October 2007 Archives

Phone message that I just left for Hubby:

"I have a pot pie. I have a scythe. Can you fix the timer on the blinking eyeballs?"

Mmmm....yummy, lightning fast and VERY kid-friendly. Inspired by a recipe that was originally in Good Housekeeping and then adapted by my friend Barb, and then adapted again by me. The original version can be found here. For adults, you may want to doll this up a bit: a little sriracha for a tad more "kick" and maybe a handful of cilantro leaves at the very end.

Stir-fried Pork Tenderloin and Veggies with Rice

2 cups basmati rice, uncooked
4 cups chicken stock
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
(They come two per pack at Costco, about one pound each)
1 Tbsp. peanut (or canola or vegetable) oil
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. molasses
1/2 tsp. chile paste with garlic (Asian food section of your supermarket)
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water
1 16 oz bag of your favorite frozen stir fry veggies
(snow peas? sugar snap peas? broccoli? edamame? I used a bag that was a blend of edamame, sugar snap peas, baby corn, red peppers and water chestnuts.)

Cook rice in the chicken stock, according to the package directions. While rice cooks, heat sesame and peanut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and pork slices and cook for about 6 minutes, or until pork is browned on the outside and no longer pink in the middle.

While pork cooks, stir together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until the slurry is smooth. Stir together soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, molasses, chile paste) in another small bowl. When pork is almost done, pour the soy sauce mixture and vegetables into the skillet and continue to cook for about 4 more minutes, or until the veggies are done, stirring frequently. Add cornstarch-water mixture and cook about 1 more minute, or until sauce has thickened.

Remove from heat and serve over the cooked rice.

Tonight's dinner is adapted from this Epicurious/Bon Appetit recipe. I substituted Baby Bam for the mustard (Boy and Girl aren't fans) and added green pepper, bay leaf and garlic and cut the amount of onion a bit.

The verdict: this was okay, but I think I've concluded that I just don't like cornish hens: they're a lot of trouble to prepare and to eat, with all of those bones and skin, and it's hard to make them flavorful, since it's hard to get seasoning deep into the meat. If I make this again, I would probably use boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been marinated with something instead of hens.

As some commenters on epicurious said, the stuffing was a little sweet, because I used the Jiffy mix, which does have some sugar in it. It didn't bother me enough, though, that I would make cornbread from scratch for a weeknight to make this stuffing (I only do that for Thanksgiving).

Cornish Hens with Cornbread-Ham Stuffing

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix, prepared into 7 muffins according to package directions
(you'll need 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk)
2 Cornish game hens, halved lengthwise, with the backbone removed, rinsed well and patted dry
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion (about 1/4 of a large onion or 1/2 of a small one)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1/2 of a large one)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 bay leaf, broken into 3 or 4 pieces
1 cup cubed smoked ham
1/3 to 1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
3/4 tsp. dried rubbed sage
1 1/2 tsp. Baby Bam seasoning, divided

For stuffing:
Heat oil in a heavy, medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper and bay leaf; saute until onion is translucent and other veggies have softened, about 5 minutes. Mix in ham, sage, parsley and enough chicken broth to moisten the stuffing, but not make it soggy; stir until heated through. Remove skillet from heat. Season stuffing with 1 tsp. of the Baby Bam seasoning. Cool slightly.

For hens:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13 X 9 X 2 baking dish and place the stuffing in the dish, in 4 separate "piles" or mounds (remove bay leaf pieces, if you can find them). Season hens with remaining Baby Bam seasoning and set one hen half on each stuffing pile. Roast hens until golden brown and juices run clear when thighs are pierced, about 45 or 50 minutes. Transfer hens to platter and serve.

Boy participates in a Lego Robotics class after school on Wednesdays and REALLY loves it. Boy and Hubby sometimes work on little Robotics projects at home together. Hubby will tell you that he bought the Lego kit for Boy to have at home to work on projects for the class, but he is totally fibbing; he loves it as much as Boy does. Boy and Hubby made a special helicopter-y whirl-gig thingie recently and Boy was really looking forward to class today, because I told him that I would bring it when I picked him up, so he could show his classmates. Well, the teacher called in sick today and boy....was Boy bummed...

He was brooding (and being generally pouty and unpleasant), so I pulled out my sure-fire 10-year-old Boy cheerer-upper (fart jokes - duh!). So, I'm going on and on about "Farty McTootson" and Boy finally cracks a smile. I pounced: "Ooh - I caught you - I see you smiling - don't you dare laugh!". Determined-to-stay-sullen Boy's response? "That wasn't a smile, Mom, that was a grimace."

Tonight's dinner was adapted significantly from this recipe in the September 2007 issue of Cooking Light magazine. A huge hit with all of us. We've had our first wave of chilly fall weather this week, and this was the perfect warming dish. YUM.

Chicken & Spinach Risotto with Fresh Mozzarella, Grape Tomatoes and Basil

2 bonesless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 tsp. Baby Bam seasoning
(I REALLY wasn't kidding - I totally use it in EVERYTHING!)
6 oz frozen chopped spinach, cooked according to package directions and wrung of excess water
(the remaining 6 oz. left in the 16 oz package after you use 10 oz to make Chicken Lasagna Florentine)
4 to 6 Tbsp. olive oil
2 to 3 Tbsp. bottled balsamic glaze sauce (most larger grocery stores carry this)
about 6 cups chicken broth (you may need slightly more or less)
2 cups chopped leek (light green and yellow parts only - rinsed well)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, finely diced (a little more than a cup)

Blot chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle them with 1 tsp. of the Baby Bam seasoning and grill them. Let them cool slightly and then cut them into bite-sized pieces (or slices) and set aside.

