Scatterbrained

Back to reality... Monday night was my first night in the real world. Meaning... making dinner with 2 kids who refused to nap afoot while my husbands still at work. I don't know what I was thinking? I should have re-entered this world the same way I did with running. Something easy, similar to a nice 3 mile jog with frequent rest breaks.

But earlier that day my mom had come to visit and she brought me some broccolini picked fresh from her garden and some cilantro pesto she made, also from her garden. I'm such a dork but that kind of thing really excites me. I immediately thought of this recipe I read a long time ago that I had been wanting to try, and I happened to have all the ingredients. I quickly scrapped the easy, tried-and-true, could-make-it-in-my-sleep, Kale Soup recipe I had been planning on and decided to make this instead. Bad idea...

Cilantro and Lime Rice with Salmon

2 tbl soy sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime and about a tablespoon of the grated rind
2 tbl honey
2 tbl freshly chopped cilantro (I substitutued the pesto, but same thing)
1 tbl olive oil
1 small chopped onion
1.5 cups brown basmati rice
3.25 cups chicken broth
2-3 salmon filets (I used the frozen chimichurri salmon from Trader Joes - my favorite place on earth)
2 bunches broccolini chopped


So it all started out innocently enough... you can see the boys sitting nicely in the back eating their grilled cheese (I knew this meal wouldn't stand a chance with older boy). I thought I had about an hour before the baby needed to eat... at this point she was chillin.

And then at this point she's screaming. And this is about when I start losing it. Add the onion to olive oil in a saute pan. I was a little frazzled so I added about 3 tablespoons too much. Don't do that.

While that was sauteeing I mixed this real quick. Soy sauce, pesto (or just cilantro), honey,and lime juice and rind.

Sidenote* this marinade was so tasty and would be really good with grilled pork chops or fish!

Then add rice and broth. See, it sounds so simple when I'm typing this but I'm telling you it was chaos over here. chaos! At this point you bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let the rice cook for about 30 minutes. Translation... rush the boys to a bath and nurse baby before rice burns.

And by the time I got downstairs the rice was definitely burned. Oh well, I almost threw it in the trash so I could collapse on the couch and eat ice cream instead, but decided to just keep going and see what happens. SO...

broil the salmon on high for about 10 minutes.

Add the sauce and chopped broccolini in with the rice and stir it around (heat still on low). Breathe, Recover. I mean, re-cover the pan. :)

Take the salmon out, flake it, and mix it in with the rice.

It was actually delicious, when I finally got around to eating it at about 9 pm. It probably wouldn't be too difficult if you're not a total scatterbrain like I am right now.

The Best Meal Is...

...the one someone else makes for you!!

Two weeks ago my mom called out of the blue and offered to drive out for the afternoon to spend time with the boys so that I could rest or get some errands done. How awesome!! I went out to certain places that just stink to go to with kids (went to the bike shop and had the tires replaced on my double stroller, leisurely browsed around Barnes and Noble with a Starbucks cup, and lost myself in the two floors of Forever 21).

The greatest part of all is that my mom brought dinner with her!! There is nothing better in my mind than a home cooked meal you didn't have to make. I didn't have to plan it, buy stuff for it, make it, clean it up, or pay for someone else to make it. Therefore it could have been anything, and it would have been delicious!

But my mom is an excellent cook and we have the exact same "taste" when it comes to food so this really WAS delicious!

Two things. 1 - This is a great recipe to experiment with new flavors in your house. Although Biryani is traditionally an Indian dish, I think this recipe tones it down for the American palate so you get some bold new flavors, but not too spicy or overwhelming. Just different. Batman even loved it!

2 - Take the opportunity to build your spice cabinet!!! I always hate when a recipe calls for a spice I don't have, because I know that's an extra $5 on my grocery bill. But then its awesome the next time I make something and the spices are already in my cabinet.

