I Wonder What My Kids Are Having For Lunch

180 days, August through June, I pack four lunches.  Sandwiches, quesadillas, bowls of rice - I try to pack a variety.  Some cookies or chips, a box of milk or juice, a bottle of water, a bag of grapes. I think I do pretty good for my own fast-food to-go operation.  Add to this the to-go dinners on sports practice and game nights.  So when summer comes - the folks are on their own.

I don't think I've made lunch since the last school bell. I do my part - I buy bread, sliced turkey, cheese, hot dogs, peanut butter and other random lunch fixin's.  And because of morning swim practices, I haven't really been on schedule to cook breakfast, either. But I do sometimes because I love a hot biscuit and a bowl of grits every now and then.  In general, however, I assume that at some point, my able bodied children will realize that they are hungry, amble from the couch all the way to the kitchen and fix themselves something to eat.

I used to feel guilty about not making them breakfast, lunch and dinner during the summer months. What if they whither away to nothing, go back to school all emaciated and CPS comes looking for me?  I've since decided that that's not even a close possibility.  I've determined that I am not abandoning my children, I'm teaching them to feed themselves.

Yes, there are some days that its about 5 o'clock where one of them realizes that they haven't eaten all day and hey, what is Mommy going to do about it?  But for the most part, someone hears their stomach grumble, remembers that someone has already done the hunting and gathering, and all they have to do is put it all on a couple slices of bread.

They seem to be surviving.  Next step - get them to make me something, too.

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5 (or 6) Bites to Eat in Chicago

There’s about a million restaurants in Chicago and if you ask for a recommendation, you’d get as many opinions on which is the best. So to add to that list, here’s my 2 cents on a few delicious bites that I tasted during my days in Chicago.

Pizza - deep-dish Chicago style pizza – is a given.  I imagine asking a Chicagoan where’s the best pizza is like asking a Marylander who has the best crabcakes.  I had a spinach personal size pizza from Giordano’s at Navy Pier (there’s a restaurant and a stand). And while in O’Hare, I enjoyed a cheese pizza from Reggio’s (Concourse C – not sure if they are near other gates, too.)  Be ready for the carb and cheese overload and enjoy.

You can't pass up a deep-dish Chicago pizza

Okay, now on to other food.

Popcorn. Specifically – Garrett’s Chicago Mix. A bag of the caramel corn and cheese mix is a Chicago must-taste. It’s a unique blend of sweet, sticky caramel and lick your fingers cheesy. (The first time I had it, I thought someone messed up the bag.) Once you are within a block of a shop, you’ll smell the hot burnt sugar sweetness. I also got a bag of the caramel with pecans (other nuts are also available) – it’s like a grown-up bag of Cracker Jacks.  For travel, I would recommend the caramel – it keeps better than the cheese or butter.

Get it while it's hot... caramel and cheese popcorn

Mini churros & sweet cream cheese sauce. Fried dough – enough said, right? Churros require a special crispiness, hot (as in warm) but not burn your tongue hot, and sweetness. Add a sweet dip – this one was a cream cheesy; I usually go with chocolate, but this was a yummy different option.  And a cup of coffee – it was the beginning of a great brunch at GT Fish & Oyster.

Churro's in Chicago. Yep.

Kimchi as condiment. I have eaten this fermented cabbage (or other vegetable) native food of Korea all my life. However, I generally eat it with rice, noodles, and Korean or other Asian food. I have never thought to eat it as a condiment on a sandwich or any “American” food.  I had an Oyster Po-Boy with Kimchi (all those yummy words together, how could it go wrong?) at GT Fish & Oyster.  At BellyQ, there was a Warm Potato Kimchi Salad – which I didn’t try, because I didn’t like all those words together, but was intrigued by the idea.  I did however, ask and receive a side of kimchi, which was pretty good.  (I’ll have to do a post on kimchi one of these days.  More later.)

I don't know whose idea it was to put Kimchi on a sandwich.

