Monty Python: The Grim Reaper

Tomorrow is the photo shoot for next Wednesday's column.




Can you guess what I'm cooking?

A Good Day

What does it say about the state of the Frugal Feasts Test Kitchen that having our column featured as the Editor's Pick on the Concord Monitor's home page constitutes the brightest spot in our day?

We might never be rich, and God knows we don't deserve to be famous, but we are trying to take joy in the little things.

woo hoo.

Sweet Treats: Blackberry Tart with Vanilla Pastry Cream

I've been on a tart kick. Maybe you've noticed. These crusts are so easy to make, and look so good (and taste so delicious) with a scattering of berries, that it would be a crime to waste any more time or effort on dessert.

And when the berries are free, as these were, what's not to love.

Every summer wild blackberries grow along a path here in Concord. If you can get them before the bears do, they're pretty good.


I have friends who don't like crust.
Lovely, curly haired friends.
Who love bread.
But hate crust.
Go figure.

But this isn't really crust, it's more like a giant rimmed cookie.

Here's how you make it:

In the bowl of a food processor dump:

3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
pinch salt.

Blitz for all of 10 seconds until the dough starts to come together in a ball.

Scrape the dough out of the work bowl and dump it into a 10" tart pan with a removable bottom:




Then, start pinching off pieces of the dough and pressing them into the sides of the pan.
If you hold one thumb on the top edge, perpendicular to the side of the tart pan, you'll have a nice, fairly even top edge.



When you're done with the sides, pat the rest of the dough into the bottom of the pan. It should look something like this:




Remember: a little unevenness is desired. Even though this is the easiest crust in the world to make, you don't want anyone to mistake it for one of those frozen things from the grocery store. No one has to know how easy it is, but you still want credit.


Bake this for about 20 minutes in a preheated, 350 degree oven. It should be pretty firm to the touch but not brown.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before filling.


This particular tart is filled with pastry cream and blackberries, but if you aren't in the mood to make a custard, you can just smear some jam in the bottom and top with some berries.
No one will complain.
Smack them if they do.

Vanilla Pastry Cream

From my autographed copy of Dessert University
by Roland Mesnier the former White House Pastry Chef

8 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 large whole eggs
2 cups whole milk or light cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
tiny pinch salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

1. Whisk together the sugar and the cornstarch in a medium sized bowl. Whisk in the eggs.
2. Bring the milk to a boil in a large saucepan. Slowly dribble 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Dribble another 1/2 cup of the milk into the egg mixture, again whisking constantly.
3. Whisk the egg mixture back into the milk and return the pan to the heat. Bring to a full boil, whisking constantly. Stir in the vanilla, salt and butter. Allow to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Spoon this into the cooled crust and smooth with an offset spatula.

Top with about 3 cups of berries, washed and dried.

Best served within a few hours while the crust is crisp and the berries are fresh.

Frugal Lobster Pasta

Back in the day, frugal mothers would stretch an expensive item by turning it into soup.

I'd much rather chop it up, drown it in cream and call it pasta sauce.

So went the two $3.99 a pound lobsters I got on sale at DeMoula's on Sunday.

Pretty good, pretty cheap and since it was Sunday, the calories didn't count.

Pasta with Lobster Cream Sauce
Serves 6

2 pound sized lobsters, steamed at the store
1 pound whole wheat pasta
4 tablespoons butter
2 small leeks, well cleaned and chopped into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 cups light cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
juice and grated rind of one lemon

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
Put the cream in a large glass measuring cup or bowl and nuke for 3 minutes to warm.

Meanwhile, working over a large bowl, tear the tails off the cooked lobsters, catching any juice in the bowl. Place the lobster tails on a cutting board and cut through the underside of the shell by pressing down with a large heavy knife.
Remove the tail meat and chop into bite sized pieces and set aside.
Tear the claws off the lobsters and extract the meat. Crack the shells slightly with the large knife. Chop the meat, reserving whole the meat from 1 or 2 claws for garnish.

In a heavy skillet melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the leeks and saute until leeks are translucent and fragrant, but do not brown. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the cream and whisk briskly to combine. Continue cooking and whisking for 3-5 minutes until sauce is thickened. Add the lobster and the reserved juices and stir.

