Sweet Treats: Spider Cupcakes

Looking for a quick and easy Halloween treat?

Make some tiny cupcakes, frost them and then dip them into black sanding sugar. Add some cinnamon redhots for eyes, a couple white jimmies as teeth and some black licorice as legs.

If you live in the greater Concord area, you can get all your supplies from Sue Chandler over at Chandler's Cake and Candy supply. She has a great selection of cake decorating equipment and an amazing line up of classes. Here is a link to her website: Chandler's Cake and Candy Supply.

These take ZERO SKILL and really look best if they are just massed on a table as if they are about to take over.

They may look mean, but they are super sweet.

Poor Robin

Here is a little photo of me that my sweetie took of me as I sit in our lovely
mid- century home, awaiting the start of our annual Halloween fete.

Yes, it is a few days before Halloween here at the Ellinwood Residence, but unlike poor Robin, I have things firmly under control.

All of the costumes have been ordered from the very expensive catalog that came through our mail slot in August. I love paying $97.00 so my children can dress in pre-shredded rags.

All the candy (king sized bars natch) are laid out in the front hall in a darling vintage pumpkin that I found in this adorable antique shop on the coast. It wasn't cheap, but decorating my home to match the holidays is very important to my sense of self worth, and besides, with Peter having started a new business in this booming economy, money is just piling up all over the place. It is such a nuisance to keep sweeping the hundos into manageable piles.

All my back fat and thigh fat has melted away (along with my wrinkles) and I am smooth and blond. Strangely costumed as some sort of dipshit harlequin ballet dancer, but smooth and blond nonetheless. Light and bright indeed.

God I hope I don't wake up until Sunday.

Thirsty Thursdays? I get it !

With several children attending college, I have heard all about Thirsty Thursdays.

I have always thought it to be completely ridiculous.

However after this week I wish I were away at college looking forward to getting completely drunk as my big accomplishment for the week.

This is the week before Halloween and although I only have a few children left to get ready this year it has been crazy....

We have had at least 10 costume changes this week: the 8 year old king of drama boy is up in arms that I will not run to Target each and everyday so he can get one more item to complete his ensemble.

The 11 year old is pouty and prissy and believe me any suggestion I have is sooooooooooo stupid I might just as well drop dead for all she cares.

The charming 13 year old... now do they or don't they? That is the question.

This topic is up for a lot of discussion on my end, trying to get an answer, but then again 13 year olds also think everything I say is stupid.

You can be rest assured come trick or treat night at the bewitching hour all hell will break loose and Mom better fix it...

The pumpkins are rotting and we still have not carved them, the candy I bought (trying be organized) has disappeared SHOCKING as it may be.

My house is having some work done (PAINTING AND PAPERING FINALLY THE PAINTER'S WIFE IS GETTING SOME PAINTING DONE ) so my front hall is not only filled with too many backpacks and shoes, but way too many chairs, rugs, and lamps, and to make it all so much better, the sanding is never ending.

Just when I think it is done it starts again and my house entire house is covered with nice coat of dust. But that is just the tip of the iceberg.

So I would like a drink to kick off my Thirsty Thursday, but then again if I start I may never stop and then who would make all the stupid suggestions, clean up the dust and run to Target like it's my job?

I think I better wait.

Happy Halloween

Parsnip and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes are always a favorite at our home, so I am am always looking for ways to perk them up with extra nutrition. This adapted recipe fits the bill: add some parsnips for health and garlic for taste and these not so everyday mashed potatoes were a hit.


2 lb large potatoes (peeled or not if using red) cut up into 1-2


1 pound parsnips cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup whole milk or half and half
4 tablespoons butter( I always use more :)
2 scallions thinly sliced
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste


Place the potatoes and parsnips in a large pot, cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 15-18 minutes.


Drain the vegetables and return to pot. Add butter, milk or cream, scallions, garlic, salt and pepper to taste and mash like crazy.


Lavish with sliced scallions and extra pats of butter for garnish, optional!


The kids had no clue good veggies were added...they raved, inhaled their servings andasked for more and all was good. I served them here with sliced tomatoes and a well cooked steak for an easy, quick meal.

Making It Work

There are times when the recipe calls for one thing and you do not possess that particular item. This situation calls for the bait and switch...

This recipe looked yummy, but it called for pork chops. Checked the big freezer--no go... I could run out to the store, think again.

