After much contemplation and a discussion with the fam we decided upon a pasta dish and a salad.  Our salad was a favorite, Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Salad.


This couldn't be more simple.  Slice any kind of tomato from the garden and drizzle with red wine vinegar and kosher salt.  Slice fresh mozzarella and top tomatoes or layer around a plate.  Chiffonade basil and sprinkle over tomatoes and mozzarella and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a little freshly ground pepper.  This dish I could eat as a meal in itself.  Chad and I absolutely love it!

The pasta dish was Broccoli and Bow Ties from The Barefoot Contessa.  It was a big hit, and I must say very easy and quick.  We will be incorporating this dish into our regular mix.


All in all Meatless Monday was a huge success!!!

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I am by no means vegetarian, or vegan or otherwise.  Saying this reminds me of a bumper sticker I once saw that read, "I love animals!  They're Delicious!"  I honestly cannot imagine going through life sans meat or fish, etc.  Having said this, we are going to begin making Mondays, our day free of meats.  But, not free of all animal products.  There is no rhyme or reason to this decision.  I only thought it would be good for us.  So, today is our first Meatless Monday. And not just one meal, but the whole day.
To begin, our breakfast consisted of cereal and milk for some and Traders Point Creamery Honey Yogurt and fresh blueberries for others.  The kids packed their lunches as usual and filled their boxes with peanut butter and/or honey/jelly on wheat, veggie chips, grapes, and pudding.  I will be having Tomato, Corn and Avocado Salad.  This is leftover from yesterday's lunch, but in my opinion is even better the next day.



photography from Marthastewart.com

Meatless Monday Part Deux  will feature our dinner meal.  I am even wondering what I will come up with, but thank goodness there are a plethora of delicious fresh vegetables from the garden.  Now, what to make?  Hmmmmmm?  Any suggestions are welcomed!

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To finish the verse from the title, "Popcorn popping on the apricot tree."  This was one of my favorite Primary songs.  Obviously the "popcorn" referred to in the song are the blossoms, but what a fun song indeed.  Today is National Popcorn Day.  We have popcorn at least once a week in some form or another.  No matter whether you are using the microwave version or stove top, it is one quick snack.  Did you know that there is a tiny bit of water within the kernel of the corn and popping is the result of its escape?  I learned that little tidbit from my 12 year old, Logan. 
Popcorn is a New World food: as is corn.  There are early biblical accounts of corn in Egypt.  However, these references are more than likely barley rather than corn.  The word corn was used as a general term for a particular grain located geographically.  For example in Scotland corn was actually oats, and in England the term corn was used for wheat. 
Popcorn, not quite as we know it, was cultivated in early Aztec and Peruvian civilizations throughout Central America.  Popcorn was integral to early 16th century Aztec Indian ceremonies. Bernardino de Sahagun writes, "And also a number of young women danced, having so vowed, a popcorn dance. As thick as tassels of maize were their popcorn garlands. And these they placed upon (the girls') heads."  In 1519, Cortes got his first sight of popcorn when he invaded Mexico and came into contact with the Aztecs. Popcorn was an important food for the Aztec Indians, who also used popcorn as decoration for ceremonial headdresses, necklaces and ornaments on statues of their gods, including Tlaloc, the god of rain and fertility.
Today, we string popcorn to decorate our Christmas trees, form it into balls with sugary syrup for absolutely yummy treats, sprinkle it with a myriad of powered toppings and enjoy it loaded with salt and butter at the movies.  Perhaps have a little family time tonight and enjoy it together while sharing your favorite popcorn treat.

Spiced Caramel Corn

Ingredients

4 ounces pistachios, shelled -about 1 C
1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/3 C unpopped popcorn
1/4 C water
2 C sugar
2 Tbs light corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread nuts on a baking sheet, and bake until fragrant and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand until cool. Coarsely chop; set aside.

Line a baking sheet with a Silpat and set aside.  If you don't have Silpat, a sheet of parchment paper works well.  In a medium stockpot, heat oil over high heat. Add popcorn, and cover. Once the corn begins to pop, shake the pan constantly. When the corn has finished popping, remove from the heat, uncover; set aside.
In a large deep pot, stir together water, sugar, and corn syrup. Add vanilla pod and seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat without stirring. DO NOT STIR THIS MIXTURE! If it is stirred it causes the sugars to crystallize and you will have a gritty sauce.  Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush down the sides of the pan to remove any undissolved sugar granules. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, tilting and swirling the pan, until the mixture just begins to smoke and is a deep caramel color, about 5 minutes.
Now you can stir.  Stir in the popcorn and nuts. Continue stirring until the popcorn is covered.  You may need to place the pot back over the heat once in a while.  Pour onto prepared baking sheet, and spread in an even layer. Let cool. Remove and discard vanilla bean. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Yep, it's another cold, rainy, windy day in Indiana.  Hopefully the sun will make sporadic appearances throughout the day.  It had occurred to me that the weather has a lot to do with the food served at our home.  And today I'm thinking that split pea soup should be on the menu for this evening.  Not only because it is super easy, but it is also pretty tasty.  Not to mention, this soup is inexpensive.  As a kid, it wasn't my favorite soup (that honor went to clam chowder), but I did love picking out the chunks of ham that fell from the hocks my mother had added for flavor. Luckily, my children like almost any kind of soup and when the weather is as it is today they say, "Can we make soup?"  And I usually agree.

1 lb. pkg split green peas, rinsed

1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced

2 Qt. cold water

3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

2 meaty ham hocks

salt and freshly ground pepper


Directions

Place the rinsed split peas to the crock pot with thyme, bay leaves, carrots, onions and ham hock.  Cover the crock and set temperature.  Depending upon your dinner time put the setting on low or high.  Cook on high 4—5 hours or on low 8—10 hours until peas are very soft and meat from hocks are almost falling off the bone.


Remove the thyme, bay leaves and hocks.  Separate meat from the bones, dice if you like and return to the pot.   Give the soup a good stir, mashing some of the peas as you go.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crusty brown bread.  S

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