Add the salt and pepper and lemon rind and juice and stir again.

When pasta is done, drain and place on a large platter. Pour the sauce over, and garnish with the reserved claw meat and some lemon slices.

Serve immediately.

It’s Getting A Little Chili

Just in case you thought we made everything in our column up...

Here is the visual proof that, at least occasionally, we tell the truth!

And if you thought we were kidding about Robin and the green wicker chair, well she really did hondle like a pro.

The ten bucks even included a cute gingham cushion, everything in mint condish.



Here is the column that is running exclusively in today's Concord Monitor:

It's Getting a Little Chili

It happens like clockwork. Once a week the two of us get together to discuss column ideas and recipes, and pretty soon one or the other of us is saying "oh, no". "no, no, no". Ab-so-lute-ly NOT". And then, after 15 minutes of cajoling and whining, the other will reluctantly agree to go along with the plan, sigh dramatically and wonder what the heck she is doing in a partnership with this crazy person.

That's pretty much how it went on a recent Saturday morning when Suzanne wheeled into Robin's driveway to pick her up for a morning of yard saling. And once again, the two of us could not be further apart in our feelings about the whole endeavor.

Suzanne comes from a long line of trash-picking bargain hunters, as congenitally suited to haggling as a Persian rug salesman. She loves nothing better than finding some discarded treasure by the roadside and wrangling it into the back of her minivan while her husband and children hunker down in mortification (Suzanne's husband is from Connecticut where citizens feel it is their civic duty to pay retail). Yard sales give her heart palpitations, and her hands are sweaty with anticipation as she drives up with a little baggie of ones and quarters.

Robin gets heart palpitations of her own, mostly because she hates the intimate nature of a yard sale. She feels like rummaging through someone else's stuff is just too much like going through their undie drawer. She also can't shake the feeling that she is profiting from someone else's misfortune (she's the nice one, remember?). Funny how those feelings dissipated as we approached a driveway full of furniture. Robin was out of the car before it was in Park, her eye on a gorgeous green wicker rocker. While Suzanne flipped through a pile of old cookbooks, Robin was busy stuffing the chair into the back of the car, pumped from shaving $5 off the sticker price by asking the sweet, elderly woman hosting the sale if she could "do any better". Out here on a sunny Saturday morning, it is survival of the pushiest.

Even though we don't need any competition, our readers have been so nice and supportive that we felt we should share a few pointers for a successful yard sale excursion. Besides, the season is pretty much over until spring, and we are betting you'll forget these tips long before we are back in our cars next spring, Concord Monitor print-out in hand, hearts racing with excitement – because you just never know what you'll find in the bottom of a 20 year old banana box.

The more furniture, the better the sale. The best sales are the ones being held by older couples who are downsizing from the family home. The sellers are motivated, and the quality of stuff is usually pretty high. Taste, well that may be another story. Try to look past the 4 piece mushroom-shaped canister set in the fetching tones of gold and avocado, and focus on the maple bedside tables and the sturdy lamps. Many of our kids' room have been beautifully furnished at very little cost by shopping these kinds of sales.

Cash is king. No one is going to take your check, so don't even try. And bring some small bills and quarters. Nothing destroys your yard sale cred faster than getting someone to agree to take a dollar for that vintage egg beater and then asking them to break a twenty.

Consider bringing your kids. This, we will admit, is controversial. On the one hand, kids are so excited to paw through happy meal toys and broken games that you'll be able to scan the sale without feeling so intrusive and conspicuous. On the other hand, children have been known to cause a scene when you refuse to spend $3 on a filthy Barbie with visible hair plugs and one dog-chewed shoe.

Yard Sale season is over, it's time for football and tailgates. And when it starts to get chilly, there's no better frugal feast than, well, chili!
We've got two versions this week: Hamburger Chili – a classic recipe that goes together in a flash and is mild enough for the whole family; and Buffalo Chicken Chili—a delicious concoction that features all the flavors of the barroom favorite. It's spicy and perfect for serving to a crowd. For more information on these recipes, a look at our dirty dishes and the occasional giveaway, please check our blog: frugalfeastsblog.com

Buffalo Chicken Chili
photo by Ken Williams for the Concord Monitor

Hamburger Chili

Makes 8 servings @ $1.25 each

1 teaspoon butter

2 pounds lean hamburger

2 large onions, chopped, ¼ cup reserved for garnish

2 15.5 ounce cans kidney beans

2 15.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

Garnishes: shredded cheddar and reserved chopped onion.

