What's That You Say, Mrs. Robinson?

The Art and The Joy

Although it has been brewing for quite a while, I have recently felt a resurgence for wanting to do more cooking. Not just the regular stuff. New stuff. Trying new recipes and techniques and actually picking up some skills is what is really appealing to me right now.

It is highly likely that this cooking bug has been fueled by my recent trip to Italy and France. The food in both places was TO DIE FOR and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. I also feel the need to get into the classics rather than just looking for fun recipes on-line the way I usually do. There is something about working from a good cookbook that just feels right.

I have a copy of The Joy of Cooking written by Irma Rombauer (her family also makes my favorite chardonnay). Actually, I have two copies. One that my Mom gave me in 2006 (the 75th anniversary edition) and the copy she got when she was married back in 1970. Sadly, I must admit that other than looking to it for a few basic technique questions, I haven't used either much. Today, however, I can't pull myself away from it as I'm discovering all of the treasures inside. From 'Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew' to 'Skillet Corn Bread' to 'Spicy Chinese Slaw', there seems to be an endless suply of delicious things to work on.

What I don't yet have is the quintisential Mastering the Art of French Cooking by the immortal Julia Child. Have no fear, I bought a copy yesterday on eBay that was printed in 1967 which is also the year I was born. I should have it in my hot little hands in the coming week. I wanted a used copy instead of a new one. I think, perhaps, they have more soul.

I aspire to get straight to work on that one by attempting the crown jewel, boeuf bourguignon. Julia's boef bourguignon. Yes, I saw the movie. Several times. J'adore. I figure, why not? If I can do that, I can do a lot of things. I will NOT however be trying an aspic or boiling lobster any time soon. I wouldn't want to eat either once cooked, so why waste my time? I'm sure there are plenty of other treats between the covers.

And yes, this indulgence is enabled in large part by my continued sabbatical. It's October 9th and I'm still taking time off.

Bon appétit!

Swiss Corn Bake Recipe

It is coming up on the time of year when our family makes a wonderful dish called Swiss Corn Bake. This is a side dish...comfort food at its finest. We typically have it as part of our Thanksgiving feast, but it also goes great with a ham, meatloaf or roasted chicken. I have never made this for friends without being asked for the recipe. So before anyone asks...here it is!

1 (16 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (5 1/2 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 c. soft bread crumbs
2 tbsp. melted butter

Combine drained corn, milk, 3/4 cup cheese, eggs, onion and dash of pepper. Turn in 10 x 6 x 2 inch baking dish or 1 quart casserole. Toss bread crumbs, melted butter and remaining cheese. Sprinkle over corn mixture. Bake 25-30 minutes in 350 degree oven.

What's Cooking 10/5 - 10/9

I decided to put the "g" back on the "Cookin'" part of title of this and future posts about what we are making for dinner because I'm so tired of hearing Palin leave the "g" off of so many words.

Sunday - Ham, onion and corn quiche
Monday - Enchilada casserole
Tuesday - Not sure
Wednesday - Thai peanut crusted chicken
Thursday - Cheese tortellini

What's up this week?

Monday - Dan=soccer practice (he is coaching a team of 6 year old girls, just for fun)
Tuesday - Payton=baseball game in Santa Clara, Kris=appointment with an acupuncturist, Dan=Pony baseball board meeting
Wednesday - Nothing (yet)
Thursday - Dan=Darts (he throws darts on a team with a co-worker/friend of mine)

Typical.

For tonight, we are watching the Boston/LA game (tied up right now), flipping over to Anderson Cooper occasionally (YUM), and I'm hopeful that we can watch last night's TiVo'd episode of Mad Men (Don't you just LOVE that show?)

What's Cookin' 8/24 - 8/28

The beginning of the busy school season this week. I have a meeting Wednesday night to kick off the planning for a benefit auction that will take place in November and the very last back to school night for Payton's school on Thursday.

I will never again get the chance to go and meet all of his teachers and hear about his classes from their perspective. It is another event that goes in the "the last time we will be..." column. One of my very best friends is, right this very minute dropping her only child off at college. Things happen so fast.

And with that, here is what we will be eating this week...

Sunday - Meatloaf, mac n cheese
Monday - Potatoes, eggs, veggie scramble, toast
Tuesday - Something with Chicken, perhaps the Thai dish that we didn't do last week
Wednesday - Pasta, w/ground beef (not sure on the specifics)
Thursday - The kids get pre-made quiche, we get whatever we can get our hands on

OK, so this is pretty half-assed. Bad Mommy!

