Tired Mama Cooks

I love tuna casserole. It reminds me of being a kid! Unfortunately, my husband does NOT like tuna casserole. Something about texture. Whatever.

He recently told me to stop not making all the things he doesn't like (enough double negatives there?) so I threw together a made-from-scratch tuna casserole while he was at the gym. No sodium laden condensed soup here or weird cracker crumb topping (though I secretly like that). It's so easy and cheap! And it was a win with my kiddos.

Tired Mama Tuna Casserole

• Large can of light tuna (12 oz) in water
• Two cups milk (lowfat is fine)
• 4Tbls olive oil or butter
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1/4 tsp sage
• 4 TBLS flour
• 1lb whole wheat penne
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 cup shredded colby-blend cheese

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour, stir into a smooth paste. Add celery salt, sage, and milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly and then 1 minute more. Drain tuna, add to sauce. Cook pasta (I do mine in a rice cooker!) to just past al-dente, drain. Grease large casserole dish, add noodles, then sauce, mix gently with a wooden spoon and smooth the top. Add cheese, then seasoned bread crumbs. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

Grumpy Mama Creamy Pasta; or How to Feed a Tribe for $6.00

A few days ago, one of my favorite bloggers, Brittany at VaVoomVintage posted a recipe for Grouchy Girl Pie after a grouchy day. I had a very, very grumpy day today; where I started to think there was no way I could accomplish all the things I set out to do. I was very grumpy on the way to pick up my older boys, and then I decided to "get over myself" and just do what I had to do. I came home with a plan; after giving my boys their daily chore assignments and having no idea what to make for dinner; I decided to fall back on one of my "easy dinners" that just happens to be a very thrifty meal to make. Today I just happened to have about 1/2 cup of white wine that my husband poured me last night and I fell asleep before drinking, so rather than throw it out, I decided to add it to my recipe; but I normally make non-alcoholic pasta, so just substitute more milk for the wine in this recipe. As always, I'm a very "throw it in" cook, so these are my best estimates of what I use! And this makes a huge amount;  I will feed six people (plus Elvis, indirectly) with this and have leftovers for a lunch or two or three. I weighed the pot after I was finished; over 10 pounds!

Creamy Pasta in a Pinch

20 oz dried rotini or a similar shape pasta
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
2-3 cloves garlic
3-4 marinated artichoke hearts
1/4 cup butter or olive oil (or a combo)
2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the cheap stuff)
1/2 cup white wine
Your favorite seasonings, basil, oregano, or an Italian blend

The first thing I do is set a pot of water on the stove to boil, then I oil a glass pan, add the chicken breasts, salt and pepper them and put them in a 425 degree oven to bake. Then I chop the garlic while the butter and/or olive oil is heating up in a skillet. I add the garlic and saute briefly. I add the flour, stir to make a roux, then add the wine and/or milk gradually while mixing with a wire whisk. Stir until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, add chopped artichokes, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste, seasonings. By this time the pasta should be ready and the chicken should be cooked. Drain the pasta, return to the pan, add the sauce, chop up the chicken and add that as well. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Simple!


I also serve this with a loaf of my home baked bread which I posted a recipe for earlier, salad mix, and broccoli or asparagus. Here's how I break down the cost:

Pasta $1.50
Chicken $2.00 (I have three freezers and only buy chicken if it's $2 or less)
Garlic, Seasonings, Oil, butter, and flour .25
White wine (doesn't count because it was re purposed)
Milk .25
Parmesan .50
Artichoke Hearts .10 (I got a great deal on a jar of artichokes, and just used a small amount)
Homemade Bread and one stick of butter (my boys like butter!) .75
Salad Greens .40
Asparagus .25

I may have under-or-over estimated a few of these things, but I think it all comes out in the wash; so I've managed to feed my hungry family for $6.00!

And it's delicious!

Homemaking; Fifty Years Later...

"If you're tired from overwork, household chores you're bound to shirk.