Brown the meat and the onion in the butter over medium heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon as you go. Cook until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Add everything else and simmer for one half hour to combine flavors.

Serve in bowls with cheddar and onion.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

10 servings @ $1.50 each

8 stalks celery, diced, ¼ cup set aside for garnish

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons celery seed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 can chicken broth

1 cup Louisiana style hot sauce (such as Texas Pete's) plus more for serving

4 tablespoons honey or brown sugar

1 15.5 ounce can black beans, drained

1 26 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

5 cups cooked chicken cut into bite sized pieces

Garnishes

2 cups cooked rice

4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

1 cup sour cream

Reserved diced celery

Celery seed

Heat the butter and oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Add the onion, garlic and celery and sauté over medium heat until translucent and cooked, but not brown. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes to thicken sauce and blend flavors.

To serve, place a small scoop of rice into a soup or chili bowl. Ladle chili over, then top with sour cream, crumbled blue cheese and diced celery. Serve with additional hot sauce, and a sprinkling of celery seed.

In the Swamp

No, this is not a photo of my new office.

But going back to a real job, 40 hours a week, after 13 years of birthing babies and blogging and being at the beck and call of my family has me in the swamp.

When I get home I'd like nothing more than to turn on the boob tube and just let hideously orange, spray tanned ninnies dance before my eyes, and watch Padma Lachme host an entire episode of Top Chef without ever touching her lips together (here's where my husband asks quizzically: "She has lips?").

I am so tired from my grueling job (answering phones and typing and such) that I can barely muster the energy to lie on the sofa and order large boxes of Sal's eggplant pizza.

All I can say is Thank heavens for my Robbie -- ready to post at a moment's notice, filling these blank pages with her wit and wisdom.

I'll be back, I swear. Someone, someday soon, will win a subscription to Cooking Light.

I'll be cursing up a storm, ranting about who knows what, my last good nerve on the verge of total snappage.

Just as soon as I can shake the thick black sludgy ooze that is the working woman's curse off my funny bone.

Family Photos

Remember when you headed out on vacation?

Armed with your camera, a couple rolls of film,
a hope and a prayer that when the film was developed, you maybe have 1 or 2 magical moments captured forever?


Well, in the age of digital cameras it seems like the ritual of sitting around with a box of old photos trying figure out who's who's may be long gone.

I now have a computer chock full of every event in living color, and many photos splashed all over the internet for all time.
But there are no pictures in my hand.

I have spent the last hour uploading pictures to one site for easy access, so I can go to another website, doctor up my photos so they look like I am a professional photographer, so that I can then load them onto all the other applications to share with the world.....and in the end

I. Still. Have. No. Photos.


Should I save them to a disc?
Should I save them on my zip drive?
Should I put them on another site so I can purchase them?

I have decided to get all the photos printed.

I will fill the pages of my photo albums.

And when my home is filled with family, we will gather around and and look at our memories together.

Not alone in front of a computer screen..... just like the old days :)

No Dinner Tonight

Since I have become a food blogger, the truth of the matter is this:

NO FOOD WILL BE EATEN BEFORE IT IS PHOTOGRAPHED

simple as that..... why make if there will be no proof, right?!!

Well, My camera has gone to China (not because it is being repaired) because Ben needed a camera (last minute epiphany of course) to bring on his trip so he could photograph the wonderful sights.

I was a nice mommy, I gave him the camera, bought him some batteries, made sure he was ready.

Ben took the camera, packed it away, while I nagged: "Did you forget this? Do you have that?

And I know this will be shocking, but Ben never checked to make sure the memory card fit his computer...

So no pictures from China
and
no camera for me,
which means no food for dinner :)

Of course I'm kidding. I will prepare dinner minus the flash and will not post a meal for Monday... really, I do not want to be like a cookbook without pictures...

The good news is my new camera should be here soon and I will be back in the game.

The bad news it seems Ben did not take any pants with him other than the shorts he was wearing...

