Healthy Biscuit Success!

So last week my post contained a reference to Sweet Potato Biscuits, which drew some comments. Well we have officially amended the recipe and it was a success!

 As mentioned before, I used Lisa's recipe here on 100 Days of Real Food as a reference to modify the sweet potato biscuit recipe that I found. (Side note, I love, love, love Lisa's blog and totally admire her commitment to real food! I am going to seriously analyze her recent posts on real food on a $125 a week budget! Even she said it was tough. And did you realize full food stamps benefits are worth $167 a week??? Now I don't feel so bad when I can't get out of the grocery for less than $200.)

 So here is what I did.

 Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Easy Biscuits
1 enormous sweet potato (carefully selected by my 8 year old Daisy) baked to near perfection, cooled and then scooped out
2 cups of whole wheat flour (I did not use white whole wheat flour which seems to be a little lighter, but it still worked)
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of butter, cut into a small dice
about 1 cup of milk. (this was totally based on judgement, I started with 1/2 cup as I thought the sweet potato would add moisture, I think I ended up using more than a cup as my dough seemed a little dry, but start small you can always add more, it is much harder to take it away)

 Preheat oven to 450 degrees F Combined flour, baking soda and salt with whisk. Cut butter dices into the flour mixture until crumbly and well mixed. Add sweet potato puree, gently. Hand mix at this point and add milk bit by bit to form a somewhat sticky dough. Then turn the dough out on the floured counter, knead a little bit. Hand pat out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Then i hate wasting dough, so I just cut into squares or the equivalent. Bake on an ungreased (or in my case silicon lined) cookie sheet for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

 My batch took about 15 minutes as the extra moisture took longer and they were still very moist inside! This made about 20 good sized biscuits that were delicious warm with a little melted butter. YUMMMMO!

We ate half and froze the rest for another meal! PHOTO TO COME!!

Lenten Soups 2012 Week 2

So despite my cooking slump,  here are the menus for week 2 of Lenten soups.

Thursday, Mar 1- crock day

White Bean and Ham Soup

Friday, Mar 2 - fish day Fish fry cancelled due to weather.

(I don't want to go out either so I will do pasta.)

Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables

Garlic Bread

Saturday, Mar 3- leftovers

Sunday, Mar 4 - feast day and meet day

hmmm?? I have no ideas.  I will have to come back and edit.

Monday, Mar 5 - crock day

Hearty Lentil Soup

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Tuesday, Mar 6

Sirloin Chili

Wednesday, Mar 7 - crock day

Slow Cooker Chunky Minestrone

Parmesan Breadsticks

THE RECIPES

White Bean and Ham Soup
2 meaty smoked ham hocks (1 1/2 lbs)
1lb dried white beans
2 qt. low sodium chicken broth
4 ribs of chopped celery
4 carrots cut crosswise into rounds
1 large onion, chopped
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
12 sprigs of fresh thyme plus leaves for garnishing
salt and pepper
1 loaf of crusty bread sliced

1. In a large slow cooker, combine ham hocks, beans, broth,
celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and thyme sprigs.  Cover and cook
on low until beans are tender, about 5 hours.

2. Discard thyme stems.  Remove ham hocks and shred off meaty
 parts.  Mash garlic cloves with back of spoon into soup.  Discard skins.
Return shredded ham to soup.  Season with salt and pepper.

3. Serve with bread and garnish soup with thyme leaves!

Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables

10 ounces ziti pasta

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 zucchini, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

28-ounce can diced tomatoes with basil, undrained

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

[1] In a large bowl, toss eggplant, zucchini and onion with half of the olive oil. 
Spread in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking 
spray. Roast and stir occasionally until well-browned and tender, about 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

[1] Meanwhile, Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through
 but still firm to the bite. Drain and set aside.

[2] Add tomatoes, thyme and rosemary to skillet with half olive oil and simmer 5 minutes. 
Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and 
garlic powder and mix well. Spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish*.

[3] Top with half of the cooked ziti. Top with half of the cheese mixture and veggies. Top 
with 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Repeat layers with the remaining ziti and remaining cheese 
mixture and veggies.

[4] Top with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Cover with foil 
and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.

* For 2-4 servings use an 8x8 dish, for 6-8 servings use a 13x9 dish.

Note: use fresh herbs instead, if you have them.

