Sunday, March 10, 2013

Friday night's welcome home...Beer Battered Pan Fried Chicken with Mixed Veg

Is it true that food is the way to a man's heart?  I think so.  This whole weekend as you know, the minions, Preston & Alex are with their biological father....so I've had 48 hrs of pure kitchen heaven.  When the kids are gone I miss them so much.....it's like I'm missing an integral part of my heart, my soul....and I can't figure out how to function without them.

On Friday when they left I took Max, our 3-legged Mastiff/Anatolian Shepherd mix, for a walk.  He is affectionately known as Big Poppa.  Nothing holds that guy down.  Not being neutered, not being an amputee, not losing his adopted dad, not even when the kids go to their father's house.  The only thing I've seen him do is react when Jason isn't home.  For whatever reason, the dog adores Jason.  Caro thinks it's funny in that "Well, isn't that interesting." kind of way that Max searches for him.  If you say Caro or Jason (which by the way, I refer to Jason as Caro mio, which is Italian for My Darling) Max starts to huff and whine and wander the house looking for him.  When Jason is gone Max sleeps with Jason's shirts or pants...whichever happens to fall out of the laundry basket when I'm doing laundry...but, true story... Max will take it to a corner, mush it together and lay on it and just look at me... as if to say, "When is my home slice gonna be home?"  He really is a man's dog... Tinkerbell, MY Great Dane...I have to capitalize the MY because I have to claim someone's loyalty.... the cat, Panda, adores K.K., Max lives for Preston and Jason, but I have to have a best friend too....so I'm not sharing the affection of my almost 5 yr old princess.  I said it, I'm jealous.  I admit I won't share her love.  I can admit I've been a bit of a two year old here...but she's mine...all mine and I'm not gonna share!!!

Anyway, Friday....I was so out of sorts when the kids left that in a bit of a light drizzle I took him out for a walk and ran out of treats...we stopped by the house to pick some up and as I was walking back up, Jason pulls up with his buddy.  Never, ever, have I been so glad and grateful to see a dirty, wet, tired soldier come up my driveway.  This is the second time the man has had to go and this is the second time I'm so relieved and at peace for him to be home again.  For those of you who don't know, I was a military spouse for almost 12 years of my life....he was alright...we were best friends...but Jason is on an entirely different level.  The connection I feel to him is so deep that I don't sleep, I barely remember to eat, and then I cook and cook and cook...well last week, to be fair, I baked and baked and baked.  Don't judge....I didn't eat all the food I baked....I left the banana bread and some of the pineapple upside down cake for Caro mio.

But for dinner I made him this beer battered pan fried chicken with a creamy chicken and mushroom gravy and some mixed vegetables boiled in beef broth and seasoned just right....so here's the recipe, the instructions...and the pics....cause I know we all live for pics....yes?

Recipe:   Beer Battered Pan Fried Chicken with Mixed Veg

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts (cleaned and trimmed of fat)
2 c flour
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp herbs de provence
1 tsp basil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp baking soda

2 bottles of beer (I had corona so I used corona)

2 eggs for dredging

1 skillet filled with some melted crisco and sizzling, baby....make it hot!

Steps:

  1. Let the chicken marinade in the beer for 30 min in a ziploc bag or you can boil the chicken in beer to the point of almost being done..approx 10 min on a high boil.
  2. Combine all dry ingredients
  3. Crack the eggs open and whisk them together
  4. Dip the chicken in the eggs, dredge in flour station and gently....GENTLY place in the hot skillet...nothing hurts worse than a grease burn...trust me.
  5. Allow to fry until done...I always slice a bit in the middle to see if juice runs clear.
  6. Dry on paper towel and place in the oven at 250 to keep warm.
Vegetables:
So, here's the skinny on the veg...we love 'em...LOVE THEM!!!  So we eat a ton of wild veg.  Asparagus, artichoke, peppers, onions, etc.  But one thing is for sure, if they are boiled mixed veg you only need two amazing additions to make the flavor POP!

Ingredients:
1/2 of 32 oz of beef broth
however much of the Normandy Blend Bird's eye veg that you want
Nature's seasoning to taste

Steps:
  1. Boil the broth until bubbling...this is called a hard boil
  2. Add the amount of veg you'd like
  3. Boil for 10 min or so until veg is as tender as you desire
  4. Drain in colander
  5. Sprinkle nature's seasonings over the veg, stir and plate
Alternative to boiling is steaming....which I ADORE!!!  Truly, if you have a steamer, put the beef broth in the place of the water, steam those vegetables to submission, sprinkle the seasoning on there and enjoy!

