A Jedi Birthday - Part I and Part II

My Star Wars fanatic turned 9 and of course had dreams as big as the galaxy about what we could do to celebrate. In the end, we had two simple parties - one for family and one for school friends. I referred to them as Episode I and Episode II. Time and money were at a premium, but the end results were simple, fun, and well enjoyed by my young jedi.

Birthday Party EPISODE I - Family
MENU- Taco Bar with seasoned ground turkey, sauteed peppers, corn, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, salsa, tortilla chips
CAKE- Green light saber cupcakes & vanilla ice cream
DECORATION - black plastic table cloth (dollar store) using a white paint pen to draw a galaxy on, birthday boy's spot with labelled for Jedi Ryan, Lego Star Wars creations & figures

Birthday Party EPISODE II - School Friends
MENU- Pizza, Yoda Soda (label around a green bottle of soda or juice box), baby carrots & celery
CAKE- Blue light saber cupcakes & vanilla ice cream
DECORATION - black plastic table cloth (dollar store) using a white paint pen to draw a galaxy on, each child's spot with labelled for each Jedi (their names), Lego Star Wars creations & figures
PARTY BAGS - found little Lego Star Wars kits on clearance a month ago and stashed them away. Bags were tied together with a glow stick light saber with a character picture threaded on it
ACTIVITIES - outdoor light saber/blaster battles, glow in the dark light saber battle,balloon light sable battles, general chaos

A little bit of electrical tape around the bracelet connector was a quick job and so much fun for the boys Okay, it was fun for too. I saved the two pink ones in the pack for the "Mom Sabers" and broke them out when the boys were getting a bit out of control. That way I was int he middle of it and could keep an eye on things. I may or may not have added to the chaos and my husband may or may not have made me stop before the other parents showed up to pick up their kids.

I took balloons for making animals and wrapped duct tape around the end to make a saber handle. This was chaos, but my living room and all the kids survived. Lots of laughter involved. The kids each took one home with them.

It doesn't get easier than a light saber cupcake spread. Covered a paper towel roll with tin foil and electrical tape and lined up colorful cupcakes. Super easy to slide in a gluten-free cupcake and everyone else gets a regular one.

Butterless Potato

Looking for ways to cut back on calories and not lose flavor? Can't eat dairy? Watching your pennies? Want the simplest side dish ever? I'm guessing you might fall into one of those categories.

I survived on these potatoes when I was in college and working close to full time. I had no money, no time, and a microwave to eat from. The good thing is they taste just as good now as they did then.

4 baby redskins/person
Lightly coat in olive oil
sprinkle liberally (1/2 - 1 tsp) of kosher or sea salt

In a microwave safe dish add your potatoes, drizzle with olive oil and make sure skin is coated, and sprinkle with salt. Cover potatoes with paper towel and cook for 4-6 minutes until potatoes are tender.
OR
Cover lightly with tin foil and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until tender.

You really can use any type of potato, but the best flavor comes from a baby redskin potato. They have a buttery texture/taste to begin with.

Frugal Quick Fixes

Okay, so I had planned to make pizza tonight, but never made it to the health food store to get the cheese alternative (Daiya Shreds) for my son's allergen-free pizza... so, needed a quick fix dinner with whatever I have on hand.

I keep 2-3 meals that I don't usually schedule during the same week that I usually have all the components for. My husband knows them by heart because they appear frequently on the kitchen table for dinner. They may be ordinary, but it saves us a lot of money in takeout, fast food, or other dining out alternatives.

Ground beef tacos (or whatever meat I have on hand - ground turkey, shredded chicken/pork, etc)
Spaghetti
Pancakes

What's your go-to emergency meal idea?

25 Tips of Christmas - Day #20:

Trying to ice those sugar cookies, drizzle some chocolate, contain the sprinkles - fill up a resealable bag with your item and cut a tiny bit of a corner off and use it like a piping bag. Use a freezer bag to melt your chocolate chips with a couple of teaspoons of shortening or butter for pipping/drizzling.