That trip would result in spending money I also do not have, so how about frozen chicken thighs? I have plenty of those from the last big sale. They will do just fine I hope :)

So in they went, hard as a rock, into the infamous crock pot.

After many hours bubbling away with apples onion and a few other tasty ingredients




Out came a wonderful meal with a sweet sauce that was made with chicken and was just as good as pork (I assume).


An easy fall meal served here with rice.

Try it out on your unsuspecting family--


Bait and Switch

It is good!

Chicken with Mushrooms and apples

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
2 tbls brown sugar
2 tbls Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried thyme
10 skinless chicken thighs (fresh or frozen):)
4 large apple peeled and slices
2 large onions peeled and sliced
1 pkg fresh mushrooms sliced thin



Stir soup,water,brown sugar, Worcestershire and thyme in a 31/2 crock pot,add the chicken and turn to coat in the soup mixture. Place apples,onions and mushrooms on top

cover and cook on low 8-9 hrs or until chicken is cooked

serve over rice or with garlic mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce

Wonderful fall fare

Sweet Treats: Cheater Apple Cake

When you need a quick and delicious dessert for dinner
or coffee hour at church
or your kids talked you into apple picking and you are overloaded, this is a great recipe. 5 minutes from box to oven, and it stays moist, delicious and irresistible.
And no frosting necessary.

Quick Apple Bundt Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
4 apples, peeled, sliced thinly and tossed with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a standard bundt pan and set aside.

Beat together the cake mix, pudding, cinnamon, oil, milk and eggs until smooth, approximately 3 minutes.

Pour 1/3 of the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Scatter 1/2 the apples over the batter. Top with another third of the batter and then the rest of the apples. Pour the remainder of the batter on top of the apples and smooth with a spatula.

Bake for about 50 minutes until the cake looks cooked and springs back when pressed gently.
Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then unmold onto a wire cake rack,

Let cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar.

Makes about 16 servings.

Happy October

Happy pumpkin patches, frosty mornings, apple cider and all things fall.

This past weekend my two little ones (Not so little anymore thank God) went to pick out their pumpkins.

The pumpkins this year were a little on the green side due to all the rain we had early in the season, but that was okay.

We had good luck-- we grabbed the biggest and the best and headed for the register....($23.oo for pumpkins) Crazy !!!

It seems funny for me to be getting pumpkins with 2 children, ( not funny really just calm and nice ) I remember not to long ago the days of the $2.00 dollar pumpkin limit, with 8 children piled into the car..those I now know were the easy days.

We may not have 8 pumpkins gracing our doorstep on the night of the living dead, maybe it does not take three nights to carve all the jack-o-lanterns, weeks spent making elaborate costumes that no one will where on the actual night.

Maybe pumpkins seeds baked in the oven last and hour instead of days, and the candy I could get away with stealing from the little pumpkins has dwindled,

but we do have many scary things going down, each and every day.

My little goblins have turned into real live monsters. With attitudes that make your hair stand on end, bedrooms that harbor many bits of gob and goo, music that resembles screaming zombies; some with everyday costumes that make me wonder where the heck I went wrong-- khakis and button downs--what is wrong with that identity?

Things are different but as I know this too shall pass.

I do think John and Kate better get it together before the real stuff hits the fan.

When life is not so controllable /adorable anymore.

When you need much more than a candy bribe to make them comply....... Enjoy the fall, enjoy your little princesses, and firemen , for the real, live werewolves and witches are right around the corner...

Dinner in a Flashback New Frugal Feasts Column Exclusively in The Concord Monitor

Photo by Ken Williams for the Concord Monitor

Ok so this whole Suzanne working outside the home thing is really messing with our ability to get anything else done--especially blog related things.

As hard as it is to imagine, the substandard nonsense we print here takes a ridiculous amount of mental effort.

Sad, but true.

We did publish a new column this morning-- a pretty good one if we do say ourselves.

It includes a giveaway
one copy of our favorite vintage cookbooks...

To read the column and enter, please visit

The Concord Monitor.com



Thanks, we love both of our faithful readers more than we can say.

Sweet Treats: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

We are having a Martha Stewart Moment over here in the The Frugal Kitchens. First we had the Key Lime Pie, and now a batch of oatmeal raisins adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies. The perfect combination of crunchy and chewy, baking these made the house smell like heaven.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

Beat the butter and the sugars in a stand mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla and reduce the mixer speed to low.
Add the oat mixture and mix just until combined.
Add the raisins and mix in by hand with a wooden spoon.

