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Orange Creamsicle Custard Pie

Posted on March 25, 2012 by amydeline

There’s a team spirit around here like nothing I’ve ever experienced anywhere else. Everyone goes bananas (or maybe I should say oranges) over our local Syracuse University basketball team, the Syracuse Orange. It’s a passion that has nothing to do with where a person actually went to school, and everything to do with the place we call home. I’ve never seen an entire city so consumed with team spirit. The way a typical city turns green on St. Patty’s Day is the way this place turns orange on the day of an SU game. There’s a sort of magic to it all.

Out of necessity, I broke my unwritten rule and ventured into my grocery store yesterday (on a Saturday) to return some movies I’d rented from Redbox. The place was a predictable madhouse. But there was something else at play inside the store. It was like an unspoken rally for our hometown team. Syracuse balloons floated up from every table. Displays of elaborately decorated SU cookies and orange and blue frosted cupcakes tempted team spirit with sweets. And a full wall of the store was decorated with an arrangement of Fanta and Pepsi boxes in an SU design.

But beyond that, nearly every person I passed was dressed in their favorite Syracuse Orange gear. T-shirts, hats, and hoodies. My grocery store was a living, breathing playground of team spirit. And it was contagious.

I’ve never really followed sports of any kind. Being a Yankees fan is in my blood and I’m darn proud of it, but I barely follow the baseball season. In fact, I know very little about baseball. I didn’t go to an undergrad college known for sports, so I never experienced that swell of excitement on game day. And though my graduate school had some teams to be proud of, I commuted to classes and was never engaged in that part of the school community.

But as I was walking through my grocery store, surrounded by the infectious excitement for our local team, I could feel my blood turn orange. I became a true Syracusian sometime during that grocery trip. I’ve lived here for almost five years now. It’s about time I joined the team. During that grocery trip, I bought myself my first SU t-shirt and a couple shirts for the boys. I even picked up a pack of SU shaped pasta in all of the excitement (though I refused to get the SU antennae balls that the boys insisted they needed).

And I made this pie. I call it an Orange Creamsicle Custard Pie, since it’s got the sweet flavors of fresh orange combined with a smooth vanilla custard…reminiscent of a bite into a frozen Creamsicle bar. I nestled the custard into a vanilla cookie crust and topped it with vanilla accented whipped cream and fresh orange slices. The boys are calling it ‘SU Pie’. Whatever you call it, don’t cheat on the fresh oranges with pre-squeezed juice. The fresh zest is one the MVPs when it comes to the flavor in this recipe. Use fresh oranges.

We let the boys stay up late last night to see the beginning of the game. They wore their new t-shirts, ate SU pasta salad and SU pie, and created long lists for all of the SU gear our family suddenly needs. Our team ended their run for the season last night, but it’s ok. It was a good game. I think I could get into watching basketball. In fact, I think this could be the start of something…

Orange Creamsicle Custard Pie

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • 2 cups vanilla wafers, crushed to fine crumbs
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted

For the Filling

  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest*
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice*
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
*Two large oranges should provide the zest and juice necessary for this recipe.

Directions

To prepare the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the vanilla wafer crumbs and the melted butter. Press the mixture onto the bottom and sides of a pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

To prepare the filling: Combine the milk, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, salt, and orange zest in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 5-6 minutes until the mixture comes to a gentle boil and begins to thicken. (It should be quite noticeable when the thickening occurs.) Remove from heat. In a bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Slowly add about 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture to the eggs and whisk to combine. Add another 1/4 cup of the hot milk and whisk to combine. (This slow addition of the hot liquid tempers the egg yolks and prevents them from scrambling when added to the hot liquid.) Pour the egg mixture into the pot. Bring the mixture to a very gentle boil, whisking constantly. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture becomes even thicker. Whisk in the orange juice and lemon juice. Cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat. Allow to cool slightly, whisking every few minutes to prevent a skin from forming. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Refrigerate for a few hours to set.

For the whipped cream: Beat together the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until thick. Use the whipped cream and additional fresh oranges or fresh orange zest to garnish the pie, as desired.

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Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks

Posted on March 22, 2012 by amydeline

The Hunger Games premiere isn’t the only exciting thing happening for me this weekend. My local Target is opening is brand new fresh foods section and I’m beyond thrilled! I love, love, love our local Wegmans grocery store, but that place is a mad house on the weekends. Come Saturday or Sunday and the place becomes the arena for a different, but equally brutal, type of hunger games. I’ve got little interest in playing that game. So, if at all possible, I avoid my Wegmans on the weekends. To be able to pick up a few fresh items at my local Target will be a huge perk during those times when I just want to grab a head of lettuce, or some fresh bananas, or a pack of chicken, without engaging in near mortal combat at my grocery store.