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm.

Heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek to pan; saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, and cook 1 minute or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup broth; cook 5 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium.

Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total). About halfway through (after about 2 more cups have been absorbed, after the initial first cup), stir in the chicken pieces and the spinach, a little bit at a time to maintain a constant temperature. After rice is cooked and tender (the only way to really decide is to taste it with a clean spoon), stir in half-and-half and pepper; cook 2 additional minutes. Remove from heat; stir in tomatoes, basil, remaining 1/2 tsp. of Baby Bam and cheese. Spoon about 1 cup risotto into each serving bowl and drizzle each bowl with 1/2 tsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp balsamic glaze.

Another option: Prepare the risotto without adding the chicken and then add the chicken slices, in a decorative fan pattern, on top of the risotto.

We got "Boo'd" last night. I've always heard of "Boo'ing", but we've never been "Boo'd" before, and, I have to admit, I always felt a little left out. For those of you that don't know, this is a Halloween tradition that is popular in the suburbs. It entails delivering a little bag of candy and treats to the house of a neighbor, after dark so that you won't be seen and a poetic request that you "Boo" two other neighbors. There is a little ghost decoration attached that is meant to be hung in one of your front windows so that everyone knows that you've already been "Boo'd" and they shouldn't target you again.

Here's the thing, though: I've always wanted to be "Boo'd" and knew almost instantly what was happening when someone rang our doorbell last night and no one was there when we went to the door. Hubby, on the other hand, was his usual curmudgeonly, cynical former police officer self and was convinced that we were about to be the targets of some horrible vandalism. He went around the house, turning on all of our exterior security lights and looking for teenagers with eggs or shaving cream. It was really hard for me not to laugh. I might have actually laughed, just a little bit, really really quietly. In his defense, in the three years that we've lived here, our cars have been shot up with paintballs and broken into three separate times. Sigh. I digress.

Anyway, this recipe is adapted from a really old Halloween party book - so old that the cereal that it called for isn't even made anymore, so I had to make a substitution. I thought it would be great to put in the "Boo" treat bags, along with some candy.

Here's my version:

Peanutty Candy Corn Brownie Bars

1 (1 lb. 4 oz.) package fudge brownie mix
(I used Ghirardelli triple chocolate - it comes in a 6-batch multipack from Costco)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup water
3 large eggs
2 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups Frosted Cheerios cereal
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts
1 cup candy corn

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of a 13 X 9 inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, combine the brownie mix, eggs, oil and water; stir until well blended. Spread in bottom of greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 28 minutes, or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from the side of the pan comes out almost clean.

Remove pan from oven. Immediately sprinkle marshmallows evenly over warm brownies. Return to oven and bake an additional 1 or 2 minutes or until marshmallows just begin to puff up. Remove from oven and set aside to cool while preparing peanut butter topping.

In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar and corn syrup; blend well. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until well blended. Add cereal, peanuts and candy corn; mix well. Immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows and spread to cover (work FAST because this stuff hardens quickly). Cool for at least 1 1/2 hours or until completely cool. Cut into squares. Makes 36 bars.

Addendum: I tasted one of these as I was packing them up into the boxes and they were definitely festive and interesting and will definitely be kid-friendly (we're not sure which house we're "Boo'ing" yet - we had plans last night and weren't home to pick a "victim", so we'll do it tonight), but they were a tad salty. All in all, I think there's nothing wrong with just plain-old brownies. I hope that the neighbors will think these are fun, though.

These were SO good!

Yummy Chicken Kebabs with Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

for marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 cup pale, dry sherry
1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
1/2 of a white, cut into bite-sized chunks

for dipping sauce:
1 cup sherry
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 green onions, sliced (optional)

6 to 8 wooden skewers

Mix the marinade ingredients together and pour over chicken in a sealable plastic container. Refrigerate for 4 hours, shaking or stirring about once an hour, if possible. While chicken is marinating, soak skewers in water in a plastic bag or another plastic container (this will keep them from burning later).

After 4 hours, remove chicken from marinade and skewers from water. Thread chicken on the skewers, alternating with the onion and peppers. Set aside while you start to prepare the dipping sauce: combine ingredients in a small, heavy saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. While sauce simmers, grill kebabs until chicken is cooked through.

Serve on a bed of rice with grilled pineapple and Edamame with Smoky Salt (flavored with lapsang souchong tea).
You may put the pineapple on the skewers, if you prefer, but Hubby's not a big pineapple fan, so I served mine on the side.

I've made this recipe before, with much success. It's definitely Hubby-friendly, but I don't think the kids had it last time, so I wanted to see what they would think. At first, they were excited when they heard be say we were having chili for dinner (they are Texans, after all), but protested a bit when they saw what was in their bowls: "Where's the chili? You said we were having chili!"

Once they tasted it, however, they were won over.

Of course, I did make some adaptations to the original recipe:

I sprinkled a bit of Baby Bam on the chicken before adding it. I wasn't kidding when I said that I use that stuff on everything!

I added a tiny bit (1/2 tsp.?) of chili powder with the other spices.

I used 2 fresh, pressed garlic cloves (add with the onions) instead of the garlic powder and about 3 Tbsp. fresh, finely chopped cilantro instead of the dried cilantro leaves.

I added about 1/2 cup coarsely chopped baby carrots (I had them in the fridge) and about 1/2 cup pre-cooked green beans (leftover from last night's dinner). This turned it into more of a stew than a chili.

I don't like using the "caldo" (the liquid that comes in canned beans), because it's very high in sodium, so I drained and rinsed them and used a chicken stock (1 additional cup) and corn starch (about 3 tsp.) slurry, instead, to give the "chili" some thickening.