Hearty Lentil Soup - Crock Style

Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 4 hours 1 white onion , chopped 2 carrots , peeled and diced 2 stalks celery, sliced 2 teaspoons garlic, minced 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried basil 2 cups dried lentils 4 cups water 4 cups vegetable broth 1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes, undrained 2 cups fresh spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced 2 tablespoons white vinegar coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

[1] In a crock pot, add onion, carrots, and celery;  Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, cumin and basil; [2] Stir in lentils, and add water, broth and tomatoes.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours in crock pot. [3] About 30 minutes before serving, stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. [4] Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.

Sirloin Chili

1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak, cut into strips 2 tablespoons canola oil 1/2 white onion , chopped 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 pinch cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 14.5 ounce can beef broth 3 tablespoons lime juice 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 1 15-ounce can ranch-style beans, drained coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste GARNISH 1 red onion , chopped 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

[1] Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or a large pot over medium heat. Add the sirloin strips and season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat on all sides, remove the meat from the pan. [2] Heat another tablespoon of oil in the pot and add the onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, paprika, and brown sugar, stirring until the onions begin to soften and the spices become aromatic, about 7 minutes. [3] Stir in the beef broth, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir in the meat and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes, longer if you have time. Fold in the beans and add salt and pepper to taste and heat thoroughly. [4] To serve, top chili with red onion, cheese, and cilantro.

Slow Cooker Chunky Minestrone   V C LC
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 6-8 hours 5 cups vegetable broth 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained 1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained 1 cup water 1 white onion , chopped 1 zucchini , quartered and sliced 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 6 ounces small pasta shells, uncooked 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese		[1] Combine the broth, tomatoes, beans, spinach, water, onion, zucchini, olive oil, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper in the slow cooker. [2] Cook on low for 5-8 hours. 30 minutes before serving, add pasta, season with salt and pepper and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes. Serve in individual bowls and top with cheese.

Cooking Slump

So Baseball teams and atheletes go through slumps where nothing seems to work out.  Right?  


Well has anyone ever gone through a cooking slump?


I think this has been my least successful month with cooking since I had just gotten married and had 2 small toddlers running around.  Even those meals were tastier,  albeit sometimes "well done" ;)


But this month has been just awful.  I have used tried and true recipes that I know we all like and for some reason they all have turned out just plain bad....  maybe it is the ingredients, maybe it is the modifications,  ... maybe it is the cook.

Anyway, between my cooking and Rose not eating anything worthwhile at meals, I am definitely in a slump right now and eating out is so very tempting. Even the sandwiches at the gym are better than my cooking lately.


So this is a shout out for support.  Have any of you gone through a cooking slump?  What brought you out of it?  and How did you do it?


So thanks in advance for the support and I guess next week's menus will be forthcoming.  ...

Lenten Soups Week 1

This week we have started our Lenten soup adventure again!  I must say I look forward to it even though it is supposed to be a time of simplicity and fasting and penitence.  It is sacrificial while also being very renewing!  Plus it make life in my kitchen a lot easier!

So the plan for this year is

Monday through Thursday soups, Crock soups for busy days

Fridays saved for fish (or pizza if I don't get to the fish store) ;)

Feast on Sundays and Feast Days

We are trying to do meatless soups on Mondays and Wednesdays to be even more budget conscious and to compensate for the fact that Rose prefers beans and lentils to meat most days (unless it is filet or salmon and then she eats like a trooper!)

Week 1 Menu

Ash Wednesday

Barley and Hearty Vegetable

(no recipe because I bought it from Costco)

very good, but too much spice for the kiddos

Crusty Garlic Bread

Thursday - crockpot

Chicken Corn Chowder

(adapted from Kimberly's recipe)

my adaptations did not go great.  It was tasty, but not as good as last year!

Friday

Pizza from Jets

Saturday - crockpot

Vegetarian Gourmet Bean Blend Chili

Corn Bread

Sunday - feast

We will be eating or carrying out as Daisy has a meet late on Sunday.

Monday - crockpot

Slow Cooker Tomato Tortellini Soup

Herbed Pita Chips

Tuesday

Hearty Chicken Soup and Vegetables

Whole Grain Biscuits

Wednesday

Black Bean and Avocado Soup

Cornbread

My recipes come from a variety of sources.  My favorites are from other blogs which I credit by linking to their blog.  Other favorites are from Rachel Ray's magazine (a feast for your eyes) and the menu planning website www.relishrelish.com and of course my own personal recipes!

