My Little Magpie

First it was my wallet.  Not just any wallet, but a really cool silver card case with scrolls etched into it.  I found it at White House|Black Market a few years ago and it's been my favorite ever since.  Missing for almost an entire week, my husband found it buried inside a bag of birdseed in our laundry room.

Then there's the chest of drawers.  When last I checked, the very bottom drawer was empty, with no trace of its former neatly folded sheets.  The drawer right above it held a toy tow truck, a banana-shaped baby toothbrush, and a can of chicken noodle soup (with egg noodles).

Dinobaby is getting into evvvvvverything.

Phone chargers and the battery charger for his baby monitors disappear the most often.  He thinks that they're phones for some reason and runs around the house in his little diaper, socks, and t-shirt with the charging unit against his ear and the wire tail trailing along behind him.  "HI?"  "HI!"

He also likes getting 'toys' out of the kitchen cabinets.  Lids are great for sliding against the floor tiles to make a funny noise.  The sieve can double as a hat or face mask (perhaps fencing and/or beekeeping are in his future?).  Measuring cups are fun to beat on with baby spoons.

I went to change out the clothes in the dryer last night after both of the guys fell asleep.  Not that I ever just leave clothes in the dryer and fish out whatever I need instead of folding things and putting them away.  Ahem.  I opened the dryer and started to transfer things into a hamper when I saw something shiny in between the socks and undies.  It was a spatula.  Thankfully, I'm pretty sure it got in there after the clothes were dry.

My husband caught Dinobaby washing his hands in the toilet last week, too. 

I'm sure you're thinking, "Why don't those idiots just babyproof their house?"  Well, we have.  Obviously, not as well as we thought we did.  We have cabinet locks and a brand new toilet lock.  A lock for the stove is on the grocery list as he's figured out that if you put both hands on the oven door's handle and pretend that you're on the monkey bars, it opens just like magic!  The kid's getting infinitely closer to being able to turn door knobs as well, so I keep praying that I'm fast enough to catch him before he locks himself in a room by mistake.

It's pretty funny 99.9% of the time, even if it's equally frustrating 99.8% of the time.  He's curious and persistent, inquisitive and adventurous.  The only thing he's afraid of is a stethoscope.

We hadn't actually experienced the not-at-all funny 0.1% until earlier tonight.  I wanted to use up the entire bunch of overripe frozen bananas that were crowding my freezer, so I found this lovely recipe for banana bread over at Tasty Kitchen (check out meeshiesmom's related blog post). 

I opened up the pantry to find some Pam for Baking which, by the way, I could sit and spray into the air and smell all day long.  It's like a mix of funnel cake smell and canned vanilla frosting.  Mmmm.  Anyway, in the couple minutes it took for me to get the Pam, find my loaf pan and a muffin tin, spray the things, and inhale the lingering frostingfunnelcake particles, Dinobaby had defeated the gauntlet blocking his entrance to the kitchen and fished out a bottle of Izze from the pantry floor. 

I looked down at him and realized that he was holding a glass bottle and he smiled up at me with his big brown eyes twinkling.  Immediately, I moved to take it away from him, knowing full well what could happen. 

Then, of course, it did happen. 

He dropped the bottle onto the tile floor and it absolutely shattered.

Thankfully he was still for the two seconds it took for me to step close enough to pick him up.  He was un-phased.  My husband swept him out of the kitchen to clean up his feet and legs just in case.  Did I mention that I was barefoot?

My pinkie toe was only slightly injured -- "It's just a flesh wound!" -- and Dinobaby was safe and sound with no shards of glass whatsoever.  The floor still needs vacuuming to pick up the tinier pieces that I wasn't able to see, but it was under control relatively fast.  It was kind of frightening, but things turned out alright.

Though it is kind of interesting to have proof that I'd happily walk across broken glass for my child.

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Last week, during my latest pumpkin kick, I found a recipe from the Whole Foods website Turkey Pumpkin Chili.  Skeptical of that flavor combination, I made sure to read all of the recipe's mixed reviews and cooked accordingly by adding quite a bit more spice.  The results of my spice experiment were a definite hit and I've made it again already.  This time, however, I paid a little more attention to measurements!