I used cheddar, instead of monterey jack cheese, because that was what I had on hand. Pepper-Jack would have been even better.

The only thing that I would do differently (and I should have known better), if I make this again, would be to pat the chicken dry before adding it to the pan. There was a lot of "juice" on it (I had cut it up and refrigerated it early in the day, to make the prep faster at dinnertime) and the pan wasn't very hot, so the chicken was more braised than browned. It would have been better with a little "sear" on it.

I served this with a salad (romaine hearts, bell pepper, tomato, purple onion and balsamic vinaigrette) and some Great Harvest bread with butter. I big hit with everyone; both of the kids said that they really liked it.

I made this once before, MANY years ago and kind of forgot about it, but I had a bunch of leftover Chex cereal in the house from making the "Texas Trash" and decided to give this another go. The last time I made it, the recipe on the back of the Chex box called it "Puppy Chow" (I think that they could get away with this because I think Ralston Purina owned Chex?), but now they are calling it "Muddy Buddies" (recipe here). I think Puppy Chow sounds cuter (and it does LOOK like Puppy Chow), but I know, I know....copyright this, trademark that, registered name, blah, blah.....

This was a SUPER huge hit with Boy (who helped make it) and Hubby, but Girl (who detests peanut butter) would only give it a tiny little taste before gagging and spitting it out (oh, well....more for us).

I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much when I first saw this recipe: I thought it would be kid-friendly and easy, but wasn't expecting it to be terribly tasty or sophisticated. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. The funny thing is that this ACTUALLY TASTED a bit like tamales. It was sort of an upscale version of Frito Pie, but much better and it was ridiculously easy to whip up.

We served it with the leftover green beans from last night.

This was a big hit with all four of us. If I do it again, I might break up the polenta and make it into more of a "paste" so that I can spread it into two layers, rather than having the "rounds" of polenta, which made the dish a little difficult to cut/portion/serve.

A friend gave me this recipe a ZILLION years ago, but I've never tried it, because, although it was delicious when I had it at her house, the recipe was four pages long and I was a bit intimidated. Recently, however, I was going through my recipe files, doing some culling and came across the recipe. As I re-read it, I realized it was just that long because it was handwritten in large (but lovely) script and wasn't really as complicated as I was originally afraid that it would be, so I decided to give it a try. We all like spinach (and pasta), so I figured it would be a "go".

Here goes:
Chicken Lasagna Florentine
(from Cindy Zraik)

Ingredients:
- 5 chicken breast halves, cooked, skinned and boned then chopped coarsely or 3 cups cooked chicken meat
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 10 oz package frozen spinach
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 lb. mushrooms
- 1 1/4 lbs. fresh lasagna noodles or 1 package dried
- 1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1 lb. imported ricotta cheese
- 3/4 lb. imported parmesan cheese, grated

For the Balsamella Sauce (Bechamel?):
- 1 stick lightly salted butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- pinch of nutmeg and salt to taste

For the sauce:
Melt butter in large saucepan until bubbly. Add flour, stirring well over moderate heat. Cook the roux (that is the flour-butter mixture) until bubbly and it begins to brown slightly, approximately 5 minutes. Add milk to roux while stirring with a wire whisk until well incorporated. Keeping heat on medium, stir often until sauce comes to a boil. When thickened, turn heat off, add nutmeg and salt to taste. Set aside.

Set chopped chicken meat aside and sprinkle with lemon juice and pepper.

Cook spinach according to package directions; drain excess water then add spinach to balsamella sauce.

Slice and saute mushrooms in 3 Tbsp. butter over high heat 4 - 5 minutes then add to balsamella sauce.

In large pot, boil fresh lasagna noodles 2 minutes then remove from water and set aside on a towel. You will have to do this in 4 consecutive batches. If using dry lasagna, cook according to package directions.

Assembling the dish:

- Place a thin layer of sauce mixture on bottom of a 9 X 13" baking dish.
- Put one layer of noodles.
- Spread 1/2 of the ricotta cheese in a thin layer.
- Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese.
- a thin layer of sauce.
- Put one layer of noodles.
- Place all chicken meat.
- Over chicken, spread a moderate amount of sauce, reserving some for very top layer.
- Put one layer of lasagna.
- Spread the remaining ricotta.
- Sprinkle remaining mozzarella.
- More lasagna noodles.
- The remaining sauce.
- Finally, sprinkle all parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

OK, now let me tell you how I fiddled with it (not much, actually):

I sprinkled the chicken with Baby Bam before cooking (I grilled the chicken).

I added two extra layers of noodles (one of chicken, one of cheese), for a total of 18 noodles in the dish (6 layers of 3 noodles) and spread the ingredients a little thinner to accomplish this. This made the lasagna dizzyingly tall, but not a drop of it bubbled over in the oven - I was amazed.

I used unsalted butter and 2% milk, because that's what I had on hand.

I cut the amount of Parmesan a little bit, because using 3/4 of a lb was just obscene - it was over 3 cups worth and I just couldn't do it.

The verdict:
Both kids really liked this and Hubby LOVED it. I will make it without the mushrooms next time, because both kids balked at them a little, although they did try them. A huge hit all-around. One caveat: with all of that meat and cheese (and extra noodles), the completed lasagna was incredibly heavy. Hubby said that he almost broke his wrist trying to pull it out of the fridge (I had pre-assembled it early in day, because we had afternoon plans, so it was in the fridge until time to bake it) with one hand. It was a little "solid" (not very saucy and/or gooey), maybe because of the extra noodles, or maybe because I made the sauce a little too thick, but it was still yummy.

