When life gives you lemons, I mean zucchini...

...make zucchini brownies!

That's right. 'Tis the season for zucchini coming out the wah-zoo, and if you're like me, about this time of year I'm really scraping for new ways to use our bountiful crop of emerald beauties. When we sit down to the dinner table, my husband teasingly asks "OK where's the zucchini?" I've gotten clever at the hiding game!

My mom gave me this recipe a couple of years ago, and it's a winner. Rich, moist brownies with a fudge-like frosting. And, thanks to the cooler-than-normal summer we're having, I can actually stand to turn on the oven in our non-air-conditioned house and bake up a batch of these. I like to grate zucchini and freeze it in 2-cup portions so I can make this year round too.

We're bringing these to our neighborhood picnic tomorrow, and I expect the dish will be empty by the end of the night! I hope you'll try these and let me know what you think.

Zucchini Brownies

2 cups grated zucchini
3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg (optional - If you add it, the brownies will be more cake-like. If you leave it out, they will be more fudgey.)

2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Combine first "wet" ingredients in a large bowl. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add dry to wet and combine well. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Top with frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk

Mix together in saucepan and boil for exactly one minute. Remove from heat and add: 2/3 cup EACH chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Stir until marshmallows are melted and spread on brownies. Let set until frosting firms up like fudge. Enjoy!

Yummy!

Well this weeks topic is one of my favorite things. I figure Oprah has them, so I can have them too. Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Huckleberries, etc. Yummy!

I love berry muffins too. Here is one of my favorite recipes. It came from allrecipes, but I adapted it a little, so I will call it my own. :)

Blueberry, or any berry for that matter, muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon or so of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon or so of nutmeg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries/huckleberries,raspberries/etc

Crumb Topping
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 or more teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter (room temperature)

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

2.Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

3.To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon. Mix with fork till there are small crumbles and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

4.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Try them, you will not be disappointed!

Enjoy!

Pucker up!

The calendar says it's well into the spring season, but I'm not sure if anyone sent the memo to Mother Nature. We've had a few days here and there of sunshine, but even for me (and I'm someone who loves digging in the dirt), it's been too wet to get out and plant anything in our vegetable garden. I heard on the news the other day that you would have to go back to the 1950's to find a spring with less days over 55 degrees than this year. That being said, I'm happy to see signs of life and rebirth in the yard. My daffodils have been out for a couple of weeks, the tulip buds are starting to open, and the peonies are already forming buds that will explode into lovely light and dark pink pom poms by Memorial Day.

So, what have I been doing so far this spring? A little sewing (not as much as I would like!), a little playing, and a LOT of cleaning.

It's time for spring cleaning around here, and I'm down to my last two rooms to get done. So, that's why I missed posting last week (sorry!), but the only time I was really online was to find advice and tips for cleaning stubborn soap scum from the shower or splattered who-knows-what inside my unfortunately-not-self-cleaning oven without fumigating the whole house. I'm running out of steam, but what keeps me motivated is seeing all those check marks on my list (seen above) and knowing that I've taken complete mental inventory of everything in the house and I know it's clean!

Want to know what is possibly my most favorite thing about spring? This stuff:

Rhubarb! It's sweet, tangy, sour and juicy all at the same time. And it's in season right now. Growing up, we had a TON of rhubarb, and we used it all. We cooked it slowly until it was soft, mashed it up, and sweetened it with a little honey and ate it like applesauce. Or we cooked the big, tough stems until it was really, really soft, strained it and bottled the resulting rosy liquid in quart jars. Mix it up with a package of raspberry Kool-aid, a little sugar, some water and it's a perfect summer quencher.

Here's one of my favorite recipes using rhubarb. Serve it warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream...yum!

Rhubarb Dessert

1 pound rhubarb, diced
1 cup sugar
1-3 oz. box strawberry Jell-o
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter, melted

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Layer ingredients in order listed. Do not stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.


