52 for 52 Week 11

A coworker of mine sent out this poem a few weeks ago to our staff. I loved it then when things were not quiet so uncertain,  and I love it even more today.  I am reminded that so many good things are for certain in this life, one of which is a family meal.  We may have less to talk about at the moment, but we are still sitting down for family dinner.  The Return by Jonathan Greene We are heartened when each year the barn swallows return. They find their old nests, teach their young to fly, lining up on the barn roof for their first flight. They remind us, for now, some rituals of this good earth continue. Of course another ritual I'm still trying to practice is a new food or recipe.  This week my daughter made me a homemade juice shot.  I'm not quiet sure what recipe she used, sorry.  However  I know it had turmeric, ginger, a splash of honey, lemon and cracked pepper.  We cut it with coconut water.  I felt instantly healthier drinking it.   Of course my entire breakfast wasn't too bad either: Steel cut oats (leftover from the other day), 1/2 avocado, sunny side up egg and micro greens  Stay healthy! And as always with love from the Midwest, Beth

52 for 52 Weeks 9 and 10

Hello! Well the snow is really starting to melt here. I'm so excited for spring that I've been trying to use up what I have in the freezer so I can get ready to save more seasonal foods.  This led me to trying a new blueberry muffin recipe from Jubilee.  I picked up this cookbook from the library because it was The Kitchn's February cookbook of the month.  There is a lot of really interesting history in this book.  I also found these cornbread blueberry muffins.  They use very little sugar along with whole wheat flour and lemon juice.  The result is a light not sweet muffin that is perfect for my breakfast.  I served it with scrambled eggs and more fruit and veggies this morning.  The recipe makes 8 muffins so that is just perfect: 4 for now and 4 to freeze. 

For week 9 I tried a new recipe for key lime pie.  I've made plenty of pies before, but since really just my husband and I enjoy this particular one I was on the lookout for a smaller version.  If you are smaller family the blog dessertfortwo is a great place to start.  I made this pie in a loaf pan and just made the slices horizontally and at an angle.  I really liked the subtle flavor of the lime here. I'm going to add zest of 2 limes next time.  I'm also going to make sure I have whip cream.  The pie got better the next day, so it's an easy make ahead dessert.  

As always I hope I've inspired you to keep cooking and trying new things or even if it's a simple change in a recipe!

Happy Cooking (thank you Jacques Pepin)

And as always with love from the Midweset,

Beth 

Some Delicious Meals Lately

Hello! I hope you are all doing well. The snow is starting to melt, and I feel a bit of spring in the air.  I've decided I really like this format of some of my favorite meals over the past week, or in  this case week and a half.  Recently it was my birthday so there were some extra yummy treats of course.  

So what have we been eating in our house?  Here it goes..

Croissants!  I don't usually make a special trip for croissants, but I was already at the bakery picking up a cake so I couldn't resist.  I paired it with my homemade cherry preserves.  Delish!

Crèpes complètes.  We had some extra ham in the fridge so I made crèpes for dinner and filled them with ham and cheese and topped with an egg.

Huevos Rancheros:  This was a great way to start my morning. Honestly I happened to have extra refried beans from a taco night in the fridge, tortillas and salsa.  In the morning all I had to do was heat up the beans, fry the tortilla and then the eggs. I also added some extra spinach.  

Another good breakfast: I had a small bit of cinnamon swirl bread left and it was getting a little old.  I made it into french toast.  This was a decadent start to my day. 

Cheese soufflé:  With the start of Lent, last Friday we had this for dinner along with French bread, and a green salad.  

I hope you are inspired to enjoy some yummy meals this week. You are worth it.  

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

52 for 52 Week 8

Hello! Well I'm still keeping up with something new each week.  For me that's hard to believe.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that new doesn't have to be a new dinner, but something small. However for this week the new was doughnuts.  Many years ago I made fried doughnuts for my family, and they were delicious.  However the only problem was they went stale very quickly, like by the next day.  In a recent issue of Fine Cooking I found a recipe for baked donuts and wanted to give it a try.  Fortunately it was my birthday and I thought a doughnut pan was a perfect gift for one of my children to give me.   I also got a new red Kitchen Aid Mixer since my other one finally died. 

