Food + Family + Friends

Breakfast

Pumpkin Pancakes

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It seems Starbucks and Trader Joe’s have done a good job of creating pumpkin season. Pumpkin flavoring in everything from coffee to cereal, pasta to popcorn, even when the food item or beverage doesn’t have any real pumpkin as an ingredient. I get it though! The famed Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL for people in the know) is a signal of fall, of boots and sweaters, of cozy movies by the fire. And it resembles the start of the holidays, of family and friends. I love all of this. And while I have a healthy respect for seasonal spices and ingredients, I’m not really in the “pumpkin everything” camp.

That said, I love to make our family favorite glazed pumpkin cookies and enjoy pumpkin pie or bread pudding at Thanksgiving, but other than that, that’s about all the pumpkin I need. One of my kids, however, has a birthday just days before Thanksgiving and since he was little has been a big fan of everything pumpkin. When he turned 10, I remember his specific birthday food requests: pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, glazed pumpkin cookies as the treat he wanted to share with his 4th grade class, and pumpkin pie for his birthday dessert. Pumpkin everything and I was happy to oblige.

This recipe is one of those pumpkin recipes that I not only enjoy making for my family, I also truly enjoy eating as a fall treat. They are perfectly spiced, fluffy, and are delicious with crispy slices of bacon on the side. I hope you enjoy them, too!

Cheers,

Christina

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Pumpkin Pancakes

These fluffy pancakes have been a fall favorite in our house for over a decade. They have a hint of sweetness from the maple syrup and some added nutrition from canned pumpkin puree and ground flax seed. Our favorite way to enjoy them is with a little salted butter that is melted and whisked with warm maple syrup and drizzled over top – delicious!

Course Breakfast
Keyword pancake, pumpkin
Servings 20 pancakes
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

  • 2¼ cup flour
  • 3 tbsp ground flax seed
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • a pinch of nutmeg

Wet ingredients

  • 2¼ cup whole milk
  • ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree
  • ¼ cup melted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

  1. Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Whisk wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture.

  2. Heat a nonstick griddle or pan over medium heat. Melt some butter or coconut oil on the heated pan and pour about ¼ cup batter for each pancake. I also find using an ice cream scoop to be super easy for this job. Cook pancakes a few minutes on each side and enjoy with salted butter and warm maple syrup. They are also quite good plain!

Quiche with Bacon, Baby Kale and Gruyere

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A good quiche is one of my all time favorite dishes. I frequently order it when I see it being offered on a restaurant or bakery menu and am often underwhelmed, always wanting more flavor. This quiche is nothing like that. It’s deeply flavorful, creamy, flaky, light, and just down right perfection. The addition of cream fraiché as part of the liquid is such a game changer in quiche fillings that I’ve incorporated it in nearly all my variations.

Tart shell ready for the oven

If I have time during the week, I’ll prepare some dough and roll it out in a tart pan, freezing it until I’m ready to make my quiche. I never regret taking a few extra minutes to do this – it makes a lazy weekend brunch so satisfying and easy to pull together. I’ve also pulled a pretty smart parenting move and taught my teenage son how to make pie and pastry dough. He’s almost always willing to take care of this kitchen task and wrap it for the freezer. He makes a few bucks for the chore and we all get treated to a delicious quiche as a result. Everyone wins.

Cheers,

Christina

Extra filling makes a baby crustless quiche – Yum!
Easiest way to remove that rim without losing the whole thing on the kitchen floor
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Quiche with Bacon, Baby Kale and Gruyere

Quiche is a perfect make ahead breakfast or brunch dish. It is equally delicious for lunch or a classy dinner main with a salad and glass of wine. This dish is adapted from Huckleberry, one of my favorite cookbooks, as well as inspired by some tried and true ingredients such as flour and creme fraiché from the famed Tartine cookbook. I hope you love my favorite version.

Course Breakfast
Keyword quiche
Servings 8 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Quiche filling

  • 4 eggs
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • ¾ cup crème fraîche
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
  • ½ tsp dijon mustard
  • a few dashes of hot sauce
  • ¾ cup grated Gruyere cheese divided
  • 1 cup baby kale or spinach, lightly packed cup, coarsely chopped
  • 6 slices bacon, cooked, coarsely chopped

Flaky Tart Dough

  • 2 cups flour
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup butter, cubed, placed in freezer for 10 minutes Kerrygold butter is my favorite for this
  • 5 tbsp ice cold water

Instructions

Preparing the tart dough

  1. Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to food processor, pulse to combine.

  2. Scatter semi-frozen butter on top of the flour mixture and pulse a few times until you see pea-sized pieces of butter throughout.

  3. Add ice cold water through top funnel while briefly pulsing, until water is incorporated. Don't over process.

  4. Dump mixture on a lightly floured board and gather dough together, kneading and gathering until no dry pieces are are left. Form into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

  5. Grease a tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll chilled dough out on a lightly floured board and gently lay into a tart pan. Allow the dough to get into the sides and trim excess dough with a rolling pin lightly pressing the edge of the pan. Dough can also be placed into a pie pan with edges folded under and pinched. Place tart pan on a baking sheet.

    If time allows, freeze prepared tart shell for 1 hour. Otherwise, place in the freezer or refrigerator while the oven preheats.

