Foodie Movies

Do you have a favorite food-based movie? I want to hear about it...comment below, and share your ideas!

~Mama K

Fun Pizza dogs

Now, I know that we've established that we mainly eat whole foods, fresh in season, and we're getting as healthy as possible. But once in a while you need some comfort food, and for our family, pizza dogs are "it".

I was raised watching my mother cook a lot, but, myself, never lifted a finger in the kitchen. My first real cooking experiences were, of all places, at my first real job: Orange Julius. I was the grill MASTER there (don't worry, I had plenty of humbling moments, too), and loved it. I know that Orange Julius isn't the Metropolitan Grille or Ruth's Chris' Steakhouse of experience, but it was a nice start! And it was there that I fell in love with the modest pizza dog. And here at home, nearly 20 years later, we just love 'em. Are they on the Two Week Menu? Nope, but they're a once-in-a-while treat that we happily spoil ourselves with.

For a truly indulgent pizza dog, you must start with Italian Sausages. Italian sausages are spicy (not "hot") and flavorful, and a definite step UP from hot dogs. Cook them until done all the way through, and place firmly in a nice bun (Oh, yipes: nice, firm, and bun in the same sentence...I think I'm in trouble with the weirdos Googling now...and I was just trying to be creative.).

Top with warm pizza sauce (either make your own or buy it, but check that label...no MSG, alrighty?) and a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese. Strips of fresh oregano for "pretties" and you have yourself a complete delight!

Fresco e bello: Put out other fun toppings for the family to choose from - chopped olives, diced pineapple, mushroom pieces, or other family pizza favorites will make for a meal that is asked for again and again.

How to make spaghetti special

Number One Rule: Don't open up a jar.

You can make delicious spaghetti all by your lonesome, darlin', and it will taste wonderfully fresh and delicious.

In a large pot combine plenty of tomato sauce, chopped fresh tomatoes, minced onions, chopped mushrooms or bell peppers, a small can or two of tomato paste, and maybe some cooked, crumbled sausage or ground beef (or Ikea meatballs are pretty good in a pinch, too!). Add fresh minced garlic (of course) and some fresh oregano and basil, chopped small.

Simmer until combined and serve over your favorite pasta, and make sure to add a basket of bread to sop (that's an entirely appropriate word here, folks!) up the remainder of the sauce.

Fresco e bello: for a special meal, or when company's over, sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese on top and tuck a basil leaf off to the side of each serving...it's pretty and delicious.

Grocery Day Super Soup

When you have a busy day ahead of you, but you want to bless your beloved family something delicious to bring you all together, I recommend my easy, creamy soup.

There are two secrets to making this soup amazing:

1. The stock. You can either make your own stock (boil down chicken frames with onions, celery, and seasonings), or you can purchase a good, quality chicken stock. I have found a great one that is sold everywhere (although it's cheaper in some stores than in others!). It comes in a carton (not a can), and is range-free, organic chicken stock. I can also buy it in a "creamy" version, which I definitely indulge in for this soup! I will NOT buy chicken broth in a can. Most brands (check labels) add MSG (monosodium glutamate, honey, and it's NOT good for you!), but the organic broths are sold without this additive.

2. The chicken. I buy already-cooked rotisserie chickens at the final stop on my shopping day, and when I arrive home, I have juicy, flavorful chicken ready to cut up and put into my soup. It's SO simple...you will love it.

Here's the easy, Thirty-Minutes-to-Dinner recipe:
(Serves 12)

3 large cartons (24 oz) organic chicken broth
1 large carton (24 oz) creamy organic chicken broth
1 rotisserie chicken, cut up into soup-sized bites
1 yellow onion, chopped small
3 carrots, cleaned and sliced into paper thin rounds (this helps not only in cooking them quickly, but in kid-appeal as well!)
2 cloves garlic, minced small
2-12 oz pkgs. pasta of your choice (or cooked brown rice works well, too!)

In a large soup pot (of course), stir together all of the broth and the cut up chicken. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic. Cover, and bring to a quick boil. Add the pasta, and cook until al dente (not until it's become porridge, darling...this isn't that kind of recipe!).
Serve a hot, yummy meal to your family with rolls or garlic bread, and enjoy the easy clean-up!

Fresco e bello ~ Try specialty pastas for a fun touch - alphabet, stars, and even elbow macaroni can be fun alternative to keep the family guessing!