What's Cookin' 8/17 - 8/21

What is going on this week:

Monday - Payton starts school
Tuesday - My 41st birthday


The menu:

Sunday - Breakfast scramble (eggs,bacon,potatoes,onions,corn)
Monday - BBQ Chicken & Grilled veggies
Tuesday - Chicken Enchiladas & salad
Wednesday - BBQ Burgers & veggies
Thursday - Thai Peanut Chicken stir fry w/veggies

And so a return to a "normal" schedule begins. Sort of. Darren won't start school until next week, so this week we sort of have one foot on either side of the fence. We will spend this last day of summer vacation cleaning up in the yard, running out to get whatever items we need to fill in the gaps for food, tidying up the house and having a reminder conversation with the kids about rules and expectations for the school year.

Gone are the days where you get excited by school clothes shopping and going to Office Depot to stock up on supply items. We have this down so well that we just do it bit by bit without making a big deal about it.

I miss the dull scissors and the need for the 64 color Crayola box. The cute backpacks and brand new shoes.

What's Cookin 11/4 - 11/8

Something a little different this time...instead of posting what we are going to eat on which night this week, I'm just going to post the what, not the when.

With Darren having basketball practice just about every night during the week and the other things that pop up, it is really difficult to say exactly when we will have which meals. Here is what is on the menu for the week:

Meal #1) - Meatloaf and Au Gratin potatoes (we already had that tonight)
Meal #2) - Crock pot chili and corn bread
Meal #3) - Bolboli pizza w/hot Italian turkey sausage
Meal #4) - Nachos with chili
Meal #5) - Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

It's been a nice weekend that is ending with a little difficulty. Darren has been off of his ADHD meds all weekend and we can tell. He is argumentative and bouncing between angry and full of himself. He is picking fights around every corner and it is really hard not to fall for it. I have been hoping beyond hope that he can do without his meds, but he just gets so oppositional when he has been off of them.

I must own some of this, though. I have to have a couple of difficult conversations with people tomorrow and being the non-confrontational person that I am, it is weighing heavily on me. These are not earth shattering conversations, just negative feedback. If I'm smart, I'll have those conversations as early in the day as possible to get it over with. Otherwise, I'll stew all day on them.

What's Cookin' 10/14 - 10/18

This week's menu is courtesy of Mr. Mom on a Mission (as have the last 2 weeks that I haven't posted):

Sunday - Loco Moco (Rice, Hamburger Patty, Fried Egg, Gravy) and Tater Tots
Monday - BBQ Chicken, Biscuits, Salad
Tuesday - Manicotti, French Bread, Salad
Wednesday -Pizza
Thursday - Chicken Pesto Pasta, French Bread, Salad

The Loco Moco for tonight was inspired by our trip to Hawaii this past summer. Our oldest son, Payton had this culinary masterpiece several times while we were there. I'm sure that our home made version won't be as good (just as any Mai Tai here in San Carlos could not possibly compare to a Mai Tai in Maui), but it will be a treat for him anyway. I'm sure that my tummy could stand it, however, so I think I'll be doing a couple of fried eggs and tater tots instead!

Wednesday night is "College Night" at Payton's high school. Good lord, I'm still getting used to him being in high school and we're having to think about college already. Part of me is really hoping that he goes the Junior College route. Not only would it be considerably cheaper, but I'd like to have him around for a couple more years, too.

What's Cookin - 9/23 - 9/28

Just barely getting back in the swing of the "normal" (not summer) schedule with work, school, sports, meetings etc. Here's the menu for Chez Robinson this week:

Sunday - Chicken and Dumplings w/cesar salad
Monday - Korean BBQ beef w/fried rice
Tuesday - Ground turkey sloppy joes
Wednesday - Round Table 1/2 off pizza
Thursday - Pesto Pasta w/cesar salad

Wednesday we have a 6:30 Dr.'s appointment and I have book group at 7:00 so no use trying to something that takes much effort. The chicken and dumplings isn't home made (I wish I could claim being able to make this dish that my grandmother did so well). It is from a Marie Calendar's crockpot ready bag 'o goodies. Takes very little effort. I'm sure it's loaded with sodium, so sue me.

Our oven is on the fritz. It's about 10+ years old and has never given us any grief. We had talked recently about replacing our white appliances with their stainless steel counterparts and I think the oven had ears because stopped working. Our dishwasher is stainless as is our sink, so we just ordered a new range and microwave to be delivered next week. Luckily we have a friend who owns a furniture/appliance store in Milbrae, so all it took was a little research and a phone call. We will be whipping up delectable items on one of these bad boys very soon (see photo).

