Porcini mushrooms, garlic shoots, and fresh pasta

was our dinner on market day Wednesday.  We all love mushrooms, especially the super fresh ones from the Farmer's Market.  Are they not beautiful?  How could we resist :)

Porcini, garlic shoots, thyme, and fresh pasta....

So easy, and delicious.  A perfect meal - and 100% milk free.  This is how I made it

Olive Oil
Bunch of garlic shoots chopped
Porcini mushrooms sliced - I sliced mine thick and had 1/2 lb.
Fresh thyme - pulled of sprigs and chopped
Salt, Pepper
Splash of dry white wine
Fresh Pasta - I used 1 lb. Tagliatelle cut

1. Heat Olive Oil, and add garlic shoots.  When bright green add,
2. Porcini, and thyme. Sautee until mushrooms are cooked to your liking, then
3. Add a splash - I used a big splash - of dry white wine and scrap up all the bits from the bottom of pan.
    Add salt, and pepper to taste.
4. Cook pasta - if you use fresh it will be very quick

Serve with - optional -  fresh grated Parmesiano Regiano.

Look at Alena waiting for dinner :)  Can you tell that school is almost over for summer break?

Gnocchi with Pancetta and Kale

Another of my all time comfort foods is homemade gnocchi - there is comfort in making them as well :) All of us like it - well what is not to like, right?! I topped them with pancetta, sauteed onion, as well as kale and served it with - surprise, surprise - mixed green salad in homemade vinaigrette. I am glad to call it an overall dinner success in our little house in Portland...

Here is the link to my gnocchi recipe - it is dairy free and vegan :) -> http://galactopdx.blogspot.com/2009/07/homemade-easy-gnocchi-pesto-recipe.html Note: In the recipe as written I use Earth Balance but lately I have used Olive Oil instead...

Hiking at Catherine Creek

We spent the afternoon hiking Catherine Creek in the Columbia Gorge. http://gorgefriends.org/display.php?modin=51&uid=4845 - The views of the gorge are amazing.

I do have to admit that the cliff's and the wind made me quite nervous; I made the girls hold our hands for those passages.  Look at our great hiker Mia Rose hiking in the meadow followed by Ron...

In our group were six kids - including our two - and I honestly was amazed how well everyone did.  Once we reached the top we took a little break for water, fruit, salami - yes, milk free :), and nuts. Recharged we made our way back....

Look at this view...

Pasta Salad for a Camp Out Potluck

We were at our first tent camping trip for 2012 and it was for a big camp out party at our friends property on the Washington side in the Columbia Gorge. We left Saturday afternoon; returned back to Portland today after a fun evening and hike in the sunshine.

For the potluck I made a pasta salad - I actually think that this is the best pasta recipe ever...

It is a Jamie Oliver recipe -> http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetarian-recipes/the-best-pasta-salad - instead of yellow and red tomatoes I used only red. This recipe always turns out....

Family night out...

Ron had this great idea to go see the Lorax at the Bagdad this Friday night.  I love that place -> http://www.mcmenamins.com/219-bagdad-theater-pub-home mellow, kid friendly, you can have a pizza, and enjoy a drink while watching a movie.  Yesterday however, we first at at the pub before heading over to the movie theater to watch the Lorax. The girlies each had a hamburger - without the bun as all bread options had some type of milk in it...

The girls chose our seats upstairs, on the balcony.  Let's just say it was a great choice.  Comfy chairs,  sofa's and a great movie.  We love the Lorax.  Such a great message - it was actually the second time we saw it...

On the way home we were in for a special treat as we saw this beautiful rainbow.

Baked chicken legs, oven fries, sautéed broccoli, and salad

was our Thursday night dinner. This was done quickly and perfect for a weeknight.

I dredged the chicken legs - bone and skin on - in Bisquick to which I added salt, pepper, and paprika. That's it!!! Bake at 425 F for about 45 minutes - 30 minutes skin side down, and the last 15 minutes skin side up. It comes out perfectly moist and tasty! The oven fries, and salad are self explanatory, right?! Oh, but the broccoli turned out really good. I have to start by admitting that I am not a huge fan of it but I added golden raisins, and balsamico. Voila!

