Historic Central High School & Other Inspiration

In history we have been studying civil rights so it was only appropriate to visit a historic site right here in our town - Central High School.  This was the spot where state and national powers went toe to toe.  In 1957 then Govenor Faubus said that black students could not attend.  Weeks later President Eisenhower sent federal troops to escort the "Little Rock Nine." These were the nine brave black students that wanted to go to Central High.  Today it continues to function as a high school, one of the best public schools in the state.  There are girls who live on our street that go to this school.

 Across the street from the school is now a visitor center that educates the masses.

 And just for review, we stopped by the capitol grounds to view the statues of the Little Rock Nine.

In other exciting educational news, we have been enamored by Perplexus.  It's a maze-like game with a small steel ball inside.  The one below belongs to a friend.

 

Caroline had her nails done last weekend at a birthday party.  She's wearing fake ones below.  Hilarious.  Such a diva.

And Schaeffer still cries but occasionally we see a smile.  Then I grab the camera.

Inspired me this week:

These are the lines of a story.  If you struggle with your body image because of having children - must read now.  All my life I've been slender but really struggled since having Schaeffer (yes, I know it's only been 9 weeks...but I have stretch marks that I never had before...and weight that is not coming off like it did with the other two children.)

To the parents of small children: Let me be the one who says it out loud.  My favorite line is his reply to well meaning parents of older children who say "enjoy every minute..." he writes: I usually smile and give some sort of guffaw, but inside, I secretly want to hold them under water. Just for a minute or so. Just until they panic a little. 

Up this week - spring break, sort of.  Since John Isaac is in third grade, the state requires (homeschool) testing.  Hubby and I decided to have him tested more extensively than the state offers.  So our third grader will test for 3 morning this week.

And, I am beginning to swim laps at a nearby community center with hopes of shedding a few pounds and getting back in shape.

New easy recipe from my friend Erin:

Creamy Salsa Chicken

cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

can of black beans

corn (I'm lucky enough to have some from my mom's garden)

salsa

block of cream cheese

Mix together and serve over rice.  Delish.  I cooked a whole chicken last night in the crock pot, deboned it today and added 2 cans beans, 2 cream chesse, 1 giant jar salsa, and quart package of frozen corn.   Heat, mix, and salt to taste. Yumma.  Enough for an army - I mixed this up in my already dirty crock pot that I'd cooked the chicken in.

Visitors from the East

My parents came yesterday with a two-fold mission.  Mom's birthday is this week also (more importantly?) my dad is helping Hubby build a built-in bookcase.

I was surprised to see that my very conservative father had stopped at the Clinton Library for a new sticker for his truck.  {Just kidding!!  It's a magnet I slapped on there to get a rise out of him.  It worked.}

Mom's birthday isn't until Wednesday but we've eaten most of her coconut cream pie.  Delicious.  Changes to the recipe: I used 1/4 c sucanat (which is an unrefined sugar) and used unsweetened coconut.  It was plenty sweet.  I will make it again.

 My man is serious about finishing this project.  More pictures to come.

Until then, this cutie is enjoying all the pampering from Gigi (to include new plastic jewelry!)

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

This is the bread that broke my stone.  It was delicious.  100% whole wheat with honey.

After posting that I was investigating Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, a few friends warned me that the high temperatures would crack my stone.

And it did.  Last night.

Tonight's dinner was supposed to be pizza.  I made the dough for the crust earlier in the week.  Being the stubborn engineer that I am, I decided to give the ol' cast iron skillet a whirl.  Other people have used them with great success.

The cast iron I used was a tortilla skillet (it has low edges) but you could most certainly use a regular walled skillet, just flip it over.  I also used a pizza peel and it was very effective.  If you don't have a pizza peel, you can use a cookie tray.  Use one without edges so that the pizza will slide off (and lots of cornmeal underneath).  I put the skillet on a cookie tray so it would catch the cornmeal crumbs.  After cooking 6 personal pizzas there was a lot of cornmeal on the cookie sheet; I'm glad I used it.

Because I heated the oven to 550* when the cornmeal got off the skillet it would burn, smoke and stink.  This is a small price to pay for delicious pizza.  I told my husband that this was the first time that I could honestly say my pizza was better than Papa John's.  He agreed and said, "Even if you had to make it?"

