Food and Family

Irritability Inhibitors are an essential part of eating, but the fun part is the family time. Growing up, it was always expected that we would be home for dinner. I remember being a little annoyed-or maybe a lot annoyed-at my mom. After all, sometimes I was in the middle of doing something very important like challenging my brothers to a game--really any game, visiting with my girlfriends about the boys we thought were cute, or reading a book. However, the habit was instilled me so that when I got married and started my own family, of course we all had dinner together. As the kids got to be teenagers, sometimes this was the only time in the day that we were all together.

Yes, sometimes it took a little logistical wizardry to plan dinner around everyone's busy schedules and before bedtime for the little ones, but the effort has reaped many family memories that we can share now when we are all gathered from 3 states and 6 cities across the country. We still plan out some of our time together around preparing, eating, and cleaning up food!

Dinner at our home is an event! Part of the fun is that we all get together and pitch in with the cooking while we visit, reminisce, and catch up. When everyone was still living at home, we used this time to catch up on our day apart and share new insights, struggles, and information. Some dinner events were fun and light and others were a little more serious.

Once everyone had color coded plates and cups and they had to sit where their plate was on the table, most of the bickering was ameliorated. We discussed and learned about a variety of topics over dinner depending on what we were individually (or collectively) studying, exposed to, or interested in. Is it better to brush or floss first? Why did this or that politician vote the way he should? How does God answer prayers? How did the gulags in Russia start? Some of these were just discussions where we all shared our opinions, some were fabulous teaching moments that any mom would relish, some brought uncontrolled laughter, and some required phone calls-right there from the dinner table-to an expert on the subject. All bonded us together forever with memories that cannot be erased.

One of our family favorite bonding recipes is Shepherd's Pie. As the kids got bigger and required more fuel for their bodies, this really became a family production because of the quantity of potatoes required. Some would be peeling and cutting carrots, some peeling potatoes, some reserving their shining moment for the mashing of the potatoes, and others lending moral support to the workers.

Shepherd’s Pie

Jane

1 cup meat

1 onion, chopped

gravy or stock

2 cups boiled, mashed potatoes

Mix the meat and onion and season. Moisten with gravy or stock. Put the mixture in the bottom of a pie dish and cover with a thick layer of mashed potatoes. Cook at 375º F. for 45 minutes.

Shepherd’s pie can be served as a meal in itself or with a green vegetable like cabbage or spinach. It is a favorite dish in many British pubs where it is cooked in big trays and kept warm on a hot plate.

What I Do: I usually use either the cheapest beef (like stew meat I found on sale) or leftover roast or other meat. Sometimes when I make chimichangas, I save out some of the beef for this. If the meat isn’t cooked, I simmer it with the chopped onion, chopped carrots, and 2-4 quarts of water to make a nice beef broth. I usually add some beef bouillon to give the broth some body since I don’t always use a lot of meat. Then I thicken the broth with a 1-2 Tablespoons of cornstarch OR ¼-1/2 cup of flour (depending on how much broth I have) that has been mixed with ½-1 cup of cold water. Stir it until thickened. Remove from stovetop, add 1-2 cups frozen peas and pour in a 9x13” pan (or the size that will feed your family). [Sometimes I also add string beans or other vegetables at this time, but actually the carrots, onions, meat and potatoes and peas are what I usually serve.] Spread mashed potatoes that have been prepared as you normally do on top and bake for about 30 minutes because everything is already is warm.

If I am making mashed potatoes especially for this meal, I make them much thinner than normal.

Although I seldom have leftover meat to use, if I use leftover meat, I just boil the carrots and onions in beef bouillon that can be made with bouillon cubes or granules to make the amount of broth you need. Shred the meat or brown the hamburger if using ground beef. Thicken the broth and add the meat when you add the peas and continue as above.

This works for leftover mashed potatoes also.

Be sure that you allow for enough room for the soupy mixture to “expand” when you add the potatoes. We like this somewhat soupy and serve it in a bowl.

