Recipes

Bake Sale for Japan – THANK YOU!!

April 4, 2011 By Jennifer McClanahan 5 Comments

No matter how your droplet of help feels compared to the ocean of need, it is always better to do something rather than nothing at all.

Jennie Bea Cookies Dressed and Ready to Sale

Thank you to everyone who donated and ordered cookies from me for the Bake Sale for Japan. I was so proud to hand over my check for $175 dollars as I dropped off the rest of my cookies at the bake sale. I donated 6 dozen at the 18 Reasons location and they sold them for the suggested price of $20 a dozen. I am happy to report that the Jennie Bea Good cookies were some of the first to sell! That means I raised at least $295 for Japan and I could not have done it without your help. Bi-Rite market, the founders of 18 Reasons, pledged to match up to $2500 of all monies raised at the 18 Reason location which brought my total to almost $600. The grand total raised at all locations is estimated to be over $100,000. UPDATE – The grand total raised as of April 8 is $130,321.17!!

At first, I was a bit bummed that I only raised $295. Then I read something about bake sales that changed my perspective. Bake sales maximize your contribution and bring the community together. By participating in a bake sale, you raise more money than you would give on your own and you create a sense of goodwill for those who buy from you. I agree with that. I was tempted to text to the Red Cross and contribute my $10 and be done with it. Instead, I used my $10 to buy ingredients that created a total contribution of $295. Of course, I spent more than $10 but I would definitely say that I raised over three times my investment in the ingredients. I am sure that I would not have written a check for $295 and definitely not $600.

Zoe bakes cookies for Bake Sale for Japan

Zoe baking cookies after face painting at school.

In addition, I baked with my daughter, Zoë. She kept asking if we were sending cookies to all the kids in Japan. I kept trying to explain the bake sale concept but she just kept thinking that the kids in Japan would be happy to get all of these cookies. She also came down to the bake sale and found out that her cookies were some of the first to sale. The other volunteers thanked her for her efforts. She experienced the joy of giving. That was invaluable.

The bake sale itself was exciting. All the tiredness I felt from earlier in the week dissipated once I was around the other bakers and shoppers. It was fun. I met people in the community, shared recipes and just felt good about myself. I wasn’t expecting to feel so good. Click here to see picutres taken by Samantha Barsky of Noteify.

I thank all of you who shared this experience with me because, as written by Dana from the kitchn, “In the end, a bake sale’s greatest contribution isn’t just the money raised, it’s also the experience of community and the satisfaction that comes from joining together for a greater good. This takes us beyond the anonymous, individual act of writing a check and into a larger sense of belonging.”

Thank you for being part of the Food On Our Table community.

Little Missy’s
This was the most popular cookie I sold during Bake Sale for Japan week.

1¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup pecans, finely ground and toasted
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted
2½ cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons half and half, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, nuts, coconut and oatmeal. Whisk together until well blended. In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and light. Add sugar and brown sugar and cream until well combined. Add the eggs one at time, making sure each

is well incorporated in to the batter. Mix in half and half and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

Refrigerate batter for 15 minutes. Using an ice-cream scoop, drop the batter onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or so until nice golden brown. Cool on cookies sheet for 3 minutes and then remove and cool on a wire rack.

When making a large number of cookies, I usually prepare these a day or so in advance. You can scoop batter onto plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You could also place in a freezer bag and freeze up to 2 months.

Filed Under: Cookies Tagged With: bake sale for japan, community, Cookies, family, fund raising, recipes

We LOVE Quinoa!

March 22, 2011 By Jennifer McClanahan 4 Comments

Thank you to those of you who responded to my quest for a tasty quinoa recipe. I received recipes via email, snail mail and in the comment section of the original blog. For those of you who need to catch up here is the original blog.

Of the recipes and suggestions I received, I made stuffed bell peppers with quinoa and quinoa with black beans. I received a recipe from Andy’s mom with roasted vegetables and quinoa and a curried quinoa salad with mango from Mary at Canteen Catering. I look forward to trying those but have to say I was so excited about the two I made, I didn’t want to wait to share my favorite. We have been receiving mangos in our CSA so I will let you know how the curried quinoa salad turns out, no worries.

