Kitchen Adventures: Dried Beans (18 Bean Soup Recipe)

On a recent trip to the dollar store (why do they call it that- I can never get out for under $20 Dollar$!), I purchased a few bags of dried beans and put them in my pantry- just in case. Monday was the case- either fueled by torrential downpour here in sunny CA or I wanted to dust off the crock pot.... the plan was to make chili, but I decided to experiment.  I actually read the instructions on the bag (imagine!) and was instantly transported to when I was little and my mom used to make a huge pot of beans or chili. I remember helping her 'sort' out the beans looking for any non-edible items that might have made its way into the mix (ie: a little pebble) and then washing the beans. So nostalgic. And a challenge: I've never cooked with dried beans before, just the canned variety. It was not an instantaneous process for dinner on the table in 30 minutes, but it was very simple and versatile. And wait until you see the cost! I concocted up a delish recipe that I wanted to pass along to you!

1 Bag (dried) 18 Bean Mix- sort through the beans and place into a colander and wash with hot water
1 Bag navy beans (I used white)
 1 package of ground turkey- browned with onions, garlic, salt and pepper
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 bouillon cubes- your preferred flavor
2 pressed garlic cloves\
1 Can Green Chilies (mild)
Seasonings to taste: (I'm a 'dasher' meaning that I use a dash of this, and that while I cook)
I used: Salt, pepper, dried onion (I'm not a fan of the onion), 2 garlic cloves, Worcester sauce, balsamic vinegar, Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute and parsley

Soak the beans in about 8 cups of water overnight. Drain and rinse and put into the crock pot with 6 cups of water, the turkey and the rest of the ingredients. Turn on desired setting and wait for dinner! Serve with desired toppings such as cheese, sour cream and with a loaf of crusty french bread! Since I was making "noondles" (noodles) for Miss K, I also added some to a serving- yumm!

This recipe feeds an army- we had dinner for two nights, I'm taking for lunch one more day and I froze a large bag of the soup as well. I also added some sauteed beet greens to mine tonight and it was yummy (but that's for another post!) Another benefit- the cost of the entire crock pot including the bread was under $8- budget gourmet! I hope that you enjoy this recipe!

My farm delivery box allows me the liberty to be creative with recipes- it's always fun to think up recipes (outside of soup, pasta or risotto!) with whatever comes in it. This week I received my delivery right before Thanksgiving and even though I was totally inspired, I was also so busy and swamped! But today inspiration and time were finally on my side! Mind you that my hubs doesn't like either ingredient in the title aside from "Apple" and "Pie" but I'm going to make him try it out anyways! I just had my first slice and it was D-lish!




(2) pre-made refrigerated pie crusts- room temp

1 pint of fresh cranberries

1 bunch of rhubarb (approximately 1/4 cup finely chopped)

4 medium apples- preferrable Fuji or other sweet apple- coursely chopped

1 orange- zest and then squeeze the juice and reserve

cinnamon

vanilla

1 c. of splenda or sugar, plus 1/4 cup

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 stick of butter



Heat oven to 425. Coursely chop the cranberries and rhubarb and place in a microwave safe bowl and add enough water to cover. Add 1/4 cup of sugar or splenda to the mixture, along with 2/3 of the fresh juice. Microwave on high 5 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool.

Place one pie crust in a deep-dish pie plate and form against sides.

Strain cranberry mixture and add apples, mix and then spread into formed pie crust. Sprinkle with your preferred amount of cinnamon and vanilla. Mix together the remaining sugar and flour and add over filling. Dot filling with butter and pour remaining orange juice prior to covering with top crust. Add top crust, pinch edges to seal. Cut slits into crust and brush with a little melted butter. Sprinkle with some sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crusts are brown and mixture is bubbly. Enjoy with some ice cream or fresh whipped cream!

Fun with Baby Kiera- Food Style and HER First Word

Brain Freeze! Brain Freeze!