Grocery Day

Being that this bi-weekly event occurs tomorrow, I thought I would share with you some of my ideas on meal planning and grocery shopping.

Every two weeks, when the king is paid, he allocates money to me to help manage his kingdom. The day before payday (that would be today), I pull up my pre-made Master Grocery List. This list has everything from household products to bananas on it, and everything in between. This is the order of what I do:

~Copy the Master List and paste it into a new document (this saves my Master List for me)

~Add to the new list anything that is immediate in my mind that we need that is not on it normally (those odd things like sunscreen or Jerusalem artichokes...)

~Make up my 2-week dinner menu list and put it on my calendar, taking careful note of special events ocurring during the upcoming weeks. That way I don't forget to get items for events, nor do I overshop, buying for days that we won't be here. For example, in the next two weeks, we have a fireworks show (picnic type food), a graduation party (gift), my dad's birthday (gift, BBQ items, cake makings), and a BBQ at a friend's home (meat plus side dish).

~Highlight on the list anything from the menu lists that I don't have on hand and need to purchase

~Highlight breakfast, lunch, and household items that we need

~Delete items that we don't need, which leaves me with only the items that I need to shop for

~Add the 2-week dinner menu list to the bottom, so that I can refer to it as I'm shopping

~Print and shop!

That's the basics. I'll go into more detail in the future, but I have a grocery list to put together!

Happy shopping, folks.

'Tis the Season - Aunt Sarah's Award Winning Recipe

No, darlings, not that season, and not for egg nog or cinnamon-anything.

Our dear Aunt Sarah won an award for her Lemon Rum Mango Salsa in two categories: People's Choice and Most Original, and we at Mama K's think that THIS is the ideal season for fruit salsas. This one in particular is worthy of its title:

Blue Ribbon Lemon-Rum Mango Salsa

Ingredients
~4 cups coarsely chopped mango (look at using 4-6 mangos, depending on how big they are)
~3 Tbl. sugar
~1/2 cup Lemon Bacardi Rum
~2 cups cooked corn (or frozen, uncooked works great as well)
~1-1/2 cups finely chopped red onion
~1 cup chopped cilantro
~Salt and pepper to taste

Steep mangos, sugar, and rum for 30 minutes; add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Enjoy this salsa over everything "summer": a BBQ pork roast, a chef's salad, or as an appetizer with tortilla chips and guacamole. Oh, yum.

Fresco e bello: Add a couple of chopped avocados to it for absolute perfection, and sit back and wait for the awards to come your way!

(In the meantime, many thanks to our dear Aunt Sarah!)

Chicken with Sun-dried Tomato Cream

This recipe is Sunday Dinner-worthy! Don't skimp on anything - it's quick, delicious, and luxurious. Ingredients ~4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts ~Salt and pepper to taste ~2 Tbl olive oil ~5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced ~1/2 cup white wine ~1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped ~3 Tbl thinly sliced fresh basil 1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, saute the chicken in olive oil until browned (about 4-5 minutes on each side). 2. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant (about 30 seconds). 3. Add the wine, cream, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. 4. Cover and reduce the heat. 5. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes. 6. Remove the chicken [Ed note: check for chicken's doneness before removing] from the skillet and add the basil to the sauce. Increase the heat and boil until it thickens (about 2 minutes). 7. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve. Fresco e bello: Make up a pot of fettucini - place the pasta in the center of individual plates, put a chicken breast on top of the pasta, and spoon more sauce over it. A work of art! (Recipe courtesy of Church Suppers Cookbook, specifically Susan Jones, Roswell, GA)

A Kid-Friendly Recipe!

Take two or more children, wash well in warm water and tuck into bed early. Leave for 10 or 12 hours with windows open. Next morning, dress them lightly and set at the cheeriest place at the breakfast table. To each child add juice of 1 orange, 1 softboiled egg mixed with 2 tablespoons cream and salt to taste, several slices whole wheat bread, a glass of milk. Remove to the yard, add some garden seeds, toys, a sandpile and mix thoroughly. Leave in the sun until brown. (Recipe courtesy of Church Suppers Cookbook, specifically Delphia Stone, Taylor Nebraska)

Kitchen Hint #2 - Don't put too much garlic in the tzatziki sauce

Inspired by Trenton's wonderful tzatziki sauce a couple of summers back, we have been enjoying this yummy accompaniment regularly. I have come up with a delicious version that is fascinating to make (really, it is!), but recently got a bit carried away.