Drop heaping tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for about 9 minutes, until edges are browned and crisp and the centers no longer look wet.

Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before moving to wire cooling racks.

Tilapia so good :)

Thank you Real Simple Magazine for making my life simple..Real Simple has been kind enough to help me out over the next few weeks with a few recipes, a shopping list and a schedule.
So far it's been heaven. I am able to put dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.

As you may know from reading past blog posts, I am not a big fan of cooking, which is quite a pickle to be in when one has 8 children.

Well this delicious meal contained all the things I love the most when I am chained to the stove each and every night of my life :)

Few directions, simple food, easy preparation and he meal looked great, always a plus.

Any time I can get the favorite fish of fish haters on the table is a good day...

The recipe serves four, so for this crowd I doubled it with no problem.

Tilapia

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 6oz tilapia fillets
salt and black pepper to taste
2 red peppers, sliced thin
1 medium sized onion sliced thin
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

heat 1 tablespoon oil in large non-stick skillet over med-high heat.
Season fish with salt and pepper and cook until opaque throughout, about t 4-5 minutes each side.
Meanwhile, in second large skillet over med-high heat, add remaining oil and cook peppers and onion stirring often until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
Stir in olives, parsley, lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Serve the peppers and onions on top of the fish.

Enjoy:)

Weeknight Stew

OK, so even this looks kind of dry, it really isn't. I just didn't have a lot of time to take a slew of photos--the wolves were circling the pot.

This truly is the easiest weeknight stew ever, and is infinitely adaptable to whatever vegetables have not yet turned to liquid in the crisper drawer. Parsnips instead of carrots, green beans instead of peas, it's hard to wreck. Just be sure to add frozen vegetables at the end or they will be mush. I'm not a fan of white potatoes in stew, but there is no need to let my tastes rule your table. If you like a big starchy mess, go right ahead.

The secret to the quick cooking is to cut the chunks of beef into bite-sized pieces no more than an inch on each side. Dinner is cooked in a manageable 45 minutes. And it is even better if it sits for a day or two, so make it when you have time and serve it when you don't.

Please, please, please buy chuck for stew and not those extra lean chunks. They may be low fat but they are also low flavor, tough as shoe leather and more expensive to boot.

Remember: it's cold here and we need sufficient calories to survive.

Also?

Wine.

Weeknight Stew

Serves 8 with some leftovers, unless your people are starving.

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds chuck for stew, each chunk cut into 3 or 4 pieces no bigger than an inch on each side.
1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium sized onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 bottle inexpensive red wine, or 2 cans of beef broth -- a significantly inferior choice
6 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 pound bag of frozen pearl onions
3/4 of a bag of petite frozen peas
2 dried bay leaves

For serving:
large baguette, sliced into thin rounds
clove of garlic, cut in half

Pat the beef chunks very dry with paper or cloth towels.
Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.

heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed dutch oven. Brown the meat, a few pieces at a time. You really only need to brown one or two sides.
As the beef browns, remove from the dutch oven with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl.
Continue to add oil as needed so that the beef doesn't stick.

When all the beef has been browned, add the garlic and chopped onion and move it around the pan for about a minute, making sure not to burn the garlic.

Add the full bottle of wine (a taste or two is probably necessary to gauge quality) and use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the beef, the bay leaves and all the collected juices and bring to a slow simmer.
Cover and simmer for about a half hour.
Add the carrots, peas and pearl onions and raise the heat just until the pot returns to a simmer.
Cook, covered, for an additional 15 minutes, until the beef is done and the carrots are cooked but still firm.

To serve:

Rub each of the slices of bread with the cut clove of garlic. Place 2 slices of bread in the bottom of 8 soup bowls.
Ladle the stew over the bread.
Try not to have seconds.

Martha Stewart Rules/ Max's Sweet 16

Max
(number 5)

His birthday is in the month of October and he will be turning 16 :)
How sweet it is....

Key Lime Pie the new birthday party request, is on the menu.....
With 8 children, my husband and myself, 10 birthdays are on the schedule each and every year. Each one is in a separate month which leaves only February and August without a large wonderful fun-filled celebration..
Just 2 months of non-celebrations. You would think we could have planned better and had just two or three birthday months--put it all together and make my life easier,

but

oh no, that is not how we do things....

obviously we just wing it .....

As one birthday passes the good news is another is just around the corner.

A new list is formed, a birthday menu is planned, and that menu takes A LOT of thought.

Not often does one get an opportunity to have total control over a meal for so many people...it better include all the things we never have.

