Happy New (School) Year!

The weather is cooling down. The kids are back in school and mom is blogging again! Woohoo!

I've been cooking and even taking a few pictures but just needed a break for awhile. Now that fall is here I am excited to get back to both cooking healthy food and doing a little running as well.

I've decided to make a few New (School) Year Resolutions. To me, the school year is a more logical time for resolutions. The season is changing. Your daily routine is changing. And when your resolution involves lots of running, the weather is generally much more cooperative! My resolutions for this year are:

1. Spend more time on Breakfasts. Instead of cold cereal every day, I'm going to experiment with other breakfast ideas that are quick, yummy and filling to send hubby and the kids on their way every day.

2. Get back to running on a schedule and sign up for a race so that I have motivation to train. Any suggestions on a good race to shoot for?

3. Add more fruits and vegetables to our diet.

4. Cut back on the amount of eating out we do. This summer was crazy and with all four kids heading in four directions every day, we hit drive-thru's way too often. Gonna get back into cooking every night.

5. Cut down on School Lunches by coming up with inexpensive yet healthy and tasty lunch box ideas.

6. Spend more time having fun with the family ... whether they like it or not! Now that I have two teens and a twenty-something, mom and dad may not be their first choice of people to hang out with. TOUGH! ;-)

Experiment with making a variety of bread with the end goal of not buying bread anymore.

I'm gonna go run, but I'll be back soon with all sorts of delicious new recipes.

It's been a long week: Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices

Between the kitchen remodel project and my still being sick, there hasn't been much cooking going on. Hopefully things will be looking up soon because I'm getting sick and tired of feeling sick and tired! For some reason, feeling sick might stop me from cooking but it doesn't stop me from thinking about cooking. If I could cook right now, I'd fix my favorite Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices and served with Mango Chutney. Yum! I originally found this recipe over at SpiceLines awhile back and make it over and over and over again whenever I have green tomatoes.The garam masala brings a little warm heat to the tart tomatoes and the sweet-tart flavor of the mango chutney is the perfect complement.

These Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices will be my contribution to the Saturday Blog Showcase co-hosted by All That Splatters and Thibeault's Table. Head on over to Thibeault's Table to see what everyone else made this week!

Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices
Recipe from SpiceLines


4 medium to large green, unripe tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon (or more) garam masala, to taste
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1-1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/3 cup ghee, clarified butter or canola oil (enough to fill the frying pan ¼ inch deep)
Chutney of your choice

Core the tomatoes and cut a very thin slice off the top and bottom. Cut each tomato into 3 horizontal slices, about ½-inch thick. Season the tomatoes lavishly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be liberal with the salt—the tomatoes need a good sprinkle to bring out their flavor.

Set up an assembly line of three medium-sized bowls. In the first bowl, mix 1 cup of flour with 1 tablespoon or more garam masala. The mixture should be quite fragrant. In the second bowl, briskly beat the egg and milk until frothy. In the third, put the breadcrumbs.

Prepare the tomatoes: Dredge each slice of tomato in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Next, dip the tomato in the egg and milk, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Be sure that the tomatoes are well coated with bread crumbs. Set aside.


In a heavy 12-inch cast iron frying pan, heat the ghee, clarified butter or oil over medium heat. When it is very hot, put four tomato slices in the pan. Fry them for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until the crust turns crisp and golden brown. If the ghee starts to smoke, lower the heat slightly. Do not overcook or the tomatoes will be mushy. Drain on a stack of paper towels. Proceed with the rest of the tomatoes.

Serve at once, with a generous dollop of sweet-tart mango chutney.

You Capture: Kisses

Our Valentine's dinner party was the perfect place to capture lots of kisses for this week's You Capture over at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

  

  

You Capture: Taking Pictures of Things Beside Food

I came across a great blog called I Should be Folding Laundry the other day. I was having fun looking through her blog when I came across a post about the blogging event she hosts. It's called You Capture. It's goal is to encourage you to take more pictures (which conveniently is one of my New Year's Resolutions). This week's theme was "Faces".

Hubby had to work outside this week, putting up a tower so we can have better internet access! Can you tell it was cold out there? 

Here's my nephew -- future rock star and die hard Colts fan. (Check out his dad's cooking blog here.)

Jilly.

Here's a couple of old pictures that I love and were perfect for this theme. Here's Lillian. Don't you just love that curl?

I took this last summer but it's my favorite. I call it "Freckles".

Ten in 2010: The Second Week

I got dh to eat broccoli and actually agree it tasted pretty good.

Went to our first group training meeting for the Mini Marathon.

I blogged every day.

Um .... uhh ...I'm drawing a blank. The second week didn't go nearly as well as the first. Had a migraine that lasted a couple of days and even for a few days after that, I really didn't want to move my head more than I had to. So no exercise this week.

As far as eating ... well, we ended up eating out (actually ordering in ) more than we have in months. (Again with the migraine excuse.::sigh::)

I did find a really great recipe for Italian Sausage Soup over at Menu Planning 101 though. It was quick and easy to make, used things I had in the fridge and in the pantry and I bet if you used turkey sausage, it would be even better for you! ;-) Did I mention it was delicious?

Italian Sausage Soup
Recipe courtesy of Meal Planning 101

1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups beef broth
1 14 1/2 oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 cup carrot, shredded
1 14 1/2 oz can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 small zucchini, shredded
2 cups baby spinach, packed and rinsed
Salt and pepper

In a large pot over medium high heat add your Italian sausage. Brown the sausage with the garlic for about 6-8 minutes breaking it up while it's cooking. Add the beef broth, tomatoes, carrots, white kidney beans and zucchini. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste the broth and see if it needs any salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach. The residual heat of the soup will wilt the spinach. Serve.

Blogging Events

One of my New Year's Resolutions is get  back to cooking and blogging on a more regular basis. Somehow I lost some of my enthusiasm for cooking last year. Things got crazy there for awhile and looking back, I realized that during that time I stopped participating in Food Blog Events. Events are hosted by individual bloggers and generally center around a specific theme. Could be a favorite chef ( Ellie in my Belly, Barefoot Bloggers) or a type of food (Weekend Herb Blogging, Presto Pasta Nights). Anything. It's fun and it can help you push your boundaries and expand your horizon. I miss that so I've set out to find some new (to me) events to participate in this year.

Here's one that sounds interesting: Regional Recipes over at Blazing Hot Wok. A different area is highlighted each month. How fun is that? The next round-up will feature recipes from Brazil. Submissions need to be in by January 15th.

Not sure that this event goes along with my other resolution to lose weight but it sounds fun anyway! The Domestic Goddess'  Sugar High Fridays let you make and blog about your favorite desserts based on a theme during the last week of each month. Check out the last round-up here.

Dining with Debbie is offering Crock Pot Wednesdays. How handy would this be? Just imagine, one day a week when dinner basically takes care of itself!

Weekend Wokking from Wandering Chopsticks is a great way to push those boundaries. Each month you are given a secret ingredient to incorporate into a dish. This month's ingredient is Chili Pepper. Posts need to be submitted by January 31, 2010 to be included in the February round-up. Check out the last round-up here.

I Blame my Mother! has a great challenge going on. She is cooking her way through the Food Network's line-up of chefs. This week is Giada de Laurentiis.  If you'd like to join in, add your Giada post on January 13th. See who's next!


Do you have a favorite event?

Edited to add:

Of course as soon as I published this I found another intriguing event. I Heart Cooking Clubs is a great way to participate in a cooking group without being tied down to one recipe. The group chooses a chef and then for the next several months they work their way through that chef's recipes, preparing and blogging about recipes they've selected to reflect that week's theme. Right now they are working on Nigella Lawson. To see the weekly themes or to join in, go here.

Ten in 2010: The First Week

So far ... not as good as I'd hoped, unfortunately.

Let's see:

• Drink more water every day. I have been drinking 2-4 more cups of water per day than before so that's good.
• Get 25 mg fiber each day. Not so much. Really need to work on this one.
  
• Exercise for 30 minutes, 5 days per week. Well, I did run once which is more than before. Why didn't someone tell me how sore I'd be? LOL!)
• Add more fruits and vegetables to my diet. A good start, I'd say. We tried Brussels Sprouts for the first time this week. (Roasted with a little olive oil. Yum!) I also made a Chicken Gumbo with lots of fresh veggies in it. A few salads here, some frozen veggies there.
  
• Lose 10 pounds. Well ... it's still early. ;-) I did jump back into Sparkpeople.com. I've been logging my food and exercise and re-acquainting myself with some old Spark Friends. I've also spent a lot of time going through the Spark Recipes, looking for tasty, yet healthy additions to our dinner rotation.
  

I did make some progress on other fronts. I re-organized my kitchen. Purging lots of extraneous clutter and simplifying things so that it's easier to grab a healthy snack. I've also jumped back on the blogging bandwagon so I'm quite happy with that.

All in all, not a bad start at all. :-)


Edited to Add: I forgot the best part! I've lost 1.5 pounds so far this week! I guess this week wasn't so bad after all!

Help Me! I Have a Problem ...

I'm addicted to kitchen gadgets. I can't seem to stop myself. Flea markets. Garage sales. The Target kitchen department. I always seem to be picking up new kitchen utensils. They are small. They are inexpensive (usually). They seem harmless.  I have a mother-in-law that feeds my addiction. One Christmas she gave me a huge box full of OXO stuff. (Another it was a huge box of McCormick's spices!) Not to mention there is a sister-in-law who sells Pampered Chef!

But suddenly I find myself overrun with gizmos and gadgets. I had two (yes two) kitchen drawers so packed with these gadgets that they wouldn't even open. The handle broke on one ... let's say awhile ago (when my teenager was a toddler!) and I haven't even opened it since. I have a Pampered Chef Tool Turn-About crammed full of BBQ brushes and measuring spoons, silicone scrapers and pizza cutters. I also have an OXO Utensil Holder full of OXO spatulas and ladles and my microplane and a myriad of other utensils I feel I can't live without. :-)

Help! I've taken all my utensils out and sorted them onto the dining room table. I've eliminated the old. The poor quality. The broken and the useless. It would be easy to just say one of each but I *need* more than one set of tongs. Same with the pizza (and grilled cheese and ...) cutters. Some things I am going to have to have more than one. I accept that. My question is how to store it all. I'm putting the things I use daily out on the counter but how to store the rest so that it isn't just a big, impenetrable jumble? Any suggestions? Websites? Links to a 12 step program?

A Look Back ...

I'm glad 2009 is over. From where I sit, most of it is worth forgetting.

There were, however, a few things I whipped up this year that we're going to want to see again in 2010.


 
Beer-Braised Bacon Bacon Cheeseburgers, for example. Delicious and good enough to serve to company, which we did. A couple of times!
 




Chicken-Green Chili Straws with Jalapeno-Honey Dip is a family favorite that I've made time and time again. 

 

And then there was Kevin's Shrimp Saganaki. Shrimp and tomatoes bakes with salty Feta cheese. Yum!








 
We also have Kevin of Closet Cooking to thank for Jalapeno Popper Dip. And also for my new favorite: Hot Caramelized Onion Dip.




Cajun Chicken Pasta has become my go-to dish when I need to get a meal on the table quickly.

Italian White Bean and Sausage Stew just barely made it in under the deadline but it will surely reappear in 2010.

Ten in 2010 Healthy Challenge

Now that 2010 has arrived I'm getting back on the ball. No more excuses. No more procrastinating. I'm getting back on track and Ten in 2010 over at RecipeGirl.com is going to help me do it. The Ten in 2010 Healthy Challenge is a way to help you make some healthy changes in your life during the first 10 weeks of 2010. Food bloggers and food blog readers from all over the world are joining together to support and encourage each other reach whatever healthy goals each participant is shooting for.

My goals for 2010:

• Drink more water every day.
• Get 25 mg fiber each day.
• Exercise for 30 minutes, 5 days per week.
• Add more fruits and vegetables to my diet.
• Lose 10 pounds.

A big part of this goal is the One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon, a 13.1 mile race in May 2010 that my husband and I have signed up to run again this year. After taking some time off from running, it's gonna be a huge (and long overdue) step getting back into an exercise routine. And since food=fuel, it's going to be very important that I focus on eating healthier foods. Good for the race and good for my family and hopefully good for my blog readers since I will be trying a variety of new, healthier recipes through the next ten weeks (and hopefully beyond!)

If you'd like a little help in getting healthier this year, head on over to RecipeGirl.com and check out Ten in 2010. The more the merrier!

Goodbye ... and Good Riddance to 2009!

I'm calling a do-over! 2009 didn't work out at all the way I'd planned.

Well, now that 2009 is history and I look back over the past months I am pleasantly surprised that I'm still blogging. 2009 was not a stellar year. Too many losses. Too much sadness. Too many changes. (Too much weight gained!) Definitely a year we're happy to put behind us.

My original goal for I'm Running to Eat! has gone by the wayside this year. The blog was supposed to be a way to motivate myself to prepare healthier meals for my family as well as track my fitness goals and chronicle my journey to running a full marathon. Unfortunately plans changed this year and while I think I did well on preparing home-cooked meals instead of eating out, the "healthy" part slipped from the forefront and the running ended up to be non-existent by the end of 2009.

January always means New Year's Resolution's and this year is no exception.

• In 2010, I'm Running to Eat! is going to be filled with more healthy family-fare. I'm going to be trying at least one new vegetable recipe each week while trying to convince my picky offspring that veggies can be tasty even if they are good for you. ;-)

• Running and fitness are going to become a higher priority. DH and I are beginning a training program for our Half Marathon in May. All those extra pounds we accumulated in 2009 are gonna be out of here!
  

• And I'm going to get back to blogging on a more regular basis. I'm going to be learning how to take better pictures with our new camera and all the neat photo equipment DH has gotten lately. I'm also participating in Ten in '10 Healthy Challenge over at RecipeGirl.com. Hopefully that will encourage me to stick to my healthy New Year's Resolutions (at least for the first ten weeks!) Head on over to RecipeGirl.com to join in on the challenge.
  

Happy 2010 to all of you. Hope you all have a great year!

We've had a Rough Time Lately

Flowers from my sister-in-law's garden. She loved gardening.

I've been neglecting my blog lately. I've been neglecting my kitchen too much as well. We seem to be going through a rough patch here lately. We've had too many injuries and illnesses and *way* too many funerals. We've lost too many loved ones recently. A treasured uncle, followed only a few short months later by his wife, a favorite aunt. And perhaps even more tragically, many were far too young to lose: the 19-year-old son of dh's cousin, his other cousin's 27-year-old son killed in an automobile accident, my cousin's 19-year-old foster son who was also killed in an accident, and most recently dh's 47-year-old sister passed away unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago from a brain aneurysm.

It's been a trying time and unfortunately, experimenting with food has been low on my priority list. Hopefully now that spring has arrived, with bright sunshine and cheery bird songs, things will start to look up. One joy in our lives is that my niece has come to live with us for awhile. The kids are ecstatic to spend some time with one of their favorite cousins and it's been a blessing for dh to have her here as she reminds him so much of her mother when she was that age. Another blessing is that with another teen-aged mouth to feed, I've got to get back into the kitchen. I have tried a few new recipes lately and will be blogging about them soon.

I want to thank everyone for the support we've received throughout this trying time. 2009 may not have started out in the way we'd hope, but I have faith that the rest of the year will be better.

Postscript: As I was typing this entry, I received an email telling me that one of my high school friends passed away yesterday.

::sigh::

Sometimes it seems like when it rains, it pours. :-(

Not again!

I'm sick.

Ugh!

Can't. Think. About. Food.

Favorites of 2008

I tried a lot of new recipes in 2008. Most were delicious. Some were very forgetable. A couple were downright awful. LOL! Here are some of my favorites from the past year:

• Ladenia - This has to be my most favorite recipe from 2008. I'd never heard of Ladenia until I came across it over at Peter M.'s Kalofagus. Heaven. On. A. Plate. (Especially with homegrown Indiana tomatoes!)
• Migas - Love them all but my favorite this year was Rachael Ray's recipe with Tomato-Chipotle Sauce. Mmmm.
  
• Peking Chicken Pizza - Joe from Culinary in the Desert makes the best pizza ever! Crispy crust. Roasted seame seeds. A smoky-sweet sauce. My mouth waters just thinking of it.
  
• Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices - SpiceLines post on fried green tomatoes introduced me to my new favorite spice ... garam masala.
  
• Huevos Rancheros - The Smitten Kitchen's post on huevos rancheros convinced me I should try them. OMG! My new favorite breakfast. (And lunch. And dinner!)
  
• Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Tarragon Sauce -
  
• Crab Quesadillas - Not sure why the idea of crab in a quesadilla was a light bulb moment for me. I love crab. I love quesadillas. Kevin's pictures over at Closet Cooking convinced me to try it. Delicious!
• Baked Sweet Potato Fries -- Ingrid Hoffman's Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Dip was to die for! Even DH liked it!

You know, this list could go on and on. I mean, there were those amazing Portobello Mushroom Fries. And Kate's Zucchini Rounds were simple to make and totally delicious. And who could forget the Crispy Bacon and Corn Quesadillas with Avocado-Cherry Tomato Relish (and the resulting inferno?) How about the Neely's BBQ Pizza? Pizza on the grill! Who knew? And the white barbecue sauce? I know! I can't wait for grilling weather to come back!

Here's hoping for more delicious recipes in 2009!

Welcome 2009!

Well, 2008 is history and as I look back over the past months I am pleasantly surprised that I'm still blogging. My original goal for I'm Running to Eat! has gone by the wayside this year. The blog was supposed to be a way to motivate myself to prepare healthier meals for my family as well as track my fitness goals and chronicle my journey to running a full marathon. Plans changed this year and while I think I did really well on preparing home-cooked meals instead of eating out, the "healthy" part slipped from the forefront and the running ended up to be non-existent by the end of 2008.

January always means New Year's Resolution's and this year is no exception.

• In 2009, I'm Running to Eat! is going to be filled with more healthy family-fare. I'm going to be trying at least one new vegetable recipe each week while trying to convince my picky offspring that veggies can be tasty even if they are good for you. ;-)

• We're going to be more social this year ... even if it kills us! ;-) We'll be having a dinner party each month with a group of friends. Every third month the party will be at our house, motivating me to try new recipes, get creative with decorations ... and keep my house clean! I'm going to plan more play dates for DD and encourage the older kids to have more friends over. DH and I will go out on a date at least once a month. And we're going to try to do something with other friends at least once a month.

• Running and fitness are going to become a higher priority. DH and I are beginning a training program for our Half Marathon in May. All those extra pounds we accumulated in 2008 are gonna be out of here!

• And I'm going to get back to blogging on a more regular basis. I'm going to be learning how to take better pictures with our new camera and all the neat photo equipment DH has gotten lately.

Looking back on the past year has been interesting. I just realized that I've stuck with this blogging thing for over a year now. Yep. I totally missed my blogging birthday. LOL! Apparently I started blogging back in September of 2007 though it was in 2008 that I started posting on a semi-regular basis. ;-) And in that time I've posting 260 (or so) times.

Wow.

Happy 2009 to all of you. Hope you all have a great year!

Sorry I've been MIA

I suppose it was inevitable. All the kids have been sick so I'm not too surprised that I've got it now. I just wonder why I always get it worse? Hopefully this will all be behind us at Christmas. (That would be a first! Seems like someone is always sick on major holidays. LOL!)

I'm crawling back to bed. I'll post more when I'm able.

I'll leave you with a recipe for my favorite comfort food when I'm sick: Creamy Crockpot Potato Cheese Soup.

