Garlicky Vegetable Pasta Salad

*Not sure why this was saved and not posted from a couple of weeks ago, but better late than never I suppose.  :)

I am a huge fan of leftovers.  Huge.  Between working 40+ hours a week and having 2 kids that NEED to eat by 6 and NEED to be in bed by 7:30, I don't have a whole lot of time to cook supper when we get home.  As soon as we walk in the door the little guy starts chirping.  Cheese stick!  Cheese stick!  CHEESE STICK!  Thankfully splitting one between the 2 of them tides them over for about a half hour. 


However, Rachael Ray I am not (and really, can anyone really make any of her meals in 30 minutes) but I do try my best to not used any processed foods.  Don't get me wrong, I throw a hot dog or two at the kids every once in a while (and feel less guilty about it after finding nitrate free dogs) but overall we are pretty healthy eaters here despite the fact I am having a huge craving for nachos at the moment.  Not sure where that one came from but they sound soooooo good right about now.


I had the leftovers from dinner the other night to play with but didn't really have any carbs to serve with it - Man Food Rule #4 - must have carbs with meals.  Since I didn't think I could get away with tossing another loaf of bread on the table (OK, reality was it was getting moldy), so I threw together this pasta recipe from the same Cooking Light issue. 

It reuses quite a bit of the vegetables that we grilled the other night, but was different enough that it didn't seem like we were eating the same thing again.  I tossed in some extra vegetables and some extra olives for the kids since they love them.  I mixed the cold vegetables with the hot pasta so it was room temperature when I served it with some leftover tenderloin.  Another supper where the kids cleaned their plates and another new recipe to add to the files.

Garlicky Vegetable Pasta Salad
Cooking Light, August 2002
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)  

4 cups cooked fusilli (about 8 ounces uncooked short twisted spaghetti)

3 cups Grilled Antipasto Vegetables

3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup Chile-Garlic Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, tossing gently.

Nutritional Information:  calories: 405, fat: 12.5g, protein: 15.2g, fiber: 6.8g, carbohydrate: 60.1g

Tonsillectomy Times Two

Friday was the big day:  both kids were scheduled to get their tonsils and adenoids pulled.  We had an appointment earlier this month with an ENT and he had no qualms about taking them out in either child.  Surprising, since Christopher isn't quite two, but I suppose 6 bouts of tonsillitis in 5 months tipped the scales in our favor.  I was younger than he is when I had mine taken out, but that was back in the day when we rolled around in the back of the station wagon sans seat belts.  Back when we played outside in the summer all day long and only had to come home when the street lights came on.  The good ole days ... another whole post in itself.

I wanted it done as soon as they could schedule it and even better it could be done right before a long weekend since we were told there was a week long recovery period.  They were scheduled for 7:30 and 8 AM and we needed to be there at 6 AM for registration.  We arrived on time and they staff was really good with the kids.  They each got tiger pajamas to wear as well as a hat they could wear to cover their hair during surgery.  They were loaded up with stickers and each received a coloring book and some crayons to use while we waited.

I'll admit it, I didn't like that I couldn't go back with them and I couldn't be in recovery when they woke up.  We were stuck waiting in the little room until they were ready to be moved to the Woman's and Children's Center.  They were being kept overnight since Christopher had to given his age.  They both did really well and were pretty out of it when we walked over with them. 

I have to say the doctor was right when he said Christopher would be the fast recoverer.  Unfortunately that realization came at 3:30 this morning when he was jumping in the crib in the hospital room "I jumping mommy!  I jumping!"  Madeleine is having a tougher time of it but we are keeping on top of the Tylenol with codeine and she is coming along. 

Hopefully this will help with all the sickness that they have had over the last winter.  I'm betting it'll be hard to have tonsillitis if you don't have your tonsils anymore.

Tenderloin with Grilled Antipasto Vegetables

I've learned a lesson or two over the years.  Mother's Day was last Sunday and I really wanted to go to brunch at the local winery that isn't far from our house.  I knew, however, that request would be met with sighs and comments about how packed it was going to be, blah, blah, blah.  So, I bought myself a beef tenderloin roast with the thoughts of having a nice meal at home.