For my kids some of their favorite foods come from the frozen food section. Due to the quantity we would need I tend to avoid anything in a bag that costs 7.99 and I need to get five to make the meal -- so not frugal. So these sorts of thing tend to head to the top of the Birthday Dinner List.

Cake or not...with so many birthday celebrations cake is not so exciting at our house. We long ago burned out on the traditional cake and ice cream (maybe 30 or so birthdays ago0 and we are now into Martha Stewart's Key Lime Pie.

Yikes....

My lovely daughter is 24 years old and full of youth, energy and enthusiasm (the kind I have not possessed for a long time... maybe 4 kids ago), thought it would be great to make a pie. Key Lime sounded good...boy was it good...so it quickly became the call for each and every birthday here over the last 6 months. That was fine when Catherine was living home and I was so happy to report over the last few parties, oh Ollie wants Key Lime Pie, Sam wants Key Lime Pie, Ellie wants Key Lime Pie... it went on and on.

I was off the hook, she was on it!

Then she flew the coop and now I have to make the famous Martha Stewart key Lime Pie.

I was shaking in my shoes--so not up for this--

I have no time and I cannot make anything Martha Stewart.

Thank God I was wrong... this pie was so easy and delicious.

I can do it and so can you, so here you go.

Enjoy!

Martha you do rule.....But I do HATE you :)

For this recipe I omit Martha's graham cracker crust and use a regular pie crust --store bought or homemade--I like it much better...
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon grated lime zest, plus more for garnish
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Press pie crust into into a 9-inch pie plate, and bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.

Lower oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, gently whisk together condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice, and zest. Pour into the prepared, cooled crust. Return pie to oven, and bake until the center is set but still quivers when the pan is nudged, 15 to 17 minutes.

Let cool completely on a wire rack. Shortly before serving, combine cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon over cooled pie; garnish with zest. Serve immediately.

Happy Birthday Max :)

Sweet Treats: Fresh Lemon Coconut Cake

The recipe and photos from this week's Sweet Treat come from our friend Marianne. She has quite the reputation for her baking skills, so even though the Fru Gals didn't get to taste this little confection ourselves, we have no doubt that it tastes at least as good as it looks.

The recipe is a little more involved than what we usually post at the crack of dawn on Saturday, but given Marianne's clear and concise directions, we thought our readers could handle it.


Fresh Lemon- Coconut Cake

For the Cake
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising) or use all purpose flour, the cake will be a little heavier but still great.
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar, or you can substitute 1 cup of Splenda for half of the sugar, which makes this cake practically health food!
5 large eggs, separated
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream (you can use low fat, but Marianne doesn't recommend non-fat)

Lemon Filling
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Frosting
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease 2 nine inch cake pans and line the bottoms with a circle of waxed paper. Grease the paper and flour the pans.

In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar (or sugar and Splenda) and beat with a mixer for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg yolks, one at a time.
Beat in lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla.
On low speed, add one third of the flour mixture. When well combined, add half the sour cream and mix again. Repeat this process with another third of the flour, the rest of the sour cream and finally, the rest of the flour.

Beat the egg whites at high speed in a very clean bowl with very clean beaters until
stiff peaks form.
Fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter.
Spread in the prepared cake pans and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake 32 - 34 minutes until cake springs back when touched in the center.

Let cool in pans 10 min, then turn onto wire racks to cool completely. Carefully peel off the waxed paper.

Lemon Filling

In a saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt.
Whisk in water, egg yolks and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil over medium heat. Let boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly or the egg yolks will curdle.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in butter until smooth.
Cover surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
Let cool to room temperature.

Frosting

In a heat proof bowl, mix egg whites, sugar, water and cream of tartar.
Beat with hand held mixer for 1 minute.
Place the bowl of egg white over a pot of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water, so it is best to figure out which bowl and which pan before you get the egg whites in there.
Beat on high speed for about 7 minutes. The egg whites should be holding gorgeous, stiff and shiny peaks. Remove the bowl from the heat and add the almond and vanilla extracts. Beat 5 minutes longer until frosting has cooled.

To Assemble:

Place 1 layer on a cake plate. Spread cooled lemon filling evenly on
top of layer, to within one inch of the edge. (Don't spread the filling all the way to the edges or it will leak out. Delicious, yes but pretty, no.)
Put the second cake layer on top.
Frost entire cake. Press coconut into the sides and the top of the cake.

