Who Needs Birthday Cake?

My oldest son is now a teenager. Wow! I'm not sure what I was expecting, some sort of sudden onset of moodiness and emotions, but he's still pretty normal, so I'm counting my blessings for now.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he's going to be in high school soon, doing all the high-school-y things that kids do. I'm not really ready for that...

The thing about Max is that he's never been much of a cake guy. He likes cake, kind of, but doesn't really like frosting (I know, sacrilege!). He gets my creative juices flowing, though, to figure out something fun to celebrate his birthday, but with something that's not cake.

In the past, I've made a cookie cake (cookies stacked in layers with whipped cream, sort of like an ice box cake), ice cream cake (this one I made for Elliot, but I made one for Max with chocolate cake, peanut butter ice cream, and Reese's peanut butter cups chopped and scattered on top), and had root beer floats. This year, we had three different celebrations (family, then a sleepover with friends, then a larger neighborhood families party), so my challenge was particularly difficult. Luckily, Max had an idea of what he wanted, so I just had to figure out the execution.

For our family night, we had molten lava cakes with strawberry filling. Basically, I made a generic molten lava cake but added a teaspoon of strawberry sundae topping to the middle of the cake (1/4 cup of batter in the ramekin, then teaspoon of topping, then another 1/4-1/3 cup of batter on top). I love lava cakes, because you can prepare them ahead of time (like, hours) and put the ramekins in the fridge until you are ready to bake. And people love individual dessert. :-) Served it with vanilla bean ice cream, whipped cream and more strawberry sauce on top. Although I prefer the traditional molten lava cake, Max seemed to really like it, so I'll call it a win!

The next night, we went a little bit over the top. I made a skillet brownie (the linked recipe is the one I used, cutting the chocolate chips in half and adding 1/2 cup peanut butter chips),  then topped it off with vanilla ice cream, homemade chocolate and peanut butter sauces, whipped cream (natch!), chopped peanuts and chopped dark chocolate. Oh my word! That was GOOD!

Finally, for the larger party (about 10 kids and 11 adults), we did a sundae bar with different ice creams, fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries), cookies, chocolate chips, nuts, sprinkles, whipped cream and lots of different sauces. It was a lot of fun, and the kids really enjoyed it! Unfortunately, I apparently didn't take a picture of the sundae spread, although I swear I did. The sundae bar was pretty easy, since it kind of built from the previous festivities. For Max's sleepover, we did a pancake bar, where I made pancakes and we had different syrups and fruits to put on top. We had stuff left over, so pretty much everything was already prepped for the ice cream sundaes (I did cheat and used canned whipped topping, because it's easy and fun - the kids could put their own on). :-)

What are your alternatives to birthday cake? I would love to hear about your ideas!

Sunny Summer Lemon Bars

I don't know what it is, maybe the color, maybe the refreshing taste of citrus, but lemons always equal summer to me. I use a ton of them, from slices in my water or iced tea, to squeezing over salad for a refreshing alternative to dressing, I buy them by the bagful when the weather starts to heat up.

One of my favorite summer treats are lemon bars. The creamy, tart filling with the rich, buttery crust is irresistible! So when I saw a recipe posted on the New York Times website, I had to give it a try. This particular recipe is a little different from the one I normally make, in that it uses egg yolks in addition to regular eggs and olive oil as the surprise ingredient. They were also sprinkled with a touch of sea salt. The technique was also different, because it called for cooking the filling, essentially making a curd, before you poured it over the crust and baked for a little bit longer.

As you might be able to tell from the photo, this version has a much deeper yellow color, thanks to the egg yolks. It also called for adding lemon zest to the crust as well as the filling. I found, however, that you really couldn't taste the lemon in the crust, since the filling had such a strong lemon flavor. If my family's reaction was any indication, you can save your olive oil for salad dressing (or maybe these little cakes), because only one out of three preferred this kind of bar. It was good, but overly rich -- too rich for something lemony, in my opinion.


