Being Broke Brings Out the Best!

I am not really creative but when times get rough, I can get the creative juices flowing. This past week, the kids and I were holed up in the house with colds and $20 in the bank. Sick AND broke??? How fuuuuun is that??!!! All that matters is the bills were paid and there was some food in the fridge and pantry.  So I had to be creative in the kitchen and for Halloween. Recently we were hit HARD by our gas and electric company. Too much to explain, so long story short we're paying an equivalent of 1200 bucks a month until February! So that forces me to tap my creative side with our food budget and Halloween costumes. My daughter really wanted to be a cat, so I made her costume up myself..though I had to purchase some things. My eldest son was a 'cheap ass' ghost. Basically a sheet with holes. Luckily they are cuties so my creation didn't look too horrific!  And again, like my daughter's birthday cake, all that matters is if they're happy. So on that note,  next year, in March even, I will be purchasing their costumes online ehehe! My daughter loooved hers, my son likes the idea of being a ghost rather than being a ghost. My baby didn't care, he's 19  months old hehe.

My friend Becca made the cat ears for her!!

Now on to the cheap ass food.

Monday I made a simple but soooo delicious Pork Belly from Jamie Oliver. This is actually one of my husband's favorite meals, but it's a guarantee hit with the kids and pork belly is so cheap. I paid only 1 dollar for 1 lb which is enough for us!  My daughter LOVES everything pork and potatoes. She is a meat and potatoes kind of girl, who loves vegetables. On Tuesday she ate 5 large carrots.......in one sitting. How can I say no to carrots?? But yeah, any night I make beef or pork, she will be more than likely to eat almost everything!  Also my Ninja Baby, who didn't eat meat for 6 months until he rediscovered Bacon, enjoyed the pork belly. So now Bacon, pork belly, and chicken are the only meats he will eat! 

Add the delicious sauce or 'jus' made from veg roasted in the fats and juices of the belly, along with water or more flavorful chicken stock and you have a winner! It's simple and delicious. I paired it with super simple mashed potatoes, the veg in the roaster and those microwavable steamed veg (they're awesome!!!) and I had a cheapo winner. Must try fo sho!

Pork Belly Roast

From Jamie Oliver (I halved everything but the garlic!)

Ingredients

1lb pork belly

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 onion thickly sliced

1 carrot, peeled and halved lengthwise and then halved crosswise

1 celery stalk,  halved crosswise

1 bulb of garlic

small bunch of thyme, leaves picked

1 1/4 cup water or stock

Preheat oven to full blast. It needs to be at least 220C or 425F.

Place pork on a clean work surface, skin-side up. With a small knife, score about 1/2 inch apart though the skin into the fat, but not too deep that you cut into the meat. Rub salt into the scores, pulling apart a little. Brush any excess salt off the surface and turn over, then  season rest of meat lightly. Place in a pan big enough for both pork belly and vegetables.

Roast for 15 to 30 minutes until the skin of the pork starts to puff and you see LOVELY crackling beginning to form. Turn the  heat down to 180C/350F and roast for another 30 minutes. 

Take out of the oven and baste with the fat at the bottom of the pan. Carefully lift the pork up to transfer to a clean chopping board. Add all of the veg, garlic, and thyme to the pan and stir in them into the fat. Place the pork on top of everything and put it all back into the oven. Roast another 30 minutes. Carefully move meat to a serving dish, cover with foil, and leave to rest while you prepare the gravy..

Spoon fat from tray, then add water or stock and place it on the burner. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to scrape up tasty brown bits.  When you have a dark gravy,  pour it along with the veg and garlic through a sieve. PUSH down all the veg to get all the flavor from it as you can! Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with whatever you want. The crackling is AWESOME! My baby loved this the best hehe. I hope you all enjoy!!!!Save as Draft

You Like Me! You Really Like Me! I Like You, Too!!!!