Sautéed Broccoli
- broccoli florets (I used fresh) broken up into individual florets
- splash of olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons golden raisins (or more)
- salt and pepper to taste
- balsamic vinegar app. 1/4 cup, white balsamic

1. Heat olive oil on high, when hot add
2. Broccoli florets stir them frequently, and cover. Remove cover when broccoli turns bright
green. Add,
3. raisins, and salt. Continue to stir, then add,
4. Balsamico - I used "regular" but white would be better - and let it reduce. Toss, adjust
salt, and pepper.

We really liked the broccoli with a twist :)

Sauteed Maitake and Shitake mushrooms with garlic shoots...

served on top of polenta, with a side of mixed green salad.

I am so excited that the Wednesday Framer's Market is back to downtown Portland.  Ron and I went yesterday on our lunch break.  First time this year that I saw delicious Maitake mushrooms, and garlic shoots.  Maitake,  Shitake mushrooms sautéed together with the garlic shoots in a little olive oil and seasoned with salt and black pepper.  It turned out delicious.  Both kids cleaned their plates, and Alena had seconds of the mushrooms.  Yay!

Motherhood

means the world to me. Who would have thought! Me, the person who thought that I would  - for one - never get married, and also not want to have children. A career I thought, was my calling.  HA!!! Writing this  seems a little harsh now, however it is the plain and simple truth.  I am  so happy that life did not turn out that way.  I am a wife, a mother, a lawyer, an all-around family-girl and I love it all aspects of it.

So why this topic, well I chose the topic because yes I started to write this post - tadahhhhh - right around Mother's Day. A time to reflect on my mothering.  Right?!  I became a mother the day Alena was born, but became a true fighting, to the core, deeply connected tiger mama when Alena was first admitted to the hospital. She was barely a week old.  Until then, it - oddly enough - seemed all unreal, I had never been around babies and then just when I started to adjust we were close to loose it all.  It was in those days when I saw Alena fight for her life, which literally brought me down on my knees crying and praying when motherhood became deeply engrained in me.  That was the moment when I realized that nothing else but my child(ren),  my family are the things that matter most in my life.  It is what makes my heart sing, it is what gives me purpose, and strength.  My family - yes, that includes Ron - make me laugh, do silly things, pull me up, and make  me do things I would have never thought possible.

In my mothering I try to instill in our children a positive attitude, and that there is NOTHING they cannot do*.  The sky is the limit, there is NOTHING holding them back, with the exception of the *, and certainly not Classic Galactosemia.  Yes, life is not always easy, or smooth sailing but that is just what it is like for everyone. True?! In any case, to me it is important to pass along a positive attitude and to never have them act as victims.  OK - that's it for now - time for me to get off my soap box; yes, I could write a lot more go into


*just as long as it is legal, and not a dangerous activity as I will determine in my sole discretion ;)

Bucatini with Bolognese Sauce

and side of - surprise, surprise - mixed green salad.

One of the benefits of working from home most of the time is that I can start to cook early on the day, and leave it simmering on the stove all day. Bolognese sauce is just such a dish that I like to leave on the stove on low for at least three hours. So today, with the weather all rainy again, was the perfect Bolognese day. For a change we had bucatini pasta and I am happy to report that both girlies loved the Bolognese sauce :). Just in case you are interested, here is the link to my recipe http://galactopdx.blogspot.com/2012/01/friday-night-rigatoni-with-bolognese.html

Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup, quick no-knead bread, and mixed green salad

was our dinner on this rainy Monday in May. I saw a recipe post here http://wvfrugal-wvsaver.blogspot.com/2012/05/matzo-ball-soup.html a couple of weeks ago, and kept it in the back of my mind. I love matzo balls, and this recipe with lemon zest as well as ginger sounded fantastic. Well, let me tell you they were delicious and they are all gone...Instead of the chicken I made vegetable broth. For the vegetable broth I use vegetable bits, scraps, and leftover which I keep in the freezer in a bag. I adapted the recipe for te matzo balls a tiny bit by using Earth Balance instead of the chicken fat, and I used one tablepoons instead of two. Here is the link to the recipe again http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/matzo-ball-soup-recipe/index.html

As a side we had bread and today - this is a first - Mia Rose and I added seasame and poppy seeds. Now why did I not think of that sooner?! So, so good :). Here is the link to the quick no-knead bread http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/dining/081mrex.html?_r=1

I call this dinner success in our little house in Portland!