Sweet Treat: Brownie Bread Pudding

I continue on my quest for the ultimate bread pudding and I may have found it.
With leftover brownies and a half a loaf of white bread it was a marriage made in heaven.

This time I checked out How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman, and I was not disappointed, the recipe was simple. I just replaced half of the bread with brownies, and I am so glad I did. The Brownie Bread Pudding was a huge hit at the Broadbent Ranch, it lasted all of 10 minutes and no one bothered to wait for the ice cream.

Bread Pudding with Brownies

3 cups milk (I used half and half)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for greasing the pan
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon
pinch salt
6 slices white bread, crusts removed if very thick
2 cups of brownie broken into pieces.
3 eggs

Preheat oven: 350F.

Warm milk, butter, cinnamon, 1/2 cup sugar and salt until the butter melts.
Butter/grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
Cut/tear the bread and brownies in bite-sizes pieces and add to baking dish.
Pour milk mixture over the bread. Let sit for a few minutes. Beat eggs and pour into the bread mixture, swirling to get the egg incorporated all throughout. Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over top.

Place baking dish in a larger baking pan and pour hot water in,to within about 1 inch of the top of the dish.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hr, until a knife through the center comes out clean. The center will be slightly wobbly.

Serve warm with or without ice cream.

Another Valentine's Day idea: NSFW*

If only I'd seen this blog post before I bought that box of Godiva chocolates for my Petey...MOB Living


*NSFW= Not Safe For Work. Or for normal people anywhere actually.

New Frugal Feasts Column Exclusively in The Concord Monitor

Too busy to post the column this week--
go read it at the The Concord Monitor

We must be doing something right--this was at the top of the Monitor's home page this morning, and last time we checked it was the 7th most read article of the day.

Now if we could only get another 99 papers to carry the column, we'd be able to pay our mortgages, every single month!

Creamy Chicken Lasagna by a Whole Other Robin

Behind every woman who has a job outside the home is a huge pile of dirty laundry. Not to mention a sink full of dirty dishes and a desperate desire to maintain a facade of normalcy.

All it takes is a minor stomach bug to bring the whole haphazard enterprise to a crashing halt. Such was Chez Ellinwood last week. I had four down with the double ended stomach flu, and because this is the busy season at Shotz Brewery I couldn't take a day off. There were piles of unwashed bedding and at least two days worth of dishes shared the table with an empty wine bottle and inexplicably, a half-empty handle of scotch. I admit nothing.

Into this catastrophe walked My Whole Other Friend Robin with a Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna bathed in about a gallon of homemade cream sauce. It was heaven in a disposable foil pan. I am so grateful I can't even come up with a snarky comment.

How did she know that I needed to be fed, both spiritually and physically? I'm pretty sure the board of health had not yet put a quarantine sticker on the front door, and yet there she was, all calm efficiency and good cheer. And get a load of this recipe--it's pretty complicated and it's not like The Whole Other Robin is leading a life of leisure. Anyway it was just the thing to make feel like the black cloud of misery that had parked itself over our house might not be permanent.

Now the 5 pounds that I gained from eating nearly the entire pan by myself is another story.

Adapted from a recipe by Emeril Lagasse
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 pound button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups milk
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 pound spinach, stemmed, washed, blanched and roughly chopped
3 cups grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for coating casserole dish
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 pound oven-ready lasagna sheets
1 tablespoon butter, cut into 8 pieces

Directions
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often until the mushrooms are browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, to make a light roux, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until
thickened, 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, pepper, nutmeg, spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the Parmesan and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the bechamel sauce until ready to assemble the lasagna.

Set a large, 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Season the chicken with the Cajun seasoning and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and place in the hot pan. Sear the chicken, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool and set aside. When cool, cut into bite size pieces.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat a 9 by 13 by 3-inch casserole with olive oil, and spread about 1/2 cup of the bechamel sauce on the bottom of the dish. Lay 3 sheets of pasta across the bottom of the dish and spread 3/4 cup of the bechamel sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle 1/4 of the chicken over the bechamel sauce, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the remaining Parmesan. Lay another 3 sheets of pasta over the chicken. Repeat 2 additional times with the remaining bechamel sauce, chicken, Parmesan, and pasta, ending with a layer of pasta covered with bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the bechamel sauce and scatter the butter pieces over the top. Place the casserole on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake, uncovered, until bubbly and well browned, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before
serving.