I was awarded with the 'One Lovely Blog Award' from Celeste at Cooking Creations and Carolyn at All Day I Dream of Food! Two bloggers who with their writing and photos inspire me with each post. Thank you so much ladies for thinking of me! I love blogging and have been on and off since about January. It's such an outlet that Facebook and Twitter can not fulfill! I am inspired by so many other bloggers whether they're foodies, mommas, photographers, and those starting their life with their new mate. I love them all.

Speaking of inspiration, I was inspired by Celeste to go out and purchase a Spaghetti Squash after reading her post Spaghetti Squash and Basil Pesto with Toasted Squash Seeds. I've always wanted to try it, but never did. Her post gave me the extra push, so I did and it was DELICIOUS! I made a Beef Stroganoff to pair it with and 2 out of 3 children loved the squash. I love experiments.

The recipe is from Food and Wine, I highly recommend fanning their page on Facebook! The only change I made was add more wine and I also added a heaping tablespoon of Dijon mustard when I added the sour cream at the end. 

Carolyn, I bought the Reese's candies to try your cookies, but they did not make an hour haha. Will try again next week!! Check out these cookies! Her photography is stunning, and she cooks many low carb, sugar free dishes that will knock your socks off! An awesome blog if you have a celiac or diabetic in your home! Since we're trying to eat low carb, over the Christmas season, it's perfect for us, too! Check it out and get inspired!

Now I would like to pass this lovely award to bloggers who inspired me to blog in the first place. Their blogs ARE lovely and I can say these people are my friends online as well as off. Love these ladies. Check them out!!!

Becca: Living Wright Home

Barbara: Gluten Free By Babs

Serena: Ich Liess Mein Herz in Deutschland

Sonya: Home Cooking with Sonya

Tessie: Falling Flat
Deb: Crafty Bobo

Now, I received this Stylish Blogger Award from Mrs. K over at Learn(ing) to Enjoy the Rain! I am not in the least bit stylish fashionwise! I mean, have you seen my outfits? HEHE! But I GREATLY appreciate it because she thought of me! Love it! Her blog is about her everyday life with her spouse and an array of other subject from college football, being the only person not looking forward to fall (gasp!), learning to sew and array of other subjects that makes you think. The one that got me was adopting a child from every country! Glad I wasn't the only one! I am happy to follow her and you should give her blog a look!

Would like to award my girl Jessica over at Mommyhood Next Right! I love her thoughtful writing about ups and downs of being a first time mom. Her GORGEOUS daughter is 8 months old  and this woman does it all and is a true inspiration to me and I have 3 little ones. She loves to shop (hehe she writes some great posts about that) and anyone is 10000x more stylish than me. Root for her to get that jogging stroller, too!

LAST but most certainl...you know the rest! Kim over at Liv Life tagged me in a foodie questionnaire! Of course I am late as hell, but better late the never. Kim is an awesome blogger. I want to cook everything she posts. It's everything baking, cooking, healthy and comfort. Her photos are gorgeous and her love for her family is quite evident in every post. I hope to get to know her even more :)

Here are her questions for me!

1.  What is your favorite restaurant?

I have 3 young children. I have no favorite restaurant. I rarely ever get out :( If I HAD to choose then I would choose the Leimener Brauhaus up the street from my house. Our children has broke countless amounts of glasses there, yet the staff is friendly and they're always happy to have us back! The food is pretty good, too!

2.  When dining out do you prefer a fancy, dress up affair or casual with flip flops?

I would LOVE fancy, but have to settle for casual. But casual is way more fun anyway!

3.  Do you do fast food?  If so, what is your favorite?

Lately we've been picking up ribs at the commissary to eat at home. Or we go to the Turkish food stand and pick-up a half chicken then serve with those microwavable steamed veg (genius!) or the smiley fries! It's way better than McD's chicken nuggets!

4.  Do you remember one of the first recipes that you ever made?  If so, do you still make it?

The first recipe I made was some smothered pork chops by Emeril. Can not remember the name. All I know is that I was too impatient to wait for the sauce to thicken and added way too much flour and all was left was gloop.  I should try to make it again!

5.  The world is open to you.  A personal private jet with pilot is waiting for your direction...  Where will you go? 

GREECE or Ireland!  Can't choose nope. So since those are more fantasy (sorta), I'd choose the good ol USA to be closer to my family. Miss them crazy folks!