I only know this because his younger brother seems to be sporting all of Ben's pants now that he is not around...

Well, Max looks good and I hope Ben can find some pants that are long enough over on the Tibetan Plateau..

The Joys of Motherhood: They are never ending!

Moving Mountains

Today is Sunday.

As a rule we do not post on Sundays,

BUT

I felt a strong desire to share a story with our readers -- readers who along with our Frugal Feasts column fans have on some level gotten to know our families, ok, mostly because I've posted all my childrens' foolishness and have shared some of the more poignant aspects of raising a large family--the link to my son Ben's wonderful blog so that he can share his miraculous journey with you.

www.benbroadbent.blogspot.com

Once in a while things happen that remind of us what the heck the point of life is.

And, although this is my child this time,

I know it will be yours, or the child of someone else we know next time,

so as parents let's enjoy this together.

We may be sharing police blotters next week so we better take it when we can get it...

CSA Recipe Idea: Pesto

I hate to say it out loud, but it's true: the hard killing frost is coming and all the beautiful basil will be a puddle of slimy black rags once it happens.

So get the cuisinart out and make some pesto people!
Here is a perfect example why proper punctuation is important.
I meant:
" You people should go make some pesto"
not:
"Hey! I've got a great craft idea: Pesto People!"

Sorry if I disappointed any of you mad crafters out there--pesto people would be a great project.

*Ahem*

The Perfect Pesto Recipe
(IMHO)

4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 packed cups of basil leaves
3/4 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon kosher salt
As much fresh ground black pepper as you can bear to crank
olive oil: approximately 2/3 cup to 1 cup, depending

Put the minced garlic into the bowl of a food processor along with the basil and blitz until the basil is uniformly chopped into tiny shreds. Please mince the garlic first--the food processor just cuts garlic into chunks and flings them onto the sides of the work bowl long before they are fit for human consumption -- fine until you get one on your tongue and you are forced to brush your teeth and tongue 6 times a day for a week to get rid of the taste.

Add everything else but the olive oil and blitz again until well blended but NOT until it is a paste.

Slowly drizzle the oil into the chute until the pesto looks creamy and is of a consistency you like. I like mine sort of spready/creamy.

Scrape into a small container. Float a layer of olive oil over the top -- about a quarter inch, and refrigerate for weeks. When you take some, float more oil over the top. It seals in freshness. Seriously.

Also: you could make this with the same amount of another green herby thing -- arugula, parsley, pot, whateves.

Duke's Mayonnaise

Hey all y'all, check this out....

My college roommate Ann sent me a jar of Duke's mayonnaise up from Roanoke Virginia a while back as a hostess gift.

We could spend more than a few paragraphs discussing why she felt the need to expand my horizons beyond Helmann's, but suffice to say she is always a thoughtful guest, and she probably decided I was getting too thin, and needed something to tempt my peckish appetite.

Duke's is alleged to be "The Secret of Southern Cooks", which is funny because I thought "frying" was the secret of southern cooks.
Also bourbon.

But what do I know?

We northerners think "barbecue" is a verb.

Any self-respecting southerner knows that "barbecue" is a noun, plain, pure and simple.

I cracked that baby open and slathered it onto some fresh bread with sliced homegrown tomatoes and some chopped basil.

This is hard for a Helmann's girl to admit, but the Duke's was mighty tasty.

A little eggier than Helmann's, but smoother somehow.

Delicious.

So delicious, I'm thinking that's what Paula Deen has been eating by the tub, y'all.

Monday Madness: Make Dinner Happen

The fridge is clearly in need of some restocking, Monday has arrived.

This past weekend was not the
"Let's Get Our Act Together For The Upcoming Week"
kind of weekend.

It was eat and run, run and eat.
The fridge is bare, but the crowd will still show up at 6:00 this evening, looking for something! anything! And there is no time to make this better...

I know how to do this,
it is what I do, right?
I will grab all cheese that has not gotten hard, expired, or turned blue.

I know there is always a couple of canned tomato options in the cupboard,
I will use 1 can sauce, 1 can diced tomatoes , ( or any variation I have on hand).......

Thank god for the 5 for 5 sales :)

I will grab that zucchini--soft and ready for something, anything

...Screaming use me PLEASE!!! Plus, at least one good onion, butter of course,

fry it up until tender and browned

Cook up two boxes of any pasta, because Mix and Match is always an option on Monday.

