As I suspected, once I started my full time job, on top of being a full time mom, the blogging kind of took a backseat. The cooking also has. I have been cooking on weekends and we survive on leftovers until Wednesdays, then Thursdays and Fridays are either pasta, chicken fingers or fish sticks with sweet potato fries or takeout :)
On the weekends I have been cooking 3 large meals. One on Saturday (like mac-n-cheese), then on Sunday while I'm making dinner I make 2 meals (like a pot roast in the slow cooker with mashed potatoes and squash and then turkey chili on the stove). One meal for Sunday and one for Monday night. This also helps because then we have ready made leftovers to bring for lunch through Wednesday or so.
This takes a lot of planning so I have been planning on Saturday and then shopping either Saturday or Sunday for the week. I am looking into grocery delivery services to make this easier.
My news resolution is to try to keep writing as much as possible about what I'm cooking for our family.
Last night for our New Year's Eve dinner I made potato leek soup and moules marinieres. The soup is made in a similar process to my butternut squash soup. This is not a healthy soup, but is soooo good. Melt 1/2 cup of butter in soup pot. Then saute 1/2 medium size onion with 2 large leeks and about a tablespoon of garlic. Add salt, pepper and some fresh thyme to taste. Once onions and leeks are soft, about 10-15 minutes, add about 1/4 - 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar and let that reduce. Then add about 5-6 small yukon gold potatoes (sliced thinly). Add more salt and pepper to taste. Stir and let cook for about 5 minutes. Then add about 8 cups of chicken stock (or veggie stock if you are making it vegetarian). Let this cook for about 30-40 minutes. Once potatoes are soft, take off heat and use immersion blender to make a smooth thick soup! Add more seasoning if needed and more stock if too thick.
The moules marinieres are simple and not bad on the budget. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a deep saute pan that has a lid. Saute 2-3 chopped green onions (the white parts, save green for topping once finished) and 1 Tablespoon of garlic. Then add in 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar, 1/8 cut white wine vinegar and 1 cup of chicken stock. Let this reduce by 1/2 (about 10-15 minutes). Add 1 lb of mussels (which have been cleaned and debearded. Let them soak in cold water for about 20 minutes to let the sand fall out). Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. When all open (or most and discard the closed) serve with crusty bread!
Happy New Year and happy cooking!Labels: leftovers, mussels, potato leek soup