By Miranda

I love making waffles with my kids in the morning.  My 2 1/2 year old daughter, Remy, bakes with me all the time and she is really becoming quite comfortable in the kitchen.  It is so fun - although it takes patience on my part :)   
She gets all the ingredients out for me and even knows how to measure the dry ones almost all by herself.  It's kinda crazy.  Maybe this is because we bake something together almost every day.  Anyway- we made waffles this morning and thought we'd share the recipe.  I use the buttermilk waffle recipe from my trusy "Joy of Cooking" cookbook but add vanilla and use my homemade plain yogurt instead of buttermilk.  

Makes about 5 big waffles in a standard waffle press.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
1 1/2 c buttermilk or plain yogurt (thinned with a little milk if its thick)
1 tsp vanilla
6 Tbsp melted butter

To make:
Mix dry ingredients.  Mix wet ingredients then add wet to dry.  Mix only until dry ingredients are just moistened, then let it sit for a few minutes while your waffle maker heats.  Use in a standard waffle maker as usual.   
 

By Miranda

This has become a favorite of mine to bring to parties or for when people come over.  It's a great finger-food and I thought it would be good to post around the Superbowl!  It can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until baking time.
You will need:
4 oz cream cheese, softened (1/2 block)
1/3 cup mayo (or just a hefty spoonful - or yogurt for a healthier option)
1 15 oz can of artichoke hearts
10 oz spinach, chopped  (frozen should be thawed, fresh should be steamed; both should be squeezed so most of water is out)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesean cheese
1 garlic clove

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Puree artichoke hearts in a blender or food processor or just chop finely.  Add garlic to this too or just mince it.  Then add all ingredients together in a bowl and stir well until combined.  Season to taste with s+p.  Spread in an 8x8 baking pan or crock and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until starting to brown on top and its  bubbling.  Serve with baguette slices, pita chips or corn chips.  
 

By Miranda

I made this as a healthier alternative for dessert - my kids loved it.  Add sugar a little at a
time after berries are soft so that you add the least amount possible.   You'll need an ice-cream maker for this recipe.   

3 cups mixed berries of your choice - I used strawberries and blueberries
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 -1 cup of sugar depending on the sweetness of your berries
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups plain yogurt

Combine berries, lemon juice and sugar over medium-low heat and stir frequently until sugar is dissolved and berries are soft.  Then puree in blender or mash until desired consistency and set aside to cool.

Once the berries are cool, refridgerate for an hour.  When cold, combine all ingredients and then add to your ice-cream maker (per instructions) until desired consistency.  You may eat right away or freeze for a harder yogurt.  Yum!
 

By Rachel

Beware...if you made a New Year's resolution to eat super healthy I would not read this post.  This recipe is so good but so bad at the same time.  One bite will lead to many, many more bites of deliciousness!!
What you will need:
5 oz fresh spinach, chopped into small pieces
8 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped small
16 oz ricotta
2 eggs
30 oz Alfredo sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 box lasagna noodles (I prefer the ones you have to cook yourself, not oven ready - OR make your own)
Fresh or shredded mozzarella (I use both, shredded for the layers and fresh on top.  You will need about one bag  of shredded, or one square block that's shredded by hand, and one baseball size ball of fresh)
Fresh or dried basil (for sprinkling on top)
Fresh or dried oregano (for sprinkling on top)
S&P

Directions:
Start a large pot of water boiling.  Add about a tablespoon of salt and a splash of olive oil.  

In a bowl, combine spinach, mushrooms, ricotta, and eggs.  Mix well so the eggs are spread evenly throughout the mixture.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Add your noodles to the boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes - you want the noodles al dente so your lasagna is not mushy.  After 8 minutes take a noodle out and test it...it should be firm but not hard.  Pour your noodles over a colander to strain the water.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F.

Spread a  1/2 cup of your Alfredo sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.  

Layer three noodles across horizontally.  Depending on your dish,  you might need to cut an extra noodle for the side so the dish is covered in a single layer of noodles.
Spread a thin layer of your mushroom/spinach mixture across the noodles, use a spatula or your fingers to spread the filling out evenly.  
Sprinkle a thin layer of shredded mozzarella on top of the filling.
Drizzle a layer of Alfredo sauce on top of the cheese, using a spatula to spread, if needed.  
Layer another 3-4 noodles, filling, cheese, and sauce, and another one....until you run out of room in the dish.  

The top layer should be noodle, then sauce, then fresh mozzarella.  Sprinkle the top with basil, oregano and pepper.    
Bake at 350F for an hour, or until the cheese on top is starting to bubble and turn golden.   
I shouldn't even have to say "enjoy" because I know you will....mmmmmmm.
 

By Miranda

I've always eaten a lot of yogurt, but since I've had kids, we go through a ton of it.  I use it in most recipes that call for buttermilk (biscuits, waffles, pancakes...) and in smoothies ALL the time.  Smoothies are a great way to get your kids to eat fruits and veggies!  This recipe makes plain yogurt - so if you prefer sweetened yogurt, add honey, jam, syrup or fruit.  
Anyway, buying a quart of yogurt costs $3-4 (i usually get stonyfield organic) and for the same price I can MAKE a GALLON of yogurt!  Stored in the fridge it lasts about a month or so.  It is slightly time consuming but I have the routine down and enjoy the results, so its worth it.   

