I used to love homemade mac-n-cheese, but my family prefers the stuff in the blue box, and I have this embarrassing habit of--after eating no less than two helpings at dinner--eating more mac-n-cheese out of the serving spoon while I'm supposed to be washing dishes. Like multiple serving-spoonfuls. Creamy, cheesy, carbohydrate-laden with a nice golden crust; it's just one of those foods that I can't stop eating once I start. This winter, I haven't made homemade mac-n-cheese at all, and I don't miss it, because what I make instead is this Simple Broccoli Casserole. Think mac-n-cheese, but with broccoli instead of the macaroni.
It's different enough from mac-n-cheese that my kids don't recognize it as similar. No, "Aw, Mom, why didn't you just make the boxed kind?!"
It's not a carb-overload. I find that I can stop eating before my third helping. And, it's a vegetable. I know I sure haven't eaten my fair share of vegetables with all these Christmas treats in the house.
Simple Broccoli Casserole
Cut about 2 pounds of broccoli into bite size pieces. If you include the stalk, which I do, be sure to cut off the tough outer layer. Cook broccoli according to your preferred method. (I steam it in a small covered dutch oven with about 1/2 cup of water and a big sprinkle of salt for about six minutes.) Drain thoroughly.
While broccoli cooks, make a cheese sauce: Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Let brown a minute, then whisk in 2 cups milk, a pinch of salt, about 5 grinds of pepper and a garlic clove, peeled and halved. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce bubbles. Boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in approximately 2 cups (8 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Stir to melt cheese.
Arrange broccoli in a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish or a 8" square pan. Pour cheese sauce evenly over broccoli. Bake at 400 until bubbly and golden brown toward the edges, about 20 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.
The longer you let this rest, the more it will set. I generally serve it after about 15 minutes and it's still a bit soupy. Serve it with toasted buttered bread to sop up the sauce, and a sliced orange to round out the meal.
December 27, 2011
December 22, 2011
A Handful of Follow Up Items
Market News:
Remember the Saturday Chico Farmers Market is open on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve this year. Go support your local farmers!
oOo
Thoughts about Christmas
I didn't go to the farmers market last weekend. Usually we go through a dozen eggs in a week, but last Saturday morning there were still eight eggs in the carton. There was still a head of napa cabbage, half a head of green cabbage, a bunch of carrots and a large head of broccoli in my fridge's crisper, so, as my husband and kids left town for two days, I decided not to go to the market. Instead I stayed home and de-cluttered. Boy, was the house overdo! I spent all weekend decluttering, with a couple breaks to make candy for Christmas gifts, watch "Psych" on Netflix (while wrapping candies, of course) and to eat a burrito from a taco truck. It was pretty great.
Oh, and I went with my mother and grandfather to Bidwell Pres for church on Sunday. I grew up going to that church. As a kid I loved playing hide-and-seek with my friends in all the Sunday School classrooms. As I got older, my theology got a little more 'charismatic' and 'evangelical' and I tired of the 'traditional' style of worship. Throughout our marriage my husband and I have attended multiple non-denominational churches, and we've been fairly content at each one of them, but, my goodness! I was humbled and unimaginably refreshed by singing Christmas carols at church Sunday. I can't help buy consider why: 1) Has the theology or worship style of the church changed? 2) Has my theology or preferred worship style changed? 3) Does it feel 'normal' and 'right' to me simply because it is what I grew up with?
And why don't non-denominational churches sing Christmas carols during Advent? A lot of churches seem to mix modern worship songs with a couple of Christmas carols. I like modern worship songs, but I would so much prefer to sing Christmas carols exclusively during Advent, and not just the first verse either. But I digress...
I think all three answers are correct (but feel free to chime in if you have an opinion on that)... The next logical question is, "Am I raising my kid in an (home or church) environment that I want her to think is 'normal' and 'right?'