Baking the crust

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line the tart shell with a piece of parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake about 20 minutes, till edges begin to lightly brown, then remove parchment and beans or weights and continue baking until crust is deeply browned, about 20 minutes longer.

Quiche filling

  1. In a medium bowl add first 8 ingredients and whisk until free of lumps. Fold in ½ cup cheese.

  2. Scatter chopped greens and cooked bacon over the cooked tart shell. Fill tart shell with egg mixture as full as you can without overflowing. Carefully top with remaining ¼ cup cheese. Bake until middle is set and cheese is golden, about 25 minutes.

  3. Remove outer rim of the tart pan by placing quiche on a large can (28 ounce can of tomatoes, for example) and the rim will drop to the counter. Transfer the tart to a cutting board or serving plate and carefully slice the quiche. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes

Any extra filling can be baked in a greased ramekin for a delicious crustless quiche. 

Overnight Oats

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Overnight oats are such a welcome treat in the morning, especially during the summer months when even the thought of a steaming bowl of anything makes you sweat just a little.  I’ve been making these for longer than I can remember.  When my kids were younger, I used to tuck them  in at night and head straight to the kitchen when I had only 5 minutes of energy left in me.  Thankfully, that’s all the time it takes to make this tasty make-ahead breakfast! 

The oats can easily be adjusted to suit your tastes.  Don’t love bananas? Use blueberries, peaches or apples.  Not a fan of almond milk? Use any dairy or non-dairy beverage.  This happens to be my favorite combination of flavors and lends itself to a variety of crunchy toppings to be added in the morning.  

We’ve taken these oats on camping trips, road trips, early morning youth sports events, and when I was in culinary school, I packed these several times a week and ate breakfast during my morning commute to San Francisco.  Easy, portable, healthy and kept me full all morning.  

And while this used to take me 5 minutes to make two jars of overnight oats,  I’ve got 3 kids that now request one for the morning and it’s definitely worth the extra few minutes to make several more.  And bonus, it’s easy enough for them to make their own! 

Cheers,

Christina

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Overnight Oats

This is a perfect make-ahead breakfast for busy mornings and one our whole family enjoys. It's portable, easily adaptable to fit your tastes and full of fiber and nutrients to keep you full for hours. It's great cold straight from the fridge or heated briefly in the microwave, but in any case, don't forget some sort of crunchy topping before you enjoy!

Course Breakfast
Keyword breakfast, make ahead breakfast, overnight oats
Servings 1 serving
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup old fashioned oats
  • ⅓ cup greek yogurt, plain
  • ½ cup almond milk
  • ½ banana, diced
  • 2 tbsp almond butter
  • 1½ tsp chia seeds
  • 1½ tsp ground flaxseed meal
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • drizzle of maple syrup
  • crunchy toppings: chopped nuts, toasted coconut, granola optional

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients in a mason jar or tupperware with lid. Refrigerate overnight.

  2. In the morning, add crunchy topping. Eat cold straight from the refrigerator or take the chill off in the microwave for 30 seconds before adding a crunchy topping.

Berry Banana Smoothie

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I cannot count how many smoothies we’ve made over the years, but I can safely say it’s in the thousands.  My husband and I made them almost daily when we were first married and haven’t stopped since.  The early days of smoothie making always began with some frozen fruit and some type of liquid (usually rice or soy milk), but always had some mystery ingredient such as cinnamon or chili pepper and a few times tamarind.  We got pretty creative. We even had dreams of pre-packaging smoothie “pouches” and marketing them.  Almost 18 years later, from the looks of the freezer aisle and smoothie delivery companies, we were on to something.  Oh well…

Fast forward 18 years and 3 kids later we are still making smoothies – literally every single day for 18 years, there is some sort of smoothie made in our home for breakfast, lunch, snack or accompanying a frittata for a quick and easy dinner.  To say that our trusty and pricey Vita-Mix we’ve owned for almost 15 years was a good investment, in an understatement.  Our only upgrade was one that we were gifted a few years ago and has multiple speeds which is pretty necessary if you use it for soups and sauces – high and low just doesn’t cut it for these tasks! Our Vita-Mix is an essential tool in our kitchen.

The funny part is for all these years not one person in our family has measured out ingredients.  We can all successfully eyeball the ingredients and make enough smoothie for anyone in the house – either 2 tall glasses enough for a meal or 4-5 small snack glasses.  In our house, there’s no such thing as making a smoothie for one… 

Cheers,

Christina

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Berry Banana Smoothie

This beautiful purple smoothie is both satisfying and packed with nutritious vitamins and minerals. Blueberries are high in fiber and vitamin C and the spinach gives the smoothie a boost of nutrition with vitamin C, folate, and iron. Bananas give a healthy dose of potassium as well as fiber. And a little Greek yogurt for protein makes this a perfect way to start the day or midday snack.

Course Beverages
Servings 2
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • ½ cup almond milk
  • ¼ cup plain, whole milk Greek yogurt
  • 1 banana
  • 1 heaping cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 handful spinach
  • ½ tsp honey
  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
  • 2 ice cubes

Instructions

  1. Place ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Tex Mex Breakfast Burrito

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Healthy and delicious meal anytime of the day

It is no secret in my family that I could eat mexican food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  One way to sneak in my mexican food craving first thing in the morning is to make breakfast burritos. I’ve made them a dozen different ways, but this meatless one is currently a family favorite. We usually keep it vegetarian by just adding eggs, cheese and spinach, but occasionally add leftover sausage or bacon. 

