Sorry Ann Curry + Snap Pea Salmon Quinoa

Ok, I might have called her Rainbow Brite previously, but now I feel bad about Ann Curry.  Her wardrobe is unfortunate.  My god, those outfits.  And this is coming from a woman who has worn little more than yoga pants and fleece tops for the last six years.  And clogs.  Yes I do.

But now that she's about to be fired and she still has to come to work each morning at some ridiculously early hour and be all, "Hey, good morning, let's have a great show today."  What?  Who can do that?  I mean, Al Roker was probably a lot to deal with already but now she has to chuckle at his lame puns knowing her exit is imminent and be graceful about it.  That's superhuman.  I watched about 45 minutes this morning and it's not hard to read the underscoring sentiment.  Or maybe it's just me imagining pop-up video style text bubbles reading, "Shut the F up already with the weather puns, Al" or "Thanks for nothin', Lauer, you a-hole."  She's been a pillar of class and grace, thus far.  If I were her I would be so tempted to wear that crazy smock dress featuring the Today Show rainbow from waist-to-hip for the rest of my days.  That's right.  Rainbow Brite every single crazy day.  

Oh Ann. My condolences.

My defining moment of departure from the Today show had nothing to do with Ann Curry.  I'd always turned on NBC as a default.  I remember getting ready for school with Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel. I watched with horror Katie and Matt's live coverage of 9/11.  And then Matt Lauer interviewed the Colorado teenager who spilled her frozen yogurt on President Obama's shoe.  Yogurt on a goddamn shoe.  Over and out.

Plus said teenager had that speech inflection where every sentence rises in pitch at the end and comes out like a question.  What is that?  I hope it's only prevalent in girls so that we can avoid it entirely because it might kill me.  Literally.  Just kidding about the literally; I know how to use the word correctly.  

So I'm breaking up with the Today Show but I'm jumping into bed with a new love:  The Newsroom.  I watched the pilot twice yesterday.  So good.  The pilot is on You Tube and the show looks promising enough to allllmossssst make me order HBO.  Except it airs Sundays at 10:00 p.m. and it's a rare Sunday eve that sees me awake at 11:00 p.m.  And also I'm cheap.  So most likely I'll bide my time until it comes out on DVD and then I will ignore my children and watch the whole thing in one long and delicious sit-down, thus reprising my former nickname, Leah de la Sofa.  

God, Mom, no.  I'm not really going to ignore the boys.  Joking.  

Um...sooo... it was really hot here last week and I needed to throw together a rare weeknight dinner for all four of us.  Turning on the oven or grilling wasn't going to happen.  So we ate saltines with peanut butter.  The end.  Joking again!  I kill myself (no, not literally).  I had a ton of snap peas and spinach from my garden.  (Oh, how I'm loving my garden.  But that ramble--and it's going to be one heck of a ramble--is for another time.) I made an all-microwave meal.  And it was decent.  

Abundant snaps

Snap Pea and Salmon Quinoa (for 4)

1 cup uncooked Quinoa

2 or so cups snap peas, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

2 cups spinach, washed and finely chopped

1 (approx. 1 lb) salmon filet, cut into 4 pieces

Citrus Vinaigrette

2 tbsp. olive oil

Zest and juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon (I like a lot of lemon, the boys not so much)

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar (or preferred)

2 tbsp. orange juice

2 tbsp. chopped chives

Salt and pepper, to taste.  I have a salt problem and feel like it needs a little extra salt.  But that's me.  

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions (I microwaved, clearly).

2. Trim and chop about this many snap peas (it's a little over two cups.  I measured!), microwave with a little water for 1 minute.  Add to bowl with quinoa.

3. Microwave chopped spinach for 30 seconds.  It will look horrible but will add color and vitamins.  Add it to the bowl and stir well so the spinach doesn't stay clumpy and the quinoa fluffs up.

4. Mix vinaigrette together and add, stir again.  It looks like a lot but don't fret, the grain soaks it up. 

5. I salted and peppered and lemoned the salmon and cooked each piece of individually, in my handy microwave egg cooker, for 55 seconds.  Alternatively, I'm sure you could do it all on a plate covered with plastic wrap but I've got no idea how long it would take to cook.  Helpful.

