popeye's ice cream - one word wednesday: treat

i am so grateful for women in my life whose love for things of the kitchen spills over and the crumbs of their know-how and enthusiasm fall below to me to my benefit
i have so many family members and friends who know of my insecurities and often pass on recipes to me with words of encouragement
as well as statements that this recipe is so easy, even i can do it and not mess it up

while visiting my sister in law Karen in Utah this month
{you remember her from this post and her blog  Sew Stitchin' Cute}
she shared with us her special version of
Popeye’s Ice Cream

throwing things in a blender, 
now that’s a recipe i can handle

***

here is the recipe with Karen's modifications:

3/4 C. half & half or creamer (you can probably also just use milk here)
1/2 banana
2/3 C. powdered milk 
1/4 C. agave or honey (if you're using the creamer you can omit this or just put in a little- maybe 1/8 cup or less)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups spinach (feel free to throw in some kale if you've got it- it won't affect the taste)
2 cups ice

blend and enjoy every heavenly bite :)

we are huge fans of the Vita-mix at our house
smoothies are a staple
and my kids are no strangers to spinach and kale
two ingredients most often added to our favorite smoothies

eyan enjoyed being my little helper
and yes that is him voluntarily putting spinach in the blender

we all loved this refreshing summer treat
the consistency akin to a slushie more than an ice cream
maybe next time i’ll try more ice
but then the kids might not be able to don these fashionable green mustaches they crack themselves up with
i can't count how many trips to the mirror were taken whilst consuming our
Popeye's ice cream

at least now i know what tate will look like as a man
he seriously looks so old with his spinach mustache

mine didn't have time to create any mustaches or messes of any kind
straight down it went
it has such a rich creamy flavor, a half glass is plenty

moms for decades continue to shout their praise of a squinty-eyed, power-punched sailor man
i’m strong to the finich
cause i eats me spinach
i’m Popeye the sailor man

TREAT

what summer treats have you enjoyed?

can't wait to see all those delectable delights flooding the instagram feed

make sure to tag #onewordwednesday and me at @briana6

catching up with some of my favorites from the past weeks one word wednesday

today, reflection, summer, hello

thank you to everyone who has been participating and following along

@natalie4hudson  /    @shansummer   /  @molscopey   /   @lillianahoag   /   @juststitched   /   @lexixd

One Word Wednesday is a simple photo challenge intended to tie friends together and inspire anyone and everyone to document the everyday beauty in the world around them. Please join us every Wednesday, sharing a photo that celebrates a scene from your life on your blog and/or instagram. Each word will be announced one week in advance to give you time to think on and capture an image that celebrates that particular word. Be sure to leave a link or add hashtag #onewordwednesday and @briana6 to your photos, so that we can all share in the joy! Next week's word: VACATION!

cooking isn't about me

one morning last week i didn’t feel like having sugar cereal again so i decided to cook eggies for felicity and i

she wanted to ‘cuhluh’, pink is her favorite, while we waited but those darn eggs weren’t cooking fast enough 

{mike’s voice chimes in... you cook eggs low and slow}

so i asked her if she wanted to come watch the eggs cook

as i held her while i stirred the setting eggs, 

my heartstrings tugged and my selfishness melted some

ooohhh briana marie

cooking isn’t about you

it isn’t about what you can or can’t do

its about so much more than that

imagine the thing that makes you feel at your most insecure

the thing that you feel most inadequate about 

that seems to bring out the worst in you as you watch yourself fail, attempt after attempt

that is me and cooking

oh i can’t be that bad, you say

oh trust me {and my poor family} its like that

unfortunately i have become a stereotype

oh there’s backing for it

hair caught in egg beater...yep...it happened

fire ignited fried tortillas

blackened bottom pans from boiled out water

crunchy burnt macaroni and cheese

sugar cookies resembling trodden dirt after the run of the bulls in spain

{right now my family is saying...oh and don’t forget about the time...}

oh there’s been some successes or at least some ‘get by’s along the way

but truly i’m tired of being the stereotype

how tired am i really?

