Plank Grilled Salmon

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January 16, 2020 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We are super impressed with the quality – flavor, smell, and texture – of Sitka Salmon Shares.

It’s better than any storebought salmon we’ve ever had.

We all were delighted by the ocean smell of this flash frozen fresh sustainably caught wild coho salmon!

The color is bright and flesh is firm.

Soak a cedar plank in cold water for at least an hour. I cover the plank with water in the sink and place a heavy bowl on top to keep it covered. Otherwise, it will burn on the grill!

Season and marinate the salmon.

Heat up the charcoal or gas grill. Grill indirectly for about 20 minutes or until 145*.

You can also bake the plank on a cookie sheet in the oven at 325* for about 30-40 minutes.

It’s gorgeous!

We like to serve our salmon with rice pilaf and stir fried veggies.

Plank Grilled Salmon

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

1 tsp ginger
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T honey
2 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp lemon peel
salt and pepper to taste
1 T olive oil

Instructions

Combine seasoning and spread on fish.
Grill with indirect heat on top on plank, skin side down for about 20 minutes or until temperature to 145*

Sitka Salmon Shares delivers premium, sustainable, wild Alaskan seafood from the fishermen directly to members’ doorsteps! Shop Sitka Salmon Shares.

Linking up: Blogghetti,

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Fried Rice

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January 7, 2020 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Fried rice is a super easy frugal dish to use up leftovers.

My family loves it and it only takes minutes.

The base is onion, carrot, and peas.

I like to use radishes too.

Leftover meat chopped finely and any other veggies are great.

Saute onions and carrots and add the meat to warm it up.

Crumble in the cold dry rice.

If I don’t have leftover rice, popping it in the freezer gets it cool and dry quickly.

Add sauces and Chinese Five Spice. Also extra garlic and ginger is great.

The rice steams and the whole house smells delicious.

Toss the frozen peas in and top with sesame oil.

My kids don’t really like the scrambled eggs on top and we were out of green onions this time.

Fried Rice

Course Main Course

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

4 T butter or oil for frying
3 cups cold dry rice
1/2 cup chopped cooked meat
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup peeled chopped carrot
1/4 cup chopped radish or daikon
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 T minced garlic
1-2 T Chinese Five Spice Powder
4 T soy sauce
3-4 T dry sherry
1-2 T Mirin
1 T sesame oil at the end
1-2 scrambled eggs for topping
2-3 chopped green onions for topping

Instructions

Melt butter or heat up oil in large frying pan or wok.
Add chopped onion, carrots, radish and saute until onion is translucent. Add chopped meat.
Crumble cold rice on top. Add soy, sherry, and mirin to steam the rice. Sprinkle with 5 Spice. Mix well.
Add scrambled egg if using. Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle chopped green.

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Tritip Steak

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January 7, 2020 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

One of our favorite family meals is tritip steak.

It’s a simple and frugal cut of beef. Everyone likes it. It doesn’t take very long on the gas grill. We seldom have leftovers.

I rub spices and olive oil into the meat and let it marinate for at least an hour.

It takes about 20-30 minutes on the grill for medium rare.

Gorgeous thin slices against the grain for tenderness.

We serve tritip with rice or potatoes, salad, fried broccoli or grilled asparagus.

Tritip Steak

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

1 tsp coarse black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sea or kosher salt
1 tsp ground coffee
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp raw sugar
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

Mix rub ingredients together in a bowl or jar.
Massage rub into tritip steak on all sides.
Pour olive oil over steak, turning to coat. Let sit for at least an hour in the fridge.
Grill steak over medium heat on gas grill for about 20-30 minutes, or until thermometer reads about 120*
Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain and serve with reserved juices.

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Vegetable Soup

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August 13, 2019 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Aaron’s mom had this famous busy day soup.

I first had it the weekend I met his parents.

Our kids beg for it – even in summer!

Sometimes, I deviate from the original recipe, but it’s really perfect the way it is.

Directions:

Sometimes, I saute fresh veggies like mirepoix or mushrooms in butter and make my own cream sauces as a base.

Check out our veggie-packed cream soup recipe.

But I’ve found great canned cream soups that are healthier and organic so I just buy those now.

I usually use ground beef, the cheapest I can find.

Then I literally dump everything in and simmer for about 30 minutes. You could use a slow cooker too.

This soup is just perfect for a busy day. You can fix it and forget it and throw it together last minute.