I've made this meal a few times in the past and it is very good.  I couldn't find a Serrano (hit or miss in these parts) so I subbed a jalapeno, making sure I scraped out all the seeds so it wouldn't be too hot for the kids.  I didn't have to worry though as it was a pretty wimpy jalapeno.  Both kids loved the tenderloin (of course they have expensive taste) and ate the vegetable with gusto.  I really am lucky to have kids that will eat pretty much anything I put in front of them.

Tenderloin with Grilled Antipasto Vegetables
Cooking Light, August 2002

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray
2 1/2 tablespoons Chile-Garlic Vinaigrette
4 cups trimmed arugula
8 cups Grilled Antipasto Vegetables
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved Parmesan cheese

Prepare grill.

Combine first 4 ingredients; rub over beef. Place beef on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on all 4 sides or until desired degree of doneness. Cover loosely; let stand 5 minutes.
Drizzle 2 1/2 tablespoons Chile-Garlic Vinaigrette over arugula; toss gently to coat. Cut beef across grain into thin slices. Arrange beef, 8 cups Grilled Antipasto Vegetables, and arugula on a platter; top with cheese.

Nutritional information:  calories: 343,  fat: 13.2g, protein: 33.5g, carbohydrate: 26.5g, fiber: 9.3g

What happened to Spring?

It was so nice here this past weekend.  Sunny and in the 70's with a nice breeze.  Saturday I pulled the kids around the neighborhood in thier wagon (75 pounds total thankyouverymuch) and we stopped to visit the horses that live at the end of our street.  Sunday we went out to breakfast, hit the farmer's market in a neighboring town and then played at the park for a while.  Absolutely beautiful.

Today when I got into my car after work the thermometer read 96 degrees and it is humid.  More of the same tomorrow and then it drops back down to the 60's.  Ah, Iowa.  Was that the extent of our Spring this year - two days?  Oh wait, I think it was nice one day last month too.

At least when I was living in Phoenix I could pretty much count on it being over 100 from May through October.  It's a dry heat though, right?

Easter Egg Hunt 2011

We made our yearly pilgrimage down to the Amana colonies yesterday to partake in the annual Easter Egg hunt that the Amana Heritage Society holds every year.  Pilgrimage probably isn't the right word to use since it is all of a 20 minute drive but it makes it sound like a greater event than it actually is!

This year Christopher joined in the fun as well.  He wasn't too sure of everything that was going on and was most definitely NOT fond of the Easter Bunny but was quite pleased with the candy he received!

Petting the rabbits



Waiting for the hunt to begin



Meeting the Easter Bunny with Nana



We found our baskets







Spring!!!!

Aren't they beautiful and a sure sign that Spring is on the way?  I'll admit it - I cheated and bought then at our local grocery store, but I just couldn't resist having fresh cut flowers in the house.

Marinated Balsamic Bean Salad

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that Spring has officially arrived. The signs of Spring are popping up everywhere:  we had our yearly 'take cover' drill at work, my Irises are starting to poke through the ground on the side of the house, those nasty Asian beetles are moving into my house and twenty-something tornadoes were spotted in Iowa last night.  Thankfully of them were in our area but scary nonetheless.  As for the Asian beetles, I'll admit to having a bit of fun this weekend using the BugKwikZap.  You invade my house, you pay the price.

I am working on using up what I have in the freezer so I pulled out some boneless skinless chicken thighs.  I coated them this morning with this rub from Penzey's and let them sit in the refrigerator.  I was hoping to be able to use the grill but it didn't get cleaned, so I threw them into the oven and then with about 10 minutes to go, slathered them with barbecue sauce and broiled.  They really came out good.

It was pretty warm here today, with our thermometer measuring temps in the low 80's.  The house already seemed pretty stuffy (kids had the door to the porch open) so I wanted to make a side dish that wouldn't heat up the kitchen.  This bean salad is one that I have been making for a few years and it does get better as it sits in the refrigerator.  The only change I make to the original recipe is to cut the amount of thyme in half.  I think it overpowers quickly.  I was the only one who didn't pick out all the chickpeas, so I'll probably use a different white bean next time.