Combine the veggies, cooked pasta, sauce, a little more butter, and salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer mixture to large casserole dish, cut all sliced cheese into strips and push into casserole.

Top with any remaining cheese, (I used American, Swiss Cheddarand Provolone).

Cover with foil and place in preheated 300 oven for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and cook 10 more minutes.

I might serve this with a nice salad

or not...

depends what else is in the fridge,

Maybe a crust of bread or two...

I might even spread a little crushed garlic and butter on the hard English muffins I found in the bread drawer and broil for a minute.

What ever works today.

They will be happy and full, once again I made it work...

But I will get to the store soon, like NOW... Tuesday Night's dinner is right around the corner!

Sweet Treats: Kale Bread

I know what you're thinking--

Kale Bread?

Sweet Treat?

Indubitably.

Sweet in the slangy sense, as in:

A slice of this bread, toasted, makes a sweet breakfast.




This comes from our friend and neighbor Autumn who we would love to hate (beautiful home, 3 kind and lovely daughters, bakes ALL her own bread, gardens her brains out at a community plot, married to a handsome DOCTOR husband) but we just can't manage to pull it off. She's too damn generous with her baked goods and her veggies.

Am I laying it on too thick? If you were sitting at your computer munching on yet another slice of this loaf slathered in butter, you'd be doing everything you could too to try to snag some more. She's really pretty too......

Here's Autumn's recipe:

1 large bunch kale, steamed for 5 minutes, excess water squeezed out
2 cups reserved kale steaming water, cooled to warm room temperature
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for oiling bowl and pans
1 Tablespoon yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup whole wheat flour (Autumn uses King Arthur)
3 1/2 - 5 cups unbleached all purpose or bread flour
2 oiled 8 inch cake pans, or 2 oiled cookie sheets

Saute garlic in the olive oil briefly, do not let brown. Cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl combine the dissolved yeast mixture, salt, garlic and the oil it was sauteed in, reserved kale cooking water and the 1 cup of whole wheat flour.
Mix well.
Add all the kale and start adding flour in half cup increments until the dough can be kneaded (hard to mix, and only slightly sticky).
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes until dough is smooth. Add more flour as needed.
Place dough in a large greased bowl, and flip over so that the dough is oiled side up. Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise in a warm, draft free place until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.
Punch down dough and form into 2 loaves -- either in the cake pans (like in the picture) or free form on the cookie sheets.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bake the loaves for about 35-40 minutes until bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Here is a before picture of the kale.
I couldn't get a good shot of the wheat.
Just kidding--she doesn't grow her own wheat.

Yet.

Cooking Light: New and Improved and Awesome

Well bless our lucky stars. While the bloggisphere is in a tizzy over whether or not mommy bloggers should accept free gifts in return for good reviews, your friendly neighborhood Fru Gals are just happy when someone asks for our opinion.

We knew print media was in trouble, but when Cooking Light Magazine approached us to review their September issue, we thought, uh oh. Can they really want the opinions of two dopey Moms living in obscurity in New Hampshire?

Sure, they said.
So we asked them to send us along a couple copies -- we have plenty of opinions, and no hesitation to share them.

Now we need to be clear: neither of us could be considered light.
Not in our cooking,
not in our weights,
and most poignantly,
not in the number of gray hairs sprouting out all over.

It was with some degree of skepticism that we peeled open the envelope. Neither of us have much interest in recipes that swap delicious, essential ingredients (like butter) for low fat alternatives, and since we have 11 boys between us (13 if darling hubbies are included) we really can't afford to present dinners that are mostly lettuce. We'd get killed before dessert.

Well Hallelujah! Page 3 features the most gorgeous photo of a Stilton Burger with Caramelized Onions, on a big crusty grilled roll -- it looks heavenly. In fact we are drooling a little right now on the keyboard.

Photo by Becky Luigat-Stayner for Cooking Light
Click here for a printable version of this recipe

If that's Cooking Light, well sign us up!

We nearly fainted when we flipped to page 160 looking for chinks in the armor,and found just a few subtle tweaks to bring the calorie and fat count from a traditional homemade burger:

• Instead of ground round, the recipe calls for ground sirloin. Lower in fat, and therefore less flavorful, but with the slathering of sauteed onions and stilton cheese, no one will notice.