I really like Lima beans, so I usually add those also. You can do just peas and carrots or the medley. It’s up to you!

I sometimes use barley, but I don’t really like it.

I’ve done little noodles before too, but you don’t want those left in the broth or they get soggy for leftovers.

We like to serve it with toast.

Vegetable Soup

Course Soup

Ingredients

1 lb ground meat
1 pack dry onion soup mix
48 oz V8
1 can cream of celery
1 can cream of mushroom
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup cooked barley
2 peeled and diced potatoes
1 can kidney beans
salt, pepper, garlic to taste

Instructions

Brown the meat and drain the fat.
Boil and drain the barley.
Peel and dice the potatoes.
Combine all ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Serve with toast!

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The Best Gravy

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August 6, 2019 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

I want my kids to know how to make the Five Mother Sauces.

We make a pretty good marinara. We do a nice blender Hollandaise.

Gravy is a necessity to learn how to make well.

It’s very versatile. It goes with meats, starches, even a soup/stew base.

Our basic easy recipe is a great starter for a flavorful gravy.

You can add herbs, wine, beer, or other ingredients to make it unique to your tastes.

I do use pan drippings from a roast meat with a fat separator, but otherwise I use good quality stock in a neat little box.

Directions:

Begin with a roux of melted fat and flour until dry and almost crispy.

Add ketchup, mustard (preferably Dijon), Worcestershire. Trust me.

Quickly add stock and whisk – or beer, wine, whatever liquid you’re making that goes with your meal. You really don’t need more than a total of 2 cups.

For a nice brown gravy, I use 1 cup beef stock and 1/2 cup chicken stock.

For poultry gravy, I use all chicken or turkey stock. I usually add some half and half to this one.

Add more liquid if it gets too thick too quickly.

The key to shiny gorgeous gravy is whisking well over low heat until thick then straining out solids and adding just a pat of butter to melt before serving.

As you become more confident, you can experiment with what works and tastes good to you.

Gravy

Ingredients

4 T unsalted butter or fat of choice
1/4 c AP flour
1 1/2 c stock beef, chicken, turkey, veal, veggie
1 T ketchup
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t Dijon mustard
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Instructions

Melt butter or fat in pan.
Whisk in flour until browned a bit.
Whisk in stock.
Whisk in ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard, and spice.
Bring to boil until thickened.
Add cream, milk, more stock if it becomes too thick.
Strain with fine mesh sieve to remove lumps. Press with spatula to get the good stuff.
Add a pat of butter for a nice shine.

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Homemade Pasta

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December 24, 2018 By Jennifer Lambert 9 Comments

Homemade pasta is really the best. There’s just nothing like it.

It’s super fun and easy for kids.

It is a little more time consuming than throwing a box of spaghetti into boiling water, but it’s oh so worth it.

It starts out kind of messy, with eggs and flour.

We really love our KitchenAid mixer and all the attachments.

Katie is really a pro when it comes to making pasta.

She folds and rolls, folds and rolls.

Everybody likes to cut the pasta into wide and thin noodles.

We also make our own sauces like marinara and alfredo and pesto.

We hardly ever have any leftover noodles!

5 from 3 votes

Egg Noodles

Ingredients

2 cups AP flour
2 eggs
4 egg yolks
1 t salt

Instructions

To Make the Dough: Pour flour in a mound. Make a well in the center of flour. Pour whole eggs, egg yolks, and salt into well. Use a fork to mix. Knead dough with hands until all is incorporated into a dough ball.
Wrap ball of dough tightly in plastic wrap and rest on countertop for 30 minutes.
To Roll the Pasta: Put down a sheet of parchment paper and dust lightly with flour. Cut dough into quarters. Set one quarter on work surface and re-wrap remaining dough. Flatten the quarter of dough into an oblong shape about 1/2 inch thick.
Set pasta maker to widest setting and pass dough 3 times through the machine at this setting.
Place dough on a lightly floured work surface. Fold both ends in so that they meet at the center of the dough, and then fold the dough in half where the end points meet, trying not to incorporate too much air into the folds. Flatten dough to 1/2-inch thick. Pass through the rollers 3 additional times.
Reduce the setting by 1 notch and repeat. Continue passing the dough through the rollers, reducing the thickness by 1 setting each time until it reaches the desired thickness. It should now be very delicate and elastic to the touch and slightly translucent.
Place rolled dough onto a work surface or baking sheet lightly dusted with flour or on parchment paper. Sprinkle with flour or line with parchment between folds to prevent sticking.
Cover dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel to prevent drying, then repeat steps with remaining dough quarters.
To Cut Noodles: Adjust pasta machine to noodle setting of your choice. Working one dough segment at a time, feed dough through the pasta cutter.
Divide the cut noodles into individual portions, dust lightly with flour, and curl into a nest. Place on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and gently cover with kitchen towel until ready to cook. Pasta can be frozen directly on the baking sheet, transferred to a zipper-lock freezer bag, and stored in the freezer for up to three weeks before cooking. Cook frozen pasta directly from the freezer.
To Cook: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta, stir gently with a wooden spoon, chopsticks, or a cooking fork, and cook, tasting at regular intervals until noodles are just set with a definite bite, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Drain, toss with sauce, and serve.