It is a Kitchenaid Architect II gas range with a warming tray at the bottom. We also decided that since our microwave is directly above the range, having one white and one stainless wouldn't work. I'm all about diversity, but not when it comes to my appliances.

The only mis-matched appliance will be the fridge. We're not ready to spend a couple of grand on that quite yet as it works just fine and is much newer than the other appliances were. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't NEED to be replaced until after Hubby can get his real estate business going a bit more. 

Yummy Food

Doesn't this look soooo yummmy!?????

Bringin' home the bacon

Put in a full day at work, went grocery shopping, made Swiss Corn Bake (leave me a comment if you want the recipe) to go with the roasted chicken and french bread I picked up and now getting ready to help son #1 study for his English final. Oh, and I did the dishes.

Sometimes I need to make a list of everything I have done in order to really realize how much I do.

I did have to miss son #2's baseball game tonight in order to do grocery shopping and cook a decent dinner. I went to 4 of his games in the last 4 days, so I'm not feeling too bad about it (but clearly bad enough to have to mention it). When he walks in from the game and smells the swiss corn bake, all will be forgiven.

Unless he hits his first ever homer tonight. Crap.

What's Cookin' 4/22 - 4/26

Getting ready to start another week. I'm feeling tired. Kind of grumpy. Not sure why. Here's what the week's meals look like. Very basic this week, with the exception of tonight. Just don't want to have to think to hard about eating.

Sunday - 4/22 - Caramelized Garlic Chicken and rice
Monday - 4/23 - Hot dogs and beans (Darren has a 5:30 baseball game)
Tuesday - 4/24 - Mac and Cheese Bake
Wednesday - 4/25 - Burgers and Fries (Book Club night for me)
Thursday - 4/26 - Spaghetti and Meatballs

Construction on our new deck starts tomorrow. We hope to have it done in time for our Cinco de Mayo party. We are also hoping for good weather. Next weekend I'll be doing some planting in the back yard trying to get it all pretty.

We had a birthday party for our nephew, Taylor last night. It was his very first birthday and we were honored to have a celebration for him. Here are a few picks:

What's Cookin'? 4/1 - 4/5

There just don't seem to be any "normal" weeks anymore... so here's what we have on tap for this week...

Sunday - 4/1 - Country Breakfast (potatoes, eggs, corn, onions, bacon all mixed together)
Monday - 4/2 - Taco Casserole
Tuesday - 4/3 - Chicken Fajitas
Wednesday - 4/4 - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Soup
Thursday - ??? Fruschetta Pizza ???

Thursday Darren has a 5:30 baseball game, Dan has darts at 7:00 and I have a work dinner starting at 6:00 (which will feature really GREAT Indian food, so I'm set). That's a crazy day for sure. Monday Dan and Payton didn't eat at home because they went to watch the NCAA men's finals at a friend's house. Tonight (Tuesday), Dan has a soccer meeting (after he finished his years as the President, he has somehow ended up as the VP even though neither of our boys has played soccer in at least 3 years, don't ask why). Payton will be on spring break as of Thursday and Darren leaves for his spring break trip on Sunday. Next week will be total chaos as far as food/meals.

Payton asked me the other day if Dan and I get spring break....silly boy.

Meanwhile, I'm doing well on the weight loss...not shedding tons of pounds but my body is changing...the jeans I bought about 1 month ago? I can pull them off without undoing the button and zipper! NICE! I'm just not ready to plunk down more money for new clothes yet...too much yet to loose. A few more weeks on the treadmill and I just might take a quick trip to Ross.

What's Cookin'? 3/11 - 3/15

NOTHING!

We will be heating up a bunch of stuff this week, but not actually cooking anything. Hubby ripped the counter tops off of the cabinets today which also means we have no sink in which to do dishes. We're getting ready to put in new granite counter tops in a couple of weeks, but had to take the old ones off for accurate measuring for the granite templates.

We've been through this before, but in a much bigger way. About 6 years ago we did a big addition on the house including a complete kitchen remodel. At the time we put most of our money into getting as much new square footage as possible and skimped on some of the details. Today the Formica counter top is off and we will soon have a nice new counter. I took some "before" photos and will post them when I can also post the "after" photos.

