart's Cookies. Not only was he reading the cookbook (in the washroom no less), but he had also flagged all of the recipes he wanted to try with the mini pad of post-it notes resting on the top of his little thighs. 

This week the same boy asked for a date-night in the kitchen with me, while his older brother was out playing hockey. I could hardly resist and was anything but surprised when he picked up the latest copy of Bon Appetit and perused the pages, looking for the perfect recipe to make. He found what he wanted on page 57 and we went to work on some Halloween Candy Bark.  The mom in me thought "no, please not this" but the cook in me thought "this could be fun". And it really was.

 

 

Halloween Candy Bark

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving an overhang.  Spread 1 pound of melted chocolate in the prepared pan and sprinkle with 2 cups of assorted, chopped Halloween candy.  Chill until firm. Remove from pan and break into pieces.

Roasted Chicken and Pumpkin Biscuit Sandwiches

 

My mother-in-law has been eating the same thing for lunch for more than a decade.  This statement is neither false nor remotely exaggerated.  Sure, she goes out to eat almost weekly, but when she does she dines at the same restaurant, and although I don't know for sure, I'm reasonably certain that she orders the same food every time.  The outings almost always take place on the same day of the week and to say that she is a creature of habit is a gross underestimation.

I think my boys have inherited this repetitive tendency from her gene pool.  They've only been back in school for three weeks and have already settled into the practice of asking for the same lunch items every day. For Jackson we've been packing apples and cucumbers; for Ben it has been carrots and plums. The main component has been a nice rotation of assorted goods.  Until this week.  This week they've decided to "pull a Grandma" and eat the same thing every day. Roasted chicken on pumpkin biscuit with romaine lettuce and sage mayo.

 

Definitely not your usual lunch-box fare, this has been the easiest thing we've made for the school day lunch, thus far. We almost always have leftover chicken lingering in the fridge and the biscuits can be prepared in ten minutes and baked in thirteen. Jackson told me today the he thinks the flavours of the sandwich "go really good together" and that's why he wants to eat it every day for his noon-hour nosh. I'm sure Grandma completely understands.

Pumpkin Biscuits

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (or a 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat)
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup butter, frozen and grated
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg together in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Add the grated butter to the  flour mixture and toss together with your hands until the texture is coarse and sandy.

Whisk the pumpkin and milk together until smooth.  Add to the flour mixture and stir together with a fork (or your hands, which I think works better).  

Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and kneed until it comes together.  Pat the dough into a 1" thick circle and cut with biscuits with a 2" cookie cutter (or wine glass).

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 12 - 13 minutes

All About Apples {And a Giveaway for Locals}

 

I think it's safe to state that my kitchen is never without apples.  The same could be said for lemons, I suppose, but apples reign supreme these days as the changing season means the markets are filled with empires, galas, jonas, macs, grannies, and my personal favourite, the honeycrisp.  

In addition to my weekly from-the-farmer purchases, we also plan a yearly excursion to pick our own apples. We head out early, preferably on a sunny day, and try to come home with no less than twenty pounds of the rosy orbs. Although apple picking really is an easy family-friendly activity which requires very little advanced planning, here are a few tips I've picked up along the way:

• Check out the orchard's website for hours of operation, special events and which varieties are available for picking.
• Don't expect to spend more than one hour picking apples.  I have done this activity with my boys since they were two and now that they are eight and ten we still only last one hour. Ideally, you will have selected an orchard that offers other family fun (farm, petting zoo, corn maze etc).
• Apples ripen from the outside in, so be sure to pick those on the outside of the tree before the little ones found on the inside of the tree.
• Don't wash apples until just before using them.  They will spoil faster if they're washed in advance.
• Keep apples cool to prolong their shelf life.  Store them in a cool dry place like a basement or crisper of the fridge.  Please note though: Don't be clever like me and place six pounds out in your shed only to forget about them. Unless you're keen on happening upon a big mold, mushy mess.

 (Jackson and his cousin, circa 2006)

For those of you who are local, my very favourite place to apple pick is Chudleigh's Entertainment Farm . Located in Milton, Ontario, we have been visiting yearly for almost a decade, and it's been wonderful to see it grow from a simple orchard to an all-day-fun-for-families complex.  This year they've introduced one new feature I'm excited about: The First Apple Piefest Competition.  Open to home bakers (no professionals this year, I'm afraid), a panel of six judges are going to taste and choose the best of the entries, awarding a cash prize of $500 to the first place winner.  So, naturally this is the day we've selected for our apple outing this year.

When I heard about this great contest I asked Chudleigh's if they would be willing to offer a family pass to a Family Bites reader, so they could take in the activities with their little ones.  They happily obliged. If apple pie is your thing, you should enter the contest, or at least visit and watch the judging. I have full details on the piefest, so if you, or someone you know, would like more information just email me.

If you're free on Saturday October 2nd, and would love to head to Chudliegh's for a day of fun please leave a comment letting me know what your favourite apple variety is. I'll announce a winner on Thursday and the passes will be mailed to you directly. 

Meal Planning Monday

Last week we managed to successfully eat everything on our meal plan. Despite what you may think, this is a rarity. 

