10 ingredients? Week full of meals? Kind of...

The Minimalist again. His plan assumes that you have staples about like soy sauce, olive oil, rice, etc. I am intrigued. I might give it a try. It will, however, need to be modified for the children. I can say absolutely, positively, that they are not down with asparagus in any way, shape, or form. I shall report back later...

The 10-Ingredient Shopping Trip

Greek Nachos? GENIUS!

I've been on a major middle eastern food kick recently, and this strikes me as one of the best ways of using leftovers of all time. We're big on nachos in this house, too. The kids and I arrange a bunch of stuff on the table--chopped avocados, cilantro, lettuce, yogurt, salsa, beans--and I broil some baked (or fried, it's true) tortilla chips with a little bit of cheese. Everybody can make exactly what he or she wants. It's easy. It's fun.

This Greek idea is fabulous. I'm going to give it a try with the leftovers I have from the takeout we got for my birthday today from the Greek place around the corner. Thank you Minimalist:

Behold the Greek Nacho

McGriddle Make-Ahead

Image via Wikipedia

Made a rather yummy casserole last night for a brunch today. It's a little different from the usual bread pudding in that it uses frozen waffles. This recipe answers the age-old question: sweet or savory. It's both. Maple syrup, waffles, cheese, eggs, and sausage combine rather nicely. No mega butter, although if you must, butter wouldn't be hard to work in. I made it with lowfat milk and it wasn't bad at all. I think that Egg Beaters would also work! What more could you want?

Recipe is based mostly on a Cook's Country ditty.

8 frozen waffles (not super thick mega waffles) toasted until crisp
12 ounces maple breakfast sausage, cooked, crumbled, and drained
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
9 large eggs
2 cups low-fat milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt

Grease a pretty 9x13-ish inch pan. Arrange the waffles in a single layer on the bottom, then spread 1/2 the sausage and 3/4 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layering.

Mix together the eggs, milk, maple syrup, salt, pepper (optional) in a bowl and stir until combined. Pour the egg mixture over the casserole.

Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil spritzed with cooking spray and throw the casserole in the fridge for the next day.

When you get up the morning of your brunch, turn on the coffee and take the casserole out of the oven. Let it stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes or so. When you're ready to bake turn on the oven to 325 degrees and sprinkle the other 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Throw it in the oven and bake 60 minutes or so until edges and center are puffed and set. Cook for a few minutes then serve. (Can sit for a good 30-45 minutes before serving.)

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And while we're on the subject of red wine

Red wine and coke? Huh? This is going out for a spin tonight....

Kalimotxo, via Yum Sugar

After all those playdates....

A little Rose would be welcome....

Thanks to Slashfood, some ideas.

Seven Favorite Roses for Under $20

Playdate nirvana

FIVE playdates and counting this weekend. Kids love it; so do Mommy & Daddy.

Tonight we're having a barbecue. Burger bar (with tiny buns for kids); broccoli slaw; fruit salad (yummy yummy for all you Wiggles fans); leftover marinated chickpea salad; and mac & cheese (the fabulous crock pot version from this very website made with lowfat evap. milk, lowfat milk, and lowfat Velveeta). For dessert, SlimaBear ice cream sandwiches.

Seems like a good excuse to include my broccoli slaw recipe here, modified from a Cooks Country recipe. It's a stand-alone slaw. It's not the creamy kind of slaw you'd put on pulled pork, but more of a salad. I make it all ahead, except I hold the ramen noodles until just before serving. This is a great and sneaky way to get veges in my kids. They love the dressing (thanks to the sugar) and will gulp this salad down generally by the tubful.

Ramen Noodle Broccoli Slaw
Serves 6-8

Dressing
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup olive or canola oil

Salad
1 (12-ounce) bag broccoli slaw mix
2 (3 ounce) packages ramen noodles, crushed, flavor packets reserved
4 scallions, chopped thin
1 cup shelled roasted sunflower seeds
1 cup slivered toated almonds (or 2 cups seeds or 2 cups nuts)

Whisk sugar and vinegar in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves.

Combine broccoli slaw mix, ramen noodles (add 30 minutes before serving), and flavor packet (I only use one generally), scallions, seeds/nuts, in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss until well-coated. Put in fridge for 30 minutes; up to two hours before serving without the noodles.

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Roasted shrimp

Image via Wikipedia

While I'm on the subject of beach food, a revelation to me was Barefoot Contessa's roasted method of shrimp for shrimp cocktail. It is so easy, not messy, doesn't involve steaming cauldrons, and takes a mere 8 minutes. She has a fabulous recipe for homemade cocktail sauce in her latest cookbook as well, but at the beach I just buy Pete's and add lemon juice. Without further ado, the instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place shrimp (peeled and deveined if you so desire) in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toss with a little bit of olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Roast about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven. Eat warm or cool.