So here is what we'll be heating up:

Sunday - 3/11:         Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo from Costco
Monday - 3/12:        Enchiladas from Costco
Tuesday - 3/13:       Spaghetti and Meatballs from Costco
Wednesday - 3/14:   Either Italian Meatloaf  or  Flautas from Trader Joe's
Thursday - 3/15:     Whatever is left over from the week, or anything else we can find

Now, for myself, I got some good stuff from Trader Joe's. Pre-made salads, pre-roasted veggies, prepared chicken etc. 'Cause I still have a waistline to watch, ya know.

What's Cookin'? 3/4 - 3/8

Planning meals that don't kill my diet continues to be very difficult. Here is my shot at it this week.

Sunday 3/4 - Pizza
Monday 3/5 - Beef Brisket Sandwiches
Tuesday 3/6 - Hot & Spicy Chicken
Wednesday 3/7 - T-Bone's Chili and corn bread
Thursday 3/8 - Italian Chicken

Tomorrow is my first BigSlice Off first weigh in. I'm also still doing the future MILF challenge. The more I can get involved, the more motivation I'll have to stay on track.

Oh, yeah. Did you know that it is Girl Scout Cookie time? 4 boxes for us. 4 Thin Mint Cookies are 160 calories. CRAP!

Busy week this week...Monday is the draft for Pony (baseball) that hubby will be going to. Tuesday I'm going to a Creative Memories workshop, Thursday I'm going to a friend's house for a clothing party and I'm sure that Saturday will be full of baseball. Payton has 4 games this week, Mon. Tues. Thurs. and Fri. Next week, Dan will be off to Spring Training in Scottsdale, AZ. with some buddies. He leaves Thursday AM. So next week's meals will need to be really well thought out and on the easy side.

I'm all set on my food planning for the week:

Breakfasts: Dannon Lite and Fit Vanilla yogurt with sprinkles of walnuts or peanuts
Lunches: Various frozen meals (Smart Ones/Lean Cuisine/South Beach)
Snacks: Protein bars/apples
Dinners: See above

Oh, and did I mention that I think I'm coming down with something? Joy.

OK, now it's off to slice onions in prep for tomorrow's beef brisket. It is a slow cooker recipe that I want to be able to just throw in the cooker in the AM. Doing the prep tonight will make tomorrow morning much easier.

What's Cookin'? 1/28 - 2/1

It's baaaaack!!!! It only took a couple of month's to get back into the grove (and actually I don't feel like we are back in the grove, but this is an effort to do so). Meals are more challenging because I'm trying to loose weight and really watching what I'm eating. Hard to have chicken breasts every night for dinner when you have 2 hungry teens who want more variety. I may have to post two menus for some nights...what they eat and what I eat.

Also, we have 2 evening functions this week, Tuesday is an informational meeting at Darren's "Plan C" high school (where he'll go if he doesn't get into Plan A or Plan B). Don't really want to go, and neither will he, but I feel like we need to be informed, just in case. Then on Wednesday, I have book group to discuss "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards. I finished it weeks ago and hope I can remember enough to have a decent conversation. If not, oh well, the company will be good.

So, what to eat? This portion of the post is subject to editing as we think through the week.

Sunday - Whole wheat pancakes & sausage
Monday - BBQ Chicken & veggies
Tuesday - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and.....????
Wednesday - Burgers and tater tots...I'll just have something little before book group
Thursday - BBQ chicken pizza (Bolboli)...maybe I'll just have the chicken and some veggies

If we do something fun for Superbowl (Go Colts!), I'll post the menu and maybe some recipes. There is a homemade French Onion Dip that I would like to try. I think it is from one of my Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. For now, it's back to painting (photos to come).

What's Cookin'? 12/10 - 12/14

We are finding it very difficult to get back on track with this meal planning business. Between the craziness of the holidays and Darren's basketball schedule, we just don't have our shit together enough to pull this off with the consistency we once did.

That being said, here is what we have (had) on tap for this week:

Sunday 12/10 -       Pizza (it's not delivery, it's DiGourno, seriously)
Monday 12/11 -      Chili & cornbread
Tuesday 12/12 -     Possibly Pizza again, but delivery this time, or maybe burritos from El Matate
Wednesday 12/13 - Tortilla Soup & something else
Thursday 12/14 -     Chicken Parmesan (no practice, no parties, can you tell...)

I think we deserve a special Friday night dinner this week, too. Prob will be home because he's got finals to study for and Drob's practice ends at 4:45. Hmmmm what to make.....

Oh, Dan, by the way. Drob dumped the chili left over from last night down the garbage disposal this morning (gasp) because he said it was stinking up the fridge. If you were planning on left-overs...sorry honey. And oh, by the way, we may need a new garbage disposal :0)...not really, but we got lucky.

