Happy Father's Day A Little Late

Well Forker Dads I have to apologize.  I did a post for the Moms, but didn't get to the Dads.  In my defense Father's Day weekend in our house is a two fold event in normal years and this year we have added getting things ready to move and dealing with Realtors and lenders.  Oh, the joy of trying to sell a house and buy another!

Three years ago my husband spent his first Father's Day weekend getting to know his new baby girl.  Our daughter was born just a few day before Father's day, so not only do we celebrate him we also celebrate her.  Which brings me to this weekend.  Between celebrating her birthday, Father;s Day and spending time with our families, we had a blast!

So, unlike Mother's day when I pretty much just had to show up and enjoy the day.  Father's day was spent make sure my husband, father, and daughter had a great day!  We did the traditional backyard barbecue with burgers, brats, and salads.  It is a simple and fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

As to the Father's Day gifts.  Well that is not always easy especially for my father!  And then add in that we don't want to really buy much for our house hold until we figure out what stuff we will need for the next house so....  I had to get creative.  I decided I wanted to make something that would mean a lot to both my husband and my father. 

So, I bought two small canvases, let my daughter paint them, added her hand prints, and then affixed stickers to them to create a poem on each.  Covered them with Mod Pog and let them dry.  Both Dads loved the gifts and it will hold special meaning to both of them for years to come!

Grub's On!

Fresh Veggies

One of my favorite parts of summer is the abundunce of fresh fruits and vegetables that are availbale at farmers markets and even from my own backyard.  Usually, I plant a large urban garden, but since we are in the process of moving that was not an option this year.

So, in lieu of my usual garden I have planted all my veggies in pots.  I have planted all my favorites, we are even seeing how corn and beans do in pots!  These pots will be easy to move and I don't have to give up the ability to walk out into my yard and pick a fresh cucumber or tomatoe.  I wanted as large of a variety as I could get so I went in on vegetable plants with my parents.  They have  a large garden on our family farm and they allowed me to pick out most of the vegetables for it.  Since they were willing I was able to take just one plant from each type of vegetable that I wanted to plant in pots at my house.  In my pots this year I have tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, corn, and beans. I am looking forward to some great meals later this summer!

I will say that even after I move and have re-established my large urban garden there are still some plants that I will be keeping in pots:

Yup, that is corn growing behind the tomato plant!

• Tomatoes are the big one.  I have found that it is easier to control them in a pot, plus I can move them when needed if I don't feel that they are getting enough sun.  

• Lettuce is another.  One of our local stores sells what they call living salad bowls.  These are great and supply me with enough lettuce that I can typically pick from it every couple of days and have few salads each time.  I will probably plant a more of these myself next year and stagger the planting of them so that they are at different stages through the summer and I have more to pick from.  The living salad bowl alone saves me tons of money since we eat a lot of salad and it is one of the easiest pots to care for.  

The other great advantage to pot gardening is that it virtually eliminates weeding making it low maintenance.  Yes every so often a little weed gets into the pots and attempts to grow, but nothing like what can happen with large in the ground gardens.  The biggest thing you have to remember with gardening in pots is to water and water often! The dirt in the pots dries out a lot quicker then the ground does.

So for those who love the convenience and freshness of growing your own veggies, but don't have the time or maybe even the desire to manage a full scale garden I highly recommend gardening in pots.  You pick your favorites and have just one or two plants of each.  Plus, if you have kids this is something fun for them to watch as the plants grown and then produce veggies.  I know my daughter has enjoyed watching the corn and beans grow and if fasinated when we pick the lettuce and then eat it!  I can't wait till all the vegetables really starts to grow!

As you can see I tucked the pots right in my flower beds!

Grub's On!

Easy Cheesy Cauliflower

Since I have become a Mom my out look on food has really changed.  I not only try to make sure that I expose my daughter to a large variety of food, but at the same time expand what I eat.  Having grown up in a meat and potatoes household with a low variety of vegetables I have often assumed that I didn't like a lot of them.  As I have grown up and expanded my culinary knowledge I have found out differently.  True there are still those that I do not care for, but I have also learned that just because I do not like a food one way, does not mean that there isn't another way that I would like it!  This is true for me with cauliflower and many other vegetable! Here is one recipe that helped me enjoy cauliflower a little more, and I even got my toddler to eat it too!