Garnish with a few strands of lemon zest.

Photo by Kevin Flynn

Clearly Marianne spent her years at MIT wisely; studying to be a doctor, finding a husband and most importantly, honing her recipe writing skills.

Two Great Tastes that Taste Great Together

I'm not sure what is says about my Formative Years, but everytime I see or hear a great mashup, the old Reeses' Peanut Butter Cups jingle runs through my head.




The Simpsons parody of the Mad Men opening credits? Perfection.

No embed option due to copyright issues, but here's a link to the clip on youtube:

http://tinyurl.com/ylybe3t

She said Yes to the DRESS!!!!

Yes she did.

My oldest has been engaged for a month or so now and we have already checked out 3 potential venues, picked a caterer, a photographer, and a venue.

We've dined at the caterer's restaurant, discussed money over and over again, had a couple of arguments (including a big hang up fight), picked colors and changed colors and picked colors again three times

and we still have 11 months to go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year is sure to be a whirlwind.

Anyone want to share some Zoloft?

However, she did say YES to the DRESS!

I was living my own reality TV show, minus the bitchy mother thing.

I was good.

My daughter showed the salesperson the 3 dresses she wanted to try on, (I added three more when Catherine turned her head) I said I was "good, not great" I just wanted this moment to last.

Catherine tried on all the dresses.

We oohed and ahhhed but there was one dress-- just like in the show-- and when she put it on we knew it was right.

I asked for the cathedral veil and the waterworks came in little sobs.

How can this be my crazy little girl? Looking like a bride, a real bride, (well her hair was a little messy and she did make a few funny faces), And her little sister, dressed in the bridesmaid's dressand standing beside her (all of eleven years old).

You can imagine that photo. Eleven is such a hard age, if you know what I mean: not a big girl yet and not a little girl anymore, stuck in the middle, in the shadow of the the most beautiful bride EVER :)

Your day will come my little princess!

The dress fit like a glove, smiles and tears all around, and surprise, surprise it was only the second most expensive dress in the place.

What a bargain, I must say.

I charged it right up and I held my breath for a minute hoping it would go through.

It did.

Yipee!!!!

I need a job.

Real, real bad :)

The Salmon Mousse

As we've said before, when we set up to do the photo shoots for the Concord Monitor column, we are like the worst combination of zany stereotypes you can imagine. Less Lucy and Ethel and more Laura Ingalls and Nellie Olsen. OK not really, Suzanne was just having a giggle attack picturing Robin with Nellie's blond curls.

Let's say Chandler and Joey.

So last Thursday when Ken Williams showed up, as cool as a cucumber and as zen as a Buddhist monk, we were running around the kitchen with our hair on fire. And somehow in all the hullabaloo, Suzanne forgot to take a single photo. So you'll just have to imagine the salmon mousse.

9:30 am update:

And now, thanks to Ken Williams....voila!


Ken Williams for the Concord Monitor

For the record it is nothing like the one in the Monty Python bit we posted last week.

Salmon Mousse
adapted from The Silver Palate

1 package knox gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons minced or grated onion
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 can pink salmon, skin and bones removed, mashed well
1 cup heavy cream

Soften the gelatin in the cold water in a medium sized bowl for 2 minutes. Stir in the boiling water and continue stirring until the gelatin is dissolved. Cool to warm room temperature. Whisk in the next 6 ingredients. Chill for 20 minutes or just until the mixture starts to gel. Beat the heavy cream until it can hold stiff peaks. Fold the salmon into the gelatin mixture and thoroughly combine with a rubber spatula, making sure to scrape to the bottom of the bowl. Gently fold in the whipped cream with the spatula, again making sure to scrape to the bottom of the bowl. Make sure all is well combined, but don't beat the hell out of it.

Pour into a 6-8 inch spring form pan that has been spritzed with nonstick cooking spray. Smooth the top with an offset spatula, cover with wrap or foil and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.

Unmold onto a decorative plate. Garnish with more fresh dill and thinly sliced cucumber. Serve with mild crackers like Melba toasts or cocktail pumpernickel bread, sliced on the diagonal.

Frugal Feasts: New Column Today Exclusively in The Concord Monitor

Photo by Ken Williams for The Monitor

We heard on NPR last week that the average teen sends and receives 2,500 text messages a month. We are thrilled our teens are so far above average.