My favorite parts of Christmas are the Christmas carols that celebrate the birth of Christ and the smell of pine. Let me re-phrase that: they are the two elements of Christmas that I miss most when Christmas gets busy with picking out perfect gifts on a budget, preparing gifts, working 40 hours a week when it seems like at least half of my Facebook friends are on vacation, watching Santa Claus movies, and carving out time for big holiday meals with family. It's not that I don't like the other elements. I just really want time to ponder the lyrics to 'O Holy Night,' and to sing with my kids (at least the first three verses of) 'Away in a Manager.'
oOo
Some Cool Photos of the Market in November
Anyhow, I skipped the farmers market last week. The farmers market is such a part of who I am that I kind of need that experience every week. Thinking about the market this week, I googled "Chico Farmers Market" and discovered a really cool blog post by a blogger from Oregon who visited the market in November. There are a lot of good photos in the post and it's just nice to see someone celebrate the wonderful variety we have at the Chico Farmers Market. So, if all the hustle and bustle of the holidays have kept you away from the market, check out her post and get your fix. I'm already looking forward to what I plan to buy this weekend: some local honey, because we're almost out; some cabbage or kale to put into a post-Christmas soup, some carrots, celery (if I can find some), and a big bag of mandarins to keep the kids happy.
oOo
The Organic Pastures Milk Recall
Organic Pastures was out of business for a month due to the recent raw milk recall, but government inspectors did not find any indication that the E. coli outbreak which sickened five children was a result of drinking raw milk. Raw milk enthusiasts certainly are not surprised.
oOo
Homemade Ice Cream Notes - a new page on the blog
I recently consolidated my homemade ice cream experimentation on one page. I've really enjoyed finding new homemade ice cream flavors that my family likes, but I don't want to muddy up a blog that is supposed to be all about celebrating farmers market produce with recipes containing store-bought peppermint cookies and root beer extract. You can find my most recent ice cream adventures, as well as links to recipes posted previously, here.
oOo
Re: Edible Gifts
I've gotten a lot of feedback on my recent "10 Tips for Edible Gifts" post. Most of it goes something like this, "Oh no, just before I read this I delivered six plastic-wrapped paper plates full of homemade cookies to all my co-workers!"
I feel like I should clarify.
When I wrote that post, I wasn't just ripping on former co-workers, some of my tips are from personal experience. I am not a crafty person and I am not the kind of person who just loves to give gifts, so I hope you don't think I went crazy-Martha-Stewart on you.
1.) I had a bad experience with a plate of Christmas cookies as a child, so my opinions about Christmas cookies may not reflect other people's opinions about Christmas cookies. I don't actually remember the experience. I've blocked it out. But I think I was about ten years old and the cookies were brought to us by the kid who lived just north of us. I can only assume that he and his mother had wrapped peppermint cookies with non-peppermint cookies, because, to this day, that is my biggest food-related pet peeve.
2.) Fancy packaging is more important in situations where you need to make a good impression (ie: a gift to a client or a brand-new sister-in-law) and less important in situations where you're close to recipient or when you've experienced some type of medical hardship. My grandmother, who is nearly 90 years old, is giving most people on her Christmas list this year homemade Chex Mix. From experience, I can tell you that she's packaged it in plastic bags, the ones marked "bread bags" with the twist ties. She figured out years ago that they were the perfect size and shape to funnel in Chex Mix using a piece of waxed paper. And she's way too frugal to ever buy a ziplock bag. She'll pass out bags of Chex Mix without any adornment and all her grandchildren (and some friends at her retirement community) will munch on it happily in the days to come. We know her and we've come to except that holiday Chex Mix.
oOo
Merry Christmas, all!
I hope that coming week is filled with whatever it is that you like most about Christmas.
Remember the Saturday Chico Farmers Market is open on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve this year. Go support your local farmers!
oOo
Thoughts about Christmas
I didn't go to the farmers market last weekend. Usually we go through a dozen eggs in a week, but last Saturday morning there were still eight eggs in the carton. There was still a head of napa cabbage, half a head of green cabbage, a bunch of carrots and a large head of broccoli in my fridge's crisper, so, as my husband and kids left town for two days, I decided not to go to the market. Instead I stayed home and de-cluttered. Boy, was the house overdo! I spent all weekend decluttering, with a couple breaks to make candy for Christmas gifts, watch "Psych" on Netflix (while wrapping candies, of course) and to eat a burrito from a taco truck. It was pretty great.
