Jenyfer Matthews

I’m disappointed because I have fallen behind with my new-recipe-a-month resolution. How hard can it be to do ONE new recipe a month after all? I deliberately set my goal low because I knew one a week was never going to happen, but if I can’t do one a month that’s just sad.

I don’t think this counts, but this week I made something up out of my head. I had some frozen fish fillets in my freezer and I decided to adapt a recipe I’d looked at that called for shrimp. I sauteed an onion and garlic in olive oil, then threw in some chopped tomato, frozen chopped spinach, the remainder of a jar of pizza sauce, oregano, and basil. Once that was cooked, I added the thawed fish and let it cook for a few minutes before I mixed in some crumbled feta and put it in the oven just to warm it all through.

I wish I could say that the result was great, but it was merely meh. It did not have nearly as much flavor as I would have liked. I would have loved to have included some black olives, but you can’t get the sort of black olives I wanted here and I decided against the splash of balsamic vinegar because I was worried it might get too tart. At the end of the day, I probably should have just used shrimp!

So you tell me, does that count as a new recipe since it was 1) not really a recipe and 2) not a huge success?

I have found a few new recipes that looks like they would be very nice: one for baked falafel and a couple more summer salads that include shrimp. I hope to try both in the next couple of weeks, before I leave on vacation. I can pretty much already admit that I do very little cooking while traveling so even if I catch up to my resolution this month, I’ll be behind again by August. Oh well.

That’s why it’s better just to call it a “goal” rather than a “resolution”.

I am happy to report that the only thing injured in the process of reducing the port bottle down to pretty green glass dust were several plastic bags and my rolling pin. Even several layers of thick plastic bags are not enough to protect a wooden rolling pin from shards of glass. (The top edge of my hammer was much more effective) On one hand, I don’t use the rolling pin that much. On the other hand, I guess I’ll have to get a new one since it’s newly gauged surface won’t work as well on dough (darn it!) – unless scar-faced gingerbread men are acceptable!

I just hope that in the end, my pottery projects come out as I envision.

On another topic, housing is provided with my husband’s job and a while back we requested to be moved to a larger apartment. I’ve loved the one we are currently in for the nearly four years we lived here, however we’ve outgrown the space and the children really need their own rooms. The housing department called us on Thursday to say they had a place for us and could we move on Tuesday? My initial reaction was um…no! I’ve gotten pretty good at moving, but I’m not THAT good! The movers I called yesterday for a quote on moving our large furniture items gave me such a good quote on moving everything that I decided in the interest of my stress levels and the remaining disks in my back to let them! They also suggested they could move us on Tuesday and since they are also responsible for the packing, Tuesday it is! Fortunately, our new place is only a few blocks away so things don’t have to be packed quite as carefully as they would if we were moving countries, but it’s still a big job.

Bigger still will be the job of cleaning / sorting / unpacking on the other end!

I also wanted to report that I did try a new recipe over the weekend (February – check!) I made shrimp chowder, using a fish chowder recipe from my Jane Brody cookbook. The only things I changed were I substituted shrimp for fish, I omitted the white wine, and I added a can of corn. It was amusing how much the frozen “cooking shrimp” I bought shrunk in the process though – in the end they were so small they could have been sea monkeys! The chowder was a hit – very tasty – and I’ll definitely be making it again.

I suspect the rest of this week we’ll be eating sandwiches and pizza however!

I rarely make resolutions – why bother? I know I’ll never keep them and most of the vices I have I don’t really mind!

But when everyone else starts talking about what they are going to do, my own wheels start to turn. And it’s not as if there isn’t room for improvement in my life. So here goes – my goal for the new year is to try at least one new recipe a month. I’m posting it here to keep me honest

Doesn’t sound like much, I admit but I’m kind of excited all the same. Since I’m the one at home, I’m responsible for the bulk of meal preparation in our home. And when our schedule gets busy I admit that I get into menu ruts. I thought about one new recipe a week but that seemed like a goal doomed to fail early. A month seems totally doable – and if I get really inspired there’s nothing to stop me from trying new recipes more often.

I’m happy to say that I already tried January’s recipe this week: Lentil Walnut Burgers, from The New Moosewood Cookbook. It probably doesn’t sound all that appealing to the non-vegetarians out there, but it appealed to me on several levels. I had all the ingredients, the instructions didn’t look too daunting, and both walnuts and flaxseed are things that my husband has been trying to work into his diet to deal with high triglyceride levels.

