August 31, 2007

Was It Good For You?

I gave you my heart, my soul, and my recipes for a week of family-friendly meals.  Some of you have shared yours, too, or pointed me to sites such as this one that let people share recipes.

It’s time for feedback so I can decide whether to make the menu a regular feature.

Are you a convert to planning ahead and trying to buy everything for the week?

How were the recipes?  Too intensive?  Can you handle more ethnic food?

General thoughts?

And of course, if you have recipes you think would be perfect for this project, please send them on.  I’ll test them and include them if this becomes a habit.

If someone could think up a fabulous name for this feature that would be nice.  My brain is tired.

Happy Labor Day weekend.  Although I may post again– parenting has presented OBSTACLES the size of Mount Rushmore this week.

In happier news (depending on your viewpoint), Bingo 3 still lives.

August 29, 2007

Our Last Fishy Performance

An animal entering our house would be wise to bring an updated will and phone numbers for next-of-kin.

We’ve boxed and buried guinea pigs, flushed fish, and had hermit crabs wander away in the middle of an electrifying race, never to be seen again.  Back in June we managed to kill a crawfish and Speedy the goldfish on consecutive days.  The very first post I wrote was about the death of a different goldfish named Speedy and his enemy, Brownie.

Right now we have three pets, though that number could change at any moment.  Elvis, the dog from Hell, has managed to stick around for a couple of years now, mainly through sheer cussedness.  Drew’s parakeet, Texas Ranger, requires little care.  He’s extremely shy and has yet to utter a word, which is a great disappointment to Drew and quite a relief to me.

Finally, there is the fish who swims in his bowl by the coffee maker, looking at us with baleful eyes, knowing his days are numbered.  He can feel his impending demise in his gills, and he’s not being dramatic.  He’s but one of a multitude of fish to live in that bowl, and his name, Bingo 3, can hardly provide reassurance.

Earlier this summer Bill won two fish in a game of Bingo.  Speedy was dead within hours.

Bingo bravely soldiered on without his counterpart.

Several weeks later we went to New York to visit Aunt Lulu.  A seventh-grader down the street came to our house once a day to check on the pets and bring in the mail.   Bingo, used to a house full of screaming inhabitants, was unsettled by the sudden change in his environment.  Apparently the shock was too much to bear.  Our sitter made the tragic discovery, and took steps to prevent our boys from facing death head-on.  His note read:

Dear Mr and Mrs. Glamore:

I regret to inform you that during my housesitting your goldfish died.  I think I overfed it.  I’m so sorry that this has happened.  My mom and I went and bought you a new fish at Petsmart.  They said that the fish needs at most five flakes a day.  Once again I apologize that you have to come home to this.  I’m deeply and truly sorry.

We were most impressed with the way the sitter had handled the death, by not only accepting responsibility but also going the extra mile and replacing the fish.

However, I noticed immediately that Bingo 2 didn’t have the zest for life that Bingo had exhibited.  He didn’t swim to the surface and pucker his lips endearingly when I poured a cup of coffee, and he didn’t barrel around his bowl in circles when I came home from work.  I was beginning to resent the amount of space the fishbowl took up on my kitchen counter.

We called our sitter again when it was time for our beach trip a week later.

“That was kind of you to replace the fish,” I told him, “but really, if it should happen again, just flush him and forget it.  The boys are getting older and they’ll deal with it.”

When we came home from the beach, the mail and papers were neatly stacked on the table, and another note was waiting by the fish bowl:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Glamore,

Once again an unfortunate event has occurred during my housesitting.  Your fish died.  I know you weren’t as attached to this one as you were to the last one, but I’m extremely sorry.  We are unsure how it died.  My mom and I bought you a new fish.  It has already been fed today.  I hope it lives a long life.

Bingo 3 has lived for nearly a month, but his swimming, once a sturdy glide, has a tremble I hadn’t noticed before.  He doesn’t spring to the surface to gobble his flakes, but meanders upward as if the three inches of water is too far to traverse.

I’ve seen Death of a Goldfish more times than I care to recall, and I hope this latest performance will be the last in the Glamore family theater.

August 27, 2007

Wanted: Magical Antidote

I’m pissed at myself for quitting the Harry Potter series around Book 4, because I was cleaning Porter’s closet today and found this unsettling recipe:

I hope it will take the guys a while to actually cast their magic spell, because I don’t know what it will do or how to render it impotent, if it’s designed to make this a mom-free house.

Of course, if it’s a cure for odorous feet, I’ll join them in the search for a phoenix.I bet Miss Zoot or Katrina could help me, but the rest of you feel free to chime in. And if I disappear soon, well, blame it on the unicorn spittle.

August 24, 2007

Weekly Wrapup: Stings, Soccer, Supper, Sexy

It was our anniversary, but Bill and I didn’t see each other until 7:45 p.m. at Open House in Mrs. L’s Advanced Math class. At that point I had already met with both third-grade teachers and Bill had gone to Social Studies, English and Science, so we were worn out after a day of work and school. Our kisses were weary, though heartfelt.

