I’m hungry…

I was all set to upload the blog and then Mikey got a kitten.  He named it Spock.  So – welcome Spock to the family!  Needless to say, we have been busy trying to introduce Spock to our other cat (Smoky) and our dog (Madchen).

Mikey and Spock (Yes – Mikey is a Trekkie too)

I’m hungry.  Do you have any snacks?  What’s for dinner?  When is dinner going to be?

I swear it starts as soon as I pick him up after work.  Forget that, it often starts as soon as he wakes up in the morning.

I really don’t know how his caregiver keeps him fed.  He seems to eat all day. Where does it all go?

Mmm… morels!

I wish I had his metabolism… sigh…

Here is a dinner menu for the week designed to keep my foodie fed:

• Monday – orange chicken with broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms served with jasmine rise
• Tuesday – Vegetable (potato, cauliflower, carrot, green beans) korma served with jasmine rice and naan
• Wednesday – Spätzle stove top casserole with mushrooms, spinach, ham, and cheese
• Thursday – Beef tacos with cheese, bell peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, and corn served with refried beans
• Friday – Pizza (premade crusts, topped with cheese, pineapple, red pepper, mushroom, ham)

That’s in addition to all the snacks (like pretzels, fruit, jello, carrots, hummus, cilantro) or desserts (like gingerbread, pocky, and fruit cobbler).

And yes… cilantro is a snack for my son.  He eats it like someone would eat celery!

Cilantro – munch, munch!

Give me more!

How does one cope with an active foodie?  I am a planner.  It is how I survive family, home, career, and life in general.  I plan out meals based on what is going on that day and how much meal prep would be needed.  Some recipes take a long time to cook while others are pretty easy to throw together.  Some recipes are cheaters… where I use a premade sauce (store bought or homemade/canned) and add fresh ingredients.  That way, I can plan accordingly for my grocery shopping AND be prepared to feed 2 hungry boys (yes hubby I know that you are not a “boy”).  Another cheat is that I use Peapod for grocery delivery.  It has been the best tool to only buy what we need and to be able to plan out meals for the week.  Here is a referral code if you’re interested in checking it out.  I also love it since I no longer have to set aside time to run to the store (1 hour just in total driving time).  They bring it to my door!  I could even grocery shop while taking a bath (if I had time to take a bath that is).

Weekends are always busy.  Due to soil concerns (clay and rock), we’ve been building raised garden beds (well… hubby has been building them) and hauling in dirt to fill them.  We’re under the gun to get our vegetables planted before our starts explode and then wither away.  Luckily, Mikey’s garden is already in the ground (beans, tomatoes, cilantro, pepper, zucchini, strawberries, etc…) for the most part.  He can’t wait to have them producing food.  He loves being able to snack while he plays!

Planting time!

The garden alone doesn’t make it a busy weekend…  it’s all the other stuff as well.

Teeball star

After a teeball game Saturday morning (thankfully not a double header), we rushed home since we had a dear friend coming over for lunch.  Knowing that she’s vegetarian, we prepared a mexican quinoa casserole to serve with tortilla chips.  Fortunately, this dish does not take a lot of time!  I chopped, Mikey mixed it up, I poured it into the casserole dish, and Mikey spread out the cheese on top.  Voila!

• 1 cup quinoa plus 2 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce (I used Frontera)
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can green chiles
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• ½ cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
• 1 to 1 ½ cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (sometimes I also add in or substitute chipotle pepper powder)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (set aside ½ cup for topping)
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. In a large saucepan of 2 cups vegetable broth, cook quinoa according to package instructions; set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8×8 or 2 quart baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, enchilada sauce, green chiles, tomatoes, bell pepper, corn, black beans, cumin and chili powder; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in 1 ½ cup of cheese.
4. Spread quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheeses. Place into oven and bake until bubbly and cheeses have melted, about 15 minutes.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with avocado and cilantro. Serve as is, or with tortilla chips, or as a filling for tacos.

Time to dig in!

For dessert, we tossed together berries (2 cups of blueberries and blackberries) along with a ¼ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons lemon juice.  After letting it sit for a while, it was served with some modified Bisquick shortcake and whipped cream.

• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 1/3 cup Bisquick mix
• ½ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

1.  Heat oven to 425°F.
2. In medium bowl, mix all ingredients until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheet (I use parchment paper), drop dough in 6 spoonfuls.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Yum!  A happy belly for my little man!