Linking up: Modest Mom, Our Holiday Journey, Create with Joy, Our Three Peas, Lou Lou Girls, April Harris, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Uncommon Suburbia, Gingersnap Crafts, Inspo for Moms, Heartsie Girl, Holley Gerth, Sarah Frazer, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, Being a Wordsmith, Debbie Kitterman, Lyli Dunbar, Try It Like It, Momfessionals, Fireman’s Wife, CWJ, Simply Sweet Home, Faithful Pursuit, Easy peasy pleasy, Back to my Southern Roots, Anna Nuttall, Answer is Choco, Counting My Blessings, Bright on a Budget, Coffee With Us3, Our Mini Family, Chicken Chick, CKK,

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Canning Applesauce

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September 10, 2018 By Jennifer Lambert 7 Comments

Our neighbor across the street offered us as many apples as we could pick!

I think we got enough.

We made applesauce!

We cored and sliced apples and boiled them down with some water. This can also be done in a slow cooker.

You can add spices like cinnamon or nutmeg, sugars, or leave it plain.

We love our KitchenAid mixer and attachments!

Look at that lovely golden applesauce.

The grinder spits out the peels and gives us smooth applesauce. So much less work!

We boil it down a little more. You can adjust any seasonings at this point.

We poured it into jars and did a water bath canning. They all popped!

This will last us a long time!

Check out our super simple applesauce recipe:

5 from 1 vote

Applesauce

Ingredients

12 lbs apples, peeled, cored, quartered (about 30-35)
1-2 cups water
4 T lemon juice
1-3 cups sugar optional
1/4 cup cinnamon optional

Instructions

Combine apples with just enough water to prevent sticking in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 20 minutes, until apples are tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
Transfer apples, working in batches, to a food mill or a food processor fitted with a metal blade and purée until smooth.
Return apple purée to saucepan. Add sugar, if using, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Maintain a gentle boil over low heat while filling jars.
Ladle hot applesauce into hot, clean jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
Process jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Linking up: The Chicken Chick, Blogghetti, Squishable Baby, Life of Faith, Create with Joy, Our Holiday Journey, Modest Mom, Timeless Mama, LouLou Girls, April Harris, My Pinventures, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Orgjunkie, Home Stories A to Z, Mostly Blogging, Inspo for Moms, Meghan Weyerbacher, Darling Downs Diaries, MaryAndering Creatively, Trekking Thru, Bountiful Love, Wise Woman, Our Three Peas, Organized 31, Wonderful Wednesday, Thursday Favorite Things, Over the Moon, Mississippi Mom, Life Beyond the Kitchen, Being a Wordsmith, Coffee with Us3, Our Mimi Family,

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Canning Tomato Sauce

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September 3, 2018 By Jennifer Lambert 14 Comments

Fresh tomatoes warm from the sunny garden are a favorite scent and flavor.

I miss my garden with Roma and Marzano tomatoes from my Utah garden.

We had so many tomatoes that year, we taught ourselves how to can tomato sauce so we had that fresh delicious flavor in the dead of winter.

Now we buy the tomatoes, on sale, ready to sauce, at local farmers markets.

We love this slow cooker marinara.

It’s super easy and my daughter is the resident marinara maker the last two years! Here she is last year, making sauce.

We cook the tomatoes and other vegetables with dried spices in the slow cooker for about 12 hours. Fresh spices are great for finishing recipes, but they become bitter when cooked down. We reduce it if it’s too thin. Sometimes, I adjust the flavor by adding a little more sugar or some lemon juice.

We then process it with our KitchenAid attachments and water bath can it.

