Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry

After determining that stir fry is one thing my girls like to eat for dinner, I've been trying out some new variations.  I love coconut curry and was tempted to put some green curry paste in this dish but I didn't want to push the envelope with them too much.  We have two kinds of basil growing in our garden - the larger leaf, sweeter Italian basil and the narrower leaf, cinnamony Thai basil which was perfect here.  You can thinly slice, roughly chop or leave the basil leaves whole (I did the latter), depending on your preference.  I also chopped the Serrano chiles in larger pieces so I could pick them out of the girls' portions.

Thai Basil Chicken Stir Fry (2-3 servings)

1/2 cup coconut milk (not lite)
2 T soy sauce
1.5 T rice wine vinegar
1 T lime juice
3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 T olive oil
2 serrano chiles, diced (or Thai chiles if you can find them)
1 large shallot, sliced (or 1/2 cup chopped white onion)
2 T fresh ginger root, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into half inch chunks
3 green onions, chopped
1-2 cups fresh basil leaves (Thai basil if possible)

Mix together the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.

In a skillet or wok, heat oil over medium high heat.  Stir in the chiles, shallot, ginger, and garlic and cook until lightly browned.  Mix in chicken strips and cook about 3 minutes or until browned.  Stir in the coconut milk sauce.  Continue cooking until the sauce is reduced and thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in the green onions and basil.  Serve over hot cooked rice.

With 1/2 cup of jasmine rice:  506 cal/serving (36 g protein)

Fleeting

I was walking with Middle to Farmer's Market yesterday and reflecting on the wonderful early summer joys that are especially fleeting.  It's sometimes a challenge for me to slow down and just enjoy the things around me but it's important when they are things that don't last too long.  And let's face it - the good and the bad, the hard and the fun, the tears and the laughs - nothing under the sun lasts very long!

Cherries in season

Jacarandas in bloom

Desert flowers in bloom

Lego creations before little sisters get ahold of them

Donuts in the hands of kids

And, probably the best example of something fleeting:  teeny tiny babies before they grow up

"So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting."  Ecclesiastes 11:10

Coffee Cake

What's better than nuts, chocolate and coffee all together in the same cake?  Not much!  I love a good coffee cake and although my quest to wear a bathing suit this summer (after three kids - yikes!) means that I'm cutting back on sweet treats, I can't wait to make this one again.  It's not overly sweet, it's super easy to make, and the combination of flavors was delicious.  

Pecan Chocolate Espresso Coffee Cake

from The Food Librarian

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 teaspoons espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup regular or low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9-inch square baking pan with baking spray or butter.   

Combine the flour, both sugars, butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low speed, then on medium speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Pull out 3/4 cup of the mixture and place in another mixing bowl. Stir in the pecans, chocolate and espresso powder to form the crumb topping.

Sprinkle the baking soda onto the remaining flour-butter-sugar mixture; add the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla and almond extracts. Beat on medium speed just until combined. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping on top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Book Report: Little House on the Prarie

Today my big girl graduated from preschool where she has been attending a "Transitional Kindergarten."  On the list her teacher sent home of "Things I Love" one of the items was "being an author and illustrator."  Big has made a few books this year and loves books a lot.  I can't wait to see her world open up as she can read to herself in the next few years!

A new feature on the blog is going to be book reports for the chapter books that Big & I read over the summer.  First up, Little House on the Prairie.  We finished Little House in the Big Woods a few months ago.  Here is Big's overall opinion:  "You should read this book because it's really good and you can learn a lot about how people lived a long time ago."

What was it about?

This book is about these people that have to move in to a new house.  Their old one was in the woods but this one is on the prairie.

Who wrote it?

The main character named Laura.

Who are the other main characters?

Pa, Ma, Mary, and Baby Carrie.

What part did you like the best?

My really favorite part was when they see Indians for the first time.  They didn't know that they weren't supposed to be living in the Indian territory.  I liked that the Indians came into their house and they had never seen an Indian before.

Who was your favorite character?  Why?

Mary and Laura.  They are the two little girls and I'm a little girl.  Mary is the big sister.  She is 7.  Laura is the little sister.  She wrote the book.

What ways are their lives like yours?  What ways are their lives different?
I have blond hair like Mary.  I like to pretend that I am moving too in my little play house.  There are 3 girls in their family and 3 girls in our family.  They planted a garden and I planted a garden.

They lived a long time ago and they lived out in the open and they didn't have any kind of screens or any electricity.  Their dad has to hunt for their food and we get to buy it.

Did any part make you sad?

Yes, the part when they thought Jack had died.  And, Jack is the dog.

What do you think will happen in the next book?

It's going to be Laura's birthday again.  I think they are going to move to a place with a creek and Laura is going to find all these new treasures in the lake.

