Saint Lucia Buns

If I were a TRUE food blogger, things would look a little bit different around here. Firstly, I would actually be posting about food (minor detail) and, secondly, I would be providing you seasonal recipes PRIOR to pertinent holidays to help you welcome said special day with greater preparedness. But since this has morphed into what my husband tells me is most definitely a “mom blog,” I suppose it is more fitting that I am posting this recipe AFTER the holiday has already passed, because us moms, well, don’t we always feel about three steps behind? But it’s all a matter of perspective! Consider yourselves 363 days ahead of schedule for NEXT year (you’re welcome) and don’t forget to check back about ten days into December 2018 to make sure you have all the essential ingredients for a traditional Saint Lucia Bun.

If American Girls were any part of your childhood, the mention of Saint Lucia might ring a bell in a distant memory. Blast to the past along with me and recall, Kirsten, the blond-haired American Girl doll who immigrated to from Sweden. I loved all the books about Kirsten but it’s “Kirsten’s Surprise” that we are going to focus on today. It’s in the pages of this book that Kirsten, as the oldest daughter in her household, rises in the wee hours of the morning on Saint Lucia Day. Wearing white and adorned with a wreath of candles on her head, she awakens each of her family members by delivering Saint Lucia buns and coffee to each of their beds. Thanks to Kirsten, every little girl who has ever lived has dreamed of dressing as Saint Lucia and delivering buns ever since.

I consider myself one of the lucky kids. My parents didn’t often splurge on trending toys, but for whatever reason, they did eventually break down and buy my sister and I each an American Girl doll after years of pleading.  I’m sure this is where I first learned about Saint Lucia.

Saint Lucia Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Lucia, falls on December 13^th and commemorates a 3^rd-century martyr who, according to legend, supplied food to Christians who had taken refuge in the catacombs. She is believed to have worn a white dress and a wreath of candles on her head to light her way, freeing her arms to carry as much food as they could hold. Calendar reform has since shifted things slightly, but the holiday once fell upon Winter Solstice, the shortest and therefore darkest day of the year. The holiday was often referred to as the “Festival of Light,” representing Christ’s coming to earth as our light. On Saint Lucia Day, girls would honor tradition by dressing in white light Saint Lucia and processing together carrying plates of Saint Lucia Buns and cookies, portraying this “bringing of the light of Christ” to a dark world.

Alright. Enough with the history lesson. Back to my sister and me. She sister was gifted the Kirsten doll (I had a special affinity toward Samantha, the better one, obviously) but I read the books about both all the same.  Over time, my sister and I collected quite the set up for our dolls – clothing (much of it hand-sewn by my mom!), a table and chairs, and a homemade four-poster bed, courtesy of my dad’s woodworking skills. At some point, we also acquired the American Girl Cookbook. It was filled with recipes and pictures of all the dishes mentioned in the books, each with some sort of historical backstory. I guess you could say I was always destined to be a foodie since a cookbook like this excited me to no end, even at the ripe young age of nine years old.

The recipe for Saint Lucia Buns was in that cookbook I received over two decades ago. I never made them but seeing that recipe must have planted a seed in my subconscious. Fast forward to last year when my eight-year-old got her hands on the Kirsten book series. Suddenly that seed sprouted to fruition and I found myself in the kitchen making Saint Lucia Buns so my eldest could emulate Kirsten and dress up as Saint Lucia on Saint Lucia Day, fulfilling the dream she and every girl who had gone before her shared. Donning a white dress, wearing a “wreath” and delivering homemade buns by candlelight in the wee hours of the morn was a hit for my daughter, as well as for every other member of the family (who are we to argue with warm carbs??) And so, despite our lack of Swedish heritage, a new tradition was born.

The making of the buns is straight forward, particularly if you have a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook that does most of the messy work for you. The recipe comes together much faster if you actually have yeast on your person and you don’t have to take a 90-minute break wandering, sans kids, through the aisles of Target in search of some. Such additional steps typically result in excessive “accidental expenditures” on essentials like adorable Christmas mugs and journals because “they make great stocking stuffers.” But I digress.

