a Christmas tradition

The Nellie tradition is to bake my Christmas presents for friends, from giant decorated gingerbread men in high school, to chocolate-peanut butter whoopie pies last year. This year, despite submersion in baby prep and the notorious pregnancy brain, I managed to decide upon and make time to bake a Reid family holiday favorite: Swedish heirlooms, aka "moon cookies," which we shaped and rolled in powdered sugar as kids and left out for Santa on the hearth Christmas Eve.

Our neighbors were the chief recipients of these goodies, which required two batches one after the other and wore me out more than usual. (However, as you can see, I managed to keep up my stamina by consuming large amounts of cookie dough. And of course I couldn't eat in front of Peanut without including her in the splurge.) The courtyard in our condo complex breaks off into 13 red and blue doors behind which we and our neighbors reside, so that meant 12 bags of cookies. When I thought there might not be enough for our friends too, I thought "our friends deserve them more than our neighbors," many of whom were friendly when we first moved in but we see them rarely, and some of whom, like the lady above us, we haven't even seen or met in the five months we've lived here. But then I realized that Christmas is about giving to the least deserving, as Jesus did for us, and this was our "service project" for the year (a family Christmas tradition I am trying to start). As it ended up, there were enough for friends as well.

In taking our goodies around, Steve and I had varied experiences, from many not-homers, or those who were home but did not come to the door, to a few hasty thank you's (granted, it was a very cold night) and one chatty couple who expressed true appreciation. However, a couple of neighbors have reciprocated with baked goods of their own (always welcome!) and increased warmth. Furthermore, just last week I got some quality time with the two elderly sets of neighbors near us and was truly blessed by their hospitality, stories, and good humor.

Yes, I will divulge this recipe, as I'm sure you were hoping. The melt-in-your-mouthers are also known as Mexican wedding cookies and something else I can't remember, said the girls in my Bible study.

Swedish Heirlooms

cream together:
1 c. butter
1 c. confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

add:
1/2 c. ground almonds (or pecans)
2 c. flour
1 tsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix, then shape into crescents. When shaping, roll thin and small so they don't get too big while baking. Bake on ungreased sheet, 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees. When almost cool, roll in additional confectioners sugar. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

potcakes for dinner

What's funner than breakfast for dinner? And what's more surprising than to find it really is dinner, and a twist on one of your favorites?

Steve came home last night to find pancakes on the stove with flecks of green and orange in them. I wondered how he would respond. "Pancakes!...Chicken pot pie pancakes." Whoa, he's good. He was right, and I didn't even realize that was their name.

He tended the pancakes, being a man and thus quite breakfast and spatula savvy, while I finished the salad. Things were going so well that I thought I could pull the mustard in the gravy over on him, but he knew something was amiss. I repented in dust and ashes, and promised to make him a boring mustardless gravy for leftovers tonight.

The potcakes, as he called these Chicken-Pot Pancakes, were a yummy success and I'm sure we'll be making them again. Oh, and of course I substituted TJ's whole wheat pancake mix for buttermilk pancake mix. All meals must be Nellified!

what's better than a bean burrito?

...A bean, chicken, rice, and cheeeeese burrito! So far the 5 Dollar Dinners website is batting a thousand. They're two for two anyway.

So it's the end of the month and what does that mean at the Miller household? That the grocery budget is nil, again, of course. Which necessitates another visit to the 5 Dollar Dinners website. And we were not disappointed. This time I made the Chicken and Red Bean Burritos, and butchered the recipe of course. But that's the point. The point is to save money by using what you have, and the recipes are so simple they're made for that.

So I boiled a whole chicken, which is more healthy than just chicken breasts because you eek out the goodness of the bones, and have chicken broth to boot. I try to put some kind of onions or celery in the stock pot to give the chicken an extra burst of subtle flavor.

Then I used a bag of extra beans that were sitting on the freezer door forlorningly. They were sure to be forgotten and die a slow death from freezer burn. But this recipe saved them from their fate, and it turned out to be the perfect amount.

Then I made some brown rice, threw them all together in a skillet with the tomatoes, chili powder and cumin, warmed up our whole-grain TJ's tortillas, shredded some cheese and cut up some green onions that were also about to bite the fridge dust, and voila! a scrumptious aaaand very healthy dinner. And (the best part of all), he liked it!

pasta pasta!

For most of my life I would not indulge in pasta, any more than the occasional lasagna that somebody else made or a few bites of pasta salad at a picnic. I thought it was fattening, and reading the South Beach Diet book (which I recommend by the way: it taught me how digestion works and how to control my weight by eating more protein) only confirmed it.