Green Beans with Browned Butter

This recipe is from one of those Betty Crocker recipe magazines at the grocery checkstand. Sometimes those are great, other times not so much, but this was really good. The kids both picked up the lemon flavor and may have liked the beans better without the lemon peel, but still really good.

I used frozen green beans (cooked in chicken broth) and toasted the pine nuts separately in the toaster, rather than in the butter.

3/4 lb. green beans
2 Tbsp. butter (no substitutions)
2 Tbsp. pine nuts
1 tsp. grated lemon peel

Place beans in 1 inch water in a 2 1/2 quart saucepan. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, melt butter in 1-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in pine nuts. Heat, stirring constantly, until butter is golden brown. Immediately remove from heat. Pour butter mixture over beans; toss to coat. Sprinkle with lemon peel. 6 servings (1/2 cup each).

The Jailhouse Roll recipe can be found here (time-consuming, but very yummy).

I saw this recipe in an issue of Gourmet and set it aside (since March), but thought I'd pull it out and give it a try tonight. We will definitely be making this again. Super easy and VERY delicious. The pork cooking technique is not revolutionary or innovative (I do this same breading and frying technique with chicken pretty frequently), but I don't usually do this with pork. I usually cook my pork tenderloins whole, so that part was new for me.

I did, as usual, make a few adaptations:
-I used a mixture of plain and panko breadcrumbs (I LOVE panko).
-I used a mixture of canola and olive oil, with a little bit of butter, to fry the medallions.
-I added some salt, pepper and Italian herb seasoning blend to the breadcrumbs.
-I added a little squeeze of lemon juice (1 teaspoon, maybe?) to the caper sauce.
-I pounded the tenderloin medallions a little bit with a mallet to make them more like cutlets.
-I didn't bother with a meat thermometer, but just pushed down on each medallion to see how done it was by how much resistance it gave (if it feels "firm", it's done).

These were absolutely wonderful and I was pleased with how much I enjoyed the sauce; I wasn't too sure about the yogurt, so I was withholding judgment. It would be really good with a little mustard added to it, too, but was quiet yummy, as it was. When I make these again, I will sprinkle a little salt and pepper (or Baby Bam) on the pork medallions before I bread them. Tonight's leftovers will probably find their way onto to salad for lunch tomorrow, with the sauce mixed into some sort of a dressing.

I VERY highly recommend this recipe.

In case any of you haven't heard about this case, I would like to bring it to your attention and weigh in on some of the misconceptions and knee-jerk reactions that are traveling around the internet. I apologize, in advance, for the length of this post, but this issue has me FIRED UP.

Sophie Currier is a 33-year old student at Harvard Medical School (she has also studied at MIT and also already has a PhD) who is taking her medical board exams AS I TYPE THIS. Sophie has two children: an almost 2-year old son and a 4-month old daughter. She is currently nursing her young daughter (as is recommended by the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics) and requested extra break time between sections of the exams to use a breast pump during the 8+ hours long exam. The National Board of Medical Examiners (the organization that does the testing) denied her request. They told her that she could only have the amount of time that is available in the existing testing schedule; an amount of time that is really only sufficient for eating and using the bathroom.

Sophie has a prestigious, but grueling residency waiting for her at Massachusetts General Hospital after she passes her board exams. Sophie intentionally planned to have her two children very close together so that she would not be pregnant during her residency, which, with the long hours and physical demands required, could be harmful to her and to her baby. To wait to have children until AFTER her residency would have put her in her late 30s, when she would be at greater risk of infertility problems or complications with the baby, not to mention the fact that it would be difficult for her to have children later, when her post-school career would just be beginning.

Complicating this issue, for some people, is the fact that Sophie has Attention Deficit Disorder dyslexia and has also received a testing accommodation (as legally allowed under the Americans with Disabilities Act) to take the test over a two-day period, rather than the usual one day. To me, this is a completely separate and irrelevant issue. That accommodation is mandated by law and is something that thousands of people have access to every day. To say that any one person is only allowed to have one condition requiring special accommodation is asinine. My dedicated sister-in-law is a special education teacher and works with many children that have multiple "conditions", for example: learning differences AND a physical condition necessitating a wheelchair or a learning difference AND a visual impairment.

Sophie sued the NBME to be granted some extra break time and, initially lost, but then the judgment was voided on appeal and Sophie WAS, in the end, granted the right to begin the testing yesterday, without worrying about engorgement or premature weaning. In case my opinion on this matter isn't already clear, let me address a few of the arguments that I've seen floating around:

Q: Why can't she just pump milk ahead of time and have someone else use it to feed her baby that day? Why can't she just have someone feed her daughter formula while she's taking the test?

When you are nursing (as I know from personal experience), your body responds to the demands that are placed upon it: the more than your baby nurses (or the more that you pump), the more milk you will produce. If that milk is not pumped out (or nursed out by the baby), then your breasts will become engorged, hardened and VERY painful. A 4-month old child typically nurses every few hours, so to go without nursing for the 9-hour testing day would be excruciating and the inevitable leaking would be very distracting. It would also put her at risk for infection or having an interruption in her future milk supply. Yes, there are ways to work out the milk supply situation for the baby, that is not the issue; the issue is the discomfort that Sophie would feel during the testing if she could not relieve the need to release the milk.

Q: Won't this extra time give her an advantage over the other candidates taking the exam?

The extra break time would NOT, in any way, constitute an unfair advantage, but would merely put her on an equal footing. She would be at a disadvantage if she had to put up with engorgement, pain, leaking, etc.. The breaks would occur between sections of the test, so she would not be able to look at the questions and then go think about them over a break. She would also not be allowed to change any of her previously-completed answers after a break.

