Things Jasmine Will Eat, Part 1

     Life with a 7 year old vegetarian whose palate consists mostly of mac & cheese and rice & beans can be challenging at times for a gal who likes to experiment in the kitchen.  Just as I'm sure life for a 7 year old who knows what food she is comfortable with is challenging when some crazy lady is trying to make you eat pasta in a white wine and nutmeg sauce.  There has been frustration, hurt feeling, and tears on both sides as we've tried to become comfortable with each other's eating habits.  

     Over time, we've come to an understanding.  Jasmine agrees to try at least a couple bites of whatever foreign concoction I put in front of her, and I agree to have a back-up on stand-by in case she can't stomach my creations.  We've had some massive failures, such as vegetarian pasties.  Some luke-warm responses, like bean and cream cheese enchiladas.  And some definite winners.  In the spirit of sharing, I'll be chronicling the winners here periodically.  I figure if the dish can get a good response from Jasmine and her discerning palate, it'll probably be a hit in other households as well. 

Fettuccine in Voldka Cream Sauce

Fairly certain it's a Rachel Ray spin off.  Also known in our house as "My Favorite Noodles" by Anna and "That Red Sauce I Like" by Jasmine

   

In a deep fry pan, heat about 1 to 2 TBSP olive oil.

Toss in 1 large clove of chopped garlic and about 1 or 2 chopped green onions (I leave the onions out when making it for the chitlens, just to avoid any conflicts)

Pour in 1 cup of vodka and let simmer until reduced by about half - about 3 minutes

Add 1 cup of chicken broth (don't tell Jazzie.  I use bullion so I think I'm ok)

Again, reduce for about 3 minutes or until about halved.

Next add 1 full can of crushed tomatoes and let simmer, again, for about 3 or 4 minutes.  (To avoid any bulking, I strain the chunks out - what few there are.  Seriously, I pull out all the stops when trying to get the kids to eat things.)  

Finally, reduce heat to about a medium low and add about a half cup of heavy whipping cream.  Let it sit there and thicken for a bit.  If you want to speed up the thickening process and end up with more final product (you do, trust me) you can toss some Parmesan cheese in there. 

Meanwhile, back on the back-burner, cook up some fettuccine (or whatever your noodle of preference is) per package instructions.  I like to make it a tad al dente, but that's just me.   

Strain noodles, throw them in a bowl, top with a ladle of sauce, a sprinkling of Parmesan, and a shake or two of basil.  

The first time I made this for Jasmine, she requested to have her noodles with "just butter, please" and I told her that was perfectly fine, provided she try a teeny tiny taste of the sauce I had just slaved over for hours (minutes).  She complied, although she said it didn't look like something she would like.  She tried a little bit on the end of a spoon, said "well, maybe it's not as bad as I thought it would...actually, it's pretty good" and requested a little bit on her noodles.  Then she came back for seconds, but with more sauce this time.  Win.

Bonus!  Super easy dessert, and healthy to boot!

Fruit with Cinnamon  
(courtesy of Miss Erin Porter)

Cut up your favorite fruit. Rinse. Toss with cinnamon.  Enjoy!

(we were also pretty certain we didn't like cinnamon on our fruit.  We were wrong.)

A Glimpse of Easter

I didn't take many pictures, because I was too busy stuffing my face with Grandma's home-cookin'.  But I did manage to get a "before" shot of the table dressings:

For after, just picture a bunch of people slouched back in their chairs in food comas. 

Probably my favorite part of the Easter festivities was that it was just nice enough outside to have a fire.  Mike started one down at the cabin, and the family trickled down.  If you build it, they will come. 

It was a great little teaser of summer nights ahead.  I am beyond excited to dive enthusiastically into camp cooking this year, to lounge in a cozy camp chair under a blanket of stars, to watch Mike poke at the logs and embers with a stick, to swap stories across the flames.  

Campfires are good for the soul.  

 

Renova Hot Springs

Friday we made the bi-weekly drive to Whitehall to drop Anna off with her dad.  The original plan was to head to Norris, soak in the pool, and listen to tunes.  But, as they tend to do, the plan changed and we ended up at Renova, which is a little "undeveloped" pot that sits on the Jefferson River along Point of Rocks Road at the base of the Tobacco Roots.  It was a perfect night to sit out on the river.  The water was hot, the air was crisp, the sky was clear, and the company was great.   

The first time I came to this place was on Anna's 1st birthday, after she had passed out from her sugar high and most of the guests had headed home.  A few stragglers and I decided to grab a few cold ones and go for a soak.  The hotspring sits about 10 yards off the road, backed up to an embankment on one side and surrounded by the Jefferson on the other three.  Across the river is a grassy little nook, and if you time it right (early June, as we found out that night - June 3rd) as evening settles and the sun starts to set, the grass and the space around it will dance with little specks of light.  It was the first time I had ever seen fireflies.  Turns out, this tucked away little spot is one of the few places in Montana where you can experience the little critters.  I felt it appropriate to bring a bottle of wine in remembrance.    

I also remember from my first visit, that at that time the water in the pot was crystal clear.  Not the case this time around, unfortunately.  Someone, at some point, had decided to put their fire out in the water and it left the pot sooty and dark.  Too bad.  I'm sure I made some comment about "punk kids ruining it for the next guy" just so we could all be sure that I am getting old.  Mike drained the pot when we left, in hopes that it would clear out some of the grey water and soot.  Hopefully whoever visits there after us will recognize his good intentions and not think we were "punk kids ruining it for the next guy."  

All in all, a great evening.  Topped off with a little mood lighting courtesy of the 7 headlamps we had in the car.  

Headlamps:  always handy to have around. 

Well, Hello There.

This is the beginning.  Or the middle.  But definitely not the end.  It's the shoulder season, somewhere between a blanket of powder and a blanket of flowers.  It's the time for spring cleaning, catching up on TV (well, Netflix), and starting a blog. So it's the beginning.  Of a blog.  In the middle of a middle season.  

I hope for this to be a place where curious family and friends can stay in the loop of our daily adventures.  I hope our daily adventures consist of more than cleaning and TV.  I hope I can keep this blog up.