Red is my favorite color

The recipe for vanilla cake doughnuts came together super simply.  I only have one pan, which is just fine since they also slipped right out of the pan and I could cook the second batch a little later.  To keep things simple I glazed them with the chocolate glaze and decorated with a few sprinkles.  The recipe made 12; which I made Sunday.  They were gone by the time I came home from work on Monday.  It does help to have a 16 year old boy around and his friends.  I think next time I want to try the spiced variation with cinnamon sugar.  Hopefully a little reminiscent of an apple cider doughnut or make a lemon poppy seed.  

Just waiting to go into the oven

If you've ever thought about making doughnuts but didn't want to deal with the frying I highly recommend  this option.  As always I hope you are inspired to try something new this week.

With love from the Midwest,

Beth 

List of Loves

As February come to an end I thought I'd take some time to  think about the people and things I love about life and doing.  I decided to cap my list at 20 items.  They are really not in any specific order yet I would say number 1 is number 1.   

1. My husband 

2. My children

3. A good meal and the ability to cook it

4. A good glass of wine

5. Yoga

6. Running

7. Taking a walk - alone or with someone

8. Sunrises & Sunsets

9. Being near the water

10. Talking with friends

11. Reading

12. Art -creating or looking at

13. Spring flowers

14. Farmers' Markets

15. Sitting by a fire

16. My extended family

17. Traveling to a new or familiar place

18. Coffee in the morning

19. Eating outside

20. Music 

What are your loves in life?  

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Week 7 52 for 52

Hello!  Well this last week, February 9th, I decided I needed a new dessert.  So creme caramel it was.  I have many French cookbooks, and I really do love flipping through the pages of a book.  Finally I found the perfect recipe for the pot de creme -The Bonne Femme Cookbook.  I've mentioned this book before; I've had very good luck with almost everything I've tried.  This recipe did not disappoint either.  The recipe was super quick to put together for the custards.  On the other had I did have a bit of a problem with the caramel sauce.  Mine clumped together, yuck!  So I made it again. Thankfully I had enough sugar, butter and cream.  After the creme carmel was gone we enjoyed the sauce on ice cream.  Please try making some of your own. 

I hope you are inspired to try something new this week! 

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth 

Recent Eats & More

Hello! Well I've decided that I'm not going to do a weekly "what I ate Wednesday" post this year.  The 52 for 52 will be enough.  However I wanted to share some good eats this past week. 

Breakfast: Papaya, Veggie Scrambled Eggs and Cracked Wheat Toast with Peanut Butter. 

I found a reasonably priced papaya when I was down in Madison at Whole Foods (we don't have one here) so I made it last three days.  I also had some odds and ends of spinach and canned tomatoes so I just put them with my eggs.  The cracked wheat is mine - one of my favorite recipes from The Bread Bible.  I've been making it for years. 

Lunch: Red Lentil Veggie Soup with Lemon.  I made  this in the Instant Pot and it took no time at all.  I added some leftover arugula for some green. This made enough for 3 days of lunch so I parceled it out into my containers right away.  Who doesn't love a quick grab and go lunch. 

Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie, Roasted Squash, Applesauce and 7 Layer Bars for dessert.

I found leftover cooked chicken in my freezer and that means Chicken Pot Pie.  I bake this in a cast iron skillet and to make my life a little easier I use Pillsbury Pie Crusts.  The inside is packed with chicken and veggies. The applesauce is from the fall when I made several cans worth and the squash was also local.  I love my local food in February.  7 layer bars are a family favorite -there so quick and easy.  

  

What I've been reading: The Silent Patient .  This book is great.  It is a thriller based in London. I must say there are very few books I can spend the whole day reading, but this is one of them.  Honestly this isn't a genre I read to much of, but I am definitely a fan of this book.  It's a must read. 

What I've been Watching: Downtown Abby.  Well since it's back on Netflix I can't think of a better way to spend an evening watching an episode or two.  

I hope your week is going well and I've inspired you to whip up some yummy food.

As always with love from the Midwest,

Beth