Speaking of chicken (and Target), I was recently contacted by a company whose chicken products are now being sold in many Targets with fresh food sections. The recognition I received in Parents Magazine has brought more attention to this blog. And with that attention has come more offers to partner in various ways with assorted groups looking to promote their food or parenting related products. To be honest, I haven’t been quite sure how to respond to most of the inquiries. I’m just apprehensive about turning this place into a platform for assorted products. That’s not what this place is about for me. It’s about cooking delicious food for my family and sharing it all with you, my virtual friends.

But, as I mentioned, I got this email from a mid-west based chicken company called Gold’n Plump. They wanted to send me a shipment of chicken. At first, I laughed…because no one has ever offered to send me a chicken shipment before. And then I told my husband that someone wanted me to taste their chicken. And he laughed too. I thought a lot about the chicken. And then I did a bit of research too. You see, I didn’t want to get involved in sampling any sort of product unless it met a few conditions.

First, it needed to be relevant for me, my family, and this blog. And well, chicken most definitely fits that condition. Chicken is widely enjoyed by many people, including our family. Many of the recipes on this blog feature chicken. And it’s one of the more affordable meat options for people watching their wallets, making it a great meal choice for many families.

Second, it needed to be a product I could proudly stand behind. I think of it this way… When we started looking into birthday party venues for our son’s upcoming 5th birthday, someone suggested doing a party at McDonald’s. Now, don’t get me wrong, everyone in my family enjoys the occasional shamrock shake or happy meal…sometimes even a super-sized Big Mac meal. But, it’s not like I’m patting myself on my back for our wise nutrition choices when we pull through that drive-thru. That being said, it’s not really a choice I want to stamp my name on for our son’s birthday party.

Same goes for what I put on this blog. My family and I don’t make the best food choices 100% of the time and I’d be lying if I said we avoided all processed foods. (I can’t even have Cheez-its in the house because I have no self-control around them.) But we do the best we can and make smart choices more often than not. And when it comes to what I choose to share with you on this blog, I want it to be the things I can pat myself on the back for. (I give a processed-food pass to Cheez-its. I will happily sample some Cheez-its if anyone wants to send me some.)

So, I did some checking on Gold’n Plump. I wanted to make sure that their chickens were raised humanely and that their end-product was free from preservatives or any other unnecessary, unnatural ingredients. I liked what I learned about Gold’n Plump chicken. Their chickens are raised cage-free on family farms in the mid-west. The end result is all-natural chicken, free of preservatives…just fresh, healthy chicken. It’s chicken I can feel proud to serve my family.

I tell you all of this so that you understand that I didn’t take the opportunity to sample this chicken lightly. And it’s with confidence that I write about it here. Gold’n Plump sent me a cooler with a big pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, two packages of ground chicken, and a package of drumsticks. I rarely buy chicken drumsticks, so those instantly caught my eye. I immediately reworked my dinner plan for the evening to make some honey-garlic drumsticks with a side of roasted brussels sprouts. And the chicken drumsticks were really good…so moist and delicious!

I used the chicken breasts over the weekend to make a big batch of my Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Chicken Salad, which my husband has been nudging me about since he finished the last bite of our first batch. The breasts were well-trimmed, fresh, and delicious. I haven’t had a chance to use the ground chicken yet, but I’ve got my sights set on some Buffalo Chicken Meatballs (with the 90/10 ground chicken) and maybe a chicken chili with the extra lean (95/5) ground chicken.

I was quite pleased with the chicken I sampled. I’m picky about the meats I purchase, but I will feel confident picking up Gold’n Plump chicken if I see it at my Target’s new fresh foods section. Even better, Gold’n Plump currently has a coupon available. And isn’t it always a nice treat to save some money on some good, healthy food for your family? If your Target carries fresh foods, keep an eye out for Gold’n Plump (and don’t forget your coupon)!

Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients

  • 6-8 chicken drumsticks
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions

To prepare the sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the soy sauce, honey, parsley, and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, as desired. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the chicken drumsticks in a single layer in a baking dish. Pour the honey garlic sauce over the drumsticks. Roll the drumsticks in the sauce to coat all sides. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Gold’n Plump provided me with the chicken to sample. All opinions expressed in this post are fully my own.

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St. Patty’s Day Round-up

Posted on March 15, 2012 by amydeline

Parenthood has a way of constantly making you feel brand new. I mean, I’ve got three kids. We’ve been doing this whole parenting thing for almost five years now and in some ways, we feel like old hands at it. We know our kids and have a good enough understanding of child development to know what to anticipate as our children work through the daily challenges and joys of childhood. Our hearts pound with pride as they take those first steps, say that first sweet word, and cut that first little tooth. And we hold our breaths with anxiety when one of our little ones is not well. But, for the most part, we know what to expect and we know how to react.

And then something completely unexpected happens. Rationally, I know that parenthood is full of unexpected surprises, but sometimes they just sneak up on you. Like when I glanced over at my almost five-year-old and noticed that one of his bottom teeth was loose. And I panicked. Panicked as if blood were pouring from his ears. It’s just a loose tooth; a normal part of being a kid. But I never saw it coming. Not yet, at least.

