Rockin' Recipe ~ Homemade Ketchup!

Long before I had kids and knew how they could change your life, I visited the friend of a friend and saw, on her table, a bottle of homemade ketchup. I vowed if I ever made ketchup, that I would hang it up. I’d be hopelessly old and seriously not have enough to do with myself.


Then the Little Mouths came into my life.

And let me tell you what. Being wholly responsible for two of God’s own miracles changes a person. I know it changed me. My lovely Little Mouths have caused a carefree, convertible driving, red toenails kinda girl to morf into a minivan mama sorely in need of a pedicure. Who makes ketchup. For blender week.

And do you know the funniest thing? I’m okay with it. Really.

Worcestershire Tomato Ketchup (Inspired by Guy Fieri)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup sweet onion

8 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped up

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Salt and pepper

½ teaspoon dried mustard



Saute onions in the oil over medium heat. Cook until brown and caramelized. Add the tomatoes, and garlic and cook for a few minutes, just to soften the vegetables. Then add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.

I put the whole mess in the blender and let her whirl. I didn’t have high hopes. This looked like a hot mess (LITERALLY!)before I put in in the blender, but after a few seconds. Viola! Rich, beautiful, KETCHUP!

Thumbs up from Big Mama and a big Amen! From the littlest of mouths.


This posted linked to these GREAT blogs...Looky Here~!

Ode to the Humble Smoothie

 Once upon a time, Big Mama was getting WAY to big.  Big Mama tried every diet in the world, but to no avail.  Big Mama lost and gained the same 50 pounds three times in the last three years.  Big Mama knew she should eat less, but she was HUNGRY!  Since eating less wasn't working she had to think of a new plan and she thought and she thought.  Then she realized, while she might never be a Little Mama, if she didn't want to stay an extra-large one something was going to have to give.

If I didn't want to eat less...then I had to eat better.

Both of my Little Mouths are slim and Big Mama had often joked if she just followed the Biggest Little Mouth around and ate what she did, she'd be perfectly proportioned like her.  But maybe that wasn't a joke.  BLM (Big Little Mouth) eats her weight in fruits and veggies nearly every week.  No joke!  The kid eats non-stop.  But she doesn't eat french fries or cheese burgers.  She eats pretty much every fruit or veggie and has a whole crisper drawer to herself. Thus our year of learning to eat our veggies...and our new challenge. 

But some challenges are easier said than done.  Changing from a carb addict to a veggie lover is easier said than done.  I haven't avoided eating veggies for 40 years because I didn't know where the produce section was, I didn't eat them because I didn't like them.  At least not the ways I'd been served them in the past, and goodness knows I didn't cook them myself.

Then one day while searching for an ice cream substitute, I got out my trusty blender.  It was GREAT!  I was so proud of myself I posted the recipe.  Ssmoooooottttthhiiiieeee anyone?  The someone posted a comment that totally showed me up.  Hers had spinach and kale!  Gack!

It took me a few weeks to work up to it, but I met her challenge (thank you Sara!) and before long I was sippy my leafy green veggies like a pro.  And do you know what else?  I started losing weight and gaining energy.  I wasn't starved at 10 AM and super-sizing at lunch.  I was jonesing for caffeine at 2:00 to avoid falling asleep at my desk.  Hmmmmm.  My nutrient filled breakfast seemed to be making a huge difference.

I am also down to only one cup of coffee a day...sometimes two. But from a solid 6-8 cup a day person, that's amazing in and of itself.  And I didn't even try to do that.  It just happened.

So thank you SARA for the inspiration and the challenge (even though you didn't know you were issuing one when you shared the recipe)  This Big Mama has definably changed for the better.


Good Morning Smoothie

Chuck anything good for you in the blender with some yogurt, a frozen banana, fruit or veggie juice and some green leafy veggie.  Warning!  Do not use arugula by accident.  Makes a very gross smoothie.  Do use up some of the produce that is just past it's prime.  It's a great way to keep less than fresh fruit and veggies from going to waste.  If you don't have time to use them, just put them in the freezer and use anytime.

My morning smoothie recipe changes daily, but usually looks something like this.

