When it reminds you of how much people and friends and gathering together can be.
I hit a new restaurant with a large group of parents while our middle schoolers enjoyed their last school dance of the year. I was able to sit with people that I see practically every day, and really enjoy them for a short while. Some I have known for several years, but we never seem to make the time to get together- even though we all think the world of each other. I met parents with a daughter one year younger and a son at the high school The Boy will attend next year. Two of the most enjoyable people I have met all year, and I have only just made their acquaintance.
What wonderful people we connect with when we set aside our shyness or anxiety and put ourselves out there to meet with the people we see all around us, every day! I have GOT to do this more often.
It is Mother’s Day today, and along with sleeping in and French Toast and Bacon made by the Husband for brunch, we tried two different pies for dinner. Julian Pie Company‘s Chicken Pot Pie and Claim Jumper’s Peach Pie. I can’t think of a better gift for me the mom than to cook for me and make an easy bake, easy clean-up dinner.
Julian Pie Co. Chicken Pot Pie- pure yum.
The pot pie was FABULOUS. All four of us decided that every time we go past the Julian Pie Company and pick up an apple pie, that the dinner pie WILL be bought, too. The whole family liked this dinner- the crust was super tender and flakey, the vegetable to meat to gravy ratios were all in great balance, and the flavor of the whole pie was delicious.
Better than “Meh”
The Claim Jumper Lattice Peach Pie was just what you would expect from a frozen pie, but on the better side of average. I had no expectations from this freezer section selection, but honestly? The crust was flaky and crisp and even though the filling was really sweet, it wasn’t bad- not a home made fresh peach pie by a long shot, but not the usual sub-standard grocery store ilk.
So, there you have it. Cook for your moms, clean up your dishes, and the next time you want a really good but still ready made pie for dessert for Mother’s Day, get to the store before they sell out of all the Julian Pie Company Apple Pies.
Two teens graduating, two freshmen next year, family coming over two weekends in a row for lots of people and lots of love overflowing. Graduate gifts to be purchased, traditional graduation projects for both schools to craft, reservations to make, photos still needing to be booked, housework to finish. Tears will be shed!
We will be making a big dent in that two cases of wine we won a couple of months ago…
The closest thing I think I want to do that resembles a Project of the Month is to pick several of the cookie recipes I have squirreled away on Pinterest and start baking. I bake and cook when I am stressed. It is the main hobby that I enjoy, and as a bonus- I can share the results with the friends and family that I have thoroughly annoyed along the way.
There’s a lot to choose from, just look at the number of ideas I have pinned here:
A few mini retreats to the kitchen are just the thing for me this month. I’ll also get to practice my food photography and promise to share the recipes- those that bomb and those we like!
We never really grill hamburgers in the backyard. Not when there are In-N-Out Burgers and Burger Lounge scattered about (I might admit to liking Burger Lounge better than In-N-Out, but don’t tell anyone, I might lose my Official California Native status, so, shhhh!!). When it comes to throwing something fast on the grill I prefer bratwurst ANY day to burgers. Think about it- there is way more greasy goodness to be had in a brat- no bun, please, that gets in the way of enjoying the grease.
Bratwurst, pork chops and loins, steaks of all kinds, and a really great copy-cat recipe of El Pollo Loco’s chicken** are regularly on my grill, plus lots of vegetables with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. Yum. How about trying a Mediterranean-style kebab for The Husband, who actually does like backyard burgers?
Kebabs formed, camera angle hiding the mess on the rest of the countertop…
For tonights’s kebabs, I followed the best recipe that I found online… just kidding. I did a mix-mash of about four different recipes.
The Recipe: mix together in a bowl, form into 8 large, thick, patties
1 1/3 lb ground beef
1 tsp each dried oregano and flour
1/2 tsp each of onion powder, garlic powder, salt, Italian seasoning, ground pepper, and Greek seasoning mix.
Next, I sat down to type this post. Two minutes later, I ran back to the kitchen and chased the cat off the counter, and promptly wrapped the kababs and put them in the fridge.
Greek-ish Hamburger Kababs
Grilled on low heat around 10-15 minutes to about medium rare, these were GREAT! The Grill Master chose the low heat because these were fairly thick, and didn’t want overcooked kebabs. We served them with a home made Tzatziki sauce (plain yogurt, crushed clove of garlic, grated cucumber, dill, salt, yum).
The Husband wants them in the regular line up. The Girl liked the kebabs, too, but she put ketchup on hers. What a plebe. The Boy says “Good, but could use more seasoning,” which is a surprise, since I thought there might be too much spice for the Prince of Plain. I think they would be far better made with half ground lamb, much like the most authentic recipes.
Really- get this little gem of a cookbook!
**Note- Speaking of the “More Top Secret Recipes” cookbook, by Todd Wilbur, I highly recommend it. This book is worth the purchase price if only for the Cinnabon Knock-Off and El Pollo Loco Chicken recipes.
And I guess I like both spellings of the word “kebab/kabab… and didn’t realize I had used both until my mom (also known as my editor) pointed out the inconsistency. Have I ever mentioned that I can’t spell in three languages? I’d pay for Spell Checker if it weren’t free.
I’ve tried to make refried beans before, and mine are nowhere near as good as our favorite Mexican restaurant. I’ve followed The Mom-In-Law’s recipe and still, no better. I decided to try a different kind of bean as suggested by a phenomenal woman I met when we moved back to California. Eva suggested trying Peruano beans, she liked their texture.
I’d do just about any suggestion that Eva offers. She is one of the first people we met at our kids new school six years ago, and she treated us like family. What a wonderful gift that is when coming to a new city and school! I will never forget when Southern California had a massive power outage four years ago right when I was to pick up my son for the day. The school principal and I wisely decided to wait out the traffic jam, saving ourselves HOURS of traffic misery (HA! A wise decision, in hindsight, see yesterday’s post!). Eva made a fried chicken dinner for the four of us, and this is typical of her kindness.
So, peruanos it is!
Cooked beans on left, uncooked, right…
Once the beans were cooked, I poured them into my cast iron skillet that had about a tablespoon of melted bacon grease and another tablespoon of corn oil. Next step is to mush away with a potato masher- I prefer the masher as pictured…
Voilà! Refried beans!
If you want to make these a more decadent dish, stir in about a half cup (or more!) grated cheddar, or even better/worse, crushed chicharrones. NOT the kind you get in the snack food aisle at the quickymart. Get real, freshly made chicharrones from a Mexican grocer, or don’t try it at all- there is no substitution. Curious? Here’s a link to a home made chicharron recipe: SeriousEats.comTheNastyBits:HowToMakeChicharrones
branching out... on a limb 