And for this weekend…  please remember that Monday is Memorial Day  (not just a long weekend or a race weekend or what not).  Please take time to remember those who gave their all in support and defense of this country.  Thank you.

Not just about restaurants…

From my posts, you may assume that we do nothing but go out to eat.  Ha!  We do usually eat out for lunch on one weekend day.  During the week, we just don’t have the time!

I’m up at 4am each morning.  Daddy gets up at 5am.  Mikey gets up at 5:15am.  By 6am, we have all left the house.  By 4pm, we’re all home…  However… work doesn’t end just because we’re at home.  I’m teaching Mikey German (thank you German immersion videos) and we do workbooks (he loves math).  There are always plenty of chores to do between the house and yard.  We’re in the process of our first real garden (after years of pots and such living in rentals) as we bought our first home last summer.  We’ve started berry plots and fruit trees too.  Even Mikey has chores and earns his own money.  By 7pm, Mikey is asleep and we follow between 9 and 10pm.

Getting a plot ready for strawberry plants.

Wait a minute…  Chores and money for a 4 year old?  That’s right!  As biased as a mommy can be, I know that Mikey is no angel but truly he is a really well behaved kid.  However, just like all normal kids, he had the normal toddler times where he didn’t want to pick up his toys or listen to us or would act out.  Before – nothing seemed to work.  Not time outs.  Not taking away toys.  Not yelling.  Nothing!  Not until last summer when my Dad came down to help out with some home repairs.  During his drive, he happened to listen to Dave Ramsey and his daughter on the radio.  Thank goodness he did! (Disclosure: we have adapted his method to work for us…)  Apparently, money is a great motivator for Mikey… especially when he figured out that he could use his money to buy his own toys (and not wait until a holiday or birthday or something).  Therefore, he gets paid for chores.  Half the money goes into savings and half he gets to spend.  His toys and clothes (when he outgrows them) get donated when he gets new stuff.  When he acts out – he gets one warning.  The second time, he owes us money.  Let me tell you – he does not like paying us!  Score for Mommy and Daddy!

Mopping the floors

Here’s the average week day afternoon: Mikey comes home and lets the dog out, puts dry food in the cat’s bowl, and puts the silverware away.  That’s 25 cents.   Depending on what food prep is needed, he helps with dinner such as stirring, chopping, or even just getting stuff out for me.  That’s another 25 cents.  After dinner, he clears the table and helps feed the animals (get the food out and put the food in the bowls – I open the cans).  That’s another 25 cents.  Other examples of chances to earn money:  25 cents for picking up his toys or for putting his clothes away (including hanging shirts up).  When we do house cleaning, he gets 50 cents for each room he mops with the swifter.   He. Rakes. It. In.  For example, in a 6 week period (with extra chores), he earned enough for a $30 PlayMobil toy and put the same amount in savings!

Shoveling the snow!

Carrying wood to the woodpile!

Not only do chores keep him busy but it also helps out mommy and daddy, teaches him important skills (money, math, and so on), and gives him a great sense of independence and personal responsibility.

Got off track there for a minute… getting back to eating like a foodie during the work week…  A lot of times, we use the crockpot.  Crockpot = one of the greatest inventions later.  After all, all you have to do is throw ingredients into a pot, turn it on, and come back hours later and eat. During the summer, it’s nice since you don’t add the extra heat from a stove or oven. I will admit – I have a slight crockpot addiction (though not as much as my cast iron addiction).  I have 4 crockpots right now (I swear, I only want one more).  My cast iron addiction, on the other hand, is shared by the whole family – including Mikey.  The boy even has his own!

Cast Iron (CI) addict #3

One night this week, we had Asian beef tacos.  Um… yum!

Asian Beef Taco & Slaw

Asian Beef Tacos:

Place the following in the crockpot, mix well, and cook on low for 8-10 hours:

• 1-1.5 pounds of stew meat (or beef chuck roast – you’ll have to shred the meat at the end though)
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
• 1-2 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice
• 1 bell pepper (chopped or sliced)
• 1/2 to 1 jalapeño, diced (remove veins and seeds)
• 1/3 cup soy sauce (we use low sodium)
• 5-10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup onion or shallot, diced
• 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons of seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Asian Slaw:

In a bowl, mix the following and then let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or 2 hours in the refrigerator:

• 1 (16 ounce bag) of shredded coleslaw – we often use a broccoli slaw mix
• 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2-3 tablespoons of seasoned rice vinegar
• Salt n pepper to taste

When you’re ready to eat, place some of the meat mixture (used a slotted spoon so it’s not so drippy) on a tortilla and scoop some slaw on top.

