Hamburger Steaks with Spicy Sweet Tomato Sauce, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms, and Cheddar

I made hamburger steaks for my family last week for the very first time. You'd think I had invented the tastiest food ever made. They LOVED it and have asked for it again this week. I fancied them up a bit this time around, though.



Hamburger Steaks with Spicy Sweet Tomato Sauce, Cheddar, Caramelized Onions, and Mushrooms

1 tbs butter
1 red onion, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 small chipotle chili pepper
1/2 cup prepared bbq sauce
1 small peach, sliced, skin and pit removed
pinch salt
4 lbs ground meat (i used a combo of ground turkey and ground beef)
3 tbs Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
sharp cheddar cheese, sliced

Start the onions and mushrooms by melting the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and bring the heat down to medium. Let onions cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and cook an additional 10 minutes. Your onions should be a beautiful golden brown.
















While the onions cook, start the sauce by pureeing the tomatoes, chili pepper, bbq sauce, salt, and peach in a food processor until almost smooth. Pour into a small sauce pan and bring to an even simmer. Let simmer until dinner is almost ready, then remove from heat to let cool just before serving.

For the hamburger steaks, mix the ground meat, Worcestershire sauce, and desired amount of salt and pepper. Shape mixture into 8 oval shaped patties and cook on a griddle or skillet, medium high heat, 8 minutes on each side or until no pink juices remain (i do like my beef a little rarer, but since i used ground turkey, i did not want any visible pink). Before removing each patty from heat, spread a bit of the tomato sauce and top with a slice of cheddar and let melt.

To serve, plate each patty and scoop a generous helping of your caramelized onions and mushrooms on top of the melted cheddar. A simple salad and seasonal fruit are great compliments.

It's called "Reverse"

i created a tumblr.

daily dodd

*warning. it will be nothing like "Such is This". it will be like my facebook. which i do not have anymore.

what you can expect: something every day. sometimes twice (or thrice) a day. sometimes old pics, but mostly new pics, quips, and quotes from daily family life.

so quit pestering me already about missing me on facebook. you know who you are....

Lenten Lunch on a Monday

I gave up leavened bread for Lent. Yes...you heard me right. I, the sandwich lover, gave up all breads containing yeast, baking soda and powder. I also gave up coffee, but that is not pertinent in regards to this post (but you can emote sympathizing tongue clicks my way).

I did allow myself to browse the endless aisles of wheat goodies in search for convenience items made without leavening and was able to procure a few boxes of simple crackers. I splurged on some specialty cheeses and stocked up on meats (which I do not eat much of, but felt inclined to eat more of so my belly would feel full. that's not scientific, just what my brain came up with).

Today's lunch was quite satisfying. I purchased some Dubliner cheese (in honor of the forthcoming Irish holiday), boiled some chicken, and assembled a meager luncheon masterpiece.

I have included a chicken salad recipe that I used today, but my chicken salads vary from day to day and season to season. Feel free to experiment with other additions. A few of my other favorites are pecans and cranberries, curry and grapes, dill and lemon zest, or bacon and shredded carrot. You could also replace the tomatoes with sprouts or cucumber slices. If I were going completely wheat free, the Dubliner is such a sturdy cheese that it could stand in for the cracker and hold up under the salad and tomato.

Simple Chicken Salad on Crackers with Tomatoes and Dubliner Cheese

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, boiled and shredded (or 1 12oz can of good quality, organic chicken breast)
2 small stalks celery, minced
1 green onion, dark tops and root removed, thinly sliced
1 cup real mayonnaise (or more to taste, you can also use a light real mayo)
1 small sweet apple (such as gala or lady pink), chopped (keep the skin on)
salt and pepper to taste
3 or 4 thin slices of Dubliner Cheese (or another aged, sweet, hard cheese) Crackers (I used Carr's Table Water Crackers with Cracked Pepper)
2-3 slices of tomato, cut into fourths

Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a medium bowl to make the chicken salad. On each cracker place about a tablespoon of the chicken salad, then top with half of a cheese slice, and cap it with a tomato. Munch.
Served here with honeydew wedges.

Now it is almost 4 and I am fighting a hunger twinge. Perhaps I should divulge in my new favorite snack, Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt with Caramel. Yes, you can die happy eating this way.