Vegetarian Gourmet Bean Blend Chili
Rinse and soak 3 cups of dried beans (I used a mixed bean blend with peas, beans and lentils) in 9 cups of cold water while prepping rest of recipe.  Drain.
Add 2 cups chopped onions, 2 diced red bell peppers and 6 cloves of diced garlic to crock pot. 
Add 2 T chili powder, 2tsp dried oregano, 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste).
Add soaked beans and 6 cups of water (or broth).
Add 1-2 cans of diced tomatoes. (I used frozen ones from summer harvest)


Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours until beans are tender.
Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with sour cream, green onions, cilantro and/or grated cheese.

Tomato Tortellini Soup serves 4+

4 cups of vegetable broth
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 cup marinara sauce or any jarred pasta sauce
1 yellow onion , chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 T Italian seasonings
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 9-ounce package fresh, cheese-filled tortellini
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

[1] In a slow cooker, combine broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, garlic and salt and pepper.

[2] Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours. 20 minutes before serving, add tortellini and cook on low. If soup seems too thick, add water to thin. Garnish with cheese.

Do not leave tortellini too long or it will fall apart. :)

Hearty Chicken Vegetable Soup
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes  1/4 cup butter 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces   coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 1 white onion , chopped 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 1/2 cup all purpose flour 4 cups chicken broth 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes , scrubbed and cubed 4 carrots , peeled and cut into coins 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and snapped in half 4 stalks celery, sliced 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon white pepper per serving: 503 calories; 61 grams protein; 16 grams total fat; 6 grams fiber; 8 grams saturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 167 mgs cholesterol; 1024 mgs sodium; 12 WW points plus // nutrition is based on a 6 oz boneless chicken breast		[1] Melt butter in a large heavy soup pot over medium high heat. Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. While chicken is cooking, chop vegetables. [2] Add onion and garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add flour and stir until chicken is coated. Add chicken broth, potatoes, carrots, beans and celery and stir to combine. [3] Add oregano, basil, thyme, poultry seasoning, cumin and white pepper, and more salt and black pepper if desired. Bring to a boil, then cook at a strong simmer, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.

Black Bean Soup with Avocado

• 3 15 ounce cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 ups canned low-sodium vegetable (or chicken) broth
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• ½ cup dry sherry
• 2 ripe avocados, cut into ½-inch chunks
• 1 mango, peeled and cut into cubes
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 2 limes
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

[1] Combine 3 cups of the beans and 1 cup of the broth in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

[2] In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a dash of salt and pepper, stirring frequently until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and boil until reduced, about 3 minutes.

[3] Add the bean puree and the remaining broth and the rest of the beans. Simmer until hot, about 5 minutes. 

[4] Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the avocados, cilantro, lime juice and another dash of salt and pepper. Mix gently and set aside. 

[5] Spoon the soup into bowls and top with the avocado salsa. Place a dollop of sour cream next to the avocado.

Week 4 and 5 Lenten Menus

So here is the rest of our Lenten soup plan up to Holy Week.

Thursday
Chicken Corn Chowder
Thanks again to Kimberly from Catholic Family Vignetttes for the recipe.

Friday - FISH DAY
Some kind of salmon baked

Saturday
Great Northern Ham and Bean Soup


1 pound new potatoes, quartered
4 carrots , peeled and sliced
1 white onion , chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 15-ounce cans great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
3 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked ham, diced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil

[1] In a slow cooker, mix together the potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, beans, broth, ham, seasoning and salt. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
[2] Just before serving, mix in the parsley and olive oil.

Sunday - FEAST DAY
Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Monday
Cheesy Vegetable Chili
(one of our absolute favorites)

olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 t garlic, minced
1 zucchini, chopped
2 cans of diced tomatoes with juice
2 cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 qt of sliced mushrooms
1 bag of frozen corn
1 T of chili powder, to taste
shredded cheddar cheese for garnish

Saute onion, pepper and garlic in olive oil til onion is translucent.  Add chopped zucchini, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, corn, and chili powder.  Simmer til all is hot.  (about 20 minutes or so).  Serve with shredded cheddar as a garnish. :)

Tuesday
Leftovers

Wednesday
Gourmet Chicken Chili


1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 white onion , chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 dash hot sauce
2 15-ounce cans great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 bag of frozen shoepeg corn
3 tablespoons lime juice

[1] In a slow cooker, mix together the onion, garlic, broth, cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt and hot sauce. Add the chicken.
[2] Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
[3] Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and, using two forks, shred into pieces. Return the chicken to the slow cooker and stir in beans, corn and lime juice. Cover and cook on high for 15-20 minutes or until the beans and corn are hot. Serve immediately.