Yes - even if I had to make it. 

Because he would clean up the mess.  :)

I luv my hub.

Pizza: How I Love Thee

I'm in love.  I went to a kitchen store today and bought a pizza peel.  Once home I did something I never do - I made pizza for lunch. (Yesterday I made dough from the book Artisan Pizza and Flat Bread in Five Minutes a Day watch the video.)

at one minute

three minutes

4.5 minutes

perfect!!

I made pizza in five minutes.  It took longer for the oven to heat to 550* than for the pizza to bake.  The crust is incredible.  Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside - as if it had been made in a brick oven.

I highly recommend this method: heat a stone as hot as your oven allows then build your pizza on a peel and slide it into the oven.

Next up: whole wheat bread...from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. The authors have a ton of videos on YouTube - check 'em out.

Monday Needs a Menu

This week:
Mr. Intensity is going to 4-H camp this week from 9am-3pm.  One of his friends, BB, is staying the week with us.  While they're gone during the day, I'm going to work to clean out the garage and prepare for a garage sale.  We'll go to the pool in the afternoons once Sister wakes from her nap.

Monday (pool is closed)
from freezer: chicken pot pie & green beans
bake granola
soak flour for bread

Tuesday
summer stir fry: squash, zucchini, mushrooms + feta, corn
bread maker bread
make kombucha
soak flour for tortillas & pancakes

Wednesday
mini-batch cooking day: tortillas and pancakes
from freezer: enchiladas

Thursday
pot luck at the pool - taking burgers, deviled eggs, cucumbers
to do: make pizza dough

Friday
pizza

Saturday
from freezer: chicken a la king

Sunday
from freezer: falafel
hummus
quinoa tabbouleh

Monday Needs a Menu

Sunday -
Chicken a la King (from my batch cooking day)

Monday -
quinoa, chard & feta (chard is from my garden!)
summer squash
corn, green beans from freezer

Tuesday -
Coconut Curried Beef

Wednesday -
stir fried rice with cabbage & anything else in my fridge

Thursday -
Sandwiches & sides at the pool

Friday -
Pizza

Monday Needs a Menu

I've not posted menus lately because, um, we've not had one.  Starting this week, I'm back in the kitchen!  A kitchen, I might add, that is painted (well, the eating part of the kitchen) and living room.  It took FIVE FULL DAYS of painting (I was optimistic thinking it could be done in two).  My mom was here and was such a huge help with the kids and the ten million other things that she miraculously accomplished.  That woman is an amazing working machine.  Hubby has been hard at work, too - laying 18 inch tiles over 450 square feet of floor.  We can see the end of this phase of home projects.  And we both want to be done.

Let me encourage you to make a menu.  It is very worth the time and effort it takes to plan.  Fail to plan, plan to fail.

Monday
debone 4 whole chickens, start broth
cold Oriental Noodle Salad
take potato salad to pot luck
soak black beans and brown rice

Tuesday
cook black beans
curried rice with chicken

Wednesday
marathon cooking day with HB - we're making freezing a ton of real. good. food.
dinner: enchiladas

Thursday
make pizza dough
leftovers

Friday
pizza
soak rice

Saturday
coconut curry beef in slow cooker

Another thing that I'm beginning to enforce is a routine for snacks.  My boy will eat. ALL. DAY. LONG.  It drives me bananas. I made a spread sheet for the fridge.  Across the top are his lunches and we rotate snacks - week A & B.  So far, he's loved the structure.  And he loved the parfait this morning.

Monday Needs a Menu

Monday
cream of broccoli soup + rolls
also make - Brookies, kimchi and crackers
to do: soak rice, boil it at day's end

Tuesday
**Day of Prayer** away from home all day
Indian Curry in the Crock Pot + brown rice

Wednesday
ginger glazed mahi mahi
quinoa + swiss chard
sweet potatoes
to do: soak pizza dough

Thursday
date night

Friday
pizza

Saturday
Alphonse coming for dinner
spicy black bean cakes
refried bean dip, salsa, guac, chips

Monday Needs a Menu

The long awaited grain mill came last week! (I bought it with Christmas money; waited until we moved to take the plunge.)  I've been so busy I've not had a chance to play with it.  This week I will!

