Spookydeddy and Meatballs

So today marks the beginning of Spring Break for Zionsville.  My best friend, a Zionsville teacher, is off for a whole precious week where I might actually get some quality girl time with her.  Chloe, subsequently, is off from her preschool at our church because they follow the Zionsville calendar.  Today we were supposed to wake-up happy and energized.  I was going to do an hour's worth of work, then steal a show when my best friend arrived before leaving to take the kids someplace fun.  I had wanted the zoo, but given the weather of late had thought the Children's Museum. 

Enter last night.  Somewhere around 3am, when Liam woke up in his now-routine since he's cutting 4 teeth currently, I discovered I had what I thought was the beginning of a migraine.  I felt lots of stabbing at my temples and at the corner of my right eye.  I felt nauseous and dizzy, so Brian graciously agreed to takeover and let me lay back down.  I felt immediate relief and thought I must have just been overly tired.

Nope.  I woke up this morning and could not stop messing with that corner of my eye.  Since I am a mother of two, I find I don't often glance at myself in the mirror unless I make a conscious decision to go into the bathroom and look at myself.  Even when I'm in there washing my hands or whatever, my mind has moved on to the next task at hand and I just ignore myself feverishly making multi-tasking plans in the mirror.  But, it was bothering me so much that finally, after coffee, arranging my work to be done and getting Little Einsteins on with the usual routine, I went into the bathroom and just sort of went, "Oh great. I have pink eye."

Suddenly my best friend abandoned ship on me, not wanting to be near someone with the plague of contagion (I guess she didn't want pink eye for her entire Spring Break, or something.  Selfish.... lol).  ;) So very suddenly my fun day with the kids was transformed into a heap of a) I still have work to do b) Chloe has a bunch of energy because she doesn't understand why she's not at school and has already been told she's going to see Aunt Sarah and c) now I feel like crap because the whole side of my face just aches.

I buried myself in my work, hoping to plow through it in the jolt of morning coffee.  Instead of the hour I thought, I looked up to find 3 hours had passed and Liam was tugging on me saying, "mamamamamamamamamamama," because it was now WAY past his nap and he'd also not gotten his morning oatmeal which happens after his wake-up bottle.  Feeling rather like the mother of the year, I hastily pile oatmeal into his little mouth as he struggles to not fall asleep.  We finish, he lays his head on my shoulder and goes right to sleep. 

Chloe by this time has been foraging in the pantry, kitting together her own smorgasbord of crackers and cheerios.  I say I'm so sorry and grab her an apple and some milk, thinking she could have a healthy snack now then I'd give her a really good lunch.  Then work blows-up again.  My order isn't working so several phone calls and another hour of research occurs.  I look up and discover it's now 1 o'clock and I'd missed lunch.  I'm tired.  My eye hurts.  Liam is up now and needs some attention and Chloe is bored to tears.  I hastily throw some sweet potato fries into the oven and get Chloe out her paints and brushes. 

Then more work blows-up.  Stores are out of things and other items are confusing.  Recipes are missing and yet more orders need figuring.  A phone call takes me out of the room for a pacing minute.  I return, hang up the phone, and see hand-prints.  Paint hand-prints all over the floor.  Mother of the decade award right here! Thankfully, the paints are totally washable.  However, I have two kids covered in a hideous mixture of orange, blue, and red paint.  And the french fries are done.  :)

We wash, I toss Chloe together a quick turkey wrap.  I let Liam have at the soft fries and give Chloe the crispy ones with her wrap.  I take the remainders and call it breakfast and lunch.  I feel a moment of peace coming on.  I tamed work into submission and was ready to FINALLY move on with my day.  I thought that, no, we didn't get a fun outing, but maybe I could salvage the day with playdough and puzzles.  I call Brian at work to check on him and he's in a frustrated mood, too, because in the heap of paperwork we handled before he left for work this morning, he happened to throw some stuff in with the mail and now it's stuck in the mailbox at the post office.  He got hung up at work and missed the mailman who came to open it at collection time.  So now the paperwork is...... gone? At the post office? I'm not really sure....

I could go on, but this is getting boring. :) At the end of the day where nothing went as planned but darnit I still tried, I made the best meatballs of my life.  To go with jarred spaghetti sauce.  That's just how I rolled tonight. :)  Chloe says a lot of cute words, but my favorites are "beratops" for "triceratops" and "spookydeddy" for "spaghetti." As she was eating her spaghetti and meatballs tonight she kept saying, "spookydeddy yum! MMMM spookydeddy yay!"