My favorite way to heat up tortillas- insulated tortilla pouch for the microwave

This version made with soy chorizo has been the one that even the kids have requested.  One didn’t know it was made with tofu, one asked for the sausage one with black beans and one asked for “that really yummy one you keep making” — all referring to this recipe.  I told them all the ingredients and they still requested that I make it!

6 ingredients

The best part of this recipe is how far you can stretch 8 eggs.  With an entire can of black beans added, two big handfuls of spinach, and the soy chorizo —  the eggs simply become part of the delicious mixture rather than being the star. And in this day and age where eggs can be hard to come by, this ratio is a lifesaver.

Cheers,

Christina

Eggs, whole milk, salt and pepper
Add soy chorizo to pan with olive oil
Add entire can of black beans
Add two huge handfuls of fresh spinach
A little fat for the eggs
8 eggs goes a long way…
A little freshly grated cheddar cheese
It’s easy to overfill these- don’t do it!
Fiery “orange sauce” from Tacolicious cookbook
Tuck the sides in and roll tightly- a warm tortilla is key!
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Tex Mex Breakfast Burrito

This delicious meat-free breakfast burrito is filling and satisfying. The black beans and spinach add so many nutrients to this breakfast, making it the perfect fuel for any sport or activity you're off to. It reheats well in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel, or foil-wrapped from the freezer and popped in a toaster oven. This recipe makes about 5 large (burrito size) or 10 small (soft taco size) burritos.

Course Breakfast
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 12 oz soy chorizo
  • 8 eggs
  • 2 tbsp cream or milk
  • 14.5 ounce canned black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups packed spinach
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 5 burrito size flour tortillas
  • hot sauce optional

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, cream and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.

  2. In a nonstick pan over medium heat, add olive oil and squeeze the chorizo from package. Break up with a wooden spoon and cook until crumbly and slightly browned.

  3. Add black beans and stir to combine.

  4. Add spinach and gently fold into bean and chorizo mixture. It will wilt down considerably in a matter of minutes.

  5. Make a small well in the center of the pan and melt the butter. Stir to combine.

  6. Add egg mixture to pan and gently stir and fold mixture until egg is just set.

  7. Sprinkle cheese over top, gently fold and take off heat.

  8. Heat tortillas and divide egg mixture among tortillas, adding hot sauce if desired. Fold ends in and roll into a burrito.

House Granola

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Homemade granola is such a staple in our house, I often forget what the store bought version tastes like, but I vaguely recall it resembling overly sweetened cardboard.  But for some reason I always bought it. I liked the idea of having granola on hand. I remember a lovely bed and breakfast on our honeymoon that had a giant bowl of homemade granola displayed in the kitchen (along with a big jar of biscotti but that’s another post!) and not until 10+ years later did I make that happen on a regular basis in my own kitchen. 

Photo Apr 06, 10 47 40 AM

Extra large mason jar with scoop

I also realized that when we are on vacation at nice resorts and I see housemade granola on the menu, I always make sure I order it at least once during our stay.  I figure if the Chef has a house granola, I have to try it! And I’m almost always glad I did. It feels like a light and healthy way to start the day, especially since most days I’m an egg girl.   

I’ve tried many many granola recipes, and at one time or another, I’ve declared them the “best granola recipe.”  But, while they were all really good, this recipe is the one that has become a house favorite. So, below, I present to you my House Granola.  It’s inspired by many recipes out there, but mostly by one of my favorite cookbooks Cooking at Home with Bridget and Julia.

Photo Jul 14, 9 16 42 AM

A perfect breakfast: House granola, fresh peach with almond milk and oat milk latte

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House Granola

Granola has been a staple in our household for longer than I can remember. Everyone in our house likes it served differently, but my favorite is with almond milk and sliced fresh peach or banana on top. It's also delicious over Greek yogurt flavored with a little maple syrup and orange zest or juice. With the crunchy clusters of oats, seeds and nuts and the chew of the cranberries and apricots, it couldn't be more satisfying. This version is inspired by one of my favorite cookbooks Cooking at Home with Bridget and Julia.

Course Breakfast
Keyword dried fruit, granola, pecans
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup wheat flakes
  • 1 cup pecans raw, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup walnuts raw, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup flaked coconut unsweetened
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds raw, unsalted
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 pinches flake sea salt, such as Maldon can use 1/2 tsp kosher salt instead

Wet Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten
  • 4 tsp vanilla
  • 2 large oranges finely zested with a microplane

After Baking Add-Ins

  • 2 cups dried cranberries, cherries or golden raisins
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325° Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

  3. In a glass measuring cup, melt coconut oil until liquid, about a minute. Add rest of the wet ingredients and whisk until throughly combined.

  4. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and fold together until all oats, nuts and seeds are well coated.

  5. Place mixture on prepared baking sheet and spread out evenly, pressing firmly with a spatula.

  6. Bake on an upper middle rack until slightly golden, about 40 minutes. Be sure to spin your sheet pan after 20 minutes to ensure even baking.

