We don't have to eat everything we cook ...

It’s fun to have new ornaments. It’s even more fun to involve the kids in making them. These two recipes make fun ornaments for the tree. They’re also fun to write on with a Sharpie and use as gift tags. The cinnamon ones smell great! The bread dough ones, when coated with polyurethane spray, last more than one season. 

(When I was growing up, my mom used to make bread baskets with the bread dough. I’ve never had success at that, I don’t think I’m patient enough, basically, you use the same ornament bread dough recipe, and cut it into strips with a pastry or pizza cutter, then you “weave” the dough over an upturned oven-safe bowl or casserole dish. Bake according to ornament recipe directions, cool, remove from bowl or dish, and spray well with polyurethane.)

Cinnamon ornaments

¾ c applesauce
1 c plus 2 t ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200°. Mix applesauce and cinnamon into a smooth ball of dough. (You may need use your hands to incorporate all of the cinnamon.) Using about ¼ of the dough at a time, roll dough to ¼" to 1/3". 

Cut dough into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Make a hole at top of ornament with drinking straw or skewer. Place ornaments on parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Bake 2½ hours. Cool ornaments on wire rack.

Insert ribbon through holes and tie to hang. DO NOT EAT.

Bread dough ornaments

1 c flour
½ c salt
½ c warm water
food coloring, optional

Preheat oven to 200°. Combine the flour and salt and slowly add in enough water to form the dough. Mix in food color, if using. Knead the dough for 10 minutes and then let rest for another 40 minutes.

Using about ½ the dough at a time, roll dough to ¼". Cut dough into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Make a hole at top of ornament with drinking straw or skewer. Place the ornaments on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Bake for 4-6 hours (or until hard). Cool ornaments on wire rack. DO NOT EAT.

If desired, decorate ornaments with paints, glue, glitter, ribbon — you name it! Let the paint and glue dry.

If desired, spray with polyurethane to seal them. Let dry.

Insert ribbon through holes and tie to hang.

4th of July Party

To celebrate my 14-year-old son's birthday he wants a "Hot Dog Extravaganza"! So we'll borrow the menu from our "Franks N Stein" Halloween Party! Of course we'll have the ketchup, mustard, hot dog relish, Saurkraut, bacon and cheese.

One of my old time favorites: Spicy Onions (sautee sliced onions cut in half, once they are soft, add in tabascco, ketchup, salt and pepper, I don't measure just shake and taste. Should be well coated but not to saucy, simmer until desired tenderness and sauce consistancy. Sometimes, I also add a bit of cooking wine to them:)

The Chicago Dog (which we experienced last summer when visiting my brother) http://www.hotdogchicagostyle.com/chicagodog.php

mustard, relish, chopped onions, tomato slices, pickle spear, Sport Peppers (imported from Chicago), and a dash of Celery Salt on a poppy seed bun (we could not get these in NY)

Thai Dog: Thai peanut sauce, diced cucumbers and chopped scallions.

Chili Dog: mustard, homemade chili, chopped onions and nacho cheese.

Of Course we have to have my homemade Baked Beans (my neighbor Kathy's recipe):

1/2 pound Bacon, browned and crumbled

1 medium onion, chopped and browned in 1T bacon fat

In crockpot, combine 2 large cans of B&M Baked Beans, 1 can Kidney beans, 1 can Butter Beans. Add bacon and onion. Then stir in 1/2 C ketchup, 1/4 C molasses and 1 t dry mustard (Coleman's). Original recipe also called for 1/2 pound of browned ground beef or turkey, I have never felt it needed it. Cook until heated through.

We'll wash it down with Beer and Root Beer! And finish it off with Carvel Ice Cream cake:) HAPPY 4th of JULY to all!!

snacks

After school the girls often have popcorn for a snack. Erin now has braces so that is out. I want a quick,easy, simi health but filling snack to have on hand. We all love trail mix. I was thinking of having a container and making seasonal snack mix. I might do 2 containers and keep one peanut free for when we have peanut allergy friends over. Here is a link to one fun one, Seasonal snack mix. I'd love to collect a whole bunch to keep it interesting. I like one I posted here a while ago.

Southwest snack mix, maybe without the popcorn.

Fall is here, and it is, perhaps the most beautiful Fall I’ve seen. It has been sunny and warm with soft winds. Really perfect.

To celebrate such perfection I prepared Sautéed chicken with apples and cranberries, healthy, yummy, quick, and very, very Fall-like. Enjoy!