We loved both recipes. Zoe ate each meal without hesitation and Andy and I went back for seconds on both. Andy even asked to have the stuffed bell peppers again last night, that’s right you heard me a request for more quinoa!!!! The only problem with the stuffed bell pepper recipe I used was that it took an entire Sunday afternoon to prepare and then you had to freeze them overnight, then cook them upside down until almost done and then flip them, add cheese and cook for another 10 minutes. It basically took 24 hours to prepare them. I cannot, in good conscious, recommend a recipe that requires that type of a commitment.

The winner came from Kristy Moon at Muddy Toes and Garbanzos. She recommended the Quinoa and Black Beans. We literally could not eat enough of this. I served it as a side to some other Mexican dish that I can’t even recall because the meal was really all about the quinoa. Loved, loved, loved, loved it! Thank you

Kristy for reading and sharing. You rock and can now add to your list of life accomplishments the enrichment of the health of my family. I am also excited to say that I read a chicken and quinoa burrito recipe and decided that burritos would be the perfect vehicle for this fabulous recipe, so I will add that recipe as a bonus. Without further ado, I present to you the quinoa recipe that forever changed my view of the healthy grain.

Quinoa and Black Beans
Serves 10

This recipe was adapted from a recipe sent to me by Kristy Moon at Muddy Toes and Garbanzos. She referred it from AllRecipes.com where it has received rave reviews. It is fabulous by itself or as a base for Chicken Burritos.

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2/3 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 ½ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice from 1 lime

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and sauté until lightly browned.

Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with broth. Season with chili powder, cumin, oregano cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir corn and black beans into the quinoa and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the cilantro and lime juice. Serve warm.

Chicken and Quinoa Burrito
Serves 4

I adapted this recipe form Real Simple and it is super easy. If you use left over chicken (or steak) this recipe will take you 20 minutes.

4 burrito-size whole wheat tortillas, warmed
1 cup shredded chicken breast
2 cups quinoa and black beans
1 cup grated jack cheese
½ cup low-fate Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 avocado sliced

Dividing evenly, top the warmed tortillas with the chicken, quinoa and black beans, cheese, yogurt and avocado. Roll into burritos and serve.

Filed Under: Vegetables & Side Dishes Tagged With: chikcen and quinoa burritos, family meals, quinoa and black beans, quinoa burritos, quinoa recipes

Can You Make Dinner in 30 minutes? How about Asian Chicken Salad in under One Hour?

March 7, 2011 By Jennifer McClanahan 5 Comments

I have been asking my friends that regularly cook family meals if they cook healthy dinners in 30 minutes. Most of them say that 30 minutes is tough but that dinner can be prepared and served in under an hour. I think that the idea of 30 minute meals is part of the construct of having to doing it all. We must have great kids, a great career, be a good cook, a good mom and cook dinner in 30 minutes. The thing is I want some of those things, some of the time. Some days I want to cook an amazing meal and try a daring new recipe. Other days, I want to rock at work. Most days I just want to hang out with my daughter.

The real question is do you enjoy making dinner in 30 minutes? The ideal of rushing home to then rush to prepare and serve dinner in 30 minutes is stressful. Making dinner is part of my transition from work to home. It takes me more than 30 minutes to turn off work and tune into my family. Rushing to make dinner does not get me in the frame of mind to sit and relax at the dinner table.

The other problem with trying to make dinner in 30 minutes is the tendency to rely on prepared or processed foods. I would rather spend an hour on dinner if it means that I am cooking real food. I stopped watching shows that tell me I can cook a meal in 30 minutes. TV has created another expectation where I will fall short.

I will say that there is a place for easy to prepare dinners. Date nights, hectic travel schedules, late nights at work are all occasions when you need to be able to prepare a quick meal for your family. Egg burritos and chicken quesadillas are popular quick dinners in my house. I found a terrific recipe for an Asian Chicken Salad that can be made in 45 minutes. The next time you are tired or short on time, I recommend you try it.

45 Minute Asian Chicken Salad
Serves 4 – 6
I saw Giada De Laurentiis make this recipe on her show Giada at Home. I made a few changes by using easy to find ingredients and roasting the chicken breast on the bone. It was so good that the three of us ate the entire salad. If you use leftover chicken breast, you could make this salad in about 30 minutes.

Salad:
2 medium chicken breast, bone-in, skin on
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
½ cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 large carrot
1 small napa cabbage, shredded
1 small head of romaine lettuce, shredded
1 small red pepper, thinly sliced
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves or 2 teaspoons dried mint leaves

Dressing:
¼ cup

organic canola oil
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub the skin with canola oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place sheet pan in the oven and roast for 25 – 30 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked, about 165 degrees. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and thinly slice.

