Cheese Souffle and Herb Salad - Tasty Tuesday!

I know, I know. You read the title and tried to run screaming from the blog, didn't you? Stop. Come back.

This was my lunch today. Lunch, because yes, it is actually that easy - and fast - to make a souffle. Granted, I do feel sorta decadent because it's a souffle and they're fancy and all.

Except that this takes just a handful of ingredients, all of which are in my house on a regular basis. And the salad is one of the fastest I can make. Because hey, I need to pretend like I'm eating healthfully when it's an egg and cheese lunch, right? Salad does that for me.

I had to make it today because it's 80 degrees. We went from way too cold and spring isn't coming in Chicago to full on summer. Very shortly, my oven will go off until fall. And oh did I have a taste for this today for some reason. In fact, I'm about to go back for seconds. Shhh, don't tell anyone!

Cheese Souffle and Herb Salad

Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
1/4 t salt
2 T butter (plus more for the souffle dish)
1/4 c flour
1 c milk - room temp if you remember
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t pepper
3/4 c Emmenthaler or Gruyere cheese

Spring mix
Dill, chopped
Parsley, chopped
lemon juice
olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Finely grate your cheese. I actually generally use Gruyere for the souffle and then some Parmesan for the souffle dish. Just wait - you'll see why.

Butter a large souffle dish. Well. Use real butter. I promise, it's worth it. You want to coat the butter in either grated cheese or bread crumbs. Hmmm cheese or bread. It's a toss up sometimes which is my favorite, but definitely go with the grated cheese if you can. Simply place some in the souffle pan and rotate it until it's coated in cheese. Gently pat some in place, if needed. Place the souffle dish in the fridge so that it stays cold until baked, which will help create a crust around the souffle so that it doesn't stick to the souffle dish after baking.

Place the egg yolks in one bowl, and the egg whites in another. Make sure the egg white bowl has no yellow in it at all, then add the salt.

Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, and cook for a minute or so, stirring regularly. Pour in the milk while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Simmer until it's thick. Because there is so much flour relatively, this will only take a minute or two.

Remove from the heat, and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Stir, and then add the cheese, again stirring until well combined. Add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring to combine thoroughly before adding the next one.

Beat the egg whites until medium peaks form. These are medium peaks, and yes, I beat them by hand. I wasn't thinking when I put the egg whites in the bowl and didn't feel like dirtying another one. Besides, it counts as my gym workout for the day, right? When beating your eggs, make sure you don't overbeat them, or they'll get grainy and icky.

Fold in the egg whites one-third at a time. You have to sacrifice the fluffiness of the first third of the egg whites to get the cheese/egg yolk mixture to accept the egg whites. It's ok. Just make sure you fold in the rest of the eggs gently. Check it out - I even vlogged a demo of folding.

Pour the mixture into your prepared souffle dish. Cut a circle in the souffle to help keep it from cracking and falling. The video shows it. Bake for 25-30 minutes until it's risen and golden brown on top. You don't have to be careful walking in the kitchen while baking it - contrary to myth - but don't open the oven door!

Serve it warm with the herb salad: Emulsify lemon juice and olive oil - maybe a 1:2 ratio, I never measure. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over your spring mix with added chopped dill frond and chopped parsley.

Enjoy this and more with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday this week at The Well! I've almost finished my second helping now, and I can't wait to have leftovers for dinner. Too bad no one's close enough to come share, as this is a perfect light, fun lunch (or dinner).

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My Good Enough Is Perfect - For Me

I remember back to the days of being a new mom.

Even though I had months to prepare, it still all came as a shock. I think I was in denial at the end - even though Mister Man was born two days late, I still hadn't packed a hospital bag when it was time to go. I refused to admit I was in labor for the first six or so hours.

I will admit to sending my husband back to our house three times to bring back just the right outfit for Mister Man to wear home. I hovered over the Pack and Play, unable to eat the lunch that had been ordered for me, when he first came home.