Keep in mind that this chili has beans in it, so it's not a true Texas chili.  That being said, I think it's definitely worth it for anyone to forgo their Texas elitism and try this out!  You won't be disappointed.  :)

Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1/2 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbs. chili powder
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 up to 1 whole can pumpkin puree (15 oz)
• 1 can diced green chilies (4 oz), with their liquid
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz), with their liquid
• 1 can-full of water (using tomato can)
• 2 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1 can pinto or dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:

In a dutch oven over medium low heat, brown the ground turkey and drain off any of the watery juices.  Move browned meat to one side of the pot and add the onion, cooking until translucent.  Add a little olive or canola oil if necessary.  Once the onions have softened, add bell peppers and seasonings -- salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin, and paprika.

Stir well and add in the pumpkin puree, chilies, tomatoes, water, tomato paste, and sugar.  Mix to combine, taste to make sure the seasonings are correct, and adjust accordingly. 

Simmer, covered, on low for an hour (or at least 30 minutes).  Serve with cheese and sour cream over rice or with tortilla chips.

~~~~~

My husband and I found out that the leftovers make for awesome nacho toppings as well.  Just lay out some chips on a foil-lined baking sheet, sprinkle with cheese and top with chili and salsa.  Broil for about two minutes until the cheese is melted and the chips are warmed through.  These babies made our Friday night date with Smallville was extra special.

Annnnd yes, we are nerds.  Don't judge, you know that you like the theme song.  Somebody saaaaaaaaaave me . . .

Xs and Os

Does anyone remember having 'reindeer antlers' as a kid?  You might have had 'bird's nests' around Easter time.  Either way, they were delicious and simply mounds of chocolate covered chow mein noodles.  They've been on my mind lately and the bag of noodles in the pantry was just begging to be drenched in chocolate.

Pair my need for chocolate covered anything with our economy sized double-box of Cheerios and my XOXO Mix was born...er, made...mixed into existence!

It's simple and prrretty darn delicious.

Chocolate Covered Xs and Os -- XOXO Mix

Ingredients:

• 1 cup toasted oat cereal (Cheerios)
• 1 cup chow mein noodles
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 2/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• Kosher salt

In a very large bowl, combine the cereal, noodles, coconut, cranberries, and almonds.  Toss to evenly distribute all of the goodies.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and butter, making sure to stir every 30 seconds until the mixture is smooth and shiny (about 1-1.5 minutes).

Drizzle the melted chocolate onto the cereal mixture and toss to coat.  Pour the mix onto a parchment lined sheet pan and spread into an even layer.  Sprinkle with a little salt and let sit until the chocolate has set.  Break into pieces and store in ziplock bags or airtight containers.

Two Recipes, One Can of Pumpkin

For some reason, the arrival of fall triggers something in my brain that tells me I HAVE to eat pumpkin.  Pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie.  This afternoon was gorgeous.  Balmy temperatures in the low 80s aren't really the beacons of fall for most people, but in Houston, they are!  Dinobaby and I spent the afternoon together (as if we don't spend every afternoon together) and enjoyed the breeze and sunshine.  On the drive home, I picked up my first pumpkin spice latte of the season and, once Dinobaby was sweetly napping, I savored every bit of that thing!

While baby was sleeping, I set out to think of ways to use up the canned pumpkin that I'd just stocked in the pantry.  Of course I could have baked, but I wanted something less time consuming and maybe a bit healthier, so here we have a snack time recipe and something for dinner.  Two (three?) recipes, one can of pureed pumpkin.


Spiced Pumpkin Dessert Pizzas

You'll need:

• Spiced Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread (recipe below)
• 2 Whole wheat English muffins
• Apple, grated or thinly sliced
  
• Golden raisins
• Cinnamon
• Brown sugar
• Pumpkin seeds
  
• Walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions:
Toast English muffins to your desired crunchiness.  Lately I've been toasting them whole, then again after separating the two sides, but make them as toasty as you like.

Spread each half with Spiced Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread then top with any combination of your favorite toppings.  Apple and cinnamon.  Brown sugar and pumpkin seeds with the sugar melted under the broiler.  Walnuts and raisins.

I thought it would be cute and more fun for kiddos to grate the apple since I'm calling these dessert pizzas -- you've got your pumpkin 'sauce' and apples stand in for the mozzarella.  Top it off with any combination of goodies and enjoy!  

Serves 4, with leftover pumpkin spread for later in the week.

Spiced Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread Enjoy as a dip for apples, pretzels, etc. too!

• 5 oz. reduced fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 3 Tbs. pureed pumpkin, fresh or canned
• 2 Tbs. pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

Blend all ingredients together with a hand mixer until smooth and the spices and pumpkin are well incorporated.  Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

