Vanilla Creme Brûlée

I love it when my girls get an idea of something that they want to make or a recipe they want to try - I may dread them making slime but I'm always happy if they make me dessert!  Middle (who is now the tallest!) recently asked me how to make creme brûlée.  I told her that it's not that complicated and basically just a custard like an ice cream base.  We had a super busy week in February when Valentine's Day rolled around and no special plans to celebrate, but she made this dessert and it was a hit.  I liked showing her how to scrape out and use the vanilla bean and how to temper her egg yolks when adding them to the warm cream.  Since our recent trip to Florida involved a lot of eating out, she took every opportunity that presented itself to order creme brûlée for dessert!

Vanilla Creme Brûlée (makes 4)
from NYT Cooking
 

2 cups heavy or light cream (or half-n-half)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar (more for topping)

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, combine cream, vanilla bean and salt and cook over low heat just until hot. Let sit for a few minutes, then discard vanilla bean. (If using vanilla extract, add it now.)
   
   In a bowl, beat yolks and sugar together until light. Stir about a quarter of the cream into this mixture, then pour sugar-egg mixture into cream and stir. Pour into four 6-ounce ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish; fill dish with boiling water halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until centers are barely set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours and up to a couple of days.
   
   
   When ready to serve, top each custard with about a teaspoon of sugar in a thin layer. Place ramekins in a broiler 2 to 3 inches from heat source. Turn on broiler. Cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, about 5 minutes. Serve within two hours.

Big's Comfort Food

George woke up from hibernating - finally spring!

Beautiful trip to Crestline with Middle's class

Soaking up the sun

I've had a rough time with all the rain and the lack of sun - last weekend was a huge tease.  It finally felt like summer and got into the 80s (as pictured above) but then today I woke up to rain again.  Such a drag.  

I've been meaning to post this recipe for awhile.  We all like this one baked pasta with chicken and broccoli that I posted about here.  However, I was looking for a lighter version without all the cheese & less dairy and came across this recipe.  It's been a big hit - Big pronounced this her comfort food which is a big compliment!  I have tried making it ahead and it's not as delicious (gets dried out) but it's super quick to the table - as fast as it takes to boil the noodles.  Even though it's on regular rotation, I keep forgetting to take a photo before it gets gobbled up.

Creamy Ricotta Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli (serves 4-6)

1 large head broccoli
1.5 cups shredded chicken
1 medium lemon
1 pound penne (or other short pasta)
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
freshly ground black pepper
salt
red pepper flakes
parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.  While waiting for it to boil, cut the broccoli head into small florets.  Finely grate the zest of 1 lemon, and then juice the lemon.  Place the zest, juice, and ricotta cheese into a food processor or blender.  Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, if desired.  Process until airy and smooth, stopping a couple of times to scape down the sides.

Add the pasta to the boiled water and cook according to package directions.  When the pasta is about 2 minutes from being ready (2 minutes less than al dente), toss the broccoli florets into the pot and cook for the remaining 2 minutes.  Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta and broccoli.

Return the pasta and broccoli to the pot.  Add the ricotta mixture and 1/4 cup pasta water.  Stir.  Add more pasta water as needed until the sauce coats & clings to the pasta.  Taste and season with black pepper & parmesan cheese, if desired.  Serve immediately.

Spring Break Fun (Food from Instagram Part III)

We had an absolute blast during spring break with a trip to Florida.  We started planning a few months ago and the girls wanted to go somewhere they had never been before.  Disneyworld has always been on my list of places that I wanted to take them but I didn't really want to go with a toddler or kid who was too young to really enjoy it (or keep up!).  I'm so glad I waited - they were the perfect ages for it and such great travelers.  We began our trip in St. Petersburg on the gulf coast and ended it with some time in Reunion FL with our cousins from Connecticut.  In the middle, we did 3 days in the parks (1 day for my husband) and I put Big in charge of our itinerary, the Genie + / Lightning Lane situation, eating plans etc.  I joked that I just wanted to follow behind with the credit card and in the end, it took a lot of pressure off and made it so much more fun.  She did an awesome job.  I took so many photos but here are just a few. . .

Key Lime Pie in FL

Art festival in St. Petersburg

Dairy Free Milkshake!

This restaurant brought us fresh cotton candy after our meal

World's Largest Sundial

Warm Gulf waters - Pass-a-Grille Beach

Epcot Day 1 - flower festival topiaries were amazing!

My goal was to eat a Dole Whip every day . . . 

Ratatouille Ride

Disney Bounding on Day 2 - Cinderella, Rapunzel & Belle

Fun with Family

Disney Bounding on Day 3 - Tink, Eeyore, and Alice

It rained :(

Reunion with Aunt Janelle

In other spring break fun, we tried another Instagram recipe for Peep Rice Krispy Treats.  Big didn't like them but the rest of us did - you could combine or mix colors / styles of Peeps.  We found we had to increase the amount of Rice Krispies when we stirred it up because it was too marshmallow-y.