Grits. I really didn’t plan on feeding my grits-hunger while in Chicago, but I guess there is a touch of southern heritage here (read TheWarmth of Other Suns).  At BellyQ I had Coconut Grits. You like Coconut Rice? Ahh, they coulda slid some slices of mangos on it and had a whole new addictive food. (No pics, sorry, but it was good.)  I also had Shrimp & Grits, because as I mentioned in my Charlotte food post, it’s one of my favorite dishes. I had this bowl, with a more tomato soup taste with a kick, at GT Fish & Oyster for brunch.

Shrimp & Grits. This one up north in Chicago.

Fried deviled eggs. Because. It was deviled eggs. And it was fried. What could go wrong. Nothing.  Except you only get one.  At ThePurple Pig. Yes, as a vegetarian, you can find a good meal at a place with “pig” in it’s name.  Try the calamari with Fregola.  As a carnivore, particularly a pork-ivore, you will find a lot of interesting plates, including the Pig Platter.

Fried deviled egg. Crispy, hot, creamy.

Can I add one more? Because how can I do a food list without some chocolate?  From a foodtruck!  I had a chocolate cheesecake cupcake with chocolate frosting (feel that in your sweet tooth?) from Chicago Cupcakes.  The truck was at Jackson Park, near the Museum of Science and Industry, when I got my fix, but the guy said they are usually downtown and you can check Twitter to find them on any given day. Check them out.

Chocolate Cupcakes. What else do you need to know?

Note that I traveled to all of these restaurants (except the food truck and O’Hare) from my stay at the Hyatt on Wacker Dr. by foot or by bike. So when you go to Chicago, take your walking shoes.

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5 Things to Eat in Charlotte

A trip to any southern state is a food trip, as far as I'm concerned. Sweet tea, grits, biscuits, and other fried selections are a must.  If you ever get to Charlotte, NC, here's a few things to try.

Shrimp and grits. This southern tradition is one of my favorites. Its a basic concept - a serving of grits and a serving of saucy shrimp on top.  And from there - it can go all kinds of ways. Every coastal and even not-so-coastal city seems to have their own favorite recipe and "best" variation.  Charlotte's no exception. I had a bowl at Mert's Heart & Soul, a soul food restaurant in downtown Charlotte, a few blocks and a short walk from the Convention Center. Mert's recipe is a brown sauce for the shrimp (I've usually had a red tomato sauce.) Its flavored with tomatoes, peppers, green onions, and a kick of hot-ness. The spiciness is a crucial ingredient for me, without it, there's a blandness to the whole thing. The grits were smooth and creamy.

Shrimp & Grits, Collard Greens at Mert's 

Biscuits & cornbread. You just can't go south and not get some fresh baked bread.  At Mert's, they serve hot mini-loaves of cornbread. Not hot as in warm to the touch, but hot as in steaming when you cut it open and slather it with sweet whipped butter.  We had biscuits at Tupelo Honey Cafe, served with honey and blueberry compote.  I don't usually put honey on my food, but this was a delicious combination.

Biscuits with honey & blueberry

Krispy Kreme. This is a North Carolina tradition and favorite, founded in Winston-Salem. Now, the signature "lights on" causes drooling for hot doughnuts in many cities outside of the Carolinas. Even still, it feels like a requirement to get a box of donuts when crossing the state line.

More grits and other toppings. Can we go back to the grits? Tupelo Honey Cafe, located a couple miles outside of downtown, in SouthEnd, offers a couple variations on the shrimp and grits, and then also a Veggie Bowl. Don't be confused because, for some reason it's listed under Salads on the menu and is served hot. This is essentially the "everything but the kitchen sink" of grits dishes. The base is a serving of smooth, goat cheese grits. It is then topped with black eyed peas (peppery), salsa, sautéed greens (the server said spinach, but I think it was actually kale), and fried okra. Yes - all of that in one big ole bowl. And I had them add shrimp, but really, everything else was more than enough. At first, it's worth it to taste each item to get the full individual flavor. And then, it's got to be eaten all together - the creamy grits, the sharp greens, the spicy black eyed peas, and the crunchy okra.  Delicious.

