They. Ate. Thirds.

I was floored, flabbergasted and ecstatic. Two of my three kiddos are light eaters and one in particular generally takes aaaaaaas looooooong aaaaaaas possible to finish his dinner, even if he likes it. Having thirds of anything - really, anything - is unheard of.

We've never read Calvin & Hobbes to the kids, but as my oldest climbed the basement stairs and entered the kitchen, his first question, wrinkly nose and all was, "What's that smell?" 

Who knew Italian sausage could smell repulsive. I personally think it has a pleasant comfort-food aroma. Much to his chagrin I announced that it was dinner and yes, he would be eating it.

Dinner was actually a variation on a theme - the adults in the house being the only members of the family who could actually enjoy the entire dish (due to allergies).

Roasted Potatoes:

Med. Red Skin potatoes (roughly 2-3 lbs) cut in large-bite-size pieces (skin on)

Tossed in:

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

Oregano

Basil

Parsley

Onion powder 

(basically every savory herb I could quickly grab, except garlic which one of the kiddos is allergic to)

Roast at 400 degrees for about 30 min, on parchment covered baking sheet. Turn a couple times for even roasting.

Italian Sausage:

Bulk-style (no skin). Pan-fried over med-low until cooked through and crumbly

Eggs:

Sunny-side-up (2 each for the adults, 1 for a non-allergic child)

Shredded cheese for non-dairy allergic folks.

Assembly:

The kiddos who ate thirds had potatoes with sausage on top. They LOVED it. Yes, that grouchy boy who knew he was going to hate dinner, loved it.

It was one of those moments where you want to bang your head on something because you try to make elaborate meals that everyone can eat (and will like) and apparently all it takes is a 99 cent bag of potatoes and some sausage. Well, what's not to love, right? No head-banging ensued because honestly, thirds?!?!?!?! I really can't complain!

Hubby and I had the Potatoes, sausage, shredded cheese and eggs on top. Delish! Garlic-allergic kiddo had potatoes, cheese and an egg (no sausage for her). She had seconds on potatoes.

Meatless Friday

This recipe for Smoked Salmon Hash with Guacamole was in the paper, recently.

I thought it would be a good Meatless Friday meal. I like that Wolfgang Puck suggests dicing and sautéing the veggies the night before - he sounds like my kind of cook!

I'm including the recipe here, in case they remove the link at some point in the future:

1 c. red pepper
3/4 c. red onion
1.5 c potatoes
All diced fine
Saute peppers and onions first, set aside
Saute potatoes, covered for 5 min until tender (season with salt&pepper to taste)
Add to peppers/onions

1/2 lb cold smoked salmon, coarsely chopped
1 Tbs minced fresh dill
4 eggs, whisked
Combine
Scoop mixture, 1/2 cup at a time into saute pan drizzled with olive oil (med-high heat) cook 2-3 min, flip, repeat.

Garnish with Guacamole (he includes a recipe for this, but I prefer a simpler version)

1 avocado, mashed
squirt of lemon juice
salt&pepper to taste
(may throw in some red pepper or garlic powder)

Meatless Friday

Pancakes and fish. Not normally recipes I would put in the same post, but since they're amazing, I'm eating both of them today (for different meals) and they're meatless, here you go!

High-Protein Gluten-Free Pancakes

*contains eggs and dairy products*

Follow this recipe from Whole Foods website with the following changes:

substitute 1 cup of wheat flour for 1 cup of gluten-free flour (link found here).

I eyeball the milk, adding a bit at a time, since GF flour takes different amounts of liquid than wheat flour. I'd guess I use roughly 1/3 cup.

I skip the oil ever since I forgot to add it once and it didn't make any difference whatsoever.

I also add 1-1.5 tsp vanilla extract. I love vanilla extract.

Cook on a griddle over med heat until the batter bubbles, then flip (2nd side cooks quickly!)

Dad's Amazing Swai (fish)**

*allergen-free, aside from fish*

I'm not sure if he invented this or got the recipe elsewhere, so credit goes to my dad. Thanks Dad!

Cover baking sheet in aluminum foil for easy clean-up

Heat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

Thawed Swai fillets, approx 1 per person
- bought at Aldi, $5.50 for a 2 lb bag

Olive oil heated with onion (I'm using powder) and dried parsley to infuse flavor

Crushed potato chips

Directions:

Blot fillets with paper towel to get rid of excess moisture

Coat fish with olive oil and cover liberally in potato chip crumbs, both sides.