Bill and I are hoping to go out of town this weekend for a little celebration, if the kids don’t prevent our getaway. Drew got stung by the World’s Most Venomous Yellowjacket while he and Porter were playing in the fort they made out of tree limbs. At first it didn’t look like much and we applied ice and Benadyl, but this morning his entire foot was swollen something wicked.

It isn’t streaky, though, so I’m assuming that this is not an injury that will put our vacation in danger, like stitches and lice have in the past.

Speaking of Wicked, I was astounded to discover that someone has created a dance-mix version of “Defying Gravity,” and we’re working out to it in Jazzercise. Honestly, will I walk in one day and warm up to Grizabella singing, “MMM-mem–mem-Memory, all alone in the mm-mmoon-mmoonlight, moonlight?” That seems to be where this exercise is headed.

Lots of you wrote in to rescue me from absolute cluelessness about soccer. Many confessed that although you’ve been on the sidelines for years, you’ve never figured out the rule, which made me feel better. Others advised renting “Bend It Like Beckham” where the rule is explained in one scene using condiments.

BusyMom provided the most helpful succinct comment: [The rule] “keeps people from lurking at the goal to receive a pass.” I can totally picture players lurking about, and see why that would be scary and thus illegal.

But the best explanation of all came from Christian, who put it into terms all women can understand, (with one small exception):

Sorry in advance for this, but the classic “offside explanation for women” runs like this:

“You’re in a shoe shop, second in the queue for the till. Behind the shop assistant on the till is a pair of shoes which you have seen and which you must have.

The female shopper in front of you has seen them also and is eyeing them with desire. Both of you have forgotten your purses.

It would be rude to push in front of the first woman if you had no money to pay for the shoes.

The shop assistant remains at the till waiting.

Your friend is trying on another pair of shoes at the back of the shop and sees your dilemma.

She prepares to throw her purse to you.

If she does so, you can catch the purse, then walk round the other shopper and buy the shoes!

At a pinch she could throw the purse ahead of the other shopper and “whilst it is in flight” you could nip around the other shopper, catch the purse and buy the shoes!

BUT, you must always remember that until the purse has “actually been thrown”, it would be plain wrong for you to be in front of the other shopper and you would be OFFSIDE!”

My only quarrel with this explanation is that it seems highly unlikely that any woman would forget her purse when going shoe shopping, but it’s still a hell of an example.

Finally, y’all are talking a big game about loving the weekly meal plan, but the true test will come in a week’s time when you write to review recipes, and share pictures of successful or unsuccessful dishes or children delightedly cleaning their plates.

Ack: Drew left for school complaining of a stomachache. I think he just needs to go #2 but we’re going to hit the road QUICK so that our romantic rendezvous becomes a reality!

August 22, 2007

Week O’ Recipes

I value efficiency above almost everything except jewelry, and so although I frequently write about Publix, I try to limit my visits there by planning my menu for the week on Sunday and making one enormous grocery run.

“But I’m so unorganized! I can never think of anything to cook!” my friends wail when they hear of my anal-retentive, yet successful plan.

That’s where I come in. This week, I’m furnishing you with four recipes that are in frequent rotation at our house. This should give you plenty of time to print them out, assess your grocery needs, and put Anne Glamore’s Type A Meal Plan into action.

You’ll see that most of them are a variation on meat and starch, so if that’s not your bag, proceed to the next blog.

Below you’ll see recipes and commentary on Pork Lo Mein, Bowties With Peas and Prosciutto, Bulgogi and Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss.

Two of this week’s meals are Asian-ish, so you can buy one big hunk of ginger and grate enough for both nights while you’re at it. I didn’t provide a seafood recipe, but I usually serve it once a week. And I never make enough dinners as there are days in the week– something always comes up.
************************************
I think this recipe originally came from Cooking Light. I’ve made it a kabillion times. It’s not a stir-fry as much as it’s just noodles and pork. I use more pork, and a whole package of vermicelli. I only use a handful of snow peas because I’m the only one who eats them.

Don’t cook the pork too long– keep it tender.

Kids are perfectly capable of peeling and grating ginger and mincing garlic if they want to eat. This is a fair trade. (Boys are particularly good at peeling and deveining shrimp, too, because it involves ripping off legs and pulling out guts, but more about that if we do a seafood dish.)

PORK LO MEIN

Trim fat from pork and cut pork in half lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 1/2 inch-thick slices; set aside. Combine pork and next 4 ingredients (pork through garlic) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal bag, and marinate in refrigerator 20 minutes. Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add pork mixture; stir-fry 1 1/2 minutes or until browned. Add snow peas and bell pepper; stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in vermicelli and broth; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sesame oil. Makes good leftovers if Porter does not live at your house.

