Cure for the Common Croup

Considering I blog primarily to remind myself what the heck I made for dinner last week that my husband loved so much, and I am by no means a professional nor even much of a great cook, I keep a journal of food and life to share ideas with whomever may pass by, and hopefully print out and give to my daughter some day =)

That being said, this is no actual cure for Croup, but it sure made my daughter (and family) feel a bit better through it. It's comforting, it's rich, it's warm, and it was mostly my bff's idea to begin with. She told me to help sooth her sore throat she had been drinking warm apple juice with honey in it. And that reminded me that when my husband and I lived in this random cabin on a river in the middle of nowhere a few years ago that we would bunker down on Saturday nights in the loft, playing Scrabble, trying really hard to get NPR to come in on our crapo radio, and drinking what we would call Apple Tea.

It's Simply Apple apple juice and heavy whipping cream heated up to not-quite-boiling with Celestial Seasonings Apple Cinnamon Spice Tea bags. I changed it up slightly for the Croup purpose, omitting the cream, and finishing it off with some organic honey. This paired quite nicely with a warm night playing with the wind chimes on the back porch and a good chunky slice of Irish Soda Bread. A good way to celebrate St. Paddy's Day weekend =)  I love my family.

Sláinte!

PS - If you notice the awesomeness of the mug, I would just like to say that this is one of the most meaningful gifts anyone's ever given me!! (And it came at the perfect time, too, Debs!) If you are looking for a FANTASTIC gift for a tea-or-coffee-holic you want to remind everyday that you care about them, this will do the trick =)

Tostadas de Queso Quemada

I like easy recipes, but I love experimenting and a good challenge even more. Unless I'm pregnant. Pregnancy Purgatory takes over and demands my complete lack of anything fun or good. I am a prisoner in my own body. I simply eat to survive. Save an occasional splurge out at a restaurant when Baby decides he wants a bit of flavor or -GASP- actual nutrition, 90% of the calories I consume are from toast because that's about all my stomach can handle. Cooking? Forget it! That dives my soul into the depths of Prego Hell.

WHO the crap has that bad of a pregnancy? That she can't even cook dinner??? I do, that's who!

This was a healthy dose of both ease and experimentation. That's why tonight, no matter how bad my feet hurt afterwards, when I got a sudden craving for a Veggie Queso Fresco Tostada I jumped at the chance to make it! I hadn't eaten much for 7 hours, so as soon as my husband got home from work and the grocery store I grabbed the ingredients and set in to work.

.....Did I even kiss you hello, Sweetie? *So sorry!*

Now, I can't cook without doing something out of the ordinary. And since my husband was taking a shower before dinner, I had a few extra minutes to experiment in the kitchen. I cut a couple chunks off my queso fresco and popped it in the oven under the broiler.

Let me explain, I am culturally schizophrenic when it comes to queso fresco! When I lived in Mexico, I was served queso fresco on just about everything. Fresh, crumbly, slightly sweet, super-mild, wonderful cheese! Then, each time my husband and I went to Nicaragua on mission trips with our church years ago, I fell in love more and more with their fried cheese, which is just really, really salty queso fresco fried up. But tonight I didn't want to be miserable with heartburn until 3 in the morning after eating fried cheese, so I just thought, "What the heck, I'll bake it and see what it does!"

Queso fresco is crumbly, but at the same time retains a lot of moisture. So, when I put it in the oven it took several minutes to even start to dry out. The moisture that leaked out at first then burned while I continued to bake it, leaving a blackened film on the foil-lined pan and an unpleasant sweet brunt smell, but the cheese itself turned out PERFECTLY!!! I think next time I will lay the cheese out on paper towels for a few minutes first to absorb the excess moisture previous to baking.

WHAT YOU NEED:
12 tostadas
1 package queso fresco
2 packages of your favorite frozen vegetable blends (But feel free to add whatever else you like, like corn or beans)
Olive oil infused with your favorite spices
Sea salt

HOW TO:
Saute veggies in olive oil and salt them well!
Cut 12 slices of queso fresco for baking. If you like salty food, salt the queso freso before it goes in the oven.
Crumble the rest for the topping.
In a foil-lined baking pan place sliced queso fresco. Broil on each side for about 3-4 minutes, ONLY until it starts to brown slightly. You really don't want it to burn, even though at this point I am calling it queso quemada (burnt).
On tostadas, place broken-up queso quemada (baked cheese), then veggies, and crumbled queso fresco.
Yum! Eat! (This would also be fantastic with a good slathering of salsa verde on top!!)

