Success and Failure

A few weeks ago I cooked up a batch of chickpeas, pureed them, and tried feeding them to my sweet baby. To say she didn't care for the texture would be an understatement. There was lots of gagging, followed by a hand in the mouth to physically remove the offensive mush. There was a lot leftover, however, and I wasn't about to waste it, so I stuck it in the freezer. Yesterday I pulled some of it out and decided to try taking it in a different direction. Lola loves pancakes, so I made a sort of chickpea pancake.
To about a cup of pureed chickpeas I added half a beaten egg, a dash of cumin, and some crumbled bread (I wanted to use bread crumbs but I was out and too lazy to toast the bread). I shaped the mixture into three patties and fried them in a pan with a little olive oil spray for a few minutes per side. They did come out resembling pancakes, and she liked it considerably better than before, although it still doesn't seem to be her favorite. It occurred to me later that it might be a good idea to add a little grated or pureed vegetable to the mix.

For the failure part of this post I will point to my garden. I would post a picture of it, but its really too embarrassing. Things were going pretty well for a while, but my fence isn't high enough and the repellent I've been spraying around the garden isn't working, so the deer have been feasting away. Every day I go out there and find little green tomatoes sprouting, but by morning they're gone. Strong winds from storms have also blown over a few plants and weeds are overtaking the whole plot. To be fair my basil and peppers seem to be doing alright. Hopefully I will find time in the next few days to make about six batches of basil and freeze them for the coming months. I'm not sure I'll garden next year. If I didn't have time for the upkeep this year, what makes me think next year will be any different? Maybe I'll just go with herbs, since those aren't being eaten by the deer.

Generation Cedar

I found this blog a few weeks ago but just recently had time to really dive in. Some of her views could be considered controversial, but I think they're worth getting fired up over and forming an opinion. I wish my own blogging was so insightful. Maybe some day.

Home Safety Tour

I know it's been a really long time since I last blogged. Its hard for me to find time to get down to the computer and do this, but today I had something that was really worth blogging about. Today I had a free home safety inspection done on my house by someone who works for La Crosse County. I learned about it at a mom and baby group I've attended at Franciscan Skemp. A very friendly woman showed up at my house bursting with free safety gear for me (a smoke detector, cabinet locks, thermometer, and more!) and went around my house letting me know how I could make things safer for my child. I would really recommend this for anyone with kids. While it kind of makes you feel like a bad parent (there are a lot of "normal" things that turned out to be "problems") it is very informative, plus you get all the free stuff! The woman also spent half an hour of very hard labor making sure Lola's carseat was properly installed and fit perfectly to her size. For anyone interested the phone number to make an appointment is 785-9872.

In other news, we finally got new living room furniture and painted the living room and kitchen (no more wallpaper!) We're still waiting to get a tv, but once everything's in place I'll post some before and after pictures that will blow your mind. My apologies to Parker and KB who inherited our old couch with the sinkhole. Hopefully it is a blessing and not a curse.

New Experiments

I mentioned a post or two ago how much I enjoyed broccoli roasted in the oven with olive oil. Turns out asparagus and brussel sprouts also benefit from this method. I tried both this week and they were delicious. I also tried a few other recipes from various cookbooks. The first was oatmeal pancakes. Not as tasty as they sounded. I was expecting something resembling an oatmeal cookie, what I got resembled, well, oatmeal. It was a mushy patty that I put brown sugar and syrup on.

 I also tried chicken breast filets with lemon. While the recipe didn't seem to turn out quite like it was intended this recipe was really good. I've always been a little shy about frying chicken breasts on the stove top, but with the help of my trusty meat thermometer these turned out perfectly. For what its worth, the customer service at the meat counter at Festival Foods in Onalaska is wonderful. I asked them if they would slice my chicken breasts in half horizontally for me and they were happy to do so. A couple weeks ago I asked them to pound them flat and they did that as well. Remember, all you have to do is ask!

Tonight I tried spaghetti with olives and capers Vesuvius style. This was also pretty good. It was a little briny, but something different and hearty. I was feeling lazy and ate it as is, but I think it would have benefited from a side salad or some bread.

Tomorrow I might try tackle my gardening project. I'm not sure the best route to go for my first year of vegetable gardening. I want to do a plot, but its risky with how many deer we have around our house. Pots on the deck might be a better way to go. Would deer climb up on the deck to eat my vegetables? I feel like they might, but maybe I'm giving them too much credit.

Lots of Cooking

Jeron and I watched Julie & Julia the other day, so of course I have been experimenting with cooking more than usual. My first adventure was with broccoli. We both enjoy eating broccoli as much as anyone could be expected to, but I usually just boil or microwave it. I saw a picture in a cookbook of roasted broccoli and thought it looked pretty, so this time I tossed it with some olive oil and salt and threw it in a hot oven for about half an hour. What came out was, simply, heavenly. Crispy and savory, this is the way I will most likely make broccoli from now on. We ate an entire bunch between the two of us.

The next morning also met with success when I tried my hand at cornmeal pancakes for breakfast. They looked just like regular pancakes but tasted like cornbread (imagine that). Instead of the usual butter and syrup I tried them with raspberry preserves and it was delicious. I also tried them just with honey. That was ok, but not exactly what was desired on a hungry Saturday morning.

Rarely do I make something that turns out absolutely inedible, but that is what happened last night. I tried making falafels (fried chickpea patties). I had made some in the oven before and they were pretty good, so I figured frying them in oil would be the next step up. I don't know where I went wrong, but as soon as the patties hit the oil they disintegrated into a million tiny particles. I tried scooping some out once they were browned and even ate a spoonful, but they were extremely greasy and not at all what I was going for. We ended up eating pita pockets stuffed with vegetables for dinner, when there were supposed to be fat, tasty falafels tucked in there as well. Oh well, we didn't starve. Tonight I'll whip up some hummus to add to the sad little sandwiches and try out something else tomorrow.

Also on a cooking note, I've found the most delightful cookbook. Veganomicon is a vegan cookbook, but looks to be the most delicious, approachable cookbook I've come across in a while. Jeron and I love a good helping of meat, but also find times when we enjoy eating vegetarian or vegan meals because, well, good food is good food. I had seen a recipe from it here or there on other blogs and found it at the library yesterday. I may just have to buy this one, there looks to be so much good information. It may even convince me to try tofu (but don't tell Jeron!). One thing I'm wondering is if regular milk is interchangeable with soy milk? I have no desire to buy soy milk (which many of these recipes call for) because I know I won't drink the rest. Despite my love of food, I have a very bizarre relationship with beverages. Water, juice, milk, and the occasional (carefully chosen) cocktail are the extent of my beverage choices. Milk is a somewhat new addition to the repertoire. When I got pregnant they recommended that I drink two glasses of it a day and I felt I owed it to the little bean to do so. Prior to that it was relegated to meat and potato dinners and, of course, chocolate chip cookies. Post pregnancy I've kept my consumption up mostly due to fear of osteoporosis later in life from babies drinking all the calcium straight from my bones. I also don't drink more than the occasional sip of soda borrowed from my husband. Soda is a vice I gave up in high school for health reasons. Any other beverage I find just plain gross. Milkshakes are out of the question. Even chocolate milk has never seen my fridge. No coffee, and rarely a tea. Don't even get me started on eggnog. So, back to the point, I will not be drinking soy milk, or almond milk, or anything else I know to be suspended in water. Can I substitute cow's milk for soy milk in these recipes? Only failure will tell...

Peg Bear

Yesterday my mom and I threw a baby shower for my sister Casey, who is due to have a baby boy on April 20th. In preparation for the shower I spent the last few weeks working on sewing her baby a peg bear that I had a pattern for. I made one for Lola first, in an effort to work out the kinks (and many kinks there were). The first one took me about two weeks, working on it here and there during nap times and other moments of free time. I made quite a few mistakes on that one, but it still turned out alright. The second one only took me a couple of hours since by then I knew what I was doing. It also looks a lot better, with fewer cosmetic flaws. Hopefully Casey and Baby will like it. Here are some pictures of both bears.

Avocado Cookies

I had heard previously about using avocado as a healthy replacement for butter in cookie recipes. It sounded a little far fetched, but I was curious. Jeron protested the idea, but I figured I could get him to eat it without knowing. I finally tried it the other night with fairly successful results. I used my regular, Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe and replaced half the butter with mashed avocado. I think they turned out pretty good. A few differences included a slightly greenish tint, a lack of spreading in the oven, and a softer, chewier cookie. Jeron licked the beater and ate two cookies before I told him the difference. He felt a little misled, but seemed to like them alright. All this being said, I probably won't make them this way again.