So, I did what any mildly irrational parent would do and called the dentist to make an emergency appointment. Somebody do something! My kid has a slightly wiggly tooth! Of course, the trip to the dentist confirmed that it is totally normally for my little guy to have wiggly teeth. His adult teeth are just working their way up. Adult teeth??? But, he’s my baby! Guess it’s almost time for me to put on some tooth fairy wings.

And now we’re just waiting for that first tooth to come out. I stopped by the bank today and picked up a handful of gold dollar coins to leave under his pillow when the time comes. The tooth fairy always left me silver dollars, which I collected like treasure. But since the gold dollar coins are the best I can find, they’ll do the trick. In fact, I suspect the gold coins may be even more intriguing to my little men for their likeness to pirate treasure and a leprechaun’s pot of gold.

Speaking of leprechauns, we’re all very excited for St. Patty’s Day around here. My sister and brother-in-law will be visiting for the weekend and we’ll be spending the day with friends. To celebrate our bursting Irish spirit, I made a batch of my World’s Simplest Fudgey Brownies. Then, I spread a thick layer of dark chocolate frosting on top and decorated with a handful of Lucky Charms marshmallows. They definitely brought some smiles to my rowdy bunch of leprechauns, though I suspect they’ll be disappointed to discover the marshmallow shortage in their snack cereal.

If you’re looking for some other ideas for St. Patty’s Day fare, check out these previously posted Gourmand Mom recipes:

Traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage

Grasshopper Pie

Irish Soda Bread

Reuben Quesadillas

Corned Beef and Cabbage Egg Rolls

Classic Lamb Shepherd’s Pie

Guinness-Braised Beef

Low-Carb Cottage Pie

Split Pea Soup with Ham

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Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad

Posted on March 14, 2012 by amydeline

In college, that first spring-like day always meant one thing…skipping classes in order to sit outside and drink too many beers with friends. They may as well have just canceled classes the first time the temps went into the 50’s, because I’m pretty sure that everyone played hooky that day. (Youngens, don’t be like me. Be good and go to all of your classes like you ought to.)  Even still, those first unseasonably warm days, on the cusp between winter and spring, always trigger my craving for beer.

Now, it’s very rare that I drink anything besides water or coffee before the kids go to bed. The occasional exception is when we take the family for dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse, where I will order myself a nice glass of chilled Lambrusco, to go along with my warm sourdough bread and eggplant parm. So, the kids rarely see me drink and when they do, it’s usually a glass of wine.

But, this past Sunday afternoon, when the temps were dancing around 60, I decided to grab myself a rare daytime beer. The boys rode their bikes in the driveway while the baby and I sat on the lawn playing with bubbles. He watched as I blew wand after wand full of bubbles, mesmerized as they floated off into the sunny blue sky and puzzled by his inability to grab the bubbles which nestled in the grass around us, still slightly damp from the recently melted snow. And as we enjoyed the beautiful day, I sipped my springy day beer. It was a blissfully peaceful moment.

And then my four-year-old wandered over and the following conversation took place:

What?!? You drink beer, Mommy??

Yes, sometimes.

I didn’t know that girls drank beer. I thought only men drank beer.

Nope…ladies can drink beer too.

I thought girls only drank wine.

Nope, buddy…girls can drink beer too, if they want. And men can drink wine as well.

He wandered off, clearly perplexed by this new information he’d acquired…as if his understanding of the world were temporarily shattered and he was left to put the pieces back together in a new order. As parents, I think we sometimes spend so much time questioning how we communicate (or purposefully don’t communicate) gender roles to our children…all the while they’re busy forming their own creative ideas about such things. You just can’t win. It’s a wild world we live in…boys can wear pink, girls can play with trucks, and ladies drink beer! At the very least, this lady does!

The weather has been unseasonably perfect this week; warm enough to open the windows for a bit of fresh air and sunny enough to spend the afternoons playing outside. We had such a mild winter this year, all things considered, and now it seems we’re poised to slip right into spring. Ahh… We’re spending as much time outside as possible, just in case this beautiful weather doesn’t last. Which means easy no-fuss dinners, preferably the sort which leaves leftovers for the next day, like this Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Salad. It’s yet another twist on chicken salad, accented with delicious chunks of bacon and a homemade ranch-style dressing. Simple, fresh, and perfect for springy days.

I dare say, it would go quite nicely with a cold beer.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
Ingredients
  • 3 cups chicken, cooked and chopped
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
  • 6-8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped
  • Shredded cheddar cheese and additional chopped chives, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, ground mustard, and lemon juice, until smooth. Mix in the chicken, bacon, and onion. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve over mixed greens or on your favorite bread. If desired, garnish with a bit of shredded cheddar and chopped chives.

