Italian Salad Dressing

So, this weekend, I wanted to make a salad to go with pizza. I decided to try a new recipe for the dressing. And, it's not an exaggeration to say that I found my new favorite salad dressing. It makes a big batch and I seem to be finding excuses to have salad...and seconds and thirds...just so I can enjoy the dressing. I know. Seriously.

When I first made it with salad, I topped some spring mix with tomatoes, banana peppers, homemade Parmesan Croutons, salami, mozzarella, red light peppers, and onion. The picture is of my second helping at lunch today - plain spinach this time. Still delicious. So, if you make this, let me know what you think. I think you'll love it too!

Italian Salad Dressing

Adapted from Food.com, Maggiano's Little Italy Chop Salad

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

2 T sugar

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsp garlic, finely minced

2 T red wine vinegar

1/4 cup white vinegar

Salt, to taste (I added about 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt)

3/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup virgin olive oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp black pepper 

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine in a food processor or blender. Store in a sealed container. May store in the refrigerator.

    

Let's Celebrate!

Friday, we celebrated Aubrey's 3rd birthday with Ted and Sue. (Even though she doesn't turn three until Tuesday, this is when it worked to get together).

For the past, oh, six months or so, she's been asking when she is going to have her "birthday cake" and wants to wear a "party hat."

She asked for a blue princess cake...and picked a funfetti cake. In retrospect, I should have probably gone with chocolate since she's slightly obsessed with anything chocolate, but this one looked fun.  Also, in retrospect, I should have positioned the fairy princess a bit higher...so she didn't look like she was drowning. :) Aubrey didn't mind, of course.

Her only other birthday request was for "red meat." I don't know whether she even knows what that means, but it cracked me up. So, we had hamburgers, broccoli (which she loves), and macaroni and cheese. Martha Stewart's Perfect Macaroni and Cheese, that is. Sadly the kids didn't like it. I thought it was great. Whatever.

Then some play time with Grandpa Ted while we cleaned up dishes.

I think she loves her new Woofer.

Wayne made sure baby Polly was taken care of.

New magnetic doll set from Grandpa and Grandma...such tired eyes and crazy hair from the party hat.

Felt food from us.

I had to post this because Tyler actually cooperated with taking a picture. Miracles do happen. ;)

And finally, a chess lesson with Grandpa Ted.

Traveling, Traveling Through the Snow...

We made our annual trek to Indiana for Christmas. Because we would be traveling over the holiday, we decided to celebrate our family Christmas a couple days before we left. We made dinner, opened gifts, went out for frozen yogurt and watched A Christmas Story together.

During our trip to Middlebury, the kids were allowed to open a stocking gift every hour or so. That helped with breaking up the monotony of the long car ride. Both to and from Indiana included a time with Aubrey "telling off Tyler" and soon after we were all in fits of hysterical/tired laughter. The trip there was fairly uneventful, in a good way, and we made good time to Middlebury, where we joined the rest of the family. It was the first time we have all been together in 5 years.

I didn't do a great job of documenting this Christmas with photographs. boo.

Dad and Mom have been working hard on a surprise for the grand kids. However, I think it was a pretty awesome surprise for all of us... a cabin in the woods. They paid attention to all the details from the pretty knotty wood on the table and chairs to the coonskin hats hanging on the twisted coat tree for the boys to wear. There were 2 beds plus room for about 4 to sleep in the loft. Tyler was thrilled to be able to sleep in the cabin for 2 nights during our stay. The guys made a campfire and grilled hot dogs. Apparently I only took pictures of the cabin using other people's cameras...I will have to remedy that error this summer when we go back.

The first day we had together, we all trekked to Shipshewana. Mom treated the grand kids to frozen yogurt then let them pick out a toy at the attached toy store. They all loved that. Then we all headed up to the carousel and they got a couple of rides. They loved this too and we had to peel Aubrey away. :)


Mom had a Rice Krispie treat train for the boys to make. Uncle Rusty made the treats, Wayne and Rusty filled the molds then helped the boys decorate their train. It was their dessert after our annual fondue dinner.

Christmas Eve Fondue

Christmas morning helping Grandma make a waffle brunch.

 
Playing games

Playing with Grandma Polly

 
Some pictures of present opening...

And apparently, this is where my taking photos ended...

