Light and Momentary Troubles

Over the past two weeks:

• Abigail got a bad cold that started with a fever of 103,
• Abigail was teething and fussy and stopped eating solid food,
• Jesse went to a GI doctor again,
• Jesse got a referral to an allergist for his severe eczema to see if he has a food allergy,
• Jesse got the stomach flu,
• Jesse developed hives in his eczema (food allergy looking likely),
• Jesse fell off of the ladder at the playground today and needed four stitches at the ER,
• and Val and Owen are tired.

The funny thing is, though I am as prone to bouts of self-pity as the next girl (or even more so), I have to say that we have been so blessed through all of this.  There were so many mercies mixed in with the suffering:

• Abigail slept well at night through most of her teething and sickness--and though her naptimes were pretty bad at times, she has remained remarkably pleasant,
• Abigail has been more than happy to nurse to make up for the solid food she's not eating,
• Jesse got a great report from the GI doctor--it's not looking like there's a problem after all,
• Jesse's doctor immediately suggested he may have a food allergy before I even started my arguments for the battle to convince him that I had planned,
• No one else got the stomach flu, and it's been a while at this point--and Jesse getting the stomach flu and going back to simple foods may actually help us identify his food allergy,
• The staff at the hospital was great and helped us amazingly quickly, Abigail slept two hours through the entire Emergency Room time and it was at a time when she ordinarily wouldn't have taken a nap at all, Jesse held up better than I would have guessed he could and isn't in pain,
• and Val and Owen are feeling thankful.

Beef Cubes and Green Beans over Mashed Potatoes

This was a really, really good and really, really easy recipe.  I made it up at 4:30 because I needed something and kept adding as I went.  I started with the beef cubes I'd defrosted in the morning with no plan for what to do with them, and really, it was about as easy as it gets.  I'm actually blogging about it so I can remember it for next time.

Disclaimer:  Nothing is measured, this is a guess of how much I used.

beef cubes (~1 and 1/2 lb.)
thin sliced onion (1/2)
one to two quarts green beans (frozen is fine--I have frozen quart bags of summer green beans)
2-3 T brown mustard
2 T worchesterchire
1-2 T soy sauce
1/2 - 3/4 c white wine
2 T rice wine vinegar

Boil water with the potatoes in it.  The mashed potatoes took the longest of anything.   

Saute the beef cubes in a little olive oil on low heat.  When they're mostly cooked but not quite all the way, add the liquid ingredients above (I mixed them all together briskly before adding them).  Then I added the onion, and when it was simmering I added the frozen green beans.  The beef was ready before the mashed potatoes. 

Then I made the mashed potatoes and served.  It was easy.  I had baked apples for dessert which was nice.

Tell me how it turned out when you made it!  Did you tweak it at all?  What did you serve it with?

Baby Food Time

I realized when Abigail hit 6 months that I really wasn't ready for the baby food making thing again.  It all seemed so time consuming, but then, I did it before, right?  I know objectively that I did, but it's a bit of a blur.  So I felt the need to brush up on it, so I went ahead and bought Ruth Yaron's Super Baby Food book (with Micah, I just guessed with what to feed him, and I printed out a list from a website I was never able to find again; with Jesse, I asked my friend who had bought Yaron's book; with Abigail, I found this book used for about $6.00 and decided to buy it).  I found great glass storage containers with lids this time, and I contacted Rubber Maid and found out that my old ice cube trays are already BPA free (who knew?).  Anyway, the cooking and freezing of the food was a little bit of a no-brainer.  But I have to say the hardest part this time was using the microwave on every one of her meals before feeding her.  I mean, we do use a microwave--but for every food she eats?  That bothered me.  So I had to share my warming up method, I don't know how I came up with it.  I take the ice cubes out of the freezer ahead of time and put them in the refrigerator in a container for the next day or two.  When I'm ready to use one, I put it in a bowl and set the bowl ontop of the teapot.  I find that if I just heat water in the teapot until the water boils, the food is the perfect temperature. 

Another New Tilapia Recipe

So dinner tonight was so good!