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Corned Beef and Cabbage Egg Rolls

Posted on March 7, 2012 by amydeline

Parenthood has strengthened my heart (both literally and figuratively) but it has seriously weakened my brain. Seriously, it’s like mashed potatoes in there. Between lack of sleep and the daily routine of chasing around three very young children, my brain is melting. I used to be smart. Honestly, I was. I used to do smart people stuff like earn a 4.0 GPA while completing my Master’s degree at Johns Hopkins and lead presentations at statewide teaching conferences about things like disaggregating and analyzing student assessment data to inform differentiated instruction and improve student learning. See? Smart people stuff.

Nowadays, a good deal of my time is spent trying to figure out what to do with the 500 tiny Legos, which the boys have amassed over the past few months, and retrieving bits of chewed paper from the baby’s mouth. (I’m certain he’s part hamster.) I fruitlessly clean messes while the boys are busy making even bigger messes. I watch shows like Diego and Bubble Guppies and count some children’s shows amongst my favorite television programs. I repeatedly chase the boys from floor to floor of the house, with the baby dangling off of one hip and a laundry basket balanced on the other. Good for the heart. Bad for the brain.

So, some things have started to slip my attention. It’s become more of a challenge just to keep on top of life’s little responsibilities. Take my car, for example. I’ve been staring at the little sticker in the windshield which had an expiration date of 2/25 on it. So, I told my husband we needed to get the car inspected. He made the appointment and spent last Saturday morning at the auto service shop. Job completed. Or at least we’d thought. Until I noticed that the expired sticker was still in our window the next day. That’s when I’d realized that I hadn’t been looking at the inspection sticker at all. I’d been looking at our (expired) car registration. I panicked. How in the world did I mess this up? We’ve got systems in place to stay on top of this stuff! The registration renewal comes in the mail. It gets filed with the bills. I pay it. They send a new sticker. It’s a system which has never failed us, no matter how distracted my brain has become. I tore through the house trying to find the misplaced registration renewal notice, yet it was nowhere to be found.

So, I hopped online to determine my next steps. That’s where I read that you can not operate an unregistered vehicle. I had been unknowingly operating an unregistered vehicle all week. My heart started pounding. I am not a rule-breaker… I cross in the cross walk and I wait for the little blinking man to tell me when it’s time to go. I always come to a complete stop at stop signs, even when no one is around. I return my library books on time. I follow the rules. It’s just part of who I am. So, this discovery that I had been a rule-breaker all week long was distressing. I immediately tried to renew the registration online. When that failed, I gathered all of the necessary paperwork and cautiously drove my unregistered vehicle to our local Department of Motor Vehicles, heart-pounding over my reckless rule-breaking.

I arrived before the office opened and barely sat for a second before they called my number. At that point, I was feeling pretty impressed at how efficient the DMV was…not at all like the dreadful stories you hear. I approached the window, children swarming around me like flies on a horse, and shamefully admitted that I’d been driving an unregistered vehicle for the past week. I mumbled a few excuses about mushy brains and unnecessary inspections, then handed over my paperwork. She made the necessary photocopies, then sat down to process my registration. Things were going smoothly and I wasn’t even scolded for breaking the rules. Relief.

Then she turns to me and says “Who is Jose Sanchez?” At that point I’m wondering if this is some sort of trick question. Like years ago when my husband and I went to open some bank accounts and the bank associate suddenly asks, “Do you like the Bills or the Ravens?” right after gathering our names, address, and all of the other normal info required to set up a bank account. Umm…What??? Neither? Being a grown-up can be confusing.

So, I explain to the DMV lady that I do not know a Jose Sanchez, but was curious as to what he had to do with my car registration. Well, your car is registered to a Jose Sanchez. Well, this was a twist I never expected. And again, my heart started to pound as my brain struggled to process the situation at hand. A moment later she determined that Jose’s plate number was off by one digit from ours and that someone had made a clerical error…an error which explains why I never received a registration renewal notice. My car was in fact already registered, just not to me. Nice work, DMV. Thankfully, after a lengthy phone call, she returned and was able to process my registration. I left with my newly renewed sticker for my windshield and the reassurance that my brain isn’t total mush, at least not yet.

Saint Patrick’s Day is just around the corner…hands-down my favorite holiday for eating corned beef, wearing green, and celebrating my Irish heritage. Having already shared some delicious recipes for traditional corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, and shepherd’s pie with you, I wracked my (semi-functional) brain for some interesting twist on a corned beef and cabbage meal. And I’ve got just the thing…corned beef and cabbage egg rolls! My Irish ancestors are probably rolling over in their graves. But this is quite possibly fusion cooking at its best. A simple filling of leftover corned beef, sauteed with very thinly sliced cabbage and carrot, gets rolled up in egg roll wraps and fried until crispy! Dip them in Thousand Island dressing or your favorite mustard for a fantastic day-after St. Patty’s Day treat!

