tortilla therapy.

I know that cooking and baking is a form of therapy for many of us, and I notice that when I'm cooking or mixing batter into the mixer it's like a huge load of stress is being taken off of my shoulders. There are days when I am just in a tortilla mood...a homemade tortilla mood. For the past few days I've had tortillas y frijoles on the brain. Whether we have hot or cold temperatures we are always in a tortilla mood!

In this case I had Chelsea help me make the tortillas, and she enjoyed every minute of it.

Hey... they offered so I said "go for it."

Lexie mixed the dough earlier, and Chelsea rolled it into little balls. We all took turns with the rolling pin, and flipping the tortillas on the pan. It's so nice to see the girls so willing to help out in the kitchen. I want to be able to trust them with the stove so that they can become great cooks.

Lexie has become quite the baker too. Although she says that Sierra is more efficient when it comes to baking I think she did a pretty good job when she baked a cake for Sierra's birthday. It feels so good to have developed an amount of trust and a sense of security knowing that they can handle themselves in the kitchen without any supervision.

Lexie in the kitchen after baking Sierra' s birthday cake. 

My mom was a little strict when it came to the kitchen, hence taking advantage of her "good moods" so that I can ask if I could help her in any way. I remember when my mom would grab a bag of pinto beans and I would help her get rid of all the bad ones. She'd then put them into a pot to boil, and after a few hours she'd have a bowl of fresh homemade pinto beans. I don't know about you, but I like my beans smashed. So right before she smashed them for my sister and I to eat with tortillas my mom would have a bowl.

That was one of my greatest memories with my mother, and I could tell that with all the stress she endured in being an off and on single mom for the first nine years of my life...making frijoles and tortillas for her was great therapy.

Now that I "get it"...I know exactly how she feels when it comes to cooking!

These are super easy to make...we can make them with our eyes closed!

Our tortilla recipe:

3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil 
1 cup warm water

Sift flour, baking powder & salt into large bowl. Add oil, and water. Mix until blended. Turn the mixture out on a floured board (I use my counter), and knead 3-5 minutes or until the dough is soft & no longer sticky. Cover & set aside for about 20 minutes. (I never do...I just start making them.) Divide the dough into 16-18 balls about 1 in. in diameter. You can keep them covered with a damp cloth. Get your rolling pin out and start making those tortillas! Put them on a flat tortilla skillet, and flip them over until golden brown as you would those store bought tortillas (or pancakes!) 

A nice surprise

Oh... doesn't this pie look so good!! I wish I would have taken a picture of the full pie before my kids, and hubby devoured half of it, but it was too late! I also wish that I could take the credit in baking it, but a dear sister in our church baked it on our cooking club night.

 Every other month in our our church we rotate our months by having a cooking club, and a book club. This month was 'to cook', and the sisters learned how to bake an apple pie from scratch! Yes...dough and all! I really need to master my skills in making a home made apple pie from scratch for my loved ones. 

Since cooking club fell on the same evening as my daughter's induction to the NHS I wasn't able to attend. To my surprise the sisters dropped off a yummy homemade apple pie! I was so grateful, and very impressed with the results! It tasted so good! I also realized that I shouldn't eat too much. I really don't want to indulge too much in baked treats and pies...especially over the holidays! One can't help it though, and then we end up paying for it by working it off with a gym membership. Not me. I'm actually one who doesn't have a sweet tooth, but on occasions like this, and with a home made apple pie like this... I think it's okay to indulge a little!

**Here is the recipe for the apple pie!

Grand's Apple pie 

11/4 c. sugar

3 T. flour

1/4 t. salt

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

Combine all ingredients and set aside.

8-9 apples (shredded-granny smith or braeburn apples are great, but you can use what you like.)

Orange rind-1/2 to 1 tsp. (this is also optional)

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbs. pineapple juice ( it can be pineapple tidbits or canned pineapple juice) 

Combine and set those aside. 

1/2 cube butter

Layer sugar mixture, then dime size butter pieces, and then apple mixture. Repeat till all ingredients are gone. This particular recipe is about 3 layers and end up with sugar mixture and butter pieces. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 min. then 350 degrees for 40 minutes. 

Between you and me...the crust was my favorite!!

I am so thankful to the lovely sister who made this for me, and for others. It made my Thanksgiving week, and it was delicious! 

My sentiments on meat loaf

If you were me, would you eat this? I would and I did, but I don't think I'm a fan of meat loaf anymore. I don't know if my taste buds are changing or what, but the other night I only ate one slice. The kids love it...still. So does my better half. As long as they all enjoy once a week meat loaf they'll continue to have it served to them. I'll just stick to eating the mashed potatoes, corn, and salad.

Here is the recipe to Italian stuffed meat loaf I found on Anolon.com:

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup milk

3/4 pound ground beef

3/4 pound ground pork

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

some pepper to taste

1 lightly beaten egg

2 oz. sliced provolone cheese

4 oz.fresh spinach, blanched and squeezed dry

4 oz. roasted red bell pepper 

1/4 cup chili sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, toss together the crumbs and milk. Add the ground beef, ground pork, onion, parsley, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and egg.

Toss lightly until combined. Place a 16" length of plastic wrap on a surface. Transfer the meat mixture to the plastic and form into rectangle, 8"x14".

