Who Does the Shopping?

With men taking on a more active role in the household and parenting duties, guys are doing a greater portion of grocery shopping than in the past. Does this hold true for your household?

Marketing folks are on it. Ads on ESPN now feature Dad and son passing a football out back and then coming in for bowls of cereal. 

photo from www.gourmetads.com

We are curious, have your household responsibilities shifted over time or have they stayed the same? Does the "man of your house" go to the grocery store? Does he go alone or with you... and if he goes alone do you feel he does as good a job with the shopping list?

Squash Hash, The New Breakfast of Champs!

Break the cold cereal cycle with these squash hash browns that can be made in advance for a quick weekday breakfast. One of our hash brown's provide 100% of the RDA for Vitamin A and about 30% of the RDA for Vitamin C (just think all those vitamins before lunchtime!)

• 1 small butternut squash, about 2 lbs
• 1/2 a small onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• pinch cayenne (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
• olive oil, about 2 Tablespoons

Trim and peel the squash thoroughly, down to the dark orange flesh. Cut off the neck of the squash (from the base) and then halve the base and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Trim and peel the onion.

Using a box grater, grate all of the squash. Transfer the grated squash into a large colander resting inside a large bowl. Sprinkle the squash with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Separately, grate the onion, discarding any juices, to get about 1/3 cup grated onion. Add the onion to the squash and mix. Next reduce the amount of liquid in the mixture by squeezing handfuls of the squash mix over the. Ideally you want the mix to be as dry as possible.
Add the egg and mix to combine. Sprinkle in the flour, one tablespoon at a time, mix thoroughly.

Line a large plate with a sheet of plastic wrap and drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil on top of the plastic. Take about 1/3 cup of mixture at a time and form the squash into a patty, pressing firmly, then transfer to the oiled plastic. Repeat. You should get about 8 patties.
Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to the pan or spray with pan spray. Flip a patty into your hand, oiled side up, then slip the patty into the hot pan. Cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes, then flip and brown the second side for another 3-5 minutes, transfer to plate to cool.

Transfer patties to an airtight container with plastic wrap in between layers and freeze.
To reheat, preheat oven or toaster to 325. Place frozen hash browns on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until heated through. Serve.

Food and Music Pairings: Turntable Kitchen

Check out the next level of food pairings: food and music pairings!

Just as like foods pair well with like wines (acidic wines with acidic foods, bold wines with bold foods) Turntable Kitchen matches similar components in foods and tunes for delectable combinations.

For instance, Squash Blossom Omelet + The Shins' Oh, Inverted World album

Matthew's playful descriptions of "fluffy... airy... sparkling acid-tinged..." music, yes music, are remarkably articulate and delightfully accurate! We love that there's a link to listen to the featured music while reading about the pairing.

What an inspiration! We can't wait to read about the combinations to come. Too bad the list for monthly pairings boxes is not currently accepting additional signups. 

Do you have music on while cooking and/or eating?

Surprisingly Recyclable

Most people here in SF have larger recycling bins in their homes than trash cans. We passionately recycle and compost as much as we can, but what exactly can be recycled these days?

It varies (greatly) from city to city, depending on the capabilities at your local recycling plant, so definitely check online to see what is and is not recyclable in your neighborhood.

We checked the list for San Francisco and we shocked and impressed at how much the list of recyclables has grown since we last checked!

These items were most surprising for us to toss in the blue bin:
aluminum foil
spray cans
buckets with metal handles
CDs, DVDs and cases (with paper insert removed)
coffee cup lids
corks - plastic
flower pots and trays
toys (no electronics, metal or batteries)
tupperware
plastic utensils
wrapping paper (non-metallic)


Here's the full list of items welcome in the blue recycling bin:

Since we are legally obligated to compost, not many things go into the trash these days. A free standing paper grocery bag under the sink can hold the trash of 3 people for a week or longer, and because food scraps are in the compost bin, the trash doesn't get gross or smelly. It's odd, but awesome!