Q: How have other breast-feeding candidates handled this exam?

There have been other women that have had to deal with this situation. Many of them have written letters of support to Sophie, describing the difficulties that they had in the testing procedure, that have been used to bolster her legal battle. Some of them said that the pain of engorgement was so great that it actually caused them to vomit. Can you imagine taking an important career-influencing exam under those conditions? Sophie is not the only women that has been impacted by this difficulty; she is just the first one to come forward and ask for accommodation.

Q: Isn't there too much litigation going on in our country today? Couldn't this have been handled without a lawsuit?

Yes, it would definitely have been preferably for the NBME to have given Sophie the accommodations that she needed without it being necessary for her to seek legal counsel. Her attorneys believed so strongly in her legal rights that they are working on her case free of charge.

Q: So how is this woman going to care for her children once she starts to work? Why doesn't she just stay home and take care of her kids?

I wouldn't presume to guess what Sophie's future breastfeeding plans are, but her residency doesn't start until November, when her daughter will be over 6 months old. She may choose to wean her daughter before that time; she may not. Many employers provide workplace accommodations for nursing mothers to pump and refrigerate their breast milk so that it may be carried home for future use. I don't know whether or not Massachusetts General Hospital has these facilities or not. I hope so.

As for the suggestion that Sophie should delay the test for a year or give up her residency or even her whole career and be a stay-at-home mom: I'm really tired of the whole "us vs. them" mentality regarding working moms and stay-at-home moms and also regarding nursing moms vs. non-nursing moms, too, for that matter. Some moms work because they love their careers and feel driven to give something to society as a whole through their work (but also love their families and are able to be good moms at the same time); some moms work because they have to for economic reasons. Some moms breastfeed because they've heard it's best and are able to do it; some moms try and try and just aren't able to breastfeed (it happens, and it's nobody's fault), some moms choose not to breastfeed for personal reasons (or they're just not comfortable with it, and that's OK, too). I am glad that we live in a society where women can be moms AND have a career. I choose to be a stay-at-home mom, but I grew up with a working mom who managed career and kid admirably well. Everyone has to do what's right for their own life. I wouldn't want anyone telling me that I couldn't have a career because I was a mom, just as I wouldn't want anyone telling me that I couldn't have children because I had a career. Just as importantly, I wouldn't want anyone else forcing either of these opinions on my daughter when she is old enough to be pondering careers and children. Can you imagine anyone suggesting to a man that he give up his career (or delay it a year) because he has a child? Sorry, guys - I don't want to make this a "men vs. women" thing, either, but making that point does illustrate the absurdity of the argument.

Q: How is she going to handle her responsibilities with her ADD and dyslexia?

Sophie has been able to make it through MIT undergrad and Harvard Medical School with only the same accommodations that are afforded any other students with ADD and dyslexia (there are lots of others). Just to be admitted into MIT and Harvard is an accomplishment that most people can only dream of. I, for one, have no concerns about her intelligence. I personally know three individuals that have ADD and they are among the most competent people that I know. There are medications and other things that can be done to help them focus on their tasks and they are all able to perform very successfully in their careers. Sophie is planning on becoming a research pathologist and is not planning to work face-to-face with patients, but, if she were, I would be the first to line up to be one of her patients. That being said, the fact that she has ADD and dyslexia still has NO bearing on the breastfeeding issue.

Q: What about other people that have special medical conditions, for example, someone with diabetes that needed to test their blood sugar level and/or administer insulin or someone that needed to empty a colostomy bag? Would they be given extra break time during the exam?

Those conditions (a colostomy, diabetes and other similar conditions) would fall under the protection of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the testing centers would be required to make the necessary accommodations, without legal action. Certain complication of pregnancy even fall under this category. For example: if a pregnant woman was having circulation problems (a common condition during pregnancy) and needed to get up every hour or so during the test and walk around, to prevent dangerous blood clots in her legs, she would have to be allowed to do so. Breastfeeding is not given this same protection under the law.

I realize that people have very strong opinions about this issue and not everyone will agree with me, but I did feel that I had to weigh in. There are so many people spouting off on other blogs and in discussion forums that clearly have no idea what breastfeeding entails. If you'd like to read more about this, here are some links to news stories and other opinions:
The Boston Globe

The New York Times

Lone Star Times blog

The Lactivist blog

Fox News

Girl's school choir performed at morning chapel services earlier this week. She told us, beforehand, that she didn't want us to come, but, of course, we went anyway (we did slink quietly into the balcony to watch, so as not to embarrass her with our, I don't know....breathing). They sang beautifully, breathtakingly, inspiringly...most of the parents were in tears. Afterwards, Hubby and I melted into the crowd (we didn't want to embarrass Miss "I-Don't-Want-You-to-Come") and were walking back to the car when we heard, "Mom! Dad!". You guessed it: Miss "I-Don't-Want-You-to-Come" had turned into Miss "Don't-Leave-Without-Saying-Goodbye". We told her how well she did and we got a nice goodbye (in front of her friends, even!) When they're in Sixth Grade, you've got to take the lovin' when it comes. You never know when it will come, but it's awfully nice when it does.

10 cups of cereal, your choice of type and amounts
(I usually use a blend of Cracklin' Oat Bran, Cheerios, Golden Graham and Chex: Wheat, Rice and/or Corn)
2 cups small (bite-sized) pretzels
1 10-oz can of your favorite nuts (peanuts, cashews, mixed - whatever you like)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 tsp. Tabasco
1/2 tsp. red cayenne pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. onion salt
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Combine cereals, nuts and pretzels in a LARGE bowl - set aside. Combine oil, butter and remaining ingredients. Pour over cereal mixture and mix gently to coat evenly. Pour onto cookie sheets and spread out to space pieces out. Bake for 2 hours, stirring and turning every 15 minutes. Allow to cool and then store in an airtight container.

