A reincarnated rotisserie chicken

Among my other staples at Costco is the rotisserie chickens. Some stores make them fresh and serve them by 4:00, but here, I am lucky enough to score one just about anytime of day. They are large, juicy, and reasonably priced. I could buy one raw and unseasoned at the regular grocery store for the same price. So, I save myself a little time and fake it!
I have been buying two each time I'm at the big box store, and usually serve one for dinner as-is with a couple sides and refrigerate the other. I can usually count on my husband to de-bone the other so I can incorporate the mess into a new meal. What's amazing is that second chicken goes twice or three times as far as the original served whole!
I'll share a few of the recipes with you over a few posts.

Super-Easy Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 rotisserie chicken, de-boned and cubed
1/2 cup Craisins
1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients, add more salt/sugar to taste. If it's too sticky, add more orange juice to thin mayonnaise. No need to refrigerate to let the flavors gel. Serve on sandwich bread or rolled into lettuce wraps. This should keep in the refrigerator for a few days and you'll get more than one meal out of it for your family.

Nearing the end of the second week

As I approach the end of the second week of school, I look back on how my life is so different as a stay-at-home mom with all the kids in elementary school. This is a fabled moment in the life of a mother. So many guess and wonder what life will be like once the kids go to school. It's that first step towards an empty nest. For me, it's a little different, because in four months I will be right back at the parenting starting line with a newborn. But, for now I see life through the lens of a mother with no kids in the house from 8-2:30.
I can recall wondering what my life would look like many times with friends who also had a house full of preschoolers. We all fantasized about all the things we were going to finally accomplish for ourselves. Go back to work, exercise and shop more, have a perfectly clean house, maintain a hobby, see the task list totally accomplished at the end of each day. It seemed like an eon stretch of time while the kids were at school and mom had all that time to well... be "her".
Now that I have officially entered that phase of my life, I can't tell you what a surprise it has been. My reality has been rocked to the core. Not only have I found that my "me list" isn't being accomplished, it's been entirely thrown out the window. It seems now, more than ever, the kids require more of my attention, care, nurturing, and supervision. Maybe this will pass, but it is certainly a glimpse into the adolescence and teen years.
Within the first 24 hours of the start of school, each of my children had a major breakdown. I mean uncontrollable crying and insecurity- something I hadn't seen in over a year. I'm sure it was the stress of the transition into a new school, but they all struggled with their own version of fear. With all three kids in need of some major consoling, I thought to myself, "This parenting gig is far from over with these three". I had to switch from the mode of diaper changing, potty training, feeding, hygiene and sleep routines in this totally different kind of nurturing. This is the phase of parenting that is no longer about keeping your little one alive and safe, but actually molding their character and building their self-confidence.
Whoa... this is heavy.
I had to crack open a book I read last year and refresh myself on the major purpose of being a Christian mother. It's called Mission of Motherhood, and it gives such a great wide-angled view of raising children in the likeness of Christ. I strongly recommend it to any mother, at any stage in the game. Here's an excerpt:

As we tenderly care for our children, meeting their needs, teaching them and guiding them, praying for them and modeling our faith, we are also anchoring their hearts to our home, our values, and our beliefs.

A humbling look into the future of raising kids has shown me that those hours while they are away are just as important as when they are home. I've got to keep my mind and spirit in Christ all day, so when they get home, it's not just about homework, chores, and after school snacks; it's about creating a household "where the greatness of God and devotion to Him is lived out".
This job now seems more important than ever, and certainly not about me.

Honey-Balsamic Bean Salad

This is the recipe I tried last night in a pinch when I didn't know what to make. I found it on an awesome blog 101 Cookbooks, who I later found out is written by the same author who wrote Super Natural Cooking- a cookbook I've admired and it's purchase is long overdue. It has now definitely made it to my short list, because everything I've tried from her site has been fantastic and easy to adapt to the available ingredients in my pantry.
What I ended up with is a fairly far departure from the original, but fantastic nonetheless. I adapted the original recipe to include more vegetable so the kids would not look at a plate of canned beans and wonder what else we were eating. The dressing: I followed to the "T" and it was stellar. Even little T noticed that the dressing tasted like honey. It had such great flavor and it was gluten-free (something not available on the grocery store shelves near us)!