The original recipe had you measuring the ingredients by weight (how European!) but since most home cooks do not own a kitchen scale, I did some math and some guessing and came up with a version that is American-kitchen-friendly.  

Lastly, since I’m a “mom blogger,” not a REAL food blogger, I will warn you that some of my descriptions might come across as, let’s say, less than scientific. I intend for this recipe to be something you can make WITH your kids which is why I consider phrases like “We’re looking for snakes here, not slugs” to be a perfectly acceptable descriptor for helping them visualize how thin they should be rolling their ropes of dough before shaping them. I made the dough all the way through the first rise before the kids came home from school and then they joined me for the remainder of the steps.

Even if you don’t plan to dress as Saint Lucia, these rolls make a delicious sweet bun to accompany your coffee. Feel free to serve them as a special dinner roll on Christmas or any other fancy occasion. They freeze well and are well served warm. Happy Saint Lucia Day…363 days in advance!

Saint Lucia Buns

(adapted from the New York Times)

12 Tablespoons (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

2 ½ cups lukewarm milk (I warm mine in microwave for ~1 minute)

2 packages dry active yeast (or 4 ½ teaspoons)

¾ teaspoon saffron

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon table salt

7 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

Black raisins, for garnish

In a glass measuring cup or medium-sized bowl, combine melted butter and warm milk. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, dissolve the yeast in a small amount of the butter and milk mixture. Once dissolved, add remainder of the butter and milk mixture. Grind saffron in a mortar and pestle if you have one, or by crumbling with your fingertips over the butter, milk and yeast mixture. Add to butter/milk/yeast mixture along with sugar and salt and whisk well.

Add flour, a few cups at a time, beating with the dough hook of your mixer until a soft dough forms. Continue to beat dough with the mixer for about 5 minutes, adding a small amount of flour at a time, as necessary, to keep dough from sticking. Alternatively, if no mixer is available, add flour using a wooden spoon and then knead by hand for about 10 minutes once a soft dough forms. Return dough to bowl.

Cover bowl with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise in warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes to one hour. (I usually turn on my oven and leave the door open to allow some of the heat to escape. After a few minutes, I turn the oven off. Voila! The oven top has become a cozy spot where the dough can rise).

Now it’s time to gather the offspring and let them get in on the fun. Taking mandarin orange-sized lumps of dough, roll each into a long rope (here is where you tell them “we’re looking for snakes here, not slugs”), about the circumference of your finger. Form the rope into the shape of an “S” and then continue to curl each end toward the center until they form two pinwheels (see picture). When they rise a second time, the buns uncurl some which is why it’s important to roll out thinner ropes. Place shaped buns onto a greased cookie sheet, cover with a towel and let rise in your cozy place for another 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush each bun with beaten egg and poke a raisin into the center of each pinwheel. Bake buns for 12-15 minutes until golden. Eat warm.

Makes about 2 dozen buns

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Remember how I recently shared with you all my favorite recipe for The Best Angel Biscuits? And how I told you to serve them with jam? And then I left you hanging with NOT A JAM RECIPE TO BE HAD?! My apologies. My son literally shattered the very last jar of homemade freezer jam we had in our possession WHILE I was away writing that post. And so I was left with nothing to photograph. And I had to wait for the berries to do their thing and ripen. Which is why, had you been out in the strawberry U-fields of the Pacific Northwest on opening day last Sunday, you would have found the Crozier family, picking desperately with visions of blog posts dancing in our little heads. We are that dedicated to you, Readers.

I would like to say that it was wholly for you, Dear Readers, that we got down to jam-making business with such promptness. Or could it have merely been the fact that WE WERE OUT OF HOMEMADE FREEZER JAM that we ran to the fields with such desperation? We picked those berries like maniacs, drooling as we imagined jam-adorned toast once again, peanut butter and jellies, and a freezer shelf restocked with jammy goodness.