Girl's class at school had a bake sale today to raise money for Dollars for Darfur (please read up and consider contributing). Well, saying the words "bake sale" to me is like saying....well....let's just put it this way, Internet....what's your favorite thing to do when you have free time on your hands? Maybe you're a football fiend? Maybe you love reading or jogging? You always look so well-accessorized, Internet, so maybe your love is shopping? Well, for me, it's cooking and baking, so.....an excuse to do it for charity? That's just letting loose the floodgates!

Bake Sale Booty (homemade baked goods and also some little Halloween candy containers that I had leftover from last year - filled with fresh candy, of course!):

A batch of my grandmother's fudge:

A double batch of Pumpkin-Pecan muffins
(Krusteaz Pumpkin Bread mix from Costco, made into muffins, add about 1/2 cup chopped pecans per batch of mix, plus a sprinkle of cinnamon and cloves and a dash of McCormick's Vanilla Butter & Nut extract and sprinkle coarse sanding sugar on top of the batter before baking):

A batch of my "Texas Trash" snack mix (I'll post the recipe soon):

and a triple batch of Swedish Spice Cookies:

Boy and Girl were very helpful, with making the Swedish Spice cookies and packaging and labeling everything else. Ironically, Girl had a Dr's appt today, so she couldn't be there for the sale (Hubby dropped the food off at school for her), but I hope that it was a great success!

I saw this recipe while doing a recipe search recently and decided I had to try it. I combined the polenta with this recipe (scroll down to the "Elegant Weeknight Dinner Menu", kind of making a hybrid of the two. We all liked it a lot, but I didn't prepare the garnish for it, which was a mistake (it just looked very, um....yellow). From a flavor standpoint, it was great, it just looked naked without a little touch of green. Another option would be to add some chopped fresh spinach to the final stages of the corn relish to add a little color. I also made the polenta a little too thin, but it was still very yummy.

Here's my slightly edited version:

Chicken with Polenta and Corn Relish, serves 4
(or serves 2 adults and 2 kids for dinner, with leftovers for Hubby's lunch the next day)

For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
about 1 tsp. Baby Bam seasoning

For the corn topping:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 of a large Vidalia onion, diced
1/2 of a large red bell pepper, diced (you could also sub. peeled, seeded, diced tomatoes for this, if you can find nice, ripe ones)
1 and 1/2 cups corn kernels (I used frozen, but this would have been DELICIOUS with fresh)
1/3 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. of your favorite dried green herb (marjoram, basil, oregano or tarragon would all be good, but I used marjoram this time)

For the polenta:
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
3 cups chicken stock (you might not need it all)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. of whatever herb you used in the corn (above)
2/3 cup polenta (coarse ground yellow cornmeal)
1/2 cup grated cheese, preferably fontina or parmesan (I found some smoked fontina and it was YUMMY)
1/4 cup half-and-half or milk

Garnish:
4 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley or chives or thinly sliced fresh basil

In a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 2 and 1/2 cups of the chicken stock, the garlic, the 1/4 tsp salt and the 1/8 tsp black pepper to a boil. While this is heating up, pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and then sprinkle them on both sides with the Baby Bam seasoning. Grill them until they are cooked through and nicely seared on the outside. Set them aside to rest. Keep an eye on the stock while the chicken cooks, and when it has come to a boil, stir in the cornmeal. Bring the heat down to a simmer and continue to cook it for about 30 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and polenta is tender and not "grainy" (you will need to taste it to be sure - add more chicken stock, if necessary). Continue to stir it occasionally as it cooks, to keep it from sticking to the bottom or forming lumps.

As the polenta cooks, start to prepare the corn relish:
Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a medium saute pan. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the corn and saute about 5 more minutes. Stir in the wine and simmer 5 more minutes. Add the juice, 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp ground red pepper, and the herb/s; simmer 10 more minutes or until slightly thickened and most of liquid has cooked off.

The polenta should be done by now - remove it from the heat and stir in the half-and-half, herb and cheese. Thinly slice each chicken breast.

To serve the dish:
Scoop some of the polenta on each plate (or you could serve it in a shallow bowl). Fan out a chicken breast on top of each portion. Top with some of the corn relish and sprinkle with the parsley or chives.

Serve this with a green vegetable or salad, served on a separate plate.

Today was Hubby's birthday. It also happened to be the craziest night we have this week (doctor's appt for Boy, piano lesson for Girl), so I needed something that I could get on the table quickly, since I knew I wouldn't even be home until 6:30. When we were at Costco this weekend, Hubby saw these pre-made Chicken Cordon Bleu and wanted to get them, so I decided to make them for his birthday. Not something that I would ordinarily buy, but he loved them.

To go with, I just steamed some frozen (organic, from Costco) green beans and this multigrain pilaf recipe from this month's Cooking Light magazine. One of Hubby's co-workers gave us some special, imported buckwheat groats (kasha) recently and I've been wanting to try it. The pilaf was surprisingly good. I expected it to taste more "healthy", if you know what I mean, but it was actually pretty good. Of course, I was famished at dinner tonight, so that could have had something to do with it.

Getting ready to make the pilaf. From left to right: buckwheat, barley, bulghur.

Hubby's not a big fan of conventional cakes and detests icing, but he LOVES these cookies, especially straight out of the oven. So....we decided this would be the perfect birthday dessert.