~~~~~

For dinner, I used up the remaining pumpkin puree with this tasty, yet heavily modified recipe from the Whole Foods website.  It worked well as a base recipe for experimentation and the results garnered a 10/10 from my husband ("As in, I'd eat this everyday.")!

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

The reviews complained that the chili lacked enough spice, so I nearly tripled the amount of chili powder (I didn't have jalapeños on hand), doubled the cumin, and added some garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, and a dash of cinnamon.  Serve with cheese, sour cream, simple guacamole, or chips.  If you test this one out, I'd encourage you to spice and taste until you find the most pleasing mix of flavors.  I was happy that I did.

Dinner Salad

For a dinner-worthy salad, all on its own, combine:

• Organic baby greens 
• Yellow & orange mini bell peppers, sliced into 1/4" rings (Use as many as you like, especially if you have a ginormous bag of them from Sam's like I do.)
• Fresh raspberries
• One half of an avocado, cut into chunks
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sliced almonds
• A sprinkling of fried chow mein noodles (It offsets the health factor a little, but the crunch is nice!)
• Feta cheese, optional

Drizzle with a little poppy seed dressing and enjoy!  The raspberries are a little sweet and a little tart and the creamy avocado really lends itself to the whole salad like a dressing.  I just ate a huge bowl of this salad accompanied by a piece of garlic bread made from a bolillo.  I'm quite the happy camper!

Simple Gingered Pineapple Cake

Since we've started getting half-shares from our local organic co-op every week or two, we often have a whole pineapple sitting around waiting to be eaten.  My husband isn't a big fan and Dinobaby can't really have it yet because of the high acidity, so it leaves all of our pineapple consumption up to me! 

We have a fresh new pineapple ripening on the counter, so I needed to use up some of last week's and this is what I came up with: Gingered Pineapple Cake!  Thanks to a lovely clearance end cap at Target, I had a box of yellow cake mix in the pantry (that only cost $0.90!  And I promise it wasn't expired.), so I figured some sort of pineapple upside down something was in order. 

I realize that the cake part probably negates about 89.99% of the fruit's natural organic goodness, but c'mon.  Everybody needs some cake every once in a while!  Well, at least I do.

The results of my experiment?  Somewhat close to heavenly.  I've had to stop myself several times from standing over the cake pan with a fork saying, "Mommy's watching you from the kitchen!  No, baby.  Get down from there!  *Om nom nom*."  It's funny what a cake can do.

Simple Gingered Pineapple Cake
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Fresh Chopped Pineapple
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar, Packed
• 1-½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 (generous) pinch Ground Ginger
• 1 Tablespoon Butter, For The Pineapple Mixture
• 1 box Butter Recipe Yellow Cake Mix, 18.25oz (I Used Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Golden)
• 3 whole Eggs (according To Package Directions)
• ½ cups Butter, Softened (according To Package Directions)
• ⅔ cups Water (according To Package Directions)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Spray a 13×9 glass baking dish with non-stick spray for baking or grease and lightly flour.

In a skillet over medium low heat, combine pineapple, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and butter. It’s best if the pineapple was able to sit in a bowl a little after it was chopped to release some of its juices — the juice will help dissolve the brown sugar. If not, add a couple teaspoons of water to help things along. Let the pineapple come to a low boil.

