This past Saturday, a group of us walked in the Hope and Hearts walk to benefit the Missing Grace Foundation. It was freezing cold but everyone's heart was warmed as they honored their little lost lives. We listened as Briana's name was read, as Brody W. and Brody V's names were read, we listened as miscarried babies names were uttered and held our collective breaths as mamas whispered their tiny ones names. We watched hundreds and hundreds of balloons fly sky high as music carried our messages of love to the heavens. We shed tears, laughed, walked, ran, chased healthy, beautiful babies, and held each others hands as new memories were created. We embraced our flesh babies, breathing gifts from God, and choked out prayers of gratitude for the lives we've been blessed to steward. We celebrated being mamas, daddies, family, friends, and relatives of lost little angels. We celebrated them. All of their tiny feet that have left indelible footprints on our hearts.
Thank you so much for donating, praying, attending, walking, celebrating, and remembering our children. Your love and support was what we all needed... and then some.
Today I want to post an easy question- something that ALL of us mamas should have something to offer up. We are stretched to the limit, yes? We are busy ladies! We have support at home from a spouse, or we're doing it all on our own. Either way, we've got little time to be Julia Child in the kitchen. So, bring it on!
Question #6: What is your go-to meal? Your best and easiest comfort food? What do you feel like your heart goes into when you make it? (For all you chefs, maybe you have too many to fit in one comment... well, then do multiple comments! :) AND, leave recipes, people! I want some new ideas... and if they involve a crockpot? All the better!~
Love to you, mamas... as the chill in the air builds, so does the warmth in our hearts. Snuggle your loved ones tightly- they are food for our souls.
Sarah
And please, join me in remembering and wishing sweet Briana Joy Hanson a Happy 4th Birthday in Heaven. We wish you were here, sweet girl.
I love this question, mostly because I LOVE to eat!!
ReplyDeleteMy go to meal is super simple, passed down from Nate's mother. Garlic chicken: http://accordingtol1128.blogspot.com/2010/01/garlic-chicken.html
Very simply, melted butter with sauteed garlic used as the dredging liquid for breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes. You could crank the heat to 375 and bake for a little longer and get a crispier end result (my personal choice)
My blog actually started out as a reciepe warehouse, so if you're ever in the need, check it out, especially the 2010 archives. That's where all the YUMMY is.
Bon appetit!
I love to make a roasted vegetable pasta.
ReplyDeleteGrilled eggplant, onions, tomatoes and peppers. Mix whole wheat penne pasta, diced roasted tomatoes (canned, I know!), fresh basil and Italian sausage, yum! There is just something about pasta and vegetables that soothes the soul and warms the heart.
This is Becky.....
ReplyDeleteOK, I don't cook. I can follow a recipe and it'll turn out for the most part, but I don't enjoy cooking AT ALL. Anything beyond one pot, my husband does it. SO, my easy meal is a BIG salad with lots of stuff in it! :)
This time of year, I crave wild rice soup - the one thing that I like making because everyone is shocked by how good it tastes. I'm with ya Sarah.....love me some crockpot food!
Jen here...
ReplyDeleteSo I don't really cook either. I will be the 1st to admit we eat way too many bag meals, stouffer's, tacos, pork tenderloins, soup, etc. Something I can just toss in the oven or cook on the stovetop in like 10-15 minutes! If we have a veggie it's almost always a steamer in the microwave. Luckily, TR is way better in the kitchen (and on the grill) than me and it relaxes him (stresses me out).
Anyway, I do try to plan out some meals and always have a couple backup things on hand... especially these days when evenings are incredibly difficult with the 2 crazy kids. My fallback option is usually tomato soup and grilled cheese... especially winter time.
I have 1 crockpot thing we have fairly regularly. I usually do 6-8 frozen chicken tenderloins, taco seasoning, jar of salsa, can of black beans and a small thing of fat free sour cream. Set it on low. Then like 2 hours before eating I add that yellow saffron rice and maybe 1/2 cup of water. I sprinkle cheese on it to serve and you have kind of a spicy mexican chicken/rice dish.
We usually have some salmon on hand so I'll thaw out a couple filets and then put some honey or spicy brown mustard, crushed pecans and whatever spices I'm in the mood for on top and cook for like 10-15 minutes at 400.
