GROSS!! (This Post Makes Me Wanna Puke)

So we had some cruddy cheese sauce stuff in the fridge and decided we could have some nachos for lunch today. Not the most healthy meal but its fast and the kids dig it. All we needed were some chips. Gabe asked if I wanted him to buy a can of refried beans too since he was going and I said we could have the meal with out beans. We have so many dried pinto beans its ridiculous and I hate to buy more. I should really just cook a big batch and keep it in the freezer for quick(er) meals.

Well Gabe decided to go ahead and buy a can of beans anyway. This can to be specific.


(ugh! I'm getting sick just thinking about it.)

So Gabe opened this can of beans. You know how it is. The beans schlopped out of the can with a little slurping noise and landed in the pot in a perfect can-shaped blob of congealed beanstuffs. That's gross enough as it is. (Can you tell I prefer mine to be made from scratch?)

Then he wandered off and left the can shaped beanish sitting there. So I noticed this and got a nice big spoon out and began smashing the can shape down into some thing more heatable. Once the beanish was all squished down I began to turn it over, you know to stir it up a bit in the heating process. This is what I found hiding in the middle of it:

(insert vomitous gagging noises here)

Now I'm not so squeamish when "they" tell me that packaged food has a certain number of bug parts in it. But that's parts. And I don't have to see them. Oh. My. Gosh. I'm gonna hurl.

Then, Gabe says that we get bugs when we harvest the veggies from our garden. First of all, I wash them off, so they are not in the middle of my meal. And second of all, they aren't flies. Flies are vile poop eating pests. As if I didn't hate them enough already, (just ask my family, I will not rest if there is one in the house. They disgust me) now it's in my food. Or foodish. Another reason to avoid processed food.

Another reason to hate being "poor" and getting half of our groceries from WIC and the food bank. Granted, this was from the general store but we get so much canned, boxed, bagged, processed stuff from them and I just hate it.


I try to be grateful but its hard. I hate this sub-food. We never used to get this stuff. I made all our own cereal and now they think they are being helpful by giving us crappy boxed stuff. It'd be more helpful if they provided oats. Its cheaper and you get more, but they seem to prefer spending more on the junk. They say they want to provide healthy options because we have children then they give us a million cans of "vegetables", canned, powdered, and boxed "milk" and any number of processed wheat stuffs in the form of white bread and a million boxes of mac n cheese and ramen noodles. We are wheat intolerant. Thanks.

Gabe doesn't like 'wasting food' but I stopped using this stuff and asked him to stop picking it up. I will use the dry beans, and the rare bit of fresh produce they offer. Yes, I can find a use for a barrel of apples. Homemade applesauce is much better than the canned stuff they give us. (I didn't even know applesauce came in cans before.) I can use the rice but I don't want want the large cans of "meat" that I wouldn't even feed to my dog, and stop giving me boxes and bags and packages of 3 day old cakes and cookies and brownies. They are over sugared, wheat filled, belly bombs and we don't need them. No, you are not doing my poor children a favor by giving me this. I make the best HOMEMADE, FRESH, FROM SCRATCH, & WHEAT FREE brownies this side of the Rocky Mountains. Ask anyone who's had them. (Most of them don't even know they are wheat free). And my children will always choose them over your week old doughnuts so 'lovingly' donated from Safeway (after no one else wanted them).

And I have officially banned canned beans from my house.

What Have I Been Doing?

Well, I'm trying to get more items on my little Etsy shop. I have several finished pieces already, several almost finished as well. And of course plans for things that I really need to schedule if I am to actually get them done. I posted 2 new pieces today and have photos of several more that are just waiting to be posted as well.

I haven't yet started my #mailart postcard project but I was able to get better paper. I wasn't happy with the thickness of the paper found at normal craft stores so Gabe made a trip to Xpedex especially for me. I have some ideas for the pieces and not a lot of time so I had better get started.

And of course I've been cooking. With zucchini. I'm thinking I may need to make categories in my blog so they are easier to navigate. Art and recipes and mom stuff. Maybe?

Today's recipe was borrowed from a friend. Marilyn writes for the Denver Examiner and recently interviewed me on my fabulous frugalness. (Really she wrote some questions and I gave her like 8 pages of answers.) I hope to expand on the things I left out in the interview soon.

