Cooking With Kids

Cooking with kids is an important way to guide their development, both nutritionally and emotionally. When kids participate in the preparation of a healthy meal, they are more likely to want to eat it, and it provides bonding time with family members. The memories of sharing this experience with you will stay with them throughout their lives, and shape their own parenting and grandparenting styles. If you have an herb or vegetable garden, you have the added opportunity to teach kids about where their food comes from by having them help you to tend and harvest your herbs and veggies! Kids feel a sense of pride, of accomplishment, and derive self esteem from these activities. So get ‘em in the garden, and get ‘em in the kitchen!

Our granddaughter was really excited about the idea of us starting a homebased cookie business, and was inspired to create, so that’s what we did this past weekend! Such a simple way to thoroughly entertain a child! She was so proud to take her finished products home to share with her family there!
Another meal we like to prepare together is great for breakfast, lunch, or even a quick and easy dinner. It’s based on a traditional Irish scramble, but I’ve modified it a bit to eliminate a lot of cutting and chopping, so that a small child can safely participate in the preparation;

Irish Soul Scramble (or Tater-Tata)
¼ lb thick cut peppercrusted bacon, chopped and browned or same amount breakfast sausage, cut into bite size pieces
½ bag frozen tater tots
1 cup frozen diced onion
2 cups frozen bell pepper strips
1 cup fresh grape tomatoes, left whole
1 6oz can low sodium pitted black olives, left whole
1/2 pint presliced mushrooms
¼ cup fresh flatleaf parsely, chopped
6-8 jumbo eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sourdough breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 400F. Place tater tots in a single layer in bottom of large, heavy skillet. Bake 10 minutes till browned on bottom. Turn tots over, add meat(s), vegetables and parsely evenly over potatoes (you can hold the skillet and have your child carefully add these ingredients…take care not to let them burn themselves!). Add eggs making certain they are evenly distributed in skillet. Combine Parmesan and breadcrumbs, top skillet mixture and bake 15-20 minutes, till top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

SugarShack Gourmet Cookies

Summer's Ending

Karl and I celebrated summer's ending this past weekend by taking advantage of the last of the warm weekends and exploring the Mountain Loop Highway here in western Washington. This time of year you can sometimes catch sight of mountain goats on White Chuck as they forage their morning meal. We apparently overslept, because we missed them! We did not, however, miss a single bit of scenery along this byway full of rivers, creeks, and hiking trails! We even had a visit with an owl who answered to “YO!”  We took lots of great photos and made plans to visit the area again, and perhaps stay longer! I just may get my husband to go camping with me yet!

As the foliage takes on fiery autumn hues and the weather cools, our quest for comfort shifts focus from crispy, fresh and cool to velvety soft and warm. When the rain pounds outside and we stock up on kindling and firewood, pull out our cozy sweaters and spread fluffy duvets on our beds, nothing beats a big, steaming pot full of hot, homemade soup and a warm loaf of fresh, fragrant, crusty bread!  Irish Soul will feature quite a few soup recipes, all of them wonderful…but by far, the sexiest soup I’ve ever made for Karl, the one that gets him declaring undying love and devotion to me, is the one I’ll share with you all today;

Irish Soul Bean ‘N’ Bacon Soup
1/2  lb thick cut peppercrusted bacon, chopped
1 30-oz can fat free refried beans
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, skin-on, chopped
3 large carrots, skin-on, chopped
3 large stalks celery, chopped
3  large scallions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh flatleaf parsely, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
2 tbs Mrs Dash Original seasoning blend
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Brown bacon with scallions and potatoes. Look for fond to develop on bottom of pot. Add carrots, celery, parsely, and stock. Add refried beans, stirring to incorporate into liquid. Bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Stir in fresh cracked pepper before serving with grilled cheese sandwiches and a nice green salad!

Labor Day

So, how was everybody’s Labor Day?  My husband, Karl, and I drove out early to Snoqualmie Pass and spent the morning exploring the Gold Creek Pond trail. The weather was perfect for the trip, clear and sunny. Songbirds were out in force, and every angle around that pond (POND! More like a LAKE!) yielded spectacular views, which we eagerly photographed!  Thanks to Bumbershoot (our local art and music festival held annually at the Seattle Center on Labor Day weekend), we virtually had the whole place to ourselves!  Karl said it was the most fun and fulfilling day he’d had so far this year! I was stoked to have found such a scenic trail that we hadn’t already hiked!