The second I heard or felt anything that resembled the need for a diaper change, I hustled over there. I think I went through over thirty diapers that first day. And seven outfits. That perfect outfit to bring him home in didn't last long. He spit up on it. Or maybe he just drooled on it, I forget which.

That pattern continued the second day we were home, which was difficult for me. Because I'd had to have a C-section, I wasn't allowed to climb stairs more than once a day. I ran out of outfits rather quickly that second day and had to ask my in-laws to fetch me more.

I'm pretty sure I did three to four loads of laundry a day that first week, hoping against hope that nothing would stain. I went through more bibs in a futile effort to help the outfits last just a little longer. I was driving myself insane.

And I was quickly miserable.

I just couldn't do it. I couldn't keep his outfits clean. I would change a diaper only to have another dirty one within a matter of moments. It was a Sisyphean task, and I was way down near the bottom of the hill, miserable and frustrated.

It took a full week, maybe a little longer, because I decided that maybe there was a better way - for me. Maybe I didn't need to have him perfectly clean at every moment of the day for both of us to be happy.

Slowly, I learned to give him a few minutes before changing the diaper - and I stopped going through five or more diapers an hour. The outfits? I started changing them only when they were egregiously dirty - something that would bring him discomfort, rather than focusing on presenting him as the perfect baby.

And wow did my stress level go down. It was the perfect scenario for all of us. I didn't have to be perfect. I just had to be good enough for us. And you know what? I was.

That isn't to say I won the war that day. I still struggle with maintaining happiness with finding what's good enough for us - and me. It's hard for me to not aim for perfect, something my mother always pushed me towards and aimed for herself. Rationally, I know I can't be everything to everyone, but emotionally, it's hard to let go.

So what's good enough in your life?

In the interest of full disclosure, this post was inspired by the book "Good Enough Is the New Perfect" by Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple as part of From Left to Write, a book club where we write posts inspired by books rather than book reviews. I received a copy of the book to enable my participation in the book club, but there was no compensation involved, and all opinions expressed are my own.

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Cheerios Anyone?

I do my best to ensure that the wee ones eat healthfully. We don't eat out as often as many people I know. I (fortunately) like to cook from scratch, so the majority of our foods are not processed. I'm lucky that the wee ones like a variety of foods - including fruits and vegetables - and that they eat them at most meals.

Breakfast is a big meal in my house. I'm pretty insistent that they eat healthfully for breakfast. They rarely get sugar at breakfast in an effort to keep them as focused as possible throughout the day. I ensure there is always protein at that meal, too.

But some days, I go the easy route. I don't have the time (or don't make the time) or the energy to have a completely homemade breakfast. That doesn't mean I don't insist on something I feel comfortable feeding them. I have a few go to choices in the house - that the wee one are always offered even when I'm also offering up the choice of omelets and oatmeal or other more labor and time intensive options.

This morning was one of the days where the wee ones weren't getting the ideal breakfast. It was Mother's Day. And I'm getting a nasty cold and so am just wiped out. And my husband has been gone coaching all weekend, so he's not around to parent.

Little Miss woke me up this morning at 7:14 by singing "Happy Mother's Day to Mom" although I remained only half conscious for awhile after that. I just couldn't convince my body to get out of bed. As clock continued to march forward, I knew the wee ones were going to be getting hungry.

From downstairs, I could hear them playing Uno together... until they decided they were too hungry to continue. I groaned internally as I waited to hear the tromping up the stairs to beg my help. Instead, I heard almost silence. The refrigerator door opened and closed, and I could hear them whispering to each other.

Finally, I managed to drag myself downstairs to see what mischief they'd gotten themselves into.

Oh my wee ones have grown up! (And check it out - Little Miss got her protein in with the sushi left over from dinner the night before. Apparently that was the fridge opening and closing.)

