Nothin' Says Carbs Like Straight Up Fried Bread Dough

My friends joke that rather than a vegetarian I am a carbetarian. I wish I could find a candle scented like fresh baked bread, that would so rock! So, for a snack the other day I decided to make some fried Italian bread squares. Yum!

Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Pasta salad doesn't have to be as complicated as some recipes make it. And it does NOT have to have dead animal mixed in with all the pasta goodness to be delicious! Another Zombie Mom kitchen tip is always use bowls that are too big, it's hell to try and work with a small bowl that things keep falling out of and you can't really get a good mix going. I tend to use a separate bowl for preparing and serving. Few things make me as happy as a good spacious bowl.

I like to mix it up with different shaped pasta. The noodle is quite important (it is pasta salad) and it's good to choose one that's able to hold on to the dressing well. This time I chose campanelle. It resemble a small twisted cone with a ruffled edge. When boiling your pasta be sure not to over-cook. In fact, I under cook just a tad so that they stay firm when mixed with the dressing.



Speaking of the dressing you can choose any Italian that works for you. I like to use Good Seasons, you know the kind..."you make it fresh you make it best"...And I use a bit more water than the package directions call for..like maybe 1/4 cup.
I always do the pasta and dressing ahead of time to be sure that it has time to sit and absorb while I am preparing the other ingredients. I'm a firm believer in letting food "meld" together.



It's your choice of the veggies you add to the salad. I like to be sure and keep a good balance in color. The produce I chose for this batch are green and red bell peppers and some green onions. Be sure to use the stems of the green onions too, they have a bright green color that really sets it off.



Instead of some hacked up piece of meat I like to add beans to the mix! My favorites are kidney and garbanzo. Dump 'em straight from the can into your colander and rinse thoroughly. Get'em nice and cool with cold water and be sure they drain completely before adding to your pepper/onion mixture.



Next is the best part, the cheese! Here's where I go a bit crazy. Sometimes it's cheddar, hot pepper, colby, mozzarella, provolone...sigh...they are all so fine. This time I went with the longhorn only. Add as much or as little as your taste buds require. On a side note, if you are preparing the pasta salad ahead of time for an event, hold the cheese in a sandwich bag or small container until serving and stir it in right before it hits the table..it does tend to get a little soggy.



Last steps, dice some tomato and add the pasta/italian dressing mixture to the veggie/bean bowl. Stir well, and each time you re-serve be sure to mix it up a bit as the dressing tends to settle on the bottom.



See now, you are ready for a night of howling at the moon and rolling in the dirt!

Comfort Food Tuesday

Everyone is still feeling pretty icky around here, so Tuesday was designated soup and comfort food day.

I decided to make a cheesey veg soup served in bread bowls and some chicken.

I began by making my own veggie broth for the soup..2 cups of water with carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. These happened to be the veggies I had available.



In the soup kettle I started with the flour, cheese, milk and butter...nice and bubbly then added the veggies and stock.



For the bread bowls just thaw a loaf of frozen bread dough..roll into 8 balls...let rise an additional 30 min, brush with egg white and water and bake. After 15 min brush with additional wash and bake another 15 min. The egg wash makes the outside of the bowl crispy and keeps the soup from seeping through. When cooled cut center out and fill with the soup.



Also I wanted to get the kiddos to eat some protein so I baked 4 chicken breasts. I wanted to tie the cheesey theme in so I used crushed sour cream and cheddar potato chips mixed with bread crumbs for the coating. It was a crowd pleaser!

Saturday Fiesta Ole'

Nothing says "I love you, man" like tacos!

This is one of my favorite family meals because everyone can pick and choose their own toppings. Our typical taco spread consists of lettuce, tomato, cheddar and monterey jack cheeses, sour cream, avocados, black olives...browned taco meat and refried beans. I always refry my own kidney beans rather than buy them in the can (which usually will contain lard). It's very easy to squish them yourself to be sure of what is really in there.

I also make my own soft shells (tortillas, if you will). This only takes a few extra minutes and is so worth it. One tip I have for that is that it will work out so much better to pound the dough out yourself rather than using a rolling pin, you will get a nicer shape. Also, if you have a quesadilla maker that's the best way to cook them, and much less clean-up than using another pan.




Ole'

The Daily Creativity

So yes crafting, creating and being inspired is what I do in my free time...and this leads me to wonder...what do I do in my not free time and how do I apply my creativity to my every day life.

I would say that one of the things I have to think about most in a week is what I am preparing in the way of meals. Mind you I have 2 pre-teens, one who is as picky as the day is long, a husband who is a carnivore all the way, and me being a vegetarian. The simple answer to this dilemma would be to go to Subway every day and we could all get exactly what we want...but that is not an option.

So here's what I'll do...I will blog for a week on the meals that happen in this three-ring circus of a household. I just thought of this idea this morning and I already did my grocery shopping for next week, so I'm not gonna post fancy schmancy stuff that I would never usually make. Just a week of using what I have, trying to please everyone, boring, stay-at-home meals. (Okay, so I know there will be a few take-outs in there somewhere)....

Here we go!