The recipe was for Mock Apple Pie. I altered it a bit, that's what I do. It called for a double crust but I only had 1 so we made a crumble top for it instead. Here is the original recipe:

4-5cups zucchini, peeled and thinly sliced (like apples) -FB
1 c sugar
1/4 c flour
1 can (2c) applesauce -FB
1-2 T cinnamon
2 pie crusts
mix ingredients and pour into bottom crust, add top crust and make slits, cook for 1 hour at 400F.

Now here are the changes I made and will make in the future:
We had 1 crust so we made a crumble top. Mix 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup oats, 1/3 c brown sugar, and 1/4 c oil til crumbly and sprinkle on top of the pie filling after its in the bottom crust. Bake as normal.


This pie was pretty good, but not totally appleish. Part of the problem, I think, was that Gabe used the apple corer so the zucchini was in big eatable sized slices instead of thin appley pie slices. The bits that were quite small did have the apple pie taste that they were supposed to so I think that was just us not doing it right. The big chunks were not bad, but we could tell that they were not apple pie. Slicing nice and thin is probably an important step in tricking the kids into thinking its apples. I also may add just a bit more sugar to the filling as it was not as sweet as pie. (But we had it for a lunch so less sugar is not a bad thing.) I think I may also add 1 apple next time so that the appley pieness is more appley. And I will probably stick with the crumble top. Its less healthy, but I think its more tasty.

Give it a try, tell me what you think.

Meliss

P.S. Here's a little sneak peek of new items I will post soon...

necklace detail

bracelet detail

a one of a kind ATC with tiny 1" painting by me, sent to customer as a free gift

Adventures with Zucchini...part 1

I'm having an issue with zucchini. Just a small one, and I'm sure I'm not alone, it is the season. The bothersome bit is that it's not even my fault. I am not the greatest gardener and still have much to learn, but I learned years ago that very little zucchini plants are needed to produce many zucchinis. I planted just the right amount for my family of 6, but apparently my friend planted too much for hers because I somehow ended up with a ton from her garden, disguised as a paper grocery bag and stuffed under my chair. So now, despite my own precautions, I have too much zucchini.

I have many, many recipes that I thought I might like to try, but at the moment I have taken it upon myself to put (sneak) zucchini into everything I possible can. You may recall the Zucchini Cinnamon Chocolate Cupcakes (with Strawberry Chocolate Frosting) from my last post. Today I had 3 zucchini experiences. First I baked fresh Zucchini Chocolate Chip Scones for my brunch. Delicious. Then I had a bunch of bananas that were crying to be bread. Zucchini Banana Bread. Also good.

Zucchini Banana Bread & Zucchini Scones

Then the finale. Dinner was Spicy Peaches and Chicken (with zucchini), also a Food Bank friendly recipe. And here it is for you:
(Now, of course I would much prefer to use fresh peaches and fresh hormone-free chicken for this recipe, and if I had made it 2 years ago I probably would have, so feel free to do so if you are able. Also, when I originally made this recipe, I used apricots instead of peaches, which I prefer, but both are tasty. I will mark those items commonly received from the Food Bank with FB.)



Spicy Chicken with Peaches and Zucchini

1can peaches or apricots, drained & diced -FB
1 or 1 1/2cups zucchini, diced or shredded -FB or sneaky friend's garden
1 or 1 1/2c orange juice -FB or WIC
2-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1-2T apple cider vinegar
2T sugar, brown preferred
1/2-2teas red pepper, I thought 1/2t was kinda lite, but 2 may be much for some
12 ounces of cooked skinless chicken, cubed. -FB 2 (6oz) cans cooked chicken
rice, cooked -FB

Combine all but chicken & rice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10mins. Add chicken and simmer, making sure chicken gets cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve chicken in sauce over cooked rice. Quinoa or couscous would be lovely too.

I tested this recipe on my children. The first couple times I made it I used apricots and no zucchini. Daughter #2 insists that she doesn't like zucchini, or indeed most anything green, yet she has devoured the last 5 things I've managed to sneak zucchini into with no complaints. It was she who said that she enjoyed this dish for it's mild sweetness. So, there you go.

Let Me Make it Up to You...