Try it and let me know how you like it!

Fix-it-and-forget-it day

Thursday is usually our grocery store day. I've often wondered why I picked this particular day of the week, since my older munchkin is in preschool on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and if I went one of those days, I'd only have one kid with me. I'm still not sure, other than that's been grocery day for years. I went back to work when he was 6 months old, and I was home on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and it just made sense to go later in the week. Now I have the pick of days of the week, and it's still Thursday.

Anyway, sometimes we go in the morning and sometimes we wait until after naptime. Regardless, it's a day that I don't want to think too hard about what to have for dinner. Here's a delicious go-to dinner that uses things I usually have on hand, and it's so easy you don't even have to defrost the chicken!

I don't know what to call it, so we'll just call it Crockpot Taco Chicken, and it's super simple. Spray crockpot with non-stick spray. Layer 2 cups frozen corn, 2 frozen chicken breasts, 1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained) and about a cup or so of salsa. Turn on medium and cook for 6 hours. Remove chicken, shred it with two forks and return to salsa mixture. You can make it into tacos, burritos or taco salad with your favorite tortilla chips (aka Trader Joe's Baked Blue Corn Tortilla Chips) and fixings. Maybe I'll try warming it up on the stove with some chicken broth and making it into chicken tortilla soup.

We had this tonight for dinner, but I forgot to take photos. I'm sure you can imagine it. So, tomorrow we'll have leftovers, which will be even easier than it was making it today (if that's possible). Try it and let me know how you like it!

"And in the mornin', I'm makin Waffles!"

There is something about eating pancakes or waffles for dinner. We fairly, if ever, eat them for breakfast. That typically only happens when we are visiting family. (My husbands family has a waffle tradition.)

So what is there no limits about pancakes and waffles you ask. The syrup and sauces, that is what!

Here are some of my favorite Syrup and sauce recipes.

Blueberry Sauce

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/4 cup of water, orange juice, and sugar. Stir gently, and bring to a boil.
2. In a cup or small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water. Gently stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries so as not to mash the berries. Simmer gently until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract and cinnamon. Thin sauce with water if it is too thick for your liking.

Serve with whipped cream if you want. (They are yummy either way!)
This sauce is also good on ice cream, cheese cake, in smoothies, etc.

I-Hop Cinnamon Roll Pancake Sauce (Thanks Angela!)

Melt ¼ cup butter

Add:
¾ cup brown sugar
2 T half and half or milk
1 T ground cinnamon
1/8 t salt
1/8 t ground cloves
Microwave until bubbly (1-1 ½ min)

Add:
1 T half and half or milk
1 T flour
Whisk until well blended

Easy as that!

Buttermilk Syrup

1 1/2 C Sugar

2 Tbs light Karo Syrup

3/4 C buttermilk

1 Stick of Butter

2 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Baking Soda

Combine first 4 ingredients in a pan twice the size you think you will need, and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and add vanilla and then the baking soda.

It will foam up quite a bit (hence the larger pan.) Serve immediately.

It will store in the fridge for a few days, although it will not be as foamy, but it is still yummy!

Put these last two together, and you have my very favorite! They will always be my favorites and always had been. In fact for a side note, when I was in 1st or 2nd grade, I broke my collarbone. I was sent home from school and the doctor at the Dr's office did not even ex-ray me and sent me home with an adult sling and said I would be fine. Well I went home and laid in bed the rest of the day. My mom made my favorite dinner of waffles with strawberries and whipped cream (although it was cool whip growing up) and I did not come down to eat it. That was when she really knew something was wrong. She took me to the ER, and sure enough it was broken. Nd I have a tiny Teddy bear sling to show for it. So there is my randomness, and onto the recipes.

Growing up, like I said before, it was cool whip, and strawberries mixed with a ton, and I mean ton of sugar. Lucky for you, my tastes has refined a little bit and these recipes are yummy!