Is there any more appealing topic at a cocktail party or on the sidelines of a soccer game than the sorry state of teens today? We parents love to get together and regale each other with our tales of woe. And though we'd like to think our parenting challenges are so much more complicated than those of other generations; we have a sneaking suspicion that not much has changed over the millennia. We can't say for sure, but it seems likely that Trog was grounded just as often for beating the talking drum after bedtime as our kids are for texting at the table.

Except for the two of us; we were never that bad. Never! Sure, we had year round tans from the little light in keypads of our princess phones, but so what? At least we had the decency to hang up before coming to dinner. OK, so the cord wouldn't stretch that far, but still.

And what about television? When we were kids, everyone we knew could recite the entire prime time line up for all 7 nights of the week. It's not that we were budding brain surgeons; with three main channels it wasn't that hard. The best was Friday nights on ABC circa 1973: Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, Room 222, Odd Couple, and at 10: Love American Style; which Suzanne could only watch if her parents were out and a lazy babysitter was sprawled in the hallway on the phone. She didn't miss many.

These hi-def days we've got 400 channels and the opportunity to ogle celebrity pores and pock marks, and the only thing we know for sure about the television schedule is that no matter what time of the day or night, Bravo is airing the dirty laundry of the housewives of somewhere fabulous.

Robin's best childhood television memory was the annual showing of The Wizard of Oz. For her family it was An Event, with an early dinner and a communal prayer for a clear picture and the good fortune not to be the one who had to fiddle with the rabbit ears while the rest of the family shouted unhelpful directions from the couch. The year they were first able to watch TWOO on a color television is a true and cherished highlight of her childhood. You've got to admit, it was a pretty dramatic moment when Dorothy awakens in Oz and everything is brought to lurid technicolor life on the giant 12 inch screens of the family console television. That sense of anticipation and revelation is lost on today's youth, who can watch The Grinch in August on their iPods.

The only anticipatory experience that is even remotely comparable for our kids is the countdown to their cell phone contract renewal date-- a momentous occasion that is celebrated by spending half a day in the wireless store waiting to choose an equipment upgrade. Woo hoo.

Advances in technology are always fraught. We have the benefit of connecting with far away loved ones via Skype, a blessing that is offset by the knowledge that college admissions officers are perusing compromising photos on Facebook at their leisure.

What we mean to convey in this column (and for once we do have a point) is that the more things change the more they stay the same. Teens need to socialize and distance themselves from the family so they can feel good about separating. Parents need to protect their kids, and help them make good decisions. For our sanity we also need to maintain the illusion of control. A gadget free dinner table is still a great place to connect and recharge as a family. Remember: everything has an off button, or is at least susceptible to a good whack with a hammer.

The news has been filled with stories about how the recession is over. We hope this is true for our readers, but at our houses things are still tight. This week we have taken a nutritious frugal staple, canned salmon, and turned it into two delicious family dinners. We also use canned salmon to create a cheap and chic Salmon Mousse that is a cocktail party staple based on a recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook. Kids today have it so easy--these frugal recipes are actually good. Unlike the Salmon Pea Wiggle our Moms used to make.

Salmon Salad

8 servings @ $.79 each
2 cans pink salmon (drained)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
2 tablespoons minced green onion
Handful of thinly sliced stuffed green olives
1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh dill
½ teaspoon Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

In a medium sized bowl combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, onions, dill, olives, salt and pepper. Crumble the salmon into the bowl and gently fold together. Serve on lettuce or fresh rolls.

Salmon Cakes

Makes 10 cakes @ $.85 each

3 slices wheat bread, crusts removed, torn into dime sized pieces, some crusts reserved
2 eggs
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup minced onion
Handful of fresh parsley, minced
1 ½ tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning or Cajun seasoning
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Fresh ground pepper to taste
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
2 cans pink salmon, bones and skin removed, mashed with a fork
½ cup olive or vegetable oil for frying (approximate)

In a large bowl beat together the first ten ingredients. Add the salmon and fold together gently. Form into patties about 4 inches across. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

Pour oil into a heavy skillet to the depth of about ¼ inch. Heat over medium heat until the oil shimmers but is not smoking.

Place 3 to 4 salmon cakes in the pan and let cook undisturbed for approximately 4 minutes, until the cake forms a nice crust on the bottom and is easy to flip over. Flip the cakes and fry for an additional 3-4 minutes until cooked through. Serve on buns or plates, with some mayonnaise that has been doctored with a teaspoon or two of Old Bay or Cajun seasoning.