Evenly layer the provolone, spinach, and peppers over all. Use the short edge of the plastic wrap to help tightly roll up the meatloaf. Turn the cylinder into a loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and glaze the top with chili sauce. 

Bake for 15 more minutes or until the interior temperature reads 160 degrees F.

Let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serves 8.

Take my family's word for it.

They love it!

Just because I'm not a huge fan of meat loaf anymore doesn't mean it isn't good.

Harvest time

So I found this really cool recipe inside the fall 'Health Talk' issue of Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center. Normally i just dump them in the recycling bin (they are free), but lately I have been diligently looking through them, and reading them in its entirety. For the past month I have been on this health kick of eating healthy. Maybe it's because I've joined the elite 40's and in 10 years I'll be 50! Who knows! All I know is that I am more conscientious about my weight, and eating healthy in this house. 

This apple cinnamon bar recipe came into my mailbox at the right time!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup uncooked oats
1/2 cup shortening
4 medium apples, peeled or unpeeled

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, brown sugar and oats in a mixing bowl. Stir.
3. Add the shortening to the bowl. Use two table knives to mix the ingredients and cut them into crumbs.
4. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the baking dish with a bit of shortening.
5. Spread half of the crumb mixture in the greased baking dish.
6. Remove the core form the apples and slice them. Put the apple slices into the baking dish.
7. Top the apples with the rest of the crumb mixture.
8. Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
9. Cut into squares.

Serving size 1 bar; 24 servings. 
It has 0 cholesterol. 

Warning: It will fall apart easily. 

Note: You can use canned apples or 16 ounces of applesauce in place of fresh apples. 

I personally prefer fresh picked apples!

Perfect for a Family Home Evening treat!

Unselfish Service

I count my blessings every single day for having such wonderful daughters. They have witnessed firsthand how exhausting dealing with a death from a distance can be. They have been making dinner for me for the past two nights. Who cares if it's spaghetti! That is the most comforting food ever made! Having my mom's wonderful companion pass away this past weekend, and not being able to do anything from afar has been tough, and at times I feel helpless. I try to lose myself in serving others, and not allow any kind of stress to creep into my soul. I am grateful to know that Joe's kids took care of his funeral arrangements and that I have contacts from the church to help my mother in dealing with his death (she's not a member...yet.). She was the one that wanted me to call the LDS missionaries or a sister in the church to pray with her and just be a friend. I told my mom that it's okay to be frightened. It's natural to be scared after you've buried two companions. It's comforting to know that my mom is not alone in dealing with grief, and that no matter where you live...The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is always there to serve in times of need.

I have to admit that this is the first death in which my heart aches. It's been at least 20 years since I actually really cried over anyone dying. I think it's harder because I'm even further away from my loved ones. That might change in a couple of weeks. It looks like my mother is willing to tough out the Nor'easters and everything that comes with living on the east coast to live with us. It'll be nice for the girls to have their abuela here. It'll also be nice to have another adult to talk to. So if I don't blog as much you'll know the reason why. I don't think I'll neglect blogging because I love to write (I definitely won't neglect my mom either!)

After all...this is all being written for my posterity.

P.S. Watching THIS VIDEO really brought tears to my eyes, and it really hits close to home. I hope y'all take the time to watch. XO

Yearning to CooK

"I asked my wife, "Where do you want to go for our anniversary?" She said, "Somewhere I have never been!" I told her, "How about the kitchen?" 
~Henny Youngman

I remember always standing next to my mom every time she mixed the flour, KC powder, and water in a bowl to make home made tortillas. I would help her roll the dough and that's about it. I used to watch her sort out pinto beans, pick the good ones, throw out the bad ones, watch them boil, and then have her smash them into refried beans in a pan...and that's about it. She hardly would ever let me or my sister stand in the kitchen or watch while she was cooking (then again, our kitchen was tiny.) We were never invited and sometimes...I was afraid to ask.

Sad? 

Maybe to an extent.

It's different in our home. My husband is the main cook in the family. I'm not afraid to admit it. He cooks more than me...and he loves it. The girls all love hovering, learning and even helping in cooking dinner. Sometimes I wonder that if my mom allowed me to spend more time with her in the kitchen while I was younger, if the desire to cook at a younger age would have developed sooner... instead of now while I'm nearing 40!

Since we moved to New Jersey, Jon's been working more, hence giving me more opportunity (and more reason) to cook more. I really want to become this gourmet cook. I have always been a huge fan of Rachael Ray. I have a subscription to her Everyday magazine.

 The first year we moved here, she came to our local Sam's Club for a book signing. She was promoting her Big Orange Book:

 I was so excited and even stood in line with my three girls for two hours so I can meet her and have her sign my book. She truly inspires me and motivated me more to cook.

Rachael Ray with Sierra, Lexie, & Chelsea-2008

Everyday food from Martha Stewart is another favorite of mine, and today I bought this:

It has a collection of fresh, flavorful meals that are easy to prepare. Just like Rachael Ray's meals...prep times for these recipes are 10, 20, and 30 minutes.

When you are a mother of four and always on the go with a teenager, these meals have come in handy. I may not always prepare them perfectly, but I'm trying. I love my kids and want them to know that by expressing it through my cooking. I know my husband loves us very much because his dishes are delicious...and he's never told me to go to the kitchen.

*Who's the cook in your family?
*Have you tried any of Rachael Ray's recipes?
*If so, any favorites?