Sautéed chicken with apples and cranberries

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
flour
salt
pepper
butter
¼ c apple jack or brandy
¼ c apple cider, or apple juice
¼ c cranberry juice
¼ c chicken stock
½ c fresh cranberries, or dried if fresh are not available, more if you like
2 apples, preferably tart, Granny Smith
juice of 1 lemon

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Pound chicken breasts to about ¼" thick cutlets. Dredge cutlets in salt-and-pepper-seasoned flour. Melt butter in hot skillet. Sauté in skillet about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown, but not completely cooked through. Remove cutlets to plate, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.

Deglaze skillet with apple jack. Add cider, cranberry juice, chicken stock, and cranberries. Return cutlets to skillet. Simmer about 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce reduces slightly. Remove cutlets, sauce, and cranberries to serving platter.

Dice apples and toss in lemon juice. Sauté in skillet until slightly golden, but not too soft. Spoon over top of cutlets and serve.

If you prepare this ahead and want to freeze or refrigerate it to serve later, let cool before packaging in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.
To prepare and serve: If frozen, defrost in refrigerator the day before you plan to serve.
To heat in microwave: Heat at 70% power for about 3 minutes, until heated throughout. Do not over-microwave or chicken will become tough.
To heat on stovetop: Place in skillet over medium-high heat until chicken is heated through, about 7-10 minutes.

Make-Your-Own Granola Bars

Maeve can bring in a morning snack to school. I offered her the options of home morning snacks from the summer, usually fruit or cracker & cheese, nuts & dried fruit. None are as exciting as the granola bars (not the dry kind Dad gets) or fruit snacks the other kids bring. I don't on a regular basis buy chewy granola bars or fruit snacks - and don't want to make them a habit. To compromise we decided to try making Chewy granola bars that were healthy and even have some dried fruit and nuts. I let you know how they go over at school. Ok. So the first one was not as big a hit as I hoped. Katie had this one pinned it was great.  First batch went in a day, and I didn't even add chocolate chips. This time I am so I'm doubling the recipe  no bake granola bars

Picnic Food

My kids' school always does a back to school picnic, where you bring your own food. I have tried different things with varying success, including feeding them before we go, making something to bring, or grabbing a pizza on the way. Anyone have a great picnic dinner item that the kids can't resist or can eat on the run?

This year I don't think I'll be able to feed them before because of other activities, and my husband and I are going out to dinner after the picnic, so I am looking for something just for the kids.

Getting dinner on the table, when you'd rather be at the beach, in the pool, in the garden, or playing with the kids, is a challenge on summer days. Not to mention the nights like tonight when it's much too hot to turn the oven on, slave over the stove, or even the grill.

While cooking for my Weight Watchers client today, I stumbled upon this easiest of yummy dinners ... Thai coconut curry shrimp over jasmine rice (for those of you counting, one serving of shrimp with one cup of rice is 7 Weight Watchers Points).

You may not have some of the ingredients on hand, Thai red curry paste and fish sauce, for example, but buy them and you will definitely continue to use them, in this recipe and other Asian specialties, even to marinate chicken, fish, and veggies for the grill.

Jasmine rice, like white rice, cooks in only 15 minutes, not like it's longer-cooking brown and Basmati cousins. Even in today's 93° (and rising) temps, I can stand cooking 15-minute rice and stir-frying for less than 10 minutes. Especially when the results taste this good.

Thai coconut curry shrimp over jasmine rice
serves 4

cooking spray
4 green onions, chopped, whites and greens separated
1 T Thai red curry paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt, to taste
6 oz light coconut milk
2 t fish sauce
¼ c fresh cilantro, chopped
4 c jasmine rice, cooked

Cook jasmine rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet or wok to medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Add green onion whites and red curry paste and sauté 1 minute. Add garlic and shrimp, season with salt, and cook about 2-3 minutes. Add coconut milk, fish sauce, and mix well. Simmer about 2-3 minutes, until shrimp is cooked through. Remove from heat, mix in green onion greens and cilantro. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

To save even more time today, I bought the shrimp peeled & cleaned, and I used already-minced garlic from a jar in the produce section.

“I am not a glutton — I am an explorer of food.”

— Erma Bombeck

This sounds good, but the waists of my pants these days might differ in their opinion. So, one of our New Year’s resolutions around Chez Habib is to eat healthier and watch our portion sizes. As a culture, we are all guilty of super-sizing. Start reading serving sizes on labels, you’ll be surprised by how many servings you and your family might actually be consuming. (My older kids recently told me that one of the best lessons I’ve taught them is to be cognizant of what the serving size really is — they don’t always follow it, but they know where to find it if they choose to ;)

One of my new favorite recipes is Sweet Hot Tofu from myrecipes.com. What I love about it is that it’s so adaptable. The first time I make a recipe, I usually try to make it as directed so I can evaluate whether it’s a “keeper” or not. When I first made it for my daughter and I for lunch, I thought it would benefit from the addition of broccoli, so I added broccoli to the leftovers and had them for lunch the rest of the week.

