Banana Bread Porridge

One of our favorite books is about a little Tomten and a Fox. The Tomten protects the farm from the fox by sharing his porridge. Gracie's first question was "what is porridge?" Good quetion. Google to the rescue. Wiki actually. It is any grain that is cooked into a hot cereal. Often oats and we (mama and dada atleast) prefer them steel-cut instead of steamed and rolled. They get a bit old though. The same everyday. Butter. Honey. Cinnamon. And this week what I REALLY wanted for breakfast was banana bread hot out of the oven and smothered with butter. Why did I not think to combine the two earlier?What a revelation!!!

Banana Bread Oats:

serves 2

Soak 1/2 cup steel cut oats overnight in 1 1/2 cups of water

in the morning  cook on medium for 10-15 minutes

add butter

honey

cinnamon

chopped pecans

sliced bananas

Simple Supper :: Bengal Chicken with Roasted Veggies

"Mama, I want to get brussels sprouts at the farmers market but fill the whole bag to the very, very top."

What three year old says that?

Bengal Masala Chicken:

One package of organic chicken thighs

dust with Bengal Masala Rub with Love (garam masala, cumin, brown sugar)

Halve Brussels

Chop sweet potatos

toss with olive oil S+P

dust half of the potatoes with African Peri Peri Run with Love (red pepper and citrus)

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes

Slow Chicken

In a 2 quart slow cooker add
2 chicken breasts
one jar of salsa (I used TJ's Peach salsa this time)
cook for 4-5 hours

**double or triple next time to have leftovers for the next night. use larger slow-cooker for more meat**

perfect for shredding into tacos, burritos etc

Slow Beans

In a 1.5 quart slow cooker add

1 and a 1/3 cup pinto beans

3 cups water

cook for 3 hours

add 1 tsp salt and cook for another hour 

unplug or put on warm setting

Tomato Garlic Soup

My favorite restaurant growing up was the Restaurant On The Corner, known to locals as ROTC). I LOVED their tomato soup and salad with sprouts. That is probably why a good bowl of soup and a crisp salad is hands down, still my favorite meal. So for Christmas 1999, my mom gave me my favorite cookbook, Moosewood's Daily Specials with the following inspirational inscription inside:

Brook, May you always find joy and caring in the meals you cook and share.

It is a blessing to honor those you love with a fine meal. Love, Mom

Everyday in Ithaca, New York, the restaurant offers a daily special of a soup and salad. While Ryan and I were living in Connecticut we were seriously considering driving to Ithaca just for the lunch special. Then we saw that it would be a very long drive. Too long for a day trip and we never made it there for a vacation. So now that we are on the west coast, I cook out of the cookbook very often to get a feel of the restaurant. Delicious recipes and literally, every recipe I have tried is spot on perfection. 

Today we made their tomato soup for the first time. Why, oh why did it take me 11 years to make this recipe? They have been perfecting it for over thirty five years! And again, it is perfect.

Classic Tomato Garlic Soup

adapted from Moosewood's Daily Special Cookbook

Saute:

1 Tsp evoo

4 cloves garlic until slightly browned

add 

1 Tsp paprika

**chef's tip** measure your spice caps so you know how much they hold and can skip the measuring spoons. mine held a little under a tablespoon so I will just fill the lid next time.

2 cans of tomatoes in tomato juice (I used TJ's organic diced)

1 cup water or vegetable broth

1/4 cup applesauce (the recipe calls for sherry but we are out)

cook for 10-15 minutes and then blend until smooth with an immersion blender

For herbed croutons:

preheat oven to 350 degrees

dice four slices of bread

toast in oven for 15 minutes

 combine in a small saucepan

1 Tsp evoo

1 Tsp butter

pinch of thyme

pinch of marjoram

toss croutons in butter mix and let cool

serve soup with croutons and parmesan cheese on top

Alterations:

Sopa de Tortilla: omit paprika and sherry, use cumin, coriander, onion, bell pepper and tortillas

Tuscan: Add pesto and garbanzos and top with feta

No-Bake (One-Handed) Cookies

Maybe it is a southern thing but I grew up with these cookies. As soon as I was old enough to cook on the stove, my girlfriends and I would make these delicious no-bake cookies. So when Gracie was down for a nap today and I had Emily nursing on my left arm (well, she was nursing and I was holding her with my left arm) I wondered if I could make these using only one hand. Guess what? You can! Perfect mommy afternoon treat. So I made a little mess but I can clean that up later when I have two hands again.

In a sauce pan combine:

2 cups sugar (maybe less next time, these were a bit sweet)

1 stick butter

4+ Tsps cocoa (I used Scharffen Berger)

1/2 cup milk

after it has boiled for one minute add:

3 cups oats

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup+ peanut butter

use a 2tsp melon baller (if attempting this with one hand) to scoop onto wax paper or a silpat

let cool until hardened ~45 minutes

store in the freezer, in a ziploc so you don't eat them all in one sitting

or sit down on the couch, nurse your baby and eat as many as you please