  7. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle on dried fruit. Let sit until granola is completely cool and gently mix together, taking care not to break up too many of those granola clusters. Stores well in a sealed container for several weeks.

Happy 2018!

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Happy 2018 to you all! I truly hope you had a great holiday season filled with family and friends.  We sure did! Apparently, I failed to take a closer look at our family calendar because we ended up hosting 5 different holiday gatherings in less than 10 days- lots of work but completely worth it for the laughs and memories made. My hubby is a gracious co-host and an expert dishwasher and I very much enjoy the menu planning and the cooking- we make a great team.  

Over the break we visited family in the Santa Barbara area and had a blast.  The gratitude toward the firefighters is clear all over town and while several establishments were still doing fire/smoke restoration, the town seems resilient and grateful.  We were happy to see our family safely back in their home and very happy to help support the local economy get back on their feet. A few of the tasty meals we had were from: Cava- a Spanish, Mexican restaurant on Coast Village in Montecito with dessert across the street at Here’s the Scoop- gelato with homemade waffle cones; Lama Dog in the Funk Zone- seafood burgers, fish tacos, german pretzels with cheesy beer sauce; and a great breakfast at the Montecito Cafe.  Another great place we had a picnic from while wine tasting was Industrial Eats in the town of Buellton.  A few of the sandwiches blew our minds.  

My favorite- by far- was the hole in the wall taco stand East Beach Tacos. This place is insane!  I haven’t stopped thinking of my ahi poke taco in a wonton skin and bahn mi taco.  In fact, I could have eaten one of everything on the menu.  They even have this super fun item on the kid’s menu called the Beachball- a favorite of my nephew’s and now my daughter’s.  It’s a ball of sushi rice about the size of your fist and it’s stuffed with ahi tuna- poke style.  Delicious.  The super fun part about this taco stand is that it shares the same property with an old school (20 pitches for a token- score!) outdoor batting cage and serves local beers. I cannot even imagine the danger this place would be to our family if we lived nearby.  With all the amazing eateries Santa Barbara has to offer- this is the first stop we will make on our next trip.  To hold us over in the meantime, I asked (begged) Eric to go in front of the long line of people to take a close picture of the creative and inventive taco menu and will be recreating these in the very near future. My brain is going crazy about this place– after culinary school I might have to open this in the Bay Area! After my coffee/breakfast/lunch cafe, that is.  Dreams…

It’s back to reality as we approach kids going back to school this week.  I think we are all ready for routine, but I’m going to miss my sleepy kiddos stumbling downstairs with their blankets and settling in on the couch each morning.  Back to rushed mornings, making lunches, and busy afternoons.  Thankfully, after the first few days it gets easier and we have a few Monday holidays coming up for those sleepy mornings.  Since we’ve been home the past few days we’ve been enjoying super simple meals such as: baked sweet potatoes, white beans with pancetta and rosemary; smashed avocado with aleppo pepper, sea salt, lemon and olive oil; shrimp tacos; kale salad; and carrot soup with lemon and ginger.

For the week ahead: I’ve got a few easy weeknight dishes planned.  One exception, I’ve got a special dinner planned for Monday night as we will be celebrating Eric’s first day at his new job.  I’ll take some time on Monday to make sure we’ve got a good bottle of celebratory wine, and everything for a yummy Italian feast of Eggplant Parmesan and Chicken Saltimbocca.  And his favorite dessert, chocolate mousse for dessert.  **Lest you get the wrong idea here- a celebratory Monday night dinner at home is no intimate candlelit soiree-  it’s just extra special food that are favorites of the one being celebrated and are eaten in stages due to 2 out of 3 kids needing to be driven to and from sports and religion classes.  We are just super proud of him and are excited to celebrate his new gig!(Will post recipes for these later this week as none of them are easily available online.)

Carrot Soup with Lemon and Ginger

This soup makes you feel like you’ve been to one of those high-end wellness retreats where they pamper you with delicious healthy meals and take you out on nature walks around their property and serve you spa water with lots of magical ingredients to make you feel like a million bucks.  For those of us in real life: make this soup (it literally takes 20 minutes after chopping a few ingredients), take a walk around your neighborhood while listening to your favorite inspirational podcast (my current fav is For the Love of Food series, Jen Hatmaker), and upon your return squeeze some lemon into your glass of water.  Done.  DIY Wellness retreat in between carpool duties.  You’re welcome.

We made this recipe last night exactly as written, in fact, I chopped the ingredients for efficiency and my 8 year old made the rest.  Don’t forget the squeeze of lemon at the very end and we skipped the optional sour cream dollop on the top- this soup just doesn’t need it.  I only wished I had doubled the recipe- it made exactly enough for our family of 5 to have a bowl with a side of kale salad and garlic toasts.  This was a huge hit with my whole family! 

Fried Rice

This is such a great recipe that can be easily adapted to what you have in the refrigerator.  It’s comforting, quick, and can be healthier if you increase the veggies (I add zucchini and more bell pepper) swap brown rice for the white rice, and use coconut oil for the canola oil.  Obviously, you can add chicken, pork, shrimp or tofu for protein.  We like ours with a generous amount of Sriracha sauce.  