Whipped Cream

1 C Chilled Heavy Cream

1 T Sugar

1 t Vanilla

Before I make cream I put my kitchen aid bowl and whisk in the freezer. About 20 min to an hour before I make it.

Add ingredients to mixer and let it go till it is as firm as you like it.

I am still perfecting the thickness of the cream to my liking. Jenni always makes the best cream, mine is a little runny, but like I said, I grew up on cool whip, so this is new to me still.

Strawberries

8 cups (about 2 1/2 lbs) Strawberries

6 T Sugar

Wash and top your strawberries if they are fresh. We don't want any green of course. ;)

In a large bowl place 3 cups of strawberries. Crush with a potato masher.

Slice the remaining 5 cups of strawberries and add to the bowl of mashed ones. Add the sugar too.

Stir and let it sit to macerate foe 30 min-2 hrs.

By mashing some of the strawberries up and letting them sit, it makes it a little more saucy, and they don't run off the waffles or pancakes. It is so yummy!

Well I hope you go eat waffles or pancakes for dinner tonight, or breakfast. And remember, it is a no limit food! Try some sauces today!

Do you have any favorite toppings? Please Share!

Save Everything

Growing up in Small-Town America, I used to spend a good chunk of my summers in Even-Smaller-Town America with my grandparents. In addition to weeding the garden, watching summer rainstorms out the big front window, swimming at the high school pool, camping at the ranger station, building clubhouses out of cardboard boxes (only to watch them disintegrate in the above mentioned rainstorms), I helped my grandmother clean out her china closets. I've talked about my Granny before, but I hope you'll indulge me once again. .

She put a lot of trust in a clumsy 11-year-old girl to carefully take all of the dishes out of the cabinet and all of the salt and pepper shakers and tiny tea sets out of the corner glass-front closets. I'd heard stories about them, where they came from, who gifted them to my grandparents, how old they were, and yet I never tired of hearing them.
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All of the dishes sat atop linen doilies with a crocheted border out of thread so tiny it made my eyes hurt to try and pick out what stitches she used. We removed them from the cabinets, washed them, starched them and layed them out on old pillowcases and pinned around the edges to keep their shape. The "play room" as we called it looked like a snow storm had come through with all of those doilies resting on the floor like giant snowflakes. Granny always told us to stay out of there so as not to disturb them before they were dry, but when she wasn't looking I'd tiptoe in between them just to get a closer look or touch.
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Each dish was hand washed, dried and put back to rest in its cabinet until they made their appearance at Thanksgiving and Christmas. My Granny treated everything she had as if it were a prized possession. Living through the Great Depression I'm sure had much to do with her conservationist approach to living.
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We loved drinking out of her special little fancy glasses, later realizing that they were these glass bottles that once contained various cheese spreads used to make her holiday cheese balls.

She saved styrofoam "plates" that brought donuts home from the store bakery. Aluminum foil was washed and reused countless times. If a plate were to break, she glued and glued and glued it until it was more glue than plate. Her 9x13 aluminum pan (she called them "drippers" which I still don't know the origin of, but I like calling it that) had a tiny hole in it, and she plugged it with a little piece of a dish towel - good as new!
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I could go on and on, but what I take from these experiences is how she saw the good in something that to others seemed unusable. That's how she was with her family too. This month marks the eighth anniversary of her passing. I was a newlywed of less than a month when she died, and I've always been afraid of forgetting her. Thankfully, the memory of her is kept alive in the few dishes of hers that I now have, an occasional dream, and I think in the way I approach my own life, and how I'd like to do so even more.

And to share part of her with you, here's one of her famous dishes she used to make. If you like maple bar donuts, you will die over this because it's all that and more! This was always in the kitchen waiting for us after we made the 12-hour drive for Christmas. I think she even made it in the plugged-up-hole-dripper...that made it taste better!