Marinated Balsamic Bean Salad
Cooking Light Magazine

1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1 cup frozen cut green beans
1 (16-ounce) can kidney beans
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans
1 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a colander; rinse and drain. Combine onion and remaining ingredients in a bowl; add corn and beans, tossing gently to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with a slotted spoon.  Yield:   7 1-cup servings.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

It all started back in the early 1950's, when a sample of cancerous tissue was taken from a poor African American woman, without her knowledge or her consent, a common practice in those days.  Today those cells are still alive, having survived for 60 years in labs all over the world.  The HeLa cells were instrumental in discovering the polio vaccine and have even traveled to the moon.  In contrast, Henrietta's family lived in poverty and often without health insurance.  They were not even aware until decades later that there was a small part of their wife and mother still alive and being sold to labs all over the world for research.

I really enjoyed the book.  Rebecca Skloot did an excellent job revealing the woman behind the cells as well as examining the medical ethical issues behind the way in which the cells were obtained and used throughout the years.  Who owns human cells once they are taken from your body?

Perhaps one of my favorite lines in the book came from one of Henrietta's sons:  “She’s the most important person in the world, and her family living in poverty. If our mother so important to science, why can’t we get health insurance?”  Although there were some scientific blurbs that dragged a bit, overall this book was extremely well written and helped tell the story of the woman who, without a doubt, made one of the greatest contributions to science.

Feeling like a hamster running on a wheel ...

I just can't seem to catch up with anything these days!  Cleaning, laundry, cooking, reading, organizing and even blogging .... I've gotten nothing accomplished since we were all sick.

Whew, well I guess I can cross blogging off the list now.  Perhaps it is time to tackle those mounds of clothes I have sorted.  Pretty sad when the little guy has 14 pairs of socks and not a clean pair in his drawer  :P

What a week!

I guess one can choose to look at the positives that occur and the picture above would be one - Christopher loves using his nebulizer and likes to wear the mask around the house.

Seems like Influenza A is pretty contagious (a reason, one would think, to include it in the vaccine) so of course I was not surprised to get the call at daycare on Thursday afternoon that he was running a fever.  I picked him up and took him straight to the doctor where they tested him for everything and took a chest X-ray since he was sounding raspy.  Ever seen the medieval looking chamber they use to keep them still?  Poor thing was stuck in there with his arms stuck up in the air.

So I was not too surprised to wake up on Saturday morning with a runny nose, that turned into a cough, that turned into a 101 fever with a few hours.  Wonderful but I suppose it cannot be avoided when you have the little guy coughing and sneezing on you.

Today is Monday and it was Madeleine's first day back at daycare.  Christopher and I are still running fevers so we were home today and will be tomorrow.  David so far has remained untouched, so fingers crossed that he manages to avoid this one.  In the meantime, I'm taking advantage of having another pair of hands to help as I snuggle deeper into my blanket, waiting until I can take my next round of meds.

Influenza A ... who invited you into our home???

I knew it was too good to be true.  After the last round of strep throat everyone was on the mend and back at daycare 5 days a week.  Yesterday Madeleine came into the kitchen wearing three layers of clothes and aksing where a blanket was because she was freezing.  She curled up in one of the recliners and was out cold in no time.  Not a good sign at 11 AM.

103.9 fever.  Here we go again.  A trip to the doctor involved some throat swabs, nose swabs and a finger prick for a blood test.  I figured she had strep throat again.  Nope, the flu.  Doctor's orders include Madeleine staying home from daycare the whole week - considered to be that contagious.  Sweet.

What ticked me off though, when I called daycare to let them know she's be out, her teacher said 'oh yeah, we have Influenza A and B in Pre-K'.  Really?  Where are the posted signs?  It would be nice to know what she's being exposed to.

So the rest of us are waiting, wondering who is next on the list.  After all, I've taught my kids to share and so far Madeleine has really taken that one to heart and shares everything!

Madeleine-ism's

I really need to keep better track of the stuff that comes out of her mouth!

