Breakfast Idea: Brown Rice "Pudding"

This is something I made up one morning when C was on an oatmeal strike but we wanted something warm and quick.  To be honest, I have no idea what rice pudding is.  It sounds very British.  And I imagine it takes a long time and a lot of effort.  So I'll stick with this.   All three kids love it and will eat it in shocking quantities.  It's great for letting the kids help - they can measure, pour (who knew there could be such pleasure in successfully pouring something into a pan?), crack eggs, cut butter, and learn how things change when we add heat to them.  It also has a wonderful texture with sufficient "stickiness" for the littlest ones learning how to use a spoon.

Brown Rice "Pudding"

Ingredients

• 2 Cups cooked brown rice (I often freeze my extra but also love TJ's frozen brown rice)
• 2 cups milk (I use whole because that's what I have on hand for my little ones)
• 1/2 inch piece of vanilla bean or 2t good vanilla extract
• 1 cinnamon stick or 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2T butter (optional)
• 2T brown sugar (optional)
• 2 eggs

Method

1. In medium saucepan, combine rice, milk, vanilla bean pod and seeds scraped from inside, cinnamon stick, and salt, and bring to low boil.  Don't bother defrosting rice if it's frozen. 
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer until hot.
3. In separate bowl, beat eggs lightly and temper by slowly adding spoonfuls of hot rice/milk combination and beating with a fork - add one spoonful, beat, another spoonful, beat, etc.  I usually use 4-5 spoonfuls.  The idea is to warm up the eggs so that they don't scramble when you add them to the rice pan.  You don't want chunks of scrambled eggs.  
4. Add tempered eggs to rice pan and stir.  If it is not thick enough for you after a few minutes on very low heat, you can repeat the process with another egg.
5. Add butter and brown sugar, stir to combine.
6. Serve warm.

Pea Pesto Crostini

This is the freshest crostini. It blends some of my favorite ingredients and then liberally spreads them upon tiny toast. Not much could better or more satisfying.

As with most bruschetta and crostini the ingredients are few so it is of utmost importance that they are of the best quality since you can really taste each flavor--none are concealed.

I love frozen organic green peas. They are harvested at peak season and frozen promptly after harvest. You really can't get much fresher than that.

In Seattle I haven't been able to find really tasty little tomatoes until at least May. I found these lovely and delicious heirloom cherry tomatoes at my co-op. The kids eat them like candy.

This is a great recipe to whip up on short notice since the ingredients are staples you are likely to have on hand. And it really, really is beautiful, bright and ever so delicious.

Pea Pesto Crostini

very slightly adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

• 1 (10-oz) package frozen peas, thawed
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1/2 inch thick slices of whole-grain baguette or ciabatta bread (day-old works best)
• 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

For the pea pesto: Pulse together in a food processor the peas, garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. While running the processor, slowly add the olive oil (this could take more or less than the 1/4 cup--so blend until a nice spreading consistency is formed--use your good judgement). Mix until well combined but not pureed.

For the crostini: Brush both sides of crostini with more olive oil and grill bread on griddle, grill pan or even an outdoor grill until golden (about 1 to 2 minutes per side). Transfer the bread to a platter and spread 1 to 2 Tbl of the pesto on each crostini slice. Top with tomatoes and eat!

Inspiration: Jim's Pancakes!

I just stumbled upon Jim's Pancakes today.  Jim is a dad who applies his unbelievable creativity to pancakes!  And I thought I was good because I use cookie cutters on the griddle to make shapes.  WOW.

Breakfast Idea: Egg in a Hole

This is one of our favorite breakfasts.  All three girls will eat every bit of it, including crusts, and love sopping up the "egg sauce."  

I use Ezekiel low-sodium bread and cookie cutters.  You simply cut holes in your bread, melt some butter in a skillet, put the bread on the skillet, crack an egg in each hole, flip after about 2 minutes, and remove after another 1 minute.  I usually also fry the "holes" and serve with jam.

Roasted Tri-Tip with Leeks and Mushrooms

I am loving leeks and all the other spring onions right now.  I am not a fan of raw onions but adore them when they are cooked to smithereens in as much butter as is reasonable (is there such a thing as an unreasonable amount of butter?).  I had planned to grill this tri-tip but we had one of our gray May days a couple of weekends back and wanted something warm and cozy.   I served this with polenta.  Another great preparation for the tri-tip is to sub rosemary for the thyme and serve with roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary.

 Roasted Tri-Tip with Leeks and Mushrooms

Ingredients

Tri-Tip:
1 Tri-Tip, trimmed of excess fat (leave some)
3-4 sprigs Fresh Thyme, leaves removed and crushed with fingers
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Leeks and Mushrooms:
3-4 large leeks
4 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 pint crimini mushrooms, sliced (or 1 pkg sliced crimini's from TJ's)
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and crushed
Salt and Pepper


Method for Tri-Tip:

1) Place tri-tip ingredients in a large ziplock, smush around, and set it on the counter for up to an hour, or in the fridge for 8-12 hours.  If you don't have time, just smush it and skip to the roasting.

