Zucchini Noodle Caprese Salad

May 6, 2015 by


Zucchini Noodle Caprese Salad

I love raw zucchini.  I’ve put shredded zucchini on salads for years, practically using more zucchini than lettuce.  I even won my hubby over.  It adds great crunch.  Since the spiral cutters have become so popular I could see the potential but always found myself disappointed with them.  We bought a popular one and I used it once, it was so awkward to use and the design was flimsy.   Then I came across this one on Amazon, the Mueller Sprial-Ultra 4 blade spiralizer.   It is so much easier to use and works so much better!  I’m finding all kinds of uses for it and this is one of my favorites.  Super easy, quick, and I’m sure will be on the table often this summer, especially when our tomatoes are ready in the garden.

ZUCCHINI NOODLE CAPRESE SALAD

Tomatoes, sliced
Green zucchini, cut into noodles with spiral cutter
Marinated mozzarella, I used my homemade recipe found here
Fresh basil, cut in chiffonade
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil (I use the flavored oil from the mozzarella marinade
salt and pepper to taste

Lay the tomato slices out in a single layer then top with the zucchini noodles.
Sprinkle some mozzarella on top, followed by basil, balsamic, olive oil, then salt and pepper.

Filed Under: Salad / Dressings

Where have all the manners gone?

April 30, 2015 by

Soooo, April is autism awareness month.  I feel like I should acknowledge that but I want to keep this to the point and short.
Many people I meet are divided into 2 groups.

GROUP #1: You’ve seen commercials about how autism is some thief that comes in the night and is the ugliest, scariest thing you can imagine.  The very mention of the word sends chills down your spine.

GROUP #2: Your neighbor’s cousins son has high functioning autism and you think you’re an expert.  And bonus for me, you want to bestow all your knowledge and advice, and more importantly, your judgement,  on me.  Yay!

To group #1: Autism makes life kind of difficult at time.  But my daughter is not a scary ugly monster.  She’s sweet, loving, and the first to give someone a smile.

To group #2: Every situation is different.  And the most valuable gift you can bestow on almost anyone is withholding judgment and keeping your advice to yourself.  A simple smile and greeting will go much further, trust me.

To the world: Where have all your manners gone?!  As my daughter is getting older I’ve seen a shift in the way she is treated by those we meet.  When she was younger it seemed people  either ignored her or passed off odd behaviors more.  (Not always, of course.)
But now she is almost 12 and taller than me.  My Amelia is social, friendly, and loves to say hi to new people.  In fact, if she had her way, she’d probably hug every person she came across.
She loves to run errands with me (depending where we are going, of course.).  Often times, in the grocery store, or wherever, she will stand in the middle of someone’s path and smile at them, say hi.    I’m saddened to say this is very rarely met in a positive way.  And I understand somewhat.  There is a stranger, tall enough to be an adult, with puppets on her hand and big smile on her face, standing directly in your path.  Maybe you are uncomfortable.  I get it.  I even have family members who are uncomfortable with autism.  We rarely see them, or when we do they avoid Amelia and ignore her greeting.  It breaks my heart.  Because you know what you miss?  You miss out on the best, most contagious giggles you’ve every come across.You miss the chance to have THE BEST hug of your life.  You miss the chance to hear her say “Nice to meet you!”    And we only worked about 4 years on that sentence.  Amelia didn’t speak until she was over 6 years old, and I’m talking about one word here or there.  Any language she has now has been due to years of tears and hard work.

So I have  simple request.  If you meet someone who seems different from you, bestow them a gift.  Withhold your judgement and just mind your manners.  Say hi.  Smile.  It won’t hurt, I promise.   (Oh, and adults? Your kids are watching.  When you are uncomfortable and judgmental, your kids will surely be as well.)
Children AND adults with special needs should be treated as what they are.  People.  With feelings.  Every person you meet started out the same, someone’s baby.  Maybe not yours, but that doesn’t mean their feelings matter any less.  So if someone with special needs makes you uncomfortable ask yourself why and figure that crap out.  Because you are being rude to the very group of people who are most likely to accept you exactly how you are, and the first person to give you a hug.

