Five on Friday - Healthy thoughts

One of the things I am working on as part of my One Little Word 2014 ---Strong--- is health in general.  I want to be stronger in body, mind, and spirit.  Lately, that has been thinking more consciously about food, which is a serious weakness of mine.  I'm also working on exercise plans that make me stronger--- not just cardio, which is where I tend to focus as I like the endorphins of a good run or zumba or whatever makes me breathe hard.  My body needs to build strength too and, fascinatingly, that strength will help the other "cardio" be more effective too.

Anyway, enough musings, here are some of the healthy tools in my arsenal just now.

1.  Eat Food.  Not too much.  Mostly Plants - M. Pollan. -- This is a quote from Michael Pollan. He writes a lot about "food" ---which is a defined term to him, and what we're eating now.  I don't agree with all of it, nor have I read all of it, but this mantra seems to be helping me make better choices right now.  (His NYT article on the subject is here--- the tips at the end are good). 

2.  Ballet Beautiful Body Blasts- For me, these are hard.  I tried them first maybe a year ago, but got frustrated.  I am trying again and accepting that I can't do all of the reps in a row right now, but that if I keep practicing I will be able to eventually.  The "Swan Lake Arms" is tough.  No weights or anything complicated, just your own body and repeated movements of lifting and lowering as in the ballet.  My arms/back were sore the next day and I had a much better appreciation of the ballet itself.  I also have tried the other blasts and have similar thoughts. (Note.  This is available for free streaming via amazon if you have amazon prime.)  

3.  Yoga Meltdown - This is not "quite" a normal yoga practice.  It is a Jillian Michaels take on Yoga and there for much less...calm? I'm not a huge Jillian Michaels fan, but do like this series even though it is a bit nontraditional.  (Also free to stream via amazon prime.)

4. Spark People -- Sort of like weightwatchers tracking software, but delightfully free (there are lots of ads). You can make it a game and earn points for a variety of things as well as keep a food journal online or on your phone. There are a variety of plans and options for goal setting that should fit a variety of approaches to healthy living. 

5.  Healthy "treats" -- the reality is I'm not really giving up carbs or the occasional "treat." I am looking for ways to make things I love more healthy.  These One-Bowl Whole Grain Pear Breakfast Donuts are an example.  They are full of whole grains, no oils, fruit, and goodness, but also a treat my kids love.  Another example is cauliflower.  Here is my recent "spin" on an old favorite.  

I normally make cauliflower like this (via Orangette) and love it. However, I wanted something a bit more snacky and with more pizzazz.  I discovered there are A LOT of cauliflower recipes on my pinterest vegetables board.   I didn't actually use one directly, but this is like the popcorn cauliflower mentioned in a few of them.

Cauliflower "popped"

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower -- break into very small florets -- like the size of popcorn chicken
• Savory Spice's Panhandle Chicken Fried Steak Seasoning (to taste - I used a heaping 1/4tsp with a small head of cauliflower)
• 1 T. Panko (or other) bread crumbs
• 1 T. Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss olive oil and cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet. Then mix with bread crumbs, salt and Panhandle Chicken Fried Steak seasoning.  Bake for 15 minutes -- stirring occasionally.

I topped my resulting cauliflower with 1 T. of Cashews and 1 T of dried cranberries and had a truly wonderful lunch. I hope you enjoy it too!

The Birthday Cookies + Recipe

I believe I've found THE Chocolate Chip cookie of my life.  I do not think I will go back to the Toll House style chocolate chip cookies again.  I confess, I completely adore these whole wheat chocolate chip cookies from Good to the Grain, by Kim Boyce. We have been making them for about a year or so.  We've tried other recipes, but always come right back to this one. We've added cinnamon, increased the vanilla and played with the sugars a bit (the original is 1 c. of each kind of sugar and both ways are great). These are the cookies I took to one of my very best friend's baby showers.  These are cookies I would take anywhere.  These are the cookies my dearest newly 7 year old boy requested for his birthday after a weekend full of cake.  These cookies are delicious.  Using only whole wheat is a large part of the difference.  Don't skip that part or you're missing out on the true wonder of these cookies. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Good to the Grain, by Kim Boyce

3 cups whole wheat flour (I sometimes use white whole wheat)
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes (she recommends cold, but I've had it work with either)
1 1/2 cups lightly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (I've been known to use the same amount of 2x Pure Madagascar Vanilla Extract--we like vanilla).

1 tsp. cinnamon (I prefer Organic Ceylon Cinnamon)
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped into ¼- and ½-inch pieces, or bittersweet chips

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. (If you have no parchment, you can butter the sheets.)