i really have to care to change

and it can’t be because i want to be better at it

it has to be because i realize why i must be better at it

holding felicity in my arms stirring those eggs really brought one of those reasons straight to my heart

my daughter

do i want her to struggle as i do in feeling useless in this domestic duty

no

it is my responsibility to help her become a homemaker

and my hatred and paralysis in regards to cooking will only be a barrier

my mother and my sisters all got the cooking gene

it just skipped me

my 'amazingly gifted in the kitchen' mother tried and tried to help me growing up and still now, but to no avail

cooking is not common sense to me

show me something and ask me to sew it and i can visualize the steps beginning to end in my mind

but cooking...

this is yet another example of the mercy and love of a Heavenly Father, who knows his daughter

i met and married Mike

lover of cooking

a gourmet

for years he delighted in creating the perfect dishes and presenting them in a beautiful fashion

his domain was the kitchen and i stayed clear out

he has practically every gadget you could want

it was his joy to plan out meals for the week and come home, relax, and cook for us

we were even the perfect pair of party hosts

as i have watched this disease consume and deprive him of things that he loves

this has been one of the most difficult aspects to see the loss of

as i mentioned in my thanksgiving post, to witness the lengths he delivers to try and hold on to things in his past life that he loves, nearly kills me

so what can i do for him

what can i truly do for him

cook for him, cook things that taste good, that maybe he would have made

oh so easily said

i have tried over these past nearly four years since his diagnosis to step up in the kitchen

those of you who entered my ‘girl’s got no skills’ contest were invested in helping me and i have been so grateful for your recipes and encouragement, it was just what i needed at the time

but notwithstanding my ineptitude in the kitchen, things have become increasingly difficult with his dietary needs

a paleo/primal diet seems to suit him best

so off i try again, here in 2013

as i try again this year to magnify my love for my family by relying on the strength of my Savior to raise me to the task of family chef,

i am seeing little things that are helping

having pretty things in my kitchen

i just realized this week that i have been slowing taking over the kitchen, putting things in it that i love to look at, 

i didn't know i was doing it, it just happened

its not mike’s kitchen anymore

it must be mine

and i love being surrounded by pretty things

wearing a feminine apron

oh this may sound so silly but an apron sort of serves as a barrier or a mediator between the food and me...

right now we haven’t quite become friends

a pretty apron between the two of us seems to make the food more friendly

freezer meals

i have a saint of a friend, a wonder woman in fact, who introduced me this past year to this time saving version of cooking

oh how in debt i am to her for sharing her talents

alas she moved this week and i am trying to figure out what i will do without her

i am scared to attempt them alone, but they made such a huge difference during difficult days

receiving genuine praise

in my first attempt in this new year to make a meal for my family, i have to say it was a success in my eyes

dinner was nearly complete and on the table when Mike got home from work

he had laid out a meal plan for me this week, doing all he can to help me in this endeavor

and somehow the food tasted yum and he made sure to praise me repeatedly at the table

it became contagious and the boys followed

how my heart was warmed and a sense of confidence washed over me

oh how i love my husband

its going to be a battle i know
fighting my greatest insecurity

there will be tears and days i want to give up

but i hope my heart will tell my hands and feet on those days why i am doing this

L.O.V.E.

your encouragement has raised my spirits over these past years

i would love to hear about the little things that help you create success in your home at mealtime

and even what you deem as a success

pretty please

January 2010: Recipe 5: Cranberry Chicken

Ok so its January 4th and I'm feeling good about this new year, morning sickness lessening, and needing to feed my children some home-cooked goodness. (Writing this retrospect of course I laugh at my good intentions knowing what is coming on the horizon:-) ) Well back to my determination I once had in my "Girl's Got No Skills" Contest. This time I enlisted the aid of my wonderful little sis Liz. Both of my sisters are great in the kitchen, somehow the gene just skipped me.

This recipe came from one of my most favorite people in the world, Michelle Remington, a woman who has inspired me since college to have a healthy lifestyle. She was the one who introduced me many years ago to one of my loves, yoga, and has always tried to help me in the kitchen with great quick and healthy recipes.

One quick disclaimer - taking photos at night in Winter is not my forte. So sorry they are not recipe book worthy. The food was much more appetizing looking in person- really!