Besides, WHY ON EARTH, would anyone see this smile and not want to return a greeting?!
amelia

 

Filed Under: Autism, Ramblings

Greek Kale Salad

April 22, 2015 by

Greek Kale Salad
Kale may be an old food fad, but it remains one of my favorite foods.  The trick with kale is it needs some time to soften up.  The best way to do this is to chop it finely and dress it with an acidic vinaigrette and rub it into the leaves.  Then let it sit for a bit while you prepare the remaining ingredients so it can continue to soften up.
This is especially good served with homemade Naan bread and some lemon grilled chicken… and maybe some hummus too. 🙂

Greek Kale Salad
GREEK KALE SALAD

1 bunch kale, stem removed and finely chopped
1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (if using canned, drain and rinse well)
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (or halved grape or cherry tomatoes)
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup sliced olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Place vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine (You can also blend in a blender or whisk together in a bowl).
Toss the kale with the vinaigrette and massage into the leaves.
Prepare the remaining salad ingredients while the kale softens.  Toss all together.

Filed Under: Salad / Dressings

DIY Lego Cart!

April 15, 2015 by

DIY Lego Cart!

It was a long standoff, but I finally caved.  I mean, they weren’t going anywhere and waiting them out was useless.  The Lego’s are here to stay.
But before I surrendered I made a compromise.  If these little weapons of foot pain are going to stick around they need to have a home… besides the floor where they lay in wait like little grenades of destruction just waiting for you to step on them and cause excruciating pain… or the dog eats them.
I loved some of the ideas I’ve seen using Ikea’s trofast system, the trays are a good size for sorting colors and since they have a large opening you can easily sort around and find that elusive piece.
But I had a clear idea of how I wanted it to look, and wanted it to be on wheels… and out of wood, not particle junk.
So we made it ourselves! From scrap in the garage, even better!
I used plywood for the sides, dividers, top, and bottom.  1 by 3 for the bottom trim, 1 by 4 for the top trim, and trimmed the front of the sides to hide the plywood edge.  1 by 2’s worked well for the ledge for the trofast bins.  Added some wheels and perfecto!  We’ll probably add some Lego base plates to the top sometime, but for now it’s working great as is.

DIY Lego Cart!

We even have a drawer for those directions that always get lost.
Lego cat was so excited she had kittens! Yay!
DIY Lego Cart!

Filed Under: Woodworking

Roast Beef Hash

March 17, 2015 by

Roast Beef Hash

This was one of my father’s favorite dishes, so it seems fitting to post it today.  He loved all things Irish and was quite proud of his Irish heritage.
I’m pretty sure my youngest inherited her fieriness from that line 😉
In the month of March I always make a big Irish dinner and it remains one of my favorite meals to cook.
This is a great recipe to use up leftover corned beef (or roast beef if you don’t enjoy corned).  I’ve made this even with some cubed leftover Canadian Bacon, or crumbled bacon too.  It’s delicious any way!   If I’m thinking ahead I cook the potatoes even a day or two ahead of time to make these super easy and quick to cook.  Happy St Patrick’s Day!

ROAST BEEF HASH

3 lbs gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes (Should be 5-6 cups)
2 T oil
1 large white onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 lbs leftover cooked roast beef or corned beef, diced (about 3 cups)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add potatoes and cover.  Cook 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Uncover and add onions.  Cook about 5-10 minutes longer.
Add beef and spices, cook until heated through and potatoes and onions are golden and tender.
If desired, serve with a poached or fried egg and fresh parsley.

SHORTCUT VERSION: Boil or bake your potatoes, peel on, ahead of time.  Cook until barely tender.
Chill, then peel and cut into cubes.  Cook in an uncovered skillet along with the oil and onions until golden, then continue as above, adding meat and spices.

Filed Under: Beef, Irish

Super Fizzing Eggs

March 11, 2015 by

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This is one of the funnest sensory activities we’ve done.  Both my girls thought these were amazing.  You know those “hatching eggs” they sell? You know, those “eggs” that “hatch” when you put them in water for a couple days… and cost $10 for a flimsy plastic toy you probably want to throw away?
Every time my 7 year old sees them she thinks they are the coolest thing ever and wants to buy one.
These totally save the day.  Not only are they cheap to make but they are a really fun activity.  I used some small dinosaur figures but of course you could use larger ones as well.