Note: I use my dutch oven pot because it contains all the extra veggies I add but if I had a wok, that would be ideal.  Also, do not begin this without having everything prepped and ready to go. We are talking about a super quick dish over high heat that can be ruined with sad overcooked veggies or egg stuck to the bottom of your pan never to be scrubbed off entirely.  

Beef Chili with Kidney Beans

This is another one of our go-to chili recipes.  It is heavier on the quantity of ground beef (2 lbs) but makes a lot and I take care to use good organic, grass-fed beef.  We rarely eat red meat, so when we do, it’s the best quality we can find and afford.  This recipe has a good kick and requires my kids to dollop sour cream or Greek yogurt on top, but it’s full of flavor.  I add two red bell peppers instead of one, coconut oil instead of the vegetable oil, and add an extra can of beans- white or black.  The recipe brilliantly calls for cooking for 1 hr with the lid on and then for 1 hr with the lid off.  Do this.  The people at America’s Test Kitchen are no joke and they know these things after much trial and error.  It makes for a deeply flavored, thick chili and the leftovers are awesome.  

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

Growing up, these were a staple in our house.  I remember running out the house to school with two hot muffins on a napkin.  The recipe was included in our family recipe collection that my mom made for my siblings and me and I’ve enjoyed sharing them with my own kids.  The batter couldn’t be more simple to make, can be left in the refrigerator for several weeks (don’t be alarmed by the strange tint of green the top layer takes on- it’s fine), and are best scooped and put in the oven the day of- I do mine while packing lunches.  My kids enjoy them as a snack and are a respectable stand in for a sandwich when packed with a to-go packet of peanut or almond butter.  I swap out the Crisco sticks for butter and add chopped walnuts but skip the raisins- they get a little too mushy for my liking. Alternatively, you can add the raisins when you are scooping so they are more fresh.  Enjoy!  

Quick blog note: I hope the tag/category feature helps you find recipes more easily.  I sure know it helps me! Also, I’m working hard on figuring out a better way to post recipes (an easy recipe card) when it’s not a linked recipe so you can view and print recipes easily.  Stay tuned… I have a day job so it is taking me awhile to integrate all of it.  🙂

I hope you have a great week, avoid all those nasty germs out there, and enjoy all that a fresh year has to offer! Thanks for reading ~Christina

Big changes around here!

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Happy October!! Just when I thought fall couldn’t get any busier, we bought a new house and put our current home on the market- all in the past 2 weeks! To say we’ve been a little crazy is an understatement. Buying a new home and all that it entails is a big deal, but as I think you’ll all agree- nothing is as disruptive as having your own home on the market and available for showings at any minute WHILE you’re still living in it. WITH KIDS! I must say they’ve been troopers, have demonstrated great patience with me as I yell like a drill sergeant every day to pick up their stuff, make their beds like a hotel, and avoid globs of toothpaste in the sink. The daily vacuuming, sweeping, and all tasks to make it look like we don’t live here is exhausting for everyone. I think it will all come to an end fairly quickly and we can get on with preparing for our move in less than 2 weeks!

We are all very excited about our new home- just about a mile from our current one. We look forward to a floor plan that works better for our family and a flat backyard for the kids. While I will miss my beautiful kitchen, and really nothing can top its charm and beautiful views, I very much look forward to creating new memories in our new one. Filling the dining room with friends and family for many years to come makes me happy just thinking about it. I’m already thinking about the first meal I’m going to make when we are settled. I still remember the first meal I made in our current home nearly 3 ½ years ago just 2 days after moving in. (Thank you past meal calendars!)

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First meal in our current home: Roasted salmon with honey mustard, mixed green salad with pears, feta and almonds, and a side of broccoli and corn

Some were impressed that we could get settled that quickly (I am my mother’s daughter after all), but since I don’t feel at home anywhere until I have made a meal for my family in my own kitchen, the motivation is there to get it done.

So… what has the Shoup family been eating the past few weeks??? For the busiest days of preparing the house for sale, I was able to make beef chili on the first day and we ate leftovers for another day or two. Then, the heat wave came and it was over 90 degrees in my house with no A/C, so turning on my oven with frozen items was not an option- we went out for dinner probably 3 days out of 4. That gets old very quickly unless you’re on vacation! The next week when the weather cooled off, my freezer became my go-to. Frozen beef hand pies, frozen chicken meatballs and frozen Trader Joe’s orange chicken. Another day I picked up a roasted chicken from the store and a few other ingredients to make a Southwest barbequed chicken salad- a staple in our home. (More on that in a future post.)

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Busy month!

I anticipate this next week being a little calmer and have planned some easy, flavorful dishes for dinner. I also realized that I have needed a few more options for a quick breakfast in the morning and have included a few recipes for that as well. I’m going to make both today or tomorrow and hopefully our mornings of picking up the house will go smoother with breakfast already made.

 

As always, thank you for reading and for sharing in my love of Food, Family and Friends. Have a great week and feel free to share if you end up trying any of the recipes below!

Mexican Chicken Soup

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mexican-chicken-soup-recipe.html

This is a cross between a feel good chicken soup and tortilla soup. It makes a ton and is great for leftovers, not to mention packed in a thermos for school lunches. It’s not spicy, very healthy, and has lots of flavor. Good toppings are a must- sour cream, cilantro, shredded cheese, and crushed up tortilla chips.