Super simple and we use it on pizza, as a base for pasta sauces, and in other recipes.

We can never have too much!

Thanks to Ball canning for all the lovely jars!

5 from 3 votes

Slow Cooker Marinara

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 12 hours

Total Time 12 hours 5 minutes

Servings 6 cups

Ingredients

8 large tomatoes quartered
1/2 sweet onion roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic
3 T olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 t basil
1 t oregano
1 t marjoram
1 t sea salt
1/2 t black pepper
1.5 t sugar or honey
2 t Balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in slow cooker and set on low for 12 hours. Your kitchen will smell amazing!
Process in batches in a food processor and strain through a food mill to get rid of peels and seeds - or use the handy dandy KitchenAid attachment.
If the sauce is too thin, we reduce it (thicken) in a big chili or stock pot on the stovetop for about 30 minutes to an hour. I adjust seasoning at this time too.
Freeze sauce in manageable amounts in zipper bags or plastic containers - or use jars in a bath canner.

Linking up: The Chicken Chick, Blogghetti, Life of Faith, Our Holiday Journey, Create with Joy, Darling Downs Diaries, Inspiration for Moms, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mrs. AOK, Coffee with Us3, Trekking Thru, April Harris, LouLou Girls, Wonderful Wednesday, Over the Moon, Jessi’s Design, Wise Woman, Our Three Peas, R&R at Home, Gingersnap Crafts, Country Cottage, Thursday Favorite Things, Penny’s Passion, MaryAndering Creatively, Bountiful Love, Fireman’s Wife, Creative K Kids, Simply Sweet Home, CWJ, Oh My Heartsie Girl, Overwhelmed to Fulfilled, Anna Nuttall, Answer is Choco, Cup of Tea, RCH Reviews, Momfessionals, Blended Blog, Susan Mead, Counting My Blessings, Crystal Waddell, Life with Lorelai, My Learning Table, Being a Wordsmith, Our Mini Family,

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Our Favorite Salads

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August 20, 2018 By Jennifer Lambert 19 Comments

We love salads and have one at dinner almost every night.

I grew up with plain ole iceberg and carrots, but was delighted to discover so many healthier and tasty options as I grew up and ate at friends’ houses or traveled.

Salads are great during hot summer months when the veggies are in season, fresh from the garden.

Some of our favorite salads:

Greek:

Kalamata olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and sometimes red onion and bell pepper…with or without lettuce. With oregano and olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Italian:

We fell in love with Italian salads during our travels. There are regional delicacies and we love em all.

Florence had fennel, carrots, and grapes or raisins with Romaine and a simple olive oil dressing. So sweet and crunchy!

Venice had olives, oranges, and arugula. It was unique.

Rome had peppers, olives, onions, tomatoes, and Romaine. Yes, kinda like Olive Garden {gasp!} but it was all so fresh and lovely.

German:

Many German salads have lots of pickled veggies, sweet corn, and yogurt dressing or Thousand Island.

Grilled:

The texture and flavor of grilled lettuce is unique and amazing.

Don’t cut all the way through. Drizzle with oil and get a little char on a gas or charcoal grill. Add cheese, bacon, and tomatoes. Easy!

Fruity Nutty

I love berries and walnuts with spinach.

Also, I love pomegranate, apples or pears, almonds or walnuts over romaine.

These make great meal salads – with or without some chicken.

Wedge:

These seem so fancy in restaurants.

Bleu cheese, bacon, and tomatoes on iceberg slices are just so pretty.

I like to make it even more special by adding a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and grilling the tomatoes.

Salads can be so versatile. They can be an appetizer, side dish, or a full meal – with or without added proteins. We have fun playing with colors and textures.

What’s your favorite salad?

Linking up: Confessions of a Mother Runner, Our Holiday Journey, Modest Mom, Create with Joy, Blogghetti, My Pinventures, Orgjunkie, The Organized Dream, Inspiration for Moms, Mostly Blogging, Lori Schumaker, Holley Gerth, Darling Downs Diaries, MaryAndering Creatively, The Mrs. Tee, Life of Faith, April Harris, Timeless Mama, Home Stories A to Z, LouLou Girls, Meghan Weyerbacher, Purposeful Faith, Abounding Grace, Trekking Thru, Marilyn’s Treats, Jessi’s Design, Wise Woman, Country Cottage, Gingersnap Crafts, Our Three Peas, Penny’s Passion, Organized 31, Debbie Kitterman, Lori Schumaker, Be Thee Inspired, Crystal Storms, Quietly Reminded, Sarah Frazer, Soaring with Him, Mississippi Mom, Life Beyond the Kitchen, A Bountiful Love, CWJ, Simply Sweet Home, Creative K Kids, Coffee with Us3, Back to My Southern Roots, Anna Nuttall, Answer is Choco, Cup of Tea, Momfessionals, Blended Blog, Susan Mead, Charm of Home, Lyli Dunbar, Crystal Waddell, Counting My Blessings, Life with Lorelai, Being a Wordsmith, Our Mini Family,

