I am a Dad that stays at home with my two boys and who loves to cook and bake. This blog will chronicle my successes and failures in the kitchen to cook tasty and healthy food, and to try and get my picky-eater kids to eat it all!
This is still a bit of an experiment in progress, but I wanted to start by putting this out there now. I found an article online recently about regrowing scallions (also known as green onions) by putting them in a mason jar. I had been interested in possibly growing some in our garden this year, but since we are a little late getting our garden started I bought a bunch of them to use in the meantime. Here is a link to the article from 17apart.com.
The article stated that - if left in some water - scallions will completely regrow themselves. I like to have these on hand for garnish or for finishing a dish like a soup or salad, so I decided it was certainly worth a try. So I stuck the bunch of them in a jar with a little water, and then as I used the scallions I stuck the ends back in the jar, root side down.
I don't have a solid verdict yet, but the best plus that I have found to this so far is that the scallions stayed very fresh. If you are like me and don't tend to use a whole bunch at a time, I would definitely recommend this method of keeping scallions. You do have to watch the water level so that they don't get dry and start to wither on you, but they definitely stay very fresh.
Scallions getting some sunlight
As for them growing back, that is still a work in progress. I have noticed some fresh growth on the one bulb I cut way down, so it does seem like a complete regrow would be plausible. I will certainly keep you all updated on whether or not these regrow completely, and how their flavor is when they do grow back.
Sometimes you just have one of those evenings. Nothing goes as planned, you have no backup, and you are forced to improvise.
I had one those nights recently. T-ball pictures were scheduled for 6pm on a Tuesday, and my wife was staying at work late for a dinner meeting. Of course, T-ball pictures were an absolute zoo - carefully controlled chaos with about 60-70 four to six year old kids running around all in their baseball uniforms. Needless to say pictures took way longer than I expected them to, and I ended up having to improvise on dinner.
Daddy's Dinner
Kid's Dinner
We ended up with some boxed macaroni and cheese, and stopped at Wawa for a few hot dogs and a hoagie. If you are not from the Philadelphia area I formally send my apologies, because Wawa is one of the true gems of the area. Imagine a gas station combined with a convenience store combined with a really good sandwich shop and you might just get part of the picture. I am sure I am not doing the chain justice, but they are a godsend, and every place I have worked the first thing I have done is locate the closest Wawa, and make myself familiar with how to get there.
In any case, this was a case of not worrying about dinner, or health, or whatever. It was just a matter of I need to get something on the table and this was the fastest option. The boys had fun going to pick up the food, and they had a dinner. I will worry about vegetables another night.
Yesterday, we went to my sister's house for a birthday party for my niece. After we had been there a while my sister came up to me and asked "Has my husband talked to you about cooking the hot dogs yet?"
"No..." I replied.
She called him over. "Hey, have you asked Nate about grilling yet?"
"No, I just assumed he would be up for it."
I confirmed that I would indeed be up for it and that it was not a problem. Of course I would cook the hot dogs for my niece on her birthday as I did the year before, and just as I had cooked the BBQ chicken and the hot dogs the year before that. I guess it's one of the things about being a good cook - everyone always expects asks you to cook at parties. The other thing about it is - I really don't mind.
Nate working the grill
I love cooking, I love when people get to eat my food, and when I can cook for an entire party full of people, I do it. Even if all I am cooking are the hot dogs. Because I will make sure those hot dogs are the best hot dogs I can cook, and that everyone who eats a hot dog has a smile on their face. Because in my mind - I put that smile there. I made that smile happen. That's why I love doing what I do, and why I will always be up for working the grill. Or the griddle. Or the stove.
Tasty hot dogs!
As we were leaving and saying our goodbyes to friends and families, my sister's mother-in-law says to me "We're inviting you to our next party." You can probably guess why - and by now you know my answer.
Those who are in the know, know. Pixar does a great job making movies. Not just movies for kids, but movies in general. They've taken us inside the secret lives of toys, under the sea, into the closet to where the monsters live, inside the head of a young girl, and into a world populated by automobiles.
But by far my favorite movie from Pixar studios is Ratatouille.
If you're not familiar, it's the story of a rat who figures out how to cook and ends up puppeting a human being. Of course, since rats are not allowed in kitchens, hilarity ensues along with a happy ending for everyone - because it's Disney and it's a kid movie. But the climax of the movie is centered around one final dish, prepared for the primary nemesis - a food critic. That dish is a take on the peasant stew ratatouille, arrayed in a shallow baking dish and cooked en papillote - or under parchment paper.
Recently, I found a recipe for this dish and began making it. It is like bringing a bit of the movie back into real life. The recipe can be found HERE on Allrecipes.com. I do mine in a oval pan, mostly because I like how it looks better.
Ratatouille before cooking
The easy way to keep all of the ingredients in the same order is to use separate tupperware bowls for each of the veggies. Once you have sliced your summer squash, zucchini, eggplant, and red peppers put them in the order you want to have them in the dish, and go from one end to the other. Here is mine in process.
Ratatouille in process
Once you have the dish cooked, I highly recommend serving with some fresh soft bread (this is my homemade oatmeal bread) and some mascarpone cheese. The cheese melts and gives the overall dish some lovely creaminess. It is also fantastic spread directly onto bread. Like butter, it will melt into the bread and add a level of fatty creaminess that pairs wonderfully with a fresh loaf of bread.
Mascarpone on bread
Of course - as difficult as it can be to cook a dish in a professional kitchen, It can be doubly difficult when your kitchen looks like this:
My kitchen "helper" tonight...
Regardless of my "helper", I did manage to end up with a very nice looking plate, once everything came together.
Ratatouille topped with mascarpone quenelle with a slice of fresh bread
If you're not familiar with the term quenelle, its a fancy term for a three sided shape of anything that it soft or moldable, like mascarpone cheese or ice cream. I had my 6-year old act as a cameraman so that you can see just how easy it is to make these fancy-looking toppers.
And just when it couldn't get any better - it does.
What do you think my two boys ate tonight - this fabulous meal with soft fresh bread and creamy mascarpone cheese, or something completely different?
If you went with option two, you'd be correct.
Liam's Plate
Ezra's Plate
Oh well - can't win them all. One day they will be old enough to appreciate the cooking they get. Until then, I just keep cooking like I do and their tastes will catch up sooner or later. Right?