6.  How close do you now live to where you were born?

I live way too far :( I live in Germany and was born and raised in MD

7.  Wine... red, white or bubbly?

I prefer red and sweet

8.  Why did you start blogging?  (an excellent question Raven!) 

I started blogging because I wanted to learn and be inspired (there's that word again!) by others. Ok ok, my friends and family were getting bored of my food speak. My friend Becca blogs and said it'd be a great creative outlet for my food/recipes and humor. Thank you Becca!!!!!

My questions:

What's your favorite pizza topping?

Mayonnaise? Yay or ick?

Which cuisine inspires you the most?

What's your staple dessert?

What is your best kitchen triumph?

What are your favorite staple ingredients?

Did you always cook or did it come to you later in life?

Who's your favorite chef? TV or restaurant.

I would like to tag the following awesome bloggers I must read everyday:

Lazaro Cooks

Peggy- My FIANCE likes it, SO it Must be Good

Lisa- Korean American Mommy

Sonya- Home Cooking With Sonya

Lauren- Foodie House

Marisa- Cook's Book

Rebecca- Living Wright at Home

Rosie- Cooking With Rosie

For more, check out my fan page on Facebook. I believe in giving credit where credit is due! Even more linky love there :)  Plus read and see what I do not blog about. http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Mama-With-Flavor/162142550479144

Birthday and Thank Yous!

Thank you everyone for the kind comments, messages, and e-mails! Your thoughts and genuine concern is greatly appreciated!!!

My husband left Saturday and I have moving non-stop since.  My house is clean, we've been to the zoo and been spending time with lovely friends! Busy, busy is great during times like this. Still have to make time for my great blogger friends of course!

Some things going on....well..Friday was my son's 5th birthday!!! He's my first-born, my first love! We've been through s much from the time he was conceived- let's just say he was meant to be here! He is both American and German (I am American just in case you do not know) so he speaks both German and English. Well he speaks "Deenglish!" which is a mix of Deutsch and English. Though he seems to reprimand is brother and sister and Deutsch, I wonder if that's because he gets reprimanded at kindergarten! It's so sweet that he loves both cultures though he prefers German. Which is fine ;)
Some photos!

Celebrating at Kindergarten first

Celebrating at a Chuckee Cheese like place :)

Oma and Opa bought him a Ben 10 bike!! And they're going to teach him to ride. I love them!

Made Vanilla Cupcakes with Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting Dyed Green (for Ben 10!) on Sunday for grandparents.

Alles Gute zum Gerburtstag Baby Boy!!!!

When I am sad I need Bacon.

I hate TDYs. Duh, what spouse wants their other half gone for long periods of time....I know.

Right before these 'business trips', I cry randomly. I feel so depressed that I get incredibly lazy and immobile all of the sudden and it sucks. The good thing for great blogs that I follow is that I am able to read through all your blogs and leave blog post length comments (sorry!). The bad news for me is that I think a certain "Osama Bed Linen"  is hiding in the ever so growing mountains of dirty laundry in my laundry room!! And all of this is right before my husband leaves. 

But you know what dear readers and friends, I usually get through it alive and well. Well, I have to. When he's out the door, reality bitch-slaps me in the face and I have no choice but to get to work! A better schedule is set for the children (and my sanity),even more time is spent at playgrounds and indoor parks, and my cooking creativity goes through the roof! I focus even more on the children's palates which is most certainly a challenge, but it helps me learn new ways to get them to eat a lot healthier. 

My husband's been deployed for weeks and months at a time many times before, but this time, I do not feel so confident. I am utterly terrified. I have been quite depressed for the past 2 weeks, trying to stay brave, but everything brings tears to my eyes. Is that pathetic? Maybe. Normal? I'd like to think so. During the last big deployment, I only had 2 children who were 2, and an infant, and I was terrified then. Fortunately I made it out a stronger person. This time I have 3 children who are 5, 3, and 1! Will I make it out at least alive? Hopefully! If I don't blog or update my Facebook page call me! 