We enjoyed games, Mom had a little indoor S'More kit for the kids, and generally we just enjoyed hanging out. We did get a lot of snow our last day there, which was also the day Tim and Carrie left. We enjoyed a little snow play and went to Goshen to bowl...so Mom could handily beat us all.

The next part of our journey was heading to Decatur for lunch and the afternoon. We were able to spend time with Grandma Billie, Uncle Max and Ted and Sue. Then we headed down to Indy to spend a few days with Hollins and Rachel. We enjoyed our first evening by eating out and looking at Christmas lights.  The next morning, Hollins and Rachel surprised us by treating us to an indoor trampoline park. We all had a great time and it wore everyone out. :) Dinner was family-style Italian at Maggiano's. The meal is wonderful and just like last year, I'm still thinking about that incredible Tiramisu. It's amazing!

The next morning, Tyler woke up at 4 am and started throwing up. Soon after Aubrey was up and around, she joined him. I was able to slip away to get some supplies for the sick and came home to learn that Ted was part of the sick crew. In the afternoon, the girls were able to slip away for our annual trip to Trader Joe's. The rest of the day was spent tending to the sick...doing laundry and other cleanup that occurs when children have the flu. In the evening, we did get a brief chance when everyone was awake and between getting sick episodes to open gifts.

The next day, I got hit (much more mildly) with the flu and spent most of the day in bed. Most of the crew enjoyed going out for brunch and to the mall. We were able to enjoy playing games and hanging out.

Yesterday our trip home took about 13.5 hours instead of 10.5...mostly due to some scary icy/snowy weather conditions. Added in was the aftermath of our kids' flu symptoms. Both needed a change of clothes at one point in our trip. Aubrey's was in our only restaurant stop for the day (hooray)!, and Tyler's was in a cold/snowy field in Missouri. Luckily after that he had a bucket...and didn't miss.

We were glad to finally make it home safely and rang in the New Year. Well...if having the kids in bed and watching the ball drop on TV then falling asleep is ringing in the New Year. :)

Today, of course, was unpacking, groceries, laundry and settling back in. We even had time for games and relaxing. :) Happy New Year!!

Dear Santa...

Just about every line of Tyler's letter to Santa (a school assignment) cracks me up...

I love the small talk at the beginning. Cats?! Totally deflecting his own naughty or nice-ness. Also, it's a good thing he doesn't believe in Santa so there's no false hope about that 3DS. ;)

Thanksgiving 2012

We enjoyed spending Thanksgiving with my Mom and Dad for the first time in 8 years.We met in Branson on Thursday afternoon. We took advantage of what the condo had to offer. We enjoyed the playgrounds, pool, game rooms, taking brisk walks, and took in a couple of shows. We cooked all but one meal in, including our Thanksgiving meal. :) It was wonderful spending time together.

Aubrey being a goofball when she sees the camera...but enjoyed her foot rub. 

On Sunday, the weather was beautiful. We (okay, Wayne and Dad) grilled steaks. It took awhile to get the charcoal going, but they were successful!

Aubrey and Tyler enjoyed the playground while the guys worked on the grill. Tyler just ran away from all the pictures I tried to take with him in the shot.

Wayne "falling" off the bridge.

Aubrey's been begging to go back to her "new house" (which morphed into "my blue house") to see Grandpa and Grandma. I explained that it's a long drive back...which did not deter her. I agree. I miss them too.

Crusty Bread

I'm still on my baking kick this fall...and I have a recipe that you MUST try if you like bread. I mean, really. You have to try this. It's super easy and so delicious. Wayne and I have been looking for a long time for a good artisan-style loaf that is crusty on the outside, and airy and chewy on the inside. We've tried lots of recipes, some fairly labor-intensive, that have all fallen a bit short. We still felt like we could find a better loaf at a bakery than we could make at home.

But, thanks to Pinterest, we found The One. And it takes next to no effort. I've made 2 loaves this weekend. The first was plain the second was jalapeno and sharp white cheddar. Both delicious. Next up, rye. If I'm going to indulge in some bread, this is what I'm after. Just spread a little salted butter, or Laughing Cow cheese and salami, make a sandwich, spread a little cream cheese and jam, or eat it plain. It's all good. Mmmm. 