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Cranberry Chicken
as submitted by Michelle Remington

Several breasts (I used 2 lbs)
1 bottle French dressing (I use the smaller size)
1 packet onion soup
1 can whole cranberry sauce

Directions per Michelle:
1. Brown chicken in a little oil or butter, salt and pepper it (I brown mine in a pan that has a lid and can go in oven)
2. In a separate bowl, mix french dressing, onion soup and whole cranberry sauce.
3. Add the sauce to the browned chicken
4. Cover and bake chicken in the sauce for 30 minutes at 350 or until chicken is cooked through. (Cooking time depends on the thickness of chicken and how long you brown it. Just make sure all the pink is cooked out.
5. Serve with rice, potato, side salad, etc.

If you want to freeze this recipe, you can do it several ways. 1- freeze left overs or 2- brown chicken, let cool, put in freezer bag with sauce. Then when ready to eat, stick it in the oven to finish cooking.
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I decided to do this recipe because it sounded like a much needed break from the ordinary. I was not disappointed.

I decided to serve this with rice, of course Basmati rice - my fave. Since I managed to break our rice cooker, we had to do it on the stovetop after my last mishap with my attempts at using the microwave. Just had to watch it more carefully, so glad I had Liz there. Got that started ... now on to the chicken.

I liked Michelle's idea of using a pan you can use on the stove top as well as in the oven; thank goodness again for Mike's Le Creuset dutch oven:-) I used EVOO as Rachel Ray calls it- extra virgin olive oil- to brown the chicken. So I guess that browning the chicken does not mean that the chicken is cooked all the way through; I'm learning. I forgot to add the salt & pepper-whoops.

There are little things that normal people that cook don't think about needing to mention in their recipes for the cooking-challenged folks like myself, like how high to have the flame when browning chicken. I guessed at medium flame and I think it needed to be medium-high because I think I cooked it too much and browned it not enough.

My lovely assistant

Don't judge yet!

Yellowish orange + Cranberry = This

Well the sauce was a cinch to make! Yeah! Going into the oven the smell was rather odd, but coming out... simply scrumptious!! Since I cooked/browned/whatever-ed the chicken a little too long, mine only took 20 minutes to cook, rather than the 30 minutes suggested. It was definitely a break from our usual meal with a very unique taste that I really enjoyed. A warm the soul sort of meal. Owen loved it, and as our vulture child preyed on his brothers' meals as well.

The color and smell got richer as it cooked. See top photo for plated meal!

October 2009: Cookies with Jackson

Eyan, Tate, and I went to Auntie Nessa's house to make some Halloween cookies with Jackson. First off, I can just hear my sister concerned about these photos showing her paint swatches on the kitchen wall, no worries Nes (3 months later and she chose the paint color-that's the way to do it I tell ya). As you all know I am not Little Miss Cookie-Maker so this was an adventure for me too. We learned a thing or two also about decorating sugar cookies, such as do not use blue crystal sprinkles- disaster- blue dye everywhere.

Nes had cookie cutters in all sorts of shapes: bats, pumpkin, even a Frankenstein, but they all ended up looking like blobs. Not sure how to fix that problem. The boys loved using the rolling pin, the cookie cutters, and especially the knives to spread on the frosting (love my 2 little lefties).

Love this one of Jackson with the frosting on his lip:-)

Of course we had a policy about not licking the knife before putting it back into the bowl, but you know how it goes... "Oh Eyan, don't lick that. No, no, don't put that back in the ... (insert licked spoon into bowl)... bowl." Germs?...We're all related:-) The kids did lovely work resembling modern art masterpieces and shortly consumed them.

September 2009: Recipe 4: Strange but Tasty Crock Pot Chicken

I do have to say that I loved the name so I had to try it. I was also drawn to the fact that it is made in a crock pot AND you can put the chicken in frozen!!! No remembering to get the chicken out the night before, fabulous! And the recipe is...

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Strange but Tasty Crock Pot Chicken

as submitted by Jennifer Anderson

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (frozen is ok) :-)!!!