Here's your pics....and the best part...this took under an hour for prep and cooking time!  
Doesn't that look yummy?

here's your close up
What you need to understand is that I have always enjoyed cooking...but with Caro it's a whole new adventure.  The sounds of approval when the aroma wafts out of our sunshine yellow kitchen make me smile, the look of pure pleasure at a plate of food being handed to him is like Christmas for me.  It's better than any present I could ever receive....true story, the way to my heart is through kitchen gear....a deluxe trip to the supermarket...or a surprise visit to a specialty deli.  Nothing makes me happier these days than the ability to cook for the man who holds my heart in the palm of his hands.  I stopped cooking for a long time after I left my marriage and it wasn't until Jason showed up in my life almost eight months ago.  I cannot believe it has been eight months with Jason in my life.  Sharing his peace with me.  I've never really had the desire to have anyone in my kitchen.  Then he walked in one day and started cooking with me.  Life has not been the same since.  We share details, large and small.  We share a world that we have created together that feels so large and endless with possibilities and yet so small and intimate with just us and all of our kids...the two and four legged ones.  We share a common mindset that allows us the ability to figure it out, fight it out, and get it wrong and make it right.  In a hundred years...when my grandchildren's children talk about what love is and the history of our family...they will speak of what I share with Caro mio.  And when they ask me how we did it I will be able to smile, with peace in my heart and say..."I waited my whole life for a love like his and to earn it we cooked our way through every situation."  And when they wait for my explanation I will tell them that the hearth is the heart of a home and it can heal a wounded heart, a ravaged spirit, and create a love so deep, so wide that time stills and all you can feel is warm and full from it.

Have a great week and I look forward to this week's postings.

Be well, Be blessed, Be loved....Eat well!
-M-

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Caramel Apple Empanadas

I love to cook.  You probably know that by now.  You probably guess that when I want to show someone I love them I make them something from scratch.  Earlier this week before we tried to do the Pioneer days I made homemade Banana Nut Bread, Pineapple Upside Down cake, A 2-tiered Chocolate cake....and this afternoon...because I missed Jason so much, I made Caro mio (My darling) Caramel Apple Empanadas....

And this time....I took a TON of pics.  So here is the skinny on a fat day kind of dessert.

Recipe:

The truth....Now I know I'm guilty of doubling recipes...I like 'em saucy, meaty, cheesy.....but on this one....I legitimately am telling you....it's good as it is....I mean I'm a great cook...but maybe a bit more caramel or powdered sugar wouldn't be bad...can something have too much of the yum factor?  But seriously, anything other than caramel or powdered sugar is spot on.  Trust me.

Ingredients:
2 cans of Apples for apple pie filling
2 cups of brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 c regular sugar
4 Tbsp Cinnamon
Black Walnuts
Regular Walnuts
Pecans
4Tbsp caramel for ice cream sundaes -----do NOT leave this out!!!------

2 eggs for egg whites (you will use this like glue)

1 package of giant square wonton wrappers for egg roles

Powdered sugar for garnish

Steps:

  1. Mix all the ingredients together except for eggs and wrappers....set those aside.
  2. Put onto med high heat in a skillet until bubbly and gooey and looking so good you want to eat it just like that.
  3. Let simmer on med heat for 10-15 min until apples are soft...Yeah, go ahead and take a taste test, you've earned it...besides no one can look at this mix bubbling and smelling so yummy without taking a little nibble....
  4. Put the spoon down...you had your taste test!
  5. Now, heat a skillet full of oil until it's hot...usually around 375 degrees or so.
  6. Lay out wrappers individually to be filled
  7. Beat egg whites and grab a basting brush
  8. Fill up the wrappers with about 2 Tbsp full of mixture and wrap it shut
  9. Slide the basting brush coated in egg whites around the corners and seal it shut
  10. Place it into the oil about 5-6 min per side
  11. Dry on paper towel
  12. Plate
  13. Serve with caramel and powdered sugar on top
The mix on the stove....getting all gooey and bubbly and yummy...



So 2 Tbsp of mix inside wrappers then lay in front of you like a diamond shape and wrap up the bottom, close the sides and then roll shut and seal with egg whites.