Although I do meal plan each and every week, and we approach our food shopping with the intention of consuming what is on the menu, it doesn't always happen.  There are a myriad of reasons for this (working late, surprise after school baseball practice, late nights spent watching Season 2 of Friday Night Lights leaving me to sleepy to prep dinner in the morning), but the most common is something along the lines of "I-was-perusing-a-magazine/cookbook/website-and-saw-something-that-looked-much-more-exciting- than- the-meal-I-had-planned-and-decided-we-really-must-eat-it-tonight-as-it-can't-wait-one-meal-longer". You know, that sort of thing.  I like that we create structure by meal planning each week, but are open to being spontaneous when required.

But last week that didn't happen once, so I'm hopeful the same will be true for the next five dinners.  I like the variety of the meals this week and am thrilled that soup is back in our weekly rotation.

Monday:: Sweet potato and lentil soup, toasted pita with roasted garlic and salad

Tuesday:: Roast chicken, broccoli, mashed potatoes and peas

Wednesday:: Salmon and salad

Thursday:: Pork chops with apples and onions, green beans and garlic bread

Friday:: Homemade pizza night

What yummy things are you cooking up for dinner this week?

Frozen Cookie Dough Balls

In preparation for the upcoming busy fall season (Thanksgiving! Halloween! Baby Showers! Christmas! Classroom parties!), I have stocked my freezer with frozen cookie dough.  I made a variety of favourite doughs, and using my handy little ice cream scoop, portioned cookies onto a baking sheet, which I then froze.  When completely hard, I transferred the balls to a ziplock bag and now have several dozen cookies ready for baking, entertaining and even gift giving, if needed.

 

I like having a plethora of cookies to choose from and making the dough was a cinch. Baking them off is even easier.

Do you have any foods you like to prepare in advance and freeze?  What are your food prep secrets?

 

Weeknight Chicken Pot Pie: A Dinner Success Story

4:15 pm: Mom returns home from school with her boys.

4:30pm: She makes snacks and the children begin their homework (long division and subtraction of two and three digit numbers)

4:45pm: While the kids do their homework, Mom starts researching an article that is due before midnight. One that hasn't yet been started.

5:00pm: Dad comes in to assist with long division.  Mom doesn't have patience for math.  Besides, she's going to be editing the ten year old's written work, so it only seems fair that the Dad tackles the horrifyingly wicked numbers.

5:15pm: The natives are getting restless.  Mom decides that someone (her) should start dinner

5:25pm: Mom wanders into the kitchen and pulls leftover chicken, corn-on-the-cob, cream, butter, chicken stock and phyllo dough from the fridge.  Frozen peas and carrots from the freezer.  Sage and flour from the cupboard. She begins to quickly assemble a base for the chicken pot pie.

5:45pm: The pot pie is placed in the oven to brown and bake the phyllo topping. The table needs setting and eventually the bellicose children get the job done.

6:00pm: The family convenes for a hearty, homemade meal of chicken pot pie and French green beans.  The mom is pleased with her artful ability to get dinner on the table in 35 minutes - especially one that pleases the youngest child, her finicky eater.  

6:10pm: Halfway through the meal said child declares "I know you're not going to believe this, but I love this meal.  I didn't even try to not eat the vegetables.  They were actually good for once." Success.

Cheaters Chicken Pot Pie, my recipe

• 3 cups flavourful chicken stock (homemade or store bought)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 cups of corn, fresh scraped from a cob or frozen
• 2 cups frozen peas and/or carrots
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 3 sheet of phyllo dough
• olive oil
• breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the chicken stock in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and allow to heat through and reduce slightly.

While the broth is warming, place the butter in a large skilled and melt over medium-high heat.  Add the corn, peas and carrots is using and cook for 5-8 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and cooked throughout.  Add the flour and stir well, incorporating it into the vegetable mixture.  

Pour the stock into the skillet, add the sage and cream and stir constantly until the mixture is thickened. Scoop everything into a 9x13 casserole dish and set aside.

Unwrap three sheets of phyllo and place on a counter.  Brush the top piece with some olive oil and sprinkle with breadcrumbs, fold in half and place over the chicken mixture.  Brush the top with more olive, add some breadcrumbs and continue with the remaining two pieces of phyllo.  

Once all of the phyllo has been placed in the casserole dish bake for 15-20 minutes or until the dough is crispy and browned.  Remove and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Keeping It Real

Should you be under any illusion that everything in the Family Bites kitchen is a success, this post is for you. Here is what I attempted to make for breakfast this morning.  Yep, it was as bad as it looks.  Quinoa and oatmeal pancakes.  It sounded like a good idea at the time, but the goopy batter and thin, rancid tasting flapjacks proved otherwise.

This has been happening in our kitchen a lot lately.  One failed recipe after another.  I'm not sure if it's the full-time job, the awesome writing assignments, the boys' hockey and music lessons, long division (yuck) and cursive writing or that cute husband of mine that's keeping me from making good foods, but I'm on an unlucky streak these days.  And I don't like it.

Have you had any disasters lately? Please share so I know I'm not alone.