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to blend.

Put the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, mix just until the butter and sugars are blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the bowl, and blend on low speed until the flour is just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the chocolate, and mix on low speed until evenly combined. (If you have no stand mixer, you can do all of this with handheld electric beaters and/or a large, sturdy spoon.) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, making sure all the flour is absorbed.

Size is an issue-- she recommends huge cookies that we've made with an ice cream scoop.  We tend to make about 1/2 the recipe in smaller 1-2 Tablespoon sizes as well and reduce the baking time slightly. Scoop mounds of dough onto the baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie.

Bake the cookies for 16 to 20 minutes (for large cookies), rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are evenly browned. Transfer the cookies, still on parchment, to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

These cookies are very good while still warm from the oven, but I find that you can taste the wheat more – in a good way – once they’ve cooled.

Yield: about 20 (large) cookies or closer to 36 average cookies

National Popcorn Day!

Yes, yes I should be knee deep in birthday week posts for my amazing son that turns 7 tomorrow.  For now, I've decided to wait and fully experience the birthday celebrations before delving into memories of the year gone by.  We have been celebrating for a day or two already and enjoying great times with family and friends.

Today, during an epic five-hour game of Monopoly (which said almost 7-year-old won) we tasted a bunch of seasonings on popcorn.  It was part of our nearly annual celebration of National Popcorn Day, which happily coincides with B's birthday.  I'm not sure there was a clear favorite as we each have such different preferences, apparently.  However, they were all great.  Here is what we tried and liked (all seasonings/blends via Savory Spice Shop OKC, of course).

-Honey Powder + Cinnamon --- definite kid pick of the day

-Romano Cheese Powder -- M & I like this one. We may have had it twice this week.  She says it is better than her beloved Pirate's Booty Snack

-Nacho Cheese Dip + Peanuts -- we had this while E was napping.  It is an old favorite, but rare now due to his sensitivities to peanuts.

-Red Rocks Hickory Smoke Seasoning

- Memphis BBQ Rub + Almonds - Spice + Sweet

- Supreme Shallot Salt - Admittedly  my current favorite.

-Italian Black Truffle Salt - ok, technically we tried this last week, not today, but it is so different and good.


What is your favorite popcorn seasoning?  It doesn't have to be on our list.  All suggestions are welcome.  Leave a comment with your favorite and I'll pick one winner of a Savory Spice Shop Popcorn seasoning up to $10 value as a way of celebrating B's Birthday and National Popcorn day with you!  Happy Popping!

--Note, if you are the winner and live in the OKC metro you can go pick out your own flavor at the shop (4400 N. Western in OKC) if you live elsewhere I'll ship it to you.  I'll announce a winner on Friday, the 24th along with some recent favorite things.

Ten on Tuesday

1.  My apologies for the lack of a post last Tuesday.  For some reason my trip to DC was unusually exhausting and I fell asleep as soon as I got back to my hotel after work. (Admittedly, that was 9:30 pm and I'd been up since 3:45 am....)

2.  I was glad to be home with some very happy faces.  M woke us up early on Saturday with news of B's bloody nose.  She was delighted to discover I was there :)  Saturday basically only included soccer and lunch at Cow Calf Hay, which was just about enough activity for all of us after a busy week with me away.

3. HUGE thank you to my Mom especially for helping with the kids in my absence.  I know it is tough and that she has to put up with more nonsense than she ought to during her time with my littles.  It is huge for all of us that she can help out.  Thanks also to Able and Brent's parents for helping before and after my mom's shift.  Brent, as usual, did a great job in my absence and always is so supportive about my work travels, which I greatly appreciate. The next trip isn't until February so everyone will get some time to recover after these two rapid succession trips this fall. 

4.  Our garden has been particularly wild this summer. As sometimes happens with my gardening, we planted it and then largely ignored it.  Sure, we picked the odd herb or flower and sometimes even a few small tomatoes, but it mostly ran wild.  On this cool Saturday we tried to rescue it from the chaos a bit before the last freeze.  M loves climbing through these two tomato cages to her secret garden, and I love it as well.  We picked about 1/2 of the remaining carrots and made them into dinner immediately. 

5.  We also made homemade Oreo-style cookies.  We mostly used the Smitten Kitchen's recipe, but as suggested by my friends at Savory Spice Shop OKC we subbed in a 1/4 of a cup of black onyx cocoa powder for the regular cocoa (alternatively Savory Spice has a very very similar recipe here). 