I wanted to combine the craisins I picked up at the store today with pistachios and put them on my tilapia.  I did, but first I found Miami Mojo's blog and she suggested coating the fish with honey mustard first.  I didn't have any, so I drizzled olive oil, mustard, and maple syrup (we're getting our gallon of honey tomorrow, I was out) on the tilapia.  Then I sprinkled the ground pistachios and craisins on top.  It was really good.  I served it with sweet potatoes, sauted spinach, and sliced avocado.  It was a real hit with the boys, they ate a lot of everything. 

Snow Daze

Frankly, we're getting about all the snow days we can handle around here.  Certainly all I can handle.  Today we had no pre-school due to freezing rain.  Thought I'd include a picturesque photo from the last real snow instead of a dreary cabin-fevered shot of us.  I know what some of you are thinking, "Wow, Val doesn't post for a week or more, and then she does a bunch at once.  Must be related to her spastic personality type."  Look out, I actually may even post about dinner tonight.  It was just too good.

Seed Order Time

On the off-chance that it will help someone, here is a copy of my seed order to Fedco Seeds (a very affordable seed cooperative which provides non-genetically modified seeds especially suited for the Northeast U.S.)  Their website is a bit daunting, admittedly, but you can order online and my shipping was free.  I didn't order french breakfast radishes, green beans, or arugula because I already have a shocking supply of each.  A few of the odder varieties below make impressive claims to doing well in winter. 

The order:

1226 - National Pickling Cucumber ( A=1/16oz) 1 x $0.80 = $0.80
1232 - Calypso Pickling Cucumber ( A=1/16oz) 1 x $1.00 = $1.00
1402 - Eight Ball Zucchini ( A=1/8oz) 1 x $1.70 = $1.70
1409 - Raven Zucchini ( A=1/8oz) 1 x $1.80 = $1.80
2042 - Scarlet Nantes Carrot ( B=1/2oz) 1 x $2.50 = $2.50
2551 - Tyee Spinach OG ( B=1/2oz) 1 x $2.40 = $2.40
2712 - Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce OG ( A=2g) 1 x $0.90 = $0.90
2731 - Cracoviensis Lettuce OG ( A=1g) 1 x $1.20 = $1.20
2786 - Red Tinged Winter Lettuce OG/BD ( B=2g) 1 x $2.60 = $2.60
2791 - Tango Lettuce OG ( B=2g) 1 x $2.00 = $2.00
2992 - Mesclun ( C=4g) 1 x $3.20 = $3.20
3034 - Perpetual Spinach or Leaf Beet ( C=1/2oz) 1 x $2.60 = $2.60
3036 - Bright Lights Chard ( B=1/8oz) 1 x $2.20 = $2.20
3102 - Verte de Cambrai Mache ( B=1/8oz) 1 x $1.60 = $1.60
3192 - Broad-Leaved Sorrel ( A=1/16oz) 1 x $0.90 = $0.90
3228 - Early Mizuna ( A=1/16oz) 1 x $1.10 = $1.10
3270 - Prize Choy Pac Choi OG ( A=1/16oz) 1 x $1.40 = $1.40
3327 - Piracicaba ( B=4g) 1 x $1.80 = $1.80
3452 - Redbor Kale ( A=0.5g) 1 x $2.90 = $2.90
3459 - White Russian Kale OG ( A=2g) 1 x $1.50 = $1.50
4055 - Rutgers Tomato OG ( A=0.2g) 1 x $1.20 = $1.20
4059 - Cherokee Purple Tomato OG ( A=0.2g) 1 x $1.20 = $1.20
4149 - Heirloom Tomato Mix OG ( A=0.2g) 1 x $1.20 = $1.20
4414 - Sweet Basil ( A=4g) 1 x $1.00 = $1.00
4517 - Caribe Cilantro OG ( C=28g) 1 x $3.20 = $3.20

Subtotal: = $43.90

Green Energy, Take Three: the Saga Concludes

We finally got it--our green electricity!  It was a long and stressful process, but here's how it worked out . . .