You'll also see some repeat meals from last week.  I didn't make everything last week for various reasons, so those dishes will be eaten this week.

Monday - Beef Stroganoff, mashed potatoes, broccoli

Tuesday - Thai noodle meal and green salad
to do: make kimchi, cook whole chicken

Wednesday - fish cakes + kale
to do: make yogurt, kombucha, soak cracker dough, soak beans and rice

Thursday - red beans and rice
to do: soak pizza crust, make crackers, make chicken salad

Good Friday - Hubby has day off! Pizza
to do: soak tortillas

Saturday - black bean burritos, salsa, guacamole

Linkin' up with Lori.  Go see what that girl is cookin'.

Monday Needs a Menu

{posted late - Monday's storm knocked out my Internet}

This begins week 3 in the new house.  Time flies!  We're mostly back to normal but not really.  One thing is sure - I need to get a menu in action.  Here goes nothing...

It's spring, so our menu is reflecting a lot of spring greens (lettuce, arugula, kale, chard, gr. onion, radish)

Monday - lettuce wraps with chicken and thai peanut sauce...sort of like the Cheesecake Factory.

Tuesday - crepes with swiss cheese and swiss chard

Wednesday - beef stroganoff, mashed potatoes and green salad
to do: make kombucha

Thursday - chicken a la king, kale and brown rice

Friday - homemade pizza with arugula + sugar cookies with neighbor gals

Saturday - (Farmer's Market opens! Easter Egg Hunt!)  Going to a friend's Seder dinner, taking a salad.

Palm Sunday - fish cakes and salad

During the week I need to (find time!) to also make:
 - granola
 - crackers for Sister ?
 - yogurt

Linked with Lori @ Davidson Den.

Menus on Monday

Life is crazy busy these days.  Baby Girl is crawling everywhere. We are in the midst of moving a mile away (details later) and painting every.single. room.

This menu is comprised of what I can make fast and relatively healthy.

Here's a list of meals I bought groceries for this week.  The order of meals will depend slightly upon evening activities (as in, if we go work on the "new" house after dinner).

Slow Cooker: Red Beans and Rice
Fish cakes + steamed kale (it's Lent, fish is cheap these days - be sure to read the labels)
tomato soup + grilled cheese
poached eggs in marinara
pizza
Thai noodle meal (meatless + cheap + fast)
PW's mac & cheese (becoming a regular and fav. at our house)
quiche
black bean & cheese enchiladas

Baby Girl, now 10 months old, is eating mostly bananas, boiled sweet potatoes - both mashed into homemade yogurt.  Occasionally I'll make a pot of soaked oatmeal and add to the mix.  About once a week I give her a boiled pastured egg, yolk only.  If I have chicken broth on hand, I'll mix some it into her bowl.  And, we're nursing 4 times a day - long ago she refused a bottle, probably because I didn't offer it frequent enough.  Mr. Intensity had a much more varied diet at this age (FYI - we moved to Phoenix when he was 10 months old.)

Two Weeks of Menus

Monday
chicken soup
bread
to do: thaw steak, make kombucha

Tuesday - Mr. Intensity's 1/2 b-day
steak
sweet potatoes or fried potatoes
kale
to do: thaw black beans

Wednesday
black bean cakes (frozen)
salsa/guacamole/chips

Thursday
tilapia cakes 
simple green salad
to do: soak wheat for pizza crust

Friday
pizza

Saturday
hummus (frozen)
cheese/apples
PWs mac and cheese
to do: soak wheat for tortillas, thaw refried beans

Sunday
refried bean burritos
to do: make tortillas, yogurt, soak wheat for bread, thaw chicken pot pie

Monday
chicken pot pie (frozen)
mashed potatoes
to do: make bread for sandwiches

Tuesday
enchiladas (frozen)
salsa/guac/chips
to do: make kombucha

Wednesday
grilled cheese or quesedillas
apple slices
to do: soak wheat for bread, pizza crust

Thursday
cheesy potato soup
bread

Friday
pizza

Saturday
spinach balls
mullagatawny soup (HB's recipe, similar to this)

Sunday
broccoli slaw (sort of like this)
scrambled eggs
toast

Menus

I'm really loving the two week menu plan.  For accountability here it is:

Monday
grilled cheese, apples, popcorn
to do: thaw gr. beef, black beans, chicken, make yogurt

Tuesday
take snack to Bible study (apples)
enchiladas (beef for me, chicken for Hubby)
guacamole
to do: thaw chicken pot pie

Wednesday
chicken pot pie (some variation of this recipe)
mashed potatoes
to do: make pizza dough (PW swears by letting it age in the fridge so does Alton Brown - I agree.  I'm working on perfecting a soaked whole wheat pizza dough but not yet ready for the reveal.)
thaw falafel & hummus

Thursday
falafel
hummus, tatzki
quinoa tabbouleh

Friday
pizza or calzones

Saturday
left overs or bean burritos

Sunday
lunch at church
dinner: popcorn/ice cream
to do: soak rice (read why here)

Monday
make kombucha
coconut beef in crockpot
brown rice

Tuesday
fish
veggies, TBD (probably greens or green beans)
to do: thaw beef

Wednesday
stroganoff
mashed potatoes
to do: make pizza dough

Thursday
crepes (spinach + swiss)

Friday
pizza

Saturday
quiche

Sunday
left overs
to do: soak wheat for bread

Monday
chicken soup (with International Friendship Outreach at UALR)
bread

Menu Planning

Live and die by the plan.  I love having a menu plan but I hate planning it.  Friends and I have been meeting for accountability in this area and it has helped motivate me.

The last two meal plans I've planned for two weeks in advance.  Love it.

It used to be that I would use the excuse "I'm going to plan my menus by the sale fliers." Then never really meal plan - or sort of meal plan.  With our eating habits changing to incorporate more local or bulk (real) food, I spend only about $30-45/week at Kroger.  So the sale flier excuse no longer works.

If you've never practiced the discipline of two week meal plan.  I highly recommend it!


Monday
Roasted chicken
collards
sweet potatoes
bread
to do: make mayo, soak flour for tortillas, thaw ground beef

Tuesday
chicken salad
make tortillas
carrot sticks/ homemade Ranch from Holly
popcorn

during day: make taco meat for quick lunches
thaw round steak
soak rice

Wednesday
coconut curry beef (crockpot)
rice
thaw green beans/ ham hock

Thursday
fish
green beans ham hock
steamed carrots
rice (from yesterday)
soak flour for pizza crust

Friday
pizza

Saturday
chicken pot pie (from freezer)
mashed potatoes
make kombucha
thaw brie + hummus

Sunday
leftovers for lunch
Superbowl party
take brie + apples
hummus
thaw smoked sausage

Monday
red beans/rice (from freezer)
smoked sausage
thaw falafel
thaw hummus

Tuesday
falafel (from freezer)
quinoa tabbouleh
tatziki sauce
hummus
thaw spinach

Wednesday
Quiche

Thursday
Marinara + poached eggs
toast
soak flour for pizza crust

Friday
pizza
thaw chicken
soak rice

Saturday
chicken a la king +rice
PW's mac and cheese
greens (kale or collard)
save chicken for enchiladas

Sunday
leftovers
thaw beef

Monday
stroganoff
mashed potatoes
thaw ground beef

Tuesday
enchiladas (beef and chicken)

Sugar Cookies

My sister was right; these sugar cookies are easy to make.  {Read: they aren't frustrating to roll out.}  My brother-in-law is a self-proclaimed expert sugar cookie taster and he gives them double thumbs up.

Super Easy Ice Cream *Healthy, Too*

Got a bunch of overripe bananas?

When mine get too ripe, I peel them and freeze them in 2 or 3inch sections in a freezer bag. Usually they are used in smoothies, or on occasion, banana bread.

Here's how you can make yummy ice cream with them in your food processor:

- add frozen chunks of banana to your food processor with the chopping blade.

- add other fruit if desired (like blueberries, peaches, strawberries) or even peanut butter or cocoa powder!

- add about 1T of vanilla

- add milk, up to half the amount of fruit. It is best to start with too little milk than too much.

- give your processor a whirl until it reaches soft-serve consistency.

It's so yummy and guilt free you could eat this for breakfast!