Oh, and I went with my mother and grandfather to Bidwell Pres for church on Sunday. I grew up going to that church. As a kid I loved playing hide-and-seek with my friends in all the Sunday School classrooms. As I got older, my theology got a little more 'charismatic' and 'evangelical' and I tired of the 'traditional' style of worship. Throughout our marriage my husband and I have attended multiple non-denominational churches, and we've been fairly content at each one of them, but, my goodness! I was humbled and unimaginably refreshed by singing Christmas carols at church Sunday. I can't help buy consider why: 1) Has the theology or worship style of the church changed? 2) Has my theology or preferred worship style changed? 3) Does it feel 'normal' and 'right' to me simply because it is what I grew up with?
And why don't non-denominational churches sing Christmas carols during Advent? A lot of churches seem to mix modern worship songs with a couple of Christmas carols. I like modern worship songs, but I would so much prefer to sing Christmas carols exclusively during Advent, and not just the first verse either. But I digress...
I think all three answers are correct (but feel free to chime in if you have an opinion on that)... The next logical question is, "Am I raising my kid in an (home or church) environment that I want her to think is 'normal' and 'right?'
My favorite parts of Christmas are the Christmas carols that celebrate the birth of Christ and the smell of pine. Let me re-phrase that: they are the two elements of Christmas that I miss most when Christmas gets busy with picking out perfect gifts on a budget, preparing gifts, working 40 hours a week when it seems like at least half of my Facebook friends are on vacation, watching Santa Claus movies, and carving out time for big holiday meals with family. It's not that I don't like the other elements. I just really want time to ponder the lyrics to 'O Holy Night,' and to sing with my kids (at least the first three verses of) 'Away in a Manager.'
oOo
Some Cool Photos of the Market in November
Anyhow, I skipped the farmers market last week. The farmers market is such a part of who I am that I kind of need that experience every week. Thinking about the market this week, I googled "Chico Farmers Market" and discovered a really cool blog post by a blogger from Oregon who visited the market in November. There are a lot of good photos in the post and it's just nice to see someone celebrate the wonderful variety we have at the Chico Farmers Market. So, if all the hustle and bustle of the holidays have kept you away from the market, check out her post and get your fix. I'm already looking forward to what I plan to buy this weekend: some local honey, because we're almost out; some cabbage or kale to put into a post-Christmas soup, some carrots, celery (if I can find some), and a big bag of mandarins to keep the kids happy.
oOo
The Organic Pastures Milk Recall
Organic Pastures was out of business for a month due to the recent raw milk recall, but government inspectors did not find any indication that the E. coli outbreak which sickened five children was a result of drinking raw milk. Raw milk enthusiasts certainly are not surprised.
oOo
Homemade Ice Cream Notes - a new page on the blog
I recently consolidated my homemade ice cream experimentation on one page. I've really enjoyed finding new homemade ice cream flavors that my family likes, but I don't want to muddy up a blog that is supposed to be all about celebrating farmers market produce with recipes containing store-bought peppermint cookies and root beer extract. You can find my most recent ice cream adventures, as well as links to recipes posted previously, here.
oOo
Re: Edible Gifts
I've gotten a lot of feedback on my recent "10 Tips for Edible Gifts" post. Most of it goes something like this, "Oh no, just before I read this I delivered six plastic-wrapped paper plates full of homemade cookies to all my co-workers!"
I feel like I should clarify.
When I wrote that post, I wasn't just ripping on former co-workers, some of my tips are from personal experience. I am not a crafty person and I am not the kind of person who just loves to give gifts, so I hope you don't think I went crazy-Martha-Stewart on you.