First Attempt:  We tried signing on with a company who installs solar panels onto your roof and then you commit to buying the energy they produce over a period of 5 or 20 years.  They went bankrupt while we eagerly awaited the installation.

Second Attempt:  We tried to buy a solar panel.  This option came closer to fruition.  We actually came pretty close, had the loans and the company all lined up.  I was very excited.  However, it turns out that the tax break offered for the panel applies only to those actually earning enough money to be paying federal taxes.  Who knew?  I, for one, had no idea we weren't paying federal taxes.  So that one was out.

Third Attempt (The One that Took):  We switched from PECO to The Energy Cooperative, a company that features renewable energy sources.  And, though it costs slightly more than their other options, we can buy 100% renewable energy from them--and still pay less than we were paying PECO to be our supplier.

Yeah!

Baked Oatmeal: Old-School

I decided I'd try reheating yesterday's oatmeal the old-fashioned way and made baked oatmeal last weekend.  I feel overly microwave dependent, and thought I'd see how it worked if I put it in the oven.  I put the leftover oatmeal from the fridge (which was actually a blend of steel-cut oats, millet, quinoa, and amaranth cooked on the stove until thick and soft) into a shallow baking dish.  I added milk, honey, frozen blueberries, walnuts, flaxmeal, and sprinkled cinnamin over the top.  Then I baked it in the oven until it was bubbling--less than 45 minutes.  It would take longer in a deeper dish.  It tasted very much the same as stovetop, but gave me the satisfaction of not doing it the modern "lazy" way and warmed the kitchen nicely.

Cutsey :)

OK, admittedly, I've been sloppy about posting.  Maybe it's the winter doledrums, maybe it's that I read the Hunger Games series a little obsessively (very good, especially the first two--I was totally hooked), maybe it's just laziness, but I know, I have shirked at posting.  Anyway, I thought I'd put in a few cute pictures of the kids to make up for it.

Abigail is eating solids--but she'll only eat things that actually taste good, more specifically, sweet.  Oh dear, I'll have to break her in gradually.  She's too cute to force into eating some of those veggies.

Hot chocolate on a snowday.  We've had pretty many so far this winter--again.

The Giant Purple People Eaters

My pretty Christmas dress--with a little drool.

Me and Grandpa

Chillin'

Some shameless exploitation of Abigail's cuteness. 

Happy Meat

So, after the stress of planning; picking up the enormous weight of a full cow, a pig and a half, and 12 chickens all packed in boxes (slightly alarming for our van, with its already lousy shocks); and driving to and from Lancaster on a snowy day (worried on the way back that an accident would endanger Abigail with all the frozen meat in the car) . . . we're done!  The local meat is in the freezer (or picked up by participating families), the money is mostly in, and we're just getting ready for some roasts and sausage meals.  Last night was actually the Lancaster classic (at least in my house) of Sausage and Rice with butter beans on the side (the southern version of lima beans).  Tonight is beef chuck roast with noodles, pumpkin (with brown sugar and butter?), salad, and the leftover butter beans.  I'll include the recipes for anyone else who just filled a freezer with meat--they're two of the easiest things I know to make.  :)

Sausage and Rice (Lancaster style)

Saute the sausage (about a pound) on medium-low heat until it's cooked through.  Add two quarts of frozen/canned diced or stewed tomatoes.  (To sneak greens into the meal, add blended kale, which will change the appearance, but not the taste.)  Before serving, mix a few tablespoons of corn starch into a small dish with a few tablespoons of water or white wine.  Mix thoroughly, then pour it into the simmering sausage tomato dish.  That will thicken the tomato into a "sauce."  Serve over rice.

I got that recipe from my mom.  This next recipe, for a spice rub, I got out of a magazine and I keep a mix of it in a drawer with the recipe taped to the bottom (thank goodness for that, considering that I'd otherwise have no idea what was in it).