6.  Here are our kids at play (you can almost see M behind the mailbox).  Can you believe B is actually attempting to climb our tree? Of late, they are going outdoors more and more after school with less pushing. (This also helps them avoid chores that must be done if they stay inside, but it seems like a fair trade off).  I love watching them play together and with our neighbors.  (Ps. Two of the neighborhood kids randomly joined us for dinner on Monday.  That certainly spiced up our evening fun!)

7.  And here they are gardening--- no, I pretty much never get them all looking at the camera together.  Sunday, they managed to play outside in the backyard, just the three of them, for quite awhile, allowing Brent and I to finish up our painting project safely before bedtime.  I loved watching them and observing how E kept trying (sometimes successfully) to insert himself into the mix and then other times stood back holding a badminton racket or something and safely observing. 

8.  At soccer, E loved playing with these cones he found on the sidelines.  Granddaddy was quite surprised at how much fun he had. I would not be surprised it E gets some cones of his own to play with in the future!

9.  B was the team hero at soccer on Saturday for a totally different reason.  The other team didn't have enough players to field even a 4 person team (6 and under teams here typically play with five players).  B, at the request of his coach, turned his jersey inside out and played with the other team for maybe 1/2 of the first quarter.  He played his very best and we (and the rest of our team and parents) were so proud of him and so very encouraging.  When he came to the bench, I could see he was struggling a little with the situation and luckily the other team had another member show up and he got to switch back and be a super dragonfly again!

10.  My December Daily kit from SC arrived and B was very excited to try out the stamps. I loved that he was crafting, but possibly better still was what he did with them.  He took the various images and words and built them together in different ways to make sentences composed of a mix of both shapes and words.  It was so fun and creative.  I loved it!

PS. Happy Birthday today to one of my oldest and dearest friends Tracie and my beloved Grandpa Dotter.  You are both awesome!

Use Your Spices: New Blends!

Yesterday, I stopped past the Savory Spice Shop in OKC to make a custom gift set as a house warming gift for my best friend.  It seems like the perfect way to welcome her into her amazing new home.  (Love you, Tracie!)

E found a new secret hiding place while I talked to Uncle Able & Grandma

While they assembled my gift set and spice refills, I smelled and tasted some of the new blends.  I bought my two favorite ones - Memphis BBQ Rub and Canyon Road Red Enchilada Seasoning: (all the new ones are listed at the end of this post, if you're curious).

The "obvious" thing to do would have been to go to Savory's website and look up the Enchilada Sauce recipe, but I was in a hurry so I made Enchiladas my own way and Brent and I loved them!  The kids found them a little spicy, but a generous dose of sour cream solved that problem. 

Abbey's Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 c. cooked, shredded chicken (we used left over cooked chicken thigh meat)*

1/2. c. water, divided

3 T. Canyon Road Red Enchilada Seasoning, divided

1.5 c. Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 tsp olive oil

6 medium tortillas

* If you don't have pre-cooked chicken, I'd suggest boiling your chicken of choice in water with a bit of the enchilada spice and then shredding it with two forks. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat chicken, 1/4 c. water, 1.5 T Canyon Road Red Enchilada Seasoning in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Allow the mixture to simmer for 5 minutes.  Add 1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese and stir to melt and combine the cheese.  

Lightly grease an 11x7in baking dish.  

Enchilada Sauce:  In a separate measuring cup, add 1/4 c water, olive oil, and 1.5 T Canyon Road Red Enchilada Seasoning.  

Gently add about 1/3 c. of the chicken mixture to each tortilla, wrap up, and add, seam side down, into the baking dish.  Pour any remaining sauce from the skillet over the rolled tortillas.  Then pour the Enchilada Sauce you mixed above over all of the tortillas and sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 c. o f  Cheddar. 

Bake for 20 minutes.  There should be bubbles around the edge of the baking dish and the edges of the tortillas may be slightly crunchy.

We served ours with fresh pineapple and cucumbers.  SO good. 

New Savory Spice blends -- **marks those I selected today. 

Bajan Seasoning: Bajan seasoning originates on the Caribbean island of Barbados where it is used as an all-purpose seasoning and also as a base flavor before adding another seasoning like curry powder or lemon pepper. Bajan has a savory herb flavor with hints of lime and touch of heat that stands up perfectly well on its own.  Ingredients:Salt, onion, thyme, garlic, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, parsley, marjoram, ginger, fenugreek, cumin, anise, allspice, habanero, Kaffir lime, cinnamon, mustard, mace and cardamom.