Easy Chicken Biryani (from Cooking Light)

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced ...removing the seeds makes the jalapeno a lot less spicy. Just don't scratch your eye or nose until you've washed your hands :)
• a 1 inch piece of fresh minced ginger, a few cloves chopped garlic (or don't forget the Dorot cubes if raw ginger/garlic scares you!)
• Spices: 1 1/2 tsp garam masala, 3/4 tsp ground cumin, salt to taste
• About 2 plum tomatoes chopped (I'm sure you could sub 1 can diced tomatoes here)
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 14 oz chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds and lime wedges for garnish

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and saute 3 minutes before adding onion and jalapeno. After three more minutes add the ginger, garlic, and spices. Let cook through a few more minutes then add in tomatoes, rice, raisins and broth. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender! Stir in the cilantro, sprinkle with almonds and serve with lime wedges.

My mom also said she sometimes makes everything without the rice, and then spoons the chicken over separately cooked rice. Just a thought! I enjoy having only one pot to clean up myself :) Enjoy!

Fiesta, Fiesta!!

What better way to send a US Soldier off to Afghanistan than... Mexican food?! Well in my family, that makes total sense. A celebration is just not a celebration if there are no margaritas or salsa present!! This weekend we had a little last minute fiesta with about 15 family members for my wonderful, heroic cousin Luke. This week he will be headed to Afghanistan as a photo journalist, and we wanted to stuff him with food and drink before he leaves. I decided I had enough grilled chicken fajitas I could handle this summer, so I took a little different route. This was super easy for a party of people and everyone enjoyed it! (Or so they said) :)

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Carnitas

(serves 10-15)

2 4lb packages of pork shoulder (AKA pork butt - really can't say that with a straight face). I used 1 slow cooker per package.

In a small bowl mix 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp chile powder, salt and pepper. Rub dry mix over meat.

Layer a few bay leaves at the bottom of the slow cooker. Add pork. Pour about 1/2 cup of chicken stock around meat. Top with a bunch of fresh cilantro and the juice from 1 lime. Don't even need to chop cilantro - just throw it on top. Did you know the cilantro stems have the most flavor?

Let this cook 4-6 hours. When it is done, remove from the crock pot onto a cutting board and shred the meat. It will be so tender you hardly have to shred at all, just tear it apart. Remove and discard excess fat and bones.

Toss the shredded meat with about 1/3 or 1/2 of a 12 oz. can of enchilada sauce, and then before serving bake at 350 for about 20 minutes to crisp up the top.

Slacker's Mexican Rice

The night beofre I made rice with dinner so I was sure to make extra to convert into Mexican Rice. I made about 5 cups worth in the rice cooker and then stuck it in the fridge until I was ready. To make quick mexican rice -

Sautee garlic and white onions until translucent in olive oil over medium high heat. Add 1 can of diced green chiles. Add cold rice, and separate with your fingers if there are clumps. Add a bit more olive oil over rice to help it cook. Add 1 can diced tomatoes, and the remainder of enchilada sauce (my dad wasn't happy I cheated here, but a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do).

Add about 1 tsp or so of cumin and salt to taste. Squeeze the juice from 1 lime over rice. Remove from heat and toss in fresh cilantro. Throw this in with the meat for 20 minutes to melt cheese (if you want on cheese on top) and again, crisp up the top.

The beans above are pretty self explanatory - but I do add almost an entire jar of salsa and a little enchilada sauce, as well as sauteed onions and garlic just to give it a kick. And top with cheese, obviously!

For less carnivorous guests, I also made some quick fajita veggies. Sauteed garlic, onions, green pepper, red pepper, zucchini and tomatoes in a simple fajita seasoning package were a good way to utilize some summer veggies and add some color to the meal.

And finally, what is a party without some beverages. I decided to use up the plethora of peaches I had in a White Wine Sangria. Beware, this is so delicious, it's easy to drink it like juice!

White Wine Sangria

1 bottle of white wine - I like Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio

Add whatever fruits you have on hand - but don't leave out the citrus (lemons, limes, oranges)! What I had and therefore used was peaches! As well as lemons. Squeeze the juice in first and then throw in the rind. Add 2/3 cup of sugar and stir. Fresh mint also gives this a nice flavor. Add about 1/2 a liter of club soda before serving to give it some sparkle.