2) Heat oven to 450.

3) Place meat in dish that will hold it without too much room around the sides (I use either a large cast-iron skillet or a Le Cruset baking dish).

4) Roast for 25 minutes and then begin checking the temperature every 7-10 minutes.  Remove from oven when meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 120 degrees.  This will ensure that the thick parts are med-rare and the thin parts are medium.

5) Let rest for 10 minutes then slice against the grain and serve.







Method for Leeks:

1) Prepare leeks by cutting off root end and the toughest part of the green end, then slicing length-wise through approximately 2/3 of the leek (don't slice through the root end yet).  Wash thoroughly and then slice width-wise into 1/3 inch thick slices.











2) Combine butter and olive oil in med-large saute pan and melt over medium heat.  Add leeks, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and saute until soft, about 10 minutes.







3) Add mushrooms and thyme and saute until mushrooms are soft, about another 10 minutes.   Taste and adjust seasonings. 

Granola

This is my recipe for granola, a wonderful thing to have around to eat with milk, on yogurt, on ice cream, on baked fruit, or just on its own as a snack.  It makes the house smell divine.  It seems like it has a lot of sweetener, but it makes 18 half-cup servings, so you get very little (less than 1/2 tablespoon) of sweetener with each serving.   Fat is the same, and of course these are good fats.  You can use this as a template to create your own.

Granola 

Ingredients:

• 6 cups old fashioned rolled oats (not quick or instant)
• 2 cups nuts and seeds, raw, if possible
• I use sliced or slivered almonds, pepitas (pumpkin seeds - a superfood!), flax seeds, and sesame seeds.
• 1 cup coconut (unsweetened flaked is best but any kinds works)
• 1/4 cup grape-seed, canola, or other neutral oil
• this is totally optional, but I find it adds some depth
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup honey
• Or add/sub sweetener of your choice - I think 1/2 cup (total) is about right, but you could certainly use more (up to 1 cup) or less, especially since the coconut adds a nice sweetness
• 2t vanilla
• 1T cinnamon
• 1t salt
• 1 cup dried fruit 
• I use cranberries or cherries

Method:

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper

2) Mix all dry ingredients except for fruit in large bowl

3) Mix all wet ingredients in separate bowl, add to dry, and mix well

4) Pour into two baking sheets and spread in an even layer

5) Bake approximately 30 minutes, stirring once half-way through.  Do NOT let it go until it looks toasty (if it looks brown in the oven, it's too much) - it will crisp up as it cools.

6) Mix in fruit and allow to cool completely.  Store in airtight container for as long as it lasts - I honestly can't say how long it stays good because it's always gone in a few days in my house.

Teaching the Little Ones how to handle knives

We've been working with C on knife skills for a while now, starting with play knives and easy-to-cut things like bananas and softened butter (who knew it could be so fun to cut butter?), and moving on to a table knife and more complicated things to cut, like her own food at the table, pasta for her little sisters, spinach leaves (which I chop and add to tuna wraps, pasta, etc - all three will devour it when it's cut, and refuse it completely if it's not), softened carrots, and other fruit.  Like all "help" in the kitchen, I've found that the #1 most important thing is patience, or perhaps deep breathing, or maybe a dog to clean up quicker than the littlest ones can make an even bigger mess, or, well, all of the above.  Does it say something about me that safety isn't #1?  Probably.  But I do think about it, I swear.

The primary safety challenge is getting C to keep her little fingers away from the cutting board while mommy is chopping things.  I'm obsessive about my knives being sharp (just ask my mom, who is so terrified of my regular knives that she refuses to use anything other than my paring knife, no matter what she's chopping) and I've nearly taken my own finger off with my trusty santoku, so it's just a bit dangerous for C, and her ability to remember that I told her not to do something for about, oh, 10 seconds, to be near the cutting board.  Sure, she's aware of "sharp" and "we don't touch sharp things" and even will point out the sharp things in her books (horns, farm machines, teeth, ice-skates) but it doesn't seem to translate when there is so much good stuff to grab on a cutting board.  Despite this, I'm thinking seriously of moving on to sharp knives with her, and today at  "Simple Bites" they posted an article about Knife Skills for Toddlers,which has four simple rules:

• No Hands on the Cutting Board
• Do Not Take the Knives out of the Knife Block
• Use Two Hands When Cutting
• Keep the Knife on the Cutting Board

I like these - simple, straightforward, and (particularly the last two) encouraging safety and proper technique at the same time.   Do you have any tips to share?

Pizza

Friday nights in our house is pizza night.  I love the tradition of it, and of course, the kid-friendliness.  Not only do they ADORE pizza, but it's a great way to get them helping with food prep.  C helps to stretch dough and spread ingredients and thinks eating something she created is the best thing ever.  Now that we have tomatoes in the garden and summer squash making its appearance at the Farmer's Market, I'm looking forward to making a fresh tomato-Gruyere-thyme and a lemony-zucchini pizza (below) this Friday .  