So there you have it, I just feel like sharing a story and a recipe today.  I know I've been lax about updating and I'll try to get better.  Life's been crazy between work and home-buying! :) I've been sort of flying by the seat of my pants on meal-planning, too.  Perhaps I should share more about this disorganized-organization because we still manage to not eat out.  Miraculously.... :)

Spookydeddy and Meatballs

2 pounds ground sweet italian sausage
5 large eggs
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 C spaghetti sauce (hey, tonight I used Prego Traditional - nothing fancy required)
1 C italian herb seasoned croutons, ground (because that's what I had)
1/4 very large sweet onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t black pepper
2 t sea salt
1/2 C parmesan cheese
3 T sugar

I minced everything in the food processor because I didn't feel like chopping, then ground my croutons.  Combine everything in a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.  Roll into golf ball sized balls and bake on a broiler pan or on a sheet of parchment (or both!) at 375 for about 40 minutes.  Serve with the noodles of your choosing (vermicelli for me because they're not too thin and not too thick) topped with the sauce of the day (ahem Prego Traditional).  :)

Doing the "We Did It Dance!"

My thoughts and heartfelt prayers are with everyone impacted from the Japanese earthquakes and resulting tsunamis.  :(

Happy Liam! We're all happy! :)

And in an awkward non-sequiter: I could beat around the bush and drag this on for paragraphs of nail-biting tension.  But I just don't feel like it. :)  We did it! We got the house! Not only did we get it, but we got it for about the price we were hoping AND we don't have to pay closing costs.  The added bonus? The bank is ready to close in like 3 days!  We're not ready to close that quickly, but still.  It's nice to think about. :) 

We don't have a closing date yet, but Brian and I are sending good vibes to our mortgage broker hoping it can be two weeks.  If anyone is looking for a good mortgage broker, Jae Tollover with Bank of America.  For real.  This man has expended a monumental amount of effort trying to get all of our stuff figured out so we could move forward and he's super nice to boot. :)

In other happy dance news, I'm writing to you on our new PC laptop.  This is Brian's new computer, enabling him to do work at home.  My beautiful mac is still down but definitely not out.  We purchased a new logic board for it only to discover it was slightly wrong.  *sighs*

I've been a mess without my mobile office.  Truly, my entire work-life is on my mac and it now resides in an external portable hardrive I can plug into anyone's computer and call it home.  But, I dunno.  It's been hard to write on the cookbook or record my recipes without my tools. 

Not to mean I haven't been cooking and writing them down!  On the contrary, in this little break I've had, I have planned my entire spring-summer 2011 menu for work, reorganized my work kitchen and order of things, made several new dishes I'm planning to share with you all, and continued to plug away at the cookbook that needs to get published pretty soon.

I'm a mess of paperwork and schedules right now, so believe it or not, I haven't yet made up my meal plan for the week! I'm shopping tomorrow morning, too, since Sunday was when Brian and I celebrated our wedding anniversary and Monday is well.... Monday.  5:30am wake-up call so we could drive to Lebanon to get our electricity turned on at our new home, so the gas guy could come tomorrow, so the inspector could come (well you get the point....).  Drop Brian at work, drop Chloe at school, go to Costco for my work, go to my work, work for a bit, get Liam home for one hour, go back to pick Chloe up at school, go back home and here we are.  It's 4:46pm, some sort of random stew is in the crockpot, Liam is taking his first nap of the day, and I'm supposed to go pick up Brian in Castleton of all places (they were working over there today) in the middle of rush hour.  *sighs* 

To add to my consternation, my early wake-up call included a whale of a lot of crying and screaming when I didn't let Chloe wear a dress to school today.  My little tom boy that loves to play in the mud, go jump in puddles, and roar with her myriad of dinosaur toys is also, it seems, a fashionista.  :) I'm not mad about this.  I'm not one to push traditional gender roles on my kids, but I also don't mind if my little girl decides she wants to be a Girl. :)  It is, however, a bit of a battle.  Case in point, I bought Chloe an Easter dress I thought was absolutely adorable.  It was from Old Navy and is a bright sunny yellow and gray floral print in sort-of an early 20th century muslin style.  You know, poofy half sleeves, empire waist with a ruffled colar, and a straight simple skirt that falls to her knees.  I showed it to her, she ooohed and aahhhhed as expected.  I put it on her, she twirled.  She looked confused.  She twirled again then stopped, stared at me dumbfounded and said, "it's not a dress."  I say, "Yes it is.  It just isn't a twirl-y dress."  I make a fuss over how pretty it is and what a little lady she is in it.  She wants none of it.  She begins to try to remove it from her person.  I sigh, go into her closet, and remove last year's Easter dress which, mercifully, still fits.  And yes, it twirls.  And yes, she is posing rather like a diva in her twirl-y dress.  *sighs* I really thought we wouldn't have this problem until she turned... oh say 16? :)

