Sort of Sweedish Meatballs. Swedish Meatballs Plus?

So ground beef was on sale.  We've had tacos, we've had crockpot lasagna. That is the extent of my ground beef repertoire.  So this afternoon I looked into meatball recipes.  I really like porcupine/hedgehog meatballs because the rice is yummy, filling, and different. But I wanted to try something new that didn't involve tomato sauce or barbeque sauce so as not to wear out our taste buds in the tomato based condiment department.  Swedish meatballs seemed like the answer, but I didn't know what made them Swedish.  Just a pinch of a few different spices is all. In my internet searching I also found an Alton Brown recipe that called for chopped frozen spinach. I am a fan of hiding veggies where kids won't notice so I incorporated this into my master plan.
So here it is, Meatballs!

1lb ground meat (I used all beef 85/15)
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 egg (beaten)
1 cup frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed)
tsp soy sauce
pinch ground ginger
pinch allspice
1 med tomato diced
2 c broth (I used chicken, would have used beef if I had it)

Preheat oven to 350. Pinch small pieces of beef off into bowl. add rice, egg, spinach, soy sauce, and spices. Toss to mix with fingers. Form 1" balls and place in greased dish. Pour broth and diced tomatoes over meatballs.  Cover and bake for 45 minutes.  Uncover and cook an additional 15 minutes.

I served these with broccoli and cheese mashed potatoes.  If I were really with it I would have made gravy with the both left in the baking dish.
pinch cinnamon

Crock Pot Refried Beans

YUM! I mean, really, yum.  I just finished putting my vat of "refried' beans into containers and I ended up eating at least a cup of them straight.  I this recipe with some small modifications.  Like everything else, being resourceful and using what you have on hand is what makes life easier and cheaper, so that is what I did.

INREDIENTS
3 c dry pinto beans *
2 tbls fat ( I used olive oil, orig recipe called for lard)
1 small- med onion chopped
5 cloves garlic
1 green bell pepper ( I did not use)
1/2-1 jalapeno pepper diced (I used a Serrano)
1 1/2 tsp cumin ( as usual, I doubled this)
1 tsp chipotle powder (did not use)
        -instead, for interest, I used 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1-2 tsp salt **

*pick over beans carefully, they may look fine through the bag, but there are yucky things hiding in there
** do not even get the salt out until the end, and certainly do not let it near the beans while they are cooking, because, science.

MAKE DEM BEANS
Heat fat in skillet and add onion, bell pepper, and hot pepper. Cook 8-10 minutes and add garlic, then cook for 2-3 more minutes. Dump cooked veggies in crock pot. Pour dry pintos into crock pot and cover with 8 cups of water.  Cook on high for 8 hours. Just leave them be while they cook.  Remove excess liquid from crock pot. I was able to just lift up the pot and pour the extra liquid in a  bowl. Do not discard liquid, some will be added back in while blending.  Using an immersion blender blend beans to desired consistency adding back some liquid and some salt as you gone. Done!  

hot weather survival tips with cranky kids

ask Mr Grumples if you can borrow one of his plastic superhero tumblers  to demonstrate what good manners look like as he has clearly forgotten. Also, offer him some watermelon chunks as you fill up your glass; it's a healthy and nutritious snack that won't ruin his dinner.  when taking the watermelon and cherry infused vodka out of the freezer ask cranky pants if he notices anything different about the fruit or why isn't the liquid frozen? it's science! Also offer him some of the remaining Kern's peach nectar after you've topped off your glass; it's good for the kiddos to try new things.  And lastly, enjoy that cold, hard-earned drink. You can now relax, and join your child at the table for the special dinner you made him ahead of yours so he would go to bed early allowing you to enjoy the rest of your evening.

Crock Pot Marjoram Chicken

I feel like marjoram is one of those spices that always shows up in your spice rack and you have no idea what to do with it. Or at least i didn't.  So last night I took a cut up chicken that needed to be cooked, plopped it in the crock pot, and put my marjoram to use.

Slow Cooked Marjoram Chicken

2-3 lbs of chicken (whole chicken, thighs, whatevs)
1 palm dried marjoram
1 palm tarragon
1/4 cup soy sauce

cook on low 6-8 hours
or
I was successful with 2 hours on high and 1.5 hours on low

Maybe I just really like my own cooking, but I LOVED the flavors of this. 

Cooking chicken this way makes enough broth to save for later use or make into gravy.

