It must be soup week

I'm having one of those weeks.  One of those weeks where I'm really just trying to hang in there until it's over. 

Although next week promises to be difficult, this week is difficult squared.  Between work, a sick baby, the upcoming wedding, and some general misfortune I'm beyond running on empty.  K1 asked if I had time to set and relax at all and I told her I might be able to in 2 days.

After a night of disturbed sleep I didn't even have the time to use the restroom between the time I left the house until I returned around 5:40pm.  Which isn't good for me.  Although, it could have been worse.  I forgot my tea and water bottle at home, so didn't have anything to eat or drink during that time period either.

Days like today I just want to collapse when I get home, except inevitably days like today I'm precluded from relaxing because there's still work to be done when I get home.

Days like today calls for a simple meal ready to pull out of the fridge and throw on the table.  Because actually making a meal is just too much effort. And since we're still under the weather, soup it is!

This was supposed to be chicken noodle soup.  (Cure what ails you), but we didn't have any noodles.  (Told you it's been one of those weeks).  We did have some gnocchi - which is one of my favorite pastas anyway. 

 Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped  (I like to use whatever leftovers I have for this)
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 stalk celery, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup spinach, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sprig thyme
salt and pepper   

8 oz egg noodles 

1. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat.  Saute the onion, celery, garlic, carrot  until onion is translucent.
2. Add chicken, chicken broth, milk, salt and pepper to taste, and thyme.  Bring to a boil.
    gnocchi. Gently boil for 4 minutes, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add the egg noodles and bring back to a boil.  Boil for 4 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.

Chip off the old block

It's been a crazy day here.  It started when Thatbaby decided to wake up at 5:40 instead of his typical, later wakeup.  Which always throws us into a tizzy as we pass him back and forth while attempting to get ready for work.  This was compounded today by the fact that I had a hearing in court early, so had to get out of the house an hour earlier than I usually do.

Work was crazy from the moment I stepped into the courthouse, to the moment I left the rest of them in a tizzy an hour later than I was planning.  And I would have stayed amidst the craziness later, except some baby had to go see the doctor.  Thatbaby kicked that fever to the curb last week.  He was healthy all weekend.  And Sunday night he decided being healthy was for the birds.  He was up all night congested and stuffy.  In his nose, his throat, and his eyes.  And because his eyes kept getting more and more goopy, we brought him in to the doctor tonight.  Guess what baby has pink eye?  

Between the doctor's visit and the pharmacy we didn't get home till 8:30, which meant dinner was grabbed on the way home so we could eat quickly and get sick-o ready for bed.  Good thing I have some old posts just waiting to go.

This soup was made a couple weeks ago, back when Thatbaby was healthy.  But I thought it would be fitting to post now.  Especially since Thatboy and I are both battling colds.  We're eating a lot of soup. 

Thatbaby "helped" me make this one.  He was in one of his fussy "play with me!!!!!" moods as I was cooking it, so I scooped him up as I transferred the vegetables from the cutting board to the pot.  Normally I'll hand him a spoon or spatula to play with, but this time, before I could hand something over, he took matters into his own hand.  He grabbed a handful of kale and it went right in his mouth.  He loved it.  He went back for seconds.  Guess we know he's really mine.

I love soups with kale.  And I love soups with sausage.  This has both.  Soups are fantastic for using up vegetables that are past their prime. For me, that was some celery and carrots that were starting to be less than crisp.  You can feel free to use whatever is in your fridge that you're looking to get rid of.

Portuguese Sausage Soup

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
3Tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 cups chicken broth
pepper
2  cans cannelini beans
1 can kidney beans
1 bunch of kale
1 stick of Portuguese sausage chopped

1. Prepare macaroni according to package directions, drain. 
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a pot.  Saute carrots, celery, sausage, and onion until onion is translucent.
3. Add tomatoes with liquid, broth, pepper and 4-5 cups water. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Drain beans.In small bowl, mash 1 can white beans with fork.
5. Add the mashed beans, whole beans, macaroni, and kale to the soup.  Heat through.

Going Through A Phase

It started simply enough.  Now that Thatbaby is eating the same food as Thatboy and I, I want to make sure that what he's eating is healthy.  Or at least not crap.  I got the brilliant idea to make my own bread for him.  So I could keep an eye on the preservatives and give him something fresh from the hearth.

The problem is, it's been a while since I've made bread.  I forgot how much I love making bread.  I LOVE making bread.  I love the feel of the dough, the smell of the yeast, the joy of punching it down, its warm goodness straight from the oven.

They say it takes very little for an addict to relapse.  It's true.  I started innocently enough.   "I'll just make a loaf of white bread."  That's all it took.  I've been making bread ever since.  Making it faster than we can eat it. 