The link I've included gives a lot more pictures and instructions. I'm writing how I made mine, which is slightly different. 

Crusty Bread

Slightly adapted from Simply So Good - Click on the link for more pics, Q & A, etc.

3 cups bread flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour)

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

In your stand mixer, mix together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and let the dough hook mix it together until it comes together. (I let it go a few minutes). (Or you can just whisk it together until a shaggy mixture forms). It will be a wet, sticky dough. Place in a large bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or with a little oil.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours (or more). Overnight works great.  Alternately, I have learned from a King Arthur flour version, after covering it at room temp for a couple of hours, refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 7 days. The longer it is in the refrigerator the tangier it will be. (If you are pressed for time, put it straight in the refrigerator).

Pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set.  (OR, just scrape the dough down off the sides, so it releases some of the gases, and let it rest in the bowl until the pot is preheated). We tried it both ways and didn't notice a difference in the final result. We let it rest about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 450 degrees. When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for about 10 minutes. We used our stainless steel stock pot. (She recommends preheating an enamel cast iron pot for 30 minutes).  **See below.

Remove hot pot from the oven, spray pot with cooking spray, and drop in the dough. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 18 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.  Devour.

Some variations (all but the Jalapeno Cheddar are straight from Simply So Good):

* Jalapeno-Cheddar loaf:  2 seeded jalapenos, about 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar.

*Rye bread: 1 cup rye flour, 2 cups white flour and 1/2 tsp caraway seeds and caraway seeds sprinkled on top.

*Lemon/Gruyere/Rosemary: Zest of 1 lemon, 1 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere and chopped rosemary

*Cranberry/Orange/Almond: 3/4 cup dried cranberries, zest from 1 orange, 1/2 cup sliced almonds

**She recommends your pot to be about a 5.5 quart pot. (You can go a little smaller or a little larger). You can use any container that can handle the heat and has a lid. Other baking dishes she says have been used: Clay pots with lids, Pizza stone with a bowl to cover the bread, insert from a crock pot, Pyrex baking dish with a lid, stainless steel pot with a lid, baking dish covered with aluminum foil, old cast iron dutch oven.

Zucchini Lasagna

Zucchini has long been out of season in my garden. But, did that stop me from making a zucchini lasagna? Nope. I've been craving comfort food. I made chicken and noodles last night. Lasagna tonight. I have a great recipe for a completely from-scratch lasagna that takes several hours to make. This, on the other hand, is quick. It uses a store-bought sauce that you just doctor up a bit. Replacing the noodles with zucchini is a nice way to add vegetables and leaves you feeling less heavy than when using noodles. Sadly, my children have caught on to my scheme...I'll have to find a way to hide the vegetables better. (I suppose peeling the zucchini would be one way). But, Wayne and I really like this, and I like having leftovers for quick lunches throughout the week. So, it all works out. :)

 

Zucchini Lasagna

Adapted from dashingdish.com

 

 

(I know, not the greatest picture, but you get the idea...I couldn't wait to take a picture until after we had already eaten).

 

 

1 onion, finely chopped

1.25 lb ground beef (or sausage, turkey)

1 jar (25 oz) spaghetti sauce

2 cups frozen spinach, optional

2 garlic cloves

Salt, pepper, seasoning (Italian, etc)

16-oz cottage cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 tsp dried parsley

3 zucchini, sliced into 1/8" pieces 

    (or 1 home-grown zucchini) OR eggplant OR lasagna noodles

8 oz shredded mozzarella (at least)

 

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange zucchini slices and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake for 5 minutes per side. Then remove from onion. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees.

2. Saute onion in a little oil. Add ground beef and brown. Drain.

3. Add spaghetti sauce, spinach, garlic, and seasonings. Simmer for at least 10 minutes.

4. Mix cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan, and parsley. Set aside.

5. In a 9x13 casserole dish, spread meat sauce to cover the bottom. Next a layer of zucchini, then a layer of cottage cheese mixture. (Optional: sprinkle a layer of mozzarella on top). Continue to layer until all ingredients are gone and casserole is full. Top with mozzarella. Cover with aluminum foil.

6. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

7. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

8. Let rest for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

 

That hair

Bierocks

Bierocks are a food that I had never heard of until I attended Hesston College. It's a filling of cabbage, onion and hamburger wrapped in a roll dough and baked until golden brown.