So during times pathetic pessimism (try saying that Sylvester the cat!), I desperately need comfort food. My comfort food of choice tonight? Bacon. Bacon Pancakes to be precise! These are so simple and crazy delicious! Sweet and smoky at its finest!

Bacon Pancakes, like Blueberry Pancakes but only it's Bacon

Ingredients

Use my Pancake recipe

-8  slices of bacon roasted and chopped

Your choice of topping- I used real  Maple Syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F

on a shallow roasting pan (even better one with a rack) place bacon on. 

Pop into the oven for 10-12 minutes or until crisp!

oven crispy!

Crumble or chop/ leave about a tablespoon for garnish if desired.

Spray griddle or skillet with spray or butter, then set heat to medium heat. Scoop out about a 1/2 cup of pancake batter of each pancake on your griddle, and spread into a flat circle gently. Sprinklea handful of bacon on. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until a mass amount of bubbles form over the top. Flip, cook for another 2 minutes. Repeat until batter and bacon is gone!

Drench maple syrup and garnish with leftover bacon (if desired).

That not only helped me feel better, but put a huge smile on my whole family's face and I predict many easy breakfast dinners in the future. Thanks for reading my sad ramblings.

Sweet Potato Cheesecake Brownies

I love sweet potatoes, brownies, and cheesecake. I've made them all many times on separate occasions, but never together. Last weekend while reading through David Lebovitz's Facebook Fan Page and came across a post where a fan commented about the brownies. I checked out the post and I knew that I had to make them. His photography is absolutely inspiring and hunger-inducing, so this was immediately put on my bake this NOW list.

I wanted the brownies to have a autumn vibe and  I've never even heard of sweet potato cheesecake until I did a bit of research and still there weren't many recipes. Or maybe I am just horrible at Google? Anyway, it's always about the pumpkin. I like pumpkin, but I am a sweet potato girl, for sure! 

Overall, I did not do much tweaking to this recipe at all. Just added the sweet potato, cinnamon, and a wee bit more vanilla. This tasted so good that after the first bite I started breakdancing! When I taste incredible food, humming or dancing is a natural reaction! Guess that's why my husband never takes me out to eat. These moist decadent, squares from heaven has that effect, just warning you :)

Sweet Potato Cheesecake Brownies

Inspired by David Lebovitz

Ingredients

1 lb sweet potato(es)

6 T unsalted butter cut into pieces

4 oz semisweet chocolate 55% to 60% cocoa

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup flour

1 T cocoa powder

1/8 t salt

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

8 oz cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup pureed sweet potato

1 egg yolk, room temperature

5 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F or 180C

Wash, dry, then prick sweet potato with a fork. Place in oven and allow to roast for up to an hour or until soften and easily pierced.

Allow to cool, then puree with a potato masher or spoon. Set aside.

Line an 8 inch square pan with foil, but allow at least 1 inch to hang from the sides.

Lightly spray or butter pan, set aside.

Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in 2/3 cup sugar then the eggs.

Mix in the flour mixture, then vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sweet potato puree, the yolk, 5 tablespoons of sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Distribute the cream cheese mixture in 6 dollops around brownie mixture then take a spatula and swirl the cream cheese into the chocolate batter. Add 2 more dollops if needed.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes checking after 40 minutes. Test with a toothpick through the middle if comes out clean.

Hope you try this or just try David's version in the link above! It's amazing! Gwon' now chilren!

Autumn Macaroni and Cheese: Mommy's Little Secret

Red Kuri Squash. Ever heard of it? Hey you super foodie in the back, calm your nerves, we know you know! I've heard of it, but honestly never even crossed my mind to cook with it. When I see these lil pumpkin look-a-likes, I thought of them as just that- baby pumpkins. Some places even paint faces on them and I always thought of them as decoration. Red Kuri Squash or Rote Hokkaido as it's called here in Germany is a winter squash that's available year-around. The outside should be slightly rough not shiny to indicate its ripeness. 

