Sunday, February 7, 2010

in the pot: 'dump chili' for Superbowl Sunday (with a vegetarian option)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef (more or less- the amount really doesn't matter since the beef is not the 'base' of this chili)
2 med. onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped
1 lg can salt-free diced tomatoes
1 lg can tomato paste
1 lg can red kidney beans
1 lg can white kidney beans
2 cans brown beans in tomato sauce
2 cans whole button mushrooms
chili powder (I use about 1/4 cup- adjust to taste)
choice of liquid if necessary

Directions:

~ fry up ground beef and onions until meat is no longer pink; drain

~ dump meat into large pot along with remaining ingredients

~ give pot a good stir; if mixture looks dry, add 1/2 bottle of beer OR a cup of water

~ leave simmering (occasionally checking that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot- add more liquid as necessary) for anywhere from 2-6 hours (it will taste better the longer it simmers)

~ serve as part of a 'chili bar' with a selection of toppings (sour cream, shredded cheese, etc.) and buttered whole wheat kaiser buns

Notes:

~ this can be a super simple (and very hearty) vegetarian dish- omit the ground beef and add the chopped onion to the other ingredients

Friday, February 5, 2010

some Olympic school links

Original Olympic school post here.

Fun mascots page for kids.

Full list of participating Canadian athletes.

Schedule and results.

meal menu

*I get a lot of emails wondering how we manage to eat homemade meals every night, even with our busy schedule. I plan our meals depending on how much time I will have to make dinner and whether we are away from home that day or not. I have included notes on what is going on each day to illustrate that, but I'm wondering if it's really helpful to anyone??

Friday (Shmoo has a late game)- chicken soup, homemade bread

Saturday (only two trips to arenas, neither interferes with supper)- pulled beef sandwiches in the crock, homemade rolls (making extra for tomorrow), and cabbage salad made ahead

Sunday (lots of hockey, and the Superbowl!)- long-simmering chili (natch), homemade rolls leftover from yesterday

Monday (Shmoo has an early practice)- baked potatoes left in a low oven until we get back (about 1 1/2 hours), toppings and leftover chili

Tuesday (Gracie has a late game)- roast pork tenderloin, potatoes, carrots, and onions

Wednesday (power will be out from 9-3 for maintenance, so I'll make supper early in the morning and re-heat later)- soup made with Tuesday's leftovers, homemade bread

Thursday- veal scallopini with mushroom sauce and onions, rice, mixed frozen veggies

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Monday, February 1, 2010

a recipe from The Boy- repost

Originally posted at Our Blue Castle way back in '05 (The Boy would have been 7). I've edited and updated a bit.

This is my favourite 'smack' n cheese recipe. Mom can't remember where she found it*, but we all love it a lot. It's my special lunch that I like to ask for.

2 cups of water
1 cup of milk
bit of butter or oil, whichever you like best

Boil these and add 2 cups of whole wheat macaroni. Make sure it's whole wheat, or it won't be as healthy. You have to stir it a lot so that it won't stick. It has to bubble a bit, but not crazy boiling.

While it is cooking, grate 2 cups of cheese. I like the un-coloured old cheddar from the cheese factory near Grandma's. I don't know if you can get there, it's near Perth and the ice cream store.

Then when almost all of the milk and water are gone and the macaroni is soft, put in the cheese and stir it until it's all melted and saucy.

I like to add some parsley and pepper, Gracie puts in a bit of garlic powder and parmesan, and Shmoo always has hers with chives.

However you want to eat it, just eat it! It's great! I even have the recipe memorized so that I can always eat it when I want to.

Oh, and do you want to know why I call it 'smack'aroni and cheese? Because it's so good, you smack your lips!

*Since posting this, I found the original- a piece of plastic that used to be part of a bag of pasta. Not sure what brand, though...

learning and fun this week

Added to our relaxed lessons...

It's time to Journey North! It'll be our first time participating- wish us luck.

Prep week for Olympic school.

Finishing this as background for this- we'll read through the series as a family in the afternoons.

Nature focus- snow and animal tracks.