Corned Beef and Cabbage Egg Rolls

Ingredients

  • 1 cup leftover corned beef, chopped
  • 2 cups cabbage and carrots, very thinly sliced (prepackaged cole slaw mix works well)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Vegetable oil
  • 4-8 egg roll wraps (My grocery store sells them in the refrigerated produce section.)
  • Thousand Island dressing or mustard, for dipping

Directions

To prepare the filling: Heat about 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the corned beef, cabbage, and carrots. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cabbage is tender. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To assemble the egg rolls: Arrange an egg roll wrap with one of the points facing you. (If desired, you can layer two egg roll wraps, for a chewier egg roll.) Place a mound of the corned beef filling in the center of the wrap. Grab the point closest to you and wrap it up and around the filling. Then, grab each of the side points and fold them in towards the center. Brush the points with a bit of water to help them stick. Brush the top point with a little water, then continue rolling up towards the top point.

To cook: Heat about 1/2″-3/4″ vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Give it a few minutes to get good and hot. Carefully place a few of the egg rolls into the hot oil. They should sizzle when placed in the oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes on all sides, until golden brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel before serving.

Makes 4 Egg Rolls

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Curried Chicken Salad with Apricots and Cashews

Posted on March 5, 2012 by amydeline

My husband and I have a tendency to get sucked into tv shows, especially when we jump on the bandwagon a little late and have the benefit of being able to marathon our way through previous seasons.

Long ago, in our young, child-free lives, we found ourselves sucked into The Sopranos. This was way back in the day when people rented movies from places like Blockbuster. Netflix was still in its infancy, Redbox didn’t exist at all, and cable on-demand options were limited. But, there was good ol’ Blockbuster…reliable as long as you managed to snag the video you wanted, before someone else did. My husband and I picked up The Sopranos a few seasons into its run. And we got hooked. We’d stay up way too late, drinking way too much beer, and then find ourselves walking to Blockbuster at 11:30pm (or running if we were minutes before closing) to get the next disc…for just one more episode. It was a rough adjustment once we’d caught up and had to wait week to week for new episodes and months or even years between seasons. But, that excitement of getting caught up in a show is so much fun.

Most recently, Battleship Galactica did it again for us…this time on Netflix streaming, which saved us those midnight runs to the video store. The show hooked us in the same way as The Sopranos, maybe even more so. We never would have predicted that a sci-fi show (not our typical genre) would have had us watching the clock until the time we could put the kiddies to bed so we could fire up another episode. One more, just one more…and then we’ll go to bed, for serious. It was a sad day when we watched that last episode, knowing the show had long since ended its run. I still miss you, Commander Adama.

And now it’s happened again. After hearing about it left and right, we decided to check out Downton Abbey, a relatively new PBS series which follows the lives of an aristocratic family and their house servants. And it’s got us firmly in its elegant grasp. I love this show. We’re a few episodes into the first season and I’m completely entangled in its bizarrely formal world. Suddenly, I find myself making lengthy to-do lists:

  • Acquire an English accent.
  • Hire a lady’s maid. (Google lady’s maid responsibilities.)
  • Begin introducing myself as Lady Amy of Syracuse.
  • Install service bells in all rooms of the house.
  • Use the word “indeed” more often.
  • Begin wearing evening gowns for dinner each evening. (Check amazon.com for vintage evening gowns.)
  • Take more naps and drink more tea.
  • Spend more time trying to figure out who my sons will marry.
  • Purchase a collection of cufflinks for my husband.
  • Build a room to sit in while I wait for the cooks to finish making my daily feast.
  • Hire cooks.

Clearly, I’m going to be very busy. It’s no wonder those ladies need to take so many naps. In the mean time, I’m going to continue wearing my sweatpants, responding to Mommy (or maybe Lady Mommy), and cooking my own meals.

I am crazy about chicken salad. It’s always such an easy, satisfying meal (especially on those nights when you wish you were just sitting around waiting for someone to cook your dinner). When I don’t know what to make for dinner, I make chicken salad. There are so many possible ways to make it and I love them all…just as long as they’re not too mayonnaisey. But mix the chicken with different spices, fruits, nuts, or veggies and it’s hard to go wrong. One of my recent favorites is this curried chicken salad with bits of dried apricots and crunchy cashews. Serve it over a bed of mixed greens or on your favorite bread. Stuffed inside a slightly warmed pita round would be heavenly, indeed.

Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 large chicken breasts, cooked and chopped or torn into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
  • 1/3 cup cashews, chopped
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/4 cup celery, finely diced
  • 1/8 cup onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, and curry powder. Stir in the chicken, apricots, cashews, celery, onion. Season with salt and cayenne pepper, as desired.

Serves about 4

In other news, this little man has started taking his first, wobbly steps. I think I’m going to have my hands full for a while. Might be just the time to make a big batch of this easy, delicious chicken salad!

