Back Home Again in Indiana

March 9, 2011April 13, 20131 Comment

We had such a great time cooking a Californian meal last week, that we thought we’d continue our tour of the states and make it our mid-week meal plan. Tonight Mr. N is taking us to Indiana. While we’ve never really called Indiana home, most of my dad’s family hails from the Hoosier state. So on tonight’s menu – The Hoosier Pork Tenderloin Sandwich. (So much for not deep-frying again anytime soon!)

We began the meal with a little hammering. It seems we don’t own a meat mallet, so we used the next best thing – a hammer wrapped with plastic wrap. While mom and dad were a little embarrassed to post the pictures of our “meat mallet”, Mr. N and Miss A sure thought it was fun to use Dad’s hammer on food! First we butterflied the pork loin chops, then we beat them until they were about a quarter-inch thick. Meanwhile we were heating the olive oil in a skillet. Once the oil was ready we dipped the pork into milk and then into the breading mixture of flour, corn meal, salt and pepper. Continue reading →

We win some and lose some….

March 7, 2011April 13, 20132 Comments

…and we sure are having fun! Tonight was our second foray with Greek cooking, and it was probably the most fun we’ve had yet. We opted for the Kotopitta me Feta (Chicken and Feta Pie) recipe using a homemade Whole Wheat Phyllo Dough. As we’re all big fans of feta and chicken, we were really looking forward to this meal.

Our adventure began early this afternoon with our phyllo. The phyllo gave us all the opportunity to do something we love – Mr. N got to make a pool of oil and water in the flour mix (he spends hours making holes and filling them with water on the beach), Miss A got to smash and flip the dough (much how she does with her play dough), Dad got to make a mess with the flour, and I just get such satisfaction out of a good a pie crust. Continue reading →

California Dreaming on a Winter’s Day

March 2, 2011April 13, 20134 Comments

Earlier this week Dad left for a conference in sunny California. It’s the first time in quite sometime that we’ve been apart – and the kiddos sure are missing him. And while I’m enjoying hogging an entire bed, I miss him too. So tonight we decided to break with protocol a bit and cook-up a weeknight meal straight out of California. The recipe idea was given to us by a good friend Beth – a great cook and former New Englander, turned Californian (even though she’s now mostly in FL). Beth threw out a few meal options and the kids liked the idea of Breakfast Burritos. Thanks Beth! So here’s to you Dad. We hope you’re enjoying CA and can’t wait to see you! Continue reading →

A Big Fat Greek Success

February 26, 2011April 13, 20136 Comments

Opa! Tonight we begin our Greek adventure. This is Dad’s first time at bat in this international cooking experience and he hits it out of the park! On the menu tonight – Psari a la Spetsiota, Dolmades with Bechamel and Sfiggoi. Continue reading →

Mr. N Keeping it Real – and Safe

February 22, 20115 Comments

In lieu of recent events (Mommy burning her thumb on the baking tray), Mr. N thought it would be a good idea to share his “Kitchen Safety Tips.” Unlike Miss A (who often breaks rules 11, 12 and 19), Mr. N is quite concerned about his safety and the safety of others. And he’s often quick to point out when Miss A is violating any of the rules below. Enjoy!

1. Be sure to wear good oven mitts.

2. Kids shouldn’t touch raw meat – and if they do, they need to wash their hands.

3. Be sure to wash your hands before and after cooking.

4. Wash your hands after cracking eggs.

5. Put long hair into a pony tail.

6. Kids should never touch the stove or oven.

7. Don’t touch the dish disposal.

8. Only chop with a sharp knife with a grown-up.

9. Let food cool before sampling.

10. No more than one person on one stool and be careful.

11. No standing on the kitchen table.

12. No climbing on the counters.

13. Be sure to wash the counters before and after cooking.

14. If you spill ice out of the ice maker, pick it up off the floor.

15. Don’t leave cabinets or drawers open or you can bump your head.

16. Make sure food isn’t moldy or expired.

17. Do not put your hands near the inside of the blender.

18. Don’t touch the blade part of a knife.

19. No running in the kitchen.

20. Have fun!

Answer: Electric Tinker Toys, A Two-Year Old and Penne Rigoletto, Question: What items are on your kitchen table?

February 21, 2011April 13, 20137 Comments

What do you get when you combine a missing ingredient, a last-minute recipe change-up, a child trying to jump out of a grocery cart, noise from four different sources (not counting the children) in our little kitchen, a frazzled mom, a child standing on top of the kitchen table, a burned thumb and biscuits spilled on the bottom of the oven?