• Instead of half pound monstrosities, these burgers are a slim 4 ounces. But again, given that this is ground sirloin, if you wanted to make 6 ounce burgers, you'd only be adding an additional 85 calories and 2 grams of fat.
  

We also loved the Super Fast feature, with a bunch of recipes that can be on the table in 20 minutes. It was especially nice to see so many of them featuring fish -- we never know what to do with trout and mahi-mahi when it shows up in the grocery store sale fliers--

Photo by Randy Mayor for Cooking Light

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

How good and fast does Pan-Sauteed Trout with Capers sound?
Look for that in an upcoming Dinner Idea post.


And we are always looking for meat-free dinner ideas that our wretched children will actually eat, and Suzanne is sitting on a couple of eggplant from last week's CSA share. So this week's CSA recipe idea will be

Barley Risotto with Eggplant and Tomatoes

Photo by Randy Mayor for Cooking Light

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Did we mention that it is sauced with white wine and goat cheese?

Just like Suzanne.

There are some things about this magazine that we didn't love. Like the beauty product reviews. Don't waste precious editorial space on stuff you can't eat (or at least drool over). Look, you are either old or headed that way and there isn't much you can do about it.

If you really want to know about beauty products, snag a peek at Glamour in line at the grocery store, where you went to buy the ingredients to make another delicious recipe from this gorgeous magazine.

And speaking of Glamour, is it just us or do you secretly wish someone you know will be featured as a Don't with a black bar over her eyes?

One lucky reader will win a year's subscription to Cooking Light.

Here's the fine print:

Please leave an answer in the form of a comment on this post. Our question is: How are you lightening up these days? What is new and improved in your life?

You'll be entered in our contest. A tweet and a facebook shout out will each garner an additional entry. And Cooking Light has asked us to throw a bone to fellow bloggers: If you post a link on your blog, we'll give you FIVE additional entries. It's just like powerball. But without the money part.

Questions? Shoot us an email. We're here to help you!

Celebrating Life etc....

Number 8 is 8 WOW

I would love to take the time and reflect on this wonderful day when the stars aligned and blessed our home with this little bugger, however I can not....
Number 1 will arrive this evening with the fiance, the wonderful Dan (we love him).

Yes, it's true, Sunday was a big day here-- champagne before ten in the morning, tears of joy as we learned of Catherine's engagement

1 down 7 to go....

Terrible as that sounds, it is true, I have exactly 15 minutes per day,to deal with the good, the bad and the ugly and I try to make it all appear cool, calm and collected... so each child feels and knows they are special...

6:20 am #7 "Mom why are you still sleeping?" OMG I overslept
6:30 "good morning everyone and Happy Birthday Harry"
6:35 sausage and egg sandwiches for 7,, I am still smiling
7:30 3 are gone; snacks and lunches provided
7:40 walking the Birthday Boy to school, arrange snack for 9:30
8:00 drive # 6 to school, I do happy chatter as he grumbles all the way
8:20 grocery store... what the heck did I need? Oh yes, ice cream sandwiches for 22 3rd graders, the rest of the birthday dinner, ice cream and some party horns... ooops almost forgot the candles.
8:45 back to school to drop off snack
9:00 clean up breakfast, get 18 year old set to head out to NYC, at 1:00 pm (alone on the bus). He must be at the Chinese embassy on Friday at 9:00 a.m. to hopefully obtain a visa for the trip-- he leaves on Wednesday...yikes , not so sure I can do this... what if ? what if ? what if?
10:00-2:30 there is shopping wrapping, cooking, packing, planning, details to be taken care of, the kids will arrive home ready for the fun to begins

2:30-6:30 after homework, soccer practice, volleyball scrimmage, dinner to be served, presents to open, songs to sing. Immediately following the celebration I will head out to tour one of the possible sites of the upcoming wedding.