Then, wash it all down with moonshine or sweet tea - your choice.
Moonshine is a potent liquor, heralding from the days of Prohibition and apparently, one of the reasons NASCAR came to be. (You find out all kinds of things at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.) I had a tasting of Midnight Moon (gotta love the mason jars, right?) The strawberry and apple pie were pretty good. But it's not for the weak. Proceed with caution.

Try a shot of moonshine to complete your trip!

Sweet tea. Any southern state, you can find sweet tea almost easier than water. If you are a native northerner, you may not even understand fully what "sweet" means in this context. Trust me, it does not mean Splenda or any other artificial sweetener. Don't pass it up, whether at a local restaurant or Bojangles. Just be sure you get yourself a glass.

Mert's Heart & Soul

Tupelo Honey Cafe

Eat & enjoy Charlotte!

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Currently: Thinking about Colleges, Hybrid cars, Rest & Food

It's Monday and I'm back home. I went to the National PTA Convention this weekend and my daughters tagged along with me. Yes, it takes special kids to come along to a convention and actually attend some of the sessions.  During the convention, I was the featured blogger for the Family Reading Challenge launch and our family inspiration videos were posted.

Along the way, we stopped by Wake Forest University for a college tour (how did we get to this point already?!)  When I was in high school, I didn't do any college visits, I fully picked my school site-unseen.  Nowadays, however, college visits are expected and encouraged - and lots of them. I know folks who have visited ten, fifteen and more colleges with their soon-to-be-grad.  I don't think we'll do that many, we'll have to find a reasonable number.  If you've got a high schooler or recent grad, how many college visits did you all go on?

I drove a Ford Fusion hybrid for the trip.  Somewhere around 400 miles into the trip, the "E" light finally came on, I pulled over to fill up and with about 11 gallons, $30-some it was full and ready for another 500 miles.  Wow!  I usually drive an SUV (because we have to fit a family of six) so you can imagine the comparative cost and gas-savings.  I've got a while until my next car purchase, but this hybrid movement is something to think about.

When we checked in the hotel, I recalled again, my desire to one day check in to a hotel with no agenda but to get my full money's worth of the room rate. I want to sleep late in the comfy bed under the overstuffed comforters, have lunch on the pool deck, sip a drink during Happy Hour at the bar, sit on my room balcony reading a book.  Generally, I'm at a hotel for a convention or on vacation. Obviously, a convention schedule is crazy packed. And vacation, sometime is not as leisurely as we expect because we've got to get to the thing today before the lines get long.  One of these days, I'm going to stay in a hotel for no reason at all.

I'm recommitting to my workout plan that has sadly fallen to the wayside for no real apparent reason. But after a few days of grits, biscuits and sweet tea, I need to get back on it.  (More on what to eat in Charlotte coming up in separate post.)

I'm ready to cook. After a few days away, it's time to clean out the fridge and cook a meal, gather around the table with my full family and catch up.  Admittedly, it may take a few days for all that to come together with swim practice, PTA meetings, and basketball practice, but we'll get there.

What are you currently up to?

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Everybody's Favorite Macaroni & Cheese

Busy days and hungry people result in the frantic question, “What’s for dinner?!”

When we were on our northeastern roadtrip, our stop in Boston landed us to Quincy Market with its rows of food stalls.  Think of any city food market – the options are endless. Sandwiches, pasta, pizza, then throw in the New England spin – fried oysters, fried clams, lobster rolls.  One of those stands was MMMac N' Cheese – a make to order macaroni and cheese shop.  They individually made servings of macaroni and cheese, with all kinds of meats and veggies added in, yes, like an omelet stand.  While the kids ordered their lunch, I watched to see how to make macaroni and cheese on the spot, to individual specifications.

Back at home, I tried it out. It’s so easy, it’s so fast, the kids loved it and declared that mine turned out just as good as the place in Boston. Now, any mom knows the “it takes just like the restaurant” is quite the compliment.  So here’s how to make what will be Everybody’s Favorite Macaroni & Cheese.