Mississippi Roast

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017937-mississippi-roast

*New recipe* I’ve read/seen/heard about this recipe for quite some time now and have never tried it. People RAVE about it on many a food blogs. There was definitely a time when I would have made it with any old piece of meat and very happy to throw in a few packaged seasoning mixes and called it a day. However, as my headaches/migraines have only increased and other members of the family have had sensitive tummy issues, the original recipe as it was written with many undesirable ingredients in these packages is something that I have passed on despite the positive reviews on this dish. There’s even a fun back-story (more in the link) about how the recipe became so popular and I’m a big sucker for recipes that have deep meaning for friends and family. This all changed when I came across the same recipe revamped by the New York Times with alternatives to the packaged ingredients. A few easy steps with ingredients I already keep on hand, a good piece of quality beef, and about 6-8 hours of hands-off cooking, and I think we are going to enjoy a great meal! I’m going to serve it with roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. If I’m feeling generous, I may even make mashed potatoes for the two people in my family who enjoy them as I think something to soak up all the gravy that this dish produces would be a good idea.

Quick Tikka Masala

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/quick-chicken-tikka-masala-56389806

This is a hit in our family! It calls for garam masala and it can be found at most grocery stores. It’s also sold in small portions so if you don’t want to commit to another spice in your cabinet that may go to waste, you can be sure it’s not expensive and worth adding it to your shopping list. I only have two recipes I use it in, but I still think it’s worth having it. Alternatively, you can use curry powder for a similarly flavored dish. If your kids aren’t very adventurous with spiced (not spicy) foods, this is a good one to try because the tomatoes and tomato paste kind of sweetens the dish. Serve with naan warmed in the oven to dip all that yummy sauce or over rice of any kind. The leftovers are even better the next day.

Apple Muffins

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/apple-muffins-recipe.html

I’m sneaking in one last apple recipe before all things pumpkin happen in October and November. These are really tasty! I make them just as the recipe says. I usually have whole wheat pastry flour, but if I ran out I’d use whole spelt flour or half whole wheat and half all purpose flour. If you don’t eat the entire batch out of the oven, they are best stored in the refrigerator. My family seems to like them cold just as well as warm. They also pack well for snack or school lunches.

Scrambled Egg Muffins

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/222586/scrambled-egg-muffins/

My family likes to call these “egg pucks.” This is a good starter recipe and I’m sure it’s delicious as written, but I make several changes to suit our tastes better. I like to sauté veggies such as red bell pepper, green onion and spinach in a little olive oil just until soft and divide equally among the muffin cups. Then I sprinkle on diced Canadian bacon or cooked crumbled bacon on top of the veggies followed by a pinch of grated cheese. Finally, I pour the egg mixture on top of each muffin cup and bake as directed. They heat up really well for a quick and healthy breakfast during the week.

PS- I love this muffin tin and have had great success getting these little pucks out of the pan with ease! No need to grease the pan. https://www.amazon.com/OvenArt-Bakeware-Silicone-12-Cup-Muffin/dp/B00CNVBCLK

You can download the PDF of the October calendar below!

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Easy weeknight meals anyone?

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Anyone worried my family didn’t eat this past week due to a lack of post? I’m not going to lie, it was just one of those weeks. A busy holiday weekend, followed by a busy week with a big school event, followed by all kid activities/sports in full swing as well as weekly games now in the mix all while having several headaches and migraines… the fact that we ate anything at all is a wonder. Beyond a few planned meals, I went to the store more than my standard two times, we ate frozen Trader Joe’s stuff, had Door Dash deliver our favorite Mediterranean salads, and grabbed food after a game and at a school event. Needless to say, I’m happy to get back in the kitchen this week.

Also, I realize it’s becoming harder for you to navigate through the blog with all the recipes in links as well as not having them indexed. Trying to find a recipe in a previous post is probably not super easy. Know that I want to make this easier on you, and me. As soon as I get time with my favorite IT guy, I will make the website/blog more user friendly. For now, I hope you enjoy the recipes below. Have a great week!

White Chicken Chili (Crockpot)

http://iowagirleats.com/2016/01/11/crock-pot-white-chicken-chili-recipe/

*Trying a new recipe* We are going to have this tonight after my son’s late afternoon baseball game and I know we are going to come home hungry! I’m going to prep it in the morning, let it cook, do the final simple step about an hour before we leave for the game and let it sit on the warm setting so when we get home it’s ready to go. I think it’s going to be tasty and hope it’s good enough to go in my recipe binder- only the best make their way in there!

Mexican Lasagna

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/mexican-lasagna-recipe.html

This is a great recipe to make-ahead and cook later, or make/cook ahead and reheat an individual portion when you need to eat dinner in waves. It’s adaptable because you can use ground beef, ground turkey, or no meat at all. You can also change out whatever canned beans you like or have on hand as well as make it gluten-free and use corn tortillas. Most importantly for families with younger kids- you can control how mild or spicy you want to make it depending on which salsa/taco sauce you use. We like to top ours with sour cream and sliced avocado and serve it with tortilla chips. This week I am planning on leftovers the following night. It might even be served on paper plates for a truly easy dinner- score!