Fry 5-6 min per side and then drain on paper towel

Plate and drizzle with powdered sugar and caramel ice cream sundae sauce...I took the platter with a cup of fresh coffee to Jason and we lay in bed watching a movie and munching away.  What better way to say welcome home?
The inside of a Cash Family style Caramel Empanada.




So after the dismal failure of pioneer days...I rallied myself to get into the kitchen and spoil the mister with some deep fried lovin'!  Jason is an amazing husband...He joined me in the kitchen, separated wrappers, whisked egg whites and worked the stove during the deep frying phase and stirred while I mixed and seasoned and then when I gave him a bite of that delicious gooey mix and some dropped on my hand, the sexiest man on the planet grasped my wrist and put his mouth to my palm and took that little morsel off the palm of my hand with his beautiful mouth.....So, while the kids are at their biological father's house....and we miss them so very very much.....Jason and I have not stopped cooking....And for any mom's, dad's...married or single or just simply so in love....get in the kitchen....  The pure joy of being in the kitchen with Caro is that he is so interested in figuring it out....cooking with me, and enjoying our quality time together that it never matters if what comes out is edible or not.

Be well, Be Blessed, Be loved....and cook ya'all-
Morgana & Jason

Pioneer days....the results

So, I'm a terrible pioneer....so are the kids.  We tried....truly we tried.  But we are re-attempting this cooking over an open fire again.  This week.  Jason is home, so we will rise to the challenge again.  Pray for us again because I sprouted three new gray hairs, the dogs were very uncooperative as livestock, I couldn't get the wood that got wet to catch on fire, and as for cooking....Well cooking very quickly became a tedious chore. Thankfully we have modern technology....a stove....for example.  You never realize how much those kinds of appliances mean until you decide you don't "need" them anymore.

Oh and laundry in the tub???  Forget it.  The socks hung there over the shower curtain rod for hours because you can't squeeze enough water out of them.  I think I would have been the kind of pioneer who had to be able to be the "Stupervisor".  Yes I said "Stupervisor".  I cannot imagine I would be good at anything other than cooking over a stove or making soap, laundry soap, perfumes...extracting oils out of plants and such.  I could've told great bedtime stories....but clearly as far as the grades go...I kept the food preservation really well...but the fire a no go.  So, you tell me.....

P.S.  No pictures.  Jason wasn't here, but we will take some this time.  I got a new phone in and he is back....you may see me looking like what happened, who did it and why.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Pioneer Days

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Pioneer days in the Cash household

So the kids and I have decided to totally and completely lose our minds. In the spirit of cooking food all the way from scratch we decided to live like Pioneers to the best of our ability for Thursday and Friday. The kids go to their biological father’s house on Friday evening and I won’t see my babies again until Sunday evening….it kills me to share them, but I love them and want them to have a great relationship with their father. But, it’s also fun when I get to do cool stuff with them too. So, the blog, the cookbook, and now Pioneer days…..Oh, Lord…what have I signed on for?

Here’s the parameters or as K.K. says…the rules of Pioneer days:

Wednesday night at midnight I flip off all circuit breakers. By this time there will be bags of ice picked up from 7-11 and stuffed in the freezer and the fridge to keep food fresh and safe…not exactly Pioneer, but the best I can do from where I sit.

So rule 1: NOOOOO electricity…which is why this is being typed two days in advance and our commentary will be posted this coming weekend after we all sit down and chat about the experience.

(Preston is devastated that no electricity means no Myth busters movies…K.K. is not happy that there won’t be a radio playing in the background…and I am not thrilled that laundry will not be done by my washer and dryer.)

On Thursday we will rise with the sparrows to begin a list of daily farm type chores. Tinkerbell and Max will become livestock that we tend to throughout the day. The barnyard will be tended to and we will be cooking over an open fire pit. To, which, Preston is thoroughly excited about….as he loves to cook outside.

Rule 2: All meals will be cooked on the fire.

So, our Pioneer menu for two days worth of food goes like this:

Thursday:

Breakfast:

Homestyle pancakes on a griddle over the fire

Syrup

Fruit

Milk

Lunch:

Sandwiches

Mac n cheese (if I am good enough to get it done on the fire)

Fruit

Tea

Dinner:

Steak on the fire

Baked potatoes

Sautéed onions

Peas

Tea

Friday:

Breakfast:

Biscuits or muffins…whichever survives the fire

Jam

Milk

Lunch:

Spaghetti

Corn

Fruit

Tea

Dinner:

BBQ chicken

Baked potatoes

Sautéed onions

Green beans

And a cake…(YIKES!)