Ingredients

• Macaroni noodles (cooked)
• Shredded cheddar cheese plus a variety of your family’s other favorite (meltable) cheeses, shredded
• American cheeses, slices
• Half-and-half or milk (your preference, or whichever is in the fridge)
• Butter 
• Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning to taste

Fix-ins (all cooked)

Use whatever you’re family likes, it should be cooked and cut into small pieces.  You can cook it, buy it cooked, use last night’s leftovers, whatever works in your schedule.

• Meat suggestions: Ground beef, chopped chicken, chopped/cubed steak, chopped ham, chopped rotisseries chicken, crumbled bacon, shrimp, crabmeat, lobster
• Veggies suggestions: broccoli, spinach, chopped carrots, chopped tomatoes

To make it the quick, just ran in from work and after-school activities dinner, the key is to prep everything the night before, the morning of, or, if you work at home, on your lunch break.  On the other hand, if you’ve got time, you can prep it all just before you’re ready to cook.

You will be making single servings, so each person can choose their own cheeses and fix-ins.  Offer as many or as few options as you’d like.  Serve along with a salad and everyone can enjoy their salad while their macaroni and cheese to be cooked – no waiting.

Line all your ingredients up at the stove, ready to go, this moves fast like when making stir-fry.

1. Melt a pat of butter in a large frying pan.
2. Add 1 slice of American cheese.  Add ¼ cup cheddar cheese, plus ¼ cup of any other favorite cheese.  Add more shredded cheese, to taste.
3. Add about 1/8 c cream/milk.
4. Stir to keep cheese from burning, and add milk, if needed, until smooth and creamy.
5. Add Fix-ins (meat and veggies) to each person’s preference.  Season, to taste, if desired.  (If the meat is already seasoned, you may not need additional seasoning. But if you're doing an all veggie option, it might need a few shakes of something. Try a dash of Old Bay if going with a seafood option.)
6. Add ½ cup macaroni noodles and mix until noodles are fully covered in cheese and fix-ins.
7. Serve.
8. Start the next person’s dish.

Enjoy!

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5 Things to Eat in Austin

Texas - southwest, Tex/Mex cuisine. That's easy. So I won't even go into why this is the food of choice while in Texas, I'll just share a few bites of my food while in Austin for a few days.

I had tacos, chips & salsa, tacos, rice and black beans for two meals, two different restaurants, they were both good.

First, I went to Guero's on South Congress Ave. - a short walk right down the street from Allen's Boots, where I picked up a pair of cowboy boots!  These few blocks on South Congress Ave. are an interesting shopping area, not too far from downtown, a $6-7 cab-ride from the Convention Center.  There are some unique shops - jewelry, antiques, vintage clothing. Nice for window shopping, and if you're in the mood to do actual shopping, it's a good variety.  But, back to the food.

I got chips and salsa - the green pepper-y salsa is not for the lightweights. It is spicy, but delicious.  I also had fish tacos; with bites of tilapia, the tacos were filled with a crunchy mix of cabbage and an option of flour (my choice) or corn tortillas.  The fish was seasoned really well, a nice flavorful taste.

My other meal was at Iron Cactus on Sixth Street.  Originally Pecan Street, named for a native nut as most of the parallel streets were named when the streets were first mapped out, its a quaint stretch of shops and restaurants by day and the "Dirty Six" as one of the shop cashier's said that locals refer to it on weekend nights.  We did walk a few blocks on Saturday night and it is a walking party, which I knew I was too old for!  The salsa I preferred here was a fire-roasted tomato salsa that's served warm - spicy and delicious.  I had shrimp tacos with grilled tortillas; this grilling added a kick of flavor.  But really what set this meal off was the black beans. Usually, you get the beans and rice as the normal side and it's as good as expected. Not sure what exactly they did to these black beans but they were really really good, flavorful, a little spicy, but not real hot.  These beans and rice would be enough of a meal.