Two things: I hate packing lunches. Hate it, hate it, HATE IT. It is pretty much the worst, isn't it? I have one kid that likes red Baby Bell cheeses on Tuesdays but only the blue ones on Wednesdays. Then the other one won't eat cheese. Except for on the random days that she does. But she likes yogurt which is awesome (hallelujah a protein source!) but only at breakfast (darn!) The other one likes what we refer to as "ice cream yogurt" (Trader Joe's Honey Greek yogurt - it's divine and high enough in everything to be considered dessert) but of course only when it's scooped directly from the tub onto her plate. Should it present in her lunch in a Tupperware or some other ungodly vessel, she will not touch it. Will. Not. It simply cannot taste the same when unlabeled. Obviously. Both the girls like apple slices (hooray!!!!!!).....on some days, except for the days when they don't, like every third Friday or some other random pattern I have yet to figure out (shoot! we almost had a winner there...) One likes carrots with ranch, the other simply can't do either because of her loose tooth. Heaven forbid they ever both like the same thing at the same time! Please tell me you get it.

Now I know what some of you are thinking (and believe me, I've thought it too!) - why don't I just have the kids pack their own lunches? One thing at a time, my friends - this is what I'm learning. I'm trying to give myself the grace to let this one go, at least for the time being. We have bigger fish we are frying right now and sometimes one can only tackle one challenge at a time. Maybe you too have found this? Too many changes attempted all at once and none of them last. But gosh darn it, self-packing of lunches will hopefully make it on the docket for next school year!!

Anyhow, here we are, with 5 lunch-making days of school left in the year, and we've finally found a lunch rhythm that is working! One daughter will happily eat peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat and the other, meat and cheese on dry bread. So you can imagine why the shattering of our last jar of jam on day 187 of school sent us straight to the berry fields to replenish our supply. We aren't about to mess with the good thing we had going.

Why didn't I just buy a jar of jam? You are wondering this, I know. It seems like a fairly reasonable solution. But, this leads me to thing number two that I shall mention: store-bought jam sucks. In my ever-so-humble opinion. Pardon my French, but when you've grown up on the good stuff, no other attempt at a substitute will ever suffice. And this is my story.

Graham is now a believer in homemade jam. Early on in our dating relationship, I think it was our very first Valentine's Day together, I put together a classy little "sunrise" picnic breakfast for the two of us. I showed up at his place at the crack of dawn with a basket full of heart-shaped scones, hot chocolate, strawberries, butter, and a jar of my mom's homemade freezer jam that she'd sent along to keep me company at college. I drove Graham and our breakfast up Queen Anne Hill to a special lookout where we were to eat and watch the sunrise.

There was only one minor detail that I overlooked that perfect morning: this was Seattle, the city of clouds and gray. The sun never did rise (or at least not that we noticed) but otherwise the morning went off without a hitch. And that was the morning Graham was introduced to this thing called homemade freezer jam.

When I was growing up, we'd go berry picking during the summer months, come home and mix up a batch or two of jam and ladle it into little glass jars. We'd make labels out of masking tape, stating the jam type and year, and affix them to the lids before placing them in the freezer. Sometimes the labels would come off when the jars were eventually emptied and washed. And, sometimes they wouldn't. It didn't much matter. We would reuse the jars from year to year and slap a new label over the old one if it was out-of-date. I actually never paid very close attention to those labels until that Valentine's picnic of 2005.

We'd reached the lookout and were settling in to begin our breakfast. I removed a warm scone from the red kitchen towel I'd wrapped it in, sliced it open and handed it to Graham. When I pulled out the jar of jam, Graham's eyes lit up eagerly...until they landed on the date.

"1998!?" he exclaimed. "Wow! This stuff is vintage!"

I had no idea to what he was referring to at first until I too, spotted the lid.

Embarrassed, I explained to him our elementary labeling process and how I was sure it wasn't really seven years old. Of course, he wasn't one to let a teasing opportunity pass and I have yet to hear the end of it. For the record, he LOVED the stuff but to this day, we refer to any and all homemade jars as "Vintage Freezer Jam."