A word on dough.  It's incredibly easy to make your own whole wheat pizza dough, and I've posted my recipe below, based on Mark Bittman's method from How to Cook Everything.  But you know what's even easier and completely fabulous in both taste and texture?  Trader Joe's Refrigerated Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. 

And my thoughts on sauce.  I don't use it.  Don't need it, and don't miss it.  Obviously, you can put anything on top of your dough, including sauce, and as long as you do it VERY THINLY, it will work.  But beware of adding too much liquid, else you'll end up with a soggy, underdone in the middle and burned on the outside mess.

Quick Basic Pizza Dough

Makes 2 pizzas, takes about 15 minutes for prep, two hours for rising

Ingredients

1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast 1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more as needed 2 cups whole wheat flour Or sub 3 cups whole wheat bread flour for both of these flours 2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling 1 to 1 1/4 cups water 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

Method 1) Combine the yeast, flour, and 2 teaspoons salt in the container of a food  processor.   2) Turn the machine on and add 1 cup water and the 2 tablespoons of oil  through the feed tube. 3) Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a little at a time,  until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch.   If it is dry, add another tablespoon or two of water and process for  another 10 seconds.  (In the unlikely event that the mixture is too  sticky, add flour, a tablespoon at a time. 4) Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand a few  seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball.   5) Grease a bowl with the remaining olive oil, and place the dough in it.   6) Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rise in warm, draft-free  area until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours (I put it on the hood of my car in the garage).  You can cut this rising time short if you are in a  hurry, or you can let the dough rise more slowly, in the refrigerator, for up  to 6 to 8 hours. **You can wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month.   Defrost in a covered bowl in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Basic Pizza Method

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2) Prepare toppings

3) Roll and press pizza dough into a thin 12-inch circle and lay it on a tray or stone that has been dusted lightly with cornmeal or lightly oiled.

4) Add toppings - cheese first (or sauce if you're using, then cheese), herbs, and then the rest (you want your herbs to be slightly buried so they don't overcook.  If you're adding fresh tender greens  - arugula or spinach are nearly always lovely - don't add them at this step - wait until the pie is out of the oven, then add greens and let the heat wilt them)

5) Bake for 10 to 15 minutes (baking time will vary,depending on your oven and your desired done-ness), or until the edges of your pizza are golden brown.

Grilled Pizza 

Grilling brings pizza to a whole new level.  Smoky and wonderful.

1) Pre-heat your grill to 450-500 degrees or, if using coals, prepare as you normally do and spread them for even heat. 

2) Prepare toppings and set aside.

3) Before adding any toppings, slide rolled out pizza dough onto grill - no oil necessary, and grill for 3-5 minutes

4) Turn dough carefully and quickly add toppings to grilled side of dough.  Grill for another 3-5 minutes or until underside of pizza is nicely done and toppings are melty.  YUM!! 

Ideas for Pizza Toppings  

• Fresh tomatoes, thyme, and Gruyere cheese
• Roasted bell peppers, fontina cheese, and sausage
• Mozzarella, Basil, and fresh or roasted tomatoes
• Pesto, peccorino-romano cheese, and pine nuts
• Broccoli rabe, fontina cheese, and Italian sausage
• Ricotta and fontina cheese, thinly sliced prosciutto, and sage
• Fontina, ham, and pineapple
• Carmelized shallots and Gruyere cheese
• Sauteed potatoes and leeks, Gruyere cheese
• Mozzarella or fontina, prosciutto, and arugula (added after baking)
• Cheddar cheese, black beans, and tomatoes
  
  
  

Lemony Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza 

Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

Makes one small pizza.

Ingredients:

• 1 batch pizza dough
• 1 lemon
• 4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
• Few leaves of fresh basil, cut into thin slivers
• 1/2 medium yellow zucchini, sliced as thinly as you can pull off with a knife or your mandoline (I went for 1/8-inch thick with mine)
• 1/2 medium green zucchini, sliced as the same as above
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2) Roll pizza dough into a thin 12-inch circle and lay it on a tray or stone that has been dusted lightly with cornmeal.

3) In a small bowl, stir together the goat cheese with the juice of half your lemon. Season it with salt and freshly ground pepper, and spread it over your pizza dough.

4) Scatter fresh basil slivers over the cheese.

5) Arrange your zucchini coins in concentric circles over the goat cheese spread, overlapping them slightly.  I used way, way too many here and it was too heavy in the middle.   Later attempts were more successful with about half the amount pictured.
 
6) Squeeze the juice of the second half of your lemon on top of you zucchini, then drizzle with olive oil and finish with more salt and freshly ground black pepper.

7) Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes (your baking time will vary, so please watch carefully), or until the edges of your pizza are golden brown and the zucchini looks roasted and a little curled up at the edges.