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Leap Day Monkey Breads

Posted on February 29, 2012 by amydeline

The interior springs, which prevent the unusually heavy dishwasher door from recklessly crashing to the floor, busted the other day. The repair man has assessed the damage and the necessary parts have been ordered. In the mean time, we’re fondly referring to the dishwasher as “toddler crusher”, which certainly kicks up the level of excitement in the kitchen. Because being in the kitchen should always feel a little like Thunderdome, shouldn’t it?

Aside from the added thrill of crashing appliance doors (thank you, LG), we are all buzzing with excitement around here today, because it’s Leap Day…and if we learned anything from last week’s episode of 30 Rock, you can do anything you want on Leap Day, because nothing counts. (Buh-bye diet!) Being as I learn most of life’s important lessons from Thursday nights’ TV line-up, we’re going to celebrate Leap Day as it ought to be celebrated.

Which means we’re going to wear mismatching socks, forget about chores, and eat ice cream sundaes for dinner. I might even buy that Mercedes E320 I’ve always wanted. And I’m totally going to bathe myself in salted caramel. Because it’s an extra day and you can spend it however you want. In an ideal world, I’d actually spend my extra day taking one very long nap in a warm, quiet sensory deprivation chamber. But since I still need to take care of my children…even on Leap Day…we’re going to go the recklessly over-indulgent and silly behavior route for the day.

In between our ice cream sundaes, we’ll eat monkey bread…because it has a funny name that I don’t understand and it’s just really, really yummy. It makes me happy. Monkey bread, though an old familiar to many, is pretty new to me. I made (and tasted) my first monkey bread for my super bowl party (aka the DeLine family super bowl massacre). I fell in love. Big time. It was a pepperoni pizza monkey bread, with gooey mozzarella cheese and bits of spicy pepperoni scattered between buttery, garlicky bits of pizza dough. But, the thing I loved most of all were the infinite possibilities.

You can make monkey bread with any number of flavors. Use whatever sort of dough floats your boat. Stuff the little balls of dough with anything your heart desires. Roll the balls in any coating. Go savory. Go sweet. Go crazy. It’s monkey bread! This time, I made two types of monkey bread. The first (your dinner course, if you will) is a buffalo chicken pizza monkey bread…gooey balls of pizza dough stuffed with spicy chunks of chicken, mozzarella cheese, and bleu cheese which are then rolled in a buttery wing sauce. Dip ’em in bleu cheese dressing…holy yum!

The boys enjoyed my second variation; s’mores monkey bread. We stuffed the chunks of pizza dough with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, then rolled them in a sugary graham cracker crumb mix. The final result is oozing with s’mores flavor. For an even more decadent treat, dip the warm chunks into hot fudge or some sticky marshmallow fluff!

Go ahead, indulge. All foods are 0 calories on Leap Day. Google it.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza Monkey Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 pizza dough, store-bought or homemade
  • 1 cup chicken, cooked and chopped into small pieces
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup bleu cheese, crumbled
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 4 tablespoons Frank’s Red Hot sauce, divided
  • Bleu Cheese Dressing, for dipping

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray four mini pie pans with non-stick cooking spray. (Alternately, you can use one large bundt pan or smaller cupcake-sized pans. Adjust baking time, longer for larger pans and a few minutes shorter for smaller pans.) Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of the hot sauce over the chicken and toss to coat. Mix the remaining hot sauce in with the melted butter. (If desired, add additional hot sauce for a spicier result.) Set aside. Pull off small chunks of the pizza dough (about 1″ diameter). Slightly flatten the dough. Place a little chunk of the chicken and a pinch or two of both cheeses in the center of the dough round. Wrap the dough around the fillings into a small ball shape. Dip the ball in the butter/hot sauce mixture to coat, then place it in the pie pan. Repeat until all dough has been used and each pie pan is filled with multiple stuffed dough balls. Scatter any remaining crumbled bleu cheese over the top of each pie pan. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes to allow the dough to rise slightly. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until puffy and cooked through. Serve warm with bleu cheesing dressing and/or additional hot sauce.

S’mores Monkey Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 pizza dough, store-bought or homemade
  • 40-50 mini marshmallows
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 4 full-sheet graham crackers, crushed to fine crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray four mini pie pans with non-stick cooking spray. (Alternately, you can use one large bundt pan or smaller cupcake-sized pans. Adjust baking time, longer for larger pans and a few minutes shorter for smaller pans.) Stir the graham crackers crumbs and sugar together. Pull off small chunks of the dough (about 1″ diameter). Slightly flatten the dough. Place a mini marshmallow and several mini chocolate chips in the center of the dough round. Wrap the dough around the fillings into a small ball shape. Dip the ball in the melted butter, then roll the ball in the graham cracker crumbs. Place the ball in the pie pan. Repeat until all dough has been used and each pie pan is filled with multiple stuffed dough balls. Sprinkle any remaining mini chocolate chips over the top of each pie pan. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes to allow the dough to rise slightly. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until puffy and cooked through. Serve warm. Dip in hot fudge or marshmallow fluff, if desired.

No diet report today. It’s Leap Day. Diets don’t matter on Leap Day!