With my meals of course I had to have some liquid refreshment.  At the Iron Cactus I had the Blood Red Orange Margarita. It had just enough tartness from the lime, but a balance of sweet.  I would've taken one with me for the flight home if they had to-go cups.

During my street wandering, I came upon a tamale stand at a farmer's market.  First time I've had a tamale and when I opened it, I thought, "okay, what do I do with this corn husk?"  So I figured out that you don't eat it, luckily the woman at the stand had put a fork in my bag.  I had the vegetarian tamale, topped it with this very very hot pepper salsa (see a theme here?) and it was a good, filling lunch.

During my walk on South Congress, I spotted a food truck, something Austin is apparently famous for. They were all over the city with every food option - burgers, Jamaican, Thai, crepes, tacos. And Hey, Cupcake! (That was the name of the truck - cute, right?)  I got Chocolate, Red Velvet, and "Michael Jackson" (chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing - I know, you don't want to laugh!) cupcakes.  They were dense, but moist - kinda hard to do. And I am a critic of red velvet because these often are not moist enough - this one was good. The cream cheese icing, however, had a little tartness to it - I couldn't really figure out what it was, maybe some lemon or something? It wasn't bad, just not as sweet as I make mine.  And the chocolate - it lasted the flight home and until the next day - still good.

I got my southwest, Tex-Mex fill - peppery and tasty, along with a side of sweetness. Pretty good eaten' for my couple of days in Texas.

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Gathering Food for the Tribe

It's grocery shopping day.  Not that I have a regular grocery day, I know some folks do (do you?) and go to the store like clockwork so they are never without milk and bread.  Me? I go when the fridge is starting to look bare or, more importantly, when I am totally out of coffee creamer.  Like today.

I had to go to McDonald's this morning for my coffee. And I got an egg white and cheddar biscuit, to go along with my coffee.  If you don't know, I do like McD's (I don't really care what folks say, they are the best french fries) but this was not part of my meal plan. See what happens when you run out of coffee creamer?

I have a pretty routine process that at least keeps me organized when I do go to the grocery store.

Materials:

• list of stuff I've run out of
• recipes
• family calendar
• coupons

Grocery List Prep
My grocery list is in order of the grocery store layout.  Veggies and fruits first, fresh fish and meat, dry foods/pantry staples, cold/frozen foods, household cleaning stuff.  This saves me from wandering back and forth though the store.

What are we out of? I keep a running list on the side of my fridge - the stuff that I run out of and will definitely forget to put on a list. Salt, dishwashing liquid, butter - all those pantry staples that you always think you have, until you reach for it and remember you used the last little drop three days ago.  Then consider basic household staples - drinks, juices, food for lunch, breakfast food, etc. All that stuff goes on the list.

I also, when organized enough, put this stuff on my cozi.com app grocery list for when I have a few minutes between dropping kids off places and can run into the store.

Flip through the latest issue of Cooking Light (or whichever issue I find first) or a cookbook off the shelf  for dinner ideas for the week.  Then I check the family calendar to figure out when we'll actually be eating dinner at home, when we'll be eating on the way to somewhere, and when I'll be home to cook dinner.  Based on all of that, I plan for the meals that require dedicated kitchen time, quick dinners, crockpot and cook ahead meals, and inventive sandwiches and quesadillas.

Add all of the food stuff from the recipes to the grocery shopping list.  If there's a particular recipe that I'm not sure I'm going to make or requires some odd-ball ingredient that I may or may not find at the regular grocery store, I list all of those ingredients together, so I know that if I don't find everything, I don't need to get the rest of it, either.

Check for coupons.  I pull out all the coupons for food and cleaning items on the list and clip those together so I can find them when I get to the checkout line.

Grab all my reusable shopping bags - save 5 cents for each bag!

And off I go to gather food for my little tribe.

Now if there was just someone waiting to bring it all in and put it away, that would be great.

Share in the comments any other grocery shopping tips you have!

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