Salmon with Honey Mustard

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017244-roasted-salmon-glazed-with-brown-sugar-and-mustard

This is a tasty recipe and with 3 ingredients it couldn’t be an easier dinner to throw together. This particular recipe calls for Dijon mustard and brown sugar, but I also like whole grain mustard and honey mixed together, spread on top of salmon and grilled on the barbeque (on a sheet of foil with the edges turned up to make a “pan”). Basically, whatever you have on hand works and whether you want to turn on the oven or fire up the grill. Personally, I like to keep the fish smell outside if I can help it! I often like to serve salmon with roasted broccoli, Brussels sprouts or sweet potatoes and either a mixed green salad or kale salad with lemon vinaigrette. Easy, tasty, healthy dinner!

This week I’m serving it with this kale salad and adding dried cranberries and chopped green apple. It’s very similar to one made at our local Urban Bistro and my kids and gobble it up. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/kale-brussels-sprout-salad-368295

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/grilled-drunken-shrimp-tacos-recipe.html

*Trying another new recipe* You may want to wait for the update after our family eats it before you waste your time and money on expensive shrimp. Let me waste my time and money! I think it’s going to be good though. One thing I’m not great at is making up my own recipes. One thing I am pretty good at is finding tasty recipes. That’s why my family thinks I’m a great cook- I rarely have a dinner flop because I spend a lot of time pouring over recipes online and through my cookbook collection that I can easily spot a bad recipe. Another great resource and where I’ve learned a ton about how ingredients grove with each other, is the show America’s Test Kitchen. It’s a PBS show and it’s a bit geeky, but they really talk through recipes and all the different ingredients and methods they test until the recipe is the best it can be. I generally don’t trust much of what I see on Pinterest- although my mouth waters when I look at all the yummy dishes, it’s such a random mix of sources. It’s so discouraging to spend time and money on ingredients for a recipe only for it to not turn out. I love to try new recipes, but once inspired by Pinterest, I often stick safely within my trusted websites and cookbooks. #recipesnob?!?

Since this is a weekend meal, it will also be served with chips and salsa/guacamole and a side of black or refried beans. There’s also a pretty good chance it will be served with a nice cold Corona with a slice of lime.

Wait, there’s more! Because we are having leftovers one night this week and frozen beef and cheddar hand pies another, I thought I’d share a few extra non-dinner recipes that I made last week or will be making this week. Hope you enjoy!

Apple Spice Cake

http://www.marthastewart.com/351254/apple-spice-cake

September always signals apple season for me even though I feel like I can get great apples year-round. Some of my friends from other parts of the country have fond memories of the changing seasons and apple picking with their families- I cannot tell you how many times we’ve talked about apple picking, apple cider and donuts in the fall. And since I grew up in California where we are lucky to get a passing cloud, I can only imagine bundling up and trouncing though the apple orchards, steamy cups of hot cider and sweet puffy donuts. In honor of my friends’ fond memories, and because it’s officially apple season somewhere- I’m baking with apples, dammit!

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve made this bundt cake. It’s super easy to make and makes a tasty snack or dessert. I have never made the caramel sauce but I can imagine it’s delicious. The cake is perfectly sweet even without the additional sauce.

Confession- last time I made this, I went to flip my bundt pan over to get the cake out and only half of the cake released from the pan! Speaking of wasting time and money!!! What a mess. Even worse, I was taking it to a friend with a new baby and there was no way I could deliver that pile. I greased the pan properly, but I had been thinking my pan was on its last leg and now I know it’s time to get a new pan.

PS- This is my absolute, never has failed me yet, line of nonstick pans and I have several sheet pans and loaf pans. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/bakeware/bakeware-williams-sonoma/bakeware-usa-goldtouch/ Unfortunately, they don’t make a bundt pan in the Goldtouch line, but I have also had luck in the past with this line: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/anniversary-bundt-cake-pan/?& When I get a 20% off with free shipping coupon, I will own this bundt pan!

Layered Mediterranean Dip

http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2012/02/layered-mediterranean-dip/

I brought this dip with pita chips to a barbeque last weekend. As expected, it was a hit, just like the other 5 or 6 times I’ve made it. Not many dips are very healthy, but this one really is! It’s easy to make, (just a lot of chopping) and impressive to look at. Your friends will ask you for this recipe!

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French Toast Waffle Sticks

http://thebakermama.com/recipes/french-toast-waffle-sticks/

These are a fun change to the weekday morning breakfast routine. It does require me to get up a few minutes earlier and throw on a hat for morning drop off, but my kids love this treat and it’s worth the minor extra effort every now and then. They are very quick and easy, and are a great way to use up that dry loaf of bread that even peanut butter and jelly cannot save. I give the kids each a tiny bowl with warm (real!) maple syrup to dip and they are all pretty happy. So far, sourdough bread and whole wheat have been favorites. A fruit smoothie with Greek yogurt and we’ve got a pretty yummy breakfast!

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Plans change, so use pencil!