While the chicken is cooking arrange the slivered almonds and sesame seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet in the oven and toast for 5 – 6 minutes until lightly golden. Set aside to cool.

To prepare the salad, use a vegetable peeler and shave the carrot into a large salad bowl. Stir in the cabbage, lettuce, bell pepper, and green onion. Add the chicken, almonds and sesame seeds. Toss to combine salad.

For the dressing, whisk together the oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Serve immediately.

Filed Under: Salad Tagged With: 30 minute meals, asian chicken salad, chicken salad, family meals, recipes, salad

Real Food Dies

February 21, 2011 By Jennifer McClanahan 5 Comments

At lunch the other day, a friend of mine told me how proud she was of herself for organizing her pantry. I have had a lot of those types of conversations lately. She was overwhelmed by the amount food she had stocked and was exasperated because all of the food in her pantry had an expiration date. I interpreted that as a good thing and I told her if it doesn’t have an expiration date, then it isn’t food. She looked at me blankly so I repeated it.

Real food is alive and at some point it dies. You know when you go into the refrigerator and pull out the limp celery that its time on this earth is coming to an end. There are a few exceptions to this rule, honey may crystallize but it doesn’t die. However, much of the processed food we eat is the product of food science and is not made from fresh, whole foods. Michael Pollan calls these food-like substances. In his book, Food Rules he says, “Real food is alive-and therefore should eventually die. Besides, the more processed a food is, the longer the shelf life, and the less nutritious it typically is.”

Now this is not to say that all processed foods are bad. My quality of life would be greatly diminished without yogurt, bread and canned tomatoes. It’s the foods like “fruit” bars, pop-tarts and “cheese” spread that make me wonder. If those products contained real fruit or cheese how could they stay “fresh” for up to two years? Buying processed food does mean that you need to read the label.

My friend was quite struck by the thought that real food should have an expiration date. It reframed the way she viewed processed foods. She thought it was such a good idea that I should blog about it. In her honor, I will say it once more. If you buy a packaged product at the grocery store and it doesn’t have an expiration date, it is not food.

To help in your decision making process, I am including a funny food flowchart created Darya Pino, neuroscience PhD, columnist, and foodie. Check out her excellent blog Summer Tomato.

Filed Under: Recipes

Happy Valentine’s Day to Your Heart

February 14, 2011 By Jennifer McClanahan 2 Comments

February is American Heart month and since today is Valentine’s Day, I thought I would write a quick post about loving your heart. Did you know more women die of heart disease than the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer? The best Valentine’s present you can give your family and yourself is good nutrition. One way that I make my kitchen central to a healthy lifestyle is to lighten up my recipes (see my Chicken Parmesan recipe below). I use healthier oils like canola and olive oil, cook with whole grains and try to serve two different vegetables with dinner each night.

If you take the time to cook at home you may as well make the effort to buy fresh whole foods at the grocery store. It takes a little more time to roast a chicken with fresh vegetables than to pop a frozen dinner in the microwave. However, prepared frozen dinners are usually high in sodium. High sodium diets are linked to an increase in blood pressure and a higher risk for heart disease and stroke. One in three American adults, that’s 82 million people, is estimated to have one or more types of cardiovascular disease. Love your heart and make the effort.

The American Heart Association has identified seven simple behaviors that impact health and quality of life. The Simple Seven are:

 Don’t Smoke
 Lose Weight
 Get Active
 Manage Blood Pressure
 Control Cholesterol
 Reduce Blood Sugar
 Eat Better

Most of the behaviors are associated with your diet and are things that can be controlled. Check out the American Heart Association website for more information, www.heart.org.

What do you do to keep your heart healthy?

Chicken Parmesan
Serves 4
This was adapted from a recipe on Delish.com. It is a simple, healthy and delicious version of Chicken Parmesan. I make a simple marinara sauce instead of using bottled sauce to control the sugar and sodium. For a complete dinner, I top whole wheat pasta with the marinara sauce to serve alongside the chicken. This is a family favorite.

½ cup white whole wheat flour
Salt and pepper to taste
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 breasts cut into 4 portions or 4 small breasts)
4 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups baby spinach
1 cup marinara sauce, recipe follows
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup part-skim mozzarella, shredded

Position top rack about 4 inches from the top of the oven and preheat the broiler.

Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Place chicken between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or heavy sauce pan until the chicken is about ¼ inch thick (To save time you can have the butcher do it at the store while you continue to grocery shop). Dip the chicken in the flour mixture and turn until well coated. Place on plate or wire rack and set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 -3 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a small bowl and return the pan to the stove. Add the rest of the oil to the pan, keeping temperature at medium-high. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes each side. Make sure not to crowd the chicken in the pan. Transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a large baking that has been lightly coated with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining breasts, if necessary.

Layer each breast with ¼ of the wilted spinach, ¼ of the marinara sauce, ¼ of the Parmesan and ¼ of the mozzarella cheese. Place chicken breasts in the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and the breasts are cooked through, about 3 -4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Quick Marinara Sauce
Makes 7 cups
This is a simple and easy sauce.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 – 2 cup(s) fresh spinach chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seed
½ teaspoon each dried thyme and marjoram leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 28 ounce can of chunky tomato sauce

In a deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring regularly. Add spinach and cook until spinach has wilted. Add fennel seed, thyme and marjoram leaves, salt and pepper. Stir until spices are completely incorporated with the vegetables. Stir tomatoes into the vegetable mixture and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Filed Under: Family Recipes, Poultry, Zoë's Favorites Tagged With: chicken parmesan, family meals, healthy diet, heart disease, recipes

In Defense of Eating Out – Discovering Poached Pears

February 7, 2011 By Jennifer McClanahan 6 Comments

Zoë and I took Andy out to dinner on his birthday. We went to Bar Bambino in the Mission. It is an Italian restaurant that serves food in a very hip, Mission kind of way. They have great cheese and charcuterie trays so we ordered both as starters. Zoë wasn’t so interested in the cheese tray but did branch out and try the poached pears that were served on the side. I wasn’t sure that she was going to like them. She LOVED them, so much so that we asked for seconds at the very, hip Mission restaurant that doesn’t allow seconds on the poached pears off the cheese tray. The kibosh on seconds was actually a good thing as I remembered we had three unripe Bosc pears at home waiting for such a use. I promised her I would make them at home as a special dessert. If we hadn’t eaten out, it would not have occurred to me to poach those pears.

That following Saturday, I broke out the cookbooks looking for just the right poached pear recipe. It would be Zoë’s last dessert as a three year-old and I figured making it right would be worth some effort. Most of the recipes used red wine but Alice Waters had a recipe calling for a fruity white wine. A fruity white wine would go well with an almost four-year old palate. Preparing the poaching liquid was simple but it took 45 minutes to poach the pears, so plan in advance. I served the pears warm over vanilla ice-cream with a bit of the sauce. If you have unripe pears and you aren’t sure what to do with them, you should try this recipe.

Poached Pears in White Wine
Serves 3

The recipe was adapted from Alice Waters Chez Panisse Fruit cookbook. This recipe serves three real eaters. You could stretch it to four but my family of three had no problem putting away three pears with vanilla bean ice cream. I used a white sauvignon blanc dessert wine. It was fabulous but any fruity white will work.

1 ½ cups fruity white wine
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
One 1-inch piece vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
½ cinnamon stick broken into pieces or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated zest and juice of one lemon
3 firm, not-quite-ripe Bosc pears, peeled, stems intact

Pour the wine, water and sugar into a sauce pan that will hold the pears snuggly. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the syrup. Add the bean pods, cinnamon stick, lemon zest and juice. Arrange the pears in the liquid and cover with a piece of parchment paper and a plate to keep the pears submerged (I used a potato masher, believe it or not, because all my plates were too big for my saucepan). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and maintain the liquid to a slow simmer, cooking pears until tender, about 45 minutes, depending on ripeness. A paring knife should slice into the center of a pear without resistance.

Serve pears warm, or let cool to room temperature, still weighted and submerged in the liquid, and refrigerate to serve later, chilled. Serve along with vanilla ice cream.

To make a sauce measure about 1 cup of the poaching liquid, return to the saucepan, and reduce to a thick syrup over medium heat. A splash of wine at the end will brighten the flavor.

Filed Under: Desserts, Meatless Mondays, Recipes, Vegetables & Side Dishes, Zoë's Favorites Tagged With: dessert, eating out, family meals, fruit desserts, poached pears, recipe

The Ritual of Cooking and Eating Family Meals

January 31, 2011 By Jennifer McClanahan 4 Comments

After four years of parenting I am still stunned by the effort, patience and strength of will it takes to be present with my child. I am sure the wiser and experienced parents are sayng, I ain’t seen nothing yet. That scares me a bit. Will eating healthy food together as a family make a difference in the long run? I know that spending time focused on one another over dinner keeps us connected, it keeps us present.