Easy Cheesy Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower

½ cup water

½ cup mayo

1 tbs. Dijon Mustard

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Remove core of cauliflower and cut into large pieces, place in a microwave safe dish, add water and cover.  Microwave on high for 10 minutes, drain water, and return to dish.

While cauliflower cooks, mix mayo and mustard. 

After you drain the cauliflower, spread the mayo mix over it and then sprinkle with the cheese.

Microwave on high 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Tip: To ensure that your cauliflower cooks evenly, place the larger piece toward the outside edges of the dish.

Grub's On!

One Skillet Sunday Morning Breakfast

Bacon, scrambled eggs, and hash browns is one of my favorite breakfasts.  The down fall to this breakfast is that it can dirty two or three pans.  If I am patient I can make my griddle be the only thing I dirty, but it all has to be done in stages, leaving food to cool while other food cooks, and then depending on how many I am cooking for the eggs also have to be cooked in smaller batches. Not necessarily as complicated as I would like to get some mornings, especially Sunday!

Now anyone who is on a diet or trying to watch their fat in take may cringe as I talk about this skillet meal, but this is not a meal that you would make everyday or even every weekend.  This one comes out of my arsenal of recipes every once in a while when I want a low mess, easy and delicious breakfast to feed a crowd.

For 4 people I start with a half pound of bacon chopped up.  Put this in a skillet on medium heat.  Allow the bacon fat to render.  At this point you will be able to see if you have bacon that is going to produce a lot of grease or just a nice amount, if you think it is going to produce a lot pour some out at this point, otherwise leave it alone.  Now add some frozen potatoes to the pan with the bacon.  I usually add about 1 cup just make sure that you don't over crowd the skillet.  Now cook the bacon and potatoes until they reach the desired crispness.  We like our bacon and potatoes crisp so this is the longest part of the process.  As I am typically the first person up I will start this about 20-30 minutes before I expect the rest of the house to wake up.  By taking that into account it allows me to cook them low and slow so that I get a nice golden brown.

While the bacon and potatoes are cooking I will crack 8-9 eggs in a bowl and whisk until nicely blended.  Add a dash of milk, some cheese, and salt & pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Once the bacon and potatoes reach the desired crispness, pour in the eggs and begin to mix it all together and cook the eggs.  It should only take a couple of minutes for the eggs to cook.  Serve hot with toast!

Grub's On!

The almighty Brat!

Bratwurst, aka: Brats What are they?  A glorified hot dog?  No.  Those over priced, greasy things you can get at the fair with peppers and onions? Yes and no.  A Bratwurst is basically ground pork, mixed with seasonings, put inside a casing, grilled or smoked, and typically eaten on a bun with ketchup, mustard, and relish.  There are many different kinds of bratwurst available, but the traditional one gets the most credit.

I will admit that until recently I would not have put Bratwurst and delicious in the same sentence.  However, that was before my husband introduced me to the wonderful world of sausages, which includes brats. To me brats were chunky, over sized, spicy meat things that held no appeal to me.  What you have to understand is that my husband is of German decent and LOVES bratwursts.  Because of this I really wanted to figure out how I could make him a food he loves and learn to enjoy them myself.  There were two thing became perfectly clear early on; no two brats are the same and some are actually pretty darn good! 

I will admit that it has taken a few years to learn which brats I like and which ones I don't.  This became very apparent to me tonight as we sat down to enjoy the brats that I brought back from Kern's Sausages in Frankenmuth, MI.  As I prepared my brat I was amazed to find that I wanted to try it with just ketchup and relish.  As I took the first bit I found myself enjoying the complex flavors of the brat and the nice accent of the ketchup and relish.  Even just a few years ago this would not have been the case.  Until recently the only brat I would eat was a cheddar brat, smothered and I mean smothered in ranch dressing or if it was available potato salad.  I have found though that if I have a really good brat I don't have to hide the flavors as much.  So, whether you like your brats boiled in beer and then grilled, smoked or just grilled low and slow, make sure to try all different brands and types.  You maybe surprised to find one that you really enjoy! 

My suggestion would be to try Kern's Sausages.  They have a great flavor that doesn't over power, but allows a beautiful symphony to play across your tongue.  If you get the chance to go to Frankenmuth, MI be sure to stop into their store or check out their website http://www.kernssausage.com/ they carry some wonderful products at very reasonable prices!


Grub's on!