                * everything you ever wanted to know about marjoram

Lazy Horchata

If you are like me, when you are hot and thirsty you don't crave what is best for you: a big glass of water.  Maybe it is the NM water, or my over stimulated taste buds, but I always crave something....really delicious.  So when I discovered horchata last summer I felt as though my hydration dreams had come true.  Just last week, on one of the warmest days this spring, my pal and I went for fro yo and they had a horchata flavor (and a chai flavor, red velvet flavor, and cake batter. Man I love OLO). 

I was so refreshed after my cup of frozen horchata fro yo that I vowed to make that refreshment mine, anytime I wanted it, for cheap.  My internet search lead me to this site.  I followed their instructions including the method that adds almond milk to the horchata in place of water.  That is, the method that has you whip up some almond milk as well. 

Well, what resulted was exactly what I had in mind.  The beverage was cold, slightly sweet, and incredibly refreshing.  The mess that resulted in my kitchen was not what I had in mind, nor was the amount of effort involved. To be fair, it was the first time I ever used an immersion blender and that took some learning. 

What I have come up with now is a lazy version that is just as good as the more involved version.

materials
1 cup raw almonds
2 cups rice (i am using 1/2 brown & 1/2 white because that's what we have on hand)
1 cinnamon stick
4 cups water
2-3 Tablespoons sugar or honey
blender
cheese cloth

Combine almonds, rice, and boiled water in a container of your choice (keep in mind, if using an immersion blender, container should be friendly to that method) and cover.  Let sit over night. Remove cinnamon stick after overnight soak. Blend until smooth and only fine grit remains. Stain (in batches perhaps) into beverage container using cheese cloth. Stir in sugar or sweetener of your choice.

Now what to do with all that rice and almond paste.  I made "rice pudding". If you really love the flavor of horchata then why not. Another suggestion is mixing with coconut oil and making a body scrub. 

Simple Peanut Noodles

I've had a long complicated relationship with peanut noodles.  I've swung from love to hate and back to love again.  As with so many things, circumstance dictates that this dish gets made regularly in my house during the summer months.   We almost always have left over chicken to dice and carrots to ribbon and cucumbers to chop up into the noodles on hand.  This is easy, kid friendly, and now, gluten free.  I used to just use angel hair, even bow ties in a pinch. Today I used brown rice noodles.

Peanut Sauce

These are the necessities:

• 5 Tbl Peanut Butter
• 3 Tbl Water
• 1 1/2 Tbl Soy sauce
• 2 -3 tsp Rice Vinegar
• 1-2 tsp Sugar

 I also add :

• 1 Tbl of Ketchup (trust me)
• 1 splash Sesame Oil (to taste)
• 1-2 Tbl Salsa (fruit salsas are particularly tasty in this)

Mix sauce ingredients up while the pasta cooks. Rinse cooked pasta in cold water, drain well, and add sauce. As mentioned earlier, I also add protein (shrimp or chicken) and veg (whatever we have) and serve with cilantro, lime wedges, Sriracha, and chopped peanuts.

Easter Friday

When you are Jewish and work on the weekend you can celebrate Easter whenever you like. So that is what we did yesterday.  A friend shared the following Easter activity with me; plant jelly beans with your kids and surprise them with fancy colored lollipops that grew from the "beans".

I loved this idea but am opposed to almost any candy that does not involve chocolate, especially jelly beans and lollipops.  So I came up with a little twist that would ensure lots of chocolaty Easter fun.

1) Create and package "Easter Seeds".  I sliced chocolate chips in half so they were a little less recognizable then wrapped them up in a seed packet.  This was quickly thrown together while D watched tv.


Construction paper, double sided tape, and sharpies.

 

2) Have D check the mail.

 

Hey, what's this?!

He always puts the flag up to open the mail box.

 

3) Plant the seeds and give them a little water (then play in the mud of course).

4)  The next day before he came home from school I planted the carrots and waited. Even though they had been stored in the fridge they got a bit soft waiting for his arrival (72 degrees with a light breeze, not bad).

 

 

5) Reap the chocolaty "fruits" of our labors

I think we will do this again next year. He was very pleased with his harvest.



 

 



Random Acts of Kindness Week

As a self-proclaimed champion of kindness I feel a bit caught off guard.  I am totally unprepared for whatever I should be doing to advocate random acts of kindness week.  And what a terrible day for a kick off of kindness as I am feeling totally drained of patience, excitement, and motivation.  My sad act (that I will count for today and vow to do better tomorrow) was to take a woman's cart for her at the grocery store so she would not have to continue the distance to the corral. What a pitiful attempt.  though I will point out that Phoebe Buffet would say no RAK is truly selfless because it always benefits the person completing the act (with a sense of do-gooding if nothing else). As luck would have it, the cart I took off the hands of that other shopper was the wrong size and I ended up not using it.  Therefore I did not benefit and was rather disappointed that I had taken it from her to begin with. Success!