2 cups grated cheddar cheese (mild or sharp, your choice. I usually use the organic cheese, without artificial colors, so the finished product is very light in color)
3/4 cup mayonnaise (good quality, like Hellman's)
one little sprinkle each:
dry mustard powder, paprika, sugar, salt and pepper
1/4 tsp. white vinegar
one small (2 oz) jar diced pimientos, drained
1 Tbsp. very finely minced white onion

Stir all ingredients together. Will keep for about 5 days in the fridge. Good on crackers or celery, as a sandwich. I came across a recipe recently for pimiento cheese rolls that I may try soon - sounded interesting, maybe for a brunch?

Inspired by the Dr. Suess book: Bartholomew and the Oobleck.
Boy and Girl have both done this activity in various classes over the years and loved it. I cleaned out my pantry over the weekend and discovered that I had an extra box of corn starch, so I let them have at it!

Clean Pantry:

Oobleck:
In a large bowl, gently mix 12 drops of food coloring and 1 cup of water. Carefully pour (don't splash!) in one 16-oz box of corn starch and gradually add 3/4 cup more water, mixing from the bottom up with your (or your child's) hands until the consistency is "gloopy". Try quickly and gently pressing your fingers across the top surface - they won't be able to go in, but if you push more firmly and slowly, they will - weird! This is great fun for kids, but be careful with the leftovers - do NOT put them down your pipes. We rinsed off the utensils and bowls (and hands) outside with the hose.

Obviously, Girl and Boy had fun with this stuff:

Not exactly an original recipe, since I use a mix for my pancakes, but I thought these just looked pretty. My favorite mix is Krusteaz Buttermilk, which I buy in a MONGO bag at Costco. I like this mix because it turns out well and is tasty, even though all you have to add to it is water (I always add a bit more than it calls for). I usually add a sprinkle of cinnamon and a dash of McCormick's Vanilla Butter and Nut extract, to add a yummy flavor.

I don't remember where I found the candy-coated mini chocolate chips that I used in this batch of pancakes (maybe here?), but I can't find them anymore. If anyone knows of another source for them, please let me know. I don't mix them into the pancake batter (I discovered that the candy coating runs and makes an unappetizing rainbow streak in the batter), but sprinkle them onto each pancake right after it's poured on the griddle. To make the cute mini-sized pancakes, I pour the batter onto the griddle from a measuring tablespoon. For REALLY small ones, use a measuring teaspoon. Be prepared to turn those FAST.

Pancake tip, for those that haven't made them frequently: your pancakes are ready to turn when the tops are covered in air bubbles.

2 cups dried mayocoba (also called azufrado) beans
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 of a large white or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large bell pepper, diced
5 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
a small sprinkle (1/4 tsp?) ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
4 cups (or perhaps a little more) chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste, or a sprinkle of Baby Bam seasoning

Optional: a sprinkle (1 tsp.?) dried epazote, if you can get your hands on some. You (and your loved ones) will thank me later.

Cover the beans with water and soak for 24 hours, draining and rinsing the beans and replacing the water frequently (3 or 4 times) during that time. After 24 hours, drain and rinse beans a final time and then put them in a large stock pot. Add chicken stock, chili powder, oregano, cumin and epazote (if using) and begin to cook over medium-high heat, covered, stirring occasionally.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a very large saute pan. Add garlic, onion, bell pepper, carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened. Add vegetables to the beans in the stockpot and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for at least an hour, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, adding more stock, if necessary.

If desired, you may puree the soup to make a thicker, creamier soup, or you may serve it as is. We chose to puree part of it with a submersible blender, but still leave some beans intact. It turned out pretty thick, more like a stew, but we enjoyed that. I you want it "soupier", then just add a bit more stock during cooking.

The verdict: pretty yummy and would work with almost any kind of beans. Would also be good with some diced ham or shredded, cooked chicken added to it at the end.

Boy was out of school today, so came with me to pick up my car, which was being serviced, and to turn in the loaner car. The shop where I take my car has a very nice customer service lounge (waiting area for suckers that didn't remember to reserve a loaner) that has a large TV, drinks, snacks, free newspapers, etc. Boy has been to this place before and remembered where the room was, so he trotted off in that direction while I was turning in the loaner keys, paying for the work and waiting for the runner to retrieve my car. When they brought my car around, there was still no sign of Boy, so I went to the lounge to look for him. As soon as I turned the corner and entered the room, I saw two skull-and-crossbone-themed flip-flop clad feet dangling from the massage chair, vibrating away, in one corner. I looked up to see the owner of the feet happily munching away at a pack of Pringles and slurping on an ice-cold water bottle. I really wish that I had had my camera with me.

This recipe was adapted from one published in Southern Living magazine MANY years ago - so long ago that I don't remember what year. It's definitely a kid-pleaser and is actually not bad for adults, even though we're really NOT the kind of people that normally use canned cream soups. The recipe originally had pimiento-stuffed olives in it, but I'm the only person in the family that likes green olives (Boy likes black ones), so I left those out. This is a horrible photo of the casserole, because it was taken when we ate the leftovers the next day. I initially made the casserole for Boy and Girl to eat with the babysitters while Hubby and I went out for an early celebration of his birthday, so I wasn't here to take the photo when it was fresh out of the oven, but we heard laudatory reviews!