1.) I had a bad experience with a plate of Christmas cookies as a child, so my opinions about Christmas cookies may not reflect other people's opinions about Christmas cookies. I don't actually remember the experience. I've blocked it out. But I think I was about ten years old and the cookies were brought to us by the kid who lived just north of us. I can only assume that he and his mother had wrapped peppermint cookies with non-peppermint cookies, because, to this day, that is my biggest food-related pet peeve.
2.) Fancy packaging is more important in situations where you need to make a good impression (ie: a gift to a client or a brand-new sister-in-law) and less important in situations where you're close to recipient or when you've experienced some type of medical hardship. My grandmother, who is nearly 90 years old, is giving most people on her Christmas list this year homemade Chex Mix. From experience, I can tell you that she's packaged it in plastic bags, the ones marked "bread bags" with the twist ties. She figured out years ago that they were the perfect size and shape to funnel in Chex Mix using a piece of waxed paper. And she's way too frugal to ever buy a ziplock bag. She'll pass out bags of Chex Mix without any adornment and all her grandchildren (and some friends at her retirement community) will munch on it happily in the days to come. We know her and we've come to except that holiday Chex Mix.
oOo
Merry Christmas, all!
I hope that coming week is filled with whatever it is that you like most about Christmas.
December 14, 2011
10 Tips for Edible Gifts
A rant inspired by too many stale baked goods next to the office water cooler
With most of us on stricter budgets than we may have been in years past, and considering our society's increased awareness of how our choices affect the environment, edible gifts are a good thing... as long as you follow some basic guidelines.
1. Package all edible gifts attractively. Appearance is everything. I understand that taste is super-duper important, too, but what I am trying to say is that presenting a gift nicely makes it more appetizing, and therefore, better appreciated. Avoid ziplock bags, saran wrap and paper plates. For candies, use treat bags with sparkly ribbon. Top gifts-in-a-jar with a circle of fabric, secured with some festive elastic cord. Be sure to attach a big shiny bow or a fun curl of ribbon to a gift basket or gift bag. The ubiquitous plate-of-Christmas-cookies can certainly be enhanced by some creative packaging: a nice cookie tin or (for crisp, flat cookies) a clear plastic sleeve (with some pretty ribbon) so that the cookies are packaged as a stack.
2. Choose upscale or homemade over grocery store varieties. If you can't afford See's, please don't give a Wittman's Sampler. It just looks sad sitting there unopened next to the See's Candy that someone else gave. If you don't have the time or skill to whip up some homemade caramels or truffles, Trader Joe's has some gift-able candies and cookies in decent packaging. Oh, and just to be clear, a loaf of nut bread from the discount grocer is not a gift; it's a heart attack in wasteful plastic clamshell packaging.
$- Trader Joe's Mini Candy Cane Cookies $$- See's Candy
3. The closer it gets to Christmas, the more something with a shelf-life will be appreciated. Sure, the first tin of cookies or tray of candies makes us all feel merry and bright, but we all have our limits. The closer it is to Christmas, the more likely it is that the gift recipient (and their family or office-mates) are already getting burned out on festive sweets. Not only that, but if your scheduled delivery is postponed, your recipient isn't stuck with something stale.
$- jam or jelly, pickles or salsa
$$- vacuum-packed coffee
$$$- A nice bottle of the recipient's favorite liquor
4. Choose something savory. Again, this time of year people are getting tired of sweets, so choose something savory. Caveat: Teachers probably get more chintzy edible gifts than people in other occupations. Your child's teacher does not want another Dollar Store Christmas mug filled with Hershey's Kisses. Go savory, go with something with a shelf-life, or forget the edible gifts altogether and go with a gift card.
$- Spiced nuts
$$-Salami & Cheese
5. With homemade gifts, include clear instructions for their use and storage. Hot cocoa mix is an appropriate cuddle-up-in-the-wintertime gift for a lot of people, as long as they know that it's hot cocoa mix and how to use it. Include nicely printed instructions: "Mix 2 tablespoons Hot Cocoa Mix with 6 ounces hot milk. Snuggle up and enjoy." Likewise, that ubiquitous tin of cookies might be appreciated a bit more with a tag that read, "These cookies are freshly baked. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the freezer up to one month." Certainly, if something requires refrigeration, make that very clear.