I have neglected my blog for a month!? Wow.
I have had a 'busy' month, and by busy, I mean stuff happened and I didn't blog it.

Gabe's mom and stepdad just came for a visit. It's always stressful but usually turns out just fine. (Yes, this visit turned out just fine.) We went to a free day at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science followed by dinner at Cinzetti's, a big Italian buffet restaurant where kids eat free on Monday and Tuesday nights.

Gabe being eaten by a dinosaur. He doesn't seem too bothered by it.

The next day turned out to be their 30th anniversary. If it was us, Gabe and I would have thrown ourselves a big party (We had a formal tea party for #10) but instead we went to see Night at the Museum2 at the $3 theater and ate over salted popcorn.

Daughter #1 has been working up the strength to get to the top, this was her first time. You go!

On Wednesday we hung around until the girls had their wall climbing class, then on Thursday we went to an awesome park along the Big Thompson river. The river had flooded in '76 wiping out an electrical power plant (and a bunch of other stuff, I don't know, I was only 2) and the park was built around the remains. It was the highlight of everyone's week, free and beautiful.

Bits of the power plant are still there. We also saw bits and broken concrete along the river.

The girls hunting for cool river rocks.

And now the moment you've been waiting for... a delightful recipe from one of my baking experiments. If you follow me on twitter you may recall my recent (homemade) Cinnamon Zucchini Chocolate Cupcakes with (homemade) Strawberry Chocolate Frosting.

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Well, that's not the recipe I'm giving you. Sorry. Maybe next time. But I am giving something almost as fabulous. Pinto Bean Pie. Oh Yes.

You may recall from previous posts that my family receives help from our local food bank. Things are still tight and work is still slow and I have so many pinto beans its insane. I've been collecting and creating and altering various recipes and plan to compile them one day. I know our family is not the only one having hard times financially and I thought I would share a bit of how we are making due.

This pie is pretty amazing, even my daughter who hate beans loved it. You can't even tell its beans. It is very like a pecan pie with out the pecans. (Although I suppose you could add some if you like.) It has the rich sweetness of the filling in a pecan pie and just enough almonds to give it the nutty crunch it deserves. Give it a try, you'll love it. Especially if you have an over abundance of pinto beans.

For this pie I used a premade pie crust I had, but feel free to make a yummy fresh one.

Pinto Bean Pie

2/3 cup plain sugar
2/3c brown sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3c butter
1 cup pinto beans, cooked and mashed
1/3-1/2c almonds
1 pie crust

preheat oven to 350degrees F (175 degrees C)
cream butter, sugars, and eggs. add beans and nuts, mix well. pour mixture into uncooked pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. The lovely crust on the top is the pie itself.

So simple. So tasty. Let me know how you liked it.

Meliss

A Thwarting of Plans

I'm trying to think of something great and inspiring to say but nothings coming to me. I'm feeling frustrated and far from uninhibited.

My intentions have been thwarted starting last night. I was making an outfit for my second daughter, a pretty white dress to wear for a special occasion, when my machine jammed. Now in reality the first thing to go wrong was that I could not find the brand new needles that I had bought for my machine a month or so ago. I know they were there a few weeks ago but they seem to have vanished. I decided to continue with the general size needle that was in the machine and everything was going great until the last bit. All I needed to do was finish sewing a bit of ribbon round the end, but the machine is far more finicky and stubborn than me and refused to comply. Oh, I cleaned it (at least 5 times), reinserted the bobbin, rethreaded the machine and did various other tricks to get it to go, but alas, it has denied me my last few stitches.

It's done this before and from all my research and questioning of seasoned seamstresses, as near as I can tell, it needs a different needle for this fabric. Of course, my needles have disappeared. (When my youngest daughter was 2, she was quite a little pilferer. Absconding with computer cords and wedding rings and such, and hiding them in places like an old sock in the back of the closet or something. Her favorite spot was a cabinet in the kitchen filled with large pots and a slow cooker. Sometimes she would pop out of "her cabinet" when guests were over and give them a good jump. We always checked there first if something was missing. However, we no longer live in that house, and she has picked up new and exciting odd habits, like drawing bald princesses and stuff. So I'm sure it wasn't her. I think.)

