Flourless Chocolate Cake

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Kerri

A deliciously dense and fudgy cake for the true chocolate lover.

FOR CAKE:
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips or baker's chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 Sticks (3/4 Cup) Butter
6 large eggs, separated
12 Tbs sugar
2 tsp vanilla

FOR GLAZE:
1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 Cup Corn syrup
9 oz. semisweet chocolate chips or baker's chocolate
Chocolate Shavings for garnish

MAKE CAKE:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with buttered waxed paper. Wrap outside of pan with foill.
  2. Stir chocolate and butter in saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, stirring often.
  3. Beat egg whites in separate bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 6 Tbs sugar, beating until medium-firm peaks form.
  4. In Large bowl, beat egg yolks and 6 Tbs sugar until mixture is very thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Fold lukewarm chocolate mixture into yolk mixture, then fold in vanilla extract.
  5. Fold in Egg Whites in 3 additions. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  6. Bake cake for 50-55 minutes, until top is puffed and cracked, and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs attached. Cool cake in pan on rack (cake will fall). Gently press down crusty top to make evenly thick cake. Using small knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Place 9" cardboard round or tart pan bottom atop cake; invert cake and peel off waxed paper.

MAKE GLAZE:

  1. Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat.
  2. Add Chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.
  3. Place cake on rack set over baking sheet to catch extra glaze. Spread 1/2 C glaze smoothly over top and sides of cake. Freeze until almost set, about 3 minutes. Pour remaining glaze over cake; smooth sides and top. Place cake on platter. Chill until glaze is firm, about 1 hour.
  4. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome, store at room temperature.
  5. Garnish with chocolate shavings. Serve at room temperature. Serves 10-12.

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Green Smoothies for Teens
and Other Green-o-phobes

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Sunny

You may have read my post on green smoothies in which I promised a follow up on trying to get my teenagers to drink them. I have been working on the challenge, and this is what I've come up with so far.

Yes, dark berries cover up a bit of green, but I've got a teen who doesn't like the blue or blackberries, so I had to find something else.

Cabbage doesn't turn the smoothie green! Put a wedge of one in your smoothie. If you throw in a little fresh spinach, it'll even take that green out. But it also takes out the pink of the strawberries.

green smoothie with cabbage and spinach, strawberries etc.

Need more pink? Put in a piece of beet. It'll add a bright magenta color. Cut the beet into 10ths or 16ths, then add one piece before deciding if you want more color. It doesn't take much. My first try was way too magenta (1/4 of a beet). But the smaller pieces work so well that I'm going to freeze them on a cookie sheet and then keep a bag in the freezer so that my bunch of 3 beets will last quite a while.

green smoothie made pink with beets

Another help has been to prepare my veggies in a container the night before so that I can whip them out and throw them in with the fruit with the least risk of getting caught.

prepare veggies for quick addition to smoothie: cabbage, spinach, and a piece of beet

But what has really made the difference with my teens (and little ones) is an investment in restaurant cups with lids and straws.This has worked great since they like to take their smoothie on the run. Besides, the travel cups we used at first have been lost, and I wouldn't want to see inside them now, even if what's now inside them would probably be greener than ever. The point is, the disposable, content hiding cups have been great. I like to use them myself. I don't know why, but a green smoothie tastes even better in the car.

put green smoothies in restaurant cups with straws to disguise color

Oh, I should probably tell you too that I have sometimes put in a dash of vanilla extract and maybe a little sweetener, if I felt it might need it. (I put in some Stevia, but use what you like.) The teens also like it plenty icy, like Jamba Juice, so I use as little liquid as possible to get it started blending. Then at the end I add ice cubes and blend it again.

Here is a recipe from Green Smoothie Girl's book, The Green Smoothie Diet that I consulted. She recommends it for those "converting." I haven't ever tried nutmeg.

Beet Blast

3 1/4 cups water/ice
1 medium beet, washed well and quartered
1/4 of a medium green cabbage, cut in chunks
Spinach, added until mixture reaches 6-cup line
2 Tbsp. honey
2 apples
2 bananas
2 cups pineapple, frozen chunks
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

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My Favorite 2-day Meal

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Janae

A few months ago, I misread a recipe. Thank goodness. My mistake ended up making the best 2-day meal I have ever had. Yep, a 2-day meal. By my estimation, that means you only have to cook once but you get 2 completely different meals out of it.

Here's what you'll be serving:

1. Black Bean Salsa Chicken

2. Chicken Taco Soup

But this is all you've got to do (and it takes less than 10 minutes of your time. Even better!):

2-4 chicken breasts (boneless)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup salsa
1 can corn drained
1 can black beans drained
1 pkg Taco seasoning
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheese (optional...we forgot this one night and still loved it. Since that meant less fat, we do without now. It's great either way).

Cook on low for 5 hours in crockpot.