**Canyon Road Red Enchilada Seasoning: Handcraft enchilada-inspired seasoning that has a robust chile flavor with a medium heat. Ingredients: Kosher salt, crushed brown mustard, black pepper, coriander, cumin, chiles, and thyme. 

**Memphis BBQ Rub:Barbecue is all about "low and slow". Tennessee has been doing barbecue right for generations. The city of Memphis has a distinctive style of barbeque rub, although every family's recipe can vary significantly. One consistent component is a blend of brown and white sugars. Sauces and mops are generally set aside. Unique rubs, wood smoke, and cooking methods combine to create the true flavor of Memphis barbecue. Ingredients:Brown and white sugar, paprika, kosher salt, garlic, onion, cumin, black pepper, chiles, coriander, ginger, thyme, rosemary, and Mexican oregano.

Nashville Hot Fried Chicken Spices:  Hot fried chicken is a Nashville thing and what a tasty thing it is!  This dish is hot, spicy hot! Cayenne is the reason, lots of it. Traditionally the seasoning for this dish can be as simple as pure cayenne, this one has with more depth of flavor. Ingredients: Cayenne, kosher salt, sugar, black pepper, paprika, cinnamon, garlic, sage, onion, rosemary, ginger, thyme, parsley, marjoram, bell peppers, coriander, allspice, oregano, and summer savory.

The Q Steak Rub: Uses coarsely ground spices, often found New Mexican cuisine, to balance the bold flavor of crushed brown mustard .Ingredients: Kosher salt, crushed brown mustard, black pepper, coriander, cumin, chiles, and thyme.

(Note: My Mom and Brother own the Savory Spice Shop in OKC and would be glad to help you out with recipe or spice information and supplies.  You can reach them at 405-525-9119, okc@savoryspiceshop.com,  or visit the store at 43rd & Western.  They will also gladly ship products to those out of state).

Use Your Spices: Beef & Vegetable Stew

Brent and I adore those beef stews that just have incredibly soft, amazingly flavorful chunks of beef in a thick, rich tomato, wine sauce.  It took us (mutter mutter) "some" time to perfect this, but I think we've arrived and as yet another cold spell persists in OK here's one more trip to the magic of stew before the blaze of summer.

Beef & Vegetable Stew:

Notes: Our current favorite attempts begin with the Pioneer Woman.  This spicy version was amazing, but a bit much for our kids and sometimes our tummies. We tried something like her Sunday Night Stew, but wanted more spices and depth somehow.  So the below is our take.  Yes, we did make the mashed potatoes to go along with it.  I have now had five servings total-- Dinner, then Breakfast & Lunch two days in a row, if that gives you any indication of how much we like it!

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoon Butter
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 pounds Beef Stew Meat (We used an Arm Roast Cut Into 1in Chunks)
• Salt And Pepper
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1/2 to 1 c. red wine
• 3-4 T Tomato Powder
• 4 cups Low Sodium Beef Stock Or Broth, More If Needed For Thinning (We used water + Beef Boullion).
• 2 T Worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon Sugar ( or 1 tsp Maple Sugar, very tasty)
• 5 whole Carrots, Peeled And Diced
• 8 oz Crimini Mushrooms, cut into 8ths (Or insert other vegetable of your choice, but probably not potatoes as we serve it with mashed potatoes). 
• 1 1/2 T. Great Plains Bison & Beef Rub
• 1 tsp. Homestead Seasoning
• 1 Bay Leaf
•  3/4 tsp Supreme Shallot Salt, (because I'm currently obsessed.) 

Preparation Instructions

Salt and pepper stew meat.  Toss with the flour until all sides are lightly coated.  Heat 1/2 of the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 of of the butter, and as soon as it melts, brown half the stew meat until the outside gets nice and brown, about 2 minutes. (Turn it as it browns.) Remove the meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and put it on a plate. Add the remaining butter and olive oil and the rest of the meat to the pot and brown it, too. Remove it to the same plate. Set the meat aside.  (Scrape bits off the bottom as you go). 

Add the onion and garlic to the pot, stirring it to coat it in all the brown bits in the bottom of the pot. Cook for two minutes, then add the tomato powder and wine to the pot. Stir it into the onions and let it cook for two more minutes.

Pour in the beef stock, stirring constantly. Add the Worcestershire, sugar, spices, and bay leaf. Add the beef back to the pot, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. (Note - this is a minimum time and your meat may need longer.  Taste it around this point and see if it is getting even close to tender, if not, let it go another 1/2 hour to an hour). 