Maple Nut Cake

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 pound walnuts, chopped

1 cup milk

1/2 cup shortening

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. maple flavoring

Mix well with enough flour to make a stiff dough (thicker than boxed cake mix but thinner than banana bread dough consistency), about 2 cups. Spread in greased and floured 9x13 pan, and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. When cool, spread with 7-minute icing.

7-Minute Icing

2 egg whites

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. maple flavoring

5 TB water
1 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup

Cook all ingredients except flavoring in double boiler seven minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, add flavoring and frost cake.

Move Over Turkey!

It's Thanksgiving time again, and turkey is on everyone's mind. Oh, for the love of stuffing, what's a vegetarian family to do?

Well, for the first year of our marriage, we tried to keep it somewhat traditional and had tofurky with all the usual trimmings on the side. How was it, you ask? Um ... I think it's enough to say that we didn't do it again the next year. We were still eating some fish very rarely then, so for the next few years we made a special occasion of it with some small pieces of salmon. And then ...

(Dal with homemade cheese (paneer) and peas; homemade naan, apple salad, and the potatoes-with-gravy that I'd choose over the mashed kind any day)

... and then! One fateful year my husband decided to try cooking Indian food. It was an instant success, and that's what we've done every year since then. It's so much fun to cook, and it fills the house with the yummiest smells, and the kids roll up their sleeves and pitch in too - which means no one person is stuck in the kitchen all by his or her lonesome - and I love this tradition so much that even if the world turns upside-down and we go back to eating meat, I think we'd still make Indian food on Thanksgiving.

(Making the Naan, Thanksgiving 2008)

And so. For your reference and inspiration, here are some of our favorite books to get ideas and recipes from:

Truly, if you're going to try cooking a different cuisine - besides Mexican or Italian - Indian is the most fun and the easiest, I think, by far. I dare you to give it a try!

And for dessert, as long as we're being non-traditional, we've also abandoned pumpkin pie for this:


Which is my bunt-pan take on this cake, which I blogged on just about a year ago, right here.

The Best Brown Stuff on Earth

Thanksgiving dinner is special and highly anticipated by my husband.  In fact the food network seems to be on every night beginning Nov. 1st and the talk of turkey and "your mom's" stuffing is the topic of our conversation for weeks.  When I think about thanksgiving and autumn and coziness I tend to fall back into love with cooking.  It's the one season I seem anxious to try new recipes and make some of the old favorites.  So...as my gift to you all and so that you can plan accordingly I give you the best dish you will serve Thanksgiving day.....MY MOM'S not soggy or nasty Amazing Stuffing in all it's buttery glory.

First you will need to make...

My Gammie's Sour Dough French Bread

Dissolve 2 T. yeast in:

5 1/2 cups very warm water

1/2 cup powdered milk

1/2 cup Vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar

Let yeast proof for 10 minutes then add:

2 T. salt

12-14 cups flour

1 cup sour dough start

Knead for 10 minutes.  Let rise in bowl until double in size.  Punch down.  Let dough rest 5 minutes.  Divide into six portions.  Flatten each into a rectangle then roll into loaves.  Place 3 on each cookie sheet.  Slice top diagonally with a sharp knife.  Cover with cloth.  let rise until double in size.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

* I know this seems labor intensive but it's soooooooo worth it.  Make the bread early in the week and then you won't have to stress over it Thanksgiving day.  This truly makes all the difference.

Then...

Mom's Homemade Bread Stuffing

 

Cut 3 loaves of homemade Sour Dough French Bread into cubes.  Dry out in 200 degree oven.

1 pound ground Italian sausage

1 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 cup finely minced celery

1 cup butter

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. poultry seasoning

2 tsp. ground sage

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1-2 cups chicken broth (enough for the correct- non-soggy-still-has-some-great-crunch-to-it-just-right consistency.