4 Comments

Posted in Appetizers, Baking, Breads, Cheese, Chocolate, Desserts, Food, Main Course, Poultry, Recipes, Side Dishes and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Fishy Friday – Lenten Round-Up

Posted on February 24, 2012 by amydeline

The kids have been home from school this week for their mid-winter break, which I’m now convinced is some sort of cruel joke on parents. I mean, seriously…whose idea was it to schedule a week off from school in the middle of winter, leaving me stuck inside with three very loud, very active, and very needy children?? I’ve been jumping through hoops all week trying to keep everyone sufficiently content, which has left little time for things like thinking or writing…hence the lack of blog posts this week. Even now, as I attempt to type, the baby is grabbing at my fingers, while the other boys are playing a game which seems to center around making an unusually loud and abrasive growling sound.

This morning I took the boys to meet up with some friends at  a local bounce house, followed by lunch (which turned into second breakfast, since we vacated the bounce house sooner than planned) and ice cream at Friendly’s. It was a feeble attempt to encourage the kids to burn off some of their excess energy so that I had a small chance of a calm afternoon. Though I think the ice cream may be working against my plans. Ugh…this parenting thing is hard!

New recipes coming up next week, but for now here’s a round-up of fishy recipes, which may come in handy for any of you who are observing meat-free Fridays during lent.

Pan-seared Scallops with Pina Colada Salsa and Coconut Rice

Pan-seared Cod over Bean and Basil Puree

Creole Fish Tacos

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Salad

Asian-style Fish Tacos

Lobster Pot Pie

Lobster BLT Sandwiches (skip the bacon)

Salmon, Cucumber, and Orzo Salad

Codfish Cakes

Shrimp Scampi Flatbread Pizza (and last year’s Lenten recipe round-up!)

4 Comments

Posted in Food, Main Course, Pizza, Recipes, Salads, Sandwiches, Seafood, Side Dishes, Vegetable and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Lobster Pot Pie

Posted on February 20, 2012 by amydeline

Traveling with my three siblings and I must surely have been a nightmare for my parents. We didn’t have the modern technology which exists today to keep kids occupied on car rides…no Nintendo DS, no portable DVD players, no iPads. Just the four of us in the backseat, bored out of our minds, trying to stay occupied by playing alphabet games with license plates and billboards. Inevitably, we’d become bored with these games and spend the remainder of the trip arguing about who was looking out whose window and irritating our parents with Are we there yets.

As a parent, I have no such problem. When we upsized our vehicle a few years ago, to accommodate our growing family, we made the wise choice in getting a vehicle equipped with a second row DVD player. The best feature, from our perspective, are the wireless headphones, which enable the kids to listen to their endless Ghostbusters marathon (important business around here) while my husband and I listen to gory audiobooks about the zombie apocalypse and other such serious matter. Everyone is happy, except perhaps the baby who is still rear-facing, sadly staring at the back of the seat.

With these headphones, my kids are practically silent in the car. I talk to them. They are unresponsive. I point out cool things along our drive. I get nothing. I tell their favorite jokes (which at the time consists of just shouting bananapants). Not even the slightest giggle.

The only time we encounter a problem is if someone forgets to grab their headphones before we hit the road. Like yesterday. When we got in the car to drive the half-mile (literally) to the grocery store. It all happened so fast.

I need my headphones.

Don’t worry, we’ll be there in 30 seconds.

I don’t have my headphones.

I know…but it’s ok. There’s the grocery store.

But, I can’t hear the ghostbusters.

It’s ok. We’re already in the parking lot.

But. I. Can’t. Hear. Peter. Venkman!!!

By the time we’d reached the store, my three year old was in the middle of a full tantrum. He refused to get out of the car. Negotiations were had before proceeding with our grocery trip. Note to self: Make sure everyone has their headphones before pulling out of the driveway. Or suffer the consequences.

Since the baby has managed to make himself virtually unbabysittable, through his refusal to take a bottle and his terribly unpredictable sleep patterns, going out to dinner on Valentine’s Day was not a viable option for my husband and I. Luckily, I like to cook. So I made us these delicious lobster pot pies. A creamy filling made with fresh lobster, sweet corn, and gourmet mushrooms gets wrapped up in a tender puff pastry shell. The sauce is made from a store-bought seafood stock, which is then simmered with shallots, garlic, madeira wine, tarragon, and the lobster shells until it’s reduced by half and layered with flavor. (Simmering any store-bought stock with veggies and other ingredients is a super simple way to enrich its flavor.) This comforting pot pie makes an elegant option for a quiet date-night at home.