SERVES: 4 hungry adults 3 tostadas each!

COST: $11 for 12 tostadas (91 cents each)

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies Full of Comfort

Are you a big fan of oatmeal cookies? I'm still trying to decide. Love the taste, hate the heartburn... Love the goodness of oatmeal, hate the raisins... Until this recipe came into my life! Yes, it changed my very view of oatmeal in a cookie. The chocolate and fiber and goodness of oats for my heart outweighs the stinging of heartburn (OK, I'm weird, YES oatmeal gives me heartburn!) and, nope, no raisins!!

If you were one of those kids whose moms would give you chocolate chip cookies (or cookie bars in our house) and you were sure the world was alright after all, then this recipe really is for you!

You know, I know that there's more to life than what we eat. I know that food doesn't actually make anything better. But there is some moment of bliss and escape with just bunkering down with a cookie in some soft, cozy spot, taking comfort in something that is ...mmmmm!

And then it is also very sweet to share these with others. It's a wonderful communion to bite into a warm melt-in-your-mouth pocket o'joy and look at your husband and he has the same goofy "mmm" look on his face that you do, as if nothing else could be so yummy! I love sharing a [tiny] crumb of chocolate or sweets with my daughter and she says, with SO much gusto, "NUM-NUM!!!!!!!" And then begs for more, with all the manipulating puppy-eyes an 18-month-old can muster.

But my favorite thing about making these cookies is making them. I LOVE baking. I LOVE cooking. I LOVE feeding others! I like to share, but I LOVE to be the artful master behind the delectable morsel.

So I saw an episode of Good Eats a few days ago (I fall asleep watching Alton Brown most nights) where he was making several recipes with Oats. I want to try each of them, they were all pretty creative. So, since I was inspired, and I wanted sugar, I went with the cookie idea first. Now, when I went to The Food Network's website for his recipe, I found that I didn't like how it looked that much after all, so I also found another one on allrecipes.com and combined the two.... Then ran out of oats and added some stuff... And then some cocoa powder.... Plus a little more sugar and salt to balance that out... Then, well, my recipe didn't resemble anyone's! (Which I LOVE!!!!)

By the way, did I mention these are [mostly] GOOD for you!?!?

So here ya go:

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups wheat bran

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chocolate chips

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 eggs

1/4 cup cocoa powder (Penzey's is BEST!!!!)

3 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. sea salt

HOW TO:

You know what, just mix it all together! Well ok, butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and salt first. Cocoa powder next. And the rest just dump it in at will. Mix it up really well, and it'll turn out =)  Bake at 350.

I made these REALLY big cookies!!! I suggest you do the same, as well. It'll make your loved ones a little happier =)

Copycat

There's something about creating food that is exciting... and disappointing... all at the same time. Last night I was at a loss as to what to make for dinner, and only had about an hour before I had to walk out the door for an event, and had a timebomb of a baby in her crib. I already had black beans cooking the whole day, so I wandered through the contents of my fridge, which all had claim on them for other meals, and ingredients in my head. I thought, "Well, quinoa goes well with everything... I could steal a little bit of this or that from other meals..." And then I tried to open the blasted quinoa package and it had a recipe on the back for a quinoa and black bean dish! "AH! They STOLE my idea!", I thought. Then I realized that the person who came up with that idea had probably been in a pinch for dinner at the time, too. There's no real genius to this. Just well-timed ideas =)

Black Bean Quinoa Mess That Turned Out Great
What you need:
4 cups cooked black beans
3 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked corn
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 organic red bell pepper, minced

What you do:
Mix it all together =)  Good hot or cold. Serve with chips.

15 Foods to Avoid if You Want to Live a Longer Life

I was reading in the newspaper from Sunday that there are THOUSANDS of people in the U.S. alone that die each year because they did not receive a vital organ transplant. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS are waiting at any given time. 10% of them are children. SO SAD!!!!!! WHY aren't more people organ donors??? And, WHY aren't we taking better care of ourselves?!?!?!?!?! Not only do I not want to be in the place where I'm waiting for an organ, but I also don't want to ruin myself so bad that when I die no one can utilize my body parts. If I died in a wreck today, would anyone be able to use my heart? Am I healthy enough for that? If my little girl got so sick that she needed a kidney and I was the only match, would they even be able to use it for her? (Oh GOD! I pray she never does!!! But, I want to be able if necessary.)

