{week 35}

I cooked a lot this week. I mean, I cook a lot every week, but this week I photographed it. And by photographed, I mean grabbed my phone with a greasy hand to take a picture. It was pretty yummy stuff. Warm pasta salad with summer squash, eggs in hash brown nests for make ahead breakfasts and stir-fry (that one I totally made up, so there's no link to a recipe). In addition, I ate one of the best peaches I've ever had. Good gracious. It tasted like summer.

We also "camped" in the backyard on Sunday afternoon, complete with bathing suits, bubbles, lawn chairs and koozies. The rest of the week was a blur of school, chocolate smeared all over our faces, dance moves, camouflage hats with flash lights in them, upside-down playground madness, a Fancy Nancy dinner all dressed up by our two fabulous daughters, a Lumpkin family reunion and gearing up for the first Georgia game of the year - complete with a new rhinestone enhanced baseball cap for Mommy. Priorities, you know?

We're settled in to the school year schedule. Up early and to bed early, which suits me just fine. Cassidy is still l-o-v-i-n-g kindergarten, Kalea comes home with a handful of crazy three year old stories every day and Cade seems to enjoy the peace & quiet that comes when his big sisters are at school. I'm enjoying the time with just my little guy & scheming up projects, recipes, birthday parties and other crazy things to occupy my time while Michael is looking forward to football season &, well, football season. What a great way to end August.

{week 32}

What a week!!! Thanks to our friend Julie for loaning me her real camera (since I left mine in Macon!!!) for Cassidy's first week of kindergarten. But, of course, I snapped plenty of iPhone pictures too! We started the week lazily with a pajama day crafting & watching movies in anticipation of the long week ahead. And also, my girls love anything bead/glue/glitter/mess related, so it was a win. Tuesday was the practice bus ride, meet & greet and then the big girl & I had a mommy-daughter date shopping for a first day of school outfit, a couple books - we got "The Kissing Hand" & "Llama, Llama Misses Mama" among other {tearjerkers}, and went out for lunch. Wednesday was the first day of school. Cassidy had a wonderful day and was all smiles getting on & off of the bus. The early morning totally wore everyone in the family out though. Cade took a monster nap in the afternoon and Kalea was asleep in her bed by 6:30 that night!!! 

So, we're adjusting. I'm making bigger pots of coffee in the morning, bedtime is earlier and, thankfully, easier for the most part. Kalea and Cade are getting to spend some quality sibling time together. (And I laugh, because JUST as I typed this, they started fighting. Yep, quality.) It hasn't been without a couple bumps in the road. Cassidy, on the surface, is doing amazingly well with such a big transition. However she's had her moments of complete meltdowns that seem completely unrelated - I'm sure due to being over tired and not quite used to everything. We're back to packing lunches, meal planning (that yummy salmon is this recipe. one pot, super easy, 25 minutes from start to finish) and seeing the sun peak over the trees in the morning. And blessed through all of it. 

{strawberry yogurt cake}

I came across this post via Pinterest last weekend after getting home from Elliot's Farm nearby Gran & Poppy's house, where we were spending Easter. 

We saw llamas, peacocks, chickens, roosters, goats & more with Saige & Poppy!

The girls were beyond thrilled when they realized that taste testing was allowed!

After all the hard work, we were rewarded with fresh strawberry ice-cream. De-li-cious!

All said, each girl picked nearly a full bucket & we ended up with close to 8 lbs of strawberries which we split between Gran, Aunt Dawn & us. And, even though we picked at them for the rest of the weekend there were still a lot left today - and they were starting to turn. It was time to make strawberry cake!

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tb. lemon juice, divided
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 8 oz. plain Greek yogurt
• 12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 325°. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside. Note: Do not leave bowl of flour in front of two year old & turn around. Blowing will be irresistible & the mess will be large.

2.  With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.

3.  Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter. Note: Turn around again & the 2 year old will start taking pictures with your camera!