Just for comparison, I made the version from my Cook's Illustrated cookbook (an excellent book, by the way - it's a great, basic cookbook). The sacrifices I make for you people! LOL! This recipe was more traditional (at least for the lemon bars I've been exposed to) in that you whisk all the filling ingredients together and pour directly onto the hot crust, then bake (be careful transferring the pan back into the oven!) until the filling is set. Martha Stewart has a recipe that's very similar (just cut the sugar back a little and add lemon zest from one lemon to the filling). I preferred this version. I thought it was a cleaner citrus taste and the crust was lighter (flakier?).

If you love lemon bars as much as I do, maybe you would like to try these, too. Let me know what you think!

Of Soccer Losses and Seafood

So this weekend, we had to drive a gazillion miles away to my son's soccer game (thank you , travel soccer schedulers), to the western shore of Chesapeake Bay.  Not to complain or anything, but neither team was even from that area (the other team had to drive an hour to get there as well). How does that make sense? To top it off, the boys lost their game, although they did rally in the second half and ended strong. The bright side is that they lost less badly this time than they did the last time they played this same team, so there's that. I'm a "glass-half-full" kind of gal. ;-)

The upside of the game's location was that it was near some of the best seafood ever, so all was not lost. Wanting to make lemonade out of lemons, we asked if anyone knew of a good seafood place we could hit for lunch on the way home. One of the parents knew of a place in Deale, Maryland and gave us directions. Luckily, we had GPS, because the directions he gave us were less than accurate. Skipper's Pier was kind of out of the way (about 8 miles off of the route we needed to take home), but it was worth it! Right on the water, it was a beautiful day to enjoy fresh seafood and watch boats coming in and out of the docks.

The staff was friendly, and they were able to seat us right away, even if it was inside (there was a 30 minute wait for an outdoor table and we were too hungry for that). We started out with an order of fried pickles that came out piping hot (of course I burned my tongue!) and I had a lovely, if strong, cocktail called a Cape Cod Crush (basically a Cape Cod in a mason jar with lots of ice).

For entrees, my husband and older son went with crab cakes, my youngest ordered a huge seafood platter (enough for two, really) and I got the fish tacos.

It was all delicious. The crab cakes were packed with a ton of crab meat and very little filler, cooked perfectly. I loved my fish tacos, even if they were made with tilapia, rather than a local fish. And Elliot's seafood platter was amazing!! Fried oysters, shrimp, mini-crab cakes and tilapia with french fries, coleslaw, cocktail sauce and remoulade. Like I said, it was enough for two. Had I known, I totally would have shared it with him!

All-in-all, it was a nice afternoon, with gorgeous weather and tasty food, so we'll still put the day in the "win" column. Tell me what your favorite seafood place is!

Community and Derby Day

The neighborhood in which I live is awesome for many reasons. One of those reasons is the annual gatherings that different people host. For example, in the winter we have Christmukkah and Super Bowl parties. In the Fall, we have cupcakes on the first day of school (mimosas on the first morning after the kids get on the bus). And in the spring we have Derby Day.

Derby Day is basically a block party with a theme. We close down part of our street (with permission from the HOA, of course) and the kids like to ride their bikes around in the street while we set up. There is always great food! This year, I made the traditional Hot Brown sandwiches, but miniaturized. I also made a lime pie (I would call it "key lime", but that would be misleading, as I used plain old, regular limes). But I love that everyone comes together and contributes. It's the first big party after winter, and everyone is ready to come out and enjoy the weather. This year we had beautiful, clear skies, so we really lucked out. Previous years we have not been so lucky, but we won't dwell on that!

Hot Browns are a tradition at the Kentucky Derby and were created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. They are sandwiches with turkey, tomato, bacon and a cheese sauce, which puts them over the top and just messy enough to be fun. Traditionally served open-faced, I found a mini version that is better for eating at a block party. Rachel Ray supplied the recipe, which appears in the May edition of Every Day with Rachel Ray (which isn't available on-line yet).

 

And (key) lime pie, just because I like it. I'm not sure if it is a Kentucky Derby tradition, but it should be! For the recipe, click here. Bon Appetit claims it's their best Key Lime Pie recipe, and from the rave reviews I got at the party, I would have to agree. It's really an easy recipe to make as well (and I'm not much of a pie maker).

 More food photos from the day:

Wings, of course!

Loved the horsey-themed cupcakes!

 Mint juleps, because it's tradition, not because they are particularly tasty (at least to me).