Read these pointers, tried and true

And discover what to do" ~ From the Betty Crocker Cookbook, 1951 edition

When I first bought the book from which this advice originates; I was amazed by the matter-of-fact assumption that a woman would aspire to do this very underrated job: make a home. All the directions and advice were geared directly toward women; because of course in 1951, the home was the woman's domain. There was no shame in it, no pressure for a woman to come up with gourmet meals and climb the corporate ladder at the same time. The cookbooks were written with the homemaker in mind; with tips from start to finish on stretching that grocery budget, keeping meals nutritious, colorful and interesting, and curiously for a cookbook, tips for the woman on staying healthy and keeping her spirits up. Feminists everywhere faint in horror; but as a homemaker myself, I find the treatment of that hardworking homemaker charming and sweet. In addition, I've found that the advice is surprisingly practical and ageless. Some of the menu plans are a little quaint; that is to say, I've never served this on "Some Sunday Night"...or ever!:

Welsh Rarebit with
Tomato Slices, Anchovies, and Gherkins
Chilled Pears
Chocolate Cupcakes
Coffee, Milk, or Tea

I do think it would be fun to try out some of these menus, get a real "flavor" from the past! (perhaps another project to undertake?)

I can see it in your eye; that you want to make pie....

I decided to put up a post about one of my favorite things; pie. I just happen to have a half bushel of apples that are mocking me; reminding me daily by their presence that I have a million things to do that I never seem to get around to doing. So in the spirit of pie making, and with hope that I will, in fact, use the apples for the purpose with which they were intended, I decided to share a few things about pie that I have learned over the years, mostly from that lovely lady, Betty Crocker. As I talked about on an earlier post, my favorite cookbook is a reprint of a 1951 Betty Crocker; the pictures are charming, the recipes a dream. It provides a glimpse into the daily lives of my favorite of the species; 50's housewives. There is a wonderful section which gives tips on stretching the family budget as well as keeping your spirits lifted; no therapy required. I actually think I will post about those tips at a later date; they are just priceless!

I always use Betty's version of a pie crust, it's so simple! Modern cookbooks make the process seem so difficult and time consuming; when it should be....easy as pie! You don't need the finest quality butter, or a food processor, or special flour, or special equipment, just flour, shortening (I know, I know), cold water, and either a pastry blender (which is just a little hand-held gizmo), or two forks. Also, modern recipes call for a higher percentage of fat to flour, which is just not necessary. The recipe I use calls for 2/3 cup of shortening per two-crust pie, certainly not health food, but I have seen other recipes use almost equal amounts of butter to flour! And I just roll the dough out with a wooden roller, no fancy-dancy new models with Teflon, on my wooden cutting board. I would love to have a marble inset to my counter top for dough; but for now, wood it is!

The problem with making pie, is that it is a fairly time-consuming dessert, so last time I made pie, I came up with a new technique, based on something my Granny used to do while making pie. Some of my best memories of my Granny are from my visit to her home in Missouri when I was eleven, she loved pie, and loved baking pies, so my sister and I helped her while she made lots of fruit pies. She came from a time and a place where pie was a staple, more of a way to preserve and a vehicle for fruit than a fancy dessert. She told us that while she was growing up in the 1930's, her mother used to make a dozen pies at a time. I always think of that when I bake pies; and hope that my pies would be Granny-approved! I remember her making the filling and then freezing it for another time, since she didn't have enough pie tins or oven space, so last time I made pies I did something similar. I don't claim that this is completely my idea, I'm sure other ladies have figured this out long ago, but for me it was a new idea!

I simply made enough filling for an extra pie, and placed it in a pie tin with no crust, greased. I did this with cooked filling, but I'm sure you could do this with the uncooked filling as well. I then baked that pie tin with just filling until it was done, then cooled it in the pie tin and when it was cool, stuck the whole thing in the freezer. I froze it until solid, then popped the filling out of the pie tin, wrapped it in plastic, and put it back in the freezer. When I needed a fairly quick dessert some weeks later, I simply made up a pie crust in the same pie tin, added the frozen block of filling, topped with another crust, baked as usual. It made a delicious, fresh-baked pie, and since the filling is the most time-consuming part, was ready in a snap! Of course, you can also freeze entire pies, but that requires putting pie tins out of commission, but I haven't had the greatest luck defrosting whole pies, and the crust has a tendency to become soggy when frozen. 

Now, do you want to make pie?

Gerber baby without the Gerber!