Note: You may need slightly less than the entire package of lasagna noodles, depending on the pan used for the casserole. Also, you may be able to fit more than 3 pieces of pasta in each layer, depending. The pasta can be broken into smaller pieces to fill in the gaps.

Following Directions

This just in:

One lucky lady has someone in her life who really follows directions to a T
straight to the heart.
Kudos to you Dan,and thanks for sharing

The Fru Gals heart you!!!!!!!


Dan and Catherine's Valentine's Day Dinner 2010

Oven Roasted Potatoes again

This is my go to recipe when I am out of ideas and the sharks are circling.

Roasted Potatoes calms them down loads them with carbs and they are crazy about me for such a cleaver idea :)

what ever works I say !!Preheat the oven to 475 degrees

5lb bag red potatoes sliced

5 large yellow onions sliced

2 tbs olive oil

2tsp kosher salt

1 large Ziploc bag
Drop all the ingredients into the Ziploc shake it up

Lay out the potatoes on a large cookie sheet or 2, single layer if possible they will cook faster and make turning them much easier. Of course I never follow my own advice and my potatoes take forever to cook and turning them is a big ole mess. But the sharks of mine are usually circling the table and help me out with the cast offs.

Sprinkle Paprika , chili powder, garlic powder over the potatoes before cooking for added flavor optional.

Stick them in the oven turning every 10 minutes until crispy 45-60 minutes.

This recipe tastes much like hash browns and this can be reheated for the a.m. meal with eggs and bacon if there are any leftovers or if you are so inclined to make the big breakfast.

If not freeze them for another time

First day of Vaca, Stayca or Hell !!!!

Harry as a modelquin

Big Doing's on the first day of winter break...winter break my butt no break from winter here.. still snow on the ground, nice dirty snow....

Day 1 looked liked this

Breakfast for the Vacationers

1) Coffee with my favorite partner to work on the column, did not....spent the hour going over what the heck we were thinking when we signed up for this mind boggling,heart wrenching,job of parenting. We thought it would be way easier, and shorter than this. Like isn't 18 years the cut off, you have done your job, to the best of your ability and the children should just be ready to fly, soar above the clouds with a smile on their face and a song in their hearts making good decisions, right ...OH NO we kept on going, between us we have many children, 8 to be exact that still need us to be on the job full time, and 5 that still need us at odd hours like just when you thought the day was done and you could rest your weary head...the phone rings "Mom".......and your on!!!!!

Lunch for the Vacationers

2) Off Hockey rink to watch number 6 play that horrible game of hockey (which I used to enjoy when I was 15 ,watching my brother and all his cute friends knocking each other around in the cold arena, I was so cool I did not even need a coat, hormones were keeping me warm). I am not 15 anymore and I'm still in the rink, now I don big ugly fake fur coat freezing my saggy butt right off...handing out quarters to the littles that have been in hockey rinks way more than hours than anyone should have to be.

I think I have gotten some good Mom points here RIGHT???????

3) Next Head to the mall...big emergency Old Navy is having a contest.. take a picture with your favorite mannequins and win 100,000.00 well count us in. To all my teenagers, I know you'll be horrified that your Mom and siblings stood in front of the Old Navy taking photos with the mannequin's. But we did and I would have done it for you too!!!

Dinner for the Vacationers

So the first day was what it was..and the rest of the vaca days I'm sure will be even better filled with lots of inexpensive activities and children of many ages all wanting so much more than I can give.. boy to go on vacation would be such a great thing...but then again I would still have all the children wanting to do all different kinds of things and still be on a budget only in a different place. maybe just maybe this is better. low expectation, no packing and no public shows of discontent

we keep it all home right where it should be.