6. Give a themed food basket. Even practical items tucked into a bed of raffia in an attractive basket can make a beautiful and thoughtful gift. If you match your theme to the recipient, it may end up being their favorite gift of the year.
$- homemade canned pasta sauce with a pound of gourmet pasta
$$- A bag of sushi rice, a package of nori, a jar of pickled ginger, wasabi and a couple of sushi rolling mats
$$$- One of my favorite gifts one year was a collection of foods produced in Butte County. It included a jar of honey, a bottle of wine, a couple bags of flavored almonds, some specialty olive oil, a package of rice cakes and some citrus fruit.
7. Be aware of food allergies and preferences. If you give peanut brittle to someone who doesn't like nuts, it won't be appreciated. If you give something that contains peanuts or peanut oil to someone who is allergic to peanuts the outcome could be far worse. Likewise, a gluten-free family won't be able to enjoy anything made with wheat or oats. It's not a great idea to give sweets to a perpetual dieter, salty foods to someone who has heart disease or taffy to someone known to break their teeth. And certainly, do not give alcohol to anyone unless you have confirmed that they drink alcohol. In the event that you're giving a gift to people you don't know well, kindly make sure that the ingredients, especially any possible allergens (nuts, dairy, wheat, eggs, shellfish) are clearly and neatly marked.
8. Budget appropriately. Edible gifts can certainly be an economical choice, but be sure to budget for the item itself (or the ingredients and time to make a homemade gift), and attractive packaging including a nice tag for labeling. Maybe you saved a lot of money by making homemade honey wine for your friends this year. Well, here's the thing: most of your friends think the concept of something fermenting in your closet for six months is a little weird, but we might to be willing to try it, if it's packaged in a decorative bottle (widely available online) rather than a re-purposed soda bottle.
9. Maintain a clean kitchen. And the appearance of one. Make sure that your counters and utensils are clean. Don't make edible gifts while you are sick . Don't put your child in the position of delivering an edible gift while he/she is sick. Also, if it is apparent that your cat sat on that plate of appetizers you were planning to bring to a holiday party, just don't bring it. Your hostess would much rather be greeted with a big hug and a hearty "Merry Christmas."
10: Make a double batch... or a quadruple batch. You must taste whatever you make for quality control reasons. And if it's as delicious as it looks, your housemates will want to sample it too. Of course, it never hurts to have a few extra items available for last minute gifts, and if you end up not giving them away, it certainly won't go to waste, will it?
With most of us on stricter budgets than we may have been in years past, and considering our society's increased awareness of how our choices affect the environment, edible gifts are a good thing... as long as you follow some basic guidelines.
1. Package all edible gifts attractively. Appearance is everything. I understand that taste is super-duper important, too, but what I am trying to say is that presenting a gift nicely makes it more appetizing, and therefore, better appreciated. Avoid ziplock bags, saran wrap and paper plates. For candies, use treat bags with sparkly ribbon. Top gifts-in-a-jar with a circle of fabric, secured with some festive elastic cord. Be sure to attach a big shiny bow or a fun curl of ribbon to a gift basket or gift bag. The ubiquitous plate-of-Christmas-cookies can certainly be enhanced by some creative packaging: a nice cookie tin or (for crisp, flat cookies) a clear plastic sleeve (with some pretty ribbon) so that the cookies are packaged as a stack.
2. Choose upscale or homemade over grocery store varieties. If you can't afford See's, please don't give a Wittman's Sampler. It just looks sad sitting there unopened next to the See's Candy that someone else gave. If you don't have the time or skill to whip up some homemade caramels or truffles, Trader Joe's has some gift-able candies and cookies in decent packaging. Oh, and just to be clear, a loaf of nut bread from the discount grocer is not a gift; it's a heart attack in wasteful plastic clamshell packaging.