We’re still having warm weather here in Western Washington, and after a long, busy day the last thing many of us want to do is cook! Cool, crunchy salads with tons of flavor are the perfect ending to a day like this!
Here’s my Irish Soul Ultimate Tuna Salad;

Irish Soul Ultimate Tuna Salad

2 8oz cans fancy White Albacore tuna packed in oil, drained thoroughly
1 small Green Zebra heirloom tomato, seeds gently squeezed out and flesh diced
1 small Brandywine beefsteak tomato, seeds gently squeezed out and flesh diced
1 cup diced English cucumber (about ¼ of one, seeds scooped out)
½ bulb fresh fennel with fronds, chopped
2 medium sized scallions, chopped
¼ cup fresh flatleaf parsely, chopped
1 jumbo egg, room temp
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tb Mrs Dash Lemon Pepper seasoning
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large head of butter lettuce, cleaned and pat-dried
sliced avocado, if desired
fresh sourdough rolls

Combine tuna, vegetables and parsely in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together egg, lemon juice/zest, salt, pepper, and Lemon Pepper while slowly drizzling olive oil. Mixture should be nice and thick when done. Fold gently into tuna mixture till fully incorporated. Chill and serve with butter lettuce and avocado slices on fresh sourdough rolls, with iced tea and plenty of lemon!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! Hello, I’m Sali!
I’m 46 years old, have 3 grown kids and 4 grandkids. My husband, Karl and I are approaching our 3rd wedding anniversary this December.  He’s an extremely talented rock/blues guitarist. Check out his website  http://myplace.frontier.com/~karlnoonan1/, you’ll be glad you did!  I’m an artist, you can see some of my paintings at salinoonan.yolasite.com.  I only just started painting again last year…I spent 26 years raising my family alone and didn’t have space, time, or money to indulge my creative side very often. It’s great to be back at it!  I’m also raising public awareness of some really wonderful, eco-friendly/budget friendly household products at http://www.befreetech.com/jem/reps/mustangsali1965.
Like many Americans I’ve been out of work for a while. I’ve been diligent about my job search, spending every morning scouring the internet for postings, sending out cover letters and resumes to companies unsolicited, networking, and maintaining friendships with former coworkers and employers,  just in case anyone wants me back in the foreseeable future. To keep my skills up I’ve been volunteering at PAWS in Lynnwood, helping with their website and PetFinder ads. It’s been almost a year since I’ve worked, though, and I feel like it’s time to think outside the box. That’s why I am currently writing a cookbook entitled “Irish Soul”.  Some of the recipes in this book are based upon traditional Irish fare. Some are not. Some of these recipes are my own original creations.  All are my own special interpretation of each dish, and all are wonderfully comforting, like you would expect from your Gramma’s kitchen.  To generate interest, I will be sharing one recipe weekly. I do advocate using fresh, local ingredients and supporting local family farms!
This cookbook started out as something I was putting together for my kids. My oldest girl was newly married, and was frequently calling to ask “how do you make this, how do you make that”.  So I started putting together all of my kids’ old favorite recipes…then I started adding new ones. Ultimately I chose to celebrate my Irish American heritage by offering my own twist on old traditional dishes as well as my own original ones, and BA-DA-BING! Irish Soul!
I hope you try these few recipes I’m sharing here, and I hope you like them well enough to get yourself a copy of my book once it’s published. Cookbooks like these make excellent gifts, as well!
I think I’ll start by sharing my all purpose ground beef mix;

Irish Soul All Purpose Ground Beef Mix

2 lbs lean ground beef (1 lb lean ground pork added makes a very tasty blend!)
2 cups fine sourdough breadcrumbs, soaked in 1 cup milk
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs salt free beef boullion
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped fresh flatleaf parsely
½ medium yellow onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tb steak grill seasoning
½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 tb olive oil

Mix all ingredients thoroughly with very clean hands.  This mixture is wonderful for meatloaf, meatballs, even hamburgers! Try adding mushrooms, fine diced bell pepper, or, if you’re really brave, chopped jalapeno chilies! If not using right away, freeze in batches, the approximate amount you would use for one meal. You can form the meatballs, burger patties, or meatloaves before freezing.

I hope you try this recipe soon. If you like it, let me know!