25 Tips of Christmas - Day #13:

Christmas is a great time to stock up on sale items to load the pantry or freezer. Look for great deals on items like sugar, flour, spices, butter, creamer, turkey, ham, nuts, etc.

Keep in mind that you can freeze dairy items - HOWEVER, the consistency will be slightly different when you thaw them. Cheese tends to be a bit crumbly (which is great for salads or melting), cream cheese can separate slightly (which when you whip it is fine), sour cream can appear curdled but the taste is fine (good for baking or other combined recipes), and even milk & creamer.

If you are a texture eater like me, make sure you have the right preparation for these products to enjoy your end results and make the most of your money savings.

25 Days of Christmas - Day #8:

While you've got those cookie cutters broken out for sugar cookies - put them to good use. Pancakes, cheese slices, sandwiches, bread for toast, deli meat, to shape rice (press it in tight), finger jello, brownies, or anything else you can think of.

25 Tips of Christmas - Day #2:

Let the parade for tips for Christmas continue...

Most non-iced cookies can be frozen and thawed to use later with great results. For sugar cookies, save the frosting part for when they are thawed. Start now and pace your Christmas baking throughout the month. Eat a few and freeze the rest instead of a marathon eating through the batch (if they last that long). You can also pull our a few of several different types of cookies to enjoy rather than eating just one type at a time. Merry Christmas.

25 Tip of Christmas - Day #1:

I'm going to count down the days to Christmas with a fun tip each day plus some yummy recipes. Coming tomorrow = Cheesecake Quesadillas

DAY #1
When measuring baked goods with your little baker, put the measuring cup/spoon on or over a small plate so excess spills can be contained or reused. An apron from Domestic Artistry helps contain the mess as well. Happy baking.

Allergy-free Hospitality - Pt 2

Here's part 2 - the next edition of learning how to love on people with food-allergies by speaking their food-love language. Think of it as allergy-free hospitality.

If you are new to cooking for friends/family/self with food allergies, you probably start thinking about expensive and exotic foods that can only be purchased at a health food store.

True, the health food store will help you find an abundance of great products that can help address almost any food restrictions. The short-cut mixes and kits can be extremely healthy.

False, the health food store is not the only place to shop for foods that are allergen-free. A less expensive place to start is on the outer ring in your grocery store. Along the exterior walls, you will usually find the produce, meat, and refrigerated sections. These departments are where you will find the majority whole foods (name given to foods that are in their natural state/not processed with other ingredients). Serving green peppers (and other fruits & veggies) to someone with a peanut allergy is a safe bet (as long as you are handling the ingredients in a safe way). Roasted meat (look for proteins that is not injected with solutions, marinaded, or processed) is a tasty and gluten-free dinner choice.

The inner isles of the store contains most of your processed foods. You can find great options there as well, but CAREFULLY read the whole label (and save the packaging for your friends to double check).

Here's a list of foods that I suggest to family/friends when they ask what to serve:

• Grilled/roasted/baked chicken, steak, roast, pork, etc (watch seasonings)
  
• Hamburgers (not served on a bun)
• Plain white or brown rice
• Potato
• Veggies
• Fruit
• Plain potato chips (watching for oils & flavorings)
• Tortilla chips (watching for oils & ingredients) & salsa (look for fresh)
  
• Rice noodles
  
• Air popped or stove popped popcorn
• Popsicles
• Applesauce
• Mexican and Asian recipes are often free of allergens or easily adapted to make them safe
  
• Etc

There are plenty of great options that are inexpensive and very simple to make. Summertime is the easiest season when everything can be thrown on the grill.

You can do it. In fact, you may often cook this way and never realize that it is safe for those you love with food intolerances and allergies.