Good intentions continued to be thwarted today. Since the dress is not done, I did not have a picture of my recent artistic endeavour to share with you. A bit of a bummer, since I tend to agree that the best blogs (especially art blogs) have pictures of the artist's work on them.

I did not get the sleep I had planned for and in turn woke late because baby boy has caught someones cold. Again. Poor little guy is all boogified and gross. I was tired and it was late and any number of other excuses I can think of, kept me from really exercising today. I have a 10minute workout that is designed to give you a good workout when you are short on time, and it really is a good work out. I did that one so I can at least say I did something. And I did try hard but, I'm so weak! Two years ago, a little before I became pregnant with baby, I could do jump training and a pretty decent amount of push ups for a mom that wasn't in perfect shape. Now I can barely get through normal aerobics and I couldn't do even 1 good push up (on my knees, no less) in the 10 minutes that I "worked out".

If that wasn't depressing enough, today was budget day. Ahh, budget day. Where checkbooks are balanced and bills are paid. Supposedly. This process can take me less than an hour. I know this because I've done it before. Once. I think I was the only one home that day. Under normal circumstances, (normal being 4 kids asking me to feed them, or help with math, or mend a sock, or feed them, or clean up a spill, or feed them), it takes 2-3 hours. (As I mentioned, Gabe lost a long standing job, making budget day a bit more discouraging. It wasn't the best job, but it covered our expenses allowing me to be a stay home mom to our, then, 3 children, with the tiniest bit left over to occasionally splurge or save up for something. About 2 months after Gabe was laid off, we had another surprise in the form of my pregnancy. Which turned out to be our boy, so now Gabe, while still hopelessly outnumbered, has some backup.)

I guess I should be thankful, though. When I work the numbers and look at the bank account we are not even covering expenses. We still make much less than we owe, despite the fact that we have whittled more than $1000 off our monthly outgo since last year. Yes, we've gotten help from resources like WIC and LEAP and the local food bank, but the numbers still don't work out. Yet for some reason, we still seem to have the money to pay the bills as they come.

I often think in terms of groceries (such n such bill equals so much groceries we cant afford to buy) and recently I've been very downhearted by the fact that we cant afford the luxury of fresh fruit or greens (which used to fill at least a third of the cart each week). But then again, the food bank sometimes has lovely fresh produce (even better than some stores). The food bank also gives me more pinto beans than is humanly possible to use. But I have many great recipes that call for pinto beans (and I could always make juggling balls with them. I have at least 12 pounds worth.) Also, just in the last 2 days, friends have given us bags of veggies and other small items that we could use.

We also plan to try our hand at gardening again this year (though neither one of us is stellar at it, I know how to grow zucchini! and I happen to like it too.) When I mentioned it to a friend, he offered us the raised beds he had built last year. I was thinking he might offer some advice on how to build them, but instead, he took them out and brought them over!

I had all these great ideas for what today's post should be about and I forgot all of them. They were going to be witty and inspired and full of general coolness. (Instead I'm quite frustrated by the constant interruptions. Then again, I think everyone else is frustrated by my insistence on silence.) (silence in a house with 4 kids and 4 pets and 1 Gabe? Is that an oxymoron?)

There was no being uninhibited today. There was no "bringin it". There wasn't even a finished skirt that only had 5 minutes worth of sewing left on it. But I do have (relative) quiet to write in, I have a husband who is (attempting to) make a delicious Indian dish with our many (many) onions and potatoes delivered by loving friends, along with some chicken graciously provided by our local food bank. I have a nice house to live in, (the "nice" part was also loving provide by friends, but that too, is another story). My kids are healthy (other than the boogies), we have a silly movie to enjoy together, and my goals are still within reach.

No, there was no being uninhibited (I find I'm not very good at it), but there is still tomorrow. And I'm sure along with it will be many more things to be thankful for, many more opportunities to step out of my comfort zone, and more time to work toward my goal of being uninhibited. What was it I said? "In art and family and spirituality"? Still sounds good.

Despite the very unproductive and "down" type of day that I've had, (did I mention that we also found a dead cat on our 1/2 acre property today? Just to add to the yuckness of the day, I suppose.) Despite that, I really have nothing to complain about.

Meliss

p.s. So how does one get any work done with 4 kids, 4 pets, and 1 "Gabe"around anyway?