Davis Dry Rub
(that's really what it was called in the magazine)

To make the mix (which you can use multiple times, it stores well), get a bowl and add:
1/2 c paprika
1/3 c ground black pepper
1/4 c salt
1/4 c chili powder
1/4 c ground cumin
1/4 c packed brown sugar
3 T granulated sugar
2 T cayenne pepper

There's no way I made that much when I mixed it up, I just used the amounts to know the balance of ingredients.  I probably made about a quarter of that and it lasted a few years (we don't do that many roasts).  But I use it every time I make a roast and we really like it. 

Wash the meat, dust both sides of the roast with the rub, and put it in the crockpot or roasting pan--with carrots, potatoes, and onions if you prefer.  Easy schmeasy!

Beer Bread

Well, dinner was truly a disappointment.  All day, in little stages, I prepped for what I thought was going to be the best rainy January day dinner ever: Lentil soup with swiss chard (I know, that should have been my tip-off right there, but they made it sound so good), bread, cheese, wine . . . what could be better--right?  Wrong. 

The lentil soup was with French green lentils (the ones that cost twice as much but don't fall apart).  And I made improvements on the recipe.  For example, I cut up some turkey lunch meat that had reached it's prime, so it's not even vegetarian!  There's saffron infused yogurt (well kefir, because I make that myself and always have it on hand--you can look in the labels on the right if you want to see what that is) to drizzle over the top.  And I sent Owen to the store for cheese, which turned out to be sharp cheddar because that's what was on sale, but I really don't like sharp cheddar when it's not moist, so that was a bust, too. 

Anyway, the soup was a complete disappointment.  But what saved the meal was the fragrant beer bread (OK, not that I could eat it--I made myself a Bob's Redmill gluten-free loaf in the bread machine) we served alongside.  Now Owen tells me that if I do not mention that 1) I got the bread recipe from Margaret, and 2) he spent the whopping 5 minutes to mix it up, because I made him so I wouldn't have to handle the gluten, he will expose me as a fraud on his new website he will create at citymousephillyisafraud.com.  But seriously, how corny is it that I spend hours on dinner, and the only good part was the 5 minute bread?

Here's the recipe for the bread (I'm withholding the lentil soup recipe so no one will be tempted to try it):

Margaret's Beer Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix:
3 c whole wheat flour (or white, if you prefer),
3 t baking powder
1 t salt
2-3 T sugar

Gradually mix one 12 oz. room temp. beer in with the flour until bread is kneedable and doesn't stick to your hands (you either have to drink the last swallow of beer or add a little bit of extra flour).  Bake in greased bread pan for 45 min to an hour.

Winter Payoff

So it's only right that the hard work of summer freezing and canning results in some easy and lazy winter meals . . . but it feels almost too easy.  This sauce just involves me getting a big frozen block of diced tomatoes (cooked with basil), a can of tomato sauce (canned by the generosity of my mother), some dried herbs (hanging in my kitchen), some frozen roasted red peppers (roasted on my gas burners on my stovetop in summer), and fresh onion (from a large bag in my kitchen).  Viola!  Easy, schmeasy!

Abigail Landmark

Thar' she rolls!



How did I end up on my stomach again?

Saturday, Abigail turned over onto her stomach for the first time.  Were her doting parents watching with held breath?  No, her doting mother found her on her tummy under the rocking chair, a considerable distance from where she had been laid.  Why did her mommy find Abigail?  Well, after a few minutes of noisy complaining, she felt compelled to investigate.  It took a while for Abigail to really claim this skill, but as of today, every time we lay her down she flips herself over.  Unfortunately, Abigail doesn't really like being on her tummy.  So she isn't able to fully enjoy her new skill.  But her mommy is both excited and teary-eyed (well, considering getting teary-eyed, but busy with the boys and Christmas decorating and baking), realizing that her daughter is zooming into toddler-hood.  Once they start moving around, it's all over!  Micah and Jesse . . . get ready!!!

Tree Lighting

A New Christmas Cookie for the Davis family

I was very excited to find a recipe for pumpkin applesauce cookies with oatmeal & raisins posted on epicurious.com (If you want to see the webpage, click here).  I was going to spare you all the results of my healthy cookie search, but then the cookies were actually really good.  (Especially with the nuts and chocolate chips I added.)