Tuck under smaller tail ends so they don't dry out

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

How tough is that?! ...and it's melt-in-your-mouth, tastes like a-million bucks AMAZING!

P.S. All 3 of my children had seconds!

**Never heard of Swai? I hadn't either. Here's a brief introduction to this delicious, inexpensive fish.

Amazing Slow-Cooker Potatoes

I needed a mostly make-ahead, quick-finish brunch recipe for after church yesterday.

Inspired by the skillets I love at Ann Arbor's Café Marie, and combining this family-favorite recipe with this technique, I ended up with mouth-watering potatoes and a great brunch-food base. Potato recipe first, and then I'll tell you how I made a meal out of it.

Amazing Slow-Cooker Potatoes

• 2-3 lbs. thin-skinned (gold) potatoes, scrubbed, rinsed, and cut in 1/2" pieces
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil or butter
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed fine [optional]
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• generous sprinkling of garlic powder [optional]
• 2 teaspoons medium-coarse salt

Put olive oil or butter in the slow cooker and turn it on high while you wash & cut up the potatoes.

Mix the seasonings together in a bowl.

When the butter in the slow cooker is mostly melted or the oil is warm, add the potatoes to the slow cooker and stir around to coat with the butter / oil. Add the seasoning mixture and stir to coat.

Put the lid on and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.

Slow-Cooker-Potato Brunch (serves 6)

• Slow-Cooker Potatoes, as prepared above
• 6 eggs
• 1 package baby spinach
• grape tomatoes, washed and sliced in half (I use kitchen shears)
• cheddar cheese, grated [optional]
• butter / oil for cooking

When the potatoes are done:

Cook 6 eggs in butter / oil in a skillet, sunny-side up.

Melt butter / heat oil in another pan (I used my enameled cast iron dutch oven); add spinach and grape tomato halves. Cook until spinach is wilted. 

Add spinach & tomatoes to potatoes (or vice versa), and stir to combine, along with cheese, if desired.

Top serving of potatoes/spinach/tomatoes with a sunny-side up egg.

Finish with a slice of the apple pie that your brunch guests brought. Yum!

Allergen-Free Granola

I must start by giving credit where credit is due. I follow the bulk of THIS RECIPE, omitting the nuts.

If you have an allergy to coconut, this is not the recipe for you.

This recipe was born out of prayers for inspiration for a nutritious breakfast that everyone in our multiple-allergy family could eat. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

At the bottom I've included a list of where I've some of the more expensive ingredients, at the best price. If you know of a better price, please let me know!

For ingredients and directions for this granola recipe please see the link above, with this exception:

Omit the almonds and sunflower seeds*, substituting 1 cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas), chopped. Add these at the end, along with the dried fruit, so they remain raw. I use Craisins, chopped, as the dried fruit in this recipe.

*While my children aren't allergic to sunflower seeds, they have developed hives due to cross-contamination of the bulk seeds. Additionally, I feel the sunflower flavor is overpowering in the granola. I much prefer the neutral flavor of the raw pumpkin seeds.

Baking time - Since ovens differ, this require a bit of experimentation. I found an initial bake of 13 min followed by 7 minutes to be perfect for my oven.
*Note - granola crisps as it cools. The granola is done baking when it has a light honey color. If baked past this point it will be bitter.

I've been playing around with the quantities of the sweet ingredients, trying to get them down to a minimum without compromising taste. For a start, I use unsweetened coconut flakes.

Best prices:

Coconut Oil - Amazon.com $18 for 29 oz ($.50/oz)

I know Trader Joe's sells this, I think it's more expensive there, but to be honest I'm not sure.

Coconut Flakes - Amazon.com $15 for 4, 12 oz bags

Unsweetened coconut has been hard to find. Please let me know if you know of somewhere else to find it! Additionally, these flakes are rather large and require chopping prior to adding to the recipe.

Raw Pumpkin Seeds - Trader Joe's, $6.50 for 1 lb.

This is the best price that I've found. It seems they they are universally $9/lb everywhere else.

Craisins - Sam's Club - $8 for 48 oz