Thursdays

Leftovers

Friday
FISH DAY

Saturday
Robust Vegetable Soup


1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
1 white onion , chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, UNDRAINED
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
1 bunch Swiss chard, cleaned and torn
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

[1] In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic and celery and sauté until limp, about 5 minutes.
[2] Place ½ cup of the beans in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add the bean mixture to a large soup pot.  Add the vegetable broth, the rest of the beans, tomatoes, chiles and the mushroom mixture from the skillet.
[3] Add the chard and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the chard is tender. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh Parmesan.


Sunday
FEAST DAY
Lemon Roasted Chicken

Monday
Leftovers

Tuesday
2 Bean Butternut Chili


1 tablespoon olive oil
1 white onion , coarsley chopped
3 garlic clove(s), minced
1 butternut squash , peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch
chunks
1 red bell pepper , ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1-inch
chunks
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup water
1 14.5-ounce can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

[1] In a Dutch oven or large saucepan with a lid, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add squash, bell pepper, and chile powder; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring 1 minute. Add water. Cover and simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender,
about 7 minutes.
[2] Stir in tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon; add pinto beans, black beans, cilantro, and 1/2 cup water, adding more water if needed. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until lightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
[3] Season with salt and pepper. Spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle with more cilantro.
Note: add more chipotle chile powder, to taste.


Wednesday
Slow Cooker Taco Soup


1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 red onion , chopped
1 packet taco seasoning
1 1-ounce envelope ranch dressing mix
2 11-ounce cans corn, undrained
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, undrained
1 15-ounce can black beans, undrained
2 10-ounce cans Rotel tomatoes with chilies, undrained
1 12-ounce can light beer
1 1/2 cups water
TOPPINGS
1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1 2.25-ounce can sliced black olives
4 green onions , chopped

[1] Cook the beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain.
[2] Combine the meat mixture and taco seasoning with the ranch dressing mix, corn, pinto beans, black beans, tomatoes, beer and water in a slow cooker.
[3] Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve warm with the toppings.


Thursday
Hearty Lentil Soup


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 white onion , chopped
2 carrots , peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups dried lentils
4 cups water
4 cups vegetable broth
1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 cups fresh spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

[1] In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, cumin and basil; cook for 2 minutes.
[2] Stir in lentils, and add water, broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts.
[3] Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.


Friday
FISH DAY

Saturday
Leftovers

WHEW!  Holy Week, here we come!

Menu Planning Week 2

Since this week it is warm and sunny, we will be adding salad to our soups instead of sandwhiches and trying to lighten up a little!

Last week went GREAT!  Having the soup plan made life so much easier!  Winners: The Tomato Tortellini was a big hit.  The Pork Tenderloin with Blackberries was so tender and juicy.  The Beef Stew was yummy and will be seen again as our St. Patricks' Day soup tonight :),  but the biggest winner was the Mexican Pork with Sweet Potato Stew.  YUMMY..Everyone enjoyed and it only took about 45 minutes to make!  We skipped the Tortilla Soup on Saturday due to youth group and a time crunch, but one week down and NO RESTAURANT MEALS sounds like success to me!

For this week, we initally planned on Winter Vegetable Soup, but the 70 degree temps outside have not enticed me to make it, so Beef Stew Leftovers with Guinness tonight!

Friday - FISH DAY

Broiled Tilapia with Avocado Salsa

Steamed Broccoli

• 1 1/4 lbs of tilapia
• 1 yellow bell pepper diced
• 3/4 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 red onion, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 2 avocados, diced
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T ground coriander
• 1 whole lemon, wedged for garnish

1] In a medium bowl, stir together the bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lemon juice (save the rest of the lemon for the garnish), jalapeño and a little salt. Add the avocados and toss gently to combine, refrigerate until ready to use.

[2] Preheat the broiler. Rub the fish with olive oil, sprinkle with coriander and salt and pepper. Broil for 5-6 minutes until just flakes when tested with a fork. Serve fish topped with salsa and garnished with lemon wedges.

Saturday 

Leftovers

Sunday

FEAST DAY ????

Waiting to see what is on sale.