What's Cookin'? 12/3 - 12/7

I seem to be falling off the wagon here with the holiday season in full gear. Haven't done real meal planning in weeks. This week is no different. Darren has a basketball game or practice EVERY night this week and we are trying to recover from our party while also getting caught up on stuff we have neglected over the past week.

So here is what we have going this week:

Sunday 12/3:   fried eggs, cheese and bacon on croissants (left over from party)
Monday 12/4:  Party leftovers (falafel, pizza, taquitos, lasagna etc.)
Tuesday 12/5: Take out...El Matate taquaria
Wednesday 12/6: Butter Nut Squash Ravioli and bread
Thursday: I have no idea

So much for planning...you know how it is...getting through the week.

What's Cookin'? 11/12 - 11/16

The most excellent Becky beat me to it this week! I'm such a slacker and she caught me! I can't believe it is the week before Thanksgiving. My thoughts are fast forwarded to next week and I just got caught slacking. I even thought tonight (while I was sitting in the hot tub in the rain with my 2 boys) that I REALLY need to get this post out. Then I come in and start reading some blogs, and damn it if Bec didn't beat me to it. I love it though! Cooking loves company. Here's What's Cookin' (Props to Hubby who planned the menu and did the shopping for the week):

Sunday - Mexican Macaroni
Monday - Spicy Honey Glazed Chicken with Rice and Green Beans
Tuesday - Baked Rigatoni w/Italian Sausage & Garlic Bread (mom out for the evening)
Wednesday - Taco Quiche
Thursday - Crock Nutty Chicken (because we never had it last week, we had to substitute for something quick and easy, I think it was a basketball practice night).

I find myself thinking about the butter nut squash raviolis I saw at Costco...does anyone know what kind of sauce to use with that? Maybe just a little olive oil and some pine nuts or something? I MUST HAVE SOME.

What's Cookin'? 11/5 - 11/9

A busy weekend at the "Mission" house. We've done lots of chores:

• picked out a new color for the outside of our house ("Cargo")
• bought a big shed (the second one down with a window added) to be installed in a couple of weeks
• bought a new mantle for our soon to be re-faced fireplace
• went shopping for tiles for the fireplace (no decision yet)
• painted some of our sort-of recently installed crown molding
• took Payton to his baseball game in South City
• took Darren to lunch at Speederia Pizzeria
• went on a search and rescue mission for Ronaldo at 11:00 pm, finding him at the park several blocks away
• made home-made snicker-doodles
• had a fabulous dinner Saturday night; a scramble-style mixture of potatoes, corn, eggs, onions and turkey bacon
• went shopping for something to wear to next week's Night at the Oscars fund-raising auction at Serra (and was VERY successful)
• pulled out some major shrubbery in preparation for the house painters (see the before photo)
• stained the inside of the front door

WOW! I'm exhausted just reading it! And to top it all off, just got back from grocery shopping for this week's meals....which are:

Sunday:          Tortilla Soup (home-made) and corn bread (not home-made)
Monday:         Terriaki Chicken & rice
Tuesday:        Corn Chowder (home-made) and grilled cheese on sourdough
Wednesday:    Spaghetti and garlic bread
Thursday:       Crock Nutty Chicken   

Continue for recipes:

What's Cookin'? 10/29 - 11/2

Although the calendar shows fall, the weather here lately has been more spring-like. We have had 75-80 degree weather for the last couple of weeks. A nice final hurra for summer. It does get pretty cool at night, into the high 40's. We start this week's menu off with some fall-type comfort food:

Sunday  10/29 - Grilled Cheese on sourdough, corn chowder, garlic fries
Monday 10/30 - Swedish Meatballs (from IKEA, believe it or not) and green beans
Tuesday 10/31 - Pizza probably, who wants to cook on Halloween! My Mom will be joining us.
Wednesday 11/1 - Fajitas (details to be decided)
Thursday 11/2 - Orange Chicken and rice (from TJ's, we have 2 meetings tonight)

The corn chowder that we had tonight was just a Cambell's Chunky Chicken and Corn Chowder. Everyone loved it. It MOST chunky! Looking at the week's menu it is not full of homemade delights. It's getting to be that time of year when schedules get out of hand. We are preparing for a big auction at Serra in a couple of weeks. Both Dan and I are volunteering our services in one way or another. Also, Payton's baseball game today turned into a double-header with no notice. Thank goodness we had an extra hour today!

Some interesting Food Blogs, in case you are interested:

Family Food
Zen Foodism
Everybody Likes Sandwiches
The Girl Who Ate Everything