A short list of suggested RAKs from randomactsofkindness.org

Monday, Feb 11—Smile at 10 strangers.
Tuesday, Feb 12—Buy something for the person in the line behind you.
Wednesday, Feb 13—Reach out to someone you haven't talked to in a while.
Thursday, Feb 14—Bring a treat to a neighbor or your co-workers.
Friday, Feb 15—Donate your time or money to a local charity.
Saturday, Feb 16—Cook a healthy meal.
Sunday, Feb 17—Let someone go in front of you in line.

Might I add to this finding time to donate blood. 

good news - cochlear implants

even before i worked in a "hearing" field i was deeply moved by Internet videos of people hearing things for the first time.  as someone who really really loves music i cannot imagine not being able to hear.  today i came across this video making the rounds of a mother hearing her child for the first time.  the mother received a cochlear implant after 15 years of deafness and her son is 8. 

 

Having a child myself, I can attest to how hearing him say " I love you" never gets old.  I can only imagine how awesome it would feel to hear it under these circumstances.

Just to add to the warm feelings here is another video I find very touching.  I am happy these people are willing to share their experiences with the world so that we can all share in their joy.

 



Gabriella Rocha by way of 6pm

When it comes to shopping for clothes made in the USA, there is nothing better than being able to search via a site like 6pm.com.  I don't remember the last time I paid full price for something and I don't know why anyone would in this day and age.  One of my favorite features of 6pm.com is the "% 0ff" filter.  Sure it may be out of your price range but at 70% off, what a bargin.  Today I was browsing for interesting tops and narrowed my made in the USA search to one brand; Gabriella Rocha.  A brand I am not unfamiliar with, but based on its prevalance and my perception of it being a lower end line, I was surprised to find it was made here.  Thanks again internet, always broadening my horizons you are.  So while I found some cute items the brand also seems to lean a bit junior for my taste and then there was this:

 

to which i say no, never, and why?

 

In some cases a transgression such as this would be enough to turn me a away from a brand.  Honestly, i will look at every future G R piece with this silly thing in mind.  Not to dwell on my personal opinon of this, I will move on to what I thought were  great deals and cute looks.

 

Varci Dotted Tee $35

 I would dare call this top a necessity. I base this on ownership of something similar from the Banana Republic from my pre-usa-only days. It is a great casual tee shirt with subtle sparkle. Key word being subtle.  No one was ever criticised for subtle tee.

And then this little number because I have spring fever

 

Monica Polka Dot Blouse $14

This blouse is two important things; simple and interesting.  Love it.

 





Sprouts!

It comes as no surprise to me that as soon as i had given up on my apricot seeds they sprouted.  Just a couple of days ago i bought an orchid at the grocery store to console myself for what i thought were my loses and to fill my need for something growing in what i want to be spring time.  I was rather disappointed that i had let the seeds sit too long in the fridge and then, after planting them i had clearly over watered.  Then, today as i glanced at the window sill i spotted two adorable little sprouts.  I am hoping there are more to follow, though i will guard those two with my best efforts.

Oven roasted pork tenderloin

This is my go-to pork loin recipe.  Like any great, easy, weeknight-friendly recipe it is relatively hands off and uses nothing fancy, only what you have on hand.  What I have on hand tonight is citrus rind, garlic salt, and thyme. 

no such thing as too many cardigans

My T.J. Maxx list today included underpants for D, an interview appropriate blouse, and coffee. Ssuccess came in star wars undies and three bags of coffee, none of which were more than $6.  What I have come to notice on my last few trips  are several brands of womens clothing that are made in the USA. Today I saw several pieces from Tea N Rose and Say What? .  Both were noticed for light weight cardigans in pretty colors.





Tea N Rose $38





Say What? $25



Queen of Kindness

I've been preparing answers to various questions in my head.  One of which is who do i consider to be a hero.  Laugh all you want but my first inclination is to say Ellen.  I find her style, wit, grace, very inspirational.  I feel like she uses her powers for good not evil. When so many others, in a similar position of power, wither do nothing to make the world a better place or their public persona seems built around actually making things worse.  Above all, I admire her as a champion of kindness.

I have had it in mind for a long time to start up the blog again. My only obstacle was figuring out what I ought to say to reintroduce my aim. So I won't say anything. Today I planted apricots from seed. I followed instructions found here. though, I didn't precisely follow those steps so I will not get my hopes up for an orchard. Mainly the apricot kernels sat in the fridge for more longer than i intended and some dried out while others got moldy. Ten were planted. I will be thrilled if two sprout.

9 containers, 10 seeds, all fingers crossed