CSA Recipe Idea: Shrimp with Green Sauce

Lately the selections at our CSA have gotten a little weird. We've still getting the last of the tomatoes, and the first of the hard squashes, but most of the rest of it is stuff I consider to be more like seasonings than true vegetables--things like giant bunches of parsley and net bags of garlic.

Mark Bittman's cookbook The Best Recipes in the World has a ton of simple, delicious receipes that bring exotic flavors to our New Hampshire table, and hopefully, yours.

If you need convincing to try this dish, let me just say: I put the rice on to cook and then started making the sauce. The shrimp were out of the oven before the rice was done--weeknight cooking at its best.

Shrimp with Green Sauce

6 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
1 bunch of green onions, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 bunch of parsley, thick stems removed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper -- more or less to taste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup white wine, shrimp stock or water

2 pounds medium-large shrimp, peeled and deveined.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and place the shrimp into a shallow baking dish.

In the workbowl of a food processor blitz together the olive oil and the garlic until the garlic is chopped fine. Add the onions and parsley and run the machine until the greens are minced but not so long that everything turns into a paste.

Spread the green sauce over the shrimp and mix gently but well with a rubber spatula.

Drizzle with the white wine and season with the salt and the pepper.

Roast for about 10 minutes, turning once or twice, just until the shrimp are pink and cooked. Watch carefully during the last two minutes, this goes pretty fast.


Serve with additional crushed red pepper.

Serve over white rice, pasta or with a nice loaf of crusty bread.

The 5 Worst Things about Working Outside the Home

Sure I can bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan, and never let him forget he's a man.

But can I stand wearing hose 6 days a week?

Only time will tell.

I've recently re-entered the work force. We won't even speak about how galling that phrase is. Like any stay-at-home Mom has time for kicking back and snacking on the bon bons.

I need to say right up front: I have a great job, I work with lovely people and since it isn't rocket science, not too taxing on my last good nerve.

But these people expect me to show up.

Every day.

On time.

Showered and shaved and made up.

With a minimum of wiry black chin hairs.

What the fuuuuuuu?

Here are the 5 things that suck hardest about working full time outside the home:

1. Grocery shopping during prime time. In my old life the biggest problem I had was forgetting that Tuesday morning is when the geezer bus comes to Market Basket. And while it was a pain to navigate around all the doddering old men who planted themselves in the middle of an aisle and took hours to find the right brand of denture cream for their wives who were 6 or 8 aisles away, those dudes are nothing to compare to the 86 thousand people who do their weekly shop on Sunday. Holy Moly, these people should be in church. And the shelves are picked clean, I tell you, picked clean. Yesterday I could not get cinnamon (even the fancy McCormick's in the glass jar was sold out) nor light brown sugar. There goes the Jewish apple cake I was going to make this week.
   
   
2. Putting together outfits. In my next life I'm going to get a job that comes with a uniform. While I find it perfectly appropriate to rot in the same pair of Talbot's black pants 4 or 5 days a week, I find it important to change up the tops. So every morning I stand in my closet and wait for something to jump out at me. If only I could keep in mind the words of encouragement offered by my oldest son when I was on a diet this summer: "Why bother? You're old and no one cares what you look like". I should have that stenciled around the top of my closet. And speaking of my closet? It's in the (unheated) attic, so this rigmarole should be even more fun this winter.
   
   
3. Being nice. I am not a nice person. Just ask Robin, she'll tell you all about it. In my job I have to be nice all day long. It's killing me. I get home and have snark Tourettes every day.
   
   
4. Doing my other jobs. Somehow, in addition to the new assignment, I still have all the other things (and people) to manage. Any wonder why this is the first blog post I've put any time into recently? Even as I take 10 minutes to write this the pile of laundry has doubled in size again -- my unwashed laundry is reproducing faster than those tribbles on Star Trek.
   
   
5. Missing my friends. I know you are all getting together to walk and chat and drink coffee and wine and go out to lunch and frolic. OK so I didn't do those things very often even when I wasn't working, but somehow, knowing that I can't do those things makes them that much more appealing. Sort of like Boston Cream Donuts when I'm on a diet.

As Erma Bombeck once said, the grass is always greener over the septic tank.

I know it's hard to be appreciative of the drudgery of the stay at home life, but if you are reading this in your jammies, with a giant cup of coffee by your side and a day of cooking and carpooling ahead of you, know this:

I am jealous.

Monday, Monday quick and easy

Monday is the day, clean out the fridge and make it happen,
no room for contemplation because the weeks has hit you full on!