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3/4 cup water
1 16-ounce can tomatoes, undrained and chopped
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 8-ounce package spaghetti, uncooked
2 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Cook first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan or stockpot, stirring until meat crumbles; drain and return to pan. Stir in soup and next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir spaghetti and cheese cubes into meat sauce. Spoon into a lightly greased 13 X 9 inch baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove foil and sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese, and bake, uncovered, an 10 additional minutes.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Hubby works for a great company. It's always on Fortune Magazine's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For". His co-workers are intelligent; he really admires and respects his boss, his working conditions are tailored to his own personal expectations. It's a Win-Win, really. They also give lots of "pats on the back", in the way of little unexpected gifts and awards. Over the years that Hubby has been with The Firm, he has received: three separate $500 "you choose your prize" awards, which we used to purchase a VERY nice tent, a Majorica peal necklace (Hubby didn't see anything he wanted in the catalog, so I helped him out!) and a $500 Amex gift card that we put toward the purchase of a home theatre system, also a very nice Dean & Deluca holiday gourmet food selection, three separate gift boxes from Omaha steaks (the last one being a selection of chicken breasts, hamburgers and hot dogs, with a note explaining that the firm's 4th of July holiday was being extended to allow more fun, family time - presumably grilling), and many more similar things that I can't remember. Hubby also has a TON of useful household and wardrobe items emblazoned with The Firm's name (T-shirts, picnic bags, laptop cases, leather legal pad folios, pens, gimme caps, coffee mugs, coozies, USB drives, keychains, etc. etc. ad infinitum). It really is a great company and Hubby is very happy working for them.

Are you sensing the "HOWEVER" coming?!?

This was the latest gift that Hubby received from the firm:

It's a gift card (unspecified amount, but The Firm is usually very generous) to any of the Pappas Restaurants (may be regional, but there are lots in our area). Doesn't it look festive? With all of that sparkly confetti? That glittery and very abundant confetti that makes an unbelievable mess if you open your mail, say...in the car?

I have, in the past, received party invitations that have had the same treatment. As I'm sweeping up the unexpected mess after unsuspectingly opening the envelope, I'm cursing the host's name and trying to figure out how I'll get even: "Oops - red wine on your carpet - gosh, that made a mess, didn't it" I'm just kidding, of course, but please, with the holiday party season approaching: Folks, don't be tempted to put little pumpkin-shaped confetti in your Halloween party invitations....just DON'T.

CASEY WAS ROBBED!!!!

And that is all that I have to say about THAT.

We tried this recipe last night (from my favorite cookbook). It was REALLY good. Hubby, especially, loved it.

Of course, I did make a few adaptations. Our family doesn't really care for bones in our meat, so I used 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs and 3 boneless, skinless breasts (cut into thirds), instead of the bone-in thighs and drumsticks. I added a few more peas (about 1 and 1/4 cups - what I had left in the bag in the freezer) than the recipe originally called for. I also discovered, as the rice was cooking with the chicken, that I needed a little more chicken stock to keep the rice from sticking before it was cooked all the way through. I ended up cooking it a TINY bit past its prime, but it was still better with the extra liquid than it would have been if it were still crunchy inside. I DID add the optional saffron.

Definitely a "keeper" recipe, although I'm going to try 2 other versions soon that I have tucked away in my recipe repertoire, just to be sure that this is our favorite. I think, for my family, that another version that used bite-sized pieces of chicken might go over a little better. My family is a bit spoiled and doesn't like to work very hard (mess with bones, etc.) to eat their dinner.

I saw this recipe recommended on one of my favorite blogs (not for the easily-offended, but VERY funny) and thought it was worth a try. This didn't go over quite as well in our house, but I have a couple of recommendations. Girl doesn't care for nuts, so I made a few muffins for her without the wheat germ/pecan topping. Boy didn't care for the wheat germ topping, so I think what I'll do if I make these again is skip the nuts altogether and blend the wheat germ into the batter (to keep the nutritional/fiber content), because I think it's more noticeable (and objectionable) to kid-types if it's actually on TOP of the muffin, out there in plain sight. Overall, I thought these were really good, but the kids definitely thought of them as "health food" and not as a "treat", which is how they view these muffins. Probably will not earn a place in our permanent recipe rotation.

A follow-up on Over the Top (Part I)...

We celebrated Boy's birthday last week. Boy requested a video game arcade/laser tag party at a place that does everything necessary for the party (except the cake - something I could NEVER delegate). Since we put so much effort into Girl's party, with trivia quizzes and cooking and such, I was looking for a way to personalize Boy's party, something to make him feel like we put as much effort into his party as we did for his sister's, something to give his party that little something "over the top" that we've already established I enjoy.

Well, suffice it to say, I found a solution....

After riding 13 miles in a Humvee limo (from school to the party) with 16 over-excited boys, I was very appreciative that the party destination had a bar.

Boy's cake was lemon with raspberry-flavored buttercream frosting, decorated with multi-colored fondant stars. Hubby tinted the different colors of fondant and cut out the little stars for me. I think that his fingers have finally lost their orange hue.

Later that evening, at Boy's favorite restaurant:

Hubby's birthday is next week and he's making it very easy on me. To celebrate, he wants to go here to see this. Hubby has a HUGE crush on Milla Jovovich.

Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum.....this was SO good.

I found this recipe in my current favorite cookbook (the All New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook) and had to give it a try. We love pork tenderloins: they cook quickly, there are no bones to mess with and they can soak up whatever marinade you choose to season them with. This recipe is particularly flavorful because it's smoked on the grill. Hubby took over the meat-cooking duties tonight (and is washing the dishes at the moment - what a sweetie!).

To round out the meal, I served a little sauteed spinach (medium heat, a little olive oil, a sprinkle of Baby Bam, just until the spinach is wilted - Boy's special request for tonight), some beets, and some skin-on mashed potatoes (boil in chicken stock with a little pressed garlic until fork-tender, mash until still slightly lumpy with a couple tablespoons of butter and a little "glug" of half-and-half). A very nice little meal and pretty simple to put together. If you happen to have any Norton Reserve Malbec around to go with it, that's even better...