So... meal plan for the week.  Hmmmm.... I haven't even had time to peruse the sales yet! I'm going to stall a bit longer and instead go onto the yummy recipes I've planned to share! Last week Marsh had chicken on sale for about 1.50 a pound.  Woot! I loaded up and decided I'd make nothing but new chicken recipes.  So, here we go.  Loads of new chicken ideas!

Teriyaki Chicken with Teriyaki Noodles
20 minutes or less to feed a crowd of 8!

Teriyaki Sauce
4 T sake, sherry, or even rice wine vinegar
8 T soy sauce (recommend tamari)
8 T mirin (sweet rice wine - found in international section)
2 T sugar
1 t ginger

4 cloves garlic

4 T honey
4 t sesame oil

Chicken
3 to 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
bamboo skewers
sesame seeds
Chinese 5 Spice powder (optional)

Butterfly the chicken breasts completely so that you have 2 half breasts per 1 breast.  Then cut thin strips lengthwise from each half.  Combine all the marinade ingredients then set the chicken strips into the marinade for as little as 1 hour or up to 2 days. 

Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 1 hour before using.  Remove chicken from marinade and pour the marinade into a large skillet.  Bring the marinade to a rapid boil for about 20 minutes.  See the noodles recipe for more.  Reserve a small portion of the boiled marinade for the chicken.

Meanwhile, thread each chicken strip onto a skewer.  Broil or grill over high heat, brushing the chicken with some of the boiled marinade as it cooks.  Cook each for about 5 minutes.  In the last 1 minute, sprinkle each skewer with the sesame seeds and chinese 5 spice powder.  Serve with the noodles. 

Teriyaki Noodles
3 packets ramen noodles, seasoning packet discarded
leftover marinade, boiled for at least 20 minutes
4 C water
1/4 C cornstarch
1/4 head of green cabbage, sliced thinly
1 C matchstick cut carrots
1 bunch green onions, sliced into 1 inch pieces on the bias
8 ounces sliced shitake mushrooms

Boil marinade in an open large skillet for 20 minutes over medium heat. (remove a small portion for the grilling of the chicken - no more than 1/2 C). Add the noodles, broken apart, the cabbage and the mushrooms.  Add water until most everything is covered (about 4 C).  Boil 4 minutes then add the cornstarch, the carrots, and the green onions.  Cook 2 minutes more then remove from heat and serve.

My version of Rick's amazing dish

Lacquered Chicken Mole a la Rick Bayless
This recipe is largely taken from the master himself, Rick Bayless.  While I'm certain Rick's original recipe is absolute perfection, I was after a mole that could be easier accomplished with the ingredients I have on hand.  So no, my mole isn't as good as his, I'm sure, but it's pretty darn tasty for what I'm dubbing ...

Pretty Darn Simple Red Mole Sauce
6 ounces tomato paste
1 C sesame seeds
1 C vegetable oil
8 garlic cloves
1 C shelled pistachios
1 C golden raisins
2 fresh ground cinnamon sticks, or about 1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
1/2 t allspice
1/4 t cloves
2 ounces dark chocolate
1 ounce semisweet chocolate chips
1 quart chicken stock
1/2 C sugar
sea salt
1/2 hungarian wax pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 to 1 1/2 t chipotle chile powder (to your taste)
1/2 red fresno chile pepper, seeded and diced or 1/2 t dried red pepper flakes

In a large stockpot heat the oil.  Add the raisins and cook until plump - about 4 minutes.  Add the sesame seeds, pistachios, garlic, and diced fresh peppers.  Season with a little sea salt and all the spices.  Stir to combine and cook until very fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and cook 3 to 5 minutes before adding the chicken stock and sugar.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for at least 3 hours, stirring here and there. 

After 3 hours, remove from heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender or even in a regular blender until it is fairly smooth.  It will be somewhat grainy.  If you're picky, strain it, if you're not (like me) keep the tidbits.  They're tasty.  Return the mixture to the heat and stir in the chocolates. 