Ingredients
1 (14 oz can) EACH cooked beans: chickpeas (garbanzo beans), pinto beans, black beans
1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cucumber, finely chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
5 sprigs fresh thyme

Dressing:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons runny honey
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4+ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Combine the beans with all the vegetables, and the almonds. To make the dressing, combine all ingredients and whisk together. Serve immediately.

Blueberries

This summer I have fallen in love with blueberries. Living on the island is strange in the fact that the blueberries I eat have traveled like five thousand miles to get here. If I buy the regular packs at the grocery store, they quickly turn rancid after a day or two. But somehow, the berries at Costco are far superior in taste and quality. Of course, I have to buy a pound of them at a time!
Fruit salads have abounded in our house this summer because of the large quantities of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries I indulge on from Costco. But, sometimes, there can be a little bit too much of a good thing. Like bananas when they sit on the counter too long, they are reincarnated into an awesome banana bread. Blueberries, too have a future destined for a delicious baked good, where blemishes are no longer seen and purple-y goodness melts in your mouth.
Last night, a pregnancy craving overtook me, and I was compelled to sympathize with this aging batch of blueberries and incorporate them into a cobbler. It was already 8:00 by the time these fantasies took over, so I was pressed for time, needless to say. Using small souffle dishes, I made four individual cobblers in about 15 minutes. Super easy, delicious, and just what the doctor ordered.

Ingredients:

2 pints blueberries
1/4 cup organic sugar or evaporated cane juice
2 cups granola cereal (I used Quaker Naturals- it had little slices of toasted almond in it that added a great texture and flavor)

Combine blueberries and sugar in a bowl. Divide equally among four souffle cups. Top with equal amounts of cereal. Place all on a baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes (the last couple minutes take off the foil to brown the cereal a bit). They will be done when you see the blueberry goodness bubbling up from underneath the cereal topping.

Note: These weren't as good the second day, so reconsider saving one for breakfast like I did. Enjoy!

I've got two pounds of hamburger...now what?

I have this strange thing against casseroles. Really it expands beyond casseroles to anything that was invented in the 50s and involves a strange concoction of meat, sauce, noodle, and a vegetable in one dish. I just hate making them, they are an embarrassment to serve because no one looks at them and says "hmmm, that looks delicious". What's strange is that I think I am alone in this aversion. What tipped me off was this great little cookbook from a church group that has loads of favorite recipes from women my age. I am amazed at how so many of them are still cooking the dishes their grandmothers made.

Now, I am not against family tradition- some of my favorite dishes from my childhood (comfort food) are handed down from my grandmothers. But, most of them involved several processed and canned ingredients. My friend Jennifer told me what she made for dinner last night, it was Chicken Divan (I'd never heard of it- it's probably a classic Tuesday night meal in most households). She explained that it is the worst combination of ingredients, but her kids love it. In it was a boiled chicken, mayonnaise, cream of chicken soup, cheese, curry...I got nauseous after that and couldn't hear another random ingredient. 

I'm not saying we should all be cooking the South Beach Diet or asian fusion, but with today's global economy and local food craze, there are so many fresh ingredients available that are so easily thrown together, that it seems silly to raid the cellar for the evaporated milk and macaroni noodles . 

It still begs the question of my post- I've got two pounds of hamburger... now what?

Which brings me to tonight's dilemma. I have an awesome menu planned for the week, but a couple meals are entirely new to me, and it's 4:40p. Dinner should have been started a while ago. Do I mail it in and whip up one of the three obvious choices: meatloaf, hamburgers or stuffed peppers? Of course, there is the whole spin on hamburger helper routine... no thanks. I basically feel like when I bought the hamburger it had a purpose, and to stray from my creative intent would insult the process. I saw it best served as an awesome baja style mexi-cali burger with beans, tortilla chips, and avacado. But, no buns in sight. It's definitely a weekend meal. So, it shall remain in the freezer until I can serve it in a way that truly is a delight to the senses.