Ham and biscuits, alongside the  not-so-traditional, but very popular taquitos (Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, so it's all good!).

 But almost as important as the food is the sense of community that these types of gatherings develop. In an age where people are feeling more and more disconnected (or think that Facebook is just as good as in-person relationships) with their neighbors, this type of gathering seems more of an exception than the rule anymore. People who join us from outside the neighborhood are surprised that this kind of thing happens at all, but it says a lot about the type of people that seem to be attracted to our neighborhood, because these types of gatherings happen all the time. I also think part of it has to do with all the sidewalks and front porches, where people regularly see each other, invite folks to "set a while" and you wave "hello" to people on the street, whether you actually know them or not.

I am so grateful that our kids are able to experience the kind of childhood I had -- spending hours outside, unstructured and with limited adult supervision (glances from the porch or the kitchen window, mostly) to allow them to develop their independence and decision-making skills without us parents hovering over them every second of the day. If I may say it, our neighborhood is like a latter day Mayberry RFD. We wouldn't want to live anywhere else!

On Kitchen Gadgets

For Spring Break, our family went to Arizona. It was the first time for me and the kids, while my husband hasn't been there since he was a kid, so it was like the first time for him, too.  We were visiting my folks, who escape Minnesota's harsh winters by staying down there for a few months each year.  And, given the cold (at least for Virginia) winter we'd had, it was nice to be in someplace warm for a couple of days. Also, my youngest son had to do a "Flat Stanley" project, so this would definitely get him further away than the East Coast. :-) It was a winning prospect all around!

Here are a few photos from the trip:

Cactus-filled vistas

Old Spanish Mission

Eating dried crickets. Supposedly they were sour cream and onion flavored, but I just tasted crunchiness.  This kid won't eat cooked carrots, but he's game to try crickets. I don't get it.

 I'm sure you're saying, "Yes, Marna, that's a lovely travelogue, but what does this have to do with kitchen gadgets?" Well, I'm getting to that.

The first night we were there, my mom presented me with a few items she picked up for me at some local kitchen store. While I definitely appreciated the sentiment, in my head I was thinking, "I am NOT a gadget person." Really, mom, cannoli forms? The things I buy tend to be multi-purpose items, as I can't stand rummaging around in a drawer full of unused gadgets to get to the one or two that I actually use.  Mom offered to take me to the store, in case there was something else I wanted instead, and I readily agreed. While I don't generally buy gadgets, I do like nosing around kitchen supply stores. So much kitchen-y stuff! And spices! And dishes! And....All of it!

So, we went down to Tuma Cookery, in Tubac, Arizona (the little shopping plaza is pictured above). It was a lovely store, with an impressive variety of items. I am sad that I didn't buy one of their mole spice mixes, but I did come home with a great gadget that I've already used a number of times since we came back. I actually did get a couple of other items, too, that we had been needing, including a jar opener, which I have also used. The leaf stripper, however, has changed my life! Okay, maybe not changed my life, but it has definitely made some tedious tasks much less so. It's a Chef'n Kale, Chard, Collard Greens and Herb Stripper. An accurate, if inelegant, name for this tool.

Here's some video of me using it (my son took the video from my phone, so it's not the greatest quality):

Y'all, it's awesome! It just zips off thyme leaves like nothing, and pulling the leaves off of kale is super easy now! Since my youngest son likes kale chips, I'll be more inclined to make them now. Before, it was such a pain to pull all the leaves off the stems, but now I don't even mind it! So awesome!! Plus, it doesn't take up much room in my drawer. There is no down side to this product!  Like I said, I am not a gadget person, but when I do find something that I think will help people in the kitchen, I will spread the good news! Get yourselves one of these little gems!  Oh, and I did keep the cannoli forms...What can I say? I'm weak.  :-)

Snow Day Bonus: Loafin' Around

Yesterday, we got almost 10 inches of snow, and this morning we had a record low recorded at the airport near our house. The kids have been in school exactly 2 days this week, and it seems as if they haven't been in school a full week since January. It's been rough.








This is what it looked like outside out house yesterday morning. It snowed for another 3 hours after this.