My first attempt at using one of Sure Jell pectin's reduced-sugar recipes turned my favorite blackberry freezer jam into what I would describe as fermented-tasting blackberry soup. I was sorely disappointed and understandably a bit skeptical toward the idea of sacrificing any of my precious U-picked fresh strawberries toward a reduced-sugar jam recipe if I wasn't absolutely sure it was going to turn out. But I didn't want to write off the reduced-sugar strawberry version without first trying it.

Now, before you get your panties all in a wad about the amount of sugar in this recipe, let me be clear that this is by no means what I would refer to as a "low sugar" recipe. It is certainly reduced in sugar when compared to the original Sure Jell freezer jam recipe that I grew up on (which contained 2 cups of sugar for every 1 cup of berries!) but there is still a lot of sugar in here. If you really do want a lower sugar version, I'd recommend you look elsewhere rather than attempting to tweak this one (see below). For me, however, there is a certain flavor profile I'm looking for in my jam (to match my childhood) and I'm OK with some sugar in moderation. I was so pleasantly surprised to discover that, upon making this recipe, not only did it set well, but it tasted JUST LIKE the full sugar version to me. I feel better about it because it has less sugar than it's original counterpart but still plenty enough to make it DELICIOUS. Win win!

The thing to remember when making homemade jam is that measurements are very important. If you try and alter a jam recipe (such as reducing the sugar), it won't gel properly and you'll likely end up with more of a runny syrup. I have no idea what went wrong with my blackberry jam disaster a few years ago but I can safely say that this strawberry version works! I've made it three times already this week and each batch has turned out perfectly.

And on an even more important note, our family is school-lunch-operational again. Hallelujah!


"Vintage" Strawberry Freezer Jam
(Adapted from Reduced-Sugar Sure Jell Box) 

4 cups crushed strawberries (from about 8 cups fresh berries)
3 cups granulated sugar
1 package Sure Jell Fruit Pectin For Use in Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes (pink box)
1 cup water

Rinse and hull strawberries. In a large, wide-bottomed bowl or stockpot, crush berries until you have 4 cups exactly of mashed berries. You can leave the berries slightly chunkier if you prefer some larger lumps of fruit in your jam or mash them more finely for smoother jam (but do not blend!)

In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together sugar and 1 package of reduced-sugar Sure Jell fruit pectin. Once combined, whisk in 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from heat. Mix in crushed berries until well combined. Ladle jam into clean jars of desired size and screw on lids. Wipe the jar exterior with a wet washcloth to remove any sticky spots and let jars sit on counter at room temperature for 24 hours to allow jam to set. Label with year and jam type and freeze.

When ready to serve, thaw jam in refrigerator or, if you are impatient like me, using the defrost setting of the microwave.

Makes ~7 cups (56 ounces)

The Best French Onion Soup

We are in the middle of a very cold stretch here in the Pacific Northwest. It's like Seattle woke up one morning and decided to channel the artic. It's been bitter cold but surprisingly relatively dry (read: no snow). So, as you can imagine, the kids were delighted to wake up early one morning back in December to an actual snow day, complete with no school and everything. Filled with the eagerness that comes early in the season, we were gloved and hatted and out the door in all our snow gear by 7:30 AM to hit it hard. The kids made a few runs on our sled down the slope of our street before shifting their attention to snowman and snow fort building with their dad.

I excused myself along with the littlest (who was finding his snow gear far too difficult to maneuver) and headed indoors and tend to breakfast. The others long outlasted us and it was nearly an hour later when they came bursting through the door, starved and soaked to the bone by the snow-turned-rain that was falling from the sky. Boots were kicked off, mittens and coats strewn carelessly about as they expressed loudly their ravishing hunger. We ate breakfast - Dutch Babies - and warmed ourselves together as we watched the landscape outside our windows transform from white back to green. It was a quick little tease of snow and, by the end of the day, the roads and sidewalks had mostly reappeared, leaving just a few dirty brown remnants of our winter storm. Well, except for our snowman, that is.