However, I married an Italian. And, after being forced to eat well because of my health, I've discovered that you can eat as much as you want of things that are truly good for you, and be fine on the scale. And guess what, whole grain pasta is good for you! And with brands like Barilla, it tastes the same as regular (white, nutritionless, gut-clogging) pasta, even to my authentic husband.

It's a good thing I've switched over to the pasta-indulgence category, now that I'm making many Rachael Ray (also Italian, of course) meals. She has been very helpful in cooking for a picky eater who adores tomatoes, tomatoes, pasta, and tomatoes.

I recently made her Chicken Parm Pasta Toss and it is a perfect, light summery meal, and fun to make...and eat! Viva Pasta!

5 Dollar Dinners

Recently, Rachael featured a woman who used to go to the grocery store without a list (horrors, I would lose my mind) and bought whatever, and racked up a hefty receipt every time. Then things got tight for her family of four, and the only budget item they could cut was food. She went to work clipping coupons and took the challenge of creating dinners for not simply $5 per person, but $5 per meal! She was so successful and saved so much money, she started a website called www.5dollardinners.com.

So, since as of yesterday's grocery run we were already over our food budget for the month (due to a Costco trip earlier in April, which is of course shaving dollars off each TJ's and Giant receipt), I thought it was a timely idea to consult the 5 Dollar Dinners website.

Last night I made the Beef and Lentil Bake, and besides being super simple, it was surprisingly tasty! Not to mention remarkably good for certain Stevenellies. I healthified it by making brown rice, and using ground bison as we didn't have the leftover shredded beef she used. I didn't honey the carrots; used olive oil and dill instead. Com'on, I can't ever follow a recipe to the T. It must be Nellified.

Anyway, I recommend this website and look forward to trying more cheapy, yummy dinners from it.

true dedication

And THIS post is dedicated to my dedicated Mommy:
After dedicating previous posts to all my other wonderful parents, I now pause to give praise where praise is certainly due. To my Mommy.

If we're going to talk about cooking, Rachael Ray holds nothing to my Mom, who made our family three square meals, with variety, every day for 30-something years. She breast-fed her three children, cooked and ground up (in those '70s white hand grinders) our baby food, and worked hard to give us wholesome meals before Whole Foods and organic markets where around. And she kept us from making bad food choices, like Fruit Loops (oh how good they tasted at camp though!), and enforced the "one sweet a day" rule, which I intend to carry on.

Every once in a while she would let on how hard it was to come up with a new meal every night. But she did it anyway. And in trying to teach Kerry and me to cook, she asked us to make one meal a week when we were in our 20's and living at home...but I don't think we did it that often. Sorry, Mom.

Now, 38 years into her marriage and industrious cooking career, she is more committed than ever to healthful eating and living. I have heard much of a certain Vegetable Soup that she makes in huge vats and eats every day for lunch. It's so good that Daddy eats it to, and raves about it. Somehow they don't get tired of it (now that's good soup!).

She even typed up many of our family's favorite recipes, printed them on big index cards, and made recipe boxes for me and Kerry, for Christmas recently. What a gift! In fact, I just used one of those little cards yesterday in making her Zucchini Casserole, which actually gets yummier the longer it's "leftover." Even picky eaters (not just Steve this time) said "mmm" to the zucchini.

Thank you for your legacy, Mommy. Your happy and healthy grandchildren will rise up to call you blessed, when their friends are flipped out on junk food and sick all the time. "Better is a meal of vegetables where love is, than a fattened calf and hatred therewith." But we got the vegetables, the fattened calf, AND lots and lots o' love. Thank you, Mommy.

Zucchini Casserole
1 lb. lean ground beef (or I tried ground bison this time and it was fabulous! less grisly and more flavorful, not to mention better for you than beef)
2 onions, chopped
2 T. oil
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 t. oregano
4 medium zucchini, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Brown meat in large Dutch oven. Drain and remove from pot. Saute onion in oil. (Or reverse those and cook together.) Return browned beef to pot. Add tomatoes, sauce, and green pepper. Simmer 10 min. Stir in cheddar cheese, salt, oregano. When cheese is melted, stire and then fold in zucchini. Simmer 5 min. Turn into shallow baking dish (9x13). Sprinkle parmesan cheese over casserole. Bake about 30 min (until bubbly) on 325 degrees.

thank you, Caesar

This post is dedicated to my "other" Mom and Dad:
Tonight I made Rachael's Caesar Lettuce Cups and they were so good, we don't have leftovers for tomorrow night like we usually do. But that's ok!