Helpful hint: Running short on time in the morning?  Pre-chop everything the night before.  Place in a ziplock or Tupperware container in the refrigerator overnight. 

Dig in!

For dessert, I quickly made a triple berry cobbler using strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.  I didn’t have any dinner prep, so why not?

Thumbs up!

Enjoy!  Guten Appetit!

It’s now a baseball kinda life for my foodie…

Last year we tried soccer.  Apparently, soccer is now a full contact sport and that is something Mikey does not like.  Getting a little bruised – he’s ok with that.  A full on clothesline – not so much.  So…  this year we tried teeball.  So far, that’s much better.   He loves throwing, catching, running, etc…  He even hit a ball (not on the tee) at his first game!

Daddy and Mikey out in the field

Seriously…  when did he grow up?  I am so not ready for this…

Go #8!

After his first game, Mikey got to choose where to have lunch.  His response – Indian!  So we jumped in the car and off we went.  We decided to try the Clay Oven again (http://www.clayovenindianrestaurant.com/).   What does Mikey think of buffets?   This quote of his says it all: “I can just sit and eat here all day”.

Full plate (all Mikey’s selections)

It’s time to dig in!

A plateful of food and a mango lassi later – my little boy was stuffed!  He turned down dessert.  Alert the news – a 4 year old declined dessert!

Craving a bit of a sweet treat after coming home and doing more garden prep, I found this recipe from the Mount Vernon website.  In addition to loving all kinds of food…  Mikey loves George Washington (I mean, c’mon, he was born within 45 minutes of the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg).  GW is Mikey’s hero.   What better way to combine history, food, and heroes?   The recipe was pretty easy – even a 4 year old could handle most of it!

Mikey and GW

I love GI Joe!  Why don’t they have more things like this for kids?  Need to brush up on your GW knowledge – this is in the bedtime story rotation.

Now we all know that 4 year olds have a mean independent streak…  Even when it comes to baking.  How does one make it work with minimal fuss?  Pre-measure for them and arrange everything in a line!

Getting everything ready

Using the mixer

Grating the peel

One of the best things about baking is you can even incorporate “lessons” like math, science, and history!  History, you say?  Yes…  for instance, teaching about how valuable staples like tea, salt, sugar, and spices were in the colonial times!

We even planned to make “Fairy Butter” that’s supposed to be served with the cake until I looked at the recipe and realized that the butter/icing included the yolks of hard boiled eggs…  Once I told Mikey that, we shared a common “eewww”.  However, we did make our own “fairy butter”; just minus the eggs – and it was yummy!  According to Mikey, we were scientists (since we experimented)!

I served it for dessert while we watched a classic Batman episode on MeTV (Nanananananana… Batman!) The cake and fairy butter was a hit!  Moist, dense, flavorful… and altogether delicious!

Yum!

It turned into a “Saturday Food Adventure”

One Saturday morning, Mikey wanted pancakes because he woke up “starving”.  And he wanted not just any pancakes but Apple Pancakes.  These are also known as a “Dutch Baby” and are a baked pancake chock full of apples.   The rule with these pancakes though is that he has to help make them.   However, before any of that – I needed some coffee!

PS: 2 batches make enough for our family of 3 plus some left over for a quick breakfast another morning.

For one pancake, you’ll need:

• ½ stick of butter (divided in half)
• 1-2 tablespoons of combined cinnamon and nutmeg (proportion to your flavor tastes)
• 1-2 diced OR sliced apples (We use whatever is on hand but the Gala are our favorite)
• ½ cup whole or 2% milk
• ½ cup flour
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 435F.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter.   Slide or dice up the apples.  In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and salt).  Then add the milk and vanilla to the bowl.

Adding milk

Whisk it very well.  Then add the eggs to the bowl and whisk well again.  Slowly pour in the melted butter into the bowl as you whisk the batter.

Whisking up the batter

Set the bowl aside.  In a cast iron (10-11 inch deep skillet), add the other 2 tablespoons of butter.  Turn the heat to medium high.  As the butter starts to melt, add the apples and cinnamon/nutmeg.  Lightly sauté for 2-3 minutes until the apples start to soften (keep them in an even layer).