1 frozen banana












3/4 cup Greek yogurt









1/2 cup carrot or green goddess raw juice

1 cup spinach or kale

1/2 cup orange juice (for the sweetness)

1/2-1 cup leftover or frozen fruit

This make a big 20 oz cup to go and is enough to fuel me through the morning.  I drink it on my way to work.

Check out my page "Looky Here" to visit all of the awesome places this recipe is shared!

Menu Monday February 2011, Week Three

I thought we'd try a couple of theme weeks in the last remaining weeks until our CSA starts the week of March 8th.  This week is BLENDER week, one of the most often overlooked but useful of the kitchen appliances. 

For most of us, blenders have gone the way of the Edsal. 

But for me, while there are many of my kitchen gadgets that I love to pieces, my lemon zester alone makes my heart go pitter pat...but my blender holds a special place in my heart. It's not a fancy one, like this:

or this

My blender was a wedding gift for my parent in 1968.  It has seen my through margaritas and middle of the night milkshakes and now my newest fave, smoothies.  It has a few chips and you have to jiggle it just a little bit to get things to mix but I love it just the same.  It looks exactly like this:

Sunday         Shrimp Bisque and Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette (Blender Recipe to Follow)

Monday        Turkey Meatloaf and Celery Root Mashed Potatoes (Blender Recipe to Follow)

Tuesday        Orange Glazed Pork Chops Potatoes and Onions

Wednesday  Hamburgers w/Worcestershire Ketchup (Blender Recipe to Follow) and Garlic Fries

Thursday      Dreamy, Creamy Chicken , Rice and and Broccolini

Friday          EAT OUT!
Saturday      Fish Sandwiches with Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise (Blender Recipe to Follow)

Link your meal plan this week to mine!

Soup-er Sunday Smokey Sweet Potato Bisque

Today was one of those days that didn't really go like I thought it would. It's BLENDER week, here at Big Mama, Little Mouths and I'd planned on making Shrimp Bisque to kick it off. In preparation, I peeled my sweet potatoes and had the onions on to caramelize.

Then the phone rang. The Girly Little Mouth was desperately needed at a friend's house...then it rang again and my aunt had some skillet steaks that needed to be used today and she was bogged down with school work, could I cook them for dinner.

Okay, this Big Mama can roll. No problem. Change of plans and two new opportunities to create recipes. We're not huge red meat eaters, so I didn't really know what to do with the steaks. The photo on the label showed the thin steaks bubbling in a pan with onions...so I did that. Added some wine and some stock and made a nice sauce. Good to go.

But I still had these sweet potatoes and onions...not enough from mashed sweet potatoes, I decided to whip up a soup as planned. But I decided not to add the shrimp, we were already getting plenty of protein with the steak. So, a new favorite recipe! Big and Little Mouths both gave it a thumbs up!

Smokey Sweet Potato Bisque

1 large onion
1 clove garlic
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 large sweet potatoes
1 Teaspoon smoky paprika
1 Teaspoon chili powder
1 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock

Roughly chop onion and saute in olive oil in a dutch oven or stock pot.  Dice sweet potatoes and throw them in the pot with the garlic, paprika and chili powder.  Allow to caramelize slightly, then deglaze the pot with the white wine.  Stir to release all the yummy brown bits from the bottom on the pan and add the chicken stock.  Simmer until the sweet potatoes are mushy then blend in blender or with immersion blender.

Return to pot and bring back to a simmer.  Turn off heat, add fat free half and half and serve.

Sandwich Saturday!

I've been trying to clean out my pantry and freezer and came across a big packaged of sliced roast beef left over from goodness knows when.  I defrosted it and decided it wasn't too worse for wear and contemplated what to do with it.  I combined it with some onions, brie and arugula and made this FABO sandwich.  It was so good, I've made it twice in two weeks.  Everyone loved it, even the Littlest Little Mouth when I left off the onions and anything green.  

Speaking of Paninis.  What kind of press do you use?  I have one like this, that doubles as a grill pan.  FYI, I figured out it you heat the top on a separate burner before smashing it down on the sandwiches, it works better.  The only drawback is that I can only make two sandwiches at a time, so those first two get a little...less fresh and hot while I'm making sandwich three.  Not too big of a deal, as the Little Mouths really don't like their stuff to be too hot.  But it would be nice to have something bigger when other adults are around. 