Of course, the Parmisiano Reggiano cheese made this meal, both on the croutons and in the chicken stir-fry part itself. I greeted Stevo at the door when he got home with a new kind of kiss: a homemade crouton made from ciabatta bread leftover from Easter dinner (thanks, Mamamia) and Parmisiano Reggiano cheese straight from Italy herself (thanks, Dad).

The result was a meal quite flavorful in every bite, even without the anchovies. (I knew I wasn't gonna pull that past my hubs.) Of course, Rach didn't show us how to roll the stir-fry inside the lettuce leaves without any falling out. Maybe you can experiment and let us know.

Ironically enough, our dinner discussion, falling on Tax Day and Tea Party Day, involved an unpacking of Jesus' words "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's." We will ungrudgingly render to Caesar the thanks due him for inspiring such a delicious meal!

chicken soup for the nose

Let me tell you about aromatherapy. It does not need to come from expensive candles and oils. My endorphins are bouncing around right now from the aromas flowing from my own kitchen, the product of my own hands. (There is nothing more satisfying right? Than enjoying the work of your hands.)

Fresh baking bread, roasting garlic, and boiling onions, bay leaves and chicken. I'm not sure there is a better savory combination in the whole of the universe, or at least, at this very minute, I am absolutely sure there isn't!

Stevo woke up with a sore throat this morning, poor guy, and somehow Rachael Ray knew. I made this Garlic-Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup for him tonight, along with some whole wheat bread in our new bread machine. It was my first time to roast garlic, and the results were not as good as the smell. I only got a very small amount of gooey garlic out of 3/4 of a clove, and will have to try again. The smell was worth it though!

This soup turned out really yum, with strong lemony-dill overtones. Stevey ate three bowls. In fact it's so good, you may want to fake a cold for an excuse to make it...

a walk through TJ's

I used to roll my eyes, inwardly of course, when my friends would say they got this frozen meal at Trader Joe's and that healthy snack at Trader Joe's and this appetizer for the party at Trader Joe's (I'm sorry, Kara).

Well, now that I have said neighborhood grocery store close by (or rather, now that I don't have a Giant in my basement)...and go every single week, and swear by them and rave about them and constantly recommend their products, I'd say I'm now part of the cult. Completely sucked in. Although I still refuse to buy the canvas reusable bags. There is a limit even for this addictive personality.

Whether you've been there or not (there are some people who have not yet been!), I'm sure you'll appreciate my recommendations as we do a virtual walk-through. And by the way, TJ's encourages its customers to try all their products; if you don't like something, you can take it back opened. I've done it.

Happily situated behind our little red cart, we first come to the bread section (after checking out the colorful and reasonably-priced cut flowers):

• multigrain sandwich bread with 6 (!!) grams of fiber per slice
• whole wheat artisan bread, very nice as breakfast toast or grilled cheese
• whole wheat naan, warmed in the microwave and paired with TJ's hummus you'll be transported to celestial realms
• whole wheat plain and cinnamon raisin "British muffins," very tasty as an egg-yolk dipper or with lots of crunchy peanut butter slathered on top

Now double back to the cereal section on the other side of the aisle:

• Maple-frosted Mini Wheats; my first bowl said it would be my only one, but somehow there was a second and I was hooked for life
• Shredded Spoonfuls, tastes like Life but much healthier
• Shredded Oats, full of fiber and crunch, and needs only a dash of sugar (organic of course)
  
• Autumn Wheat, not as good as the Maple-frosted but a good sub if they're out

(That is the only bad thing about TJ's: they do not always have everything in stock, but I think it's perhaps intentional; you know, the neighborhood market idea where you buy what they have that day.)

Continue down that side of the aisle to pick up your...

• steel cut oats: see April 3 post
  

Breeze past the fruit stand in the middle of the aisle for exotic fruit like kiwis and mangoes for cheaper prices than Giant

• Mini Pearl grape tomatoes, bright red and sweet all year 'round

In the next aisle, our (mostly my) favs are...

• 99 cent Rice Noodle Soup Bowl, and
• a small can of Alaskan pink salmon, to make my own version of Teaism's salmon ochazuke! using half of the salmon in the can for one bowl of soup, that's a healthy/yummy $2 lunch
• roasted flaxseed peanut butter, which has a nice crunch, funky texture, and added nutrition
• organic strawberry or apricot fruit spread, as good as preserves but better for you
• organic spaghetti sauce with mushrooms: this sauce even passes muster with my Italian hubby, savory and sweet and healthy to boot (don't worry, you can't taste the mushrooms)
• balsamic vinegarette, mm! it's got me on a kick right now, every night on my salad it's the balsamic or nothin'

Now for the Aisle of Temptation, that I often avoid altogether, the middle freezer and dessert aisle:

• stir-fry veggies on the left side, perfect for cashew chicken or whatever Asian dish you can sneak past the hubby
• pesto/veggie frozen pizza or spinach/feta frozen pizza: their frozen pizzas are fabulous and healthful too, and perfect for two; we keep on in the freezer at all times
• dunkers: I've resisted this temptation so far, especially because of the price, but dunked in hot chocolate they are out of this world
• cats cookies "for people," a low-fat treat

Now for the nut aisle:

• Simply the Best Trek Mix, one of the least expensive trail mixes and containing all the best stuff--almonds, cashews, dried pineapple, cranberries and tart cherries--without the sweet stuff (chocolate)
  
• strawberry and apple cereal bars, much cheaper than Nutrigrain
• Honey Sesame Almonds, worth every dollar, and a filling snack
• citrus shampoo/conditioner/body wash: smells yummy and so cheap!

And back for the home stretch down the meat and snack aisle:

• Mediterranean hummus, the best stuff you will ever sink your bread/cracker/carrot stick into
• peanut butter filled pretzels, a less guilty treat than combos and just as good
• garlic and parmesan croutons, a perfect mix with the balsamic

Last but by no means least, as we are waiting in line to check out, grab one of those orange-packaged 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate, which is much cheaper than the organic chocolate you were buying at Giant, to have on hand for every choc-attack. Dark chocolate is good for you! In moderation of course. And is an acquired taste. I didn't like it before, but once I heard it could help my fatigue (no joke! I have the article to prove it), I tried it again and am hooked for life. (I get hooked for life alot.)

Of course we get many more tasty items there, as our food bill attests, but these are some of our favs, and I feel like we're eating healthier and saving money when I shop there. Then I go to Giant for the rest of the stuff we need; an investment of time (Monday afternoons are sacred grocery shopping days), but I enjoy it.

whole wheat pancakes...that melt in your mouth!

This morning we had our favorite pancakes. Or I have dubbed them our favorite because they're both super healthy and super yummy!

Steve first discovered the recipe when we were newly married, but googling "whole wheat pancakes" of course. I was still in bed on a Saturday morning, my snoozing disturbed by an occassional shzzz shzz that sounded vaguely like the food processor, followed by the whir of the mixer.

When I came downstairs, there was Stevo, fixing pancakes. What a man! And not just any pancakes. It wasn't only young love that made them taste so good.

Here is the coveted recipe. Steve is very good at the mixing with a "few swift strokes." This morning, we halved the recipe, and I put together the dry ingredients and Steve the wet. We also like to add chopped walnuts to the batter and banana slices to the poured out pancakes (which Steve patiently covers with more batter, otherwise the 'nanas will stick to the pan). Steve eats his with his usual maple syrup and me with my usual agave nectar, which is just as good as syrup and healthy to boot.

The leftover pancakes save ok in the fridge. Make sure to dry them out on a cooling rack as thoroughly as you can (even if your husband laughs at you for it, thinking they are already cool...but you have to get that moisture out of the bottom!).

Yes, please steal this recipe, no matter where you are in your life or marriage.

TJ rec: steel cut oats

This post is dedicated to Daddy...
I've been eating eggs every morning for breakfast for much of my life, mostly because I love them and I must have the protein to make it (literally) to lunch. However, I just read a book on living longer (The Metabolic Plan) that recommended only 3-5 organic eggs per week for different reasons, so I decided to eat more "oaties" as we called them growing up.

I'd accidentally bought a carton of steel cut oats at Trader Joe's and it was sitting in my "pantry" (the laundry closet) until my Dad discovered them at Christmas and showed me that they were in fact edible and how to make them. But even the nutty, full-bodied taste test did not get me to start making them til recently.

If instant oatmeal doesn't fill you up, this will! In fact, I'm often too full because I couldn't stop eating that nutty, oaty goodness til I'd scraped the bottom of my cute little oatmeal bowl.

Don't be alarmed by how hard they are and how different they look from rolled oats. Just soak them in the pot with a little salt the night before, with about a 3-to-1 water to oat ratio. If you forget, as I sometimes do, you can still make them on the spot, it just takes longer. Simply add more water, bring them to a boil, and then simmer on low, covered, for about 10 minutes or according to package directions. Yes, "on low" is key, as the pot will bowl over if covered, even if you're standing there...even if you're standing there and it's already bowled over once just a minute ago. Well, if your name is Nellie at least.

When the oatmeal is soft and before all the water boils out, I pour it into my favorite oaties bowl, pile on some chopped walnuts and banana slices, squirt on some agave nectar (wonderful stuff, more maple-y than honey, and doesn't spike your blood sugar), stir it together, add some milk, and stir it again. Then I sit down to enjoy manna from heaven.