The past few days weeks months have just flew on by; each day seems to come to a close much faster than the previous one and I often go to bed at night thinking, "Exactly what did I get accomplished today??!!"  Aside from the 9 to 5, household organization is finally coming to fruition (thank you, thank you flylady.net!), I'm feeling more balanced, and I think I'm getting the hang of this "MOM" thing (it's only taken 350 days plus prego time??? LOL)!  Now if I can finally balance momblogging, viola!  ( :  Well... 4 out of 5 isn't bad, right..... 

I've neglected to take the advice of my dear friend Katie and have not written down the daily events of life with Kiera and have had to glance over my Facebook page to see what we've been up to (and even then, I'm inclined to leave off some details... like her falling twice in one weekend... )  Don't worry, I won't forget- yeah... so, Kindle, dear so-pregnant friend- I know you are reading this (and probably the only one who does!)- please make sure that you note the days' events with your two (yes, two!)  bundles of joy when they finally make their blessed appearances in November- you will get mommybrain and forget the little details that will be important to you later in life!  Looking back it seems like the only thing that we do is eat (posts on donuts: 9 in the last 2 months; posts on pancakes: 5; coffee:  um, decline to state as the price tag might be shocking!; fun pictures of Kiera eating- well, those are PRICELESS and hence, good blogworthy fodder!)

Me likey pasgetti Mommy!

Kiera loves to eat- she gets that from her dad- and has been "mooching" our food for months... a sure sign that she's ready for 'big girl' food!  And the next sign? That her first recognizable "word" was MORE. (07/11/10) Yep, not 'mommy,' but more.  (I'm sure that she's been saying 'dada' for awhile, but it's interchangeable to both of us) However, her use of the word 'more' is clearly an attempt to ask for what ever we are currently eating/ drinking.  It's very comical!  Except for when it is followed by a "Heeeeyyyyy" in a larger-than-life-'outside'-voice inside of a restaurant.  (I'm a huge believer in table manners- but ask me that when she's two!)  On her yumm list so far: pasta (she gets that from me); cauliflower (I know- right?!); french toast; pancakes; crumb donuts (hey- she ate them when she was bakin' in the belly, why not now in limited sample sizes??); eggs; mac-n-cheese; watermelon; bacon; pears; applesauce; carrots; corn; beans; cereal; hamburger.  I'm-so-gonna-get-shit-for half of the stuff on the list so I might as well:  but she also loves soda and ice cream too, and certainly didn't make a yucky-face at Mommy's frappacino.  (Yep, peoples, I'm dosin' her up with massive amounts of sugar and caffeine, call CPS on me...). 

Mmm... Popsicle. (07/04/10)

We basically let her try our suitable food... and she's lovin' it; the downfall is that she wants NOTHING to do with the store-bought baby food now (read: save money!).  The added benefit to Kiera's dinner time, is that Jason and I actually sit at the table to eat now; previously it was just another unused flat surface!  Dinner time is family time and definitely chock full of entertainment value- those faces are priceless.  And to watch her contemplate whether she likes a new texture/ taste or not is also quite amusing.  There have been quite a few 'lemon- faces' too, and now when she doesn't like something, she sticks her tongue out until you wipe it off.  (Not spitting it out yet- thank goodness!)   I love watching her pick up the pieces and put them in her mouth; she then uses the side of her hand to ensure it's completely in her mouth and give her six little teeth a workout.

No honey, that's not an edible bowl!

The family dog is also beginning to love her- rather her leftovers- the ratio of ingested food to what winds up on her, in the high chair or on the floor is about 1:4.  A tasty puppy treat indeed.  Clean-up is always an adventure as well- shake the baby off over the sink and wrestle with her to clean hands and face!  Fun times.  Amazing- before I used to love to catch a movie or dinner with friends, and now I treasure feeding time with the little one.... ahhh.. mommyhood!

One of her first "finger food" experiences.. pureed carrots!