6:30-9:00 I hope to return to a clean home, children bathed and tucked in bed, teenagers diligently doing their homework, soft music playing in the background, college children having left messages that all is is perfect in college land, 18 year old having gotten all his things together for his bus ride. Dreaming is a good thing when I have time :)

9:00- 12:00 It will be a crazy over the top day (as they all seem to be), I will plop myself into bed just in time to be swept away into the Project Runway world for an hour of bliss; but I guess this what I bargained for back in the day when I was myself was a dewy-eyed Bride to Be. Yesterday was my 25th Anniversary. Not much time to celebrate, but boy oh boy every day seems to be a celebration. As I like to say, the good, the bad and the ugly, we got it all.

We are still married, still celebrating birthdays for little boys, engagements, and all the great things that make life worth living... things are good....Happy Thursday !!!!!!!

Today’s Frugal Feast Column

Meatball Soup with Asian Flavors

Today exclusively in The Concord Monitor. Sure you can read it here,
but if you go to The Monitor, you can see Ken William's wonderful photography.

The Fru-Gals have come a long way since we first met on August 28, 1996 at Dewey School. We both had kindergarteners, and we hit it off immediately. Those were the days. We were 35, relatively unwrinkled and pretty firmly convinced that most, if not all of our little darlings would be headed to ivy league schools on merit scholarships. Merit scholarships we would decline because, well, Harvard would need the money more than we did, what with our vast fortunes and such. We're just glad no one had a suitcase sized video camera there to record for posterity what idiots we were. Are. Whatever!

We could have predicted that not everything was going to go as planned. Shockingly, we are wider, and grayer, than we might have imagined, but never, ever, could we have foreseen that we'd each have a son sign up for Army ROTC in 2009.

We need to say, right off the bat, that we are incredibly proud of our sons, and every mother's child who puts themselves in harm's way to keep our country safe and strong. And never for a moment have we felt that our children should be exempt from service—that other people's children should be sent off to war but never ours.

But still. This is The Army. Which, we've determined (after a lot of hand wringing and sleepless nights) has a program that isn't too far off from what we've been trying to teach them every day they've been on the earth: be strong, make good choices, pick up after yourself, follow orders from your superiors (without backtalk), eat whatever is put in front of you, wear clothes that are neat, clean and actually match, and um, shoot guns. OK so nothing's perfect. Neither of us allowed guns as toys – too violent! Of course, boys being boys, they turned every piece of toast and every pile of Legos into guns, but we weren't even comfortable with that. We'd like to share our thoughts on weaponry with the commanding officers, if we could just schedule a little parent/officer conference. "Really" we'd like to ask, "are the guns truly necessary? "

The United States Army has taken our sons and agreed to pay for their schooling and in exchange will make them into Army Officers, United States soldiers; able to face their fears and overcome them. This is truly a great and wonderful thing. We couldn't get these boys to bend over and put the dishes in the dishwasher (too hard); now they run 2 miles a day. These boys had no laundry management skills--piling dirty clothes up in the corner of their room until buzzards circle overhead does not count. The Army has also taken care of that, teaching them to place things on hangers, all lined up in the correct order, all facing the same way. And neatly arranged underneath are a row of of nicely polished shoes and boots, and somehow the Army had taught them to take pride in all of it.

All this being said, there are a few things we'd like to change about the Army. We are all for color coordination in outfits, and khaki is a good neutral. But wouldn't a nice blue oxford button-down shirt be better with those pants? Some embroidered polo shirts would offer a casual army look; it would still be neat, and more relaxed, perfect for Fridays when they're not at war. And would it kill them to issue a nice pair of cordovan penny loafers? Also? When they are out of ROTC and are actually in the army, we think there should be parents' weekends. We'd like to meet their friends, and help pick out some fun posters and a nice throw rug for their barracks.

We are trying to let go, and let our sons be all they can be, but it is hard to stop smothering…er mothering these children. We'd like to have the sergeant's cell phone number. Just for emergencies, we swear. Even though the army has sent us enough paperwork to sink the Intrepid, we have yet to see a list of officer contact information. It is really important that we let them know a few things about our sons. The boys might be a little nervous, and maybe even a little shy, so be gentle, they are good boys. Please make sure they get enough of the green leafys. They should eat some protein and not just fill up on pasta and bread, and if they won't drink their milk –a little squirt of chocolate syrup might help.