Like this:Does anyone have one?  Do you love it or does it just eat in to your counter space?  Please advise!

Roast Beef and Brie Panini

1 sliced sweet onion

1 small clove of garlic

6 slices of roast beef

2 oz. Brie

Small handful of arugula

Bread of your choice

Salt and Pepper

Olive oil or butter for the outside of the bread

Slice the sweet onion and saute with a bit of olive oil or butter.  Cut the roast beef into slices and brown with the onions.  Spread Brie onto two of the slices of bread.  I used day old No Knead Bread.  Add the roast beef/onion mixture, top with arugula, spray the outside of the bread with oil or coat with butter and put into preheated press. 

Thumbs up from all!

Food Find Friday - Greek Yogurt

I have loved and enjoyed yogurt for years.  I have one pretty much every day for lunch.  I also have loved Greek food for years, since I was a child and we were close friends with a Greek family. 

I however did not know about GREEK yogurt until recently.  It's totally yummy!

I am using it in my morning smoothie and it totally rocks as a substitute for sour cream, especially in recipes.  Here's the low down on the nutritional in formation from a random Internet site for 6oz.

           Greek Yogurt (Fat Free)   vs.   Regular Yogurt  (Fat Free) 

Fat            0g                                                    0g

Carbs        7g                                                   16g

Protein      18g                                                   6g

Fiber          0g                                                    1g

Calories    100                                                  86

There's a ton more protein and fewer carbs, and the calories increase just a little, tiny bit.  Most importantly for those of us who are trying to lighten up.  It really adds that creamy texture you're missing if you're trying to cut calories.  Thumbs up from Big Mama and Little Mouths, alike.  

Do you have a Fabulous Food Find?  Link up here, just please return the favor and place a link on your blog to mine!  Thanks!

The Bread Basket -- No-Knead Bread

I decided to try this bread, not because I don't like the kneading part.  That can be quite theruptic after a long day at the office.  But everywhere I looked, I saw this receipe or a variation of it so I thought I'd try it. 

I got to use my Dad's big brown crockery bread bowl, so that was an added bonus.  I have punched down more batches of bread that I can count and it was fun to watch the Little Mouths plunge their little fists into the soft warm dough and watch it colapse around their hands. 

There couldn't be an easier recipe and while it does take about 24 hours to make, it only takes minutes of actual work.  And the bread was JUST BEAUTIFUL!  A first for me.  Every recipe I've tried has tasted good, but has left quite a lot to be desired in the looks department.  This bread was lovely, though.  Don't you think?

No-Knead Bread (New York Times)

3 cups bread flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cup cool water

Mix everything together and cover with plastic wrap.  Put somewhere warm overnight.  I put it in the laundry, which is the warmest place in our house.  I mixed it together at about 7 PM and in the morning it looked like this:

It scared the Little Mouths, I think.  It looked a lot like spoiled eye of kneut or which's brew or something.

After about 18 hours or so, turn the bread out onto a well floured surface and fold over a few times.  Cover with the plastic again and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Now the recipe says to put flour on a towel, but the bread on it and cover with another towel.  This is recomended, because you have to get the bread into the preheated dutch oven and the towel acts like a little sling.  I did this the first time I made it and the bread stuck to the towel and made a big mess.  This time I oiled my original bowl, added a bit of parchment paper, and slipped the bread back in.

So either do the towel/sling thing or the parchment thing and let it raise for about 2 to 2.5 hours or until the loaf has doubled in size.

When it was time to transfer to the dutch oven preheated to 450 degrees in the oven, I just held the bowl over the pot resting on the oven rack, tilted the bowl and tugged on the corner of the parchment.  It slid east as can be into the pot and I removed the parchment.

Bake at 450 degrees for 30 mintues with the lid on and 15-30 minutes until the crust is brown and crunchy.  It tasted as good as it looks and got thumbs up from Big Mama and the Little Mouths devoured it. 

So good!


This recipe is posted at all or some of the WONDERFUL blogs on my "Looky Here" page.