The house is a disaster, the fridge is bare, the laundry reaches the highest point and dinner must be served in between soccer practice, choir rehearsal and homework.
Left with no alternative, (besides going to the grocery store,) I decide to use:

The hard-as-a-rock french bread that got forgotten over the weekend
Bacon I also forgot to cook
and make the troops feels like Monday is a fancy affair.
I scoured the cooking magazine recipes that have piled up in my cookbooks and came across this bacon-topped garlic bread recipe,
sure to please the Monday crowd---served with the stay fresh salad.

Here's how it goes:
Saw in half (the bread has seen fresher days) 1 large Italian bread and then cut each half into 24 slices 1/2 thick.
6-10 slices of bacon cut into 4 inch pieces
1 stick butter
6 cloves finely chopped garlic
3/4 to 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven 400. Coat 2 large cooking sheets with non stick cooking spray.
Fry bacon until slightly crisp.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes and remove from heat.
Place bread on baking sheets, spoon on garlic and butter.
Top with cheese and bacon and bake for 12-15 minutes, until cheese melts and bacon is crisp.

Monday is done, and it looks like Tuesday I'll be heading to the grocery store, or we will be eating furry zucchini and eggs :)

Frugal Leftovers: Salmon Mousse Omelet

If you made the salmon mousse in yesterday's column and you served it at a party, and you've got some left over, make it into an omelet.

This is possibly the best hangover cure in the world. Or so I've heard. No first hand experience here....

Unsure how to make a decent omelet?

Take 2 eggs and crack them into a small bowl. Add a dribble of water along with a hearty pinch of salt and some fresh ground black pepper. Whisk until very well combined and all of the gooey whites are broken up--at least 100 quick strokes with a fork.

Mince a slice of onion.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a small pan over LOW heat. When the butter stops foaming add the minced onion and cook for about a minute, just to cook off the raw onion taste.

Add the eggs to the pan and let cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. Pull back the edges of the eggs to let the uncooked egg run underneath. When the omelet seems fairly well set, add a big scoop of the salmon mousse. Fold over one side of the eggs and let cook for no longer than another minute or the mousse will dissolve--it still tastes good just looks like hell. Slide the omelet onto a plate and garnish with additional chopped onion and dill.

Sweet Treat:: Blondies

Here is the ultimate brownie for people who really don't care for chocolate.

Dense, chewy and crispy around the edges, perfect with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee.

The recipe:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of an 8 inch square pan with vegetable spray and set aside.

Stir the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.

Melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar. Cool to room temperature, then beat in the egg and the vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until well blended.

Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle with the chips and bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through and browned along the edges.

Cool before cutting into squares. Try not to eat all nine, I dare you.

Leftovers? Love it!

Oh how I love the Ham Three Ways.

It SO works for my family.

Last night we had baked ham with mashed potatoes and glazed roasted carrots, always a hit...

Tonight it's ham and potatoes au gratin. The potato recipe is a great one I found on line, of course I've added a few items and have made it my own (extra cheese).

This recipe calls for a white sauce, but trust me it is worth the effort!

Ingredients:

2cups cooked ham cut up into bite sized pieces
3lbs red potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 cups whole milk, half and half or a combination of both
1/4 cup butter
5 tablespoons of flour
12 ounces more or less of cheese--Swiss, American, cheddar or a combination
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a medium sized baking dish.

Layer the sliced potatoes, onion and ham in a large baking dish, ending with potatoes on top.
I was able to make three layers with the suggested amount of ingredients.

Make the dreaded white sauce:

In a saucepan over medium heat warm the milk but do not boil.
In a separate saucepan with a heavy bottom make a roux by melting the butter and slowly stirring in the flour.
Cook for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
Add the warm milk to the roux, whisking constantly and continue to cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon.

Remove the white sauce from the heat and add the cheese. I used all cheese that was in the drawer: a nifty combination of Swiss, American and cheddar.
Stir in the mustard, paprika and add salt and pepper to taste.

Continue to stir until all the cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.

Pour the sauce over the layers. Sprinkle with additional paprika.
Place the pan in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until the potatoes are soft
and the top layer is a nice, golden brown.

A nice, hearty meal, perfect paired with a salad and homemade applesauce.

Tomorrow night we'll have ham and bean soup with corn bread.
Here's a link to our recipe for ham and bean soup.

The bonus is the working oven warms up the kitchen --
no heat at the Broadbents until November 1st :)