We'll have crustless quiche sometimes as well with a salad. Put whatever filling you want in a greased pie dish (we usually do ham and sometimes a veggie). Then put a bunch of shredded cheese. The recipe calls for like 1-2 cups, I just eye it and make sure the whole dish has some. Mix 1/2 cup of bisquick, 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs (I use egg beaters) and a couple shakes of salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour over the filling in the pie dish. Cook for 35-40 minutes ate 400.
ok, that's enough for recipes from this non-chef! i look forward to trying some new stuff!
I do love to cook, and sad not to see the Debby Tuna Casserole on Jen's cooking list. And Jen, I would say that you're doing an excellent job for a gal who doesn't like to cook. I'm totally trying your mexican rice dish!
ReplyDeleteAnd I am so happy for this question (thanks Sarah) and to try all these yummy recipies!
I love to grill and love the summer/spring for that. (Really, this is Colorado, I grill year round because there are tons of nice days, even in January...). My current favorite chicken marinade is a blender combo of 1 small can chipotles in adobo (in the Hispanic food aisle) a little minced garlic, and some EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). It's spicy!
The fall/winter are my favorite seasons. I love chilis and soups and crockpot meals/stews where the house smells good all day. I love a good chicken soup (I usually use the body/leftover meat from a Costco rotisserie chicken and carrots, celery, onion, pepper to make my broth base). However, I have been loving Turkey Chipotle Chili - 1/2 yellow onion and 1 bell pepper sauted with a little EVOO, add 1 pound ground turkey. This is while cooking 1 cup brown rice (separately). To the turkey, onion, pepper mix, add 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can diced tomato, 1 can dark red kidney beans (not drained) and 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes (add brown rice at the end... it takes forever to cook). Yum, and super healthy.
So both my recipies have Chipotle in some form. And we do LOVE the restaurant Chipotle as well... which really is my "backup meal" and gives me a warm feeling in my heart. We probably go to Chipotle once a week, since we try not to "eat out" very much (budget), Chipotle is our special treat. At home, we do antibiotic/hormone free meats and dairy, and try for minimally processed/organic and lower sodium in the rest of our diet (lots of heart disease on both sides), and have been trying for organic AND humanely raised meats (I recently read "Eating Animals" and it disturbed me). Anyhow, most of Chipotle is local, organic, and humanely raised... a meal I can feel good about feeding my family... like I say... warms my heart.
My best go-to comfort food meal is my mom's sloppy joe recipe. Seriously, the best ever.
ReplyDelete1 lb of ground beef or turkey
1 can of condensed tomato soup
1 pretty big squirt of ketchup
1 smaller squirt of mustard
1 splash of Worcestershire sauce
1 dash of chili powder
1 spoonful of brown sugar
Salt & pepper to taste.
Brown the beef, drain any fat, add the rest and taste test as you go. Depending on how you're feeling that day, you could add a bit more chili for spicy joes or a bit more mustard for savory or a bit more sugar for sweet. They taste different every time, but always tasty!
We eat them at our house on a bun with plain old potato chips (preferably Lay's) crushed and on top of the meat under the top bun. Yum.
so, off the cuff... here's my beef stew!
ReplyDeleteIn a crockpot- put stewmeat, a little bit of olive oil, a couple crushed cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of onion flakes or half of a chopped up onion (I don't like the big chunks of onion so I used minced onion). Turn the crock on low, add two bay leaves, a 1/2 tsp of paprika, a tsp of salt, a tsp of sugar, and a hefty pinch of pepper (I like it spicy!) plus about 2 cups of water.
Cook on low for 6 hours or so... then add 6 carrots and 4 big potatoes all chopped up. Stir into the juices and continue cooking everything until the veggies are tender- usually about another 2 hours. Then, if the juices are really thin, put about a tbsp of flour in a small tupperware with a little bit of water and shake it up with the lid on of course... (to make a rue... is that how you spell it?) Basically to thicken up the gravy, add a bit of flour/water mixture and stir it in to the stew.
Dish in HUGE bowls and serve with cornbread and coleslaw- I don't know why coleslaw but it's what I always had growing up and it has to have green olives in it.. anyone else eat coleslaw like that? This meal SCREAMS comfort food for me. It's my own little hot tub time machine that takes me back to being 10 and coming home from school to smell my mom's beef stew on the stove.
You can always make it like any other stew in a pot on the stove and I think the original recipe is in the OLD Betty Crocker cookbook (the new beef stew recipe is different and NOT as good).
Oh, I want to eat it right now... and Gemma loves it too! Win Win~!
oh, and add a tsp of worcestshree sauce to the stew meat and juices at the beginning... don't know how to spell or say that word.... you know... worcestershire... whatever.
ReplyDeleteS