Monday

Black Bean Soup with Avocado

• 3 15 ounce cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 ups canned low-sodium vegetable (or chicken) broth
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• ½ cup dry sherry
• 2 ripe avocados, cut into ½-inch chunks
• 1 mango, peeled and cut into cubes
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 2 limes
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

[1] Combine 3 cups of the beans and 1 cup of the broth in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

[2] In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a dash of salt and pepper, stirring frequently until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and boil until reduced, about 3 minutes.

[3] Add the bean puree and the remaining broth and the rest of the beans. Simmer until hot, about 5 minutes.

[4] Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the avocados, cilantro, lime juice and another dash of salt and pepper. Mix gently and set aside.

[5] Spoon the soup into bowls and top with the avocado salsa. Place a dollop of sour cream next to the avocado.

Tuesday

Curried Pumpkin Soup

• 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin (not pie filling)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup very white onion, minced
• ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 15-ounce can vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup toasted coconut

[1] Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cover and cook until softened but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add pumpkin, broth, 2 CUPS WATER, bay leaf, curry powder, sugar, nutmeg and salt. Stir until well combined.

[2] Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add cream and heat gently.

[3] Serve garnished with toasted coconut.

Mardi Gras!

For our first not quite whole week of Lent, we started out on some great Lenten traditions.  For Mardi Gras, I did not get my traditional beignets made this year, :( but we did have a King Cake of sorts :).  We had a store bought version earlier in February that I found way too sweet, so I made cinnamon rolls sprinkled with green, yellow and purple sugars.  Since they did not have purple sugar at the store, I made my own, which was much easier than I thought it would be.

I had an old sprinkle container, filled it with sugar and a couple drops of food coloring, put the lid on and shook it up.  Voila!  Purple sugar!

King Cake completed, we packed up and visited a shrine to Mary for the 8th of the month and celebrated with rosary, mass and some time with Our Lady of Grace.  Rose loved the image of the jeweled monstrance on the altar, so we took a picture. 

Daisy enjoyed her time with Our Lady.  Isn't she lovely?

And Rose and Magnolia also visited with Jesus and His Sacred Heart.

For dinner, we had jambalaya with chicken, smoked sausage and shrimp.  (Next time I will skip the shrimp).  And we all ate ice cream in various forms for a special dessert.  Some of our favorite Mardi Gras music comes from Mardi Gras In New Orleans and Le Hoogie Boogie: Louisiana French Music For Children  
Mmmm, mmm, the next day we fast!

Lenten Menu 2011

After reading Kimberly's post over at Catholic Family Vignettes, I am totally inspired to revamp our eating habits this Lenten season.  Kimberly has lots of great recipes and ideas posted, so be sure to check out her blog including her fasting bread which sounds delicious and I plan to make as soon as we finish up this banana bread made yesterday.

We seem to be running a lot around dinner time and despite efforts to plan, I either can't get dinner made or get the food bought to make the dinner, so by 6 o'clock we are discussing where we are going to eat way too often.  This is not only costly, but also unhealthy to our bodies and our spirits!  Therefore the idea of soup for supper during Lent inspired me as a way I can manage dinner, we can eat whenever we need to, and it should be a simpler, more cost effective way to meal plan!

So the plan goes like this:  soup for supper Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  Since my Sweetheart likes a hearty meal, we will alternate meat based soups and vegetable/bean based soups.  Also since he and my girls are big fish fans, we will still do fish on Fridays, maybe visiting the parish Fish Fry a couple times, but this too gets very pricey.  Since my family is not too large and my girls are still small, we will plan a leftover night every 5 nights or so in order to use up the inevitable leftover food from the previous nights before spoiling.  And finally Sundays will be our family FEAST night to celebrate as a family with a hearty meat meal.  As soon as I figure out how, I will post our Lenten meal calendar but here is the first week's plan for now:  (Recipes to follow this afternoon).

Ash Wednesday

Peruvian Quinoa Stew

Toasted Herb Bread

Thursday

Leftovers

Friday

Slow Cooker Tomato Tortellini Soup

Herbed Pita Chips

Sliced Pears

Saturday

Tortilla Soup

Green Salad with Mexican Dressing

Sunday:  FEAST!!!

Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Sauce

Glazed Carrots

Homemade Applesauce

Monday

Beef Stew

Fresh Whole Wheat Rolls and Green Salad

Tuesday

Leftovers

Wednesday

Mexican Pork and Sweet Potato Stew 

(thanks to Kimberly at Catholic Family Vignettes for the recipe)

Tortilla strips and salsa

The Recipes: