This is what I'm dealing with

I got so exasperated tonight with the 8yo. She was ready for dinner and I had nothing to make for her. Nothing, that is, except for the peanut butter and crackers I sent to school with her the past two days, or the macaroni and cheese she had for dinner two nights ago. I actually got her to try some ambrosia [oranges, pineapple and cherries, so delicious] and it made her gag. Sigh.

So I had her make a list for me of ALL the foods that she will eat. And she agreed that I can feed her anything off this list at any time, and she will eat it. It's not that long a list, if it's your entire diet:

Peanut butter
Pinto beans
Baked beans
Peanuts
Pistachios
Cashews
Pecans
Macaroni & cheese
Biscuits
Spaghetti
Tortillas
Campbell's Goldfish meatball soup*
Bagels
Honey Nut Cheerios
Cheerios
Graham crackers
Apples
Strawberries
Bananas
Red grapes
Kiwi
Dates
Artichokes
Corn
Potatoes
Peas
Tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Alfredo/cream sauce
Spinach salad**
Yogurt
Frozen yogurt
Cheddar sticks***
Milk
Cream cheese
Croutons
Ranch dressing

As a side note, with the exception of salad with salad dressing and tomatoes, or a tortilla with beans or peanut butter, she eats almost all of these things alone. Meaning, there's no point in getting creative and making a dish with cream sauce and vegetables....she won't eat that. She doesn't eat melted cheese at all, for instance. Lots of traditional ways of combining food? Forget it.

I know, I know, everyone keeps telling me she will grow out of it. All I can tell you is that she started becoming a picky eater around the age of 5, and it has gotten progressively worse since then, dramatically so this year. And not just because she became vegetarian this year -- she's limited herself in lots of other ways, too. She used to eat green beans. Several other cereals. Any kind of cheese we had. Hummus.

Not anymore. Hahaha she tried to get me to put Cheetos on this list. You really don't want to know my response.

*She knows this has meat in it. She says that is OK, that she is vegetarian about everything else.
**I viewed this as a major concession on her part, for which I am most grateful.
***Apparently these are some mysterious kind of cheese sticks, which I have never bought, but that one of her friend's mothers feeds her on the way home from dance. I can't wait to find out what they are, and how close they are to all the other kinds of cheese [and there are many] already in my refrigerator.

Rotel risotto

Don't be fooled by the name.
It doesn't taste like the dip.

I am not even kidding when I tell you I made risotto with Rotel tomatoes tonight. Nor am I joking when I tell you I love it, and I'm going to make it again.

I know some of you are now fainting. Wait, if you're still standing, I had Taco Bell for lunch. [Which just reminded me that I really hate Taco Bell, after years of it being my favorite fast food fetish, and that I don't ever go there anymore because I never like it when I do. Apparently I have to remind myself of that about once a year.]

Back to the Rotel risotto.

I had in the back of my head that maybe I'd make some risotto tonight, when I absentmindedly opened my cabinet. And there -- crowded in with everything else -- sat the Rotel. I buy the mild version, finding it more than plenty hot for me. And every once in a while I just get a craving for it. Most of the time, I use it in soup -- it is so handy. It's a great shortcut for getting a bit of heat and some spices in a vegetable, bean or tortilla soup.

Tonight I just sat there, trying to decide between risotto and soup, and I realized maybe I didn't have to decide. Here's what I did -- and unlike most recipes, I can't think of any way I'd change this one!

Rotel Risotto
1 c. arborio rice
2 T. butter
3-4 cloves garlic
2-3 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. white wine
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes
1 c. cream-style corn [I had some leftover from Thanksgiving, but I'm sure canned would work.]
1 jar Kraft Old English cheese spread
Oregano

Bring chicken broth to a simmer and hold it there.

Melt butter over medium heat and add rice and garlic. Stir frequently until rice begins to turn golden. Add 1/2 c. or so of broth and stir frequently. Turn heat down on rice to medium low or low, just enough to keep it at a slow simmer. Add more broth each time the liquid is absorbed.

When the rice approaches al dente, spoon in three heaping spoonfuls of Rotel, draining the liquid. This is a little more than half the can. Add the corn. Add 1/2 c. wine, and stir until absorbed. Add 1 t. or so of oregano and the cheese spread. Turn off the heat and stir until cheese melts.

This is rating very high on the comfort food scale for me.

Cheese grits casserole

  Delicious!! 

This is what we had for Thanksgiving breakfast. I did look at a recipe but I decided it was wrong and made up my own. It turned out well but not nearly so rich as lots of cheese grits I've had....which I regarded as a good thing.

Cheese Grits Casserole
3 c. water
1 c. grits [I use real stone-ground grits, not the quick kind]
Salt
1 T. butter
1/2 stick butter
1 roll garlic cheese
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
3 slices bacon, crumbled
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk

Boil the water with a little salt and 1 T. butter. Add the grits and turn to low. Stir frequently until water is absorbed. Watch out; grits stick easily.

Remove from heat when the grits are done, and stir in garlic cheese and 1/2 stick butter. Cool slightly then stir in cheddar, bacon, eggs and milk. Bake at 350 degrees 30-45 minutes until set.

More photos from Thanksgiving so far....

It's the day before Thanksgiving, so it must be spaghetti.

  Meat sauce, sans meat so far

For years, my family has eaten spaghetti the day before Thanksgiving. I think the original idea was, it's something everyone will eat. You start it early in the morning and barely have to touch it again....a perfect meal.

Normally when I make spaghetti, I use the tomato sauce recipe from the original Moosewood Cookbook. It's fresh and very tomato-y. But bowing to tradition, I'm making both that, and an adaptation of my mom's recipe today. I think my mom's recipe started from the cookbook Well Seasoned. That is a really great cookbook, btw.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce
4 medium onions
2 T. olive oil
4 garlic cloves

Chop onions and garlic. Saute in a great big pot with the oil until tender. Then add:

28 oz. diced tomatoes
16 oz. tomato sauce
2 cans tomato paste
3 c. water
Mushrooms
Oregano [I used about 2 t.]
Black pepper to taste
Tabasco to taste
1 t. Worchestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 T. honey

Simmer on low 6-8 hours.

Brown 2 lb. ground chuck. Drain and add to the sauce. Add salt if needed. Cook 1 more hour.

Crunchy peanut butter apples

  Crunchy peanut butter apples

An impromptu recipe, adapted from Mr. Rogers by the 8yo.

Crunchy peanut butter apples
1 apple
Peanut butter
A couple graham crackers

Stick two graham crackers in a plastic bag and seal. Roll with a rolling pin til they are crumby. Peel the apple and slice it into thin planks. Spread each plank with peanut butter. Dip into the crumbs.

I tried one too; they are surprisingly delicious!

Update on Thanksgiving 2007

  Ready for the freezer   

I've made the rolls. They're in the freezer.

I've got my shopping list ready. We're hitting Publix first thing in the a.m.

Also Sweet 16th and the liquor store.

End of the day, we're picking up the fried turkey from the men's group at church.

In between? Cooking about a bazillion things. I'll try to post some photos.

links for 2007-11-20

• Thanksgiving Tradition, Freezer Yeast Rolls - Associated Content
  The roll recipe I made for Thanksgiving 2007. In the freezer now....
  (tags: yeast roll recipe)
• farro with roasted butternut squash and toasted walnuts
  make this
  (tags: butternut squash recipe cookeatfret)

links for 2007-11-17

• Court Rejects Fuel Standards on Trucks - New York Times
  One day, I have dreams of buying a car that gets great gas mileage. Still waiting for someone to make that car....
  (tags: gas mileage fuel economy standards)
• Simply Recipes: Cranberry Relish Recipe

Break out the elbow-length mitts

Veggies ready for the grill

My grill is back!

When I lived in my last house, I inherited a very nice natural gas grill from my dad. I didn't have gas service at the time, but as soon as my HVAC died, I fixed that problem and got the grill hooked up too.

I grilled happily for several years til I made the mistake of moving to a [otherwise great] house with no gas service. So I put the cover on the grill and thought, something will die soon [I was surrounded by 30+ year old appliances] and I'll replace it with gas.

Two and a half years later, I finally replaced the water heater out of sheer paranoia [it was almost 15 years old, a ticking time bomb], my stove [totally unreliable] and therefore could FINALLY get my grill hooked up.

My friend Tom the plumber ran all the gas lines and took care of what turned out to be a fairly massive project. Need I say, the gas line for the grill was the most troublesome, vexing Tom and me both till the end?

  On the grill

Yet here I was today, finally ready to grill. I got some squash and mushrooms at the store, chopped them up and mixed with some onions I had. You want to cut the squash into fairly thick planks [at least 1/4 inch, maybe a little more]. Then coat with a little olive oil and your choice of spices. I use a great spice mix I found in a Crescent Dragonwagon cookbook a long time ago. I am never without the stuff.

Then, grill!

I never used to be interested in grilling. I regarded it as a chore, and though I was always glad for someone else to grill for me, I didn't want to bother with it myself.

First batch off the grill

Oh my goodness. It was almost 10 years ago -- nine years ago next month, in fact -- that we moved into a house that had a built-in gas grill. I started using it from time to time, and I discovered how awesome it was to sit out on the porch, wine in hand, and cook dinner in the dark.

So I have missed that these past couple years. Tonight there was a fair amount of racing back and forth into the house....one day I'll master the art of feeding a toddler at a convenient time....but still. It was a good night for grilling and it turned out well.

links for 2007-11-14

• MarketingSherpa: How to Add Web 2.0 Features to Your Publishing Site: 5 Best Practices
  Good overview for those just considering steps toward letting readers talk back.
• Solar Energy company in Madison
  (tags: solar)
• Al Gore joins Kleiner Perkins to save the planet - Nov. 12, 2007