DSC03424
SUPER FIZZING EGGS
makes 4 to 5 small eggs

Small plastic figures
1 cup baking soda
food coloring, optional
2 T citric acid
1 T oil

Mix together the baking soda, coloring, and citric acid.
Add the oil, using just enough to get it to stick together when pressed.  Add more, a 1/2 tsp at a time if needed.  Just be careful not to add to much, this shouldn’t be a wet dough.

DSC03382
Form dough around small figures, we used dinosaurs, and leave on a tray to dry overnight at room temperature, uncovered.

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Now comes the fun part! You can even put these in the bathtub, or in a tray of water.  We had the most fun spraying them with vinegar.  While the citric acid will create fizz with water alone using vinegar will REALLY make them fizz!
Slightly adapted from Fun At Home With Kids

Filed Under: Autism, Easter

Cheddar and Green Onion Chicken Burgers

February 25, 2015 by

Cheddar and Green Onion Chicken Burgers
These are our absolute favorite chicken burgers.  You can also make them with ground turkey but we all prefer the flavor of ground chicken.  Try to use a good quality chicken as well.  I buy mine locally from Butcher Boys.  Buying meat from a butcher with quality product makes a total difference how your meat will taste, there just isn’t a comparison.  I actually save money as well.
I’ve made them with shredded swiss, gruyere, medium or sharp cheddar, or Irish cheddar.  Our favorite is the sharp cheddar or Irish cheddar.  Since there isn’t a lot of cheese in them using a stronger flavored cheese makes sense.
I usually serve them with slider buns, lettuce, tomato, etc.  I don’t mind them without a bun even, but I’m weird like that. 🙂
While you could grill them I wouldn’t recommend that since ground chicken can be a little trickier to grill.  Since it has a lower fat content it tends to fall apart and stick more on a grill.

CHEDDAR AND GREEN ONION CHICKEN BURGERS
makes 7 (3 oz) sliders

1 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup shredded cheese (We like cheddar or Irish cheddar)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 T breadcrumbs
2 T dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
drizzle olive oil

Combine all ingredients except the oil in a bowl, mixing gently.
Form into patties.  Heat a pan with a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat and cook patties, flipping once.  Be sure to cook all the way through, this is chicken not hamburger.
You can always check the temperature if you’re unsure and don’t want to overcook them.
Serve hot.

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food

Filed Under: Chicken / Turkey

A Valentine’s Tea In the Woods

February 10, 2015 by

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods
Last year we had a “Bee Mine” Valentines Tea and it was so much fun we had to do another one this year!  My girls love the “Stranger in the Woods” books and videos, and that was the inspiration for this one.  Everything was really pretty simple, and my girls had so much fun helping to make everything.


A Valentine's Tea In the Woods

Here’s what we did:

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods

“Forest Flower Nectar”  This is just 7 up and cranberry juice.  Very well received! I debated on what to make for the girls to drink, as some like the hot herbal tea but not all.  This was an easy fix, they could have either and still drink out of the teacups.

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods
I love the log cake platter, I bought it at Cost Plus World Market and was happy to have a perfect occasion to use it!

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods
I made each setting an acorn cap necklace by making felt balls and gluing them inside acorn caps.  Beforehand I drilled a hole in the cap for a wire loop to put the string through. I wrapped one around each napkin.

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods
For place settings I used these woodland animal valentines, found here.
A Valentine's Tea In the Woods

Fairy bread, of course, for the girls.  It’s just peanut butter or frosting on bread, dosed in sprinkles.  I used the woodland animal cookie cutters as well.

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods
For “twigs” I made chocolate dipped pretzel rods.  With them are walnut cookies.

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods
For the cookie mushrooms I just used the sugar cookie dough I used for the other cookies (You just make a ball of dough, dip a bottle top into cocoa powder, then into the ball of dough.  I froze mine for about 45 minutes so they would keep their shape better, then baked.)

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods
For the snails we swirled chocolate and regular sugar cookie dough and used sprinkles for antennas.  Again, I froze them for about 45 minutes to help from spreading.

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods
The log cake was a big hit!

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods
I decorated the cake with marshmallow fondant, using martha stewart molds for the ferns and leaves, a little cookie cutter for the daisies, and freehanded the toadstools.

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods
The green moss is made by mixing graham cracker crumbs with green food coloring.  We added some candy rocks we found at the amazing Candy babel store.

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods
Last minute I remembered we had some deer picks so I added those the mini cupcakes.