I visited fellow expatriate in Europe, Spicie Foodie and she inspired me to find great potential for this squash. Her  addiction...erm..love for this lovely winter squash literally made my mouth water. Then the recipe she produced made me want to try this even more! Suddenly I had an awesome idea looking at how the pasta sauce cling beautifully to the spiral pasta.....MAC N CHEESE! My 4 year-old LOVES mac n cheese. He'll eat mac n cheese over a candy bar.  He'll eat mac n cheese over meeting his fave superhero Ben 10, he'll choose mac n cheese over hanging out with ME. Haha. So after reading about the delicate flavor and slight nuttiness of this squash, I thought of a mac n cheese recipe Ellie Krieger did with frozen butternut squash puree as the base. So with that in mind, I had the perfect recipe in mind.

Then Wednesday morning, my 4 year-old woke up with a very swollen face. I screamed! I was in such shock. The day before some kid at his kindergarten pushed him and his face had a rash and his mouth was cut. So I wasn't sure if this child pushed him into something that he is potentially allergic to, but I for sure freaked out! After rushing him to the doctor and the doctor performing a bunch of tests, we were told he was OK. Just to keep an eye on him and he'll call back with the lab results. He was OK and his urine samples came back negative for potential kidney issues, so to celebrate and comfort my lil man, I decided to make the mac n cheese for him that day instead during the weekend. 

While researching this squash, I did not find much about how to prep it. I read that you can just roast it for 45 minutes then remove the seeds. I, of course did it the hard way. But, I am still learning about food, and I tend to like to do things the slow way especially for others who are interested!

Autumn 3 Cheese Macaroni

Ingredients

For Squash Puree:

1 medium red Kuri squash

3 T olive oil

Coarse Salt and Pepper

1 T Heavy Cream

For Macaroni and Cheese

3/4 pound of cavatappi noodles or any noodles of you choice. In Germany they're called Cellatani

1 1/4 cups of heavy cream 

Squash Puree (recipe above) or 1 pack of frozen butternut squash (or any winter squash)

3/4 cup grated smoked Gouda cheese, packed lightly

1/2 cup grated Monterrey jack cheese, packed lightly

1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese

1 or 1 1/2 t kosher salt

Pepper

1/4 - 1/2 t hot sauce

1 t ground mustard

For topping

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1/2 cup Japanese Panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Wash the squash well, then remove stem. Cut in half carefully using a bread knife or knife with ridges. I always find those the easiest when dealing with squash. Again, you can buy any pre-cut winter squash or frozen purees!

Remove seeds with a spoon.

Cut squash into 4 pieces for easy peeling. Peel the skin using a potato peeler or paring knife for this. 

Using a all-purpose of chef's knife, chop squash into 1 inch pieces. Add to a baking sheet then add olive oil, salt and pepper. Add squash to preheated oven. 

Roast for about 40 minutes stirring halfway through.

Put roasted squash into a bowl. Refrain from munching on them. With a potato masher, smush these babies like crazy until there's no chunks left. 

Add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream for a touch of creaminess. Again, refrain from munching!  Set aside. 

Increase oven temperature to 375F

Spray a 10 by 15 baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large pot, bring water to boil. Add noodles and cook until just al dente, about 9 to 10 minutes. Drain, then set aside.

In another pan, add heavy cream, squash puree. Turn heat on medium. Stir together until well mixed.

Heat until the mixture is about to boil. A nice simmer is what you're looking for.

Remove pot from heat, then add cheeses, ground mustard, salt and pepper, and hot sauce, and stir well until combined.

Add noodles and toss until combined.

Add to prepared baking dish. Combine Pecorino Romano and Japanese bread crumbs in a small bowl. 

Sprinkle evenly on top of the noodles.

Put into oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Allow to rest 5 minutes after removing from oven and voila! 

My son LOVED this. My macaroni and cheese snob of a husband? LOVED this! My picky Ninja Baby? Ate all of mine! So yeah, my son couldn't tell there was anything squash in this and I am not telling him until he's 18 years old! The slightly salty crunchiness of the cheese and bread crumb topping made this shine. This is most certainly a must try.