Sweethearts on Display

Note: If you click on the photo montage and it will pop up in nearly life size!


The Fru Gals have nothing on the Men of the annual Sweetheart dinner! A group of Concord men, led by Jolly Roger, have been putting on a dinner for their Sweeties for the last 23 years.

Peter and I have had the pleasure of attending the last two years, and what a nice evening. All the menu planning, cooking and shopping is done by the men while we wimmens just show up to be wined and dined and wooed.

It's a lovely evening.

Though the men get all the credit, I suspect that Roger's wife, Barbara, is the power shopper behind the throne.

I can't wait until next year.

Sweet Treats: Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Given the design of this blog, it's hard to believe it's taken me so long to post a recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

From what I've read, this dessert was developed in the 1950s by the Dole company in an effort to provide Housewives new ways to use canned pineapple.

Whatever the genesis of this, it is a classic: the buttery caramel and sweet cake is perfectly offset by the sharp tang of the pineapple.

I personally love the cherries but there is no reason why any of you people who don't hail from 1960s New Jersey couldn't use some pecan halves instead.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

For the topping:

1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
Pineapple rings Note: the small tuna-sized cans have 4 rings each, which is a bitch because the Dirty DeMoula's didn't have the big cans and I would have thought there would be more than 4 rings in each of the little ones and I only bought two cans, so somebody is going to be pissed that they get the center piece which is sadly 100%pineapple free.
maraschino cherries and/or pecan halves

For the Cake:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 9 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Combine the stick of butter and the brown sugar in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until bubbly. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is melted and starts to smell like caramel.
Pour into the prepared pan.
Arrange the pineapple rings in the topping and garnish with the cherries and/or nuts.

Make the cake batter:

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Cream the butter and the white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat well. Add the vanilla and beat again, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is well combined.

Add the flour mixture (in three parts) alternately with the milk (in two parts) starting and ending with the flour.

Whisk the egg whites and the cream of tarter until the eggs hold stiff glossy peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure all is well combined.

Pour the cake batter over the top of the pineapple and smooth the top. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until the cake springs back when gently pressed in the center.

Cool for 10 minutes then invert onto a serving platter. If any of the pineapple sticks to the pan, carefully peel it off and put it back into place. Watch out not to burn yourself on the caramel which will be very hot.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream

Grace Happens

Once in a blue moon it happens.
There is a quietness that settles over the house.
The Littles have been tucked in, the dishes are done.

I start to head up stairs and I hear the dreaded words:

"Mom I have to do a project"

shivers run down my spine..

"WHEN IS IT DUE ?" I yell down the stairs

"tomorrow"
a scared little voices replies.

Then, right at the moment my head is about to explode...

Grace happens

Ben
(the gap year son, the one that is home with me every day
when he is supposed to be at college doing college things)
steps in
and says:

"Mom, I will help him"



And he did.

Manly Men Making Manly Meals

Our girlfriend Judith sent along this photo of four adoring husbands who got together last Saturday night to cook for their wimmens.

Here's the recap, straight of the email that accompanied the picture:

I wanted to let you know the men did a great job preparing your valentines dinner menu for their sweethearts last Saturday night. At 9:30pm after much wine and too few appetizers, we sat down to a lovely dinner. We all agree that this should become an annual event. So here’s the debrief for next year…maybe add an appetizer recipe or just implant the thought of cheese and crackers to help absorb the buckets of wine we consumed prior to the late night dinner hour.

The step by step instructions in boy speak was fabulous. They were thrown with the concept of blender with the one egg yolk sauce recipe, the traditional blender was too big for the sauce.

We heard the blender going for what seemed like at least 20 minutes as they tried to figure out how to “blitz” the one yolk. I told Joe that we had many blender choices and that the little hand held one would have been perfect. I know crazy… huh??

Just look at those men, so proud, so capable, so hungry!

We LOVE the idea of making this an annual event.

Hell, we think the men should cook every Saturday night!

Lindsey Vonn Wins the Gold

Might as well start calling them the Vonncouver Olympics.

Tuna Bake

Tuna Casserole

It is a classic and there really is no way to make it pretty. However we can change the name, hence, Tuna Bake ( I found this recipe at recipes.com a great resource.) We can present it anyway we want but in the end it is still Tuna Casserole, simple and delicious, well if you like it, that is!

I tried this Frugal dish on my family and I was pleasantly surprised how well it was received...

Empty casserole dish!!!

The recipe contains simple ingredients and most items you may have on hand in your pantry, which makes this classic recipe even easier

Enjoy

Ingredients:

1 cup orzo pasta

3 tablespoons butter

8 ounces mushrooms, washed, sliced

4 green onions (scallions) thinly sliced

3 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 large can (12 ounces) white tuna in water drained

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions.In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sliced green onions; saute, stirring, until onion is softened and mushrooms are browned. Stir in flour until blended into the butter.




Gradually stir in the milk. continue cooking, stirring, until the mixture is thickened. Add the tuna and peas; stir in salt and pepper, to taste. Combine the sauce mixture and drained pasta until blended.



Spoon into the prepared baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and hot.Serves 4 to 6.

Bode Miller Wins the Bronze Medal

Ya gotta love a guy who grew up in the 'Shire with an outhouse and goes on to win bronze in the men's downhill, less than a tenth of a second away from the gold medal.

Well, I do anyway.

Jet Dry

If truth be told my husband more than likely has a list of gripes about me ( shocking but true). The good news is Dave has a hard time thinking of what to say in the cards he buys me, so I feel safe he will not be blogging about any of my issues any time soon, and further, I think I'm safe chatting here about his silliness.

Dave is a wonderful husband. Don't get me wrong he does many things right... and one the biggies I just realized is Jet-Dry.

Dave loves the Jet-Dry. He is forever asking "did you get any Jet-Dry?"
No. It's not in the budget..we can't eat it and I have no idea what the heck it does. I'm half convinced it's a manufacturer scam-- like service contracts for 2 years on a brand new appliance that comes with a warranty--

I could not tell you one thing about the stuff that is until just recently,when someone told me their dishwasher was not working well and that all the dishes were filmy.

That was the A-ha moment. This is where the Jet-Dry comes in...my dishes are not so filmy...

Now I may have water stained wallpaper and missing towel racks in the bathroom, screen doors still on in the dead of winter...but who cares?

My dishes are as clear as a bell.

Thanks Honey and Happy Monday

Hope everyone's V-Day was magical!

p.s. I did not receive the Fru Gals'meal, but I did get some chocolates, roses and a signed card, and it was wonderful

Valentine's Day As Easy as 1 2 3

Do not let Valentine's Day end up like this:

If making the Fru Gals Valentine's meal is not going to happen this year that's OK,

however I am not giving up!

Valentine’s Day is for some a beautiful day of romance and surprises.

For others it is sure to be filled with expectation and disappointment…..

So for all the guys that want a little help in getting it right

I have a few more pointers:

Yays and Nays for this Hallmark Holiday

1) Do recognize it. Even if it's just with a simple card because this is not rocket science.

I am fairly certain you may be in a store at some point between December 31st and Feb 13th, you cannot miss the red and pink hearts everywhereso just grab a card and sign your name,

you know

Love, XXXX.

This will be a good thing I assure you…. No matter if your wife stays at home or if she's working her way up the cooperate ladder, in retail, or in the food industry

believe you me she knows about this holiday....

The cold hard fact is someone will say to her at some point in the week following Valentine's Day

"How was your Valentine's Day ?"

She will have to answer one of 2 ways:

"Oh, we don’t acknowledge Valentine's Day"

(which more than likely is a half truth)

or

She'll tell them that there was a dinner,

(which she prepared)

gifts

(the ones she purchased for you)

and a bunch of other special blah blah blah.

There is a simple way to please this magnificent woman:

2) I can not stress this enough, Buy the damn card and sign it. don’t over think it

just sign it!

I have a friend who found a folder full of unsigned "to my wife" cards. Ones for every occasion.

When asked

"Why didn't you not give these to me?"

he replied,

“I couldn't think of something to write!”

Look guys, a simple I love you will suffice.
You already went to the trouble of picking out the perfect card with all the right words on it,
you spent quite a bit of time reading each and every card until you found just the right one,
right?
So the words are there, just sign it.

3) Make a purchase. While you were standing reading all of the cards you may have noticed next to all of the cards is a display of other items, stores are good like this, they try to make it as easy as possible for you to run to the local grocery store the day before and make it happen, and we know this...... balloons, heart shaped boxes filled chocolates, grab a flower or maybe even a plant.

All these things are displayed nicely right there just do it, I promise it will be worth it.

You could choose to ignore the day

You could choose to act like you forgot

You could choose to sleep through it or be out of town

all of the above?

BAD CHOICES

It takes much less energy to buy the card, sign it, grab a bunch of flowers and make someone's day special.

She knows you love her, but taking the next step tells her that buying into the Hallmark Holiday is a compromise you are willing to make for her.

And that, my friend, is what it is all about:

COMPROMISE!

Happy Valentine's Day

Sweet Treats: Finnish Buns

Our friend Megan is spending the winter in Turku Finland with her family. According to Megan, the ultimate Finnish woman is BUN SCENTED, and given the fact that most of the Finnish diet is comprised of pickled fish and chunks of Rudolph, it makes perfect sense to us.

She's been making buns every weekend and was kind enough to share her recipe. They look delicious.

CINNAMON AND CARDAMOM BUNS

makes about 35 buns

bun dough
250 ml (1 cup) tepid milk
100g caster sugar (it says superfine here)
25 g ( 1 oz) fresh yeast
1 egg, lightly beaten
125 g butter, softened
2 tsp ground cardamom (NB this is sold ground in pencil-length plastic tubes in Finland for some reason)
1 tsp salt
650 g (5.25 cups) cake frour or plain (all-purpose) flour

cinnamon butter
2 tsp ground cinnamon
50 g caster (superfine) sugar
plus 1 tbsp for sprinkling
80 g butter, softened
1 egg, lightly beaten

Put milk and sugar in bowl and crumble in the yeast. Leave for 10 minutes or until the yeast begins to activate. Add egg, butter, cardamom and salt and mix in. Add the flour, bit by bit, mixing it in with a wooden spoon until you need to use your hands, and then turn it out onto the work surface to knead. It may seem a little too sticky initially, but will become compact and beautifully soft after about 5 minutes. put the dough back in the bowl cover with a clean cloth and then a heavy towel or blanket, and leave in a warm place for about 2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
To make the cinnamon butter, mix together the cinnamon and sugar.
Divide the butter into four portions and keep on one side.
Put the dough on a floured work surface and divide it into four portions. Begin with one portion, covering the others with a cloth so they don't dry out. Using a rolling pin, roll out a rectangle, roughly about 30 x 25 cm (12 x 10 inches) and 2-3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Spread one portion of butter over the surface of the dough with a palette knife or blunt knife. Sprinkle with about 3 tsp o the cinnamon mix, covering the whole surface with quick movements of your wrists. Roll up to make a long dough sausage. Set aside while you finish rolling out and buttering the rest of the dough, so that you can cut them all together.

Line two large baking trays with baking paper, or bake in two lots if you only have one tray. Line up the dough sausages in font of you and cut them slightly in the diagonal, alternating up and down, so that the slices are fat "v" shapes, with the point of the v about 2 cm (3/4
in) and the base about 5 cm (2 in). Turn them so they are all the right way up, sitting on their fatter bases. Press down on the top of each one with two fingers until you think you will almost go through to your work surface. Along the sides you will see the cinnamon stripes oozing outwards. Put the buns on the baking tray, leaving space for them to puff and rise while they bake. Brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle a little sugar on top.
Leave the buns to rise for half an hour and preheat you oven to 180 degrees C (350 F). Bake them for about 20 min or until golden. Check that they are lightly golden underneath as well before you take them out of the oven. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature and, when they are cool, keep them in an airtight container so they don't harden.

Project Runway In the Tent

Tlo is live tweeting the season finale fashion show in Bryant Park this morning. Faith Hill is the guest judge.

Last year I was in the tent, this year I'm at my desk.

Just another reason why work sucks.

The Didn't Party

I've been putting off writing this post because I am so conflicted about whether or not I should even blog about the subject: my oldest son.

Life with him has been a roller coaster ride -- one of those thrilling ones where you lurch from being balanced on the top of the world to plummeting, seconds later, heart in your mouth, to the deepest, blackest depths of certain destruction. Not a Disney Roller Coaster where you end up in the gift shop with the nice music playing. More like one from a Steven King novella where you're not sure if the rickety wooden structure is up to the challenge, and at the bottom is the gaping maw of some dark beast.

My oldest is 18, and somehow I still feel like a brand new Mom....scanning the shelves at Gibsons for the next edition of the What to Expect series....

What to Expect When Your Oldest Goes Off to College

What to Expect When You Find a Condom Box Neatly Opened and Flattened in the Recycling Bin

What to Expect When the Subaru POS is Redolent of Herbs

What to Expect When Your College Freshman Calls and Says "COME GET ME, NOW"

The photo above is of my dining room, set for the first dinner party we were going to host since I took a full time job with Shirley down at Shotz Brewery back in September. It was about 75 minutes until the guests were to arrive; salads chilling, Coc a Vin simmering quietly, wine opened and ready to be sloshed into clean glasses, Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake artfully arranged on a cake dish, toilets clean, when the tearful call came.

I wanted to tell him that if he thought freshman year was hard, well pal, wait until you are living at home, working at Panera 15 hours a week with the 16 year olds and paying rent. Hard? Sha right.

I wanted to hang up the phone and go change into my party outfit.

I wanted to chug the wine.

I wanted to scream.

But what I did was what we always do: load a bag with a toothbrush and a clean pair of undies; get in the car and drive until we can see the whites of their eyes, buy them some food and assure them that everything will be fine, and that we still love them more than chardonnay itself.

There we stood at 1 in the morning, in Potsdam New York, where the temperature was 6 below and the fluorescent lamps in the dorm buzzed like a swarm of angry, ugly bees. I hugged him hard, my heart aching, a heart that he grabbed on April 4th 1991 and made me what I am today. A Mom.

We women are so many things these days. Bread winners, loving spouses, heads of households, doctors, lawyers, tea party speech givers with little notes written on our hands, mommy bloggers and classroom volunteers, but at our core we are nurturers and damn it, it is a curse to care so much.

I raise my glass (filled to the brim with wine from Rite Aid) to all the mothers out there who have made the hard choice, the only choice, and have gotten it done.

I love ya's all.

LUNCH! 3 Ingredient Shrimp Salad

I had a big handful of shrimp left over from the photo shoot for the column and I hid it in the back of the fridge where the rampaging throng of starving children couldn't find it.

Or at least didn't find it.

So I chopped the 10 shrimp up into half inch pieces, added a teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning and a healthy dollop of Mayonnaise and called it lunch.

Suckers!

Frugal Feasts: Cupid's Cupboard today exclusively in The Concord Monitor

Photo by Ken Williams for The Concord Monitor

Read today's column here, or over at The Concord Monitor

Cupid's Cupboard

We’ve heard it said that the definition of crazy is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome. Well you can’t call us crazy anymore. We used to simmer with resentment on Valentine’s Day waiting for our darling husbands to think of some whimsical, romantic way to celebrate the holiday that they are convinced was formed in an unholy alliance between Hallmark, Kay Jewelers and the National Rose Growers Association. And it always turned out the same, a lot of pouting, a fair amount of sulking and exactly zero romance.