Brown sausage.  Cook onion and celery in butter. Combine with seasonings and bread.  Toss with enough liquid to moisten (I can't believe I just typed up that word in a recipe I love...more on my word discomfort later).  Test for seasoning (which means keeps sneaking a taste).  Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serves 10 or more.

Make this and I promise you will love it.  If you hate stuffing then you have to try this.  If you Love stuffing more then anything...you still should try this.  You'll use this recipe every year I promise!  Your husband will talk about it for weeks and you'll always have people who want to be at your table on Thanksgiving day.  I love that my holiday dinner is full of tradition and even though my sweet family legacy may not be in my kitchen helping me this year it'll feel like they are and I love that.  Be sure to let me know what you think.  If you are still skeptical...come over Thanksgiving evening and take home some of my leftovers (if there is any). 

Gross!

So I am not sure if this is praiseworthy or not, but it is all I could think of when it came to Halloween goodies. They are gross, but they are two things I remember from my childhood. Kitty Litter Cake, and Boogers on a Stick. My neighbor made the Kitty litter cake once and it looked disgusting, but was delicious, and my mom has done the boogers on a stick. So if you are looking for a good "trick" of a "treat" for a party coming up, here are two ideas for you.

The Boogers on a Stick is actually quite easy. You just dip the tops of pretzel sticks into some cheese dip mixed with a little salsa. It is actually very good, but tastes delicious.

The Kitty Litter Cake is something I had to look for since I did not make it myself, but there are several recipes out there. Even some for a casserole with rice, so you could have it for a main dish. The best one I found was here. Kitty Litter Cake.

I thought I would post a picture, but it really does look disgusting so I choose not too. Maybe I will make it for the potluck this weekend.

What is your favorite gross yet delicious "Trick" of a "Treat?"

Have your treats and eat them too!

So with Halloween just around the corner, we're coming up on the first of the trifecta of holidays that are not exactly centered around, but at least largely focused on, eating delicious foods. The average person gains 7-10 pounds between Halloween and the end of the year. Do you want to be that average person? Didn't think so. Me either.

I'm not so much a big fan of candy, but I do love baked goods, more than I should. So here's something I made yesterday - a healthy version of pumpkin brownies.

I only halved the recipe because I was skeptical of the fact that it used all whole wheat flour (I usually like to do half wheat and half white so it's not too dense) and all white bean puree (I've subsitituted it for half the butter in recipes before, but again, not all of it), and I really hate wasting good ingredients on something that doesn't turn out. But, I made it just like it said, using only half the sugar it calls for too, and it was a delightful surprise of deliciousness!

I would recommend taking the time to watch her demonstration (scroll down below the recipe) of cooking beans in a pressure cooker. I didn't soak and cook dried beans for this recipe. I used canned white beans and didn't put any salt in the recipe, even though I rinsed them. I've been thinking I'd like a pressure cooker, and now I'm for sure putting that on my Christmas list!

For another fun, easy recipe (and this one, not too health-conscious, but that's OK!) I'm going to make these.

Like I said, not a big candy fan EXCEPT for candy corns - yum! Here's how to make cupcakes that look just like one!

Do you have a favorite healthy holiday favorite? Or a holiday favorite turned healthy?

Quick and Easy

Last night we spent the evening helping our neighbors build a retaining wall. Well my husband helped, and I held their baby, but hey, it was helping. Well 6:30 rolled around and it was dinner time. I needed something quick and we were out of frozen pizzas, so I went for another quick staple at our house. The tortilla. You can do anything with those. Last night we had "Pizzadillas." (that is what my husband and daughter named them.) Delicious. Since it is Summer and things are busy for us, I thought they might be for you too. I thought I would share a few of our quesadilla favorites.

Pizzadillas

cheddar cheese and pasta sauce sandwiched in between two tortillas. We add peperoni sometimes too.

Meaty Quesadilla's

ham or turkey deli meat with mozzarella cheese sandwiched between two tortillas, or one folded over.

Bar-B-Que
this one sounds weird, but it is actually really good.