After 2 hours (or so), add the mushrooms and carrots to the pot. Stir to combine, put the lid back on the pot, and let it simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour.  Check that the vegetables are softenend and that the beef is very tender.  Continue cooking if either needs a bit more softening. The sauce should be very thick, but if it seems overly so, splash in some beef broth or wine until it thins it up enough. Feel free to add beef broth as needed! 

When the mushrooms and turnips are tender, taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve piping hot in a bowl with mashed potatoes, letting the juice run all over everything. 

Enjoy, tremendously. 

Anything you'd add to our stew? We're always looking for suggestions.  What other ways do you make oozingly tender beef?

Ten on Tuesday

1. Silly girls photo fun with Grandma.  Glad we do these random pictures together.  Sometimes it takes awhile to get M warmed up and they almost always seem to happen when I have no makeup on, but so it goes. 

2.  Here are Grandma and Lil' E who had great times together, I'm told.  They are starting to spend the beginning of most Sundays together as mom stays over and they both tend to get up earlier than the rest of us. (This is a huge present to Brent and I also as we are chronically short on sleep). 

3.  We made B's class valentine's in true Pinterest fashion. B was so patient and fun with this project.  He helped with every step and did all the writing himself.  It was great to work on it together and have them turn out so well. (PS - this is his current fake smile ...)

4.  We also made his Valentine's box for school.  Part of me desperately wanted to "control" the design.  Happily, I was able to let all that go and let it be his own creation.  I supplied any craft supply he could imagine from our stash and assisted where requested, but he was completely in charge.  I was a bit worried that maybe he'd get to school and find more pintrest like boxes, but happily, when queried, his box was by far his favorite and he found it so blah that one of his colleagues just had a box with like six hearts and the word love on it....hmmmm.... Hooray for freedom and creativity.

5.  Lil' E is, as usual, awesome.  He went to the Dr. on Monday to have his ear's checked (two-week follow-up from the last infection).  Believe it or not -- no ear infection!  (This is very rare with our kids).  He is (knock on wood) sleeping better.  He is worming his way around the house and getting into mischief.  Today, he is quite a bit more fussy than usual. I have no idea why, but hopefully just overtired as we hear he didn't nap well today at childcare.  He currently adores being held up by fingers to stand or holding onto a window sill or elsewhere to keep his standing balance. We're switching out all of his clothes this weekend for the next size up as his little tum tum is showing quite a bit these days. I thought he looked quite different when I returned form DC.  I think part of it was his quickly growing hair.  As it grows, his face gets reframed a bit and starts to look like it is a different shape.  Now that he prefers a 6:15am wake-up time we're getting some one-on-one time in the mornings.  He has a big bottle, changes clothes, and then we do some floor playtime until Brent joins us for breakfast.  As much as I miss sleeping in, it is nice for some quiet play time with the little one while he's at his happiest.  (Ps, yes, that is a pink flamingo purse in the background - a gift from Uncle Able to M--- I really should move things like this before taking pictures. 

6.  M is actually wearing clothes that match this week.  I have no idea what happened, but she is strangely more coordinated than usual and allowing me to put bows in her hair again.  All a bit odd, but we'll take it.  She loved playing in the snow today and putting on a show for E and I inside.  Her ladybug umbrella is absolutely the envy of her school and with her matching boots she is tres chic.  Speaking of which, I have been working with her just a bit on French phrases this week, which is tons of fun.  Her class valentines are much less clever and organized, but we didn't find any other ideas that we loved so we went with it.

7.  I am STILL coughing.  I have finished my steroids and another week has passed with my dual inhalers. I think I am marginally better, but only just.  I can basically only sleep at night if I take Nyquil, which means Brent is mostly on night duty (if any is required :) because if I'm up coughing we're both up all night anyway.  It is horrible.  I am trying to find another Dr. Apt. this week if I can. Oh, and all the "this is asthma" stuff may be slightly nonsense as Brent appears to have gotten sick since I returned home... 

8. Have you seen the article entitled The Shooter? It is about the man that killed Osama bin Laden.  The experience of that  mission and life before and ever after.  It is fascinating, disturbing, sad, and much more.   

9.  I made the Millers dinner again this week to help a tiny bit with the twins.  In looking for a cornbread recipe that was a bit more flavorful and moist I found this one.  I didn't have blue berries so we made it without.  In related news, I think I may be addicted to Raw Oklahoma Honey as we've almost used up an entire pint jar in 10 days or so.  (Granted, it does help more with my cough than most things).