Peep Rice Krispy Treats (makes 9)

15 peeps (1 package)

3 cups Rice Krispies

3 T butter

Put the peeps in a greased 8x8 pan.  Pour the Rice Krispies over.  Top with slices of butter.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until the marshmallows are melty.  Stir to combine.  Add more Rice Krispies if necessary.  Pat down.  Let cool before serving.

Food for Some of the People

Recently I wrote about that dreaded question: "What's for dinner?"  and last weekend I came up with a new recipe that went over well with some of the people.

Since I've been staying home from work this year, we eat dinner together at home about 5 nights a week.  Usually one weekend night and one weekday night we'll either go out to eat or to a friend's house or something.  Of those 5 nights a week, often we have 1 where one of the kids is missing (at a friend's or an activity).  I've been trying to embrace that by cooking the thing that particular kid doesn't like to eat.  For example, if Big is gone, I'll typically make a pot of soup or stew or if Middle is gone, I'll make salmon.  

One of those nights happened last weekend and I made a new salmon recipe that I had been wanting to try.  It was a big hit and in particular, this would be great on a weeknight because it came together and cooked so quickly.  I made some modifications to the slaw (recipe below is what I made) and I kept the jalapeños sliced so that Little could pick them out.  The original recipe also calls for a cast iron skillet which I didn't use but I bet you could make this on the grill in a cast iron skillet pretty easily.  I recommend making the slaw first so it has a chance to set and for the flavors to combine while you make the salmon (or earlier in the day and store in the refrigerator).  I served white rice with the fish & slaw and it all tasted great together.  

Crispy Honey Ginger Salmon (serves 4)
from Half Baked Harvest.

4 salmon filets (skin on)
1 T sesame oil
2/3 cup honey
2 T sambal oelek (red chili condiment - it's usually by the Thai curry pastes)
2 T soy sauce
1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime

For the slaw:
2 T lime juice
2 T rice vinegar
3 cups of cabbage, shredded (or coleslaw mix)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
pinch of salt

In a small bowl, combine the honey, samba oelek, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, lime zest, and lime juice. Preheat the broiler.  Rub the salmon all over with the sesame oil.  Heat an oven safe skillet over medium high heat.   Pour the sauce in the skillet and allow it to barely boil (simmer) for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the salmon, skin side up.  Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil for 2-5 minutes, watching closely until the salmon skin is crisp.

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the slaw and toss to combine.  

Whipped Feta & Roasted Chickpeas (Food from Instagram Part II)

My friend Amy and I send each other Instagram stories or posts or links to recipes with the message "let's make this!" We used to be in the habit of a weekly dinner with our families until life got crazy (crazier?) this year and now it's more like monthly.  This past weekend, I remembered one of those posts and dug it up.  Now, I remember when Instagram was brand new and just people sharing filtered photos - no pushed content, sponsored ads, or complicated algorithms.  I never thought it would be a place for recipe inspiration but most of what I save is food/recipe related.  Inevitably, the recipe & instructions are usually not specific or detailed enough so then I head down the rabbit hole of searching for a better description / methodology and end up right back at food blogs where I started.  The version below is a combination of me reading several different things on the internet.

I read that the chickpeas will get crispiest if they start out really dry (which seems counterintuitive since you're going to toss them in olive oil) and if you remove the skins.  I found that a lot of the skins came off when I dried them and I didn't get too picky about that part.

In the end, I have concluded that I like goat cheese much more than feta and I would have preferred a base like the goat cheese & balsamic blueberry appetizer that I've posted here but everyone else liked it and we ate it all!

For the whipped feta:

6 oz feta

4 oz plain greek yogurt

juice & zest of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp pepper

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth

For the roasted chickpeas:

2 cans garbanzo beans / chickpeas

1 T olive oil

some seasonings - I eyeballed it but used smoked paprika, oregano, and cumin

Rinse the chickpeas and dry them well with a kitchen towel or paper towels.  Put them in a bowl with the olive oil and seasonings and toss to coat.  Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes - 1 hour, shaking the pan every 15 minutes or so.

To serve, spread the whipped feta on a plate, top with the chickpeas, and drizzle with olive oil (optional).  We served this with pita chips but pita bread, crackers, crudite etc. would work well too.

Instant Pot Beef Bourgignon

The girls had a recent day off of school for teacher in-service and I loved finding them being creative instead of looking at screens.  

Now making slime is one of my least favorite "creative" activities (and it's banished to outside) but with one kid getting ready to drive and talking about college, I know our slime days are numbered.  And, it's something they like to do together (and did I mention outside?).  Big is painting a pair of shoes for Middle to wear when we go to Disney World since her own Rapunzel inspired ones are done.

I've been thinking about creativity and how that part of my job is what I miss the most so I'm trying to write a little more here on the blog and on another project so that I can use that part of my brain a little more.  

The creativity I struggle with is coming up with new ideas for dinner . . . I still dread the "what's for dinner" question that I get (most days before breakfast from Little or even the night before).  Part of it is that I feel like my one picky eater doesn't really like most of what the rest of us like to eat and another part of it is that I get in a rut of making the same 5-7 dishes over and over.  Send any new meal suggestions my way!