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What We Eat Every Week

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April 30, 2018 By Jennifer Lambert 13 Comments

We actually eat almost the same things every week.

It helps with planning and grocery shopping.

I use Checkout 51 and Ibotta apps along with Kroger sales and coupons to plan our week.

We buy most of our fruits and veggies and other items at Kroger. I occasionally buy organic. I plan to buy more from local farmers markets and perhaps growing some of our own this year.

We buy almost all our meats from a local butcher shop. I like knowing our meat is local and without hormones and other additives. They live happier lives and we’re happier not consuming mass-produced feedlot meat.

What We Eat Every Week:

Breakfasts

My husband usually makes breakfast for the kids on weekends and lets me sleep in. They love egg hash with sausage and potatoes, pancakes, waffles…all the things I seldom make. Tori’s favorite is eggs Benedict.

My typical weekday breakfasts for the kids are a combo of scrambled eggs, Oscar Mayer natural bacon, Jones sausage links or patties, steel-cut oatmeal, 10-grain porridge, cheesy grits, Annie’s canned biscuits with jelly, occasionally homemade muffins or scones.

Katie sometimes makes a lovely breakfast cake or muffins.

The girls sometimes get up late and have the yummy new protein Cheerios.

I have coffee and sometimes what the kids are having, but usually a mango-spinach or berry smoothie. Sometimes yogurt with fruit and homemade granola.

Lunches

Katie loves to make these little tortilla pizzas. Quesadillas are an easy lunch that kids can make.

We often have sandwiches or charcuterie platters.

Sometimes, we have leftovers, but we’re getting to the point there aren’t many! Sometimes, we have a fancy tea time with cute little sandwiches. When the kids were little, we did Muffin Tin Monday.

Dinners…

Sunday

We usually have leftovers or something quick prepped from the freezer.

Twice a month, the girls participate in church activities in the evening, so we don’t bother making a big fancy meal most Sundays. Sometimes, we even get some takeout.

Monday

I’m usually rested after the weekend, so I go all out and prepare something special.

I’ll go to the store and get fish to try or something a little different than our norm or that takes more time.

Sometimes, we have huge salads with grilled or leftover meat.

We like chicken Marsala.

Tuesday

Tacos, duh.

I make our own taco seasoning and use it in lots of dishes. Sometimes, I make a taco noodle casserole or baked chicken enchiladas.

Sometimes, we mix it up and have Asian tacos.

Wednesday

Usually something in the slow cooker, like a stew or roast. Sometimes something that’s quick and easy that can be thrown together last minute.

Swiss steak is delicious with lots of veggies.

Pork tenderloin is super easy and flavorful.

Everyone loves these Asian slow cooker pork ribs.

Our favorite soups: cream of vegetable, dill chicken, ham and bean.

Thursday

Usually something easy like pasta, potatoes, or rice and a grilled meat and steamed veggies. The kids have an architecture class at the library and it’s about a 30 minute drive, so we’re home about 7 and my husband finishes up what I’ve prepped.

Cashew chicken is a go-to that’s really easy to make.

I marinate meat in bags and it grills up super nice! These are great for camping, busy weeks, or grabbing a bag from the freezer when I’m out of ideas.

We reviewed eMeals one year and got some fun new meal ideas.

Friday

Homemade pizza. With a movie.

I usually have sliced tomatoes, sliced mozzarella, oregano basil garlic, with a few dollops of pizza sauce.

My husband and two kids like sausage and/or pepperoni. Two girls like sausage, pepperoni, onions, and red bell peppers.

Saturday

We often grill steaks or hamburgers.

When my husband travels out of town or works late, I make the things he doesn’t like – like tuna casserole or turkey divan, and lots of bell pepper dishes.

I’m also incorporating more vegetarian dishes into our family’s recipe repertoire.