Saute the apples

Use a glove so you don’t get burnt!

At this point, turn off the heat and pour the batter over the apples.  Then quickly place the entire skillet in the oven.  Bake for 12-14 minutes until the pancake is puffed and golden.

It deflated after coming out of the oven 😦

PS: Mikey has grown up being involved in the kitchen.  We have worked with him to make sure he understands safety first in the kitchen.   He even has 2 child sized oven mitts!  No child was in danger while taking these pictures or while making breakfast!

Dig in!

After we had our yummy breakfast, it was time for the usual cleanup, chores, and Saturday errands.  Knowing that we planned to go out and use our Living Social deal for dinner, Daddy asked Mikey to select where we should stop and grab some food for a light lunch while we were out.  We live in the country, it’s around 20-30 minutes to get to the big box stores so it’s not easy to run back and forth.  For all his gruff, Daddy can’t say no to Mikey when it comes to food.  So we ended up at the A1 Japanese Steakhouse  for lunch.
https://www.facebook.com/A1JapaneseSteakHouseMooresville

What to order??? Hmmm…

They actually have a kids’ menu that includes more than just chicken nuggets or macaroni & cheese.  Of course, always willing to try new foods… Mikey took a sip of my soup (onion, miso).  Thankfully, Daddy let him have his since he loved it (I have a cold and did not want to share my soup).

Soup!

Mikey ordered the kid’s steak hibachi and a Ramune to drink.  Don’t know what Ramune is – check this out – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramune.

Where to start?

Just start shoveling it in!

Later that evening after all the errands and chores were done, we drove to Bosphorous Café [https://www.facebook.com/thebosphoruscafe] for dinner.  Thank you Living Social for the great deal!  Mikey is in love with hummus so we started with that as an appetizer.

You mean there are people who don’t like hummus?

The couple seated next to us were not shy in discussing his polite behavior and outstanding appetite.  (thank heavens he got over his crabby nap wake-up)  Mikey and I shared Iskender which is gyro meat over pita chunks covered in a tomato sauce with yogurt on the side.

Yum!

He also had half of Daddy’s green beans.  Mikey’s love of green beans is why we have a lot of green bean seedlings in our greenhouse just for him!

I don’t know where he puts all this food!  He and I ate the same amounts and I was stuffed.  I need to stop trying to eat as much as my 4 year old and just accept the fact that he can out eat me.  At least today is sunny and I can work off some of that food by planting, weeding, and cleaning…

PS: At some point, perhaps I may start using a real camera instead of my iPhone…  especially if I’m going to share these outside of family.  One more thing to carry around (I rarely bring a purse)!

In the beginning…

Where to start?

Duh…  at the beginning!

I look back on the last few years with so much joy.  I honestly thought I would never get pregnant naturally (take that OB/GYN doctor!).  To my surprise, I found out I was pregnant in 2010.  I was so excited and yet so nervous.  Newly married, having just moved half way across the country (central Indiana to southeast Virginia), telecommuting for work (and don’t forget work travel), no family nearby, etc…  Add on Daddy’s also in the Navy and gone a lot (duty, underways, etc…) – that’s a lot for a girl to handle.

My mom and I.

I also was apprehensive because I love cooking.  How would I juggle work, husband, baby, home, etc…?  Here are a couple of meals that I’ve made – that’s how much I enjoy cooking…

Homemade bread bowls and cheesy vegetable soup!

Roasted acorn squash with maple syrup glazed sausage. Pumpkin fritters with apple butter. All homemade! The credit on the pumpkin fritters goes to my wonderful husband!

PS: The bread is so ridiculously easy to make and yet some of the best bread that I have ever had.  And small children are perfect helpers here – mixing the ingredients or in patting the dough into shape.

Also, I love trying new places to eat and also eating at the regular standbys (Indian, Thai, etc…).   Was I going to have to resign myself to years of McDonalds, Applebees, and Pizza Hut?  Oh the horror….

Then he was born (New Year’s Eve – thank you for the tax break, Mikey).

Mikey (age 3 weeks) and Mommy

And since I wasn’t going to pay for a sitter (after paying for childcare all week long)… he went everywhere Mommy did.  Places such as work trips, wineries, museums, and of course, all my favorite restaurants.  And he nursed, so he “tried” all that yummy food too!