In the way of the leftover rice noodles (and more pics of sushi to make you jealous)

After our evening of Asian sinfulness, I had leftover rice noodles and assorted Vietnamese Spring
Roll fillings, along with that delicious Peanut Sauce. What to do, what to do? But, of course! Rice Noodle Salad.


Next Day Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce

1 small package rice noodles, cooked and cooled (about 2 1/2 cups cooked)
about 1 cup thinly sliced veggies (cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, red pepper, green onion, etc)
a few sprigs of cilantro and/or mint, torn to smaller bits, plus a few more for garnish
1 cup Peanut Sauce (recipe follows), room temperature (start with the least amount, but add more if you like it a bit saucy)

Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until sauce coats everything. Let sit room temp for 20 minutes to let the flavors become friends. Enjoy.

Vietnamese Peanut Sauce (for the dipping of Fresh Spring Rolls or for this salad)

1 tbs peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili paste or sriracha sauce (optional)
2 tbs tomato paste
1/2 c broth or water
2-3 tbs peanut butter
3/4 tsp sugar
1/2 cup hoisin sauce

Heat oil and add garlic, chili paste, and tomato paste. Cook until garlic is golden brown. Add the broth, peanut butter, sugar, and hoisin sauce. Whisk untill the mixture is smooth. Let it come to a nice rolling bubble, then reduce heat and let simmer 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Let cool before serving with Vietnamese Spring Rolls or for the Cold Rice Noodle Salad.

And one more sushi pic, because jealousy if very becoming of you.

In which sushi was eaten. And Chi comes to visit.

The church ladies came over and we giggled (yes, church ladies giggle...and occasionally snort) over sushi mats and bowls of warm rice wrapper water.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls, assorted Sushi Rolls, and Inari Sushi. I also made a peanut sauce for dipping. You would like some? Too bad, so sad. I ate it all. Cough, ahem..I mean, uh...WE ate it all.

Not pictured: chocolate covered strawberries, oreo balls, and chess cake squares. And yes, thanks for asking, it was all delicious.

Not as delicious as this little guy, though.

Cousin Chi (short for Malachi) came to visit. I cannot get enough of those cherub cheeks and hazel eyes.

Thrifting on a Saturday

You might ask yourself how this mid 50s tin plate depicts myself and Sir Cohen in the midst of our favorite pastime. I wondered the same. But there we be. It now has a content home above my kitchen sink window.

And this plate, also. I tend to thrift in color schemes, though I don't realize it till I am home and placing things. I just LOVED the flower detail in this pie plate, especially the 'barely there' lacy brown buds in the background.



It met nicely with a simple reed placemat in the center of our dining table.

Also found among the dusty thrift shelves was a very loved copy of the South Pacific soundtrack on vinyl, Emile and Nellie wrapped in a passionate embrace on the cover. And, yes, the children giggled as I twirled little Harry around the room cooing about some enchanted evening...

Montessori Giveaway!

---------------------This event is over-----------------------------

I am a huge (HUGE!) supporter of the Montessori method. Being a "hands-on" type mom and teacher, this method really fits our home. What better way to teach kids math, grammar, science and the like than with manipulatives?!
There are plenty of websites that offer help and one in particular actually makes a full preschool (for ages 3-6) program for homeschoolers. It has been getting some great reviews.
And, guess what? They are offering a FREE program ($999 value) to one lucky homeschooler that leaves a comment on their page. If you post a link to your blog, you get to put an extra comment and receive an extra chance to win. (well, duh, I said to myself. why not do it?!)
So...go, go! What are you waiting for?!

Montessori for Everyone

A Day in the Life (on a Monday)

This is an unglamorous, but fairly typical version of what our school day looks like. Monday...

(times are approximate, notes scratched onto paper throughout the day and then typed up during free moments, and I have tried to correct the present and past tense mistakes as much as possible, but a few might have slipped through the cracks. be kind.)

[Child key: Ashton - daughter, oldest child, 9 years old, 4th grade; Keaton - oldest son, 7 years old, 2nd grade; Cohen - son, 3 years old, preschool; Harry - youngest son, 1 year and 4 months old, drooling and pooping.]

