Teething and turkey pumpkin burgers

Ava woke up at 4:30 a.m. today. This has been the longest day of my life. Seriously. Longest. Day. Ever. She didn't want to nap but did want to get lots of snuggles (this part, I love, love, love). What I don't love, however, is trying to get normal nap-time things accomplished with a little "bwee-bwee-bwee" as my background music followed by crying because my hands are full of raw meat and I can't pick her up. I strongly dislike hate the teething process.

I digress. This is supposed to be about our paleo-ish life. We were supposed to have dinner at some friends' house tonight but didn't think it wise after they day we've all had here!

So, because my eyelids are near needing toothpicks to stay open right now, and I quickly had to dream up some dinner, there are no pictures of my own cooking process in this post. Um, you'll soon notice that if you have not already.

In the fridge I found ground turkey, some leftover pumpkin and did a quick search on some of my favorite paleo cooking sites to see if I could create something edible. Thank you, yet again, Civilized Caveman, for saving dinner at our house! Here we go pumpkin sliders with honey drizzle. I found that he also has sweet potato noodles but I find that I currently don't have enough energy to spend that much time with a potato! Some other time.

Maybe we'll throw in some steamed broccoli on the side or green beans. (Something to counteract the frozen Christmas cookies we had while Ava was not sleeping upstairs earlier. Yeah, confession there. We emotionally, tiredly ate those little cutouts of joy!)

While the husband's away, the wife will play ... in the kitchen!

Apple Streusel Egg Muffins from Practical Paleo

Looking for a muffin that's actually filling for longer than an hour? Make these. NINE eggs in the batter. Nine. This is my new solution to wanting baked goods everyday for breakfast! Add some homemade breakfast sausage, and we're all set. I tested these muffins the last night Nathan was out of town. We enjoyed them reheated next morning for his delayed birthday breakfast.

 

It just occurred to me that I haven't included full recipes in my posts like many others do on their blogs. Should I be doing that? Since the majority of the time I'm making other people's creations, I guess I try to move you over to their sites or books. Hmm, maybe the jury is still out on this. You can read this particular recipe, however, right off the picture I took from the cookbook itself.

I can use ALL these things! (Crock-potting a whole chicken)

Recently Nathan had to attend a week-long training in Germany. Since the three of us had been there the month prior, Ava and I stayed behind. On day four of the ladies manning the homestead (Ha! Ladies. Manning. You're welcome.), we were hosts to another mommy-and-daughter duo who were flying solo as well.

With Ava as my sous chef (around 9 a.m.), we created a very simple, tasty dish in the Crock-pot, using various staple ingredients from around the kitchen. It goes like this:

1. Slice 1-2 onions into wedges and cover bottom of Crock-pot.
2. Rinse, clean out and pat dry a whole chicken. Place on top of onions.
3. Chop 1-2 carrots into approx. 1-inch chunks. Sprinkle around chicken.
4. Chop 1-2 celery ribs into approx. 1-inch chunks. Sprinkle around chicken.
5. Slice 1 lemon into wedges. Place around chicken.
6. Rub olive oil all over chicken (optional).
7. Sprinkle with seasoning of choice: we used salt, pepper and oregano.
8. Set on low for about 8 hours.

The chicken was so flavorful and tender it literally fell apart! At dinner, we added a side of sweet potatoes for an extra nutrient-dense boost and a little adult conversation for our daily dose of sanity. Dinner complete!

*You know, a whole chicken will actually taste wonderful without anything else added to it in the Crock-pot. It marinates and cooks in its own juices. How much easier can it get?

Meatloaf: why can't it just look like a burger?

Meatloaf is a go-to meal in our house for a variety of reasons.

• 1. It's fast (stove or Crock-pot).
• 2. It can take on many different flavors and ingredients. (It cannot, however, take on many shapes.)
• 3. It's easy to Paleo-fy!

I know lots of you out there adore burgers but despise meatloaf. Other than its odd appearance (meat literally in a loaf shape, I know), meatloaf, to me, is basically like eating a burger sans the bun.

Think it through. Ground meat? Check. Selected herbs and spices? Check. Egg? Check. A couple veggies sneaked in there? Check. Don't judge the loaf! Love the loaf!

I made this recipe for Ava and me tonight since Nathan's on a business trip. *Note I halved the recipe and baked it the oven for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Is there a way to make meatloaf pretty? Not so sure, but it was yummy!

We added a side of baked nuked sweet potatoes and steamed peas (Ava's favorite).

How many times can you "Crock-pot" in one day? (stuffed peppers and Greek yogurt, separate)

Two times I have Crock-potted today. Hmm, maybe I should capitalize on making Crock-pot a verb. Anyway ... before I get to the stuffed peppers (my own Paleo creation!), let me begin with the Greek yogurt fiasco that is happening in my kitchen RIGHT NOW.

It is 10:58 p.m. My eyes want to be closed but they are open. My fingers? Oh my fingers, they are typing. This is bad news. My lovely 13-month-old? Yeah, she will not care that her mommy started a silly yogurt experiment without reading the fine print about how long the whole journey would last. Tomorrow will come too soon. Sigh. Back to the yogurt.

I've made yogurt before. Greek yogurt. Actually our first summer in Sicily, I would put the yogurt on our front windowsill to finish the setting process. Yes, it's that hot here in the summer. Before moving to Sicily, I would just by plain yogurt and strain it overnight in the refrigerator. You're welcome -- it can be that easy!