Countertop Fruit Fly Trap

Two weeks ago our home was invaded...by fruit flies. I think they came home on a bunch of bananas. They really like my kitchen. It's comfy here with kombucha, a compost bin, and wheat flour soaking.

Though these bugs are small, they pose a HUGE annoyance factor. We've found them in every room of the house. Argh!

Some would advise getting rid of the fruit, kombucha, compost bin and other countertop fermenting experiments. I'm not yet ready for that drastic step.

Enter the fruit fly trap.

Pour 1/2 inch apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a jar. Add a slice of banana. Roll up a piece of paper into a funnel then tap it to the jar, making a nice seal.

The flies go in - and can't figure out how to leave!

You can wait for them to drown or stash the jar in the freezer for a bit. Either way flies die.

Works for me with Real Food in my kitchen.

HT: Passionate Homemaking

Nourishing Food

This time of year in Arkansas (or the South? or is it the entire Northern Hemisphere?) is covered with a sheen of lime green pollen. It dawned on me sometime last week that this is the first time that I've not suffered with spring-time allergies.

You won't catch me perpetually reaching for Kleenex or popping antihistamines because my nose isn't running. I'm not Sneezy.

Why?

One major diet change that I've made in the last year: raw milk (unpasteurized, straight from the cow). Man, it tastes so good. And is so good for me.

Other things in my kitchen that taste good -

Passionate Homemaking's Soaked Granola Recipe. My friend, HB, tried it first and gave me the courage. Before her insistence, I was afraid of a flop. I've already made the second batch. It's that good.

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice. If you use a nitrate-free sausage, this is nourishing and rather inexpensive. If you have homemade chicken broth, substitute it for water. I have another similar recipe that adds a can of tomatoes as well as brown rice. Next week I'm going to combine the two recipes and if it is successful, I'll post it.

Peppermint Pattie Coconut Bark (and Almond Joy version) -

oh.my.word. And you don't have to feel guilty. There's not much sugar and a lot of super-good-for-you coconut oil in there.

This week another friend shared her toddler's healthy alternative for goldfish crackers. (See picture.) It's Yogurt Dough from p485 in Nourishing Traditions. She makes the dough for pizza then with the scraps adds some onion powder and paprika, cuts into Chicklet sized squares and bakes till crispy. They are yummy.

To try: (looks easy-peasy) homemade cultured buttermilk.

Last but not least...

If you're trying to eat more nourishing foods but feel overwhelmed by the cost, you must read this article. Download it and print it. I felt very encouraged after reading.

Making Mayo

Call me crazy. I made mayonnaise.

Why? Um, I'm crazy. And wanted to see if I could do it.

Should I mention that GMOs are freaky? Most mayonnaise is made from sketchy GMO oils and who knows what else.

Wanting to make my own, for about a year as I've read food blogs, I've tagged the mayo recipes. Then I order a gallon of good quality EVOO from Chaffin Family Orchards. [BTW, if you're in LR and want to be a part of a bulk buying club let me hook you up.]

So yesterday I got serious. I started by watching a Vlog from Kitchen Stewardship. Then read Kelly the Kitchen Kop's recipe. And compared it to Sarah's, which is based on Julia Child's.

Artful and a French cook is what I felt like in my kitchen. What was the big mayo deal?! Why are so many people afraid of making their own mayo? This stuff was going to make some eggsellent egg salad.

Pride comes before the fall.

My mayo looked beautiful. However, within seconds it took a turn for the worst.

I'm thankful that I read Sarah's post because she said if this happens:

(it separates) not to worry. There's a way to fix it.

Her post coached me through the failure. She recommended starting with a teaspoon of mustard then adding a teaspoon of the separated mixture. And mix slowly.

I decided to start with another room temperature yolk -instead of the mustard- making a total of three yolks for one scant cup oil. It worked! Yay!
I'm still a mayo novice - so if anyone has links or other hints, please let me know!

Easy-Peasy Kettle Corn

Need something sweet - and QUICK!?

Make this kettle corn. Super easy.

I didn't print the recipe because I thought, "I can remember these ingredients to the stove." Wrong. I used 1/2 c sucanat (sugar) instead of 1/4c, as recipe calls. Half cup is too much. Plus, the next time, I think I'll try 1/2 white sugar, 1/2 sucanat.