To be fair, Thatboy says I can't really call it white bread.  We don't have white flour in the house.  I traded it out for white whole wheat flour long ago.  Normally, it doesn't raise an eyebrow, but apparently when I set down a loaf of bread and call it "white bread" I've crossed some kind of line. 

So I won't all this white bread, I'll call it the gateway bread.  And you can expect to see many more bread recipes rolling through this way.

Not Quite White Bread (adapted from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

2 Tbsp shortening
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup hot milk
1 pkg yeast
6 cups white whole wheat flour

1. Mix the shortening, salt, and sugar in a large bowl, add the hot milk and 1 cup hot water, and let cool to lukewarm.  
2. In a small bowl or cup mix the yeast with 1/4 cup warm water and let it stand for 5 minutes to dissolve.  
3. Add the dissolved yeast and 3 cups of the flour to the first mixture and beat until well blended.  
4. Add 2 more cups of flour, mix, and turn out onto a lightly floured board. Knead for a minute or two and then let rest for 10 minutes.  
5. Adding just enough of the remaining flour so that the dough is not sticky, resume kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Put the dough in a large, greased bowl, cover, and let rise n a warm spot until double in bulk.  
6. Punch down and shape into two loaves.  Place in greased loaf pans, cover, and let double in bulk again.  
7. Preheat oven to 425.  Bake bread for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 375 and bake for 30 minutes more.  Remove from pan and cool on racks.

I'm sensing a theme...

Some families have a weekly meal plan that goes something like this:  Monday - Mexican, Tuesday - Chicken, Wednesday - breakfast for dinner, Thursday - pasta, etc. etc. etc.  Not us.  I'm all over the map when I menu plan.  Nothing stays the same from week to week.

Except there's no such thing as always and never.  And recently I've found I've been following a kind of pattern over the past few weeks.  Nothing as blatant as Mexican Monday, but something Mexican has found its way onto our menu every week.  Same with chicken burgers.  Not to long ago I mentioned I wasn't a huge fan of chicken burgers - but those chicken parmesan burgers were so good, I've been a little hooked.

I've been looking around for some other twists on the usual chicken burgers to see if I like them as well.  I do.  This one especially.  This could be my favorite chicken burger of all times.  I know, that may not mean much since I don't have a huge population to choose from, but I'm working on that. 

I think part of the allure of this burger is that there is so much yummy goodness tucked in with the chicken - olives, feta, tomatoes - some of my favorite thing rolled up with chicken and topped with a tangy yogurt sauce.  I'm a pretty big fan of yogurt sauce too, so that definitely helps.

Greek Chicken Burgers (from Bakin And Eggs)

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon olive oil
Squeeze of lemon juice (maybe 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 tablespoon fresh)

1 pound ground chicken
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup baby spinach, chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 -2 tablespoons fresh)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
A few cranks of freshly ground pepper

1. Whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, and parsley. 
2.  Combine the ground chicken, egg, spinach, tomatoes, olives, feta, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Form the chicken mixture into 4 patties.
4. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a little oil and burgers. Cook about 6-8 minutes per side.
5. Serve on toasted, buttered buns with sauce, lettuce and tomato. Top with extra feta if desired.

Because spinach isn't really a meal

Lest you think we survive on green leafy vegetables, I figured I'd share with you the rest of the meal.  Especially since dinner tonight isn't going to be blog-worthy as it was eaten pretty late.  Thatbaby is feeling better during the day, but the past 2 nights we've been fighting a bedtime battle.

Our usual sweet and easy boy has been fighting sleep like it's his job.  And letting out the most awful, pathetic cries.  So much so that I brought him in to the doctor today to verify there was nothing horribly wrong with him.  There wasn't.  Dr. R just thinks he might be uncomfortable because he doesn't feel well.  Which doesn't  change the fact that we weren't eating dinner tonight until 9pm.

Soooo anyway, back to the steak.  This was one of those, "hmmmm I wonder if this would work" kind of meals.  I usually make my sauces by deglazing the pan with wine.  This sauce has wine, but it also has the addition of something sweet - jam.  You can use whatever jam you'd like, I used guava jam  (because we had it!)

Tropical Steak

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp cumin

1 sprig oregano

1 sirloin steak

1/4 cup guava jam

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp white wine 

1. Whisk the olive oil, the vinegar, cumin, oregano, and 1/2 tsp salt in a resealable plastic bag. Add the steak, turning to coat it and refrigerate overnight.
2. Combine the jam, garlic, and 1/3 cup of water in a small saucepan over medium heat.  
3. Once the jam has melted, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, wine, and salt to taste.
4. Simmer for 2 minutes and then let cool before drizzling over the steak.
5. Remove the steak from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.  Preheat the grill or the grill pan.
6. Grill the steak 4-5 minutes per side for medium rare.