While the skillet is bubbling, prepare the cake mix according to the package directions with the eggs, softened butter, and water. Make sure to beat until the batter is light and fluffy.

Once the batter is ready, pour the pineapple mixture into the bottom of the cake pan and spread evenly. Top with the cake batter and smooth the batter so that all of the pineapple chunks are hidden.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool for 15 minutes in the pan over a wire rack, then serve with milk, fresh whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Roasted Eggplant & Squash Macaroni (Plus a Recipe for the Leftovers)

I had the presence of mind to make sure we ordered a half-share from the organic co-op just before my surgery so we'd have plenty of fresh fruits and veggies around to help me recover.  There was an abundance of black plums which I inhaled as fast as I could and we discovered that, like his mom, Dinobaby is a fan (not so much of nectarines though).  We also had our pick of some extra veggies and I was so excited to pick out a shiny, plump eggplant. 

Post-op, I realized that my beautiful eggplant was languishing in our vegetable drawer and I was determined to use it and some yellow summer squash before they started to get spotty.  I was lucky that it fell in between the period of me feeling like a zombie from the general anesthesia and therefore wanting to get up and move and the subsequent soreness from the actual surgery.  There was a small window of feeling great, and I was perky enough to make some dinner!

Roasted Eggplant & Squash Macaroni
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 whole Eggplant
• 2 whole Medium To Large Yellow Squash AND/OR Zucchini
• 1-½ Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1-½ teaspoon Dried Rosemary
• 1 jar Marinara Sauce (24oz -- I Used Paul Newman's Organic Marinara)
• 1 box Whole Grain Elbow Pasta (14.5 Oz Box)
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley
• ¼ cups Half-and-half
• 1 can Quartered Artichoke Hearts (14 Oz), Drained And Rinsed
• ¼ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Wash and dry eggplant and cut into 1/2″ rounds. Place slices onto a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Let sit for at least five minutes (but up to overnight) so that the eggplant will sweat and lose its bitter flavor.

While the eggplant is sitting, cut yellow squash into 1/2″ – 1 inch cubes.
When the eggplant has released its juices, rinse the slices with a little cold water and pat dry, then cut into 1 inch cubes.

Pour the chopped veggies onto a foil-lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Crush the rosemary leaves a little with your fingers and add to the veggies. Stir to make sure the squash and eggplant are well coated and place the baking sheet in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring once after 15 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat the entire jar of marinara sauce in a small pot. In another pot, prepare pasta according to the package directions, cooking for about 7 minutes.

To the pot of marinara sauce, add the fresh chopped parsley and half and half, and the drained and rinsed artichoke hearts.
When the roasted veggies are tender and caramelized and the pasta is cooked, combine the vegetables, pasta, and sauce together with the grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Serves 8.

***

If you have leftovers, make this easy pasta bake for lunch to change things up a bit!

Roasted Eggplant & Squash Pasta Bake
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• ½ Recipe For Roasted Eggplant & Squash Macaroni (see above)
• 1 Tablespoon Half-and-half
• ¼ cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 4 slices Provolone Cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour leftover pasta into an un-greased casserole dish and spread into an even layer. Pour the half and half over the pasta to prevent it from drying out in the oven.

Cut provolone slices into halves and layer on top of the pasta with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes and serve.

Serves 4, or 3 hungry adults and a 10 month old!

Hawaiian Chicken

This dish is easy and delicious.  I started searching for Hawaiian chicken recipes about a year ago when I was very pregnant and very hungry for the little bowls of rice and chicken that the Hawaiian/Pacific Islander student club would sell on the steps of my college student center.  The chicken was shredded but juicy, salty and sweet, and a perfect match for steamed white rice.

An online search lead me to a couple of recipes for "shoyu" or soy sauce chicken, and I tweaked them into a combination recipe inspired by multiple sources.  Here is my version of some Hawaiian comfort food which can be simmered away in a dutch oven on the stove top, or forgotten about for a few hours in a slow cooker -- both lead to succulent results!