Lacquer Sauce for Mole Chicken
This is a heavy, sticky sauce that coats the chicken beautifully.  This is also inspired greatly by Rick Bayless, whose original recipe can be found here. 

1/2 C water
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C honey
1 C of pretty darn simple mole sauce
sea salt and pepper
sesame seeds
chicken breasts

Combine the water with the sugar over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Bring it to a boil and stir in the honey.  Add the mole sauce and let cook 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Season the chicken breasts with plenty of sea salt and pepper.  Grill or roast them in the oven until nearly done.  In the last 5 minutes of cooking, increase the heat to high and  baste the sauce over each chicken breast.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cook 5 minutes more.  The sauce should bubble and glaze. 

To serve, cut each chicken into fourths and serve with your choice (to your taste preference) of either the plain mole sauce or extra of the lacquer sauce.  It's beautiful with some simple sofrito rice and sweet n sour tomato green beans.

Sweet n Sour Tomato Green Beans - nothing measured, so these are my best guesses!

6 ounces tomato paste
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1 C sugar
sea salt and pepper
4 T butter
1 1/2 small bags frozen cut green beans

Combine the tomato paste, cider vinegar, sugar, sea salt, and pepper in a large skillet.  Add the green beans and butter.  Let cook about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the green beans are soft and the sauce has glazed over them.

Pretty enough for company! :)

Blueberry Barbecue Chicken

Sauce
12 ounces frozen blueberries
1 C apple cider vinegar
3/4 C honey
1/2 C brown sugar
2 T molasses
1/2 C water
2 T brandy
1/4 t red cayenne pepper
4 ounces tomato paste
sea salt and pepper
1 T fresh lemon juice

Combine everything but water in a pot and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth.  Add the water to thin the sauce to barbecue sauce consistency as necessary. 

Chicken
sea salt
cracked pepper
olive oil
boneless skinless chicken breasts

Season chicken all over very well with sea salt and plenty of pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil and let come to room temperature for about 1 hour prior to cooking.  Roast or grill chicken until nearly done then baste with the sauce and let cook on each side for 2 to 3 minutes.  It should caramelize and nearly burn.  Serve extra sauce on the side.  Serve with tangy coleslaw and rosemary-garlic roasted potatoes. 

Tangy Coleslaw
1 1/2 C mayo, preferably homemade
1/2 C forest fruits balsamic cream (available at WineStyles or specialty grocery stores)
1 T fresh cracked pepper
1 T port wine blueberry jam (available at WineStyles or even Meijer!) or, just use blueberry jam
1/2 head red cabbage, quartered, the quarters halved, then finely sliced
3/4 head green cabbage, quartered, the quarters halved, then finely sliced
6 ounces matchstick carrots

Make the dressing in the bottom of the bowl then add the coleslaw mix.  Toss to combine and let sit in the fridge 1 hour prior to serving. 

Homemade Mayo
2 egg yolks
1/2 t minced garlic
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t prepared yellow mustard
3/4 C olive oil or vegetable oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine all but oil in a food processor or a mixing bowl.  Blend until smooth then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while processing, or mixing with a whisk (or immersion blender but watch for splatters!).  Keep at it until you've added all the oil.  Taste.  Ahhhhh yum.  :)

*Note - you are not eating raw eggs.  The acid in the lemon juice cooks the eggs much like the acid cooks raw fish and chicken in ceviche dishes.  I've also used white wine vinegar or a combination of both lemon juice and white wine vinegar to delicious effects*

Alright, I've a few more to share but they'll have to wait.  This post is getting way long.  :)

So right.  The weekly meal plan.  Hmmmm.......
MONDAY: rollover crockpot baked beans and sausage stew
TUESDAY: some kind of pot roast
WEDNESDAY: pork carnitas, spicy tomato rice
THURSDAY: Family recipe glazed corned beef with colcannon and glazed carrots
FRIDAY: rollover bbq sammies, mac n cheese, peas
SATURDAY: chicken stewed with olives and fennel
SUNDAY: rollover bbq burrito bar
MONDAY: sausage lentil stew (aka italian chili)

OK, sure.  That sounds good.  Everything's on sale save the chicken, which if I felt like I could get on sale at another store.  Most of it's easy and works in the crockpot, which I'm favoring right now since I'm never quite sure what the evenings will be bringing with everything that's going on. 

I'm off to make the grocery list!