One of my clients loves shrimp and Asian food, so Sweet Hot Shrimp with Broccoli often appears on her menu. Another client loves chicken, voil&agrav;! Sweet Hot Chicken and Snow Peas! What are your favorites? Give it a try yourself.

Sweet hot tofu
serves 4
(modified from myrecipes.com)

1 14-oz package firm, reduced-fat tofu
1 c rice
2 c water
2 t canola oil
2/3 c fat-free, low-sodium vegetable stock(use chicken or seafood stock if you desire modifying the recipe)
1/4 c hoisin sauce
1 T dry sherry
1 t cornstarch
2 t low-sodium soy sauce
1 t honey
1/2 t dark sesame oil
dash of crushed red pepper
2 t fresh ginger, minced or grated
2 t garlic, minced or grated
1 c broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1/3 c green onions, thinly sliced

Drain tofu, wrap in several layers of paper towels or kitchen towel, and place under a heavy plate for about 30 minutes.

Bring rice and water to a boil in a medium saucepan, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. Once rice is done, add broccoli florets to saucepan and replace cover. Broccoli with steam.

In a small bowl, combine stock, hoisin, sherry, cornstarch, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper, stirring well. Set aside.

Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and sauté for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from skillet.

Add ginger and garlic to pan. Sauté 30 seconds. Stir in broth mixture, and cook 1 minute, or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add tofu and broccoli to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring gently to coat. Remove from burner and add green onions. Serve immediately over rice.

Pop corn cake

POP CORN CAKE

1 cup popcorn – popped 1 pkg. Large gum drops

Mix and put into greased pan.

8 oz. Peanuts 1 16 oz. Pkg. Marshmallows

melted with 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup oil

Erin's favorite treat. Grandma usually makes it for her at the cabin for her birthday.

The Purcell sisters have a fabulous book, Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! and e-newsletter, Sisters' Secrets to Confident Entertaining filled with tons of great recipes for food and drinks, and tips for fun entertaining. One of my favorite recipes is their Sweet Potato Spread. You’d never believe something so tasty could be so healthy! I recently served it at a Veggie Demo for the New You 2010 Healthy Lifestyle of Newburyport contestants. It was a huge hit! My kids just think it’s orange hommus. Serve it with wedges of foccacia bread, as the Purcell sisters recommend, or with pita chips, or — ultra-healthy — with cut up veggies.
Sweet Potato Spread
Makes 3 cups of spread

3 large sweet potatoes (about 2 lb), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (I baked the sweet potatoes whole, then scooped out the tender flesh (less hands-on work)
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 T tahini (sesame paste)
¾ t salt
¼ t curry powder
¼ t ground cumin

Preheat oven to 400°. Place the sweet potatoes in a shallow roasting pan and cover with foil. Roast for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue roasting until soft, about another 30 minutes.

While potatoes are roasting, combine the carrots and onion with ½ cup water in a medium nonstick skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until water evaporates and vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the sweet potatoes, tahini, salt, curry powder, and cumin. Process until smooth. If necessary, add water to make a spreadable puree. Add carrot-onion mixture and pulse until blended.

Serve at room temperature or chilled, with wedges of focaccia.

Cheeseburger Bread

I am making this for dinner tonight -- http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/cheeseburger-bread/

I think my kids are going to love it! I, of course, had to add relish to it. (My kids love pickles on their cheeseburgers.) Seemed like fun and something very different.

Weekend IN

We are looking at a snowstorm that could dump 2 feet of snow on us AND it is Super Bowl Weekend. I think we are looking at some time inside, by the fire... so what warm and cozy recipes would you make for this family time?

Christmas Taffy

Last weekend my mother-in-law made christmas taffy with 6 grandchildren ages 5 to 10. The kids had a wonderful time. Mine were very excited about getting to rub butter on their hand, something they had never done before. Here is the recipe they used. They made lemon/line and cherry, the red and green colors were great. She divided the candy in half and then put a half of package of koolaide in in each one. Worked great so they could have Christmas colors. I no longer have a picture of the taffy, or the taffy. As Maeve just reminded me it doesn't have to be Christmas Taffy.