Throughout the days that followed, we made bets each time we left the house on whether Mr. Snowman would still be with us upon our return. Much to our surprise, he was quite the stubborn little guy and kept us company for quite some time, thanks to the persistently low temperatures. Eventually his head fell off and melted away so we adjusted his accessories, moving the carrot nose down a hump and kept our bets going. The temperatures stayed unusually cool and day after day he kept watch over our front yard. All the while, we kept bundled inside, running our gas fireplace constantly and sending off checks for our insanely high utility bill. Almost a full two weeks later, I went to get the mail and noticed the very last of him was melting away, leaving just a singular shriveled carrot in the middle of our lawn.

Cold is as cold does and this frigid weather has definitely got me thinking about bundling up and being cozy which of course involves cooking some of my very favorite soups. There is something so incredibly satisfying and comforting about being warmed from the inside. Chicken and Dumpling, Creamy Pumpkin, Spit Pea with Ham.... But none of these comes even close to topping the deliciousness that is French Onion.

Whenever I think of French Onion Soup, I always think of Red Robin - you know, the chain restaurant with the juicy burgers, endless fries and always-out-of-tune Happy Birthday serenades on your day of honor. This is probably the last place on earth that should come to mind at the mention of French Onion Soup but some memories are engrained in us forever and I will always correlate French Onion Soup with Red Robin (which is a place that admittedly I kind of love but mostly for their bottomless steak fries). In this particular memory, my family has gathered there to joyously celebrate the half birthday of my mother. Her name is Robin which I don't think is the reason we go there to celebrate but seems like a relevant detail to share all the same. Birthdays (and half birthdays!) are very important in my family and even now in our adulthood, we dine together frequently to honor each other's aging.

My sister and I are attending the same college, a private Christian university 80 miles south down the I-5 corridor from our hometown. We've (mostly) flown the coop but still jump at any opportunity to meet up with our parents and younger brothers for a meal. My mom is perusing the menu and her eyes immediately fall on the French Onion Soup. I see this happening across the table from where I am sitting. She obviously wants the soup. She's drooling over just the idea of it as she reads the description. But she is trying to talk herself out of it.

"Why?" I wonder aloud.

She pauses momentarily and then tells me about the little "rule" she and my dad have - how she doesn't order anything with onions unless he is ordering it as well. I guess these are the sorts of tricks a couple of decades of successful marriage teach a person: lovers don't let lovers eat onions alone. Or maybe more accurately: lovers don't let lovers eat onions period.

This little "rule" is exclusively for breath purposes, I believe. You see, my dad is very sensitive around odors. Two of his most common phrases that I recall from my childhood were "Why are there SEVEN toothbrushes in the bathroom when there are only FOUR kids?!!" and "Something stinks in here!" These are the things that really got his goat. In a household of six people, there was always some unwelcome smell coming from somewhere. To this day I can still count on him emptying my trash for me when he comes to visit. His nose has super powers. And I love him still.

All this to say, I can understand why my mom might have experienced some hesitancy around ordering the soup. But it was her half birthday after all and so my sister and I eventually talked her into getting it (sorry Dad). It was the right choice. Her face said it all. She enjoyed every last drop of that savory soup (except for the one bite she shared with me). And thanks to that fateful day at Red Robin, I got my very first taste of French Onion Soup (because goodness knows it was never served at home!)

The soup never sounded very appealing to me before - a soup sporting only onions? It doesn't really sound very appetizing. But oh! The flavor those onions take on when caramelized and soaked in beef broth with a dash of sherry! And nothing, no nothing, beats the finishing touch of a toasted slice of baguette smothered with melted and bubbling gruyere cheese. I'm so glad I talked my mom into ordering the soup that day. For both of our sakes.

My version is fairly traditional except I've added a handful of sautéed mushrooms for good measure. Feel free to omit them if you aren't a mushroom fan (though you might be sorry). If you don't have six diners eating, fill just as many bowls as you need and set aside the rest of the soup and toppings for tomorrow. It makes the BEST leftovers - just reheat under the broiler topped with a fresh slice of baguette and melted cheese.