Now that we're going mainly Paleo, I thought we'd have to say goodbye to the rich, custard-like "yo-goor" forever because of the dairy don'ts. Apparently there are some Paleo folks who deem Greek, full-fat yogurt acceptable. Thank you, "those" folks, we are in! Again, have I fully perused the fine print on this topic? Not yet. But for now, I know something about its live/active cultures and that it's Greek (joke here) make it okay in limited amounts.

So I Google "Crock-pot Greek yogurt" because I figure it's got to be way easier that making it on the stove top, and how would I do that now with a toddler, etc. It even had "foolproof" in the title! Wrong. Well, kind of.

Dump milk and stir in powdered milk. Easy. Set on low for way too long, if you ask me, when you're beginning at 7:30 p.m.! Walk away. Get tired. Watch "Biggest Loser." Return to Crock-pot. Milky milk still not warm enough. Repeat last two sentences several times. Say goodnight to husband. Finish John Grisham novel. Begin blog post about said process.

It is now 11:15 p.m. Guess what's still not hot enough?! This is now the easiest, hardest thing ever. I'm exhausted. We'll see how this all turns out tomorrow because I'm about to add the 1/2 cup culture-laden yogurt into the mix and try to cool the big, beastly pot down to a suitable setting temperature. Wonder how long THAT will take? Crock-pot meet refrigerator.

Finally, I will have to put whatever consistency I've created into containers, and leave them in the oven with the oven light on overnight. What's now ironic? It won't be done setting by the time I'm up in the morning. Please, oh please, make lots of yummy, active-culture Greek yogurt for my family! Make that my consolation for losing out on treasured hours of sleep.

I guess stuffed peppers will have to make its own post after all. Yawn, and goodnight!

A tale of two Paleo chicken recipes: Monday's Crockpot experiment

Mondays are Crock-pot days. I wish everyday was Crock-pot day to be honest. At any rate, I was delighted to find that I had all the ingredients for Practical Paleo's "lemon & artichoke chicken" on hand. Local, marinated artichokes we purchased at an organic farmer's market in Motta. (*In case you didn't know, we live on the island of Sicily...on a military base.) Capers, courtesy of the Commissary (don't judge). Lemon, garlic, butter, onion, all set! 

My dilemma? As you can see, a Crock-pot is not pictured in the recipe. "Be bold and courageous," I heard in my head. A great time to recall Scripture to memory, right? So, into the Crock-pot went the frozen chicken thighs, followed by all the other ingredients on top. 

My final dose of courage came from this similar yet different recipe from the Civilized Caveman. I figured since I'd successfully tried his recipe before, it wouldn't turn out too different. Chicken is chicken is chicken. 

Oh friend. Please try this at home! It cooked on low for about 4 hours and, despite my horrid photography skills, was dee-lish-us. The contrast of lemon to caper to artichoke was glorious for the taste buds. Even our 13-month-old chowed it down! Ah, success is sweet when it happens in the kitchen.

Beef and Black Bean Chili with Chipotle and Avocado (a lesson in clay-pot cooking)

*NON-Paleo alert.*

This culinary adventure began with wanting to use this glazed terracotta clay pot I purchased at the Motta market several months ago. For 8 euro. For this moment I will boast about its price because it retails in the States for about $60.

My treasure nearly missed it's destiny and became a serving piece. Admittedly I read about the seasoning process and felt somewhat intimidated lazy. Today, however, I seasoned that thang. Soaked it in the sink for 2 hours. Then I rubbed it with garlic inside and out (I know), and finally coating the exposed bottom with olive oil. Who wants to actually COOK now? Oh, that's right. I do.

We went off the Paleo wagon (as we should have been back ON since it was Sunday) and followed finecooking.com's recipe for "beef and black bean chili with Chipotle and avocado". Say that three times fast, I dare ya. If you're not strictly Paleo, definitely give this a try. And then add some cornbread for us, please!

Before I go, if you'll just humor me and notice the charred thumb of the oven mitt in the picture above. Um, beware the heat diffuser below my fancy cooking pot! I completely forgot to mention I had to buy that thing in order to use the pot on the gas range. And then I must have forgotten that while it evenly distributes heat, it is not a shield from flammable objects such as my oven mitt. Sigh, the adventure continues. (No thumbs were injured--thank God--in the making of this dish.)

South of the border: Tex-Mex carnitas and cilantro cauli-rice

We love Mexican food. And we love pork (see this for proof). Mexican pork, then? Yes, please! Today our Tex-Mex carnitas get an early start in the Crockpot. 

I found this recipe for carnitas when we did our initial trial of Paleo eating in October 2012, and I was also in the midst of a thrice-weekly Crockpot challenge. 

Look at those colorful ingredients! How can this not be good?

We are always happy to see this come around in the meal rotation. Tonight I'm trying a side of cilantro cauli-rice from the Practical Paleo cookbook.

Pork wrapped in pork: a new New Year's Day tradition

Last year we had a newborn (our daughter, Ava) and my lovely in-laws with us for Christmas. It was our first Christmas in Sicily. Our first Christmas as parents. And our first Christmas as hosts rather than guests.

Because I was a little sleep deprived like never before in my life, Nathan volunteered to try out a bacon-wrapped pork loin recipe from our days as kitchen assistants at Sur La Table in Washington, D.C. If pork can be decadent, this recipe proved it. We decided we needed to make this tasty piggy dish a part of our holiday tradition in the years to come.

In 2012 it was just the three of us but we had thoughtful invites to dine with friends on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. "When to have our bacony delight?," we wondered.

New Year's Day, of course! Since we also are moving back into Paleo eating (a planned month in the States and an unexpected stop in Germany took us off course), we paired our pork with a mixed green and broccoli salad and roasted butternut squash. Cleaned.our.plates.