Friday night cocktails and appetizers

It was a quiet rainy night. One football practice had ended early, the other one had been canceled altogether, so there were more kids around, and fewer adults. It called for just a bottle of red wine and an easy dinner. Corn chowder was in the crockpot, and I put together some Open-faced Italian tuna melts based on Rachael Ray’s Tuna Mini Melts with Rosemary, but I was looking for less sandwich, more appetizer. And, as usual, I wanted to use what I had in the house, so I used a hearty whole-grain bread, and made them open-faced (who needs that extra slice of bread when you could have an extra glass of wine instead?). I added some sundried tomatoes for color and flavor too.

Open-faced Italian tuna melts

2 cans Italian tuna in olive oil, lightly drained
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 large sprig rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
1 sundried tomato, finely chopped
Black pepper
1 T olive oil
4 slices provolone cheese, deli sliced and chopped
8 full-size slices of grainy bread, or 32 slices of cocktail bread

Mash tuna with finely chopped shallot, rosemary, sundried tomato, black pepper, and olive oil. Stir in the chopped cheese. Toast one side of the bread under the broiler until light brown, turn bread over, top each with a generous tablespoon of tuna. Place under the broiler again, just until warm.

Fun & Easy Meals for Kids

My husband will be traveling next week, and I will still have to be shuttling the kids back and forth from events, so I need thing that can be ready when we walk in the door, ie. crockpot meals, or shortly after we arrive home, or in-between runs.

Any fun, tried-and-true meal ideas? I usually try to make fun meals when George is away, but I'm not sure I can keep that up for a week...

SOUP-er Easy!

My kids always love to order Miso Soup when we get Chinese or Japanese food, mostly for the tofu. They have been asking me to make tofu at home, but anytime I have, it hasn't come out right -- mostly apparently because I do "stuff" to it. So tonight, mostly because I didn't have much food in the house and partly because I had 2 running out to soccer practice, I threw together a super easy soup:

I heated up some chicken broth, threw in some veggies from the fridge, added a can of cubed chicken breast and some diced tofu. Really easy and the kids loved it!

All Things Pumpkin

So, I admit it, I’m in Fall Mode. I am going to start wearing sweaters and browns and oranges and pick apples and pumpkins and make crisps and pies and pumpkin scones. You may have made one variation of my cousin Mary Fran’s scone recipe: traditional, cinnamon, cranberry-orange, blueberry, double chocolate, but now I want to make pumpkin scones from that standard recipe. (You may know I love a standard recipe that is versatile enough to become several different recipes. Fewer things to remember, but you still get to experience variety.)


Pumpkin scones
makes 12 large or 18 medium scones

2 sticks butter
1 t salt
4 t baking powder
4 c flour
1 c brown sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground nutmeg
1 t ground cloves
1 t ground ginger
1 c canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 c milk (I prefer buttermilk)

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine dry ingredients with butter into a coarse mixture. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, and milk. Make an indentation in the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Stir together with a fork to moisten. The less stirring the better, stirring makes for tougher scones. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

chocolate cupcakes

Like Regina we have lots of summer birthday. I also bake what my kids want, within reason. But I'm not the best baker, my cupcakes are always dry. I tried a new recipe this year for Molly's puppy cupcakes and was pleased with the results.

Moist cake recipe

Punch recipe for kids

One of my sisters or sister in law made a Punch for Mom and Dad's 45th Anniversary party! I remember it being a huge hit with the kids. Who has the recipe? Therese wants punch at her Masquarade Ball TONIGHT!

Oreo Truffle Pops

I was looking for a cute end of year/summer bday treat and came across these oreo truffles athttp://bakerella.blogspot.com/2008/01/grocery-item-turns-gourmet.html. I put them on sticks and added sprinkles for a fun touch.

1 package of double stuffed Oreos (minus 7) ground to crumbs in a food processor

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, brought to room temp

melted chocolate for dipping

mix oreo crumbs into cream cheese, using the back of a spoon to combine well. Roll into balls and refrigerate for about 1/2 hour I used the small Pampered Chef scoop and this made about 25 balls. I put the lollipop sticks in before refrigerating to help hold (also holds better if you dip the tip of the stick in melted chocolate before sticking in the ball). Melt chocolate in microwave or double boiler. Dip balls in chocolate and decorate (we used rainbow sprinkles). If on a stick, place in styrofoam to cool and harden, then refrigerate. If not using as pops, place in mini cupcake liners. They are so cute!

Bakerella has lots of different recipes and shapes for all different kids of cupcake pops, etc. They are so cute!