Slow Cooker Paprika Chicken
April 22, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Main Course, Poultry
Though the days are getting warmer and the summer daylilies have just started to bloom, I still feel the urge to pull out the slow cooker on cool spring mornings. When most of our days are swirling with activity, it gives me a sense of accomplishment to get a meal going in the slow cooker. I know that dinner will be ready later and I can focus on the boys and their needs or the endless to dos and errands and avoid the rush to get something ready for dinner at 5 p.m. when they are all standing around the kitchen telling me that they are starving. Read more
Moroccan Chicken Soup
February 1, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Poultry, Soups & Stews
I had one last butternut squash in the kitchen waiting to be used and this soup had been calling my name for a while. The flavor is warm and inviting, perfect for a cold wintry day, and the soup is easy to put together and easy on the budget using widely available ingredients. The recipe comes from one of my favorite everyday cookbooks, The Essential EatingWell Cookbook, which is full of healthy and mostly easy-to-prepare meals. Read more
Mexican Spiced Butternut Squash Soup with Beans and Corn
January 21, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Soups & Stews
Michael isn’t a huge fan of butternut squash, but if you browse my archives you’ll see that I have quite a few butternut squash recipes. You might even think I am torturing my poor husband with all the butternut squash, but really I’m not. The sweetness of butternut squash just doesn’t appeal to him, so I try to find ways to spice it up and make it savory. Every once in a while another of my butternut squash soup experiments catches him by surprise and he’ll say he likes it and asks me to make it again. This soup is one those. Read more
Roasted Garlic Hummus
July 24, 2009 by Andrea
Filed under Appetizers, Grow Your Own
This is our first year for growing garlic and now we are slapping ourselves for not trying it years ago because it was so easy. We planted the garlic cloves back in October and then just let them do their thing, no difficult maintenance required. They sprouted before winter set in, then the real growth came in spring when the temperatures warmed up. Read more
Baked Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Herbs
April 6, 2009 by Andrea
Filed under Grow Your Own, Vegetables
Mashed potatoes were a staple in our home when I was growing up because it’s a simple and inexpensive dish that compliments many of the foods we ate. Fried chicken and country ham just aren’t the same without mashed potatoes and gravy, and they go well with many other dishes. My mother used to make potato pancakes with mashed potato leftovers, but as the kids grew up there were fewer and fewer leftovers. We still laugh about my brothers and the amount of potatoes they could eat as they grew into the teen years. We passed the bowl around the table until it reached my brother Jeff, and he would always ask, “Anyone want any more potatoes?” then proceed to empty the bowl onto his plate. He still jokingly says it when the family gathers for the holidays, but now he’s got more competition for the potatoes.
I don’t remember Mom ever baking mashed potatoes, but I’ve had them a few times with special dinners and they make a perfect accompaniment to Easter ham. The top takes on a slightly crispy crunch and I add fresh parsley, sage, thyme, and chives from our garden to brighten the flavor. We recently built some raised beds and I transplanted the existing herbs to their new home and seeded some cilantro and dill, both of which like the cool spring weather. Next month we’ll add the basil seedlings and the herb garden will be complete. Read more
Avocado Smoothie with Soy Milk
Our weekday schedule is busy like any other family, and some days I feel like I meet myself coming and going with no opportunity to sit down and have a proper breakfast or lunch. So I try to keep easy healthy foods on hand such as fresh fruit and vegetables, things I can grab quickly and nosh on or turn in smoothies. Smoothies are a standing favorite for our family, an easy way to eat healthy and help us feel like we are treating ourselves. The boys’ favorite smoothie is mango, and avocado is one of my favorites, right up there with strawberry and blueberry.
My smoothie is a variation on the south east Asian avocado shake made with sweetened condensed milk, an addictive concoction. For an everyday smoothie I want something less sweet, so I use vanilla soy milk and skip the sugar, though you could add some during the blending if preferred. The texture is thick and rich and filling, and one smoothie will keep me going all morning. Read more