The question is no longer who takes out the trash, but who takes out the compost.

Dessert on a Spoon: Vegan Chocolate Mousse Bites

We love having these spoonful-sized treats in the freezer for an after school/work snack or a tiny late night treat. Unlike other creamy, chocolate desserts, this one is rich with protein and relatively low in fat.

If you happen to have a set of cheap party silverware, use them here to keep your everyday silverware free. Mix-matched old measuring spoons work great too. Otherwise, using ramekins or small bowls works great too.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse 

12 oz package of silken tofu (soft kind preferred)

8 oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chips or bars (check ingredients to ensure vegan-ness)

3-4 tablespoons agave syrup (or homemade simple sugar syrup)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Start by melting the chocolate in a double boiler or (carefully) in the microwave. 

In a blender, blend the tofu until completely smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the melted chocolate, agave syrup and vanilla extract and blend to combine.

• for spoonfuls: transfer mousse to a bowl or small pyrex, cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Then, fill the spoons with mousse, place on a baking sheet and freeze. Transfer to an air-tight container or bag. 
• for ramekins/bowls: transfer the mousse to the ramekins/bowls, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour. 

Enjoy!

Homemade Raisins

Looking for a fresh take on a classic travel-friendly snack? Make your own raisins this summer and watch the kids gobble up these juicy, sweet-tart jewels! Raisins have more iron by weight than raw broccoli or raw kale and offer potassium, B vitamins and fiber. If you are looking for an end-of-summer project, try sun-drying your grapes to make raisins (see that option below.)

-1 to 2 pounds seedless grapes (we like using red ones)

Turn the oven to its lowest setting (200-250 F).

Oven-Dried
Remove stems from the grapes and spread them out on a silpat (or parchment) lined sheet pan. Bake, checking about every 2 hours, until shriveled and chewy. About 6 hours total.

Sun-Dried
Let the warm summer sun do all the work for you! If the daily highs where you live are in the mid 70's or higher, dry your grapes outside on a sheet pan and cover them with a layer of cheese cloth (to keep bugs out). Choose a spot that gets full sun and your grapes should be raisins in about 2 weeks.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

photo credit:  
joelogon

Summer Road Trip: Cooking in the Woods

Hi all! It's Tina here at Peas HQ, about to take off on a road trip up the Pacific Coast, camping along the way. But what will I be eating? Here's a look at the travelin' kitchen:

• the 'pantry' milk crate
• pancake mix
• instant oatmeal
• tea, coffee, and cocoa
• canned goods
• olive and vegetable oils
• balsamic
• sea salt and pepper
• crackers
• nuts

• the 'kitchen' milk crate
• camping stove
• pot with lid
• pan with lid
• can opener
• vegetable peeler
• wooden spoon
• small knife (with blade guard)
• cutting board
• utensils
• mugs
• roll of paper towels
• ziplocks

• the 'fridge' (2 cubic foot cooler)
• milk
• OJ
• room for produce and cheese purchased on the drive

I'll be passing several farm stands along my route, so I'm ready to make farm fresh salads for lunch (with nuts and cheese for protein) and my favorite dinner outdoors, Thai curry! With just a few pantry items on hand (curry paste, coconut milk, and rice) most any vegetables from a farm stand can be used to make a Thai curry.

If you're traveling with kids, let them choose the veggies for dinner. Carrots, tomatoes, any summer or winter squash or potatoes, onions... whatever looks good. Make the curry extra kid-friendly by adding a small, drained can of pineapple bits to sweeten it up.

Here is my Thai Curry reci-pea: Saute the curry paste, a little oil, and your veggie for a few minutes. Add the full can of coconut milk and simmer until veggies are tender.  Just before serving, add canned pineapple if you are using. Everything tastes better in the woods, so no need to be particular!

Have you been camping/road tripping this summer? What are your favorite meals to make while camping? Any special gear or ingredients that you love to have out in the woods?