Beach seafood place – Dania, FL (age 10 months)

Mikey at Wiilliamsburg, VA (age 15 months)

One day, we had just arrived back after the day out enjoying the Virginia sun with my best friend.  Mikey was around 9 months old.  Her Navy husband brought us over some homemade Filipino food (pork adobo and garlic rice) since we were hungry and he is awesome like that.  [side note: I really cannot wait for them to move back to Indiana!]  On a whim, we put some really small pieces on his tray.  Mikey went crazy for it.  And a foodie was truly born.

Over the next year or so, we tried lots of new foods…  From vegetables and fruits to Vietnamese, Indian, Mexican, and Thai (not an all inclusive list).

Steamed asparagus with a little balsamic vinegar

Lumpia House – lumpia!

Pho 79 (Vietnamese) – Chicken Pho

Two occasions really stand out:

• The first was at an Indian buffet.  He fell in love with tandoori chicken and palak paneer (spinach and cheese).  He kept asking for so much that my food went cold while I was trying to keep up with him.
• The second is at a Thai restaurant where he decided he loved my pad kee mao (aka Drunken Noodles) but it was too spicy.  I sat there and sucked off most of the spiciness so he could eat it.  He ate so much that my throat went raw and I could barely talk.

The price we pay for our kids, right?

Mikey enjoying VA spring weather

Southeast Virginia had so many good places to eat and it’s disappointing to think of all the places that we didn’t get to try.  However, our time there was short.  Soon after Daddy was to come home from deployment, we knew that he would retire from the Navy and we would move back to Indiana.

Mikey eagerly waiting for Daddy’s ship to pull in

Celebrating Daddy’s homecoming!

But…  new adventures were waiting for us in Indiana.

More on that next time though.  I feel the need to go and look through more homecoming pictures (and maybe tear up a little).

Credit: The last 3 pictures were taken by Terri Fuller Photography (can’t you tell? they are the only ones not taken with an iPhone).

Introducing… Mikey!

This is my son, Mikey.  He turned 4 at the end of December.

We’re eating Thai – Tom Yum Soup and Thai Iced Tea.   Well – it was my soup before he wanted to try it.  Then he decided that he needed to “help” me finish it.  He is one of those magical children that is often believed to be a myth.  He’s a foodie!

How do I know he’s a foodie?  Here’s a partial list of his favorite foods: lumpia, Chinese orange chicken, guacamole, hummus, mushrooms, spatzle, spinach, green beans, bell peppers, bacon, etc…

He does have some strong dislikes…he does not like peanut butter or mashed potatoes!

How did this happen?  I really don’t know.  What is because…  I breastfed until he’s 21 months?  As a baby, he was the (willing?  unwilling?) party to frequent lunches at ethnic restaurants with my best friend and me?  His first real meal was Filipino?  His mommy loves to cook?  His daddy loves to cook?  Mikey likes to help in the kitchen?

So…  why I am writing this blog?  I love to cook, bake, can, etc…  My husband loves to cook, can, and dehydrate.  However, I did not want to write another cooking blog.  But…  I did want to share Mikey’s food experiences and give hope to all parents that this can happen.  Plus, he’s just so darn cute!

Here is he is chopping mushrooms for dinner…

Mushroom chopping for spatzle casserole

Where did we go for Thai?  We went to Thai Orchid (http://www.thaiorchidindy.com/).  Yummy food, medium priced, decent service.  Only caveat – kids get real glasses (so beware of possible messes) and even their “medium-mild” is “hot” when compared to other places.

Hello world!

Four year old foodie?  Are you for real?  4 year olds are not foodies.  They definitely do not eat “normal” food.  Don’t they survive off of chicken nuggets, PB&J, french fries, cookies, cereal, and milk?

Wait… Is he eating Filipino food?

Why yes…  yes he is!

Wondering where to find Filipino food in Indianapolis?   We frequent Eduardo’s Filipino Restaurant  (if you can’t find it, also look for Charlie Biggs Chicken).  The prices are pretty decent, the food is yummy, and the staff is very sweet.  Mikey usually gets free samples and sometimes free desserts.  I will warn you that the neighborhood is “interesting” and this is not a 5 star restaurant by any definition.

https://www.facebook.com/filipinotaste/info

So, please, join us on the adventures of a 4 year old foodie!