Sorry for flaking out on you.... I don't have much of an excuse at the moment... but I have posted a last minute May Challenge... I promise to have something up for June!!!
I was re-reading my January 1st blog post about some goals for this year, and I thought I would update you on some of that. Here is what I wrote:
Hello 2011... the year I will hopefully get all of you to try a few new recipes with me through my 12 month cooking challenge. The year I hope to become more of a Locavore. The year I plan to succeed at making hamburger buns. The year we are going to try growing some of our own food!
I think I have made some good progress on this!
-I HAVE figured out how to make hamburger buns, finally.
-We are buying all of our beef, chicken, and eggs from local farmers, and we are even buying locally milled whole wheat flour. Once local veggies and fruit are in season we plan to do most of our groceries at the farmer's market.
-We have planted a garden! After two years of planting flowers and then not caring enough to weed, we have filled our front flower beds with veggies. One tomato plant is flowering and I have two lettuces sprouting. This has been a wonderfully great experiment so far, I can't wait to see what happens. Google "square foot gardening" if you want some great ideas for starting your own veggies on a small scale.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Meatless Monday Blahs
So today we made a family decision to scrap the meatless Monday. We have been trying this since January and we are both sick of not being able to come up with good stuff. I made some pretty good minestrone once, some okay potato soup that would have been better with bacon, and some awesome potatoes and risotto that would both have been way better with a steak... Or even a pork chop. I just can't eat a side dish for my main dish. I don't like tofu and I don't want to learn to cook it. The boys don't eat rice or potatoes and the last two pasta dishes I have made they would't touch. In fact tonight I tried a red pepper sauce with peas on tortellini. Jacob ended up eating processed cheese slices and pepperoni instead... He said his macaroni was yucky. Daniel wouldn't even try the tortellini but he would put the peas in his mouth, then take them out of his mouth and throw them on the floor. He had plain soda crackers and strawberries for supper. Jeff ate two plates, but I think it was only because he was really hungry and it was edible. So, I give up. I justify it by saying we only have meat with breakfast maybe once a month, and if there are no leftovers in the fridge I never make meat for lunch. So really, we have at least one meatless meal a day.
Blessings to all my vegetarian friends and family... I couldn't do it.
Blessings to all my vegetarian friends and family... I couldn't do it.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A Kitchen Poem For You
If you have to dry the dishes
(such an awful boring chore)
If you have to dry the dishes
('stead of going to the store)
If you have to dry the dishes
and you drop one on the floor
Maybe they won't let you
Dry the dishes anymore.
-Shel Silverstein
Saturday, May 7, 2011
I Read a Great Book
"Family Dinner" by Laurie David
This book was full of amazing ideas for making dinner more family centered. I really believe that this is something a lot of families are missing out on. Although it is easy right now to eat dinner together I know that it will only get harder as the boys get older and our lives get busier, but I figure if I make it a real priority now, it will truly stick later on. Running through the book were quirky questions to jump start conversation when maybe nobody really wants to talk. My favourite (and I ask you this too) was "If you could change your name, what name would you pick?" I've thought about this and still haven't come up with an answer. The author also gives her list of family dinner rules. I hope to adopt a few of them.
1. No gadgets at the table.
2. Everyone tries everything.
3. Once you sit down, you don't get up until the meal is over.
She also includes lots of awesome recipes. I am going to try her "Speedy Pasta in a Pan" for meatless Monday this week and I have already tried her "Crispy Smashed Potatoes."
Anyways, I loved this book. It was beautiful to look at and delicious to read.
This book was full of amazing ideas for making dinner more family centered. I really believe that this is something a lot of families are missing out on. Although it is easy right now to eat dinner together I know that it will only get harder as the boys get older and our lives get busier, but I figure if I make it a real priority now, it will truly stick later on. Running through the book were quirky questions to jump start conversation when maybe nobody really wants to talk. My favourite (and I ask you this too) was "If you could change your name, what name would you pick?" I've thought about this and still haven't come up with an answer. The author also gives her list of family dinner rules. I hope to adopt a few of them.
1. No gadgets at the table.
2. Everyone tries everything.
3. Once you sit down, you don't get up until the meal is over.
She also includes lots of awesome recipes. I am going to try her "Speedy Pasta in a Pan" for meatless Monday this week and I have already tried her "Crispy Smashed Potatoes."
Anyways, I loved this book. It was beautiful to look at and delicious to read.