Saying that, here's 15 foods you should avoid if you want to live longer... Or help others live longer.

1. ANYthing with high fructose corn syrup
2. Same for corn syrup
3. Sugar
4. Beef that's given hormones and feed a corn-only diet
5. Milk from the same
6. Corn (or anything) that's been genetically modified
7. White potatoes
8. White flour
9. White Rice
10. MSG & all the other ingredients that are the same thing
11. A lot of soy byproducts
12. Pork
13. ANYthing with the word "diet" in it
14. Pre-packaged foods ... Seriously!
15. Any of the conventional vegetables that hold a large amount of pesticides -- what good is it to eat kale (which fights cancer) if it holds so many pesticides that it's going to give you cancer? (There are a few veggies that you really should ONLY buy organic!!!!)

... Even though, I'm not going to lie, I don't like organic spinach as much =(
We're not 100% on this list, mostly out of being too poor for an all-organic diet, but we're working on it =)  I want to either live longer, or help others do so.

21 Really Great Foods for Baby

Another fun list, as part of my "30" series ... Here are some foods that, though they might seem obvious to you, took time for me to learn that they are great "firsts" in Baby's repertoire of consumables =)

Apple -- Cut into "sticks" and double as teethers =)
Avocado -- (Thanks, Gina!!)
Banana -- Obviously...
Beans -- Good for that sweet little heart! ... And, digestion tract!
Blueberries -- Frozen, just thawed a bit, is a GREAT finger-food for Baby to handle! And, aren't really a big choking hazard! (Especially wild blueberries - they're a lot smaller.)
Casseroles -- Lots of good messiness, all rolled up into one easy step for Mom.
Cheese -- Our baby might be weird, but she really digs some cheese!
Chocolate -- I know, you probably think I'm crazy! But, she loves it =)
Hummus -- ANY flavor! No kidding!! Super easy to eat on little bites of pita bread.
Kefir -- Full of Probiotics. Ohhhh, if you're not into Kefir yourself yet, you're missing out. BIG time!! It's yogurt with a little kick. It's an acquired taste, but doesn't take long to acquire it!! Get some TODAY!!!!
Mac & Cheese -- Quick, easy, finger-food friendly, but will need a bath afterwards =)
Organic Red Bell Peppers -- If you can get your kid to eat this, PLEASE do!!! (If you are wondering why, please read the blurb about it at the end of my post on Chop-Block Bread, and also visit this list to see what fruits and veggies hold the most pesticides!!!)
Quesadillas -- Again, with the cheese =)
Quinoa -- A great way to introduce texture. Sneak a little into Baby's pureed food, or just let him/her pick it up as a new finger-food.
Rice -- Please, do your kid a favor and give them anything BUT plain ol' white super-starchy white rice! There are many ways to encourage your child to end up obese, and this is one of them. (Same as white potato... Read the book Sugar Busters!!)
Rolls & Hearty-Grainy Breads
Smoothies! -- YUM!! (Sneak in some spinach & flax seed, too!)
Soups
Turkey/Chicken -- But I think it kind of freaks her out when I do "gobble, gobble" and "ba-gak" noises to let her know what it is... Ooops.

Yogurt -- Greek! (2x protein!)

Zucchini -- I just discovered this one... Dang, Zucchini, where have you BEEN all this time?!?!?!?!

Do YOU have any suggestions?

PS -- Can anyone tell me where to find a really good pre-packaged mac & cheese that includes whole wheat pasta? We actually don't even give Baby white pasta (again, like white rice, white flour, white potato...), and we all miss mac & cheese!!! We used to really like Archer Farms from Target, but they don't have a whole wheat....  HELP!!!! Thanks!!!!

10 Untypical Food Combinations/Recipes

... that might surprise you (or make you yack!)