Salmon in the microwave egg cooker

6. Let the salmon rest for a couple minutes, flake with a fork and add to the quinoa mixture.  Maybe add chopped, toasted walnuts if you've got them.  Add a little crunch, yes?

7. Serve it up and enjoy a fresh, healthful no oven meal that's not a sandwich.  Or Ben and Jerry's Phish Food frozen yogurt.  Not that that's happened.

View from my bedroom window.  So much nicer in the summer.  The end.

Watermelon, Feta and Cilantro Salad. Plus how I feel about birds.

A few years back my friend Heather sent me a "recipe" for a salad she raved about.  I was dubious.  Her concoction:  Throw a bunch of chopped seedless watermelon into a big bowl with a handful of chopped cilantro, about the same amount of Feta, some chopped red onion and a big squeeze of lime.  

Ah, yes, that's why we're friends.  As she'd never steered me wrong, I gave it a whirl and it was great.  I'd forgotten about it completely until I found myself last weekend with a big watermelon and a need for a side dish.  

Every so often we let the boys take turns in planning our meals for the day.  It's usually a Sunday and we usually let them only pick the main course for dinner.  Because one can have only so many pancakes in a 24-hour period.  So last Sunday was D.'s turn and he wanted ribs.  I looked at Carter suspiciously then I looked at D. and asked if anyone had influenced him in his decision.  Maybe I should've been a detective?  I mean, perhaps I've been watching too much True Crime, but I think I nailed that interrogation.  Anyway, he claimed he had arrived at the decision by himself.  So I made ribs.  And cornbread muffins.  And corn on the cob.  I needed to round out the meal with something light and lively so I rethought Heather's salad.  Something light and tinged with citrus to go with the heavy ribs and buttery corn?  Perfect.  

Watermelon, Feta and Cilantro Salad (for 6 as a side dish)

5 cups cubed seedless watermelon

1/3 cup finely crumbled Feta

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1/2 lime, juiced (add lime zest for more flavor)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, give a good stir and refrigerate until serving.  

Reviews

Carter:  "I didn't think I'd like this but I really do."  When I reminded him that was almost exactly the same thing he said when I'd served it three years ago he replied, "Well there you go.  Do I need to be worried about 2015?"

D: "What is that white stuff?"  When I replied: "salty cheese," he was good.   

H: "May I please have another rib instead?"  As he asked politely, we indulged and just gave him a wedge of plain watermelon.

So our family dinners go much more smoothly more than one of us has a hand in planning it.  This one was great.  It was a beautiful evening, we ate outside on our deck.  The jr. eaters were enthusiastic and the talk was lively and not just us telling them to (pick one) chew with their mouths shut, keep their voices below screeching level, elbows off the table, don't say pee/poop/butt at the dinner table, etc.  

What was most annoying at this dinner?  THE BIRDS.  They were so loud in general and we have some mourning doves who are tearing up our deck furniture cushions, ostensibly to build their nests also on our property and to further terrorize us.  They scare me because I think they're going to go after my hair as a nesting material.  Honestly if I were a bird, I probably would.  My hair, while not that attractive as hair, would make a kick-ass bird's nest.  

These are the same birds that have prevented me from hanging baskets on our front porch because they build nests in the baskets and get super territorial when baby hellion mourning doves are concerned.  I do not care for birds.  Especially the pigeon-rat variety of birds.  

Our township had an item on it's voting ballot to allow homeowners to shoot mourning doves as they do game birds.  I voted yes.  Needless to say, it didn't pass.  

I hear you, Betty. (Shooting her neighbor's homing pigeons, one of my favorite moments in television.)

The end.  XOX.

Alone Again, Organically. Plus Carrot Ginger Soup.

I'm looking at a pretty full month of single parenting (save a visit from my mom, who ok technically is the grandparent but for sure is an adult and a reinforcement, which is all I need) so I'm going all in on this year's garden.  Group activity and also forced family fun (the Triple F, as we call it).  Yea!  I could be painting our hallway and also all the trim. OK, I could stand to repaint every single wall in this house.  I could be cleaning out and organizing the basement, ditto the garage.  But I figure those things have been on my to-do list for so long that they can perish there a little longer (like 2014 at this rate).

Alright, already.

I have two little friends at home who are very supportive of this idea, "as long as our garden is organic."  Oh Jeez, Ann Arbor, you win already.  "Mostly organic?" I asked as I hid the jumbo sized container of Round-Up behind my back.  "All organic.  No chemicals," they both replied.  Right.