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Meal planning always begins with the best intentions- a nice balanced week of food, a mix of simple and more involved recipes and different types of cuisines. Last week the planning was no different, but the execution was not as easy. Several days last week I wasn’t feeling super and in the late afternoon the meal I had planned on making just didn’t sound great to me. I texted Eric each afternoon and asked, “What sounds better- fish tacos or cobb salad? Beef hand pies or chicken lettuce wraps?” He thought the service around here was amazing! I didn’t want him to get used to the changing daily menu choices so I fessed up that nothing sounded good to me and that while I was happy to cook it was his job to pick the meal.

That’s the beauty of using a pencil with a good eraser when meal planning. What I had planned on for Sunday night’s dinner got moved to later the following week due to a last minute family birthday celebration. Wednesday’s dinner got moved to Monday because I had all the ingredients and no time to go to the store. Friday’s meal wasn’t made because I needed a cooking break and moved that meal to Monday. It usually all works out. My goal over the past few years has been to meal plan so that when the plan changes, we don’t end up wasting a bunch of food that goes bad and has to be thrown out. All of us are guilty of that right? And it doesn’t feel good at all…

I have finally found a way that works for me and that is to break up the grocery shopping into two times a week. This will be different for everyone, but as I wrote in a previous post, I look at my calendar on Sunday, and then make a meal plan for the entire week, including at least one of the following weekend days. I go to the store on Sunday or Monday as well as the farmer’s market to get me though 3-4 dinner meals, breakfast, lunches, snacks, etc. If I made everything as planned, then I shop for the rest of the week/weekend. If I had to make a change- last minute dinner invitation to someone’s house, meeting went longer than expected, the flu hits our house, etc. then I adjust accordingly. When I used to shop once a week, my cart looked like I was stocking up for a big storm to hit, not to mention the issue of enough refrigerator and pantry space. So, taking two trips to the grocery store a week is what generally works for me.

Speaking of taking two trips to the grocery store, I get to do that completely kid-free beginning in a few days! Camp Mom is about over and I think we are all finally ready to throw in the summer beach towel. I’ve got some easy recipes planned for the week, as well as using a yummy one from last week that I didn’t quite get to. It’s also the time of year that I need to pull out those easy breakfast and snack ideas. During the summer I pretty much only make my kids dinner- they are in charge of making their own breakfast, snack and lunch. It’s just a nice, well-deserved break for me. Kudos to all of you that have your kids make their own school lunches. I’m just not there yet! I want to be, but it’s not the morning battle I choose right now.

A few recipes I’m making this week:

Baked Chicken Meatballs

https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/10/baked-chicken-meatballs/

These are really easy to make ahead and bake at dinnertime. They are full of flavor and a great recipe to double or even triple and freeze for another day. I often serve them with roasted sweet potatoes or Brussels sprouts and a Caesar salad. You can also toast some rolls and make a tasty meatball sub sandwich with your favorite pasta sauce and melted mozzarella/provolone cheese on top.

A few changes I make- I have made this recipe with diced pancetta (Trader Joe’s has this for a reasonable price) and diced bacon. Either way, if you cook the pancetta or bacon in the pan it will render enough fat to sauté the onions making the whole dish more flavorful. If you use precooked bacon, just add a touch of olive oil to the pan, add the precooked bacon diced up and it will crisp up in the pan and then you can add the onions and sauté. I also really like adding a mixture of ketchup and barbeque sauce- just brush it right on top before baking. It’s a favorite around here!

Thai Chicken Wrap with Spicy Peanut Sauce

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/thai-chicken-wrap-with-spicy-peanut-sauce-recipe.html

This is the kind of dish I make on our super busy Wednesday evenings. When all kids have practice or a game from 5-8pm, this is the kind of meal that is easy to prep ahead of time and keeps us from getting our dinner from a drive through window. The chicken can be grilled earlier in the day and the veggie and herb mixture only gets better as it sits. If both of these are done ahead of time, you can walk in the door and have dinner on the table in 10 minutes. Another idea is to pre-make them and wrap in foil, cut up a melon and put it in a container and you’ve got dinner on the go. Hmmm… maybe I look forward to these crazy Wednesday evenings!

Pizza Night

Four words for you- Trader Joe’s pizza dough. What kid doesn’t like to make their own pizza? I pick up the dough, a few toppings, a bag of romaine lettuce for salad and we’ve got an easy, quick and fun family dinner.

Egg Breakfast Casserole

There are a million recipes for these types of egg dishes. It’s a standard item in any breakfast potluck because it is easy, can be made ahead of time, and feeds a lot. This is a staple in our house, especially during the school year because I can make it the night before in about 10 minutes. I make it as directed, but if I have time and ingredients; I like to sauté diced red bell pepper, scallion, and spinach and put that on the bottom of the casserole dish before pouring the egg mixture in. This dish has been known to show up on the dinner table served with a fruit smoothie and nobody complains.

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Pineapple Zucchini Quick Bread

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/zucchini-pineapple-quick-bread

My kids love this packed for their morning snack or sliced with cream cheese in lieu of a sandwich. It makes two loaves and we usually plow through one before I get a chance to wrap them up and refrigerate. If your family has more restraint than ours does, then you can cool the loaves completely and wrap one up and freeze it. I make as directed with one exception- the recipes calls for “egg substitute” but I just replace that with 2 whole eggs.

Happy planning this week!

PS- The calendar below show Tomato Pie, Grilled Sausage and Corn Salad on the menu for next weekend.  This will be in a future blog post, I promise!

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