Next time we'll take a look at pitfalls and things to look at - many of which you would have never guessed. It may be a bit overwhelming, or a lot. Even being well educated and fairly carefully, I still miss things and make unsafe choices for my son. Everyday is a learning process and a chance to enjoy the wonderful foods that are good for our bodies

Allergy-free Hospitality - Pt 1

I've been asked a LOT lately for some simple recipes that can be made as a treat for their friends/family who are gluten-free (or other food allergies). So I'll be devoting a few posts here for simple/easy/quick fixes that can allow you to entertain GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, and even EGG-FREE.

I know we could delve into more allergies and diet restrictions, but we'll start with these.

First of all, let me say bless you to anyone who is willing to attempt allergen-free cooking and baking for a loved one. It REALLY does give the person a feeling of belonging and being cared for when you work hard to make them included. As a mom, it speaks volumes to me that you've put the thought and care into making my son's life a little more normal.

That being said - I'll gladly bring my son his own food to get-togethers, and it is NOT an insult. It's part of our life. If you are uncomfortable/uncertain that the foods you serve are not safe, than I'd rather have your company with our own safe food.

Second of all, have packaging and recipes ready for your guests to look at, and don't be insulted if your guest with an allergy asks questions about what is in it. They are just trying to eat clean/safe. While you have done your best to make something that meets the dietary restrictions, you may not realize the entirety of your guest's food restrictions. Double checking is a must in many people's worlds.

Third, allergy-free cooking doesn't have to be just for the guest with allergies. There are great, tasty, and frugal ideas that the crowd will enjoy. Think of it as culinary exercises - you are strengthening your cooking/baking skills, which will only serve to make you stronger in the end.

Freezing Green Peppers

Here's another installment in the much delayed series on "How To" process fall produce and seasonal favorites.

I found a great deal on peppers and bought way more than I could (or should) ever use by time they would go bad. Here's a great way to use them and process them. I diced them up and spread them out over top of some plastic wrap. Then "flash freeze" (spread out to freeze them individually and then store together) them for a couple of hours.


After the fast freeze, remove the peppers from the pan/plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag. You can pull them out and use them as needed. **

Because when the thaw, the frozen peppers will be a little soft. Wouldn't recommend using these in a raw preparation, but works perfectly for spaghetti sauce, fajitas, stir fry, and anything else you could think of.

You can freeze the colored peppers separately if you want, but I like to mix them for color and flavor.

**I'm the only one in my family that enjoys peppers much, so this method is cost effective. I can grab a few peppers at a time for what I need.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Evidently there was a pumpkin shortage last year. I've been unable to get any canned pumpkin in quite awhile. I got tired of waiting so I made my own...

My favorite organic stand at the farmer's market had pie pumpkins for $1 each, so we snatched up three of them. From those pumpkins I now have about 16 cups of pumpkin puree. Not bad for $3 and just a little bit of work.

Start by washing off the pumpkin and cutting it in half. Scoop out the seeds (save for roasting) and strings and place cut side down on a baking dish. Pour water into the dish to about 1/4" depth. Roast in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. Test with a knife to see if the skin and flesh can be easily pierced. Note: the pumpkins may appear "caved in" but that's good. Allow to cool slightly and scoop out the flesh. Discard the exterior shell. In a food processor or blender add a small of water at a time to pumpkin to bring to a smooth consistency. You don't want lumps, but you don't want it thin and runny either.

Place puree in a strainer lined with cheesecloth to allow the liquid to drain from the puree and give a good thick consistency. The liquid drained can be used to puree more batches of pumpkin rather than water.

Use in your favorite pumpkin pancakes (Gluten-free version), pumpkin apple muffins, pumpkin trifle, pumpkin cheesecake or other fall delight. Can be frozen in muffin tins or in freezer bags.**

**Tips: Pictured from left to right. When using freezer bags, roll the zipper portion over the outside of the bag when filling. This keeps from getting puree in the tracks and making a mess. When you're ready to close it up unroll the zipper part to stand upright. Seal the bag 4/5 the way and roll out any air in the package. Lay the package flat to freeze.