10. Today we celebrated Mardi Gras with Pancakes, family game night featuring games made from our Kiwi Crate, and a mask by M.  Very festive.  I do wish Brent and I felt a bit better, but we soldiered on.  The games the kids made were great fun (Comet Toss and individual designed board games).  We had a little more time so we played some practice Creationary.  It was great fun, but I totally failed at trying to build a trebuchet from LEGO Bricks. 

It was a lovely snowy day today -- very pretty, but without the dangerous road conditions.  Here's hoping we are all well enough to enjoy warmer weather when it returns!


PS  forgot the "healthy choices" update - I did manage to lose weight and get three runs in during my travel week, which I consider a victory.  It was a bit less weight than I'd hoped, but OK given the circumstances.  I did get to run around campus and to the White House, while in DC, which was awesome. 

Mole Verde Taquitos

Last week, I wandered into Savory Spice with the generic goal of finding some sort of blend to use in a mexican chicken dish.  I explored a bit, and eventually settled on the Mole Verde Spice Blend.  This blend contains ground pumpkin seeds, green chiles, sesame seeds, masa harina, salt, epazote, cilantro, garlic, onion, parsley, cumin, pepper and cloves. It sounded promising, new, and not too spicy for my little ones.  Time last week was very short as it was my first week back to work and the week before E's baptism.  I made absolute simplest dish I could imagine.  To my great delight it was very popular at my house.  We ate every last bit.  So, I went back, bought more Mole Verde and made enough for everyone visiting my house last Friday (the below recipe tripled!).  I've promised this recipe to my sister and a few others so here you are.  Sadly, we have no photos as people keep eating them all up before I remember to take pictures!

Mole Verde Taquitos

Ingredients:

1 lb shredded or diced cooked chicken (I boiled chicken tenders.  Using leftover chicken would work well.  I've also used cod or even tilapia).

4 teaspoons Savory Spice Mole Verde (or to taste) 

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 c. Sharp Cheddar (shredded)

1 T. water

salt & pepper (optional and to taste)

Tortillas

Sour Cream (for serving)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Mix the first six ingredients in a skillet over medium heat until the cheese melt and everything is well blended.  Taste to see if you'd like more spice.  Spoon roughly 1/3 of a cup of mixture into the center of a small tortilla and roll tightly.  Place seam side down on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Continue until all of the mix is used. (If you are using larger tortillas, simply increase the amount of filling).  

Optional Step - Spray the rolled taquitos with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.  

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are browned and taquitos are crispy.  My kids recommend dipping taquitos in sour cream (and it is very tasty).  

That's eat - simple, easy, and delicious!

PS - a recipe for a more traditional Mole Verde use can be found here: http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/recipes/view/26

Savory Spice Shop is Open!

I feel in the midst of life's circles today.  One hundred and nineteen years ago, my Great-Grandfather, George Washington Blakley, staked his claim in the Cherokee Strip Land Run, where my mother still lives today.  Today, my brother and mother are opening their Savory Spice Shop in Oklahoma City.

We began the day with a brunch to say farewell to our dear and happy friend Candace, who is moving to the DC area (where we moved home from -- see, circles). Then, our entire troupe headed to the Savory Spice Shop, which opened slightly early for us.  We pondered, asked the staff for help, and bought lots of goodies.  Would you like to know what I got today?  Here it is, a mix of single spices I'd thrown out and blends.

• Mustard Powder
• Cumin Seeds
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Toasted Sesame Seeds
• Vanilla Bean Sugar
• Spiced Vanilla Bean Sugar
• Black Canyon Chili Powder
• Red Rocks Hickory Smoke Seasoning - This was M's pick.  She ate tons of this made into dip at the store so it was her first day selection.
• Smoky  Hills Cheese Powder
• Tarragon Shallot Citrus Seasoning - this was my surprise favorite.  I'm so excited about using it.
• Chocolate Dipped, Candied Ginger - this was B's pick --- I think he may have actually already eaten the entire bag... if you can imagine that... 

 I have quite a bit more replenishing to do, but will go back on a slightly quieter day.  We also bought a few gift boxes for an upcoming event, but as their recipients are readers here, we'll skip the details there.  I will say, I picked to pre-packaged sets and had them make up one of my own design.

I watched and listened as our friends wandered the store and listened to their picks.  They seemed very fond of the various flavored sugars, all kinds of chocolate, popcorn seasoning, and anything that had coffee in it.  We all had a great time shopping together and thinking up various plans for future uses.  It felt very much like a family place with our kids wandering all over and each of us pondering different flavors we liked and what our families or friends might like too. I had so much fun.  I wish I could have stayed all day, but my kids were causing some chaos so I may just stop in a bit later with caffeine reinforcements.