The Best French Onion Soup

2 Tablespoons butter

4 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
1 ½ cup chardonnay or other white wine
6 cups beef broth
5 springs of thyme
2 bay leaves
4 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 French baguette
1 clove of garlic, cut in half
6 teaspoons sherry, divided
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) grated gruyere cheese

In large Dutch oven or stock pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and saute, stirring occasionally until softened (about 15 minutes). Add salt, pepper and sugar and stir. Continue to saute onions stirring every 5 minutes or so until browned and caramelized (about 30-40 minutes). Reduce heat as needed to prevent burning. Add wine and increase heat to boiling, stirring onions to deglaze pan. When wine is nearly evaporated (about 10 minutes), add beef broth, thyme, bay leaves and mushrooms and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes to infuse flavor of herbs. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Preheat broiler. Slice baguette on the diagonal into ½ inch slices. Arranges slices on a rimmed baking sheet and toast briefly under broiler, about 1 minute per side. Rub toasted bread slices with cut side of garlic clove.

Pour 1 teaspoon sherry into six oven-safe bowls. Ladle soup over sherry and then arrange 2 bread slices on top of each bowl. Sprinkle each with ¼ cup of grated cheese. Place bowls on rimmed baking sheet and place under the broil for about 4 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Serve soup immediately with glasses of chilled chardonnay.

Serves 6

Garlic Butter Shrimp with Quinoa, Green Beans and Pine Nuts

I did not eat shrimp much as a kid. I don't recall it ever being served at home. My guess is that was due to cost or maybe because one of my parents didn't care for it much. I've never really asked them. The only time I remember shrimp being served was during the Holidays with the Wilson side. 

My dad was one of 6 kids, raised in a devote Catholic family. Each of his siblings married and reproduced a few times over, providing me with a myriad of cousins and creating a heck of a fun (and huge!) family gathering whenever we got together. I have so many fond memories of massive family sleepovers. I loved how our gatherings were always a three to four day event. The size of the host's house did not matter. Whether it meant bedding 4 girl cousins in a closet in the basement (true story - I was one of them!), setting up a water bed in the garage, or pitching tents out front, we made space where there was none so that everyone could spend the night. There would be humans on every couch and in every corner and I can't imagine the adults ever slept a wink but these were some of my best childhood memories.

These massive gatherings usually took place around Thanksgiving or Christmas and, as creatures of habit, there grew to be a long listed of foods that were expected, all in the name of tradition. There were my grandma's cinnamon rolls, my mom's homemade Frango mints and Aunt Sundee's bean dip. And then there was the infamous "shrimp soup." I really don't know the history behind that recipe (I'm sure I will though after this post!) but it was definitely one dish the kids were glad to take a pass on. The adults, however, were a different story. Somewhere deep into an afternoon of festivities, someone would start squawking for "shrimp soup" and out from the fridge would come a giant, 2-gallon clear glass jar of cold, red liquid. In it swirled bits of celery and tiny cocktail shrimp and who knows what else. I never hung around long enough to find out because you better believe there was no way I was going to be forced to partake. One of the adults would grab a stack of cocktail cups, plunge a ladle down deep into the jar, and scoop out portions of the tomatoey "shrimp soup." Then my aunts and uncles would stand around and talk and laugh and play Pinochle all while drinking their cupfuls of cold soup. The whole ordeal terrified me. Soup was supposed to be hot. And eaten with a spoon. And what the heck were those little pinkish creatures floating around in there?!

Now as a (slightly more) mature adult, I think I would be willing to give the soup a go. In my old age, I've learned that Pinochle actually is really a fun card game and so wisdom would tell me the soup might be quite tasty as well. My aunts and uncles always seemed to really, legitimately enjoy it and now I'm all about adventurous eating. I also recognize that it is actually "a thing" to eat ones soup cold. So to my extended Wilson family, I think this means a gathering is in order. I'm officially ready to try "shrimp soup." But only if grandma's cinnamon rolls and my mom's Frango mints are also on the menu. ;) 

All this to say, shrimp wasn't a part of my regular childhood repertoire but my kids will tell a different story. I don't recall how it happened but somewhere in my adulthood I realized I actually really do love shrimp, maybe not so much the cocktail variety, but the big and juicy kind. I also discovered that it is one form of protein that all three of my kids like as well (a miracle!!) and so I try to work it into our budget to serve it at least a couple times a month. Shrimp cooks fast so it's a great option for rushed weeknights when we have multiple things on the calendar. We have no problem consuming 2 pounds of it between the 5 of us in one sitting...