Spread barbecue sauce on a tortilla and top with Cheddar cheese and another tortilla with barbecue sauce.

My husband and daughter also like to make them with ranch dressing instead of barbecue sauce. I have yet to try it though.

And the traditional

Refried beans, cheese, and salsa sandwiched between two tortillas.

For desert you can end with a warm buttered, cinnamon, and sugar tortilla. Yum!

The possibilities are endless, so when you are in a bind, grab a tortilla and see what you can come up with!

Grillin' & Chillin'

We finally broke down and bought us a new outdoor gas grill a couple of months ago, and we've already used it a ton! I love cooking on it because 1)I'm not heating up the house by using the oven, 2)cleanup is easy since there are no pots and/or pans, and 3)it tastes so delish and makes me excited to really cook again.

Tonight was my first attempt at grilled pizza. I used this recipe for the dough and wasn't disappointed. The recipe calls for kneading minced garlic and fresh chopped basil into the dough, which gave it an extra bit of flavor baked right in. I was a little rushed, so I didn't have the extra hour it says to let it rise again, so mine wasn't as tender or easy to roll out into a thin crust. But it turned out great.

The one on the left is a traditional margherita pizza with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. I'd never tried the fresh mozzarella before, you know the kind in the fancy cheese case at the store in its own little container of water. After trying it tonight, I'm in serious trouble - that stuff is amazing and melts so incredibly creamy. The one on the right has an alfredo sauce with sauteed peppers, onions, mushrooms and a little bit of chicken and topped with grated mozzarella cheese.

If you're new to this kind of cooking like I am, remember that most foods cook much quicker on the grill than in the oven or on the stove. When you make pizza, get all of the toppings ready before you even put the dough on the grill. I brought everything out on a cookie sheet. Don't even think about multi-tasking while the pizza's on, like thinking you'll grate the cheese while it cooks. Roll out the dough, brush with oil and place oil side down on the grill. It only takes about 4-5 minutes on the first side. Brush the top with oil and flip over. Add the toppings and close the lid so the cheese can melt, about 3-4 minutes. That's it!

Now for the chillin' part. I reserved a small section of dough and didn't mix in the garlic and basil. I rolled it out as usual and brushed it with a little butter on both sides and sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar and grilled as I did the other pizzas. Serve a wedge with some ice cream and bananas and you've got yourself a perfect finish to your grilled meal.

This is one of our favorites. What is your favorite grilled food?

Please, Will You Come to Dinner?

Sometimes I wish we could all just sit down together and have dinner. Everyone. The whole planet. There's just something about sharing a meal ... I wonder if we could get a few of our collective issues resolved that way, and get to know each other in the process. Wouldn't that be lovely?

But since we can't actually sit down together, here's a little glimpse of what it would be like if I could invite you all to my house for dinner.

The table is all set. (We hope you don't mind that the place mats are wrinkled.)

Candlelight is a must, even though we're down to our last candles and they don't match. A few months ago we started lighting these candles at dinner time to encourage good table manners. If anyone in the family is caught being rude or inconsiderate at the table, one candle gets blown out. If we have any still lit at the end of dinner, we can all have dessert; if they're all blown out, no dessert. It's been working out amazingly well!

Our dining room is also my sewing space ...

... and those baskets are where we keep our napkins (which we use every day) and napkin rings (if we're feeling fancy) and our best silverware. I think it's a shame to let good silverware sit unused in a box, so I've decided we'll use this set every Sunday in addition to holidays and other special days.

Our dining room is also home to part of our library, and all the kids' art supplies ...

... and usually a napping cat or two.

And what's on the menu? Tonight it's Spicy Tofu Bento Bowl from Vegetarian Times magazine. Please make sure to press your tofu first! For dressing, the one in the recipe makes things too spicy for my taste (but my husband prefers it, so it all depends on who's making dinner!) so I use Brianna's Ginger Mandarin to sweeten the deal.