Meanwhile, we brought our stash home and made popcorn with the Red Rocks Hickory Smoke Seasoning and Smoky Hills Cheese Powder for the kids.  I had one more cup of coffee with the Spiced Vanilla Bean Sugar and we settled down for some quiet time as the circles swirled around us.  Time keeps moving and changing, but luckily the circles are connected, and today, quite delicious.

Thank you so much to all of our friends, family, neighbors, and new acquaintances that helped bring the Shop to this opening day and all of you that are supporting it going forward both with your business and your recommendations to others to try it.  It means so much to us and we hope you love it!

Savory Spice Week: Day 2

September 11th will always be a day full of memories for me.  You may not know, but we had just moved to DC two months before the tragedy.  We had no cell phones and I, at least, was new to the city. I saw those terrible images for the first time from the basement of the law school where we were sheltering in place.  Brent heard rumors of a bomb at the State Department near where I was and things became suddenly personal. Ultimately, I walked all across town that day to find my new husband and try to make it home to our small apartment in Alexandria, while an enormous dark cloud billowed to the south.  The streets were filled, vehicles stalled, and homeless people broadcast the news by mouth or on their stereos as we walked by, updating us as we made the pilgrimage home.  By the time we returned to class, the streets were filled with military vehicles and, as they say, life changed forever.  On this anniversary, as every year, I thank God for bringing my family and our nation through that day of tragedy and pray that we do not see such days again.

With such mellow thoughts in mind it seems appropriate that we have warm comfort food on the menu today.  Dishes like this remind me of home and comfort, which are definitely a good recipe for days like this.   (Last year, we commemorated it by teaching our friends to bake homemade bread so maybe this is a trend...) 

For this adventure into comfort food, I started with my Summer Beans recipe from my Taste of Summer series.  We had more zipper peas from our garden club box, but, of course, didn't have all the ingredients or the time from my last attempt, so it was abridged.  Here is take two featuring Savory Spice OKC's Summit County Seasoning.

Summer Beans (Take two)

Ingredients:

1 c. chopped ham ( about 1/2 by 1/2 inch squares of Cure 81).

1/2  medium onion, chopped

1 sprig of rosemary, finely minced

2 small cloves of garlic, finely minced

3 sprigs sage, chopped (or maybe 1/2 tsp of dried ground sage)

1 T. butter

3 cups of water (or more as needed)

1/2 tsp salt, to taste

1 T.  Summit County Seasoning (1/2 the sample packet)

1 lb beans -- here I used fresh Zipper Cream Beans - you could use dried beans and just cook them a bit longer (possibly pre-soak if that is your normal habit).

Saute the first five ingredients over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and everything is tender.. (It might have been better to do 10, but I didn't have the time today.) Add the water, beans, Summit County Seasoning, and salt to taste. Simmer over low heat until tender. This was roughly an hour and a half today, but might will likely take a bit longer with dried beans. (I should note that I like my beans very soft so you may want to adjust accordingly).

We served it with cornbread from the Pioneer Woman's cookbook.  So tasty!

I think that this version actually was more popular than my first attempt.  To begin, my kids actually ate some, not a ton, but more than last time.  They particularly liked the switch to ham rather than bacon.  Brent and I liked it better too.  Some of the improvement from last time was texture.  Finely mincing the herbs made a big difference in the mouth feel and the rosemary was much less overpowering when we dialed back the quantity. (Actually, M picked it for me, which also helped as we only get an M size handful!)  The added flavor from the Summit County Seasoning made up for not having any chicken broth or time to do the extra cooking of the onion at the beginning.  The broth had a delightfully complex flavor and the dish became a bit more dump it in the pot ready than my first version.  I like both, but this one is my slight favorite.  Another win for delicious, but less time intensive cooking.

I do recommend you don't accidentally then spill the rest of your sample on the counter like I did.  Sigh....

Savory Spice Week Day 1 -- Long's Peak Spiced Pork Loin - Just in case you missed it!

For those of you that live nearby, you can find the shop and all its wares at 4400 N. Western Ave, Oklahoma City, OK.  If you happen to live elsewhere and want to buy some spices from my brother you can reach him at awblakley (at) gmail.com or the store's phone number will soon be open at 405 - 525 -9119. 

Disclaimer - I am not an owner or employee of the shop and am not compensated in any way by SavorySpiceOKC ...other than the free samples that are available to anyone.  I was not asked to write this review and all opinions are my own. 