We started eating together as a family when my daughter was a little over two years old, before then the nanny had all the pleasure of meals with her. We found that we enjoyed the relaxed slowness of family meals but it took awhile before we found our rhythm. I had to commit to being home from work by 5:30 pm to have dinner finished before bath time. It was hard to set a deadline to leave the office, it took determination. I had to plan and grocery shop days in advance. It hadn’t occurred to me when I was pregnant how much time I would spend preparing. By the time she was three years old, family breakfast and dinner was a ritual. Now, we rarely miss a dinner meal together.

The other day I asked Zoë what she likes best about eating dinner together, she smiled and shrugged and said she just loves it. I know she loves the predictability. She lives by her schedule and doesn’t much appreciate any deviation. She also likes that she has our attention; we banned TV, phones, toys and reading material. She watches how Andy and I interact with each other, she has learned to debate nicely at the table and to agree to just disagree. But she also gets to see us slow down and relax. Now she likes to wait to share her school day until “we are all sitting down.”

How does making all this effort make life easier? It makes me eliminate things that aren’t as important as being present with my family. It gives me the chance to savor watching her grow up. It has made me a better, faster, simpler cook. She eats her vegetables without argument with the exception of squash.

How can you build your own ritual? Just decide to.

Here it is, the fourth week of my kitchen boot camp and I am all sappy about eating with my family. I thought I would share the top ten benefits from saving, making and creating time in my kitchen:

1. The organization and planning saved me time and energy.

2. I was excited to cook in my clean and organized kitchen.

3. I saved money by not thrown away any food this month.

4. I created time for writing by focusing on my priorities.

5. I enjoyed the time spent at family meals.

6. Instead of asking what’s for dinner, Andy now reads the calendar and says, “Oh we are having _____ for dinner.”

7. We all greatly appreciated going out to dinner for Andy’s birthday.

8. We didn’t gain any weight.

9. Zoë is trying new foods.

10. I am relaxed.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: family meals, saving money, Saving Time

Late Breaking News – Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

January 30, 2011 By Jennifer McClanahan 2 Comments

Last Friday was proclaimed National Blueberry Pancake day by Driscoll’s Berry Association. I was excited and dismayed at the same time. There is nothing my family loves more than pancakes for breakfast; blueberries inside is just a bonus. However, blueberries aren’t in season, hence my dismay. I am really trying to buy local and seasonal produce. To Andy’s dismay, I haven’t bought a fresh tomato since December.

I bounced around the idea of using frozen blueberries, thawed and drained, but it just sounded messy. I gave up the thought of participating in any blueberry events in the winter. Then I went to the farmers’ market this morning and found dried blueberries. I was surprised by the kick of blueberry taste. They had the texture of raisins without the sugary stickiness. I instantly imagined them in a scone but then I started to envision them in a pancake. I may be a day late but I was back in the blueberry pancake game. I figured I would just go for it; I like nothing more than participating in wacky food holidays. Worse case if they didn’t work in the pancake we could pick them out.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes
I adapted this recipe from Bette’s Diner Buttermilk Pancake recipe. These pancakes are delicious without the fruit but adding the blueberries makes them fun. You can substitute organic canola oil for the butter. However, the key is to use butter if you plan to refrigerate or freeze them for breakfast later in the week.

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
½ cup milk
¼ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh, thawed frozen or dried blueberries

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, flaxseed meal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, yogurt, milk, lemon zest, vanilla and butter; mix until well combined. Add the liquids ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once, stirring just until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries. The batter should be lumpy and thick. Let the batter rest for 15 – 20 minutes. You can prepare the batter to this point and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Heat a lightly oiled griddle. Using a ladle, pour about ½ cup portion on the hot griddle. Cook pancakes for three minutes or until bubbles appear on top of the pancake. Flip the pancakes and cook for 2 -3 minutes more, until the other sides are browned. Place cooked pancakes on a platter and place in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Zoë's Favorites

Save Time – Control Your To-Do List

January 24, 2011 By Jennifer McClanahan Leave a Comment

Planning, discipline and self-control, could cooking sound more boring? That was how I was beginning to feel about my boot-camp regimen and now I am on week three, self–control. Self-control is the control or restraint of one’s action – ugh. I decided that the best way to look at this is to control the other things I do, instead of pressuring myself into a rigid meal-planning and cooking routine. I figured if I am not feeling overwhelmed by my to-do list I can take time to enjoy the process of cooking. I used to meditate, exercise, cook breakfast, go to work, run errands, try to complete all my work and other miscellaneous household tasks, rush home, cook, prepare lunch for the next day, clean the kitchen or get Zoë to bed, read and then write. No wonder making time to write was so hard, I was exhausted when I finally got to it.