Confession time? I put in a whole head of very fresh garlic. Yeah. It hurt. It was the most painful tzatziki sauce I have ever eaten. Yipes.

I was really thinking, "Wow, this garlic is so fresh. It's slicing up so nicely." And clove after final clove later, I had a moment of "Hmmm. Is it possible that this is too much?" After tossing that caution into the wind, I continued on. Oh yeah, baby (sorry, Emeril), it was too hot.

Now, some of you are scratching your heads and twisting up your pretty faces over this one puzzling question: what in the world is tzatziki sauce? Tzatziki is a delicious (normally!) sauce that is served with Mediterranean foods. It's comprised simply of plain yogurt, garlic, mint, and cucumber.

So if you dare (after reading that!), here is a GOOD recipe for tzatziki sauce:

Greek Tzatziki (feeds 12)

Begin the night before:
~One large (16 oz) container plain yogurt (Mountain High is a great brand)
~4 cloves garlic, minced
~1/2 English cucumber, finely chopped
~3 mint leaves, coarsely chopped or torn into tiny pieces
~Dash kosher salt

What to do:

Line a colander or sieve with cheesecloth or 3-plies of paper towels. Place over a bowl big enough to rest the sieve over without touching the bottom of the bowl (you'll want to allow quite a bit of water to gather below without touching the sieve). Spoon the yogurt into the cheesecloth-lined sieve. Set in the fridge overnight to drain.

In the morning, remove the yogurt from the sieve. You will be amazed (this is the fascinating part) at how much water is in yogurt! The yogurt you started with will now be the consistency of cream cheese.

Mix together the yogurt and remaining ingredients. Let sit in fridge for a couple of hours to blend flavors. Enjoy with warmed pitas or flatbreads, on top of salmon, or with fresh veggies and kebabs as a dip.

Fresco e bello: Yogurt has more water in it than watermelon! True fact!

Whoa...overload

I have looked over that last post, and must apologize...who would read all of that!? Mercy.

I will try be more concise in the future, and put my inner celebrity chef's delusions of grandeur aside.

Now, onto the next very important hint...

Kitchen Tip #1 - Pot Roast

Repeat with me:

A pot roast cannot cook properly in one hour.

If you want a pot roast to turn out succulent, tender, and flavorful (was that redundant? Doesn't succulent mean tender and flavorful?), you must follow these three important rules (they're easy to remember!):

Sear
Season
Simmer

The first key to a fantastic pot roast is to sear the meat. Prepare your pan (I use my electric fry pan because it has a good lid for the Simmer portion of cooking) by heating 2 Tablespoons of oil in it at about 350 degrees. Gently place a good piece of chuck roast flat on top of the oil and let it sear, uncovered for about 4 minutes. Turn it over (using tongs or a pancake turner, not a piercing fork), and do the same on the opposite side. It isn't necessary to sear the sides unless you have a blocky piece of meat, more of a square shape rather than one shaped like a thick book.

Secondly, after you have seared it, season the meat. You can go with a simple salt and pepper seasoning (which makes a fabulous pot roast), or get more elaborate, shaking garlic salt, chipotle or Cajun seasonings, or other salts and herbs that your creative mind makes up. My favorite stand-by, however, is good old salt and pepper. Season liberally the top of the meat (you can briefly turn it over to season the bottom if it has already been seared well) and then you're ready for the third key to a fantastic pot roast:

Simmer. In order to simmer something, you need a liquid for it to simmer in. I've found simple, precious water to be the best. With this, you will create your own delicious beef stock with the drippings, juices, and water (which can be made into a marvelous gravy). Add 1 cup of water to the pan, cover, lower the heat to 250 degrees, and simmer for 1/2 hour. You will hear it bubbling away.

Every 1/2 hour, check the liquid to make sure that there is plenty of it (I think it should come about 1/3 of the way up the meat), and add more if necessary. Put the lid back on and let it continue to simmer for a total of 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Some things that you can add to enhance the flavor of the pot roast are mushrooms (just toss 'em on top), minced garlic (fresh, of course), and sliced onions, scattered around. As the roast simmers, the juices of the veggies and garlic will just wrap themselves around the meat and their subtle flavor will infuse the meat by the act of simmering. Is your mouth watering yet, my young apprentice?