4.  Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

5.  Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. 

6.  Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake. Eat!!

 

Printable recipe can be found here!

{cookies with daddy}

We were kind of short on Christmas cookies this year, but we did make a little bit of effort.

We made Mommy's favorite, peanut butter blossoms,

reindeer cookies, courtesy of Pinterest, 

& vanishing oatmeal raisin/chocolate chip cookies.
Which I didn't take a picture of because they disappeared too quickly. And also, I forgot.

What are your favorite, kid friendly Christmas or everyday cookie recipes?

project 365 photo: 09.10.2011 {monkey bread}

Ingredients:

2 cans refrigerated biscuits
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick butter (1 cup)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-10 inch tube pan.

2. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized plastic bag. Cut the biscuits into quarters (use a pizza cutter!) and place biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Shake well.

3. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the greased pan. Continue layering until all the biscuit pieces are coated and in the pan. If you are using raisins, place them among the biscuit pieces as you are layering.

4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the layered biscuits.

5. Bake for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Pull apart and enjoy!

- Posted from my iPhone

mmmm. my favorite summer pasta dish.

It's springtime nearing summertime & my taste-buds are ready for fresh fruits & vegetables and cold, tasty treats. In fact, I've been craving real lemonade for about two weeks. Fortunately for me our local Farmers Market at Pioneer Park starts this Saturday so, if the weather & little people in my life cooperate, I'll be able to give into those cravings very, very soon. In the meantime, I made my favorite summer salad for dinner tonight: pasta salad with tofu & mozzarella. It's a quick, easy lunch or dinner that is good the day of & excellent the day after for lunch either cold, room temperature or warmed. You can easily substitute chicken for tofu too, if you're soy inclined. (omg - I crack myself up)

Hope you're gearing up for summer veggie season somehow or another too! Links to easy, kid-friendly summer vegetable recipes welcome anytime!

project 365 photo: 04.04.2011

You know summer is on the way when strawberry prices start going down & shortcake is on the menu. Cassidy helped me made my favorite, easy Bisquick shortcake recipe the other night. Everyone, especially Kalea, enjoyed the yummy treat with whipped cream for dessert!

Bisquick biscuits:

• 2 1/3 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 Tbsp sugar

Heat oven to 425°F. Stir baking mix, melted butter, milk, and 3 Tbsp of sugar in a mixing bowl until soft dough forms. Drop by 6 spoonfuls on to a greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 6 biscuits.

black olive & potato stew

Black Olive & Potato Stew
from DeliciousTV's VegEZ podcast

Serves 3-4 | Hands-On Time: 20m | Total Time: 45m

Ingredients
2 lbs. Yukon Gold or any waxy potato
1/4 c. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 c. pitted kalamata olives
15 oz. can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste
(optional) additional vegetables such as green beans, zucchini or leeks

Directions

1. Quarter potatoes then cut in half again.
2. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy stew pot & add potatoes. Toss to coat.
3. Add garlic & olives & saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add tomatoes & stir.
5. Cover the pot, lower temperature & let simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. If you choose to add extra veggies, do so about half way through.
7. Add herbs, salt & pepper & stir a minute or so prior to serving.

Jackie's notes: I may have used a few extra potatoes & thought the mixture wasn't "stew-y" enough so I added an extra can of tomatoes & upped the herbs a little. This was a really, really easy to make dinner that tasted great the next day for lunch too. I made it early in the day while the kids were napping & then reheated it over the stove later. If you use canned tomatoes with salt you won't need to add any salt at all since the olives are so salty. We, as shown in the photo, added green beans. The girls, who are generally a fan of anything with olives, chowed down on it. A keeper of a recipe!

project 365 photo: 03.16.2011 {asparagus & soft eggs on toast + salt & vinegar bites}

salt & vinegar bites 

(Vegetarian Times, March 2011)

Serves 8 (portions must be tiny, I'd say more like 5)| Hands-On Time: 15m | Total Time: 1hr 30 min