7:15- Wake up. A bit earlier than usual, but there are too many bodies making too much noise for one to sleep any later. I am awake, but hide under the covers until I must make an appearance.

7:45- I start the water for Harry's oatmeal, take some tylenol and ibroprofen (for my ever present headache), and settle back under the warm covers for just a few more minutes.

7:55- I let Harry's oatmeal cool in the freezer, have the boys put away their breakfast (Keaton makes his and Cohen's cereal) and they get dressed and ready for school {requirements are: dressed, teeth brushed, school books on the table, and animals fed}. I put a roast in the crock-pot : salt, pepper, 4 cloves of garlic --minced, and a jar of red currant jelly.

8:15- I open my daughter's door in hopes that all the noise will wake her up. I feed Harry. Keaton starts a load in the washing machine.

8:30- I break up an argument between my two older boys, which ends with the oldest sent to his bed until school starts. My daughter is now up and eating breakfast. I change Harry's diaper and sit down with a bowl of Grape Nuts and fish through emails and facebook notifications. The children finish getting ready, clean up any messes made, and make their way to the school room. My husband and I communicate through texts about a big housing decision (after months of time and stress about getting our house ready to sell, we decide it is NOT the time in our lives to be doing this and we back out of listing it--I was to turn in the paperwork to list it TODAY) and we coordinate a time and way to get our van, which decided to breakdown this weekend, into the shop. These are little things, but take a lot of time to discuss.

9:30- School starts*, later than usual--we try to start between 8:30 and 9:00--, but it's Monday, it happens, and I just have to deal. Harry roams around or sits in my lap while the three olders sit at the table. Ashton and Keaton recite their Memory Bible Verses (Psalm 56:3-4). I then start Cohen's preschool while the older two complete their Bible reading and answer questions in their workbooks.

10:00- I finish Cohen's preschool, but the others are still working on their Bible. I turn on a movie for Cohen while I make a cup of coffee and clean up the breakfast mess. I feed the littles (Harry and Cohen) some bananas and put Harry down for his nap.

10:15- I am back at the table for Math and Reading help. We are taking a break from Math lessons this week and focusing on rote memory (this actually makes the kids pretty happy and they fill out their fact sheets in a flurry). Cohen's movie is done and I feed him some graham crackers with peanut butter, then he sits on the floor with a huge truck book and a couple of books on bugs.

10:45- Keaton moves onto Cursive and Ashton finishes up her Math and moves onto her independent English work. I take this time to type up half of this blog post. I grade Math facts and have the kids correct their mistakes in-between typing and finding new books for Cohen.

11:20- I am back at the table for Spelling (I do both children's lessons at the same time) and then instruct Keaton in his Grammar. Cohen is ever present and ever distracting. I give him a pair of scissors, a strip of contruction paper, markers, and some stickers and have him make "something" at the dining room table.

12:30- Phone calls and appointment changes interrupt much of that last hour, Keaton is still diagramming sentences. Lunch time is way overdue. I make Cohen's lunch and Ashton picks up the house (without being asked--this is actually quite abnormal behavior--she deserves much praise here). Ashton then makes her own lunch. I make Harry's lunch and then get him up from his nap. He had been crying for a good 15 minutes in his crib. Bad mom award...right here *points to self*. Lunch consists of PB&J or grilled cheese, leftover soup, and grapes.

12:45- Keaton cleans off the school table and makes his own sandwich to go with his lunch. I clean up a spilled lunch plate mess and Cohen's craft session mess. I am, at this point, very grateful that I ate that bowl of Grape Nuts because it looks like my lunch will have to wait until after afternoon school.

1:10- I finish putting away all the lunch items and Ashton sweeps up under the kitchen table, picks up the school room floor, and starts dishes. I clean up Harry and I play with him a bit before he wanders off and gets into mischief (which today includes pulling down all my vintage aprons off a shelf and taking batteries out of the VCR remote). I type up some more on this blog, while I wait for Keaton to finish eating so I can wipe off the counter and move onto afternoon school.