I normally follow the instructions on a recipe the first go round before I start to mess with it, unless it says something silly like the garlic is optional. (garlic = yum) These burgers were very good – they had a nice texture and flavor and everyone in the family enjoyed them, even my son who isn’t the most adventurous eater. The only thing I might do differently next time is add a bit more salt, but that’s just me. Also, I’d take the time to cut up a fresh tomato.

Overall rating: definitely will make this one again!

I mentioned before that I was trying to turn over a new leaf – eat better and exercise. I’m happy to say that things are coming along.

I’ve activated my Curves membership. I haven’t been many times yet but that’s not entirely my fault – their hours during Ramadan didn’t mesh well with my schedule and then I was away and when I came back the kids were off school, blah blah blah. Their new hours are much better for me so I went this morning. While I’m not totally sold on their “rah rah” motivational atmosphere (their wall clock says “Time to Amaze Yourself”) I do like their thirty minute approach – cause that’s about all I want to spend there anyway!

I’ve also tried out a couple of yoga classes at a new studio in my neighborhood and signed up for a water aerobics class. Can I just say now that water aerobics, done right, is hard!? I couldn’t walk for about 4 days after my first class. I wondered if I was going to be limping around Italy! I did enjoy it though and since I’ve already paid, I suppose I’ll be going back this week.

So, after two years of doing next to no exercise, I have a new (ambitious) plan. Barring school holidays, travel, or illness I intend to do yoga once a week, Curves three times a week, and water aerobics once a week. Next week will be my first full week. We’ll see how it pans out.

I’ve also been eating better – having so many evening sports activities with the children has forced me to do more meal planning. We’ve been eating such nice meals that I’ve even been able to keep my occasion longings for fast food in check. So what’s the problem?

The problem is when people like Shelley Munro go and post a recipe like this on their blogs! How’s a girl supposed to resist that? Optional chocolate chips, my foot!

Nothing good can come from it – well, maybe one thing: I’m sure to get crowned Best Mom ever after school today.

I ran across this recipe the other day and just had to share it – how much easier and healthy could it be??

Yum Yum Brownie Muffins
PER SERVING (1 muffin): 181 calories, 3.5g fat, 357mg sodium, 37g carbs, 2g fiber, 20g sugars, 2g protein

Ingredients:
One box devil’s food cake mix (about 18 ounces)
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the two ingredients together. The mixture will be very thick, but don’t add anything else! Place batter into a 12-cup muffin pan lined with baking cups or sprayed with nonstick spray. Place pan in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes.

I took the final stitches on my daughter’s Christmas quilt last night. Today I’ll wash it so it will be all ready to put on her bed tomorrow – and the children can come home from their final day of school to a decorated room. Phew!

On to cookie baking now. I ran across one reader on another blog who says she has close to 2000 cookies already made in her freezer, ready for distribution. My own plans are much simpler by comparison! I thought I’d share a recipe that I got from my grandmother. I have no idea where she got it, but whenever I eat these, I’m right back in her kitchen.

Toffee Bars

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

Cream together butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix in flour. Pat into a greased pan, 10″x15″ and bake for 15 minutes at 350F/180C. While hot, top with 6 plain Hershey bars. Spread chocolate when melted. Let cool before cutting.

NOTES: you can use a bag of semi-sweet choc chips instead of Hershey bars. Sprinkle with chopped nuts if you like.

Based on the ingredients, I shouldn’t have to tell you that these are decadent. I will however warn you that they are also addictive. I rarely make them outside of the holidays because no one in my family can resist them!

A friend gave me a bag of MINT choc chips this year. I’m thinking of trying them on this recipe but I’m afraid that I may not want to share them. Mint choc is my absolute favorite combination!

on dinner last night!!

We’ve had visitors for the last week and I’ve been cooking – a lot. Last night it was potato cheese soup, fresh asparagus, beer bread with cheesecake for dessert.

I had made everything but the bread many times before. I don’t normally try a new recipe when I have guests but I reviewed the ingredients and thought how bad could it be?? It not only came out nicely but was the perfect compliment to the rest of the meal. Last night I was queen

Thought I’d post the recipe for anyone who was interested:

A healthful, foolproof recipe for high-fiber beer bread from the book Tailoring Your Taste, by nutritionist Omichinski:

Ingredients:
2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp each sugar, baking powder
1/4 c ground flaxseed
1 tsp each salt, dried basil, dried rosemary, thyme
1/2 c unsalted sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp cooking oil
12 oz beer, at room temperature

Mix all the dry ingredients. Add oil and beer. Stir until dough is just mixed. Put dough in a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 375 F for 45 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove from oven and let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cool some more.