Creamy Crockpot Potato Cheese Soup

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 white onions -- chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 cups water
4 stalks celery -- diced
2 large carrots -- diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
salt -- to taste
pepper -- to taste
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons chicken base -- in 1 cup water
5 pounds russet potatoes -- peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
1 cup cheddar cheese -- shredded
6 slices bacon -- crisp and crumbled

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion in butter until translucent. Stir in flour. Stir in 2 cups of water, celery, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat through. Stir in milk. Add dissolved chicken base in water. Place potatoes in crockpot and stir heated vegetable mixture into potatoes. Place bay leaf into pot, cover and cook 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Remove bay leaf and puree 4 cups of the soup. Return to crockpot. Add cheese and bacon. Stir until cheese is melted.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

I'm taking a break this week as I try to get caught up before the holidays. We have family coming in from out of town, DS coming home from college, a house full of sick kids (as well as a sick mom!) and something just has to go.

Enjoy the rest of your week and I'll be back next week with some great recipes I've already made. (The Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette was delicious!) I have a few dessert recipes for you as well as some yummy appetizers that will come in handy for those holiday parties!

Sorry I've been MIA!

Have I mentioned lately that I have a strong dislike for my internet service provider? No? Well... I have a really, really strong dislike for my internet service provider! We are without internet access AGAIN! Apparently random. No bearing on our actual usage or even if anyone has been on the computer at all. In fact, once they showed steady usage for the whole time we were out of town on vacation for 10 days and we disconnected the satellite before we left. I so cannot wait until we can dump these guys and find a new provider.

One of the downfalls of living out in the country. No cable. No dsl. No choices. :-(

I'll try to get somewhere to get some posts set to go for next week. One way or another, I'll be back!

Won't be cooking today

I'm going to be taking a break from blogging today. On the way home from taking ds back to college last night, dh and I hit a deer. Deer are pretty common here in Indiana. It's one of the benefits of living out here in the country. I enjoy watching the sun come up, sipping my chai and watching the deer meander through the fields. Unfortunately that great beauty comes with a risk. :-(

We are both alright but my poor Pacifica isn't. This morning we're off to get it checked out by the insurance company, towed somewhere where they can fix it (quickly, I hope) and hopefully find an inexpensive car for me to drive while they do.

I have a feeling that it won't be a quick trip!

One good thing, while we were out of town Grandma and the kids picked up more persimmons and prepared about 15 cups of puree for the freezer. Woohoo! And since it looks like I might be stuck at home for awhile, just imagine all of the persimmon goodies I'll have time to make!

Persimmons

The nights are getting colder. The leaves are starting to change. Halloween is almost here. And the persimmons are ready! Woohoo!

When we first looked it this house, I knew we had to have it when I saw the huge eat-in kitchen and the amazing pantry. (Okay. The giant utility room was nice too!) But when we walked around the yard and saw that there were *3* persimmon trees ... well, it was a done deal. I grew up with a persimmon tree in the yard and had been missing all those homemade persimmon puddings. Yum!

Unfortunately, since we've been here, one of the trees has blown over in a big storm but the other two are producing like crazy this year. The girls picked up persimmons yesterday and we were able to freeze enough persimmon pulp to make about 5 persimmon puddings. I'm hoping to freeze as much as I can this year. In the past, many (if not most) have gone to waste before I'd get motivated enough to do anything with them.

Persimmon pulp has always been a somewhat rare commodity and I've been afraid to "waste" it trying some new recipe that might or might not be as tasty as our tried-and-true persimmon pudding. This year, I'm planning to freeze as much as possible and finally getting around to trying some of the yummy-sounding persimmon recipes I've found online.

Here are some recipes I'm considering. If you've not had persimmons (the small, American ones, not the larger Asian varieties), this is a great time to try them. The pulp can often be found in your grocery store or at your local farmer's market during this time of year.


Prize-Winning Persimmon Pudding from the Mitchell, Indiana Persimmon Festival

Persimmon Applesauce from The Modern Beet

Persimmon Muffins from From Our Home to Yours

Ginger Persimmon Preserves from PersimmonPudding.com

Persimmon Chocolate Chip Cookies from PersimmonPudding.com

Persimmon Jam

Persimmon Sauce

Brown County (Indiana) Persimmon Fudge from OurBrownCounty.com