This vintage Gerber advertisement made me laugh! I didn't realize my baby was saying "Mm mm for Meat"! I have been making homemade baby food since my first baby, Andrew; but I've always "filled" in with jarred food at times, like Gerber. There's just nothing as convenient as being rushed on a busy morning and grabbing a jar of baby food! And then too, there are some things that, try as I might, just are not possible to make in a home setting without certain equipment. For example, how in the world do the baby food companies create banana puree that is neither stringy nor discolored? I know they add ascorbic or citric acid (just vitamin C) to the mixture to prevent the color from changing, but I have never been able to make such a smooth puree of bananas. I've tried using a food processor, which usually changes even the most stubborn of foods into puree easily; but bananas stay clumpy and stringy no matter how hard I try!  I think they must cook the bananas in some fashion, then liquefy and strain. Needless to say, I often buy jarred bananas. In addition, there are some fruits and vegetables that are not readily available in my area, and any of those varieties that I could purchase would be out-of-season and not the greatest quality. I've given jars of things like mangoes, plums, peaches, and blends of things I don't often (or ever) have on hand, like Mango Risotto. For most other things, and to provide the basics, I make baby food, which always seems more daunting than it really is. Some people like to go the old-fashioned route, and use a baby food maker that works on a hand-crank, but that requires buying the silly thing, and I've never been able to justify the expense. I used to use my good 'ol Kitchen Aid blender, but that meant dragging it and all it's parts, and making a huge quantity of one food at a time; not ideal. A few years ago, I got a small, simple 2 cup food processor, which I love for making salad dressings and chopping garlic; then found it was perfect for whipping up some baby food with a minimum of cleanup. I even have plans to use it when Elvis begins eating more variety; to quickly mash table food. For purees, this is what I do.

Scrub, Peel and chop into chunks harder foods; like root vegetables or apples.

Put into a microwave safe bowl, add a small amount of water and pop in the microwave. Cook in 5 minute increments until soft. Add some of the fruit or vegetable, along with a little of the cooking water to the bowl of the food processor, pulse until pureed; adding water as needed until it reaches desired consistency.

For other foods, like soft fruits, peel by placing in boiling water, then "shocking" in icy water, a process also called blanching, then follow the same procedure as above; although the fruit may be sufficiently cooked by the peeling process, and probably needs less water in the pureeing process.

You can also do this with meats; fair warning, pureed meat is not appetizing, but I have done this by boiling a chicken breast  which is well-trimmed, then pureeing with small amount of cooking liquid, then straining through a strainer. This could also be done with beef, although I don't want to think about boiled beef; but the end product is great mixed with some vegetables or fruit or cereal and given for a "dinner".

After the food is pureed, I spoon it into an empty (clean) ice cube tray, freeze until solid, then pop out the cubes and store in a Ziploc bag in the freezer; well labeled because frozen cubes of food start to look the same after a while, and it would be bad to accidentally give your baby pureed chicken instead of applesauce in his or her morning cereal! It's also a good idea to warn your family members about the ice; James has received a shock a few times when pulling out an ice cube tray for ice for a drink and finding it full of food! He warned me that it's only a matter of time before he serves himself a quite unusual drink!

In this picture; I have made a small batch of applesauce along with a small batch of sweet potatoes, and divided the food into one ice cube tray. I also love to create my own blends of food, by simply putting a cube of two of a few different, complimentary foods (like apples and sweet potatoes) into a bowl, putting it in the microwave on a low setting until thawed, then combining. Of course, you must be careful of "hot spots" when using the microwave; it's best to leave the thawed food out for a while to be sure it has time to cool. None of my babies have ever preferred warmed-up food, and that makes it easier to be sure I'm not going to burn them with hot food.
As you can see, it's very easy and economical to make your own baby food; no special equipment required!

Friday Late Night Burgers.....