Giving Thanks

It has been a good year. It’s a true blessing to be able to say that because at this same time last year, it didn’t seem like things were going to be going in the right direction.



My first round of Clomid after months of testing had me wondering if the efforts were futile; I had a run-in, literally, with a stone post in my driveway that was pretty costly; money was tight due to a job change for Jason and the first check not coming ‘til after the first of the year; I learned that they were relocating my office and laying off a very dear co-worker and my mom and step-dad separated after 27 years of marriage. There wasn’t a lot of “Happy” in that particular holiday season. Somehow Jason and I managed to stick together and make the best of the situation, and we enjoyed the spirit of the season.


Our true gift arrived in the form of two little blue lines on a pee-stick on the morning of December 27, 2008. The test showed that we were going to finally have a family together. God bless Clomid. As far as the other stress that we were dealing with: the car was repaired rather quickly and the co-pay was generously paid by Jason’s mom; relocating to Folsom meant meeting new people and becoming even better friends with

Food Fun with BabyW

Is there such a thing as 7/8th’s vegetarian? If so, sign me up. I can’t say that I’m a 100% veggieasaurus, but meat definitely is not my cup of tea these days thanks in part to BabyW. Now mind you that I wasn’t a terribly picky eater PP (pre-prego chick) but I did have my likes and dislikes- mashed potatoes & gravy, pasta, Peeps, and a daily shot of caffeine rank high on my faves list while onions, pizza and liver (duh!) are on my icky list. The hormones and daily changes as the result of hatching BabyW has now made me a very finicky eater!

For the first 15 weeks, I can say that coffee turned my stomach- good for the development of baby and the budget without a daily run to the local Starbizuck’s (but now I have returned to regular dosings of my favorite Medium Non-fat Sugar-free Vanilla Latte, especially from Peet’s!). Okay peanut gallery- pipe down! The doctor says 100mg or under of caffeine is okay… my drink is certainly under that and I limit all other sources… so there. Besides, have you ever seen me without my coffee???

I digress. I no longer have morning sickness (although when driving by an In-N-Out, I have strong recollections of Weeks 6-15) but finding a food that appeals to BabyW is a challenge. My appetite is increasing- not to those levels yet that I hear pregnant women are usually famous for- but enough that it takes more than smoothies and Sugar Smacks to sustain us. And to add to the challenge- what sounded good when I ordered it at the restaurant, is no longer the power pellet of choice once it arrives to the table. Hence the half-eaten Cheesecake Factory salad in my fridge. It’s also hard to manage a well-balanced diet. Thank goodness that I still crave healthy things… the half bag of gourmet caramel corn and carrot sticks that BabyW had for lunch yesterday were certainly a lifesaver! And PP, I loved cooking, but can you imagine how fun it is too cook in this state? Who ever came up with that label "barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen" was clearly delirious. Bless you dear husband for surviving these non-cooking days (kinda reminds you of when we were dating, huh?) ( ;

Mom offered to cook my birthday dinner last week of my favorite chicken-fried steak, mashed taters and gravy and etc. Then as BabyW not-so-gently bumped around, I was reminded that it might not be a good idea. So I placed an order of beef stroganoff- at least I could pick around the meat- I managed to eat about two chunks of meat (see? 7/8ths veggiesaurus) before I started Plan B. At least everyone else enjoyed the stroganoff! ( :
The week prior we went to Benihana’s which ranks high on the list of special occasion restaurants and I LOVE their fried rice. YUM. Usually I order filet mignon- um, the veggie delite just pales in comparison. But it was fun watching it steam on the grill while the big old bubble inflated as it cooked. Definitely not worth the price. I nibbled on a bit of Jason’s filet, and it wasn’t so appealing this time (thanks, BabyW), neither were mushrooms, which I formerly loved…. but the rice…. Did I mention the rice?