Lobster Pot Pie

Ingredients

  • 2 lobster tails
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted (for drizzling the lobster)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1/2 cup madeira wine
  • 1 quart seafood stock
  • 1 sprig tarragon
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups mixed gourmet mushrooms, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup sweet corn kernels, cooked (defrosted frozen corn would work fine)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted

Directions

To prepare the lobster: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Use a pair of kitchen shears to snip the tops of the lobster shell down the middle. Loosen the meat inside the shell, then pull it out so it sits atop the shell. Place the lobster tails in a baking dish and drizzle with melted butter. Cook for 12-15 minutes, until the lobster reaches 145 degrees. Remove from the oven and cool. Remove the lobster meat from the shells and cut into small pieces. Save the shells.

To prepare the enriched seafood broth: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook for a few minutes. Add the madeira wine to the pan. Then, add the seafood stock, lobster shells, and tarragon. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half. Strain the broth. Discard the lobster shells, garlic, and shallots. You should be left with 2 cups of broth. (If you have less than 2 cups, add a little water. If you have more than 2 cups, simmer until only 2 cups remain.)

To prepare the lobster pie filling: Wipe out the pot you used for the broth. Then, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 7-10 minutes, until tender and a bit golden. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms. Stir to coat. Cook for a minute or two while stirring. Gradually add the warm broth the pan, whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes, until the liquid thickens, similar to a gravy. Add the heavy cream and continue simmering for another 3 minutes or so. Add the corn and lobster. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Allow to cool at room temperature until warm or refrigerate until using.

To prepare the pot pies: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two mini pie pans with non-stick spray. Slightly roll out each of the puff pastry sheets, so they are about 1/8″ thick. Cut the pastry into squares, big enough to fit the pie pan. (Once inserted, the pastry should come up to all edges, with four larger corners that will be folded over the top.) Press the pastry into the pie pans. Fill each pie with a generous scoop of the filling. Fold over the four pastry corners and gently press together in the center. Place the prepared pies on a baking sheet. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the filling is piping hot and the crust is golden brown and fully-cooked.

Makes 2 Individual Pot Pies

And for dessert…my World’s Simplest Fudgey Brownies, cut into heart shapes, and served on a bed of raspberry coulis.

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Posted in Chocolate, Desserts, Food, Main Course, Recipes, Seafood and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Nutella and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast with Raspberry Coulis

Posted on February 16, 2012 by amydeline

I’m going to become an Irish step-dancer. Stop laughing… I’m serious. Well, that’s assuming I can find a dance teacher to take on this 35-year-old mess of incoordination, with zero dance experience, but a whole lot of passion.

It’s just always been one of those things for me. I regret never having done it as a child. Years ago, I told my husband that if we ever had a girl, I’d be signing her up for lessons as soon as she could walk, so I could live vicariously through her. He was smart enough not to argue with me on that plan. But since it seems we’re destined to create a big brood of boys (and they’re much more interested in busting ghosts than dancing), it looks like I’m gonna need to live this dream for myself. Probably best that I fulfill my own dreams anyway, rather than pushing them on my kids, huh?

I’ve contacted a few local Irish dance schools and have yet to find anyone offering adult beginners classes at a time and location I can get to, but I’ve not given up hope yet. This middle age mom is ready to show Michael Flatley who the real lord (rather, lady) of the dance is. Stay tuned…

We had a lovely Valentine’s Day around here, filled with enough delicious goodies to throw me off my diet for at least the rest of this week. Oh, but it was worth it. So worth it. I surprised my loves with this special breakfast, which had everyone oohing and ahhing with each bite. For a weekday breakfast, it’s surprisingly easy to pull off. Simply prepare the ‘sandwiches’ the night before, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. This will actually help firm up the Nutella, which will make the sandwiches easier to dip in the morn. You can cut the sandwiches into any shape or not cut them at all…though the scraps make a really nice snack with a glass of red wine…just sayin’.

Nutella and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast with Raspberry Coulis

Ingredients

For the French Toast:

  • 8 slices white bread
  • 1/2 cup Nutella
  • 4-6 large strawberries, sliced
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/8 cup milk
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter
For the Raspberry Coulis:
  • 3/4 cup raspberries
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Directions

Spread each slice of bread with a thin layer of nutella. (Fight the urge to spread it too thick.) Place the sliced strawberries on four slices of the bread, then place each of the remaining four bread slices on top to make four nutella-strawberry sandwiches. If desired, use a cookie cutter to cut the sandwiches into creative shapes. If preparing ahead of time, wrap the sandwiches in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Eat the scraps.

Lightly beat the eggs with the milk and salt. Melt a bit of the butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Dip both sides of each sandwich into the egg mixture. Place the dipped sandwiches in the hot pan and cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown. The nutella will become warm and melty. (It’s easier to carefully flip the sandwiches using a fork and your hands, rather than a spatula.) Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

For the raspberry coulis, puree the raspberries with the sugar. If desired, pass the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.

Diet  Update: Avoiding the scale like the plague this week and enjoying my valentine’s day chocolates. Will be back on track next week…promise!

7 Comments

Posted in Baking, Beef, Cheese, Eggs, Food, Fruit, General Rambling and Such, Main Course and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
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