For Black Bean Salsa chicken: Remove chicken from crockpot. Using a slotted spoon, dish some beans and salsa over the chicken. Serve over rice. We also like to serve a bit of the sauce as a side for those that like a saucier dish.

To the rest of the sauce, add the sour cream and grated cheese (optional). When your black bean salsa chicken meal is finished, chop the leftover chicken into cubes and add it to the sauce. Hello Chicken Taco Soup! Serve with tortilla chips for a scrumptious meal.

One little warning: These meals go fast in our house. To avoid finding yourself with not enough to last 2 meals, you may need to double your recipe, depending on your size of family.

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Treat your Mother Right this Mother’s Day

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Heidi

Happy Mother’s Day from Mr. T! May this video bring some humor into your day, and remember, treat your mother right (and be sure your kids do too!)

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Leftover Meal

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Cheri

Have you ever opened the fridge and wondered what you can make with all the random leftover ingredients you have filling all your Tupperwares? I have that moment at least once a week. Thankfully, this meal is a family favorite and our go-to leftover meal. We seem to always have rice, corn, and tomatoes on hand. Even if you don't, give it a whirl. There are no measurements for the chicken, rice, and corn because you just use what you have. Eyeball it to get it balanced so it's not all rice and very little chicken or a ton of chicken and little rice. However, I don't think you can really mess this one up.

Amazing Chicken Quesadillas

  • Chicken, cooked and either shredded or cubed
  • Rice
  • Corn
  • 1/2-1 cup Salsa
  • 1 small can Tomato Sauce
  • Tomato (1 or 2), diced
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Tortillas

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, rice, corn, salsa, tomato sauce, and tomatoes. Stir until well mixed and heat thru.

On a griddle, heat one tortilla. Sprinkle one half with cheddar cheese. Top cheese with chicken and rice mixture.

Fold other side of tortilla over to create a half circle quesadilla. Cook until cheese is melted. Flip and cook to brown other side. Remove from heat and serve. Repeat as many times as you need.

Here are a few tips:

  1. These make great leftovers for lunch (I know, leftovers for leftovers...isn't the point to get RID of it?). So make up a few extras and just reheat them on the griddle or in a toaster oven the next day.
  2. OR, don't make up extras and just keep the chicken and rice mixture on hand to cook some fresh for another meal.
  3. I think this needs to be modified, but I have never done it because my husband LOVES this meal. If I were to modify it, I think I wouldn't put in as much tomato sauce and would put in more salsa. Or maybe I would add garlic salt or just regular salt.
  4. You CAN make them in whole circles, but these are messy and we find more of the filling spills out when you cut them. Doing half circles just keeps more filling in.

Enjoy!

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Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Kerri

Excuse This House

~Author Unknown

Some houses try to hide the fact
that children shelter there.
Ours boasts of it quite openly;
the signs are everywhere.
For smears are on the windows,
little smudges on the doors–
I should apologize, I guess,
for the toys strewn on the floor.
But I sat down with the children
and we played and laughed and read.
And if the doorbell doesn’t shine
their eyes will shine instead.
For when at times I’m forced to choose
the one job or the other,
I want to be a housewife,
but first I’ll be a mother.

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Exercise and Jane Eyre

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Sunny

As a parent, I'm all for being "in the moment." But in reality, during most of our waking moments, we'd better be multitasking as much as possible. (I haven't figured out how to do it during sleep, or I would. Though that's certainly a "moment" I enjoy being fully "in.") I still can't get over what our ancestors would think if they saw us "working out." If only more of us could have jobs that kept us physically fit. But alas, being worn out from running around all day doing mom stuff, doesn't seem to do the trick.

For me, my exercise of choice is getting out of the house for a walk. Luckily, I can do this with my youngest in tow and (usually) still get the mental break that I am desperate for. Sure, I take some time with her to listen to birds and trickling water, we keep our eyes out for rabbits, and we stop to check forducks, and I enjoy that, too.

But one reason I can enjoy it is because most of the time we're out, I put in my earbuds and focus on something I can't find much time for these days--reading.

Recently, my high school junior was reading Jane Eyre, by Emily Bronte, for his English class. As I had never read this classic, I decided to check an audio copy out from the library. I couldn't believe I'd never read this fabulous book! No wonder it's famous--it truly deserves to be!

I also checked out a couple movie versions of the story. We watched a feature length movie which was entertaining enough and told the basic plot:

and a BBC version with several episodes that wasn't as engaging, but included more of the story:

But both of them fell very far short of the book itself. There is so much more to this story than the basic plot.

Emily Bronte introduces us to a young orphan girl and follows her through the years as she suffers, grows, endures, and enjoys life. We see her character develop and her thought processes as she tries to do what she feels is best. The rich language of the novel is completely lost in the movies, as are the depth of Jane's struggles and strengths. She repeatedly faces degradation in order to do what she feels is morally imperative. She is pressured by those in authority and power as well and those she loves deeply to go against her convictions, but even religious manipulation is unable to persuade to do that which she feels is wrong.