Homemade Chicken Broth

So if you are looking for exact measurements, this is not the post for you ;) but keep reading anyway. I greatly dislike paying large amounts of money for flavorless chicken stock in the store. And guaranteeing that it is gluten-free is another thing. So I've decided to make my own. I've frozen and canned it and find benefits to both methods. More on that later. Let's start at the beginning.

First I start with 1 onion, 2-3 stalks of celery, and 3 carrots (all roughly chopped) in a large stock pot with a bit of olive oil. Over medium heat, I soften the veggies and let the little bits of brown bits (caramelized goodness) collect on the bottom, stirring occasionally.

At that point I add 2 cups of water and use a wooden spoon to loosen any of those bits and color from the bottom of the pan. Then I add chicken bones (just the ones left over from dinner) and another 14-22 c of water to the pan. Season with 3 t of salt and 1 t of pepper.

Bring the pot to a rolling boil and then reduce to medium-low heat. Stirring occasionally, allow to simmer 2-3 hours.

When it's finished you have a beautiful broth. Strain out the veggies and bones and allow to cool completely, and refrigerate. You can freeze it in jars (be sure the lid isn't closed tightly because the jar with break - not that I learned by experience or anything), 1/4 c portions in muffin tins (pop out and store in freezer bags), or can it.

For canning, reheat the broth and pour into a hot jar. You'll need to process it by using a pressure cooker. I learned the hard way that hot water baths don't kill the bacteria and you end up with nastiness in a jar.

This is any easy production following dinner. I through everything in the pot after dinner and let it simmer away for the evening. I stash it away in the fridge and then either can it or freeze it the next day. It costs almost nothing and is a great way to use up those wilting veggies left in your refrigerator door.

At this cost I use it to cook rice in and sometimes pasta. Bring on the soups now at half the cost.

** Note: Another great way to make broth is not only to use the bones, but a the chicken on the bone. That will give you the richest possible broth. In the winter I do this method. But while the weather allows, I would much rather eat grilled chicken.

How to Series

I've been busy putting up summer produce and getting my oldest off to school. That has meant not much posting and definitely not much in the way of cooking and creating new recipes. The good news is school has started and life is SO much easier with one (who starts pre-school next week) than two who've had a very long summer together. Hopefully that gives kiddo #2 and me more time in the kitchen to play.

In the process of putting up all sorts of goodies, I've had several requests and questions about "How did you do that?" referring to canning and freezing different items. So here are a few things to look forward to attempting to answer those questions.

Freezing:
Sweet Corn
Bell Peppers
Chicken Broth
Green Beans
Pumpkin Puree

Canning:
Peaches
Applesauce
Chicken Broth

Making:
Chicken broth
Applesauce
Pumpkin puree
and more.

Frugal School Lunch Ideas

You stare at your kiddos lunch box/bag and try to think of what you have on hand that you can fill it with that (A) your kid will eat (B) is fairly healthy & (C) don't have to work more than a couple minutes to put together. It's the joy of school lunches. Time to get creative.

Due to allergies, we have no choice but to send a packed lunch with my son to school. While many of these ideas we can't use - this is a big list that we can all refer back to during the school year when our creativity is waning.

SANDWICHES

• Lunchmeat
• PBJ or use Sunbutter or Almond Butter**
• Carved meat - leftover ham, turkey, chicken, etc
• Wraps - pizza, lunchmeat, taco, fajita, etc
• Cheese
• Subs
• BLT
• Cream cheese & jelly (think on a tortilla)
• Instead of bread - use a tortilla, flat bread, pancake, waffle, crackers, English muffin, bagel, biscuit, pizza crust, pita, etc

LUNCH MEAT

• Sandwiches
• Wraps
• Cut up with crackers & cheese (think homemade lunchables with ½ the sodium)
• Wrap around a piece of string cheese

DIPS

• Peanut butter, sunbutter, almond butter, nutella** (With pretzels, apple slices, vanilla wafers, carrots, etc)
• Salsa & chips
• Hummus
• Ranch or veggie dip
• Yogurt

OTHER - Great way to use leftovers.