$- Trader Joe's Mini Candy Cane Cookies $$- See's Candy
3. The closer it gets to Christmas, the more something with a shelf-life will be appreciated. Sure, the first tin of cookies or tray of candies makes us all feel merry and bright, but we all have our limits. The closer it is to Christmas, the more likely it is that the gift recipient (and their family or office-mates) are already getting burned out on festive sweets. Not only that, but if your scheduled delivery is postponed, your recipient isn't stuck with something stale.
$- jam or jelly, pickles or salsa
$$- vacuum-packed coffee
$$$- A nice bottle of the recipient's favorite liquor
4. Choose something savory. Again, this time of year people are getting tired of sweets, so choose something savory. Caveat: Teachers probably get more chintzy edible gifts than people in other occupations. Your child's teacher does not want another Dollar Store Christmas mug filled with Hershey's Kisses. Go savory, go with something with a shelf-life, or forget the edible gifts altogether and go with a gift card.
$- Spiced nuts
$$-Salami & Cheese
5. With homemade gifts, include clear instructions for their use and storage. Hot cocoa mix is an appropriate cuddle-up-in-the-wintertime gift for a lot of people, as long as they know that it's hot cocoa mix and how to use it. Include nicely printed instructions: "Mix 2 tablespoons Hot Cocoa Mix with 6 ounces hot milk. Snuggle up and enjoy." Likewise, that ubiquitous tin of cookies might be appreciated a bit more with a tag that read, "These cookies are freshly baked. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the freezer up to one month." Certainly, if something requires refrigeration, make that very clear.
6. Give a themed food basket. Even practical items tucked into a bed of raffia in an attractive basket can make a beautiful and thoughtful gift. If you match your theme to the recipient, it may end up being their favorite gift of the year.
$- homemade canned pasta sauce with a pound of gourmet pasta
$$- A bag of sushi rice, a package of nori, a jar of pickled ginger, wasabi and a couple of sushi rolling mats
$$$- One of my favorite gifts one year was a collection of foods produced in Butte County. It included a jar of honey, a bottle of wine, a couple bags of flavored almonds, some specialty olive oil, a package of rice cakes and some citrus fruit.
7. Be aware of food allergies and preferences. If you give peanut brittle to someone who doesn't like nuts, it won't be appreciated. If you give something that contains peanuts or peanut oil to someone who is allergic to peanuts the outcome could be far worse. Likewise, a gluten-free family won't be able to enjoy anything made with wheat or oats. It's not a great idea to give sweets to a perpetual dieter, salty foods to someone who has heart disease or taffy to someone known to break their teeth. And certainly, do not give alcohol to anyone unless you have confirmed that they drink alcohol. In the event that you're giving a gift to people you don't know well, kindly make sure that the ingredients, especially any possible allergens (nuts, dairy, wheat, eggs, shellfish) are clearly and neatly marked.
8. Budget appropriately. Edible gifts can certainly be an economical choice, but be sure to budget for the item itself (or the ingredients and time to make a homemade gift), and attractive packaging including a nice tag for labeling. Maybe you saved a lot of money by making homemade honey wine for your friends this year. Well, here's the thing: most of your friends think the concept of something fermenting in your closet for six months is a little weird, but we might to be willing to try it, if it's packaged in a decorative bottle (widely available online) rather than a re-purposed soda bottle.
9. Maintain a clean kitchen. And the appearance of one. Make sure that your counters and utensils are clean. Don't make edible gifts while you are sick . Don't put your child in the position of delivering an edible gift while he/she is sick. Also, if it is apparent that your cat sat on that plate of appetizers you were planning to bring to a holiday party, just don't bring it. Your hostess would much rather be greeted with a big hug and a hearty "Merry Christmas."
10: Make a double batch... or a quadruple batch. You must taste whatever you make for quality control reasons. And if it's as delicious as it looks, your housemates will want to sample it too. Of course, it never hurts to have a few extra items available for last minute gifts, and if you end up not giving them away, it certainly won't go to waste, will it?
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