Poor Baby

Welp, it only took us 7.5 months, but we have our first sick baby alert. 

Yesterday I got the call as I was on my way into work - Thatbaby was running a fever and I needed to go pick him up.  When I got there he was asleep in his crib.  I scooped up his hot little body and brought him home.  We spent the day cuddled up on the couch.  He was just sleepy for most of the day, but when he was awake he was his usual chipper self.    When we called the after-hours nurse last night after his fever spiked she asked "is that him squealing and playing in the background?"  It was.  We didn't need to bring him in.

Instead we took turns going in to work today so one of us could stay home with our sick boy.  His fever seemed to have broken last night, but then started trending upwards this morning before heading back down to normal again.  We're playing it safe and doing split duty tomorrow too.

One of the signs that Thatbaby wasn't feeling up to snuff was that he turned his head at his usual food favorites.  He was still eating fine from his main food source - me.  But the watermelon and butter noodles went untouched.  Today it was clear he was feeling better when he was back to gnawing on bread and shoving spinach in his mouth by the handfuls.

Spinach, that dark, green, leafy, magic vegetable which I can only imagine is chock full of the kinds of things that a sick baby needs to get well again.  And as a special treat, I stirred some cheese into this one - because we all know how much I love cheese.  Almost as much as I love spinach.  But only a fraction of the amount I love that sick little boy of mine.

Cheesy Spinach

10 oz frozen spinach
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp onion, chopped
1/2 can evaporated milk
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1. Cook spinach according to directions on package. Drain and reserve liquid. 
2. Melt butter in a pan over low heat.
3. Add the flour, stirring until a paste forms and bubbles.
4. Add onions and sauté 3-5 minutes or until translucent. 
5. Add evaporated milk, spinach liquid and Worcestershire sauce slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook mixture until smooth and thick, stirring constantly. 
6. Add pepper, celery salt, garlic salt, and cheese.  Stir until melted.
7. Stir in the spinach.

Safety First

As much as I hate to share, this weekend was not all about me.  Thatboy had a work event for most of the day Saturday.  Which gave Thatbaby and I time to run all of our errands so I wouldn't have anything keeping me from my Mother's Day fun.

Since we were running all over San Diego anyway, we decided to stop by Thatboy's event and say hi.  This weekend he was working with the police department in his area with their safety fair. 

There were some celebrity appearances.  Thatbaby was starstruck.

 

And there were representatives from several law enforcement agencies.  Thatbaby got deputized by the FBI, the police, and the fire department.  He got to sit in an FBI surveillance van and get up close and personal with a firetruck. 

But his run-in with the paddy wagon was perhaps my favorite vehicle of the day.

We didn't get to stay for lunch, there was too much to do, but the smell of fresh tacos permeated the air.  Which gave me an idea for dinner.  Tacos it was!  We do a lot of chicken tacos round these parts, so I thought I would change it up a bit.  Whenever I'm looking for a way to treat pork, Bridget is my go-to source.  Somehow she just gets it.  And this recipe is no different.  The pastor tacos round these parts usually use lamb, but pork is an excellent and easy make at home solution.  And pretty much anything with the addition of pineapple is A-OK in my book!

Tacos al Pastor (From The Way The Cookie Crumbles)

1 pineapple, peeled, cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds
1/2 onion
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup guajillo chile powder
3 garlic cloves, halved
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large or 2 small chipotle chiles and 1 to 2 teaspoons adobo from canned chipotle chiles in adobo
2½-to 3-pounds boneless pork loin, cut into ½-inch slices

1. Puree 2 of the pineapple slices.  Pour into a bowl and refrigerate that and the remaining pineapple. 
2. Coarsely chop the onion half and place in a blender with the orange juice, vinegar, chile powder, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, and chipotle chiles; puree marinade until smooth.
3. Place the sliced pork in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the marinade and the seal the bag, releasing excess air. Chill at least 4 hours and up to 1 day. About half an hour before the grill is ready, add the reserved pineapple juice to the marinating meat.
4. Heat a grill to medium-high heat. Grill the pineapple slices until warm and slightly charred, 4 to 6 minutes per side.
5. Grill the pork, with some marinade still clinging to it, until it’s slightly charred and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side.
6. Transfer the pineapple and pork to a work surface; chop pineapple into ½-inch cubes, discarding cores.

7. Chop (or shred) the pork. Transfer the pork and pineapple to a platter or serving bowl; toss to combine.