Savory Spice Week: Day 1

This week, my Mom and Brother take their plans of nearly a year and make them into a reality to share with all of Oklahoma.  I admire them so much for the risk, the hard work, and the entrepreneurial spirit (that I almost entirely lack).  As I'm usually surrounded by littles I'll not be as much help to them this week as I'd like in the setting up the store phase.  Instead, I think I'll introduce you, my readers, to Savory Spice OKC as I learn about them myself.

I have, in the past, kept a rather large spice collection around (aka my Strategic Spice Reserve).  Until this week, I've had a bit box in my freezer, a large double-decker carousel on my counter, and then a whole cabinet full of spices, herbs, seasonings vinegars, oils, salts, etc.. next to my stove.  So yeah, I fit right in to my family's love of cooking and spices.  Typically, I haven't really gone in for the blends though as I feel pretty confident in my ability to mix and mingle the flavorings I keep around.  

This week, I've decided to challenge myself a bit to change.  First, I threw out the entire spice carousel that has been on my counter with rotating flavors for 11 years.  My Mom, and spice guru, went through my spice cabinet a week or two ago with recommendations about what things in there were old and need to go.  I haven't faced the freezer yet, but will....

The next step, in my spice rehab will be replacing my favorite individual, but old, spices when the store opens on Sunday!  I will buy small quantities this time, thus freeing up storage space as I know I can get more easily that is fresh and tasty.  Would you all like to know what my staple flavors are? Hmmm perhaps another post in the making.

This week's challenge though is trying to figure out these blends my brother has been raving about.  I happen to have a bag of Savory Spice OKC samples on my counter that we're giving out to whomever we encounter (let me know if you want one!)   I decided the samples would be a good place to start my exploration too.  I'll try to take you through my exploration this week so we'll all be ready to explore together when the store is open.  Sound good?  Here goes 

Day 1: Long's Peak Pork Chop Spice

I've been told that some of the allure of the blends is making dinner easy and not requiring rifling through my spice collection and recipe books for something to make.  This sounded promising as I have three small kids and am going back to work next week.  I decided to try this one on pork loin as it is a family favorite and we just don't really have pork chops around that much.  Here is my method, but it is ridiculously simple:

1 - 1lb pork loin

1 - 1/2 oz sample packet of Savory Spice Long's Peak Pork Chop Spice

1 - T. of Olive Oil

I simply slathered the pork loin in olive oil then rubbed it all over with my entire sample packet of Long's Peak Pork Chop Spice.  I put it on a cookie sheet and then into a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes.  I let it rest for about 10 minutes and then we were ready to serve.

Sweet potato coins, pork loin, cucumbers with fancied up dip (see below).

I figured that as long as I was playing I'd try to bump up  my usual cucumber dip Savory style too. I had some Paris Cheese Sprinkle in the cabinet from one of my Mom's earlier trips to Denver so I added about 1/2 a tsp to 1/2 a cup of sour cream - very tasty.  I'd love to say there is something equally exciting going on with those sweet potatoes, but they are just cut into 1/4 inch rounds, placed on a cookie sheet that has been lightly coated with olive oil, and then sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper and a bit more olive oil on top.... I'm sure my brother will kick that up a notch, but it was very good for us and took exactly the same length of time to cook as the pork at the same temperature = major cooking win.

Here it is all plated up for the kids, because we're fancy? I should note that the cucumbers and sweet potatoes are from my garden club basket, which has resumed at long last. 

We put the whole meal to the kid test and it was a hit.  My family ate every last bit of the pork and well, everything else, actually.  The kids love pork loin as it is so tender and happily enjoyed the new flavors.  M dipped everything on her plate in the Paris Cheese dip, although the cucumbers were her least favorite of the day. She, of course, declared that she loves spices and will make a great spokes girl for Uncle Able someday. I was worried that I might have put too much seasoning on the pork loin, but it the balance was just right.  It was different flavor mix than I would have made on my own with a good complexity, and a hint of smoke, but not at all over powering.  From a practical standpoint, I loved how easily and quickly the whole meal came together.  Hooray!

One parting shot of B exploring the store last weekend.  We're so excited to see what happens next!

For those of you that live nearby, you can find the shop and all its wares at 4400 N. Western Ave, Oklahoma City, OK.  If you happen to live elsewhere and want to buy some spices from my brother you can reach him at awblakley (at) gmail.com or the store's phone number will soon be open at 405 - 525 -9119. 

Disclaimer - I am not an owner or employee of the shop and am not compensated in any way by SavorySpiceOKC ...other than the free samples that are available to anyone.  I was not asked to write this review and all opinions are my own.