Somehow, though, no matter how much they grow up, I don't see them ever outgrowing their love of a simple bowl of Cheerios. I may no longer be placing them on a high chair tray one by one or spooning the cereal into their mouths, but this is one house where there will always be a box of original Cheerios open and waiting. And two wee one who have learned that this is a breakfast they can make all by themselves!

In the interest of full disclosure, this post was written as part of the Cheerios Blogger Circle. I was not compensated in any way, and all opinions are my own.

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Is The Week Over Yet?

It has not been a good week at the Honest & Truly household.

On Tuesday, we brought the Square Jams to Mister Man's school to give to his teachers. I was proud of myself as I placed them onto the seat next to me as I drove carpool that morning. They had to be there that day since the next day was a PTO luncheon, and who wants three day old dessert on Thursday?

As we pulled away from Mister Man's school to head to Little Miss's school, I saw them still sitting on the seat next to me. I don't have spare time when getting everyone to school to actually stop and go inside the school when dropping them off, let alone once they've left the car, so I sighed and resigned myself to making a trip back to his school later in the day - because, you know, I didn't have anything else to do.

Pulling into Little Miss's school, I reached over to grab her backpack from the seat next to me. It wasn't there.
Ahhh, Little Miss, do you have your backpack in the seat back by you? I asked my child who sits in the way back where her carseat fits - and yes, she is five and a half and still riding in a five point harness car seat.
Ummmm, she looked wildly from left to right, and my heart began to sink.
Peanut, where is your backpack?
I think I forgot it at home, Mommy, she wailed piteously.

And apparently another trip was in order. I wouldn't do it for forgotten homework, but since she can't eat the school lunch and her snack was also in the backpack, I mentally added another forty plus minute round trip to my day.

I was headed downtown for a 3pm event, so I may sure to catch the 1 o'clock hour train so I had time to get there. After rushing around to make the train, I parked and paid my fee. Odd, no one was at the station. Usually, there's at least one other person waiting for the train. I looked at the schedule. There is a train every hour from 5am to 12am. Except 1pm. And so I drove.

On Wednesday, I arrived at Mister Man's school with my Spanish Rice a little late because the rice had refused to cook and was still a little ummm crunchy. At least I arrived, right?

As I walked through the halls, I saw children headed to gym. That's when I realized it was Wednesday and that it was possible that Mister Man had forgotten to wear his full uniform with the white shirt and instead was wearing a red shirt. For the first time in his two years at the school. Eh, he'll survive.

Then I saw kids in the courtyard. They were getting their class picture taken. No. No, the courtyard pictures were next week, not this week. Oops. Well, maybe Mister Man really was wearing a white shirt, and I was just being paranoid. Nope, I then remembered being happy that he was wearing a red shirt that morning as he ate strawberries so there would be no stain. Yeah. Oops.

This morning when we arrived at Little Miss's, I asked where her backpack was.
But Mommy, why didn't you put it in the car?
Ahhhhh because I never put it in the car, and that's your job to get your backpack in the morning? I sighed.
But Mommy, I don't have it!
How do you not have it, Sweetie? I saw you wearing it on your back as you were heading towards the door. How could you forget it again?
I don't know, Mommy, she answered miserably.

Once I finished serving the pancake breakfast and cleaning up after it, I headed home. As I pulled into the driveway, I saw this.

Because. You know. It's just been one of those weeks around here.

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What Month Is It Again?

It is May, right?

I ask only because Mister Man came out of his therapy session today clutching an envelope that included an invitation to an open house for a district special education forum. They were holding a resource vendor fair, filled with all sorts of special needs vendors from recreation to therapeutic and more. It sounded like a really great source of information - with over 30 vendors participating.

Except that it occurred over a month ago.

Then again, it was addressed to the parents of someone who goes by the nickname of his name (which he doesn't). Who also has his same middle name, but... well, spelled differently.

It's been one of those weeks.