Ingredients:
1 gallon of milk (Raw milk works great if you can find it; if I don't use raw milk, I use 2% Hood brand.  I've found that Stonyfield organic milk doesn't set for me for some reason.  In the beginning some of my batches didn't set, or thicken, so I used the milk for cooking instead (Alfredo or mac and cheese or something).  But now my batches are pretty consistent.  If you have trouble, please comment!!  (Or look it up, there is a lot of info on this online).
2 cups nonfat dry milk (this thickens the yogurt to a better consistency- use less if you want runny yogurt)
1 cup of "starter" yogurt (this has the cultures in it that makes yogurt yogurt- you may use a cup of your previous batch of yogurt if you make it consistently or buy a cup of plain or vanilla yogurt from the store.  I use Stonyfield vanilla).
To make:
In a large pot over low-medium heat, mix milk with nonfat dry milk and heat to 175-180 F degrees stirring occasionally.  (Stirring prevents it from burning on the bottom.  Mine usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour to get to 180 degrees.  If I am distracted (by my kids) I put it on lower heat and set the timer for me to stir and check temp every 10 minutes.  If I can devote myself fully to it, I put it higher and stir pretty frequently).
When it gets to 180F (or a few degrees under), remove from heat and let it cool to 105-110 degrees F. (This whole process kills the bad bacteria before you add the cultures.  If you add the cultures at too high a temp they will die and you'll just have milk at the end).

When it cools to between 105 and 110 F add your starter yogurt and stir it a bit.  Then cover your pot and put it in the oven at the lowest possible temp or just with the oven light on for about 7-8 hrs.  (I've read that some people just wrap the pot with a towel to insulate it and put it in a cooler or next to your wood stove or soemthing to keep it warm.  Basically you just need a warm dark environment to let the cultures multiply).  I do this late at night then leave it in the oven overnight, then refridgerate it in the morning. 

After 7-8 hrs, your yogurt is ready to use!  Refrigerate it at this point for up to a month or so.
This all sounds like a lot but it is really quite simple, once you get the routine down.   

Hopefully you'll enjoy it like us!   
 

By Rachel

These muffins are so great!  Very hearty and filling and...well....MOIST.  I really hate that word but I can't think of another way to describe them!  I feel like morning glory muffins are undermade - and I have no idea why when they are so good!  This recipe is from the King Arthur Flour website, which has a bunch of really great baking recipes.  The picture, surprise surprise, does not market these muffins well.  Maybe one day I will get some lessons in food photography.  Maybe.  But in the meantime I will keep eating my muffins.
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and grated
1/2 cup  sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup  chopped walnuts
1/3 cup  sunflower seeds or wheat germ, optional
3 large eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup  orange juice

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with papers and spray the insides of the papers.

In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water, and set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe. 

Chop or process your carrots, apple and nuts (chopped or shredded).  I got a food processor for Christmas (thanks big brother!) and have been processing anything I can...it's amazing!
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, nuts, and sunflower seeds or wheat germ, if using. 
In another bowl, beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and oj. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until combined. Drain the raisins and stir them in. Use an ice cream scoop to load the batter into the muffin tins (I piled my batter in to the top and still had extra for another 6 muffins - or 18 total). 
Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in their pan on a rack, then dump out onto the rack to finish cooling.


Enjoy!
 

By Miranda

Lately we've been into brussel sprouts because our 2 1/2 year old daughter Remy LOVES them!!  She takes a bite and then closes her eyes and slowly moves her head around as if she's savoring every second.  SOOO hilarious to watch.   She calls them "bussa pouts".  Love her.  
This isn't really a recipe... however its one of our favorite ways to cook and eat our veggies so I want to share it.  Roasting is so easy and delish - just toss your veggies in a bit of olive oil and salt+pepper and pop them in the oven.   

Preheat oven to 450F.  Wash brussel sprouts and trim ends and remove a few outer leaves if they are gross looking.  You may just halve them and roast them this way but our favorite way is to cut them in half and then separate out as many leaves from eachother as you can, so you basically have a big pile of leaves.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil over these (maybe a Tbsp or 2) and sprinkle on some salt and pepper and toss them all together.  Spread them out onto a roasting pan or cookie sheet so they are in a single layer.  Separating the leaves out allows the single leaves to get slightly crunchy and crispy and they become almost like little chips.  SOOO yummy.  

Roast them for about 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes.... watch them towards the end so they don't burn.  There is a fine line between caramelizing the leaves and burning them.  Serve hot as they cool quickly.  Hope you savor every bite just like Remy :)
 

By Miranda

I know, this soup pretty much LOOKS awful...  but if you like cauliflower, it is delicious and the roasting really adds great flavor.  Paired with a crusty bread and a salad, it makes for a nice dinner.
1 head cauliflower
drizzle of olive oil
3 garlic cloves
3/4 cup celery (leaves too!)
3/4 cup onion
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
4-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
s+p
1-2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450F.  Cut cauliflower up into pieces and place in a roasting pan.  Add whole garlic cloves to the pan as well.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with some salt.  Toss together in the pan then roast in oven for about 15-25 minutes (stirring 2 or 3 times)  or until pieces are starting to brown and edges are crisping slightly.  Take out and leave cauliflower for later.  
Take out garlic cloves when cool enough to handle and mince.  