I decided to create core priorities and now writing, cooking, work and exercise are my top priorities each day. I control all the other secondary things I chose to do with my time. I set the framework of my day with my core priorities and I work in up to two more priorities for the day. If it is going to be a busy day at work, I don’t add anything else to my to-do list. If there is a task I am not looking forward to and I know there may be some procrastination involved, I only add that one thing to my day. I realized that my to-do list was arbitrary and was the thing I had the most control over.

It has been working. Not only am I more relaxed; I feel a real sense of accomplishment at the end of my day. I was so relaxed when I got home form work on Tuesday, I went off my menu plan and made clams and mussels for dinner instead of tacos. We had left over wine and I had all the other ingredients on hand except the clams and mussels. Andy stopped by the fish store on his way home and we had a spur of the moment elegant Tuesday night dinner. It was fun watching Zoë bask in her love of seafood. She was up to her elbows in clam shells. I also had time to make zucchini bread from the zucchinis that unexpectedly came in my produce delivery last week. I felt good about using them before they went bad and the bread was so tasty (see the recipe below). It felt good to have the time to be spontaneous. Cooking that night was fun and dinner was much better than I had originally planned. I think there is something to this idea of self-control.

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread
My mom made zucchini bread growing up and our family would eat loaf after loaf. It never lasted long. Hers had pineapple, raisins and walnuts. I have adapted this version from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain cookbook. It is simpler and appeals to Zoë’s picky palate. I omitted the nuts so that Zoe can take it to school in her lunch. I love the addition of lemon zest. It gave the bread a different dimension in flavor.

1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup flaxseed meal
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
¾ cup low-fat milk
½ cup organic canola oil
1 ½ cup shredded zucchini
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

Whisk together the flours, sugars, flaxseed meal, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. In a separate bowl or large mixing cup whisk the eggs, milk and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until everything is moistened. Stir in zucchini and lemon zest. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove the bread from the oven and cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Take the bread out of the pan and finishing cooling on a wire rack, if you can wait that long.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Desserts Tagged With: family meals, meal planning, recipe, self-control, to-do lists

The Time Cop Cleans the Pantry

January 17, 2011 By Jennifer McClanahan 2 Comments

After I wrote the post on making peace with time, I read The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. In the book, he talks about Time Cops and Time Slackers. Time Cops get where they need to be on time and regularly remind others to do the same. Time Cops get frustrated when people don’t show up on time and get particularly furious with Time Slackers. You can guess the persona of the Time Slacker. In fact, if you are a Time Cop your spouse or partner is probably a Time Slacker. Those of you who know me, know I am Time Cop. I can see that in trying to police time, I have framed it as something that easily gets out of my control. I thought that time needed to have rules and responsibilities. That time was something outside of me and that if I didn’t get a handle on it, it would just slip away. The interesting supposition in this book is, as he states, “You’re where time comes from.”

I had to sit with that a minute. To really make peace with time, I have to realize that I create it. It doesn’t run me. I am sure you are wondering what all this has to do with my kitchen. Fundamentally, it has to do with spending time with my family. Cooking family meals ensures that we can sit together as a family and just spend time together. I have been creating this time with them since my daughter was born. However, I have been running and racing and huffing and puffing to make it happen. Now I am going to decide how to best create time to focus on family dinners.

Cleaning, inventorying and organizing my pantry is the place to start. I do not want to create to time dig through my pantry to find the canned tomatoes. Cleaning my refrigerator is the next step, how many more times do I want to push aside the old BBQ sauce. Most importantly, I take one day of the week, Saturday, and plan my meals and write my grocery list for the upcoming week. Then I am done, the meals are on the calendar, the grocery list is prepared and I can take an hour long trip to the store. I can then stock my groceries in an organized pantry and refrigerator when I return from the store. Now I am ready for the week and free to enjoy the rest of my weekend.

Here is how my pantry looked before organizing.

The pantry after cleaning and organizing