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Tasty Tuesday - Square Jam

It's Teacher Appreciation Week again, and I generally love it. Our teachers do so much for us, and they don't get near the kudos they deserve. I can't imagine not just controlling a class of kindergartners but actually getting every one of them to learn the required subjects. It takes talent.

That said, there are some parts I'm not such a fan of. Little Miss's school had them write acrostic poems to their teachers. Her teacher's name has a "Z" in it. Good luck having a first grader come up with a descriptive word for that one. In the end she put "zoo" - and I decided it was best to let it be her own work and let it go.

Today was bring a flower to your teacher day. A single flower. Just one. I remembered just before I pulled out of the garage for carpool. Fortunately my perennials have some pretty purplish flowers, so I cut off a couple of those and sent them in. When I dropped off Little Miss's backpack at lunchtime (it was one of those days - and since she can't eat the school lunch, I had to bring it to her), I saw that our four flowers plus two others were the only ones anyone had brought in. Ouch.

Tomorrow I fortunately need to do nothing for her school. For Mister Man's? They're hosting a luncheon for the teachers, and I'm bringing in Spanish Rice. I was going to make that tonight, but after getting home from softball, I decided to skip the gym tomorrow and make in the am instead. Besides, I don't have room for it in the fridge anyway. Ahem.

Today, Mister Man brought in a treat for his teachers - now that is the kind of teacher spoiling that I can get behind. We'll forget for the moment that he left it sitting on the seat of my car and that I had to drive back to his school to give it to him. These are the kinds of treats I love to make.

Six ingredients

A pan bake, so no batches

A half hour to cook

Ingredients I always have in my house

This is definitely one of my go-to recipes when I need something quick. And oh is it good. This time, I made it with Costco's organic cherry pomegranate spread, and ohhhh was that a good choice!

Square Jam

Ingredients:
3/4 c butter (1 1/2 sticks to most people)
3/4 c flour
1 c brown sugar
1/2 t grated nutmeg
2 c oats
1 c jam (berry jams are perfect for this - pick your fave!)

Directions:
Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8 pan well.

Place the oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, and nutmeg in the bowl. Stir well to combine.

The butter is going to go in next. You want it cold so that it melts when you cook it and not when you're stirring it. I find it best to cut it into pieces before I put it into the bowl - I can get a better grip on it to start combining it with the other ingredients. And since I'm using a pastry cutter....

Once you have the butter in, use your pastry cutter - or two knives or a large fork or your fingers - to cut the butter into the other ingredients. You want to keep at it until the you have small pea sized lumps. If you do it too much, you'll have a tough crust as the flour gets worked too much and forms gluten strands and the butter will melt at this stage. If you don't do it enough, you end up with dry bits of floury stuff after you've baked it, and your topping won't stick together. This is about 80 percent of the way there, but not quite mixed enough.

Once it's mixed well, pour half the mixture into the bowl, and press firmly to the bottom to create a good base.

Place your jam carefully atop the crust. You don't want to have to spread it too much so that you start to pull the crust up, and you want to keep it from the edges. If it gets to closes to the edges, it will bake onto them, and you won't be able get them out cleanly. I wouldn't know this from experience, of course!

Then pour the remainder of your topping into the pan and very lightly press it into place. You don't want to create a firm crust like you did with the bottom, but you want it enough so that it sorta adheres to the bar you're making.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until it turns golden. Because the crust completely surrounds the filling, this isn't one of the recipes where you'll see the filling bubbling to let you know that it's done. Let it cool for at least 4 hours before you cut it into squares. (I know, I know - this is why I make this at the end of the day so it can just cool overnight. Don't ask what I ate for breakfast this morning!)

Yum! Enjoy this and more with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Blessed with Grace!

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The Green Goblin Returns!

The weather in Chicago has finally started to get a little nicer. Just a little. It's sunny. And almost to our regular highs instead of 10-20 degrees below them.

This weekend, Little Miss popped into the kitchen where I was working on lunch. Ok, Mommy. I'm ready to go bike riding outside. Are you?

Oh my little creative one....

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