Husbands Can Cook Too

This past week my husband made an ice cream pie with a graham cracker crust (the graham crackers were made from this recipe), raspberry ice cream (made with raspberries I hand-picked last summer), and a meringue topping. It was for a co-worker's birthday so I didn't get the whole package but the individual parts were quite tasty. The trick to making ice cream with frozen raspberries is to let them completely thaw before adding them to the ice cream. The first time we tried we just added them frozen so we had vanilla ice cream with frozen raspberries. This time was much better. All of my husband's co-workers loved his ice cream pie.

Saturday morning he made me the absolute best breakfast known to man. Northwest Eggs Benedict (i.e. eggs benedict with crab cakes in the place of ham). My mouth is watering just thinking about them. We were able to make it with fresh eggs. So good. He makes the English muffins from his sourdough starter using this recipe. The recipe for the crab cakes calls for "salad dressing." Rather than using mayo, my husband uses homemade honey mustard dressing. It gives the crab cakes a nice tang. This is seriously unbeatable. I love it when he makes me Eggs Benedict. (My mouth is still watering).

{Proof of how hard he works to make me Eggs Benedict}

Spaghetti

Tonight we had spaghetti with green beans and toast. Just after Christmas a friend gave us a pasta maker that her parents were no longer using so I no longer have to make it by hand, which means we eat pasta more often (the dough is hard to roll out by hand, especially with whole wheat flour). To make the spaghetti sauce I just use a can of tomatoes and season it with things like basil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper... It is never the same but always good, especially with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top. The green beans were from last year's garden, we froze them so I just boiled them in salted water.

Colcannon

A few months ago we were searching for cheap, easy recipes and my husband came across this one. We were afraid our boys wouldn't like it but they gobbled it up and asked for seconds. I don't do the recipe exactly as it is printed on the website, I just throw it together. Here is approximately what I do but no dish is ever the same.

Colcannon

1 head of cabbage, quartered, core removed (freeze and save core for stock)

8-10 potatoes, cut into 1" pieces

Leeks or chives, if available

4 Tbsp or so butter

1/2 to 1 cup milk

salt & pepper

1. Steam cabbage until tender. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Boil until potatoes are fork tender. Drain.

2. Melt butter in a pan on the stove. If you have leeks, add them (chopped white and light green parts) to the butter and sauté until leeks are tender.

3. In a large bowl, mix together potatoes and milk. You can either stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or mash with a potato masher (you don't want mashed potatoes, just a slight mash with good chunks remaining). Cut cabbage into 1" pieces and add to potatoes. Add butter and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Don't be put off with this because it is just cabbage and potatoes, give it a shot because it is quite good. I especially like it with a slice of buttered sourdough bread.

More from Martha

Last night we had Beans with Skillet-Toasted Corn and Tomatoes from the July 2009 Martha Stewart Living. It said to serve it on a piece of lettuce but I am not a fan of lettuce unless it is strictly in a salad. I don't like it on sandwiches or with other non-salad things. I know, it is strange. When I was in high school the cafeteria served sub sandwiches with lots of shredded lettuce on them. I always scraped the lettuce off but sometimes little pieces would hide under the meat or cheese but I would always taste it. It was gross. Anyhow, this was great just on its own. We had leftover naan so we had it on the side. It was delicious - the boys cleared their bowls (both last night and today at lunch when we had it again). I think it would be a good salad to serve in a wrap or pita. We will definitely have this again.

Tonight we had a thrown together pumpkin soup. I was going to make beans for dinner but I kept putting it off until it was too late. So, because of that and the fact that today was grocery day we needed a last-minute meal from things we have around the house. I used a large (29 ounce) can of pumpkin, milk, cream, water, garlic, thyme, marjoram, parsley, and cayenne pepper. I didn't measure anything, I just threw it together in the saucepan and heated it up until it tasted pretty good. We topped it with some homemade croûtons, sour cream, and fresh chives. It was quite good, especially for how last minute it was. If you have never made your own homemade croûtons you should. They are very easy to do and taste much better than anything you can buy at the store. Cut bread into bite-sized cubes (I like to cut the heels of our bread and toss them in the freezer until I have a good amount then make a batch of croûtons with them (just grab them out and let them thaw for about an hour or until they are no longer frozen)). Place the cubes in a large bowl. Pour oil onto croûtons (you want them coated but not saturated). Season as desired. Stir. Our favorite seasoning is garlic parmesean, just sprinkle the oiled bread with garlic powder and grated parmesean cheese (we eat them as a snack). Tonight I just used garlic powder and parsley. After they are seasoned, pour the bread cubes onto a baking sheet and spread out to a single layer (if they are overlapping they won't dry out as fast and will therefore be chewy). Bake at 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes. Check them periodically to be sure they don't burn. Let cool (if they are too hot they will wilt your lettuce).