1:20- Cohen starts cleaning up the boys room and we put on a Baby Einstein movie for Harry. I settle down on the school room couch to do our History reading with the older two {usually the littles are taking a nap at this point, but our whole schedule is off, so we make do with minor interruptions here and there}. This is my favorite part of the school day. History was my major in college and I still really love the subject. We read about the Visigoths, Stilicho, and the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The kids draw their favorite parts of the story, including Cohen, who didn't hear the story, but had finished cleaning so he wanted to join in on the fun. I change Harry's diaper and check the roast in the crock-pot, which is beginning to fill up the whole house with fragrant loveliness (the roast, not the diaper).

2:00- School is done. The kids do their afternoon chores. Keaton sorts the clothes from the dryer into their appropriate spot**, gets the wet clothes started in the dryer, and cleans up what Cohen didn't quite clean up correctly in their room. Ashton folds her portion of laundry, and finishes cleaning up her room. I start a load of diapers, put away my things in the school room, and serve the littles their afternoon snack (leftover treats from my last Bookclub meeting, which included Valentine cookies, sugar cookies, and brownies. SCORE for not having to make a snack).

2:30- I take a picture for the blog (shown above), give the olders their snack, clean up crumbs from table and counter, and sweep the floor. The littles go down for their nap. Ashton has her free time and disappears into her room while Keaton, who had his play and electronic privileges taken away this morning sits on the school room couch with a stack of books (and pouts).

3:00- Lunch time for me. My meal is the same as the kids, except my grilled cheese is on cinnamon bread (seriously the best combination of bread and cheese EV-AR!). I type up the remaining notes into the blog while I munch and upload the picture I took earlier onto the laptop. I catch up a bit on facebook and emails, too.

3:30- I proofread the blog, start the next cycle of diapers, and escape to take a shower (I was able to wash my face and brush my teeth before school, but remained in my jammies and stinky armpits until now).

4:00- Fresh, clean, and slightly pickled, I emerge from the shower. Cohen is now awake and
apparently very grumpy. He cuddles his pooh bear, takes his thumb, and starts his afternoon movie. I turn the crock-pot off, pull out the rest of the dinner ingredients, and settle into the couch next to Keaton (who is still pouting) for a few minutes while I wait for Daddy to come home and Harry to wake up.

5:00-7:00- These hours were a blur of packing kids into one van to drop off the other van at the mechanic's and getting dinner put together (aforementioned roast, butter and parsley mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and wheat rolls), eaten, and cleaned up. All the family chips in to finish after dinner chores. The boys clear the table, Asthon washes dishes, I wipe down the counter and kitchen table and arrange leftovers in the fridge, Daddy sweeps the floor. Harry is given many kisses and put to bed. I finish the last wash cycle for the diapers and check emails one final time.

7:00-8:30- The children play quietly until about 7:30 when Keaton and Cohen go to bed, and Ashton plays a little on the Wii before she is down for the night at 8:30. She is allowed to read in bed until 9:00.

8:30-11:00- This is the time of day when all our continual cleaning up has payed off. Relaxing for the next few hours is heaven. The husband and I chill until bedtime watching a movie and playing (he plays, I watch and give support) on the Xbox. I put the load of diapers in the dryer and pack a few things for a trip to the dentist in the early morning (some school subjects will be done in transit or while in the waiting room). We are both asleep by 11:00.

Like I said, unglamorous, but there it is. I should make a point to blog on the days where we do our big co-op or when we have super cool projects to do...but, those can't cover up the "real". And THIS is pretty real...

*You can see what we use as far as curriculum here.
**You can visit my "paying" gig here to view our laundry routine.

Fortuna Salad, for the last oozings of January

Our whole household has been ill with some sort of virus every week since before Christmastime. This is wearing on a mom. And these dreary days of winter are going to linger for many many more months.
Today I decided I needed a pick-me-up. And a little imaginary luck might just do the trick!
This bean salad was inspired by a Nava Atlas post I saw this morning (sigh, I *heart* her). I adapted it to fit with what I had on hand. Let me just say, it was spectacular! Bright and filling. I have heard it said that black-eyed peas bring good luck. If they do, bonus! They are full of fiber and nutrients and mixed with the black beans they made for a happy mommy mouth. And the grapefruit was like welcome sunshine to the taste buds.
(this recipe is vegan, but feel free to add some feta or prosciutto if you are feeling a little more adventurous.)