1. Avocado & Cottage Cheese -- This one did make me yack.
2. Sushi & OJ -- this one's actually my favorite! Before we had a baby, my husband and I would spend money on sushi in a restaurant at every holiday/special occasion... Now that we spend that money on diapers, we eat cheap grocery store sushi... But honestly, I love it. The store has a small cafe to sit down in, so we love eating as a family. Our daughter LOVES sushi! But we always get there and realize we didn't bring our water bottles with us, so we buy their fresh squeezed orange juice. And I promise, there's no better combination!!!
3. Honeydew Melon (or Cantaloupe) & Chocolate Pudding
4. Spiced Egg Salad* with thinly sliced Avocado on Whole Wheat Toast
5. PB & Berry Sandwich -- Limiting your caloric intake? Instead of jelly, throw on a few berries =)
6. Banana Bread & Cream Cheese -- Yum!
7. Peas & Rajas* -- There are a few words that, even though I didn't learn Spanish until 19, are the first words that pop in my head for an object/idea... Weird, I know. But raja is one of them. When I cut peppers of any kind into long strips, the first word in my head is raja, not strip. Anyway, I never would've imagined peas going well with anything spicy, but a dear soul I knew in Mexico did.
8. PB & Waffles -- I'm sorry, dear Brazilian friends, but this one just grosses me out every time!
9. Croissants & Santa Fe Style Philly Cooking Cream -- Bake croissants with a dab of Santa Fe inside... Unexpected goodness!

10. Cream Cheese & Provolone -- There is a coffee shop in our hometown that sells a bagel sandwich called The Magic Cheese. I can't even remember what's on it because I've tried to copy it a number of ways! But the best is: Turn an "everything bagel" inside-out. Put cream cheese and provolone on the inside, with fresh ground black pepper, and toast in the toaster oven, or in the skillet as a grilled cheese!!!

*SPICED EGG SALAD
WHAT YOU NEED:
4 eggs, 4 TBSP. mayo, 2 tsp. crushed brown mustard, 1 1/2 tsp. water, 1/2 tsp. each fresh ground black pepper, paprika, and sea salt, with a slight little pinch dill weed.
HOW TO:
Boil eggs as you normally would. When cool, mix with all other ingredients in the food processor. Slather on sandwich = YUM!!!
(Serves 4)

*PEAS & RAJAS
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 can green peas, 2 jalapeños (capped, seeded, cut into rajas), 2 TBSP. butter, 3 oz. ham chunks, 4 oz. sour cream, little salt (more if unsalted butter)
HOW TO:
Melt butter slowly on low heat. Turn heat up to medium-highish, toss in rajas, and ham. Stir and wait for both ham and jalapeños to start to change color. Stir in peas, salt. Wait just a couple of more minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream. (Salt as needed.) SERVE! Goes great with a quesadilla.
(Serves 4)

23 Things Americans Should(n't) Do While Overseas

{Part of my "30" series... Just for fun!}

THINGS YOU SHOULDN'T DO WHILE ABROAD:
1. Sing loud obnoxious patriotic songs. It's just rude and stupid. Do that at a baseball game in the States.
2. Break ANY kind of law.
3. Wear an American flag on your clothing. Seriously? It's like a target.
4. Argue politics.
5. Argue religion.
6. Smuggle anything into a foreign country.
7. Smuggle anything home from another country.
8. As a female, you really should cover-up... Most other cultures only know American women by the movies they've seen, and will treat you accordingly.
9. Give your opinion on anything major going on in their country. It's their country.
10. Show disgust for any food. (Sometimes braided sheep intestines are the highest form of hospitality!)
11. Barter in a marketplace... Unless it's that kind of marketplace. But still, don't offend the salesman. You can afford an extra $5 for that painting, and the salesman might need that $5 to feed his kids for a week.

THINGS YOU SHOULD DO WHILE IN A FOREIGN LAND:
1. Thank everyone for everything.
2. Learn as many words in the local language as possible, and use them often.
3. The first thing you should learn how to say: "I don't speak [XYZ Language]; please teach me."
4. Don't give up if you make a real language blunder... Because you will =)
5. Eat ANYthing set before you!!!
6. Eat EVERYthing set before you!!! (Unless in one of those cultures where it's rude for one to ever finish their food.)
7. Eat seconds if offered!
8. Ask to learn how to cook whatever your host fed you. You will be given the cultural experience of a lifetime.
9. Ask that friendly local taxi driver/barkeep/waitress what THEIR favorite site is to see in the area, and go see it. You'll be glad you did.
10. If invited, go to a local place of worship. It will enlighten you to where another person/culture is coming from. Someone's entire worldview is centered on their religion most times... I know mine is.
11. Tip. Everyone. For everything.
12. Be moderate in your alcohol intake... Or you'll end up doing all the "shouldn'ts" aforementioned. =)