In other news, the bagels we made worked out quite nicely. It was a lot of fun to roll them into rings with my 6-year old. We ate them for breakfast the next morning and they really tasted like bagels. This first batch was just plain wheat but I would like to try adding fruit (blueberry bagels are my absolute favorite bagel) or garlic for bagel sandwiches. Start to finish they took less than an hour to make. Very easy.

We Love Pizza

Tonight for dinner we had Chicago-style Deep-Dish Pizza. Nothing too fancy - tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil, oregano, parmesean cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil. Delicious.

This afternoon my 6-year-old and I made bagels. I am excited to see how they taste at breakfast.

A Bit Behind

Sorry I am so behind. Here is a quick run down to get us caught up.

Thursday (3/18) - Leftover Deconstructed Hummus Soup

Friday (3/19) - Tuna Melts and peas

We make tuna melts by essentially making grilled cheese with canned tuna (about 1/2 can of tuna per sandwich) and mustard. The peas were just frozen peas I heated up in the microwave.

Saturday (3/20) - Taco Bowls

Think something like Chipotle. This is much like it sounds. Take a bowl. Add rice then cooked beans (any variety, we like black and/or pinto), taco sauce (in a small saucepan heat 1 can tomato sauce, 1-2 cloves garlic, and about 1 Tbsp chili powder for about 10-15 minutes, when heated through add about 1 tsp salt), cooked corn, cheddar cheese, sour cream, fresh tomatoes, olives... Really, once you have the beans and rice you can add anything you would like. Just think of what you would want on a taco or nachos and toss it on. You like avocados? Throw some on. It is that easy. My boys love it and always ask for seconds.

Sunday (3/21) - Roasted Cauliflower with Pasta and Lemon Zest and cornbread

This was delicious! We found it in the November 2009 Martha Stewart Living magazine. My family tends not to like onions but I used 1/2 of a red onion in this and they liked it. We did not have capers so I left those out. We also didn't have lemons to zest so I added a splash of lemon juice, which did not distribute itself evenly. Dry parsley works OK but fresh would be better. Still, it was a great dish that I intend to have more often. I think it will make a nice light spring/summer dish.

Monday (3/22) - Creamy Potato Soup and Bread

I don't really have a recipe for this potato soup. I cut up and boil a bunch of potatoes (I like it best with unpeeled red potatoes). When the potatoes are soft (easily pierced with a fork) drain them. Mash potatoes with a potato masher (you want some slightly larger chunks so it isn't like eating mashed potatoes). Add minced garlic and desired liquid(s) (cream and/or milk and/or stock) to get the desired consistency. Heat until warmed through. Just prior to serving add salt, pepper, and a touch of red pepper flakes. Garnish individual bowls with cheddar cheese and fresh chives. You can also add some chopped cooked bacon.

Tuesday (3/23) - Spicy Indian Fish, Carrots with Grated Coconut, Naan

Our 6-year old son has often told us that he doesn't like spicy food, "except for spicy fish." I was really happy with this meal because, in my opinion, it was well rounded and it went together well (Indian theme). Both the fish and carrots were from the book Cooking the Indian Way.

St. Patrick's Day Fare

Today was my Relief Society (church) activity, complete with dinner. They served pork loin, roasted potatoes & carrots, and some sort of salad with apples, walnuts, celery, and a mayonnaise sauce. After the dinner we had two types of cake - tangerine and red velvet. They were both good but the red velvet was the best. While I was out, the boys had grilled cheese sandwiches and peas.

Two Dinners and a Dessert

Yesterday we ate Deconstructed Hummus Soup from Love Soup. It is a very simple soup - chickpeas and broth with garlic, parsley, and lemon juice. It is my oldest son's "favorite soup."

After dinner we had a dessert of apple blackberry pie with homemade vanilla ice cream. We finished the pie off tonight. It was delicious. I got the crust recipe from a lady at church. It was the flakiest crust I have ever made. The recipe calls for shortening but that stuff freaks me out so I just used butter. The apples were picked last fall by a friend. I peeled them, cut them into slices, and froze them. The blackberries were ones we picked and froze. Here is my pie recipe:

Apple-Blackberry Pie

For the Crust
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp sugar
1/16 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
12 Tbsp butter, cup into small pieces
1/3 cup cold water
For the Filling
2 cups blackberries
4 cups apples, peeled and sliced
¾ cups sugar
2 Tbsp flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon


1. Prepare pie crust: combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar); cut in butter until it resembles course crumbs. Add water and mix just until ball forms (do not knead or over mix). Divide dough in half and form into discs. Cover discs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Make the filling: In a large bowl stir together the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, cinnamon). Add fruit and gently toss until coated.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F.
4. Assemble the pie: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the cold dough from center to edges into a circle 12-inches in diameter. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate (wrap it around the rolling pin and unroll it in the pie pan, without stretching the dough, press it into the pan). Trim the pastry even with the rim of the pie plate. Transfer filling to pastry-lined pie plate.
5. Roll remaining disc like the previous one. Lay over the top of the filled pie. Trim to ½-inch beyond the edge of the plate. Fold top pastry under bottom pastry. Crimp edge as desired. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape.
6. Brush the top crust with water. Cover edges with foil to prevent over-browning. Bake in a 375°F oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes more or until fruit is tender and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.