Pumpkin Applesauce Cookies with Oatmeal & Raisins

Start to finish: about 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups, all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups, quick oats
1 tsp, baking soda
1/2 tsp, salt
2 tsp, cinnamon
1/4 tsp, ground cloves
1/2 tsp, ground ginger
1/2 tsp, ground nutmeg
1/2 cup, unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup, natural applesauce
1 cup, packed brown sugar
1 cup, sugar
1 cup, canned pumpkin
1 large egg
1 tsp, vanilla extract
(note: cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg quantities can be increased if stronger flavor is desired.)

3/4 cup raisins

PreparationPreheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, salt cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg and mix well. In 2nd larger bowl, beat together butter, applesauce, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract and mix in. Then add flour mixture and mix well. Gently stir in raisins. Drop teaspoons of batter onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until light brown on bottom. Let cool on wire racks, then store in an air-tight container.

(note: these are cake-light in texture and will not crisp up.)

They were amazing, but I highly suggest stirring in nuts and chocolate chips when you stir in the raisins--and we added extra raisins, too.  My helper-chefs are below:

My December Beauty

There is something so breathtaking and unexpected about such amazing flowers in the cold, dark days of December.  After another year of neglect (all I do is water it) and not really enough soil in the pot, this resilient Christmas cactus has wowed me again.  A gift of grace, truly.

Pumpkin Muffins Revisited

I have a bunch of squash I need to use that I bought at the farmer's market.  Here they are, aren't they gorgeous?

I actually started with sunshine squashes, a pumpkin relative.

I thought I'd revisit an old recipe I tried last winter for pumpkin muffins.  Here's the link if anyone's interested in trying it:  pumpkin muffin recipe

I hack the squash in half, then roast both halves side by side in a roasting pan.

The batter, with the raisins this time.

My helpers really surprised me at how capable they were.  Apparently I've been underestimating them!

The helper, one of two.  This guy did almost ALL of the stirring, my least favorite part; greased the cups; and filled the cups.  It was so much better actually letting go of the process and letting him really help me.

The finished product: they were really good with the raisins!

Holiday Scavenger Hunt

If you're decorating with kids around, you could always opt (as I did) to let them do most of the decorating for you.  My kids are crazy for scavenger hunts (which, in our case, are really just checklists of things to do).  So I gave them a list of things which included hanging stockings, setting up the wooden tree, drawing Christmas pictures, making Santa beards, setting up nativity scenes, putting my Christmas cards into envelops for me, and singing songs for me while I made supper.  It really milked the decorating for all it was worth . . . I think it took the kids about an hour and a half to finish it.  And it made me do all of the decorating at one shot instead of dragging it out like I know I would have. 

We then started celebrating advent, which we do each night of December by lighting candles, reading part of the Christmas story, singing a Christmas carol, putting one of the advent items on the calendar (we actually have two calendars, so the boys take turns each night), eating a chocolate (I know, wonders never cease), and then blowing out the candles. 

Come on Christmas, we're ready!

Easy, "Christmasy" Fish

I actually took this picture before putting it in the oven, since it was so pretty (it was still pretty when I took it out, but not quite so vivid).  I made up the recipe and it took about 10 minutes to prepare, plus 30 to cook.

Christmas Tilapia

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Wash tilapia filets and spread them in the bottom of a glass baking dish.
Salt fish and drizzle with olive oil.
Cut orange(s) and onion into thin slices and arrange over the fish.
Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over that.

Bake 30 minutes at 350.

Once it's served, have each person tear out pieces of the orange from the slices to eat with the fish.

Abigail Baptism

 Abigail was our church's first infant baptism.

Abigail Elizabeth Davis, whose name means, "Our Father is Joy," was baptised on Sunday, November 28th at our Living Water Church.  We are so happy and blessed by her and pray that the joy of the Lord will be her strength.  Thank you to everyone who was able to attend or sent their love.  Sorry to everyone who was not told about the event (we're not too organized over here these days).  :)