Hawaiian Chicken
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cooking Time:  2 hours in dutch oven; 6 hours in a slow cooker

Ingredients:

• ¾ cups Low sodium soy sauce
• ½ cups Vinegar (apple cider vinegar works well)
• ¼ cups Pineapple juice
• ¾ cups Brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon Ground ginger
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1-½ cup Water
• 1 pound Boneless skinless chicken breasts OR 8-12 bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 cup Crimini mushrooms, very thinly sliced
• 1 can Sliced water chestnuts (Optional)
• 1 small can Pineapple, crushed or in chunks (Optional; use the juice for your ¼ cups pineapple juice!)

Directions:

For a slow cooker:

• In a separate work bowl, whisk together the first seven ingredients.  
• Add chicken and mushrooms to the basin of the slow cooker.  Add pineapple and water chestnuts, if using.
• Pour sauce over the chicken and mushrooms, cover, and cook on low heat for 6 hours or until chicken is tender and easily shredded.

For a Dutch oven:

• In a Dutch oven over low heat, add soy sauce, vinegar, pineapple juice, brown sugar and ginger. Stir to combine and heat just long enough for the sugar to dissolve. Add chopped garlic, water, and chicken. Turn chicken to coat.

• Bring to a boil and skim off and discard any foam that rises to the top. Reduce heat to low and simmer with the lid closed for 45 minutes to an hour.

• At this point, stir or flip chicken pieces so that the opposite side is immersed in the sauce. Add mushrooms, and pineapple and water chestnuts, if using.  Stir and cover. Cook an additional 45 minutes to an hour or until the chicken is easily shredded with two forks.

• Shred chicken and stir. If using chicken thighs, remove the chicken to a plate, shred, discard bones, and return the meat to the sauce.

Serve over steamed or brown rice and enjoy! 

Agua de Piña (Pineapple Water Cooler)

One of the benefits of living in Texas is the abundance of Mexican food.  It wasn't until a few years ago, however, that I was introduced to aguas frescas.  Aguas frescas are sweet, refreshing drinks made with fresh fruit and chilled water.  It's very likely that you won't find them at your typical Tex-Mex place, but they pair wonderfully with cheap, delicious taqueria tacos and quesadillas.

My undying love for aguas frescas seems to oscillate between two particular flavors: pineapple, or agua de piña, and limonada, sweet and sour Mexican limeade.  Last week I had an organic pineapple in my possession and I decided that it was finally time to make my own agua de piña.  The results were fantastic!

(I've been trying to wean myself off of overly sugary things lately and, in my own weird logic, I concluded that making agua de piña would end up containing less sugar than if I made my own limonada.  Who knows if this was correct, but my pineapple water was worth the blood sugar spike!)

 Agua de Piña (Pineapple Water Cooler)

• 1 whole small ripe pineapple
• 6 cups cold water, plus additional water for blending
• ¾ cups white sugar (You'll need between 2 Tablespoons and 3/4 cups, depending on how sweet/tart the pineapple is)

1. Prepare the pineapple by removing the rind and eyes and cut it into sections. Remove the tough core, chew on it to your heart’s content, or discard. Cut pineapple into chunks. My smallish pineapple yielded about 4 cups of chopped fruit.
2. In a blender, add pineapple chunks and just enough water to blend smoothly, about 1/4 cups water for each cup of fruit. Blend until the fruit is smooth, frothy, and light yellow in color.
3. Place a fine-meshed sieve over a pitcher and strain the pineapple blend, stirring gently to help the liquid pass through the sieve. Once you have strained all of the pineapple liquids into the pitcher, discard the foamy pulp left in the strainer and skim off and discard any foam floating in the pitcher.
4. Add six cups of cold water to the pitcher and stir well. Add between 2 Tablespoons and 3/4 cups of white sugar to sweeten the mixture, depending on the tartness/sweetness of your pineapple and your taste. For my pineapple, I used a scant 1/4 cup of sugar. The drink should be sweet in a natural fruit kind of way, not in a Kool-Aid kind of way!
5. Chill in the refrigerator until very cold. Mix well just before serving and serve over ice.