Their school classes took a field trip to an organic farm last fall.  It stuck apparently.  I was a chaperone on the trip and was chatting with a couple of the other moms about how all the farm workers were really strikingly beautiful and maybe it was because of all the fresh air and hard work and all the organic (!) food they eat.  And their skin!  How it glowed, etc.  I was potentially rambling.  Hard to tell.  Anyway, one of the other moms leaned into me and with a lowered voice said, "You do know they're all like 23, right?"  There was also that.  But it was probably more the organic food.

So Sunday we (broken down as 87% Carter, 12% me and 1% the boys combined) framed and dug new raised beds.  My 12% was plenty of work.  We then went to the store and went crazy buying seeds and starts.  They boys were really into it, although if H. had his way we would plant only pumpkins and gourds (for craft projects, naturally).  I'm thinking about all the fresh veggies we'll be getting and all he wants is gourds.  Organic gourds.  For the love.  We bought him one at the grocery store a couple years ago and he promptly named it "Gordie" and slept with it until it started to mold, at which point we got "Gordie 2" and you can see where this story is headed...

Number one on D.'s list was carrots.  I'm good with that one.  Especially since one of our favorite soups  (and it freezes beautifully) is Carrot Ginger.  So easy, healthy and fast.

Carrot Ginger Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 - 1.5 lbs. carrots, peeled and chopped into big chunks
4 cups (32 oz.) chicken broth
1 teaspoon ginger (fresh or jarred)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Greek yogurt and chives, for garnish

Add about this many carrots (I know, I annoy myself too).

1. Saute the onion in the olive oil.

2. Add carrots and broth, cover and let boil on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, until the carrots can be pierced easily with a fork.

3. Transfer in batches to a blender (or blend with an immersion blender) and blend until smooth.

4. Add ginger, salt and pepper.

5. Serve with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and chopped chives.

What could go wrong?

I made this on Friday and we heated it up after the boys' soccer game on Saturday.  The soccer game where we had to pull out parkas and hats and mittens.  That game.  Go Wolf Pack.  I've discovered I'm nothing if not a fair-weather sports fan.  This soup was all I could think about.  Well, that and what indoor, temperature controlled sports they might like to play.

  Gardenia topiary (one of a pair) that I bought WAY too early to put outside but, even in their ugly nursery pots, they are gorgeous and making the house smell like there aren't three boys and a dog living here.  I'll probably kill them (talking about the Gardenias here) by the time I can transfer them outside. That's H.'s pig, Mr. Porcine.  The kid loves his crafts.  That is all.  XO

Spring Break-y

We have a bad record with spring break.  We wait and wait until C's travel plans come together, and, in full disclosure, I'm finally motivated to plan it.  Last year worked out beautifully, by chance.  We shared a beach-front Florida condo with my sister (thanks to my sister's dear friends who gave us the stay gratis).  It was amazing.

Early morning Florida beach happiness.  2011.

This year was not quite as auspicious.  We waited until the bitter end and then tried to use mileage and companion fares to go south.  Not so much.  Also this year we've bought a new car, a new roof, and are preparing to buy a new bathroom.  Sometimes I dislike being an adult.  New roof?  I object.

Plus, we somehow dodged the bone-chilling cold that settles in the upper Midwest for about, oh, 5 months from November-April.  It just wasn't that bad.  "Get me the hell out of here," was so 2011.  This year it was more, "Maybe let's find someplace fun that none of us has visited."  

So I started a search of places within a days' drive where there would be attractions for both kids and adults.  DEAR GOD we went to Niagara Falls.  Although it's not the Roman Aqueducts we visited in September, Niagara is still an engineer's dream.  So Carter was good.  As for the boys, we got upgraded to a suite with a hot tub within the living room (boys' room).  So H. got to sit in a hot tub whilst watching Sponge Bob.  He thought he was the coolest kid in the world.  

Our hotel was also connected to a 4-acre water park.  Monday I was awoken with poke...poke, "Hey Mom, MOM.  MOM?  Can we go to the waterpark now?  MOM?  HEY MOM?  MOM?  Can we go to the waterpark NOW?  MOM?" It was 7:00 a.m.  The waterpark did not open until 10:00 a.m.   So I replied, "Child, do you SEE the lump at the other end of this king-size bed?  That would be your father.   Your father gets to sleep in hotels like this about four nights per week.  Please defer all further questions to the lump."  