Today for dinner we had curried vegetables with brown rice and bread. My husband cooked green beans (from our garden last fall), carrots, and peas in oil and curry powder. It was light and simple.

Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Bars

I have been going through my large collection of Martha Stewart Living magazines bulling out recipes that look good. This has caused our folder of recipes to overflow with things we want to try out so we are starting to move through them and "use it or lose it." Last night for dessert we made Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Bars. They are sweet and salty. I am in love with them. Thank goodness they are super sweet so I can only eat one at a time. I was leery of the salt on top but I tried it and I am sold. Make up a batch but don't forget to leave time for them to chill.

Lentil and Bulgur Soup

Tonight for dinner we had a Lentil and Bulgur Soup from the March 2010 Martha Stewart Living magazine. It was a good, simple, basic soup. This was the first time that I had a lentil soup without curry. We used carrots, chives, brown lentils, and bulgur wheat, which made it a very simple and not overly flavorful soup. To add flavor we dressed the soup with salt, pepper, olive oil, and red wine vinegar (not our idea, it was part of the recipe). It was a nice "base" soup. The kids ate it up so it is worth keeping the recipe.

Dinner was followed by some Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Bars. I can't get enough of them.

Pizza! Pizza!

I knew a girl in school who didn't like pizza. To this day, I am baffled. How can you not like pizza? Sure, there are some pizzas that are better than others but, really, who doesn't love a good pizza. Last night we had a homemade vegetarian pizza. It was the third time in six weeks that we have had this and it doesn't get old. We got the recipe out of the book, 500 Pizzas and Flatbreads by Rebecca Baugniet, which I checked out at the library six weeks ago. There are a lot of great pizzas in this book. The dough works very well with whole wheat flour and tastes like something you would find in a pizza joint. So far we have tried the vegetarian pizza, garlic & olive oil pizza (which is a great garlic bread), broccoli & mushroom calzone, cheddar & bacon stuffed pizza (which was like a quiche with bread on all sides), brooklyn gourmet pizza, chicago deep-dish pizza, neapolitan pizza, focaccia, ciabatta bread, barley breakfast bread, cornbread, streusel pizza (a great at home version of Valentino's dessert pizzas), and chocolate chip cookie crust pizza. I think our favorite pizza was the vegetarian pizza with black olives (a love of my sons), bell peppers, mushrooms, and tomato slices. The sauce that goes on it (also from the book) is wonderfully flavorful but not overpowering. We love, love, love the streusel pizza with blackberries and raspberries on top. This book proves that you can have delicious pizza made from scratch at home. Now I just need to convince my husband I need a wood-fire oven.

Angel Hair Alfredo

Tonight we had a late dinner of angel hair pasta with a simple alfredo sauce. The sauce was made from butter, garlic, cream, and parmesan cheese.

What's for Dinner?

Every week before I go to the grocery store I ask my family what they want for dinner in the upcoming week. Some weeks we shoot through ideas and are done quickly but most weeks we can't think of anything. We really struggle with it. So, because of that I have decided to blog our dinners. I will attach recipes (unless they are in a book) so that when we are trying to think of dinners we have a place to go for inspiration. Also, we eat a lot of beans and many people have asked me what I do with them but when I am asked I freeze and can't think of any. Hopefully this will be a great place to get some delicious bean ideas.

Well, let's get started. Last night we ate Black Bean Soup with bread and butter on the side. We have outgrown our recipe so I have had to double it. Here is the bigger version:

Black Bean Soup

1 onion, finely chopped or 2 Tbsp dehydrated onions

5 cloves garlic, chopped or minced

4 cups stock

1 cup dry black beans (about 8 cups cooked), soaked, cooked, and drained

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cumin

2 Tbsp lemon juice or juice from ½ of a lemon

2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp cold water

1. In a pot combine the onions, garlic, and stock. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

2. Add 2 cup beans, salt, and cumin. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

3. Puree soup using either immersion blender or a regular blender (do it in batches).

4. Pour pureed soup back to the pot. Add remaining beans and lemon juice. This should be a thicker soup, but if it is looking too dry, add some water in ¼ cup increments.

5. In a small bowl with a lid combine the cornstarch and cold water, replace lid, and shake until combined. Pour cornstarch mixture into soup and stir continually until thickened and heated through.

Makes 8 servings

1860 total calories (232 Calories per serving)