• Salad
• Waffle
• Lasagna rolls
• Pizza
• Hot dog
• Quesadillas
• Meatballs
• Chicken Strips
• Spaghetti (unless they are a messy eater)
• Soups (Use a good insulated thermos/cup and make sure your kid know they HAS to bring that part home.)

SIDES

• Veggies - raw carrots, celery, green beans
• Fruit - apples, pears, peaches, bananas, mangos, melon, strawberries, pineapple, grapes, blueberries, cherries, etc
• Pretzels
• Pita or bagel chips
• Banana or zucchini bread
• Breakfast cookies**
• Cornbread
• Dried fruit or fruit leathers
• Hard-boiled egg
• Pasta
• Rice or quinoa
• Potato - hash browns, mashed, etc
• Parfait - yogurt, fruit, granola
• Yogurt
• Jello
• Rice, wheat, saltine, or whole grain crackers
• Granola bar
• Occasional sweet treat - cupcake, cookie, chocolate, fruit snacks, pudding, brownie, etc
• Energy bar**
• Cereal
• Popcorn
• Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• Cheese
• Nuts **

**(use caution with potential allergies of classmates)

Double Roasted

I thought I was so clever with this one and you might be rolling your eyes at me with a "well duh" look. I like to use roasted garlic and roasted peppers in lots of my Italian cooking. All I had on hand was minced garlic (I usually like to roast the whole bulb usually). I was really sick of washing dishes by this time, so I cut off a piece of pepper for my salad, put a couple of tablespoons of garlic in it, and drizzled a bit of olive oil over the garlic.

I loosely wrapped the pepper in tin foil so the oil wouldn't leak all over, set it in a baking pan, and roasted it for about an hour at 300 degrees. It turned out great and worked nicely in my spaghetti sauce. Oh, and I didn't have to wash anything extra. Bonus.

Kitchen Disappointments

Okay, a little piece of honesty here. This blog is about my attempts to feed my family well on a budget. Notice the ATTEMPTS.

Keeping it real, not all my attempts are successes, and this past week has been one of those learning curve times and try again experiences.

* Hospitality OOPS
We had a family come over Friday night for homemade pizza and let our kids play. I used the bread maker to make pizza dough for me while I was at the chiropractor. Thanks to traffic I was running late. I threw a bit of cornmeal on the cookie sheets, spread the dough and off we go... late of course. WELL, in my haste, I didn't grease the cookie sheet and didn't put enough corn meal down. SO time to serve and the pizza is STUCK to the pans. It was chiseling with the spatula to get some off to serve.
Welcome to our world. Our new friends were very gracious and we had lots of good laughs over it.

* Cinco de Mayo
Wanted something with a bit of spice other than taco (I love them but my husband is not so much a fan). So I put 1 1/2 lbs of cubed pork loin into a dutch oven with 2 T of taco seasoning, 1 can of tomato sauce and enough water to cover the meat. I cooked it for about 3 hours at 325.

While the meat was tender, it was REALLY bland. I think I'll try it again with the following alterations. Coat meat lightly with flour and brown in oil before adding liquid. Add pepper and onions to the saute mix. Up seasoning to 3-4 T of taco mix. Served over rice.

So if you are saying to yourself, the things I make don't turn out, please know that you are not alone. It happens to ALL of us.

Learning

I've loved to cook pretty much all my life. Over time, I've started to do okay with it. Sometimes pretty darn good. Other times, complete disaster... but I'm learning.

Lately, I've been learning even more. So much of how and what I've learned over the years is missing information. I did the best with what I knew. But with what I'm learning about food today, genetic engineering, additives, preservatives, chemicals, etc... I have to do better.

If you haven't read already, I have a child with a severe peanut allergy. That is part of why I am on this food quest. We are taking him in next week for more testing to see if more allergies have appeared. Something isn't right and we are trying to find out exactly what that is.

In my quest, here are a few of the resources that have me thinking these days.