Spring Break 2012  - not at the beach.

The boys maybe loved that water park more than going to the ocean.  I'm nearly convinced, however, that we could've traveled about 20 minutes northeast of our home, checked into the nearest Holidome (remember with the chlorine that burned your eyes even you weren't in the pool) and they would've been equally happy.  That's the beauty of six.  They don't stay that dumb innocent for long, I reckon.

Carter calls family travel a 'trip' instead of a vacation.  It's getting easier all the time but I still have to agree.  One thing we did on our trip was eat a lot of bad food.  And we didn't even go to McDonald's once.  No, I'm talking about the family restaurants --  the Ruby Tuesday's, the Chili's, the Romano's Macaroni Grill and the like.  In much the same way my Superbowl Sunday is synonymous with that horrible Velveeta queso dip (which is soooo good), trips, to me, equal, "I'll have the onion rings with that."  Ugh.

Since we've been back I've been trying to eat and serve foods in more their natural state.**  And without cheese sauce.  Oven dried tomatoes fit the bill.  Take a pint of regular grape tomatoes, toss with a little olive oil place on a sheet pan and roast in a 250 degree oven for 2-3 hours.  What happens is transformative.  They become intensely sweet and totally addictive.

Post-roast.  

For a quick dinner I sauteed these tomatoes with a little asparagus and white wine and served over a little pasta.  These tomatoes on a baguette with goat cheese?  Lunch is served.   

 "Look at that amazing feat of Engineering!"  They totally wanted to go watch Sponge Bob.

So many pieces of Canadian flair.

Back to school Monday.  Time flies when you're on a trip.  

**Until Sunday when I have my annual date with every flavor of Jelly Belly jellybeans except Buttered Popcorn. 

Winner, Winner, Cheater Chicken Parmesan Dinner

My husband had a colleague in town and asked if we could have him over for dinner.  "Maybe a few others too."  Super duper.  I love to entertain, but it's kind of easier to do when you know how many you're cooking for.  And the approximate hour that said dinner is to be served, which is another story.  He's not so much a details guy.

So I started thinking about what to serve that would be easy, taste good, and could feed anywhere from a few to a lot of people.  A Crock-pot meal was an option.  Crock-pots had always grossed me out (visions of a pot of CROCK, perhaps?) but my mom forced one on me after I had the twins with a cross between a promise and a threat: "You won't be sorry."  She was right.  Mom?  Mom?  There you go.  Christmas in March.  But maybe let's call it a slow-cooker.

Since the weather turned unseasonably warm a couple weeks ago, however, I've not wanted to drag out my slow-cooking friend.  I looked through my recipe files but nothing much was sounding appealing.  So I went to my friendly internets and it wasn't long before I stumbled upon this.  Chicken Parmesan for people who like short-cuts.  There's no breading and frying.  It's made in a baking dish, can be prepped ahead of time and takes but 30 minutes in the oven.  Ge-ni-us.


Cheater Chicken Parmesan


2 tbsp olive oil 
2 cloves garlic, crushed 
hot red pepper flakes, to taste 
6 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (the organic ones tend to be smaller...wonder why? St. Elmo's Fire mother's whisper: "Drugssssss.")  If using regular chicken breasts, (which I do more often than not..not judging) pound out to a uniform thickness and cut in half to fit the dish.  
2 cups marinara sauce (Trader Joe's Organic Tomato Basil was in our pantry)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 
8 oz mozzarella, shredded 
4 oz Parmesan, grated 
1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

Chicken, sauce and croutons (croutons!).

All cheesed up and ready for the oven.

Watch the cute chef's video in the link for a step-by-step.  But basically, you throw everything together in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  

Final product:  tender chicken, nice sauciness and good crunch from the croutons. 

I bought large croutons and the only thing I would've done differently would be to buy the little guys or slightly smash the large ones before adding to the dish.  

I prepped this in the afternoon and put it into the oven when I got the call that everyone was on their way.  For a side, I made asparagus and snap peas sauteed with mint and lemon.  I trimmed the peas and washed and cut the asparagus into 1" pieces and had it all soaking.  A quick drain + a hot skillet and they were crisp and done in about 5 minutes.  