After I moved away from Hesston, I wanted to make bierocks and had been using the More with Less bierock recipe, until now. Sue had gone to a cooking class a couple of years ago and had passed along this recipe, but I had not gotten around to trying it. I made them for the first time about a month ago. We all liked them. A lot. The dough crisps up on the outside, and the filling is so good. I think the combination of adding sauerkraut and mozzarella makes a big difference. I could make a  meal of just the filling. As soon as the first batch was gone, Wayne sheepishly asked if I could make another. He loves to douse them in Sriracha. This time, I doubled the dough recipe (which is how I wrote it below). This was just about perfect, with enough dough to make 3 pizza filling bierocks for Tyler. So, here you go. Enjoy - Happy fall baking!

 

 

Bierocks

-Meta and Barry West

(Enough filling for about 3 dozen large bierocks)

 

1 large onion, finely chopped + oil for sauteing

3 1/2-4 pounds lean ground beef (optional: use part sausage)

1 head cabbage, finely chopped (3-5 cups per 1 lb of ground meat)

1 tablespoon salt

pepper, to taste

1 can of sauerkraut (regular or large depending on your preference), optional...but I believe

     essential :)

(Recipe suggested 2-4 T flour to thicken. I used 8-16 oz shredded mozzarella instead)

***

1 batch roll dough (recipe follows or use your favorite bread dough recipe)

 

Saute onion in dutch oven in a little oil. Add meat and cook until browned; drain excess fat. Add chopped cabbage, salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and steam until cabbage is tender. Add sauerkraut and cheese.

 

(Other options - add grated carrots, green pepper or potato with the cabbage, a teaspoon of other seasoning, cream cheese, etc. We made a pizza filling with some leftover dough - sauce, cheese, pepperoni - this is Tyler's favorite. Or ham and cheese, etc).

 

Rapidmix Cool Rise Roll Dough

(for 1 batch bierocks or 6 dozen dinner rolls)

10-12 cups all-purpose flour

4 packages or scant 1/4 cup yeast (active, dry instant)

1 cup sugar

3 teaspoons salt

2 sticks butter, softened cut into pieces

3 cups hot water

4 large eggs

cooking oil

 

Combine 4 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Stir well to blend. Add butter and hot water. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and 4 cups more flour. Beat with electric mixer at high speed for 2 minutes or until thick and elastic. Gradually add just enough remaining flour with wooden spoon (or dough hook of mixer) to make a soft dough which leaves sides of bowl. Dough should be very soft and pliable without being sticky; too much flour will yield a tough dough that is hard to form and resists sealing when formed into a bierock). Knead until smooth and elastic - 5-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top.

 

Cover, let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Dough may be used now or placed in a refrigerator (oiled and covered with plastic wrap) for 2-24 hours. Remove from refrigerator and let stand 10-15 minutes before proceeding with recipe.

 

Punch down dough. Pinch off dough balls about the size of a small orange and roll flat, about 1/8" thick. Edges should be thin to avoid a wad of dough at the closing point. The round is about 6-7" in diameter. Put around 1/3-1/2 cup filling in the center. Pull the sides up and pinch the sides together to seal. Place on baking sheets sprayed with cooking oil. Bake in a preheated oven set at 375-400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  

 

(Can be frozen and reheated).

Halloween

This year, we went trick or treating with Pat, Lisa, Oliver and Eli in their neighborhood. Before we left, we took a few pictures. (As you can see, we got lazy this year and didn't carve our pumpkins - I really like the Mr Potato Head Pirate...it's so easy and the kids can help with it).

 

Aubrey was quite taken by Pat and Lisa's wagon and had to either be in it or next to it. This meant we were usually behind the rest of the crew.

...Then Aubrey would sprint to catch up.

Eli's race car costume was so cute! And seeing Pat hoist him onto his shoulders was entertaining too. As you can probably tell, we couldn't have asked for nicer trick-or-treating weather!

Aubrey hadn't napped that day, and with all the sprinting to and fro, so she didn't last too long before she just wanted to chit chat with the homeowners, then wanted to stay in the stroller eating her candy, and ultimately fell asleep. Lisa kindly continued to walk around with Oliver and Tyler so Tyler didn't have to call it quits.