So, what's for lunch today... no telling, but I do have a feeling that it won't consist of meat (Veggie sandwiches rankshigh on my food list now) and I'm sure this child is going to come out with a sweet tooth like nobody’s business! (That is definately from Daddy!)

I'm Not a Pregzilla! I'm Not, I'm Not, I'm Not!

Last night I was recounting one of my few hormone-induced (or in this case, hunger) Pregzilla moments for my step-momster, and I had completely forgotten to post it to the blogosphere when it happened. Forgetfulness, that's another pregnancy-related symptom!

Now mind you that this moment happened in around Week 10 at the height of my morning sickness/ insomnia/ fatigue/ pukey stage; and that at that time I was living off of cereal, PB&J sandwiches and fruit smoothies. I woke up at 4 a.m. thinking about food: my trusty box of Sugar Smacks to be exact. (Side note: prior to becoming a Pregnant Chick, I used to follow a relatively lower-carb diet and stuck to the SpecialK with occasional Frosted Wheats- now my cereal is what I lovingly refer to as my kiddie cereal- the sweeter, the better- hence Sugar Smacks!) Although I was thinking about the cereal, it was definitely matter over mind, and I didn't actually go downstairs to go dish me up a bowl. Forward a few hours later to me leaving for work and preparing my little bowl of Sugar Smacks. Where ARE the Sugar Smacks? Did the cereal monster eat the last of it? It usually takes quite a bit to get me upset, but this was definitely on my short list of traumatic events. This is the message I left for DH: "I'm standing in the kitchen looking for my cereal and I know you ate it- why did you have to eat the last of my damn cereal? I've been thinking about it since 4 a.m.!" Okay, so, it was a bit more gruff and you could probably insert another expletive or two. Thank goodness that he didn't pick up the phone, and then again that part of the voicemail cut off.

But I'm still totally upset, so I call mom: "He ate all my *bleepin'* cereal!" No 'good morning' or 'how are you' just ranting about him eating my cereal. I can see her choking back laughter on the other end while she consoles me about this "horrible" situation. So what does Mom get me for Valentine's Day? TWO boxes of Sugar Smacks lovingly wrapped and mailed to me just in time for Cupids Day! LOL. It really is kind of funny now; but poor Jason probably won't eat the last of ANY cereal for the duration of my pregnancy without informing me in very large letters that he has done so! I’ve also promised him to keep these moments to a minimum, and so far half-way through have maintained that.

"Honey, Will You...?"

... and he does. See, I've been blessed with a supportive husband (who might even be suffering from his own sympathy symptoms!) who has been floating on Cloud 9 ever since I could share with him the good news. He's always asking if I need this or that, or whatever.... and he bolts up in the middle of the night wondering if I'm okay (mind you it's after the 3rd bathroom trip of the night!)- I'm so lucky! So, call me surprised when I sweetly asked for mashed potatoes from Jack's and he claims it's going to be a long 8 months! Do you know that cravings are very hard to curb? And who wants to make a pregnant woman cry!

I swear, I'm really not high maintenence- and this science experiment calls for just a wee bit of TLC, right? LOL. I think I've heard this comment at least once before too... but for him it's only 8 months, for me, it's going to feel like the gestation period of an elephant.... especially during the nice and cool Sacramento summers!

I haven't really had many cravings- the first few weeks I was hungry- no, make that ravenous and wanted whatever popped into my head. A cheeseburger from In-n-Out (I haven't had one for over a year), chocolate ice cream (I'm a plain vanilla kind of girl!), chips and dip for a few days, and since then not really anything in particular in the last few weeks. Actually, food doesn't sound good at all the majority of the time and not because of morning sickness, just because it doesn't. So, when I scarfed up those yummy mashed potatoes, I was a happy pregnant chick. (I'm sure it was the lopsided pout - thanks to the cold sores- that won my DH over!)- at least I'm a cheap date right now! Okay, my energy level has just been depleted (do you hear that beeping like your cell phone!) and it's time for bed.... and this coming from a reformed night owl! TTYL!