Jane Eyre is a heroine I would love to meet and introduce my daughters to. Emily Bronte's writing is a masterful* medium to do it through. Though enjoyable, the movie versions fall far short of the book. I haven't seen the new movie, that just came out March 2011, but from what I've seen of Hollywood, I don't expect much. Or rather, I'm sure the visual and dramatic effects will be the best yet (along with a PG-13 rating for nudity which wasn't in the book of course), but even if they cared about the morality of the novel, they couldn't develop the characters adequately in the length of the movie. At any rate, the book is worth your time. Especially if you can get something else done simultaneously!

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Camp Coops

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Janae

It's that time of year again. The days are warmer, the nights come later, and the kids are antsy to start the summer. But, if you have a lot of kids, you might be wondering how you are going to keep those kiddos busy and happy all summer instead of crying out the usual, "There's nothing to do".

You look into the park district camps, but realize that with 5 kids, you just paid your mortgage payment for the month in camp fees! Yikes!

Don't fret. Two years ago, our little neighborhood came up with the perfect solution:

Camp Coops

Here's how it worked for us. Take the ideas and run with it among your group of friends:

1. When we started we had 5 families and included only the elementary school-aged kids. Choose what works best for you. More families means less times each family needs to host a camp day. But, it also means more kids. Find the balance you like the most!

2. We held the camp every Tuesday and Thursday for two hours from 10:30-12:30. You, of course, can decide with your coop just when works best for you.

3. Since we had 15 days of camp during the summer, we each took 3 days to be in charge of.

4. We each picked a theme. Over the years, we've had cooking, drama, arts and crafts, sports, health and nutrition, science, discovering nature, and parks and recreation. Each person just picked what interested them the most.

5. Each person decides where they will host their day. Most did it in their backyards, but some (like the sports and parks and rec camps) were held at local parks.

6. Make up your calendar and voila! You've got camps for free all summer long.

It's been such a hit that our kids can't wait for camp to start and we have more moms asking to join each summer. In fact, this year we had to split it into two groups to accommodate!

To get started, just send out an email to all your friends asking who's up for the challenge. Then, hold a meeting with whoever's interested. Make sure they bring their calendars. At the meeting, pick dates and themes and you're done! Happy Camping!

Other great summer ideas? Let us know!

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Posted in Activities, All Writers, Children, Family, Fun, Janae, Outdoor Activities, Summer Fun, The Moms | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There Is Something To Be Said About Going To That Soccer Game

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Heidi

My friend and I were talking the other day, and something she said caught my attention. She said, "I don't believe in pressuring my kids into doing anything."

This seems like a modern trend in parenting -- allowing children to make their own choices activity by activity. according to how they feel.

Of course, it's important to allow a child to choose which activities he or she would like to be involved in when signing up for the classes, or agreeing to go to a certain playdate. But after the agreement has been made, there is something to be said about showing up.

It's about being committed, about being a team player, about doing what you say you are going to do.

My friend organized a soccer club because her child was so excited about continuing playing soccer. After a few soccer games, her child decided she was not interested in continuing, so was allowed to stay home instead. I have observed that this child has a hard time sticking to any task or activity, quickly switching to another when she gets bored.

Could this type of parenting be linked to adult behavior of non-committal relationships with loved ones, work, and oneself?

  • How often do we see adults getting divorced because they "fall out of love", or things got too tough? How many children grow up without a dad active in their lives?
  • How many people do you know who have difficulty getting to work on time, or call in sick plenty of times, or float from job to job?
  • How many friends do you know who cannot stick to a goal plan for themselves, who switch from diet plan to diet plan, or continually cancel appointments?

There can be many reasons for these behaviors above, but one thing is clear -- commitment doesn't appear at the wedding altar, or at the beginning of any of life's experiences.

Perhaps there is something us as parents can do. Once your child decides to do an activity, teach the child to follow through. There may be times the child simply does not want to participate, but go anyway, and have the child sit and watch. The important thing is to show up.

When attending that ballet class or basketball team, your child isn't just learning to do a plie or dribble a basketball, he or she is learning commitment, and that is something that can stick with him or her through adulthood.

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Great Family Movie

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Cheri

It seems hard to find a really great family movie these days. If you're looking for your next movie night smash hit, here it is. It's Mr. Bean's Holiday and is sure to become an instant favorite. Well, I guess that is if you like comedies.

When my brother brought this movie over for us to see, I thought "Honestly? Mr. Bean? That's just plain dumb." But then we watched it. And we laughed until we cried. It is now my daughters' favorite movies, particularly the 3-year old who will give you a play by play while she cracks up any time you want.

So if you haven't laughed for a while with your family, check out this movie and enjoy your night.

It's rated G and is entertaining for all ages, not just kids. We love it!

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