Meanwhile in soup/stock pot, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat.  Add celery and onion and stir occasionally until starting to soften.  Add garlic and continue to stir until vegetables start to brown.  Add broth (larger amount if your cauliflower was bigger, or add smaller amount and save a cup to add later if it needs thinning) and bring to a boil.  

Add cauliflower from roasting pan and turn down to a simmer.  Simmer until vegetables are all tender.  Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender and puree (I like to do 3/4 of my soup so that a few chunks of cauliflower remain).  

Return soup to your soup pot and reheat if necessary.  Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a bowl and whisk in 2 Tbsp flour to form a paste.  Add to soup and continue to simmer to thicken soup slightly.  

Turn heat to low or remove from heat, and add cheddar cheese to taste and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Makes about 4 servings.   
 

By Rachel, Jess & of course...the monkey

My great friend Jess and her husband came to visit and help ring in the new year this past weekend, and when I get to see her I am guaranteed to eat well, talk a LOT, and be left with a sore belly from laughing so hard.  I think you will get the picture...needless to say, we had a great time and came up with some great recipes! 

Jess really challenges my creativity when it comes to cooking because while I tend to rely on cheese and meat to make things really hit the spot, she is lactose intolerant and a vegetarian!  You would think this would ruin a meal for me, but honestly, I am shocked at how delicious our meals always are when we cook together...

The menu for New Year's Eve was Maple Glazed Salmon accompanied by Local Fixin's (which is her new project of bringing local Illinois farm products to the people of Chicago - it consists of black beans, wheat berries and an incredible seasoning mixture) sided with mixed greens tossed in a dijon vinaigrette.  If the picture doesn't cut it (mine never seem to) do yourself a favor and trust me on this one and make this for yourself sometime...DELICIOUS!
Local Fixin's take a bit longer than your average side dish to make, so we started early.  We soaked the black beans and wheat berries in water for about 6 hours.  This sounds time consuming but it's not at all...just takes some good old memory (or your phone alarm).  Seriously though, how hard is it to wake up, cover the dried stuff with water and then not think about it until 2 hours before dinner - piece of cake.

Once those suckers were good and soaked, we rinsed them off and put them into a 6 quart pot with 3.5 cups of water.  Jess was super smart in creating this little goodie jar because the mason jar has measurement lines on it and doubles as your measuring cup - how convenient!
Then we added the contents of the spice pack and stirred.  After bringing this mixture to a boil, we lowered the heat and simmered for about two hours, or until all the water was absorbed.  Again...cake!
While that simmered we cracked open the bottle of vino that she brought us wrapped up in this hilarious little monkey suit...the monkey got a little tipsy too. 
While sipping our monkey wine, we marinated our salmon by combining all the ingredients below and sitting the salmon skin side up in it for about an hour.  If you make this, you should marinate for at least 10 minutes but not longer than an hour or so just in case the vinegar breaks down the salmon.

Maple Salmon Marinade:1/2 cup balsamic
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup maple syrup (thank you Miranda for my New Hampshire Maple Syrup!!)
Dramatic drizzle of olive oil over top everything
S&P
Now for the mixed greens.  We made a simple vinaigrette by mixing up the ingredients below, tasting along the way until it was what we wanted.  Tossed with a bunch of mixed greens, this made a light and easy side for our dinner.

Dijon Vinaigrette:
Two heavy squirts of Dijon mustard
A large splash of apple cider vinegar
Double the amount of vinegar with olive oil
Season with S&P 
Add a dash of maple syrup 

After a few more laughs and a wine refill, we set the oven to broil and took our salmon out of the fridge.  We put the salmon skin side up in a baking dish with about a 1/4 inch of the marinade in the bottom of the pan and broiled for about 10 minutes.  Then we flipped it over and broiled until the salmon turned from shiny orange to matte peach, about 10 more minutes, depending on the size of your salmon pieces.  The top gets a little candied and is delicious! 
While that broiled, we chopped up some fresh ingredients from the fridge to mix with our Local Fixin's.  Here is what we used...   
Black Bean and Wheat Berries with Veggies:
One Jar Local Fixin's (black beans, wheat berries and seasoning)
Carrots, cut real thin for easy eating
Edamame, steamed and removed from pods
Cherry tomatoes, chopped
Sun-dried tomatoes, just a couple, chopped
Red onion, just a touch, finely chopped
A heavy sprinkle of feta cheese for on top

One bottle of wine and lot of good laughs later...everything is ready, monkey man is happy, and we are ready to dig in!  
Cheers to good friends, good food, and monkeys who hide wine bottles!
NOTE: If you aren't able to get your hands on Local Fixin's for yourself, you can try to recreate them by cooking black beans with wheat berries and a combo of dried basil, oregano, marjoram, parsley, dill, mint, onion, black pepper and mustard.