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods

The cookie cutter set was from Ikea I believe, though the deer was just the bear modified.

A Valentine's Tea In the Woods

More sweets, of course!
A Valentine's Tea In the Woods

Even if you just break out some cookie cutters and make simple pb sandwiches with juice, have a tea party (with tea cups of course!)  I promise you won’t forget it, and your little for sure won’t!

 

Filed Under: Parties, Tea time, Valentine's day

Chocolate Dipped Cinnamon Caramels

February 4, 2015 by

Chocolate Dipped Cinnamon Caramels

I made these for our Christmas treat boxes this year primarily for my hubby and a dear friend who both love chocolate dipped cinnamon bears (all though, I never did get to dipping them in chocolate for the boxes).  I made a double batch and seeing how many we had after cutting it up I put them in all the boxes.  Much to my shock they were THE HIT.  Not even a close call.   More than one friend said their kids were fighting over them!  I thought they would make a great Valentine’s Day treat as well, and if I wasn’t so busy raising people maybe I’d make a cute card you could print to go with them, you know, something witty like “You’re red hot, valentine!”  I don’t know, you can figure that part out. 🙂
In the meantime, make these.  Give them to your cute hubby.  Or sweet friends.  Or eat them yourself.  Either way.
Chocolate Dipped Cinnamon Caramels

CHOCOLATE DIPPED CINNAMON CARAMELS

3/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup corn syrup
2 cups sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 to 1 tsp (depending how strong you want them) cinnamon oil candy flavor*
1 tsp red food coloring gel, optional
Chocolate or candy melts, to coat, optional

Grease an 8 inch square pan (I actually put mine in a larger pan, this just depends how big you want your pieces to be).  Set aside.
In a heavy pot over low heat, combine the butter, salt, corn syrup, sugar, and 1 cup of the cream.  Gently stir until the butter is melted.
Raise the heat to medium-low and clip on a thermometer.  Stop stirring at this point.  Watch the heat, you just want a gentle simmer.
At 236 degrees add the remaining cup of cream and gently stir just barely to mix in.  Allow cooking to 245 degrees without stirring.
Remove from the heat and gently stir in the cinnamon and food coloring if using.
Poor into pan without scraping the pot.  Cool at room temperature before cutting into pieces.
If desired, dip in melted chocolate or candy melts.

*1 tsp is equal to 1 fluid dram, which is the size of the jar the candy flavoring comes in.
Recipe slightly adapted from Mels Kitchen Cafe

Filed Under: Candy / Confections, Valentine's day

Smoky BBQ Seasoning Blend (And Smoky Chicken Cobb Salad)

January 20, 2015 by


Smoky BBQ Seasoning Blend (And Smoky Chicken Cobb Salad)

I found myself reaching for the same mix of spices everytime I made BBQ.  I finally made a blend that’s just how we like.  I buy all of my spices from Penzeys Spices, and once you try them you won’t want to buy them anywhere else either.  Their toasted onion powder alone has changed my cooking.  I love that stuff!
This is a smoky blend and while I use it on things I grill outside because it has a smoky flavor all ready I love it for things cooked on the grill pan inside.  Sprinkle on burgers, or my favorite, on chicken breast, shrimp, or vegetables.

DIY Smoky BBQ Seasoning Blend

1/4 cup smoked paprika
2 T brown sugar (leave out if you want a sugar free version)
2 T garlic powder
2 T toasted onion powder
2 T kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder (increase for a spicier blend)

Mix all together well and store in a spice jar.

And now for a recipe using it!  This is my favorite way to make cobb salad, but of course you can omit what you want or throw in whatever else you have.
I love the flavor of the chicken so much I don’t even use dressing, or if I do I’ll use a simple oil and vinegar dressing.  The chicken can even be made a day or two ahead of time and kept in the fridge.
SMOKY BBQ CHICKEN COBB SALAD

Chicken breast
Smoky BBQ Seasoning, to taste
Green leaf or romaine lettuce, chopped
Hard boiled eggs, quartered
swiss chesse, cubed
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Olives
Avocados, chopped
grape tomatoes, halved

Coat chicken breast liberally with seasoning and cook in a grill pan, flipping once, until cooked through.
Let rest for a few minutes, then slice into strips.  Serve with remaining ingredients.

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Filed Under: Salad / Dressings