Fortuna Salad
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 red pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/2 cup pimento stuffed olives, chopped
half of a grapefruit, segments removed and halved
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Italian Garlic Croutons (recipe follows)

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients, except for the croutons, until well combined. Let sit at room temp at least 10 minutes to let the flavors marry. Top each portion with croutons before serving. Enjoy!
This makes about 2 largish dinner sized bowls, or three lunch portions. I paired mine with whole wheat bread drizzled with raw honey.

Italian Garlic Croutons

two slices good quality bread*, cubed
olive oil spray
italian seasoning, a pinch
garlic powder, a pinch

Preheat oven to 350. Place bread cubes on a cookie sheet. Spray lightly with the olive oil and sprinkle with italian seasoning and garlic powder. Toss to coat. Place in the oven until toasty on all sides (tossing after a few minutes), about 5 minutes.
When pressed for time, or if I don't want to heat up my whole oven, I put these in a toaster oven and put on the medium to dark toast setting.

*My family does not enjoy the heel portions of a sandwich loaf. I end up with a bag or two of just heels by weeks end and HATE to see them go to waste. I save them, or if I don't think they will get used up soon, will put them in the freezer. They are perfect for making croutons, or dried on the counter in cubes for stuffing, or, my favorite...breadcrumbs!

Oh Snap!

Can't get enough of me through here and facebook? Well, now I am now a bonified blog contributor for Oh Snap, Baby.

Oh SNAP!

RAW breakfast on a Tuesday

day 1 of RAW (if you recall i will have two of these a week)

for breakfast, a simple fruit stew.
orange segments
grapes
chopped lady pink apples
raw almonds
flaked, raw unsweetened coconut
*hint: keep the almonds and coconut in the freezer for a crisp, ice box cold, fruit salad.

it was actually quite satisfying, with help from the almonds.


there was even a bit left over for Sir Cohen.

A gift for Brother

Could not resist these bread slice shaped coasters I found at a thrift store. I cut out some photos of my children and affixed them inside. Voila! Picture frames for my brother. Hope you all had a very joyful Christmas. It was simply magical here in the south...

Travels in RAW: take 1-- Falafel Patties

Before I take on my New Years Resolution in full swing, I figured a trial run was in order. I am using the book RAW as a reference and decided to try out the Falafel Patties given inside.

First you are to sprout some chickpeas. I loved the happy little tails that started showing the next day.


















Then you pulse those and a bunch of other goodies, like onion, garlic, and cilantro in your food processor.














After a bit, it looks like this.























You then shape patties and dehydrate them at 90 degrees for about 8 hours. Your house will smell of cumin and onion. This is a good thing.













They are lovely when they are done. Speckled with green, crispy on the outside, and moist in the center. They have a nice "bite" from the onion and cilantro, but the chickpeas give it a nice mellowness in the end.


I ate mine on a bed of greens, with some homemade RAW cheese (with a touch of chili paste--cheating...i know), some chopped dates, a cucumber slice or two, and grape tomatoes. Oat crackers and an orange are great compliments.

Interviews with Children: Cohen

Name: Cohen Joshua

Age: 3

What do you want to be when you grow up? a heffalump or a bridge builder

If you could be any animal, which one would you be? giraffe

Why is the sky blue? Because it helps the moon go up.

If you could be any movie character, which one would you be? Piglet

Favorite word? apple

What is your favorite book? *points to all the books*

If you could have a super power, which one would you choose? Superman

What is your favorite food: apple

If you discovered something AMAZING on Neptune, what would it be? Superman will throw in the sky and throw him down on the snow.

What is your favorite school subject? color pages

If you could have any talent, what would you want the most? To read books.

If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask yourself?
How do you...? I don't know. I can't talk.

A Goodies Basket for Christmas

*spoiler for any member of the RHE Co-Op...

Traditional fare... and not so much. For the ladies and children at our Homeschool Co-Op.

Pumpkin bread slices, itty bitty banana chocolate chip bread loaves, peppermint bark, and
sunflower seeds (remember these?) all tied up with red yarn. Also (not shown), a whole tin filled with chocolate peanut butter fudgle.
fudgle: (fuh-j-l) n. a rich substance, somewhat like fudge and somewhat like a truffle...except not so rich.

Merry, Merry Christmas.