This dish is so simple and SO YUMMY. As per usual, I'm always hesitant when I see such a short list of ingredients. But when two of them are butter and garlic? You just can't go wrong. The original recipe I extrapolated this from called for asparagus but I'm a big fan of green beans. Feel free to trade them out for each other according to your taste. Also, if you're really thinking, make extra quinoa to set aside so you can use the extra to whip up a batch of Almond Quinoa Breakfast Cookies.

Garlic Butter Shrimp with Quinoa Green Beans and Pine Nuts

1 cup quinoa, dry
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 lbs large shrimp, raw & deveined
3 tbsp butter, divided
1 tsp Kosher salt, divided
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Prepare quinoa according to package directions and set aside. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium high heat in a large, nonstick skillet with lid or a wok. Add half of the garlic and saute until fragrant (about 10 seconds). Add green beans and 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup hot water and cover and cook until green beans are crisp-tender (about 5-7 minutes), adjusting temperature as needed to keep contents from burning. Transfer to a large bowl and add prepared quinoa. Return skillet to burner and melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and saute until pink on all sides. Remove from heat and add to green beans and quinoa along with remaining raw garlic. Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.

Serves 4-6

Strawberries and Cream Popsicles

It's only May and it's already 80 degrees in the Seattle area for the second year in a row. This means it's time to pull out the pool and break out the popsicles! I will be the first to admit that us Seattleites get a bit crazy when the sun shines. There are days where it may only be 55 degrees but if the sun is out, you can bet your bottom dollar the park will be peppered with bikini-clad sun bathers. I am not immune, and, like the rest of my NW peeps, I get an extra skip in my step when the sun is shining. So much so that I found myself making homemade popsicles with my girls before 7 AM one day this week. Who cares that the rest of the world was still asleep? It was going to be sunny!!!!!!  

I am typically not really much of a popsicle girl. My frozen go-to is always, always ice cream and my mantra is usually "Why waste a perfectly good dessert by adding fruit to it?" But kids and popsicles and sunshine have this magnetic, irresistible attraction to one another that cannot be denied. And these popsicles were GOOD. I felt waves of nostalgia, as I sat on the front lawn, eating them with my kiddos. 

The red layer consists of fresh strawberries with sugar and lime juice, so, you know, they are practically a health food. The white yogurt layer is sweet and creamy, speaking to the ice cream lover in me. Combined together, the two layers are reminiscent to those creamsicle cups we used to have as kids, with strawberries replacing the flavors of orange. I realize that the picture above also depicts a layer of blue. But just squint and ignore it please. We were feeling crazy in our early-morning-popsicle-making haze and added blueberries too. Next time I'll just stick with the layers of strawberry and cream as they were by far the superior two of the three. Unless of course it's the 4th of July.

Huuuuuurry! Make this NOW. It's 9 AM and it's going to be 80 degrees today, ya'll! 

Strawberries and Cream Popsicles

1 1/2 cups strawberries, halved and stems removed

4 Tablespoons sugar, divided

4 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 cup greek plain yogurt

3 Tablespoons heavy cream

Combine strawberries, 2 Tablespoons sugar and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of lime juice in a blender. Pureed until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Divide puree between 4-6 popsicle molds, filling each halfway and freeze for about 30 minutes, until just firm. 

In a small bowl, stir together yogurt, cream, 2 Tablespoons sugar and 2 Tablespoons lime juice. Remove popsicle molds from freezer and top with yogurt and cream mixture. Insert popsicle sticks and return to freezer until solid, about 6 hours. 

Just before serving, run popsicle molds under warm water for 1 minute until popsicles are released.

Makes 4-6 popsicles

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I used to hate pumpkin pomp and circumstance. I never quite understood why everyone flipped out come October, rapidly clearing the shelves of their cans of pureed pumpkin. Did these people not know that the very same cans of pumpkin were available year round? In fact, there was about a 93% probability that the cans they were putting in their carts had been sitting there since the November prior, when everyone suddenly ditched pumpkin for candy canes. It boggled my mind for years.