Ingredients

6 medium red or yellow potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (3 cups) 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cup malt vinegar

3 Tbsp. sugar

Directions

1. Soak potatoes in large bowl of cold water 30 minutes. Drain, and pat dry.
2. Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss potatoes with oil on baking sheet, and spread in single layer. Roast 45 minutes, or until golden and crisp, turning 2 or 3 times. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. Meanwhile, bring vinegar and sugar to a simmer in saucepan over medium heat. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half, stirring occasionally. Serve malt sauce on side for dipping, or drizzle over potatoes.

asparagus & soft eggs on toast 

(Real Simple, May 2009)

Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 20m | Total Time: 20m 

Ingredients

4 slices rustic country bread

1 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

8 large eggs

1/4 cup Parmesan (1 ounce)

 

Directions

1. Heat broiler. Place the bread and asparagus on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. 
2. Broil until the bread is toasted, 1 to 2 minutes per side; transfer the bread to plates. Continue broiling the asparagus, tossing once, until tender, 4 to 8 minutes more. 
3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Carefully lower the eggs into the water. Reduce heat and gently simmer for 6 minutes. Cool under running water and peel. 
4. Divide the asparagus among the toast, sprinkle on the Parmesan, and top with the eggs.

project 365 photo: 03.04.2011 {kale & white bean soup}

I've heard these voices lately that keep saying, "What have you been doing with your time? And furthermore, why haven't you published more adorable pictures of your children or delicious recipes?" I get it, you miss me when I'm gone. I promise, I'm just sitting around eating bon-bons (or mint oreos, holy cow, I'm addicted to those & peppermint mocha coffeemate creamer. I bought 3 containers at the store the other day. they were on sale. and I had a coupon. it would have been simply wasteful not to buy them. so I'm also highly caffeinated lately while sitting around.)


Anyhow, we made Kale & White Bean Soup for dinner. It's an amazingly simple recipe - and especially so with the help of my super awesome immersion blender. It's my all time favorite kitchen gadget, especially because my wonderful mother-in-law bought it for me one recent Christmas with the whisk & food processor attachments. Get one. Now.


White Bean Soup 
Cooking Light, March 2002

Roasted garlic adds a robust flavor to this nourishing bean soup. If you're not a fan of kale, try Swiss chard. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

Ingredients

• 1  whole garlic head
• 4  teaspoons  olive oil, divided
• 1  cup  finely chopped onion
• 3/4  teaspoon  sea salt
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped carrot
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped peeled potato
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped celery
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh rosemary
• 2  tablespoons  tomato paste
• 6  cups  Vegetable Stock
• 1  (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, drained
• 4  cups  chopped fresh kale
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Brush with 1 teaspoon olive oil; wrap in foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins.
• Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over medium-heat. Add onion and salt; sauté 5 minutes. Add carrot and the next 4 ingredients (carrot through tomato paste); cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add Vegetable Stock and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
• Stir in garlic and kale; simmer 10 minutes or until kale is tender. Stir in lemon juice and pepper. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

project 365 photo: 02.28.2011 {lentil-edamame stew}

Lentil-Edamame Stew

from Cooking Light, Dec 2008

Michael pulled this vegan recipe out of the recipe binder while we were meal planning for the week & made it tonight. He commented that it could use a little more cumin, it's easier to microwave the edamame in a little water & he used about two fresh lemons. It turned out great!

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried lentils
• 3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups minced red onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• Dash of ground cloves

Directions

1. Place lentils in a large saucepan; cover with water to 2 inches above lentils. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well, and set aside.
2. Place edamame in a small saucepan; cover with water to 2 inches above edamame. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until edamame are tender. Remove from heat; drain well.
3. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and tomatoes to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until onion is translucent, stirring often. Stir in lentils, edamame, juice, and remaining ingredients. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring often.

Yield 

4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)