My last resort- stick to what you have planned, no matter how daring and give this recipe a try. 

I'll put my own spin on it so it's big enough to feed us all as a main dish and let you know the results. It does have some of grandma's favorites in it: canned beans; so maybe the apple isn't falling too far from the tree after all. 

Chocolate Raspberry Cakes

This is my favorite dessert. It is super-simple to make, has few ingredients (all of which are easy to come by) and is tasty for days after it's prepared. Bonus: if you are mindful what chocolate you buy, they are Gluten-Free!

Ingredients:
8 oz bittersweet (dark) or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, diced
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves

4 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

fresh raspberries
vanilla ice cream

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter six 3/4 cup souffle dishes or custard cups. Arrange dishes on a baking sheet. Mix chocolate, butter and preserves in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate melts. Remove from heat; cool to lukewarm, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla in large bowl to blend well, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chocolate mixture. Divide batter among prepared dishes. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out with some moist batter still attached, about 20 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes (centers may fall). Serve cakes warm or at room temperature with fresh raspberries on top and ice cream on the side.

Notes:
I've made these without complication by omitting the cooling of the chocolate and the stovetop rest period at the end. (So delicious- we couldn't wait!) Makes 6 servings.

Bon Appetit, November 2004

The first day of School

Today was the first day of school. With our move, our summer began a bit early. Uhh... quite a bit early I should say. So after three and a half months of having my children right at my side, I released two of the three today to a new elementary school.
Now, we just came from Texas- a state that takes great pride in it's educational system. We also came from one of the best school districts in Texas. We have since moved to Hawaii. A state that, by reputation and statistics, is among the worst in the nation. While there are pockets of good schools, most fall significantly under the national standards. Of course, there is private or homeschooling, but with three kids in elementary school, either option would overextend us.
First impressions: There is a noticeable difference in the way Hawaiians do things. They are an extremely casual culture. I thought I would enjoy that, but when it comes to matters of safety, especially my children's safety, I tend to lean towards a more conservative route. Despite the normal chaos that the first week of school brings, there were still huge logistical holes in how the facilities are run and how the kids are received and dismissed. It's not that there is a bad plan, it's disturbing that there has never been a plan to begin with. Strange. Just like in Mr. Mom- "South to drop off, North to pick up!" This isn't a new idea people.
Upon entering their classrooms, the kids met their teachers (no "meet the teacher day" or dropping off your school supplies early, so we had to add both those monsters onto the first day of school jitters). Both teachers seem less than thrilled to meet my child or myself and offered very little in the way of reassurance or welcome. What was crazy-weird was walking into a room of 2nd graders that was completely silent. All the kids were in their desks and looked scared to death. I was imagining the horrible things the teacher had said just prior to my arrival in the room.
What hit me (with the usual first day of school tears I always get) was the fact that these people are obviously not going to love my kids the way I do. I had just spent over three months without them leaving my side. I had to trust that this year would still be a blessing despite the uncertainties of the outcome. Some of my original concerns like staying at grade level with the mainland are falling quickly to a secondary priority now. Currently, I am concerned for their basic well-being- something that I am not used to thinking about as seriously. I have abandoned any thoughts of convenience from my repertoire now that I need to get three kids not only to the curb of the school safely, but all the way to their classrooms, and the reverse at the end of the day. Not to mention, trust that the teachers will cherish the innocent souls of my kids despite the first impression I received that they may actually hate children.
This morning I left the school compelled to pray for them today. The work around the house didn't even compare to the urgency of praying for their safety and innocence today. What came back in answer to these desperate cries, was the encouragement that my job is going to not only be following their work closely, but also heaping tons of love on them at the end of each day. Our home may be their only safe place. I want this to be their haven for refreshment, security, trust, guidance and encouragement.
I sure hope they come home and say how great their day was. I pray that this year in Hawaii is a good experience for all of them, because right now, I want to run back to the safety and predictability of good ol' Texas schools.