Recipes

I made chowder last night with a leftover ham that's been in the deep-freeze since Christmas. I got the recipe from Jena & Dedo. It was delish. Each one of my daughters' liked it which was a pleasant suprise because soup is not the little Lowe girls' favorite food. There are too many ingredients to worry about, too many spices, everything's all mixed together & there's no way to divide the vegetables from each other & leave off the sauce. 

Plus also, this wasn't just soup, it was chowder, so not only is everything all mixed together, but you can't even see everything that you're about to eat! They ate it though. The biggest suprise was Gwen. Gwen loved it. That is huge. She is our pickiest eater and will go days without food before tasting something she doesn't think she'll like. We've tried everything (bribes, shame, physical force) and now we're back to this is what we're having, if you're hungry, you'll eat it. The girls set the table while Matthew raved about how good the soup smelled and how much everyone was going to like it. I was trying to be optimistic, but suspected that Gwen would go to bed hungry, preferring to wait until she could have a bowl of Shredded Wheat for breakfast. I told her that this soup only had things she liked in it: potatoes, ham, corn, carrots, onions - wait, I didn't tell her about the onions, we don't talk about the onions, everyone knows they're there, but there's no need to bring them up in front of the children. I sat down determined to enjoy my bowl no matter what faces the girls made about the hot dinner sitting before them that I had slaved for hours in the kitchen to make. The faces never came. The comment about this not being their favorite never came (after hurting my & their grandparents' feelings one too many times, they are not allowed to say they don't like something at the table). The I'm not hungry statement never came. They ate it all up, thick broth, spices, onions, and all! Gwen actually finished her bowl. You only have to glance at her little bird-legs to tell that that is a rare occurence.

I have been on a high ever since, feeling like a success as a mother & all that. I'm enjoying it now, because it will only last a few more hours, then I'll have to make dinner again & start all over.

After lunch today, I made the girls peanut-butter balls. I'm not sure why I'm admitting making such a thing on a semi-public forum, but maybe I have a niece or nephew out there that will appreciate the things. (Not a Fowler niece or nephew, your mom will feel nauseas just reading this.) Peanut-butter balls (& the next person to make them, please help me come up something else to call them) are a mixture of powdered sugar & peanut butter. That's it. Roll them into balls, roll them in a little powdered sugar and feel good about giving your kids a healthy snack. Except that they're not all that healthy. It's a great way to get them to eat peanut butter though! As if it's hard to get kids to eat peanut butter in the first place. Basically, they're something sweet when you don't have the time or energy to make cookies and you've already raided your marshmallow & chocolate chip stash.

That reminds me of a recipe Matthew & I discovered years ago... 

Have a hard time getting your kids to eat hot dogs and Ramen noodles? Try this!

Although I have not yet and never will make the Octopus and Seaweed Special, I've been on a roll in the kitchen and can't wait to try a recipe Jamie gave me for dinner tonight. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, here's last night's success story:

Cheesy Vegetable & Ham Chowder

2 c. water

2 c. chopped potato

1/2 c. chopped carrot

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. flour

2 c. milk

2 1/2 c. shredded cheese

15 oz. can cream style corn

1/4 t. black pepper

2 c. cubed/cooked ham 

In a large saucepan combine water, potato, and carrot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer covered for ten minutes. DO NOT DRAIN. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and 1/4 t. black pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Add cheese to milk mixture cook and stir until cheese melts. Add cheese mixture to potato mixture. Stir in corn and ham. Heat through but do not boil. If desired, season with additional pepper.

(I simmered the ham bone in water, strained it out, & then boiled potatoes & carrots in the ham-water. Oh, & I added onions of course! I sauteed them with the butter before adding the flour & milk.)