1.5 cups any salsa (I chose one of my faves Santa Barbara brand Mango & Peach salsa)

3T brown sugar

1T dijon mustard

Directions per Jennifer:

Put the chicken in the crockpot, mix the salsa/br sugar/mustard and pour over the chicken. Cook on low 6-7 hours or until chicken is done. Serve over rice.

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Wow, that's it! I've got to remember to use the crockpot more. Dishes like this make me think maybe I could cook a couple times a week at least:-). Is this really considered cooking though?

The chicken was so tender and the name says it all, "strange but tasty". We love Basmati rice in our family. Of course rice in our house has to have Mike's stamp of approval. Unfortunately our rice cooker is on the fritz so I sort of tried to do it in the microwave and didn't realize that having a oversized lid on the dish was not a great idea. All the ooey-gooey steamy residue from the rice dripped off the sides of the lid and all over the microwave. Oh well, the rice still turned out tasting pretty good. I shredded the chicken to make it easier for the kids to eat.

August 2009: Recipe 3: Homemade Mac & Cheese with Chicken Casserole

Ok, sooooo sorry I am VERY behind in my fabulous "Girl's Got No Skills Contest" but I hope that I have done an okay job explaining my circumstances. I am determined to do better. Who cares if I feel like I have the flu everyday, right?! I am waiting for a "You go girl" to sound out from the page. Oh well its just me here in this room so no affirmations yet. So I made Recipe #3 way back in August, but I took good notes so here we go:

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Homemade Mac & Cheese with Chicken Casserole
as submitted by Melanie LaSelle



1 lb box of macaroni. We use shells
2 cans of cream of chicken (reduced fat) soup (I used 99% Fat Free)
2 cups of milk (I used Fat Free)
1 can from Costco of chicken (or leftover chicken in the same ounces, chunked up)
1 16 oz pkg of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used aged Wisconsin sharp cheddar - yumm!!)

Directions per Melanie:

This looks not so good when making, but cooked is delicious.

Mix all together and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

As a side, we make either petite brussel sprouts or broccoli.

Everyone always loves it.

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So I've never made anything with the word "casserole" in it. I do have to say that what I've heard from people about casseroles is true, they are pretty easy. Throw it all together and bake and voila!, dinner:-) Of course it wasn't exactly that easy but it felt easy and that counts in my book. I think if I would make it again, I wouldn't have looked at the fat content of the shredded cheese, yikes! Of course I'm not eating the entire pot so I guess its ok.

A friend of mine came over just as the Mac & Cheese was coming out of the oven and she was sold just from the smell and then doubly sold when she tasted it. She got the recipe and made it for her fam the next day.

Of course just as I was done plating the kids' portions, my camera died. I had to complete my photo series with a janky* photo taken on my phone. Sorry!

*janky- a fun word I picked up from my lil sis and her friends meaning according to the Urban Dictionay "(adjective) inferior quality; held in low social regard; old and delapidated; refers almost exclusively to inanimate material objects, not to people"; not to be confused with "jinkies" used by my beloved Velma from Scooby-Doo:-).

I served sliced plums (hmm, I wonder where I got those plums:-) ) and broccoli which my kids loved. I love the little kids divider plates and my kids love to eat off them. The meal was definitely a croud pleaser. Eyan told me that it was his favortie tied with "mutmeal", what our family affectionately calls oatmeal as named by Tate:-) That says a lot because my kids would eat "mutmeal" for every meal of the day if we would let them. (And all too often that resembles reality:-) )

August 2009: Recipe 2: Dinner Sausage Sensation

First of all, love the name, "Dinner Sausage Sensation". Anything with the word sensation in it must be good!

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Dinner Sausage Sensation

as submitted by Courtney Blackwell

Turkey sausage or kielbasa (I used Lite Polska Kielbasa)

Favorite vegetables (I used red potatoes, red peppers, and green onion)

Garlic, minced

Olive oil

Pasta (I used whole grain penne)

Parmesan cheese

Thyme

Marjoram (Didn't have any)

Salt

Pepper

Added green onion too

Directions per Courtney:

Slice and heat turkey sausage or kielbasa (you can do this in the microwave or the skillet). Saute your favorite vegetables (I use frozen, and just stick them in the skillet while I'm heating up the sausage) with minced garlic and olive oil and dashes of parmesan cheese, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper to taste.