Similar to our Sunday Salad tradition, James and I have started really enjoying having late night burgers on Fridays...actually I think the Sunday Salads were adopted as a result of the Friday Burgers! There's something great about putting all your children to bed and enjoying some alone time with each other, as adults...and the great homemade burgers are a bonus! http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-23097-bobby-flays-burgers-fries-and-shakes.aspx About a year and a half ago, when we were footloose and fancy-free parents of four, we bought this cookbook, and started working our way through the recipes. We had so much fun picking out which burger we were going to try that weekend, shopping for the ingredients, and then of course, eating the delicious results! It was a great stay-at-home date night for us, which got a little sidetracked when I became pregnant with Elvis. We are going back to our tradition, although lately we've been coming up with our own burger, based on what we have on hand, which is fun, too! I think it's important to have little things like this to enjoy as a couple, and it doesn't have to be grand, or expensive. I also have my guilty pleasure movie to look forward to...I'm ashamed (a little) to admit that after Elvis was born, when I was looking for a little harmless diversion to distract me from the crushing sleep deprivation and a touch of the baby blues, I decided to give the Twilight movies a whirl. I wasn't terribly impressed, but then I read the books in between feedings. The books were surprisingly engaging and well-written, and I loved the fact that although it was a teenage love story, there was no sex, and the books themselves were written by a mom close to my age! After I read the books, I re-watched the movies, and although they are essentially teenage pieces of fluff, I find them to be entertaining and great to watch while slogging through the endless laundry, or in place of my usual classic movie watching while I sew. You know what? I'm not embarrassed! I'm a hip, happening, mother of five boys, and I can watch whatever I want! So there!

Where does the time go?

I have been so, so, busy these last few days! Getting my boys back on a school schedule has been a little challenging (and for me too!). I have been dying to cut into my first vintage pattern, and over the last day or two I have been slowly cutting out the pattern. It's almost my size, but I need a couple extra inches in the bust line and my five-babies waistline. I found a great article on resizing patterns, and although I found that I had virtually none of the needed supplies, I figured I was an experienced enough seamstress to draw out the re sized bodice directly on the fabric. Even I would not have attempted this except that the pattern was very nearly the right size...it would not have worked at all on a pattern that was a few sizes too small. I think I did all right, I guess I'll see once it starts going together, I went on the premise that you can always make something smaller, so I added ample room, thinking I could take it in easily. The skirt then had to be re sized along the side seams, which is a no-brainer, but this skirt pattern has soft pleats along the waistband, and I had a mental block where I couldn't figure out whether I needed to move the pleats or enlarge the pleats to the measurement I added to the bodice. Eventually I moved the markings, but I may just have to redistribute them once I get started on the skirt; I've found that often pleats have to be moved, anyway, even if the pattern is the right size. Also, tonight, I remedied my sad lack of dessert making by making oatmeal chocolate-and-vanilla-chip cookies, my boys will be thrilled, since they've been bereft of "treats" lately! On the agenda tonight, lots of laundry, fabric cutting, soapmaking (Briny Depths Sea Kelp Soap), and a glass of Riesling wine (my fave!).

My 1951 Betty Crocker cookbook never fails me!

One of my absolute favorite cookbooks is a complete reprint, down to the colorful cover, of the 1951 edition of the Betty Crocker cookbook. Tonight I made one of the go-to recipes: it is on a page called "Supper Breads", which I think is a novel idea for today's lifestyle; who knew there were breads meant to be had at supper, or that one was expected to have bread at supper, or even that there was such a thing as supper. The bread I made tonight was oatmeal bread. It is a nice soft bread with a nice crust, and is very quickly mixed up. I find that I can start it at about 3pm and still have it out of the oven for a 6pm dinner. One of the other great things about this book, is that the recipes tend to be healthier, not laden with butter or cream, quite by accident. It was important for homemakers in that day and age (much like the one we find ourselves in) to serve meals that were easy on the pocketbook, and simply by virtue of thriftiness ends up being better for our health. I love that word thriftiness, it is so seldom used these days. I enjoy the sections in this book devoted to helping the homemaker be thrifty; even trying out the meal plan charmingly titled. "Purse-String Supper". I keep this cookbook near at hand in my kitchen, and pull it out whenever all the recipes jumbling about in my head fail me.   

Dutch Delight!

My mother came over yesterday, and along with a snack for my boys (she knows them well), she brought me this wonderful, colorful blue cast-iron Dutch Oven! What a surprise! I have been wanting one of these for years, since I love cooking with cast-iron, and have always admired the enameled ones, it makes the cast-iron even more practical, and of course, much more beautiful. She also told me about a Dutch recipe she has, which she calls "Dutch Delight", which is a much better name than the real name, "Mustard Soup". On her side of the family, our ancestors are Dutch, so she has learned to cook some wonderful Dutch dishes. Now all I have to do is decide what to make in my lovely new Dutch oven, which matches my kitchen, and is so pretty I want to just display it! Maybe beef stew, or a soup of some kind......