This year we’ve decided to take cupid by the wings and lay out a fool proof plan for a memorable Valentine’s Day. Men: no need to spend a fortune or another night on the sofa. Sure our earlobes aren’t nearly as sparkly as we’d like, but if we’ve learned one thing from our relationship with you, it’s how to manage our expectations. All we are really looking for is some small sign that the romance is still alive. And dinner. Picking up your dirty socks doesn’t always make us feel the love; but a night off from cooking dinner could possibly make us so delirious with joy that we might forget our flannel jammies. This year we urge you to follow our plan to create a simple, delicious dinner for two that won’t break the bank and will make Sweetie happy, as long as you don’t use every pot, ladle, bowl and spoon in the kitchen. As much as we’d love to be wooed on Valentine’s Day, we’d rather forgo the holiday if it means facing a sink full of dishes in the morning. We get enough of that special joy on Mother’s Day.

Ladies, please put this paper in a spot where your husband can’t miss it, like under the remote. And to make sure he reads it, you might want to cut out a photo from the sports section and tape it over the food shot. Pasting on a fake headline like “Pats Trade Brady to The Jets” might not be a bad idea either. Once he’s taken the bait, sit back and wait for the magic to unfold.
OK men, now that you realize you need this column more than Rex Ryan needs a cool head in the pocket, huddle up, because here is the plan: you will make one trip to the grocery store for 12 items and go straight to the express check out! You’ll then spend no more than 45 minutes in the kitchen and we guarantee you will be the MVP.

So keep your eye on the prize, clean up as you go and remember, You can do it!

Valentine’s Day Menu:

Shrimp Scampi, Asparagus with Parmesan Dressing and Chocolate Mousse

Shopping list:
¾ pound (more or less) bunch of fresh asparagus,
(the thin ones that are the size of pencils)
1 bunch of scallions, also known as green onions
1 lemon
1 small jar of minced garlic, or 1 head of garlic
if you are feeling bold and want to use your knife skills
1 bottle dry white wine like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc
1 pound frozen uncooked shrimp, 26-30 size (the gray ones NOT the pink ones)
1 small bottle of red wine vinegar
1 jar of 100% Parmesan cheese (the green can you grew up with is fine with us)
1 jar Nutella (it’s near the peanut butter in a small jar with a white lid)
1 can Whipped Cream (don’t get the light stuff)
1 small flowering plant

From The Pantry
(which means stuff you should make sure you have in the house before you head to the store.
If you are out, add these items to the list)

Kosher salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Eggs (you need one)
Sugar (just a couple teaspoons)
A stick of butter
Cookies (2, preferably chocolate ones)

Step 1: Set the table.
Pull out a tablecloth,
or at least wipe down the table with the sponge to remove all traces of breakfast.
Put out knives and forks and spoons for two and remember that the forks go on the left, big guy. Put out wine glasses, even if you are only serving water.
Find some cloth napkins and fold them and place them under the forks.
Place he small flowering plant in the center of the table.
Flank with a candle or two to set the mood.


Step 2: Make the Mousse:
Spray half the can of whipped cream into a large bowl.
Try to keep the nozzle in the bowl so that it doesn’t go everywhere.
Scoop out 1 heaping soup spoonful of the Nutella and place it in a small bowl.
Nuke for 15 seconds to soften.
Plop it on top of the whipped cream.
Use a rubber spatula to GENTLY mix the two things together until the whipped cream is an even shade of brown.
Remember you are making mousse not soup.
Scoop the mousse into two martini glasses
or any other decorative clear glasses with stems and refrigerate until serving time.

Step 3: Make the Asparagus
Snap the tough stem ends off every single asparagus spear.
The ends will snap off right where they should because asparagus are good that way.
Set them aside while you put a medium sized pot half full of water
on the stove over medium heat.
When the water boils set the oven timer for 3 minutes add the asparagus to the water.
Cook only until the timer goes off.
Drain the asparagus and return it to the pot.
Cover the pot with the lid or a piece of tin foil so asparagus stays warm.
While you’re waiting for the water to boil get out the blender.
Don’t have a blender or can’t find where your wife hides the blender?
Use a deep bowl and a whisk or failing that, a fork.
Crack the egg over the sink.
Put the raw egg in your hand and let the white slide through your fingers and down the drain.
If you are tactile defensive you can move the yolk back and forth between the halves of the eggshell and let the white slip into the sink.
Drop the yolk into the blender or bowl.
Put the cover on and blitz or whisk
or beat like hell with the fork until the yolk looks smooth and lemony.
Add in 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar and mix again.
Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and a teaspoon of the chopped garlic and blitz again
until everything is well combined.
While the blender is running, slowly add 2/3rd cup of olive oil.
Add ½ cup of Parmesan cheese and blend again briefly.
Set aside until ready to serve dinner.
If you are nervous about the whole egg yolk thing, we’ve posted a video on our website www.frugalfeastsblog.com.

Step 4 Make the Scampi:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Toss in about a half teaspoon of salt.
When the water is boiling add half the package of spaghetti or linguine and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally to make sure the pasta doesn’t clump together.
Set the timer so you don’t forget about the pasta and turn it into mush.
When it is done, drain it and put it back in the pot.
Toss in a cube of butter (about an inch of the stick) and put the cover back on the pot.
Set aside off the stove while you cook the shrimp.
Put the shrimp in a strainer and run until warm (not hot) water until they are sort of thawed but still cold.
Peel (leave the little tails on) and set aside to drain.
Get out a medium sized skillet with a lid and melt the rest of the stick of butter
over medium low heat.
When the butter stops foaming add a teaspoon of the garlic, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt,
about the same amount of pepper, 3 green onions that you have sliced thinly into little circles, 1/2 cup of the wine and the juice of half of the lemon to the pan.
Push everything around with a wooden spoon for a minute or two until it smells great.
Add the shrimp, turn off the heat and cover the pan.
Set aside while you get everything ready, because the shrimp will cook in the heated pan.

Step 5: Plating and serving
Light the candles and pour either wine or water into the glasses at the table.
Put a fist sized nest of the spaghetti onto the center of two dinner plates.
Stack several of the asparagus spears on the side of each plate
and spoon a little of the parmesan dressing over the top of the asparagus.
Spoon about half of the shrimp over each of the nests and top with some of the liquid in the shrimp pan.
Call your sweetie into dinner, and make sure you hold the chair out for her.
Bring in the plates and serve with flair.
When you are ready for dessert, clear the plates from the table
and get the mousse out of the fridge.
Put each glass on a small plate.
Place a cookie jauntily into the side of each glass of mousse.
Serve.

Forget You Tube -- Come Watch Fru Tube!

Here is our first attempt at adding video to our media empire:
Directions for making Robin's Garlic Parmesan Dressing

Bread Pudding Obsession

I Know last week I pulled the Grape-Nut Custard out of the pantry for giggles and it was a hit.

But the obsession continues..

I still have a limited budget, but as always I have staples in the pantry( for now anyway), sugar, eggs, and I always have the cream on hand just in case...right..

And I love custard, all kinds of soft sweet delightful creamy treats. This is a problem for my waistline for sure. However for my budget and mega Mom points it is a good thing.

So I will continue to try and perfect the custard,

So here is my attempt to turn this frozen stale french bread in to a masterpiece

Bread Pudding

2 loaves stale french bread ( I save mine in the freezer just for these occasions)

12 eggs

1 quart of light cream, (substitutions fine)

2tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 tsp nutmeg

assemble ingredients

pre-heat oven to 350

Grease well a large oven proof casserole dishin a large bowl open all eggs

beat slightly

slowly add cream, sugar and vanilla

Cut bread into medium size pieces and place in casserole dish


pour the egg mixture over bread, make sure to push bread in to mixture to absorb the liquid

let set for about 30 minutes

while waiting for the pudding to set

prepare a pan with 1-2 inch of hot water large enough to set the casserole dish in
set this in the oven then place casserole in the pan

let cook for 1 hour until top springs back slightly when tapped



Try this you might like it, for minimal effort you can create a lovely dessert that is sure to get some great reviews at your home.

We are all about making the you know what shine

it is what we do were Mom's



Serve warm with vanilla Ice cream