Chicken Penne Florentine

Our family loves baked pasta and I have a few favorite recipes and sometimes I just wing it but last week I tried a new recipe from Cooking Light.  I thought that the cheddar cheese and cottage cheese sounded a little weird but ended up leaving it as is and loved the end result.  I upped the veggie ratio and think that there could be even more spinach (it wilts down a ton).  For the chicken, I used a rotisserie chicken and I think slices of spicy chicken sausage would also work well.  I bought Dreamfields pasta  because it's lower glycemic and lower carb but tastes and has the texture of "normal" pasta.  I liked how creamy the mixture was without a traditional flour & butter white sauce.  The cottage cheese gives the dish a protein boost and I think that even people who don't love spinach will like this casserole.

Chicken Penne Florentine (6 servings)
adapted from Cooking Light

1.5 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese
3 cups hot cooked penne (about 6oz uncooked)
2 cups shredded roasted chicken breast
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup low-fat milk
5 oz condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted (about half a can)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper.  Saute 4 minutes or until tender.  Add the spinach, oregano, and pepper and saute for a few minutes until the spinach wilts.

Put the cottage cheese in a blender and process until very smooth.  In a large bowl, combine the spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, milk and soup.  Stir in 3/4 cup cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.  Spoon the mixture into the baking dish.  Top with more freshly ground black pepper, and the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until hot, bubbly, and lightly browned.

Balsamic Glazed Pot Roast

Do you ever have those moments when you look at your kids and think, "they just grew up so much!"  Recently, I was looking through some photos on the computer and couldn't believe how huge my 3 girls seemed.  It happened right in front of my face!  Since my next recipe doesn't have any photos (I bet you can close your eyes and picture a pot roast), here are the ones that made me think my girls are changing again and growing up too fast:

Big lost her first two baby teeth!

Who is this big sister??

I know she's still really little but she's changing so much so fast.

Everything here makes me smile - crazy hair, their own accessories, baby girl's expression

And, on to the food.  I love a good pot roast - slow cooked vegetables, tender beef . . . I could probably make it once a week.  These days it's a good meal to put together before my running to swim lessons, gymnastics, and Target begins.  Then, my house smells awesome and I can spend nap time actually napping (or sitting still).

My favorite way to make pot roast has been with  Lipton Onion soup mix but I'm trying to be more aware of the msg and other nasty stuff that I've been feeding my family (more in another post) so I tried this version with broth, tomato sauce, and vinegar.  It was delicious and easy.  I didn't always brown my roast before putting it in the crockpot but I really like how it turns out - worth the extra few minutes.

Balsamic Glazed Pot Roast

3 lb chuck roast
1 onion
2 russet potatoes
some carrots
1 cup beef stock or broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper, garlic powder, other spices

Sprinkle the meat with whatever seasonings you want.  Heat a pan over medium high heat and add a little olive oil.  Add the roast and brown it on all sides.  It'll take a few minutes - don't turn it too soon.  You want a nice dark crust on all sides of the roast.

While you're doing this, slice the onion into thick rings, peel the potatoes and slice them into quarters.  Put the onions on the bottom of the crockpot and then put the potatoes and carrots in a layer on top.

Remove the roast from the pan and put it on the potatoes and carrots.  Deglaze the pan with the beef broth and let it cook until it's reduced by half.  Stir in the tomato sauce and balsamic.  Pour the glaze over the roast.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

2013 Summer Bucket List

Last year we made our 2012 Summer Bucket list and it was a lot of fun to see the things we wanted to do and check them off when we accomplished them.  This year's list isn't quite as ambitious and all 4 family members who can speak contributed to the ideas on here.  I know we might not get to them all again but it's making me excited for school to be out so we can get started.
What's on your list?

1.  Go to Sea World
2.  Go to a Luau when we're in Hawaii (done 7/10)
3.  See World of Color at Disneyland (Big 8/29)
4.  Roast marshmallows in the backyard (done 6/11)
5.  Run a 10K
6.  Hollywood Bowl
7.  Take the girls to the Discovery Science Center
8.  Surprise my husband with an unexpected date (done 8/26)
9.  Play tennis (done 6/21)
10.  Keep reading chapter books out loud (most days!)
11.  Go to the beach (done 6/24)
12.  Have friends over for a BBQ (done 6/1)
13.  See a movie in a movie theater
14.  Call some "new" friends for playmates (6/11 and 6/19)
15.  Go to Jumpin' Jammin'
16.  Go out for ice cream (done 7/20)
17.  Swim in our pool after dark (done 6/30)
18.  Go bowling (done 6/25)
19.  Take the girls to the Cafe at the American Girl Store (done 6/21)

Inspired by the Happy Family Movement