********************************************************

I’ve published the next recipe before, but I figure basil season is almost over (unless you live in this drought-stricken area, where we are growing fried basil) and you better try this while you can steal basil from your neighbor’s garden for free instead of paying $1.99 for it at Publix.

Bowties with Peas and Prosciutto

1/4 C olive oil (or less) (or add a little butter)

1/2 C finely chopped onion (more or less)

12 oz frozen peas

6 oz prosciutto cut into strips (more or less)

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 LB bowtie pasta

1 T olive oil or butter

fresh grated Parmesan (the real thing)

Saute the onion (in a skillet big enough to hold everything including the pasta at the end) in the oil or butter until lightly browned. Add the prosciutto and basil and saute until the prosciutto changes color. Add 2 cups of water to the pan to deglaze it (pour water in and stir everything around, scraping up the browned bits of stuff from the bottom of the pan so they’ll melt into the liquid). Add peas, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until peas are tender.

Meanwhile, boil a whole lot of water and cook your pasta. Drain it and add it to the prosciutto mixture and stir everything gently so the pasta soaks up some liquid. Put it on plates and top with FRESHLY GRATED REAL PARMESAN and pepper and enjoy.

Serve with bread and a salad or do like I do and serve alone and say, “Here’s dinner. Put your napkins in your laps and quit grabbing bowties with your fingers before we’ve said the blessing. After we’ve said the blessing I expect you to use a fork.”

Don’t go buying any fancy-schmancy prosciutto for this; the packaged brand is perfectly fine. The trick to this is cooking the onions slowly until they are barely browning, but if someone’s going to be late for soccer, by all means just crank up the heat and sear the hell out of the onions. It’ll still eat.

***************************************************

I feel like I’m letting you watch me go to the bathroom when I share this recipe; it’s that private. My sisters and I grew up eating bulgogi, which my mom learned to cook while she and my father were stationed in Korea. It was a childhood favorite. When I had kids, I made my mom’s recipe, served it excitedly, and everyone gagged.

Undaunted, I waited a year and made it again, but instead of putting it over rice, I wrapped it in lettuce and introduced it as “Chinese tacos.” Everyone was a year older, and thus more polite, but they still just picked at the lettuce and excused themselves one by one.

My mom’s recipe was too sweet, which makes sense when you realize she was cooking in the 70’s. My sisters and I experimented with a number of other versions, and finally hit upon this one, which my boys beg for.
You can make a cucumber salad, too– seed and chop a cucumber and douse it in a little soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil, then top with toasted sesame seeds.

BULGOGI

1/4 Cup soy sauce

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons sesame oil (Asian food aisle)

1 bunch scallions (green onions), chopped

1 Tablespoon minced garlic (maybe 4 big cloves)

1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger

3 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (350 degree oven 3-5 min)(do extra for salad)

1 lb flank steak sliced thinly across the grain ( We get at least 1.5 lb now)

veg oil

Stir soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, scallions, garlic, ginger and 2T of the sesame seeds until sugar dissolves. Add steak and toss to coat. Marinate 15 minutes (or all day in the fridge. I do in a ziplock).

Heat veg oil in a heavy skillet or wok over high heat til just smoking then add steak in a single layer. (Be careful to just add the meat, not the marinade - you don’t want to steam the meat).

Saute, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through (5 mins). Sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds. (I always forget to do this and it doesn’t matter). Serve with rice or lettuce.

*******************************************

I have many chicken dishes. Lots use chicken parts. Around here, we love chicken parts because they are cheap and cook up real nice.

I’m going to spare you from the parts THIS WEEK and let you eat some white meat, but let me warn you, chicken parts will be coming if this post is a success and you beg for a repeat.

Here is a recipe for Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss from the Food Network. For legal reasons you need to go to the site and print out your own copy.

I don’t think you need to add so many capers, and I’d add the lemon juice a little at a time to taste. I used about 3/4 of the lemon juice. Here’s where you can use up the rest of the box of chicken broth you started when you made the Pork Lo Mein.

****************************************
I’ve had so many requests for the recipe for Beef Balls In Red Wine Sauce that I’m linking to it here. While you’re reading the recipe, you can refresh yourself on the rules for the Doorknob game! I think it’s best to make the balls a day ahead, and they freeze well also.

Personally, I’d wait until the temperature falls below 103 to make them, but that’s your business.

I’m posting this as part of Works For Me Wednesday - Go check out all the great tips over there!

I just realized comments don’t work on this entry– you can email me at anneglamoreATgmailDOTcom or you could leave a comment on my most recent post, Corralling the Horses, which isn’t about horses at all, at least the kind like Black Beauty.  Sorry for this!

Blast From the Past: Melting A Geeky Mom’s Heart

For those following the BlogRush saga, they’re promising to fix the problems with design, colors and cheaters that have marked the launch, so I’m staying with it for a while.  If you’re interested in this traffic tool, click on the BlogRush widget in the right sidebar.