The reviews were good, but I knew this was a keeper when I chopped up some of the leftovers and put them in the boys' lunch boxes today.  After school they asked it they could have it for their lunch everyday.  And as they rarely eat much of their lunch at all, that is a crowdpleaser if ever there was one.  

Branches in bloom from a bush in our yard.  I have no idea what this is, but when it blooms?  Gorgeous.  And I don't have to spend money on flowers at the market.  Nice.  The end.  

Party of One

My husband travels a lot.  Like every week a lot.  I'm not complaining (anymore, but oh dear lord when the boys were younger did I ever complain.  Try solo parenting two sick 2-year olds for five days in a frozen February and get back to me). Anyway, he's a consultant; it's not like he's fighting a war or anything.

Where his travels now hurt me most are in my diet, specifically dinner.  I've polished off a pot of mac-n-cheese over the sink more times than I'd care to admit.  Popcorn after the boys are asleep?  Also dinner.  It's gross.  So my Lenten promise from this lapsing Catholic was to eat dinner like a grown-up.  With vegetables and everything.

So I bought a big fillet o'salmon and cut it into about 4 oz. (deck of cards) portions.  I pop one out of the freezer in the morning and then feel like I must make a decent dinner for myself.  Strategery.

The next dilemma was how to cook that itty bitty piece of salmon.  Then this little gadget came in very handy.

 Microwave egg baker, repurposed for fish.

Now, I'm not big on kitchen gadgets.  Eons ago I registered for my wedding and I apparently went into Williams-Sonoma and said, "One of everything, please."  One of the more ridiculous things I registered for, and received, was an apparatus called an herb mincer.  It was like a series of little pizza cutters adjoined to a big handle.  The second time I tried to use it my Mr. T. voice came to me and said, "I pity the fool who uses an herb mincer, that shit's called a KNIFE."  And I thought, "Mr. T. voice, you are so right."  And out went that herb mincer.  Along with the fish poacher, which we used once in Chicago to keep brats warm on the grill.  Apologies to the kind souls who gave us those awesome and much appreciated gifts.  

Anyway, the microwave egg baker is not a worthless gadget.  I'd had marginal success microwaving eggs in a pyrex dish coated with cooking spray and covered, but sometimes the cover blew off and my microwave ended up looking like a communal microwave.  And don't get me started on communal microwaves.  Gah-ross.  

Post cookin'

Salmon, in a microwave egg cooker, takes 50 seconds to cook plus another minute to rest and it it awesome.  Every. Single. Time.  A little squeeze of lemon and lemon pepper (which is mostly salt, which is why I love it so much) and you're good to go.  And no house fish smell, as a bonus.  

Salmon, Avocado, Red Onion and Toasted Walnut salad.  Adults only.  

This is my go-to dressing. 

These are Hyacinth and Daffodils from my yard.  The end. 

Quick Indian-ish a la Trader Joe's

How did I function before Trader Joe's hit the Midwest?  Oh, I had a job and no husband and no kids and went out all the time.  Right.

Anyway, we've all evolved, and part of my evolution is keeping staples in the pantry/freezer to throw together a quick and easy meal.  This dinner (dubbed Chicken Tikka Leakka by my husband) is always good.  One dish on the stove plus 2 minutes in a hot oven for the Naan and dinner is served.

What you need to serve two (increase proportionately to feed larger groups):
2 smallish cubed chicken breasts
1 (15 oz.) jar TJ's Masala Simmer Sauce
1/2 C. chicken broth
1 1/2 C. frozen peas
Hot sauce, to taste

Serve with Trader Joe's Garlic Naan (in the frozen aisle).  You won't be sorry.  Unless you don't like garlic.  Then you will be very, very sorry.

Come to mama.

Saute the chicken.  Drain, don't drain, doesn't matter.

Add Masala sauce.  Pour chicken broth in Masala jar and shake to clean jar and add extra sauciness to the dish (all the better to clean up with the Naan, m'dear).

Plus peas = fiberiffic and pretty.  If we're not sharing with the boys, I add a generous splash of hot sauce at this point.  If we are sharing with the boys, no hot sauce and I serve over rice (for them).

20 minutes start to finish.

Is it authentic Indian food?  Of course not.  I'm in Ann Arbor, not on Devon Street in Chicago.  Or, say, in India.  But for a good, quick meal?  Standby.