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Sounds easy enough, right?! Well it truly would have been a breeze had I used the frozen veggies, but me wanting to use what I had instead, added some extra work. Always taking the long cut that's me:-) (Its in my genes, muchisimas gracias Abuelito:-) ) But with extra work, came extra taste. I loved the combination of the vegetables I chose. Since I'm inexperienced I cooked the potatoes too long but it ended up acting as a type of sauce:-)
 

My long cut turned out to be a good idea

I loved that the sausage was already cooked and all I had to do was slice it and heat it up. I forgot how much I love kielbasa. That was the boys' favorite part too!

Owen is such a great eater, he loves most vegetables. We're still working on Eyan and Tate:-)

My actual favorite was eating the leftovers the next day and adding my favorite BBQ sauce to it, oh it is soooo good. The name says it all, "Bone Suckin' Sauce". We like the thicker style. It was so yummy mixed in with those veggies, definitely a Sausage Sensation!

August 2009: The Smell of Success Smells Good, Really Good

Ok, so I started writing this post, well it seems like a lifetime ago, so bear with me on recalling the details:-)

I have really enjoyed the smells that have been coming out of our kitchen lately, the smell of success. Of course success doesn't constitute perfection, but that's okay. So to continue my "Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me" post, lets move on to...

Success #2
Fruit Slices for Freezing


We have been enjoying making smoothies for breakfast so I thought freezing some peaches and plum slices would be a fun idea. Having found that great article on TipNut.com that I shared in my first posting about my Millions of Peaches, removing the skins for freezing was quick and easy. I had heard that this was the hardest part about doing anything with peaches, so I was grateful for the shortcut.
This article on "How to Freeze Fruit" also tells you what type of storage is best for each type of fruit. For both peaches and plums I choose "sugar pack". Here is the instructions I followed per TipNut:

Sugar Pack: Dry sugar is added. Sprinkle sugar over the fruit, mix gently then allow fruit to stand for approximately 15 minutes (this draws out the juice and dissolves the sugar). It’s also fine to freeze immediately after sugar is added to fruit. Generally, 1/2 to 2/3 cups of sugar per quart of fruit is sufficient. Fruit pieces can also be frozen on trays first before packaging (sprinkle with sugar before freezing). (Thought the fruit trays were a great idea.)



I think it worked pretty well, they sure look pretty. I didn't use as much sugar as they suggested, but I did sprinkle some lemon juice onto the peaches as they suggested to prevent discoloration. I found these freezer containers at Wal-Mart on my initial canning supply search. Can't wait for the smoothies.

Successes #3 and #4
Mango-Peach Smoothie
found on www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 peach sliced
1 mango peeled and sliced
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk (we used almond milk or fat-free milk)
1/2 cup orange juice
4 ice cubes

Yummy! The boys had this breakfast two days in a row.
The next day we ran out of mango and orange juice, but we had blueberries so I created:

Blueberry Peach Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 peach sliced
About 1/2 cup blueberries (would have added more but that was all we had)
1 small container blueberry yogurt
1/2 cup fat-free milk
4 ice cubes

This was my favorite. I like my smoothies a little thicker and this was yummy!
Would love some of your favorite smoothie recipes!

Success #5
Plum and Peach Jam

Thanks to my friend Daneen who knows everything there is to know about canning, jam, food storage, etc. and thanks to the directions on the Sure-Jell package I learned how to make jam. Daneen let me come over to her house to make peach jam with her. It is definitely a production. I brought my camera but there was no way I could have taken photos with pureed peach on my hands or watching the jam that had to boil for exactly 1 min or ruin! You can look at some of the recipes on the Sure-Jell link to get an idea of the extensive process. I'm sure for some of you, its a breeze. I was amazed as to how much sugar goes into making jam. Wow! If I would have known, I would have bought all "Low Sugar" packages. They look so beautiful in their jars. They are tasting yummy on the sandwiches too. I think I might need a little push next year to do it again, we'll see.


Peach Jam or Sploosh to the Wendy Fergie Fam



Plum Jam I made all on my own:-)