What's for dinner at your house tonight? And if you try the recipe, I'd love to hear what you think of it!

Roughin' it

I've been a camper since I can remember. Having a summer birthday meant that many times we were on some kind of family camping trip, so we celebrated with birthday cake in the mountains - my favorite! One of our favorite places was Boulder Mountain where the air is clear and the fishing is good. My dad, even with his big "sausage fingers" knew how to tie every fishing knot in the book with amazing agility. I think he spent most of the time untangling our line or getting a hook out of the trees or someone's clothes. The rule was that we cleaned what we caught - gross, huh? I actually don't remember being too grossed out...more like disgustingly fascinated.

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So, five years ago when my husband and I were asked to participate in a re-enactment of a pioneer trek across the plains (not the actual plains, but eastern Washington), we were excited! We were instant parents ("Ma"and "Pa") to ten kids aged 14 to 18 years old, and not having any children of our own yet, we were a little nervous about what to expect. We'd been married for about 1 1/2 years, and we still agree that it was one of the best experiences we've had together. By the end of the 4-day journey, we were exhausted but filled with gratitude for those who paved the way before us, and filled with the spirit of service, friendship a brief first-hand experience of enduring to the end.

The girls pulling the cart by themselves while the boys were recruited for the Mormon Battalion. This is one of my favorite photos - those girls worked HARD on a hot day and did it by themselves.

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Yes, that would be me milking a goat.

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This IS my very favorite photo. Look at that rugged man of a man!

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It's a little blurry, but it's the only photo I have of us all sitting down at the dinner "table" - the handcart with the wheels taken off and turned over. These are awesome kids!

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We cooked every day and night in our Dutch oven, whether it was beef stew, cornmeal mush (not a favorite, but the kids were so hungry that it didn't have to be that good), oatmeal or a special treat of homemade bread. At home we like to Dutch oven cook even when we're not camping. All we do is use a foil turkey pan so we don't leave a burn spot on the porch from the coals.

Here's the recipe for the bread - the quantities are big because it fills a 12" Dutch oven. I think I remember it lifting the lid off the top as it baked, so we could have reduced it or saved some of the dough for cinnamon rolls or scones the next morning. I hope you'll try it and let me know how it turns out!

Dutch Oven Bread - Pioneer Style

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Put 14 cups of flour in a LARGE mixing bowl and make five wells with your hand. In the middle well pour in 2 packages of yeast and pour lukewarm water over the top so that it will start dissolving. Don't let the yeast run out of the well.

In the remaining wells place the following ingredients:

1 cup shortening

4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups dry powdered milk

4 TB honey

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Mix all together thoroughly. Add water until the dough becomes sticky (dough must be sticky for the ingredients to mix). Knead well, adding flour until the mixture becomes dough-like and smooth. Place in oiled Dutch oven and cover with the lid (also oiled). Set the oven in a warm place for it to rise double.

Start coals in a charcoal chimney, and place the proper number of coals on top and below the oven (Add three to the diameter of the oven for the top and subtract three from the diameter for the bottom. So, for a 12" Dutch oven, place 15 on top and 9 on the bottom. As a general rule, each hot briquette is about 25 degrees).

Allow to cook about 30 minutes. If coals burn out before the bread is done, brush them off and replace with new hot coals. The bread is done when you stick a knife in the center and it comes out clean.

Note: It's easy to burn the bread on the bottom. After 30 minutes, you may find that it needs to cook longer - place more coals on the top, and even take the oven off the bottom coals and let the remainder of the cooking come from the top coals. Check the bread every 10 minutes or so.

Eat warm with homemade butter - Put 1 pint of heavy cream in a jar and start shakin'. This is like a modern churn, and it can take up to 45 minutes for it to solidify and turn to butter. Just pass it around and everyone take a turn. Buttermilk will settle on the top. Just pour it off and enjoy fresh butter.