Rule 3: Laundry will be done in the tub and hung out to dry.

Sigh….the kids are ready for this one…I am not…so in the spirit of keeping as much of my sanity as possible I am doing as much laundry as I can in the next 24 hrs so that a few pairs of socks or undies is all I need to really do.

 

Rule 4: Candlelight will burn brightly in the evening and we will play games and chat and read together for entertainment.

It’s a lot of togetherness and thank goodness I like my kids. There aren’t too many other people I would want to attempt this with.

Rule 5: Neighbors are strangers. Unless you lived in town, neighbors were few and far between, so we are segregating ourselves from the doorbell and interferences and essentially camping around a bonfire pit and cooking for the evening….complete with a bucket of water nearby.

Right now, the kids are digging the fire pit deeper that Jason built me over the fall. They are measuring a grill grate to ensure that it will sit in the pit and be steady with food on it. I am planning a quick trip down to the 7-11 for ice and turning the fridge temp down so that it will be colder by the time I toss ice in there and hopefully it will stay cool. If I notice that it doesn’t, I’ll toss the food in the freezer to maximize food preservation…(otherwise and I hate to say it, but I’ll cheat and use some electricity for that purpose. No judgment, please. With two little kids in the house and an issue with low blood sugars, there must be food in the home.)

So tomorrow, I will be in the backyard, setting it up like a barn yard…complete with water area for the dogs, the kennels will act as a pen, and at night we won’t venture beyond the back porch. Much like we did on the farm I lived on as a kid. Dad was the only one brave enough to go the barn at night. Oh, Jason….you will be in the field for this excursion….and how much I will miss you even more during the night when I’m hoping that I can keep a fire going thru it by sleeping in the living room as I did last night. I, truthfully, did not actually sleep. I laid on the couch staring at a cursor that blinked and mocked me and tried to write in my book. Hopefully I can get a fire going in the fire place and keep it going so that I can heat tea or coffee in the morning, so I’m not a cranky brat all day. If I can keep it going thru the night, rise it hot in the morning and cook off it throughout the day and evening…by Friday night when Jason gets home from the field and we take the kids to their father I will feel like I succeeded at something major this week. This may be a dear journal entry….expect to read about tears, tantrums, and an assortment of minor injuries and wounded ego and pride….the only thing I would consider a real failure is the fire and food issue. If I can’t keep it going, successfully cook off it and keep the food in the fridge and freezer cold….then I have failed.

But in the spirit of being a my father‘s daughter.….I think I’m smart enough to work my way around this one and get it right. What will really kill me is no outside contact with anyone else in the world. I may put pen to paper and actually write letters on Thursday and Friday…just to stay entertained and I do have a lovely set of stationary. No electricity means no phone, no computer, no nada….so I won’t be typing for two days…..I won’t be making calls for two days…..I won’t be blogging or journaling for two days….I may just cry now and get it over with.

The inspiration came when I thought about Jason being gone….how Dad was gone a lot…on one job site or another….how we got snowed in….and even though we don’t have six feet of snow piled high along the fence line…..I thought it would be interesting to see if I could create a similar situation and teach the kids how to fend for themselves….Preston has been wanting to cook on a grill or open fire since we decided to do this and here is his opportunity….

I will submit my recipes for the menu when I figure out which ones work and taste yummy but until then I truly do not want to open my big mouth and say….here’s how to do it before I put it to the test. K.K. still wants Julia’s cookbook and I, personally, wouldn’t want to entertain the notion of cooking like Julia Child over an open fire….but let’s get through this event….then we’ll see if anyone has any grand ideas on a cookbook…hell, maybe we’ll write our own.

Stay tuned…..

Homemade Maple Syrup

Homemade maple syrup:

Ingredients:




1 c brown sugar

¾ c water

1 tbsp of maple flavoring

Step 1: Combine sugar and water. Bring to a rolling boil

Step 2: Immediately lower temperature to simmer and simmer on low, uncovered for fifteen

Step 3: Add maple flavoring. We used 2 tbsp of maple flavoring per our taste buds.