Monday’s Pot Roast Dinner

Ingredients:
1 large chuck roast
2 Tbs. olive oil
8 mushrooms, cut in half
1 large onion, cut in fourths
5 cloves garlic, minced
Potatoes (see note below for amount)
Milk, cream cheese, butter (for mashed potatoes, or your favorite recipe)
1 Head garlic
1 tsp. olive oil
Carrots (enough to feed your family)
1 can cream of mushroom soup or 1 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper for seasoning

To help you plan your day, here is a sample breakdown of timing, based on your king arriving home and ready for dinner by 6:00pm. Included is a menu plan to accentuate the roast (Pot roast, steamed carrots, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, gravy):

2:00 – set out chuck roast to rest

2:55 – heat skillet with oil

3:00 – sear meat one side

3:04 – sear meat other side

3:05 – season meat

3:06 – add water, cover, lower heat, and simmer

3:30 – check water level (add more if necessary)
~Peel carrots and cut into buttons
~Place carrots in saucepan with water (about 1 inch) and dash of salt. Set aside

4:00 – check roast water level
~Wash potatoes and cut into fourths for mashed potatoes (I usually do twice as many potatoes as the number of people eating)
~Set in large pot of salted water (enough to cover the potatoes
generously); set aside
~Heat oven to 400 degrees
~Prepare garlic for roasting: Slice top 1/5 of garlic off (the pointy parts) to reveal the garlic underneath; place on top of foil sheet; drizzle with olive oil, lightly salt, and close up foil tightly so oils cannot seep out; Bake in oven for 1 hour

4:30 – Put potatoes on to boil

5:00 – Toss mushrooms, onion, and minced garlic over the top and sides of the roast. Lightly season again.
~Set the table with plates, forks, knives, glasses, water pitchers, salt, pepper, and butter.
~Pull roasted garlic out of oven; set aside

5:30 – Crunch time:
Put a smile on your face – you can pull this off!
Have kids ready to bless Daddy: When your king arrives home, have the children sit him in his comfy chair, take off his shoes and bring him a glass of nice water, a cup of already-prepared tea, or a half- glass of dinner wine (if you’re so inclined). Assure him that dinner will be ready by 6:00.

1. Drain potatoes and put back into pot
2. Add butter, milk, cream cheese, whatever you like for your mashed potatoes.
3. Carefully squeeze garlic from bulb into the mashed potato mixture (yes, darlings, the entire thing – it will be delicious, and kitchen hint #2 does not apply to roasted garlic) .
4. Mash potatoes and cover tightly again.
5. Heat up carrots for 10 minutes on stove until tender. Drain, add a pat of butter, and cover.
6. Pull roast from pan, place on platter, top with steamed mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Cover with foil.
7. To drippings in pan add one of the following: sour cream to thicken or 1 can cream of mushroom soup. Mix well. Set gravy into gravy boat or bowl with spoon.

Put the mashed potatoes into a bowl, sprinkle with paprika or a pat of butter, tuck in a large spoon, and put onto table
Put the gravy bowl onto the table (don’t forget the spoon)
Place carrot buttons around the roast and put on table with a serving fork and knife.

Call your family to dinner.

Fresco e bello: Don’t toss the leftovers! They’re FABULOUS the next day!

Welcome to my Kitchen

Being a mother of six children, four of them being hungry, growing boys, I often amuse myself when I'm making yet another meal by behaving as if I were on the Food Network as a celebrity chef.

Yes, I really do. I think the kids are amused, as well.

I have mastered (well, "mastered" might be a small overstatement) the art of flipping eggs, courtesy of Alton Brown (our favorite edu-chef); I can toss a pan of mushooms or sauteed onions right alongside Emeril; Rachael Ray doesn't have anything on me when it comes to "$40.00 a Day" - I feed my Family of Eight for less than that many a day (although she is absolutely darling to watch and read).

I think I have something to offer you.

So hang with us as we present real life, feeding a real family, in Mama K's Kitchen. You'll get great recipes, helpful tips, little laughs, budgeting and planning advice, and even the occasional (I hope) faux pas revealed as I share my mistakes that I've learned from.

Off you go now.

Wash your hands, put back your hair, and tighten that apron...it's time to get to work!

(Special thanks for the inspiration from my friend and fellow kitchen-maiden, Jenni. You started it...it's time for me to join in. Together we can change the world, one family at a time!)