But suddenly I became one of those people. I don't know what happened. Maybe it's just that I got old. I am now that crazy lady come Fall, filling my cart with the pureed orange stuff and making all sorts of creations throughout the week. For instance, on Saturday night, I made a pasta dish with sausage and pumpkin sauce. On Sunday I whipped up a batch of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. And then, wouldn't you know it, I woke up this morning feeling a sudden "need" to make something pumpkin-y and so I made bread. There is just something magical about the months of October and November that just grant one the permission to add fun things like pumpkin this and pumpkin that to our repertoire.

The recipe has become a Fall regular in our house, since becoming a crazy pumpkin lady, of course. It's easy to throw together and seems to be my go-to for playdates. Kids and parents alike dig it, because, well, who doesn't like a bread with chocolate? The bread is moist and delicious, thanks for the combination of vanilla pudding and pumpkin. I get asked for the recipe almost every time so I figured my fellow pumpkin enthusiasts would thank me. (You're welcome).

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
(adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)


2 cups sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup vanilla pudding
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
 
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 2 loaves

Slow Cooker South Indian Lentil Stew with Golden Coconut Rice

One of my favorite part of the postpartum period is the meal deliveries. That and being able to
bend over again. Not only is it awesome to have a vacation from cooking when you have a newborn, but it's also a great way to expand your repertoire as others introduce you to new and exciting dishes that might not have had it into your rotation otherwise. 

 

Apparently I am an intimidating person to bring meals to. Or so I've been told. I like to cook AND I'm a dietitian which means the food has to be uber fancy and absolutely and completely healthy. Because I never eat anything that comes together in less than 23 steps. And I have never let an unhealthy morsel pass through my lips. Ummm, NOT. For those who have actually dined with me even once, it is a known fact that I just love food and that dessert is an absolute must for me, especially when it comes a la mode!

 

Anyhow, I'm SO glad people overcame whatever ridiculous notions they had about me and food and gifted us with meals after each new addition to our family. These meal deliveries were such a gift to a tired mom and sometimes I seriously consider having more babies just to have another month or two of meal love. I'm KIDDING people!!!! Mostly.

 

We were introduced to this amazing meatless meal after our son was born and it has joined the ranks in our regular rotation. My colleague, a fellow dietitian, brought us this stew and I asked for the recipe that very night. It was so flavorful and tasted just like something we would order at an Indian restaurant. I shocked and thrilled to learn that it was made in the slow cooker!! After many-a-failed attempt at easing the dinner hour chaos by slow cooking, I was about ready to throw the appliance out the window. Everything I made tasted the same - like meat in meat broth. BORING! But this, this was different, besides the obvious factor of it being meatless of course. Oh and the coconut rice with turmeric and cinnamon! I forget that rice can become so much more than just a plain side with a few yummy spices.

 

I literally threw the stew ingredients together in 5 minutes before running out the door. I was using a rather large slow cooker so next time I will double the stew recipe and freezer any leftovers. You can add more spinach if you like - my coworker says she adds 10 ounces of frozen spinach at the beginning and then stirs in some fresh spinach at the end right before serving. The stew is amazing served with the Golden Coconut Rice alone, but if you find yourself with extra time, make a batch of Garlic Naan too. You certainly won't regret it.

 

Slow Cooker South Indian Lentil Stew

2 cups red lentils
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 onion, chopped
10 oz spinach (fresh or frozen)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you want it to be truly vegetarian)
1 tablespoon curry powder
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Golden Coconut Rice (recipe below)

Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours. Turn slow cooker down to low and cook an additional 6 hours.

 

Golden Coconut Rice

4 cups water
1 can of light coconut milk
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cups medium or short grain brown rice

Combine the water, coconut milk, turmeric and cinnamon sticks in a large saucepan and bring them to a boil. Stir in rice, turn down heat to a low simmer and cover. Allow to cook until water is absorbed, about 40 to 50 minutes. Alternatively, add all ingredients to a rice cooker.

Serves 6