The truth about the recipe:





I doubled this recipe and it made enough to fill an adorable little pitcher that is perfectly sized for little hands. (0.5 L in size…well to be truthful, it filled it almost to the lip for pouring)

Notes from the kitchen:





Monday, March 4, 2013

So, Jason’s first day in the field went something like this….other than glass in my foot, a broken tea cup, a broken coffee cup, soaked dog food, surprise visits from long lost friends….I cleaned the house, cooked, and it was absolutely….PEACEFUL! Totally a first for me I have been a military spouse all of my adult life and cannot wait for the day that Jason is out of the ARMY. I am enjoying having a man in the house by six each night, dinner on the table, and someone to snuggle with during movies….I like hearing his soft snores and feeling his chest against my back, his hands cradling my body…and truthfully….even though it’s only four in the afternoon and he wouldn’t be coming home until nearly six, if it were a normal work day, I already miss him. I know that tonight he won’t be present for dinner, I know that he won’t be here to tuck in the kids, or snuggle down and talk to me about the goings on in each of our days. I miss him. So simple and yet, so very, very complex. I missed him so much the last time he was in the field and even though I’ve done innumerable training detachments, field exercises, and deployments in my previous life…..all of which I did standing on my head and not sweating too awful much….the simple peace that Jason brings to our world makes me miss him all the more when he is absent from home. His quiet presence fills up the spaces in our lives and his quick wit and ready smile make the laughter and joy flow so easily from the hearts of Preston, Alex, and even myself. I find myself laughing deeper, longer, and fuller….so here’s my dirty secret and probably why I was a fat kid in a former life….I cook when I am stressed, I cook when I‘m sad, I cook when I‘m happy….sometimes I cook and have no real reason for it at all…maybe this cookbook adventure is a mistake, my jeans may hate me at the end of this journey…but truthfully….I am already soothed by the sounds of a low simmer on the stove and the scent of syrup wafting through my sunny, yellow kitchen. I just wish Caro mio were home to enjoy it with us.

Preston is standing beside me, chattering away…asking questions faster than I can answer and I swear it’s like I have two brains going at one time. I am answering questions, typing, and keeping a third eye on the syrup. Preston is questioning the smell, since I’ve not added the flavoring yet, it doesn’t quite smell like syrup but still manages to be pleasant enough to the senses. We decided to go ahead and try this maple syrup recipe because it only contains things that are either easy to acquire or ingredients that are already in your kitchen. For that reason alone it was worth a try, but still….you find me a better tasting syrup recipe that is cheaper and has less ingredients and I’ll tip my hat to you. Alexandra, my daughter, better known as K.k. thanks to my sweet, little nephew, Lane, wanders in and out of the kitchen. She sniffs the mixture on the stove and gives her approval and for the third time in a week puts in her now favorite movie, Julie & Julia. I’m not sure how much more I can watch this movie….but for those of you with kids, you know they will exhaust a dvd if they truly love it….since it’s funny and based in Paris and New York…two places that I’m dearly in love with…(More Paris than New York) I think I can keep dealing.

The kids are keeping an eye on the clock and notified me that their favorite syrup is almost ready for flavoring…..and they remind me that we are still on the hunt for a great cookbook….anyone got any good ideas?

K.k. wants Julia Child’s book Mastering the Art of French Cooking….but I don’t know if boning a duck, trussing a chicken, or lobster are dishes I want to attempt in a kitchen of pint sized gourmets….but clearly if we get brave we will all be wearing aprons and joining in a chorus of Bon Apetit!

-Morgana-

-K.k.’s Korner-





Well, I stirred the sugar and water together and it looked like brown water. I wanted to taste the sugar so much and mom said, “Well, Julia Child, dip a finger into the sugar bag and take a small lick off your finger.” So, I did. Brown sugar tastes delicious! I kept stirring the mix during the part where Preston added the maple flavoring. It was really fun to make homemade maple syrup with Mom and Preston. I wish Dad wasn’t in the field, so he could help….he and mom had to do this recipe three different times before they got it figured out the first time we used it. Mom got so mad at the syrup recipe she almost threw the whole pot out and Dad saved the syrup and we ate it with home made buttermilk pancakes…..