This winter we've really liked this Beef Bourguignon and other beef stew variations and the instant pot makes it so easy to have very tender braised beef.  I keep forgetting to save the recipe I like so here it is so I can always find it again!

A couple of recipe notes:  I like to buy my own roast and cut it into chunks - the chunks of stew meat that most places sell are tough and not delicious.  I leave my mushrooms large (sometimes halved cremini mushrooms) so that my girls can pick them out.  As always, it's not an "instant" recipe by any stretch but it tastes like you spent longer than an hour on it and a lot of the time is hands off.

Instant Pot Beef Bourgignon (serves 6)

from Creme de la Crumb

1 T vegetable or olive oil

6 pieces of thick cut bacon, roughly chopped

3 lbs beef roast cut into 2 inch chunks

1 cup red wine

2 cups beef broth

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 beef boullion cube, crushed

1/4 cup flour

1 white or yellow onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced into 2 inch pieces

1 T minced garlic

2 T fresh thyme, chopped

1 lb baby potatoes

8 oz fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

salt and pepper to taste

fresh parsley to garnish & serve

Set the instant pot to sauté and add the oil and bacon.  Cook until crisp, stirring frequently with a slotted spoon.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

Add the beef and sear 3-4 minutes using tongs to rotate the pieces so all sides are browned.

Add red wine to the pot and scrape up any cooked beef or bacon bits.  Simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes.  Gradually add the beef broth, tomato sauce, and boullion.  Whisk in the flour, a little at a time.  Stir in bacon, carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, mushrooms, and potatoes.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  

Put the lid on and set the instant pot to pressure cook for 45 minutes.  After that, do a natural release for 10 minutes and then a manual release, switching the valve to vent.  When you can safely remove the lid, change the setting to saute and let the sauce thicken for 5-10 minutes.  Give it a good stir, taste it, and season with more salt and pepper if you want.  Serve with fresh chopped parsley.  My girls like a good crusty bread on the side as well!

Classics reimagined for new (sports) seasons

Even thought it has felt like a long, wet California winter, these days.we mark the season more with sports seasons than with weather.  Big played her first year of high school varsity basketball, Middle played her first year of middle school basketball, and now the younger two are playing another season of basketball on co-ed teams at the YMCA.  We spend 5 nights a week at the Y between practice & games for two teams so that has impacted the way I meal plan.  One night, I need something that's ready almost as soon as we get home from practice, other nights, I need something everything can eat at different times, and still other nights, we eat early before we go to basketball.  That's not to say that we don't grab Chick-Fil-A once in awhile or order a pizza, but I try really hard to save eating out for a treat on the weekends.

One of my go-to weeknight meals is a pot of green soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.  Still, almost any time I ask my husband what he wants for dinner, the answer is "green soup."  The girls *may* be a little tired of it so I've switched up my recipe to a new version that we all like.  I usually make a big batch of grilled cheese to go with it because while green soup is delicious, high in nutrients, and low in calories, I don't want to feed my kids again before bedtime so they need something more to go with it.  In addition to getting a little tired of my old green soup, Big informed me that she's "never liked grilled cheese" (can any parents of teenagers relate to this sort of announcement?). So, now I make baked turkey & cheese sliders on Hawaiian rolls.  Same concept - warm sandwich that can be made in the oven with minimal hands on time.

The great thing about these soups & sandwiches is that most of the ingredients I have on hand, I don't need a recipe anymore, and it comes together fast.  Below you'll find the recipes (or concept) for the "new" green soup and "new" sandwiches but if you want to see the originals as well, here are the links:

Green Soup

How to make Grilled Cheese in the oven in a big batch

Creamy Kale & Potato Soup (4-6 servings)

Note:  The main difference between this green soup and the other one is the use of potatoes instead of rice as the starch and the addition of some dairy - you can substitute non-dairy milk / creams if that's an issue for you or just use more broth and leave it out altogether.

1 T olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 1/2 cups vegetable stock / broth

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 cup milk

2 large handfuls of kale (stems removed and chopped)

black pepper

cooked bacon (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a big pot and add the onion and potatoes.  Cook for 10 minutes or so until softened.  Add the garlic and saute for another minute or two.  Add the broth and scrape up anything on the bottom of the pot.  Let it simmer for 10-15minutes or until the potato is soft.  Add the kale and stir and cook until it's all wilted (3-5 minutes).  Using an immersion blender, blend it until smooth (or you can transfer it to a blender and then back to the pot).  Add the milk, season with pepper to taste, and warm it back up.  Serve with cooked bacon as a garnish.

Turkey & Cheese Sliders

In a small saucepan, melt 1/2 cup of butter and add 1/2 T of Worcestershire and 1/2 T of dijon mustard.  Set aside.

Cut an entire bag of Hawaiian rolls in half lengthwise and remove the top.  Spread with yellow mustard.  Top with deli turkey and sliced cheese.  Replace the top of the bread.  Brush over the melted butter mixture and sprinkle with Everything Bagel seasoning.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until toasted and melty.