JAMIE OLIVER'S FOOD REVOLUTION

and his Petition to Change speaks to what we can do to create a healthier life for our families. Much of that is about cooking from scratch and not relying on processed foods. This is a quest that I've been on for a while. We do well, but there are still "easy" crutches in my cupboards.


THE UNHEALTHY TRUTH: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It by Robyn O'Brien

This book was startling to me to find out how little testing was done on products that the FDA clears. The impact that all of the additives, engineering, chemicals, and processing has on health and allergies is unknown. But it doesn't have to be this way. Studies can be done, they just aren't funded except by major corporations.

As a mother with a food allergy child, I have lots of concerns about what this means. I'm not taking everything at face value of what I've read, but rather this is starting my quest to research.


So I'm passing this on for you and your family to do your own food quest. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

In the meantime, you might see a difference in the recipes you find here. I hope that you enjoy them a bit more knowing that they are better for you and your family. I know that I'm feeling better at my kitchen table...

Frugal Tip: Spices

One of the great things about moving is the opportunity to purge. We've moved 3 times in 3 years. We've managed to weed out a lot of stuff and learn to part with what isn't necessary. I love being able to do that. I'm looking at this as a fresh start.

As a fresh start in the kitchen is starting with my spice rack. It's easy to let the contents of those little jars get old and before you know it, there is a bunch of flavorless powder or flakes inside. It goes against everything I was taught growing up - but I'm throwing out what I have and getting new. (We found some spices of my mom's from the 80's when we moved her a few years ago).

Spices can be really expensive and you don't necessarily get a lot for your money. I grow a lot of my own herbs, but winter/spring in ND isn't exactly a great growing season. Until I can, I found a bulk herb rack in the organic section of the supermarket. Yeehaw did I have fun. I'm rationing myself to a few each week so that I work on developing recipes with what I did get...

Seriously - scored enough basil to last for quite a while for $.10 and Italian spices for $.16. I think I got 3 or 4 T of nutmeg for $1.16 and a big batch of sea salt for $1.18. Lastly, I was thrilled to find good coconut in bulk. I'm talking the unsweetened finely shredded stuff that doesn't taste like sweet plastic. I got almost 4 cups for $1.56.

The sweet deal on the spices is definitely anything flaky/lightweight. The best part of the deal is that they are all organic and VERY fresh (as fresh as dried herbs get). Next up is oregano (my fav herb), garlic powder, ginger (I bought fresh ginger too - sm root for $.75), cinnamon (my fav spice), and some seeds.

In MI there were several stores that specialized in bulk spices. Kicking myself that I never made it there, but this isn't bad. You can also check you local health/organic stores often sell bulk or in small packets rather than larger jars. It's a lot cheaper that way, and often a lot fresher (due to demand/turnover).

Frugal Lunch - Loaded Potatos

I keep 3 things on hand for the basis for lunches - rice, baked potato, and bread. I can usually do something with one of the three and the leftovers I have in the fridge. It beats sandwiches day in and day out and allows me to reduce waste and make the most of our money.

Of the three, I think the baked potato is my favorite canvas to create a masterpiece of lunch. It's filling, healthy (depending on how you top it) and everything goes well on top.

Couple of ways to fix a plain potato

Chicken Taco Leftovers - shredded seasoned chicken, sweet corn, pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream, sauteed peppers, etc

Cheesy Broccoli - this was leftover veggies from a restaurant (because they give you a whole head) cheese and a bit of sour cream

OTHER OPTIONS:
Beef Fajita - seasoned steak, corn, peppers, pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream, etc
Soup - cheesy broccoli, beef & barley, corn chowder, chicken fajita, etc.
BBQ Pork
Ham & Cheese
Pepper Steak
Etc

TIP: Potato Coking
When making baked potatoes for dinner, I simply make extra. Before wrapping in foil, I drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on each and rub to coat the potato. Sprinkle on a good bit of sea salt and poke a few holes in to vent steam. Wrap them up in foil and place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until soft.