Watching her brother screech as he runs laps around the island in the kitchen:  "Mommy, you should have told them at the hospital you wanted a quieter baby."

Driving by an empty farm yard on our way to work when it was below 0:  "Mommy, it is so cold outside they chickens can't lay eggs and the pigs can't lay ham."

General observation about her brother:  "Mommy, didn't you ask them for a neat baby at the hospital?  The one we got is too messy."

After the Superbowl:  "Maybe we need to get daddy a Patriot's shirt so he'll stop cheering for the Steelers.  They make him too mad."

Chicken Pastina Soup

My thermostat is telling me it is 54 degrees outside but I am absolutely frozen.  Christopher was generous enough to share his latest cold with me and I have a sneaking suspicion I am running a fever.  I searched the garage freezer last night and pulled out a gallon of frozen chicken stock and a couple of chicken breasts.  David chopped all the vegetables up and the chicken (suspicious of that as well) and I have a pot of this Chicken Pastina Soup cooking on the stove.

I found this recipe on the back of the box of Progresso's chicken stock and it caught my eye.  Pastina is a small pasta that looks like little balls.  Very small and it cooks in all of 5 minutes.  Growing up we would get Pastina with butter and Parmesan cheese - total Italian comfort food when it was cold out or when we were sick.  Prince is the company that made it and if you grew up in the Boston area then you know that Wednesday was/is Prince Spaghetti day.  I remember the commercial that they used to have - a little Italian grandmother yelling through the streets of the North End, calling Anthony home for supper.  But I digress.

It has only been within the last year or two that I have actually been able to find Pastina here in Iowa, so of course I have a supply in the cabinet just it case it disappears.  This soup is super easy to put together, with the most time consuming part being the chopping of all the vegetables.  If you don't eat it all in one sitting (makes 10 good sized servings) and store it in the refrigerator, you'll notice that the pasta tends to soak up a lot of the liquid.  When I reheat it I add in additional chicken broth (usually just a can) so it gets back to its soupy state.  Personally I don't have a problem with thicker soup but there are some people in this house that do!

Chicken Pastina Soup
http://www.progresso.com/

1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium) 
1/2 cup diced carrot (1 medium) 
1/2 cup diced celery (1 medium stalk) 
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 cartons (32 oz each) Progresso® chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon gray salt or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup uncooked acini di pepe pasta or other small round pasta (8 oz)
2 cups chopped, lightly packed mustard greens, spinach, Swiss chard or other greens
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

In 5-quart stockpot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion, carrot and celery; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.

Stir in tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper and bay leaf; heat to boiling. Stir in pasta; reduce heat.

Cover; simmer 15 minutes. Stir in greens just until wilted. Remove bay leaf. Serve with a twist of additional freshly ground pepper and sprinkle of cheese.
10 servings (1 1/2 cups each)

Kitchen Helpers

This would be one reason why it is so hard to cook a meal when I get home from work ...

Hot Crab Dip

I'll admit it - I am a shopper.  OK, I am a big shopper but, in my defense, I rarely ever pay full price for anything.  I have been known though, to stock up on things when they are on sale, hence the good sized storage room with shelving units we have downstairs.

I have about 6 cans of crab downstairs on the shelf and I knew I had a recipe for a hot dip somewhere that would use up 2 of them.  It is just as added bonus that it also uses up 2 of the 5 blocks of cream cheese I have in the refrigerator.  In my defense, I didn't buy the cream cheese just because it was on sale.  I had planned to make a cheesecake at Christmas but the sides of my springform pan are MIA.

This one is a snap to put together but it does taste best warm.  I mix this up beforehand and store in the refrigerator.  When the first guests arrive, I spread it in the pie plate and then bake.  I once tried keeping it warm in a crockpot but it dried out pretty quickly.  I serve with whatever crackers I have on hand - usually Wheat Thins.

Hot Crab Dip
Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cookbook

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

2 cans  (6 oz. each) crabmeat, drained, flaked

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup sliced green onions  

1 tablespoon  horseradish

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. 

Spoon into 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish.  Bake 25 to 30 min. or until lightly browned. Serve with assorted crackers.