Great Meal Idea: serve with rolls or French bread and salad

Spinach and Potato Fritatta

Since January I have been in a produce co-op which I have enjoyed. It has been fun to try some new vegetables and fruits and some that I have tasted before, but don't normally buy. The good deals from buying in bulk even brought us several avocados one week which I was ecstatic about!

However, some of the items have come in quantities I would not normally buy. Such was the case with LOTS of spinach over a few week period of time. During our recent snow storm, while holed up at home, I had an opportunity to cook, and cook, and well, cook some more enjoying the relaxation and kitchen therapy. I even found a new recipe that can use lots of that spinach I was talking about. I tested it out on my son who isn't crazy about cooked spinach, potatoes in eggs, or numerous other recipes and he even liked it!

I don't actually know the history of fritattas, but my father who is Italian apparently grew up eating them. I have had some variations over the years, but was surprised at how quick and easy this was to make.

Spinach and Potato Fritatta

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 small red potatoes, sliced
1 cup torn fresh spinach
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste
6 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese


Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place potatoes in the skillet, cover, and cook about 10 minutes, until tender but firm. Mix in spinach, green onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted.

In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Pour into the skillet over the vegetables. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until eggs are firm.

What I Do: I have made this several times now and found that you can use significantly more spinach than the recipe calls for without the flavor of the spinach taking over. As I said, even my son liked it! I didn't have any green onions on hand, so I chopped a couple of tablespoons of a yellow onion finely.

Smoked Sausage and Vegetable Skillet

Potatoes and carrots are staples in my home. Potatoes are relatively inexpensive and so versatile, yet they have gotten a bad rap. Really the problem is not with the potatoes but with how you eat them; although, I must admit that I like them in all of the sinful ways: baked loaded with not just butter or sour cream—but both, fried, French fries, and hashbrowns. However, they really are a vegetable and they really help the budget when feeding a bunch of teenage boys since they are healthy and inexpensive.

My favorites are Idaho russets for most things. I know the books say that russets are not good for mashing, but mashed potatoes are one of my family’s favorites, so we have tried all kinds of potatoes and find the russets to be the lightest and creamiest for the end product. However, all russets are not created equal and I really do prefer the ones from Idaho. I have found them more difficult to come by the further east I have lived, but most of the year I can still buy them at a fairly reasonable price. Budget Saver: if you live near a wholesale produce market, buy potatoes by the 50# box or bag. Split them with a friend or neighbor and even if you have to give some away, they may still be less expensive this way.

If you live in the western part of the U.S., you are missing out on an inexpensive vegetable if you don’t use potatoes. In the east, they cost a little more, but are still a good buy for their nutrients, taste, and substance.

In a hurry but don’t want to have a budget buster for dinner? Try the smoked sausage with vegetables recipe below. Cooked just right, the carrots and cabbage in this recipe are sweet and will tempt most kids to eat their vegetables.

Smoked Sausage and Vegetable Skillet

1 ring of smoked sausage

1-2 potatoes per person

2-4 carrots per person, ends trimmed

½ small head cabbage, core and cut into 4-6 wedges

Salt and pepper to taste

Wash the carrots well and lay them on the bottom of your skillet. Peel potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Lay the potato halves on top of the carrots overlapping as little as possible. Place the smoked sausage ring on top of the potatoes. Place the cabbage wedges on top of the sausage, again, overlapping as little as possible. Pour two cups of water over all (if you are using a very large skillet for feeding 8-10, add another cup + of water). Place a tight fitting lid or foil sealed around the edges on top of the skillet. Turn on high, bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes depending on the amount you are cooking. When potatoes are cooked so that a fork can be poked in them easily, put the vegetables in bowls and cut the sausage into 4-6 pieces. Enjoy.

What I Do: I always use Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage, although my mom likes their Polish Kielbasa also. I have tried other brands and my family doesn’t find them as palatable. Budget Saver: the Wal-Mart near me sells the Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage for 2/$5.00 as their regular price. I usually stock up when I am at Wal-Mart so that I always have the sausage rings on hand. As I said, potatoes and carrots are staples at my house making this a quick, easy, and inexpensive meal to prepare on days that are hectic or that I don’t have much energy.