Speaking of pasta, if you've been on KP duty for as long as we have, you probably have some shortcuts for dealing with your own chow line. This week we offer a divine recipe for Suzanne's meatballs. They are baked not fried, and they can be easily frozen in sealable plastic bags. Just plop them into your sauce of choice—they thaw and heat up in no time.

Once you have several bag of meatballs in the freezer, you can use them to make all kinds of meals. This week Robin has a delicious meatball stew.

Make Ahead Meatballs:

Makes about 100 meatballs. Enough to last for weeks!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 cookie sheets, or roasting pans with foil.

3 pounds 85% lean ground beef

3 pounds lean ground pork

Breadcrumbs made from 4 slices whole wheat bread

1 medium sized onion, diced

Handful fresh parsley, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup Worchestershire sauce

3 eggs

In a very large bowl or stock pot, mix everything together gently with your hands. Don't overwork the mixture, but make sure the ingredients are fairly well distributed.

Form meatballs about the size of a golf ball by pinching off pieces of the meat mixture and rolling in your palms. Place on cookie sheets.

Bake for about 20 minutes, just until meatballs feel firm to the touch. Do not overcook as these will cook more as part of whatever meal you are making.

Freeze in Ziploc bags.

Robin's Meatball Soup

Serves 6-8

Perfect for days when you will be out of the house during the late afternoon –prepare ahead and enjoy!

15-20 homemade meatballs (precooked) or 1 bag of frozen prepackaged meatballs

3 12 ounce cans beef broth

2 cups baby carrots

1 small package presliced mushrooms

1 bunch green onions, roughly chopped

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup teriyaki marinade

¼ cup cider vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated or 1 teaspoon powdered

2 small leeks; washed and sliced thinly into 2 inch lengths

1/2 bag wide egg noodles

Place everything but the meatballs and the noodles in a Crockpot. Cook on low for 3-5 hours.

Turn the pot up to high and add the noodles and the meatballs.

Let cook for an additional 30 minutes until meatballs are warm and noodles are tender.

Linguine with Clam Sauce

Got to love the frugality of this meal--
when in doubt serve it up!

The Basics

2 boxes cooked Linguine -- al dente of course $2.00

2 cans Progresso white clam sauce $2.99 ea. total $5.98

Large loaf of bread $1.99

1 stick softened butter

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large green salad, recipe follows.

Cook linguine according to package directions.
Meanwhile, heat the clam sauce in a small pan over low heat.

Slice the loaf of bread lengthwise.

Mix the garlic with the softened butter and and smear over both cut sides of the bread.

Preheat the broiler to low.

Make the salad:

3 heads romaine lettuce chopped into bite sized pieces

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

Croutons optional

Salt and pepper to taste

Toss it all together and serve with oil and vinegar

On a large serving platter toss together the pasta and the clam sauce.
Place the bread on the top rack of the oven for 2 minutes to broil.
Watch closely or it will be a tad blackened like mine,
still delicious...crispy on top, soft on the bottom.
Excellent!

Slice the bread, and serve it with the pasta and salad.
Enjoy!

Total time: a half hour

Total cost under $10.00

This meal presents well and leaves the budget intact.

Hooray For Us !!!!!!!!!!!

Sweet Treats: Melt in Your Mouth Blueberry Cake

This is an old recipe. It's floating all over the intertubes. I got a 47 millionth generation copy at the darling farm stand where we picked the berries.

The cake is perfection, with the possible exception of the MARGARINE called for in the recipe. I swapped that out for unsalted butter and ate nearly the whole damn pan by myself. double this to make enough for two....

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Blueberry Cake

2 eggs -- separated
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter -- softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour -- sifted
1 tablespoon flour -- to coat berries
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup whole milk or half and half
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Sanding sugar or granulated sugar for top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat in 1/4 cup of sugar.
In another bowl, cream butter; add salt, vanilla, and remaining sugar gradually.
Add egg yolks and beat until creamy.
Sift flour with baking powder. Add alternately to creamed mixture with milk.
Fold in beaten egg whites.
Coat the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and then fold into mixture.
Turn into 8x8 inch pan. (use a 9X13 if doubling the recipe)
Sprinkle sugar on top.
Bake in 350degree oven for 50 minutes.
Cool on rack. Wrap any leftovers and store in refrigerator (HA).
May be frozen.