You would think that with this forced indoors activity, I would be wildly productive, but you would be wrong. I do have lovely, uncalloused heels (home pedicures each week) and have gotten sucked into reruns of Supernatural. I keep telling myself that I'll just watch to see if Dean actually goes to hell or if they figure out a way to get him out of his contract with the demon, Lillith. Like I said, it's been rough.

Previous years, I would have been doing a lot of baking, but in an attempt to not gain a bazillion pounds each winter, I have tried not to bake as much. That control ended yesterday when I went on a baking binge. All carbs all day, people.

I did not make anything original, but I had been saving a couple of these recipes for a while to try out. The top loaf is a Chocolate-Coconut Poundcake from Bon Appetit. As pretty as it looks, it was amazingly easy, and contains coconut oil, which makes it almost healthy (not really). The middle loaf (the recipe actually makes 2 loaves) is Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread. The one I was really excited about was the bottom loaf, Rustic Chocolate Chip Tea Bread. I saw it in yesterday's Washington Post. It's tasty and quite easy to make, using one bowl and a liquid measuring cup. The kids loved it and were a little disappointed that my friends ate the rest of the loaf when they came over for an impromptu happy hour last night. I promised to make more soon -- it's that easy!

Hope it is warm and sunny where you are, and if it's not, pray for spring to some soon!

Cheers!

Meatless Mondays

First off, I know I am not posting this on a Monday, but maybe posting it in time for YOU to make for your next "Meatless Monday!" So don't mock me. I had posted a picture on Facebook about this, and people were asking for the recipe, so I didn't want to wait until Monday.

I have been looking for ways to eat healthier, for me AND my family. One way to eat healthier is to eat less meat, so I am striving for our family to eat at least two meatless meals each week (I won't even add that it's cheaper and more environmentally friendly oh wait, I just did). I am also, however, trying to eat less refined carbs (flour, sugar), so just trotting out some pasta with tomato sauce isn't going to cut it.

The other day, I came across a recipe for Curried Chick Peas with Spinach. It looked really good, so I thought I would give it a shot. I did, however, tweak it a little, because...well, it's me and I have a hard time following a recipe the way it's written. I did provide the link to the recipe that inspired mine, so feel free to look at both and try the one that you might like the best. Or try both. Let me know which one you preferred. I promise I won't take it personally. LOL

I don't know which is healthier, but I had a bunch of kale, so I swapped that out for the spinach, and I
used dried chick peas (soaked first, of course). I also didn't have any curry powder, but I did have red curry paste, so I used that instead. I added a can of unsweetened coconut milk to it too, just for good measure. So, below, is my version. It came out really well, and even the kids ate it. Confession: Elliot just ate the rice and chick peas, but I still call that a win.  :-)

Soak dried chick peas overnight (I used half of a 16 oz package). Then, you have to boil them in clean water until they are soft. If you skip this step, you will end up cooking the curry for about 45 minutes (don't ask how I know this). Or, you can just use canned.









 Chick Pea Curry with Kale

Ingredients:

1 lb of kale, washed
2 Tbsp. oil, divided (I used olive oil, but coconut oil would be good in this, too)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp chopped ginger
Salt (I use kosher) and pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp red curry paste
2 15 oz cans chick peas, rinsed (or soak dried beans overnight, cook until soft)
1 28 oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes
1 15 oz can of unsweetened coconut milk
Steamed rice, for serving

Heat one Tbsp of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add kale to the skillet in batches, cooking until bright green and slightly wilted. When cooked, transfer to a food processor. After all the kale has been cooked and transferred to the food processor, pulse in processor to finely chop up the kale. You may have to stop and scrape down the kale a couple of times.

Heat remaining Tbsp of oil in the same skillet you used to cook the kale. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add red curry paste and stir until paste is fragrant, then add chick peas and tomatoes,with their juices, to the skillet, squeezing the tomatoes to break them up a bit. Cook the chick peas and tomatoes for 10 minutes, then add the kale puree. Cook for 10 minutes more (make sure the tomatoes have cooked down and the chick peas are soft), then add the coconut milk. Heat through until the sauce is smooth and there are no chunky bits from the coconut milk.
















Serve over steamed rice.

This makes a large amount. The four of us had generous portions, and there's probably enough for another night, so let's say this makes 8 servings, but could be stretched further if you serve with more rice. :-)