 



-Preston’s Point of View-





I stirred it, did the measuring of ingredients and added the flavor. It smelled like crap until the flavoring was added and it tasted yucky until the flavoring was put in….DON’T TASTE TEST UNTIL THE MAPLE FLAVORING IS PUT IN….you will hate it!!!! Now that it is in the fridge cooling down and getting ready for tomorrow for pancakes. I loved cooking with Mom while we do the blog. I still like mine and Jason’s snack….flour tortillas dipped in medium heat salsa…but I like making the blog with mom….I just hope the syrup turns out good.

Special Messages to the

Grandmas and Grandpas:







I had fun cooking in the kitchen with mom and I miss you guys so much. I hope I can see you all in July on my birthday. Love, Preston

 

Miss you Grammie Grams and Gramps and Grandma Judy and Grandpa Dennis….Love, K.K.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Dinner Tonight Was for the Fast and the Furious...

So Jason goes to the field tomorrow.....for those of you not in the know...Jason is in the ARMY and has to take off in the a.m. for another week of misadventures and wild stories....the last time he was gone was truly hectic and all I did was sit in the driveway and think about him...but for you millies, you know the drill.
     Tonight we were packing gear, re-watching Julie and Julia with the kids, and Jason said....."what's for dinner?"... at eight o'clock.  Well, with a look and a wink the kids and I jetted off to the kitchen and made shake n' bake chicken, potatoes au gratin, corn, and deviled eggs.....not much for recipes...but I had to re-vamp the deviled eggs recipe since Jason lives for mustard as a staple...truly if Alex had her way we would cook everything with ketchup, Preston would demand everything with sweet and sour sauce, but since it was dinner for dad....mustard reigned supreme....here's the recipe and the saucy details of our first dinner blogging attempt....

Jason's Deviled Eggs:
4 eggs (1 for each person)
4 Tbsp of Mayo
8 Tbsp of Mustard
Celery seed for garnish

Boil the eggs, shock, peel, and slice...
      -I truly felt like Julia Child when I peeled a hot egg and then tried to slice it and pop the yolk out of the center....I wanted to yell something highly inappropriate when my sensitive girly fingertips got burned to a nice hue of pink....almost like a cooked lobster....

-By the way....shocking an egg means to drop it immediately in ice cold water to stop the cooking process.-

Mash the yolks with a fork and then add the dollops of the dreaded Mayo and the healthy half a bottle of mustard for Jason.  Then stuff it all into a ziploc baggie and squish...to which Preston loved doing...easier than dragging out the mixer and nothing to clean up....beat that one if you can!

Make your husband locate a pair of scissors to snip off a corner and when he can't....pray he's smart enough to improvise...Jason pulled a knife out and scootched me out of the way to slice off the corner and with a flourish handed me the baggie....Alex and I proceeded to line up the eggs like toy soldiers and squirt the mix into the hull of the eggs....

Finally garnish with celery seeds...

Now this recipe is not for the faint of heart....you have to adore mustard...  Personally....I could care less...it was okay...not much like I make it normally but as I told Preston when he said, "I don't like deviled eggs, Mom....why did you cook them?"  My curt reply at almost eight thirty at night was, "Son, you will find that when you are married....your wife will cook for you, not the kids.....the deviled eggs are for Jason."

I looked up to get a wink from a handsome man and plated dinner....  Au Bientot, mes amis!  (Pardon the bad French, por favor.  hehehehe)



Saturday, March 2, 2013

Welcome!

Hi everyone-

     Everyone knows we are a homeschooling family and as such we are prone to do wild and crazy things to teach the kids their schoolwork and life skills that we want them to know.  Recently, Alexandra and Preston watched the movie Julie & Julia.  The one about Julie Powell trying to find herself and rediscover her purpose by utilizing her personal heroine and inspiration Julia Childs and the cookbook, Mastering the Art of    French Cuisine.  The kids loved it.  So, here we are.  We are on the hunt for a great cookbook that is easy for an 8 yr old and a 10 yr old to reproduce with fantastic results....one recipe at a time, for one year, our family will cook from this cookbook.  We will post pics and updates on the recipes, our comments, and even include the dismal failures that end up with food and dirty dishes from here to Timbuktu and at the end of the year....you may find out that the production of grey hair that Jason and I have on our heads has multiplied by at least one hundred times over what Miss Clairol already covers for me.  So join us as we teach the kids to cook, their fractions, reading, and spending as much family time together in a small kitchen as we can!

Love to all-
The Cash Family